A Tale Of Two Teams In Citi

Well, the first portion of the drama known to New York baseball fans as “The Subway Series” has concluded its two night stand in Queens. For one team it was sweet. For the other, so many questions remained. 

Mets fans are rejoicing, having swept the supposed “Best Team in Baseball,” their cross-city rival from the Bronx. This gave the Mets faithful validation that their team could play with anybody—not that they really needed that. After all, the Mets did beat the Atlanta Braves recently, as the Braves are both the defending World Champions and the closest pursuer in the NL East. 

The Mets did it with pitching. Starters Tyjuan Walker and Max Scherzer were in good form and the Mets bullpen, not as star-studded as the Yankees pen, did their job in holding the vaunted Yankees bats in check. 

The Mets did it with defense. More than once, a fielder came up with a gem, squelching a potential Yankees rally. 

And the Mets did it with hitting. Timely base hits to offset the big bats of the Yankees on Tuesday night. Same thing on Wednesday, capped by a walk off hit to secure another victory.

Now I am not going to say that the Mets weren’t without some luck, too. Some pretty hard hit balls repeatedly ended up in the gloves of Mets players. Balls which might have been out of the playing field in right at Yankee Stadium were long and loud outs. 

There was no question in my mind that, for two nights, the Mets were simply the better team. Not that the Yankees aren’t a really good team. They are. 

It was the Mets who came out ahead because they wanted it more. The waves of emotion from the team and the fans were symbolic of a need to slay the giant opponent from that “Evil Empire.”

In watching the games, which, for a Yankees fan like me, was difficult, I tried to be objective despite my partisanship. I looked at both lineups and I found neither to be frightening. 

Sure, the Yankees have Aaron Judge, who has crushed 38 home runs in the team’s first 99 games, placing his name with Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris in the pantheon of Yankees greats who have clubbed as many at that stage of the season. Unfortunately, one man does not make a team. 

While Anthony Rizzo contributed some offense as he still sported a batting average in the .220’s and Gleyber Torres hit a homer on Wednesday night, there is little consistency with the NYY hitters. Perhaps the most telling statistic is that Isiah Kiner-Falefa, the light hitting shortstop, has constructed a 14 game hitting streak. That streak is the longest by a Yankee this year. Yet Manager Aaron Boone pinch hit for IKF on Tuesday, and Joey Gallo, tied to a .160 average, obviously struck out in a very wasted at bat. 

I found that Boone was making moves which didn’t necessarily make sense, unless you felt that you had to jolt your team from its recent doldrums. Yanking starter Jordan Montgomery in the fourth inning on Tuesday night, left the pitcher and others dumbfounded. Pinch hitting Jose Trevino for Kyle Higashioka on Wednesday night was another gross miscalculation when Trevino struck out. 

Plus I knew the game was over on Wednesday night when Boone elected to bring in All Star closer Clay Homes to pitch the 8th inning with the score tied 2-2. This left Wandy Peralta to come in in the 9th inning. Peralta is not close to Holmes and this graphically highlighted what the loss of set up man Michael King has done to the Yankees bullpen. 

Granted, the Yankees went to Citi Field without Giancarlo Stanton, once more on the IL, this time with Achilles tendon issues. One big bat out of the way for the Mets; one big loss of a thumper for the Yankees. 

Stanton’s absence caused the Yankees to put Matt Carpenter in right field for both games. Carpenter’s weak arm gifted the Mets a run. Moreover, Carpenter is now starting to show signs that his hitting rampage may be coming to an end.

With an outfield of Aaron Hicks, a center fielder in left, Judge, normally a right fielder not entrenched in center and Carpenter, Gallo, Marwin Gonzalez and Tim Locastro not the answers, GM Brian Cashman pulled the trigger on a deal, acquiring Kansas City All Star Anthony Benintendi to put in left field, shifting Hicks to the right side of the outfield. 

Benintendi may be no more than a rental. Although he brings a .320 average with him, the former World Champion with Boston might not be enough to right the ship. Gallo needs to go. Stanton, when healthy, will still need to play the field, which tends to make his bat more productive. 

There still is the quandary in the infield. D.J. LeMahieu is hitting like he did in 2020. His batting average is second only to Judge, and the duo forms a daunting one-two punch for the Yankees. 

