Striking Out

     It is the 2017 baseball post-season. Aaron Judge is at the plate. The first pitch is thrown. The ball races past him--at or below the knees. Strike one looking, as Judge does not move or make an attempt to swing at a ball he clearly believes is out of the strike zone. Sometimes the pitcher follows up with a pitch thrown above the letters. Again, no swing by Judge at a pitch once more outside of the strike zone. Strike two. Which now leaves Judge vulnerable for the breaking ball that is low and outside, or another fastball which is once more closer to his ankles than his knees. Strike three. Number 99 returns to the dugout. Bemused. Baffled. But definitely with the at bat taken away from him by umpires who do not know or care about the properly enforcing the strike zone--which is even more egregious when it comes to a quiet and unassuming kid like Judge.

     And if you dare to complain about a low strike three as veteran third baseman Todd Frazier did yesterday, prepare to be summarily threatened to be tossed from the game by an umpire such as the man behind home plate on Saturday, Hunter Wendelstedt--I could clearly read his lips on the close up of their exchange. Which is Exhibit 1 as to why the umpires are taking control of the games rather than just calling them correctly. Strikes are balls and balls become strikes.

     It is maddening and does not make for great baseball if Aaron Judge is rung up 16 times and is forced to swing at lousy pitches out of the strike zone. How is a budding star with enormous power going to hit long home runs like he did in September, to the tune of 13 homers, when he cannot see pitches in October like he did in September. Or that Greg Byrd, who hit the second most homers in September, looks out of sync because he cannot get good pitches to hit after two strikes have been called. The Cleveland Indians beefed right up to the eliminating strike out of Austin Jackson. Are Dallas Keuchel and Justin Verlander THAT good, or are they unfairly aided by the inconsistent, showboating umpires. Pitchers and batters stare down the umps, who glare right back at the players as if they are juvenile offenders. Is this how Major League Baseball wants to have the playoffs proceed--with the umpires as the focus and very few homers and too many strikeouts?

     Strike two on my list is the game I witnessed today at Met Life Stadium. The New York Jets put 14 points on the score board versus the defending World Champion New England Patriots. Then the proverbial roof caved in on the home team. Tom Brady, perhaps the G.O.A.T. quarterback, took charge. Despite a missed field goal by All Pro kicker Steven Gostkowski, Brady and his receivers managed to record 24 unanswered points. A lot of the Jets' failure was bad defense by the Jets or missed plays where the Jets could have easily capitalized.

     But, once again the officiating was questionable as to a number of very dubious pass interference calls that went against the Jets defensive secondary. Which kept the Patriots' drives alive or placed them in scoring position.

     Then there was the apparent fourth quarter touchdown scored by New York tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins after he caught a pass from Jets' QB Josh McCown. As Seferian-Jenkins was crossing the goal line, the ball is juggled but he seemed to recover it and complete the play before he hit the ground and out of bounds.

     However, the officials overruled the original call of a touchdown, stating that Seferian-Jenkins did not regain control sufficiently to merit the touchdown and thus he had fumbled the ball thought the end zone sideline. No TD. New England ball, 1st and 10 on their 20 yard line.Ball game over--even though New York would later kick a field goal and have a very slight chance to drive for the tying TD. Again thwarted by a penalty called by the refs.

     I don't know if the TD by Seferian-Jenkins would have altered the outcome of the game. Perhaps both teams would played out the last 5 minutes differently. But the critical calls by this officiating crew--even with the aid of instant replay made a difference as to who won and who lost. Is this what the National Footbal League desires--competitiveness overshadowed by bad officiating? And by the way, FOX analyst Mike Periera, a former NFL referee, said he didn't think that there was enough evidence to overturn the call on Seferian-Jenkins' TD. Wrong.

     My personal strike three involves the University of North Carolina getting a free pass on bogus classes which were tilted towards their football and basketball players. An NCAA investigation exonerated the Tar Heels from any academic fraud dating back to 1997, in an investigation which ran over 7 years--4 of them being very intensive. The Committee On Infractions bought North Carolina's explanation that these paper courses in the Afro-American Studies curriculum were not solely designed for athletes and they were, in fact open to the general population at the University--thereby not becoming an "extra benefit" for the Carolina players who took these courses. And indeed, these courses were overpopulated by student-athletes who padded their G.P.A. to maintain academic and athletic eligibility

     The COI's abject failure to find that anyone besides the chair of department, who would not cooperate in the investigation and thus received the only punishment meted out--a 5 year show cause order, is atrocious. This is from a fan who always liked and respected the teams of Dean Smith, the Tar Heels' Hall of Fame basketball coach. Yet these courses began during Smith's tenure in Chapel Hill, thereby raising some question about how much integrity the deceased, revered and honorable coach may have had.

     The allegations were unprecedented in NCAA history. The apparent cheating was noticed by the NCAA in passing judgment. The COI was severely troubled by the shifting stances UNC took in defending what was going on. But in the end, they could not punish the University because they could not specifically point to a lack of institutional control when the courses were allegedly devised to benefit all who took them, athletes or otherwise.

     Instead, the COI opted to take the University's word that they had not intentionally violated their own academic policies or those of the NCAA; ..."NCAA policy is clear.  The NCAA defers to its member schools to determine when academic fraud has occurred and, ultimately, the panel is bound to making decisions within the rules set by the membership".

     Lots of lawyers billed lots of hours and behind the scenes maneuvering within the UNC hierarchy ultimately defeated the NCAA. The demonstration by the school that its athletic department and the coaches and other staff therein did not have direct involvement with this scam is preposterous. The COI could "infer motives based on the large number of student athletes who took the courses and received high marks. Thus ..."the record, however, does not establish specific, systemic or intentional efforts tied to athletics motives."

     Even at a small liberal arts college like Franklin and Marshall in the late 1960's and early 1970's, there were courses, while open to the general student population, which athletes readily took. The athletes learned about the courses from the coaches, who implored the athletes to take them. I am certain other schools have done this or even what North Carolina blatantly did in Afro-American Studies.

