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Chiefs Max-Out Super Second Half

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GLENDALE – (Staff and Wire Service Report by Field Level Media) – Patrick Mahomes limped off the field at halftime with the Kansas City Chiefs trailing by 10 points.

It turns out there was no need to fret, not with the Super Bowl having a 29-minute halftime.

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Mahomes got treatment during the lengthy break and came out convinced his injured right ankle would hold up. His belief was correct, and he guided the Chiefs to a 38-35 comeback victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday night in Arizona.

Harrison Butker kicked a 27-yard field goal with eight seconds left and Mahomes passed for two of his three touchdowns in the fourth quarter as Kansas City became just the second team in Super Bowl history to rally from a deficit of 10 or more points.

The Super Bowl title is the third for Kansas City. The Chiefs also won Super Bowl IV (1969 season) and Super Bowl LIV (2019).

Mahomes was named Super Bowl MVP for the second time in four seasons, but he stopped short of calling the Chiefs the rulers of the NFL.

“I’m not going to say dynasty yet,” Mahomes said. “We’re not done.”

Midseason acquisition Kadarius Toney sparked Kansas City by catching a touchdown pass and setting up another score with a long punt return. Travis Kelce and Skyy Moore caught touchdown passes, Isiah Pacheco ran for a score and Nick Bolton returned a fumble for a touchdown for the Chiefs.

The result gave Kansas City coach Andy Reid a victory over the team he coached for 14 seasons from 1999-2012.

“I know that city loves him and that organization loves him,” Kelce said of Reid. “Call it what you want — there is a lot of pride that he has had success in two different organizations, but this is the better one.”

Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts tied a Super Bowl record with three rushing scores and also passed for one touchdown. Hurts was 27-of-38 passing for 304 yards and rushed for 70 while teaming up with Mahomes as the first pair of Black starting quarterbacks in Super Bowl history.

Former Denver Broncos star Terrell Davis rushed for three touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII.

Kansas City moved 66 yards on 12 plays for the winning field goal, receiving help from a third-down defensive holding penalty on Philadelphia’s James Bradberry. The cornerback briefly grabbed the jersey of Kansas City wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster.

“It was a holding,” Bradberry said. “I tugged his jersey. I was hoping they would let it slide.”

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni declined to criticize the call.

“I know it always appears that it’s one call,” Sirianni said. “That’s not what it is. There are so many plays that contribute to the end result of the game. And today they were better than we were.”

Another key play was a 26-yard scramble by Mahomes, who earlier aggravated his right ankle injury on Kansas City’s final offensive snap of the first half.

“Whenever you aggravate those high ankles, it hurts,” Mahomes said. “It feels like it did the first time. … But you’ve got to play at the end of the day.”

A.J. Brown caught six passes for 96 yards and one touchdown and DeVonta Smith had seven receptions for 100 yards for the Eagles.

Teams that trailed by 10 or more points at halftime in the Super Bowl are now 2-26. The New England Patriots were the first team to accomplish it as they recovered from a 25-point hole to beat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.

Kansas City took its first lead of the contest at 28-27 when Mahomes completed a 5-yard scoring pass to a wide-open Toney with 12:04 left in the game. That also marked the first time Philadelphia had trailed the entire postseason.

The Chiefs then forced a three-and-out and cashed in big when Toney set a Super Bowl record with a 65-yard punt return. He fielded the ball at his 30-yard line and started left before reversing to the right with a wall of teammates blocking. He was stopped at the Eagles 5.

Three plays later, Mahomes had another wide-open target in Moore, who caught a 4-yard scoring pass to give Kansas City an eight-point lead with 9:22 remaining.

Philadelphia quickly responded as Hurts connected with Smith on a 45-yard pass to the Chiefs 2. Hurts scored on a quarterback sneak on the next play and then ran in the two-point conversion to tie it at 35 with 5:15 remaining.

Mahomes re-injured his right ankle when tackled with 1:33 left in the first half but he didn’t seem bothered by it when the Chiefs opened the second half with a 10-play, 75-yard drive. Pacheco capped the drive with a 1-yard run with 9:30 left in the third quarter to pull Kansas City within 24-21.

Philadelphia responded with a 17-play, 60-yard drive that took 7:45. Jake Elliott finished it by booting a 33-yard field goal to give the Eagles a six-point lead with 1:45 left in the period.

Hurts rushed for two touchdowns and threw for one in the first half to give Philadelphia a 24-14 advantage.

He made one big first-half miscue, dropping the ball while trying to run out of danger. It bounced up to Bolton, who easily scored on a 36-yard fumble return to tie it at 14 with 9:39 left in the half.

“I’m so proud of this team,” Hurts said. “We had a big-time goal in the end, and we came up short. The beautiful part is we experience different agony in life, and we decide how we want to move forward, how we want to learn. My only direction is to rise.”

Mahomes connected on an 18-yard scoring pass to Kelce in the first quarter. The touchdown reception was Kelce’s 16th in the postseason, second all-time behind legendary Jerry Rice (22).

Kelce also improved to 3-0 all-time in matchups against his older brother Jason, the Eagles’ standout center.

“I’m really, really happy for Trav,” Jason Kelce said. “That team deserves everything it had coming to them. They earned it. … You can’t win them all.”

–Field Level Media

TL’s Super Sunday Notes | Feb 12th

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Have a Super Sunday

By TERRY LYONS

FOXBORO – There’s been quite a few sports columns written from Foxboro, Massachusetts leading up to Super Bowl Sundays of the past. Unlike this column, those were written about Tom Brady and the New England Patriots participating in the Big Games, like those played in the Louisiana SuperDome (2002), Reliant Stadium in Houston (2004), Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville (2005), University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (2008) – the same joint as this year’s game.

Memories of the Patriots’ Super Bowls of the past come from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis (2012), back at Glendale, AZ (2015) and NRG Stadium in Houston (2017), at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota (2018) and their last appearance in the Super Bowl, the 13-3 victory over the La Rams at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta (2019).

That’s six Super Bowl championships in nine tries since the turn of the Bill Belichick century with two losses coming at the hands of the NY/NJ Giants, and one to the Philadelphia Eagles who just happen to be the 1.5 point favorites in this year’s Super Bowl matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Overall, the Patriots are 6-5 in 11 total Super Bowl appearances, with the Patriots taking a 46-10 shellacking by Mike Ditka’s Chicago Bears in 1986 and losing 35-21 to the Green Bay Packers in 1997, three years before Belichick would become head coach in New England.

