Back From Vacation And Opinionated

I am back from vacation. A vacation which included some interesting stops on my continuing college tour.  We drove from New Orleans into Mississippi to see a couple of sites. 

We went to Vicksburg for the battlefield, which echoed blood and gore in its hills, trees, monuments and plaques. Our overnight stop was near Jackson, the capital of the state. After dinner north of the city, we braved a thunderstorm to view the lit dome of the Capitol building. 

Driving a circuitous route along I-20 to Meridian and then north along Highway 45 until we veered slightly Northwest, we arrived at Starkville, the home of Mississippi State University. Just outside of the center of town was the school. It is an enormous campus, full of new buildings, so many devoted its heritage as an agricultural college. 

MSU is a Southeastern Conference member. There is no doubt about that with the size and extent of the buildings, stadiums, tracks and other athletic facilities. Some very big money was spent at the school to make them into competitors at all levels both in the SEC and nationally. The amount of donors recognized is significant and the magnitude of their gifts is enormous. 

My immediate thought was to compare the facilities at Rutgers with those of the Bulldogs. The paucity of sports money is evident at Rutgers in comparison to Mississippi State. In RU’s favor is the fact that they are able to compete on the highest level without the accoutrements seemingly necessary to win is amazing. But is also glaring how much better the facilities are at MSU and the records of the Bulldog teams as opposed to the Scarlet Knights is shown by the money invested in them. 

Don’t get me wrong here—if academics is the priority, then RU is handily the better school. Mississippi State has better agricultural and veterinary schools by design. They also offer a top notch meteorology program from which many TV weather personalities receive certificates. What struck me about the MSU campus was the smallness of the liberal arts portion of the campus. Then again, I have always recognized that the foundation for a superior institution of higher education was based on its liberal arts programs. This is not to demean Mississippi State and its core mission; I just carry a prejudice favoring a liberal arts education.

Two buildings of note: the John C. Stennis Institute of Government and Community Development and the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library. Senator Stennis, an MSU alum,  came into the news when Democratic candidate for President and former Vice President Joe Biden invoked his name. Stennis was also instrumental in establishing the Congressional and Political Research Center inside of the Mitchell Library.

I was taken aback when I saw the Grant Library. He was a West Point graduate. Grant was born in Ohio, lived in Illinois and died in New York State. He was instrumental in the Battle of Vicksburg and commanded the Division of Mississippi, a component of the U.S. Army in the aftermath of the Civil War. So I guess that is how his library has a tenuous connection to the State of Mississippi. The true story is that his papers were first at Ohio State then at Southern Illinois until a dispute with the Grant Association led to Mississippi State stepping up and offering a true home for Grant’s works, while offering a way for Southerners to understand the complexities of the Civil War and Reconstruction. .

Certainly Starkville is an outpost. There is a quaint downtown not too far from the college. Which is where the Starkville Cafe is located. To experience a second bit of the South after having delicious Southern Fried Chicken at Vicksburg’s renowned Walnut Hills restaurant (no handguns in the dining area, please), we chose the Starkville Cafe as our lunch destination.

It was what one would have expected in the Deep South. Chicken fried steak was a staple of the patrons in this sizable establishment, which included a table by the front window populated by the Chief of  Police and notable other locals. 

Two men came in and sat across from us. Pleasantries were exchanged with the waitress and within 5 minutes, their order was on the table. Without them placing the order. Dessert was a heaping mound of soft serve vanilla ice cream, covered with chocolate syrup and whipped cream (no cherry). We saw very few individuals who were in shape in this cafe—largely due to the cuisine offered. For the record, my wife had hamburger steak on Texas toast which looked like 2-3 hamburgers with onions along with a ton of sweet potato fries. I selected homemade grilled chicken salad over a lot of lettuce—they forgot the tomatoes. 

With tip, lunch was under $25.00. The experience was priceless. The walls were filled with Americana, Southern style and MSU signed jerseys. I fully expected to see a MAGA hat, but these were savvy owners who sought not to offend too many individuals.  

We traveled a number of backwoods roads for the next hour and a half, passing a ton of farm land and a series of run down sections to reach Oxford, the home of the University of Mississippi. There has been plenty of modernization at Ole Miss, but it still emanates its Southern college charm. Mississippi matches the athletic facilities of its arch rival, Mississippi State. In very close proximity are the football stadium, practice fields, plus an indoor facility aptly named the Olivia and Archie Manning Athletics Performance Center.

Archie was the legendary All-American quarterback for Ole Miss. Olivia was a member of Delta Gamma sorority who was chosen as Homecoming Queen in her senior year. A real life love story of storybook quality.  Sons Cooper and Eli, the Giants’ almost certain Hall of Fame QB, attended Ole Miss. To explain how endeared the Mannings are at Ole Miss, the speed limits on campus are 18 m.p.h (Archie’s number) and 10 m.p.h. (Eli’s number).

After driving around the campus, my wife indicated that she had to use the rest room. We were nearby the Manning Center, so we entered the beautiful facility where some players were lazily practicing throwing and receiving. We strode on the 3 lap red track surrounding the artificial turf to where the rest rooms were, down the corridor from the football locker room.

On our way out, we admired the posters of the stars of Ole Miss football inside an area where numerous offices were housed. Out popped this huge man, with a Southern drawl, checking on us, asking if “Y’all need something?” We said no and he repeated his inquiry, asking if were were sure we didn’t need anything. Which we told him no again.

Out in the parking lot and in our rental car, I opened my cell phone to make sure that I recognized that man. It was Head Coach Hugh Freeze, an Ole Miss alum who played on the offensive line while at the school. It goes to show that you never know who you will meet when you stop to take care of business. 

