Archives for November 13, 2023

Patriots Waive Troubled CB Jack Jones

November 13, 2023 by Digital Sports Desk

FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The New England Patriots are waived second-year cornerback Jack Jones, his agent confirmed.

“I certainly we want to thank the Patriots organization for drafting Jack,” J. Tooson said in a statement to NFL Network. “Jack is an immense talent and looks forward to making an immediate contribution on his next team as soon as Sunday.”

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A fourth-round pick out of Arizona State in 2022, Jones has played only 121 defensive snaps in five games (no starts) this season.

Jones reportedly missed a team curfew before the Week 9 game against the Washington Commanders and played only 10 snaps in Sunday’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Frankfurt, Germany.

He has recorded 42 tackles, two interceptions and seven passes defensed in 18 career games (two starts).

Jones returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers Oct. 2, 2022, at Lambeau Field.

–Field Level Media

NHL: Bruins All About Execution

November 13, 2023 by Digital Sports Desk

BUFFALO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Eastern Conference-leading Boston Bruins play another Atlantic Division rival for the first time this season when they conclude a two-game road trip against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night.

Even after being bolstered by defenseman Charlie McAvoy’s return from his four-game, NHL-issued suspension and Pavel Zacha scoring 36 seconds in, the Bruins suffered their second straight blemish against a divisional foe with Saturday’s 3-2 overtime loss at Montreal.

Although the loss was only Boston’s second in seven games (5-1-1), the effort led to a hard skate at Monday’s practice.

“Energy, focus, we made mental and physical mistakes,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery said when asked what was lacking against the Canadiens. “Our execution was not what we’ve become accustomed to.”

Brad Marchand led the Bruins with a goal and an assist, and Jeremy Swayman made several key stops among his 24 despite ultimately taking his first loss (6-0-1).

“I think we’re a team that needs to get two points almost every night,” Swayman said. “So, a lot of learning (from Saturday). Going to the third with a lead, you want to close that out. So, I want to have a couple more saves there and it’s just not good enough.”

As Boston continues a true goalie rotation, Linus Ullmark is in line to take the net on Tuesday.

The Bruins will need to give it a better 60-minute effort going forward, especially as a stretch of seven games in 13 days begins when Montreal makes a return visit to Boston on Saturday. The points will soon be coming faster.

“Our schedule has been a little unorthodox (with) a lot of spacing between games,” Montgomery said. “Last year, the spacing was time to rest. This year, we haven’t had as many 3-in-4s so far. … After this week, we’ll start to ramp it up.”

Tuesday will be a milestone night for Sabres captain Kyle Okposo, who is set to become the 46th active player to reach 1,000 career games.

“It’s a special day for everybody that helped me get to this point, for sure,” Okposo said. “For my family and the people behind the scenes that supported me throughout the whole way.”

The Sabres were shut out for the first time this season in Saturday’s 4-0 loss at Pittsburgh, playing without a key forward in Alex Tuch (upper-body), who head coach Don Granato said looks to be on target to return Friday at Winnipeg.

With Tuch’s injury and Matt Savoie being returned to juniors prior to Saturday’s game, Mattias Samuelsson played as a seventh defenseman after being activated from injured reserve.

No matter who’s in and who’s out, Granato is hoping to see a simpler game from the Sabres as they face one of the NHL’s top teams.

“Simplifying. It’s easy to say, a little more challenging to execute that,” Granato said on Saturday. “I thought we could have executed things a little bit more simple, more direct and when a puck is getting to the net, get there, get more traffic there. … There were moments we did, but not consistently enough. You don’t score, you don’t win.”

Goalies Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi have alternated starts over Buffalo’s last five games.

If that trend holds, Levi would play his first career game against Boston, the team he shared a city with while playing at Northeastern University. Levi won the last two Mike Richter Awards as the top goalie in college hockey.

–Field Level Media

NFL Round-Up: Browns Win

November 13, 2023 by Digital Sports Desk

BALTIMORE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – PK Dustin Hopkins drilled a game-winning 40-yard field goal as time expired and the Cleveland Browns completed a stunning comeback for a 33-31 victory over the host Ravens on Sunday afternoon.

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Hopkins redeemed himself after missing the point-after following Greg Newsome II’s 34-yard pick-6 with 8:16 remaining that pulled Cleveland (6-3) within 31-30. Gus Edwards had provided Baltimore (7-3) with a 31-17 advantage with 11:34 to play when he scored on the ground from 1 yard out, but the Browns responded emphatically.

