New Observations

  Observation: I have the worst choice/luck with the teams I root for. Right now, I can identify the following which I am a long time fan of: New York Yankees; New York Jets; New York Knicks (an allegiance from my youth usurped by the Golden State Warriors led by Steph Curry); Rutgers University; Franklin and Marshall College (my alma mater); New Jersey Devils; and Highland Park High School (my high school). I do not root against the New York Rangers ( I was a season ticket holder for 11 seasons), the New York Giants, New York Mets, New York Islanders—unless they are playing my teams or vying for a playoff position which would affect my team. This is my core. All of this drives me crazy as a fan/observer, because the winning seasons are too infrequent.

Observation: the Yankees sucked wind this season. I have written much about this. I long for the Mantle/Jackson & Munson/Jeter eras. I grew up thinking a championship was a right reserved for this franchise, loaned out to others when the Bombers had an off year. Except that the off years have been more frequent, with this year’s non-playoff season magnifying the fact that the Yanks last won the World Series in 2009. With a bleak horizon, too.

Observation: Anthony Volpe winning the AL Gold Glove at shortstop shows that the kid has the right stuff. Now if the analytics people let up on swing elevation and allow him to hit like he is capable of, the team has the foundation for a great leader. 

Observation: Highland Park won its first football game in forever, ending a 51 game losing streak. What has happened in a town where football was king when I was growing up is sad. The sport has been dropped twice in the last few years. The team regularly gets trounced—a far cry from the undefeated teams I used to watch before and while I attended HPHS. Good for them, but it still hurts.

Observation: Franklin and Marshall lost to #22 Muhlenberg in double overtime. The Mules looked like they were going to run away from the Diplomats. Yet with just over 2 minutes left, F&M had the ball and a seven point lead. After running the ball for a modest gain, two pass plays were inexplicably called, to the consternation of the parents seated behind us. Both resulted in incompletions. F&M punted and Muhlenberg marched down the field to tie the score. In the first OT, when F&M, helped by a pass interference call, tied the Mules, the game was virtually over when the Diplomats settled for a field goal in the second OT. All Muhlenberg needed was three plays to come away victorious. Talk about bad decision-making. 

Observation: Rutgers led #1 Ohio State 9-6 at the end of the first half. The problem with this was that there are two halves and Rutgers QB Gavin Wimsatt, who I am not enamored with, threw an interception which resulted in a game-changing 93 yard touchdown return. If RU had scored on this possession or any of the three which resulted in field goals, the outcome could have been a shocker. But it wasn’t and this game, won handily by the Buckeyes, showed that while the Scarlet Knights are better than before, there is still a mountain to climb to get back to where the team can consistently challenge the better teams. 

Observation: Kansas City defeats Miami 21-14 in Germany. KC did not muster a ton of offense against a stout Dolphins defense. One touchdown was a fumble recovery with a lateral that created the score. Maybe it was because Taylor Swift wasn’t with Mama Kelce that the score was so close. Or maybe pundits are too harsh on the Chiefs for being in a mini-funk after losing to Denver the week before and only scoring two offensive TD’s. Last time I looked, KC only has 2 losses, is in control of the AFC West and is still a favorite to win the AFC and the Super Bowl. 

Observation: The New York Giants and Daniel Jones are snakebitten. Jones was coming off a neck injury which had sidelined him for a few games, and his immediate backup, Tyrod Taylor had suffered a rib injury which may be season-ending. Things were looking up for the G-Men until Jones went down in a heap. He suffered a torn ACL. Done for the season. Both the starting quarterbacks for the Giants and Jets are done. Swallowed up by artificial turf. Is there a message here?

