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Archives for February 2024

Where Will Russell Wilson End Up?

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DENVER – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The divorce between Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos certainly appears to be a matter of when, not if.

Broncos coach Sean Payton said at the NFL Scouting Combine that “I would anticipate it being within the next two weeks,” when asked about a decision on Wilson’s future.

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What’s next for the 35-year-old former Super Bowl champion is one of the biggest storylines of the NFL offseason.

With a trio of quarterback prospects atop most draft boards, that leaves a handful of quarterback-needy teams as likely potential suitors for Wilson’s services.

That list is topped by the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are the -225 favorite at DraftKings to be the team that Wilson takes his first snap for next season. That’s well ahead of the next shortest odds, which belong to the Las Vegas Raiders at +550.

The short list of sensible landing spots is why remaining with the Broncos still shares the third lowest odds at +600 along with joining the Atlanta Falcons.

The sportsbook is offering odds on all 32 NFL franchises, although the list essentially stops with an extremely unlikely reunion in Seattle at +6000.

RUSSELL WILSON NEXT SNAP ODDS*
Pittsburgh Steelers (-225)
Las Vegas Raiders (+550)
Denver Broncos (+600)
Atlanta Falcons (+600)
New England Patriots (+850)
Minnesota Vikings (+1000)
Washington Commanders (+2000)
Tennessee Titans (+3000)
New York Giants (+3500)
Chicago Bears (+4000
Carolina Panthers (+4000)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+4000)
*DraftKings

The Steelers spent a 2022 first-round pick on Kenny Pickett, but it was veteran backup Mason Rudolph who led Pittsburgh to the playoffs when Pickett was injured and then got the postseason start even when Pickett was healthy.

That has led many to speculate that the Steelers will be in the market for a veteran who can immediately boost Pittsburgh’s contender status.

The Steelers are also among the favorites to land Chicago’s Justin Fields (+380) and Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins (+1000).

The Raiders are also likely in the market for a veteran quarterback, having finished last season with rookie Aidan O’Connell under center after Jimmy Garoppolo was benched. Las Vegas is +800 to acquire Fields and +1000 to sign Cousins.

Atlanta toggled between second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder and journeyman Taylor Heineke last season. New coach Raheem Morris has made it clear that he sees an upgrade at the position as an offseason priority.

Wilson easily has the most postseason success among the potential options, although the Falcons are currently the -300 favorite to acquire Fields. They’re also +300 to sign Cousins compared to +600 to land Wilson.

If Wilson isn’t traded or released by March 17, then $37 million in salary guarantees for the 2025 season will be locked in.

Making a trade by then doesn’t seem likely based on Tuesday’s comments from Broncos general manager George Paton.

“I haven’t heard anything from any teams so we’ll see,” Paton said.

On Sunday on the “I Am Athlete” podcast with former Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall, Wilson indicated he would prefer to remain with the Broncos.

“I’ve got more fire than ever, honestly, especially over the past two years and what I’ve gone through,” Wilson said. “Whether it’s in Denver or somewhere else. I hope it’s Denver. I hope I get to finish there. I committed there. I wanted to be there. I want to be there.”

Wilson, a nine-time Pro Bowl pick, was acquired from the Seahawks prior to the 2022 season for three players and five draft choices. The Broncos then gave him a five-year, $242.5 million contract extension before he even played for the club.

There hasn’t been much bang for the buck with Wilson compiling an 11-19 record in 30 starts. Wilson had 16 touchdown passes against 11 interceptions in 2022 and improved the marks to 26 and eight, respectively, last season.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook | Feb 25

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While We’re Young (Ideas) on The Summer of ’69

moon photography
Photo by NASA on Unsplash

By TERRY LYONS, Editor & Publisher Digital Sports Desk

BETHPAGE, LONG ISLAND to TRANQUILITY BASE to BOSTON, MASS – There was quite a bit of buzz this week as the Odysseus private spacecraft touched down on the Moon. Although there were some issues with the landing – reminding some of us as a replication of a Chris Dudley free throw attempt – the spacecraft is in working order, although toppled over on its side. Engineers at Intuitive Machines – the private company behind the mission – are working to secure additional information.

The new venture is the first time in 50 years the USA/NASA space program is involved with landing a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon. It brought back memories of that memorable Summer of 1969 when on July 20th, Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the Moon and his co-pilot, Buzz Aldrin, followed soon after.

