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NFL Sports Desk: Thurs Night Preview

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CINCINNATI – (Staff and Field Level Media Wire Service Report) – The streaking Miami Dolphins are seeking their first 4-0 start since 1995 when they visit the Cincinnati Bengals Thursday night. Miami is fresh off a 21-19 victory over the powerful Buffalo Bills and now looks to tame the defending AFC champion Bengals.

Cincinnati (1-2) dropped its first two games before bidding farewell to their Super Bowl hangover with a solid 27-12 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is impressed with the Dolphins, who are one of two remaining unbeaten teams along with the Philadelphia Eagles.

“They’ve beaten three really good opponents — New England, Baltimore and Buffalo,” Taylor said. “They are three teams with a lot of talent, good coaches. They’re doing a lot of good things right now in all three phases. I know that our guys are really excited for the challenge.”

What’s unknown is if Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will be available. He was limited in practice Tuesday, with the team saying he has both back and ankle injuries.

Tagovailoa said Tuesday that he will play but the Dolphins haven’t yet reached that conclusion.

“I’ve been up here, getting treatment, doing everything I can to get as close to 100 percent as possible,” Tagovailoa said. “That means, after all of this, staying as long as I have to until these (training staffers) have to go home.”

Tagovailoa said he doesn’t have a head injury. During Sunday’s game against the Bills, he was examined for a head injury and passed the concussion protocol. The swiftness in which he passed resulted in the NFL Players Association asking the NFL to investigate the situation.

[Read more…] about NFL Sports Desk: Thurs Night Preview

NFL Sports Desk: Cowboys Rally in Second Half, Defeat NY Giants

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EAST RUTHERFORD – (Staff and wire Service Report) – Cowboys’ reserve QB Cooper Rush passed for 215 yards and one touchdown and Tony Pollard rushed for 105 yards as the Dallas notched a 23-16 victory over the New York Giants on Monday night.

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Cee Dee Lamb caught one-yard TD Pass with one hand in fourth quarter (Getty Images)

Rush completed 21 of 31 passes and guided Dallas (2-1) to its second consecutive win while starting in place of Dak Prescott (fractured right thumb) for the second straight game. Rush threw the tie-breaking touchdown in the fourth quarter to CeeDee Lamb, who caught eight passes for 87 yards.

Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown and DeMarcus Lawrence matched his career high of three sacks as the Cowboys defeated the NFC East rival Giants for the 10th time in the past 11 meetings.

Daniel Jones connected on 20 of 37 passes for 196 yards and one interception and added 79 rushing yards for the New York football Giants (2-1). Saquon Barkley rushed for 81 yards and one touchdown.

Dallas took a 20-13 lead on Rush’s 1-yard touchdown pass to Lamb with 8:30 remaining. The two teamed up for a 26-yard pass play to the 1 prior to the score. The Cowboys drove 89 yards on 11 plays.

The Dallas defense then forced a Giants punt, and KaVontae Turpin‘s 28-yard return placed the ball on the New York 35-yard line. The return set up Brett Maher’s 44-yard field goal that made it 23-13 with 5:58 remaining.

New York moved within seven on Graham Gano‘s 51-yard field goal with 3:37 remaining. The Giants had another chance, but Trevon Diggs intercepted Jones and Dallas took over at the New York 29 with 1:11 left and ran out the clock.

The Cowboys out-gained New York 391 yards to 336. Dallas sacked Jones five times.

Barkley gave the Giants a 13-6 lead when he scampered 36 yards for a touchdown with 5:31 left in the third quarter. Barkley started up the middle and veered to his left for the score to cap a six-play, 77-yard drive.

Dallas answered with a crisp nine-play, 75-yard excursion to tie the score on Elliott’s 1-yard run late in the third period.

Dallas struck first on Maher’s 26-yard field goal with 2:09 left in the opening quarter.

The Giants tied the score on Gano’s 42-yard field with 11:17 left in the second quarter. Just over two minutes later, Maher kicked a 28-yard field goal to give the Cowboys a 6-3 advantage.

New York knotted the score when Gano booted a 51-yard field goal with 9:02 remaining in the third quarter.

