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TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Nov 10

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

BOSTON – On Wednesday night, it took some inner strength to push my human motor to commute to Boston’s TD Garden to take in the Golden State Warriors vs. the Boston Celtics basketball game. The night before was spent gazing at a TV screen, aghast at the one-sided results pouring in, not just at the top of the ticket but in Senate contests as well. Tuesday night to the early morning hours Wednesday was not a pleasant experience for half of the USA, but the sun rose brightly this past Wednesday morning and it set by 4:30pm, three hours before the Warriors and Celtics would tip-off their NBA game.

After a quick bite with family members at a North End pizza joint, it was time to enter Boston Garden with 19,155 best friends to take-in the game between the 2022 NBA Finalists. It was time to escape from the realities of life and disappear into an amazing place, a place many of us retreat to every day or night – we concentrate 100% of our energy and focus into a sporting event whether it be on TV or, ideally, in person.

Earlier this Fall, a good escape into an NFL Sunday was sometimes interrupted by endless commercial spots for the New Hampshire Governor race.

Blah. We were served up with unwanted and uncalled for stress, thrust upon us weekend after weekend during our sports get-a-way in the Commonwealth. But, for an NFL Sunday, we have the solution, the NFL RedZone, seven hours of commercial free action.

Away from the never-ending world of politics, escaping into sports is a really good thing. Whether its children playing in the backyard or participating in organized teams sports, the experience allows for teaching moments, lifetime lessons and important building of lifetime bonds with friends and the sports they play. Kids can escape and forget their problems in a second. Sometimes, adults need a little more time.

The Boston College vs Syracuse football game offered an escape pattern, without a cloud in the dark blue sky. A brisk breeze combined with bright sunshine at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill and a crowd was entertained by a great ACC rivalry game, as the home team won 37-31. Some fans left the stadium with some tint, as the sun beat down upon their faces, the kind of sun Led Zeppelin sang of in Kashmir.

It was a great place to escape from life’s bummers.

Think about it. Great competition for the players, combined with tailgating, cheering and revelry for the fans, some 44,500 strong. That’s a pretty good way to forget your troubles for a couple hours.

Dozens of homemade signs for ESPN’s College GameDay show provided comfort for ESPN commentator Kirk Herbsteit whose dog, Ben, passed away this week – a devastating loss to Herbstreit and college football fans everywhere, all who saw Ben on the GameDay set each Saturday for years. (ESPN)

Surely, the Alabama at LSU game in Baton Rouge provided ESPN GameDay analyst Kirk Herbstreit with a couple hours of distraction and enjoyment Saturday, just a few days after his loyal dog, Ben, passed away after battling cancer. Herbstreit updated college football fans on November 4, but things took a turn and Ben headed for his short walk to Dog Heaven.

Thousands of tributes came in on social media – totaling some 150,000+ by night time – and ESPN paid tribute to Ben, who earned star status with fans and Kirk’s colleagues as he traveled to games, no matter where the week-by-week GameDay schedule destination led them. There has been no better example of the bond between man and dog displayed weekly over the years by the monument of a man and his companion.

“Our love of football is what unites us every weekend,” said Herbstreit in his on air eulogy to his departed dog. “What I experienced with Ben was just that, and so much more.”

Here’s the ESPN memorial feature for Ben – not a dry eye in the house. Click HERE

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: In their third FIBA 3×3 Men’s World Tour competition in as many weeks, Team Miami secured their fifth FIBA 3×3 World Tour title of 2024 with a tournament victory at the Neom Masters in Neom, Saudi Arabia. For the USA contingent, Dylan Travis, James Parrott, Mitch Hahn and Trey Bardsley. Parrott, Miami’s versatile 6-foot-4 slasher, earned MVP honors for the second time in his 3×3 career. … In case you haven’t heard of Neom, it’s a brand news, state of the art tech center community being built in the desert of Saudi Arabia. … Indoor sports can play a major role in the new tech townand competitive 3×3 is a nice start. The FIBA-sanctioned tournament is among the attractions for the Neom Beach Games of 2024. … In addition to the LIV Golf Tour, Saudi Arabia has been attracting other world sports, such as Formula 1 racing, boxing, mixed martial arts and a list of others all in queue as facilities are being constructed.

TIDBITS: Two days after election day, a day after the fans of Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics gave an opposing coach a piece of their minds for USA Basketball Olympic Games snubs gone by, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr was asked about his viewpoint on the result of the Presidential election.

Kerr: “I believe in democracy. I think the American people have spoken and voted for Donald Trump. I want him to do well the next four years. I want our country to do well.”

Kerr (added, sarcastically): “I’m just thankful there wasn’t any voting fraud this time. Last time, all those illegal immigrants who crashed the border, raped and murdered people and then voted six times, that was unfortunate. But thankfully, this time everything was clean. It’s great that every election has been really valid except for that last one four years ago. Twinkle in my eye as I say that, in case you didn’t see it.”

We’ve featured a few Jack McCallum-like “Sign of the Apocalypse” news items, but this week, how about a new subsection in the column?

YOU CAN’T MAKE IT UP: On Friday afternoon, a charter airline pilot flying the Auburn Tigers to a game at Houston (game scheduled Saturday night, 9:30pm CT) had to turn around and return to the airport of origination as a fight broke out on board between two Auburn players. Auburn took a second flight to Texas and arrived in Houston at 1:00am. … Reports are sketchy, at best, but some are attempting to downplay the incident, tagging it as horseplay. Note to Auburn: Do not let your horses play in a metal tube at 30,000 feet with jet fuel flowing to jet engines fully operational. It might not end well.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Nov 3

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Breeders’ Cup 2024

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

BOSTON – Oh, how I wish this dateline was originating from sunny Del Mar, California, a stones throw from San Diego and a shorter throw to Torrey Pines Golf Course, which is a driver and nine iron from La Jolla, one of the most beautiful towns in all the 50 States.

If there’s one race course in the entire United States of America that is perfect for the annual Breeders’ Cup championships, it is Del Mar, situated adjacent Pacific Ocean and the beautiful sights of Southern California. While other horse tracks have enjoyed great days for the Breeders’ – namely Belmont in New York, Churchill Downs in Kentucky, or Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, hosted by our neighbors to the north – Del Mar is something extra special. Paradise for the horse player and the equivalent of Monte Carlo for the rich and famous of the industry known as The Sport of Kings.

Any sports fan has to call The Breeders’ Cup the most underrated event in the sports industry. It’s seven World Series games in one day. The very best of the best all competing at one track over two days.

The event began Friday afternoon with “Future Stars Friday,” where the sport’s stars of tomorrow compete in five Juvenile (two-year-old) races as the warm-up. Keep an eye on Immersive, the Juvenile Fillies winner for trainer Brad Cox. It was Cox’s seventh straight Breeders’ with a win.

In 48 hours, the Breeders’ crown 14 World Champions across different surfaces and divisions, including the season-defining $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, won by Sierra Leone, the No. 2 finisher in May’s Kentucky Derby.

EDITOR’S NOTE: There were two sudden thoroughbred deaths from cardiac events as they raced or trained this week. On Tuesday (Oct 29) at Santa Anita, Practical Move, a horse training for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, died of a cardiac event after a morning gallop. … On Saturday, 3-year old French colt, Jayarebe, finished seventh in the field of 13 for the 1 ½-mile, $5 million Breeders’ Cup Turf race, which was won by Rebel’s Romance. Trained by Irish native Brian Meehan, Jayarebe was making his sixth start of the year and eighth of his career. He had won four times. “He was immediately attended to by a team of veterinary experts led by Dr. Brent Cassady, but unfortunately passed away,” said Dr. Al Ruggles, the on-call veterinarian for American Equine Racing Practitioners.

Mookie Betts (holding trophy) – (Getty Images)

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Just in case you didn’t notice, former Red Sox All-Star Mookie Betts had the World Series winning RBI when his new team, the LA Dodgers, disposed of the New York Yankees Wednesday night in New York. The Series ended in LA’s favor a night after a moron, otherwise identified as a Branford, Connecticut man, ripped a ball out of Betts’ mitt but was later tossed out of Yankee Stadium to the streets of the Bronx for the act. The umps properly ruled the play as an out and the so-called fan was banned for Game 5.

THE NBA in MEXICO CITY: The NBA staged another Mexico City Game on Saturday night (9:30pm ET), featuring the Miami Heat and Washington Wizards in concert with a lengthy roster of marketing sponsors. The sponsor line-up included presenting partner Michelob Ultra, and associate partners 2K, AT&T, Azteca, Banco, Betcris, Elektra, Emirates, Hennessy, Hisense, Mercado Libre, Nike, PlayStation, Pepsi, Tissot, TotalPlay, Visit Washington and Wilson. … It was the 33rd time the NBA played a game (preseason or regular season) in Mexico with most games in Mexico City and a few in Monterey.

GET JACKED: The Boston Bruins and their broadcast partner NESN (co-owned by the Red Sox and Bruins) will celebrate former play-by-play announcer Jack Edwards’ career at the mic on Sunday, November 3. The honors will include in-arena and NESN’s features on the game broadcast as the Bs take on the Seattle Kraken at TD Garden at 5:00pm (ET).

“Jack has been an integral part of the Bruins organization for many years,” said Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs. “His passion for the game and deep connection with our fans elevated the experience of Bruins hockey.”

“Jack’s career as the voice of the Bruins on NESN has been nothing short of extraordinary,” said Matt Volk, COO of NESN. “For nearly two decades, he brought an unmistakable energy and passion to every game, making each moment memorable for fans across New England. We thank Jack for his exceptional contributions and the impact he’s had during his time with us at NESN, and we are thrilled to be able to do so tonight with such a special celebration at TD Garden and on NESN.”

The team will commemorate Edwards’ storied career and lasting impact on the organization with a special pregame presentation. Sunday’s game will also feature special Jack Edwards-themed contests and entertainment in the arena while Jack Edwards t-shirts and commemorative hockey pucks will be on sale in the team store.

