A Wee Bit Early To Project

     Major League Baseball has reached the next to last weekend  of June; Summer came upon us earlier this week. It is time to take a look at the MLB standings thus far. Identifying the duds is easy. Seeing who might make the playoffs in October could be a bit harder.

     We can throw out the Philadelphia Phillies. They aren't going anywhere. It seems to be endemic in Philly that the teams aren't too good--see the Eagles, Flyers and Exhibit A--the Sixers, although the latter did pick up the No. 1 pick in the recent NBA Draft.  And the Flyers came away with a nice consolation in the NHL Draft--a highly-prized forward at the No. 2 slot. I digress.

     Rule out the San Francisco Giants. Once world beaters with catcher Buster Posey and   big game pitcher Madison Bumgarner, the Giants were perennially in the World Series. But with Bumgarner's injury, the fortunes of the Giants have nose-dived.

     Also exclude the Giants' Bay Area companion, the Oakland A's. Constantly interjecting youth into the lineup, they are perhaps a year of two away from becoming a contender for a playoff spot. At least Northern Californians can revel in the Golden State Warriors 2nd NBA title in the past 3 years.

     Another West Coast team with no chance are the San Diego Padres. They are marginally better than the Giants. Cincinnati is not going to contend either. They are young and rebuilding.

     Teetering at the edge of irrelevance are a number of teams. Two of those teams can be classified as major disappointments. The Detroit Tigers have fallen mightily. Miguel Cabrera is having an awful year by his lofty standards and the pitching just isn't there (their best pitcher has been in Washington with the Nationals for a couple of years). Then there are the New York Mets. Major injuries riddling the vaunted pitching staff and a lack of production by the big bats of Cespedes, Walker and Granderson have left the Mets far behind the N.L. East-leading Washington.

     Miami cannot not find itself and is still dealing with the hangover of the late season death of pitching ace Jose Fernandez. At least the Marlins host the All Star Game next month. Atlanta has a nice, new stadium in suburban Cobb County and the hopes that the return of the injured Freddie Freeman to the lineup, albeit at third base, might interject them back into the race against the Nationals. The Chicago White Sox are not very good at 32-41; there might be a managerial change upcoming.

     There are a number of teams who can contend despite miserable starts. The N.L. Central is the perfect example. The surprising Milwaukee Brewers are in the lead, but only with a 40-37 record. St. Louis, off to a rough and unusual start now 7 games below .500 are only 5 games behind the Brewers. Pittsburgh, enduring suspensions and inconsistent hitting and pitching, is a notch better than the Cardinals and hope that star Andrew Mc Cutcheon remains hot and carries the team until the other bats join in. Defending World Champion Chicago is a barely above .500 team; still that leaves the Cubbies only a half a game behind the Brew Crew for first place in the N.L. Central. Most prognosticators expect that the Cubs will get their act together in the second half of the season and run away from the pack. I think it is more like limp past the rest of the Division.

     So many other teams are in the thick of the race. Despite the New York Yankees great and unexpected start riding the Aaron Judge gargantuan home run phenomenon plus some standout pitching from youngster Luis Severino and veteran C. C. Sabathia now on the DL, the Boston Red Sox have now drawn even with the Yankees after a morose start. Even with Boston projected in the pre-season to win the A.L. East, it will be a battle in the Division, as Tampa Bay is unexpectedly only 2.5 games behind the leaders and the Orioles and Blue Jays are capable of putting a run together and making life harder for the current leaders.

     Looking at the AL Central, the Cleveland Indians, losers to the Cubs in a thrilling 2016 World Series which went into extra innings in Game 7, have overtaken Minnesota to gain control of the Division. While the Twins early start was nice, it is the Kansas City Royals who are making up ground after a bad beginning to the season. Relying on veterans from a 2015 World Series win, Eric Hosmer, Salvatore Perez and Mike Moustakis are back in All Star form, and with Jason Vargas topping MLB pitchers with 11 victories, the resurgent Royals are poised to make a charge at the Indians.

     A three team race has taken shape in the N.L. West. Arizona, Colorado and Los Angeles have been the leaders for the entire early season. Ace Clayton Kershaw heads up a good pitching staff and rookie Cody Bellinger is having a better start to his career in terms of homers, with less at bats than even Judge has with the Yankees;  he has slugged a record 22 homers in his first 52 games to Judge's 25 in nearly 70 contests. Shortstop Corey Seager is putting together another outstanding year and the Dodgers are on a 9 game winning streak and 14 wins in the last 15 games in a effort to distance themselves from the D-backs and the Rockies.

    That leaves two teams who have charged out to commanding leads in their respective Divisions. Washington maintains a 9 game lead over the Braves. Led by the mercurial Bryce Harper, ex-Met standout Daniel Murphy and former Detroit Tiger Matthew Scherzer's pitching, it is unlikely that the Nationals will be caught. They still need to shore up the bullpen by making a trade for much needed help to survive the season, let alone the playoffs.

     Houston has left the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers in its wake, jumping out to a 12 game lead. Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve form an impressive middle infield duo who can hit and field. Outfielder George Springer has mashed 21 homers and Josh Reddick is making diving catches. The Astros need to get pitching ace Dallas Keuchel back and healthy in order to make a deep run in the playoffs. I don't see them surrendering the Division; the Astros are for real.

     All of the leading teams have some flaws and injuries will occur. Right now, the Astros and Dodgers have the best records in the American and National Leagues. If things stay the way they are, it would not be a surprise to see them in the World Series. Many other worthy clubs will have a say in the finish to the 2017 season. Can Washington win a couple of rounds? Will the Cubs run roughshod over the opposition? Who will survive the Cleveland-KC battle? Are Arizona and Colorado legitimate N.L. Wild Card teams? Who will come out of the A.L. East--New York with its powerful bats or Boston with its sluggers and top-notch pitching? Or are there a coupe of teams lurking, awaiting one big surge to overtake a Division leader or sneak into the Wild Card picture?

     It is a wee bit early, just before MLB reaches the halfway point in the season, to anoint anyone as the prohibitive favorite. This is not a scenario like the recently completed NBA season and playoffs where the Warriors and Cavaliers were EXPECTED  to vie for the title. No, the MLB season seemingly is more like the NHL--anyone can win--witness the Pittsburgh Penguins victory in the playoffs to retain the Stanley Cup and any one team can, like the Nashville Predators, make a concerted effort to make the Finals.

     One thing is certain--this is why they play all of the games. And it will be fun to watch how the remainder of the season unfolds.

   

   

What More Could Fans Expect?

     Within a span of about 24 or so hours last Sunday and Monday, the Pittsburgh Penguins became back-to-back Stanley Cup champions while the Golden State Warriors defeated the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers to win their second NBA Finals in three years. Two different sports, two different teams with markedly divergent paths in securing titles. And remarkably divergent aftermaths to their victories.

