By TERRY LYONS

HEARTBREAK HILL, NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS  – Twenty miles into the Boston Marathon, the runners enter “my kinda town.” Yes, Newton, Massachusetts is the location of the world famous “Heartbreak Hill.” To those not familiar with the area, it’s really a series of four hills along Commonwealth Avenue which runs diagonally through the center of Waban, Newton, Newton Centre and Chestnut Hill. Normally, it’s quite nice and scenic.

But, today, the tree-lined and bucolic streets of Newton turn into the most challenging aspect of the race course for the 130th Boston Marathon.

Runner’s World accurately describes it like this:

“Heartbreak Hill is located between mile 20 and mile 21 of the Boston Marathon. As the last and most famous of the four Newton hills, this roughly half-mile incline begins around mile 20.3 and peaks near the 20.4-mile marker, specifically notorious for testing runners after 20 miles of racing.

Quick Facts

o Starting Point: Just past the 20-mile marker on Commonwealth Avenue (Comm Ave) in Newton.

o Summit Point: It ends roughly at mile 21, near Hammond Street and the Boston College campus.

o The Incline: The hill is about 0.4 to 0.5 miles long with a vertical rise of approximately 88–91 feet.

o Difficulty: While not the steepest hill on the course, it is notorious because it occurs at a point where runners’ glycogen stores are often depleted—the point where many  “hit the wall”

Heartbreak Hill earned its name during the 1936 race when defending champion Johnny Kelley caught up to and patted leader Ellison “Tarzan” Brown on the back. The gesture motivated Brown to surge ahead and win, “breaking Kelley’s heart”. A statue of Kelley, titled “Young at Heart,” stands at the base of the hill near mile 20.

Like that of Johnny Kelley and Tarzan Brown in 1936, the Boston Marathon, each and every year, has about 30,000 incredible stories to tell. Data from race organizer – the Boston Athletic Association – shows 33,267 applications for today’s race, so the actual number of participants will fall between 30,000 and 32,000 runners.

That’s a lot of runners.

While it’s not as many participants as New York’s record 59,662 runners for last November’s New York City Marathon, Boston is known as the most prestigious race to run (and finish). I often cite that 1968 Boston Marathon champion Amby Burfoot famously describes the Boston Marathon as “the Carnegie Hall” of marathons. This analogy highlights the race as the premier, ultimate venue for runners—a place of prestige where one has to earn the right to perform, similar to performing at Carnegie Hall in New York City.”

I’m lucky enough to call Amby Burfoot a friend.

I met him as a colleague/co-worker when he was the Editor-at-Large for Runner’s World magazine. I was asked by Runner’s World’s PR team (Chris Brienza, David Tratner and Laura Beachy) to help out with their work – both preparing and then executing efforts to publicize the wonderful and informative magazine, a product of Rodale publishing. To say it was a marvelous experience would be the understatement of the century.

After 26 years at the NBA, you think you would’ve experienced just about everything sports has to offer. Well, running marathons is a whole different story. Quite frankly, I learned more from a three minute talk with Amby than I ever learned in school.

As Editor-at-Large, Burfoot could unearth the stories of the champions and the everyday, weekend warriors. When in Boston (from his Mystic, Connecticut home), he was the “people’s champion” for sure, taking pictures and interacting with thousands of runners and fans. It was quite amazing to see any everyday guy turn into this incredible celebrity champion for a couple of weeks, leading up to race day.

Instead of paraphrasing one of Amby’s great stories, I’ll simply turn the column over to him to tell you this one. To frame it, this is what Amby wrote on August 21, 2011 of the death of “young” John Kelley, his friend and idol.

John J. Kelley, RIP, 1930-2011: 1957 Boston Marathon Winner; America’s First Modern Road Runner

Nineteen fifty-seven Boston Marathon winner John J. Kelley “The Younger” crossed the final finish line early this morning in North Stonington, CT, just a few miles from Mystic, where he had lived most his adult life. Kelley died with few more possessions than he began with 80 years ago on Christmas Eve, 1930. But he ran his heart out every step of the way. And those of us lucky enough to have shared a few miles at his side will forever remember his vigor, his encompassing warmth, and the way he loved all creatures great, and especially the small and powerless.

Kelley, whom I first met in 1962, was the most sincere, humble, gentle, and authentic human being I have ever known. He was the first person I ever saw stop his car to help a turtle across the road, and he never ever, without exception, said a word about himself and his considerable accomplishments. He also never uttered a negative word about anyone else, with the possible exceptions of Joseph McCarthy and Richard Nixon.

Kelley was an extraordinary gentleman, yet also a radical free thinker. A friend, writer and marathoner Gail Kislevitz, called Kelley “the last rebellious man standing.” The phrase fits.

In his final days Kelley was surrounded by his three daughters–Julie, Kathleen, and Eileen–and a number of his grandchildren. He died from a melanoma that eventually spread to his lungs. Kelley’s wife Jacintha passed away in 2003.

Kelley’s athletic record is unparalleled among American distance runners. In 1957 he became the first and only member of the BAA running club to win the BAA Boston Marathon. In addition to his win, Kelley finished second at Boston five times. He won the 1959 Pan American Games Marathon, and captured eight consecutive USA National Marathon titles even though this event took place on the hot, hilly Yonkers course just four to five weeks after Boston. Kelley represented the U.S. in the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Marathons, with a best finish of 19th in the Rome Olympic race famously won by barefoot Abebe Bikila.

“Kelley didn’t like the limelight, and people don’t even know about him today,” says Bill Rodgers, four time Boston and New York City Marathon winner, “But his eight straight wins at Yonkers stand second only to Grete’s nine wins in New York, and it’s better in some ways. Grete’s longest streak was five straight.

“Kelley was at the epicenter of American marathoning. He was in the trenches doing the spade work for the likes of Frank Shorter and me and everyone who has come along since. Marathoning wasn’t a business then. There wasn’t any money, and it wasn’t entertainment. The runners had to put up with a public and sports media who basically knew nothing. Marathoners were treated as second-class athletes. But Kelley didn’t let that stop him. He was quiet but had tremendous drive. He was tough as nails.”

In many ways, Kelley was the first modern American road runner. The generations before him–including greats like Clarence DeMar and “Old John” A. Kelley (no relation, despite the similar name and similar Boston Marathon histories)–came from working-class roots. So did Kelley, but he loved books and learning, and ultimately received a masters degree from Boston University.

Another big difference: Where his predecessors were relatively slow plodders, Kelley was fast. A high school prodigy in the mile in New London, CT, he was recruited to B.U. by an ambitious track coach who aimed to turn him into the next Glenn Cunningham. The plan didn’t work. Kelley had no taste for endless track repeats and races on a small oval. He yearned for greater adventure, less coaching, and more personal exploration. Midway through his college years, he was rising at 4:30 a.m. to run a dark, lonely 16-mile loop around the Charles River. He spent more time listening to Boston Marathon organizer/masseur/running-team coach Jock Semple than to his college coach, and ran his first two Bostons while still a college student.

“Kelley argued with his college coach Doug Raymond about the value of long, slow runs vs endless, gasping 440-yard sprints around the track,” notes Boston Marathon historian and author Tom Derderian. “Kelley’s fight against the conventional wisdom lifted him to the crest of the new wave of American distance running that led to Frank Shorter’s Olympic gold medal.”

The Boston Marathon’s former executive director Tom Grilk observed: “John J. Kelley’s victory in the Boston Marathon wearing the unicorn of the BAA has been an inspiration to all of us at the BAA, as well as to generations of Boston and American runners. He ran and won at a time when there was no money to be won; a time when victory was sufficient unto itself. His legacy is that of striving for excellence for its own sake, and for the quiet satisfaction that it brings to those with a deep sense of personal values. I hope we will all continue to learn from that. It remains John’s gift to us all.”

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Embed from Getty Images

A pretty amazing backstory coming from the ’68 champion who happens to be running Boston again – today!

What strikes me the most every Patriots’ Day in Massachusetts (it’s celebrated in Maine, Florida, Wisconsin, Connecticut, North Dakota, and Utah, too) is that the whole Commonwealth STOPS. At some point in the day, every person that is able gets out to cheer on a friend or a random runner passing by. Some families create their makeshift tailgate parties while those fortunate enough to own a house on the course throw the party of the year (rain or shine, in all degrees of temperature). The estimates are some 500,000 people are spectators for the Boston Marathon, not counting the local broadcast (now on WCVB-5 Boston, after decades on WBZ-TV Boston), the national broadcast on ESPN2 and a host of international broadcasters, many who send their commentators to cover the race live and in person.

Others, like your favorite columnist, will detour over to Fenway Park for today’s game pitting the hometown Red Sox vs. the Detroit Tigers. First pitch is 11:10am.

Regardless, the spirit and pure inspiration of the race permeates the very cold air we breath on this wonderful day, the best day of the year in Boston.

I’ll provide links to a couple of columns from year’s past. They are amongst my personal, all-time favorites.

• Switzer is “261” and Fearless in Boston
• Join Us in Boston – (Year After the Marathon Bombing)

I highly recommend you take a stroll through those two columns which both provide incredible backstories of experiences from much earlier this century, noting that we moved to Newton, Mass in 2008.

Stating that, I urge you to take a few minutes today, log on and follow the race, look at the thousands of photos and videos provided by WCVB-TV or ESPN2. You will truly be inspired.

The post Welcome to the Best Day of the Year appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

Brazil’s Oscar Schmidt – (1958-2026)

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

BOSTON – The City of Boston is such a great place, especially this weekend when the sports side of Boston rises to the highest tide. On one weekend, we get to experience:

• Red Sox Major League Baseball, vs Detroit, leading into a series vs. the New York Yankees – all at Fenway Park
• Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Playoff ice hockey, @ the Buffalo Sabres
• Boston Celtics NBA Playoff basketball, vs the Philadelphia 76ers, at TD Garden
• And, the single best day of the year in this town – Patriots’ Day – when the 130th running of the Boston Marathon is staged from Hopkinton to Copley, while the Red Sox play a day game with the first pitch at 11:10am

All that sporting juice, there’s only one other place I’d rather be this weekend and that’s to pay my respects in SAO PAULO, Brazil, the hometown of the late Oscar Schmidt, nicknamed by his compatriots as “The Holy Hand.” ( “Mão Santa”). Yes, his ability to shoot a basketball was that good.

Let NBA legend, Hall of Famer, the great Larry Bird explain:

“I always admired Oscar (Schmidt) and considered him a friend. He was, without a doubt, one of the greatest players to ever play the game,” said Bird in the statement. “It was an honor of a lifetime when Oscar asked me to present him at his well deserved induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. My sincere condolences to Oscar’s family.”

So sadly, Oscar Schmidt passed away on Friday, at the age of 68, after what his family said was a 15-year battle against brain cancer. His battle began, then, about two years before his 2013 induction to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. It was in Springfield when I last saw him, and enjoyed some brief moments recalling times gone by and so many fond memories all those years ago.

I first learned of Oscar when he lit up the scoreboard for 46 points in Brazil’s win over the United States in the 1987 Pan American Game, held at Market Square Arena in downtown Indianapolis. Schmidt’s performance came in the finals of the tournament as he led Brazil to a 120-115 win over an ABA-USA team that included then-college superstars and eventual No. 1 NBA Draft picks David Robinson and Danny Manning as well as then-Indiana University stars Keith Smart and Dean Garrett.

Fast forward to the 1992 Basketball Tournament of the Americas in Portland, Oregon where Brazil went (6-1) and qualified for the ‘92 Olympics in Barcelona, the first when NBA players were eligible to compete. Keep in mind, Schmidt had been drafted in 1984, a sixth round choice by the New Jersey Nets, but he chose not to sign an NBA contract as it would’ve ended his national team career with his teammates in Brazil.

Of course, Oscar was allowed to play pro ball in Europe where led the Italian top division in scoring six times while a member of Juve Caserta (1983–84, 1984–85, 1985-86, 1986–87, 1988–89, and 1989–90 seasons). A double-standard vs. the NBA players?

Yes.

Regardless of the unfair sports eligibility rules which kept him out of an NBA uniform, Schmidt played with pleasure for his country, and I always respected that fact. I can remember him celebrating with his Brazilian teammates in the back halls of the Portland Memorial Coliseum when they qualified. Like a small handful of the international players (count Yao Ming (China), Sasha Volkov and Sarunas Marciulionis (USSR) – (Ukraine) (Lithuania), Drazen Petrovic (Croatia), Jose “Piculin” Ortiz (Puerto Rico) or other NBA superstars like Steve Nash (Canada), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), Tony Parker (France) or Manu Ginobili (Argentina), Oscar was always very friendly, professional and cordial with our dozens of requests. Quite frankly, I think he “batted” 1.000 with fulfilling the interview requests we thrust upon him. Only Andrew Gaze of Australia can be compared.

