See You In June

Ever since I wrote about the New York Yankees underperforming and being an incomplete team, the team has done its best to show me how wrong I was. To which I say, as a jaded Yankee fan, this sample is just a bit over 20% of the season. While it is i since start, the Yankees still have a long way to go in a long season before we can definitively say this is a very special team. 

I realize that being 18 games over .500 is pretty damn good. No matter who the opposition is. If you have eyes on the pennant, then you must handily defeat the teams below you. New York has faced the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Tigers, Guardians, Orioles, Rangers, White Sox and Royals. Of that group, only the Blue Jays are playing above. 500.

You have to play the teams according to the schedule MLB devised. After the end of the Orioles series, the Yankees still have to face the White Sox and the Orioles again, this time at home, where the Bombers record is 14-4. Only upon completion of the six contests in the Bronx do the Yankees face a really good team—Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, where New York has historically had trouble. 

After the four games in Florida, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim come to Yankee Stadium. The Angels were playing good baseball until swept by Texas. Detroit follows the Halos, before a trip to AL Central-leading Minnesota. Then the woeful Cubs are in town. 

After that, the Yankees face the Rays, Jays and the red hot Houston Astros for twelve consecutive games. That will get the team to nearly the end of June. By that time, one could realistically measure the chances of this team to win the AL East and perhaps the World Series.

While the Yankees are looking like world beaters, I still see some significant flaws. Both Aaron Hicks and Joey Gallo are mired with below .200 batting averages. Hicks looks horrible and Gallo, while coming off a stretch where he actually looked good, has fallen back into his pattern of too many strikeouts. 

Josh Donaldson also is scuffling along. D.J LeMahieu has been hot and cold this season. The catching duo of Kyle Higashioka and Jose Trevino are an improvement over the inconsistent Gary Sanchez on defense; their offense is as paltry as Sanchez was the last couple of years. 

So how are the Yankees doing it—winning so often? Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, the two verifiable sluggers, are on fire. Judge leads the league in home runs and Stanton is the top R.B.I. producer. Anthony Rizzo has started to come out of a slump. And new shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa is batting .272. Gleyber Torres has had some huge games, too. 

That’s part of the story. The front line pitching has been solid. Ace Gerrit Cole is sporting a 2.89 E.R.A. to go with his four wins. That pales in comparison to Nestor Cortes, who has a miniscule 1.35 E.R.A. Jameson Taillon and Luis Severino are pitching nicely, and while his record does not show it, so is Jordan Montgomery, although the Yankees are 2-6 in the games he has started. 

The bullpen has been, for the most part, the dominant force behind the Yankees success. Michael King, Clay Holmes, Clark Schmidt and Wandy Peralta have been lights out on the mound. Chad Green has been his usual self lately, which is good thing. Miguel Castro has been solid. 

This offers the inconsistency of closer Aroldis Chapman, who looks lost when he comes in to pitch. Jonathan Loaisiga does not look like the breakout star of 2021. And Luis Luetge has also struggled, most recently surrendering a three run walkoff homer in the series finale in Baltimore. 

How the bullpen is managed and how the starters continue to pitch will be key to how the Yankees play when they meet the better teams. But the hitters need to come alive—I’m talking about Hicks, Gallo and the catchers, for this team to be taken seriously.

Again, it is before Memorial Day and very few teams win the World Series based on their early performance. I am sure I will have more to say about this as the season goes forward. 

The NBA Playoffs continue with the Conference Finals. Boston and Miami have begun their series, with Miami prevailing at home in Game 1 behind 41 points from Jimmy Butler. This is against a Celtics team minus NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart, and key big man Al Horford, who has been placed in the COVID protocols. 

The Celtics looked lost in the third quarter of their game. They missed Smart and Horford, with too much of the burden on Jayson Tatum to carry the team offensively when the defense was not present. 

Smart may return in Game 2, but Horford is unlikely to play until the games shift to Boston. By that time Miami should have a 2-0 lead. The sledding will be tough for the Celtics, but not impossible. If Smart and Horford can remain on the court, this series could go well beyond 4 games. 

After all, the Celtics dominated the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, tiring Giannis Antetokounmpo as he tried to make up for the loss of All-Star Kris Middleton to a knee injury. 

