Happy Holidays, Everybody

  Rickey Henderson died at the age of 65. I read that pneumonia was what caught him. Very few pitchers or catchers could stop him either at bat or on the base paths. 

Henderson was a superb player. He redefined the leadoff spot in the lineup with power and speed. The cumulative body of work was more than Hall of Fame worthy when he was elected to join baseball immortality in Cooperstown.

In his illustrative career, he spent time with both the Yankees and Mets. While gifted with a great body which he took pride in keeping in top shape into his 40’s when he finally retired, I found him to be aloof, cocky and just not likable except for his exceptional efforts on a baseball field. 

It is not right to speak ill of the dead. Let’s simply remember Rickey Henderson as the best base stealer of all time and a dangerous hitter to open the game. 

Before I get to the meat and potatoes of this week’s blog, I want to congratulate a few teams which don’t get a lot of publicity. Which they should. 

The University of Vermont men’s soccer team won the NCAA Division I title. This is the first team championship of any kind for the Burlington school. Until this win, the only titles the Catamounts were associated with were individual ones in skiing. It is great to see UVT, a school from the America East Conference, a lower rung league, end up on top ahead of the big boys from the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC. 

On the women’s side, a familiar face has returned to the winner’s circle. The University of North Carolina won the Division I Women’s trophy, getting its program back in order after years of turmoil. The Tar Heel women have won an unbelievable 23 titles. Their coach, Damon Nahas, was only an interim head coach, having succeeded the legendary Anson Dorrance. 

Dorrance built a program modeled after another UNC legend, the late Dean Smith, the famous head coach of the men’s basketball team. His legacy forever will be not only the wins and the titles, along with his team’s 101 straight victories, but also the sexual harassment suit which finally settled out of court in 2008, ten years after it was filed. Smith didn’t have that on his resume, even if there were other dubious events during his storied career, too. 

Credit should go to Nahas, recently named as the full time head coach, for rising from his assistant’s role to lead the team to the ultimate prize. Dorrance timed his retirement just before the season began—typically to have the limelight on him. That, to an extent, was the way he coached the US National Team to win the inaugural Women’s World Cup, with the likes of Michelle Akers and Mia Hamm on that team. 

The Division III football championship is down to the final two—unbeaten North Central and Mount Union. The latter has won 13 NCAA Division III crowns and has produced 12 undefeated seasons—including this year. The Purple Raiders had to overcome a very competitive Johns Hopkins University squad which actually led into the fourth quarter before Mount Union mounted its winning comeback. 

Mount Union faces a familiar foe to them and to those who follow DIII football. North Central won it all in 2022 and lost to SUNY Cortland by a point in 2023. The Cardinals obliterated Susquehanna University by a score of 66-0 to make their third straight appearance in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl. 

In 2022, North Central beat Mount Union for the title. While revenge is on the minds of both schools, if playing a Centennial Conference team (JHU) this season and a team which left the conference two years ago (SU) is a measuring stick, North Central should be favored to win it all again. 

Perhaps the most compelling story was the 2 wins by the Penn State women’s volleyball team to catapult the team to the Division I title. First, in a thrilling match against conference rival Nebraska, the Nittany Lions came from a two set deficit where it looked like they would be eliminated, to storm back and fight off multiple match points to make it to the final. 

Then they faced Louisville, playing at home, victors over top-seeded Pittsburgh. It took four sets for the women from Happy Valley to prevail. 

Their coach, Katie Schumacher-Cawley, made history. She became the first woman to coach a team to the national title in volleyball. 

That’s not the story here. Schumacher-Cawley has been diagnosed with breast cancer and has been receiving chemotherapy while coaching this team to the title. It is a question of which is the bigger inspiration—her courage and resiliency or the dedication of her players to their coach and he determination not to lose. That is the story. 

We began the 12 team tournament to determine a FBS champion this past weekend with four games on college sites. I watched much of those games. I will comment shortly on that and the NFL. 

It is exactly what I would have expected—convincing wins by the home teams. SMU and Tennessee were literally out of their element with the cold they encountered in State College and Columbus. Indiana and Clemson were the weakest teams in the field, which was clearly on display when Notre Dame manhandled the Hoosiers and Texas beat up on the Tigers. 

To the naysayers like Lane Kiffin of Mississippi who felt his school, not Indiana, should have been in the tournament, I find that to be sour grapes. Ole Miss would have been routed just like Tennessee or Indiana. Moreover, Alabama and Miami, the last two teams left out, wouldn’t have fared much better on the road. 

