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Digital Sports Desk

Red Sox Avoid the Sweep

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BOSTON – (Staff Report) – In a game delayed 42 minutes due to inclement weather at the start, and an additional 1 hour, 28 minutes in the bottom of the 8th inning –  a total of 2:10 delay – the Red Sox defeated the Baltimore Orioles, 7-3, on the strength of Tristan Casas’ three-run homer in the sixth inning.

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Casas’ game-winner was his 28th home run of the season and tied him for most among MLB rookies with Arizona’s Corbin Carroll and Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson.

Boston’s starting pitcher Brayan Bello earned the victory,  his team-leading 12th win, his fifth at home but first since a July 5th win over Texas. Bello allowed three runs in the second inning, but held the Orioles scoreless by retiring 10 of 13 batters aside from that frame.

Boston’s 3B Rafael Devers hit an RBI single in the fourth inning to give the Red Sox a 4-3 lead. Devers is 12-for-37 over his last eight games.

The Boston victory snapped a seven-game winning streak of the Orioles, with all victories coming on the road. The Orioles finished their nine-game road trip with a 7-2 record (2-1 at ARI, 3-0 at LAA, 2-1 at Fenway).

Orioles starter Grayson Rodriguez took the loss and is 5-4 on the year.

NFL: WEEK ONE PREVIEWS

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Week 1
NFL preview capsules for Sunday’s Games – Action via Betting Hero

Texans at Ravens: First-year head coach DeMeco Ryans and rookie QB C.J. Stroud lead Houston into Baltimore eyeing a turnaround for a franchise with 11 wins the past three seasons. The Ravens loaded up at wide receiver after signing QB Lamar Jackson to a five-year contract, adding Odell Beckham and first-round pick Zay Flowers. Baltimore won 10 games last season for the ninth time during the John Harbaugh era and even without Pro Bowl CB Marlon Humphrey (foot) brings a veteran-laden defense to this fight.

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49ers at Steelers: Second-year QB Kenny Pickett put up a brilliant preseason and graduates to a stern test from a San Francisco defense likely to have DE Nick Bosa in the fold. Bosa signed a monster contract on Wednesday and the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year joined the team for the first time since minicamp. The 49ers reached the NFC title game behind rookie QB Brock Purdy, whose elbow injury in that game led to offseason ligament surgery. He threw multiple TD passes in each of the final six games (five starts) in 2022 as defenses locked down on RB Christian McCaffrey. With at least two TDs and a win this week, Purdy would become the only QB in NFL history to go 6-0 with multiple TD passes in his first six career starts.

Packers at Bears: Welcome Jordan Love to the stage. The Packers intercepted the torch from Aaron Rodgers, trading him to the Jets and inserting Love into the starting lineup. A rivalry game at Soldier Field pits two solid defenses and unproven quarterbacks. Justin Fields rushed for 1,143 yards last season, but the Bears want him to prove he’s a pro passer with new weapon D.J. Moore matched up with Packers CB Jaire Alexander in a popcorn-worthy pairing.

Eagles at Patriots: A coach for twice the lifetime of Jalen Hurts, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick appreciates the unique challenge the running quarterback presents as the engine of the Eagles’ multi-faceted offense. New England changed offensive coordinators, bringing back Bill O’Brien, who is tasked with getting greatness out of QB Mac Jones while matching wits this week with former co-worker Matt Patricia, an assistant with Philadelphia. The Patriots invested their top three picks on defense, including CB Christian Gonzalez, and expect big things out of other rookies (DE Keion White, LB Marte Mapu, WR Kayshon Boutte). The club will honor the retired QB and franchise legend, Tom Brady, in a halftime ceremony at Gillette Stadium.

Panthers at Falcons: Panthers OLB Brian Burns’ “hold-in” is a fancy way of saying he wants more money but plans to play as Carolina chases Atlanta first-round RB Bijan Robinson and QB Desmond Ridder around the dome Sunday afternoon. The Falcons put up a season-high 37 points and beat Carolina on Oct. 30 last season but lost 25-15 in Charlotte. No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young makes his first career start for the Panthers, who went 7-10 last season and hired Frank Reich as head coach in January. Carolina’s new look spans the roster. Active building the roster in the offseason, the Panthers added versatile RB Miles Sanders and veteran WR Adam Thielen and brought in SS Vonn Bell to anchor the back end of the defense.

