Definitely On Sensory Overload For Sports

  There is so much to cover. Men’s and women’s college basketball. The NBA and NHL. Women’s gymnastics. Baseball. Even some collegiate lacrosse. I think I am on sensory overload for sports. 

Florida and Auburn. Two SEC foes. A dream Southeastern Conference semi-final matchup at the Final Four.

Two coaches who love each other—Auburn’s Bruce Pearl coached Florida’s Todd Golden in the Maccabiah Games. Golden was on Pearl’s staff at Auburn. Pearl bludgeoned Florida to hire Golden. Golden’s best friend is Pearl’s son. 

Only one could win. The team that had the incredible Walter Clayton, Jr. triumphed in a rough and tumble game between two super teams. The team which won and punched its ticket to the Championship game: the Florida Gators. Deservedly so. 

In the second game, there is one way to describe what happened to Duke: the very tired Blue Devils choked. Big time. Coach Jon Scheyer’s team coughed up a 14 point lead, partially due to cold shooting, but also the result of a smothering defense from Houston. 

Look—I don’t like to throw around the word “choke” very much. It can easily reverberate. But how else can one describe the stunning change of events which led to Houston catching, overtaking, falling behind and then securing the victory? When it seemed like this was going to be the prelude to Blue Devils’ super freshman Cooper Flagg’s valedictory on Monday with a championship on his resume en route to becoming the number 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft?

Both games on Saturday were enjoyable for the level of play and the close scores. Except for the untimely missed free throws by Duke and the rebounding war won by Houston which also contributed to   Duke’s downfall, much to the angst of Coach K in the stands. All four teams deserved to be top seeds—the games reflected that. 

It came down to defense in the finale. Houston’s defense dominated much of the first half and into the second half. Florida faced a significant deficit but did not quit. Battling back has been a strength of the Gators in the tournament and the experience of winning tight contests proved to be the right formula for Florida to become National Champions for the third time in program history. On a night when Clayton, Jr. was held to 11 points, most of them in the second half, some of them critical to the team’s tough-as-nails comeback. 

In the end, the SEC did produce the winner. Much to the chagrin of many SEC haters, one of whom I know well. 

Then there were the women. Three top seeds—Texas, South Carolina and UCLA—along with a #2 seed in legendary UConn with presumptive WNBA top draft pick Paige Bueckers leading the way, made it to Tampa for the Final Four.

UCLA was the overall top seed and drew the unenviable task of playing a red hot UConn squad. The way the Bruins were steamrolled by the Huskies would have made people think twice as to which team was favored to win in terms of seeding (actually, UConn was the betting favorite).

South Carolina fairly easily handled a good Texas team in the other semi-final. Setting up a revenge game for the Gamecocks, who were thrashed by UConn in Columbia earlier this season. 

Revenge can be a great motivator. It can also blind a person or group—in this case the South Carolina women—to reality. 

And that’s what happened on Sunday. UConn dominated South Carolina to win its 12th NCAA crown—first since 2016—under the guidance of iconic coach Geno Auriemma. There was little suspense as South Carolina had no answers for Bueckers, Azzi Fudd and freshman Sarah Strong. Fudd won the Most Outstanding Player Award, but it was vindication for Auriemma and Bueckers, the latter so befallen by injury but able to return to her stellar ways. 

In NBA action, the Golden State Warriors resumed their late season playoff push once Steph Curry returned from his pelvic contusion. Back-to-back wins over the Lakers in Los Angeles and Denver the next night in San Francisco after a road win earlier against Memphis have helped GSW temporarily sit in fifth place in the standings, heading into Sunday’s home game versus Houston a half a game behind Denver. Yet the Warriors were no lock to avoid the play-in games in a crowded field which separates six teams by two games with four games remaining in the regular season. 

