HERE WE GO AGAIN

 **Part of the fun of baseball is second guessing the manager's decision. It's fun because you're always right. It's that hindsight thing. In my opinion, Aaron Boone made two bad decisions in the Yankee's game against the Orioles. (1) Following baseball's Rules Of  Engagement, he pinch hit Aaron Judge, a righty for Rougned Odor, a lefty, against a left-handed pitcher. He won't get fired by the front office for making that move, but he didn't win the battle either. Judge went down 1-2-3. Why take Odor out? He seems to be the only Yankee who has consistently come up with the big hit, regardless of who is pitching. Here's where you have to use your head and your eyes instead of your calculator. (2) In the 10th inning with a runner on 2nd base (Stupid rule!) and no outs, again tradition ruled as he has the batter try to bunt the runner to third. Okay I guess except when he had the hitter try with two strikes. Foul ball, the batter is out and a wasted at bat. It was Tyler Wade hitting. Let him swing away. Even if he makes any kind of out, at least you had a shot. It appears to me that Boone is managing just to save his job rather than trying to win a game. This is real baseball, not a Strat-OMatic board game. 

**Yankee pitcher Mike King got sent down again after being called up two days ago from his last 10-day stint at the Alternate Site, which is, I think,  really just the far end of the dugout. He's been extremely effective this year. Will you guys please leave him alone?

 **The umpires made a terrible call in the Milwaukee/Miami game on Wednesday, costing the Brewers a run. The surprising thing is that Angel Hernandez was NOT involved. The umps also made an arbitrary call in the Oriole/Yankee game Monday night and Angel Hernandez was not involved in that one either. What's going on here, is Angel on sabbatical or something?

**I read that the NFL is instituting new rules to try to limit taunting this year. It will include among other acts, standing over an opponent after a play. While you're at it, why not disallow those staged touchdown celebrations, which get crazier every year. It can be easy to stop them: If a flag is thrown for this infraction, disallow the touchdown. That will shut them right down.

**I like baseball. No, I love baseball. We've been to Major League stadiums all over the country just to watch baseball regardless of who is playing. We think of ourselves as baseball fans who happen to root for the Yankees; because it's all about the game. Not Exit Velo (not a word, by the way), not Spin Rate, or Control vs Command. Just because they claim they can measure spin rate, does not mean we have to hear about it. Along with a batters statistics (batting average, home runs, etc), broadcasters now tell you the recent trends for a hitter, such as, "He's 2 for his last 28." This, at least is helpful. It tells you who is slumping and who isn't. A batter who is hitting .320 overall, currently isn't a .300 hitter if he's mired in a 2 for 28 slump.

A word about Exit Velo. Last night, Michael Kay and David Cone on the YES broadcast, tried to justify the need for Exit Velo. "It's important because the harder a ball is hit, the more likely it will result in a base hit." Probably true but it's information after the fact. A batter hits a ball hard for a double, does it really matter if its velocity is 101 miles per hour or 115? Throw in Launch Angle and projected distance and you're taking all the joy out of home runs. By the way, that distance traveled that they come up with is hogwash. Based on where the ball lands and the distance signs on the fences, their numbers make very little sense. So please let us just watch the game. If you have to know all those numbers, go have a beer with David Cone after the game.

***THEY SAID IT***

"The epidemic continues. Sunday, the Dodgers were up on the Padres, 6-1, after six. Dustin May looked strong, allowing two hits, only one walk and striking out 10. But to the delight of the Padres, Dave Roberts pulled him. Three of the next four Dodgers relievers were bombed. In 11, the Dodgers lost, 7-6."  -- Phil Mushnick  [I guess I'm not alone - CP]

"The Pay-Per-View for Wrestlemania 37 would have been much greater is they had taken my advice and arranged for somebody to body slam Tom Brady."  --  Greg Cote

"Tokyo's annual Naki Sumo rite of passage recently ended where parents bring their young to see wrestlers perform in ways that make the tots wail or cry. The American version is taking your kid to a NY Jets game."  -- RJ Currie

"Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. will miss a few games after violating the NBA’s health safety protocols by visiting a Miami strip club. Any possible fines, we assume, will be paid in $1 bills."  -- Dwight Perry

"Ralph Lauren designed the outfits for U.S. Olympians. I can’t tell if he’s dressed the U.S. team for the next space-shuttle mission or an expedition to the South Pole."  -- Pattti Dawn Swansson

"A “report” in the Babylon Bee headlined, “Entire U.S. Water Polo Team Drowns Kneeling for the National Anthem."  -- Sent in by Bill Hoyt

"A Wall Street Journal report said psychologists can consistently pick the loser of a fight by seeing who has the biggest, toothiest smile before they square off. Good luck trying this predictor on NHL players."  -- RJ Currie

"So we’re FINALLY about to be done with months of post-season NFL Draft hype. And now we’re about to be in for months of pre-season NFL Draft analysis."  -- Janice Hough

"Now that MLB seven-inning doubleheader games are here to stay, it’s time to get accustomed to the fifth-inning stretch."  -- Bob Molinaro

" Yesterday evening on the radio Bill Moos said he thinks the Nebraska football team can win nine games next season. Two words come to mind: "Happy Hour."  -- Brad Dickson

"Given that games now regularly include 80 or more 3-point tries — 88 in Tuesday’s Nets-Raptors — I conclude that NBA stands for “Not Basketball Anymore.”  -- Tim Mattice

"CDC guidelines now say you can be outside without a mask if you’re not in a crowd. So Marlins fans should be fine."  -- Janice Hough

Chad Picasner

GIMME THAT OLD TIME RELIGION...

 **Anyone who is at all interested in baseball should read Phil Mushnick's column in the April 17th edition of the NY Post. Baseball players and managers should be made to memorize it.

 https://nypost.com/2021/04/17/true-winning-baseball-goes-against-everything-mlb-practices/

Among the many current baseball practices he discusses are these little gems: 

*You wanna play the shift against us? Knock yourselves out. We have been drilled to beat the shift with ‘other way’ swings.

*Hustle? We will not be out-hustled. If a guy jogs when he should be running, if he home-plate-poses a double or triple into a single, he will immediately be pulled. 

*Our designated hitter, especially with two strikes, will be tasked with putting the ball in play, not striking out trying to hit the ball 500 feet. 

He discusses these items and more in detail and with a sarcastic sense of humor that befits the topic. I'd like to meet him someday and buy a beer...or 5 or 6. Lord knows he deserves it.

**It's interesting that in the last two days (Monday & Tuesday), I've read that two teams known for power hitting aren't hitting for two different reasons. The Cubs can't hit fastballs and the Yankees can't hit breaking balls. Maybe they should switch leagues.

**I haven't heard that Angel Hernandez has blown any calls lately. It can't be because he hasn't missed any, Maybe everyone is so used to it that it's not news anymore.

**MLB is is investigating baseballs thrown by Trevor Bauer to see if they have been doctored, First of all, why just Trevor Bauer? If he can do it, why not others? Secondly, they should keep in mind that they never really caught Gaylord Perry.

**Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim is adding a second son, Former Cornell player Jimmy Boeheim to the team. I'm trying to confirm the rumor that his wife Julie is joining the cheerleading squad. 

**North Texas softball pitcher Hope Trautwein faced the minimum 21 batters against Arkansas Pine-Bluff on April 11 — and struck out all 21, a first in NCAA Division I history. That's better than a game I saw back in the 60's when a pitcher (Richie Pelow) for Oswego High, my high school team, threw a no-hitter against our cross town rivals, Oswego Catholic. The first batter flew out to center field, the last twenty struck out.

**Uh-oh. Brian Cashman has given Yankee manager Aaron Boone a vote of confidence over the teams recent struggles. Isn't that what they normally do before firing a manager? 

I just read an article by Ben Lindbergh about the surprising long-term friendship between Brian Cashman and Billy Bean. It stems from their shared belief in the sabermetrics put forth by Bill James, but they practice it from different angles. Interesting article - "Moneyball with Money" by Lindbergh

***THEY SAID IT***

"Friend just told me a great story about someone saying of COVID-19 vaccine “I won’t put anything in my body where I don’t know what’s in it.” And they got the response “You eat hot dogs don’t you?”  -- Janice Hough 

 "MLB hired former WWE "sizzle planner" Brian Stedman for league strategy and development. Soon, instead of a manager sitting a pitcher down, he'll come out and hit him with a chair"  -- RJ Currie.

