Year End Musings

  Did I enjoy the past weekend of NFL games which stretched from Thursday, December 22nd with the Jaguars-Jets to Monday night with the Chargers and Colts concluding the debauchery of pro football? More times than not, once I got past the debacle known as Zach Wilson leading the team I root for—and I use the word leading advisably. 

The collective sigh of relief of Jets fans at the news that Mike White’s ribs have miraculously healed and he is fine to start the uber important game at Seattle on Sunday afternoon was louder than a cobra hissing as it is coiled and ready to attack. For that’s what the Jets will bring to Seattle with White—a bona fide passing attack. 

Head Coach Robert Saleh continues to say that Wilson is not finished with the Jets. Except that reports say the opposite. 

Wilson has become somenthing of an enigma. His pedigree apparently remains high. Yet he is maddeningly slow to adapt to speed of pro football. In hindsight, the kid needed to sit and observe for at least a year. His injuries also have retarded his growth. 

Right now, the Jets must go with White. They have little choice if they continue to seek the wild card spot which is dangling tantalizingly before them. Miami has issues, having lost four straight and now their QB is once more in concussion protocol. The Jets-Dolphins game ending the season may be for a playoff spot if New York beats Seattle on the road (Seattle is fighting for a playoff berth in the NFC) and the Patriots defeat Miami. 

Essentially the Jets are playing each game as if it is a playoff game. They are far from the only team doing such. Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers are suddenly hot and were lucky when three of the teams ahead of them in the NFC Wild Card hunt lost while the Packers defeated Miami. Jacksonville has come on, and is actually in the lead in its division, behind the sterling play of the number 1 overall draft choice from the same draft as Zach Wilson—Trevor Lawrence. 

Pittsburgh won an emotional game on Sunday night at home, coming from behind to down the Raiders on the 50th anniversary of the “Immaculate Reception”, on the day the Steelers organization retired the number of the late, great Franco Harris, who caught that immortal ricochet of a Terry Bradshaw pass and scored to defeat those Raiders. That singular play began the Pittsburgh dynasty. This was out of Hollywood, as Harris had passed away just days before he was to be honored. 

Somehow Tom Brady has momentarily righted the ship down in Tampa. They may win their division with either a 9-8 or 8-9 record. A lady at the gym cursed his good fortune and her husband stated that the Bucs are “going nowhere.” Plus Brady threw out that he will examine retirement in a more systematic way over the off season. Good approach this time, TB 12. 

With two weeks left to go, six teams are playing for one remaining Wild Card spot in the AFC. In addition to Miami, Pittsburgh and the Jets, the Patriots, Titans and Raiders all still have hope and Tennessee can still win its division if Jacksonville falters. I’m not getting into who has clinched home field right now, as that is fluid for the teams already in the playoffs. 

Similarly in the NFC, besides Green Bay and Seattle, three other teams are alive. The Lions, Panthers and Saints can get into the post-season, with Carolina and New Orleans able to win the NFC South if Tampa Bay falters. Those teams, along with Washington and the New York Giants, are competing for two spots. Once more, home field and the NFC East champs haven’t yet been decided.

Lest I forget the NBA. Five games were on ABC for Christmas Day. The Knicks, once on a roll, have now found themselves on a losing streak, as they were soundly defeated by Philadelphia at the Garden. Boston showed Milwaukee, for at least now, that they are the team to beat in the East (the resurgent Brooklyn Nets, without distractions from Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons, have won nine of the last ten and are a mere two games behind the Celtics. 

The remaining games were from the Western Conference. First, Dallas, wearing kinda throwback jerseys, beat the chronically underperforming Lakers, who dearly miss Anthony Davis, once more sidelined by injury. Then the Golden State Warriors, minus Steph Curry, after a 2-4 road trip, came hime to punish the Memphis Grizzlies in a chippy contest. Finally, reigning M.V.P. Nikola Jokic, averaging 25.4 points per game to go with 9.4 assists and 11 rebounds a game, has his Denver Nuggets team leading the West and they showed the struggling Phoenix Suns why they are the leaders to end the holiday showcase. How do you say three-peat for the “Joker?” (P.S. not to be outdone by Jokic, Luka Doncic of Dallas had a historic performance on Tuesday night against the Knicks, putting up unheard numbers of 60 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists in rallying the Mavs from 8 down with 33 seconds to tie the score in regulation before winning in OT)

Forty-one years ago on December 26, I met this incredibly beautiful brunette on a blind date at her cousin’s home in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. You can say the rest is history, as we celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary on the 30th. 

I bring this up to point out that we discussed a ton of things, including sports, at the door of her cousin’s home. I had told her that the next day I was headed to a Jets playoff game at She Stadium versus the Buffalo Bills. The Jets had a late comeback on that cold and crisp early Winter afternoon, but fell to Joe Ferguson and the Bills by a score of 31-27.

The pain of the loss was made a bit tolerable by meeting that joyous young woman. I was smitten and didn’t even realize it. 

