Warriors For Real

 

The Steph-less Warriors lost their first two games on a crucial road trip to lesser opponents, but with Steph back they won the final four road games and their first game home.  New Orleans and San Antonio got them tuned up and they overcame the challenges of Memphis and the LA Lakers to close out the road trip 4-2.

The Lakers game was epic, maybe the most watched TV game this year, and the Dubs took it to them on their home floor.  After 52 points and 12 threes in Memphis, Steph Curry scored 37.  That victory got sports media buzzing.

But the best was yet to come.  The very next night they faced the Denver Nuggets, a team they haven't beaten in the last 7 tries.  The Nuggets had rested their starters specifically to be ready for this game, but both Steph and Jimmy Butler were listed as questionable for the Warriors.  Needless to say they both played, as did banged-up Jonathan Kuminga and Gary Payton who returned from the injured list for short minutes.  

Denver scored 44 points in the first quarter, most often a fatal blow, though the Dubs scored 34. Then came the second quarter, with Steph and the Nuggets star Jokic on the bench.  The Warriors went on a run and defended so ferociously that Denver scored only 16 points in the quarter, and the Dubs doubled that.  Like the Lakers game, the Warriors bench proved superior to their opponent.

The starters weren't bad either.  Brandin Podziemski scored 26, a night after scoring 27 in LA, both individual highs.  And Steph?  Just 36, with some delightfully dazzling dancing shots, playing like a demon.  So in three games Steph Curry scored a total of 125 points in three different cities, in 4 nights.  Draymond and Jimmy Butler were brilliant on both sides of the ball, others like Moody and Post hit key shots, and the Warriors maintained a lead throughout most of the second half.  

Though the Warriors moved up in the standings, they are among 6 teams bunched behind Oklahoma City and Houston (though Houston is theoretically vulnerable), all with five games to play.  Any loss in those five games could drop a team out of the playoffs and into the play-in, depending on what the other teams did.  

Which makes Sunday's game at home against Houston the latest in the most important games of the season.  Especially since Houston just beat OKC by a lot, ending their chance to reach 70 wins.  In these circumstances the injury report on every team assumes even more importance.  But no one can deny that the Warriors are playing inspired basketball now, and that Steph Curry is playing some of the best of his long career.  There were times in the past few games when he looked to be playing at a higher speed than anyone else on the court.

Counting Houston ahead, the Warriors will have played four of their potential playoff opponents in a row, and beaten 3 with one to go.  The 2025 Warriors are for real.

Warriors Worriers

 The key to this NBA season is more and more obvious: it is health.  It is the strain of all those games.  Almost every team is missing its stars at crucial moments.  Fans are being cheated of the basketball they expect.

Last time I noted that the Golden State Warriors were winning and healthy.  Almost immediately they lost Steph Curry for two games and lost them both.  Then they lost Gary Payton II, probably for the rest of the season.  Payton was having among the best stretches of games on both offense and defense of his career, but injuries have always kept him off the court most of the time.  With him the Warriors were truly formidable.  Now they have less room for error.

Their first game with Steph back in the lineup was almost as unimpressive as their two losses.  They played lowly New Orleans with its two biggest stars out of the lineup, and only one of its regular starters on the floor.  Once again--as has been their pattern on this road trip--they lost the first quarter, after vowing repeatedly to come out stronger.  The whole team including Steph had a bad shooting night.  They won because they wore down the comically depleted Pelicans.

They won on Friday but so did the Clippers and the Timberwolves, their two very close rivals for the 6th spot to get a playoff series.  And both of those teams won more impressively.  Even though they have identical records with the Clippers at the moment, the Warriors actually dropped out of sixth because the Clippers have beat them three times this season.  

So now the Warriors have less than no breathing space, and their championship caliber will be tested every game.  They've won just one of the supposedly easy games in this road trip.  They next face a depleted San Antonio, but then they play Memphis (higher in the standings but in turmoil, with their coach just inexplicably fired) and the Lakers, games they should be able to win.  The rest of their season is at home, but including three quality opponents, with away games at Phoenix and Portland.

The Clippers play the Cavs and Rockets as well as the Warriors in their last games, but Minnesota's only real challenge appears to be Denver.  So all kinds of things can happen, including Minnesota leapfrogging to fifth and Memphis falling to sixth.  All the Warriors can do is win and maybe they'll still earn that six spot, a week of rest and a guaranteed playoff series.

Meanwhile in the NFL, the Steelers have lost both quarterbacks that started last year and are unbelievably waiting on Aaron Rodgers to make up his mind.  I can't believe Pittsburgh has much patience for this.  Rodgers was an immense asshole in New York, hardly played and is now 41.  Pittsburgh and the Steelers used to have little tolerance for jerks.  They may have no good options here, this being an awkward situation, but kissing off Rodgers seems just about mandatory.

Warriors Reality Check

 The NBA season is into the home stretch.  The Golden State Warriors have just 13 games left.  The good news is that 9 of them are against weaker opponents, though several are away games.  The Dubs are on a roll, having lost only 3 of their last 18 games.  The bad news is that the teams closest to them in the standings, vying for that #6 spot that gets them into the playoffs, are also winning.  Nobody is comfortable.

In fact, the #6 seed could come down to the final game of the regular season, when the Warriors host the LA Clippers on April 13.  The Warriors are currently in the 6 position, but the Clippers are breathing down their neck, and they've been winning against quality opponents recently.

The other quality teams the Warriors will face in these final games are the Lakers (in LA), Denver and high-flying Houston.  They also have a game in Phoenix, which on any given night can be trouble.  And of course, any team is capable of winning on any given night.

Right now the Warriors are at full strength. In this they are both fortunate and exceptional.  Injuries in addition to the normal fatigue at the end of the season are plaguing a lot of teams. Staying healthy will be a huge advantage, not just to end the season but in post-season play.

Update: Spoke too soon--Steph Curry's injury has taken him out of one road game--a loss to Atlanta--and is likely to keep him out of an unknown number of others on the current crucial road trip. This potentially throws everything into doubt.

The new Warriors are learning to play with each other, Coach Kerr is finding effective combinations and lineups, and especially after they dominated the Bucks without Steph in the lineup, they are confident.  There are troubling signs as well: still turnover prone, still subject to mood swings.  But all in all, Warrior fans can look forward to some fun basketball and probably some thrills and chills even before the playoffs.

In the NFL, while the Niners appear in rebuild mode, the Pittsburgh Steelers--as of this moment--still don't have a quarterback.  It's becoming silly, as is the two dubious choices: last year's loser Russell Wilson and the aged asshole Aaron Rodgers.  If this goes on any longer they could lose both of them, which might be all for the best.  The Steelers have made some nice moves in the off season but I don't see anybody being thrilled about either of these guys, or the team as a whole, at least at the moment.