"President Biden says he will not throw out the first pitch at the Washington Nationals home opener. So it you want to see a 79 year old pitcher, you'll have to watch the Baltimore Orioles."  Brad Dickson

"A fan in Anaheim threw an inflatable trash can onto the field during an Astros-Angels game.Three players on the Houston bench immediately yelled, “Pitch-out!”  -- Dwight Perry

"The good news is I picked the Bulldogs and the Bears in my finals. The bad news is that it was Georgia and Cal."  -- Alex Kaseberg

 "After Thursday’s MLB games, the first-place teams in the American League today are the Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals and Seattle Mariners, just like everyone thought it would be."  -- Jeff Passan

"World champion boxer Floyd Mayweather fought Connor McGregor, a guy who had never been in a boxing match in his life.  I am surprised that it was not arranged for the winner here to face 65-year-old Hulk Hogan in a Steel Cage Texas Chain Saw Death Match."  -- Jack Finarelli

"If basketball players were confections, I'm thinking Kevin Durant would be brittle."  -- RJ Currie

"I'm not looking forward to Zach Wilson’s possible NFL-draft destiny. The Jets are to quarterbacks what Larry King was to marriage."  -- Doug Robinson 

"When Marc Leishman suddenly was one back in the Masters, we were told he was playing “under the radar.” Whose radar? That was another way of saying that CBS hadn’t much bothered to pay him much attention."  -- Phil Mushnick 

Chad Picasner 

 

 

 UH-oh

PROOF THAT I'M A GRUMPY OLD MAN

**It's time to take stock of the Yankee's biggest problem: They don't have a reliable shortstop. Gleyber Torres made an error last night that led to a run. Officially, it was his 2nd error of the year, but in my mind, it was his fourth. He's not hitting up to his potential, but he will so that's not an issue. There's no way to have him change positions without losing an excellent player and the DH slot is filled with Stanton. The only player I wouldn't mind seeing gone is Aaron Hicks, but can Torres play center? A trade, perhaps? I guess we'll have to wait to see if Cashman can work some magic.

** I read an article yesterday that had this headline: MLB umpire Angel Hernandez called out for another brutal game. A twitter account - Umpire Auditor -  claims that Hernandez missed 24 separate calls in the Houston/Los Angeles game on Tuesday. Only 24? Did they quit counting after the third inning? When is MLB going to do something about this? 

**Here we go again. Aaron Judge was held out of Wednesday night's game because of "left side soreness." Manager Boone said, "It's not serious, we're just being cautious." They said he is available to pinch hit - he didn't. He will be able to play again Friday. Now they say he may not. Is this another drag-out injury where in three or four days we'll be told he actually pulled a muscle or something and he'll miss 10 days. Where are all these medical people that are supposed to keep the players on the field? Not only aren't they doing that, they can't even figure out what's wrong with them. They should just put them out there and tell them to play. As my Aunt Kay used to say if you complained about a hurt, "Oh, I don't feel a thing."

 **I'm sure the Houston Astros were hoping the COVID year of reduced games and no fans in the stands, would act as a buffer for their transgressions of sign stealing, but it doesn't appear that that happened. In Monday nights game in Los Angeles against the Angels, trash bins were thrown onto the outfield grass by the fans. The Astros are also being showered by boos at every turn.  Manager Dusty Baker of the Astros is  not happy. "How many in the stands have never done anything wrong in their life? We paid the price for it. How many people have not cheated on a test or whatever at some point in time." Sorry Dusty, but it doesn't work like that. You can't just say you're sorry and let it go like that. Saying, 'Well, everybody does it.' isn't a good excuse either. You screwed around with the integrity of the game and now you're paying for it. It's certainly not up to you to determine how long this will go on. It's up to the fans and there are still 27 more stadiums you have to play in so grit your teeth and take what you deserve.

**LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has finally admitted that Tiger Woods car crash was caused by speeding. This took six weeks. The car missed a turn, went thru a guardrail, hit a tree, went airborne, down a bank and landed on it's side. Does that sound like something going 40 MPH?  This is not his first accident. If he dies in one of these, that's one thing. What if he kills some innocent person? They should take his license away from him.

**The Boston Red Sox have unveiled a new uniform as part of MLB's City Connect Series, a program to push for alternate designs of uniforms. Abandoning the traditional white uniform with red lettering, the new one in yellow with blue lettering. I'm not a Red Sox fan, but I think messing with one of the most iconic uniforms is asinine. See for yourself below. Said chief revenue officer Noah Garden, "It was front and center and this is why we did this deal. You take two iconic brands and you put them together and you have one and one make three." A sentence which makes about as much sense as this program.

***THEY SAID IT***

 "April 8 starts the “Frozen Four” finals for the NCAA championship in men’s ice hockey. Not that most Americans, including me until last week, could name the teams involved."  -- Janice Hough

"The Rover is searching for water on Mars. They should’ve sent me there with my golf clubs. I’d have found water by my third tee shot."  -- Argus Hamilton

" Russian bodybuilder Kirill ‘Popeye’ Tereshin is facing a bunch of surgical repairs after injecting his arms with petroleum jelly to make his muscles bulge. Wouldn’t it have been much safer just to eat lots of spinach?"  -- Gary Bachman

"After his 11th-seeded team’s ugly 51-49 victory over top-seeded Michigan in the East Regional title game: “Stats are for losers … You can crumble up that stat sheet tonight."  -- UCLA coach Mike Cronin 

"Eight years ago at Augusta, Tiger Woods got in trouble for an improper drop. And for once it wasn't his pants."  -- RJ Currie

"Working title for a documentary about MLB managers’ worst umpiring nightmare: “Angel’s In The Infield.”  -- Dwight Perry

"Gov. Greg Abbott has lifted all COVID-19 restrictions in the Lone Star State, meaning the Texas Rangers’ home opener might be a sellout. The rules there are now so lenient that even catcher’s masks aren’t mandatory."  -- Dwight Perry

"It should be no surprise that Baylor gunned down previously unbeaten Gonzaga 86-70 to win the NCAA Tournament. Hasn't Texas always been big on the right to arm Bears?"  -- RJ Currie

"The Spike Lee/Barkley/Jackson spots during the NCAA Tournament are dumbed down more than usual which I thought was impossible. They're geared toward viewers with the intellect of a garden rake."  -- Brad Dickson

Chad Picasner

IT'S OPENING DAY

 If you've followed baseball religiously, as I have since 1954, this is your favorite day. This will be my 67th opening day and I'm ready to go. I've been in training and I can still eat a hot dog and drink a beer and never miss a pitch. Of course, these days I'll be asleep for the seventh inning stretch, but that's what ESPN is for. 

**A couple of rule changes from last season will remain in effect such as both games of double headers will be seven innings. I prefer the old minor league system: First game 9 innings, second game 7 innings. Unfortunately there will be no universal Designated Hitter. That will be used only in American League parks. That's too bad since I feel the biggest asset is that it keeps older players in the game longer. I don't care for starting a runner at second for extra innings, that one will be there. There will be others but these three are the biggest.

**Angel Hernandez has lost his discrimination suit against MLB. Angel got shut down quite decisively by U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken. "The explicit reason MLB offers -- that according to Torre, Hernandez 'has not demonstrated the leadership ability and situation-management skills in critical high-pressure roles on a consistent basis' -- is presented in clear and specific terms." In other words, Hernandez did not perform well in high pressure situations. I think that's wrong. I don't think Hernandez  performs well in any situation. How can one person make so many glaring errors and on national television no less.

**Texas Governor Greg  Abbott has lifted the state' mandatory mask policy and the Rangers Globe Life Park in Arlington will allow 100% capacity (aprox. 40,000 fans) for opening day, however fans will be required to wear masks. No other club will allow more than 50% capacity, some as low as 12%. At least the Governor will be safe up in his mansion.

**Speaking of Opening Day, I love the way schedule makers like to show us how important they are. Either that or they are devious little people. Why, for example, do they do this: NY vs Toronto - In New York not in Toronto's dome? Atlanta goes to Philadelphia? The Dodgers get sent to Colorado - they should have the last blizzard cleared out by then. Houston is going to Oakland. Well, the weather will be no problem but nobody likes to play in Oakland - not even Oakland. They did send Minnesota down south - all the way to Milwaukee. Baseball tradition was the first game of the season was in Cincinnati. This year the first game will be in New York. It will also be the first game postponed on account of weather.  It doesn't matter; just hoist one of those $15 beers and play on!

