A Few Quick Thoughts about the Opening Games of 2020/21 Regular Season

 As I watched Warriors rookie center James Wiseman play last night, I wished Curry, Thompson, and Green were 3 years younger. Why? Because it's probably going to take this young man a season to fully realize his Hall of Fame skills. The question is by then will the trio of Dubs that brought the first NBA Championship to the Bay Area be able physically and mentally to make the most of Wiseman. A season doesn't seem like a long time, but you have to take into account Thompson will be coming of his second season ending injury. Steph and Draymond will have to live through what looks - taking into account what I saw on the court last night - the brunt of opponents defensive emphasis. In other words, they're going to take a physical beating. I don't doubt they'll be up for it; they top gun pros. Still, a beating is a beating. And takes it's toll. 

BUT, Imagine our trio of vets three years younger and James Wiseman one year older. Oh boy!.

I don't mean to be negative. It's just that age is one of the relentless realities a professional athlete must take into account.  

Okay, the reality check noted, let's move on to a little MAGIC. Imagine if Wiseman comes around faster, say after the coming All Star break, and his presence lessens the stress on Curry and Draymond. Or Oubre Jr and Wiggins play up the their talents (Wiggins sure didn't last night) and help to take the pressure off Curry and Draymond. And, on top of that,  the bench becomes a tough minded defense, also taking pressure off Curry and Draymond. At which point the Warriors surprise the league by making the playoffs and maybe, more surprises, going a little further. And, And, And, the following year Klay Thompson comes back with a fury, and Wiseman is now a full year older in terms of experience. You see what I'm saying?

Some thoughts to consider. Am I making myself clear. WISEMAN IS GOING TO BE MAGNA-GREAT... 

Some other consideration about the Net's game. I usually don't agree with Sir Charles, but he was right to point out that the Nets have the best bench in the league. And though I might have mis-heard, there was some talk by the Talking Heads of a rumored trade of James Harden for a bundle of Net's players. If true, my response: DON'T DO IT. The chemistry will be a stink bomb. 

Of he Laker/Clippers game. Hard to tell. I think the Lakers will wind up missing Green's steady 3 ball. But's still AD and King James until further notice. The loss is indicative of nothing.

SPORTS     By Tom Meschery

Three days ahead have been predicted HOT
Dangerous, one writer warns. Air quality unhealthy.
Below the weather, the obituaries from the previous page:
Rita Feldman, a nurse for thirty years, a mother
of four and a grandmother of seven boys.
Two photographs, one young, the other old.
Why is that? A reminder that the past is not
so long ago? In both photographs her face is sweet.
John Thompson Jr. died, then Chadwick Boseman
and Tom Seaver. All made the front page.
Death, these days, is stifling. We wear masks
with the insignia of our favorite sports teams.
My wife's O for Oregon, my W for Warriors.
Yesterday I saw a mask that read I CAN'T BREATHE!
The Climate is changing as we speak, too danse,
it's like water too thick to drink. I've turned to prayer.
Boseman played Jackie Robinson on the screen
and made us see a black man with our hearts.
I tried an elegy for John, but found my white man's
dictionary lacked sufficient words. For Seaver,
he possessed a wicked fast ball and a slider
that drove batters of two decades nuts.
Later, I hear Cliff Robinson, of the Blazers
died, which made my three dead athletes, a quartet.
Outside, the temperature is climbing.
The Fed Ex Championship is on T.V. 
The major leagues are swinging for the fences
and in Florida the NBA is playing in a bubble. 

NBA 2020/2021 Season

If you have been reading my blog, you've noticed I shut down about the same time the NBA shut down. I could have started up again for the Orlando Bubble, but I didn't. No logical reason why I didn't. I watched the games, of course, but the ambiance depressed me. I began to hate the virtual one dimensional fans. Started having cardboard nightmares. Yes, the NBA did the best they could, and there was no getting around it, the Lakers were the best team, although if Miami\had one more big to guard the Lakers' bigs, especially AD, the outcome would have been different. To me, the Heat were much more fun to watch. The difference being sort of like watching leopards and elephants. LeBron at his age is a miracle, but I'd still take MJ over him to build a team around. Monsieur Le Bron just doesn't possess the same finesse as Jordan.  

A few Bubble takeaways: Until Antetekumpo learns to shoot an effective 3 ball, championships will continue to elude the Bucks. What would it take for The Greek Freak in his present non-shooting state to win an NBA Championship? Place him on the Warriors with Steph and Klay or any team with such stratospheric 3 point shooters to open up the middle. At the moment there are none on the Bucks. So look for 3 point shooting teams with tons of cap space to go hunting for the Greek at the end of the season. He'd be wise not to sign the max with the Bucks and wait to see who's bidding. 

The Suns demonstrated "watch out for us" next season. I believe Paul will help. He was a total pro with the Thunder. He'll give the young Suns some real stability. 

The Clippers demonstrated they blew up their chemistry from the previous year by adding Kawhi and George, but didn't do the work in the lab to find the right formula, so they looked always out of sinc. 

Why don't I like Jocic? It's body language, I suspect, kind of like do I really have to have energy all the time? And what's with the runny nose? Would the Warriors love to have him? The way he passess, I got to give him that. Curry would average 50 a game. Ok, so Jocic is mixed metaphor. 

Now for the coming season, not in any particular order. Teams now in training camp.

Awful news about Klay. Strong character/will power/he'll be back. A coup for GM Myers getting Oubre as the next best player for the Dubs to replace Klay, and when Klay comes back, hey, why not make this long athletic defense-minded dude a continuing part of the roster? Wannamaker is less known but a gem. He'll surprise. Let's hope Looney has a durable year for once. He's capable until the kid gets his feet wet and takes over. 

