Hey Everyone:
I thought we were in the clear as far as snow goes, even as I heard that we might get hit with some on Saturday. At one point, it even looked like the sun was going to make an appearance, but around 4:30 or so, the snow came. At this point, it’s more an inconvenience than anything else, but still, who needs it in March?
We’ll start off with some good news
BASEBALL: Lockout Over
The players and owners came to an agreement Thursday afternoon on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, ending the lockout. I’m not going to get into the financials, a) because I don’t really know and b) more importantly, I don’t really care. It’s just rich people getting even more rich as far as I’m concerned.
I will however, discuss some of the rules changes that came about in the new CBA..
1) The Universal DH- I consider myself somewhat of a baseball purist and also I’ve always been a NL guy, so I was never really a fan of the DH.
However in the short term, as a Met fan I think it can be a benefit for us. I know last year it would have been. They could have used JD Davis, a solid hitter with a lousy glove as the DH, and perhaps Jacob deGrom may not have suffered at least one of his injuries if he didn’t feel the need to hit as well as pitch.
One of the things that was always argued in favor of not having a DH is the idea that the manager has less strategy to worry about. I used to feel that way, but on the other hand, I don’t remember going to a game to see how a manager decides to use his pinch hitters. When all is said and done, it was probably time for the NL to adopt the DH. I’m not going to lose sleep over this.
2) Eliminating the Shift- I hated the shift, there was nothing more aggravating than watching a hitter hit a ball right to the very spot where an infielder was positioned, and I mean where the fielder didn’t have to even make a step in either direction. That was throw the clicker at the TV” frustrating.
But was the answer legislating it out of the game? Making it illegal? Like how the NBA used to have illegal defense?
I don’t know, I would have liked to seen some manager or even a player come up with a creative way to beat the shift. Anyone remember Daniel Murphy in he 2015 NLDS against the Dodgers, taking third because it was wide open? (The whole infield was on the other side of 2nd base) Or (and I’m spitballing here) how about teaching these guys how to lay down a good old fashioned bunt every once in a while? I mean there’s a novel concept right there right?
Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be happy when I see everyone playing their natural positions, but I would have rather the shift be deemed obsolete by the players, than illegal by the owners.
3) Expanded playoffs- What I like-no more play in games. You make the playoffs, you make the playoffs. There’s no more debate about that. The 2015 and 2021 Yankees and the 2016 Mets were not playoff teams as far as I’m concerned, and you know who doesn’t ever give me any blowback when I say that?
Yankee fans.
What I don’t like- That 12 teams will now qualify. I thought 10 teams was too much, and I’m grateful it wasn’t the 14 teams the owners wanted. But I always like the fact that the baseball postseason was the toughest one to qualify for. It probably still is, but not nearly as much. I’m not looking forward to seeing a below .500 team playing in the World Series or watching a possible November World Series game in Denver or Minneapolis. Baseball wasn’t meant to be played on the frozen tundra.
4) Gimmicks: They’ve done away with the 7 inning doubleheader and the runner on 2nd to start extra innings. (Good). The Home Run Derby is no going to break a tie in the All-Star Game (Bad)
Obviously I’m happy to have the game back, and I’m sure come July and August when I’m watching a game and enjoying GKR bantering on, I won’t be thinking of how both sides acted during this whole affair. As much as I don’t give a crap about the luxury tax ceiling or the minimum salaries, I’m just hoping that enough goodwill was generated so that when this expires in a few years, we won’t have an even longer work stoppage. If anything good came out of the 1994 World Series being canceled, it’s that I believe the players and owners were both determined not to let that happen again, and that’s what helped drive the next few CBA negotiations in 2002, 2007 and 2011. There was so much animosity after the pandemic that this lockout was pretty much inevitable. I hope that’s not the case 5 years from now.
BOOK REVIEWS:
If there were two teams I really couldn’t stand in the 80’s and early 90’s it was the Boston Celtics and the Duke Blue Devils. I have recently read books about both of them…
Wish it Lasted Forever: Life with the Larry Bird Celtics-by Dan Shaughnessy
Shaughnessy covered the Celtics for the Boston Globe from 1982-1986. They were NBA Champs in two of those years (1984 and 1986) and went to the Finals in 1985. I put that Celtics team up with any in the history of the NBA.
This book isn’t so much about how great that team was, but rather the stories behind the scenes. The author’s interactions with the players and coaches. How he had to toe the line between establishing a good relationship with the individual players while maintaining his obligation to his newspaper and his readers. Often times, those two agendas did not compliment each other. And Shaughnessy would find himself going from having beers with Larry Bird to Bird cursing him out and not talking to him.
The title of the book says it all as to what he thought of the experience. It’s an experience that has sportswriters no longer enjoy, as most no longer have that kind of access. But there were times where it had to be tough. Talk about 12 angry men.
Coach K: The Rise and Reign of Mike Krzyzewski- by Ian O’Connor
I wasn’t going to read this one because as I mentioned before, I’ve spent a solid chunk of my life rooting against Mike Krzyewski and his Duke University Blue Devils, but the reviews I read for it were all positive, and the excerpts I read were interesting. It was worth it.
The book traces Coach K’s life, from his childhood in Chicago, through his Catholic school upbringing, to his reluctant decision to go to West Point, all the way through the announcement of his retirement.
It was as a senior in high school that he first crossed paths with the man who would be he mentor. And a couple of times, O’Connor mentions the man by his full name, which I know I can’t say without doing my Dick Vitale impression (as I’m sure most basketball fans can’t do either) Robert Montgomery Knight.
The book goes pretty deep into the relationship between the two legendary coaches, which without giving much away, lets just say hot and cold doesn’t do it justice. Also, it compares and contrasts the styles of the two men. And to be honest, as much as he tries to say he is different that the bombastic Knight, there are times where Coach K is just as acid tounged as Knight was/is.
It wasn’t easy reliving those Duke championship games in 1991 and 1992, though I did enjoy more than I ever thought I would the description of the Duke-Kentucky 1992 regional final at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. (The Grant Hill to Christian Laettner pass and buzzer beater). The night Duke beat UNLV in the 1991 Final Four, might have been my biggest sports heartbreak not involving one of my teams.
Both of these books are very well written. If you’re a basketball fan, I’d recommend them both
4.0 Auggies.
None of my teams made it to March Madness. Dayton apparently was one of the first four out. I don’t know when they started talking about the first four out, but if it’s supposed to make us feel better, it doesn’t. Now to fill out a bracket and watch it go up in flames.
BREAKING NEWS: Tom Brady, as we predicted when he announced his retirement, has decided to play at least another season. His ego and selfishness was too much to keep him on the sidelines. I’m sorry but you all know how I feel about people who come out of retirement. I just hope it ends for him like it did for Michael Jordan, Sugar Ray Leonard et al.
That’s all we got. Happy St.Patrick’s Day on Thursday.
Stay Safe
and Have a Great Week
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