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Archives for April 2021

Jordan Spieth Wins Valero Texas Open

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Spieth Back in Winners’ Circle After 3-Year Drought

SAN ANTONIO – Jordan Spieth earned his 12th PGA Tour title in his 83rd start since winning The 2017 Open Championship, a span of 1,351 days. Spieth joined a list of five players in the last 40 years who reached 12 wins before turning 28 years old: Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and Justin Thomas

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Spieth became the 92nd player in PGA Tour history to reach 12 wins and moved into a tie for 82nd on the all-time wins list while he improved to 10-for-19 in his PGA TOUR career to win after holding a 54-hole lead/co-lead.

Charley Hoffman finished solo-second for the second consecutive time at the Valero Texas Open, as he finished runner-up to Corey Conners in 2019. Since 2006, Hoffman leads all players at the Valero Texas Open in Top-fives (5), Top-10s (7), Top-25s (12), Cuts Made (15) and score to par (-105).

With a solo-third, Matt Wallace (-14) recorded his career-best result on the PGA TOUR (previous: T3/2019 PGA Championship)

Rickie Fowler (T-17) needed a win to qualify for the Masters Tournamentand will miss a major championship for the first time since the 2010 U.S. Open.

Final Leaderboard at Valero Texas Open 2021:

Jordan Spieth 67-70-67-66—270 (-18)

Charley Hoffman 75-66-65-66—272 (-16)

Matt Wallace 69-68-67-70—274 (-14)

Lucas Glover 73-67-70-66—276 (-12)

Anirban Lahiri 71-69-69-69—278 (-10)

While We’re Young (Ideas) – April 4

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MLB’s Opening Day Brings Excitement, Wonder and Hope

By TERRY LYONS

The late, great Shelby Strother once wrote in a Christmas-New Years sports column, “The Annual Second Chance is near – it’s called New Year’s Eve. It is the window of opportunity where the hopes and fears of all the year (not to mention the mistakes) can be erased.”

You might argue, there is a much better day than New Year’s Eve to do a self examination of the human mind and the life it leads. There is a day when Spring Training is in the rearview mirror and suddenly, everything is for REAL. It all counts. Together with blooming annuals, chirping birds, the NCAA Final Four, and a crowd at Mahoney’s Garden Center, we bring you Opening Day of Major League Baseball.

For most of Baseball, Opening Day was April 1st, April Fools Day which is an indicator for some to be mentioned later in this column of notes. For New Englanders, Opening Day was RAINED OUT at Fenway Park but you can count on Baseball to be there and, indeed, it was on Good Friday.

But as Jimmy Fallon’s character, Ben, said in “Fever Pitch,” you can count on Baseball. “Every April, they’re here. At 1:05 or at 7:05, there is a game. And if it gets rained out, guess what? They make it up to you. Does anyone else in your life do that?”

They made it up on Friday, complete with all the Opening Day splendors of ceremony, bunting, social distancing, 39-degree weather and fly-overs. The Baltimore Orioles were the visiting team and their starting pitcher, John Means of Olathe, Kansas, gave up a lead-off single to Red Sox 2B Kiké Hernandez much to the delight of the 4,452 fans lucky enough to score a ticket for such a special game.

Then, reality set in and – for Red Sox fans – often, “Reality Sucks!”

The kid from Johnson County, Kansas threw darts and a sinking change-up that must’ve fallen-off a cliff in Oz. Means tossed 7.0 innings of one-hit baseball, including his retirement of 18 consecutive Boston batters. When John throws a baseball, he Means business and the Red Sox were shut-out on their Opening Day for the first time since 1976.

Yet, somehow, even Red Sox fans went home happy.

Baseball – with some fans in the stands – was back and people came to the game. Better yet? In Texas on Monday, they’re expecting 40,300 at Globe Life Stadium in Arlington to watch the Texas Rangers play host against a homeless team originally from Toronto. Must be a “give-away day,” right? Just ask the Washington Nationals.

Rangers fans are obviously shouting, “Pandemic Fever be Damned,” and how can you blame them? We’ve all endured a year of a global pandemic, and so many of our global neighbors, some 2,836,220, have passed away while 130,101,770 of our brothers and sisters threw their own sinking change-ups and one-hit the disease, thank God.

Sunshine, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Baseball bring us the excitement, wonder of what the future may bring in the standings of ball and the ladder of life, and hope. Dear, precious hope.

As James Earl Jones, playing Terence Mann in Field of Dreams said so eloquently to Kevin Costner, portraying Ray Kinsella as they discussed the allure of the sport we call our National Pastime:

“People will come, Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again.”

