Lee Lowenfish

I spent the week of March 13 in and near Sarasota, Florida. I saw my Orioles win a couple of games but I'm don't get carried away by victories in exhibition games because no manager makes moves to win those games.  Usually late inning pitchers are prospects (or suspects) just getting some exposure. 

 

I am looking forward to the first full season of switch-hitting catcher Adley Rutschman, the top prospect from Oregon State U. who in his mid-twenties may be emerging as a team leader.  After a slow start this spring due to a minor wrist injury, young Gunnar Henderson, another top prospect signed after high school in Alabama, looked like he was finding his batting stroke.  He seems ticketed for third base but can also play a good shortstop.

 

I'm rooting for RHP Dean Kremer, the last player in the organization from the Manny Machado trade a few seasons ago.  Kremer is the first dual Israeli-American in MLB history.  He pitched well for Israel in the World Baseball Classic and is proud of his long hair that occasionally becomes a man-bun. 

 

I am prouder of his desire to pitch deep into games. At least into the sixth or seventh inning to not only save the bullpen from over-usage, but also to defy the analytic shibboleth that pitchers cannot deal with a lineup a third time through. Puhleeze, let's get more pitchers wanting to extend themselves, learning to pitch while a little tired. 

 

Kremer becomes more important - as does another RHP Kyle Bradish who came over from the Angels some years ago in a trade for faded prospect Dylan Bunday - became word just came that DL Hall and Grayson Rodriguez, two projected top starters, will need more seasoning at Triple A Norfolk. 

 

Sarasota and nearby Bradenton have wonderful spring training baseball history.  Sarasota also has some great museums. If you have a chance, the Tiffany exhibit at the Selby Gardens near downtown Sarasota runs through Su Jun 25.  Charles Tiffany loved exploring nature as well as working with glass and Selby's mainly outdoor exhibit does great honor to his memory. 

 

A less well-known Sarasota attraction is the Marietta (Lee) Museum of Art and Whimsy open only three afternoons a week, Th thru Sat from 1-4p.  Located less than two miles south of the famous Ringling Museum, it features an astonishing array of offbeat paintings and sculptures that extend into the bathrooms. 

 

There is also a piano that anyone can sit down and play.  Somehow my romantic realist self managed to render an at-least melodically correct version of the Jimmy Van Heusen-Johnny Burke 1940s classic "Polka Dots and Moonbeams." 

 

I didn't see the Yankees and Mets play, but kudos to the Yankees for giving young Anthony Volpe, a Jersey guy, the shortstop job, at least in the early going.  Nothing like young blood to push and invigorate the veterans. 

 

On the other hand, the Mets have sent back to the minors their top prospects, third baseman Brett Baty  and catcher Francisco Alvarez.  One of manager Buck Showalter's fortes has always been developing youngsters.

 

He made Bernie Williams feel comfortable as a young Yankee center fielder and did the same in Baltimore for infielders Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop. One wonders if these decisions were

truly approved by him. 

 

The baseball season is so loooooong! I wish it were shorter but nobody listens to me on the macro

issues.  So let me conclude this post with paeans to how well the Columbia women cagers and surprisingly the Wisconsin men are playing.  

 

Columbia's women under 7th-year coach Megan Griffith narrowly missed the NCAA tournament.

Selfishly, I was glad because I could see the games at increasingly rocking Levien Gym, now

easily accessible at Broadway and 120th Street.  (No longer does one have to negotiate a lot of

steps on the campus.) 

 

"Creating a winning culture" is one of the great cliches of today's sports, but it is ever hard to achieve. 

Coach Griffith, an especially youthful 37, played for so-so Columbia teams under 4 different coaches. She became a 1000-point scorer in her career. 

 

After pro ball in Finland, she started a coaching career in the USA, spending several years at Princeton where she learned a lot about winning.  She is never afraid to talk about the W word.

 

So much of any winning philosophy comes from realizing that there are no such things as "small things".  Big things don't happen unless the small things are executed.  

 

Two examples from Columbia's recent NIT run have stood out.  First, when senior Duke transfer Jaida

Patrick fouled out of a stirring comeback 88-82 win over Syracuse - a rare occurrence by the

way because Columbia players know how to play in foul trouble - I noticed Jaida taking a clipboard on the bench and helping out with stats. 

 

My second observation came just before the second half of Sunday Mar 26's quarter-final win over Harvard, the 3rd Columbia W over a big Ivy rival in 4 games this season.  I noticed junior sharpshooter Abby Hsu and senior forward Kaitlin Davis quietly talking to each other as they slowly headed to the bench.  

 

Normally consistent scorers, they were out of sync in the first half, maybe not surprising because when you play a team four times, there are no secrets.  I had the sense though that they knew what to do in the second half.  Sure enough, Columbia opened up a 20-point lead and then held on to beat the Crimson 77-71. 

 

On Wed Mar 29 at 6p EDT, Columbia squares off against the Bowling Green Falcons on their home court in Ohio. The game will be televised on the extra-pay ESPN3 channel. A matchup between 27-5 Lions and 31-6 Palcons should be a doozy. 

