Am I Asking Too Much?

  It was a tantalizing sports week for me. Plenty of college hoops, some hockey and, oh yeah, some NBA basketball, too. I’m not into exhibition baseball, so that was a no no. And in the end, I came away satisfied on Sunday with Rutgers, Golden State and UCLA, my favorite in the NCAA Tournament, all winning. 

In the past week, the college basketball landscape became more defined. The Who’s Who of the collegiate ranks asserted themselves, narrowing the pool of wannabes for an NCAA Tournament invite. There were buzzer beaters galore. Enormous comebacks by Iowa and Rutgers to win seemingly unwinnable games. Kentucky is on a roll as March approaches. North Carolina won a critical game over #6 Virginia at home, but can they sustain this sudden momentum? 

The UConn Women are tumbling. St.John’s actually defeated the Huskies in Hartford. Geno Auriemma’s team has fallen back to the pack. After all these years of unparalleled success. 

Damien Lillard turned the NBA upside down with a scintillating 71 point outburst against the lowly Houston Rockets. The Lakers in desperate need of wins to make the post-season, came from 25 down to top Dallas. 

Most impressive was the 176-175 2OT win by the Sacramento Kings in Los Angeles versus the Clippers. Sacramento is third in the West and nobody has taken much interest in them. Maybe it’s time to look at the Kings for real. 

The New Jersey Devils won in a 7-0 rout of Philadelphia on a night the team honored the 2003 Stanley Cup champs. Then, possibly overpaying, the Devils acquired free agent Swiss sniper Timo Meier from San Jose. 

It makes the team better with this trade. It does not get them any closer to Boston, which keeps on winning at a record pace. The Bruins have an astounding 95 points in 58 games, with only Carolina being near enough to them—and that’s 9 points behind Boston.

My week began with Franklin and Marshall, my alma mater, and the sixth seed in the Centennial Conference Men’s Basketball Championships, traveling down U.S. 30 to take on the #3 seeded Gettysburg Bullets. The Bullets shot out to a double digit lead, padding it to 20 points at the half. The Diplomats could not make a three pointer, going 1-11 in the first stanza. The final was 71-51. 

Gettysburg would be dismantled by Swarthmore, the #2 seed, while #4 seed Muhlenberg, an easy winner over #5 Ursinus, last to top-seeded Johns Hopkins. In the final, Swarthmore overcame a 16 point deficit to win over Hopkins on the Blue Jays floor. The Garnet get the automatic bid; JHU will almost surely have an at-large bid to the DIII Tournament. 

I have to rant a bit. Perhaps I am a bit spoiled, too. F&M has had an almost unparalleled history in DIII men’s basketball, well, since right after I graduated in 1972. That’s because Glenn Robinson, a West Chester grad who played both baseball and basketball for the Rams, graduated from freshman coach and phys ed instructor to become the head coach for the Diplomats basketball team. 

Robinson compiled a career that most coaches would want, except for one thing—he never won a National Championship. Two trips to the finals and his teams came away with loss. 

That does not diminish what he achieved while leading the Diplomats. How about a 967-360 overall record? 45-28 in the NCAA’s. A 19-9 mark in the Centennial Conference tournament, with a record 12 titles. Plus. 22-7 record while F&M competed in the Middle Atlantic Conference, with 9 titles. 

Twenty-three appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Sixteen times in the Sweet 16. Ten appearances in the Elite Eight, including five Final Fours. He has been named Coach of the Year so many times. And his graduation record is astounding—all but three of his players failed to graduate. Plus one of his best players is presently the Head Coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA. Why the all-time winningest coach in NCAA DIII history is not enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame boggles my mind. 

Robinson assistant Nick Nichay took over the reins when Robinson retired. His record this season was 12-14, with a career total of 32-43. Swarthmore and Hopkins have taken over dominating the conference. F&M is almost an afterthought, eking its way into the tournament because the team had defeated Haverford twice, which was the tie-breaker. 

In his third season, Robinson finally had the moribund Diplomats playing over .500 ball. From there, he built a dynasty. 

I am a die hard F&M fan. I root hard for the teams to succeed. It rankles me when NESCAC schools, very academic and revered colleges like Amherst, Williams and Middlebury regularly do better than F&M. More so, like my good friend and college roommate in Maryland, we cannot fathom the seemingly unending success by Johns Hopkins—even knowing that the highly successful Men’s and Women’s lacrosse programs at the DI level help fund the remaining sports at a level that no other Centennial Conference school can. F&M, once a pretty good wrestling school, no longer wrestles with, let alone competes comparably with the elite teams in the East.

