Sports 2018: Scandals and Comebacks

OK, so what else happened this year besides LeBron James moving west, another NBA title for the Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia's Eagles flying home with a Super Bowl, the Boston Red Sox winning another World Series, the Washington Capitals swigging the Stanley Cup, players taking a knee, and Colin Kaepernick does TV commercials instead of playing football?

• Larry Nasser, who was a team physician for USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University, is off to prison for sexually assaulting female athletes.  Because of what this man did (and the many gymnasts who were brave enough to point him out in court), women and young girls will think twice before ever trusting their bodies to team doctors again.  And unless your name is Simone Biles, the future of gymnastics in this country is in peril.
• Serena Williams, who pretty much is women's tennis these days, amazed the world with her comeback from a difficult pregnancy,  She also alienated a lot of folks for her meltdown at the finals of the U.S. Open, losing points for alleged cheating and the match to newcomer Naomi Osaka.
• Even though the PGA Tour promotes its golfers in its ads as "these guys are good", there's only one who still draws crowds and spikes tournament TV ratings whenever he plays:  Tiger Woods.  After a decade of injuries and scandal, Woods became relevant again in winning the Tour Championship.  Meanwhile, Brooks Koepka won two of the four golf majors this year (U.S. Open and PGA Championship).  He's good, too.
• The U.S. Supreme Court in April struck down a 1992 federal law prohibiting states from legalizing sports betting.  Who this benefits other than casinos in Las Vegas and states hoping to cash in on the possible tax revenue is hard to say.  But we won't be looking at the final score the same way again.
• After the Vegas Golden Knights went to the Stanley Cup finals in their first season, the National Hockey League is hoping lightning strikes again in Seattle.  That's when an expansion team will hit the ice come 2021.  The enthusiasm for hockey might be there, but one wonders if the folks in the Emerald City would prefer to see the NBA Sonics return.

In Minnesota, departures were the big story.

• Lindsay Whalen ended her long playing career that included a Women's Final Four appearance as a Minnesota Gopher, gold medals as part of the U.S. Olympic women's basketball team, and four WNBA titles with the Minnesota Lynx.  Whalen has returned to her alma mater as the new Gopher women's basketball coach, and so far her team is doing very well.
• Joe Mauer leaves behind a complicated legacy with his retirement as a Twins player after 15 seasons.  As a catcher, he won the American League batting title (the only catcher to do so) and for being the league's most valuable player.  When the Twins' fortunes soured, Mauer was moved to first base plagued by injuries and a massive contract that expired only last season.  But he'll be remembered as the hometown boy from St. Paul who made good, and that's enough.
• After being a big pain in the butt in demanding to be traded at the start of the season, the Minnesota Timberwolves obliged Jimmy Butler with a trade to the Philadelphia 76ers,  Since the trade, the Sixers are having a good season lodged in a playoff position (as of 12/28/18).  The Wolves are struggling as an under-.500 team well short of making the playoffs.

PASSING ON:  David Pearson, Willie McCovey, Dick Modzelewski, Paul Allen, Jim Taylor, Tex Winter, Dave Anderson, Stan Mikita, Tony Cloniger, Maria Bueno, Red Schoendienst, Dwight Clark, Carol Mann, Billy Cannon, Chuck Knox, Hal Greer, Rusty Staub, Roger Bannister, Ben Agajanian, Oscar Gamble, Warren Miller, Dan Guerney, Doug Harvey, Keith Jackson, Lee Leonard

The 2018-19 Owljock Bowl Board

To paraphrase Chuck Todd of NBC's "Meet the Press":  If it's the end of the college football season, it must be time for the Owljock Bowl Board.  But first, a couple of notes.

• Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and Oklahoma are this year's contestants in the College Football Playoff, which means there's a 75 percent of a team from the South winning the national championship.  The Crimson Tide, which has been the top-ranked team all season, is favored to win another title.
• The CFP semifinals will now be on the last Saturday in December, in response to calendar quirks and declining TV ratings,  That is, if the rotation falls on New Year's Day.  In which case, by tradition and contract, the Rose and Sugar bowls would host the semifinals.
• As usual, there's the whining over which teams got passed over for the four-team playoff, which usually leads to calls for an eight-team playoff.  This year it's Central Florida and Ohio State.  The Knights' crime is going undefeated in something called the American Athletic Conference, and playing pushovers just like the big boys do.  The Buckeyes won the Big Ten Plus title, but lost a key game or two for the committee to consider them.  Now coach Urban Meyer is leaving after the Rose Bowl, allegedly for health reasons, and will be replaced by assistant Ryan Day.

If you haven't been here before (or if you just plain forgot), here's how the Bowl Board works:  We name the game, who's playing and where, who's televising it, and a brief description of the game's sponsor and what they're known for (where appropriate).  Got all that?  Good. Let's get on with it.

Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl:  North Carolina A&T vs. Alcorn State (Atlanta, GA 12/15)  ABC

New Mexico Bowl:  North Texas vs. Utah State (Albuquerque, NM 12/15)  ESPN

AutoNation Cure Bowl:  Tulane vs. Louisiana (Orlando, FL 12/15)  CBS Sports Network
Automotive retailer.

Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl:  Fresno State vs. Arizona State (Las Vegas, NV 12/15)  ABC
Auto manufacturer.

Raycom Media Camellia Bowl:  Georgia Southern vs. Eastern Michigan (Montgomery, AL 12/15)  ESPN
Media company.

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl:  Middle Tennessee vs. Appalachian State (New Orleans, LA 12/15)  ESPN
Shipping firm.

Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl:  Alabama-Birmingham vs. Northern Illinois (Boca Raton, FL 12/18)  ESPN
Energy drink.

DXL Frisco Bowl:  San Diego State vs. Ohio (Frisco, TX 12/19)  ESPN
Men's clothing store chain.

Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl:  Marshall vs. South Florida (Tampa, FL 12/20)  ESPN
Lawn mowers.

Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl:  Florida International vs. Toledo (Nassau, Bahamas 12/21)  ESPN
Industrial park in Elk Grove Village, IL, near Chicago.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl:  Western Michigan vs. Brigham Young (Boise, ID 12/21) ESPN

Jared Birmingham Bowl:  Memphis vs. Wake Forest (Birmingham, AL 12/22)  ESPN
Retail jewelry store chain.

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl:  Houston vs. Army (Fort Worth, TX 12/22)  ESPN
Defense contractor.

Dollar General Bowl:  Buffalo vs. Troy (Mobile, AL 12/22)  ESPN
Retail chain.

SoFi Hawaii Bowl:  Louisiana Tech vs. Hawaii  (Honolulu, HW 12/22)  ESPN
Financial services.

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl:  Boston College vs. Boise State  (Dallas, TX 12/26)  ESPN
Disaster cleanup service.  Formerly Heart of Dallas Bowl.

Quick Lane Bowl:  Minnesota vs. Georgia Tech  (Detroit, MI 12/26)  ESPN
Auto care shops.

Cheez-It Bowl:  California vs. Texas Christian (Phoenix, AZ 12/26)  ESPN
Cheese crackers.  Formerly Cactus Bowl.

Walk-On's Independence Bowl:  Temple vs. Duke (Shreveport, LA  12/27)  ESPN
Sports restaurant chain.

New Era Pinstripe Bowl:  Miami vs. Wisconsin  (New York City, NY 12/27) ESPN
Sports apparel.

Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl:  Baylor vs. Vanderbilt  (Houston, TX  12/27)  ESPN
Sporting goods retail chain.

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl:  Purdue vs. Auburn  (Nashville, TN 12/28)  ESPN
Financial services.

Camping World Bowl:  West Virginia vs. Syracuse (Orlando, FL 12/28)  ESPN
Camping and RV supplies.

Valero Alamo Bowl:  Iowa State vs. Washington State (San Antonio, TX 12/28)  ESPN
Energy company.

