Riders On The Storm

This is the final blog of 2020. It’s been one heck of a year, to put it mildly. Sports certainly is no exception to that statement. 

As we near January 1st, we can look back and say that it has been the strangest of rides, driven by a monster virus that has ferociously gripped the world. What it has done to mankind is destroy any semblance of normalcy. That is true of sports, since the start of March, when everything was humming along.

Suddenly, we were in the throes of an unthinkable pandemic, with predictions of unfathomable doom and gloom ahead of us in the following months. Unfortunately, those predictions actually underestimated the death and chaos which would envelop civilization. 

While there are signs of hope and optimism from the development of two vaccines and scientific protocols to stem the tide of this monster, the battle is far from over. We believe that this vaccination campaign will return life to a more regular and acceptable way. But we are still unsure if that will happen, and if it does, how long will it take.  

These are very uncertain times we live in. Add in a dose of real political tumult for good measure, and we have seen that we are living in fragile times as the pandemic continues.  

There is no one reliable formula which will allow sports to succeed as it had been—completing regular schedules and having full stadiums and arenas. The staggering economic  hammering from the coronavirus has been felt in all sectors. including sports. 

Look at the NCAA. They had no choice but to cancel the most lucrative event on the calendar—March Madness. As men’s and women’s teams stagger through November and December, teams paused due to COVID-19 or, in the case of the Duke Women’s Basketball Team, ended their seasons prematurely. How will the NCAA get to this year’s finish line with enough healthy players and teams, and how can they determine a champion with so much of the nation remaining in the throes of the coronavirus?

The games will be played. Fans will be let into some gyms. There will be more pauses and illness. We will continue to see coaches wearing facemasks on the sidelines, only to pull them down to shout instructions to the unmasked players. Schools will try to create bubbles, but the calculus of travel in a limited schedule will be problematic. 

And the NCAA will, come hell or high water, do everything to have 2020-21 Men’s and Women’s Tournaments. It’s an economic thing—the NCAA might be doomed if there isn’t money in the coffers from the largess of its partners. The member institutions, save the Ivy and Patriot Leagues in Division I, are all for being enriched. 

Moreover, the NCAA should be worried about the players suit for compensation for their play. It has reached the U.S. Supreme Court and if the players are successful, the ramifications on all sports will be immense. 

Look, I am an unabashed Rutgers Men’s Basketball fan. My love of Scarlet Knights hoops goes back to my teens, watching the team win third place in the 1967-68 National Invitation Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Followed by the team which made the Final Four in Philadelphia in 1976. And then a period of success at the RAC which ended in 1991, except for a trip or two to the NIT. 

Last year, Steve Pikiell’s squad was finally headed to the Big Dance. Then the coronavirus took care of that dream. 

Now, last year’s team is even better. They have been ranked in the polls since the opening of the season. Ron Harper, Jr. has been among the top 5 scorers in Division I. Notwithstanding Wednesday’s loss at Ohio State, where the Knights have never won, in a game where the roof literally collapsed, and some awful officiating and even more atrocious foul shooting turned a 13 point second half lead into a rout for the Buckeyes when the only able big man on the team, Myles Johnson, fouled out with over 8 minutes remaining in the second half. 

No one should have expected that this team was going to go undefeated. They are still young and learning. They still have some deficiencies. Besides, the Big Ten is loaded with good teams. Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State and Illinois are all ranked in the AP Top 25. Purdue, Northwestern and Minnesota are to be reckoned with. Indiana, Penn State and Maryland are competitive. Nebraska is the only real weak team. 

Plus there is the Big Ten Tournament as a prelude to the NCAA’s. Nothing is a given in this year’s conference play—provided the schedule continues on course. 

Which leads me to say that Rutgers will have to heighten its game even more if they want a shot at the NCAA’s. This talk of a national championship is way premature and highly unlikely. Besides, RU fans should be very happy if the team stays intact, wins more than it loses in the Big Ten, and makes the NCAA Tournament. That’s a pretty big accomplishment for a school whose last trip there was 30 years ago. 

Kudos to Tara Vanderveer, the head coach of the Stanford Women’s Basketball Team. She has now surpassed the great Pat Summit as the winningest coach in that sport. 

Yet as good as she has been, the only coach I placed on the same level as Summitt was her arch-rival, Geno Auriemma of UConn. I regard Auriemma as the best coach ever in women’s basketball, largely due to his 1096-142 career record and the 11 titles the Huskies have acquired. He is in the Basketball Hall of Fame for good reason. 

Vanderveer deserved to be inducted into the Hall of fame, as she was in 2011. But her resume, as good as it is, does not match that of Auriemma. Period. 

College football fans have survived the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl again on the blue carpet of Boise State University. Along with a plethora of other minor and very uninteresting bowl games. 

All this is a prelude to the College Football Playoffs. With Alabama winning the SEC and Clemson the ACC, there was some question whether Ohio State, winner of the Big Ten over a tough Northwestern team, was worthy of the tournament having played a shorter six game schedule. Similarly, the beating which Clemson put on Notre Dame made the Irish vulnerable to many—especially the fans fifth-ranked Texas A&M. 

The committee decided rather easily that both the Buckeyes and the Irish should be in the playoffs. Thus, Alabama meets Notre Dame and Clemson, now with Trevor Lawrence firmly in command, plays OSU.

I am happy for the 9-2 Army football team. With a fine record, bowls didn’t want them but would accept teams with losing records instead. That made no sense. 

Tennessee had to drop out of the Liberty Bowl due to COVID-19 affecting the team. Army accepted the invite. I am rooting for the Cadets to defeat West Virginia on New Year’s Eve. 

Well, I went out on a limb and thought that the New York Jets, owners of an 0-13 mark, would succumb to the 9-4 Los Angeles Rams in a second trip to the West Coast in a week. How dumb of me.

The Rams laid an egg and the Jets capitalized. The team headed back to New Jersey 1-13, no longer in control of the first pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Amazingly, now the 1-13 Jacksonville Jaguars confront their destiny in the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes. The Jets would either end up with the second or third pick, depending on how they do in their remaining  games—a contest against the Cleveland Browns at home, then at New England to end the season. 

