Spring Training Blues

Sadly, one of my loyal readers has passed away. Myron Krop. A former President of Temple Sha’arey Shalom in Springfield, New Jersey and a pharmacist by vocation, Myron was also an avid sports fan and Rutgers alumnus. Periodically, from his retirement home in Florida, he would either send encouragement or tell me how off base I was in my efforts. Many will miss his spirit and kindness. I will miss his mentoring and laugh. Our condolences to Marion and the entire Krop family.

Drew Brees has opted to come back for one more year in New Orleans. Saints fans are relieved. The team faces the dilemma of what to do with Teddy Bridgewater, who went 5-0 in Brees’ absence in 2019. Tayson Hill is still an unproven commodity despite his declarations of how good he is. Remember this Saints fans, Brees is over 40 years old…

The NFL has a proposal for expanding the season to 17 games, enlarging the roster slightly and adding playoff teams. I would like the NFL to do away with exhibition games—how about controlled scrimmages against another team for charity? And don’t dilute the product by adding teams to the post-season. 

In college football land, there is clamoring about expanding the playoffs to 8 teams, using the conference title game week to start the games or use NFL Week 17 to their advantage, television-wise. Plus use 6 bowls as the basis for the tournament, with a rotating championship in New Orleans, Miami, Las Vegas, North Texas and Los Angeles, with that game on the Monday following the AFC and NFC title games. This is interesting.

Two articles this week on the ESPN web site caught my eye. First, there was an article about Tommy Tuberville, the highly successful former Auburn head football coach, who is running for the Republican candidacy for U.S. Senate in Alabama. Tuberville faces an uphill battle, as Jeff Sessoms, former Senator and Attorney General for current President Donald Trump, looks to regain his seat now held by Democrat Doug Jones. I particularly liked how Tuberville was courting voters at Alabama on a football Saturday. Such is the nature of Alabama-Auburn in the state known as the Yellowhammer State, the Cotton State or simply the Heart of Dixie—take you pick.

The second article dealt with the situation of a young man determined to seal his mother’s legacy. Donovan Clingan is a 7 foot, 15 year old sophomore basketball player at Bristol Central High School in Connecticut. He plays for his mother, Stacey Porrini Clingan, who was a 6’4” center and star on the girls team at Bristol Central. She also starred at the University of Maine, which made 3 NCAA appearances with Stacey. 

Tragically, Stacey died from breast cancer in 2018 while he was in 8th grade and his sister Olivia was a year behind in school. Donovan has been besieged with offers to play for a horde of traveling teams and to attend prep and parochial schools to further showcase his talents, which have been already been noticed by many Division I schools. 

Donovan has elected to remain at Bristol Central. He is determined to not only break his mother’s records but to etch his own in the history of the school. And he likes to be at home—there is no place he would rather be. Such a compelling story.

I still marvel over the fourth quarter of this year’s NBA All-Star Game in Chicago. What a great game—players taking charges, blocked shots—Giannis on LeBron TWICE. The fact that TNT agreed to let the 51 minutes of action, replay challenges and real competition go without commercial interruption only added to the enjoyment. No wonder the NBA has already said that this format will remain in place for next year’s game.

Dwayne Wade’s Miami Heat jersey was retired this weekend. The accolades which were bestowed upon him were deserved. His play was great and yet somehow he is undervalued in the pantheons of the NBA. I don’t get it. I do like his commercials with wife Gabrielle Union. ESPN didi a bio story about him on Sunday.

Predictably, Rutgers won against a slightly undermanned Illinois team last Sunday night. That sent the team to 17-0 at home. Then nemesis Michigan came to the RAC on Wednesday night and shut down the Scarlet Knights in the second half. End of the home winning streak. Continuation of Michigan’s unbeaten streak versus Rutgers—now at 13-0. Placing Rutgers bid for its first NCAA spot since 1991 in jeopardy. 

Four game left. Starting with Wisconsin, where the Badgers are 12-1 at home; RU lost by 8. Then hosting #5 Maryland, a legitimate NCAA Final Four team. Followed by road tilts at #9 Penn State, which fell to a healthier Illinois team at home this week. With Rutgers ending the regular season at Purdue, where it is always tough to play. 

I have my real doubts about RU making it to the NCAA’s. If they don’t win another game, that’s it for them. Even a win at home versus Maryland or a road win may not be enough. No matter all of the close losses and the Quad 4 victories, RU may find itself sitting on the fence going into Selection Sunday. I hope CBS does not send cameras to Piscataway for a reaction shot.

Seton Hall hasn’t exactly been tearing up the course in the Big East lately. They have some losses at home and on the road and they survived a close one against Butler. I disagree with those who believe the Pirates are at least an Elite Eight team in the NCAA Tournament. 

#3 Kansas beat #1 Baylor in Waco on Saturday. Undefeated San Diego State lost at home. I didn’t see either of these teams winning the Tournament. #2 Gonzaga was upset by BYU in Provo. I don’t know how good they really are. To me, the favorites are Kansas and the field. And a team to watch is red hot Michigan, which has had the second best record since January 26.

