John Madden

I had plenty on my mind this week to include in the blog. Then my phone lit up with text messages and a flash from ESPN.com. 

John Madden had suddenly died. 

My editor, a non-sports fanatic unlike me, would normally have no clue who he was. Except she knew who I was talking about. Not in depth, but she knew enough about him and that he carried great importance in the sports and entertainment world. 

There are many layers to who John Madden was. Sports fans largely knew him for his work as the Head Coach of the Oakland Raiders. Or perhaps as a color commentator on ALL four TV networks—CBS, then FOX, then ABC and finally at NBC. Nobody has ever done that except for John Madden. 

Plus a whole generation of kids and parents knew him for his Madden video games—now up to Madden 22. Players like Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes II grew up playing the Xbox games and now grace the cover of Madden 22. By the way, it is the best selling video game of all time. Who would have known Play Station and Xbox but for John Madden?

Some remember him as a pitchman for Lite Beer, running through hysterical monologues and demonstrating his wild antics. He appeared in commercials for Ace Hardware, Outback Steakhouse, Verizon Wireless, Rent-A-Center, Toyota, Sirius Satellite Radio and Tinactin. Madden was the perfect spokesperson.

To me, John Madden was a football guy. In essence, he was a lifer. He was a star offensive lineman in high school. His college career was an odyssey, with stints at the College of San Mateo; the University of Oregon on a football scholarship where he was a pre-law student and was reunited with childhood friend John Robinson, who had his own share of fame as a very successful head coach at USC; a stop at Grays Harbor College; and finally ending up at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he was all-conference at offensive tackle and played catcher on the baseball team. Madden graduated from Cal Poly with a degree in education followed by a master’s degree two years later. 

Madden was good enough to be drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 21st round in 1958. He injured his knee in training camp—he had injured the other knee while at Oregon—and that ended his playing career. 

His determination to play football foreshadowed what was to come in his post-playing days. Madden related that while he was rehabbing his knee injury in Philadelphia, Norm Van Brocklin, the Eagles star QB, would watch game film and Madden would explain what had happened. As such, he used his degree in teaching to mesh with his love for football. 

Madden made stops at Allan Hancock College and San Diego State before Oakland owner Al Davis hired him in 1967 as the linebackers coach. In February, 1969, Madden became head coach when John Rauch left to become the head man with Buffalo. At age 32, he was the youngest ever tp hold that position. 

His head coaching record was 103-32-7. Madden’s teams never suffered a losing season. He became the youngest coach to win 100 games, doing that in 10 years. He still has the most wins in Raiders history. And he won a Super Bowl. Impressive statistics—enough to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

Madden chose to retire from coaching at age 42 due to a deteriorating ulcer condition and occupational burnout. As he said at his final press conference for the Raiders, he gave it his all. 

There he was—age 42, with two sons and a wife. He needed to have a career. And TV came calling. 

First he resisted the temptation to enter the media. Instead, Madden taught a course of football viewing at the University of California. 

But as he said, if he didn’t try broadcasting while he could, he would never do it. Which led to his initial work at CBS. Quirky and with enthusiasm that was boundless, just like his gestures and rants on the sidelines as a coach, Madden ascended to the lead analyst spot with Pat Summerall in 1981. They forged a partnership that became must-see TV for football junkies. 

The duo went to FOX when CBS lost the rights to the NFC games in 1994. It gave the fledgling network instant credibility. Madden had a face-to-face meeting with Rupert Murdoch which sealed the deal; Madden’s deal paid him more than any NFL player was making. 

FOX lost billions on the NFL deal, so it cut costs and did not renew Madden’s contract. So he went to ABC, which had been hot for him prior to signing the deal with FOX. ABC paid him $5 million a year and paired him with Al Michaels on Monday Night Football. 

When NBC began its Sunday Night Football telecasts in 2006, they had Michaels and Madden in the booth. In 2008, Madden ended his 476 consecutive weekends of broadcast appearances when he voted not to travel from Jacksonville to San Diego back to Tampa by bus, his choice of transportation as he was deathly afraid of flying. 

Madden retired from TV in 2008. He won 14 Sports Emmys. He mentored the brightest and best in TV sports executives at each network. 

Moreover, he was an innovator. He explained football terminology was explained by using g a grease board and led to the invention of the Telestrator, which permitted him to diagram football plays over video footage. The Telestrator is a staple of all sports broadcasts.  

When he did Thanksgiving Day games, he would award turkey legs to players who were outstanding in the game. This led to popularizing a New Orleans restaurant which brought a “turducken”—which had turkey, stuffing sausage and duck together—to a game in the Crescent City. Madden would award drumsticks from that bird to worthy players. 

On the advice of his buddy Robinson, Madden started the “All-Madden Team.” Unlike other all star teams, this was one that the players wanted to be on, because Madden, an icon to so many NFL players, chose the members based on “…a guy who’s got a dirty uniform, mud on his face and grass in the ear hole of his helmet.”

