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Digital Sports Desk

NCAAB: Battle of the Commonwealth

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Preview) – The second game of the Luke Murray era will put Boston College on the big stage.

Following a 76-50 win over Wagner in their Tuesday debut under the new coach, the Eagles (1-0) will take the floor against UMass (1-0) to tip-off a Hall of Fame Series doubleheader on Friday afternoon in Boston. It’s the opening act for the highly anticipated rematch of the 2026 national championship game between No. 4 UConn and No. 16 Michigan.

“I’m obviously grateful that we got the win, but I’m thinking about the next one,” Murray said.

Despite Montana transfer Money Williams (22 points, five rebounds, four assists) leading three double-figure scorers and a defensive effort that limited Wagner to 30.4% shooting, Murray’s high expectations for his team were clear.

Notably, the Eagles — who have 11 transfers and return only one scholarship player from last season — outrebounded Wagner only by two (36-34) and had six fewer offensive boards (13-7).

“Any time you get a win, you have to be somewhat pleased with that. But … I don’t think the team that was on the floor (Tuesday) resembled the team that I’ve been coaching for the last five or six months. Our execution across the board … left a lot to be desired,” Murray said. “We have to improve a great deal (before Friday).”

UMass will look to ride the momentum of a 71-60 road victory Monday at two-time defending Sun Belt champion Troy. It was the Minutemen’s 16th season-opening win in the past 17.

With top returning rebounder Jayden Ndjigue still sidelined with a hand injury, San Francisco transfer Junjie Wang stepped up for an 18-point, 13-rebound double-double, and ex-BYU big man Abdullah Ahmed had seven of the team’s 10 blocks. Jordan Clayton, who returned to his home state from Northwestern, added 16 points and six boards.

“We didn’t have guys playing hero basketball,” UMass coach Frank Martin said. “We kept our composure, we defended, we did really good things on offense.”

The Minutemen climbed out of an early 18-8 hole that included nine Troy points off turnovers before a 25-point lead was cut to as few as nine in the second half.

“Outside of the last nine minutes of the game, I was really happy with how we played,” Martin said.

–Field Level Media

Bruins Continue Early-Season Roll

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PITTSBURGH – (Wire Service Report) – The visiting Boston Bruins finished the first period with three consecutive goals and never looked back in a convincing 6-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.

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Pavel Zacha tallied twice and Elias Lindholm had the eventual game-winner to lead Boston to its third victory in a row. Morgan Geekie logged a goal and an assist for the Bruins. Mark Kastelic and Fraser Minten also lit the lamp, and David Pastrnak and JJ Peterka both dished out two helpers.

Boston backup goaltender Michael DiPietro earned his fourth victory in five outings, needing to make only 16 saves.

Justin Brazeau and Nick Robertson scored for Pittsburgh, which has lost four straight (0-3-1). Kaedan Korczak assisted on both goals.

Arturs Silovs allowed six goals on 24 shots towards the Penguins’ net.

After being held without a shot nearly halfway through the first period, Pittsburgh netted its first to take a 1-0 lead at 9:04. Korczak fired the puck from the blue line down off the end wall, where Hendrix Lapierre picked up the carom and set up Brazeau in the right circle for a one-timer goal.

Boston’s top line connected for the tying goal three minutes later. Peterka knocked down a bouncing puck between his legs to Pastrnak, who slipped a saucer feed that Zacha buried high on Silovs.

Kastelic gave the Bruins their first lead with 4:56 remaining in the first, gliding backwards in the slot to tip in Frederic Brunet’s point shot.

The visitors made it 3-1 with 1:03 left before intermission. Lindholm picked off Erik Karlsson’s attempted clear and moved to the net to score past an outstretched Silovs.

Robertson brought Pittsburgh back within one at 7:57 of the middle period. While stationed out front, the Penguins’ top goal-scorer redirected a Korczak point shot through DiPietro’s five-hole for his seventh of the season.

Two goals in less than three minutes moved the Bruins into a 5-2 lead through two periods, beginning with Zacha scoring off Peterka’s aerial pass in transition at the 14:24 mark.

Geekie capped off the frame by tallying his third goal in three games with 3:03 left in the second. He created space after gloving down Hampus Lindholm’s feed from the defensive zone and scored high on Silovs.

In the third, Minten scored Boston’s sixth goal at 8:39. He received a stretch feed from Geekie and rushed down the right side with Peterka. Minten kept the puck all the way and lasered a shot past Silovs on the blocker side.

Bruins rookie James Hagens left the game in the third period after taking a cross-check in the back from Pittsburgh’s Samuel Girard. There was no update on Hagens’ status before the end of the game.

–Field Level Media

Close, but Celtics Smoke the Cigar

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Paul George scored 25 points and Derrick White added 24 to lead the Celtics to an exciting 109-102 victory over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night at TD Garden.

The game was tied at 97 with 4:04 remaining, but Boston scored the next seven points. Milwaukee, which erased a 22-point second-half deficit, never got closer than five points the rest of the way.

