Lee Lowenfish

Although the coldness of the oppressive NYC winter hasn't yet gone away, it is still time to celebrate the coming of spring.  Whenever the blues hit me - a cursory glance at news of the world can do that these days - I hum to myself Freddie Hubbard's joyous jazz waltz "Up Jumped Spring" and my spirits leap  immediately. 

 

It helps that one of my favorite college teams, Columbia women's basketball coached by Megan Griffith in her tenth year at the helm of her alma mater, has morphed again into another exciting band of Megan's Marauders.  Recovering from the sting of two losses in a row to Harvard that allowed Princeton to dethrone my Lions as Ivy League champion, the Lions are determined to make the most of their participation in a consolation tournament, the WBIT (Women's Basketball Invitational Tournament).  It's good to still be playing - in contrast, Princeton lost convincingly its first round March Madness meeting with Oklahoma State.

 

In the first round of the WBIT, Columbia crushed St. John's of Queens NY in 74-26 in what would be their final home game. This past Sunday Mar 22, Columbia routed North Dakota State, a team with only 4 losses, 86-57 in a road game in Fargo ND.  The Lions had three 20 plus scorers, led by sophomore Mia Bloom with 26. Subbing for injured point guard Maria Avlijas, Broom like all her teammates played intense defense while sparkling on the offensive end.  Some of Broom's awesome long passes reminded me of Cecelia Collins' similar throws which provided highlight moments on last year's team that won the school's first game ever in March Madness.  (Cece is now playing pro ball in Germany.) 

 

Next up for the Lions is a Th Mar 26 quarter-final matchup at the University of California-Berkeley to be broadcast on ESPN+ at 10P EDT.  In another quarter-final, Harvard travels to my graduate school alma mater, Wisconsin-Madison, for a 730P matchup with the surprising Badgers who finished the regular season under .500 but have solid wins over Oregon State and Miami-Fla in the WBIT.  Given the disappointing loss of the men's team in the first round of March Madness - something I was not surprised by because they never played consistent good defense all season - I'm happy for Wisconsin's success in coach Robin Pingeton's first year.  But in women's basketball, I'm a Lion all the way.  In fact, I know Griffith and her marauders would love to face Harvard again in the WBIT Final Four that will be held in Wichita's Charles Koch Arena - yes, the home town of one of the Koch brothers - on March 30 on ESPNU. The final will be on ESPN2 on W April 1. The other bracket pits San Diego State against Kansas and Brigham Young vs. Stanford.  

 

On the Division III level in women's basketball, NYU's amazing 91-game winning streak came to an end last Thursday Mar 19 when in the semi-final game of the D3 Final Four, the U of Scranton Lady Royals led virtually all the way winning a battle of the undefeated 60-52.  But it was Denison College from Granville, Ohio that won the D3 crown beating Scranton, 55-41.  Nothing can take away from the achievement of Meg Barber's remarkable winning streak coaching her alma mater. She loses only one graduating senior Caroline Peper so look for some more potent basketball in Greenwich Village in future season(s).   

  

Here's a shoutout to another Wisconsin women's hockey championship, the 9th brought back to Madison by retiring coach Mark Johnson.  The Badgers came from behind to win a semi from Penn State on the Nittany Lions' home ice.  And then beat the Ohio State Buckeyes in the final, 3-2.  The winning goal was scored by fourth line wing Claire Enright late in the third period after Ohio State, just as their leader Joy Dunne predicted in a post-second period TV interview, roared back to tie the game with 2 goals in 2 minutes. I don't know of any team sport where the finals FOUR YEARS IN A ROW were played by the same two teams.  Fans and citizens in general can learn so much from the competitive fire of these great athletes in college hockey, many of whom now have the chance to play in pro hockey leagues in this country. 

 

I'll have March Madness schedules on many levels to share at the end of this post but now . . . 

IT IS TIME TO TAKE YOU OUT TO THE BALLGAME! 

In a sign of the times, both Opening Day games for the Mets and Yankees will not be televised on either free TV or traditional cable.  The Yankees open at the

SF Giants tomorrow Wed Mar 26 in San Francisco at 805P EDT available only on Netflix or radio.  (In another sign of the times, a recent poll of media

listening of young people revealed that virtually 60% Gen Z youngsters don't listen to radio at all).  The Mets will open at home Th Mar 26 at 115P against ace pitcher Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates.  It will be available only on NBC Peacock.  The Yankees don't open at home until Fri aft Apr 3 against the Miami Marlins. That game will be on YES.

