Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

Archives for December 2024

Early NFL Playoff Picture

by

DETROIT – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – All eyes are on the NFC North pecking order with a Thursday showdown between the Lions and Packers kicking off Week 14 in Motown.

Embed from Getty Images

The Lions (11-1) already registered a win over Green Bay (9-3) at Lambeau Field and begin their second pass through the division with a 3-0 record in the North. The Vikings (10-2) sit between the teams in the standings, but there are tangible and desirous goals in play for Minnesota on Sunday.

With a win over the NFC South-leading Falcons, Minnesota would gain a game on the losing team Thursday and potentially push their former quarterback, Kirk Cousins, and Atlanta outside the playoff picture behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Bucs (6-6) host the 2-10 Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

There’s less drama in the AFC, where the division leaders have enough cushion to breathe and ample motivation to continue putting up victories with home-field advantage not yet decided.

Last week, the Bills (10-2) clinched the AFC East and the Chiefs (11-1) can clinch the West on Sunday by beating the Los Angeles Chargers (8-4) in Kansas City.

Looming for the murky AFC wild-card picture are head-to-head matchups between the Denver Broncos and Chargers (Dec. 19) and Indianapolis Colts and Broncos (Dec. 15). And Baltimore’s closing schedule is unusual, if not tricky, with a Saturday division game against the Pittsburgh Steelers (Dec. 21) and a midweek, Christmas Day game pitting the Ravens and Texans in a 2024 playoff rematch.

The current playoff picture entering Week 14:

AFC Division Leaders
1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-1)
Up Next: vs. Chargers, Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET

2. Buffalo Bills (10-2)
Up Next: at L.A. Rams, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3)
Up Next: vs. Cleveland Browns, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

4. Houston Texans (8-5)
Up Next: Bye Week

AFC Wild-Card Standings

5. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4)
Up Next: at Kansas City, Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET

6. Baltimore Ravens (8-5)
Up Next: Bye Week

7. Denver Broncos (8-5)
Up Next: Bye Week

8. Indianapolis Colts (6-7)
Up Next: Bye Week

9. Miami Dolphins (5-7)
Up Next: vs. N.Y. Jets, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)
Up Next: at Dallas, Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET

11. Cleveland Browns (3-9)
Up Next: at Pittsburgh, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

12. New York Jets (3-9)
Up Next: at Miami, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

13. Tennessee Titans (3-9)
Up Next: vs. Jacksonville, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

The New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders have been eliminated.

NFC Division Leaders

1. Detroit Lions (11-1)
Up Next: vs. Green Bay, Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET

2. Philadelphia Eagles (10-2)
Up Next: vs. Carolina, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

3. Seattle Seahawks (7-5)
Up Next: at Arizona, Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET

4. Atlanta Falcons (6-6)
Up Next: at Minnesota, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

NFC Wild-Card Standings

5. Minnesota Vikings (10-2)
Up Next: vs. Atlanta, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

6. Green Bay Packers (9-3)
Up Next: at Detroit, Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET

7. Washington Commanders (8-5)
Up Next: Bye Week

8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-6)
Up Next: vs. Las Vegas, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

9. Arizona Cardinals (6-6)
Up Next: vs. Seattle, Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET

10. Los Angeles Rams (6-6)
Up Next: vs. Buffalo, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET

11. San Francisco 49ers (5-7)
Up Next: vs. Chicago, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET

12. Dallas Cowboys (5-7)
Up Next: vs. Cincinnati, Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET

13. New Orleans Saints (4-8)
Up Next: at N.Y. Giants , Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

14. Chicago Bears (4-8)
Up Next: at San Francisco, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET

15. Carolina Panthers (3-9)
Up Next: at Philadelphia, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

The New York Giants have been eliminated.

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Dec 1st

by

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK – The naysayers are awaiting their failures. But, WWYI comes – not as a naysayer – but a realist … a teller of truths.

Entrepreneurial spirit, private equity, an abundance of time slots for programming on a growing number of global sports channels, and an endless amount of time and space for sports on digital-only, online sports sites, complete with your favorite mobile apps has created a monster for sports fans.

That monster is too many pro sports leagues.

How many is too many? Let us count the way.

