NHL: Lightning Wins Cup in a Bubble

The Tampa Bay Lightning survived two months in quarantine, four teams and several multiple overtime games to take this year's Stanley Cup, their first since 2004. They defeated the Dallas Stars in six games, concluding with a 2-0 shutout Monday night in Edmonton.

The National Hockey League, which had to shut down its regular season in March when the coronavirus pandemic hit, deserves credit for keeping things together while trying to come up with a way to credibly conclude the season.

They created "hub cities" for their newly reformed tournament, choosing Edmonton and Toronto as hosts. Which was a smart move, since Canada was (still is) doing a better job of controlling the virus than the U.S. is

They got through the tournament without having to postpone a game due to players getting sick. But they did take a couple of days off in late August to respond to the social unrest going on in America, even though most NHL players (and much of its fan base) are white. Had it not been for the Minnesota Wild's Matt Dumba (one of the few Blacks to play pro hockey) to call attention to the problem of diversity in the NHL, it's doubtful the league would have noticed, much less done something about it. 

Watching this tournament on TV in the late summer/early fall, at a time when NHL teams would normally be starting their seasons, is kind of like watching an intramural match in a TV studio with no fans and fake crowd noise. But you get used to it after awhile. 

The Tampa Bay Lightning are about to bring Lord Stanley's Cup back to their adoring fans in Florida,  just in time for that state to rescind its COVID-19 restrictions.  You can imagine how many cases might result from that.

The NHL might return during the winter with a limited regular season and playoffs that might end around Bastille Day.  And maybe, just maybe, they'll start allowing paying customers to watch.  But right now, they've taught all of us a lesson in How To Survive a Pandemic. 

Play Ball?

Four months into the COVID-19 pandemic, we've seen in this country alone nearly four million confirmed cases and around 140,000 deaths, with no end in sight if you believe scientific and medical authorities (and some of you don't). 

There is also a rising tide of support for Black Lives Matter and questioning the role of sports in society following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others at the hands (and knees) of police officers.  Taking a knee during the "Star Spangled Banner" is in vogue once again.  Leagues will have names of victims of police violence on players' uniforms, and "Black Lives Matter" splashed across fields and basketball courts.

Despite all this, sports is getting back on the field.  The question is, should they?

Golf tournaments, auto racing, horse racing and the men's and women's soccer leagues are already under way, though without fans in the stands.

Major League Baseball and the WNBA are beginning their truncated schedules this weekend,  The NBA and NHL will resume their schedules the following weekend, choosing to conduct their playoffs within the confines of Walt Disney World and the Canadian hub cities of Toronto and Edmonton, in that order.

The NFL is determined to have a season, even if it means pushing the Super Bowl to Easter Sunday.  The league has already agreed with their players association that, in exchange for tests for players' safety, there would not be a preseason.

College sports is also in flux.  Most of the Power Five conferences have opted for a conference-only schedule for fall sports including football.  The smaller schools, unable to afford the NCAA's generous plan to test players, have decided to either delay their seasons to spring or cancel them altogether.

Because no fans will be allowed to watch the proceedings in person, what sports there are will strictly be a TV show to fulfill existing network contracts.  It will look and sound fake, with piped-in crowd noise, virtual advertising and commentators calling the action from the safety of their studios.

There's also a renewed effort to do away with racist sports nicknames, something we thought we'd never see due to resistance from team owners and their fan bases.  The Washington Redskins are (at least for) now the Washington Football Team.  The Cleveland Indians are also considering a name change, having gotten rid of Chief Wahoo earlier.  Canadian football's Edmionton team are no longer the Eskimoes.  But the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Blackhawks and Kansas City Chiefs are sticking with their nicknames.  Unless, that is, their sponsors start pulling out.

But all this may be rendered moot if there's an outbreak of coronavirus among players inside their bubbles, or if someone dies from it.  Then we face a long, cold fall and winter without sports.

So is it wise and safe to play sports during a pandemic, and with so much social unrest going on?  We don't know.  But millions of dollars in television money and keeping players safe will be spent to find out if it was all worth it.

UPDATE (8/1/2020):  One week into the shortened Major League Baseball season, three teams--the Miami Marlins, Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals--have had to cancel games because their players have tested positive for COVID-19. 

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has reportedly told the players association that if the situation doesn't improve soon, he may be forced to cancel the season. A season that never should have started in the first place. 

Delay of Games

The moment when people stated taking the looming coronavirus crisis seriously was the evening of March 11, 2020.  That was when the National Basketball Association suspended its regular season, in response to a cancellation of the Utah Jazz-Oklahoma City Thunder game because a Jazz player tested positive for COVID-19.