**One more weekend of college basketball. Two games on Saturday and the Championship game on Monday. This year it's all Texas (Baylor-Houston) vs all West Coast (UCLA-Gonzaga). To hear my friend Janice Hough tell it, we here in the East don't really care. Actually I would love to see Gonzaga vs Baylor for all the marbles.

**In the world of high finance, players continue to ask for outrageous amounts of money. Francisco Lindor wanted $32 million a year from the Mets but owner Steve Cohen said no way. You'll take $34 million a year and like it. I'm glad he's not doing my taxes. (Actually. Lindor asked for 12 years, Cohen gave him 10 years)

**A quote from my favorite fighter, from Dwight Perry's column: 

The late Marvelous Marvin Hagler didn’t need his fists to land a good jab. In 1985, when Thomas Hearns opened a cut above Hagler’s eye during their celebrated middleweight fight, referee Richard Steele called time to check it out, and this ensued: Steele: “Marvin, can you see?”Hagler: “I ain’t missing him, am I?”

***THEY SAID IT***

"If these CBS and Turner NCAA Tournament voices are so word-slick, why hasn’t “punched their ticket” become “scan their ticket”?"  -- Phil Mushnick

"A startled golfer plunged into a 5.5-metre sinkhole that opened up beneath him on an Illinois fairway. Talk about a free drop."  -- RJ Currie

"I know coaches never like to look ahead … but Oregon needs only five more forfeits to win the national title."  -- John Canzano

"How competitive is the NCAA Tournament? Oregon State plays Loyola Chicago tomorrow and tonight OSU fans are burning Sister Jean in effigy."  -- Brad Dickson

"Hope it isn’t a bad sign that Opening Day is also April Fool’s Day."  -- Janice Hough

"Syracuse needs its 3-point shots to fall to win this game; not happening in 1^st half.  In the second half, Houston was almost playing “Box-and-1” on Buddy Boeheim."  -- Jack Finarelli

"Brian Cashman, GM of the Bronx Bombers, pays his ex over $1 million annually in their divorce settlement. So Yankee Stadium isn't his only costly diamond."  -- RJ Currie 

"Ohio State safety Marcus Hooker was arrested on DUI charges after he passed out behind the wheel while waiting in a McDonald’s drive-thru line.Defense lawyers can’t decide whether to enter a plea of guilty, not guilty or “I deserve a break today.”  -- Dwight Perry

" So as March Madness continues, who are casual college basketball fans going to root for, now that the game’s most well-known star is gone from the tournament? Talking of course about Sister Jean."  -- Janice Hough

"Krispy Kreme is offering a free glazed doughnut to anyone who gets a vaccine. The problem is that Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts are actually worse for you than Covid."  -- Brad Dickson

"The Houston Rockets finally snapped their long losing streak — 20 games — with a 117-99 win over Toronto. That sound you hear is ex-Washington Generals popping Champagne corks."  -- Dwight Perry

Chad Picasner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE YEARS BIGGEST SPORTS WEEKEND

 Whatever sport you into, there's probably something on TV this weekend for you, with the possible exception of tennis.

**Baseball - Granted it's only spring training games, but by this time, all the minor leaguers who have little chance of making opening day have been sent down, so the best players will be on the field. There are 14 on the schedule all three days. 42 games is probably too many for me these days, I can't drink that much beer any more. They're televised on each teams network.

**NASCAR - There are three races scheduled this weekend - two on Saturday and one on Sunday, all at Atlanta Motor Speedway on FS1.

**The NBA - There are 25 games scheduled for this weekend. I will not watch any of them. 

**College Basketball - Unless your cave doesn't have cable, you know this is the start of March Madness. Actually, it started the last two nights with 4 NIT games and 4 NCAA games. The NCAA games were the First Four Games or what they used to call, The Play-in games. Eight teams that didn't make it into the 64-team field, but were deemed "kinda good," 

 they got a second chance. Not the best endorsement for your program, but at least it's not the NIT. I heard that most coaches actually asked the team if they wanted to play in the NIT. Some teams (Duke, for one) said no. Still, they were worth watching. Three of the six on last night were one point games. The only blowout was the NC State/Davidson games which was really over with 10 minutes left in the 2nd half. 

The NIT has two games today and two games on Saturday. The final games are next weekend.

The NCAA Tourney has 28 games scheduled for Friday and Saturday. The games start at noon today and probably won't end till about midnight, with the same schedule on Saturday. There could be as many as five games on at the same time. I love college basketball and there is only one thing I won't like about the next two days: I don't know how many times I'm gonna hear all those cute phrases and trite comments we've got to suffer through until Sunday morning. 

"You have to know where so-and-so is every minute." There's only ten guys on the court and you came with four of them, how hard is it to find five guys, especially with different uniforms.

"He's good off the bounce." I assume they mean the ball.

""He can score from anywhere." On the court, on campus, in the back seat...I mean anywhere.

There are more and you'll know them all by Saturday night.

One thing I have noticed. The coaches all wear masks but a lot of them pull them down when arguing with the ref or berating their players. 

**Women's Gymnastics -  There championship tournament is on Saturday. Two 2-hour events involving 4 teams in each event. Total score wins. The players are given scores based on the quality of their performance, so it's all kind of subjective except for when they fall, but they don't do this very often. It is televised so there is one problem. Four teams and four different exercises all going on at the same time, so you get a split screen with four events at once. It's hard to watch. I tried to tape it one year, but Spectrum TV called me and said "Are you crazy? If you want to tape all four exercises, you need three more TVs."

At any rate, this should fill up your weekend. 

One sad note: One of my favorite fighters - maybe my all-time favorite - Marvelous Marvin Hagler died this week from an undisclosed illness. He was 66. He was a true champion, ducked no one and gave his all every time out. His championship bout against Tommy 'The Hitman'  Hearns may have been the best fight ever and certainly the best I ever saw.

***THEY SAID IT***

"A brawl reportedly broke out at a New Hampshire retirement centre during a bingo game. It looked like a hockey fight, except with more teeth."  -- RJ Currie

"The Mets and Yankees will be allowed to start the season at 20% capacity. Presume they’ll make up for it with concessions. So will beers at Yankee Stadium be offered on a low-interest payment plan?"  -- Janice Hough

"The Mariners produced four straight ties in spring-training games March 3-6 — 8-8 against the Cubs, 9-9 against the Rockies, 2-2 against the White Sox and 1-1 against the A’s.And just in case baseball’s rulesmakers go getting any more bright ideas, M’s players are suddenly practicing penalty kicks."  -- Dwight Perry

"Ravens coach John Harbough paid the entire $2200 plus restaurant bill during a Baltimore charity event. So he covered the spread."  -- Jamison Hensley

"Dish Network and Draft Kings  just struck a deal that will allow fans to place bets on sporting events from their televisions during the games. Okay, we're going to need another $1.9 trillion bailout very soon."  -- Brad Dickson

"When we all have a couple days to guess at teams we’ve never watched play and cannot name a single player on, but we’re about to get passionately involved in their winning and losing."  -- Janice Hough

 "After Texas punched its ticket (ugh!) to the NCAA Tournament by defeating Oklahoma State, Texas guard Matt Coleman III, into an ESPN microphone, declared, “This is what I came to school for!” The colleges continue to serve as false fronts for basketball programs. In other businesses, that’s called racketeering. It’s a felony."  -- Phil Mushnick

"A Husker school record was just set in the men's 60-meter dash. The record was set by coach Bill Moos trying to get away from reporters asking why he's afraid to play Oklahoma."  -- Brad Dickson

 "Top-seeded basketball teams have to avoid COVID-19 as well as upsets in this year’s NCAA tournament. It gives new meaning to ‘survive and advance."  -- Bob Molinaro

Chad Picasner

 

 

AHH, SPORTS, SPORTS AND MORE SPORTS

Sports on TV makes retirement wonderful again.