We saw Sorority Row. Ditto Fraternity Row. Huge houses and plenty of them. Football Saturdays at Ole Miss, especially if a night game versus a traditional SEC foe, are supposedly something among the numerous magnolia trees on campus. Ole Mis reeks of Southern tradition. Even in July with hardly any students present. With a stadium that says college football smack in the middle of the sprawling campus.

The University of Mississippi is the oldest and largest college in the state. It has high academic and graduate school ratings by the Carnegie Foundation. The Geraldine C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts routinely books national stage tours and acts like Michael Bolton. The Thad Cochrane Research Center contains the National Center for Natural Products, in honor of the deceased U.S. Senator who, like another U.S. Senator from Mississippi, Trent Lott, was an Ole Miss cheerleader. Cheerleading is serious stuff in Oxford. 

It was a lot of travel on a beautiful 80+ degree day with low humidity. The time on the state highways was pleasurable with the lack of traffic. There was an abundance of history throughout Mississippi. 

Unfortunately, the civility has gone out the window in the Oxford area with a co-ed’s murder and the horrible alleged shooting up of an iconic civil rights marker by three Ole Miss students packing automatic weapons. We passed the exit signs for Philadelphia, Mississippi, and who can forget what transpired there with the three civil rights workers. That dredged up painful memories, which are still prevalent by some misguided Ole Miss students. Such a shame. I wish there was more hospitality like that of the Ole Miss football coach and the staff in the Vicksburg restaurant. Unfortunately, the amount of Confederate flags flying along our journey said otherwise.

As for pro football, the New York Giants have lost two wide receivers to injury and a third to a performance-enhancing drug suspension. Eli Manning will have no wide outs to throw at, and Saquan Barkley will be the only offensive option. The calls for Eli to be supplanted by Daniel Jones will only grow louder than they have been thus far.

At Jets camp, the defense seems to be way ahead of the offense. On the one hand this is a good thing. On the other hand, it is not so good. I am not expecting much from this team anyway. Prove me wrong.

Cowboys fans are alarmed that all-everything RB Ezekiel Elliott is holding out for a lucrative contract extension. Not to worry about America’s Team—Jerry Jones will reward his star player in the end. 

The Los Angeles Clippers unveiled a new lineup of stars and the plans for a new arena in Inglewood. Lots of opposition to this arena, especially by the people who run the Forum, which is still open and active in Inglewood. Paul George boasted that the Clippers are not worried about the Lakers—they have their sights on the NBA Championship. Sounds like an intra-city rivalry to me.

Baseball has just passed the 100 games played mark. The July 31 trade deadline is fast approaching. The standings have changed dramatically in the last couple of weeks. The Red Sox are  bombarding the Yankees. Then again, in the last 7 games, New York has surrendered 73 runs along with 23 home runs, which are high-water marks for the franchise. Three home run games have suddenly happened for a couple of players—Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz and Mookie Betts. Exactly what baseball needs—excitement again.

Let’s examine each league and the three divisions within. The Yankees have seen their torrid winning come to a resounding thud this week. A loss last Sunday to Colorado at home, a 2-1 split in Minneapolis against the Twins and now an 0-3 against the Red Sox has drawn Boston within 8 games. New York is once more losing players in droves—Gary Sanchez, Brett Gardner and C.C. Sabathia are on the IL. D.J. LeMahieu, the most prolific Yankee batter, tweaked his groin and has not played since Thursday; it is uncertain when he will be available. Gio Urshela, the other Yankee with a batting average over .300, rolled his ankle heading into second base on Saturday; he seems to be okay. 

The starting pitching for the Yankees has been horrendous. No other words to describe how they have been destroyed. The bullpen has not fared that much better—closer Aroldis Chapman had blown 3 out of 6 saves. There are no front line starting pitchers to match up with Cleveland, Boston or Houston. The vaunted bullpen is no longer that threatening—Chapman, 

Chad Green and some of the younger players thrust into duty have become unreliable. 

Thus it is easy to say that New York desperately needs top of the rotation pitching to stop the hemorrhaging. Moreover, they need some quality relief pitching, too. They cannot rely on Luis Severino or Dellin Betances being viable options. Plus they must have Gardner, LeMahieu, Sanchez and Giancarlo Stanton healthy. Aaron Judge needs to be more aggressive and stop guess hitting. Luke Voit is still susceptible to the high pitch and the ball on the corners. Gleybar Torres is swinging too much for the fences. While Cameron Maybin and Mike Tauchman have filled in the outfield and done well, they are more role players than genuine big play makers. With Sanchez hurt, catchers Austin Romine and Kyle Higashioka are serviceable but lower end of the order players. Where are the runs going to come from to overcome the woes that the starting pitching is placing the Yankees?  

It will be very interesting to see what Brian Cashman will do with the available pitching market. Will he pay too steep a price for a pitcher? Or will he not succeed in getting that quality starter his team so desperately needs?

Compare the Red Sox to the Yankees. The averages, the power and the R.B.I. totals are much higher than the Yankees. Boston has its core players all playing well, as are the backups. They seem to be putting it all together and are a dangerous team to face. After the Fenway Park series concludes on Sunday night, Boston visits New York for 4 games at Yankee Stadium next weekend. By that time, there truly might be a race evolving in the A.L. East. New York has played 2 fewer games than the Red Sox, so if the Yankees play out at .500 (29-29), then Boston must go 37-19 to win the division. Which is quite possible. And forget about Tampa Bay as a legitimate factor—they just lost reigning A.L. Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell to elbow surgery.