Cheated

 Not long ago Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr lambasted the NBA for not caring about the health of its players, in insisting on scheduling too many games.  For example, the Warriors' just- completed road trip included three games in four days, including a back-to-back.  They then flew 6 hours across country to play a home game the next night.  They survived this time, with victories and minor injuries. Still, they've been without Jonathan Kuminga for a month.  Other teams are not even that lucky.

Now the season enters its most dramatic phase, but NBA fans are being robbed of the matchups of great players, and teams putting their best on the court.  Fans are being cheated, so that owners and investors can rake in more money.

Philadelphia, Houston, San Antonio and Dallas are among the most conspicuous victims so far, with the Lakers now facing an unknown number of games without LeBron at this crucial time.  All these injuries have specific causes, but cumulatively they add persuasive weight to Kerr's analysis.  The League schedules too many games, and then complains when teams engage in load management for their best players.

NBA players make an enormous amount of money compared to most people, and NBA tickets price out most fans.  A lot of revenue comes from "television" but the owners insist on maximizing income from attendance at as many games as possible. In the dehumanized parlance of entertainment, the "product" suffers.  And so do the players who deal with unnecessary pain and disruption from all-too-frequent injuries.  Sadly, it seems it will take a drop in ratings if not attendance for the NBA to do the right thing and schedule fewer games.

Meanwhile, the Butler Effect is giving the Warriors quite a run, and Steph Curry continues to be liberated to be even more amazing.  Their 4-1 road trip and 9 wins out of the last 10 games has vaulted them into 6th place and a playoff spot, but teams are still bunched and at least in the past few days their closest rivals are also winning.  So the Warriors will have to keep winning just to hold onto 6th.  They could move up to 5th past the fading Rockets, but even the best case scenario within a realistic context suggests getting higher than 4th is very unlikely, and they will need help to do even that.  Still, the goal is to get into a playoff series where they like their chances.

In the NFL, lots of teams are about to make moves and a few have already shaken things up. The Pittsburgh Steelers have already acquired a top wide receiver in DK Metcalf.  Now the big question is who the hell is going to be their quarterback.  For a long while the smart money was on Russell Wilson leaving, and Justin Fields moving up to #1.  But more recently, the word is that Fields is eager to test free agency, and doesn't really trust the Steelers coaches.

So is it Wilson again?  Or will they lose them both?  Stay tuned.

 

Trade Winds in Their Sails

 In the two games played so far after the All Star break, the Golden State Warriors defeated two rivals for playoff spots, the Sacramento Kings and the Dallas Mavericks, both by double digits.  They've won three in a row for the first time in awhile, and are 5-1 since Jimmy Butler joined the team.  It's still early but a few things stand out.

First, the swagger is back.  Draymond Green used his All Star commentator status to predict the Warriors will win the NBA championship this year.

Then there are the effects that Butler's presence is having on other players. Over and over this year various other players were touted as the one who would finally unlock Brandin Podziemski's game.  He was especially ragged during the long stretch of malaise that's been most of this season so far.  Nobody quite did it--but in the Dallas game especially, Jimmy Butler looks like he's doing it.  Podz is playing with confidence and decisiveness.  He's still throwing bad passes now and then but he isn't thrown by them.  When he's cooking, the team jells. He clearly clicks with Butler. 

Butler is establishing court relationships with other players, too (he keeps finding the latest roster hire, Quinten Post, for corner 3s and dunks.) But his most important service is liberating Steph.

It's pretty clear that Butler's complete game is freeing Steph to be Steph again.  He's playing with joy again--and doing amazing things.  His blind backwards over the head half court swish in All Star practice was joined by an underhand flip from deep that also swished, drawing oohs and ahhs from the crowd in Sacramento (apparently with a lot of Dub fans there.)  Neither counted--but he's made many sweet shots that did: smooth threes, dribble penetrations and floaters, and so on.  The home crowd at the Dallas game especially saw a show, as he put up 30 in the three quarters he played.

Now the Warriors will be tested in the next few games with opponents they are supposed to dominate.  Can they bring that same activity and intensity and concentration?  These games were never gimmies for them just weeks ago.

Oh, and Jonathan Kuminga is expected to be on the court again during this stretch.  

The LA Lakers big trade also show signs of working out for them.  They look to be rising even as Phoenix is falling.  Dallas is weaker, and with Wemby out for the Spurs, they may not be a factor.  But eyes will likely be on the Lakers and the Warriors for the rest of the season. Who will move up? Can they challenge OKC or Denver?

But before all this, let's mention the All-Star weekend, more or less hosted by Steph Curry and the Warriors, culminating in Steph being named MVP of the game.  The game, the contests (Buddy Hield coming in second in the 3 point) and the time off seem to have revived the Warrior players.  So even if the game format (partly designed by Curry apparently) didn't improve things a whole lot, the weekend ends up being a win for the Warriors.

Tale of Two Upsets and New Look Warriors

I recall watching the first championship game ever officially called the Super Bowl in 1969.  It was then still a game between that season's champions of the two distinct professional football leagues, the National Football League and the American Football League.  There would be one more before the leagues merged.

The first two NFL-AFL World Championship games were won by the NFL's Green Bay Packers at the tail end of their years of total dominance under coach Vince Lombardi.  Partly because of that, and because the NFL was a much older organization, it was felt to be the stronger.  People wondered if the AFL would ever win a championship.

In Super Bowl III (as it was later titled) the NFL was represented by the powerhouse Baltimore Colts, with the already legendary quarterback Johnny Unitias, who'd led them to their second successive one-loss season.  That team also had given up the fewest points in a 14 game season in history to that point.  The AFL was represented by the New York Jets, a franchise that was only nine years old.  Quarterback Joe Namath had played professionally for just four years, all of them with the Jets.  Plagued by injuries, he had still put up impressive numbers.

But the sports wisdom of that time said the Jets were literally out of their league.  The Colts--even though quarterback Unitas was injured--were heavily favored, and even called the best football team of all time.  

I suspect even football fans born decades after this game will know what happened.  Namath's passing shredded the vaunted Colts defense, and the Colts offense (even after Unitas entered the game in the second half) was completely ineffective, with several interceptions.  The Jets won 16-7 in one of the most famous Super Bowls ever.

I suppose sports fans in the future will argue which was the greater upset, but this certainly was a precedent for what happened in this year's Super Bowl.  The Chiefs vaunted offense was utterly ineffective, especially against a ferocious pass rush.  On the other hand, they accomplished their defensive plan: they stopped Saquon Barkley and the running game, and made quarterback Jalen Hurts beat them through the air.  Unfortunately for them, he did.

Behind a dominant offensive line, Hurts supplemented pinpoint passing and effective exploitation of the aggressive run defense with timely runs (leading the team in rushing yards.)  The combination was lethal and dominant.  Two interceptions of Mahomes led to two quick touchdowns, and Philadelphia led 24-0 at halftime.

