RIP Chi Chi Rodriguez

Chi Chi Rodriguez died yesterday at the age of 88.  He is enshrined in the World Golf Hall of Fame and was known for his flamboyance on the golf course.  Possibly his most famous “antic” was brandishing his putter as a sword and then placing it in an imaginary sheath around his waist after sinking a birdie putt.  He was a major figure in golf when most players were very aloof and businesslike on the course; it was easy to spot and to root for Chi Chi Rodriguez.

Rest in peace, Chi Chi Rodriguez.

Moving on …  Let me return for a moment to offer one more observation on the futility of the Chicago White Sox.  After they snapped their historic 21-game losing streak earlier this week, the GM celebrated that achievement by firing the manager and three of the coaches.  I am not going to try to suggest that Pedro Grifol was a good manager – – or even a competent manager – – but he is not the reason for the White Sox ineptitude this year.  The roster stinks top to bottom and that stink belongs on the GM more than it does on the manager.  The GM has been with the Sox Front Office since 2021, so it is difficult to find a way to leave him blameless for what exists today.

For the record, Grifol’s record in almost two years at the helm of the White Sox was a miserable 89-190 – – winning percentage of .319.

Next up …  Once again, I do not understand the mechanics that operate the US judicial system.  Recently, I said that the entirety of the lawsuit against the NFL for monopolistic practices involving “Sunday Ticket” was opaque to me.  However, a jury verdict went against the NFL and that jury awarded the plaintiffs $4.7B in damages which could be subject to tripling under US anti-trust laws.  Such an award of about $14B is substantial even to a financial behemoth like the NFL.  And of course, the NFL was going to appeal that verdict and that award.

However, now it seems that will not be necessary.  After all the legal wrangling and the all the backing-and-forthing at trial and all the jury deliberations, the judge threw the case out.  The judge said that the jury did not follow instructions when it came to calculating the amount of the award, but the ruling did not stop with a re-calculation of the award; the judge threw the entire case out.  One report I read said that the judge found the testimony of two expert witnesses for the plaintiffs to be “based on flawed methodologies” and that their testimony should be excluded; and from that basis the judge ruled that there was no other basis for the broad claim of damages borne by the plaintiffs.

For the record, I have no dog in this fight; I have never bought “Sunday Ticket”, nor have I ever thought to do so.  So, this turn of events – – I can only imagine the enthusiastic high-fiving going on in NFL HQs – – leaves me with several misunderstandings:

• If the judge thought the expert witnesses had “flawed methodologies” as the basis for their testimony, why did the judge allow it in the first place?  If I were to sue the NFL for damages I suffered and based my claim on the moon being made of green cheese, I suspect my assertion would not be sent to a jury for their thoughts on the matter.  So, why did the jury ever get the case for consideration?
• Why throw the entire case out?  If the expert witnesses have a flawed methodology for calculating damages, why not order a new trial without those expert witnesses to see if in fact there is a violation of anti-trust laws going on?  It seems to me there are two different matters at hand here:

1. 1. 1. 1. Did the NFL violate anti-trust laws?
         2. How much did it cost consumers if indeed such violations happened?

This matter is likely not over.  Now it is the plaintiffs who will probably appeal the trial court judge’s decision to throw the case out and there is always the possibility that the plaintiffs can file a new lawsuit claiming the same anti-trust violations but presenting completely different evidence that is not related to the testimony of the two expert witnesses used in the previous case.  And the beat goes on …

Switching gears …  The Paris Olympics closing ceremony will be on Sunday.  I said before the Olympics that I was most interested in seeing Simone Biles compete in these games; her performances were absolutely stunning.  The other woman who was outstanding in the game was Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone who broke the world record – – and obviously the Olympic record too – – in the 400-meter hurdles.  Her time of 50.37 seconds was the first time a woman had run that event in under 51 seconds.

Finally, an observation by Bob Molinaro in the Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot:

“Idle thought: Commanders can’t be the worst name along a pro sports landscape that includes the Cleveland Guardians.”

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