The unique perspective and provocative opinions of Joe O’Neill
Sports Shorts
Luck of the draw: The Rays and the Yankees play each other 10 times. That’s 1/6 of the season against a really good team with a payrollthree times that of the Rays.
Sports, as we know, can be a welcome diversion from the rest of life. But with a pandemic, the impact on the game is part of the optics. From masks to “cut-out” fans to politics. Now we have the Rays purchasing the contract of lefty reliever Sean Gilmartin. Yes, he’s the husband of White House press sycophant Kayleigh McEnany.
Speaking of fan cut-outs, there was a familiar one the other night at a Kansas City Royals game—at least familiar to those who remember “Weekend at Bernie’s.”
University of Florida football fans have to like that No. 8 pre-season ranking by USA Today. But context matters: SEC rivals Alabama, Georgia and LSU are ranked 3, 4 and 5. Plus, there’s that pandemic thing and whether there will be a season or not. Otherwise, go, Gators.