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Archives for September 2023

Patriots: Zappe Back

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FOXBORO – (Wire Service Report) – The New England Patriots re-signed quarterback Bailey Zappe from their practice squad to the 53-man roster and releasing QB Matt Corral, NFL Network reported Saturday. Zappe will be the backup to Patriots starter Mac Jones for the season opener against the visiting Philadelphia Eagles.

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Patriots coach Bill Belichick had said Friday morning that he was still deciding between the two quarterbacks. Corral did not practice Friday.

New England released Zappe, 24, on Aug. 29 and, after he cleared waivers, signed him to the practice squad a day later.

A fourth-round 2022 draft pick out of Western Kentucky, Zappe was 2-0 as a starter last season and played in four games. He completed 65 of 92 passes for 781 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions.

Corral, 24, was a third-round draft pick of the Carolina Panthers in 2022. He spent the season on injured reserve due to a left foot injury. After Carolina selected Bryce Young first in the 2023 draft and signed veteran Andy Dalton, Corral was waived on Aug. 30. The Patriots claimed him off waivers the next day.

–Field Level Media

Orioles Pummel Red Sox

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Baltimore Orioles can stretch their winning streak to seven games on Saturday when they face the host Boston Red Sox in the second game of a three-game series.

All six of Baltimore’s previous wins in the burst have come on their current road trip. After a loss to Arizona to begin the trek, the Orioles (89-51) took the final two from the Diamondbacks and then swept three against the Los Angeles Angels. On Friday, they pummeled Boston 11-2.

Baltimore, which collected 14 hits on Friday, enters Saturday’s matchup with a four-game lead over second-place Tampa Bay in the American League East.

Boston (72-69) has lost three in a row overall five straight home games.

“We’re not here to teach them how to play ball. We’re here to win games,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We just have to keep playing hard, and we’ll be OK.”

Prior to the series against Boston, Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde announced that the Orioles are returning to a five-man pitching rotation. The Orioles have been using six starters since mid-August.

Hyde said Cole Irvin would shift from a starter into long relief, but added that the plan to go with five starters could change after the weekend.

“We’re looking ahead with our rotation,” Hyde said. “You try to give yourself the best opportunity (to win). When the season is coming to an end, for the last 20-plus games, you start looking ahead a little bit and try to line guys up the best you can.”

Starting pitcher John Means could factor into the team’s pitching plans. Means, who had Tommy John surgery in April 2022, made what is expected to be his final rehab assignment Wednesday, when he pitched five innings for Triple-A Norfolk.

Right-hander Jack Flaherty (8-8, 4.84 ERA) is Baltimore’s scheduled starter for Saturday. The Orioles acquired Flaherty, 27, from the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline on Aug. 1. Flaherty was 7-6 with a 4.43 ERA in 20 starts this season with the Cardinals, and is 1-2 with a 6.66 ERA in five starts with the Orioles.

Flaherty, who will be a free agent after the season, allowed four runs on six hits, including two home runs, in Baltimore’s 8-5 victory over Arizona on Sunday. He struck out seven and walked one. This will be the first time Flaherty has faced the Red Sox.

Boston is expected to start lefty Chris Sale (6-3, 4.46). Sale’s velocity has been down since he returned from a stress reaction in his left shoulder blade that was diagnosed following his first start in June, but he tossed five scoreless innings in Boston’s 7-3 win against Kansas City on Sunday. Sale surrendered two hits, struck out five and walked two.

Sale is 10-4 with a 3.46 ERA in 25 career appearances (19 starts) against Baltimore.

The Orioles have won four of their seven meetings with the Red Sox this season.

–Field Level Media

NFL

Streaking Orioles Visit Fenway

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report – The Baltimore Orioles will look to extend their five-game road winning streak when they open a three-game series against the Red Sox tonight.

It’s the start of a seven-game homestand for Boston (72-68), which has lost two in a row and will need a strong September to have any chance of securing an American League wild-card berth. The Red Sox have 22 games remaining, and nine of their next 13 games will be against teams ahead of them in the standings.

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“We’re going home now, and if we want to gain ground we have a chance now,” Boston manager Alex Cora said following Wednesday’s 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay. “We have the best team in the American League coming up and then we have the Yankees (at home), then Toronto, Texas. This week is going to be huge for us.”