But where to find playing time for Carpenter, Rizzo, Torres, Josh Donaldson and the versatile LeMahieu is a delicate balance when Judge cannot play every day, and you can only have one player as the designated hitter. Besides LeMahieu, someone’s bat has to get hot and demand continued at bats. 

Moreover, the pitching seems to be on a downward trend. Montgomery’s short hook is troublesome. The loss of Luis Severino from the rotation is a blow, even Domingo German looked much better than his first outing in Houston. Jameson Taillon has a 10-2 record and Yankees fans hold their breath when he takes the mound. “Nasty” Nestor Cortes pitched great versus Baltimore last weekend; he is in uncharted waters concerning innings pitched. Ace Gerrit Cole suffered the lone loss in Baltimore. Will he bounce back?

Add in the uncertainty of the bullpen with Aroldis Chapman and Jonathan Loasiga, both who looked good against the Mets, but still are question marks as to confidence and reliability. Rob Marinaccio, who suffered some shoulder fatigue is back and looking good—but he is really untested, too. 

The Yankees may have an 11 game lead over the somewhat surging Blue Jays with 63 games to go. The AL East still is the toughest division in baseball, as the Red Sox, mired in a 5-14 slide are still only 3.5 games from a Wild Card slot despite being in fifth place. 

All of this makes Yankees fans fidgety. It is clear that the Astros are much better—they won handily when facing both the Yankees AND the Mets this year. The Yankees need to make a big splash somewhere if they are to realistically have a chance to win that elusive World Series title. What it will be remains the question.

Meanwhile, the Mets have pitching, and that starting rotation will be augmented by the return of multiple Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom. His appearance is like getting an arm from another source. If he can pitch close to his past capabilities, the Mets will be a formidable team. In a division where two teams, Miami and Washington are below .500, and the Braves and Phillies are in prime position to make the post-season.

Even with Pete Alonso driving in runs in droves and Starling Marte hitting over .300, who is to say that Steve Cohen is just going to sit on the sidelines and let the Yankees get better and grab all of the headlines. Highly unlikely. 

Here was my one resounding thought watching the first part of the Subway Series. The teams we saw this week may not resemble the teams we see when they meet again at Yankee Stadium in August. By that time, we might have a better idea which team may ultimately do more damage in the playoffs and be able to hold their own against Houston and the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

For those nights in Queens, it was a tale of two teams in Citi. 

An Enjoyable Midsummer Not So Classic

If you like the MLB All-Star Game and you like plenty of action, then you must have liked the first couple of innings of Tuesday night’s game. After 3 and 1/2 innings, the game was over. No more scoring. Plenty of strikeouts—22 to be exact. This was the kind of lengthy game in which you could have gone to sleep early and not missed anything earth-shattering. 

Pitching was the name of the game. While there were 13 base hits—8 for the American League and 5 for the National League, there was a stretch in the game where the NL hitters couldn’t buy a hit. The AL didn’t exactly have much offense—the 3 runs came on back-to-back  fourth inning homers by the Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton (a two run shot) and Minnesota’s Byron  Buxton. St.Louis first baseman Paul Goldschmidt followed the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts’ R.B.I. single in the first inning with a solo home run. Two innings. No more scoring. 

Nonetheless, the game was fun for an All-Star Game enthusiast like me. I knew that my cousin’s daughter, a partner in a pretty prestigious LA law firm, had taken her softball-playing daughter to both the Home Run Derby on Monday night as well as Tuesday’s extravaganza. And I have been to two Midsummer Classics, in 1977 and 2008, both in Yankee Stadium; at the latter game my son and I sat in the second row behind the AL dugout where the players came and went to the field and we interacted with the dude in front of us, Al Roker, and his wife, Deborah Roberts. 

My ASG experiences go back to my childhood. I watched every game that I could, including both in 1959-1961. On a cross-country trip, we passed the former Busch Stadium on Interstate 44 in 1966 as the game was being played. I was watching on a big screen set up in a hall in a Las Vegas casino when the game was at Shea Stadium in 1964. I can go on and on. You get the point. 

The MLB All Star Game was described by Hall of Fame pitcher and FOX analyst John Smoltz as the truest of all All Star games. I cannot disagree with that statement. Even with some gimmickry now to end the games, it still is played at the highest level by the game's biggest stars. 

In this year’s contest at Dodger Stadium, certain Hall of Fame pitcher Clayton Kershaw finally started for the ASG. A thrill to begin with, he took in the aura of the event from the mound he has called home for his entire major league career. 

