USE MORE ICE TO REDUCE INFLAMMATION

     This week has been marred by an abhorrent decision by the University of Maryland regarding the state of its football program, a decision which has had a tremendous ripple effect throughout the university,  and is not limited to the athletic department. Sadly, the decision disregarded what was right and wrong, and conveyed the message that football and head football coaches are more important than the value of human life.

     In the sweltering late May heat of College Park, a young man died from what later would be determined to be heat stroke. Had the proper protocols been in place, that young player, Jordan Mc Nair, would still be alive. Assistant coaches and trainers who abrogated their responsibilities were the ones who caused this tragic death. 

     The ultimate responsibility for the football team resides with its head coach. Head Coach D.J. Durkin was not in attendance at this practice session. Given the constant oversight and control big time football coaches maintain, the blame goes to only one man—the one who is paid the big bucks to oversee the football landscape. 

     University officials suspended Durkin while they conducted an investigation. That investigation cited numerous deficiencies in the Maryland football program. But while officials did not exonerate Durkin, they did not hold him accountable for this terrible tragedy. 

    After a meeting where Durkin reportedly made an impassioned plea to continue as Head Coach, the Board of Regents reinstated Durkin. In the process, the President of the University of Maryland resigned rather than agreeing with this move. Damon Evens—the man who became the permanent AD in June—remained in place. 

     Durkin went to his first squad meeting and a number of players walked out, believing that Mc Nair’s death bring treated as merely an unfortunate blip on the football program. Campus protests ensued. The Governor and politicians were outraged. Mc Nair’s family was in disbelief. 

     With egg on its face, Maryland fired Durkin and the 78 year old head of the Board of Regents resigned.  There was never going to be a winner here given the tragedy; the University’s insensitive and mind-boggling handling of this matter has led to a school and team in disarray. Maryland lost big on Saturday. Their win over the now-ranked University of Texas team to start the season was more an emotional response by the players to honor their fallen comrade. 

     Maryland and Rutgers are the newbies in the Big 10, largely brought into the fold to enhance the Big Ten Network with cornerstones in the D.C and New York markets. Instead, controversy has been the staple of these two schools. 

     While nothing as egregious as a death has occurred at RU, it has had its share of deplorable events since the Kyle Flood era. The latest occurred this week when a young, troubled RU player, evidently distraught over the breakup with his girlfriend, allegedly developed a scheme to kill his girlfriend’s parents.

     CBSSports.com has reported that since the Jerry Sandusky scandal in 2011 at Penn State, “…there have been at least16 high-profile instances of alleged wrongdoing in Big Ten athletic departments involving 11 of the 14 schools. Only Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin seem to have escaped unscathed.

     Thus, Rutgers and Maryland, who have not closed the gap on the playing field, have certainly done their best to emulate the other members outside of the three more upstanding members of this hallowed academic conference. For a conference based on research universities who purportedly promote academic and athletic virtue, this is so sad. Maryland is the third instance of a university hierarchy being fired or resigning in wake of scandalous activity, following in the footsteps of MIchigan State, with the Larry Nasser affair and Penn State. Scandals at both institutions resulted in criminal charges and convictions of their leaders.

     So I ask this—where is the Big Ten Conference and its commissioner, Jim Delany? What about the NCAA—what are they doing in the wake of these kinds of scandals which are not limited to the Big Ten? Rutgers, Louisville, North Carolina, Miami, Syracuse and Mississippi are among the 11 schools currently on probation. The ills in college athletics reaches to the D III level where Centennial Conference member for football, Susquehanna University, is on probation which ends on November 21, and the entire athletics programs at Elmhurst and Kalamazoo Colleges are on probation.

     When are the problems going to end? Not as long as there is big money from television and booster who funnel money into the coffers of these programs to have their schools achieve success in athletics. Or an unscrupulous coach who wants to win, the rules be damned.

     What happened at Maryland was indeed tragic and preventable. It’s Maryland, Rutgers and all of the other schools who flaunt the system which need restraint. I am not saying that bad things don’t happen at all schools—Franklin and Marshall suffered from a mean-spirited hazing scandal on its very talented women’s lacrosse team. Ivy League schools have made the NCAA’s list—Harvard had a secondary violation in its men’s basketball program and Princeton had an instance of giving improper financial benefits.

     I wish these offending schools would have their ability to play revoked for one year for flagrant violations or the ubiquitous “lack of institutional control” sanction. I don’t fault the NCAA, which tries hard to regulate its membership. Instead, I fault the members and their failure to aspire to become models of decency, sportsmanship and academic proficiency. 

     This is a reflection of America—probity and virtuosity countered by dereliction and greed. Institutions of higher learning—safeguard your students, starting with your athletes.

     On the fields, Princeton defeated Dartmouth in the battle of the undefeateds to gain Ivy League supremacy—for now. The Tigers still must beat ancient rivals Yale and Penn to remain undefeated and be the sole champions of the Ivies for 2018.

     Franklin and Marshall shot itself in the foot on a last second loss to Ursinus via a 38 yard field goal. The Bears now have the inner track to the second bowl game with the MAC, should they tie with the Diplomats. Susquehanna is also at 5-3; they have beaten Ursinus and lost to F&M. I am now rooting for Dickinson to upset Ursinus while the Diplomats defeat arch rival Gettysburg on the road. 

