The Day the Madness Ended.

In these times on infection, it is time for inflection.  The Coronavirus has been known of since the 1960’s.  The current strain COVID19 is the most recent release.  No one on the planet has an immunity for this virus except for those who are already infected with it.  Containment is the only short-term solution. The Yard has hunkered down in Las Vegas and asked the rest of the staff to work remote.  We made our national emergency order for the Yard about seven days before our President did the same for the nation.  The Donald trying to calm the nation with his usual bluster but was ineffective.  Wall Street crashed while Target and Costco cashed with our ambient anxiety. It is surreal but the 2009 swine flu infected 55 million people in the US and 11,000 lost their lives.  Startling numbers for sure and a national emergency was declared by Barack Obama on October 24, 2009.  There was no suspension of the NBA, the NHL, MLB or anything at that time and we survived and prospered. This disease may be more contagious and dangerous, but we will survive and prosper again.

At times of national stress, sports can be a wonderful elixir for our collective souls. Mike Piazza’s game winning homerun at the first baseball game in NY after 9/11 will always be historic as the Mets helped heal the city. We are now all sidelined together. The Yard will continue our emergency measures with binge watching allowed after 11:00 AM and Happy Hour commencement times relaxed until April 6.  We have also limited our coronavirus exposure from all media outlets with extreme prejudice.  What is the good news?  It just keeps getting spasmodically worse.  Check in on family and friends not CNN and MSNBC.  Meet your neighbors, at a safe distance or maybe just wave and shout “Hi, how are you?”

The next two weeks were to be the greatest sports time of our year.  Our tickets from Brother Tom were set for Opening Day with Clayton dueling Johnny Cueto and the dastardly Giants.  The Bruins were making a late run and had a good shot at making the Madness dance albeit without any real chance of a deep run.  The USC-UCLA basketball game on March 7 at the Galen Center was an outstanding prelude to the tournament.  The since shuttered dance was going to be one for the ages.  We will never know who the top seeds or eventual champion would be but there were so many great stories going into the tournament.  The disappointments for the seniors getting their last shot at creating their own magic moments.

One great story line going into the tournament was the Dayton Flyers .  They were one of the best basketball stories of the 2019-20 season.  The Flyers have been a perennial darling of the Atlantic 10 for many seasons.  But this year’s team had real championship pedigree.  Dayton would have most likely received a top regional seed.  The Flyers were 29-2 with their only two losses in overtime to Kansas and Colorado.  They went 18-0 in the competitive A-10.  Their big man, Obi Toppin was a nightly Sports Center clip with his 20 ppg and 8 boards.  There was more to the team than Obi, but he was a difference maker in every game, and he played every game.  The city of Dayton has been one of the hardest hit since the great recession.  Recently, there were the random murders of nine  Daytonians in the Entertainment district last year.  The Flyers were something that brought great pride, enthusiasm and healing to the region.  The Flyers were moving everyone’s needle until it all stopped.

The Seton Hall Pirates were another Yard darling this past season.  The Pirates play in the rugged Big East conference.  They had a steady diet of tough matchups with Creighton, Butler, and Villanova who joined the Pirates in the final top 25 rankings.  Myles Powell was the best guard in the Big East.  The Hall has not been that relevant since PJ Carlesimo before he was strangled by Latrell Sprewell.  Seton Hall was excited and poised to make a deep run.  Both schools were shocked and disappointed with the decision, but both knew it was the only decision. There were going to be lots of amazing moments in the coming weeks.  Now, I get to finish the last five seasons of Breaking Bad…instead.  Not the preferred course of action but I have heard that it is good.  God speed to the prospering and God bless us all.

Versions of Mamba -- RIP

It has taken some time to wrap our collective psyche around the tragic passing of Kobe Bean Bryant.  Bryant was certainty going to outlive the Yard and we thought he would outlive us all.  Moments of melancholy has sprinkled through our days as remembrances of Kobe emerge since the crash.  The NBA ceremony at the All-Star game was beautiful.  The celebration of life planned for February 24 will be emotional. The passion that Mamba brought every night for the Lakers for twenty years was only surpassed by the passion he brought to his life after the Lakers.  There is no silver lining in this one.  It is a tragic tragedy of miserable proportions. At a time where Kobe had become the best version of himself, he was gone. Father, investor, media tycoon and Laker icon.

April 13, 2016 Kobe played his final game in a Laker uniform.  It was the most amazing final regular season game by any athlete in any sport ever.  The game was a microcosm of Bryant’s Laker career.   The opening minutes brought a resurgent Kobe racing all over and throwing up five missed shots including an airball in the opening minutes of the game.  It was reminiscent of the afro-wielding, petulant 18-year-old trying to find playing time for Del Harris in 1996.  Del played Kobe 15 minutes a game and he averaged seven points that year.  Del would come to regret some of his obstinance with the strong-willed Bryant later in both of their careers.  