Entering the 2022-23 campaign, the F&M Athletics website boasts of 4 National Championships, 147 conference titles and 534 All-Americans in 145 years of intercollegiate athletics. Fairly good statistics if you take those numbers at face value. 

Yet football, basketball and baseball have never won National championships. Women’s lacrosse has two titles (2007 & 2009)—which of course is fine. The others went to women’s cross country (1985) and men’s soccer (1952).

The facilities have undergone some distinct upgrades. Every outdoor sport plays in a newer facility except baseball and softball. The teams which use the Alumni Sports and Fitness Center thrive in a great, modern environment. However, Mayser Center is old, home to the basketball, wrestling and volleyball teams, and the look of newer bleachers doesn’t give the air of a thriving new athletic building. 

I get it that gifts make things different. My baseball teammate, Larry Shadek, also a quarterback during his days in Lancaster, gave so generously that there is a great new football stadium, with lights, also used by the lacrosse teams, too. I ask, to no one particular—when will F&M build a more modern indoor facility which will obviously help with recruiting? Ditto with baseball and softball—it was eye-opening to see the facilities at Kean University, part of the New Jersey college system. You wonder where that tuition, the second highest among U.S colleges, according to U.S. News and World Report, is going?

Right now, the football program is rebuilding under a new coach hired from the top tier program at Williams. Baseball was projected to be the Centennial Conference champs for 2023, and it is early, so one can discount the 1-4 record against better competition which played outside before the Diplomats practiced in the Lancaster air. 

After wrestling, football was always tops at F&M. It wasn’t too good during my middle two years there—Coach Dave Pooley was tough but his teams weren’t as tough—but won the MAC Southern Division in 1968 and 1971.  

However, with the legacy of Coach Robinson and his aura still fresh, Nachay and his teams have struggled mightily. The trouncing by Gettysburg must be a low water mark for this new era of F&M  basketball. The teams aren’t on the level that I watched while on campus—two 4-16 years and one 3-17 season under Chuck Taylor, who became the Head Trainer when Robinson took over. And Robinson’s first season was an improvement—7-14—but left my four years at F&M with a combined 18-63. Which is why my tolerance for this backwards movement of F&M hoops is wearing thin. 

In no way am I calling for Nachay to be fired. But this centerpiece of men’s programs for years—from 1971 to 2019—needs to show improvement or the Nachay tenure might not be anywhere as long as the Robinson era. 

I want to see F&M winning again. Downing the Blue Jays and Garnet repeatedly. Having enough successes that will get them back to the NCAA’s besides in lacrosse, golf and soccer. 

Am I asking too much? 

That's Baseball In February For You

  I am flying solo this week. My trusted editor has abandoned her retirement pursuit for the life of leisure, for at least one week, at her near-beachfront manor in a southern state. I hope she comes back well-rested for the final basketball push and the NCAA’s. As well as what mistake the Jets might make mortgaging the future should they sign Aaron Rodgers or make an equally dumb move inking Derek Carr, formerly of the Las Vegas Raiders. Moreover, the NBA picks up again for its stretch drive after the All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City. And hockey is pushing towards its playoffs, with its trade deadline fast approaching and the Devils and Rangers perhaps heading to a first round playoff series. For the record, Spring training games begin on Friday. 

So I forge ahead blindly in my prose, subject to run on sentences and bad grammar. Syntax is everything, I hear. I digress, with my sincere apologies.

Rutgers men’s basketball team came alive—just enough to beat a subpar Wisconsin squad at the Kohl Center in Madison. Defensive POY Caleb Mc Connell was a last minute scratch due to back spams, leaving the Scarlet Knights very vulnerable, already shorthanded with the lost of Mawot Mag.

Up stepped two players. Cam Spencer, the Loyola (MD) transfer, who burst onto the scene with his three point shooting, which included the dagger three pointer at then #! Purdue, broke out of a prolonged shooting slump to lead the Knights in the first half. One knew it was his day when Spencer sank the first three pointers he took, overcoming a 7-2 start by the Badgers to a give RU a 11-7 lead. 

The game was a ragged affair. Late in the second half, Rutgers lost a five point lead and trailed 57-54. Andre Hyatt, another transfer, rose to the occasion. So did Omoruryi, Rutgers’ fine young center—he blocked a last ditch Wisconsin shot to save the 57-56 victory.