     After last night’s beatdown of #3 LSU, is any one going to beat Alabama? The Crimson Tide has four contests left before the playoffs. #18 Mississippi State rolls into Tuscaloosa on Saturday. They aren’t going to beat the Tide. The Citadel follows—the first string may play a half in the matchup. And the Iron Bowl is at home versus Auburn, thereby favoring ‘Bama. The SEC championship is between Alabama and Georgia. Georgia lost to LSU in Baton Rouge for their only demerit on their schedule thus far. If healthy, Alabama wins that contest, too. 

     It’s too early to predict who will be the four to make the playoffs. Notre Dame had a big win at Northwestern. Clemson demolished Louisville. Michigan looks like it will move up to number 4. There is a lot of time to shake things out before the playoffs are finalized. I think we can reasonably believe that Alabama and Clemson are virtual locks. More to come. 

     The NFL lost its last unbeaten team when the LA Rams succumbed to Drew Brees and the Saints in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. New Orleans has only one loss and is a legitimate threat to win the NFC. Pat Mahomes was awesome once more in leading the Chiefs past the Browns in Cleveland. 

     The Jets looked horrible (again!!) in losing an ugly contest in Miami. Like Rutgers, who finishes up with the likes of Michigan, Penn State and Michigan State after another defeat, this time to Wisconsin, in a half-filled Camp Randall Stadium, the Jets have to face the Patriots twice,  and host Houston and Green Bay. There may be opportunities for wins against Buffalo (twice) and Tennessee. Right now, the Jets need a lot of help next season. And Todd Bowles is not likely to be the coach next season to start the changes. Why did I break in my new Jets t shirt versus Miami? It was a stupid thing to do. It wasn’t going to change this team’s luck.

     Green Bay visits Foxborough for a matchup between Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. No matter the outcome, the debate as to who is the G.O.A.T. will still rage on. With neither side wrong in the declarations. 

     In trying to rectify the high school playoff system in New Jersey, the NJSIAA enlisted a retired mathematician who had used a formula which included power points for victories and score differentials to accurately predict which teams might make the playoffs. His accuracy was phenomenal. 

     This mathematician  explained his new system to the high school administrators, who were assured that power points would not be involved. Lo and behold, power points were used and the outcry was enormous when 1-7 Middletown North made the playoffs (they were crushed by Long Branch) while 7-1 Delran failed to gain entry. Way to go, NJSIAA. Back to the drawing for next year.

     With so much football going on, the Golden State Warriors shooting the lights out again and Luke Walton being admonished by Magic Johnson for the slow start for the Lakers, it is only fair that I cite that the Dodgers paying Clayton Kershaw $93 million on a 3 year extension is ludicrous and obscene. That’s $31 million a year, with a lot of guaranteed money. For a baseball player. For a lottery winner. For anyone. The Yankees re-sigining Brett Gardner for one year was a relative steal.

     I’ve typed too much for my shoulder. Time to go ice, or be put on ice.

An Homage To Pittsburgh...and some sports commentary, too.

   This is an abbreviated version of the blog, largely due to the fact that I am still not 100% from the flights back from Hawaii over the weekend. I feel like I have partied a bit too much and I am in desperate need of some more sleep. Moreover, the sports I did watch during the week were limited to the World Series, the Golden State Warriors-Brooklyn Nets, the Jets and Bears, and the Packers playing the Rams.

     Overshadowing the athletic contests was the unspeakable violence in Pittsburgh. As you know, our daughter resided in the Steel City for over 5 years. Thus, parts of the city became intimate to us. That included Squirrel Hill. We attended services at Temple Rodef Shalom, a marvelous building near the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie-Mellon. Rodef Shalom was a vibrant Reform Judaic synagogue, echoing the vibrancy of Pittsburgh Judaism. The Tree of Life Synagogue equally reflected the deep roots of Judaism in Pittsburgh’s multi-cultural history.

     The citizens of Pittsburgh are passionate about their city, its teams and its people. This wanton act of violence will be remembered for its unifying the spirit of the city when times are bad, just as much as when they are good.

     Pittsburgh’s pro sports teams are winning right now. The Steelers are atop their division, while the Penguins completed a successful swing through Western Canada. The success of these teams in the current seasons will help somewhat normalize the pain that will endure and forever mark Pittsburgh in history. Any reflection upon Pittsburgh should encompass the good of the city rather than focus on the hurt, which will never  go away. I will be rooting hard for the city’s teams because I believe in Pittsburgh. And my prayers go out to its Jewish community for what will be an everlasting memorial for when right is overcome by evil, and how right will triumph in the end.

     The World Series was the culmination of a great season for a great team. The Red Sox showed balance, power and superb pitching in overwhelming a fine Dodgers team. Journeyman Steve Pearce deserved the Series M.V.P. for his performance. Alex Cora is a wonderful manager, making nearly all of the correct moves—this from a rookie skipper thrust into an almost impossible scenario—guiding an 108 win team to victory through the gauntlet of the Yankees, Houston and the Dodgers; the latter two teams appeared in last year’s World Series. His innovative use of starters as relievers won games for the Red Sox even if Nathan Eovaldi surrendered the winning homer to Max Muncy in the epic Game 3. Perhaps the oft-injured Chris Sale, who has electric stuff as a number 1 starter, should head to the bullpen after success as a starter, ala Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz, who called the games along with Joe Buck for FOX Sports.

     The Dodgers should not be ashamed. It was a clear bullpen meltdown after Rich Hill left Game 4. I thought the starting pitching was solid—Hyun-jin Ryu, Clayton Kershaw and phenom Walker Buehler anchor a solid rotation. Bullpen help is needed—do I hear the Dodgers making a run at the Yankees’ free agent reliever David Robertson? And they have to decide if Manny Machado is more than a mere rental.

