Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

Sox Can’t Walk 500 Miles for a Win

by

By TERRY LYONS, Editor in Chief

BOSTON – Screw Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” and here’s a hearty New England welcome to “The Proclaimers.“

If you were around in 1988 and buying records in the United Kingdom, all the kids’ pounds (£) were being plunked down in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen for a catchy little tune that made it to No. 11 on the charts.

Embed from Getty Images

“I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” was the song and it was released in August of that year, placed on an album called, “Sunshine on Leith.”

Apparently, the Toronto Blue Jays and Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman didn’t buy the album, as Chapman – the closer of closers – came to the mound at Fenway with the score tied, 3-3, in the top of the ninth inning. He was in for the hold, really, with Boston interim manager Chad Tracy dreaming of a come-from-behind victory on a gorgeous Thursday afternoon when 32,027 fans packed the tiny ballpark. And, yes, about 5,000 of those fans had first-hand connections to the Scottish National soccer team who will play their second of three World Cup preliminary games at “Boston Stadium” in Foxborough on Friday night. They were all singing 500 Miles and they were lit.

Fenway’s game ops people have jumped on the Scottish bandwagon since Sunday night when a (literal) parade of Scots in kilts marched to Fenway from the Fens, playing bagpipes and singing their favorite tunes. “Sweet Caroline” is not one of them, as that particular song has been co-opted by England’s footy team, so the Scots sit it out when the Fenway faithful sing-a-long in the middle of the eighth, as per usual.

Scotland’s fans have fallen in love with Boston, mainly because the locals have been buying the sons and daughters of Scotland cold beers to act as a gesture of hospitality to make up for the ridiculous price-gouging by the trains, planes and automobile prices to get from Boston to the hinterlands of what was formerly known as Gillette Stadium – located someplace west of Boston and east of Providence. There’s talk of Glasgow and Boston becoming sister-cities.

Somewhat fueled by a raucous Boston crowd, singing and dancing and carrying on in the middle of the 8th inning, Boston shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa and third baseman Caleb Durbin hit back-to-back solo home runs to lead-off the home half of the eighth and tie the score at 3-all, knotting what had been a 3-1 Toronto Blue Jays crusher and another loss at home.

But, the Scots and The Proclaimers sang of “Walking 500 Miles” in a song expressing a deep commitment to love, and emphasizing the lengths one would go to for a partner, a fan, maybe a teammate?

Embed from Getty Images

It just wasn’t meant to be when Toronto’s second baseman Ernie Clement got onboard with an infield hit in the ninth. With two outs, Blue Jays back-up catcher Brandon Valenzuela drove in the game-winning run with a double down the left field line to score Clement from first base and put the Jays up, 4-3.

The run earned Toronto its second series sweep and sent the Red Sox packing for Seattle as losers of four straight, and eight of 10. The Sox were swept in a series for the fifth time this season, including the third time at home. Boston is now (29-43) and in last place in the American League East, 16 games off the lead, while the Jays are mired in third place in the AL East at (37-38).

Chapman took the loss (0-2) after starter Sonny Gray went a season high 7.0 IP and 89 pitches (63 strikes). Gray let up three earned runs and six hits with a walk and four strikeouts. Toronto’s starter, Trey Yesavage pitched a strong, career-high  7.1 innings, giving up only four hits with the three earned runs and six strikeouts. Reliever Tommy Nance was credited with the victory, his first of the season against two losses. Blue Jays reliver Mason Fluharty earned the save, his first, against two losses.

The loss dropped Boston record against AL East teams to (6-17) as they have lost each of their last seven games to divisional opponents, dating back to June 7 at New York (Yankees). It was Toronto’s first series sweep of the Sox since September 15-17, 2023.

Boston jets off to Seattle for a three-game set (Friday to Sunday), then continues to Colorado for three games, scheduled June 22 to 24. The Red Sox return home, without their friends from Scotland, for a four-game series against the AL division leading Yankees, June 25-28.

 

 

 

PGA Tour: It’s On to Shinnecock Hills

by

SOUTHAMPTON, NY – This week will feature the third major of the 2026 season (Rory McIlroy/Masters Tournament; Aaron Rai/PGA Championship) and the 126th playing of the U.S. Open, dating to 1895.

The 2026 U.S. Open will be the 76th USGA championship and 21st U.S. Open conducted in New York. Shinnecock Hills Golf Club is the lone course to have hosted the U.S. Open in three different centuries. The golf course was founded in 1891, is the oldest incorporated golf club in the United States. Shinnecock is one of the five founding member clubs of the USGA, which was established in 1894 and conducted its first championships in 1895.

Embed from Getty Images

In 1896, Shinnecock Hills hosted the second U.S. Open (35 total players) and second U.S. Amateur (58 total players).

The 2026 U.S. Open is the 10th USGA championship to be conducted by the club and the sixth U.S. Open (1896/James Foulis, 1986/Raymond Floyd, 1995/Corey Pavin, 2004/Retief Goosen, 2018/Brooks Koepka).

Shinnecock Hills Golf Club will also host the 2036 U.S. Open and 2036 U.S. Women’s Open.

The USGA accepted 10,201 entries for the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, one entry shy of the record 10,202 entries accepted for the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club. This year marks the fifth time in championship history that the number of entries exceeded 10,000.