Schmidt was the same true pro in 2013 when I helped out at the BHofF with the Enshrinement as he joined Gary Payton, Richie Guerin, Bernard King and a handful of others in the festivities. In fact, I remember Oscar’s induction speech as being the very best of the night, delivered with a beret to cover his bald head, coming two years after his brain surgery and subsequent treatments.

MUST WATCH!

It was at or around the Hall Enshrinement when Schmidt uttered one of the great quotes in sports history.

Asked how he could explain his “Holy Hand,” and ability to shoot and score – at will – while others could barely manage to play alongside him or attempt to guard him, Schmidt replied simply, “Some people play the piano, and some people … They move the piano.”

God Bless the great Oscar Schmidt. He will rest in peace but his defenders can now, finally, rest on earth.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: As mentioned at the top of this missive, it’s a special holiday weekend, here in Boston, Massachusetts. The NBA and NHL Playoffs were mentioned, as was the Boston Marathon and the 11am Red Sox game to coincide with the Patriots’ Day celebrations and the timing of the race.

Paraphrasing the advice Doc Rivers gave to me when we moved here in 2008, you just don’t fully understand Boston until you’ve lived here,” said Doc, who stepped down from his duties as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks this week.

Exhibit 1-A of that statement is the full understanding of the Boston Marathon, a spectacle that draws more than 500,000 spectators along the race route, all cheering, screaming, sign-waving and, yes, drinking to their pleasure, mostly on front lawns and porches along the way.

Wellesley College gets a lot of props for the screaming and kissing that goes on as the runners zip past the gorgeous, suburban campus, as does Heartbreak Hill(s) – it’s really a series of three hills in Newton Centre, leading towards Boston College and the town of Chestnut Hill. The gradual, steep climb is one thing, but as the runners pass BC (Mile 21), the terrain turns to a downhill as the race enters its final 5.2 miles, and those calves and hamstrings which were working hard to climb all of a sudden are asked to switch gears.

In medical terms, in the sudden transition to the final downhill stretch, the runners all experience a significant shift in physical strain and mechanical demand. While the descent feels metabolically “easier,” it often causes more muscle damage than the uphills – due to the mechanics of eccentric loading.

As runners descend on the streets of Brighton, their quadriceps must act as “brakes” to control momentum and absorb impact. This requires the muscle to contract while it is simultaneously lengthening—a process called eccentric contraction that is more mechanically stressful than the concentric (shortening) contractions that were just used on Heartbreak Hill(s). The downhill running at this stage can result in up to 54% greater impact forces on the legs compared to running on a flat surface. Peak braking forces can increase by as much as 74%, leading to “shredded” quads and micro-tears in the muscle fibers.

First time runners have been told about this phenomenon, but, until they experience it, there’s nothing that can help.

It’s a metaphor for actually living in Boston. You can live in New York City or Tokyo and experience all of the overcrowded aspects of city life, the noise, the joys, the culture and the pressure, but – come to Boston – and you’ll experience an entirely different vibe, largely fueled by the successes or failures of the local professional sports teams. Boston is a small town – maybe call it a whole bunch of small towns all rolled into one.

The Boston Marathon unifies those eight towns and the running world into one – like no other day of the year.

The pure inspiration of the runners, gutting it for 26.2 in the most important marathon in the world, fuels the human spirit like no other event. The amateurs run the same course as the professionals and the amateurs receive the vast majority of the cheers and encouragement, especially in the afternoon.

The great Amby Burfoot, the 1968 Boston Marathon champion, calls Boston, “the Carnegie Hall” of marathons.

I might take it a step up from there.

“The Boston Marathon is to a runner as Red Rocks is to a Rock n’ Roll band.” – TL

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: Georgia Tech announced that their head basketball coach Scott Cross is adding Harvard assistant coach Matt Fraschilla to his staff. Matt is the son of former head coach Fran Fraschilla, now a popular television commentator on ESPN. “I have known Coach Matt Fraschilla for quite some time now,” Cross said. “I remember watching him play at Highland Park High School (Dallas) where he led the state in assists. On his coaching journey, Matt was part of Coach Jay Wright’s staff at Villanova that won a National Championship! I have watched him recruit in person and I know that he is one of the brightest, up-and-coming coaches in the country. He will instantly make our program better.” … FANZO, a tech platform that links brands, rights holders and broadcasters with fans who aren’t watching games in arenas or stadiums, announced that it will begin partnerships in North America after test-runs and scaling in Europe and the Pacific Rim. The new tech effort will support the millions of fans following the FIFA World Cup, being staged in North America this summer. … Speaking of this summer’s FIFA World Cup, the bars in Providence are petitioning the city to allow their establishments to stay open all night long, figuring many of their patrons might be adjusting to time zone changes, or just flat-out thirsty. The Boston leg of the World Cup will be played at nearby Foxborough, MA.

OF LOCAL INTEREST: The Boston Red Sox moved the start time of their Sunday, April 19th game against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park from 1:35 p.m. to 4:35 p.m. The change was made in consultation with Major League Baseball due to a forecast for an extended period of rain from mid-day into the afternoon.

LIV GOLF: What’s up with the LIV Golf Tour? There was a lot of speculation and some non-denial denials from LIV Golf execs in the USA and in Saudi Arabia where the PIF issued a new business plan, stating they’d be cutting down on funding of non-essential business outside of the country. WWYI will do some digging to see what’s in store for LIV Golf, Newcastle futbol, and some of the other sports the PIF has invested in over the past four years.

The Saudi PIF Plan is HERE.

LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil agreed to do an interview on this weekend’s broadcast from the LIV Golf tournament in Mexico. Here it is: HERE

The post TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | On Oscar appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

By TERRY LYONS, Editor in Chief of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – There’s a four horse race looming for the Most Valuable Player in the National Basketball Association with a fifth horse ruled ineligible for lack of playing time/games. Here are the contenders, listed in alphabetical order:

• Jalen Brown, Boston Celtics
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder
• Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
• Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

The following NBA players are ineligible for postseason awards because of the fact they did not play the minimum number of games to qualify. That number of games, 65, was increased as a deterrent for teams resting the top players too often, a growing trend known as load management.

• *Luka Dončić, LA Lakers
• Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
• *Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
• Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
• Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
• Jimmy Butler, GS Warriors
• Stephen Curry, GS Warriors
• Anthony Davis, Dallas Mavericks / Wash (DC) Wizards
• Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
• Paul George, Philadelphia 76ers
• Josh Giddey, Chicago Bulls
• LeBron James, LA Lakers
• Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz
• Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
• Austin Reaves, LA Lakers
• Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings
• Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic
• Jalen Williams, OKC Thunder
• Trae Young, Hawks / Wizards

Note: The NBA delayed its post season award voting and later ruled that Luka Dončić and Cade Cunningham were now eligible for awards.*

Put simply, team/front office analysts and player agents believe that the fewer games (and minutes) a basketball star plays over an 82 games regular season will translate to extended careers, thus more years on their contract extentions, thus, more money to be earned. Most likely, there’s a significantly better chance for such a player to earn “Super Max” money in a fair number of contracts, starting with the player’s second or third deal and continuing until the player decides to retire or is injured and forced to retire.

Now, for the award in unintended consequences: In negotiations for the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, labor and management decided to tie together the concept of that “Super Max” to the annual postseason awards, thus putting the ability for players to qualify for the big bucks in the hands of the 100+ voters, all media members who cover the league on an 82-games a year basis. The panel is also bolstered by votes from select members of the league’s national broadcast teams, and an international media member or three are tossed in for good reason.

Big mistake.

Paraphrasing from the CBA with the help of the Villanova Law Review: “An NBA player qualifies for a Super Max contract (Designated Veteran Player Extension) by meeting specific performance criteria, primarily being named to an All-NBA team, winning MVP, or earning Defensive Player of the Year. The player must have 7-9 years of experience, be with their original team (or acquired via rookie deal), and have 1-2 years left on their contract.

Performance Criteria (Must meet one):

• Named to an All-NBA Team (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) in the most recent season or in two of the previous three seasons.
• Named Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) in the most recent season or in two of the previous three seasons.
• Named NBA MVP in any of the three previous seasons.

Eligibility & Service Requirements:

• Experience: Player must have completed seven or eight years of service (YOS).
• Team Requirement: The player must be on their original team or have been traded before their fifth season.
• Contract Timing: Eligible with one or two years remaining on their current contract.

Key Rules & Limitations

• Games Played Threshold: Under the latest NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), players must appear in at least 65 regular-season games to be eligible for the postseason awards (All-NBA, DPOY, MVP) that trigger Super Max eligibility.
• Roster Limits: Recent CBA changes removed the limit on how many “Designated Veteran” players a team can have on its roster at once.
• Negotiation: Qualifying only makes a player eligible for the 35% max; the team is not required to offer the full amount and the terms of the deal must be negotiated.
• Trade Restrictions: A player cannot be traded for one year after signing a Super Max deal.

“Super Max’ Benefits:

• Allows a team to offer up to 35% of the total salary cap (vs. 30% for standard max).
• The contract length is for five years.

As sure as actor George Clooney portraying Frank William “Billy” Tyne Jr., captain of doomed Andrea Gail, would attest, this season is The Perfect Storm where all the rules of the CBA, the post season awards and the anti-load management have come home to roost.

What are the biggest problems the system has put forth? Let us count just a few ways.

• This season, players like Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham deserve consideration for All-NBA, at the least, and MVP at the best.
• The NBA Players Association (NBPA) is calling for the 65-game rule to be abolished or reformed, arguing that it unfairly disqualifies deserving players from end-of-season honors due to injuries. That comes long after they ratified the deal.
• Tying the ability for a player to “Max” out to the whims of the media voting can (and will) place unjust pressure on the voters (media). The post season honors were intended to be a publicity/ attention grabber and cause for debate and an eventual photo op – not determine whether a player merits “Super Max” levels of salary.

By 2029 and 2030, the NBA maximum team salary figures will likely reach $200m and $220m, thus projecting the Super Max deals to come in at $80m per season and $400m per player over the life of a five-year deal – all potentially dependent on a vote or two on MVP or All-Defensive team honors.

All this said, the NBA is actively attempting to solve an obvious “Tanking” issue.

On Friday, April 10, the Associated Press reported that 168 NBA players did not play because of injury or illness.

One team, the OKC Thunder, might’ve had good reason, as they clinched the best record in the league and home court advantage for the duration of the playoffs.

“If we didn’t clinch [the No. 1 overall seed] coming into tonight, everybody would be playing,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said to reporters before the game. “We’ve earned the right through 80 games to manage their bodies and stuff like that.”

San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, needing to play 20 minutes to reach the 65-game standard and be eligible for postseason awards, was taken out after hitting exactly that number of minutes. That accomplished, he reported back into the game, evidently having convinced the Spurs’ hierarchy that he needed a bit more work. He finished the Friday night game with 40 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes during a 139-120 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

“If I had 65 [games] before, I, for sure, wouldn’t have played,” Wembanyama said.

While we examine the upper echelon of NBA teams (As of Saturday, OKC is 64-17, and playing .790 ball with an (8-2) record over their prior 10 games and San Antonio is 62-19, and playing at a .765 clip with a (9-1) mark over their prior outings, the opposite side of the playoff qualifying ledger gets pretty ugly.

Before today’s season finale at Toronto, the Brooklyn Nets lost consecutive games by scores of (123-94) and (125-108). Meanwhile, the Washington Wizards have won a grand total of one game since February 22. That’s (1-and-25) for those of you scoring at home.

Five teams sit between the 17-win and 22-win threshold, all battling it out for the slight advantages of the NBA Draft Lottery system which was addressed by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver quite definitively at the recent NBA Board of Governors meeting. A vote of the three proposals Silver presented to his Board will come in May. (See proposals HERE).

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: I preface this section by stating it is written in bipartisan fashion, and – in fact – I’ll be ripping some of the “good guys” in U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn) along with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and U.S. Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) as the aforementioned group of four have introduced the Home Team Act, and it’s a doozie.

The lawmakers on Thursday introduced a bill that “could counter” professional sports franchises’ plans for relocating. The Home Team Act, if passed, would “require team ownership to provide one year of notice before moving a team to a new location if the team would move across state lines or to a new metropolitan area.” During that year prior to the proposed relocation, the franchise in question would be “available for other (presumably local) prospective owners to purchase ‘at a fair and reasonable price.’” A team of appraisers would determine “what constitutes as ‘fair and reasonable.’”

