Some thoughts from around the world of sports...
ONE: FIFA. Mafia.
They sound a bit alike, so it can be a tad confusing.
Which one is the criminal organization? And which one is “The Sopranos” about?
After nearly a month of World Cup games being played throughout North America under the auspices of the Fédération International de Football Association, which set up dynamic pricing that cost fans as much as $10,000 for a single ticket, the sports organization got what it was after:
Money.
Also, reigning champion Argentina will play Spain on Sunday for a trophy symbolic of soccer’s world crown.
Seeing how Argentina beat Egypt in a disputed playoff game, it’s hard to not believe FIFA manipulated the 2022 victors back into the 2026 final.
After expanding this year’s tournament to 48 teams from 32, FIFA president Gianni Infantino wants 64 countries in future events. That sounds like something the money-hungry NCAA has done to the ever-expanding March Madness.
Maybe it will help Infantino get Italy into the 2030 World Cup.
This is an organization that kowtowed to the American president by presenting him with a phoney peace prize before heeding his pleas to disregard a red-card suspension issued to U.S. striker Folarin Balogun.
It was such a despicable act that the International Olympic Committee is investigating FIFA’s ruling, which is like getting Donald Trump to investigate Jared Kushner.
Despite the politics, gouging and self-aggrandizement, the tournament has been truly mesmerizing. Even a buffoon like Infantino can’t besmirch the on-field genius of Messi, Mbappe, Kane, Haaland and Yamal. Go Spain!
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TWO: Watching the Hamilton Tiger-Cats without veteran quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell is frighteningly like imagining the Saskatchewan Roughriders without Trevor Harris.
The Tiger-Cats were truly awful without Mitchell during their 38-7 road loss to Saskatchewan. Sidelined with a fractured ankle, Mitchell has evidently been replaced during the long-term injury by journeyman Jake Dolegala, who started his CFL career with Saskatchewan.
The Roughriders defence completely neutralized Dolegala, plus his top receivers dropped numerous passes during the drubbing. The Ticats offence looked nothing like the explosive unit Mitchell led through this season’s early stages.
Hamilton also has Tre Ford as its third-string quarterback. A tremendous runner, Ford twice beat Saskatchewan when he played for the Edmonton Elks. Ticats head coach Scott Milanovich didn’t even put Ford into the contest until there were less than three minutes remaining, long after Dolegala’s ineffectiveness had determined the outcome.
Dolegala and Ford have started numerous CFL games. Saskatchewan doesn’t even have that luxury, with third-year backup Jack Coan only starting meaningless, end-of-the-season games for the Roughriders.
Although Harris started this season with a flourish — passing for 417, 349 and 409 yards — his last two performances haven’t been as stellar (243 and 202 yards). But the Riders won the last two games, he’s healthy, they have a 4-1 record and not having him would likely look worse than the Mitchell-less Tiger-Cats.
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THREE: Goodbye, Steve Yzerman. Why couldn’t you bring your magical touch from the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Detroit Red Wings?
Owners of the NHL’s longest, current non-playoff streak of 10 seasons, the Red Wings finally pushed Yzerman out of their general manager’s chair and into an advisor’s office. He had spent seven seasons as Detroit’s GM.
Yzerman had a Hall of Fame playing career with the Red Wings, becoming their captain and winning three Stanley Cups during 22 seasons. He worked for the Red Wings before spending 2010-18 as Tampa Bay’s GM, never winning a Stanley Cup but being credited with building a roster that won back-to-back NHL championships in 2020 and 2021.
Detroit’s current roster includes tremendous players like Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond, but captain Dylan Larkin recently requested a trade, Yzerman’s late-round draft choices have been horrible and the team collapsed down the stretch to lose playoff berths in each of the last three seasons. No more magic.
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FOUR: How about those Milwaukee Brewers? They had MLB’s second-best record (59-37) at the all-star break, behind only the World Series-champion Los Angeles Dodgers (61-36). According to sportrac.com, the Dodgers’ annual payroll is $302 million, second to the New York Mets’ $329 million. Milwaukee is 19th at $137 million.
The Brewers have some of baseball’s best, young players, led by right-handed starter Jacob Misiorowski, outfielder Jackson Chourio and infielder Cooper Pratt. They also started trading for pitching depth this week. Their real strength is manager Pat Murphy, who has led the Brewers for two seasons and twice been named the National League’s top manager. At 67, he’s nine years older than the Brewers as they chase the franchise’s first World Series title.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source leaderpost.com ’