Th first batter he faced was the Angels star hitter/pitcher, Shohei Ohtani. FOX, which was broadcasting the game nationally, spoke with the AL Designated Hitter about what he was going to do facing the Dodgers ace. Ohtani said he would swing at the first pitch. Which he did, lining a single to center field. 

What Ohtani didn’t indicate was that he would get picked off first base by Kershaw. How do you say in Japanese—embarrassing? 

While Kershaw erased the only blemish in his mound appearance, his opponent on the hill wasn’t so lucky. Shane McClanahan, the young Tampa Bay hurler who leads the majors with the lowest E.R.A., was touched up for the run scoring hits by Betts and Goldschmidt. 

FOX  did have some good moments with its miking up of players. AL pitcher Alex Manoah was exuberant in his one inning of shutting down the NL. The attempt at a conversation between Stanton and fellow Yankees starter Aaron Judge failed when Judge’s microphone stopped working properly. While the dialogue with Stanton continued, Judge could only nod. 

I also liked the give and take from the dugouts between the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole and the Braves' Max Fried. Two top pitchers, not pitching in the game, but acutely aware of the joy and importance of being selected to the roster of their respective leagues. 

Best of all was the banter between battery mates Nestor Cortes, Jr. and Jose Trevino. We learned the pitches being thrown in advance, with a bit of input on their decision-making. These first time All Stars from the Yankees were having an absolute blast.

Trevino did not take his mike off after the bottom of the inning ended. We had the rare occasion to be a part of his at bat, which resulted in a line single to right field. He was congratulated at first base and he continued to supply us information while he remained on the bases. 

As I said, the pitchers were dominant in this game. Outside of the Dodgers’ Tony Gosolin, he of the perfect 11-0 record with an E.R.A. of 2.02, who was roughed up by Stanton and Buxton, and Mc Clanahan, who the NL got to, the hitters were kept in check nicely by big names and emerging stars. Cincinnati’s Luis Castillo, who recently thwarted the high-powered Yankees and is a prime trade target, looked outstanding. Emmanuel Clase from the Cleveland Guardians shut down the NL in the bottom of the ninth, recording 3 strikeouts on 10 pitches. Sandy Alcantara of the Marlins, possessing a 1.76 E.R.A. as a starter, held the AL in check when the NL had the lead. Even David Bender, Pittsburgh’s only All Star, provided a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the ninth. 

Undoubtedly the star of stars on this night was Stanton. The slugger, who is 29 home runs shy of 400 in his career, is a Los Angeles native who was a star in baseball, basketball and football, good enough that both UCLA and USC were hot on his trail to play for them. Stanton recalled sitting in the left field pavilion, the Dodger Stadium name for bleachers, in his childhood, even catching a ball or two in the stands when he attended his favorite team’s games. 

His 457 foot blast neared the end of the pavilion, a monumental shot on a big stage. As a Marlin, he hit a ball out of the stadium, a feat only accomplished by great sluggers—Fernando Tatis, Jr; Mark Mc Gwire; Mike Piazza (the only Dodger to do so); and Willie Stargell (twice). 

FOX failed to make mention of how close this blast came to leaving the ballpark, as did Buxton’s 407 foot blast come near the end of the bullpen on the closer side of the pavilion. For that matter, Ronald Acuna, Jr. hit a ball out of the stadium during Monday’s Home Run Derby, a fact I didn’t know until Friday. 

How was FOX’s broadcast? Overall, it wasn’t bad. Announcer Joe Davis, a Dodgers broadcaster when not on FOX, teamed up nicely with Smoltz. Some of the in game interviews and segments were pretty good. They gave it their best shot. Unfortunately, they have to do better. 

Decidedly, the viewership is down for the All Star Game. A 4.2 share of the audience is far away from the solid double digit figures of previous years. MLB, in unison with the MLBPA, tinkers with the product to try to regain traction. 

But it is the Home Run Derby which has more interest. While Juan Soto, the enigmatic Washington Nationals outfielder who turned down a lucrative contract extension which makes his days in the Nation’s Capital numbered, outlasted rookie Juan Rodriguez to win the crown, it was Albert Pujols who captured the day. 

In what will be his last season, the Cardinals slugger, a first ballot inductee into the Hall of Fame in five years, hit just enough balls over the wall to make it to the second round. His fellow stars mobbed him in recognition of what Pujols means to the game. Very touching. 