BOB COSTAS: After a 44-year stint as one of baseball’s all-time greats, veteran broadcaster Bob Costas announced his retirement from play-by-play broadcasting of games. He will still be involved in various broadcasts, studio shows and general coverage of the game and other sports. Costas will appear on MLB Network’s MLB Tonight Monday at 6:00pm (ET) to discuss his decision. Costas was the recipient of the 2018 Ford C. Frick Award, recognized by the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a legend of the game.

NHL VALUATIONS AND CLUB $ INCREASES: It’s been a while since we’ve passed along a few notes on NHL valuations, reported by friends of WWYI from Sportico. The recent numbers are quite impressive, although still at the bottom of the four major North American team sports.

Sportico did the entire league, of course, and highlighted the Top 10 NHL franchises, in terms of value as of 2024. Here’s the Top 5, the usual characters:

  1. Toronto Maple Leafs – $3.6 billion
  2. New York Rangers – $3.25b
  3. Montreal Canadiens – $2.93b
  4. Boston Bruins – $2.67b
  5. Los Angeles Kings – $2.5b

In terms of franchise value increase this past year, there’s a surprising list of clubs rising in the ranks:

  1. Utah Hockey Club – +193%
  2. Florida Panthers – +140%
  3. Carolina Hurricanes – +137%
  4. New Jersey Devils – +127%
  5. Tampa Bay Lightening – +124%

While the average NHL franchise value is now $1.7 billion, Commissioner Gary Bettman estimates an expansion club would fetch more. “Whether it is $2 billion or $2.5 billion or $2.7 billion, I think that is the range I believe the owners would want to be in if we were going to consider expansion,” said Bettman to The Hockey News earlier this year. … Of course, Bettman’s main focus among franchise issues is the settling of the Utah Hockey Club which just relocated from Arizona and the Ottawa Senators, a franchise struggling in the national capital of Canada.

TIDBITS: There are some serious NFL coaches ready for induction at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the years to come. This year, the Pro Coach Blue-Ribbon Committee narrowed a list of 14 candidates to these semifinalists: Bill Arnsparger, Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Chuck Knox, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer, George Seifert, Mike Shanahan and Clark Shaughnessy. All but Arnsparger, Knox and Seifert reached the semifinalist stage in 2023.

RETIRING, BUT NOT TODAY: The 2024 NWSL regular season is coming to a close this weekend. “Betcha” didn’t know Christine Sinclair will be the biggest storyline, as the 41-year-old veteran will retire after her final game – whenever it comes. Sinclair has spent her whole NWSL career with the Portland Thorns and is one of the all-time greats of the women’s game, maybe the very best. With 190 goals for Team Canada, she is the most prolific international goal scorer in history, female or male. For Portland, she’s netted 66 goals in 199 regular-season appearances and is one of just three active players to have spent her entire NWSL career with the same club. On Friday night, she scored in the first half of Portland’s 3-0 victory over Angel City FC as the win allowed the Thorns to qualify for the NWSL playoffs. Sinclair received a standing ovation as she was subbed out in the 83rd minute, replaced by Meghan Klingenberg.

RATINGS GAME: The Los Angeles Dodgers clinched their eighth World Series title by defeating the New York Yankees in Game 5 this week and the TV numbers capped an amazing postseason for MLB. Game 5 attracted 18.6 million viewers across multiple FOX platforms. It marked the most-watched Game 5 in seven years and the most-viewed World Series game since 2019. Overall, the series averaged 15.8 million viewers, a 74% increase year-over-year from 2023.

SPORTS BIZ: Moonshot, one of the fastest growing companies in the national security industry, and CTH Advisors, an investment banking and advisory firm specializing in sports, media and entertainment, have announced a strategic partnership to combat the rising digital threats in the sports industry. … Moonshot secured over $20 million in government contracts to protect schools, national infrastructure, and public figures from terrorism. This initiative will leverage that technology to deliver best-in-class national security solutions to elite athletes, officials, and sports organizations. … Moonshot’s technology is already being used by major sports institutions, including the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Moonshot is responsible for protecting all Team USA athletes from online threats on behalf of USOPC. … As digital threats become more sophisticated, from AI-generated deepfakes to coordinated doxxing (the act of publicly providing personally identifiable information about an individual or organization, usually via the Internet and without their consent), the sports industry is increasingly vulnerable to both physical harm and threats to an athlete’s reputation. One in five players at major international sporting events, such as the Women’s World Cup, experiences significant online abuse​. Female athletes face disproportionate volumes of online threats, much like the national security space where Moonshot has found that 92% of women in public life experience bullying and abuse online.

Note: To receive the Notes column on Saturday nights at 10:00pm ET, please see: While We’re Young (Ideas)

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Oct 27

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“Walking on the sidewalk, roundball under my arm

Everybody knows how you play is who you are,

Walking down the road, looking for a game or two

The real moves come through, no matter what they’re gonna do

It’s down to you.”

“Take me to the old playground

Where the old ones rule, and the young ones do their time

Take me to the old playground

Where the talk is cheap

And the restless stalk the baseline.”

“The old sage frowns, he says just pass it on around

But all-world junior’s pulling up from downtown

For some it’s a way out, for some it’s a way in

Most of us don’t even care

We’re just looking for another gym to get in.”

“Take me to the old playground

Where the old ones rule, and the young ones do their time

Take me to the old playground

Where some play from dreams

And the rest just play for pride …

The old man said stop running with those boys

But they know what to do and their folks don’t mind the noise

Say hey now, everybody’s gonna get along

Just call your own foul when you break the rules

If you make it, take it, so make your move.”

– Music and lyrics by Bruce Hornsby, John Hornsby

By TERRY LYONS, Editor in Chief of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – The great Bruce Hornsby burst on to the rock scene in 1986 with his hit song, “Just the Way It Is,“ which paved his way to a GRAMMY Award for Best New Artist of ‘86 and a solid new “Virginia Sound,” combining rock, jazz and bluegrass all into one. Hornsby wrote a few other incredible songs, including Mandolin Rain in 1986, Jacob’s Ladder (for Huey Lewis and the News) in 1987, End of the Innocence (for Don Henley) in 1989 and one of my all-time favorites – The Old Playground – in 1990.

Around or about 1989 or 1990, I had the great fortune to meet Hornsby and his band and witness a dozen shows from his concert right at St. John’s University to shows at the Westbury Music Fair to summer tours at Jones Beach and one memorable concert in Philadelphia with Don Stirling, he of “The School of Rock,” and outposts such as the Golden State Warriors, NBA Properties, Mitt Romney’s Governor of Massachusetts’ office for sports, and later the Utah Jazz senior staff. We reminisced and recalled every detail of that Philly show just two or three weeks ago when a number of former NBAers met in Chicago.

Embed from Getty Images

While running my first NBA All-Star event for our Communications department, I had little time to chit-chat as the specific events unfolded, but the foundation of the Lyons-Hornsby relationship was solidified at the 1991 All-Star Weekend in Charlotte when Hornsby and Branford Marsalis combined for one of the most beautiful and meaningful National Anthem performances of our time. At that event (just a week or two after the Gulf War broke out), the challenge was getting Bruce’s BALDWIN grand piano onto the basketball court without putting a divot into the hardwood. And, as I recall, the bigger challenge was removing the piano in the two minutes we had after the anthem was completed. (I still thank many of the still photographers who went out of their way to help us get that done right in the middle of their own courtside set-ups.

Fast forward a number of years to the 2000 NBA Finals, and we snuck a small tip cup/glass onto Bruce’s piano just before he did his sound check at the Pacers’ Field House in Indianapolis. Hornsby was invited to perform by his fellow pianist and Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle. After Bruce played an impeccable “practice” National anthem a couple hours before tip-off, we tucked a couple $1 bills into the cup and made a request which – of course – he played just a few bars of as we all laughed.

One other day, years later, when UNC-Asheville played at Northeastern, Bruce’s son, Keith, was lighting up the Huskies at Matthews Arena in Boston and I was able to snap a halfway decent still photo and I e-mailed it to Keith’s Dad in real time. Bruce was astonished and ever appreciative that I thought of him.

Over the years, there were many a meet-up, including backstage at Madison Square Garden for a Grateful Dead show, a few solo shows in New York City and Boston, and one night, in particular, when I left him a simple email at about 6:00pm for an 8:00pm show, simply to say I had purchased great seats and would be in the audience, figuring he’d read my message a day or two later.

Of course, Bruce replied to the email in 10 minutes and said there’d be backstage passes awaiting. He had a number of meet-and-greet obligations after the show and I stood aside, figuring I’d just say thanks, congratulate him on an amazing show and be on my way.

Nope!

Bruce wanted to review some basketball highlight tapes of Keith and we went into a back dressing room where he brought out his laptop. Keith had transferred from UNC-Asheville to LSU where he slid over to the “2” guard spot to accomodate Ben Simmons playing the point. Keith improved his three-point field goal shooting and avaeraged about 13 points a game, good enough to get looks at Portland and Dallas, where he later signed on to play for the Texas Legends, the Mavs’ G-League squad.

Keith played in Poland, Germany and then moved up the European ladder to play in France and Lithuania before settling in with Bilbao Basket (Spain) in the highly competitive ACB.

Rightfully so, Bruce was quite proud of his son, Keith, but was always hoping for that NBA break.

It never came and Bruce and Keith played on.

PLAYING DEAD: There’s a pretty good Grateful Dead cover band that tours around, and they’re called “Playing Dead.” I’ve heard they’re pretty good but haven’t had the chance to see them perform. … The problem and reality we’re all facing is the fact that two of the original members of the real Dead are now playing dead. Yes, another member of the original band, Phil Lesh, passed away this week. In a prominent obituary, The New York Times wrote, “Key to the dynamic of the Grateful Dead was the way Mr. Lesh used the bass to provide ever-shifting counterpoints to the dancing lines of the lead guitarist Jerry Garcia, the curt riffs of the rhythm guitarist Bob Weir, the bold rhythms of the drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, and, in the band’s first eight years, the warm organ work of Ron McKernan, known as Pigpen. … Lesh joins Garcia in the afterlife, and you can only pray, they’re writing new music for a legion of fans, including our bud, Ramrod (Larry Shurtliff), the president of the incorporated band, and his wife, Francis, both frequent guests at the NBA All-Star Game and an occasional Finals. Ramrod passed away in 2006 at the young age of 61. Everyone who ever met him misses him (and Francis) greatly.

