It's Your Move, Roger Goodell

  Did you miss me? After a two week hiatus, I’m back. 

Not a minute too soon, might I add. The sports world is aglow with the NFL Playoffs; some interesting NBA games; college basketball is in the midst of conference play; and a whole lot more.

Let’s open with pro football. Since I last wrote, the field has been pared down to the NFL’s version of the Final Four. Gone are the pretenders—Miami, Cleveland and Dallas, vanquished early on. Philadelphia continued its slide into oblivion. The Rams and Bucs gave a scare to the Lions, whose playoff-starved fans packed Ford Field and set noise decibel records. Houston made the second round—a pretty fine run with a rookie QB—and they might be heard from more often in the coming seasons. Ditto Green Bay, winners at Dallas, a team which was not scared of the top-seeded 49’ers.

There seems to be a fair amount of pity for the Buffalo Bills. Another “wide right” kick, reminiscent of an earlier failure by another kicker named Scott Norwood, which cost the Bills dearly. Previously, the phrase “wide right” referred to Al Michaels’ description of Norwood’s missed field goal in Super Bowl XXV which gave Bill Parcells and his New York Giants the win. 

Now it is part of football jargon and used in other sports. But in Buffalo that kick was named “The Miss.” I can’t imagine what the fans will call the miss by Tyler Bass on Sunday—the usably reliable Bass had to deactivate his social media accounts after the deluge of displeasure with his effort. 

The game itself was won by Kansas City at the coin toss. How can that be? There was a fair amount of wind in Orchard park on Sunday night. In one direction. The kickers and certainly the coaches noticed it. Even the announcers were aware that Harrison Butker, the Chiefs kicker with a strong leg, was unable to make practice kicks from about 52 yards away into the wind. And punts were sailing and dying, affected by the breeze. 

So when KC elected to defer its choice until the second half, giving Buffalo the ball to begin the game, that meant that the Bills would have the wind at their back to begin the second half, and the Chiefs kickers would have it at their back for the fourth quarter. A wise move which paid dividends when it counted the most. 

Watching Bass kick the ball, he was dead center on a normal day. Except that in frigid, snow-laden Erie County, and especially when the Chiefs and Bills get together, there is no normal day. And the ball flew right, not inexplicably if one had noticed the conditions. 

Buffalo QB Josh Allen is one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL. He was magnificent in his duel with Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, perhaps the one QB who might be compared to the current G.O.A.T., Tom Brady. However, too many times did Allen seek to hit the long pass, which was risky on a windy day, which cost the Bills. A botched fake punt also almost cost the team, too. 

Mahomes and Travis Kelce hooked up for two touchdowns, making them the all-time leading duo in NFL playoff history. Mahomes is 13-3 in the post-season for good reason. And he is a Bills killer in the playoffs; Allen still smarts from losing the overtime coin toss in January 2022 when the Chiefs went straight down the field to win 42-36. 

When it counts, Mahomes is among the best. Kelce, too. (His heart hand for his girlfriend Taylor Swift was adorable, but not as spectacular as his All-Pro brother Jason, seemingly retiring from the Philadelphia Eagles, who ripped off his shirt, entered the crowd and howled in beer-fueled happiness). The Chiefs defense rose to the occasion when necessary, but in the end, it was luck which boosted KC to the next round. 

A really good Baltimore team awaits the Chiefs, having routed Houston in the second half on Saturday. Lamar Jackson is on a roll, determined to shed the image of not being a champion. KC will be on the road for a second consecutive game, with one day less of rest and a couple of hours worth of plane flights. However, if any team can put the travel rigors aside, it is Kansas City. Too bad it is the opener on Sunday, not the night cap.

Detroit and San Francisco meet in the NFC Championship. SF won in the rain, without their excellent wide receiver, Deebo Samuel, who left the game with an injury and whose status for Sunday hasn’t been announced. Brock Purdy had difficulty in the elements, yet on the final, game-winning drive, completed six of his seven attempts. 