Deshaun Watson directed a six-play, 75-yard drive that took just 2:37, capping it with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Moore. Just 41 seconds after Moore’s scoring catch, Newsome came down with the pick, and Cleveland rode that momentum to the surprising victory.

Watson completed 20 of 34 passes for 213 yards with the TD and one interception for the Browns, who got 107 yards on 17 carries from Jerome Ford. Amari Cooper had six receptions for 98 yards. Lamar Jackson finished with 223 yards, a touchdown and two picks on 13-for-23 passing as the Ravens saw a four-game winning streak come to an end.

Lions 41, Chargers 38

Jared Goff passed for 333 yards and two touchdowns and Riley Patterson made a 41-yard field goal as time expired to give Detroit a wild win over Los Angeles in Inglewood, Calif.

David Montgomery rushed for 116 yards for the Lions (7-2), including a 75-yard touchdown. Jahmyr Gibbs added 77 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Justin Herbert passed for 323 yards and four touchdowns for the Chargers (4-5) in the back-and-forth affair. Keenan Allen caught 11 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Austin Ekeler added 115 scrimmage yards (67 rushing, 48 receiving) along with a rushing score.

Seahawks 29, Commanders 26

Jason Myers kicked five field goals, the last a 43-yarder as time expired, as Seattle outlasted visiting Washington.

Geno Smith completed 31 of 47 passes for 369 yards and two TDs as the Seahawks (6-3) remained in a tie with San Francisco atop the NFC West. Kenneth Walker III rushed for 63 yards and scored on a 64-yard reception.

Sam Howell was 29-of-44 passing for 312 yards and three scores for the Commanders (4-6). Brian Robinson Jr. rushed for 38 yards and caught six passes for 119 yards and a TD.

Texans 30, Bengals 27

Matt Ammendola hit a 38-yard field goal as time expired to lead visiting Houston past Cincinnati. CJ Stroud followed up his record-setting rookie performance by throwing for 356 yards on 23-of-39 passing for Houston (5-4). He added a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Devin Singletary ran for 150 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries to lead the Texans, who blew a 10-point lead with three-plus minutes remaining, only to rescue the game at the end.

Joe Burrow completed 27 of 40 passes for 347 yards and two touchdowns. But he threw fourth-quarter interceptions on back-to-back drives before engineering a late rally. The Bengals (5-4) saw their four-game win streak come to an end.

Cardinals 25, Falcons 23

Matt Prater kicked four field goals, including the 23-yard game-winner, and Kyler Murray passed for 249 yards and ran for a score to spark Arizona to a home win over Atlanta in Glendale, Ariz.

A 9-yard touchdown run by Desmond Ridder with 2:33 remaining in the game put Atlanta up 23-22, but Murray, in his first game back since tearing his ACL, led the Cardinals (2-8) on an 11-play, 70-yard drive to set up Prater for the game-winning kick. James Conner had 16 carries for 73 yards after spending four games on injured reserve.

Ridder replaced Taylor Heinicke in the second half after he left with a hamstring injury and passed for 39 yards. He led the Falcons down the field midway through the fourth quarter but was stopped on a fourth-and-1 run at the Arizona 21-yard line with 8:01 to go. Heinicke passed for 55 yards and a score for the Falcons (4-6). Bijan Robinson added 22 carries for 95 yards and a score and Scotty Miller had a scoring reception.

Vikings 27, Saints 19

Joshua Dobbs passed for one touchdown and rushed for another in his first start with Minnesota, leading to a victory over New Orleans in Minneapolis.

Dobbs had another strong game after his performance off the bench in last week’s come-from-behind victory over Atlanta in his Vikings debut. On Sunday, he passed for 268 yards and rushed for 44 as Minnesota (6-4) won its fifth consecutive game. T.J. Hockenson had 11 catches for 134 yards and a touchdown.

Saints quarterback Derek Carr left the game due to a third-quarter injury. Jameis Winston replaced him and threw two touchdown passes and two interceptions for the Saints (5-5).

Steelers 23, Packers 19

Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren rushed for one touchdown apiece as Pittsburgh held on for a win over visiting Green Bay.

Kenny Pickett completed 14 of 23 passes for 126 yards for the Steelers (6-3), who won for the fourth time in their past five games. Warren finished with 110 yards from scrimmage (101 rushing, nine receiving), and Harris had 96 yards (82 rushing, 14 receiving). Pittsburgh won despite being outgained 399-324 by Green Bay.