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl:  Florida vs. Michigan (Atlanta, GA 12/29)  ESPN
Chicken restaurant chain.

Belk Bowl:  South Carolina vs. Virginia (Charlotte, NC 12/29) ABC
Regional department stores.

NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl:  Arkansas State vs. Nevada (Tucson, AZ 12/29)  CBS Sports Network
Mortgage lender.

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (CFP Semifinal):  Clemson vs. Notre Dame (Arlington, TX 12/29) ESPN
Tires and blimps.

Capital One Orange Bowl (CFP Semifinal):  Alabama vs. Oklahoma (Miami Gardens, FL 12/29) ESPN
Financial services.

Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman:  Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech  (Annapolis, MD 12/31)  ESPN
Defense contractor.

Hyundai Sun Bowl:  Stanford vs. Pittsburgh (El Paso, TX 12/31)  CBS
Auto manufacturer.

Redbox Bowl:  Michigan State vs. Oregon (Santa Clara, CA  12/31)  Fox
Movie and game rentals.  Formerly Foster Farms Bowl.

San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl:  Northwestern vs. Utah  (San Diego, CA 12/31) FS1
Financial services in southern California.

TaxSlayer Gator Bowl:  North Carolina State vs. Texas A&M (Jacksonville, FL 12/31)  ESPN
Online tax preparation.

Outback Bowl:  Mississippi State vs. Iowa (Tampa. FL 1/1/19)  ESPN2
Steak and seafood restaurants.

VRBO Citrus Bowl:  Kentucky vs. Penn State (Orlando, FL 1/1/19) ABC
Vacation rental and travel website.

PlayStation Fiesta Bowl:  Louisiana State vs. Central Florida (Glendale, AZ 1/1/19)  ESPN
Videogame consoles.

Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual:  Washington vs. Ohio State (Pasadena, CA 1/1/19)  ESPN
Financial services.

Allstate Sugar Bowl:  Texas vs. Georgia (New Orleans, LA 1/1/19)  ESPN
Insurance and financial services.

College Football Playoff National Championship Game Presented by AT&T:  Teams TBD  (Santa Clara, CA 1/7/19) ESPN
Communications giant.
  

Boston Red Sox: Almost Perfect

Once upon a time, the Boston Red Sox were a team of almosts playing in a national treasure of a ball park.  For nearly a century, despite legends like Ted Williams and Carl Yazstremski, the Sox almost:  Won a World Series.  Won the American League pennant, had it not been for those pesky New York Yankees.  Stayed out of last place.

That changed in 2004, when the Red Sox finally won a Series after a nearly century-long drought.  They did it again in 2007 and 2013.  This year, they became the first team in this century to win four World Series championships when they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.  The pitching of David Price and Chris Sale, and the hitting of Steve Pearce and Jackie Bradley, Jr. made the difference for Boston.  Alex Cora became one of the few managers to win a Series in his first season.

Game 3 was notable for being the longest in World Series history, lasting 18 innings in nearly 7 1/2 hours. That's longer than the entire 1939 Series between the Yankees and Cincinnati Reds.  It was also the only game the Red Sox lost, as Max Muncy hit a solo home run into the midnight air at Dodger Stadium to win the game for L.A. in the 18th.  It was also 3:30 Saturday morning back East.

The Red Sox won 108 games during the regular season, then blew past the Yankees and Houston Astros (who both won more than 100 games) to win the American League pennant.  The Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies to win their division playoff, then defeated the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers for the National League championship.

Now that the Boston Red Sox are no longer the lovable losers with the iconic ballpark, they can concentrate on being one of the elite teams in Major League Baseball.  With the kind of season they had, there was nothing "almost" about it.  They were perfect.

NBA 2018-19: The Butler Did It

To combat the seeming inevitability of another Golden State Warriors NBA championship (they've won three of the last four)), LeBron James ditched his hometown of Cleveland for the second time for the bright lights of Los Angeles.  Kawhi Leonard was traded by the San Antonio Spurs to the Toronto Raptors, but he'd rather be in sunny California.  Carmelo Anthony plays for the Houston Rockets now.

