Thanksgiving Weekend 2016

     As always, I had a lot to be thankful for this year. My wife and I spent the extended weekend in Pittsburgh with our daughter who is working on a feature film being shot in town (No details as I would get shot by my daughter but the stars are big time). A fine restaurant meal for us this year (a big shout out to Lidia's who did a first rate job in food and atmosphere) started the weekend right for us. We gorged ourselves on Hibachi, pizza, Thai, chicken piccata to name a few items.

     But the real gorging occurred with the number of games on television starting Thursday. Coupled with my following Rutgers hoops eking out a come-from-behind 77-75 win @ the RAC over Hartford on Friday to go 6-0 and the Facebook posting of Highland Park, NJ H.S. trouncing arch-rival Metuchen on Turkey Day, it was a cornucopia of sports to delight any palate.

     Vikings-Lions started the binge watching; it continued with the Washington-Dallas affair; and was ended by the non-traditional rivalry of the Steelers and the Colts in Indianapolis. Additionally, I saw the Giants in Cleveland; New England overcoming my New York Jets (again); Carolina-Oakland bonus coverage and Kansas City topping Denver. Throw in tonight's Green Bay contest with the Eagles in Philadelphia, that's 8 National Football League games out of 16 played or 50%.

     The 5 college games I took in for more than a fleeting moment were Rutgers-Maryland (why, I asked myself?); The colossal Michigan-Ohio State rivalry thriller; Michigan State traveling to Happy Valley to take on Penn State; a glance or two at the grudge match known as Auburn and Alabama; and the local game which ended in a basketball score--Pitt thumping the Syracuse Orangemen. Factor in some Houston-Memphis on the hotel screen--that is 6 games in total.

     The only basketball I took in was some of Charlotte playing the Knicks at Madison Square Garden; a D-League game in Delaware; and Iowa State playing Gonzaga in a battle of ranked teams. I did check on Franklin and Marshall rebounding from a stinging to loss to Gettysburg against Lebanon Valley College in Annville on Sunday.

     Then there was the National Hockey League. I saw Calgary visit the Boston Garden to play the Bruins along with the Rangers left New York to defeat the Flyers in Philadelphia. But I actually went to newly-renamed PPG Paints Arena where my New Jersey Devils lost a heartbreaker to the Pittsburgh Penguins first on a goal by all-world Sidney Crosby with :14 left in regulation, then to be beaten 1-0 in the shootout.

     Let me recap--8 NFL games; 6 college football games; 3 hoops contests; and 3 more hockey games including 1 in person. That's a total of 20 games in 5 days. With only 1 of them tonight.

     I am glad that I ate our sumptuous meal on Thursday in the midst of the Redskins-Cowboys tiff. By the time last evening was over, I was unsure if it was pass the meat (whatever we were eating) or hand me the remote. Fortunately I take antacids, because I would necessarily require such for an acute disease of sports televisionitis.

     Yes, I have plenty to be thankful for. How come the Utah Jazz is finishing its match with the Timberwolves in Minneapolis? Isn't Golden State on NBA TV at 10:30? Or must I wait until RU plays at Miami on Wednesday? Please serve me some more pumpkin pie...

                                                                    Football finis

     With the conclusion of yesterday's 152nd edition of the Lehigh-Lafayette rivalry, held in balmy mid-60 degree temperatures at Fisher Field on the latter's campus in Easton, Pennsylvania, my 2016 football season came to an end. I have bequeathed my 2 remaining night games with the New York Jets to my son. The advent of today's chilly and windy weather secured that, although the Jets losing record thus far was a major factor in my decision not to freeze my tail off at Met Life Stadium in December.

     Sure I will watch games, both college and pro, Jets games included. I will not be sorry to wee woeful Rutgers end its moribund season next week in College Park, Maryland against the Maryland Terrapins; I gave up on the Scarlet Knights last night at halftime when it was only a 9-0 deficit. That ballooned into a 39-0 rout. And my alma mater, Franklin and Marshall College, lost a game it had led in the fourth quarter, to Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania yesterday in something called the Centennial-MAC Bowl, an amalgam between the 2 conferences for the highest finishers not selected to play in the Division III playoffs.

     So I am done with sitting in the stands for football. I saw one high school consolation game, one F&M contest, two Lafayette home games and one Jets tilt. My record for the season was 4-1, the lone loss coming from Lafayette at the hands of the bitter rivals, the Lehigh Mountain Hawks.

     Now I can nap if I want to. Skip games entirely. Or watch as I see fit. On my HD television in the comfort of my den. I might miss the camaraderie of the Lafayette tailgates. And certainly a warmer Autumn to enhance the viewing. But I will not have to put the gloves,thermals, five layers of clothing, hand, feet and other body warmers to sit outside this year. Which will not be missed at all.

     I guess that I have become a warm weather fan. Unfortunately, I live in a cold weather climate. Notwithstanding global warming. At age 66, some concessions must be made to sanity. For at least this season, I have opted for no more football games for this season. A wise choice indeed.

