Cash, funds, currency, loot, moolah, bread, bucks, greenbacks, dough, currency, resources, scratch, capital, and so on and so on…
Yep, you guessed it; they are all words referring to m-o-n-e-y.
It is also referenced by many who proclaim that money is the answer to every mysterious question in life whenever one wants to know why something is the way it is.
Money has been at the forefront of my mind in recent days, so I thought I would attempt to express a few thoughts on that particular word today before I get into several sports happenings. One reason for this is that I continue to read that how the free-spending Los Angeles Dodgers are ruining Major League Baseball by buying world championships with bundles of seemingly never-ending resources to the green.
Those folks have a point, but the team that spends the most doesn’t always win the most. Yes, it’s true that the Dodgers won it all last year, and they’re the consensus pick to repeat this season. But if you’ll recall, the Toronto Blue Jays came within inches of toppling LA in the World Series last year, and several other big spenders finished as also-rans in their quest for the title.
Don’t get me wrong however; I agree that if a franchise is serious about contending, they better spend a significant amount of legal tender to achieve lofty goals. There have been exceptions to the rule, but for a team to contend with the Dodgers and their massive payroll, odds are they will need to loosen their purse strings in a big way.
In the case of the Dodgers, they not only spend tons of money, but they also make shrewd decisions by having a top- notch farm system, as they’re spending millions on the right players that know how to win. Emulating what LA does in that regard should be what every MLB franchise should be doing, even if they don’t have the financial resources enjoyed by the Dodgers.
Evaluating and developing talent is nearly as important as spending frivolously to having a consistently winning franchise, which apparently is what clubs like Milwaukee and Detroit are doing. To a lesser degree, Tampa Bay, Arizona, Cleveland and Kansas City are in a similar situation. They don’t spend nearly as much as the Dodgers, Yankees, Cubs and Blue Jays do, but at least they’re always in the hunt.
It is just the disparity of spending that makes so many longtime baseball fans so discouraged. That, and the simple fact that the commissioner isn’t likely to do anything about it anytime soon. Not sure exactly what can be done due to the powerful players union, which will strike before agreeing to a salary cap.
To me anyway, this conundrum will likely result in a work stoppage next year is simply another example of being short sided, on behalf of the union and numerous thrifty, tight-fisted owners throughout baseball. As usual, it’s the fans who suffer as they pay exorbitant prices at the ball park.
A Motown tune from the early 1970s has also been creeping into my thoughts recently, and it is still appropriate for what is occurring in the world of sports, and not just baseball. The older folks reading this diatribe and fans of the genre will remember it well. Yep, “For the Love of Money” by the Philadelphia group the O’Jays said it best.
Cincinnati’s annual holiday
Opening Day occurs tomorrow in the Queen City as the Cincinnati Reds play host to the Boston Red Sox. The weather forecast is unusually promising for this time of year, with temperatures hovering in the mid-70’s during the afternoon.
The game was originally slated to have supposed Reds ace Hunter Greene toeing the slab for the home team, but of course, he’s on the injured list once again. In his place, Andrew Abbott will be hoping to limit the Bosox and help lift the home team to a win in game one of 162.
What appeared to be a team strength for Cincy has quickly morphed into a huge question mark, as the starting rotation suffers setback after setback here in the early spring. Not only is Greene sidelined, but oft-injured Nick Lodolo and Brady Singer have been battling blister issues. The Redlegs will be counting on big contributions from promising but inexperienced arms Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder as they try to derail the Brewers and fend off the Cubs in the NL Central.
Cincinnati will also need to see significant improvement at the plate if they hope to contend for the postseason, and with the emergence of Sal Stewart and the signing of former popular Red Eugenio Suarez, that appears doable. The team is counting on a bounce back season from Matt McLain as he tries to regain the promise he showed when he came to the bigs in 2024.
We have already seen however how important staying healthy will be for the Reds’ chances, and remaining relatively injury-free throughout the long campaign will be integral to any success the club enjoys. If the club can accomplish that, and Greene returns to give the Reds a boost in the second half, I can see them winning at least 86 games and perhaps sneaking in as a Wild Card again this season.
Playoff contenders in MLB
As mentioned above, the primary contenders for the postseason will likely be the teams that spend the most moolah.
With that said, my fearless forecast is as follows:
In the American League Championship Series, the Seattle Mariners edge the Toronto Blue Jays, and in the NL, the Phillies get past the Dodgers. In the Fall Classic, the only active team to have never appeared in a World Series, the Mariners, led by former Cincinnati Reds catcher Dan Wilson, wins its first world championship.
GRC wins both state tourneys
In what has to be considered a remarkable accomplishment, both girls’ and boys’ basketball teams from the same Kentucky high school returned home with the big trophy from the respective state tournaments. George Rogers Clark is to be commended for pulling off the feat, one that hasn’t been done in 98 years, when Ashland won both state tourneys.
Ironically, both teams knocked off Louisville schools in the championship games at Rupp Arena. The Lady Cardinals, led by Tournament MVP Teigh Yeast and head coach and former Fleming County star Robbie Graham, overcame a halftime deficit to defeat Assumption 48-43, and a week later, it was the Cardinals’ turn.
Akin to the namesake of the Winchester school, the George Rogers Clark Cardinals demonstrated its perseverance by toppling St. Xavier in a 58-50 overtime thriller. Point guard Malachi Ashford drained 9-of-10 from the free throw line in the extra session to seal the deal for the Cards, and earned tournament MVP honors.
Cats embarrassed in season finale
After witnessing the complete collapse by the Kentucky Wildcats in their exit in the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament, there has been an outcry among many Big Blue faithful for the administration to move the program in a different direction. Specifically, a multitude of UK basketball fans want to see Mark Pope sent packing as the school’s head coach.
This observer feels that is a premature notion, and that Pope deserves the opportunity to prove himself capable going forward. After all, this is not Billy Gillispie we’re talking about. Billy Clyde earned his quick dismissal from the program after his controversial two-year stint in Lexington, but Pope is a different case entirely.
Just look at what he had to do a year ago when the cupboard was completely bare. He quickly assembled a roster that accomplished much more than anyone expected, giving the Cats a trip to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019.
It is true that this season has been a disappointment, and Pope and his staff could have and should have assembled a better roster, but firing the guy after two years is beyond ridiculous. I fully understand the impatience from a large portion of the UK fanbase, and this is just the latest example of why the perception of the Kentucky basketball program is so low on a national level.
Pope does need to get busy in the transfer portal and on the recruiting trail, but UK fans certainly don’t help the coach attract prime high school talent and premium transfers with their inane comments on social media and on talk shows.
The ever-changing world of college basketball has changed tremendously in the past few years, and Pope deserves the benefit of the doubt to return the program to its once lofty status. Perhaps the position is too enormous for him, but firing him after just two seasons would set an awful precedent.
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“The lack of money is the root of all evil.” – Mark Twain