If you're worried about Toronto losing Gasol and Ibaka, they maybe stronger with the dudes they picked up to replace them. More pounding/less finesse is not always so bad with their surrounding cast. 

Boston helped themselves some with the Cavs' Thompson. I was hoping the Heat would have signed him. Just what they needed for paint strength. 

Why the Heat paid Myers Leanard big bucks, (unless it's not guaranteed) violates my sense of fairness.

Atlanta might turn out to be the surprise team this coming season in the East. Bogdanovic was a heck of a pickup. I can see an effective tandem at the one and two. Confident they'll sort out the paint log-jam. 

The Nets. It will be the Kyrie-Durant show. Or should that be visa-versa? Consider the importance of team chemistry in this case. Will they run into the same problem as the Clippers? The Nets core players were/are not too bad. K and D will eat up a lot of touches. See what I mean?  I like Nash at the helm. I was sorry they hired D'Antoni. His we'll outscore you philosophy works for season, sucks for playoffs. Man doesn't learn. But maybe as an assistant he can stay focused on the offense without screwing up the total team cosmos.

Recent trade of Westbrook - not my favorite player - but got to come to his defense. The Wiz will be a better team with him than with Wall. No matter what, teams must collapse on Westbrook when he penetrates. Bertrans and Beal should be excited. Dunkers (NBA Samuri) should be poised to be fed. That is, if Westbrook takes this trade as a chance to na-na his nay-sayers. I've never thought of Russell as an underdog, but in this case I'm pulling for him. 

Utah and Denver a little bit better but will it be enough. Nuggets will miss Plumlee. Plumlee blocks and dunks and runs the floor. Should have signed him. 

That's it for NBA for the time being. Now for life;

As athletes we're taught by our coaches the importance of being good sports. If we lose, not to pout, to shake our opponents' hands. We don't have to like losing, but we should never act like a loser. Enter "oh woe is me" Donald Trump. What a frigging crybaby. Obviously he was never an athlete. Cry babies don't cut it. I bet he cheats at golf.  

2,841 PERSONAL FOULS   By Tom Meschery

Even at the age of 82,

when I should know better,

the thought of dying sill pisses me off.

I feel as if I've just been called

for a foul I didn't commit.

I was reading the sports page. Years of fouls

I didn't deserve came back. The unfairness.

Refs missing the elbow that hit me,

but seeing the one I threw to even the score.

This morning didn't I wake up to sunlight

and a warm breeze? Didn't my wife

poke her head into the office 

to tell me she loved me? I flavor

my coffee with honey that is sweet as life.

I should live a little longer.  

 

 

The Bubble #1

Guess I better be legit and say something about the Bubble. I've been reluctant because I believed the league would have been better to have frozen at the playoffs at the start of the COVID 19 shutdown. Yeah there were/has been a few instances of drama, but come on, no way these teams competing for the 8 spot had /have any chance of a an upset. So, we have Blazers instead of the Griz? 

Frankly, I wouldn't have minded if the first round  had been eliminated, or at least made a best of 5 series. Okay, okay, I get the $ thing. In a five game series I still wouldn't have missed that sensational last second 3 by Doncic, And the fifth game would have mercifully ended the series, so we could get to the real competition. While I'm on the Mavs, Doncic is playing with a sprained ankle and Przingis is sitting? It's playoff time, dude! 

Based on what I've seen, I have the Clippers playing the Bucks for the Championship, Probably most fans do, so no crystal ball. I'm a little concerned that teams have figured out how to play Antetekompo's twisting dribble penetration better. Saying that, he's still a FORCE. Both teams are seriously DEEP. 

Boards, defense and bench production are usually the definers of NBA Champs.  

In the West: Lakers have a chance to beat the Clippers. Some have opined, the Lakers don't need Avery Bradley. Wrong!

The Eastern Conference is a little more interesting. The Celtics have been playing inspired ball. But truly weak at the 5 spot. Raptors could make a series of it, if Ibaka and Gasol can be a consistent force on the boards. And then, there is the Miami Heat, my favorite upset team. I say that knowing they're a long-shot. But you gotta love the way they play together with their mix of young and vet players. go Igudala! How about coming back to the Warriors? You don't need the $. Vets max and lots of glory. Retire as a Dub. 

Back to the Heat. This is Spoelstra's best coaching season. He gets my vote for Coach of the Year.  

Another black man shot by police. In the BACK. That's not even right in B Westerns. You shoot someone in the back if you are a coward. The act speaks for itself. BLACK LIVES MATTER MORE THAN EVER. 

KINTSUGI     By Tom Meschery

     For Maurice Stokes & Jack Twyman

            When Japanese mend broken objects, they aggrandize the damage
            by filling the cracks with gold. They believe that when a thing suffered
            damage and has a history, it becomes more beautiful.
 
He fell on his head in 1957, which qualifies as history.
The damage was vast, paralyzed from the neck down.
 
You are too far away, too young, still flying through the air
with reckless abandon as if you have grown wings, falling
 
never enters your mind. Your legs propel you. You lift off
You keep your eyes on the spot of glass the ball will touch
 
and drop soundlessly through the net. You will descend
You’ve done this hundreds of times. No harm will befall you.
 
How do we repair our broken country? There’s not enough gold.
So much for metaphor. There was, instead, a teammate’s goodness,
 
a history of care: money raised, hospital bills paid, hands held.
It was the kind of righteousness like a salve keeping Maurice alive.
 