     Besides, I have so many Rutgers games to attend; an F&M game or two; and maybe some others along the way until and through the NCAA tournament conclusion. RU is winning, F&M is nationally-ranked in Division III. The airwaves are jammed with games (even a relative by marriage  is broadcasting on CBS Sports Network from the Virgin Islands).  Non-stop hoops. Without even mentioning that Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers and Steph Curry and Kevin Durant with the Golden State Warriors are TV favorites. Of the nation as well as me.

     Have no sympathy for me now that I have given up freezing at football games for the year. Surely have even less sympathy for me now that I am in hoops heaven. It is only a bridge until Major League Baseball starts again in March with games that count. Not just the Hot Stove trades and free agent acquisitions and Spring Training. They go hand-in-hand with the obsession to watch basketball games.

     After all, Cubs manager Joe Maddon, a Lafayette player in his younger years, passed 10 feet from me in the stands at the game yesterday. That was when I knew it was time to stop football for this year--baseball had already encroached upon me during a football game. Swish.

                                                        Rutgers, The State University

     I have loyalty to a number of New York-based professional teams in the four major sports. I have New York Jets season tickets--this is my 40th season. I had New York Rangers season tickets for 11 years. Additionally, I have had partial shares of New Jersey Devils tickets. My main pro team remains the New York Yankees. On a lesser scale, I watch with interest, the New York Mets. The New York Knicks and the now Brooklyn Nets only provide momentary allegiance. And the New York Giants I do not root against unless they play the Jets.

     Outside of my loyalty to my undergraduate school, Franklin and Marshall College where I played some varsity baseball and compiled football statistics in the late 1960's and early 1970's, my greatest alliance is with the teams of Rutgers University.

     Growing up across the Raritan River from Rutgers' New Brunswick campus and situated adjacent to the Piscataway fields, it was a natural for a sports geek like me to drift to Rutgers sports. That persistence remains today, over 50 years after I saw my first RU lacrosse match versus Princeton and from my first RU hoops game at the College Avenue gym in 1965. It is is intoxicating and beguiling, sometimes playing out like a Greek tragedy. A psychologist might have a field day investigating what drives me to remain a Rutgers fan.

     I have seen the aforementioned lacrosse; softball; tennis; track; wrestling; swimming; crew; field hockey and golf. There aren't too many other sports which I have not attended.

     The bigger sports are where my heart lies--football; men's basketball and baseball. Within that grouping, there is not much of a pecking order. I enjoy baseball on the spring days when I can bring my own chair and lounge outside the outfield fences and watch some quality Division I athletes, some of who will play Major League Baseball.

     Football is integral to Rutgers. The first ever intercollegiate game was between the Scarlet Knights and the Princeton Tigers in 1869, an affair won by RU. Fortunately, I attended the first game big time power Army marched in at the then Rutgers Stadium. I used to ride my bike and then scale the fences while in high school to see Colgate, Lafayette, Lehigh, Columbia play the mostly genial hosts. I knew Head Coach John Bateman through his sons who went to Highland Park High School like me. My favorite HPHS footballer, Richie Policastro played @ RU, leading them to a victory at Rutgers Stadium over Princeton on the 100th anniversary of their first game, and before a national television audience which permitted me to view the game in Lancaster, PA. Throughout the 1970's and into the 1990's, I followed RU at a distance as they morphed from a Middle Atlantic Conference University Division school into playing some of the tougher teams in the nation--Alabama under legendary Paul " Bear" Bryant, who barely won at Giants Stadium against the Knights; Tennessee; Auburn; Florida; Penn State, Texas. There was the undefeated season in 1976 and a bowl game called the Garden State Bowl in Giants Stadium  in 1979 (a loss to Arizona State).

     Rutgers went though a litany of coaches after Frank Burns had achieved a modicum of success. As the competition level ramped up, so did the losses--big losses. West Virginia, Miami, Boston College all regularly trounced RU in the Big East Conference. More competitive games ensued at times with Pitt, Virginia Tech, Temple and the University of Connecticut. Until no nonsense Greg Schiano showed up on the Banks.

     Schiano recruited and developed talent. Many players went on to play in the National Football League. At times, the RU teams under Schiano were good. Sometimes not so much. He spearheaded the stadium expansion to its 52,000 seat capacity with lights for night games on TV. And he almost won the Big East and a trip to the Orange Bowl with his 2006 team but for a drop in the end zone of a perfect pass on a cold West Virginia night.  I was there to see Notre Dame come to Piscataway--Notre Dame, college football elite!! I too was there when RU upset no. 2 Louisville on a November night when the stands emptied onto the field before a national ESPN audience. And then he left for the NFL.

     RU is now in the Big Ten Conference. Where they regularly play the likes of powerhouses Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State. This is not the Big East of yore. Nor the the American Athletic Conference where Rutgers resided until joining the big boys. No more U Conn, Temple, South Florida.

     While New Jersey is a fertile base for recruiting, the football talent migrates away from Piscataway. Which leaves RU at a decided disadvantage. The scores reflect the dichotomy between the haves and have nots--RU was blown out by a subpar Michigan State squad in East Lansing on Saturday. They looked horrible.