This year, all that you can leave behind are Ford Fusions from Rodman Ford sitting idle, like the Patriots, even with their good housekeeping seal of approval from Gronk. In other words, there’s not much going on in Foxboro this weekend except the filing of retirement papers by a certain former quarterback.

That brings us to Super Sunday 2023 in Glendale, Arizona – also known asSuper Bowl LVII (57) – pitting the Philadelphia Eagles (that’s in Pennsylvania, not New Mexico, Illinois or some 22 other places in the world) versus the Kansas City Chiefs (and that’s KC in Missouri, not Kansas for the geographically inept and moronic former Twitter user out there).

Philly opened getting (+1) a point, but the line quickly moved to KC getting (+1.5), a 2.5 swing stressing Eagles’ backers. The line has stayed solid for the past 13 days. The reaction surely a concern on the injury woes of the Chiefs versus the dominating fashion in which the #FlyEaglesFly boys dispatched on the NY/NJ Giants (38-7) in the NFL Divisional round and the (31-7) ear-slappin’ the Eagles put on the season-long impressive SF 49ers in the NFC Championship game.

After two weeks of prep, practices, prognostications, props and predictions – you’ve heard enough. The six hour-plus pregame show will provide another dose, a primer for those who tried to ignore the usual pre-Supe media blitz. Yes, from Radio Row to coverage of the PGA Tour event at nearby Scottsdale there were predictions from every angle.

A compelling score was found on a Golf Channel interview with Merrill Reese, the Eagles’ longtime radio play-by-play man. Reese has been calling Philly Eagles’ games since 1977 and with all of his work, his history, his spending every minute of the 1977-78 to 2022-23 NFL seasons with the Eagles, his advice was to avoid turnovers, especially down the stretch when the last team to possess the ball just night make off with the NFL’s Lombardi Trophy.

If I’ve heard that Super prediction once, I’ve heard it 57 times.

On a more serious note, the Digital Sports Desk site has a super-worthy read of insights and predictions – done with the assistance of content provider extraordinaire Field Level Media. Visit by clicking HERE.

In all previews, the main concern is the injury factor to Kansas City. While so much focus has rightfully been on KC QB Patrick Mahomes, the injuries sustained by KC WRs JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) and Kadarius Toney(ankle, hamstring) will be a factor if they flare-up. As of Saturday, they’ve both been cleared to play, along with RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire who was activated in place of receiver Mecole Hardman (injured reserve list and out). Edwards-Helaire will re-join a backfield that will rush in triplicate as once reserve RBs Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon have shown signs of greatness to come. The Chiefs will need 80-100 yards from the trio, and a TD or two.

TE/receiver Travis Kelce could rack-up two TDs himself and if you add a FG, the number to beat for the Eagles will be 38 points. That would be two points shy of the only “bad” loss the Eagles endured all season, a 40-34 beatin’ at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys on December 24th and three more points than any other team in the NFL scored against the tough Philly defense the rest of the season. (Detroit Lions lost 38-35 on opening day in September).

The general thought, however, is for Philadelphia’s defense to limit Kelce to one score and to hold the KC backfield so tight, they might come up empty. If Mahomes tweeks the injured right ankle, the Chiefs will be in big trouble as he’ll try to gut-it-out, as he did during KC’s playoff win against the Buffalo. The difference, the Philly D and pass rush schemes will counter and be too much for KC to handle.

That’s all the Big GameDay prognostication from WWYI, except, oh yeah: This is the first time two African American QBs will meet in the Super Bowl AND the Kelce Family will need to watch both All Pro TE Travis (KC) and Philly offensive lineman Jason go at it! (Bet you hadn’t heard that, eh?)

Remember, though! Limit turnovers, take care of the ball! What else is new?

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Whether you head down AZ-101 or brave the traffic and veer over to I-17, the road from Glendale and the Super Bowl to North Scottsdale and the Tournament Players Club, is filled with drama. Scottsdale, the site of the WM Phoenix Open, is golf with NOISE! You can hear the fans roaring all over the course, but none better (or worse, depending how you look at it) than the crowd of 20,000+ on No. 16 at The Stadium Course. … Scottie Scheffler (-13) and Jon Rahm (-11) are the top players on the leaderboard and they will play together with Canada’s Nick Taylor (-11) in the final round Sunday. TV coverage begins at 1:00pm (ET) on Golf Channel and continues on CBS at 3:00pm (ET).

If you want to map your television viewing day, and avoid a few hours of the Super Bowl pregame coverage, here’s your TV sports guide (all times ET):

  • 8:00am – WTA Tennis from Abu Dhabi (Tennis Channel)
  • 9:00am – Manchester United at Leeds (USA Network)
  • 11:30am – Aston Villa at Manchester City (USA Network)
  • Noon – Temple at Memphis men’s hoops (ESPN2)
  • 1:00pm – You’ll want to tune-in to PGA Tour golf. (Golf Channel)
  • 1:00pm – Michigan State at Ohio St. men’s hoops (CBS)
  • 1:00pm – FOX NFL Today kicks-off 5.5 hours of pregame coverage
  • 2:00pm – Memphis at Boston Celtics – (ABC)
  • 3:00pm – The WM Phoenix Open switches from Golf Channel to CBS
  • 6:30pm – The Super Bowl (FOX)

The Super Bowl halftime show looks promising with Rihanna headlining but the New York Post’s Phil Mushnick always has a beef.

TID-BITS: Shouldn’t Heinz be all over this particular Super Bowl? … I would with some serious “57 Varieties” guerrilla marketing, straight from Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. … More Book Controversy in FLA … A book about late Afro-Puerto Rican MLB legend Roberto Clemente is no longer on the shelves of public school libraries in Florida’s Duval County. “Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates” by Jonah Winter and Raúl Colón – and other books about Latino figures such as the late Afro-Cuban salsa singer Celia Cruz and Justice Sonia Sotomayor – are among more than 1 million titles that have been “covered or stored and paused for student use” at the Duval County Public Schools District, pending “reviews” by State media specialists. … Simply Astonishing.

It’s about a month until BASEBALL. The World Baseball Classic will have qualifying pool play in Miami. Games will also be played in Taichung (Rep of China (Taiwan), Tokyo (Japan) and Phoenix. … Speaking of The Valley of the Sun and its busy week of hosting the WM Phoenix Open and nearby Glendale hosting the Super Bowl, the NBA and Phoenix Suns stole some of the buzz when the Suns acquired former NBA MVP Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets on the day of the NBA Trading Deadline. NBA pundits quickly speculated the Suns could be the team to beat in the NBA West, predicting the aging Durant can join with the (very) again point guard Chris Paul, center DeAndre Ayton and oft-injured but highly-talented Devin Booker to overtake the West’s No. 1 fave, the Denver Nuggets. … If so, Durant will need to shore-up his defensive game and Chris Paul will need to play out of his mind while the combo of Ayton-Booker must remain healthy until June.

