WELL, HOW WAS YOUR WEEKEND???

WELL, HOW WAS YOUR WEEKEND??? Mine was excellent. Oh, except for a minor affair at a McDonald’s in which a new employee tried to insist that I HAD TO BUY a complete meal and not just a sandwich. A manager straightened everything out. I wish there was a manager who could have straightened out the Pittsburgh Pirates. Not only did the Bucs lose three straight to Washington, they blew the last game after grabbing a 5-4 lead in the top of the ninth. Why is the Pittsburgh management using John Axford as a reliever? He was a bum when he was a member of the Cleveland Indians and he’s the same bum with the Pirates. The three-game setback made it five losses in-a-row for the Bucs. I am now wondering if they are going to have enough to make the post-season playoffs. I admit I didn’t watch much in the way of sports over the weekend. However, what I did watch was certainly better than the riots in Ferguson, Missouri. I won’t even try to explain that situation. Actually, there is no explanation.

HEY, MY FAVORITE auto racedriver, Jeff Gordon, came up with another victory. The old guy is (he’s 43) shocked a lot of folks with his win at the Michigan International Speedway – his first win there in 13 years. This is Gordon’s first three-win season in three years. I’m not a big boosters of racing oval, but I do know there are three races left until the Sprint Cup Chase begins. Gordon is not really one of the favorites to win it all, but who knows??? He just might pull it off. His latest quote was, “Certainly things are going well. But I’m as shocked as anybody else.”

THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS continue to add to LeBron James’ championship hopes. The latest to join was small forward Shawn Marion – a veteran who admittedly was interested in ending his free agency with maybe the Indiana Pacers, the Los Angeles Clippers or the Miami Heat… but finally decided to the Cavs were to be his next stop. Marion now joins Mike Miller, James Jones and Kevin Love, Marion’s career stats show an average of 15.8 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. He is a 36 year old veteran who has been in the playoffs 10 of his 15 years in the NBA.

EVEN THOUGH THE Erie Seawolves have won five of their past six games (as of August 17^th) and are now just one game shy of the “magical” .500 mark, don’t expect them to make the post-season playoffs. This Erie team has broken the hearts of the local fans a number of times already this season… this just makes it one more time.

IN ANSWER TO A question… according to the magazines I’ve read – Peyton Manning will be starting his 17^th pro season this year. Wonder if there will be a Super Bowl triumph for him this time.

I SEE WHERE THE AP finally got its pre-season college Football Ratings revealed. It’s no different from most of the other ones that have already aired. Florida State is No.1 and the Seminoles should stay that way throughout most of the season. Last year’s champs will get its first real test on November 15^th when it will travel to Miami of Florida. The next toughie is Florida on November 29^th. The Seminoles will be either 12-0 or maybe 10-2 at that time. They were 14-0 a year ago.

THE NFL PRE-SEASON stretch reaches the half-way point tonight (August 18^th) when the Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins mix it up in the nation’s capital. And, if you’ve a mind to do so, you can watch it on ESPN. Actually, this one might be worth the watching… mainly because of the quarterback battle first year coach Mike Pettine has constructed. While other rookie signal-callers – such as Blake Bortles in Jacksonville and Teddy Bridgewater in Minnesota – have excellent opportunities towards becoming the season-opening quarterbacks in those places… Pettine continues telling everyone and anyone who would listen that Brian Hoyer is the starter rookie sensation Johnny Manziel a distant backup. I guess the coach is from the “old school,” you know – when the experts always aid it “takes five years to develop a good quarterback.” That is now just so much baloney. After all, remember Russell Wilson??? He was a second-year quarterback last season and the Seattle Seahawks romped to their Super Bowl win. Philadelphia Eagles signal-caller Nick Foles was also a second year man in 2013 and all he did was throw 27 touchdown passes with just two interceptions – this is the best ratio in NFL history. I’m like any other Cleveland Brown booster. I want to see what Manziel can do. Is he still the same guy he was in college, where he blew defenses apart with his passing AND RUNNING. Or is he a bust??? One thing is certain. Brian Hoyer is not the answer to any quarterback questions the Browns might have. He played in three games last year – suffering a serious knee injury in his third start. Let’s hope Manziel can do in the NFL what he did in college. And, let’s get him started on it now!!!

THE SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS have a new stadium. Levi’s Stadium – which replaces Candlestick Park – seats 68.500. The 49ers had a sold-out crowd at the start of Sunday’s pre-season exhibition, but by halftime the place was half-empty. That’s because the fans couldn’t take what turned out to be a 34-0 setback at the hands of the Denver Broncos. Losing two fumbles and having two passes intercepted were the keys to the one-sided loss. Thank goodness the game didn’t count.

