The Final Quarter

I have this book which I bought at the Philadelphia Mint a number of years ago. The US Government issued new quarters for each state and territory. I have been avidly collecting them. Most were easy to locate. When I got to my last ten, the search became more difficult. As I hit the last five, I was heading to the bank for rolls of quarters fairly regularly. 

Then it became one. The US Virgin Islands. For weeks I have been going back and forth to the local bank, tearing apart the rolls and finding nothing. Until this Tuesday.

That is when I found the USVI going in the first of two rolls I had before me. Hallelujah. It was over. I had the final quarter. I felt so relieved. 

Perhaps, too, Yankees fans can relax. The team has won three games out of the last four. For this team, that is cause for cheers. 

However, the reality is that the win over Atlanta was earned by walks and wild pitches rather than timely hitting. And in the second game of the two game set, not only did the team revert to its normal ways and lose, they lost dismally and with controversy.

Shortstop Gleyber Torres, mired in a slump like the rest of his teammates, hit a slow roller in the infield. Instead of busting it down the line, Torres ran casually to first base and was out. With no real hitting prowess, every at bat, every swing is meaningful—especially the ones which are put into play. A hit here, an errant throw there, and a rally might be born. 

What Torres did was a sin. Gary Sanchez got into trouble in the past for not hustling down the line. In the post game conference, Manager Aaron Boone was not too pleased with his young shortstop and indicated that he would speak directly to him about the transgression. 

Moreover, Aaron Judge stated after the loss to the Braves that the team lacked intensity for that contest. Lacked intensity? These guys are being paid exorbitant sums of money to play on a major league level. They should play like their salaries depend upon their performances. 

Whatever Boone said, coupled with the criticism of play-by-play Michael Kay on his ESPN New York radio show as well as in the print media about the lack of enthusiasm, motivated the team as it came to play in the opener of a three game set in Cleveland on Thursday night. While down 3-0 after one inning, pitcher Domingo German righted himself and shut down the Tribe, a team in the midst of its own losing ways. Three relievers, the last being closer Aroldis Chapman and his 100 m.p.h. fastball which translated into three strikeouts to end the game, made what was an offensive surge stand up for a much needed win. 

Yankees bats erupted for 11 hits, led by that man, Gleyber Torres, with three. Judge, Clint Frazier and new first baseman Mike Ford went hitless. Judge did walk three times to go with his two strikeouts.

The second hitting star was catcher Kyle Higashioka. The recently turned 31 year old, who was thought to be primarily the backup for regular catcher Gary Sanchez, is slugging his way into the lineup while Sanchez’s average once again plummets. On Thursday night, Higgy went 2-4, with a mammoth home run. A career .199 hitter and the supposed personal catcher for ace Gerrit Cole, Higashioka is hitting a robust .353 with 3 homers. 

Manager Boone is going to have a dilemma on his hands. How to allocate playing time for his catchers. Higashioka is seemingly a lock to play every time Cole pitches (BTW-I found out that Higashioka, who is of Japanese-American heritage, speaks Spanish and can communicate with his Spanish-speaking pitcher, as evidenced by his conversation with Chapman after the last pitch). In comparison, Sanchez is hitting .200 with two home runs. 

Does Boone give the bulk of the catching to Sanchez, lest he risk losing the psyche of his Opening Day catcher if he plays Higashioka more games than he has already? And will playing Higgy sacrifice needed offense on a team struggling to find its identity?

Right now, every game has much more meaning because of the place the players have placed themselves. Maybe the road trip which began in Cleveland for three games (Saturday’s matchup is a dandy—Cole versus Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber) and then heads to Baltimore for four more games will be a catalyst to a winning season. The relief corps has shined while the bats have been largely silent—although thee was some pop in the bats on Friday night when Giancarlo Stanton hit two dingers and Rougned Odor blasted one. 

Maybe this is the time they both sync up and the Yankees become formidable. Maybe a first four weeks of bad play will translate into a better end of April and beginning of May.

Otherwise, the Yankees are unwatchable and that’s a shame. Especially with 144 more games left to play. 

San Diego and the Dodgers are in the midst of a four game set at Chavez Ravine. The Padres took the opener on Thursday night with the help of a spectacular double play to secure the victory. These teams went at it last week in an intense series won by LA, but the Padres are on a two game win streak versus the Dodgers. When I see pitching matchups like Friday’s Yu Darvish for San Diego and Clayton Kershaw for the Dodgers, my anticipation level rises. (San Diego won on Friday night, too) I hope MLB Network carries all the games. 

Quietly, the teams from the Bay Area are doing quite well. The Giants are 13-7 and in second place behind the Dodgers in the NL West. Correspondingly, Oakland is 13-7; those 12 wins are part of a 12 game winning streak which arrived in Baltimore for three games. Also trending well are the Seattle Mariners, tied with the A’s for first place in the AL West. Just like the Yankees being in last place right now, the records of these surprise teams may not be indicative of how they end the season. 

Also notable was Matt Harvey’s first win for the Orioles. Matt has come back from thoracic outlet surgery and is pitching credibly. He is not the ace he was with the Mets, but he is a capable MLB caliber pitcher.

Did you see the bunt that Joey Gallo laid down against the shift. The Texas slugger took advantage of the Tampa Bay move and drove in a run. Good for him.

Corbin Burnes has a streak of 40 strikeouts while issuing no walks. No starting pitcher has ever accomplished this feat. The Brewers pitcher has an 0.37 E.R.A. thus far. Wow. I am going to track him for awhile. 