     A couple of NFL notes—the Jets looked bad because of the offensive line and a defensive rush that was less than fearsome. The Giants are…woeful and the bench Eli cries are louder. The unbeaten Rams survived Green Bay on a fumbled, ill-advised kick return near the end of the game by the Packers. KC kept on rolling. Look out for the New Orleans Saints at 5-1 and the Rams up next. Seattle, too, seems to be shaking off a rough stretch.

     Golden State went 2-0 in New York City, outscoring the Knicks by 28 in the fourth quarter on Friday night, then surviving a barrage of 3 point shots by the Nets on Sunday. Kudos to the Nets—they seem to be better than their record of 2-4. Toronto is 6-0, with Kawahi Leonard leading the team.

     Poor Tyronn Lue. He was fired by Cleveland this morning. He was a much better coach with Lebron James on his squad. His Cleveland Brown counterpart, Hue Jackson, was also fired today. Today appears to be a bad day to coach a team in Cleveland.

     Quickly, looking at the Ivies—Princeton and Dartmouth are both 7-0. That game ought to be something. F&M won, In Patriot League news, Lafayette took out Fordham and Lehigh was demolished by Holy Cross. What has happened in Bethlehem?

     In the Big Ten, Northwestern has gone from a non-factor and almost losing to Rutgers to defeating overrated #12 Wisconsin and they have the opportunity to defeat #3 Notre Dame this Saturday. As for RU—they didn’t play this week and take on Wisconsin in Madison on Saturday, where a house full of angry Badgers await the Scarlet Knights.

     Finally, a comment for a very angry Fan X—yes, the Mets and Knicks ownership has been frightful this Halloween Eve. The Wilpons and James Dolan have left proud franchises in shambles. What about your other team—the Jets.  Are you really satisfied with their owners and direction?

     Got to go—I am having a calcium lavage in my left shoulder to alleviate the situation. Which means no more typing for awhile.

It's Almost The Hunter's Moon, Right?

 On a mixed weather day, I spent a portion of my Saturday at High Points Solutions Stadium. Rutgers defied the odds but lacked the firepower to match Northwestern, losing 18-15 before friends, family and U.S. women’s soccer star Carli Lloyd, who was finally being inducted into the Rutgers Athletic Hall of Fame on this Homecoming Weekend. RU fought hard and led the game into the fourth quarter. However, the Wildcats mustered just enough of a ground game to subdue the Scarlet Knights’ defense, which looked fairly good at times in pass defense, and actually recorded a sack in the end zone for a safety as well as recovered a Northwestern fumble.

      Rutgers’ special teams are not very good. On the opening kickoff, the RU returner signaled for a fair catch at the one yard line, in order to place the ball at the 25 for the first offensive possession. Instead, he muffed the kickoff and retrieved the ball at the one yard line. I thought the punter was inconsistent; he had a 79 yard punt, but he also punted a couple of balls out of bounds. The placekicker missed a fairly long field goal—he does not appear to be a tremendous kicker despite being 6 for 7 this season. And the punt coverage teams downed some punts too early, not allowing them to roll and place Northwestern further back.

     The RU running game was okay, but in the fourth quarter the Wildcats shut it down. As for the passing game, Artur Sitkowski showed some good instincts, but his receiving corps dropped some catchable balls. His signal calling was a marked improvement over the disaster at Maryland last weekend.

     There was a sequence which RU was called for a personal foul when the NU QB slid to ground after a moderate run and an RU defender hit him. The crowd booed and Head Coach Chris Ash adamantly disagreed, getting flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.

     Rutgers needs to cut down the mistakes and penalties if they are to be competitive. As for Northwestern, their jubilation should be tempered with a sigh of relief to have left Piscataway with a win. Highly-touted QB Clifford Thorson went only 17-34 for 150 yards. He did complete a pass for a two point conversion.

     Meanwhile, the drive to fire Chris Ash has begun in earnest. The anti-Ash faction is willing to spend $10 million to buy out Ash’s contract. Of course, the hue and cry is for a return by Greg Schiano, who catapulted RU into the national discussion. AD Patrick Hobbs will have some serious decisions to make.

     The season ticket holder who invited me to the game was doing something fairy unique for a Rutgers fan. That’s because he went to Northwestern as undergraduate and then attended the Rutgers-Newark School of Law. He came festooned in a Rutgers jacket, with a Northwestern cap. But it was clear that he believed the Wildcats would triumph, because he wore a Northwestern t-shirt beneath his RU jacket.

     That t-shirt was picked up last Saturday in Evanston, where he returned for his 50^th homecoming. Nebraska gave the Wildcats a match. Just like RU, and was a precursor to this Saturday’s contest, Head Coach and NU alum Pat Fitzgerald’s team prevailed on that afternoon.

     Northwestern traveled in a group of about 3.000 fans in the North end zone. There were scattered clusters of purple clad supporters throughout the rest of High Points Solutions Stadium. Probably a number of them also were at the Nebraska game. But I am willing to be that there was nary a person besides my friend who attended both and who had RU season tickets.

     In other news, F&M defeated Dickinson on the road to retain the Conestoga Wagon Trophy for another year.  The trophy is symbolic, a replica of the vehicles used to transport the teams between Lancaster and Carlisle when the series began in the late 1800’s. Dickinson-F&M is the oldest rivalry in the Centennial Conference. The 35-14 final score stopped a two game Diplomats slide and gave them a 5-2 record. Remaining games against Moravian, Ursinus and Gettysburg are winnable. 8-2 is a nice record and will probably land F&M another bowl opportunity against the Middle Atlantic Conference as a number 2 seed behind Muhlenberg or Johns Hopkins. Undefeated Muhlenberg travels to Baltimore on Saturday to establish conference supremacy and the likely NCAA berth.