Minnesota has all but squandered its considerable lead in the A.L. Central. Terry Francona once more has the Indians contending after a so-so start to the season. I see Cleveland winning the division. I don’t know if the Twins will even make the Wild Card.

Houston has gotten star shortstop Carlos Correa back—and he drove in 5 runs on Saturday night to lead the Astros over the red hot St.Louis Cardinals, in a battle of division leaders. The Astros are, to me, the best team in the American League right now, second are the Red Sox, with the currently injured Yankees squad third.

Wild Card contenders include the loser between Boston and New York; Cleveland or Minnesota; Tampa Bay; Oakland and long shots Los Angeles and Texas. 

In the N.L. East, Atlanta has risen to the top. The Braves placed two needed players on the IL—outfielder Nick Markakis has a fractured left wrist and shortstop Dansby Swanson has a right foot contusion. Atlanta has a 5.5 game lead over Washington and 6.5 over Philadelphia entering Sunday’s play. Atlanta heads to D.C. after the current series in Philadelphia. What will make or break them and the two chasing teams will be a stretch where the Braves play the Nationals and Phillies 14 straight games from September 5-19.

Washington’s strong starting pitching comes from Max Scherzer and Steven Strasburg, but they suffer greatly in the bullpen. The team has overachieved this season to contend, given the loss of Bryce Harper to the Phillies. Harper hasn’t produced like expected in Philadelphia; they need him to get hot to carry the team. Philadelphia does have Aaron Nola pitching again as the ace of the staff; Jake Arrieta is not pitching like anticipated.

Once more, the N.L. Central is all bunched up. Last place Pittsburgh is only 10.5 games behind. As mentioned before, the Cardinals have come from behind the Cubs and Brewers to take a 1 game lead in the division. Somehow, the Cardinals have been winning with prized first baseman Paul Goldschmidt only hitting .255. However, he has homered in 6 straight games. 

The Cubs bullpen is a mess. They need greater output from the bat of Kyle Schwarber, who has hit two homers (23 & 24) on Sunday with 7 R.B.I. Milwaukee is a potent team with the defending N.L. M.V.P. Christian Yelich batting .336 and hitting for power. 

Finally, in the N.L. West, the Dodgers still retain their big lead, although the suddenly over .500 San Francisco Giants could loom to be trouble down the stretch. Although tied with the Giants, Arizona seems destined to be sellers rather than buyers at the trade deadline.

N.L. Wild Card teams will come from among the three N.L. East teams, the three N.L. Central teams and the Giants.

I saw a piece on line from MLB as to the needs of the contending teams. Every team with the exception of Cleveland, needs some sort of pitching help. Milwaukee, New York, Philadelphia and Houston have been identified as teams who require a starting pitcher. Bullpen help is a necessity for Washington, Minnesota, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, St.Louis and Boston. Oakland, Atlanta and Tampa Bay need pitchers.  The Angels and Rangers were excluded from this list along with the Giants and Diamondbacks.

The starting pitchers most prominently mentioned are Marcus Stroman, Noah (Thor) Syndergaard, Zach Wheeler, Mike Minor. Madison Bumgarner, Matthew Boyd, Trevor Bauer, Robbie Ray, Zach Greinke, Tanner Roark among others. I have heard unnamed players on the Giants have said they would revolt if Bumgarner, who is pitching very well lately, is traded. 

Relievers on the market include Kirby Yates, Edwin Diaz, Will Smith. Felipe Vasquez, Ken Giles, Shane Greene, Ian Kennedy, Shawn Kelley, Chris Martin, Alex Colome, Sam Dyson, Tony Watson, Mychal Givens, Austin Bryce, Nick Anderson and some more no names.

A couple of comments. It is sad to see that the Mets may rid themselves of some good pitching talent in Thor, Wheeler and Diaz, who the Mets envisioned as the closer. How could a team with such pitching talent as the Mets be so far below .500? Felipe Vasquez is a hot commodity, for the right price, in restocking the Pirates minor league system. San Diego seemingly wants Thor, and they aren’t remotely in contention. Stroman could be that needed player to put a team over the hump—would Houston be able to add him to augment Jason Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Wade Miley? Will the Mets actually trade with the Yankees? Could Yankees star of the future, Clint Frazier, be returned to the Indians for Trevor Bauer coming to New York? Can Yasiel Puig head to Cleveland as the missing slugger? Are Cincinnati and Pittsburgh ever going to return to glory? How does Oakland continually win with a lot of players most of us have never heard of? Are the Angels and Rangers buyers or sellers? Is there a surprise player not named above who will rock MLB if he is traded?

This is 24/7 stuff on MLB Network and ESPN’s Baseball Tonight. The winners and losers in this one trading period will be determined shortly, perhaps as early as after today’s games.

While my vacation is over for now, I haven’t given up on making my opinion on sports known. It’s what I like to do best. Trades around baseball’s deadline are a lot like Brooks Koepka contending for the lead in a golf tournament. You know it’s going to happen—the question is when, not if. 

P.S. Koepka was tied for second place heading into the final round of the Fed Ex St. Jude’s Tournament in Memphis.

I Am In Awe

This week has been filled with events which have left my mouth agape and my mind wondering what will happen to top the current game or action. And this is a lull period in sports, when baseball is on its break, the NBA is only playing Summer League games and football is yet to start training camps.

The first jaw-dropping event was the Home Run Derby at Progressive Field in Cleveland, the site of the next day’s 90th MLB All-Star Game. I have watched a number of these contests and they have had their moments. 500’ homers, Josh Hamilton hitting the most bombs in a round, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge validating why they are feared sluggers. 