The Lions are the absolute underdog. Yes, they won their division. Yes, they are a tough team. But c’mon, people, these are the Lions, laughable losers year after year. Except no one has informed the team and its mercurial head coach Dan Campbell that they aren’t Super Bowl material. QB Jared Goff, a salary dump casualty to allow former Lions QB Matthew Stafford to join the Rams and win the Super Bowl, has been playing like he is unfazed by the pressure. The personnel on the team is scarily good—fast, strong and tough. 

I’m not saying that Detroit will win. I do dispute the oddsmakers making SF a 7 point favorite. The line should be at 3.5, like it is for KC and the Ravens. Both contests should be fun. Have your popcorn ready. 

I have been studying college basketball from afar. I took a look at the AP Top 25 poll for this week. Defending champion UConn is rightfully number one—for now. You can choose any of the next six teams—Purdue, North Carolina, Houston, Tennessee, Kentucky and Kansas—and they might ascend to top dog status when the smoke clears with the NCAA Tournament in March and April.

I do see a lot of unfamiliar names getting ranked this week. Illinois is at #10. Dayton is #16, with Utah State #18, Florida Atlantic, last year’s Cinderella, moving up to #22 and Mountain West squads Colorado State and New Mexico now ranked. Seton Hall, a leader in the Big East, is the 26th team, and Princeton is getting votes, coming in at #32, which would translate to an eighth seed if rankings were the rule for the Selection Committee.

Maybe this will be the year that the Mountain West, which had San Diego State barrel through to the Final Four last year, get as many as six teams into the tournament. The aforementioned schools plus a 15-4 Nevada team are all worthy of a bid. 

There is still much to happen in the college basketball world. At least the other guys are getting noticed. 

For the record, F&M is 14-3 and tied with Johns Hopkins and Gettysburg for the Centennial Conference lead. The Bullets, who earlier lost to the Diplomats, come to Lancaster on Thursday for an important clash. Hopkins seems to be the one real NCAA team in the CC; everyone else is playing for conference tournament seedings. 

My wife and I went to Drew to see the Rangers take on Elizabethtown. Drew had only lost twice while winning its first 13 games. That didn’t matter to the Blue Jays, as E-town shot 59% in the second half and converted repeatedly at the foul line to secure the win. It didn’t help that Drew was shooting three point shots and making very few, nor that E-town dominated the boards. 

I watched Caitlin Clark try to carry the Iowa Hawkeyes over a determined Ohio State team. Her 45 points weren’t enough, with the Buckeyes prevailing in OT. Clark then was run over by a celebratory OSU fan, hurt but able to recover. Imagine if the sport’s greatest draw was injured and no longer able to play? OSU and all teams playing Iowa need to be much more vigilant in protecting the players. 

In the NBA, Denver ended the Celtics unbeaten streak at TD Garden; the Nuggets are on mission to win a second title. Oklahoma City made a case for itself with a win over Minnesota, the team with the best record in the league. Plus keep watching Phoenix; the Suns may have gotten their act together. Unlike the Lakers continuing to lose and Golden State now reeling even more dealing with the sudden death of a beloved assistant coach. 

And M.V.P. candidate Joel Embiid set a franchise record scoring 70 points in Philly’s win over the Spurs, while Karl Anthony-Towns hit for 62, a Minnesota franchise record, in a loss to Charlotte which stung because the T-Wolves blew a big lead. Ironically, these two big scoring games came on the same date that Kobe Bryant hit for 81 points in 2006.

One last thing. Watching the absolutely frigid conditions in Kansas City and the repeated snow and cold in Buffalo made me think how the NFL needs to mandate that all new stadiums have roofs—retractable or permanent. I don’t need to see uneven playing conditions affecting warm weather teams. I don’t need to see snowballs repeatedly targeting visiting players. Open stadiums are for colleges, an anachronism from an era when the schools ended the season early in November. 

I hate hot weather and how uncomfortable it makes me when I am at a Jets game. That emotion also applies to freezing and exposure to the elements—frostbite and hypothermia should never be in play for the fans, media, stadium personnel or the athletes. 

