The Sports Curmudgeon

Yesterday came reports that Dikembe Mutombo died at the age of 59 after battling brain cancer.  Mutombo was a defensive presence throughout his NBA career whose “signature” on the court was to wave his finger as a “no-no” after blocking a shot.  A native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mutombo was known for his charitable works there and in other parts of Africa.

Rest in Peace Dikembe Mutombo.

This morning, I woke up to news that Pete Rose had died over the weekend at the age of 83.  No cause of death was in the report I read.  There is no need to repeat the self-destructive tale that is Pete Rose in his later years.  Suffice it to say that his stats say he belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame – – but he is not there.

Rest in peace, Pete Rose.

At the beginning of the MLB season, I made 10 selections based on the futures bets posted by oddsmakers.  The time of reckoning has arrived.

There were 5 winning selections:

1. Dodgers UNDER 105 wins
2. Braves UNDER 102 wins
3. Tigers OVER 80.5 wins
4. Nationals OVER 66.5 wins
5. Pirates OVER 75 wins – – by one game

There were 5 losing selections:

1. Cubs OVER 84.5 wins
2. Astros OVER 92 wins
3. Orioles to win the AL East
4. Rays OVER 85 wins
5. Yankees UNDER 93.5 wins – – by one game

Those picks demonstrate the symmetry of the universe in addition to the fact that on the day I made those selections, I was acting as a human coin flip.  Those oddsmakers sure do know their business…

Finally, I’ll close this brief rant today with a paraphrase of Tony Kornheiser’s sign off line from Pardon the Interruption:

“I’ll try and do better the next time.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

            I mentioned last week that I would experience my first full weekend of football for the season and so I decided to “do it right” and check in on some – – not all – – of the pre-game and post-game studio shows.  On Saturday, I naturally checked in on College Game Day and it was all I could do to stay and watch for more than about 30-40 minutes.  Maybe I am just a crochety old codger – – actually, I am indeed a crochety old codger – – but the screaming people behind the cast of this “entertainment feature” do not add to the telecast.  In fact, they are maximally annoying; enthusiasm and supporting the team are one thing; mugging for the cameras is a significantly different thing.

Rece Davis is not only a saint for putting up with that [bleep] every week, but he is also a broadcast professional who tries to keep the show on a constant and marginally steady course focused on the game(s) for the day.  Whatever he is being paid is well earned money.  Moreover, he gets only the slightest bits of help from his partners in crime:

• Lee Corso is Lee Corso.  What you see is what you get; over the course of about a half an hour, I got a little from him.
• Kirk Herbstreit is solid.
• Desmond Howard tries hard to be informative and/or entertaining.  Generally, he is neither.
• Pat McAfee makes me wonder if there is such a thing as “adult-onset Level 3 autism” because that would make the program much better.  [Note:  I am not wishing that for McAfee; but either that or a ball-gag would be a welcome addition to College Game Day.]
• Nick Saban looks like his fondest wish would be to bolt the set when the cameras are pointed elsewhere and go fishing with his old coaching buddies.

The venue last weekend of course was Tuscaloosa, AL where the Alabama/Georgia game would happen.  Let me just say that the game was far more exciting than the presentation of College Game Day.  See below…

On Sunday, I sampled randomly the pre-game programming and came away with some general commentary:

• ESPN NFL Countdown:  Mike Greenberg is good.  Rex Ryan seems to be auditioning for a career in stand-up comedy – – except he isn’t funny.
• CBS NFL Today:  I think I am going to like Matt Ryan as a studio host/analyst a lot.  And Nate Burleson keeps getting better and better.
• FOX NFL Sunday:  Howie Long and Michael Strahan do the heavy lifting here.  Terry Bradshaw and Jimmy Johnson are past their “sell-by dates”.

And then in an act just short of self-disembowelment, I tuned in Football Night in America.  This program is strikingly awful; it makes College Game Day look like 60 Minutes.  The program lurches from person to person each of whom presents “analysis” or “news” or “whatever” in 50 words or less.  It is the audio version of torture by strobe light.

There was a time when this program was hosted by Bob Costas, and it was both informative and entertaining.  Those days are past, and those days will not – – cannot – – return with the current cast of characters.

It is the case for all the other pre-game shows that the host/moderator is the glue that tries to hold the thing together and all four of the other hosts do good work.  Such is simply not the case for Football Night in America.  Call me a racist misogynist if you want, but I think Maria Taylor is terrible in her role.  The only way I will watch any more of that program is if I happen to tune in to see Sunday Night Football and turn the TV on 5 minutes early before Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth take over.

I mentioned above the Alabama/Georgia game from last Saturday.  Alabama raced out to a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter; it looked as if the rout was on – – until it wasn’t.  Add in a safety by Alabama and the Tide led 30-7 at halftime and 33-15 at the end of the 3^rd quarter.  Then Georgia scored 3 TDs in about 7 minutes to take the lead 34-33 setting up the game for a Hollywood ending.

• Trailing by a point with about two-and-a-half minutes left in the game, Alabama took possession at its own 25-yardline.
• On the first play, a 17-year-old freshman – – Ryan Williams – – caught a pass from QB Jalen Milroe and outran the Georgia defense for a TD to put Alabama back in the lead 41-33.
• Georgia took possession at its own 25-yardline and marched to the Alabama 20 with less than a minute to play when Alabama defensive back, Zabien Brown, – – another freshman by the way – – intercepted a pass in the end zone to seal the victory for Alabama.

The two teams combined to generate a total of 1066 yards of offense.  If I knew that the two teams would put on a show like that again, I would be happy to see a rematch somewhere down the line.

