Munch Musings from E. 53rd and Hamm Ave

For all the NBA and hoops experts here is the bottom line for the Cleveland Cavaliers…WIN TONIGHT (Tuesday 4/18)! Just about everyone, those who get paid for an opinion or their takes and the fans have noted what was wrong with the Cavs Saturday evening and sadly so many of them (most?) were wrong!  In spite of some poor individual performances the Cavs shot better than the Knicks from the floor including 3’s except for free throws (Cleveland a deplorable 71.4%)! Yes the Cavs bench was not happening either. Coaching decisions on match ups stand out too.  Bottom line – the Knicks wanted it more, had more heart as their 2nd and 3rd chances on offense will attest.

It was only one game and after the sub par play by the Cavs bench Saturday the line of another player who came off the bench for their team stood out to me. The line…23 minutes, 5-9 from the field including 4-7 from 3 point land, 8 rebounds and 2 fouls plus took 2 charges (only 1 was called) that ended the other teams best players evening! Who was it? Kevin Love!

Guardians took 2 out of 3 from the Nationals, a bad team. No doubt they are the A’s of the National League!  What bothered me the most Sunday was taking a 6-3 lead into the 7th that Herrin helped close the gap then Sandlin got abused by the bottom of the order. I must ask how does a top of the line reliever walk a .216 hitter. Yeah the loss Sunday ticked me off.

A traditional double header happens today with games at 1:10p and 4:40p in the Motor City against another bad team…the Tigers, Is it ancient history when they were the most feared team in the AL Central if not the whole AL?  Gaddis and Battenfield toss for the good guys today. Gaddis needs to concentrate and here’s hoping Peyton can build off his performance vs the Yankees.

After watching Gaddis and Battenfield on back to back days something peeked my interest in the ol’ sports gourd. Gaddis hits a batter with an 0-2 and just was out of sorts after a decent start. Battenfield seems poised his time on the hill. Could it be the catcher calling the game? Most desire to attack Zunino early on but fact is he was behind the dish for Gaddis and Gallagher handled the duties for Battenfield. In a “Terry Pluto-ish” moment I was talking to myself and decided to ask one of the higher ups with the Guardians who was a former catcher and now checks on players with all the affiliates. Here is what he had to say: “Game calling is a beautiful blend of art and science. There are only a few teams that attempt to qualify it (Guardians are one!) and even our best efforts still do not capture the skill effectively.  From what the Guardians can tell both Zunino and Gallagher are above average game callers. The team highly values a player that can lead a pitching staff.”

Hope you made it out to the Great Lakes Collectors Convention last weekend at the Independence Field House.

I have seen that facility for years driving along 77 and always wondered what the heck that building was and what was it used for! Magnificent show for sports geeks of all ages, sizes and a big shout out to GREENIES SPORTS CARDS of Twinsburg for putting on the show. Very classy folks! I was honored to host the stage on Sunday and interview the one of the owners of the Cleveland Crunch, Luciano Ruscitto and player Aidan Bozak. I was promised the schedule would be out in September and we may even have an answer on where the Crunch will play in the ’23-’24 season.

As always hope to see you, meet you somewhere soon (The JCC Thursday 4/20). Enjoy every sandwich! Adios amigo…long may you run.