     The World Series is set after the Los Angeles Dodgers punched their ticket to the big dance, fueled by homers by Cody Bellinger and Yasiel Puig and clutch pitching by Kenley Jansen plus a ninth inning close out by future Game 1 starter, Clayton Kershaw. That first game is Tuesday in Boston, where the team who won 108 games in the regular season awaits the Dodgers.

     The Red Sox have defeated the Yankees and the defending champion Houston Astros, two teams with at least 100 regular season wins by utilizing strong starting pitching; clutch relief outings by an underrated relief corps aided by appearances by starters; timely hitting; and strong defense. Moreover, rookie manager Alex Cora has demonstrated a calming presence and he has made key decisions which have directly resulted in Boston making it to the World Series.

     The managers of the teams who made it into the playoffs are the new breed of manager. Joe Maddon became an innovator in Tampa, which has carried over to his present stint with the Cubs. Bob Melvin of Oakland took the lowest payroll in MLB and maneuvered them through a second half surge and into the A.L, Wild Card game. Aaron Boone, while outdueled by Cora, did an admirable job guiding the Yankees in his first season. Craig Counsel looked as if he had this thoughtful intensity; he utilized his starting pitchers and reliever Josh Hader in long relief, outside their comfort zones.  Alas, the Brewers fell one game short of the World Series. Dave Roberts showed a fiery persona, emblematic of the way his Dodgers team played this post-season. A.J. Hinch of Houston continues to show how he handles a group of stars, molding them into a feared group. 

     The dynamic changes in the game through the use of analytics, shifting infielders, pitching changes and personnel moves has made the game into a real chess match. Being a dinosaur and relying on old methods is passé. Thoughtful preparation, as evidenced by the binders seen inside of dugouts is the norm. I believe that this makes baseball exciting and different, predictably unpredictable.

     Speaking of predictions, I see Boston claiming the 2018 World Series title. The pitching, hitting ad defense I alluded to will carry them to a victory over a game Dodgers team who simply is unable to match up well with this Red Sox squad.

     Briefly back to college football. #2 Ohio State, a vastly overrated team, was demolished at Purdue. The Boilermakers opened the season with 3 losses by a total of 7 combined points, so they were far more competitive than the Las Vegas odds makers thought (Then again, Northwestern was a 20 ½ point favorite over Rutgers—not a good job by those resident geniuses). This makes the Big 10 a wide open affair among Michigan, winners at Michigan State, and Ohio State in the East and a quartet of Northwestern, Wisconsin, Iowa and Purdue in the West.

     Although quite competitive among themselves, the Big 10 teams may not even make it to the College Football Playoffs. Barring upsets, Alabama and Clemson are the two outstanding teams. Notre Dame remains undefeated, but I do not see them staying that way. The most dangerous team in my mind is LSU, who will be hosting the Crimson Tide in a couple of weeks. In the SEC Championship game, one of the trio of Georgia, Kentucky and Florida will survive to represent the East; they will not be able to handle Alabama, especially if the Tide defeats LSU and hated in-state rival Auburn. I am dismissive of the Pac 12 and Big 12 teams—they do not measure up to Alabama or Clemson. Then there is UCF, who is rolling through its lesser competition once more—will they get the chance to play in the big leagues?

     I don’t know if the NFL will provide the electricity that was offered last week in the two prime time games on Sunday and Monday nights—game-winning drives orchestrated by two great quarterbacks. With all of the hype about the new guns in the NFL, the spotlight shined brightest upon Tom Brady of New England and Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. Kudos to Patrick Mahomes, Jr. of Kansas City, who once more showed us how good he is, even if the Chiefs lost their first game of the season to the Patriots and Brady, and Drew Brees, the all-time leading yardage producing QB in NFL history.

    For New York fans, will the Eli Manning free fall continue against the enigmatic Atlanta Falcons on Monday night in Georgia and can Sam Darnold lead the Jets to a third win in a row by beating a solid Minnesota Vikings team in the Meadowlands? I can answer the latter question—NO!! Ragged, inconsistent plays, a lot of dropped passes on a windy day and a bunch of key injuries doomed New York. Darnold may have tossed a number of interceptions, but at least two were bounced off the hands of back up receivers. Minnesota played better and deserved to win. The Jets made a game of it at times, but the separation between teams was apparent.

     Lebron and the Lakers are 0-2 to start the season. How long will it take before he becomes totally frustrated? The Warriors are 2-0, with a win over a depleted Oklahoma City team and a lucky win in Utah. They will need some time to jell with the younger players taking a more prominent role. And the Knicks have shown some spunk in their first three contests—the two losses each coming by two points. Imagine how improved New York might be with a healthy Kristap Porzingis? Note to Toronto Raptors fans: Kawahi Leonard cannot be anointed M.V.P. after two games—even he recognized that your well-meaning chants were “premature.”

     I won’t delve too much into the mess at USA Gymnastics since the onset of the Larry Masser scandal. The management of this sport, ridiculed through the eyes of Simone Biles and Aly Reisman, two prominent Olympians, rivals the debacle in the Miss America pageant.

