Fate. Luck.

  In a week’s time there can be a ton of sports news or there can be very little. It is only in season for baseball and sports like tennis and golf. 

And the latter two are more defined by their “majors.” The ones which are not sponsored by a corporate entity and are called The US Open or Wimbledon, for example. 

Yet hockey and basketball made themselves newsworthy this week. Hockey because the NHL Draft happened for another year and this is the time of trades and free agency for the NBA. 

Not to be left out was football. Of course it was to single out four players for gambling and for their respective teams to jettison them off of their rosters for their morally reprehensible actions. While the teams line coffers with gambling money from the fans. 

In basketball, it was James Harden trying to force the Sixers to trade him to another contender where he could mess up the chemistry while being paid an exorbitant amount for his services. While female players like Brittney Griner toil for much less money, fly commercial and are accosted by crazies. 

Or maybe it was free agent-to-be Draymond Green acting foolish on the made-for-TV golf “match” between the Kansas City Chiefs’ all-everything QB Patrick Mahomes and his all-everything TE Travis Kelce versus Green’s Warriors teammates Klay Thompson and Steph Curry. I recognized Green’s presence as an omen that he would re-sign with Golden State. Sure enough, he did, for the princely amount of $100 million over four years. 

Basketball free agency has become the NBA’s version of baseball’s hot stove season, arriving in the colder months when baseball is not played. It allows the experts like Brian Windhorst of ESPN to have a show for an hour Friday evening, pre-empting the 5:00-6:00 “Happy Hour” lineup of Around the Horn and Pardon The Interruption.

Between June’s NBA Draft and free agency, the teams will fill out for the 2023-24 season. Players will be happy where they are, like Harrison Barnes, who re-upped with Sacramento. Or there will be others leaving Harden, looking for that elusive championship in a new home. Then again, he might stay, just to madden the normally manic Philly fans. 

I guess this sates the fans who flock to watch these self-serving programs—after all, ESPN does air MLB, NFL and NBA games. Me—I don’t watch and I read things occasionally. The big stars will make news if they do land an outrageous contract in a different place. 

It really does not affect me if Damien Lillard is going to leave Portland for Miami or another venue, or he stays in “The Rose City.” When the games are televised, then it will matter to me. 

Speaking of ESPN, the sports network apparently is hemorrhaging money. So much so that 20 very well-known and well-compensated on-air talents were let go on Friday. I am particularly sad that Hall of Fame QB Steve Young was let go, along with another veteran, Suzy Kolber. 

Yet the biggest surprise was the jettisoning of Jeff Van Gundy. The former Knicks and Rockets head coach, an encyclopedia of information and never unopinionated, no matter how outlandish his thoughts might be, was the perfect foil for stellar play-by-play man Mike Breen and Mark Jackson, his former Knicks guard and once a coach off Steph Curry at Golden State. I am pretty sure that he will end up somewhere soon. 

I have seen players come and go. So, too, with announcers and analysts. Not everyone has a gig like Vin Scully did with the Dodgers—and he was easily replaced. 

We all thought Marv Albert would announce forever. Kevin Harlan is ensconced in Marv’s seat at TNT and Breen became the preeminent man both at MSG and on ABC with the NBA Finals. They will someday be replaced. 

In this instance, ESPN felt compelled to get rid of big contracts. The replacements will come from within or maybe a fired catch like Doc Rivers might snag a gig. They will become popular, because the games themselves are the driving force. 

These drafts are so heavily promoted or free agency so inspected and speculated because it justifies the money in advertising revenue that is so sorely needed to cover the cost of buying the rights to the programming. It is all a vicious circle. 

Connor Bedard was drafted first in the NHL Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. Bedard has been anointed as a savior in the Windy City—much like Patrick Kane, who led Chicago to three Stanley Cups, or Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh, where Sid the Kid brought three Cups to The Steel City and gracefully succeeded Mario Lemieux as the on ice hero (He actually lived with Lemieux and his family for a number of years at the beginning of his career).

Those names, along with icons Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, are among the greats in the sport. That is some comparison for Bedard, and has generated much expectation for the youngster. 

As great as Kane and Crosby were and might continue to be (although Kane was traded late last season to the New York Rangers and is a free agent who is awaiting hip surgery), they were surrounded by great talent. So was Edmonton with Gretzky and Messier on the same team and a bevy of Hockey Hall of Fame players on the roster. 

Bedard does not start with that kind of team in Chicago. Crosby continues to chase the dream of another Stanley Cup at age 35, where injuries have worn him down, making his goal very elusive. 

