Sports Update?

Yep, that's a question mark in the headline because, really, we all know that there are no sports to speak of currently.  So this will really be me, more or less, cleaning out some shirt pocket notes.

There was one live event this past Sunday, and that was "The Match 2"  featuring the teams of Tiger Woods/Peyton Manning and Phil Mickelson/Tom Brady.

I watched and enjoyed it immensely and here are some of the reasons why.

• The Match raised $20 million for COVID19 relief efforts.

• It was played, for the most part, in miserable weather and these four multi-millionaire athletes soldiered on for the cause, so good for them. (Major League Baseball, take note.)
• All but Brady wore shorts.
• Manning and Brady, purportedly to be single digit handicappers, were spraying the ball over the course.  In my Tuesday round of Retiree Golf this week, I hit more fairways off the tee than Tom Brady did on Sunday (albeit I hit it a LOT shorter).  It's fun to see great athletes humbled.
• Tom Brady never used a driver.
• No caddies.  They drove their own carts, used range finders, cleaned their own clubs, and pulled their own pins.  I mean, TIGER WOODS was pulling the pins on the greens.  He probably hasn't had to do that since he was ten years old.
• Tiger Woods didn't miss a fairway all day.
• Tom Brady called Peyton Manning "Paydirt."  Great nickname.
• And of course, Brady holing out from 100+ yards in the fairway after hacking it all over the place. And splitting his pants.
• Justin Thomas as an on course commentator.
• Charles Barkley.
• And of course the constant realization that the game played by the likes of Woods and Mickelson is way, way, way different than the game played by high level amateurs like the two QB's, let alone the game played by hackers like you and me.

News reports a few days after the event had Mickelson speculating about continuing the format of The Match with different celebrity guests.   Names like Michael Jordan, Steph Curry, Tony Romo, and Patrick Mahomes were being floated by Lefty.  To that, I say be careful what you wish for.  Keep trotting the golden goose out there, and soon The Match will be just another dunk contest, home run derby, or outdoor NHL game.  Plus, how long will it be before the "celebrities" will C and D Listers like Ryan Seachrist and whoever it is that won the last season of The Bachelor?

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While Woods, Mickelson, Manning, and Brady were slogging it through the downpours in Florida on Sunday, MLB and the MLBPA continued their pissing contest over money when and if some form of a Major League Baseball season is to be played.  You know the story: "Billionaires vs. Millionaires" fighting over  moola while 100,000 Americans have died and tens of millions are out of work because of a global pandemic.

Rather then me go on and on about the horrible optics of this whole thing, I strongly recommend that you read Jason Mackey's lengthy piece that appeared in the Op-Ed section of Sunday's Post-Gazette:

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/insight/2020/05/24/Home-run-or-strikeout-Baseball-s-return-to-play-negotiations-could-have-long-term-effect-on-the-game/stories/202005240045?fbclid=IwAR0a6H23SNIh1nX-uYMp0PlULzgYG4YIG1oHGBVb06uQc0_rJw1_MgYhAbY

It not only outlines the issues of these specific negations, but also lists why baseball, the sport, is declining in following among younger people.  The best line in the article is quote that says of MLB and its Players that "it's almost like they're asking people to not follow their sport."

As it is, I say that it is less than 25% probable that there will be a baseball season in 2020.  Hope I'm wrong.

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Football.  I have watched two episodes of "America's Game" on the NFL Network highlighting the 1975 and 1978 seasons of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  The show on the 1979 season awaits me on my DVR.  I don't like to be one of those guys who wallow in nostalgia, but man it sure is fun watching those shows.   Those teams were GOOD!!!

This and That

Cleaning out the Mental In-Box.....

• I will give no spoilers here, but I will say that the Final Episode of "Downton Abbey" that aired this past Sunday was just about perfect.  Loose ends tied up, happy endings, and just a hint of good things to happen for the various characters.  And did you notice that the final line of spoken dialog belonged to Maggie Smith, the Dowager Countess?  As it was with most of her lines over six seasons, it was perfect.