Pictures of a snow-covered Detroit were in contrast to the warmth inside of Ford Field. Had they game been played outside, the Lions might not have been so fortunate, as the team was built for indoors. Did the NFL think of the safety of KC Head Coach Andy Reid, a man in his upper 60’s, his mustache caked in ice? Or the helmet of Mahomes actually cracking after a hit in such bitter cold conditions? The questions may be rhetorical but they demand answers. 

Met Life Stadium is a travesty because there is no dome. I think playing in the cold is more a hindrance to the teams than a help. Scoring based on increased speed would be greater. 

The optics of fans in a warm setting, comfortable for over three hours, is a beautiful sight. I should know. I wanted that retractable roof stadium on Manhattan’s West Side, even if the shared building in the Meadowlands is closer to home. A warm train ride and a short walk from Penn Station would have made me happy. 

We can hope that the weather moderates in the Inner Harbor and Santa Clara. C’mom NFL. Get it right. You’ve got the money. Not everyone can be insulated in a suite like Taylor Swift and the Kelces. It’s your move, Roger Goodell. 

RetiredLawyerSportsOp Blogger On IR

     Despite my best intentions, there will be no blog this week.  I am on the IR for R wrist tendonitis. Got to rest the arm. This was typed left handed. See you soon.

I Made It To The Palestra

  A whole heck of a lot has happened in the past week. College football crowned a champion. The NFL regular season has ended and the playoffs are on the horizon. Golden State plus the Los Angeles Lakers are making it harder to extricate themselves from horrible records and play. And the Dodgers and Braves, two already talent-rich clubs, made themselves better. 

I will get to most everything I want to discuss. But for now, as I hear the not-so-gentle patter of raindrops from a large storm moving up the East Coast after wreaking havoc in the South, I turn to college basketball. Specifically, a bucket list item. 

Growing up in Central Jersey, I was mostly privy to the New York market and the teams in it. I grew into being a Knicks fan early; ditto with the Rangers, Giants and Yankees. 

The airwaves were shared by college basketball. New York was once the Mecca of that sport, with so many colleges in the area. I knew of St. John’s; Manhattan; NYU; LIU; Fordham; Columbia; and I had heard of Seton Hall. CCNY had de-emphasized its program after the point-shaving scandals in the 1950’s. If I didn’t see the teams on television, the print media covered them with gusto. 

Moreover, Madison Square Garden was the focal point of college hoops (basketball  wasn’t called hoops when I first took notice). Doubleheaders involving local teams and some of the bigger names in the sport happened regularly. The National Invitational Tournament, held at the smoke-filled building on 8th Avenue and 49th Street, with the larger-than-life theater marquee dominating the building’s entrance, was actually more important than the NCAA Tournament. 

Sure, I had a steady diet of college basketball from various gyms in New York City; Rutgers was merely a backwater small college not known for anything other than beating Princeton in the first collegiate football game. Yet, there was another place, not too far away from Highland Park, which prided itself as its own focal point for college basketball. 

That city was Philadelphia. Which had its five college basketball powers—La Salle, St. Joseph’s, Temple, the University of Pennsylvania and Villanova. The fans called it the Big Five. 

With the miracle of Channel 17 somehow reaching our house, then through cable, I watched with great interest the fierce rivalries between the schools. The crowds were so large that one venue was the home for the games. That building was The Palestra, located on the campus of the Ivy League powerhouse and nearby legendary Franklin Field. Penn’s gym was the largest one of the schools and even larger than Convention Hall, where the Warriors played before moving West, and the Sixers were born. 

Between the Big Five games and the Princeton-Penn contests, which included Bill Bradley, Princeton’s greatest player, who would become an NBA Champion with the Knicks and then the U.S. Senator from New Jersey, I was smitten with the atmosphere, perhaps more so than even the Garden, where I witnessed games in the old place and now the area which sits atop Penn Station. 

I always knew I wanted to go to a game at The Palestra. Just like I wanted to go to a Celtics game at the Boston Garden, see the Cubs in Wrigley Field or the Dodgers in Dodger Stadium, or merely walk into the buildings at North Carolina, UCLA and Duke; Green Bay’s Lambeau Field and Notre Dame Stadium, Michigan Stadium or Ohio Stadium simply to feel the echoes of what had transpired in years past. 