Yes. People came out to the old ballgame and things were good once again for the day.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Baseball’s Opening Day might be one of the more underrated of GREAT events on our normal, annual sports calendar.

Another is upon us, as well. That being March Madness and the Final Four. The Saturday semifinals of the tournament is on that lofty list of the greatest days in sports. The underrated gem, is the half hour before tip-off of the first game on Saturday. At that point in time, the fans of the four teams in the gym ALL think they have a shot at the National Championship. The excitement and buzz in that half-hour might be the very best 30 minutes in sports.

For the entire weekly Sunday Sports Notes column, you can have it sent to your inbox if you subscribe HERE

PGA Tour: Spieth, Wallace Co-Leaders at Final Round of Valero Texas Open

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Note: Cloudy skies and a high of 71-degrees combined with winds from the E/SE at 10-20 mph yesterday and due to thunderstorms, the start to the third round was delayed 2 hours, 30 minutes and began at 12:13pm (local).

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SAN ANTONIO – After the two and a half hour weather delay, 11-time PGA Tour winner Jordan Spieth and four-time European Tour winner Matt Wallace got down to business and now share the 54-hole lead at 12-under.

Spieth, making his 83rd start since his last win at The Open Championship in 2017, is 9-for-18 in his career to date when he has the 54-hole lead/co-lead. He holds at least a share of the 54-hole lead for the third time this season, the most of any player.

Wallace holds the 54-hole lead/co-lead for the first time in his PGA Tour career and is in search of his first Tour victory.

Since 2006, Charley Hoffman leads all players at the Valero Texas Open in Top-fives (4), Top-10s (6), Top-25s (11), cuts made (15) and score to par (-99). Hoffman is in lone third place after three rounds.

A purse of $7,700,000 is on the line today with $1,386,000 and 500 FedEx points going to the winner.

A win at the Valero Texas Open is the final opportunity to earn a spot for this week’s Masters Tournament.

Third Round Leaderboard:

Matt Wallace 69-68-67—204 (-12)

Jordan Spieth 67-70-67—204 (-12)

Charley Hoffman 75-66-65—206 (-10)

Cameron Tringale 66-69-73—208 (-8)

Anirban Lahiri 71-69-69—209 (-7)

Hill Named Managing Director of USA Basketball’s Men’s Senior National Team

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Hill to Replace Jerry Colangelo as Head of Men’s Senior National Team After Tokyo Summer Olympics

COLORADO SPRINGS – (SOURCE: OFFICIAL NEWS RELEASE) – Olympic gold medalist and 19-year NBA standout Grant Hill has been approved by the USA Basketball Board of Directors as the next managing director of the USA Men’s National Team. Hill will succeed current managing director Jerry Colangelo after the Tokyo Olympics.

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“It is a tremendous honor to serve as managing director of USA Basketball’s Men’s National Team. I am looking forward to working with the USA Basketball staff and Board of Directors to lead this program so uniquely positioned for continued growth and for developing and promoting our top talent in events around the world,” said Hill. “As a member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team, I know the thrill and responsibility it is to represent our country. I am confident USA Basketball will continue to showcase the top talent and highest character players in our country.”

“We are very excited that Grant Hill will join USA Basketball as our USA Men’s National Team managing director. Grant is a proven leader of consequence and character who will continue to help us achieve on our twin goals of winning international competitions and representing our country with honor” said USA Basketball Board of Directors chair and retired General Martin Dempsey. “In making this announcement, I also want to emphasize how much everyone associated with USA Basketball appreciates Jerry Colangelo for everything he did for USA Basketball over the past 15 years.”

Taking control in 2005 of a USA National Team that hadn’t won a major international competition since 2000, Colangelo rebuilt the program from the bottom up. Under Colangelo, the USA men have compiled a remarkable 97-4 overall record and have claimed top honors in six of eight FIBA or FIBA Americas competitions, including Olympic championships in 2008, 2012 and 2016.

Hill played for five USA Basketball teams, won two gold medals and one bronze medal and compiled an overall record of 26-1 (.963 winning percentage). He was a member of the gold medalist 1996 U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team and the 5-0 1996 USA National Team. Hill as a collegian was a part of the 1992 USA Developmental Team that trained against the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team, the bronze medalist 1991 USA Pan American Games Team and the gold medalist 1990 USA U18 Championship Team.

Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 2018, Hill’s NBA career covered 19 seasons, and he was a seven-time NBA All-Star and a five-time All-NBA selection. Playing four collegiate seasons at Duke University, he helped lead the Blue Devils to back-to-back NCAA national titles in 1991 and 1992 and to a runner-up finish in 1994.