There are only very few who have incredible success. Gretzky is the G.O.A.T. in hockey. Tom Brady, Michael Jordan and Bill Russell have won the most NBA titles. You have to look at the New York Yankees of the late 1950’s and early 1960’s to find Yogi Berra, who won 10 with the Bombers. Derek Jeter is of more recent vintage, and he won 5. It isn’t easy to win consistently—look at LeBron James and Steph Curry with four each—that’s a lot of championships in this day and age. 

For Bedard to live up to live up to the great expectations of his team’s fans is outrageous. I wish him well—except when he plays the New Jersey Devils and that team won its three Cups with goaltending from the greatest goalie ever—Martin Brodeur and two hallowed defensemen in Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer. 

Finally, I want to acknowledge the perfect game hurled by Domingo German on Wednesday. He sat down the Oakland A’s on 99 pitches, which included nine strikeouts. The Yankees right hander, suspended this season for too much rosin on his hands, had only one hard hit ball against him. 

German joins Don Larsen, David Wells and David Cone as the only Yankees pitchers to have thrown a perfect game. German’s gem broke a tie between New York and the Chicago White Sox, who have three perfect games. 

No matter how badly German pitches for the rest of the season—he was in a slump before facing the A’s—he will always be a darling for the fickle Yankees fans. And I am one of them who stayed up (with my wife) to watch the game to its conclusion after midnight here in New Jersey. 

With the player and personalities I have mentioned, no matter how hard they worked to get attain success, there are two four letter words which stand out for everyone who tries to become the best in some capacity. Fate. Luck. 

You’ve got to have those in your corner. 

In The End Everything Evened Out

  It is sunny, warm and humid here in New Jersey on this Sunday morning, punctuated by thunderstorms as I continue to write this installation of the blog. A far cry from the sterling blue skies which, except for one brief afternoon, enveloped our trip to the Midwest. 

I will get to that in a moment. For there are other sports stories to talk about during the past week. I don’t want to talk about Aaron Judge’s torn tendon or the pathetic bats of the Yankees. I will give a shout out to the determination of Max Scherzer. He has turned his anger into some heady pitching for the Mets. 

Let’s start with the suddenly relevant Cincinnati Reds. When the team’s management decided to call up prized rookie Elly De La Cruz, the balance of the NL Central shifted dramatically. It didn’t hurt that the Pirates finally tailed off from their inexplicably good start to the season. Nor did it make it difficult for another team to rise, given the way the Cardinals were cemented in the basement, the Cubs were playing so so baseball, and the Brewers resided at the top after sweeping Pittsburgh. 

De La Cruz became a one man wrecking crew, leading the Reds to win after win. Twelve in a row until NL East-leading Atlanta finally squeaked by the nascent Redlegs in a second tight tussle in two days. The return of Joey Votto, their mainstay, to the lineup added even more punch. 

It has reignited the fan base. The crowds are swelling at the Great American Ballpark, as Reds fever has struck the Queen City. And the young Reds are giving the fans much to cheer about. 

De La Cruz hit for the cycle on Friday night—the youngest to do such in eons. He rallied the team back against the Braves, although the final score on Saturday favor of Atlanta was 8-7. His speed and enthusiasm are infectious. 

No one expected this surge. Maybe the Reds and their young star will be privy to reality setting in for the rest of the season. But for now, the baseball world is awash with a new version of the Big Red Machine. 

Saturday night was not just another game for the Angels. Already above .500 and in the playoff chase, the team erupted in the thin air of Denver, thrashing the Rockies by a score of 25-1. After four innings, the score was a football-like 23-0.

Yes, this team is still led by Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani is having another M.V.P. caliber season, smashing home runs, and is among the leaders in pitching. But for once, the Halos are in the hunt, perhaps squashing, at least for the moment, the rumors about where the two-way threat Japanese superstar will play next season. 

In basketball, the NBA world was stunned with deals that sent Bradley Beal to Phoenix, Kristaps Porzingis to Boston, Marcus Smart to Memphis and Chris Paul made his way from Phoenix to Washington to Golden State, as the Warriors are in the midst of trying to redevelop the team for one more run—which may or may not include free agent Draymond Green. 

The Webmanyana era has begun in San Antonio. The French youngster, awash with such promise, landed in the Southwest, ready to lead the Spurs back to the top. So many comparisons have been made to Spurs Hall of Fame  big men David Robinson and Tim Duncan. That’s a lot of pressure on the gangly kid. 

