Category: OLD SPORT SHORTS (Page 17 of 68)
An old guy’s perspective on all sports
All the factors seemed to be working against me this morning on run #4,950 – eye patch, heat, humidity, headache, and a malfunctioning GPS. A voice kept repeating “Pausing workout” and then “Resuming workout” to the point where it consumed a half-mile of recorded distance and in the end what should have been 3.1 miles showed only 2.6. It was annoying and the headache persisted but I completed the course, watered some plants, won for the 65th straight time at Wordle, swam a few laps in the pool, and started the laundry.
We’ll pick up my grandson at his mother’s house later this afternoon in Sarasota and take him to dinner. I’m also looking forward to watching tonight’s Home Run Derby and tomorrow night’s All Star Game. The White Sox finally came through in their series against the first place Twins, winning three of four and moving to within three games of the lead just behind the Guardians. Injuries continue to be an issue with both Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez nursing problems. Liam Hendriks was finally named to the AL squad and will join teammate Tim Anderson. Former Hoosier, Cub, and Nationals Kyle Schwarber, now with the Phillies, is favored to win the Derby, but has fallen short in previous attempts.
I’m watching “Black Bird” on Apple TV, a Dennis Lehane production. A friend and I went to one of his book signings years ago, so he has become a favorite. He’s written A Drink Before The War, Shutter Island, Mystic River, and Gone Baby Gone, among others. I have a personally autographed copy of Shutter Island on my office shelves, but have only seen the movie. Other author autographed books in my library include those by Pat Conroy, Michael Connelly, Richard Price, Sue Grafton, and Kirk Eichenwald. A new episode of “Black Bird” will be released on Friday, so something to look forward to watching before we hit the road.
The fireworks have come and gone with the blazing heat of July yet to deal with. We start our 3,000 mile drive in less than three weeks, so the dog days of summer will be spent in many different cities. Tally has already shortened her walks and is especially reluctant to go out in the afternoon. The pavement is hot and the grass dry and stiff. I’m sure she misses the cool temperatures and soft grass of Portland, plus she’s spent a lot of time in our dark closet where she can’t hear the thunderstorms. We even bought her a Thundershirt, similar to what her sister Tinker once wore, to calm her nerves.
I got scammed yesterday over a grill that I supposedly won from Ace Hardware. I don’t know how enter-to- wins even exist anymore when they were once a staple in the advertising business. I had to hassle with the company and cancel my credit card, thinking I was dealing with a reputable supplier that I use all the time. The “helpful hardware man” was nothing more than a scam artist yesterday. I rarely fall for these things but must have had a brain fart – never again.
The White Sox lost again to the Twins last night but the Cubs beat the Brewers. Both Chicago teams are apparently not playoff worthy so I’m quickly losing interest in baseball this season. There’s also not much to look forward to in college or pro football. Therefore, Hoosier Hysteria can’t come soon enough, as the IU basketball program continues to gain respectability.
The question now is whether Carlos Santana will be able to serenade me on my 71st birthday? He passed out from heat exhaustion in his latest concert up in Michigan. The last two years, his Florida concert that we’ve held tickets to has been cancelled due to Covid and he’s missed shows for other health reasons. We’ve also lost one member of Earth, Wind, & Fire since then, so will this concert ever actually take place? Oye Como Va? Not so well.
It looks like the Twins are destined to rule the American League Central division this year after four straight victories over the White Sox. I thought for sure this was the year for the Pale Hose but after last night’s triple play debacle, I’m ready to throw in the towel. An 8-5 triple play had never happened before in the history of baseball, but of course it happened to the Sox last night. It was the seventh inning with runners on first and second after the tying run scored. There were no outs and it looked like the White Sox were destined for a big inning, with Adam Engel pinch-running at second and Joan Moncada at first. A.J. Pollock hit a long drive to center field that was easily run down by Byron Buxton. For some reason, neither runner tagged after the catch and both were caught advancing, ending the scoring threat. The Twins won in extra innings – the same outcome as the Cubs loss to the Brewers earlier in the evening. I Give Up!