This win was key to any chance Rutgers has to make the NCAA Tournament. It stopped a three game losing streak. Next is Michigan, which dispatched Michigan State at home on Saturday night in an emotional affair—it was the Spartans first game after the tragic shooting on the MSU campus. Rutgers has only beaten the Wolverines once in 11 times in Big Ten play. It will be the annul Blackout game—the crowd will be dark and loud. 

Rutgers has two road games after the Michigan game. First is Penn State, a team the Knights routed in January. The Nittany Lions are a possible NCAA pick, which will make this contest much more difficult than the first meeting, a rout in favor of Rutgers. 

Then there is last place Minnesota. Talk about a must win. Lose that and the team’s resume is much more bleak. As would be their chances to get into the Big Dance. 

The final game is a home contest with Northwestern. Maybe the hottest team in the Big 

Ten right now. The Wildcats are 20-7 and ranked for the first time, holding the number 22 spot. Having to win that or a Big Ten tournament game or two to secure an NCAA bid might be too much. Which is why RU needs to take care of business, starting on Thursday night.

The AP Top 25 poll has Houston once more at no. 1, after now no. 2 Alabama suffered a loss to no. 11 Tennessee. The Cougars are 25-2 and are a legit national title contender. I cannot really discount any of the top eight teams—Houston, Alabama, Kansas, UCLA, Purdue, Virginia or Arizona—to make the Final Four. And it would not surprise me if a Big 12 school besides Kansas gets hot in March. With no clear cut favorite, March Madness is going to be that. 

Division III basketball is playing conference tournaments this week. The NESCAC played its opening round games this past weekend and while top seeds Williams and Hamilton both won, #6 Colby defeated #3 Wesleyan in OT and #5 Tufts had to go two overtimes to down #4 Middlebury.  The Ephs hosts the White Mules and the Jumbos and Continentals meet for the right to win the NESCAC crown. Gotta love those nicknames. 

F&M, almost counted out for any chance to make the top six in the Centennial Conference Men’s playoffs, downed Dickinson and Mc Daniel on the road to land in the #3-#6 game at Gettysburg on Tuesday. Maybe the Diplomats can stun the Bullets. Ursinus and Muhlenberg clash in the other opening round matchup. Top-seed Johns Hopkins awaits the winner of the #3-#6 battle, since the Swarthmore Garnet lost to Gettysburg on Saturday, gift-wrapping the regular season hoops title for the Blue Jays, who will host the semi-finals. 

With all this basketball, what did I do on Saturday afternoon? I spent six hours at Kean University in the 42 degree cold and slight wind, watching my Franklin and Marshall Diplomats baseball team meet the Cougars in a doubleheader. 

Wearing my newly-acquired F&M team cap, courtesy of Coach Ryan Horning, who promised the hat to me in October when we and two teammates lunched in the shadow of the campus, I was ready to go. Except I wondered how I might have played the game as I watched it unfold. 

Kean has a beautiful turf field—that would have been the first one I would have played on, since Astro Turf was a new thing in my collegiate years. Plus they had lights, which went on in the second game around the 5th inning. That would have been another first for my career. 

The sun went from behind left field to beyond the stands in right field. That is different from most fields, where the sun is in play. Yet it caused the pitcher to flinch when his F&M teammate tossed the ball lightly after recording an out at first base. 

The speed of the pitches looked to be a bit faster than when I played. Also, the Kean pitchers thrived on throwing off speed balls, which threw off the F&M hitters, who struck out 26 times in the two games. I saw players swinging at balls landing way in front of the plate or far outside of the strike zone—if not taking strike three looking. 

When the batters made contact, the hits rarely went beyond the infield. In Game 1, there was only two extra-base hits. Fly balls and even long pop ups were an adventure—the Kean right fielder had trouble with a medium fly ball, dropping it for an error. I can relate to that, having done the same against Muhlenberg in 1970 on a towering fly to right field on the then-F&M diamond. It was my lone error in college and it landed me back on the bench. 

Kean had played four game prior to meeting F&M, sporting a 3-1 record. It showed versus the F&M hitters, who were facing their first live pitching. Plus the overall defense was spotty at times—the Diplomats made four errors in the Game 1 7-1 loss. And five Kean batters were hit by pitches. While I grimaced, it sort of reminded me of how bad our 1970 team was—- where a 5’5” kid for Highland Park who hadn’t played high school ball (that would have looked good on the roster web page) managed to become a starter and somehow get six singles in 29 at bats while fanning just once. My average was among the better ones. 