But as Tom Brady said recently, the Super Bowl is two games, because it is so long.  There is plenty of time between the halves to analyze problems and make adjustments.  The Chiefs were usually good at doing this.  But they managed only one first down in their first drive of the third quarter.  The Eagles marched back down the field and scored a field goal.  It was now 27-0.  

The next Chiefs drive stalled again, ending with a failed fourth down pass. Everyone expected the Eagles to revert to the run game and milk the clock.  Instead Hurts threw a long pass to the end zone on the first play, and in the blink of an eye the Eagles led 34-0.

The Chiefs scored a few times in the fourth quarter, though the last TD was against the Eagles second team defense with about a minute left. The Eagles had added two field goals and won easily, 40-22.  The Chiefs didn't three-peat, it was Jalen Hurt who won game MVP, and a number of other expectations were dashed.

I've seen only a little of the post-game commentary by the sports wisdoms who predicted a close game that the Chiefs always win.  Did they admit anything?  Are you kidding?  They sure turned against Mahomes, though.  

Time to trot out the actual wisdom that applies: this is why they play the game.

The Warriors

After Jimmy Butler joined the team, the Golden State Warriors played at Chicago against the young Bulls.  By the third quarter they were behind 24 points, so not much seemed to have changed.  But on the court it must have seemed to them that everything was changing. They then had the highest point differential in a quarter and a half in modern NBA history, a 49 point swing, to win the game by more than 20.  Steph had 34, Jimmy Butler 25.

They then visited the Bucks, a better team on a 7 game winning streak, though they were without their star Giannis.  Again the Warriors started slowly but built momentum and won that game handily.  Steph had a season high 38 points in his 1,000th career game, and Butler had 20.  So far, with no time to learn the offense, Butler has made a significant positive difference--probably the difference between winning and losing in his first two games.  But that's the rap on Butler--he's great at first.  So far however it's clear that the Warriors are very happy with this trade. 

Impatience

 Not nearly as consequential as the blitzkrieg in Washington the past two weeks, there was a sudden and extensive shakeup in the NBA, especially with what many called the biggest trade in NBA history: a franchise player, Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavs for the most important player on the LA Lakers not named LeBron: Anthony Davis.  Then the Sacramento Kings traded their franchise player, D'Aaron Fox to Chicago for Zack LeVine.  

The Fox trade was more or less expected since he'd made his desire for one public.  But the Luka trade came out of nowhere.  No one outside the principals had any idea negotiations were even contemplated.  Luka didn't know, and even LeBron didn't know.  

So the Golden State Warriors, cautiously exploring the trade market, got their hair blown back.  Not only did they lose out on one of their possible trade targets (LeVine) but two of their closest rivals made big moves that might have strengthened them: the Lakers (who just also added center Mark Williams from Charlotte) and the Kings, both just ahead of them in the w-l.  

Suddenly reports were flying that the Warriors were desperate to make a deal for a superstar. At first the big noise was about Lebron: maybe disgruntled at being kept in the dark and suddenly made secondary, and wary of the ball-hogging Luka, he would ask for a trade, and fulfill his stated dream to play with Steph.  The idea of them together at Golden State was far more potent than any result in the won-loss column.  They were feel-good box office to the max.

But the LeBron boom faded and then it was a trade with Phoenix to bring Kevin Durant back to the Bay--again, another boost to box office for the Warriors and the entire NBA, currently somewhat in the doldrums.  In fact a deal was underway that additionally could have sent the disgruntled Jimmy Butler from Miami to his choice of destination, namely Phoenix.

But on Monday--a day and a half before the trade deadline--Durant apparently let it be made known that he was not interested in returning to Golden State. (They also lost another potential target in Brandon Ingram, who just went from the Pelicans to the Raptors.)

 So the Warrior front office essentially lost their cool and were determined to make a big splash deal, maybe to make themselves look relevant.  They got impatient, and dealt for Jimmy Butler. (As I write this the deal hasn't quite been finalized, and some expect the Warriors to make another move before the deadline about twelve hours away.)

Now it was not more than two weeks ago that Steph Curry and Draymond Green were warning their overlords (through the media) that Butler was not going to fit the Warrior culture under Coach Steve Kerr.  By all appearances, Butler is mercurial and self-centered.  The Warriors have their hands full with one volatile star in Green himself, who may have cost them their near-term future at least three times: by successfully being baited into getting suspended in the finals they then lost to Cleveland, in possibly alienating Durant (although they appear to be friends since), and certainly in the notorious sucker punch that ended up trading away a potential scorer.

Butler is notorious for souring on teams and getting traded after a couple of years.  His stats are of a superstar but they are declining: he is 35, a year or less younger than Steph.  For him the Warriors gave up Andrew Wiggins, who is having his best year since 2022, especially recently, filling multiple needs for the Warriors--a three level scorer who can drive and get to the line, and a lock-down defender.  The Warriors deserved this resurgence, after being so patient with him last year, especially his long absences. 

They also traded away Dennis Schroder, who was supposed to be their salvation when they traded for him in December,  Kyle Anderson and young Lindy Waters III.  What did they all have in common?  They were disciplined, highly professional and dedicated to Steve Kerr and the Warriors culture.  Wiggins was such a favorite with Kerr that in his post-game, post-trade interview, he appeared utterly devastated.  

 Something isn't right with the Warriors on the court, and that had to be addressed.  But things seemed to be right in the locker room, and potentially--I would say probably--losing that could be just as fatal.

The experts so far are saying that the deal makes the Warriors better but probably not enough. I wonder if even that is true.  The Warriors want players with confidence but they don't tolerate primadonnas. Not on a team with Steph, or a team coached by Kerr. Will Butler truly commit to playing Warriors basketball?  I really doubt it.  

Super Bowl: There appears to be only one team playing this year: the Kansas City Chiefs.  Their opponents, the Washington Generals--I mean, the Philadelphia Eagles--impress Tom Brady and a few others, but nobody is betting against the Chiefs, their quarterback, their coach and their football intelligence: all they have to do is stop the run and dare the Eagles quarterback to beat them.  The Chiefs win close games--and nearly all of their games are close--and that's how they win Super Bowls.   So say them all. 

Well, maybe, but they apparently are still going to play the game.  I enjoy watching Mahomes operate but I'm going with the underdog.  Most Steelers fans probably are--not because they are in love with the other Pennsylvania team, but because--thanks to crucial injuries at the end of the 1976 season--the Steelers never won three Super Bowls in a row.  Four out of five, yes, but not three in a row.  Nobody has.  They don't want anyone else to do it.

But at this historical moment I'm also deciding my rooting preference on the news that the Chiefs' Kelce says he's "excited" that the dictator who is currently destroying more than two centuries of American government and the Constitution is attending the game.  Go Eagles.