But that’s not the point. The fact is that the NFL opened the playoffs in December. The schedule was shorter—14 games back then—which led to less frigid conditions at times (although had they played this past weekend, I might have suffered frostbite with the temperatures not rising above twenty degrees; on this December 27th temperatures rose above freezing for the first time in a while). 

Now, with the bucks (and I don’t exactly mean the ones from Milwaukee) have dictated longer seasons for the NFL with more games telecast nationally via Amazon and soon You Tube, along with five NBA games on Christmas Day instead of one or maybe two. A lot more fans had to brave temperatures to attend these games played on Christmas and over the weekend. Heck, the Buffalo Sabres lost two games to the horrible conditions in Western New York which have resulted in many deaths; even a game in Ottawa was postponed due to this storm. 

In New Jersey, we deal with the fact that the Jets twice lost opportunities to have their home games indoors; once to the greed of a New York politician, Sheldon Silver, and the failure of the Giants to chip in for a dome on Met Life Stadium. Had the cheap Giants not been such penny-pinchers, I might have actually  gone to the Jacksonville game on my wife’s birthday (with her, of course) instead of eating the tickets due to the downpour which hit the Meadowlands. Don’t you think I was envious of the fans in Minnesota, who sat in luxurious warmth and comfort as they conducted a white out indoors to cheer the Vikings to victory over…those darn Giants. 

Then there is the hubbub over free agent Carlos Correa. The Mets have concerns arising from his physical, just as the San Francisco Giants did. Evidently, when mega contracts are agreed to, the extent of the examination of the player is much greater. 

This is leading to speculation that other teams might re-enter the fray, seeking to get Correa for less years at less money. The betting is on the Mets and super agent Scott Boras reaching an agreement on a new pact. Even with the questions about his ankle and its sturdiness. Imagine the turmoil if Aaron Judge had a medical red flag. 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. It is about the money. It’s crazy. Even the woebegone Jets are enhancing their coffers next year as the ticket prices will be raised. Perhaps as the team once more seeks a new quarterback to lead the franchise from playoff purgatory. 

The fans get crazy, then bemoan the fact that the cost of everything a team offers—tickets, food, licensed products, etc.—all comes from their hard-earned jobs which pay a portion of the salaries and concomitant non-media generated profits affiliated with their favorite team. 

It doesn’t stop with the pros. Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) is forever changing the college landscape. Recruiting is now done with this in mind. Letting the richer schools get richer while staying in the upper echelon. All at the expense of the fans—and I emphasize expense. 

As we leave 2022 and head into 2023, with the football championship semi-finals entertaining us on New Year’s Eve and a full slate of NFL games of consequence on January 1, think of how much your team really means to you as opposed to how much they really feel about you. In terms of the bottom line.

These are my Year End Musings. Happy, healthy 2023, everyone.

I Hate the Jets...Patriots...Panthers...Giants...and Myself

  As you might remember, I participate in a weekly NFL pool. Through my daughter’s internship and work at FOX News, we have been grandfathered into the action. We play it for fun, although when you get close to what you believe is a winning number of games picked correctly, the rooting instincts start to take over. 

However many games are on the schedule in a week, you choose one team per contest. It does not involve point spreads, and you can change your choice up to kickoff. Because the NFL week begins on Thursday, the choice for that night must be in before  the Amazon Prime telecast starts. Fairly simple, right?

Except it is anything but that. Due to the way they play in the NFL, especially this year, upsets can wreak havoc with one’s picks. Moreover, as we saw this week, wackiness has a lot to do with it, too.

My father burned into my brain that only a fool could bet on the outcome of sporting events. No matter the glitter of the commercials touting Caesar’s online betting making Cooper Manning just as famous and funny as his father and his better know brothers, the house knows exactly what it is doing—and it is reaching an even wider audience—with the approval of its professional sports partners. 

Predicting the outcome of sporting events, like playing the stock market, another form of legalized gambling, is much harder to do than deciding what shirt to buy when shopping. At least you can try on the garment and return it if you don’t like it. That does not work when picking winners in sports. 

I never would have wagered any money on the World Cup final. I can just imagine how many anguished France followers lost a ton of Euros or whatever currency they used with the thrilling penalty kicks win by Lionel Messi and his Argentinian mates. 

I have been in blind office pools for the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments, where the teams I had in each are randomly drawn from a hat. I have actually won a pool that way. I also picked the field of 64 for the NCAA Tournament a couple of times and my bracket actually came in third, to my amazement. 

I have never been in a Super Bowl pool, although I have had the opportunity. That started to get too complicated, with numbers corresponding to scores at the end of the quarters and the game. And it wasn’t cheap. 

Thus, I found myself wanting to win this week’s pool, having opened the week’s action with a 4-0 record. Sure, it was easy on Thursday night with the Niners going up to the Pacific Northwest and downing Seattle behind rookie sensation and the guy almost nobody had heard of, Brock Purdy. 

Then Saturday started with a resounding thud. I had picked Minnesota over Indianapolis. Except that the Colts were ferocious and put up 33 answered points on the scoreboard. I thought to myself that this looked ominous. 

Only this was a game for the record books. Minnesota and Kirk Cousins put on the biggest rally in NFL history, outlasting Indy in OT. My disappointment turned to absolute glee. Could this be magic?