While it all sounds nice and an effort by local politicians to support their local sports team, while currying favor (a.k.a. ‘sucking up) to the local constituents with hopes of some votes down the road, it is quite a strike against a business owners’ rights to do what he thinks is best for his business and, very possibly, the future health of the franchise.

The case in point is the decision by the Mohegan Tribe to sell the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun to the Tellman Fertitta family who plan to move the Sun to Houston to become the second coming of the Houston Comets – the once mighty dynasty of WNBA years gone by.

Last summer, there was quite a kerfuffle when the Mohegan Tribe had a handshake with former Celtics team owner Stephen Pagliuca to sell the team and slide it up I-95 to play in the Boston Garden. The WNBA put the brakes on that cozy agreement and noted that the relocation of franchises was subject to the bylaws of the WNBA’s Constitution and By Laws. quite simply, the league had canvassed various potential cities for expansion and/or re-location and not a peep was heard from Boston.

The WNBA also noted that Houston was in line for a franchise and locating a team in the Southwest USA might be best. Meanwhile, another bid to move the Sun to Hartford from lovely Uncasville, Connecticut did not gain traction. The WNBA also noted that current NBA Boston Celtics’ team owner Bill Chisholm might have a say in the matter.

The other major factor was the relocation to either Hartford or Boston would place the Sun/Comets in a building they did not own nor operate, thus severely limiting the potential earnings of the franchise. And, keep in mind, the margins for a WNBA franchise to operate and turn a profit are slim and require revenue sources from every possible source (concessions, parking, etc.).

The politicians and the Home Team Act don’t seem to do (nor care about) the calculations to make the team successful. and face, it, the franchise is up for sale and potential relocation for a reason. If it were drowning in revenue, chances are the club would not be up for sale.

EXCUSE ME SIR, MAY I HAVE ANOTHER: On April 3, the day before the NCAA Final Four tipped-off in Indianapolis, the office of the White House dropped an Executive Order on the world of collegiate sports that – quite frankly – seemed quite illegal right from the moment it became public.

“The Urgent National Action to Save College Sports” made quite a splash with the “we want college sports to be the way it used to be” crowd. Of course, that group of American society – the people who ignored the 2015 “O’Bannon vs NCAA” case or the June 6, 2025 settlement between the NCAA and NIL claims.

Those two cases, handed down by the NCAA and the courts, significantly changed the landscape of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rights and college athletics overall. The settlement called for backpay and the ability for athletes to be paid directly by their schools. There was no longer a limit on scholarships per sport/team.

The “Settlement” introduced significant changes to college athletics and NIL, but it did not settle all outstanding issues, such as whether student athletes should be considered employees by their schools and whether student athletes have the right to collectively bargain.

Those issues still needs to be decided, but, of course, a Collective Bargaining Agreement would need to have two definitive sides representing labor and management to begin negotiations. As of now, the NCAA does not represent all of the management team (see College Football Playoff group, Power Four Conferences, basketball conferences, such as the BIG EAST, Olympic sports – both men and women, along with Division II or III athletes, their schools and conferences.

And, the athletes as a group would need to unionize to make it work.

Thus, the Executive Order put forth is like throwing a book of matches on top of a blazing fire of legal uncertainty in collegiate sports. and, clearly, what works for big-time college football doesn’t work for tennis or track and field. What works for the BIG EAST for men’s basketball, might not even work for the BIG EAST in women’s basketball.

While not a fan of piling “What About” on top of problems, how about a giant “What About” if applying all of the proposed laws and provisions of the EO on top of the IVY League schools?

The bottom line, the EO is a complete waste of time and money, as it will quickly be challenged in court and the findings will further divide the parties in an effort to find a legitimate working system for college sports.

What can be agreed upon:

• The current (lack of) system for collegiate football and basketball is not sustainable.
• The proposed limits to collegiate athletes is un-Constitutional. Why should they be singled out and limited?
• There doesn’t;t seem to be an equal restriction plan for college coaches, Athletic Directors and school Presidents. They seem to be able to move around as they please, with no limitations of years served, not the number of times they change jobs.
• Holding Federal Funding over the heads of the colleges is surely illegal.

One other point to be made, and it’s quite simple: Let’s reverse the Executive Order from collegiate athletes and apply it to elected officials:

We’ll call it, “Urgent National Action to Save Democracy,” and here are a few bullet-points for the EO.

• Elected officials are limited to a five year period to serve
• Elected officials may change jobs only once, this if a Congressman wishes to run for Senate after a five-year period of serving as an elected Representative in the House, “go get ‘em.” But that’s it. Only one job change.
• Same goes for Senators who might want to run for President. And, you get one crack at it, one election – win or go home. NO changes to City council or Mayor or any other elected office. “You’re done.”
• Presidents? One five-year term. Good-bye or go run for Dog Catcher back home.

We Have Spoken.

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: Boston Celtics point guard Payton Pritchard was named as the recipient of the 2026 Red Auerbach Award. The annual award, which was presented to Pritchard at mid-court by Celtics Team President Rich Gotham and Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens, prior to Boston’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night, is traditionally given to the Celtics player or coach who best exemplifies the spirit of what it means to be a Celtic through exceptional performance on and off the court.

“Payton’s growth and consistency speak to everything the Red Auerbach Award stands for – toughness, selflessness, and a commitment to the greater good of the team,” said Gotham. “He approaches his role with professionalism, purpose, and an amazing work ethic, earning the admiration and trust of his teammates and coaches alike.”

In 78 games (50 starts) this season, Pritchard is averaging career highs of 17.0 points (46.3 FG%, 37.4 3FG%, 88.8 FT%), 4.0 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in 32.4 minutes per game. The 2024 NBA champion and 2025 Sixth Man of the Year is one of only two Celtics players in history with multiple career 35-point games off the bench (Larry Bird).

Created in 2006, the award is named in honor of legendary Celtics coach, general manager and president, Arnold “Red” Auerbach.

SOX STRUGGLING, ALL BUT ABREU: The Boston Red Sox are struggling coming out of the gate this spring. They opened up on the road and won their season opener at Cincinnati. From there, they went (0-5) before they won another game when they returned to Fenway Park to face the san Diego Padres. After that win, it was three more losses before they put two wins together against the Milwaukee Brew Crew. With everyone on the club struggling, there’s been only one consistent source of production and that is from right fielder Wilyer Abreu who started in right in each of the Red Sox’ 13 games through Saturday, and is batting .392 (20-for-51) with a 1.101 OPS, eight runs, four doubles, one triple, three home runs and nine RBI. Going into the weekend, Abreu led the American League in total bases (35), hits (20) and batting aveerage (.392), while ranking third n SLG (.686), OPS (1.101), and extra base hits (eight, tied), 8th in OBP (.415) and doubles (four, tied), and T-11th in HR (3) and RBI (9).

MARATHON MAN: The Fenway Park Marathon will return to America’s Most Beloved Ballpark on Saturday, May 30, 2026. The race will offer runners a rare opportunity to complete a marathon distance entirely on the warning track inside Fenway Park while raising funds for two impactful nonprofits. Runners interested in securing one of the limited spots can register HERE

Originally run back in 2017, the Fenway Park Marathon is one of the most unique endurance events in the country, allowing participants to circle the historic ballpark’s warning track for 26.2 miles while surrounded by the sights and sounds of Fenway. The money raised via the race benefits the Red Sox Foundation and the Dave McGillivray Finish Strong Foundation. Registration is now open for the 2026 race, with participation limited to only 100 individuals. Due to strong interest in the event’s return, organizers have also added two new participation options for 2026: a half marathon distance and a relay team division of two, three, four or five runners on a team. All individual participants and teams are required to raise a minimum of $5,000 in support of the Red Sox Foundation and the Dave McGillivray Finish Strong Foundation. “Running a marathon inside Fenway Park is an experience unlike anything else in the sport,” said McGillivray. “Participants will spend the entire race on the warning track of one of the most beloved ballparks in the world, surrounded by family, friends, and fellow runners. It’s a celebration of endurance, community, and the power of giving back.” For Dave McGillivray,the Boston Marathon’s Senior Race Advisor, the event offers runners a chance to experience Fenway Park in an unforgettable way while supporting important community causes. … McGillivray will be a very busy man come April 20th when the 130th running of the Boston Marathon dissects the streets of Boston and the MetroWest ‘burbs.

ONE OF THE COOLEST EVENTS: The National Baseball Poetry Festival will return to Polar Park in nearby Worcester, on May 7-10. The event continues a growing New England tradition, celebrating the home plate that is baseball and storytelling. Ready to enjoy its fourth year, the festival continues to grow. In 2026 alone, adult poetry submissions have come from 42 states and 12 different countries and territories, reflecting the growing interest in baseball themed writing from students, poetry lovers, and baseball fans. Event organizers describe it as the first festival designed specifically to unite sports and the fine arts. Note that the festival’s youth poetry contest remains open for submissions through April 17, coinciding with National Poetry Month. The festival weekend itself brings together baseball fans, writers, educators, and community members for readings, workshops, pick-up and organized ballgames, and other events at beautiful Polar Park, home of the Worcester Red Sox.

Baseball Poetry in Motion

After earning his way to first base, a runner can make a mark,

He can take a lead-off the base, draw a pick-off attempt or two,

Maybe, he can distract the pitcher and extend his teammate’s at bat,

But careful he must be, as the catcher has a glove and a rocket,

He’ll fake to the mound, but throw a bullet right into your back pocket.”

PARTING WORDS & MUSIC: How about some music for the final round of The Masters Tournament?

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

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

The post TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | On MVPs, Tanking & The Home Team Act appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

By TERRY LYONS, Editor in Chief of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – What better way is there to chronicle the 2026 Opening Day at Fenway Park than with a patented TL timeline? It’s the San Diego Padres in town for a three-game set against the hometeam.

Here we go:

10:00am – By pure luck, your fave columnist departed his suburban Boston home at the exact same time our beloved neighbor (Tuckie’s Dad) was driving over to work and passing by the ballpark. Nice!

10:45am – Second in line for credential check-in (which is usually pretty long on Opening Day), and it took all of two minutes. The good news was that the Press Gate (D) opened at 8:45am.

10:47am – Shared an elevator ride for two with my favorite WBZ-TV sports reporter Dan Roche and we chatted “winter” for a while, and his take was the surprise that kept him working the New England Patriots’ beat until the Super Bowl in February, then right to Spring Training. … “Vrabel,” we both said in unison.

10:49am – The first person we saw, as we walked down the press box corridor was former NESN/Sox broadcaster Don Orsillo, who was let go by the locals but quickly hooked-up with the Padres back in 2016. The Melrose, Mass. native now lives in Coronado, California. That’s an upgrade.

11:00am – Settled into my usual press box seat but immediately thought of Red Sox Official Scorer Mike Shalin, my New York and St. John’s compadre who passed away at the age of 66 (back in December, 2020). Mike wrote for the NY Post, the Boston Herald and UPI/Sports Exchange wire services and thus contributed to Digital Sports Desk via the wire for many years. Known for his gregarious ways and encyclopedic knowledge of baseball and all sports NYC, Mike was diagnosed with brain cancer just months before his passing. He welcomed me to the Red Sox “Bresh Box” with open arms and we had a few laughs – many subtle jokes about New York, The Garden and every National Anthem singer. When I was first credentialed to cover the Sox, Mike introduced me to pretty much every person in the press box. Amazing guy, and I miss him greatly.

11:30am – The Red Sox organization treats the media to “free lunch” on Opening Day, a treat that saves us $12 from the normal fee (which is quite fair, considering the usual three course meals, complete with New England clam chowder, locally grown vegetables (on the Fenway Rooftops) in the summer. It’ll be a break “in the action” for 20-30 minutes while the Sox take batting practice.

11:45am – Enjoyed lunch with Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy as we go back to when Dan started on the Celtics beat in the early ‘80s. We enjoyed catching up, talking friends and family. We also discussed the untimely closing of Fenway Johnnies, sister bar/restaurant to West End Johnnies – a block from TD Garden. Sadly, Fenway didn’t make it ‘til Opening Day after a long, slow winter.

12 Noon-1:45pm – Down time used to do some writing and catch-up on email, calls.

1:43pm – Texts from family that they’re in their seats and ready for the festivities (after a little lunch at Eastern Standard). ES has the best food around the ballpark.

2:00pm – Introductions of the two teams, with San Diego first, of course and a nice ovation for former Red Sox SS Xander Bogaerts. The home team was introduced to much applause, then a stirring rendition of the National Anthem by Nic Taylor.