John Madden wrote three best-selling books. He had a Bay Area radio call-in show. He was a guest host on Saturday Night Live. He popularized bus rides with his “Madden Cruiser’ in partnership with Greyhound and Motor Coach Industries, getting multiple sponsorships along the way. 

Players and coaches adored him. Brett Favre and Madden had a special bond. He mentored Bill Belichick and Bill Parcells. Seemingly there wasn’t one person affiliated with the game he loved who he wouldn’t help in some way. 

Madden was proud of his sons, who played football at Brown and Harvard. He and wife Virginia celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary the day before his death. 

John Madden was a football genius who could resonate with the everyday man. He liked to integrate himself into the fabric of the country on his bus treks back to his beloved Northern California roots. 

Like I said, I didn’t know that much about John Madden before his death other than what I saw weekly on TV during football season. In viewing parts of “All-Madden” after his death and in reading the tributes from so many people and navigating a very lengthy Wikipedia, I found there was so much more to the man who appeared to be so garrulous. 

America has lost a treasure in John Madden. 

Sports At Christmas 2021

As we approach Christmas and then the end of 2021, I like to write about the past year. Mostly it is a reflection upon what has happened with perhaps a peek at what will happen in the upcoming year. 

The sad thing about this retrospective is that we are once again at a COVID-19 crossroad when it comes to sports. Because we can all attest that this pandemic is not even close to being over. 

What was happening in 2020 is now happening in 2021. Basketball games postponed or canceled. NFL games shifted to Monday or Tuesday. The NHL is on a lockdown until they can figure out what to do next, and the league’s dilemma is complicated by its significant presence in two countries which do not share COVID treatment philosophies. 

Let’s be realistic. We, the sports fans of this country, became complacent. We thought the pandemic was not that bad anymore and that sports could proceed without serious hiccups. Yeah, right.

We have managed to have championships determined in somewhat normal fashion in baseball, college basketball, college football, the NBA, NFL and NHL. Now that is not so likely to happen. 

First, the Delta variant appeared, wreaking its own form of havoc. It has been usurped by the Omicron variant. The numbers of the infected are surpassing previous high marks on a daily basis. People who have been so careful are now getting the virus. 

What I have observed has troubled me. I attended two New Jersey Devils games at the Prudential Center in Newark on December 16 and 19. The Thursday night affair with the Vegas Golden Knights was not well-attended, with maybe half of the arena filled. A much bigger crowd, just short of capacity, was there on Sunday night for “Star Wars Night.”

The advance requirements for entry to the arena was proof of vaccination along with your tickets. I thought this was acceptable. Except that wasn’t. 

The bigger concern was if an entrant was wearing a mask to enter the building, and for males, taking off one’s belt to make it through the metal detector. Unfortunately, once beyond the ticket scanning, the masks came off of almost all faces. 

I felt very uncomfortable with the situation. Sitting masked in our seats, we saw virtually no masks covering faces. Those who wore masks had them situated below their faces. No arena staff even sought to enforce a mask mandate; the arena personnel wore masks, but the policy definitely was masks were preferred but not required. 

Rutgers has changed its policy for entry into Jersey Mike’s Arena. Proof of vaccination or a very recent negative COVID test will suffice for entry. The difference from the Prudential Center is that masks are expected to be worn during the duration of the event and those who fail to do so will be asked to leave. Supposedly the mask wearing was a previous policy, but I didn’t see that much of it when RU games were televised. 

F&M has an attractive men’s basketball tournament—the Sponaugle New Year’s Tip Off. It will be held on December 29 and 30. The participants include a very good Wesleyan team taking on Wilkes in Game 1, with the host Diplomats facing a good Alfred team in the Wednesday night cap. 

This would have been a chance to see schools F&M normally does not play in an afternoon doubleheader the next day. So I inquired about the policies for entry into Mayser Center. I was told no proof of vaccination required and masks were to be worn. I had considered going, but there wasn’t enough safety in place for me to be really comfortable. Besides, even if there was a proof of vaccination requirement, I wonder how many people have fake cards to go along with their picture ID?

Look—I am back to take out after having experienced proof of vaccination requirements in Hawaii and New York City eateries, which gave me some degree of comfort. At least until Omicron invaded. Call me prudent—we did not remove our masks at any time during the trips to and from the arena on NJ Transit nor did we take them off at any time in the Prudential Center. 

Americans want their world to continue. I get it. But how best to do this is still debatable throughout the country. 

With sports, the virus has run roughshod. Rutgers and Seton Hall men’s basketball teams were infected (probably SHU gave it to the RU players) and unable to play regularly scheduled contests. RU has rescheduled games at home with Central Connecticut and Maine. Seton Hall’s predicament about forfeiting conference games with Big East foes De Paul and St. John’s due to COVID depleting their squad led to an amendment of the rules in place, because they seemed to be a bit unfair. 