You were too young. Your wings were new to you. You yearned
for flight. It is not hard to imagine youth suspended in air.
 
The goodness was like gold. You could see beauty shining through
his skin. It healed but didn’t cure. The cracks were too grave.  
 

Sir Charles interviews Alt Right Richard Spencer and etc

Barkley: Do you call yourself a racist?

Spencer: No. I don't say I don't like black people.

Barkley: But you don't want blacks in your neighborhood?

Spencer; Right, but. ...

There are no buts, dude, you're a racist. This is me talking, Tom Meschery, but Charles Barkley, I bet is thinking the same thing.

Knowing ahead of time a lot about Alt Right, I didn't expect much else except blatant racism from Spencer, but what  I didn't expect was that Spencer looked like your average college educated guy, clean cut, well mannered, nothing confrontational, who might have played collegiate baseball or been a point guard on a Division Two team, gone on to grad school. Got his degree in accounting. Married the girl next door. Has his hair cut by a stylist. All American boy look. All American boy smile.

And there-in lies the danger.

You look at Donald Trump and there is no doubt he's a con man. You look at Richard Spencer and you see surface honesty. The evil is hidden by his quiet demeanor and non threatening rhetoric. But his soul is every bit as grotesque as the President's.

I watched the entire interview mostly for the stunned looks on Barkley's face. Spencer's arguments would have been comical if they didn't infect so many white men (Mostly men, but white women are not off the hook.)

I wished I could have been there. I would have said, "Dude, you're far behind the times. The vast majority of young people of all races don't give a crap about skin color. You and your ilk are already dinosaurs.

Okay, enough. Last and way more fun than interviews with racists. Congrats to Mahones for the stunning contract he signed. He is indeed the Curry of the NFL. Now, if only he can play golf like Curry. Got to love Andy Reed's good fortune to have a QB like Mahones for the future. Reed in my top five all time NFL coaches.

For all you fishermen out there in the wild, alone, no worries about COVID19, thinking only rainbow trout, here's an Old Rhyme for you:

How They Bite

Wind from the south, hook in the mouth.
Wind from the east, bite the least.
Wind from the north, further off.
Wind from the west, bite the best.

                     Anonymous

Black Lives Matter

This morning's Sacramento Bee ran a story about the NBA Kings' TV broadcaster Grant Napear's twitter gaffe, responding to DeMarcus Cousins' Twitter question what he (Napear) thought about
Black Lives Matter. Napier's answer was "All Lives Matter." A mistake that cost Napear his job. He claimed he grew up believing ALL lives "matter."  Emphasis on the ALL Who'd argue? But that is not the point. It  is common knowledge by anyone who reads a newspaper or pays attention to the news that this slogan is used by conservative racists to marginalize the notion of Black Lives Mattering. Given that Napear is a long time news man, especially one who has been around the NBA, a league with such a high percentage of black players, how is it possible he was not aware of this? Can Grant Napear be that obtuse? Doesn't pas the sniff test.

In the same morning sports page is a reaction to police brutality toward blacks by ex King Thebo Sefolosha, who found himself on the receiving end of police brutality himself, "It's not just a few bad apples." It (racism) is deeper than that... part of a culture. There is no longer any way to avoid this horrible truth.

BLACK LIVES MATTER

      “Baffling distant galaxy proves dark matter.”

               Sacramento Bee, March 30 2018

According to science, dark-matter slows galaxies down.

If dark matter didn’t exist, the cluster of stars

in a newly discovered distant galaxy, would have

spun apart. This, the astronomer claims, proves

dark matter matters. On the next page of the newspaper,

there is the account of the shooting death of Stephon Clark

and the poignant photograph of Reverend Al Sharpton

embracing and being embraced by Stephon’s brother.

What could it possibly matter that we understand

the universe better, when we don’t understand the life

of a young black man standing in his granny’s backyard

on a dark night looking at his cell phone, texting.

Or, perhaps, he was watching the Golden State Warriors

playing basketball without their four stars, which slows

down the rest of the team, making them vulnerable.

I’m only guessing that’s what Stephon was doing.

He could have been writing a poem, checking tomorrow’s

weather, looking at photographs of his children.

But I like the idea that he was, like me, watching

the Warriors, wondering when Curry and Durant

would be back, hoping Klay’s thumb would heal,

that Draymond would return soon - before the bullets. 

                                            Tom Meschery  

Fair is Fair

Major League Baseball made a major league mistake in its financial proposal to its players. They peeled back the rind covering their greedy fruit. The proposal was this: players with minimum salaries would keep about 47% of their original salaries this year while the multimillionaire stars would lose more than 77% under a sliding scale.

I'm going to make this very simple. This proposal is only fair if the owners (all multimillionaires) agree to reducing their net income by 77%. Unlike the players who would simply lose income, the owners would have to use the 77% to help our country during this pandemic.

And if they claim their 77% on their taxes as donations, then the players would have the equal right to claim their loss of income as a business loss.

I'm going to assume the owners of the other three major professional sports leagues will not make the same mistake baseball owners did, treating their WORKERS so shabbily.

The Last Dance    By Tom Meschery

     “We grow small trying to be great.”

             David Hockney

So what if it was the truth. I like my heroes in the sky where they belong

not down here mucking around on earth with the rest of us shmucks.