In the next round, play gets more interesting. Top seed Oregon meets Ohio State in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day—if this game unfolds like the nail biter the two teams played in Eugene, fans are in for a treat. I don’t know how good Arizona State really is, so Texas might coast into the semi-finals. Georgia is without top quarterback Carson Beck, so its defense better be ready for the multi-dimensional attack of Notre Dame; the Fighting’ Irish looked really good against Indiana. And Penn State plays Boise State—Boise is that kind of unknown entity—they gave Oregon a real battle early in the year then didn’t face any hurdles thereafter. Meanwhile, can PSU win a big game under James Franklin—who knows?

One more comment on college football. ESPN college football and Amazon Prime NFL analyst Kirk Herbstreit, an Ohio State alum, came to the defense of beleaguered Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day. After his most recent loss to arch rival Michigan, there was a loud rant for OSU to fire the highly successful coach because he doesn’t beat the Wolverines. This led to a war of words between Herbstreit and other ESPN personalities Shannon Share and Stephen A. Smith who want Day gone. 

Two things here—Day is a really good football coach and mind. Having read up on him, he is a decent and caring man. His father committed suicide when Ryan was nine. He met his wife on the same T-ball team when he was six and she was seven. They have three children. The Days are very involved with a children’s charity. He was a winner in high school in New Hampshire and at he University of New Hampshire, where, at quarterback, he led an amazing fourth quarter comeback against a highly-ranked Delaware team. 

Whatever the motivation of Sharpe and Smith or the “lunatic fringe” as Herbstreit refers to those OSU supporters wanting to oust Day, this war of words over a really solid individual is wrong. He molds men and he wins. He will eventually get those elusive victories over Michigan. Leave the man alone. 

Finally, the NFL is coming into clearer focus as the Christmas Day games were played. Kansas City is still the team to beat in the AFC, and, with a win over Pittsburgh, will have home field advantage. Buffalo and Houston have cemented their places in the playoffs. Yet seven other teams are still alive for berths. 

I am watching Cincinnati, which is on a roll and will play Denver, one of those teams still alive for the playoffs. Joe Burrow and friends are red hot right now and could be a thorn for any team if hey get into the post-season. Problem is they need to win and have plenty of help, as the odds of the Bengals making the field is just 6.8%

In the NFC, the top seed will be determined in the last game when Minnesota and Detroit meet, unless either is upset this week. Philadelphia is in, but faces major issues with QB Jalen Hurts whose future is uncertain after suffering a concussion against Washington. 

The Rams, by virtue of a win against the Jets and a Seattle loss, are currently in first place in the NFC West. Seattle remains in the hunt for that berth, and the two meet in Inglewood to end the season. 

Atlanta and Tampa Bay have to resolve which team represents the NFC South. The Atlanta-Washington battle this weekend could determine the fates of the Falcons and Commanders, or the drama will head to the final weekend.  

So rest and watch the plethora of games that the NFL and NBA offer on Christmas Day into the first night of Chanukah. I will. 

Happy Holidays, everybody. 

Goodbye To Fall. Bring On Winter--Even If I Detest The Cold.

  Every so often a reader asks (or sometimes goads me into discussing subjects which I might not have gotten into in length. That happened this week. 

This particular reader wanted me to delve into the season the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic is having. For Jokic is surpassing his previous M.V.P. years, racking up statistics which are mind-boggling. 

Let me start with this—he is the best player on the planet at this moment. But is he in the pantheon with Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant  and Lebron James? Hard to say. Different kinds of styles for different builds of men. And I don’t try comparing Steph Curry with him—it’s a 6’3’ guard versus 6’11” monster of a player. 

For men his size, Jokic possesses a rare talent of controlling the flow of the game each time he touches the ball. Big men like Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain were forces in close. The Joker can take over a possession for the entire length of the floor.

Right now, per game Jokic is averaging 32.5 points, along with 13.3 rebounds and 9.8 assists. In his last five games, which resulted in three wins for Denver and two losses, in four of the five contests he played 35, 39, 39, and 40 minutes of a 48 minute game. He shot over 50.0% while averaging over 36 points per game. He didn’t get to the foul line much—he went 30 for 40. 

