Heartache, Hoops and Hockey

  I’ve ben a busy sports blogger this week. This is largely due to the plethora of sports which interested me, both in person and on TV. 

Before I get to the substantial portion of this week’s installment, I need to comment on the events surrounding the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory parade. What was a largely joyous celebration of a second consecutive title for Patrick Mahomes II, Travis Kelce and company turned into a nightmare when shots were fired near the venerable Union Station in downtown Kansas City. 

Up until that time, about one million fans celebrated this win in true KC fashion. Tomahawk chops and hoots and hollers echoed throughout the route and especially when the team arrive at the station. 

With the mayor concluding his remarks and the crowd ready to disperse into the beautiful day, chaos ensued. There were multiple active shooters whose shots resulted in many injuries and the tragic death of a local DJ. Children were among the victims. 

There were heroes galore in the hysteria. Some tackled apparent shooters trying to flee. Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid and number of payers comforted those who were in emotional distress. The pictures of police officers, weapons drawn, running outside and into Union Station, were constantly repeated, along with pictures of snipers poised on rooftops.

While the facts remain sketchy, apparently a dispute among groups which included juveniles led to this terrible situation. I immediately put my retired Public Defender hat back on, thinking of the unfathomable harm these alleged perpetrators unleashed and what would ensue for them. 

What was clear, though, was the reaction of the community—from the immediate fright to the heroic measures of the police and first responder medical personnel and the doctors who knew what was incoming. Everybody maintained their composure, no matter the outrage. 

Travis Kelce and his girlfriend Taylor Swift each donated $100,000 to a Go Fund me page for the murder victim. Mahomes and his wife visited the children wounded and still hospitalized. 

No matter what, the scars will run deep for years to come. Going to a celebration like this is becoming more and more dangerous. 

My wife asked me what would I go to a parade if the New York Jets finally won another Super Bowl title? At my age, freezing for hours would be a sufficient deterrent from attending a parade; had I been younger, I might have gone. 

Perhaps these public events need to be handled like New Year’s Eve in Times Square—with metal detectors in use—or held in the stadiums where everyone is scanned before entering. It is a terrible shame that once happy occasions are repeatedly marred by gun violence. We, as a nation, must get a grip on this issue; I heard that shooting deaths are the leading cause of death for black teenagers. These scenes cannot be endlessly repeated. 

Transitioning away from this horror, it’s been a pretty good week for the teams and individuals I root for. The Yankees began Spring Training and no pitchers have complained about anything thus far. Nor have the Jets screwed up anything more as the off season intensifies. 

The college basketball teams I follow have done particularly well this week. Franklin and Marshall returned home after getting trounced on the road by Johns Hopkins and Swarthmore, the two hottest teams in the Centennial Conference. Wins over Dickinson and Washington College propelled the Diplomats to a third seed in the upcoming CC playoffs. With Swarthmore defeating the Blue Jays on Saturday, Gettysburg unseated JHU as the top seed by virtue of the Bullets two wins over the Jays. The Garnet are the fourth seed and will face Ursinus; F&M must wait for a Monday play-in game between Dickinson and Muhlenberg to know their opponent.

Princeton won twice, including a win over Yale, which had been undefeated in conference play. Yale meets Cornell, the other top team, next weekend; Princeton must wait until March 2 to seek revenge from the Big Red. Sadly, the Ivy League will remain a one team league come NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday. 

We went to Drew University on Saturday, forgoing another trip to Lancaster due to the snowy conditions which prevailed early that day  The Rangers hosted Susquehanna to determine which team would be the second seed in the upcoming Landmark Conference tournament. 

This contest was played at break-neck speed. Both teams put up over 40 points in the first half. Solid defense plus timely shooting by Drew sent the home team to victory by a score of 94-82. Drew can be a thorn to top-seed Catholic, each winning on the road in the two games played against each other. Drew has also scored over 90 points in eleven games en route to a sterling 20-5 record. Drew will see either Goucher or Susquehanna in its playoff opener, having gone 2-0 versus Goucher and split its two games with SU. 