One thing for certain is that I am not getting any younger. I knew I had to act on my long-standing desire to go to this Cathedral of College Basketball, as it has been called. 

While I would have preferred a Big Five tussle, The Palestra now only hosts those contests when Penn is the home team. Yet The Palestra was the home to so many Ivy League and other games (the DIII Landmark League is taking over the building next weekend to give its member schools the opportunity to feel some history) that I selected the January 4 league opener versus Dartmouth as my chosen game.  

My wife is a saint. She indulges my desire to see sporting events—mainly because, as  I learned when we met 42 years ago her father took her to games. She loves to go with me on my frolic and detours as I call them; she says they are adventures and she is much more accurate than I. 

Once she was in, I hatched an idea to involve two Franklin and Marshall buddies who love basketball. One is a junkie who saw many a Maryland game and attended the ACC Tournament. The other is a Penn Medical School graduate who actually has a small season plan this year. They said yes. 

With some small hiccups regarding seat purchases and the weather—it began as snow but turned to heavy rain in Philadelphia but was much more snow in North Jersey—we met on Saturday. We went for Dim Sum as our pre-game chow and four of us strolled through the elements to the arena while the other women went to a museum. 

When I walked in, I immediately felt the history eminating from the rafters of the building built in 1927. So many pennants signifying Penn’s dominance in the Ivy League hung from the ceiling. I admired the radiators on the walls, signifying that it was a relic from another era. 

A lot had been modernized. As it should. Still, the bleachers at one end seemed to be out of another time, frozen in in place and conjuring up ghosts off times past when The Palestra was in its prime.  

The game was a blowout. We sat not far from one basket, so we had a great view of the action. Not too many were there on that wintry Saturday and the pep band was weak given that the student body remained on break. 

None of that mattered. For nearly two hours I was in basketball heaven. When icy weather canceled our trip to Allentown to see F&M play Muhlenberg, it hardly mattered that my exercising prudence cost me a chance to see another game in person. I had completed a long journey on Saturday. 

As to the other sports, Michigan was a deserved winner of the College Football Playoff. The Wolverines toyed with the Huskies. Embattled Head Coach Jim Harbaugh once more denied the cheating rumors for which he now had redemption. He can coach, like his father and brother, the latter the head man for the top AFC team, the Baltimore Ravens. Whether he stays or goes, he is one of the best coaches of all time—whether you like or respect him.

Buffalo won the AFC East, dropping a depleted Miami team to travel to enigmatic Kansas City for the first round of the playoffs while the Bills host Pittsburgh, which rallied to claim a playoff spot. Cleveland, with oldster Joe Flacco at the helm, meets upstart Houston in the other AFC game. 

A reader reminded me that the Philadelphia Eagles losing was reminiscent of how the 1964 Phillies failed to hold a lead in the National League race. Should the Eagles not fly high in Tampa, Nick Siriani’s job may be in jeopardy. Do I hear the name Bill Belichick bandied about if there is an opening and he and Robert Kraft part ways in New England?

It is an interesting twist that the Los Angeles Rams and QB Matthew Stafford, take on Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions in the Motor City. Stafford is the all-time record holder in Detroit while Goff had starred in LA. Dallas seems poised to make a run in the playoffs; Head Coach Mike Mc Carthy needs to defeat his former team, the Green Bay Packers to keep the pressure off of him. Baltimore and San Francisco wait in the wings. 

The Atlanta Braves landed perennial star but somewhat injury-prone Chris Sale to add to their superb pitching staff. The Dodgers get slugger Teoscar Hernandez to add to their potent lineup. These two teams should meet in the NLCS. 

NBA bigwigs have to be concerned that the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers are not currently in playoff contention. To not have Steph Curry or Lebron James on national TV would not sit well with the suits in New York. Even if the Knicks are relevant again, the Sixers and Celtics are really good, and a number of other teams can make a run at the NBA title. 