–Field Level Media

Report Confirms Severe Sprain for Jones

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FOXBORO – The day-after game day tests confirmed that New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones suffered a “pretty severe” high ankle sprain, multiple media outlets reported Monday. Jones is getting a second opinion but the hope is that the injury won’t require surgery.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick had no update when he met with the media earlier Monday.

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“Just quickly on Mac, really no update on him. We’ll go through the process and see where things are this morning, but nothing definitive at this point,” Belichick told reporters. He added that he would not “speculate wildly” about the status of Jones ahead of Week 4.

After tossing an interception on the final play of the Pats’ 37-26 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Jones was brought to the ground by Calais Campbell and his ankle got caught under Campbell’s leg. Jones hopped off the field on one foot and was seen grimacing in pain on the sideline.

Jones had to be carried into the locker room and was in visible pain in the Gillette Stadium tunnel. He had completed 22 of 32 passes for 321 yards and three interceptions against the Ravens. He also rushed for 31 yards and a touchdown.

Brian Hoyer is the Patriots’ backup quarterback and 2022 fourth-round pick Bailey Zappe is also on the 53-man roster. New England (1-2) plays at Green Bay (2-1) on Sunday.

Jones Hurts Ankle in Loss: X-Rays Neg

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Initial X-rays on New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones‘ left ankle were negative, the NFL Network reported.

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The team will continue to evaluate the injury sustained on the Patriots’ final offensive play of Sunday’s 37-26 loss to the visiting Baltimore Ravens.

After tossing an interception, Jones was brought to the ground by Calais Campbell and his ankle got caught under Campbell’s leg. Jones hopped off the field on one foot and was seen grimacing in pain on the sideline.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick would not comment on Jones’ status after the game.

Jones completed 22 of 32 passes for 321 yards and three interceptions against the Ravens. He also rushed for 31 yards and a touchdown.

Brian Hoyer is the Patriots’ backup quarterback. New England (1-2) plays at Green Bay next Sunday.

–Field Level Media

NFL DESK: Patriots Downed by Ravens

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Lamar Jackson threw for four touchdowns and rushed for another as the Baltimore Ravens held off a late comeback attempt to defeat the New England Patriots 37-26 on Sunday at Foxboro.

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Jackson completed 18 of 29 passes for 218 yards and had 107 yards on the ground on just 11 carries. Mark Andrews had eight receptions for 89 yards and two touchdowns for Baltimore (2-1).

New England cut its deficit to 31-26 after Rhamondre Stevenson’s 1-yard rushing touchdown with 12:39 left to play but the Patriots failed to convert a two-point conversion.

New England (1-2) then turned the ball over on its next three possessions. After throwing an interception on the last drive of the game, Patriots quarterback Mac Jones limped off the field with an apparent left leg injury.

Jones threw for 321 yards and three interceptions on 22-of-32 passing. He rushed for one touchdown. DeVante Parker led all receivers with five catches for 156 yards for New England, while Stevenson and Damien Harris each rushed for one score.

The Patriots burst out of halftime, driving 75 yards in seven plays in just under three minutes to go up 20-14. Harris finished off the march with a 2-yard rushing TD.

Baltimore’s Justice Hill rushed 34 yards to the New England 6 on the ensuing drive, setting up Jackson’s 1-yard touchdown pass to Josh Oliver for a 21-20 Ravens lead. It was Oliver’s first career touchdown.

In the first half, Jonathan Jones intercepted Jackson’s pass intended for Rashod Bateman with 8:12 left in the second quarter and returned it to the Baltimore 32. The Patriots took advantage of the short field as Jones walked untouched into the end zone from 3 yards out for a 10-7 lead.

However, Jackson’s 16-yard scoring strike to Andrews with 30 seconds left in the first half put the Ravens back on top. The Patriots pulled within 14-13 before the break, on Nick Folk’s 50-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter.

Jackson also connected with Andrews in the first quarter on a 5-yard shovel pass to get Baltimore on the board.

–Field Level Media

NFL Sports Desk: Bills at Dolphins

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Buffalo Travels to Miami for 4:25pm Start

MIAMI GARDENS – As NFL proving grounds go, Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins might not get a more tailor-made opportunity to legitimize their fast start than this one.

