Lee Lowenfish

"I always thought I was the guy sitting in my chair on home wanting to experience this," Brian Snitker, manager of the world champion Braves, told Hazel Mae, a Blue Jays' TV reporter,  just moments after Atlanta won the World Series.  

 

For a fellow who said he was "numb," Snitker sure expressed himself beautifully.  Smelling the roses after 45 years in the same organization, usually at the important but rarely-recognized lower levels, his is a very nice story. 

 

Here are a few more:

**Southpaw reliever Tyler Matzek virtually unhittable throughout the post-season. Signed to a big bonus by the Rockies, he was in the 2015 starting rotation for Colorado until his wildness led to a deep slide to baseball's underworld, including a year without playing at all.  

 

Through the help of a former player turned sports psychologist, Matzek made the slow climb back through independent leagues.  As he told Scott Miller in the Oct 27 NYTimes, he ultimately chose to "fight" over "flight" or freeze." 

 

**Closer Will Smith finished every one of the World Series victories and others throughout the three rounds of playoffs.  Originally a KC Royal, then a Brewer and a Giant, Smith lost 7

games in regular season but was flawless in the playoffs.

 

We can put to rest the home run he served to Dodger catcher Will Smith in last year's playoffs that contributed to Atlanta's narrowly missing the 2020 World Series.

 

**The NLCS MVP Eddie Rosario and World Series MVP Jorge Soler were both late additions at the trade deadline.  Their slugging, and Rosario's remarkable catch of A. J. Pollock's line drive late in Game 4, will be forever etched in Braves lore.

 

**Here's to Max Fried who with Ian Anderson restored some glitter and glamor to the still-important craft of starting pitching.  With veteran Charlie Morton knocked out with a broken leg suffered early in Game 1, they rose to the occasion in Games 5 and 6. 

 

Even if Anderson was taken out after 5 no-hit fairly stressful innings and Fried had a shutout going after 6. The days of the complete game may be gone forever but sure was

nice to see starters getting at least into the 5th and 6th. 

 

**Here's to the great infield of the Braves.  Two of them are essentially local boys,

third baseman Austin Riley from Hernando, Mississippi and shortstop Dansby Swanson from nearby Marietta, Georgia.  

 

Shortstop Ozzie Albies hails from Curacao - he struggled at the plate until Snitker dropped him to 7th in the order in Game 6 and he relaxed and sparked two rallies. 

 

Last but certainly not least is Freddie Freeman the slugging first baseman from SoCal, the longest tenured Brave.  How fitting that the last out of 2021 was your basic 6-3 from Swanson to Freeman.

 

If the Braves don't sign Freeman as he enters free agency, it will be a blow not only to their fan base but to those of us, however naively, still believe in the old adage, "The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence." 

 
Let's not forget Astros manager Dusty Baker who plans to be back next year for a third try at his first World Series title.  He remains the only manager to take FIVE teams to the playoffs and is a surefire Hall of Famer in my opinion especially if you add in his fine playing career.  

 

For some reason Cooperstown's Hall of Fame does not consider a person's record as both player and manager.  Which is why Gil Hodges is still outside, something that could change in the next Veterans Committee voting released next month. 

 

Astros pitching coach Brent Strom won't be returning in the same role.  The 73-year-old Strom is tired of the travel, but he may help out their impressive young pitchers in both

majors and minors at some point next season.

 

Strom did a fine job with the young Astro starters but the loss of their ace before the Series, Lance McCullers Jr., ultimately proved too much to overcome.

 

Now it's time to see if the warring sides of players and owners can hammer out a new collective bargaining agreement so spring training and the regular season start on time

in 2022.  Expect saber rattling on both sides, but at a juncture in our history when baseball is losing fans, another work stoppage would be ill-advised, to understate the issue.

 

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT:

There have been some notable passings in the arts recently that need mentioning.

 

**Satirist Mort Sahl, 94, in Mill Valley, Calif. on Oct 26.  I attended probably Sahl's last NYC performance in 2004 at the now-defunct B.B.King's blues club in Times Square. 

 

The iconoclastic Sahl, who became famous as a social critic during the Eisenhower years of the 1950s, claimed that Ronald Reagan was the last US President to have a sense of humor.  

 

Before the Soviet Union fell, according to Sahl, Reagan told a joke about a man in Russia who buys an automobile and asks when it will come. 

"Ten years," he is told.

"Morning or afternoon?" he inquires.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because the refrigerator is coming in the morning."

 

**Classical conductor Bernard Haitink, 92, on Oct 21 in London, England. Leading Amsterdam's Concertgebouw Orchestra from 1956 to 1988, its principal conductor from 1963, he was well known around the world for his no-frills but passionate musicianship. 

 

I attended an all-Beethoven Haitink Carnegie Hall concert late last century.  The stirring

opening bars of the "Eroica" Symphony #3 had just begun when all of a sudden Haitink stopped and whirled around, pointing his baton at people talking in a box in the second tier.