• Of course, now the inevitable talk of a "Downton Abbey" reunion movie begins.  I suppose that the money will be irresistible to all concerned, and I would be in the theater the first week such a movie opens, but a part of me thinks that it would be best to resist the cash grab. Isn't it an old show biz saying that it's always best to leave the audience wanting more.
• We are three weeks into Spring Training, and Pedro Alvarez had FINALLY signed on with a team, the Orioles.  I really wish him nothing but the best, but we know what the Orioles are getting...a .230 or so hitter, who can't field, can't hit left-handers, and who strikes out a lot, but he CAN hit the most incredible and prodigious home runs that you will ever see.  

• Speaking of the Pirates, they are now playing practice games, and we have even been able to see them on TV for a few of those.  Nice watching some baseball again, even though after about six innings you become Butch Cassidy when watching and saying "Who are those guys?"
• And farewell to Peyton Manning.  Very classy retirement speech yesterday.  I don't really need to sum up his accomplishments, do I?  He goes out with his final game being a victory in the Super Bowl. Perfect. Perhaps the producers of "Downton Abbey" should take note.

Super Bowl 50 Reflections

Well, he Feel-Good Story that so many people wanted, but that few thought would happen, actually did happen in Santa Clara last night.  The Denver Broncos won the Super Bowl, 24-10 and in what will assuredly be his final game, Peyton Manning goes out a champion.

Not that this was Manning's game.  In fact, he wasn't very good last night, but when combined with a ferocious Broncos defense, he was good enough, and his poor game stats will not be inscribed on that Super Bowl ring he will be receiving a few months from now.  Also, a second Super Bowl championship will surely erase the memories of generally uneven performances in post-season play in his extraordinary career. So, congratulations, Peyton Manning.  I am glad that it ended this way.

On the other side of the field, the football world was preparing to anoint Cam Newton as the new Face of the NFL after what would surely be a relatively easy win over Denver.  Well, once again we were all taught a lesson that you really do have to play the game before you can claim victory.  Newton's MVP season will surely be tarnished by what was a generally poor performance and by failing to attempt to recover his own fumble late in the game while deep in his own territory when his team was trailing by only six points.  This was an action that has been called everything from "questionable" to "hard to defend" to "gutless" from various sources in the wake of the conclusion of the game.  And, finally, perhaps most indefensible of all, was his performance in his post-game press conference when he showed up in a hoodie, mumbled one word answers, and the got up and walked out two and half minutes into it.

For a guy who loved the media attention all week and used it as his own bully pulpit, such a performance was inexcusable.  You can't have it both ways, Cam.  Contrast it to how Russell Wilson faced the music last year after his goal line interception cost the Seahawks a Bowl win.  Bill Bellichick gets ripped all the time for what a sore loser he can be with the press.  Newton deserves no less.  As one wag put it, he went from Superman to the Incredible Sulk in a period of three hours.

As for other comments, I took notes (yep, I actually did) during the game to record my thoughts and impressions in real time, and here are some of them, in no particular order.

• Two minutes and twenty seconds is way too long to drag out the Star Spangled Banner, but despite that, Lady Gaga's rendition of the Anthem was magnificent.
• The Doritos commercial with the pregnant lady getting an ultra-sound scan of her baby was really good.  In fact, it was to me the only notable commercial of the day.
• First quarter.  Jericho Cotchery's catch for a significant gain is ruled incomplete and that ruling in then, incredibly, upheld upon review.  I have a good friend who is an NFL official (he was not working yesterday), and I truly respect the work that the zebras have to do in any given game, but THAT WAS A CATCH!!!!  The NFL rules interpretation of what constitutes a "catch" is ridiculous.
• The non-catch proved to be significant, because shortly thereafter, while still deep in their own territory, Denver forced a Cam Newton fumble that was recovered in the end zone for a touchdown.  Would the end result of the game had been different if that Cotchery play was correctly ruled?  We'll never know.
• Twice in the first half (and it happened again in the second half), Denver got inside the Panther twenty and had to settle for field goals instead of touchdowns.  At the time, I thought that this would come back to bite Denver in the hindquarters, but it didn't, as things turned out.
• With 3:12 remaining in the third quarter and the score 16-7, I wrote "Are Carolina's sphincters getting tight here?"  I guess I was right.
• With 9:00 to play in the game, after yet another Denver "three-and-out", I wondered what was the Super Bowl record for "Three-and-Outs"?  I never did find out, but if those teams didn't set the record last night, they surely had to have come close.