**On an off-day workout, the Mets practiced their "We-won-the-World-Series" celebration. They have this event where they try to make 27 outs without making an error. When they accomplished it, they all ran to the center of the diamond and celebrated. Sounds crazy, but not unheard of. During the 1982-1983 college basketball season, NC State coach, Jim Valvano had his team practice cutting down the nets on a regular basis at the end of a workout. Valvano claimed it instilled a championship mind set in his players. Think that was silly? That team won the National Championship as one of college basketball's all-time Cinderella teams and the net-cutting was perfect. 

**It appears that Syracuse University's chances of making the NCAA Tournament are pretty slim. They lost a heart breaker to Virginia yesterday on a last-second three point shot by a Cavalier who hadn't scored the whole game.  Buddy Boeheim continues to amaze with his long distance accuracy. He was 11-20 from the three-point line in two games in the ACC Tournament, a shocking 55%. I hope SU gets into some kind of post-season tournament. He is fun to watch.

**Speaking of the NCAA Tournament, also called March Madness or The Big Dance, I think I enjoy this event more than the World Series or the Super Bowl, for a number of reasons.  First, the matchups are very even. In what other sport can a team from say, Gonzaga University (approx 7500 students) compete successfully against an Ohio State University (approx 61,000 students). Ohio State may have 53,000 more students but they can only put five of them on the floor at once. Secondly, every game is one-and-done, so the players go all out and it seems every game is a nail biter. Before the pandemic, there would be two sets of cheerleaders, both crying at the end, one because they won, one because they lost. It's indicative of how emotionally involved both teams are. Third, even if you've never heard of a school before, it's difficult to not root for one or the other because of the obvious efforts the players give. Lastly, there is always a "Cinderella team," a team that has no business lasting more than one round, that you really enjoy watching and rooting for them...unless they're playing your team. Of course, there are the multitude of basketball brackets run by friends, co-workers or your neighborhood tavern, where you can make your picks based on careful research and information, or you can go by team colors or mascots.

**Speaking of which, Annie-O and I have had our own two-person bracket for years and I, the Expert, have yet to beat her. And no buzzer-beater is involved. I'm usually out of it before we get to the Elite Eight. That's when I hear that dreaded phrase, "But that's good for you, Honey." This year it's going to be different: I'm going to cheat.

**MLB is going to institute a number of experimental rule changes in the minor leagues this year, some good, some not so good and some idiotic.

1) Infielders must all have two feet on the infield dirt. Not a bad idea as it will cut down the extreme shifts somewhat.

2) A 15-second pitch clock. Okay, but maybe a little too extreme. This will take some watching.

3) Pitchers must step off the rubber before attempting a pick-off. I like this one because it will stop all the left-handers who have gradually eased their moves to the point that 95% of them are actually balks. This will increase the number of stolen bases against lefties which will add to the excitement of the game and increase the value of the player that has speed as a bit part of his game. 

4) Increase the size of the bases by three inches. This is the idiotic one. This is as bad as the three inch glove extensions they allow players to wear. They should dump both of these things. Now!

**Sunday is Selection Day for the NCAA Tournament. Sunday night is whining day for those teams that didn't make it. Next week, I'll write about the teams, the team mascots and the  matchups. So Monday will be Sarcasm Day for Chad.

***THEY SAID IT***

"Replay struck, as three reviews, all lengthy, were enacted during the final minute.  One was for a baseline possession that was reviewed at least five times before it was decided by a group shrug."  -- Phil Mushnick

"The Minnesota Vikings are turning their practice facility into a community COVID-vaccination site. Hardcore fans are demanding to take their shots downfield."  -- Dwight Perry

"The NCAA says March Madness Tournament basketball teams will need a minimum of FIVE healthy players on their roster. Uh, so if does this mean if someone fouls out do teams play four on five like they did in youth leagues sometimes?"  -- Janice Hough

" A study of beer drinking among MLB fans found Blue Jays patrons lead the majors in one category: starting to drink before the opening pitch. Another joke that just wrote itself."  -- RJ Currie  

"Players hate going to the NBA All-Star Game — as they should — and get upset when they’re not invited.”  -- Nick Canepa

 "Any NBA player who complains that a teammate was snubbed  in the All-Star selection process must name the player he'd remove from the team."  -- Bob Molinaro

"Los Angeles, for example, could sell 11,200 seats to Dodger Stadium at 20% capacity. So all Dodger game crowds will look like game crowds in the first or last three innings."  -- Janice Hough

"Earlier on Fox, the last minutes of Wisconsin-Iowa, a close one, took the time it takes to cook a 15-pound turkey."  -- Phil Mushnick

"Archaeologists working north of Pompeii have uncovered a ceremonial chariot — leaving scientists amazed at the stellar condition of the iron elements, bronze decorations and mineralized wooden remains.Not to mention the NASCAR sticker on the rear bumper."  -- Dwight Perry

Chad Picasner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AND WE'RE OFF!!

 Spring Training games start this Sunday so it's time for the teams to put up or shut up.

**Cam Newton, 31-year-old soon-to-be-free-agent QB, last week said, "I’ve spent thousands and thousands of dollars — maybe even millions of dollars--on clothes I only wore once." Now why would you be proud of that? And why tell the world?

**Now a third member of the NY Mets has been fired over inappropriate  actions against women, specifically female sports reporters. This is ridiculous, will it never end? This is what I call double stupid. Not only do they say and do these inappropriate things, but they also leave a paper trail. I leave you with one thought: My Dad always drummed this into my head - "You always respect the women."

**The Yankees have resigned Bret Gardner for 1 year at $4 million. He's the  the longest tenured Yankee. He started in 2008, and while he's no HOF candidate, he's a very serviceable player and at 36 years old, he can still handle center field. Good move Cashman.

**I love this headline on the NY Post: "Gerrit Cole mad at the ‘bad faith’ in baseball that was just exposed" I pretty sure he wasn't talking about the $324 million contract he just signed. That's not bad faith, of course,  that's just bad judgement.

**The Yanks first spring training game is Sunday. If the teams follow their usual pattern, the regulars will play three innings and then a bunch of guys with three digit numbers on their backs will appear on the field for the last six innings. And yes, I'm so desperate for baseball, I'll still be watching.

**The NY Yankees seemingly led the league for the last two years in players lost to injuries. It's supposed to be different this year, because of their new strength and conditioning coach.  After one complete day of workouts, pitcher Clarke Schmidt has strained a tendon in his elbow and is out for at least three weeks. At least everyone made it through the uniform fittings.

**Tim Tebow has officially retired. I'm not sure from what.

**Bradford Doolittle, a writer for ESPN, has made his predictions for the baseball season, picking quite logically, the Dodgers and the Yankees as number one & number two with Atlanta & Houston next. What else could he do? All these prognosticators have to go on is last years results. All the teams have made moves, some of which will seriously impact their seasons and some that won't. Someday, some gutsy writer will come out with a list that will include a team that on paper has no chance. He'll be wrong, of course, but I will admire his bold choice.

***THEY SAID IT***

"Marie Antoinette, beheaded former queen of France, never played hockey. If she had, history would note her as out indefinitely with an upper body injury."  -- RJ Currie

"Duke star Jalen Johnson has opted out of the rest of his freshman season to preserve his health for the 2021 NBA draft. Or, as veteran Cameron Crazy “Bluto” Blutarskyput it: “Seven months of college down the drain."  -- Dwight Perry

"After the Buffalo Sabres got shut out at home for their fourth straight loss, I bought a cardboard cutout to honor my aunt who passed away. Can I come pick it up so she doesn’t have to watch this any more?"  -- Chris Calarco

"Saw Tom Brady on one of the boats celebrating the Super Bowl victory. I thought for sure he’d be walking on the water."  -- Patti Dawn Swansson

"NHL Outdoor game between Golden Knights and Avalanche stopped after first period, and rescheduled to restart at midnight  now, after sunshine caused deteriorating ice conditions earlier. So add to 2021 insanity… a major professional sporting event postponed because the weather was too good?"  -- Janice Hough

"Below is the new Arby's burger known as "The Widowmaker." How fast can we get a vaccine for this?'  -- Brad Dickson

"I suspect that the Marlins’ decision to allow a 25 percent capacity into its ballpark is a scheme to increase their attendance."  -- NY Post reader Joe Napoleone (From Phil Mushnick, column)

"The Indianapolis Colts acquired QB Carson Wentz from the Eagles for a third-round pick, a second-round pick and a thank you note from Wentz to be sent later."  -- RJ Currie

"Another Tiger Woods’ accident and good fortune instead again lies in the fact he hasn’t killed anyone, including himself."  -- Phil Mushnick

"Look, if the NBA stars think the NBA All-Star Game is a bad idea, they have it in their power to make things right from their perspective.  Just do not show up for the game."  -- Jack Finarelli

"A person took s swing at Mike Tyson as he was signing autographs after his recent fight with Roy Jones, Jr. No arrests have been made, but police are searching for a man who's lost his mind."  -- Patti Dawn Swansson

Chad Picasner

IT'S ALMOST TIME

It's that time of the year when all 30 teams expect to be in the World Series. Well, not the Orioles maybe, but every other team.

