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TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | May 8

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BOSTON – The NBA Playoffs are well into the Conference Semi-Finals stage and the intensity of play has risen with each game, just as it normally does come playoff time. In the most physical of series, the Milwaukee Bucks took a 2-games-to-1 lead over the Boston Celtics Saturday with an exciting 103-101 last second victory.

Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo bounced back from a Game 2 subpar performance by scoring 42 points and making the go-ahead basket with 44.3 seconds left in regulation as the Bucks defended their home court. Boston’s star forward Jason Tatum shot only 4-for-19 and 0-for-6 from three-point range in scoring 10 points for the Celtics in the losing effort. Center Al Horford had 22 points and 16 rebounds for the C’s

Milwaukee has put up a defensive wall at the rim, anchored by 7-footer Brook Lopez and Antetokounmpo, forcing the Celtics to shoot 37% from the floor. The Celtics were down 14 points in the 4th quarter and managed to claw back but a final minute frenzy saw the Bucks prevail as a Celtics basket came after the final buzzer

In the other Eastern Semi, the Miami Heat took care of business in Florida but lost Game 3 in Philly to set the series at 2-games-to-1 going into Sunday’s Game 4. The 76ers were fined $50,000 for violating league injury reporting rules as the club failed to disclose center Joel Embiid’s playing status for Game 3.

Similarly in the West semi, league-leader Phoenix took care of home court but lost Game 3 in Dallas while the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies split the first two games in Tennessee.

The NBA could be looking at a schedule with, at least, three series going the full seven games with the exception being a Miami edge over Philadelphia.

In-series coaching, scouting and adjustments will become the dividing factors, along with staying healthy. Milwaukee’s loss of 6-7 forward Khris Middleton looms large, but the Bucks are getting the “next man up” from 6-10 Bobby Portis who scored 15 points with 11 rebounds in helping the Bucks steal home court advantage in Game 1.

Predictions here believe Milwaukee will defeat Boston in six games but Miami will outlast the defending champion Bucks and the Heat will head to the NBA Finals.

Out West, the Phoenix Suns will prevail over the Mavericks and the Memphis Grizzlies will knock-off the strong and mighty Golden State Warriors. The Suns go the Finals vs The Heat in a very hotly contested seven-game series. Edge: Suns.

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HERE NOW, THE NOTES – If you’re $10 million in the hole, you’re in big trouble and might think of settling up and calling it a day. For a professional golfer, like Phil Mickelson, your career winnings are covering most of it, right? … Ole “Lefty” would surely make it back with an appearance or 10 at golf tournaments around the world. Hell, he might even do some speaking engagements for his loyal sponsors or PGA Tour connections. … At $20 million, it was time to get some serious help. At a reported $40 million, you’ve made a deal with the Devil and it’s getting hotter and hotter.

Mickelson’s vice is noted in a new, unauthorized biography completed by author Alan Shipnuck. It’s the same book that plopped Mickelson into very hot water with his comments on the Greg Norman-led LIV golf venture, backed by Saudi money. … Shipnuck dropped some more scuttlebutt on May 5 when he posted excerpts of his book on the Fire Pit Collective site he participates in regularly. … You must wonder if, aside from its concerns about Mickelson applying to play in the LIV Tour (undoubtedly to raise some cash to help cover his 2010-14 parlays and shortcomings, the PGA Tour might come down on “Lefty” to discipline the rampant gambling problem?

Tell-all books seem to be the common denominator for old gambling stories of long, long ago. It was 1992-93 when “Michael and Me: Our Gambling Addiction … My Cry for Help,” was published by associates of a publisher and investor from San Diego, California – the site of the USA Basketball Dream Team mini-camp of the Summer of ‘92. The over-reaction was predictable and terrible.

Considering the hullabaloo created by Michael Jordan’s reported $1m (settled for $300,000) short falling to Richard Esquinas in 1993, where speculation had the NBA suspending Jordan or the most ridiculous and unfounded/unfair claims that MJ’s golf losses had something to do with his late father’s murder, the PGA Tour might get further involved to secure the integrity of the sport, a sport where gambling is very much a part of the culture.

SPEAKING OF USA BASKETBALL – Back in late September of 2021, USA Basketball’s Chief Communications Officer Craig Miller announced he was stepping down from his post after 31 years of service to the USA’s governing body for basketball. Miller’s USA career spanned from 1990 through 2021 and included service on every level of the USA program, both men’s and women’s. of course that time period included eight Olympic Games for USAB, including the 1992 Dream Team and the amazing 1996 USA Women’s national team – I called them “The Supreme Team,” but no one else liked that moniker.

In the past month, Miller’s cohort in hoops, Caroline Williams, decided to step-down as well, ending her incredible 27 years working for USA Basketball and helping the likes of Lisa Leslie, Dawn Staley, Theresa Edwards, Sheryl Swoopes and dozens of others win gold medals and – in many cases – reach the pinnacle of induction to the Basketball Hall of Fame. … All the while, whenever she had a second to spare, she was right in the thick of it, assisting the Men’s team and Miller to take USA Basketball all over the world, building relationships and goodwill.

From the “Ups” of ‘92 to the “Downs” of 2002 and everything in between, USA Basketball counted on an incredibly dedicated and professional PR team. They were second to none and both While We’re Young (Ideas) and TLwish Craig and Caroline much personal happiness and professional success in whatever they choose to do in the near future.

“A month ago, after 27 years of working for USA Basketball, I made the difficult decision to resign and begin to look ahead to new challenges in life,” wrote Williams. “I have enjoyed my long tenure here (at the Colorado Springs HQ of USA Basketball) and feel blessed to have had the opportunity to work with the best of the best in the basketball world for nearly three decades.”

DI💎MOND DUST-UPs – During a two-game stretch against the Baltimore Orioles, Minnesota Twins infielder Carlos Correa was hit by a pitch on the hand and it was feared he’d broken a bone in his right middle finger. X-Rays showed no broken bones and Correa and the Twins dodged what could have been a six-to-eight week setback. Correa was hitting stride with his new club, with a .412 batting average (14-for-34) and eight RBIs in his past eight games.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes – May 1

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While We’re Young (Ideas) on the New No-No

By TERRY LYONS

NEW YORK – On April 13th, Los Angeles Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw was removed from a perfect game bid against the Minnesota Twins. Kershaw, in his season debut on a Wednesday afternoon, struck out 13 batters through seven perfect innings. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts removed Kershaw to begin the eighth inning, inserting lefty reliever Alex Vesia who later surrendered a single to Minnesota’s Gary Sánchez to break-up the no-hitter.

The no-hitter was foiled and there was a significant controversy surrounding Roberts’ decision.

Friday night, New York Mets starter Tylor Megill threw five innings and 88 pitches of no-hit baseball against the Philadelphia Phillies. Four relievers and 71 more pitches later, the Mets had their second no-hitter in franchise history and the team celebrated as if they’d won a World Series game.

Upon Megill’s exit, the Mets entire bullpen took over, with Drew Smith, JoelyRodríguez, Seth Lugo and closer Edwin Díaz completing the second no-hitter in Mets history. Diaz mowed down the Phillies and struck-out the side to secure the no-no.

The 159 pitches thrown by the Mets’ pitchers were the most for any no-hitter since pitch counts have been tracked (since 1988).

Thus is the new no-no. The no-hitter of the roaring ‘2020s when starters only go five or six (maybe seven) innings, then the set-up guy(s), then the closer for the ninth. That’s the way it’s going to be as Major League Baseball, the various team analytics, the protection of pitchers vs rising pitch counts.

Yes, there might be a rare occasion when a big league manager feels comfortable leaving his un-hittable pitcher in the game past the , maybe on a hot summer night when the pitch count is low and the crowd is roaring. But, the game has changed and the combined team no-hitter is going to be just as acceptable to the team, the pitchers, the media and the fans as we all get used to the new era of baseball.
Phil Mickelson

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: We haven’t seen defending PGA Champion Phil Mickelson since he missed the cut at Torrey Pines in January, but we heard a bit more than anyone would prefer when a segment of his unauthorized biography by author Alan Shipnuck was released and “Lefty’s” pushback against the PGA Tour and his (supposed) plans to join-up with Greg Normanand the LIV (Saudi-based) golf tour were made known. This week came news of Mickelson registering to play the PGA and U.S. Open while requesting release from the Tour to participate in the June 9-to-11) inaugural LIV event. … The Mickelson revelation of the Saudi venture being “scary” and his willingness to look past human right violations and the like brought on severe criticism from fans and fellow Tour pros to which Mickelson offered-up apologies days after the controversy broke and his reputation and sponsorships went south. … KMPG and Workday each ended their relationships with Mickelson while golf club maker Callaway “paused” its association with him. … The inaugural LIV event is planned for the Centurion Golf Club on the outskirts of London, England while the fourth scheduled event is planned for the International, located in Bolton, Massachusetts and not far from Boston. … The PGA Tour has threatened suspension (possibly a permanent suspension) for its tour pros who defect to the upstart, rival golf tour. … The LIV is offering huge tournament purses and prize money, team concepts and 54-hole, no-cut tournaments.