     The Penguins were not an overwhelming favorite at the start of the NHL playoffs. That crown went to the Washington Capitals with superstar Alex Ovechkin.

     Golden State had added superstar Kevin Durant in the off season and had completed another dominant regular season. With their returning cast plus the addition of Durant, the Warriors were deemed to be prohibitive favorites to have a showdown with the Cavs for the third time in three years.

     Pittsburgh suffered injuries to some of its best players in the course of the season--defenseman Kris Letang required neck surgery to repair a herniated disk, while goaltender Matt Murray suffered a lower body injury during warm ups prior to Game 1 of the opening series versus Columbus. The Penguins went from being favored to perhaps even or a slight underdog to the Blue Jackets in spite of the home ice advantage.

     The Warriors appeared to be at full strength going into the playoffs, unlike last year when star Steph Curry had nagging injuries which caught up with him in the Finals. Their only question facing Golden State was whether Durant had fully recovered from a leg injury incurred in early 2017.

     Despite the significant injuries, the Penguins rallied around star and team captain Sidney Crosby and the superb goaltending of veteran Marc-Andre Fleury to dispatch Columbus in 5 tough contest. While Pittsburgh was the better team, it was not by much over their Columbus counterparts.

     Having finished the regular season as the number 1 seed overall, Golden State took on the eighth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers. Clearly the superior squad, the Warriors had to withstand scoring blitzes from the dynamic back court duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum to sweep the Blazers and head to the second round.

     In the second round, Pittsburgh faced a big obstacle in the Capitals. Washington had home ice as a reward for having garnered the most points in the NHL regular season. The Caps were the clear favorites; Pittsburgh was an underdog based on injuries and how well Washington had played. However, Washington had a tough time in winning its opening series versus the gritty Toronto Maple Leafs. Moreover, the Caps had a significant history of losing the big game or series, especially in the chase for the Cup.

     Utah, with its young and talented team led by rising star and free-agent-to-be Gordon Hayward, loomed ahead for Golden State. Utah had topped the Los Angeles Clippers, another under performing playoff team and were thought to be able to give the Warriors some trouble.

     Once more in the playoffs, in a seven game series, Pittsburgh toppled the Caps. Ovechkin played hurt and became a non-factor. The remainder of the team could not overcome the Penguins stout defensive effort.

     As much as Utah tried to compete, Golden State had the better answers with Curry, Durant, Draymond Green and co. The Warriors took out the Jazz in a second four game sweep.

     Pittsburgh's Conference Finals foe was the Ottawa Senators, victors over the New York Rangers, a team many had picked to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. Coupling a hot goaltender and timely scoring, this was going to be a severe test for the Penguins, especially after having been extended to seven games by Washington in a bruising affair.

     For Golden State, the second best team in the Western Conference, the San Antonio Spurs, would be the upcoming opponent. Coached by Greg Popovich and led by Kawhi Leonard, a premier forward and Manu Ginobili, the Argentine legend, but absent their point guard, Tony Parker, the Spurs were expected to give Golden State all they could handle.

     In another seven demanding games, the Penguins outlasted Ottawa. It took double overtime in Game 7 for the Penguins to book their trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. The goaltending of Matt Murray, the inspiration of Crosby and the grit of his teammates again was just enough of a razor-thin margin to secure that Finals berth and a chance to be the first team in 20 years to be a repeat champion.

     Leonard came out blazing against the Warriors. He looked to be unstoppable. The Spurs ran out to a huge lead against the flat Warriors team which evidently had too much time off between series and looked rusty and out of sync. Then the series changed on one play. In the third quarter, Leonard went up for a three point shot, which was contested by the Warriors' big man, Zaza Pachulia. Leonard's left leg and foot landed, entangled with Pachulia. As the game progressed, it was apparent that Leonard could go no further with an apparent ankle injury. He was done for the series. With that, Golden State mounted a furious rally from over 20 points down and with 1:48 left, Curry hit a 3 point shot to tie the game. Then Durant, who finished with 34 points, took over. Somehow, the Warriors survived, eking out a 113-111 gut wrenching victory. From thereon, despite the heroics of Ginobili, the Spurs no longer were a worthy match for Golden State without Leonard. Three rounds, three sweeps.

     The Nashville Predators had survived the gauntlet of the Chicago Black Hawks, St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks to win the Western Conference and reach their very first Stanley Cup Finals. Led by defenseman P.K. Subban and goaltender Pekka Rinne, and aided by a very vocal crowd at the Bridgestone Arena, Pittsburgh had their work cut out for them.

     For all its dominance, Golden State had a long-awaited date with the Cleveland Cavaliers--an NBA record third straight Finals meeting between two teams. In 2014-15, Golden State prevailed. Last year, the great play in the last two minutes of Game 7 in Oakland by the acknowledged best player in the world, Lebron James and the pressure-packed shooting of Kyrie Irving, gave the Cavaliers a championship, in the process negating the Warriors' record-setting 73 regular season wins. Both teams had dominated their conference opposition during this season and in the playoffs. This was going to be an epic showdown in the rubber match, many predicted; others felt that Golden State would steamroller the Cavs.

     While Pittsburgh went up 2-0 at PPG Arena, when the games shifted to the Preds' home, Rinne and company responded with 2 resounding wins. Game 5 went to the Penguins, returning the series to Tennessee for Game 6. A scoreless tie except for a controversial early whistle blown by the referee which cost Nashville a goal, the contest was highlighted by the duel between Rinne and Murray. As it seemed this game was going to be an overtime affair, the Penguins struck with just over an minute left on a rebound bank shot off of the elbow of Rinne by Patric Hornqvist. An empty net goal before the end of the game sealed the victory for the now repeat champions Pittsburgh Penguins. Three time champ Sidney Crosby hoisted the Stanley Cup in a parade around the ice and he also carried away the Conn Smythe Trophy, emblematic of the best player in the entire playoffs.

     Golden State thumped Cleveland by out running them in Games 1 and 2 in Oracle Arena. When the series shifted to Quicken Loans Arena, the Warriors rose back from another big deficit to win 118-113. The pride of the Cavs was clearly visible in Game 4, as they shellacked the Warriors, ending the dream of a 16-0 run through the playoffs. Many commentators worried that the Warriors might follow the path of last year, being up 3-1 and losing the series in 7 games. Game 5 was a tight contest, with James and Irving being magical. But as much magic as they could provide, the depth of Golden State and the shooting and all around play of Durant augmented by Curry proved to be too much for the Cavs. While James averaged a triple double in points, rebounds and assists per game, Durant's play matched and at times surpassed that of Lebron. Durant was the difference, which validated his blockbuster move to Golden State from Oklahoma City, and won him the Finals M.V.P.