That milestone in human history is possibly the most amazing thing that’s ever happened in our lives for a generation of baby boomers who grew up during the tumultuous decade of the 1960s. The lunar landing and walk of the surface came about eight years after President John F. Kennedy announced the goal of “Going to the Moon” during a speech at Rice University. Kennedy did so with one of the great one-liners known to speech writers everywhere when he declared in rhetorical form, “Why does Rice play Texas?”

The portion of the speech being quoted stated: “ … But why, some say, the Moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask, why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas? We choose to go to the Moon. We choose to go to the Moon… We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win, and the others, too.

“Because they are hard.”

Brilliance was packed into JFK’s delivery – stating “We choose to go to the Moon,” not once, not twice but three times to emphasize his determination to accomplish the goal.”

The Apollo Space Program began with Apollo 1 – a disastrous mission which cost the lives of three astronauts – Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee – when their space capsule ignited while completing tests on the launchpad. All three were burned and asphyxiated.

It always annoys me to no end when ANYONE jokes (or even worse) is actually serious about faked Moon Landings. It’s a fact and a shame three brave men gave up their lives to advance the Apollo mission and three others – James Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise of Apollo 13 – damn near gave up their lives when the Service Module spacecraft malfunctioned and the Grumman-made (in Bethpage, NY) Lunar Module (LEM) was utilized to propel the astronauts back to earth.

In between those two missions, a truly united world community watched with amazement as Apollo 8 (Dec. 21-27, 1968) became the first mission to orbit the Moon.

Following the program minute-by-minute became our passion as one mission led to the next to the next which led to the infamous Apollo 11 mission forever immortalizing the quote by Neil Armstrong as he made that incredible first step off of the LEM’s staircase, stating so eloquently, “One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Mankind.”

While JFK’s Rice vs Texas line was hand-written into the speech by Kennedy himself, and started the missions off, there was another very important sports reference to the Apollo 11 lunar landing of ‘69.

Yes, the New York Mets won the World Series that Fall. The Amazin’, Amazin’ Amazin’ Mets, born in 1962 became the “Miracle Mets” and the ‘69 World Champions on October 16th, defeating the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles 4-games-to-1 behind two Jerry Koosman pitching gems.

Of course the New York Jets performed their own miracle, defeating the very heavily favored Baltimore Colts, 16-7, in Super Bowl III on January 12, 1969 and the ‘69-70 New York Knickerbockers took the NBA title on May 8, 1970 to seal the sports trifecta surrounding the lunar landing.

It was all so Amazin’ that it begs a question or two, here in 2024.

What might happen this year? Can the Mets win again?

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Please someone out there tell us what got into St. John’s head basketball coach Rick Pitino? Certainly, the program has had it’s ups & downs since legendary Hall of Fame coach Lou Carnesecca retired, but never has a coach called out individual St. John’s players for their weaknesses and lack of game. Pitino filled notebooks and wrote his own headlines which started on Long Island at the UBS Center near Belmont Park, made their way to New York City and then ran nationwide and worldwide, cascading the once glorious Top 5 basketball program into being THE laughing stock of the BIG EAST.

“If I said I was disappointed, that would be the understatement of the year,” Pitino said to begin his press conference after the 68-62 loss to cross river rival Seton Hall who drilled St. John’s 80-65 on January 16 at the Prudential Center in Newark.

Pitino made it clear, as clear as the nearby Clearview Expressway, by calling his first year with the program “the most unenjoyable experience of my lifetime.” (It’s on video tape from a post game podium complete with the official St. John’s backdrop behind him).

Pitino cited the players (as a whole) as being the “antithesis” of his coaching style and saying they lacked toughness.

“We are so un-athletic that we can’t guard anybody without fouling,” he said. “For me, I’ve always enjoyed the first year, and I’m not gonna lie to you; This is the most unenjoyable experience of my lifetime. This has been so disappointing,” said Pitino of the 2023-24 St. John’s season, adding, “They hear but they don’t listen.”

From there, it really went South:

“Do we have sh#*tty facilities?” Pitino asked rhetorically. “Yes, we do. But we’re doing something about that.

