Dear Fan X

Dear Fan X:  You are at it again. You have been tormenting me this week about sports, claiming that I would not have enough to write about. Typical Fan X grousing.  From Monday through Friday, I have encountered more sports-related stories than even I thought I could uncover. Some of them are relevant to what the world is presently experiencing. Others are simply interesting enough to warrant a mention. 

What it does show that sports is so engrained in our lives that, when nothing currently inside an arena or stadium is competition, there is still a place for sports in our daily activities. The interaction between athletes and with the fans still continues. And is a needed source of release, comfort and satisfaction, along with disappointment and heartache. Like it always has been. 

There is precious little sports on TV other than reruns of countless games of yore, SportsCenter, NFL news coverage and documentaries like the O.J. Simpson saga. The print media is giving us little in the local edition, although The New York Times and Washington Post are Providing, as usual, more in-depth stories. 

My source of information really comes from the cable networks apps. CBSSports.com and ESPN.com offer just as many articles and stories as before—even without reporting on games. Which is why, Fan X, I have plenty to talk about. 

Let’s start with your beloved New York Mets. With the heralded group of pitchers who came up nearly together, it was thought that Noah Syndergaard would be the best of the lot. Tall, powerful built, with an exploding fastball and a lethal curve, he became known as Thor for his god-like looks and 6’6”, 242 pound stature. He was going to be the man-child who would lead the Mets to repeated World Series wins. 

Except that wasn’t the way it worked out. The ace of the staff is Jacob deGrom, a lanky college shortstop who has merely won two straight N.L. Cy Young Awards. 

Nonetheless, nothing less was expected from Thor. If DeGrom was the ace, then the 27 year old Syndergaard was the second act. Mets fans are not a pretty lot when their expectations fail to be realized, but they will love you to death if you meet or exceed those goals. 

On Thursday in Florida, Synergaard underwent successful Tommy John surgery for an acutely torn UCL. As another reader, Fan Y, brought to our attention, this surgery was not without controversy. 

Syndergaard had two opinions which concurred that survey was required. Tommy John surgery is an elective surgery, something which was made clear when Chris Sale of the Red Sox had his recent Tommy John surgery. 

The doctors claimed this surgery was justifiable even as the pandemic fills hospitals most particularly in New York (the Mets use the Hospital for Special Surgery). Their reasoning was that to delay the surgery until the pandemic subsided would hurt his ability to earn a living, pushing his recovery to 2022 instead of 2021. Florida is not the epicenter of the coronavirus like New York City, so that was the chosen site. 

So this benefited the player and the team. He received special status. Most likely it did not cost someone life-saving treatment or surgery. And the Mets and the player were transparent about the reasoning behind the decisions. Which will make him available to pitch in 2021, which could be the next time there is a baseball season. 

For baseball and every other sport cannot be played while the threat of COVID-19 is real, and until there is a vaccine. Optimism by the NBA and MLB is fine, if there is a reason for it. But there isn’t. 

How can baseball be played if the ball can be a source of the transmission of the virus by carriers unaware that they are infected? Contact is close between an umpire, catcher and batter. Fielders touch the ball with their hands. All wipe their sweat from their faces. Plus the players will not be isolated, limiting their chances for infection. Bringing crowds to a stadium is another subject; the risks of transmission grow larger.

If we have shut down such events as the NCAA Tournament, which pours billions into the NCAA’s coffers, and we have closed the major sports leagues for an indefinite period, what sense does it make to bring them back prematurely so as not to suffer major financial losses? Golf to notice, postponing the U.S. Open at Winged Foot in Mamaroneck due to the crisis. The Indianapolis 500 joined the list of sports postponements. 

Dodger Stadium is being used as a test site and a place to park an overfill number of rental cars not being used while California is on lockdown. Those are good uses, similar to Bauer, the hockey equipment giant, making shields for first responders and face masks being made from MLB uniforms. 

The IOC swallowed hard, but did the right thing in postponing the Games until 2021. Then again, my friend, Commissioner Roger Goodell has decreed that the 2021 Draft must go on as scheduled. I would expect no less from the leader of the cabal of greed known as the NFL.

This pandemic is going to be one of the greatest tragedies to hit modern society. Are we so self-serving and vain as to have games go on when the toll on humanity is so great and could, at any given time, double back with even greater fury? One year without sports might be necessary to get life back to normal. How many injuries requiring surgery will supersede the elective surgeries people had to wait months for? 