Finally, a revelation by Dan Jenkins:

“My favorite sport, frankly, is college football. I’m a college football junkie, even though I’m associated with golf and like golf and have played it all my life.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

Well, I have had a full week in one place and am looking forward to my first full weekend able to watch football this year.  [Foreshadowing:  I’ll be off the air again next week …]  And so, I will attempt today to do a garden-variety Football Friday including a “Betting Bundle”.  Who knows?  I may just get back in the habit sometime later this season.

The Linfield University Wildcats improved their record to 2-1 in dramatic fashion last week beating the University of the Redlands 45-0.  I just realized that Linfield has expanded its regular season schedule from 9 games as it has been in the past to 10 games in 2024.  All three of the games to date have been out-of-conference contests and Linfield will begin Northwest Conference play next weekend on the road in Salem OR taking on the Bearcats of Willamette University.  The Wildcats inserted a BYE Week in the schedule this year as well.

My pre-season “sleeper team” for 2024 – – the Nebraska Cornhuskers – – lost in OT last week to Illinois, 31-24.  That gives the Huskers a record of 3-1 for the season as they go on the road to take on Purdue this weekend.  Nebraska is a 10-point favorite in that game.  Go Huskers!

 

College Football Commentary:

 

TCU lost last weekend to SMU 66-42.  TCU outgained SMU by 105 yards in the game but turned the ball over 4 times in the game.  That alone makes the contest “unusual”, but another event makes it “really rare”.  TCU head coach, Sonny Dykes, was ejected from the game for drawing two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties early in the second half.

The Horned Frogs returned the second half kickoff for a TD, but it was nullified by a holding call; Coach Dykes disagreed too vehemently and drew unsportsmanlike penalty #1.  After the next play – – the first offensive snap of the second half – – he continued his vociferous protest and earned his second flag and a quick trip to the locker room.  After the game, here is what Dykes had to say:

“Two penalties from two different officials. I understood why I got the first one, I thought I deserved it.  The second one, I really don’t know where it came from. The first one I deserved.”

TCU goes on the road this weekend to take on Kansas.

Here in Curmudgeon Central, I believe in the “equal time” concept.  Everyone who comments on college football pays a lot of positive attention to unbeaten teams; I also focus on the winless ones.  Here are 4 teams that have opened the 2024 season with 0-4 records and there are some interesting things to note about those teams:

• UTEP and New Mexico are both 0-4.  These schools are close by Interstate 25 as it wends its way from the Mexican border up to Denver.  You could probably hit both campuses in about a 3-hour drive.  The fact that they are both winless might lead some to a hypothesis that there is something in the water in that part of the world that leads to football ineptitude.
• New Mexico plays New Mexico St. this weekend; New Mexico St. is also right next to Interstate 25 between the UTEP and New Mexico campuses.  New Mexico St. has a win under its belt against a Division 1-AA opponent but nothing else is even close.  For the record, New Mexico is a 9.5-point favorite.
• Kent State schedulers bit off a lot more than they could chew for 2024.  Three of the four opening losses have been to Pitt, Tennessee and Penn State; Kent State has no business playing those schools.  However, the team also lost to Division1-AA, St Francis (PA) along the way meaning that the team gets no pats on the back for taking on the big guys.  The cumulative score for Kent State so far in 2024 is:
  • • Opponents 205  Kent State 41
• Wyoming has had one close game.  Like Kent State it lost to a Division 1-AA team (Idaho) and was not close in the other three.  Unlike Kent State who lost to some top-shelf programs, Wyoming’s defeats have come at the hands of middling squads – – North Texas, BYU and Arizona State.

The expanded CFP assures at least one slot will go to a team outside the “Power 4” conferences.  Last week, James Madison beat UNC 70-50; it was 53-21 at halftime; the two teams combined to produce 1227 yards on offense in the game.  Should the Dukes run the table this year, the Selection Committee may well look at this domination of a major football program beneficently…

For the record, both Army and Navy have begun the season with 3-0 records; Air Force is 1-2 as of this morning.

Here are some comments on games from last week:

Wash St. 54  San Jose St. 52 (2OT):  Washington St. posted 627 yards on offense – – outgaining San Jose St. by 136 yards and the Cougars still needed two OT shots to take down the win.  The two teams combined to run 170 offensive plays in the contest.  Washington St. is off to a 4-0 start in 2024.

Florida 45  Mississippi St. 28:  The Gators evened their record at 2-2 with this first win over a Division 1-A team.  Two Florida QBs combined to complete 26 of 28 pass attempts in the game for 277 yards and 3 TDs while the Gators’ running game averaged over 6 yards per carry.  The Bulldogs’ defense is problematic to say the least and their starting QB had to leave the game in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury that might keep him out for a while.  Mississippi St. has a tough road ahead!

Missouri 30  Vandy 27 (2OT):  Mizzou was ranked #7 in the country before this game; Vandy was not ranked anywhere close to that.  The Tigers outgained the Commodores by 124 yards and still needed 2 OTs to seal the deal.  The two kickers played a big role in the game.  Missouri missed two field goas in regulation time that allowed for the tie; then in OT Missouri made a field goal while the Vandy kicker missed from 31 yards to end the game.  Mizzou is 4-0 on the season; presumably this game will be a warning to the Tigers about overconfidence.

Tennessee 25  Oklahoma 15:  Both teams were undefeated and ranked in the Top 25 coming into the game; Tennessee was #6 and Oklahoma was #15.  The Vols’ defense held the Sooners to 222 yards on offense and only 36 yards rushing.

Florida St. 14  Cal 9:  This was the first win for the Seminoles and the first loss for the Golden Bears.  Cal outgained Florida State 410 yards to 284 yards and still lost the game.  The difference is quite simple; Florida St. scored 2 TDs and Cal scored 3 FGs.

Indiana 52  UNC-Charlotte 14:  The Hoosiers are 4-0 to start the season and they have been a scoring machine to date.  Indiana has scored 202 points in their 4 wins albeit against rather soft schedule.