Cleveland is set to make the playoffs for the first time in eons if they win on 

Sunday again at Met Life Stadium, where they vanquished the Giants last Sunday night. A win here ends the longest drought in history—going back to 2001. A win by the Browns and a loss by the fading Pittsburgh Steelers to the surging Indianapolis Colts would set up a Browns-Steelers showdown on the final Sunday for the AFC North crown. 

Kansas City downed New Orleans last week, placing them apart from their AFC brethren. Buffalo won the AFC East. That is a novelty, considering that the division was reserved for Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.

One of those two is making the playoffs. It isn’t the coach. Brady engineered another comeback win against the Atlanta Falcons (see Super Bowl LI). The ageless wonder is still playing at a high level; his team isn’t championship material. 

Turmoil surrounds the Washington Football Team. Leaders of the pathetic NFC East, young QB Dwayne Haskins, subbing for the injured Alex Smith, lost to the Seattle Seahawks and then was photographed in a strip club that night celebrating without a mask. He was fined $40,000 and lost his captaincy for his immaturity. 

Owner Dan Snyder, no stranger to controversy, settled a sexual harassment suit for over $1 million. He contends he is being harassed by minority owners, who want him out. Snyder did not have the guts to re-name the team, like the Cleveland Indians are going to do. 

I root for Smith, who has had a remarkable comeback from injury. I do not like Snyder at all. 

I have watched some NBA games in the first couple of days. Not terribly exciting. Brooklyn is very, very good. Golden State is very, very bad. The Lakers look tired, with such a short time to recuperate after winning the title just over two months ago. Phoenix won nine games in the bubble—they won game number one this season. The Suns are a team to watch, with Chris Paul now at the point. 

Steph Curry is without Klay Thompson and Draymond Green and it shows. Curry looks rusty and the team has no scoring punch. Milwaukee downed the Warriors by 39 on Christmas Day. The Bucks had a lead as large as 43 points. The only positive from what might become another disastrous season for the team by the Bay was that Curry passed Rick Barry as the second-leading scorer in Warriors history. He trails Wilt Chamberlain by less than 1,000 points to become the franchise’s all-time scoring leader; he is the top scorer for the teams tenure on the West Coast. 

James Harden is in trouble with the Rockets and the NBA for some improper behavior, not unlike that of Dwayne Haskins. Now nobody will want Harden, who is trying his damndest to get out of Houston and failing. Like he always does in the playoffs. 

For those baseball enthusiasts, I can say that there has been activity regarding D.J. LeMahieu. While Yankees GM Brian Cashman and Manager Aaron Boone have repeatedly stated that signing the AL batting champion is the team’s top priority, the team and LeMahieu still remain far apart in the negotiations. Furthermore, team owner Hal Steinbrenner has maintained that the $200 million loss suffered in 2020 is not acceptable. 

Thus, a new suitor for LeMahieu’s talents has emerged. New York Mets owner directed his management to reach out to LeMahieu’s people. Which, according to reports, they did. 

Right now we have no inkling of how deep the conversations have been. Nonetheless, LeMahieu, who loves the Yankees and evidently loves New York City, has indicated that the Mets are second to the Yankees on his list of teams for 2021. 

Maybe all the talk of the Mets, Dodgers and Blue Jays interest in the infielder will amount to nothing and permit LeMahieu to use the three teams to get what he wants out of the Yankees. Then again, if Steinbrenner suddenly turns parsimonious, the Yankees fans will be more than unhappy to see this fan favorite in another uniform. 

Many moves have to be made to complete the roster. The word is that negotiations and trades are not likely to occur until February, just before the start of training camps. That is due to the MLBPA wanting to be assured of what the season will look like and to insure that the players are duly compensated. I am sure this will be a subject of my blogs in the upcoming year.

One more item of note—Tommy Kahnle, a fine reliever for the Yankees, who had Tommy John surgery at the start of the 2020 season and then was released by New York, signed with the Dodgers. I expect Kahnle to come back to full strength and make the Los Angeles bullpen even more formidable. 

When I next write this blog, it will be 2021. Who knows what will happen in a week’s time? A car bomb was detonated in Nashville on Christmas Day. COVID-19 deaths will continue to rise disproportionately. Congress must still face a number of critical financial markers. Very serious stuff. 

Sports will continue to be caught in this cyclone. The participants will feel like what The Doors and their late lead singer Jim Morrison masterfully described in the turbulent ’60’s: Riders on the Storm. 

Linsanity, Too?

Let’s open with college football. Friday night is the start of the Big Ten Champions series. Nebraska traveled Thursday to snow-covered New Jersey so the Big Ten Network and FOX Sports can provide new programming, or, i.e., generate revenue. The game is meaningless. Injuries can occur, and the field will be frozen, with temperatures in the teens. And the only reason it is Friday night is because the higher-profile Purdue-Indiana game was cancelled due to COVID problems for the Hoosiers. 

The other Champions games, Illinois at Penn State (after the Illini fired Head Coach Lovie Smith) plus Minnesota at Wisconsin remain intact. Michigan State and Maryland faltered due to COVID concerns with the Terrapins program (a week removed from their game with Rutgers). Moreover, Michigan could not field a team to go to Iowa City. 

Not that ANY of these games matter that much. Besides, all of the games are outdoors—college football in the colder temperatures in December was not meant to be played. Which is why the preponderance of the bowl games are contested indoors or in warmer climates. 

The Big Ten certainly knows this—the Conference Championship Game involving Ohio State and Northwestern is indoors Saturday in Indianapolis. The Mid-American Conference, based entirely in the Midwest, regularly holds its Championship on the first Friday night after the season concludes. That game is at spacious Ford Field in Detroit. Which has a roof on it. 

Should I be surprised with the behavior of the Big Ten? Not a bit. Bullied into holding a season after first indicating its schools would not play, navigating through a myriad of cancellations, and then changing the rules so that Ohio State could participate in the Championship and then in the National Playoffs, selfishness and money are core tenets of an academic alliance which plays sports on a high level. It reminded me of a great commercial line for a defunct clothing store in nearby Union, NJ: “Money talks. Nobody walks.”