The Orioles (88-51), who lead the American League East, finished a three-game sweep of Anaheim with a 10-3 victory on Wednesday night. Outfielder Austin Hays went 4-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs in the win.

“He’s just driving the baseball, getting huge hits for us, plays Gold Glove defense every night in left field,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. “Had an outstanding game offensively (Wednesday night). He shows up to play hard every day.”

Baltimore owns the best road record in the American League (46-25).

“We came here with the goal of winning the series and we did that in the first two games so coming out (Wednesday) and scoring 10 runs, that was huge,” Hays said. “It’s good to rest up on this cross-country flight and we’ll keep this thing rolling in Boston.”

The Red Sox, who have lost four in a row at home, struck out 17 times during Wednesday’s loss to the Rays, and struck out 47 times in the three-game series. One of Boston’s few offensive highlights Wednesday came from rookie first baseman Triston Casas, who extended his hitting streak to 13 games when he singled in the ninth.

Boston will send right-hander Tanner Houck (4-8, 5.07 ERA) to the mound Friday night. Houck allowed four earned runs on seven hits in five innings in Boston’s 9-5 victory over Kansas City on Saturday. He struck out five and walked one.

Houck is 3-2 with a 3.28 ERA in seven career appearances (three starts) against Baltimore. He has 25 strikeouts in 24 2/3 innings.

Righty Kyle Bradish (10-6, 3.03 ERA) is expected to start for the Orioles. He limited Arizona to two runs on four hits in six innings during Baltimore’s 7-3 triumph Saturday. Bradish, however, hasn’t fared well against the Red Sox during his career. He’s 0-4 with a 9.36 ERA in six appearances (all starts).

Outfielder Alex Verdugo has missed Boston’s past three games because of a tight left hamstring, but Cora said he could be in the lineup Friday.

“Every series is important right now,” Hyde said. “Doesn’t matter who we play, every series is important. We only have 20-something games to go and they all mean something.”

–Field Level Media

Glasnow Mows Down Red Sox

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TAMPA – ST PETE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Tamps starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow matched his career high with 14 strikeouts as the Tampa Bay Rays topped the Boston Red Sox 3-1 on Wednesday in the rubber game of a three-game series.

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Across six innings in a 103-pitch outing, Glasnow (8-5) yielded one run on three hits and one walk.

The 6-foot-8 right-hander rounded out his start by fanning six consecutive batters in the fifth and sixth innings. Glasnow’s only previous 14-K game came against the Texas Rangers on April 12, 2021.

Brandon Lowe and Isaac Paredes both homered and Harold Ramirez doubled home a run as Tampa Bay (85-55) improved to 9-2 this season against the Red Sox (72-68).

Pete Fairbanks struck out two in a scoreless ninth for his 20th save in 22 chances.

The Rays added to their sterling home record against Boston, beating their division rival for the 15th time in the past 16 matchups in the dome.

For the Red Sox, Connor Wong had an RBI triple, but the visitors produced only five hits and fanned 17 times, including seven straight midgame.

Injured on Sunday, Boston outfielder Alex Verdugo (left hamstring tightness) did not play and missed the entire series.

In the third inning, Boston went up 1-0 with no outs on Wong’s triple, a high shot into the right field corner that plated Enmanuel Valdez, who had singled.

Glasnow, who had recorded five strikeouts in the first two frames, left Wong stranded at third after a diving stop by shortstop Osleivis Basabe was surrounded by Wilyer Abreu and Justin Turner both looking at third strikes.

Lowe, the hero on Tuesday with a walk-off homer in a 8-6, 11-inning win, went deep on a four-seam fastball from Nick Pivetta (9-8) with two outs in the bottom of the first on Wednesday.

He ripped his game-tying 19th long ball out to right-center at 109.2 mph at 416 feet, giving him 18 homers in 53 career games against Boston.

Paredes took Pivetta deep with two outs in the fourth, hammering a 3-2 four-seamer for his 28th homer and 87th RBI for a 2-1 lead.

The Rays made Pivetta pay for wildness in the fifth. After two walks, Ramirez’s two-out double off the center field wall sent home Yandy Diaz and chased Pivetta after 4 2/3 innings. The right-hander yielded three runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out five.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Can’t Catch a Break

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TAMPA – ST. PETE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – As Tampa Bay prepares to conclude a three-game series with the Boston Red Sox, there is a good chance a lot of momentum will be on the Rays’ side in the Wednesday night finale at Tampa Bay.