It was a bad day in Chicago after a gunman opened fire on a local Independence Day parade. The game was nearly cancelled. The post-game fireworks were – long before there was nothing to celebrate. The White Sox are playing like their 77-year old manager, Tony La Russa, although he’s not the base coach. The team just lacks hustle and spirit. Injuries have plagued them all season long, while I was expecting a run before the All Star Break. They had just swept the Giants on the road and pulled within 4 1/2 games of the division leading Twins. Last night could have meant four straight victories and a step in the right direction. Instead, it was an embarrassing finish with clown-like baserunning and inability to take advantage of late inning opportunities. I Give Up!
In other sports news this past week, the BIG announced the addition of UCLA and USC to the conference. The Big Ten is now the Sweet Sixteen and Coast-to-Coast, as of 2024. It certainly means two more football losses for IU and more competition for titles in other sports, especially basketball. The odds for the Hoosiers to ever win a BIG basketball tournament now comes down to simply this year. Furthermore, the battle between the BIG and SEC for supremacy is looking more and more like the Civil War – North vs. South. Notre Dame is next to pick a side, even though they are well north of the Mason Dixon Line and Fighting to maintain their independence. Keeping track – I Give Up!
Sometimes persistence is really just ignorance. This struck me as I watched the movie, “Phantom of the Open,” where an English crane operator that has never played golf enters the British Open. My wife was struck with his persistent attitude of never giving up. However, I found it unbelievable that he would insist on playing with professionals, thinking that he was one himself. He shot a 121, not bad considering that television cameras and spectators watched him make a fool of himself. Well, ignorance is bliss, so he persistently entered again and again under a false name.
It is a heartwarming, true story about a game that tends to be a bit stuffy. It’s a skill that I could certainly never master and have great admiration for those who play it well. I’ve been there – playing with others who are much more talented and feeling embarrassed to the point of wanting to quit. However, what others thought never fazed him simply because of his ignorance. His name, Maurice Flitcroft, became synonymous with bad golf. In fact, a Grand Rapids fundraising tournament was founded in his honor with the highest score proclaimed the winner. It was when they paid for him and his family to attend where we see the bliss that resulted from his ignorance.
The rules for entry have undoubtedly become stricter since Maurice Flitcroft made a mockery of British Open officials. However, using the term “Open” rather than “Invitational” certainly left the door ajar for this situation to unfold. In theory, it is “open” to all, i.e. professional and amateur golfers, but certainly not intended for first-time players. Most everyone is aware of this, apparently except for Maurice Flitcroft who proved in this movie that ignorance is bliss.
I just dropped my son and his family off at at the Punta Gorda airport as they head to Fort Wayne. My wife is in Sarasota for the day, so I have a rare afternoon alone. I also have my son’s 2021 Traverse that we will drive up North in another month and will take it for service when I pick him up next Thursday. It will create a “Tourist Thursday” event where we’ll once again check out the Punta Gorda area for the day. We haven’t been on one of those together since Singer Island two months ago. Life must have gotten in the way of this planned retirement activity as movies, doctor appointments, and neighbor lunches took priority. In fact, “Matinee Monday” moved twice to Thursday, showing that we do have some flexibility in our routine.
I shortened my run to a mile again this morning, but should be back on track tomorrow. We might even get to the Elvis movie tomorrow afternoon since my wife’s luncheon has been cancelled due to illness. The dog park continues to be closed and under construction, so Tally’s routine is also out of whack. She’s not content with just a long walk. My landscaping project is on hold awaiting delivery of our crepe myrtle. I’ll do some more digging tomorrow morning now that I’ve located all the underground pipes and wiring.