The Rockets are a really good team. In a physical and testy matchup, Houston did not back down. A testy exchange between Curry and the Rockets head coach, Ice Udoka along with a flagrant foul technical on Draymond Green may have spurred Houston to victory. Of course, Curry scoring only 3 points didn’t help the GSW cause, either. 

There is no clear favorite in the NBA right now. The Lakers can lose one night at home to Golden State then go on the road and defeat Oklahoma City, the team with the best record in the Western  Conference. Middling Miami downed the defending champion Celtics in Boston. Eastern leader Cleveland gets shocked at home. Pro basketball is fun to watch again. Because of its unpredictability. 

Hockey may be heading to its regular season finale. As much as that is interesting, there was no greater drama on the ice than in Washington, D.C. and Elmont, NY. That’s where Alex Ovechkin was poised to make history. 

He began Thursday night’s home game with Chicago two goals behind Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal scoring record. Shooting at a porous Black Hawks defense, Great 8 tied The Great One with number 99 in the stands. 

It took until Sunday afternoon on Long Island for Ovechkin to make the record his own. In front of Gretzky and a national TV audience plus viewers in Canada and Ovi’s native Russia, he accomplished the feat many thought was unreachable. Kudos to a sniper who knows how to shoot a puck past goaltenders with great precision. 

After three series, the New York Yankees were 6-3. Aaron Judge is hitting homers and driving in runs like he is the best player in baseball. Users of the new technological fad—torpedo bats which have a wider sweet spot—are experiencing great success in the power department: Jazz Chisholm and Anthony Volpe have each reached slugged four round trippers. Paul Goldschmidt is batting .345.  

Sunday’s game featured no home runs—a rarity for the Bombers, who have been living up to their moniker. It is the pitching which still remains a question mark. Closer Devin Williams blew a hold in the 11th inning to give lowly Pittsburgh an extra inning win; he has not at all looked like the top-rated closer NYY thought they were getting. This could be a problemsdown the line if he isn’t straightened out. 

This promising start came to halt in cold Detroit where NYY lost the first two games of three game series. Suddenly, there is no punch in the lineup. Either this losing skid is an aberration, or the Yankees are going ti be battling uphill the entire season.

I saw the Los Angeles Dodgers come back from a 5-3 deficit at home versus the Braves on Wednesday night. They won the game on a walk off homer by Shohei Ohtani to remain undefeated. 

LAD is a really good team—even with first baseman Freddie Freeman sidelined with an injury to his surgically-repaired ankle when he slipped in the shower. When they traveled to Philadelphia and stepped up the level of competition, their 8-0 start was a memory, as the Phillies took 2 of 3 from the defending World Champions. 

The NL West is highly competitive this season. San Francisco is 8-1, and San Diego is 8-2. Despite prognosticators prospectively awarding the Dodgers the championship again this year, it will not be a cake walk if they do get there. 

Women’s gymnastics is in its championships. I’ve done a bracket with my wife and daughter. So far, I am dong much better here than I did with the NCAA men, where I finished third out of three. I picked top-ranked Oklahoma to win it all, as did my wife. My expert daughter has LSU as champion. We’ll see how this turns out. 

Franklin and Marshall came back from an unexpected defeat at the hands of Colby College to down highly-ranked Centennial Conference rival Gettysburg earlier this week. Those two teams could possibly meet again in the CC playoffs and in the NCAA’s. 

And in a shocker, Rutgers Men’s Lacrosse took down #2 Maryland before less than 3,000 fans. It was only Rutgers’ second win ever over the Terps, and legitimized a struggling program that has a record of 6-6 in a very grueling schedule. 

I thought my Franklin and Marshall baseball team was headed in the right direction with a walk off win over then-#4 Johns Hopkins and nearly drowning the Blue Jays in the second game of their doubleheader. Not to be. 

F&M split a pair of games with Haverford and then were swept by Swarthmore in a doubleheader. 2-4 in the CC isn’t terminal, but they must do a lot better to make the playoffs. 