The field will be cut after 36 holes to the low 60 and ties.

In the event of a playoff, a two-hole aggregate playoff will take place following the completion of Sunday’s final round

U.S. Open | Tournament Facts

COURSE: Shinnecock Hills Country Club, Southampton, Long Island

YARDS/PAR: 7,440 yards/Par 70

ARCHITECT/DESIGN: Willie Davis in 1891 and later expanded by Willie Dunn in 1894. William Flynn is credited with the major redesign in 1931.

PRIZE Money – Purse/Winner’s Share: TBD

DEFENDING CHAMPION: J.J. Spaun

PAST RESULTS: (link)

OVERVIEW: (PGATourCom)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 750

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup #USOpengolf

U.S. Open | The Basics

The Tee Times at Shinnecock start at 6:35am (ET) and go to 2:42pm (ET).

Weather: Thursday’s forecast on the East End of Long Island is uncertain. Morning sun still sees a 41% chance of rain. Temperatures 77-83 degrees but winds blowing at 20 mph.

Tournament Web Site: (link)

PGA Tour Brunch – U.S. Open edition – will post at 6:00am (ET) on Thursday.

U.S. Open – Field and Tee Times

The Field: (link)

Tee Times: (link)

U.S. Open | Tournament Odds

Odds Courtesy Betting Hero – Select Players

Scottie Scheffler +550

Rory McIlroy +1200

Jon Rahm +1500

Xander Schauffele +1600

Tommy Fleetwood +1800

Matt Fitzpatrick +1800

Cameron Young +2000

Ludvig Åberg +2200

Russell Henley +3300

Si Woo Kim +3500

Collin Morikawa +4000

Chris Gotterup +4000

Patrick Reed +4000

Sam Burns +4000

Tyrrell Hatton +4000

Bryson DeChambeau +4000

Brooks Koepka +4500

Patrick Cantlay +5000

Viktor Hovland +5000

Justin Rose +5000

Justin Thomas +5000

Wyndham Clark +5000

Maverick McNealy +6000

Min Woo Lee +6000

Kurt Kitayama +6000

J.J. Spaun +6000

Aaron Rai +6500

Jordan Spieth +7000

Harris English +7000

Hideki Matsuyama +7000

Joaquin Niemann +7000

Shane Lowry +7000

Robert MacIntyre +8000

Ryan Gerard +8000

Adam Scott +8000

Kristoffer Reitan +8000

Ben Griffin +8000

Jake Knapp +10000

Jacob Bridgeman +10000

David Puig +10000

Alex Fitzpatrick +10000

Gary Woodland +10000

Cameron Smith +10000

Nicolai Højgaard +10000

Sepp Straka +10000

Alex Noren +10000

Bud Cauley +10000

Blue Jays Way

by

BOSTON – Toronto’s Dylan Cease tossed five scoreless innings and the visiting Blue Jays received home runs from Andres Gimenez, Davis Schneider and George Springer en route to a 6-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night.

Embed from Getty Images

Cease (4-3) limited Boston to four hits, walked four and struck out seven. He threw 108 pitches. Louis Varland recorded the final four outs and earned his 13th save.

Schneider and Gimenez hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth, then Springer drove in two in the ninth with his 300th career homer. Springer had three RBIs in the win.

Jarren Duran accounted for Boston’s run by hitting a solo home run against Tommy Nance in the eighth. Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Connor Wong each collected two hits for the Red Sox, who were 1 of 12 with runners in scoring position. Willson Contreras struck out four times.

Gimenez, who missed Sunday’s game against the New York Yankees with a sore wrist, scored the game’s first run in the third inning. He doubled, moved to third when Myles Straw hit a fly ball to right and scored on Springer’s sacrifice fly.

The home runs by Gimenez and Schneider in the fifth both came against Boston starter Payton Tolle and stretched Toronto’s lead to 3-0.

Tolle (3-4) also was pulled after five innings. He allowed three runs on four hits, walked two and struck out six.

Toronto made it 4-0 in the sixth. Kazuma Okamoto walked, took third on a Nathan Lukes single and scored when Schneider doubled.

Duran’s home run cut Toronto’s lead to 4-1 in the eighth. Boston brought the tying run to the plate, but Varland entered and struck out pinch hitter Mickey Gasper to end the inning.

The loss dropped the Red Sox’ record to 9-30 when their opponent scores first.

–Field Level Media

Stanley Cup Scores in Ratings

by

NEW YORK – (Wire Service Report) – The high-scoring Stanley Cup Final turned into a ratings win for ABC, which drew the highest viewership for the NHL’s championship round in seven years, the network announced.

The Carolina Hurricanes’ six-game win over the Vegas Golden Knights attracted an average of 5.2 million viewers. The last time more people tuned in to see the Stanley Cup Final was in 2019, when 5.3 million on average watched the St. Louis Blues top the Boston Bruins in seven games.

The decisive game of the Hurricanes’ title run brought in 5.9 million, the highest for a finals Game 6 since 2019. The Game 6 rating more than doubled the audience that saw the Florida Panthers lift the cup after winning Game 6 against the Edmonton Oilers last year.