As for the Steelers themselves, all three of their quarterbacks can be free agents, so they are reportedly trying to decide whether to keep Justin Fields or Russell Wilson.  Not a lot to choose from there.  Coach Tomlin has shown a preference for Wilson, but with him as quarterback the Steelers looked like a dispirited, rudderless team finishing the season.  There must be a lot else going on there to account for this, but it doesn't say a lot about qback leadership...  Of course, one or both (or all three) of them could jump ship on their own, which might say something else.

Patience

 Within a season of such desultory results, the Golden State Warriors and those who follow them closely seem to be watching for smaller signs of future success.  There was a flurry of optimism recently when two-way player Quinten Post got significant minutes in three consecutive games.  Although the Warriors lost two of them, Post still won praise and statistically was a net positive.

But especially in the game they won--a 20 plus point victory over the Bulls--Steph Curry and Coach Kerr were exultant.  Post's 7-foot presence is something they haven't had, but he's also capable of hitting threes (which he did consistently against Chicago.)  He "opens the floor" as they say.

His play, along with the energetic and increasingly skillful play of other young players like Gui Santos, Moses Moody and Brandon Podziemski revived by his rehab for a lingering injury, changed the conversation.  Especially since until now they weren't even in the conversation. But with the injuries to Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green and Kyle Anderson, and Kerr's continuing experiments with lineups and rotations, they've gotten their opportunities.

Now the Warriors at the moment don't look competitive even with their second-tier rivals like the Kings and the Lakers. Their hopes for stringing a win streak during the current homestand may be fading. They were utterly embarrassed by the Celtics, who they beat in Boston early in the season. Everything is trending towards an OKC v. Boston finals matchup.  

But it's not quite the All-Star break, and Steve Kerr is radiating a sense of confidence and patience this week--as the trade deadline gets closer.  Their won-loss record says if there are trades out there, some will be made.  Steph is a little less patient--but then he's interviewed just off the floor, especially after his frustrating shooting night against the Lakers.

 But Kerr--he doesn't seem to be constitutionally cynical enough to be talking up players to make them more attractive as trade bait, so I have to believe he sincerely believes in them.  But it's a risk.  They could all go down together.

The current enthusiasm for Post, Santos etc. follow excitement over Buddy Hield, Dennis Schroder etc. that has faded, so who knows? When Kuminga comes back, the Warriors may have the weapons they need to relieve Curry.  Andrew Wiggins has been showing his old form as well.  With Wiggins, JK, Moody and Post all capable of getting shots all over the floor, this could yet repay Kerr's faith and patience.  But...the trade deadline is still out there.

Football: Ohio State looked like an NFL team playing a Notre Dame college team--at least for the first half.  Notre Dame gave it that old college try and late in the game were in striking distance but Ohio State exploited their gambling defense for another score.  Do the Ohio State players make more money than the Notre Dame players?  I don't know, but they played like they do.

In the NFL, Washington upset Detroit last week, Buffalo out-slogged Baltimore, Philadelphia outclassed the Rams and Kansas City survived with some necessary Mahomes and Kelsey heroics.  The story this week is Kansas City, the reigning champs, who still seem to be doing just enough to win.  To become the first team to three-peat the Super Bowl, they will have to get past Buffalo. Is Buffalo as good as they looked last week, or did they overachieve?  The Chiefs still seem vulnerable, but they've got those playmakers plus that coach.  I don't see Washington beating Philadelphia, but the Buffalo v. Kansas City game could go either way.

Win It For the Draft Money

 What a lousy year for the teams I support and write about here: the Warriors, the 49ners, the Steelers, Giants, Pirates...and now everyone is saying that my sentimental favorite for the national college football championship doesn't have a chance.  Or, since it's Notre Dame, let's say they haven't got a prayer.

Ohio State is so much more talented that Notre Dame, they all say, that an 8 point spread for their defeat is pretty generous.  Notre Dame has also been hit by more significant injuries in the post-season, including several against Penn State.

No one of course knows what will happen on the day, so despite its vaunted offense and defense, Ohio State is vulnerable.  Notre Dame has the best pass defense I've seen, and they bottled up Penn State's runners pretty well.  Their offense is creative and disciplined. They run the ball well.  They are extremely well coached.

Here's the thing about Notre Dame: other teams boast of their "next man up" capability, but Notre Dame exemplifies it better than any team I know.  Just look at the drive engineered by their second string quarterback against Penn State.  

Maybe superior talent will win the day.  But the Notre Dame of legend exemplifies the intangibles.  Nobody talked about Knute Rockne's defensive schemes.  They talked about his ability to inspire.  I wouldn't put a lot of money on it understand, but I'll take the bet.  I'll take Notre Dame.

Back when Notre Dame was my mother's favorite team, possibly because it was one of the few colleges to have their games broadcast nationally (on the radio), northern and midwestern teams dominated.  And they did so for many years after that.  But over the last couple of decades it's been the southern teams.  Now it seems to be swinging back.  Why? 

Colin Cowherd suggests that southern teams prospered because they secretly paid players.  Now that paying players is legal, the big northern and midwestern teams have deeper pockets.  

Now there's something called the transfer portal and players go for the best deal they can get.  Not exactly an argument for the student athlete, or college education in general.  The college programs are just a junior version of the NFL.  This used to be called corruption.  Now it's called realism.  So maybe having a sentimental favorite is beyond silly.

As for the NFL divisional round, I don't really bet so I ignore spreads and concentrate on such details as...The winner!  And obscure items like that.

So while I sense that the Kansas City Chiefs are vulnerable this year, they are a veteran team and most importantly a veteran team at getting to the Super Bowl, and they got better late in the season, so with a couple of weeks rest--and practices for their newer players-- I don't see them losing this round.  In the other Saturday game, Washington is an exciting team but the Detroit Lions on a decent day are better on both sides of the ball.  Detroit.

The Sunday matchups are more even.  If the Texans or Commanders win on Saturday, it will be an upset.  But the Rams at Philadelphia?  The Ravens at Buffalo?  Who knows?

 Though some favor the Rams because of their great game last round, the Eagles are to me the likeliest to make it to the Super Bowl.  It may not even be close: the Eagles.

The Ravens will rise or fall on the performance of Lamar Jackson.  But the Buffalo Bills are formidable, and rarely falter in big home games.  The weather is likely to be a factor--in fact it's predicted to be so cold and snowy that it's a health hazard to attend the game let alone play in it.  So my prediction is: the weather wins.

So I'm going to end this 100% football post with my current pet peeve.  It's what we used to call showboating.  It was the lowest class thing you could do in football, showing disrespect to the game itself.  No longer.  Touchdown celebrations used to be penalized; now they are choreographed.  Do these guys spend as much time practicing plays as they do practicing their celebrations?

But the latest trend is the one that I can't stand: it now seems that every player who makes a first down, has to do the first down signal, posing for his statue in the hall of fame. They all do it the same way, and it happens every damn time.  What is special about it?  What is even interesting? It's just annoying. To me they look like clowns.  But then--that's entertainment, and with all the TV money, that's the business they are in. 