Remember Jordan lifting off behind the free-throw line, his tongue flapping,

to win the dunk contest? I swear to God, I nearly pissed myself. So do I really

give a shit if he was a martinet, or that he gambled stupidly, or that he needed

to blame teammates for his own failures as a human being? There are enough

knuckleheads in the world I don’t need another one. But, there sure as hell

are not enough heroes, already too many of them outed by the media

for their peccadilloes. I’m guessing David Hockney came to his conclusion

by looking into the universe, perhaps watching some distant star over-heating,

explode into fragments. That’s sort of the way I feel about Jordan now

after watching The Last Dance, breaking into the smaller components

of his life, becoming another same-o-same-o dude I encounter every day

crossing the street, dodging traffic, heading for the deli for a quick lunch

before back to work. You know, like the guy sitting at the desk next to me.   

What's Enough Wealth, Tom Brady?

This morning I read that Tom Brady is generously not costing the Tampa Bay Police Department whatever it takes to guard the waters around his 30,000 square foot mansion

Wow! I'm so impressed.

Which brings me to the subject of superfluous wealth. I'm betting there are a great number of Tom Brady's in the United States of America who are so rich, a 30,000 foot home seems, well, reasonable.
I'm thinking of a number of star athletes, and owners of teams. But rich athletes represent only a fraction of the uber rich in our country - all of whom, I dare say, live in comparable mansions.

I asked one astonishingly rich man once why he needed to live in a 40,000 square foot mansion. He had a wife and only two kids. His answer was, "I don't need to, I chose to." My incredulous silence prompted, "And because I earned my money and can do what I want with it."

Wow! I was so impressed.

This is the mindset of the Rex Rich, the 2% of the wealthy that control 98 % of our country's bucks.
It is sadly the mindset of most people who accumulate a great deal of money; they earned it, no one has a right to tell them how to spend it.

I'm not sure such a mindset will ever change, no matter what political party rules our country. Donald Trump and his greedy minions represents merely a more grotesque example of the superfluously wealthy.

But here's a hypothetical:  What would happen to Tom Brady and his  family if he had to live in a more modest dwelling, say around 5,000 square feet, in an ordinary gated (I can see the need for gated if you were a well known athlete) community, no lack of amenities, room in his backyard for a pool and patio. Perhaps not a tennis court. Would Tom Brady and family suffer greatly? And what if Tom Brady's mindset was a deep desire to use his wealth to help society? Over and above his tax write off foundation, all the wealth he really does not need for a happy, carefree life? And what if all uber wealthy professional athletes followed Tom Brady's lead?  And what would happen if all the other non-athletes of great wealth, follow the lead of the professional athletes? What if, for example, Bill Gates said, "I can live happily on four million dollars a year. And every bit of money I earn above that I'm going to spend on making our society a better more ethical place to live for all the people?

Wow! Then, I'd be really impressed.


Of what is truly important in a materialistic world, I offer to  all this small poem:

In the Mountains on a Summer Day

Gently I stir a white feather fan,
With open shirt sitting in a green wood.
I take off my cap and hang it on a jutting stone;
A wind from the pine-trees trickles on my bare head.

                        Li Po
                        Translated by Arthur Waley

We're on our own Legends

Legends of the NBA, you of the Sixties seasons, along with all the senior citizens of our country, our fans or not, or not at all of sports, when we were young, playing in a COVID19 safe world,

WE'RE ON OUR OWN.

It appears as if America's federal and state governments have made the decision to open up the country for business despite CDC's  dire warnings. It is a decision approved by a great majority of our small business owners and workers, many of whom could be our children, grown grandchildren, friends, neighbors, and and their friends and neighbors and co-workers and employees who have been steadily watching their lives deteriorate. As much as it pains me, I don't blame them for wanting to get back to work.

 Let's pray it will not backfire on them and on us, producing a second more lethal wave of virus in the fall that will make this frantic effort to open meaningless.

In the meantime, all you Legends out there between the ages of Sixty and whatever  - this writer admits to being 81 - the decision to open the economy means the deciders, whomever they are, have accepted the possibility or even the probability that we oldsters, the most vulnerable to the virus, are expendable.

So, Legends, what must we do to keep from being the fodder to their cannons?  Keep playing by the CDC rules is the only answer I can think of besides having Star Trek's Scotty beam us en masse to South Korea where they value old people.

Make no mistake: The Game of Life is being played with our lives. And for us, the game is in Overtime.

Which reminds me of the great /LA/Knicks guard, Dick Barnett. In a game against the Warriors, Warriors up by two (no 3 pt shot back then) two ticks left on the clock, Dickie speed-dribbling to mid-court, shoots the ball with that quirky looking jumper of his and announcing while the ball is still in mid-air,"Baby, we Ah, in Oh-Va- Time."

When the game is on the line, Legends, it is time to play our best.

I offer a great poem about a guy playing basketball by himself by my good friend, Peter Sears, dearly departed. Could be the same guy today, sheltering at home out on his driveway.

Air Ball   by Peter Sears

I'm shooting baskets on the driveway. I loft a soft
jumper: good arc, nice back-spin. It falls short,
touching nothing. Air ball. Hits the down spout, rolls

down the hill. Nuts. I go get it and, dribbling back,
imagine the seconds ticking down - 10-9-8 - I must 
pick my man off - 7-6-5 - finally daylight - 3-2-1
my shot clangs off the rim. O.K. I try again - 6-5-

4-3 - I break clear, lift a long running onehander. In
and out. Refs reset the time clock: 5 seconds. I look
my defender in the eyes, go up over him. The shot

doesn't reach the rim. Air ball. One bounce, and the ball
is arcing out-of-bounds. I leap for it, teeter on the line.
The pricker bush won't hold me up. I sink, I hurt.
Whistle! I must've been pushed out. Refs are putting

seconds back on the clock. I pull prickers from my
shooting hand. After this time-out, I'll be double-teamed.
That's O.K., they'll get me the ball,and there'll be time. 

