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Terry Lyons

Citius – Altius – Fortius – Ranius – Bucketius

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Citius – Altius – Fortius – Ranius – Bucketius.

The weather forecasters tried to ruin the best day of the year in Boston. They couldn’t. When they threw a misty mountain top of a morning at us, Boston answered with the 9:00am start of the men’s wheelchair race and Swiss racer Marcel Hug primed to win his sixth Boston Marathon.

Workers lay down a Boston Marathon decal on Boylston Street with sponsor John Hancock logo, the final time they will sponsor the race. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

When they threw some headwinds at the racers, Boston countered with women’s wheelchair racer Susannah Scaroni, who finished in the Top 5 on five previous marathons, and she finally broke through for the win this year.

They threw dangerous cells of rain and some lightning at the runners and Boston countered with former NHL Bruins captain Zdeno Chara at ’em, and then doubled-down with Boston College and pro football legend Doug Flutie running the marathon yet again. It was Flutie’s fifth Boston Marathon and he raised $350,000 for autism research while he ran his 26.2 with a tweaked hamstring that kept him away from his final training runs for the past six weeks.

If that weren’t enough, Flutie was also nursing a pulled groin, suffered in a recent ice hockey game.

As the Marathoners got serious and the weather cleared, Evans Chebet and Hellen Obiri took honors in the men’s and women’s elite/professional categories for the 127th running of the Carnegie Hall of Marathons.

The New England weather got tough and Boston got tougher until late afternoon when the novice marathoners saw only slight drizzles as they took a right on Hereford Street and a left to Boylston.

While the marathoners ran to Boston from the starting line out in Hopkinton, the Los Angeles Angels were throwing the great Shohei Ohtani against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. The Sox won the first three games of their series against the Angels, but Boston chose to throw Brayan Bello back at ’em, and that proved disastrous as former Sox outfielder Hunter Renfroe plopped a 3-run homer into the lap of some Green Monster seat ticket holder in the very first inning of a game that was to be delayed for 56 minutes to start and a total of 2:21 on the day before Red Sox DH Masataka Yoshida popped up to LA’s Gio Urshela at third base to end the 5-4 Boston loss.

 

Can Sox Keep It Running?

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Wire Service) – Following a four-game losing streak, the Boston Red Sox found a way to win back-to-back games against the Los Angeles Angels to get back on track.

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Boston will look to keep rolling on Sunday when it plays host to the Angels in the third game of the teams’ four-game series.

With Saturday’s 9-7 win, the Red Sox have come from behind in five of their first seven victories this season, while the team has yet to have a starting pitcher record an out in the sixth inning.

“It’s been tough,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “We were able to survive, but it’s kind of too soon to survive, to be honest with you. We’ve got to be better early on. We will be.”

Garrett Whitlock (0-1, 9.00 ERA) hopes to shake off a tough Tuesday start at Tampa Bay with some home cooking at Fenway Park, where he is 7-2 with a 2.84 ERA in 41 career games (five starts).

The Red Sox have averaged 6.1 runs per game at home this season, but it took a pair of catcher’s interference calls loading the bases and a two-run single by Yu Chang in the eighth inning to nab Saturday’s game.

Chang, who also homered and finished the game with four RBIs, was 0-for-16 this season entering Saturday.

“I’m so happy that the team gave me the opportunity to play every day,” Chang said through a translator. “I didn’t do well in the beginning, but (Saturday), I just got the chance, and with that homer, I was so happy.”

Whitlock, who made nine starts while also working in a relief role last season, allowed five runs on a career-high three homers in five innings in his last outing.

Two of his 2022 starts came against the Angels. He allowed six runs and struck out 14 across nine combined innings.

While the Red Sox have shown the ability to come back, it’s been a different story for the Angels, who have led in six of their first seven losses.

“We were in position to win a game when our starter wasn’t at his best, and we just didn’t finish it,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said of Saturday’s setback.

Tyler Anderson lasted four innings and allowed six runs, but four Angels relievers combined to allow three, only one of which was earned.

Reid Detmers (0-0, 5.59) will be tasked with trying to get Los Angeles’ pitching staff in a rhythm.

Detmers is seeking his first career win against the Red Sox in his third-ever start against the team, though he worked 4 1/3 scoreless innings in a home outing against Boston on June 8 of last season.

Despite logging 12 strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings, Detmers has yet to record a decision this season. He fanned five across five innings last Sunday against Toronto, a game Los Angeles lost 12-11 in 10 innings.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook | April 16

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While We’re Young (Ideas) Looks at The Week That Was, the 127th Boston Marathon, and Trying to Move On; Recognizing and Respecting our Mortality | And, The Boss!

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – It’s the pipes. Much like the playing of Taps at a military funeral honor ceremony, the bagpipers tear your heart and soul out as they led the procession down Boylston Street in the Back Bay to honor the victims of the senseless 2013 Boston Marathon bombing – now a full decade in the past.

The Finish Line

On Saturday morning, the pipes played and time stood still. The memorial services hurt more than they ever can help. We try to move on, but with every running of the Marathon, from here to eternity, we’ll close our eyes and see eight-year old Martin Richard’s face. Then, we see his family photo with his surviving siblings at his side. One is Martin’s sister, Jane, who lost a leg standing alongside her little brother – both innocently watching the 2013 race and the mid-range runners all crossing the finish line on a beautiful afternoon in Boston.

It all ended in 14 seconds and 200+ yards apart. It was sheer terror, smoke and carnage.

There were others who perished nearby. Lingzi Lu of China was here in Boston studying. She went home in a body bag after being torn to bits, dying from blood loss because of massive injuries from shrapnel, plastic bits and pellets, nails and other deadly propellents stuffed into a pressure cooker and concealed in a backpack. Lu will forever be a 23-year old in our mind’s eye.

Bostonian Krystle Campbell was killed by one of the two explosions purposely set-off in the areas where innocent people were enjoying one of America’s finest and longest standing sporting events. Campbell will forever be 29 years old, smiling that wonderful, endearing smile. She was the best of friends to those lucky enough to be within her inner circle.

Sean Collier, an MIT police officer and Boston Police Sergeant Dennis “DJ” Simmonds died in the aftermath of the terrorist bombing. Collier was assassinated by the two morons, shot at point blank range as he sat in his squad car on patrol on university grounds in Cambridge. He had no chance. They wanted his gun. They didn’t get it and the manhunt was on.

The final victim, Simmonds, was injured during a firestorm shootout in nearby Watertown after police identified the bombers and began the manhunt, the largest and most organized police detail every undertaken in one of America’s oldest, most beautiful and symbolic cities. Simmonds died of his wounds a year after that terrible day when the entire city of Boston was shut down as its citizens were instructed to shelter in place.

One of the terrorists was killed in the shootout in Watertown. He was then run over by the very S.U.V. being driven by his younger brother who was trying to escape but was later found bleeding and cowering in a winterized pleasure boat parked right in our backyards. The younger of the two domestic terrorist, the guy who chose to lay his backpack right next to the Richards family, was tried by his peers, convicted and sentenced to death by lethal injection. He awaits, sleeping on the USA’s dime on death row in a SuperMax prison in Colorado. I am very much against the Death Penalty. I do not think it acts as a deterrent to the criminal mind. However, there are exceptions. Regardless, I never want to see or hear about this guy ever again.

This Saturday afternoon, the bells tolled at the Old South Church in Copley Square at precisely at 2:49 p.m. to mark the time of the first explosion ten years ago. The cold, cruel facts of the domestic terrorist event and names of the victims are spoken and written today, over-and-over again to be sure we never forget. We have to remember their faces, those family smiles from the images. We have to recognize the overall importance of the victims to us all. Their diversity in age, occupation and nationality, symbolize what all that is great about Boston, a small college town with a huge heart and an extraordinary love of sports – from the Marathon to the Head of the Charles. The citizens of New England and all who come to run, visit and study here, will be out in force on Monday. After all – paraphrasing what David “Big Papi” Ortiz once said, “This is our F’ing city,” and we’ll all agree, “It’s our F’ing Marathon, too.”

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: While the lead-up to the 2023 Boston Marathon has taken on a somber note as the 10-year anniversary is marked this weekend, there was a certain complexity to the entire week just concluding.

This week began on Easter Sunday – and for those who believe – it was a day to reflect on death, resurrection and eternal life. The week continued – for this writer – with attendance at one of the most moving rock shows ever staged. It was a week when abortion rights were turned upside down by courts throughout the land, only to have the Supreme Court call a temporary “time out” for the very issue they tossed into the air last June 24th after 50 years of law settled the issue.

It was a week of extreme weather, deadly tornadoes in the Midwest and South and floods in Ft. Lauderdale while thousands of acres remained underwater from equally terrible flooding in California. It was a week when one of our own national air guardsman leaked classified documents and put the United States’ national security at risk, once again.

But, with all the upheaval and all the trouble lurking, we must endure and move forward as that is the only solution. “Survive and advance,” we said so confidently during March Madness. Now, we have to live by that saying. Yes, we will.

This week, the entire City of Boston will rally and move forward, as it must do to make any sense of the mental anguish of a monumental event in the city’s history now a full decade ago.