COLLEGE ATHLETICS ARE in the process of change. The only thing is… what change??? There is a ton of confusion. Doug Fullertone, commissioner of the Big Sky Conference, was quoted with, “We are bumping into things and we don’t even know exactly what they are yet. It’s Pavlov’s first level of learning, where you don’t know, and you don’t know that you don’t know… I’ve never seen anything like it.” Neither have I. The NCAA Division I board of directors voted to grant more autonomy to schools in the five high-revenue conferences… meaning the Southeastern, the Atlantic Coast, the Big Ten, the Pac 12, and the Big 12. But, the final results are shrouded in uncertainty. I don’t even know what changes all of us are to be looking for. Maybe it’ll all sort itself out in the future. We’ll see.

I KEEP READING about Ryan Shzier’s defensive actions in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 19-16 exhibition win over the Buffalo Bills. Let’s see… 11 tickles, and an interception… the linebacker looks like he’s ready the September 7 opener against Cleveland.

I DON’T KNOW anything about the newly-elected baseball commissioner – someone named Rob Manfred. I do know that he’s been connected with the major league front office for 16 years. He is baseball’s tenth commissioner. Hope he takes the lifetime ban handed Pete Rose.

AND A FINAL NOTE… The major league season has about 40-plus days to go. I really like baseball… and I’m looking forward to the playoffs and the World Series. But… I am also more than ready for the football season!!!!!!!

Hey, did you see that sunrise?

HEY, DID YOU SEE THAT SUNRISE this (August 11th) morning? Sort of made me feel alive. It’s the kind of morning that gets a person moving. Especially when it’s a Monday morning.

TALK ABOUT SEEING something… did you watch the windup of the 96th PGA Championship Sunday afternoon. Well, because of a two-hour rain delay, the wrap-up was played in almost semi-darkness. And Rory McIlroy, the big favorite at the beginning of the four day event, was coming on like a runaway train. The kid (hey, he’s only 25 years old) brushed aside all obstacles – inlcuding the play of both Americans (ancient Phil – he’s 44 – Mickelson and hotshot Rickie Fowler) and Henrik ranked No. 4 in the world Stenson – to post a one-stroke victory at  the Valhalla Gold Club in Louisville. You had to hold your breath as all four of these guys made impossible putts, then also blew usually makeable short ones. It was easily the most excitable PGA Championship I’ve ever viewed. I admit I was pulling for Mickelson to win the blasted thing (us old guys have to stick together)… but when, after his putt on No. 15 (I think it was that hole) rolled over the hole instead of falling in, I switched my allegiance to McIllroy. But give Mickelson a ton of credit. This guy, with a number of physical ailments, had not finished in the top ten of any tournaments this year. His 66 in the final round was good enough for second place in the event and a paycheck reading $1,080,000. McIllroy, of course, took home the biggest payday at $1,800,000 while Fowler and Stenson cleared $580,000 for their third place tie. Money winnings aside, the tourney was one of the best shown this year. I’m thrilled that I got to see a good portion of it.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT… there were two 19-inning games on successive days in the major leagues last week. On Sunday the Toronto Blue Jays, after trailing 0-5, came alive and beat the Detroit Tigers 6-5 in 19 frames… the day before the Los Angeles Dodgers nipped the Boston Red Sox in 19 innings 5-4. The longest game I’ve ever covered in my almost 44 years as a sports writer with the Erie Times-News was only 14 innings long… and I don’t remember the date. Typical…

I HAVE TO ADMIT, I don’t know what to say about the racing accident of Tony Stewart’s car killing Kevin Ward, Jr., on Saturday night at the Canandaigua Motorsports Park in New York. The Ontario County Sheriff Department is conducting an investigation to see if any criminal charges should be filed. First of all, Ward should never have left his car to argue with Steward about getting spun during the race. But, people are also looking at Stewart’s past history in which the driver’s temper got the best of him. Stewart is “a 43 year old multimillionaire and a national racing icon” while Ward is a 20 year old who is “relatively unknown” according to USA Today. The publication also states, “the circumstances surrounding Ward’s death are highly unusual, as drivers are rarely killed on the track while outside the cockpit.” Apparently, we will all simply have to wait to see what happens.

I HOPE YOU KNOW that the Erie Seawolves’ hopes of making the post season playoffs are over. The Howlers made sure of that with successive losses over the past weekend to New Britian to fall further behind in the chase for extra playing action. The pitching is not up to the task of over-hauling anyone and the hitting is a bit worse than that. Oh well, let’s just enjoy the final three weeks of play – then put Uht Park up for the off-season… and concentrate on other sports. After all – football and basketball (both scholastic and collegiate and, yeah, the NFL) are fast coming along.

THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES, teasing their fans with the hope of a possible playoff berth, continue to pull in their rooters. Saturday night, a 2-1 loss to San Diego, saw an overflow crowd of 38,614 on hand (PNC Park officially holds 38,362) while there were 38,030 on hand to view Sunday’s 8-2 setback to the Padres. The Bucs need some trade help. Are they going to get it??? Who knows. But, without it, there will be no post season playoff.