Wilting Warriors--and the Trade Deadline

 Golden State Warriors Coach Steve Kerr spoke little more than a week ago about having no feeling of urgency regarding the upcoming trade deadline.  He liked the players he had, felt they were the most talented group he'd coached and was looking forward to seeing them flourish. 

 If that reflected management's attitude as well, my guess is that it all changed definitively on January 7th. After the game that night is when--I would bet--the Warriors went into high gear to make a big trade, urgently.  There's no guarantee they will find one, or that it will turn out to help. In fact, it doesn't look likely.  But they may be a lot less reluctant to reach out.  

On Tuesday the 7th the Warriors were defeated at home by the Miami Heat, who were playing on the road in the second of two games in a row, after losing in double overtime, their third consecutive loss.  The Warriors were also coming off a loss, another embarrassing one, to Sacramento as well.  But the Heat brought force and the Warriors wilted.  In his postgame interview Kerr did not hide his anger at the lack of effort and competitiveness, the crisis of confidence on his team.  

That's how the Warriors were characterized in stories in both the San Francisco Chronicle and the New York Times on Wednesday.  Fans who didn't leave early Tuesday night booed the team, after they collapsed in the fourth quarter.

But what really made this a paradigm of the Warriors at the moment is the game that Steph Curry had: he scored game high 31 ( the Heat's top scorer had 20) with 8 threes, and a shooting percentage of 50%.  This came on the same day as a long story on the ESPN site about how other teams are devoting their main defense to stopping Steph because they don't fear any other Golden State shooters.  And still he excels.  The story focus on his legendary status but also his age and the coming end of his career. He wants another championship, and the dare was that this group could find a way to get there.

Kerr also said that Steph is having trouble coping with this stretch of mediocrity.  The Warriors are brilliant some times and awful a lot of the time, but at the moment are exactly a .500 team. Count the number of times Curry has said recently, I just want to win.  And imagine you are in the Warriors front office.  What are you thinking today? 

In the meantime Kerr's analysis is that the only thing this team can do is concentrate on defense, and even after the trade deadline that's where it needs to go.  

A New Year for the Warriors, a Bad End for the Niners

 There's an interesting play of perspectives in the analysis of recent Golden State Warriors woes by Coach Steve Kerr and Steph Curry.

Kerr said that players weren't moving the ball enough and jacking up shots early in the shot clock instead of looking for the open shooter, or simply Steph Curry.  He also mentioned pace and turnovers.  When asked the same question, Curry said it was because we weren't making our shots.  Not making shots is discouraging, which leads to slower pace and getting disorganized, as well as less effective defense.

These two perspectives are different but compatible, and certainly understandable.  Kerr analyzes like a coach, looking at the big picture, at structure and pattern.  Curry analyzes as a player in the middle of it.  

In any case, the Warriors started to look better recently.  First there were two monster 30 plus points games for Jonathan Kuminga on a back-to-back, the first without Curry but the second with both of them on the floor.  Kerr called it a breakthrough of sorts, and a possible key to the future.  It seemed to be a key to the present anyway, as the Warriors won that second game, against Phoenix.

Then a dispiriting loss to Cleveland--but then everybody is losing to Cleveland these days.  And then the new year--and the first two game winning streak since mid-November.  Better yet, the shooting came back, especially against Philadelphia, in which Curry hit 8 three pointers on 8 shots, scoring 30 with 10 assists--one of those magical games in a stellar career.  

But he wasn't the only one--Moody, JK, Schroder and Lindy Waters all had multiple 3s, and as a team the Dubs shot 61% and 56% from three, after a long streak of below 50% shooting.  Ball movement in particular was noticeably robust, which Curry said afterwards was possible because everyone was making shots so there was no problem where the ball ended up as long as the player was open.  

The next game, the Warriors stayed ahead of Memphis to notch the win, despite Curry on the bench for the first in a back-to-back.  Andrew Wiggins stepped up with 24 points, Schroeder had 17, Lindy Waters 16.  And just as Shroder began looking comfortable on offense and made shots against Philadelphia, Buddy Hield (who started) may have come out of his deep slump with 14 points, including 4 threes, and led the team with a plus 18.  

All would be looking very hopeful except that JK went down with a "significant" ankle sprain that is likely to keep him out of the lineup for an "extended" period.  And so the potential of this team remains elusive, which won't help as the Warriors look at the trade deadline in a month.

Meanwhile as the NFL finishes its regular season, the Pittsburgh Steelers lost their fourth in a row to the Bengals, who therefore still have a chance to get into the playoffs, joining the Ravens and Steelers from the AFL North.  The Steelers' collapse doesn't bode well, except for a one and done.

The San Francisco 49ers will finish a hellish season against Arizona with their backup quarterback.  Only serious betters are likely to care who wins this one.  Even with all their untimely injuries, the Niners will probably be looking at some major changes for next season.

Otherwise, Kansas City has been looking more like a dominant team, but the Philadelphia Eagles look better.  Both contenders are resting stars for their final regular season game. Baltimore also has momentum, and Detroit, Buffalo and Washington are also in the Super Bowl hunt. 

In college football, the Bowls gave us a Penn State and Boise State matchup that was closer than the score indicated, plus some upsets and close games.  Ohio State demolished the undefeated Oregon Ducks, so forecasters who picked them as likely champions had a good day. 

 Notre Dame was impressive in their quarter-final.  The semis matchups of Notre Dame and Penn State, Texas and Ohio State should be interesting games though for different reasons.  But these games are each a universe in themselves, and predictions are futile.  I'd give the edge to Notre Dame in theirs, and Ohio State in theirs, but anything can happen on the day.

(Not So) Happy Holidays

 The holidays are not so happy for San Francisco sports fans, as the Niners failed to make the playoffs and look like a team in search of an answer.  The Golden State Warriors even admit they are still looking for an answer as they spiraled out of the play-in they qualified for early, even before getting to Las Vegas.  And things have not been much better since.

While the Niners face big questions and possibly big changes in the off season that can't come too soon, the Warriors are in the midst of their quandaries. Things started to fall apart for the surprisingly strong Warriors when De Anthony Melton went down with a season-ending injury.  The Warriors finally addressed that--by trading him?  Not much faith in the future there.  They got a quality player in Dennis Schrader, but what kind of a fit he will turn out to be is still to be determined, as he's had one good game out of the three he's played.  But the magic definitely isn't there at the moment.

Coach Kerr was blunt about one reason, when he said in his press conference (after a rare victory) that if the young players want to take contested shots from 17 feet, the Warriors will be a losing team.  But if they make the extra passes to free Steph Curry for a good shot, they will be winners.  Perhaps that's the reason that Curry has had two of his lowest scoring games out of the last three (those he dominated with 31 in that victory between), or maybe it's other stuff.