“But that’s not the reason we’re losing. Having sh*tty facilities has nothing to do with not guarding,” he concluded as media scratched their heads knowing Pitino’s home court – Madison Square Garden – is arguably the greatest gym in the world. However, he was referring to Carnesecca Arena and the training facilities and offices in Jamaica Estates, not the home court in Manhattan that also doubles as the site of the annual Big East men’s basketball tournament.

With the first ball lobbed at his own school (although, after thinking twice, he qualified his remarks by saying, “It’s NOT St. John’s.”

“Look, Joel [Soriano] is slow laterally, he’s not fast on the court. Chris Ledlum is slow laterally, Sean Conway’s slow laterally. Brady [Dunlap] is physically weak, Drissa [Traore] is slow laterally,” said Pitino, noting things every basketball aficionado recognized when the Johnnies were blown off their homecourt at Madison Square Garden by a rather mediocre Michigan team back in November.

Pitino rounded third base and went for the inside the park homer when he undermined his own coaching and recruiting staff and efforts, stating, “We kind of lost this season with the way we recruited. We recruited the antithesis of the way I coach. It’s a good group, they try hard, but they’re just not very tough.”

“It’s not the job,” Pitino continued. “You could be at Missouri and recruit slow players. Believe me, it’s not St. John’s. We had to put together a team at the last second. We will never, ever, do that again.”

Keep in mind, Pitino cut or dismissed every player from the mediocre Johnnies’ 2022-23 squad, only keeping his bigman, Soriano while others have gone on to excel at other programs.

It was all like a scene from Hollywood, maybe like Captain Wilton Parmenter telling F-Troop they needed work firing the cannon, but they were great at the mess hall.

Yes, the mess created was surprisingly doubled in size and strength when a follow-up story a day later in Long Island’s Newsday passed along the unbelievable “day after” sentiment, stressing his even keel in choosing his postgame statements, saying, he “truly wasn’t ripping anybody”, and that he “stands by” his choice of words.

“I was pointing out in a monotone voice why we lost,” Pitino told Newsday. “I am not always calm and certainly not when I rip someone. I was not ripping anybody. I sometimes want my players to hear my words and read my words. That was my intention [Sunday]. I’m fine with what I said.”

Rah, rah Rickie, they’ll be calling him after St. John’s defeated a sorry Georgetown team this past Wednesday and Pitino used the occasion to apologize for his comments, “I should never, ever mention a name,” he lamented after an all-out national firestorm of feedback. “I’m a veteran coach. l tell every young coach in the business to show class when you win, show class when you lose and give the other team credit,” said Pitino, who also apologized to any St. John’s fans that were upset by his comments.

“I’ve been really, really frustrated this year for a lot of different reasons. But understand something: I recruited this man [Jordan Dingle], I recruited this man [RJ Luis]. My staff did not recruit these guys. It was all me. It was all me, and I’m really, really proud to have them. I totally apologize to them for doing that. I wasn’t ripping them. That wasn’t my intent. But words matter.”

He later added: “I told the team this, maybe seven, eight times this year: ‘You’re not failing; I’m failing you.’”

Well, Pitino got one thing right.

JUST FOR REFERENCE: This columnist saw his first St. John’s game live on February 11, 1971 – as a child, of course). (SJU defeated Calvin Murphy and Niagara 82-71). The time between 1971 and 1977 went quickly as, togeher with my family, we caught dozens of games, Holiday Festivals, NIT, a few NCAA qualifiers when it was the ECAC before BIG EAST days and so on. As a Johnnies freshman, I purchased four (4) seasons tickets to St John’s basketball in 1977-78. This year, with a summer filled with getting tons of requests from friends and family for tickets, we upped the ante to eight (8) tickets at MSG, keeping the four at Carnesecca Arena.

As of February 18, 2024 – some 53 years and two weeks after that St. J vs Niagara game – one week past the Seton Hall debacle – we can’t even GIVE the tickets away.

