Bits And Pieces

In this week’s sports activity, a small news article caught my eye. Brigham Young University, the school of the Latter Day Saints, was going to do the unthinkable. BYU was going to start a black QB in a school overwhelmingly white. This is a tremendous first for the school, and they did not bastardize themselves in the process. The young man who would start for BYU is a member of the Church of the Latter Day Saints. BYU stayed true to their beliefs and did the right thing, starting a QB who fit the profile of the school who happens to be black. 

I hoped he would succeed. He enjoyed some early success against South Florida. However, in the fourth quarter Jaren Hall was sacked and suffered concussion-like symptoms, ending his day and putting his next game in doubt. 

I saw a billboard on the way back from Newark Airport on Saturday morning. It was for Seton Hall basketball and shows a picture of their star guard, Myles Powell, arms outstretched. His arms are covered with tattoos, which is a shame. While the ink looks good now when he is muscled and toned, what will it look like in 30 or so years?

I recognize that I am being judgmental. The kid is a wonderful individual. He has the talent to play in the NBA and could have opted to do that after his junior season. 

Instead, he has stated numerous times that he came back to campus not just to win the Big East title and even the NCAA Championship, but for a far different reason. He wants to be the first from his family to have a college degree. That to me speaks volumes about the kid. How can I not root for him (except when they play Rutgers)?

What Seton Hall could have done with the billboard would have been to have Powell clad in his home uniform, with a cap and gown over him. What a profound message that would have sent to many black youngsters who think basketball is the path to the NBA, when, in reality, so few make it. Get your degree—it is valuable way beyond basketball and the recruiting and marketing impact would have been enormous. 

Saturday was the annual clash between border rivals Oklahoma and Texas, held at the venerable Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, adjacent to the Texas State Fair. As per custom, half the stadium is in the burnt orange of the UT Longhorns while the other half is in the red tint of the OU Sooners. A tremendous atmosphere and a meaningful game to both schools. For the record, Oklahoma was the winner. 

What I liked about how the game has been treated is the following—this affair is now called “The Red River Showdown.” It used to be called “The Red River Shootout.” In this climate of assault weapon mass shootings, this is one time, in a conservative, gun-loving area of the country that political correctness prevailed for the right reasons. Anyone who criticizes this move is someone who is vengeful—it is not about tradition, because the contest and the surrounding hoopla is the tradition which endures. 

Rutgers was destroyed by Indiana for the Hoosiers’ Homecoming. There must be a lot of happy alums in Bloomington. The Knights passed for a total of 1 yard in the game. A headline in the Star-Ledger asked if this is the worst Big Ten team ever? Probably. 

I wanted to call the football team hapless. That would be in poor taste—the kids are truly trying but are in way over their heads in Big Ten play. Nonetheless, the definition has applicability: “being caught in the grip of forces we can do little about.”

Meanwhile, the pressure for bringing Greg Schiano back as head man of the Scarlet Knights grows and grows. Columnist Steve Politi has been waging a one man campaign to reunite Schiano and RU. His latest tactic was to interview the 3 members of the New England Patriots who went to RU—the Mc Courty twins and Duane Harmon. All sang the praises of Schiano and thought it would be a no-brainer for their alma mater. 

Sadly, nothing is ever a no-brainer in Piscataway. Temper your enthusiasm, Knights fans. AD Pat Hobbs is secretive right now. We can only assume that he has heard the rumblings for Schiano. This will not play itself out in the immediate future, so hope against hope right now that Hobbs does the right thing and get ready for some pretty ugly losses for the remainder of the season-including to Indiana and Illinois, teams which RU could have beaten a few seasons ago. 

I was invited to the RU Men’s Basketball open house on Saturday morning. It would have been fun to participate, have my picture taken with Geo Baker and his teammates, feel the positive energy going from coach Steve Pikiell. 

Alas, we drove our son to Newark Airport fo his trip to Miami. Then we went to Brooklake Country Club to use the gym alongside CBS Sports basketball analyst Bill Raftery, as he walked on the treadmill. I protested when Bill left and said goodbye to the ladies. He politely said “And gentleman” to me. 

What a nice man. Really. Plus he watches my antics in the gym as a sort of entertainment besides the Sirius XM ’70’s music or ESPN’s College Game Day  on the TV. I feel like an entertainer. Lol

The Jets sent me an email about using the Jets App to order food from our seats in Section 340. Explicit instructions were provided on how to access this new feature which was being offered on a trial basis. Except that what the email described doesn’t appear on my screen when I have signed in to use the app. Why am I not surprised? After all, this is the New York Jets I am talking about. 