Many other college teams have had similar occurrences. This has impacted the college bowl scene, as Texas A&M was so decimated by the coronavirus that it could not field a team to face #20 Wake Forest in the Tax Slayer Gator Bowl. Hawaii, the host team in the Hawaii Bowl, had to pull out due to COVID infections, leading to a cancellation of that post-season event. 

In the case of the Gator Bowl, the NCAA awards teams for academic performance. 5-7 teams with high APR would receive consideration for bowl eligibility if needed. Which became a necessity and has led to Rutgers receiving an emergency invitation to the Gator Bowl. Good for them, although the team hasn’t practiced since its loss to Maryland on November 27.

With the College Football Playoffs set to start on December 31, a school unable to field a team would be forfeiting the game. There is some leeway for the championship, set at this time for January 10. The fact that this pronouncement was made is ominous. 

The NBA has its showcase event on Christmas Day. Five games on national TV, beginning at noon Eastern time. Commissioner Adam Silver is gung ho to keeping the season going, despite disruptions which have affected teams like the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets, among others. Remember, only a bit over 60% of the players are vaccinated. 

The Nets may just be able to put together a team to face the Lakers in LA on Saturday. However, the best player and NBA-leading scorer, Kevin Durant, may not be able to play. 

Fans are paying top dollar for these events and getting less than they expected. Droves of replacement players are being signed to fill up NBA roster space; the Nets signed 40 year old Joe Johnson because they were so desperate to have healthy bodies to use in a game. The Devils were using minor league call ups on defense and it showed; the transaction pages in the newspapers are filled daily with the movements between the parent clubs and the minor league affiliates or replete with new signees. 

The NFL may be facing more postponements in its last 4 regular season weeks. The New York Jets have 20 players on COViD restriction. As of Friday morning, the team had 45 available players on its roster. I can see the game with Jacksonville being moved into next week.

COVID hurt the Washington Football Team. The game at Philadelphia, moved to Tuesday night to allow WFT to have  a team on the field, demonstrated the lack of competitiveness. The New Orleans Saints will be using a rookie QB after the current starting QB, Tayson Hill, got COVID. Such are the instances which will be occurring repeatedly throughout the remainder of the season with so many players unavailable. Even with a vaccine rate said to be over 90%. 

Coaches are impacted, too. Rick Carlisle and Frank Vogel in the NBA were out due to the protocols. Sean Payton of the Saints has contracted COVID a second time. Robert Saleh of the Jets is out because he is ill from the virus. 

The NHL players have decided not to attend the Beijing Olympics in February. Health and safety priorities were cited. Plus the three week period off from regular season competition may be needed to complete postponed games or set up a bubble.

That’s right. You heard me. The bubble may have to return if the pandemic isn’t under control very soon. And the rumor that the Ivy League is considering canceling spring sports isn’t so far-fetched. 

We haven’t even heard about baseball players. I can only imagine how many of them are sick and what kind of impact that might have once the players-owners stalemate is resolved. 

I have no answers for the sports chaos unfolding. Yes, games are being played. But at what cost to those playing and those who opt to attend? 

This is sports at Christmas 2021. 

Sports Idols

Many of us have idols. They may be in government, industry, the arts or religion, to name a few. 

Moreover, many of us have sports idols. This worshiping of athletes is primarily based upon their performance, which gains them notoriety or even fame. There are others who like the performers because of how they look, how they conduct themselves and who they work for.

Whatever the reason, it is certainly not a bad thing to like an athlete or even a team. Our favorites are a product of our environments and how we best receive them. 

As I grew up, I experienced many stimuli which formed my likes and dislikes in sports. Living in the New York metropolitan area, we were saturated with local sports on Channels 9 and 11. Channel 4 also had some Knicks games on and Channel 2 carried the NHL on Saturday afternoons, an event CBS broadcast across the country. 

Then there was the print media. New York had the most newspapers and offered the bevy of writers who could describe the elements of a game, the side stories and offer opinions, no matter how slanted they may have been. I scrupulously devoured the papers at lunch time after I walked home from the schools which were on the North Side of Highland Park—Hamilton School and Highland Park High School. Ditto the evening paper, The Home News, a New Brunswick icon. 

There was WCTC Radio, 1450 on your dial, which, despite its having “Hungarian Melody Time” on Sundays, a result of the influx of escapees from the 1956 Hungarian Revolution who were sent to a still active portion of Camp Kilmer in Edison and Piscataway then sealed in New Brunswick along Albany Street in what became known as the “Hungarian section.” WCTC, with Station Director Tony Marano calling the action, was the home for Rutgers football and basketball. Bill Speranza and Sam Mudie for football and Bob Lloyd for basketball were the bigger-than-life student-athletes I adored from afar. 