RED SOX AND MLB BEGIN SPRING TRAINING: The Boston Red Sox began their 2024 Grapefruit League training camp exhibitions this weekend. The Sox played to a 14-14-4 (.500) in 2023 MLB Spring Training. … The Sox will play 35 exhibition games in 33 days, including Friday’s game against Northeastern University. They play two games in the Dominican Republic vs. Tampa Bay on March 9-10, and two games vs. Texas at Globe Life Field on March 25-26 as they break camp. … In addition to those 35 games, the Red Sox will host one of the inaugural MLB Spring Breakout Games on March 16 vs. Atlanta. … Boston opens the regular season on March 28 against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

Brown Leads Streaking Celtics Over NY

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report)  – Celtics F/G Jaylen Brown collected 30 points and eight rebounds to help the visiting Boston Celtics extend their winning streak to eight games by beating the New York Knicks 116-102 Saturday night.

Boston made 15 of its 35 3-point attempts and shot 56.8 percent from the field.

Knicks’ All-Star guard Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 34 points and had nine assists for the Knicks, who dropped to 0-4 against the Celtics this season. Josh Hart added 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists for New York, and Precious Achiuwa finished with eight points and a team-high nine rebounds.

The Celtics led by four points at halftime and outscored the Knicks 35-26 in the third. New York failed to cut its deficit below nine points in the final quarter.

The Celtics received 22 points from Kristaps Porzingis and 19 points, six rebounds and six assists from Jayson Tatum. Six Boston players scored at least 10 points, and the Celtics had a 58-38 edge in points in the paint.

Boston ended the opening quarter on a 9-2 run and had a 30-26 advantage after 12 minutes. The Celtics extended their lead to 56-46 on a traditional three-point play by Porzingis with 3:26 remaining in the second quarter, but the Knicks closed the gap to 62-58 at halftime.

Brown led all scorers with 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting in the first half. Brunson had 19 points in the half.

It was 64-64 following a Brunson free throw with 10:47 left in the third, but Boston went on a 33-13 run and had a 97-77 lead after a Tatum 3-pointer with 1:39 left in the quarter. Boston made 9 of its 13 3-point attempts in the third, but the Knicks scored the final seven points in the quarter to trim Boston’s lead to 97-84 after three.

Donte Divincenzo (12 points) and Miles McBride (11 points) were the only other players who scored in double figures for the Knicks, who turned the ball over 14 times.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Put Streak on Line at MSG

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Celtics will attempt to stretch their season-high winning streak to eight games when they visit the New York Knicks tonight. The Celtics returned from the All-Star break and earned their seventh straight victory by beating the Chicago Bulls 129-112 on the road Thursday.

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Boston’s offensive depth was on display, as Derrick White scored 28 points, Jayson Tatum finished with 25 and Jaylen Brown added 21. Boston made 23 of its 47 3-point attempts. White and Tatum each made five shots from beyond the 3-point arc.

“That’s the fun thing about this team is most nights it’s JT (Tatum), JB (Brown) and KP (Kristaps Porzingis). They allow myself and everyone else the freedom to do what we need to do, too,” White said. “Having guys like that at the top is just allowing us to be aggressive and makes this a fun team to play with. That’s the fun thing, each quarter it might be somebody different and we’re all ready to go and having a lot of fun with it.”

Tatum, who is averaging a team-high 27.1 points per game, is among those being mentioned as a possible MVP candidate.

“There’s a lot of talented guys in this league right now,” Tatum said. “A lot of guys doing great things. I won’t have the points per game that the other three or four guys will, but I think the voters are smart enough to understand the dynamic of our team. Essentially having to do less scoring maybe on certain nights, but still impact the game in a lot of ways to kind of ensure that we win every single night.

“I know I can score 30 a night, but that’s not necessarily what this team needs on a nightly basis. Taking that step back, in a sense, for us to be better. I’ve done everything but win a championship.”

The Knicks ended a four-game losing streak by beating the Philadelphia 76ers 110-96 on Thursday. Jalen Brunson led the way with 21 points and 12 assists in the win.

The Knicks received a 22-point performance from Bojan Bogdanovic; 18 points and 12 rebounds from Josh Hart; and 18 points and 11 rebounds from Precious Achiuwa. New York connected on 15 of its 34 3-point attempts.

“The way we moved the ball, it was a great team effort,” said Bogdanovic, who shot 6-for-6 from the 3-point arc.

The Knicks continue to play without forward Julius Randle (shoulder), center Mitchell Robinson (ankle) and guard/forward OG Anunoby (elbow). It’s uncertain when any of the three will return.

“We’re undermanned right now,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Our starting frontcourt is not there so we know we have to play hard as hell. We know if we do that, we’ll have a chance to win.”