Not long after LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, a record many believed would never be approached, waived NBA and EuroLeague Basketball veteran Enes “Freedom” came down hard on James with a tweet which read: 38,388 Points 0 Morals 0 Values 0 Principles 0 Empathy 1 Bow Down to #China Congratulations to @KingJames – Ouch.

ALL THE FIXIN’S: Younes Rachidi, former tennis player from Morocco, was banned for life this week after being found guilty of 135 match-fixing offenses. The 135 thrown matches marked the highest number of match-fixing offenses by one person ever detected in the sport, according to the International Tennis Integrity Agency. Rachidi, who claimed his highest doubles ranking of No. 473, was banned from ever playing in, coaching or attending any tennis event sanctioned by governing bodies the ATP and WTA. He was fined only $34,000. Independent anti-corruption hearing officer Janie Soublière ruled that all charges against the 36-year-old Rachidi were proven. The International Tennis Integrity Agency said Rachidi was involved in match-fixing with two Algerian players who were recently banned following investigations in Belgium.

SUPER BOWL MENU: Here’s a glimpse for Feb 12 home tailgating menu – to be made prior to the 6:30pm (ET) kick-off.

  • There will be a “Super” Dog Run for Penny (Lane) from 10am to 11am, it should tucker her out for a good portion of the afternoon, although she’ll keep me company out back – none too close to avoid injury or burns.
  • PGA Tour Radio will be on; Skip and Shannon Sharpe will not be on.
  • The Traeger Timberline will be brought out of the bullpen and into action after a good cleaning and vacuuming of old ash.
  • Two (2) Lobster Tails will be smoked and grilled, along with some Sirloin Steak Tips.
  • Breast of Chicken will be perfectly sliced into long strips, seasoned with the special Traeger rub for Poultry, aligned with some green, red, yellow and orange peppers and wrapped with Kayem THICK Bacon strips. They will be grilled and smoked, then readied for a warm-up later in the afternoon.
  • Various vegetables will be smoked and grilled, including some asparagus and Tri-color carrots. Raw Celery, Cucumber strips, raw carrots, along with steamed Broccoli and Cauliflower tips will be readied for special onion dip or Marie’s Dressing.
  • The drinks of choice will be Sunday morning percolated Coffee and then Diet Coke on ice. Diet Coke consumption will come to an abrupt halt very soon, to be replaced by Iced Tea all spring and summer long.
  • The late evening just might see some Pizza.

PARTING WORDS & MUSIC: This week, we lost a giant in the world of music.

Burt Bacharach (1928-2023) passed away Wednesday, February 8th. His work, together with his collaboration with lyricist Hal David (1921-2012) and vocalist Dionne Warwick (born: Marie Dionne Warrick) will forever hail as one of the all-time great entertainment combinations in history.

Yes, it was Bacharach’s death and he should be respected, but the memories of the great Dionne Warwick performing the Bacharach-penned songs and with many lyrics written by David rise to the forefront of musical history. There are more hit songs and ever-lasting themes than can be listed in this notebook. The memories are endless, as there was not a weekend that I can remember growing up in the 1960s and ‘70s, that a Warwick/Bacharachcomposition was not glowing from the living room stereo.

Here’s a sampling/medley, certainly a MUST WATCH.

Bacharach also wrote one of the most memorable movie scores to a classic scene in Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid. Ray Stevens was the first choice to record the song, lyrics by David of course, but he passed. The assignment went to the late B.J Thomas.(1942-2021) and he brought it home with Bacharach and David, complete with two Academy Awards, for best Original Song in a motion picture and best music score for a film. The film was nominated for an Oscar but lost to Midnight Cowboy. Thomas, in 2014, was awarded a Grammy and inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame. The late and legendary Burt Bacharach made it all happen. Rest in Peace.

Another Must Watch:

TL

Super Bowl LVII Preview

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GLENDALE – (Staff and Wire Service Report by Field Level Media) – Patrick Mahomes is on the verge of becoming the youngest quarterback to start three Super Bowls, but the Kansas City Chiefs star is more interested in becoming the 13th to earn multiple Super Bowl rings.

Mahomes will be playing in his third Super Bowl in the past four campaigns, and his task on Sunday is to solve the dominant defense of the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII in Arizona.

Philadelphia has been backed by 67 percent of the spread-line bets and 68 percent of the handle at BetMGM. The action was similar at BetRivers to begin the week before more money started flowing in on the Chiefs, with the Eagles now drawing 58 and 51 percent, respectively.

Mahomes will be 27 years, 148 days old when he takes the field but is already viewed as an NFL great. He is 1-1 in previous Super Bowls, having beaten the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 in Super Bowl LIV and lost 31-9 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV one year later.

Philadelphia’s defense, ranked second in the regular season at 301.5 yards allowed per game, will be swimming like sharks around Mahomes.

The Eagles have racked up 78 sacks during the regular season and postseason. That is third-most all-time behind the mid-1980s Chicago Bears, who had a record 82 in 1984 and 80 in 1985.

Philadelphia will look to corral Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who ranks second all-time in postseason receptions (127) and receiving yardage (1,467) and is tied for second with Rob Gronkowski with 15 postseason touchdown grabs. Jerry Rice leads in all three categories.

Kelce is part of a juicy storyline as he and older brother Jason (the Eagles’ center) will become the first set of brothers to play against one another in Super Bowl history. Both Kelces already own a Super Bowl ring, but Travis is 3-0 in matchups against Jason.

“Whoever wins this one will have the ultimate bragging rights,” Jason Kelce said.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid is looking for his second Super Bowl ring as he faces the organization that fired him in 2012 after 14 seasons. Reid ranks second all-time in postseason victories (21) behind Bill Belichick (31).

The 64-year-old has tried to swat away “Andy Reid Bowl” questions all week. He reached five NFC title games with the Eagles but just one Super Bowl, a 24-21 loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX.

Also a hot topic is whether the Chiefs can stamp themselves as a dynasty with a second Super Bowl win in four seasons. Reid, not surprisingly, has no interest in the subject.

“I’m not really into all that,” Reid said. “It’s important in our world as coaches and players that you try to get better every day. You’re only as good as your last game, or your next game, I should say. We’re striving to focus on this thing and try not to worry about all that stuff.”