Jacob deGrom is doing it all for the Mets. On Friday night, he pitched a complete game two hit gem against Washington, fanning 15 Nats in the process. Oh, and by the way, the former college shortstop collected two hits. He is batting .545 this season and has an 0.31 E.R.A. That is impressive. (A side note—deGrom swatted his only homer in his 2010 season at Stetson off of Florida Gulf Coast University and Atlantic Sun Pitcher of the Year Chris Sale, now on the Boston Red Sox and soon to return from Tommy John surgery)

Checking in on the best player in baseball, I find that Mike Trout is only batting .393 with six homers and 12 RBI. He smacked a homer that left the yard at 115.5 m.p.h. and traveled a modest 449 feet. I marvel at the ability of this South Jersey phenom as he marches his way to Cooperstown.

Speaking of checking in on players, Steph Curry has come down to being only above average for a game. After monster games in Boston and Philadelphia (44 and 49 points and some highlight reel shots), he had a pedestrian 18 points (for him) in a loss to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday. Golden State does not match up well with Washington—Wizards guards Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook out dueled the Warriors in both games this season. 

While the outbursts which Curry has had in his unreal stretch may not be a common theme for the remainder of the season, he is still an incredible player to watch. Must see TV when he is on the court—and the networks know it. 

Friday night was a bonanza for the sports fan. The appetizer is the Yankees game. Then the side-to-side games were the Padres-Dodgers (a SD win) and the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic visited the Warriors GS won, with Curry adjusting a bad tape job to his ankle to erupt for 25 points in the 2nd half for a total of 32). 

A couple of other notes. The New York Knicks are on an eight game winning streak. That’s right—the Knicks are on a winning streak! Julius Randle has been a star all season. Coach Tom Thibodeau has been a steadying influence, coalescing the talents of a myriad of players into a winning bunch. 

Coach Tibs will receive some attention for Coach of the Year. As he should. My vote would go to Quin Snyder of the Utah Jazz. With Monty Williams of Phoenix closely behind. How the two teams end the regular season will determine who wins this award. Right now Utah leads the Suns by 2 games as the season winds down. 

As for the Knicks—they might not be real contenders for the Eastern Conference spot in the NBA Finals—if injuries didn’t play a big part of what is happening in that conference. The Sixers are missing Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris, two exceptionally important pieces to the puzzle. Joel Embiid, as great as he is—he almost won the game against Phoenix on Wednesday night with a full court heave that went in and out of the basket—can’t do it alone. 

The Nets are dealing with another injury to Kevin Durant and James Harden, who was playing incredibly before suffering a hamstring injury, recently suffered a relapse in his rehab.  Without Harden and Durant joining Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn is not going to emerge as a winner. 

With the Bucks, Hawks (guard Trae Young suffered an ankle sprain, making him very questionable for the rest of the season), Celtics and Heat all meandering through the season, it is difficult to predict who can win in the playoffs. 

In the West, while Anthony Davis has finally returned to the Lakers lineup, Lebron James in nowhere near a recovery. No Lakers repeat in my mind. Any of the top four teams could reforest the Western Conference in the NBA Finals—Utah, Phoenix, the Clippers and Denver. 

The Play-In Tournament begins on May 18. The season is fast closing. Thankfully.

A shout out to 41 year old Patrick Marleau of the San Jose Sharks. He broke a great NHL record held by one of the greatest hockey players. The number 2 pick of the 1997 NHL Draft has played the most games in NHL history, passing the legendary Gordie Howe, who played in 1797 games. That is some achievement. 

I am going to remind my readers that the title of this blog is RetiredLawyerSportsOp. So I am going to take off my sports hat and use my lawyer experience to opine on a subject in the news.

Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of all charges in his trial for the death of George Floyd which ended this week. It was the right decision based upon the excellent case that the prosecution presented, coupled with the defense being hamstrung because of the video which was key to charges being filed, an Indictment being returned and now justice being served. 

I had no doubt that the jury deliberations would turn out as they did. This was a heinous offense. 

But in a world where we have seen many other equally troubling and unfathomable things happen to people of color, I can understand both the angst before the verdict and the relief from its result. This case was a flashpoint in American society.

What I can take away from this outcome is that it is the right one in the right place at the right time. There is another tragic case which happened in the same county, 10 miles from the site of the trial. It will ultimately get the same scrutiny, yet the facts are different and could lead to a result that those invested in its outcome might be disappointed with. 

Shootings of unarmed black youth or, in the recent matter of the death of a Columbus, Ohio girl armed with a knife, present different sets of circumstances. Yet, the chorus against oppressive police conduct remains the same, with the expectations very high and the disappointments so hurtful. 

What played out in the Hennepin County Court House this week would most certainly not have happened in Alabama or Mississippi. It might not have happened in neighboring Wisconsin or Ohio or even California or New York. 

There is plenty to build on from these kinds of horrible events. Justice needs to be served much better than it was in the past. 

Police conduct and training must be overhauled. I saw it in my days in Union County where the conduct of a few “cowboys” who flaunted their badges led to unfortunate results for black and Hispanic youths. 

Even today, in Parsippany, New Jersey, there is a “G-d Squad.” The police leadership has a point system for stops and arrests which is in dereliction of their duty and contravenes established practices about quotas. These officers, in plain clothes, make pretextual stops and have developed nefarious means to meet their “obligations.,” which includes planting evidence.

Body cameras and cell phones are recording police actions. There is much more transparency. Which is good and needed. Bad cops must be held accountable. 

Defunding the police is not the answer. Neither is rioting or the inflammatory rhetoric of people like the Hon. Maxine Waters, who showed up in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota and sounded like others who recently incited a riot of epidemic proportions.

What is missing here is a clear leader to push for change. It should not be a political figure. Where I think of leadership that has made a difference for the black community, I think of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His speeches and actions were what led  to the Civil Rights Act.  I am all for community activism. It must continue. What is necessary is a coalescing of the movements—a galvanizing force that can devote the time and effort to effectuate change like Dr. King did, as he spoke and prayed with the people he fought so hard for. 