Jaguars at Colts: A playoff team in 2022 with a 9-8 record, the Jaguars are widely expected to be the best in the AFC South. They split a pair of games with the Colts last season with a 34-27 loss at Indianapolis, then ended the season with a six-game winning streak, including the wild-card victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, before falling at Kansas City in the divisional playoffs. Indianapolis hit the reset button following a 4-12-1 season, hiring Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen and drafting Anthony Richardson No. 4 overall to end a run of musical chairs at QB. The Colts won’t have RB Jonathan Taylor (ankle), who was inactive for the 2022 home date with Jacksonville.

Buccaneers at Vikings: No Tampa Tom Brady means something new, or at least not as old, at quarterback for the Buccaneers. Baker Mayfield won the job over Kyle Trask and has a star-studded receiving corps, provided Mike Evans puts his contract rift with the club to bed. He’ll be operating behind a young offensive line. Both teams made difficult roster moves to work from under a growing salary-cap burden since they last played a game that counted. The Bucs also made a switch at offensive coordinator, hiring Dave Canales (Seahawks) to replace Bryon Leftwich and shuffling Rachaad White into the featured running back role. Minnesota, a winner of two of the past three meetings with its former NFC Central rival, has a new lead back, too. Dalvin Cook was released after four straight 1,000-yard seasons and replaced by understudy Alexander Mattison.

Titans at Saints: Tennessee tries to find its way back to a winning path on the heels of a season wrecked by injuries that ended with a seven-game losing streak. Two constants remain for the Titans: Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill, who is attempting to bring balance to the offense after Tennessee ranked 30th in passing last season. DeAndre Hopkins joined Tennessee to make a trio of weapons and could help the new-look scheme establish balance. New is fitting for the Saints. They signed QB Derek Carr, RB Jamaal Williams and TE Foster Moreau and must cope with the three-game suspension of RB Alvin Kamara. Carr could be busy considering the Titans ranked No. 1 against the run in 2022.

Cardinals at Commanders: Arizona plans to contend, but likely down the road after a cleaning house in January and starting over from the top, down. The Cardinals are keeping Washington guessing as to who’ll start at quarterback with Kyler Murray (knee) shelved for at least a month. It could be Josh Dobbs, the journeyman with two career starts, or rookie fifth-rounder Clayton Tune staring across at a Commanders’ defense drenched with first-round draft selections. If Dobbs starts, it will be after just five practices since he was acquired Aug. 24 from the Browns. Washington put its chips behind QB Sam Howell, a second-year quarterback making his second career start with new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy planning to spice up the attack to highlight WRs Jahan Dotson and Terry McLaurin. McLaurin (toe) is expected to play.

Bengals at Browns: Perhaps the Bengals pulled the appropriate levers in the offseason and the offensive line woes exposing QB Joe Burrow to 100-plus hits the past two seasons are in the past. Nothing like a face-to-face with Myles Garrett to test that theory. Garrett had 16 sacks in 2022, 3.5 of them in two games against Cincinnati. Burrow’s lead receiver, Ja’Marr Chase (2,501 receiving yards, 29 games), can pass Hall of Famer Randy Moss (2,527) for the third-most receiving yards in a player’s first 30 games on Sunday. Cleveland turned the defense over to spicy veteran coordinator Jim Schwartz, who emphasizes pressure.

Raiders at Broncos: The Raiders (6-11 last season) have beaten the Broncos six straight times and aim to extend the streak under new quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Denver is putting past history to bed, or at least that’s the plan under new head coach Sean Payton. The former boss of the Saints sat out last season and arrived with ideas on how to resurrect Russell Wilson from a serious downturn in 2022, his first with the Broncos. Injuries hit at wide receiver in preseason, but Wilson gets a reprieve thanks to a rebuilt offensive line and the return of RB Javonte Williams from an ACL injury. Garoppolo has two big-time playmakers to work with: RB Josh Jacobs and WR Davante Adams. Jacobs led the NFL with 1,653 rushing yards last season while Adams had an NFL-leading 14 scoring receptions.

Dolphins at Chargers: AFC wild-card playoff teams last season, the Chargers and Dolphins are connected by their 2020 draft decisions, when Tua Tagovailoa went to Miami ahead of Justin Herbert landing with L.A. Tagovailoa showed brilliance in moments but also experienced multiple frightening ones with two documented concussions. Tagovailoa was 10 of 28 for 145 yards in a loss to Herbert and the Chargers last season. Chargers RB Austin Ekeler needs one TD reception for 30 in his career, an achievement only five others at his position have accomplished. Marshall Faulk holds the all-time record for RBs with 36 TD catches.

