EL BRONX, EL BARRIO – A belated Happy 4th of July, to all! It is not easy coming up to bat on the day after America’s Birthday, mainly because people are in recovery from food and drinking binges and blowing fingers off… but let’s hope there is room to talk sports. Today’s topics are: Death’s 2016 Hot Streak, NBA Free Agency and The Worst Team in Sports.
Let’s start with the worst…
The Worst Franchise in Sports: When I say sports, I mean American sports of course. There have been so many teams that have been bad for so long, it is tough to decide. In the NFL, you have the Cleveland Browns and in MLB it is tough because team like the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals have all been bad but have also had decent teams in recent memory.
Essentially, this is a two-horse race between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Edmonton Oilers. Edmonton has had the number one pick in the draft 4 times in the last 6 years, while Philly has had a top 10 pick 5 times in the last decade. That includes 2014, when they had the 3rd and 10th, and in 2013 they had the 6th and 11th (which is not counted as it is not top 10, but still, you get the point).
I just feel sorry for these fans because if a stopped watch is right twice a day, how in the world can these teams not find a player or a group of players good enough to at least make the first round of the playoffs?! Frankly the teams/management/owner should be vanquished to the NDL and AHL, respectively, until they get their acts together.
NBA Free Agency: There have been some spectacular deals, so far. Yesterday, DJ Eberle touched on this a bit and I wanted to add my thoughts on the matter.
Point 1: The pay of role players is getting out of control. Look at what ex-Knick role players Jeremy Lin and Timofey Mozgov got. Lin got 3 years, $36 million while Mozgov heisted a four-year, $64 million contract. This is just insane. An increased salary cap doesn’t mean you get to spend more on mediocrity.
Point 2: Don’t weep for the Oklahoma City Thunder. That city and owner shamelessly stole that team from the Seattle. I don’t feel badly that Kevin Durant is giving up on that city and moving to a far better team. As for the Warriors, I am not sure who will lose out with Durant in the line-up. I think it will be Iguadola because the physical presence of Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut will be needed. If I was a conspiracy theorist, I would say this is Adam Silver trying to make it up to Golden State for helping LeBron steal the title they deserved.
Point 3: The move people really need to be talking about is Pau Gasol to the Spurs. The Spurs will likely be the top foe of the Warriors again. Gasol is very much a perfect fit and replacement for Tim Duncan. Now Duncan can really retire (as many expect) or reduce his minutes during the regular season. Gasol is a high character guy that can be a leader and fits well within head coach Greg Popovich’s system.
Death 2016 hot streak: Joe DiMaggio‘s 56 game-hit streak may never be broken, nor will Johnny Vander Meer‘s back to back no-hitters. However, a little consideration has to be given to the 2016 hot streak the Grim Reaper is on. Death has shown some real versatility to his game, from old stand-byes such as illness and drugs to rarer methods like a freak car accident. He/She/It has taken legendary musicians, cult hero musicians, young actors, old legendary actors, legendary athletes and last week, he added legendary coaches to that list. As said by the leader/Big Toe of the MTM staff, Angry Ward, “If you don’t die in 2016, you’re a nobody.”
Last week Buddy Ryan, the father of Rex and Rob Ryan and legendary defensive coordinator, lost to an offense he couldn’t stop and succumbed to illness.
The other legendary coach to pass last week was Pat Summitt, Tennessee‘s NCAA Women’s Basketball Coach. Summitt’s achievements cannot be overstated enough. She started the program in 1974, when she had to slip flyers under the dorm room doors to recruit players. From there she built an empire that dominated women’s basketball. I remember the buzz going around in the city when the top women’s HS basketball player was recruited and declared for Tennessee. People were in awe of the fact that she was good enough for Tennessee. Without Summitt there would be no NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament on TV, nor all this talk about UCONN and Geno Auriemma. If you ask me, and I know you didn’t, the success and recognition she brought to women’s basketball helped lead the way to the start of the WNBA. Rest in peace to two great leaders of men and women.
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