Frustrating Butler and hiding him in check will place greater reliance on other members of the Heat, who I just don’t have great faith in.

In the West, the Dallas Mavericks absolutely dominated the Phoenix Suns in Game 7 in Phoenix to win their series. It was a crushing defeat for the Suns, the regular season wins leader and the favorite to  win it all. 

Coming off of his dominant play against Phoenix, Luka Doncic will be tested by a smothering Golden State Warriors defense. Can the rest of the Mavs’ squad overcome Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins, who weren’t at their best in Game 1, a game which Golden State won by 25. 

Do not count the Mavs out just yet. Most thought they would not beat Phoenix, as the team trailed 0-2 before coming home. I am not saying that the Warriors are better than the Suns; it is simply how much magic does Doncic and friends have left?

Two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay looked so much better than the seasonal points leader, the Florida Panthers, in Game 1 of their best-of-seven series. The Lightning may just get to the Finals again the way they first downed a very good Toronto team and the way they looked versus the Panthers. 

Of course, Carolina might have a lot to say about that. Stymied by the New York Rangers for most of the opener of their series, the ‘Canes scored late in regulation to tie the score then won the game in OT. If Carolina plays like they did in the third period and OT, this will be a short series. 

In the West, The Avalanche face a very worthy foe in the St. Louis Blues. It took overtime for the Avs to win Game 1. I predict a six of seven game series here.

Then there is the Battle of Alberta between Edmonton and Calgary. While the Oilers have some great young talent, the Flames might be a bit better than Edmonton. If Calgary wins Game 2, this could be a short series. 

That’s it. That’s all I’ve got. I am away for the next week. See you in June.

Dear Diary

Dear Diary: Today is Thursday. I just sat through Game 2 of the Warriors and Memphis. The game where Dylan Brooks fouled Gary Payton II so hard that in the ensuing fall, Payton broke his L (shooting) arm. 

Brooks broke the unwritten code about hard fouls around the head with intent to injure. Steve Kerr, the erudite Golden State head coach, who had played with Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman, immediately called it a dirty play on national TV. 

This has been a rough series. As has been Boston-Milwaukee. These guys are playing seriously. It kind of reminds me of the old days—when Rudy La Russa of the Lakers went after the arch-rival Celtics. Or when Bill Laimbeer and the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons would hack and kick and gouge their way to titles. 

In its own way, if this kind of histrionics persists, it will detract markedly from the product. The Celtics and Bucks are loaded with talent. Then there is Ja Morant, who has become rather all-worldly this year facing the Warriors with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins and now the sensational Jordan Poole. In the end, it may take a number of 40+ games from Morant for the Grizzlies to advance. 

Before I went to sleep, I watched a little hockey. The New York Rangers stormed back to down the Pittsburgh Penguins, knotting the series at 1. These are two very evenly matched teams. It would be no surprise to me if there is a Game 7. 

I also saw the Panthers rout the Capitals in their series. This is a six or seven games series as well. While it is a lot of fun and entertaining, in the end, my money remains on the Colorado Avalanche to win it all. 

One last tidbit. I had checked on the Mets and Phillies in the first game of a four game set in Philadelphia. I stopped checking on the score with the Phillies comfortably ahead 7-1. I awoke the next morning to find out that the Mets had stormed back to win the game 8-7. They had done something similar in St. Louis earlier this season. The Mets seem to be the real deal. Baseball in New York (and Los Angeles where the Dodgers and Angels are looking good) is going to be a ton of fun this summer. 

Dear Diary: Today is Friday. It is rainy and nasty. I don’t think that the Texas Rangers and Yankees will get to play today. Or for that matter, tomorrow, when I am supposed to go to the Stadium for the first time since 2018. I hope that the Yankees do the right thing and postpone Saturday’s contest. I have vivid memories of going with my father to a makeup Wednesday afternoon Cleveland-New York doubleheader at the old ballpark and sitting through an hour’s deluge before the game was finally called. It still sends a chill down my spine when I hear a forecast of rain for a day I am going to the Stadium.

Brooks was suspended one game for his conduct. it should be a minimum of two. When Brooks takes the court for Game 4, the crowd will be beyond surly. What was the NBA thinking? Payton is out for the season and one game is enough? 