Instant gratification comes with titanic moonshots. As the old saying went, “Chicks dig the long ball.”  While that is far from politically correct, the symbolism is there. Ergo, this is why the over emphasis on pitching proves to be boring to fans, and is also why Stanton, with his game-changing homer, won the M.V.P. trophy.

So now we return to the games which count. Yankees fans are apoplectic over the doubleheader loss to Houston and the suddenly mortal play from their team. A trip to recently resurgent Baltimore followed by visiting the NL East-leading Mets at Citi Fieed are no mere cakewalks. 

The Phillies, along with a lot of other teams, are chasing Wild Card spots. Very few teams are out of the playoffs as the last 70 games are played. Major trades are upcoming. It’s going to be exciting. 

At least for me, for one night, it was an enjoyable Midsummer Not So Classic All Star Game. 

There Is Nothing Like Driving With Fan X To A Game

  I had been weather watching all week. The weather gods were not going to be kind to the Baltimore-Washington region around July 9. While there was some hope early in the week that the chance of precipitation was going to decrease, that thought quickly and not too subtly disappeared. 

Fan X and I had circled July 9 on our calendar long ago. This was going to be our chance to see certain Hall of Fame outfielder Mike Trout, the Vineland, NJ native, and Shohei Ohtani, who is blowing away MLB with his pitching and hitting. 

We had talked many times of seeing Trout if the right Saturday 4:05 start would appear. This was before the onset of Ohtani. 

When the 2022 schedule first appeared, I saw that the Angels would be in Baltimore for a four game series in early July. And finally on a weekend, with a late afternoon start time. We were enthralled. 

Then there came the labor problems which threatened the start of the season. We winced but remained highly optimistic that the two sides would settle their differences. Which we all know they did. 

You got to hand it to Fan X. He makes the drive to Baltimore—which is usually plagued with some kind of traffic mess in New Jersey, more likely in Delaware and along Interstate 95 in Maryland—in a way that only he can. Or maybe the way Mario Andretti might have. For we leave at noon time on game day and have yet to miss a start, although we have eked our way into Oriole Park just in time for the first pitch at least once. Plus he did this particular drive with an injured hamstring—a truly gutty performance.

He loves the ability to get seats down low—we were in the third row behind the O’s dugout this time. It is his lament that this could not happen in New York where it is a small ransom to sit in comparable seats. And he does not like Citizen’s Bank Park, which isn’t as far. 

Fan X actually likes dealing with the Orioles ticket office. He praised their demeanor and efficiency—things which he likes in his life. To use his own works, working with them on seats “is a pleasure.”

So when I began my multiple source weather watching—The Weather Channel, AccuWeather, Weather Underground and WBAL-TV—I saw the chance of rain was real. Which became even greater as the week moved along. 

I told Fan X of my findings. He said that with a 70% chance of rain, there was a 30% chance of it not raining. I love his positiveness. 

By Thursday, I had my doubts we would have a game to attend as the percentage climbed to the 90th percentile. That only increased to 100% along with a Flood Watch issued by the National Weather Service. 

Nonetheless, Fan X’s positive approach offered hope each time I updated him about the murky forecast. I started calculating what the Orioles and MLB might do if the Friday night game was rained out. How would that impact our trip, given the fact that the two teams were set to play on Sunday at 12:05 in a nationally televised contest on Peacock, was replete with calculations on what we might do with our tickets if the game was actually postponed.

I went to bed early on Friday night because I had physical therapy the next morning and with the knowledge that the Friday night game proceeded, ending in an Orioles win. Surprisingly, I slept well.

Saturday morning’s radar showed heavy rain in the Baltimore-DC corridor. The rain percentages were high, but now were trending lower in the afternoon—just not ending until much later. 

I readied myself for the trip, clad in my Orioles Hawaiian shirt from our last visit to Baltimore, along with a New York Jets hat which matched my shorts, the shirt and my deck shoes, not to mention my rain jacket. Along with sustenance, I loaded 2 umbrellas into my clear bag given to me by the Jets for my loyalty as a season ticket holder. 

Noontime arrived and so did Fan X. His car was fully gassed and ready for the excursion. We expected traffic. We anticipated rain. We were prepared for the Orioles to postpone the trip anywhere during our drive. 

Yet we were still optimistic as the rain finally started in Burlington County. A check of the radar showed the heavy precipitation was north and east of the Inner Harbor. All we had to endure was the heavy traffic we encountered in the Diamond State. It was a good move to hit the last rest area in New Jersey prior to crossing the bridge. 

