San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Deep thoughts, cheap shots & bon mots ...
Raiders vs. 49ers in the final exhibition game Sunday is about money. Squeezing more dough out of a meaningless practice game, despite security risks. Let’s hope the two teams and the NFL don’t regret their greed. Security will be beefed up, but it’s not about just numbers. This will be no event for mall cops.
It’s a race between 49ers George Kittle and Trent Williams to see who can speak the most glowingly to the media of any given teammate. Based on their quotes, the 49ers have the two best quarterbacks in the league. (Mental note: Ask Kittle and Williams whether they will speak at my funeral.)
It never feels good to read of a superstar or his/her heirs auctioning off the symbols of greatness, the championship rings and MVP trophies. It is always explained that the money will go to charity, or will fund the player’s comfy retirement, or help his family. But it always seems wrong, and sad.
Here’s an idea for the NFL: Put all the non-vaccinated players on a new team named the Freedom Fighters. Each Sunday, tell the Freedom Fighters that their game is canceled due to COVID concerns, and they have been awarded a forfeit victory. At the end of the season, announce on some murky internet site that the Freedom Fighters have been declared Super Bowl champs by default. The team’s players will believe it, because they believe anything they read on the internet. The rest of the NFL players can play football. Everyone is happy.
Aren’t you glad the Giants didn’t kick the tires on Trevor Bauer when he was up for grabs? (They didn’t, did they? Please tell me they didn’t.)
Will the baseball writers even bother to vote on American League MVP? It would be embarrassing if any player other than Shohei Ohtani gets even one firstplace vote. There is a word for Ohtani this season: ichiban. It means No. 1, first, best. It’s also a tasty beer.
Please join the movement to have the checked-swing appeal eliminated from baseball. The base umpire who makes the call is flipping a coin, mentally, because he has no slo-mo replay in his brain. And who cares? The batter did not swing, so it’s no swing. Dumbest rule in sports.
I avoid the Little League World Series, preferring to confine my exposure to youngsters to shooing them off my lawn. One more reason: LLWS teams no longer proudly sport their city’s name on their jerseys. Every jersey says “Little League.” I assume the name on the back of each jersey is “CHILD.”