Happy Passover

  I have been trying to make sense about the nascent baseball season. It is nearing the end of April and I have very little clue about who is doing what and how sustainable that may be. 

Exhibit number one is a very bad baseball team. That would be the 3-22 Chicago White Sox. One of the original teams in the American League, a franchise which won the World Series in 1906, 1917 and then 88 years after, in 2005. The team’s playoff history isn’t too great—seven appearances since 1983, the last two appearances in 2020 and 2021. Except for the outstanding 11-1 mark in the championship year of 2005, the Sox haven’t won a playoff series. 

Understand that I have been a lifetime Yankees fan. The franchise with the most World Championships—by a mile. Rooting for their success is embedded in my rooting DNA. The 17-9 record compiled bytes edition of the Bronx Bombers may end the drought for a title which goes back to 2009. But their star players aren’t coming through and their games have been inconsistent, I am not convinced that another banner will be flying in the Bronx after the season ends. 

Being the fan that I am, with a true appreciation of the history of the big leagues, I am not singling out the Chicago American League franchise. Look at the Cleveland Guardians nee Indians. Two titles since 1896—one in 1920 and the other in 1948. The team by Lake Erie has had considerably more wins recently, with 3 AL pennants since 1995, which included 11 AL Central crowns. Not sterling, but better than the White Sox. 

Take a look at the Baltimore Orioles. When the team was sequestered in St. Louis, it was atrocious—one World Series appearance total. When I was young, the Browns and Orioles were synonymous with mediocrity. That changed in 1966 with the franchise’s first World Series win. Since landing in Baltimore, the O’s have had 3 World Series wins, won 7 AL pennants and 10 AL East titles, including last season. Sure, there have been some very bad Orioles teams, but the 2023-2024 models are looking mighty good. 

Another team the Yankees beat up on was the Washington Senators. While the franchise has won 3 titles, two of them came once the team was in Minnesota. The last one was in 1991. Stuck in the same division as Chicago and Cleveland, the Twins have amassed 9 AL Central titles since 2002 (the team won 4 AL West titles from 1969 to 1991). 

If you are thinking that the Detroit Tigers are any better, think again. In the team’s existence, they garnered 4 World Series wins, 11 AL pennants, 3 AL East crowns and ruled the AL Central from 2011-2014 in a mini dynasty—even if the team failed to win the big one. 

The A’s are in reverse. In Philadelphia and Oakland combined, the franchise won 9 World Series, 15 AL pennants and 17 AL West titles. Plummeting down the standings and abandoning Oakland for Sacramento before ending up in Las Vegas (they believe), the team has not been to the Series since 1990 after winning in 1989, the year of the earthquake. 

Oh yeah, the Red Sox. Not too shabby with 9 World Series wins, the last in 2018, along with 14 pennants and 10 AL East titles. Still, the Sox are still looking for another chance at the big prize, the last one was in 2018. 

Look at the Angels. Another mediocre year with the departure of Shohei Ohtani to the Dodgers. Even with Mike Trout rebounding from some disappointing seasons, the Halos once more are not making the World Series, let alone the playoffs. 2002 was the breakthrough year in Anaheim, when Manager Mike Scioscia’s squad won it all. Nine AL West titles, none since 2014. 

The team which entered baseball as the replacement in D.C. when the first Senators team left for Minnesota, which lasted 11 seasons in the District, won its first title last season in Arlington. 

Two expansion teams from 1961 have won exactly 2 titles over 63 years. Heck, the Kansas City Royals have won as many World Series as the Angels and Rangers. In the AL, Houston and Toronto have won the Series twice. Seattle has yet to appear in a World Series. 

Not that the American League has every bad team to itself. Phillies fans are liking their team now after years of losing. Yet Philadelphia can only boast of two crowns—1980 and 2008. 

The Braves were very bad while in Boston. While winning in 1914, the team had losing records in 26 of 38 seasons in Beantown. The three other titles came in Milwaukee in 1957; one with the great teams in the 1990’s; and in 2021. Atlanta has won 5 out of the past 6 NL East titles—the franchise is in good standing this year too.  

