Starting to feel like the first half of December out there isn’t it? Not only weather wise (good days for a few varieties of homemade soups and grilled cheese sandwiches) but also with all of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season!
No outstanding topics to cover in today’s column but lots of little comments and opinions, a
potpourri, if you will, of items of interest (hopefully I won’t sneeze much as potpourri isn’t one of my favorite scents!). Let’s begin with a question that will require very little thought—on average, does more snow fall at night or during the day? Think it through, answer to follow!
See where the Dodgers have gone completely off the deep end in their quest for a National
League title next year—free agent Shohei Ohtani reportedly is signing a 10-year, $700 million contract to play for Dem Bums (look it up it you aren’t aware of the reference!). Ohtani is an unique hitting and pitching talent, the best since Babe Ruth, but with more arm problems will probably be used only as a designated hitter and fielder. I always love to see the Dodgers come up short in their quests, a leftover feeling from the ‘70s when they were the Big Red Machine’s arch-enemy!
Speaking of big bucks, how about golfer Jon Rahm signing with LIV Golf, the Saudi
antagonist of the PGA Tour, for a cool $300 million? Takes a lot of pressure off of actually
having to win or be competitive to make a living, doesn’t it?
The FBS college post-season bowl schedule kicks off this coming weekend with the first of
41 games to fill ESPN’s television line-up. Throw in the national championship game to be
played January 8th in Houston and you have the makings of a football lover’s idea of heaven!
Who do you like to win it all, TTUN, Washington, Texas, or Alabama?
Staying with college football, the latest count of FCS student-athletes seeking to transfer
schools (read that minor league teams) through the “portal” is over 1,500! I read somewhere that THE wide receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr. is still contemplating staying another year in Columbus instead of entering the NFL draft in April. One reason could be a reported NIL offer of around $20 million to play one more year for the Scarlet and Gray, an amount that would far surpass any initial pro contract for someone who will most likely be a top-5 pick.
If you get the chance, check out the Dayton Daily News interview in this Sunday’s sports
section with former Buckeye QB Craig Krenzel, the leader of the 2002 National Championship team. Some interesting thoughts expressed about today’s college players and the Bucks specifically.
Always a highlight of the college football season is the Army-Navy game which was played
in the Boston area this weekend, an Army 17-11 victory as the Black Knights stopped the
Midshipmen just short of the goal line with three seconds left in the game. One of the great
rivalries in sports with all of the patriotism and pageantry you could hope for, it always gives me a little lump in my throat! Is anyone else getting tired of Gary Danielson providing color commentary on CBS? He just talks on and on (and coming from me that’s saying something!) and really is a master of stating the obvious!
By the way, Army had ROTM on their pants and Rock of the Marne on the back of their
helmets. The color of the uniforms was desert tan to honor the 3rd Infantry Division’s role
twenty years ago in Operation Iraqi Freedom as well as the Division’s heroics at the Second
Battle of the Marne in 1918 during World War I. That battle, located northeast of Paris, lasted from July 15-18 and was the turning point of the Great War, ending a string of German victories and starting a series of Allied wins that ended the War four months later. The Third Division bore the brunt of the German attack, an offensive which resulted in over 168,000 casualties suffered by the Germans, French, British, and Americans.
On a lighter note, more snow falls at night as the winter nights are longer than the days!!
The Lakers won the inaugural in-season NBA tournament Saturday night, defeating the
Pacers. You know what? I couldn’t care less as it won’t have any impact on the playoff picture which is still over four months away.
San Antonio Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich has won five NBA titles, started the season with
a record 1,366 victories, and has the third-best winning percentage of any NBA coach in
history. Yet this year the Spurs are a terrible 3-18 thus far even with generational talent Victor Wembanyama on the roster—just goes to show that even great coaches need to have talent on their teams to be competitive!!
With all of the high school teams around the area in full swing this winter, it’s time to get out and support the young men and women! Check out schedules on the various school or league websites.
Like other communities around the Miami Valley, a lot of thought, time, and efforts have
gone into Christmas decorations but Greenville’s downtown lights are truly beautiful! If you get the chance drive down Broadway and check them out! Stay healthy and active!!