The Last Dance

Sheltering in place, which for me means often sitting in front of the TV watching NBA reruns, I was delighted to upgrade to The Last Dance. It is a beautifully produced documentary of Michael Jordan
and his Bulls. His, primarily, but also Scotty Pippen's and Phil Jackson's Bulls. Even the magnificent
Jordan coudn't have won as many championships without those two. One could argue that GM Jerry Krause had something to do with putting together the players, but he also created so many waves
that he on a number of occasion almost sunk the ship. And, granted, we can't dismiss the personal
heroics of the rest of the team making big plays when needed. Still, who can doubt that the Bulls'
long-term success rested squarely on Michael Jordan's shoulders.

I could go on and on about the various episodes and what fascinated me, but the show itself is not the point of this blog. What I believe is The Last Dance puts to rest any doubt about who is/was the greatest basketball player of all time. It is Michael Jordan. I watched the episodes of The Last Dance, marveling at Jordan's precision moves, his physical ballet, air time, improvisation, knowledge of the game, intensity, work ethic, and competitiveness. I can not attribute this entire list of traits to any other player past or present. Only three approach and they are Elgin Baylor, Doctor J, and Kobe Bryant. We will, sadly, never know about Connie Hawkins as so much of his professional basketball career was never given a chance to reach its potential. I know some folks will be upset I do not mention LeBron. And there might be an argument for Allen Iverson, pound for pound. To them, I say, as Shakespeare would have, "Have you no eyes to see. . . ?" Or ears to hear: I said every one of these traits, not some or most of them.

Either in the air or grounded, Michael Jordan played through, around, and over his opponents
with grace and power and with an refined instinct that has not been matched in the history of the game of basketball, at least not so far.

I offer a small quatrain in honor of how difficult it was for Michael Jordan to leave his sport behind written in the voice (sprung rhythm) of the great 19th century English poet, Gerard Manly Hopkins:

Gerard Manly Hopkins    by Tom Meschery

Leave basketball behind, can you
As your age tells you, leaving
Without a sigh, no whys, will you?
without looking back, or, to mourn.

Possible Season, really?

Read this morning's Sam Amick's article in The Athletic that there is some hope of a renewed NBA season and the crowning of a 2019/20 champion. The teams will have to play in a biocity - Las Vegas - seems to be the front-runner with lots of hotels and two arenas. I can see it happening, each team with its own sheltered hotel, lots of continuous testing, no audience except, perhaps, family, administration, and ownership, widely separated. Television to a starving audience could recoup some of the leagues lost revenue. SO, GO FOR IT, I SAY, with this one essential requirement: All: the league, owners, and players should agree that a portion of the revenue garnered from these final games should be set aside to pay arena workers who lost their jobs due to the abrupt end of the season. I do not know if teams continued to pay their arena employees ( I would hope they did, but find it unlikely they did for more than a few weeks), but even if they did, money should still go to these low wage earners as a bonus, a thank you for cleaning the arena, for getting us our popcorn, for serving us our 50 dollar hotdogs, for directing fans to their seats. You are the best, HERE'S A NICE FAT CHECK FOR YEARS OF LOYAL SERVICE.

On to another article I read this morning in the emasculated sport page of the Sacramento Bee, a commentary by Tim Dahlberg. Dahlberg writes primarily about the financial impact COVID 19
will have on the future of professional golf: fewer tours, smaller purses, less player perks. Given the severity of the virus on the average citizen in America, I am unimpressed that pro golfers will have to suck it up a little. But Dahlberg goes on to talk about "revenues going down across the board" in all sports - pros and colleges. Any renewed sporting event will have to make a financial adjustment. I quote: "That might not be such a bad thing for fans who have to pay $50 to park and $16 for a decent beer (decent is a relative term) after already digging deep to buy tickets for the family." Read the entire article; it's very well written and informative. I'm sure you can pull it up on line.

A suggestion to the NBA. You're missing the boat on the NBA Channel. You should be promoting past NBA Championship games better than you are. You can be so much more creative. Team prizes for people watching games, easily verified by telephone calls: NBA quiz shows players vs civilians; like the HORSE tourny, players competing for how many free throws made in a row. How about Rick Barry vs any present day player? I'll bet on Barry even at his age. Look, I'm just imagining
stuff that NBA and basketball fans in general would have fun watching. And I'm sure the networks would be delighted to air.

One last thing: Our fake President says he did started combating COVID19 "early" starting in January when he locked out Chinese travelers from entering the United States and later in January locking out travelers from infected European countries. Why the hell am I NOT IMPRESSED while Americans from all these countries (many of whom were no doubt infected by this time) were allowed back into our country without being TESTED?????? And then, what were you doing, Mr. Fake President, during the month of February, four weeks and into early March when you did zero. Not only ZERO, but kept insisting this virus would go way like a "miracle?"

YOU, SIR, ARE A LIAR. HALF THE DEATHS OF OUR GOOD CITIZENS REST ON YOUR TARDY SHOULDERS.

PLEASE GOD, SOMEBODY WITH SOME MORAL STRENGTH STAND UP TO THIS EVIL PRESIDENT!!!!