The GPS in the car gave us a rough estimate that we would make it to Camden Yards around 3:30. The overhead signs in Maryland were not so cooperative, projecting much more time for shorter mileage. 

Then, miraculously, the signs started making normal mileage/time projections as we were getting nearer to Baltimore County. Soon we had passed I-695, then Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and we knew we were nearing the Harbor Tunnel. 

What wasn’t reassuring was the time from the tunnel to the ballpark. There seemed to be a delay. We had never encountered this before. Sure enough, a huge line snaked from I-95 to I-395 and down to the stadium. A line which was in the direction of our preferred parking lot. 

Gambling that the GPS might lead us to a better way, we followed its direction. It put us on the other side of the signature B&O Warehouse which is just beyond the right field stands of Oriole Park.

Always intrepid, Fan X hailed a Baltimore police office to ask how to get to Lots B/C. He told us to make a U turn at the next light, which pissed off a few drivers behind us. Then we made a right turn into the area near the warehouse, maneuvered around traffic and arrived at Lot C without a problem. The traffic gods had shined on us, although the wether gods still were giving us some intermittent raindrops. 

We hustled our way to the gates, found that my clear bag needed to be tagged at a certain entry point. Each one of us picked up an orange Hawaiian shirt as part of the giveaway. 

Two old guys hurriedly hit the men’s room, purchased food, heard the National Anthem as we were headed to our seats, and then we sat down. We had made it before the start once more. The seats were phenomenal. It was game time. All that we had to worry was if the game would become official after five innings.

It rained through most of the early stages of the game. The intensity of the rain picked up in the fourth inning. Somehow, the game went to a conclusion. Our worries were for naught. Over 32,000 must have entertained the same thought. 

Those fans were treated to a tight contest, won by the Orioles by a score of 1-0. A wild pitch put a runner in scoring position and a single in the fourth inning scored that run. There were plenty of strikeouts—12 for each team. Each team managed 5 hits and there was only one extra base hit—by Luis Renigifo of the Angels. 

The game came down to the last pitch. With a man on, Los Angeles’ Kurt Suzuki hit a hard liner to left field which was run down in the area where the left field stands used to be (vacated to take home runs away from the opposition). Game over. Orioles win their seventh straight. 

The ballpark, celebrating 30 years, looked great. The atmosphere was jovial despite the  loyal O’s fans having little to cheer about until the last out was made. But they left happy. 

As for us, we hightailed it out of Camden Yards as quickly as we could. The rain had ceased, although I could not find any rainbows in or near the clouds in the Northeast when the sun finally shined. 

`In under three hours, with little traffic, I was sitting in my den, watching the Yankees and Red Sox. That’s a storyline for later in the season.

It was a blast. Maybe the best ballgame we’ve seen so far in all our outings. 

For the record, Trout had no hits and hit into an odd 5-3-5 double play; he sure is muscular. Ohtani had a called second strike throw him off in his second at bat, causing him to roll his eyes and shake his head numerous times before and after he struck out. No doubt caught on camera by the migrating Japanese photographers present in the park.  

One thing is obvious about these eminently enjoyable sojourns. There is nothing like driving with Fan X to a game.

Bits And Pieces Anew

There isn’t much on the sports landscape for me to dig my teeth into this week. So I will offer some comments as I see fit about a flurry of subjects.

Rafael Nadal. How could you not be rooting for the guy? It’s either him or Roger Federer that the real tennis fan can relate to. Not that Novak Djokovic isn’t pretty darn good. It’s simply that Rafa and Roger are gentlemen. Djokovic is more in line with the modern day, self-centered athlete who plays, let’s say, pro basketball or soccer in Europe. 

This isn’t like rooting for Tiger Woods. Even with the plethora of injuries Nadal has suffered more recently. What befell Tiger and his demons which has created a sympathetic maelstrom for him is a nice media story. Notwithstanding the  bad things that he has done, Tiger still generates so much positive for what he could do on a golf course. 

That kind of cheering extends to Serena Williams.  Her Wimbledon comeback was shattered in the first round. For all of Serena’s excellence, returning to form from injury and childbirth has been onerous and almost impossible. Yet the media and Americans root for their star based on her image, embellished by commercials and other events. We want to will her to the all-time record.