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On Tuesday night, the Rays fought back for a dramatic win when Brandon Lowe swatted a three-run homer to beat Boston 8-6 in 11 innings.

Tampa Bay (84-55) almost got the win in the 10th — then it almost didn’t happen at all.

With one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th, Josh Lowe, representing the potential winning run, was doubled up at home on Christian Bethancourt’s fly to right. Adam Duvall’s throw was up the third base line but in time enough for catcher Connor Wong to tag the speedy Lowe.

The Red Sox (72-67) took a one-run lead into the bottom of the 11th when Luis Urias dropped a flare into right over the Rays’ drawn-in infield. Brandon Lowe appeared to catch the ball, bobbled it and saw it fall to the ground as Rob Refsnyder came home with the go-ahead run.

Though Urias was credited with a hit, Brandon Lowe atoned for his inability to make the play by crushing his game-winning homer to right off Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen after Yandy Diaz walked.

“It felt great, honestly, with us being up early and kind of playing some shoddy defense there in that inning,” said Lowe, who also made an error at second base in the seventh when Boston scored twice to tie it at 5. “I guarantee you half of our infield and some of our other guys felt horrible.

“Feeling that off (homer) the bat kind of relieved all that pressure from the stank of that inning.”

The Red Sox saw their three-game winning streak end and failed to clinch the series. They will try again on Wednesday, likely with outfielder Alex Verdugo (left hamstring tightness) on the bench.

“He’s doing OK,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “We’ll take it day by day, obviously. Playing here (on artificial turf) doesn’t help, obviously. We’ll see how he responds to treatment.”

Cora did not rule out the availability of Verdugo for the series finale but stressed that a return later in the week was more realistic.

“Maybe Wednesday, and then hopefully, he can get better throughout the week and be ready for Friday,” Cora said.

The left-handed-hitting Verdugo is batting .278 with 13 homers and 53 RBIs in 124 games.

On Wednesday, Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow (7-5, 3.17 ERA) will make his 10th career appearance (all starts) against the Red Sox. He look to improve on his 2-1 record and 3.59 ERA vs. Boston. Glasnow got a no-decision against the Red Sox on June 3 after giving up one run in 5 1/3 innings.

Boston has hit .215 against the Newhall, Calif., native and stolen 12 bases — the most by any team against him.

The Red Sox will send out Nick Pivetta (9-7, 4.49 ERA) in an effort to leave the Sunshine State with a series-clinching victory.

In 10 career appearances (nine starts) against the Rays, the right-hander is 1-5 with a 4.44 ERA and a .214 opponents’ batting average. He has no decisions and a 1.59 ERA in two games (one start) vs. Tampa Bay this year.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Win On the Road

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TAMPA-ST. PETE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – In their longshot push for a wild-card spot, the Boston Red Sox did something Monday afternoon they have not been able to accomplish in more than a year — win on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays.

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Having snapped a 13-game losing streak at the dome with a 7-3 win in the series opener, Boston will try to clinch the three-game set Tuesday night in its second matchup with the Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Desperately needing a victory, Boston (72-66) got a career-high four-RBI game from Triston Casas and a strong start from Brayan Bello to win for the third consecutive outing and first time in the bayside ballpark since April 22, 2022.

“I think he’s going to keep hitting fourth in this lineup,” Boston manager Alex Cora said after Casas produced a two-hit game that included a 419-foot homer — his 23rd — to put Boston up for good in the sixth inning.

The Rays (83-55) started fast with three runs on three hits in the first inning, but they managed only two more hits over the next eight frames.

Regular Tampa Bay starters Yandy Diaz, Isaac Paredes and Jose Siri were given the day off, but manager Kevin Cash gave credit to Bello for shutting down his squad. The Red Sox right-hander gave up three runs and struck out seven in six innings.

“We had good at-bats early on, but I felt like Bello settled in,” said Cash, whose club is 7-2 against the Red Sox this year. “He threw a good ballgame. He had a lot of late movement between the sinker and changeup going in one direction and the big sweeping slider going in the other direction. He made it tough for us.”

The pitching matchup Tuesday night will feature a pair of native Floridians, Boston’s Kutter Crawford and Tampa Bay’s Zach Eflin.

A product of the lakeside town of Okeechobee, Crawford (6-7, 4.08 ERA) will appear in his 27th game and make his 19th start of the year.