I promise not to write another COVID19 poem. But here is my one;

MY COVID 19 POEM

Sheltered in place, this afternoon, the NBA season
canceled, I'm watching reruns of games. It's 1994,
Knicks vs Bulls. I'm feeling squeamish as the Bulls'
Anthony Mason drives to the basket and scores
as if he was alive and hadn't been dead for years
from a stroke. It might be the statistics on the news
of the number of dead rising around the world
that had me thinking of NBA ghosts, my teammates
and me as a kid on Halloween trying to be brave
walking through the haunted house, white sheets
popping up around every corner. In New York City
they rent refrigerator trucks to store dead bodies.
Yesterday, I watched the Boston Celtics play
and Dennis Johnson died as he crossed mid-court
and rose into the air on the wings of angels.
I am eighty-one-years old, The virus likes my age.
I welcome ghost into my life, old friends. . 

CORONA VIRUS 19, No Upside, but. . .

As weird as it may turn out to be, the NBA will not be able to crown a champion this season unless

our government can get its act together a lot faster than its doing. I do not see that happening from

the Federal side where the lack of leadership is a sinkhole of vacillation. The lack of a bold offensive

can not be overstated. Anyone with the least knowledge of the overall effect of the virus on the health of the population and the country's economy understands that 1 trillion dollars will not cut it. Unless (and this is highly unlikely) the President supports and the Congress agrees to a 5 trillion dollar investment in the lives of our people. If  they don't, we are in for a long, suffering haul, that could last who knows how long. To the start of the next NBA season in October? Then what? 

Right this minute I'd replace Mr. Trump with NBA Commissioner,Adam Silver and our country would begin to see positive results, pronto. Ok, so the commish is a little bit tied up running the NBA, how about Joe Lacob, owner of the Golden State Warriors; he have things moving. Ok, so Lacob is busy too, let's give Warrior GM, Bob Myers, a shot at running this country. I am NOT being snaarky. Each one of the men I mentioned has more leadership instincts in one finger than our fake president has in his entire body. Test out this replacement idea on any of your favorites for the job - no politicians allowed. 

Rant over, not the "but. . ." 

Here's a possible upside: Aside from the NBA players who have to get through the virus (and I wish them all the best and a healthy future), the rest of the leagues' players will have the longest period in the history of the NBA to rest their bodies. I have always believed that as the NBA began playing in the air the way it has over the last twenty years, that it is a miracle we have had as few injuries as we've had. Seven months away from serious contact basketball will refresh the bodies and the minds of our players, so that when the NBA begins again, it will be with physically healthy athletes, eager to get started doing what they do best on the court. This "but" is of course most important for teams whose players are recovering from injuries - the Warriors come to mind, but lets take into account all the players around the league with injuries, serious or nagging, as well. 

Don't misunderstand me. I'm not personally happy with this pandemic state of affairs. Without the NBA games, it's post season, Summer League, I'm in serious withdrawal mode. My wife can hardly put up with me. 

This is not a sports poem, but it is a poem that in the midst of this pandemic, might provide some comfort.

Pandemic    by Lynn Ungar

What if you thought of it

as the Jews consider the Sabbath –

the most sacred of times?

Cease from travel!

Cease from buying and selling.

Give up, just for now

on trying to make the world

different than it is.

Sing. Pray. Touch only those

to whom you commit your life.

Center down.

And when your body has become still,

reach out with your heart

Know that we are connected

in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.

(You could hardly deny it now.)

Know that our lives

are in one another’s hands.

(Surely that has come clear.)

Do not reach out your hands.

Reach out your heart.

Reach out your words.

Reach out all the tendrils

of compassion that move, invisibly

where we cannot touch.

Promise this world your love -

for better or for worse,

in sickness and in health,

so long as we all shall live.

Kobe, in Memory

There's not much I can add to the outpouring of emotions expressed by people all over the world
by the death of Kobe Bryant. It is worth mentioning, however, that Kobe was not an instant super star, that he worked hard to become one. And worked hard to grow from teenager (with some big time mistakes) into an exemplary adult, as his life after basketball certainly proves.

I wonder how many people remember the game in the 1995 playoffs against the Jazz in his rookie season in which Bryant was set up by his coach to take on the responsibility of winning the game and missed four shots badly. Unlike the young player in the poem, Bryant did not let those air-balls destroy his confidence.

Short of Michael Jordan, I don't think I've ever seen a better clutch shooter.

Kobe Bryant   by Tom Meschery

Four air-balls in a row
and he face of the cock-sure
millionaire becomes the face 
of Billy Harris who I told 
to take the last shot
for the city championship
although he was too young
the only sophomore on the team.
When the ball left his hand
I knew right away,
it wouldn't drop
and wanted to climb the air
to pull it back before
it fell short, and the fans
began to stomp their feet
and point that terrible pronoun
at him, as if you! you!  you!
didn't already understand
he'd never be the same player
he was the day began.
Tonight on TV against the Jazz,
I watch Kobe and believe
it's my fault all over again
because Billy Harris never 
got his shot back no matter 
what I did or said to him
for the next two seasons. 

Whistle-Blower or Tattle Tale?

I was watching the Astros kick butt in the 2017 World Series with my friend, Larry Colton, ex of the Phillys and University of Cal Bear's pitching ace, still the holder of Cal's single strike-out record. Having him as my guide through a sport that normally bores the crap out of me, helped me to appreciate the pitching strategies primarily, but also much of the other nuances of the game that I don't see by myself.

I guess now, based on the expose of  whistle-blower, Mike Fiers, some of those nuances had to do with stealing signs. This mornings sport page in the Sacramento Bee contained an article defending the actions of the whistle-blower.

I'd like to weigh in on the subject. I'm all for whistle-blowers. Thank God for the whistle-blower who outed our president for his quid-pro-quo effort to get political dirt on Joe Biden and his son. Thank God for the whistle-blower who outed the tobacco industry and whistle-blowers like him who've helped to save people's lives, or in the case of the president, save our democracy.