The list of winners is a veritable who’s who of baseball and those who slug home runs. Besides Judge and Stanton, Bryce Harper, Dave Parker (the first winner in 1985), Darryl Strawberry, Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder (twice) and Yoenis Cespedes (twice) are among the notable sluggers who have won the Derby. Questionable steroid users Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi have ended up in first place. Surprise winners include Wally Joyner, Tino Martinez, Bobby Abreu, Justin Morneau and Todd Frazier. Six Hall of Fame players have walked away with the trophy: Andre Dawson, Ryne Sandberg, Cal Ripken, Jr., Frank Thomas, Ken Griffey, Jr. (three) and Vladimir Guerrero. 

The event has changed format quite a bit over the years. This year’s version pitted 8 players against each other in the first round, by seeding. The winners advanced until there was a championship round and a winner emerged. 

There are three names that stand out from this year’s version. Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., the recently called up Texas Rangers rookie who is the son of a former winner and a Hall of Famer; Joc Pederson, the Dodgers’ slugging outfielder; and rookie Peter Alonso, “the Polar Bear,” from the New York Mets. They made for a trio for the ages.

Let’s start with Guerrero, Jr. This kid is built and he is strong! His first round broke the existing record for any previous round when he mashed 29 shots into the stands. On his next round, Guerrero again hit 29 homers. Which put him up against Pederson, who had heroically come back to beat his opponent with a prodigious total of his own.

The Guerrero, Jr.-Pederson duel in the semi-finals was incredible. The Texas Rangers rookie put up mind boggling numbers in his opening round. Unbeatable one would have thought. Except that Pederson matched him. They went through a couple of tie-breakers of three swings each before Guerrero, Jr. emerged the victor with 40 homers to Pederson’s 39. It was an unbelievable display of power and determination. 

Meanwhile, despite his pitcher being off a bit with his tosses, Alonso did enough to win his two rounds without extending as much energy as Guerrero, Jr. had. Still, Guerrero, Jr. stroked 22 homers in the final round. Alonso, meanwhile, still suffered with his pitcher and looked destined to finish second to his rookie peer, who had amassed an extraordinary 91 homers, smashing the previous total of Stanton, which was 61.

Except that nobody told Alonso he wasn’t supposed to win the Home Run Derby. With an amazing finish, the Mets first baseman topped his opponent with a last ditch 23rd homer to win it all. It was absolute great theater, which lasted well over 2 1/2 hours, with shots raining all around Progressive Field, which has a high wall in left field and some significant distances to its other parts of the park (the Braves’ Ronald Acuna, Jr. hit balls into the opposite field stands as had Alonso). 

A total of 312 homers were hit, obliterating the old record total. Pederson holds the all-time record for a player, with 99 homers in two years. Guerrero, Jr. is tied with Todd Frazier at 91, with Frazier having competed in 3 Derbies. Pederson is third in homers in a Home Run Derby with his 60, trailing Guerrero, Jr. and Stanton, the latter having won a title while putting 61 balls into the bleachers. Perhaps, despite the denials of MLB Commissioner that MLB didn’t order the ball to be juiced, the year of the homer was vividly illustrated in the Home Run Derby with a juiced ball.

I wonder if the founders of the Home Run Derby ever anticipated this kind of affair, laden with drama? I think not. It does not really epitomize baseball and is more like batting practice without a batting cage. But it creates stars and is a lot of fun to watch (Clayton Kershaw hurried back to the field from dinner to watch Pederson in his epic slugfest with Guerrero, Jr.). Don’t you think Guerrero, Jr. will be back next year, eager to win the Derby? To those purists who do not like the Home Run Derby, I say evolve—this should remain part of All-Star Game festivities like the 3 point shot contest that accompanies the NBA All-Star Game. For the fans love it. Which is what is most important.

As to the ASG, the American League continued its dominance over the National League, prevailing in a close 4-3 victory. NL Batting Champion Charlie Blackmon of the Colorado Rockies finally had an ASG hit, which was a home run after going 0-12 in prior games. Pete Alonso capped his great two days with a two R.B.I. hit which handcuffed the Yankees’ Gleyber Torres. That accounted for the NL scoring. Michael Brantley of the Houston Astros, a former star in Cleveland for the past ten season, hit an R.B.I. double. Joey Gallo, an emerging slugger from the Texas Rangers, deposited the first ASG pitch he ever faced into the stands for a home run. Jorge Polanco drove in Gary Sanchez from second after Sanchez had doubled. The other A.L. tally came via a double play.

Pitching was the big thing in this game. The AL hurlers struck out 16 NL batters. The Yankees’ Masahiro Tanaka was the winning pitcher and his teammate, Aroldis Chapman, vilified in Cleveland with his Game 7 heroics for the Cubs in taking the 2016 World Series from the homesteading Indians, got the save. Clayton Kershaw suffered another loss in a prominent game, which is in vivid contrast to his overall consistency. The Indians’ Shane Bieber was awarded the M.V.P. for striking out the side in his one inning of relief.

Things I liked about the game included the miking up of Freddie Freeman when he faced Justin Verlander (struck out looking on a nasty curveball) and the audio between Christian Yelich and Cory Bellinger when Brantley hit his double. Same with Alonso when he stretched to take a throw at first to nip a runner. Sending out former Cleveland Indians star C.C. Sabathia in his Yankees jersey in the 9th inning with two out to “speak” with Chapman was classy and allowed the pitcher to soak up the adulation. FOX should have shown us Sabathia’s ceremonial first pitch to his former battery mate Sandy Alomar, Jr. in real time.