 

The audience gasped, the clueless dolts hushed, and the concert resumed. A moment never to be forgotten. 

 

**Finally, Jo-Carroll Dennison, 97, Oct 18 in the San Jacinto Mtns. east of LA.  She had been the oldest-living Miss America winning the pageant in 1942. 

 

Katharine Q. Seelye's late October obit in the NY Times had fascinating details.  Born in Arizona into a traveling medicine show family, Dennison became during WW II the second most popular pinup girl of servicemen after Betty Grable.

 

Was married to comic actor Phil Silvers from 1945-1950 (before his "Sgt. Bilko" years). Appeared opposite Larry Parks in the "Jolson Story" (1946). Had limited schooling but she got educated on tips from Leonard Bernstein and Ray Bradbury.  

 

Became a feminist long before #MeToo.  Wrote an autobiography in her last years,

"Finding My LIttle Red Hat". 

 

Last but not least, here are some TCM tips for November which is Sydney Greenstreet

month. The John Huston-Bogart-Mary Astor "Maltese Falcon" was already on, but Wed evenings Nov 10-17-24 will feature his work. 

 

Sports pickings are rather slim in November but on Su Nov 21 at 615p there is

"Stealing Home" (1988) with Mark Harmon/Blair Brown/Jodie Foster. It's about a ballplayer who returns home after the suicide of a friend.  Have not seen it so I'm curious.

 

And speaking of Blair Brown, don't let a less than favorable NYTimes review of Simon Stephens' "Morning Sun" keep you away from seeing the three-character play at Manhattan Theatre Club - it's located on lower level of the City Center (on W 55 St between 6-7 Aves.)

 

Blair Brown plays the mother, Edie Falco the daughter, and Marin Ireland the granddaughter in a moving play about the three generations of women in our unsettled times.  It may

start a little talky but as it moves on, thanks to good directing by Lila Neugebauer, you really get into the characters of these women. 

 

Edie Falco is quite a remarkable actress.  She adds Charlotte (Charley) to her formidable resume that includes Carmela Soprano and Nurse Jackie with hopefully many more roles to come.

 

That's all for now as the long off-season of baseball has begun and my rooting is focused on

my alma mater's teams, especially Columbia football and women's basketball and Wisconsin football and basketball.

 

Always remember:  Take it easy but take it, and stay positive and test negative.

I've always loved the song in the Reform Jewish Haggadah that begins:  "Behold it is the springtide of the year/Over and past is winter's gloomy reign."  Well, it could snow in April as Andy Pettitte found out pitching through snowflakes on Yankee Stadium Opening Day over twenty years ago - I think it was 1999.

 

This still remains an amazingly hopeful time of year. Birds are chirping, buds are blooming, and Passover starts on Sat night March 27 along with the NCAA Division I men's basketball Sweet Sixteen earlier that day.  Then Opening Day for MLB on April's Fool Day.  

 

It's a fitting way to start a season for teams without a prayer of competing for a pennant. Let's start with my Orioles whose lack of veteran pitching, a left-side infield defense "anchored" by retreads Maikel Franco and Freddy Galvis, inconsistent offense, and no closer don't exactly inspire confidence.  

 

I will certainly root for individuals like Trey Mancini, back at his best position first base after a year missed to colon cancer; RHP Dean Kremer MLB's first dual Israeli-American citizen; outfielder Austin Hays who had a great spring training but alas always seems to get hurt; and switch-hitting outfielder Anthony Santander (accent on the last syllable please - "san-tan-DERE!").

 

Since Orioles need feel-good stories, young Venezuelan Santander has found a fan club in the United Kingdom. 

Joe Trezza posted a lovely piece Mar 24 on mlb.com about how a few thousand United Kingdom youths on a trip to the States two years ago adopted Santander while sitting in Camden Yards left field seats. 

 

I just hope the rumors that he could be traded at the late July deadline are false. No one is safe from the analytic-drenched Oriole brain trust.

 

There is hardly pennant hope in Anaheim (Angels), Cincinnati, Denver (Rockies), Detroit, Dallas (Texas Rangers), Kansas City, Phoenix (Diamondbacks), Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Toronto.  With the inability to pay Francisco Lindor, now a Met, Cleveland might also become a non-contender.  

 

The Cubs could also be slipping. I see the Brewers and Cardinals as co-favorites in NL Central.

 

On paper, the White Sox look like the stronger Chicago team. They still have to do it on the field with Tony LaRussa as the first manager ever enshrined in the Hall of Fame to return to the field.

 

LaRussa's rehiring occurred just after he was hit with a DUI charge for the second time in recent years. There is little doubt that his return is owner Jerry Reinsdorf making amends for dismissing him 35 years earlier.

 

Mel Brooks had it right - "it's good to be the King."

 

The Twins could challenge the White Sox in AL Central and Kansas City could stick around.

Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield is one of the unheralded players in the game.

 

The Royals may be developing some good pitching to throw to All-Star catcher Salvador Perez, who the other day signed up for another four years in Kansas City.  