Moving Day at Valero Texas Open

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SAN ANTONIO – Cameron Tringale tied his career-long birdie streak and holds two-stroke lead over Jordan Spieth and Mike Wallace after 36 holes. Triangle made five consecutive birdies (Nos. 13-17), to tie the longest birdie streak of his PGA Tour career (fourth instance; most recent: R-4/2020 The RSM Classic).

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Tringale is making his 297th start on the Tour since the start of the 2009 season, the most of any player without a win in that span.

Jordan Spieth (T-2) is in the top 10 after 36 holes for the fifth time in his last six stroke-play events on the PGA Tour.

Kevin Stadler (T-4) made the cut for the second time in his last 24 starts on Tour and is striving for his first Top-10 since the 2014 Masters Tournament.

Rickie Fowler’s bogey-free (68) was his first bogey-free score in his last 86 rounds.

A win at the Valero Texas Open is the final opportunity to earn a spot for next week’s Masters Tournament.

First Round Leaderboard:

Cameron Tringale 66-69—135 (-9)

Matt Wallace 69-68—137 (-7)

Jordan Spieth 67-70—137 (-7)

Kevin Stadler 69-70—139 (-5)

Kyle Stanley 71-68—139 (-5)

Erik van Rooyen 71-68—139 (-5)

Brandt Snedeker 72-67—139 (-5)

78 players at 2-over (146) from a field of 141 professionals and three amateurs

Baltimore Means Business vs Red Sox

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BOSTON – Baltimore Orioles ace pitcher John Means threw 7.0 innings of one-hit, scoreless baseball and the Orioles scored two runs in the 6th inning and one in the 8th to earn a 3-0 Opening Day victory over the Red Sox at Fenway Park. The opener was delayed one day because of inclement weather on Thursday, April 1. It was the first time the Boston Red Sox were shut-out on their MLB Opening Day since 1976.

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Means retired 18 consecutive batters with the only blemish being a lead-off single by Boston’s Kiki Hernandez and the Orioles’ 3B Maikel Franco allowing Xander Bogaerts to get on board with a fielding error. Otherwise, it was all command, control and an effective change-ups by Means that baffled Boston batters all afternoon long.

Baltimore earned its victory when Ryan Montcastle doubled in two runs in the 6th inning and an Anthony Santander RBI single to score Cedric Mullins in the 8th inning.

Orioles closer Cesar Valdez relieved Tanner Scott and retired the Red Sox with only a DH J.D. Martinez double in the 9th.

Boston SP Nathan Eovaldi (5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 SO) made his 2nd straight Opening Day start. He took the loss.

The teams will return to Fenway Park for 1:10pm EDT starts on both Saturday and Sunday.

 

 

Red Sox Opening Day: “Take Two”

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BOSTON – After a rain-out on April Fools Day, the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles will try it again today with clear skies but brisk 39-degree temperatures at 2:10pm EDT at Fenway Park. Boston begins its 121st American League season and the Red Sox are 59-60-1 all-time on Opening Day (excluding G2 of doubleheaders in 1903, 1948, and 1982). This is the 44th time that the Red Sox have opened the regular season at home (25-18), including the 41st at Fenway Park (22-18).

The Sox have won each of their last four Opening Day games at Fenway Park (2009, ’10, ’17, ’20).

Boston’s Opening Day roster features 14 players born in the United States, three from the Dominican Republic, three from Venezuela, two from Puerto Rico, one from Aruba, one born in Canada, one in China, and one in Japan.

The oldest player on the Sox roster for Opening Day roster is Adam Ottavino (35) while the youngest is 24-year-old Darwinzon Hernandez. Other Boston 24-year olds are: Alex Verdugo, Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck, and Rafael Devers.

As planned for yesterday, the long-time tradition of a flyover on Opening Day will be maintained, but with three different aircrafts flying out of three New England states, a first for a Red Sox Opening Day ceremony. This year’s flyover will include an F-15 from Barnes Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts, an F-35 from Vermont’s Air National Guard (the Green Mountain Boys), and a Tanker plane from Pease Air National Guard Base in New Hampshire.

The singing of God Bless America in the middle of the 7th inning will be performed by the Boston Fire Department A Capella Quartet.

The Red Sox will welcome over 100 healthcare heroes to the ballpark for Opening Day. Through a partnership with Dell Technologies, 10,000 tickets will be distributed to healthcare workers throughout the 2021 season.

Red Sox Opening Day, including the ceremony, will be broadcast live on NESN beginning with their pregame show at 12:20 p.m. WEEI’s Opening Day broadcast begins at 1:10 p.m.