Clemson 59  NC State 35:  This game was not this close.  Clemson called off the dogs and NC State scored 21 points in the fourth quarter after trailing 59-14 at the start of that quarter.

Temple 45  Utah St. 29:  This was the first win for the Owls.  Temple QB, Evan Simon, threw 4 TD passes in the game and was the Owls’ leading rusher too.

Penn St. 56  Kent St.  0:  Here is how big a mismatch this game was:

• Penn St. Total Offense = 718 yards  Kent St. Total Offense = 67 yards
• Penn St. First Downs = 40  Kent St. First Downs = 6
• Penn St. Offensive Plays = 81  Kent St. Offensive Plays = 43

 

NCAA Games of Interest This Week:

 

(Fri Nite) Washington at Rutgers – 1 (43):  Rutgers is undefeated to date in 2024, and this is a Big-10 conference game.  Seriously …

UNC at Duke – 2.5 (56):  Big rivalry game here…

Florida St. at SMU – 6 (47):  Evidently, the oddsmakers were not impressed by the Seminoles first win last week.

Washington St. at Boise St. – 6.5 (65):  Given the Cougars undefeated record – – including a win over Washington – – the oddsmakers are paying a lot of respect to Boise St. with that spread…

Mississippi St. at Texas – 38.5 (61):  Texas is ranked #1 in the country; Mississippi St. is a rebuilding mess with a porous defense.  This should be ugly – – quickly.

South Alabama at LSU – 21 (64.5):  S. Alabama has a good offense; they are averaging 48.3 points per game.   S. Alabama has a minimal defense; they give up 25.8 points per game against middling opponents.  LSU is no stranger to the end zone.  I like this game to go OVER; put it in the Betting Bundle.

Louisville at Notre Dame – 7 (45):  Louisville is undefeated so far in 2024.

Illinois at Penn St. – 18 (47):  Illinois is undefeated so far in 2024.

Kentucky at Ole Miss – 15 (52):  Ole Miss has been blowing the doors off overmatched opponents so far this year and that may scare some folks off them.  I think their offense is for real and Kentucky – – while a step up from previous opponents – – is not going to stop them.  I like Ole Miss to win and cover at home; put that in the Betting Bundle.

Georgia – 1 at Alabama (50):  This is so obviously the College Game of the Week.  Georgia is ranked #2; Alabama is ranked #4 in the country.  This game is must see TV …

• Fun Fact:  This is the first time since 2007 that Alabama has been a home underdog.  That was Nick Saban’s first year at Alabama and the favorite in the game was LSU.

New Mexico – 9.5 at New Mexico St. (55):  This is clearly the “game of the week” among bottom-feeders (see above).  New Mexico has only been close in one game – – against a Division 1-AA opponent losing by only 4 points.  Winless New Mexico is a road favorite because against Division 1-A schools, the Aggies have lost 3 games by a cumulative score of 109 – 35.  This game is “Avert Your Eyes TV”.

 

NFL Commentary:

 

There are five unbeaten teams in the NFL to date:

1. Bills:  They have been the most dominant team so far.
2. Chiefs:  A win is a win – – but the Chiefs have been cutting it awfully close so far in 2024.
3. Seahawks:  They are indeed 3-0 but their “strength of schedule” to date is unimpressive.  They beat the Broncos and a QB making his first start in the NFL by 6 points.  They beat a bad Pats team by 3 points.  They beat the Dolphins sans-Tua by 3 TDs.  This week they are on the road against the Lions and that should be a different level of opponent for them.
4. Steelers:  Given the QB questions there, did you have them as one of the unbeatens at this point in the season?  I did not.
5. Vikes:  Pay attention here; the Vikes are undefeated with wins over the Niners and the Texans included.  They are doing this with “retread” Sam Darnold as their QB and their defense is only giving up 10 points per game so far.

There are three winless teams in the NFL to date:

1. Bengals:  Their three losses have been by a total of 12 points and their schedule is not an easy one ahead.  They do get the Panthers this week – – albeit on the road – – and a loss there would probably end playoff hopes for the team.
2. Jags:  The team is a mess.  The defense does not get off the field and the offense sputters.  The Jags have lost the last 8 games where Trevor Lawrence has been the starting QB.
3. Titans:  They seem to have a knack for turning the ball over at the worst possible time and/or in the worst possible way.  They host the Colts this weekend, but after that they have two road games against the Bills and then the Lions.  Hmmm …

Here are comments from last week’s games:

Chiefs 22 Falcons 17:  Isiah Pacheco is hurt, no problem, insert Carson Steele who rushed for 72 yards on 17 carries. Rashee Rice caught 12 passes for 110 yards. The Falcons had 13 snaps inside the Chiefs’ 30 on their last two drives of the game and got zero points for their efforts

Panthers 36  Raiders 22:  The Panthers had only converted two third downs in their first two games this season; they converted five here. The Panthers running game amassed a total of 148 yards in the first two games; they ran for 135 yards here. Andy Dalton put 36 points on the scoreboard after the Panthers totaled 13 points in their first two games.  Oh, and the Panthers’ defense recorded three sacks and held the Raiders to 55 yards rushing.  Conclusion:

• Antonio Pierce and his staff still have plenty of work to do.

Eagles 15  Saints 12:  Saquan Barkley made up for his dropped pass that allowed the Falcons to rally and beat the Eagles two weeks ago.  Against the Saints, he ran for 147 yards and scored the winning touchdown plus a 2-point conversion, with a minute left in the game to give the Eagles the win.  The Eagles’ defense held what had been a hugely explosive Saints’ offense to only 219 yards in the game.

Steelers 20  Chargers 10:  Justin Herbert was questionable for the game with a “high ankle sprain”.  After a sack in the third quarter Herbert had to leave the game with the score tied at 10 apiece.  Playing the Steelers’ defense is difficult enough but doing it with a backup at QB is difficult-squared; the Chargers recorded only one first down after Herbert was rendered hors de combat.  The Steelers’ defense is only allowing 8.6 points per game so far.