Embed from Getty Images

Now, we return to 99.9% sports notes.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The 2024 World Series began with an “Instant Classic” on Friday night when Dodgers 1B Freddie Freeman hit a game-winning, extra innings grand slam home run. Trailing the NY Yankees 3-2 in the bottom of the 10th inning, a hobbled Freeman came to bat, reminding many of the 1988 feat by Kirk Gibson against the Oakland A’s. There were even side-by-side comparisons posted to social media outlets.

Game 2 is underway as WWYI is being posted and then, the Series will continue with Games 3, 4, and (if necessary) 5 in the Bronx. … As in the past, our friends at Strat-O-Matic have crunched the numbers and run the computer simulations for the Series.

The result?

The LA Dodgers bested the NY Yankees in a seven-game series (the same number of games this and many other pundits are predicting this year).

In the StratO-Matic simulation of the decisive Game 7, Teoscar Hernandez’s single plated Series MVP Mookie Betts with the go-ahead run that gave L.A. a 2-1 edge. The hosts would add another in the bottom of the sixth on a solo home run by Dodgers catcher Will Smith, and on a bullpen day, pitcher Blake Treinen tossed two perfect innings, fanning four, as the last of eight Los Angeles pitchers in the game. Treinen registered his third save of the series.

Los Angeles rallied from a 3-1 series deficit, getting five-inning starts from SPs Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Games Five and Six to send it to the winner-take-all contest in L.A.

Betts hit .370 in the seven games with a home run and seven RBI. In the battle between probable league MVPs, New York’s Aaron Judge (.346, two home runs, three RBI) and Shohei Ohtani (.231, two HR, six RBI) were fairly even, while Giancarlo Stanton had three home runs and drove in six in the series.

TIDBITS: The Westchester Knicks selected Matt Ryan (6-6, 215, Tennessee-Chattanooga) with the first overall pick in the 2024 NBA G League Draft, which was held Saturday, Oct. 26. The Knicks also selected six-year NBA veteran Landry Shamet (6-4, 190, Wichita State) with the second overall pick, while the Cleveland Charge took Sean East II (6-3, 180, Missouri) with the third pick. … Boston’s affiliate, the Maine Celtics, (once known as the Red Claws) selected Eric Gaines, a 6-2, 23-year old rookie guard. Gaines, a former LSU (Louisiana State) and UAB (Alabama-Birmingham) collegiate player, was the ninth overall selection in the G League Draft.

In pro golf circles, there are significant rumors and multiple reports that legend Greg Norman is set to be replaced as LIV Golf’s CEO, with the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund actively looking for a replacement for the Australian tour star.

The two-time major championship winner, age 69, has been the most vocal figure and ambassador for the controversial breakaway LIV Golf since its formation in 2022. Reports note Norman will stay within LIV even after his replacement is hired. According to Sports Business Journal, Norman will simply be moved into another role as his replacement is sought. … Norman was named CEO of LIV Investments in October of 2021 in a 10-year deal that reportedly pays him $50m a year.

SPORTS BIZ: In the “can’t make it up category” also known as “Sign of the Apocalypse,” as once penned by Sports Illustrated’s Jack McCallum, this came across the sports wire on Thursday: The National Basketball Association and Wingstop announced a multiyear partnership making Wingstop the Official Chicken Partner of the NBA and NBA G League. The agreement marks Wingstop’s first official partnership with a major U.S. professional sports league. … The “chicken partner” is traded on NASDAQ. No word on a pork partner.

NBA PREDICTIONS: I usually await the 10-game mark before making any predictions, looking for some early season trends and observing the various new combos (Klay Thompson at Dallas should work) or injuries/return from injuries (Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis won’t be back until Decemberish). This year? What the heck, not all that much is going to change between two games and 10 games.

Here’s the scoop, and it’s nothing you haven’t seen elsewhere:

Eastern Conference:

  1. Boston Celtics
  2. Milwaukee Bucks
  3. New York Knicks
  4. Philadelphia 76ers
  5. Cleveland Cavaliers
  6. Indiana Pacers
  7. Orlando Magic
  8. Atlanta Hawks

Boston over Milwaukee in the ECF.

Western Conference:

  1. Oklahoma City Thunder
  2. Denver Nuggets
  3. Dallas Mavericks
  4. New Orleans Pelicans
  5. Phoenix Suns
  6. LA Clippers
  7. Memphis Grizzlies

Denver over OKC in the WCF.

Boston over Denver in the 2025 NBA Finals (unless Porzingis is OUT).

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Rocktober

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Rocktober’s Best Touring Group is the Tedeschi Trucks Band (Photo by T. Peter Lyons/DSD)

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

BOSTON – The month of October just R-O-C-K-S. It always has rocked and I think it always will rock.

Most of the early rockin’ was done in the late ‘70s when AOR (album oriented rock) radio began with the likes of WPLJ-FM in NYC, KLOS in Los Angeles, the great KGB-FM in San Diego, WRIF-Radio in Detroit among many others all stations that left the 2-minute max-length sounds of the 1960s and delved into the lengthy music of Deep Purple, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Led Zeppelin – all playing six+ minute epics.

One station, WMNX in Minneapolis, is on record for the first to utilize the term “Rocktober.” Alex Tarpley, the former program manager of WMNX, Minneapolis, was the lead petitioner for “Rocktober,” which meant it would be nationally recognized and a law of the land to have the month of October so named by licensed radio stations.

By the mid-80s, Congress was working on – what else? – Immigration law. But within, came a proclaimation, written on November 6, 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), known as the Simpson-Mazzoli Act, into law. In addition to requiring employers to attest to their employees’ immigration status and making it illegal to knowingly hire illegal immigrants, the bill included in section 45, ii 99–603, paragraph 19, an un-related rider requiring all Classic Rock-format radio stations to observe Rocktober by using the official Rocktober voiceover when leading into a music segment, or “block,” or face fines of up to $5,000 a day.

“It was the Wild West, man,” said Tarpley. “We were out of our minds. WMNX was total madness. I had guys getting the Led out at 8 in the morning. I was first on that, by the way. This was the morning drive time and we’re getting the Led out. Unreal.”

Bob Donaldson, DJ, aka “Dodgy Bob from England”of WMNX, and later KSQY of San Diego noted the music being played became all about a block of music, rather than one song at a time, followed by commercial spots or banter.

“For me,” said Donaldson in his put-on English accent imitating Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers, “everything became about the block. “Life in the Fast Lane” backed with “Hotel California,” “Purple Haze” backed with “All Along the Watchtower,” “Stairway to Heaven” backed with “Kashmir.”

Darrel Schmidt, the station manager at WMNX noted, to freelancer Kevin Depew, “First time I heard a block I was livid,” said Schmidt. “Did I just hear two songs in a row by the same artist? What in the hell is going on?”

The rest was history for what is now called “Classic Rock Music,” but intertwined within the Rocktober moniker were people like New York Yankees superstar Reggie Jackson, a.k.a. “Mr. October.”

Thus, the stars aligned on an everlasting October sports scene of NFL football, College football, MLB Post Season and the World Series, together with the start of the NBA and NHL. It became a collision of great rock music and great sports. All in one month.

Nowadays, even the WNBA is as cool as it gets and right on the rockin’ theme as the WNBA Finals – once staged Labor Day weekend – is playing its decisive fifth game Sunday evening at 8pm (ET) on ESPN, going up against NBC’s Sunday Night Football match-up of the New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers (8:20pm ET).

Long live, Rocktober.

a large white building with lights on it's sides
Photo by Tim Thorn on Unsplash

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The head coach of the University of Virginia, Tony Bennett, packed it in this week. The reports first stated his sudden departure “was not health related.” But, deep down, maybe it was? … Bennett, one of the highly respected and very successful NCAA I head basketball coaches, explained to the masses that his decision was directly tied to the state of the game in 2024. “The hardest thing to say is when I looked at myself and I realized I’m no longer the best coach to lead this program in this current environment,” explained Bennett at a press conference. “If you’re going to do it, you gotta be all-in. If you do it half-hearted, it’s not fair to the university and those young men. So in looking at it, that’s what made me step down. I think it’s right for student-athletes to receive revenue. … “Please don’t mistake me,” he said Friday. “The game and college athletics is not in a healthy spot. It’s not. And there needs to be change, and it’s not going to go back. I think I was equipped to do the job here the old way. That’s who I am. … “It’s going to be closer to a professional model. There’s got to be collective bargaining. There has to be a restriction on the salary pool. There has to be transfer regulation restrictions. There has to be some limits on the agent involvement to these young guys. … And I worry a lot about the mental health of the student-athletes as all this stuff comes down.” … He’s 100% correct, says WWYI, but maybe his decision was health related? Maybe we all need to worry about the mental health of the college basketball coaches? … The saying is something like, “You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube.” … It’s time for college coaches to recognize the fact they need a right hand to manage all the business BS that comes with the massive shift in college sports. The coach needs to give up the ‘full control’ militaristic approach and have a Basketball GM oversee everything that doesn’t cross between the four lines. ADs (who often think they can be the GM of a big time college basketball team but can’t because they need to dedicate their time across every sport – male and female) need to help hire that right hand for the head basketball coach. Colleges have pushed back against a “pro approach” for decades, trying to pretend it was an amateur sport, but once that March Madness () contract kicked in years ago, it quickly became a pro sport. FedEx envelopes delivered under the table are no longer in play. N.I.L. means “Now It’s Legal” and bright, creative sports business minds need to work together with their AD/Coach/Program to create an environment for the team to WIN. It’s hard. It’s different, but it’s not that difficult.