THE MAJOR TALK in Cleveland has little or nothing to do with the Indians. Nope, instead, 99.9 percent of the fan jabbering is about the Browns and who will be starting at quarterback when they open the regular campaign against the Pittsburgh Steelers…. in the Black and Gold’s stadium. There was a ton of comment and evaluation after the first exhibition game – a 13-12 loss to the Detriot Lions last Saturday. Well folks, the powers-that-be in Cleveland are doggone sure they are going to milke this situation until the opening whistle sounds. Then, in my estimation only, the Browns will open the campaign with Brian Hoyer as the signal-called. That will chance sometime in the third canto of the contest when the brass sends Johnny Football (err… Johnny Manziel) into the francas. And, he’ll be there the rest of the way. Barring injury, of course brought one national football publication stated the obvious… “Johnny Manziel has brought electricity to Browns football. He has awakened a loyal, though slumbering, fan base before throwing his first snap.” Let’s hope that Manziel can keep that “electricity” humming throughout the entire 16-game season – all of which begins September 7th. Then, not only will Manziel be on the spot… but so will first year coach Mike Pettine. Pettine was the defensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills last season and before  that spent four years with the New York Jets in that same category. He is considered as a “hard-nosed coach” (whatever THAT means). Maybe we’ll all find out… sooner or later.

THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS are expected to use the “no huddle offense” more than ever this coming season. The main reason??? It allows quarterback Ben Roethlisberger more time to throw and to get away from onrushing linemen. Now, the Steelers have the eighth easiest schedule (this based on 2013 won-lost records) which should mean something. The only thing is both Cincinnati and Cleveland (division opponents) have easier ones. There is no doubt the Steelers are getting old. Roethlisberger is 32, receiver Heath Miller is also 32, defensive whiz Troy Polamalu is 33, defensive back Ike Taylor is 34… and so on. It could be a third straight difficult season for the Black and Gold. Then again, maybe the “old Steeler spirit” will return. Personally, I think the Steelers will be the same as last season… an 8-8 team.

MY CHOICE FOR an outstanding rookie quarterback in the NFL is Blake Bortles of the Jacksonville Jaquars. Except for his receivers dropping the ball (I still think this should be in the game stats), Bortles showed poise, command, mobility and mechanics in the pre season 16-10 win over Tampa Bay. I think Bortles will be a starter from the beginning… and I think that he’ll outdo Johnny Manziel.

AND A FINAL NOTE… People are simply nuts over the NFL. A crowd of 74,611 showed up at Metlife Field to watch the New York Giants top the Steelers 2-16 in a practice game. Good heavens!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

-Jack Polancy

When I was a young man…

WHEN I WAS A YOUNG MAN I played my high school football at Academy High School. That was waaaaaay back – in the 40’s – with my head coach being Lowell Drake the first year and Peewee Thomas the next two years. Drake the first year and Peewee Thomas the next two years. Back then our main offense was the single wing (which many of you have never heard of let alone seen in action). I was somewhat quick when I played scholastic football – thus the coaches made me a “pulling guard” on that single wing formation. My job was to pull out of the line and hustle (either to the right or left) – just as long as I got in front of the guy carrying the football. Naturally, I was supposed to block someone (anyone) who might be trying to knock down the running back (the guy with the football). Sometimes I was successful… other times I was not. I remember one time while playing a Pittsburgh team, I got blasted by an opposing defenseman so hard that the wind completely knocked out of me. But, I always did my best. In doing so I had hopes of being selected to play in the Lions Club “Save-An-Eye” football game… which was always played (them days) after the regular season. Alas, I simply wasn’t good enough. Oh, I earned my letter at Academy – but I did not get chosen to play in the “Save-An-Eye” Game. Which was too bad… mainly because the Lions Club supplied me with my first pair of glasses following the ninth grade. Why I’m babbling all this is for one reason. The “Save-An-Eye” game is scheduled for this Friday (July 25th) at Veteran’s Stadium… kickoff set for 7 p.m. This is one of the better charities in the area and well deserved of your support. So, regardless of what is on your schedule this Friday, make it a priority to either get to the game at the Stadium… or at least buy a couple of tickets – and give them away. That’s what I’ll be doing…

DID YOU READ that story in the Wednesday (July 23rd) edition of the Erie Times News that – based on report of the “private, nonpartisan National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, Mass.” – stated Erie is the third “least happy” location in the nation? Hmmmm… The report also had Charlottesville, VA as the “most happy.” Well, I spent part of my vacation (three weeks ago) in Charlottesville and the people there are very proud that their area is ALMOST ALWAYS listed near the top of any such list. As one native (she was a “house and rent hunter”) told me – “we are getting a lot of retirees moving to this area because of the publicity.” She had moved there six years earlier and was quite pleased. Well, my companion (at the time) felt that Charlottesville might be a place to re-locate to.. and, while I liked it, I wasn’t ready to move. So, I’m still in Erie… and not that happy. But, it is my home town – and that’s part of being happy… isn’t it?