Undefeated AFC East rivals collide in Miami when the Buffalo Bills roll into Hard Rock Stadium after wrecking the Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans in primetime pummelings by a combined score of 72-17.

The Dolphins are also 2-0, averaging 31 points per game with an offensive arsenal that believes it could be ready to measure up with Bills quarterback Josh Allen.

“We’ve all been witnesses to, he’s steadily become one of the best players in the National Football League,” Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said of Allen. “(You could) easily argue he’s the best one. And it’s not because he’s God’s gift. It’s because he’s unbelievably talented. But it’s because you can tell more than that, it’s because he works at his craft. He’s developing every time he’s on the field. He’s a really, really good player that you’ll never, I don’t think, see him stopped necessarily. It’s about minimizing and containing all together.”

The Dolphins have a seven-game home winning streak and enter with one of the more improbable wins in recent memory, rallying from a 35-14 deficit entering the fourth quarter at Baltimore to beat the Ravens 42-38.

Tagovailoa, who threw a pair of first-half interceptions, finished with six touchdown passes and wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle each had 11 receptions and two touchdowns with a combined 361 yards through the air.

Checking Hill, the NFL’s leading receiver, and Waddle could fall largely to a pair of rookies for the Bills because Dane Jackson (neck) is out and Tre’Davious White is on the PUP list.

“They do a great job — their receivers — with yards after catch. So our ability to be able to tackle and get guys running to the football is going to be very, very important,” Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said.

McDaniel said he’ll mention keeping emotions in check with Tagovailoa but not dwell on it. He said they re-lived his second interception against the Ravens and boiled it down to pressing. The critical test in McDaniel’s mind is how quickly a quarterback rebounds from errors.

“If he feels himself pressing, like he did when he threw that second pick, how fast can you get out of that yourself and utilize that whole experience for confidence moving forward,” McDaniel said.

Buffalo packs a streak of its own for the trip to Florida. The Bills have won the past seven meetings with the Dolphins and have surrendered just 8.5 points per game this season.

Lost in the blazing start by Allen and wide receiver Stefon Diggs — 20 receptions, four touchdowns — has been the smothering defense that Miami knows all too well. With pass rusher Von Miller added to the mix, Buffalo can squeeze teams shoved into comeback mode by the Bills’ high-octane offense.

“Regardless if it works or not, you’re going see outside zone. They’re going to play unbelievable strenuous defense,” McDaniel said. “They’re going to play hard and run to the ball. And they’re going to force you into mistakes because they can get home with their four-man rush.”

In addition to Jackson, the Bills also ruled out safety Micah Hyde (neck) and defensive tackles Jordan Phillips (hamstring) and Ed Oliver (ankle) for Sunday’s game.

Tight end Dawson Knox (foot), wide receiver Gabe Davis (ankle), safety Jordan Poyer (foot), center Mitch Morse (elbow) and defensive tackle Tim Settle (calf) were limited in practice Friday. Those five players were listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.

Miami left tackle Terron Armstead (toe), cornerback Xavien Howard (groin), defensive tackle Raekwon Davis (knee) and wide receiver Cedric Wilson Jr. (ribs) are listed as questionable for Sunday’s game. Tight ends Cethan Carter (concussion) and Hunter Long (ankle) have been ruled out for the contest.

–Field Level Media

Filed Under: NFL

NFL Sports Desk: Browns Defeat Steelers

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CLEVELAND – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Jacoby Brissett passed for 220 yards and two touchdowns to help the Cleveland Browns record a 29-17 victory over the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers Thursday night.

Browns running back Nick Chubb rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns and Amari Cooper had 101 yards and one score on seven catches for the Browns (2-1). Cleveland’s David Njoku had nine receptions for 89 yards and one touchdown.

Mitchell Trubisky passed for 207 yards and rushed for a touchdown for the Steelers (1-2), who lost their second straight game. Pittsburgh’s Najee Harris rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown.