I checked out Miami and Philadelphia in Game 3 of that series. Joel Embiid had been in concussion protocol and suffered an orbital fracture late in the clinching game against Toronto. Without Embiid, the Sixers looked pitiful, with James harden a shell of himself and despite the frenetic play of Tyrese Maxey, who, like Morant, is fun to watch. 

Surprisingly, Embiid played and the Sixers dominated Miami. The Heat looked ragged and disorganized. I may be prejudiced, but taking sharpshooting Duncan Robinson out of the rotation is a mistake—one which, if the Sixers play like they did tonight, will haunt the Heat. Memo to Eric Spoelstra—put him back in!

I also watched a bit of the Suns and Mavericks. I thought this might be a sweep in favor of Phoenix. Luka Doncic and mates don’t agree. They took it to Chris Paul, Devin Booker and company. Will Phoenix regroup and snare Game 4 on Sunday?

Dear Diary: It is Saturday. I awoke with a brute of a head cold. I was glad the Yankees postponed the game. I had my jersey ready and my winter clothes to put on if I had to go.

Instead, I slept in a bit, awakening to see the last 20 seconds of Game 3 for Boston-Milwaukee. The Bucks scored with just over 11 seconds left on a Jrue Holiday lay up. A foul call on Holiday, which the officials said occurred before the attempted three point shot, led to a furious end.  Boston’s Marcus Smart made the first shot, then caromed the ball off the rim, caught it himself and threw up a shot. The ball bounded around to the Celtics Al Hereford, who tried a tip in, then snare the ball and sank the shot. Except it was clearly after time expired. 

Game over. The Bucks escaped. The Celtics were beyond aggravated about the call not being for three free throws. I have seen worse called for three shots. I also agree that the foul may have happened prior to Smart elevating for the shot. And I don’t think that a replay would have definitively changed anything.  

I did watch a bit of the Rutgers-Maryland Big Ten Men’s Lacrosse Championship. I came away with this: Maryland is a true number 1 in the nation team. And the gap between 1 and 3, where Rutgers sat, seemed to be enormous. 

I did see some more of the Rangers-Penguins. New York battled back from a 4-0 deficit to tie the score. Alas, the Penguins weathered a number of penalties and scored three times to down NY. 

I saved my energy for the Grizzlies and Warriors. Memphis streaked out to a sizable lead at the outset. The Warriors kind of kept pace. In the second quarter, Memphis suffered some shooting woes and the Warriors came alive. For the game, Golden State shot over 61% from the floor and scored 142 points. 

As well as Curry, Thompson, Wiggins and the Warriors shot, Memphis had Morant. Citing three point shots, dazzling with drives or throwing down thunderous dunks, he was the offense for the Grizzlies. He even hit a half court shot to end the first half. 

However, he was injured on a loose ball. Memphis contends that Jordan Poole went for his knee, grabbing and twisting it. I watched the replay. It didn’t seem that way to me. As much as the Celtics yelled about their loss, the Grizzlies called Poole’s actions dirty and warranting a suspension. 

More importantly, if Morant is injured—I thought a meniscus tear the way he limped about and threw down something while on the bench—this series is over. I know that Memphis went 20-5 without Morant during  the regular campaign. Except this is not the regular season and these are the Golden State Warriors. 

Let’s not forget the Kentucky Derby. Because it was absolutely unforgettable. Rich Strike, a horse only permitted in the field the day before the race when another horse could not run, confounded every expert and sprinted past the elites to a stunning win. 

80-1 long shots do not win the Derby. I had mentioned to my wife how much fun it would be if the horse won the race. Then I immediately dismissed that though. What a colossal upset!

Dear Diary: I was astounded when I saw the White Sox and Red Sox were on NBC at 11:30 a.m. I checked it out and the format is good. Exclusivity until 1:00 or 1:30 for a national telecast. Moreover, using broadcasters from each team is an homage to the World Series of my youth when the home team’s announcers would get to call the game. 

The bad news is that this is a one time shot on the network. The remaining 17 telecasts are on Peacock. Another way for MLB to increase revenue. Just like the Yankees are on Amazon Plus on Friday nights—with Friday’s make up as the Sunday doubleheader opener being telecasted on Amazon instead of YES. Aargh.