What might be a personal salve for the challenge as the anniversary comes along? Boston’s Sports will get the job done. The Celticws, the Bruins and the Red Sox will remember the best of times as they pay respect to the worst of times with ONE Boston Day celebration and day of service. After all, the Boston Bruins just completed the most successful regular season in National Hockey League history and one of its stars, David Pastrnak, netted 61 goals in his 82 games played. Things are looking good in 2023.

The Bruins and the NBA’s Boston Celtics (57-25) will embark on an every-other-day playoff march and it will be coupled with the Boston Red Sox attempt to compete in the ultra-tough AL East. Just 14-games into the 2023 season, the Sox (7-8) find themselves in last place in their division and trailing the first place Tampa Bay Rays by 6.0 games. Nevertheless, Fenway Park will be filled with hopefuls, especially Monday with the traditional 11:10am first pitch.

Here’s a sampling of what we’re up to, if the beer-guzzling, Sam Adams-loving, 26.2 chugging crowds can endure and the word “upset” isn’t uttered in this town until June:

Saturday April 15th:

  • 2:30pm – Boston Marathon Opening Ceremony
  • 3:30pm – NBA Playoffs, first round, Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics (112-99)
  • 4:10pm – MLB, LA Angels and Shoehei Ohtani at Boston Red Sox (9-7)

Sunday, April 16th:

  • 1:35pm – LA Angels at Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park
  • Eve of Pasta and Pastrnak!

Monday, April 17th:

  • 8:30am – The running of the 127th Boston Marathon
  • 11:10am – LA Angeles at Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park
  • 7:30pm – NHL Playoffs, Florida Panthers at Boston Bruins

Tuesday, April 18th:

  • 7:00pm – Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics, Game 2
  • 7:10pm – Minnesota Twins at Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park

Wednesday, April 19th:

  • 7:10pm – Minnesota Twins at Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park
  • 7:30pm – Florida Panthers at Boston Bruins at TD Garden

And, on we’ll go.

OHTANI’S IN TOWN: As noted, Major League Baseball’s two-way (pitcher and batter) sensation and most talented player, Shohei Ohtani, is in town this weekend and is scheduled to be the starting pitcher when the Angeles face the Sox on Patriots’ Day and that 11:10am (ET) start. (That’s eight in the morning for the Southern California crew).

The Sho is a fantasy baseball player’s dream and nightmare, especially in weekly leagues. Do you start him as a batter or a pitcher? Will he get two starts this week, with the first coming Monday morning?

A lefty batter, can he wrap a shot around the Pesky Pole or will he go with his picture-perfect stroke and line one out into left center field for a single? Will he steal a base or two? Will MLB superstar, but oft-injured OF Mike Trout be on base for Ohtani to knock-in, like a pinball wizard?

Friday night saw the Angels draw the devilish imprint of the game of baseball. They committed three costly errors, tossed wild pitches and allowed passed balls, all resulting in a 5-3 Boston victory. The Angels left 11 runners on base. The great Ohtani went 1-for-4 with two strike-outs. Boston only had five hits to produce the five runs needed to win. Saturday, the Angels were felled by consecutive catcher interference botch-ups. LA was winning 7-6 in the 8th and lost, 9-7. The Angeles are 2-for-2 in handing away wins.

LAST MAN STANDING:

“Faded pictures in an old scrapbook

Faded pictures that somebody took

When you were hard and young and proud

Backed against the wall running raw and loud”

BRUCE AND THE E STREET BAND: “It was 1965 and I was 15 years old,” began Bruce Springsteen this past Tuesday at the New York Islanders brand-new UBS Arena situated alongside the greatness of Belmont Park Race Track. Springsteen was doing an intro to the key song of his latest LP, the most important and telling song on the album. “I’d been playing guitar for about six months when one summer afternoon I heard a knock on my front door. It was George Theiss (The Castiles). “He was an old friend of mine and he was dating my sister at the time. She told him I was playing some guitar and he asked me to audition for his band. So that weekend, I followed him to a small shotgun shack of a house, just one block from the town’s road mill. It was there at that little house that I embarked on the greatest adventure of my life. I joined my first real rock ‘n roll band. And, we lasted for three years! That’s a lifetime for teenagers. We lasted from 1965-66-67, an explosive time in American history and an incredible moment to be in a rock band.

“Now, if you cut forward – cut forward 50 years from that summer afternoon – on another summer day, I found myself standing at the side of George’s deathbed. George had been in a terrible battle with lung cancer in the last years of his life and he only had a few days left to live.

“I realized with his passing, it would leave me as the last surviving member of that small group of guys that got together in that little corner house that afternoon. It will give you pause to think. It’s like you are standing on the tracks with the white, hot light of an oncoming train, bearing down upon you. It just brings a certain clarity of thought. Death’s final and lasting gift to the living is an expanded vision of life itself.

“It gives you another chance to look at life – to look at your life – to look at the lives you and your friends are leading.

“It was shortly after that afternoon when George passed away, just a little while later, I wrote this song. It’s just about the passions you follow as children, not knowing where they’re going to lead you. And, how at 15, it’s all tomorrow and tomorrow and hello and hello. And, later on, there’s a lot more yesterdays and good-byes.

“It made me realize how important living every moment is. So, be good to yourself. Be good to those you love and to this world we live in.

“This is Last Man Standing”

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During the many years (48 for yours truly), watching Springsteen evolve into the man he is today, he told many a short story as he introduced new songs and gave listeners deep insight into his song-writing processes. But, never have I witnessed a very deep introspective viewpoint such as what he chose to share this past Tuesday night in Elmont, New York. While he reached into his soul every night as he performed Springsteen on Broadway, this week, he paused in the middle of his two hour, fifty minute rock show to lay his mortal soul on the line, warning us all of the fact death is inevitable.

Put simply and very clearly: “It kicked my ass.”

To the many aging, gray haired, gray bearded faithful in the audience, it was as much an awakening as it was a death knell. After all, that train is coming – for some of us sooner than later – for some – unexpected and quick – while others might suffer the fate that George Theiss suffered, fighting dreaded lung cancer for years to the end.

“Rock of ages lift me somehow

Somewhere high and hard and loud

Somewhere deep into the heart of the crowd

I’m the last man standing now”

SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND’S SET LIST: The April 11, 2023 concert’s set list for the Boss & his E Street Band reflected his journey since that summer day in ‘65 and guided him through a lifetime of great success coupled with personal challenges which included immediate family issues and a very public break-up and divorce.

Unlike most concert trails, Springsteen has stuck with a core of meaningful songs which all tell of the journey he’s been on with his Band. The dedication of his passion and belief in his music via “No Surrender,” to the pursuits of the “Promised Land.” The April 11th show was not a “Farewell Tour” of all the greats in chronological order. No, it was a life lesson.

He remembered some of our darkest days of “The Rising,” and performed a version – like always – that provided inspiration if not relief. A first time in a LONG time was the insertion of “Born in the USA,” which reminded us of the tough times in these United States when a country was divided and George Theiss’ Castiles were performing during the heat of the Viet Nam war.

In a Michael Jordan “Last Dance” timeline kind of way, the concert waves (or was it sways) back and forth, to insert the glorious rock anthem of “Because the Night” intertwined with memories of New Jersey days gone by “Wrecking Ball” or additional Springsteen anthems like “Badlands,” “Thunder Road” and “Born to Run.”

Just when you’d think he had performed the greatest song of all-time in “Because the Night,” you were reminded of the iconic lyrics and ass-kicking rock of “the night bustin’ open and two lanes will take us anyplace.” When Springsteen was ready, he brought forth the greatest of ‘em all.

“Born to Run” reminded us of that fact, “The amusement park rises bold and stark, Kids are huddled on the beach in the mist, I wanna die with you, Wendy, on the street tonight, In an everlasting kiss.”

But, there was still time for a little “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight),” a purposeful look back again via “Glory Days,” a vision of Courtney Cox “Dancin’ in the Dark,” and a tribute to The Big Man himself, Clarence Clemons via his nephew, Jake, playing “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out” as a contemporary and equal of Springsteen, not a fill-in any more.

When it was time to close it down, Springsteen did so with an acoustic guitar and a good-bye (for now, as he heads to Europe from April 28 to June 28 for a 20 concert, 13 city, 11 country tour segment) with a message of “I’ll See You in My Dreams.”

Here’s hoping it’s not a dream with a locomotive and a single bright light bearing down upon him.

To end this column of deep thinking … How about some SUN.

PARTING WORDS & MUSIC: From the morning weather reports not more than 10-days ago, we awoke to hear it was 19-degrees on The Vineyard. Twenty-five degrees in Boston with the wind blowing. It was not pretty, as March came in like a lion and went out like old T-Rex.

Now, the 10-day forecast had smiley sun faces after smiley sun faces, temperatures in the 60s, 70s and maybe 80s. Sadly for tomorrow, Marathon Monday – more commonly known as Patriots’ Day in these parts – we’re looking at 45-to-67-degree temps and a 51% chance of rain in the morning but 14 mph SxSW winds which can provide a tailwind for the runners.

Generally, it’s Springtime in Boston and the Sun is King. It’s a great time of year. We’ll leave this column with an upside of inspiration, written by the great George Harrison and performed here by bass player extraordinaire Will Lee and The Fab Faux.