I enjoyed flipping back and forth between the Stanley Cup Finals and the College World Series last night. After their overtime loss, the Tampa Bay Lightening now have to win three straight to earn their “Three-Peat,” an unlikely scenario, while the obnoxious Omahogs stayed alive in their quest for a first ever national title. They have a huge fan base, easily accessible to Omaha, and perform annoying “Pig Sooey” cheers while holding beer cans on top of their heads for luck. I’m hoping they don’t make the finals again this year, but it was admittedly satisfying to see them misjudge a foul ball four years ago that allowed Oregon State to take the title. More CWS action today! Razorback fans clearly have beer for brains!
I have fond memories of the College World Series or CWS for short. This dates back to living in Austin in 2009 and watching the Texas Longhorns make it to the final game in Omaha. They had won it in 2002 and 2005 under coach Augie Garrido, so expectations were high as we followed them throughout the season at nearby Disch-Falk Stadium. I can remember sitting in a bar with a friend for the final three games culminating with a disappointing 11-4 blowout loss to LSU. At that time, I thought it would be really cool to make the trip to Omaha.
The CWS tends to be more of a Southern and West Coast tradition, since the last Big Ten team to win it all was Ohio State in 1963. Indiana made the final 8 in 2013, adding to my interest in going to the event. When we moved to Oregon, I adopted the Oregon State Beavers who had won back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008. In 2018, a good friend and I decided to make the trip to Omaha and were rewarded with a somewhat surprising Oregon State presence. (See Post #1707). It was a remarkable experience watching the Beavers ultimately win it all after moments of Arkansas triumph and obnoxious chants of Pig-Sooey! Because of some rain delays, I did not get to watch the championship game but listened to the final innings when I arrived back in Portland. Beaver catcher and tournament MVP, Adley Rutschman, was just called up be the Orioles a few weeks ago to make his Major League debut. It’s fun to follow these kids from college into the pros, as was also the case with Indiana’s Kyle Schwarber, Dansby Swanson of Vanderbilt, and Jackie Bradley, Jr. of South Carolina.
I’ve continued to follow the CWS games on TV every year, starting with the initial NCAA seeding. Indiana has not been back since, and once again the BIG will fail to have a presence. My Hoosiers were eliminated in the conference tourney by Iowa and never make the field of 64. Unfortunately, Oregon State games are often televised too late for me to watch on the East Coast. I was able to watch them beat Vanderbilt on Sunday afternoon and advance to the Super Regionals (Sweet 16). They will play the first game of a best of three series against Auburn on Saturday night starting at 10:30 p.m. my time. I will probably find out the results by monitoring my phone sometime in the middle of the night. Hopefully, they can get back to Omaha and the game times will be earlier. I will not be there this year, but the memories remain.
I had written a few weeks ago that the White Sox had turned the corner with their home series victory over the Yankees. However, both the Red Sox and Blue Jays quickly proved me wrong. Then, they continued to play poor baseball, dropping the first game (Friday) of the series against the Tampa Bay Rays and were stuck on a four-game losing streak. An old radio friend and I were enjoying our annual ball park trek to see our beloved Sox on Sunday, hoping to finally claim a victory. We watched them helplessly lose last year and several times in Chicago back at the turn of the century, thinking there was some kind of curse preventing us from seeing them win while together. He proved that it wasn’t him (just us), by going with his wife on Saturday to watch them snap the current losing streak with a game two victory.
My son, a lifelong Cubs fan, joined us for the trip into St. Petersburg and Tropicana Stadium. The two of us old guys had our throwback jerseys on in anticipation of perhaps breaking the curse. On the way into the park, I was surprisingly accused by a young woman of grabbing her butt. I assured her that it was accidental, since she had cut in front of my awkward arm swing while the back of my hand grazed her behind. She looked incensed but I was there for baseball not groping other fans. I apologized for being so forward, and tried to keep my wandering hands to myself for the rest of the day.
The guy right in front of me grabbed a baseball while I was still sitting on my hands. It was as close to getting a game-used souvenir that I’ve ever come, but my hands did not react. I sat there envying his girlfriend who shed a few tears of joy when he presented her with the ball. It reminded me of being a teddy bear hero at the state fair.