Ravens 28  Cowboys 25:  The Ravens arrived winless and simply dominated play from start to finish here.  They ran the ball 45 times for 274 yards and three touchdowns.  Derrick Henry gained 151 of those rushing yards and scored twice.  The Cowboys closed the gap to 3 points with about 3 minutes left in the game, but the Ravens never lost control of the ball and knelt out the clock.  The Cowboys’ defense yielded 28 points here but that was an improvement since the defense had given up 72 points in the first two games.

Seahawks 24  Dolphins 3:  Tua Tagovailoa was out with a concussion and then, the Dolphins lost their backup QB, Skyler Thompson, in the game.  That left them with Tim Boyle under center.   Here is a stat courtesy of NFL.com:

“There are 32 teams in the NFL and the Dolphins are the only team that has not held the lead for a single second this season. The Dolphins won in Week 1, but that win came on a field goal that went through the uprights with the clock having expired.”

Rams 27  Niners 24:  The Niners have lost twice already this year, but you cannot hang this loss on Brock Purdy; he had a top-shelf game posting this stat line:

• 22 of 30 for 292 yards and 3TDs with 0 INTs

Jauan Jennings filled in for an injured Deebo Samuel and did a Jerry Rice imitation catching 11 passes for 175 yards and 3 TDs.  The Niners also played without Christian McCaffrey whose injury woes took a mysterious turn when it was announced this week that he had gone to see a specialist in Germany.  The Niners led 21-7 halfway through the third quarter and 24-14 with 12 minutes left in the game.  The Rams got two field goals and a TD in the final 12 minutes to pull out the win despite playing without WRs Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua.

Lions 20 Cards 13:  The Lions held the ball for 36:49 in this game running the ball 43 times for 187 yards.  In the second quarter with the Lions leading 13-7, the Lions ran the “hook-and-ladder play” and got a TD for their efforts.  The Lions held Kyler Murray to 45 yards on five carries and held the Cards to 1 third-down conversion in 9 tries.

Colts 21  Bears 16:  Jonathan Taylor was the Colts; hero here; he carried the ball 23 times for 110 yards and a TD.  That performance overcame another mediocre showing by Anthony Richardson at QB who was only 10 of 20 in the game with 2 INTs in the mix.  The Colts’ defense showed up here sacking Caleb Williams four times and getting 2 INTs of their own. For some reason, the Bears chose to throw the ball 52 times in this game.  One interesting play in the game saw the Bears with the ball at the Colts’ 1-yardline with fourth down.  The Bears went for the TD and running back DeAndre Swift somehow lost 12 yards on the carry.

Jets 24  Pats 3:  This game was more lopsided than the score. The Jets converted 10 of 15 third-down tries and held the ball for more than 40 minutes.  Aaron Rodgers completed 27 of 35 passes for 281 yards and no interceptions. The Jets also outgained New England 400 yards to 139 yards and held the Patriots to 11 first downs.

Broncos 26  Bucs 7:  This was a win for the Broncos’ defense which sacked Baker Mayfield seven times.  That was about the only interesting aspect of this game.

Packers 30  Titans 14:  Malik Willis whom the Titans gave up on returned to Tennessee in a “revenge game” and the Packers’ backup got his revenge.  Willis was 13 for 19 with no interceptions, 202 yards, and he also led the Packers in rushing with 73 yards on six carries, and a TD.   The Packers’ defense had eight sacks in the game.

Vikes 34  Texans 7:  Both teams entered the game undefeated.  The Vikes’ defense showed up in force here recording 5 sacks in the game and holding the Texans running game to 38 yards on 14 carries.  For the Vikes, Sam Darnold only threw for 181 yards, but he also connected for 4 TDs in the game.  Two turnovers by the Texans and the Vikes converting 6 of 13 third-down situations made this game a rout.

Giants 21  Browns 15:   The Browns’ defense gets a lot of praise; in this game, it was the Giants’ defense who dominated holding the Browns to only 217 yards of total offense.  Malik Nabors caught 8 passes for 78 yards and 2 TDs in the game.

 

Games This Week

 

Last night, the Cowboys beat the Giants 20-15.  This was a one-score game from start to finish; normally, that means it was an interesting/fun game to watch.  Not so here, this game was a slog from start to finish.  Two weeks ago, the Giants lost to the Commanders when the Commanders scored 21 points on 7 FGs; last night the Giants lost to the Cowboys and all 15 of the Giants’ points came on FGs.

Saints at Falcons – 3 (41):  This is a Division Game and both teams lost last week.  I think it will be low scoring so if I were to play the game – – but I won’t – – I would take the points.

Steelers – 1.5 at Colts (41):  I can see the Steelers focusing on stopping the Colts ground game and daring Anthony Richardson to beat them.  I can also see the Colts’ defense playing to make Justin Fields beat them.  If both defenses are successful, this game could wind up 13-9…  I trust Fields more than Richardson at this point in their careers so let me take the Steelers and lay the points; put it in the Betting Bundle.

Jags at Texans – 6 (45):  Both teams lost badly last week, and the Jags are winless for the season.

Vikes at Packers – 3 (44):  This is my runner-up for the Game of the Week.  These two teams are a combined 5-1 and both teams are doing it with defenses.

Bengals – 4 at Panthers (47):  Last week we had a “Malik Willis Revenge Game”, and he won it.  Call this the “Andy Dalton Revenge Game”???  The Bengals’ defense got pantsed last week by the Commanders; can the Panthers find similar success?

Rams at Bears – 3 (40.5):  Is it that the Bears’ do not want to run the football or is it that the Bears cannot run the football?  Asking a rookie QB to throw the ball 52 times in a game is more than unusual.