     No one seems to get punished for this greed and avarice. The NCAA defers to its members to self-establish and patrol the member institution, and to maintain academic integrity, especially when athletes are involved. And as such, the NCAA whiffed on this abomination that did exactly what it could do--convey extra benefits to UNC student athletes without getting sanctioned. Is this what the NCAA really wants?

     Given the smell test, and asserting the rules the NCAA set up, this stinks throughout the NCAA membership, who now knows that it can have those cake courses that are academic frauds and open them to the entire student body, who will not be able to partake in these courses because they are so overrun by athletes. For the failure to hold UNC accountable, the UNC academic saga is the final strike on my weekend.

Joe Girardi, the man--Manager of the New York Yankees

     Joe Girardi. the Manager of the New York Yankees. He wears number 28, to represent how many World Series championships this esteemed franchise has won.

     Joe Girardi, who had a 15 year career as a catcher for the Chicago Cubs (7 years), Colorado Rockies (3 years), St. Louis Cardinals (1 year) and New York Yankees (4 years). An All Star once, for Chicago, in 2000. He had a lifetime .267 average with 36 home runs and 422 R.B.I. In 15 seasons, he was paid just over $21 million. His current compensation as manager is $16 million in 4 years.

     Joe Girardi, the 5' 11"man, still with the imposing forearms and the build of a linebacker. He grew up in East Peoria, Illinois, where he excelled in athletics and was coached in basketball by his father before attending high school, where he was the quarterback in football and the catcher in baseball.

     Joe Girardi, remembered as the Yankees catcher who preceded the lengthy career of Jorge Posada and became Posada's mentor. In his 4 years in New York as a player, he batted .272 and was an integral player on the 1996 team which won the World Series. The image still persists of Girardi galloping around the bases against the Atlanta Braves, pulling into third base with a triple off of Braves' Hall of Fame ace Greg Maddux to start a Yankees' rally. He also was on the 1998 and 1999 Yankees World Series teams. Girardi was the catcher for David Cone's perfect game.

     Joe Girardi, a graduate of Northwestern University, with a B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering. He was the first freshman elected as President of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity at Northwestern. And he was a star baseball player, who was drafted by the Cubs.

     Joe Girardi, the Manager for the Florida Marlins for one tumultuous season in 2006. He was the National League Manager of the Year despite having a minuscule payroll of $15 million for his roster. Girardi was fired by mercurial owner, Jeffrey Loria at the end of the season. Loria disliked his manager after being told by Girardi and his bench coach to stop heckling home plate umpire Larry Vanover during an August game, after Vanover had warned Girardi to get Loria to stop his harassment.

     Joe Girardi, the broadcaster. He worked for the YES Network in 2004-05 and again in 2007, where he worked in the broadcast booth as an analyst for 60+ games. In 2005, while being the bench coach for Manager Joe Torre, he hosted a children's program for YES, which was taped during spring training. Girardi did studio work for FOX during the 2006 World Series and he was a part of the No. 2 broadcast team for FOX in 2007.

     Joe Girardi, the man. On his way home from celebrating the 2009 World Series win, he risked his life and saved a woman who had crashed her car on the Cross County Parkway in Westchester County. The driver did not know who had helped her until the responding officers told her. He gives countless hours of charity for the Yankees. He is a devout Catholic and he is an exercise and health conscious individual.

     Joe Girardi, the family man. He and his wife Kim have 3 children. He is devoted to them. Just like he was devoted to his mother, who died from cancer while he was at Northwestern, and his father who passed away during the 2012 ALDS against the Baltimore Orioles after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. Girardi turns 53 on October 14. He stands erect during the National Anthem as well as when a service member or veteran is brought to the field for recognition in the middle of the 7th inning and "God Bless America" is played. Probably as a result of his father having been an Air Force veteran.

     Joe Girardi, the manager with a 910-710 record with the Yankees since 2008. His post-season record is 22-19. He has won one A.L. pennant the team's 40th along with the 27 World Series title in 2009. He answers the media's questions after every game and he is known to have bristled at some inquiries. Girardi performs his weekly YES show duties as well as any network in-game obligations.

     Joe Girardi, the tactician. He can tinker with lineups on a regular basis until he feels most comfortable about his personnel. He has adopted Sabermetrics to a degree. Sabermetrics is defined as the empirical analysis of baseball. especially utilizing statistics measuring in game activity, to decide who bats against what pitcher or how long a pitcher can stay in a game. Girardi has been known to pull a pitcher early from a game, even if ahead, based on history and statistics. He regularly brings in relief pitchers to a point close to overuse, although he has a rule not to use his top relievers more than 2 days in a row unless there are unusual or extenuating circumstances. Girardi believes in bunting when necessary, letting his top base runners steal on their own, and pinch hitting based upon a batter's history against a certain pitcher. His critics say that he interjects himself into games way too much. His fans are more than satisfied with his style, which readily translates into wins.

     Joe Girardi, perched along the railing of the dugout, seemingly always deep in thought. He does not show too much emotion, but shakes hands with a batter who hits a homer or pats the pitcher he has to remove from a game. He will passionately argue for his team when he feels that the umpires have wronged it. He is good at winning replay challenges.

     Joe Girardi, by his record as player and manager, is a fierce competitor. He is smart, he is responsible and his teams win games. A lot of wins, even if the last Yankees' World Series appearance was in 2009. His contract with the team ends with this season.

     Joe Girardi, 2017 candidate for A.L. Manager of the Year. He took a team which experts believed was maybe a third or fourth place team, to second place in the A.l East, nearly topping the East winners, Boston Red Sox, and in the process securing the home field for the A.L. Wild Card game. He overcame significant injuries to pitcher Michael Pineda, first baseman Greg Byrd, outfielders Jacoby Ellbury, outfielder Aaron Hicks, catcher Gary Sanchez, designated hitter  Matt Holliday and shortstop Didi Gregorious among others. He rode the hitting of all-everything rookie sensation Aaron Judge and pitching from starters Luis Severino and C. C. Sabathia along with his great bullpen to get to where the team is today. He survived the in-season meltdowns of his two top relievers, Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman. He successfully integrated the players acquired in multiple trades into his core groups.