Sports and entertainment figures like Lebron James and Oprah Winfrey are needed as well as political leadership in Washington that can agree on a monumental change in removing prejudice that is still evident in voting rights and other means to deprive black citizens of their rights, and enact meaningful gun reform. I pray this happens soon. 

In the midst of the pandemic, we can take pause and ask, what have we, as a society, become? And decide where can we best effectuate change to make this a better America than we have right now. 

Yet I Remain Fixated On Gary Sanchez

As I started to write this blog, I actually thought of putting on the Braves-Cubs game from Wrigley Field as background noise. While I opted for a relatively tame The Best Of Carly Simon, a time-warped album from 1975, my anger and angst over MLB is real. 

The fact that I was looking for comfort in a meaningless NL Friday afternoon contest in 48 degree Chicago North Side weather and without the always expected full house of rabid Cubs fans bespeaks my mindset. And I have the team of my youth and adulthood, the New York Yankees, to thank for putting me into such a funk. 

The Bombers returned to the friendly confines of Yankee Stadium to open a homestand with a three game set against their intense AL East rivals, the 5-8 Tampa Bay Rays, which dropped 3 of 4 to the 6-7 Texas Rangers earlier in the week. The Yankees just-concluded trip to Florida resulted in dispiriting losses to the Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays, which have made  their Spring Training site in Dunedin home, as they are not permitted back in Ontario due to COVID restrictions. 

Aaron Judge has begun to hit. He powered two homers, the last one nearly leaving the open spaces of the TD Ballpark which looks every bit as minor league as it is—so much so that the Jays had to import temporary lights to bring the facility closer to MLB standards. 

So Judge is doing okay at this early stage. Even so, he is looking a bit awkward in the field, and he is angry at himself when he does not have a productive at bat. It’s probably wishful thinking, but it feels like Judge, hitting .308, is coming into form as the feared hitter who terrorizes MLB pitchers. 

As is the all-worldly Gerrit Cole, who is simply the best pitcher in baseball. He started off roughly (for him) by giving up a run to the Jays in the bottom of the first inning in his last start. That led to his inner competitiveness kicking in as he shut down the Jays over the next 5 innings, allowing one more hit in the course of a 3 hit, 8 strikeout, 1 walk performance on 98 pitches, 65 of them in the strike zone AND 19 out of 22 pitches were first-pitch strikes. His early E.R.A. sits at a minuscule 1.47. 

The problem is with the rest of the squad. Reigning A.L batting champ D.J.LeMahieu, while accumulating a couple of multi-hit games and slugging 4 doubles, is mired at an unfathomable .295 average, which led to Manager Aaron Boone sitting him Wednesday afternoon. I am thinking that he will perk up as the season progresses—especially if he hits in front of a very productive Aaron Judge.  

Along with closer Aroldis Chapman, these two are the current core of the Yankees team. Which isn’t very good. 

I don’t look for Kyle Higashioka to be more than Cole’s personal catcher and to allow periodic rest for regular catcher Gary Sanchez. This is despite Higashioka crushing two homers versus the Jays—his third multiple homer game in his career out of a total of 12 home runs, which is a MLB record for a catcher. Two of the three multi-homer games have come against Toronto—in September Higgy blasted three against Toronto.

Look at the averages. Aaron Hicks is awful at .179. Brett Gardner comes in with a .286 average. Gleyber Torres, dealing with a jammed pinkie, is hitting a paltry .220. Purported left fielder Clint Frazier checks in at .200. Gio Urshela had COVID vaccine issues and is mired at .262. DH Giancarlo Stanton is at a robust .175 when he makes contact with the ball; his 9 R.B.I. leads the team—4 coming on a grand slam home run.

The team batting average is .231—92 hits in 399 plate appearances. The Yankees have scored 48 runs—a 4.0 average/game. Collectively, the team has struck 17 doubles and 13 home runs. Compare the 45 R.B.I. the team has managed with the 102 strikeouts they have accumulated. 

It is too early a sample for newly-acquired Rougned Odor. His .133 average and 2 R.B.I falls nicely into place. 

I have left my real ire for two Yankees. For they stink. Badly. Which is much nicer language that Yankees fans have been showering these two players with for their underwhelming performances. 

First up is Jay Bruce. Signed as a free agent with no guarantees to make the major league roster, Bruce was thrust into a starting role with the surgery to reigning A.L. Home Run champion Luke Voit. Normally an outfielder for the majority of his career, Bruce is playing first base unless relieved by LeMahieu. 

Bruce is hitting a resounding .118. In 34 at bats, he has 4 hits, 1 of which was a home run, 1 a double, 3 R.B.I. and a team-leading 13 strikeouts. He has looked slow and ponderous at the plate, unable to catch up with fastballs that pitchers know he cannot hit. 

In the midst of his career as an outfielder for Cincinnati, Jay Bruce was a feared hitter. That is where he launched the bulk of his 319 homers and drove in 600 runs. After his trade to the Mets in 2016, Bruce had a good year in 2017, blasting 29 homers while driving in 75 Mets. 

In 2018, his production began to plummet. The Phillies parted ways with Bruce after the 2020 season, when he hit .198.

This version of Jay Bruce is sad and unproductive. At age 34, he seems to be washed up. It got so bad for Bruce that when he routinely threw to home for a bases-loaded force out, the Yankee announcers lauded him for his two good throws in that kind of situation. Whoa. 

GM Brian Cashman opted to keep Bruce while sending 1B Mike Ford, the New Jersey native and Princeton alum who had 14 homers in 2019-20, to Scranton-Wilkes Barre. Obviously, this was a bad decision. But one which can be rectified with a recall. Ford cannot play or hit any worse than Bruce. 

The Jay Bruce debacle is easy. The Gary Sanchez one is not. Painfully so. 