     Lastly, looking ahead, Lafayette won on the road at Bucknell to take their record to 2-5, while Lehigh lost to Georgetown, giving the Mountain Hawks an uncharacteristic 1-6 mark thus far. It is easily possible that each team will be 2-9 heading into the end of season matchup in Easton on November 17^th.      

     I hope that the weather is not too cold at Fisher Field; I am having trouble adapting to the relatively sudden drop in temperature this week. That is why I am so glad we are traveling to Hawaii tomorrow. I am in desperate need of some tropical sun and warmth--where I can watch three games of the World Series in the late afternoon. 

For Your Viewing Pleasure

     The coolness of Autumn has suddenly collided with the last gasps of the departed Summer which officially ended three weeks ago. With a flooding rain fed by moisture from the remainder of a devastating hurricane, the transition to windiness and unswept daylight has insured that the chill of wintry days cannot be too far away. Only the leaves have not turned their majestic colors despite falling now at a regular pace; the cacophony of colors will be on hand soon enough even if a tad bit late this year.

     What is not late is the baseball post-season. While the warmth and humidity remained in the skies above, the Boston Red Sox ended the season for the Yankees, dispatching their hated rivals in 4 games. The resounding 16-1 thumping that New York received in Yankee Stadium, on the heels of a signature win by Boston in Game 1, told Yankees’ fans what they not-so-secretly knew—that the Red Sox deservedly won 108 games this year and they were the better team. 

     It is clearly evident that the best position player for New York is Aaron Judge. When the post-season and the bright lights are focused on the Yankees, Judge performs like the superstar he is. He hits homers, gets on base and leads by example. 

     However, the Yankees were a home run hitting team, having set the all-time mark for one season. With that swing for the fences mentality, a team can win more than it loses, but when the team comes up against strong pitching, the team falters. 

     Boston, via Chris Sale, ex-Yankee Nathan Eovaldi and Rick Porcello, dominated the Yankees. Mixing a variety of pitches befuddled the Yankees lineup, causing feared hitters like Giancarlo Stanton to chase waste pitches en route to repeated strikeouts or ground outs. Routinely, the Yankees would have a few hits and a couple of walks through the first five innings. The Red Sox bullpen was just enough to finish off New York. Only against David Price, whose 0-9 record as a starter in the post-season is mind boggling, did the Bombers act like the 100 win team they were.

     Two significant injuries happened during the Boston series. Aaron Hicks tweaked his hamstring injury which occurred in the last week of the regular season, minimizing his impact. And we learned after the team was eliminated that shortstop Didi Gregorius, playing with torn cartilage in his wrist, hurt himself enough to require Tommy John surgery and will be out of the  lineup for a significant time during the 2019 season.

     The bullpen was strong for New York. Dellin Betances continued his late season surge. Free agent David Robertson looked very good, too. 

     Outside of Masahiro Tanaka in Game 2, the starting trio of J.A. Happ, Luis Severino and C.C. Sabathia did not pitch long or well during the playoffs. Lance Lynn, a starter in the regular season, failed miserably in his bullpen stint in Game 3.

     Contrastingly, Boston manager Alex Cora deftly used Porcello in Game 1 and Sale in Game 3 to halt potential Yankee rallies. Cora was the better of the rookie managers; his insertion of Brock Holt into the lineup in Game 3 produced the first batter hitting for the cycle in the post-season when Holt homered off of catcher turned pitcher Austin Romine.

     So, in this off season, the Yankees have a lot of decisions to make about players like Sabathia, Happ, Brett Gardner, Robertson, Andrew Mc Cutcheon, Luke Voit, Greg Byrd, Lynn, just to name a few. They have some talented young pitchers who could fill the void. But will Didi’s injury force the Yankees to take a longer look at free agents like Manny Machado and Bryce Harper? Will they make trades to obtain pitching? When the World Series ends, next season really begins for the Yankees.

     I know that I thought the Cleveland Indians would be facing Boston or even head to the World Series. The defending world champion Houston Astros, winners of 103 regular season games, played like underdogs and with a serious chip on their shoulders for being under appreciated. Everybody is back in the lineup for Houston and that makes their team as formidable as the Red Sox. What will decide the A.L.C.S. is which pitching staff is better. Will there be pitchers who stymie the best hitters in star-studded lineups just enough for their team to win the series? Whoever emerges will definitively be the best in the American League.

     Milwaukee is host this weekend to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the N.L.C.S. It took LA four games to dispatch the NL East champs, the Atlanta Braves, while the Brewers swept the Colorado Rockies. The two teams match up well in pitching and hitting. Milwaukee sports probable NL M.V.P. Christian Yelich; the Dodgers set a franchise record for home runs and are led by late season acquisition Manny Machado.

     Another college football weekend is upon us. Second-ranked Georgia travels to Baton Rouge where a tough LSU Tigers squad awaits them. UCF puts its undefeated skein on the line when it plays at Memphis. Penn State and Michigan State square off in State College. The Miami Hurricanes make the trek to play a dangerous Virginia team. In the Pac 12, the Washington Huskies and Oregon Ducks play a critical game in Eugene. West Virginia meets Iowa State in Ames where the Cyclones have a habit of beating ranked teams. Michigan hosts the Wisconsin Badgers in a top Big Ten matchup. Alabama has a date with visiting Missouri; the Crimson Tide is favored by 28 points. And Rutgers visits Maryland where the Terrapins are only a 24 point favorite.