TID-BITS: It’s October 20, and there’s eleven days until Halloween. But today, there’s been (at least) two full-fledged Christmas promotions. Seen by WWYI on the morning of October 19, yes, a “Countdown to Christmas” promo for The Hallmark Channel. … Then, buried in this morning’s email was a Pottery Barn Kids Guide to its Holiday Shop. “See our latest festive collections, including exclusive styles from top designers and accents featuring fan-favorite characters,” said the missive, complete with Disney Mickey Mouse Christmas gifts and The Grinch, too. … WWYI calls “Foul,” and recommends to all marketers to – at least – wait until November. … In our joint, it’s officially Christmas season when Santa shows up at MACYS in Herald Square (NYC) the traditional end of the Thanksgiving Day Parade. … Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy made very few friends in the Gaston family when he referred to team owner Don Gaston’s son, Paul, as “Thanks Dad” when the younger Gaston took over the franchise. Now, it might be “Thanks Bro,” as the Globe is reporting that Mark Bezos, founding partner of HighPost Capital private equity group and half-brother of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is expressing interest in purchasing the club, according to an unnamed industry source. In addition, current Celtics limited partner Robert Hale, high on Forbes’ list of the wealthiest of Americans, said Friday he has “keen interest” in making a bid for the team, now that managing partner Wyc Grousbeck indicated the Celtics are up for sale. … The iconic NBA franchise could fetch a record $6 billion on the open market.

NEW NETWORK: Directly from a FanDuel media news release, Diamond Sports Group and FanDuel announced an agreement on a broad, long-term commercial partnership, including:

  • Exclusive right to name Diamond’s 16 regional sports networks and Diamond’s digital offerings, including the direct to consumer product, as FanDuel Sports Network
  • Linear and digital media placement and integration opportunities across all live NBA, NHL and MLB games on FanDuel Sports Network
  • Shared commitment to explore a unified direct-to-consumer app experience with the ability to syndicate FanDuel TV programming across FanDuel Sports Network, including studio programming like “Up & Adams,” “Run It Back” and FanDuel TV’s live rights programming
  • FanDuel to have reseller designation for Diamond’s direct-to-consumer product; and additional economic and equity elements.

David Preschlack, CEO of Diamond, stated: “Collaborating with FanDuel provides a tremendous pathway for Diamond to elevate the fan experience and deepen the incremental value we provide for our team, league and distribution partners. This partnership reinforces opportunities to further strengthen the close connection our RSNs have with local fans, including enhancing our direct-to-consumer offering for a growing digital audience. In the meantime, having finalized agreements with the NBA, NHL and our key distributors, we remain focused on moving our business forward and driving value for our team partners and our stakeholders.”

Mike Raffensperger, President, Sports, FanDuel, stated: “Partnering with Diamond provides us an opportunity to put the FanDuel brand at the intersection of the nation’s largest group of regional sports networks. A large cohort of FanDuel customers are devoted RSN viewers and this agreement allows us to further cement the FanDuel brand with sports fans and provides a unique vehicle to reward our users.”

On October 21, the (previously named) Bally Sports RSNs will officially be renamed under the FanDuel Sports Network brand with corresponding regional monikers. Diamond Sports Group‘s 16 owned and operated RSNs will include: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit, FanDuel Sports Network Florida, FanDuel Sports Network Great Lakes, FanDuel Sports Network Kansas City, FanDuel Sports Network Indiana, FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, FanDuel Sports Network North, FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, FanDuel Sports Network Oklahoma, FanDuel Sports Network SoCal, FanDuel Sports Network South, FanDuel Sports Network Southeast, FanDuel Sports Network Southwest, FanDuel Sports Network Sun, FanDuel Sports Network West, and FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin.

POWER RANKINGS: It’s past the quarter pole of the NFL regular season and things are shaking out and shaping up. The first observation, stealing just another front page headline from years of the same old story, same old lies – SAME OLD J-E-T-S, is the fact the New York (Jersey) Jets were the first NFL team this season to fire their head coach. While WWYI won’t subject you to the days of Rex Ryan, a look at the last few hirings for the Jets provide the following gems:

  • 2015-18 – Todd Bowles (24-40 .375)
  • 2019-2020 – Adam Case (9-23 .281)
  • 2021-2024 – Robert Saleh (20-36 .357)
  • 2024- ? – Jeff Ulbrich (0-1 .000)

The Jets are conducting a search for their next head coach and former New England head coach and NFL legend Bill Belichick’s name . Might the next coach come from a group of coaches most likely to see the ax, according to Vegas odds?

  • Doug Pederson Jacksonville Jaguars -140
  • Mike McCarthy Dallas Cowboys +400
  • Kevin Stefanski Cleveland Browns +550
  • Antonio Pierce Las Vegas Raiders +600
  • Zac Taylor Cincinnati Bengals +900
  • Dennis Allen. New Orleans +1600
  • Nick Sirianni Philadelphia Eagles +1800
  • Brian Daboll New York Giants +2000

It’s ON to the NFL POWER RATINGS: Here’s one man’s P.O.V. less than halfway through the NFL regular season:

AFC:

  1. Kansas City
  2. Baltimore
  3. Houston
  4. Buffalo
  5. Pittsburgh
  6. Denver

NFC:

  1. Minnesota
  2. San Fran
  3. Detroit
  4. Atlanta
  5. Washington
  6. Chicago

ROCKTOBER POWER RANKINGS FOR THE 1ST CFB PLAYOFFS: Again, just one man’s P.O.V. and still very early in the college football season:

  1. Ohio State
  2. Georgia
  3. Oregon
  4. Miami
  5. Alabama
  6. Notre Dame
  7. Penn State
  8. Ole Miss
  9. Tennessee
  10. Texas
  11. Clemson
  12. Indiana

THREADING THE NEEDLE: There’s nothing prettier in sports than an NHL defenseman beating two quick-skating, checking forwards by threading the needle with a pass that sends one of his wingers in on a breakaway to score a goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Well, the FE Apparel Company, together with the NHL Players and our friends at Getty Images is threading the needle in another fashion by creating a limited edition set of NHL custom jackets and hoodies. In this day of sustainability, FE Apparel creates their garments with 100% recycled material – not used plastic Coke bottles but recycled yarn – which is designed for durability. Many of the images on the garments depict the iconic designs of NHL goalkeepers’ masks. Bill Chang, CEO of FE Apparel Co. oversees the new brand and asks his growing number of customers to tag the company – @feapparelco – to spread the news and styles. NHL Rangers fans can visit the FE showroom next to Madison Square Garden.

TL’s Sports Notes | Oct 13

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While We’re Young (Ideas) | At Columbia’s Sports Mgmt Conference

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

MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS – Columbia University in New York City was established in 1897 upon completion of the historic Low Memorial Library and 14 other buildings which would make up the campus. The area of Manhattan – the Upper West Side, Riverside – were the Academic Acropolis of New York as Barnard College, Teacher’s College and later the Union Theological Seminary were all established as the 20th Century began and Manhattan expanded to the north.

In 1999, the Alfred Lerner Hall Student Center opened at Columbia. Within the structure is the Roone Arledge Auditorium, dedicated on April 25, 2000 to the Forest Hills born, Columbia Journalism School educated modern day father of sports television production. Among many pioneering accomplishments, Arledge personally produced 10 Olympic Games for ABC Sports, created the game-changing primetime sports property of Monday Night Football and is believed to be the man behind the iconic Wide World of Sports phrase, “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.”

The Arledge Center was the fitting venue for the 2024 Columbia University Sports Management Conference, a full-day seminar held earlier this week, and created, hosted by the administrators, faculty and students of Columbia’s School of Professional Studies’ Sports Management Program, a magnificent graduate degree level academic offering by one of America’s finest institutions.

Digital Sports Desk was invited to attend the seminar.

Among the highlights was a 30-minute discussion with former CBS Sports president Neal Pilson which was led by BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman. Pilsen and Ackerman co-taught a course in “Leadership” in the two or three years between Ackerman’s service as the President of the WNBA and her role with the BIG EAST. Pilson led CBS Sports to the heights of sports television during the “Brent Musburger years,” a time when CBS Sports supplanted ABC Sports as the home of the NBA and before CBS gave way to Arledge protégé Dick Ebersol took NBC Sports to the mountaintop of sports with their coverage of every Olympic Games and the MichaelJordan years of the NBA on NBC.

Although the full agenda deserves your look-see, the highlight of the day was a Q&A conducted with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, hosted by the program’s leader, Scott Rosner who came off the bench to relieve his sports law Professor Joel Litvin who was President of the NBA’s League Operations before he stepped down in 2015. (Get Well Soon to my School of Rock colleague, Joel).

Here’s a good chunk of the Q&A and its presented word for word so you can decide your own conclusions on the various issues surfaced by Rosner. (Some editing has been done for brevity).

Rosner first asked Silver about the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, the limitations to teams above the salary cap, paying luxury tax and on the “second apron” and the possibility the system will stop dynasties – “We’ve had six different champions over the last six seasons, so I would say that in terms of parity and competitive balance, that’s positive. Putting aside the details of the so-called ‘second apron’ system, the goal is for all teams to have ‘an equal number of chips’ so that every team, regardless of the market size, regardless of how deep the (team) owner’s pockets are, is in a position to compete (and to run a sustainable business).