As magnificent as he has played, the Nuggets sit at 13-10, which puts them in fifth place in the Western Conference. And during this five game streak, he actually recored two negative plus/mins games for all that he has tried to do to right the ship. 

I am not saying that Jokic might not win another M.V.P. award with his excellence. I merely point to the failure of his team to rise to his level despite the Serb’s best efforts. 

For I watched another tall basketball player wow me on Sunday night. That would be Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks. His scoring average isn’t that far off the pace of Jokic. His statistics are almost exactly at his career averages. 

In his past five games, his consistency hasn’t been the same as Jokic—only twice did he shoot better than 50% from the field. What differs is that Doncic is playing for a team which is red hot—12 wins in its past 14 games, including a dominant win at Golden State. 

That team includes Kyrie Irving. Love him or hate him, he is a superb point guard. One capable of helping a team win a championship. Let us not forget that Dallas made it to the NBA Finals before losing to Boston. 

There also is Klay Thompson, a sure fire Hall of Fame inductee once his career ends. He scored the most points of his season with 29 points, burying seven three point shots, a couple of them when it mattered most to hold off his old team. 

But what I saw on Sunday night was an amazing offensive display. The Mavericks came out of the gate and smoked the Warriors with three point shots and inside baskets. It seemed like the Cavs didn’t miss and Doncic was the leader. 

Both teams combined for an NBA record 48 made three point shots. Golden State actually had more of the long distance bombs—27. 

But it was Doncic’s triple double which won the game for Dallas. The Mavericks may only be in fourth place along with Houston and Memphis, with those three teams trailing Oklahoma City, which came out of the gate hot. 

Without Doncic, the Maps would be just an average to below average team. To me, even if his stats aren’t quite at the level of Jokic, Milwaukee’s Giannis Anteokounmpo or Shai Gilcrest-Alexander of OKC, Doncic deserves as much respect as Jokic right now and with a loaded squad, could once more be playing for an NBA title. 

The NBA in-season tournament has reached its final in Las Vegas. Oklahoma City and Milwaukee will face off for the Emirates NBA Cup and prize money totaling nearly $600,000 for  each member of the winning team (the losers pocket well over $200,000 per player). I wasn’t excited last year and my lack of enthusiasm this year is equally palpable. 

Having differed with my reader about Jokic, I am not going to part with him on this year’s Heisman Trophy award winner. Travis Hunter of Colorado won the prestigious trophy on Saturday night, prevailing over Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty by 214 points in the closest contest since Alabama’s Mark Ingram prevailed by 28 votes in 2009. 

Jeanty claimed he should have won, as Hunter did not put up statistics as gaudy as his. Jeanty rushed for over 100 yards in every game; scored 29 touchdowns; and fell just short of Barry Sanders’ all-time rushing yardage record. He will do very well in the NFL.

Under that theory, maybe so. Or perhaps if seven other candidates didn’t receive 40 first place votes and more second and third place votes went his way, then yes, Jeanty would have been the winner. 

To me, Hunter was the frontrunner and deserved to win. Hunter was a two-way star for the Buffaloes. He caught 92 passes for 1.152 yards and 14 touchdowns. On defense, he had 4 interceptions, 11 pass break-ups and a forced fumble. In this day and age of specialization, what Hunter accomplished—and he did miss some time due to injury—was truly amazing. I don’t know if we will see more players trying to replicate what Hunter did in 2024; it is so very demanding. 

Some NFL notes. Buffalo is on a tear. QB Josh Allen has been putting up big numbers this season, more so in the past few games. The Bills own a victory over Kansas City, the top team in the AFC. And they put a hurting on the NFC-leading Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Sunday. Detroit is facing more key injuries and has the Minnesota Vikings hot on its tail for the NFC North crown; the two tangle in the last game of the regular season in the Motor City. 

Should KC stumble—and its quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain  at Cleveland on Sunday—Buffalo will secure the top seed in the conference for the playoffs and have home field advantage for all its games. 

The Bills don’t want to play at Arrowhead if they can avoid it. The remaining schedule favors Buffalo, as they play the last place New England Patriots home and home with the New York Jets coming to Orchard Park in between the two games with the Pats. 

Conversely, KC is in the midst of a three games in eleven days stretch which sent them to Cleveland on Sunday; have them hosting AFC South leading Houston on Saturday before traveling to Pittsburgh for a Wednesday Christmas Day game. Mahomes has made it clear that he did not like this schedule and now, with his injury and limited time to heal, I am sure he likes it a lot less. 

