And I’m still not 100 percent

WELL, HERE IT IS an early Fall morning. And I’m still not 100 percent. With two hospital stays during the past five weeks – plus a hacking cough for the past 27 days (my daughter does all the counting) – I’m not in the best of shape. But, I’m working at it. Consider the fact that I’ve seldom been ill in the past (only two hospital stays in over 80 years) I should be pleased with the latest results. Again… I’m working on it.

I WAS A LITTLE surprised that a grand jury cleared auto race driver Tony Stewart of criminal charges in the death of Kevin Ward Jr. But, when you look at the big picture, Ward had no business getting out of his car and walking on the track to go after Stewart. Drivers are told over and over again… don’t get out of your car on the track for any reason, unless your car is on fire. However, don’t think this whole thing is over. It’s almost a sure bet that Ward’s family will sue in civil court… and the results there could be the exact opposite of the criminal ending.

THE PREMIERE OF “Gone With the Wind” was in Atlanta on December 15^th, 1939. I was just 10 years old at the time… and my mother would not let me go to that movie because “it had swear words in it.” That word was “damn.” Now, here it is 75 years later (well, almost 75)… and the movie still endures. In fact, I have two copies of “Gone With the Wind” in my DVD library. But, if I didn’t, I’d get to see the flick one more time as it will be shown again in “more than 650 theaters nationwide” from September 28^th through October 1^st. It’s one of the better movies ever made.

HMMM, THE BIG THING in golf this weekend is the Ryder Cup. This week will be the 40^th time the matches have been staged – featuring the best golfers of Europe against the top pros of the United States. Well, this year, with no Tiger Woods and with the European team featuring four of the world’s top golfers… the USA is an overwhelming underdog. This isn’t anything new. The Americans have lost five of the last Ryder Cup affairs… the biggest in 2012 when the Yanks took a 10-4 lead into the final day, then blew it to lose by a 14 ½ – 13 ½ count. The first of four-ball matches will begin on Friday (at 2:35 am our time)… you can see it on the Golf Channel. By the way, if your like stats – the unable to play tiger Woods is 13-17-3 while Jim Furyk is 9-17-4 and Phil Mickelson is 14-18-6. Both Mickelson and Furyk is on this year’s USA team. I know I’ll watch at least a part of the event.

APPARENTLY THE COLLEGES are joining the NFL in its whack at domestic abuse problems. For instance… the University of Tennessee kicked freshman running back Treyvon Paulk off the team after a police report that the ball carrier had hit his girl friend in the mouth at a party – and this even though the girl friend had refused to file charges. Texas also tossed Martez Walker from the basketball team after it was alleged that he hit his girlfriend. Now, we all know that every college handles these situations in a different manner, but still…

I KNOW, I KNOW… more than a few thousand words have been written about Derek Jeter. And, anything I say has already been said by voices much more powerful than mine. But then, this has never stopped me before… and it won’t this time either. Derek Jeter will play his final game (one that counts) at Yankee Stadium this Thursday (September 25^th) evening. His current .253 batting average is a great deal less than his .312 lifetime mark – chalk it up to being 40 years old. His playing career will end Sunday at Boston’s Fenway Park. Jeter has gone on record by stating that he is not interested in coaching or managing in the future. That may change, who knows? But right now, according to a written report, all he wants to do is disappear from the public view. And why not. After all, he has been “the leader” of the Yankees for a long time… from championships to teams like the one-time Bronx Bombers are today – nothing more than also-rans. I’ve been a Derek Jeter booster since he first entered the game. Still am. Next year, he’ll be replaced. But, actually, how do you replace such a player?

IN ANSWER TO a question from a caller. No, I don’t expect James Harrison to make much of a difference when he puts on a Pittsburgh Steeler uniform again. After all, Harrison is now 36 years old… a long way from when he was tagged as the NFL’s defensive player of the year back in 2008. The Steelers, after losing linebackers Ryan Shazier and Jarvis Jones to injuries last Sunday night in the win over the Carolina Panthers, are in somewhat of a desperate mood. But, I simply don’t believe Harrison is the answer. Then again, I’ve been wrong so many times before.

ONE THING A PERSON can do when he (or she) is under the weather is watch television. Well, Saturday afternoon is my big watching time… as that’s when the college football games are on. Let’s see now… Penn State greets Northwestern this Saturday at Beaver Stadium in a Big Ten Conference battle. The oddsmakers (who are right more than they are wrong) say the Nittany Lions – raned 27^th on both major polls – are ten points better than the Wildcats. And the Sagarin Football Ratings state that PSU (ranked 37^th) is now only a six-point choice over the 1-2 team from Evantson, Illinois… NW rated No. 60. Northwestern is one of those teams that can be favored squads on any given Saturday. Let’s hope this isn’t one of those times.

ONE OF THE BETTER match-ups this Saturday will be the Texas A&M versus Arkansas contest at Arlington, Texas. Right now the Aggies are riding high – boasting a 4-0 mark and a No. 5 rating on most polls. However, the Razorbacks are just a step behind – Arkansas showing a 3-1 standard was only a 3-9 team a year ago. The Hogs opened the campaign by getting whomped 45-21 by Auburn, then rebounded by pounding Nicols State, Texas Tech and Northern Illinois. Top-rated Florida State is a fat 19-point choice to hammer unbeaten North Carolina State (4-0) in another interesting battle. Meanwhile, Alabama (rated No. 1 in some polls) is idle as is Oklahoma – also a threat to finish on top after the post-season playoffs. Notre Dame will put its 3-0 mark on the line at East Rutherford when the Irish take on Syracuse (2-1)… Notre Dame a 12-point pick. The Duke (4-0) at Miami of Florida (2-2) should also be an interesting one to watch.

IF HIGHLY-RATED high school teams are your bag, then you should be watching ESPN Friday night at 9pm. That’s when St. John Bosco of Bellflower, Calif. – the top-ranked Scholastic team in USA TODAY’s Super 25 high school ratings – will meet the No. 2 team, Las Vegas’ Bishop Gormon. St. John’s is a 3-0 and averaging 51 points-per-game while Bishop Gorman is 5-0. Both are defending state champions.

ALL EYES WILL BE (or should be) on Teddy Bridgewater and Blake Bortles this week in the NFL. This is when these two rookies will make their starting debut at quarterback – Bridgewater for the 1-2 Minnesota Vikings and Bortles for the winless Jacksonville is a 13-point underdog to San Diego while Minnesota is rated as a three-point loser to Atlanta.

AND A FINAL NOTE… according to the Boston Globe the left field wall (known as the Green Monster) has about 164,630 small dents from batted baseballs that have hit the 37 foot 2 inch high wall. Who counts such a thing????

-Jack Polancy

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