Sanchez is hitting a respectable .265. He has 2 homers and 4 R.B.I. For Sanchez, his 7 strikeouts in 34 at bats is actually pretty good for him. But it isn’t what fans came to expect, with his prodigious homers at Yankee Stadium. 

Sanchez was so bad last year that he was replaced in the playoff lineup by Higashioka. Sanchez opened the 2021 season catching Cole. That resulted in a no decision for the Yankees’ ace. With Higashioka behind the plate, Cole has blossomed, running his record to 2-0 with 29 strikeouts, a 14.2 K/9 innings average. And Higashioka is hitting .400—which isn’t expected to last.

What epitomized every Yankees’ fan’s dilemma about Sanchez occurred on Tuesday night. Behind the Jays and looking listless, suddenly the Yankees flirted with something akin to a rally. With Stanton on second base and Sanchez on first in the top of the eight inning and two outs, a pitch evaded the Toronto catcher. Stanton took off and headed to third, which he made easily with some heads up base running.

Not Gary Sanchez. He took off and then inexplicably hesitated and halted in between first and second bases. The catcher recovered the ball, threw to second and Sanchez was tagged out in between bags. 

Inning over. Rally over. On deck hitter Aaron Hicks slammed his bat to the ground in apparent frustration. The Yankees surrendered a homer in the bottom of the inning and meekly were retired in the top of the ninth for another painful loss. 

Sanchez’s gaffe was compared to high school baseball, with the writer noting that this might not happen so much even at that level. In the post-game interviews, Sanchez shrugged his shoulders and said “That’s baseball.” Evidently that is his go to line when he screws up. Boone said some things supporting his player, too. 

Fans were told that Sanchez had worked hard in the off season, improving his catching, especially his defense. We were also told that he was a sleeker and stronger version of Gary Sanchez, ready to disprove his doubters. 

Except he hasn’t. While he was the DH on Wednesday to “rest” the struggling Stanton, Sanchez should be in the lineup when Mike King, who authored 6 innings of one hit relief on Opening Day with Sanchez catching, takes the mound versus Tampa Bay. Cole is back on the mound on Saturday—will Boone risk destroying the obvious karma between childhood buddies  and not start Higashioka as the catcher?

Look, I am as deeply frustrated with Sanchez as any other Yankees fan. He is the biggest enigma on a roster full of enigmas. Sanchez may need to be traded at some point—the guy is now 28, which is getting old for a catcher. I don’t see a switch to first base or the outfield in the cards. 

Or Sanchez can bust out of the doldrums and have significant numbers as the season progresses. Which would be monumental in jump starting this moribund Yankees offense. He has caught the bulk of the games thus far and the bullpen, with the exception of Chad Green surrendering a walkout homer to Bo Bichette in the Wednesday loss to Toronto, has by and large excelled. 

I want him to succeed. Why wouldn’t I? Sanchez is integral to the Yankees success this season. 

Still, on Friday night the team laid another egg. Three hits and two runs—the scoring came from a homer by Stanton. This prompted a rare explosion by their manager, as he wet them know how he felt about their effort. 

There is added pressure to right the ship. Boston stumbled out of the gates, losing the opening series to Baltimore at home. Then the Red Sox ran off 9 straight victories before finally losing to Minnesota on Wednesday. That was an MLB record—reeling off a streak of 9 or more wins after beginning the season with 3 or more losses. The young talent in Boston is playing well, so don’t write off Boston in the AL East. Toronto is young and talented and missing their center fielder, former Houston Astros star George Springer. Tampa always plays the Yankees hard—the teams insanely dislike each other. Plus the Orioles are better.

There are no gimmes in the AL East. The Angels are playing well to start. So is Kansas City and Seattle. For now. Outside of he AL East, the worst record of any team is 6-7. Thus there is nobody for the Yankees to feast on—at this point. 

I have found myself attracted to the Los Angeles Dodgers because they are playing like a dynasty. Mookie Betts has returned from injury. The hitting is great. The pitching is even better. Clayton Kershaw has the second best career E.R.A. at Dodger Stadium—not far behind legendary Dodger lefty Sandy Koufax. They play exciting baseball. And in their division looms San Diego, who host LA this weekend, and the surprising Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers-Padres game on Friday night was a playoff-like contest, settled in extra innings. That’s the way baseball should be. 

Even the Mets are at 5-3. They are playing way better than the Yankees, too. There are a whole host of reasons to switch the channel if the Yankees can’t get untracked. I just don’t want to. 

One more thing to cover. Steph Curry is on fire. His points in his last three games are 53, 42 and a measly 33. On Monday night he broke the Warriors all-time career scoring record, passing the late Wilt Chamberlain. Curry went out and scored 21 points in the first quarter in an amazing display to secure the record. 

Curry is keeping a very shoddy Warriors team in the hunt for the play-in games, which are a prelude to the NBA Playoffs. His play is like the two years he was voted league M.V.P. Yet the trophy has been ceded to Nikola Jokic of Denver or the injured James Harden of the Nets. Curry is a distant 10th on the list. If he can get the team into the play-in tournament, with the lack of any real supporting cast, he should receive more acknowledgement. 

Steph Curry will set records for the Warriors. He will hold the all-time three point goals record when he finishes his brilliant career. Plus a number of other achievements on his way to the Hall of Fame. He changed the way basketball is played by the way he shoots and how he attacks the basket from the three-point line and in.

But as many a sportswriter has noted, while Curry has changed the current NBA, Wilt Chamberlain had a greater impact on the league. Two rule changes were implemented with him in the league—the goaltending rule and the widening of the free throw lane. Wilt averaged 41.5 points per game while with the Philadelphia and San Francisco Warriors from 1959-60 to 1964-65. His 50.4 average in 1961-62 still stands as the best ever. 

Two iconic basketball players. Two superlative talents. 

Yet I remain fixated on Gary Sanchez.

