Did Anybody Say Dessert?

  There is a lot to talk about. Let’s get to it. 

First, I want to touch on baseball. Last week, in discussing the Texas Rangers, I mentioned former Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom. Except that I left the typo referring to him as Jason. Nobody corrected me. I don’t exactly know what to make of that. 

I do know that the Texas Rangers are World Champions. Deservedly so, pitching and slugging their way to the franchise’s first title. Arizona was a game participant, but simply no match for the arsenal of offense, collective defense and stellar pitching dialed up by the Rangers. 

Bruce Bochy came out of retirement to manage this team. He now added this crown to the ones he attained with the San Francisco Giants. Bochy is a Hall of Famer.

Former major league pitcher and Princeton basketball and baseball pitcher Chris Young was instrumental in putting together this roster. Even with deGrom injured, the addition of Corey Seager and Marcus Semien to the lineup was pure gold. Seager deservedly was named Series M.V.P. Memo to Yankees fans—this is what Anthony Volpe should aspire to be. And a question for Dodgers brass—you gave up on him?

Even when being no hit for six innings in Game 5, I had the feeling that the Rangers would somehow come out of their funk to triumph. Which they did. 

Make no mistake—this is a really good team. Any squad which could win 11 road contests in a row, let alone in the playoffs and World Series, is a very special group. Don’t be surprised to see the Rangers contending again next season; they remind me of the good Yankees teams which repeatedly were in contention every year. 

This was the lowest rated World Series ever. Nobody cared to watch. The markets were in states which are not baseball hotbeds. Having the games on ESPN, TBS and FOX isn’t going to reach the masses. 

The NBA has this in season tournament which began on Friday night, using pods and regular season games to determine which teams make it to Las Vegas for the final four. It’s $500,000/man to the winners. To me, it’s gimmicky. Let’s see how the hype makes it into a bigger deal. 

By the way, this heralded rookie on San Antonio—his name is Victor Webanyama—has started to live up to his lofty expectations. The Spurs, led by the 19 year old from France, beat Phoenix, one of the top teams in the West, on the road. Twice. In two different ways. Webanyama put on a clinic on Thursday night, stopping a Suns comeback and scoring almost all of the Spurs final points en route to a 38 point night over Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and mates. I think his televised games are going to be must see TV. 

The Jets beat the Giants in an overtime yawner. Zach Wilson overcame a bad game to lead the Jets to a tie in regulation and a win in OT. Up next are the Chargers on Monday night. A win puts the Jets at 5-3, with a trip to Las Vegas to meet the dysfunctional Raiders, where mercurial owner Mark Davis fired his head coach and GM in mid-week after a dismal performance by the team, relating in griping and finger pointing. 

That’s where the Giants are this weekend. Daniel Jones is back at quarterback, which should help the team. A “soft” game like the Raiders could help right the ship for a week. 

But football fans in the New York market should grouse a bit. Having the Giants on FOX precludes the televising of a better game—Cowboys at Eagles.

Three men died this week. Important names to those who watch sports. Their deaths made me feel old. 

Robert Montgomery Knight was the most revered and hated college basketball coach in his time. A genius in the understanding of the game, the man was complicated and battled demons which led to his removal from the plum job he had at Indiana, where he won National Championships but stayed bitter for far too many years, not returning to campus until his dementia was taking hold. 

I didn’t like Knight. I thought he was arrogant and self-serving. And a bully. I read articles by Jay Bilas on ESPN.com, who counted Knight as a friend but was perplexed by the man. Esteemed writer and author Joh Feinstein also had a different and sometimes strained relationship with Knight, yet recognized the good with the bad. 

Knight came from an era where men like him could thrive. Until they couldn’t any more. He alienated way too many people while his good deeds went unnoticed. The word enigma suffices here. 

Frank Howard died this week. Hondo had a tie with Knight, as they both played basketball at Ohio State. Howard was so good that, at 6’7”, he averaged 20.1 points and 15.3 rebounds per game, which got him drafted by the Philadelphia Warriors. 

He was also pretty good at baseball. In 1960, Howard was National League Rookie of the Year playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was a World Champion with LA, but when the Dodgers moved into more spacious Dodger Stadium, his average plummeted, leading to a trade to the Washington Senators. 

Howard blossomed in D.C. He once more hit gargantuan home runs—seats in the upper deck at R.F.K. Stadium were painted white to note his mammoth blasts. 

Frank Howard was a fan favorite. He was a precursor to Aaron Judge, another big man blessed with power. No greater an authority on hitting than Ted Williams, who managed Howard in Washington, marveled on his ability to hit yet could not understand why Howard  didn’t receive more walks. Working with Williams, Howard doubled his walks while cutting down on strikeouts.  

I saw the Senators last game in D.C. Yankees pitcher Mike Kekich served up a meatball to hit which Howard deposited well over the fence. He waved to the cheering fans (which would later become a mob tearing up the field), tossed his hat to them and blew kisses. Something I will never forget. 

Then there was Walter Davis. The former North Carolina star under Dean Smith, who had his number retired in Phoenix after a stellar professional career, died at age 69. 

I first encountered Davis while in law school in Delaware. There was this kid at the Sanford School who seemingly was scoring 40 points a night. I read more about him and realized that Davis had won three state titles at South Mecklenberg High School in North Carolina and needed a prep year before he went on to Chapel Hill. 

From then on, I never stopped watching this quick, good shooting player. First at Carolina, then on the 1976 U.S. gold medal-winning Olympic team, before embarking on a great career in the pros. A special player. Again, I feel old. 

Enough being melancholy. Watch some college football this weekend—Alabama versus LSU looks tasty. College hoops starts on Monday. The Chiefs and Dolphins clash in Frankfurt, Germany; did KC set itself up by leaving for the game on Thursday while Miami was there and already acclimated?

Me? I’m going to see F&M take on #22 Muhlenberg in Allentown. Muhlenberg is fresh off a last second loss to #8 Johns Hopkins. 

I hope they aren’t too riled up. Like the Big Ten coaches who want Michigan head man Jim Harbaugh sanctioned for sign stealing. As if everyone ran a clean program?

Time to go. Did anybody say dessert?