But, first let’s pay a little tribute to a few upstart leagues that paved the vacant roads long ago. They come in all shapes and sizes for both men and women. Here are a few that deserve ultimate high fives:

  • Women’s Tennis – the WTA
  • Men’s Tennis Tour – the ATP
  • Women’s Golf – the LPGA
  • Minor League and affiliated baseball leagues (Cape Baseball)
  • The WNBA
  • The Premier Lacrosse League – Men’s lacrosse, aka the PLL
  • The NBA Summer League
  • Of course, the PGA Tour, NASCAR and F-1 are rock solid pro circuits
  • National Women’s Soccer League – the NWSL
  • Professional Women’s Hockey League – the PWHL
  • Pro Bull Riders – PBR (solid since ‘92 founding on The Nashville Network, Outdoor Sports Net = Versus but challenges ahead)

Spring (American-style) Football is in a category of its own. The UFL – with big time backers – seems to be finding a place on the sports landscape, after a few more failed attempts came up dry. The CFL (Canadian Football League) was founded in 1958 (66 years ago) and has stood the test of time. Former basketball execs turned CFL Commissioners Mark Cohon (2007-2014) and Jeffrey Orridge (2015-2017) each lent a hand in trying to build on the foundation but to no great lengths of change. The most recent Commissioner, Randy Ambrosie, announced his resignation on October 26, 2024, and it took effect following Toronto’s 41-24 victory over Lose-a-peg in the 111th Grey Cup. Ambrosie reportedly lost a vote of confidence among the league’s owners. They are currently seeking a new league commish to guide the grey lady.

Now we get into the nitty gritty and to prove open-mindedness, the top of this list will include a few fledgling professional sports leagues that have a chance – or at least have a chance in the mind of WWYI.

  • Women’s Flag Football (NFL backed)
  • Pro Volleyball – (Real volleyball, not the Beach version but four women’s leagues will need to be condensed to one and the under-leveraged men’s circuit has value
  • The Snow League – (WWYI is not making it up) – see: SNOW
  • Pro Fight League – (the UFC owns the space, but there’s room here for growth)
  • Pro Women’s Lacrosse – (PLL Backed)
  • Canada’s Summer Pro Basketball League
  • Major League Rugby
  • Major League Cricket
  • Athletes Unlimited (Offerings in Volleyball, Lacrosse and Softball)
  • American Cornhole League (niche city but success on the rise)
  • The Pro eSports Leagues (i.e. The NBA 2K League) – Can they make it?

Now, from the sublime to the sometimes ridiculous, and new leagues that have little chance of surviving for the long haul.

  • Pro Dodge Ball
  • Pro Kickball
  • Pro Pop-a-Shot
  • Pro Table Tennis
  • Pro Pickleball (a great grassroots play, but not sure it can be a media property)
  • USL – W League (while men’s version is doing well, is there room for more women’s pro soccer teams and a league in USA?)
  • Roller Derby – (sorry to you Bay Area Bombers fans)
  • Pro Ultimate Frisbee (fun, but a hobby – not a pro sport)
  • Pro Ax Throwing
  • World Chase Tag – (Pro “Tag, You’re It” – Who knew?)

Let’s not forget Arena Football. The sport had its heyday, but is now being repackaged and re-launched. Currently, the headline on the homepage for Arena Football states, “2025 Season Announcements Coming Soon,” and there’s only 32 days until 2025. There’s a caution flag on the field for Indoor American Football.

And, how about men’s professional golf? LIV Golf had a rough start, has been relegrated to off hours on the CW Network but recent sports biz rumors have former NBA, former 76ers/NJ Devils/Prudential Center, former Merlin Entertainment CEO Scott O’Neill being named as LIV golf’s new CEO (The Athletic, Sports Business Journal and New York Times have all reported it as a done deal).

LIV Golf at Boston’s International (Photo by T. Peter Lyons)

LIV Golf has a very non-North American friendly schedule for 2025, and its end game of a possible merge with the PGA Tour remains elusive, but good things might be ahead for a complement to the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. The LIV and DP world Tour are very likely to merge by 2026. Other changes can be expected with O’Neill at the helm.

Starting January 7, we’ll have TGL Golf. Six TGL teams representing six different cities will go head-to-head in a season-long competition at SoFi Center, a first-of-its-kind venue built specifically for TGL on the campus of Palm Beach State College. Matches will air on ESPN and ESPN+ in the United States. The concept calls for a hybrid of simulated golf which switches to live play around the holes. TGL has solid backing and great time slots on ESPN/ESPN2.