By the beginning of the 4^th quarter, Kobe had 37 but the Lakers were down 75-66 to the Utah Jazz who were fighting for a .500 record and the last playoff spot in the west.  The Lakers were fighting to win Kobe’s final game, but it would only be their 17^th win of the season against 65 losses.  Bryant was a hollow version of himself in his career twilight.  He had missed more games the past two seasons than the previous 18 combined. He was averaging 17 points a game so 37 is a remarkable number in his final game especially with a team which started Roy Hibbert at center.  In that heroic 4^th quarter that night, Bryant found his inner Black Mamba and took that game over from everyone.  It became his game.  Bryant outscored the Jazz 23-21 in the final quarter by himself.  He did to Utah what he did to Del Harris every time the Laker’s played the Dallas Mavericks in his later years.  Phil took Kobe out when he had 60 points by the beginning of the 4^th quarter against Del’s Mavs.  Dallas was the West champions that year, but Kobe lit them up just like the Jazz in his final game.  Just as he had done over his 20-year career, Bryant put the team on his shoulders to victory.  He led the Lakers to their 17^th victory on the same night the Golden State Warriors would win their record 73^rd.  Kobe’s night was bigger.

When Kobe dropped the mike that night after his post-game speech to the crowd, he was gone.  He was not a Magic or a Jordan who tried to come back after a few years in retirement.  He did not miss the game as much as the game missed him.  He was not showing up at games and offering commentary on the current state. He was on to the next life with the passion he played during his NBA phase. Few in the history of the game brought the intensity that Bryant brought every night.  His will to win was unrepentant. Sweat dripping from his face, tongue hanging out, calling for the ball with three on the clock, contorting into ridiculous shots and pumping his fist as they cleared the net. Jordan  might have set the bar, but Kobe raised it.  In a terrible foreshadow of this tragedy, Bryant handed Lebron his mantle as James passed him on the all-time scoring list the night prior to the crash.  Kobe showed us all what single-minded focus looks like when delivered every night.  He showed us what was possible if you gave everything that you had to the things that you loved.

There have been many in the press to call out the Bryant hero worship while reminding us all that he was accused of rape.  Kobe was accused of having non-consensual sex with a 19-year old hotel lobby clerk in 2003.  Coincidentally, Kobe was 24 years of age at that time. When the indictment was announced, Bryant held a major press conference for all of the media, sitting with his wife Vanessa at center court at Staples Center. Looking directly at his wife, he admitted that he had cheated on her.  It lives forever on YouTube. He publicly recriminated himself for his adultery.  He disagreed that it amounted to sexual assault.  He may never be forgiven by some, but he stood before the world and admitted he was an adulterer but not a rapist. Under the scrutiny of 2020, 24-year-old Kobe’s response may have not been enough.  It was still much different than the transgressors we see in today’s spotlight.  Celebrities are running for cover when accused hiding behind attorneys, publicists and sex rehab resorts while waiting for the villagers with the pitch forks to tire and go home. The charges were eventually dropped, and Kobe settled a civil suit in 2004. What happened in that Eagle Creek hotel room will never be fully understood.  Bryant spent the rest of his life making up for it to his wife, his family and Laker nation. Let us all hope that in death the last version of Kobe Bryant is the one cauterized in our collective memories for history.  RIP Mamba.

The Houston Astros cannot sweep their illicit behavior under the infield apron.  It is sticking to all of these Astro highwaymen who absconded with our nation’s World Series title.  The media glare of spring training has exposed the Astros as unapologetic and tone deaf.  Altuve, Bregman and Correa did offer up some lame rationale.  Correa has gone on the offensive telling Cody Bellinger to stand down because he does not know the facts.  Alex the shortstop says that players need to be informed before they make any comments on the Astros cheating. Justin Verlander lamented the comments made by other players “who do not know all of the facts”.  Astros Owner Jim Crane contended that the Astros won “fair and square”?!  How can that be when one team had a technological advantage in their home ballpark over their opponent in a championship?  How can it possibly be fair if one team has the capacity to steal the opponent’s pitching signs and relay them to their batter, but the opponent does not?  How does a scheme of this magnitude go on for possibly years and no one on the Astros thinks it is wrong and deceitful until caught?  Astro fan wants to claim the victory of the better team but not acknowledge their obvious advantage. If it was not advantageous, why do it? Astros share with us all of the facts.   Please inform us in explicit detail. We all want to hear how this plan was hatched, executed and how far up in the organization this scandal leeched.  Regardless of who participated, everyone knew about it.  It was cheating and it was wrong.  The Astros can keep the title, but players should donate their WS dollars to charities.  The Astros should be suspended from the 2020 playoffs.  Their title is forever tainted in Wikipedia and beyond.