     Pundits say that RU may not be competitive until full revenues kick in from the Big Ten in 2021. Until then, the struggles will abound. The recruiting should get better. Some of the games will become more competitive. The facilities will be enhanced. And I will go to High Point Solutions Stadium when invited and dutifully watch on television, hoping for those miracles that Greg Schiano (in a twist of fate, he is currently the defensive coordinator at Ohio State replacing the former coordinator, Chris Ash, now RU's head man). Simply because it is Rutgers, my state university, and my RU ties go back to my youth.


     Such fervor is good even if the football teams have not produced as I would have liked. Except to say that I get the most crazed when it comes to RU basketball. My ardor for the Knights extends back to the old College Avenue gym where I saw them play for the first time in 1966. I grew up in the realm of Bobby Lloyd and Jim Valvano--two of the greatest guards EVER to play for RU, who along with a talented bunch took the Knights to Madison Square Garden and a third place finish in the 1968 National Invitational Tournament after a tough loss to the Walt Frazier-led and eventual champion Southern Illinois Salukis. I trekked to New york to see them play; I emulated Lloyd's free throws and Valvano's tougher than nails defense. I was smitten with Scarlet Fever.

     Success was such at Rutgers under Tom Young, with a great team led by many future NBA players ending up in the Final Four in Philadelphia. A legendary team. Rutgers maintained a fairly high level of continuity into the early 1990's when in the Atlantic 10 Conference. But who could have predicted that the 1991 NCAA-qualifying team would be the last to represent Rutgers in the tournament?

     I have had a partial subscription for Rutgers basketball for a number of years. I like the environment at the Rutgers Athletic Center. The quality of the opponents from the Big East Conference included luminaries like Syracuse, Georgetown, Louisville, St. John's, UConn to name a few. RU had marginal success with the talent they could scrape together--almost all of the five star recruits avoided the RAC as their home floor. Coaches came and went; some with a little success, others clothed in scandalous conduct. Miraculous runs in the Big East tournament and three point bombs from Quincy Douby were all RU could really muster.

     Now in the Big Ten and yet with another new coach, RU has to play a different set of national powers--Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Purdue and Maryland for openers. With the resounding win against a rebuilding Drexel five and a coach who had great success at Stony Brook, perhaps the Scarlet Knights are perched on the precipice of becoming players in the conference, winning more regularly versus the Penn States and Nebraskas while scoring some victories over the more proficient ones.

     Rutgers has joined the prestigious Big Ten Conference for the glory that it brings athletically and academically. RU has the academic thing down pat. Now it is time for the school to measure up against its sister schools--even before full revenue-sharing kicks in.

     Such is the dream of a man in his mid-60's who has endured more than enough athletic failure rooting for his New York Jets while doggedly sticking with his hometown college who has gone from the entertaining if not successful football games of the 1960's to the major conference football and basketball of the 2010's. The alumni want wins; so do I. We wish upon wish that the new basketball coach can survive and thrive. That better days must be out there after the possibility of a winless conference schedule in 2016. I painfully watched Michigan State pile on RU on Saturday. Sunday there was hope with the win over Drexel.

     Such is the life of the Rutgers fan I have always been. I hope someone is listening to me up high--not in the upper reaches of High Point Solutions Stadium nor the 300 level of the RAC--I am more than ready in my retirement for many more enjoyable days (and nights) with my Knights. Win a championship and I might even learn the entire alma mater...

                                                 Ask Me If I Really Care?

     Last week, the Chicago Cubs won the World Series. They were the favorites, handling a game but undermanned Cleveland Indians squad in a pivotal Game 7 which took an extra inning to determine the ultimate outcome. The contest itself was a highly over-managed affair where the moves of Joe Maddon of the Cubs and Terry Francona of the Indians threatened to derail a great battle while concurrently creating superb theater.

     Much of the drama had to do with the Cubs not having won the World Series crown in 108 years, BEFORE venerable Wrigley Field, the ivy-walled palace the North Siders inhabit, was even built. The Cubbies, dubbed the loveable losers for their lack of appearances in the Series let alone in the playoffs, were most everyone's darling. Heck, they had a supposed hex laid upon them by the owner of the Billy Goat Tavern, a local Chicago establishment, who foolishly attempted to bring a billy goat with him into Wrigley Field for the 1945 Series, the last time Chicago had represented the National League in the Fall Classic.

     Then there was the Cleveland team, the American League champs. While the Tribe had been in the 1997 Series, their last championship was merely in 1948. They, too, like the Cubs, had a rich history of losing seasons. In fact, Cleveland has had a lot of losing until this year when the Lebron James-led Cavaliers themselves won an epic Game 7 of the NBA Finals in Oakland against the defending champs, the Golden State Warriors who had set the regular season record for wins. This was the franchise which was mocked in film by the classic Major League movies and Charlie Sheen's bespectacled, myopic character, Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn. Plus the Browns, who had won the last Cleveland championship in 1964, had moved to Baltimore and won as the Ravens; the current expansion Cleveland Browns team has yet to win a contest this season. More ineptitude.

