The unique perspective and provocative opinions of Joe O’Neill
Sports Shorts
The NHL suspended Evander Kane of the San Jose Sharks 21 games for submitting a fake vaccination card. Professional sports vaxx rates: NHL-99 percent; NBA-96 percent; NFL-94 percent; MLB-87.4 percent.
The Rays, as we know, do very well with far less money than their chief competitors in a non-salary-cap sport that is blatantly skewed financially. But the post-season loss to Boston, a team the Rays won a majority of regular-season games from, hurt. The Rays reality: a team not made for a short series. Last post season: Charlie Morton, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow. This post season: Shane McClanahan, Shane Baz and Drew Rasmussen—plus no stud closer.
As with the Rays, the Tampa Bay Rowdies made the post-season playoffs after an impressive season. But something else is also the same. They each have an Arozarena brother: the Rays’ Randy and the Rowdies’ Raiko.
American Athletic Conference update: New additions will include FAU, UAB and UTSA (University of Texas San Antonio). Departees: Cincinnati, Houston and UCF. Bottom line: The AAC spiral continues. Remember when the Big East’s USF didn’t want to play UCF because it was a step down in status and couldn’t help an ascendant program? That was then; this is decidedly not.
Sotheby’s auctioned off a pair of Nike sneakers worn by Michael Jordan during his 1984 rookie NBA season for–$1.47 million. That’s not a misprint.