Also on the menu tonight is the Pac-12 title game, with Oregon playing USC in the LA Coliseum, where the forecast is for a high of 70 degrees and a low of 46 overnight. Oregon is playing only because the University of Washington, which had the second best record in the Pac-12, could not field a team. The add-on games for the rest of the conference are ,of course, meaningless; Washington State gets an 11:30 MST start at Utah; Stanford travels to the Rose Bowl to take on UCLA; and Arizona State heads to Corvallis to play Oregon State in the rain. Arizona and Cal were a pandemic cancellation. 

Saturday has the more interesting games on tap. In addition to Ohio State-Northwestern, Clemson and Notre Dame tangle in a rematch fo the ACC crown in Charlotte, Alabama and Florida are indoors in Atlanta for the SEC title and Big 12 rivals Oklahoma and Iowa State will be very comfortable inside of AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Three out of four are in a dome, and it is projected to reach a balmy 51 degrees Saturday afternoon in the Queen City. 

So the winners are rewarded with plumb locales, while the has beens are subjected to the unpleasant elements. That doesn’t sound right, let alone necessary. Especially in a year where hospitals are filling up too rapidly to help the great influx of COVID-19 patients. 

Look at Southern California. The hospitals have reached 0% ICU capacity. The elected officials are fighting a losing battle with the virus. Yet two collegiate games are happening and the Jets and Rams meet in SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. What if there is horrific injury in one of these games? Where can they treat the youngster? Or a heart attack or stroke? Do the game participants receive priority over the permanent residents of Los Angeles County? Is anybody thinking here? Does TV money actually mean more than lives?

Shifting back to the games which impact the College Football Playoffs. Ohio State is a huge favorite over Northwestern. Which they should be. But what happens if Northwestern does the unthinkable and downs the Buckeyes? Do the #15 Wildcats leap over a number of other teams and land a spot in the playoffs? Or does a one-loss OSU team still make it if a lot of other things happen—like Alabama being upset by the Florida Gators and Clemson, now with a healthy Trevor Lawrence at QB, avenges the loss suffered to Notre Dame in South Bend when Lawrence was sidelined with COVID-19? 

What happens if Notre Dame, Clemson, Ohio State and Alabama all have one loss? In that scenario, only Clemson is assured of a spot in the CFP as ACC champs. I bet there would be a ton of chirping from Aggie fans in College Station about why Texas A&M, ranked at #5, should now be in the playoffs. #7 Florida, by virtue of its win over Alabama, would claim the SEC spot is theirs. An undefeated USC team would say they are CFP worthy. 

What a mess this could become. Which is why a four team playoff is untenable. An eight team playoff would give the governing people wiggle room for losses by top teams and still allow for some to have a second chance in the CFP. Otherwise, what meaning would the conference championship games hold if the winners aren’t seated at the table?

Additionally, there is the pandemic and how it can wreak havoc with the CFP. What happens if one of the chosen four teams is suddenly ravaged by the virus? Does that become a forfeit win for their opponent? And how can a replacement be ready for such an important game—even if they are practicing to participate in a bowl game later this month or on January 1? 

For me, this creates such a distaste of the present system. If the NCAA cancelled March Madness, then the college football barons could have done the same. Except that the bowls have too much say in what happens, and they are very stubborn in refusing to see the bigger picture. 

The CFP is mulling moving the Rose Bowl game, which is a CFP semi-final, away from Pasadena. Not because of the pandemic reaching so many individuals in Southern California like I had previously stated. The Rose Parade has sought a waiver to proceed, but has not yet heard whether that can go on. 

No, it is because the 10 FBS Commissioners and Notre Dame’s AD are troubled by  “parents of student-athletes that they can’t go watch their sons play in the biggest game of their career.” Irish Head Coach Brian Kelly has threatened to withdraw his team from the CFP if there aren’t fans allowed. Really??

The Rose Bowl in 1943 was held in Durham, NC at Duke University during World War II. The logical relocation would be at AT&T Stadium. Which, if the game has to be moved, makes sense in placing a four teams in one venue. 

Yes, there is chaos in college football in 2020. Not unexpectedly. How the next few weeks play out will be something to watch. And try to reckon with how decisions are made—in the best interests of who?

A subtext to the college football scene is the one year mutual benefit that the ACC and Notre Dame have enjoyed. The Irish are #2 in the ranking. By virtue of an unblemished record against lesser ACC opponents except for an undermanned Clemson squad, whom they have defeated. TV ratings have soared when the Irish have been on NBC and ESPN. Viewership in South Carolina and in SEC territory have seen significant spikes.

Which has caused pundits to raise the issue of whether it would be prudent for Notre Dame to permanently join the ACC in all sports. Surprisingly, Notre Dame receives $14 million a year from its NBC contract. In contrast, each ACC team brings home $21 million from their TV deals. That means Wake Forest makes out better than the mighty Irish. Those sums are paltry in comparison with the Big Ten, whose long-standing members rake in a whopping $52 million. 

Notre Dame has prided itself on its football independence. They can pick and choose a handful of opponents, even if they are locked into five games a year with ACC schools as part of the agreement to join the ACC in all other sports. This gives Notre Dame the opportunity to schedule a weak team at home, a tough game here and there, while maintaining traditional ties with Navy and USC. 

What those experts feel can happen is that Notre Dame can work with both the ACC and the networks to come up with a solution which keeps the games that the Irish want, puts them into the CFP picture via the conference (Notre Dame is seated with the 10 commissioners and has some preferred perks within the selection process, due to its incredible drawing power nationally). Notre Dame still has tremendous clout in the twin industries of college football and television. 

It comes down to this—if the money is right, Notre Dame can surrender some of its football independence. They did it this season out of necessity; who knows what the landscape will look like in 2022, no matter how people hope there will be a return to normalcy. 

Besides, in it agreement with the ACC, Notre Dame is locked into joining only one conference through 2036. That is the aforementioned Atlantic Coast Conference. Maybe someone can do something for BYU, too?

The NBA season starts on December 22. As of this moment, James Harden remains with the Rockets and has played in two pre-season games. TV hosts have joked that he looks heavy this year. He has admitted that he needs 5-on-5 completion to get ready. 

