EL BARRIO, EL BRONX – Not sure where to begin as I’m light on stuff to talk about this week. On the theory that the NFL is always top of mind for any red blooded male and the Mets currently own Gotham, I figured these are topics that most will find appealing. But there are a couple of other items that require your attention as well.
Eric Striker: If you don’t know or haven’t heard of Eric Striker, he is the young man/former Oklahoma Sooner linebacker that became a viral sensation this week. Here is the video:
https://youtu.be/bQvQ8nDCbBQ
You pull for the kid because he had his friends and family gathered together on Draft Day. But there he was, about to go undrafted. Rather than getting down, he rallied himself and his family and gave them hope. You can’t help but root for the guy. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Buffalo Bills. Rex Ryan would have to love a guy with that kind of heart, dedication and leadership qualities. Lets also not forget there are plenty of guys that have gone on to be All-Pros that failed to have their names called on Draft Day. Players like Victor Cruz, Antonio Pierce and London Fletcher come to mind.
Penn State Scandal: Once again the Penn State child molestation scandal has reared its grotesque head. It now appears that former coach and pedophile enabler Joe Paterno was aware of the disgusting actions of Jerry Sandusky as far back as 1976. These new allegations represent more possible evidence that Paterno and the entire football program and university administration turned a blind eye to 2 generations of sickening behavior. I hope all of those that rallied to protect Paterno’s phony “legacy” are properly embarrassed and can quickly melt that statue for some money because they are going to need it.
Mets Pitchers: Apparently former Mets pitcher-turned-analyst Ron Darling is sick of pitch counts. He is annoyed that the Mets stable of young arms (Noah Syndergaard, Jacob de Grom, Steven Matz and Matt Harvey) are having pitch count limits imposed on them. Darling is old enough to have pitched in the era before pitch counts were strictly enforced. He is a firm believer that if a guy is pitching well then let him keep pitching. Like many former MLB players of earlier generations, Darling is concerned that data and analytics are replacing common sense and 100 years of baseball tradition in favor of the latest 26-yearold, Ivy-educated GM with a spreadsheet. 
Managing pitchers by exclusive reliance upon pitch counts bothers purists because it is the “non-baseball” community that is calling these shots. And with the quality of the Mets’ rotation, it would seem to behoove the Mets to do something radical with them. “Let them pitch…” For crying out loud, stop the madness.
That is it for now, come back tomorrow for a guy who could bungle with me anytime, Cheesy Bruin.