Now for the obligatory comment on the Halftime Show.  It's not that I dislike Coldplay, but it's more to the point that I am unfamiliar with them and their work.  As a result, I had no interest in the halftime show.  I glanced at it, but was pretty much occupied with otter things during the intermission.  I also wonder if the NFL had doubts about Coldplay, too, since they felt the need to beef up the show with appearances by Beyonce and Bruno Mars, two headliners from previous Super Bowls.  In any event, what I did see was just a display of Excess and Sensory Overload that was just too much to take in.  I find that I just don't care about these halftime extravaganzas anymore.

Also, from what I am seeing on social media today, there apparently is some controversy surrounding Beyonce's performance, either in the song lyrics themselves or some gestures that she made.  If that is the case, and this blows up into another PR disaster for the League, then I suggest that NFL bring in a couple of dogs who chase and catch Frisbees for next year's show.  Or bring back the Florida A&M band.  Better yet, bring in the Stanford band.  They would no doubt put on such an iconoclastic show, that the NFL would long for a return of Janet Jackson's bare bosom.

Super Bowl Prediction Time

I will begin this post by bragging, just a little.  In predicting the winners of the NFL playoff games this year, I sport a record of 8-2.  Of course, I just picked a winners with no point spreads, but, still, if I say so myself, that's a pretty good record that I will be putting on the line as I  select a winner for Super Bowl 50.

Everyone, it seems, is picking the Carolina Panthers to win, and many of them, and this includes smart guys like Steve Young and Ron Jaworski, are picking them to win big.  Personally, I get a little leery whenever EVERYBODY says that Such-and-Such team will win and that the Other Team has No Chance of winning.  This is still professional sports, both sides are getting paid, so unless you are talking about the 2010 Pittsburgh Pirates, it's foolish to say that a team like the Denver Broncos has no chance of winning.

Yep, I know that Peyton Manning is pretty ancient and often ineffective these days, but he and his Broncos beat the Steelers, which I didn't think they would do, and then they beat 

Tom Brady and the Patriots, which I didn't think that had a chance of doing, and they have a terrific defense. So while Manning may be pretty much washed up, who can't be rooting for a storyline where the beloved veteran somehow summons up his past greatness for one last time before riding off in the sunset with a Lombardi Trophy in tow?  I know that's how I will be rooting tomorrow.

However, on the other side of the field, there is this guy:

Cam Newton, the presumptive NFL MVP, is truly a force.  Yeah, I know he dances, and struts, and dabs (whatever that is!), and does stuff that drives cranky old guys nuts, but what football player!  Watching him in these playoff games has been enough to make your jaw drop.  While the favored storyline might be the Broncos Wining One For the Old Guy, I think that the more likely storyline will be the Longtime Face of the NFL, Manning, passing the torch on to the New Face of the NFL, Newton.

So, who wins?

However, I think that we are going to see a much closer game than most people expect.  The line I saw this morning is Denver +5.5.  So, if you want to bet like the big boys in Vegas, I say that it's the PANTHERS to win the game, but the Broncos will cover the spread.

Enjoy the game and the commercials, everyone, and, as always, watch, but don't bet.

Last Call for Legends

Recent days have proved to be a pretty tough time  for some sporting legends, three guys who, it can be argued, were among the very best to ever have played their particular sport.

Let's take them alphabetically.

Kobe Bryant has announce that he will be retiring at the end of this current NBA season.  Recent years have not been kind to Bryant.  Injuries have caused him to miss large parts of the past two seasons.  He returned in good health for this season, only to find that the skills that make him an NBA MVP, and NBA and an Olympic champion have deserted him.  He currently sports a shooting percentage in the neighborhood of thirty percent, and is causing many to compare him to Willie Mays as a New York Met.  Others are saying that he should retire NOW, immediately, and not drag out this final season as a shadow of his former, great self.  He has chosen to do otherwise, and I suppose that it can be argued that for all Bryant has done for the Lakers and the NBA, he has earned the right to go out on whatever terms he chooses.  So bring on the league-wide Farewell Tour.  It will be the last chance to see a guy who surely ranks among the Top Ten greatest players of all time.

My own personal memory of Bryant:  Setting the alarm clock for 2:00 AM on a Sunday morning in 2008 to watch the Gold Medal game of the Beijing Olympics live between the USA and Spain.  The Spanish team put up a good game against the favored Americans, but in the second half, it was Kobe Bryant who took control of the game and secured the Gold Medal for the USA.