Then to add to my miseries, my editor’s husband engaged me in a debate over professionalism in major college sports, originating from my dislike of the transfer portal but not  being against Name, Image and Likeness. He attributed my position to nostalgia. I don’t know if that’s a good thing. 

For me, I am sure of this—I am definitely on sensory overload for sports.

Please Enjoy The NCAA's Anyway...

  We’re set for San Antonio. A Final Four has been set. And it’s a good one. 

That’s because all #1 seeds made it to the last two rounds. Which is only the second time this has happened. The last time was in 2008—when the Final Four was held in, drum roll please, San Antonio. 

Back then, it was North Carolina (ACC), Memphis (C-USA), Kansas (Big 12) and UCLA (Pac-10). Now it is Auburn and Florida from the SEC, Duke out of the ACC, and Houston representing the Big 12. Kansas defeated UNC and Memphis took out UCLA in the semis. Kansas won the title in overtime. 

Ironically, the ACC entrants in 2008 and 2025 both opened with Mt. St. Mary’s. Duke supporters hope that is not an omen, as Carolina left Texas without even reaching the finals. Each school didn’t really have too many difficult games; Memphis was the only team with a win by less than five points. (Memphis had its victories stripped as a result of the eligibility issue with Derrick Rose, the Tigers’ top player).

That’s where the similarities end. Duke has been dominant thus far, even when star freshman Cooper Flagg suffers a rare off game. Auburn was that much better than Alabama State, Creighton, Michigan and Michigan State (those two wins presumptively makes the Tigers the best team in Michigan). Houston had some tough battles with Gonzaga and Purdue, punching its ticket with a resounding win over a good Tennessee squad. Florida, the team I picked to win it all, had to make two comebacks to win against defining champion UConn and then over a very tough Texas Tech, which included a did-you-see-that three point shot by senior guard Walter Clayton, Jr., who must have ice water in his veins to take, let alone make that ridiculous shot among the 30 points he tallied en route to taking the Gators to the Final Four.

I’d like to say I have confidence in my selection of UF to win it all. Florida must get past SEC foe Auburn. The Gators downed the Tigers at home on February 8th by a score of 90-81. Auburn is the top-seed and is seeking revenge here. However, the Tigers top player, John Broome, suffered what appeared to be a hyperextended right elbow against Michigan State; while he returned to play, he was, effectively, a one-armed player. How well he heals will go a long way to determining how Auburn will fare going forward. 

I was totally impressed with how poised and talented Connor Flagg was as he played. He showed why he will be the number one selection in the upcoming NBA Draft, no matter how Duke does. What he has is a great supporting cast to take all of the pressure from him. 

Houston will be no cake walk for the Blue Devils. This is a gritty team which likes to control the pace of play and can be ferocious on defense. 

The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Selection Committee got this bracket right. Very few upsets, some nice matchups, and in the end, all the top seeds made it to the Final Four. Now let’s see how it plays out—if it produces spectacular games or duds. Is the SEC the best after all, or will interlopers Duke or Houston give the SEC its comeuppance? 

No matter how the competition ends up, there is a giant among the players. Coaches, too. No, not a guy who is 7’5”. 

It’s the almighty dollar, the driving force in college sports. This fortnight of hoops is brought to you by so many corporate sponsors—are you tired of seeing Charles Barkley and pals in his blimp or Batman versus Bateman? As I have stated previously, CBS and Turner have shelled out much dinero for the privilege of bringing all of the games wherever you desire to watch (or stream). 

Yet we watch, a lot like those who go to NASCAR for the excitement—spectacular driving, close finishes and the horrible crashes. Because this America and where can you get so much meaningful basketball in such a concentrated fashion—both men’s and women’s?

Buried in the commercials are the spoils for the young stars. Did you see the commercial where the young guy leads a group of North Carolina band members? That’s NIL. Ditto Cooper Flagg playing bingo. 