Brissett made his third start of the season in place of Deshaun Watson, who is serving an 11-game suspension for alleged sexual misconduct involving massage therapists. The fill-in QB helped the Browns play turnover-free football while outgaining Pittsburgh 376 yards to 308.

Trubisky completed 20 of 32 passes in his third start after the offseason retirement of Ben Roethlisberger.

Cleveland moved ahead 16-14 on Cade York’s 34-yard field goal with 2:31 left in the third quarter.

The next time the Browns had the ball, they moved 80 yards on 11 plays with Chubb scoring from the 1 to make it a nine-point margin with 9:29 remaining in the game.

Chris Boswell kicked a 34-yard field goal with 1:48 left to bring Pittsburgh within 23-17. The ensuing onside kick went out of bounds.

The Steelers got the ball back for one final play that included laterals. Harris eventually fumbled the ball, and Cleveland’s Denzel Ward recovered in the end zone for a touchdown.

The Browns struck first on Brissett’s 11-yard scoring pass to Cooper with 2:54 left in the opening quarter. The Steelers tied the score on Harris’ 5-yard run on the first play of the second quarter.

Cleveland moved ahead 13-7 on Brissett’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Njoku with 8:58 left, but Ward’s point-after clanked off the right upright. Trubisky scored on a 1-yard keeper with 3:50 left to put Pittsburgh ahead.

Browns linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. was carted off the field due to a left knee injury in the third quarter.

–Field Level Media

Thursday Night Football: Pitt at Clev

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Browns Look to Rebound from Meltdown vs Jets

CLEVELAND – (Staff and Wire Service Report ) – The Cleveland Browns are trying to put a big meltdown behind them in a short week as they prepare to host the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC North battle tonight. The Browns (1-1) blew a 13-point lead with 1:55 left to play in Sunday’s 31-30 home loss to the New York Jets. Pittsburgh (1-1) also is moving on from a setback, as it dropped a 17-14 home decision to the New England Patriots.

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Cleveland’s defeat was much more painful. The Browns missed the extra point after Nick Chubb‘s 12-yard scoring run to still lead by 13 with New York out of timeouts. But the Jets scored on a 66-yard touchdown pass with 1:22 remaining, recovered the onside kick and then scored the winning points with 22 seconds left. Chubb, who rushed for 87 yards and a career-high-tying three touchdowns, said Tuesday that the loss can be pinned to him. He could have slid down without scoring, which would have allowed Cleveland to run out the clock.

“Yeah, I probably shouldn’t have scored right there,” Chubb told reporters. “Honestly, looking back at it, it cost us the game. A lot of things went wrong, not just one thing. But collectively as a unit, as a team, we could’ve all done things different. But it’s only a problem because we didn’t win. So I probably should’ve went down.”

The Browns will attempt to bounce back, and head coach Kevin Stefanski made it clear there is no time to dwell on the victory that got away. “We have to be problem-solvers,” Stefanski said. “We have to find solutions any which way. There are a bunch of different ways you can do it, but we have to find solutions so that when we are in a position like we were (Sunday), and it’s an obvious passing situation, we just can’t let that happen.”

Pittsburgh is looking to get its passing game going in Mitch Trubisky‘s third straight start. Trubisky is averaging just 5.1 yards per completion — which ranks 32nd among 33 qualifying quarterbacks — while passing for 362 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

“I like to throw the ball down the field,” Trubisky said. “Why I haven’t given certain looks, especially early in the games, I can’t tell you exactly why. We’re looking for that. I’m looking for that. “Every quarterback deep down in their heart likes to throw the ball as far as they can down the field and watch their playmakers go up and get the ball.”

Steelers receiver Diontae Johnson has caught 13 passes for 112 yards and his longest gain is just 25 yards. Pittsburgh has scored just one offensive touchdown in the first half and Johnson knows that needs to change. “We just have to start fast,” Johnson said. “That’s the way we’re going to win games and get in the motion that we want to get into. If we don’t start fast, it’s going to be like last year. It’s going to be hard to get that momentum that we want and to put points on the board and get that field position.”

Steelers running back Najee Harris is also off to a slow start with 72 yards on 25 rushes. Harris shredded the Cleveland defense for 279 yards in Pittsburgh’s two-game sweep of the Browns last season. He recorded a career-best 188 rushing yards in January’s 26-14 victory.