So when Rafa had to pull out of the Wimbledon semi-finals after sustaining an abdominal injury, much of the tennis world was crestfallen. Nadal and Djokovic were on a collision course for this year’s Gentlemen’s Singles title. 

It is more that that, however. The difference between Nadal and Djokovic is the difference between good and bad. It is  kind of like the good Christians on one side (the Nadal supporters) and the Antichrist on the other side (those who deign to root for Novak). It is the difference between openly cheering for a really good guy and holding you nose when Djokovic wins. Cheers versus a cacophony of boos. 

Will I be watching Wimbledon anymore? Nope. You can easily guess whose side I am on. And if that isn’t enough, Djokovic goes against Australian Nick Kyrgios, the Enfant terrible of men’s tennis, whose game is superb and his boorish behavior is not. I bet ESPN is relishing this. 

The debate has become more heated about who should be the AL M.V.P. as baseball has reached the halfway point of the season and is nearing the All-Star break. Is it Aaron Judge, who now has hit 30 home runs and driven in 64 runs—that 30 home runs before the All-Star Game has only been done by one other player—Ken Griffey, Jr. A pretty fair Hall of Fame player. 

Where would the Yankees be without Judge’s performance and leadership? Not with a record of 58-23 at the midway mark. Not leading the rest of the AL East by 14 games. 

But Judge does not do the pitching for New York. Gerrit Cole does. Luis Severino does. Nestor Cortes does. And Clint Holmes sports a fantastic E.R.A. in closing out games for the Yanks. 

Yes, you can look at the lowly Angels, as I hope to on Saturday, when I travel to Baltimore. You might ask why see the Angels this year? Because Fan X and I want to see two phenoms on the Halos—Mike Trout and Ohtani. 

Trout has the massive build and a couple of M.V.P. awards on his resume. A certain Hall of Fame inductee—even if he plays his entire career in Southern California and never sniffs the World Series. Trout is not having a Mike Trout-type of season, falling into prolonged slumps and not bashing homers like Judge or other lethal sluggers.

Then there is Ohtani. Yes, he is hitting a pedestrian .259. When he won his M.V.P. last season, he batted .257 for the year. 

What he does have is 18 home runs and 53 R.B.I. thus far in 301 plate appearances. He has drawn 37 walks and stolen 10 bases. Ohtani’s OPS is at .839. Very good stats. Not quite Judge stats, but very nice nonetheless. 

Remember this, Ohtani is a pitcher in the Angels regular rotation. In 14 games, he is 8-4 on a bad team, pitching to a 2.44 E.R.A. He has struck out 111 batters in 81 innings pitched, while walking only 20. He does lead in wild pitches with 10. 

Yet Ohtani is on a tear. He has pitched to an E.R.A. near 0.25 in his last 5 starts. On Wednesday he stuck out 10 Miami Marlins in 7 innings of 2 hit ball, while driving in the go-ahead run in a 5-2 road win for Los Angeles. 

These theoretical arguments are just that—theoretical. There is a whole half of a season to be played. A lot can happen—Judge is sitting out the first game of the Red Sox series in Boston because of a lower body injury. Will that be something marring his wonderful year—as injuries have previously kept his incredible talent off the field? Could Ohtani suddenly slump in the pitching department and his batting statistics not reach last year’s numbers?

Judge seems to have to hit at least 60 steroid-free home runs and lead the Yankees into the playoffs as the top seed to be assured of the M.V.P. award for 2022. Because of Ohtani. Is that fair? 

Baker Mayfield has been freed from purgatory. The Cleveland Browns sent him to Carolina for a fifth round draft pick. He should be so glad he is gone from that disaster of a franchise—they can compete with Daniel Snyder’s Washington Commodore for the dubious title of most badly run organization. 

Mayfield has talent. I think that he has been undervalued because of his terrible times in Ohio, under a system destined to fail. Now he get to compete with Sam Darnold, the former Jets QB, who is the incumbent in Carolina. 

As much as I root for Darnold, who was in his own purgatory in Florham Park and at Met Life Stadium, I can’t help but hope that Mayfield wins the starting job and has success. His commercials inside of the Cleveland stadium he called “home” were iconic. I wish some ad genius taps him for more in Charlotte. So we can see more Baker on the airwaves. 

As I stated before, Fan X will hightail it down Interstate 95 or I-295 if traffic in New Jersey is bad, to get us down to Oriole Park at Camden Yards in time for the 4:10 first pitch. We haven’t missed a first at bat yet. 