Since then, the virus has caused the sports world to either cancel or postpone its regular seasons and events.  The mix of big crowds and closeness of athletes without the benefit of social distancing must have been too much for the organizers to contemplate when thousands around the world are infected and/or dying in overwhelmed hospitals.  The longer this pandemic goes on, the more likely it is that the list will expand.  Here's what we have as of April 5:

CANCELED:  NCAA winter championships and spring sports, Wimbledon, NASCAR, National Spelling Bee, Formula 1 auto racing, world hockey championships, World Figure Skating Championship, World Cup skiing.

POSTPONED:  Summer Olympics (to 2021), Kentucky Derby (to Labor Day weekend), Indianapolis 500 (late August), golf's Masters, PGA Championship and U.S. Open (TBA), tennis' French Open (late September).

UP IN THE AIR:  NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball, college and NFL football, Major League Soccer, WNBA, Canadian Football League, tennis' U.S. Open.

The sports organizations,TV networks and the sponsors that support them are taking major hits to their bottom line, like most everybody else.  The longer this thing goes on, the more likely they'll have harder decisions to make to keep players and fans safe.

The likes of ESPN can survive on a diet of classic games and documentaries, but for how long can they last without live sports?  Sports talk radio, unless they're flagship stations for pro and college teams, will have a hard time staying afloat without having to change formats or go bankrupt.  Already, major radio companies like iHeart, Entercom and Cumulus are laying off staff.

Whatever happens, we should pause and contemplate the meaning of sports during this unexpected pause in the action.  The doctors, nurses, emergency responders, and critical store employees are playing roles that are more critical than who has the last shot to win the game.  So do we, in staying home, washing our hands and avoiding those who don't live in your home.  When the virus passes--and it will one day--sports will become more meaningful to our lives than ever before.

UPDATE (4/12/2020):  Tentative new dates for three of golf's majors have been announced.  The PGA Championship will try for August (which it gave up for May originally), U.S.Open in September, and the Masters in November.  The Open Championship in Great Britain will wait until 2021.

The NBA and NHL are talking about resuming their seasons at such out of the way places as Las Vegas and Grand Forks, North Dakota.  Major League Baseball is considering conducting its season in Arizona.  They'd all be better off waiting until next season.

Even 2021 is not a sure bet.  An official with the Tokyo Summer Games sounds like he has his doubts about the event being held at all if the situation doesn't improve.

And so it goes.

Super Bowl 54: Chiefs and J.Lo Score in Miami

It wasn't exactly a comeback for the ages, but the Kansas City Chiefs did score 11 unanswered points on the San Francisco 49ers in the final quarter to erase a ten point deficit to win Super Bowl 54 at Miami Sunday night, 31-20. 

That's because the Chiefs have become accustomed to overcoming big deficits during the AFC playoffs before quarterback Patrick Mahomes and company turned up the volume to 11, as the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans will attest.

Mahomes, who won the game's MVP award with three touchdowns on 286 yards in passing, is going to Disney World.  Coach Andy Reid has his first Super Bowl win in his 21 year career with the Chiefs, and before that the Philadelphia Eagles.  And Kansas City, Missouri AND Kansas, has its first world football championship since 1970, prior to the NFL and American Football Leagues merging the following season.

Halftime

The NFL more than made up for bland shows by the likes of Justin Timberlake and Maroon 5 with this year's headliners Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, who turned Super Bowl 54 into Studio 54 (look it up, kids) with energetic dancing, crotch-first slides, pole dancing and wagging tongues.  All in the name of good. clean family entertainment, right?  At least there were no breasts exposed for the duration of the show.

Commercials

The ads for this year's Big Game weren't great, but weren't terrible either.  Here's a few that stuck out.

• It began and ended with pitches for Woman Power, from Demi Lovato singing the national anthem to a woman kicking the game winning field goal in an ad for Secret deodorant, to Olay cosmetics' sending supermodels and an actual female astronaut into space.  It ended with Microsoft saluting Katie Sowers, the first female and lesbian coach of an NFL team with the 49ers.
• We hate to bring up politics, but President Donald Trump bought two campaign spots and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg paid for one, with predictable results.
• Lil Nas X, still riding the gravy train for "Old Town Road", did his schtick for Doritos' Cool Ranch chips with Sam Elliott.
• Bill Murray reprised his role in the film "Groundhog Day" for the benefit of Jeep.
• More ads for Fox's "The Masked Singer", which followed the game, than you can shake a stick at.  Of the 102 million who watched the game, around 24 million chose to stick around for "Masked Singer".
• Planters killed off Mr. Peanut, only to be replaced by a baby peanut.  It would have been so much more dramatic if Kobe Bryant hadn't died in a helicopter crash only a week ago.
• Tide wanted to make the point that its detergent can wash out stains days after it happened.  Which explains the same guy with the soiled shirt walking through every other commercial for different products, only to be told it can wait.
• Budweiser, which usually shows off puppies and Clydesdales in its Super Bowl ads, chose this one to focus on the Average American in a manner that looks like any political campaign commercial you've ever seen.

