Then And Now

  I was thinking about a theme for this week’s blog. And it hit me. Then and now. 

This is what I mean by then and now. The way things are shaping up in sports, they are seems to be predicated on the past. 

On Monday, I am scheduled to see #22 UCLA take on Rutgers for the first time at Jersey’s Mike’s Arena in Piscataway with both schools members of the Big Ten Conference. These are THE UCLA Bruins—winners of so many championships under the legendary John Wooden’s guidance. 

The players’ names are so familiar—Alcindor; Walton; Allen; Bibby; Shackelford. It is an iconic school mentioned with the blue bloods of Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, Villanova and yes—even Connecticut, the defending National Champion. 

In the golden year of 1976, Rutgers and UCLa first met in the NCAA Final Four Consolation game in Philadelphia. There an angry Bruins squad took apart Rutgers’ best team by a score of 106-92. 

Rutgers next faced UCLA in Pauley Pavilion, losing by 21. UCLA was that good.

So, to open the new Meadowlands Arena in 1981, UCLA traveled to New Jersey for likely the first time. They came away as losers to the upstart Scarlet Knights by a score of 57-54. 

What was significant is that Rutgers managed to hang on to win with the use of a new rule implemented at the insistence of Coach Wooden—the alternate possession rule. Rutgers managed to tie up a UCLA player off a missed free throw late in the game, and since the arrow pointed in their direction, RU got the ball and eventually secured the win. 

RU Coach Tom Young did not like the rule. Except when it benefitted his team that night. And this was the second time in the early part of that season that UCLA lost due to the new rule; BYU won at Pauley Pavilion in similar fashion. 

For me, this will not be my first time seeing UCLA. On December 30, 1968 (14 years to the day before I married my wife on that date), Alcindor and his top-ranked Bruins came to Madison Square Garden for the Holiday Festival tournament. This was a homecoming for Alcindor, who grew up in upper Manhattan, the son of a Transit police officer. (My father-in-law claimed that he coached the future Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in youth baseball when my brother-in-law played; they all lived in the Dyckman Street projects at the time).

I was present in a raucous MSG, having walked through the snow to the New Brunswick station with my high school buddies in a small reunion after our first semesters in college. Taking the train to the game was so much better than the bus.

UCLA won handily, defeating St.John’s 74-56 for the title. The Johnnies were the sacrificial lamb for that day. The Bruins had dispatched good Providence and Princeton teams before the final. 

The tall Alcindor powered over his opponents, who tried to swarm around him, to no avail. He was dominant and opinionated—his coach taught him to pursue his passions away from basketball, which he avidly did. 

In boycotting the 1968 Summer Olympics to protest the unequal treatment of African-Americans, he put an even larger target on his back. From which he didn’t flinch. For the crowd wet after him on that very subject—booing him unmercifully when the National Anthem was played. 

UCLA went on to lose only one game—to arch-rival USC by two points. The Bruins then defeated  New Mexico State, Santa Clara, Drake and Purdue to claim another NCAA crown. Alcindor then went to the NBA Milwaukee Bucks and began to use the Muslim name by which we now know him by so readily. 

I don’t think I will see Abdul-Jabbar in Piscataway this Monday. I missed him the time the Los Angeles Lakers played the Nets at the RAC in 1977—he had broken his hand in an altercation with former Indiana University big man Kent Benson, who was playing for the Milwaukee Bucks.  

Instead, I will be reliving the childhood dream of seeing UCLA one day play Rutgers in New Jersey. The players will not be playing for a national title real soon. They probably won’t be competing for the Big Ten title either. 

The barn will be sold out. I will be sitting near the court. Looking at those iconic blue jerseys with the gold and white trim. And dreaming of the ghosts of the past who wore that uniform with such pride. While hoping that RU can remain undefeated in New Jersey over this California foe.

Shifting to the NFL, the playoffs are set. In a Sunday night marquee match, the Detroit Lions secured the top seed in the NFC with a dominant win over the Minnesota Vikings. Former Los Angeles Rams QB Jared Goff and his mates go the best of former New York Jets QB sam Darmold in what was Arnold’s worst game of the season. 

The Lions are suddenly relevant under irascible head coach Dan Campbell, with a take no prisoners attitude echoed by his players and the offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and former Jets DB Aaron Glenn, who outmaneuvers offenses as the defensive guru. Those two guys will receive multiple interviews for head coaching vacancies this winter. 

Detroit hasn’t made the Super Bowl. Not ever. When I was young, announcers like Pat Summerall recounted stories about Bobby Layne, the fast living Texan who won the last NFL championship for the Motor City in 1957. Since then, it has been a virtual drought regarding winning, let alone relevant teams there. Still not as bad as those Jets, who extended the longest non-playoff appearance streak in any major sport with another losing record. 

Historic franchises dot the NFC playoff bracket. In addition to Detroit, Green Bay, Philadelphia, Washington and the Rams go way back in time. Minnesota was an expansion team in the early 1960’s and Tampa Bay came along in the 1970’s. All have won the trophy—except for Detroit.

Should the Rams win their game with the Vikings, then Matthew Stafford, formerly a star in Detroit, could come back to end the Lions’ dreams. Otherwise, the Lions get another game with Minnesota, and it is so difficult to win three games over an opponent in a season. 

I’d love to see the Lions at least make the Super Bowl. Having suffered so many injuries, it levels the field a little bit. I just don’t see Tampa or Washington winning multiple rounds; with the other four, winning or losing at any stage is a 50-50 proposition. 

In the AFC, it is the Chiefs’ chance to three peat. But it won’t be easy. Buffalo is really good; the Ravens, too. I don’t see Houston, Denver, Pittsburgh or Chargers making it to the Super Bowl, although Denver could actually scare the Bills this Sunday. 

In the college final four, Notre Dame meets Penn State in the Orange Bowl while Ohio State and Texas dance in the Cotton Bowl. Four storied programs. All have been national champions: Ohio State most recently in 2014; Texas in 2005; Notre Dame in 1988; and Penn State in 1986.

The matchups are exciting. Did Arizona State throw a real scare at Texas? You betcha. To the inattentive, ASU had one Cam Skattebo, once of Sacramento State, who nearly single-handedly beat the Longhorns. Otherwise, the games weren’t that close. 

The talking heads want reform in the CFP and NFL. Seed the teams based on record, not rewarding schools like ASU or Georgia with byes merely because they won the conference championship game.  Plus it is a travesty that two 14-2 teams had to battle in the final regular season NFL game for the first time, with the loser relegated to a #5 seed and a road game in the first round. 

They’re not wrong. Minnesota should be the #3 seed in the NFC while Chargers and Texans should flip flop in the AFC, affording LAC a home game; ditto for the Vikes. 

With the colleges, the number of teams could be increased to 12 to make it fair and generate more cash. Boise State did not merit a #3 seed. ASU might have had an opening round game at home. It is important because in the first round the teams which won beat the bye teams who rested extra days and were not as sharp. Food for thought. 

Wednesday night the Oklahoma City Thunder (30-5) and winner of 15 straight, heads to Cleveland to play the Cavaliers (31-4). The two best in the NBA right now. 

Not to worry, traditionalists. The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, forever sparring partners, lead their divisions. They remain in the hunt for the title. 

Finally, in the FCS championship game, North Dakota State downed undefeated Montana State to secure their 10th title. In Division III, North Central of Illinois beat perennial champion Mount Union to win it all for the third time in the past five title games. Mount Union has competed in the Stagg Bowl 15 of the last 19 games and 23 times total, winning 13 times. 

There is indeed a pattern here. Look at the teams. Then and now.