 

The winner will face the winner of the Washington at Kansas game. We won't know definitely until after the Wed games where the final will be held but that game will be televised at 530p Sa April 1 on CBSSN which is channel 315 on Spectrum.

 

It has been a great joy to watch Griffith's five over the last few seasons, slowly but surely getting near the pinnacle of a championship.  It had to be a special treat for her to coach two more member of the 1000-point club, senior forwards Kaitlyn Davis and Sienna Durr. 

 

As for the Wisconsin Badgers' surprise run to the NIT Final Four, they are playing N. Texas State in Las Vegas at 7p Tu Mar 28 on ESPN.  The winner will face either Ohio Valley or UAB (U of Alabama Birmingham) at 940p on Th Mar 31 on ESPN.  

 

It took a disappointing year and only the second failure to make the Big Dance since 1998 for the

Badgers to re-awaken.  With Michigan State's loss to Kansas State in the Elite Eight at Madison

Square Garden, Wisconsin is the last Big Ten team standing even if it is "just" the NIT.

 

The emergence of junior transfer Max Klesmit as a clutch scorer as well as a gritty defender has given Wisconsin a huge boost.  So has the occasional offensive eruptions of junior 7-foot center

Steven Crowl.   Enigmatic sophomore point guard Chucky Hepburn doesn't have to be the only

big game shooter now. First year guard Connor Essegian has a shooting touch reminiscent of Columbia's Abby Hsu and maybe the ankle of versatile veteran Tyler Wahl has finally healed. 

 

That's all for now.  Next time more on the short but intense college basseball season in the NYC

area with such solid teams as Columbia, Fordham, Rutgers, and St. John's are in regular action.

Of special interest to me is the rare visit of UConn to Columbia on Tu aft Apr 4 at 330P.

 

Always remember - Take it easy but take it, and these days, stay positive, test negative. 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

The World Series was still undecided when I last posted.  Looking back on an interesting Fall Classic, there were too many strikeouts and not enough action-filled games to make it a real classic.

 

It remains very annoying that starting pitchers are not encouraged to go deep into games. Every game now seems to be determined by which bullpen arm screws up.  

 

The Houston-Philadelphia Series certainly had great moments, especially in the crucial Game 5 with the

Series even at 2 games apiece.   As the bottom of the 8th began with the Astros holding onto to a precarious 3-1 lead, I said to myself, "This is a very good game but it needs some great defense to make it truly great."

 

Voila! With the lead cut to 3-2, former Oriole Trey Mancini, an emergency replacement for injured first baseman Yuli Gurriel (whose aging knee gave out in a rundown between third and home), flashed a quick glove over the baseline and came up with Kyle Schwarber's hard grounder to squash a rally and kept Houston in the lead. 

 

Then in the bottom of the 9th with 1 out and Houston leading by only 1 run, Phillies impressive catcher JT Realmuto hit a long drive into the right center field alley that looked like a home run or at least extra bases.  

 

Out of the night came center fielder Chas McCormick sprinting 90 feet to leap at the wall to snare the ball. He landed spread-eagled on his back with the ball in his glove. 

 

Total silence enveloped the once-frenzied ballpark.  Only McCormick knew he made the out.  It was an

unforgettable moment for the unheralded center fielder, a 21st round draft pick who grew up a Phillies fan and attended the 2008 World Series that Philadelphia won over the Tampa Bay Rays.

 

I've said many times that you don't win pennants and World Series without grinders like McCormick.  Earlier in Game 5, Chas hesitated on a fly ball to right center that right fielder Kyle Tucker caught at the

last moment.  

 

After the game McCormick said that he vowed to be aggressive from then on and it sure paid dividends for the Astros.

 

After giving up a record-tying 5 home runs to the Phillies in Game 3 that gave the Phils their 2nd

1-run victory, the exceptional Astros pitchers shut them out. Led by Cristian Javier's six innings, Houston no-hit the Phillies in Game 4 and held them to 3 runs total in the last 3 games.

 

Rookie Jeremy Pena, son of former Cardinals infilelder Geromino Pena, was the MVP of the World Series

and won the same prize during Houston's 4-game sweep of the Yankees in the ALCS.  What a testimony to the scouting and player development departments of the Astros! 

 

They judged correctly that Chas McCormick provided more overalll ability than the traded Miles Straw,

an outstanding defender for Cleveland, and Jose Siri, who has since played for Seattle and Tampa Bay showing flashes of brilliance but not consistency.  

 

And three cheers for manager Dusty Baker who has cemented his place as a future Baseball Hall of Famer.  For some reason, the Hall of Fame refuses to allow player stats to count in a manager's resume.

Dusty amassed nearly 2000 hits in his 19-year MLB career in which he never was on the disabled list and won a World Series with the 1981 Dodgers. Just as important, he remains a vital and positive force in the baseball and larger world.

 

As for the upcoming season, one of my favorite lines about baseball (that probably applies to most sports) is "Every season is different."  As an Oriole fan, I was pleasantly surprised that we rose from the lower depths of the tough AL East to finish four games over .500 at 83-79.