The NLCS is about 2 teams no one outside of their limited fan base remotely believed would be playing each other for the right to represent the National League in the World Series. While pitcher extraordinaire Clayton Kershaw once more laid an egg in relief of a gutty performance by Walter Buehler by surrendering 2 homers in 3 pitches to permit the Nationals to tie the Dodgers, the party for Washington started in the 10th inning via a grand slam home run by the talented and oft-traded Howie Kendrick, it paled in comparison to what happened in the other Game 5.

Atlanta was demolished by St. Louis in the top of the first inning when the Cards scored 10 runs. Game, set and match. It left most everyone dumbfounded. Except for Fan X, who reveled in the Dodgers and Braves misfortune. 

Washington has two exceptional starters in Steven Strasburg and Max Scherzer. Both pitched admirably, even if Scherzer had a weak outing in one of the games. There are two other starters on their staff—Patrick Corbin and Anibel Sanchez. Corbin was shelled in one game but came back to pitch very well in Game 5 when the Dodgers tried to inflict the fatal blows to the Nats chances. And Sanchez, a very serviceable major league pitcher, tossed an absolute gem in the opener in St. Louis, taking a no hitter into the 8th inning as Washington drew first blood. 

With Washington’s win Game 2 behind Scherzer’s one hit pitching, the Nationals have Strasburg and Corbin lined up for Games 3 and 4 on regular rest. That might make this NLCS a very short series. 

A footnote is appropriate here. Sanchez and Scherzer have both pitched 1 hitters in the same series—2012 for Detroit. Ah, the Detroit Tigers—losers of 100 games this season, a far cry from a team which boasted Justin Verlander, Scherzer and Sanchez among its pitchers.

Meanwhile, the Yankees took out the Twins in 3 games. They had plenty of rest before Game 1 in Houston. New York added outfielder Aaron Hicks and soon-to-be retired pitcher C.C. Sabathia to the roster, replacing Luke Voit and Tyler Wade. Let’s see if Hicks and Sabathia can show signs of life coming off injury; if not, this could be a fatal gamble by New York. Then again, with all of the injuries suffered during the course of the season, these could be prescient moves. 

Tampa Bay showed grit and determination in taking the exalted Astros to five games. Justin Verlander was bad in Game 4,  but the Astros, behind the two double-digit  strikeout performances by Gerrit Cole and the slugging from the diminutive Jose Altuve, survived to host the Yankees in the ALCS.

Experts predict this series to be one for the ages with the pitching and hitting of these clubs. As soon as I heard that, I now anticipate lifeless, boring games dominated by one or the other team.

Aaron Boone nominated Masahiro Tanaka to pitch Game 1 in Houston, setting him up for Game 5 in New York if necessary. James Paxton and Luis Severino will pitch Games 2 and 3, allowing for them to go again in Games 6 and 7 if necessary. 

A.J. Hinch has countered with Zach Greinke in Game 1, who Tampa Bay beat up. Games 2 and 3 have Verlander and Cole lined up for Houston. 

The Yankees bullpen, used enough against the Twins, is fully rested. New York can choose to go the opener route in Game 4, starting with Chad Green, followed by J.A. Happ and Sabathia, among others. Houston’s bullpen is less rested than the Yankees, but I don’t know if that is so bad for them.

If New York’s offensive firepower is not offset by the Astros pitching, New York will prevail. Should the Yankees pitching later, it is more likely that the Astors will be in the World Series.

At least in Game 1, it was the Yankees offense, behind emerging star Gleyber Torres, and the sharp pitching of Tanaka, shut down the vaunted Astros lineup. Torres had 5 R.B.I., and at age 22, is already etching his name among Yankee legends. 

Greinke did not pitch badly. He made some bad pitches, which the Yankees took advantage of. If the Yankees can get to Verlander and/or Cole, this might be a shorter series than anticipated. But, caution is advised here—it is only 1 game in a best of 7 series against the team which won the most games in the regular season.

A couple of TV moments happened this week. A.J. Pierzynski playfully teased Joe Girardi about where he might be living given the managerial openings he has been linked to. Girardi simply responded that he will continue to live in Florida, where he now resides. 

A field reporter went up to Cole and started to ask Cole a question, and Cole said “Oh, no, not now,” when he anticipated talk about his free agency after the season ends. Instead, the question was focused on Cole having grown up as a die hard Yankees fan and the reporter wanted to know how hard it would be for him to face the team of his youth. Cole answered it like the pro he is—that he would pitch to them like any other team. I wonder if that thought will be in his head at the outset of Game 3? And could Cole become a Yankee next season instead of heading back to his native California? 