I periodically checked on Game 2 of the NFL Network triple header. That would be Baltimore at Cleveland. I had selected Cleveland to upset the Ravens. Without Lamar Jackson QB, I felt that Baltimore wouldn’t have enough talent versus the strong defense of the Browns on a snowy day by the shores of Lake Erie. Final score 13-3 Cleveland.

While I admit that I watched college hoops through most of this game, I had a funny feeling that the 8-5 Dolphins and 10-3 Bills would also be playing in a blinding snowstorm as had been predicted. Thus, for the finale on Saturday night, I went with the AFC leaders to win. 

Well, the teams played in the snow for much of the game. The snow that covered the field came in the form of snowballs from the home crowd; seven inches of the white powder sat in the stands as it had snowed in the morning and there had been no cleanup. 

Buffalo fans have pretty good aim, because they pelted the Dolphins sideline with those frozen concoctions. So much so that the officials halted the game to try to halt (yeah right!) the attack. It didn’t end and the game went on. 

I had been checking The Weather Channel radar for Orchard Park and there was a very large and dark blue band of snow sitting offshore. I had more than a feeling that this would enter the game in the most crucial moments.

Sure enough, the snow came cascading down, glistening in the floodlights illuminating the stadium. Very wintry and it was still Fall. 

The snow gave an aura to the field as the play was super, which included a late Bills TD and two point conversion, then watching the linemen of the Bills clear a spot in the snow for the kicker to strike a winning FG for Buffalo as the clock expired. Well worth staying up for. 

After I had watched the most captivating World Cup ever, showcasing the great talents of Messi and Mbappe of France, the clock nearly struck 1:00 and the start of the NFL Sunday games. Up first were the red hot Detroit Lions and the Jets in New Jersey. 

Both teams had playoff aspirations. Detroit was red hot, winners of 5 of the last 6. The Jets were losing close games and Mike White, their new QB who sparked the offense, was sidelined with busted ribs. 

Enter the heralded Zack Wilson, fresh from his banishment to the sidelines, to try to lead the Jets to victory. As rusty as he was, he had done enough to drive the team to a fourth quarter lead. Then, on fourth and one, the Lions threw the ball and it resulted in a winning touchdown because the Jets defense was awaiting a run up the middle. 

While Wilson gamely led the team back to a spot where they could attempt a 58 yard game-tying field goal with one tick left on the clock, the kick sailed wide. Detroit was victorious once more, while Jets fans like me sulked. I had switched my pick earlier in the day to the Jets; how loyal and dumb could I be?

I had picked the Jaguars to upset Dallas. The Cowboys led nearly the entire game until, in overtime, Dallas QB Dak Prescott threw a pick six. 

Atlanta lost to New Orleans. Philadelphia survived at Chicago. Kansas City needed OT to down the lowly Texans on the road. I had those games and, besides the Jets, I lost when Pittsburgh defeated Carolina.

In the late games, Denver was my correct choice over Arizona. The Chargers needed some last minute heroics to beat Tennessee. Cincinnati came roaring back against Tom Brady and the Bucs. Three more for me.

But everything fell apart with the crazy last second intercepted lateral which doomed the Patriots and gave the Raiders a walk off gift win with no time remaining. Lunacy. I had picked New England. 

For good measure, the Giants were the beneficiaries of two horrible calls against Washington by the officials. On plays which would have put the Commanders ahead. Of course I had selected Washington. 

The sum total of my day was 11-4. The leader was 14-1. I stood no chance. There is a lesson somewhere in here.

Meanwhile, I hate the Jets…Patriots…Panthers … Giants…and myself. Until Thursday. 

Happy Holidays.

Enjoy Your Latkes

I feel I have a lot to say in this brief period, so let’s get to it. 

Let me say this—at this moment I have a lot less interest with baseball, largely because the Yankees haven’t done much since signing Aaron Judge. Meanwhile, the Mets keep adding to their bloated payroll and are far from done with their spending; Xander Boegarts fled Boston for the weather (and copious money) of San Diego; Carlos Correa landed a massive 13 year, $350 million deal from the San Francisco Giants which will pay him handsomely to age 41, where he will be unlikely to be productive and probably will not be playing shortstop.

Here’s my take on pro football in the NY Metro area—stick a fork in it—it’s done. The Giants were steamrolled by the 12-1 Philadelphia Eagles. Now the G-Men are in prime time on Sunday night against a rested Washington team which will be at home and has a greater chance of making the playoffs. 

Jets fans will be angry and frustrated again very shortly abut what could have been. Sure, Mike White has been spectacular in gaining yardage with his passes, unlike the golden boy, Zach Wilson, who stood on the sidelines in Jets gear for the last three games (does he get paid extra for modeling?). Had the offense scored two more touchdowns, the Jets would have downed the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills on the road and would be sitting pretty as far as the playoffs are concerned. 

Instead, White took a beating with two hard hits from the Buffalo defense, one causing him to wait and leading to substitute QB Joe Flacco coughing up the ball before White could return, the second necessitating a post-game trip to a Buffalo hospital to ensure that White could board the team plane home. 

