March 2023 Sports Roundup and the Year to Date
A March NFL recap, pitchers and catchers, NHL trades and upcoming “March Madness”
Well, the football season is finally here in the form of the XFL! And then, we get the USFL later in the Spring! So exciting. OK, I apologize starting the article off being sarcastic—not very nice. But at the end of the day, these off-season leagues are just never going to gain traction, in my opinion. Once the Super Bowl ends, in many minds (including mine), it’s baseball season. Spring Training, which brings us to new rules, also means bigger bases, pitching clocks, etc. etc. I guess the sports reality is that these rules are important to gain new and younger viewers and fans. It’s sad in my opinion that a cerebral game like Baseball has to be watered down so that new consumers can understand. There is more to life than what’s on your phone, folks!
Back to the Super Bowl for a second: Great game? Yes. Horrible game? Yes. Halftime show? I’ve never been a fan of these things, so to me it was a good time to visit the restroom.
Look, the NFL is a multi-billion-dollar industry, at its pinnacle and linchpin worldwide multi-billion-dollar showcase event, and with its billions they put a field out that’s basically an ice-skating rink?!
What a travesty that was!
Just a shame. In reviewing the game, they saw that almost 40% of the time defensive lineman were slipping. That’s a big deal when you need to rush the quarterback, as most teams needed to do — especially the Eagles. Look, I had no dog in the fight, but come on, man!
At the end of the day, if you’re gonna play a game like that in this day and age, you have got to get the field right—at least.
But Roger Goodell will go on whistling a happy tune, just like when it was said that the officiating was good in the playoffs, (when it was very bad!) And like a Teflon pan, the NFL will slide by and go on printing money. And yes, I am one of the sheep who will continually return.
Onward.
As noted, baseball season is starting up and I’m excited about the New York Mets prospects, although many people are very critical about the amounts of money that owner Steve Cohen is spending. They are spending a lot of money, but as a Mets fan it seems like compensation from years of neglect. Then again, the San Diego Padres, Dodgers, and others are right there too.
If I’m going to do any early predictions, I’m going to say that the Yankees and the Houston Astros will again battle for the AL, while the Mets, Dodgers, Padres, and Braves should be the go-to teams in the NL. Sorry Philly — you had three shots at championships last year (MLS, MLB and NFL) and you lost all three — but at least your city is still standing, right? (I love Philly!)
Spring is also a time where the NHL playoffs begin and I’m very much looking forward to it because I love watching hockey. I’m hoping that the Islanders can sneak in, but my fear is that they lost too many games they should have won throughout the season. I think that the Rangers are having a fine season — however, I don’t expect to see them in the finals this year. I think the Boston Bruins are far away the best team in the NHL right now and it will be a shock to me if they do not win the cup.
The NBA? I don’t really pay attention as you may, or may not know, but I am actually pleased to see that the Knicks are back on the map. And in college basketball, we have March Madness coming up and that’s always a great time of year! Get ready for “brackets,” but look for the upsets across the board, because there have been no clear teams at the top of the heap this season.
I think there are going to be a lot of upsets, and I think an unexpected national champion may prevail.
Maybe Gonzaga will finally reach the pinnacle. That would be kind of nice, as they’ve had quite a good run for what used to be a “mid major program.”
Enjoy the Spring weather and the outdoors!
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