**Yankee Stadium opens as a coronavirus vaccination site. Well, that's one way to give the team a shot in the arm.

**Move over Bobby Bonilla, your $1.2 million  a year until 2035, is now in second place for the craziest contract. The Dodgers will be paying Trevor Bauer approx. $120,000 an inning for the next two years. One complete game for Trevor and there goes your record, Bobby. To carry Bauer's contract to another extreme, that's close to $10,000 per pitch, which could lead to this conversation on the mound: Mgr: "How do you feel, Trevor?"  Bauer: " I think I got about $40,000 left in me, Skipper."

**Speaking of overpaid athletes, here's an oddity. The Angels just signed Shohei Otani to a two-year deal for $8.5 million. For a baseball's only two-way player and Rookie of the year winner, this seems reasonable. Of course, Otani is a few years away from free agency, so he has very little leverage in the negotiations, so one could say the Angels were being generous. On the other hand, they are paying Mike Trout $35.5 million a year for 12 years, so there might not be a lot of money left in owner Artie Moreno's wallet.

**You can't discuss sports - any sport - without dragging statistics into it, but how much faith can you actually put in those numbers? A lot of times those numbers are subjective, determined by a stat-head sitting in a booth or at a table where the actual achievement is awarded by some guy with a pencil.A big bugaboo of mine is watching a ball hit to a fielder who can't come up with it but the batter is "given" a hit because it was so hard hit. Bullroar! Those are major-leaguers with a glove. Catch the ball or catch the error. Even college basketball stats are not to be trusted. Here are two examples: In last nights Syracuse - N.C. State game, a Syracuse shot went awry and the announcers wondered if maybe State player Manny Bates blocked it. Even with instant replay, slo-mo and multiple angles available to them, they couldn't tell. One of the announcers actually said, "We'll have to wait and see if Bates was awarded a block." Who was going to make that decision? Manny's Mom?  But there it is in this morning's stat sheet; Manny got credited with a block  - plus two others. Manny's Mom must have called them in. Second questionable stat came from Syracuse point guard Joe Girardi III. He was charged with one turnover. ONE! I saw him lose his dribble to a defender twice plus throw a pass away and yet he ends up with only one turnover. I guess Joe's Mom has that same phone number. BTW, after watching him for two seasons now, I don't think Girardi is a point guard. He should be the shooting guard with someone else bringing the ball down. He'll score more and Syracuse will have fewer turnovers. Boeheim doesn't seem too happy with him either, because he often gets pulled after making an error or two. He plays fewer minutes than any other Syracuse starter, unusual for your primary ball handler.

**Not a good time to be a baseball free agent, especially a decent, but not great, free agent. Teams are playing a waiting game , hoping that players they are interested in will lower their asking price to a team-friendly level. There are still about a dozen free agents  (all under 32 years old) that normally would be signed by now, but there they sit. One that really puzzles me is catcher Austen Romine. He's now 32 and maybe he's not an every day player, but he may be a great backup. The Cardinals just resigned 38 year-old Yadier Molina to a one year $9 million deal. Probably could have had Romine for half that and been set for a few years.

***THEY SAID IT***

"The sun came up this morning. In related news, QB Tom Brady won the Super Bowl."  -- RJ Currie

"Tom Brady apparently immediately after Super Bowl texted an apology to Chiefs’ Tyrann Mathieu “for several on-field verbal altercations.” Now you REALLY wonder what Brady said to him on the field?"  -- Janice Hough

"Last Tuesday’s Sabres-Islanders hockey game was postponed because of snow. Which, when you think of it, is kind of like a swim meet getting rained out."  -- Dwight Perry

" COVID shutdowns forced Cirque de Soleil to declare bankruptcy. There haven't been so many clowns not working this side of the Jacksonville Jaguars."  -- RJ Currie

"Ex-Mariners ace Felix Hernandez,  who just signed with the Orioles, opted out of the 2020 season. With 500 days between starts, he should be well-rested."  -- Bob Molinaro

"NFL used all kinds of COVID-19 protocols to make it to Super Bowl. Now they’re having 22,000 fans & many events, in Florida, where Gov. DeSantis has fought every sensible safety measure scientists devised. It’s like celebrating making it through wildfire season with a bonfire."  -- Janice Hough

"Kendrick Perkins says ex-Thunder teammate James Harden shot poorly in the 2012 NBA Finals because he spent too much time in Miami’s King of Diamonds strip club. Which probably explains why the old bromide isn’t known as Win One For The Strippers."  -- Dwight Perry

Chad Picasner

 

 

TWO WEEKS UNTIL PITCHERS & CATCHERS (MAYBE)

 MLB & MLBBPA are still negotiating it but it looks like it will be in two weeks. MLB wanted to delay spring training a month, presumably to allow for more players to be immunized and also the fans. Not a bad idea, but I think the players didn't want to go thru another session of what percentage their pay would be cut. It may be very difficult to protect players because there will be so many more players in the camps than during the regular season. Arizona (The Cactus League) has stricter rules about the protection  than Florida (The Grapefruit League), so this may be a minor test of how effective the masks and social distancing rules actually are.

**The Yankees have a minor league super prospect named Jasson Dominguez (the spelling is correct). How's this for a start to your career: He won't be 18 until Feb. 7th, he signed a contract with a $5.1 million bonus and he has yet to play one professional inning. His nickname is "The Martian" because his talent is "out of this world." He is a switch-hitting outfielder with blazing speed. 

**Goodbye to Dustin Pedroia. He officially retired on Sunday, but he has appeared in only 9 games since 2017. He doesn't have Hall Of Fame numbers and neither did Thurman Munson, but both will live on in the hearts and minds of their fans. Pedroia never got cheated in his at bats. He had the wildest swing I'd ever seen. Here's the best thing I could say about him: I hated to see him play against the Yankees.

**Another former Mets official has been accused of sexual misconduct. Former manager Mickey Callaway was accused by five women for sending inappropriate texts and other advances. The Mets claim to have no prior knowledge of those acts, the same as accusations against former GM Jared Porter. I have to believe the Mets would not have ignored those claims and hired those two anyway, but it is quite a coincidence.

**The Superbowl is Sunday, as if the network would let you. I think the pregame shows have already started. It looks like NFL will allow 22,000 fans to be in the stadium. Because the game is in Tampa, kind of a home game for the Buccaneers, the Kansas City Chiefs are currently  only a 3 point favorite. I've read where the presence of Tom Brady is also a factor but I wasn't too impressed with his performance against the Packers. I thought the Bucs game plan was the deciding factor. If I haven't passed out from all the pregame snacks, I will watch and root for the Chiefs because Annie-O doesn't like Brady. 

***THEY SAID IT***

"Many of us have reached new levels of desperation in looking for entertainment during this pandemic. But proud to report at least I have no regrets that this Sunday we don’t have viewing option of NFL Pro Bowl."  -- Janice Hough

"Latin is one of the Pope's Twitter languages. If I translated some tweets correctly, his hopes for the coming year are global peace and Notre Dame kicking Bama butt."  -- RJ Currie

"There’s been a grassroots call for the Atlanta Braves to rename themselves the Hammers, in honor of Hammerin’ Hank Aaron. Better hope Mariner fans don’t get any similar notions regarding Randy “The Big Unit” Johnson."  -- Dwight Perry

"I think Curt Schilling is a social troglodyte – meaning no disrespect to cave dwellers in antiquity.  But he will not be the most repugnant person in the Hall of Fame if inducted."  -- The Sports Curmudgeon

Okay, not sports but really funny: "The last name of the person in charge of Nebraska's vaccination process is "Ling." I'm pretty sure her first name is "Ding-A."  -- Brad Dickson

"Last season in 211 at-bats, A’s infielder Marcus Semien batted .223. This week he signed a one-year, $18 million deal to play for Toronto. I still can’t decide what I want to be when I grow up, but I’m leaning toward the expendable — a backup MLB infielder."  -- Phil Mushnick

"Eight years ago at the Aussie Open, Maria Sharapova blanked her first two opponents in straight sets—6-0, 6-0 and 6-0, 6-0. It was the most love I'd seen since the Sixties."  -- RJ Currie

 "The Blue Jays signed ex-Astros star George Springer. Apparently Springer leaked the news of his signing by banging on the lid of a trash can."  -- Patti Dawn Swansson

"The Miami Heat is employing coronavirus-sniffing dogs to screen fans attending their home games. The Jacksonville Jaguars, not to be outdone, brought in a bomb-sniffing dog — but it passed out inside their locker room."  -- Dwight Perry

Chad Picasner

 

 

 

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS

 It's been one of those weeks when you don't know whether to laugh or cry...sometimes both.

