Archives for October 9, 2022

While We’re Young (Ideas) – Clemson, Boston College and the Underrated in Sports

By TERRY LYONS

CHESTNUT HILL – When we last left you, it was in memory of the late Boston College student-athlete Welles Crowther, aka the “Man in the Red Bandana.” The spirit and anticipation leading up to the game here Saturday night was tangible. As gobs of BC students filed into Alumni Stadium to lead 42,138-strong, the excitement of a big, nationally televised Atlantic Coast Conference game, they had hopes of repeating one of the great upset wins in a decade and a half of BC football, a 37-31 win over No. 9-ranked USC back in 2014.

That very first “Red Bandana Game” was the last time a Boston College football team defeated a Top 10 ranked team. This week, the No. 5 Clemson Tigers made sure that the September 2014 upset remained as BC’s badge with a decisive 31-3 dismantling of the Eagles.

The description of the game can be likened to a high level heavyweight prize fight, one opponent highly skilled and well taught in the art of boxing while the other a dangerous challenger fighting with emotion in his hometown.

Last night, the scorecard read 10-3 at the half, as BC’s defensive unit played outstanding football to match the bigger, better, battle-tested Tigers. The energy of the first half gradually dissipated as Clemson wore-down Boston’s defense as though a disciplined boxer was jabbing, jabbing, jabbing the Eagles into a a haze of pain and fatigue.

Tigers quarterback DJ Uiagalelei threw three second-half touchdown passes while BC was unable to establish any kind of running game to base their control, deliberate offense. Without running backs Alex Broome, Cam Barfield, and Alec Sinkfield, Boston (2-4, 1-3 in ACC) could only muster 34 rushing yards on 30 attempts.

BC’s primary threat, wide receiver Zay Flowers caught eight catches for 75 yards against a suspect Clemson secondary.

Boston College has a bye week upcoming before traveling to Wake Forest in two weeks.Clemson (6-0, 4-0 in ACC) will play at Florida State this coming Saturday.

 

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: A popular and regular function of While We’re Young(Ideas) has been passing along the estimated valuations of pro sports franchises as tallied by our friends at Sportico.

This week, take a look at the Top 10 of Sportico’s Major League Soccer franchise valuations:

1. Los Angeles FC, $900m
2. LA Galaxy, $865m
3. Atlanta United, $855m
4. Seattle Sounders FC, $725m
5. Toronto FC, $705m (US)
6. DC United, $700m
7. New York FC, $690m
8. Portland Timbers, $685m
9. Austin FC, $630m
10. InterMiami, $585

The value of the Portland Timbers should remain solid despite the NWSL scandal that involved front office staff who ran both the Timbers and the women’s Thorns.

Keep in mind, the then-expansion New York FC came with a franchise fee of a “record” $100 million back in 2015. Similar, but not quite as miraculous rise in value, the MLS is beginning to mirror the NBA in quick, soaring increase in franchise valuation.

The 1988-89 NBA expansion (Charlotte, Miami, Minnesota and Orlando) brought with it a bargain $32.5m fee for each of the four teams. The NBA’s most recent expansion saw the Toronto Raptors and then-Vancouver Grizzlies pay $125m each. Today, the Phoenix Suns are on the market as disgraced team governor and managing partner Robert Sarver looks to move his club for an NBA record rate. That means the Suns would have to sell for north of the $2.35b that team governor Joseph Tsai paid for the Brooklyn Nets (2019), or restauranteur Tilman Fertitta dropped $2.2b for the Houston Rockets (2017). Those sales followed the $2b franchise game-changer when SteveBallmer bought the LA Clippers in 2014.

Sarver bought the Suns for a then-record $401m in 2004 from a multi-owner group headed by Jerry Colangelo and can now seek some $2.4-$2.5b for the Suns and WNBA Mercury.

DIAMOND DUST-UPs: Heading onto postseason, I must say I liked the chances of the Toronto Blue Jays, swept out by the Seattle Mariners yesterday in the biggest comeback in MLB Wild Card history. It was also the biggest road comeback win in playoff history and baseball’s largest rally to clinch a postseason series. The Mariners were down, 8-1, in the 5th Inning. Overall, you’ve got to believe this year’s MLB playoff format favors the four teams with Wild Card round byes, as they had a brief few days to align their starting pitching while resting pitchers, catchers, bullpen and all. They are: (AL: Houston and New York; NL: Atlanta and the Los Angeles Dodgers).

PREDICTIONS: While trekking to New York, Sirius-XM and Chris “Mad Dog” Russowas interviewing Boston Red Sox team manager Alex Cora who was quite frank with his thoughts while others might be leery of burning bridges with his baseball industry friends.

Cora, too, liked the way the Toronto Blue Jays were playing down the stretch of the last month of the MLB season, but he warned how dangerous the Cleveland Guardians might be in the wild car and ALDS. In the NL, he liked the Atlanta Braves the most.