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While We’re Young (Ideas) is a weekly Sunday Sports Notebook & Column, written by Terry Lyons. Each notebook harkens back to the days when you’d walk over to the city newsstand on Saturday night around 10pm to pick-up a copy of the Sunday papers. Inside, just waiting, was a sports-filled compilation of interesting notes, quotes and quips. TL’s Sunday Sports Notes is brought to you by Digital Sports Desk.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook | April 9

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By TERRY LYONS

Can you imagine plotting and planning, scheming and teaming-up with some buddies to score tickets and attend The Masters at Augusta National only to have it rain? Worse that rain, it’s raw, damp and unpleasant … a.k.a “inclement weather,” which has suspended play in the mid-afternoon or both Friday and Saturday’s rounds.

The Masters is the jewel of professional golf’s Major tournaments, outclassing the PGA Championship, The Open and The U.S. Open. It is to golf what Wimbledon is to tennis or what the Boston Marathon is to long distance racing. It is the best.

With that tag, it is a very tough ticket.

That’s the way current Augusta National head honcho Fred Ridley and his predecessors – all good olde boys from the South – in Clifford Roberts (1931-76), Bill Lane (1977-80), Hord Hardin (1980-1991) – it was under Hardin’s era when the first black member of Augusta was approved – Jack Stephens (1991-98). Hootie Johnson (1998-2006) and Billy Payne(2006)-2017) – all wanted it.

The Masters evolved and improved with age. It awkwardly navigated the prejudicial ways of the past regarding African-American members and membership for women, as it wasn’t until Billy Payne’s watch when the first female members were introduced.

Despite it’s flaws, and its old-school policies all fighting modern technology and 24/7 sports coverage, the Masters remains pure and has proven-out the “less is more” theory of sports broadcasting.

Nowadays, there’s streaming coverage of the Amen Corner and Featured Groups, but the TV right are only in the pocket of CBS Sports. They’ll be on at 8:30am this morning and 2:00pm this afternoon to cover a rain-soaked tournament and hopefully tuck it in before “60 Minutes” starts at 7:00pm in the east.

Thankfully, unlike college basketball, CBS sports anchor Jim Nantz will stay on with his coverage of The Masters.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The Masters – as stated above – is truly one of the “Bucket List” events for any sports fan. What are the others? Here’s a list facing this reporter and a list of Bucket List items already checked-off.

BUCKET LIST EVENTS to COME (Hopefully):

  1. The Masters
  2. Winter Olympic Games
  3. Super Bowl
  4. Pebble Beach golf
  5. Kentucky Derby
  6. French Open and Australian Open

FIVE BUCKET LIST EVENTS CHECKED OFF:

  1. Summer Olympic Games (Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney, Athens)
  2. NCAA Final Four
  3. World Series and Stanley Cup Final
  4. U.S. Open (golf and tennis)
  5. NHL Winter Classic

(Note: The BIG EAST Tournament in New York and the ACC Tournament (1990 in Charlotte) are high on the list, as was a UCLA vs USC game at The Rose Bowl). There are far too many NBA events to list, but I might place the 1992 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando with Earvin Magic Johnson’s return to play as No. 1 and the 2004 NBA China Games in Shanghai and Beijing with Yao Ming as No. 2).

LIV vs PGA TOUR: The playing of the 2023 Masters re-united the best golfers in the world as members of the upstart LIV Golf tour were permitted to compete alongside their former colleagues on the PGA Tour. “It’s good to be back,” said Phil Mickelson on his return as he’s currently T-8 with 71-69 in the books and EVEN par.

Off the course, LIV and the PGA Tour will still do battle in the court of law, as this past Friday, Judge Beth Labson Freeman of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California vacated a Jan. 11, 2024, trial date and pushed back the start of the trial at least four months, citing reasons of the need for more time for discovery stemming from the coffers of the Saudi Public Investment Fund which has bankrolled LIV golf to absurd lengths of signing bonuses and payoffs for 54-hole tournaments.

The disputes involve eleven LIV Golf players who filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour on Aug. 3, 2022, accusing the tour of using its monopoly powers to squash competition.

On Sept. 29, the PGA Tour filed a countersuit against LIV Golf, accusing it of interfering with its contracts with players. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan suspended more than 30 players for competing in LIV Golf tournaments without conflicting-event releases.

Meanwhile with LIV golfer Brooks Koepka at the top of the Masters leaderboard, it bodes well for the rival tour and its competitive business model.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook | April 2nd

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – There are two days on our calendar that bring hope and optimism wrapped-up in a ball. First is New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day which comes with a ball that falls so gradually in Times Square as hundreds of thousands, maybe millions count down the final ten seconds of the year. Resolutions are made, but rarely kept as the New Year rolls in. Couples kiss and wish each other “Happy New Year” with hopes for a great year ahead. It’s a wonderful day.

Then, there’s Opening Day in Major League Baseball. Nothing brings hope like the first crack of the bat, the sound of the umpire or some promo winner screaming, “Play Ball,” or the sights and smells of the ballpark, the beautiful green grass of Fenway Park and 29 other ballparks across the USA and Toronto, Canada – all the envy of any homeowner and weekend gardener.

We experienced Opening Day at Fenway this week, complete with pregame ceremonies with F-16 jet fighter fly-over, a giant-sized American flags, a roster full of brand new Red Sox players along with a pitching crew that needs to make some resolutions of their own.

While Opening Day for the Red Sox resulted in the Big “L” there was excitement in the chilly New England air as the game went right down to the last at bat. The second game of the season brought on sheer joy of loyal fandom for the Sox faithful who hung-on to witness a game-winning home run by OF Adam Duvall, lined right into the first row of the Green Monster seats. It came after oft-injured SP Chris Sale spotted the Baltimore Orioles a 7-1 lead after three innings, so the hope of MLB’s Opening Day can go only so far in New England. Sox fans will have to judge their team on one and only one criteria this season: They won’t give up.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The topic of gender equality and the lack thereof surfaced during last year’s NCAA Final Four basketball tournaments for Men and Women. It is a topic that new NCAA President and former Governor of Massachusetts Charlie Baker must address in much deeper and efficiency than his predecessors. This week sports commentator Bomani Jones nailed it with his op-ed video that best explains the situation. It’s provided here for your viewing and 2023 education via HBO’s YouTube: CLICK HERE.

This season, Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes have made as big a statement as possible in the women’s Final Four. They’ll take on LSU at 3:30pm (ET) on ABC Sports and ESPN+ with Iowa favored by 3.5 points. Tune in for a treat.

PREDICTIONS FOR THE 2023 MLB SEASON: It’s only two games into the 2023 Baseball season and my sample size is personally witnessing two games between the visiting Baltimore Orioles against the Boston Red Sox at our downtown bandbox known as Fenway Park.

Opening Day saw the Orioles defeat Boston, 10-9, and Game 2 – Saturday, April 1 – saw Boston come back from that disastrous Sale start (allowed seven runs in three innings, including three Home Runs) but the Sox won the game in grand fashion as described above, an entertaining 9-8 victory.

The 18-18 runs produced/allowed ratio is a quick snapshot, but it might be revealing for what might come in the early month(s) of the season.

It seems the new MLB “Pitch Clock” might have a side effect – call it a severe reaction if you’d like. The lack of time for a pitcher – with runners on base – to:

  • Receive the ball
  • Step to the pitching mound/rubber
  • Make eye contact with the catcher
  • Adjust his grip on the baseball
  • Check the runner on base
  • Re-establish his pitching stance and prepare to throw a pitch (giving or getting a sign)
  • Get into his wind-up before a clock violation

All of the mechanics for each pitch give the pitcher little time to truly focus on the business at hand: Eye and aim for the desired location of his upcoming pitch. The time restraints force the pitcher – at times – to simply hurl the ball much more quickly than he would’ve done a year ago.

This should result in much higher scoring games.

That said, athletes are very quick to adjust and Major League pitchers will gradually adjust to the new rules, maybe in another two weeks – maybe two months – of regular season, so there’s no cause for alarm or panic for those who call themselves traditionalists or like to bet the “under.”

Here’s a quick and personal look at what the MLB Standings might look like, come October 1, 2023:

AL EAST

Toronto Blue Jays
New York Yankees
Baltimore Orioles
Tampa Bay Rays
Boston Red Sox

AL CENTRAL

Cleveland Guardians
Chicago White Sox
Minnesota Twins
Kansas City Royals
Detroit Tigers

AL WEST

Houston Astros
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers
LA Angels
Oakland A’s

NL EAST

Atlanta Braves
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Miami Markins
Washington Nationals

NL CENTRAL

St. Louis Cardinals
Milwaukee Brewers
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Pittsburgh Pirates

NL WEST

Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres
Arizona Diamondbacks
San Francisco Giants
Colorado Rockies

World Series: The Houston Astros to defend their title with a 4-games-to-2 series win over the San Diego Padres.

STRAT-O-MATIC: When the folks at the Strat-O-Matic game company on Long Island crunched their numbers and played out their own games, they came up with some 2023 Baseball Predictions they promoted as their own.

Strat’s simulation tabbed the Cleveland Indians with an MLB-best 111 wins to earn the AL No. 1 seed, with the NY Yankees at No. 2 and Houston (with 101 wins each).

In the NL, the San Diego Padres’ 100 wins led the circuit, with the Atlanta Braves (96) and St. Louis (94) as the other NL division winners.

The Strat-O-Matic Postseason ended with the New York Yankees topping the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-games-to-2 to win the MLB title.