     Joe Girardi is the reason why the Yankees take the field tonight at Yankee Stadium versus the white hot Cleveland Indians, behind 2-0 in the best of 5 series, and facing elimination. He is responsible for the staggering loss in Game 2, a game they led 8-3 in the 6th inning. A game where they had handled probable Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber with relative ease.A game where they had rebounded from a 2 hit performance in Game 1.

     Let's turn back the clock a little bit. Let's return to the A.L. Wild Card game on October 3, 2017. The Minnesota Twins shocked the Yankees in the first inning with 3 runs, two of them come from home runs against ace Severino. Girardi replaces Severino after he completed only 1/3rd of an inning--the shortest start by a pitcher in Yankees' post-season history--in this winner take all contest. Chad Green is called upon to rescue the team. Which he did in the top of the first inning by setting down the Twins. In the bottom of the first. New York responded with 3 runs of their own on a Gregorious home run, to tie the score. Brett Gardner hit a solo homer in the second inning to put New York ahead by 1. Green got into trouble in the third inning and was replaced by David Robertson, who allowed a run to score. Robertson went 3 1/3 scoreless innings, the longest stint he had pitched  in his MLB career. The Yankees took the lead for good on an R.B.I single by Byrd then via a 2 run homer from Judge. Tommy Kahnle came in and shut down the Twins, handing the game over to closer Chapman to finish off Minnesota.

     By bucking all trends and defying the odds, Girardi patched together an unusual pitching performance and banked on his hitters to come through. In the process, he rendered his venerable relief corps unusable, even if they had a day's rest before Game 1 of the ALDS. Which cost him and the Yankees dearly in Game 2.

     New York had jumped out to that 8-3 lead. Girardi then made some very bad moves. He took out Sabathia after 5.1 innings when he had walked a batter and had retired lefty-hitting Jay Bruce. Green was brought in. He was pitching on fumes, and he allowed a double. So there were runners at second and third with two outs when pinch hitter Lonnie Chisenhall came to the plate. Chisenhall worked the pitch count to 3-2 when, on the next pitch, the home plate umpire said that Chisenhall was hit on his hand to make the bases full.

     Chaos ensued within the Yankees. Catcher Sanchez motioned to Girardi that Chisenhall had not been hit on the hand with a pitch. Instead, the ball struck the knob of the bat and caromed into Sanchez's mitt for strike 3 and 3 outs. Sanchez adamantly wanted Girardi to challenge the play.

     But inexcusably, Girardi felt he did not have conclusive proof using replays to overturn the call in the allotted 30 seconds. So he did not heed Sanchez and he did not challenge the call. Just past the 30 seconds mark, slo-mo replays, not available to the Yankees' own video reviewer who has had a high rate of success this season, showed that Sanchez was correct and that the ball had in fact hit the bat knob.

     Instead of just relying on Sanchez, Girardi inexplicably deferred to his video replay man who did not have a complete picture of the play and let a spent Green pitch to Indians' shortstop Francisco Lindor. Lindor blasted a grand slam home run on the next pitch. Instead of ending the inning at 8-3, Cleveland was resuscitated with the score being 8-7.

     Robertson, coming off of that long Wild Card experience, managed to get Cleveland out in innings 6 and 7. But Jay Bruce homered off of a tired Robertson in the bottom of the 8th inning, tying the score at 8-8.

     In the top of the eleventh inning, third baseman Todd Frazier, having a solid night at the plate, was safe and on second base on a throwing error by the Cleveland third baseman. Girardi elected to pinch run for Frazier with the speedy Ronald Torreyes. Girardi then asked Gardner to bunt; Gardner pulled his bat away from the ball; Indians catcher Yan Gomes made a snap throw to second base; Torreyes  was called safe. The Indians did challenge the play and on replay, it showed Torreyes to be out by a hair. End of the Yankees' threat. The TV cameras caught a disgusted Frazier, now finished for the night and with nothing to show for his being replaced,  cursing and tossing his water cup angrily into the trash. Cleveland subsequently won the game in the 13th inning, to take that 2-0 series lead.

     Girardi has been vilified since the game ended by Yankees' fans and a ton of the media. Girardi's post-game explanations were unacceptable. His over managing in Game 1 along with his quick hook of Sabathia and over reliance on a wasted Green and Robertson essentially cost New York the win. Even with his necessary Saturday admission that he blew the replay opportunity, nothing could change the outcome of Game 2 in the minds of the players and the fans.

     I doubt that New York can thwart Cleveland and do the unthinkable--win the series. The sting from these gaffes will remain over the team--but for how long? The inevitable second question thus arises--should Girardi remain as the Yankees' skipper? Does his overall record warrant another shot at a World Series title with a team, a mix of veterans and young stars, which has the capability to reach that goal? Is he the one to lead New York for the future--and how long a contract should he have given the fact that his overall post season record is 22-19 heading into tonight and the Yankees have not been to the ALCS since 2012?

     These questions are for General Manager Brian Cashman and the Steinbrenners, owners of the team, to answer. Will they heed the fans who want Girardi's head and the media frenzy that will obviously ensue? Or will they continue to be patient and overlook these Game 1 and 2 moves and reward Girardi for his regular season managing? If Girardi is to be brought back, will he and the Yankees be able to reach a meeting of the minds as to compensation and length of contract?  This will play itself out in the upcoming weeks.

     One thing I do know--Game 2 was a bitter loss and hard to fathom.
   

Just another late September week

     This week's sports calendar began with a Monday afternoon makeup game between the Kansas City Royals and the New York Yankees. KC came in from Boston, while the Yankees arrived fro

   

     

   

Streakers

     Immediate disclaimer--this is NOT in any way an expose about those young women and men who shed their clothes in the mid-1970's and ran amok around college campuses. This included the University of Delaware, where a raucous, beer-infused Thursday night campus quad became even more interesting for this aspiring law student when I abandoned the tedious studying inside the library to survey the tumult.