 

I am not a fan of the so-called "balanced" schedule that has cut intradivision play from 19 to 13 games.  With 30 MLB teams to schedule, there is no way this schedule is balanced out of the division because teams don't play other teams the same number of times.  As a result, it won't be until May 1-4 a wraparound through Monday weekend with the Orioles that an AL East rival comes to the Bronx.  Red Sox don't come in until June 5-7.  Mets' NL East home schedule is even worse:  Non-contending Washington comes in Apr 28-30, then Marlins May 29-31. Braves don't arrive in Queens until Jun 12-14 and Phillies' first appearance at their arch-rival's home isn't until Jun 26-28.

 

I don't want this baseball part of blog to become a rant because I don't like scolds and I try to remember Schopenhauer's wise warning, "Show me what you hate and I'll show you what you are."  So with little expectations for the season for my Orioles, I welcome with open arms Pete Alonso to Camden Yards.

Already he and former Met RHP Chris Bassitt are showing senior leadership on a team that fell apart from the curse of too many expectations the last two

years. With injuries to infield mainstays Jackson Holliday- who should be back soon - and Jordan Westburg - who could be lost for the season - and a questionable bullpen, it is hard to see my Birds as a contender.  But they and 29 other teams are still 0-0 so there is that hope.   

 

And there is always the short intense season of college baseball in the NYC area.  Columbia opened its defense of the Ivy League title last weekend by taking 2 out of 3 from a good Harvard team.  It is a short Ivy League season - 21 games consisting of 7 3-game series and a four-team post-season tourney at the home of the first place finisher.  So every game is important. 

 

Big series are ahead at Coakley-Robertson-Satow Stadium in the Baker Field: always contending Penn SaSu Apr 4-5, Princeton 11-12, and Yale picked by some to dethrone my Lions, Apr 25-26.  Sa doubleheaders start at 1130, Su single game at Noon. There is no admission charge.

Readers of the blog who follow other college (and high school) teams in this area, you are invited to let me know about how your teams are doing, too.

And now in closing here's some more March Madness schedules:

 

Division II Elite Eight Schedule - Men - held at U of Pittsburgh-MC Cooper Fieldhouse

W Mar 25 12N #3 Gannon vs #6 Michigan Tech

230P #2 Cal State East Bay vs. #7 Oklahoma Baptist

6P #1 Nova Southeastern vs. #8 Black Hills State 

830P #4 Daeman vs. #5 Lander

Semis -F Mar 27 6 & 830P

Final Mar 28

All at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse

 

Women's Elite Eight at some Cooper Fieldhouse 

Tu Mar 24

Noon #3 Colorado Mesa vs. #6 #6 Minnesota Duluth

230P #2 Indiana Pa vs. #7 Holy Family

6P #1 Grand Valley State vs. #8 Carson-Newman

830P #4 Cal Poly Pomona vs. #5 UAH

Semis Th Mar 26 6p. 830P

Natl Championship F Mar 27 3P - Men's game follows around 6P

 

Division III Men's final between Emory of Atlanta Ga and Mary Washington College won't be held until Apr 3 in Indianapolis, site of the big boys of

March Madness final four.  As for the big boys of March Madness, I can do without the moaning and groaning of the coaches about the good old days before NIL and transfer portal. It seems the great coaches and the well-endowed schools get to the top anyway.  And I'm glad that they've been aided by some players who were blocked from playing time at other schools.  The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence, but sometimes it is.

 

New Yorkers are most interested in Rick Pitino's St John's Red Storm who face Duke at 710P on Th Mar 26.

U Conn-Michigan State battle of Dan Hurley & Tom Izzo is on F Mar 27 at 945.  I must remind myself it should be all about the players.

As a Big Ten guy, the Iowa-Nebraska matchup on Th 3/26 at 730P is interesting - Nebraska has never been this high and the former Chicago Bulls coach

Fred Hoiberg has found his niche on a campus and his son Sam is a scrappy guy and no nepotism hire. 

 

As for the women's Sweet 16, some interesting matchups;

F 3/27 5P UNC v heavily favored UConn

  same night at 10P Duke v LSU and its volatile coach Kim Mulkey - 

Sa 3/28 Kentucky v possible challenger to UConn, Texas 3P

   later at 5P Oklahoma v former champion South Carolina 

 

And what would my blog be without a couple of TCM Tips:

Sa 3/28 145P "Angels in the Outfield" (1951) with great footage of Forbes Field and a corny fantasy that somehow works.  One lesson from film though:

   Read the bottle on the oil before cooking. 