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Tyler Herro led Milwaukee with 25 points, while Jaime Jaquez finished with 18.

The loss extended Milwaukee’s losing streak to four games.

The Celtics elected to rest leading scorer Jayson Tatum, who is averaging 27.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game in seven contests. Payton Pritchard (10 points) went to the locker room in the second half with a right eye abrasion and did not return.

Milwaukee trailed by four when Boston went on a 15-0 run to take a 27-8 lead with 2:26 remaining in the first quarter. George scored 10 points in the opening quarter, when Milwaukee missed nine of its 12 3-point attempts.

The Celtics led 53-32 following a Luka Garza tip-in with 3:15 remaining in the second quarter and took a 62-40 advantage into halftime. The 22-point margin was Boston’s largest lead of the half.

Boston made 10 of 17 3-point attempts (58.8%) in the first half.

Milwaukee trimmed its deficit to seven when a Herro layup made it 74-67 with 5:38 remaining in the third quarter. Boston’s lead was five (80-75) following an 8-0 run capped by a Ryan Rollins layup with 2:21 left in the period. Milwaukee scored 38 points in the third and trailed 87-79 entering the final 12 minutes.

Things got more uncomfortable for Boston after a Rollins dunk pulled Milwaukee within two points (91-89) with 8:18 remaining. The Bucks took their first lead on two Nate Ament free throws for a 92-91 advantage.

–Field Level Media

Rockets, Sengun Take It to Celtics

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HOUSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Houston’s Alperen Sengun posted 26 points and 10 assists and the Rockets used a 10-0 fourth-quarter rally to seal a 109-93 win over the visiting Boston Celtics on Monday.

Sengun capped the run with a hook shot that lifted the Rockets to a 97-79 lead. His basket followed a trio of Houston 3-pointers, two from Marcus Smart and another from Reed Sheppard, plus a Sheppard layup.

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After Boston clawed within 13, Sengun passed out of a trap and assisted on an Amen Thompson dunk with 2:29 left that secured the win.

Sengun added seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

Jabari Smith Jr. (14 points, 10 rebounds) also posted a double-double for the Rockets, who have won seven of eight games this season. Thompson added 14 points while Tari Eason chipped in 13 points and two blocks off the bench. Houston shot 54.4% and outscored the Celtics 50-34 on paint points.

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 19 points and nine assists, but he missed 11 of 16 shots. Neemias Queta posted 16 points and six rebounds while Luka Garza added 14 points and four 3-pointers off the bench for the Celtics, who had their five-game winning streak snapped.

The Rockets struggled to pull away until their fourth-quarter rally. A Sengun block resulted in a transition 3-pointer from Smith that stretched the gap to 75-68 in the third, and Kevin Durant (12 points) sank his lone shot attempt in the second half with 16.9 seconds left to give Houston an 82-73 lead entering the fourth.

The Rockets took their first double-digit advantage at 25-15 following back-to-back Eason 3-pointers, but the Celtics closed the first period with a 14-4 rally keyed by Tatum.

Tatum started the run with a four-point possession and an assist before Garza drilled a pair of 3-pointers that pulled the Celtics even. The score was 29-29 entering the second quarter.

Houston led by 11 three times in the second quarter, but a late Tatum 3-pointer shaved the margin to 57-50 at the intermission.

The Celtics and Rockets combined to shoot 12-for-39 (30.8%) from behind the arc in the first half.

–Field Level Media

Maye’s Second Half Beats Miami

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MIAMI – (Wire Service Report) – Drake Maye completed 16 of 20 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns, and did most of his damage in the second half to lead the New England Patriots to a 24-19 comeback win over the host Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

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Maye threw both of his touchdown passes in the second half when he went 9 of 10 for 146 yards after the Patriots (5-3) fell behind 13-3 at halftime to the upset-minded Dolphins (1-6), who were looking to string together back-to-back AFC East wins after an 0-5 start.

Instead, Maye led a second-half comeback after recording his fifth consecutive game with three or more total touchdowns, and tied a Patriots single-season record with three games in which he’s thrown two touchdown passes of 30 or more yards, tying Tom Brady and Steve Grogan, who both did it twice.

And Maye did this despite the Patriots playing without A.J. Brown (ankle/knee) and down to four active receivers. Tight end Hunter Henry also exited the game early in the second quarter with an apparent foot issue and did not return.

Maye found Kyle Williams for a 43-yard touchdown pass to cut the Dolphins’ lead to 13-10 with 9:23 left in the third. Maye’s 2-yard touchdown run with 59 seconds left in the third put the Patriots ahead 17-13.

On Miami’s ensuing drive, Kevin Byard III intercepted a pass by Malik Willis that was deflected high in the air off DaQuan Jones’ helmet. DeMario Douglas, who caught three passes for 76 yards, extended the lead to 24-13 with 12:39 left in the fourth when he caught a throw on the run by Maye and raced for a 48-yard touchdown.

Willis completed 21 of 32 passes for 211 yards, two touchdowns, one interception and was sacked five times in the first half.