“The theory is – and its not a perfect correlation in any sport between spending and success on the field/on the court. For instance, in Baseball, the system is not as ‘hard’ but for teams here in New York (spending) does not promise you’ll be successful but it definitely correlates, there’s no question about that. So, the goal of the so-called (NBA) apron is to push down high end spending, that’s no secret. To go to the second part (of Rosner’s question), yes, you can spend more and that will correlate with more success on the court, and I guess the implication is that it could potentially reduce the number of dynasties you have. But, on the other side of the coin, flip to another sport – the NFL which has the ‘hardest’ system, the hardest of any sport, and it hasn’t stopped any dynasties (editorial comment: think New England and the KC Chiefs). In the NBA, I look to a team like the San Antonio Spurs, I think they won four championships in 10 years, spending within reason. Ultimately, for the best General Managers, the best managed teams in our league, they would say, ‘as long as there’s a level playing field, we believe in ourselves. We believe that we’ll be able to compete for a championship. For fans, the goal is not to stop dynasties, but a dynasty that’s created by drafting well, potentially trading well, is very different than a dynasty that’s created by virtue of a team having an unlimited amount of spending power. In that case, what we’ve seen from our fans, even fans who don’t care about ‘that’ team (the club spending), there’s more respect for the competition when the team is built through hard work as opposed to excessive spending.

“In terms of our economic system, ‘we’ve set-out to convince the players – through collective bargaining – that a more competitive system will drive more fan interest and drive more revenue for the entire league.’

“We’re at a point this season, that the average NBA players salary is $11 million. So, if I were representing the players, on one hand you don’t want to see the restrictions, but if you look at the aggregate benefit of a system like this, it’s clearly working by not just generating the $50 million highest level salaries but in a league of 450 players, two-way contracts and all, but an average salary of $11 million is quite spectacular.”

(On team/franchise value) – Rosner noted, media estimates have the average NBA team worth $4 billion – assets don’t increase forever, is it possible we’re seeing a bubble in team value?

Silver: “I have to be careful (to predict future valuations), so my personal view is, if you look at where Forbes or Sportico rates the value of our teams, compared to how they trade, I would say – believe it or not – $4 billion by average under-estimates/under-states the value of our teams.

“There’s probably a lot of economists or people studying economics here, I’m not sure what the precise definition of a bubble is, but when I look, for example, the last 10 years when we’ve experienced avaerage growth of 15-20% a year, it doesn’t seem as though there’s any indicia of a bubble. I also look at the fundamentals of our league, the recent television/media deal we just entered into which is 11 years of guaranteed income. Now, something could always happen to those companies but they’re the most – Disney, Amazon, Comcast – they’re essentially the most blue chip companies – longterm, with collective bargaining. It doesn’t mean there aren’t black swans out there, with things happening in the world. To me, on a spectrum on what could look ‘bubble-like’ and, on the other end of the spectrum, what would look fairly conservative, it would seem to be very solid growth and a solid investment to me.

“One of the private investment (team) owners recently said in a meeting, this is becoming its own asset class, something my predecessor – David Stern – would be pleased to hear because he used to bemoan, in the old days, the major banks really didn;t even have a sports desk, so to say. They didn’t cover us as an industry sector. He viewed sports as a $2-to-$3 trillion dollar asset class.

“Historically, what drove investments in sports teams were the fundamentals, but if you think of them as a rarity, there was an aspect – compared to art – a scarcity value and also a desire for someone to get all the benefits that come from notoriety – the psychic premium of being a sports team owner.

“What you’re now seeing – institutions are now investing in sports teams, in many cases in a very passive way with no rights whatsoever, it would be difficult to assign those same psychic benefits for those investments. So, when you start looking at it as an investment class, they’re looking at the same fundamentals we talked about, as a stand-alone investment, especially one where you might look at a portfolio, looking at things that may trade contrary to the public markets, it (franchise ownership) becomes an important diversifier.”

“I think part of the reason that these assets are so valuable is because of how conservative we are in terms – for example, the amount of debt we allow on our teams – a small percentage based on the franchise value. And, how we insist the teams be governed. Part of what makes these teams so valuable is the trust someone has in investing hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars in them. If you allow institutional ownership and maybe those institutions weren’t attached to the franchise as much as (individual) owners or families are, didn’t bring the same passion for it. In general, people are generally fans of the teams and the players and they appreciate what the league is doing, but ultimately, they’re deep support comes on the local level for a specific team. It may be that using institutions over time, may not bring the same result.

We’ve made changes along the way. Some of it got accelerated during the pandemic. For example, we opened up our equity investment opportunities to fund in the middle of the pandemic, as much out of the need. There was concern, at that point it was 2020 and the league was shut down and nobody knows if it’s going to be a year, two years, five years, and (there were) cash needs for the teams. We then opened it up to sovereign wealth funds, as well. It seems to be working right now in terms of minority/passive ownership. It’s a high class problem, because if you have these assets and they’re growing at the rate they are, at some point, we’re going to run out of individuals – wealthy individuals who can cut those types of checks. To compound the issue, there’s all these other benefits you get by being the principal owner, the main, governing owner of the team.

In the – not-so-old days – when you wanted to fill your cap table, so you could borrow a certain amount of money – before we had private equity or sovereign wealth – you could go out to other individuals and say, ‘I’m not in a position to run the team or I can’t because of the time commitment’ and a fairly wealthy individual could put in $20 million or even $50 million. Well, it becomes much harder as the teams go up in value. Think about it, if a team is worth $4 billion or $6 billion, and you can make a $1 billion investment, there’s still $5 billion you have to fill to buy that team. So, you have the institutional investments, but it’s that middle tier that becomes much harder to fill. It will cause us to keep looking at it.”

Rosner: (On international efforts in UAE, but you haven’t played a game in China since 2019, and that inlcudes the time during the pandemic), what’s the strategy? Is it about revenue? Is it about exposure, fan development, talent development? Is it all of those things)?

Silver: The short answer is ‘all of those things, and I’ll expand on it.’

“I’ll start with Africa. This number is mind boggling. We’re at a point where 10% of the players in the NBA, were either born in Africa or one of their parents was born in Africa. We’re seeing enormous growth in terms of player development. Before me, David Stern began programs there, like Basketball Without Borders and we’ve increased it fairly substantially, creating academies, clinics, bringing players over when we play exhibitions in the summer. So, there’s the basketball development but there’s also a business there. We created the BAL, (Basketball Africa League), really a league of existing clubs. It’s an investment right now, but we see an opportunity in the rest of the world just like the United States. Many of the countries are realizing that arena infrastructure can lead to enormous economic development. That’s the arena business not the stadium. If you think of Madison Square Garden in New York, you have the Knicks and the Rangers (NHL) but there are other nights for concerts and other activities. The arenas are these ‘Palaces of Entertainment.’ Many of the leaders of the African countries see the same opportunity.

“Also, as a media matter, as smart phone availability continues to grow. In Africa, roughly 1.2 billion people in 55 countries, and the last I read there’s 500 million smart phones have been delivered in those countries. Ultimately, it’s a media business. and as we travel to these cities it’s a media opportunity, as well.

“China – I think we will bring games back to China at some point. We had a well known incident there, pre-pandemic, with a tweet. China’s government took us off the air for a period of time. We accepted that and we stood by our values. We said ‘this is who we are.’ In that case, it was a general manager (Daryl Morey), or a player or anyone in our league has a right to speak out on matters. That was our red line and we continue to do that. We ended up back on. the air over a year later and we’re continuing to develop the game there.

“I would say the same for the Gulf region. We’ve played games in Abu Dhabi for the last three years. Basketball is the No. 2 sport after soccer. They have a State of the Art arena. It’s where our Olympic team played two games there before they went on to Paris. By the way, another New York school – NYU – has a beautiful campus there. There’s a branch of The Louvre, the Guggenheim. There’s a Cleveland Clinic. There’s a Warner Bros Studio. So many of the main, blue chip US brands are operating there. Institutions, as I said, NYU, great museums, but also commercial brands. I recognize, it doesn’t come without criticism. I certainly think, for us, we begin by following guidance of the US Government, the State Department specifically, regardless of who is in office. We look to what other institutions are there with us, and lastly and most importantly for us, we make a decision on whether we’re making a positive contribution to those societies.

“In the week leading up to our games in Abu Dhabi, we had two clinics, involving 7,000 kids – equally boys and girls. We bring our JrNBA and JrWNBA programs there and I think it’s very additive. People have an opportunity to experience American culture, see this diverse group of players playing over there. But. we’re happy to deal directly with the issues – something that’s not – nothing, these days, is completely clean. You may say, it’s not fair for people to have contrary points of view, but we’ve made the decision collectively as a league, in expanding our league internationally it’s positive. It’s part of our mission to create health and wellness around the game of basketball.”

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Because of the length of the interview with Adam Silver,this week’s notebook will be cut short. It’ll be back at full strength next weekend.

A few take-aways from the Scott Rosner-Adam Silver interview:

  1. NBA Players make an average of $11 million a year
  2. The NBA hopes to return to China to play games
  3. The Gulf region remains fertile ground for NBA development

Going to Kansas City, Here I Come

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Special Edition: While We’re Young (Ideas)

By TERRY LYONS, Editor in Chief, Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – On a rather quiet night on the Boston sports scene, a fan must turn his/or/her lonely eyes West, towards Kansas City – the one in Missouri, not Kansas for the geographically-challenged Presidential candidate.

Yes, Kansas City – the city that celebrated two big professional sports victories Monday night.

KC Royals catcher Salvador Pérez hit a baseball out where there once stood South Bronx tenements and otherwise nothingness, before the palace that Jeter built was erected. But, if it were the old Yankee Stadium or the middle semi-renovated version of Yankee Stadium, the ball would’ve landed out by Monument Park, the same place George Brett used to hit them for the Royals.

MLB Postseason Baseball (KC vs SF in World Series)

Perez’ solo homer was part of a big fourth inning that turned a 1-0 New York lead into a 4-1 KC advantage which held up as a 4-2 victory to even the American League Division Series at 1-1 as the clubs pack up and head west.

At the same time, out at Arrowhead Stadium in KC, the Chiefs were puttin’ a ‘hurtin on the New Orleans Saints, in a lopsided 26-13 victory where Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes threw for 331 yards on 28-of-39 while RB Kareem Hunt came from a locker full of mothballs to run for 102 yards and a TD while carrying the ball 27 times. Yes 27 times.