At precisely 2:00pm, the sun came out, and the press box windows opened to provide light and sound. What a difference it makes. It’s also somewhat humid, and the heaters are on.

At 2:01pm, I realized just how lucky we all are to be at Fenway Park to open the 2026 Baseball season here in Boston. I also wondered, “what will this summer bring?” And, “will we be here in October when the days are short and the temperature drop?”

2:10pm – The 1986 American League champion Red Sox are introduced (as a group) after they walked out from the Green Monster. Ceremonial first pitch and we’re ready to play ball. Nice job. The festivities are running late for the scheduled 2:10 first pitch.

2:21pm – First pitch of the season by Sonny Gray to Fernando Tatis, Jr. (foul ball). Then Tatis grounds out to Trevor Story at shortstop.

2:22pm – Speaking of shortstop, batting second, San Diego SS Xander Bogaerts is introduced to a rousing standing ovation that gained steam as it went along, almost forcing Bogaerts to step out of the batter’s box and tip his batting helmet.

2:25pm – Gray retired the Padres in order. we’ll pick this up when there’s something newsworthy to report/journal.

2:40pm – Boston 1B Willson Contreras gets the nod in the first ABS challenge in Fenway Park’s MLB history. Ball was a 1/4-inch outside and Contreras took first base only to be doubled up minutes later.

2:50pm – The Red Sox score their first run of the 2026 season when Ceddanne Rafaela singles-in Marcelo Mayer who had led off the inning with a double to left center field. (Red Sox 1-0, after 3 innings).

3:09pm – The shadows of October are here at Fenway in early April, too. Sunlight tossing shadow right across home plate to Sonny Gray’s benefit.

3:23pm – The Sox manufacture another run with a Jarren Duran leadoff double, and a Caleb Durbin base hit. Durbin was 0-19 going into today.

3:45pm – Former Red Sox reliever and Houston Astros legendary closer, Joe Sambito stopped by the press box to do a half-inning of TV and meet the press. He was great. Little known fact, Joe was a legend at Bethpage High School on Long Island and a member of “the family” via his younger brother Bobby, a lifelong friend of this column.

3:45pm – The San Diego Padres got to Sonny Gray for two runs in the visiting half of the 5th inning, 2-2.

3:50pm – Willson Contreras homers, 423-feet, to deep center field, 3-2, Sox at the end of six innings.

3:55pm – After a Wilyer Abreu single, second baseman Marcelo Mayer clocked a 385-foot drive into the Red Sox bullpen to give Boston a 5-2 lead. SD reliever Wandy Peralta might need some tips from Joe Sambito.

4:25pm – With the sun shadows reaching the pitcher’s mound, we get the very first “Sweet Caroline” of the ‘26 season, marking the middle of the 8th inning break.

A regular observation of the Fenway Park crowd? Not a single soul has left the building. Yes, a sell-out crowd of 36,233 is enjoying every last second of this ballgame.

4:31pm – Cue the light show, as Sox closer Aroldis Chapman enters the game to close-out the Padres as the visitors bat in the 9th inning. Again, NOT a SOUL has left Fenway Park. It’s amazing.

The obligatory “Yankees Suck” chants reverberate throughout the park.

Chapman has his “stuff” and blew one past Jackson Merrill at 97 mph. Two outs.

4:38pm – Chapman falls behind, 3-1, in the count, then gets it to full count, as the crowd erupts. He throws a ball to walk Manny Machado.

4:41pm – Ramon Laureano flies out to Roman Anthony in right field and the ball game is OV-AH. (5-2, Sox). Chapman gets his first save of 2026, Weissert and Slaten get the “holds” while starter Sonny Gray wins his first of the season.

Cue the Dropkicks, a tradition of playing “Tessie” by the Dropkick Murphys, followed by the old fave of “Jeremiah was a Bullfrog,” a.k.a. “Joy to the World” by Three Dog Night.

4:48pm – Kevin Foley, my brother of summer from the Red Sox media relations staff, closes the press box windows on a gorgeous afternoon to close out the Sox victory and this play-by-play of a great day at Fenway.

Not once do I take this ballpark, The Garden in New York, or Wrigley Field in Chicago for granted. All three are Heaven on Earth.

TL

The post TL’s Sunday Notes | Opening Day appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

It’s 39-degrees and we’re expecting snowflakes this Friday for Sox opener at Fenway

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

BOSTON – For those of us who live and breath sports, those who have made a living in the high pressure world of risk and reward, and sometimes award, there is one rule to use as your North Star. That rule is the NEXT game is the big game.

We anticipate that next game as if our lives depended on it. We watch the sports pundits opine. We have our own thoughts and opinions and prognostications. It’s all about the next game.

The great coaches concentrate – not on the next game – but the next possession, the next at bat or pitch, the next defensive stop, the next set of downs, and then, the next game – the very second they’re done doing media interviews about tonight’s game.

I noticed Coach Mike Krzyzewski do that when he was the head coach of USA Basketball’s senior team. At the World Cup (formerly Championship of Basketball) in Japan, he’d have tonight’s boxscore in his hands as he did his media interviews, but the second he stepped down from the podium, he’d want the next opponent’s boxscore from their most recent game. Media interviews ended the game at hand, and he was on to the next game right away.

I watched Friday night’s Duke vs. St. John’s game, but on Saturday, still clung to the mountain of “what ifs,” all created as the game played out – all fair and square.

As in, “what if” Duke coach Jon Scheyer didn’t have the game plan to switch to zone at crucial time in the second half of the NCAA regional semifinal game to stop the Johnnies’ momentum after a nice run that gave SJU a 10 point lead, 55-45, with 15:01 left in the game. By the 8:11 mark, after an Isaiah Evans three-pointer, Duke led, 63-62.

“What if” the Boozer twins picked another school instead of their father’s alma mater, Duke. Cameron (6-9, 250) and Cayden (6-4, 205) led the Blue Devils all year long, but “what if” they decided to criss-cross/double-cross their Dad and attend North Carolina?

The “what ifs” continue with the question, “What if, Evans had a bad night shooting?”

“What if” St. John’s guard and North Carolina transfer Ian Jackson had Evans’ shooting touch instead of going 1-for-7 from 3-point range? St. John’s guards Jackson, Oziyah Sellers and Dylan Darling (the darling of St. John’s game against Kansas) shot a combined 2-for-16 from downtown. Reserve center Ruben Prey was 4-for-4 and star forward Bryce Hopkins was 2-for-2 from 3-point land.

Evans shot 10-for-15 FG and 4-for-8 from three-point FG.

Duke shot a dismal 15-of-24 from the free throw line (63%) while St. John’s shot a horrible 4-for-8 from the line (50%). There was no beef with the discrepancy as the Johnnies were shooting jumpers while Duke took it to the rim all night long.

That was the difference between more Madness in March (and maybe even April) and, instead, March Sadness. The basketball gods spoke to the school of the Vincentians and sent St. John’s packing. The same gods who allowed the Johnnies to take that 10-point lead, pulled the rug out from underneath their Nike Air Jordans.

The basketball gods tossed this one out with a graphic embedded into the CBS Sports broadcast: For every Duke national title, the Blue Devils beat St. John’s along the way:

1991: Beat St. John’s in the Regional Final (78–61)

1992: Beat St. John’s in the regular season (91–81)

2001: Beat St. John’s in the regular season (91–59)

2010: Beat St. John’s in the regular season (80–71)

2015: Beat St. John’s in the regular season (77–68)

Somehow, the Blue Devils are connected to the basketball gods.

Seems like N.I.L. now stands for Not In (my) Lifetime for St. John’s.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Continuing the March “Sadness” theme, your columnist and editor-in-chief of PGATourBrunch must opine on the “Continuing Saga of Tiger Woods.”

While news media, sports writers (and columnists), sports fans, golf fans, and everyone in between criticize Woods for his behavior, your guy, right here, must show true vibes of empathy for the golf star turned retiree.

In case you didn’t see the story – which has been pretty much impossible to overlook since Friday afternoon – here’s a quick round-up:

Tiger Woods was arrested on DUI charges Friday afternoon after being involved in a two-vehicle car crash about four miles from his home in Jupiter Island, Florida. Woods was booked in jail on three charges. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office announced Woods’ arrest at a 5 p.m. ET press conference. Woods was released around 11 p.m. ET on Friday night.

What can be said?

First, it’s important not to speculate excessively as the police are undertaking an investigation and all the facts have not been made public. That said, the Martin County Sheriff’s department made lengthy statements in a press conference called Friday afternoon. They said a lot, especially on the description of the accident. They also released some photos, showing the Land Rover on its side.

Initial thoughts?

You have to try to flip a Land Rover, or you must’ve been driving at an incredibly high rate of speed. A Land Rover is no JEEP. It’s large, wide and grounded.

Secondly, the authorities made it clear that Woods was not arrested for drunk diving (alcohol) and they released the fact he was tested and blew a .000 on his breathalizerr tests. That led to the immediate assumption that Woods was abusing and impaired by pain killer drugs. (That is not known, at this time).

Continuing, this is not Tiger Woods’ first incident with an automobile. His past history includes:

• November, 2009: Woods crashed his Cadillac Escalade into a fire hydrant and a tree outside his home in Florida. He was found semi-conscious and his then-wife, Elin Nordegren, reportedly used a golf club to smash the back window to help Woods out of the vehicle. Subsequently, after the public airing of multiple trysts with several women, Woods and his wife separated and divorced. The accident resulted in a summons for careless driving and Woods was fined $164.
• May, 2017: Woods was found asleep at the wheel in his Mercedes, stopped at a traffic light with his directional signal on. A toxicology report noted there was Vicodin, Dilaudid, Xanax, Ambien, and THC in his system at the time. He pleaded guilty to reckless driving and was placed on a one year probation period.
• February, 2021: Woods was involved in a severe single-car rollover crash while driving a Genesis SUV. Investigators determined he was traveling between 84 and 87 mph in a 45 mph zone. Woods suffered significant injuries to his right leg and ankle, requiring multiple emergency surgeries. No criminal charges were filed as there was no evidence of impairment.

Now, Woods faces three serious charges in Martin County, all misdemeanors. The police announced charges of – DUI, Property Damage, and Refusal to Submit to a Lawful Test. While he was released on bail after the mandatory eight-hour hold, he faces significant legal consequences if convicted of the charges. Comparing the current incident to Woods’ 2017 case, there’s a more severe legal landscape due to recent changes in Florida law and the nature of his current charges.

Just last week, Woods competed with his Jupiter Links GC team against Los Angeles in the finals of the indoor TGL. He claimed to feel fine, physically, but admitted to “rust” on his overall game. There’s been speculation as to whether Woods would play at The Masters.

The main take-away from this incident is the very important need for Woods to seek help/counseling and potential rehabilitation for dependency on the v ery pain-killer drugs he tested positive for back in 2017. Multiple celebrity deaths have been reported for overdoses on combinations of prescription pain killers/opiods. Guitarist and songwriter Tom Petty, actors Heath Ledger and Anna Nicole Smith and the death of the artist known as Prince, due to fentanyl overdoses have filled the newspapers over many years.

Woods needs to take care of himself while dealing with the consequences that will come with serious charges. One thing is clear, he will not be treated better than the average guy and he’ll face the full application of the laws.

TIGER: While being realistic and sympathetic to Woods’ situation, I cannot help but think of the amount of joy he’s brought to a generation of sports fans – all drawn to golf because of his ability and charisma. Only Jack Nicklaus can be considered as a better golfer and, maybe only Ali and Michael Jordan would be more world famous.

LUKA OR LOSA? The constant complaining done by Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic has become unbearable. This weekend, Doncic was issued his 16th technical foul and it resulted in an automatic 1-game suspension. Doncic will serve the suspension during Monday’s game against the Washington Wizards. Doncic previously picked up his 16th tech last weekend for verbally sparring with Orlando Magic center Goga Bitadze, but the NBA rescinded the techs after the Lakers appealed to the league.

The suspension will cost Doncic 1/174 of his annual salary, or approximately $264,000. Subsequent technical fouls during the current regular season will be cause for automatic uspension for an additional game and the financial penalty will increase to 1/145 of his salary, or approximately $317,000.

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: While March Madness marched on, the NBA had a busy week behind the scenes and off the court. Commissioner Adam Silver held a briefing after the Board of Governors meeting to discuss expansion. He was quite specific in his choice of words Wednesday afternoon when he said, that the league is “exploring expansion,” not committing to expanding. There remain many variables in play, such as who the chosen ownership groups might be, the costs and benefits of a move that could bump league membership to 32 franchises, but the thing that became clear is the fact the NBA will look at Seattle and Las Vegas as the two markets to expand.