The 2025 finals were carried on the Turner networks. The Sunday clincher saw a 40% viewership rise from the last time ABC had the finals, in 2024, another series featuring the Panthers and Oilers.

The peak for the Sunday game was 7.2 million late in the contest as Carolina wrapped up the second championship in franchise history.

The first five games of the 2026 finals all featured at least six total goals, with both teams pulling off comebacks and two contests extending into overtime. Only the finale, a 3-0 Hurricanes victory, bucked the trend of both teams scoring multiple goals.

Ratings on ABC and ESPN for the entire 2026 playoffs were the highest ever for the company, averaging 2.2 million across 43 games, the networks announced. That figure was up 127% from 2025 and up 19% from 2024. ESPN aired the NHL playoffs from 1994-2002 plus each year since 2021.

–Field Level Media

Vegas Blown Away: Like a Hurricane

by

LAS VEGAS — Rod Brind’Amour captained the Carolina Hurricanes to their first Stanley Cup in 2006.

Twenty years later on Sunday night, Brind’Amour got to pick up and hold the trophy again on the ice at T-Mobile Arena after coaching the Hurricanes to another Stanley Cup victory.

Embed from Getty Images

Rookie goaltender Brandon Bussi, a waiver-wire pickup from Florida in October, made 22 saves to win his third straight start and record his first career playoff shutout, and Jackson Blake had a goal and an assist to lead the Hurricanes to a 3-0 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 on Sunday night.

Taylor Hall and Nikolaj Ehlers also scored for Carolina, which won the best-of-seven series, 4-2.

“I think it was just our time,” Brind’Amour said. “We weren’t going to be denied.”

Carolina captain Jordan Staal, who tied a Stanley Cup Final record with goals in five straight games to start the series and totaled six goals in the finals, was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs.

According to Sportsnet Stats, Brind’Amour became just the fourth person to both captain and coach a franchise to a Stanley Cup, joining Toe Blake (Montreal Canadiens), Hap Day (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Cooney Weiland (Boston Bruins).

“It felt great (to lift the Cup again),” Brind’Amour said. “I’m so happy for everyone. That’s what this is about. That’s what hockey is about. It’s the ultimate team sport.”

Brind’Amour was asked to compare winning the Stanley Cup as a player and a head coach.

“It’s different, because as a player, I really wanted it for myself,” Brind’Amour said. “Now, sitting back behind (the bench) watching, I really wanted it for these guys because there’s no harder-working group. I see it every day. It’s just like a proud dad watching his kids go to work. Just couldn’t say enough good things about this group.”

At 37 years and 277 days, Staal became the oldest winner of the Conn Smythe. Goaltender Tim Thomas (2011) of the Boston Bruins was the previous oldest at 37 years and 61 days.

Staal also won the Stanley Cup in 2009 as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“That’s a lot of years,” Staal said. “I mean, it’s amazing. It’s something I’ve been going after ever since I got the first one. You want to win it again and again and again.”

Carter Hart finished with 20 saves for Vegas, which lost in the finals for the second time in the team’s nine-year history. The Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup in 2023.

Hall gave Carolina a 1-0 lead at the 3:47 mark of the first period. Jaccob Slavin set up the score with a stretch pass from blue line to blue line. Hall was open as he took the pass and broke in on the left wing, beating Hart with a wrist shot past his glove side for his seventh goal of the playoffs and second in the finals.

Vegas, which outshot the Hurricanes 11-8 in the opening period, had several excellent chances to tie the game later in the period. Brett Howden broke in alone down the slot midway through the period, but Bussi made a stick save on his five-hole try.

The Golden Knights had a flurry of chances near the end of the period, including two close-in tries by Mark Stone and a one-timer by Pavel Dorofeyev from the bottom of the right circle that Bussi made a diving save to stop.

Carolina tightened up on defense in the second period, holding Vegas to just three shots on goal. The Hurricanes extended the lead to 2-0 at the 13:31 mark when Logan Stankoven fed Blake alone on the edge on the right circle, and Blake blasted a one-timer past Hart’s glove side for his seventh goal of the playoffs.

Vegas had a chance to cut the lead in half midway through the third period when Carolina forward Eric Robinson went to the penalty box for high-sticking Nic Dowd. On the ensuing power play, Stone crossed a pass to a wide-open Jack Eichel at the bottom edge of the left circle, but Eichel’s snap shot against a stickless Bussi went off the crossbar.

The Golden Knights pulled Hart for an extra attacker with three minutes to go, and Ehlers intercepted a pass and sealed the win with an empty-netter with 68 seconds to play, his eighth goal of the playoffs.

“As I’ve always said, it’s a find-a-way league,” Vegas coach John Tortorella said. “All the games were close, and it was just try to find a way, and they did tonight, and they beat us.”

Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb, who played the final four  games with a full cage after taking an Ehlers slap shot on the nose that needed 30 stitches to repair, said he was proud of his team.

“We came together late in the year and we battled our asses off,” McNabb said. “I’m proud of how we got here. We just came up a little bit short.”

Slavin joined Ken Morrow (Islanders, 1980) as the only American-born players to win Olympic gold and the Stanley Cup in the same year.