Other predictions included:

  • NY Yankees Aaron Judge to earn AL MVP honors with 52 home runs, 132 RBI and .313 batting average.
  • The American League Cy Young Award winner was predicted to be Shane Bieber of Cleveland (20-6, 2.80 ERA, 228K).
  • St. Louis’ Nolan Arenado was promised to excel with a .293 average, 46 home runs and 116 RBI to earn the National League MVP honor.
  • Strat Says Yu Darvish of San Diego might claim the NL Cy Young Award with his predicted total of a 17-4 record, 2.55 ERA and 221 strikeouts

Strat-O-Matic has an interesting back story as the company and its games were invented by then-11-year-old Hal Richman in his bedroom in Great Neck, N.Y. in 1948 as a result of his frustration with the statistical randomness of other baseball board games. He discovered that the statistical predictability of dice would give his game the realism he craved. Over the next decade, he perfected the game at summer camp and then as a student at Bucknell University. After producing All-Star sets in 1961 and ‘62, he parlayed a $5,000 loan from his father (and made a deal that if it didn’t work out he would work for his father’s insurance company) into the original 1962 Strat-O-Matic Baseball season game. Needless to say, Hal never had to take a job with his father.

The Company publishes baseball, football, basketball and hockey games to play both on and off-line and they’re capable of going low to the mobile screen. “Strat-O” games are known throughout the sports community for their statistical realism and accuracy.

YouTube player

 

SHINING MOMENTS FOR 37+ YEARS: Why does the (basketball only) retirement of a guy the vast majority of the general public doesn’t know and hasn’t met strike such an emotional chord? Simply stated, it’s the time well spent. The time CBS Sportscaster Jim Nantz has dedicated to the game of college basketball. The time we – the viewers – have enjoyed spending with him. The time that flies by and adds up to make us all count the years and face our own mortality. The time shared. The time we’re amazed by the efforts of Nantz and the players he covers. Nantz is the face of a thousand people working behind the scenes and directly alongside and behind him who create every broadcast.

It’s not easy doing live remote sports television. It’s impossible to explain why. It’s difficult to explain because the networks producing the major sports in North America make it look so damn easy. It’s not. It’s hard and the games – the EVENTS – are unpredictable and move quickly.

Some look at the most visible signs of the broadcast. The announce table – with the Final Four, it’s been Nantz anchoring for the rsolid former Dukie turned USA Basketball guru Grant Hill and the irreplaceable and greatest of ‘em all, Bill Raftery, the former Seton Hall coach turned broadcaster who remains one of the few, great characters of the sporting world. As Raft ages, we age with him, but he does so and somehow remains “cooler” than anyone in the building. The secret is that Nantz knows exactly how to cue Raft up and exactly when to stay the hell out of the way.

Nantz knows when to praise the game winning shot, often with a single word. He knows when to stay silent and let the work of those thousand people – all behind the lenses of 60 cameras (16 used to be the norm). The great people at Sports Video Group (MUST READ) can give you the “inside stuff” on what goes on behind the scenes. But, the human element is the key to a good broadcast morphing into greatness. Actor-director and so many of us default to calling it – STORY TELLING – but I contend that it is much, much more.

It’s research. It’s knowledge and perspective. It’s relationships and knowing who to speak with and when to drop in a tidbit of information from that source right into the broadcast at the perfect time, a tidbit to be heard by 20+ million people. In that case, the factoid better be accurate. Nantz perfects it by way of building such solid relationships – culled over those 37+ years so his sources are impeccable. Nantz delivers.

For those of us who’ve had the pleasure of working with Jim Nantz over many, many years, he’s been the consummate professional. When Nantz would oversee a Basketball Hall of Fame press conference, it would flow like the Danube River – strong and steady. Just hearing his voice made it a big time event or announcement.

The good news? We’ll still have Nantz visiting our living/TV rooms come this week at The Masters golf tournament- A TRADITION UNLIKE ANY OTHER, his patented catch phrase first uttered in 1986 when Nantz was 26 years old and shooting promos and vignettes for CBS’ legendary golf producer Frank Chirkinian.

What’s a TL Sunday Sports Notebook without a story from an insider’s view to close it out for the week?

Knowing Jim Nantz as a local sports television guy who covered the Utah Jazz for KSL-TV in Salt Lake City, this observer was quite surprised when bumping into Nantz and then-CBS Sports Executive Producer Ted Shaker as they entered a 52nd Street restaurant back in 1985.

Together with colleague Brian McIntyre, our eyes were wide open but we kept our mouths shut at the sign that Nantz was being courted to join CBS and then – over time – be groomed to be the replacement for the face of CBS Sports in the ‘80s, Brent Musburger.

It wasn’t an immediate changeover, as Musburger remained as the lead anchor for CBS Sports until the 1990 Final Four. Nantz told the story in a 2015 conference call for sports television reporters:

Nantz said at the time, “Musburger was CBS Sports.”

“He called the NBA Finals, he hosted the Masters, he was hosting the NFL Today and did play-by-play on both college football and basketball,” Nantz said. “It was shocking. For people who weren’t around at that time, it was just unimaginable. It was front-page news in every newspaper in America.”

“The semifinal games were on March 31 that year and we had our broadcast and then there was an obligation for CBS Sports that Brent, Billy [Packer] and I had to attend after the doubleheader,” Nantz said. “It was at the Petroleum Club in Denver and we talked about what we had just seen and what we expected on Monday night. We went to that and then the three of us went out to dinner.

“We walked back to the hotel and Brent’s assistant met him at the door and said he needed to talk to him right away. We all said good night and we said we’d see each other on Sunday.

“At about 8 o’clock Sunday morning, I got a call from Ted Shaker, our executive producer, and he told me what had come down overnight. Brent had walked in and was told that CBS wasn’t going to renew his contract. My first thought was that this was April 1st, and this was some really dumb April Fool’s joke. And that’s what a lot of people thought.”

Nantz said at the time that CBS wanted him to do a short, live commentary after that Monday night championship game – a 103-73 UNLV win over Duke.

“They wanted me to deliver a commentary to express appreciation to Brent for his remarkable career at CBS,” Nantz said. “And at the time, it was a very difficult thing for me. I looked up to Brent and still do and had such deep respect for him and I had to sum up his career in about a minute-and-a-half commentary and then go back to Brent, standing on the court, for his last word.

“It was very difficult to do and there was a very empty feeling leaving the arena that night for all of us.”

That one moment was the transition for Jim Nantz to do the Final Four until tomorrow – Monday, April 3, 2023. There will be a shining moment for the NCAA Men’s Final Four, but this year, it will come as tears well in our eyes.

TL

 

 

Preview: Valero Texas Open

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SAN ANTONIO – This week, 18 players in the 144 player field competed at last week’s World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, including Valero Texas Open defending champion J.J. Spaun, who advanced to the Round of 16 down the block in Austin.

The others:

  1. Christiaan Bezuidenhout
  2. Ryan Fox
  3. Chris Kirk
  4. Alex Noren
  5. Sepp Straka
  6. Corey Conners
  7. Ben Griffin
  8. Matt Kuchar
  9. Andrew Putnam
  10. Nick Taylor
  11. Cam Davis
  12. Tyrrell Hatton
  13. Hideki Matsuyama
  14. Davis Riley
  15. Rickie Fowler
  16. Si Woo Kim
  17. Taylor Montgomery
  18. J.J. Spaun
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The only way for any of the 133 players in the field that are not currently eligible to get in to next week’s Masters Tournament is with a Valero Texas Open victory.

Most recently, Matt Wallace earned his first PGA TOUR victory in his 80th career start at the Corales Puntacana Championship. Prior to his win, Wallace’s best result on Tour was third-place, which he accomplished twice, including most recently at the 2021 Valero Texas Open (solo-third). The other was a T-3 at the 2019 PGA Championship).

Tyrrell Hatton is the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 17 in the Official World Golf Ranking and is making his tournament debut. Hatton has three top-10s in seven starts this season, highlighted by a runner-up at THE PLAYERS Championship (others: T6/WM Phoenix Open, T4/Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard).

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | March 26th

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By TERRY LYONS

NEW YORK – This week had so much potential, so much promise, so much Spring in the air and Daylight in the evenings. It was the first week of Daylight Savings time, the first week of Spring and the week of the Sweet 16 in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. But instead of promise and possibilities, the week ended with a thud, a couple kicks in the teeth and gut, a few grimaces and the Hurricanes and Aztecs bumping off a pair of No. 1 NCAA Men’s College basketball teams and – most seriously – the loss our our Captain.

Former NY Knicks great Willis Reed died Tuesday at age 80, after complications from congestive heart illness of which he’d been treated at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston.

Reed, the talent, brawn and inspiration behind the late 1960s New York Knickerbockers, along with guard Walt Frazier and a complementary group of unselfish but all-star level role players led the Knicks to NBA titles in 1969-70 and 1972-73. Reed matched-up against many of the best centers to ever play the game, and at an undersized 6-foot-9, often out-muscled, out-rebounded, out-scored and out-played his rivals.