Pittsburgh may have won 5 Series, but nothing since 1979, which was the last time the team won a pennant. The Pirates have no NL Central titles. None. And the team is plummeting towards another mediocre year. 

The Reds aren’t much better. Also with 5 Series crowns, nothing since 1990. The days of The Big Red Machine are long gone.

While the Dodgers have won 7 World Series, they were moribund for much of the time while in Brooklyn. West Coast rival San Francisco may have won 8 Series, but not much has happened by The Bay since 2014.

St. Louis has the second most World Series titles, going 11-8 all-time in the Fall Classic.  Cardinals haters must be enjoying the recent run of non-winning teams. 

That is especially the case on the North Side of the Windy City. Another historically woeful franchise, the Cubbies have won 3 Series, the latest breaking the curse of The Bambino in 2016. Hope is always fervent for their fans. Those fans can identify with the losing going on on the South Side. 

With the White Sox horrific start, we can look at other teams which began the season badly. The 2022 Reds went 3-22, ending the season at 62-100.Detroit had the same opening record in 2003 and ended at 43-119. Other teams with bad starts in their first 25 contests included the 2023 A’s; 2018 Reds; 2018 & 2006 Royals; 1995 Marlins; and the all-time leaders, the 1988 Orioles. The Birds went 2-23 en route to a 54-107 record. Those teams made the 1962 expansion New York Mets look good—New York finished at 62-100.

It’s not that the White Sox and Cubs have losing to themselves. The NFL Cardinals were bad before leaving; the Bears hope that QB Caleb Williams is the savior from repeated bad teams; and the Blackhawks have only 6 Stanley Cup titles in 98 years. Michael Jordan gave Chicago prosperity when he led the Bulls to 6 NBA titles. 

This is a time of renewed beliefs by fans across the country that their team will win it all. Whether it is from great selections in the recent NFL Draft, or continued good fortune in the NBA and NHL Playoffs, so many teams are looking to improve their lowly standing. 

Not every team has had long periods of success—the Yankees, New England Patriots, Boston Celtics and Montreal Canadiens are the front runners in that department, and the Canadiens and Patriots have been losing lately. Toronto fans are literally starving for a Stanley Cup win—the team last won in 1967. New York Rangers and Boston Bruins denizens are crossing their fingers that this is the year for them. Many NBA playoff teams haven’t smelled the roses in a long time—the series between the Knicks and 76’ers exemplifies how little both franchises have won—and neither will likely win it all this season. 

Winning is hard to do. Winning it all is harder to do. I can’t say that any of the teams trying to reach the promised land will do just that. Especially in Chicago, where losing is too regular (Add in historically bad college teams like De Paul and Northwestern).

Nothing looks promising for the White Sox in 2024. The only question will be if this is a record-breaking performance—in a negative way. 

Personally, I am glad I saw the Sox a few years ago when they were decent. For me, I will be seeing the Cardinals, Royals and maybe the Red Sox this year. All likely to have losing records. 

I am joining the White Sox fans in solidarity. I understand bad, having played on a college team which won 4 games. I cheer for Rutgers, which has won 1 college football National Championship, triumphing over Princeton in the inaugural game. Not exactly Alabama on the gridiron, nor UCLA or Kentucky in basketball. 

Then there is my NFL team, the New York Jets. A team which constantly redefines how to lose terribly. Awful describes a level above the way the Jets have played. Despite my allegiance to the Yankees, the best franchise in the history of sports, I know losing. 

I think back to the Go Go Sox of 1959. The team was good that year. I saw them beat the Yankees one Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. Chicago may have lost to the Dodgers, but they forever were enshrined in the hearts of their fans. Ditto the champs of 2005. 

Unfortunately, so will this team be negatively ingrained in the minds of Chicagoans. No Pale Hose hysteria this year. No exodus from Egypt.

Happy Passover. 

Nostalgia

  My daughter thinks I am nostalgic. Too much so for her. She wonders how much I live in the present. 

