Each year we celebrate New Years Eve & Day! It makes us reflect on the changes of the past year and what we “hope” will be part of the new Year! WE look FORWARD and BACKWARD on New Year’s Day. Same is true in the Sports World….in no particular order..here we go…
…New Years Day has been “the big day” for College Bowl Games….until now. With the NCAA forming a tournament for the top 12 teams to decide the national champion, the bowls (not used in that tournament) are facing a brand-new challenge. Not just lining up teams or conferences to compete but to draw the fans & televised coverage to make a profit. e.g. the Rose Bowl for decades was always the winner of the Big 10 vs Pac 10. It would almost always schedule two very good teams who in most cases had not faced each other. That’s all gone now with the NCAA Championship tournament.
….LOOKING FORWARD–how long do you think it’ll be before the NCAA Football Championship “Tournament” expands to 16 teams (from the 12 now)? I’m guessing 2 or 3 years. The money through televised coverage is just too big for the NCAA to ignore.
…LOOKING BACKWARD AND FORWARD…we can’t leave college football’s biggest upset of 2024 to slide by us….N. Illinois 16-14 upset of Notre Dame! ND’s FG attempt from 62 yards was blocked as the final buzzer sounded! N. Illinois finished the season with an 8-5 record and 4-4 in the Mid-American Conference! Notre Dame qualified for the National NCAA Football Tournament (12 teams selected) despite this loss. What an upset!!! Notre Dame has recovered from that shocking upset. ND knocked off Indiana yesterday 27-27 to advance to the National NCAA Football Tournament Quarterfinals against Georgia next weekend.
…LOOKING BACKWARD…Mizzou’s 27-24 win over Iowa in the Music City Bowl (Nashville) was an entertaining game with momentum switching back & forth throughout the contest. Mizzou appeared to have better athletes all across their lineup. Iowa clearly had better discipline. The exciting finish late in the 4th quarter saw Iowa , who was out of timeouts and was stopped about a yard short of the first down marker on third down with just over a minute to go. The Hawkeyes rushed to the line for the 4th down attempt to run a QB sneak, but LB Corey Flagg stopped the play before it could really unfold by jumping OVER the offensive lineman! It forced kicker Brendan Sullivan to attempt a longer FG and it tailed to his left. Brady Cook, appears to me, will be drafted by the NFL. His poise, arm strength, football intelligence and athletic ability should lead to his name being called on NFL draft day. Coach Eli Drinkwitz has been a successful recruiter and apparently boosters are making the NIL money high enough to bring in talented athletes. Mizzou’s win puts MU at 10-3 for the 2024 season. It also gives the Tigers back-to-back 10-win seasons after going 11-2 in 2023. It’s the first time the Tigers have had consecutive seasons with double-digit wins since 2013 and 2014 when Mizzou won 23 games and went to back-to-back SEC title games.
…LOOKING BACKWARD…In December, the Blues looked at their past and picked a new coach to lead them into the Future as they struggled having lost 5 of the last 6 games under Drew Bannister. Jim Montgomery was brought in to take over the reins of the Blues. He had been an assistant in the Lou from 2020-22 under Craig Berube. He also had Head Coaching experience under his belt.
..LOOKING FORWARD….Since the change, it appears that some of the younger players are contributing more and getting more ice time. e.g.Dylan Holloway has recorded his 1st career Hat Trick. It seems to my non-trained hockey eyes that the Blues are getting more offensive chances with good speed and an increase in shots. Montgomery’s positive reinforcement appears to be “getting more out of the Blues”. My Hockey Crystal Ball, while still cloudy, seems to indicate that the Blues aren’t going to win the Stanley Cup but….WILL make the playoffs!!!! That’s a big leap…..but…there is ½ the season remaining. LGB!!!
….LOOKING BACKWARD…as the MLB is looking through a rear view mirror, there is a real “issue” (we can’t use the word “problem” any more for some reason. The tremendous jump in injuries to pitchers has become a major concern. Team after team has some of their pitching staff riddled by arm injuries of all sorts. The MLB is seeking to find a way to keep their pitchers “available” to pitch. Sooo… the MLB made a study to find the cause & solution(s). Initially, overuse was the culprit. 1) These MLB pitchers, who’d grown up playing baseball year-round were entering professional baseball with damage already in their arms. As their levels increased and the pitchers tried “getting more” out of their arm. Their arms were pushed beyond what it could handle. Thus, leading to Tommy John Surgeries 2) Another growing factor that leads to arm injuries then a new issue arose, the chase for increased velocity and stuff. …Those magical Numbers on the radar gun has driven pitchers to throw as hard as they can, for as long as they can in each and every appearance. For many, the arms “break down” and leads to surgery. Some return to MLB but a) usually not with the same velocity; b) not for long. Take a look at the increase of velocity of pitchers who throw 95+mph in National Showcase Games 2014-2024.
…LOOKING BACKWARD…In 2014 & 2015, there were 5 pitchers @ 95 or 95+ at the MLB Showcase. 2016-18 pitchers. In 2017,18,19 there were 6,3,8 pitchers over 95mph. Then things jumped 2020-there were 16 pitchers threw 95+. Here’s the rest of the chart—2021—17 pitchers; 2022-`18 pitcher; 2023- 24 pitchers, 2024-36 pitchers could throw 95mph @ the Showcase.