Jordan Love completed 21 of 40 passes for 289 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Packers (3-6), who have lost five of their past six. Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed had one touchdown catch apiece. Damontae Kazee intercepted Love near the goal line on the final play of the game.

Cowboys 49, Giants 17

Dak Prescott threw for four touchdowns and rushed for another as Dallas steamrolled New York in Arlington, Texas.

Prescott completed 26 of 35 passes for 404 yards and was picked off once. He has thrown for at least 400 yards and four scores three times in his career, marking a franchise record for Dallas (6-3).

Brandin Cooks and CeeDee Lamb carved up the secondary, of the Giants (2-8), with Cooks grabbing nine catches for 173 yards and a touchdown. Lamb finished with 11 receptions for 151 yards and a TD. In his first career NFL start, New York quarterback Tommy DeVito threw for 86 yards with two touchdowns and an interception on 14-for-27 passing.

Buccaneers 20, Titans 6

Baker Mayfield threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns as Tampa Bay snapped a four-game losing streak with a win over visiting Tennessee.

Mayfield completed 18 of 29 passes with an interception and Mike Evans caught six passes for 143 yards and a touchdown for the Buccaneers (4-5).

Will Levis connected on 19 of 39 passes for 199 yards with an interception in his third NFL start for the Titans (3-6). Derrick Henry managed only 24 yards on 11 rushes.

49ers 34, Jaguars 3

Brock Purdy passed for 296 yards and three touchdowns and Deebo Samuel scored once in his return from injury as San Francisco ended host Jacksonville’s winning streak at five games.

George Kittle caught three passes for 116 yards and a touchdown, and Brandon Aiyuk and Kyle Juszczyk also had scoring receptions for the 49ers (6-3), who halted a three-game losing streak. Talanoa Hufanga and Fred Warner had interceptions and Nick Bosa and Ambry Thomas forced fumbles.

Trevor Lawrence passed for 185 yards and two interceptions for Jacksonville (6-3). Christian Kirk had six catches for 104 yards for the Jaguars, who were outgained 437-221.

Raiders 16, Jets 12

Aidan O’Connell tossed a 7-yard touchdown pass to fellow rookie Michael Mayer early in the fourth quarter to fuel host Las Vegas to a victory over New York.

Las Vegas’ Josh Jacobs rushed for 116 yards, but his costly fumble set up New York’s penultimate drive in the fourth quarter. Linebacker Robert Spillane intercepted Zach Wilson with 1:14 remaining in the fourth quarter.

O’Connell completed 16 of 27 passes for 153 yards and Davante Adams had six catches for 86 yards for the Raiders (5-5), who have won four of their past six games. Wilson completed 23 of 39 passes for 263 yards. Garrett Wilson had nine catches for 93 yards and Greg Zuerlein made four field goals for the Jets (4-5).

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Nov. 12

November 13, 2023 by Terry Lyons

While We’re Young (Ideas) Looks at Boston Common Golf

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – There’s a new sports franchise in town and its players will begin hitting golf balls this January with games in Palm Springs Gardens Florida, not The Country Club or TPC Boston. Let’s welcome Boston Common Golf to the Commonwealth and jump on the “merch” to stuff your Christmas stockings, just before the initial TGL Season Preview on ABC this December 30th.

TGL is a connection to Tiger Woods’ brand and is backed by Woods and PGA Tour superstar Rory McIlroy.

Fenway Sports Group introduced the team this week at a press gathering at MGM Fenway a little while after the players were given a tour of the ballpark.

The TGL season will begin on Tuesday January 9, 2024, with coverage of ESPN and ESPN+. The first match will be broadcast at 9pm ET, a day after the College Football National Championship game.

The second week of matches will be broadcast Tuesday, January 16 at 7pm ET, a day after the NFL plays its Monday Night Football wild card playoff game. The promotional value of the CFP and NFL should not be lost on fans, as TGL golf executives carefully picked the dates to find open windows in the “big event” and NFL playoff game schedules. They’ll switch from Tuesdays to Mondays to allow the PGA Tour players time to travel to the next tour stop on Monday night or Tuesday morning, especially as the Tour swings through the home base of Florida and the Southeastern USA at the same time of year.

Mike McCarley, Founder & CEO, TMRW Sports and TGL and former golf executive for NBC Sports and the Golf Channel is calling the shots and has been working on the concept for nearly three years.