Three weeks ago, Peyton Manning completed a pass in a game that enabled him to establish the all time NFL record for passing yards.  In that same game, he also threw four interceptions, injured his foot, and was benched in favor of Brock Osweiler.   Manning has not appeared in a game since, Osweiler has led the Broncos to two wins, and it now becomes a real possibility that we have seen the last of Peyton Manning as a Bronco, if not as an NFL quarterback.  

No one should ever question that Manning is among the very greatest of quarterbacks to ever have played, despite that somewhat lackluster post-season record.  To think that his final appearance in an NFL game may be that four interception game of a few weeks back is sad to ponder, and does bring back that image of Willie Mays falling down in the batters box as a Met in the 1973 World Series.

The final bomb to drop was the announcement yesterday by Tiger Woods that he has not begun any strenuous rehab from his recent back surgery (his third such surgery in recent years), that he has no plans or thought as to when he will resume golf activities at all, much less competing on the PGA Tour.  In fact, Woods has said that anything that might happen for him on the golf course, including winning any tournament would have to be considered "gravy" at this point in his life.

Even though many observers felt that Woods' days as a dominant golfer were behind him, the thought that we may never see him seriously competing again is shocking to think about.  Jack Nicklaus once said that he would never become a "ceremonial golfer", and for the most part, Jack kept to that.  I can't imagine that Woods will ever slip into that role either.

Woods is 39 years old, will turn 40 later this month, Manning is 39, and Bryant is 37.  As Charles Barkley has so eloquently put it, "Father Time is undefeated", and as Shaquille O'Neal put it "Thirty-nine.  It ain't twenty-nine, Bro."  These are facts that came jarringly home to roost in these last few weeks in the cases of Kobe Bryant, Peyton Manning, and Tiger Woods.

Speaking of Sports

Everyone knows of the struggles the Pirates have been having of late.  You know the numbers, 19-17 since the All-Star break, 4-7 on the last home stand, and on and on, BUT as of this morning, they are still 13 games over .500, in second place in the NL Central, and hold the second wild card spot in the National League, albeit by a slim one game margin.  I think that we can almost safely say that the disastrous total collapse that took place last season, will not happen again this season.  I think that we can comfortably assume that the 19 year losing season streak will end, and that the team will be in the hunt for a post-season spot until well after Labor Day.

Now, all that said, how about that 19 inning win in St. Louis yesterday?  Our Parish Picnic took place yesterday afternoon, so I figured that I would not see any of the game, and thus  would not agonize over it at all.  I would come home from the picnic and learn that they either won or lost.  You know what happened.  People with their smart phones at the picnic kept giving the updates: tied after eight...tied after nine...game's now in the 11th...the 12th...the 15th...and so it went.  (By the way, how long has it been since updates of Pirates games were of any interest at events such as church picnics in August?)  While driving home, I heard them go ahead in the top of the 17th, only to get home and see the Cardinals tie it in the bottom of the 17th.  Then came the 19th.  A loss could have been devastating, but a win felt positively euphoric.

The Jerry Meals demons have been exorcised!  Raise the Jolly Roger!!

Time to take care of business in San Diego.  The Pirates owe a little payback to the padres from events of last week, it seems to me.

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In other sports news, the Steelers had their second practice game of the summer last night, a come from behind win over the Colts.   

Here are my impressions so far:

• I do not feel real good about the running back situation.
• In last night's game and in last week's game with the Eagles, the Steelers had first and goal opportunities, whereupon they resorted to good old fashioned "Steelers football" and ran the ball, as Steelers Nation and Art III have been wanting, and in both instances, ended up losing yardage and settling for field goals.  I know, they're exhibition games, so who cares, but there are going to be times, many times, in the course of the season when the Steelers will need to score touchdowns in those situations.  So far, it hasn't worked out too well.
• Maybe Art III can find a clone of Fran Rogel and sign him to "run the ball".  
• I've already had my fill of the incessant navel gazing by the talking heads over the "new Todd Hailey-led Steelers offense".
• Oh, and Andrew Luck looked pretty good for the Colts last night.  He much have a pretty sharp offensive coordinator coaching him.

Maybe the best part of the game was the commercial with Eli and Peyton Manning where Eli shoves Peyton into a closet and Peyton yells "I'm telling Dad!".