Rams at Seahawks: Eastern Washington product Cooper Kupp was looking forward to returning home to play the Seahawks in Week 1. That won’t happen due to a hamstring injury in camp, putting the Rams in a hole after a 5-12 season and roster rebuild during the offseason. Gone are CB Jalen Ramsey, WR Allen Robinson, LB Bobby Wagner and DE Leonard Floyd. Wagner makes his homecoming by returning to the Seahawks and facing the Rams in the opener. Seattle re-upped with QB Geno Smith after his Pro Bowl campaign in 2022 helped make the Seahawks a surprise playoff entry. Seattle won two games by a combined seven points over the Rams last season. Smith was sacked seven times.

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Cowboys at Giants: New York crashed the playoffs thanks to a 7-2 start last season. But the Giants have only one win in the past 12 meetings with Dallas. The Cowboys roll with Dak Prescott, who faced criticism after throwing 15 interceptions last season, and expected the revamped offense with head coach Mike McCarthy taking over play-calling to be a boost. Tony Pollard replaces Ezekiel Elliott as the RB1 and adds a big-play dimension. Dallas relies heavily on defense and revealed plans to move pass rusher Micah Parsons into a more traditional defensive end role. He has nine career games with two or more sacks.

–Field Level Media

Boston College Holds Off Holy Cross

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CHESTNUT HILL – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston College QB Thomas Castellanos threw for two touchdowns in his first game as starting quarterback, helping the Eagles hold off FCS No. 5 Holy Cross 31-28 on Saturday.

Castellanos was 17-of-23 passing for 204 yards and had 16 carries for 69 yards. George Takacs and Jeremiah Franklin were on the receiving end of the passing scores.

Kye Robichaux (19 carries, 94 yards) and Ryan O’Keefe also rushed for touchdowns for BC (1-1), which scored on all four first-half drives and led 24-14 at intermission.

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The UCF transfer quarterback earned the starting job after both he and returnee Emmett Morehead saw action in BC’s season-opening overtime loss to Northern Illinois last week.

Jordan Fuller and Matthew Sluka each rushed for two touchdowns for Holy Cross (1-1), which had won 18 consecutive regular-season games.

Sluka rushed for 131 yards on 19 carries and was 10 of 15 for 130 passing yards.

With Holy Cross set for a potential game-winning drive, a lightning delay halted play for over two hours with 1:58 remaining. Sluka opened the series with a 35-yard sideline run, but his fumble — recovered by Vinny DePalma — three plays later allowed BC to hold on for the win.

Sluka’s 8-yard run got Holy Cross in the end zone on five plays to begin the second half.

The Crusaders went on to force BC’s first two punts, but the hosts’ lead increased to 31-21 on Franklin’s 5-yard reception from Castellanos in the opening seconds of the fourth.

Fuller’s tough 15-yard run brought Holy Cross back within one score with 7:26 left.

A tidy first quarter featured just one offensive series — and touchdown — per team, but BC took a 10-point halftime lead after three combined scoring drives in the final 3:38 before intermission.

The Eagles strung together an opening 14-play, 85-yard series that ended with Robichaux taking a 3-yard run into the end zone, his third early carry.

Holy Cross’ response was a Fuller 2-yard touchdown run, capping a 15-play drive that spilled four seconds into the second quarter. To set up the score, Sluka ran for gains of 17 and 21 yards and hit Phoenix Dickson for a 17-yard completion.

On another 14-play series for the Eagles, O’Keefe found the edge for a go-ahead, 14-yard score with 7:06 left in the half.

Castellanos hit Takacs with a 2-yard score over the top to make it 21-7 BC, but two penalties set the visitors up at midfield and Sluka cut the deficit in half with an 8-yard run with 46 second left.

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

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 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!

Sox Season of 2023: “Swept Away”

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Houston Astros capped their first-ever series sweep at Fenway Park with a 7-4 win over the host Boston Red Sox Wednesday afternoon.

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Houston’s Jeremy Pena hit a double and a triple, scored two runs and drove in another to pace the Astros, which scored three runs in both the second and third innings, added another in the fourth and held on for its fifth consecutive victory. Houston’s Michael Brantley, just off the 60-day IL, had two hits, two RBIs and a run, while Alex Bregman and Martin Maldonado each added two hits and an RBI.

Astros starter Framber Valdez (10-9) struck out five across six innings of five-hit ball. He allowed four runs (two earned). Ryan Pressly threw a scoreless ninth to notch his 29th save. Red Sox starter Kutter Crawford (6-7) was tagged for six runs on seven hits across 2 2/3 innings.