Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

While We're Young Ideas

While We’re Young (Ideas) – Nov 27

by

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook on Acronyms in Sports/TV

NEW YORK – Whether we like it or not, we’ve chosen to live in a world full of acronyms. As per usual, the sports industry leads the way. After all, the National Basketball Association is known worldwide as the NBA – except in The New York Times where it is the N.B.A.. The other major North American sports follow suit, as in the National Football League (NFL), the National Hockey League (NHL) and Major League Baseball (MLB), all known globally.

At one point in time – ‘circa 1975-1980 – the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball attempted to market the sport as Baseball, but it never caught on with the masses because of the fact every player and fan knew of the major accomplishment of making it to the “Majors,” to the “Show.” Simultaneously, the popularity and value of minor league clubs was reason for MLB to create MiLB, the governing body and marketing arm for many of the minor leagues.

While We’re Young (Ideas) is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

The next level of sports organizations might challenge every fan with their numerous acronyms, especially in the world of golf and tennis. We’ll spot you a few:

  • PGA – (Professional Golfers’ Association)
  • PGA of America – Represents golf club professionals and hosts tournaments and hosts/organizes the annual PGA Championship.
  • USGA – (United States Golf Association) – The federation for golf in the United States; Reps golf courses, the rules of game, tracks golf handicaps to rate players and hosts the U.S. Open on annual basis.
  • PGA Tour – The league for men’s professional golfers
  • LIV Golf – Rival league to PGA Tour (54 vs 72 hole tournaments)
  • LPGA – The league for women’s professional golfers
  • USTA – (United States Tennis Association)
  • ATP – (Association of Tennis Professionals, also know as the men’s tennis tour)
  • WTA – (Women’s tennis tour)
  • MLS – (Major League Soccer)
  • NASL – (North American Soccer League)
  • PBR – (Pro Bull Riders)
  • NLL – (National Lacrosse League)
  • PLL – (Premier Lacrosse League)
  • WNBA – (Women’s National Basketball Association)
  • NWSL – (National Women’s Soccer League)
  • PHF – (Premier Hockey Federation) – Was launched as NWHL, as in National Women’s Hockey League
  • NCAA – (National Collegiate Athletic Association)
  • IOC – (International Olympic Committee)
  • USOC – now known as USOPC (United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee)

Within the Olympic and Paralympic Committee, we could go to the oomph degree with USATF (United States Track & Field) all the way to USAB (United States of America Basketball), formerly known as ABA/USA and other offshoots like the AAU (Amateur Athletic Association) or NWBA (National Wheelchair Basketball Association), and the NHSF (National Federation of State High School Associations).

Editor’s Note: If you dare, click on the previous NHSF link for a look at acronym hell.

On a Personal Note: Within the world of sports acronyms, this columnist would go out of his way to always write USA Basketball instead of taking the shortcut to USAB, which was born of shortening the title for subject lines within internal e-mails, quite the same as the World Championship of Basketball quickly became WCOB when the NBA league office was responsible for the staging of the 1994 Worlds in Toronto.

We’ll draw the line before mentioning Rugby, Cricket, eSports or a dozen others.

Outside of Sporting, the other industry guilty of the acronym wars is the broadcasting world. Again, let’s delve into just a few of the major network types:

First, there were three: ABC (American Broadcasting Company), CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) and NBC (National Broadcasting Company). Soon to be added were PBS (Public Broadcasting System), FOX (named after 20th Century Fox) which followed the demise of the DuMont Network. In those days, if your television went beyond 13 channels of VHF (Very High Frequency), you were lucky to receive a few UHF (Ultra High Frequency) stations.

Boston Celtics TV ad, complete with (L to R) Dennis “DJ” Johnson, Danny Ainge, then Larry Bird, Robert “The Chief” Parish and Kevin McHale

Boston’s sports fans are familiar with the UHF channels as Boston Bruins games were broadcast on Channel 38 (WHMB/WXEL/WHIS/WSBK) and the Boston Celtics games were featured programming on Channel 56, Boston’s oldest UHF station which began as WTAO-TV and continues until today as a CW affiliate which eventually secured rights to both the Bruins and the Celtics. The history of that broadcasting network was a combination of CBS and Warner Brothers, along with UPN (United Paramount Network), not to be mistaken with UPI (United Press International) which competed with AP (Associated Press) which syndicated news to the whole mess listed above.

In Europe, you can watch CANAL+ or FR-1 in France, TVE or Cadena Cope in Spain, or maybe you’d prefer “tele basura” which translates to Trash TV.

To conclude, this week I watched GMA (Good Morning America) on ABC (American Broadcasting Corporation) while I checked to see if Sunday’s NFL (National Football League) schedule has games on CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) or FOX (20th Century Fox, now owned by Rupert Murdock and his media empire, while I logged-in to the NYT (The New York Times) to double-check which game is on SNFonNBC (Sunday Night Football) and MNF (Monday Night Football) before I watched the SEC (Southeast Conference) Championship game to see who will compete in the CFP (College Football Playoffs) on NYE (New Year’s eve) as long as I pay my FIOS (Verizon’s Fiber Optic Service) bill and that will depend on whether a scored a NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deal for a client or if my investments did well on the NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) or NASDAQ (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations) which surely will be chronicled by the WSJ (Wall Street Journal).

Whew!

NOW WHAT? With Michigan’s drubbing of No. 2-ranked Ohio State, there are two clear-cut leaders for the CFP Playoffs and two toss-ups. Let the arguing begin.

  1. Georgia
  2. Michigan
  3. TCU
  4. USC

The outside looking in are:

  1. Alabama
  2. Ohio St.
  3. Penn St.
  4. LSU

After that, it really doesn’t matter as Clemson lost at home to South Carolina (31-30).

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Aside from a ton of speculation on Rafa Devers and Xander Bogaerts, there’s been no official news from the Boston Red Sox aside from a Wednesday (Nov. 23) trade for infielder/outfielder Hoy Park from the Pittsburgh Pirates, in exchange for minor league left-handed pitcher Inmer Lobo. … Park, 26, played in 68 Major League games for the New York Yankees (2021) and Pirates (‘21-22).

Miguel Gurwitz, left, with TV partner Carlos Hermosillo

MUNDO CLASS: Telemundo’s Miguel Gurwitz might be the busiest man on earth this weekend and he’s halfway done. Gurwitz, who is anchoring all Telemundo’s World Cup coverage while calling some matches behind the legendary Andres Cantor, will take on a marathon of broadcasting only rivaled by the late, great Jerry Lewis on his Labor Day Telethon. Beginning Thursday, the native of Mexico and current Miami resident, the regular play-by-play voice for NBC Telemundo’s Sunday Night Football Games, was on-air for the better part of 18 hours on Thanksgiving Day.

Beginning at 11am, Gurwitz anchored all of Telemundo’s World Cup soccer coverage, and then as day turned into night, he switched from futbol to football, calling the SNF on NBC/Telemundo primetime game between the New England Patriots at Minnesota Vikings game. Gurwitz called the NFL game off broadcast monitors LIVE from Qatar to complete 18 hours of work.

Gurwitz was back at it for Friday and Saturday WC 2022 coverage, splitting studio and game commentary before he shoots for another futbol to football marathon today when he works four games from Qatar and repeats his NBC/Telemundo marathon with his play-by-play call of Green Bay at Philadelphia at 8:20pm ET.

Will Monday be a day of rest?

Nope … Gurwitz will be working four more World Cup games.

WORLD CUP of BS – Right before the matches began, tone deaf FIFA president Gianni Infantino served-up a media session that was hard to believe. Not only did he overlook Qatar’s human rights record of staggering hypocrisy and racism, he went on for 57-minutes reversing the tides of accusation towards western media claiming they were hypocrites due to their own past and current behavior. In a bizarre rant he said: “Today I feel Qatari. Today I feel Arabic. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel [like] a migrant worker. Of course, I am not Qatari, I am not an Arab, I am not African, I am not gay, I am not disabled. But I feel like it, because I know what it means to be discriminated [against], to be bullied, as a foreigner in a foreign country.

“As a child I was bullied – because I had red hair and freckles, plus I was Italian, so imagine.”

C’Mon Man. Need a drink? Or a cold Nastro Azzurro?

Since World Cup’s opening eve, just imagine the many hooligans who’ve been experiencing the “DTs” by the 45:00 mark of each match as the ban against public drinking of beer and alcohol was determined the week leading up to competition. From what TV cameras are showing, the packed venues feature capacity crowds, emotional fans and strong competition out-weigh the B.S.. Upsets have included Japan over Germany and Saudi Arabia over Argentina. The headline Thursday was that Cristiano Ronaldo is the first men’s WC player to score in five World Cups. … The major dust-up seems to be the rising tensions and protests between Iranian women and authorities and supporters and chants of “The Islamic Republic of Iran.” … Iranian authorities have responded in the homeland with deadly force to suppress protests which erupted after the death of Mahsa Amini in September following her arrest for wearing a headscarf incorrectly.

RULES CHANGES: Understanding the long history of the sport and the fact you only need a field, two goals and a ball to play – meaning you do NOT even need lights or electricity – this will make the futbol hardline traditionalists cringe with pain, but here’s a basketball expert’s thoughts to improve World Cup soccer. Admittedly, because of the “beauty of the game” and the control factor, these will NEVER happen:

  1. Institute a 4:00 minute shot clock
  2. “Back court” violation … Once ball crosses into offensive half of the field, the team on offense can not cross ball backwards to the backfield, but instead force traps at midline.
  3. Put Official as the game clock operator and that’s official for all the world to see
  4. While not a fan of Penalty Kicks to decide outcomes, personally, I can live with Round of 16 rules-on, so no change.

FINAL HARD FOUR: It’s a “hard four,” as in 7-to-1 odds paid off. Yes, the Final Four basketball tournament – the final weekend of March Madness – will be played in Las Vegas for the first time in 2028. Like a Spring Break with velvet tables, Vegas is the ultimate destination for wagering on the NCAA tournament has long been a staple of March Madness. Massive changes in sports gambling laws opened the door for the NCAA to award the men’s national semifinals and championship game to Allegiant Stadium to conclude the 2027-28 season. In other words, the NCAA is ‘all-in.’

The NCAA also announced Ford Field in Detroit would host the Final Four in 2027, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis would get the 2029 event and AT&T Stadium in Dallas will stage the 2030 event.

While We’re Young (Ideas) and Notes

by

NEW YORK – As the 2022 Holiday Season begins this week with Thanksgiving Day, this November 24, 2022, there’s no better time to STOP and THINK about the important things in our lives and to be thankful for each and every one of them, each and every day.

When Santa Claus rides into the official MACY*S Thanksgiving Day Parade, it’s open season for Christmas, complete with seasonal music, decorations, shopping and (hopefully) tidings of comfort and joy.

For starters, I’m thankful for my family. My two daughters are the definition of 1,000 Points of Light and Joy. Surprisingly, it’s been quite a challenge for me and my wife to be the parents of adult children as we miss them as they carry-out their lives. As an empty nester, I’ve sought advice from experienced parents and some of the smartest people on the planet. Everyone says the same thing, “Let them go and grow.” I’ve been a big believer in that tactic ever since our family decision to enroll each of my daughters in CITYterm – a program run from The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, NY. So sadly, CITYterm no longer exists but it was the single most important experience of my two daughter’s lives and a monumental step forward for our family and their maturation process to help prepare them for college. I knew that between their education in NYC/Boston and the CITYterm experience, they were ready.

A wonderful holiday tradition we should all be thankful for each year is the lighting of the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center. From 1981 through 2008, the great Christmas Tree kept me company as my office overlooked St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue and the tree was just a block away. For the most part, I visited it daily on my commute and always stopped in wonder of its beauty, size and spirit. It was the best part about working in the Rock Center area, although the holiday crowds were a bit overwhelming. But, it beat sinking into the asphalt of 5th Ave on a 98-degree summer day. That’s for sure. This year, the tree will be lit on November 30th. It will measure 82 feet in height and is 50 feet wide, weighing 14 tons with over 50,000 lights to do the tree the major league status of a Rock Center tree. It hails from Queensbury, a town between Glens Falls and Lake George in Upstate New York.

In addition to my immediate family, I’m thankful for and deeply appreciative of my “original” immediate family, my mother, age 97, and my brother, Thomas, and his family, along with the whole gang – Tim, Christopher, Sean and Paul – and their terrific families. The Martin side of the coin is equally great and there’s FAR too many to name each and everyone, but they’re all so wonderful and have played such an important role in our Massachusetts-based life, among many other important aspects of growth and helping us all face the challenges of the many CH, CH, CH – Changes.

Some other reasons to be thankful – rapid fire – are: Brian, Matt, T Walsh, Josh, and Spy. Johnnie, Dave G, Dana, Higor, Dave Oh, and Arty, of course. Hundreds of Mass-based friends – John MacKinnon, Stephen Berger, Matt Hauber – now in Christchurch for goodness sake. I’m thankful for the Holy Trinity ‘77 and surrounding years “kids” and the Keswick Americans. The literary crew: Bob Delaney, Dave Scheiber, Philip Turner and his son Ewan who have all taught me so much. NO name dropping allowed, but I have to say thanks to Bill and Lori and to Bruce Hornsby and his son – my European basketball man, Keith, now playing in France’s Div. I LNB for Nanterre 92.

Thanks to my Red Sox Press Box family, headed up by attendant Kevin Doyle. I miss them already, but there’s only about 85 days to go until Pitchers and Catchers report.

Also, thanks to Howie for the intro to the wonderful world of Derek and Susan and the TTB. What a series of albums entitled, “I Am the Moon.” Brilliant and a new genre of music to enjoy. Buy it.

Column inches will make me stop here, but sincere thanks to everyone in my life. I’ll be back at New Year’s with an extended list.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Ben Martin and Patrick Rodgers – both at (-14) – are tied for the lead at the RSM Classic, the final tournament of the PGA Tour’s Fall season. The next official tournament is the Sentry Tournament of Champions, scheduled January 5-8 in Maui, Hawaii.

That’s when PGA Tour Brunch will return and post mobile-friendly e-news six days a week. Fact-filled PGA Tour Brunch will take you all the way to the Tour Championship in August and is the PERFECT holiday gift for your favorite golf fan.

COUNTDOWN TO THE WORLD CUP: It’s here! The long-awaited World Cup begins today with home nation Qatar vs. Ecuador match on FS-1. This week, the focus wasn’t on the tournament but instead the banning of alcohol within WC venues. The decision will cost WC sponsor Budweiser millions but will be cause for hooligans from every nation to attempt to “sneak-in” their favorite spirits and beverages. … Budweiser was scheduled to sell beer within the event-ticketed perimeter surrounding each of the eight stadiums before and after each game. But, this week the last minute decision was made to ban alcohol and serve only Bud Zero. … The world famous beer brand, which is one of FIFA’s longtime partners, responded with a Tweet, “Well, this is awkward,” although the post was quickly deleted. … This is the first World Cup staged in an ultra-conservative, Muslim-based country with very strict controls on all alcohol consumption. Spectators can drink beer in the evenings in “the official FIFA Fan Festival,” a designated party area that also offers live music and activities, and in stadium hospitality suites for sponsors and VVIP guests, a policy similar to the NCAA Final Four in the USA.

Speaking of the USA, the USMNT opens-up play on Monday vs. Wales.

What’s WWYI favorite nation?

Dough-Nation! – Click HERE for PGA Tour Brunch or HERE for While We’re Young (Ideas).

TID-BITS: The Gavitt Games were played this week and BIG EAST rep Georgetown faced the Big Ten’s Northwestern Wildcats. With 4:52 remaining in the first half, Patrick Ewing’s Hoyas led by five, 28-23. But with :48 left in the game, Northwestern led 75-60 – a mere 20-point swing. A bad beat for Ewing, Georgetown and the BIG EAST. … On the other hand, Nebraska was leading St. John’s 22-12 with 5:07 left in the first half of a rough and tough defensive battle. In the second half, two different teams showed up, as St. John’s outscored the Cornhuskers 50-23 to take a 70-50 lead at the final buzzer. … Milwaukee Bucks star and former NBA MVP Giannis  Antetokounmpo created quite a stir on Friday night after his 4-for-15 debacle from the free throw line in a 110-102 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. After the game, Antetokounmpo took to the court to get some free throw shots up as the 76ers’ home court was being cleared and maintenance and media were attending to their post-game tasks. Philadelphia 76ers forward Montrezl Harrell claimed he was doing a post game workout and snatched the basketball away from the Bucks’ star who then went to the other end where technicians were dis-assembling their remote cameras. Antetokounmpo wanted no part of waiting as the workers were mounting a ladder next to the rim and backboard area. Antetokounmpo promptly asked them to move the ladder, but then took it upon himself to do so, tipping the top-heavy 10-foot ladder over only to have it crash to the court. … Not a good look for the former MVP who has struggled with his free throws since his rookie year.

Willets Point, Queens, site of proposed soccer stadium

WILLETS POINT: (Continuing in a New York State of Mind, rather than Boston-themed column) … The City of New York, Queens County and the NYFC soccer club announced plans to build a brand new soccer stadium as part of a Willets Point redevelopment plan. The new stadium, as news reports put it, would be located “directly across the street from the right field foul pole” near CitiField, the home field of the New York Mets.

Please tell me if I’m wrong, but since I first set foot in the old Shea Stadium (1964) to watch the Mets, the area designated for the new stadium and development has been nothing but an auto mechanic shop destination of the worst degree. Oil changes, Mufflers, Tires, Engine re-builds, Transmissions – you name it. Can you imagine what the earth under these shops and quonset huts has endured since the 1960s?

There is zero chance the oil, transmission fluid, and other mechanical waste was properly disposed of during the many years. I wouldn’t walk 100 feet into that zoning nightmare if you gave me $100 a step. At one point, I was told by a very reliable source that the New York Islanders of the NHL looked at the mess before they settled on their current, new site by Belmont Raceway, and guess what the Islanders found?

Disgusting? Un-healthy? Dangerous?

The word is that they’ll clean it all up. Yeah right! It would be similar to cleaning up Deepwater Horizon and the Piper Alpha, Beta and Santa Maria, along with the Gulf War oil spill of 1991 which left a 101 x 41 mile trail of oil in the Persian Gulf. The effort to clean-up in the outer limits of Citi Field started in 2021 when then-NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio participated in the announcement of a clean-up. I’d rather clean-up Chernobyl.

It’s so bad out there, it makes Camp Lejeune look like the beaches of Turks and Caicos.

It’s bad. Real bad. So bad the lawyers tell me I don’t have to write allegedly, but might try a-sledgedly.

It’s really bad out there. How bad?

It’s so bad, if they could remediate all 23 acres of Willets Point, and re-harvest the oil, the price of a gallon of gasoline would drop to 59.9-cents and there’d be enough oil left over to heat the Northwest Territories all year long.

It’s bad.

So bad the restaurants will simply serve salads with Vinegar and patrons will drag their salads along the floor. It’s so bad, an Australian rock band will play every game and hit the stage at Midnight.

It’s so bad, it’s alleged the New York City FC is going to market every season ticket with an oil change, tire rotation and a lube job.

You get the picture. Good luck to the fans of NYFC.

80 FOR BRADY: Every now and then you have to wonder how a film possibly sees the light of day. How did it get funded and produced? This week, “80 for Brady” broke the mold, as it was executive produced by former New England Patriots (current Tampa Bay Bucs) quarterback Tom Brady. The movie is scheduled to be in theatres this February 3rd. While there’s no grace in piling on Brady for his venture to produce a movie with a plot of the “Golden Girls meet Tom Brady,” you can’t help but wonder how bad a year it’s been for TB12 when he went from Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen to Lily Tomlin.

Take a look at the (much too long) trailer and decide for yourself:

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Nov. 13th

by

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Since the ‘70s, Free Agency in Major League Baseball has been a fact of life, yet the sting of major league clubs losing prized and maybe homegrown players hurts just as much in 2022-23 as it did in 1972 when St. Louis Cards outfielder Curt Flood vs (MLB Commissioner) Bowie Kuhn challenged the “reserve clause” in Baseball and arbitrator Peter Seitz ruled in favor of pitchers Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally who were officially granted free agency on March 16, 1976. The Supreme Court later ruled in favor of Kuhn and Baseball, but MLB’s next collective bargaining agreement introduced the Curt Flood rule, and, the rest, as they say, is HIS-TOR-EE.

CHICAGO – MAY 16: A general view of Wrigley Field as the Chicago Cubs take on the Houston Astros on May 16, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois. The Cubs defeated the Astros 5-4. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Forty-eight years ago and slightly before the historic Messersmith/McNallyrulings, Seitz also ruled that Jim “Catfish” Hunter was free of his contract as he signed a then-whopping five-year, $3.25m contract with the New York Yankees, leaving his “Swingin’ A’s” behind in a new era of Baseball.

This winter, baseball stars like OF Aaron Judge (NYY), SP Jacob deGrom(NYM), SS Trea Turner (LAD), SS Carlos Correo (Minn), hometown Boston shortstop Xander Bogaerts (BOS), SP Justin Verlander (HOU), INF Dansby Swanson (ATL), OF Brandon Nimmo (NYM), 1B Jose Abreau(CWS), and a host of others will test the free agent market. Others, by virtue of opting-out or no Qualifying Offers being rendered, are thrust into the free agent market. For the Red Sox, DH J.D, Martinez and SP Michael Wachaare two examples of the latter group.

Let the “Hot Stove” games begin.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: If the NFL wants to assure safer playing conditions for its players, the league and teams need immediate changes to the turf at some stadiums and make other safety modifications, NFL players association president JC Tretter said. … Tretter, in a post on the NFLPA’s website Saturday, called for the league to ban the thin playing surface, saying it has led to “statistically higher in-game injury rates,” compared to all other surfaces for non-contact injuries and injuries to the lower extremities, such as ankles and feet. … Seven teams currently play home games in stadiums with slit film turf, according to the NFLPA: New York Jets and Giants (with shared Met Life Stadium), Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals. … “Player leadership wrote a letter to the NFL this week demanding the immediate removal of these fields and a ban on them going forward, both in stadiums and for practice fields,” Tretter wrote. “The NFL has not only refused to mandate this change immediately, but they have also refused to commit to mandating a change away from slit film in the future at all.”

NFL POWER 10: The National Football League season is shaking-out and by Thanksgiving Weekend we should have a clear vision of the contenders and pretenders for the 2022-23 postseason.

The real pro-NFL pundits laud the “parity” of the NFL while those of us on planet earth recognize there are really only three good teams. Here is the WWYI POWER 10 with that in mind:

Philadelphia Eagles
Buffalo Bills – (*Josh Allen injury is hanging)
Kansas City Chiefs
Minnesota Vikings – (They’re not that great)
New York Jets
Seattle Seahawks
Cincinnati Bengals
Baltimore Ravens
New York Giants
All of the Mediocre Teams: Tampa Bay, New England, LA Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee Titans, and SF 49ers.

NOVA = NO GO: There’s an old Marketing 101 meets Globalization 101 story that said General Motors did not think through the naming of the popular “NOVA” sedan as Nova translated in some way to “Doesn’t Go” in Spanish, thus crushing sales in Spanish speaking Latin America.

Not true. It’s all a myth conjured up by some Marketing professor.

First, it’s a strange translation issue that really doesn’t work. Secondly, the car sold quite well in Latin America and outsold expectations of Chevrolet in countries like Mexico and Venezuela.

That brings us to ‘Nova, as in Villanova.

Villanova’s trip across the Schuylkill River to Temple Friday night resulted with a 68-64 defeat by the Owls and an early-season storming of the court by Temple fans. The Villanova Wildcats overcame a double-digit deficit in the first half and held a 64-62 lead with 58 seconds remaining in the game. The Owls made two free throws with 1.1 seconds left to earn a 66-64 advantage. Nova coach Kyle Neptune is now (1-1).

The warning was in place last weekend, as WWYI reminded fans of coach Jay Wright’s retirement and the No. 16 Villanova Wildcats being a giant question mark coming into the season. It’s far too early to draw any conclusions, but the BIG EAST will be wide open come 2023.

PIONEERS IN JOURNALISM AND CABLE TV SPORTS: Thursday morning brought the news of the passing of legendary reporter Jane Gross and of sports cable TV icon Fred Hickman.

Wrote Richard Sandomir in The New York Times, “Jane Gross, who in 1975 became the first female sportswriter known to have entered a professional basketball locker room, and who later distinguished herself at The New York Times with her compassionate reporting on aging and a well-received book about her mother’s decline in a nursing home, died on Wednesday in the Bronx. She was 75.

Her death, at the same Riverdale nursing home in which her mother had died, was caused by a traumatic brain injury after a series of falls, said Michael Gross, her brother and only immediate survivor,” wrote Sandomir.

Gross, first to rightly do her job doing interviews on deadline in the lockers, covered the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association for NEWSDAY, the Long Island newspaper once delivered door-to-door by this reporter. In 1975, Gross was covering a New York Knicks game and asked coach Red Holzman for access to the locker so she could compete evenly with the other reporters entering the room to gain access to the players and their viewpoints of the game.

Added Sandomir in his obituary on his colleague, “Jane Lee Gross was born on Sept. 10, 1947, in Manhattan. Her father, Milton Gross, was a syndicated sports columnist for The New York Post. Her mother, Estelle (Murov) Gross, was a nurse. From an early age, Jane was enamored of the sports world that her father covered, and she and her younger brother would sometimes accompany him on his assignments.”

Aside from her work in the Health section, Gross wrote for the Education sections of the Times.

Hickman made his mark as one of the first nationally known cable tv sports anchors. Together with the late Nick Charles (1946-2011) they anchored the 11pm (ET) “CNN Sports Tonight” which went head-to-head against ESPN’s SportsCenter from 1980-2001.

The duo were regarded as an informative and reliable source of sports news and highlights and they were equally applauded by fans and co-workers for their hard work and camaraderie.

For those of us fortunate enough to work with Hickman as he and his production team created Sports Tonight and later, This Week in the NBA, and later Inside the NBA, Hickman was a welcome presence in NBA arenas around the league when the shows went remote during the NBA All-Star weekend, Playoffs and Finals.

The cause of death for both Charles and Hickman was cancer.


SOME GOOD NEWS: To continue the fight against cancer, the Pan-Mass Challenge bike race, the nation’s single most successful athletic fundraiser, announced a record-breaking $69 million gift to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. This gift brings the PMC’s total contribution to the fight against cancer to $900 million since 1980 and is the largest single donation Dana-Farber has ever received. Incredible. Congratulations to PMC superstar Billy Starr and his staff, all volunteers and PMC riders and to the great people at Dana-Farber, The JIMMY Fund, all medical and technical teams at all the great Boston-area hospitals, including Mass General.

 

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Nov 6

by

While We’re Young (Ideas) | Looks at the NCAA Hoops Top 10

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – If there’s any sign from anyone or anything that Gonzaga will not be the 2023 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Champion, stand up and be counted. Shout your reasonings from the highest mountain in the West Coast Conference.

The naysayers are coming: West Virginia coach and recent inductee to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Bob Huggins questioned Gonzaga’s chops, claiming in a backhanded way just how tough it is and what a toll the Big 12 schedule would take on the Zags.

“I would think it would be a tremendous awakening for Gonzaga [to join the Big 12],” Huggins told reporters this week, almost daring Zags coach Mark Few to take the bait as newly crowned Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark lures Gonzaga to join his conference in all sports. Yormark’s task is an attempt to make the Big 12 recognized amongst the top level of college basketball conferences in the land, a la the ACC, Big Ten, BIG EAST or the SEC.

Of course, it’s a long “bus ride” home from Morgantown, West Virginia to Spokane, Washington for the women’s tennis or rowing team or the Mountaineers’ men’s golf team from West Virginia to the State of Washington, but – so be it – in this business of college athletics where boundaries may be limitless in the interest of any revenue producing sport.

The University of Connecticut found out the hard way when their (previously local) schedules – against the likes of Providence, Seton Hall, St. John’s, or a train ride to DC to take on the Georgetown Hoyas – became lengthy flights to SMU (Dallas, Texas), Tulane (New Orleans, Louisiana) or Memphis (Tennessee) for its teams. Those long hauls kept the precious and guarded student athletes far away from campus on weekday school nights. Oh, the shame.

UConn, as originally reported by our Digital Sports Desk sister site, returned to their home in the BIG EAST, lauding the advantages of conference opponents close to home to allow those priority No. 1 student-athletes and their parents a reasonable ride to witness competition at its best.

Another naysayer for a Gonzaga ‘23 title is the bible. No, not The Bible but the College Basketball bible, as in Chris Dortch’s Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.

Blue Ribbon picked North Carolina as its No. 1 selection with Gonzaga rated No. 2. The Zags’ review/preview highlighted the loss of 7-footer Chet Holmgren but also noted the commitment to return to college and forego the pros by 6-10 Drew Timme and 6-7 Julian Strawther who started 31 of the Zags’ 32 games last season.

Dortch and the college basketball guru consensus rated blue bloods Kentucky (3) and Duke (5) with Houston in between to round out the Top 5.

Here is the Top 10 of Blue Ribbon’s Top 25:

  1. North Carolina
  2. Gonzaga
  3. Kentucky
  4. Houston
  5. Duke
  6. Arkansas
  7. Kansas
  8. UCLA
  9. Baylor
  10. Tennessee

TL’s NCAA Basketball Top 10:

Not too much of a difference from Blue Ribbon or the other polls, except at the top.

  1. Gonzaga
  2. North Carolina
  3. Kentucky
  4. Kansas
  5. Houston
  6. Arkansas
  7. UCLA
  8. Baylor
  9. Duke
  10. Tennessee

Duke’s lower rating reflects the loss of Coach Mike Krzyzewski, but is not a negative comment on the Blue Devils’ new head coach Jon Scheyer who is under tremendous pressure to produce in his first season. To his credit, Scheyer’s familiarity with the Duke system and its recruits are the reason for a Top 10 mention.

Creighton (11th) rates as the top BIG EAST team in preseason polls and Villanova (16) drops to the middle of the Top 25 pack, much due to the loss of head coach Jay Wright. Former Fordham coach and ‘Nova assistant, Kyle Neptune, takes over for Wright and faces similar pressure to that of Scheyer.

Next week, this reporter will take a stab at a preseason full bracket prediction.

CFP: On the College Football front, here are the Top 6 going into this weekend’s play, as rated by the College Football Playoff committee:

  1. Tennessee
  2. Ohio St.
  3. Georgia
  4. Clemson

On the outside, looking up were:

  1. Michigan
  2. Alabama

Note: The College Football Playoff will match the No. 1 ranked team vs. No. 4, and No. 2 vs. No. 3 in semifinal games that rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl and the Rose Bowl Game. This season’s Playoff Semifinals will take place Saturday, December 31, 2022 at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta. Los Angeles will host the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday, January 9, 2023, at SoFi Stadium.

