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Sox Take Two of Three from O’s

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Wire Service Accounts) – After taking two of three from the visiting Baltimore Orioles on this 2023 season opening series, the Boston Red Sox know scoring nine runs in every game is satisfying — though not sustainable.

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“We’re probably not going to average nine runs a game all year long,” Kiké Hernández said after collecting two of the team’s 14 hits in a 9-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday. “But I do believe that’s what we’re capable of.”

Coming off a last-place finish in 2022 and predicted to finish at the bottom of the AL East again this season, the Red Sox opened by beating Baltimore two out of three — scoring nine runs in each game. They are the third team in baseball history to score at least nine in three straight games to start a season, joining Cincinnati’s 1976 Big Red Machine and the ’78 Milwaukee Brewers known as “Bambi’s Bombers.”

One day after amassing four hits, including a walk-off homer, Adam Duvall had three more hits — two doubles and a two-run single to break a fifth-inning tie. The free agent outfielder collected his sixth extra-base hit of the season, becoming the first player in franchise history with six in his first three games with the team.

“We all knew that he was going to love Fenway Park, he’s going to love the Green Monster being that close,” Hernández said. “He drives in runs; that’s what he does. And when he hits the ball he hits it very hard. So so far, that’s been great.”

Tanner Houck (1-0) lasted five innings – the longest outing for a Red Sox starter this season — giving up three runs, five hits and a walk while striking out five. Hernández hit a solo homer, and Rafael Devers, Masataka Yoshida and Alex Verdugo each had two of Boston’s 14 hits.

Duvall played the first 10 years of his career in the NL before signing with Boston this offseason. But he already knew he liked Fenway Park, batting .407 with six homers and 12 RBI in six interleague games.

“He has done damage in this stadium before, and we’ve seen it,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “But to do it with us means a lot. And to see that wall 81 times — hopefully plus — I think there’s a comfort level for him.”

After falling behind by six runs in each of the first two games, Boston led 3-0 after three innings. The Orioles tied it in the fifth with home runs by Adam Frazier and Cedric Mullins, but the Red Sox came back with three in the bottom half.

Sox Slumping but Ready to head North

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FT. MYERS – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Red Sox (14-12-4; .560) currently rank 5th in the Grapefruit League. The Sox are 5-12-1 in their last 17 games following a 14-game unbeaten streak (11-0- 3), including wins over Northeastern University and Puerto Rico at the start of Spring Training. Prior to this year, the longest spring training unbeaten streak for the Red Sox against any opponents was 12 games (11-0-1 in 1949).

Fans hold a sign outside of Fenway Park to honor the Marathon bombing victims

Sox first baseman Triston Casas ranks in the top 5 among qualified Grapefruit League players in AVG (2nd, .346), OBP (T-5th, .396), SLG (2nd, .615), OPS (3rd, 1.040), hits (T-5th, 18), and runs scored (T-4th, 11).

Sox oft-injured SP, Chris Sale, made the start on Sunday and threw 5.0 innings of ball, allowing five hits and two earned runs. Sale struck out three and walked two batters.

Red Sox Sign Non-Roster Camp Invitees

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Boston Red Sox have added 10 non-roster invitees to the team’s 2023 Spring Training roster: right-handed pitchers Dan Altavilla, Taylor Broadway, Durbin Feltman, Victor Santos, and Chase Shugart; infielders Christian Koss and Matthew Lugo; infielder/outfielders Ryan Fitzgerald and Nick Sogard; and catcher Stephen Scott. Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom made the announcement.

Dan Altavilla, RHP – Altavilla, 30, did not pitch in 2022 while recovering from Tommy John surgery performed in June 2021. The right-hander last pitched in 2021, making two relief appearances with the San Diego Padres. He owns a 4.03 ERA (52 ER/116.0 IP) in 119 career Major League outings with the Seattle Mariners (2016-20) and San Diego (2020-21), holding opponents to a .220 batting average (93-for-423) and .388 slugging percentage. The Pennsylvania native was selected by Seattle in the fifth round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of Mercyhurst University. He pitched for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League in the summer of 2013.

Taylor Broadway, RHP – Broadway, 25, will be attending his first Major League Spring Training camp. The right-hander was acquired by Boston from the Chicago White Sox on August 30, 2022, completing the August 1 trade for Jake Diekman. In five outings with Double-A Portland after joining the Red Sox organization, he allowed one earned run over 6.0 innings with 10 strikeouts and no walks. Broadway spent most of 2022 at the Double-A level, going 4-2 with a 4.39 ERA (27 ER/55.1 IP) and 84 strikeouts between Birmingham (37 outings) and Portland. The Texas native was selected by the White Sox in the sixth round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Mississippi.

Durbin Feltman, RHP – Feltman, 25, will be attending his third consecutive Major League Spring Training camp with Boston. He spent all of 2022 with Triple-A Worcester, posting a 7.63 ERA (41 ER/48.1 IP) with 56 strikeouts in 40 outings. The right-hander has made 144 career minor league appearances, all in relief, going 14-10 with a 4.79 ERA (93 ER/174.2 IP) and 208 strikeouts. Named Red Sox Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year by the organization in 2021, the Texas native was selected by Boston in the third round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of Texas Christian University.

Victor Santos, RHP – Santos, 22, finished his first full season with the Red Sox organization in 2022 after being acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in July 2021. He posted a 4.97 ERA (80 ER/145.0 IP), setting career highs in strikeouts (126), appearances (28), and starts (25) between Double-A Portland (19 appearances/16 starts) and Triple-A Worcester (nine starts). Following the season, he pitched for Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Professional Baseball League, recording a 1.88 ERA (3 ER/14.1 IP) in 11 appearances (three starts). Signed out of the Dominican Republic by Philadelphia in November 2016, the right-hander owns a 3.72 ERA (184 ER/ 445.0 IP) with 0.97 home runs allowed per 9.0 innings over 101 career minor league appearances (71 starts).

Chase Shugart, RHP – Shugart, 26, will be attending his first Major League Spring Training camp. The right-hander split the 2022 season between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester, going 5-5 with a 5.31 ERA (37 ER/62.2 IP) in 45 appearances (one start) while making his debut at each level. Following the season, he pitched for Estrellas Orientales of the Dominican Professional Baseball League, allowing six runs in 3.1 innings over four appearances. Selected by Boston in the 12th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Texas at Austin, Shugart is 17-16 with a 4.13 ERA (122 ER/265.2 IP) in 87 minor league appearances (43 starts).

Christian Koss, INF – Koss, 25, will be attending his second Major League Spring Training camp after appearing in seven Grapefruit League games last season. In 2022, he batted .260 (127-for-488) in 125 games with Double-A Portland, setting career highs in doubles (22), home runs (17), RBI (84), and stolen bases (16). Following the season, he played for Criollos de Caguas of Liga de Béisbol Professional Roberto Clemente, batting .230 (20-for-87) with three doubles, one triple, and nine RBI in 29 games. A California native, Koss was traded to the Red Sox from the Colorado Rockies on December 3, 2020. The right-handed hitter has batted .277 (306-for-1,106) over 282 career minor league games, making 179 starts at shortstop, 49 at second base, 41 at third base, three in center field, and one in left field.