NBA IN SINGAPORE: According to a report in The Straits Times, and confirmed by Scott Levy of the NBA’s Asia regional office, the NBA is opening yet another regional satellite office, that being in Singapore, long a mainstay of basketball popularity. With the opening of the new office, the NBA stakes tentpoles in 15 markets worldwide: Beijing, Dakar, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Lagos, London, Madrid, Manila, Mexico City, Mumbai, New York/New Jersey, Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai, Singapore and Toronto. … Singapore will host the fifth edition of the FIBA’s 3×3 Asia Cup from July 6 to 10 this summer.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | April 24

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – In 2019, the Grim Reaper was coming after our Rock Stars with death falling upon such a diverse group of rock legends, from Long Island’s Eddie Money to Cars frontman Ric Ocasek, each passing away within two days of each other. Within a month, Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter and legendary Cream drummer Ginger Baker were dead. … One of my personal favorites passed as Kofi Burbridge, who mastered the keyboards and flute with the Tedeschi Trucks Band from its founding in 2010 until his death on Feb. 15, 2019, at age 57. Kofi was fighting heart disease for the last years of his life. … Malcolm John “Mac” Rebennack, widely known as “Dr. John,”was one of New Orleans’ most beloved musicians who died in 2019. Sadly, the list is long and I could go on-and-on.

In 2020-21, it was a nightmare, of course, as COVID took 6.2 million and counting.

Now, in 2022, they’re coming after our NHL favorites and goal scorers. This column has already documented the deaths of New York Islanders mainstay in Clark Gillies and the team’s best goal scorer in Michel ‘Mike” Bossy, the 50-in-50 sniper who went down to lung cancer after a career as the most efficient goal scorer in NHL history.

This week, Montreal’s Guy Lafleur, 70, was taken, passing from a battle against lung cancer. From 1976 to 1979, the Canadiens were invincible. Lafleur was scoring 50 goals and 100 points, winning a couple scoring titles in what seemed to be an effortless style of play. He was THAT good.

On one occasion, I had the pleasure to watch Lafleur play at The Forum in Montreal, a two-game weekend set against the New York Rangers and New York Islanders. In 1977-78, Lafleur was battling Islanders’ center Bryan Trottier for the NHL scoring title. The Forum crowd would chant, “Guy, Guy, Guy” every time he was on the ice. In one instance, Lafleur’s linemate, Steve Shutt, scored a goal and the announcement was made (en Francais, of course) and there was polite applause for Shutt and then a thunderous reaction when it was announced, “assist, Guy Lafleur!”

Lafleur won the Art Ross Trophy as NHL points-leader in 1976-77-78, scoring 125-136-132 points, respectively, in each of those three seasons.

“You didn’t need to see Guy Lafleur’s name and number on his sweater when ‘The Flower’ had the puck on his stick. As distinctively stylish as he was remarkably talented, Lafleur cut a dashing and unmistakable figure whenever he blazed down the ice of the Montreal Forum, his long blond locks flowing in his wake as he prepared to rifle another puck past a helpless goaltender – or set up a linemate for a goal,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.

“A native of Thurso, Quebec, selected first overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1971 NHL Draft, Lafleur joined the organization with the daunting task of following in the footsteps of franchise legends Maurice Richard and Jean Beliveau. He somehow met those expectations, becoming the Canadiens’ all-time leading point scorer and one of the most beloved players in franchise history – the torch was passed to him and he held it high.

“In 1974-75, his fourth year in the NHL, Lafleur transformed from productive to prolific, recording the first of his six straight seasons of at least 50 goals and 119 points. He won back-to-back Hart Trophies as League MVP in 1976-77 and 1977-78, three straight Art Ross Trophies as NHL scoring leader from 1975-76 to 1977-78, and led the playoffs in scoring three straight seasons (1977, ’78 and ’79), winning the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1977. On one of the most star-studded teams in hockey history, he was the marquee performer, lifting fans out of their seats chanting, ‘Guy! Guy! Guy!’ as he dazzled en route to six straight selections as NHL First-Team All-Star right winger and five Stanley Cups.

“Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988, Lafleur was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players during the League’s Centennial celebration in 2017.”

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Brooklyn Nets guard Patty Mills received the Joe Dumars Trophy for winning the 2021-22 NBA Sportsmanship Award. The annual award is designed to honor a player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court. … Each NBA team nominated one of its players for the NBA Sportsmanship Award. From the list of 30 team nominees, a panel of league executives selected one finalist from each of the NBA’s six divisions. Current NBA players selected the winner from the list of six finalists, with nearly 300 players submitting their votes through confidential balloting conducted by the league office. … In addition to Mills (Atlantic Division), the finalists were Miami Heat center-forward Bam Adebayo (Southeast Division), Phoenix Suns forward Mikal Bridges (Pacific Division), Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (Central Division), Denver Nuggets forward Jeff Green (Northwest Division) and Memphis Grizzlies forward-center Jaren Jackson Jr. (Southwest Division).

Mills received 1,975 total points (58 first-place votes) in balloting of NBA players. Green finished in second place with 1,841 points (60 first-place votes). The six finalists were awarded 11 points for each first-place vote, nine points for each second-place vote, seven points for each third-place vote, five points for each fourth-place vote, three points for each fifth-place vote and one point for each sixth-place vote.

A 13-year NBA veteran from Australia, Mills won the NBA Sportsmanship Award for the first time.

STORM: According to Sporttechie and the Sports Business Journal, Amazon Prime Video renewed its streaming deal with the WNBA to show 17 nationally broadcast league games, including the WNBA’s Commissioner’s Cup. The streaming service also added a regional carriage agreement to stream Seattle Storm games throughout Washington State. … Approximately 30 of the Storm’s 36 regular season games will be streamed state-wide. The team’s longtime commentators, Dick Fain and Elise Woodward, will be behind the mic while Rush Media will produce the broadcasts.

59: PGATourBrunch noted in its 6-days-a-week e-News this Friday: With a magic number – 13-under (59) – Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele set the Zurich Classic of New Orleans 18-hole scoring record on Thursday. The team’s bogey-free round included 11 birdies (including Nos. 16-18) and an eagle on the par-5 second hole when Cantlay made a 27-foot, 1-inch putt. … Despite the first-round (59), there’s room for caution as no 18-hole leaders/co-leaders have converted for the win at the Zurich. That said, the duo leads by five strokes heading into Sunday’s final round at the TPC Louisiana in Avondale after shooting (59)-(68)-(60) in the first three rounds. … The format of the Zurich Classic is intriguing enough that the PGA Tour could stage a mid-season, three-weekend, three-site “May Madness”tournament with 64 two-player teams competing until they concluded with a “Final Four.” … It’d be great for bringing attention to pro golf between the Masters and the summertime majors or late summer FedEx Cup Playoffs.

TID-BITS: Why has Father Time caught up with Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Carmelo Anthony but has left Chris Paul to flourish, even though the speed needed to excel as an NBA point guard is much more precious than the ability to shoot jumpers? … Did the Tampa Judge – U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle – issue a ruling on washing our hands and singing Happy Birthday twice? … Before the NBA Playoffs and Play-In started, I didn’t realize that Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant couldn’t play or care less about playing defense. He is, probably, the most gifted offensive player in the league. … Speaking of the Nyets, you know the old adage: “A playoff series doesn’t start until a team wins on the road?” Peter Vecsey‘s esteemed column contributor Frank Drucker wrote: The Boston vs. Nets series doesn’t start until Nets lose a game in Teaneck, Commack, Hempstead, Uniondale, Piscataway, East Rutherford or Newark. … When Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Robert Williams and Al Horford all play and the Celtics score ≥ 100 points, the Cs are (21-0, 1.000) in their last 21 games says Boston Sports Info. … Best wishes to retiring Villanova head coach Jay Wright, one of the very best of all-time. Wright, 60, decided to step down from his post while “on top,” and will be able to spend more time with his family. Wishing him much personal happiness and future professional success with a guess he’ll be taking the Acela to the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City quite often. … Thoughts on studio shows? … While watching Saturday night’s ESPN Countdown show before Game 3 of Celtics vs. Nets, I had to dive for the remote and hit mute. … ‘Til this day, I can NOT believe how great TNT’s studio, pregame, and postgame Sports EMMY award-winning “Inside the NBA” show is and how ESPN just can’t get it right. It’s been a total mess since 2002. … Also, Thank God for ESPN/ABC’s Mike Breen on the big-game NBA play-by-play. (Lisa Salters is pretty good, too).

DIAMOND DUST-UPs: Welcome to MiLB and our coverage of the Portland Sea Dogs vs the Birmingham Rumble Ponies – yes, the Rumble Ponies. Check-out the HBP that led to the all-out brawl at Portland, then the commentary on video. Meet me on the flip side.

SO MUCH TO DELVE INTO: First, the franchise history of the Ponies: In 1976, the franchise played as the Williamsport Bills in Williamsport, Pennsylvania but soon moved to Jersey City, in 1977 and 1978, then Buffalo, New York, from 1979 through 1984.

The club returned to Williamsport in 1987 when they were an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians in 1987 and 1988, but changed affiliations to the Seattle Mariners during the 1989 and 1990 seasons. During that time, the Bills franchise was actually two separate franchises. After the 1988 season, the original owners moved the Bills to Hagerstown, Maryland, while the Eastern League franchise – based in Pittsfield, Massachusetts – moved back to Williamsport before the 1989 season.

Security fell upon the club when it was purchased by the New York Mets in 1991, and moved to Binghamton in 1992 to be crowned the Binghamton Mets.

That’s when it got interesting. In 2016, the franchise announced a plan to stay in Binghamton for the foreseeable future, but to change the team’s nickname.

The club held a “Name-the-team” contest on its website from May 17 to June 1, 2016 and the finalists were the Bullheads (for the bullhead catfish abundant in the nearby Susquehanna River), the Gobblers (for the rich hunting culture of the area, as well as the turkeys in Binghamton), the Rocking Horses (for the Triple Cities’ nickname as the “Carousel Capital of The World”), the Rumble Ponies (also a carousel tribute), the Stud Muffins(for the collections of carousel horses in Binghamton), and Timber Jockeys (for everyone who rides the carousels).

On November 3, 2016, the team announced that it would be rebranding as the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, and released a new logo.

Secondly, let’s dig deeper into this unique team nickname, The Rumble Ponies, as you just can’t make this stuff up: Upon announcement of the new name and branding, the club issued media information that noted the Rumble Ponies are a “fierce horse that no carousel can contain.” “The aggression and fighting spirit in the horse represents the fighting spirit of Binghamton,” team owner and President John Hughes said. “Ready to do battle. Ready to take on the world.”

They were talking about a wooden rocking horse on a merry-go-round! Not surprisingly, soon after, there were personnel changes at the GM spot.

In 2017, Hughes accepted the resignation of team GM – get this – Jim Weed. Yes, Weed quit a position he’d held since 2010 to “pursue other opportunities.” Editor’s Note: Insert wise-crack about the air quality in Jim Weed’s office when they chose “Rumble Ponies” over “Stud Muffins” righthere.

On the other side of the brawl, Sox 1B prospect Tyreque Reed was hit by the pitch and tossed the first haymaker to start the brawl. Keep in mind, if his name was Ron Artest or Jermaine O’Neal, the brawl would be playing in loops on CNN and every newscast all weekend and Reed would be met at the clubhouse door by the men in blue, a la the Hanson Brothers in Slap Shot scene.

But, in baseball, dugout/bench-clearing, bullpen-clearing, assistant equipment manager-clearing brawls – like in ice-hockey – are “a part of the game” and no one bats an eyelash.

I’ve written it before: When I’m Commish, this rule change in the first 100 days – You leave your position during an altercation: FIVE game suspension (if multiple players leave position, tough luck and the AAA team better be ready). If players are on bench and they cross the warning track during an altercation: 10 game suspension. If players leave the BULLPEN during an altercation: 50-game suspension. That’ll nip bench-clearing brawls right in the bud and do wonders for pace of game stats, too.

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS: Fisticuffs in baseball ranged from the MiLB game in Portland, Maine all the way to central Texas as a Junior College team’s pitcher, Owen Woodward, put the hi jinx on the batter that just took him downtown for a two-run homer. Check out the video from Dallas FOX 4 News closely and you’ll note the umpire was beginning to take action, so there must’ve been some trash talking going on as Josh Phillips rounded the bases.

Woodward was given a four-game suspension by the umpires and league, but the school took it further to kick the pitcher off the team. Phillips was given a two-game suspension for taunting. As Warner Wolf used to say on WABC-TV 7, “Let’s go to the video tape.”

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | April 17

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While We’re Young (Ideas) Enjoys the Pageantry of Baseball

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – This weekend, we’ll delve into the wonderful pageantry of the game of Baseball and its place in the sporting fabric of the City of Boston and the United States of America. There’s nothing quite like it as we work towards a return to our normal lives of pre-COVID virus amidst constantly threatening variants.

First and foremost: Happy Easter and a thoughtful and peaceful Passover to those who celebrate. Our simple wish of peace to people of all faiths as Spring 2022 “Springs Eternal” in the Northeast, USA.

A DAY IN THE LIFE: The Boston Red Sox lost their home opener against the Minnesota Twins, 8-4, on Friday. Aside from some early season/limited Spring Training grumbles (see below), nearly every fan left Fenway Park as happy as could be.

First, because of the fact the home opener came six games into the season, on a 65-degree Boston Friday, the assembled fans at Fenway were downright giddy. It seemed as though the entire City of Boston and Commonwealth of Massachusetts shunned their work obligations and their Tax Man duties and will rely on the fact the true income tax deadline is Tuesday, April 19 (because of Passover and Easter). Even the Pope, the Cardinals (Roman Catholic, not St. Louis) and every Monsignor this side of the Berkshires turned their heads and offered some magical Good Friday dispensation to fans guzzling Sam Wicked Easy by the keg full.

Secondly, there was an indescribable air of normalcy at the park, certainly for the first time since September 29, 2019 which fell – get this – 929 days, as in 9/29 – since that 2019 season finale against the Baltimore Orioles. The Sox defeated the hapless O’s on the final day of the regular season but only after the bullpen blew what could’ve been SP Eduardo Rodriguez’ 20th win of the season. BTW, then-Boston OF Mookie Betts went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI to finish his career with the Red Sox.

Maybe things aren’t all that normal, again, as Betts is LONG gone and OF Jackie Bradley Jr. was here-gone-and came back again. But, Friday afternoon certainly beat an Opening Day a year ago with only 4,500 fans in the building.

Of course not to be overlooked, the Red Sox played quite well last season and filled the joint for Postseason games, including a Wild Card win over the rival New York Yankees, a 3-games-to-1 series win over a very good Tampa Bay Rays team, but an ALCS loss to the Houston Astros last October.

At Friday’s opener, the ballpark was packed (36,266) with the sellout crowd enjoying previously mentioned Sam Adams on one outfield deck or some concoction named TRULY on another deck. Progress in marketing, and changing tastes, changing societal norms, changing team personnel amidst this damn global pandemic that just won’t quit, as evidenced by the current lock-down in major cities in China, including Shanghai.

ON SATURDAY: Boston and its Fenway faithful were treated to yet another seasonably-warm late afternoon date – a 4:11pm (ET) first pitch to start the second game of the four-game set between the Sox and Minnesota Twins. The series will conclude Monday, Patriots’ Day in the Commonwealth, with the traditional 11:10am (ET) start as the Boston Marathon runs its way from the suburbs of Hopkinton all the way to Copley.

To celebrate the weekend, the Red Sox are wearing their “City” uniforms, depicted ⬇️.

Many fans, outside of Boston, might wonder about the colors, but they are the official colors of the Boston Marathon and Boston Athletic Association. Those colors became the foundation of the “Boston Strong” civic campaign to help the city and the victims of the senseless 2013 marathon bombing incident begin the road to recovery after some severe post Traumatic Stress. As you might recall, the initial blast killed three people Krystle Marie Campbell, 29; Lü Lingzi, a 23-year old Boston University student and 8-year old Martin Richard who were all in direct proximity of the two blasts. An MIT security man, Sean Collier, was shot three days after the bombing when the two suspects tried to rob him and flee the scene and Dennis Simmonds, a local police officer, died almost a year later from wounds suffered during a shoot-out in Watertown, Mass. … We remember them all every year – FOREVER.

PANIC BUTTON: A glance to the Green Monster and the AL East standings show Boston is “next to last” place in the division (3-4) as Saturday’s game was on-going. Only the poor Baltimore Orioles (2-5) trail. … Yes, it is FAR too early to scoreboard watch and the usual frenzy and negative buzz of Boston sports talk radio and thus the fans is palpable, even if it’s eight games into the season. … The bulk of the reasoning is the lack of trust in the Red Sox starting rotation and bullpen, as evidenced in Friday’s home opener when the Twins knocked Boston SP Nick Pivetta off the mound in two innings and the bullpen coughed up another four runs in the Sox 8-4 loss. … With star SP Chris Sale out indefinitely, the likes of Pivetta, Tanner Houck, Michael Wacha, Rich Hill, and relievers Garrett Whitlock, Matt Barnes and Jake Diekman (L) are under immediate pressure to perform. That pressure comes without a proper MLB Spring Training period and stretch-out time for pitchers. The Red Sox will need a resurgence from RP Ryan Brasier and their current ace SP Nathan Eovaldi who finished fourth in the 2021 AL Cy Young Award voting. … Time will tell on both the basic situation and the possible return of Sale and SP Jim Paxton (2021 Tommy John surgery) who was acquired in the off-season. By the way, Paxton will pocket a cool $10m for his rehab efforts in ‘22 … It seems a bit early in the Spring to be hopefully awaiting the MLB All-Star break.

HOUCK TO THE RESCUE: Continuing the news from Saturday afternoon, Red Sox SP Tanner Houck walked off the mound, hopped over the first base lines in a superstitious kind-of-way and departed the game with a 4-0 lead. Houck went 5.2 innings, tossing two-hit baseball with three walks, four Ks on 89 pitches/50 strikes. He left only two runners on base and only Nick Gordonof the Twins reached third base, harmlessly.

The Red Sox won their Saturday game, 4-0, behind the pitching of Houck and Garrett Whitlock’s tidy work out of the bullpen. All is not lost in the Fens.

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TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook | April 10

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox will depart New York after tonight’s first ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game against the Yankees, then chill-out in Detroit for a three-game set against the Tigers Monday to Wednesday (two afternoon games) before heading home Thursday for the Friday, April 15, 2:10pm (ET) home opener against the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park.

Minnesota’s SP Sonny Gray is scheduled to throw against Boston SP Nick Pivetta unless the weather forecast throws a change-up. The four-game set against the Twins concludes with the 11:10am (ET) start on Patriots’ Day, Monday, April 18th – the holiday in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts known best at the day of the famed Boston Marathon.

Reading the Boston Red Sox Tea party leaves this early in the season is nearly as impossible as forecasting the weather. After all, when the Red Sox were playing the New York Yankees on Saturday, Boston saw sunshine and spring-like settings turn to ominous skies, snow, hail, thunder and rain before returning to a beautiful spring evening.

That unpredictable weather pattern might equate to the Sox pitching roster, once again, as Nathan Eovoldi, Pivetta, Tanner Houck, Michael Wacha and Rich Hill could prove to be a formidable staff which can be super-sized if Sox star Chris Sale can return to form at some point mid-season. Currently, Sale is on the 60-day Injured List with rib injuries. He’ll begin throwing next week.

James Paxton, acquired by Boston for a single year deal for a lofty $10m, is recovering from Tommy John surgery last April when he was a member o0f the Seattle Mariners.

One-time Sox closer Matt Barnes is already banged-up as the season begins but could return soon. Until then, it’s bullpen by committee with newly extended four-year contract holder Garrett Whitlock carrying the load with Ryan Brasier and Hansel Robles. Matt Strohm andJake Diekman round out the relievers from the southpaw side. Josh Taylor, a 61 game reliever last season, has been out on the IL with a bad back but could return within weeks.

If you’re scoring at home, that pans out to create uncertainty every time Eovaldi, Pivetta, Hill, Wacha, Barnes and eventually Sale and Paxton take the pitching mound to start a game, whether it be at Fenway or on the road.

Of course, pitching is the key element for all teams to contend in the American League East as the Toronto Blue Jays, Yankees, and Tampa Bay Rays are all worthy to compete for playoff berths while the Baltimore Orioles are likely to hold up the rear in the division but are fast improving.

Lets take a look at the Vegas odds for the American League title as of Opening Day:

  • Toronto Blue Jays | +400
  • Chicago White Sox | +500
  • Houston Astros | +500
  • New York Yankees | +500
  • Tampa Bay Rays | +850
  • Boston Red Sox | +1000
  • Los Angeles Angels | +1000
  • Seattle Mariners | +1000
  • Minnesota Twins | +1700
  • Detroit Tigers | +2300
  • Cleveland Guardians | +4200
  • Texas Rangers | +4800
  • Kansas City Royals | +5000
  • Oakland Athletics | +6000
  • Baltimore Orioles | +16000

In the National League, there’s rarely a bar room argument that the LA Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres all have an edge and the New York Mets could contend if starters Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer can combine for 35-40 wins. Meanwhile, while last year’s surprise club, the San Francisco Giants, have slipped.

Here are the Vegas Opening Day odds for the National League title:

  • Los Angeles Dodgers | +175
  • New York Mets | +500
  • Atlanta Braves | +550
  • Milwaukee Brewers | +750
  • San Diego Padres | +750
  • Philadelphia Phillies | +1000
  • San Francisco Giants | +1000
  • St. Louis Cardinals | +1400
  • Miami Marlins | +3400
  • Chicago Cubs | +4800
  • Cincinnati Reds | +6500
  • Washington Nationals | +6500
  • Colorado Rockies | +11500
  • Arizona Diamondbacks | +18000
  • Pittsburgh Pirates | +25000

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: As long as the odds are laid out so nicely, there’s no reason not to make early season predictions for Divisional Winners, Wild Cards, League Championship Series contenders and the winner of the 2022 World Series.

Here now, the picks:

American League:

Divisional Winners: Toronto Blue Jays*, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros*

Wild Cards: New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, LA Angels.

ALCS: Toronto vs Houston with the Astros advancing to the World Series.

National League:

Divisional Winners: Atlanta Braves*, Milwaukee Brewers, LA Dodgers*.

Wild Cards: San Diego Padres, New York Mets, SF Giants.

NLCS: LA Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves with the Dodgers advancing.

World Series: LA Dodgers over Houston Astros, 4-games-to-2.

THE MASTERS: There are a few sporting events which take on a “Carnegie Hall” level of prestige in the sports world.

They are:

  1. The Masters
  2. Wimbledon
  3. The Kentucky Derby
  4. The Ryder Cup
  5. The Boston Marathon
  6. The Breeders’ Cup
  7. Tour de France
  8. Monaco Gand Prix

This week’s Masters is living up to its rightful place in sports. The headline-grabbing storyline is the return of Tiger Woods to competitive PGA TOUR golf. While Woods has been both impressive and competitive, his rivals are atop the leaderboard heading into the final round.

The Leaderboard:

Scottie Scheffler – (-9)

Cameron Smith – (-6)

Sungjae Im – (-4)

Shane Lowry – (-4)

Charl Schwartzel – (-4)

Tiger Woods is T-41 at (+7)

Scheffler has won three times in his last five starts on Tour.

IT’s JUST A FANTASY: For this column, rarely do I delve into Fantasy Sports and share my fantasy team ups and downs, whether it be NFL Football or MLB Baseball. And, while we’ve been known to play every kind of fantasy sport imaginable, from Olympic Basketball and Ice Hockey to World Cup to NBA to NBA Playoffs to NFL Playoffs to PGA TOUR Golf to NBA Summer League to – well, you get the idea, the completion for NFL regular season, PGA Golf and the long run of MLB Baseball are the three I’ve settled for over the past five or six years.

The Baseball fantasy league is called the “Teddy Baseball League” to honor the great Ted Williams and its weekly winner is crowned the “Dean RosenTeam of the Week” in memory of one of the league’s former team owners who passed away all too soon. The Teddy is a hybrid of fantasy baseball with the first 17 players for each team picked in “auction” style of bidding, then the final 14 players are picked in snake-draft order to fill-out a 31 player roster for 11 teams.

The standings are rotisserie style, not head-to-head, so it is a long marathon of a season.

The franchise, worth billions – I am sure, is the Chathams, named after one of my favorite places on earth in Chatham, Massachusetts – on The Cape. We are often tagged as “The Cape Codders.” And, that’s alright with me. The Cape Cod Baseball League is a favorite for sure and there will be more on that this summer.

The Chathams have an active owner and a seasoned veteran of a General Manager and head of Analytics in Craig Glazer. The league competition is tough. No team misses a beat, nor a prospect, nor a mistake of a cut. Line-ups are set weekly, on Monday when there’s five minutes before the first pitch of the first game of the week. It’s great.

Our strategy – which has been no secret to our fellow league franchise owners – is to go heavy on offense, grab at least one stud or semi-stud Starting Pitcher, one formidable Reliever for saves and then do our best to fill-out the rest of the line-up. In taking this road to the Teddy Title, we need to thread the needle, acquire a couple up & coming stars who pan out and pray to the heavens our top offensive gems stay healthy.

That was not the case last year when Ronald Acuna Jr. was injured in mid-season and with his injury, so were the days of our Teddy triumph to be. We were also sunk when Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Cody Bellinger, a superstar level player, had his worst season EVVV-AHHH.

That was last year, this is this year. Here is the line-up and I’ll not the bidding numbers for a few of the top players. (A side-note, the most expensive player in the auction was our very own $42 bid for Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals. That came out of a $202 budget).

Here’s our club:

  • Shohei Ohtani LAA, DH – $23 (a surprise that he went for under $30-$40).
  • Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Tor, 1B – $35
  • Juan Soto Wash, RF – $42
  • Gerrit Cole NYY, SP – $35
  • Rafael Devers Bos, 3B – $33
  • Jacob deGrom NYM, SP – $6 (deep discount with 60+ day IL)
  • Marcus Semien Tex, 2B – $17 (shocked he didn’t get more bidding)

That’s where the budget kicked-in and we were left to fill nine players at $1 and one player at $2.

That resulted in the rest of the roster consisting of:

  • Edwin Diaz NYM, RP
  • Taylor Rogers SD, RP
  • Tyler Stephenson Cin, C (a target going into the draft)
  • Austin Meadows Det, LF (shocked he was still available)
  • Amed Rosario Cle, SS
  • Ty France Sea, 1B
  • Jeimer Candelario Det, 3B
  • Eduardo Rodriguez Det, SP
  • Lance Lynn ChW, SP (currently on IL)
  • Josh Bell Wsh, 1B

The snake-draft portion of the night brought:

  • Luis Severino, SP, NYY
  • Andrew Benintendi, OF, KC
  • Jordan Montgomery, SP, NYY
  • Ian Happ, OF, CHC
  • Randal Grichuk, OF, COL
  • Marcus Stroman, SP, CHC
  • Corey Kluber, SP, TB
  • Matt Brash, SP, SEA
  • David Bednar, RP, PIT
  • Reid Detmers, SP, LAA
  • Nick Senzel, OF, CIN
  • Seth Beer, 1B, ARI
  • Josh Rojas, 2B, ARI
  • Kendall Graveman, RP, CWS

A rare, pre-opening day trade sent Senzel, Meadows and Bednar outbound while we filled a weak middle infield position with Dansby Swanson, along with outfielder Anthony Santander of Baltimore and 1B Eric Hosmer.

That’s the club – for now – as transactions have and will continue each and every week of the season. Next update?

How about the 4th of July and then September 1 and October 1?

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes – April 3

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BOSTON – Next week (April 10), we’ll be three days into the 2022 Major League Baseball regular season and will be awaiting the Boston Red Sox home opener against the Minnesota Twins, scheduled for April 15th. The Red Sox open the season on the road with consecutive three-game sets against their arch rivals NY Yankees and a sure-to-be chilly trip to play the Detroit Tigers.

While your trusted reporter was able to attend a couple MLB Postseason games last October, the last time Digital Sports Desk graced the press box was Sunday, September 29, 2019 when the Sox defeated the Baltimore Orioles in front of 35,427 fans who had no idea that the terrible hurdle of COVID-19 was four months away. The Red Sox finished 84-78 in 2019, 24-36 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, then rallied back to a 92-70 mark last year.

They knocked-out the New York Yankees in the AL Wild Card game, then took the five-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1, after dropping the first game of the series at Tampa, 5-0. Of course, the Sox fell short, losing to the Houston Astros, 4-games-to-2 in the ALCS. They lost the final three games of the series after going up 2-games-to-1.

Boston is 9-6 in 2022 Grapefruit League games (as of the morning of April 2). After Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Braves in Sarasota, the Red Sox have only two more Spring Training games on the docket (April 4 & 5) against Minnesota.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: 

SVG SAYS: (And, we’re not talking Stan Van Gundy) – The Sports Video Group highlighted the bells and whistles that Turner and CBS Sports compiled to cover Final Four Saturday and Monday Night’s NCAA championship game.

“Sports is match-up driven,” says Craig Barry, EVP/Chief Content Officer, Turner Sports. “It always has been, it always will be. It doesn’t always determine the drama of the event, but it definitely helps determine the dramatic impact of an event. To have Duke, UNC, Kansas, and Villanova, it’s going to be unprecedented.”

“[Duke-North Carolina], Barry continued, “is, historically, one of the biggest match ups in Final Four history. It’s all hands on deck to do this show justice and bring something really special to the fans, without focusing on – and I’ll use this word loosely – any gimmicks. We’re bringing a robust broadcast, where we tell the story of the games that are being played.”

In addition to the elite level matchups, this Final Four is bolstered by the return of live fans, following the cancelation of the tournament in 2020 and an attendance-limited event in 2021. According to Bryant, that energy brings better visuals to the show but also goes a long way into spilling over to fuel the energy of the crew behind the scenes.

“The opportunity to have the energy in the arena again [has been fantastic],” says Bryant. “And that’s not just in the arena, it’s the energy in the studio, the energy in the truck, the energy in the control rooms. We’ve been really leveraging that and bringing that into the broadcast. We need to make sure that we have the technology and the assets to harness that. You can add technology, you can build storylines, but [the atmosphere] was the one large differentiator for us that we really felt was going to push us back to normalization.”

This Final Four is the last for director Bob Fishman, the lead CBS Sports director for college basketball for the past 39 years. It’s not lost with the fact both Fishman and Krzyzewski will both retire after they’re finished working this tournament.

“We have become dear friends over these years. I’ve directed every single one of his national championships,” Fishman said. “I said to him a couple weeks ago ‘You know, I’m impartial coach, but it sure would be cool to be there together to celebrate our retirements together and maybe win a national championship.’ That would really top it off pretty well for me.”

HALL OF A FIVE: The ultimate starting five from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s season-long competition for the best collegiate players at each position.

2021-22 Men’s Naismith Starting Five:

Collin Gillespie (Villanova, Graduate Student) – Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award – 15.6 pts/gm, 3.9 reb/gm, 3.3 ast/gm

Johnny Davis (Wisconsin, So.) – Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award – 19.7 pts/gm, 8.2 reb/gm, 2.1 ast/gm

Wendell Moore Jr. (Duke, Jr.) – Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award – 3.5 pts/gm, 5.2 reb/gm, 4.4 ast/gm, 41.1 3pt%

Keegan Murray (Iowa, So.) – Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award – 23.5 pts/gm, 8.7 reb/gm, 1.5 ast/gm, 55.4 fg%

Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky, Jr.) – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award – 17.4 pts/gm, 15.1 reb/gm, 1.6 blk/gm, 60.6 fg%

CHICAGO LAW: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, (University of Chicago – JD’88), still thinks of himself as a lawyer, wrote Becky Beaupre Gillespie in the u of chicago (sic) news of April 1.

“After all, it’s the skills he learned at the University of Chicago Law School—and later as a judicial clerk and law firm associate—that undergird his approach to the complex issues that have defined his tenure as NBA head, including high-profile decisions related to COVID policy, international relations and more,” she wrote as an intro to a University speaking function headlined by Silver.

“The problem-solving, issue-spotting techniques that you learn, particularly at the University of Chicago, [including] how to reason through issues—I find I use those skills every day of my life, and I really feel indebted to the Law School as a result,” Silver said at a March 22 event co-hosted by the Law School and the University’s Harris School of Public Policy.

OVERTIME: In the past year, the NBA G-League created its Ignite club of talented high school aged players who chose not to attend college but prepare for professional basketball by playing against G-League competition. Similarly, the Overtime Elite team out of Atlanta was mining the same talent.

This weekend, the Commissioner of the Overtime venture, former NBA executive Aaron Ryan, decided to step down from his post to return to his home in New Jersey to spend more time with his family.

“A little over a year ago, no one had ever heard of Overtime Elite,” wrote Ryan. “However, what started out as a novel idea, has transformed the basketball ecosystem and sports media forever. Elite basketball players, for the first time, were prioritized. They were compensated for their value, provided a top-notch education that met them where they are in their academic journey, and they were given access to elite coaches and training. The opportunity to build a league, with the visionary team at Overtime was a true career milestone. And even more than that, for me it was a mission filled with purpose.

“The past 18 months have been rewarding, exhilarating, and exhausting, given that our work was taking place in the midst of a global pandemic where all business and sports norms were upended. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, my work at Overtime Elite bore fruit through hard work with a great team. It also took a personal toll. As many of you know, I have been splitting my time between my home in New Jersey and my office in Atlanta. Time away from my wife and teenage daughters was a tough sacrifice, but became increasingly more difficult as we moved from working remote, to being in Atlanta,” Ryan stated.

“So it is with a heavy heart, and with the agreement of my colleagues at Overtime, I have decided not to seek a contract extension. As much as I enjoyed the job and was dedicated to the larger mission, putting my family first and being present for my daughters as they go through these formative years is best for me and for my family.

“I’ll forever be proud of what we built in the face of adversity. And I’ll always be grateful to our incredible staff, our first 27 athletes and their families, who made the decision to be a part of history.

“I wish the Overtime Elite team every success as they move forward on this powerful mission,” concluded Ryan.

NOTE: This was also a part of the While We’re Young (Ideas) notebook (link)

Parting Words & Music:

As we did a year ago, here’s the song you ‘wanna hear.”

One Shining Moment from the 2021 NCAA’s:

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TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Madness!

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By TERRY LYONS

NEW YORK – When the BIG EAST tournament crowned Villanova as conference champion at Madison Square Garden on March 12 and the Atlantic Coast Conference folded-up its tent the same evening as Virginia Tech upset Duke at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, the only New York connection to March Madness was Colgate, winners of the Patriot League.

For its efforts, the Hamilton, NY-based school was sent to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and quickly dispatched by Wisconsin in a Midwest Regional opener. As of March 18th, the only New York-based connection to the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament were a few remaining games of the West Regional first and second round being played in Buffalo, home of the Bills, great chicken wings and fond memories of the Buffalo Braves NBA franchise.

 

Tri-State basketball fans might’ve connected to the tournament via UConn (Storrs, CT) or Seton Hall (South Orange, NJ) or even little Saint Peter’s College of Jersey City, NJ, just eight miles from The Garden via a quick tube ride from Herald Square to Journal Square.

Little did we know that the No. 15 seeded Peacocks, coached by former Seton Hall guard Shaheen Holloway, would become the Cinderella Story of March Madness of 2022. St. Peter’s on Friday became the only No. 15 to advance to the “Elite Eight.” as previous 15s (Oral Roberts and Florida Gulf Coast both folded in the Round of 16. It’s a great, heartwarming story, a story made for March Madness as little Saint Pete, winners of the MAAC conference, habitants of the Run Baby Run Arena on Kennedy Boulevard and home to 2,600 undergrads and 600 graduate students, were winners over big, bad and blue blood Kentucky (85-79, OT on March 1700, pesky Murray State (70-60 on March 19), and then after advancing to the NCAAs “Sweet 16” to play highly-touted, Big 10 bad-asses Purdue (67-64 on March 25).

But, make no mistake about it, that’s a Jersey basketball story, not NYC.

There is one great New York City basketball connection in this year’s on-going March Madness and it is University of Miami Hurricanes head coach Jim Larrañaga. The 72-year old coaching legend grew-up in the Bronx, one of six children. He attended Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens where he starred on the basketball varsity under a legend-maker in the late Jack Curran. Larrañaga graduated from Molloy in 1967 and went on to play basketball at Providence College where he became the basketball team’s captain as a senior, 1970–71, leading Providence College to a 20–8 record and an NIT appearance when the NIT was as big-time as Peter Gabriel.

Larrañaga’s story gets cooler than that! His grandfather was born in Cuba of Basque parents, and was part of the Por Larrañaga cigar company. Jim’s son is a legend in the making, in LA Clippers’ assistant coach Jay Larrañaga, the former assistant in Boston who has a coaching resume ranging from Calabria, Milano and Rome,. Italy to Real Madrid, Spain to Ireland and even the Ukraine, where he assisted Mike Fratello in Ukraine’s bid to qualify for the Olympic Games. Winning runs in the family and that brings us back to the University of Miami’s climb to the Elite Eight in this year’s NCAAs.

While all the Cinderella Story attention was (rightfully) focused on Saint Peter’s, the “U” kept chugging along, knocking off No. 7 USC in the first round then soundly defeating No. 2 Auburn (79-61) in the second round. The Sweet 16 match-up saw No. 10 Miami whoop No. 11 Iowa State, 70-56, which brings them to Sunday’s (today) tough game against No. 1 Kansas for the right to go to the NCAA Final Four.

Don’t be surprised, though, as you might recall Jim Larrañaga and George Mason’s run to the Final Four in 2006 when the coach was just a 56-year old puppy. Since his hiring at Miami in 2011, it’s been nothing but winning in the ultra-tough Atlantic Coast Conference. He now stands as the first coach in the history of college basketball to take two programs who were double digit seeds in the NCAA Tournament — Miami and George Mason — to the Elite Eight.

Much like his pro counterparts, the Miami Heat in the NBA Year of the Bubble (2020), the “U” hovers around in the pack but is a dangerous draw once the postseason rolls around. The Heat came out of the No. 5 slot of the 2020 NBA Playoffs whereas the “U” held to the No. 4 slot in the ACC (14-6), but only two games off the lead.

While basketball fans focus on the upset special of Saint Peter’s as they go up against North Carolina, remember to spend a little time watching Jim Larrañaga and the Miami Hurricanes, New York’s best story in college basketball in the year 2022. Larrañaga will be the guy coaxing his players, cajoling the refs, as his team hangs around, ready for another win. He’ll play his five starters in the high 35+ minutes per game and maybe go to his bench for two or three players to give a foul.

In the end, Larrañaga wins. The University of Miami wins (for hiring him and recently extending his contract) and the sport of basketball wins, even if it’s not at a New York college looking in at the NCAAs from the outside once again.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook: On the Real Jerry West and Winning Time

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“Like Sands Through the Hour Glass, So Are the Days of our Lives.”

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – There’s a new soap opera on TV and I tuned in to check it out the other day. I streamed it, actually. It’s entitled “Winning Time,” and it is based on a 2014 book by Jeff Pearlman, entitled “Showtime.”

I’ve watched two of the scheduled 10 episode series which first saw the light of day on HBO Max on March 6. I doubt I’ll bother to watch the third episode because – after two episodes – I’ve had enough.

It is horrible.

The first two episodes were dedicated to the point in time when Dr. Jerry Buss (played by actor John C. Reilly (whose best known work is from Chicago, Gangs of New York and The Perfect Storm) was acquiring the franchise. Reilly plays the part and delivers his lines admirably but goes way overboard, if you ask me.

Why?

Well, I was there.

I can not say I was up at Pickfair sipping martinis or champagne with Buss and the stars, but from 1980-on, I saw Buss in action through dozens upon dozens of NBA Playoff games, NBA Finals games, and NBA Board of Governors meetings. I met his daughter, Jeannie, when she was running the Los Angeles Strings of Team Tennis. She was 20 years old.

As I watched the first two episodes of “Winning Time,” I wondered if I had just missed the dirty secrets of the early days of Buss’ tenure, the days when he negotiated terms of a sale for the team and The Fabulous Forum with longtime Los Angeles Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke.

I’ve met and chatted with the former Lakers GM and Hall of Fame player/team exec/coach Jerry West many a time, usually off to the side of some cocktail party honoring a mutual friend at the Hall, but, after seeing the depiction of West by actor Jason Clarke in “Winning Time,” I wondered if it was a different man they were bringing to the screen? How could Jerry West change that much from the first 40 years of his life to the most recent 43 years?

I watched a depiction of Forum executive Claire Rothman that was just flat-out wrong and terribly miscast for actress Gaby Hoffman, a very acclaimed actress whose credits include playing little Karin Kinsella – the daughter who fell off the bleachers – in Field of Dreams.

Lemme tell ya, Claire Rothman was almost royal – maybe regal – always confident and solidly “in charge” of The Forum. She didn’t demand respect, she commanded it, using the show of respect to her as an elixir for anyone seeking to accomplish something in the building, or The Forum Club. Hoffman’s portrayal is of a young executive trainee type not of the highly respected Rothman who ran the best venue in town.

The sports drama, created by Max Borenstein (Godzilla, Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla vs. Kong) and co-producer Jim Hecht, just misses drastically. They claim it’s not a documentary and admit they’ve taken poetic justice to enhance the show. But, you’d think they’d stay with the basics of human drama and personalities, would you?  The series has been met with mixed reviews but one review, in particular, by NBA super-agent turned Detroit Pistons senior executive Arn Tellem in Hollywood Reporter is the reason for the review you are reading right now.

Tellem knows West and the Lakers better than most as he spent time trying to work together while in the high stakes game of the NBA and compete against him while moving talent and draft picks elsewhere for the benefit of his clients. Tellum’s key move came in 1996 when West maneuvered to acquire Shaquille O’Neal as a free agent after Tellum manipulated his way through the NBA Draft to orchestrate a trade of the late Kobe Bryant to the Lakers.