"Show Me The Way"

My apologies. Mea culpa. I had two incorrect statements in my last blog. And I should have known better. 

Thanks to my eagle-eyed cousin in Connecticut, he noticed that I gave the credit for the song “Time of the Season” to the Hollies. Any real follower of rock music knows that the Zombies are the group which sang that unforgettable song. 

The Hollies are well-known for a lot of other songs—22 made the Billboard Hot 100. Incredibly, the Hollies, the name coming from the group members affection for Buddy Holly, have never disbanded, as they continue to record and perform to this day. Original members Tony Hicks and Bobby Elliott remain with the group. Founder Graham Nash moved on in the late 1960’s to even greater fame with Crosby, Stills & Nash. 

No wonder The Hollies were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. “Bus Stop,” “On a Carousel,” “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother,” ”Long Cool Woman” and “The Air That I Breathe” are legendary hits. 

The Zombies are known for “She’s Not There” along with “Time of the Season.” Both memorable tunes. But not in the league of The Hollies.

My second mistake last week was the misspelling of the name of remarkable UConn freshman Paige Bueckers. I know how she is—simply one of the greatest freshmen to play women’s basketball. Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. Bueckers single-handedly guiding a flawed UConn team to the 2021 Final Four. She’s that talented. 

And I know how to spell her name, just like I know how to spell Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres or Miami Dolphins’ QB Tua Tagovailoa difficult names. I want to make that clear. 

So where should I begin? How about with this—I had a blast watching the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Tournament games this year. Many were exciting and won on last second shots or non-calls. 

As exciting as the game proved to be, there were added bonuses to this year’s Big Dances. My wife, as always, showed her interest in sports by more than periodically watching games with me. Even if she lost the Sperber bracket challenge to me—she get the dinner of my choice Saturday night and she has her eyes on a few items on the menu at Nero’s in Livingston.

This year I was joined by an old friend. My junior year roommate at F&M, an intramural leaper out of Belleville, now a retired dentist from Columbia, Maryland, began texting me during the contests. We analyzed and agonized over Rutgers’ two games, the close games and the upsets, the scintillating UConn-Baylor, South Carolina-Stanford and Arizona-Stanford women’s tilts. The comments were whirring during the amazing UCLA-Gonzaga men’s semi final, won by the ‘Zags on that monster 45 foot shot by all-everything and ready-to-play-in-the-pros freshman Jalen Suggs.

I was literally in college basketball heaven—with the TV on and a dialogue at home in the midst of a texting flurry. Which tempered my ongoing criticism of the NCAA in general and the Selection Committee for botching the men’s seedings.

In the end, the best teams won. While the belief that Gonzaga left everything on the court win the OT win versus UCLA has some validity, Baylor looked every bit the super team that could derail an undefeated team like the Bulldogs. The trouncing of Houston in the semi finals was no fluke. Baylor is a legitimate National Champion. 

As for Gonzaga, the critics had questioned how strong and good Gonzaga was, playing the majority of its schedule in the weak West Coast Conference. Those experts claimed that if Gonzaga had been a member of the Pac 12, it never would have been undefeated for as long as it was. 

This was said by those who had disdain for the Pac 12 this season—which proved to be very inappropriate, as the Pac 12 may have been the best conference with Colorado, Oregon, Oregon State, USC and UCLA all playing very well. I wonder what excuses these pundits will have next year to put down the Pac 12 and elevate the Big 10, ACC, SEC and Big 12?

With Stanford, the Cardinal survived two heart-throbbing challenges from South Carolina and Arizona. Both with last second shots that failed to go in for Stanford’s opponents. While lucky, Hall of Fame Coach Tara VanDerveer assembled a squad which was ready for the toughest of games. That defined a winner. 

So I looked at the final rankings for both the men and women. I was astonished by what I saw with the men. As expected, Baylor and Gonzaga were 1-2. Houston was third, not UCLA, whose run in the tournament from the play-in game was outstanding. Except in the eyes of the voters in the Coaches Poll. Michigan, who UCLA downed in the Elite Eight, was fourth. Alabama and Arkansas were both ranked higher than the Bruins, who finished seventh. And Illinois, which went out in the Second Round, was ahead of USC, which made it to the Elite Eight. Talk about undeserved favoritism for the Big Ten. 

Those who follow the women got it right. Stanford, Arizona, UConn, South Carolina, Baylor were #1-5. Plus the voting wasn’t that close for any spot other than the 3 votes which separated UConn and South Carolina. #6 Louisville was far distant from #5 Baylor. 

One more comment here. Baylor had the top team in the country for the men and the fifth-best team for the women. Gonzaga had number 2 for the guys and #20 for the gals. Michigan finished #4 on the men’s side and #11 on the women’s side. UCLA had that seventh ranking for the men and the women finished at #12. Other schools with dual rankings included Oregon, Iowa, West Virginia, Arkansas and Texas. 

Let’s look at some trends. The number of players entered into the transfer portal is over 1200. Rutgers has two players who entered their names into the NBA draft but who retain their rights to return to school (underclassman Ron Harper, Jr. and senior Geo Baker, who has that extra year granted by the NCAA due to COVID-19) and at least 3 who want out of Piscataway. 

On the one hand, something must be amiss under Head Coach Steve Pikiell with so many wanting to flee RU. Cincinnati fired their basketball coach after his team did not make the tournament and six players entered the portal. This is disturbing.

Alternatively, teams are going to be different each year as players look for greener pastures. Those who miscalculate and cannot find better locales with more playing time may be replaced and have nowhere to return to. 

I don’t know what the answer is. There has to be some regulation on this behavior. It has become an epidemic, like the current one which has been regulated with masks, testing, social distancing and vaccinations.

Sam Darnold is gone. Jets GM Joe Douglas shipped him off to QB seeking Carolina, amassing some intermediate draft picks in the process. I feel good and bad for Darnold. He tried his darndest for the Green and White, with very little support. His college flaws were apparent at the professional level and they could not be corrected. I wish him well—just not in the game between the two teams this season in Charlotte. 