     Emboldened by the Cavs' dramatic win and the fact that the Republican National Convention was held on the shore of Lake Erie, the Indians faithful were exuberantly believing it was their time, not that of Cubs fans. Even with Lebron perched in a box at Progressive Field, his karma could not undo the vibes surrounding the Cubs and their fans. Perhaps denying Sheen a reprise of his movie role to throw out the ceremonial first pitch might have reversed the fortunes--a fact we will never know for sure.

     Alas, the Indians were denied and the Cubs were victorious. All throughout were were enveloped by stories of Cubs fans young and old, of villain Steve Bartman who went to catch a foul ball rather allowing it to drop into the waiting glove of Moises Alou and would have extinguished the Florida Marlins rally in 2003 in the League Championship Series. There were dogs, cats, centenarians, babies and everyone and everything in between which personified fandom loyalty. That steady stream culminated in the victory parade and rally attended by a throng estimated to be 5 million people--one of the largest gatherings anywhere, EVER.

     I am positive that Cubs fans are contiuing to exalt in the aura of the historic win. That is their choice, for which I do not offer judgement. Notwithstanding that I am a proud New York Yankees fan whose team, despite last winning the title in 2009 and having accumulated 28 World Series crowns, I have my own opinion of the ongoing celebration by Cubs fans. It is borne out of loyalty to other teams in other sports.

   
     I root for a number of professional franchises. The New Jersey Devils, one of 3 local National Hockey League franchises and who I currently watch, have won a couple of Stanley Cups in the last 30 years. My New York Knicks have last won a National Basketball Association finals in 1972-73; the Brooklyn nee New Jersey Nets have NEVER won an NBA Finals. So be it. I am not factoring in Rutgers Men's Basketball--no NCAA Tournament spot since 1991, let alone only 1 Final Four appearance way back in 1976.

     No, my considerable lack of empathy for the Cubs (or Indians fans for that matter) supporters is laid directly at the feet of the most inept National Football League team I have been a season ticket holder since 1977--the New York Jets. One Super Bowl slot, one Championship in 1969 whereby the now defunct American Football League ineers somehow on the exploits of  brash quarterback Joe Willie Namath ended up upsetting the vaunted Baltimore Colts.

     Nothing to show for it since then. A couple of American Football Conference championship games. Neither played at home. For my 40 years of allegiance, I have nunca. Nada. Zippo. Zero. Average or worse seasons are the norm with this group. Coaches and General Managers come and go. Players too.  But the outcomes are predictable.

     The 2016 side sits at a measly 3 wins coupled with 6 losses. The playoffs are almost out of sight. Somehow yesterday they managed to snatch defeat from victory by a player going offsides on a kickoff and drawing a 5 yard penalty after taking the lead, only to have the Miami Dolphins player return the ensuing kickoff 96 yards without much of a touch to win the game.

     These are my Jets. Whether it is the Butt fumble by quarterback Mark Sanchez versus the New England Patriots, a sack in the AFC title game or just another flat game in another losing season,  this is my lot.

     Understandably, I am increasingly unhappy as I grow older, wondering if I will see a Super Bowl visit, not a win, in the next 4 years when I have reached age 70?  The odds bode against such happening. Unless in a dream-like scenario, owner Woody Johnson in a rage of desperation can snare winning team builder Theo Epstein from the Cubs, Ivy League-educated and with a law degree earned in his spare time while working and learning the ropes with the San Diego Padres. Although he is baseball man, I am willing to wager that his grasp of what a franchise should be trumps what those who currently run the Jets have, even if Theo has a decided lack of NFL experience.

     Some might argue that the Jets do not possess the longest streak in the NFL without a league championship (Arizona Cardinals--68 seasons), so the position would be that I cannot trivialize the Detroit Lions, San Diego Chargers, Buffalo Bills, Atlanta Falcons nor Minnesota Vikings and the aforementioned Browns fans who have suffered even longer with their droughts. Thirteen teams have not won a Super Bowl, four of them expansion teams.  A number of them have at least won their respective conferences.

     My response to that is akin to the Cubs and Indians fans (or for that matter the Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres who have not won the World Series)--I don't care about your plight. Mine is dire enough. I have no sympathy for the Toronto Maple Leafs fans post-1967-68 nor do I feel  much for the St. Louis Blues fans who have not won a Stanley Cup. No pity for the Sacramento Kings fans who go back 65 years to the 1951 Rochester Royals championship team. So to with the Atlanta Hawks who last won while in St. Louis in 1958; and the Phoenix Suns who have NEVER won a title in 48 seasons.

     Cumulatively, all the teams mentioned are serial losers. It is just that mine is among the worst and the losing is not going to end real soon. The time I invest in the Jets along with the astronomical prices for season tickets are in direct disproportion to the aggregate wins and titles. While we may be in lockstep with a lot of other similarly situated franchises in the four major professional sports, I derive no solace from their misery. Nor can I empathize with the Cubs fans and have any degree of happiness for them.

     When, perhaps make that if, the Jets win, maybe I will be a more magnanimous winner. Until then, I am a lousy, sore loser. Sorry Cubs fans, no love from me on this one. And stop getting giddy believing that you have a dynasty. You have won 1 World Series in 108 years. The Jets, like a lot of others, didn't win again. Do not compare yourselves with the New England Patriots or the Yankees, Boston Celtics or Montreal Canadiens who have own the most crowns in their leagues. Be content with 1 win after the hex and over a century.

