Much has already been posted and written about the Bills and their first game at the new Highmark Stadium.
I won’t bother to rehash what was chronicled, though I will say that the team and the folks behind the maintenance and upkeep of the $2 billion-plus palace have something in common: there was a good amount to like (Bills performance and look of stadium) and a few things to work on (third-down pass protection and the turf, among other concerns).
Joltin’ Joshua
If St. Louis Cardinals rookie outfielder Joshua Baez does nothing more in the major leagues, he can always tell his children and grandchildren and other family and friends he accomplished something no one else ever did.
The 23-year-old Baez, called up from their Triple-A club in Memphis, became the first player ever to hit a home run in each of his first three at-bats in the majors, leading St. Louis to an 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Saturday. Baez, who had some 30 family and friends in the stands, led the circuit closest to the big leagues in homers with 34. He has come back to reality, however.
Through Sunday and the first game of a Monday doubleheader, Baez has gone 0 for 9. Pitchers may have the book on Joshua now. Here’s hoping he has a long and prosperous career and has one distinction no one can take away.
Buss’n Out of L.A.
No one in the sports world had ever heard of Jerry Buss until he purchased the Los Angeles Lakers, Kings, Strings (World Team Tennis), the “Fabulous Forum” and a 13,000-acre ranch in 1979 from then-owner Jack Kent Cooke for a cool $67.5 million.
While he spun off the hockey club, under Buss’ family ownership, the Lakers would eventually win 11 NBA Championships and nearly 2,300 games, most in the last 45-plus years. Buss, who also owned MISL and WNBA teams, made sure his family was involved, including daughter Jeanie, who became the face of the franchise when the forever playboy Jerry died in 2013.
Fast forward to now, when it was revealed Jeanie and the family decided to sell the remaining 18% of their team to former Disney chief Bob Iger and Josh Kushner, whose brother is the son-in-law of the current President of The United States. They recently bought the team from Mark Walter, who also owns the two-time defending World Series Champion Dodgers.
Walter, who had bought the Lakers just 14 months ago for $10 billion and made a $2 billion profit with his sale, is under federal investigations for alleged tax fraud by other companies tied to the billionaire.
One could go a little deeper and put together conspiracy theories, with the aforementioned indirect tie to The White House, as well as the recent appearance by the Dodgers at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, where POTUS was given a World Series ring, but we won’t.
Instead, it’ll be interesting, maybe weird, to see how the operation of arguably one of the top 5-7 sports franchises in American professional sports goes forward without the Buss family in it.
CNBC reports Jeanie may be the only sibling who opposes the sale, so we’ll see where this goes.
Courageous Carrino
The Basketball Hall of Fame welcomed in another class this weekend. Congratulations to the group, including women’s basketball star Candace Parker, NBA Champion head coach Doc Rivers and big man Amar’e Stoudemire, there was another honor to be acknowledged and his courageous story behind it.
Chris Carrino won the Curt Gowdy Media Award for Broadcasting. For the last 25 years, Carrino has been the radio voice for the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets, calling some largely average/mediocre teams through the years. Chris has kept the broadcasts lively and informative, but it’s his backstory that has been an inspiration.
In 1993, Carrino was diagnosed with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), a disease that affects his mobility, but didn’t speak publicly about it for nearly two decades. However, his foundation has raised money and awareness for the condition (https://chriscarrinofoundation.org/about-chris-carrino/).
Having overcome a devastating childhood illness and its permanent effects, as well as the self-doubt and those that doubt you (Guillain-Barre Syndrome), I can relate somewhat to what Chris and his family have had to deal with. Once you get over the “why me” and “I’m owed” phases, one can find motivation to succeed at whatever they want to do.
As a cool aside, Chris’ son, named after his dad, has also followed his dad to his alma mater Fordham (a legendary broadcasting school) into the business, where Carrino Sr. also calls basketball and football games for Westwood One and Compass Media. Chris Carrino is an inspiration and role model for us all.