The right-hander surrendered six runs and seven hits in 2 2/3 innings and absorbed a 7-4 loss to the Houston Astros on Wednesday.

Before the start, Cora said Crawford had progressed tremendously from 2022 (3-6, 5.47 in 21 games).

“Since day one, he’s been one of our best pitchers,” the manager said. “Whenever he pitches, he gives us a chance to win. He’s grown so much from last year.”

Crawford is 1-0 with a 2.21 ERA in five appearances (two starts) against the Rays, 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA in two games (one start) this year.

Eflin (13-8, 3.40 ERA) went 2-2 in August with his best monthly ERA this season — 2.62 — but had tough no-decisions against the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins.

In those two starts, the Orlando native allowed a total of one run and nine hits in 13 1/3 innings — a 0.68 ERA.

Tied for the AL lead in victories (13) with Toronto’s Chris Bassitt and Baltimore’s Kyle Gibson, Eflin also has two no-decisions in his pair of career starts against Boston to go along with a 7.00 ERA over nine innings. Both of those outings occurred in 2020.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Top Royals; Sale Wins

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KANSAS CITY – Boston’s Masataka Yoshida and Adam Duvall homered, and starting pitcher Chris Sale earned his first win since May, leading the Red Sox past the host Kansas City Royals, 7-3, on Sunday in the rubber game of the three-game series.

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Yoshida’s two-out, three-run fly barely cleared the right-center field wall for his 14th home run and a 3-0 advantage in the fourth inning. The rookie had two of the Red Sox’s nine hits, his 46th multi-hit game.

Sale (6-3) allowed two singles and two walks, striking out five while permitting just one runner past first base to collect his first win since May 26 and 13th against the Royals, his most against any opponent.

Duvall’s 416-foot solo blast to left, his 19th homer, improved Boston’s lead to 4-0 in the sixth. Duvall has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games, batting .408 with eight home runs and 16 RBIs.

Salvador Perez got Kansas City on the scoreboard with an RBI single off reliever Mauricio Llovera in the sixth, cutting the deficit to 4-1. Perez had two of the Royals’ eight hits.

Red Sox right fielder Alex Verdugo was seen limping after fielding Perez’s hit and left the game one batter later. Per the Boston Globe, Verdugo is battling a tight left hamstring.

Bobby Witt Jr.’s seventh-inning throwing error led to a pair of Red Sox runs as Justin Turner delivered a sacrifice fly for a 6-1 lead. Rafael Devers’ two-out RBI double in the ninth capped Boston’s scoring.

Dairon Blanco’s two-run single in the ninth off Kenley Jansen capped the scoring.

After opener Taylor Clarke retired the Red Sox in order in the first, Zack Greinke (1-14) went 3 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk. Greinke has not won since May 3.

Boston (71-66), which has lost five of seven, earned its first series win since a three-game sweep at the New York Yankees Aug. 18-20.

The Royals are 6-21 since their season-long seven-game winning streak ended Aug. 4, falling to 42-96 and dropping 54 games below .500 for the first time in franchise history.

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook | NCAA College Football in NYC & The Hub

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While We’re Young (Ideas) for September 3 

CHESTNUT HILL: The Boston College Eagles opened the 2023 NCAA/ACC Conference football season this weekend.

By TERRY LYONS

CHESTNUT HILL – If this column were to be written from hometown New York some 15 years ago, the opening of the College Football season would NOT have registered as a major sports weekend. New York City is not a college sports town. Yes, there are plenty of taverns that welcome college football fans to congregate for their school’s games – they call it LSU HQ or ACC Football Hub and dozens of other bars that establish themselves as the place to be if you’re from Faber College and you’re looking for your game.

To the extent of anything you might call Division I NCAA College Football in New York is few and far between. Columbia University provides the IVY League experience while Fordham University plays in the sub-division (FCS) and is a partial member (just for football) in the Patriot League. (Otherwise, for most sports, Fordham toils in the A-10).

After that, you’re looking at trips to Staten Island (Wagner), Long Island (Stony Brook), or points much further away and mainly Upstate NY (Albany, Buffalo, Cornell, Marist (Poughkeepsie), Colgate (Hamilton, NY) or Syracuse.