The Dolphins drove 11 plays and 45 yards into New England territory, but Zane Gonzalez missed a 43-yard try wide left with 6:41 to go in the fourth.

Willis found Kevin Coleman Jr. open for a 35-yard touchdown pass with 2:04 left to cut New England’s lead to 24-19, but Miami’s two-point try failed on an incomplete pass. The Patriots recovered an onside kick and ran out the clock. Rhamondre Stevenson totaled 82 yards on 19 carries for New England. Ollie Gordon II had 69 yards on 19 carries for Miami.

–Field Level Media

Williams Leads Valkyries to WNBA Title

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SAN FRANCISCO – (Wire Service Report) – On a night when Gabby Williams scored 30 points, the WNBA staged its first Game 7 in a championship series and the Golden State Valkyries captured their first title, strength in numbers was credited with propelling the second-year club to historic heights.

From owner Joe Lacob to coach Natalie Nakase and star player Williams, one number stood out: 18,064.

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“Ballhalla,” Lacob screamed into a live microphone in tribute to the deafening capacity crowd at Chase Center in San Francisco during the trophy ceremony after his Valkyries had defeated the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in a hard-fought, winner-take-all finale. “Ballhalla.”

Williams overcame a 1-for-4, two-point first half to become the first player in WNBA postseason history to score 28 points in a half. The Valkyries’ only All-Star, who joined the team as a free agent in the offseason, joined Lacob in thanking a crowd that has sold out every game in franchise history while setting league attendance records.

“Honestly, everyone here, not just the players and the staff. (Also) the community, the city, the (San Francisco) Bay (Area),” she gushed at center court shortly after being named the series’ Most Valuable Player. “Y’all have been pouring into me all season. It’s a long season and y’all gave me energy.

“When the energy is this good and positive, it’s easy to come to work every day. That’s what I came here for.”

Playing 38 of the game’s 40 minutes, Williams saved enough energy to channel Stephen Curry on a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:18 remaining and later win a key jump ball. Kiah Stokes converted a rare late Williams miss into a key basket with 53 seconds left, sending the violet-clad crowd into a frenzy.

In the end, Nakase recognized the enormity of assembling a group of players left unprotected in the expansion draft, a handful of international imports and one key free-agent signing into a team that finished with the league’s second-best regular-season record and became the first to win a Game 7 in WNBA Finals history.

“This is for all the people out there who are underrated, misunderstood. This is for all y’all,” she said from midcourt to the home fans and a national television audience. “This is proof: If you put all your heart and all your soul (into it), you can win championships.”

Rallying from a nine-point deficit in the third quarter, the Valkyries were tied at 53 midway through the fourth after Allisha Gray connected on a short jumper for Atlanta with 5:14 remaining.

Williams, after spearheading an earlier rally, came alive again. She hit two free throws with 3:34 to go and a driving layup 32 seconds later as the teams exchanged baskets. She then buried arguably the most important shot in Valkyries history — a 31-footer that gave Golden State the lead for good at 60-57 with 2:18 remaining.

She added two free throws, and when Stokes tipped in her teammate’s miss in the final minute, Chase Center — nicknamed “Ballhalla” — erupted as Golden State took a 64-57 advantage that it protected the rest of the way.

“We didn’t let anyone put a limit on us all year,” Veronica Burton said. “When you work hard and you put your head down and drive, anything’s possible.”

Burton backed Williams with 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

Williams’ 30 points were her second-most in a playoff game, topped only by the 36 she scored in Game 2 of Golden State’s first-round series win over the Dallas Wings on Sept. 30. She made 10 of 23 field-goal attempts Saturday, when neither team shot well.

She set WNBA Finals records for points (137) and steals (18). She also had four of Golden State’s eight blocks in the championship game.

Besides holding Dream star Angel Reese to eight points, Stokes had a game-high 13 rebounds for the Valkyries, who won despite making just five of 20 3-point attempts. The Golden State center also had two blocks, giving her a WNBA Finals-record 19 en route to her fourth title.

Tiffany Hayes also aided the Golden State cause with 11 points.

Jordin Canada had 18 points and Gray added 16 for Atlanta, which shot just 33.3% overall (23 of 69) and 6-for-30 from beyond the arc.

“I’m just grateful I got to go to war with this group,” Reese, who led Atlanta with 12 rebounds, told reporters afterward. “It’s tough in the moment, but we’ll be back.”

Dream coach Karl Smesko lamented what he called “a lot of little stretches” of subpar play, including a game-opening 5:19 in which Atlanta went scoreless, falling behind 8-0 while missing eight straight shots — four 3-pointers and four shots from inside the arc that were all blocked — and committing four turnovers.

“It’s beyond frustrating that we didn’t accomplish what we set out to accomplish,” he said at his postgame press conference. “Those first five minutes … you can’t get those five minutes back.”