The overall future of indoor, simulated golf is good (think batting ranges, or the experience of bowling with buddies). Former NBC Sports PR colleague Mike McCarley is in charge of the TGL brand, via the TMRW investment vehicle set forth by Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy in partnership with the PGA Tour.

BACK TO BASKETBALL: There are a few others Pro ventures to be listed, but for the sake of brevity, let’s draw the line and delve deeper into women’s pro basketball, especially “Unrivaled,” the new women’s 3×3 league.

First, please remember this commentary is coming from a Title IX era sportsman, who as a youngster, witnessed and supported the growth of women’s participation in sports at all levels. Aside from the traditional women’s sports, such as field hockey, softball, gymnastics, swimming, track and field, at Trinity, there were championship-level teams playing women’s basketball, lacrosse, tennis, soccer and golf.

But as the mid-1970s evolved to the mid-2020s, there’s certainly a glut of professional basketball leagues dotting the landscape – some competing against women’s college basketball.

As background, there are two women’s professional basketball ventures launching in 2025. Since 1997, when the WNBA established an everlasting women’s pro basketball league competing mostly in the summer months, there are two additional leagues – Athletes Unlimited (in traditional 5×5 style) and Unrivaled Basketball (3×3 competition).

There will be six teams of six players each in the 3×3 Unrivaled. The team names are the Laces Basketball Club, Lunar Owls Basketball Club, Mist Basketball Club, Phantom Basketball Club, Rose Basketball Club and Vinyl Basketball Club.

Unrivaled gives credit to co-founders Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier – both WNBA players – for the foundation of the league, along with Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell. They named former WTA tennis executive Micky Lawler as the league’s first commissioner.

Unrivaled was met with a blue chip list of investors including, former Warner Bros CEO Ann Sarnoff, and athletes like NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony and Steve Nash who invested through the venture capital firm led by U.S women’s national soccer team captain Alex Morgan.

Unrivaled’s next step was luring former head of ESPN and DAZN John Skipper and former Turner Sports president David Levy. They joined forces with leadership and landed a TV deal with Levy’s former employer for games to be broadcast by TNT and Tru TV starting January 17, 2025.

Meanwhile, the established but still trying to establish an audience Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball is utilizing traditional 5×5 rules but competing directly against the NBA, men’s and women’s college basketball. In its fifth season of Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball, the entity is attempting to find its footing as a minor league offering in a crowded space. It will have a short run from February 5 to March 2, 2025, at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium.

There’s surely a chance the new basketball leagues will work out, but these leagues are splitting an audience with Women’s College Basketball which has made great strides in recent years, much to the credit of Caitlin Clark. But, please remember, there’s a long history of successful and entertaining women’s college basketball teams and players, dating back to clubs like the 1980 Old Dominion squad with Anne Donovan. Add: Great teams from Tennessee under the guidance of Pat Summitt, USC with Cheryl Miller, the 1974 Immaculata team with Maryanne Stanley, the great Carol Blazejowski and the Montclair State (NJ) team of the mid-1970s, a slew of great – let’s call them historic – teams from Delta State, Louisiana Tech, Notre Dame, Baylor, South Carolina, Stanford, Texas Tech, Rutgers, Maryland, Oregon, UCLA and Texas.

Now, toss in the decades of great (championship) teams from UConn – from Rebecca Lobo to Sue Bird to Diana Taurasi to Breanna Stewart and you’ve got Hall of Famer coach Geno Auriemma’s resume.

One of the WNBA’s tent pole establishing decisions was to go for the summer months rather than compete head-to-head with women’s college basketball.

So it’s a “Battle for Nielsen Ratings” – Pro Women’s 3×3 vs. College hoops?

All the leagues mentioned in all the sports claim “percent emergence.” They all promise they’re the “fastest growing sport,” a claim the sport of lacrosse has made since WWYI was While Yet to be Born Ideas.