Harden continues to want out of Houston. The talks have included an additional number of teams, but what the Rockets hierarchy seeks in compensation is exorbitant. I don’t think anything will happen this weekend, so start to anticipate Harden and John Wall to be the starting backcourt, no matter how much of a dark cloud the pouting, selfish Harden has been in the past and now, even more so. Then again, I would not rule out Harden sitting out the start of the 2020-21 season. 

Please remind me of how many NBA titles he has won during his tenure in the league at OKC and with the Rockets—isn’t it 0? Just saying…he is making demands when his value is only as good as the teammates and coaches he has to work with. Even then, Harden has alienated a few of each.

I am happy that Giannis Anteokounmpo deicide to stay in Milwaukee. He loves the city, he wants to raise his family there, and it makes one of the small market franchises very relevant for a number of years. 

I don’t question the moves that Lebron James made to further his basketball career and after his playing is over. LA is a media capital and the weather is suitable for year-round living. James still has exceptionally strong ties to his native Akron with his school and philanthropy, and he avidly roots for his beloved Cleveland Browns. Kevin Durant wanted to be near his medical support team and he sees NYC and national marketing opportunities and as a championships caliber club in Brooklyn. These guys are the exception. 

Steph Curry wants to finish his career with Golden State—both sides are willing to talk about it. Again, this is rare. Will stars be willing to stay in small-to-mid market cities like Portland, Salt Lake City, Sacramento, or will they seek glamor in Chicago, Miami, LA? Such is the nature of the business of pro basketball.  

College basketball is dealing with its COVID-19 issues, with multiple teams shut down, games scheduled on the fly and no clear picture of how the season will continue. The Big East continues to float the idea of a bubble at the Mohegan Sun Casino, their antidote to the coronavirus. 

An unlikely venue has become a home to big-time college hoops. The Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota will host a game between #1 Gonzaga and #3 Iowa on Saturday. An article on CBSSports.com details how the management has taken great pains to insure a COVID-19 safe atmosphere through the study and advice of Sanford Health, a well-respected group that advises the NCAA on COVID-19 issues. Sanford administers the testing, meeting conference standards. Plexiglass surrounds the floor and team seating is akin to what the NBA did in Orlando, which was the model for this operation. An HVAC system circulates the air every 15 minutes. These guys really want to be part of the college basketball season, and they are most worthy. 

Rutgers opened Big Ten men’s basketball play with a resounding win at Maryland on Monday. The #19 Scarlet Knights benefitted from the return of Geo Baker, who scored 15 points and guided the team at the point. Ron Harper, Jr. hit for 27 points and looks like a first round NBA draft choice. He has the pedigree—his father was an NBA champ and an All-Star and his mother was a college star who now is well-known in New Jersey coaching circles. 

This was the first time RU has won a Big Ten opener. Plus this was a win away from the RAC, where they were 18-1 last season. 

It is only one game. Up next is a more formidable task. #13 Illinois, the pre-season Big Ten favorite, is in Piscataway on Sunday. A win here, even if it is at home (although almost devoid of fans), will catapult RU into the discussion of the top teams in the nation. 

I repeat—it is only one game, and this match with the Illini is in December, not February. What it does show is that Rutgers is apparently looking like a solid NCAA team—finally breaking the streak of no appearances in the tournament since 1991. Which would have ended in 2020 if they tournament was held. Finally, relevancy has returned to RU hoops. 

NFL notes time. I enjoyed watching the Baltimore-Cleveland Monday night game. This game was an old-fashioned shootout, with the team that had the ball last was going to win. Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield was magnificent. But reigning NFL M.V.P. Lamar Jackson, battling cramps, trotted out of the locker room to guide the Ravens to the winning score after Mayfield had put the Browns in the lead.

Cleveland travels to the Meadowlands for the first of back-to-back games at Met Life Stadium. Their opponent, the Giants, will most likely not start QB Daniel Jones, as he was hobbled in last week’s home loss to Arizona. New York offensive coordinator Jason Garrett is sidelined by COVID-19. Last year’s Cleveland head man, Freddie Kitchens, who guided the Browns to a 6-10 record, is on the Giants’ staff as tight end coach, and he will assume the game-time play calling. Giants sub QB, Colt Mc Coy, has his own ties to the Cleveland team. Interesting subplots to a meaningful game for both squads trying to make the playoffs. 

The Washington Football Team, the sudden leaders of the NFC East, host the Seahawks on Sunday. Another very meaningful game. Seattle QB Russell Wilson, a top tier player, has been sacked 40 times os far this season. Washington’s defense has shined the past few weeks, including in the win against the 49’ers in Arizona, when starting QB Alex Smith was felled by another leg injury. Highland Park native Dwayne Haskins will be thrust into the starting role in this pivotal game for both teams. 

The marquee match is in New Orleans, where Pat Mahomes II and the Kansas City Chiefs clash with the Saints in the Superdome. Mahomes had a subpar game in Miami, throwing 2 TD passes but also 3 interceptions. Ageless Drew Brees may return from his broken ribs and punctured lung. Still expect to see Taysom Hill at QB in a number of packages, or if Brees is injured. This might be a Super Bowl preview. Of course, there are other teams headed to the playoffs, like the Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills, who might be difficult foes. 

Three weeks left and nothing is really settled. That includes the M.V.P. battle between Mahomes and Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers. There is a reason why Mahomes is the best player in the NFL—he leads a talented team which is well-coached, and he has an element to his game which Rodgers does not—he can run when needed to. 

Rodgers has thrown for less yardage than Mahomes, who has passed for over 4,000 yards. Mahomes has 5 INT after his weekend in Miami. Rodgers has a better completion percentage and he has been picked off only 4 times. Mahomes trails Rodgers in QB rating and TD passes, 39-33, but leads in yards per catch. Notwithstanding the outstanding years Ben Roethlisberger and Josh Allen have had with Pittsburgh and Buffalo, these are the two top performers. Like the NFC East, the Mahomes-Rodgers battle will be decided in the last week of the season.