     Instead, the nature of the streak in Major League Baseball has been one of the great topics of the season. Heading the list is the remarkable streak of the defending American League champion Cleveland Indians, who won 22 straight games. At the bottom of the list is Aaron Judge's 37 game streak of at least 1 strikeout per game, setting a single season record, yet avoiding by 1 game the all-time record of consecutive games with a strikeout which was set by a pitcher, Bill Stoneman, in 1971-72.

     Then there is this season's schizophrenic team--the Los Angeles Dodgers. This team had managed to go 91-36, which included three winning streaks of at least 10 games. They had a 53 game streak of winning games that they had a lead at some point during the contest. Only to be outdone by an incredible 11 game losing skein, which really was 16 out of 17 games with a loss. But not to despair, Dodger faithful, this is the 5th year in a row that the team has won the N.L. West.

     Just as we are not to be too upset about Aaron Judge's performance in this, his rookie season. After all, even if he set another dubious record in striking out a total of 200 times--the most by a rookie, his proclivity for striking out hardly diminishes his incredible accomplishment--the first rookie ever to amass 45+ home runs, more than 100 R.B.I. and 100 runs scored.

     Speaking of sluggers, Giancarlo Stanton had a 6 game homer streak in August as he makes an assault on Roger Maris' 61 total. That is 2 short of the MLB record, held by 3 people--including his manager, Don Mattingly.  Given that Stanton is not associated with steroids and home run hitters like Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire are, should the Miami Marlins' star break Maris total, it would be a feat.

     Let's also return to the Indians. They have 29 out the last 31 contests. Cleveland has won 28 straight games while allowing 4 or less runs. Moreover, the Tribe has not lost 2 games in a row since July. On Friday, when Seattle beat the Indians 3-1, the Mariners stopped a modest 5 game Cleveland winning streak and a more impressive 14 game road winning streak, while Seattle ended a 6 game losing streak of their own. Cleveland is the first team since the 1935-36 Chicago Cubs to have two consecutive seasons with winning streaks of 14+ games. Additionally, the Indians became the first team to have +100 run differential in 19 consecutive games AND were the first team since the 1923 New York Giants to hold the opposition to 32 or fewer runs over a 19 game span. No wonder Cleveland has the best record in MLB and is trying to secure home field advantage all the way through the World Series.

     Cleveland's ace pitcher and 2016 Cy Young Award winner, Corey Kluber, has fashioned some streaks of his own en route to a 17-4 record in 2017. Kluber has had two 5 game win streaks, and he was victorious today, in addition to raising his record to 18-4, he now has a 6 game winning streak and a 5 game winning streak.

     Other pitching streaks of note included the fact that when almost-certain Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw surrendered a grand slam home run to the Philadelphia Phillies earlier this month, it represented the first time in his illustrious career that he had given up a bases full homer. Baltimore Orioles left-handed closer, Zach Britton, saw his MLB record 60 game save streak come to an end in August. Boston ace starter, lefty Chris Sale, set an MLB record with 10 straight double digit strikeout performances; he is also the fastest to reach 1,500 strikeouts in MLB history. Alex Wood of the Dodgers opened the season with 11 straight victories. The surprising Arizona Diamondbacks, the probable NL Wild Card Game host, had a streak of 9 consecutive games where D-backs pitchers recorded 10 or more strikeouts of their opponents.

     Pitchers with ongoing streaks of 200+ strikeouts in a season are Max Scherzer of Washington (6) and Sale (5). This will be Kershaw's 9th straight season with an E.R.A. of under 3.00. Justin Verlander, the former Detroit Tigers' ace now pitching for the Houston Astros, has manufactured a 6 game winning streak, including 4-0 since the trade to Houston, accompanied by a minuscule 0.64 E.R.A.; he has had 200+ strikeouts in 11 of 12 years, interrupted only in his injury-plagued 2015 season. Verlander's dating Kate Upton is in another, very different category.

     The longest consecutive game hitting streaks in the AL was 21 games by Whit Merrifield of Kansas City and 19 games in the NL from Odubel Herrera of Philadelphia. Team streaks to offer are the 13 consecutive wins by the D-backs and the 69 consecutive days in first place in the NL East by the Colorado Rockies, who are battling Milwaukee and St. Louis for the final NL Wild Card spot. In a 16-0 rout of the San Diego Padres, the Minnesota Twins became the first team to hit homers in the first 7 innings of a game.

     Those are impressive streaks. But 2017 has been more than just the aforementioned MLB and league records and achievements I have chronicled. There have been numerous records set, both on a team and individual levels which do not involve streaks.

     The Yankees and Cubs set the MLB mark for strikeouts in a game at 48 in an 18 inning game. In a 12 inning game, the Dodgers and Brewers set the NL record for strikeouts in a game at 42; Milwaukee tied its own MLB record of 26 strikeouts in a game.  On June 3, an MLB mark of 7 grand slams were hit in a single day. On June 24, three Oakland A's rookies hit their first career home runs in the same game, another MLB record; all 3 homers came off of one pitcher, James Sheilds, who also recorded his 2,000 strikeout in that affair. The Shields involvement is a de facto MLB record--most homers by a rookie off of a pitcher who has 2000+ career strikeouts.