I also felt the frustration in Game 2, where the Kean pitcher went the distance to shut out the Diplomats 1-0. We were shut out 4-0 in a second game at home against Moravian, after we managed to win the opener 4-3 and I had two hits. In that second game, I was on deck with the bases loaded and none out, only to watch a triple play unfold—the only one I have ever seen live. And I singled in my next at bat. 

That doubleheader-the first one I ever played in—was tiring and long. We went seven innings each game and now the teams play two nine innings games. Plus the families collectively bring food for the plates to eat between games—I might have thrown up if I had eaten the nice-smelling sandwiches with Boar’s Head wrappers which sat behind me in the stands. 

The umpiring was questionable. The home plate umpire didn’t like the heckling from the F&M partisans, so he had a father tossed from the stands. Coach Horning more than once had loud conversation with the umpire, as he picked on some of the F&M players for things only he perceived they had done. 

Despite the twin losses, F&M will get better. Picked in the pre-season to win the conference, they may have met a perfect storm to open the season. Our first DH in 1970 against Scranton was cancelled due to snow. That was in March. Plus the weather at St Joseph’s, where we opened the season, was akin to what the conditions were on Saturday. I collected my first hit, as a pinch hitter, with the ball hitting the netting in left field. Stunned that I hit a pitch against a school which played in the Middle Atlantic University Division, I stood watching and only reached first base. We lost 11-4, en route to a 4-12 record.  

Wearing that hat and watching the game from up close in the first row—I actually had a foul ball roll to me as it seeped through the protective netting (you cannot keep the NCAA ball at this level)—I now feel a part of this team. I hope they do better than we did. Or, being superstitious like baseball players are, a losing record will be on me. Because I don’t think I would have done any better than my new “teammates.”

It was a fun day of memories and new adventures. That's baseball in February for you. 

A Tour De Force

I have been replaying in my cluttered mind how to write this week’s blog. I have gone through  many scenarios that were worthy to draft. By no means have I settled on a format which is going to be perfect. So here goes. 

Let’s start with Lebron James, who was sitting in a box with his wife, inside State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona to watch the Super Bowl. The day before, he was in San Francisco, on the sidelines, where he caused a young girl to gush on national TV because she was sitting next to Lebron James!

That girl had thought out a scenario where James would break the all-time points total held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar that night at the Chase Center against Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and the defending World Champion Golden State Warriors. What a place to be—courtside when the record was broken. Curry was out with his leg injury and James was in civilian clothes, having hurt his toe. 

Alas, the girl and her brother posed for selfies with King James.  Notwithstanding that James had ended his pursuit of the record with a fade away jump shot in a Lakers loss at home to Oklahoma City. The game stopped momentarily for him to hug with Abdul-Jabbar,  a cordial greeting considering that James and Kareem didn’t have the best relationship prior to this. 

This reignited the debate about who is the G.O.A.T. in professional basketball. Is it Lebron or Michael Jordan? Compelling arguments can be made for each using the numbers. 

I am not going to do that. When people clamor about how Jordan has won more championships than James—they are correct. Then again, the legendary Bill Russell nearly doubled the number that Jordan won. For that matter, Robert a.k.a. “Big Shot Bob” Horry won 7 rings with Houston, the Lakers and San Antonio. 

What stood out to me are two things. First, in collecting his points, Abdul-Jabbar swished exactly one three point shot. Lebron has made 2,237 from beyond the arc. This is what allowed him to pass Kareem in many fewer years. 

Secondly, in the Jordan era, he was the marquee player. Not Reggie Miller. Not Isaiah Thomas. Nor Patrick Ewing. Bird and Magic were on the back side of their careers. 

In this so-called James era, he is not the top draw. I don’t know that fans flock to see the Lakers play just to see James. I do know that fans flock to see the Warriors play because of the three-point magic and ball-handling wizardry of Curry. In fact, I believe that James is as much of a draw as Kevin Durant who, as of last week, left the Brooklyn Nets for Phoenix in the wake of co-complainer Kyrie Irving, who was dealt to Dallas, where he is sure to sow the seeds of misery once more. 

Lebron James is a great player. He will set the record for points scored that may be untouchable. His teams might garner championships once more. Then again, Michael Jordan decided to go play baseball for a couple of years in his prime, so we can all speculate how many more trophies he might have hoisted and how many more points he might have scored. 

Let me touch on college basketball. What is becoming abundantly clear is that there is no dominant team. Those enthralled with Purdue saw the Boilermakers fall to their third defeat at the hands of a very good Northwestern Wildcats team which is destined to play in the Big Dance. 