The quarterback matchup between Mahomes and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts is noteworthy, marking the first Super Bowl in which each team has a Black starting quarterback.

Only three Black quarterbacks have won a Super Bowl: Doug Williams (Super Bowl XXII), Russell Wilson (Super Bowl XLIX) and Mahomes.

“It’s not about me. It’s about the team,” the multi-dimensional Hurts said. “Football is the ultimate team game, and you can’t have one player with the belief that he can succeed without the others around him.”

The Eagles have held steady as a consensus 1.5-point favorite after the spread reached as high as 3.0 points at some major sportsbooks.

PROP PICKS
–Hurts Over 10.5 Rushing Attempts (+100 at BetMGM): This has received the most total bets among player props at the sportsbook. Hurts has averaged 11.5 carries over the past four games. That includes 11 against the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game despite the Eagles being in control much of the game. The offseason begins Monday, so look for Philadelphia to use Hurts’ legs to the fullest as it attempts to keep the Chiefs’ defense off balance.

–Travis Kelce Anytime TD (-124 at BetRivers): Kelce has three touchdowns in two playoff games already and will be coveted safety blanket against the Eagles’ ferocious pass rush. Him scoring at least one touchdown on Sunday leads the sportsbook’s player props with 4.5 percent of the total money. Kelce is also among the top 10 most popular plays to score twice, which has drawn 1.3 percent of the money at +575.

–Josh Sweat Over 0.75 Sacks (+110 at DraftKings): Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick has been on an absolute tear with 3.5 sacks in the playoffs following 16 during the regular season. But his -180 odds at Over 0.25 sacks doesn’t portend a great potential payout. With the Chiefs having to prioritize protection Mahomes against Reddick on obvious passing downs, there should be plenty of opportunity for Sweat, who set a career high with 11.0 sacks during the regular season and racked up another 1.5 in the playoff-opening win against the Giants.

INJURY REPORT
The right ankle injury Mahomes sustained against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Jan. 21 is healing, but he won’t be 100 percent against the Eagles.

“You won’t know exactly how it is until you get to game day,” Mahomes said this week. “I mean, I definitely move around better than I was moving last week or two weeks ago. So it’s just trying to continue to get the treatment and the rehab and get it as close to 100 percent and then rely on some adrenaline to let me do a little bit extra when I’m on the field.”

The Chiefs overall have a clean bill of health, while the Philadelphia Eagles listed only one player, wide receiver and return specialist Britain Covey, on the final injury report ahead of the game.

Covey (hamstring) popped up for the first time Thursday, was limited for two straight days and was listed Friday as questionable for the game.

An undrafted rookie, Covey has rarely seen snaps on offense but serves as Philadelphia’s punt returner. He also returned kicks in Weeks 4, 8, 9 and 10. Covey fielded 33 punts in the regular season for 308 yards with a long of 27. He averaged 9.3 yards.

If Covey can’t play, the Eagles may need to turn to the likes of speedy former Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith as a replacement punt returner.

Friday’s news was good for Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, who appeared on Thursday’s injury report as a limited participant with a knee issue. The Chiefs said Sneed practiced in full on Friday and gave him no game status designation.

That’s not to say Kansas City is at perfect attendance. Earlier in the week, it placed wide receiver Mecole Hardman on injured reserve with a pelvic injury, taking him out of the equation for the Super Bowl.

But that allowed the Chiefs to activate running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (ankle) from IR in a corresponding move, and two other wide receivers with previous injury concerns — JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) and Kadarius Toney (ankle, hamstring) — are cleared to play Sunday.

PREDICTION
The NFL might be an offensive league in this era, but most of the recent Super Bowl champions have sported the superior defense. The Chiefs lack a real threat in the backfield, which will force them to rely on the short passing game as a complement to help thwart that pass rush. The Eagles bring more offensive balance to the equation along with variety in the red zone that will pay off in crunch time. –Eagles 28, Chiefs 26

–Field Level Media

Brady Files Retirement Papers

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report by Field Level Media) – Tom Brady filed his retirement paperwork with the NFL and NFL Players Association on Friday, several reports said, cementing the seven-time Super Bowl winner’s Feb. 1 announcement that his playing days were over.

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Brady retired last winter, walked it back 40 days later and played one final season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Buccaneers got three seasons with Brady, winning a Super Bowl in his first year on the scene and losing in the playoffs the next two seasons.

Now the bill has come due for Tampa Bay, as it will take a full $35 million dead-cap hit in 2023 as a result of Brady’s retirement.

Had Brady worked with the Bucs on a contract amendment to keep Brady on the books with so-called voidable years and processed his retirement after June 1, they would have been able to split the dead-cap hit between 2023 and 2024. Instead, multiple reports said, all $35 million will be assessed in 2023, putting Tampa Bay nearly $60 million over the salary cap.

 

NBA: Post Trade Deadline Mode

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INDIANAPOLIS – The sputtering Indiana Pacers welcome the new-look Suns to Indianapolis tonight, as Phoenix concludes its five-game Eastern Conference road swing with a renewed outlook on the season.

The Suns suffered their first defeat of the road trip on Thursday, 116-107 to Atlanta. The loss — just the third over Phoenix’s last 12 games — took a backseat to the franchise’s roster movement ahead of the trade deadline.

Phoenix sent Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, along with future draft picks, to Brooklyn in exchange for 10-time All-NBA honoree and former Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant. Jae Crowder, whom the Suns also traded in the package, was moved to Milwaukee shortly thereafter.

“It was an emotional day,” Suns coach Monty Williams said before Thursday’s game. “(Bridges and Johnson) are near and dear to my heart. They’re literally like my family. …They understand the business side of it, but they also understand that there’s a human side, an emotional side, a connection that is greater than the business side.”

The shakeup left Phoenix short-handed at Atlanta and bringing a much different roster than the squad that beat Indiana 112-107 in Phoenix on Jan. 21. Durant is unlikely to play Friday.

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PGA Tour: WM Phoenix Open Preview

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SCOTTSDALE – The WM Phoenix Open is the 15th event of the 2022-23 PGA Tour season and second designated event, featuring 22 of the Top 25 players in the Official World Golf Ranking (37 of top 50), nine of the Top 10 players in the FedEx Cup standings (all but Justin Rose) and 11 of the 12 players that have won on Tour this season (all but Rose).

The field was expanded from the original size of 132 players to 134 to include the entire Top 125 category of the priority ranking. The last man in the field is Kelly Kraft, who finished No. 125 in the 2021-22 FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points List.