     George Springer of the Astros hit 4 lead off homers in his first 9 games of the season, a record. Trey Mancini of Baltimore hit 7 homers in his first 12 career games, tying an MLB record. Angels slugger Albert Pujols became the all-time Dominican-born record holder for R.B.I's and became the first player to hit a grand slam for his 600th homer. Aaron Judge is the first player to hit 13 homers in his first 26 games; Judge joined McGwire as the only two players to have hit 30 home runs in his first season before the All-Star Game. Scooter Gennett of Cincinnati is the first player to have 5 hits, 4 homers and 10 Runs batted in during a game. Dodgers' rookie sensation Cody Bellinger was the fastest to have 4 multi-homer games, doing that in just 45 contests and when he hit his 21st home run in his 51st career game, that, too, was a MLB record. In recording his 3,000 hit, Texas Rangers' third baseman Adrian Beltre was the first Dominican-born player to do so. Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts tied a record with 8 R.B.I.'s in a game while batting leadoff. Ichiro Suzuki, currently playing for Miami, established the record for most career base hits by a foreign-born player. Toronto Blue Jays' Steve Pearce hit 2 walk off grand slams, which tied the MLB record. Rhys Hoskins of the Phillies hit 11 homers in 18 games, which is the fastest since 1913; Hoskins did it in a record 17 less at bats. San Francisco pitcher Madison Bumgarner is the first hurler to hit 2 homers on Opening Day.

     So now, when you have had enough numbers for one season, I leave my readers with 2 thoughts. First, the MLB record for the most homers in a season was set on September 19. Second, how many more homers and records will be broken or tied in this last 8 games of the regular season?

   

   

Football weekend in Pittsburgh

     We were in Pittsburgh this weekend. On a football weekend. It was an interesting sight to see.

     Pittsbugh is a city of contrasts. Calling its people a hardscrabble lot is justifiable. At the same time, the populace is decidedly unique and different from who you see in New York, San Francisco or LA. No one tag can be placed on the types and differences within the Pittsburgh populace other than to say that diversity is common and relentless.

     The aforementioned description of Pittsburgh's inhabitants is in accord with the variance in its architecture. Still dominating the skyline is the U.S. Steel building, in its grandeur of steel and glass. Except that it is no longer the U. S. Steel building, as UPMC in large letter adorns the higher floor of the edifice, advertising who is dominant in business in the city--the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and its stable of hospitals and physicians in its insurance web. Except that UPMC fight an unending and sometimes bitter war for patients with the Allegheny Health Network and its lineup of competing hospitals and doctors. Within the facades and monuments to business in eras present and bygone, competition and conflict and is always present--whether by the dominating titans like the Mellons and the Carnegies or the unions representing the workers.

     That ever-growing, new order of skyscrapers is part of the revitalization of Pittsburgh. From Downtown to the Point, on the South Side, in Bloomfield, Shadyside, Squirrel Hill and around Bakery Square, new residences and retail shops and technical companies are rising fast. Older row houses are being revitalized. Suburban areas are becoming more and more upscale and even luxurious.

     Yet there remains an older, unprivileged population that lives in a preponderance of the buildings which go back to near the turn of the century. Businesses which stay in neighborhoods rather than expand outside of the city are aplenty, unlike the signature sandwich place,  Primanti Bros., whose large meat and potatoes sandwiches belong to a bygone Pittsburgh and which housed so many factories and workers needing food at all hours of the day was legendary and endemic of a Pittsburgh that was the epicenter of the steel industry.

     Pittsburgh has hills and three rivers. It has tunnels and bridges. Buses carry many to their destination. The old PRR logo for the long gone Pennsylvania Railroad still is on the outside of a brick and glass station which saw its glory evaporate so many years ago. It is a transportation city of all kinds--cars older and newer; trucks of all sizes and shapes; bicycles and Ubers--the latter with its fleet of Volvo SUV's with the spinning lasers on top that guide the driver and passenger(s) to a destination.

     Pittsburgh is the home to the repeat Stanley Cup champion Penguins. In winter time, but much less so at this time of the year, Penguins jerseys saluting heroes Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury, the goaltender lost to the Las Vegas NHL franchise in the recent expansion draft are vibrant in the old light blue colors or the current black,yellow and white which the Steelers and Pirates wear. Penguins fans seem to be Steelers fans and they are Pirates fans, too.

     Looking at the vacant PNC Park while the Pirates were in Cincinnati losing an unimportant series to the lowly Reds, caused me to look for those wearing any Pirates gear as the Bucs play out the season. I looked hard and found very little. Which tells me that the crowds for the remaining home games will be sparse. The Pirates faithful have moved on.

     So what did I see in Pittsburgh this weekend? Well, the masses descended upon the city for the two games to be played at Heinz Field on Saturday and Sunday. Two teams dominated the viewing at the hotels, on the streets, in the bars and restaurants and in the shopping centers.

     College football has a proud history in the Steel City. Carnegie-Mellon University, a very well known technological and liberal arts college, was a dominant football school into World War II. Now they play Division III football, a deemphasized, non-scholarship brand of the sport which is far different than its football alums played.

     Thus the mantle of college football in Pittsburgh is with the University of Pittsburgh. Pitt produced such legends from Western Pennsylvania as Tony Dorsett and Dan Marino. It won National Championships. Huge crowds went to Pitt Stadium, which has been since razed and the shiny new basketball arena with all the bells and whistles that an NBA arena might have, sits in its place.

     Young men and women wore Pitt shirts, sweatpants and cars had some Panthers flags on them. But for all of those which I viewed, there was a fair amount of orange and black representing the visiting ninth-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys who were in town to play the second of a home and home series which did not end well for Pitt last year in Stillwater.

     Those Cowboys fans were eerily polite and unabashedly reserved as they roundly enjoyed their road trip to Pittsburgh. They ate in the nicest of eateries and they walked the streets comfortably.

     As for the game itself, the Cowboys demolished the Panthers, just like they did a year ago. On a very nice, 80 degree late summer day at Heinz Field, an announced crowd of almost 39,000 featured a lot of old line Pitt faithful and the wild and crazy students who were asked to stay to the end to receive a "beverage," and those happy, orange-clad OK State fans. It felt like this was the real good preliminary bout on a fight card, with the main event to come.

     The reason so many people were excited in Pittsburgh this weekend was simple--the Steelers' home opener with visiting Minnesota Vikings was set for Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at Heinz Field. As much as the Pitt youth wore the school's colors, there was no mistaking the Steelers fans. Seemingly everywhere, people were wearing Steelers' garb--a virtual sea of black, white and yellow. Talk about a love affair between a city and its NFL team--this is legit.

