I’m sitting here at 7 a.m. in the office on a lonely, lonely, lonely Monday morning, wondering how another weekend flew right by, and trying to come up with new ways to say the same old stuff. It’s hard being witty. At least that’s what I hear.
Looking through the paper, I notice that every time they mention former Governor Eliot Spitzer, they must put a phrase like, ‘the former disgraced governor’ even if it has nothing to do with why he was disgraced. I wonder if this will apply to sports if Roger Clemens is indeed found out to be a steroid abuser, who allegedly cheated on his wife with an under-age country star? And what if we talked like newspaper reporters wrote?
“Hey Mike, I just saw the former disgraced Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens at the mall yesterday,” I could say, to which Mike would reply, “Really, what was the former disgraced Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens doing?” Of course, I would have to answer, “He was with former disgraced home run king Barry Bonds at Barnes and Noble buying a book about the former disgraced Governor Eliot Spitzer.” There are a lot of former disgraced people in our world. It gives us all something to aspire to. We can dream, can’t we?
I would like to congratulate coach Mike Turo, who picked up his 900th career victory at the helm of the Monroe Eagles just a little less than two weeks ago. Turo is an amazing coach who really knows how to get the best out of his team and with the number of games he schedules each year, it could be less than two seasons before he wins his 1,000th game. That’s quite a feat.
Turo actually played a game, as a player, against the legendary coach Jack Curran, of Archbishop Molloy. For those who do not know, Curran has coached for upwards of 50 seasons, winning close to 900 basketball games and five Catholic High School Athletic Association city championships and over 1,600 victories and 17 CHSAA titles in baseball.
Turo belongs right up there with Curran and St. Raymond’s Ron Patnosh, who earned his 1,000th career victory last year, and while 1,600 wins seems like a lot, 14 more seasons of 50+ wins each isn’t all that much to ask, is it coach? If anyone could do it, my money is behind Turo.
The Monroe Eagles are proving that it is not about the bat. Baseball is about skills and those who have it will always triumph over teams that do not. This is why Monroe continues to be ahead of the league, despite the change from aluminum to wood. And this year, while a little less experienced than last year’s team, I believe they will take the title. The players are growing as a team, getting better with each game and learning what it takes to be a champion. Last year, the team was unstoppable and I think that hurt them, as they lost the championship game; their only loss of the season. This year, with a couple losses under their belt, the Eagles know how to deal with pressure and that is an experience that will take them far into the PSAL championship tournament.
As we move further into the presidential election process, I can’t help, but wonder what Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will do when John McCain and his McCainiacs run wild on them. Anyone who watched the three presidential candidates last week on Monday Night Raw, must have been amazed to see these three political leaders pander to a wrestling audience with hopes that they will Smackdown votes in their favor come November. Is it a good thing? Depends on whether hearing Obama actually say, “if you smell what Barack is cooking,” makes you believe he is a worthy choice to lead our country or not? I guess we’ll know soon. Who knows? In this day and age, maybe a wrestling fan can make a difference.
The NFL Draft did nothing for the Giants or Jets, in my opinion. The Jets made their moves on the free agent market, but the Giants may have taken a misstep this year. Their picks are decent, but no one stands out and with the Dallas Cowboys making eight trades in hopes of ensuring its future, the Giants are going to need to make some moves to keep up.
By the time you read this, the Rangers may have already been eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs. At least they kept things interesting. Just wait until next year.
I agree with Carlos Delgado not coming out for a curtain call after his two home runs on Sunday. Fans have jeered this guy unmercifully while he has slumped and suddenly they want to cheer him for his home run heroics? Please. Either cheer your team and players all season or don’t even bother. I wish sports stars were allowed to go to the fans’ jobs and boo them when they had a bad day. Wouldn’t that be fun?
Well, another week, another column. I’ll see you at the game.