This leaves Jets fans wondering if Douglas is going to make the right choice for the newest Jets phenom at QB. Will it be Zach Wilson from BYU or Justin Fields out of Ohio State?Will this be the time that the real savior of the franchise, the legitimate heir to Joe Namath finally appears—albeit 50+ years later? We’ll know soon enough, as it is less than three weeks until the NFL Draft starts.

Another trade shocked the local hockey world. New Jersey traded top goal scorer Kyle Palmieri and long time Devil Travis Zajac to the Islanders. Palmieri is a free agent after the season, while Zajac waived his no-trade clause to reunite with former Devils and current Isles GM Lou Lamiorello. New Jersey received New York’s 2021 first round choice and a fourth round selection plus two young players who were not on the current Islanders roster. A nice haul for a rebuilding team which is already armed with young future stars and more high draft choices to come. 

I always thought Zajac would be a Devil for life. I read an article earlier in the year which stated his desire to stay. Evidently the lure of playing in the area on a team which has Stanley Cup aspirations was too good to pass up. I wish him the best; just not in the game versus his former team. 

We are into the second week of the MLB season. The Yankees are already struggling and Aaron Judge, after getting untracked and hitting two homers and driving in 5 runs, now has soreness in his side, which forced him got sit out the final game of the first homestead against Baltimore—a loss—and the opener in Tampa on Friday—a drubbing. 

I have seen flashes of greatness on this team. D.J. LeMahieu has had a few multi hit games. Judge, as I said, started to be more aggressive at the plate. Giancarlo Stanton mashed a 471 grand slam laser against the Orioles, yet he is not hitting for average. And while Gary Sanchez has slugged two homers, he still doesn’t hustle down the line.

Jordan Montgomery looked to be an able left-handed starter counterpoint to Gerrit Cole, who mowed down the O’s for his first win in 2021. Reliever Zach Britton is badly missed, and Chad Green has been spotty, as has been the remainder of the rotation. 

I recognize that it is early in the season. April is notorious for meaning very little over the course of a 162 game schedule. 

Look at White Sox catcher Yermin Mercedes. A player very few have heard of. Mercedes, who is a 28 year old catcher, started out 8 for 8 this season. He is hitting a robust .536 with 2 HR and 7 RBI. By May, he likely will be hitting under .300. 

Or Rule 5 prospect Akil Baddoo, an outfielder Detroit picked up from the Twins. He hit a homer on the first major league pitch he saw on Opening Day and continues to bat .455. Baddoo had to stay on the Tigers major league roster or his rights went back to Minnesota. Hopefully the downtrodden Tigers have found gold here.

The Mets have looked good thus far. Even if Francisco Lindor, recently inked to a 10 year mega deal, hasn’t begun to hit and the team won its home opener on a questionable walkout hit by pitch. I liked that Lindor and team owner Steve Cohen’s in-laws are from the same Puerto Rico town, which led to an immediate bond between Lindor and Cohen’s wife, as they talked about the neighborhood in Caguas, the food and restaurants. There is an energy in Queens that could become magical. 

Yes, there is optimism in the air in many major league cities. It is early and much will happen. 

From that April optimism. two songs come to mind. “Do You Feel The Way I Do” and “Show Me The Way.” I bet you weren’t thinking that Peter Frampton was my closer for this blog. 

It's The Time of The Season

It was a blustery day with temperatures more like those in early March. Baseball returned to the Bronx. Opening Day 2021 was upon us. 

With hopes of that elusive 28th championship abounding, the Yankees, behind ace Gerrit Cole, took on the youthful Toronto Blue Jays. Cole struggled, still struck out plenty Jays and surrendered a home run in the sixth inning to end his day. 

New York’s offense was limited to Gary Sanchez’s two run blast in the second inning. The Bombers had plenty of chances to win, but the Blue Jays pitchers repeatedly thwarted the Yankees.

After Toronto scored what would prove to be the winning run in the top of the 10th inning when Aaron Judge slightly misplayed a smoked line drive, I watched a brilliant pitching performance  by Julian Merryweather of the Jays. He went through the number 3-4-5 batters in the Yankees lineup, striking them out with an array of fastballs up to 99 m.p.h. and change ups as slow as 79 m.p.h. Almost all of his pitches were thrown in the strike zone. I am going to keep my eye on this guy.

Was it good to see fans in the stands? Yes and no. There is a resurgent pandemic producing heightened numbers in the NY Metro area and forcing the postponement of the Washington-Mets series in D.C. due to positive tests for the Nationals. Far too many in the stands weren’t wearing masks or were wearing them improperly. 

So while it was great to hear “Roll Call,” the chorus of the names of the Yankees’ players  in the field by the Bleacher Creatures, it wasn’t like the throaty roar of a full stadium on Opening Day. Maybe I will get used to it or perhaps vaccination of many more Americans will permit higher in person attendance at MLB games. Or maybe I will still be somewhat disapproving of the whole idea of fans in the stands—especially if the states have to cut back on attendance due to the virus. 

In any event, the season has started. Experts believe that the Yankees and Dodgers are the teams which will meet in the World Series. While both should make the playoffs, I feel that teams like Toronto and San Diego are full of talent and will make a serious run at the AL and NL titles. So, too, do the Mets have an outstanding chance to make the playoffs in a very even NL East. Never count the Cardinals out of anything, just like the Astros and Braves. 

It seems like every team has improved from last season. In the end, it will be a war of attrition, with COVID always part of the equation. That’s the reality of the new normal in 2021.