Broncos at Jets – 7.5 (39.5):  Yes, the Broncos won last week but this defense is better than last week’s opponent and Aaron Rodgers is a tad better than Baker Mayfield as an opposing QB.  I smell a blowout here but that hook on top of the TD spread warns me off.

Eagles – 2 at Bucs (43):  The Bucs were awful last week but the Eagles have injury problems on offense.  DeVonta Smith, AJ Brown and Lane Johnson all did not practice this week.

Commanders at Cards – 3.5 (50):  This game will be a shoot-out.  I like the game to go OVER; put it in the Betting Bundle.

Pats at Niners – 10.5 (41):  The Pats’ defense might keep this close against an injured Niners’ offense – – but the Pats’ offense is marginal at best.

Browns at Raiders – 1 (37):  Both teams lost badly at home last week; you have to wonder which team was more embarrassed during the film sessions earlier this week.  This is my runner up as the Dog-Breath Game of the Week.

Chiefs – 7 at Chargers (40):  The key question here is:

• Can Justin Herbert play the way Justin Herbert is capable of playing?

(Sun Nite) Bills at Ravens – 2 (46.5):  This is the Game of the Week.  The Bills have been dominant so far in 2024 posting a point differential of +64 in only 3 games.  The Ravens are 1-2 but they looked as if they had found their way last week in demolishing the Cowboys.   Looking forward to seeing this game…

(Mon Nite Early) Titans at Dolphins – 1 (36.5):  This is the Dog-Breath Game of the Week.  Will Levis versus the Dolphins’ QB du jour.  If they have this one on the Manningcast, be sure to tune in there because Peyton will not be happy with the QB play here.

(Mon Nite Late) Seahawks at Lions – 3.5 (46.5):  The Lions need the game because the NFC North race will take shape as a result of the Vikes Packers game on Sunday meaning the Lions will need to keep pace.  The Seahawks are leading the NFC West now but as noted above, their undefeated record might need an asterisk.

So let me review the four picks in the Betting Bundle:

• LSU/South Alabama OVER 64.5
• Ole Miss – 15 over Kentucky
• Commanders/Cards OVER 50
• Steelers – 1.5 over Colts

And just for fun, here are two Money Line parlays:

• Indiana @ minus-260
• Nebraska @ minus-370
• Ole Miss @ minus- 650
• $100 to win 103.

And …

• Bengals @ minus-210
• Lions @ minus-180
• $100 to win $130

Finally, let’s close with these words from Vince Lombardi:

“Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

Take yourself back to February 2020; COVID-19 was just getting started.  The annual shuffling season for college football coaches was over; the music had stopped and coaches on the move had found their new seats.  And then Michigan State coach, Mark Dantonio resigned his position.  He did not quit to take a job in the NFL or at another school; he just resigned after 13 seasons with the Spartans.

Dantonio was a good coach; his overall record at Michigan St. was 114-57; in his 13 seasons on the sidelines, Sparty went to bowl games 12 times.  I don’t want to overstate this; the Spartans were not “national champion contenders” on a regular basis, but they were a team that had to be taken seriously lest they rise up and bite a team who might aspire to “national championship consideration”.

Sparty was in a bind; they needed a coach and open season for coaching candidates was over.  In short order, Michigan State poached Mel Tucker convincing him to resign as the head coach at Colorado to take the job in East Lansing.  As noted above, COVID-19 was just getting started and that made the 2020 football season a truncated one; Michigan St. went 2-5 in the first year under Tucker.

In 2021, the Spartans came out of the gate quickly winning their first 8 games in a row; they would finish the 2021 season at 11-2 and Mel Tucker was the Big Ten Coach of the Year.  All was well in East Lansing…  In the euphoria of this season, Michigan St. and Tucker tore up his existing contract and replaced it with a 10-year extension reportedly worth $95M.

The 2022 season began with two cupcake wins followed by a bunch of double-digit losses and a final record of 5-7.  The 2023 season once again began with two cupcake wins – – and then things spun out of control.  In September 2023, Michigan State fired Mel Tucker based on sexual harassment charges leveled against him by a woman described as an “anti-sexual violence advocate” who had been invited to speak to the team several times on that topic.  She accused Tucker of inappropriate behavior and specifically she accused Tucker of masturbating while on a phone call with her.  Surprisingly, Tucker did not deny the allegation; he said the activity was consensual; the school suspended him pending an investigation and then fired him for cause soon after the suspension was in place.

It is the “for cause” part of this story that is important because that meant the school was not on the hook for the $95M in that 10-year contract that existed.  Not surprisingly, Tucker has sued Michigan St. claiming that he was wrongfully terminated.  Some of the points made in Tucker’s suit are:

• The school instituted an “improper, sham investigation” that violated Tucker’s due process rights, equal protection rights and his contract itself.  [Aside:  The investigation allegedly began on September 18^th and Tucker was fired on September 27^th; that is indeed a “quick turn-around”.]
• The school was motivated by fear.  Michigan St. had just gone through the “Larry Nassar Debacle” where it seemingly stood by and looked the other way as Nassar physically violated young women athletes for a long time.  The lawsuit attributes that motivation as the basis for the firing making it a wrongful termination.
• Here is how the lawsuit characterizes the environment in the time leading up to Tucker’s firing:

  • • “The dysfunction at the highest level of the University’s leadership resulted in a siege mentality among the individual Board members and members of the administration with each member concerned primarily with protecting themselves and preserving their positions and their careers.”

• And …

  • • “[Administrators at Michigan State] manipulated and misused those processes to advance their own interests in preserving their positions and reputations while engaging in a course of bad faith conduct designed to decimate the career and reputation of [Tucker]. In this, the [Administrators at Michigan State] were wildly successful.”

• The lawsuit also contends that the school conspired with the accuser to file the complaint against Tucker ignoring evidence that his actions were consensual.