     Minutes after the Warriors had won Game 5, the speculation started on whether Golden State was a super team for the ages; would the team remain intact with Curry, sharpshooter Klay Thompson, Durant, defensive whiz Andre Igoudala and Green; and what was going to happen with the Cavs since they lacked the firepower to beat the Warriors. Moreover, questions abounded about the other teams in the Eastern Conference being able to challenge Cleveland next season--especially the Boston Celtics, who did give the Cavs fits in the East final. After all, Lebron  had to be human at some future time, notwithstanding his 7 straight appearances in the NBA Finals.

     Not too many experts attacked the Penguins the way the media went after the Warriors and the Cavs. The celebratory parade went on as scheduled in downtown Pittsburgh, as almost a ritual. No one is anointing the Penguins to be a 3-peat team. Of some significance, it is believed that Fleury will be snatched up by the new Las Vegas team in the expansion draft. Not much else was heard in the aftermath about the Penguins 2017-18 fortunes.Yet the belief is that Golden State is the clear favorite to win it all again in 2017-18.

     Golden State held its parade in Oakland and then announced that Coach Steve Kerr, who suffered through agonizing back issues which caused him to miss much of the playoffs until Game 2 of the Finals, would be back on the sidelines next season. Some of the Warriors will party throughout the weekend in Las Vegas, accompanied by the team owners.

     Cavs fans cannot take any solace that James shaved his head after losing to Golden State and was already in the gym, practicing. Nashville should reflect on the civic pride engendered by the Predators magnificent run.

     The Stanley Cup will travel to far-flung places was the choice of each Penguin who gets his name engraved on Lord Stanley's trophy. There will be off season moves by all of the teams in both leagues to measure up to the champions. Before too long, the hockey players will be back training on and off of the ice. Gym rats like Curry, Durant, Irving and Thompson will be honing their games anew.

     Autumn will return and the chase is renewed. The Penguins fans will be optimistic and, hopefully, realistic. The NBA denziens will continued to be incessantly inflamed by the media, rest and expectations be damned. I hope that the Bay Area fans rise above the noise to cherish the accomplishment of this season's extraordinary Warriors team.

     Otherwise, what more could fans expect?


   

   

When Too Much Is Too Much

     I thought that today I would have written about the Golden State Warriors doing the unthinkable--sweeping the defending Cleveland Cavaliers and the best player in the world, Le Bron James and nemesis Kyrie Irving en route to an unprecedented 16-0 post-season record. Until the Cavs came out with focus and determination to throttle the Warriors. The series returns to Oakland for Game 5 on Monday night. I am not as comfortable as the many prognosticators who think that it is inevitable that the Warriors claim their second championship in three years. The Cavs came back last year from a 3-1 deficit to win; who says they are incapable of winning four straight? I put nothing past James, Irving, Kevin Love and J.R. Smith to keep momentum on their side. We shall see.

     I could have written about the New York Yankees and their surprising start to the 2017 season. The Yankees are in first place, 3 games better than the consensus A.L. East favorite, arch rival Boston. The Yankees have been led by the gentle giant, Aaron Judge, he of the gargantuan 20 home runs and top 3 exit velocity hits in Major League Baseball. Or how Gary Sanchez has come alive again after last years's incredible rookie season. Or the contributions of Didi Gregorious, who missed the first month of the season due to an injury suffered in the World Baseball Classic. Add in Brett Gardner's homers, Aaron Hicks hitting over .300, Matt Holliday also hitting bombs, All Star play from Starlin Castro and superb pitching from Luis Severino and Michael Pineda. It's early. Time will tell if the Yankees are legit.

     Perhaps it is the Houston Astros, the top team in MLB. The Astros are blowing away the competition in the A.L. Central, running out to a double-digit lead. Even with ace Dallas Keuchel returning to DL for a second stint, diminutive 2B Jose Altuve leads the Astros in hitting--again. It is only June, so the jury is out on how good Houston really is.

     How about the New York Mets stinking up the NL East? Beset by key injuries to star players, a lack of consistent productivity from its hitters and woeful pitching, even with dominating the Atlanta Braves this weekend, the Mets have not come close to expectations. Perhaps the expectations were too optimistic...

     Maybe the French Open suits your style. Rafael Nadal is in another French Open final. He went into the match versus Stan Wawrinka tied with Pete Sampras for second all-time major titles with 14 and he was seeking to be the first player with 10 victories in one Grand Slam. His 19-0 record in the French semis and finals is unbelievable. As Roger Federer and Rafa head towards retirement, when the injuries and age finally do catch up with them, their mark on the sport is reminiscent of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus in golf. Of course, Nadal is virtually invincible on clay anyway, so his straight set victory today is no great surprise.

     I could also have written about the Belmont Stakes and the upset winner Tapwrit triumphing over the favorite, Irish War Cry. Alas, this third Belmont victory for trainer Todd Plechter meant nothing more than that. there was no Triple Crown winner this year and the horses that won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness weren't even running at Belmont. Too bad.

     Or maybe I could have expounded on the Stanley Cup winning Pittsburgh Penguins and their marvelous and talented captain, Sidney Crosby. Alas, the Penguins returned to Nashville Sunday night ahead 3-2 in the series, but where the Predators had won twice in very convincing fashion. While the Stanley Cup would be on call in Tennessee (I listen to that oddly reverberate in my head--Tennessee and ice hockey??), the betting line was for a winner-take-all Game 7 in Pittsburgh. Except that the Penguins rallied for 2 goals in the last 1:35 of regulation to defeat a very game Predators squad, securing the Stanley Cup in back-to-back years for the first time since the Detroit Red Wings accomplished that feat in the late 1990's. Crosby was also a back-to-back winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Finals M.V.P. This should have gotten at least equal billing with Nadal's historic triumph in Paris.

     Then there is the story of the New York Jets jettisoning veteran players, allegedly developing a QB who reportedly overthrew receivers so badly that TWICE he hit reporters removed from the sidelines with his ugly throws. There is discontent and the specter of a lousy season is prevalent. Certainly a worthwhile read from  a long-suffering season ticket holder perspective.

     But my focus this week is on the absurdity of NCAA Baseball at the Division I level. It is June 11 and the champion has yet to be determined. This weekend is the Super Regional phase--8 sites where best of 3 series are played to determine who heads to Omaha for the College World Series. Teams like number 1 Oregon State, with a remarkable 54-4 record, including 5-0 at home in the NCAA playoffs, stand to play 60-65 contests if headed to the finals, which itself is a best of 3 series after a double-elimination format to determine the final participants.