So my wife and I revived my quest to see big league baseball in every city with a trip to Milwaukee and then to see the White Sox and Red Sox battle at Guaranteed Rate Field. After seeing these games, I would only need to go to Kansas City, St. Louis and Boston.

I should have known that when our plane was delayed in its arrival from the Dominican Republic that this was going to be a different kind of trip. Then when the pilot landed too hard at O’Hare International Airport, veering left, then right, before recapturing the plane, I should have recognized the omens. 

We had been promised a sedan by Budget, but the plethora of SUV’s left us in a quandry—take a new model which would show our bags while we were inside the stadium in Milwaukee or wait for a car with a trunk. We opted for the latter. It was a big mistake. 

Our drive to Wisconsin was uneventful. The highways in and around Chicago are toll roads. So I hope that my E-Z Pass transponder worked. 

We learned that the Homewood Suites would keep our luggage while we attended the game. So we drove to the stadium worry-free. 

The place formerly know as Miller Park remains a beautiful edifice. On this sunshine-laden day, the roof at American Family Field was open. Which I wished I had thought twice about and that the seating diagram had informed me that the seats I chose would be in the sun for the entire game. For we now have very crimson coloring on our faces, necks and arms. 

Our seats were in the seventh row, which was four rows behind the visiting team dugout. Great seats, despite the harsh sun. I could easily see the strike zone and we could hear the chatter from the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks, the NL West leaders. Since it was a Senior Citizen’s Day at the ballpark, I saw the largest amount of sunburned old folks in one place since South Florida. 

Arizona broke open a tight pitching due to win 5-1. Starter Zac Gallen was great, going seven innings, allowing a single, a double and a homer, the last two struck by Brewers who had previously hit well against the right-hander. Gallen is among the NL leaders in many categories, and he raised his season record to 9-2 with the win. Also impressive was reliever Scott Mc Gough. Both pitchers struck out 4 batters, as both threw strikes (Gallen 51 of 92 pitches and Mc Gough 17 of 22 pitches were strikes).

Milwaukee failed to impress me, while Arizona looked like a legitimate for a playoff spot. The D-backs left Wisconsin for a make up game in D.C., then chartered cross-country to San Francisco where they promptly lost the first two games to a very good Giants squad. I think they will get their bearings back once back in Phoenix. The NL West could be a four team race if San Diego gets its act together. 

Thursday was our travel day. I had mapped out a journey to the University of Illinois to get another Big Ten school under my belt, continuing on to the state capital of Springfield to see the dome and Supreme Court, as well as where my first Rabbi at Temple Sha’arey Shalom started his career.

Alas, our Honda Civic died at the Mile Square Rest area on Interstate 57 South, about 40 miles north of Champaign. We waited on Budget to do something for us. They did—they removed the vehicle and told us they would arrange a ride for us to Bloomington, Illinois to retrieve a car. 

Except they didn’t get us a ride. We had to rely on the generosity of an Illinois State trooper who took us to the Champaign airport (think that might happen in New Jersey?) where we somehow secured a Nissan pickup truck to drive back. Two firsts I never thought I would undertake—riding in the back of a State Police car and driving a real truck. We missed lunch and quickly had subs at Jersey Mike’s before hitting the road around 7:00 p.m. 

On Friday, the truck was exchanged for a Toyota Camry SE and we went to Guaranteed Rate Field. Boston, winners of 8 of 10, defeated the White Sox 3-1, sending Chicago to its 10th loss in its last 13 games. The White Sox ace, Lucas Giotlito, pitched well, surrendering 3 hits and 3 unearned runs, including a 434 foot blast off the bat of Rafael Devers. Watching Devers before the game and during it, I have a greater appreciation of how good he is; he is an All Star-caliber third baseman and a clutch hitter. 

In our wanderings around the metro area, we saw the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago State University and a place called Harper College in addition to the University of.  Illinois. In Milwaukee we passed Marquette University, adding a Big East school to my record. Other places of interest included the law schools at Illinois and Marquette; Weber Grill HQ in Palantine; and the American Academy of Pediatrics. There is probably so much other stuff we saw that I forgot. Sadly, we did not make it to Springfield or Bloomington, where I would have seen Illinois State University. 