In those formative years, I watched summer afternoon and evening broadcasts of the Yankees—especially the prodigious blasts of one Mickey Mantle, my first idol. Between him and Tom Tresh, an American League Rookie of the Year, I molded my ability to hit from both sides of the plate. And in 1961, I emulated Roger Maris as he and Mantle chased the ghost of Babe Ruth. 

I could pitch with the no wind of “Bullet” Bob Turley. I tried to throw a screwball like Luis Arroyo. I learned to throw from the outfield by watching Maris with his lethal arm. 

When the Yankees fortunes soured until the mid-1970’s, watching the games just wasn’t the same. Then along came Reginald Martinez Jackson, as the erudite Howard Cosell would speak of him. His 1971 All-Star game blast to the light towers at Tiger Stadium in Detroit made him must see TV. So when he joined the Yankees, I would monitor his at bats during the game so that I would not miss something special. Like his epic three home run performance versus the Dodgers in the 1977 World Series. 

There were other Yankees through the years who I wanted to see. Hall of Fame outfielder Dave Winfield and first baseman Don Mattingly were my Yankee guys. Bobby Murcer was fun to watch, too. 

Then in the new run that began in the mid-1990’s, there were Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, whose exploits landed them in the Baseball Hall of Fame. I never wanted to miss Jeter. Period. And Mo closing a game was a work of art. I also loved Andy Pettitte’s stare. 

Now it is Aaron Judge and to a degree, Giancarlo Stanton whom I wait to view. Gerrit Cole is the Yankees’ top hurler and there are always the end of game situations for Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman to agonize over. These are my Yankees heroes. 

Yankees were not the only ones I watched. There was Sandy Koufax and his dominating fastball and unhittable curve ball. Tom Seaver, when he was with the Mets, was always a thrill to see. 

Willie Mays in an All-Star Game was incredible. I never missed those contests because the best players in baseball were showcased. 

When WTBS came to the nation, Atlanta Braves baseball was a national phenomenon. I loved to watch Dale Murphy swat homers in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and Phil NIekro flutter his knuckleball, baffling batter after batter. Then with the new group in the 1990’s, how could I miss the performances of the pitching trio of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smotz—all in the Hall of Fame? 

Hockey and football were more team sports. While I had my favorites to watch, it was in the context of a New Jersey Devils game to see Martin Brodeur and Scott Stevens; or Mike Bossy of the Islanders and Phil Esposito with the Rangers. 

There was no one player in football who intrigued me enough to always turn on his team’s games. The closest I came to watching one particular player was either Herschel Walker and Bo Jackson—two powerful and speedy running backs. 

With basketball, I watched Lew Alcindor at UCLA when I could. I marveled at the battles between Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson meeting on the floor was great theater. And of course , there was HIs Airness, Michael Jordan. The probable G.O.A.T.

Which leads me to this season. Thee has been one player who has captivated me for years. Steph Curry. From his heroics at Davidson College in his junior year, Steph’s final year there, to his time with the Golden State Warriors. 

No one player had taken me to a place where I had to watch him every time he played. Which meant that I would stay up late because of the three hours time difference 

Curry has an aura that is simply breathtaking. His moves, his passes, his three point shooting and free throw accuracy are unlike anyone I ever seen. 

No matter what he does, something almost unimaginable might happen the next time he touches the ball. He is magical and graceful. He is tough yet looks to be a nice guy in his public appearances and commercials. 

Thus, when he was in the throes of chasing down Ray Allen as the NBA’s all-time three point shot maker, I was there. ESPN and ABC moved games to accommodate the interest in Curry’s run for the record. 

TNT had the great fortune of televising the game from Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night which would involve the potential record-breaking bucket. They sent Reggie Miller, once the record holder, to help broadcast the game. Allen was nearby.

This ultimate foray was the result of his trying too hard against Orlando at home to get the final 16 in one night. To an abysmal shooting performance in Philadelphia last Saturday night when the Sixers covered him like a glove en route to a Warriors loss. While he fared better in Indiana, the Garden was going to be his triumphant moment. 

On Tuesday night, the Garden was electric. Like a playoff game. All eyes were on Curry. He hit his first three pointer attempt, then missed the second. When he hoisted his next one, it was all net, Wardell Stephen Curry became immortal. He had the record he chased for so long and the moments he shared with teammates, his coach Steve Kerr, and family were precious. 

This is why I watch certain individuals more than others. They deliver performances which exceed those of the mere mortals playing with them. 

We are riveted by their actions. We pray and pray for them to excel. Which invariably they do. 

For they are sports idols. 

Euphoria In Piscataway

A lot has happened since I last sat down at my laptop to write. I had a whole list of things to discuss. Then my opening was usurped last night. 