–Field Level Media

While We’re Young (Ideas) – Oct 31

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor-in-Chief of Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK – It was a quick trip back to NYC and the campus of Columbia University this week to speak at two back-to-back classes on the Morningside Heights grounds of the prestigious IVY League school. Over the many years of speaking at various classes at Columbia, the classroom settings have usually been at Hamilton Hall, but occasionally the assignments take us elsewhere.

This year, the School of Professional Studies sent us (yours truly along with Brian McIntyre) across Broadway to the Riverside Church complex at 91 Clairmont, immediately adjacent to the interdenominational, interracial, international, open, welcoming, and affirming church. While there was a short break between the two classes, we descended from the Sixth Floor down to the basement gym where many a New York City basketball legend tested their skills at the highest level of AAU ball. The Riverside Hawks team.

Some of the Riverside “alum” include Kenny Anderson, Chris Mullin, Kenny Smith, Rod Strickland and the late Malik Sealy, while one of the legendary teams included Ron Artest (now … Metta Sandiford-Artest), Lamar Odom, Elton Brand, and Erick Barkley, with future St. John’s reserves Chutney Gray, Reggie Jessie and Anthony Glover backing up the troops. That 1996 Riverside Church team went 69-1. The lone loss came at the hands of an LA-based AAU squard featuring Baron Davis, Jason Kopono Tayshaun Prince, Jason and Jarron Collins.

NBA ACTION … IT’S DANGEROUS TO YOUR HEALTH: The 2026-27 National Basketball season has been marred by far too many injuries to far too many a star player. First, a partial list of those downed by injury, calculated to be some 15% of the league – (a partial listing in no particular order):

Tyrese Haliburton (IND) – left hamstring

Kawhi Leonard (TOR) – right knee

Anthony Edwards (MIN) – arthroscopic surgery, right knee)

Jalen Williams (OKC) – dislocated left ankle, broken fibula)

Paolo Banchero (ORL) – right high ankle sprain

Jaren Jackson Jr. (UTAH) – torn MCL

Jalen Suggs (ORL) – bone bruise, right knee)

Jalen Duran (DET) – right hamstring pull

Ben Simmons (SAC) – torn right Achilles

Brandon Ingram (LAC) – surgery, heel and partial tear of Achilles

Egor Demin (BRK) – bruised right leg

Ron Knueppel (CHA) – left hamstring

Coby White (CHA) – left calf strain

Nic Claxton (CHI) – hamstring

Kristaps Porzingis (GSW) – personal, health issues

Steven Adams (HOU) – right soleus strain

T.J. McConnell (IND) – right hamstring

Ivica Zubac (IND) – right ankle sprain

Max Strus (LAC) – partially torn plantar fascia, right foot

Bradley Beal (LAC) – knee injury

Dante DiVencenzo (MIN) – lingering Achilles injury

Jose Alvarado (NYK) – leg injury

Chet Holmgren (OKC) – small patellar tendon tear

Alex Caruso (OKC) – right ankle spain

Jonathan Issac (ORL) – ongoing left knee

Mark Williams (PHX) – torn labrum, left shoulder

Ja Morant (PORT) – Grade 2 left hamstring tear

Keegan Murray (SAC) – left ankle capsulitis

Tobias Harris (SA) – strained left calf

Justin Champagnie (DC) – fractured foot

The list continues to grow and it’s only November 1st.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The Pope (Bishop) of Roma will meet the Pope of Runyons on Sunday. Yes, Villanova alum, Pope Leo XIV will welcome his Wilcats and the University of Notre Dame to the Eternal City for the very first College Basketball game of the 2026-27 season.

Who is this Pope of Runyons?

For those not in the know? Runyon’s was the self-proclained “New York Saloon” and it morphed into a famous sports bar and media hangout in Manhattan. It opened on April 1, 1977, not coincidentally, Opening Day, and was co-owned by Joe Healey and Jimmy Costello. “Swa” Healey was certainly the frontman.

Of course, it was named after the celebrated writer and columnist Damon Runyon (1880-1946). While the namesake was gone for 31 years, you’d think there was a seat at the bar for him, like Norm of “Cheers.”

The original Runyon’s was located on a street-level, stepdown on 305 East 50th Street (NYC) but that saloon closed on May 3, 1996, due to an expired lease and landlord issues. A second Runyon’s was opened right around the corner from the original, but on Second Ave between 49th and 50th. Sadly, it never had the same vibe and had a short stint until 1996 when Healey folded the deck and moved to Florida.

The original joint was where the magic was performed, usually late night a day before or an hour after a college or pro basketball game. The summer and baseball season attracted a slightly different New York Yankees-esque crowd. Sometimes, it was a hybrid of sports media (think NFL on CBS studio maven Jimmy the Greek arguing with NY sports columnist Mike Lupica while the voice of NBC Sports and former Sprit of St. Louis basketball play-by-play man Bob Costas officiating the argument, then getting deeply involved himself.

Sports TV division types and their hefty expense accounts filled the joint, while sports leagues and college conference execs came season-by-season. Runyons hummed during the annual BIG EAST basketball tournament every March. It was at that time and place that the Pope of Runyons, Bill Raftery, held court.