Now suddenly resurgent Detroit, winners over the Vikings last weekend and embodying the never give up mentality of their head Coach, former NFL’er Dan Campbell, invades the Meadowlands. Like the Giants, the Jets are playing for their playoff lives, having fallen behind the LA Chargers for the last playoff slot. With Jacksonville, now playing much better with QB Trevor Lawrence playing at a level expected of him, Seattle and. Miami, the Jets face three teams with shots at making the playoffs. Doing something now with a banded up QB is even more unlikely.

NFL quarterbacks on the rise include Baker Mayfield, who was jettisoned by Carolina, landing on his feet in LA, engineering a comeback against the Saints on Thursday night, two days after arriving at the Rams HQ. Sam Darnold has returned from injury and looked good for Carolina—to the misery of Jets fans. Mr. Irrelevant—the last man taken in last year’s draft—his name is Brock Purdy, led the Niners easily over Tom Brady and the Bucs; he is questionable to play on Thursday in Seattle, as San Francisco’s hopes ride squarely on his shoulders. 

Moving to college hoops, when was the last time the UConn men, undefeated so far, are higher up in the polls than the vaunted UConn women? Geno Auriemma’s team is down two key stars, has lost two games, and had to claw its way past a good Princeton team at home—which normally would have been a much easier Huskies win. 

The University of Houston and the University of Texas at Austin held the top two spots in the polls heading into the weekend. Alabama, which has now downed two number 1 teams this season (Houston and North Carolina), and Illinois, took care of the Texas two step. With Texas, they have greater problems , as Coach Chris Beard was arrested on serious domestic abuse allegations. 

Rutgers lost to Ohio State in a game they should have won. Notwithstanding that guard Caleb McConnell missed a crucial free throw, the last second gave winning heave by OSU which went in but should not have counted. The player had come onto the playing surface from out-of-bounds, which is a no-no. The refs missed it, giving the Scarlet Knights a heartbreaking loss. 

Then on Sunday, in a dreadfully low scoring affair, RU missed another free throw and Seton Hall again capitalized, scoring the winning basket with little time left. Once more, the player may have stepped out-of-bounds.

There is no precedent for overruling the calls (or non-calls) once the game is over. The ruling bodies must reconsider, to avoid similar future travesties like this. My thought is this—when the game is won in the last minute of play, the officials should go to replay (or there could be a third official in a locale where he is watching the game) to ensure that the game’s end was correctly called. 

A women’s hoops extravaganza was decimated in Las Vegas when an earlier tournament was not properly venued (on a ballroom floor) and without appropriate medical personnel present. Franklin and Marshall is set to play two games in Vegas in late December at  a D3 Hoops tournament run by the same disreputable company. Let’s hope they get it right this time. 

Then there was good old Grinnell College. Playing a school I had never heard of until four years ago, the Pioneer men stomped on poor Emmaus Bible College by a margin of 124-67. In that contest, Grinnell set the NCAA mark for 3 point attempts—a mind-numbing 111. That was every single Pioneer attempt at a field goal. They shot 40 for 111, with those 40 three pointers trailing the record 42 recorded against Emmaus in 2018. Grinnell closed out 2022 with a 124-72 trouncing of Westminster College of Missouri to bring their record to a mere 5-6. I guess they need some more cream puffs on the schedule.

The FCS Final Four is set: Incarnate World plays at North Dakota State, while Montana State travels to South Dakota State. On the Division III side, perennial powers Mount Union and North Central of Illinois battle for the championship this weekend. 

Just a side note—the schools which won Division III soccer and cross country were Chicago and MIT for the men, with Johns Hopkins winning both events on the women’s side. Highly respected schools can prevail. 

In the NBA, the Nets have quietly regained their mojo. The Celtics actually lost two games out West. Golden State has been maddeningly inconsistent; Sacramento has a better record. Phoenix has suddenly become mortal and has lost five in a row. Milwaukee is rounding into dominant form. And the Lakers lost games to the Sixers and Celtics which they should have won; which is why they are 11-16.

The World Cup has a great final. France and Argentina. Two blue bloods in world soccer. I might check in on this game. 

College football mourns the loss of Mississippi State Head Coach Mike Leach. His winning record reflected the genius of his offenses. He developed passing schemes which were non-existent. He has many disciples throughout the collegiate and professional ranks. 

Take a look at him and he looked overweight and lacking sleep, both of which were probably true. Yet this Pepperdine Law grad was a Renaissance man, able to discuss the most arcane things in detail. Guys like him can be rogue, which brought his Texas Tech and Washington State programs under scrutiny. 

But take a minute to read about him if you Wikipedia his name. You’d be surprised at the depth of this man and the accolades which followed his untimely passing from a heart 

condition. 

That’s it. Happy Chanukah. Enjoy your latkes and jelly doughnuts. 

For Old Times Sake

  It was getting old. When was Aaron Judge finally going to agree to the richest deal in the history of MLB/season to a position player (Mike Trout of the Angels gets more money @ $420 million)? 

