Luck

This week’s installment is about a lot of men, women and teams. It is about the luck they have had which placed them in the positions they are in. 

Rutgers men’s basketball is lucky. Lucky that their fans haven’t given up on them despite the horrendous five game tailspin which has taken them from a #11 ranking to a 3-6 mark in the Big Ten. Ranked next to last in the country in free throw percentage, the speed and confidence is eroding fast. 

While injuries have contributed to some unevenness as key members of the squad have been playing hurt and thus way below their effective peaks, the more zealous fans see hustle and determination. I see one-on-one basketball, bad shot selection, lack of rebounding and way too many turnover resulting in points for the opposition. 

Coach Steve Pikiell points to last season when RU had a bad skid, only to recover and make a serious run to what would have been the team’s first NCAA Tournament bid since 1991. As much as I would like to use last season as a marker, I just don’t see this team making the turn around happen. 

I saw trouble when Caleb Mc Connell, out for unspecified reasons, suddenly joined the team and was even starting in the absence of speedy guard Jacob Young when Young was hurt. Even with heralded freshman big man Cliff Omoruyi back, there seemingly isn’t cohesion with players like Montez Mathis, Ron Harper, Jr., who looks nothing like the NBA first rounder he appeared to be a few weeks ago, and Geo Baker, who used to hit mid-range jumpers and make spectacular dunks. 

Commentators claim that RU lost its home court advantage without the din that the RU faithful create when the team is on a roll or in need of support. Maybe so, but that is more excuse than execution.

Thursday night’s loss at Penn State epitomized the season at this juncture. RU shot poorly and defended badly. The 8 point margin for Penn State could have been greater. This was a loss to a team which had not had any success in the Big Ten this season. Until last night. 

Has RU bottomed out with this bad loss? One can only hope. For the way they have played, this Rutgers team is lucky not to be in the conference basement. 

UConn’s women’s basketball team was lucky. In restarting its storied rivalry with the University of Tennessee, the Huskies came back from almost losing to the Lady Vols to leave Knoxville still unbeaten. 

Huskies’ Head Coach Geno Auriemma is a lucky person. Besides all of the dominance his UConn teams have had and may have in the future, he now has surpassed his great rival Pat Summit, the Hall of Fame Tennessee coach in career wins. He remains second to Tara VanDerveer of Stanford, who also passed Summit’s mark this year. 

With some more good fortune, Auriemma should win a few more games than the Stanford coach and maybe win a title along the way and end up as the winningest coach in women’s hoops. Because, to me, he is the G.O.A.T. in that sports annals. 

I am not going to get on my soapbox about the troubles that hamstring college basketball as the season heads towards the conference playoffs and the NCAA Tournament in the Indianapolis area. Know that there are a lot of teams that are lucky to be atop their league and in a position to make the final 68. It’s going to take a lot more luck for them to stay at this level and navigate the coronavirus and its new and more virulent strains emerging in this country where the access to vaccines is not fast enough for way too many people. 

The NBA has suffered lately, as the Washington Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies are currently unable to play due to new and more restive rules set down by the NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver. Silver has had luck on his side, as the marquee players and teams mostly have made the effort to do the right thing hygienically. At least so far. 

Unquestionably, the best team in the league is still the Los Angeles Lakers. Although tripped up at home on Monday night by a hustling Golden State team and a late effort by Steph Curry, the Lakers took down the Bucks in Milwaukee on Thursday night and remain unbeaten on the road. 

And those Brooklyn Nets found out in Cleveland on Wednesday night that when Kyrie Irving returned from his absence, he was motivated to take more shots than newly-acquired gunner James Harden. Which was a significant reason why the Nets lost to Cleveland in double OT. Plus the fact that the man Kyrie was covering torched him for 42 points while Kyrie shot poorly. 

The team needs to find itself in the next couple of months. The best player is still Kevin Durant, who now is second in scoring in the NBA. But he is in need of periodic rest to keep his legs fresh—he did have Achilles tendon surgery and he has had leg issues before. So Kyrie and James need to find a way to co-exist. Or else this costly experiment will fail miserably. 

Staying with the NBA, when is Draymond Green going to learn to keep his trap shut? Every game his yapping has resulted in a technical foul. Thursday night he received his first one just 4 minutes into the game. 

In the second quarter, he was tossed after receiving his second technical foul. Despite the fact that his swearing was directed to rookie big man James Wiseman, whom he was trying to motivate. 

While the league admitted it blew the call, it didn’t help the Warriors feel any better, as they were soundly beaten by the resurgent New York Knicks. Having Steph Curry try to carry the team alone without the support of such a multi-dimensional player like Green is near impossible. 

So I say to Green shut up and play basketball. Your team needs you on the floor, not in the locker room. 

One more NBA note. Dogs will be employed at American Airlines Arena when the Miami Heat admit a limited number of fans to games in February. The dogs will be able to sniff those who might be carrying the COVID-19 virus. A tremendous idea. Every fan who gets to attend should consider themselves very lucky in regards to their safety.