Another key to the KC football victory was 27-year old JuJu Smith-Schuster who secured seven of eight targets for 130 yards. Most NFL and New England Patriots observers do not need to be reminded, Smith-Schuster was recetly released from the Patriots’ wide receiver room, a place occupied by the distinguished DeMario Douglas, Ja’Lynn Polk, and oft-injured Kendrick Bourne – the latter having played one game and has one catch to his credit on the 2024 season.

The proven point is that a city which used to have October nights filled with David “Big Papi” Ortiz postseason baseball homers or game-winning Tom Brady to Julian Edelman touchdowns now has only a hard-fought Wakefield vs. Arlington high school soccer game on the books (Wakefield won, 4-3).

Meanwhile, Kansas City’s Royals clocked a big ALDS series victory on the road at Yankee Stadium and KC’s Chiefs won an important cross-conference Monday Night Football game to extend their unbeaten streak to five games, resistering as the only team in the NFL to be 5-0 in a season at the quarter pole.

Instead of world class model Gisele Bundchen and the kids skipping along on the sidelines, rooting for the World’s No. 1 quarterback Tom Brady, we were submitted to the return of World No. 1 pop star Taylor Swift returning to Arrowhead Stadium after taking two road games off. Her return prompted beau Travis Kelce to his best game of the new season, with the tight end grabbing a hefty nine catches for 70 yards, and averaging 7.8 yards per reception. Oh, the humanity.

While New England fans are starved without Sausage Guy leftovers on Landsdowne Street, the Kansas City faithful can go upscale BBQ at Q39, or head over to Arthur Bryant’s or Chef J BBQ for some pork belly burnt ends which are far better than New England burned corners and safeties.

The Chiefs are destined for a run at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, Red Sox fans are destined for a winter of Polar Park and also a spring trip to Worcester to watch AAA ball, seeking out WooSox prospects between snowflakes.

While the Royals might upset the mighty Yankees, Patriots fans might be watching the worst team in the entire NFL, a club with a four game losing streak that’s likely to grow to five when the Houston Texans land in Foxborough this weekend. Only an October 20 contest vs Jacksonville (in London) might solve the troubles that first year head coach Jerod Mayo is facing this season.

Earlier in the season, rookie Javon Baker made a poor decision and posted an angry video after receiving a traffic ticket from one of Massachusetts’ finest. That spurt of hot water turned boiling this past weekend when team captain, safety Jabrill Peppers was arrested and later arraigned for alleged charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault of a family/household member, strangulation, and – the kicker, tough to deny, possession of a Class B substance, which allegedly tested as white powder cocaine.

That’s a quarter-season of misery for Mayo, owner of a resume that reads 1-4 (0-2 at home), a four game losing streak, a quarterback conundrum – not a controversy – between veteran Jacoby Brissett and first-round draft pick Drake Maye (No. 3, overall). Brissett is being subjected to protection by the worst offensive line in recent memory. The Patriots shuffled between five different starting offensive line combinations in their first five games. In doing so, they’ve allowed the highest pressure rate on their QB of all NFL teams. Miami only sacked Brissett twice, but San Francisco’s defense leveled Brissett six times.

Would you subject a rookie quarterback to that scenario?

And, where do the longtime buttoned-up, disciplined and character-first Patriots stand on charges against Peppers? Innocent until proven guilty is the way of the land, of course, but a bag of cocaine in possession is a pretty cut and dry violation of NFL rules.

The answer to all is a realization of a franchise hitting bottom, of early speculation on the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and a Foxborough filled pack of season ticket holders who must experience the misery of losing – possibly for a very long time in the ultra-competitive AFC.

That all brings us to October 8, 2024 and Opening Night in the National Hockey League – the Boston Bruins in gusty Florida for their regular season opener against the pesky Panthers. The New Jersey Devils are undefeated (2-0) and the Buffalo Sabres are (0-2) after a pair of opening games in Prague. The rest of the league drops the puck tonight.

Meanwhile, the NBA shipped the Celtics to Abu Dhabi for a pair of preseason games in the friendly confines of Etihad Arena in Dubai. Nothing wrong with a (2-0) start against the Denver Nuggets and reigning MVP extraordinaire, Nikola Jokic, otherwise known as the greatest second round pick since the Spurs grabbed Manu Ginobili in Round Dos last century.

New England fans, lovers of blame and the pastime of pointing fingers have no other choice but to turn the pages of the calendar to the winter sports season. It’s ice hockey and hoops time in Boston.

See you in June.

 

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Oct 6

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While We’re Young (Ideas) on the Late, Great Mutombo

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – Georgetown University’s basketball program was founded in the Fall of 1906. So fittingly, they played their first basketball game that winter, beating the University of Virginia 22-11. Some 43 years later McDonough Gymnasium would open its doors on the campus on the Hill that overlooks the District on the Hill in our nations’s capital.

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Some 22 years later, Georgetown was smart enough to hire John Thompson, Jr. away from St. Anthony’s High School (on the corner of 12th and Monroe Streets, NE) and that’s about when I started to get “pissed.”

In about 1975, Georgetown began to win big basketball games, such as the ECAC South’s annual tournament, beating the likes of GW, American, and eventually taking it up a notch to win games against tough teams and glory programs like Syracuse University. In 1979, it turned serious.

Georgetown, together with the previously mentioned Syracuse, with Providence College, Seton Hall, Connecticut, Boston College and my very own St. John’s University, formed the BIG EAST Conference. The new digs came about in my junior year of college. Basketball at St. John’s – and all the Northeastern United States – would never be the same again.

John Thompson Jr., a one-time back-up to Bill Russell while both were collecting NBA Championship rings here in Boston, became known as “Big John.” He had quite a knack for recruiting good players. My friend, Steve Martin out of NOLA, comes to mind. Martin was the man who let me peek inside the HOYAS.

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Georgetown landed the best players. They kept on doing it, too. John Duran and Craig Shelton in the ‘80s, and Sleepy Floyd a year later. Then, they landed one of the greatest 7-footers of our lifetime in Patrick Ewing, recruited right here out of Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School. They kept coming: Bill Martin, Charles Smith, Reggie Williams, Perry McDonald, Alonzo Mourning, Othella Harrington, Allen Iverson, Victor Page, Jeff Green, and Roy Hibbert who was yet another 7-footer.

Right smack in the middle of that recruiting bonanza, say 1988-1991, right out of Léopoldville, Democratic Republic of the Congo, coming to America was 7-foot-2 Dikembe Mutombo, an honorable mention All-American but two-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year.

The Ewing-Mutombo-Mourning combination was a little too much to take, as a St. John’s fan. It was one thing to see Williams shoot the lights out, or Iverson and Page run your team off the floor, but to have the Ewing-Mutombo-Mourning block every single shot from the bucket at the 7th Avenue end of the Garden to the 8th Avenue end was devastating.

Mutombo played only three years as he made his mark at Georgetown. He was selected in the first round of the 1991 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets, the fourth overall selection of that draft. Only Larry Johnson (Charlotte), Kenny Anderson (New Jersey) and Billy Owens (Sacramento then Golden State) went before the big 7-footer – the great Dick Vitale called Mutombo and his peers of 7-feet+ – “aircraft carriers.” Mutombo made his NBA home in the Great Rocky Mountains.

Of course the 6-10 Mourning overlapped a bit (1988-92) and the spectrum of memories run from the try-outs for the 1988 USA Basketball Men’s Olympics team to Zo going No. 2 in the 1992 NBA Draft, a single draft slot after Shaquille O’Neal.

Suffice to say, there was some HOYA SAXA swearing coming from the St. John’s sections of Madison Square Garden while Patrick-Alonzo-and-Dikembe were getting it done. But, it all changed in 1999-2000 when Big John retired and his longtime right hand man Craig Esherick took over for six relatively successful years, going 103-74 (.582) as compared to his predecessor’s 27 years, 596-239 (.714) mark with 20 NCAA appearances in his 27 seasons.

Georgetown returned to earth and, so sadly, so has Dikembe Mutombo this week, almost two years after receiving the terrible diagnosis of brain cancer which took his life at age 58.

Dikembe’s on-court accolades are long and impressive, just as he was. He was a six-time Defensive Player of the Year – four in the NBA and two in the BIG EAST Conference. He was an eight-time NBA All-Star in his 19-year NBA career. He led the NBA in rebounding twice and in shots blocked three times. Mutombo was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015. Yet, his on-court resume might be half of what he was able to accomplish off the court, and in his native land of Africa. His foundation helped build a $29 million, 300-bed full scale hospital in Kinshasa, Congo, the capital city, and that facility has treated more than a half-million people regardless of their ability to pay for care. It opened in September of 2006 and was named Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital, in memory of his mother, who died of a stroke in 1997.

The goodwill efforts didn’t start and end there. This column could list 1000 things Mutombo accomplished, shared, willed to existence, donated, and spent time and his own money to better the lives of others. Mutombo was a very frequent traveller, and contributor to the NBA’s Basketball w/o Borders program. He built schools, assisted the NBA and the USA Dept. of State in Goodwill missions and became a citizen of the United States in 2006.

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He was asked to attend and be recognized by President George W. Bush at the State of the Union Address of 2007 and President Obama’s Inauguration a couple years later. Dikembe’s global ambassador nature worked on both sides of the aisle. He was recognized with an honorary doctorate at Georgetown and later honored by Johns Hopkins University’s School of Public Health where he was awarded the Goodermote Humanitarian Award “for his efforts to reduce polio globally as well as his work improving the health of neglected and underserved populations in the Democratic Republic of Congo.” His efforts were beyond impressive, done with an energy rarely seen in any human being.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued the following statement, informing many of Mutombo’s friends and colleagues of his death:

“Dikembe Mutombo was simply larger than life. On the court, he was one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players in the history of the NBA. Off the floor, he poured his heart and soul into helping others.