Meanwhile the Pittsburgh Steelers are ending their season playing some of the better NFL teams all in a row.  So far they've lost to Philadelphia and Baltimore, and face Kansas City on Christmas in a short week before their final regular season game with the Bengals, currently looking better than they have all year.  The Steelers have already backed into the playoffs, so these games don't mean as much, but momentum at the end of the season does mean something.  

Kansas City continues to be a mystifying team.  They've won so many games on the last play, and even their 27-19 victory over the Texans was closer than the score indicates.  They just haven't been dominant and yet they've won every game but one so far.  Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens should win out and are playing better as they approach the playoffs.  

Chiefs, Steelers, Ravens or whatever other AFC team may emerge, none seems stronger than 4 or 5 NFC teams.  But while Detroit and Philly are dealing with untimely injuries, the Green Bay Packers have momentum (though they have injuries of their own.)  They face Minnesota next, a team capable of at least being a spoiler.  After a mid-season lull, the Washington Commanders are back on a winning track, but with the Falcons and a possible revenge game with Dallas coming up.  The Falcons are worth watching as well.

Bay Area sports fans don't have much to cheer for in the college football playoff bowl games either, but they may appreciate them anyway.  Though several of the Same Old Teams are in it, others like Oregon, Penn State and especially Notre Dame and Boise State make them more interesting.  So happy holidays anyway.    

Mysterious Warriors and NFL Clarity

 As December begins, mystery surrounds the Golden State Warriors.  They started the season with a spectacular 12-3 record, and quickly got into the next round of the play-in tournament. Coach Kerr was deploying a 12 and even 13 man rotation, throwing fresh bodies quick on defense and fast on offence to overwhelm opponents.  A revived Andrew Wiggins was one surprise, as well as the barrage of 3 pointers from Buddy Hield that suggested he might be a "Splash Buddy" to Steph Curry.  Lindy Waters III was another surprise at both ends, essentially forcing Kerr to expand the rotation to play him.  Draymond Greene was a wizard on defense again, and he found his timely 3 point shots.  Steph was Steph, though more quietly.

 Now they've lost four games in a row, including two in which they were more than 15 points ahead in the fourth quarter.  What happened?  The inevitable injuries, even minor ones throwing off rhythms, including a couple to Steph.  But the one that seems so far to have hurt most was the season-ending injury to De Anthony Melton.  He was a steady offensive presence and important on defense.  How important is suggested by those four losses--all the games he's been out so far.  

Other possible factors: Buddy Hield cooled off and other young players weren't scoring as much, important perhaps in two close losses to western foes OKC and Phoenix.  At Phoenix Kerr tried tightening the rotation and playing his starters longer, but a valiant comeback effort in the second half fell short. 

Is it back to the drawing board or just a glitch of focus in a frenetic early season?  Are the Warriors as good as they'd convinced everyone they are, or was that just early energy?  Stay tuned.

In the NFL, the San Francisco 49ers seem to be falling apart.  Thrown off their rhythm by major injuries, they've lost their mojo.  In what was to be their best chance at a championship season, they may not even make the playoffs.

Meanwhile, my other team the Pittsburgh Steelers overcame a phantom of a past I remember well--losing in a Cleveland snowstorm--to outlast the Bengals, while the Ravens lost to Philadelphia.  So the Steelers seem likely to go to the playoffs as AFC North champs, though the Ravens can never be completely counted out.  Kansas City has clinched the playoffs, but their stellar record in mostly very close games seems to have depended more on luck than dominance.  So the Steelers may be legitimate challengers to them this year.  The Philadelphia Eagles now seem the clear favorite to be the NFC entry in the Super Bowl.  

Whirlwind Series

 What--it's over?  This vaunted World Series for the Ages should be just getting interesting.  Instead it's all done.  Dodgers in five.

It was billed as Ohtani v. Judge but as I suggested it might not be, it wasn't.  Ohtani, with an injured shoulder, was mostly a non-factor.  Judge was worse that that.  With a terrible series at the plate he will go into history with that comical look on his face as he muffed an easy pop fly in the fifth inning of the fifth game (isn't that rule one--keep your eye on the ball?) to open the door to the Dodgers, who at that point had but one hit, and the Yankees had a 5-0 lead.  Another error and a third Yankee mistake later, it was 5-5.

Instead the hero was a guy nobody talked about before the Series started: Dodger first baseman Freddie Freeman.  He'd gone without hitting a homer for so long that everybody forgot that he knew how.  But with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth in the first game, he hit one.  The first grand slam to end a game in World Series history.

And he wasn't done making history.  He hit homers in the next three games, which added to the last time he batted in a World Series, made it six games in a row, an all time record.  He batted in two runs in that fateful fifth inning of game 5, further earning his selection as MVP of the Series.  

There were plenty of home runs in this series but most of the games were low scoring affairs.  Defense was the main Yankee flaw going into it--some would say arrogance--and it turned out to be fatal, especially in the first and the final games.  The Dodgers got very good a la carte pitching, superbly managed, good fielding and timely hitting.  The Series had drama, but it was never really close.

But by shutting down the mighty Yankees, the deeper and more talent Dodgers have made things even worse for the San Francisco Giants.  The impression is that the Dodgers, in the same division, are going to be dominant for years.  That could make the many high quality free agents looking for teams this offseason wonder if they will be signing up for highly paid futility if they join the Giants.  Money to pay a superstar won't likely be the Giants only challenge in acquiring one. 

Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors, after winning all their pre-season games, were electric in winning their first two in the real season, both by huge margins, and both by playing everybody.  They lost their third game when Steph went down with an ankle injury that may keep him off the floor for a couple of weeks. Then Wiggins was also out with an injury. But even without them, the Dubs thrashed New Orleans in back to back games at home.  So far they've been getting stronger as the games go on, throwing fresh bodies at opponents exhausted by their running, fast pace and tenacious defense.  They haven't played a contender yet, but they sure look like fun, with revelations of new faces and re-energized vets.

Both the Niners and the Steelers won marquee games last week: the Niners defeating the Cowboys on Sunday night, and the Steelers outlasting the Giants on Monday night.  Those are both solid steps on a road to the playoffs.

October Classic: World Series, NFL towards midpoint, NBA begins

A World Series for the ages is about to begin.  The two most talented and (not coincidentally) richest teams (and oldest) in MLB are playing each other.  It's actually a marvel it doesn't happen more often.

 It's billed as Ohtani's Dodgers versus Judge's Yankees, but the real heroes of each team can just as likely turn out to be others. With two offensive powerhouses we expect high scoring games, though it sometimes turns out to be a different kind of series. But spectacle--yeah, that's likely to be high, so it's also likely this will be the most watched World Series in history.

Updating my NFL teams, the Niners continue to be ground down by injuries and the resulting discombobulations (a technical football term.) But there may still be time.  Meanwhile, the also depleted Kansas City Chiefs continue to win.  Could the luck of these two teams be reversed by the end of the season? 