One by one, McCarley checked the items off his “To Do” list, partnering with Tiger Woods, attracting talents like Rory McIlroy and scores of others, securing an IP deal with the PGA Tour itself – proving its far better to work in conjunction with the Tour rather than to butt heads much the way LIV Golf made the scene a couple years ago.

In addition to introducing the four players (McIlroy, New England’s own Keegan Bradley, Australia’s Adam Scott and England’s Tyrell Hatton) to call the Boston Common Golf their home team, the TGL rolled our news releases this week like putts on a practice green .

On the same day the Boston Common Golfers were introduced, the general rules and the introduction of a shot clock to golf were put in place along with a handful of other assorted goodies revealed:

The SoFi Center, a purpose-built arena (studio) in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, on the campus of Palm Beach State College, will act as home base. Full use of technology is a foundational element of TGL, and it will offer fans a progressive, shorter format presentation of team golf.
The Custom-Built Venue is a first-of-its-kind experience for golf enabled by a data-rich, virtual course paired with a tech-infused, short-game complex.
TGL Teams: The six TGL teams will each have four players assigned. A TGL match will feature three players competing for each team in a modern match play format.
Modern Match Play: TGL matches will feature two teams squaring off across two sessions: nine holes of Triples, 3 vs. 3 team alternate shot, and six holes of Singles, head-to-head competitions. Each hole is worth one point and most points wins the match.
Tech-Enabled Fan Experience: There will be a high-energy, greenside fan experience (picture the Phoenix (Waste Management Open) with every shot live within a two-hour televised match. All TGL players will be mic’d up.
Referees will be employed to monitor the shot clock and rules.
Inaugural Season: 15 regular season matches followed by semifinals and finals matches, on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN+ in the U.S.

The league also announced Jupiter Florida as its sixth (and final) franchise for the 2024 season. It’s no secret, Woods hails from Jupiter and he’ll be cashing sports franchise owner David Blitzer’s checks when the competition begins.

Blitzer is personally investing in Jupiter Links GC and is the first person to hold equity stakes in five North American major sports teams. Blitzer founded Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment with Josh Harris and is co-chairman and managing partner of its portfolio highlighted by the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA), New Jersey Devils (NHL), Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, and Joe Gibbs Racing (NASCAR). Blitzer also is a co-owner of the Cleveland Guardians (MLB) and Washington Commanders (NFL). Additionally, Blitzer is a General Partner of Crystal Palace Football Club (English Premier League) and owns stakes in a variety of soccer clubs around the globe, including Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the Utah Royals of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). Blitzer needs to back a WNBA franchise and he’ll be in business.

(L to R: (PR emcee) is Zineb Curran, Lev, Bradley, Hatton, Scott and McIlroy. (Photo @DigSportsDesk)

Here’s a look at the TGL’s full ownership as of November 10th:

Atlanta Drive GC: led by Arthur M. Blank, AMB Sports and Entertainment (Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, PGA TOUR Superstores). Team roster currently includes Justin Thomas.
Boston Common Golf: led by John Henry, Tom Werner, Mike Gordon, and Fenway Sports Group (Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC, Pittsburgh Penguins, RFK Racing). As previously mentioned , team roster currently includes Rory McIlroy, Keegan Bradley, Tyrrell Hatton, and Adam Scott. The team will be run by club president Mark Lev of Fenway Sports.
Jupiter Links GC: led by Tiger Woods’ TGR Ventures and David Blitzer (Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils, Cleveland Guardians, Washington Commanders, Crystal Palace FC, Real Salt Lake, Utah Royals, Joe Gibbs Racing). Team roster currently includes Tiger Woods.
Los Angeles Golf Club: led by Alexis Ohanian (Angel City FC), Seven Seven Six, Serena Williams, and Venus Williams; as well as limited partners the Antetokounmpo brothers, Alex Morgan, Servando Carrasco, and Michelle Wie West. Team roster currently includes Collin Morikawa.
TGL New York: led by Steven A. Cohen (New York Mets), Cohen Private Ventures.
TGL San Francisco: a group led by Avenue Sports Fund with Marc Lasry, the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry; and limited partners Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson. Iguodala, by the way, was just named executive director of the NBA Players Association.

Look for a “Western Division” in either Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona or Frisco, Texas to pop-up in a year or two, allowing Tour players based in Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas (among other locales) to play at a venue closer to their home base.