Saturday’s game will be the fourth meeting between the Celtics and Knicks this season. Boston won the first three. The Knicks will be looking to improve on their 19-8 home record.

“Just find a way to win — that’s what we have to do,” Thibodeau said. “We have to scratch them out right now.”

–Field Level Media

Celtics Pick Up Pace After Break

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CHICAGO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Derrick White scored 28 points and Jayson Tatum followed with 25 to help the visiting Boston Celtics top the Chicago Bulls 129-112 on Thursday for their season-high seventh straight victory.

In their first game back from the All-Star break, the league-best Celtics shot 54.2 percent, including 48.9 percent from long range.

That compared to 46.8 percent overall and 35.7 percent from deep for the Bulls, who lost for the third time in four games.

Jaylen Brown (21 points) and Kristaps Porzingis (14) also scored in double figures for Boston.

Nikola Vucevic logged 22 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulls. After scoring 20 points in the first half to match Brown, Vucevic did not make his first (and only) basket of the second half until 6:34 remained in the game.

Chicago’s Coby White scored 20 points and DeMar DeRozan chipped in 18, while Ayo Dosunmu (14), Alex Caruso (12) and Andre Drummond (11) also finished in double figures.

Drummond added eight rebounds and Dosunmu dished a game-high eight assists.

Boston opened the third quarter on a 10-0 run to erase a three-point halftime deficit and never trailed after that. Chicago drew within five points midway through the quarter but was unable to keep pace. Tatum erupted for 15 points in the third quarter after scoring just five in the first half. He also led the team with seven rebounds.

The Celtics swished 23 3-pointers to the Bulls’ 10.

After trailing by as many as 16 points in the early going, the Bulls regained their composure in a breakout second quarter. Chicago’s 8-0 run to close the first period set the tone while helping offset a monster start for Derrick White, who had 12 points and three blocks in the first 12 minutes.

Chicago outscored Boston 39-28 in the second quarter to take a 62-59 advantage into halftime. The Bulls grabbed their first lead since 2-0 when Vucevic hit a pair of free throws with 1:58 remaining in the second quarter.

Torrey Craig (right knee) and Patrick Williams (left foot) missed the game for the Bulls.

–Field Level Media

Tatum and Celtics Look at Big Picture

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – With the NBA All-Star Game returning to the Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format, Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were able to giddily team up.

Tatum and Brown combined for 56 points as the East coasted to a 211-186 victory, and now the duo will return to the court for the top team in the league when Boston faces the host Chicago Bulls on Thursday night to open the second half of the season.

“It was pretty cool,” Brown said of getting to play alongside Tatum in Indianapolis. “We got the win, and we had fun. I think it’s just another platform to continue to raise for yourself but also raise for the city of Boston, just represent. I think that’s what we kind of look at it as. That’s what we’ve become.”

Boston entered the All-Star break with six straight wins — its third streak this season of at least that many victories –and is coming off a 50-point home win against the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 14.

Balance has boosted the Celtics, who have five players with scoring averages in double figures, led by Tatum (27.1 points per game), Brown (22.0) and Kristaps Porzingis (20.2).

Also the team leader in rebounds per game (8.6) and the co-leader in assists per game (4.8), Tatum is aware of the chatter about his league MVP candidacy, but he is quick to cast it aside as the Celtics pursue a championship.

“They have individual awards for a reason,” Tatum said. “As a competitor, as a player, you grew up watching your favorite players winning MVP and first-team All-NBA and all that.

“Of course you want to win those things. But you can’t take precedent over playing the right way and doing the things that you have to do in order for your team to essentially be the best team in the league and have a chance to win a championship.”

Chicago hopes to gain stability for the stretch run after resetting during the break. While the Bulls have not been over .500 this season nor at the break-even mark since Oct. 30, they enter the second half in ninth place in the East with room to ascend.

“The last couple of weeks have been kind of crazy for us with injuries, dealing with all the noise on the outside and the trade rumors,” said Bulls leading scorer DeMar DeRozan (22.7 ppg). “Emotionally, physically, mentally, we took on a tall task, and we pushed through it. Now we can kind of just breathe a little and gather our minds and emotions.

“Get some bodies back and get rejuvenated for the next 27 games. We’re going to need to put everything and more into those.”

