FUMBLE!! Usually thought about as part of a football game but it could be when a person/company/team miss an opportunity to advance in some way, or make a mistake or hesitate and miss an opportunity or make a poor judgment. It happens to all of us and it’s going on today all over the sports world also….
…the WNBA has really FUMBLED a unique situation. Instead of welcoming the most well-known women’s basketball player currently, Caitlin Clark , into the league. Entering the 28 year old league with more fan-fare than ANY other player, it’s brought attention & scrutiny to the league. Unfortunately, lots of racism & sexism is rearing up its ugly head with her arrival. In a league with 70% Black players & 100% women players, she’s being frowned upon by many players of the league. Instead of accepting her, and all the interest that she’s generated in the NCAA level, her move has clearly been FUMBLED by the league.
…On ESPN’s “First Take” with Stephen A. Smith, Molly Qerim, Monica McNutt and Shannon Sharpe, there was some real heavy criticism of the league. Smith and Sharpe suggested that WNBA players are envious and bitter over Clark’s arrival as — to use Smith’s term — “the golden goose.” Last month, Charles Barkley accused the league’s veterans of being “petty” over Clark’s attention. LeBron James tweeted that if you “don’t rock” with Clark, you’re “a FLAT OUT HATER!” This situation is very, very unfortunate. The WNBA may be FUMBLING on some solid TV contracts (and maybe even the existence of the league) if they continue their current stance.
… No one is saying that she’ll be the best player in the league, or even a star, but she DOES bring in some incredible records, fanfare and attention to the WNBA.
…Staying in the basketball mode (unusual on June1), the passing of Jerry West this week brought back many memories for me. West starred with Elgin Baylor for the Lakers. He played for the Lakers from 1960-1974. The ST Louis Hawks played from 1955-1978 in the Lou and I saw Jerry West frequently play the Hawks. He was a sharp shooter from the very 1st minute that he played NBA basketball. His mid-range jump shot was deadly! (he played prior to 3-pt shot). From W. Virginia, he didn’t have much…if any…national notoriety when he reached the NBA. He led W. Virginia to its only Final Four performance!! West quickly was recognized as a star. He was drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers (later became the LA Lakers). Here’ some of his accomplishments. He was voted 12x into the All-NBA 1st/2nd Teams, was on All-Star Team 14 times and was chosen as the All-Star MVP in 1972–the same year that he won the only title of his career. West was 6th in NBA history in made free throws (7,160). Generally, a perimeter shooter, West holds the record for the highest PPG average in a playoff series with 46.3. He owned a picture-book shot…and he wanted the ball when the game was “on the line”. After his playing career, he was successful as an NBA executive- He was a Head Coach, a scout, general manager…wherever he worked…it seemed that his team always succeeded! May he rest in peace.
…. The Cardinals are facing a FUMBLED opportunity in their approach to move up in the NL Central in the future. The Cards continue their “try outs” for players. So far, from my view, only 4 players have locked themselves into a spot….SS Masyn Winn(highest batting avg, highest OPS, tremendous arm & range—the SS of the future; 2b-Nolan Gorman-seems to have landed a job @ 2B—his incredible power stroke may lead to multiple strikeouts( ya know an out is an out—is a fly out/ground out really much different than a strikeout? He has more HR than Arenado & Goldschmidt combined! OF/DH Alec Burleson—he’s a hitter. His stroke handles inside pitches, outside pitches. He takes singles, when the pitch dictates it and he hits for power when the pitch is in his “wheelhouse”. Don’t try to change his swing!! The Catching position belongs to Wilson Conteras. At this moment, the top 3 Cardinals in OPS (on-base + slugging %) are Masyn Winn .784, Nolan Gorman .760, Alec Burlison .746. That’s our future…and our current best batters! When Willson Conteras returns to the lineup, he’ll be an everyday player who bats in the middle of the lineup and can throw out baserunners. It seems that Ivan Herrera is literally being “run out of league” by the other MLB teams as they are stealing bases at will against him. AT this moment, Goldschmidt (who’s in his last year of his contract) seems “iffY to me on his return
…FUMBLING their chance to improve this past off-season & early ’24 season. The Cards are clinging to some veterans & rookies who shouldn’t be in the MLB. Brandon Crawford (was our “big” trade this off-season but WHY did we get him??). He’s batting .162 with 14 strikeouts in just 40 plate appearances; Jose Fermin (I don’t care how many positions he can play—he can’t hit—5 out of 29); catcher Pedro Pag’es—who will be battling Herrera for the backup spot is holding a .107 average as I type this on Friday; Matt Carpenter—really? Yea..he’s probably a good guy but does he still have a MLB skill level? His .194 average with 21 strikeouts in his 62 AB speak loudly & clearly. Michael Siani- the Reds realized it after 12 AB in 2 years—he can’t hit. He IS very fast and does play a very strong defense as the CF but at the plate—it’s a different issue. Apparently, the Cards are now using him almost exclusively as a “sacrifice bunter”, Huh? Surely, we can use that roster spot with a player who could contribute much more than a .206 avergae & bunting skills!! Management can’t FUMBLE AROUND ANY LONGER. Bring in players who contribute offensively & defensively.
…FUMBLING their opportunity on national TV, the Battlehawks were beaten soundly by the San Antonio Brahmas 25-15 in the XFL Conference Title game. The Battlehawks had beaten the Brahmas twice in very close games in the regular seasonThey stymied the Battlehawks offense in the 1st half and led 13-3. The Brahmas scored early in the 3rd quarter to make it 19-3. St Louis scored 12 straight points to slice the lead to 19-15. Brahmas answered with back-back FG to make the score 25-15 and that was the final score. Veteran Coach Wade Miller had his team well prepared and seemed to keep the BattleHawks off kilter. His defensive line stymied the home town’s run game. Offensively, Miller used his speedy receivers to beat the Battlehawk secondary defenders in 1 on 1 coverage easily. There were over 30,000 in attendance but they didn’t get much of a chance to really “roar” in this game. Apparently, the UFL was so sure that St Louis would win that they scheduled the championship game in St Louis this weekend! So now it’ll be the San Antonio Brahmas verses the Birmingham Stallions in St. Louis for the inaugural UFL Championship on FOX TV. It says a couple things…the attendance in the Lou has been far, far better than anyone else and the league wants a crowd for the championship game. The Stallions are playing for their third consecutive spring football championship, as they won the USFL title in 2022 and 2023 before the league merged with the XFL this season. The only good thing of the loss was that 4 BattleHawks caught the interest of NFL teams!! As of Wednesday, 4 NFL teams have offered tryouts, workouts, or visits to wide receiver Hakeem Butler, running back Jacob Saylors, linebacker Willie Harvey Jr., and kicker Andre Szmyt, according to several reports. Good Luck to them!!
..Well…I’ve FUMBLED enough…guess I have to start carrying a ball around ..like we did decades ago with running backs who couldn’t “hang on”. Thanks for your read! Bob
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