I was at Jersey Mike’s Arena on Thursday for the early evening match between Northwestern and Rutgers. Once left for dead near the basement of the Big Ten standings, RU has awoken with the addition of Jeremiah Williams. The transfer from Iowa State by way of Temple and Chicago, Illinois, has shown his talent and swagger in leading the Scarlet Knights. To four straight wins, including a come-from-behind win over the Wildcats. 

RU dug a real hole for itself. Boo Buie, Northwestern’s star guard, annihilated the Knights in the first half, sinking the first seven three point attempts he took. The persistent RU defense shackled Buie and the Wildcats in the second half, overcoming an eleven point deficit to win 63-60. 

Buie is a really good point guard; he probably has pro potential. However, he was repeatedly using his off arm to push away defenders without getting called for an offensive foul. This enraged the RU faithful, who continually let the referees know about this egregious affront. 

I don’t know what will happen for the remainder of Rutgers’ season. Nothing is really a lock. Maybe the NCAA or NIT might eventuate if the play continues to shine. Although a 81-70 loss at Minnesota didn’t help the cause. #2 Purdue, losers to cellar-dwelling Ohio State, is next. Momentarily RU Nation has something to cheer about. 

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark broke the women’s all-time scoring record with a signature 49 point performance. She is an ambassador for young women, and her game is outrageous. Plus she is dating the son of the Iowa men’s head coach; think she is enjoying life?

Switching to the pros, Golden State won three of four before the All-Star break. Steph Curry shined, as he has been while the Warriors have resurrected their dormant playoff hopes. 

What was momentous was the benching of future Hall of Fame player and fellow Splash Brother to Curry, Klay Thompson. Head Coach Steve Kerr said Thompson did not take it well. Rather than sulk, Thompson took his demotion personally, scoring 35 points on Thursday against Utah. It was nice to see; whether this offensive surge continues is anybody’s guess. Too bad the Warriors couldn’t get traction on their interest in trading for Lebron James at the trade deadline. How delicious would that have been—Curry and James paired together?

NBA All-Star Saturday is a favorite of mine. I was mildly amused with the Skills contest. I was more engrossed in the 3-Point Shooting Contest. Damien Lillard, formerly with Portland and now with suddenly spiraling Milwaukee Bucks, repeated as champion, sinking a money ball on his final shot. Great theater. 

Also fun to watch was G-League player Mac Mc Clung defending his dunk title. He cleared 7’1” Shaquille O’Neal to score a resounding victory over Jalen Brown of Boston. Mc Clure also scored 12 points in Friday’s Futures Game. Why this kid isn’t on some NBA team baffles me. 

The tour de force for the Saturday event at the home of the Indianapolis Colts was a meeting of Curry, the NBA all-time three point leader, with the WNBA three-point champion, Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty. Ionescu used the WNBA basketball but shot from the longer NBA three-point line. She projected confidence in the pre-match interview with Ernie Johnson of TNT. 

Sabrina was uncanny, compiling 26 points in her round. This put pressure squarely on Steph, who knows how to handle it. Struggling just a bit, Curry righted himself and ended with a flourish by sinking his last two shots to win 29-26. Ionescu did not fail—she went against one of the greatest competitors ever and she pushed him hard. In comparison, McClung would have stood no chance versus Michael Jordan in his prime in a dunk contest as a reference point. 

It was wonderful. It was magnificent. Use all the cheerful and demonstrative words you choose to apply. Ionescu had every reason to be a proud and humble as Curry. She joined Clark as a second worthy face of women’s basketball. Now if he salaries could match the talent levels and become more commensurate with those in the NBA. 

Could there be an encore? Could Clark join Sabrina and face Steph and Klay? We shall see. It was one glorious competition. 

Add into the mix the NHL Stadium Series landing at Met Life Stadium this weekend. Philadelphia and the New Jersey Devils clashed in the NJ Turnpike rivalry while the Rangers and Islanders faced off. Two crowds of 70,000 willing to freeze for their teams. Talk about devotion. I was more than happy to watch from the warmth of my home. For the record, NJD won 6-3 and the Rangers were the first NHL team to rally from three down to emerge with a win, by a score of 6-5 on a goal 10 seconds into OT.

It was what was needed in a week of heartache, hoops and hockey.