–Steve Guiremand, Field Level Media

 

Rangers Hold Off Red Sox

by

BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Wyatt Langford and Kyle Higashioka homered in back-to-back innings to start the game, and the visiting Texas Rangers avoided a three-game series sweep at the hands of the Boston Red Sox with a 6-4 win on Sunday night.

The Rangers tagged Boston starter Connelly Early (5-5) for six runs and 11 hits through the first 4 2/3 innings and totaled 13 knocks in the game.

Embed from Getty Images

Beyond the long balls, Brandon Nimmo (2-for-5) hit a clutch two-RBI double in the fourth inning, while Justin Foscue went 3-for-3 with a run scored. Higashioka and Cody Freeman also had multiple hits.

The early offense stood tall as Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi (6-7) pitched seven innings, striking out six while working around three runs and six hits.

Willson Contreras homered twice on his 3-for-4 night and Masataka Yoshida went 2-for-4 with a double and run scored to lead the Red Sox, who have lost five of their last seven games.

With the Tartan Army filling the Fenway Park stands after Scotland’s World Cup win in Foxborough, Mass., on Saturday, Early was tagged for a first-pitch leadoff home run for a second consecutive start. Langford crushed a solo shot completely over the Green Monster and out of the ballpark to lift Texas to an immediate 1-0 lead in the first inning.

The Rangers busted open the score with three straight hits to start the second. After Foscue and Cody Freeman stung back-to-back singles to center, Higashioka drove them both home with a three-run shot that just cleared the left-field wall.

After Eovaldi set down his former team 1-2-3 to start the game, Contreras went deep to left to get Boston on the scoreboard at 4-1. The inning continued with Caleb Durbin drawing a one-out walk and Isiah Kiner-Falefa knocking an infield single over second base. After a wild pitch moved both into scoring position, Marcelo Mayer’s RBI grounder made it a two-run game.

Early escaped a two-on jam without any damage in the third, but Texas extended its lead in the following frame. Alejandro Osuna started the rally with a one-out single, then back-to-back walks preceded Nimmo’s key double high off the Monster.

While Greg Weissert (1 1/3 innings), Ryan Watson (two innings) and Tommy Kahnle (one inning) teamed up for scoreless relief, Boston inched closer when Contreras knocked another solo shot out to deep left with two outs in the sixth, making it a 6-3 game.

In the eighth, Yoshida’s one-out knock got the Sox started, and he scored on Abreu’s liner to right two batters later.

Contreras followed with his third hit, but Jacob Latz entered to induce an inning-ending grounder from Jarren Duran before dealing a scoreless ninth to finalize his 11th save.

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour: Cauley Gets His Win

by

TORONTO – (Wire Service Report) – It was a long climb for Bud Cauley, but he finally made it.

Cauley birdied three consecutive holes on the back nine during the final round of the RBC Canadian Open on his way to shooting 5-under-par 65 and winning on the PGA Tour for the first time Sunday in Caledon, Ontario.

Embed from Getty Images

Cauley, 36, had never finished higher than third since turning pro in 2011. The RBC Canadian Open was his 239th PGA Tour event — most of them coming prior a 2018 car accident that broke six of his ribs, fractured his leg and forced a collapsed lung.

“Just how hard that was,” said Cauley, reflecting on his journey. “Just so many people helped me get here and I’m just really thankful for all the help that I’ve gotten.”

Cauley ended up at 17-under 263 for a two-stroke victory over England’s Matt Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick shot 64, finishing his round with a 12-foot eagle putt on No. 18 after a bogey on the previous hole pretty much dashed his hopes of winning the tournament at rainy TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley’s North course.

Norway’s Viktor Hovland (65) claimed third at 14 under.

Cauley used four birdies, including a chip-in on No. 12, on a five-hole stretch (Nos. 11 to 15) to pull away from the pack for a three-shot lead.

“I’m just very proud of the way I kind of kept going and continued to make birdies there on the back nine and I’m just so happy,” he said.

Fitzpatrick generally liked his performance.

“It’s a good week,” he said. “I would have taken it at the start of the week. I felt like there was a lot of good stuff in there.”

Jimmy Stanger trailed by three going to No. 18, but an approach into the water cost him and he bogeyed the hole and settled for 67. At 13 under, he tied with Jackson Suber (70), Brice Garnett (68) and Sweden’s Jesper Svensson (68) for fourth place. Suber led Cauley by one shot through three rounds.

Still, Suber had a worthwhile experience, gaining entry later this year in the British Open and Travelers based on the result. He qualified for the U.S. Open during a Monday qualifier at the beginning of the week.

“To be able to play in the U.S. Open next week, Travelers, and then the British Open, I mean, that’s a pretty big schedule change, especially coming into the year with conditional status,” Suber said.

Defending champion Ryan Fox of New Zealand posted 68 and tied with two others — Canadian Sudarshan Yellamaraju (68) and South African Aldrich Potgieter (65) — at 12 under.

“Obviously going into the week, it was like you have that little bit of added pressure being at the Canadian Open and for me being pretty close to home and stuff like that,” Yellamaraju said. “I just kind of tried to keep trying to tell myself to play the best that I could and just fight until the very end, which was pretty much what I did.”

Second-round leader Ben James recovered from a disastrous third round to shoot 69 and tie for 54th place at 3 under in his PGA Tour debut.