Rutgers, on the strength of a monster game from Ron Harper, Jr., which included a last second heave from just inside the Block R logo at midcoast, took down #1 Purdue before a raucous crowd inside Jersey Mike’s Arena. The final score was 70-68. 

To the delirious fans who stormed the court after Harper’s bomb swished through the net, it was the biggest thing to happen to RU sports since the football team, ranked #15, downed #3 Louisville on a Thursday night watched in prime time via ESPN with the top announcing team of Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit in the booth (that turned out to be the third largest ESPN audience at that time). I happened to be there when Jeremy Ito booted the winning field goal with 13 seconds left in the game. 

Same thing with Rutgers-South Florida in 2007, when the Scarlet Knights defeated the then #2 Bulls. I was there.

Last night, I was not at the arena. I was in the comfort of my den, since RU had sold out almost all of their home men’s basketball games for the season without offering an attractive mini-plan (seat backs rather than higher up with bleacher seats which hurt multiple parts of my aging body and were the subject of numerous complaints from my spouse).

Which made it all the more exciting when my wife and daughter were with me and my college roommate was texting me from his den in Maryland as the action unfolded. Three of the four glued to the TV are basketball junkies. 

This was a seesaw affair. Rutgers and the Boilermakers traded leads throughout the game. While RU was ahead at the half by a mere point, there was a time in the second half that  looked as if the team from Indiana was going to prevail as they should, as they were undefeated and Rutgers was a middling 4-4, having lost to the likes of Lafayette, De Paul and U Mass and were most recently blown out by Illinois on the road. Additionally, the Knights  were without the leadership of star guard Geo Baker. 

Some numerology here. Rutgers was 0-11 all-time when facing the top-ranked team in the country. I went to a game at the RAC on December 16, 2007 versus North Carolina. It was  the Dean Smith era, so it was expected that Ty Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough would dominate the smaller Knights. The final score was 93-71, sending the 8,312 home mildly disappointed. 

But RU seemingly has Purdue’s number. Heading into Thursday night’s contest, RU was 3-0 in their past games with the Boilermakers. They were hardly intimidated by their opponents. And the crowd noise in the trapezoid made it seem like there were 20,000 in the building. 

Purdue is a talented team. Sophomore guard Jaden Ivey is the floor general. He is quick and athletic. His math is the head women’s basketball coach at Notre Dame. Senior Sasha Stefanovic is a 6’5” marksman. Canadian sophomore Zach Edey is a 7’4” monster. And reserve senior center Trevion Williams looks like a pro player with his moves a prototypical 6’ 10” 255 pounds of muscle headed to the NBA someday soon. 

Contrast that with RU, which in addition to missing Baker, had only one recognizable name—Ron Harper, Jr. Since I am a Rutgers devotee, I know the names of the players who contributed. But do not be mistaken—they paled in comparison to the talent presented by Purdue coach Matt Painter. 

Yet it was the Rutgers team of relatively unknowns who repeatedly came to the rescue. Caleb Mc Connell, who contributed 12 points, five rebounds and five assists in this game, was the Big Ten leader in assists average thus far this season. He had two and played ferocious defense and attacked the boards relentlessly. 6’7” sophomore forward Mawot Mag, started off on fire with his coring, ending up with 12 points, far exceeding his seasonal average of 4.8 points. Sophomore center Cliff Omoruyi battled the Purdue bigs as best he could, while scoring 11 points on 5 for 10 shooting. 

Rutgers shot 7-14 from three point land, while hitting 13 of 18 free throws. Conversely, Purdue went 7 for 26 from behind the arc and connected on 11 of 16 free throws. 

Purdue had a 10 point lead with 8 minutes left in the game. Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell said it best: “We just kept hanging around, fighting. It didn’t look like it was going our way a few times and they just stayed the course and made big plays and made big stops.” 

In his post-game comments, Painter offered this: “When you go on the road, you gotta be 10 points better than somebody, because if you allow it to be close, crazy things happen. Obviously, that was a once-in-a lifetime shot, but we allowed it to be close.”

Rutgers had reduced the Purdue lead to 65-63 when Mc Connell sank a turnaround jump shot with 2:07 to go. Mag pulled the Knights to within one point with a dunk off of a pass from a double-teamed harper with 1:05 remaining. Rutgers forced Ivey into a backcourt trap which resulted in a traveling violation. Ivey had earlier made a windmill dunk and provided some choice words for the Jersey Mike’s crowd. That dunk was so spectacular that it made the ESPN Sports Center Top Ten plays at #6. 

The lead changed hands three times in the final 13.1 seconds. Harper had hit a shot to forge RU ahead at 67-66, its first lead since early in the second half. 

When Rutgers huddled after taking their final timeout, Harper told his teammates that if Purdue scored, ”give the me the ball and I’m going to send them home.” Sure enough, Williams muscled his way into scoring what looked like the backbreaker, putting the Boilermakers ahead, 68-67.