Steelers linebacker Devin Bush (foot) was a full practice participant on Tuesday and looks on track to play. Cleveland star defensive end Myles Garrett is dealing with a neck injury. Garrett has 61.5 career sacks, just shy of the franchise record held by Clay Matthews (officially 62 after sacks became a stat in 1982). Browns guard Joel Bitonio (biceps) is in danger of missing the game while defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (ankle) was ruled out Monday. –Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | August 21

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – For the Commissioners of sports, the best days are presenting MVP Awards, Championship Trophies celebrations, paying tribute to retiring legends or welcoming a new crop of rookies into the league at the annual Draft. The worst of days involve labor strife, work stoppages, enforcing the rules and – ultimately – suspending a player (or administrator) for a significant number of games or for LIFE.

At the NBA, players like Ron Artest (a.k.a Metta World Peace; Metta Sandiford-Artest) were suspended for fighting or conduct detrimental to the NBA for 86 games, Latrell Sprewell (68), GS minority team owner Mark Stevens (65). Others, repeat offenders of the NBA /NBA Players anti-drug program were tossed for life. Included were John Drew, Chris Washburn, Roy Tarpley, Richard Dumas and others who were able to re-apply after significant suspensions (Micheal Ray Richardson, Lewis Lloyd and Mitchell Wiggins), among others.

Donald Sterling, the disgraced team owner and Board of Governor of the Los Angeles Clippers, was banned for life and docked $2.5 million by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver for Sterling’s racist remarks and conduct.

There were others, of course, mostly for on-court transgressions such as LA Lakers’ Kermit Washington’s punch of Houston Rockets’ star and Hall of Fame coach Rudy Tomjanovich that cost Rudy T his Dec ‘77-Spring ‘78 season while Washington served a then-astronomical 26-game suspension.

The National Football League faced a significantly different and certainly more catastrophic issue with the case of former Houston Texans and current Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. The talented QB was suspended for 11 NFL games this week, five more games than Sue Robinson, a disciplinary counsel had determined on August 1.

Watson was previously accused of multiple sexual assaults and other inappropriate conduct during massage therapy sessions in lawsuits filed by 25 different women. The lawsuits alleged that from March 2020 to March 2021, while Watson was a member of the Texans, he allegedly sexually abused each woman. One of the 25 lawsuits was dropped after a judge’s ruling in April 2021 that the plaintiffs needed to amend their petitions to disclose their names. Two other women filed criminal complaints against Watson but did not sue him.

Watson settled or agreed to settle all but one of the remaining lawsuits, which remains pending. In July, the Texans reached settlements with 30 women who made claims or were prepared to make them against the NFL organization for what attorney Tony Buzbee called its alleged “enabling” of Watson’s behavior, according to ESPN.

Where does it fall, now? Watson was fined $5 million and is suspended by the NFL for a mere 11 games, ranging from August 30th to November 28th, 2022. Watson will be available to play for Cleveland when the Browns coincidentally play against the Texans in Week 13 of the upcoming NFL season.

What length of suspension would’ve been more appropriate?

The NFL and its Commissioner, Roger Goodell, might take matters into its own hands, instead of the joint and impartial arbitrator assigned by the players and the league.

Regardless, an 11 game suspension for each of the 25 cases would not have been extreme. The issue is not player safety on the field, nor drug/substance abuse off the field, not breaking the law by speeding in a car not other crimes that are addressed by the appropriate authorities and legal system, State-by-State.

TWENTY-FIVE cases of sexual assault – all credible – seem to show for a significant amount of smoke where there was fire. Yet, all the while, Watson claimed his innocence, right down to this week’s 11-game settlement well short of a true “verdict.”

“I’ll continue to stand on my innocence, just because you know settlements, and things like that happen doesn’t mean that a person is guilty for anything,” Watson said. “I feel like a person has an opportunity to stand on his innocence and prove that, and we proved that from a legal side, and just going to continue to push forward as an individual and as a person.”

Will he eventually speak on his own behalf and tell the full story?

