Many New York Jets fans were down in the dumps when November began as their team was mired in yet another fruitless season as their record stood at a wretched 1-6. The brown paper facial bags, long a symbol of sports fans who are humiliated by the play of their beloved team, were broken out when the Jets were beaten by the previously winless Miami Dolphins in south Florida on November 3.
The Jets began to turn things around by beating their equally inept MetLife Stadium co-tenants, the New York Giants, 34-27 and then followed that win up by beating those perennial NFL dregs, the Washington Redskins, 34-17 the following week in Landover, Maryland.
While no one would confuse either the Giants or the Redskins with the Jets’ perennial tormentors, the New England Patriots, wins are wins and Gang Green fans couldn’t afford to be fussy about who their team beat.
All of which made Sunday’s 34-3 win over the Oakland (and soon-to-be Las Vegas) Raiders very satisfying as it marked the first time this season that the Jets beat a team with a winning record.
Jets quarterback Sam Darnold showed the same poise that he displayed against both the Giants and Redskins as he beat the Raiders with both his arm and legs
There’s little doubt that the Jets benefitted from the damp raw weather which the Raiders, who play in balmy California, were not adequately prepared. After their receivers dropped very catchable passes in the first quarter it appeared as if the entire team mentally checked out of MetLife Stadium.
Speaking of teams not showing up to play, the New York Knickerbockers enjoyed a rare easy win last Monday as they lambasted the Cleveland Cavaliers, who seemed to want to be anywhere but Madison Square Garden based on their putrid free throw shooting, poor passing and sloppy defense.
Shooting guard Dameyan Dotson, who was chosen by the Knicks in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft, always seems to create instant offense when he’s on the floor and yet seems to be under the radar screen when it comes to recognition.
Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson knows that his job is to not only win the next game but to make sure his players are not fatigued by later in the season when playoff spots are on the line. He stated before Friday night’s game with the Sacramento Kings he is well aware of the cumulative wear and tear of playing minutes which is akin to accounting concept of depreciation vis-a-vis long-term assets.
He said that he has to be judicious given the injuries to the team’s best players, Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert. Fortunately for him, guards Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris, and Garrett Temple have provided both solid offense and defense to compensate for their prolonged absences.
It’s no secret San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is not a big fan of President Trump and he used the president as a comedic foil during the team’s recent losing streak.
When San Antonio Express-News sportswriter Mike Finger asked Popovich if this was a tough time for both his team and himself given the early struggles of the Spurs, Popovich quickly responded “That’s bullsh-t. We’re kicking ass. This is fake news. It’s a conspiracy theory! Whoever started this rumor that we’re losing games, it didn’t happen. It’s not true. It’s a witch hunt!”
The sports website, the Players Tribune, which was started by Derek Jeter as a way for professional athletes to communicate directly with their fans without those pesky intermediaries known as sportswriters, was sold last week to an Israeli company, Minute Media, after years of bleeding money.
The concept never resonated with the public and it was an open secret that ghostwriters were really writing the articles as opposed to the athletes themselves.
Wedding Salon, the quarterly trade show relating to all things relating to nuptials and honeymoons, had the expected formal wear exhibitors as well as glamorous resort areas as Mexico’s Cabo San Lucas, the Dominican Republic’s Punta Cana, Aruba, and the Bahamas. A Bahamas representative told me that Grand Bahama Island is recovering from Hurricane Dorian and that most of its hotels should be up and running by mid to late winter.
Closer to home, a Catskills resort, the Kartrite, located in Monticello next door to the Resorts World Casino which many over 50 years of age will remember as the site of the Concord Hotel, was promoting its indoor water park as a place for wedding party fun. While skiing is big in the winter in Sullivan County, a representative from the Kartrite told me that many like to put on their bathing suit and hit the water because it’s a balmy 84 degrees years at its indoor water facility.
One doesn’t normally associate massages with weddings but according to the representative from Manhattan’s Oasis Day Spa it has become a part of many wedding receptions. The spokesperson also told me that hand massages are becoming increasingly popular because of daily routine texting and computer work.
A talented violinist and singer from Orlando, Florida, Charleene Closshey, promoted her new album, “Christmas Time Is Here,” with a media performance last week at Manhattan’s Essex House.
The title track is from the 1960s animated holiday special, “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” whose composer was the late Vince Guaraldi. For some unknown reason it has rarely been covered by other artists. The rest of the tracks are quite good as well with Closshey getting a chance to show off both her Irish heritage pride and fiddling skills on “Christmas in Killarney.”