     I sure would be.

Buyers of Sellers? Dynasty Crumbling...

                                             Buyers or Sellers? Dynasty Crumbling....

     As I sit here on this mid-July night, aimlessly watching the first place Baltimore Orioles, hardly a juggernaut, play the 46-46 New York Yankees in the second game of a four game series in the Bronx. The Yankees are a team in flux, and tonight, they have Nathan Eovaldi, himself a hard-throwing erratic enigma, pitching thereby epitomizing their stature. For now, the game is scoreless in the second inning, but the truth is that it is only a matter of time before the Yanks do nothing or self-destruct.

     The team sits in fourth place, 7.5 games behind Baltimore and a full 5 games behind third place Toronto. As to the Wild Card position in the American League, they are 6 games behind the Boston Red Sox and 5 behind the Blue Jays, but including those two squads, they have 6 opponents to overcome. And they are 12-19 against the AL East teams.

     There are some very bright spots. Shortstop Didi Gregorius and outfielder and designated hitter Carlos Beltran are hitting nearly .300. Beltran is an All-Star this year and a potential Hall of Fame player based upon a superb career as a switch hitter with some pop in his bat. Beltran is 39 years old and in the final year of his contract; he has slowed down considerably and is regularly replaced for defense in late innings.

     Four pitchers excel. Starter Masahiro Tanaka has justified his large contract. Then there are the 3 relievers who blow away batters--Dellin Betances, a young fireballer with an awesome curve who comes into the game usually in the 7th inning; Andrew Miller, a hard throwing lefthander with a wicked slider covers the 8th inning; and  Aroldis Chapman, capable of throwing his heater upwards of 105 m.p.h., closes the games for the Yankees. This trio normally pitches lights out.

    But that is it for this team. Aged Alex Rodriguez cannot play the field and his .218 average is unacceptable--the only solace is to watch his quest for 700 or more home runs. Sure fielding and former power hitting Mark Teixeira is beset with injuries and his average is even lower--.181. Chase Headley is a pedestrian switch hitting third baseman. Starlin Castro as second base is young and has promise. Speedy Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury have continued to underperform in the outfield and at bat. Brian McCann does hit home runs and frame pitches, but cannot throw out runners attempting to steal; his backup Austin Romine can hit some and catch, but he is a backup. There is little offense. More at home than on the road.

     The remainder of the starting pitching is inconsistent. Ivan Nova is the best of the lot, and he was originally slotted for the bullpen. Highly paid C. C. Sabathia is older and is past his prime; his consistently good days are in his rear view mirror. Michael Pineda has youth and promise, but it comes fleetingly and he is prone to giving up home runs. The remainder of the bullpen largely consists of fill ins going and coming from Triple A.

     So what should management do with this team as the trade deadline looms. There is a lot of interest from other teams for Betances, Miller, Chapman and Beltran.  However, can this team contend? While they have lost a series to Boston to start the second half of the season, they have this series and an interleague series with the top-rated team in MLB, the San Francisco Giants, this coming weekend, before embarking on a road trip to Houston to play the young and hungry Astros then moving onto St. Petersburg, FL to play the Rays who have one of the worst records in baseball. Including tonight, the Yankees have 12 games left to show that they are capable of making a move to contend in some fashion.

      Minor league help is minimal. Catching prospect Gary Sanchez is not quite ready and powerful outfielder Aaron Judge is currently out with a knee injury. First baseman Greg Bird, who filled in admirably for Teixeira last season, is out for the season after labrum surgery. Young pitcher Luis Severino was demoted early this season and appears not to be recalled soon.

     What if the Yankee pitching stabilizes and hitters start to come alive? Are they realistically a contender? Should they trade to improve their chances to win now?

     Most people say they aren't that good and this will not eventuate. Yet high management and ownership is unwilling yet to concede this might happen.

     If that is the case, they should carefully deconstruct this team. If there is interest for much of the roster, they should consider trades that will embellish the team for next season and years beyond--in essence, become much younger. Do not give away the store, but responsibly replenish the roster in key areas of pitching and the outfield. Buy out A-Rod's contract if possible; he serves little use for the team if he cannot be traded to someone who sees value in him. If tossing in the towel means attendance suffers, then this must be undertaken if the Yankees are to be back in the midst of the fight for the playoffs starting with next season.

     Then there is the question of the baseball leadership. I think that manager Joe Girardi over manages with his top pitchers, but that is due to a lack of hitting and pitching which dies not make more than 5 innings too many times. He should be retained. My wife thinks that pitching coach Larry Rothschild might need to go--I don't know if he is to be entirely blamed for the pitching problems. General Manager Brian Cashman has been in New York for 18 years--is it time to blame him for long-term contracts that extended too far and a barren minor league system? Maybe. What he does around the trade deadline might seal his fate.

     One thing for sure--the end of July is going to be the most exciting part of a rather desultory season thus far. For a proud franchise, this is humbling.

   


   

   

Is It Kevin Durant's Fault?

                                                        Is It Kevin Durant's Fault?