Fenway Park gates open two hours before the game for all fans on Opening Day (12:10 p.m.) and 1½ hours for all other regular season games.

 

PGA Tour: Valero Texas Open Round-Up

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Valero Texas Open Opening Round Review & Notebook:

SAN ANTONIO – Camilo Villegas opened with and impressive (64) and holds two-stroke lead. This round marked his second 18-hole lead/co-lead of the season (T-6/The RSM Classic). Villegas holed out for birdie from 38 feet, 3 inches on his last hole of the round (No. 9)

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Jordan Spieth recorded a 5-under (67), his lowest score in 19 rounds at the Valero Texas Open. Spieth has carded under-par scores in the first round of each of his last seven stroke-play events.

Seung-Yul Noh (T-3) entered the week with 18 starts remaining on his Major Medical Extension and must earn 297 FedExCup points.

Cameron Tringale (T-2) at (-6) leads the field in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (5.126).

Phil Mickelson recorded a 10 at No. 18, tying the second-highest score on a hole of his PGA Tour career.

A win at the Valero Texas Open is the final opportunity to earn a spot for next week’s Masters Tournament.

First Round Leaderboard:

Camilo Villegas 64 (-8)

Sung Kang 66 (-6)

Cameron Tringale 66 (-6)

Jordan Spieth 67 (-5)

Seung-Yul Noh 67 (-5)

Hideki Matsuyama 67 (-5)

USBWA Honor Iowa’s Luke Garza

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Garza Wins Oscar Robertson Award as NCAA Player of Year

INDIANAPOLIS – (Source Official USBWA press release) – Iowa center Luka Garza, a unanimous All-America selection and the nation’s leader in total points and field goals made, has been named the winner of the 2020-21 Oscar Robertson Trophy as the National Player of the Year in voting by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. The senior from Washington, D.C., was honored in a virtual presentation in conjunction with the men’s Final Four in Indianapolis.

The 6-11, 265-pounder is a two-time First Team USBWA All-American after leading the nation in total points (747), field goals made (281), 30-point games (8) and 20-point games (22). He is fifth nationally in free throw attempts (199), 10th in free throw makes (141) and tied for 11th in double-doubles (13). His 747 points extended the single-season school record he set last season.

Garza earned the Trophy over two other finalists, junior guard Ayo Dosunmu of Illinois and senior forward Corey Kispert of Gonzaga.

Iowa ranked consistently among the top 10 teams in the national polls throughout the 2020-21 season behind Garza, the District VI Player of the Year who repeated as the Big Ten’s Player of the Year, becoming only the third player in conference history to win the award in consecutive seasons. The Hawkeyes closed at 22-9, falling to Oregon 95-80 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament despite 36 points from Garza, who tied a 65-year-old school record for points in an NCAA Tournament game on 14-of-20 shooting from the field with three three-pointers.

Iowa’s career scoring leader and only its second USBWA All-American (Jarrod Uthof in 2015-16), Garza is the school’s first Oscar Robertson Trophy winner and the first from the Big Ten since Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky in the 2014-15 season. He is the eighth player and the ninth overall honoree from the Big Ten. Following a 15-year hiatus between 1995-2009, the Big Ten has now claimed four of the last 12 awards.

Garza was a unanimous All-American as determined by the four major awarding organizations: the USBWA, Associated Press, NABC and The Sporting News.

The Oscar Robertson Trophy is voted on by the entire membership of the association, which consists of more than 900 journalists. It is the nation’s oldest award. “The Big O” won the USBWA’s first two national player of the year awards in 1959 and 1960 and was the consensus national player of the year as a sophomore in 1958, the year before USBWA started giving its player of the year award. The USBWA renamed the award the Oscar Robertson Trophy in 1998.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season.

Red Sox: It’s a Wash-Out

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BOSTON – The Red Sox-Orioles game scheduled for today, April 1, at Fenway Park was postponed. The forecast called for periods of rain throughout the day in the Fenway area.

“The decision to postpone our first game of the season was not made lightly,” said Red Sox President & CEO Sam Kennedy. “The built-in off day was created for just this purpose and tomorrow’s forecast for sunshine also factored into our decision. We have been eager to have fans back at Fenway Park for the first time in 18 months and look forward to welcoming everyone back tomorrow under brighter and drier conditions.”

Today’s Opening Day game and pregame ceremonies are rescheduled for tomorrow, Friday, April 2, at 2:10 p.m. Tickets for today’s game will be good for admission to the rescheduled contest. Fenway Park gates will open two hours before the game for all fans tomorrow (12:10 p.m.). Pregame ceremonies are scheduled to begin at 1:40 p.m.