At the time of his greatest of days and nights, Reed might face an opponent’s center such as:

  • Boston’s Bill Russell
  • LA Lakers’ Wilt Chamberlain
  • Baltimore’s Wes Unseld
  • Golden State/San Francisco’s Nate Thurmond
  • Cincinnati’s Jerry Lucas
  • Detroit and Atlanta’s Walt Bellamy
  • San Diego’s Elvin Hayes
  • Milwaukee’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
  • In later years, Boston’s Dave Cowens and Detroit’s Bob Lanier

The list marched on in a golden age of NBA powerful centers and equally talented and strong power forwards, like Bill Bridges, Paul Silas, Truck Robinson, GeorgeMcGinnis, Spencer Haywood, Sidney Wicks, and Gus Johnson, among many others. Reed would be needed to help out Dave DeBusschere on defense. There was never a night off to rest. Load management would simply be a commercial flight to the next city – first flight outbound – and a schedule that posed the next opponent, one tougher than the next, often on back-to-backs, three games in four nights.

Reed, a second round pick of the Knicks in the 1964 NBA Draft (the 8th overall selection after two territorial picks were made to start the draft off), fought those battles at a young age of 22. In scuffles that were a regular occurrence in the NBA in those days, he was known to clear out teams, benches and chase opponents back to their locker rooms.

Reed did it all.

One of the most memorable moments in sports history, never mind New York sports history were the final three games of the Knicks’ first-ever NBA title in 1970. Reed severely injured his knee and leg in Game 5 of the NBA Championship series at Madison Square Garden, but somehow his teammates managed to go on, hold on and win without him. DeBusschere, undersized forward Dave Stallworth, and back-up center, benchwarmer and MSG fave Nate Bowman held on for life against Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor to somehow manage a 107-100 win at The Garden. That fifth game came after two consecutive overtime games.

The wounded Knicks flew to Los Angeles only to be trounced by Chamberlain and the Lakers, 135-113, as Wilt scored seemingly at will, and finished with 45 points and 27 rebounds.

The Game 7 stories are of legendary status. We’ll let ABC Sports commentator JackTwyman take it from here with his iconic, “I think we see Willis coming out,” said Twyman to play-by-play man Chris Schenkel.

The lift provided by Reed’s willingness to have his knee and thigh shot-up with painkillers lifted his teammates to new levels of confidence while raising the then-brand new iconic roof of The Garden to new heights.

Reed hit his first two field goal attempts with his patented left-handed jump shot. In doing so, Knicks guard Walt Frazier took it from there, scoring 36 points with 19 assists to take a very one-sided 113-99 victory for New York’s first NBA title,

Reed led the Knicks to the NBA title in 1973, the last championship the NYK franchise has earned. He went on to coaching and executive positions in NY, New Jersey and asst. coaching positions at various places in the Association. He earned his stripes as a volunteer assistant for St. John’s and Lou Carnesseca in the ‘80s.

All the while, Reed exuded his classy ways and his love for the game while getting nothing but RESPECT in return everywhere he went. In New York, he will forever remain sports royalty up there with the Babe Ruths, Lou Gehrigs, Joe DiMaggios, Tom Seavers, Jerry Koosmans, Joe Namaths, Julius Ervings and a list of dozens of others, including his 1969-70 to 1973 teammates – especially Walt “Clyde” Frazier.

Of those, it is Willis Reed who deserves to have a statue bronzed and placed in the front entrance of Madison Square Garden. His likeness will stand there for eternity.

FUSSING AND FIGHTIN’ MY FRIENDS: Before the devastating news of Willis Reed’s death, the big story on the streets and sports pages of New York was the hiring of Rick Pitino by the St. John’s University Red Storm. After leaving a trail of bread crumbs and recruiting violations from sea to shining sea and beyond to Greece and the EuroLeague, Pitino was thrown a North American life rafter when he was hired at Iona College in New Rochelle, NY.

“Life is very short, and there’s no time

For fussing and fighting, my friend

I have always thought that it’s a crime

So, I will ask you once again

Try to see it my way

Only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong.”

(Lennon/McCartney – The Beatles)

As he’s done consistently in his past, Pitino won at Iona and he was scooped-up by the desperate Johnnies who have dismissed more coaches than Liz Taylor tossed away husbands.

Many reacted to Pitino’s hiring with joy and the anticipation of a packed Madison Square Garden and St. John’s returning to Top 10 status in the college polls. Others thought of recruiting violations with strippers entertaining players on campus poles.

It took the words of 98-year old wiseman and former St. John’s head coach, Louie Carnesecca to put the hiring of Pitino into proper perspective and to frame his sordid past in the right place:

“His coaching ability is beyond reproach. No matter where he’s coached in college, he’s had great success,” said Carnesecca to Ian O’Connor of the New York Post. “He works like a son of a gun, and all the credentials are there. I think we have a wonderful head coach.”

Regarding his past?

“It’s very simple,” Carnesecca said. “That’s why we have confessions.”

When you boil it all down, “All we are saying, is give Pitino a chance.”

BE THERE: The great Foundation to be Named Later, run by Paul Epstein for his brother, Theo, is once again planning “Hot Stove, Cool Music.” Instead of its mid-winter date, the charity will gather musicians, former players and fans on April 15th at City Winery Boston. Remember, not that long ago, as a young and talented GM, Theo Epstein brought titles to both the Red Sox and then the Chicago Cubs. Suffice to say, they work miracles.

LAX LIFE: With its teams battling for berths and positioning in the NLL Playoffs during the remaining weeks of the regular season, “The March to May” is on in the National Lacrosse League. Every matchup down the stretch will influence the eight-team NLL Playoffs that begin May 5-7. In a quirky set-up, the 2023 NLL Playoffs format features the top four teams from the East Conference and top three from the West Conference, plus a “wild card” entry with the best record between the fourth-place team in the West standings and the fifth-place finisher in the East. This “wild card” will play in the West Conference side of the bracket as the No. 4 seed. The first round of the NLL Playoffs will be single elimination, while the East and West Conference Finals and NLL Finals will each be a best-of-three series. See you on Memorial Day, along with the annual gem of the college sports calendar, the NCAA LAX Final Four to be staged May 27 & 29 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. … Boston-area lacrosse fans can circle their calendars for 2024 and 2025 when Gillette Stadium in Foxboro hosts the NCAA men’s lacrosse Final Four.

MLB OPENING DAY: From the BIG EAST to the NCAAs to Opening Day in MajorLeague Baseball (this Thursday, March 30), it’s a great time of year in the sports world. in pro golf, the PGA Tour will progress from this week’s World Golf Championship Match play to the first Major of the season when The Masters tees-it-up at Augusta National April 6-9. While they’re all great sporting events, there’s nothing like the sounds of Baseball. PLAY BALL! … The crack of the bat … and the 7th Inning Stretch.

As Spring Training comes to a close, MLB rosters will be whittled down and teams will head north from Florida or Arizona to open the season in home towns throughout the league. The Boston Red Sox open this Thursday with a home game against the Baltimore Orioles (March 30 – 2pm). MLB places an off day on Friday, just in case of a rain-out washing away the Opener. … This Thursday, the forecast is calling for sunny/clear skies with temperatures a seasonal 44-degrees. … Sam Adams Brewery has already broken out “Sam Summer Ale” and its 26.2 is not far behind as the annual Patriots’ Day and the 127th running of the Boston Marathon captures the vibes of the City on Monday, April 17. The Red Sox play their traditional 11:10am start that same day against the LA Angels.

BUZZWORDS OF THE WEEK: Sports Illustrated had its “Sign of the Apocalpse,”originated by the great Jack McCallum. Instead, “While We’re Young (Ideas)” is going to pass along “Buzzwords of the Week” … This week’s winner? ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips who on Saturday said that he “will meet with his league’s men’s basketball coaches and athletic directors as soon as the season ends to discuss ways to be more ‘proactive and aggressive’ in changing the narrative surrounding the conference.” This year’s NCAA Tournament saw the ACC receive only five bids which to Phillips and those inside the league was a “big disappointment.” Phillips said the ACC has to “portray ourselves in a different way” to the NCAA Selection Committee. … WWYI will counter with a reply of equal “Buzzword” value with a reminder to Phillips that ACC basketball is a “Zero Sum Game” and there’s a defined number of wins and losses every season. Padding ACC men’s basketball schedules isn’t the answer. Winning out of conference games is the answer. That comes with good players on every ACC team.

TIDBITS: The NHL is experiencing its share of negative publicity as the league rolled out “Pride Nights.” The league experienced considerable pushback from a number of players who chose to opt-out of the promotion to reach and better recognize the LGBTQ+ community in each NHL city/market.

Here’s Bryan Burke’s take on the situation via Canada’s SportsNet:

 

“It’s about saying this community is valuable and important and we want to honor them.” Brian Burke joined Ron MacLean to discuss Pride Nights across the NHL and supporting the LGBTQ+ community.
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MORE TIDBITS: Former New England Patriots wide receiver Nelson Agholor is signing a one-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens, multiple outlets reported. The $3.25 million deal for the 29-year-old free agent is worth up to $6.25 million with incentives. Agholor caught 31 passes for 362 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games (seven starts) with the Patriots last season. Agholor began his career with Philadelphia (2015-19) and played with the Las Vegas Raiders (2020). … National Football League team owners expect to “take no formal actions” regarding a sale of the Washington Commanders nor will they address Commanders’ team owner Dan Snyder‘s status during the NFL’s annual meeting which began today. … The family of former North Carolina and serviceable NBA big man Eric Montross said he has begun treatments for cancer. Montross’s family issued a statement through the school on Saturday noting the 51-year-old’s recent diagnosis, though it didn’t specify the nature of the cancer.