Matthew Lugo, SS – Lugo, 21, will be attending his first Major League Spring Training camp. In 2022, he batted .282 (135-for-478) with 26 doubles, 10 triples, 18 home runs, and 79 RBI with High-A Greenville (114 games) and Double-A Portland (3 games), leading the South Atlantic League in hits (134), extra-base hits (tied, 53), and triples (tied, 10). Following the season, the Puerto Rico native played for Criollos de Caguas of Liga de Béisbol Professional Roberto Clemente, earning Co-Rookie of the Year honors after batting .275 (33-for-120) with six home runs and 19 RBI in 39 games. A right-handed hitter, Lugo was selected by Boston in the second round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft. He has made 197 starts at shortstop, 26 at third base, and 15 at second base.

Ryan Fitzgerald, INF/OF – Fitzgerald, 28, will be attending his second Major League Spring Training camp after hitting four home runs in 11 Grapefruit League games last season. The left-handed hitter batted .219 (99-for-452) with 26 doubles, four triples, 16 home runs, and 72 RBI in 127 games for Triple-A Worcester in 2022. Signed by Boston as a non-drafted free agent in 2018, the Illinois native has appeared at every defensive position except pitcher and catcher during his minor league career, playing 442 games and making 298 starts at shortstop, 56 at third base, 40 at second base, 18 in right field, 10 in left field, 10 at first base, and nine in center field.

Nick Sogard, INF/OF – Sogard, 25, will be attending his first Major League Spring Training camp. In 2022, the switch-hitter batted .254 (102-for-401) with 22 doubles, two triples, four home runs, and 43 RBI with Double-A Portland (60 games) and Triple-A Worcester (65 games). Following the season, he played for Gigantes del Cibao of the Dominican Professional Baseball League, batting .250 (7-for-28) in eight games. Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays on February 17, 2021, the California native has played in 268 career minor league games and made 107 starts at third base, 73 at second base, 59 at shortstop, nine in right field, three in center field, and two in left field.

Stephen Scott C – Scott, 25, will be attending his first Major League Spring Training camp. The left-handed hitter spent 2022 with Double-A Portland (59 games) and High-A Greenville (37 games), batting .219 (73-for-334) with 19 doubles, 10 home runs, and 45 RBI while making 67 starts at catcher and 28 as the designated hitter. Following the season, he played for the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League, batting .298 (17-for-57) with five home runs and 16 RBI in 15 games. Selected by Boston in the 10th round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of Vanderbilt University, the North Carolina native has hit .255 (207-for-813) with an .812 OPS in 235 career minor league games. Scott has made 85 career starts at catcher, 57 at first base, 48 as the designated hitter, 19 in left field, and 17 in right field.

BOSTON RED SOX 40-MAN ROSTER (40)

Pitchers (21): Brayan Bello, Richard Bleier, Ryan Brasier, Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck, Kenley Jansen, Zack Kelly, Corey Kluber, Chris Martin, Bryan Mata, Wyatt Mills, Chris Murphy, Kaleb Ort, James Paxton, Nick Pivetta, Joely Rodríguez, Chris Sale, John Schreiber, Brandon Walter, Garrett Whitlock, Josh Winckowski

Catchers (2): Reese McGuire, Connor Wong

Infielders (7): Triston Casas, Bobby Dalbec, Rafael Devers, David Hamilton, Adalberto Mondesi, Trevor Story, Justin Turner

Outfielders (6): Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, Adam Duvall, Rob Refsnyder, Alex Verdugo, Masataka Yoshida

Infielder/Outfielders (4): Christian Arroyo, Kiké Hernández, Ceddanne Rafaela, Enmanuel Valdez

Tom Brady Packs It In, For Good

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TAMPA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Former New England Patriots quarterback and seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady is retiring “for good” after 23 seasons in the NFL. Brady, 45, had announced his retirement on the same exact day (Feb. 1) last year, but reversed his decision six weeks later, claiming he had “unfinished business.”

His return to Tampa Bay came after his break-up with his wife, Gisele Bündchen, the world famous model from Brazil.

Brady won six Super Bowls with the Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. Brady’s final season ended in the Bucs’ 31-14 play-off defeat last month.

“I’m retiring – for good,” he said in an emotional video posted to his social media accounts. “I know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when I woke up this morning I figured I’d just press record and let you guys know first.

“It won’t be long-winded. You only get one super emotional retirement essay and I used mine up last year.

“Thank you so much to every single one of you for supporting me – my family, my friends, my team-mates, my competitors. I could go on forever – there’s too many. Thank you for allowing me to live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change a thing. Love you all.”

 

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes – Jan 29th

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While We’re Young (Ideas) – On the NFL and Much More Important Things

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick (File Photo)

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – First things first. The AFC Championship is NOT in Foxboro and the Patriots reportedly are pointing fingers at coach Bill Belichick, his assistant coaches and each other on the reasons why. The tail end of that sentence clearly answers the front end declaration. It’s time for a shake-up at Gillette and the re-hiring of Bill O’Brien will not be enough.

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O’Brien returned to New England after a two-year stint as Nick Saban’s offensive coordinator at Alabama. O’Brien also had brief stints at Penn State as head coach in 2012-13 and a longer run with the head coach of the Houston Texans from 2014-20.

While the Patriots’ defense ranked No. 9 in Opponent Yards per Game and 11th in points allowed per game, it’s certainly the offensive side of the football that needs work. Looking at Special Teams, the Patriots ranked a league worst, according to ESPN’s DVOA (Defense adjusted-Value Over Average) and, the Patriots finished the 2022-23 NFL season at No. 16 in scoring and No. 26 in Yards per Game. Only Indianapolis, Chicago, Carolina, Tennessee, Houston and the LA Rams fared worse on gaining yards. In 3rd Down conversions, New England ranked No. 27 (of 32 NFL teams).

Belichick quickly addressed the issue, hiring O’Brien before the NFC/AFC Championship weekend. That will fill about 25% of the Patriots’ overall hole. The other 75% is on the players – the players on offense.

An interview with Captain Obvious floats the rumors the New York Jets will attempt to acquire longtime Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers just as they did in acquiring Green Bay’s Brett Favre in 2008. The Favre experiment lasted one season. Rodgers? Maybe two, but the trade would put New England at the bottom of the AFC East ladder predictions come September. (In 2022, New England (8-9) barely bested the J-E-T-S (7-10).

For New England, RB Rhamondre Stevenson, a 1,000+ yard rusher in 2022 will have high expectations as a 25-year old come 2023. RB Damien Harris spells Stevenson nicely, so the concentration for Belichick and O’Brien will be elsewhere.

Quarterback Mac Jones with his 84.9 QB rating over 14 games started in ‘22 will be in a make-it-or-break-it season. Bailey Zappe, who will turn 24 in April, is the No. 2 who will never be compared with Josh Allen of Buffalo or Patrick Mahomes of the KC Chiefs.

The NE receiving corps were abysmal. Jacobi Meyers (804 yards on 67 receptions); DeVante Parker (539 yards on 31 receptions); Kendrick Bourne (434 on 35) and tight end Henry Hunter (509 yards on 41 receptions) didn’t get the job done. Meyers had six TDs and the next three combined for six. The Patriots’ braintrust will need to beef up the WRs and TEs either through the free agency market or draft.

It won’t be until the WRs improve that any blame can be placed upon the shoulders of Mac Jones. Unless a minor miracle is performed at Patriot Place, Jones will be the started QB for 2023.

In the NFL Draft (April 27-29), the Patriots will seek help for the offensive line and for a deep-threat wide receiver. Of course Belichick never remains shy if there’s a top-notch corner available when the Patriots pick at No. 14.