As much as it is tradition for us, I am reminded that this is the 30th anniversary of the opening of this majestic ballpark. The first of its kind, taking into account the surroundings (i.e. the B&O Warehouse past the right field bleachers, a link the the rail yards which once stood on the spot where the stadium resides) and the location, near the heart of downtown Baltimore. 

The stadium has weathered time very well. The Orioles did move the fences back in left field to reduce the home runs from the opposition—I will miss that part of intimacy which the stadium presented. 

Oriole Park is one of my favorites. I was reminded of another of my faves this week when the Yankees visited PNC Park to play the Pirates. I still think that the view from the stands into the downtown area of Pittsburgh is the most breathtaking scene in baseball. And I love the pizza from Broadway Pizza beyond the left field stands. So Pittsburgh.

The O’s are giving away orange Hawaiian shirts on Saturday. This would be our second one. Our problems is this—the weather forecast calls for 100% chance of rain. We can only cross our fingers and toes that the showers end by 4:00 and the field isn’t too soggy. Which might mean that Ohtani and Trout might not even play so as not to risk injury. Ugh. 

I leave you with this. The Pirates come calling for an inter league scrum to begin the first week in August. Box seat ticket prices will be rolled back to 1992 prices—$18.00. Wow. Even I was intrigued by that. Never in New York.

There you have it, loyal readers. Some bits and pieces anew. 

A Different Kind Of "Moneyball"

I’m running a little late this week. I had a whole lot to talk about and then…wham…things started happening which totally redirected my thoughts for this week. Such is the nature of sports at the end of June and coming up on the Fourth of July. 

First and foremost was the sudden move by the two best-known collegiate athletic programs in the West. UCLA and USC have bolted from the weaker Pac 12 to join the Big Ten. With that lightning flash, the entire major college athletic scene was upended. 

This is principally a football move. The Pac 12, while a Power 5 conference, has lately been unable to get its schools into the College Football Playoffs. 

At USC, football is king. While UCLA is more known for its basketball program prominence, begun by John Wooden, the Wizard of Westwood, the Bruins have had some success on the gridiron and play their home games at the very large Rose Bowl in Pasadena. 

What this sudden move is really about is what it is always about. Money. The Big Ten is in negotiations with FOX Sports for a new deal which could reach in excess of $1billion for its duration. The share California schools would receive would way surpass anything that they might have received from the Pac 12 media rights. 

That, coupled with a window of opportunity to leave without being financially penalized, was too great of an attraction for the Trojans and Uclans. Forget the long-standing ties with Stanford and Cal-Berkeley. To slightly paraphrase a radio advertisement from the NY Metro area and my youth—money talks, anyone can walk. Which is why the two schools are walking the walk, joining the prestigious Big Ten in 2024.

Sure, there are plenty of ramifications for scheduling and for teams in sports like basketball and baseball to absorb. Many have openly questioned why those schools might want to make road trips to the Midwest and East Coast in the dead of winter versus visiting Arizona or Northern California. The lure of playing Rutgers at MSG might be a good reason? 

Speaking of Rutgers and, for that matter Maryland, did those schools ever step in it by joining the Big Ten. Ditto Nebraska and Penn State, although they have more ties to the Midwestern heart of the conference by their locations. 

For RU, which has shown a great leap in its sports programs, they couldn’t have had a better week. Besides being the beneficiaries of this incredible move by two iconic universities, the RU program will receive the infusion of a ton of cash with the next TV contract, and, the State of New Jersey provided $100 million in capital improvement money for Jersey MIke’s Arena and for a state-of-the-art football building. 

Immediately, the speculation has begun on how much more change in the conference landscape might occur. There is very little doubt from the pundits I have read that there might be more seismic changes on he horizon. 

Is the Big Ten going to be fine with 16 teams, like the SEC? Or might the SEC not be finished now, even with Texas and Oklahoma coming into the fold? With the oodles of money available from TV, who is to say that Notre Dame, Duke and North Carolina aren’t above bolting the ACC? Or the SEC even jettisoning members like Vanderbilt, which constantly under performs in football? What about the Big 12—would Kansas leave the conference to play in a super basketball league with the likes of UCLA—markedly two of the four greatest programs, which would be only enhanced by Duke and UNC coming aboard? Plus never forget Cal and Stanford, who would be academic giants in the Big Ten. 