One more baseball note. As expected, the Phillies fired manager Gabe Kapler after one season. At least they waited until after Yom Kippur. Does this mean any atoning Kapler must do will have to wait to the next High Holidays?

Daniel Jones has come back to earth after two losses to Minnesota and New England. Of course, he had no Saquan Barkley to assist him, and the offensive line wasn’t very protective. Remember, Giants fans, this team is average at best, and without Barkley, they are not very good at all. 

Sam Darnold will make his way back to the field on Sunday, protected with special padding to insulate his spleen. Anticipate him to be rusty. Will he eventually lead the Jets to that elusive first win—yes. I don’t think that it will be at home this week against Dallas or next Monday night when the Patriots come to Met Life Stadium. Just don’t let something bad happen to him—he is likable and is very important to the team’s development. 

What a terrible sight in Pittsburgh last week. QB Mason Rudolph, subbing for the injured Ben Roethlisberger, was knocked coldly a vicious hit from Baltimore Ravens DB Earl Thomas. The hit was so egregious that Thomas was fined $21,000. Analysts agreed that it did not warrant Thomas being tossed from the game—but I disagree. If the QB is cold cocked by a hit, it should be an automatic ejection with a one game suspension.

What was bad enough was exacerbated by the fact that they had to cut away the face mask to aid Rudolph. Then the cart to transport injured players from the field had stalled. Terrible. What if this had emergent consequences? There must always be a back up for these situations. I hope the Steelers were substantially fined for this unacceptable situation.

The NFL returns overseas for another game, this time showcasing two emerging team. The Buccaneers faces Carolina with a 9:30 EDT starting time. It could be a good game which nobody watches. 

NBC has a stinker for its Sunday night contest. Pittsburgh travels to California to meet the Chargers. Yawn. Just as well—the Yankees and Astros play Game 2 and the last episode of Ballers airs at 10:30.

There are no Centennial Conference results to provide. It was a bye week.

The NESCAC featured wins by all of the haves—Middlebury, Williams, Amherst, Wesleyan. Middlebury had to sweat out a 1 point win at home against lowly Colby.

Georgia fans were shocked when South Carolina outlasted the Bulldogs in 2 OT in Athens on Saturday. This put a dent in Georgia’s hopes to play in the SEC Championship and then the BCS Championships. They are far from elimination, because if the Bulldogs take care of business the remainder of the way, which would include toppling SEC East opponents Florida and somebody defeats Missouri, then they are the winners of the SEC East and get to play the winner of the SEC West—which looks like Alabama, LSU or possibly Auburn.

Clemson rolled this week at home. Ohio State handled Michigan State at home. Notre Dame defeated USC. The BCS people will have their hands full down the stretch with so many permutations and combinations. 

In the Big Ten, besides Ohio State, Minnesota is undefeated along with Wisconsin and Penn State. Ohio State plays both Wisconsin and Penn State in the upcoming weeks as well as meets arch rival Michigan in the season ending game. Minnesota has to play Penn State, Iowa and Wisconsin. You get the picture here—either someone will emerge unscathed or the big boys will knock each other off. Fun times in the conference outside of Piscataway.

In Ivy League action—Dartmouth exploded to rout Yale. Princeton, Dartmouth and Harvard are the unbeaten thus far. It is early in the Ivy League campaign. I hope Princeton goes undefeated—they, along with Rutgers are the true celebrants of 150 years of college football. And there isn’t much to celebrate up Routes 1 & 18. 

Bucknell beat Colgate on Saturday.  What has happened to the Red Raiders, usually the class team in the Patriot League? Could Lafayette even beat them?

Unsung Temple downed #23 Memphis. Go Owls!  Tulane kept on rolling, downing UConn. (A UConn-RU game would be a resounding matchup) However, the Green Wave has Memphis. Temple and SMU ahead of them.

Two winter sports notes. The Devils have not won a game this season. Are they that weak? Plus why did Steph Curry go for 40 points versus Minnesota in an exhibition game? To acquaint himself with the new arena? Curry could hit for 40 in any gym or arena he’s never been to.

With all the sports which has been on TV this week, I have managed to miss a good chunk of it. Between breaking the fast, family dinner, a showing of When Harry Met Sally, Bill Maher, reading Michelle Obama’s book and a party Saturday night in Bayside (do I EVER hate the Cross Bronx Expressway!!), I have busy enough to only catch bits and pieces of the LCS series or some college games. 

Which is why, when I met a woman this week who was a former attorney who now is a psychotherapist for lawyers (she is probably kept very busy), I thought that maybe there is a psychotherapist for sports bloggers. Nah. That is too much of a niche anyway.