We pay enough for sports TV. YES, ESPN, FS 1, SNY, TNT, and TBS are included in my cable bill. Which is not cheap. Now it will cost me more to see my teams or any games they play? I am outraged. And remember, you cannot get free TV at all—to get the regular channels, you have to use some kind of service to access the broadcasts. Where were the politicians and the FCC when this was happening?

BTW— the Yankees and Rangers split the two games. New York looked anemic in both games, eking out a first game win on a GleyberTorres walk off homer, then having the formerly unhittable Michael King surrender 3 runs after New York had forged a 2-1 lead on a Giancarlo Stanton dinger to lose the second game. 

I checked on F&M playing in the twice delayed Centennial Conference Baseball Championships. Only to find that they were cancelled due to unplayable field conditions at Swarthmore. Which makes Swarthmore, the regular season champs by virtue of a tiebreaker, the automatic qualifier for the NCAA’s. F&M, which had a very fine season, is unlikely to snare an at-large berth. I am angry at the Centennial Conference and Swarthmore, which had all to gain with cancelling the tournament. So unfair. Find a neutral site, guys. 

I tuned into the Suns and Mavs. To see Doncic and Brunson doing it again to the vaunted Phoenix defense. I saw Chris Paul on the bench. For good reason. He had earlier fouled out, letting down Head Coach Monty Williams when he left Paul in the game with 4 fouls. 

Much of my Sunday interest was on Miami-Philadelphia. I wanted to see if Eric Spoelstra would change his game plan. He didn’t. The team is relying too much on Jimmy Butler, who scored 40 points, and center Bam Adebayo, who netted 21. The Heat could not offset Joel Embiid and a monster game (finally ) from James Harden, who led the Sixers with 31 points. 

I am hardly convinced that this won’t be anything more than a home court, seven game series won by Miami. Miami’s terrible three point shooting is hurting them. Considering that they were the best three point shooting team in the league, the correction is obvious. Play Duncan Robinson. 

What else did I watch on Sunday? Some time was spent watching the Leafs snd the Lightning. This time it was Tampa Bay’s turn to win. The series is tied at 2 returning to Toronto for Game 5. 

And I checked out the Dodgers and Cubs. Which was a rout in favor of Los Angeles. LAD is very strong and they had Walker Buehler on the mound—the ace of the staff. The Cubs are headed in the other direction. I worry about Manager David Ross’s job security. 

One other comment, Diary. I read a piece by Star-Ledger columnist Bob Klapsich about Yankees manager Aaron Boone. We forget that he has had heart problems from a congenital defect and wears a pacemaker. This man has survived open-heart surgery. How can you not root for him?

That’s it. My sports viewing and a few other things for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Thanks, Diary, for listening. 

Just Like That, It's Over

  Just like that, it was over. That statement applies to so many things in sports. The Yankees 11 game winning streak. The dirty hit on the Warriors’ Gary Payton II by Memphis’ Dylan Brooks. Or the goal by Pittsburgh in the third overtime by the Penguins in Game 1 of their series with the Rangers. Maybe even James Harden’s career, as we watch the Sixers flounder without Joel Embiid. 

Look at sports any way you want. There is a finality to every contest and every series. Some games seem to ease into the ending. Others are wrapped in controversy or a spectacular moment. 

It can be a knockout punch by a boxer, the metaphor used by many announces to describe the conclusion of a playoff series, especially when it ends a winner-take-all game. Perhaps it involves a walk off home run or a bases loaded strikeout from an ace closer. 

Maybe it is a winning jump shot which rolls or bounces around before settling into the bottom of the net. We’ve seen those many times before. 

Unquestionably, sports is loaded with drama. A single play in a pressure situation is all it takes. Especially if a superstar is the focal point. 

Sometimes the official makes the decisive call. A strike to end the game. A penalty at a critical time. Or a foul which places a player in a position to win the game. 

Sure, the pre-game anticipation builds with the importance of the clash. Media hype can make the moment even more compelling when it does occur.

Those who grew up with Jim Mc Kay’s voice over on ABC’s Wide World of Sports completely understand …”the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat…” graphically displayed with the ski jumper’s slide off a slick ramp. We exalt when Tiger Woods is victorious or even makes a birdie putt in his comeback from the disastrous car accident. We also exhale when Aroldis Chapman gets through the ninth inning, saving another victory for the Yankees. 