Would he jump to the team he rooted for as a youth—the San Francisco Giants? In winning a player of the year award for his incredible 2022 performance which captivated baseball, whether you were or weren’t a Yankees fan, Judge let it be known that his wife reminded him that as a 10 year old, young Aaron wanted to be married to her, his childhood sweetheart and be playing for the Giants. That got all Yankees fans on edge. 

Then the amount of the contract and its length—9 years at $360 million, or $40 million/year—made the Yankees fans sweat even more. There was a great amount of sentiment that he would not be in New York, and would not be playing in pinstripes on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium—the Giants are the Yankees’ opponents in the first series of 2023. Angst be thy enemy!!

Moreover, there was a belief that the Los Angeles Dodgers might be a suitor. Certainly that franchise had plenty of money available and the word was that Mookie Betts, himself a former M.V.P., would switch to second base to accommodate Judge on the field and in the lineup.

Surprisingly, the word was that the San Diego Padres, a franchise known to spend big, had become a player in the Judge sweepstakes. To the tune of a purported $400 million dollar offer. Imagine that lineup with a trifecta of Manny Machado, Juan Soto and Judge facing pitchers—scary!!

Wednesday morning came the news the Yankees nation was awaiting—Judge was coming back for 9 more years, at a cost of $360 million. That far surpassed the offer made at the beginning of the season of 7 years for $213 million. Of course, when Judge bet on himself and put up numbers for a lifetime, including setting the American League single season home run record, we fans knew that the price tag for his return was going to be astronomical. 

Now there is a sense of relief replacing the panic which was starting to rage among those with varying opinions about what would happen to Judge. He’s back and all is right in the world—at least for the moment. 

There are the naysayers who speak of the Yankees making a bad deal. Did Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman really have much choice? The guy set the AL HR record as a Yankee. He is beloved by his teammates. His marketing is through the roof. 

Sure, he will age during the length of his contract. And injuries are inevitable. But if he was to average 30 home runs a year for the length of this deal, he would surpass the magic 500 home run threshold for entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame. As a Yankee. 

Frankly, I have not seen a Yankee as beloved as icon Derek Jeter until I saw the affection poured on Aaron Judge. The amount of attention he receives; the ovations he gets when his name is announced; and his performance on the field measures up with that of Jeter. 

To me, bringing back Judge was a no brainer. If that was what, in fact, his desire knowing the riotous nature of Yankees fans, one can imagine the uproar if Judge didn’t return because  the organization had made a decision based on money not to sign him. 

This was a Steinbrenner move worthy of Hal’s father, the mercurial “Boss,” George Steinbrenner. For those who believed that George would have had him signed before Judge entered free agency, that is pure fiction. And any notion that the obvious blunder of announcing what offer was on the table before the season began would have happened is sheer fantasy. 

Yankees fans should be appreciative of what Hal Steinbrenner and Cashman did with this negotiation. Except that now, just like the naysayers in the press, they will turn their attention to what is next to make this team not merely a contender, but the front runner to win the American League and the World Series. Which is the norm for the very impatient Yankees fans, now mired with no Series win since 2009.

There will be more moves coming in the next few days and leading up to Spring Training. New York has a couple of really young future stars in Orlando Cabrera, the favorite to be the starting shortstop, along with Oswaldo Cabrera, who showed great promise when he became an emergency fill in wherever needed. Then there is the looming presence of Anthony Volpe, the former top pick from New Jersey. He might be readier to assume a spot on the Opening Day roster than the rabid fans think. 

I know that pitching has to be addressed, too. I am confident that Cashman will get the right personnel this time—he brought back Tommy Kahnle to add bullpen depth. 

There is a question of whether Bryan Reynolds, the Pirates’ All-Star outfielder is a good fit in left field. What would the price be for him—Gleyber Torres? And there are the bloated contracts for the aging and underperforming Aaron Hicks and Josh Donaldson to deal with. 

Give it a rest Yankees fans. Exhale and be glad the savior is returning. 

One more thing—I really believed that Judge was very likely to come back to New York by a number of signs. First, his wife ran in the New York Marathon, supported by his buddies Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo. Resigning Rizzo was another key piece of the puzzle; Judge and Rizzo are very close. Throughout the course of this epic, his residence remained in Tampa; given California’s hefty income taxes versus none for Florida residents, that was huge. 

Finally, on Monday night, Judge attended the New Orleans-Tampa Bay football game. While he cavorted briefly with G.O.A.T. and fellow Northern Californian Tom Brady, it was who he was with that mattered. Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes, seemingly always in dugout discussions with Rizzo and Judge, and reliever Mike King were there. If Judge was heading elsewhere, he might have gone to the game sans Yankees. 

Continuing the theme of what gets old quickly is the Mets inking future Hall of Fame free agent pitcher Justin Verlander to a two year, $86 million deal. Verlander is now reunited with his former Detroit teammate, Max Scherzer. While Verlander is 40 years old, he is coming off of a Cy Young Award winning year in Houston, where the Astros won the World Series. 