At some point, it’s just too much. There’s a glut of emerging sports ventures and something has got to give. Overall, the make it or break it on sports franchises involves three simple factors. They are:

  • Market
  • Money
  • Media

You can weigh all the factors, the sports and make up your own mind on the future of emerging pro sports leagues.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The Top 10 of the FIBA Men’s World Basketball Rankings remains unchanged from its summertime posting. USA Basketball solidified its No. 1 place with the Gold Medal at the Paris Olympics Games. As a reminder, here are the national teams in order of their rank, along with some formidable challengers:

  1. USA
  2. Serbia
  3. Germany
  4. France
  5. Canada
  6. Spain
  7. Australia
  8. Argentina
  9. Latvia
  10. Lithuania

Challengers include: Brazil, Slovenia, Greece, Italy and Puerto Rico

TIDBITS: BIG EAST teams were (55-20, .733) going into the weekend games. UConn was down as (4-3) with four wins coming at home but three losses coming from its trip to the Maui Classic. … Thursday marked the 14th straight NBA season without a game scheduled for Thanksgiving Day.

As the NFL bounds through it Thanksgiving Day weekend schedule which always marks the home stretch of the regular season, games are averaging a healthy 17.5m viewers per game, the largest average audience per game through 12 weeks since 2015. That does not compute NFL International Series Games and the use of the NFL RedZone channel by many as their go-to way to watch the Sunday games. … Forty-seven of the Top 50 TV shows since September are NFL broadcasts, according to NFL Media. If you look back to 2023, the NFL season and playoffs captured 93 of the Top 100 audiences of the year.

The others?

  • College Football accounts for three
  • State of the Union
  • MACYs Thanksgiving Day Parade
  • The Academy Awards
  • The Super Bowl

In college football news reported by ESPN Saturday morning, former No. 1 overall NFL pick Andrew Luck is now following his dad (Oliver) into a new college sports management role. ESPN reported that the 35-year-old former Stanford Cardinal QB is returning to his alma mater to be the General Manager of the men’s football team, a role that will “place him in charge” of the entire program.

St. John’s Coach Lou Carnesecca, 99

by

JAMAICA ESTATES – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Hall of Fame coach Lou Carnesecca ‘50C, ‘60Ged, ‘00HON, who led the St. John’s men’s basketball team for 24 seasons and endeared himself to generations of New Yorkers with his wit and warmth, passed away on Saturday surrounded by family. He was 99 years old.

The legendary head coach leaves behind his beloved wife of 73 years, Mary, as well as his cherished family – daughter Enes, son-in-law Gerard (Jerry), granddaughter Ieva and her fiancé Frank, his dear niece and nephew, Susan Chiesa, John Chiesa and his wife, Nancy – as well as his extended family and his closest friends join them in their loss.

A 1992 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, “Looie” led St. John’s to 24 winning campaigns in 24 seasons at the helm from 1965-70 and 1973-92. His teams advanced to the postseason each year, appearing in the NCAA Tournament 18 times while registering six National Invitation Tournament (NIT) appearances. Those postseason berths were highlighted by an appearance in the 1985 Final Four and the program’s fifth NIT title in 1989. His teams also recorded an additional pair of Elite Eight appearances in 1979 and 1991.

Carnesecca was named the National Coach of the Year twice, BIG EAST Coach of the Year three times and Metropolitan Coach of the Year six times during his storied career. He led St. John’s to a pair of BIG EAST titles in 1983 and 1986 and his teams produced a 112-65 regular-season record against tough BIG EAST competition, tying for three regular-season titles and winning one outright.

Overall, Carnesecca registered a 526-200 mark, winning at least 20 games 18 times in 24 seasons as the head coach at St. John’s with a career winning percentage of .725, good enough for one of the top 100 marks in Division I history. His teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 for 161 weeks during his career, including more than 70 as one of the top 10 teams in the nation.

A native New Yorker, Carnesecca graduated from St. Ann’s Academy in Manhattan (now Archbishop Molloy) before enlisting the United States Coast Guard during World War II. Upon returning home from the Pacific, Carnesecca enrolled at St. John’s, graduating in 1950. As an undergraduate, Carnesecca played on the St. John’s baseball team that advanced to the 1949 College World Series. Also on that team was Jack Kaiser, Carnesecca’s lifelong friend who would also go on to dedicate his professional life to St. John’s as both its baseball coach and athletic director.

Upon graduation, Carnesecca took over the reins at St. Ann’s and built the team into a powerhouse, winning two CHSAA titles. In 1958, Carnesecca handed over the program to another coaching legend, Jack Curran, in order to take a position on the staff of his mentor, Joe Lapchick, at St. John’s.