Inbounding the ball with 3.4 ticks left on the clock, Mag gave Harper a perfect lead pass to generate some speed up court. He weaved through the Purdue defenders, aware of how many steps he had before time expired. He squared his body up towards the basket. He let the shot fly. 

It went in. Game over. RU had finally downed a #1 team and in the process, extended its winning streak over Purdue to four. 

Harper’s father, a 5-time NBA champion with the Bulls and Lakers, said he was shaking from what his son did. Magic Johnson, a pretty fair college player from Michigan State simply said “Wow, wow, wow!”

Harper scored a career-best 30 points on 10-15 shooting along with grabbing 10 rebounds. In a twist of irony, this week in 1984, the elder Harper scored 30 points to lead Miami (Ohio) over…drum beat…Purdue. So maybe this outcome was fated to happen?

What happened on a Thursday night in the first full week of December was magical. It will never be forgotten on the banks of the old Raritan. It excised the pain of the Illinois loss. Rutgers gained some credibility for its beleaguered men’s basketball program which finally made the NCAA tournament after a wait of 30 insufferable years, only to inexplicably lose to an eventual Final Four team, Houston. Those losses to Lafayette, De Paul and UMass can be forgiven for a night. 

Now Rutgers has to regroup for its Garden State Hardwood Classic battle with #23 Seton Hall, which topped # 7 Texas at the Prudential Center, the site of this Sunday’s affair. The Hall has two wins over Top 10 teams this season. 

It is not going to be easy. Who knows if this was a one night thing or if RU starts to play like Pikiell expects the team to perform. 

For one golden evening, there was euphoria in Piscataway.

Arenas and Stadiums

There were a few things which struck me as odd, and a few things which seemed to be normal. I guess that is to be expected in the sports world as it heads towards Thanksgiving Day.

Arenas and stadiums are always a hot topic for me. First, the New York Islanders just completed a 13 game season-opening road trip, necessitated by the construction delays at the gleaming new UBS Arena at Belmont Park. The Isles finished the trip a tad under .500, which isn’t bad for a team without a home game in a compressed schedule due to Olympic participation by NHL players in February. The 5-6-2 record garnered 12 points, positioning them in last place in the Metropolitan Division. In comparison, the 3 top teams, Washington, Carolina and the New York Rangers have 25, 24 and 23 points, respectively. Philadelphia, the New Jersey Devils and Columbus maintain above.500 marks in equal or fewer games played. Only Pittsburgh sports a below .500 record in the division, and the Penguins have had major injuries to their stars. 

While the Islanders have suffered their share of injuries, the prospect to rejoin the hunt after this protracted stay away from home is encouraging. The reward for the early season away games is that a whopping 25 of the next 32 contests will be on Long Island (and that is very technically Long Island, because the building is right by the Cross Island Expressway, which is the border between New York City and Nassau County). Through the end of December, the longest trips they make are to Detroit and Ottawa, which are very short hops out of La Guardia. 

This will help the team get adjusted to their new surroundings on game days. They will still be practicing at the NorthwellHealthIC located in Eisenhower Park. And for the fans, there is a new Elmont LIRR station to shuttle those fans who come by train from Long Island and the City and beyond. 

UBS Arena is a state of the art building. It will have all the new bells and whistles that one would expect, especially in the New York market. But it will have sight lines and a roof that will be reminiscent of the Nassau Veteran Memorial Coliseum, the team’s home except for some already-forsaken games at the Barclays Center, the home of the Brooklyn Nets, a building designed for basketball and concerts, not hockey.

I have been to the Coliseum 5 times—having seen the Canadiens, Capitals, Red Wings, Rangers and Devils play there. It served its purposes for me—for three of the occasions  I was either seeing somebody who lived on the Island or met somebody who was going to be married out there. I persuaded my wife to go to the Coliseum to see the Rangers, and my son and I drove to Uniondale on a Saturday for a 1:00 game for which we barely got to our seats in time. 

Because of the way Barclays Center was promoted, I had no desire to go there to see hockey. For that matter, I have very little desire to go there to see basketball. 

Since my interest in sports began when I was 7 years old, there have been many arenas and stadiums dotting the landscape in the New York Metropolitan area. The Nets have been in at seven places—the vagabonds of the area. I never made it to the Commack Arena or the New Jersey Armory in Teaneck. Yet I have seen them at the Rutgers Athletic Center and the Brendan Byrne/Continental Airlines Arena. Just not at the Barclays Center or the Coliseum. 