Again, for uninitiated, Raftery was the former coach of the Seton Hall Pirates who quickly assumed various roles within the college (and pro/NJ Nets) television color commentary world. Raftery was – and still is – the very best at the role in college basketball. Yet, his favorite saying at Runyons and at saloons the world over was “Just one more,” as often shared by ESPN colleague Jay Bilas.

Raftery is being mentioned as he will call the ND vs ‘Nova game to start the season in Rome (Italy) at 9:30am on Sunday, Nov. 1 on FOX, along with Kevin Kugler and Kay Adams (sideline). It’ll be the first regular season NCAA Division I men’s basketball game to be played in Europe since Dec. 4, 2022.

Raftery is the undisputed prince of college hoops. He is beloved for his unique sayings, phrases or one-word exclamation points to underline a happening on the court. “With the kiss,” is probably his most utilized and popular quip. He uses it to describe an offensive player scoring a basket with his soft shot off the backboard, many a time after being fouled.

A personal favorite was the “Send it in…Jerome!” after Pitt’s Jerome Lane smashed a backboard with a forceful dunk way back in 1988. The call was perfection. Here’s the play:

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Raftery has endeared himself to a couple generations of college basketball fans with his precise commentary and comraderie with his fellow broadcast partners at the table. He builds rapport and – almost always – socializes with his colleagues. National broadcast legend Ian Eagle and Raftery worked many a New Jersey Nets pro game, but have reunited as colleagues calling games for CBS. There is no better combo, but you must recognize Raftery’s ability to adjust to BIG EAST broadcasts with FOX’s Gus Johnson, or ESPN’s Jay Bilas.

Quite frankly, Raftery could’ve called games with Dennis Miller or Rush Limbaugh and Miller or Limbaugh would’ve won sports emmy awards instead of being ridiculed off the airwaves. Raft could make Al Gore sound interesting.

Come today (Sunday), Raftery will tipoff the season and he’s scheduled to conclude the college schedule as well, when he calls the NCAA national championship game on Monday night, April 5, 2027.

In other college sports news, Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark will step down from the conference office and take a job outside of college athletics, according to a surprise announcement on Friday. Yormark is expected to remain with the conference through Jan. 31, 2027. … “Serving as the commissioner of the Big 12 Conference has been an extraordinary honor,” Yormark said. “I want to thank the Big 12 Board of Directors, Board Chair Douglas A. Girod, athletic directors, coaches, student-athletes, fans, fellow commissioners and trusted colleagues at the league office. I am looking forward to passing the baton to the next commissioner and continuing to cheer their league on as a lifelong fan of the Big 12.” … Yormark originally signed a five-year contract when he took the Big 12 job on August 1, 2022 (running through 2027), before receiving a three-year extension in May 2025 through 2030. According to the last public filings in 2025, Yormark earned $5.6 million for the year in a deal that began at a partial year contract of $1.12m, then $3.88m in 2023. By comparison, Greg Sankey, Commissioner of the powerful SEC, made $4.8m while Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti made $4.5m in similar recent filings (2025 season).

Susan Sant James as a celebrity captain of the now-defunct Whalers

SUSAN SAINT JAMES: Condolences to the Ebersol family as the wife of NBC Sports President and Chairman Dick Ebersol, Ms. Susan Saint James, passed away. While most knew her as an A-List actress from stints on McMillan and Wife or Kate & Alie, there were a few of us who knew her better as Dick’s wife and mother of the late Teddy Ebersol.

St. James and her (second) husband met in 1981 when St. James was hosting the hit television weekly “Saturday Night Live.” At the time, Ebersol was overseeing both the entertainment and news divisions of NBC.

Born Susan Jane Miller on Aug. 14, 1946, in Los Angeles, she was raised in the northern Illinois city of Rockford, where her father had transferred for work. She began modeling as a teenager in Paris.

She earned fame as Sally McMillan, the wife of Rock Hudson’s San Francisco police commissioner Stewart McMillan, in the hit series “McMillan & Wife” from 1971-76. She received three Emmy nominations for the role.

Saint James left the NBC show before its sixth and final season because of a contract dispute, with her character killed off in a plane crash. She then turned to feature films.

The plane crash, so sadly, was the foreshadowing of the darkest and most unimaginable day (November 28, 2004) of her life when a chartered jet carrying her husband, Dick,older son, Charlie, and youngest son, Teddy, crashed at Montrose Regional Airport in Colorado after dropping her off on a planned two-stop (Colorado and South Bend) Indiana) flight back to New York. The family had attended a Thanksgiving Weekend college football game pitting Notre Dame (Charlie’s school) against his older brother Willie’s University of Southern California (USC) football team, an annual college football rivalry.

In addition to young (14-year old) Teddy, the pilot and a flight attendant were killed in the crash. A first officer, along with Charlie and Dick, somehow survived.