This isn’t chump change we’re talking about. Some of these so-called student-athletes are getting seven figures for their services. Think they are invested in the academics of the school they currently attend? The question is self-answerable, as the transfer portal is loaded with those seeking a better payday elsewhere under the guise of wanting to win a NCAA title. 

When St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino benched his star player for woefully underperforming, which led to the Johnnies ouster from the tournament by Arkansas, fans were livid. What they didn’t know was that this was turmoil coming to the surface, as the reigning Big East Player of the Year, R.J. Luis, Jr. wanted out to test the market and to see his worth as a possible NBA draft choice. It’s all about the money.

Which isn’t reserved for just the players. Maryland Head Coach Kevin Willard, a disciple of Pitino, left cash poor Seton Hall for the greener pastures of College Park. Except that the green he needed to operate successfully in the Big Ten and nationally wasn’t there and he had the Athletic Director who hired leave him left for a better place, Willard aired his grievances publicly during the tournament and once the Terrapins were eliminated, he wasted no time in heading back to the Big East at Villanova, a much richer school in the college hierarchy. 

Sean Miller, whose time at Arizona was unceremoniously ended, resurfaced at Xavier, a school he once coached with great success, which included a fine 2024-25 season. Observers were stunned when the University of Texas terminated its interim coach and brought Miller into a very productive and rich program. 

Add in the pressing need for programs to have General Managers to deal with this player portal and NIL craziness, the free market economics at the collegiate level has created chaos—no matter how viewable the product is. The team at your favorite school may have three or more new faces each year, as the transfer benefits top-performing kids at mid-majors who now believe they deserve a cut of the action, as well as those who didn’t get the playing time they justly or unjustly thought they merited. 

Is this what we want college athletics to be? When tuition costs are through the roof at many schools, these kids act privileged and are many times handsomely rewarded as a result. I’d like to see how many even graduate from the last college they attended; I am not raising my hopes for that to be as high a number (over 80%) as it has become—the result of not staying on one campus and appreciating the concurrent academics must have its educational pitfalls. 

With this in mind, it was sad and also good to see what an entrant in this year’s tournament decided to do. St. Francis, PA in effect said “enough.” The people in charge felt they could no longer compete in the North East Conference, endure bus rides of up to six hours, and continually lose money in the process. 

Instead, looking at the academic integrity of the school which was paramount in their eyes, which it should be, the college opted to de-emphasize its athletics and participate in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, a Division III aggregation located in Western Pennsylvania, allowing the St. Francis student-athletes to travel not much more than three hours, thereby reducing the staggering costs and enhancing the academic experience. It will take three years to effectuate the reclassification, and as Father Malachi Van Tessel, the school’s President stated: “This strategic and mission-aligned decision reflects our enduring commitment to the holistic development of our student-athletes—supporting their academic pursuits, athletic excellence and personal growth within a values-based educational environment.”

I saw this happen with Gettysburg College. Their teams were classified with the big-time schools in the Middle Atlantic Conference University Division. It was hard for such a small school to compete with the bigger programs. So when 10 schools departed the MAC to form the Centennial Conference in 1992-93, Gettysburg made the switch without hesitation and for the same reasons. Its teams have been in the mainstream for titles—not really much more than my alma mater, Franklin and Marshall; it is a happy marriage for all concerned. Without the pressure of NIL and the transfer portal interfering with the students getting an education and without thinking about where they will find the lucrative pot of gold they believe they are entitled to. 

This year’s tournament has the best talent playing at the highest level. Just remember that there is a more pristine college athletic experience in Division III, the Ivy League and to a great extent in the Patriot League, but even the latter two are affected by the transfer portal. 

Please enjoy the NCAA’s anyway. I probably should have written instead about the torpedo bats of the Yankees. 

I Know It's March Madness Time, But...

  In the midst of March Madness, baseball has begun for me. As it should, now that Spring is officially here. 