It was a relatively quick game with some bursts of excitement. The introduction of the lineups was as thrilling as always. And like that, we returned to the regular season on Thursday with Houston at Texas and then the remainder of the slate on Friday. 

On Friday night, something special happened. The Angels played their first home game since the tragic death of their beloved teammate Tyler Skaggs. The entire Angels team wore a “Skaggs 45” jersey in tribute to their fallen mate; Mike Trout had previously donned the jersey and wore it proudly in Cleveland at the All-Star Game. Skaggs’ mother, the long time softball coach at Santa Monica High School, threw a perfect strike in a ceremonial pitch. It was a dignified ceremony for a fine player and highly-respected teammate.

Debbie Skaggs’s perfect strike set the tone for the evening. What transpired next in Anaheim was beyond belief. Trout led the charge for the Angels with a first inning home run, going 3-4 with 7 R.B.I. The Angles won 13-0 over the Seattle Mariners. 

But that wasn’t the miracle which took place. Two Angles pitcher combined to no-hit the Mariners, walking just one batter instead of achieving a perfect game. In that kind of environment, with that kind of emotion present in the ballpark, to trounce an opponent and to no-hit them is simple beyond belief. 

TV captured the Angels team surrounding the mound after the game and removing their jerseys and placing them on the mound in a tribute to Skaggs. His picture was put there to commemorate the moment. Hugs and cheers and tears abounded. Shots of the Skaggs family in the owners box punctuated the outburst of joy and happiness in remembering Tyler Skaggs. This was one of the most remarkable moments in baseball which I can recall in my entire life. I am glad that somehow I was awake to watch this live as the whole end of the game unfolded.

On Saturday, NBC reported these startling coincidences. Trout’s home run traveled 454 feet. Tyler Skaggs uniform number is 45. The Angels put up 7 runs in the first inning and scored a total of 13 runs. Incredibly, Tyler Skaggs birthday is 7/13.  This was the 13th combined no hitter in American League history. July 13, 1991 was the last time a combined no hitter had been thrown in California. Ready for this—Tyler Skaggs full birthdate is 7/13/91. Finally, this is the 11th no hitter in Angels history. Tyler Skaggs wore number 11 in high school.  And if you hadn’t noticed, all of this happened a day before what would have been his 28th birthday.

If there is a heaven, Tyler Skaggs is a true Angel in the sky, watching over his friends and family. I hope that the Angels can ride this emotion and capture a Wild Card berth. They are only 5.5 games behind Cleveland for the second spot.

Max Kepler plays for the Minnesota Twins. Trevor Bauer pitches for the Cleveland Indians. Saturday evening Kepler hit two home runs off of Bauer in his first two at bats. That gave him 5 consecutive homers against Bauer. That tied a MLB record with two other players since the expansion era began in 1961. I bet Bauer felt relieved that Kepler went 0-3 for the rest of the night. 

One more baseball story. Home plate umpire Dana DeMuth was struck on the left forearm by a foul tip off of the bat of the aforementioned Freddie Freeman during Friday night’s game in San Diego between the Braves and Padres. His arm immediately turned black and blue from the shot and there was a small bit of blood. It was obvious that when the San Diego trainers talked with DeMuth, he was in a ton of pain and he could not grip the hand of the trainer with any strength. After an 11 minute delay, Angel Hernandez replaced DeMuth behind the plate. No further word on the extent of the freak injury. 

Just a week ago, Austin Romine of the Yankees was stuck by a foul tip on his right forearm, Romine remained in the game despite the pain and managed to get a base hit later in the contest. It is a tough and nasty job being behind home plate. It is a wonder that more injuries don’t occur from foul balls. 

The trade of two dislikable NBA superstars—Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook—made NBA headlines. The thought of the Rockets being better is true—without an aging Paul, Houston will be dramatically better in some facets of the game. In others, including shot distribution and defense, it won’t work out as well. I don’t see the Rockets better than the two LA teams, Portland and a younger, leaner Golden State team. For that matter, Utah and Denver could be better than Houston, too.

Paul may stay at OKC for one year tops. GM Sam Presti is securing a boatload of draft picks and rebuilding the franchise from the bottom. I don’t see Paul as anything more than a stopgap measure or more trade bait in a third party deal which gets OKC draft choices and sends Paul to the Lakers, Clippers or a team trying to break through like Sacramento, or a team that will stink like the Knicks?

A story I heard was that Dewayne Wade made jersey swaps over the past year with friends in the NBA as his going away gift. It turns out that supposedly 12 of 18 players he dealt with last season will not be in the same uniform as swapped. Welcome to NBA free agency. His one secure uniform swap—with a legend—was with Benny the Bull, the Chicago mascot. He will not be going free agent. Benny has been seen lately at Humboldt Park in the Windy City, searching for that elusive alligator…

Wimbledon has concluded. Through the women’s semi-finals, we were treated to Serena Williams  reaching another Wimbledon final, in search of that elusive 24th major title. Her opponent would be Simona Halep, who had won a French Open and was making her first appearance in the Ladies Championships final. The experts all thought Serena would continue to dominate and steamroller her opponent. 

That would not be the case. Halep was quicker, stronger, better prepared and dominated Serena. Williams serve, usually her weapon, betrayed her and Halep won points by outlasting Williams, provoking Serena into numerous unforced errors. Halep deserved to be the champion for her outstanding effort against a 37 year old mother and icon of women’s tennis. In the post-match remarks, Halep related how her mother told her that to be something in tennis, she had to reach a Wimbledon final. To that end, Halep positively changed her game for the grass surface. Mission accomplished.