CANX SUX: On the topic of cancer, prayers are out to a Boston Celtics colleague. The well known, well loved Veep of PR was diagnosed in July 2021 with glioblastoma brain cancer. After she responded positively within a clinical trial and new treatment, a recent scan showed “a lot more tumor growth.” … The entire Boston sports world continues to show tremendous support. Prayers and financial support.

DEACON BLUES: This brings us to the close of the March 26th While We’re Young (Ideas) column of March 26th. The sun shining, the NCAAs on TV and ready to crown the final pair of Regional Champions to qualify for the men’s Finals Four to be played in Houston, April 1 and 3. (Let’s keep the HOUSTON, we have a roaring cliche to a minimum, please). It’s not a happy ending.

Our neighbor’s wonderful dog, Deacon, passed away Monday after a brief illness and terrible cancer diagnosis. The cancer was aggressive and inoperable. We were so sad to hear the report as Deacon was our puppy’s first friend and playmate. Deacon was the best dog on our block and everyone just loved him.

Here’s a beautifully edited video and it goes out to Deacon in Dog Heaven:

While We’re Young (Ideas) is a weekly Sunday Sports Notebook & Column, written by Terry Lyons. Each notebook harkens back to the days when you’d walk over to the city newsstand on Saturday night around 10pm to pick-up a copy of the Sunday papers. Inside, just waiting, was a sports-filled compilation of interesting notes, quotes and quips. TL’s Sunday Sports Notes is brought to you by Digital Sports Desk.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | M☘️rch 17th

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Bono brought in March Madness & St. Patrick’s Day 2023 (photo by T. Peter Lyons)

BOSTON – As Michael Jordan might say, excuse the paraphrasing, there’s no “i” in March Madness, but there is an “i” in upset win!

That’s the case in the just concluded First Round of the 2023 Men’s Basketball Championship, held in gyms all over the country this past Thursday and Friday, two of the best sports days of the year.

First let’s review the Maddest of the Madness:

  • No. 13 Furman upset No. 4 Virginia, 68-67, in the South Region
  • No. 15 Princeton upset No. 2 Arizona, 59-55, in the South Region
  • No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson upset No. 1 Purdue, 63-58, in the East Region

Most of the top seeds made it through the First Round of play unscathed, including Midwest Regional No. 1 Houston and West Regional top seed Kansas, who was joined in victory by No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 Gonzaga, and No. 4 UConn in the college basketball version of the bracket of death.

Meanwhile, Houston “only” has to contend with No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Xavierand No. 4 Indiana making most pundits “pencil-in” the Cougars for a home court date at the Final Four (April 1 &3).

In the South, previously mentioned No. 2 Arizona is out, along with No. 4 Virginia, who was upset by Furman, leaving No. 1 seeded Alabama an easier path to join Houston in the Space City.

With Purdue packing its bags, the East is set up nicely for No. 2 Marquetteor No. 3 Kansas State – two tough teams to beat – but the real winner amongst the losers (Purdue and Memphis) could’ve been Duke, the No. 5 seed, who entered the tournament as one of the hottest team in the land with nine straight wins, including an impressive performance to take the ACC Tournament.

Duke was this columnists pick to take it all. That looked good until they ran into a more physical Tennessee Volunteer team on Saturday. The Vols forced Duke turnovers and outplayed the Blue Devils, instilling their will and instilling some facial stitches while they were at it. Duke left the building needing to place cold steaks and cucumbers on their bloody eyes and puffed-up cheeks.

Sparing you the Sweet 16 picks by this columnist, the “Elite Eight” of the bracket always attempting to be “better than most,” included the following picks:

South

  • Alabama vs Creighton

East

  • Duke (wrong) vs Marquette

On the other side of the world, err, bracket:

Midwest

  • Houston vs Xavier

West

  • Kansas vs Gonzaga

Advancing to the Final Four?

  • South – Alabama
  • East – Duke (wrong)

vs.

  • Midwest – Houston
  • West – Gonzaga

No great shakes there, as picking No. 1s Alabama and Houston is the chalk of all chalk in this tournament, but those two schools had the clearest paths evident to all as the brackets were revealed last (Selection) Sunday.

The more difficult predictions will come right now.

Final Four

  • Duke (wrong) to defeat Alabama
  • Houston to defeat Gonzaga

And, the winner of the National Championship on April 3, 2023

  • The Duke Blue Devils – (very wrong)

Why did I like Duke to possibly take it all?

One January 7, your faithful reporter and bonafide Boston College observer saw the Blue Devils squeak by the Eagles, 65-64, here in Boston at Conte Forum. While that score might be construed as a weakness of the Blue Devils, the indication was Duke won on the road in the ACC and defeated a Boston College team playing at its best. BC played hard and competed, but Duke won.

Much credit belonged to “new” head coach Jon Scheyer, who took over for coach Mike Krzyzewski and has risen to the challenge much the same way Jake Clemons filled the void of the great Clarence “Big Man” Clemons of the E Street Band back in 2012. Scheyer is not K, Jake was not the “Big Man” but the band carried on while Duke finds itself running much of the same X and O’s utilized by Coach K.

Duke knocked-off Oral Roberts 74-51 in the First Round on Thursday and is primed for a Saturday afternoon match-up vs. SEC power (24-10) Tennessee. For the Blue Devils, center Kyle Filipowski leads a well-balanced team with (15.1 ppg; 9.0 rpg).

Saturday, Duke ran into a brick wall of Volunteers. Tennessee defeated the Dukies, 65-52, manhandling the younger team and leading on the scoreboard and intimidation meter all the way from the 3:48 mark of the first half (22-21).

With Duke out, the door is now wide open for both No. 4 Tennessee, No. 3 Kansas State or No. 2 Marquette, winner of the BIG EAST regular season and tournament crown. Much like Duke’s Scheyer, Marquette’s Shaka Smartmanages his team well and orchestrates the team “W” rather than impress the scouts, media and regular season polls/rankings.

While writing on deadline as the Vols eliminated Duke and paved their way to Madison Square Garden and the East regional final, the other team that might crack the Final Four field is Gonzaga.

The ‘Zags won the West Coast Conference, are very well coached and prepared for March by coach Mark Few and are among the teams peaking at the right time of year.

You can see what that did for the Duke Blue Devils.

MARCH SADNESS: Sincere best wishes and a “Get Well Soon” for Kansas head coach Bill Self, who is recovering from a serious heart procedure performed last weekend. While the school attempted to play it down while honoring Self’s rights as a patient, the news came out, and it was reported Self had two stents placed in his arteries and is still being monitored while sidelined. Former St. John’s coach Norm Roberts is at the helm in Self’s absence.

The educated guess is that Iona head coach Rick Pitino will become St. John’s head coach this week now that his Iona Gaels were eliminated from the NCAAs. The speculation ran rampant at Madison Square Garden for a couple days after St. John’s unceremoniously dumped coach Mike Anderson after his dismal Big East season but close call loss to Marquette in the tournament quarterfinals. Putting 1+1 together, St. John’s had two coaches working the tournament in Roberts and Pitino. They were just working for other schools.

WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: Major League Baseball’s attempt at a World Cup style tournament has seen its ups and downs since first pitch on Monday, March 7 in Tokyo and Taichung. The crowds supporting Japan at Tokyo Dome have been magnificent. Similarly, the fans of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Colombia, Cuba Panama and Venezuela have shown their support at WBC games based in Arizona and Miami.

SADDEST DAY ON THE DIAMOND: The worst possible crisis for the WBC surfaced on Wednesday, March 15, when Puerto Rico celebrated its 5-2 quarterfinal win over the Dominican Republic – a huge Caribbean baseball-centric rivalry. After the game, with fans and family members enjoying the Puerto Rico victory, ace reliever Edwin Diaz was jumping around with a group of teammates when he destroyed his patella tendon and collapsed to the turf in extreme pain as his teammates looked on, helpless and in a panic. Diaz’ brother, Alexis and 36,000 fans sobbed at the sight. A day later, the injury was confirmed and the WBC, Puerto Rico, and the New York Mets 2023 season fell apart.

Mets Twitter lit up, cursing the WBC and calling it a meaningless preseason moneymaker that Major League Baseball team owners should boycott in fear of injuries to its major league players, all scattered throughout the WBC rosters and all proudly representing their countries in the tourney.

The backlash is understandable, but many of the MLB players would not have made the majors were it not for the formative years playing for their respective national teams on homeland turf. Also, as some fans pointed out, LA Dodgers’ infielder Gavin Lux blew out his knee and will miss significant time with the Dodgers. Diaz is expected to miss the entire 2023 season.

Looking across sports, the careers of Steve Nash (Canada), Dirk Nowitzki(Germany), Tony Parker (France) and a number of his French countrymen – just to name a few – took major steps forward by gaining experience and confidence from leading their national teams in the Olympic Games, Worlds, and their qualifiers.

The feeling here is to let the players play, especially if they REALLY want to represent their homelands in a tournament that – like the Worlds – just doesn’t resonate in the USA the way it does elsewhere. There are far too many Americans who claim USA Patriotism but fail to put their fandom where their mouth is when it comes time to support Team USA. They waive the USA flag at rallies, shout Constitutional Law from the highest mountain, but never show their red, white and blue at a World sporting tournament in just about every sport. I guess patriotism has different meanings to different people and that’s okay, maybe?