SO, JOHNNY MANZIEL’S JERSEY is the top-selling jersey in the NFL these days. This is worthy of a headline and feature story???? Give me a break. I don’t really care which jersey is the best seller. This fact does nothing to insure which team will be the best… and isn’t that what most NFL fans are interested in? But, like most publications these days – ANYTHING concerning the NFL is considered something to be mentioned. So, even those of us who NEVER buy any piece of ‘named” NFL products, still read about it… and comments like this space is doing. Yech…

COLLEGE FOOTBALL, which I prefer over the NFL version, is starting to make itself known. After all, most teams will begin their 2014 campaigns in about 36 days. USA Today likes to use the Sargarin Ratings to tell you which teams are doing what. That’s why people are looking at the organization’s “pre-season ratings”. Our favorite Penn State is listed no higher than 44th… inbetween Mississippi and Vanderbilt… with Pitt at No. 50. The ratings have Alabama as No. 1 (I would have picked Florida State – which is rated No. 3) with speedy Oregon second. Others of not are Ohio State (No. 10), Southern Cal (No. 12), Notre Dame (No. 20) and Nebraska (No. 31). Texas A&M – without Johnny Manziel – is rated a fairly high No. 11. For those of you interested, Stestson is rated last among the major teams… at No. 252. The best opening game should be the Florida State (14-0 last year) versus Oklahoma State (a 10-3 team a year ago and currently ranked No. 5) on August 30th.

THIS IS AN “OOPS!” I was supposed to attend the Erie Seawolves versus Reading game at Jerry Uht Park on Wednesday (July 23rd). Where I live (Parkhurst) was sponsoring a “senior citizen” outing. However , it started to rain just before the van was to leave… so the powers-that-be canceled the trip. However, the people at Jerry Uht didn’t cancel anything… and the Howlers knocked off the Fighting Phils, 6-1. Now, I know in a recent column I said (after I had watched the Seawolves play poorly in a loosing effort) that I didn’t think I’d go see another Erie game. But, since this one was a free outing… well, I had changed my mind. Didn’t matter – I still did not go to the game… thus… Aw, forget it.

HEY, WHAT DO YOU think of Pennsylvania’s transportation officials raising the speed limit on some interstate Routes to 70 mph? Well, since most drivers on those routes already go that fast, there really shouldn’t be much change… unless, of course, they go 75. Hmmmm….

THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS received a big boost the other day when tight end Rob Gronkowski was cleared to start practice sessions. Gronkowski, easily one of the better tight ends in the NFL, is one of those guys who appears to be injury-prone. He’s missed a ton of games due to various hurts. The latest was a torn anterior Cruciate ligament which happened with the regular season 2013 still two weeks short of completion. Gronkowski seems to have healed faster than expected. But, he will still miss most of the pre-season affairs as he continues to heal. The tight end has missed 14 games the past two seasons. He is one of the quarterback Tom Brady’s bigger targets.

THE TEXAS RANGERS AND NEW YORK YANKEES used a total of 17 pitchers in their 14-inning duel on Tuesday (July 22nd)… won by NY 2-1.

I RELIGIOUSLY READ the Sports Weekly which is published by USA Today. The July 23-29 issue was one of it’s better ones… with a ton of information on major league baseball and the NFL training sessions. For instance, the publication insist that 13 major league teams (of the 30 playing) “have no realistic shot at going to the World Series.” In fact, “according to Baseball Prospectus Playoff Reports, these 13 teams have less than a 4.9 percentage chance of even making the playoffs.” I don’t quite agree with the list as I think Tampa Bay (one of the 13) still has an outside chance of getting there. We’ll see how the remaining 17 do in the next two months.

THE ABOVE PUBLICATION also suggests that the Seattle Seahawks, “with all of its key players returning,” could repeat its Super Bowl Championship. This is a tougher task then many fans realize. I agree – the Seahawks will be in te race. However, injuries will probably determine who wins (or who loses).

AND A FINAL NOTE… In answer to a fan’s question… No, I do not think the Erie SeaWolves will make the playoffs. But remember… when it comes to predictions, I’m wrong more than I’m right.

 

Jack Polancy

HO HUM… ANOTHER LOSER

Yikes – its Monday morning. Monday mornings no one has the right to be chipper or even the least bit happy. No one… hey, wait a minute! Didn’t you go through all this “Monday Morning” business a couple weeks ago? So… why the dramatics again today? Hmmmm??? Oh, you know… you’re right. I did do that. And, because I did do that… I’m shutting up right now about Monday Mornings… even though it is Monday morning and ……

THE CLEVELAND INDIANS have to be pleased with their recent play lately. The Tribe is only one win away (as of July 7th in the morning) from the somewhat magic break-even figure… and with the struggling New York Yankees in town – that mark could be attained. However, the bigger mark is the “Indians’ attendance figures. Despite playing sort of solid baseball recently, the hometown fans have decided (more or less) to really stay at home. The listed crowd for a perfect (weather-wise) Sunday afternoon at Progressive Field was a mere 16,991… and they looked lost in a stadium that holds 42,487 rooters. When I was a youngster I used to go to ancient Municipal Stadium in Cleveland for the double-header (now a forgotten ritual) affair usually in mid-July. I was there once when over 86,000 people jammed the place. Now that the Yankees – despite the Bronx Bombers being a shell of what they once were – will be in town for four consecutive contests and this just might help boost attendance even a little bit. Then again, who knows how many of us (note the US) old-timers are left to pay our way into the park to see these games. Hopefully, enough…