Although their partnership only lasted three matches before they were eliminated, Serena and former Wimbledon men’s champion Andy Murray were so much fun to watch in mixed doubles. When Serena returned a 135 m.p.h. serve from a male opponent, I was dumbfounded, then only to recognize that she is that great a player. 

On the men’s side, Novak Djokovic made the finals in a four set win. The focus was on the second semi-final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the two greatest male players of this generation. They hadn’t met since an epic 2008 match on the All England Club’s famed grass courts. While this match lasted four sets, Federer and Nadal slugged it out as anticipated. Federer prevailed this time, halting the momentum of Nadal just enough and having to convert the fifth match point to finally win. For the moment there was some validation for Federer, having beaten a quality opponent and making a Wimbledon finals. 

Sunday’s Djokovic-Federer match had the trappings of good versus evil. The dark side against the hero. That is drama. So many fans, like the legions who wanted Serena to win another championship, were on the emotional side for Federer. What happened on Sunday transcended what either side’s following could believe.

I am not going to dissect this match, because it would be an injustice. Besides, how do you properly analyze a 4:57 match that brought about the first ever men’s tie breaker 5th set at 12-12? You don’t. It was marvelous, gripping tennis. One player had to win and it was Djokovic, who prevailed in 3 tie breaker sets to garner his 16th major title and Wimbledon crown #5. 

Both are physical marvels. Federer, just shy of 38 years old, didn’t look winded or exhausted. Same with the 32 year old Djokovic, who is clearly the top tennis player in the world right now—even if he eked by Federer. What they must have is nerves of steel and iron-clad concentration. Grass is a difficult surface to navigate and they did so with aplomb. Holding it together for nearly 5 hours is only for the best in the world. Which was proven on July 14, 2019 in England. 

I had breakfast and lunch during the match. I did some housework, too. I even took a nap. We made a trip to the grocery store. Yet I was able to see the final set from 1-1 to its conclusion.

At the trophy presentation, the chair umpire was recognized for his performance. To be cemented to the chair for over 5 hours is taxing. You have to be relieved when the match ends. You can now eat, go to the bathroom and revel in your part in making history.

The fans, dignitaries and those in the family boxes and in the TV booths could not move much from their seats. I don’t know how they could do it. They must be tired from the ebb and flow of watching this epic meeting. 

Both players had their opportunities to win—Djokovic fought off two Championship points to prevail. In the end, like with the Women’s final, the sentimental favorite finished second. 

What I am is in awe of the tennis on Sunday along with many of the other events I have chronicled above. This is what makes watching and writing about sports so much fun.

I think I need another nap. Plus a vacation. See you in two weeks.

All-Time MLB Players @ the All-Star Break, etc.

It might seem like I am giving the sports world short shrift by glossing over the stupendous Los Angles Clippers win now concept when they traded away a king’s ransom of 1st round draft picks to obtain 29 year old super star Paul George to pair with the reigning NBA Finals M.V.P. Kawhi Leonard, who made his momentous decision to return to Southern California. It was unclear if the 6.4 and 7.1 earthquakes had anything to do with this changing of the NBA landscape. By the way, Paul George Day in Oklahoma City, scheduled for July 7th, has been cancelled. 

Leonard jilted the Raptors and the Lakers. LeBron is going to work with Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, Rajon Rondo, Quinn Cook (formerly with the Warriors) and Danny Green who has signed a two year deal. How are the TV moguls going to show all the Lakers-Clippers games in prime time?

With what has happened and will transpire in the next few days or weeks (Russell Westbrook traded? Andre Iguodala traded by Memphis [to the Lakers?]? prized rookie Zion Williamson hurting his knee in the NBA Summer League?), the NBA will have an entirely different look than it did at the end of the Finals. I wonder how the Raptors fans will react when Leonard returns wearing a Clippers jersey?

Wimbledon is turning the corner and heading to the finish line. There is the feel good story of the U.S. youngster “Coco” Graff, barging past Venus Williams in the opening round and winning two more matches. Rafael Nadal surviving a shot deliberately aimed at his chest by a vengeful and unapologetic Nick Kyrios. Serena Williams and Andy Murray looked awesome in their first mixed doubles match. Serena is still in the draw in singles but Murray is out in the men’s doubles. Roger Federer is still alive as is Novak Djokovic among the men. For the first time since 2000, two Americans will be facing each other in the second week of the tournament when Tennys Sangren and Sam Querry face off.  

The United States Women’s World Cup team captured its second straight title by defeating the Netherlands 2-0. The Americans survived the big test against England in the semi-finals, and otherwise appeared to be dominant. Megan Rapinoe, won her second Gold Boot, emblematic of the best player in the tournament. She is fiercely and proudly American, and she cares strongly about gender equality. Congrats to her, Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd and the rest of this phenomenal team—perhaps the greatest team in women’s sports history and certainly in women’s soccer. 

In baseball, the Yankees and Mets split the 2 games at Citi Field. New York then took the first two games from the Rays at the Trop, before being subdued in the last two contests, with Aaron Judge hitting homers in the first inning and the 10th inning, becoming the first to do that since…Mickey Mantle in 1955. D.J. LeMahieu, a.k.a. “The Machine,” is slumping slightly but hitting the ball hard. Aaron Hicks is starting to awaken from his slumber. All this with Luke Voit on the IL. It is crazy how good the Yankees lineup is.  

The resurgent Washington Nationals have found life lately behind the arms of Steven Strasberg and  Max Scherzer. The lineup has some pop in it —the names Adam Eaton, Trea Turner, Anthony Rendon, Juan Soto, Howie Kendrick and Kurt Suzuki may not be household names outside of the DC metro area, but they are formidable to MLB pitchers. Washington has a lot to do to catch the first place Atlanta Braves, who have slugged their way into the lead in the NL East.