And I will repeat myself. The Big Ten is overrated. Rutgers, once the darling of the media and thought to be a challenger to Purdue, has sunk to an 8-6 record in the conference, placing the team seventh. With an upcoming schedule and a rash of injuries and bad play, the Scarlet Knights could easily find themselves in ninth place, hoping that they can play their way into the NCAA Tournament. 

Alabama won a tough road game at Auburn. They are pretty solid, but I think this is a down year for the SEC. Surging Arizona lost—are they the best in the Pac 12? North Carolina played one of its best games of the season in routing a highly touted Clemson squad. Could the Tar Heels manage to start playing up to their pre-season potential? Seemingly everyone wins and loses at the top of the Big 12. 

We are less than four weeks away from Selection Sunday. There is a lot of sorting out which will occur before the teams are announced. Even then, we might not have a clearer picture of who really is a favorite to win it all. 

I want to quickly remark on Texas and Oklahoma paying $100 million to leave the Big 12 early and join the SEC in 2024. This is really money for the Big 12 to spend on getting new members and to assuage FOX Sports on losing a year of the Longhorns and Sooners on their channels. It will be a nice farewell tour for these behemoths. It will also begin anew the sport of poaching schools from one conference to another. Just a year earlier. 

We have concluded Super Bowl Sunday, the unofficial national holiday which combines commerce, sports and entertainment in one giant television extravaganza which stretched over nine hours. Much was said about Rihanna, from how great her singing sounded and her fearlessness while suspended off of the floor of the stadium, to one critic likening her enthusiasm to that of a sales clerk at a local store. 

Of course, the media rated the commercials. For big bucks stars attempted to hock the wares of many companies. Please, somebody tell me what Maya Rudolph really was trying to do with her M&M commercial?

In the end, there was a football game. As there always is. This was one of the rare occasions where the two best teams during the course of the regular season managed to square off for supremacy. 

Forget all the subplots of the Kelce brothers, Nick Siriani (who cried during the National Anthem) versus KC’s Andy Reid, the all-time wins leader for the Eagles. Those ultimately didn’t matter.

This was a great football game. Filled with tension, and not determined until the final seconds. Too bad it was played on a field that was better suited for golf, which was its main purpose when the grass was developed at Oklahoma State. The NFL spent $800,000  for the turf that would resist both the game and the halftime spectacle. They failed miserably. 

What we saw were two magnificent teams, led by two incredible quarterbacks. 

The play-calling was outstanding. Against two legitimately good defenses. 

Both Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes were surreal. Hurts scored three TD’s and threw for one. Mahomes rebounded from another apparent injury to his right ankle at the end of the first half to take the Chiefs to an improbable comeback victory over an excellent Philadelphia Eagles defense. 

This was a game where each punch was countered with another punch in the second half. It was obvious as time started to ebb that the team which had the ball last was likely to win if the game did not head to overtime. That team was Kansas City, behind the arm and legs of Mahomes. 

I know that Eagles fans are up in arms about the pass interference call on James Bradberry when he held the jersey of KC’s JuJu Smith-Schuster. Despite the tons of critics, including FOX’s Greg Olsen, who did a credible job along with co-NewJerseyan Kevin Burkhardt—they go way back to when Burkhardt covered Olsen’s Wayne Hills High School games for local radio—clamoring that the ref should have eaten the whistle, it was a gutsy and correct call by the official. Which was backed up by Bradberry’s admission that he held the jersey and got caught.

That’s the way games sometimes end. Even the titanic ones. By the whistle of an official, or a reversal on replay. 

Somebody had to win. This time it was the Chiefs. Maybe the next time it will be the Eagles. Mahomes is an elite QB, one who is starting to elicit way-too-soon comparisons with G.O,A.T. Tom Brady.  Hurts has poise and confidence which is unreal. Combined with the talents of Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, Buffalo’s Josh Allen and the Chargers’ Justin Herbert, the NFL has plenty of young future star power at the quarterback position. (Note to the Jets—stay away from Aaron Rodgers—please!!)

What a way to end a week of sports. With a tour de force. 

Change Is Good?

  I am not going to waste too much time on Tom Brady and his retirement. His records are insane—nobody comes near what he accomplished playing football. Which is what he chose to do. 