     The 16 Super Regional teams have been playing since February. The warm weather teams benefit the most, with few rain outs or games postponed due to snow. Usually 4 to 5 games are played per week. Travel is a major consideration for many schools--the far-flung Big 12 can see trips as far East as Morgantown, West Virginia and as far South as Austin, Texas.

     Basketball is bad enough, exceeding 30 games per season is a regular occurrence; North Carolina played 42 games from November to April. At least they played more home than road games. And not more than 3 a week unless in a tournament.

     Where is the schooling for these scholar-athletes? Is sports greater than the academics? Why should teams with graduates for over a month in some instances, still be playing into late June? What about freshmen who are thrust into almost 2 to 3 times as many games than they played in the spring before, when they were high school seniors?

     I am no more in favor of the NCAA Track and Field Championship happening this weekend in Eugene, Oregon. The same complaints are echoed. The difference is that whole 25 man squads are not affected; track is by and large individual competition except for relays.

     At least the NCAA Softball champion was determined earlier in June. Congrats to the repeat champs, the Oklahoma Sooners. It mercifully took them three fewer weeks to accumulate 61 victories in 70 contest to win the title.

     I don't know what the answer is. My Franklin and Marshall College baseball teams in the late 1960's and early 1970's played 25 to no more than 28 contests from late March, invariably with snow on the ground, to the very beginning of May. I was able to concentrate on final exams because we weren't too good and the season concluded within the academic calendar.

     My suggestion to the NCAA is this: stop playing February or end the games in May. Not every team should play each other in 3 game series during the regular season. Finish the playoffs by Memorial Day as in lacrosse. Make the tournament single-elimination. Bring the student back to campus in a far more normal manner--like the other non-athletes.

     Until the NCAA comes to its senses, we will see this ridiculousness continue. To the detriment of youngsters who should enjoy more of the college experience outside of baseball.

     In hindsight, I wish the Warriors had dethroned Cleveland in four games. Then I might have had something to write about.

A New Stadium Matters

     I just left my 45th Reunion at Franklin and Marshall College. My core group, minus a few individuals who could not make the weekend, were in attendance. We had a blast, meeting with the former F&M baseball coach, Ken Twiford, and the winningest Division III basketball coach, Glenn Robinson, who started his career at F&M during our tenure at the school. Old stories were retold; the aches and pains of growing old were discussed at length; families were talked about. Most of all we were happiest to be among friends who still had a lot in common.

     Reunions get me back to campus. So do the yearly football game and a basketball or baseball game on occasion. I have seen F&M transform from a small, liberal arts college in the heart of the Pennsylvania Dutch Country, to a bigger, more modern and now, a somewhat taller campus. F&M still promotes itself as that small college, and to a significant extent, that is true.

      What has happened is that, while the student body size has not grown, the campus has expanded greatly. Many new buildings have popped up; in my days at F&M, the psychology building left the immediate campus area because of the classroom and laboratory crunch which had arisen. More recently,  the beautiful Alumni Sports Fitness Center (AFSC) was built in the early 1990's as a partial response to a leak in the old Fackenthal Pool on campus adjacent to Mayser Gym, which was the home to a number of sports teams. The AFSC was the first of any F&M buildings to move across the Harrisburg Pike, thus beginning the move towards a larger campus. Other buildings were to rise in that area--mostly business and retail facilities, jolting the Lancaster economy where there had once been factories and warehouses.




     A master plan envisioned taking the historic home of F&M football, Sponaugle-Williamson Field, ensconced in the north end of campus--abutting Mayser Gym where the locker rooms are located--and putting a parking garage underneath it while placing student residences where the field had been. The football field would then be removed to a parcel of land beyond the AFSC, which once housed the Armstrong Cork factories and headquarters. Ultimately, the baseball and softball fields would be taken from their present homes on the Baker Campus and relocated to nearby the multipurpose stadium. This, along with a new track and a proposed addition to the AFSC for a basketball/volleyball gym, would complete the transformation of the athletic facilities to a locale that could rightly be called a sports complex.


     I saw the progress on the new Shadek Stadium, named after my baseball teammate who is a Board of Trustees member; it is nice and new, but smaller than the current stadium. When completed, Shadek Stadium will be the crown jewel of F&M Athletics. 


     Stadiums, and to a lesser degree, arenas have been the focal points for many campuses. I have been to many schools, large and small, and I have seen that placement of the stadium can be contingent upon how the college or university plans its athletics. Notre Dame, Georgia and Alabama have the stadiums and arenas close to or in the midst of the academic buildings. The University of Pennsylvania, Bucknell and Florida also are among the schools which have their primary sports arenas in the middle of campus. I noted  that every year Wesleyan University erects a stadium on Andrus Field, which is directly below the library, from where the picture below was taken.  


     Rutgers has High Point Solutions Stadium and its 52,000 seats on land in Piscataway where the old, 23,000 Rutgers Stadium sat and which is surrounded by fields, some of which have been themselves transformed a number of times and remain there for football parking.



    At Rutgers, a whole other set of campuses has grown up in Piscataway, removed from the original Rutgers campus in land-locked New Brunswick. Baseball, softball, swimming and track are all nearby the Rutgers Athletic Center, which is apart from High Points Solutions Stadium. Livingston Gym is used for gymnastics and the old, small Rutgers Gym, across College Avenue from the main Library, still is home to some events.

     LSU and Penn State built a whole complex of stadiums and athletic facilities on the edge of campus. They are within walking distance for students from campus yet are not disruptive to the flow and direction of the school. Lehigh has moved its athletic compound fairly far away from the main Asa Packer Campus to a vast Goodman Campus--even across Interstate 78, guaranteeing a bus or car ride to a game.

     Obviously, schools prioritize athletics in largely different ways. Division I universities are far bigger animals than Division III colleges. In Division I, more people attend contests while the percentage of participants per the size of the school is much greater at the Division III level. Money and competitiveness are greater components in Division I.  Yet at Division III colleges like F&M, emphasis on winning corresponds with recruiting and the amount of money budgeted for athletic facilities and teams.

      Student-athletes are attracted to a college for a variety of reasons. They love shiny new buildings and fields to play on. Whether it is Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge or Mary Harden Baylor University, a Division III school (see below), the stadiums are upgraded to attract scholar-athletes. 

     Two of the most venerable academic schools, Princeton and Williams, built new stadiums on campus to attain wins by putting a modern face on their approach to outdoing their brethren.




     So in that regard, F&M is no different among its peers. The football stadiums within the Centennial Conference are older, more established venues. Only Johns Hopkins University has a larger capacity than most at Homewood Field, due to its participation in Division I lacrosse in the lacrosse-mad hot bed of Baltimore and Maryland. Small wonder that Hopkins is perennially among the national Division III football powers.
 