That Patriots forecast leads us to Sunday’s NFC (SF 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles) and AFC (Cincinnati Bengals at KC Chiefs) Championship, arguably the best day of the year on the NFL schedule, unless you enjoy endless, two-week long pregame hype and endless $7-million dollar TV ads.

For those who enjoy a trip to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl or the first Thursday/Friday of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, next time, try the NFC/AFC doubleheader which comes along with lesser crowding, better games and some decent regular season hoops (College and NBA) games on Saturday.

From this armchair, the kiss of death for the Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals is that every talking head, every handicapper, former players, known sports gamblers – everybody – is picking a Philadelphia vs Cincinnati Super Bowl.

The lines as of Jan 28th – roughly 24 hours before kick-off:

  • Eagles (-2.5) over 49ers
  • Chiefs (-1.5) over Bengals

The pontificating pigskin public first saw the Eagles at (-1.5) while the Chiefs were getting (+1) on the opening.

The O/U for the Niners v Eagles opened at (45.5) and stands at (46.0).

The O/U for the Bengals at Chiefs opened at (46.5) and is up to (48).

Call me crazy, I like the Niners getting 2.5 and would not be afraid of the (+130) ML while I really like the KC Chiefs. Rumor has it a lot of “sharp” money came in on KC early.

KC will do or die by their secondary coverage of WRs Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. I think KC can keep Chase under wraps, maybe a TD. Higgins can be the deciding factor as Cincy QB Joe Burrows will hit the open man. RB Joe Mixon on short screens could be a factor more so than via his straight run game.

The emergence of RB Isiah Pacheco for the Chiefs and the sure-fire, can’t stop it QB Patrick Mahomes to TE Travis Kelce will be enough to guide the Chiefs at Arrowhead. That said, a re-injury to Mahomes’ high ankle sprain would be disastrous for KC.

For SF, it’s all about Christian McCaffrey and the 49ers’ solid defense to match Philly. Any wavering by the Eagles in the first half will bring the pressure of the “Linc” down upon a playoff inexperienced roster. The Niners will need (at least) six points from their defense.

It’s kick-off time at 3:00pm (ET) (FOX) at Philly and roughly 6:30pm, call it 7:00pm if the game runs long, at Kansas City on CBS.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The NBA announced that they’ll pick sides for the annual NBA All-Star Game right before the game begins. Besides watching the Consumer Products guys flip-out providing proper jerseys and numbers and the Courtside stat inputter have a canary typing in the players/teams into the computers, it should make for a lot of fun.

The bad news, it should result in more “three point shots” being chucked-up as the coaches won’t even have a single practice to put in a few offensive sets to run. The talent of the NBA players will rise when the coaches put in some offense being run by nearly every team, but may God bless the point guards if they can organize any kind of half-court game.

The knee-jerk when the offenses aren’t in sync is for the ball to go up from three-point-land in the Mike D’Antoni style of “Seven Seconds of Less.” That concept calls for a shot to go up before the defense gets back. In other words, get the shot when the 24-second shot clock reads … 18-17. Last February, Steph Curry hit (16) three-pointers, shooting 16-of-27 from behind the arc. He had 50 points.

The number(s) to beat are (90) attempts by Team LeBron in 2019 when the game had a record (167) three-point field goal attempts. Sheesh.

TID-BITS: A copy of “How Basketball Can Save the World,” by David Hollander magically appeared in the mailbox of WWYI on Friday. Funny how that happens, isn’t it? Upon a quick flip today, the book looks like a job very well done. I can’t wait to find time to delve deep and read every syllable, then re-read it all again. First thought was that the book should be REQUIRED reading for every collegiate Sociology and Sports Business Management class in the world. More to come.

They call them “The Joker(s)” because American fans have trouble pronouncing Denver Nuggets’ MVP candidate Nikola Jokic or tennis great Novak Djokovic who will face “the Greek Tzatziki” in Stefanos Tsitsipas at 3:30am (ET) this morning. Set your alarm clock or your iPhone alarms.

QUARTERLY REPORT: As will be the custom – as often as a quarterly basis, the investment wing of WWYI Enterprises will reveal its most recent plays in the market. Some are successful while others are not. We tip our hat and tap our ice hockey sticks to our mentor in the investment world, Ralph Kramden. Old Ralph boy made significant investments in a few beauties. Here are just a few:

  • No Cal Pizza
  • A Parking Lot Next to the Movie Theatre (How would he know it was a Drive-In)?
  • The Handy Housewife Helper (MUST WATCH here)

Here’s our Quarterly Portfolio:

  • Sizable Investment in a new Theatrical Show: Chartreuse Man Group
  • 10,000 Shares in: The Fire-and-Brimstone Tire Company
  • 100,000 Shares in: The Lava Fence (*clinical trial failed in Hawaii)
  • Controlling interest in Oscar Madison Square Garden Network

ONE SMALL STEP FOR HOMA, ONE GIANT LEAP for the PGA TOUR: Did you see the clip of PGA Tour pro Max Homa walking toward his ball on the 13th hole at Torrey Pines? If not, watch this and I’ll pick it up “on the other side.”

Twitter avatar for @GolfonCBS

Golf on CBS ⛳ @GolfonCBS
Mic’d up Max Homa ‼️🎤 “If I can hit this thing to 5 feet then I’m too good to be only 7 under.” 😂
HOME MIC’D UP:

First, let’s credit Max Homa for his participation and willingness to do an interview DURING his round of professional golf.

Secondly, credit the top notch interview skills of newly crowned golf commentator Trevor Immelman who made his CBS lead commentator debut this week. Add, equal praise for both Ian Baker-Finch and Frank Nobilo. With all three, the line of questioning was perfect for both a 1-handicap or a newcomer to the game of golf.

With the pressure applied to the PGA Tour by the LIV golf circuit, there will be more and more interaction with the PGA Tour players during their rounds, in addition to the usual before or after. It seems the players, as a group, realize the stakes have been raised and this is the time to forge cooperation with the Tour’s network partners.

Meanwhile, LIV Golf settled for a US television deal with the CW Network and moved their final event from Miami to Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) to take place November 3-5 – a good two months after the PGA Tour crowns its FEDEx CUP champion at the TOUR Championship to be played at East Lake in Atlanta (before the NFL season kicks-off).

WE LOVE THE TEAM VALUATIONS, HERE’s to the EPL:

Again, tip of the cap to our friends at Sportico for the hard work that goes into making these valuations, here’s the list of the Top 5 English Premier League clubs:

  1. Manchester United – $5.95 billion
  2. Liverpool – $4.71 billion
  3. Manchester City – $4.43 billion
  4. Arsenal – $3.6 billion
  5. Chelsea – $3.47 billion

The “average” Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise is worth $582 million. Not too shabby.

Parting Words

I DO NOT know where to start, so I’ll wing it on a topic far too important to take lightly. Better said, I’ll just try to do my best:

It wasn’t until about 2008 or so when I really learned there are some bad people in this everyday world, all with a single common denominator of evil overtaking them and their minds and actions. It’s prevalent in every single workplace, every field, every industry, in every single corner of the earth. Why? I do not know.

