Good morning, all and happy first day of spring, which arrives in the northern hemisphere at 10:46 AM ET.
The World Baseball Classic turned out to be a grand slam this year and now there is talk of moving the WBC to the summer. Is this a good idea? I break it down in the video and podcast.
Here are some other thoughts as we wander through March:
March Madness is in full swing, as VCU stunned North Carolina in a first round game last night, winning 82-78 in OT. The win was especially delicious for coach Phil Martelli Jr. (son of the legendary coach Phil Martelli), who is in his first season as the coach of the Rams. I can assure you, they were dancing in the streets of Richmond, after this one. Meanwhile, many brackets have been busted, following the dramatic comeback victory, mine included.
Number One seed Duke was not going to lose to Siena, though the Blue Devils trailed by double digits at the half and rallied for a 71-65 win. But, although Siena deserves credit for giving Duke a run for its money, it does give me pause for concern, as I have Duke as one of my Final Four teams. We shall see.
I’m liking these coaches wearing ties and jackets in this tournament, although the two coaches I saw donned in such attire were witnesses to their teams’ losses. I’m guessing this won’t start a trend.
That smile you see emanating from Park Ave. in NYC is that of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. The TV numbers for the WBC championship game Tuesday night between eventual winner Venezuela and the U.S. went through the roof. An audience of 10.23M watched on Fox and Fox Deportes. Not only was that a record for the WBC, but outside of the World Series, it is likely no MLB postseason game will attract those numbers this fall.
That is going to be quite a crowded quarterback room for the Minnesota Vikings now that Carson Wentz has returned to the team. He will be joining Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy.
Longtime Mets radio voice Howie Rose announced his retirement, effective at the end of this season. Rose, 72, grew up a Mets fan in Queens. He started out calling Mets games on television in 1987 and has been the club’s lead radio voice since the early 2000s. In a video released on social media, Rose said the perfect ending to his career would be a ride down the Canyon of Heroes, followed by being the MC for the Mets World Championship celebration in front of city hall.
That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Thank you for being a subscriber and have a fantastic Friday!
DAN