 The Steelers on the other hand are on the ascent.  Disregarding just about everybody's advice, Coach Tomlin replaced a quarterback with a winning record with a quarterback just recovered from injury.  After a lackluster first half, the gamble really paid off.  Russell Wilson put 37 points on the board against the Jets, for the highest score the Steelers have attained this year.  And sometimes injuries work for you.  A beat-up offensive line has suddenly become a formidable offensive line with some new blood.  Add to that a pretty tight defense and one of the game's most reliable field goal kickers, and the Steelers could go places.

The NBA regular season has just begun, and though Golden State has played only one game, and that one against an immature opponent, it does appear that Coach Kerr has the luxury of a deep lineup of players that seem to be thriving with any combination of players on the floor.  That is, the team is not only deep in talent, it is a deep team.  Against Portland the first team started slow, Steph being sidelined with a minor injury for a few days seemed rusty but he got his 3 point mojo back in the second half.  Eventually the entire roster played meaningful minutes. They put up 139 points which is eye-opening regardless of the opponent.

The New York Liberty won the WNBA championship--a league that is on the brink of transformation in the next two years.  Players opted for new contracts (as expected) though apparently they'll have to play with the old ones for another year, but by then they might really get paid a living wage (or the equivalent for a professional athlete.)  The league's popularity should earn it better television contracts to finance better salaries, better facilities and travel conditions.  And there will be a new team, from the Bay Area, backed by the Golden State Warriors.

October Crossroads

 It's October--when big league baseball and the WNBA have their big finishes, NFL football starts defining itself and the NBA knocks off the rust and tests out team changes. 

The MLB playoffs are underway, but neither the San Francisco Giants nor the Pittsburgh Pirates made it that far.  Both had an insufficient second half, though both had moments of fun and promise.  The Pirates frustrated the Yankees at the end of the season, taking that series, and the Bucs won all the games they played against the Marlins.  Their young starting pitchers are more than promising, and they have punch in the lineup.  I imagine they're fun to watch at the ball park, and should be next season.

When the Giants again missed the playoffs last year they went after the two biggest free agents available in a big way, and whiffed on both of them.  Those two--Judge and Ohtani--just happened to dominate the season, and may well meet in this year's World Series.

But the Giants finished the year starting to look like a team that could bring people back to the ball park. The best news is that their new leader is Buster Posey.  That should at least solidify and further advance the Giants feeling like a team and not just associated statistics.

The WNBA playoffs have also started, and Caitlin Clark helped get her Indiana team into them, but they didn't win a game.  She had a great year nonetheless--especially considering that she played a long college season and those playoffs into the national championship game, then almost immediately on a new team at a new level.  Breaking records and earning Rookie of the Year, she also helped elevate awareness of women's basketball, while surviving all the attention and the ugliness that so-called fans and click-baiting posters unleashed.  Angel Reese also had an outstanding rookie year.There's tough and skilled basketball still being played in those playoffs.  Meanwhile Indiana looks forward to an even better year.  

The NFL season has started, with the San Francisco 49ers underperforming, due largely to injuries, and the Pittsburgh Steelers perhaps overperforming expectations,  but neither team has been consistent or appears to have much of an identity yet.  To me the team that looks really solid is Minnesota.

The NBA pre-season is just starting and the Golden State Warriors have going for them the excitement of uncertainty along with potential.   Klay Thompson's absence makes it a new group needing to become a team, adding new players and expecting veterans to add to their roles.  Could be fun.

Curry-Age-ous

 If there were any doubt, no longer: this is the Age of Steph Curry.  After making noise in the first few exhibition games with the 2024 USA Olympic team, Curry got quiet on the scoreboard.  Opponents were keying on him, which often left space for damage close to the basket.  The US team was beating up opponents on the inside, with defensive blocks and steals and lots and lots of fast breaks.  Le Bron James became the point forward, leading the offense.  Steph became an enabler, diverting attention as well as making passes and screens.  His 3 point shot seemed a little off, perhaps due to the speed of play plus the different international 3 point line.

In the last two games, defenses tried to guard the basket area better, which left Steph some space.  He also became the point guard again in key situations.  And then, there's Steph being Steph in big moments. 

 In the semi-final, Serbia was ahead by 14 or so at the end of the third quarter.  So it was Steph who kept USA in the game and then Steph leading the fourth quarter comeback.  He had nine 3 pointers, and a total of 36 points.  Kevin Durant and Le Bron make big shots and key defensive plays as well down the stretch, and the USA played like a team.  For that game--which Coach Kerr and Durant both said was the best basketball game they'd ever participated in--they were a real team.  Serbia played a perfect game, Kerr said, but the US superstars played a better one, by playing together.  And by looking for Steph in the stretch.

At the end of that game it was a foregone conclusion to everyone, including the players, that USA would win the gold in the final game with France.  But the French team didn't get that memo.  They played hard, stayed close, and in the fourth quarter they were very close.  Towards the end it was a one or two possession game.  But then, improbably again, Steph happened.  He hit one three, then another, then another, and finally--night, night--another.  Four threes in the last three minutes of the fourth quarter.  He won the medal.  No player in Olympic history has scored more points in the last two games (60), and no player has ever hit eight three pointers in the medal game. 

These last few games were fun to watch.  I was more impressed with Le Bron in these Olympics than I ever have been.  Kevin Durant, injured for the warmup games, was like a Zen master on the court, hitting his fluid shots and deftly defending with steals and runouts. And wasn't it great to see Steph and KD as teammates again?  They seemed to love it. Anthony Davis was essential on defense, and the younger players who now get the most media attention and awards all had their moments, but these three--Le Bron, Durant and Steph--dominated those last several games.

And now, this team that was a dream to play on--it was Curry's dream to play in the Olympics, Le Bron's dream to play with Curry, and Durant felt the dream while playing, --will play together no more.   So it will all seem like a dream, but one worth having and remembering.

At The Break

At the MLB All-Star break, the San Francisco Giants look forward to a better second half.  And why not?  They got through the first half with a big chunk of their starting pitching staff injured for significant amounts of time.  Now Blake Snell is back, with two stellar outings so far--including eight innings one bad call from being perfect.  With Logan Webb and Kyle Harrison, and some interesting young pitchers, there's progress to be made.

The Giants front office seems to be going with youth, which has the potential of streaks of excitement.  But with the team's leading hitter (Matt Chapman) at a dismal .235, there needs to be a lot of improvement with the bat.

Meanwhile the other team I follow, the Pittsburgh Pirates, ended their first half on a high note--with a four game win streak that sent them on the break with a 48-48 record.  Considering how little was expected of them, this is notably good.  Of course the highlight of their first half was the incredible debut of pitcher Paul Skenes, who has been in the league for a couple of months, and may well start the All-Star game. Super-fastball pitchers don't tend to last all that long, but in addition to his fastball he has a crafty set of pitches that can keep him going for a nice career.   But for sure, now is the time to enjoy watching him.  

