For every action, there is an equal, opposite reaction

Some might wonder if I'm stepping out of my area of expertise by using a scientific principle to name this column. Well, wonder no more. A am completely out of my area of expertise when it come to science. Besides, I'm not sure I have an area of expertise to begin with. But hang with me here. Several sports stories from this past week made me think that for each good, happy or wonderful moment, somebody had to be on the other end of the spectrum. For every fan that experienced the high of a last-minute bucket to win a game, there was the heartbreak of those rooting for the other team. I think you can see where I'm going with this, so let's get started. Maybe I'm not as crazy as it seems. Major league baseball opened its season this week. Cleveland Guardians fans had to be ecstatic about the debut of rookie Chase DeLauter. All he did was hit two homers on opening day in Seattle. He hit two more the next two days and despite fouling a ball off his foot causing him to miss time in Los Angeles, his performance has Guardians faithful hoping a new star is on the horizon. On the flip side of that would be the Big Dumper, Cal Raleigh. The Mariners backstop had a great season last year belting 60 home runs and making a run at the MVP Award in the American League. So how has his season started? In the first three games against Cleveland he had eight official at bats. He not only did not get a hit, he didn't even put the ball in play. That's right, he struck out 8 times. Seattle fans will likely give him time to get rolling unlike those in my next story. The Detroit Tigers had a rookie of their own that made waves in their opener. Kevin McGonigle went 4-5 and had the Motor City faithful cheering wildly. Will he be the next Tigers superstar? Some think so. Then there is Bo Bichette. The New York Mets signed him in the off season to bolster their lineup. He went 1-14 with eight strikeouts to open his career with the Mets and has already heard boos from local fans. OK – it is New York and they can be callous with their "what have you done for me lately" attitudes, but for every action… March Madness has produced some thrilling hoops action, none more impressive than what Hannah Hidalgo did in the Sweet 16 match up with Vanderbilt. Did you see her stat line? How about 31 points, 11 rebounds, 10 steals and 7 assists in the 67-64 victory for the Fighting Irish. What part of her game was the most impressive? Some might suggest her assist on Notre Dame's last basket. I might suggest the catch she made on the errant in bounds pass that preceded it. She was as dominant in that game as any player has been in either the men's or women's tournament. So what is the opposite reaction in this case. You could day the difficult loss for Vandy and I would not disagree. For my money though, it is the fact that her valiant performance sent the Irish to the Elite 8 to face UConn. Hidalgo acquitted herself admirably against the Huskies, but Notre Dame's season would end. A thrilling victory followed by a lopsided loss… such is the fortunes of athletic participation. When Duke won its Sweet Sixteen game it sent head coach Jon Scheyer to the Elite 8 for the third time. He became only the third coach to accomplish this feat before the age of 40. The other two? Dean Smith and Bobby Knight. Pretty heady company. Scheyer's fame was short lived however as the Blue Devils lost to UConn on a last second steal and 3-point shot. Scheyer's handling of the last seconds of the game has come under scrutiny to say the least. First the thrill of victory, then the agony of defeat. Golf was not immune to the laws of motion. Gary Woodland won the Houston Open this week. A victory that had golf fans celebrating the accomplishment. Woodland is a major champion, but his life since that U.S. Open victory has been full of issues. He had brain surgery to remove a tumor that threatened his life not to mention his career. While the surgery was successful, he recently admitted that he was diagnosed with PTSD and his life has been a challenge that most of us cannot imagine. But he fought back and his victory was immensely popular on the tour as he is one of the nice guys to play the sport. I became a Gary Woodland fan in 2019 when he took part in a really cool event. The defending champion of the Phoenix Open was asked to allow a Special Olympian named Amy Bockerstette to play the famed 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale with him during a practice round. He consented and what took place made me a fan of his for life. Amy teed off on the par 3 and hit her shot in the green side bunker. Woodland asked her if she wanted to hit the next shot and she responded with "I got this" and proceeded to blast out to about fifteen feet from the hole. She then promptly sank the putt for a par. There was no happier person than Woodland. His pure joy at her accomplishment was inspiring to all who watched it. Then there was Tiger Woods. Arguably the best golfer ever, he has had a myriad of troubles since his playing days. He once again was involved in a car accident and will be heading to rehab. It was not a good look for the sport of golf and I hope Tiger gets the help he so desperately needs. He is endangering his own life as well as others and I would like this story to end with a positive result. Not every action has to be followed with an equal and opposite reaction in my opinion. There were a number of interesting Opening Day ceremonies around baseball. Here are two of my favorites. In St. Louis the famed Budweiser Clydesdales circled the stadium. Who would not want to be in attendance to see these magnificent animals. Perhaps even better was the fist pitch thrown out in Baltimore. Normally when a first pitch only gets half way to the catcher it is met with some boos, especially when it is thrown by someone standing only twenty feet from home plate. But when Arthur Green made his toss it was only cheers that reigned down from the fans. You see Mr. Green is 109 years young! So maybe there are exceptions to Newton's Law. But I wouldn't take my word for it. I'm much more familiar with Fig than I am Isaac!