In Hollywood Reporter, Tellum wrote under a headline that told it all:

Guest Column: ‘Winning Time’ Is “Campy, Mean-Spirited Fiction”

Former NBA uber-agent Arn Tellem, who is now vice chairman of the Detroit Pistons, takes issue with the HBO series’ “cruel, dishonest and staggeringly insensitive” depiction of former Lakers player, coach and general manager Jerry West.

Tellem said:

“The late novelist and screenwriter Gore Vidal observed that it’s not what things are that matter so much as how they are perceived. The media supplies stories that the public accepts, at times literally, as the gospel truth. Through eye and ear, Vidal said, we are both defined and manipulated by fictions of such potency that they are able to replace our own experience, often becoming our sole experience.

“Which is the problem with HBO’s new Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, a campy, mean-spirited fiction about the Showtime-era Los Angeles Lakers. The show’s paradox is that it prides itself on being faithful to the facts, and yet — between the formulaic script and stick-figure cartoon characters — reality seldom intrudes.

“Hiding behind the disclaimer “this series is a dramatization,” Winning Time imagines itself a “satire” that treats pretty much everyone with equal odium, covers pretty much everything with equal ordure. Pro basketball players are greedy braggarts and narcissists; pro basketball owners, ruthless bigots and hedonists.

“Of all the athletes and executives shamed and ridiculed in the first two episodes, the most brutal — and gratuitous — character assassination was reserved for Jerry West (played in the series by Jason Clarke), the universally beloved former Lakers player, coach and general manager known as Mr. Clutch. In the series opener, which aired on March 6, his character seemed to be modeled on Yosemite Sam — a boozy, impulsive hothead who steamrollered anyone in his path, angrily snapped a golf club over his knee and stormed away to curse out a colleague, and chucked his 1969 NBA Finals MVP trophy through his office window in a fit of frustration.

‘Never mind that West is a health nut who has always shied away from alcohol. Never mind he’s not just a gentleman but a gentle man who prides himself on treating others with grace and compassion. And never mind that his old office at the “Fabulous Forum” didn’t have windows. Indeed, none of the arena’s basketball offices did. I ought to know. I was there.

‘As a former player agent who is now vice chairman of the Detroit Pistons, I have known West for more than 40 years. During that time, I have observed, negotiated and socialized with him. In all of our dealings, he has been courteous, respectful, generous and self-deprecating. He’s never once lost his temper. He’s always heard me out. Many of the players I represented sought his counsel, both professionally and personally. Having battled depression during his entire adult life, West has a deep awareness of the suffering of others, coupled with the wish to relieve it. Sure, he can be moody. But when frustrated, he doesn’t lash out. He withdraws into himself.

“In his 2011 memoir West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life, he wrote about his father, an oil company machine operator, who beat him repeatedly. At 12, West kept a shotgun under his bed and threatened to use it on his old man if the abuse didn’t end. Today, at 83, he’s still haunted by a sense that he’d let his college down by losing the national championship in 1959, still blames himself that, during the 1960s, his Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics six times in the NBA Finals. “I have a hole in my heart,” he conceded, “a hole that can never be filled.”

“Fans of Winning Time defend the show by saying nothing is sacred, sacred targets are funnier, lighten up, criticism is censorship. And it’s true that, used deftly, satire is a powerful tool to deflate and diminish the powerful, to take them down a peg or two. That’s the power of satire. But Winning Time is less satire than bullying. Though the disclaimer is designed to shield against the possibility of legal action for libel, it’s not a license to damage the reputation that West spent a lifetime building.

“The depiction of Mr. Clutch is cruel, dishonest and staggeringly insensitive,” concluded Tellem.

MUST WATCH:

AFTER-THOUGHTS: From my personal point-of-view, the portrayal  of Jerry West by the creators of Winning Time is a flat-out disaster. It’s wrong. He is the complete opposite of the portrayal.  That’s not opinion. It is a fact drawn from the true reality show we lived and worked in as employees of the National Basketball Association and its teams. I thought it to be so, and Arn Tellem confirmed it.

During my 26+ years, Jerry West was the most competitive person I had ever met until I met Michael Jordan. West’s running mate, Rod Thorn – both West Virginians, I might add – came in as a close third to those two. I can imagine the three of them pitching quarters against the curb and competing like hell for 25-cents.

To some extent, Thorn was my credential of trust and authenticity to West. If you were a friend of Rod’s you were a friend of Jerry West. One time, at a summer USA Basketball exhibition in Charlotte, the two – I’ll call ‘em “hoodlums” – took off with my rental car to head south to Pinehurst to meet up with a bunch of Carolina guys to play some golf as I was returning to work at the NBA office in New York. (Yes, Thorn was kind enough to save the receipt so I could be properly reimbursed and West gave me his “VVIP” gift – a new fangled, wireless home telephone – as compensation for my gesture to hand-over the car. It was a great phone and it lasted for a dozen years or more.

The point being, West is/was/always will be a gentleman. His gesture of gifting a new tech, cool, $150 phone was just a hint of the man’s generosity and depth. He’s a pro’s pro.

In the cone of silence very well respected in the sports television-to-PR world, we are given the direct studio phone lines, dozens of direct mobile numbers for calling or texting information. We have the right email address that is monitored when a show is live. That is the case for The Dan Patrick Show and its producer – the great Todd Fritz.

As a general rule, I never call or write or compliment a writer or reporter on a story, an interview, or a news-breaker unless it’s far above and beyond the realm of the regular ebb and flow of the sports news world.

Twice – yes twice – I stopped in my tracks as Dan Patrick interviewed Jerry West. I can’t think of another interview that was nearly as intriguing as Patrick’s conversations with West. In fact, on one occasion, Fritzy and I traded an email of an A+ level interview Patrick did on air, but we both agreed, it wasn’t quite great enough to be in the “Jerry West Zone.”

REVISIONIST HISTORY: The favorite pastime for sports fans today is to engage in revisionist history. “Today’s game was THE BEST.” … “It was the GREATEST … ever, or “He’s the GOAT.’ … Tom Brady is the greatest NFL player for anyone who didn’t see Jim Brown play football. Michael Jordanand LeBron James are the greatest for everyone who didn’t see Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson or Elgin Baylor dominate in the NBA or Julius “Dr. J” in the ABA.

While Michael Jordan’s “Last Dance” stayed very, very close to reality and also broke some storytelling ground on the backgrounds of Scottie Pippen, Phil Jackson, Dennis Rodman and Steve Kerr, “Winning Time” has done none of that in its first two episodes. Please note, this column is not commenting on Jeff Pearlman’s book, a book I haven’t read yet. I will and will comment further into the basketball season. For now, everyone’s attention might turn to March Madness and then the Final Four, as we dread our choices crossed-off in newly busted and worthless brackets.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook | March 13

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By TERRY LYONS

NEW YORK – There are few things that join death and taxes as the guarantees in life. With that in mind, we add:

  1. Steph Curry’s jump shot
  2. Gregg Popovich leading NBA coaches in career victories
  3. The famed Island Green (17th) at TPC Sawgrass bringing PGA Tour pros to their knees, especially with winds at 20 mph and gusts 44+ mph.
  4. The annual BIG EAST Tournament at Madison Square Garden – the World’s Most Famous Arena – playing host to some of the best postseason college basketball any fan would want to experience in a community of like-minded opponents. Every March.

Right from the beginning this week, the BIG EAST did not disappoint. In the opening game, a 4:30pm (ET) afternoon start of a BIG EAST triple-header, Butler (14-19) upset Xavier (18-13) in a 89-82 overtime thriller. As the tournament progressed at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Providence and Butler were tied (31-all) at the half until the Friars outlasted Butler, 65-61 after a last minute 3-point FG by Providence’s Al Durham iced the victory.

With 15:38 left in the 2nd half on Thursday evening, St. John’s led Villanova 44-27. At 2:08 mark, after several lead changes, St. John’s was barely holding on, 65-64, but could not convert the win, eventually losing to ‘Nova, 66-65.

At the Friday night semifinals, No. 8-ranked Villanova took care of business against the No. 20 UConn, 63-60, in a game that had old-school BIG EAST fans lighting up The Garden with sound. But, No. 11 ranked Providence, the regular season BIG EAST Champion and tournament No. 1 seed dropped their semifinal game to an impressive Creighton team, 85-58. Included in that one-sided tally was the fact Creighton held Providence to 27 points in the first half.