All of that is overshadowed by what's going on with the Minnesota Timberwolves.  Coming off their first playoff appearance in at least a decade, it seemed as if the team had turned a corner.  That corner has turned into a cliff.  Jimmy Butler, the Wolves' leading scorer last season, has been making noises lately about wanting to play elsewhere.

Butler was brought to Minnesota by coach Tom Thibodeau from the Chicago Bulls, where they had both plied their trade.  He was supposed to provide veteran help for a team with young stars like Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, but for some reason never got along with either of them.

The Wolves have had plenty of experience in dealing with unhappy players who wanted to be anywhere than playing for a losing team in a cold city.  Stephon Marbury wanted to be The Star instead of Kevin Garnett.  Then he became one--in China.  Latrell Sprewell turned down an offer because he wanted to feed his family.  Then he went bankrupt.

Butler made his trade demands clear--his wish list extends to the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers, none of whom are title contenders.  He could have waited a year before his contract ran out and tested the free agent market, but the Wolves don't want to be left empty-handed.  So owner Glen Taylor has been busily trying to make trades with anyone who will have Butler, and who are willing to give up decent talent and/or draft choices in return.  So far, no luck.

Butler is still here, and it looks like he'll be on the floor for the Wolves when they open their season Wednesday at San Antonio.  The Wolves are now in a position where they can't live with Butler, but they can't live without him.  They have a winning record when he plays, and a losing one when he doesn't.  The team's playoff hopes depends on how long Butler sticks around.  We're guessing he and Thibodeau are both gone before the season ends, and the Wolves will miss the playoffs.

As for those NBA playoffs, the final will be between Golden State and the Boston Celtics.

NHL 2018-19: A Few Questions and Predictions

Will this be the Washington Capitals' hangover season, and I don't just mean from drinking out of the Stanley Cup one too many times?

What's the next act for the Vegas Golden Knights?  Will there be a residency for the Cup just like Cher or Celine Dion?

Is this finally the year a Canadian-based NHL team wins the Cup?  Could that team be the Toronto Maple Leafs, which hasn't won one since the last year the league had six franchises?

Are the glory days really over for the Chicago Blackhawks?

The Tampa Bay Lightning are another top contender.  How far can they go without general manager Steve Yzerman?

Are the Arizona Coyotes going to get a new arena or not?

Does Seattle really need an NHL franchise?  Methinks bringing back the NBA SuperSonics should be the first order of business.

For the Minnesota Wild, other than a new general manager (Paul Fenton), how do they expect to make the playoffs with basically the same lineup they had last season?  If they don't do well right away, how long will it be before Fenton finds a replacement for coach Bruce Boudreau?  And the Wild will replace "Let's Go Crazy" as its post-goal music.  Wasn't Prince a basketball fan?

WESTERN CONFERENCE TOP EIGHT:  Vegas Golden Knights, San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars.

EASTERN CONFERENCE TOP EIGHT:  Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals, Florida Panthers.

Twins 2018: That Was Not How You Baseball

The Minnesota Twins, who surprised everyone last year by doing well enough to get trounced by the New York Yankees in a one-game playoff, lived down to their expectations once again this decade.  They finished at 78-84, good enough for second place in the American League Central, but not good enough to prevent the Cleveland Indians from winning another division title.

Once again, injuries and ineffectiveness ruined the season for the Twins.  Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano--the alleged future of the franchise-- are this close to wasting their potential, spending time in the minors because either they got hurt or got fat (or both).  The free agents the team spent a ton of money for last winter didn't work out.  And the trades of popular players such as Brian Dozier (Los Angeles Dodgers), Fernando Rodney (Oakland Athletics) and Eduardo Escobar (Arizona Diamondbacks) in midseason were signs that the Twins were looking to the future.

Bright spots?  Jose Berrios had a great year on the mound, while Max Kepler hit 20 home runs.  And that's about it.