Sure, the run up to the end of the collegiate basketball for the 2024-25 season has been great. We have seen a couple of upsets in the opening rounds of the NCAA Men’s Tournament—Mc Neese State flexed its muscle in a win over Missouri as did Colorado State when the Rams bounced an overrated Memphis squad from the tourney. It took a buzzer-beater shot for Maryland to eliminate CSU on Sunday. 

We learned that North Carolina, everyone’s whipping boy for grabbing the last slot in the Big Dance. should have been in the tournament with its convincing play-in win over San Diego State, but were they anything but an 11 seed as shown by how Mississippi had difficulty with the Tar Heels? UNC might have made it past the Rebels if the deficit at one point had been far less than 22 points. 

Kansas, another blue blood and the pre-season #1, bowed out with a loss to Arkansas. It was a not-too-subtle fall from grace this season for the Jayhawks. 

Props to the University of New Mexico and Richard Pitino, son of St. John’s head coach, Hall of Famer Rick Pitino. The Lobos handled a very talented Marquette team in the opening round. His team gave a favored Michigan State squad fits in the Round of 32. 

Unfortunately for his father, St. John’s picked a very bad time to have a bad game. New York’s media darlings lost to John Calipari and his Arkansas Razorbacks. 

Defending champion UConn and Florida staged an epic battle. The heart of the Huskies was evident as they valiantly tried to overcome a late spurt by the Gators which proved enough for the team from Gainesville to move on. There will not be a three-peat. Just like in the NFL. For the record, UConn should not have been a #8 seed. And please, Danny Hurley, UConn’s Head Coach—get a grip on your emotions. 

How did the 14 SEC teams do in the first two rounds? Not exactly great. Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Missouri and Georgia went down in the first round. Texas didn’t make it past the play-in game, losing to Xavier (in an odd twist, Texas fired its coach and replaced him with Sean Miller, whose Xavier team had just beaten the Longhorns). When the dust settled after the second round, the SEC had a record 7 teams still vying for the title: Alabama; Arkansas; Auburn; Florida; Kentucky; Mississippi and Tennessee. 

The favored teams performed for the most part on the first round. The somewhat maligned Big Ten went 8-0 to open the festivities, but only four teams advanced to the next round. The Big 12 also placed four teams in the Sweet 16, and they were joined by Duke, the lone ACC team left. Every top four seed won its opening game. No First Four team advanced beyond the first round for the first time since 2011. 

Looking ahead, old rivals Kentucky and Tennessee meet next weekend. Duke faces a solid Arizona team. Top-seeded Auburn draws a hot Michigan squad. Iowa State and Michigan State tangle. Arkansas draws Texas Tech. Maryland and Florida meet. Alabama will be tested by BYU. Houston faces Purdue. 

Good contests abound, with all #1 seeds alive and three #2, #3 and #4 seeds each still in the mix. The lowest seed still alive is #10 Arkansas. This hasn’t been a tournament of upstarts thus far, although that is going to be tested anew as the games go on. No matter what, for those participating and still in the mix, it remains March Madness. 

I really haven’t been following the other post-season tournaments. The National Invitational Tournament, once the best of the best and held at Madison Square Garden has produced a plethora of close games. Cal-Irvine is the only remaining top seed still playing and North Texas is the only second seed remaining. 

Army is still in the College Basketball Invitational with the likes of Queens NC, UIW, Jacksonville, Cleveland State and Florida Gulf Coast. The College Basketball Crown games start on March 31 and end on April 6 if you want to check out FOX’s attempt at further undermining the post-season.

As for the women—the top teams have either romped or had some minor trouble in the first couple of games. A trio of #5 seeds have made it to the Sweet 16—Tennessee, Mississippi and Kansas State.

In Division III action, there will be no double for NYU. That’s because Trinity CT is the best men’s team, having downed top-seeded Wesleyan in the NESCAC Final then once more defeating their rival in the semi-finals. Those wins catapulted the Bantams to a comeback win over the number 2 team in DIII on Saturday, with a late run to hold off the Violets, who defeated Washington University to reach the championship match. 