NOW, I CANNOT mention the Cleveland Indians without giving some shared space to the Pittsburgh Pirates. And the Bucs deserve more than just some “shared space.” That’s because Sunday afternoon – with 33,408 hollerers at PNC Park (the place officially holds 38,362) doing their thing – the Pirates rolled to a three game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies. This put Pittsburgh at 47-41… a season high six games over the break even mark. And, the Pirates whipped ex-Buc A.J. Burnett in the process. Burnett is now only 5-8 this year… and practically on his way out of the game. Star rookie Greg Polanco went 0-and-4, but he’s still hitting a .287 clip. However, he’s going to have to do something about the whiffs… striking out three times.

THE ERIE SEAWOLVES came alive a bit, taking three of four from Binghamton over the weekend. However, if you’ll check the standings the Howlers are still languishing 13 games behind Western Division leading Richmond. Erie is getting closer to .500 at 39-48… but I doubt very much that it’ll ever get there. You can win only so many 9-8 and 10-9 contests (2 of the victories over the Mets).

ANOTHER ONE OF MY favorites bit the dust over the past weekend. Roger Federer fell in front of Serbia’s Novak Djokovic 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 5-7, and 6-4 in the men’s finals at Wimbledon. I admit I was pulling for the Swiss star – mainly because he has always looked like a champion. The 33-year-old loser owns seven Wimbledon titles… but like all of us – age is starting to determine what he does.

ALFONSO SORIANO is now gone from the Yankees lineup. The 38-year-old native of the Dominican Republic was shipped out by the NY team after hitting a weak .221 this year, which included a mere six home runs (he started the year with 406 career round-trippers) and 23 RBI’s. Soriano had a 16-year-run in the majors… ending with over 2,000 hits. Look for the Yankees to find another outfielder soon… one that they will probably overpay. That’s been their history as of late…

HO HUM… ANOTHER LOSER for this space. If you remember, last week I picked Costa Rica to win the World Cup. Well, with over 16 million t.v. People looking on, Costa Rica was tied 0-0 in regulation by The Netherlands… the lost via penalty-kicks. So, what else is new???

USA TODAY SUPPLIES a lot of printed items to cause you to think and plan. For instance, in Monday’s edition (July 7th) the paper said it would cost $130,000 per year to live the American Dream. Trouble is… the paper also reported that the median household income is “about $51,000.” So, who can afford the “American Dream?” Not me… but then, I’m way past the dreaming stage.

I HAVEN’T BEEN TO the movies lately (no significant other to demand which movie to see)… but I’m mulling over the idea of taking in the “Transformers: Age of Extinction.” Perhaps someone can tell me if it’s worth my time and effort.

IN CASE YOU MISSED is, the Major League’s All Star game is slated for Minnesota on July 15th… first pitch a bit after 8 p.m. The baseball all-star game is the only star-studded contest that has any meaning… the winning league will open as the home team in the World Series. This is the ONLY all-star game that I will watch. The others are all basically a waste of time.

OF LITTLE IMPORTANCE… the proposed sale of the Los Angeles Clippers for $2 billion bucks will be part of of court room appearance on whether Shelley Sterling (wife of so-called owner Donald Serling) had the right to sell the franchise to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Who cares…

AND A FINAL NOTE… Anyone interested in the Tour de France? Not too many, I believe. Tejay van Garderen is the highest-placed American right now… and he’s in ninth spot. Hmmm… his name doesn’t exactly sound American… certainly not like Lance Armstrong.

– Jack Polancy

Well, I took the big plunge last night

Well, I took the big plunge last night (that was Tuesday night, July 1st). I went to see the Erie Seawolves. This was after I watched the first 49 minutes of the humongous (hey, the media said it was big) World Cup match-up between the USA and Belgium… and like most soccer games – nothing went on during that time. Anyway, I took in my first game with the Seawolves this season… and it just may have also been my last game. I do know this, unless the tickets are free – I will not subject myself to the Seawolves again this summer. Erie field manager Lance Parish has been quoted by the Erie Times News as saying that the Seawolves are not consistent on a daily basis. I beg to be different by stating… “Oh, yes they are… consistently mediocre.” (I refuse to use the word “bad.”) Last night the Seawolves started a lefty by the name of Kyle Ryan. The 22-year-old southpaw threw consistently in the 80’s (according to the center field lights)… which should be good enough in the AA Eastern League (but which will never make it in the majors these days). It was for three innings. In the top of the fourth frame the roof fell in in the form of two Akron home runs and a 5-0 deficit. Ryan was permitted (why? He should have pulled in the fourth) to throw two more frames… and this simply gave the visiting Rubberducks (where did they get THAT nickname) a 7-0 lead and this climbed to 8-0 before I decided I had had enough and departed  in the top of the seventh. As for the Erie hitters, they did little in the way of a damaging attack, collecting a total of 12 hits – but leaving ten of them on the bases. As of this writing the Seawolves are now 34-47… and things are certainly not expected to improve much the rest of the way. The “official” attendance at Jerry Uht Park was listed at 2,575. I don’t know if there were actually that many people there (it’s tough to get an accurate estimate at the Uht)… but those that were saw a less-than-good contest. The only thing that seemed to be somewhat “major league” was the $4.25 that was charged for a bag of popcorn. Hey, when (make it “if”) I return to Jerry Uht Park this season I’ll make sure it’s on a “buck night.”