     Let's start with I am biased here. I wanted the Golden State Warriors to win the 2015-16 NBA Championship. I wanted validation for 73 wins. I like Steph Curry. I like Klay Thompson. I like Draymond Green. I like Anthony Iguodala. I even like Andrew Bogut and Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa. I rooted for Mo Speights and Harrison Barnes. I pulled for Steve Kerr and his travails to returning as Head Coach. So Cleveland and its fans have that long-sought banner. More power to LeBron James. Kyrie Irving was the difference maker. Let J.R. Smith keep his shirt on.

     But it is a new season already, notwithstanding that the Rio Olympics are on the horizon. Free agency has struck in its immaculate earnesty. Trades have abounded. The New York Knicks, my erstwhile favorite team with just 2 championships to show for all its tenure in the NBA, went out and made themselves better. Even the Brooklyn Nets, the ancestor of the New Jersey Nets, went into the market and swooped out with Jeremy Lin whose Knicks success (Linsanity!) still makes him a cult hero in these environs.

     No, the name of the game is to get better. To build upon success. To put yourself in a posture to contend and even win a championship (or two). This might even happen someday to the Philadelphia 76'ers, the masters of woefulness in recent memory with such dismal records despite having solid draft positions.

     The salary cap numbers are out of sight. $94 million. That's absurd. Very good players like the aforementioned Harrison Barnes receive ungodly sums of money for multiple years to sign with a new team--in this case it is the Houston Rockets who have unlocked their vault. Certain Hall of Fame players like Dewayne Wade are playing the free agent market to secure 2 or 3 more years beyond their prime either from unrealistic suitors like the Denver Nuggets or to leverage and pressure the Miami Heat, his only team, to capitulate and give him loads of cash for loyalty. Tell me, did that work out for A-Rod and the New York Yankees?

     All of a sudden, loyalty to a fan base matters more than ever. This is largely due to LBJ's return to Cleveland to bring home the bacon. Let me repeat myself--his RETURN home to Cleveland. Remember how vilified he was when he went South to join Wade and Chris Bosh in South Florida? No matter how successful he was there?

     So here comes Kevin Durant, one of the 5 best players in the current NBA. A lock as a Hall of Famer. He is a free agent. The betting was that he'd sign again with Oklahoma City for 1 year @ a measly $20 million to enhance his chances next summer for a more lucrative free agency payday.

     In a ludicrous recruitment tour akin to the stupor that free agency is itself, he visits the Los Angeles Clippers. Then he meets with the Golden State Warriors in the Hamptons on Long Island, far removed from his hometown of Washington, D.C. or the rather hot and dry Sooner State, who send their management, coaches, and Durant's good friend, Steph Curry, the reigning M.V.P. And he is swept of his feet by their pitch and their offer.    

     Kevin Durant decides to become a Golden State Warrior. The money is good. But the chance to play with the team-friendliest ball-moving team in the NBA which came within about 1 minute of winning the NBA Championship is an allure which no other team can offer. He does not have to worry over 4th quarter meltdowns by point guard Russell Westbrook, a known ball hog and glory seeker who is great but definitely is not K.D.

     What does Durant not have? An NBA Championship ring. What does this group of Warriors have--a ring and the opportunity, if healthy, to legitimately contend for years to come. GSW has become a sort of NBA Dream Team with 4 players the likes of Durant, Curry, Thompson and Green. Iguodala can go back to being a 6th man coming off the bench. They become the presumptive favorites for the upcoming season. Why wouldn't Durant want to thrive in this kind of environment? He does not have to be the one to carry the team night in and night out. As near as the Thunder had come to the NBA Finals this year and with their 1 prior appearance in the Finals, what would their chances have been this year had he stayed put?

     Fans and writers are up in arms about Durant abandoning OKC. How much does loyalty count these days in any arena--sports or business? Didn't Oklahoma City swoop in and take away the Seattle Super Sonics from the devoted fans of the Pacific Northwest? This is business and Durant was taking care of himself. You didn't see him remotely considering going home to play for the Washington Wizards...

     Free agency happens every year. Fans are jolted. The playing fields of all sports are leveled in different ways and shapes. There isn't this hue and cry anyway when Apple loses an innovative computer scientist to Google, is there? Or when a lawyer gets a better chance for partnership through a headhunter?

     Get over it, Thunder fans. Get ready for some less than stellar teams. Boo K.D. as you wish whenever he plays in Chesapeake Energy Arena. Recognize this, OKC and the rest of the NBA, it isn't Kevin Durant's fault. It is the monster that has been created with the ability to go from team to team while paying astronomical sums of money to--basketball players.  Maybe we can blame this all on LeBron anyway...

                                                                Philadelphia

         I am a New York fan. My bias extends deeply through the core of New York sports. I love the NY sports teams. My slight diversion in major college sports goes to where I grew up--in close proximity to Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey, which was small potatoes when I was young but which now has burgeoned into a nationally-known team by way of ESPN and its neophyte membership in the Big 10 Conference.