Over the next eight seasons on Lapchick’s staff, Carnesecca helped lead St. John’s to a pair of NIT titles in 1959 and 1965. Following Lapchick’s retirement in 1965, Carnesecca was named the 12th head coach in St. John’s men’s basketball history. His first five seasons at the helm were highlighted with trips to the NCAA Tournament regional semifinals in 1967 and 1969, as well as advancing to the NIT Championship game in 1970.

In 1970, Carnesecca left St. John’s for three years to coach the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association. During his tenure in the professional ranks, he took the Nets to the playoffs in each of his three seasons, reaching the finals of the league championship in 1972.

Carnesecca returned to his alma mater in 1973, beginning a transformative period in the history of the program that featured the birth of the BIG EAST Conference, of which St. John’s remains a charter member. In addition to his sweaters providing the sartorial highlights of the league’s early heyday, Carnesecca was also an early cornerstone of the league alongside its founder, Dave Gavitt.

Carnesecca once said, “at St. John’s, it’s all about the players.” In his four decades coaching at his alma mater, Carnesecca coached more than 40 NBA Draft picks including first rounders LeRoy Ellis (1962), Sonny Dove (1967), John Warren (1969), Mel Davis (1973), George Johnson (1978), Chris Mullin (1985), Bill Wennington (1985), Walter Berry (1986), Mark Jackson (1987), Jayson Williams (1990) and Malik Sealy (1992). Carnesecca remained an integral part in the lives of his former players, as his annual reunions drew hundreds of them to Queens.

BC Handles Pitt, Awaits Bowl Game

by

CHESTNUT HILL – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – BC QB Grayson James threw for a pair of second-half touchdowns and six passes of at least 25 yards as Boston College defeated Pitt 34-23 in Saturday’s Atlantic Coast Conference action in Massachusetts.

Embed from Getty Images

James finished 20-of-28 for 253 yards, helping the Eagles (7-5, 4-4 ACC) to their second straight and third win in four games. He connected with Reed Harris (three receptions, 85 yards) and Kamari Morales for scores, with the former scoring for the second week in a row.

Jordan McDonald and Kye Robichaux rushed into the end zone to help the Eagles open up a 13-0 lead that they would never relinquish, reaching the seven-win mark in the regular season for the first time since 2018.

Despite Nate Yarnell throwing for 296 yards and three touchdowns in place of injured starter Eli Holstein, Pitt (7-5, 3-5) suffered its fifth consecutive loss since a 7-0 start.

Gavin Bartholomew caught Yarnell’s first two touchdowns before Konata Mumpfield finished a 144-yard day on eight receptions with one of his own.

Boston College sacked Yarnell six times. Standout defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku had 10 total tackles (4 1/2 for loss) and 3 1/2 sacks.

After Pitt closed within 20-17, James hit Jeremiah Franklin on a third-and-10 scramble to continue a key eight-play, 83-yard scoring drive that Harris finalized on a 28-yard jump-ball in the front corner of the end zone with 2:33 left in the third quarter.

Pitt’s fumbled snap on 4th-and-2 turned the ball back to James, whose 15-yard dot to Morales with 6:12 remaining added insurance. A Lewis Bond conversion on fourth-and-4 set the table.

Mumpfield made a 15-yard touchdown reception with 3:59 left.

A play after James completed his third 25-yarder of the first quarter over the middle to Franklin, Jordan McDonald broke out for a 36-yard touchdown run to give Boston College a 6-0 lead with 1:53 left. The PAT attempt was unsuccessful following a bad snap.

James’ 53-yard strike to Harris set up the Eagles to extend their lead to 13-0 on Robichaux’s 2-yard run with 6:35 left before halftime.

Pitt used a 75-yard drive to score in the ensuing eight plays. Facing third-and-11, Yarnell found a wide-open Bartholomew for an 11-yard score, cutting the Panther deficit to 13-7.

Yarnell then drove the Panthers into opposing territory in four plays, but Neto Okpala’s pressure and tipped pass landed in the hands of defensive tackle Ty Clemons for a 55-yard interception return with 33 seconds left before halftime.

Pitt’s Ben Sauls snuck in a 57-yard field goal as the first-half clock expired.

After a fourth-and-2 hold inside their own territory, Bartholomew caught Yarnell’s last two passes of an eight-play, 65-yard drive, including a five-yarder with 7:50 left in the third to make it 20-17.

–Field Level Media