GEORGIA UP TOP: On a rainy night in Georgia, the Bulldogs dominated Tennessee and will gain the top rung of the CFP ladder when voting is conducted this week. While home field advantage certainly played a part in the Georgia win, the fact of the matter is that Georgia looks to be the best college football team in the country. The Bulldogs – with remaining games at Mississippi St. and Kentucky, then at home in Athens to close the regular season out vs. Georgia Tech. … It’s reasonably expected that Georgia will enter the SEC championship game as the No. 1 team in the country.

Earlier in the week, Boo Corrigan, the chairman of the selection committee, said there was quite a debate on all of the Top 25 rankings, but particularly for the top three slots, “The debate over the Top 25 rankings were extensive and very animated, particularly at the top,” he said. A case was made for Ohio State to be No. 1, for Georgia and for Tennessee, and there were good arguments for each one of the schools.

At the end of the debate, the committee voted Tennessee No. 1 because of their impressive road win at LSU and their victory over Alabama, and Alabama is a team that the committee respects highly. Ohio State has a powerful offense and a very solid defense, with an impressive win last week over Penn State. Georgia has been dominant this season, which has been plain to see, in particular the win over Oregon at the start of the season.

But Tennessee’s two wins against those two strong opponents really made a difference,” concluded Corrigan, the Director of Athletics at North Carolina State.

Those views will be altered as Georgia held court to defeat the Volunteers, 27-13.

No. 4 Clemson lost to Notre Dame Saturday night, 35-14, certainly removing Dabo Swinney’s Tigers from the Top 4 ranks. Michigan will get bumped up after a 52-17 shellacking of Rutgers.

Next week, we’ll be looking at:

  1. Georgia
  2. Ohio St.
  3. Michigan
  4. TCU

The outside looking up?

5. Tennessee

6. Clemson

BOWLING for DOLLARS: Duke became college bowl eligible when the Blue Devils came to Chestnut Hill and defeated Boston College, 38-31, on a balmy Friday night in New England. Duke is now (6-3 Overall/3-2 in ACC) and has three games remaining – Virginia Tech next week, then at Pittsburgh and a finale hosting a tough Wake Forest team on November 26th. … On Saturday, Kansas upset No. 16 Oklahoma St. and became bowl eligible for the first time since 2008. After winning their first five games of the season, Kansas had a three-game skid until Saturday’s win. The Jayhawks have three games remaining, all tough match-ups. The games to play: @Texas Tech, vs Texas and @Kansas State.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook | Oct. 30th

by

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – For those who’ve followed the NBA for decades, there’s a cynical, “We’ve seen EVERYTHING” attitude even when we look back at the extremes of Allen Iverson’s pontifications on “PRACTICE,” Ron Artest (Metta World) and the Pacers having an all-out brawl against the Detroit Pistons (a.k.a. Malice at the Palace), Gilbert Arenas packing heat intended for his teammate, Jarvis Crittenton, or a rogue and incredibly stupid former referee and his high school buddies getting knee-deep with the FBI and creating a gambling scandal of the ages, complete with jail time for the nimrod ref. If that weren’t enough, just this year, it became public knowledge that Phoenix Suns team governor Robert Sarver was conducting business in toxic fashion for decades. That followed dufus former LA Clippers team governor Donald Sterling’s racially charged remarks caught on tape back in 2014, with both team owner transgressions resulting in their requirement or desire to sell their NBA clubs.

There’s been team GMs (Daryl Morey) tweeting the NBA into an all-out business-crushing conundrum with its Chinese-based broadcasters and business partners, not to mention the authorities. Morey expressed his opinion on China’s human rights issues, especially focusing on Hong Kong back in October of 2019, and just as the NBA was beginning preseason games in Asia and India.

There’s been players clocking coaches (Latrell Sprewell vs PJ Carlesmo), players fighting teammates (GS’s Draymond Green vs Jordan Poole), and a head coach getting fined and suspended for gross violations of team rules – that being Boston’s Ime Udoka’s unbelievable implosion just as the 2022-23 NBA season was about to begin.

We’ve seen everything, right?

Wrong.

This week, five games into the season, the San Antonio Spurs abruptly waived guard Joshua Primo, the No. 12 (overall) first-round pick of the 2021 NBA Draft. At the time of the announcement, the Spurs’ guard put out a statement, referring to mental health issues and seeking privacy.

In a statement to ESPN on Friday night, Primo acknowledged a need to continue “mental health treatment more fully.”

“I know that you all are surprised by (today’s) announcement,” read the Primo statement. “I’ve been seeking help to deal with previous trauma I suffered and will now take this time to focus on my mental health treatment more fully. I hope to be able to discuss these issues in the future so I can help others who have suffered in a similar way. I appreciate privacy at this time.”

On Saturday, ESPN dropped the sledgehammer, and apparently the truth, as Primo was waived for allegedly exposing himself to women, apparently on multiple occasions. With ESPN’s pipeline into the Spurs’ front office, the word “allegedly” seems to be the legal formality of this unimaginable story.

“It is our hope that, in the long run, this decision will serve the best interest of both the organization and Joshua,” Spurs CEO R.C. Buford said in a statement as NBA teams – coast-to-coast – scrambled to obtain information of the behind-the-scenes reasoning for the transaction. Primo played in the Spurs’ first four games of the 2022-23 season, sat out the fifth game and then was banished in the hours surrounding the club’s sixth game.

Now, if all that wasn’t enough, reports are surfacing on Brooklyn guard Kyrie Irving’s involvement in a motion picture he’s promoting entitled, “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America.” The movie apparently includes antisemitic references and other controversial content, according to a review in Rolling Stone Magazine.

With all the off-court controversy, the NBA dealt with the Robert Sarver incident(s) promptly and the Boston Celtics dealt with the internal issues of their coach and unnamed code-of-ethics transgressions. Isn’t it well past the time when the NBA Players Association step-up to address the situations of the likes of Irving, Primo, Green vs Poole – all who make the players (as a whole) look ridiculous? It’s time for the Union to hold its members to higher standards while the League works hand-in-hand to provide Player Programs, Orientations and frequent team visits by the Player Programs and Basketball Ops league staffers. The players’ union itself needs to enforce some sort of discipline for conduct unbecoming a union member.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: As the 2022 World Series began, the Houston Astros had approximately a 61% chance of winning the MLB crown while the upstart Philadelphia Phillies had a 31% chance.

Those odds were turned inside-out when Philadelphia rallied from an 0-5 deficit to defeat the Astros 6-5 Friday in a four-hour and thirty minute extra innings epic. Phils catcher J.T. Realmuto had game hero status with a two-run double in the 5th inning and the game-winning HR in the top of the 10th inning.

On Saturday night, Houston staked a 3-0 early lead and went on to a 5-2 home victory to even the series – 1-1 – a best-of-seven that has six or seven games written all over it.

Scheduling has been a challenge. Baseball will tip its cap to the NFL on Sunday and then return to action with three games in Philly on Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday (Oct 31, Nov. 1 and 2), before returning to Houston for games on Friday and Saturday, (November 4 and 5, if necessary).

DIAMOND DUST-UP: The World Series has become The Local Series as fans in Houston and Philadelphia are going bonkers over the event, but fans outside the two competing cities have little to zero interest in the results of the games. National draws like the New York Yankees, the Atlanta Braves, the LA Dodgers, and the NY Mets were all eliminated, much to the chagrin of MLB and FOX Sports tv ad sales crews and Nielsen tv ratings watchers.

PICKS FROM THE PARQUET: Last week, we had the Opening Weekend anticipation of the NBA and predicted the teams that will be there at the end. Today, it’s a “what did you do for me lately” look at the NBA, as teams settle-in, each with about five games in the books.

Last things first: The LA Lakers (0-5) have yet to win a game.

The Milwaukee Bucks (5-0) have yet to lose a game and the Portland Trail Blazers who were expected to win fewer than 40 games, are a red-hot (5-1).

It’s far too early in the long NBA season to think anything in the first five games of the season will determine long-term trends. After all, the Boston Celtics looked invincible with three opening wins against the 76ers, Heat and Magic, but fell down to mediocrity with two consecutive losses this week (vs. Chicago and Cleveland). For the defending Eastern Conference champion Celtics, their Sunday night (10/30-6:00pm ET) game against the Washington Wizards will be a key indicator.

Of note: Brooklyn (1-4) with 121.6 ppg allowed should send alerts throughout the Association.

FORE SCORE: When we last left you, Rory McIlroy was laying claim to World No. 1 with a win at The CJ Cup in South Carolina, topping the field that included 21 of the top 30 best golfers (outside of those who went to LIV it up).

This week, the PGA Tour is in beautiful Bermuda and there isn’t a hurricane in sight. Nor are there any of the Top 40 players in golf. Seamus Power, at No. 48, is the top-ranked player and he happens to be the tournament leader after 54 holes, shooting 65-65-65 for (-18) and a tie for first with Ben Griffin (65-64-66).

Meanwhile, LIV is finishing-up the semifinals of their final event, a match play tournament in Miami. LIV has been operating in obscurity the last two tournaments, one in Bangkok (Thailand) and one in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). The time zone challenges were enough to keep any North American TV entity far and away, asking, ‘If a golfer cards a birdie in the desert, does it Tweet?” … The answer is yes, as it’s the only way a golf fan would know it happened.

Regardless, Dustin Johnson claimed an extra $18m as regular season champion. This weekend’s Match Play will help decide team champions, a nuance the golfing public has yet to embrace. The various formats – within and without the normal competition of stroke play, team play and match play – are a little too much in the gimmicky category and not enough of a distinction between the LIV and the PGA Tour’s normal stroke play.

WORDS AND PHRASES: There’s a growing list of buzzwords and phrases that are far too deep in the lexicon of life. This columnist could “Talk About” the “Talk About”command sideline reporters and even veteran journalists and reporters bark at their interview subjects, but instead we’ll get the readers of WWYIs started with just a couple of the zingers we all hear, intertwined in sports, news and everyday language. In Twitter language, I’ll go first:

  • The overuse of the word “Narrative” is the end-all of current buzzwords. When any reporter, network anchor or seminar presenter uses the “Narrative” word, I’m OUT.
  • “At the END of the DAY” – Oy vey. There must not be a blessed ounce of work done in the morning and throughout midday, but people must be bustin’ ass to get their work completed as promised to the masses, by the “END of the DAY.” From now-on, I want to know what’s been done by the MIDDLE of the DAY.
  • I don’t want to hear we need to “Drill Down” to get the “Low Hanging Fruit.” I don’t want to “Un-Pack” anything. Do you HEAR that ESPN’s Greeny on “Get Up?” Go Un-Pack your own news and headlines, I’m not doing it anymore.
  • No more “Thought Leadership” conferences or pitches for self-taught seminars at industry trade gatherings to impress everyone in the boardroom. And, please no more “Thinking Out of the Box.” What box? None of us were ever in a box.
  • On Conference Calls or Zoom-meetings, I don’t think it’s a good idea to shelve the most important topic being discussed and take it “Offline.” Let’s talk about it NOW because if it goes “Offline,” no one will ever do the hard work it takes to complete that job “by the END of the DAY.”

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | October 23

by

They’re playing basketball (to the beat y’all)

We love that basketball (yeah)

They’re playing basketball (uh huh, uh huh)

We love that basketball

– Kurtis Blow

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – The basketball season was 1968-69 and the New Jersey Americans relocated to Long Island to become the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association, a rival league to the heralded National Basketball Association.

The year ahead was going to be great for New York sports fans. The New York Jets, behind the guarantee provided by quarterback “Broadway” Joe Namath upset the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. It was the victory that put the then-rival American Football Conference (AFC) on par with the National Football Conference (NFC) and it made the National Football League (NFL) the most popular sports property in the United States.

As that Summer of ‘69 turned to Fall, the Miracle Mets, behind the pitching of Jerry Koosman (two World Series wins, including the series clincher) backed by Hall of Famer Tom “Terrific” Seaver and Gary Gentry, defeated the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles in five games to take the first Series victory in franchise history. Donn Clendenon, Cleon Jones and improbable offensive might of everyone from 2B Al Weisto reserve catcher J.C. Martin provided key hits while incredible defensive plays by center fielder Tommie Agee and right fielder Ron Swoboda made the Mets – Amazin’ and sent NYC and the Borough of Queens and most Long Islanders into a frenzy.

A flip of the calendar brought yet another championship to New York when the New York Knicks of the NBA defeated the LA Lakers and Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylorand Jerry West in a memorable seven-game series. While Willis Reed and his gutsy Game 7 return to action after seriously injuring his knee in Game 5, grabbed the headlines and Walt Frazier’s 36-point, 19-assist, 7-rebound performance went somewhat unnoticed because of Reed’s return.

Those championships were almost too much for a 10-year old to handle. But this (then) 10-year old harkens back to December 19, 1968 as the day the championship was solidified. It was the day Knicks GM Eddie Donovan had the guts to trade All-Star center Walt “Bells” Bellamy, and guard Howard “Butch” Komives, to the Detroit Pistons for eight time NBA All-Star power forward Dave DeBusschere.

Hit “The Open Man” became the Knicks’ mantra and, in fact, was the title of DeBusschere’s book chronicling the season day-by-day. It’s simple philosophy, honed by Knicks Coach Red Hozman was the perfect offense to deploy for the ‘69-’73 Knicks.

With Knicks tickets tough to come by in suburban Long Island me and my basketball-loving’ family would get our hardwood fix with regular attendance at (nearly) all St. John’s University home games. We attended dozens of Island Trees H.S. basketball games where both of my oder brothers played and then 100% of the Holy Trinity H.S.games from 1973 to 1977 and beyond as coach Bob McKillop and Matt Doherty hung banner after banner at HT.

All the while, the ABA Nets were our mainstay. After head coach York Larese flamed-out, the Nets recruited Little Louie Carnesseca away from his post at St. Johns, along with trusty assistant John Kresse (who gave me my college tour at St. John’s). The great Rick Barry was on the Nets, along with former Johnnies Joe DuPre and Sonny Dove. Bill Melchioni held down the point, while Laverne Tart was the shooting guard. The bigmen included Jim Ard, Manny Leaks, and another young Johnnie who made playoff appearances as much as the Kardashians appear in the Super Market tabloids.

Suffice to say, a good game of hoops was available every night of the week and we took advantage of that fact growing up. And it changed for the better when the Nets acquired Julius “Dr, J.” Erving who was at the height of his career.

At one point in 1977, an interview with Nets head coach Kevin Loughery and an intro to his then-assistant, Rod Thorn, began a life-long friendship as they led the Nets to titles in 1974 and 1976 over formidable ABA clubs from Kentucky (Artis Gilmore and Dan Issel), Denver’s (David Thompson), and Indiana Pacers’ big (Mel Daniels), just to name a few. Thorn would eventually join the NBA league office as the head of Basketball Operations and the so-called Dean of Discipline.

All-in-all, a pretty good apprenticeship in the sports of basketball and one that turned into a career come December 1980 when this columnist began a 26+ year career at the NBA league office, working under Commissioners Larry O’Brien and David Stern.

In the early ‘80s, the NBA league office was like Camelot. It was just a matter of time – and some hard work – to build the global platform and stage the game for the way its played today by the World’s Greatest Athletes.

THE NBA TODAY: It’s quite early for any meaningful  predictions for the on-going 2022-23 NBA season, but that won’t stop us from doing the very first Power Rankings” of the NBA season. Truth be told, the real power ratings are Post NBA All-Star Break.

Here’s a look at the Top 8 from each conference:

EAST:

  1. Milwaukee Bucks
  2. Boston Celtics
  3. Toronto Raptors
  4. Washington Wizards
  5. Brooklyn Nets
  6. Miami Heat
  7. Philadelphia 76ers
  8. Detroit Pistons

WEST:

  1. Golden State Warriors
  2. New Orleans Pelicans
  3. Memphis Grizzlies
  4. Houston Rockets
  5. Denver Nuggets
  6. LA Clippers
  7. Phoenix Suns
  8. Dallas Mavericks.

Check back in mid-December for a more educated prediction.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The Cleveland Charge selected Sam Merrill (6-4, 205, Utah State) with the first overall pick of the 2022-23 NBA G League Draft on Saturday afternoon, which was held virtually. The Wisconsin Herd selected Joe Wieskamp with the second overall selection, while the Greensboro Swarm selected Aaron Wheelerwith the third pick.

RATINGS GAME: The NBA on Tuesday saw its best opening night doubleheader viewership since 2017, as TNT averaged 3.3 million viewers for 76ers- Celtics and Lakers- Warriors.

TID-BITS: I can figure out who is pouring more money into the economy – legal inquiries on Camp Lujeane, the folks funding CrytoLef hack campaign or Big Pharma selling every drug manufactured under the sun. … Coach Jim Calhoun will be the special guest Sunday, October 30, at Lavietes Pavilion. when Harvard hosts its annual fantasy day for Friends of Harvard, and local coaches. Basketball Hall of Famer and New England native, Calhoun, won three NCAA Division I men’s basketball championships as the head coach of the University of Connecticut. With over 900 NCAA victories (917-397), Coach Calhoun has extensive experience across all three divisions of NCAA athletics. Coach Calhoun will share his depth of perspective with our community, and we would be thrilled if you can attend! In addition to hearing Coach Calhoun speak, you will also be able to watch a Harvard Basketball practice and receive lunch as part of the day’s events. Harvard head coach Tommy Amaker will be running the show. … Tickets go on sale Monday, October 24, 2022 for the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. This year’s conference is on March 3 – 4th, 2023 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston.

For a full subscription to our Sunday Notebook, “While We’re Young (Ideas)” please see: CLICK HERE

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | October 16th

by

While We’re Young (Ideas) Examines the Upcoming 2022-23 NHL Season

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – The weekly notebook has listed sports franchise valuations, underrated rock bands, NFL Power Rankings, and NCAA College Football Playoff possibilities week-by-week.

Next Up?

The TL Sunday Sports Notes a.k.a. “While We’re Young (Ideas)” will take a crack at the brand new National Hockey League season and list the best of the best and as the list goes, the bottom-feeder “hosers” will be left to the age-old chore (before the great Zamboni was invented) to hose down the ice for the next period.

For the ultimate face-off, “While We’re Young (Ideas)” is picking the Colorado Avalanche to play the New York Rangers in the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals. The Avs dominated the Edmonton Oilers in the 2022 Western Conference Finals, winning the series in four straight. There is nothing on the radar screen to spark another western winner, although Edmonton, St. Louis, Las Vegas, Nashville and Calgary remain as contenders for a Cup Finals appearance.

In the East, the New York Rangers behind goalkeeper Igor Shesterkin have stepped-up as the team to beat. To advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, the Rangers will have to reverse the outcome of last season’s Eastern Finals when the Tampa Bay Lightning eliminated New York, 4-games-to-2.

Last season’s contenders in the East – Carolina, Florida, Pittsburgh, Toronto and Boston – can all challenge the NYR and TB with a combination of goaltending, luck, avoiding injury and playoff positioning determining who might face the West (Colorado) in the final.

While Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Nikita Kucherov and Shesterkin are top-rated players and most frequently listed as favorites for NHL Most Valuable Player (Hart Trophy) winners, the player who led the Avs to their third Stanley Cup title, Nathan MacKinnon, is the player to watch. He will determine the success of the Avs and can will the club to a championship, just as he did a year ago. In recent memory, only Mark Messier’s efforts for the 1994 New York Rangers can compare.

Jack Eichel, the local Boston favorite out of BU, left Buffalo and landed in Vegas where he finished the 2022-23 season strong. Orlando-born and Toronto-bred Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils, the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, is another player to watch this season.

NHL POWER RANKINGS – (As of start of the 2022-23 NHL regular season)

  1. Colorado Avalanche
  2. New York Rangers
  3. Tampa Bay Lightning
  4. Carolina Hurricanes
  5. Edmonton Oilers
  6. Toronto Maple Leafs
  7. Calgary Flames
  8. Florida Panthers
  9. St. Louis Blues
  10. Pittsburgh Penguins
  11. Nashville Predators
  12. Minnesota Wild
  13. Boston Bruins
  14. Los Angeles Kings
  15. Las Vegas Knights
  16. Washington Capitals
  17. Dallas Stars
  18. Winnipeg Jets
  19. New York Islanders
  20. Vancouver Canucks
  21. New Jersey Devils
  22. Ottawa Senators
  23. Columbus Blue Jackets
  24. Philadelphia Flyers
  25. Buffalo Sabres
  26. Detroit Red Wings
  27. Anaheim Ducks
  28. San Jose Sharks
  29. Seattle Kraken
  30. Montreal Canadiens
  31. Chicago Blackhawks
  32. Arizona Coyotes

East: New York Rangers over Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-games-to-3

West: Colorado Avalanche over Edmonton Oilers, 4-games-to-1

Cup: Colorado Avalanche over New York Rangers, 4-games-to-2

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: In the world of sports, you learn something new everyday. A Premier League peep whispered to drop everything and tune-in to the USA Network at about 2:45pm (ET) Friday for the Brentford v. Brighton match.

The pre-game commentators for USA Net were touting their Soccer Showcase at Dilworth Park on Saturday and Sunday in Philadelphia by comparing the “biggest weekend” they’ve ever televised,’ with all the “big” games in the Philly. This weekend, MLB’s Philadelphia Phillies host, and defeated the Atlanta Braves at Citizen Bank Park a couple hours ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers facing the Vancouver Canucks at the Wells Fargo Center, right across the soft pretzel-packed street. Of course, the “biggest game” of the weekend will feature the Philadelphia Eagles playing host to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football at Lincoln Financial Field, a 9-iron from the basketball/hockey arena and an easy wedge away from the baseball field. By the way, the Sixers open the NBA regular season on Tuesday here in Boston and then return to the “City of Brotherly Love” to host the Milwaukee Bucks this Thursday.

Working backwards to what was learned this week, my surprise was teed-up by Rebecca Lowe, host of NBC’s English Premier League coverage, as her Philly-based introduction to the game in London was done just as the Brentford players took to the pitch:

BRENTFORD has a great tradition, far better than the tired, old Red Sox playing of “Sweet Caroline” in the middle of the 8th inning. During pregame introductions, seemingly every one of the 18,000+ Brentford fans raises their red & white team scarf and belts out The Beatles’ “Hey Jude.” … If the team wins, the song is sung – once again – in the postgame.

The good times came to a halt postgame, however, as sadly, after the 2-nil Brentford victory and the postgame “Hey Jude II.” Striker Ivan Toney, who notched the two Brentford goals, was “subjected to disgusting, racist abuse via a direct message received on social media,” according to the club statement issued after the game.

“We condemn this discriminatory behaviour in the strongest possible terms. An attack on one of our players is an attack on all of us. Ivan will receive the full backing from the Club and from the Brentford fans who we have already seen condemning the abuse.

“We expect strong support from the police, legal authorities and from Instagram’s parent company, Meta, to ensure that the individual involved faces the full force of the law for this despicable hate crime.”

[Read more…] about TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | October 16th

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | October 9

by

While We’re Young (Ideas) – Clemson, Boston College and the Underrated in Sports

By TERRY LYONS

CHESTNUT HILL – When we last left you, it was in memory of the late Boston College student-athlete Welles Crowther, aka the “Man in the Red Bandana.” The spirit and anticipation leading up to the game here Saturday night was tangible. As gobs of BC students filed into Alumni Stadium to lead 42,138-strong, the excitement of a big, nationally televised Atlantic Coast Conference game, they had hopes of repeating one of the great upset wins in a decade and a half of BC football, a 37-31 win over No. 9-ranked USC back in 2014.

That very first “Red Bandana Game” was the last time a Boston College football team defeated a Top 10 ranked team. This week, the No. 5 Clemson Tigers made sure that the September 2014 upset remained as BC’s badge with a decisive 31-3 dismantling of the Eagles.

The description of the game can be likened to a high level heavyweight prize fight, one opponent highly skilled and well taught in the art of boxing while the other a dangerous challenger fighting with emotion in his hometown.

Last night, the scorecard read 10-3 at the half, as BC’s defensive unit played outstanding football to match the bigger, better, battle-tested Tigers. The energy of the first half gradually dissipated as Clemson wore-down Boston’s defense as though a disciplined boxer was jabbing, jabbing, jabbing the Eagles into a a haze of pain and fatigue.

Tigers quarterback DJ Uiagalelei threw three second-half touchdown passes while BC was unable to establish any kind of running game to base their control, deliberate offense. Without running backs Alex Broome, Cam Barfield, and Alec Sinkfield, Boston (2-4, 1-3 in ACC) could only muster 34 rushing yards on 30 attempts.

BC’s primary threat, wide receiver Zay Flowers caught eight catches for 75 yards against a suspect Clemson secondary.

Boston College has a bye week upcoming before traveling to Wake Forest in two weeks.Clemson (6-0, 4-0 in ACC) will play at Florida State this coming Saturday.

 

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: A popular and regular function of While We’re Young(Ideas) has been passing along the estimated valuations of pro sports franchises as tallied by our friends at Sportico.

This week, take a look at the Top 10 of Sportico’s Major League Soccer franchise valuations:

  1. Los Angeles FC, $900m
  2. LA Galaxy, $865m
  3. Atlanta United, $855m
  4. Seattle Sounders FC, $725m
  5. Toronto FC, $705m (US)
  6. DC United, $700m
  7. New York FC, $690m
  8. Portland Timbers, $685m
  9. Austin FC, $630m
  10. InterMiami, $585

The value of the Portland Timbers should remain solid despite the NWSL scandal that involved front office staff who ran both the Timbers and the women’s Thorns.

Keep in mind, the then-expansion New York FC came with a franchise fee of a “record” $100 million back in 2015. Similar, but not quite as miraculous rise in value, the MLS is beginning to mirror the NBA in quick, soaring increase in franchise valuation.

The 1988-89 NBA expansion (Charlotte, Miami, Minnesota and Orlando) brought with it a bargain $32.5m fee for each of the four teams. The NBA’s most recent expansion saw the Toronto Raptors and then-Vancouver Grizzlies pay $125m each. Today, the Phoenix Suns are on the market as disgraced team governor and managing partner Robert Sarver looks to move his club for an NBA record rate. That means the Suns would have to sell for north of the $2.35b that team governor Joseph Tsai paid for the Brooklyn Nets (2019), or restauranteur Tilman Fertitta dropped $2.2b for the Houston Rockets (2017). Those sales followed the $2b franchise game-changer when SteveBallmer bought the LA Clippers in 2014.

Sarver bought the Suns for a then-record $401m in 2004 from a multi-owner group headed by Jerry Colangelo and can now seek some $2.4-$2.5b for the Suns and WNBA Mercury.

DIAMOND DUST-UPs: Heading onto postseason, I must say I liked the chances of the Toronto Blue Jays, swept out by the Seattle Mariners yesterday in the biggest comeback in MLB Wild Card history. It was also the biggest road comeback win in playoff history and baseball’s largest rally to clinch a postseason series. The Mariners were down, 8-1, in the 5th Inning. Overall, you’ve got to believe this year’s MLB playoff format favors the four teams with Wild Card round byes, as they had a brief few days to align their starting pitching while resting pitchers, catchers, bullpen and all. They are: (AL: Houston and New York; NL: Atlanta and the Los Angeles Dodgers).

PREDICTIONS: While trekking to New York, Sirius-XM and Chris “Mad Dog” Russowas interviewing Boston Red Sox team manager Alex Cora who was quite frank with his thoughts while others might be leery of burning bridges with his baseball industry friends.

Cora, too, liked the way the Toronto Blue Jays were playing down the stretch of the last month of the MLB season, but he warned how dangerous the Cleveland Guardians might be in the wild car and ALDS. In the NL, he liked the Atlanta Braves the most.

Cora didn’t go on an “all-out” predict-fest, but he did indicate there would be no surprise in his mind if Atlanta and Cleveland met to determine the 2022 World Series champion.

NOTES: Congratulations to former BIG EAST conference administrator Tom Odjakjian on his choice to retire from the AAC Conference. Odjakjian served sports fans quite well with a stint at ESPN and then the work at the two college conferences, especially during the difficult time when the BIG EAST and American split, with the BIG EAST going basketball only while the AAC went knee deep in college football. … Meanwhile, a fellow ESPN colleague of Odjakjian in Rob Simmelkjaer was named by the New York Road Runners, the organizer of the TCS New York City Marathon, to its top post as CEO. He’ll assume the new role on November 15, 2022.

TID-BITS: The reigning Premier League champions Manchester City went to the top of the ladder after beating Southampton 4-0 at The Etihad Stadium as 22-year-old Erling Haaland is taking the Premier League by storm and tearing-up the history books as he goes. The Norwegian striker has now netted 15 goals (in nine games) in the Premier League and 20 goals overall on the season in all competitions.

Haaland became the first player to score a hat-trick in three consecutive home games in the Premier League – against Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United – although that run is over with his single against Southampton. Earlier in the season, he became the first player to score in his first four away games in the Premier League.

In other news, the United States women’s national team lost to England, 2-1, in a friendly played before 76,891 at Wembley. The USAWNT is playing in Europe last week and this while reports of abuse and misconduct in the women’s national program and the US National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) surfaced in the Sally Yates report, an independent investigation published this week. The USAWNT goes on to Spain for a game this Tuesday.

UNDERRATED in SPORTS: Not seeking to create a comprehensive listing here, but the start of the MLB Postseason brought thoughts of some underrated stars in Baseball, even though they might be All-Stars. For instance, Cleveland Guardiansthird baseman José Ramírez might be considered underrated, as his teammate Oscar Gonzalez. … Gorgeous New England football Saturdays and Sundays are underrated. New York Strip steaks are underrated. Penne Ala Vodka and Spaghetti alla Puttanesca are vastly underrated. Puttanesca, by the way, is loosely translated to throwing everything in the cupboard into cook; or a while bunch of sh*t into the pot. … Good tires on your car are underrated. As a parent of little ones of (1997 and 1999) who each grew to be incredible young women, the Diaper Genie is vastly underrated. … Dogs are underrated, while cats are overrated. You get it, right?

Here are a few pro players that might be considered underrated. They are listed in no particular order: Michael Cooper (LAL), Lance Alworth (then SD Chargers), former NYY Bernie Williams, soccer phenom Erling Haaland is underrated, but not for long. … the late Jerry Sloan was an underrated NBA defensive star, although the Chicago Bulls were smart enough to retire his No. 4 in the old Chicago Stadium. … Brooks Robinson, the human vacuum of the glory years for the Baltimore Orioles was underrated. … I always thought NBA legend James Worthy of the LA Lakers was underrated, although he warranted the nickname “Big Game” James which indicated his performances were well noticed. … Steve Smith, NBA vet and Olympic gold medalist was underrated, even if you just count the way he set picks. Yogi Berra was underrated and he’s a Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Famer …. The late Mike Bossy was underrated.

Pitcher Virgil 🔥 Trucks, great grand uncle of famed guitarist Derek Trucks was underrated. For that matter, Derek is underrated as is his guitar-playing vocalist wife Susan. They keep on getting better. Google it. … Keith “Jamaal” Wilkes was underrated and you can just think of his 37 points, 10 rebound performance in Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals as an example. Wilkes’ great game was over shadowed by Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s MVP performances in the series, including the fact he jumped and played center in a game Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was unable to play. … Red Sox right fielder Dwight “Dewey” Evans is still underrated.

UNDER-RATED ROCK BANDS and MUSICIANS:

(Listed in no particular order)

  1. The Guess Who
  2. Faces
  3. Rockpile, headed by Nick Lowe and Dave Edmonds
  4. Dire Straits, headed by the great Mark Knopfler
  5. Little Feat
  6. Warren Zevon
  7. Delaney and Bonnie & Friends
  8. Leon Russell
  9. Dave Mason
  10. Paul Butterfield Blues Band, for the Chicago Blues fans out there
  11. Yardbirds
  12. The Animals, highlighted by the incredible soulful voice of Eric Burdon and theincredible keyboard play of Alan Price.
  13. Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels
  14. Savoy Brown Band
  15. The Kinks
  16. Eric B. & Rakim
  17. Schoolly D
  18. Ten Years After
  19. Traffic
  20. The Eurythmics
  21. Link Wray and the Wraymen
  22. Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac

To finish this week’s Part Deux Sunday Sports Notes off with a performance you might not have seen, nor rememebered.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook | Sept. 25

by

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – The window for winning was wide open, the carpet plush with – not a playoff caliber team – but a club with true NBA championship aspirations and a real opportunity in 2022-23. The talent remains fully in place as this offseason, the Boston Celtics added true point guard Malcolm Brogdon and veteran internationally renowned shooter and three-point FG threat Danilo Galinari (suffered ACL injury) to a deep roster. Continuity would be in place as the first year coaching staff that managed to take the Celtics past Brooklyn, past the highly talented, defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks (sans NBA All-Star Khris Middleton) and then past the Miami Heat (53-29, and best record in the East) before being eliminated (4-2) by a better Golden State Warriors team.

Aside from talent and continuity, there’s not an NBA champion in the books that can claim they didn’t have some good luck along the way to their title. Maybe they avoided injury. Maybe they were able to pull-off a last minute trade deadline deal that filled a hole. Maybe a couple last second buzzer-beater helped claim home court advantage. Maybe, maybe, maybe.

But then, the hammer came down. Injuries and very poor judgement.

Luck is not on Boston’s team bus right now, even though their team mascot is a Leprechaun named “Lucky.” The first setback, noted above, was an ACL injury suffered by the newly acquired Galinari while he was playing for his native Italy in a European World Cup qualifying tournament this summer.

On Friday, Gallinari underwent left knee revision ACL repair. The surgery was performed by Celtics’ team physician Dr. Tony Schena at New England Baptist Hospital. Dr. Schena was assisted by Dr. Paul Weitzel, with Dr. Brian Cole consulting on the case. A timetable for Gallinari’s return was not mentioned, as he is expected to miss the entire 2022-23 NBA season.

“Yesterday I had successful ACL surgery. Now the focus is on my rehab and return to the game I love,” Gallinari wrote in a social media statement. “I want to thank the Celtics organization and the medical staff at the New England Baptist Hospital. I also want to thank Dr. Antonio Orgiani and Dr. Rodolfo Rocchi for the support they gave me in Italy before surgery. And of course thank you to all of my fans for their continued support and well wishes. See you soon on the court.”

The bad luck didn’t end with Gallinari, a reserve. Dr. Schena had to earn his keep operating on a starter, too.

Breakout starting center Robert Williams underwent a successful arthroscopic procedure to remove loose bodies and address swelling in his left knee,” said the Celtics in a Friday news release. “The surgery was performed by Celtics’ team physician Dr. Tony Schena at New England Baptist Hospital. Williams is expected to return to basketball activities in 8-12 weeks.”

The eight to 12 weeks is longer than the Celtics and their fans expected and it will set the club back as Training Camp opens this Monday, with a Noon broadcast on NBA TV (and nba.com) sure to be quite savage.

The key factor with the absence of Williams will be the added weight of playing time on 36-year old center-forward Al Horford. Horford will be required to hold down the frontcourt as Williams recuperates and rehabs and he will only be backed by 7-2 Luke Kornet, as departed centerman Daniel Theis was traded to Indiana in the deal for Brogdon. It might not take its toll in November and December, but can the veteran leader perform like he did in May and June, including a strong NBA Finals.

Horford possesses the ability to keep the team together, to bond the rank and file via his locker room presence and the respect he’s earned from the entire roster and coaching staff. Horford’s presence is surely a large part of former Cs head coach and now head of basketball operations Brad Stevens’ decision to promote Joe Mazzulla who will serve as the interim head coach for the Celtics until the team sorts things out during the season-long suspension to Ime Udoka. Mazzulla won three state titles as a player at Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, Rhode Island, then played four seasons at West Virginia University under head coaches John Beilein and recently inducted Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Huggins.

Mazzulla began his coaching career as an assistant for the Glenville State University men’s basketball team, a NCAA Division II program, and assisted for two seasons after graduating from WVU in 2011. He also spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Fairmont State. His first head coaching experience came in 2017 at Fairmont State University. In his two seasons as coach of the Fighting Falcons, he racked up a 43-17 record and took his team to the NCAA tournament once.

Mazzulla joined the Celtics’ coaching staff as an assistant in 2019 and was quickly named as the right man for the job by Stevens. Mazzula’s opportunity arose mainly because Judoka’s No. 2 man, Will Hardy, accepted the head coaching job from the Utah Jazz this past June. Mazzula and the remaining Celtics basketball staff will utilize the same system Udoka installed in his first season with the club, a system honed by the ultra-successful San Antonio Spurs where Udoka assisted under Hall of Famer Gregg Popovich.

In other words, it’s not as if the Celtics will need to start over again. They need to do it for Al.

ONE GIGANTIC MESS MAKES WAY FOR ANOTHER: “Robert Sarver, meet Ime Udoka.”

NBA Training camps are about to open and the talk of two towns in the league is anything but basketball. In Phoenix, a club with a 64-18 record which was great enough to lead the 2021-22 Western Conference standings, is now on the market after an independent investigation found Suns team governor and principle owner (35%) was alleged to foster a toxic and inappropriate atmosphere in the organization led by his own words and actions. The league doled out a significant fine of $10m and a one-year suspension. In the aftermath of that fine and suspension, public and NBA player opinion was not buying the punishment for the NBA Constitutional crimes and a tsunami of pushback, even from the NBA Players Association called for Sarver’s all-out dismissal from the league. That pressure forced him to decide to sell the two franchises (the Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury) as his limited stake in the franchise allows. Reports have the Suns’ value ranging $1.92b with a chance to fetch as much as $3 billion.

“In our current unforgiving climate, it has become painfully clear that that is no longer possible – that whatever good I have done, or could still do, is outweighed by things I have said in the past,” Sarver’s statement read. “For those reasons, I am beginning the process of seeking buyers for the Suns and Mercury.”

Seemingly, Sarver pointed his finger in every direction but inward as he plotted his exit statement, very obviously dismissing his past track record at the helm of the once model franchise.

The attention on Sarver’s decision to sell the Suns vanished a quick news cycle later as the Boston Celtics announced the one-year suspension of their coach, Ime Udoka. The (51-31) and 2022 NBA Finalists issued a terse statement on Thursday:

“The Boston Celtics announced (Sept 22) that the team has suspended Head Coach Ime Udoka for the 2022-23 season for violations of team policies. A decision about his future with the Celtics beyond this season will be made at a later date. The suspension takes effect immediately.”

The suspension was also reported as being accompanied by no pay for the season, and to conclude on June 30, 2023.

In a Friday press conference, conducted by Celtics’ managing partner and team governor Wyc Grousbeck and head of basketball operations and former team coach Brad Stevens, few details were provided – citing privacy issues – but the essence of the decision came after “months-long” third party and internal investigation. The investigation concluded Wednesday, the same day the fiasco was first reported by ESPN.

“I personally feel that this is well-warranted and appropriate, backed by substantial research and evidence and facts,” Grousbeck said at the press conference, “and so I’m standing by the decision, and Ime has accepted it.” The team’s statement as well as Grousbeck said the team will revisit Udoka’s future with the club at a later date.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals smacked home runs No. 699 and No. 700 on Friday night to join a very short list of MLBers to hit 700+ career homers. Only Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth have membership in that club.

While Bonds is frequently chastised for hitting the bulk of his home runs during the uncertainty of the so-called “Steroid Era,” the others have earned immortality which will include first-ballot Hall of Fame enshrinement honors for Pujols.

DIAMOND DUST-UPs and POWER RANKINGS: In 2018, the Boston Red Sox surprised Major League Baseball and even themselves by winning 108 games en route to winning the World Series. The season was astonishing, as the (108-54) regular season record was only enhanced by their (11-3) postseason mark. The incredible fact was that in every single postseason game at Fenway Park, when it came time for manager Alex Cora to bring in the closer, Craig Kimbrel, the general crowd reaction was, “No!” … It happens every September, it seems, as a usually reliable closer burns-out and becomes a liability for his club. Kimbrel earned 42 saves that year and has 22 saves for the LA Dodgers this season. Yet, as of this weekend, he’s lost his job as lead closer for the (104-47*) Dodgers. Kimbrel has a 4.14 ERA and a 1.34 whip, hardly mediocre, and rather poor for a 100+ win club.

* As of games heading into Saturday, September 24th

POWER: In past weeks, WWYI brought you power ranking for both college and pro football. They’ll be back next Sunday, but first there’s about nine games left in the MLB regular season so HERE NOW, are the MLB POWER 12 RANKINGS heading into Postseason, with six teams in each of the American and National League, then an MLB-wide listing:

AMERICAN LEAGUE:

  1. Houston Astros
  2. New York Yankees
  3. Toronto Blue Jays
  4. Cleveland Guardians
  5. Tampa Bay Rays
  6. Seattle Mariners

NATIONAL LEAGUE:

  1. Los Angeles Dodgers
  2. New York Mets
  3. Atlanta Braves
  4. St. Louis Cardinals
  5. Philadelphia Phillies
  6. San Diego Padres

MLB COMBINED:

  1. Los Angeles Dodgers
  2. Houston Astros
  3. New York Mets
  4. New York Yankees

Wild Card Sleeper: Toronto Blue Jays

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Sept. 18

by

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – This week’s column goes out to the many readers/subscribers who work in the sports industry. They often read this weekly missive seeking sports business news, tidbits from industry conferences and behind-the-scenes insights into newsworthy happenings ripped from the headlines.

Instead of providing 100% sports business news from this week, it’s important to take a step back and realize the real reason many of us dedicate our lives to working in sports and to enhance our love for the game(s). Here’s the real life example and my personal schedule for the weekend:

Friday:

7:10pm – Kansas City Royals at Boston Red Sox: Instead of a usual view of the game from the press box, Friday night was enjoyed with visiting friends from the center field bleachers at Fenway Park, the exact 180-degree turn-around. The Red Sox won, 2-1, despite registering just two hits through seven innings and trailing 1-0 heading into the 8th. In that situation, the Red Sox won for just the fourth time this year and are 4-57. J.D. Martinez hit a two-out, bases-loaded RBI single in the 8th to give the Red Sox their 2-1 lead, much to the delight of the 33,180 fans still standing with me for the come-from-behind Boston victory.

Saturday:

The full day of “Sports for the Fun of It” schedule is provided as this column is being written as the temperatures dip into the high 40s early Saturday morning to accommodate:

9am: Cambridge: Meet-up with the friends to prep for a 10am tailgate in Somerville, Massachusetts leading into the first of three events for the day.

Noon: Trinity College at Tufts in a New England Small College Athletic Conference Division III game, featuring senior TE, No. 85 Thomas Walsh, son of dear friends Nancy and Tom Walsh who made the short trek from New York to watch their son play college football. As a junior, No. 85 led Trinity in yards per reception and was fifth on his team in pass receptions and receiving yards. He opened the game with a 22-yard catch that set-up his teammate William Kirby’s 53-yard run to make it 7-0, Trinity. The Bantams took a 26-3 halftime lead before allowing 20 unanswered second half points to win 26-23. The game was the opener for both the Jumbos and the visiting Bantams.

4:10pm – Kansas City Royals at Boston Red Sox: The Royals and Sox played the second of their three-game set at Fenway. The (70-75) Sox lost to the (58-88) Royals, in a (9-0) ear-slapping, as Boston’s disappointing season creeps towards a close with Boston in the 5th place cellar of the American League East. Kansas City has been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention while Boston is 17 games back from the division-leading New York Yankees. The Sox are 10 games out of a wild card berth, a gap too far to mend.

7:30pm – Maine Black Bears at Boston College: The (0-2) Bears – losses at New Mexico (41-0) and to visiting Colgate (21-18) – visit The Heights to play the (0-2) Eagles. BC’s suffered through a home loss to Rutgers, 22-21, and on the road at Blacksburg, Virginia where Virginia Tech won the Atlantic Coast Conference battle. Boston College can not afford a loss to Maine and we’ll be in the stands Saturday night as this column is sent to its loyal and fast-growing following. (BC won 38-17).

Sunday:

Early AM: After the temps dipped to the high 40s Saturday, seasonal last weekend of summer weather will return, sending temperature to the low 80s for a day of rest. That means:

Noon: The NFL Today will be on for a good hour or so as the NFL kicks-off its Week Two schedule.

1:00pm: The NFL RedZone will dominate the TV screen, an addictive, all-encompassing look at every NFL game. For those not in the know, the RedZone is the reason NFL game ratings have dipped a bit as fans can watch every single score by every team in the league, sometimes on split screen and sometimes in a ridiculous “OctoBox,” where eight games are on in near postage stamp-sized screens. It’s a fabulous way to keep an eye on every game, rather than the three or four OTA (over-the-air) games assigned to Boston which include New England at Pittsburgh.

8:20pm: Sunday Night Football, Dick Ebersol’s gift to American sports fans who can tune-in this week to the Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers game. There’s nothing like an NFL “Black & Blue” division game to finish my weekend of “Sports for the Fun of It,” shared here to underline the importance of – sometimes – stepping back to enjoy the games we cover,

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: As you return to our regularly scheduled programming, the subject of the Phoenix Suns and team governor Robert Sarver must be addressed. This week NBA Commissioner Adam Silver held a press conference to announce the findings of an independent investigation into workplace issues in the front office and arena operations for the Phoenix Suns. Formerly a model franchise of the NBA, the investigation by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz found that during his time with the Suns and the WNBA’s Mercury, Sarver used the N-word at least five times “when recounting the statements of others.” … The investigation also uncovered “instances of inequitable conduct toward female employees,” including “sex-related comments” and inappropriate comments on employees’ appearances, among other violations of proper workplace culture.

Silver announced a one-year ban and $10 million fine levied on Sarver. The ban requires the franchise owner to refrain from attending any games, practices, meetings and involvement in any basketball decisions for the Suns. Silver made the announcement as the NBA convened a Board of Governors meeting, a regular occurrence in the NBA’s yearly business calendar.

The NBA’s suspension and hefty fine were met with significant backlash by many of the rank and file players and the NBA players association, among others involved with the league. Saturday, the players’ union called for a lifetime ban and Suns sponsor – PayPal – which issued a statement that read: “PayPal is a values-driven company and has a strong record of combatting racism, sexism and all forms of discrimination,” PayPal CEO and president Dan Schulman. “We have reviewed the report of the NBA league’s independent investigation into Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver and have found his conduct unacceptable and in conflict with our values.”… “In light of the findings of the NBA’s investigation, we will not renew our sponsorship should Robert Sarver remain involved with the Suns organization, after serving his suspension.”

SportsBetting.ag set odds on whether or not Sarver will be the Suns team owner in 2024, and the outlook isn’t good for the disgraced businessman.

Will Robert Sarver be the Suns franchise owner in 2024?

Yes +200

No -300

This story is in the second quarter, heading downhill. The first quarter was a disaster.

FOLLOW THE BOUNCING BALL: Believe it or not, NBA training camps open this week for teams traveling overseas in the preseason. Here’s a list of key dates for the NBA for the rest of the year:

September 23: First allowable date for players participating in preseason games outside North America to report to their teams (no earlier than 11am local time).

September 24: Training camps open for all teams participating in preseason games outside North America.

September 26: First allowable date for all other veteran players to report to their teams (no earlier than 11am local time).

September 27: NBA training camps open.

September 30: NBA preseason games begin.

September 30 & Oct. 2: NBA Japan Games, Golden State Warriors vs. Washington Wizards (Tokyo, Japan).

October 6 & 8: NBA Abu Dhabi Games, Atlanta Hawks vs. Milwaukee Bucks (Abu Dhabi, UAE).

October 14: NBA preseason ends.

October 17: Rosters set for start of 2022-23 NBA regular season (5pm ET).

October 18: Start of 2022-23 NBA regular season.

October 22: NBA G League Draft.

October 24: NBA G League training camps open.

December 17: NBA Mexico City Game, Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs (Mexico City, Mexico).

December 27: NBA G League regular season begins (32 games per team).

DIAMOND DUST-UPs: First reported by Sportico, the business arm of Major League Baseball is dividing international markets for its franchises, giving baseball clubs new commercial rights in specific areas around the world, according to multiple people familiar with the plan. … Baseball and softball are played by an estimated 65 million people around the world, according to the sport’s international governing body. Large concentrations for baseball exist in parts of Asia, Australia, Europe and South/Central America.

BREAKING – as in REALLY BREAKING NEWS: One of baseball’s best – Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies – left Saturday night’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies with a fractured right pinky finger, the team announced.

Albies was injured as he slid into second base in the fourth inning and the most recent setback occurred one day after he was activated from the 60-day injured list. Albies was sidelined because of a broken left foot suffered in June after making an awkward swing.

BY THE WAY: The countdown clock is on its last two weeks for most Fantasy Baseball Leagues. The MLB regular season will come to a close Wednesday, October 5.

LIV SHADE: The LIV Golf circuit displayed quite a bit of cockiness as they gained traction after the PGA Tour Championship and a few more players jumped to the Saudi-funded rival to the PGA Tour. That said, this weekend’s LIV Tournament in Chicago showed one of two major flaws in the new golf entity.

  1. Lack of a Network television deal
  2. Low attendance at events

Those two factors equal a tainted business model for LIV in 2022, but the endless stack of bucks allow for years of “runway” for LIV to land a deal and gradually build an audience.

Phil Mickelson, longtime fan favorite and multi Major champion expressed his views in a Friday interview in Chicago:

“The PGA Tour, for the last 20 or 30 years have had all the best players in the world,” Mickelson said at a Chicago LIV event Friday, reported both Reuters and ESPN. “That will never be the case again. LIV Golf is here to stay.

“The best solution is for us to come together. I think that the world of professional golf has a need for the old historical ‘history of the game’ product that the PGA Tour provides. I think that LIV provides a really cool, updated feel that is attracting a lot of younger crowds,” Mickelson added.

“Both are good for the game of golf and the inclusion of LIV Golf in the ecosystem of the golf world is necessary. As soon as that happens, we all start working together. It’s going to be a really positive thing for everyone.”

Cameron Smith (-10) leads Dustin Johnson (-8) heading into Sunday’s final 18 holes. Johnson won the previous tournament in a sudden death playoff here in Boston. In Chicago, the purse is $20 mil.

This weekend, the PGA Tour was in Napa. So no whining.

NCAA FOOTBALL POWER 12: Now, three weeks into the NCAA college football season, the popular TL Power 12 is back. This list simulates what we’ll see by 2026 when the College Football Playoff system expands.

  1. Alabama
  2. Georgia
  3. Ohio State
  4. Michigan
  5. Clemson
  6. Oklahoma
  7. USC
  8. Oklahoma State
  9. Kentucky
  10. Tennessee
  11. Arkansas
  12. NC State

*Some results not final

NFL POWER 10: Here’s the WWYI power ten for the NFL heading into Week 2:

  1. Buffalo
  2. Kansas City
  3. Tampa Bay
  4. New Orleans
  5. Baltimore
  6. Green Bay
  7. Philadelphia
  8. Indianapolis
  9. LA Rams
  10. LA Chargers

THE SPORTS PROFESSOR: When Rick Horrow, known in sports business industry circles as “The Sports Professor,” first released The Sports Business Handbook at a joint Harvard Law/Harvard Business conference two years ago, it was heralded as the most unique collection of commentary and advice from industry leaders in the $1.3 trillion business of sports.

Digital Sports Desk was at HBS for the launch.

This October, the newly revised and expanded edition of Horrow’s book, The Sports Business Handbook: Insights from 100+ Leaders who Shaped 50 Years of the Industry will be on sale and available for order online. It will have more insights skimmed from many of the sports industry’s brightest minds and influential executives.  It will include guidance for the sports business in a post-pandemic world.

Horrow will co-host a special book launch event – “Sports Business @ 50 Lessons & Leadership from Legends of the Game” – in New York City on Thursday, September 22nd, with former Major League Baseball president and book contributor Bob DuPuy at the offices of Foley & Lardner LLP (90 Park Avenue, New York) from 5:30 to 8:30pm.