Brooks Koepka, who was a co-leader after a first-round 64, withdrew prior to the final round citing a hand injury. After a 72 on Saturday, he stood at 6 under through three rounds.

The start of Sunday’s round was pushed back because of concerns related to the weather forecast. Golfers were sent off the first and 10th tees in threesomes.

–Field Level Media

Captain Brunson Guides Knicks’ Ship

by

SAN ANTONIO – (Wire Service Commentary) – Jalen Brunson fully understands what leading the New York Knicks to the NBA championship means for him, for his team and for the city of New York.

He’s heard it from Walt Frazier, who was a part of NBA championship teams in the Big Apple in 1970 and ’73. He’s talked about it with Bernard King and Patrick Ewing, stars who got the Knicks close in the 1980s and ’90s, and he’s lived it through his father, Rick Brunson, a former player and now an assistant coach for the team.

YouTube player

Jalen Brunson knew what it would take to carry the Knicks to their first title in 53 years, the price he would have to pay to get his team to the Finals for the first time in 27 years, and what he would have to do to get the Knicks over the finish line against San Antonio and its superstar forward Victor Wembanyama, one of the league’s faces of the future.

Now it’s time to reap those rewards and put to rest one of the most dubious title droughts in pro sports history.

Brunson poured in 45 points, 29 in the second half, to lead New York to a come-from-behind 94-90 win over the Spurs in Game 5 of the Finals on Saturday night, clinching the best-of-seven series 4-1. Three of the Knicks’ wins came on the road with each of them coming down to the final minutes and requiring comebacks from New York.

Brunson, the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, was the ticker that never flickered.

The 45 points tallied by Brunson set a Knicks record for a Finals game, supplanting the 38 scored by the legendary Willis Reed in 1970. Reed scored his in the third game of a series that went to seven and ended with the Captain literally willing New York to the title over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Brunson’s effort in this series was just as arduous and will go down in Big Apple lore with Reed’s performance in that distant Knicks championship run. The undersized New York captain took a beating as the Spurs employed four different players to defend him and knock him around every time he touched the ball. His bruises had bruises and his lumps had bumps.

“I’m hurting right now, oh, I do hurt right now,” Brunson, 29, said after the win. “I’m feeling maybe a little bit worn down physically just because of the game and what (San Antonio was) trying to do. Mentally, I feel fresh. I feel like that’s where I thrive. I’m just happy we’re able to find ways to win the games.”

There was nothing more San Antonio could do. Brunson was just too good. He’s one of just 11 different players to score at least 45 points in an NBA Finals game, for a total of 15 games.

San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson had a matter-of-fact response when asked what his team could have done differently against the Knicks star.

“Make (Brunson) score less points,” Johnson explained. “He’s aggressive. He got to spots. We were undisciplined at times. He got going, then he got going later on. He’s a heck of a player. He deserves everything he’s got.”

On a night when the Knicks got next-to-nothing offensively from Karl-Anthony Towns (two points) and OK production from Game 4 hero OG Anunoby (11 points, eight rebounds), it was up to Brunson to make the plays that produced the victory and the championship. His 15 points in the final quarter were one more than the rest of his teammates combined (14).

“You know, people say (Brunson is) too small. People say he’s a 1B or a 2B or whatever,” New York coach Mike Brown said of the three-time All-Star, listed at 6-foot-2. “He is a freaking 1A. He is an MVP candidate. Brunson — he is him, man, when it comes to New York basketball. He is freaking him.”

Brunson averaged 32.6 points per game in the Finals, scoring 30 or more in four of the contests. As hard as it is to fathom, he got better as the series went on, racking up 32, 36 and then 45 in the last three slugfests.

“That’s who Captain is, man,” Towns said about Brunson. “Captain always finds a way to get back into court and produce as a testament to who he is. It’s just his story, (he’s) never given up, always has been the underdog, always been looked down upon.

“Shout out to everybody (who) told him he couldn’t do it.”

After the final buzzer on Saturday, Brunson — a white towel over his head — ran on the floor toward half court, but he was overcome with emotion, and stopped and crouched near the scorer’s table. At his side were teammates Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges, his running buddies and fellow former stars at Villanova, loving him up before literally lifting Brunson to a standing position.

He had carried the Knicks to the title — and now, fittingly, it was his teammates that helped him to his feet. The weight of the world was lifted off his shoulders. The hopes and dreams of the whole of New York City and its rabid and vocal fan base had finally been realized.

After the game, Brunson clutched the Larry O’Brien Trophy and offered a weary smile. There’s a trip to the Canyon of Heroes in lower Manhattan in his and the Knicks’ future, as the team will be feted in the time-honored Big Apple parade tradition at long last.

It will be a day cherished for a generation of New Yorkers, an “I-remember-where-I-was-when” moment, for fans young and old.

Someday there might even be a statue of Brunson outside Madison Square Garden. If so, let’s hope it’s as tough and as durable as the man is himself.

–Steve Habel, Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | June 14

by

Alex Cora

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – In the Summer of 2018, night after night at Fenway Park and when the Boston Red Sox hit the road, you just couldn’t believe the number of victories the team recorded. By June 14, they were 48-22 on the way to a 108-win season.