To no one’s surprise, the Dodgers are now 60-30 after 90 games. The NL Central is still a dogfight and will be such into September. 

Sadly, the Angels are winning on the road, but are moribund with the death of popular pitcher Tyler Skaggs on Monday. Mike Trout, who was very close to Skaggs, has been punishing pitchers every more than normal. You have to root for the Angels to make the AL Wild Card for what they are collectively going through.

Cleveland pitcher Carlos Carrasco has been diagnosed with leukemia. The 32 year old pitcher was a mainstay in the Indians rotation, which had already lost top line pitcher Corey Kluber to a broken arm. Somehow, Manager Terry Francona has guided his team to enough wins that they sit in the second AL Wild Card spot. 

Speaking of Cleveland, the MLB All Stars descend to Progressive Field for the Futures Game on Sunday, the Home Run Derby on Monday and the 90th Midsummer Classic on Tuesday. The Yankees representation is now increased due to injuries—Gleyber Torres and Masahiro Tanaka have joined the squad. C.C. Sabathia, who played 7 1/2 years as an Indian, has been invited back for this game in this, his last season.

I still get thrills and even chills whenever the lineups are announced. The Cleveland faithful will be loud for their players. Some others may get booed—like Yankees or Red Sox players? The game means little—it is an exhibition. But to those chosen to play in the game, it means so much. I still get a good feeling remembering the 1977 and 2008 games at Yankee Stadium.

With the MLB All-Star Game upcoming this Tuesday, I wanted to start something new and different. I went to ranker.com to see how they placed the three best players per baseball franchise and see what you, the reader, might think about the rankings. I am going to do this by Leagues and Divisions. 

Leading off for the American League East are the New York Yankees. No surprise that Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Mickey Mantle are 1-2-3. Joe Di Maggio is fourth. Derek Jeter is only seventh, solidly ahead of Mariano Rivera. Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford take up fifth and sixth place.

In Boston, Ted Williams, Cy Young and Jimmie Foxx are on top. David Ortiz, the unfortunate shooting victim, is in the fifth spot, just ahead of…Babe Ruth. Hall of Famer Jim Rice is only 13th.

Baltimore’s leaders are Cal Ripken, Jr., Brooks Robinson and Jim Palmer. I though Frank Robinson might have been ahead of Palmer, but he trailed both the pitcher and switch-hitting Eddie Murray. For those who are interested, Boog Powell is No. 6.

Toronto’s top three are Roberto Alomar, Roy Halladay and Joe Carter. I would have thought that Jose Bautista would be higher than seventh.

Rounding out the AL East, Tampa has three players as its all-time best trio who were traded: Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford and David Price. Incredibly, Wade Boggs is tenth. He played his last two seasons as a Tampa player. He is twelfth on the Red Sox list, but he is the best all-time third baseman for Boston.

Starting with Cleveland out of the AL Central, Bob Feller, Jim Thome and Omar Vizquel are the top three for this legendary franchise. Hall of Famers Nap Lajoie, Tris Speaker, Lou Boudreau and Larry Doby follow. I would not have thought this but Kenny Lofton is ahead of Bob Lemon, and Corey Kluber is tenth.

The White Sox top three are Frank Thomas, Shoeless Joe Jackson and Paul Konerko? There are a few White Sox in the Baseball Hall of Fame who are behind Konerko—Luis Aparicio, Nellie Fox, Harold Baines and Luke Appling. Konerko had nice stats on losing teams before he retired in 2014. He has borderline Hall of Fame stats. Let’s see what the voters think of him when he is eligible this off season. I am guessing maybe in the 35-55% range?

Ty Cobb, Al Kaline and Hank Greenberg are the top Detroit Tigers. Mickey Lolich fourth? Bill Freehan and Norm Cash before Miguel Cabrera? It is so surprising that Justin Verlander is only in he twelfth spot. Who was voting in Detroit? Where is Hall of Fame pitcher Jack Morris?

George Brett, Bret Saberhagen and Bo Jackson are the best KC Royals. That’s about right. I still like Freddie Patek.

Kirby Puckett, then Rod Carew and Harmon Killebrew are the top Minnesota Twins. Tony Oliva is fourth. Joe Maurer, who I believe will enter the Hall of Fame, is fifth. Tori Hunter ahead of Kent Hrbek? I don’t know about that. Ditto Johan Santana before Bert Blyleven?

Astros great Nolan Ryan, Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell are the front three. For now. Before they retire, Jose Altuve, George Springer and Juston Verlander may make runs at the top three spots.

If it is Texas, then the greatest ballplayer from that state should be ranked number one with the Rangers. Who can argue with Nolan Ryan first, Adrain Beltre second and Ivan Rodriguez third?

The Angels have a player playing right now who is there all-time great. That is, of course, Mike Trout. Only because Trout is one of the greatest players ever to play the game,  Nolan Ryan doesn’t finish first for a third team. Rounding out the Angels is Vlad Guerrero. Which leaves Rod Carew in fourth place, after playing only 7 years with the Halos.

Finally, to conclude the American League, I have no quarrel with Seattle’s top Mariners  as 1) Ken Griffey, Jr.; 2) Ichiro Suzuki; and 3) Edgar Martinez. Pitchers Randy Johnson and Felix Hernandez are fourth and fifth. Johnson is ranked higher with Arizona, yet he spent more years in the Pacific Northwest than in the Desert Southwest. 

Unquestionably, Tom Seaver is the top all-time New York Met. A distant second is Mike Piazza. Then comes David Wright, the club’s all-time leader in many offensive categories. Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry are next in line, then Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter, Jerry Koosman. John Franco and Rusty Staub are the final two in the top 10.