I don't believe Fiers falls into this category of whistle-blower. There is no question he did the right thing by exposing the nefarious conduct of the Astros. What a gift it must have been for Astro batters to know what pitch was coming there way. "Next pitch, sinker. . . fastball. . . curve ball, etc. I remember turning to Larry as we watched the game how much I was enjoying the Astros hitting the hell out of the ball. Now I find out they were cheaters. Yuk!

Add Mike Fiers to that Yuk! list of cheaters. So, he finally found a conscience? Two years after he got a ring and a check. A little early for sarcasm, but the keyboard couldn't help it. I'm wondering why Fiers didn't go to baseball commissioner as an anonymous whistle-blower during the World Series? For that matter, why didn't he stand up to his teammates and coaches and say, "Hey fellows we can't do this. Either we win fair and square or we don't win at all." That would have taken a lot of courage.
His outing of his team two years later doesn't seem to meet the definition of courage as well. I'm also wondering why he didn't go to the MBL commissioner now, instead of going to the newspaper. Granted, he probably believed the Commish would try to cover it up, that's sort of what happens in bureaucratic hierarchies. But, at least, he could have said he tried to go through the chain of command, not that I've ever been greatly impressed with such chains, mostly "weak links." With the notable exclusion of Adam Sliver of the NBA.

I'm sure Fiers feels he's been high-minded exposing the Astros. Better he did, then he didn't; otherwise, the Astros would have probably gotten away with the scam. But something about Fiers' motives doesn't pass my smell test. So, I remain skeptical. However, Fiers can change my skepticism to admiration by giving back his ring and donating his entire World Series check to charity.

On another subject, how about some consideration of Steve Kerr for NBA Coach-of-the-Year for the remarkable job he and his staff are doing with their young and virtually inexperienced Dubs. It's not about wins, but attitude. These young men are playing team ball with great effort and tons of enthusiasm. (and not to go unnoticed, in the process becoming better basketball players) The old cliche, ". . . it's how you play the game" has never been so well illustrated.

I'm down with the recent Kings' trade. With Ariza gone (and I love Ariza's game), the onus falls back on Harrison Barnes to be the best player he can be. If Bazemore can reclaim his Atlanta Hawks game, he can provide much need 3 point shooting from the wing. Tolliver, in my mind, is unique. There's not a team he's played for that hasn't valued his efforts. He is a pro. He'll give the Kings boards, defense and he's not a bad 3 pt shooter, and it doesn't matter how many minutes he gets. He's actually a better bench player than Ariza for the Kings. The Kings also received two down-the-road 2nd round draft choices, that is a little long range for the let's win now people, but always a smart move. Ariza will help the Blazers with his experience and D. I also think Gabriel has the potential to become a decent power forward. The Blazers need some strength on the boards. Now the Kings need to find a place to send Daedmon who wants out anyway. The Kings desperately have to find their starters and a solid rotation. And pray for no more injuries.


Baseball's Sad Lexicon    by Franklin P. Adams

These are the saddest of possible words:
      "Tinker to Evers to Chance."
Trio of bear cubs and fleeter than birds
        Tinker and Evers and Chance.
Ruthlessly pricking our gonfalon bubble,
Making a Giant hit into a double -
Words that are heavy with nothing but trouble:
         "Tinker to Evers to Chance."

A Few Small Comments

I watched the Golden State Warriors play last night. The young Warriors played their hearts out. Couldn't sustain their effort and lost in overtime to a very multi-talented (and under performing) team. I don't know what the problem is with the Nuggets. I do know one thing, that may keep them from wining a championship: their center, Jokic, is  a big baby. He's a mountain of a man and super talented, with a soft touch and crafty moves, yet he lumbers around, snuffles, feels sorry for himself when player beat on him, whines to the ref (when Draymond smacked him) has to get mad to play great, but keeps pouting.

I feel the same way about Joel Embid of the 76ers with different tells. Lazy? Brittle, misses games, a pouter, on the court loses focus. Lacks consistent motor.

I wonder what would have become of Jokic and Embid had they had to endure the game-to-game beating that Wilt, Russell, Jabbar, and Nate 'The Great" had to take, and not one pout or whine from any of them over long careers of being physically attacked.

Am I wrong? Maybe I'm being too critical. But I swear if I'd played against Jokic, I'd have tested him with a well placed elbow. I can hear the outcry now: Oh, we don't do that sort of thing in the modern game.

Now, let's consider the Nugget's back up center, Mason Plumlee. What a shame Jokic doesn't have Plumlee's attitude: Ball's-out all game long; never quits; hits and takes hits; no excuses. Gotta love the guy. Can you imagine, if the young man possessed shooting skills? My wife calls him a "good-ol-boy."

Looks like the Nuggets were right bringing Michael Porter, their first round draft pick in 2018, along slowly. He's got game. Sweet touch.

Glad to see Jordan Poole starting to get some confidence shooting his three. It's a good looking shot, no reason it should not be swishing. Nuggets so crowded at every position, it's like a back up on the freeway. They're going to have to sort out a solid rotation before the can compete for the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

It seems to me that from the start John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan were going to be a powerful duo. The same age group, same football mentality, similar personalities.

 Forty-Niners vs Kansas City for the Stupid Bowl.

Patrick Mahomes is footballs version of Steph Curry. Just plain fun watching these two intelligent, innovative, and daring athletes. I was thinking Bret Favre as a Mahomes-type predecessor, but Favre was an idiot savant, and Patrick looks like a pigskin PhD.

