Maybe it’s only me, but doesn’t Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred seem as lost as Clark W. Griswold Jr. in Arizona trying to find the Grand Canyon in the 1980s movie “National Lampoon’s Vacation?”

One day Manfred says “I am 100% confident there will be baseball this season.” Five days later, “I’m not confident at all that there will be a MLB season at all in 2020.” I like many of you, would probably like to know who is to blame for this fiasco, the cat and mouse back and forth between the MLB players, owners and the league itself, has my head spinning. At this point, unless they want to have Game 7 of the World Series on Dec. 1 in a domed or retractable roof stadium, is it even worth the bother? I think not. …

On the same topic, one of the MLB proposals for an attempt to salvage a season and postseason television ratings, was to water down the playoffs with 16 teams, instead of the usual 10, five from each league. The fact that Wild Card teams have been added over the years, to lengthen the playoffs and add games for more television revenue, has watered it down in this writer’s opinion. The less available spots in the playoffs the better if you ask me. Let the drama ensue with the large market teams that don’t make the playoffs. Those teams with endless payrolls, who have delusional fans and think their team is a contender every year whether they are or not; the ones that talk and act like the balcony dwellers on the Muppet Show Waldorf and Statler, laughing and scoffing at everyone else’s team. Those teams missing out on the postseason is as amusing to me as the playoffs are themselves. …

Speaking of playoffs, the NBA and NHL finally decided to cancel the remainder of their regular seasons and set a plan to return to play, going straight into expanded playoffs for the NHL, and a play-in type format for the NBA for a handful of teams the league chose, in a way to expand their playoffs as well. The NBA did it to add star power, even though they won’t admit it. For instance Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans; Williamson is such a ratings draw, heaven forbid the NBA miss out on having him in the postseason.

Had the league used the 8-team per conference format like usual, New Orleans wouldn’t have made it. The NCAA in 2019, tried to set up Zion, Coach K and the Duke Blue Devils with a clear path to the Final Four out of the East Region of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. But low and behold, an accordion playing guy from Dickinson County and his Spartan team took care of that, didn’t they. …

Speaking of the Final Four and the NCAA Tournament, according to Yahoo Finance, March Madness (The NCAA Tournament itself) brought in $933 million in ad revenue for the networks that air the tournament. The NCAA itself lost out on an estimated $375 for the coronavirus wiping out this years “Big Dance.” YIKES! …

Now that the 2019-20 school year has officially ended for all the schools in our area, I would like to extend my congratulations to all area Class of 2020 graduates. To the athletes in particular, I will, for many years to follow, remember who was the first group of seniors I covered upon accepting this job as your local sports scribe. Good luck to all of you in your futures. If any of you are thinking of joining the armed services, here’s to wishing you an extra bit of luck, being a proud veteran myself …

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers, grandfathers, stepfathers and father type figures out there. I would have to say that I lucked out when the man upstairs choose Fran McCarthy to be my Dad. Happy Father’s Day Francis!! …