Observation: Josh Dobbs, signed by the Vikings to help stabilize the quarterback situation with the loss of starting QB Kurt Cousins to an Achilles tendon tear, leads the team to a victory in Atlanta. Dobbs was the de facto starting QB in Arizona while Kyler Murray was out. He went 1-7, with an upset win over Dallas accounting for that lone victory. Traded to Minnesota, he hardly had time to adjust when replacement starter Jaren Hall left the game due to a concussion. Dobbs threw for 158 yards, scored three total TD’s and led the Vikings to a comeback 31-28 win. With this performance, Dobbs became the first QB in NFL history with consecutive three-touchdown games for three different teams. Who says it is difficult to play QB in the NFL? (See New York Jets below and New York Giants above)

Observation: The Baltimore Ravens are the hottest team in the NFL. Now 7-2 with a decisive 37-3 win over NFC West leader Seattle, Baltimore has dispatched NFC Central leader Detroit by a 38-6 score and scored over 30 points at Arizona. All good for the Ravens, but when will the roof collapse again?

Observation: Don’t forget the Cincinnati Bengals. Joe Burrow has recovered from his calf injury and suddenly the Bengals are at 5-3. When Burrow is right, the Bengals are a force yo be reckoned with. Ask KC when Cincy knocked them out of a Super Bowl berth. The AFC is a lot of fun to watch right now.

Observation: The New York Jets stink. Pure and simple. The Chargers humiliated the Jets on Monday night. My children were there—thankfully they are adults or their presence might have been considered child abuse. There is no offense, and while the defense is good, it isn’t going to win games outright—especially when QB Zack Wilson was sacked eight times and costly turnovers and penalties killed any momentum the offense might have gotten. The disgust on Head Coach Robert Saleh’s face spoke volumes. Even if future Hall of Fame QB Aaron Rodgers continues to heal, why risk further injury in another lost season? 

Observation: Rutgers men’s basketball team is young and mistake-prone. On Monday evening in Trenton, Princeton schooled the young Knights. Minus some key players from last season’s run to the Sweet 16, it is clear that the Tigers are a savvy, veteran team. Not so much with Rutgers. After watching last night’s debacle, why would prize recruit Dylan Harper want to come to Piscataway?

Observation: #1 LSU women and #4 Michigan State men are upset on the opening day of college basketball play. Will this lead to a more wide-open season?

Observation: Alabama beat up on a good LSU football team in Tuscaloosa. It seems inevitable that the Crimson Tide and Georgia are headed to a showdown in the SEC Championship.

Observation: Craig Counsell, the former manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, a Wisconsin native and a free agent, neither went to the Mets where he would have been reunited with his former boss, nor did he re-sign with the Brewers.  Instead, he inked a deal with the rival Chicago Cubs. How does an astounding $8 million a year sound? Pretty good to him.

Observation: The New Jersey Devils rebounded from the loss of star Jack Hughes, who was leading the NHL in scoring, to down the Chicago Black Hawks. With Hughes and Nico Hischier sidelined, the Devils will have to rely on others to pick up the slack until they are able to rejoin the lineup. It’s going to be tough. St. Louis and Colorado have shown that with wins over New Jersey.

Observation: San Jose ended its NHL record-tying streak of 11 straight losses to start a season with a home win over Philadelphia. And I thought that the Flyers had improved greatly this season.

Observation: In the NHL, Boston and Las Vegas are picking up from where they left off last season. A team to watch is the New York Rangers; should the team remain healthy, no one will want to meet them in the playoffs. 

Observation: I have had a lousy year in picking NFL games. Luckily, this season we weren’t in a pool. I thought I could handicap games, but evidently not this year.  

Observation: Steph Curry is playing like a possible M.V.P. candidate. He always could score. Getting Chris Paul to lighten his load at point guard is paying dividends. Still, I question if the Warriors have enough to beat Denver, Philadelphia, Milwaukee or Boston among others. Denver won by 3 on Wednesday night; the Warriors haven’t played the others thus far. 

Observation: Victor Webanyama  made his first trip to New York as a San Antonio Spur. He had dinner with Tom Brady. He remarked that Madison Square Garden was smaller than he thought it would be—in comparison to the Frost Bank Center, the Spurs home arena? And he sucked in a blowout loss to the Knicks. So French, or maybe it was dining with Brady?

Observation: I have written enough for this edition. This is clear.