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.