     For many years, the Steelers were treated like a doormat in the NFL. They shuttled between Forbes Field, the old home of the Pirates and Pitt Stadium. Crowds were small and the excitement was pitiful. But in the glory years of the 1970's, led by the Immaculate Reception that Franco Harris somehow hauled in versus Oakland to win an AFC title, the subsequent Super Bowl wins turned a city which was depressed and almost broken and a World Championship by the Willie Stargell "We are Family" Pirates, into a city that felt like it could win and coincided with the start of the transformation of the city from a factory town to a more urbane place.

     The spirit of the "Terrible Towel" continues from its gimmick origin in 1975 by radio station WTAE and Steelers' broadcaster Myron Cope to this day; the Terrible Towel has been seen on the International Space Station, Dancing with the Stars, and even the Vatican. Steelers' fans treat the Terrible Towel with the symbolic reverence it has accumulated. It is waved with impunity at games by the zealous true believers who think that there is a hex contained in a cloth that is shaken furiously at Steelers opponents.

     The towel and the legion of Steelers' fans festooned in anything that remotely says Steelers on it have carried successful teams thru the years.  Ben Roetlithsberger and Hines Ward bridge the gap in time from Terry Bradshaw and Lynn Swann. Even when the Steelers dressed lesser teams than the 6 Super Bowl sinning squads, the fans were more than ever entwined with their Steelers.

     Stability in ownership and coaching has been a hallmark of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Rooney family has owned the team from its founding in 1933. Three head coaches have given the Steelers longevity and productivity on the field--Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and currently Mike Tomlin. Since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, Pittsburgh has a 480-305-2 record including playoffs. The Steelers have reached the playoffs 30 times, won the division 22 times, played in 16 AFC Championships and won 6 of 8 Super Bowls that they were in. Furthermore, once the NFL went to a 16 game schedule, the Steelers are the only team to not have had a season with twelve or more losses.

     So it is not surprising that the affair that the Steelers began in the cookie cutter dual purpose Three Rivers Stadium, shared with the Pirates on unforgiving AstroTurf, has continued unabated for now over 40 years. Fans make weekends to come to the games. Hotels fill up early, and on game day, Steelers brethren, adorned in face paint, beads, hats, shirts, pajamas and stretch pants are seemingly headed out to the game or a local bar. I actually saw a black woman in her white Steelers' jersey speak with 2 oversized white men she had never met before and make plans to tailgate in the Heinz Field parking lot. Race is of no consequence when cheering for the Steelers; Jack Lambert was as beloved as Polynesian Troy Palomalu; Jack Ham was the equal of Tony Dungy. Mean Joe Greene meant as much as Mike Webster. White road jerseys are the equal of black home uniforms.

     All of Pittsburgh pulled for the entire team. The city united with its Steelers heroes who worked hard like they understood from the days of steel furnaces and hourly wage earners. That bond is even greater today.

     I saw a smattering of Vikings fans today in their purple togs. penetrating the veil of black and gold enveloping downtown before game time. While they peaceably interacted with the throng of Steelers fans, I knew that they were so vastly outnumbered that politeness was what they must show, even if dressed like Broomhilda in a outlandish outfit that Leif Erickson might shade his eyes from in sheer embarrassment.

     For today, football Sunday in Pittsburgh, Steeler Nation was awake and hungry for the smell of another victory.They played against the backdrop of the city that has transformed itself into a new and vibrant place where the older parts are coming into the new age, and where a younger group of citizens ais on the verge of claiming the city for its generation. Alas, this nouveau sector, still having ties to a legacy of football that is ingrained deep into the roots of Pittsburghers far and wide, understands and appreciates what 16 Sundays  into January and February mean when the weather turns cold and the wind howls.

     This Jets fan in his team polo shirt, among the legion of black in the hotel, felt a pang of empathy with lots of envy. I get what they have. Something unique only to Pittsburgh.

     Such was this football weekend in Pittsburgh on the last full weekend of summer. Thus it was no surprise that the final score was 26-9 in favor of the home team.

Hurricanes

     This weekend, Hurricane Irma knocked more than power out for over 6 million in Florida. It disrupted entire communities and is still impacting the West Coast and North Central Florida with its vicious winds. Hopefully families will survive this monster storm.

     This is the second big storm of the 2017 season. Harvey rampaged through Texas, leaving water damage in the billions of dollars. Now the total estimates of damage will be again in the billions with Irma. FEMA will be nearly tapped out. Lives are already disrupted, and the storm is finally downgraded to a tropical storm, moving slowly up the left side of the Florida peninsula, spawning flooding and tornadoes too.

     I bore witness to the impact Irma had on the Sunshine State. Family spent nearly 23 hours in a car, relocating to John's Creek, GA, north of Atlanta. When we arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, I-75 was stop and go traffic on early Friday afternoon, with many more Florida license plates on the road, probably as exhausted as our relatives.

     Everyone cast a nervous glance at the TV sets and I phones to see where Irma was headed. First, it seemed like a direct hit for Miami was inevitable. Suddenly, the storm drifted west after brushing Cuba, and the West Coast was now imperiled. This was a Category 4 hurricane, which had a size which was, ironically, larger than the state of Texas. No part of Florida would be spared its wrath--just how much fury depended upon the eye wall making landfall.

     Key West and Islamorada, for certain, was dealt a thunderous blow. Pictures of storm surge in Miami's Brickell section came through in alarming repetition. Naples, in the far Southwest of Florida, recorded a 142 m.p.h. wind gust. Marco Island, Fort Myers, Punta Gorda, Sarasota, Tampa--all were subject to some of the worst of the torrential rains, winds and flooding. Destruction and devastation was inevitable. When the sun rises and the winds subside, the true accounting of the powerful hurricane named Irma will be known.