In other business, called the Anti-Tanking dilemma, the league offered three possible solutions to the two-part issue of keeping the current Lottery system or changing it.

These are the Three Primary Anti-Tanking Solutions put forth to the NBA board for consideration and an eventual vote this spring (for implementation next season).

• 18-Team Lottery & Flattened Odds: Expanding the lottery to 18 teams—the 10 teams missing the play-in plus the eight that qualify for it. Under one proposal, the bottom 10 teams would receive equal odds for the top pick, significantly reducing the incentive to be the absolute worst team.
• Two-Year Lottery Records (WNBA Model): Rather than just the current season’s record, NBA Lottery odds would be calculated based on a team’s winning percentage over two seasons. This prevents teams from benefiting instantly from a single season of extreme losing and encourages sustained competence.
• “Win-Based” Lottery Seeding: Instead of awarding the best odds to the teams with the most losses, lottery positions would be determined by the number of wins a team accumulates during the final stretch of the season. This ensures that teams continue to try winning games, even if they are far out of playoff contention.

At this point in time, I am not sure which of the three I would vote for, but looking at the two-year (WNBA model) proposal, I might wiggle it to be a three-year rule. If pushed to decide right now, I’d go with the last of the three but would need exact details as to the timing for the “final stretch.” Might they use the final 10 games? 15 games?

BC HIRED MURRAY – and – THAT”S the FACT JACK: Boston College Director of Athletics Blake James announced the hiring of Luke Murray, assistant coach of the University of Connecticut men’s basketball program, as the new Clement and Elizabeth Izzi Family head men’s basketball coach at BC. Murray, the son of comedian and motion picture star Bill Murray of Saturday Night Live fame, will head up I84 to a BC team with his decade-plus of coaching experience at the highest levels of collegiate basketball, including playing a key staff role in two national championships. Known for his offensive acumen, player development, and recruiting success, Murray became the 14th head coach in program history.

CAN’T MAKE IT UP (AGAIN): The horn struck again on Saturday during the Elite Eight of the men’s NCAA tournament. Just over a month after a stuck buzzer stopped an NBA game between the Cleveland Cavaliers at Detroit Pistons, the same thing happened during No. 3 seed Illinois’ game vs. No. 9 seed Iowa at the Toyota Center in Houston. The game was stopped for over 11 minutes with 7:43 to go in the first half as the shot clock horn kept sounding. Given the importance of a working buzzer in a basketball game, the game didn’t continue after the under-eight media timeout because the horn was still going off. When the horn finally shut off, it was greeted with cheers all across the arena. At one point, CBS announcer Kevin Harlan joked that the seven-minute delay felt like 70 minutes. The NCAA said during the second half that the issue stemmed from a malfunction in the scoreboard hanging over the court and that arena staff had attempted to reset the scoreboard at halftime to no avail. Illinois won the game, 71-59, and became the first team to earn a berth in this year’s Final Four.

CRICKET ANYONE? The Royal Challengers Bengaluru sold for ~$1.78B to a consortium led by Blackstone Investment in a landmark IPL deal. The buyers include: Blackstone (first direct sports team investment); David Blitzer’s Bolt Ventures, Aditya Birla Group, and Times of India Group. The deal covers both IPL and Women’s Premier League teams.

The post TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook | Mar 29 appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – For baseball purists, nothing says “Opening Day” like an interleague Major League Baseball game featuring the New York Yankees at the San Francisco Giants, played at nightime and broadcast on Netflix.

Instead, MLB programmers opted for the big bucks and large market New York and San Francisco (Bay Area) for the 2026 opener, The game is part of a $50m cash grab by MLB with Netflix with a package of three tune-in opportunities.

1. Baseball’s Opening Night
2. The MLB All-Star Home Run Derby
3. MLB “Special Event,” like the Field of Dreams game (Iowa) – Aug 13 (PHI v MINN)

That some $16.6m for each stand-alone broadcast, spread out over the course of the 2026 season. For Netflix, it’s waving a giant business card three times a summer. For MLB, its global exposure with the signing of one deal. It might even draw a few of the younger set along to a sports that skews heavily to the older, male audiences.

If you’re scoring at home:

• Wednesday – One MLB game
• Thursday – 11 games
• Friday – 8 games
• Saturday – Full throttle – 15 MLB games

Baseball was smart to schedule its lone opener on Wednesday night, a full 23 hours ahead of the continuing saga of March Madness. In an era of “alternate facts,” we have a “new tradition” in the works.

No matter the teams, an umpire uttering the words, “Play Ball,” or “Batter-Up” have the true meaning of Opening Day, even if said ump will have his balls and strikes reversed sometime tonight.

Yes, there are some rule changes for 2026, and the “ABS” is atop the list. Let’s take a look:

Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System: Each team begins the game with two challenges. Batter, pitcher, or catcher can appeal a ball/strike call. If the appeal is successful, the challenge is retained; if not, it is lost. Challenges are not permitted when position players are pitching.

Base Coach Regulations: Base coaches must remain within their designated boxes while the pitcher is on the rubber to reduce sign-stealing via better angles. It’ll take a but of “getting used to it” for the coaches.

Infield Interference/Obstruction: Runners cannot initiate contact with fielders to draw an obstruction call. Doing so may result in the runner being called out.

Extra Inning Challenges: If a team runs out of challenges, they will receive one, (per inning in extra innings).

There will be some other rule changes in the works, but they’ll be tested in the Minor Leagues throughout 2026. (See rule changes for MiLB – HERE).

What will the fans – baseball purists and newcomers – see when the seasons starts?

We’ll still have Fenway Park – the world’s most beloved ball park – in Boston.

We’ll still have Wrigley Field – the world’s biggest saloon – in Chicago.

Those are the “only” two ballparks remaining.

We’ll still have the Dodgers in Los Angeles and the Yankees in New York both outspending the mere mortals of a league, trying to move forward with the times, but with a Players Association so strong, the words Salary and Cap can not be used in the same sentence, even by the Commissioner of the sport in a Philadelphia clubhouse.

On Opening Day, we’ll still have “hope” in at least 28 of the 30 major league baseball cities, excluding Denver, Colorado and the District of Columbia. That’s pretty good, considering you can slice off the lower third of teams and not a soul would miss them come October.

We’ll still have kids with gloves, hoping to catch a foul ball – an instant, treasured souvenir to be a keepsake until one day, when you really need a baseball, and you play ball with it, or “have a catch.”

You’ll note, some people “have a catch” and others “play catch.” That subtle difference is what baseball is all about and the debate between the use of the two phrases will live in infamy.

This season we’ll watch fast balls thrown at 100 mph. We’ll see four seam fastballs, fastballs, curve balls, wicked curves, sliders, change-ups and rare screwballs and knuckle balls. We’ll tolerate cutters, sinkers, splitters and sweepers.

If you catch a glimpse of the Eephus pitch, it’ll be something special.

As defined by Major League Baseball, an Eephus pitch is “one of the rarest pitches thrown in baseball, and it is known for its exceptionally low speed and ability to catch a hitter off guard.

Typically, an eephus is thrown very high in the air, resembling the trajectory of a slow-pitch softball pitch. Hitters, expecting a fastball that’s nearly ten times the velocity of the eephus, can get over-zealous and swing too early and hard. But for a hitter who is able to keep his weight back and put a normal swing on the pitch, it is the easiest pitch to hit in baseball — one without unexpected movement or excessive velocity.”

Pirates pitcher Rip Sewell was the first pitcher to throw the eephus pitch regularly — although, at the time, the pitch hadn’t yet been named. Sewell’s teammate Maurice Van Robays took care of that. He concocted the name “eephus” and when asked why, he responded by saying, “Eephus ain’t nothing, and that’s a nothing pitch.” In Hebrew, the word “efes” can be loosely translated into “nothing,” and the word “eephus” undoubtedly stems from that.

Zack Greinke was famous for surprising hitters with an eephus on occasion, one of the only modern-day pitchers to use the eephus pitch with any frequency.

There you have it.

Baseball is back.

It’s Opening Day – although it’ll be a night game on Netflix.

Batter up!

Everyone’s in first place.

Play Ball!

The post It’s Opening Day … on Netflix appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – “Hello A.I. my new friend. I’ve come to chat gpt with you again. Because of visions so creepy, with premonitions gained while I was sleeping. And, the vision that was planted in Naismith’s brain, no longer remains. On my Road to Indianapolis.”

With all this talk about A.I. – I figured it was time to go to the well, and call up A.I. himself. I had a question, and I needed The Answer.

WWYI: “A.I. – what would you like me to call you? Just “A or AI, Mr. I?”

A.I. – “You can call me Allen.”

WWYI: “Oh, okay, I once knew a guy by the name of Allen, and everyone called him “A.I.” or “Bubba Chuck,” or “The Answer.”

A.I. – “I know the guy, but can you stop screwing around and let’s get on with it. What do you want to know?”

WWYI: “Alright already.”

Here we go:

WWYI: “Can you explain the thoughts and logic behind the 2026 NCAA Selection Sunday process and why St. John’s remained at the exact same No. 5 seed that they were on Wednesday morning, even after beating the living daylights out of UConn twice in the same game?”

A.I. – The general reaction to St. John’s receiving a No. 5 seed has been a mix of surprise, frustration from fans and local media, and strategic analysis from bracketologists. Despite winning their second consecutive Big East Championship with a 20-point blowout of UConn, the Red Storm did not see the significant seed jump many expected.

WWYI: “Tell me more, please.”

A.I. – There’s quite a lot to go over. Let’s break it down into different pods of thought and information.

First, the “Disrespect” Theory

Fans and local media have characterized the No. 5 seed as a “disgrace” and “criminal bias,” particularly because St. John’s: Dominated the Big East: They won both the regular-season and conference tournament titles for the second consecutive year.

Beat the Best: They (St John’s) soundly defeated No. 2-seeded UConn twice this season, including a 20-point blowout in the Big East championship.

Rankings Discrepancy: The Red Storm were ranked No. 13 in the final AP Poll, yet were seeded lower than teams like Nebraska and Gonzaga, who they outperformed in several metrics.

The Committee’s Mumbo-Jumbo: Selection committee chairman Keith Gill defended the decision by citing the team’s non-conference performances. Despite their late-season surge (winning 19 of their last 20), their early-season résumé was lacking, including:

Top-Tier Losses: St. John’s went 0-4 against elite non-conference opponents, losing to Iowa State, Alabama, Kentucky, and Auburn.

Quadrant 1 Struggles: They finished with a relatively pedestrian 5-5 record in Quad 1 games. By comparison, teams seeded No. 3 or No. 4 generally had more “depth and quality” in their marquee wins.

Selection Committee’s “Full Body of Work” Argument: The selection committee chair doubled-down, noting that while the win over UConn was “big,” the team’s non-conference schedule lacked the “depth and quality” of teams seeded higher. St. John’s finished just 5-5 in Quadrant 1 games, with losses to Iowa State, Alabama, Kentucky, and Auburn weighing down their resume.

Continuing the “We Got Screwed” Rants: Many analysts and fans felt the No. 5 seed was too low for a team that has won 19 of its last 20 games and features the unanimous Big East Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year and Scholar Athlete of the Year, Zuby Ejiofor. Some bracket projections had them as high as a No. 2 or No. 3 seed prior to the reveal.

WWYI: “If we accept all of those explanations and follow that logic, then why did No. 18 ranked Purdue Boilermakers go from the depths of the Top 25 (AP and Coaches Polls) to a #2 seed in the West? While they did win the BIG Ten tournament, they had recent losses to Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Ohio State?”

AI – That does not compute. Re-boot, re-boot, re-boot!

WWYI: “So sorry, I’ll get back to regular questioning. How did St. John’s and coach Rick Pitino react to all of this?”

The P, P&P Theory: Rick Pitino’s Perspective: Pitino’s reaction was a mix of realism and motivation. He admitted that while his staff hoped for a No. 4 seed, he personally expected a No. 5. Rick Pitino’s Pragmatism: Coach Rick Pitino expressed that traveling to San Diego for the first round was “not ideal,” but maintained a focused “deal with it” attitude. He has publicly emphasized that his team has “out of hibernation” and is playing its best basketball at the right time.

Pitino noted he has reached Final Fours before after starting on the West Coast and added, that if they survive the first round, they would likely face Kansas, whose fans would travel “heavy” and would likely “pack the house,” leaving St. John’s with only a “few hundred people” in support.