Defending champion Scottie Scheffler earned his first career PGA Tour victory at the 2022 WM Phoenix Open and went on to win the Jack Nicklaus Award as PGA Tour Player of the Year. Scheffler is the reigning champion of four PGA Tour events over the next nine weeks (WM Phoenix Open, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, Masters Tournament) and won those titles in a span of six starts during the 2021-22 season. Scheffler’s scoring average at the WM Phoenix Open is 67.80, tied with Xander Schauffele for the second-lowest among any player (minimum of 10 rounds) since the event moved to TPC Scottsdale in 1987.

Rory McIlroy is making his second start of the season and first since winning THE CJ Cup in South Carolina. The last player to win each of his first two starts of the season was Tiger Woods in 2008.

McIlroy has won in each of his last two starts on the PGA Tour (2022 Tour Championship, 2022 CJ Cup in South Carolina). The last player to win in three consecutive starts was the LIV’s Dustin Johnson in 2016-17. McIlroy accomplished the feat during the 2013-14 season.

Waste Management Phoenix Open | Tournament Facts

COURSE: TPC Scottsdale, Arizona (Stadium Course)

YARDS/PAR: 7,261 yards/Par 71

ARCHITECTS: Tom Weiskopf \ Jay Morrish

PRIZE Money – Purse: $20,000,000/$3,600,000

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Scottie Scheffler

PAST RESULTS: (link)

PAST CHAMPIONS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 500

LeBron James Passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as NBA’s All-Time Top Scorer

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LOS ANGELES – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James parlayed his offensive versatility over 20 seasons into the NBA all-time scoring record, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Tuesday for most points in league history.

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James eclipsed Abdul-Jabbar’s mark of 38,387 career regular-season points on a fallaway shot with 10.2 seconds remaining in the third quarter of the Lakers’ Tuesday game against the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder.

He stepped back from the defense of Kenrich Williams near the foul line and sank the record-breaking jumper.

Abdul-Jabbar, who was sitting courtside, stood and applauded as James celebrated. The former Lakers star and NBA commissioner Adam Silver both shook James’ hand and gave him brief hugs at center court.

James then got on a microphone and said, “Everybody that has ever been a part of this run with me the last 20-plus years, I want to say thank you so much because I wouldn’t be me without all y’all. All y’all helped. All y’all’s passion and sacrifices helped me to get to this point.

“And to the NBA, to Adam Silver, to the late great David Stern, thank you very much for allowing me to be a part of something I always dreamed about. I would never in a million years dreamt this to be even better than what it is tonight. So (expletive) man, thank you, guys.”

James ended the night with 38 points, leaving his career total at 38,390 points, but the Lakers lost 133-130.

Silver subsequently released a statement that read, “Congratulations to LeBron on breaking one of the most hallowed records in all of sports by becoming the NBA’s all-time scoring leader. It’s a towering achievement that speaks to his sustained excellence over 20 seasons in the league. And quite amazingly, LeBron continues to play at an elite level and his basketball history is still being written.”

After the game, James said, “I don’t know if it’s hit me. It hit me a little when my family got out on the floor after it happened and I saw all my friends and family, but it hasn’t quite sunk in yet. …

“To be able to play at this level, 20 years in and the minutes I played, the games I played, through the regular season and the postseason, to still be at the apex of my game is a really surreal feeling.

“Hopefully I can keep doing it but at the end of the day it’s just been a pleasure to be in this league for 20 years. And however long I can go and however long that can be, I’ve had a hell of a run.”

Asked whether he is the best NBA player of all time, James replied, “I’ll let everybody else decide who that is or just talk about it, but it’s great barbershop talk. Me personally, I’m going to take myself against anybody who’s ever played this game. But everyone’s gonna have their favorite, decide who their favorite is.

“I know what I bring to the table every single night and what I can do out on this floor. I always feel like I’m the best to ever play this game, but there are so many great ones and I’m happy to be just a part of their journey.”

The star-studded crowd included tennis legend John McEnroe, music stars Jay-Z, LL Cool J and Bad Bunny, actor Denzel Washington and former Lakers players Bob McAdoo and James Worthy, among others.

With the skills of a point guard, the shooting prowess of a wing and the strength of a power forward, James entered Tuesday’s game averaging 30 points per game this season and needing 36 on the night to break the record.

James, 38, has averaged 27.2 points per game in his career while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-10, 2014-18), Miami Heat (2010-14) and the Lakers (2018-present).

Not counted in his regular-season record total are James’ 7,631 playoff points, also the most by a player in NBA history. He has played in 266 career postseason games while winning four NBA championships.

James missed his first two shots against the Thunder before scoring his first basket on a 3-pointer from the left wing with 7:03 remaining in the first quarter. He had eight points on 3-of-6 shooting in the opening period and 20 points by halftime by going 6 of 10 from the floor, although Los Angeles trailed 76-66 at the break.

In an example of just how consistent of a scorer James has been, he also extended his record streak of double-digit games to 1,140.

James’ record performance wasn’t enough for the Lakers, though, as the Thunder emerged with the win.

Lakers coach Darvin Ham said, “The guys, they wanted to see Bron do what he did tonight. A lot of times I think the focus was more about trying to get Bron to the record as opposed to just playing natural basketball. We were able to make some good plays and he did what he did, he eclipsed the record. But we just had too many mistakes.”

–Field Level Media

Injuries a Factor for Super Bowl Week

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PHOENIX – If Super Bowl LVII were being played Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs would be looking thin at wide receiver. But the game against the Philadelphia Eagles isn’t until Feb. 12, giving Mecole Hardman, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kadarius Toney more time to heal in hopes of playing in the big game.

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Hardman (pelvis), Smith-Schuster (knee) and Toney (ankle, hamstring) did not practice this week. The Chiefs’ estimated game status report marked Hardman as doubtful and the other two as questionable.

NFL Network reported Thursday that Hardman was seeking second opinions on his injury to see if there was a way he could play. Hardman missed the second half of the regular season with the injury and was brought back in time for the AFC Championship Game, where he was able to play just 15 offensive snaps.

Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (concussion) and linebacker Willie Gay (shoulder) were also estimated as questionable. Sneed hasn’t practiced this week while Gay was limited each day.

For the Eagles, cornerback Avonte Maddox was among those who sat out practice Friday due to a toe injury.

Maddox was seen wearing a boot on his left foot at practice, but the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Eagles are holding him out as a precautionary measure and he will be able to play in the Super Bowl.

Maddox has been in and out of the lineup with injuries this season. He missed four games in November and early December when a hamstring injury sent him to injured reserve.