The impact of this cheating has not been fully revealed.  Mike Bolsinger is suing the Astros for $30 million because their trash can signal relay effectively ended his career on a single August night in 2017.  He gave up four earned runs on 29 pitches that night.  The audio of the game is punctuated with trash can crescendos.  Bolsinger never pitched in the majors again.  We have already discussed the impact on the historical legacies of Yu Darvish and Clayton Kershaw with their WS woes in 2017.  MLB said that they could not pursue the players because of the strength of the MLB Players Union.  How good is a union that fights for one team’s sins at the expense of the other 31? Bets were placed on the outcomes of important games without thinking that the Astros could have video superiority to steal the Dodger’s pitching signals and impact the outcome.  We wonder how that mattress knucklehead who keeps betting millions on the Astros feels?  The Astros won and he paid for hundreds of bed sets but what is the price of your chosen team’s integrity? This is worse than the bad actors of the steroid era who hid their misdeeds in clinics and bathrooms. Everyone knew and looked the other way.  This Astro cheating was an enterprise wide scheme.  No one knew outside of the Astros. Many, many had to be involved at all levels within the organization. This was not sandpaper, pine tar in the mitt or HGH in the left butt cheek.  It was systemic and that is scary at any billion-dollar corporation.  This story is far from over, but the Astro’s season may be.  Their first step in the forthcoming death spiral was hiring Dusty Baker. 

The Tale of Two Jimmy’s: In 1995, UCLA won their last basketball National Championship in the history of the legendary program.  In 1996, the Dallas Cowboys won their last Super Bowl in their storied history.  Jimmy Harrick was the UCLA basketball coach and Jimmy Johnson was the Dallas Cowboys coach.  Both coaches were at the helm when their teams had their last moments at the top.  Both coaches had fractured relationships with their boss which lead to their leaving.  Pete Dalis never liked Jim Harrick who was his 3^rd or 4^th choice when the Walt Hazzard era needed to end.  Emperor Pete did not feel UCLA should have to hire the Pepperdine coach but no one else wanted the job at the time.  Jimmy Johnson started to bristle under Jerry Jones as they fought for credit for the first two Super Bowls that the Cowboys won in the 90’s.  Jimmy left and Jones brought in Barry Switzer to shepherd the aging team to one more title and he did.  It was the Cowboys last hurrah as it was for the Bruins.  Both coaches are still treated like pariahs by their former teams.  UCLA should invite Harrick back and honor him.  The Cowboys need to recognize Johnson and put him in the Ring of Honor.  Time to honor the past and break the spell.

Fall from the Yard

International Day of the Girl was October 11.  The Yard has been surrounded by amazing girls since birth.  With four sisters and three girl first cousins, I was blessed with the International Day of the Girl almost daily since 1963. The American white, heterosexual reign has been crumbling for years.  Many would argue rightfully so after years of exclusion and subjugation of everyone else by this questionably fraternal organization.  The Yard chose not to major in Sociology or Anthropology, so our opinions are as usual just opinions.  We could have studied the evolution of man from Cro-Magnon man to the fully, evolved cretin. Until the girls stood up and said “enough” the entitled only knew entitlement. Most of us do not have this false sense that goes viral when unchecked. The stereotype can stick to all of us like the syrup tray at IHOP. 

The Yard only hopes that our last bastion of male domination is preserved- the classic Boy Band.  NSYNC, Duran, Duran and the Back-Street Boys are still going strong.  Girl bands not so much.  It is probably that there are many more young girls willing to scream at their concerts and they are still screaming today as adults. Diffident teenage boys wishing they were anywhere else but a concert with their parents is not a long market play.  Even the Seahawks were rocking NSYNC for a TD celebration.

When the Yard launched in 2007, it was different time and space.  It was just a lark this Yard.  Who knew it would turn into 150 postings of inconsequential meanderings couched within unknown proportions?  Our legal team has been closely following the late John Steinbeck estate’s battling heirs.  The Pulitzer prize winner did not give much thought to copyright and did not call it out specifically in his will.  At the time of his death in 1968, his estate was worth $1 million, a decent sum in those days.  The original heirs have been dead for decades but the battles rage on over movie rights, digital rights and the rest of things no one thought of in the 50’s and 60’s  It would seem that after nearly 60 years the original $1 million estate might have evaporated?   The Yard legal team is taking a close look at our trove of basement tapes, bootleg recordings and other missives to ensure we protect not just the future of the Yard for our progeny but other stuff as well.