**THE GOOD NEWS

Congratulations to Sarah Thomas who will become the first female official in the Superbowl. She will be wearing #53 and she will be the Head Linesman...er lineswoman (?) linesperson(?). So if your particular team is not playing, or you're not rooting for either team, and (I never thought I'd say this) here is a good choice. Root for Sarah Thomas.

Certainly good news to George Springer who signed a 6-year, $150 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. I would bet that J.T Realmuto and Trevor Bauer are not unhappy with this news since both are probable $100 million plus when they eventually sign.

**THE BAD NEWS

We have lost another baseball star. Hall of Famer Don Sutton has passed on at age 75. He won 324 games in his 23 seasons with 58 shutouts. He also had 178 complete games. Someone needs to explain to today's managers and pitching coaches what a complete game is. 

Another idiot texting inappropriate comments and pictures to women. When Jared Porter was the Director of Professional Scouting for the Chicago Cubs, he sent some 60 texts and pictures to a female reporter under the guise of inside information to trick her into opening the e-mails. On December 13, 2020, he was hired by the NY Mets as General Manager. He lasted barely 5 weeks before the story surfaced and the Mets canned him. Two questions: How did this idiot think this was appropriate behavior let alone get away with it and how did the Mets not research his background a little more closely before hiring him? Hopefully, we've heard the last of Porter unless you go to a McDonald's and he asks you if you want fries with that. Actually, no way McDonald's would ever hire him either.

**MORE GOOD NEWS

Could have added this to the above section but I didn't want to end on a sour note. This Sunday's football games will probably be the best of the year. The teams will fight the hardest of any games in the season just to get into the Super Bowl. They will go all out and that makes for exciting games for us fans. (This is to keep Annie-O happy: Go Bills)

Watching the Syracuse  Orange play basketball is really exciting when their two sharpshooters, Joe Girard III and Buddy Boeheim are hitting their long range shots. Especially Girard's shots which sometimes look like he's shooting from half court. When he takes that kind of shot,  it's fun to hear Annie-O: "Oh lord! What's he think he's....wow! Attaboy, Joe."  

I don't know if this is good news or bad news. Throughout his coaching career, Urban Meyer's reputation has been tarnished by charges that when he was the head coach of the Florida gators, he turned a blind eye to the outside activities of his players when 31 were arrested at various times for charges ranging from minor (possession of alcohol by a minor) to aggravated assault, carrying a concealed weapon and burglary. At Ohio State, he was suspended for three games for failure to act on the spousal abuse activities of  his assistant coach. In December of 2018, he announced that he was retiring from coaching for health reasons.  Of course, the best treatment for that is money. Meyer recently signed a contract to coach the Jacksonville Jaguars for a reported $12 million annually. I'm sure he feels better already.

***THEY SAID IT***

"Cleveland's AFC wild-card victory in Pittsburgh was their first playoff win away from home since beating the Cowboys in Dallas on Dec 28th, 1969! They've had more calamity on the road than Hope and Crosby."  -- RJ Currie

"Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron got vaccinated against COVID-19 in Georgia on Tuesday, hoping to send a message to Black Americans that the shots are safe.Hey, after getting drilled countless times by Gibson and Drysdale, what’s one more?"  -- Dwight Perry

"ESPN reports Philip Rivers “is retiring from football, ending his 17-year career as one of the most prolific quarterbacks in NFL history.” In his announcement Rivers thanked his wife and NINE children. So “prolific” is a nice choice of words."  -- Janice Hough

"Prop Bets: Which playoff telecast Sunday will include the loudest fake crowd noise?"  -- Phil Mushnick

"Some words of advice to any San Antonio Spur contemplating divorce. Remember the alimony."  -- RJ Currie 

" Steph Curry's rookie card sold at auction for  $611,000. So now we have a better understanding of why the very rich need those tax breaks."  -- Bob Molinaro

"We will soon find out if the Nets new ball-hungry big three, James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant learned their lessons about ‘sharing with others’ in kindergarten."  -- Jack Finarelli 

"Rams quarterback Jared Goff dislocated and broke his thumb, popped it back in himself and finished the game. I once called in sick with a case of hiccups."  -- Alex Kaseberg

"So little consistency now in this world. But after a 5-3 start, good to know that with 5 straight losses the NY Knicks have shown they are still the Knicks."  -- Janice Hough

"After Titans defensive back Kenny Vaccaro knocked down a pass, ESPN’s Louis Riddick called it “a PBU.” Pro Bowl Underwear? Public Bath Ukulele? Editor and sparring partner Drew Loftis informs us, it’s for “pass breakup."  -- Phil Mushnick.

"The NHL announced that each division will have a sponsor names this year, The NFL is expected to follow suit starting with Waste Management NFC East"  -- fark.com

"A spicy peanut butter six times hotter than the strongest chili was being sold in England under the label Instant Regret. No, wait — that may be the name of a new Jacksonville Jaguars season ticket package."  -- RJ Currie

Chad Picasner

 

 

 

 

 

IT'S CHAMPIONSHIP MONTH

 It's the start of the NFL Playoffs where it's win or go home. Tomorrow, the college championship is on the line, where it doesn't matter, win or lose and both teams go home.

**We'll start with baseball. The Mets blew up the Silly Season by completing a monster trade with Cleveland for arguably the best shortstop in baseball and a front line starting pitcher. Not to be outdone, the Yanks went out and traded for a 6th outfielder from the Padres, Greg Allen. Allen is noted for his speed which will come into play when the Yanks send him to Scranton in mid-March, by foot. Where's George when you need him?

**The Buffalo Bills won their first playoff game in some 20 years. If Annie-O is any judge, Bills fans are ecstatic but were very nervous at the end. Annie-O bit her fingernails down to the first knuckle. She says not to worry, they'll have time to grow back by next weekend, when she'll find something else to bite. I think I'm nervous.

**In other games, Tom Brady (remember him?) led Tampa Bay to their first playoff win since 2002, over Washington. Next week, we'll get to see how Brady does against a professional football team.

Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson is contemplating retirement. Based on his performance last night, I'd say he retired at halftime. The usually mobile quarterback was sacked five times by a usually slow-footed Rams defense. He completed just 11 passes for a mere 174 yards. That's a tough way to go out, Wilson has been a class act his whole career. I wish him luck.

**The Syracuse Orange squeaked out another win. Boeheim plays his starters a long time and it shows at the last 7-8 minutes of the game. They get tired and that allows the other team to stage a come back. I'll tell you one guy I like to watch and that's Marek Dolezaj. He has a great soft touch around the basket, is a great passer and can run the floor with any guard in the country. He's too skinny to play in the middle but that kid is TOUGH. Last night, he got elbowed in the mouth and ended up with a chipped tooth and a bloody mouth...oh, and a smile on his face. He never missed a minute. 

** Former Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda has passed away a age 93. He was quite a character and always fun to listen to. Smart baseball man, too, so you had to pay attention. He had his feuds too. He hated the Phillies Phanatic, the Philadelphia mascot and he really disliked Reggie Jackson, stemming from an incident in the World Series against the Yankees when Reggie stuck out his hip to deflect a throw to first base...and got away with it. Tommy went absolutely ballistic. Some years later, he and Reggie happened to appear in the booth with Tim McCarver and another announcer, during a televised baseball game, to be interviewed. The discussion immediately turned to that play in the World Series and Tommy went bananas again. Reggie shut up, knowing anything he would say would set  Lasorda off again. This went on for about five minutes, at which point, I wanted to personally shoot a smirking McCarver for letting it go on. McCarver should have shown the respect Tommy deserved by shutting down the interview. I'll never forgive McCarver for that. I apologize for the rant.