Obviously, I am not going to take sides here.  But there are a few elements here that seem a bit off-key:

• I have no difficulty in believing that the folks running the university did not want or need another sexual harassment/sexual violence situation to deal with in the wake of the “Larry Nassar Debacle”.  What Tucker was alleged to have done is clearly “low-rent”, but it is nowhere near the transgressions involving Nassar.
• I also have no difficulty in believing that the folks in the Athletic Department may have been suffering some “buyer’s remorse” after looking at that $95M contract and the mediocre-at-best season in Year One of the contract.
• I have some difficulty believing that the university and the accuser actively conspired to concoct the complaint.  Should that ever be shown to be true, that would make the university look as bad – if not worse – than it would if it had ignored the complaint and just kept on keeping on with Tucker as their coach.
• I have some difficulty with the fact that the lawsuit seeks “unspecified damages”.  I doubt that Tucker wants the job back; this suit is about the uncollected remnants of that $95M deal that was voided.  So, my sense is that this action is merely a forcing function to cause negotiations about how much of that contract Mel Tucker will get to enjoy.

[Aside:  Mark Dantonio’s surprise resignation had a secondary effect on college football.  When Mel Tucker left Colorado in the lurch, the Buffaloes turned the football program over to Karl Dorrell who was not successful and was fired in the middle of the 2022 season.  That left the door open for Colorado to bring in “Coach Prime” and his band of merry-men…]

So, what might be the final settlement number here – – not that it will ever be made public?  I’ll set the OVER/UNDER at $35M…

Finally, this from Kellyanne Conway:

“Sexual harassment is as difficult to prove as it is to disprove.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

Sports evolve.  Let me use professional football as an example.  Football started out as one team’s running game matched against the other team’s running game.  If you watch even a couple of NFL games on TV this season and do nothing else, you will see that is not the case in 2024.

When the game opened up into sort of a balance between running the ball and throwing the ball, the idealized QB of the time was big, tall, huge arm and strong enough to take hits in the pocket because he just stood in there and threw the ball at the last microsecond before being clobbered by a defensive lineman.  Yes, I know there were a few “different” QBs around in the time of that evolution like “little guy”, Eddie LeBaron and “scrambling” Fran Tarkenton and “freakishly athletic” Randall Cuningham; but the ideal was the statuesque QB who could throw a football through an engine block.

Such is not the case today and I think there may be more to the evolutionary pressures than just greater mobility among QBs.  I think there may be an activation of a “survival gene” in lots of people who have taken up the challenge of playing QB at various levels of football, and that “survival gene activation” is caused by the lack of effective play by offensive lines as a whole.  If a QB like Lamar Jackson had to try to play QB the way it was played in the 1970s and 1980s, he might not have survived to cash in on his long-term nine-figure contract extension.

Offensive line play is choreographed.  Virtually every play that is designed by the creative genius of an offensive coordinator starts with at least 5 and sometimes as many as 8 behemoths moving as if they were a single entity.  Choreography in football – – as with choreography on stage – – takes talent PLUS practice time and repetition.  Choreography on stage is difficult to master whether it is formal ballet or the Radio City Rockettes; those performances occur only after hours of rehearsal and repetition.  In the NFL, there is the added challenge of defensive players doing everything in their power to destroy the choreography; at least the Rockettes do not have to worry about someone blind-siding them as they go into their high-kick routine.

The NFL has offensive linemen who are certainly sufficiently big and strong and agile enough to effect the results sought by the play designers.  And yet, in passing situations, it is not uncommon for the QB to be swallowed up by defenders or for the QB to “run for his life”.  And for this situation, I put the blame on the players and not the coaches for this reason:

• In the last couple of CBA negotiations, one of the points sought by the players via their union was to limit the amount of time teams could require practices in the off-season, in Training Camp and during the season.
• Moreover, less practice time was permitted for players to be “in pads” and involved in “hitting”.
• Reduced practice time means fewer repetitions.
• Fewer repetitions mean less precision in the choreography.

In addition, the main feeder element for NFL offensive linemen – – college football – – has also had practice times limited by NCAA and Conference edicts.  And that means many physically talented linemen come to the NFL with an insufficient number of choreographic repetitions under their belt to make them “NFL-Ready”.  Vince Lombardi famously said:

“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.”

I wonder how Coach Lombardi – – who cut his teeth coaching offensive linemen – – would assess the current state of play by those units?

Moving on …  Brett Favre has been under investigation for flim-flammery in dealings involving Federal money sent to Mississippi as aid to poor families.  He denies any criminal activities and says he has returned any monies he may have inadvertently received to the proper authorities.  The validity of all that remains up in the air; as of this morning, all of that is alleged.

Yesterday, Favre was testifying in front of the House Ways and Means Committee about a matter that is related to the alleged misallocation of those Federal funds.  Those details are not important here.

In the process of his testimony, Favre revealed that he has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.  And that has set up two divergent narratives related to that announcement:

• Narrative #1:  Studies have shown that concussions increase the likelihood of contracting Parkinson’s significantly.  Favre surely had more than a handful of concussions in his 20-year NFL career which involved 302 game appearances.  Football is a dangerous profession and more needs to be done to protect against concussions.
• Narrative #2:  No one should wish a debilitating condition like Parkinson’s on anyone else – – but the timing and the venue of this announcement is ever so convenient, and it deflects attention from the allegations.

I lean more toward “Narrative #1” but feel free to join the forces supporting “Narrative #2”; only time will provide an answer here.