…LOOKING FORWARD…From my view the MLB is lusting for those 100mph pitchers. Their concern for the longevity of the pitcher is buried some place under all the stats and almost totally ignored. They want pitchers to pitch each game, each pitch (starter or reliver) with “all their stuff” each outing. If it causes shorter careers…there’s always someone on the horizon to take your spot.
LOOKING BACKWARD…Greg Maddux, maybe the best pitcher of our era, DID NOT throw 95+mph. He didn’t try to throw hard every pitch. He’s quoted as saying (in so many words), ‘ a pitcher needs control and movement and changing of speeds to win”. He would know…in his 24 seasons as a pitcher, he made 740 starts (that’s an average of just under 31 starts/season!) He hung up a career record of 355-227 with a lifetime ERA of 3.16! The Walk/Hit ratio for innings pitched (WHIP) for his career was an astonishing 1.14. He really was a special talent.
LOOKING BACKWARD….MLB can say anything they want…but for several years now, they seek Maximum speed on each & every pitch! Sure, a slider (which has replaced the curve ball as the most favorite breaking ball) causes elbow injuries due to the hard snap required to get a “ sharp” break. Both these techniques lead to arm issues & short careers. Is the MLB actually demanding “produce now” attitudes with no concern for the future of the individual pitcher/player?
…Now changing gears….let’s look at 2024 with some sports highlights….
LOOKING BACKWARD & FORWARD….Our adopted NFL team (the KC Chiefs) won their 2nd straight Super Bowl. This back-back title grab has just about ensured Patrick Mahomes as a HOF inductee after he retires. This year KC holds a 15-1 record. The Chiefs have become the StL weekly visitor on NFL games. Mahomes is a good, very good and quite an entertainer with his multiple release points, his escapability and the Chiefs have won several “tight” games in the waning moments of the game. They’ve won 5 games by 3 or less points and 10 games by a touchdown or less! Close, exciting, and a 1st place team lures in big audiences. The NFL has given up on the Lou….soooo, KC is now OUR team!!
…LOOKING BACKWARD…Could you ever imagine a Father-Son combo playing on the same team in the NBA? Lebron James, now the all-time leading scorer in the NBA with 41,100 points has as a teammate, his son-Bronny James! For the most part, Bronny is receiving very, very small amount of playing time. Even though it’s kinda “sketch” claiming that he’s an NBA player, it’s still Amazing!!
….LOOKING FORWARD…Btw….StL product –Bradley Beal (Chaminade grad) is now 39th in NBA History in 3-point baskets!! How high can he go in that all-time category?
….LOOKING BACKWARD….the World Series between NYY & LA Dodgers was a very entertaining series. In GAME 1, Freddie Freeman hits a walk-off HR to win game 1 for LA. Freeman, whose pair of RBIs in Game 5 gave him a Fall Classic record-tying 12 ribbies in only 5 games as he earned the World Series MVP. It wasn’t easy for LA…they emptied their bullpen in the final game and rallied to beat Gerrit Cole (one of NYY best relievers). Ironically, one of the LA Starters, Walker Buehler earned the Series-Clinching save!
….STILL LOOKING BACKWARD….Followed closely all year was super-star Shohei Ohtani. He was a valuable member of the Dodgers throughout 2024. He finished with a .310 average, 197 hits, 54 home runs, 130 RBIs and 134 runs scored in 159 games in 2024. He won his 3rd MVP award deservedly, his 3rd Silver Slugger award and for the 1st time was on a winning World Series team! It’s a win-win for everyone as Ohtani spreads the MLB brand across the Pacific Ocean to Japan. No pitching for him in 2024 but his career numbers on the mound of 38 wins, 19 losses; ERA-3.01, whip-1.08, 608 strikeouts are still very impressive! It’s exciting to think of his possible future in batting & pitching!!
…LOOKING FORWARD…Mizzou basketball is off to a flying start to 24-25 season. Holding a 10-2 record but ranked #50 in NCAA Mens Basketball currently. Mizzou does own an impressive win over #5 Kansas (9-2). They lost to #1 Auburn (11-1) in the opening game. Tigers aren’t ranked in the Top 25—probably due to the many “soft” wins thus far in 24-25(6 of their 10 wins)—Lindenwood, Ark-Pine Bluff, Jacksonville State, Long Island Univ, Pacific Univ., Eastern Washington Univsity. In addition, the Tigers are 0-2 on the road. With the SEC schedule about to begin, there will be an equal number of home & away games. Soooo… Tigers must win some road games to be a ranked team.
…LOOKING BACKWARD….Just last week in the final week of 2024, the MLB lost a huge star! Rickey Henderson passed away. His abundant self-confidence often “rubbed” fans the wrong way. He is the All-Time stolen base leader with 1,406 SB’s. He played from 1979 to 2003. He broke Lou Brocks’ stolen base record for a season of 118 stolen bases in 1974 when he stole 130 bases in 1983. Henderson had 3 seasons of 100+ stolen bases! His career record of 1,406 stolen bases is almost 500 more SB’s than Lou Brock’s 938 stolen bases. Rickey was more than a track man in a baseball uni, he finished his 25-year career having scored more runs, stolen more bases, hit more home runs to lead off a game and drawn more walks than anyone who ever played!
…LOOKING FORWARD…Wishing all of you a HAPPY NEW YEAR and a Wonderful 2025! Thanks for your consistent reading! Please spread the word to your sports friends & family. I wrapped up 2024 year with 52 articles & 29,931 readers-an average of 575+ readers per Buzz. Shooting for 600+ in ’25. HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Bob
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