Kobe Bryant (1978-2020): A Complicated Legacy

The helicopter crash outside of Los Angeles on Sunday that claimed the lives of nine people, which included the pilot, a college baseball coach, a retired NBA star and his daughter, made the world stop in its tracks  The NFL Pro Bowl in Orlando, the Farmers Insurance golf tournament near San Diego and the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles that were held that day were rendered even less significant than normal.  Because the NBA star who died in the crash was Kobe Bryant, who was 41 years old.

Bryant played 20 seasons for the Los Angeles Lakers (1996-2016), winning five NBA titles and two Olympic gold medals for the United States.  He was an 18-time All Star and and the league MVP in 2008.

In the years between Michael Jordan's retirement and the ascendancy of LeBron James, Bryant was the face of the NBA.  The way he played was considered on a par with the all-time greats, and became the inspiration for all those that followed.  But he left behind a legacy on and off the court that could only be described as complicated.

• Bryant went directly from high school into the NBA, having somehow maneuvered himself into a trade with the Lakers from the Charlotte Hornets, the team that drafted him in 1996.
• During his initial run of NBA championships, Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal feuded with each other early and often over who ran the Lakers.  The problem was solved when O'Neal was traded.
• In 2003, Bryant got involved in a sensational trial in which he was accused of allegedly raping a 19-year old Colorado woman that threatened to end his career.  It ended when she refused to testify and Bryant got back his reputation, minus a few endorsements.  Wonder whatever happened to that woman?
• Sometimes Bryant thought he was the game, making great plays by himself.  He once scored 81 points on the Toronto Raptors in a 2006 game, which is 19 points fewer than Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors scored in a 1962 game at Hershey, PA. against the New York Knicks.  Other times, nearing the end of his career, he was in the entire game though racked with injuries.  But in his final game, he dropped 60 points against the Utah Jazz.

Kobe Bryant is survived by his wife Vanessa and three other daughters.  His name and the way he played will be remembered for as long as there is basketball, but we shouldn't forget the way he has handled his life all these years.

The State of Football 2020

The football season is nearly over.  One team wins a national championship.  Another is in the national spotlight for the first time in decades.  And another looks for answers after another deep playoff run.  These are their stories.

Championship On The Bayou

Louisiana State University won their first national collegiate football championship since 1959 with a 42-25 win over defending champion Clemson Monday night in New Orleans' Superdome, in one of the few College Football Playoffs not to involve the Alabama Crimson Tide. Unless you live anywhere in the Southeast or watch plenty of ESPN, chances are pretty good you might not have noticed.

Quarterback Joe Burrow, the transfer from Ohio State who won this year's Heisman Trophy, and his coach Ed Orgeron led LSU through a successful conference schedule and their Peach Bowl win in Atlanta over Oklahoma, which served as a CFP semifinal.  Clemson, with quarterback Trevor Lawrence, defeated Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona to qualify as the other finalist.

Clemson has already been targeted as the favorite to win it all a year from now, now that the Bayou Tigers have had their One Shining Moment in front of their home fans.  Lawrence will still be slinging footballs for the team also known as the Tigers, while Burrow toils for whichever NFL team chooses him as their first draft pick.

And Alabama might be there, too.

Gophers:  Getting Back to Golden

Coach P.J. Fleck has made believers out of those who thought his University of Minnesota football teams were too gimmicky to have lasting success in the rough and tumble Big Ten conference.  No, they didn't win a division title or earn a trip to Pasadena and the Rose Bowl (it was Wisconsin).  But they were the only Big Ten team to win a New Year's Day bowl game, with a surprising 31-24 win over Auburn in the Outback Bowl at Tampa, Florida.

The Golden Gophers finished second in the West division with a 7-2 record and 11-2 overall, which was their best since the early 1960s when they were winning mythical national titles.  No Michigan or Ohio State, but they did beat Penn State for their "signature" victory.  Significant losses that downgraded their championship hopes came from Iowa and the Badgers, but ESPN did make it to town with their "College Game Day" road show.

