Happy New Year, I Guess?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy New Year, I guess. 

Being A Jets Fan Is Insidious?

  While sitting beside my wife at Met Life Stadium on Sunday surrounded by mostly empty seats and watching the Washington Commanders and New York Jets play a meaningless game, I thought to myself why am I here? What would possess me to watch two mediocre teams battle for almost 3 1/2 hours before the Jets finally won with 0:05 left on a 54 yard field goal?

What triggered this soul-searching was a pr-game ceremony inducting a group of season ticket holders into the so-called Jets Fan Hall of Fame. There were women and men in this collective, welcomed by such luminaries as Fireman Ed, the leader of the J-E-T-S cheer which echoes throughout the stadium when the fans respond in full-throated ecstasy. 

It was one man in particular who made me think about who I am and why I was there. The man had white beard and it was announced that he had been following the Jets since the inaugural season in 1960, when the team was nicknamed the Titans and the home games of this American Football League franchise were played in the Polo Grounds in upper Manhattan. This man had missed only five contests in his tenure as a loyal Titans/Jets fan. He had a shrine his house devoted to the team. 

Wow, I thought. I have been a season ticket holder since 1977. I don’t go to every home game and I have never seen the team play on the road. A quick calculation led me to think that I have been to between 225 to 250 Jets games at its homes at Shea Stadium, Giants Stadium and in Met Life Stadium. 

And I don’t have a shrine. I do not collect much memorabilia. What I have is an old team jersey which I won in a lottery. A pennant signed by Freeman Mc Neill, a star running back of yesteryear. And a ball autographed by then-Head Coach Todd Bowles to commemorate my 40th season as a season ticket holder. The team has given me three baseball caps, one of which I lost on a NJ Transit train; a clear plastic bag to carry items into the ballpark, which is very useful; a black t-shirt which I caught in a t-shirt toss in the stands a couple of years ago; plus t-shirts, a sweatshirt and a jersey gifted to me. 

Look, I played freshman football in high school. Period. Which wasn’t much, probably for good reason, since I hadn’t reached my full height of 5’5”, and the coaches sought to protect me from getting clobbered too much—though I still did get hit by a sophomore and banged my head hard onto the rock-solid dirt of the practice field. Concussion protocol? 

Yet there I was, sitting in the stands, rooting for my adopted team to win this game. Which they almost didn’t. I felt euphoric when the Jets jumped to a 27-7 lead. In fact, if the team had scored another touchdown, my wife and I were ready to take our warm, layered selves back home, satisfied with the victory. 

Instead, I felt the same angst in the pit of my stomach. I watched the Jets blow the entire lead, and trail with little time left. I did the calculations for a field goal after watching the kicker practice before the start of the second half and knowing he could easily make a kick from 57 years. 

It wan’t easy, but somehow Trevor Siemian, the fourth quarterback to play this season for the Jets, maneuvered the team into position for the winning kick. And with that, the fans who remained poured out into the impending darkness to drive home or wherever they were heading, felt a momentary bit of happiness. I shared in that glee, like I did when the team improbably defeated the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this season. 

I don’t live and die for the New York Jets. But I do get cranky over the lack of winning seasons and no trips to the Super Bowl during my tenure as a paying customer (I was a fan rooting for the Jets when Joe Namath led the team to its win over Baltimore in Super Bowl III). 

The hope with future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers to lead the team to a playoff spot fell apart early in the opening game a home versus Buffalo when Rodgers went down with a season-ending Achilles tendon injury. Jets fans held their breath, hoping that Zach Wilson, the prior incumbent at quarterback, had learned how to play better while briefly mentored by Rodgers. 

However, that was not the case. Injuries and bad play took any chance of a winning season away. The defense was far better than the offense. But scoring points wins games and the offense was never consistent enough to do that. 

Because I had struggled throughout the years with this team, I still watched with false anticipation that this would be the day the team righted itself. While realizing that this was a doomed season the moment Rodgers went down on the unforgiving Met Life Stadium turf. 

Which is why I left Met Life on Sunday with mixed emotions. I was happy for the players who had played so hard. Yet I was angry how the lead was blown and wondering how this could have happened? Having gone from what seemed to be a sure victory to almost an unforgivable loss greatly challenged my feelings. 

There are two more games left on the schedule. Thursday night the Jets visit Cleveland, where former Jets QB Joe Flacco has had a renaissance at age 38, coming from home to rescue its season and where the Browns sit at 10-5, on the precipice of a Wild Card spot. 

Then there is the season finale in Foxborough, Massachusetts, when the Jets take on the New England Patriots. The once-proud franchise has seen hard times since G.O.A.T. Tom Brady left, leaving Head Coach Bill Belichick with little and nose-diving into last place in the AFC East. This could be Belichick’s last game as New England’s coach, and the team, which showed it can still play with a road victory in Denver all but eliminating the Broncos from the playoff picture, will be sky-high. Add into the equation that the Jets haven’t defeated the Patriots in eons—that will test my patience once more. 

I guess I watch football because it is exciting when a great play occurs. Week 16 began with the resurgent Los Angeles Rams winning on Thursday night, keeping the team in the thick of the playoff hunt when the Rams play the Giants next week before hosting the 49’ers in the season finale. 

Saturday had two games on NBC and Peacock, the latter designed to the whet fans appetite to purchase a subscription. Buffalo raised it record to 9-6, keeping alive its hopes for a playoff berth, while Pittsburgh pounded Cincinnati, another game important in the post-season picture. I watched a good chunk of those games.

When I returned home on Sunday, I caught much of the Dallas-Miami game, crucial to both teams as Dallas was pursuing Philadelphia for first place in the NFC East and Miami 

needed to win to stave off Buffalo’s pursuit of the AFC East title.

Then there was the Christmas triple header. Kansas City inexplicably has lost its mojo and was soundly beaten by a hard-playing Las Vegas Raiders team which was much quicker and hungrier. Patrick Mahomes struggled mightily against a vastly improved Vegas defense. 

Next up were the Giants and Eagles. New York Head Coach Brian Daboll benched the ineffective Tommy De Vito, and the G-men almost pulled off a miracle on the last play of the game. Philadelphia is not a bad squad. It is a question of how good are they? 

Finally, in the big matchup, 11-3 Baltimore traveled to 11-3 San Francisco. When the carnage was over, the Ravens thoroughly outplayed the Niners, trouncing the home team by a final score of 33-19, which was not really indicative of how much the Ravens were dominant. 

So, I was oversaturated with NFL games. I pledge allegiance and pay significant money to a moribund franchise which repeatedly lets me down. Yet I watch or I go sit in the stands. No other sport can cause me to do this—not basketball, as much as I loved to play to when younger, because of that height thing; not hockey, as I cannot skate and stop; nor baseball, which I was most proficient in.

Which still leaves my initial queries unanswered. What kind of fan am I and why do I watch so much football?  

If you have answers, I am all ears. Until then, I am stuck being a pro football follower and a Jets loyalist. Being a Jets fan could still be better than a Detroit Pistons fan; Detroit is on the verge of setting the all-time NBA record for consecutive losses. 

Final score—New York 30, Washington 28. I will be watching on Thursday. Ever faithful. Being a Jets fan is insidious?

Don't Eat Too Much

  When you are house-bound, you watch lots of television. When you are not sleeping due to the insidiousness of COVID. Or when the games themselves present ample opportunity to doze off. 

Believe me, I have watched more NHL hockey than I have since last season’s playoffs. In the New York metro area, we have three teams to choose from. All three are situated on the MSG Network channels, all in close proximity when one plays with the remote buttons. 

I root for the New Jersey Devils. They have been my team since the Colorado franchise relocated to the Meadowlands in the 1980’s. Until that time, I was a diehard New York Rangers fan, having had season tickets from 1977-86. Except for when they play the Devils or the two teams are competing for one playoff spot, I don’t root against the Original Six team. 

The Islanders are the outliers. When the franchise came into being in 1971-72, they were a novelty. I had ample opportunity to see the team play at the Nassau Coliseum because I was engaged to a woman who lived on Long Island at that time.

While the engagement broke, I never stopped liking or watching the Isles. I was pulling for them in their glory years—except when they went head-to-head with the Rangers. Those championship teams were amongst the greatest the NHL has seen. 

I am always hoping that the three franchises make the playoffs in the same season. Last season was the first time that had occurred since 2007. And so far this season, the Rangers have excelled, as they are among the top teams in points. The Islanders are in third place in the Metropolitan Division, tied with a resurgent Philadelphia. The Devils record is above .500, but they trail the Islanders by 5 points. 

I was able to see the big bad Boston Bruins, last season’s powerhouse which flamed out in the first round of the playoffs against a Florida team which reached the Stanley Cup Finals, play all three NY area teams in a scheduling quirk. Boston went 1-2, with all three games having gone into overtime. The lone team to lose was the Islanders, at home. 

New Jersey had a rough go—they came back to beat Boston, humbled Columbus on the road, then Lost to Anaheim on Sunday and in overtime to Philadelphia. The talent is there. The inconsistency is maddening. I saw it in Calgary when the team looked lethargic in the first period then completely outplayed the Flames for the remainder of the game. The Devils have to figure out who they are and play better hockey for 60 minutes if they are going to make the playoffs.