Brady was the last Montreal Expos draft choice still playing a professional sport. He could have opted to play baseball, he was a fairly good catcher. A good match for Brady would have the Houston Astros; he could have applied his “Deflategate” skills with the Astros, a team which knows a bit about cheating 

Carlos Beltran, one of the architects responsible for the nefarious activity which Astros players and coaches engaged in, has rebounded from having to give up the New York Mets managerial job because of his untoward behavior.  He first reemerged as an analyst on YES Network broadcasts. Maybe I’m a bit prejudiced, but I didn’t find him to be at the level of David Cone, Paul O’Neill or Ken Singleton. 

But now Beltran is being rewarded by Steven Cohen, the owner of New York’s National League franchise. Beltran has a job in the hierarchy of the Mets administration. If I were Buck Showalter, I might start thinking my job security as manager of the ball club might be in jeopardy if the team has a long losing streak. 

Moreover, there are plenty who believe that Beltran is Hall of Fame worthy. Yes, he had good statistics in his career. Yet I will remind those who look through rose-colored glasses that numerous cheaters who used steroids will not get close to sniffing the rarified air inside the building in Cooperstown which is the repository of those who rightfully make it into the Hall as the best baseball had ever produced.  Plus, there is Pete Rose, the all-time hits leader and he seemingly will never get voted into the Hall of Fame while he is alive.

You get the picture as to how I think of Beltran. Unfortunately, those standards will not apply to Brady. 

Thomas Edward Patrick Brady, Jr. is the Golden Boy. He’s the best in his sport by a wide margin. Brady has a winning record versus EVERY NFL franchise. Jets fans are well-acquainted with losing to him; Buffalo fans had to endure a 3-33 record when he played the Bills. 

Luck has plenty to do with his success. An injury to the incumbent quarterback thrust him into the starting role for New England. He was fortunate enough to have great role players surrounding him and a head coach who has amassed the greatest winning record in the history of the NFL.

As devotees of this blog might know, I still feel that the supposed tuck of the football against the Oakland Raiders was a fumble. That key play changed the fortunes of the Patriots and led Bill Belichick to the Super Bowl, where they excelled. 

And how about the mind-scratching pass thrown by Russell Wilson at the goal line which was picked off by Malcolm Butler to save a win over Seattle in Super Bowl XLIX? Or the Atlanta Falcons failing to preserve a 25 point lead with 18 minutes to go and then losing to the Patriots in OT in Super Bowl XL?

Look, Tom Brady is going make the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On the first ballot. That HOF admitted Paul Hornung of Green Bay and Alex Karras of Detroit. Both were suspended one year for gambling. Obviously there is a lesser standard for entry than in baseball.

I don’t wish him misery—he did enough with his personal life which was the result of his all-encompassing need to play football until age 45. It’s just that I wouldn’t want to spend any time with him if offered. Notwithstanding his talents and good fortune, Tom Brady is not my kind of guy.

Speaking of a guy who I despise, that would be Kyrie Irving. Unable to reach an agreement on a long term extension, the Enfant Terrible of the NBA demanded a trade. The Nets accomplished the request by making a trade with the Dallas Mavericks, pairing Irving up with the young star of the Mavs, Luka Doncic. 

Irving now becomes the headache for Dallas head man Jason Kidd, a superior point guard, and the egomaniacal team owner, Mark Cuban. This isn’t going to work for so many reasons, beginning with Irving’s desire that the offense runs through him. Which it shouldn’t because, while Irving, when he wants to play can be the best point guard in the league, Doncic is the superior talent. 

Plus I expect Kyrie to pout when things aren’t to his liking. He showed that in Cleveland when he played with Lebron James, Boston, where he wore out his welcome, and now in Brooklyn. 

Nets ownership couldn’t wait to be rid of him. Despite the great record the Nets have thus far with Irving and another malcontent, Kevin Durant, too many instances arose where the Nets had enough of Irving’s antics. 

In one last piece of hubris, Nets ownership denied Irving’s preference to play in Los Angeles with James and Anthony Davis, sending him to Dallas, a locale where he really wanted to be. Don’t feel badly for the Nets—they still have Durant until he now demands a trade while he is out with an injury—Phoenix is hot to trot for him if he is available. The Nets knew what they were getting into with Durant, Irving, James Harden and Ben Simmons—all unwelcome at their former teams. The moves the Nets have made weren’t going to work—too many selfish players are not going to stay together for a long time. 

Steph Curry is injured again. It is a lower leg injury which sounds semi-serious. There is no mention of surgery for the Warriors star. His absence is going to hurt the team as February turns into March and it is crunch time for the playoffs. Currently in 8th place, the difference between the Warriors and 13th place Lakers is only 2.5 games. An extended time on the injured list might prove fatal to Golden State’s chances to even play-in for a playoff spot. 