       Thus, to be competitive in football, F&M is compelled to upgrade its football stadium to attract the best talent. While money has been poured into the bowels of Mayser Gym for newer locker and theater-like video rooms for different groups of the offense and defense, that may not be enough. Which is where Shadek Stadium plays its part.

     A lot of dealing among Lancaster General Hospital and the City of Lancaster as well as the Norfolk-Southern Railroad has allowed the extension of the F&M campus. An unsightly rail yard was uprooted and moved to permit Shadek Stadium to be built on the grounds of what is now known as Armstrong Fields.  

     I learned that there is discontent about the move off the academic part of the campus to an athletic hub a walk across Harrisburg Pike. Insistence about the tradition of playing on the field where F&M football had been for over a century can resonate only so much in today's collegiate marketplace. Given that Rutgers started football with Princeton in 1869 and the football field moved to its present site in Piscataway in 1938 and is the SECOND home for Rutgers football after the original College Field on campus was vacated in 1890, the tradition argument is not a winner.

     F&M envisioned a master plan in 2010 for making an entire campus of academic and living places integrated within each other and removing vehicular parking while creating a central walkway through campus. The athletic portion of the plan was readjusted in 2012, which amended the idea of attaching a new arena to the AFSC. It is an 11 step process which has an elongated timeline, and is a guide subject to amendment.

     The vision of F&M may not comport with that of some of the alumni. Alums resist change, although change is inevitable. Well-thought out plans for a campus can enrich the livelihood and sustainability of the institution, a fact the alumni should and do recognize by their generous support of their Alma Mater. 

     Athletics has been a corresponding component of academia for ages. Athletic competition, whether intramural or intercollegiate, is a fundamental part of any institution of higher education. Young men and women go to college to learn and grow into adults. As much as colleges integrate new techniques and ideas into the curriculum and provide the latest in technology for the students, so must the school offer the latest and safest environments for those attending and paying the skyrocketing costs of both public and private education.

     Whether it is a newly-remodeled dorm with air-conditioning and modern living accouterments, a new arts building on the horizon or a football stadium with new locker rooms and lights plus nicer, seats for the spectators/alumni, it is incumbent upon colleges like F&M to be totally competitive academically and athletically while still being fiscally responsible in their goals. Tradition must take a back seat to modernization and enhancement of the school.

     In the end, with the support of its alumni, the entirety of the changes to F&M will promote a new generation of critical thinkers with a full liberal arts education. Changes to the athletic facilities are a necessary facet of this process. It happens everywhere, with justification.

     When we all return for the 50th Reunion, much of the reconfiguration of the campus will be underway. For all of the progress I have viewed in the past 45 years regarding the transformation of the F&M landscape, it is only fitting that athletics comes into line with the academic and building renovations as well as the regeneration of the city of Lancaster.

     I can only imagine how much better the College will look to those of us who make it back to campus for our 60th Reunion in 2032.

Memorial Day

     Memorial Day was established to remember our fallen soldiers who gave their lives to preserve our freedom and our way of life.It is the kind of recollection which sometimes takes a back seat in its importance to so many of us, no matter how reverently we observe the day. There are statues commemorating our war dead. Parades occur yearly, which end at those sites where wreaths are laid in honor of the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. The Commander-In Chief heads to Arlington National Cemetery for the solemn ceremony which leads the nation in its caring for its fallen. Taps from a solo trumpet is a mournful dirge--for a dignified reason. Flags draped at half staff are a telling reminder of what happens when soldiers are in battle.

     When I was young, there were actually living soldiers from the Civil War and the Spanish-American War. The wounds of the greatest conflict in our nation's history were still raw nearly 100 years later. We had the Greatest Generation from the epic fight against totalitarianism in World War II. The Korean War came not very long after the global battle. Then there was Vietnam, which tore open new holes in our consciousness. Iraq and Afghanistan have since followed. Too many wars, too many lives lost. Even in peacetime.

     As much as Memorial Day is supposed to be a holiday for us to recall those who perished in this country's service, there are other thoughts which occur on this day. Sports, beach going, barbecues and merchants' sales are the ones that resonate with those who choose to recognize Memorial Day in their own manner.

     Once I became a sports fan, I thought that baseball had a great idea with the Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day doubleheaders. For that matter, I loved Sunday twin bills as well. Two games, on special days. That, I thought, was tradition. And baseball was a game very much steeped in tradition.

     Sadly, holiday doubleheaders have ceased to exist, as MLB teams have learned that they can fill their ballparks with fans for one game and line their coffers with more money than would be derived from a "gimmick." This season, there are a few games which start at 1:05 in their respective time zones. But there also are night games, something which was foreign to this day many years ago.

     MLB does recognize servicemen and women on a daily basis. On this Memorial Day, the lettering for each jersey is black, while camouflage hats are worn in the field. A small token, but one which smells of gimmickry and jersey and hat sales, too. Much more appropriate is the Moment of Remembrance at 3:00 for afternoon contests.

     Another sport which has ties to Memorial Day is auto racing. For years, the Indianapolis 500 was synonymous with Memorial Day.  Nonetheless, that tradition has also seen better days, as the race was held yesterday. NASCAR held its Coca Cola 500 in North Carolina on Memorial Day; alas, that was also completed on Sunday. If those organizations are content with holding the events a day before the holiday, that is their choice.

     The NCAA, no stranger to making a buck, has hosted its Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship on Memorial Day for awhile now. These big venue games draw the largest crowds for the sport.

     On all sorts of levels, people are out and about--enjoying their unrelenting freedom--that those who are remembered on this day fought to insure. Memorial Day means the first day of the summer beach season--although summer is actually more than three plus weeks away. Sun worshipers, seeking to change the color of their skin to a bronze tone, with or without protective lotions and against the pleas of dermatologists, clog roadways, creating massive traffic jams. Such is big business here in New Jersey as well as down the Atlantic Seaboard and along the Gulf of Mexico, which I saw in person this past week.

     Cities are alive with events. Having been in Atlanta through yesterday, there were festivals including a big Jazz Festival in Piedmont Park and throngs at the city's biggest tourist venues. To many, it is a three or four day weekend; a time to forget about work and to decompress a bit.

     Again, this ability to enjoy, to meet with friends, try new things and to eat outdoors, is the product of protecting our way of life against our enemies, who still abound in large numbers throughout the world, threatening humankind's existence.

     To not hold baseball games or other sporting events (the start of the Stanley Cup Finals begins tonight in Pittsburgh) stands in contrast to what we, as a nation, do and cherish. We have Veterans Day and Armed Forces Day for the war survivors and for those currently active in our military, and we do not stop living then, either.