The baseball and football teams have gone through a number of buildings in their day. With the New York Football Giants, they have played at the Polo Grounds, Yankee Stadium, Giants Stadium and now Met Life Stadium. The Jets have the same stadiums, swapping out Shea and Yankee Stadiums. Yankees fans have sat their fannies in three Yankee Stadiums and spent two uncomfortable years at Shea while the renovations to Yankee Stadium were completed in the 1970’s. Mets fans endured the ravaged Polo Grounds for two excruciating seasons until Shea Stadium rose up in Queens, adjacent to the 1964 World’s Fair site in Flushing. I do not lament  not having seen the New York Giants play at the Polo Grounds nor the Brooklyn Dodgers at ancient Ebbets Field before the teams departed for California. 

Hockey and basketball in New York were centered at Madison Square Garden, first on 8th Avenue and West 49th Street, before migrating to its present spot above Penn Station, with one renovation in its fold. The Knicks played some games at the 69th Regiment Armory on Lexington Avenue when the Garden was booked; that practice ended in 1960. I did not make it there but I have driven by with a bit of awe that the Knicks, lousy as they were in my youth, played games there.

And the Devils came to the Meadowlands to share the arena with the Nets. When the parties believed that the facility was too antiquated, the Prudential Center in Newark was born. Even the Nets made a pit stop there from 2010-2012. 

But the UBS Arena intrigues me. Probably because it is the last arena I foresee being built for professional teams in this market in my lifetime. Everything else is new or reconditioned. I am not counting soccer in this discussion, nor tennis. The U.S.T.A. is not about to move out of their cozy arrangement, and the Red Bulls have their own place in Harrison; I don’t see N.Y.F.C. moving away from their owners, the Yankees.

Am I happy about the way the new properties look? Nope. Met Life angers me every time I enter, because the Giants refused to allow a dome to cover the building. Frigid temperatures await the meaningless Jets home games starting this Sunday with Miami and that continue until January 2 when Tom Brady comes to New Jersey to torture his pets. Seat licenses which mean very little, ugly gray seats, parking and train hassles up the wazoo. The list is seemingly endless. And don’t get me started on convicted and disgraced former NY politician Sheldon Silver, who didn’t get enough graft to allow the Jets to have their own building over the West Side train yards. 

Citi Field is nice but already looks a bit antiquated. The newest Yankee Stadium is a mausoleum—a monument to the late George Steinbrenner in its grandiosity. It’s beautiful, but it’s more the centerpiece of the event, rather than the ball game itself—augmented by outrageous prices attendees would possibly need an adjustable rate mortgage to afford. 

So UBS Arena is the promise to the future for the long-starving Islanders faithful. It is a $1.5 billion private investment, with optimistic goals of projecting $25 billion into the regional economy, along with the first newly constructed L.I.R.R. station in over 50 years. 

So if I have made it to Islanders games in the midst of Nassau County over the years, in rain and ice, cold and warmth, why not try a game there? There could be a lot worse places to see the Devils play a road game—my upcoming trip to Calgary in March might be just one of them, or that our trip to Winnipeg that might fall in the dead of winter comes to mind. 

All this euphoria is contrasted with the recent name change at the Superdome, from Mercedes-Benz sponsorship to that of Caesars. Way to promote gambling outright. That wasn’t enough. 

What really got me was the announcement that the Staples Center, the home for the Lakers, Clippers and Kings, will now become crypto.com Arena, for a mere $700 million. This company has aggressively promoted the new wave in currency for the next ten years. We’ll see. Does anyone remember Enron Field, a.k.a. The Ballpark at Union Square, Astros Field and now Minute Maid Park in Houston? 

Good luck, Islanders fans. You have a beauty to behold. And the team will right itself. You will sooner than later get out of the 40 year slump which has lasted since the glory days of Trottier, Nystrom, Bossy, Potvin, et. al. 

Enjoy the first game and the pageantry when Calgary come in on November 20 to kick off the new era in Long Island hockey (the Flames are a great pairing; the Long Island and Atlanta franchises joined the NHL together in 1972).

LA fans, you’ve been sold out. But what’s new about that? Evidently history means little in Southern California. Only a matter of time before Dodger Stadium gets a name that erases its past. As a commercial on New York radio many years aptly stated: “Money talks, nobody walks…”

Off until the weekend of December 10th. Enjoy your Thanksgiving!! Stay safe!!

Smart People Outsmarting Themselves

Since I published my previous blog I have done a lot of thinking. I will try to be smart about my thoughts.

I put myself on the IR. Due to my own cheapness and stupidity, with a slice of stubbornness thrown in. So I am taking the blame here. 

I tweaked my hamstring walking last Friday. I have tried twice to wear my running shoes for a normal 3 month period, since it is difficult to track my real daily mileage in the footwear. Both times I have been woefully unsuccessful at finding a point where I can comfortably switch to new Asics or Brooks shoes and not suffer an injury. 

Part of the reason for the injury is my being chintzy. We all know that running shoes aren’t the P.F. Flyers or Keds we grew up with. Nike didn’t become a multi-billion dollar industry with a magnificent campus in Beaverton, Oregon by catering to longevity in their products. In layman’s terms, sneakers ain’t cheap. 