The NFL Conference Championships are this Sunday. I believe the best four teams are in these games. Kansas City needed some luck when its star QB, Patrick Mahomes II was removed from the game looking like he was in another world after a hit by Cleveland defenders.  Reserve Chad Henne miraculously won the game for the Chiefs with a daring third down rush that created a fourth and one situation. A gambling Head Coach Andy Reid went for the dagger on fourth down and Henne completed a short pass to speedy WR Tyreek Hill. Ball game. 

Now KC has some more luck on its side when Buffalo comes to town. Mahomes cleared concussion protocol and will start against the Bills. Which make the Chiefs the favorites to make it back to the Super Bowl.

Meanwhile, there will be cold and snow on the ground when Tom Brady and his Bucs teammates invade Lambeau Field to take on Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Which gunslinger will be lucky enough to emerge as the NFC representative in the Super Bowl? Will it be Rodgers, so that if he meets up with Mahomes, State Farm will have a bonanza in commercial air time? Or will the G.O.A.T., already setting a new record for conference championship appearances, add to his legacy with a win? This game is even more of a toss up than the AFC title game.

Some other lucky men in pro football are the new coaches for the Jets, Eagles, Lions. Each one has the ability to make his mark on the league at a young age. From the way they have risen through the ranks to their brashness when first interviewed, one has to be impressed. However, will that translate into wins very quickly? For rookie head men, history is not necessarily on their sides. Rosters and talent decide that. 

Phillip Rivers was a lucky man. He played all but one year of his career for the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers. He took his Indianapolis Colts team to the playoffs this season. He now retires to coach H.S. football in Alabama. He waves the pro scene ranked among the top five in many categories. He does not have a Super Bowl win in his resume. Is he a Hall of Fame QB? Absolutely. 

Dwayne Haskins is a lucky man. Booted out of Washington by Ron Rivera for his poor performance and even poorer judgment, he is receiving a second chance to rehabilitate himself under the tutelage of Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh. If he gets it right, he could be the heir to Ben Rothlisberger when the big guy finally hangs up his cleats. Or he could be another high draft choice bust. 

Another lucky man is former Lions Head Coach Matt Patricia. His first head coaching gig went badly and he was summarily dismissed. But his strengths are such that his former boss and mentor, New England Patriots icon Bill Belichick is taking him back, like he did with Josh Mc Daniels when he failed in Denver. 

Then there is the Washington Football Team. First, Jennifer King has been tabbed as the first Black full-time assistant coach in the NFL. Then the team hired 49’ers executive Martin Mayhew as the new General Manager. Great stories and making good on minority hires.

Notre Dame was lucky—as the Irish always tend to be. Their penalty for NCAA recruiting violations is one year probation and a few other not-so-devastating sanctions. 

This is as opposed to the University of Tennessee, where the coaching staff was canned in the wake of what will be serious NCAA penalties. Orange is not the new color of the week. 

The New York Mets and owner Steve Cohen are very lucky. Their newly hired GM, Jared Potter was let go after word came from an accuser of sordid pictures of his genitalia and stalking texts. Potter did not deny those horrible allegations. It reminded me of former Congressman Anthony Weiner. Which says it all.

The baseball world lost three Hall of Fame greats. This is so sad and untimely.

First, the great Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, died at age 93. Garrulous and bigger than life, this man bled Dodger blue, as this was his only team. He lived a grand life and was an iconic figure in baseball.

Then, Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton passed away this week. His curly locks on the mound were just as beautiful as his mastery of hitters in the long line of great Dodgers pitchers. Number 20 was a fierce competitor. 

Yet he made a tremendous second career as a broadcaster in Atlanta on TBS in the early days of the Braves tenure in Georgia. His stories and insight was as captivating as any announcer I listened to. His wit and charm will be missed as much as his ferocity on the field.

Then there is Henry Aaron, who died on Friday at age 86. Hammerin’ Hank was the first to break Babe Ruth’s sacred homer run total. He did it gracefully and with understated flair. He battled threats on his life and was lucky enough to transition from a teenager in Alabama and the Negro Leagues to become the greatest natural home run hitter in history. If any youngster needs a history lesson on how to handle himself on the diamond and against immeasurable odds, he should read and watch what Henry Aaron said and did. 

Henry Aaron was simply marvelous. He was beloved by fans in Milwaukee and Atlanta as well as recognized by his peers and the nation for the man he became. Baseball and mankind was lucky enough to have had Henry Aaron at the time he played. He will be missed by so many for what he stood for.

Finally, I recognized who the luckiest man is. That man would be Alex Rodriguez. He had a great career, with numbers worthy of the Hall of Fame but tainted by steroid use. He made millions and is set for life financially. A-Rod has TV jobs with ESPN and FOX. He has captivating looks and a great personality.

What separates him is from everyone else is that he is the love of one Jennifer Lopez. Which is why he was seen on national TV kissing her at midnight in Times Square to welcome in the New Year. And there he was, seated next to her at the inauguration of President Joe Biden after she performed “America the Beautiful.” 

Talk about being lucky. Luck is on his side. Yes, it is.