If the tandem can throw age to the side and perform like the dominant pitchers they have been, the Mets will have a formidable one-two punch at the top of the staff. Filling in the other pieces will determine how good the Mets and the other big-market franchises—the Braves, Dodgers, Phillies and now the Cubs—are at spending their money in free agency and through trades. 

Why is it that when I wanted to be rid of him, old man Tom Brady reemerged to win in another come from behind victory? That’s number 44 if you are counting, with the dramatic final TD to secure a triumph over the New Orleans Saints. Actually two TD’s in the last 4 minutes (with one negated for a holding penalty—just for good measure). 

This old man needed to go to bed, because I had to wake up early on Tuesday. Yet I found myself mesmerized, my eyes glued to my den TV set, watching him do it again. I kind of knew it was coming, I didn’t want it to transpire, but I wanted to watch vintage Tom Brady make it happen like the magician he is. 

Being a New York Jets fan, I had to endure watching Brady punish my team, time after time. As bad as he was to the Jets, he was that tough on Buffalo, another AFC East rival. 

We love to hate Brady because of Deflategate, his arrogance and his ability to beat opponents, which has resulted in his being the leading QB in Super Bowl wins. We revel in his failures on the field and ponder his behavior away from the game. 

Still, we never are really surprised when he orchestrates another Houdini-like win for his team. No matter at what age. We have really come to expect this from the master. 

Lastly, it is sad to see that Cristiano Ronaldo, the legendary striker formerly for Manchester United, is now a bench spectator as Portugal moves on in World Cup play. Could he play a role in a World Cup victory for the Portuguese? Who knows? 

All I could think about this week is how things (and people) are getting old. 

Not So Much California Dreamin"?

  It’s a strange place in sports right now. College football is marching towards bowl season and the playoffs. The NFL is officially in its next- to-last month and we are beginning to see which teams are in the playoff chase. The NBA has played about a quarter of its season, and the NHL has gone a bit past that. College basketball teams finished their travels away from home for tournaments which seemingly spanned the Thanksgiving week. Plus we have the World Cup down to its Sweet Sixteen—but they don’t call it that, possibly because that might incite the hosts in Qatar.

    Let’s quickly say that there is a good chance that the projected Final Four for the College Football Playoffs will be Georgia, Michigan, TCU and USC, and who will withstand some stern challengers this weekend. Georgia should dispatch LSU in Atlanta, where the stands will bleed red and black. Michigan is better than Purdue, but will there be a hangover from the beatdown of hated rival Ohio State in Columbus? The Horned Frogs face Kansas State, a team which gave them fits earlier this season; this is a potential upset. And USC meets Utah, the team which gave the Trojans the only blemish on its record. A loss by any of these teams might mean that Ohio State could make the tournament. Two losses, by let’s say TCU and USC, might open the door for Alabama, the best two loss team in the country and maybe the number 2 team, period. 

    Yes, the Jets won courtesy of another amazing passing performance by QB Mike White. Remember, the Chicago Bears secondary was decimated. If White can come close to duplicating this feat in Minnesota this Sunday, then the Jets are legitimately a playoff contender. 

    The Giants have a very meaningful game with playoff-minded Washington this week in the Meadowlands. A loss would put a damper on the team’s expectations. A win would be a nice marker in a march towards playing meaningful games in January. 

    Right now, the class of the league still appears to be Kansas City and Philadelphia. There are some intriguing matchups this weekend—Miami at San Francisco is one that bears watching from a playoff and entertainment perspective. Tennessee goes to Philadelphia—can the Titans rebound after Cincinnati took them apart? KC visits the Bengals in a 4:25 nationally televised game which will signal which team is better right now, as both are likely to make the playoffs. 

    Deshaun Watson finally has concluded his suspension. Where does Cleveland play this week? Why at Watson’s former home in Houston! I wonder how many protests there will be?

    In the NBA, the Boston Celtics have been lights out thus far. Only the Milwaukee Bucks are near the C’s 18-4 record, with a mark of 15-5. 

    I watched an enjoyable game on Tuesday when the Dallas Mavericks, behind a triple double by Luka Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer, downed the Golden State Warriors. It was fun to watch Doncic and Stephen Curry trade ridiculous shots. 

    A miss by Klay Thompson on a three point shot secured the victory for the Mavs. Thompson has lost a step and while his shot shows up briefly like it used to be, he clearly is not the player he was before his injuries. 

    In that game, I saw the referees enforce the new crackdown on traveling violations. Both Curry and Doncic fell afoul of the rules. Good for the NBA—too many times players have gotten away with one, two or even three extra steps to the hoop. Hear that Lebron? 

    Speaking of Lebron, he has mouthed off again regarding unfair treatment of Kyrie Irving by the media, comparing the Jerry Jones photo at the Little Rock school integration. Who knows what 14 year old Jones was thinking—teens do the damnest things. That was 65 years ago. Irving is 30 and cannot keep himself out of trouble. I just think that Lebron felt he should defend his former teammate—in case Brooklyn unloads him to—the Lakers? And for the record—I can’t stand either Jones and Irving and I don’t trust what they say to be the truth. I want to like Lebron more, but he feels he must be the arbiter of social justice. At post-game press conferences. 