Competition is the essence of the soul. But it is not mutually exclusive from cooperation, which is defined by team sports. For any one athlete to succeed, it takes a group of like-minded individuals operating in sync.

We glorify those who win. Yet we forget those who succumb to injury or defeat, or at least we do not give them the credit they may be due. 

The University of Michigan fight song “Hail to the Victors” expects nothing less. The demands placed on those who compete fails, in many instances, to account for the brilliance of an athlete or team to reach the championship. 

There used to be third place or consolation games at basketball tournaments. It gave the teams that battled to the penultimate game another opportunity to walk away with a little piece of glory. There is no shame to finish with a silver or bronze medal at the Olympics. 

Even the NFL had The Bert Bell Benefit Bowl, held at the Orange Bowl from 1960 through 1969. Imagine an era without a Super Bowl and a real game to establish which team is third-best in the league. So outdated.  

C’mon, really? At the same time when legendary Green Bay Packers Head Coach Vince Lombardi offered this nugget of wisdom:

“Winning is not a something thing, it is an all time thing. You don’t just do

things right once in a while…you do them right all the time.”

He added: “Winning is not everything, but wanting to win is…Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” But leave it to that noted late and great Yankees player and American humorist, Yogi Berra, to put it all in perspective: “You wouldn’t have won if we’d beaten you.”

Maybe the Yankees heard about my vicious blog excoriating them. That might have been the motivation for the 11 game streak, notwithstanding that it included wins over second tier opponents like Baltimore and Cleveland. Highly unlikely. 

Nonetheless, those in the doldrums—Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres, newcomer Isiah Kiner-Falefa and, to some extent, perennial below the Mendoza line “superstar” Joey Gallo—came alive when it was needed most, to propel the Bombers into first place, with the best record in MLB. 

Of course, the old adage about pitching applies—you can never get enough good pitching. Which has been the real weapon for the Yankees. Both the starting and relief pitching has been superb. Granted that the schedule has been kind to New York, but the players are paid to play the games required of them. 

And when it suddenly came to an end Wednesday night in the Rogers Centre, a.k.a., the place formerly known as Sky Dome, Yankees fans were sad for losing a winnable game for 12 wins in a row. The final scoop by Toronto first baseman Vlad Guerrero, Jr. of a low throw to first by Matt Chapman on a ball hit by IK-F may have punctuated the end to a great early season streak. 

No longer a celebration over the 11 win streak, the focus was only on the loss. But many teams are as dominant over such a stretch—especially early in the season—a season which had an odd start due to the attenuated labor negotiations. The answer is precious few. 

A lot can come from a loss. Should the weather cooperate and allow any of the three scheduled games to be played this weekend, the Yankees can start a new winning streak,  showing what kind of mettle this team has. 

College basketball coaches aren’t saddened by a loss during a conference tournament. Why? Because it gives them a valuable teaching moment for their young charges, diverting their attention from the momentary loss to focusing on what the goal should be all along—winning a bigger prize. 

I am certain that Aaron Boone knows this and would like his team to get back on the winning track as quickly as possible. Yet he also recognizes that it is a 162 game marathon played in a shorter amount of time than normal, which means that there will be peaks and valleys. His eyes, and that of his team, are on capturing the first World Series title since 2009. 

Look at Golden State. In 2016, the year they won a record 73 games, the team failed to win the NBA title. So they learned from that hard loss to Lebron James, Kyrie Irving and the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers and won titles in 2017 and 2018. 

Now that they are whole, the Warriors believe they are truly in contention for another title. The opposition is stiff. In the West, Memphis, the current opponent, has a virtually unstoppable Ja Morant (largely because Payton, the one who could hold him in check, is now gone); Phoenix looks every bit as awesome as they were in the regular season when healthy. And in the East, Milwaukee, Boston and Miami are illegitimate title contenders. 

What is going to happen to all but one team is that they will not become champion. What the non-victorious will be remembered for and what they will have accomplished in losing will not matter in the climate of professional sports. 

What will happen is this—like the Yankees streak, the no hitter the Mets put on the Phillies or the next OT winner in the Stanley Cup Playoffs or the retirement of C. Vivian Stringer, Hall of Fame Women’s Head Coach at Rutgers—just like that, it will be over.