Nightmare vs. Dream Scenarios: St. John’s must beware as “Danger Lurks,” as The No. 5 vs. No. 12 matchup is a notorious “upset” slot. Facing a tough Northern Iowa team in the first round is seen as a potential trap.

The Opportunity: Some analysts believe St. John’s is actually the “best” No. 5 seed and a nightmare matchup for potential high-seed opponents like Duke or Kansas later in the bracket because of their physical, defensive style.

Strategic Analysis as The Giant Slayer: Interestingly, some analysts—including those from Duke-affiliated forums – view St. John’s as a “nightmare” No. 5 seed.

The Matchup: Because they play a physical, defensive style similar to UConn, they are seen as a team that could potentially upset any higher seed in the Sweet 16.

Don’t you think Pitino will jump on these points to motivate his team?

WWYI: “Wait, who is asking the questions, here.”

The Danger Zone: Conversely, expert “bracketologists” warned of the “upset alert” against Northern Iowa, a senior-led team that shoots well from the perimeter and rarely turns the ball over—the exact profile that often takes down aggressive, pressing teams.

WWYI: “I have an idea. Maybe they should focus one game at a time, instead of looking at the entire region? Keep the focus on:

Northern Iowa No. 12 San Diego, CA Friday, March 20 @ 7:10 PM EDT

A.I. – “It’s amazing how quickly you humans can learn. Can you get me a gig in The White House? Maybe the Department of War? Or, as Speaker of the House? Or, maybe just the Atlanta Hawks’ promotions office?”

Editor’s Note: Apologies to Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel at the top of this missive.

The post Early March Madness’ Madness appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

St. John’s Wins Second Consecutive Big East Title

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK – What – on Earth – did we do before we had the annual BIG EAST basketball tournament? Well, I’m old enough to remember being at the Nassau Coliseum, watching St. John’s compete against the likes of Iona (1978-79) or the Wagner College Seahawks, coached by P.J. Carlesimo for an ECAC tournament bid a year before the BIG EAST became reality in 1979-80.

This year marked the 46th annual BIG EAST. I think I’ve only missed one year (terrible food poisoning in 2003).

Let me try to do a short flashback of most memorable players or moments:

1. 2009, Six Overtimes – Syracuse outlasted Georgetown (127-117) in a game that began on March 12, 2009 and ended on March 13 – a four hour battle royale.
2. 2020, COVID-19 – St. John’s, having won the night before, was up 38-35 at the half, when the great BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman called off the game and the tournament on the advice of New York City authorities. It was the eeriest atmosphere for any game in the history of Madison Square Garden. Put it this way, they even “closed the bars.”
3. 1986, Pearl Washington – Although his Syracuse team fell short in the final, there’s never been a more amazing and entertaining show at the BIG EAST than Pearl Washington in ‘86, although Pearl put up 27 points in a 1984 final round loss to Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown Hoyas.
4. 1984-85, Georgetown – For two+ years, Patrick Ewing and his Hoyas dominated the BIG EAST. Ewing is – by far – the greatest player in conference tournament history.
5. 2017-18-2019, Villanova – Coach Jay Wright’s Villanova Wildcats took over Madison Square Garden for three solid seasons.
6. All years, The Coaches – Highlighted by St. John’s coach Lou Carnesecca and Georgetown’s Big John Thompson, the cast of characters (and tremendous coaches, all around) deserve mention. Villanova’s Rollie Massimino, Seton Hall’s P.J. Carlesimo, Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim, Rick Pitino’s years at Providence (and Louisville, and now St. John’s), Boston College’s Al Skinner, UConn’s Jim Calhoun, Notre Dame’s Mike Brey, Villanova’s Jay Wright, Providence (and now Georgetown’s) Ed Cooley, a face-off between St. John’s legend Chris Mullin and Georgetown’s incomparable Patrick Ewing who both returd to coach their alma maters, however unsuccessfully), and now Danny Hurley of UConn.
7. Many years, UConn Greatness – At the risk of leaving someone off the list, let’s remember Ray Allen, Donyell Marshall, Richard Hamilton, Khalid El-Amin, Kemba Walker, Caron Butler, Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, Rudy Gay, Alex Karaban, and I’ll stop at Stephon Castle. Just incredible.
8. 2025, and St. John’s Coach Pitino – It took St. John’s 25 years – from 2000 to 2025 – to win the BIG EAST Tournament title. You have to give credit to coach Rick Pitino for pulling off the feat.
9. Syracuse, 1981 and 2006 – Aside from Pearl Washington’s incredible performances, the Syracuse Orange won in 1981 over Villanova (remember John Pinone?) on a Leo Rautins tip-in and some last second free throws after Nova Coach Rollie Massimino called time-out when he’d run down to zero left. Then, in 2006, Syracuse guard Gerry McNamara single-handedly willed his team to victory after vistory after the Orange had lost nine of their last 13 regular season games.
10. The Garden, every year since 1983 – After fooling around in Providence (1980), the Carrier Dome in Syracuse (1981) and the Hartford Civic Center in 1982, the BIG EAST made – with no argument at all – the greatest move in conference history by establishing a longterm agreement for Madison Square Garden to host the annual tournament. With NYC being the center of the sports media world while also being squarely in the middle of the heavily northeast member schools (call it Boston to DC for the most part – all Amtrak connections), the BIG EAST jumped on the World’s Most Famous Arena and The Garden has paid it back 100-times over and over and over. There is no better college bsaketball tournament, no better venue and no better place for teams, players, coaches, media, alum, fans and TV than a packed house at Madison Square Garden – the Mecca of College basketball.

*Special mention must be made as a tribute to the late Dave Gavitt, the founder of the BIG EAST, and his successors, Michael Tranghese, the late John Marinatto, Mike Aresco and, now the best of ‘em all in Val Ackerman, the incredible Commissioner of the conference which is known for basketball (men’s and women’s), but checks every box in terms of top notch inter-collegiate athletics.

**There’s also a special very, very special honorable mention for 1985, when the BIG EAST sent three teams to the NCAA Final Four in Lexington, Kentucky and Ed Pinckney and the Villanova Wildcats upset Georgetown in the final, one of the greatest games in college basketball history. Chris Mullin and St. John’s were eliminated by Georgetown on Final Four Saturday when 30-minutes before the tip-off of that game, an earbud breaking chant of “Anybody but Georgetown, Anybody but Georgetown” rang out.

The 2025-26 BIG EAST standings when the week began (ESPN)

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: There’s no better way to recap the 2026 BIG EAST championship and five days at Madison Square Garden than with a popular WWYI timeline. We’ll have to see if the week merits a special song for Parting Words & Music.

Here We Go:

Tuesday, March 10, 2026: Travel Day

10:14am – Amtrak, Southbound to Penn Station/Moynahan Terminal: One of the easiest trips of all-time. It’s affordable and efficient, arriving right under The Garden where I’ll be spending an amazing number of hours. Plus, the top half of this column was written on the train ride (and, yes, off the top of my head- fact checkers be damned).

It always strikes me, tourists come from all over the world to experience New York City. They visit Lincoln Center, Broadway, see all the sites. Meanwhile, I stay within a four-block radius of Penn Station and Madison Square Garden for five days, and, as Maxwell Smart said so well, “And, loving it.”

1:01pm – Check-in with my wonderful sister-in-law, APM, and all is well. For one night, I’ll be crashing at the apartment of APM and WBG and a chance to see my niece and her dog, Cosmo. – Also checked with my brother-in-law, WBG, who was so kind in nailing two tickets to see the great Tedeschi-Trucks Band at The Beacon Theatre tonight – thus the early travel day.

6:00pm – Planned a meet-up at Dive 75, an old favorite where we once surprised the great Kevin Sullivan by walking from The Beek to the bar after an Allman Brothers Band show, only for him to discover and be astonished that Derek Trucks and the whole band (minus Gregg Allman) was there. Sully held court with the band and merch guys, telling stories about traveling on Air Force One with President George W. Bush, as Kevin was the President’s Director of Communications.

7:45pm – After a quick beer at Dive 75, it was short walk to Paradise and one of my favorite places in NYC in The Beek. The rest of the night belonged to TTB for their residence in one of the world’s great venues (Beacon Theatre – 74/755th/Broadway) – The Tedeschi Trucks Band is the best touring band in the world.

7:46pm – The Tedeschi Trucks Band took the stage at the sold out Beacon. They did not disappoint. Here is the set they played. Click HERE.

11:45pm – Smart move, starting the week off, and turned in “early.”

Wednesday, March 11: (New York City)

8:00am – A good night’s sleep and a short walk to a fave Dunkin’ and it was “New York, just like I pictured it.”

8:30am-12 Noon – Took opportunity to gather content, information, great photos and built out the entire evening’s BIG EAST competition previews.

3:00pm – Check-in at MSG and, as usual, the buttoned-down Big East staff had everything in order. Easy security check and two seconds to get my credentials, lovely Courtside, Row 6 on the Seventh Avenue baseline. That’s the same EXACT seat occupied for about five straight years. (Yes, I did thank the staff and after all these years, and it felt like this tournament was my first one. I take nothing for granted). By the way, the first one was the 1970 NIT when Marquette beat St. John’s in the final, 65-53, and Dean Meminger was the MVP. Meminger was later draft and starred for the New York Knicks 1973 championship team. I was 10.

4:00pm – In the 2026 BIG EAST tournament opener, No. 8 seed Butler took on #9 Providence. The Friars handled Butler, 91-81, and played hard for coach Kim English who was facing the firing squad quad from Providence athletics.

6:30pm – In closest game of day, Xavier edged Marquette, 89-87. Neither team impressed, and that is reason the Big East Conference might only send two or, possibly, three teams to the NCAAs.

9:00pm – In the nightcap, fans were witness to the low No. 11 seed Georgetown Hoyas upsetting No. 6 DePaul, 63-56. This game was the first to tip the scales towards an “old skool” – “OG” – BIG EAST tourney.

Georgetown vs. Villanova | The Battle of the Patagonia Vests.

Thursday, March 12: (NYC, Madison Square Garden – all day and night)

10:30am – After a decent night’s sleep and a good Marriott provided breakfast, it was an easy walk to The Garden from 28th Street & 7th Ave to the press entrance at Tower Bridge (31st and 8th Ave). Our spring-like weather Tuesday, in the 70s, turned to 36 degrees, cold and breezy.

12 Noon – St. John’s handled a determined and energetic Providence team, 85-72. The rumor mill since mid-season was the final 2026 Providence game would be coach Kim English’s last with the Friars. That came true on Friday, as Mid-term report cards reached home and every single student at the college dropped English.

2:30pm – No. 4 Seton Hall and No. 5 Creighton enjoyed byes and opened their tournament efforts with a highly contested, typical, physical BIG EAST game. The Jersey side Hall sent Creighton packing and flying back to Omaha, 72-61.

That set-up a Seton Hall vs St. John’s Friday semi-final.

One personal note was that I was able to spend some quality time with my brother (Wednesday evening and Thursday’s night session) and with my NBA colleague Matt Winick for the St. John’s vs Providence game. It’s now a nice, little tradition to join Matt for a couple of the Thursday games. Please note, as he was the person who interviewed me for an internship at the NBA on December 20, 1980. Sometimes, I think what might’ve been if Matt ditched my resume into the circular file. Sheesh.

7:00pm – The night session was packed with the UConn faithful, an incredible sight that was noticeably missing when Connecticut stuck with the football side of the BIG EAST and decided to play in the American Conference where they’d be hanging in Birmingham, Alabama instead of the World’s Most Famous Arena. UConn dominated Xavier, 93-68.

9:30pm – The Late Show featured the “old skool” match-up of Georgetown vs. Villanova, aka the “Battle of the Patagonia Vests.” Of course, many think of one of the greatest college basketball upsets ever when ‘Nova defeated Patrick Ewing and the Hoyas at the Final Four (championship game) in Lexington, Kentucky in 1985. (Yes, I witnessed it in person). On this night, No. 11 Georgetown sent Villanova to the Moynihan Amtrak Terminal and the late departing Crescent to New Orleans with stops at Metro Park, Newark, and to 30th Street Station. Georgetown advanced, 78-64, holding off several Villanova attempts to comeback. Georgetown’s Malik Mack played 37 minutes and orchestrated the Georgetown offense while scoring 12 points on a night he did not shoot the ball well (4-for-15). Teammate Julius Halaifonua (Go ahead, say that three times, fast) had 21 points and 10 rebounds, (on 9-for-12 shooting).

Upon very late night departure, WWYI caught the end of OKC’s 104-102 win over the Boston Celtics on TV.