While the present and the future both scare and excite me, I do have a soft spot for what took place in the past. This is especially true with sports.

She and I went to Lancaster, Pennsylvania this past Saturday to see my college baseball team play. I have a fond place in my heart for Franklin and Marshall baseball, having played on both the freshman and varsity teams. 

I follow all Diplomats sports teams—some closer than others. That is largely due to my having known a plethora of student-athletes on the teams (all male, until the advent of co-education in 1970) from 1969 to 1972.

I know that F&M has won 5 National titles—a lot for a small liberal arts college in Pennsylvania Dutch country, but pales in comparison with so many others on Division I, II and III levels. Walking through the gym and seeing the banners for the five trips to the Division III Final Four in basketball is a source of honor.  I watched those teams from afar, mostly by news releases, with visits to a variety of arenas which included a trip to Salem, Virginia to see Glenn Robinson’s team in the 1996 Final Four. 

Do I wish the Dips were reaching heights like they used to? Am I hopeful they can win a Centennial Conference title and play in the NCAA’s? Yes, Yes. And Yes. Which is why I will check out the schedule for 2024-25 when it is available, looking for dates I might head back to campus, when the team plays at Muhlenberg, the closest CC school to New Jersey, or it they make trip to the Garden State. I know I can watch the games on the computer, too. 

I was loyal and faithful when I would sneak away from my studies after dinner to watch the basketball team play. They were usually overmatched. Which is why when they win, like in the glory years under Robinson or this past season when the team went 20-7, I am joyful—even if I agonize during the videos. 

This is part of my heritage. I guess I bleed blue and white (even with the onset of black in the uniforms). I like wearing my F&M hat, courtesy of the current baseball coach and a game-worn jersey bearing my college number 25 when I see the baseball team play. 

It is why I gave a small donation in honor of the late Robert Curtis, who was the football coach who led the school back to respectability after a disastrous 1-8 season during my sophomore year. I contributed to naming the press box in his honor—a beautiful gesture for a great man. Every time I go on campus, I must enter Shadek Stadium, named for the great benefactor, football quarterback, baseball teammate and classmate, to see the plaque for those who contributed, and which includes my wife’s and my name. 

I never thought I would see a beautiful stadium on campus, in an area that which didn’t exist in my years there. The former football field sits vacant, used for the track which still encircles the field where so many Diplomat teams toiled. Heck, the baseball field I played on, part of the main campus when I patrolled right field, is long gone, with the present team playing on the Baker Campus, a decent car ride away. 

When I enter Mayser Gymnasium, besides reading the banners on the walls, I have such a sense of remembrance. All the times I slid on the wooden floor to practice my slide. Basketball games aplenty, including some NCAA contests. Wrestling, F&M’s sole DI sport, used to be sold out and noisy due to riotous nature of our students. 

And I remember all the musical acts which graced the stage—Linda Ronstadt; James Taylor together with Carol King; Santana; the Grateful Dead were among the great acts brought to Lancaster by the Student Union Board. Maybe that’s why my wife and I are seeing Gary Puckett and the Union Gap along with the Grassroots, the Brooklyn Bridge and Gary Lewis and the Playboys at the State Theater in New Brunswick. F&M gave me the impetus to see rock in smaller venues. I digress.

I don’t limit my nostalgia to just F&M. It can be Rutgers—I have watched and continue to follow a whole slew of sports, most importantly football, men’s basketball and baseball. How many times have I been at SHI Stadium (formerly just plain old Rutgers Stadium before the expansion) since my teens? I’ve seen Rutgers basketball as the home team in three venues—the College Avenue Gymnasium, Jersey Mike’s Arena a.k.a. the RAC, and Madison Square Garden, plus a few road games at Delaware, Cincinnati and Seton Hall. And I practiced catching fly balls on the old baseball field which had been swallowed up for football practice fields before migrating to the present location.

Then there’s the New York Yankees. The first team I rooted for was the team from the Bronx. I haven’t looked back. 