In a rematch of last year’s final, the NYU women prevailed once more over Smith. It still boggles my mind that Smith is an athletic power. Note that the schools which made the Final Fours were name-brand, quality institutions. With the exception of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, B’Gosh. 

Steph Curry suffered a pelvic contusion and Golden State become mortal against Atlanta in the start of a crucial six game road trip. Not a good thing for the Warriors’ chances to avoid the play-in portion of the playoffs. 

Also, the Los Angeles Lakers welcomed back Lebron James from his groin injury when they played Chicago at home on Saturday night. When I saw the lopsided score in favor of the Bulls, I guessed that James didn’t have Luca Doncic playing with him that night. I guessed wrong—a lot like my busted NCAA bracket which looks like Swiss cheese. 

A note on George Foreman’s death. Forget the preacher/pitchman. I think of him as a mean, ornery big man with a devastating punch. His comeuppance came in the stifling heat of Zaire against Muhammad Ali. Foreman’s comeback 10 years later was remarkable. He was a giant among heavyweights. 

I did mention baseball. At last it’s finally that time of the year when the MLB games finally count. 

Technically, the season started about ten days ago in Japan when the Los Angeles Dodgers swept the Chicago Cubs in a two game series. Shohei Ohtani’s return to his home country was a rousing success. 

The New York Yankees open their defense of the American League crown when the Milwaukee Brewers come to the Bronx on Thursday. While Aaron Judge remains the focus of this team for good reason, it is a different squad in many ways from last year’s version. 

For openers, Juan Soto and his 41 home runs are playing in another borough—Queens. That is a big hole in the NYY lineup which has to be replaced. 

General Manager Brian Cashman brought in aging veterans as reinforcements—Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt. He is relying on Jasson Dominguez to man left field where he remained a work-in-progres during Spring Training—even if his bat produced well enough. Judge will be back in right field, where he is better suited to play, with Bellinger and Trent Grisham now patrolling centerfield. 

Gone to Detroit is former second baseman Gleyber Torres. Jazz Chisholm moves to his natural position to replace Torres, leaving third base to Oswaldo Cabrera and DJ LeMahieu when the latter returns from injury. 

Austin Wells will catch and bat leadoff.  Anthony Volpe will continue to improve at shortstop. But the DH spot will rotate among a number of players as there is no timetable for Giancarlo Stanton to return from injury (again).

The pitching is suspect. Even with the addition of lefty Max Fried, there are holes in the starting rotation which have already necessitated reinforcements. Ditto in the bullpen. 

Yet I feel that optimism building. Even if reality isn’t so pretty and the Yankees are far from a lock to win the AL East let alone make it to the playoffs. 

Because it is baseball season. It is the sport I played in college. I went to Weequahic Park in Newark to see my alma mater, Franklin and Marshall College, take on Rutgers-Newark. Dressed in F&M gear which included a game-worn #25 grey jersey not unlike what I wore in 1970, I watched my team demolish the Scarlet Raiders by 13-3 and 19-7 scores in a doubleheader. The Diplomats followed up with another victory in a romp over Moravian on Sunday. 

They may not be the best team in the Centennial Conference—Johns Hopkins has been ranked at #2 and the Blue Jays come to Lancaster on Saturday to open conference play. But they are resilient, having rebounded nicely from a 2-8 West Coast trip against stiff competition. 

I watched the game with a friend who played at RU-N and thought about how I once played right field for F&M. It made me think about my first at bats in college—base hits my freshman year against Elizabethtown. Then the next season versus St. Joseph’s, a Division I school as a varsity player, 55 years ago on April 7th. Both on the first pitch I saw. I remain amazed that a 5’5” kid who had not played organized ball since his freshman year in high school could have done this. 

I know it’s March Madness time. But…I love baseball. The Yankees. F&M. Baltimore for my annual trip with Fan X. Any stadium. Any game. Televised or in person. I’m there.