Then there's Joe Mauer.  With his massive and controversial contract expiring and talk of retirement in the air (he's played 15 seasons), he sure acted like he wanted to call it quits after the final game of the regular season at Target Field against the Chicago White Sox.  He got a standing ovation, had his daughters with him on the field, and donned catcher's gear one last time in the ninth inning to catch one ball.  After all this, why would Mauer want to stick around for another season or two?

Derek Falvey and Thad Levine, the brain trusts of the Twins organization, now must decide what to do with this team for the 2019 season to make them more competitive.   The first thing they did was to fire manager Paul Molitor, one season after he was named the American League's Manager of the Year for taking the Twins to the playoffs.  Molitor, who had two years left on his contract, did the best he could with the talent that he was given.  But if Falvey and Levine wanted to go in a different direction, then so be it.

As it stands, 2019 will provide another chance for the Twins to prove they can baseball.  And for the marketing department to come up with a better tag line than that.

UPDATE (10/25/18):  The new manager is Rocco Baldelli, who previously worked as the Tampa Bay Rays' major league field coordinator (don't ask).  He'll be charged with the task of bringing this team together, while paying attention to the numbers side of the players' equation to see which of them is more effective on the field.  It's called analytics, and not everyone understands how it works.  Not to mention that the Twins are one of the last teams to employ analytics, which they hope will translate to success on the field.  With this team, however, the numbers just don't add up.  That's what Falvey, Levine and Baldelli are facing.
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Our projected World Series matchup:  Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Dodgers.

The NFL 2018: It's Lonely At The Top

When you're the most dominant force in American professional sports and in pop culture, as the National Football League is, everyone wants to take shots at you.  As the 2018 season gets underway, the reputation of the league has been fielding body blows.  To wit:

• Colin Kaepernick, the man whose taking a knee during the "Star Spangled Banner" to protest social injustice cost him a football career, continues to haunt the NFL with lawsuits and with becoming the new face of Nike's "Just Do It" ad campaign.  The controversy refuses to go away as long as Kaepernick sits, President Donald Trump yells about how un-American he and other (black) athletes are, conservative fans confuse protesting with disrespect for Our Flag and Our Troops while burning Nike apparel, and TV ratings go down. 
• Meanwhile, as long as Kaepernick sits, the NFL continues to employ alleged domestic abusers.
• New rules involving penalties on violent hits and the phasing out of kickoffs for the sake of lessening on-field concussions has its heart in the right place, but is confusing the heck out of everybody from players and coaches to referees, fans and broadcasters.  A little clarity, please?
• The NFL has replaced Papa John's with Pizza Hut as the Official Pizza of the league.  No amount of sausage and pepperoni could save former CEO and TV spokesperson John Schnatter from the wrath he faced over his use of the N word.  But Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones still has his back.
• Terrell Owens is now a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  For reasons known only to Owens, he chose to have his induction ceremony in Tennessee instead of Canton, Ohio.  But then, T.O. has always marched to the beat of a different drummer.
• Johnny Manziel is back playing football, this time in the Canadian Football League.  After being benched by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Manziel was traded to the Montreal Alouettes, where he promptly threw too many interceptions and got injured.  But he's still turning his life around, right?
• Fox is the new home for the NFL's "Thursday Night Football" package.  CBS gets the Super Bowl in Atlanta this season.  Mike Tirico replaces Dan Patrick as host of NBC's "Football Night in America".  And ESPN's "Monday Night Football" trades in Sean McDonough (went back to college football) and Jon Gruden (went back to coaching the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders)  for Joe Tessitore and Jason Witten.

Other than that, things are great in NFL-land.  Here's who we see as eligible for the playoffs come January.

NFC
East  Philadelphia Eagles
West  Los Angeles Rams
North  Green Bay Packers
South  Atlanta Falcons
Wild Card  Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints

AFC
East  New England Patriots
West  Kansas City Chiefs
North  Baltimore Ravens
South  Jacksonville Jaguars
Wild Card  Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills