Just talking a little sports
Published 12:35 am Friday, January 17, 2020
Someone ask me what I was going to write about this week for Sports Chatter and too be honest there has been so much swirling around in this churning head of mine that I thought I would just shoot out some thoughts about different sports for this week.
Major League Baseball
What in the world is going on when in professional baseball that a manager feels that they have to steal signs from the opposing team to win a baseball game where professional athletes (and coaches) are making more money than a poor boy like myself could even imagine.
I mean what’s the purpose. If you cannot win a game as simple as baseball by earning your keep so to speak, you don’t deserve to be a part of the game.
Has the demands to win become some overwhelming that a manager would stop as low as using cameras and trashcans to steal opposing signals? Apparently the answer to that is a loud ‘YES’ as this week Houston Astro manager A.J. Hinch was thrown into that same trash can along with Astros General Manager Jeff Luhnow by Houston owner Jim Crane for their part.
Now, Boston manager Alex Cora who was part of Hinch’s coaching staff during the 2017 World Series run was also dumped as from the word on the street is that Cora was the mastermind.
And it doesn’t stop there as Carlos Beltran who took over as Mets manager during the offseason may also be looking at some punishment as he was also implicated in the messy situation in Houston.
Many say that coaching the Mets is punishment enough. The jury is still out on Beltran.
Regardless, with this new scandal involving baseball joining other cheating scandals in other sports, more specific cheating allegations on the New England Patriots including deflate-gate, it is obvious that winning is more important than ethics on the professional level.
Hopefully, by Spring Training, all this mess will be cleared up and another season of Major League Baseball can be enjoyed.
Tennessee Titans
Let me take just a moment to talk a little Tennessee Titan football. Right now my Titans are in prime position to play in the 2020 Super Bowl in February – that is if they can take care of the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend.
The Titans defeated the Chiefs once this season and some say that beating the same team twice is difficult. I hope that Tennessee follows the lead of the Elizabethton Cyclones who defeated Greeneville twice this season on their way to a state championship.
One thing for sure is that running back Derrick Henry has established himself as one of the top running backs in the NFL and it has become so fun to watch as he continues to run over defenses who are worn down by having to tackle the runaway train especially late in the game.
It would be a fantastic finish to my closing football season to go along with the Cyclones winning the state championship, Tennessee coming back to win the Taxslayer Bowl, and then Tennessee reaching and winning the Super Bowl.
College Basketball
It’s been a tough season early on for my Tennessee Vols basketball team but maybe the stars are getting aligned once again with the addition of point guard Santiago Vescovi who has been exceeding expectations with double-figures in each of his games since being cleared to play and with the decision by the NCAA to allow 7’0 Arizona State transfer Uros Plavsic to be eligible immediately to play.
That decision may help to salvage the Vols season and help them reach the NCAA tournament once again in 2020.
Also, it has been fun watching Gate City native Mac McClung help turn things around at Georgetown. I never thought I would find myself actively seeking a Georgetown basketball game on television, but if you haven’t watched McClung play you wouldn’t understand.
McClung can soar for rim-shaking jams over taller opponents or bury a series of treys at any given moment. He has been a pleasant surprise to head coach Patrick Ewing’s squad and has helped to settle the team amongst a season of internal problems.
The sophomore guard is the nephew of Eastside Elementary’s Thomas Brown who serves as the school’s librarian.
High School Wrestling
In closing, I would really like to encourage my readers to take time to go and take in a high school wrestling match. In covering the Elizabethton Cyclones on the mat, I have been thoroughly entertained by watching these athletes compete – win or lose.
On Saturday at the Fandetti Brawl at Science Hill, Elizabethton junior Deuce Morton cut through the competition on his way to a title in his weight class winning five matches with one of the five wins placing him at 100 wins for his high school career.
It is a ton of fun watching Morton work his opponent just simply overmatching them and then taking the win often before one can blink.
Joseph Kechter also is a brute in the heavyweight class as Kechter also blew through his opponents on his way to five wins and the heavyweight title Saturday.
And should I mention the lady wrestlers as well with Tyesha Thomas was simply a wrestling machine on Saturday winning her weight class and being voted the Wrestler of the Match as well.
Thomas was dead-eye focused and her opponents were at her mercy as she completed her run.
Elizabethton will be wrestling in Greeneville Saturday at Hal Henard in an all-day invitational tournament.