Finally, I’ll close today with this bit of reflection by Brett Favre:

“I think my stubbornness, hardheadedness and stupidity is what has allowed me to play for 20 years.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

Yesterday, I looked at the AL wildcard possibilities; so, today I want to take a peek at the NL race.  The Phillies and the Brewers have won their divisions meaning they are in the playoffs.  The Dodgers lead the Padres by 3 games with 6 games left; these two teams have a 3-game series in LA starting tomorrow.  For the sake of argument, I will make the Dodgers the NL West champions and put the Padres in the wildcard race recognizing that the Dodgers have guaranteed themselves a position in the playoffs no matter what but have not clinched the NL West.  With that stipulation, here are the four teams that will contend for three playoff slots; everyone else in the NL is eliminated from wildcard contention:

1. Padres record = 90-66
2. Mets record = 87-69
3. D-Backs record = 87-70
4. Braves record = 85-71

In addition to the Padres/Dodgers series starting this week, there is another series that will be pivotal.  Starting tomorrow, the Mets will travel to Atlanta to begin a 3-game series with the Braves.  Obviously, a sweep by the Braves would put them ahead of the Mets but then the Braves would need to take on the Royals in the final 3 games of the season and the Royals will be fighting for their own playoff slot in the AL.  Meanwhile, the Mets will close out 2024 with 3 games on the road against the Brewers who have already clinched their playoff slot by winning the NL Central.

• Conclusion:  There will be interesting times in NL baseball this week.

Whilst on the subject of NL baseball, let me turn to a story that has generated plenty of local attention but not nearly as much national attention.  The Washington Nationals sent their All-Star shortstop, CJ Abrams, to their minor league team after the minor league team finished its season.  Essentially, Abrams was banished to the Nats’ Florida Training Facility and manager Dave Martinez said that the decision to send Abrams down had nothing to do with his performance.  Well, if that is even half true, that would mean there is a significant element of “disciplinary action” involved here.

Let me set the stage for those of you who are not in the DC area and may not care enough about the Nats to pay attention to CJ Abrams.  He was part of the deal between the Padres and the Nats that sent Juan Soto to San Diego.  Abrams is only 23 years old, and he has established that he is indeed a major league talent; this year he hit 20 home runs and stole 31 bases.  I am not saying that he is the next coming of Derek Jeter or Cal Ripken, Jr. or Ernie Banks at shortstop, but he has the talent to play at the MLB level.  So, what’s up here?

There was a social media post last week saying that Abrams spent the night after a Nats/Cubs game at a Chicago casino until 8:00 AM and then showed up to play an afternoon game the next day.  After that game, there was a meeting between Abrams, Dave Martinez and Nats’ GM, Mike Rizzo.  Following that meeting, Abrams was sent down to the Florida Training Facility.

Here is the thing about this matter that makes me wonder:

• That punishment seems to be a bit on the draconian side – – unless there have been other behaviors that have resulted in meetings with “management” because said behaviors were deemed to be inappropriate.

Let me say very clearly that I have NO information that would support such a hypothesis.  However, if this were a “first offense” for a 23-year-old All-Star player, I would think that benching him for the final 6 games of a season where the Nats are nowhere near the playoffs would be sufficient as a punishment.  Moreover, if this were a “first offense’, why would Nats’ management risk alienating the mindset of a player who could be a foundation piece for the team’s rebuilding process?

This is a story that will require investigative journalism to unravel because there will not be any candor coming from management or – – probably – – from Abrams any time soon.  It will be a story that provides an overhang for this year’s offseason for the Nats.

One other baseball note today …  Later this week, the Oakland A’s will play their final game in Oakland, CA.  The team will move to Las Vegas – – eventually – – and will play in an updated minor league facility in Sacramento until the new playpen is ready for habitation.  The A’s have been in Oakland since 1968.  This situation has no heroes.

• There is plenty of “evidence” that the A’s owners have wanted to leave Oakland for greener pastures for a while now.
• There is plenty of “evidence” that the city fathers in Oakland held out the possibility of a renovated stadium but not a new one and that the city offers were never going to be close to offers made by alternate venues.
• There is plenty of “evidence” that Oakland fans were not hugely supportive of the team even as sham negotiations between the team and the city ricocheted from point to point.  The A’s were always in the bottom 10% of MLB in home attendance.  [Aside: Since visiting teams get a slice of the home attendance gate, other teams can easily see a move away from a “low support venue” as an issue of self-interest.]
• There is plenty of evidence – – note the lack of quotation marks here – – that the Oakland Coliseum is and has been a substandard facility for more than a few years now.  Forget any other “problems”; the fact that there have been sewage backups (plural) in locker rooms and in dugouts might be sufficient evidence to convince anyone that the stadium could not continue to be the home of the A’s team.

Finally, I’ll close today with these words from Connie Mack – – the former owner of the A’s franchise:

“You’re born with two strikes against you, so don’t take a third one on your own.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

They did it!  The Chicago White Sox have lost their 120^th game of the MLB season with six games left on their schedule.  The 1962 NY Mets are no longer the standard bearers for “quantity of losses in a single season”.  Barring an intervention by the baseball gods, the Sox will set a new standard of baseball futility in the modern era.

Actually, those 1962 Mets do not hold the record for lowest winning percentage in a season since MLB used to play seasons of 154 games.  The lowest winning percentage for a single season belongs – – at least for the moment – – to the 1916 Philadelphia A’s who posted a record of 36-117 (win percentage of .235).  Check this morning’s MLB standings to see the White Sox record of 36-120 PLUS a winning percentage of only .231.  This White Sox team might just take the lead in the race to the bottom in both categories in 2024.  These are sad times for baseball fans on the South Side in Chicago …

By comparison to the White Sox, the Cincinnati Reds have had a decent season despite posting a mediocre record of 76-81 as of this morning.  Nonetheless, the Reds fired manager David Bell over the weekend and turned the team over to bench coach, Fred Benevides for the team’s five remaining games.  Maybe that makes sense, but if it does, you will have to explain to me what damage to the team next year would accrue by letting David Bell finish out the final 5 games in 2024 and then being fired the day after the final game takes place.