Skenes now heads a pretty good young starting rotation.  Bryan Reynolds leads the team in batting, homers and RBIs, Oneil Cruz hits the ball hard and throws even harder across the infield, and Rowdy Tellez is always a threat at the plate.  Plus the Cutch has found a comfort zone with these young players.  The bullpen looked better as the season went on, and they will be a key to the second half.

As basketball eyes turn to the Olympics and the WNBA, the Golden State Warriors are talking up the team as currently constituted, while quietly working on at least one major trade.  But Steph at the Olympics is the upcoming excitement.  Reports are that he's eager to excel and lead.

In the WNBA, Caitlin Clark continues to draw big crowds on the road as well as at home, and she's set some personal records already, but it's the Indiana Fever team that is the most impressive.  Their come from behind win over the MN Lynx is just the latest indication that they're learning to play together better on offense, and their defense is relentless. Clark as point guard and assist leader is of course the key, but everything is jelling around her.

 I'd thought before that this would be a learning year for Clark, and it would take some off-season rest (which she has not had since the start of last year's college season) and work on getting stronger before she could take this team places.  But now it looks like the Fever could make some noise in this year's playoffs.

Meanwhile Angel Reese is having a high-impact season, setting the record for consecutive triple doubles.  She's right to say that she's lucky she wasn't drafted until the 8 spot--she got on a better team and hit the ground running.  Both Clark and Reese will play in their All-Star game.    

Scrambling Time

 A few days into free agency and the Golden State Warriors are into scrambling mode.  They've lost Klay Thompson, and they've let Chris Paul go. They failed to complete a meaningful trade.  They've picked up a prospect and a couple of role players but nobody who can replace either of those players, or their roles.  They are going to save some money, though.

So the Warriors are more or less officially a team in transition, both in terms of next year's competition and the team's identity.  Klay was a big part of both, even though in some ways he was becoming a liability. The Warriors won't be the same without him.  Klay may win a ring with the Mavs, he may even turn into their Robert Horry, but he's not going to be happy in Dallas.  I doubt he'll be in the league at all in two or three years.  I hope I'm wrong.

If the Warriors' goal is to extend Steph Curry's career and help him win at least one more championship, things right now seem to be going in the opposite direction.

The Giants are scrambling, too, at least at the front office level, as they reportedly are deciding whether to go into rebuild mode or maintain their core players and compete for the playoffs.  Recently however they've been doing remarkably well on the field for a team that has lost most of its starting pitching to injuries.  These bullpen games are mostly working, and they're seeing some young prospects.  

Is it my imagination or are there more and more injuries in baseball?  This is hurting not only the pitching staff but the lineup, with guys coming back and going out so much that you can't get a fix on the team.

So soon after Willie Mays, comes the death of another Giants great, Orlando Cepeda.  I remember him from his rookie season through the early 60s.  Like Mays, he went on after the Giants to help other teams win championships, despite nagging injuries. He was the first player from Puerto Rico to play in the All-Star Game.  Roberto Clemente was probably the second.

Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Pirates are doing well, behind some exciting young pitchers.  Cutch seems to be thriving at last.    

Willie

 Willie Mays died on Tuesday, at the age of 93.  He was unique, as a baseball player and afterwards, because he did not fade away.  The San Francisco Giants and the city of San Francisco kept him active and useful and honored. The Giants' ballpark is in Willie Mays Plaza, and it features an eight-foot high statue of him. Today he's being called the greatest center fielder of all time, and perhaps the greatest baseball player of all time.  But San Francisco especially will miss him (though it took a few years for SF fans to embrace him as a player.)    

I was growing up in western PA during his playing days, first as a New York Giant (where he was Rookie of the Year in 1951 and League MVP in 1954), then in San Francisco (MVP in 1965, with 52 homers) when I was in college, before a final season with the New York Mets (where he made his last plate appearance in the World Series) when I was a working writer.  

 Mays is part of Pittsburgh Pirates history for his bare-handed catch of a deep fly ball hit by the Pirates' Rocky Nelson in 1957, but I hadn't gone to Forbes Field for a game yet.  That was also the Giants' last year in New York, and their last game there was played against the Pirates.  Bob Friend had thrown one pitch to Willie when the crowd spontaneously gave him a standing ovation as a personal goodbye.  It's possible I did see him play at Forbes Field in the late 50s or early 60s, but I don't recall.  I certainly watched him on television--he especially excelled at All-Star games.  He played in 24 of them.

  Today I relished the story San Francisco Chronicle sports columnist Scott Ostler told, of a barnstorming or winter league game somewhere--Puerto Rico probably--in which Mays was playing center field next to Roberto Clemente, the Pirates Great One, in right field.  They apparently worked out a trick play in which, on a single hit to center, Mays deliberately seemed to let the ball go by him, tempting the runner on take another base.  But Clemente was right behind him, backing up the play, and gunned down the runner.  Clemente, especially early in his career, had the best outfield arm in the majors.  Though Mays was pretty close.

 On Thursday the Giants will play the Cards in Birmingham, Alabama, at the newly renovated baseball field where Willie first played professional baseball on the Negro League team.  The game was meant to honor the Negro Leagues, for Major League Baseball has officially recognized them as major leagues (as it has a few other leagues in the past), and the statistics of their players are now in the MLB record books.

It was going to be special for the Giants' outfielder Carl Yastrzemski because it is the only field where both his father (with his career in the minor leagues--when the Negro Leagues disbanded, the field hosted a minor league team) and his famous grandfather (Hall of Fame star for the Red Sox) played.  Three Carl Yastrzemskis is a story about the place of baseball in American history and American life, a sacred place.  Even more is the story of Willie Mays,.  The news of his death came the same day as the official announcement that he wouldn't be traveling to the game, but would watch it on TV.

Mays started with the Giants only a few years after Jackie Robinson broke the color ban with the Dodgers.  He won hearts and minds--President Obama said that he made it impossible to be a racist, at least while he played.  Obama gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. 

 He did not live long enough to enjoy the milestone of Thursday game in Birmingham, but at 93 he had so many, as a player, a godfather to Barry Bonds, and as a mentor to many other players--for he had really studied the game. Right from the start he studied how to hit with power, he studied pitchers before he faced them (he wanted to know their best pitch, because he would probably see it)  and eventually he understood the whole game so well that he directed his team's play from center field--allegedly including the catcher's call of pitches.  He certainly passed this on to Barry Bonds, who startled Giants announcers on a plane ride by telling them the first 4 pitches he would see the next day--and he was precisely right. 

Willie May's baseball intelligence helped make him a great player--he hit for power and average, many times a Gold Glove fielder, and a great baserunner.  But what people remember is that he played with joy and style.  That's something to be remembered for.