It took me 48 years to understand it and much was taught to me by my friend and former NBA colleague, Bob Delaney, who faced certain evils as a New Jersey State Trooper at the ripe age of 23, as he went undercover to try to bust up a major crime syndicate on the Jersey side of the Hudson. He wrote of it in his book, COVERT, recently re-printed as demand continued for a good true-crime book. Bob stressed they were just a bunch of “regular guys” who would bump off a delivery truck on the way to attend a First Holy Communion ceremony and then meet-up with each other for a Sunday family party.

Yes, I had heard about it. Yes, I had watched it unfold but as psuedo-comedy shows or motion pictures, such as “The Sopranos” or “Goodfellas.” I’d never heard it “live” like we saw on tape from a light pole in Memphis Friday night.

We – at the NBA – had a criminal rogue referee betray all we had done in our basketball lives, a wonderful force of like-minded people were all spreading the basketball gospel. Until THUD. A ref and his high school ‘friends” betting on the games. “GUILTY,” said the Judge.

“There are bad guys everywhere,” said Delaney to me as I was shaken to the core by someone who would undermine our game and all the work that was put-in over the years.

That basketball moment was important to me at the time, but this… this disgrace in Memphis … this total undermining of the entire law enforcement society built to protect us all … is disgusting and CRIMINAL.

Yes, I believe in the “innocent until proven guilty by a jury of your peers,” but damn, it’s on tape.

So, let the justice system do its job. The big Blue Shield has been exposed once again, evil overtaking the good of all the people of Memphis. The people who need their police to protect them, not kick them to death.

It burns me (and everyone on the right side of the law) up. It undermines and disappoints us to the highest degree possible.

What’s left? What can we do other than to pray for the people of Memphis, for the deceased (Mr. Tyre Nichols) and his family. Pray for peace and justice in Memphis at this precise time in our nation’s sorely blemished history.

Pray for healing. It’s not the answer but simply a remedy for the growing illness of evil.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Jan 22

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While We’re Young (Ideas) | Time Flies for Patriots and Sox

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Glance over your shoulder and 2018 doesn’t seem all that long ago. But five years in the NFL equates to a player’s career counted in dog years and Blake Bortles, Leonard Fournette and the Jacksonville Jags laying a 28-14 whoopin’ on the Pittsburgh Steelers is a long way back.

The Steelers battled back that January and Jaguars squeaked by to face the vaunted Patriots defeated Jacksonville, 24-20 to win the AFC Championship on January 21, 2018. The National Football League “Goliaths” somehow lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, 41-33, that February but would bounce back a year later to win their second Super Bowl title in three years, their sixth title in the Tom Brady–Bill Belichick era.

Since then, the Jags built, re-built, sucked and re-built again with two of the best young players in the game today. Tanking a la carte.

How fragile it can be in the NFL.

Over at the old ballpark, the Boston Red Sox won four World Series titles from 2004 to 2018, that magical year at Fenway. Steve Pearce was the World Series and Mookie Betts was the MVP of the American League just five years ago.

A lifetime ago in Major League Baseball years, free agency and all. Old Dog years.

We have just 22 days until Pitchers & Catchers report to spring training and the scouting reports for the Sox project another possible last place finish in the AL East, a division loaded with talent, from the 99-win New York Yankees seemingly on the way up to the Wild Card holders Tampa Bay and Toronto to the immensely talented Baltimore Orioles, winners of 83 games last season.

The 2023 Sox?

One can predict ahead to the strength of a baseball team by looking straight up the middle. For Boston, because of the loss of SS Xander Bogaerts to free agency to the oft-injured Trevor Story, the men-in-the-middle will be challenged. Take a quick look at the depth chart:

  • Catcher: Reese McGuire
  • 2B: Christian Arroyo
  • SS: Kiké Hernandez
  • CF: Rob Refsnyder
  • SP: Chris Sale; Corey Kluber, Nick Pivetta and – maybe – James Paxton

Suspect, at best. Cellar-dwellers, at worst.

So what do those stubborn and spoiled New Englanders do for their sports fix in 2023?

The Boston Bruins of the NHL are a league leading 36-5-4 with a whopping 76 points through 45 games (not including Saturday night). The Bruins are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and an astonishing 21-1-3 at TD Garden, never a fortress of Ws.

Bruins goalkeeper Linus Ullmark of Sweden is the favorite for the league’s Vezina Trophy for best goaltending with his 1.89 goals against average and his .937 save percentage, both figures topping NHL goaltenders.

Forward David Pastrnak leads Boston in scoring with 63 points, good enough to rank T-4th in the NHL. Pastrnak has 35 goals and seems to be warming up after a bit of a slow start to the 2022-23 season. Forwards Brad Marchand and team captain Patrice Bergeron returned for injuries, Bergeron was considering retirement as his longtime goalkeep Tuukka Raskhad decided to hang-up the skates in ‘22.

Forwards David Krejci (1,000 games into his career) and left wings Taylor Hall and Jake DeBrusk have picked up the scoring to round-out a very consistent offense – both home and on the road.

Some of this might be news to out-of-towners, but for Bostonians the buzz for a busy April-May-and possibly-June surround the Garden.

Across the Hall, the same goes for the Boston Celtics, league leaders in W-Ls, winners of nine-of-ten and nine in a row after gutting out a 121-118 OT win over the visiting Golden State Warriors on Thursday and a 106-104 win over Toronto on Saturday, January 21st, in a game that stayed locked at the final score for the final 1:13.

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is in a four player race for league MVP, along with international stars Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Doncic, an amazing stat considering only 25% of the NBA player rosters consist of international players. Joel Embiid of Philly by way of Cameroon, might be a distant fifth in the race.

The Celtics, after a 2022 NBA Finals loss to Golden State last summer, are primed, deep and ready for the next step. Only injuries might stand in their way and they are coming quite often. Of late, guard Marcus Smart, last season’s Defensive Player of the Year, and Robert Williams are both sidelined as of Saturday. Smart left the Cs game against the Raptors with an injured ankle while Williams Saturday hyperextended the same left knee he had surgery upon last March. Tatum has been playing through a sore left wrist and might skip some time as he did against the Raptors.

It’s a ways until the NBA All-Star Week in Salt Lake City and the NHL All-Star Game in sunny Sunrise, Florida. Until the mid-season classics are in the book and the dog-days of March play-out, the NBA and NHL playoff seedings are very much up for grabs. Only the health of the players can determine success come springtime.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Front Office Sports delved into the wonderful world of Pickleball after Major League Pickleball (we’re not joking) unveiled its A-list team of investors for its 24-team league. KC Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is in on the action as are tennis stars Naomi Osaka and Chris Evert, nevermind supermodel and adidas influencer Heidi Klum.

Other investors include Major League Baseball pitcher Justin Verlander and his wife, the model and actress Kate Upton, German soccer star Mesut Ӧzil, former National Basketball Association stars Jeremy Lin and Dirk Nowitzki, and former NFL wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald

Major League Pickleball also unveiled its final two franchises to be added to the league, with the St. Louis Shock and Orlando Squeeze joining ahead of the 2023 tournament/season starting this month.

The addition of the two new teams completes the expansion to 24 teams that the league announced in December. The Shock’s ownership group will be headed by Richard Chaifetz and his son Ross, while Ryan DeVos will front he new ownersship group of the Squeeze.

The DeVos family, who own the NBA’s Orlando Magic and Major League Soccer’s Orlando City, invested in the newly formed Pro Volleyball Federation through an ownership group for a new franchise in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

TID-BITS: New York-based venture capital firm Courtside Ventures is now launching its third fund, focusing on early-stage companies involved in sports, digital media, fitness and gaming. Courtside announced a new raise of $100m – much from current NBA team ownership groups.