  Oh, and the Jets will get walloped by the Rams this Sunday. In case anyone is interested. 

Suddenly, the NHL has a problem. A pretty big one. The all-Canadian team division is in trouble with Canadian officials. The teams need approval from five provinces and the Canada Public Health Agency to conduct home games. That agency wants another Toronto-Edmonton type bubble. The NHL finds that to be untenable. 

Just as the Raptors and Blue Jays had to relocate, albeit for different reasons, the 

Canadiens, Maple Leafs, Senators, Jets, Flames, Oilers and Canucks might be housed in the U.S. for the upcoming 56 game season, scheduled to begin on January 13.  I hope the NHL is seriously working on contingency plans.

I leave with this: Jeremy Lin is going to sign with the Warriors G-League team. With all the craziness and uncertainty right now, Linsanity, too?

Time IS NOT On Their Side

Army plays Navy in football this Saturday. The college basketball landscape is a wreck due to COVID-19. The Pittsburgh Steelers are no longer invincible. The New England Patriots do not resemble the Tom Brady-Patriots, while the Brady-Buccaneers combination resembles the Patriots of the past year. 

But we start with baseball. Gary Sanchez is working hard, according to teammate Luke Voit, the reigning AL home run king. First, Sanchez went to Tampa to work out the major kinks in his swing. Now he is clocking the ball in the Dominican Republic in winter ball. Which proves that he can really hit minor league pitching. 

Nobody has mentioned Sanchez’s significant defensive flaws. An article this week touted the improvement of Kyle Higashioka with the same techniques imparted by a new catching instructor. Higgy practiced the techniques between the aborted Spring Training and the Summer Training, and it showed in his catching. So much so that he became the personal catcher for ace and childhood friend Gerrit Cole. When Sanchez’s inability to hit was hurting the Yankees in the playoffs, Higgy took over and was more than credible behind the plate and at bat. 

The most I read about Sanchez and his defense was that he has gone through many different catching coaches, which has had to mess with his mind and form. The Yankees need the powerful bat of Sanchez, even with his substandard catching abilities, to get over the hump and win the elusive World Championship. 

I also read that Aaron Judge is working out in Tampa with Clint Frazier and Voit. Their work ethic is unquestioned. But the possibility that they could be overdoing is very concerning. Losing Judge to more injuries is not acceptable. Ditto Giancarlo Stanton. These guys are superstars and their bats are the music to Yankees fans ears. 

Maybe I have become a nervous person in my old age. I worry about the health of the Yankees players in this pandemic and about the rigorous off season workouts they complete. 

I also worry about the status of D.J. LeMahieu. The still free agent is now being courted by the Dodgers. They have money to burn. The Yankees have been negotiating with LeMahieu’s camp and exchanging offers. Hal Steinbrenner does not like to give contracts for more than 4 years. LeMahieu want 5 years. The Yankees offer is 4 years for $98 million. LeMahieu’s representatives countered with 5 years, $125 million. 

The Yankees suffered losses totaling nearly $200 million in 2020. With the prospect of few fans if any in the stands, the Yankees are sure to lose more money in 2021. Thus, there is  reluctance to sign the AL batting champ. 

Conversely, what LeMahieu brings to the team in leadership on the field and in the clubhouse is so vital for a team which aspires to be the best in baseball. Voit talked about how professional and remarkable LeMahieu is in his day-to-day approach to the game. 

He also is a mentor to rising star Gleyber Torres. If Torres could harness his power and hit to all fields like LeMahieu, he would be an unbelievable hitter in a lineup full of power with Judge, Stanton, Voit and yes, Gary Sanchez.

It is not my team and it is not my money. But in the market of winning baseball, signing D.J. LeMahieu makes all the sense in the world, no matter how high the price will be. He was vastly underpaid at 2 years, $24 million given his production. This player is important to the long-term future of the team. Make it happen, Brian Cashman and Mr. Steinbrenner. 

The college basketball season is a mess. Postponement upon postponement due to COVID-19. UConn has shut down its program twice. Big East member Xavier has played 7 games. De Paul, another Big East member, has not yet played a game. NC State went into a bubble at the Mohegan Sun Casino to be able to play and left with players who caught the virus. 

Duke has shut down its non-conference schedule, although the Alabama coach has cynically questioned whether Duke’s underperforming might have had something to do with it. Coach K has wondered aloud why the games are being played, yet he still is readying his team fr tohe rigors of the ACC schedule which begins next week. 

Pitt coach Jeff Capel, a Duke alum, points out that the players are entertainers and he says they are pros if not given that title. But he also believes the wanton need to play the games loses sight of the bigger picture. 

I read an article in The Undefeated which questioned the legitimacy of playing college basketball in the midst of this pandemic. The writer said that the “Ivy League eggheads” may have gotten it right (On Friday, the Centennial Conference followed the Ivy League and Patriot League plus the NESCAC and suspended all winter sports, plus Franklin and Marshall will not compete in squash or Division I wrestling). He also puts the blame with the NCAA, who, after losing huge money last year when March Madness didn’t happen, are hell-bent to have a tournament this year. 

With the hospitalizations rising fast and the deaths even more so, doesn’t it make sense to pause the schedule for a while and pare it down to a 10 game run into March? Teams aren’t generating revenue from ticket sales, so that cannot be the reason to play. 

It is the health and safety of the players as they travel to new environments and how  vigilant they are at home which counts. Remember, these are young men in their teens and early 20’s, away from home, trying to focus on remote schoolwork and playing basketball while staying safe from the coronavirus.

It is not like that with football, and even with that statement, look at the Michigan football team which supposedly had 45 players infected by COVID-19, necessitating the cancellation of their rivalry game versus Ohio State and throwing the national championship hopes of the Buckeyes into doubt for a moment. That sport, with its limited schedules, is limping to the finish line. 

The NBA is enacting very strict guidelines and rules for its upcoming season, which kicks off on Friday with a slew of exhibition games. It is interesting to note that teams are playing two games in three days in one site, to keep travel down and to protect the players and thereby protect the season. 

College cannot do that—it is financially impossible. The NBA has subsidized each franchise with $30 million for the 2020-21 season to help make it through to the NBA Finals with a limited schedule. 