“There was nobody more qualified than Dikembe to serve as the NBA’s first Global Ambassador. He was a humanitarian at his core. He loved what the game of basketball could do to make a positive impact on communities, especially in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo and across the continent of Africa. I had the privilege of traveling the world with Dikembe and seeing first-hand how his generosity and compassion uplifted people. He was always accessible at NBA events over the years – with his infectious smile, deep booming voice and signature finger wag that endeared him to basketball fans of every generation.

“Dikembe’s indomitable spirit continues on in those who he helped and inspired throughout his extraordinary life. I am one of the many people whose lives were touched by Dikembe’s big heart and I will miss him dearly. On behalf of the entire NBA family, I send my deepest condolences to Dikembe’s wife, Rose, and their children; his many friends; and the global basketball community which he truly loved and which loved him back.”

Mutombo’s family issued quite a statement after his death. It read:

“We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of love and condolences we have received from people around the world following the passing of our beloved Dikembe. Dikembe was a servant of God, a wonderful husband, father, humanitarian, and athlete. He touched countless lives on and off the court with his generosity, compassion, and unwavering dedication to improving the lives of others. Your kind words and condolences during the past two years, especially this past week, have brought us immense comfort during this difficult time.

We want to acknowledge and thank the Multi-D Team within the Piedmont Brain Tumor Center, Shepherd Rehab Hospital (Atlanta), NBA Physician Dr. Leroy Sims, consulting physicians, and colleagues worldwide, including: Dr. Erin Dunbar, Dr. Curtis J. Coley II, Dr. Adam Nowlan, Dr. Tyler Kenning, Dr. Ford Voxx, Dr. Fadia Payal, Dr. Jarred Potter; and a host of other healthcare professionals: nurses, therapists, and home-care providers, particularly Charles Benton, who remained by Dike’s side these last months. We also want to thank our NBA and Georgetown families and friends for their love and support.

In the coming days we will be holding a very private service for family and then working together with the NBA to hold a larger event at a later date to celebrate Dikembe’s extraordinary life and legacy.

In lieu of flowers, we encourage donations to the Dikembe Mutombo Memorial Fund which will benefit the causes and organizations that Dikembe dedicated his life to supporting.

Thank you once again for your kindness, understanding, and continued respect for our privacy as we navigate this profound loss.

With heartfelt appreciation,

Rose, Carrie, Jean-Jacques, and Ryan Mutombo

Three Georgetown centers at the 1993 NBA Basketball w/o Borders/Africa program

To best explain the world of Dikembe Mutombo, I turn the column over to former Houston Chronicle (and former Philly) columnist, Mr. Fran Blinebury, to better tell of the life and times of the NBA’s all-time greatest Ambassador to the World, the late Dikembe Mutombo. Fran approved the utilization of his post.

BY FRAN BLINEBURY, former columnist Houston Chronicle

So many memories of a man with so many names — Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacque Wamutombo.

The defiant competitor with the shake of the head and the long, wagging finger after he blocked yet another of those thousands of shots.

The practically delirious young man with the wide smile rolling happily on the court holding the basketball over his head after leading the Denver Nuggets to a spectacular upset of top-seeded Seattle in the first round of the 1994 NBA Playoffs.

Mutombo passed away on Monday at age 58 from brain cancer.

My own favorite memory is from half a world away, in a dusty corner of South Africa’s impoverished Soweto Township, where dozens of young children — most of whom are HIV-positive — have dressed Mutombo in the colorful garb and feathers of a Zulu warrior, then handed him a spear and are watching him comically attempt to dance to the song they are trying to sing through their giggling.

“What do you think?” he asked in a bellow of laughter. “Does Dikembe Mutombo have rhythm?”

Truth is, Mutombo has always had the rhythm of the ocean, the pulse of the planet upon which he’s felt obligated to do more than just walk across for a handful of decades.

Those kids at a place called Ithuteng Trust that day had thrown open their arms to a group representing the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program for giving them their time and embraced Mutombo for giving them his love. The little dance took place on the brown dirt lawn of a brand new dormitory that had been built with the assistance of Mutombo’s latest gift of $100,000.

“It might be the first time many of them have ever slept in a clean bed,” he said. “It is hardly a sacrifice for me.”

Since he came out of Georgetown University and into the NBA 33 years ago, Mutombo has been known for three things: blocked shots, that distinctive voice that sounds like the Cookie Monster swallowed James Earl Jones and a sheer joy for life.

He founded the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation in 1997 to benefit the people of his homeland of Kinshasha in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2007, he opened the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital and Research Center there, named after his mother.

And all along the way, he never lost his passion for playing the game and competing at the highest level. At all of his NBA stops in Denver, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York and Houston, he’s been part Pied Piper and part General Patton.

When Mutombo signed on for this fifth season with the Houston Rockets on Dec. 31, 2008 he was re-entering a locker room that had become fractious and divided with rumors of rifts between Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming and (then) Ron Artest (Metta World Peace to Metta Sandiford-Artest.

“I will take care of this,” Mutombo pronounced. “Maybe I will have to grab some heads and bang them together. But I will fix the situation.”

And even though he played just 96 minutes in nine games, the Rockets’ wounds were healed and they finished the regular season on a 33-14 tear. Then he played 18 minutes and pulled down nine rebounds as the Rockets won the opener of their NBA Playoffs series with the Blazers. He took a horrible fall in Game 2, tearing up his knee and forcing the end to an 18-year NBA career.

Mutombo was an eight-time All-Star who won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award four times and stands second on the NBA’s career blocks list with 3,289.

But if you wanted to talk numbers, the ones he’d brag about were the direct numbers he had to NBA commissioner David Stern and to the White House. He was a guest of President George W. Bush at the State of the Union address in 2008 and was invited to President Barack Obama‘s inauguration.

He was part world ambassador and part basketball mentor.

When Yao got into the habit of drawing charges in the middle of the season, Mutombo chastised him that it was no honorable way for a big man to play the game.

“Maybe that’s why China never won the Asian championship,” he said laughing loudly. “You block the shot.”

When rookie Anthony Randolph of the Golden State Warriors kept driving to the basket to challenge, Mutombo repeatedly blocked his shots and offered advice.

“I told him he doesn’t know about Dikembe Mutombo, he needs to watch ESPN Classic,” he said with the raspy roar.

He’s always been proud of his accomplishments and his connections.

Once when Mutombo was hit with a technical foul for complaining from his seat on the bench, he held up his cell phone in the locker room. “I have commissioner Stern on speed dial,” he said giggling. “I will have to tell him that the NBA doesn’t need my $1,000 in fine money. There are hungry kids in Africa and he’d be taking food out of their mouths.”

When he returned from the Obama inauguration, I asked him if he could see Oprah from his seat on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.

“Are you kidding?” he roared as the smile ran a fastbreak across his face. “I’m pretty sure she was sitting behind me.”

As Yogi Berra might have said: half humanitarian, half teacher and half comedian.

All Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacque Wamutombo. One of a kind.

Editor’s Note: Fran certainly has a way with words, and some of us, noted comedian Steve Martin … “just don’t have way.”

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Did anyone notice that this past Tuesday CNN and Reuters each began a paywall program hoping to generate additional revenue for the costly business of news production. CNN came in with a big red SUBSCRIBE button on its homepage with a full year, all access deal at $29.99. A monthly subscription is $3.99, so the full year saves the client 37% while the Newsie makes a pretty penny. Searching for a broadcast/online CNN subscriber discount was useless. … In the FAQs, CNN noted the news subscription does not include access to the CNN broadcast news channel and highlighted the fact “unlimited access to articles is now a subscriber-only benefit. Registered CNN users still have access to a limited number of free articles as well as newsletters, follow topics, and article commenting.” … Thanks Zaz.

REUTERS: While Reuters is a top notch news gatherer and deserves some $ for the work they do on a global bases, most of the wire service (AP, Reuters) copy is readily available via free news sites or it might be featured on a site you’re already paying a steep fee for national/international (or local) news. … In case you’re wondering, I pay for: The Boston Globe, The New York Times/The Athletic, Newsday, The Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. … Come November 10th, there will be a roster cut-down and massive purge. The Boston Globe will remain.

MAN UNITED: The skies of Manchester are not friendly for Manchester United team manager Erik ten Hag when his side travels to Aston Villa today. Earlier this week, centre-back Harry Maguire threw his coach, Erik ten Hag, a four-day lifeline with a game-tying goal in stoppage time that secured a 3-3 draw in the UEFA Europa League against FC Porto. Maguire’s fate could be on the line as ten Hag’s club has managed only three victories and suffered two awful losses, each 3-0 home defeats, against Liverpool and Tottenham in the Premier League. Victory has charmed Man United against Fulham, Southampton and during a League One non-conference with Barnsley in the Carabao Cup.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes| Sept 29

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E.L.O. lit-up the Celtics’ Banners at TD Garden (photo by T. Peter Lyons)

 

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – There are ninety-five days remaining in 2024 until the ball drops to bring in 2025. Twenty-five years since the world was going to end because of the Y2K (supposed) disaster. Just think? When 1999 turned to 2000, could you ever imagine that the most serious world disaster of our generation was just twenty years away?

Somehow, most of us survived. Some did not, taken by a global pandemic that so many have begun to publicly minimize, or forget, or pretend that it never existed while preaching the USA’s reaction was too cautious and overblown.

Truth be told, the key to surviving the 2019-2020-2021+ COVID pandemic was to circle the wagons with your immediate family and to bond together, trust each other and endure.

That’s what we did, and not to be forgotten, we added a puppy to the mix – Penny (Lane) is her name – and she just celebrated her fourth birthday in style. She made her biggest contribution as a puppy – she helped us endure. Four years later, joined by her “little brother,” Max, the message is still the same: keep bonding and keep on keeping on – everyday.

Why do I reach back, recall the beginning of this decade and send such a message as 2024 begins to meld with 2025?

Because it’s the same message being sent to the Boston Celtics by their coach, Joe Mazzula, just as the local pro basketball team starts training camp in an attempt to defend their title of 2024 – their record 18th NBA championship.