TIDBITS: As a grizzled veteran of St. Patrick’s Day, mostly observing New York’s grand St. Patrick’s Day parade from 15 floors above Fifth Avenue with the namesake Cathedral just yards away, it was always challenging but enjoyable.

Challenging was the ‘80s when a morning commute to the Fifth Avenue subway stop (E and F trains) would stand witness to teenagers already wasted and nauseous before they even made it up the long escalator ride to street level.

Enjoyable was to see the police, fire fighters, bands and all sorts of the Irish society march up Fifth Avenue, all following a green line painted in the center of one of the world’s most famous streets. The drums, the bagpipes, a “Danny Boy” or two brought smiles to the onlookers, decked out in green. Everyone was Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.

In Boston? St. Patrick’s Day lasts for four days! Let us count the ways and days:

  1. St. Patrick’s Day eve
  2. St. Patrick’s Day itself (this year on a Friday, no less)
  3. St. Patrick’s Day Saturday (celebrated with Bar Crawls and live music, the Hockey East Tournament Finals, the NCAA’s March Madness, live music at night, the Boston Celtics playing on TV (always on the road because of previously mentioned college hockey tournament).
  4. St. Patrick’s Day Sunday – complete with a morning breakfast when the local and state politicians take time to “roast” each other in good faith and spirit, followed by the Boston St. Patrick’s Day parade, staged at 1pm in South Boston. The event originated in 1737.

 

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | March 12th

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NEW YORK – There’s no better way to describe a basketball tournament at The World’s Most Famous Arena than to take you step-by-step from Wednesday through Saturday with an old-fashioned, popular time-line.

Come along on the amazing journey:

Wednesday, March 8:

7:29am – Amtrak Acela pulled out from RTE-128 station in the western suburbs of Boston, heading south to Providence where we picked up some Friars fans and went on to Penn Station in New York, arriving at the brand new Moynihan Train Hall at 10:50am.

7:31am – This reporter started missing his dog (and family, too).

11:00am – First activity? Walked from 8th Ave and 33rd Street to 7th Avenue to enter The Garden and pass security only to walk back to 8th Avenue to pick-up BIG EAST media passes and entrance tickets. The “new” MSG actually has incredibly friendly security people and the place is spotless.

It was the first of about 25 trips from the 8th Avenue end of The Garden to the 7th Avenue entrance hub only to return to the 8th Avenue “Expo/Rotunda” end of the building.

11:05am – The well-oiled BIG EAST media relations and sports info staff had everything perfectly organized, allowing check-in to be done in :45 seconds. Two escalator rides up and into the “Expo,” as the finishing touches were being made to the media area, and we’re online. Nice job MSG!

12 Noon – All were summoned to The Theatre at MSG where Commissioner Val Ackerman was going to present the key awards for the BIG EAST regular season. It’s absolutely GREAT to see colleagues like Ackerman and head basketball man, Stu Jackson. In prelim to her presentations, Ackerman noted it’s 10 years since The BIG EAST broke away from the pack and formed the “basketball centric” conference.

12:05pm – Time well spent and congratulations offered to Jackson, who flew westward to headline a press conference as the new WCC Commissioner. As fyi, Gonzaga defeated St. Mary’s on March 7th to take the WCC title. At the conclusion of this tournament, Jackson will assume his duties as conference commish. He will be missed by all involved with BIG EAST basketball. His new opportunity, probably basing in the SF-Bay area will be tremendous.

At the same time, it was more congratulations to Bill Raftery, tv commentator extraordinaire, who was awarded the Jim “Ock” O’Connell media award for his work and his contributions to college basketball. “Ock,” longtime college and Olympic basketball writer for the Associated Press, was a terrific colleague who lost his battle vs. a series of ailments. He was only 64 at the time of his death in 2018. The press area at MSG is dedicated to O’Connell’s memory each year at the tourney. A fitting tribute.

12:30pm – Villanova first year forward Cam Whitmore has been selected BIG EAST Freshman of the Year. The conference’s head coaches make the selections and are not permitted to vote for their own players.

12:40pm – Marquette’s head coach Shaka Smart was named Conference Coach of the Year and point guard Tyler Kolek was named BIG EAST Player of the Year. Smart’s squad made the biggest leap in conference history, jumping from a No. 9 prediction in the preseason coaches’ poll to outright regular-season champion.

Kolek is the “maestro-style” point guard, averaging 12.7 points with a league-leading 7.9 assists per game, second nationally. The 6-3 junior from Cumberland, Rhode Island (how’d he get away from those Friars), ranks first in assist/turnover ratio at 3.3., which places him sixth amongst all NCAA Div. I players. He’s fifth in the BIG EAST in steals at 1.8pg and ninth in free throw shooting, making .814 percent. Kolek is one of five finalists for the Hall of Fame’s Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard.

2:30pm – As Butler and St. John’s warm-up, there’s a little more time with Raftery and his longtime chronicler of the BIG EAST and we lament of the loss of Gantry’s and The Sly Fox in Queens. He knew they’d closed down, while others present did not.

Madison Square Garden in New York City

3:00pm – A wonderful rendition of the United States’ National Anthem and we’re tipping off the 41st rendition of the BIG EAST at The Garden, starting after three years when the conference finale was played in Providence, RI, Syracuse, NY and Hartford, CT consecutively.

In the opener, St. John’s handled Butler 76-63, advancing to the tough Thursday match-up vs. No. 1 Marquette. The victory spared Coach Anderson 24 more hours in the eye of the Red Storm (whatever a Red Storm is)?

DePaul vs Seton Hall was the first incredibly hard-fought, close, get-The-Garden-rockin’ game of the tournament and DePaul upset the Hall, plopping them into the group of NIT hopefuls, 66-65. The finish was about as entertaining as three free throws can be as DePaul’s guard Umoja Gibson stepped to the line with his team trailing, 65-63, and drained three consecutive FTs after being fouled with :04 remaining in the 2nd Half. Gibson gets “the Doug Collins Award” for calmly stepping to line in a very loud MSG and hitting nothing but net. DePaul was (3-17) in Conference while Seton Hall was (10-10). (Collins did just that but with two FTs in the 1972 Olympics under incredible pressure after being tackled by the USSR in the controversial gold medal game, stolen from the USA by incompetent table officials, the FIBA President, Renato William Jones of Great Britian and the game officials who followed their instructions blindly). … If you’re young and didn’t see it or don’t remember the game, DO NOT watch. It will haunt you for the rest of your life). … Trust me, too. It wasn’t a “Stop the Steal” thing. The FIBA President came out of the stands to add three seconds to the clock after a series of debacles in the waning moments of the game, including an errant pass by the USSR that should’ve been the official end of the gold medal game. … But, I digress!

In the Villanova vs Georgetown nightcap, everyone was thinking that the ticket stub would be a saver, as it was possibly Patrick Ewing’s last game as the head coach of the Hoyas after a (2-18) BIG EAST record. After a 6-6 start, ‘Nova went on a leisurely 14-2 run and that was it. The halftime score of 41-20 – Villanova – was indicative of the season-long effort from PAT-TRICK Ewwwwwing’s team.

Final score? 80-48 in favor of Villanova and by Thursday morning, yes, Ewing was fired.

Thursday, March 9th

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Now, don’t plan on reading a recap of each and every game, but instead, a brief commentary on the incredibly interesting and entertaining basketball tournament.

12 Noon – The “morning” game when the lightly-tested, Butler-besting Johnnies did the quick turn-around to face No. 1 seeded Marquette was another WILD and CRAZY BIG EAST game. A good crowd filled the building from the get-go. Non-St. John’s fans who flocked to New York to support their own schools jumped on the Johnnies’ band wagon to root against the favored Golden Eagles.

That Garden magic propelled a highly inconsistent St. John’s team to play one of their better games of the 2022-23 season. You must note that St. John’s and Marquette closed out their respective regular seasons with one of the crazier finishes as the Golden Eagles led by 10 with 30 seconds remaining but found themselves needing game ending free throws to earn a 96-94 victory.

In the tournament, it was the opposite. Marquette found themselves trailing by 10 at the half, 36-26, but when the second half began, you truly believed the Johnnies’ scoreboard was stuck on 36 as Marquette held the Red Storm scoreless for the first 4:14 and the first TV timeout showed a one point, 36-35, St. J lead after the momentum and confidence factor did a 180-degree turn.

Fast-forward to the ending and St. John’s A.J. Storr hit three consecutive FTs with 23 seconds remaining to cut a four-point lead to one. Two turnovers (from two steals) later, a Marquette FT by Olivier-Maxence Prosper and then a Dylan Addae-Wusu lay-up tied the game with 10 seconds left. A final scramble resulted in a missed three pointer at 61-all and the morning game went into OT, sending the Garden into another frenzy.

Overtime was physical and the majority of scoring was done from the FT line as the only field goal was Cam Jones’ bucket 30 seconds into OT. In the end, a beautifully designed play with the Storm down by two, saw St. John’s guard, Posh Alexander, launch a three-point FG that looked like all net from one angle of The Garden but it fell short for a 72-70 survive and advance for No. 1 ranked Marquette.