Here in Boston, the city’s College football fans face much the same problem. Although Boston is home for some 35 colleges and universities and more than. 154,320 students descend upon Boston every August/September, Boston remain a pro sports town with a lot of colleges. If you look at Massachusetts as a whole (as in counting the likes of Holy Cross in Worcester, Wellesley, Springfield, UMass in Amherst), the State’s population grows by some 483,488 from college students studting in the Commonwealth.

Yes, that’s a half-million Red Sox fans created every year.

Boston College rates highest in the Boston area college football meter, playing a highly competitive schedule in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). This weekend, Alumni Stadium in Chesnut Hill played host (and LOST) to Northern Illinois University in a non-Conference game vs FBS club with a devastating loss as the Eagles opened 2023 with high hopes but a realistic viewpoint when looking at a schedule that includes: No. 8 Florida State, and ACC tough Miami, Virginia, Louisville, Virginia Tech and Syracuse, among others. With a rotating ACC schedule, the Eagles were spared match-ups vs the likes of Clemson, North Carolina, Duke, NC State and Wake Forest.

Geez: Even next week’s opponent – Holy Cross – is a challenger.

Believe it or not, very soon, BC might face SMU, Cal or Stanford in the 2024-25 season as ACC school presidents and chancellors voted to allow the westward expansion Friday. That’ll make the ACC register 18 schools while the Pac 12 was reduced to the Pac 2 (Oregon State and Washington State), rendering the Pac 12 Network useless.

Looking elsewhere back in Boston, you can see Harvard compete in the IVY, or the UMass Minutemen play as an independent FBS school. Holy Cross plays in the Patriot League while Tufts always fields a competitive Division III team over in Somerville where you can see Bates, Williams, Colby and Wesleyan (New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is a proud alum).

Before Notre Dame defeated Navy over in Dublin, it was 32 weeks of the year without college football. This weekend, it’s open the floodgates.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: USA Today sprang a list of the “Ten best colleges for sports fans” this week. The paper touted, “From game day thrills to championship victories: Experience college sports like never before,” although every year, it’s sort of the same, isn’t it? The list (with commentary by WWYI):

  1. Connecticut – Guess they missed football?
  2. Florida State – Once upon a Time?
  3. Alabama – ‘Roll Tide
  4. Florida – Bad start this week
  5. Indiana – Fans, yes, BIG TEN football championships – Nada
  6. LSU – Should be #1?
  7. Wisconsin – Don’t the Sports get in the way of the Partying?
  8. Penn State – Called on the account of White Out.
  9. Michigan – Good enough for The Big Chill, Good Enough for the List
  10. Notre Dame – Should be No. 2

USA BASKETBALL UPDATE: The USA Basketball 5×5 Men’s senior national team, competing in the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Manila, will play its second round match vs Lithuania today, Sunday September 3 at 8:40am (ET). For you Saturday night bulldog edition readers, that means “Get Up” tomorrow and for you Sunday morning readers, “Turn on the TV.”

In their most recent game, the USA was losing to Montenegro, 39-38, at halftime, trailing for the first time in this World Cup tournament. A much-improved second half secured the win, as Anthony Edwards scored a team-high 17 points – all in the second half. Edwards leads the U.S. A. in scoring, averaging 16.5 points per game. Improved team field goal shooting made the difference. The US shot 13-for-37 (.351) in the first half, but responded with a 17-for-36 (.472) performance in the final two quarters. The U.S. also shot 1-for-9 (.110) from “3” in the first half before going 4-for-10 (.400) in the second half.

The U.S. is seeking its sixth FIBA Men’s World Cup gold medal.

3×3: In addition to the senior men’s national team for 5×5, the 2023 USA 3×3 U18 national team finished atop Pool B at the 2023 FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cup on Friday. The U.S.A. joins seven other nations who will play for the gold medal on Sunday. The Americans went 2-0 in pool play after defeating Brazil and Germany on Thursday.

Notice basketball isn’t only distinguished by “men’s and women’s” anymore? Now-a-days, you need the 5×5 (five on five) or 3×3 (three on three) to be added for FIBA ball.

USA FOUNDATION: The USA Basketball Foundation made an important announcement this week as the second Torch Leadership in Sport Mentoring cohort will be staged. A fully funded program, Torch Leadership will run from this September to May 2024.

Torch Leadership provides opportunities for minority students to be mentored by USA Basketball executive staff with the goal of empowering the next generation of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) leaders in sport by introducing them to opportunities at USA Basketball and other sports-related entities.