Friday, March 13 (New York City):

Once again, it was some coffee and a Marriott provided breakfast in the hotel restaurant area where French, Spanish, German and Japanese were the languages of tourists visiting NYC. They sight-see, go to Lincoln Center, and Broadway. I prefer staying in a four block radius of Madison Square Garden.

Early AM Hours – Plenty of time to write, catch-up on emails and our NBA Basketball School Turkiye online site. Then, quality time watching The PLAYERS Championship on Golf Channel.

3:30pm – It’s Time.

3:45pm – Proceeded right to my press seat at The Garden and settled in nicely to a mostly empty building.

4:00pm – Early arrival at MSG provides a glimpse of the night ahead, as game ops rehearses national anthem, some introductions, and other event-related rituals. The Garden’s sound system is tremendous, and we went from the late Bob Weir and the Grateful Dead doing Playing in the Band to Nipsey Hussle doing Reckless to Emerson, Lake and Palmer doing Karn Evil 9, First Impression.

5:30pm – The ball is tipped and St. John’s vs. Seton Hall is on. The Johnnies hold Seton Hall scoreless for the first three minutes of the game and take an early 8-0 lead before Pirates’ coach Shaheen Holloway calls time-out to talk things over. St. John’s scored each of its first four FGs inside, while controlling the boards early (6-2 in rebounds). Seton Hall subbed out four players, sort of like taking four cards after the initial deal in poker, eh?

5:45pm – The Hall Strikes Back. It’s 10-7 by the 15:00 minute media time-out. Lotta basketball and – for this timeline, it’s only going to be the KEY moments going forward as opposed to a running story.

6:45pm – St. John’s led Seton Hall, 38-30, at the half. Stat sheet showed a very even game all-around with Red having a slight rebounding edge, 17-13. St John’s guard Dylan Darling logged 13 of the first 20 minutes and got to every loose ball. The coaches call them the 50-50 balls, but Darling somehow comes up with the 25-75 balls when his opponent has the edge. Amazing player, but is struggling with his shot in this tournament.

6:58pm – St, John’s came out for the second half with an impressive 9-0 run, (to make it 47-30), and Holloway was forced to call a time out to regroup (again). As the second half progressed, Seton Hall made a number of runs to cut the lead to six points with 4:41 remaining, but SJU scored six straight points, to eventually close it out at 78-68.

Afterward, St. John’s coach Rick Pitino met with the media: “We bent a little bit down the stretch after playing great basketball, but we never broke, and Seton Hall breaks everybody,” he said. “They come back against everybody because of their intensity, So, I’m really proud of our guys. They made good defensive plays down the stretch. Certainly, when you can break pressure and make your free throws, you’re always going to have a great chance of maintaining your lead. So, [we] did a lot of good things tonight offensively. I thought we were excellent the entire night.”

8:00pm – The second game of the night pitted upstart Georgetown against No. 2 UConn, who had their loyal, faithful fans occupying 75% of the seats in Madison Square Garden.

UConn took care of business, just as expected, by a 67-51 score. UConn guard Braylon Mullins scored 15 of his 21 points in the first half to set the tone.

11:00pm – Not exactly a breaking news story, but a very noticeable change was quite evident upon exiting Madison Square Garden to “ZERO” ticket scalpers being outside on Seventh Avenue. Like Final Four Saturdays of yesteryear when scalpers sprinted across the arena to buy tickets from the team who lost the first game, the Garden would always be buzzing with “Who’s Selling” shout-outs after each game. In 2026, it’s all about Ticketmaster, StubHub, Seatgeek and the others. UConn fans seem to have the secondary market covered for the Big East final.

Saturday, March 14 (New York City):

Early AM Hours saw a check of The PLAYERS golf championship take top priority as PGA Tour Brunch waits for no man (or woman). If you’re a fan of pro golf, you should highly consider a subscription!

Tuesday’s 70-degrees have given way to 40-degrees and 30 mph wind gusts in Manhattan, ruining plans on CPW and a stroll to Strawberry Fields, an old fave from days of first apartment on West 74th Street.

3:30pm – The BIG EAST has advised us of a 3:30pm opening of the press gate, but your favorite columnist will tuck-in some additional time with The PLAYERS golf on TV until 4:30pm (two full hours before the tip on FOX TV).

The BIG EAST Championship has been televised by Peacock Network, FS-1, FOX, back to FS-1 and finally back to FOX for the title game.

4:30pm – A wind-blown, five minute walk to MSG and right to my Courtside seat.

5:05pm – Sound check for the National Anthem. When I hit St. Pete and the Pearly Gates, I want every minute that I’ve stood for National Anthems back on my side of the ledger. It would buy me another five years of life, easy.

A quick check online: Ticket-buyers are forking over $6,600-to-$4,900 for Courtside, $800 for seats in the Lower Bowl 100-sections, $327 for baseline lower bowl, and about $250 for Upper Level 200s. Get-in price seems to have settled at about $180 for 400s.

6:30pm – “The Ball is Tipped” to a raucous, sold-out crowd at The Garden. As noted, the UConn fans have mastered the use of the secondary ticket department and have 50% of the seats, unlike last season when St. John’s defeated Creighton in the final and Johnnies’ fans controlled 95% of the building. At tip-off time, it seems to be quite a 50-50 crowd and a lot of red. The neutral fans will jump on St. John’s bandwagon if they play well.

UConn fans are quite annoying, especially with the fact they all stand until their team scores the first basket. At this game, St. John’s fans are just choosing to stand and apply a very high level of pressure to UConn. It is working, as UConn is out of sorts.

6:33pm – Nothing compared to Willis Reed, as Zuby is not injured nor did he come out of locker late, but his first easy jumper swished just like the Knicks’ captain’s first two shots in 1970. St. John’s out to 10-2 start at first media timeout.

6:50pm – MSG (Pro St. John’s crowd) playing a major factor in this game. A frustrated UConn coach Danny Hurley took a T to rattle-up his crew. (23-9). Unless UConn can stop St. John’s players from driving right to the rim, it’s going to be interesting. UConn counters, a lot of physical play, shoving, swatting. (no calls which are correct calls).

7:29pm – Halftime shows the scoreboard to be St. John’s 40, UConn 27.

8:13pm – Ole ‘mo changed dramatically and UConn made its run to cut the lead for St John’s to seven (49-42) with 12:34 remaining in the second half. UConn fans woke up and building is rocking from both sides of the street. After time-out, St. John’s countered with a 5-0 run, including a Zuby 26-footer. A possession later, he hit a jump hook to put the lead back to 13 (56-43) with 10:07 remaining.

8:24pm – With 7:36 remaining, momentum swung back to UConn and they cut lead to 10 points. Pitino subbed in big man Ruben Prey to give Zuby a breather. Arena turned quiet for first time since National Anthem.

8:28pm – After an eternally long time out, UConn had possession and gathered four offensive rebounds of their missed shots. Dylan Darling of St. John’s scored down the other end and St. John’s regained the vibe, and fueled the crowd by taking a 61-49 lead. Darling drilled two subsequent free throws and St J lead went back to 62-49. UConn can’t get “over the hump” and they’ve resorted to tossing up 3s.

8:32pm – After struggling all tournament long, St. John’s guard Dylan Darling sinks his “J” to make it 65-49. Oziyah Sellers drills a 19-footer, Bryce Hopkins gets a feed and takes it to the rim to score and the St. John’s lead expands to 20 points, 69-49 with 3:26 remaining. The Garden rocks, louder than at anytime this week.

8:42pm – Zuby bucket – It’s 72-49, now an ass-kicking, as a St. John’s 24-8 run made the difference at a time when UConn was threatening.

8:45pm – St. John’s just walks it up, but turns the ball over. Next whistle, Pitino subs to get Zuby Ejiofor a massive standing ovation, a memory of a lifetime. This is his last game at The Garden as a collegian, but he’ll be back as a pro.

8:47pm – UConn shows a ton of class by inbounding and walking the ball to neutral territory to allow the clock to run out. Game Over. St. John’s 72-52. Boxscore HERE.

8:55pm – The BIG East Trophy presentation takes place on a court filled with fans as MSG security “let it go” and gave peace a chance. St. John’s Dillon Mitchell says, “This is OUR city.” (He left out one of David “Big Papi” Ortiz’ words.

The Empire State Building is now lit with Red Lights.

9:00pm – Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman and FOX talent Gus Johnson are with St. John’s Coach Rick Pitino at Center Court. Not a St. John’s fan has left The Garden.

Pitino got the Trophy, noting it was back-to-back Regular Season and Post Season titles, and Zuby got MVP. His teammates Bryce Hopkins and Dillon Mitchell made the All-Tournament team. And, a great Big East tradition, every member of the team and staff have their name announced as they accept a Big East medal.

9:13pm – St. John’s cuts down the nets at Madison Square garden, a dream of every basketball player in New York.

9:20pm – It’s time to sign off. Please excuse any typos, as this was done LIVE on site.

10:00pm – Your edition of TL’s Sunday Sports Notes is delivered, hot off the presses.

Sunday, March 15 (New York City to Boston)

9:00am – Amtrak home to Boston to be on couch with the annual NCAA Selection Show and a nice fire in fireplace.

PARTING WORDS & MUSIC: This is a song played at The Garden to psych-up the crowd before the Friday night tip-off. It’s the classic “Karn Evil 9” from a circa ‘74 show clip by Emerson, Lake & Palmer, all 18:59 of it, complete with drum solo and their Moog synthesizer – a rare MUST WATCH is attached. Over the past two seasons at The Garden, St, John’s has “Put on a Show That Never Ends.”

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

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

-TL-

The post TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | March 15 appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk and PGA Tour Brunch

BOSTON – On Friday, March 5th, WWYI dropped a “special edition” of this missive to preview the 2026 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference (#SSAC26) staged this weekend at the Seapport Convention Center. It was a very successful affair, one where NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spoke in a “1-on-1” with UConn, WNBA and USA Basketball great Sue Bird and then Silver was presented with a “Lifetime Achievement Award” by conference co-founders Jessica Gelman (Kraft Group) and Daryl Morey (Philadelphia 76ers), both MIT alum.

There was no ‘show-stopper’ panel or special guest moment at this year’s symposium. There were a dozen or more very interesting panel discussions. There were also tons of interesting start-ups pitching their concepts at convention tables spread out a country mile on the main concourse – at a convention center sharing space with a New England Regional Volleyball Association event that drew some 750 volleyball teams to compete in the Boston/Nike JVC National Qualifying tournament. It was an incredible site, and it looked to be very high-calibre traditional volleyball.

It was also a college volleyball coach’s dream for recruiting, as noted by Cora Thompson, the head coach of the women’s volleyball program at Tufts University. Ms. Thompson entered the year with a .737 career winning percentage which ranks her as No. 18 on the NCAA’s winningest active coaches list for Division III. It’s the 27th-best winning mark among Division III coaches all-time. Last season Tufts went 24-6 but lost in the NCAA Regional Final (to East Texas Baptist University).

Tufts recruits volleyball players without the benefit of shelling-out scholarships but, instead, the opportunity to attend one of the best universities in the land. The eight-time New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Coach of the Year and three-time American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Northeast Region Coach of the Year was kind enough to educate this columnist on a shuttle bus ride from the Convention Center’s “South Parking Lot” to the building’s entrance.

By “South Lot” and the length of the ride and/or walk back, the lot was located someplace in Rhode Island. (I kid, I kid, and I digress).

Back to #SSAC26.

While the Silver & Bird discussion stands out, a panel held Saturday and moderated by Duke, USA Basketball and NBA great Shane Battier also stood out. Battier grilled Seattle Storm head coach Sonia Raman, active but injured NBA, 6’ 11”, 265 lbs. power forward Steven Adams (of the Houston Rockets by way of New Zealand), LA Clippers basketball advisor Monte McNair, and a very impressive Ariana Andonian, the GM of Philadelphia 76ers G-League team (Delaware Blue Coats) and the VP of Player Personnel for the Sixers (NBA level).

It was pointed out during the panel discussion that the two women were both children of immigrants and – add Steven Adams and you have a pretty amazing trifecta of basketball talent and knowledge.

Some of the discussion, which Adams contributed to while wearing a walking boot, revolved around the question of “just how much” can you throw at a player in terms of analytics. While Battier admitted to accepting binders full of information and studying it throughout his career, Adams was a little more reluctant but said he ‘“would always listen.”

What the NBA analytics did show was underlined by McNair, the general manager and president of basketball operations of the Sacramento Kings in 2020 and NBA Executive of the Year in 2023, who said “crashing the glass” was discovered as the key element to success. He also noted, there was always a give and take between hitting the offensive boards vs. transition defense.