NBA POWER RATINGS: This listing should probably await the NBA All-Star break, but here’s an early look as the second half of the season fast approaches:

  1. Boston Celtics
  2. Denver Nuggets
  3. Milwaukee Bucks
  4. Memphis Grizzlies
  5. Philadelphia 76ers
  6. Brooklyn Nets (injuries a factor)
  7. Sacramento Kings (winners of six straight)
  8. New Orleans Pelicans
  9. Cleveland Cavaliers
  10. Dallas Mavericks

Perennial NBA playoff qualifiers, like the Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, LA Clippers and Lakers, Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz, might be in trouble.

The upcoming NBA Trading Deadline (Thursday, February 9) could put some intrigue in the air around stalled franchises, like hot-start Portland (10-4 start, now sitting at 21-24).

NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL POWER: The men’s college basketball conference championships and “March Madness” are on the horizon. Teams in the BIG 10, ACC, BIG EAST, Big 12 & Pac 12, SEC, American Athletic (just Houston, really), and the West Coast Conference (figuring Gonzaga will be there in the long haul) are all battling it out within conference. Here’s a short list of the teams to watch through the end of February

  1. Purdue
  2. Houston
  3. Kansas
  4. Alabama
  5. UCLA
  6. Xavier
  7. Texas
  8. Gonzaga
  9. Tennessee
  10. Virginia
  11. Arizona
  12. Iowa State
  13. Kansas State
  14. UConn
  15. TCU
  16. Auburn

There’s still a VERY long way to go. Don’t turn your backs on Duke, North Carolina, Marquette, Miami, Clemson and Providence. It’s 49 days until Selection Sunday.

NHL POWER RATINGS: Lastly, a quick look at the NHL’s best:

  1. Boston Bruins
  2. Carolina Hurricanes
  3. Toronto Maple Leafs
  4. New Jersey Devils
  5. Tampa Bay Lightning
  6. Dallas Stars
  7. Winnipeg Jets
  8. Seattle Kraken
  9. Vegas Golden Knights
  10. New York Rangers

Look out for those Rangers, while the Kings, Oilers, Caps, Wild, Penguins, Calgary and Avalanche are all within the realm of Stanley Cup Playoffs contenders in 2023.

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, news, quotes and quips. TL’s Sunday Sports Notes – brought to you by Digital Sports Desk.

TL’s Sports Notebook | Jan. 8th

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While We’re Young (Ideas) on NFL, Damar Hamlin and Tons of Notes

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Staying in the moment. It’s the sports equivalent of being cool. Staying cool and calm. The term is usually uttered by coaches who preach to their players to worry about the next play and not to look back at a missed opportunity, a missed shot, a missed field goal from the third quarter. When the game is on the line, stay in the moment.

The Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals are the two up & coming, rock solid AFC teams, challenging the proud and proven Kansas City Chiefs. Last Monday night, with the Bengals leading the Bills, 7-3, with about six minutes remaining in the first quarter of an incredibly important NFL game, the world stopped for Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin.

A few of the players on the field panicked and screamed for help. The ESPN Monday Night Football crew froze and did their best to keep an commentary to a minimum and, unfortunately – FILL TIME. To their credit, there was zero speculation.

Truly staying in the moment were the combination of:

  • The Buffalo Bills’ athletic training team
  • The Cincinnati Bengals’ athletic trainers
  • The visiting team Emergency Response Unit

As the unimaginable horror played out from television cameras right into our TV or living rooms, the medial team(s) stayed in the moment and responded in a matter of seconds. Then, they did their jobs. They worked as a cohesive unit, well trained and executing immediate, life-saving mechanisms to quickly revive Damar Hamlin.

Damar Hamlin, Safety, Buffalo Bills

At the time, it was unbeknownst to Hamlin’s teammates and opponents, to a Paycor Stadium crowd of 65,515+ and a MNF record national television audience of 23.8 million, but the medical teams were performing life-saving CPR and utilizing a cardioversion machine (defibrillator) to spark Hamlin’s heart back to rhythm after his cardiac arrest episode.

Although ESPN opted NOT to show a replay, other news outlets (CBS the next morning, CNN and others) showed the brute force of Bengals wide-receiver Tee Higgins (6-4, 219 lbs) out of Clemson barreling through the line. Hamlin made a move, then a football play to make a tackle of the wide-receiving version of NFL freight train Derrick Henry, a running back for the Tennessee Titans. It was a play performed 1,000 times a season but on Monday Night, the timing and positioning of the impact, combined with the milli-second timing of Hamlin’s heartbeat created the catastrophic series of events.

From the field, the transportation to the nearby University of Cincinnati Medical Center where trauma teams were notified and ready to respond. All in a matter of seconds – on the field – and minutes once the Bills-Bengals-and-EMS services stabilized Hamlin. All of that precious speed obviously saved his life. The medical team stayed in their moment, did their jobs and, much to their credit, not a word was uttered to fuel speculation to the national audience.

Hamlin’s immediate family was at the game, so they were getting confidential first-hand information. Media hustled to UC Medical Center but were asked to report from blocks away from the Emergency Room, thoughtfully as no one could predict another trauma situation in progress from another part of town.

The key elements from the night:

  • Everyone, from teammates and opponents to coaches to fans to the NFL kept the life of Damar Hamlin as their first and only priority. Even geeks in Fantasy sports leagues put the player first.
  • That fact resonated everywhere. Everyone did the right thing, especially the medical teams.
  • Cincinnati Bengals ticket holders filed out of the Stadium, many in small prayer vigils – all in full understanding of the severity and importance of the situation.
  • Bills fans filed out as well, in shock and worried. Bengals fans walked with them arm-in-arm, in silence.
  • Almost immediately, a charity Toys for Kids fund that Hamlin had started this winter saw donations flowing in so fast, they brought a $3,900 fund balance to $8,327,000 in a matter of four days. Most of the donations are not rounded to zero, but finish with a three – Hamlin’s uniform number. Some donations are $3,333.

While he remains in critical condition, and that is never to be overlooked, Hamlin’s medical team has been encouraged with day-by-day improvement and medical proof of positive neurology and all movement. The news also included a sign that every competitor in the world related to, right away.

Hamlin’s first question, once heart support and breathing tubes were removed and he could speak free of any medical machinery, was the question that proved why the University of Pittsburgh product from McKees Rocks, PA – a town of 5,920 in Western Pennsylvania – is a coach’s dream.

“Did we win?”

The Red Panda was at Boston College for the BC v Duke game

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: When the Red Panda unpacked her unicycle at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, the fans of Boston College basketball knew it was a big game. The Duke Blue Devils were in town and Conte was sold-out, although with the student body home on Christmas break rather than boarding at The Heights, many fans wore Duke blue rather than BC’s maroon and gold.

Saturday, Boston College (8-8, 2-3) had a legitimate chance to beat ACC rival and blue blood Duke (12-4, 3-2), ranked No. 16 in the nation in men’s college basketball. Duke’s Kyle Filipowski made the difference when he drained two free throws for a 65-64 advantage with 0:12 seconds remaining.

BC’s final play ran amok and Makai Ashton-Langford missed a jumper and a scramble and ridiculous and unnecessary Duke inbounds play allowed BC a final desperation heave by BC’s 7-footer Quintin Post which rattled off the backboard.