I am not suggesting that Bell should not be terminated.  He has been the Reds’ manager since 2019 and other than the truncated 2020 “COVID-season”, his teams have been below .500 every year.  In fact, he was given a 2-year contract extension in 2021 after that “successful” 2020 season; his contract runs through the end of the 2026 season.  However, there is no obvious reason to dismiss him with 5 games left in the season.

The expansion of the MLB playoffs has certainly made the final week of this year’s regular season interesting to AL fans.  While it is not a mathematical certainty, the Yankees, Guardians and Astros appear to be the three division winners today.  The Orioles have a 4-game lead in the wild card race, so it would take a significant collapse on their part to miss the playoffs.  Then comes the fun:

• Royals record = 82-74
• Tigers record = 82-74
• Twins record = 81-75
• Mariners record = 80-76.

All four teams have 6 games to play, and the playoffs only have room for two of the four teams.  But there is an “edge” for the Tigers in this race.

• The Tigers’ final three games of the regular season are at home against – – wait for it – – the Chicago White Sox.
• Let the games begin …

Moving on …  An injury to Texas QB, Quinn Ewers made room for the Longhorns to showcase their prize recruit, Arch Manning in a starting role.  Texas’ opponent over the weekend was La-Monroe – – a team not likely to deserve mention alongside Texas in the 2024 college football discussion.  Manning posted these stats for the game:

• 15 of 29 for 257 yards with 2 TDs and 2 INTs

For a QB not named “Manning” that would be a perfectly fine way to begin a college career.  When asked about his performance after the game, Manning said he would probably give himself a C+ particularly because Texas won the game 51-3.

The Longhorns are ranked #1 in the country in the Coaches’ Poll and #2 in the country in the AP Poll.  The blowout win here was certainly expected but interest in the game focused on the first start for the “third generation” of the Manning family to play QB at the collegiate level.

Finally, words of wisdom from George Carlin:

“When you’re born you get a ticket to the freak show. When you’re born in America, you get a front row seat.”

And …

“Just because you got the monkey off your back doesn’t mean the circus has left town.”

And …

“If you can’t beat them, arrange to have them beaten.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

Dan Daly used to be a sports columnist for the Washington Times; he describes himself on his Twitter page this way:

“Unrestricted free agent sportswriter, NFL Films talking head, author of The National Forgotten League.”

[Aside:  I recommend his book, The National Forgotten League, for anyone who is interested in the origins, evolution and development of what we call the NFL these days.]

One of his recent Tweets sparked some thinking here in Curmudgeon Central:

“Some NFL numbers for ya (total for both teams):

“1948 6.48 TDs per game (all-time high) 0.76 FGs per game

“2024 4.28 TDs per game 4.4 FGs per game

“And yet, how much time do we spend talking about kickers? Analyzing kickers? Trying to understand how they’ve gotten to be so good?”

About 10 minutes after seeing that Tweet, I ran across this stat:

“A record was set in Week 2 for most field goals in a slate of NFL games, with 73.”

Those two items combined with a self-evident fact – – field goal attempts on average are far less exciting that plays from scrimmage – – led me to think that there might need to be some rule changes to disincentivize field goal tries thereby encouraging more potential fourth down tries from scrimmage or punt returns.  Naturally, I have come up with some ideas to do so.  Fortunately for all, no one involved with NFL rulemaking pays attention to these rants.

Let me begin with a simple rule change:

• Raise the crossbar from 10 feet off the ground to 20 feet – – or even 25 feet – – off the ground.
• And narrow the width of the goal post from 18 feet 6 inches to 15 feet.

Either or both of those alterations would discourage lots of 60 or 70-yard attempts.  In the case of a 60-yard attempt, that means the ball was on the “plus-43 yardline” leaving it to the offensive mavens to decide to go for it or punt it away.

If you want a far more radical rule change, modify the goal post structure itself.

• Make the width 15 feet and set the crossbar height at 15 feet.  Then add a second crossbar at 30 feet.  A successful field goal has to pass over the lower crossbar AND under the upper crossbar to be successful.  That change will also make PAT tries more interesting.

And if you think there needs to be an even greater risk associated with ultra-long field goal tries, consider changes to the scoring system.

• For the sake of argument, assume that you want to add more risk to any field goal try over 55 yards.  Then make a field goal from 55 yards or longer worth only 2 points instead of 3 points for shorter tries.

Since there were 73 field goals made last weekend (4.5 per game) that means there were even more attempts since there had to be a couple of missed tries.  [Aside:  I remember that Justin Tucker missed one in the Ravens/Raiders game…]  So, in addition to Professor Daly’s suggestion that we spend time analyzing kickers and trying to figure out how they got so proficient, perhaps a rule change or two might be in order?

Switching gears – – sort of – – I’ll take a moment here to suggest an NFL restructuring of its divisions.  Obviously, what exists today works just fine, but I believe that there is a principle that is not sufficiently recognized in the current structure.

• Proximity enhances rivalry.

So, in order to increase “proximity” among division teams and therefore enhancing rivalries, consider this realignment:

• Left Coast Division:  Seattle, SF. LA Rams, LA Chargers
• Flyover División:  KC, Denver, Arizona, Las Vegas
• Deep South Division:  Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Tennessee
• Midwest Division:  Minnesota, Green Bay, Chicago, Indy
• Rust Belt Division:  Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit
• Megalopolis Division:  New England, NY Jets, NY Giants, Philly
• Mid-Atlantic Division:  Washington, Baltimore, Carolina, Cincy
• South Division:  Atlanta, Jax, Tampa Bay, Miami

OK, I admit that the “Flyover Division” is a bit of a stretch as is adding Cincy to the “Mid-Atlantic Division”, but look at all the close packed geography in the rest of the divisions for developing rivalries…

Finally, since today’s rant has been about change, let me close with Charles Darwin:

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………