“That’s definitely the plan, that’s definitely the goal,” said Watson. “I feel like through the whole process I’ve been trying to tell my side of the story. But a lot of people just didn’t pay a lot of attention to it.”

What left?

Watson has to comply with and overall evaluation and treatment recommendations of a third-party behavioral expert to be fully reinstated, sources told ESPN.

“Deshaun has committed to doing the hard work on himself that is necessary for his return to the NFL,” Goodell said in a prepared NFL statement. “This settlement requires compliance with a professional evaluation and treatment plan, a significant fine, and a more substantial suspension. We are grateful to Judge Robinson and Peter Harvey for their efforts in addressing these matters, which laid the foundation for reaching this conclusion.”

Robinson, an independent arbiter jointly appointed by the league and players’ union, made the first ruling on August 1 while Harvey was a former New Jersey attorney general whom Goodell appointed to oversee the NFL’s appeal, as the league sought a more significant determination than the six games.

From the Brown’s stand-point, franchise co-owners Dee and Jimmy Haslem focused on a player’s right to a “second chances” and counseling.

I think in this country, and hopefully in the world, people deserve second chances. I really think that,” Jimmy Haslem said. “Is he never supposed to play again? Is he never supposed to be a part of society? Does he get no chance to rehabilitate himself? That is what we are going to do. … We think people deserve a second chance. … That does not mean we do not have empathy for people affected and we will continue to do so, but we strongly believe, strongly believe that people deserve a second chance; we believe Deshaun Watson deserves a second chance.”

No argument there, but maybe the second chance should be multiplied times the 25 cases and the result would be a minimum 50-to-275 game suspension and a (25 x $5m = $125 million) fine to be subtracted from the $230 million fully guaranteed contract with Cleveland.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: It’s a B$G week in Boston as the 20th WEEI Radio/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon begins this Tuesday, August 23, originating from Fenway Park. Since 2002, the charitable radio-tele-thon raised $62 million for cancer treatment and research, with The JIMMY Fund and Dana-Farber the key. To learn more, visit www.JimmyFund.org. … The telethon begins Tuesday at 6am (ET) and fans can tune in to WEEI-FM and NESN throughout the 36-hour broadcast to hear stories of courage and hope from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute patients, doctors, nurses, and supporters.

Even though the Red Sox were on the road, Fenway Park was ‘hoppin’ this week, hosting concerts on four consecutive nights: Bad Bunny On Thursday, Lady Gaga Friday, Imagine Dragons on Saturday, and comedian Bill Burr on Sunday, all to sold-out crowds. Burr is the first comedian ever to headline a gig at Fenway. … The Red Sox are off Monday before returning home for a brief six-game home stand, starting Tuesday against the Toronto Blue Jays.

TID-BITS: As the PGA Tour playoffs come to a close this week at the annual TOUR Championship at East Lake in Atlanta, the publication of our sister-missive PGA Tour Brunch will come to a close until the first week of January 2023. It’s a great time to sign-up to secure a gift for your golf-loving friends, as all issues from 2022 are archived for reference. … We’ve had a good look at the national college football polls, where the usual suspects (Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia and Clemson) are atop the crop. How about the Atlantic Coast Conference, home of the Boston College Eagles?

Atlantic (first place votes)

  1. Clemson (111)
  2. North Carolina State (44)
  3. Wake Forest (6)
  4. Louisville
  5. Florida State (2)
  6. Boston College (1)

Coastal

  1. Miami (98)
  2. Pitt (38)
  3. North Carolina (18)
  4. Virginia (6)
  5. Virginia Tech (3)
  6. Georgia Tech (1)
  7. Duke – 220

Overall Champion

  1. Clemson – 103
  2. NC State – 38
  3. Miami – 8
  4. Wake Forest – 4
  5. Pitt – 3
  6. Virginia – 3
  7. Florida State – 2
  8. North Carolina – 2
  9. Boston College – 1

Conclusion: One voter likes Boston College a lot while over 100 media members like perennial champion Clemson. … Five ACC teams are among the National Top 25. They are: Clemson, NC State, Miami, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest. … B1G Ten match-up Nebraska at Northwestern kick-off the schedule in Dublin (Ireland, not Ohio) on August 27th at 12:30pm (ET) on FOX.