“It is an honor to welcome our second Torch Leadership cohort to the USA Basketball family,” said Jennifer Lynne Williams, USA Basketball Foundation chief development officer. “The application process was extremely competitive with 130 students applying to be a part of this special program. The 120% increase in applications is a direct testament to the importance and value of Torch. I look forward to working with each student as they develop their leadership skills and learn more about the business of sport,” she added.

TIDBITS: Readers surely have heard the term, “Once in a Blue Moon.” That’s a true statement when it comes to this columnist receiving the No. 1 draft choice in the annual SWFL Fantasy Football League, known nationally as the best league with the best team captains and best rules which includes the game-changing, ultra-difficult requirement of TWO active quarterbacks and THREE wide receivers and/or tight ends. The challenge of the TWO QBs changes draft strategy, especially in the 1st and 2nd rounds, will make my No. 1 pick (this Tuesday night at 7pm ET) a choice between the quarterback trio of Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes or Philly’s Jalen Hurts – with Buffalo’s Josh Allen receiving consideration. … NFL Insider Adam Schefter has my club, the LOVETRONS (in honor of the late Darryl Dawkins residence on earth as it is in heaven), selecting Mahomes who was a clear 30 points higher than the others and the top overall scorer in the SWFL for multiple years. … Next week, I’ll list the club and that’s about all you’re gonna read about Fantasy Football, unless something is incredibly newsworthy.

A RARE – MUST WATCH – TV SPOT: The PepsiCo/Frito–Lay ad, certainly worthy of clearing the high bar as a Super Bowl-level commercial is seeing airtime this week as the NFL opens its 2023 regular season come Thursday night when Detroit travels to Kansas City for an 8:20pm (ET) tilt on NBC.

The theme of “retirement” is a great idea but “coming out of retirement” might not be so great idea for many players, including the inclusion of the show-stopper at the finish. Pepsi broke the bank by pulling some of the greatest recent stars together for the shoot (or series of shoots). No spoilers here in the intro. It’s a MUST WATCH!

BC Loses Opener to Northern Illinois

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CHESTNUT HILL – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Rocky Lombardi’s 1-yard quarterback sneak in overtime lifted visiting Northern Illinois to a 27-24 victory over Boston College in the season opener for both teams Saturday.

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Liam Connor’s 39-yard field goal put Boston College ahead after the first series of the extra session, but Lombardi led the winning four-play drive to give the Huskies (1-0) their second Week 1 win over an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent in three years. Northern Illinois defeated Georgia Tech in 2021

Lombardi ended the game 13-of-29 passing for 165 yards.

Antario Brown accounted for the first two Northern Illinois touchdowns, catching one and throwing for the other as the Huskies led 14-0 with 10:33 remaining in the third quarter.

Quarterback Thomas Castellanos led a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown drives to help Boston College (0-1) overcome a 21-7 deficit and force overtime. Castellanos hit J Williams on a 30-yard scoring pass with 1:44 remaining in the game to forge a 21-21 tie.

The UCF transfer was 12 of 28 for 138 yards and rushed for 67 yards on nine carries, taking over for Emmett Morehead for the majority of the game after the first quarter.

After JaVaughn Byrd intercepted Castellanos’ final pass of the third quarter, Brock Lampe broke through for a 1-yard touchdown with 9:24 remaining in regulation to put NIU up 21-7. The 12-play drive, aided by a pass interference call on a fourth-down attempt, took 7:04 off the clock.

A 2-yard Castellanos run with 5:59 left brought BC back within 21-14 before Williams’ TD capped a 6-play, 83-yard drive in only 1:39.

Ten penalties for 95 yards hurt BC in its second straight season-opening loss.

NIU scored the game’s first points with 2:44 left before halftime. Justin Lynch’s 7-yard screen pass to Brown got the Huskies in the end zone to cap an 8-play, 60-yard drive that also included Chris Carter catching a 32-yard pass over the middle from Lombardi.

The visitors doubled their lead at the end of a 10-play drive in the first 4:27 of the third quarter. Brown’s 2-yard run to the right resulted in the touchdown.

A big defensive play helped set the Eagles up to make it 14-7 with 4:58 left in the third. Khris Banks recovered a Lombardi fumble, leading to a five-play series that ended with Castellanos and Bond connecting on an 11-yard pass.

–Field Level Media