The Rangers are a solid hockey club. While they were decimated at home by Toronto, the Rangers got it together, stringing wins over Anaheim, plus Boston and Toronto on the road—each victory better than the previous one. Are the Rangers a Cup contender? If they avoid serious injuries, they have the makings of a team which could go deep into the playoffs.

As for the Isles, they continue to surprise me. They would be in the playoffs if the season ended today. Although they lost on the road to Washington, NYI managed to beat Toronto in OT, Anaheim and fast-rising Edmonton at home. The loss to Boston and a road loss to Montreal showed me that the team has a way to go to convince me they are legit. I do like players Anders Lee and Mathew Barzal.

One more comment on hockey. I was able to see Auston Matthews, the Toronto center. Hard to believe, the former phenom is in his eighth season and he is putting up big numbers again. In 28 games, Matthews has scored 25 goals and added 12 assists. He can make plays look effortless. This American is truly a star in one of the biggest hockey cities in the league.

Football has been everywhere. A game here. A game there. Thursday nights. Saturday tripleheaders. A full Sunday slate, with a Sunday night game on NBC. Plus Monday Night Football on ABC/ESPN. 

Christmas and New Year’s are no exception. The airwaves will be saturated with the product. There will even be a game broadcast over Nickelodeon. Get ready to be slimed. 

One person who will not be playing—although it is unclear if he will be suited up for an emergency is Aaron Rodgers. Activated from IR to the 53 man roster, his rehab has been incredible. It makes no sense to push him when the Jets’ season has been lost. 

Tommy De Vito, humbled by the Saints and involved in an agent-created money flap with a Morristown pizzeria, takes his Giants team to Philadelphia, where the Eagles are now in a three game slide when they faced three quality opponents. I don’t think much of the NFC East—notwithstanding Dallas and Philly have good records. Look how Buffalo framed the Cowboys on Sunday. 

Baltimore looked good against Jacksonville. Only the 49’ers seem to be above the fray, and I don’t really know how good they are—look at the three game slide they put up in mid-season. Christmas night’s marquee matchup between the two teams should be highly competitive. Could it be a preview of the Super Bowl?

I have not watched too many bowl games thus far. I was more enthralled with the Division III Championship in Salem, Virginia, where unheralded Cortland beat North Central, the top-rated team in a thrilling shootout. The Red Dragons stopped a two point conversion by the defending Champions with 1:20 to go to preserve a 38-37 victory. Zac Boyes, the Cortland QB, completed 26 of 34 passes for 349 yards and 5 touchdowns, while also racking up 123 yards on 16 carries. Some of his throws were pro caliber. He deserved to be Most Outstanding Player. 

My interest was piqued by the South Dakota State Jackrabbits as they hosted the Albany Great Danes. I thought it would be brutally cold that night. It wasn’t, except that Albany was more frigid than the weather, as SDST clobbered them with a 59-0 score. 

The Jackrabbits take on the Montana Grizzlies on January 7th in hopefully warmer Frisco, Texas for the FCS title. Montana beat a good North Dakota State team in overtime. 

South Dakota State is the defending champ—like North Central was in DIII. They are a strong team and the only one left unbeaten left at their level. I looked at their schedule and saw interesting names to games at home—the Dairy Drive vs. Western Oregon; the Beef Bowl vs Montana State; the Precision AG Bowl vs. North Dakota; Hobo Day vs. Northern Iowa; and the Dakota Marker game against arch-rival North Dakota State. 

They sure know how to market in South Dakota. After all, the now Mount Rushmore State used t be called the Sunshine State until 1992. I kid you not. 

Lastly, some basketball comments. Suddenly, the Golden State Warriors are playing better. Klay Thompson has awoken from his shooting slump in the absence of the suspended Draymond Green. Steph Curry is as spectacular as ever. 

Shaquille O’Neal has mentioned Curry as possibly the G.O.A.T. Yes, he’s really good. Is he in the top 10 of all-time? I think so. He is so underrated among giants. But it is not for me to decide if he’s the best. I just love to watch him play. What a competitor. 

The two teams which were in the In-Season Tournament finals slumped in their return to the regular season. Too much energy expended?

As for college basketball, expect upsets throughout the season. Look no further than the Big East where Providence downed #6 Marquette and defending champion UConn was upended by Seton Hall. Home courts mean that much in college hoops. 

One last thought. Navy demolished Washington College of the Centennial Conference by 58 points. Ohio University trounced Defiance. The final score was 108-28. Why are DI programs allowed to play DIII schools in “exhibition” games? To rack up needless wins by ridiculous margins? If the NCAA was truly a governing body, they should never allow this to happen. 

Merry Christmas. Don’t eat too much—especially Chinese food.