Our final day was hellish. We endured a 3.5 hour delay at O’Hare, which included deplaning. People watching I observed men wearing a Augustana College, West Liberty University and North Central baseball shirts (the last guy had put on some years and pounds); a man wearing a sharp North Carolina State sweatshirt; a woman decked out in yellow and purple for LSU, including hot yellow sneakers—with her husband in an LSU white polo trailing behind with two suitcases; a CSKA Moscow assistant basketball coach with his wife; a Kansas City Royals fan wearing a Mike Moustakas jersey on the day he was traded by Colorado to the Angels; and a soccer club waiting to catch a flight to Zurich.

The plane ride was good, as I saw SportsCenter four times (I had it memorized) and watched the thrilling end to the extra innings Game 1 of the College World Series, won by LSU over Florida. We landed at Newark, sat on the tarmac for 15 minutes until a gate was ready, and stepped over and around people who were on cots, sleeping everywhere or in line at the United Customer Service area to ostensibly rebook canceled flights.  The airport inside and outside was an utter mess.

We had mostly great times and some not so good ones. And oh yeah, for good measure, I saw a woman wearing a Swarthmore basketball shirt at Shop Rite, taunting my bleary eyes. 

In the end, everything evened out. 

Another List

  Okay, the Denver Nuggets showed their grittiness and responded to the best the Miami Heat would offer by outplaying them in the fourth quarter to wrap up the franchise’s first ever NBA title. Nikola Jokic is a beast and he seems to be the best player in the world right now. Jamal Murray and Jokic entered some rarified air, joining Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Steph Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo as the only players in NBA history to average 25 points per game/5 rebounds per game/5 assists per game. Jokic is the only one EVER to lead the entire playoffs in all three categories. 

    While it was a well-deserved victory, let’s not jump to conclusions and believe that this team is likely to become a dynasty. Yes, it is possible that the Nuggets could win again next year. But the NBA landscape is ever-changing, with players coming into the league, plus there are trades, free agent signings and injuries. A team like San Antonio, last in the NBA, could become aggressive with Victor Wembanyama as the top choice overall and then surround him with enough pieces to become instant contenders. And what about up and coming Sacramento, or teams in the East getting better? It simply is foolish to prognosticate right now.

What was sad was the amount of gun violence which marred the celebration after the win on Monday then again on Thursday for the victory parade. Large crowds showed up for both—over 750,000 for the parade. Unfortunately, what has become an epidemic in this country could not be excluded from the celebration. 

So sad to see such a joyous event, so long in coming, to be shown on TV for what was a small minority ruining the day. My wife commented that maybe these events after hometown team championship wins should be curtailed. In this climate, who really is to blame?

Meanwhile, approximately 750 miles southwest of Denver, the Vegas Golden Knights demolished the Matthew Tkachuk-less Florida Panthers by a score of 9-3 to secure the franchise’s first Stanley Cup win. It came in a year when everyone anointed the Boston Bruins, the team which set the record for most regular season points, to be the eventual winner. Except that the Panthers said no dice and parlayed their early success into a run to the Finals. 

It was clear that Florida ran out of steam when facing Vegas. The Golden Knights looked hungry and even a bit desperate in Game 5. They took a 2-1 score and turned it into a rout. And insured that owner Bill Foley’s boast that the team would win a Stanley Cup by year 6 would come true. 

I watched the Yankees-Mets series this week. In the first game, the Yankees looked to be the superior team. In Gamer 2, the Yankee bullpen fell apart, allowing the Mets to earn a sweep. I was absolutely baffled why in the second game Yankees Manager Aaron Boone pinch hit for a relatively hot hitter—Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who had stolen home in this game—which didn’t work when Gleyber Torres failed to move the runner along.  

I also saw two good pitchers, Luis Severino and Max Scherzer get lit up on Tuesday, while aces Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, former teammates in Houston, were excellent in the Wednesday contest. 

One more thing—evidently the Georgia football team has been piling up motor violations since the fatal January 15th crash attributed to racing. The ten new offenses go with the over 60 violations which have happened since the start of 2021. What is going on there? What kind of kids are the Georgia coaches recruiting? And what kind of accountability do they really have with such reckless conduct?

With the end of basketball season, I started to think about this question: who is my favorite player for each franchise? This isn’t a scientific analysis, but I am going to do this anyway. There are 30, so I will make my comments brief. 

Atlanta Hawks: Dominique Wilkins is my first selection. Man could he score. I did like Bob Petit who played in St. Louis.

Boston Celtics: It comes down to Bill Russell and Larry Bird. As much as I love Bird for everything he brought to the floor, Russell was one of a kind. 

Brooklyn Nets: I am going to use some license here and revert to the ABA days and Go with Julius Erving. The Doctor never played for the Nets in the NBA, but he was the best player in the ABA.