Does a Texas Friscos franchise sound alluring for Jordan Spieth’s participation in 2025 or beyond? Dallas Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones’ or Mavericks franchise guru Mark Cuban’s money awaits.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The Fifth Set, a tennis apparel company that provides patented “SweatRoute” technology to keep tennis players dry, comfortable, and at the top of their game, is making its product(s) available to the mass audiences. Serving-up its inaugural collection with men’s shorts, the product is now available exclusively on www.thefifthset.com and retails for $72.00. Shorts are available in three colors and four different sizes. The full product launch is coming off the heels of a successful Kickstarter campaign where the start-up crowdsourced more than $9,000 through pre-orders of the tennis shorts.

“The Fifth Set is a labor of love that solves a real problem that plagued my game for nearly 30 years — wet tennis balls from sweat-drenched pockets, causing a ‘sweat tsunami’ whenever I served,” said Yoni Malchi, The Fifth Set’s CEO and founder, as well as a lifelong tennis player. “After discovering a void in the market for tennis shorts with waterproof, breathable, and accessible pockets, I received a patent on my own design, which is a game-changer for tennis players at every level.”

The Fifth Set’s patented shorts offer three key differentiators:

Sweatproof: Pocket liners are constructed with a waterproof layer and heat-sealed seam. Combined with a water-resistant outer body, the shorts redirect moisture to keep tennis balls fully protected.

Breathable: The body and pocket liners are breathable to promote comfort, as well as quick and agile movement. The pocket liner’s microporous, waterproof layer protects from sweat while keeping the player cool.

Accessible: Pocket openings are unsealed, but stay closed, preventing sweat from seeping in and allowing quick accessibility for frequent use.

“During the pandemic, one of the biggest retail trends that evolved was that consumers have become more demanding for unique, top-quality products that are also function-specific,” said Danielle Malchi, co-founder of The Fifth Set. “With more people focused on fitness than ever before, consumers are seeking truly innovative products to help them reach their personal goals and needs, and we are here to support them in this endeavor.”

The company is based in Parkland, Florida.

TIDBITS: This week, thee NBA staged its (seemingly annual) Mexico Game regular season game, an exciting 120-119 Atlanta Hawks victory over the Orlando Magic in front of 19,986 fans in Mexico City just as the NFL was in between a pair of regular season games in Frankfurt, Germany. (Bet, the New England Patriots’ season ticket holders were happy to dish off a home game).

Meanwhile, not to be outdone, the NHL is staging their Global series this week in Sweden.

For the NHL, its an unprecedented event with four NHL Clubs traveling to one European City (Stockholm) to play four regular season games between Nov. 16-19th. The Toronto Maple Leafs will become the 26th NHL franchise to play an international game while the round-robin of games will be the second time that both the Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota Wild have traveled abroad to play regular-season games. It’ll be the third such trip for the Ottawa Senators.

NHL Global Series Results (Credit: NHL Morning Skate)

HOME SALE: Former Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdan headed to Portland (along with the injured Robert Williams) in the trade that brought guard Jrue Holiday to the Boston Celtics. In the home transaction, Brogdan gained a slim $125,000 ($4,440,000 to $4,525,000) in the off-market deal which took only a week to close.

PODCAST ANYONE? – Give this a try, if you dare:

BIG EAST: From November 6 to November 10th, the eleven member teams of BIG EAST played 15 games and won all but one of them. DePaul was the lone loser, dropping its opener vs Purdue Fort Wayne, 82-74. All 14 of the others went into the Conference “win column,” including Butler, Marquette, Villanova and Xavier all startings with a 2-0 record.

The annual Gavitt Games begin this week, pitting BIG EAST teams against those of the BIG TEN. The series of contests pitting two of the great college basketball conferences in the land are conducted in memory of the late Dave Gavitt, Basketball Hall of Fame administrator and contributor to the game and the first Commissioner of the Big East Conference.

BILL HANCOCK: Air Force Superintendent Lieutenant General Richard M. Clark will replace the legendary college athletics and Olympic administrator Bill Hancock as the new executive director of the College Football Playoff. Mississippi State President/CFP Board of Managers Chair Mark Keenumnoted, “General Clark’s experience leading the U.S Air Force Academy as a three-star General and also being a four-year letter winner with the U.S Air Force Football team gives him a strong background to excel in this crucial leadership role. I would add that we will surely miss Bill Hancock, but I want to note that Bill has graciously offered to stay on board through January 2025 to help General Clark get ready. Bill will remain at the helm throughout this season, while 2024 will mark a year of transition. Bill has been an outstanding leader for CFP’s first 10 years. Everyone in college football owes Bill a debt of gratitude.”