Let me not forget the Philadelphia Eagles. The Birds soundly rounded a good Pittsburgh team on Sunday. A tough test awaits them in Virginia versus the Commanders before hosting the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants to end the season. This could be the NFC tip seeded team. 

While the Giants continue in free fall, the New York Jets actually won a game, defeating Jacksonville on the road in a clash of two 3-10 teams. Aaron Rodgers looked really good, connecting with his former Green Bay teammate Davante Adams for two touchdowns and 198 yards. Adams is the 12th NFL wide receiver to amass over 100 career TD catches, with over 80 from Rodgers. 

Although the Jacksonville defense was awful (the Jets weren’t much better), it was a masterful performance by a duo headed to the Hall of Fame. It almost makes me believe that they both might be back in Green and White for 2025 if they continue to play like this. Remember—the Jets lost seven games by a touchdown or less. 

Finally, I watched Rutgers eke out a win over Seton Hall on a last second three point heave by freshman star Dylan Harper. He and his fellow super freshman Ace Bailey played well. The rest of the team leaves a lot to be desired and does not look like a NCAA Tournament team. I wouldn’t be surprised if Princeton beats RU on Saturday at the Prudential Center. 

I say so because I watched some of Gonzaga and Connecticut play at Madison Square Garden. Comparatively, it was men playing men, as opposed to seeing some college kids on two very average squads playing at Jersey Mike’s Arena. 

With that, we say goodbye to Fall. Bring on Winter—even if I detest the cold. 

Soto-Majeure?

  I pride myself on trying to be the best writer I can be. That includes having a good friend as an editor. But in this world of auto correctness on my I Pad, even the best intentions of providing the right words can go awry. Which is why I humbly apologize to those who loyally read this blog. When a mistake appears, it is with my profound regret. 

Speaking of profound regret, Yankees fans are rueing the announcement that Juan Soto  has elected to take his huge talent to Queens and be a New York Met. All for the measly amount of $765 million over 15 years, with no deferrals, a $75 million signing bonus and an opt out clause after 5 years when the superstar will reach age 31, if reports are accurate. 

It’s not that the Yankees didn’t make a real push to retain Soto. Owner Hal Steinbrenner’s package added a 16th year and totaled only $5 million less than the money Mets owner Steve Cohen ponied up. He really tried, but for unknown reasons which some day will be revealed, Soto walked away from remaining paired with Aaron Judge as a dynamic one-two punch in the NYY outfield. 

First, let me say this: the money involved here is obscene. The contract is more than the best contracts that Tom Brady and Lebron James signed—together. It surpasses the MLB record set by Shohei Ohtani when he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers a year ago. He’s now reached the Judge Judy level of compensation—$47 million—and she worked far fewer hours and days than Soto will be expected to toil. Maybe she had a better agent than Scott Boras, who represented Soto during these negotiations.

Ohtani brought instant dividends on the LAD investment, as his record-setting season translated into a World Series win over Soto, Judge and the Yankees. Ohtani rose to the occasion and overcame the pressure he had placed on himself. Plus Ohtani is going to return to the mound in 2025, which Soto will not be doing. 

That LAD team was loaded with stars on the field to support Ohtani. The team had enough firepower to overcome major pitching deficiencies and still win it all. 

While the Mets overachieved last season in losing to the Dodgers in the NLCS, the team isn’t as deep or strong as Los Angeles. They have a void at first base which occurred when slugger Pete Alonso became a free agent. The current vibes aren’t for The Polar Bear to continue to wear a Mets jersey in 2025. 

Moreover, the Mets pitching is a bit suspect and there are other holes on the field which need to be addressed. Having an infielder like Francisco Lindor doesn’t hurt at all. Cohen and GM David Stearns must spend the money wisely to make the Mets a strong contender to overcome the likes of the Dodgers, Phillies, Braves and Padres in a highly competitive National League. 

Yes, Soto has put a big, fat target on himself. Can he flourish under such pressure? Will he remain injury-free? With so much money invested in him, nothing less than a couple of World Series wins is now expected of him, as well as garnering a NL M.V.P. or more if Ohtani fails to have another monster year or two. 