After a terrible start (trailed 0-7), Creighton gave Villanova everything it could handle in the Saturday night BIG EAST Final. Villanova’s team leader, Collin Gillespie was held scoreless in the first half but finished the game with 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists, including a pair of pressure three-point FGs and the game-clinching rebound with seven seconds remaining. Gillespie went to the line and hit two clutch FTs to close out the victory, 54-48, while securing Villanova’s fifth BIG EAST title in the past seven years.

The tournament brought forth an amazing sense of normalcy for the old-time BIG EAST fans, not the ultra-annoying “new-normal” spoken by talking heads, health care professionals and political talking heads. Just as the timing of the 2020 BIG EAST Tournament couldn’t have been worse, the 2022 edition, the 40th held at The Garden since the conference kicked its tires in Providence, Syracuse and Hartford to start things off in 1980-81-82, came about at a time when COVID-19 restrictions are being eased at public arenas, bars, restaurants and at schools.

There’s talk of the BIG EAST receiving seven invites to the NCAA’s Big Dance, with Xavier having a possible NIT invite awaiting after their early exit this week. What’s certain, as sure as that Curry 30-footer, is the depth and competitiveness of the BIG EAST’S men’s basketball teams.

The conference play is physical and, to the credit of the officiating staffs, the BIG EAST seems to have found the ability to call games in a ‘no harm, no foul’ professional style, rather than the annoying ticky-tack foul calls out on the perimeter. The refs have mastered the art of the non-call, to let play to continue. It has allowed an intense up & down style of play, less frequent foul trouble by the star players and better preparation for the upcoming Big Dance for Big East contenders.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The new NBA coaching record for most career victories was set Friday and mentioned above. While it’s easy to define the best coaches by the sheer number of victories, NBA coaches often chalk-it-up such honors due to longevity.

Here are the winningest coaches in the four major North American sports leagues:

NHL Ice-Hockey – Scotty Bowman – (1,244 wins, nine Stanley Cup championships)

NFL American Football – Don Shula – (347 wins, two Super bowl wins)

MLB Baseball – Connie Mack – (3,731 wins)

NBA Basketball – Gregg Popovich – (1,336 victories, five NBA titles)

NCAA Basketball – Coach Mike Krzyzewski of Duke and coach John Wooden of UCLA both deserve mention.

In addition to this lofty list of winners, there’s also a common sense list of the greatest coaches, one that is a bit more subjective.

NHL – Al Arbour, Coach of the New York Islanders, Toe Blake of Montreal, Joel Quenneville of multiple NHL teams.

NFL – George Halas of Chicago Bears and Bill Belichick of New England Patriots

MLB – John McGraw, Tony La Russa, Joe Torre, Bobby Cox and Sparky Anderson all deserve mention.

NBA – Red Auerbach, Boston Celtics.

DIAMOND DUST-UP RESOLVED: Thank goodness. Major League Baseball and its players Association came to terms this week and the baseball season will begin with players reporting today (March 13) and Spring Training games beginning March 17. As you would expect, it’ll be toughest on the pitchers stretching out, especially free agent pitchers.

Opening Day will be April 7, and MLB is planning to play a full 162-game schedule, allowing for players to make up on previously lost salary.

The MLB Postseason will expand to 12 teams.

The National League will adopt the Designated Hitter.

Free agency might be the most newsworthy item as Baseball comes back to life after its loss of three months. The lock-out began December 2 but starting this week, there will be a frenzy of free agent signings, maybe some 10-12 a day as teams re-stock.

Freddie Freeman, the Atlanta Braves star first baseman is high on the list of the potentially most valuable and sought after free agents. While some believe he will re-sign in Atlanta, there’s already talk of a mega-deal with one of the big market teams.

LA Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw already signed a one-year deal with the only club he’s played for on the major league level. The Dodgers’ California rival and neighbor to the north, the San Francisco Giants, signed left-hander Carlos Rodon to a reported two-year $44 million deal. Saturday, the Oakland A’s sent Chris Bassitt to the New York Mets in a muti-player deal to begin an Oakland roster-stripping list of expensive player sales.

For additional information, the reporters at ESPN are following the Free Agent market and post all transactions HERE.

March Madness Special: Read more of the weekly notes by subscribing HERE.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook – March 6

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Somewhere over the double rainbow, the snow is melting and the birds are chirping and that damn woodpecker is back in action. The 2022 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference is in the books and the annual College Basketball Conference tournaments are already underway. My fave – the BIG EAST Tournament – will tip-off Wednesday.

The saying is that March comes in like a lion but goes out like a lamb. Whoever coined that phrase did not live in New England. In fact, first mention can be found in a volume of proverbs by English author Thomas Fuller, dated 1732. As the thermometer outside reads 19-22 degrees, many of us think he was Fuller Bologna.

The news from Major League Baseball and its Players’ union is not good, but aside from the wonderful 11:10am Minny at Red Sox start on Patriots’ Day, many a baseball fan would be happy with a May 1st season start for the game they used to call the National Pastime. MLB has already cancelled all Spring Training games and the first two series of the regular season for each club. The revenue from those games is gone. Vanished. The December lockout is now real money for both management and the players’ union.

The question is just how much of the 2022 season will go down the drain to further Baseball’s nosedive towards Boxing and Horse Racing on the list of sports that once dominated in popularity the USA public’s point of view, but fell from the sky – Icarus style. It’s not good.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The PGA Tour instituted a new and interesting program to increase its players’ engagement on Social Media and thus interact with golf fans. It’s known as the Player Impact Program. Not surprisingly and although he didn’t play a single event because of the terrible auto accident he experienced as a solo driver in the ‘burbs of Los Angeles, Tiger Woods took top prize from a pool of cash the Tour put aside. Phil “Lefty” Mickelson placed second. Of course, that was well before he put a few brainless comments in his mouth regarding the rival Saudi Super League of golf.

Said Mickelson on a podcast (Note to self, beware of podcasters with good PR firms), “They’re scary mother——s to get involved with. We know they killed (Washington Post reporter and US resident Jamal) Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay.

“Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates. They’ve been able to get by with manipulative, coercive, strong-arm tactics because we, the players, had no recourse. As nice a guy as (PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan) comes across as, unless you have leverage, he won’t do what’s right.

“And the Saudi money has finally given us that leverage.”

The complete list of money-winners from the PGA Tour Player Impact Program:

  1. Tiger Woods $8 million
  2. Phil Mickelson $6 million
  3. Rory McIlroy $3.5 million
  4. Jordan Spieth $3.5 million
  5. Bryson DeChambeau $3.5 million
  6. Justin Thomas $3.5 million
  7. Dustin Johnson $3 million
  8. Brooks Koepka $3 million
  9. Jon Rahm $3 million
  10. Bubba Watson $3 million

NICE PICK-UP: The Boston Celtics added a little extra offensive depth and shooting with a nice free agent pick-up this week. Nik Stauskas played in 26 games (25 starts) with the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League this season, averaging 23.8 points on 47.6% shooting (41.6% 3-PT, 87.9% FT), 5.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 38.0 minutes. He scored a career-high and set the franchise scoring record with 57 points on 20-of-29 shooting (11-15 3-PT) against the Wisconsin Herd on March 1, and tallied 43 points on 16-of-21 shooting (9-13 3-PT) the very next night against the Lakeland Magic, becoming only the second player in G League history to produce 100+ points in a two-game span.

SIDWELL FRIENDS: “We aims to please” in this collection of notes and that includes a “MUST MENTION” of the Sidwell Friends Quakers (@SFSQuakers #GoQuakers). Congratulations is in order to Kiki Rice. The Sidwell Friends basketball guard (Class of ‘220 is the school’s first McDonald’s All American. She is also a finalist for the prestigious Naismith High School Player of the Year award. “No wonder Sidwell Friends is the No. 1 high school team in the country,” said a Sidwell social media post. Ms. Rice is the daughter of a former NBA employee, John Rice, now the founder and CEO of MLT (Management Leaders of Tomorrow). He grew up in Washington, D.C. where his father Emmett J. Rice was a governor of the Federal Reserve System. His mother, Lois Dickson Rice, was considered “the mother of Pell Grants.” John’s older sister is Susan Rice, a famous diplomat and the Director of the United States Domestic Policy Council. John received his MBA from Harvard Business School and his BA with honors from Yale, where he was a three-year starter on the basketball team. He resides in the Washington, D.C. area with his wife Andrea and their two children, Mateo and, of course, Kiki, a promising scholar and basketball star. … Sidwell Friends’ varsity girls play for DC’s AA Championship in the finals March 6 at 4pm (ET) while the school’s varsity boys play for their title at 6pm (ET), with both games at George Washington U’s Smith Center.

March Madness Special: Read more of the weekly notes by subscribing HERE.