Of course, McNair was sitting next to one of the great offensive rebounders in the NBA over the past dozen years.

The group framed where analytics falls in the basketball operations hierarchy today, which is the fact crunching data is amongst the most important functions for a team. The players want the information, but once a game starts, they need to see what is developing and either take a proactive approach to force the tempo or have a reactive counter to what the offense is doing. “Execution” was the key factor for Adams and he noted that no analytic print-out could determine how he would react to what a talented player was tossing his way.

That said, the game planning, the counters to the opponents’ tendencies and attempting to stop the opponents’ most effective offensive efforts was something the team needed to stay with, even if it wsn’t working over a short period of time at the start of a game.

Again, no ‘show-stopping’ legends on stage, but good, solid discussions with the wide-ranging panels, all coming at the discussion from different fields of employment at the highest level of the sport.

Special Note: A sincere thank you to Daryl Morey, Jessica Gelman and all of the Conference leaders, organizers, volunteers and a terrific staff at the Seaport Convention Center. It’s an incredibly well-run conference, probably the best sports conference in the world.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The PGA of America was stationed at the vaunted Hall of Game at the MIT Sloan Conference. The sport of golf has been crunching all kinds of numbers to help pro players and weekend hackers improve their scores. Also, the concepts of improvement using AI and wearables is vastly improving the game, joining ever-improving technology for clubs, shoes and golf balls.

One of the PGA of America’s short-term goals is to attach teaching pros to the emerging onslaught of indoor simulation shops, from the high end of Top Golf to the more social, event and fun-based Five Iron Golf.

HURLING with HURLEY: UConn men’s basketball coach Danny Hurley is $25,000 poorer today than he was yesterday. In Saturday’s season finale, a 68-62 loss to Marquette which cost his team a share of the Big East regular season title, Hurley approached game official John Gaffney and got his chest next to the official’s right shoulder while voicing his displeasure. Hurley said he never bumped into Gaffney, though every replay angle suggested otherwise. … Hurley denied it, saying, “You could screenshot whatever you want to screenshot. I don’t feel like I made any contact with John. I don’t believe I did.” … Well, every TV camera in the building showed a definite bump into the official (who threw a double technical at Hurley in reaction to the bump). The BIG EAST spoke quickly, snuffing-out any speculation of suspending Hurley for UConn’s first BIG EAST tournament game scheduled for this Thursday evening.

The BIG EAST statement reads, “UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley has been fined $25,000 by the BIG EAST for unsportsmanlike conduct in the closing seconds of the March 7 game at Marquette. With one second left in the game, Hurley received two technical fouls for aggressively confronting a game official, was subsequently ejected from the game, and then failed to leave the court in a timely manner. Initial speculation on the game broadcast indicated possible contact between Hurley and the official; however, a review by the conference office of the officials’ game report and available game footage could not confirm physical contact. “We hold our coaches to high standards of sportsmanlike conduct during game competition, and inappropriate interactions with our officials will not be tolerated,” said BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman.

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: This is now the third (and probably last) week to mention the Mika Zibanejad effect and the fact that in two minutes (3:26pm to 3:28pm on Saturday, during a New York Rangers’ power play against the New Jersey Devils, the name Zabanejad was mentioned 10 times over the short span of time. Ten times! … The guy is amazing.

USA, USA, USA: Adam Amin, the Fox Sports play-by-play man for the World Baseball Classic, made the unforgivable mistake of comparing the current roster for the 2026 USA Baseball team to that of the 1992 USA Basketball “Dream Team.” … Puh-leeze!

The ONLY team that can ever be compared to the Magic, Bird and Jordan Dream Team – the one and only Dream Team – is the 1976 Canada Cup ice hockey team which had 17 Hall of Famers on the roster.

Take a look:

Team Canada Goaltenders:

Rogie Vachon (Los Angeles Kings)

Gerry Cheevers (Boston Bruins)

Glenn Resch (New York Islanders)

Defensemen:

Bobby Orr (Boston Bruins/Chicago Black Hawks)

Denis Potvin (New York Islanders)

Larry Robinson (Montreal Canadiens)

Serge Savard (Montreal Canadiens)

Guy Lapointe (Montreal Canadiens)

Carol Vadnais (New York Rangers)

Jim Watson (Philadelphia Flyers)

Paul Shmyr (Cleveland Crusaders – WHA)

Forwards:

Phil Esposito (New York Rangers)

Bobby Clarke (Philadelphia Flyers)

Darryl Sittler (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Guy Lafleur (Montreal Canadiens)

Marcel Dionne (Los Angeles Kings)

Bobby Hull (Winnipeg Jets – WHA)

Gilbert Perreault (Buffalo Sabres)

Reggie Leach (Philadelphia Flyers)

Bill Barber (Philadelphia Flyers)

Steve Shutt (Montreal Canadiens)

Richard Martin (Buffalo Sabres)

Lanny McDonald (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Danny Gare (Buffalo Sabres)

Dan Maloney (Detroit Red Wings)

Peter Mahovlich (Montreal Canadiens)

Coaching Staff:

Head Coach: Scotty Bowman

Assistant Coaches: Don Cherry, Bobby Kromm, Al MacNeil

For the record, the 2026 World Baseball Classic USA Baseball team roster is:

Pitchers (RHP/LHP): Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal, Logan Webb, Mason Miller, Clayton Kershaw, Clay Holmes, David Bednar, Michael Wacha, Griffin Jax, Garrett Whitlock, Matthew Boyd, Nolan McLean.

Catchers: Cal Raleigh, Will Smith.

Infielders: Bryce Harper (1B), Bobby Witt Jr. (SS), Alex Bregman (3B), Brice Turang (2B), Gunnar Henderson, Paul Goldschmidt, Ernie Clement.

Outfielders: Aaron Judge, Corbin Carroll, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Byron Buxton, Roman Anthony.

Designated Hitter: Kyle Schwarber.

That’s a great baseball team, but to equal the ‘92 Dream Team, USA Baseball would need to suit up Jackie Robinson, DiMaggio, Mays, Mantle, Aaron and Snyder for starters.

The post TL’s Sports Notebook | SSAC ’26 Edition appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

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

BOSTON – For a forward-looking group of MIT mathematicians, scientists, data-divers, sports analysts and masters of business candidates, there’s quite a bit of reminiscing done each year when the annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference (SSAC) tips-off each March, here at The Seaport in Boston. Looking backwards to find opportunities going forward is not a bad thing, so let’s look at the typical pontifications of veteran SSAC attendees:

1. There’s the “I was there when it started group.” That’s a reference to a very small handful (136 people) of MBA candidates who were on hand for the inaugural 2006 SSAC, launched by Jessica Gelman and Daryl Morey, and staged in classrooms and common space on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.
2. There’s a group, called “the visionaries” by Gelman. Together with ESPN’s buy-in and the inevitable desire for growth, a group of sports industry icons, media, luminaries and even the President of the United States of America got the place jumping over the massive growth periods for the conference – call it 2009-present.
3. ESPN’s commitment coincided with massive participation by the sports network’s talent, including executives like John Walsh, John Kosner, and Marie Donoghue, along with columnists and writers such as Bill Simmons, Jackie MacMullan, Marc Stein, John Hollinger, and Henry Abbott. The influx of ESPNers improved the conference make up, including everything from moderating panels to in-depth interviews conducted on stage.
4. It was Simmons who tagged the conference Dork-a-Palooza and the moniker was seconded by Mark Cuban, entrepreneur and former owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks who relished in the vibes of analytics. The Dork has out-paced the lifers, so maybe Dork-a-Palooza is an expression to forever be retired from this column.
5. Add Bill James (Society for American Baseball Research, aka SABR), Michael Lewis (Moneyball), Nate Silver(writer/analyst at Baseball Prospectus and later the founder of political online site FiveThirtyEight), and Jonathan Kraft (President of the New England Patriots, an early investor in Boston-based Draft Kings fantasy sports/gambling site), and you were looking at the “the growth stage.”
6. By the time 2014 rolled around, we were treated to an amazing “meeting of the minds” when author Malcolm Gladwell sat down to interview NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. The SSAC had hit the big time, unless you think a panel with President Barack Obama might top the Gladwell-Silver “above the title” flick.
7. Yes, while Obama was visiting his oldest daughter, Malia, at Harvard University, he stopped by for an “off the record” chat with conference co-founders Gelman and Morey. (How could you expect them to delegate that interview to Bill Simmons)? – That might been the zenith for the once quiet, quaint sports analytics conference.

Along the way, the frequent complaint was whether the team owners, general managers and coaches would ever respect the analytics side of the equation enough to incorporate the number crunching into the strategy. That question was answered emphatically, especially in baseball and basketball as along came the relief pitchers and along came Golden State’s Steph Curry and the three-point field goal barrage that literally changed Dr. Naismith’s game.

If you were paying attention, the likes of Shane Battier, Sue Bird, Elton Brand, JJ Reddick, Steve Kerr, or Steve Nash, were there to tell you about the changing games, as were coaches like Mike D’Antoni, Mike Brown, Dave Joerger, David Fizdale and a host of team GMs and basketball operations gurus to map out the strategies. Reddick even focused on the jobs of former players who were plumbers or firemen.

Panel discussions delved into everything from improvements in the NBA refereeing systems to a total overhaul of the NBA’s schedule-making – an undertaking when all the great ideas were plugged into the state-of-the-art computers to find out it would only take 20+ years for the program to run and spit-out the perfect schedule for the games to be played, starting some seven months later.

Whether you look at it as good news or bad news, 2,500 participants from 31 countries, 630 different organizations, and representatives from over 80 teams and leagues will come together for the 20th edition of the MIT SSAC ‘26 which starts tomorrow morning at 8:30am with Opening Remarks by Gelman and Morey in a packed “Bill James Room” at the Seaport.

Among the highlights this year at the 2026 SSAC:

• ESPN and Draft Kings Reshape Sports Betting for the Fan – Discussion with Stephen A. Smith, Kevin Neghandi and Burke Magnus of ESPN along with Draft Kings CEO Jason Robins.
• What Six Years of AI Taught Us – SeatGeek’s Derek Zhou
• The Next Play – AI’s Impact on Emerging Sports
• A Conversation with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, led by Sue Bird
• Where the Game Grows: Venues, Markets and Global Strategy
• The Re-Invention of Golf
• The Next Generation of Content |Unlocking Immersive and Interactive Sports Content
• Unconventional Thinkers – a think tank panel of Morey, Sue Bird, Jay Sugarman (Philadelphia Union) and Nate Silver, moderated by Boston’s own Jackie MacMullan.
• Innovation in Sports Leagues with Jessica Berman (Commissioner of NWSL) and Valerie Camillo (Chair of WTA), with Contessa Brewer, CNBC
• A 1-on-1 with MLS Commissioner Don Garber, speaking with Jessica Gelman
• Men in Blazers and the EPL
• The Future of Hockey – Engineering the Next Era of Growth, with Bill Daly (NHL Deputy Commissioner), Warren Zola, Exec Director, BC’s Chief Executive Club, Marty Walsh, Executive Director of the NHL Players Association and Meghan Chayka, Co-Founder and CEO of Stathletes
• Hot Takes: Celebrating 20 Years of SSAC
• And, a Pablo Torre Finds Out Podcast, Live from the SSAC

Among many, many other interesting panels, break-outs, competitive research paper reviews and presentations.

It’s all packed into two fun-filled days at the Seaport Convention Center, a small gathering of your 2,500 best friends.

Personal Note: I’ve enjoyed the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics conference from its second year on. Coincidentally, the first year, I was asked to speak at Boston University’s sports management symposium which was held at the same time with the nightcap being my first “Hot Stove, Cool Music” concert at The Paradise.

(Where’s Eli “Paperboy” Reed when you need him)?

Two quick take-aways:

1. Over the years, I’ve met so many smart and interesting people both within and out of the sports industry. The wide-ranging knowledge brought to sports is simply amazing, often ground-breaking and sometimes, just not enough to crack the big time.
2. The Conference has grown so much that it’s become difficult to meet-up with colleagues, all being pulled in different directions for different panel discussions and topics. At first, I stayed in the “basketball lane,” but in recent years, it’s been more of a deep dive into everything else. … Think of it: Sports Gambling in the USA was just the “concept of a plan” when we first sat down at MIT Sloan. Now?

There will be more to come – depending on what merits coverage – with columns on Digital Sports Desk or maybe this week’s edition of TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook (available on Substack).

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