     Just do not refer to the Ohio State-Maryland lacrosse title match as a "war," or equate any football game in that way. It is not war and all the blood and gore and terror it provokes. Ask the survivors. Ask the families of those who did not return home.

     Play all the games our country wants to watch or attend. Have fun. It is not a time for the living to stop living. Do not demean or diminish the day by desecrating the valor and dignity associated with those thrust into battle. On this day, keep a place in your mind and in your heart for the long line of valiant guardians of democracy we embody who are no longer with us.

     To me, that is the message of what Memorial Day is really all about.

   

No Triple Crown For Me

     There are a lot of things I will NEVER do. Yes, there have been a lot of things I have done. This goes for sports as it does for life. Since this is a sports-oriented blog, I will confine my don'ts and wont's to sports.

     I will never make it to Augusta for the Masters. For that matter, having seen the U.S. Open in 1993 just a mile away from my home for 7 hot days, I will never see another golf tournament. I will never see the French or Australian Opens and probably not Wimbledon. I have been to the U.S. Open numerous times in Flushing Meadows, but my inclination is not to go there again for a hot, draining day. I like to play tennis, not to watch it in the heat for hours and hours.

     No more MLB playoff games or World Series games for me. Been there, done that much earlier in my life. No more All-Star games in the Big 4 sports--I have seen hockey and baseball and leaving it at that is okay with me.

     I have seen the NBA Finals in Philadelphia, the subject of a previous blog post. Ditto the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I saw the New Jersey Devils raise the Cup after winning in 1995, so there is nothing more to see.

     I would dearly love to be in the stands when the New York Jets host an AFC Championship game or are in the Super Bowl again.  The prospects for that to happen are more than dim.

     I will not see NCAA Division I Men's Championship Regional or Final in most every sport except for the outside possibility of attending the College World Series in Omaha. Nor is the College Football Bowl Championship on my radar. I most likely will not go to another college bowl game--we went to the 1996 Peach Bowl in Atlanta with Clemson and LSU as opponents (a whole lot of Tigers there). And outside of Rutgers football home games, I most likely will not see another FBS game except if I get to see the University of Georgia play--a bucket list item for my birth state team or Penn State hosting Rutgers--a second, special bucket list event based on my allegiance to RU and my daughter being a PSU grad.

     I don't see me going to a conference championship tournament for Division I basketball teams--I went to many a Big East Tournament game at Madison Square Garden in the 1980's into the early 2000's. I especially do not think I will make the ACC Tournament, the biggest and best of all of the conference showdowns.

     It is highly doubtful that I will be going to a WNBA game soon, if ever. As much as I might like to see UConn's women's team, I do not believe that I will see the Huskies play real soon--if at all.

     I will not make it to a major international soccer match (men's and women's) nor even a Major League Soccer event. Rugby, cricket, badminton fail to interest me enough to go watch. College squash was a significant sample of that sport for me.

     Auto racing has a different dilemma for me. I have an interest to see the spectacle of a race, but the fact that it goes on for hours with the same loud engine noise and being stuck in a particular spot for so long causes me great angst about ever attending. That applies for Grand Prix or NASCAR. I cannot see myself at Funny Car or motorcycle races.

     Forget about beach volleyball or surfing competitions. Not my cup of tea. Winter sports are not in my sights, either. Who needs the cold?
   
     Gymnastics and fencing--I have seen a lot of low level gymnastics thanks to my daughter and I did attend a college fencing tournament at Drew University when my nephew participated as a member of Duke's team. I can confidently state that I will not see anymore of those sports.

     The Olympics and the Pan American Games--simply not interested in the sports or the prices or the venues.

     A title fight in boxing--especially the heavyweight division--is not going to happen. I saw some fights in New Jersey--at lower weights and involving heavyweights and that was more than enough for me.

     WWE wrestling--if it truly is wresting--is another thing I will pass on. It look great on TV, but being there is another story. I do love Dwayne (the Rock) Johnson.

     Poker tournaments--I find them boring and besides, when I go to a casino, I play draw poker on a machine which invariably beats me. Who needs more of that? Chess or checkers--I am not very good at either.

     Jet skiing,  boat racing, sumo wrestling, martial arts, curling, paint ball, pool, darts. Nah. Australian Rules football--a leap of faith if I ever get to Australia. Any kind of animal fighting is insane and barbaric. I will not participate in hunting or fishing contests for the same reason. Shooting of weapons does not thrill me at all. I have seen dog racing. No more for me. Same goes for Jai Alai, which I think is fixed.
   
     While I have seen careening bobsleds and ski jumping, they are no longer an attraction for me.

     I have been to or seen the New York Marathon a number of times while on my way somewhere. Going
to the Boston Marathon is not something I yearn to do. I cringe at the thought of the carnage.

     The lists and explanations go on ad nauseam. So let me discuss why I am writing this piece. It is about horse racing and the 3 big races in America. And where I will be when they take place.

     I don't go out of my way for horse shows despite the gracefulness of the animals. I grew up watching elite equestrian performers at Johnson Park in Piscataway in my youth and I more recently saw some competition at the New Jersey State Fair. My niece is a top trainer in Maine, so if she makes it to this area or if I am in Maine when she is at a show, then I could see a horse show. That is more of happenstance than anything else.

     I have seen the quarter horses perform. I have been to harness racing at Johnson Park, Freehold Raceway and the Meadowlands. However, no rodeos on the horizon

    Additionally, I have been to Monmouth Park and the Meadowlands to see thoroughbred racing.  What I have not been to and will never go to is the Triple Crown of thoroughbred racing--the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes. For the record, I will not go to another horse race because I do not feel like betting on races when I have no idea who might win. Such, to me, is mindless and dumb.

     Yet this weekend we just completed the second leg of the Triple Crown--The Preakness Stakes in Maryland. The pageantry for all three races is steeped in tradition. The Run of the Roses at venerable Churchill Downs. A laurel of Black-Eyed Susans for the Preakness winner. This is not the time of year for those flowers, so they are not the real thing. White carnations adorn the horse who wins at Belmont Park. Those 700 flowers for the Belmont wreath are imported from Colombia.

     It is a pageant from start to finish. Fashion is big and so are mint juleps for the Kentucky Derby. The walk from the stables to the saddling of the horses to the post parade is imbued with history. The songs of the 3 races are equally ingrained in our heads. "My Old Kentucky Home' and "Maryland, My Maryland" (sung beautifully every year by the Unites States Naval Academy Glee Club are anthems. So was "The Sidewalks of New York," until the New York Racing Authority decided that "New York, New York" fit better--and that came with a side trip to the Alicia Keys' "New York State of Mind" in 2010.