You always remember your first love. Baseball—particularly New York Yankees baseball. As a boy growing up in Highland Park, the games were freely available on WPIX, Channel 11 in New York—The Daily News station. Plus there was tremendous newspaper coverage from the beat writers and columnists who populated the numerous NYC publications and the local New Brunswick newspaper, The Home News.

I would watch numerous games in our bottom floor den, the coolest room in a mostly un-air conditioned house, with a huge industrial fan cooling us down on hot Summer days and nights. It didn’t matter if the Yankees were home or in Detroit, Cleveland, Boston or Baltimore. My attention was focused on the heroes of my youth. I patterned my batting after them, learning to switch hit like Mickey Mantle or Tom Tresh. And I wanted to play outfield like Mantle because it looked so cool. 

My faith never wavered—through the lean years, the renaissance of the 1970’s and then the time of the Core Four starring Derek Jeter. I trekked to Shea Stadium when the old Stadium was deemed unsafe. I have sat everywhere except the bleachers—perhaps out of fear of the rabid nature of the fans. Lol. 

Now there is a new group of stars—Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Gerrit Cole, Anthony Volpe. I still am transfixed watching the Yankees on YES or the myriad other outlets which alternately carry the games. I shudder when Clay Holmes comes in to close the game out—as good as he is, Holmes is simply not Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer ever. 

Yankees games make April to October must see TV. Which coincides with my obsession with the New York Jets. It will be 48 years this fall when my sister and I began our odyssey of having season tickets to a New York pro football team. Because you have to be committed to watch the Jets, winners of only one Super Bowl, which happened in 1970 for the 1969 season.

The agony of watching the Jets blunders was more than Lady, our beloved Shetland Sheepdog, could take. When I would have that regular outburst over the team screwing up once more, she would join with full-throated barking either in support of my emotional trauma or letting me know how berserk I was. 

Yet I am readying for another season, even after the terrible disappointment of the injury to our QB with the distorted views still fresh in my mind. It is my fervent hope Aaron Rodgers will rock my TV set and my seats inside Met Life Stadium this fall leading the Jets to the promised land. Perhaps my dog did have it right as to how delusional I am.

To a lesser extent, hockey has a hold on me. I have had shares of tickets to see the Rangers and Devils, and I have travelled to Canada and a few U.S arenas to see the players “shoot that puck, score that goal.”

Let me not forget the NBA—I have optimistically followed the Knicks and Nets since my childhood and early teens. I became enthralled with the Golden State Warriors led by Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. It was predictable that the dynasty would end ignominiously in the NBA backwater of Sacramento, where a revenge-seeking younger and stronger team eliminated the Warriors. I have seen the same things happen to the Lakers, Celtics and Bulls dynasties. 

And I have a soft spot for the Philadelphia 76’ers. I saw my only NBA Championship game in 1967 at Convention Hall. I have been to the Spectrum and Wells Fargo Center. I even pulled for the Sixers to down Miami in the play-in round, albeit letting them face my beloved Knicks who I will be rooting hard for. 

I have seen a lot of sports in my time. A ton on TV and a good number of games in person. While I long for a rebirth by some of my favorite teams, based largely on past performances which I cherished, I look forward to the time when they are winners in the present so I can exalt in my joy. 

So forgive me if, with the cold, gusty and persistent wind in Lancaster when the Diplomats hosted Muhlenberg, I thought of my catch versus York in April, 1969, when the chilly wind blew in so much that I caught the ball sprawled by the infield grass after sprinting in from left field. Or how a Yankees win on a Saturday afternoon was like many a game I attended at the Stadium and the radiant feeling of sharing in the victory in my own way, or how downcast I was after a loss. 

For me, nostalgia has its place in the present and in the future. 

What Would #22 Do For A Clark Bar?

  The jockeying for playoff position in the NBA is over. The NHL enters its last week. Baseball is through 10% of its games. The Masters field has completed its annual trek through the lush and colorful azaleas planted on the course. More on those shortly.