    Quick NHL notes. Boston is not only the home of the top NBA team, but also the top NHL team. The Bruins lead the very surprising New Jersey Devils by two points in the standings. Don’t look now, but the expansion Seattle Kraken have put themselves above .500 and in early playoff contention. Alas, it is December and the season isn’t over until April.

    The US men’s soccer team survived a tense game against Iran to make it to the next level. My soccer guru says that the next opponent, the Netherlands, looks a lot tougher on paper. A healthy Christian Pulisic, the goal scorer versus Iran, would help greatly if the Americans are to advance. 

    One more comment. Are the student-athletes disguised as basketball players ever in school? Between Thanksgiving trips across the country or outside the US to series like the ACC-Big Ten rivalry, that’s a lot of time away from campus. 

    All these sports and what do I have? A dream which placed me hurrying back to F&M from New Jersey to sit on the bench and maybe play as we hosted Kent State in baseball. 

    Now that dream is nonsensical because I have no eligibility left and I am 72 years old. Besides, F&M plays at the Division III level, while Kent State is a D-I school which would be highly unlikely to travel to Lancaster at any given time. Moreover, I haven’t taken batting practice, fielded a ball in 30 years and I am dealing with a neck problem which definitely limits my throwing from the outfield, let alone to anyone. 

    But it shows where my mind is. With baseball. In his Star-Ledger column on Thursday, Bob Klapsich wrote about the one topic gripping the New York Metropolitan area: where will Aaron Judge sign his ridiculously rich new contract, and when? He alludes to how Yankees fans are continuously searching social media, hoping to grasp some morsel which tells them what they want to hear—that their prodigy is going to spend the rest of his career in pinstripes. 

    I admit I am guilty of that offense. At least once a day I search for Aaron Judge, praying that I ascertain the news I want to hear and worrying that I’ll read the words I dread—that Judge has chosen to leave New York. 

    Every writer has his own theories. What is sure is this: Judge has met with the Yankees and San Francisco Giants. While “sources” claim that the Yankees have offered the A.L. MVP an eight year contract worth at least $300 million, making Judge the highest paid position player, we have not heard if the Giants have even made an offer to the Californian from Linden, 90 miles from the Bay Area. 

    There is an expectation that Judge will make a decision by the end of baseball’s Winter Meetings, which will be held in San Diego from December 4 to 7. That presumes that the Giants will have made their offer and that other potential suitors, like the Los Angeles Dodgers and, gasp, the Boston Red Sox, aren’t in the picture. 

    Each theory espoused by a writer takes into account what they perceive are positive and negative factors which might sway Judge. That he would be closer to Linden, where his wife and their families are settled, favors the Giants. That he has homes in New York and Tampa (probably for income tax purposes as well was to train in winter warmth) where the Yankees train favors the Bombers.

    Maybe Judge was unhappy with the booing he received in the ALCS loss to Houston where he underperformed. After all, he exhausted himself topping Roger Maris’ American League home run record in a season for the ages. Perhaps the more laid-back fan base in the Bay Area and the ability to escape back home on days off is more appealing. 

    Who really knows what is going through his mind right now. We don’t even know if Judge will allow the Yankees to match any astronomical offer put on the table. For that matter, we don’t know if he wants a contract to exceed that of Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole, who receives $324 million from the Yankees’ deep pockets. Or whether he wants more money per season than the Mets’ Max Scherzer, who is said to earn over $43 million a year. 

    All this speculation over the fate of one ballplayer is astounding. As is the angst which accompanies such guessing. 

    One thing is certain: baseball begins in February with Spring Training. Maybe this will all linger until then, as Judge seeks more money than has been offered. If that is the case, there will be a ton of worn out Yankees fans (and probably a good number of Giants supporters too) who will need psychiatric care, no matter what the outcome. 

    I just hope that there is not so much California Dreamin’ going on?

Hopefully, Aaron Judge Hasn't Abandoned New York

It’s Thanksgiving. Time for turkey and overloading with food. 

It also is time for some NFL football. Three games. Pretty good ones, too. Resurgent Detroit takes on Buffalo at Ford Field. Because of the snowstorm which buried Orchard Park and the Bills’ home stadium, Buffalo actually played in Ford Field more recently than the home team, which went to the Meadowlands and walloped the Giants. 

This is no gimme for the Bills. Blessed with good field conditions inside the arena, the Bills pasted the Cleveland Browns. And with the New York Jets doing the unbelievable in losing to New England for the 14th straight time, there is a logjam in the AFC East. Idle Miami sits atop the division. Buffalo is second because it lost to the Dolphins. Suddenly, New England is in third because of the Jets’ ineptitude. New York slid from potentially being in first with a win over the Patriots, to now residing in fourth place.  

Buffalo can stake its claim to first place with a win. On Sunday, Miami hosts the lowly Houston Texans in a game the Fish should win. New England, fresh off of its gift win via the Jets stupidity, is in Minnesota on Thursday night. The Vikings had their heads handed to them at home by the Dallas Cowboys. Minnesota should be smarting from that embarrassment and would be expected to give the visiting Patriots a very rough time. 