Had I recalled my last brush with injury by trying to get every last mile out of my running shoes, I would have avoided this situation. Instead of four pairs of running shoes a year, I would have to buy six. $250 buys athletic tranquility and here’s that word again: longevity. 

That is enough to cringe over. What I did afterwards was further stupidity, with that touch of bullheadedness. 

Of course, when I felt the twinge, I didn’t stop the walk. Can’t do that, lest I don’t derive the full benefit of the workout, nor could I maintain that really good physical shape I had rounded into via exercise and diet. Gotta have those 10,000 steps a day. 

Go and elevate and ice the leg—not so fast. Aleve, Advil or Tylenol—nope; I had my booster shot coming on Tuesday and I worried that this could affect the results. I learned afterwards that taking Tylenol would have been fine. 

So I took most of the weekend off, walking a half mile on flat ground at a very slow pace on Sunday. That had been recommended by my Physical Therapist friend. 

Come Monday, I decide to walk a bit and go to the gym. The walking seemed to be okay. But near the end of my workout, I felt the twinge come back. Did I stop or did I complete the workout? I am a Sperber male, so the question is completely rhetorical. 

After my Moderna COVID booster on Tuesday, I walked a mile with just a small twinge. I should have rested, because the aftereffects of the shot floored me. At least it forced me to just do simple chores and cook on Wednesday, even if that involved some walking. 

I felt better on Thursday morning and walked 1.5 miles, then worked out in the basement with lighter weights and cords. Not good. Once more, I felt the uncomfortable feeling originating in the back of my upper R thigh. I completed my workout. 

On Friday, I dared to walk another 1.5 miles. Which I gutted out, as the pain came early into the walk. 

What have I learned? To stop walking. Which I will do. To elevate the leg and to ice it more often. And to contact a doctor on Monday for further evaluation.  

Nothing like taking seven days to figure this out, considering this is not my first rodeo with leg injuries. Especially considering that I graduated from a prestigious liberal arts college, went to law school and became a member of the New Jersey Bar. Which shows what native intelligence really does for allegedly inherently smart individuals.

Exhibit #2 is everybody’s favorite truth teller, Aaron Rodgers. The Green Bay Packers QB is set to return this Saturday from his COVID respite. Maybe a tad bit chastened, and certainly $14,000 poorer as the result of his stunt. 

Rodgers is smart. His football IQ is off of the charts. What he has fallen prey to is his intelligence burnishing his massive ego, while putting others at risk for infection and the serious consequences which could follow. 

I saw what the booster did to me—putting me in bed and giving me a 101.5 temperature as my body tried to adjust to the antibodies. From that snippet of interaction with COVID 19 in terms of its magnitude—and I am in very good shape—anyone who mistakes the severity of the consequences of an infection isn’t getting it right. 

When Rodgers went to an unsecured and unauthorized Halloween party knowingly unvaccinated, he abrogated the trust of his teammates. For which there were consequences, which included a loss at Kansas City to a surprisingly average Chiefs team. 

There are rules. And then there are rules for the others. Rodgers placed himself into that latter category based on his intellect and football acumen. Evidently the Green Bay brain trust made those other rules, in avoidance of clear NFL mandates and protocol, to assuage their disgruntled superstar. 

I would want to believe that these are very smart people. Yet collectively, what did they care about being smart? 

Thus I have little use for Rodgers and I won’t be rooting for the Packers to make the playoffs or go very far in them. Because they haven’t learned from their mistakes. I can identify with that.

Finally, the college basketball season tipped off this week. There were some good matchups—George Washington and Maryland played a close game—these teams should be regulars on each other’s schedule. Duke beat Kentucky and Kansas defeated Michigan State in battles of heavy weights. 

For every good offering, there were mismatches. Why did Princeton, a notoriously good Ivy League basketball school, or for that matter a notoriously great college, play Rutgers-Camden, a Division III school whose notoriety was once having had the longest college basketball losing streak at 117 games? Maybe a better opponent would have been Cal Tech, owners of a past 310 game SCIAC losing streak—the Tigers would not necessarily have been the smarter team on the court despite the lopsided score that would have eventuated. 

On the opposite side of the ledger were schools like Virginia, a pretty fair academic institution, inviting Navy to Charlottesville and losing. Arizona State, coached by Duke All-American Bobby Hurley, had UC-Riverside, not a national powerhouse, come to Scottsdale, where the visitors sank a game-winning 70 foot shot, shocking their hosts. UC-R is now ready to take on La Sierra (who?) In their home opener.

Even Rutgers, a legitimately good Big Ten team, looked to bring in a cupcake in Lehigh, picked to finish in the cellar of the Patriot League. RU escaped with a three point OT win.

All examples of smart people outsmarting themselves. When all they needed to do was get off on the right foot.