Comment on Life: When asked to read a section of the United States Constitution, Trump tried and got frustrated, saying it looked like a foreign language. I'll let you judge the man's mentality.

CLEAR PATH   by Tom Meschery

Life seemed pretty clear to me when I was young.
At 21 how going forward for me was the exigency
of playing basketball for a living. Like driving the freeway,
I never let up on the gas pedal. I never gave
much thought that at the end of the freeway
there might be an accident waiting for me.
That's why when the referee signals a clear path
violation, I think how I might have saved myself
from so much bullshit had there been a referee
to whistle the play dead, instead of allowing me
to continue the way I always did, with a kind of
fuck-it-all attitude, toward the hoop and the inevitable
collision in the air, and landing. Let me tell you,
it hurt like hell, And usually in my day
the referee never called a foul, let me lay
on the freeway like the wreak I was.

Happy New Year

For old jocks such as myself, 2020 and still vertical is a blessing. Did I just say "a blessing." I must be going senile, or I've been too influenced by professional athletes being interviewed. "Blessing seems to be le mot juste in today's world of sports.

The Warriors winning 4 games in a row was a blessing. The 49ers not falling apart in Seattle was a blessing. Drew Brees is blessing his receivers with accurate passes. Do you think the Chargers ever wonder why they took Rivers and let Brees go? Count our blessings that the sport of soccer has a woman like Megan Rapinoe. LeBron is blessed to have Anthony Davis, ditto Kawhi, who has Paul George. If Davis goes down, so do the Lakers. If George is injured and out, Kawhi will realize how blessed he was to have teammates like he had in Toronto. Talk about a blessing, don't miss watching Ja Morant of the Grizzlies play. We're talking Globetrotters potential and a little of Earl the Pearl Okay, maybe I'm over-blessing, but the kid has beaucoup talent. With a name like Ja, how can he miss?

On a less repetitive note:

I see the Saints winning the Super Bowl.

I still see the Bucks winning the NBA, but I'm really worried that they run too much through Antetekumpo. Defenses have caught wise to his spin move, no matter how fast he performs it. I wish I could trust Embid and the 76ers more, but I don't. Joel looks a little too much like a pouter to me.

Will the mystery of Kyrie Irving be solved in 2020?

California is allowing athletes to be paid for the use of their "brands." That word irritates me almost as much as "blessing." The Republic of California is always ahead of the curve. Go on Gavin!

Tiger wins the Masters. Hoowah! He should have slipped on the Green jacket and announced his retirement. Why do great players hang on, and on. Just for a little more glory? Reminds me of an old locker-room story: A 16 year vet of the NBA, sitting at his locker before the game says to his knees, "Knees, this is the last game I'll ever ask you to play." After the game is over, the same player walks into the locker, dripping sweat, sits down and says to his knees, "Knees, I was just kidding, the next game is the last I'll ever ask you to play."

My biggest gripe in football and basketball in 2019 and still is the length of time it takes to review plays. Some were so obvious, I couldn't figure why it/they needed review in the first place. Could it possibly be that the league can sell a few more commercials during the time the ref is glued to the computer? Am I getting that cynical?

G Leagues in the NBA need to open their arms to great high school stars. They don't want to go to college anyway. Let's get real about amateurism.

My wife insists that I bless the Oregon Ducks before today's Rose Bowl. I'm picking them to win, but is this a subjective decision, one might ask. You decide.

I don't see how the LSU Tigers can lose. NFL ready quarterback. Speaking of quarterbacks, Mahones of the Chiefs continues to be the "funnest" QB to watch in the NFL.

Best tight end move in 2019: Goerge Kittle of the 49ers carrying the entire Saints defense struggling defenders on his back for another ten yards after the catch.

On my Blogs' Life category, let me explain to Republicans: ex teammates, opponents, fellow sports travelers that voted for Trump and continue to support him, gentlemen, my antipathy for Trump has nothing to do with economics or his geo political positions, even though I don't agree with him, it's about Trump as a human being. Here's what I mean. Donald Trump is a bully, a liar, homophobe, a narcissist, a grouper of women, a braggart, a tax evader (unless he reveals his taxes, that's what he is.), I stop to take a breath and continue: Donald Trump is a person who thinks it's ok to vilify parents whose military son died for our country, Trump believes it is funny to mimic the speech of a man with cerebral palsy and hilarious pretending a female orgasm to embarrass a woman who criticized him. And this person is our President? And this person is someone I should hold up to my grandchildren as a man to emulate, to be proud of? You have got to be kidding. The character of a president really does matter.

Bless the NBA for hiring more women referees, and they look to be doing a fine job. More blessing coming to NBA teams for hiring female assistant coaches. Prediction: Becky Hammon will be the first female head coach in the NBA. She was a heads up player; she'll be a heads up coach. I wonder which team will be smart enough to hire her.

Lots of blessings go out to Saint Mary's Galloping Gaels basketball team. Randy has them on track once again to win the conference. Yes, they'll beat the Zags.

More blessing go out to my Warriors. They battle every night. And they are about being winners, not dumpers. Lottery picks be damned.

A guilty admission: Understanding the violence inherent in football, I still enjoy watching the game.

New Years Resolution: I will do my best not to put down soccer's off-side rule.

Second New Years Resolution: I will stop calling men's window pane jackets horse blankets or in                                                           some cases, pimp suits.

My wife says, "Stop, stop, no one will read six pages." I always do as she says. See you all on the next MESCHERY'S MUSINGS, ETC.

HAPPY NEW YEAR.