**Here's a headline that's hard to believe: "Doug Pederson in danger of being fired by Eagles"

Here's a coach who led his team to last place in the very weak NFC East and basically tanked the last game of the season, a game that held major importance to two other teams, and he's only "in danger"  of being fired? I'm surprised he still had a job when he walked off the field after the last game.

**Two more new sports terms that have no true meaning but sportscasters use them just to sound hip (which they're not).

"Targets" - A football term meant to indicate who the ball was being thrown to. In itself, it's okay, but statisticians are now keeping track and listing it. Who gets to be a target when the QB throws the ball out of bounds to avoid a sack? How about spiking the ball? (The ground got two spikes today)

"Scoring the basketball" - What they mean is, he threw the ball into the basket and scored points. I envision a guy with a knife cutting the basketball. The ball then becomes as useless as this term.

***THEY SAID IT***

 "Michigan signed football coach Jim Harbaugh to a five-year extension. To be fair this WAS the first year the Wolverines didn’t lose to Ohio State."  -- Janice Hough

 "Dodgers star Mookie Betts just got engaged to his childhood sweetheart, Brianna Hammonds. If you're scoring at home, that's 15 years to turn a single into a double."  -- RJ Currie

 "The best thing about not being rich is that you’ll never have to write million dollar checks to pay undeserving players on the team you own."  -- Phil Mushnick

"Yankee GM Brian Cashman continues to work around the contract of Giancarlo Stanton, which sometimes makes Yanks fans think an oil derrick has been built in the middle of Yankee Stadium."  -- Mike Lupica

 "Lions DB Mike Ford got penalized for taunting after teammate Jamal Agnew’s 74-yard punt return cut the Buccaneers’ lead to 40-7.They had to rule it taunting, because there’s no such thing as 15 yards for stupidity."  -- Dwight Perry

"Not sure how this happened, but my old company touch-football team has a chance to make it into the NFL playoffs as a wild card."  -- Alex Kaseberg

"Packers QB Aaron Rodgers says  he can squat 405 pounds. Last time I squatted 405 pounds, I kneeled in church."  -- Nick Canepa

 "So after last night’s in game tank job can Philadelphia’s NFL team change their song to “Lie Down Like an Eagle?”"  -- Janice Hough

"Aaron Rodgers is the NFL’s MVP; Buffalo’s Sean McDermott is Coach of the Year. No arguments will be entertained."  -- Bob Molinaro

"Crowds attending a festival of lights event in Essex, England, reportedly went home disappointed because organizers lost track of the “on” switch. This might also explain the Jacksonville Jaguars."  -- RJ Currie

"Jim Harbaugh has reached an incentive-laced contract extension to coach Michigan football coach through the 2025 season. No truth to the rumor that Ohio State boosters bankrolled the whole thing."  -- Dwight Perry

Chad Picasner

 

 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

**Some people got an early Christmas present, Tony LaRussa for one. In a plea deal, he got his DUI charges reduced to Reckless Driving.  La Russa was sentenced to one day of home detention and fined nearly $1,400, and he is required to complete 20 hours of community service. Let me get this straight. He goes from DUI to DWI - Driving When Incompetent, and as a punishment, they sent him to his room for a day. I sure hope he's learned his lesson.

 **The Toronto Blue Jays have an interesting problem while trying to sign free agents. No, it's not the money that's creating the problem. Free agents want to know if the Blue Jays will be playing in Toronto. It seems Canadian officials haven't given the Blue Jays permission to play regular season games in Toronto yet. Toronto did play a number of regular season games in Buffalo at the end of last season. I don't think Toronto will go along with that again. especially if MLB decides to allow fans to attend the games.

 **Still no signings of the big money free agents. One of the problems facing both the players and the clubs is how long the season will be. If they only play 100 games for example, clubs will be reluctant to sign big contracts because they could go broke. Players don't want to sign reduced contracts, especially long term. Some of the major big money players are considering signing one year deals and wait till the 2022 season when things may open up a bit. Historically, however, no big signings take place during the holiday season, so nothing will be resolved until January.

**MLB has decided to alter the Negro Leagues status to Major league status and incorporate the statistics into the historical record. The Negro Leagues had some phenomenal players, no doubt, but the record keeping is somewhat spotty. Scheduling was so irregular, it was difficult to determine which games were official and which ones were exhibitions. There were many leagues and players often played for different clubs in different leagues in the same season. There is no way to determine level of quality since statistics and even players names were lost. I don't think this will ever be resolved and that is a shame since players like Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige definitely belong in the same conversation as baseball's best white players. I still maintain that people should make every effort to visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. Only then will you understand the heritage of the Negro Leagues and their players. 

**The Yankees have non-tendered two relievers who have been very effective in the past. Jonathan Holder has signed with the Cubs and Tommy Kahnle with the Dodgers. Most analysts believe that with the Yanks starting pitching so iffy, they'll need a strong bullpen. This isn't how you go about it. 

**This is very nice. People say bad things about the Yanks and complain because they have (and spend) so much money. This past season, they lost money, just like all the other clubs. Instead of whining about it, this is what they did:

The Yanks announced their economic support of local businesses.  Gave out 10 $5000 awards to local businesses, to be paired with a Community-Based Org. to provide food and services to the community. They donated 68,000 lbs of food for children in need. Also donated $200,000 worth of food vouchers for families preparing holiday meals. All for the area surrounding the Stadium. The Yanks also donated toys to children directly in the area, since their annual Winter Wonderland extravaganza where free food and toys were distributed to local families had to be cancelled due to the COVID. 

That's impressive.

***THEY SAID IT***

" The Consumer Price Index claims the 12 Days of Christmas today would cost $170,298. That's about $62,000 less than the Angels pay Mike Trout — per game."  -- RJ Currie

"The Washington Football Team QB Dwayne Haskins has apologized for a picture posted to social media, taken of him Sunday night, in a strip club, without a mask. You can take the stupid embarrassing name off the team, but apparently you can’t take the stupid embarrassing behavior off the team."  -- Janice Hough

"Buffalo clobbered Denver 48-19 in Mile High City. The Broncos all-orange Color Rush uniforms got trampled into Orange Crushed."  -- RJ Currie

"After the N.O. Saints 31-3 win over the hometown Denver Broncos, "I really felt bad for the cardboard fans.""  -- Saints Coach Sean Peyton 

"Big Ten officials just announced that Northwestern players must play the second half with one arm tied behind their backs. Anything to help Ohio State."  -- Brad Dickson

"What's it like watching your team lose 43-6 to the Falcons? When you go to the dentist and have to have your teeth pulled out. Pretty much like that." -- Raiders coach Jon Gruden

"After the Yankees signed Gerrit Cole for $324 million, they also announced that beer at the stadium will now cost $734."  -- Blogger Eric Stangel

"Nothing is certain but death, taxes, and the Falcons blowing big leads against Tom Brady."  -- Janice Hough

"Marco Wilson, the Florida DB who picked up an LSU player’s shoe and hurled it downfield to keep the Tigers’ winning drive alive. Who would’ve guessed that blaming a defeat on somebody throwing a shoe would involve a football game and not a horse race?"  -- Dwight Perry

"I want to be watching college basketball on a night when the fan cutouts storm the court."  -- Bob Molinaro

"So, last season Browns DE Myles Garrett, already fined for dirty play, ripped off the helmet of Steelers QB Mason Rudolph then clubbed him with it. This season Garrett is the Browns’ nominee for the Walter Payton Award for superior character, on and off the field. Wonder who finished second."  -- Phil Mushnick

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL MY FRIENDS

Chad Picasner

 

IN THE HEART OF THE SILLY SEASON

 **Let's start with something really silly, the annual Army-Navy game. Not the two services or the pageantry of the game, but the way this particular game was played. Army won the game 15-0 and it was a hard-fought game. Oh, not on the field, on the sidelines. There were 10 penalties, a lot of pushing and shoving, a sideline brawl and, if the reports are true, more trash talking than a Raiders game. Both teams played to not lose instead of winning. Because the game was played at West Point, Army lived up to it's training as ground forces, running the ball 53 times and passing only once. One pass...for 28 yards. Navy ran the ball 35 times with only 7 passes. Navy was severely handicapped because there was no water on the field, and their battleship wouldn't fit through the gate.  Hey, if you wanted passing, you should go watch an Air Force Academy game.. This was like watching two armies going into battle armed with pop guns. And we used to laugh at Woody Hayes' game plan of "three yards and a cloud of dust."