The game looked promising after the Sox scored six runs in the first two innings, but the Rays eventually scored five and had us on the edge of our seats with Liam Hendricks on for the save. Yasmani Grandal was out of position with the numerous Sox injuries and failed to make a critical play at first base. It nearly caused the curse to continue, but fortunately did not become a deciding factor. Bad Hands!
I’ve been shirking my commitment to writing in retirement of late. I had promised myself to do at least one post a day and considering that I’ve now reached the 2,044 mark at five-and-a-half years of doing this blog, I’ve been more than true to myself. However, yesterday, I did not get time to do a daily post after my run and swim. We were having several people over to watch the Indy 500, our first real group party in this new Florida home. Over twenty people attended, including my son and grandkids who stopped by on the way to the water park. Many of the people in our neighborhood have left for their summer homes, earning them the distinction of being called “snowbirds.” Our original intent was to find other Hoosiers in our area to attend this brunch and sing “Back Home Again in Indiana” with us. Instead, we ended up with a hodgepodge of friends, most of which weren’t as interested in the race as I was. There were only five born and bred Hoosiers, counting my son.
I saw the Facebook posts of friends that were actually attending the race, but I was not necessarily envious. The days of getting up early and fighting the traffic and crowds are no longer appealing. I was glad to be home watching on TV from a thousand miles away. I saw all the festivities in air conditioned comfort, although the years of being in luxury suites with a parking and pit pass or being transported by helicopter were highlights of my racing experience. It was a great race, as I cheered on a friend’s son, Conor Daly, to an impressive sixth place finish.
For the first time in history, the red flag stopped the race with five laps to go after Jimmie Johnson’s crash. Race officials could have let the cars finish under yellow, but this is the ultimate let down for fans. They decided on a restart, allowing two laps to decide the race winner. “Fortunately for Marcus Ericsson, who was leading the race at the time of the red flag, he won the race anyway. It might have been a much different reaction had the red cost him an Indy 500 trophy.”
I liked the following driver quote in reaction to those who felt that the restart was not in the spirit of conservative speedway traditions: “Screw the purists, if that’s what they say,” said Santino Ferrucci, who finished 10th. “You don’t want to win this race under yellow. That’s a BS win, to me. I’m happy IndyCar did what they did. They made the right call.” It was an exciting Red Flag Finish!
Even though the White Sox are playing .500 ball and four games behind the Twins in the standings, I feel like they turned a corner at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. They got both a double header win and a series victory over the Pinstripes. Or should I say the Pinheads after the “Jackie” taunts from the fans? Tim Anderson quieted the crowd with his finger to his lips as he rounded the bases on a 3-run homer to seal the nightcap victory. Josh Donaldson earned a one-game suspension with his comment that many regarded as “racist.” It was probably the kick in the butt that the White Sox needed after losing three of four at Comiskey Park earlier in the season. This was supposed to be the year of the White Sox.
Manager Tony La Russa has been under fire, while injuries have plagued team performance. It’s been one thing after another, as fans grow restless. The red-hot Red Sox, winners of five straight, come to town tonight for another critical series. The Twins have also won five-straight to stretch their divisional lead over the Pale Hose. The White Sox have seemed to recover from their disastrous eight-game losing streak that included a sweep by the Twins. A positive sign was when they took a recent series from the Royals for a change. They need to build on the momentum of the two-straight Yankee victories and make up for lost opportunities.
Can the aging La Russa lead this team to the promised land? I’ve got all my eggs in one basket this season, since the Cubs are one-step up from Little League. I hope to see the Sox win in Tampa/St. Pete in a few weeks to remove the bad taste from last year’s visit to Tropicana. Lets Go Sox…take some more of that “Jackie” angst out on playing field and rally behind Tim Anderson for some big wins. Make the old man, La Russa, look good!