The Bulls’ front office stood pat at the deadline after learning potential trade chip Zach LaVine needed season-ending foot surgery.

Steady play and leadership from DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic — coupled with the emergence of guard Coby White, who is averaging 24.2 points per game and shooting 44.7 percent from deep in February — have fueled the organization’s optimism.

Boston routed the visiting Bulls 124-97 on Nov. 28. Brown poured in 30 points and Tatum chipped in 21 to lead six Celtics scorers in double figures.

The teams are 5-5 in their past 10 meetings and split four games last season, with the home team prevailing each time.

–Field Level Media

Sorry Charlie!

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HOBE SOUND – Charlie Woods was unsuccessful in his first attempt at qualifying for a PGA Tour event.

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The 15-year-old son of 15-time major champion Tiger Woods carded a 12 at the par-4 seventh hole and finished 16-over 86 on Thursday at Lost Lake Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Fla. The pre-qualifying event was one of four for the PGA Tour’s Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, a tournament formerly known as the Honda Classic.

The younger Woods was 4-over par through his first six holes. He rebounded from a disastrous performance on the seventh to piece together six straight pars before recording a double-bogey on No. 14.

One of Woods’ playing partners was Olin Browne Jr., who is the son of the three-time PGA Tour winner by the same name. He carded a 2-over 72 on Thursday.

The top 25 finishers and ties will advance to the event’s Monday qualifier at the Tesoro Club’s Palmer Course in Port St. Lucie, Fla. From there, four players will earn a spot in the field for the Cognizant Classic on Feb. 29-March 3 at PGA National Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

–Field Level Media

Patriots’ Slater to Retire

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FOXBOROUGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – New England Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater announced his retirement Tuesday after 16 seasons. The three-time Super Bowl champion holds the NFL record for special teams players with 10 Pro Bowl selections.

Slater, 38, played in 264 games (including playoffs) for the Patriots from 2008-23, second only to Tom Brady (326).

“I have given all that I possibly can to respect and honor the game,” he wrote in a lengthy post on social media. “Though it is time for my relationship with the game to evolve, the love I have for it will last a lifetime.”

Originally drafted as a wide receiver in the fifth round in 2008, Slater made his impact on special teams. He served as a kick returner on and off between 2008 and 2016 and amassed 191 tackles in kick and punt coverage.

“In 2008, I came here as a young man with hopes and dreams,” Slater wrote. “In 2024, I can retire knowing this experience has exceeded any hope or dream I ever had.”

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Sign Liam Hendriks

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox and All-Star closer Liam Hendriks have agreed to a two-year deal worth a guaranteed $10 million, multiple outlets reported Monday.

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The deal is pending a physical for the right-hander, who is coming off Tommy John surgery in August and is not expected to pitch much, if at all, in the 2024 season. If he does return, it would be well after the All-Star break, per the reports.

The deal is loaded with incentives, which could put the value at $20 million and includes a mutual option for 2026, per the reports.

Hendriks, 35, pitched just five games for the Chicago White Sox after returning last May from stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Hendriks went 2-0 with a 5.40 ERA across five innings. He also had one save before undergoing surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament.

Hendriks began the 2023 season on the IL. He completed lymphoma treatment on April 3 and announced he was cancer-free 17 days later. He was diagnosed in the fall of 2022.

Hendriks, a three-time All-Star, is 33-34 with a 3.82 ERA and 116 saves in 476 career appearances (44 starts) for five teams, including the Oakland A’s (2016-20) and White Sox (2021-23).

The Red Sox are expected to start the season with Kenley Jansen as their closer, though he has been the subject of trade rumors.

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Feb 18

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While We’re Young (Ideas) | ’24 NBA All-Star Weekend

BREAKING NEWS FROM SATURDAY NIGHT: The ups and downs, ebbs and flows of the annual NBA All-Star Weekend were on display Saturday night. The verdict for the NBA this year was another serious high mark.

Highlights of the night included a very competitive three point contest won by Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard who is now a back-to-back champion, defeating Atlanta’s TraeYoung on the final shot.

NY Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu set the bar very, very high by shooting an incredible round at the NBA three-point line and scoring 26 points (which included her hitting her first seven shots and 8-of-9 of the “money balls” which counted for two points each.