     The NFL weekend started on Thursday night. The defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles flexed their muscle on offense and defense in trouncing the Giants in East Rutherford. Eli Manning looked horrible and the jackals are calling for his demise and a new QB next season. The defense showed some signs of good play, but they too were overrun by a determined Eagles juggernaut led by ever-improving QB Carson Wentz. Saquan Barkley is the real deal, the only redeeming light for New York. I found it especially amusing watching Giants WR Odell Beckham repeatedly smash his helmet-clad head into a sideline fan.

     Indianapolis, with a 1-4 record, plays the Jets on Sunday. The question is this: which Jets’ team will show up—the one who handily defeated Detroit and Denver, or the one which lost to the Browns, Jaguars and Miami?

     Most intriguing is the Sunday night contest involving the 5-0 Kansas City Chiefs and the 3-2 New England Patriots. It is good test for the Chiefs and Pat Mahomes, Jr. The offense has been clicking almost on all cylinders. But the Chiefs defense has been spotty, and Patriots QB Tom Brady has plenty of experience in exploiting mediocre defensive talent.

     Mercifully, the NBA pre-season has ended. Too many games were televised. They mean absolutely nothing. The games that count begin on Tuesday with a doubleheader, with the first game between the two Eastern Conference, Philadelphia and Boston. The second game pits the Oklahoma City Thunder and the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors. The marathon of the NBA season including the playoffs runs into June, 2019. 

     Hockey season is moving along. The Vegas Golden Knights, last year’s Cinderella story, is currently 1-4, having played the bulk of their games on the road. The rebuilding New York Rangers sit in the basement of the Metropolitan Division, the only team under .500. Most of he predicted playoff teams have started out well. Of interest is a match between the young and hungry Toronto Maple Leafs, led by Auston Matthews, taking on the Alexander Ovechkin-led Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals.

     If there isn’t enough sports on television for you, NASCAR is in Talladega this weekend; the Ironman World Championship is on NBCSN; ESPN is showing a middleweight title fight; and the GOLF Channel has lots of golf.

     Yet the most impressive thing I saw was when I was able to tune into TV on Friday night after a power surge had knocked our house off of the Internet for a couple hours. While watching Game 1 of the Dodgers-Brewers series, I saw Marlins Man, attorney Lawrence Leavy, at Miller Park, sitting in the first row of seats behind home plate. 

     Noticeably next to him was this beautiful woman ardently cheering for her Brewers. I was taken by the fact that she kept score AND charted pitches. I thought she was some kind of attention hound, but to the contrary, she is a regular season ticket holder since 2007, a mother of three, who loves the game and her team. That woman is Amy Williams, a.k.a. Front Row Amy. She is a mini-celebrity in her own right, a Democrat who signed the Scott Walker recall petition, who has a Facebook page and Twitter following. Her husband, who has a property management business where Amy works, takes care of the children when she drives in from Oshkosh. Amy never takes a bathroom break so that she will not miss a pitch and she drinks only water while eating nothing. With the Brewers making the NLCS and perhaps the World Series, her image is a divergent reason why the the ample use of the centerfield camera is for more than capturing the strike zone.

     So, unless you are into some of the aforementioned contests this weekend or plan to take in a movie, maybe a look-see of the NLCS might be both captivating and interesting for your viewing pleasure. Did you really think that I would end with a comment about the Mets?

Requiem

     There was sadness in the air as I viewed the ALDS and NLDS, college and pro football this weekend. Such sadness is tangentially related to sports. 

     My cousin’s vibrant 48 year old son Jonathan died suddenly from a heart attack last week. Here was this young man, so full of life, now suddenly taken from us. He had such a grand future ahead of him, based upon a storied and successful past history.

     Jonathan was not a jock. Far from it. What he was a strong personality, vivacious and outgoing, imbued with tremendous intellect. He made tons of friends in his journey through life, with very few who could really dislike him, no matter how he might appear.

     Talented in many areas—the arts, literature, debate—Jonathan was passionate. He dominated a room, any conversation with vigor and intelligence. The first impression Jonathan left was as indelible as the last one. Even if you hadn’t seem him in ages, it was like old times and Jonathan was in the center of the action. He knew dive bars as well as he knew English literature. Life was there for him to capture and love, and he never seemed too disappointed, even in the darker times of his too short existence. 

     So smart, Jonathan matriculated at Brown University, where he rejected bias and played in a band. He made it to Oxford, where he learned and absorbed even more.

     New York-born, he lived in Rockland County, the Phoenix area and Southern California. Jonathan ventured to unique places and spent time in Montauk, Brooklyn and his final hometown, Philadelphia. Jonathan soaked up the atmosphere and culture everywhere he landed. 

     The definition of a Renaissance man is …”a person with many talents or areas of knowledge.” That was Jonathan Wellerstein—a blithe spirit in a troubled world, who spoke his mind yet lived an uncharted life style which gave him infinite pleasure.

     A child of the late 1970’s and into the 1980’s, he was precocious and determined. While in fifth grade, young Jonathan walked out in protest when he thought his teacher was being treated unfairly. He began his renowned artistry during this time. Jonathan was a liberal, and that may be a very kind description of how far left his political views were. 

     Jonathan was, at one time, a surfer, drawn to Malibu and its waves, even if he wasn’t that good. Jonathan loved the architecture of the quintessential row houses in South Philadelphia and he sought to make them habitable again. He was drawn to the Catskills, where he fell in love with a dilapidated estate called The Estelle and took it upon himself, with the help of a partner and his girlfriend, to renovate the site. 

     It was all about challenges. No matter how daunting, he would take the lead in making something happen. Whether it was his art work, his teaching and leading of children, his radical politics or fixing up homes, Jonathan never relented in his pursuit of his dreams and what he perceived as right and just.