He suffered what was reported to be a “significant” toe injury Christmas Eve against the Dallas Cowboys and missed the final two regular-season games, plus Philadelphia’s divisional round win over the New York Giants. He returned for Sunday’s NFC Championship Game and had three tackles, one for a loss.

 

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | February 5th

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Welcome to the Dog Days of Winter. It’s the first Sunday without NFL football since the weekend of September 11, 2022. That disregards the event formerly known as the Pro Bowl, now being staged in forms other than football.

What do the Dog Days of Winter bring to our sports-loving fandom?

A good look at the NBA of late brings altercations as in fights with guys coming off the bench to “give it a go.” There’s a laundry list of other assorted violations that will keep the NBA Dean of Discipline, the great Joe Dumars, up to his eyeballs with accounting paper and incident reports. Dumars, the most professional, wonderful, honest, down-to-earth player that’s ever played in the NBA, now knows what it was like when his predecessors (Rod Thorn, Stu Jackson) had to deal with the 1987-88-89-90 “Bad Boys” aka the elbow throwing, cheap-shotin’ Bill Laimbeer of the Detroit Pistons.

Suffice to say, Dumars has his hands filled, as did the Veeps of Violence of years past. It’s simply that time of year.

Since February 1st, Dumars has seen his officiating staff dole out 19 technical fouls. They’ve resulted in six ejections, a $25,000 fine for Donovan Mitchell and a one game suspension without pay for Dillon Brooks, estimated to cost the player a cool $78,621 for their efforts this past Thursday.

On Friday night, one of the crazier altercations of out time on earth began with Mo Bamba coming off the Orlando Magic bench to confront Minnesota’s Austin Rivers, who threw several punches as Orlando’s Jalen Suggs joined the melee to tangle with Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels and Taurean Prince both joining the fracas.

Facing the facts? There will be more.

Players, coaches, referees, and even the hot dog vendors have “had it” at this point in the year. They’re “banged up.” They’re playing hurt and the pressure is being turned up as the playoffs grow closer and closer. From a slow simmer on the back burner of January to a full boil come April, there’s no more room for understanding. The Dog Days call for dukes. No questions asked.

Even the G-League experienced the doldrums of the Dog Days of Winter in balmy Sioux Falls when Skyforce guard Mychal Mulder was suspended one game without pay for making contact with a game official and escalating an on-court altercation while Birmingham Squadron forwards James Kelly, Sr. and Kelan Martin were suspended one game without pay for leaving the bench area and escalating that altercation. The incident resulted in the ejections of Kelly, Sr. and Mulder.

The Dog Days know no bounds! But, it can get very dangerous. “Rudy T” dangerous because the players are BIG and STRONG and QUICK and they can pack a punch. There’s very few face masks, no padding and maybe a couple dozen mouth guards being worn by otherwise fully exposed players. Sheer momentum can bring two players together at warp speed.

It’s time for the league to get the word out – the officials are going to enforce the rules on the books. They need to T-up any and all verbal jabs and the players will adjust. The Holy Grail in the NBA is “Playing Time” and the players know where to draw the line when they know the league, from those in the office to officials at the games are going to come down on the B.S. and a suspension and $78k fine gets the word out.

AT PRESS TIME: The NBA league office came down with the hammer. Here’s the news release on fines and suspensions for the Orlando v Minnesota bout:

Orlando Magic center Mo Bamba has been suspended four games without pay and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Austin Rivers has been suspended three games without pay for their roles in an on-court altercation, it was announced today by Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations.

In addition, Magic guard Jalen Suggs has been suspended one game without pay for escalating the altercation by aggressively grabbing Rivers around the neck and pulling him to the floor.

Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels has been fined $20,000 for his role in the altercation which included running into the scrum and pushing Bamba in the back.

The incident, for which all four players received technical fouls and were ejected, occurred with 1:32 remaining in the third quarter of the Magic’s 127-120 win over the Timberwolves on Feb. 3 at Target Center.

Bamba and Rivers engaged in an altercation in front of the Magic bench, with both players throwing punches. Suggs and McDaniels then entered the altercation as non-peacemakers, which resulted in a continued escalation of the situation.

Following the incident, Bamba attempted to continue to engage with Rivers in a hostile manner in the corridor outside the locker rooms where he also aggressively shoved a security representative. Both Bamba and Rivers continued the escalation on social media following the game.

GET THE REMOTE: As you begin your Dog Day Sunday Morning & Afternoon, your viewing choices can range from a 9:00am (ET) Leeds United v. Nottingham Forest Premier League soccer game on USA Network to a 12 Noon (ET) DePaul at Seton Hall tilt on FS1.

If you prefer to stick with USA Net, the Fordham Rams and Richmond Spiders will be awaiting tip-off in an A-10 tussle. Or, you can watch Six Nations Rugby or Bowling or Figure Skating or Rodeo or Horse Racing or Women’s Pro Hockey or wait-out some NASCAR race at the LA Coliseum at 8pm (ET) – it’ll be Sunset Grills in Southern California.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Only eight days until Pitchers & Catchers report to Spring Training for Major League Baseball teams. That’s a sure sign, Spring is on the way and this cold blast (-10 here) will blow back to Canada and beautiful Spring days are not too far away. Spring Training leads to March Madness and WWYI favorite event of the year with the BIG EAST tournament scheduled for March 8-11th, the 41st year the tournament will be staged at The Garden. … The PLAYERS Championship is aligned with the BIG EAST and will be staged at TPC Sawgrass from March 7-12th. The signature 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass gets the vast majority of the attention, but the entire course is gorgeous and one of the most famous in the world. (More on that later in the column). … After a sometimes chilly March 30th Opening Day for Baseball their are a few other sure signs of Spring in the Northeast United States. The Masters will take place at beautiful August National from April 6-9 and it will be followed by the single best day of the year in Boston. Patriots’ Day, Monday April 17th, and the running of the Boston Marathon is only 71 days away. The great day is enhanced by the 11:00am LA Angels at Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park. Sheer perfection for a day when the entire city of Boston and the Commonwealth as a whole revolves around sports and celebrates the marathoners as they weave their way through eight local towns and cities: Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline, and Boston. … Of recent years, the Boston Marathon was set back severely when the 2013 race was marred by a bombing incident. Two crazed radicals manufactured two homemade bombs and set them off within minutes of each other and some 200 yards from the finish line in Copley. Three spectators will killed immediately while some 260+ people were injured, 17 losing limbs. A few days later, while trying to escape a citywide manhunt with residents sheltered in place, the two brothers killed an MIT police officer and fled to the suburbs. The crime fighters of multiple agencies located the two bothers and one was killed in a shoot-out and subsequent fatal rundown as his younger brother fled the scene. Later, the younger brother was located, hiding in the backyard of a Watertown home, shot and critically injured in a winterized boat. His trial resulted in multiple charges meriting the death penalty. He is currently incarcerated in the Supermax ADX detention center in Florence, Colorado. A March, 2022 court ruling reinstated the death penalty verdict handed down but was being scrutinized by the Supreme Court of the United States.