Only Henry Aaron could lead the Atlanta Braves. Sorry, Mets fans, your tormentor Chipper Jones, is second. Greg Maddux, one of my favorite pitchers of all time, comes in third. How do you decide 4-5-6 when it involves John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Warren Spahn? I don’t know how Eddie Mathews is behind Dale Murphy, who I loved watching on TBS in the 1980’s. Eight of the top 10 Braves are in the Hall of Fame. Keep you eye on Freddie Freeman. The current Braves first baseman is poised to enter the top 10 shortly.

Giancarlo Stanton heads the Marlins top three. Miguel Cabrera is second and the late Jose Fernandez is third. Hanley Ramirez and Gary Sheffield are the next in line.

Philadelphia is Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton and then in a surprise third, second baseman Chase Utley. In fact, the first nine listed are all in the Hall of Fame or will be. Those players are Jimmy Rollins, Robin Roberts, Roy Halladay, Pete Rose, Jim Bunning and at number ten is Ryan Howard, who will be a close call for the Hall. Cole Hamels ahead of Grover Cleveland Alexander at 11 and 12? Curt Schilling, Larry Bowa and Tug Mc Graw are ahead of the powerful Dick Allen, who had a love/hate relationship with the tempestuous Phillies fans. 

Max Scherzer, this year’s dominant pitcher is the top Washington National. Vlad Guerrero, from his days in Montreal, is second, as his Expos’ teammate Andre Dawson, who occupies the third spot. Bryce Harper is actually behind current Nat and former teammate Ryan Zimmerman. Tim Raines is ahead of Gary Carter. You realize how good  the Expos were when you see so many of them in the top 20. Names like Dawson, Guerrero, Raines, Carter, Larry Walker, Dennis Martinez, Pedro Martinez, Moises Alou, Tim Wallach, Andres Galarraga and Steve Rogers. Too bad they didn’t win more.

Chicago Cubs stars Ernie Banks, Ryne Sandberg and Billy Williams are the best of the many who have worn the Cubs uniform.The top eight are in the Hall of Fame: Banks, Sandberg, Williams, Greg Maddux, Andre Dawson, Ron Santo, Ferguson Jenkins and Hack Wilson. Anthony Rizzo is already at number 9 and Kris Bryant is at 12. Slugger Sammy Sosa, always suspected of cheating, is no. 10.

If you had three Cincinnati Reds to pick in order, would it be Johnny Bench, Pete Rose and Joe Morgan, all of the Big Red machine title winners? Barry Larkin is at the fourth spot, ahead of Frank Robinson and Tony Perez. Watch Joey Votto sneak up on them—he’s seventh right now.

Robin Yount is ahead of Paul Molitor, who is ahead of Rollie Fingers on the Brewers list. I can see Christian Yelich, the eighth spot, take over number 4 from Cecil Cooper.

Pirates fans would concur that Roberto Clemente, Honus Wagner and Willie Stargell are the best Pirates ever. Ralph Kiner is fourth. World Series hero Bill Mazeroski is fifth, ahead of Paul Waner and Pie Traynor. One of my favorite Pirates, Andre McCutchen, is just ahead of Barry Bonds, but behind the gigantic Dave Parker.

St. Louis is easy for the first two players—Stan Musial and Rogers Hornsby. I would put Bob Gibson in front of Dizzy Dean in third place. The team with the second most World Series titles behind the Yankees has its first 12 headed to or in Cooperstown. Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina will join Ozzie Smith, Lou Brock, Red Schoendienst, Enos Slaughter, Bruce Sutter and  Joe Medwick, Sorry to say, just like with the Braves, Bob Uecker didn’t make the list. 

Arizona has Randy Johnson on top and his teammate Luis Gonzalez is in second place. Paul Goldschmidt, now a Cardinal, is the third place finisher. 

Todd Helton, current third baseman Nolan Arenado and Larry Walker are the best Colorado Rockies. I think Walker should be in the Hall of Fame. The writers disagree.

Sandy Koufax, Jackie Robinson and Duke Snider are the best Dodgers. Clayton Kershaw is already ahead of Don Drysdale. I can see him edging out Duke for third place.

Three members of Cooperstown lead the San Diego Padres. Tony Gwynn, Dave Winfield and Trevor Hoffman are those men. The Padres had a lot of good players, but none match up with these three.

Ending this odyssey is the San Francisco Giants list, headed by Willie Mays. Second is Barry Bonds, no matter if you believe he used steroids or not. Willie Mc Covey is the third Giant. Juan Marichal is in front of Christy Mathewson. Both are leading the first well known New York Giant, Mel Ott.

So when you are watching the All Star Game on Tuesday, envision where some of these stars might be on their team’s lists—or for that matter, with free agency and trades, on other teams lists. Hey—LeMahieu is 18th in Colorado; if he wins the AL batting title, he will be the first man to do such in both leagues. And if he garners the AL M.V.P., he might have started a path to infamy. Remember what I said about Freddie Freeman. Check out Josh Bell from Pittsburgh—over 80 R.B.I. at this point with nearly 30 HR. What about JD Martinez of Boston? Aroldis Chapman and his 100 m.p.h. fastball? Is Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers a budding star? Gleyber Torres too? Will Charlie Blackmon be cursed by his playing in the rarified air at Coors Field? Check out the NL pitching staff—there is some fine young talent. 

Remember, it is just an exhibition game. You can fantasize and look at Baseball-Reference.com and check out the stats these guys have put up. Think about what they might do. And enjoy the game. I will.