        Being so New York centric, every other market seemed to be minor or insignificant compared to the New York megalopolis. There were 3 baseball teams when I was a youth, then the present 2. There has been a various number of professional football teams, now again settled with 2 who share the region from a stadium in North Jersey. Two more NBA teams; 2 soccer teams; 3 NHL franchises now with a fourth defunct one in its history. Madison Square Garden was the indoor mecca for basketball-especially with the NYC powerhouse schools of St. John's Manhattan, Fordham and New York University along with the National Invitational Tournament, which still exists today but in its heyday was more prestigious than the NCAA hysteria known currently as "March Madness." MSG also hosted track meets, dog shows and NBA doubleheaders.  Yankee Stadium was where Ruth, Di Maggio, Mantle, Jackson and Jeter made history.

          New York was a city of 8 million and with millions more packed into growing suburbs in New Jersey, Westchester County, on Long Island and in outlying areas. There were television stations galore including the homes of NBC and CBS. So many daily papers including the erudite New York Times ("all the news that's fit to print"). The United Nations was located in Manhattan. Wall Street with the New York Stock Exchange, too.  The Empire State Building and the imposing skylines. Tunnels and bridges to enter Manhattan Island. The best eateries. The biggest park. The best zoo in the world. Everything was magnified. All things seemed to be the best. Nowhere else could compare.

          I disclose the NY state of mind because I have not forsaken my allegiance to my teams. Instead, I am entering the lair of people who actually root for another city's team. The teams from Philadelphia. That city located 90 miles from New York City, separated by New Jersey and accessible by bridges over the Delaware River. The one that New Yorkers visit on occasion for touristy things like the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, or the US Mint. The place where their go to food is a cheesesteak from rivals Geno's or Pat's, diagonally across from each other in an odd South Philly feud. A growing skyline shows the new Philadelphia; yet traveling in from any angle the old, row house neighborhoods still are prominent, a testimonial to the working class ethic which permeated Philadelphia long ago.

         Philadelphia is a big city in population--it is the fifth largest city in the US and the Delaware Valley is the fifth largest metropolitan area. its television market is fourth in the nation, after New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. It has all of the major amenities that a city should have in terms of a standout university (the University of Pennsylvania), great hospitals and dental schools; it is home to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. There are very well-known art museums. It has a great park too, and a river runs right through its midst. Thee is a very active Navy Yard, a small subway system and it was the hub of many railroads. It had a couple of newspapers too--the Inquirer is very well respected.

       Which is why there is a heated rivalry between fans from both cities. New York snobbery is considered boorish in Philly. Philadelphians are considered to be second class neanderthals by those same New Yorkers. Neither side is getting it right. And hasn't for years.

        My very first exposure to Philadelphia sports came with a trip to old Connie Mack Stadium in North Philadelphia for a July night game involving the Los Angeles Dodgers (2 years removed from being the Brooklyn Dodgers who, along with the New York Giants, abandoned New York for the untapped riches of California) and the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League. Although my loyalties were with the American League Yankees, I was a student of the game and I peppered my father about other teams--the Mets were still three years away from formation; having gone to dental school at Temple University in Philadelphia, he knew of the Phillies and that the stadium was not too far away from the campus. While the Phillies won the game on a Clay Dalrymple HR with Hall of Famer Robin Roberts pitching a gem for the home team, I recall the vitriol emanating from the competing Dodgers and Phillies fans. Boos and words an 8 year old had never heard in such an unending stream. Nonetheless, on my own, I started to follow the Philadelphia sports teams with some greater interest. Because they weren't that far away from my childhood home in Central New Jersey.

        Universally, the Phillies weren't very good. Compared to the Yankees, they hardly ever won. In 1950 the Phils did win, only to succumb to the Yankees in the World Series in four games.  Then in 1964, the Phillies could have actually won the National League except for an epic collapse at the end of the season. Not to say that they haven't had their moments. In 1964, Jim Bunning, later to be the Republican Senator form Kentucky, pitched a perfect game against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium on Father's Day. The Phillies, loaded with Hall of Famers and close to HOF players, excelled in the late 1970's culminating with their first World Series win in 1980.

         The Phillies fortunes took another steep decline until the 2000 decade when a new group of stars took them to the second championship in 2008. All totaled--11 NL East titles; 7 NL pennants; 2 World Series victories. Stark compared to New York standards. The Mets, in existence since 1962, have won 2 World Series.

        I have attended games at Connie Mack Stadium, renamed after the legendary owner of the Philadelphia Athletics (relocated to first Kansas City then Oakland), sterile Veterans Stadium, where the Phillies were a co-tenant with the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, and now Citizen's Bank Park. Sure the fans were rabid. But they booed payers unmercifully. Michael Jack Schmidt (Mike), their best player ever and Richie (Dick) Allen, a prodigious slugger, felt the wrath; Allen had to leave town it was so bad. I never could quite grasp why the boos--for even the best players.

        College football centered around the University of Pennsylvania. Once a power, they now are firmly settled in the Ivy League, with Temple University an up and coming power. Villanova University did have a bit of success but actually abandoned football before reinstating it at the then Division 1-AA level.  But the truth is that when mighty Penn State comes in, Lincoln Financial Stadium sell out. Sure Army and Navy used to draw 100,000 annually to their rivalry but dadly, that too is diminished and at times is not played in Philadelphia. Being fair, New York did have Fordham and New York University and Columbia playing big time football yet they receded into the background with the advent of pro football.