Yet those sports collectively pale in comparison with one event. Because the 2024 WNBA Draft is being held and the presumptive number one choice is America’s sports sweetheart, Caitlin Clark (Sorry, Swifties—being the girlfriend of the Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end and flying halfway around the world to attend the Super Bowl to see her beau play is in a different category of Americana). 

As many hits as “Traylor” has been getting on social media, Iowa’s superstar is keeping pace if not doing better. We know she has said goodbye to the University of Iowa fans and in turn, the school will being retiring her number 22 jersey in the near future. 

Without much digging, the web tells us that Clark is a marketing major with a minor in communication studies. We also know she was classified as a senior this past season but we do not know if she will be graduating.  

Unless she flies in from Indianapolis on that date, Clark can attend graduation virtually. She will be in the midst of the WNBA pre-season at that time. From the April 15th draft through to the start of the WNBA season on May 14 (look for her to be featured in the season opener that night when the Indiana Fever visits the Connecticut Sun, to be telecast on ESPN 2) and beyond, Clark will be busy adapting to the professional ranks and the demands of expected stardom.

Her stamina will be tested with such a hectic schedule so close after the NCAA Women’s Championship. By happenstance, or maybe in anticipation, Clark’s boyfriend just happens to be living in Indianapolis, working for the playoff-bound Indiana Pacers. 

Connor McCaffrey is his name. Basketball fans will recognize him as a member of the Iowa Hawkeyes’ men’s team, where he played for his father, Fran McCaffrey, and ended his career in 2023 as the program’s all-time leader in assist-to-turnover ratio. For the record, Connor did graduate with a dual degree in finance and political science; how this relates to becoming a basketball coach like his father is unclear.  

While the couple has been balancing their respective jobs—his as a team assistant for Head Coach Rick Carlisle and she as the women’s college basketball college G.O.A.T. (which is definitely open to debate)—he has been so supportive of his girlfriend. 

With the WNBA going through September and the Olympics in the middle, it’s going to be a lot for Clark. Not that McCaffrey won’t be working hard during that time. 

He does have her back. When Iowa lost to South Carolina, McCaffrey summed up his affection and respect for Caitlin on Instagram: My GOAT @catlinclark22. This guy sounds smart and could be a keeper. Will they someday be known as “Conlin?” Or “30/22” for their uniform numbers?

Certainly we will get daily updates on Caitlin Clark similar to how one can easily find out what is the latest for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. I hope Clark has enough privacy to live her life away from the sanctitude of Iowa City. And do not worry about her income—I have feeling State Farm, Nike and other corporations will gladly renew or include her in the ad campaigns.

The pressure on her will be enormous. If she remains with her guy and endures the frustrations sure to come with a team which finished last in the league in the past season, the future will be bright.

Before I get to other sports, the death of O.J. Simpson must be mentioned. Bigger than life as an athlete, first at USC where he won the Heisman Trophy, then in the NFL as the record-breaking star running back for the Buffalo Bills, Simpson parlayed good looks and what appeared to be a great temperament into a career in commercials and on the big screen. Which came tumbling down with the murder of his wife Nicole, the low speed chase on the Southern California freeways and the subsequent trial and acquittal. 

Simpson became a polarizing figure in American society, a lightning rod among the races and how things were viewed at that time. Never convicted of his wife’s murder, Simpson was held accountable in a civil trial. His persona became non grata and he lived a life denying his culpability. Ultimately, his bravado caught up with him in a botched retrieval of his memorabilia which landed him in a Nevada prison for over nine years. Prostate cancer summarily ended the pathos. 

Think what you want about “The Juice.” His life was one of the most complicated I have seen  in my lifetime, and with so much remaining unknown. O.J. truly was an enigma. 

The NHL chase to the end of the season is scrambled. Much to the joy of Commissioner Gary Bettman, the person who is universally booed in all the league’s rinks. 