     Athletics entered into Jonathan’s life, almost as a metaphor for his need to express himself. One day, he used his size and strength to beat up a bully. Not really interested in sports as a child, Jonathan surprised his parents when he joined Pop Warner football and went on to play high school football on defense. He was fast and he was fearless.

     More recently, Jonathan developed a strong affinity with his hometown NBA team, the Sixers. He watched with glee when they won and hurt when the team lost. He analyzed the games and he watched them on television when he did not make it to the Wells Fargo Center. Like everything else he did, Jonathan studied his team and dissected their moves. I saw it first hand when we went to see the Sixers host the Timberwolves in March. He was addicted to the Sixers and he was looking forward to the upcoming season which begins next week.

     Jonathan was laid to rest on Sunday atop a hill on the land of The Estelle. It was a cloudy, gray day, but the sun magically appeared and leaves tumbled from the sky at the most appropriate times during the ceremony.

     Jonathan left behind his beloved parents, two sisters, a nephew, a niece, a slew of relatives including my immediate family, his loving girlfriend, Bethany, and an extraordinary group of friends who came to the Catskills to honor his memory. Not surprisingly, so many tears were shed on the lawns of the property or in the barn which he had started to repair. His loss was great, but his effect was even greater.

     While I watched the baseball playoffs, another woeful Rutgers loss, Johns Hopkins vanquishing Franklin and Marshall (again), I did not see the Jets win or the Giants heartbreaking loss to Carolina as time expired. Sports were merely a diversion of my thoughts for the family so devastated by the loss of a son, brother, nephew and cousin.

     When the NBA season opens on October 16th as Philadelphia travels to Boston, I will be cheering for the Sixers to triumph. For Jonathan. With a tear in my eye.

And Someone Called Me A Sports Nut...

     This has been a week of rooting the Yankees home. From Tampa to Boston to the Wild Card home field to the MLB single season home run record. 

     A week ago I was dubious about the Yankees’ chances to secure home field and to break the Seattle Mariners’ record for homers. Ye of little faith!!

     Despite shortstop Didi Gregorius suffering torn cartilage in his right hand, the Yankees persevered against the Rays, taking 3 of 4games and they made a late run at a game the Rays seemingly had well in hand. It was the Thursday afternoon matchup that showed the Yankees’ heart. With Didi and centerfielder Aaron Hicks out with a sore hamstring, New York came out determined. Behind Miguel Andujar’s bat (how can he NOT be A.L. Rookie of the Year??), the Yankees went out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning. By the fourth inning, New York led 7-0.

    In the fifth inning, Yankees starter C.C. Sabathia, one of the two links to the 2009 World Championship team (Brett Gardner is the other), was sailing along with a shut out and dominating the Rays on 55 pitches. He hit Jake Baurers on the knuckles of his right hand with an 88 mph two-seam fastball that rode in on Bauers hands. It was unintentional. 

     The next inning, Rays’ relive Andrew Kittredge threw over the head of New York catcher Austin Romine. That incited Sabathia, and Romine questioned his Tampa Bay counterpart, Jesus Sucre why was he being thrown out.

     Despite both teams being warned about any further retaliation, Sabathia’s first pitch hit Sucre in the leg. He was tossed from the game and did not have very nice things to say to the Rays’ bench.

     This was pure Sabathia—a bona fide leader on the team. He stood up for his teammate. And this was notwithstanding his staying on the mound to collect a nice $500,000 bonus—about which, when he learned about it, Sabathia didn’t really care.

     Sabathia is closing in on 3,000 strikeouts. He has tons of money from his contracts with the Yankees. He may be the fourth starter if the Yankees win the Wild Card game and take on the Red Sox. And he wants to come back one more year.

     He is a liability to a degree, with his age and aching legs. But his leadership cannot be replaced. I would not have advocated for C.C. to be resigned last week. Thursday changed all of that.

     I know that Braian Cashman does not read this blog. For if the Yankees GM did, he would work out a nice deal for C.C. for one more year. He earned it.

     Additionally, New York clubbed their way to the homers record with the awakening of the bat of Giancarlo Stanton on Thursday with 2 home runs and the record-tying shot by Aaron Judge, the long overdue first homer since Judge returned from injury.

     New York seems to be getting healthier—Aroldis Chapman is rounding into form, plus Didi and Hicks are back in the lineup. Two additions—Andrew Mc Cutchen in the outfield and Luke Voit at first base—have paid enormous dividends. Mc Cutchen has been playing like a 2-time N.L. M.V.P. and getting on base. Voit has, along with Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich, hit the most homers in the last 2 months.

     I was chided for a Facebook post where I called the Yankees game on Saturday meaningless. While the Bombers place in the standings could not change, there were a few accomplishments. First, the team record for home runs was shattered on a blast by Gleybar Torres. Then Andujar broke Joe Di Maggio’s team record for doubles by a rookie and put himself one away from Fred Lynn’s rookie mark (which he tied on Sunday). Moreover, the Yankees won 100 games—one of three teams in the AL this season—which marks the first time in division play that three teams from one league won 100 games. It was also the 21st time in club history that the team had won 100 games in a season.

     The Yankees appear ready for the Wild Card game on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. I hope they play as well they have been lately.

     The N.L. Central, West and the N.L. Wild Card have still not been settled. Colorado and the Dodgers are neck and neck. Same with the Brewers and Cubs. This will have to be settled with one game playoffs on Monday. This probably makes the N.L. East winner, the Atlanta Braves, happy as they will await either the winner of the Central or West as their opponent. This is Sunday baseball with some meaning on the last day of the season. The MLB executives must be very pleased.