These are the games a team like Duke wins. Under new coach Jon Scheyer, the Blue Devils shot 89.5% from the free throw line as they shot 17-of-19, indicative of an afternoon of powering it inside to take advantage of mis-matches and height advantages. BC shot a respectable 85.7% from the line but shot only 6-of-7 because of perimeter jump shots rather than any success of working an inside game against their conference opponent.

The color commentator cliches of controlling the boards, limiting turnovers, winning the contest for 50-50 balls and hitting free throws proved correct. In fact, BC forced 15 Duke turnovers while the Eagles kept their TOs to nine.

Duke finds a way to win and winning an ACC game on the road is a major accomplishment. Don’t be surprised if the Blue Devils are in the ACC Tournament finals and play deep into March as they continue to improve throughout January and February.

ALL THE ROWDY FRIENDS ARE HERE FOR MONDAY NIGHT: When Georgia faces upstart TCU on Monday night for the college football national championship, Georgia coach Kirby Smart will be looking at the typical W-L barometers as the difference-makers. What will he he look for in his team in such an important game? “Well, the same thing it does in every football game — who can control the line of scrimmage, who can be explosive, who doesn’t turn the ball over.

“The game never changes. You just have more cameras here. You have more people viewing, bigger stage, a lot further away from home. But football’s football. And our guys prepare for that – really – all year. So we’ve got to go play a really, really good football team and we’ll have to play one of our best games of the year to be able to compete.”

It’s that simple and that difficult to win a national championship.

TO TANK OR NOT TO TANK: While most NFL fans will be scoreboard watching for home field advantages, higher playoff seeds or “win and in” scenarios in the NFL’s final week of play, the fans of the Houston Texans (2-13-1, .156) and the Chicago Bears (3-13-0, .188) will be watching for the position to hold the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. … While the NBA and the NHL have moved to Lottery events to include multiple clubs to determine the top pick in their respective drafts, the NFL lets it ride. May the worst team win, tank or no tank. … Chicago hosts NFC North rival Minnesota with the Vikings (-7). … Meanwhile Houston is on the road to a (4-11-1) Indianapolis Colts team, nearly as inept as the Bears/Texans crew. Houston is getting (+2.5) points but the chances of them winning and dropping the No. 1 pick is one in a million.

NBA Sports Desk: Christmas Round-Up

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston forward Jayson Tatum posted his fifth straight 30-point game, leading the Boston Celtics with 41 en route to a 139-118 Christmas Day win over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.

Embed from Getty Images

Tatum and Jaylen Brown (29 points) combined for 70 points in a game for the eighth time in their careers. Tatum added seven rebounds, five assists and three steals as Boston won back-to-back games.

Derrick White, Grant Williams and Al Horford also scored in double figures, helping Boston shoot 19 of 39 from 3-point range. Marcus Smart handed out eight assists.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had a team-high 27 points, while Jrue Holiday finished with 23, Brook Lopez scored 16 and Massachusetts native Pat Connaughton added 15 on four 3-pointers in Milwaukee’s third straight loss.

Nuggets 128, Suns 125 (OT)

Nikola Jokic had 41 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists, Aaron Gordon added 28 points and 13 rebounds and host Denver beat Phoenix in overtime.

Jamal Murray scored 26 points for the Nuggets, who have won four straight. Denver trailed by eight midway through the final period before rallying.

Landry Shamet tied his career high with 31 points for Phoenix, which lost its third game in a row. Deandre Ayton had 22 points and 16 rebounds and Chris Paul amassed 17 points and 16 assists, but Devin Booker exited due to a groin injury in the first quarter.

76ers 119, Knicks 112

Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid had 35 points and eight rebounds, James Harden added 29 points and 13 assists and Philadelphia defeated host New York at Madison Square Garden..

Georges Niang contributed 16 points and De’Anthony Melton had 15 for the Sixers, who won their eighth in a row without injured guard Tyrese Maxey.

Julius Randle led the Knicks with 35 points and eight rebounds while Jalen Brunson added 23 points and 11 assists. Brunson went to the locker room with 3:59 left in the fourth quarter with an undisclosed injury and sat out the remainder of the game on the bench.

Mavericks 124, Lakers 115

Luka Doncic scored 32 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out nine assists, and Dallas outscored visiting Los Angeles by 30 points in the third quarter to take control in a Christmas Day win.

The Lakers held a 54-43 lead at halftime behind LeBron James’ strong start, but they gave up a season-high 51 points to the Mavericks in a pivotal third quarter. James went on to finish with 38 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Christian Wood had 30 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals, and Tim Hardaway Jr. shot 6 of 14 from beyond the arc en route to 26 points for the Mavericks.

Warriors 123, Grizzlies 109

Jordan Poole bombed in a team-high 32 points before getting ejected and the short-handed Golden State Warriors outgunned the foul-plagued Memphis Grizzlies 123-109 on Sunday in San Francisco in a highly anticipated rematch of the Western Conference semifinals.

Playing without Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins, the Warriors still managed to outscore the Grizzlies 54-27 from 3-point range en route to their 13th home win in 15 attempts this season.

–Field Level Media

Fire Sale: Are Sox Cleaning House?

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report; Originally Reported in New York Post) – Boston left-hander Chris Sale is not on the trade block, but the Red Sox are reportedly listening to inquiries about his availability.

The team’s willingness to field offers is based on the belief that its starting rotation has depth, the New York Post reported Saturday.

After the loss of shortstop Xander Bogaerts in free agency, and the expected move of Trevor Story to the position, the Red Sox have a big infield hole to fill and could use a pitcher as trade collateral.

The Red Sox have six potential starter candidates less than two months before the start of spring training: Sale, left-hander James Paxton, and right-handers Nick Pivetta, Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck and Brayan Bello.

Sale signed a five-year, $145 million contract with the Red Sox in March 2019 and is under contract through the 2024 season. It includes a full no-trade clause.

Still, the Red Sox haven’t gotten much return from their investment in Sale, who will turn 34 just before the start of the 2023 season, because of injuries.

The seven-time All-Star underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the 2020 season, not returning to MLB action until August 2021.

In 2022, Sale missed time due to a rib stress fracture, a finger fracture and a broken right wrist. The latter resulted from a bicycle accident and ended his season.

As a result, he has pitched just 48 1/3 innings over the past three seasons combined.

Sale is 114-75 lifetime with a 3.03 ERA in 323 games (243 starts) for the Chicago White Sox (2010-16) and Red Sox. His rate of 11.07 strikeouts per nine innings is the highest all-time.

–Reporting from Field Level Media

TL’s Christmas Notes: December 25th

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Longtime readers of my column will remember the reprint of this Christmas Day column by Shelby Strother of the Detroit News. It’s a keeper and really hits home as I remember trading the baseball mitts and pro footballs in for a typewriter and a Mylec Air Flow hockey stick. The column, along with dozens of others, is included in Saddlebags, a collection of Shelby’s favorites and his best from a career that spanned from Satellite Beach, Florida/Florida Today to the Denver Post to the Detroit News.

I’ve read this column at least a thousand times and enjoy it the same each and every time. Here’s hoping you do too.

After all, “Sometimes the gift is simply the freedom to imagine. There may be no greater one.”

Each Christmas Day Contains the Past, Present and Future

By SHELBY STROTHER

It did not matter that the wind-chill was life threatening. It was Christmas morning, and a bright sun stabbed the frozen land. And children were playing.