The outcry from players over the lack of penalties to the Astros players and the team continues to distract from Spring Training 2020. Commissioner Rob Manfred has taken verbal hits akin to Mike Bloomberg in the Nevada debate. 

There is a simple way out. Take away the trophies and awards for the team and censure Astros owner Jim Crane for his comments. Then we might be able to move our focus onto the playing field. Don’t expect this to happen. 

Then again, Yankees fans are once more watching injured players so early into Spring Training. We knew about Aaron Hicks recovering from Tommy John surgery. We were aware of Domingo German’s continued suspension for his domestic abuse issues. We became painfully aware of James Paxton’s back surgery.

But then came some arm and shoulder soreness for OF Aaron Judge. Manager Aaron
Boone says it is nothing serious and it is only a minor setback. Wait a second, Aaron—didn’t you manage this team last season which looked like a M.A.S.H. unit with so much personnel on the IL? Nothing is minor setback in Yankeesland.

So now key starting pitcher Luis Severino has arm troubles when throwing his change up. Tests in December showed nothing structurally wrong. I am not buying into that report. I am awaiting his return to the IL for a prolonged stint, just like last season. 

Not to worry, Yankees faithful. There is a whole season to go and many more injuries to become concerned about. It is just typical Yankees problems which arise at the earliest and worst times possible. And it is all quiet in Mets camp.

Alex Ovechkin finally scored his long-awaited 700th goal against the Devils on Saturday before a full house in Newark. New Jersey won the game 3-2 by the continued strong goal tending of Mackenzie Blackwood, who sports a winning record and an under 3.00 goals against average. 

Ovechkin is one of the great snipers in NHL history. He is also a diva. I would much rather have Sidney Crosby on my team than Ovechkin. Or for that matter, I thought Mike Bossy of the Islanders was a better sniper on a great team.

Speaking of the Islanders, the franchise retired another jersey—number 27 worn by left winger John Tonelli. Except that their current captain, Anders Lee, wears the number. Very unusual. I did like that the Isles wore their white jerseys at home against Detroit—just as the great Islanders teams did.

In Toronto on Saturday night, the Carolina Hurricanes lost both of their goalies to injury during the second period. In stepped 42 year old David Ayers, the Zamboni driver for the Maple Leafs AHL team. Ayers allowed goals on the first two shots he faced before stopping the last 8. He was credited with the win.

Ayers has been a regular practice goalie for the Marlies, the Leafs AHL affiliate, and he had attended some Leafs practices. His hockey career was curtailed in 2004 when he received a kidney from his mother in a needed transplant. So Ayers stayed involved with the game and was named the emergency backup goalie in Toronto, available to both teams.

He wore his Marlies mask, got to keep his number 90 Hurricanes jersey, was given stick taps by some of the Leafs at the end of the second period, received a shower from the Hurricanes as he entered the locker room after being named Number 1 star for the night. David Ayers was paid $500 for his lifetime of memories. That was a great Saturday night by any standards.

I have been watching the NHL standings for awhile. While the Rangers are playing immensely better hockey, the ground to make up for a playoff berth seems to be too much. Washington hasn’t been playing that well lately and Pittsburgh is in a fight with them for first place in the Metropolitan Division. Those two teams are still significantly behind Eastern frontrunners Boston and Tampa Bay. In the West, Vegas has suddenly overtaken Edmonton and Vancouver in the Pacific Division. St. Louis, Colorado and Dallas rule the West right now. 

I had an interesting conversation with a PSE&G employee who installed a new electric meter. He said he played at the University of Delaware for awhile, which makes me believe that he didn’t finish. He loves his Raiders and he was highly complimentary about how Sam Darnold and the Jets tore apart his Raiders last season. He was not very high on Derek Carr, didn’t want Tom Brady in Las Vegas and he pointed out that when Head Coach Jon Gruden won, it was with journeymen QB’s like Brad Johnson and Rich Gannon.

The man was also a boxing aficionado and engaged me about the upcoming Wilder-Fury II heavyweight battle at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. He seemed excited over the fight and praised Fury and Wilder. I opined that this could easily be a KO of Fury by Wilder. He disagreed. Obviously he knew his stuff because Wilder’s camp threw in the towel after the 7th round.

He also saw my poster of the Sugar Ray Leonard-Marvin Hagler fight from 1987. His family knew Hagler from time Hagler spent in Newark in elementary school, so he was biased about the outcome, thinking that his guy was robbed and that Leonard didn’t deserve to win. That’s so cool—33 years later and the guy is still passionate about the decision.

Thursday I met an old high school classmate for lunch back in Highland Park. The town has changed mightily since I departed in 1978. While I have periodically returned until my father died in 1992 and up to 1995 when we closed out his estate, Raritan Avenue is so different. Not necessarily in a good way. However, the Thai lunch we had was delicious, and there is a pretty good Greek restaurant on Woodbridge Avenue, the other main street in the borough. 

We reminisced about high school and talked about how boys tennis team is the main team, unlike the football powerhouse Highland Park was from the late 1950’s into the late 1970’s. Even some of the football teams in the 1980’s and ’90’s produced some fair talent. 