Under pressure in the single round of competition, Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors met the mark and scored 29 points to secure the victory and a ‘boxing or MMA-like” championship belt. Curry drained two perfect racks of five basketballs and then went three for five on his final rack of all money balls.

The end result was a significant ($55,000) donation by State Farm Insurance to benefit each player’s charity efforts.

In the final scene of the night, Mac McClung, the former Georgetown and Texas Tech guard, turned pro via the NBA G-League’s Osceola Magic (Orlando’s minor league club) became a back-to-back champion by defeating Boston Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown.

Brown brought out some of the classic Dominique Wilkins’ power dunks and fit them into a creative repertoire of well choreographed dunks. It wasn’t enough as McClung scored an amazing “50” on his final dunk of the night to take honors.

For an event that always seems to have some high notes and clinkers, Saturday night scored well and was a highly entertaining evening. Turner (TNT) Sports outdid itself with dozens upon dozens of well-placed cameras, super slo-mo replays and great commentary and back and forth humor – especially by Kenny Smith.

In the column below, you’ll read of other All-Star Weekend memories, noting – It was a great night from the couch and the home LED Hi-Def TV.

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – While I’m very accustomed to being on site and – in the case of this year -listing an Indianapolis dateline, it’s very nice and comfortable writing from Boston and watching the All-Star festivities from the couch.

It was 16 years ago tonight that I watched the NBA All-Star Saturday events from a couch, joining former NBA referee Bob Delaney and his wife, Billie, at their home in Florida after a 12-day tour promoting Bob’s first book – COVERT. The last couple days were in the NBA All-Star city – New Orleans – where we did hundreds of interviews and enjoyed the Thursday-Friday tip-off of a great event in one of the greatest American cities. Overall, we were exhausted but had a great time tuning in to watch.

This weekend, it’s quite the same. I’m scoring from home.

At his pre-event media availability, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated that the league examined many of the intricacies of the All-Star Game and the league and its players – largely behind the experiences of new NBA Players Association executive director Andre Iguodala – have agreed to put the focus on the game of basketball.

Amen.

“We returned to the East versus West format and the 48-minute game format because we thought what we were doing was not working,” said Silver at his Saturday media availability. “I’d say people uniformly were critical of last year’s All-Star Game and felt it was not a competitive game. It was not a position held solely by the league. I think the players collectively recognized, as well, that it wasn’t what they wanted to see, either, that they had not put their best foot forward.

“I’d say Andre Iguodala now, who is the executive director of the Players Association, and a former player, shares that view with the league office; that we’re not necessarily looking for players to go out there as if it’s the Finals, necessarily, but we need players to play defense, we need them to care about this game.

“And the feeling was that maybe — and I’ll take responsibility for it … as you know, I used to run something called NBA Entertainment … that we’d gotten carried away a little bit with the entertainment aspect,” added Silver.

“By that I’m not just talking about the halftime or the intros, per se. One of the things we heard from the players, was on one hand now, ‘you’re telling us you want us to play this as if it were a real game, but there’s nothing about it that feels like a real game.’ You have us standing up on stage, operating through this draft (of players choosing sides). Then once the intros start, we get cold, we’re standing there forever, we don’t get to go through our usual routines. Then come halftime, you’re adding not just a little bit of extra time but a lot of extra time, so we get cold in the locker rooms.

“I think we sat down with the players and we listened to them, and we said, all right, we have to return to basketball, back to basketball, so to speak. It’s about the game. That’s ultimately how we’re going to be judged.”

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: It’s worth noting – ahem – that this columnist was fortunate enough to work 25 consecutive NBA All-Star Games, dating from 1982 to 2007 and attend another four as a media member for a grand total of 29 NBA All-Star Games. The line of demarcation was the 1984 NBA All-Star Weekend in Denver where the Nuggets’ organization encouraged the league to stage a Slam Dunk contest, reminiscent of the great ABA Slam Dunk Contest of 1976 when NY Nets forward Julius “Doctor J” Erving squared-off against Denver’s David Thompson – both Hall of Famers – for the greatest slams in basketball history.

That February, as Commissioner Larry O’Brien passed the torch to David Stern, the league paired the Slam Dunk with a valiant attempt to organize an “Old-Timer’s Game” which was very well received and began a long process for the league to proiperly reconnect with the players of yesteryear. Recognizing the opportunities ahead, we quickly switched the phrase from “Old Timers” to “Legends.”