     Refugees from Florida were everywhere. On the road. In our hotel. Even on our plane back to New Jersey last night. Too many friends stayed in Florida either by choice or by need. It is our fervent hope that they are okay. Some who fled north to GA found themselves not so fortunate to have escaped, as they were facing a Tropical Storm Warning in the Atlanta area. Schools and businesses there were closed for today.

     Floridians and Georgians will need our support just as those still homeless or trying to pick up their lives in the Houston area after Harvey. Two storms--way too painful are the images.

     Just like with Harvey, sports became secondary. Early on, after mulling moving the game up to Thursday or Friday, the NFL justifiably postponed the Tampa-Bay-Miami opener until Week 11, when both teams were to have their scheduled bye. Who knows if the damage to the respective home fields will impair the ability of these teams to play this week.

     College football was greatly impacted for this past weekend. Miami did not travel to Arkansas State. Florida and Florida State canceled their home games. Appropriately, fans and the teams should not have been on the roadways. As important as football in the South can be--lives matter much more and people needed to abandon Florida rather than stay.

     The Miami Marlins went on a road trip and the wives and families were allowed to join the players when the team departed. Marlins fans could not hear the team's Sunday game--Irma knocked the radio broadcast from Atlanta off of the air.

     Tampa Bay had a series set in Boston. They were due to return to play the Yankees in St,. Petersburg for three games starting tonight. Instead, just like the Houston Astros had to play a three game series in--of all places--Tropicana Field where the Rays play--those games were shifted to a neutral site. Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets, will host the games. While the Yankees clearly have an advantage that the contest will be played in New York, the decision was made partially due to the Rays having to travel very little to get from Boston to New York. The Yankees had to fly back from Texas.

     Fortuitously, the Atlanta Braves were scheduled to play the next series in Washington. They left Georgia yesterday before conditions worsened. It was likely that the Falcons arrived back in Atlanta from Chicago early enough.

     Two teams whose cities were struck by two hurricanes squared off in Texas yesterday. Jacksonville came into Houston and trounced the Texans. The impact of Harvey may still have lingered within the Texans, although pundits believe that the Texans have quarterback issues. The Astros were similarly distracted when in St. Pete--they lost 2 of 3 to the Rangers. Undoubtedly the Rays will have their minds elsewhere too, and their performance may be similarly affected.

     The Rays will come back to Florida and the Marlins will head back to Miami. Personally, the players will assess the damage to their homes. They, like the Buccaneers, Dolphins and Jaguars, will have to put aside the bad which Irma set upon their homes and lives. College football will be back--if not in Gainesville, Tallahassee and Coral Gables, then some other locale. High school football will be a mess for the entire 2017 season.

     Lives have been inexorably changed in two states. Texans and Floridians have been linked forever in a kind of two step dance of major proportions. We will hear stories of dramatic rescues and heroism as well as the heartbreak of loss--some permanent.

     This is what hurricanes and natural disasters do. Mankind is not immune from these forces. We do the best we can to survive and rebuild. Which is what is happening in Texas and soon will start in Florida and Georgia.

     The 2017 hurricane season is in full throttle right now. Jose sits out in the Atlantic Ocean, meandering while a high pressure dome keeps it adrift and forces the remnants of Irma to curve to the north and west into Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. Katia mercifully did not strike Texas, all though Mexico did not deserve it either.

     Who can foresee if any more hurricanes will hit the U.S. mainland? Hopefully none. Maybe, as an answer to these storms, the University of Miami should change the sports teams nickname from the Hurricanes as a way of superstitiously warding off the evil spirits. I say that facetiously, but I am game to stop this onset of nature's fury.

     If anyone has any better ideas, please contact me. In the meantime, our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to those so unfortunately affected.

Labor Day

     I have always equated Labor Day with a number of sports milestones. The start of the NFL and college football seasons are upcoming. 50% correct there, as the NFL starts on Thursday night. However, college football began BEFORE Labor Day with nearly every FCS & FBS team in action; a number of D-III teams joined in, too. Baseball's stretch run is in earnest--plus waiver transactions have been consummated and the number of players eligible to be in the dugout and play swell to as many as 40 on September 1. With the latter, it is sort of odd that players who may not make the 25 man playoff roster can become instrumental in a team making the playoffs via a catch, hit or stolen base--but that is an idiosyncrasy of baseball's rules. And of course, the US Open enters its final week at Flushing Meadow, the final of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments. 

     We in the Northeast, along with most of the continental U.S., can watch this cornucopia of sport unfold, whether by attending an event or sitting in the comfort of our dens, living rooms or sports bars. From Friday night's Red Sox-Yankees tilt and college games on Monday along with lots of tennis and baseball, fans appetite's will be satiated--from the events and the sheer tonnage of food devoured. 

     I can easily surmise that a majority of people in South Texas are not that interested in sports or even a Labor Day BBQ at this point. So, so many people have been displaced--well over 40,000--and the damage is way into the billions of dollars. Hundreds of thousands are without power. Roadways and neighborhoods remain under water--some areas may not see relief until 3-4 weeks after Hurricane Harvey came ashore along with its torrential rains. Lives, homes and businesses are forever lost or irreparably destroyed. While George H.W. Bush International Airport has reopened, getting around South Texas is nightmarish. 

     When we think of catastrophic hurricanes, Katrina and Andrew immediately come to mind. Plus we New Jerseyans remember all too well our bout with the Superstorm called Sandy. The day Hurricane Harvey invaded Texas with its ferocity was also one day after the 12th anniversary for Katrina making landfall; Andrew had a time overlap with these two storms. Sandy came to New Jersey late in October 2012. 

     What Katrina did to New Orleans was beyond devastating, if such was possible. The death toll was enormous; the damage to the psyche and the infrastructure of the Crescent City was nearly unfathomable. The pictures of the way the winds ripped apart the Superdome and created significant leaks to inundate those who hunkered down inside with nowhere else to go are forever etched in our minds.New Orleans still has staggering scars from the wrath of Katrina.