Just weeks after the crash, with Dick and Charlie still recuperating, Saint James delivered a eulogy for Teddy that her friends and family interpreted as a monumental gesture of love and selflessness. Instead of traditional remarks, she shaped the eulogy as a personal note to her husband and each of her surviving children, giving them tailored words to process their grief and begin healing. Charlie recalled that she displayed such compassion on the very day the terrible incident happened, and weeks later, Saint James gave them all precise emotional guidance: “You can be sad. But you can’t be mad-sad. You can’t blame anybody,” she said, according to TV Insider. … In Boston, Teddy’s profound love for the Boston Red Sox and baseball was displayed when the family collaborated with the Sox Foundation and the Esplanade Association to fund a $1.8 million renovation of community athletic fields along the Charles River. Within a couple years, Teddy Ebersol’s Red Sox Fields at Lederman Park was dedicated along with a multi-sport complex for local youth soccer and baseball programs.

BEST LINESMAN, OUTSIDE OF WICHITA: National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman today released a statement regarding the passing of longtime NHL linesman, Matt Pavelich:

“No linesman in the history of the National Hockey League was more universally respected nor more widely admired than Matt Pavelich. A true icon of the profession, he worked a remarkable 19 straight Stanley Cup Finals from 1961 through 1979 — highlights of a prolific on-ice career that spanned 23 seasons, comprised 1,741 regular-season games and 245 Stanley Cup playoff games and was recognized in 1987 with his enshrinement in the Hockey Hall of Fame, the first linesman (to gain the honor).

“Pavelich personified professionalism and integrity while possessing a warm personal touch that enabled him to develop working relationships with players and coaches. Upon his retirement, Pavelich shared his experience and wisdom with younger referees and linesmen during eight years as an NHL Supervisor of Officials. The National Hockey League mourns his passing and sends its deepest condolences to his family and many friends throughout hockey.”

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: As Qatar prepares to host the first FIBA Basketball World Cup in the (Middle Easat/North Africa) MENA region, an entire city has started counting down each day together, all in anticipation of what promises to be an incredible event next year. At an exclusive launch ceremony at the stunning Barahat Msheireb, a vibrant gathering place in the heart of Doha for residents and visitors alike, close to 100 guests gathered to celebrate the occasion and begin the 300 Day countdown to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 … As noted last week, the MLB and WNBA seasons wrapped up this week and college basketball will tipoff to start the season in “Grande” or even “Venti” fashion. That puts the summer sports in the rearview, pro and college football on the front burner and the winter sports simmering on the back burner. Tennis, NASCAR and golf never seem to end, but that’s fine. … Baseball’s Winter Meetings will be held at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego this coming December 11-14th. … The NBA Cup (sponsored by Emirates) is underway and it seems to be fully accepted by fans in its fourth go ‘round. Prime will air the majority of the games. … Any early shopping for Christmas? Josh Kushner and Bob Iger have been offering Lakers minority stakes to investors starting at $250 million apiece. First come first serve. … But, if some North Korean investor comes in with a $6.3 billion offer, it might be time to call the FBI. … While the various franchise owners across all North American-based sports leagues combined to spend more than $100 million for the midterms, the majority of those contributions came from just one person. Dallas Mavericks team owner Miriam Adelson, a highly conservative donor and supporter of POTUS Donald Trump, leads all sports owners in midterm spending. She spent at least $67.6 million this election cycle, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Good luck Miriam. … In 15 games this season, the Boston Bruins are 10-4-1 and atop the Atlantic Division of the NHL.

PARTING WORDS & MUSIC: This week’s column has been sprinkled with some basketball memories, so there’s one and only one music video that can be played to put the finishing touches on this week’s missive. … The very first “official” NBA music video was cut by the Father of the “NBA … It’s Fantastic” commercial campaign, Paul Gilbert, who was working at fledgling CNN Sports in Atlanta at the time.

Gilbert was perfect content at CNN, but somehow, NBA Executive VP, Business & Legal Affairs, David Stern, caught wind of the video. It was way back in 1982, and in Stern’s own “charming” way, he talked Gilbert into moving to his hometown of New York (NJ) and becoming the very first employee of NBA Entertainment.

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As the story goes, Stern was frequently bombarded with various suggestions “the league should do.” Many of them came from team broadcasters (LA Lakers Director of Broadcasting Ed Desser) who thought the league should provide tons of production support to save the collective team effort (to shoot scenics, halftime features) with all to be shared. The same concept was born with Team Services, first manned by the great Bob King (RIP) who could sell tickets like none other. Bob had worked for the San Diego Conquistadors of the ABA, and then later the Denver Nuggets. King got Stern aside at a League Meetings and uncorked a ton of ideas for the NBA teams to share information with one another. Years later, it became a huge department within the League structure, called Team Business Operations, or to the insiders, TMBO.

Paul Gilbert became Stern’s first foray to emulate NFL Films with feature productions done by the League. Gilbert also took a static, “NBA, It’s Fan-Tastic campaign done by Dicky Rhoeder’s advertising company, and turned it from players standing and passing a basketball from one side of the screen to the other – because they could never get the players on one production set – and it became the highlight of the NBA’s best asset – incredible game action highlights of dunks, great assists, blocked shots – and most importantly – Crowd cut-a-ways.