Here’s a look at some select dates you can circle on your calendar (Partial List of Great Sports Events from Feb to June 1):

  • February 4 – March 18 – Six Nations Rugby
  • February 12 – Super Bowl (Phoenix, AZ)
  • February 19 – NBA All-Star Game (Salt Lake City, UT)
  • March 7-12 – The PLAYERS (TPC Sawgrass)
  • March 8-11 – BIG EAST Tournament (New York City)
  • March 12 – NCAA Selection Sunday (Indianapolis, IN)
  • March 8-21 – World Baseball Classic (Miami and other cities)
  • March 14-15 – NCAA Men’s Basketball First Four (Dayton, OH)
  • March 16-17 – NCAA Men’s Basketball First Round (Multiple cities)
  • March 18-19 – NCAA Men’s Basketball Second Round (Multiple)
  • March 23-24 – NCAA Sweet 16
  • March 25-16 – Elite 8
  • March 30 – Opening Day in MLB (Multiple cities, all 30 teams)
  • March 31-April 2 – NCAA Women’s Final Four (Dallas)
  • April 1 – Final Four (Houston, TX)
  • April 3 – NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Game (Houston, TX)
  • April 6-9 – The Masters (Augusta, GA)
  • April 11-14 – NBA Play-In Tournament (Multiple Cities)
  • April 15 – NBA Playoffs Begin
  • April 17 – Patriots’ Day – Boston Marathon + Red Sox at 11am (Boston, MA)
  • April 17 – NHL Playoffs Begin
  • May 6 – Kentucky Derby – (Churchill Downs)
  • May 16 – NBA Draft Lottery –
  • May 18-21 – PGA Championship – (Oak Hill, Rochester, NY)
  • May 20 – The Preakness Stakes – (Baltimore, MD)
  • May 28 – Indy 500 – (Indianapolis, IN)
  • May 28 – French Open – (First Matches) – (Paris, France) – until 6/11

Clip and Save ⬆️

TIDBITS: Pick a job, any job. What would you rather do for gainful employment? If you are Secretary of Labor, a Cabinet position, reporting to the President of the United States of America OR become the head of the NHL Players Association? … Similarly, would you prefer to be the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the President of the National Collegiate Athletic Association? … That is the question for former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, and recently replaced Governor of Mass, Charlie Baker, who did not seek a third term after serving from 2015 to 2023. Both jobs are prestigious, yet thankless positions with much public scrutiny. The NHL Players association gig potentially pays the most while the NCAA President job has the most heavy-lifting to do, fighting off the influences of the “Power 5” NCAA football programs while juggling multiple issues, including Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) issues and the equal treatment of women within the collegiate framework. … The realities? WWYI can NOT see Baker living in Indianapolis nor Walsh living in Toronto or NYC. … Let’s see how this plays out.

MORE WORDS, PHRASES AND CLICHES TO AVOID: While We’re Young (Ideas) provided the STRONG recommendation to NOT use the word “Narrative” any longer in your written or verbal communications. While you read that piece of advice, you were also urged to stop “Unpacking” or having a “lot to unpack” from a situation. The advice came with a few other gems. … Today, a few more:

  • “Just like that”
  • Ball screen
  • “The crowd is electric”
  • “No Question”
  • True freshman
  • Bubble team
  • “The car’s running a little loose”
  • ‘Turnovers (or protecting the ball) will be the key”

Let’s play cliche BINGO at Super Bowl parties everywhere?

A PEBBLE FOR YOUR THOUGHTS: The PGA Tour made its way to the fabulous Monterrey Peninsula and 17 Mile Drive at Pebble Beach. Thursday was a gorgeous day until the winds kicked-in late in the first round. The scenic course layout prompted the question: Name the most beautiful golf courses in the USA? Here’s WWYI’s take on that open-ended question:

  1. Augusta National (Augusta, GA)
  2. Pebble Beach Golf Links (Pebble Beach, CA)
  3. Cypress Point (Monterrey, CA)
  4. Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
  5. Oakmont CC (Chicago, IL)
  6. Seminole GC (Palm Beach, FLA)
  7. Winged Foot (Westchester, NY)
  8. Muirfield Village (Ohio)
  9. The Country Club (Brookline)
  10. Riviera Country Club (Pacific Palisades, CA)

Noteables: Torrey Pines (San Diego); The Plantation Course, (Kapalua, HI), Whistling Straits (Wisconsin); Bethpage Black, (Long Island, NY); Kiawah Island Golf Resort: The Ocean Course (South Carolina); Shadow Creek (Las Vegas, NV); Pinehurst No. 2 (North Carolina); Baltusrol (Lower) (Springfield, NJ).

Across the Pond?

  1. Old Course at St. Andrews
  2. Muirfield, East Lothian, Scotland
  3. Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland
  4. Turnberry, Scotland
  5. Royal St. George’s, Sandwich, England
  6. Royal Birkdale, Southport, England
  7. Carnoustie Golf Links is in Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland

Red Sox Sign Non-Roster Camp Invitees

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Boston Red Sox have added 10 non-roster invitees to the team’s 2023 Spring Training roster: right-handed pitchers Dan Altavilla, Taylor Broadway, Durbin Feltman, Victor Santos, and Chase Shugart; infielders Christian Koss and Matthew Lugo; infielder/outfielders Ryan Fitzgerald and Nick Sogard; and catcher Stephen Scott. Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom made the announcement.

Dan Altavilla, RHP – Altavilla, 30, did not pitch in 2022 while recovering from Tommy John surgery performed in June 2021. The right-hander last pitched in 2021, making two relief appearances with the San Diego Padres. He owns a 4.03 ERA (52 ER/116.0 IP) in 119 career Major League outings with the Seattle Mariners (2016-20) and San Diego (2020-21), holding opponents to a .220 batting average (93-for-423) and .388 slugging percentage. The Pennsylvania native was selected by Seattle in the fifth round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of Mercyhurst University. He pitched for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League in the summer of 2013.