The decision over which to play with – the official World Cup soccer ball or the Turbo Football – never materialized. With all the snow, a soccer match was out of the question. So spirals of pink and black performed in the most sincere imitations of Rodney Peete and Joe Montana floated back and forth in the yard.

What a nice sight.

The Annual Second Chance is near – it’s called New Year’s Eve. It is the window of opportunity where the hopes and fears of all the year (not to mention the mistakes) can be erased.

But Christmas Day is a time of reinforcement and the essence of tomorrow. And children playing with toys are the finest examples of what that tomorrow looks like.

I look out the window. I’ve been in that yard. All youngsters have. Sports become such a part of childhood. Santa is aware of all of this, naturally.

This particular day is exquisite, I think to myself. I take personal inventory, not only of blessings and personal satisfaction, but of the presents of Christmas past. Still the kid, I suppose.

I got my first basketball when I was six. I made my first basket a year later. There was a tetherball set; I must have been eight. And a football helmet when I was ten. A Carl Furillo model baseball mitt at eleven. There were tennis rackets and fishing poles and boxing gloves and shrimp nets and a Mickey Mantle 32-inch Little League bat and one time, even a badminton set.

Every Christmas, I’d play out my dreams and my mind would fly over the rainbow, imagining my propulsion. Of course, I would become a major-leaguer, an All-Star, an all-time great, a Hall of Famer. We all would. My vision extended well beyond the day.

My athletic ability, alas, never kept stride. It was not the worst realization I would ever make.

But I have noticed a direct correlation between Christmas gifts and sporting dreams. The dreams are for the young. So are the gifts. Usually, the two disappear in unison. The rare few who project into greatness discover they do not need imagination to make those lofty flights of fantasy. Hope is not the co-pilot. Expectation is.

It must be a wonderful view.

I was thinking about all of this when another memory nudged me. My 17th Christmas I got a typewriter.

It was about the same time that I’d maneuvered my fantasy a few extra miles. I’d received a baseball scholarship to pitch at a small school in Florida. There were other opportunities, other colleges available. But none that would allow my athletic vision to continue.

I had expected a Christmas of more games in the yard. More dreams to celebrate. I got a typewriter instead.

“What am I going to do with a typewriter?” I asked.

My mother said I’d need it for college. But she also said, “Sometimes you get too old to play games. But you never get too old that you can’t use your imagination.”

Sometimes Christmas is taken for granted. Almost always, in fact. I think Christmas music, and I hear bells. I turn on the radio and I hear someone named Elmo and Patsy lamenting their grandmother’s head-on collision with a reindeer. I think of the meaning of Christmas, and I think of the most special birthday in the history of the world. But I turn on the TV and there are all these claymation raisins doing Doo-Wop homages to the joys of buying machines wherein a microchip can seize command of entire generations.

Christmas (will soon) be gone, 364 days to go. But children still play. They chase the wonderful image of themselves as they would like to be seen. Christmas is their favorite arena. But they settle for lesser stadia.

But remember this – the present is sometimes confused with the package it comes wrapped in. Sometimes the gift is simply the freedom to imagine. There may be no greater one.

It was a great typewriter. I still play with it.

– A column by Shelby Strother

*This column is, by far, my favorite column of all-time.

Here’s to the late Shelby Strother, his great wife, Kim, and a Merry Christmas to all.

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Editorial Note: For those of you who did not know Shelby Strother, I pass these little tidbits along:

He was a very good friend. I’ve lost a father and an older brother. I’ve agonized and felt helpless as we’ve since watched close relatives and friends of the family pass away, but Shelby was the first good friend in my life who went and got cancer and then died. Sadly, as the years pass, many others have fallen to cancer and now to this terrible COVID-19 disease. My good buddy, my goalkeeper, Bob Rose, passed away from Prostate cancer few years ago and our dear friend, Mike Shalin, just passed away from brain cancer a year or so ago. The bottom line – CANCER SUCKS.

Back to Shelby… I can remember when we attended the 1991 NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte, NC. That Sunday night, he said that he didn’t feel well and was going to bed early. That was Feb. 10, 1991. The next month was a bad dream, each minute of every day for a solid month. Shelby died in the suburbs of Detroit on March 3, 1991, leaving his wife, Kim and two great little guys, Tommy and Kenny (the latter joined Shelby in heaven a few years back but that is a terrible fact of life to be told another day). Shelby grew up in the great State of Florida and loved it. I met him when he was a writer for the Denver Post. He went on to be a sports columnist for the Detroit News, but when big news – not sporting – was breaking and the News needed a writer, they sent Shelby. When the Berlin Wall was coming down, off went Shelby. … I could go on.

ONE THING LEARNED: It’s pretty tough to follow a column by Shelby Strother, but I’ll try by passing along some recent sports biz news and sports-related notes.

NBA TEAM VALUATIONS: A year ago, the New York Knicks held the top position when Sportico posted its estimated valuations of NBA franchises. This year, the Golden State Warriors have to top designation, although the proposed sale of the Phoenix Suns to Mat Ishbia for a cool $4 billion might up the franchise ante by a cool billion for each club. Here’s the Top Ten NBA Valuations for this year.

  1. Golden State Warriors – $7.56 billion
  2. New York Knickerbockers – $6.58 billion
  3. Los Angeles Lakers – $6.44 billion
  4. Chicago Bulls – $4.09 billion
  5. Boston Celtics – $3.92 billion
  6. Brooklyn Nets – $3.86 billion
  7. Los Angeles Clippers – $3.73 billion
  8. Toronto Raptors – $3.34 billion
  9. Houston Rockets – $3.30 billion
  10. Dallas Mavericks – $3.26 billion

For reference, the Dallas Mavericks entered the NBA as an expansion team in 1980-81 and were valued at $12.5 million by the NBA.

ADDING 1 +1 = $7.0 BILLION: With the Phoenix Suns going for a cool $4 billion, the purchase price of sports franchises around the world continues to surge. Here’s a look at the current market:

  1. Washington Commanders – Expected to fetch north of $7 billion says Dan Snyder
  2. Chelsea FC – Sold for $5.3 billion, highest club price on record as of Dec. 25, 2022
  3. Denver Broncos – Sold for $4.65 billion, highest NFL price tag ever.

WORDS FROM THE CAPT: Former Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks NBA champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has some very basic and realistic holiday advice. The retired NBA All-Star turned ace columnists recently posted: “This is the time of year when we all take stock of our lives. We feel grateful for those we love and who love us, yet we also are planning how we might improve. Now, those plans for more exercise and a sensible diet may fade with the melting snow, but that’s less important than the fact that we want to be better, he wrote.

“The holiday season energizes my main resolution—which is the same every year—to be kinder. One act of kindness a day may not change the big, wide world, but it changes me, and it changes my world.”

2022 WORLD CUP in the BOOKS; WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO SOCCER? The crowning of Argentina as the 2022 World Cup champions and the professional staging of the matches by Qatar gave the sport of Futbol a huge boost as the year ends. The momentum should help England’s Premiership with a bump in interest. … The question remains, ‘what will happen in the United States of America and Major League soccer?’

For Soccer Ventures, a media and company attempting to connect brands, players, fans, families and platforms to the diverse American soccer community through experiential events, completed a third consecutive year of record growth, expansion and engagement as 2022 turns to 2023.