     It was a very nice day as #21 F&M traveled to Allentown for a critical Centennial Conference game with Muhlenberg. As I left Scotty Wood Stadium, F&M had been demolished 42-21. They are still alive in the CC, but perennial champ Johns Hopkins come to Lancaster next week. The QB must shake off a 4 INT performance and have a game he is more than capable of. It is the secondary which could not handle the Mules’ receivers and the DB’s who forgot how to tackle. That was evident last week in the OT win versus Susquehanna. Expect Hopkins to exploit that weakness.  

     My obligatory Rutgers comment is that Indiana came to Piscataway and won—only by a 24-17 margin. Illinois is up next—a beatable team. Did I just say that? Let’s see if I have more to say next week.

     I have sent the majority of my Saturday night watching the Marlins-Mets game. The outcome is meaningless in the standings to the sixth largest crown in Citi Field history.  For they came to send David Wright into retirement.

     David Wright will never be confused with Babe Ruth or even Mike Schmidt. However, to Mets fans, he is the closest thing they have to that in a home grown player. David grew up in Chesapeake, Virginia, where as a youth, he became a Norfolk/Tidewater Tides fan. The Tides were the Triple-A affiliate for the New York Mets. So young David was able to see the Mets of the future pass through his hometown on their way to the big club.

     Wright was a high draft choice for the Mets and he came to New York and he didn’t disappoint. He retires as the team leader in everything but home runs, and he tried Darryl Strawberry by 10. More importantly, he was there as much as he could be, until injuries sidelined him—the most severe was spinal stenosis. 

     He could have retired without going through the arduous rehabilitation and the struggles which he did. That is not David Wright.

     David Wright had a burning desire to play again, despite the formidable handicaps. The Mets offered one more opportunity, and Wright accepted the challenge. 

     Which leads us to September 29, 2018. It would be his last game. The fourth team captain in Mets’ history would have his last chance on a diamond in his team’s city.

     Forget that he walked and popped out to first base in foul territory. Even forget the clean play he made at third base to throw out a runner. On this night, David Wright could do no wrong.

     It was a love fest from start to finish. His little daughter threw out the first pitch to him. At the start of the game, Wright sprinted out to his position while his teammates remained in the dugout so the crowd, the players and the TV audience could take in the moment. 

     When he was removed from the game in the top of the 5th, he hugged long time teammate Jose Reyes, who played over 800 games nearby Wright as the Mets shortstop. After hugging his teammates once more and getting a curtain call, he left the field.

     Wright did both radio and TV bits while still in his uniform. And once the Mets won the game 1-0 in 13 innings, Wright addressed the adoring fans for the last time. 

     This guy was a class act—to fans, to the media, to his opponents. I salute him for I know what it is to go out on your own terms, as I rehabbed a shoulder at age 41 to play one more time against college players half my age, and to walk off of the field to never play baseball again. Ironically, like Wright, I walked, popped out, made a flawless play in the outfield and finished my participation after four innings. That is as close as I come to him, and that is indeed very distant.  

     David Wright will some day have his number retired by the Mets. He will not make Cooperstown. To a whole lot of Mets fans, he was their hero. And that’s all that counts.

     The NFL played again this Sunday. Once more, sloppiness and mistakes cost the Jets. Jacksonville is a good team, but the Jets could have hung in with the Jaguars had they been more proficient and  not erred so much. Next Sunday Denver comes to Met Life Stadium. They have a chance to beat the Broncos—if they vastly cut down their miscues.

     Philadelphia Eagles fans must be apoplectic after the Birds lost to Tennessee in OT. The Titans aren’t a bad team—they defeated Jacksonville last week in a defensive struggle. Give it time Eagles fanatics—Carson Wentz is just getting going. The team will be alright.

     Conversely, Cowboys fans should not be too overly excited. You beat the Lions this week. Detroit is not that good. Neither are the Cowboys.

     Bears fans should weigh their enthusiasm a bit too. Beating Tampa Bay was a solid win. You have a young and improving team. Chicago might just be in the mix for the Wild Card.

     New England took Miami from the unbeaten ranks. Typical Brady. This team isn’t going to steamroll the AFC East, but the Patriots will win it.

     The Texans came to life, winning on the road in Indianapolis on OT. Cincinnati defeated the Atlanta Falcons by one point with a game-tying Andy Dalton pass in the last ten seconds. Green Bay improved to 2-1-1 and sent Buffalo back to reality with a 22-0 win.

     The Chargers survived the 49’ers onslaught. Seattle was better than the Cardinals. The Giants could not mount enough offense to beat New Orleans. 

     As to Baker Mayfield, he had a so-so day with 2 TD’s and 2 INT, as the Browns piled up 42 points. Unfortunately, Oakland mounted a furious comeback and prevailed in OT, and gave Jon Gruden is first win in his return to the Raiders.

     With the Ravens-Steelers Sunday night matchup, the NFL season is already 25% over. January and February seem a long ways away. A lot will come into perspective by the end of October. Stay tuned.

     One more shout out to the U.S. Women’s National Basketball Team, who won the World Cup by vanquishing Australia. I have always like the UConn women on the team—particularly Breanna Stewart, Sue Byrd and Diana Taurasi. They are as good as it gets. 

     I’m done for this week. Whew. At least I didn’t discuss the Ryder Cup debacle.