 

However, obvious holes remain in the lineup offensively and the starting rotation has many spots to fill.  The farm system is improved but I hope that the front office doesn't forget - I repeat myself on purpose - that no team truly contends without veteran grinders who come to play hard every day.  

 

To me, that means Jorge Mateo at shortstop should be in the picture with the hope that his streaky

offense becomes less streaky. Maybe Ramon Urias finds a home as a utilty player - ironically he was named Gold Glove third baseman in 2022 but played less than 100 games there. The early analysis  suggests that the position is promising Gunnar Henderson's to lose.  

 

I wouldn't be opposed to a return of Roughned Odor who brought pizzazz to the team but I doubt he'd accept an utility role even smaller than Urias whose brother Luis incidentally plays mainly 3rd base for the Brewers. Spring training starting early February should certainly provide many clues.

 

I don't bet, but I would be very surprised if Aaron Judge did not return to the Yankees.  His eventual signing might be drawn out because he is a member of the Players Association executive board though

as of early 2022, one of only three members of the board not a client of Scott Boras.  

 

So maybe Judge won't ask for every dollar or every additional year.  As for the other free agent drama in

NYC pro baseball, I don't think Jacob DeGrom returns to the Mets.  He has been injured so much

in recent years that I think his long-term health raises serious questions.

 

Whatever happens in all these free agent signings, always remember another wise old adage:
LET THE BUYER BEWARE.

 

As for my teams playing winter sports, Wisconsin football limped to a 6-6 record, firing its coach Paul Chryst after a 2-3 start punctuated by a rout at home against Illinois coached by former coach Brett Bielema.  

 

Jim Leonhard, the home-grown defensive coordinator and former NFL standout, finished the year 4-3, but in a Sunday afternoon Nov 27 shocker, Luke Fickell, former Ohio State and current University of Cincinnati coach, was named the full-time head coach.  

 

Badger basketball took a big hit when breakout guard Johnny Davis turned pro after last year's

emergence.  I said at the time that he wasn't ready for the pros, and the Washington Wizards'  10th

overall draft pick has not started his pro career very well.  

 

He even was briefly sent down to the developmental league. But I guess the money these days is too good for athletes to turn down.  Even if they could use more seasoning at the collegiate level.  

 

Greg Gard's Badger cagers have started 2022-2023 with some gritty play in pre-league contests. They

took defending national champion Kansas to overtime before falling when they couldn't corral a vital

defensive rebound in the final second.

 

The lack of scoring and grit in the frontcourt remains an issue except for senior Tyler Wahl who it has been a pleasure to see emerge as an all-around player, an especially adept passer and driver to the hoop.  

 

First-year guard Connor Essegian from Fort Wayne, indiana looks like a comer. His lineage stands out: grandson of Chuck Essegian, former LA Dodger 1959 world champion and 1952 Stanford Rose Bowl player. And on his mother's side, Connor is related to Hall of Famer Robin Yount. Most importantly, he

exudes a scrappy confidence indicating a desire to make his own name. 

 

As for the Columbia Lions, the football team finished a respectable 6-4, winning its last three games after being routed earlier by Penn and eventual co-league champions Princeton and Yale.

 

Unfortunately men's basketball has now picked up the unfortunate mantle of chronic loser.  Happily, the Columbia women's team is becoming a regular contender.  They are playing a tough pre-league schedule

and then hope to slay the formidable Princeton dragon in league competition.  

 

And now before I sign off, here are some TCM tips for the coming weeks:

Tu Nov 29 8p EDT - Charlie Chaplin's "Monsieur Verdoux" (1947) - his last American film before the

  Cold War Red scare precipitated his return to England. Have only seen it once and want to see

  again how Martha Raye hilariously avoids his murderous advances. 

 

Thursdays in December except for Dec 22 Ava Gardner is Star of Night, starting usually at 8p EDT

Highlights include Th Dec 1 "The Killers" an early noir with Burt Lancaster based on Hemingway story

Th Dec 8 "Barefoot Contessa" with Bogart

F Dec 9 at 6:15A - "Showboat" (1951) with Ava as "mulatto" Julie and Joe E. Brown as Capn Andy

 

Th Dec 15 "Angel Wore Red" followed by Tennessee Williams' "Night of the Iguana"

 

Th Dec 29 Gregory Peck with Ava including "The Great Sinner" (1949), 

"On The Beach" (1959) Nevil Shute's dystopia after nuclear war

"Snows of Kilimanjaro" (1952) based on another Hemingway story

 

Sa Dec 10 primetime salute to Ray Liotta with two TCM debuts from the 1980s

   "Dominic and Eugene" and "Something Wild"

 

Tu Dec 13 features five classic noirs in primetime starting with: 

"Murder, My Sweet" (1944) - Dick Powell definitively leaves his bobby-soxer past in the dust

"The Big Sleep" (1946) and "Lady in the Lake" (1947) followed by two later films:

 "Farewell My Lovely" (1975) and "Marlowe" (1969)

 

 That's all for now.  Stay positive, test negative and take it easy but take it!

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

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