Cora didn’t go on an “all-out” predict-fest, but he did indicate there would be no surprise in his mind if Atlanta and Cleveland met to determine the 2022 World Series champion.

NOTES: Congratulations to former BIG EAST conference administrator Tom Odjakjian on his choice to retire from the AAC Conference. Odjakjian served sports fans quite well with a stint at ESPN and then the work at the two college conferences, especially during the difficult time when the BIG EAST and American split, with the BIG EAST going basketball only while the AAC went knee deep in college football. … Meanwhile, a fellow ESPN colleague of Odjakjian in Rob Simmelkjaer was named by the New York Road Runners, the organizer of the TCS New York City Marathon, to its top post as CEO. He’ll assume the new role on November 15, 2022.

TID-BITS: The reigning Premier League champions Manchester City went to the top of the ladder after beating Southampton 4-0 at The Etihad Stadium as 22-year-old Erling Haaland is taking the Premier League by storm and tearing-up the history books as he goes. The Norwegian striker has now netted 15 goals (in nine games) in the Premier League and 20 goals overall on the season in all competitions.

Haaland became the first player to score a hat-trick in three consecutive home games in the Premier League – against Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United – although that run is over with his single against Southampton. Earlier in the season, he became the first player to score in his first four away games in the Premier League.

In other news, the United States women’s national team lost to England, 2-1, in a friendly played before 76,891 at Wembley. The USAWNT is playing in Europe last week and this while reports of abuse and misconduct in the women’s national program and the US National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) surfaced in the Sally Yates report, an independent investigation published this week. The USAWNT goes on to Spain for a game this Tuesday.

UNDERRATED in SPORTS: Not seeking to create a comprehensive listing here, but the start of the MLB Postseason brought thoughts of some underrated stars in Baseball, even though they might be All-Stars. For instance, Cleveland Guardiansthird baseman José Ramírez might be considered underrated, as his teammate Oscar Gonzalez. … Gorgeous New England football Saturdays and Sundays are underrated. New York Strip steaks are underrated. Penne Ala Vodka and Spaghetti alla Puttanesca are vastly underrated. Puttanesca, by the way, is loosely translated to throwing everything in the cupboard into cook; or a while bunch of sh*t into the pot. … Good tires on your car are underrated. As a parent of little ones of (1997 and 1999) who each grew to be incredible young women, the Diaper Genie is vastly underrated. … Dogs are underrated, while cats are overrated. You get it, right?

Here are a few pro players that might be considered underrated. They are listed in no particular order: Michael Cooper (LAL), Lance Alworth (then SD Chargers), former NYY Bernie Williams, soccer phenom Erling Haaland is underrated, but not for long. … the late Jerry Sloan was an underrated NBA defensive star, although the Chicago Bulls were smart enough to retire his No. 4 in the old Chicago Stadium. … Brooks Robinson, the human vacuum of the glory years for the Baltimore Orioles was underrated. … I always thought NBA legend James Worthy of the LA Lakers was underrated, although he warranted the nickname “Big Game” James which indicated his performances were well noticed. … Steve Smith, NBA vet and Olympic gold medalist was underrated, even if you just count the way he set picks. Yogi Berra was underrated and he’s a Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Famer …. The late Mike Bossy was underrated.

Pitcher Virgil 🔥 Trucks, great grand uncle of famed guitarist Derek Trucks was underrated. For that matter, Derek is underrated as is his guitar-playing vocalist wife Susan. They keep on getting better. Google it. … Keith “Jamaal” Wilkes was underrated and you can just think of his 37 points, 10 rebound performance in Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals as an example. Wilkes’ great game was over shadowed by Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s MVP performances in the series, including the fact he jumped and played center in a game Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was unable to play. … Red Sox right fielder Dwight “Dewey” Evans is still underrated.

UNDER-RATED ROCK BANDS and MUSICIANS:

(Listed in no particular order)

1. The Guess Who
2. Faces
3. Rockpile, headed by Nick Lowe and Dave Edmonds
4. Dire Straits, headed by the great Mark Knopfler
5. Little Feat
6. Warren Zevon
7. Delaney and Bonnie & Friends
8. Leon Russell
9. Dave Mason
10. Paul Butterfield Blues Band, for the Chicago Blues fans out there
11. Yardbirds
12. The Animals, highlighted by the incredible soulful voice of Eric Burdon and theincredible keyboard play of Alan Price.
13. Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels
14. Savoy Brown Band
15. The Kinks
16. Eric B. & Rakim
17. Schoolly D
18. Ten Years After
19. Traffic
20. The Eurythmics
21. Link Wray and the Wraymen
22. Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac

To finish this week’s Part Deux Sunday Sports Notes off with a performance you might not have seen, nor rememebered.