In the Eastern Conference, the New York Rangers look like they will have the most points, followed by Boston, Carolina and Florida. What needs to be sorted out is which team secures the third and final spot in the Metropolitan Division presently held by the New York Islanders and which among the Islanders, Capitals, Penguins, Red Wings and Flyers takes the second Wild Card slot. Washington and Philadelphia meeting in the final game could be pivotal. As could the Islanders playing the Penguins. 

It is just as unsettled in the Western Conference. Dallas has a chance to catch the Rangers for most points. Vancouver, Colorado, Edmonton and Winnipeg are closely bunched entering the last week of play. Nashville has clinched one of the Wild Card openings. Vegas is ahead of St. Louis, with the Golden Knights having to play an extra game; they can catch the Los Angeles Kings for third place in the Pacific Division, relegating the Kings, who have clinched a playoff berth, to the Wild Card. Both LA and Vegas play the final four games at home.

Sunday marked the conclusion of the NBA regular season. While the playoff participants were set, the positions weren’t set until the final whistle. Which made for some TV ratings and scoreboard watching. 

Boston has the top record in the league. That does not necessarily make the Celtics the prohibitive favorite; defending champion Denver is more than ready to defend its crown. Minnesota and Oklahoma City, along with the Nuggets, form a formidable trio atop the Western Conference standings. 

The play-in games have been set. In the East, the Bulls and Hawks meet, with the loser eliminated and the winner taking on the loser of the 7-8 contest between Miami and Philadelphia. All for the right to face the Celtics. The Knicks nailed down the #2 seed and await their opponent from the 7-8 game. Milwaukee faces Indiana in the 3-6 matchup and the Cavs and Magic tangle in the 4-5 game. 

Out West, the games which played on Thursday night began the process of setting the lineup. When the dust settled on Sunday evening, OKC wound up with the top seed while ending up in a three-way tie with Denver (#2 seed) and Minnesota (#3 seed). The Clippers and Dallas meet in the 4-5 series, while the Lakers and Pelicans play the 7-8 game while Golden State travels to Sacramento with the winner continuing and the loser heads home. 

Let’s talk a little baseball. Not too much can be discerned from the first few weeks of the season. After all, this is a marathon and the runners may have just gotten off of the Verrazano Bridge. There is a long way to go to Central Park. 

Pittsburgh started strongly. So what? Last season the Pirates opened 20-8 and came nowhere near making the playoffs. 

I am also dubious as to how good Kansas City and Detroit really are, and whether the Astros are as bad as they seem at the start. Perhaps the retirement of the venerable Dusty Baker as manager is having a big impact on the team at the outset. We can tell that Colorado isn’t very good, neither are the Marlins.

Sure, the Yankees looked good coming out of the gate. The karma is outstanding and Nestor Cortes and Carlos Rondon have pitched well. Anthony Volpe seemingly has fixed his swing and knows the tight strike zone better. Recently, Giancarlo Stanton has really been hitting with authority. Juan Soto is, well, Juan Soto superstar. Aaron Judge is still coming along and Anthony Rizzo is getting here. However, Gleyber Torres is struggling in his contract year and the catchers are hitting abysmally. Plus injuries have hit the bullpen, which is always taxed the way the starters pitch. That showed up on Sunday in the extra inning loss to Cleveland. 

New York is not going to run away with the division with Baltimore right there. This is not like the Los Angeles Dodgers playing well thanks to the bat of one Shohei Ohtani added to the already potent lineup. 

Maybe by Memorial Day the picture will be clearer. At least the weather is beginning to get better in the East and Midwest. That will help to see who really is good. 

Former Yankees, Cardinals and Rangers left-hander Jordan Montgomery ditched super agent Scott Boras when the latter could not land a multi-year deal for the pitcher. Montgomery was not the only one Boras did not come through for. Could this be the start of a trend? Remember that Juan Soto is in his free agent year and is represented by Boras.

One more thing about Caitlin Clark. Fresh off her outrageously funny cameo on Saturday Night Live, I wonder if her management team has been approached by the Boyer Candy Company in western Pennsylvania. That company makes the confection called the Clark Bar. Revisiting the great past advertising slogan, I wonder what #22 would do to have a Clark Bar?