 

NBA MUSIC: Frequent readers of this weekly column will recognized the constant attempt to merge great sports stories with appropriate musical selections, whether they be classic rock songs, artists or other genres.

This week, the two will become one with an attempt to match great NBA players with the legendary artists, musicians or bands they might represent. We’ll call it “The NBA Match Game.” Here it goes and the NBA player(s) and artists are listed in no particular order:

Bill Russell = Elvis

George Mikan = The Beatles

Magic Johnson = The Rolling Stones

Wilt Chamberlain = Stevie Wonder

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar = Tom Petty (while Earvin Johnson, James Worthy, Byron Scott, Silk Wilkes, and so many others were The Heartbreakers

Bob Cousy = Bob Dylan

Connie Hawkins = Led Zeppelin

Larry Bird = Eric Clapton … we passed on “The Byrds”

Elgin Baylor = James Brown

Bob Pettit = The Who

“Pistol” Pete Maravich = Ray Charles

John Havlicek = The Big Bopper

Satch Sanders = Miles Davis

Jerry West = The Beach Boys

Oscar Robertson = Marvin Gaye

Julius “Dr J” Erving = Jimi Hendrix

Michael Jordan = Prince

Earl “The Pearl” Monroe = Sly and the Family Stone

David Thompson = Bob Marley

George Gervin = Bruce Hornsby

Bill Walton = Grateful Dead

Jerry Sloan = Johnny Cash

Dan Issel = America (Horse with No Name)

Carol Blazejowski = Madonna

Sheryl Swoopes = Aretha Franklin

Lisa Leslie = Diana Ross

Diana Taurasi = Lady Gaga

Sue Bird = Adele

Dawn Staley = Heart

Shaquille O’Neal = The Ramones

Allen Iverson = Bubba-Chuck Berry

Scottie Pippen = Muddy Waters

Joe Dumars, Isiah Thomas, John Salley, Bill Limber, Rick Mahorn – The Cars

Chris Mullin = U2

Hakeem Olajuwon = Smokey Robinson

David Robinson = Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey (song)

Karl Malone and John Stockton = Simon and Garfunkel

Manu Ginobili = Carlos Santana

Pau Gasol = Enrique Iglesias

Artis Gilmore = Chicago (Big Band sound of the ‘70s)

Bob Lanier = Crosby, Stills & Nash

Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Ray Allen = The Allman Brothers Band

LeBron James = Jay Z

Steph Curry = The Clash

Run T-M-C (Tim (Hardaway/Mitch Richmond/Chris Mullin) = Run DMC

Nate Thurmond and Al Attles = Pink Floyd/The Wall – (Gilmour/Waters)

Dennis Rodman = Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam

Charles Barkley = Michael Jackson/Thriller

Kobe Bryant = Buddy Holly

Draymond Green = The Talking Heads

Steve Nash = Neil Young

Dan Majerle or Danny Ainge, with Walter Bellamy – Steely Dan

Tim Duncan = Jimmy Cliff

’69-70 Knicks = The Band

Marvin Barnes = Jim Morrison and the Doors

Webb Wilder = Gerald Govan (Wear glasses if you need ‘em)

Max Zaslofsky = ZZ Top

David Stern = Bruce Springsteen/a.k.a. “The Boss”

Rod Thorn = The Police

NOTE: Undoubtedly, there are hundreds, maybe thousands, more NBA player and musical artist(s) match-ups that can be added. Please feel free to submit others that come to mind. Either use the comments section or text/DM or email.

Brady Announces Return to Tampa Bay

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TAMPA BAY – The return of Major League Baseball was not the biggest sports story today, nor was the Celtics’ retirement of Kevin Garnett‘s no. 5 at the TD Garden. The final day of the College Basketball conference tournament week and the NCAA Selection Show probably came in at No. 2 on the big sports story list.

Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, the Tampa Bay Bucs’ starter the past two seasons, used his social media accounts to announce his return to the NFL and the Buccaneers for the 2022 season. Talk about seizing the day and its headlines!

Developing story…