Charlotte Hornets: This franchise has not sniffed a title. I thought about Mugsy Bogues for a second, then Dell Curry. However, Larry Johnson, “Grandmama”, is the best the franchise has to offer. 

Dallas Mavericks: Jason Kidd gets some recognition. Not enough to beat out Dirk Novitski. The guy from Germany with the great touch.

Denver Nuggets: Maybe some day Jamal Murray will out do David Thompson on the list. Neither one of them is a good as two-time M.V.P. Nikola Jokic. 

Detroit Pistons: I hated the whole damn bunch. What a horrible group of individuals. Which is why I pick an old timer—Dave Bing. A great sharpshooter. 

Golden State Warriors: Wilt Chamberlain. Rick Barry. Chris Mullin. All Hall of Fame players. None can shoot or play like Steph Curry.

Houston Rockets: Two players are at the top of any list—Clyde Drexler and Akeem Olajuwon. By a narrow margin, it is Akeem the Dream.

Indiana Pacers: Some very fine players passed through Indianapolis. As much as he shot down my beloved Knicks, the pick is Reggie Miller, the second best place in his family after his sister Cheryl. 

Los Angeles Clippers: Another team which hasn’t reached the top. I have to go back to the Buffalo Braves days to salute Bob Mc Adoo. The tall, athletic shooter could do it all—he won three straight scoring titles and one M.V.P. award.

Los Angeles Lakers: Kareem. Kobe. Shaq. West. Baylor. Wilt. I think Kobe was the best. But my favorite will always be Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. I followed him from Power Memorial to UCLA to the Milwaukee Bucks to LA. The sky hook was unstoppable.

Memphis Grizzlies: Ja Morant has been a highlight film—on the court. Off the court, he has been a disaster. Shareef Abdul-Raheem, a mainstay scorer from the Vancouver days is my favorite. He could score. 

Miami Heat: Alonso Mourning gets Honorable Mention. As does Chris Bosh. Dwyane Wade is Mr. Everything in South Beach. 

Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis may surpass this guy. But for me, it is another mention of Kareem. Just loved the player he was. 

Minnesota Timberwolves: Maybe KAT—Karl Anthony Towns—will become the best player there. Until then KG—Kevin Garnett is the best in franchise history. 

New Orleans Pelicans: Another woeful team. The way Anthony Davis left town was disgusting. I am not a Chris Paul fan—except for his commercials. So I will say that Brandon Ingram is my favorite—because I have to pick somebody.

New York Knicks: Who didn’t love the two championship teams? I adored those players. Yet my favorite still is Patrick Ewing.

Oklahoma City Thunder: A heck of a lot of good players started out with this franchise. My favorite is Jack Sikma from the Seattle days. An unorthodox shooting motion from which he rarely missed. 

Orlando Magic: Shaquille O’Neill was dominant. He was young, lean and powerful. And fun to watch. 

Philadelphia 76ers: Dr. J was great. Wilt, too. But I liked the Round Mound of Rebound from Auburn—Charles Barkley. 

Phoenix Suns: This is a very simple one. Steve Nash. The point guard from Canada was tremendous. 

Portland Trail Blazers: Clyde “the Glide” Drexler is the best of a long line of really good players. However, I was always partial to Geoff Petrie, the shooing guard from Princeton. 

Sacramento Kings: The team was also in Rochester, Cincinnati, Kansas City and Omaha. I watched the Cincinnati Royals and was mesmerized by Oscar Robertson. The guard out of Cincinnati didn’t win a title there; he had to wait to join Kareem in Milwaukee. Vlade Divac also was impressive. And I wanted Bobby Hurley to succeed, but he suffered greatly with the car accident. So here I pick the Big O. 

San Antonio Spurs: The greatest player was Tim Duncan. Runner up was David Robinson. My vote goes for Manu Ginobili . Without his leadership, there would not have been championships for Greg Popovich. 

Toronto Raptors: Kawhi Leonard led the team to a title. Vince Carter soared to greatness. I like Carter better. 

Utah Jazz: At first blush one would think of Karl Malone and John Stockton. But they paled in comparison to the one and only “Pistol” Pete Maravich. There was no one like him. 

Washington Wizards: Let’s go back to the Baltimore days. For Earl “the Pearl” Monroe. He sliced and diced the league and the Knicks. Glad he joined New York for the 1973 title. 

Another list. You be the judge. Happy Father’s Day.