     The Belmont Stakes is the oldest of the three races. It is also the longest--a mere 1 1/2 mile endurance test for the horses. Invariably, the hype leading up to the Kentucky Derby as to the eventual winning horse is morphed into a quest for the Triple Crown if that horse can win The Preakness. It becomes gripping sports news when the horse has won the first 2 races, with the speculation as to whether or not there will be a Triple Crown winner this year. Moreover, the Belmont Stakes, "The Crown Jewel of the Triple Crown," is in the economic and media capital of the United States. You win in New York, it has been said, you win BIG.

     In my lifetime, there have been four Triple Crown horses--the great Secretariat in 1973; Seattle Slew in 1977 followed by Affirmed in 1978 until a long drought ended with American Pharoah's win in 2015. Because so few horses have attained this lofty goal, the media gets the public into a frenzy. Combined with betting away from the track, there is seemingly a vested interest in having a Triple Crown champ.

     Make no mistake--thoroughbred racing is a world-wide, billion dollar industry akin to the NFL, NBA, MLB and NBA. It is, first and foremost, and industry. Tons of money is to be made with investments in young horses who have a lineage which is linked to racing success. Stud fees for winning horses are outrageous.

     There are major pitfalls within horse racing. There is an epidemic of cheating and drug abuse. Some of the people involved with horse racing have been from a shady element. Horses are abused. PETA monitors the situation closely. Plus, as much as the big races attract fans, the everyday races are not drawing as well as in other years. Thoroughbred horse racing's upside is in the money, not in the sport itself.

     I know this--that I would be hard-pressed to attend these spectacles. Large crowds at Met Life Stadium, for Yankees games or even at the RAC annoy me. When you are talking about 100,000-150,000 coming together for revelry for hours on end in the heat and humidity, the rain or the chill, with long lines at the rest rooms and over-priced concessions, I can feel the excitement the way NBC Sports portrays the action on my HD television in the comfort of my very regulated and comfortable den. With food of my choice, and all the liquid I require to avoid dehydration. My idea of watching the three great American races differs greatly from those who go to the track--just like the revelers who populate Times Square in cold and sometimes wet conditions to ring in the New Year.

     It was great to watch the crowds at Pimlico Race Track for the Preakness. But would they have rather have been at home, able to watch the Yankees battle the Rays? The Ducks and Predators meeting in the Conference Finals? Or seeing the Golden State Warriors take on the Spurs in San Antonio in Game 3 of their 7 game series? I think not. I found myself to be right in my happiness zone with the remote readily available.

     So this is why I will no longer go to a horse race nor be at a Triple Crown race in my lifetime. Too many other sporting events have priority in my world. Or for that matter, a nice meal, a good movie or some sleep will substitute just fine. Even on the first Saturday in May, the third Saturday in May and the first Saturday in June. I will be at my television as late afternoon turns into early evening. Watching and hoping for another Triple Crown winner.

     That suits me just fine. Because there will be no Triple Crown winner in 2017, rendering the Belmont Stakes a non-event for me anyway.

Derek Jeter Number 2

     I am a New York Yankees fan. Unabashed since the mid-to-late 1950's. My allegiance started with the good squads of the 1950's and early 1960's. The bad times that followed. Then the revival in the mid 1970's. To somewhat leaner times. Through to now, which might be the emergence of a new group of Yankee stars.

     But the period from 1995 until 2014 stands out above and beyond all of the other eras.
Sure, I idolized Mickey Mantle. Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford were deserved Hall of Fame inductees. Thurman Munson died way too soon and Reggie Jackson was indeed the straw that stirred the drink. And there were Bernie Williams, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Paul O'Neill and Jorge Posada. Alex Rodriguez, too. I marveled at their play day after day.

     As much as I have liked every other Yankee to wear the famed pinstriped jersey, one stands out from the rest. Derek Jeter. The Captain. Number 2.

     Whenever I think of Derek Jeter, my mind automatically fixates on the mellifluous, booming voice of the legendary, long-time Yankee Stadium public address announcer, Bob Sheppard, as he introduced the Yankees' shortstop.  Jeter loved that intro so much that when Sheppard no longer could handle the mike, he still introduced Number 2 to a whole legion of adoring fans based on Derek's wishes. Which kept a link to the past glory of the Yankees alive for another generation to embody.

     On Sunday, the Yankees retired the Number 2 jersey. It now stands proudly in Monument Park in the new Yankee Stadium, along with all of the other retired numbers. So many great Yankees' players have had their jerseys retired that, with Number 2 now out of circulation,  no single digit number will ever be worn again. This is the result of 27 World Championships, far and away the most in MLB history. Another is inevitable; just it is unknown when that might occur. I digress because the Yankees are synonymous with winning, and Derek Jeter epitomizes winning.

     Derek Jeter grew on me with his first game as the full time starter in 1996. It was opening day in then Jacobs Field, the home of the Cleveland Indians. Batting ninth, the 21 year old rookie shortstop hit a hanging slider over the left field wall for a home run, off of aging veteran Indians pitcher, Dennis Martinez. Add in a stellar catch in short left field and he was on his way to garnering American League Rookie of the Year honors.

     Jeter batted .314 in 1996, along with hitting 10 homers and driving in 78 runs. He was not cocky; instead he was confident beyond his years. The addition of this young shortstop to the veteran chemistry on the Yankees led them to win the 1996 World Series in a tremendous comeback against an Atlanta Braves team which boasted three Hall of Fame pitchers.

     The Yankees may not have made the 1996 World Series but for another signature Jeter moment. In Game 1 of the A.L.C.S., he hit a high a high fly ball to the right field wall of Yankee Stadium in the 8th inning. Baltimore Orioles right fielder Tony Tarasco was camped under it, ready to make the catch. Except that a boy from New Jersey,  Jeffrey Maier was his name, stuck his glove over the wall in an attempt to catch the ball. To the dismay of Tarasco and the Orioles, the ball was ruled to be a home run and not fan interference and, naturally, the Yankees won the game due to the heroics of Jeter. And by the way, Jeter bated .417 in that A.L.C.S.

     Being in the playoffs and winning world titles is not an easy thing. It is a cauldron of pressure. Yet in the Jeter years, he played in 16 A.L.D.S., 10 A.L.C.S. and 7 World Series, with his Yankees teams capturing 5 Series wins. During the post-season, he batted .321 overall, collecting an astounding 200 hits.

     Still, it is not simply an accumulation of regular season and post-season hits that made him famous. It was how he played the game and his penchant for being in the right place at the absolute right time.

     In 2000, the city of New York was in a frenzy, at least baseball-wise. Both of its teams, the Yankees and the Mets, made it to the World Series. Game 1 in Shea Stadium was tension-packed. Leading off the game was Derek Jeter. On the first pitch of the game he smacked a home run over the left field wall. Even though a lot more baseball had to be played, it was game, set and match for the Yankees. The Mets were crushed , four games to one. The World Series M.V.P. was Derek Jeter.