The Legends Game made its way through the late ‘80s and early ‘90s until a couple serious injuries – to LA Lakers/Clipper great Norm Nixon and to Thompson – called for an end to the Legends Game and the introduction of other contests like 2Ball, the Skills Contest and the inclusion of WNBA Players into the various events. For the most part, a good time was had by all but certain weekends were much beter received than others. There was a definite ebb and flow, with the likes of Larry Bird (3-point king) and Michael Jordan (Slam Dunk champion) getting high praise for their participation.

In one man’s opinion, high points over the years included:

  1. Jordan and Dominique Wilkins going mano-a-mano at the ‘88 Slam Dunk in Jordan’s home court Chicago Stadium.
  2. Vince Carter dominating the Slam Dunk when the weekend was played in a rain-soaked Oakland in the Year 2000.
  3. Bird, Craig Hodges, Mark Price and Peja Stojakovic shooting the lights out at various Three Point Contests over the years.
  4. Spud Webb amazing the Dallas crowd and his peers with dunk after dunk to defeat his teammate, Dominique Wilkins.
  5. The NBA at 50 celebration.
  6. Dee Brown slamming it down with a blindfold on at the ‘91 Slam Dunk Contest in Charlotte.
  7. Blake Griffin jumping over a car in the Slam Dunk leading to Dwight Howard popping a sticker high up on the backboard, then later blowing a candle out of a strategically placed cupcake on the backboard.
  8. Of course, there were dozens of other highlights over the years, NYK Kenny “Sky” Walker reaching new heights in Houston – The Space City; Jason Kidd in the Skills competitions; The WNBA’s Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird proving they could compete at the highest level; among many others. (Feel free to add your suggestions in the comment section).

The greatest of NBA All-Star Weekends and my favorite, for sure, was the 1992 NBA All-Star Weekend in Orlando, when Earvin “Magic” Johnson returned from his abrupt and forced preseason retirement (HIV Virus) to lead the West to a decisive 153-113 victory, while gaining Most Valuable Player honors in an astonishing and emotional event.

Of course, Johnson would later play on the ‘92 Dream Team and eventually return for limited action in the NBA.

NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND in INDIANAPOLIS: Tonight, as noted, the NBA will return to its roots with an old-fashioned EAST vs. WEST all-star game. No more shenanigans with LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo choosing up sides. Thankfully, the league didn’t fold to pressure mounting for a USA vs The World contest, as that’s for the Olympic Games and Basketball World Cup, not an NBA mid-season exhibition that’s supposed to be fun. … That’s the one, “key” factor that everyone seems to overlook as they criticize the players for not competing as though its the NBA Finals. The weekend is a three-ring circus of events, parties, meetings, interview sessions, network media obligations and late-night hanging, and that’s encouraged as the norm. It makes it damn near impossible for the All-Stars to compete at a high level after a three-day gauntlet of commitments. … Over the years, the level of high competition only comes when the score is relatively close at the end of the third quarter and very close at the 6:59 timeout in the fourth quarter. Then, the players’ competitive spirits kick-in, the adrenaline flows, the coaches call for solid team defense and the stars shine. It’s somewhat cyclical. The league had a great experience the first time they tried the “Elam Ending” with a 157-155 thriller (2020 in Chicago), tacking on “24” points to the 133 points “Team Giannis” had accrued as of the end of the third quarter. With the clock turned off, and as fate would have it, “Team LeBron” kicked it in gear and outscored “Team Giannis” 33-22 down the stretch to win a very exciting game, much to the pleasure of Nick Elam, a professor from Ball State, who came up with the idea ((although his version called for a 35 point addition to the leading team at the end of the third quarter but the NBA shortened it to “24” in honor of the late LA Lakers star Kobe Bryant and his uniform number.

Tonight (Sunday night), the NBA will return to its East vs West roots created when the NBA All-Star Game began (1951 in Boston) – five years after the birth of the Basketball Association of America. The league considered the long history of the game of basketball in the State of Indiana, and decided to go the traditional route. Maybe it was the thought of coach John Wooden, or paying tribute the the love of the game at the high school and college levels. Regardless, the 2024 game will have no gimmicks, no choosing up sides – playground style. Just basketball.

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