Will the Big 12, ACC and Pac 12 suffer fatal losses in the wake of the ongoing cash grab? Or, perhaps the ones who have all the cash flowing to them, will be done with the poaching (we don’t exactly know whose idea it was for the two schools to apply for membership—which they wouldn’t have done without a green light from the Big Ten member institutions).

Whatever the reasons, this is a story which will resonate for months to come. How do you dare not think of USC versus Rutgers at Met Life Stadium?

Story number two involves baseball. As much as I said last week that the New York Yankees are for real—which they are—right now I don’t think that they are the best team in baseball. For in the last nine days, a scheduling rarity allowed me to watch the Houston Astros. 

The Astros faced the Mets in Houston and swept the Metsies, who remain in first place in the NL East. Then the Astros split a four game series at Yankee Stadium, neutralizing the team with the best record in the two middle contests, which included a group no hitter on Saturday which followed a brilliant pitching gem by their ace, Justin Verlander. 

But for two come-from-behind walk off hits by Aaron Judge, the odds on AL M.V.P. favorite (keep watching Shohei Ohtani, the reigning M.V.P.—he might have a say in the outcome of this year’s award), Houston could easily have taken all of the games from the Yankees. Pretty heady stuff. 

To conclude the fortnight in New York City, the Astros vanquished the Mets on Tuesday and Wednesday, which included another sterling effort by Verlander, who now leads the majors with 10 wins. 7-2 against the leaders of the AL East and NL West. That’s more than impressive. 

The loss of shortstop Carlos Correa to the Twins in free agency has hardly been noticed. Jose Altuve and Jordan Alvarez should be AL All Stars. Same with Verlander. 

The bullpen had its hiccups with the Yankees. But it remains ranked as the top one, with the Yankees right behind them. The young starting pitchers on Houston’s staff shut down the New Yorkers with a modicum of efficiency. 

Maybe this will be the year that Dusty Baker finally manages a team to that elusive World Series win. He is passing Walter Alston on the managerial win list, cementing his bronze plaque in Cooperstown. 

For he has one helluva a team. Which has left the Yankees and Mets scratching their heads on how to reboot their teams to better themselves for the post-season, or in the Mets case, to stay ahead of surging Atlanta. The Mets are looking to get pitching aces Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom back in July; that will help immensely. Hint to the Yankees—Joey Gallo is now 0-26 and his average is down to .167. It is time to give him up in some capacity—a trade along with a young pitcher might net a good and competent outfielder who can hit. Semi-retired Brett Gardner would be a better alternative than Gallo.

The final section is devoted to the NBA. With free agency, astronomical contracts are being offered which boggle the mind.Nikola Jokic of Denver, a two time M.V.P., received a record $264 million supermax extension, with an option in 2027-28 for Jokic to be paid $60 million. The athletic Ja Morant “agreed” to a five year, $231 million supermax rookie extension to stay with Memphis. The list goes on.

Kyrie Irving exercised his option to stay with the Nets for well over $30 million, then unsuccessfully tried to engineer a trade to the Lakers to reunite with Lebron James. The Nets are seemingly through with his antics. 

The biggest domino of them all, Kevin Durant, has demanded a trade to get away of the craziness in Brooklyn. Incredible, since he seemed to be so happy in the Big Apple. 

The rumors abound. Philadelphia, LA or Charlotte for Irving, so that the Nets can clear his humongous salary from their books in addition to the perpetual headache he causes. With Durant, the Lakers, Phoenix, Boston, Toronto, Atlanta, Memphis, even New Orleans have been mentioned as potential destinations for the player considered to be the best on the planet at age 33, and who has a guaranteed four year left on his astronomical contract (probably to be renegotiated).

The haul which the Nets will be seeking will be the largest ever. Reminiscent of the Herschel Walker trade (you might better know him as the Republican U.S.Senate candidate in Georgia), the largest in NFL history, which was nicknamed “The Great Train Robbery.” That involved 18 players and draft picks. 

Durant may achieve success in a short period of time; the Nets may be the team of the future if they do it right. And be rid of two malcontents.

They call the doings of the Oakland Athletics GM Billy Beane in the 2002 season “Moneyball.” Great film starring Brad Pitt. The premise was to apply sabermetrics to scout and analyze players for a team with limited budget. Good idea.

From what I am seeing in college and in the NBA, it is a different kind of “Moneyball.”