 

In AL West, Houston lost free agent outfielder George Springer to Toronto and ace Justin Verlander is recovering from Tommy John surgery and may not be back until late in the season. But I think with Dusty Baker managing, the Astros will find a way to contend. 

 

Oakland under manager Bob Melvin might be a slight favorite in AL West because the Angels need pitching and Mike Trout to have an even better year than usual. Shohei Ohtani, the Japanese pitcher-first baseman, is healthy and will certainly be fun to watch on both the mound and at bat.

 

The Mariners as always talk a good game at the cutting edge of analytics. So far it hasn't translated into wins.

In their new billion dollar stadium, Rangers will still look upward.  Dallas is also planning on a capacity crowd for Opening Day which might lead to Covid nightmares.   

 

In AL East, Tampa Bay always manages to compete against the behemoth Yankees and the enigmatic Red Sox whose co-owner John Henry seems more involved in his international soccer interests than the Bosox.

 

Toronto has already lost closer Kirby Yates but I like their core for the future: Two sons of Hall of Famers, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Craig Biggio; infielder Bo Bichette; free agent pickup infielder Marcus Semien; and the wonderfully named first baseman Rowdy Tellez.  But who will pitch?!

 

The NL East could be very interesting.  The Braves, who fell one game short of the 2020 World Series, have to be favored.  They've added reliable starter Charlie Morton and have returning MVP Freddie Freeman. 

 

I'm not impressed by the Mets pitching after Jacob DeGrom or their defense.  Lindor must be signed for a good chunk of the future and Pete Alonso must bounce back from a miserable sophomore season.

 

I do hope that a full season is played. Unlike the powers that be who crave the TV-watching eyeballs in LA and NY,

I don't want to see a Dodgers-Yankees World Series. But since October is such a long way off, I'll try to enjoy the daily drama.

 

There is always a surprise in any season because MLB is such a marathon and the nature of the game is capricious.  So is life. And that is my biggest gripe with the analytics crowd. They are hell-bent at forcing certainty on a game that blessedly has defied simple categorization in its long and fascinating history. 

 

On the local scene, Manhattan College has resumed its home schedule at its new field at Van Cortlandt Park.  

They host Rider College from Trenton NJ for two doubleheaders before Easter Sunday - FSa Apr 2-3 starting at noon.  Only the famllies of players are invited to attend, but the games are free and in a public park so no stopping anyone from looking on.

 

The Jaspers play another twinbill against Iona on W Apr 7, first game 12N   Iona returns on Wed Apr 14.

The field is located not far from the northern terminus of the #1 train at 242 St and Broadway.

 

PSAL high school baseball is slated to resume on May 1 for a 10-game season with no playoffs. It will be only intra-borough competition and end in mid-June.  

 

To use a term from the days of Watergate, NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio's pronouncement that all high school sports will be played through August is now "inoperative."  

 

Now on to hoops, Loyola of Chicago has become perhaps the sentimental favorite after dismantling #1 seed Illinois to everyone's surprise including me.

  

One pithy phrase summed up Loyola's convincing win: NUN-AND-DONE - it paid homage to Sister Jean Dolores-Schmidt, 101, who has been rooting the Ramblers on and really knows the game. She is the team's long-serving chaplain.

 

The Sweet Sixteens this Sat and Mon & Sun and Tues should be exciting. The three #1 seeds left will be favored -  Michigan v. Gonzaga for one semi-final on Apr 3 and Baylor v perhaps #2 Houston for second semi.

 

I wouldn't count out anyone yet.  Michigan must beat Florida State (Su at 5p CBS) and then the winner of a matchup between explosive Alabama and red-hot UCLA (Su 715p TBS). 

 

After years of disappointment, Gonzaga may finally get its title but must beat Creighton (Sun 240p CBS) and then the winner of USC-Oregon (Su 945p TBS).  

 

Baylor, who dispatched my Wisconsin Badgers fairly easily, has to go through Villanova (Sa 515p CBS) and the winner of Arkansas-Oral Roberts (Sa 725p TBS).  ORU is the #15 seed that knocked out Ohio State and Florida.

 

Houston will have to beat Syracuse (Sa 955p TBS) before it can face the winner of Loyola-Oregon State (Sa 240p CBS) 

 

Columbia alums continue to BIRG (Bask In Reflected Glory) about Mike Smith whose point guard play for Michigan has been outstanding.  The Wolverines are the only Big Ten team left in the tourney.  

 

Nine got in but Iowa was blown out by Oregon; Ohio State, Purdue and Rutgers lost winnable games; Michigan State lost an overtime play-in game to UCLA (now in the Sweet Sixteen); Maryland couldn't match Alabama's offensive fire power. 

 

The Big Ten was probably overrated because lack of intersectional play in regular season masked their weaknesses in dealing with quicker teams. The intensity and defensive prowess in the Big Ten this year was still wonderful to watch.   

 

That's all for now.  In this age of the not-yet-conquered pandemic, please stay positve and test negative.  And always remember:  Take it easy but take it!