For now, all that is trivial. I made it to The Palestra. 

Happy New Year, I Guess?

  I have watched football this past week. It’s not that I watched every game I didn’t. But I watched every down of a couple of games and I felt like I had watched more than I did. And what I did view was mesmerizing. 

The festival of football involved both colleges and the pros. It got started in earnest on Thursday with games at baseball stadiums. An early start at 11:00 a.m. gave SMU an even greater disadvantage in the New England chill. 

The Mustangs’ opponent was Boston College, located a mere 3.8 miles away from the stadium. Outside of playing on campus, SMU could  not have drawn a worse opponent in terms of crowd noise. No wonder BC won by a score of 23-14. SMU came into the game 11-2 while the Eagles were a measly 6-6 and on a 3 game losing streak. If I were a sports gambler (and I am not), I would have bet on BC, an 11 point underdog. That would have stood given the conditions—rainy, windy and in the 40’s—not optimum for playing football and certainly not for a team out of Texas. 

But don’t feel sorry for SMU. The Dallas school will be joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2024. Among the school’s home games will be Boston College. How do you spell revenge?

Further down Interstate 95, and just a few miles south of the George Washington Bridge, The Bad Boys Mowers Pinstripe Bowl took place. The conditions weren’t appreciably better. Which favored the team from Piscataway, NJ as opposed to the one from Coral Gables, FL, where the temperature surely was much milder. Plus the fan base for Rutgers, bowl starved for a number of years despite the last minute appearance against Wake Forest as a 5-7 substitute last season, was ecstatic with Rutgers’ 6-6 record which legitimately qualified RU for a bowl slot.

It didn’t hurt that due to the transfer portal, injuries and players sitting out the game not to hurt their NFL prospects, Miami was not fielding a complete squad. The final score was 31-24 Rutgers, behind the powerful running of Kyle Monangai, who gained 170 yards on 25 carries. This kid is legit—he was the Big Ten leading rusher and he runs with intent, like another recent RU player, Isiah Pacheco, now playing a key role for the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Before Rutgers fans get too loopy over this win, it is a small stepping stone. The passing attack is non-existent, which cannot stand if the Scarlet Knights want to be more competitive in the Big Ten. 

While RU does not have to play tormentors Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan, which is playing for the National Championship, next season’s slate includes the other team in the National Championship—Washington. Also meeting the Knights are new conference members UCLA and USC in back-to-back weeks; at least the Huskies and Bruins come to New Jersey in 2024. Where RU will have to make strides to keep up its bowl eligibility status, the Knights will have to take advantage of Nebraska, Minnesota, Maryland, Illinois and Michigan State along with non-conference opponents Howard, Akron and at Virginia Tech. 

Head Coach Greg Schiano must come up with some stellar players from the transfer portal, possibly including a quarterback, while retaining a solid core of returning veterans. Not an easy task. 

Thursday night was the start of Week 17 for the National Football League. The New York Jets, floundering towards the end of another mediocre season, visited the playoff-bound Cleveland Browns. The game wasn’t much of a contest. Cleveland, behind the rejuvenated Joe Flacco at QB, who had been with the Jets in 2022 and would have been interested in coming back when Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon, decimated the previously solid New York defense. Cleveland might actually be a force in the playoffs and have an opening round home game; the Jets will have to wait until next season. Again. 

When questioned about how upset he was after the team’s loss, New York Head Coach Robert Saleh questioned the questioner by answering “Do you want me to throw the podium?”That about sums up the predicament of the Jets as they head to New England to face the Patriots and potentially Head Coach Bill Belichick in his last game coaching the team.

Friday brought a rally to victory by Clemson over Kentucky in the Gator Bowl; Notre Dame walloped Oregon State; Memphis defeated Iowa State; and Missouri stuffed Ohio State at the Cotton Bowl. Nothing very noteworthy. 

However, Ohio State has had a fall from grace. In its finale, Michigan beat the Buckeyes. Then an undermanned team had to face a nearly full squad of Missouri Tigers, and Mizzou took it to OSU. How the mighty have fallen. When three key players including top talent wide receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr. and the top tackler on defense did not suit up and the team was playing quarterbacks with limited experience, this is the product on display. 