I looked at the college basketball rankings. Rutgers moved back in, listed at #24. That might last one week, as the Scarlet Knights play at #18 Indiana, which just knocked off #1 Purdue. Then they travel to Illinois, where the Knghts have never won. 

What struck me was the fact that the blue bloods of the sport—Duke and North Carolina—are nowhere to be found in the rankings.  What makes that seem so egregious is that UNC made the Championship game last year against current #9 Kansas, which won the tournament, and Duke was #9. Kentucky and Syracuse, fixtures in the Top 25, aren’t even close. Georgetown and Patrick Ewing cannot evoke the level of play when the big guy played for the Hoyas. 

Sure, UCLA is there (#7), along with familiar names like Arizona (#4), Virginia (#8) and Marquette (#10). But Houston (#2), Alabama (#3), Texas (#5) and Tennessee (#6) are in higher than normal spots. Gonzaga, picked to be possible champion, resides at #16 after losing in OT to now #15 St. Mary’s. 

There are four teams from the state of Texas in the Top 25 (Texas, Houston, Baylor, TCU). The once-vaunted ACC has Virginia, Miami (#19) and NC State (#22) and the Big East has Marquette (#10), Xavier (#13), UConn (#21) and Creighton (#23) as ranked teams. With the addition of Rutgers, the Big Ten has three teams (Purdue #1, Indiana #18 and Rutgers #24). 

Worry not, basketball aficionados, this is going to change. We still have plenty of basketball to be played until Selection Sunday, which is March 12th. 

By then, Kyrie Irving will have spouted off and Tom Brady may have rescinded his retirement to play again for the Patriots. Change is good?

That's All I've Got

The Super Bowl is set. Philadelphia versus Kansas City. Top seed in the NFC meeting the top seed from the AFC. Two very versatile quarterbacks: Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts, a possible NFL M.V.P. opposite Patrick Mahomes, the prime time player everyone wants to watch, and another M.V.P. candidate.

There are so many story lines here. Let’s start with the fact that two young QB’s who are black are leading their teams. A first in NFL annals. And they are really good at their craft. 

As I said, Hurts has had a phenomenal season, even if it was marred by a shoulder injury which still may not have healed. Mahomes led his team to anther AFC title game—each year he has been in the league he has done that. And he managed to win on Sunday while playing with a limp from a high ankle sprain suffered the week before. With a little help from a flag thrown for a late hit, Mahomes’ gutsy last ditch scamper for a first down was what separated the Chiefs from the Cincinnati Bengals and the AFC crown.  

The receivers are pretty darn good. Both have punishing runners. KC has put the most points on the board this season. Philadelphia has gone over 30 points in each of its two playoff games. The Eagles appear to have the better offensive line, but not by much.

What separates these teams is the Philadelphia defense. They are big. They are strong. They are fast. How they respond to the improvisation of Mahomes remains to be seen. BTW-Haason Reddick is a beast. 

There is the matter of the head coaches. Nick Siriani is in his first Super Bowl leading the Eagles. Andy Reid is the winningest coach ever for…the Eagles. Plus he is one win away from becoming the Chiefs’ head guy with the most wins. 

The pressure on Siriani is from the rabid Philly fans and on a team that was the NFL leader in wins. Reid has that Eagles connection, and he had a loss in the big game while at Philadelphia—which I am sure Eagles fans won’t let Reid forget. 

Reid has guided the Chiefs to five consecutive AFC Championship games. Yet he is 1-1 with KC in his career in the Super Bowl. He will forever remembered as a loser if he does not win this game. Because it is against his old team and he was run out of The City Of Brotherly Love after a 4-12 season. 

One other Super Bowl note—this will be a meeting of the Kelce brothers. Travis is a KC super star tight end. Jason is his older brother and a center for Philadelphia. Both excel at their craft and are likely to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. You will notice Travis more often, as he is a favorite target for Mahomes. You will hear Jason’s name too, as he protects Hurts and is a key cog in the Eagles potent ground attack. And you will see them embrace after the game, no matter the score.

I felt badly for the incredible sensation named Brock Purdy. In the first series of the game, Purdy went back to pass and his arm was struck by Reddick. While he returned to try to play, Purdy and the 49’ers just could not match the Eagles offense nor solve the defense. 

Purdy has a torn UCL, which will keep him out at least 6 months or more, depending upon if he has surgery. San Francisco has major QB woes. Could Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady be headed to the team of their youth?