For Soccer is planning additional expansion of its properties and partnerships, while the Futbol crowd anticipates the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

“While the just completed FIFA Men’s World Cup certainly helped raise awareness and engagement for soccer, it was just the culmination of a year where we saw partnerships soar everywhere from grassroots, to community impact and media, to brand engagement,” said Heath Pearce, President of For Soccer Ventures.

FIFA WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM RANKINGS: Heading into 2023, the United States leads all women’s futbol teams in the World Rankings compiled by FIFA. Here’s the Top Five from the list:

  1. United States – 2078.50
  2. Germany – 2073.73
  3. Sweden – 2057.90
  4. England – 2052.90
  5. France – 2025.85

The time zone will be a challenge for fans in the United States when the 2023 Women’s World Cup is staged in Australia and New Zealand but the enthusiasm from the 2022 World Cup will provide positive momentum for the women’s tournament which runs behind tennis, basketball, gymnastics, golf and figure skating in global popularity.

STICKING WITH THE RANKINGS: As long as we’re delving into World Rankings, bet you didn’t know that the United States men are no longer ranked Numero Uno in the sport of basketball. The most recent FIBA rankings are listed and the modus operandi is HERE

  1. Spain – 758.6
  2. USA – 757.5
  3. Australia – 740.3
  4. Argentina – 734.3
  5. France – 715.0

BIG EAST CHRISTMAS: Sure there are plenty of NBA and NFL games on Christmas but the BIG EAST is making a bold statement to compete against the big boys. For the first time in league history, the BIG EAST will play a conference game on Christmas Day. Creighton, the preseason BIG EAST favorite, will host DePaul at the CHI Health Center at 4:30pm ET on FOX. The game will follow FOX’s coverage of the Green Bay Packers at Miami Dolphins game.

Creighton is coming off a 78-56 win against Butler on Thursday. Center Ryan Kalkbrenner returned after a three-game absence and scored a game-high 19 points. All five Bluejays are averaging in double figures led by Kalkbrenner’s 16.2 mark. The Bluejays own a 7-6 overall record and a 1-1 BIG EAST mark. … The Blue Demons are 6-6 overall and 0-1 in the BIG EAST. Forward Javan Johnson ranks fourth in the league with a 16.9 scoring mark. Newcomer guard Umoja Gibson ranks first in steals (2.3), second in free throw shooting (.904) and fourth in assists (5.3). … Both schools are known to have played once previously on Christmas Day. DePaul played in 2014, Creighton in 1953.

IDEAS FOR HOLIDAYS GIFTS: We have two great offerings for your last minute and INSTANT Holiday gift guide.

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  1. NOTES, NOTES, AND MORE NOTES: A year-long subscription to TL’s Sunday Sports Notes – While We’re Young (Ideas) is a perfect way to have the sports fan in your life look forward to an old-fashioned, weekly, notebook full of sports insights. Sign-up for this special offer: HERE
  2. PGA TOUR BRUNCH AS CHAMPIONS RETURN OF THE TOUR: Plans are on-going to re-launch the popular PGA Tour Brunch newsletter when the pros tee-it-up at the Sentry Tournament of Champions (January 4-8, 2023) at The Plantation Course at Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii.

SIGN-UP HERE FOR PGA TOUR BRUNCH.

TIDBITS AND SPORTS BIZ: A company that the late David Stern invested in long before his January 2020 death is a Massachusetts-based health and fitness company – WHOOP. Stern’s partner, John Kosner, continues with his portion of the investment, as the company is now valued at $3.6 billion. Here’s a FOS interview with WHOOP Founder and CEO Will Ahmed. … Boston College is adding a Deputy Director of Athletics to oversee Compliance, Name, Image and Likeness programming and education, HR, Facilities and Operations across many of the department’s sub-divisions. BC AD Blake James is readying for his second year at the school and has been hiring from within and promoting from within often. … The BC Eagles men’s ice hockey team has a pair of games in – get this – Tempe, Arizona – December 30-31 before returning to Boston for a January 7th game vs UMass at “Frozen Fenway.” … The NHL Winter Classic features the Pittsburgh Penguins at Boston Bruins at the Fens on January 2, 2023 at 6pm (ET). The long-term forecast for the day is cloudy and 57-degrees for the Bruins. … If the report is accurate, it’ll be about four or five degrees colder in Boston than Tempe. …

BABY. IT’S COLD OUTSIDE: There are NFL games being played all weekend as the league moved the bulk of its schedule to Saturday, Dec. 24th when 11 of the 14 NFL Week 16 games were played. At kickoff time, the NFL players were greeted with a little (turn) Blue Christmas with unusually cold temps and wind chill throughout the land. Here’s what was going down at kickoff time:

  • Home Team / Temp (F) at Kickoff / Feels Like/Wind Chill
  • at Baltimore / 16-degrees / 2-degrees
  • at Charlotte / 18-degrees / 8-degrees
  • at Chicago / 9-degrees / -10-degrees
  • at Cleveland / 5-degrees / -13-degrees
  • at Kansas City / 9-degrees / -5-degrees
  • at Foxboro (New England) / 15-degrees / 2-degrees
  • at Minneapolis / Dome / Dome but 5-degrees with low of -5

On Christmas Day, the NFL counter-programmed against the traditionally NBA-heavy Christmas sports TV schedule, with football games at 1:00pm (ET), 4:20pm (ET) and 8:20pm (ET) games. The NBA Christmas Day schedule:

  • 12 Noon (ET) – 76ers at Knicks (ABC Sports)
  • 2:30pm (ET) – LA Lakers at Mavericks (ABC Sports)
  • 5:00pm (ET) – Bucks at Celtics (ABC Sports)
  • 8:00pm (ET) – Grizzlies at Warriors (ABC Sports)
  • 10:30pm (ET) – Suns at Nuggets (ABC Sports

It could be trouble for the NBA national network ratings game.

32: The Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL were planning for a special 50th Anniversary celebration of “The Immaculate Reception” while honoring Hall of Famer and four-time Super Bowl champion Franco Harris this weekend. Harris’ No. 32 is the first offensive side of the ball player to have his number retired by the “Steel Curtain” franchise. So sadly, Harris passed away suddenly this week and has shocked the entire Pittsburgh Steelers fandom and organization. Really, every fan of the NFL had to admire Harris. He was that kind of player.

“We are shocked and saddened to learn of the unexpected passing of Franco Harris,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in a statement. “He meant so much to Steelers fans as the Hall of Fame running back who helped form the nucleus of the team’s dynasty of the ’70s, but he was much more. He was a gentle soul who touched so many in the Pittsburgh community and throughout the entire NFL. Franco changed the way people thought of the Steelers, of Pittsburgh, and of the NFL.

“He will forever live in the hearts of Steelers fans everywhere, his teammates, and the City of Pittsburgh. Our condolences go out to his wife, Dana, and their son, Dok.”

The only other numbers retired by the Pittsburgh Steelers organization:

  • No. 70 – DT Ernie Stautner
  • No. 75 – DT “Mean” Joe Greene

COLD REMINDER of HOW FRAGILE LIFE CAN BE: Combining with the news of the passing of Franco Harris came the sudden death of NFL producer Michael Antell, 33, who passed away this week in an automobile accident on his way home from work at NFL Films. Antell’s friends have organized a “Go Fund Me” page to assist his family. There’s some work to be done to reach the proper monetary goal. Mike and his wife, Becca, were expecting a son (Samuel) soon to be born and join his sister Caroline. Please consider a donation of any amount.