By Nunnie Robinson, Westside Gazette Sports Editor
3 HRs, 10 k
Only Major League Baseball fans can immediately connect with the subheading above, but even the casual sports Connoisseur can appreciate the unprecedented, monumental feats accomplished by Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, who elevated baseball’s storied ceiling by hitting 3 home runs and striking out 10 batters in a single game, a first in the annals of Major League Baseball history. Equally remarkable was the significance of the setting in which it was done: completing a 4 game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers and sending the defending champion Dodgers to the World Series with an opportunity to repeat against the American League champion Toronto Blue Jays, who defeated the Seattle Mariners in a highly competitive game seven 4-3, securing a trip to the World Series for the first time since 1993.
There has never been a player with these hitting and pitching skills, including such luminary Hall of Famers as Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio, Hank Aaron, Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, Derek Jeter, Sathel Paige, et al with this dual skill set. Shohei’s accomplishment will go down as the greatest in MLB’s history.
I watched with great anticipation ESPN’s popular Game Day show Saturday as the panelists welcomed the guest appearance of fired Penn State coach James Franklin, whose appearance was indicative of his personal character, professionalism and integrity as a leader of young men. His answers to some difficult questions pointed to a desire to coach again while lauding the opportunity provided by the university, leaving defense of his firing to Nick Saban. He returned the Nittany Lions to its tradition under Joe Paterno prior to the insidious child molestation scandal perpetrated by a trusted assistant. The Achilles Heel during Coach Franklin’s tenure was his teams’ inability to win championship caliber games. After falling short in 2024, this year’s highly ranked team was predicted to compete for national title. However, the Oregon loss derailed those plans. A question by popular analyst Kirk Herbstreit regarding the Oregon defeat was adroitly evaded. Truthfully, that loss began the disintegration of the team as subsequent losses to a winless UCLA squad followed by a defeat at the hands of Northwestern University sealed his fate. A win against either of those opponents and he is probably still coaching. Finally, I don’t think he ever recruited the top athletes like some SEC schools, especially at quarterback. Great players make good coaches great coaches!
Life isn’t always fair as Florida’s Billy Napier recently discovered. Will FSU’s Mike Norvell suffer the same fate. The pressure on FBS coaches to win is greater than ever before. The successful ones will balance finding the right players based on their NIL background before budgets. It is a new deal in college sports.