        Speaking of pro football, The New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles have played football seemingly forever. Both have very loyal fan bases. They are ties together on the mysterious fumble that Giants QB Joe Pisarcik inexplicably made at Giants Stadium on a hand off to Larry Csonka instead of running out the clock for a sure Giants victory, only to be scooped up by then Eagles DB Herm Edwards (who later coached the New York Jets and is an ESPN expert/talking head) whereupon he scampered 26 yards to an improbable Philadelphia victory. The similarities end there. Although the Giants went through an enormous drought before winning a Super Bowl, they have won a couple. Philadelphia can point to one appearance and no rings. Even my Jets, whose history of successes is meager, at least garnered one Super Bowl victory in their only appearance--albeit 47 years ago. What those two teams have in common is an abundance of green in their uniforms and that they play each other yearly in the preseason. I have always thought that Eagles fans were natoer and less law-abiding--which is why in Veterans Stadium the authorities had a holding cell area and a magistrate on hand for rowdy, unlawful conduct that seemingly always occurred.

         No less vocal fans were the loyal Flyers hockey fans. Philadelphia won the Stanley Cup with the Broad Street Bullies--a group who could score, play defense and backed down from no one--meaning they'd fight at any time, including warm ups. Management even invoked good luck charm Kate Smith to sing God Bless America in person or on tape. Meanwhile, there are 3 hockey teams in the New York area--the New Jersey Devils have won a couple of Cups, eliminating the Flyers in the process; the Islanders won a number of those Cups and they too eliminated the Flyers on their way to victory. Even the New York Rangers, the epitome of frustrating performances, have more recently won the Stanley Cup even with a 60 years plus span from the last Cup win.

        Basketball always played a pivotal role in both cities sports history. Professional basketball was huge in both locales. Yes, I did say was. The Philadelphia Warriors were my first memory of the NBA in Philly, New York had its Knicks. When the Warriors abandoned Philadelphia for the San Francisco area, the Syracuse Nationals moved into Philadelphia to fill the void. Both franchises had some modest degree of success. My only NBA championship game which I attended was at the Philadelphia Convention Center when the Warriors and 76'ers played. In my younger years, I used to go fairly regularly to the Spectrum to see NBA games, the now defunct home for the city's NBA and NHL teams. Lots of great players on both sides, but now not much to show at all. As bad as the Knicks are, the Sixers set yearly standards for how bad an NBA team can be.

        As I stated earlier, in its day, Madison Square Garden hosted so many collegiate doubleheaders involving the 6-8 local colleges playing amongst themselves and hosting national and regional powers.
Philadelphia countered with its own unique vision of college hoops:  the Big Five. The University of Pennsylvania hosted the games at their arena, the Palestra. Penn, La Salle, St. Joseph's, Temple and Villanova played in their cathedral in heated battles against each other and with teams invading their turf. Seemingly every game was on television. Now the conferences and larger arenas on campus at Temple and Villanova made the Big Five into a lesser light. The games had importance, but not like they used to.

        Which brings me to where we are today. On Monday night, the Villanova Wildcats defeated the University of North Carolina Tar Heels in an epic battle won on a heroic last second shot to capture the NCAA championship for the second time in school history. For all of the limited triumphs that the two cities have gained, this one made it sweeter for Philadelphia. For the few champions who have emerged from either city, this one seemingly out did all of the others in terms of sheer magnitude. A great game involving one of the legendary programs in all of intercollegiate sports, going down to the wire with the outcome determined by a single basket when overtime loomed so ominously.

         For the moment, the New York-Philadelphia rivalry has taken a backstage to a bunch of collegiate basketball players from a tony Catholic school on the suburban Main Line outside of Center City. Millions watched in awe as the final shot swished through the net in a filled football stadium far away in Houston, Texas.  Sports heroes were etched into history on a national stage. More importantly, Philadelphians were given a chance to rejoice for their first time since the Phillies won in 2008 and even more so, for the first basketball title since another even more unlikely group of Villanova Wildcats upset the heavily favored Georgetown Hoyas in 1985.

        I am sure that the celebrations have extended beyond the downtown parade, the campus hysteria and the cancellation of classes on Tuesday, the likely result of one big collective hangover. Sure, the Sixers stink for another season, the Flyers may not make the NHL playoffs again, the Phillies are very young and non-contenders and the Eagles are in coaching turmoil once more. Most Philadelphians will agree that this is true. Nonetheless, the center of the sports world in this country is squarely back in Philadelphia. There is plenty of Brotherly Love to go around. For awhile after this season, too.

       While I rooted for Carolina, I am happy for you, Philadelphia.  It was luck but in the end, as a really good squad won a championship. Your squad. What sayeth you, New York? How about those Knicks, Nets, Rangers, Devils, Islanders, Giants, Jets, Yankees and particularly the Mets with the high hopes fans have after making it to last year's World Series? Outshined by a college team in the city that you detest?

        Sounds like the rivalry continues. Who is going rise up to win next?