Just last year, on June 14, the Red Sox started slowly and were 36-36, just hitting the .500 mark on the way to making the 2025 MLB Postseason when they lost to the New York Yankees 2-games-to-1 in the AL Wild Card. On July 4th, a summer ago, the Red Sox were 44-45 and sputtering.

This past April 25, with the Red Sox only 10-17 (.370) after a 17-1 thrashing of the Baltimore Orioles, manager Alex Cora and five of his coaches were sent packing.

Heading into June 13th play, the 2026 Red Sox were 28-39 (.418). and playing less than inspired baseball under interim manager Chad Tracy. That 28-39 record included an 11-21 mark at Fenway and a 17-18 record on the road. The Sox are 6-14 against the American League East.

Thus, it can be concluded, it’s not Chad Tracy’s fault and it certainly wasn’t Alex Cora’s fault that the current Sox club is bordering terrible.

The Sox situation and the stats beg us to ponder a bigger question.

Why do we look to place blame on people, to point “the fickle finger of fate” at someone, such as a baseball manager, when there’s little or no explanation for the occurrences taking place. But, nevertheless, the blame and finger associated to that blame are pointed outward – never inwardly.

A deeper dive into the expression “Fickle Finger of Fate,” show it surfaced in the 1930s on college campuses in the Unoted States, combining 1860s slang of a “fickle finger” and 1870s slang of “fickle fate.” In the 1960s, the television show “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” created an award, presented weekly to salute bureaucratic stupidity or ironic institutional blunders. Rarely did that involve the bad luck or losing of a professional sports team.

Fate is usually caused by the whims of misfortune. In the base of Alex Cora, it was a combination of bad weather, injuries to the likes of Cy Young candidate SP Garrett Crochet, shortstop Trevor Story, the franchise’s cornerstone prospect and big game hitter, Roman Anthony and a ping pong of bullpen pitchers who all bounced back and forth from injury, rehab starts and plain, old-fashioned incompetence. Not a thing Cora could do about it.

The other factors in the “deep dive” are “uncontrollable twists and just plain bad luck.” The Red Sox encountered all of the above on the way to that flimsy 10-17 start.

It wasn’t (and still isn’t) Alex Cora’s fault paltry batting averages of .209 (Duran), .201 (Durbin), .220 Mayer, .229 for the oft-injured Anthony and .238 for Yoshida – all above the Mendoza Line but under the club’s expected productivity line.

On the pitching side, the ace, Crochet, is out indefinitely with a shoulder soreness/”lat” inflammation injury that is highly likey to sideline him through the all-star break. Sonny Gray, a glimmer of hope for the club, missed 14 games with a hamstrong strain and the middle relievers have been on-and-off the MLB IL if and when they are not being treated as Piñatas by opponents.

RHP Bryan Bello was optioned to AAA Worcester after stinking up the joint while off-season acquired Ranger Suarez has been inconstsitent and youngsters Connelly Early and LHP Payton Tolle have shown promise, but it has not translated to wins.

The bullpen has a 3.72 ERA to date.

Add it all up and point the finger elsewhere. It’s not Alex Cora’s fault that the Red Sox are four games buried in the AL East cellar.

TIP of the HAT: A tip of the hat goes to the incredible Boston Red Sox PR staff as they tossed a perfect, fitting 77th birthday party to longtime WBZ-Radio reporter Jonny Miller. Many Sox fans remember the wonderful tradition of having Miller begin each postgame press conference with the “honor” of asking the first question, much like the late Helen Thomas (1920-2013) of UPI who had that same honor in the White House briefing room when there was a semblance of decorum. On Saturday, to celebrate Miller’s 77th, there were tributes, a rare standing “O” of applause (tossing the no cheering in the press box rule to the side), and some Major League cake and cupcakes in Fenway Park glory (CITGO (in vanilla and chocolate; Wally; Baseballs and a few other icing pictorials). Nicely done and God Speed to the great Jonny Miller, who WWYI met in 1981.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Radio reports in Boston spoke of an (obviously) Scottish couple, a.k.a. “Man in Kilt,” strolling through Mattapan in downtown Boston. To say that was a safe walk in the park might be an error. Mattapan started as community for Native Americans known as the Mattahunt Tribe. Early in 20th century, immigrants traveling in New England found Mattapan to be a “good place to sit.” Irish, Jewish, and Haitian immigrants called the neighborhood home. That is largely the case for Haitian immigrants ‘til this day, and, in fact, Boston has a huge Haitian population, and Massachusetts ranks third in the USA for Haitian immigrants.

  1. Florida – 544,043 (2.4% of the state population)
  2. New York – 176,287 (0.8%)
  3. Massachusetts – 77,054 (1.1%)

It just so happens, at 9:00pm on Saturday, June 13, Haiti will face Scotland in an important World Cup preliminary match. The Group C in which they compete also includes Brazil and Morocco, not a Group of Death but you might say, a respirator will be attached to the team losing the opening match in the stadium formerly known as Gillette in Massachusetts (far away from Boston, not so far away from Providence).