On to college basketball. Purdue has taken over the top spot. 7’4” Canadian Zach Eden has been dominant all season. The Boilermakers sole loss this season was to Rutgers in a close game. Matt Painter’s squad has been the best so far, and at this juncture they deservedly are number one. Purdue, along with #19 Florida Atlantic, are both 21-1. 

I’ve heard some experts saying that the Big Ten will have nine teams make the NCAA’s. That is overload for one conference—which hasn’t won a title in eons. Perhaps Purdue is good enough to win it all this season. They have beaten #12 Gonzaga, West Virginia, Duke and Florida State. 

But the other teams are being rewarded for beating up on each other while being so-so playing outside of the conference. Second place Northwestern has a 15-5 record and has beaten no one of significance in non-conference play. Illinois notched a victory over #9 UCLA but has a loss to unranked Virginia. #21 Indiana, the only other ranked Big Ten team, has no wins against Top 25 opposition. Rutgers’ big win was at Purdue. Michigan State has no wins over Top 25 teams. Nor does Maryland and  Penn State. Iowa did down #13 Iowa State.

That’s hardly a frightening group outside of Purdue. Which is why I always say that the Big Ten is overrated. 

Conversely, the leading Big 12 has teams that have better overall records and have recorded some quality wins. Texas, Kansas State and Kansas have records of 18-4, 18-3 and 17-4 respectively. Six Big 12 schools populate the Top 25.  But are these schools better than the Big Ten? Really hard to tell. 

The team to watch is Arizona. While sitting at 19-3, the Wildcats have downed four Top 25 teams thus far. Two of the three losses were on the road. I believe that six teams from this underrated conference will make the Big Dance. Watch out for the Pac 12. 

I am guessing that the ACC will get 7 into the tournament. While that is a large number, that does not mean that all of them will do well with outside opposition. 

Returning to Rutgers, I was in attendance last Tuesday when the Scarlet Knights hosted Penn State. While it appeared that RU had outplayed the Nittany Lions by the final score of 65-45, Rutgers led by only 3 in the second half before Penn State went cold from the floor.

RU supposedly has this great defense. Iowa outplayed them on Sunday, putting up over 90 points on the scoreboard. The Hawkeyes bombed away from three point land in Piscataway for a win; they did the same at home. 

Those thinking that RU is a five or six seed are wrong. I believe that they are no better than a 7 or 8. They host Minnesota then meet Michigan State at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. A win at MSG over the Spartans would tell me a lot about Rutgers. For the schedule takes them away from Jersey Mike’s Arena to Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin, where the Knights historically have trouble. Other road games are at Minnesota and Penn State. The home slate includes Michigan, cellar dwelling Nebraska and second place Northwestern, which RU defeated in Evanston. 

Rutgers could easily end up with a 10-10 mark in the Big Ten. Which would put them in the middle of the pack. RU might need to get a win in the Big Ten Tournament to secure a berth. Unless I am underestimating this group. 

Watching Penn State on Tuesday, I saw that they were unable to finish their shots at the rim, and for a good three point shooting team, the Nittany Lions made under 20% of their long-range shots. While pundits are placing PSU in the tournament, I think that they belong more in the NIT.

In what has become a meaningless season, F&M attained revenge over Washington College, the worst in the Centennial Conference—their sole win came at the expense of the Diplomats, when the Shroremen won in Lancaster. Losing twice to Washington would have been embarrassing. 

In another CC game, #9 Swarthmore fell to #12 Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.  Those fine academic schools can play some heady hoops. 

Suddenly the once invincible Boston Bruins have lost three in a row. While they still lead the league in points by a significant margin, it is apparent that the Bruins can be mortal after all. 

Carolina and New Jersey are hot heading into the All-Star break. Edmonton is the hottest team in the West, but they remain behind upstart Seattle. The Vegas Golden Knights went on a tailspin in their past ten games, allowing the fledgling franchise to pass them. Look over your shoulder, Edmonton and Connor Mc David, the most electrifying player in the sport, are on your tails. The standings as they stand right now are certainly subject to change.

Lastly, a simple declaration of hockey love to Bobby Hull, who passed away this week. The Golden Jet had the first true slap shot in professional hockey. He was tough, strong and a big time goal scorer. While he left the NHL for the World Hockey Association and a ton of money, I will always recall Hull playing for the Chicago Black Hawks alongside Stan Mikita, another Hockey Hall of Fame player. 

That’s all I’ve got for this week.