     Andrew blew down so much of South Florida. Homestead was virtually wiped off the map, as Andrew"s Category 4 winds wreaked havoc over the marshland. Sandy disabled the biggest area in the Northeast--it stopped mass transit and left countless people in the dark. The image of the roller coaster at Seaside Heights now surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean is still very painful.

     All different types of storms in their own, distinct ways. But Harvey stands out differently from the others because of the record amount of rainfall that ensued once it made land. New Orleans had massive flooding. Texas will have the reminders of Harvey's flooding long after the hurricane is a historical footnote. 

     Many images have come from the days the news focused exclusively on Harvey's aftermath. Door-to-door searches; Coast Guard helicopters placing all sorts of families and pets into baskets to be hoisted to safety. People, wet and shocked, wading through waist high water on streets which were and still are impassable and interstate highways flooded out in multiple locations. Trillions of gallons of water falling in a short span can so ravage a region. 

     Despite the renewed political infighting among New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Texas politicians relating to the denial of help for Sandy victims over the content of the relief bills, there has been a large outpouring of help to Texas. Different in some ways from Katrina in that foreign countries are not jumping aboard to offer assistance without hesitation, the nation and the nearby states have come to rescue and to start the recovery from Harvey. The Cajun Navy and its armada of small craft was invaluable in backing up overwhelmed first responders and the level of donations to charities to assist Texans in need after Harvey has been nearly miraculous. 

     J.J. Watt, star defensive lineman for the Houston Texans, has been a focal point for helping South Texans. Merely by starting a charitable endeavor by making his own donation to aid those who needed help, people everywhere have embraced his efforts and have contributed over $17 million in aid and now he has set a goal of $20 million. He and his fellow Texans, sequestered outside of Dallas when the storm arrived, have returned to the area to help. While football is certainly king in Texas, the generosity and thoughtfulness of a Wisconsin transplant has offered hope to some very downtrodden people. 

     As a direct result of Hurricane Harvey, MLB's Houston Astros were forced to play a series against the Texas Rangers in St. Petersburg, Florida, in the home of the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rangers would not agree to a swap of series dates, citing the problems it would create to its season ticket holders on two days notice and that the Rangers would then be forced to play a large number of road contests near the end of September. Houston won only 1 of the 3 games, with their collective minds elsewhere as they, among others living in South Texas, had felt the torment of the weather--and they could not get home to assist or to tend to personal belongings. 

     The Astros and MLB decided it was safe enough and prudent to have the series with the New York Mets be held where it was supposed to be played--at Houston's relatively unscathed Minute Maid Park. The Friday night game was postponed and a day-night doubleheader was played on Saturday. Houston won both tilts on Saturday and again on Sunday. (in an ironic twist from Game 1, the Mets' pitcher, Matt Harvey, took rather than gave the punishment--an omen?)  One of the reasons to return home for this series was that the Astros would be on a continuous road trip--they have 9 upcoming road contests--so that they could have been away from home from August 25 to September 15. Management couched this decision to come back to Houston while the region was licking its wounds and picking up the pieces terms of baseball--they are in the business of trying to win the World Series.

     That the Astros are serious contenders became more evident at the waiver trade deadline. First, the Astros swooped up outfielder Curtis Maybin, when Detroit's trade of Justin Upton to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim made the reliable Maybin expendable. Additionally, the Astros landed coveted pitcher Justin Verlander, the 34 year old ace of the Detroit Tigers staff, who has a 183-114 career record but no World Series rings. Verlander's waiving his no trade clause to head to Houston underscored his burning desire to win now--something not in the immediate future in Detroit. The trade helps Detroit as the Tigers start to rebuild, so while it may appear to be selfish on the part of Verlander to leave Detroit, he may have willingly helped the Tigers become viable more quickly. 

     While the crowds at Minute Maid Park were small and the Astros did the politically correct things to honor and respect those who helped others during the disaster, the homecoming was distinctly a business decision. Perhaps the Astros could have made use of the space inside the park to house those afflicted by Harvey and who could have stayed in the area instead of being airlifted to Dallas and north as the Texans did with NRG Stadium, but there was very little criticism. Besides, MLB and the MLBPA jointly donated $1 million towards Houston relief and the Astros' owner has pledged $4 million. 

     The NBA's Rockets showed their charitable side, with a $1 million donation from star guard James Harden and $10 million coming from billionaire owner Les Alexander. Jerry Jones held a 90 minute telethon in Dallas and raise $2 million. Individual NFL owners including the New York Jets have made $1 million donations. 

     A game between BYU and LSU set for NRG Stadium migrated to Baton Rouge. Rice University's football team traveled to Australia to be walloped by Stanford. Instead of going back to campus, they had been bivouacked in Fort Worth at the campus of Texas Christina University until September 1st. The Houston Cougars went to Austin, Texas where they were welcomed by their former head coach, Tom Herman,who is now the head coach of the University of Texas Longhorns.  

     College team have been wearing decals showing support for Houston. Baylor University hosted the season opener for Sam Houston State and Richmond, plus gave free admission and meals to Harvey evacuees for its own game versus Liberty; Baylor has also sent food and water to Houston. Southern Methodist, North Texas and other Texas schools have also provided necessities. 

     South Texas has a long road ahead in its recovery from this force of nature punishing the land and its inhabitants. Just like those affected by the pounding given by Katrina, Andrew and Sandy, Texans are resilient. They really have no choice.The property loss is projected to surpass the $160 billion that arose from Katrina. Many people did not have flood insurance. 

     Given the affection for their teams and, of course, the religion known as "Friday Night Lights," referring to high school football, sports may be a beneficial outlet for the residents of the storm-torn region. How can I not root a little bit more for J.J. Watt to sack a quarterback in lieu of what he has started? Will the Astros help to rekindle the South Texas area by heading to the World Series, as the New York Yankees buoyed the New York area after 9/11? Won't I be watching for the Rice Owls to win some games and for the University of Houston to have a nice season despite the adversity? 

     In the morality play that is part of mankind, Texas sports has the heart of the community--in both body and soul. #Houston Strong. #Houston Flood Relief Fund.