So what does Fleck and the Gophers do for an encore?  Well, the coach signed a contract extension, lost two of his players to the NFL draft, signed up some more blue chip talent, and started talking about how great next season will be.

So far as we're concerned, as long as the Gophers keep winning enough games to remain relevant around here, Fleck and his boosters can keep rowing that damn boat as long as they want.

Vikings:  Good Enough to Get By, But Not In Getting a Bye

The questions have been answered concerning quarterback Kirk Cousins' ability to win the Big Game.  The answer is yes, unless it's a Monday night.  On their way to a 10-6 record in the NFC North, Cousins led the Minnesota Vikings to important wins at home against the Philadelphia Eagles and on the road over the Cowboys at Dallas.  Their "signature" losses were twice to the Green Bay Packers (who won the NFC North title) and Chicago Bears, and at Seattle to the Seahawks.  And yes, two of those losses were on "Monday Night Football".

Then lightning struck in the form of an overtime playoff win over the favored Saints in New Orleans, which was reminiscent of the "Minneapolis Miracle" of two years ago.  And just like back then, the Vikings quickly fizzled in their next game at San Francisco, losing 27-10 to the 49ers.

The off season will be interesting, to say the least.  Coach Mike Zimmer and General Manager Rick Spielman are expected to return.  But two of their coordinators won't be.  Kevin Stefanski has left to be head coach of the Cleveland Browns. leaving Zimmer to hire his fifth offensive coordinator in five seasons.  Defensive coordinator George Edwards is reportedly on his way out.

Other needs include another new offensive line to replace the one that was both too banged up and ineffective to keep Cousins from going horizontal.   They also need to decide if Cousins is worth another couple of years, with maybe using the draft to find a new quarterback.

The Vikings should remain competitive in their division next season, so long as Cousins throws the ball to the right people, and Zimmer and his new staff can avoid stupid mistakes that cost them games.  It's not that difficult to figure out.

Super Bowl Matchup:  

Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers.

The 2010s: Then and Now

Before we dive head first into the 2020s, let's all look back on the decade that was.  We're going to compare and contrast the sports and personalities from the beginning of the decade to the end.  This should be familiar to those of you who have already seen the Bludog Chronicle's take on this (and if you did, we thank you), except that now you're reading the sports version.  So here goes.

LeBron James
Then:  Won two NBA titles with the Miami Heat after ditching Cleveland on live TV.
Now:  Plays for the Los Angeles Lakers after winning a league title for the Cavaliers,

Colin Kaepernick
Then:  San Francisco 49ers quarterback
Now:  Political activist/shoe salesman.

Tiger Woods
Then:  Golf career ruined due to injuries, marital problems, and no major title since 2008.
Now:  2019 Masters champion.

Alex Rodriguez
Then:  Suspended for one season by Major League Baseball for steroid use.
Now:  Entrepreneur, TV baseball analyst, and Jennifer Lopez' fiance.

Lance Armstrong
Then: Tour de France champion several times over.
Now:  Banned from cycling for drug use.

Men's and Women's Tennis
Then and Now:  Serena Williams, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Drake
Then:  Million-selling Canadian hip hop star.
Now:  Celebrity hanger-on for the Toronto Raptors.

Women's World Cup
Then:  Japan
Now:  United States (twice)

Men's World Cup
Then:  Spain
Now:  France

Major League Baseball
Then:  San Francisco Giants
In-Between:  Chicago Cubs
Now:  Washington Nationals

National Football League
Then:  New Orleans Saints
Now:  New England Patriots

National Basketball Association
Then:  Miami Heat
In-Between:  Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors
Now:  Toronto Raptors

WNBA
Then:  Seattle Storm
In-Between:  Minnesota Lynx
Now:  Washington Mystics

National Hockey League
Then:  Chicago Blackhawks
Now:  St. Louis Blues

College Football
Then:  Bowl Championship Series
Now:  College Football Playoff

Passed in 2019
Harry Howell, Julie Ruth Stevens, Dan Jenkins, King Kong Bundy, Ted Lindsay, Don Newcombe, Gene Littler, Frank Robinson, Bob Friend, Mel Stottlemyer, Al Bianchi, Zeke Bratkowski, Charles Rogers, Ron Fairly, Willie Brown, Hopalong Cassady, Jack Whitaker, Cliff Branch, Rosie Ruiz, Nick Buoniconti, Pumpsie Green, Pernell Whitaker, Walt Michaels, Hayden Fry, Jim Bouton, Pat Bowlen, Bill Buckner, Bart Starr, Niki Lauda, Red Kelly, Gino Marchetti, John Havlicek, Forrest Gregg.