On Friday night, there were more “Men in Kilts” at Fenway Park than there were Fenway Franks. The Red Sox scored 10 runs and held the Rangers of Texas to a single run. It was only the third time this season the hometown team managed double digits in the run column. Maybe there was some luck or inspiration in ‘dem ‘der kilts? On Saturday morning, hundreds – maybe thousands – of Scots boarded trains at Moynihan Station near Penn Station and Madison Square Garden to travel on the northbound tracks to the sticks of Foxborough – a long trip. The last time Scotland qualified to play in the World Cup was 1998. That’s a Knick-a-load-eon amount of time passed, as the Knickerbockers made it to the NBA Finals in 1999 and – yes – again this year.

TIDBITS & NOTES: Position Sports, in partnership with the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, announced that St. John’s and Arizona will tip-off in the Hall of Fame Series New York City on Saturday, December 5, 2026, at Madison Square Garden. The December 5 matchup will also mark the first of two Hall of Fame Series meetings between the programs, with St. John’s and Arizona scheduled to meet at the Hall of Fame Series Phoenix in 2027. Obviously, JoJo will have to leave his home in Tucson to attend the 2027 game. … Did you know? Paul and the late Linda McCartney owned a historic Tucson ranch, located in the foothills of the Rincon Mountains.

ONE on ONE: Teams of 1×1 hoopsters representing Atlanta, Baltimore, Miami, and Washington, DC advanced through the second round of three championship events at Tracy McGrady’s Ones Basketball League (OBL). The playoff took place at Ridge High School in Orlando.

TALK the TALK: There’s been a fair share written in this column about minor league baseball, from Cape Cod to the Pioneer League to the American Association of Professional Baseball. The focus is usually about the teams and players, but sometimes the “behind the scenes” of sports finds a gem in the minors and AAPB alumni on the field aren’t the only ones finding success after their careers in the league. Denning Gerig, the AAPB Broadcaster of the Year in 2021 with the Cleburne Railroaders, has been named director of broadcasting for Wichita State University Athletics.

FENWAYS: Just like they do at Fenway Park, here in Boston, the Chicago Dogs of the same AAPB celebrated the music of Neil Diamond with pre-game performances and sing-a-longs, tagged “Cracklin’ Rosemont.” … In Boston, the Red Sox now feature Diamond’s work in a pregame salute to the 250th anniversary of the USA with a music video montage, entitled, “America.” … And, yes, the CITGO sign has been torn apart in an effort to move it 120 feet and raise it 30 feet higher as it remains in Kenmore Square. “CITGO may think of this as their Sign, but in Boston, we think of it as ours,” Boston City Councilor Sharon Durkan, who represents Kenmore Square, said in a press release about the sign’s move. … Nowadays, the WHOOP sign is the most visable of billboards and it’s been rigged up to glow in white light or go “Red, White and Blue” for the 250th.

NFL Schedule: Here’s a Top Ten

by

LOS ANGELES – (Wire Service Report) – Not only do the Los Angeles Rams have a reasonable shot at becoming the first team to win the Super Bowl on its homefield twice, the NFC West runner-up is by far the easiest team to find on the NFL’s 2026 broadcast schedule.

Seven times the Rams are positioned for a primetime slot — tying a league record — barring a slip from contender status that would prompt networks to invoke the “flex” option and reassign Sean McVay’s team to an afternoon kickoff.

Embed from Getty Images

You’ve got to appreciate McVay’s offensive machine as much as the next NFL fan, but let’s survey the broader landscape for the 10 games we are circling on the 2026 schedule.

1. Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears, Friday, Dec. 25
Are the Packers still gutted by two heartbreaking losses to the Bears? They’ll never admit it. The drama on the field and sidelines restored one of the  game’s best rivalries. Chicago’s schedule strength adds a degree of difficulty the Bears didn’t face rising from the bottom of the NFC North to a division title in Ben Johnson’s first season. The Packers had owned this series in recent years and want to pull the pendulum northward.

2. Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys, Thursday, Nov. 26
Thanksgiving Day amplifies whatever the state of the Dallas Cowboys happens to be, and this one should be extra spicy. It hasn’t happened since 2014 and will be the third Turkey Day meeting between the teams. Cowboys fans are crossing their fingers the results will be better than the last time (33-10 loss in ‘14) and 1989, when the Eagles used two Randall Cunningham-to-Cris Carter TDs and Philly’s defense ransacked Troy Aikman at Texas Stadium, 27-0. Philadelphia hosts the first meeting of the 2026 season with Dallas on “Monday Night Football” in October.

3. Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots, Sunday, Dec. 6
Josh Allen ran the AFC East for nearly a decade and Drake Maye was more than the new kid on the block in 2025. He played like an MVP candidate — even winning in Buffalo — and the Patriots went 5-1 in the division. The only loss was a 35-31 barnburner at Gillette Stadium won by the Bills on Dec. 14. It was New England’s only loss between Sept. 28 and the Super Bowl.

4. Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks, Friday, Dec. 25
Fine, we can talk Rams, too Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, the NFL wrapped up a matchup between teams who combined for 26 regular-season wins and took the division duel down to the wire last season. Lumen Field won’t be a present for the Rams, but Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay have usually done just fine in enemy territory. The game falls one week after the one-year anniversary of Seattle’s memorable fourth-quarter rally from 16 down, forced overtime and walked it off with a 38-37 victory over the Rams.

5. Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals, Thursday, Dec. 31
Last season wasn’t a typical set of Bengals-Ravens games. The AFC North rivals split with an average margin of victory of 21 points. Rewind to 2025 and unleashed Lamar Jackson vs. bomb-happy Joe Burrow produced scores of 35-34 and 41-38 (overtime). If we get a New Year’s Eve snow game with division and playoff consequences, even better.

Embed from Getty Images

6. New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks, Wednesday, Sept. 9
A Wednesday night opener ahead of the Thursday Rams-49ers matchup in Australia, we’ll find out if the Patriots are better prepared for a Super Bowl rematch with months to prepare. New England oscillated from disjointed to complete disarray in the February loss to Seattle and didn’t have all oars in the water during an offseason when Mike Vrabel’s off-field, ahem, affairs were a constant talking point.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Chicago Bears, Sunday, Nov. 8
Baker Mayfield vs. Caleb Williams piques our interest in a midseason “Sunday Night Football” matchup with the undercard of Buccaneers head coach and defensive maestro Todd Bowles against Bears coach and offensive brain Ben Johnson. The Bucs fell short of the postseason in 2025 for the first time since 2019, while the Bears are trending upward after the franchise won a playoff game (well, two of them, actually) in January to snap a 15-year drought dating to 2011.

8. Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks, Monday, Dec. 7
Crossover games with the NFC West add a degree of difficulty to the Dallas schedule this season. While we wait to offer judgment on the revamped defense, the Cowboys are likely to bring all the smoke to test Seattle’s versatile, attacking defense in a game sandwiched between matchups with the Eagles and Rams for Dallas.

Embed from Getty Images

9. Jacksonville Jaguars at Denver Broncos, Sunday, Sept. 20
Some called the Denver AFC West run last season but far fewer anticipated Jacksonville winning 13  games and dealing the Broncos one of the team’s three regular-season losses. First-year head coach Liam Coen reflects many of Broncos head coach Sean Payton’s qualities as a play-caller and designer, adding built-in entertainment value.

10. San Francisco 49ers at Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Dec. 27
What will the 49ers have left in the tank? San Francisco is setting a record for miles traveled in a season thanks to international treks to Mexico and Australia and the closing stretch for the 49ers is some kind of minefield from NFL schedulers. Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy are familiar foes but 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan has not beaten Andy Reid as a head coach (0-3). Two of those losses were agonizing Super Bowl defeats (LIV, 2020 and LVIII, 2024). After falling short of historical track and expectations in 2025, is the window closed on one or both of these longtime contenders?

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Aim for Sweep of Texas

by

BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – After their first home series win since April, the Boston Red Sox go for a series sweep against the visiting Texas Rangers on Sunday evening.

The Red Sox are now 2-8-1 this season in home series and interim manager Chad Tracy knows if Boston is going to climb out of the American League East cellar, it will have to improve its performance at home.

Embed from Getty Images

“It’s been a minute (since a home series win) and it feels good,” Tracy said. “It’s no secret. We all know we have to play better at home. We played two really good ball games and now have a chance to go sweep a series. It feels good for the guys for sure.”

While Red Sox fans haven’t had a lot to cheer about at home, Ceddanne Rafaela changed that – for an afternoon anyway – with a clutch, two-run go-ahead single that came with two outs in the seventh to give Boston a 4-2 lead.

The 25-year-old center fielder ranks second on Boston in batting average (.291), doubles (14) and stolen bases (seven).

“Every win matters,” Rafaela said. “Especially at home. I want the fans to be happy, that’s what we are showing up for to try and accomplish.”

With two straight wins, Jarren Duran said Boston has to stay focused as it has the chance to get on a roll. Duran launched a two-run homer in the eighth to provide the Red Sox bullpen with breathing room.

“We are picking it up, which is good,” Duran said. “We just need to put our heads down and keep going.”

Boston starter Connelly Early (5-4, 3.30 ERA) is scheduled to make his first career appearance against the Rangers. The left-hander allowed two runs on five hits with four walks and six strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings in a 3-1 loss in his last start at the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.

The Rangers will counter with Nathan Eovaldi (5-7, 4.26 ERA), who took the loss in a 5-3 setback at the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday. The veteran right-hander surrendered four runs on four hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

In 12 appearances, including 11 starts, against one of his former teams, Eovaldi is 4-1 with a 4.68 ERA. He’s racked up 46 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings pitched.

After scoring just four runs in the first two games of the series – a 10-1 loss on Friday and a 6-3 setback on Saturday – Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said his club’s offense has to provide more support for its pitching staff.

“The challenge for us is providing more cushion on the offensive side for our starting pitchers,” Schumaker said.

Jake Burger provided some offense with a solo shot in the eighth, his 100th career home run. Burger leads the Rangers in homers (12) and RBIs (42).

Michael Helman also contributed to the Rangers’ offensive output with an RBI sacrifice fly that tied the game 2-2 in the fourth. But the center fielder, who has 30 at-bats in 15 games, was hit by a pitch on his right hand in the eighth, and after being checked out by the Rangers’ training staff at first base, he exited the game.

“Michael has multiple fractures in at least one finger, if not two,” Schumaker said. “He will be out for a bit, (the pitch) got him pretty good.”
-Field Level Media