     Let's check into Oakland for Game 3 of the 2001 A.L.D.S. The A's Jeremy Giambi was on first base when Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina gave up a double to right field to Terrence Long. Right fielder Shane Spencer overthrew the cut off man and Giambi rushed towards home plate. Out of nowhere, Derek Jeter appeared on the first base side of the field, far removed from his shortstop position. He grabbed the ball and seemingly in one motion flipped it to catcher Jorge Posada who applied the tag to Giambi. Giambi was called out on an unbelievable play. When asked later how he could be so instinctively at the right place for this incredible, game-saving feat to occur, Jeter merely said that the team practiced this during spring training. Sure.

     The Yankees drew the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2001 World Series. While the Yankees would lose the Series in Game 7 in Arizona in a heart-wrenching way, Derek Jeter provided another highlight. On October 31st, Game 4 in New York went into extra innings. The clock had struck midnight and the World Series was being played in November for the first time. It is the 11th inning and Jeter stepped up to the plate, whereupon he deposited a home run over the right field wall to end the game.

     In a town where the New York press gives names to its baseball heroes, Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson was dubbed Mr. October for his home runs in the post-season. Since the game had traveled into a new month, Derek Jeter became known as Mr. November for this game-winning home run.

     July 1, 2004, Yankee Stadium. the arch rival Boston Red Sox are in town. Yankees-Red Sox games are always played at a higher, more intense level than other regular season games. A pop up was hit down the left field line. The only player capable of making the catch was Derek Jeter, running full tilt from his shortstop spot. Jeter indeed made the catch and his momentum caused him to dive headlong into the nearby stands. He came up bloodied and shaken up, continuing to hold the ball in his glove as the umpire recorded the out. The play kept Boston from taking the lead. New York won the game in 13 innings, in no small part due to Derek Jeter. Another incredible fielding play. By no one else--except Derek Jeter.

     September 11, 2009. 8 years after the attacks on this country which destroyed the World Trade Center towers, significantly damaged the Pentagon and led to a plane crashing into a field in Pennsylvania, killing the heroic passengers as well as the terrorists. Emotions are always raw in New York on September 11, the result of the devastation in lower Manhattan.

     On this night, Derek Jeter, drove a third inning pitch from Baltimore pitcher Chris Tillman into the outfield for career hit 2722. With that single, he became the Yankees' all-time hits leader, surpassing Lou Gehrig, who had held the record for 72 years. That night became another part of the healing from the horrible events of 8 years earlier. As only Derek Jeter could do.

     In 2009, batting a robust .409, Jeter and his teammates won the fifth and final ring in his illustrious career. When the Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1, this would be Derek Jeter's final World Series. He continued to play in the post-season through 2012, never again reaching the goal that every Yankees' team seeks to attain.

     July 9, 2011. the Yankees were hosting the Tampa Bay Rays on a Saturday afternoon. Derek Jeter was two hits away from the milestone of 3,000 career hits. The Rays threw star left-handed pitcher David Price at the Yankees. A capacity crowd was on hand in the new Yankee Stadium.

     In the first inning, Jeter stroked a single off of Price. Now at bat in the third inning, Jeter created history with an exclamation mark, mashing a long home run into the left field stands. Not only did Derek Jeter collect his 3,000 hit that day; he went 5-5 in the Yankees' victory. Another signature moment for the Yankees' captain.

     Now it is September 25, 2014. Derek Jeter's final home game as a Yankee. Bottom of the 9th inning, up stepped Jeter to the plate against the the team he liked to torment, the Baltimore Orioles. In what turned out to be his lat at bat at home, in Hollywood fashion Derek Jeter lashed a single to right field, driving in the winning run in a walk off, 6-5 victory. A valedictory moment in an extraordinary career which will obviously land him in the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

     Twenty years as only a New York Yankee. 3465 hits, historically placing him sixth all time. A lifetime .310 batting average. 13 All Star appearances. Although no American League M.V.P. awards, he would gladly trade that for the 5 World Series titles. Derek Jeter and his number 2 jersey are iconic.

     It was the way he comported himself. The stance. The wave of his hand until he was ready to hit. His unique crouching on deck. Being the first out of the dugout to greet a teammate. The ever-present smile. His leaping throws from shortstop which rarely were errant and usually beat the runner to the bag, thus earning him 5 Gold Gloves. He won 5 Silver Slugger awards for the best batting average at his position. Jeter amassed 11,195 at bats, seventh in MLB history. Rarely injured. Never in trouble on or off of the field. Female fans swooned over him. Yankee Stadium crowds called out his name numerous times. Part of the Core 4--along with  Pettitte,  Rivera and  Posada. Host of Saturday Night Live. The charitable endeavors of the Jeter Turn2 Foundation. Dating models and TV stars. His chiding President George W. Bush before throwing out the symbolic first pitch for Game 3 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium, mere days after the 2011 attack, warning the leader of the Free World to throw from the mound and not to bounce the toss or "they'll boo you."

     This, my friends, is Derek Jeter, A kid born in Pequannock, New Jersey to a mixed race couple, who were highly-educated and very supportive parents. He was raised a Yankees' fan from his summers in New Jersey with his maternal grandparents. A star athlete in Kalamazoo, Michigan who was sought after by his beloved Michigan Wolverines. Friends with the likes of mega star Michael Jordan, both having their own brand of Nike footwear. Worshiped by so many athletes around the country and the world who emulated his mannerisms. As well as adored by countless fans and even those who casually observe baseball.

     Derek Jeter lived the dream and embodied the best of it. Even today, he believes he simply was a ballplayer. To us who have watched him, Derek Jeter was so much more. He has deservedly earned his place in Yankees lore and in MLB annals. For years it was predestined that number 2 would be enshrined on the wall of Yankee Stadium, joining Babe Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, Ford, Berra, Rivera among the others who have made Yankees baseball history.

     Take a moment to savor the ceremony and to reflect on his legacy. Read his article in the Players Tribune, his forum for athletes to express themselves in words. Watch the moving Budweiser commercial which debuted to coincide with the retirement of number 2. http://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/watch-budweisers-stirring-tribute-to-derek-jeter-as-the-yankees-retire-his-number/

     Most of all, be glad that you were able to see this night and every night that Derek Jeter played for the New York Yankees. He was truly a generational ballplayer. One of the all-time greats.

     Derek Jeter is my favorite all-time Yankee. No question. No doubts. I think you can easily tell this by the tenor of this article.

     Best of all, we get to revisit Derek Jeter and his meaning to baseball in 2020 as he is inducted with the baseball immortals in Cooperstown. I wish we didn't have to wait.