A baseball story of a different kind. Jack Leiter, son of former Mets and Yankees pitcher Al Leiter and a New Jersey native who attended The Delbarton School, appears to be the top pitcher in college baseball. Leiter vaulted his status while pitching a complete game no hitter for Vanderbilt, followed by another 7+ innings of no hit pitching in SEC play. In a recent interview with The Star-Ledger, the senior Leiter, a broadcaster with the MLB Network, touted his son as much better than he was—which was pretty good overall. The draft watch has begun for Jack Leiter as the possible number one pick. 

I don’t often talk about golf. However, I was absolutely amazed by Sergio Garcia’s walk off ace on the fourth extra hole to win the match in the recent Match Play Tournament. That is some way to win. Sudden and absolute. 

Some NFL notes. The league announced that the 17 game schedule is now a fact. Teams will play three exhibition games instead of four. The extra game will match teams by last year’s finish—for instance, the Jets and Eagles meet at Met Life Stadium while the Giants head South to take on Miami as the NFC East and AFC collide. Next season the Giants will host the 17th game while the Jets will go on the road. 

The change will result in pushing back the playoffs and Super Bowl. So much so that in 2022, the game will be played on President’s Day weekend, allowing for the revelers to have Monday off from work without taking a sick day. 

That sounds nice, until you recognize that the playoff games will be one week later in January, which means even more cold and snowy weather will be gripping much of the country, allowing for scenes like the frigid conditions in 1982 when San Diego met the Bengals in Cincinnati. Nothing like caring for the fans.

Also, Roger Goodell, the cheery NFL Commissioner, envisions full stadiums for NFL games this season. Wishful thinking by Mr. Goodell or typical NFL arrogance?

There was some significant NFL Draft maneuvering. San Francisco and Miami switched slots, with the Niners taking the Dolphins #3 choice and Miami took the Niners #12 choice and sent it to Philadelphia for he Eagles number 6 pick. SF want a QB badly, despite having Jimmy Garoppolo, who is continually rumored to be headed back to New England. Miami is going forward with Tua Tagoviloa as heir QB, after drafting him last year. Philadelphia is staying the course with their young QB, Jalen Hurts, who looked so good when he played in 2020. Plus Miami received some top draft choices in the process.

What is Houston going to do about QB Deshawn Watson? Watson, who arrogantly wanted out of his gig there, is now the subject of 21 allegations of sexual assault in civil suits. While he denies the charges through his big time lawyer Rusty Hardin, the NFL is starting an inquiry and Hardin said he would meet with prosecutors if they started an investigation. On top of that, 18 women came to the defense of Watson. What a mess. 

I fell for Pardon The Interruption’s fake story that Urban Meyer and the Jaguars were passing on drafting Trevor Lawrence and would go in a different direction, which included Alex Smith coming in to mentor Justin Fields, the Ohio State QB who Meyer would draft on the recommendation of current OSU Head Coach Ryan Day, who was an assistant  under Meyer with the Buckeyes. I told my wife the Jets were getting Lawrence! I should have known better. April Fools on me.

Some streaks to report. The Timberwolves scored the final 22 points in a game versus Houston in a come-from-behind victory. Houston has broken its 20 game losing streak with a win over Toronto. 

Meanwhile, the Buffalo Sabres ended their 18 game losing streak by downing the Philadelphia Flyers. This happened after the Sabres blew a chance to beat the Flyers in Philadelphia. 

And speaking of the Flyers—what has happened to this team? Seemingly on the way up last season, the Flyers and their young goalie, Carter Hart, have struggled mightily in 2021and may not reach the playoffs. Talk about a franchise which cannot win—the Flyers and their rabid and loyal fans haven’t seen the Stanley Cup in their hands since 1975. That’s 45 years ago. Wow!

Montreal and now Vancouver have had COVID pauses recently. The Canadiens are back, but the Canucks aren’t permitted to play before April 8. The NHL, famous for its historic bubbles last season, has encountered numerous COVID incursions with teams like the Devils, Bruins, Flyers, Wild and Sharks enduring shut downs, and with more probably on the horizon. Hopefully they can re-create bubbles in some form for the playoffs.

Washington Wizard guard Russell Westbrook had a stat line this week of 35 points, 21 assists and 14 rebounds. Only Magic Johnson (1981) and Oscar Robertson (1961) have had a 30 point triple double. Pretty amazing. 

The NBA had its trade deadline come and pass. The Nets managed to secure free agents Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge, adding depth to a star-studded lineup which features M.V.P. candidate James Harden, point guard Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant, who was embroiled in a homophobic social media exchange, and who will be returning shortly from his hamstring hiatus. Brooklyn is still the team to beat in the East. 

In the West, Denver and Dallas made moves to bolster their rosters. Plus Steph Curry returned from his tailbone contusion and scored over 30 twice as the Warriors beat Chicago and lost to the Miami Heat. 

Speaking of the Heat, savant Pat Riley declared that the Heat is again a team to be reckoned with. On the Duncan Robinson watch, the former Williams and Michigan star scored 21 points versus Golden State and played a team-leading 37 minutes. He has also had a few 20+ point game in the Heat’s last few games. I guess he is an integral part of the Miami team, not merely a three point shooter. 

With the recent onerous voting legislation passed in Georgia, boycotts have been called for regarding the Masters and MLB All Star Game in Atlanta. Coupled with the recent Atlanta Dream team protest which resulted in former Senator Kelly Loeffler divesting her interest in the WNBA team, it shows that Georgia is the hot bed of political activity which has extended from the Presidential and Senatorial runoffs. When there is challenge to the new laws, the Georgia legislature takes action against those who dare oppose. Delta’s CEO spoke out against the laws; as a result, the largest employer in the state is in jeopardy of losing their tax incentives. 

Those who oppose what has happened believe that something must be done to show that this blatant racially motivated action is unacceptable. Sports is always a forum for social discourse. 

