Yesterday I watched on TV as the Marlins won their final game of the season, beating the Phillies, a team that a week ago looked as if it might win the division. After the game, players lingered on the field holding babies, watching their toddlers run in the grass, signing autographs for fans. They looked like a true hometown team - though one that gets little attention from the local sports media - and I wished them the best for 2022.
In fact, Brad Ingelsby is the son of Tom Ingelsby, who was the sharp-shooting guard for the Wildcats during most of my time at Villanova. In 1971, the team – which boasted two more future NBA players, Howard Porter and Chris Ford – made it to the NCAA final, where they lost to UCLA. This was in the days before the shot clock and, to preserve the lead in the second half, Bruins’ coach John Wooden had his players freeze the ball. Even my mother lost respect for the great coach.
When the team returned, there was a reception for them at the Field House, during which forward Clarence Smith read Kipling’s If. I don’t know if I thought it then, but I think it now: It would make a great scene in movie.
Each U.S. Open final found the loser getting a warmer reception than the winner – including Novak Djokovic, a man who had never felt the affection given to his two rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Athletes are admired for their excellence but loved for their humanity, and nothing is more human than defeat.
Only at this tournament are players bullied by interviewers into thanking the crowd for its support; in the rare instances when they aren’t, players know that, if they want to be cheered in their next match, they must feed the fans the necessary note of recognition. New York fans may or may not be the best fans in the world, but there is no question they are the neediest.
Saturday evening at the U.S. Open, Shelby Rogers defeated Ash Barty, the #1 player in the world, which was an amazing feat in itself. But then in her on-court interview after the match she was asked to explain what had just happened. “I don’t know,” she said. “I just fought for every point.” She quickly stopped herself and said: “That’s such a cliché, I’m sorry.”
We have seen a lot of upsets in sports – including at this year’s Open – but when was the last time you heard an athlete apologize for using a cliché?
Top men at the U.S. Open are Djokovic, who assumes he’s getting booed when the fans chant his opponent’s name; Tsitsipas, who is getting booed for taking long bathroom breaks; Medvedev, who was booed the last time the Open had fans; and Zverev, who’s been accused by an ex-girlfriend of domestic abuse.