On Saturday, Ole Miss vanquished Penn State; Maryland topped Auburn; and Toledo downed Wyoming. Again, noting earth-shattering here.

Once announced, the Georgia-Florida State game looked interesting. The once number one team, upset by Alabama in the SEC Championship and unable to try for a third straight national title against the undefeated Seminoles, whose supporters vociferously argued that the selection committee got it wrong and that they, not Alabama, should be in the Rose Bowl playing Michigan. 

Except that many disheartened Seminoles’ players took flight from this game, while Georgia remained intact for the game. And it showed. To the tune of 63-3 in favor of UGA. 

Which led Georgia’s head man, Kirby Smart, along with a host of college football fans stretching from Columbia, Maryland to Columbia. Missouri to bemoan the poach where college football finds itself when players enter the transfer proposal before bowl games (the semester is over so it is their right to not register for the Spring semester) or sit out not to risk injury which would mar their NFL chances. I agree with the fans and Smart.  

Something needs to be done. And soon. Before college football become a joke and fans lose their enthusiasm. Star players like Bo Nix at Oregon will not play just to end their collegiate careers with a win. Even the expanded playoffs for 2024, including 8 more schools, won’t lessen the impact. 

After a romantic anniversary dinner at the place we went to for our first anniversary in 1983, we watched the Detroit Lions invade AT&T Stadium to take on the Dallas Cowboys. Detroit had clinched its division and with a lot of luck could have gotten the top seed in the NFC. Dallas had secured a playoff spot but was hopeful that the Philadelphia Eagles might lose out and Dallas would win the NFC East. 

Detroit took it to Dallas. Yet it came down to the end of the game and the score residing at 20-19 in favor of the Cowboys. Detroit Head Coach Dan Campbell opted to go for the win. Using a trick play, the reserve lineman playing an end position caught the ball to put the Lions ahead in a gutsy move. 

Except that a flag was thrown and the play was nullified for an ineligible receiver. Campbell said he had alerted the referee that this might occur. The player said he reported as required. The referee said he didn’t. 

Why? Because he blew it with inattentiveness. Which isn’t the first time his crew botched something—including a clear penalty eater which would have allowed Dallas to run out the clock. My wife is right—umpires, and referees have too much to do with the outcome of games. Absent instant replay or robotic officials, the best that can happen is to weed out the bad ones—like this crew. 

In Sunday games, Baltimore absolutely dominated a relatively good Miami team. Ravens’ QB Lamar Jackson is going to be the M.V.P. Buffalo, Houston, Pittsburgh, Green Bay kept their Wild Card chances alive; Buffalo could win the AFC East with a win at Miami. Kansas City, the LA Rams and San Francisco clinched various seeds or spots in the playoffs. Others still are fighting next weekend for division crowns. And Philadelphia has lost four of its last five, opening the door for Dallas after all. 

Finally, the College Football Playoffs were a rousing success. It took overtime for Michigan and Alabama to settle who would move on. On perhaps not a good play call, Alabama was stopped on fourth and goal at the three yard line, and the Wolverines moved on in a tough, hard fought contest. The level of the player personnel was outstanding, even if there were plenty of miscues by both teams. It was a thoroughly enjoyable game, no matter who you were rooting for.

Top seed Michigan will face #2 seed Washington, which held on to a late lead when Texas was pushing the Huskies on the last play of the contest. This seems to be UW’s handle—win the close games. Ask Oregon, which lost its only two games to the Huskies, each by three points. 

Now we are into 2024. The NFL is a weekend away from its playoffs. College football decides a champion on Monday.

ESPN, in its infinite wisdom, showed a live crowd shot from notorious Bourbon Street on Monday night, as the Texas-Washington game was being played in the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Whoever decided to air that mad scene gave viewers an eyeful, with a woman displaying her breast for all to see on National TV.  ESPN issued an apology. I was asleep, worn out from all the football I had watched. 

Happy New Year, I guess.