The crowd cut-a-ways, carefully culled by Gilbert, directly connected the spots to the fans. And, the tagline… “NBA Action … It’s Fan-Tastic” could not have fit better.

As the years progressed, celebrities (actors/actresses, musicians, comedians – everyone) wanted to be in the NBA’s spots. Courtside at The Fabulous Forum was a goldmine. New York’s Madison Square Garden was Fort Knox for celebs. They lined up in order to be recognized. One day, through a contact at Radio City Music Hall, yours truly talked someone at Jim Henson’s production company into sending “Kermit the Frog” on a road trip to The Garden. Here’s that one (and NBAE let me do a cameo as a reward):

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By the time Kermit hit the scene, we had decided to switch from “NBA Action… It’s Fan-Tastic” to the ever popular “I Love this Game” tagline. That went over with the celebs, too.

And, the rest became an amazing part of NBA – H-I-S-T-O-R-Y.

While We’re Young (Ideas) is a weekly (every weekend) collection of Sports Notes and News written by Terry Lyons. The posting of each notebook harkens back to the days when you’d walk over to the city news stand on Saturday night around 10:00pm to pick-up a copy of the Sunday papers. Inside, just waiting, was a compilation of interesting sports notes, quotes and quips in a column that always sold a few newspapers. Wire Service reports are featured within the column.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes – Brought to you by Digital Sports Desk.

TL

 

The Pack is Back in Green Bay

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GREEN BAY – Packers QB Jordan Love passed for three touchdowns and the Green Bay turned back a fourth-quarter rally for a 27-19 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night.

Carolina, which trailed 27-10 in the third quarter, rallied within 27-19 with 5:37 remaining in the game when Bryce Young hit Jalen Coker with a 26-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-3. The two-point conversion pass was incomplete.

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The Panthers (3-4) got the ball back at their own 45 after a punt with 4:35 left, but Young’s fourth-down pass was incomplete. Carolina got a final possession starting at its own 20 with 22 seconds left, but Young was sacked once and Green Bay picked off a lateral on the final play.

Love completed 30 of 41 passes for 288 yards with one interception. Packers receiver Christian Watson, who left the stadium in an ambulance for testing after sustaining a first-half chest injury, returned to action in the third quarter and finished with eight catches for 113 yards.

Green Bay (5-3), which entered last in the NFL in rushing at 59.9 yards per game, managed just 66 yards on the ground. Josh Jacobs, in his second game since coming off the commissioner exempt list following an offseason incident, had 39 yards on 21 attempts (1.9 yards per carry).

According to the Amazon Prime broadcast, the Packers are the first team in NFL history to own a winning record through eight games while having less than 500 rushing yards on the season.

Young connected on 23 of 41 passes for 209 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Chuba Hubbard ran for 81 yards and a score on 22 carries.

Love had two touchdown passes in the first half to offset a pair of lost fumbles by Green Bay, helping the Packers take a 20-10 lead into the break.

Hubbard was stopped short on fourth-and-2 at midfield on the first possession of the second half, and the Packers marched 50 yards, going in front 27-10 on Love’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Jacobs.

Ryan Fitzgerald countered with a 50-yard field goal to make it 27-13.

Carolina recovered the opening kickoff fumble at the Green Bay 29 but had to settle for Fitzgerald’s 39-yard field goal.

Later in the opening quarter, Green Bay produced an eight-play, 56-yard drive, capped by Love’s 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tucker Kraft. But Trey Smack, who missed two field-goal attempts last week in the Packers’ 20-17 loss at Detroit, missed the extra point.

Carolina regained the lead on the ensuing possession when Hubbard scored on a 1-yard run on the opening play of the second quarter to finish a 65-yard drive, putting the Panthers up 10-6.

Love hit Watson with a 53-yard pass to key a 90-yard scoring drive. Jacobs’ 1-yard touchdown run put the Packers back in front 13-10 with 6:33 remaining in the half.

Love connected with Matthew Golden on a 24-yard scoring toss late in the half to extend the gap to 20-10.

–Field Level Media

Milwaukee’s Wait is Over

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ST. PETERSBURG – The Milwaukee Brewers’ 57-season wait is over.

The team from Major League Baseball’s smallest market made its biggest statement on Wednesday by capturing its first World Series title.

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Rookie Cooper Pratt drove in two runs and Jacob Misiorowski tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings, helping the Brewers to a 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Brewers, who dispatched the Rays in five games, won 11 of their 13 postseason games for their first championship since the franchise relocated from Seattle in 1970.

“I know the city has waited a long, long time for this, and we’re so happy to bring it back to them,” Brewers captain Christian Yelich said. “I can’t wait to get back there and celebrate.”

Pratt followed up his four-hit performance in Game 4 on Tuesday with an RBI single in the second inning and a base hit in the fifth. His six consecutive hits set a World Series record for a rookie, eclipsing the mark set by the New York Yankees’ Brian Doyle in 1978.