3:00pm – As you might expect, the entire State of Connecticut jammed their way past the turnstiles to fill The Garden with a partisan Huskies crowd and the team delivered against neighboring Providence of Rhode Island. UConn was up by 16 at the half as led by as many as 26 with 12:06 remaining in the 2nd half.

Then it was Rhode Island’s turn to cheer as Providence head coach, Ed Cooley – showing his coaching abilities, his faith in the players and a whole lotta love for the program he’s built – as he “kept his cooling and wasn’t fooling” as the Friars made their way back and trailed by only five points with 48 seconds to go.

UConn prevailed, 73-66, when Tristen Newton drilled a pair of FTs for two of his 16 points off the bench.

7:00pm – In the night session, the best teams prevailed but it took quite an effort for No. 15 (national ranking) Xavier to knock-off the pesky DePaul Blue Demons. DePaul sustained their high-energy in a big way and led 49-40 at the half.

BIG EAST men’s basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year in 6-10 center Jack Nunge had 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Colby Jones scored 22 and the Musketeers pulled off a late comeback to beat DePaul, 89-84.

Coach Sean Miller, all mic’d up for the evening, noted to his team post game that he kept calling Jones’ number and the player delivered time-and-time again, allowing his Xavier team to experience one of the “greatest things,” in sports – “playing on Friday night at the BIG EAST tournament at The Garden.”

It’s magical.

9:50pm – Late night at The Garden provided for Creighton’s 87-74 dismissal of the former lock for BIG EAST champions in Villanova. The ‘Cats aren’t as tough as they were under retired coach Jay Wright, as they ended the season with a 17-16 record and will end a 10-year streak of NCAA appearances in exchange for an NIT bid.

Friday, March 10th

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With an afternoon off to “recover” from the Wednesday/Thursday marathon sessions, the BIG EAST semi-finals, a.k.a. “Friday Night at the Garden” tips-off at 6:30pm and can be described as “magical,” as in The Magical World of Madison Square Garden Center – the tagline coined by the late John Condon on the MSG public address in the late ‘60s.

The four teams that make their way to Friday night are pretty much locks for bids to the NCAA tournament, so they play for the pride and glory of being BIG EAST champions. It never disappoints.

Never.

The Garden is packed. Everyone in the building (usually with friends, college buddies, family) is happy to be right here, rather than anywhere else on earth. It’s a bit like sitting in your seat a few minutes before the curtain rises at Hamilton the Musical. There’s no place else you’d rather be.

6:30pm – Marquette vs. UConn is the first semifinal, but there’s no BIG EAST basketball fan who wouldn’t prefer to see those two teams meeting Saturday night in the BIG EAST Final. Conference Coach of the Year, Shaka Smart is matching basketball minds and chops vs. UConn’s Dan Hurley, one-time Seton Hall guard, Wagner and Rhode Island head coach. His brother, Bobby, is head coach out at Arizona State and has a chance of an NCAA berth. Their father, Bobby Hurley, Sr., is a Hall of Fame high school basketball – as in THE Basketball Hall of Fame.

You probably have read the game stories by now, but Marquette vs UConn was what we attendees of the 1983 BIG EAST tourney, the first here at MSG after three nomadic efforts in Providence, Syracuse and Hartford, might call “an Old-Fashioned” BIG EAST game.

IT’s WILD.

Smart’s Golden Eagles somehow turned back a better UConn squad in another survive and advance mode.

In the Semifinals, Marquette won 70-68 to send at least 12,000+ UConn crazies home disappointed. Without the pre-electronic ticket ability to scalp tickets from the losing schools right on the premises, UConn fans work the Stub Hubs and the Vivid Seats and the Ticket Geeks and even the Box Office and TicketMaster to gobble up every available seat in The Garden.

9:10pm – In the nightcap, No. 15 Xavier rolled on No. 24 Creighton, 80-62.

After all of the pressure-packed, exciting games, the late night semi was one of the few games not to deliver the juice as The Garden gradually emptied out.

By day’s end, St. John’s head coach. Mike Anderson, had a faded red slip and all the rumors had Iona’s disgraced coach, Rick Pitino, as signed sealed and delivered to yet another Catholic School, as he was still coaching his Iona Gaels towards the MAAC championship. (They defeated Marist, 76-55, to advance to the Big Dance with Pitino apparently holding a contract offer from one NYC school as he coached their rival Westchester County foes). Go figure, as St. John’s Anderson and Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing walked into The Garden and the tournament with a pair of the most prestigious coaching jobs in all of sport, and they walked out on the unemployment line.

Saturday, March 11th

6:30pm – No. 1 seeded Marquette, ranked No. 6 nationally, marched off to to 12-2 start and never looked back in the BIG EAST Championship game. They led 33-10 when Conference Player of the Year Tyler Kolek made a lay-up with 7:04 left in the opening half.

Kolek led the Golden Eagles with 20 points, eight rebounds and three assists and Marquette won its first-ever BIG EAST men’s basketball championship in a 65-51, one-sided rout.

In the end, the tough, physical Marquette defense – coach Shaka Smart called it violent – was the reason the championship trophy took a ride to Milwaukee after the all Midwest/Rustbelt BIG EAST final.

Hello? Amtrak?

 

WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: With apologies to Billy Joel – who is now on tour with Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks – “It’s 5 AM on a Saturday and Ohtani gives me a smile, because the World Baseball Classic can be, one of the most entertaining events you can see, when the fans at the Big Egg cheer for a while.”

Saturday morning, Japan defeated the Czech Republic, 10-2, at Tokyo Dome (a.k.a. The Big Egg) and are now 3-0 in their pool.

The USA has yet to play but will open Saturday evening with a game against Great Britain at Chase Field in Arizona. For you early morning readers on Sunday, FS1 will be televising Japan vs Australia at 6:00AM (ET).

Much like the FIBA World Cup, this event struggles to get traction in the USA, but the fans around the world seem to love it, especially in Japan. You can count Puerto Rico, The Dominican Republic, Mexico and Venezuela amongst the national teams with the most support.

You must credit Major League Baseball with their efforts to fund and keepin’ on, keepin’ on with the event. If they continue to pound the drum, the event will thrive. It’s halfway there in the USA and Canada.

The time zone challenge is a lot like what the USA TV viewers face when World Cup level events are in Australia, Asia and the Middle East.

First Round at The PLAYERS

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By TERRY LYONS

PONTE VEDRA BEACH – The 2021 FedEx Cup champion, Patrick Cantlay, has finished in the Top Five in each of his last two starts and is the only player to do so at the last two designated events (The Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational). That stated, Cantlay missed the cut in each of the last three PLAYERS Championships and has not finished better than T22 (2017).

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World No. 6 Xander Schauffele, who won three times on TOUR during the 2021-22 season, finished T2 at the 2018 PLAYERS Championship but has missed the cut in each of his three appearances since.

Max Homa, one of two players with multiple titles on TOUR this season (along with Jon Rahm), is making his third start at THE PLAYERS and is coming off a T-13 in 2022.

The 2021 PLAYERS Championship winner, Justin Thomas, holds a scoring average of 70.48 at THE PLAYERS, the lowest of any player with a minimum of 15 rounds played on record (1983-present). With a win, Thomas would become the seventh player to win multiple titles at THE PLAYERS and first to accomplish the feat since Tiger Woods in 2013. Thomas is the only player that won on the PGA TOUR in each season from 2015-16 through 2021-22 and can extend his streak to eight seasons with a win at THE PLAYERS.

Most PLAYERS Championship wins (*not held at TPC Sawgrass)

  • 3 Jack Nicklaus 1974*, 1976*, 1978*
  • 2 Tiger Woods 2001, 2013
  • 2 Davis Love III 1992, 2003
  • 2 Hal Sutton 1983, 2000
  • 2 Steve Elkington 1991, 1997
  • 2 Fred Couples 1984, 1996

World No. 1

For the fourth time in the last five weeks, the No. 2 and No. 3 players are contending for the No. 1 position in the Official World Golf Ranking. Both Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, who have previously held the World No. 1 position this season, have a chance to return to No. 1.

Recent World No. 1 Timeline

  • March 27, 2022 Scottie Scheffler won WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, moved to No. 1
  • October 23, 2022 (30 weeks later) Rory McIlroy won THE CJ CUP, moved to No. 1
  • February 12, 2023 (16 weeks later) Scottie Scheffler won the WM Phoenix Open, moved to No. 1
  • February 19, 2023 (1 week later) Jon Rahm won The Genesis Invitational, moved to No. 1

The PLAYERS | Tournament Facts

COURSE: TPC Sawgrass – THE PLAYERS Stadium Course, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

YARDS/PAR: 7,256 yards/Par 72

ARCHITECTS: Pete Dye

PRIZE Money – Purse: $25,000,000 with Winner: $4,500,000

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Cameron Smith

PAST RESULTS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 600

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @THEPLAYERSChamp

How to Watch: In case of changes, visit: (PGATourCom)

The PLAYERS | The Basics

The Tee Times at TPC Sawgrass will run from 6:50am (ET) to 1:51pm (ET).

Weather: Today’s forecast is for mostly sunny skies and temperatures hovering around 72 degrees. There’s only a 2% chance of rain and winds will blow at 12 mph. There’s a 75% chance of rain on Friday while the weekend forecast looks good.

Tournament Web Site: (link)