Yet in the South, it is not acceptable. Look at the resignation of first year East Tennessee State basketball coach Jason Shay. He abruptly resigned on Thursday after intense pressure from legislators and the state’s Congressional delegation over linking arms with his players who knelt on one knee when the National Anthem was played. 

I am embarrassed for our country and as native Georgian, I am appalled. When and how this will change is uncertain. As is the future of sports in the South.

Lastly, I have to discuss the NCAA’s Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments plus some other related matters involving he NCAA. It’s too bad that other things intervene in what has been a very interesting run in both brackets leading to the respective Final Fours.

NCAA head Mark Emmert was in the news aplenty. First, he lamely apologized for the mishandling of the Women’s Tournament in San Antonio. What happened there was an absolute disgrace and shows the shameful disparity between genders. 

Furthermore, on Thursday Emmert met with Rutgers’ Geo Baker, injured Michigan star Isiah Lives and Iowa’s Jordan Bohannon on Thursday over the issue of name, image and likeness (NIL). The players wanted more representatives present, but the NCAA naturally said no. 

There has been much litigation on this issue—rightfully so. The archaic belief that giving scholarships to students is sufficient while the schools and other NCAA make millions off of the NIL off its student-athletes is going to come to an end. 

Unfortunately, like all things related  to the NCAA, it will be resolved in the courts instead of by reaching a meeting of the minds. This week, the United States Supreme Court heard arguments about paying collegiate athletes. The justices seemed to side with the players in their questions and statements. Let’s hope that SCOTUS gets this one right. 

North Carolina and Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Roy Williams retired on Thursday. His resume is impressive—multiple titles with Carolina and one at Kansas. Well over 900 wins. Plenty of his players to the NBA—from his time as an assistant to the legendary Dean Smith, at Kansas, and with his tenure as the head man for the Tar Heels. 

The will be readers who disagree with me on this. I think that Roy Williams may not have been the greatest tactician the college game has ever seen. What he was was a decent man who succeeded in one of the highest profile jobs in the sport, becoming a father figure to so many of his players. Measuring his legacy in wins and losses is not the way he should be remembered, especially with some struggling seasons since the 2017 National Championship. Williams is simply too good for that. 

There is speculation about his successor. I hope it is former Tar Heel star and current assistant Hubert Davis. Davis, who played in the NBA and relinquished a fine TV analyst spot to go back to his alma mater, would break barriers at the school as well as be a great fit. This should not be a long, drawn out process in replacing Williams. 

So what about the Final Fours? Ladies first. 

UConn somehow survived its nemesis, Baylor, on a controversial end of the game no call on a shot which could have won the contest for the Lady Bears. It was a riveting game, with scoring streaks and lead changes.

Which put the Huskies, with freshman sensation and National Player of the Year Paige Buechers, into the team’s record 13th straight Final Four. UConn faces upstart Arizona, which was left out of the NCAA’s Final Four promotional video (way to go NCAA, botch another thing up), while two #1 seeds, South Carolina and Stanford vie for a place in the Finals. I will be watching on Friday and Sunday.

As to the men, I did a quick count. Of the 68 teams in the men’s bracket, I have seen or been on 59 of the campuses. Plus I am unsure if I saw Wichita State or Drake when I passed through Kansas and Iowa. The others I have not seen are Winthrop, Illinois, Appalachian State, Creighton, Ohio U and Eastern Washington. 

I also saw a statistic that 37.5 of the old Southwestern Conference was still alive in the Elite Eight as well as 37.5 of the Pac-12. Five of the teams were from blue states and 3 came from red states. 

This led me to research different conferences to see how represented they were in this year’s Tournament. The old Big 8 had 7 schools (bet you didn’t know that Drake and Iowa once were in the Big 8). The Southwest Conference also had 7 of its members in the Big Dance. 

Ten schools affiliated with the Big East at some time were in this year’s bracket—Florida and Liberty were associate members in women’s lacrosse (UF) and field hockey (LU). Eight ACC schools were present, if you add Maryland. 

The venerable Missouri Valley Conference had 10 former and current members in Indianapolis. Who knew that Hartford joined for Mens’ soccer?

Not to be shortchanged, the American Athletic Conference had former members Rutgers and UConn in the Dance along with associate members Florida (again for Women’s lacrosse) plus South Dakota State and Villanova in for Women’s rowing.

Other surprises I learned were that Grand Canyon is part of the WAC in baseball and Creighton’s Women’s rowing was part of the West Coast Conference. Don’t forget that Utah and Utah State had been members of the WAC and Mountain West Conference. Plus Abilene Christian is on the verge of membership in the WAC. I know—such silliness. But it’s part of the fun. At least for me. 

Houston returned to the Final Four for the first time since 1984. Baylor’s drought goes back to 1971. Play-in team UCLA, a perennial champion under John Wooden, winners of 11 titles, is making its 19th Final Four appearance and first since 2008.

The game between Houston and Baylor will be the first time that two Texas teams meet in the Final Four. Houston has been lucky up to this point. Playing the old children’s game of what if, Rutgers should have been in the Final Four had they held on against the Cougars. Baylor is formidable under Coach Scott Drew. Don’t count the Cougars out yet. 

Gonzaga is attempting to become the eighth unbeaten NCAA Champion, joining three UCLA teams, Indiana, North Carolina and San Francisco. The Zags have won all of their games by double digits. They are a record 14 point favorite to defeat UCLA in Saturday’s semi final contest. Although UCLA had a great upset win over Michigan, the Bruins are likely to be no match for this Gonzaga team, led by super freshman Jared Suggs, Mr. Basketball and Mr. Football in Minnesota. Suggs could play in the NBA right now. 

I had Gonzaga in my bracket to win it all. Baylor or Houston will provide a stern test. In the end, it is hard to pick against Mark Few’s team.

Whew! I’ve said a lot. I keep thinking about the Hollies’ great tune, Time of the Season. For that it is.