Sports has a rightful place our culture. It just has to wait its turn while humanity eradicates a virulent disease. That trumps sports in my mind. Think, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. Think about this decision before you regret it. Don’t buy into 7 inning games, too many doubleheaders and playing into December as proposed by agent Scott Boras with expanded playoffs. Your product does not need to be diluted. You too, Adam Silver. 

Plenty of players have stepped up to help out in a myriad of ways. Kyrie Irving, Roger Federer and Drew Brees have donated sums to help in the fight. Mike Trout of the Angels, the best player in the majors, made a video discussing the need for coming together as a community.  Vince Scully, the retired voice of the Dodgers offered us hope. Steph Curry aired a thoughtful Q & A on Instagram with Dr. Anthony Fauci, our nation’s top expert on diseases, so that children could understand what is happening. 50,000 watched. Peyton Manning showed up in an online course from his alma mater, the University of Tennessee. Kentucky hoops legend Rex Chapman has been calling charges on non-basketball events for a little levity in such hard times. And of course, there is the joke that the Houston Astros have avoided any virus thus far because they knew the signs beforehand. 

It is needed. Center Karl Anthony Towns, a New Jersey native, is going through the agony of his mother being on a ventilator. NBA analyst Doris Burke reported that she had been diagnosed with COVID-19. 

People must stay away from beaches, parks, basketball and tennis courts. Boardwalks have been shut down for good reason. Free on-line dance and yoga classes have become the rage.

There is a stimulus package passed and signed. Yet the owners of the Devils and Sixers wanted to slash jobs and salaries/wages  Which was quickly rescinded after an enormous public outcry. Not so at the NBA offices where executives are taking forced salary cuts and with the Montreal Canadiens, who wanted to layoff 60% of its staff. 

During this time of tremendous suffering, we lost two greats. Fred “Curly” Neal, the dynamic leader and dribbler extraordinaire of the Harlem Globetrotters has died. Also, Jimmy Wynn, the prodigious home run hitter in the early days of the Houston Astros passed away at age 79. Very strong with a short, stocky build, he was nicknamed “The Toy Cannon.”

We can amuse ourselves with on line gambling. Marijuana is considered a “necessity,” so the dispensaries are open. Or see the hilarity of the Ron Burgundy interview with Peyton Manning.

Football fans can find joy or anguish with the transactions of free agency. Eagles fans can take solace that the onions of QB Carson Wentz and TE Zach Ertz were picked up. Jets and Giants fans can grumble that the GM’s hadn’t done enough so far. Former Jets enigmatic WR Robby Anderson inked a 2 year, $20 million duel with Carolina. Good riddance.

Out West, the Chargers and Rams have redone their logos and uniforms…why? And we can track the movements of James Winston and Cam Newton as they seek new teams to lead. Or the Twitter feeds of Houston QB Deshaun Watson as he openly campaigns to be traded to New England where there is an opening at QB. 

Also in LA, the Clippers ownership paid $400 million to buy the Forum from the Knicks. This will allow the team to build its own arena in the shadow of SoFi Stadium. Good news in a hard hit area.

Just like the fun thoughts about grad transfers from Harvard and Columbia going to play basketball next year at Ohio State and Duke, respectively.  Plus the fact that Mychal Thompson, father of Klay, disclosed on the Dell and Sonya Curry podcast that his son, Klay, wants to play the rest of his career with the Curry’s son, Steph and retire together as Golden State Warriors.

I even had time to get angry with Dawn Staley, Head Coach of the #1 South Carolina women’s basketball team. In her typical Philadelphia chip-on-her shoulder mentality, she has demanded that the NCAA award her the 2020 Championship because she had the best team by far. C’mon now. South Carolina may have won the SEC crown, gone undefeated in SEC regular season play and 32-1 overall and was a big favorite to win the NCAA crown. However, her team didn’t go undefeated and they play these games to anoint a winner in a fair and equitable competition. Ask Geno Auriemma—UConn has lost some titles too along with all it has won.

I leave you with this, Fan X, so that you know that there is hope in these turbulent times, that good can come from the sports world. The New Orleans Aquarium has named a new baby penguin Zion, after the rookie phenom of the Pelicans. Nice.

Does this, Fan X, satisfy your wonderment about what a blogger like me can write about when there aren’t any games? Stay safe. Be Well. There is a long journey ahead.

Sincerely,

RetiredLawyerSportsOp