We also discussed how the inroads of travel squads and private and parochial schools have removed the good players form the local high schools—with significant financial cost to the parents who pull their child out of the public schools, seeking that elusive scholarship. Even smallish Highland Park has not been immune from the poaching of its talent. 

His son shined in soccer and was on the team at Carnegie-Mellon. The best thing he would say is that once a new coach came in and limited his son’s playing time, his son still enjoyed the air travel to University Athletic Association rivals such as Emory, NYU, Washington University, to name a few. While he did believe that the UAA was the best conference for soccer, I told him that I felt the NESCAC, the home of Williams, Amherst, Tufts, Trinity, Middlebury among others, was a better academic and athletic conference. He thought about it and agreed that might be true. 

What I didn’t tell him is that Swarthmore is 24-0 heading into its final regular season Centennial Conference game this season. The Garnet, last year’s runner up to Wisconsin-Oshkosh, are positioned to make a deep run into the NCAA Division III Tournament. So will Swarthmore roar through the contenders in the CC Tournament? We know the 2 versus 3 matchup is #2 seed Johns Hopkins against #3 Haverford. The teams in the play in game will come form the likes of Ursinus, Washington College (both having 7-10 conference records) and Gettysburg (6-11 CC record).

Which is why I attended the Ursinus-Franklin and Marshall game in Lancaster when presented the opportunity to see our daughter in Hershey, where she arrived for a concert. This is a game with some meaning for the Bears, and one that the Diplomats, 6-11 CC, 10-14 overall, could end the very disappointing first season without the mentoring of Glenn Robinson, D-III’s all time winningest men’s basketball coach, with a big win over a tough rival. 

Before we entered a refurbished Mayser Center, and after we met our daughter for lunch in Hershey as she and a friend were in for a Post Malone concert at the Giant Center, we watched a bit of the Women’s Lacrosse action at Shadek Stadium. #7 F&M hosted #8 Washington and Lee. When we left the tight defensive contest, F&M was ahead 7-6. The Diplomats notched their first win by a 9-8 score on a breezy, sunny and bright 52 degree late February day.

Inside Mayser, we watched a see saw battle develop in the first half. Ursinus and a 2-1-2 zone gave F&M fits. F&M kept the Bears in check, trailing only by 2 at the half, 40-38.

The second half opened up with Ursinus falling behind then extending their lead before a hustling, stifling F&M defense shut the Ursinus offense down, holding the Bears to 25 second half points en route to a 77-65 win.

It was Senior Day at Franklin and Marshall. Three team members were recognized—a team manager, Jeremy Griel; Ignus Slika, a gutty forward who was 10th on the all-time minutes list for F&M; and Mike Rice, a guard out of Point Pleasant Beach.

Mike Rice happens to be the son off Mike Rice, Jr., the former coach of Rutgers who was dismissed for his unfortunate physical abuse of his players. Mike Rice, Jr., who now dabbles in NJ scholastic basketball coaching, was there, the proud father of his son, who is going on to be a graduate assistant at TCU under Jamie Dixon, the former Pitt coach. 

This would make 3 generations of Rices coaching basketball, as the patriarch was a college coach and a color commentator for the Portland Trail Blazers. Quite an achievement. 

After the game, F&M held a ceremony for legendary retired Men’s Basketball Coach Glenn Robinson. Robinson will be inducted into the F&M Hall of Fame later this year along with retiring AD Patty Epps. Robinson accumulated a record of 967-359 in 48 years on the F&M sidelines. HIs teams went to the Division III NCAA Tournament 25 times, resulting in 44 wins. Seventeen trips to the Sweet Sixteen were made under Robinson. Ten Elite Eight appearances. Five of his teams made the Final Four, with one team reaching the Finals.  He averaged over 20 wins per season, and his teams won 97 post-season games. Robinson had been named Conference Coach of the Year 12 times, twice nationally. All-America status went to 26 of his players. And 17 times F&M players coached by Robinson were named Conference Player of the Year.

That is some resume. Absent a NCAA Division III title, which no Centennial Conference team has won (although Swarthmore made it to last year’s title game and is 25-0 thus far this season) and only Lebanon Valley from the former Middle Atlantic Conference which F&M was a member, has been a title holder (1994).

F&M is hardly a basketball mill. Robinson stepped into a losing program and instilled direction and demanded adherence to fundamentals and detail. Which has obviously paid off handsomely. 

I don’t know how Hall of Fame voters measure Division III coaches, because it is such a different animal. And I don’t know if not winning a National Championship is a prohibition to entering the Hall. What I do know is that Glenn Robison is deserving of Hall of Fame scrutiny given his outstanding credentials at an academic institution such as Franklin and Marshall. In my book, he should be in 2 Hall of Fames—the one he enters this fall in Lancaster, and the one in Springfield, Massachusetts where I believe he belongs.

For the record, The Yankees and Mets both lost their Spring Training openers and F&M’s baseball team lost a pair to Penn State-Harrisburg at the neutral site of Ephrata High School. Such are the Spring Training Blues.