As I learned in my Property and Contracts courses in law school—Caveat Emptor—let the buyer beware. In the spirit of public service, I pass this along to you giddy Mets fans 

Meanwhile, Yankees faithful, all is far from lost. Yes, Soto was a huge contributor in 2024. But there were other pieces of the puzzle which need to be addressed besides one outfield spot. GM Brian Cashman has always had multiple plans to go forward should the Yankees not secure Soto. Those alternatives could upgrade holes at first and third bases while moving Jazz Chisholm to his natural position of second base. Jasson Dominguez can finally show the potential expected of him when allowed to play his comfortable position of center field. Get a good left fielder and shore up the starting pitching from a bevy of high end talent available plus reload the bullpen and the Yankees are once more a solid contender. 

  `The same goes for those teams which also lost out on Soto. Boston has young talent in the minors; the Dodgers need more pitching (always); Philadelphia is a starting pitcher and another batter away from a title; plus the Braves will have healthy talent back for the 2025 season. 

No, losing Juan Soto to the Mets isn’t the end of the world. Getting him may not be the panacea that the Mets might believe they have. 

Switching topics, the College Football Playoffs are set after a rousing round of conference championships on Saturday. Oregon was tested by Penn State and remains the only undefeated team in the hunt. A worthy #1 seed. 

Georgia may have battled hard and outlasted Texas to grab the Southeastern Conference Championship. But star QB Carson Beck was lost to an undisclosed elbow injury and they lost their top tier punter. As talented a team as the Bulldogs may be, I just don’t see them getting to the title game. Texas might have a better chance at that, and I was far from impressed with their discipline and QB Quinn Ewers. 

Clemson and SMU may have staged an epic battle in the ACC.  Neither one has the talent to maybe even get by the first round. Boise State and Notre Dame are wild cards; the latter may have its hands full with in-state rival Indiana in the first round, while BSU’s resume has a close road loss to Oregon early in the season on its resume. That’s a long time ago. 

The winner of Tennessee and Ohio State in Columbus could have a lot to say about the outcome of these playoffs. And Big 12 champ Arizona State is a team on the rise. They could be the dark horse of the tournament. 

Whatever happens, it’s gonna be fun. Finally a sure test of wills coupled with enough deserving teams to declare a true champion. 

One more thing to those who think SEC teams like South Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi should have made this edition of the CFP. This is not the SEC Tournament. Especially for a team like Alabama which, while it has a big win over Georgia, lost to Vanderbilt. That’s not going to get you into the field.

Pro football has been very enticing as the season now has four games left. Much has been decided as to which teams make the playoffs and which are going home. 

In New York, mediocrity reigns supreme (again). The Jets had a lead and lost it for the second week in a row—this time losing in overtime to a Miami team still in the hunt for a playoff berth. The Giants just were dreadful losing to the Saints. Both teams will be searching for a franchise quarterback in the upcoming draft (again).

While Kansas City continues its streak of winning close games with a “doink” game-winning field goal off the upright against a solid Los Angeles Chargers team, Buffalo suffered a loss to the hungry Los Angeles Rams in LA, putting the Bills two games behind the Chiefs for the top seed in the AFC. Buffalo has the easier schedule remaining, so winning out and KC dropping two games would give Buffalo the AFC top seed. 

We are going to learn a lot about the Pittsburgh Steelers in the coming weeks, beginning with an away Sunday clash with Philadelphia, the second-best team in the NFC. The Eagles seem to have internal problems involving QB Jalen Hurts and mercurial WR Antonio Brown. 

Pittsburgh’s last four games have to be the most challenging schedule in the NFL. Besides Philly, the Steelers travel to a very hostile Baltimore to determine AFC North supremacy; host the Chiefs on Christmas Day; and end with a home finale against the Cincinnati Bengals, a team which remains alive for a playoff spot after winning in Dallas on Monday night, when the Cowboys’ special team botched a blocked punt, handing the Bengals an early holiday gift. 

Should the Steelers win out or even take three of four, would aging Russell Wilson be considered for the league M.V.P. award other than by Ciara? I know that Josh Allen in Buffalo is putting up incredible numbers as is Jared Goff in Detroit. But if the Steelers continue to win, how can Wilson’s contributions be overlooked?

And let’s not overlook Sam Darnold and the job he has done in Minnesota. The Vikings have lost only two games and while they play the Bears at home on Monday night, their last three games involve the current NFC West leading Seattle Seahawks; a very good divisional foe in Green Bay; before finishing the season in Detroit which may be for the top seed in the conference. 

Baseball taking precedence in December over football? Not so astonishing when it is a Soto-Majeure?