Taylor Broadway, RHP – Broadway, 25, will be attending his first Major League Spring Training camp. The right-hander was acquired by Boston from the Chicago White Sox on August 30, 2022, completing the August 1 trade for Jake Diekman. In five outings with Double-A Portland after joining the Red Sox organization, he allowed one earned run over 6.0 innings with 10 strikeouts and no walks. Broadway spent most of 2022 at the Double-A level, going 4-2 with a 4.39 ERA (27 ER/55.1 IP) and 84 strikeouts between Birmingham (37 outings) and Portland. The Texas native was selected by the White Sox in the sixth round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Mississippi.

Durbin Feltman, RHP – Feltman, 25, will be attending his third consecutive Major League Spring Training camp with Boston. He spent all of 2022 with Triple-A Worcester, posting a 7.63 ERA (41 ER/48.1 IP) with 56 strikeouts in 40 outings. The right-hander has made 144 career minor league appearances, all in relief, going 14-10 with a 4.79 ERA (93 ER/174.2 IP) and 208 strikeouts. Named Red Sox Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year by the organization in 2021, the Texas native was selected by Boston in the third round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of Texas Christian University.

Victor Santos, RHP – Santos, 22, finished his first full season with the Red Sox organization in 2022 after being acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in July 2021. He posted a 4.97 ERA (80 ER/145.0 IP), setting career highs in strikeouts (126), appearances (28), and starts (25) between Double-A Portland (19 appearances/16 starts) and Triple-A Worcester (nine starts). Following the season, he pitched for Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Professional Baseball League, recording a 1.88 ERA (3 ER/14.1 IP) in 11 appearances (three starts). Signed out of the Dominican Republic by Philadelphia in November 2016, the right-hander owns a 3.72 ERA (184 ER/ 445.0 IP) with 0.97 home runs allowed per 9.0 innings over 101 career minor league appearances (71 starts).

Chase Shugart, RHP – Shugart, 26, will be attending his first Major League Spring Training camp. The right-hander split the 2022 season between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester, going 5-5 with a 5.31 ERA (37 ER/62.2 IP) in 45 appearances (one start) while making his debut at each level. Following the season, he pitched for Estrellas Orientales of the Dominican Professional Baseball League, allowing six runs in 3.1 innings over four appearances. Selected by Boston in the 12th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Texas at Austin, Shugart is 17-16 with a 4.13 ERA (122 ER/265.2 IP) in 87 minor league appearances (43 starts).

Christian Koss, INF – Koss, 25, will be attending his second Major League Spring Training camp after appearing in seven Grapefruit League games last season. In 2022, he batted .260 (127-for-488) in 125 games with Double-A Portland, setting career highs in doubles (22), home runs (17), RBI (84), and stolen bases (16). Following the season, he played for Criollos de Caguas of Liga de Béisbol Professional Roberto Clemente, batting .230 (20-for-87) with three doubles, one triple, and nine RBI in 29 games. A California native, Koss was traded to the Red Sox from the Colorado Rockies on December 3, 2020. The right-handed hitter has batted .277 (306-for-1,106) over 282 career minor league games, making 179 starts at shortstop, 49 at second base, 41 at third base, three in center field, and one in left field.

Matthew Lugo, SS – Lugo, 21, will be attending his first Major League Spring Training camp. In 2022, he batted .282 (135-for-478) with 26 doubles, 10 triples, 18 home runs, and 79 RBI with High-A Greenville (114 games) and Double-A Portland (3 games), leading the South Atlantic League in hits (134), extra-base hits (tied, 53), and triples (tied, 10). Following the season, the Puerto Rico native played for Criollos de Caguas of Liga de Béisbol Professional Roberto Clemente, earning Co-Rookie of the Year honors after batting .275 (33-for-120) with six home runs and 19 RBI in 39 games. A right-handed hitter, Lugo was selected by Boston in the second round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft. He has made 197 starts at shortstop, 26 at third base, and 15 at second base.

Ryan Fitzgerald, INF/OF – Fitzgerald, 28, will be attending his second Major League Spring Training camp after hitting four home runs in 11 Grapefruit League games last season. The left-handed hitter batted .219 (99-for-452) with 26 doubles, four triples, 16 home runs, and 72 RBI in 127 games for Triple-A Worcester in 2022. Signed by Boston as a non-drafted free agent in 2018, the Illinois native has appeared at every defensive position except pitcher and catcher during his minor league career, playing 442 games and making 298 starts at shortstop, 56 at third base, 40 at second base, 18 in right field, 10 in left field, 10 at first base, and nine in center field.

Nick Sogard, INF/OF – Sogard, 25, will be attending his first Major League Spring Training camp. In 2022, the switch-hitter batted .254 (102-for-401) with 22 doubles, two triples, four home runs, and 43 RBI with Double-A Portland (60 games) and Triple-A Worcester (65 games). Following the season, he played for Gigantes del Cibao of the Dominican Professional Baseball League, batting .250 (7-for-28) in eight games. Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays on February 17, 2021, the California native has played in 268 career minor league games and made 107 starts at third base, 73 at second base, 59 at shortstop, nine in right field, three in center field, and two in left field.

Stephen Scott C – Scott, 25, will be attending his first Major League Spring Training camp. The left-handed hitter spent 2022 with Double-A Portland (59 games) and High-A Greenville (37 games), batting .219 (73-for-334) with 19 doubles, 10 home runs, and 45 RBI while making 67 starts at catcher and 28 as the designated hitter. Following the season, he played for the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League, batting .298 (17-for-57) with five home runs and 16 RBI in 15 games. Selected by Boston in the 10th round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of Vanderbilt University, the North Carolina native has hit .255 (207-for-813) with an .812 OPS in 235 career minor league games. Scott has made 85 career starts at catcher, 57 at first base, 48 as the designated hitter, 19 in left field, and 17 in right field.

BOSTON RED SOX 40-MAN ROSTER (40)

Pitchers (21): Brayan Bello, Richard Bleier, Ryan Brasier, Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck, Kenley Jansen, Zack Kelly, Corey Kluber, Chris Martin, Bryan Mata, Wyatt Mills, Chris Murphy, Kaleb Ort, James Paxton, Nick Pivetta, Joely Rodríguez, Chris Sale, John Schreiber, Brandon Walter, Garrett Whitlock, Josh Winckowski

Catchers (2): Reese McGuire, Connor Wong

Infielders (7): Triston Casas, Bobby Dalbec, Rafael Devers, David Hamilton, Adalberto Mondesi, Trevor Story, Justin Turner

Outfielders (6): Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, Adam Duvall, Rob Refsnyder, Alex Verdugo, Masataka Yoshida

Infielder/Outfielders (4): Christian Arroyo, Kiké Hernández, Ceddanne Rafaela, Enmanuel Valdez