PHILADELPHIA, PA – As the dust on the big LeBron James signing settles, other big stories have gotten short shrift. That trend will continue here, as I’m in talking about the following: Jonah Tong Sucks, LeBron vs Embiid, Playing Rugby
Jonah Tong Sucks
Sure, LeBron’s move is big news. BUT, when the New York Mets are your cocaine habit/life’s albatross, only Mets-related news can come first. This addiction problem is even more acute when you’re pouncing on news re a Triple-A pitcher. That brings us to one of the most over-hyped pitchers since Christian Scott. Wait… What’s that? I can’t use another over-hyped pitcher on the Mets in comparison, you say? The jury’s still out, you say? Scott – who is NOT young – is at least surviving in The Bigs, you say? Okay. I’ll leave it to you to fill in the blank on the biggest flop as an over-hyped pitching prospect. Once you have it and then read the other top choices, put Jonah Tong at the very top. He wins.
Need proof? Just read the spin on his Triple A outing yesterday. CLICK THIS. The guy labored through 4 2/3 to LOWER his season ERA to 5.59 – after pitching to a 7.17 ERA in June. Yeah, he struck out 9 minor leaguers, but we threw 91 f*cking pitches in the process and couldn’t get through FIVE F*CKING INNINGS!
If he was just a 23-year-old possible prospect/project, it wouldn’t get my goat. But this is the Mets’ No. 1 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s 76th overall! Is Mr. Magoo in charge of rating/ranking prospects?! Jesus H Cripes!
Just to clarify, this in not on Tong. He may suck but he’s not the one forcing his hype on us. It’s the f*cking Mets marketing department. Moreover, they are doing this to keep us addicts/fanatics while the Titanic sinks… again. That’s the big league team, the already-capsized 2026 Amazins.
LeBron vs Embiid
How long before LeBron James starts punching himself in the face for hitching his wagon to the enigmatic Embiid. Can’t you just see the late Dennis Green yelling at James, “Joel Embiid is who we thought they are!” Grammar issues aside, you get what Coach Green is saying. Will JB change course and adopt LeBron’s work ethic and fire? I doubt it. But it’s a great sub-story for the NBA and the 76ers will grab many eyeballs. I may even tune in for a 4th quarter here and there.
Playing Rugby
Yesterday, about 1200 rugby players played hooky from work to play in Day 1 of the Can-Am Rugby tournament, held annually for nearly 60 years in Saranac Lake/Lake Placid. It includes mens and womens divisions of various talents and ages. Yours truly played for the Connecticut Grey – in an over 50s division. Two games. 22 minute halves (instead of 40), with open substitutions. Those were the only tweaks from playing regular rugby – which is 40 minute halves, with no returning to game play if you go out. Well, you can go out to get stitches/tape for blood, or for a H.I.A, ( Head Injury Assessment), but that’s it.
Anywho, yours truly played approximately 60% of the total minutes (that was plenty) over the two matches, spending time in the tourney-provided ice baths by The Pitch, and the med tent getting various leg/foot issues taped by a slew of professionals. And you know what? It was a f*cking blast. When you’re out there, you become alive with a combination of fear, of getting inured – or more significantly – embarrassed. You don’t want that with 200 people lining the sideline watching your every move. You also get that organic/undeniable boost of adrenaline going into full contact and coming out unscathed on the other end. Time washes back to when you were in your 20s, because over 30 years you’ve played with or against 99% of the players nutty enough to be out there. Oh, and the teams we played were a combination of Armed Forces teams, chock full of real-life, unsung heroes, whom you instantly respect and want to compete against – because they want you to. And gosh-by-golly, they can still bring it.
All in all, it was a glorious day of sunshine, lake swimming and smashing into often immovable forces. Thank you, Old Grey, for the experience/pleasure.
On that note, it’s time to take the dog for a swim in Mirror Lake.