Pratt’s run of consecutive hits ended with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning.

“This is one of the greatest moments of my life,” Pratt, 22, told Fox Sports. “Oh my gosh. It doesn’t even feel real.”

William Contreras was selected the World Series MVP after going 8-for-21 (.381) with four RBIs against the Rays. He ripped an RBI double, and David Hamilton added a run-scoring single to mark his fourth straight game with an RBI.

The offense was more than enough for Misiorowski (2-0), who notched his second win in the World Series. The fireballer scattered two hits and a walk before exiting in the sixth inning due to a cramp in his right calf. He struck out two.

“I don’t even have words,” Misiorowski told Fox Sports with a tear in his eye. “You know, it’s amazing, just watching my guys celebrate. In the city, I know they’re going crazy in Milwaukee. It’s awesome.”

Two relievers bridged the gap to Trevor Megill, who handled the last two innings. Megill allowed an RBI double to Chandler Simpson with two outs in the ninth before inducing Richie Palacios to ground to second base for the final out.

“I’m crushed right now (and) disappointed,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “But it’s easier to handle because of what we all meant to each other throughout the course of this season and certainly this last month in October.”

Pitching on three days’ rest, Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen (2-1) ran into trouble in the second inning.

Brice Turang ripped a one-out double and scored two batters later after Pratt deposited a first-pitch cutter from Rasmussen into center field.

The Rays attempted to respond in the fourth inning after Simpson took advantage of a slight bobble by right fielder Sal Frelick to reach second after a single. That put runners on second and third base, but Misiorowski induced Ben Williamson to ground out to end the inning.

Pratt notched his sixth consecutive hit over a two-game stretch with a one-out single off Kevin Kelly in the fifth inning. Garrett Mitchell and Hamilton each added a single, with the latter’s hit to right field plating Pratt to give Milwaukee a 2-0 lead.

The Brewers tacked on two more runs in the sixth. Contreras’ double off the left field wall scored Yelich from first base. Pratt followed three batters later with a fly ball into foul territory, but it was deep enough for Contreras to score from third base.

Rasmussen permitted one run on two hits in four innings. He fanned four without issuing a walk.

The Brewers were appearing in their second World Series, having lost in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982. The Rays are still seeking their first championship, having also lost in the World Series in 2008 and 2020.

–Field Level Media

Contreras is a World Champion and MVP

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ST. PETERSBURG – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – A year that began for William Contreras with a World Baseball Classic championship for his native Venezuela ended with a World Series Most Valuable Player honor.

The Brewers catcher was chosen out of a host of worthy Milwaukee contenders as the MVP of the franchise’s first championship, which the team clinched with a 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday in Game 5.

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He is the eighth catcher to be selected the World Series MVP, and just the second since 1992, along with Kansas City’s Salvador Perez in 2015. He batted .381 (8-for-21) with four RBIs, two runs, two walks, a stolen base, a .435 on-base percentage and an .863 OPS.

“Very blessed year. I think a year that we have to give God a lot of thanks for everything he’s been able to do for us,” Contreras said. “… To be able to achieve it, it’s special.”

Some may argue that the World Series MVP honor should be handed to the Milwaukee pitching staff as a whole after it allowed 12 runs in the Fall Classic and 33 total runs in 13 postseason games (2.5 per game).

Contreras, in some ways, is a conduit of that. He was the starting catcher for every game of the postseason and was successful on 10 of 13 automated ball-strike challenges during the World Series.

“He posts every day,” Milwaukee reliever Aaron Ashby said. “This team’s not what it is without this guy. He’s unbelievable.”

Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski added of Contreras being named MVP, “It just makes sense.”

Contreras said, “I think it’s a big job. I think in the offseason last year, I think once we traded Freddy (Peralta), I knew that we were going to have a young staff. I took that upon myself and I knew the responsibility I was going to have that year to make sure that I built that relationship with those guys and make sure that they knew that they had that vote of confidence in me and knew I was going to do whatever I could for them so that we could build that relationship together.”

The World Series was redemptive for Contreras, who did get to enjoy the fruits of the WBC title back in March but wasn’t nearly as helpful in that run, going 0-for-13 in the WBC.

William Contreras, 28, earned his second World Series ring, having been a reserve for the Atlanta Braves in 2021. Now he joins his 34-year-old brother Willson Contreras as the starting catcher of a World Series champion.

Willson Contreras, the backstop for the Chicago Cubs in 2016, was in attendance at Tropicana Field on Wednesday to see his younger brother reach the pinnacle of baseball.

“My brother is my role model. I don’t have a lot of friends. He’s my friend. I love him. I love all the support that he gives me. If I have something to ask somebody, I ask Willson,” William Contreras said. “I follow after him. I always knew that he was going to be here (for this game). He wasn’t able to be here for the first couple games, but he was here for this one. I’m always going to follow in his footsteps.”

–Brant James, Field Level Media