At least the uniforms were impressive. 

**No big free agent signings yet but plenty of posturing. The Yanks and LeMahieu are playing a game of high stakes brinkmanship. The two sides are supposedly $25 million apart. That sounds like a lot but lets wait until Hal Steinbrenner gets back from lunch with his credit card.

The Mets say they are open to a blockbuster trade but no names have been mentioned. The Dodgers name is listed as a possibility for every big name free agent. Sports writers are proposing trades and signings that make no sense, but then, that's their job. 

**MLB has decided to alter the state of the Negro Leagues and incorporate their statistics into an historical record. This is a big story, but that's for another posting. As  side note, Anne and I spent a few hours visiting the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) in Kansas City, MO. Very impressive and well run with some terrific exhibits. Well worth the time and the $10 admission fee. 

**The NY Giants and the Washington Football Team keep trading spots at the top of the NFC East.  I think they're both embarrassed to be there so they keep switching. This is kind of a reverse musical chairs. A lot of joy currently in my household since most of the family are Bills fans and the Bills look like a major player in the AFC. 

**From Phil Mushnicks column: "Still, the best idea never adopted was when former Reds infielder Chris Sabo ran a new minor league club in Florence, SC. Interviewing Sabo, Dan Patrick suggested they be called the Florence Hendersons."

***THEY SAID IT***

"Cardboard cutouts of six “Sopranos” characters — Tony Soprano, wife Carmella, henchman Paulie Walnuts, daughter Meadow, nephew Christopher and consigliere Silvio — were sitting courtside at Rutgers’ basketball game against Syracuse on Tuesday night.But no, Tim Donaghy wasn’t reffing the game."  -- Dwight Perry

"The death of legendary test pilot  Chuck Yeager — the first to break the sound barrier —  at age  97: “But if ANYONE could be in heaven before the Devil knew he was dead …”  -- Janice Hough

"Fox, with startling, screaming and a repeated bright red graphic: “BREAKING NEWS: Chiefs have clinched the AFC West.” Idiots."  -- Phil Mushnick

"Well at least losing 40-3 against the Seahawks meant no last second heartbreak this week for Jets fans."  -- Janice Hough

"A recent survey found men know far more about cars than sex. I can't claim to know much about either, but none of my cars has failed to start due to a headache."  -- RJ Currie

 "The LSU Tigers — they of the 3-5 record — have self-imposed a one-year bowl ban over improper booster payments to players.The 0-12 New York Jets, not to be outdone, immediately vowed to turn down any and all NFL playoff invitations."  -- Dwight Perry

Chad Picasner

 

 

 

 

AND WE'RE OFF AGAIN

 **Try this in the USA

The Fujian provincial Department of Education have rules for Women's Soccer that would never fly here. One of their rules state, "Athletes are not allowed to dye their hair, grow long hair (for boys), wear weird hairstyles, or wear any accessories." Tattoos are also not allowed. The rules are strictly adhered to. Their hair must be black. And not just black, it has to be the right shade of black. Several women on the Fuzhou and Jimei Universities did not have black enough hair, so they dyed it to meet the requirements. Oh no you don't. At the game, the players were deemed to have violated the rule that prevents them from dying their hair, were declared ineligible and the team had to forfeit because they could not field a full team. I hope NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell doesn't learn this little trick.

**The free-agent signing logjam

None of the premier free agents have been signed yet and the logjam isn't the usual one. In the past, everyone waited for one or two of the top notch players to sign to set the bar on the salary levels. Not this year. The teams don't want to commit to high-number, long-term deals because they don't know if there is going to be a season and if so, how long will it be and will fans be allowed in the stadiums. All reasonable questions. All the teams lost money this year because they couldn't count on the ticket revenue. It's almost impossible to get a read on how much teams get from that since no one wants the fans to know what that number is, and they especially don't want the players to know. I'm guessing about $1.70 million in tickets and another $300,000 in concessions (incl parking). So that's $2 million and that's a pretty healthy chunk of income to lose, so naturally the teams are reticent to commit to large contracts. 

**The "Old-Boy" network is in full swing

First we had the White Sox sign Tony LaRussa, fresh from a DUI charge, now the Phillies have hired Dave Dombrowski as their President of Baseball Operations. Does this seem like a good choice? He has run the Montreal Expos, record of 271-279 in 4 years, nine years as GM of the Florida Marlins, 627-764, 1082-1123 in fourteen years with the Detroit Tigers, and 4 1/2 years with the Boston red Sox, 396-277, finally a winning record. Of course, in those years,  he traded away their best players including arguably the best player in baseball, Mookie Betts. He also decimated their farm system and who knows how long it will take to replenish it. But he won. I wonder if Red Sox fans are happy with the "win-at-all-costs" method. From the King of MLB to the Clown Prince. Good luck Philadelphia.

**Speaking of Philly...

There was a rumor last week as reported by Buster Olney, that the Phillies were shopping their ace, Zack Wheeler. Owner John Middleton dispelled that rumor by phoning Olney and claiming that Wheeler was NOT going to be traded, in fact, he told Buster he wouldn't trade Wheeler for Babe Ruth. If his reason was that Babe has been dead for 72 years, then it's a smart move. So I guess Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker and Lou Gehrig are also off the list. On the other hand, who would you rather have, Babe Ruth or Dave Dombrowski?

**Please stop this

I've been a NY Giants fan for over 60 years, but I get embarrassed every time the NY sports reporters brag about how the Giants are in first place in the NFC East. This would go over a bit better if the Giants at least had a winning record instead of 5-7. They  have to finish the season at 3-1 just to end up at .500. 

**A sad note 

Former Philly Dick Allen has passed away. He had a reputation for not being an easy guy to deal with. Of course, pitchers couldn't deal with him either; he was a real professional hitter. He was the NL Rookie of the Year in 1964 and the AL MVP in 1972. He never made it into the Hall of Fame, but maybe he should have.

**I have a question.

Syracuse Univ. basketball team has five players suspended  and under quarantine because of exposure to COVID, including the coach's son, Buddy Boeheim. Since Buddy lives at home, how come coach Boeheim hasn't also been quarantined? At least the fans are wearing masks.

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STAY SAFE EVERYONE!!

***THEY SAID IT***

"After watching Philadelphia's backup QB Jalen Hurts come in for Carson Wentz against Green Bay, I suggest a new motto for the Eagles. Love Hurts."  -- RJ Currie

"When people said at the beginning of the year that the Ravens would lead the AFC North, who would have imagined it would be in positive COVID-19 tests?"  -- Bob Molinaro

"Eastern Market Brewing Co. has stopped sales and production of “Same Old Lager” after Lions legend Barry Sanders — pictured on the can in team colors without his consent — threatened to sue.Apparently it was a little too Lions: It went flat the minute you opened the can."  -- Dwight Perry

"LSU says they will self-impose an NFL bowl ban this season over improper booster payments. LSU is 3-5."  -- Janice Hough

"After trying hypnotism to correct his funky, hitchy golf swing, " All I got was a good nap. I woke up with the same crappy swing."  -- Charles Barkley

"Wear a mask. It's not like we're asking you to wear a Skatchewan Roughriders hockey jersey."  -- Sign in front of a Winnepeg Church

"Scientists say video evidence has proven fetuses can yawn hundreds of times in the womb. Thousands of times if Mom is a New York Jets fan."  -- RJ Currie 

" Could anything in sports be more 2020 than holding the Maui Invitational in Asheville, North Carolina?"  -- Bob Molinaro

"After watching six consecutive quarters of Kentucky football: “Hoping if I’m ever convicted of a major crime this will count as time served."  -- Ryan Brown, Birmingham WJOX Radio

"Cavaliers guard Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested on a gun charge in Ohio after he crashed his car and investigating officers discovered a loaded firearm inside. Apparently he was on his way to the morning shoot-around."  -- Dwight Perry

Chad Picasner