I MUST ADMIT that I’m at a loss for words when it comes to the USA effort in the World Cup. And that alone is really saying something as in all the many, many years I have been doing this – I’ve never been speechless… NEVER! However, as readers of this space are all painfully aware, I am not a big soccer fan. And I doubt that I’ll ever be. Still, there was something a bit noble about the effort of USA goalie Tim Howard – he made a total of 16 saves, the most in the World Cup in 48 years. But, I would imagine that most of you watching on the t.v. Had the same feelings as I did… when was Belgium going to score and take the lead?? The feeling was one of inevitability. That it finally happened in the “extra time” only reinforced the feeling. Oh well, at least the USA was competitive… sort of. Because when you’re out shot 38-14 in soccer – you usually end up on the losing side of the score. And that’s exactly what happened… didn’t it???

WOW! WHAT A SHOCKER… I’m talking about Rafael Nadal – seeded No. 1 – getting bounced out of the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament by Australia’s Nick Kyrgios. Kyrgios, a 19-year-old ranked no higher than 144th, was reported to have “no fear” in taking on Nadal… beating the ace in four sets 7-6,5-7, 7-6 and 6-3. I wasn’t too surprised to see that Maria Sharapova also got knocked off… and I certainly won’t miss the shrieking that she does with each swing of the racket. The French Open champion fell in front of No. 9 Angelique Kerber.

DON’T LOOK NOW but the Pittsburgh Pirates are finally getting on a roll. The Bucs on Thursday (July 3rd) owned nine wins in their last 11 games and moved four games above .500 with a 44-40 mark. All this mainly because the Pittsburgh brass finally decided to bring up outfielder Gregory Polanco – who has reached base in 19 of his first major league contests… and is now hitting at a .306 clip. If the Pirates had brought him up sooner… they would probably be a lot closer to the top spot in the National League Central as opposed to the six games behind Milwaukee that they are.

BOO HOO… this is the first time in seven years that the New York Yankees are below .500 this late in the season… the former Bronx Bombers with a July 3rd 41-42 record… thanks to a five-game losing string and a 2-8 mark in their last ten games.

YOU KNOW WHO are the new bombers in the American League, don’t you. Well, if not – then I’ll tell you. It’s the Toronto Blue Jays. As of July 3rd they have slammed out 113 home runs good enough to lead the American League East Division. The HR blasters are mostly from the Dominican Republic – Jose Bautista, Juan Francisco, Melky Carera, Jose Reyes and Edwin Encarnacion. The Last guy (who celebrated his 31st birthday last January) has clobbered 26 homers and owns a major league leading 69 runs-batted-in… belted 195 round-trippers in his nine years in the bigs (this before this year).

ASIDE TO THE CALLER who wanted to know if I had a favorite among the final eight in the World Cup. Nope… I don’t. However, lie any sportswriter worth his salt, I am able to make a prediction. Brazil remains as the heavy favorite… which is why I’m picking Costa Rica. Honest…

THERE’S A VERY STRONG rumor that says the Tampa Bay Rays will be putting southpaw David Price on the market by the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. As all baseball rooters know, pitching is the key to winning championships… or to at least get into the post season playoffs. And, the last time I looked, Price was the best on the to-be-traded list… this despite a somewhat lackluster won-lost mark. His ERA is an outstanding 3.63. There are any number of suitors for Price – but the asking price is deemed to be too high for most. Someone has to be able to offer a very high caliber minor leaguer to get in the running for Price. One thing is “almost” for certain… he won’t be going to the Yankees, Blue Jays, or Baltimore Orioles. That’s because those teams are in the same division as the Rays – and trades of that type are very seldom produced. Here’s hoping the Cleveland Indians get into the haggling. But, they would have to give up highly-rated rookie shortstop Francisco Lindor… which is nebulous.

AND A FINAL NOTE… the NFL will be starting its practice sessions in about three weeks. Good heavens… I’ve surrendered to the football hype – just like everyone else.

-Jack Polancy

You know, Monday mornings never used to bother me.

You know, Monday mornings never used to bother me. I’d go in to work around 6:30 p.m. (when you work for a morning newspaper, which I did, you work nights) and bang out a column, write whatever was coming up (we used to call them “advances.”), check out what had happened when I wasn’t in the office… and simply get things going for what I knew was going to be an exciting week. Newspaper work has ALWAYS been exciting. But now… well I’m like the most of you on Monday mornings. I really am not in the mood to drop my weekend happenings and swing into the new week. And I actually do not know why such a mood. Maybe because I am now actually at work on MONDAY MORNING!!!