Followed at 330 by "Looney Tunes: Baseball Bugs" (1946)

 

That's all for now.  Stay Positive, Test Negative, and take it easy but take i

 

For someone dubbed the Prince of Paranoia, things are looking up in my life as a fan who roots ardently for Columbia women's and Wisconsin men's basketball. Over Valentine's Day weekend, Columbia moved into a first-place Ivy League tie with Princeton using a solid second half to thump the Tigers, 70-56.  The next night, oddly by almost an identical score, 69-56, Columbia beat a stubborn Penn team that trailed 30-15 at the half but made life a bit anxious after intermission behind sharp-shooting forward Katie Collins. The lead was secured when the Lions kept their composure against the Quakers press.  Resurgent junior Riley Weiss had a consistent 44 point weekend and co-captain Perri Page, with her father former Pitt star Julius Page and family cheering her on, had a double double against Princeton, including a career-high 25 points. After a foul-plagued first half against Penn, she bounced back with a double-digit scoring second half and all-around play to keep the Quakers from dreaming of another upset like last month's in Philadelphia. Kudos also to the ferocious play of junior guard Fliss Henderson who was in the middle of everything all weekend and a rebounding force. 

 

I love defense and pitching in baseball and defense that creates offense in basketball.  The Lions' recent outstanding play has also been keyed by sophomore guards Mia Broom and Nasi Simmons who I'm beginning to call the Steal Sisters - earlier this season Nasi set a record with 10 steals against Yale.  Sad to say, only one home game is left for the Lions, Sa Mar 7 2P against Harvard always a tough opponent and tied for third with improving Brown who we meet in Providence on Feb 28 also at 2P.  Ahead on Mar 13-14 is the 4-team Ivy League tournament this year at Cornell.  With Penn 3 games behind Harvard and Brown and only 4 games left in regular season, it looks like the 4 tourney teams are set, but seeding is still to be determined.

 

Down in Greenwich Village, the NYU Violets women cagers' Division III winning streak is now up to 84.  They, too, only have a few games left in the regular season: This Fri Feb 20 at 730P against Washington U of St Louis, the school that owned the prior D-3 winning streak early this century. Then Su Feb 22 at noon against U of Chicago followed on Sa Feb 28 at 3P against Brandeis, preceded by a 1045A alumni game.  The Violets are assured of hosting FSa at the Paulson Center on Bleecker Street just north of Mercer the first weekend in March. If they advance, hosting the next round will depend on how far the solid NYU men's team goes in its playoffs. 

 

Here's a shoutout to another local D-3 winning streak, the Montclair State men's team is 24-0 with one regular season game left -  Wed Feb 18 at 7P at College of New Jersey in Ewing, NJ.

Montclair State should host first rounds of playoffs at their gym on the Montclair campus, Feb 25-26. 

 

On the bigtime D-1 side of men's hoops in the NYC area, St. John's is 20-5 and ranked #17 in the latest national poll.  There is no doubt that Rick Pitino knows how to coach but I find his arrogant manner off-putting. After a game this past Sat on the road at Providence that was punctuated by a late first half brawl, Pitino commented to the press, "Curfew 5 AM." Pitino's arch-rival Arkansas coach John Calipari also likes to be flippant in his comments. Complaining about the transfer portal and other legal changes enabling player mobility, Calipari wailed the other day, "I have a player who has two kids and is using his NIL money to pay alimony." 

 

My Wisconsin Badgers are a team that has used the transfer portal effectively to achieve national attention after a mediocre start to the season. Last week they knocked off nationally ranked Big Ten rivals Illinois on the road and Michigan State at home. In addition to home grown junior guard John Blackwell and seven-foot junior Nolan Winter, Wisconsin has plucked the transfer portal for two key veteran components, flashy southpaw guard Nick Boyd from northern New Jersey and key reserve the former Minnesota Golden Gopher (and Tulsa Hurricane) Braelen Carrington, a useful sharpshooter.  Boyd can be stopped if you force him to the right and make him take off-balance shots, but when he is on, his speed and daring are electrifying. 

I didn't have great hopes for this year's edition of the Badgers but if nothing else, their competitiveness should mute the critics of coach Greg Gard who is nearing his 20th year with the Badgers, including more than ten as top assistant to retired Hall of Fame coach Bo Ryan. 

 

I've quoted these coaches many times but it never hurts to repeat some of their adages: 

"WE JUDGE OUR PLAYERS BY WHAT IT TAKES TO DISCOURAGE THEM" - Bo Ryan after Badgers knocked off then-#1 ranked Ohio State in Columbus, 2011.