Believe me, selfishly I would like to see the college basketball schedule proceed. Rutgers has a really good team and they would more than likely make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991. 

How the schools are going to accomplish this with the way things are in the world is questionable. These are supposedly fine academic institutions, full of smart people. Yet they capitulate to the NCAA and ESPN and whomever else enriches their coffers, player safety be damned. There is no universal requirements in the sport, just like the mandates differ from California to the Dakotas. 

College hoops is going to be hard to complete this season. Whatever happens, too many lives are at stake. I feel queasy about this.

In the NFL, I was so wrong about the Giants. They went into Seattle and beat the Seahawks. No question which was the better team that day. New York is the top team in the NFC East, although on the basis of its unexpected win at Pittsburgh, the Washington Football Team is tied with the Giants at 5-7. Because the Giants are suddenly now a “good” team, they were flexed into the Sunday night game next week when they host the 9-3 Cleveland Browns with Baker Mayfield at QB. I said it before and I hold to it—the NFC East will be decided on the last weekend of the season when the Giants welcome Dallas and The Eagles and Washington renew their rivalry. 

Speaking of the Philadelphia Eagles, Carson Wentz has been benched in favor of high draftee Jalen Hurts. Doug Peterson’s job is on the line—if Hurts can rally the troops, then Peterson can continue coaching in the City of Brotherly Love for another season. He is so lucky that fans aren’t in attendance; imagine the booing…

Kansas City looked sluggish Sunday night when Denver came to Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs still managed to win, but I was less impressed with them than I had been. Maybe a little let down after the emotional win in Tampa? KC is on the road for two games—at Miami then at New Orleans. Both seem to be playoff-bound, and the Saints will have Drew Brees back from his broken ribs and punctured lung in what could be a preview of the Super Bowl. 

If the Chiefs emerge 1-1, that is pretty good. 2-0, then they are the unquestioned best team in the NFL. 0-2 would mean that there is no outstanding team in the league, which I still kind of believe.

By the way, the Jets travel to Seattle this weekend. Think the Seahawks aren’t going to be very hospitable after losing to the Giants? Then the Jets play the Rams in Inglewood the next Sunday. LAR just demolished the Patriots on Thursday night. Two hard road games, two bad losses forthcoming. 

I felt badly for Dez Bryant, who probably received a false positive test (2 inconclusive tests) which sidelined him for the Dallas-Baltimore Ravens contest on Tuesday—Bryant’s first since he returned to football and ironically against his old team. He is now on the COVID/IR. At first he was ready to quit. Now he has refocused. It still stinks that he may not have COVID-19 and is being kept out of games. 

Lastly, I will address the last “regular” season of the college football schedule. In the Big Ten, along with Army and Navy, tradition rules. The teams which normally end the seasons against each other are doing exactly that in the Big Ten. Army and Air Force meet next week only because of COVID hitting the Falcons earlier. 

In the Pac-12, Cal and Stanford have already met, as have Washington and Washington State and Oregon and Oregon State. Although Arizona meets Arizona, Colorado and Utah play each other and UCLA and USC settle Southern California college football supremacy, it felt odd that the normal rivalries aren’t in place. Compared to the Big Ten, which would have had Ohio State-Michigan, there still is Purdue-Indiana, Illinois-Northwestern, Penn State-Michigan State, Nebraska-Minnesota, Iowa-Wisconsin and Rutgers tried again for win number 3 at Maryland (they won in OT). 

I could find one true rivalry game in the SEC or Big 12. That is Vanderbilt heading to Knoxville to play Tennessee. South Carolina and Kentucky met last week, concluding their seasons. Alabama and Auburn have played. Mississippi and Mississippi State tangled on Thanksgiving. Border rivals Arkansas and LSU don’t meet. Instead, Arkansas gets #1 Alabama at home. Sooey pig!!

In the ACC, all I could find was the Commonwealth rivalry between Virginia and Virginia Tech. No North Carolina-Duke to end the season, nor does Wake play N.C. State. 

Plus forget about the crossover rivalries between schools from different conferences. Georgia is in Missouri instead of meeting with Georgia Tech. Florida gets LSU to end the season, not Florida State. 

The easy question is how the Big Ten could manage to schedule all of its rivalry games, the Pac-12 some. Of the games and the ACC but one? It is too complicated but nonetheless sad. I am used to traditional foes meeting to end the season. I guess that in this new world of COVID-19, college football had enough trouble to arrange schedules let alone keep traditions.

Which is why Army-Navy to end the year is always very important. Usually the last or one of the last regular season games, it seemingly is always held in December. This year a week or two later than normal. Yet it is not the final game of the season for Army; as noted, they host the Air Force Academy next Saturday.

True to form, the game is not going to be at a neutral site. For the first time since 1943, when the game was held at West Point, the two service academies will collide again along the banks of the Hudson River, rather than in Philadelphia, New York or Baltimore, where they have met more recently. 

Navy is 3-6, Army is 7-2. Navy had its biggest comeback in history when they trailed Tulane 24-0 to win 27-24. Army also met the Green Wave, who overwhelmed the Cadets 38-12. Army has won 3 of the past 4 meetings, with Navy winning last season and accumulating a record-setting 11 wins. The Navy offense is young and suspect. The Cadets rushing average is a whopping 296.7 yards/game, third best in the college ranks.

Only admirals and generals plus their staffs will be at the game. It is possible that President Trump could attend. All will be in self-contained suites. Army needs to defeat both Navy and Air Force to win the Commander-in-Chief Trophy. Navy wins and they get the trophy. If Air Force wins next week, the Falcons bring the trophy back to Colorado Springs. No matter what, Army is scheduled to play in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, LA on December 26.

Army is a seven point favorite. Condoleezza Rice is the celebrity picker on College GameDay. I pick the Cadets to win. She should, too. In this COVID year, who knows how right it is to be right?

There you have it. College football’s regular season is coming to its end. With the exception of five conference championships, Big Ten crossover games, whatever bowl games that are to be played (This week Boston College indicated that it would not participate in a bowl game out of an abundance of safety for its student-athletes) and, of course, the College Football playoffs. If the pandemic allows for all of this to occur. It has, after all, been quite uncooperative and is even nastier than before.