Anyway, I did a quick overlook of what happened in The Wonderful World of Sports this past weekend… and there wasn’t all that much to brag about. For instance… the Cleveland Indians lost again – meaning that the Tribe is now three games below .00 and 39-42. The Pittsburgh Pirates, on the other hand, won three of four to go above the somewhat magical break-even point at 42-40… but they are an eight whopping games behind Milwaukee in the National League Central Division. And my closest favorites, the New York Yankees, dropped two of three to the weak-hitting Boston Red Sox to fall two games back of Toronto in the American League East. And, of course, the Erie Seawolves continue to play mediocre ball at 34-45 for the year. Hey, I’m supposed to attend the Seawolves game this Tuesday evening (that’s on July 1st folks!!!)… and I’m not expecting too much.

Okay… what else happened this past weekend??? Oh, Tiger Woods failed to make the cut in the Quickens Loan National. Woods was returning to the pro golf wars after a 19-week absence due to back problems. Apparently his back is still giving him problems… or maybe it’s just the fact that Tiger has little growl remaining as he begins to age… like the rest of us. It’s beginning to look like Woods will never catch  Jack Nicklaus in major golf tournaments won…

Let’s see now… Oh – Serena Williams again bowed out of a major tennis tournament… the five-time womens’ singles champion dropping out of Wimbledon as she fell in front of No. 25 Alize Cornet of France 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. Williams, who finished with a large total of 29 unforced errors, was reportedly “upset with the loss.” No wonder. After all, Williams was Seeded No. 1 and came in with 17 Grand Slam titles… needing just one more to tie Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. She was bounced in the second in the French Open.

In the NBA College Draft the Cleveland Cavaliers – again picking No. 1 for who knows how many times – selected Andrew Wiggins (by the way – he’s a Canadian, you know) No. 1… Wiggins played his college ball at Kansas. I thought Jabari Parker of Duke was a better choice but… I didn’t have anything to say about it. The Milwaukee Bucks got Parker while the Philadelphia 76ers got injured Joel Embild (he’s over 7 feet). Staying with the NBA… Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh joined Lebron James in “opting out” of their contracts with the Miami Heat. That means the Heat, if it wants to remain worthy of championship caliber, is going to have to do some high-stepping (meaning big money-paying) the next few weeks. The foursome that left Miami (Undonis Haslem has also refused to pick up his option) also freed up over $66 million bucks in payroll. Therefore, the Heat does have a chunk  of dough to pay replacements… or to re-hire the group that just left. What a mess… for Miami.

Then there is the World Cup. Something I have trouble understanding. For instance… how can you lose 1-0 and still advance into the Final 16? I absolutely don’t know… but that’s exactly what the USA team did. The Yanks opened by beating Ghana 2-1, then was tied by Portugal 2-2 and then lost to Germany 1-0. That’s a 1-1-1 record… and it still got them further into the playoffs. Don’t ask me… ask an expert in World Cup soccer. Anyway, the USA now faces Belgium on Tuesday (again, that’s July 1st!!!) Belgium, in case you’re interested, comes by nippping Algeria 2-1, then blanked powerful Russia 1-0 and whitewashed average South Korea 1-0. Belgium is (of course) the favorite to trim the USA. However, strange things do happen in soccer – so one never really knows. Anyway – this time it’s win and advance… or else lose and go home.

Now, despite its happenings during the past weekend, I won’t even mention the Nascar race at Sparta, Ky. That’s because , if NASCAR was the ONLY THING ON TELEVISION… I still wouldn’t watch it. I am not- nor have I ever been – any kind of auto racing fan.

Oh, one other thing… this back in the World Cup. Uraguay’s Luis Suarez got banned from the game for four months for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini… which sounds about right.

AH, IF ONE LOOKS hard enough there is always a light at the end of the tunnel… even on a Monday morning. I am aware this is a trite saying. But, it’s also true. The “light” this past weekend was actually a big globe. The Sunday Times-News is responsible for it. That’s because our local sheet ran the 2014 high school football schedules. Practically everyone opens in just about two months – that would be on August 29th. There are a lot of contests that night to pique the interest of most fans. The Fort LeBoeuf at General McLane affair looms as does the McDowell at Canton McKinley… and there are others. The Lancers are always good and the Bisons are close to that category. This game will have much impact on the standings. As for the Trojans, you never know what you’ll get. The Blue and White should always be dominating team… however, the days of super coach Joe Moore are over. In high school football I learned (from 44 years of covering the event) that the coach can make an average team a winner. Canton McKinley is always tough in Ohio… McDowell should be also – but… High School football is close… this means the colleges and the NFL are close behind. Sort of makes up for everything else…

AND A FINAL NOTE… A published report claims Atlantic City may lose three of its casinos by Labor Day. Why is this any kind of a shock??? Casinos almost everywhere are having money problems… blame the economy, stupid.

-Jack Polancy

 

HEY, LOOK AT the Erie Seawolves.