The other game for Turkey Day is the Giants and Cowboys in the annual Dallas Thanksgiving Day game. Dallas is on the rise. The Giants looked challenged against Detroit, which isn’t as bad a team as their 4-6 record might suggest. Dallas is maybe the best or second best team in the NFC. New York has suffered some key injuries, and perhaps has played over its head thus far. A loss here imperils the G-Men’s chances to make the playoffs. A win puts them back into the NFC East title chase. This is a very important game for both squads. How many times will I be nauseated by shots of Cowboys owner Jimmy Jones happily cheering his team from his suite at AT&T Stadium? Answer: too many. 

Let me get to the Jets. A once promising season is now in tatters. Zach Wilson, drafted second overall just a few short years ago, played horribly again when facing Bill Belichick’s team. 

The defense was outstanding. Once more a play which could have changed the game went against the Jets. Unlike the interception touchdown at Met Life Stadium which was negated by a penalty, this near TD fumble recovery was ruled an incomplete pass. Two questionable calls. Both going against the Jets. Naturally. 

There was 00:20 left on the clock before the 3-3 tie could head to overtime. Jets punter Braden Mann needed to merely kick the ball away from the New England returner, and the clock would have run out and the teams could have resumed the battle in the OT. 

With the windy conditions, Mann was having difficulties. Instead of booting the ball away, it went right to Marcus Jones. In 15 seconds, Jones had eluded all of the Jets on the field and scored the winning TD with five seconds left. 

A mere observer would say that play was incredible. Except that the Jets are tied to the butt fumble by Mark Sanchez when he ran into his own teammate, allowing the Patriots to win a game they shouldn’t have. 

We just marked the tenth anniversary of that disaster with a new one. Which shouldn’t be surprising given the recent history with New England—the Jets snatching defeat from the arms of victory, has now lost 14 straight to its nemesis. And NYJ has sunk into last place in the AFC East, where almost all pundits had placed them at the beginning of the season. 

Wilson looked so lost out there. His post-game press conference, like the previous one versus New England, was bizarre. Head Coach Robert Saleh had seen enough with Wilson and is sitting him down this week when the Chicago Bears visit Met Life Stadium. 

Second-stringer Mike White, who has performed okay in limited action over the last couple of years, is now the number one QB. To me, this is a panic move. I may not like how Wilson has been playing or acting lately, but he has dealt with injuries and his growth has been slowed as a result. 

Nevertheless, if the franchise is to succeed, that success is tied to the maturity of Wilson. Yanking him from the starter’s role will do nothing for the team or Wilson. 

I have heard the rumbling that the team was not happy with Wilson’s putrid performance—he only threw for 77 yards and was a shambles in the pocket as he went through his progressions, never getting the ball to receivers accurately or timely. I get it. 

Maybe Saleh thought he would lose the team if he didn’t make this move. But just like the Giants, this team has way overachieved and the fact that both teams are still in the playoff hunt is way beyond expectations of both fan bases. 

Saleh and Brian Daboll the Giants’ first year coach, have been mentioned in the Coach of the Year conversation. Then again, Nick Siriani of Philadelphia, Mike Zimmer in Minnesota, and Mike McDaniel, the Yalie who is the head man in Miami, have all been discussed as possible winners. With seven games still remaining in the season, this will change. 

But the fortunes of the Jets took a tremendous hit on Sunday in Foxborough, a place of horrors for them. Chicago comes to New Jersey wounded—literally. QB Justin Fields, having a tremendous year, suffered a left shoulder injury late in the loss at Atlanta last week. He has been diagnosed with ligament damage in that shoulder. 

While Fields is optimistic about playing versus the Jets, this could turn out to be a battle of backups, as Trevor Simien could well start for the Bears opposite White. Doesn’t that sound delicious?

Whatever reasons went into Saleh’s decision to bench Wilson—maybe he didn’t want the QB to face the wrath of perpetually disappointed Jets fans when they take out their long term frustration encompassed in this latest disaster—it changes the dynamic greatly. Chicago is very weak on defense. Wilson could have had a good comeback game. The Jets could have vaulted themselves back into playoff contention with a win. 

With White leading the offense, things are much murkier. The future of the team and Zach Wilson is in limbo.

Yet in my 47 year tenure as a Jets season ticket holder, this is not uncommon. Somehow, the Jets have not had that leader to take them to the promised land like the great Joe Wille Namath did in 1969. Which is why he is revered whenever he appears at Met Life. 

I liked Chad Pennington. His career was shortened by injury. Sanchez was never the same after the fumble, and his fortunes plummeted, as did those of Head Coach Rex Ryan.  

This same spiraling appears on the horizon. Just when I thought there might be a glimmer of hope, a beacon of light which could free Jets fans from the playoff exile in which we have been entrenched, this time it is a bad punt which has once more doomed us. 

Evidently Zach Wilson, the next savior, isn’t that in the eyes of the team and the coaches. And probably Jets fans too. Not surprisingly.

Enjoy the football. Enjoy your turkey and the trimmings. Hopefully, Aaron Judge hasn’t abandoned New York. That could totally ruin the holiday.