As Joe Kelly stared at the dirt before his feet on the mound and Howie Kendrick watched his game winning grand salami clear Cody Bellinger and the outfield wall, the Yard felt relief.  It has been three years of pressure packed post seasons for the Dodgers and their fans.  We cannot imagine the pressure the players feel but it has been unpalpable from the Yard sofas.  Grinding through seven playoff series over the past three years, the Dodgers went 4-3.  The four series wins are hardly remembered.   The three series losses are burned into our history forever. It was an amazing run without a title.  The Dodgers faced the Amazing Astros in 2017 and the 106-win Red Sox team in 2018.  The Dodgers were not the favorites in either WS. Giant fan is proud of their recent titles and we hear of them often.  A bit dusty but relevant.  The Giants beat the Rangers, Tigers and the Royals. Flash forward to 2019 and these are three of the worst teams in the MLB. Collectively, 61 games under .500.  One might argue the Giants suck also and we are not opposed to that sentiment.  But you can’t take away their three titles unless maybe we can snag #metoo one for the Giant VP with the viral video pushing his wife at the zoo.  Fortuitously, the Giants got the cream of American League Crap during their reign.  The AL is back with Yankees, Red Sox and Astros probably better than any team in the NL possibly for years to come.  We will root for the Nat’s even with their game five rout of the Dodgers.

Although the Dodgers won 106 games this year, there were troubling signs throughout the season that would give this fan pause in the playoffs.  Kenley Jansen had 33 saves, but he finished with a 3.71 ERA and gave up 9 home runs in 63 innings.  Watching Kenley come in with a one run lead in the 9^th in the World Series would be intestine twisting. Creaky Rich Hill going three innings in Game 4 was a “really?” moment for a team with these resources.

Clayton Kershaw’s post season woes were on full display with his 8^th inning three pitch two homerun blow up the season moment.  Dave Roberts bringing Kershaw into the game as a reliever was evidence of the insanity that permeates Roberts psyche during the playoffs.  Kershaw has a nearly 6.00 ERA in deciding playoff games. His playoff ERA is 2.00 higher than his regular season.  And if the game is on the line, it jumps two more runs. He has only given up back to back homeruns on consecutive pitches twice in his HOF career.  Both times in the playoffs. He is not your go-to pitcher to win a playoff game, Dave!  It is not a secret that the Yard has Dodger Blue phantasm.  We do not think there is another team in the MLB that would not trade their starting lineup for the Dodgers projected starters in 2020 except maybe the Yankees and the Astros.

We are starting to feel like the Dodgers are Atlanta Braves of the 1990’s.  Those powerhouse teams won the NL East eleven straight seasons.  They made it to the WS five times during that stretch and won one title over the Cleveland Indians in 1995.  John Smoltz, Chipper Jones, Greg Maddux and Manager Bobby Cox are all in the HOF from those teams.  We hope that Dave Roberts is not going to be our Bobby Cox.  Bobby did lose his first two trips to the WS in 1992-93.  The Braves came back in 1995 to win their sole title of the era.  They went twice more but could not get past those Yankees teams of the era.  We can hope to win 11 straight titles but sprinkle in a few more WS titles before the dirt nap.

In the clubhouse: The best pitching performance that we watched in the playoffs so far was by Max Scherzer of the Nat’s in his game 4 gem over the Dodgers in our nation’s capital.  33-year old Max outdueled the Dodger young gun lefty lineup.  He gave up 4 hits and 1 run in his seven innings.  It was raining off and on throughout the game.  There was Mad Max grunting and heaving the rock over the dish with rain dripping off his bill.  Fist pumping each third strike and taking some rips at the plate.  The National are doing all this without Superman Harper who darted to the 81-81 Phillies so he could watch from home in LV with his new-born.

OT: The hypocrisy of Lebron regarding the NBA tweet skirmish with The People’s Republic of China is surprising.  The King is quick to highlight the perceived abuse of others as when he called the NFL owners essentially slave owners.  He called out the NCAA about not letting their players get paid.  But when it came to that one tweet from the Rockets in support of Hong Kong, Lebron had to call the NBA out on that.  “How can someone make a tweet so insensitive that it costs people millions if not billions?” Bron queried his nation. Lebron felt it would cost Lebron money that is why.  With the Lebron XVII shoe, coming to your store straight from the factory in China, he had to say something. He was probably worried about the workers not his lifetime contract with Nike.

Grace of God:  Thank you everyone for thoughts and prayers for our Jo.  She is 100% recovered and gorgeous as ever.  The humor left the building for about a month, but she has brought the joy back to my life as she always has.  God Bless!