I don’t know how the NBA will fare. I cannot guess how the NFL will conclude its season then navigate the playoffs en route to the Super Bowl. I am very uneasy with the college basketball season as it meanders through December. And, most of all, LeMahieu remains unsigned by the Yankees. 

Sports cannot be more wary of a fundamental principle divulged by the Rolling Stones: time IS NOT on their side. No it isn’t. 

HOPE

What jumps out at me is that the Los Angeles Lakers have oodles of dollars to spend. The team inked superstar LeBron James to a 2 year, $85 million extension. Then they corralled free agent Anthony Davis for 5 years at $185 million. As if Davis was ever going anywhere else? 

LAL is positioned to make a serious run at a second straight NBA Championship, having fortified their team with the addition of the Sixth Man of the Year winner Montrezl Harrell AND the runner-up to Harrell, Dennis Schroder. GM Rob Pelinka also signed  Wesley Matthews and Marc Gasol to replace Danny Green, Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo and Javale McGee. Plus Pelinka resigned last season’s late addition, Markieff Morris. 

The intent here is to give James and Davis less of a load to carry in the upcoming 72 game season, considering how the 2020 playoffs ended not so long ago, and James is no child anymore. With stalwarts Alex Caruso and Kyle Kuzma still in the fold, the Lakers appear to be more dangerous than ever. 

Fans will see the retooled Lakers on national TV on December 22, when they meet the cross-the-hall Clippers and then host the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas Day.

The Klay Thompson-less Warriors tip off the season in Brooklyn, meeting former teammate Kevin Durant in his first game in a Nets uniform. Kyrie Irving is scheduled to play, but he has become a tad fragile lately with injuries (I can understand a plethora of pain). Golden State heads to Milwaukee for a Christmas game against the Bucks and two-time M.V.P. Giannis Antetokounmpo, perhaps in his last year in a Bucks uniform before becoming a very rich free agent. The Nets’ foe on Christmas Day will be the Boston Celtics in Boston. 

Will Golden State be 0-2 with this unfriendly start to the campaign? Or could Steph Curry and his mates rise up and win a road tilt? Can the Nets start strong with a 2-0 mark on the way to a possible Eastern Conference crown? 

One team not vying for anything will be the New York Knicks. Another season of frustration for the loyal and vocal New York fans. I hope they don’t desert the ship for the oasis in Brooklyn. Be patient, Knicks loyalists. Your time will come. Not necessarily soon, but it will happen. 

The Knickerbockers were moribund in my youth. Until the mid-1960’s, when Willis Reed and Walt Frazier arrived. Then the parts started to fill in and two of the best teams in NBA history won two long-awaited NBA crowns. 

I know that 1972-73 was the last hurrah for the Knicks. 48 years is a long time. I realize that the Patrick Ewing-led teams were exciting and the Garden rocked. Keep the faith, Knicks fans. It ain’t easy, but you must. For better or worse, they are New York’s team—not those newbies in another borough. The Barclays Center will never be confused with the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden. 

I hear what you are thinking, Knicks brethren. James Dolan is a bad guy. He’s the reason there haven’t been any banners hoisted in the MSG rafters. 

This may be true—privately ask Charles Oakley how he feels about the team owner and I am sure he will burst his spleen about the man. Ditto Spike Lee, who sat court side and epitomized the ebullient and energetic Knicks fan until he was riled up by the Garden security. 

And maybe the draft picks have not been the greatest and the coaching only so-so along with the ineptitude of upper management. This is not a time to be grim about the prospects. Just because there are lots of other teams better than New York in the Eastern Conference—Brooklyn, Milwaukee, Philadelphia with new head man Doc Rivers, last year’s finalists, the Miami Heat, Indiana, Toronto (playing out of Tampa due to COVID-19), surprise playoff team Orlando, and even Boston, without Gord Heyward, who signed with Charlotte and made the Hornets playoff-ready. Washington acquired Russell Westbrook, one of the premier players in the league in a trade with Houston, which received oft-injured John Wall, so the Wizards are also in the hunt. I dare say the Bulls, Pistons and Hawks appear to be better than New York. Which leaves some really intense games with the equally moribund Cleveland Cavaliers. 

I used to look forward to Christmas basketball at MSG—I even attended one with Larry Bird and the Celtics as the rivals. I can readily say that, unless I am so wrong about the team, the Knicks aren’t going to be on national TV unless it is to showcase their opponents. 

But it is only one season. Like the last 48, with more of them like the last 20 years or so, as the the last playoff appearance was in 2013. Having been in existence for 70 years, the franchise has made the playoffs 36 times. In the past ten seasons, spanning 2011 to 2020, the Knicks won at a 40.1% rate, accumulating 3 playoff appearances, which is a 30% rate. So in two years, barring the unthinkable, the Knicks will have made the NBA Playoffs 50% of the time. 

For years, I was proud to be a New York Rangers fan and season ticket holder. All I ever heard was 1940, alluding to the last time the franchise hoisted the Stanley Cup. Then, miraculously, Mark Messier was skating around the Garden ice with the Cup in 1994. In 93 seasons, the Blueshirts have won 4 Cups in 59 playoff attempts. In the past 10 seasons, the teams has won 53.7% of its games and made 7 playoff appearance, which included a Stanley Cup Finals loss in 2014 to the Los Angeles Kings. 

So the Rangers have performed slightly better than the Knicks. Only slightly better, with not much more to show for their efforts. 

Which leads me to the inescapable conclusion—it must be the water at MSG which created a vapor that has mystified its tenants. How else can you explain such mediocrity for so long? Maybe Mr. Dolan should conduct an air and water study in his building. He might be very surprised with the results and perhaps that would lead to a revival of the dormant New York teams. Or then again, maybe not. 

Rutgers fans have had a very interesting 2020 football season thus far. The 2-4 Scarlet Knights have two road wins—at Michigan State and Purdue. While Michigan State is having a down year, they rallied from the opening loss to RU to defeat arch-rival Michigan and West-leading Northwestern. Purdue is, like Michigan State, 2-3. 