Well, hello folks – and how was your weekend? My weekend included a trip to Lily Dale (more about that later…maybe) plus a couple of artist get together affairs… but, overall, nothing much to talk about. However, in the middle of last week we (my significant other and myself) took a bus ride to Lancaster to see the play about Moses. The play was okay (hey, they parted the Red Sea ON STAGE!!!) but the bus ride was a bit of agony. After all, 10 hours on a bus (and in the back end so that you felt each bump on the road) is not my idea of fun. Then on the way home we stopped at the site where Flight 93 crashed during the 9-11 attack on America. That place is way off the beaten path, and from what they told us it will not be completely built until 2020. From what I witnessed even that date seems to be a bit dreamful wishing. The area does have a wall with the names of the heroes that were on the flight… the ones who re-took the plane from terrorists (who were intent on crashing it into the building that houses congress or perhaps the White House.) And there have been some trees planted. We were shown a diagram of what the place will look like once it is completed – but, man… there is a lot of work to do before that is finished. However, as you can tell, I didn’t get involved much with the Wonderful World of Sports in the past few days. So, I guess the first thing to do is to get back on track… right? Of course, right!!!

I SEE WHERE the NBA Finals has finally been attained (these post-season playoffs seem to go on without an end)… featuring the Miami Heat (of course) and the San Antonio Spurs. This will be the second consecutive title series between the two. The Heat won it all last year – taking the full seven games to do it. The Heat is again favored to win the crown… although the majority of NBA fans will be rooting for the Spurs. Personally, I don’t care who wins the thing… just so that they get it over as soon as possible. This is no time to still be playing basketball!!!

HEY, LOOK AT the Erie Seawolves. The Howlers have won four in-a-row and eight of their last nine starts… which at 26-29, puts them very close to being a break-even team. I’d like to see them continue in this vein – but I have serious doubts that it will happen. Tell you what – let’s see if the Seawolves can get to .500 before we start hoping for better things… okay?

IT WAS THREE years ago that I read a sports publication praising the big league possibilities of Lonnie Chisenhall. The article claimed that the third baseman was a star of the future for the Cleveland Indians. Well, after three years of trying to be a starter, Chisenhall was nothing more than trade bait… that is, until the season. Chisenhall, despite limited playing time (he’s definitely not the best-fielding infielder in the game) owns a .361 batting average and is starting to look like his earlier press clippings. I know I’m impressed every time I watch the 25-year-old on t.v.

THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES are starting to look a bit better these days. That’s what taking two of three from the Los Angeles Dodgers will do for you. Now, the Bucs have a three-game series at San Diego – the Padres with a 26-31 record and Pittsburgh at 26-30. The Pirates have had a lot of problems on defense thus far this campaign. This will have to improve if the Bucs are to make any kind of dent in their won-lost mark.

PHIL HUGHES CAME UP with the New York Yankees as a “can’t miss” project. Well, he had one excellent year (an 18-8 figure in 2010) and one average year (16-13 in 2012). But, he was so hit-and-miss that after last season he became a free agent. The Yanks simply didn’t want him anymore… a 56-50 career mark with a 4.53 ERA doing him in. The Minnesota Twins, hungry for anyone who could throw the ball, signed Hughes last December. And, Sunday he more than paid off – throwing a three-hitter at the Yankees while running his record to 6-1 with an ERA of 3.12. With three starters currently on the disabled list, the Yanks could certainly use Hughes now.

I HAVE TO CHUCKLE whenever I read another article on Johnny Manziel, the rookie quarterback from Texas A&M that Cleveland Browns tagged in the recent pro draft. The latest one concerns the attendance at the Browns’ training facility in Berea, Ohio. The Browns’ brain trust is now planning on requesting fans who want to take in some practice sessions to sign up early. “This is so we don’t turn away 2,000 or 3,000 fans who just show up,” team president Alec Schneiner was quoted. Now, I realize that Manziel is a hot project and the Browns, who set an attendance record at raining camp a year ago, want to be prepared for anything. The Cleveland team drew 56,306 fans to 13 open practices a year ago… including a one-day record of 4,466. Manziel certainly has caused a mighty stir in Cleveland… and elsewhere too. And, he still has yet to throw an NFL aerial… hmmmmmm.

SPEAKING OF THE BROWNS, just when is the NFL going to hand down its verdict on wide receiver Josh Gordon? According to ESPN, Gordon failed a drug test (his third??) and faces some kind of suspension. I have not read when the NFL is going to act… and training camps are due to open in five or six weeks.

WERE YOU AS shocked as I was when Roger Federer bowed out from the French Open the other day? Federer, who seemed to be cruising after a 6-4 fourth set win over Ernests Gulbis, fell apart in the fifth set as he was dispatched 6-3. Gulbis, who hails from Lativa and was seeded No. 18, appeared almost as surprised as was Federer. But, Federer is now 32 – which is an “old man” as far as professional tennis is concerned. Oh well, he can always look back at the record 17 Grand Slam titles he owns.

AND A FINAL NOTE… Forget about any comments on Lily Dale.

AND A SECOND FINAL NOTE… California Chrome will be gunning for the Triple Crown this Saturday.

 

-Jack Polancy