"IF CONSISTENCY WERE AN ISLAND, IT WOULD BE LIGHTLY POPULATED" - Greg Gard quoting a sports psychologist that addressed his team, earlier this decade

 

The Badgers' schedule until the Big Ten tournament (which is really the Big 18 nowadays) is with all times EST:

Tu Feb 17 830P at Ohio State FS1; Su Feb 22 Iowa 4P FS1; Sa 2/28 at U of Washington FS1 4P; W Mar 4 Maryland 8P FSI; Sa Mar 7 at Purdue 4P CBS

 

     AND NOW TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME!

Turning to the hope that the return of spring training always brings, the Prince of Paranoia applauds the Orioles for signing former Met RHP Chris Bassitt to bolster a starting pitching staff that doesn't have a real ace but can always use innings-eaters and gritty gamers like Bassitt. He turns 37 on Feb 22 but knock on wood, he has been durable as a reliable starter most recently for the Blue Jays through their World Series run.  The addition of Bassitt certainly tempered the bad news that the usually durable Jackson Holliday will miss all of spring training and some of the

regular season with a hamate bone fracture located in the palm of his hand.  Two other notable players, the Mets' Francisco Lindor and the Diamondbecks Corbin Carroll, recently suffered the same injury.  Each probably was incurred from overdoing batting practice in preparation for the long season.  

 

I will try and I urge most lovers of the game to appreciate good games and remarkable player achievements during the upcoming season because the specter of an owners' lockout of players looms large after the current collective bargaining agreement expires in early December.   I refuse to believe any forthcoming disaster is inevitable including what is happening to our society during the second term of the 47th president. So I prefer to cite some good news concerning Tomas Lopez, a junior RHP for my Columbia Lions baseball team who will pitch for Brazil in the upcoming World Baseball Classic starting on March 4.  Tomas' mother is Brazilian and she is over the moon in delight for her son's opportunity.  Lopez told mlb.com - and why not capitalize this quote too! 

"BASEBALL JUST BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER ALL THE TIME. . . . I'M JUST EXCITED [TO FIND OUT] . . .  HOW EVERYONE GOT INTO THE SAME EXACT SITUATION THAT I'LL BE IN." 

 

Regardless of the doom and gloom folks bemoaning the MLB labor situation, I insist that there will always be baseball on lower levels and I always try to honor some of the less-recognized lights.  So here's a shoutout to the latest class of inductees into National College Baseball Hall of Fame that were honored last week - Feb 12 - at the new home of the NCBHF in Overland Park, Kansas, near Kansas City.  Among the honorees were former Mets RHP Kris Benson (who starred at  Clemson) and Hubie Brooks (who starred at Mesa AZ JC and Arizona State U). Also inducted was Jack Coffey, the longtime Fordham baseball coach and administrator.    

 

ERRATA from recent posts:

**The real first name of manager extraordinaire Francona is Terry but everyone calls him "Tito" in honor to his father who had a better MLB career.

**James Cagney's closing line as he gets blown up at the end of "White Heat" is "Made it, Ma. Top of the World!"

 

Speaking of old films, here are some TCM tips:

Th Feb 19 1045P Robert Aldrich's "The Longest Yard" (1974).  Aldrich was a member of the Rockefeller family which included former NY governor and Presidential aspirant Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller but he made it up the chain in Hollywood without using any connections. He directs Burt Reynolds, a former gridiron star now in prison, in a football game between prisoners and guards.  Interestingly, Aldrich's first film as director was "Big Leaguer" (1953), filmed in the New York Giants minor spring training base in Florida.  

 

Earlier on Thursday at 145P is "Jammin' the Blues" - a 9 minute documentary by Djon Mili that explains jazz in the simplest most rhythmic way.  Mili was a photographer from the Netherlands who  a few years earlier for LIFE magazine filmed Bob Feller's fastball comparing it to a roaring locomotive. Feller held his own in the comparison.

Also on Thursday at 1:10P most likely on the main NBC network station  - the gold medal game between the amazing US team against their arch-rival from Canada.

 

Sa Feb 22 8P. "Patton" (1970) directed by Franklin Schaffner with George C. Scott in title role. Also Karl Malden. I mention it because many baseball personages like Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and former Phillies pitcher and manager Dallas Green said they were inspired by the volatile WW II general who reportedly counsled his troops, "Be glad you're in my outfit and not shoveling shit in Louisiana."  

 

That's all for now.  I continue to urge you to Stay Positive Test Negativew and Take It Easy But Take It.  Next time I will tell you something about a new book that I wrote the afterword for:

"KNOW YOUR STRIKE ZONE: THE ULTIMATE BLUEPRINT FOR FINDING YOUR SWEET SPOT IN LIFE AND LEADERSHIP" by Paul D. Miller and Milton O. Thompson.