RU should have downed Michigan in that epic comeback loss in 3 OT. The Knights couldn’t hold the lead against Illinois. This team easily could have been 4-2 rather than 2-4. 

Saturday’s game is with the team RU fans hate the most: Penn State. In the 18 previous meetings with the Nittany Lions, the tally is 16-2 in favor of Penn State. The two RU victories came in the first contest between the schools and a great upset in 1988 in State College. 

Penn State has its own issues, coming into Piscataway at a miserable 1-5, the lone win was by seven points last week at Michigan. Yet the oddsmakers gave RU no respect—the Lions are an astounding 11.5 point favorite. 

I would take that bet. RU has been focusing on winning and there is no bigger win in the program’s eyes right now than defeating Penn State, no matter how bad a year they are having. Greg Schiano’s ties to Penn State go back to the clouded, scandal-ridden days at the end of the late Joe Paterno’s reign at PSU. He has had to endure so much for being unfairly tied to the horrific lack of action by Paterno and his aides over the sexual assaults by Jerry Sandusky. (Former PSU President Graham Spanier had his child endangerment conviction restored by a Federal appeals court on Tuesday)

It will be a game played in some wind and heavy rain. RU appears to be pretty healthy, with starting QB Noah Vedral seemingly to be ready to return from his one game absence due to injury. Backups Artur Sitkowski and the versatile Johnny Langan are poised to come in should Verdal be unable to go. The duo acquitted themselves very well last week in the victory over Purdue.

While my daughter received a very fine education at Penn State, I intensely dislike the school. Some of it goes to the Paterno days and his fraudulent, holier-than-thou ways, along with the coverup by Spanier and his administration. 

The rest of my dislike is focused on James Franklin, the Nittany Lions’ head coach. I have never liked his arrogance. It reminds me of the arrogance of Jim Harbaugh at Michigan—who I also cannot cheer for. I think it is great to see Franklin get his comeuppance at Happy Valley. 

A bit of humility would help greatly. With a dose of Rutgers frustration parceled out to his team as the Scarlet Knights give Greg Schiano what will be there first of many wins over the Nittany Lions.

The two Rutgers wins were more than projected. Wins versus Penn State and Maryland next week would mean a 4-4 record. Certainly not a given. Nonetheless, very achievable. RU football fans have something to really look forward to. 

Rutgers basketball is 3-0 to start the season, with a meeting at home with Syracuse on tap for December 8. The team looks pretty good, even in the absence of Geo Baker, their leader, who sprained his ankle in the first nine minutes of the opener against Sacred Heart.

There is more height and size on this team. Jacob Young, Ron Harper, Jr and Paul Mulcahy have shined with Baker sidelined. This team  is fast, runs the floor well, ruggedly rebounds and adapts accordingly. 

Make no mistake, home wins against the likes of Sacred Heart, FDU and Hofstra isn’t going to impress too many people. The Knights have retained their #24 national ranking for now. 

The schedule gets decidedly tougher with the Syracuse game and then when conference play starts. Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois are presently ranked #3, #4 and #5. Michigan State is at #8. Ohio State, at #23, is also ranked just ahead of RU. 

To garner that elusive first NCAA tournament bid since 1991, RU must get Baker back, play within themselves, recognize that there is no home court advantage this year, and shoot free throws better than the less than 60% they have converted in the first three games. 

Just like the football team, there is something real going on in Piscataway. Finally. 

I watched the oft-delayed Baltimore at Pittsburgh NFL clash on Wednesday afternoon. I thought it was mediocre football, largely due to the lack of practice time the teams had and the uncertainty of the game itself being played. 

The biggest thing was to watch a game on a Wednesday afternoon with a start time of 3:40 P.M. Eastern time. This will mean, by the end of the season, an NFL game will have been played on each day of the week. Only in a pandemic year. Only in 2020.

I watched the Kansas City Chiefs riddle the Tampa Bay defense and befuddle the great Tom Brady. KC has its defensive weaknesses. They also have the best QB in football right now, with apologies to Aaron Rodgers—Patrick Mahomes II. To see KC go 15-1 is not out of the question. To see Pittsburgh go 16-0 from what I saw is highly unlikely. 

My Jets comment is this: 0-16 looms for the Jets. How miserable. 

The Giants’ fate rests on Daniel Jones’ recovery from the hamstring injury which forced him to the sidelines in the win at Cincinnati. They were’t going to win on Sunday at Seattle. Not to worry. Nobody in the NFC East is going to run away from the pack. Getting Jones healthy with three of the last five games at home is imperative. 

Since I had a dear reader complain about the lack of Yankees’ stories, I provide the following. The Yankees signed Gary Sanchez to a one year deal. 

He is a mess behind the plate and at bat. If there is a way to fix him, and I don’t know how feasible that would be, the Yankees batting order would be absolutely lethal. If everyone remained healthy. A big if. 

Kudos to former Vanderbilt soccer goalie Sarah Fuller, now the kicker for the football team. She did the second half kickoff at Missouri, making her the first women to play in a Power 5 football conference game, earning her co-SEC Special Team Player of the Week honors and a nomination for the Capital One Orange Bowl—FWAA Courage Award. 

Alas, the game for this week at Georgia was postponed due to COVID and has been rescheduled to December 19, provided that Georgia is not in the SEC title game. A game on December 19 would offer Fuller her only chance to kick a FG or PAT. 

Finally, another reader told me that Los Angeles is the center of the sports world right now. Hard to argue when talking about the Dodgers and Lakers. He added the Clippers into the mix. However, he conveniently left out the Angels, the Chargers and the Ducks and Kings, who both failed to make the NHL bubble last season. 

For all those teams in LA that haven’t won a recent title, for the smug establishment out West rooting for repeats by the Lakers and Dodgers, for the Chiefs and Steelers fans who want a Super Bowl, for the Knicks and Rangers (maybe, begrudgingly, the Nets), the Islanders and Devils, RU football and hoops, Giants fans this year and Jets fans forever, and Sarah Fuller, there is one word which we all can embrace as the coronavirus continues its deadly dominance. That word is HOPE. HJ