From Day 1 of training camp, all the way to the 2025 NBA Playoffs, the Celtics’ two all-world players – Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown – will hear the same question, over and over and over again as they meet with media from 28 different cities in North America. In fact, on October 4-6, they’ll hear the questions when they head to Abu Dhabi and meet with the scribes of Dubai.

To Brown: “Did the fact you were not selected to the 2024 USA men’s Olympic team both you after you won an NBA title and were named the MVP of the NBA Finals?”

To Tatum: “You were benched for two games at the Paris Olympics, a preliminary round game against Serbia on July 28 and the semifinal game against Serbia on August 8, will those perceived snubs from USA coach Steve Kerr provide motivation for you going into this NBA season?”

There’s no right answer to those questions, even though the Boston faithful will take it out on Kerr come November 6th when Kerr’s Golden State Warriors visit TD Garden for a “Day after Election Day, Wednesday night affair.” You’ve gotta wonder if the Boston fans will “stand back and stand by” when Kerr is introduced? I can imagine Tatum putting up 50.

Stepping back to Mazzula and the reality of 2024-25, the coach said to the Media Day assembly of hacks, TV types and social media followers, we can quote Cs point guard Jrue Holiday: “Joe’s message? … I think he just pointed out that people are going to say that we’re really good. And at times, people are gonna say that we suck,” Holiday said of Mazzulla’s message entering training camp. “I think that was word for word.

“People think we’re going to be really good. People think that we’re going to suck. But none of that matters,” added Holiday, another gold medalist from this summer. “All that matters is that we take care of each other, we go out there every day, do what we can for the person next to us.”

That’s called circling the wagons and bonding, as one. The 2024-25 Boston Celtics will be closer and they’ll know what it takes to win. The competition will be tougher, after all the Celtics have the proverbial NBA target on their backs. Like Mazzula said, none of that matters. What does matter is staying healthy, getting a healthy Kristaps Porzingis back from a very devastating injury and bonding/taking care of each other/enduring.

Porzingis might be back in action in December. Let’s see where he is in May and June?

An Indiana Fever fan wants to be like Caitlin (file photo)

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: I think it’s time to give Caitlin Clark – an incredible young athlete – a frickin’ break. Literally, and journalistically. … This note is being written off the top of my head, so please do not nit-pick if I miss something –> She’s had three BIG Ten titles, a couple Final Fours, three USA Basketball gold medals at U-16 and U-19 and she’s college basketball’s all-time leading scorer.

HUH? – But placing her name next to that of Serena and Simone Biles isn’t fair. Katie, too. This off-season, she’ll digest a very rough and tumble season of 2023-24, losing to South Carolina at her second straight Final Four, she was drafted No. 1 by the Indiana Fever in WNBA and she faced the toughest competition she’s ever seen in her life. – Ahhh, many of you weren’t paying attention to the WNBA being so deep and physical ever since its inception in 1997! … You might be hearing it here first: Caitlin Clark will see her day. She’ll come back for her second year in WNBA a little stronger and fully adjusted. She’ll be plugged into the USA senior national team that will begin preparation for the 2026 Women’s World Cup of Basketball in Berlin and she’ll be a core member of that team, although she might or might not be the best player on the team. She’ll be more reserved in her shot selection and her 3-for-16s will become 6-for-10s while her overall boxscore lines will improve with fewer turnovers (she only had three vs Connecticut in her last WNBA Playoff game). Her points, rebounds and assists will astound us, but, she’ll still be scrutinized more than any other player in basketball. Every hard foul, every scrape, every confrontation will make headines and SportsCenter. All the ssame tuff taken for granted when MJ was bounced around by the Celtics, Knicks and Pistons, will still be a big deal. In the WNBA, the only player scrutinized by so many “people” was Rebecca Lobo who was given a pretty hard time by ’96 USA Basketball coach Tara VanDeveer. Lobo, Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Tina Thompson, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi were the trail blazing athletes for the WNBA. Caitlin Clark will take the women’s game to new heights. To a great degree, she already has made the 27-year old league tick like Big Ben. But, so has A’ja Wilson of the Vegas aces, Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx, Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty or Clark’s teammate, Aliyah Boston of the Fever. They can all PLAY and I could go on. … But, let’s settle on one thing as the WNBA Playoffs progress without Clark and Boston and the Indiana Fever, let’s give Caitlin Clark a break. She’s earned it. She deserves it.

SPEAKING OF THE WNBA: The WNBA Players Association, via their current Executive Director Terri Carmichael Jackson (and surely with the approval of WNBA Union player President Nneka Ogwumike), issued a five segment statement – call it rant – on X to complain about coverage of the “W” by USA Today columnist Christine Brennan. … At a time when the WNBA Playoffs should be the only focus of the league, the players, the vendors and hot dog sales people, the Union decided to create a story pointing fingers at one of the very few national columnists that regularly covers the sport. The action(s) were so counterproductive. Gripes and any issues between Union/League/Team/Players to Media need to be resolved one-on-one and behind closed doors with the specific member of the media. That usually works 90-95% of the time. … What the WNBA PA’s ill-timed statement did was to magnify the story, totally out of proportion, and it now forces every columnist in the country to defend Brennan’s rights as a journalist and the rights of every media member to write their POV and opinion. Let’s keep in mind, the media is not in the business, nor required, to “celebrate” A’ja and Caitlin and DiJonal, and Napheesa. That’s the Union’s job, together with @WNBAPR. Please stop with this sophomoric behavior (writing on X) as it takes away from the professionalism of the #WNBA players at a time when the focus should be on the games and on the court.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Chicago

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

CHICAGO – When I think of Chicago, I think of the NBA and I immediately picture Chi-town native son Brian McIntyre, my boss and partner in crime at the league office for years and years – far too many to count. I also think of No. 23 – Michael Jordan – (pictured above) who took a symbolic NBA baton from Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, Clyde Frazier and Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Julius “Dr. J” Erving, then Larry Bird and Earvin “Magic” Johnson and ran it to every corner of the earth. How can you possibly think of Chicago and not think of Michael Jordan and the Bulls?

It’s great to be back in Chicago this weekend. I missed it a lot.

How did I miss thee? Let me count the ways.

I miss the 4:00am Blues Bar Kingston Mines. I miss the Twin Anchors and their baby back spare ribs.

I miss Magic Slim and the Teardrops. Slim passed away not long after a tour in 2013. We spent many a night chasing Slim to different dives around Chicago. One time during the 1997 Finals, were were disappointed not to see Slim playing in Chicago during the Game 1 and 2 schedule, only to find him at Club DV8 right next to the Salt Lake City Marriott for Games 3 and 4.

I miss Wrigley Field and the Cubs. And the great Harry Caray and his famous 7th inning stretch. How about Ernie Banks, Mr. Cub, stating, “Let’s play two,” because two games were better than just one in the days of frequent doubleheaders.

I miss a nice cold Old Style or a Falstaff. 🍺

I miss motoring down Lake Shore Drive in the spring and walking along Michigan Avenue in the summer.

I miss Buddy Guy’s at 700 S. Wabash. We had some good times there. I miss McCuddy’s, the old landmark Chicago saloon across the street from Comiskey Park.

I miss the Billy Goat Tavern on Lower Wacker. Word has it, this location wasn’t the original which was out on Madison. “Cheezeborger, Cheezeborger, Cheezeborger.” and “No Coke, Pepsi.” Now, they have eight locations. What a shame.

How about an Italian beef sandwich dreamt up by Al Ferrari? Or, maybe something as simple and great as a Chicago Hot Dog or Deep Dish Pizza?

I miss watching Gale Sayers running for the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Sayers was to NFL football what Julius “Dr. J” Erving was to the ABA and NBA. He was amazing and the best running back I’ve ever seen. Bears’ fans hold RB Walter Payton in the highest esteem, and I have no beef with that at all. Detroit Lions fans can boast of RB Barry Sanders, and they have every right to do so. But to me, Sayers was the best of all-time. He was drafted No. 4 overall in the 1965 NFL Draft. The Bears had the No. 3 (Dick Butkis) and No. 4 (Sayers), and they were preceded by the No. 1 pick, Tucker Frederickson of Auburn going to the New York Giants and No. 2 Ken Willard of North Carolina going to the San Francisco 49ers. Both Frederickson and Willard were Pro Bowl players. Butkis and Sayers are Hall of Famers.

I miss the Chicago Stadium, the loudest sports venue, by far, of any I’ve ever set foot inside and that goes for both ice hockey and basketball. Madison Square Garden rocks, and so did The Spectrum in Philly or the arenas – new and old – in the Bay Area, but the Stadium? Forget it.

Former Bulls PR man turned NBA guru Brian McIntyre says they had to wrap aluminum foil around the old Radio Shack computer couplers in order for reporters to send in stories late in the fourth quarter. It was so loud, the sound rattled the computer transmissions.

I miss Tony Esposito and Stan Mikita, Keith Magnuson and Bobby Hull, Pit Martin and Dennis Hull, all of the great Chicago Blackhawks teams. The most prominent musical instrument ever built was housed in the old Chicago Stadium. In fact, it was the largest Barton Organ ever built had some 51 ranks of pipes of massive scale with the usual percussion, traps, and effects. A rather gaudy red and gold “circus wagon” console (perhaps the largest organ console ever built) was on prominent display on the arena’s balcony. A balcony seat behind the goal was the best seat in hockey.

I miss Gate 3 1/2 – the media, employees, players and VVIP entrance to the Chicago Stadium, and possibly, the most unique “gate” in pro sports history. At a normal regular season game, parking in the Gate 3 1/2 lot was a breeze. In the Playoffs, forget it unless you had some serious juice. In many places around the league, the great (my old boss at NBA) Brian McIntyre had some juice. In Chicago, he was Mr. Tropicana. At NBA Finals games, we’d be able to drive within five-ten feet of Gate 3 1/2, hop out, grab out jackets and bags and Brian would hand the keys to an attendant – usually an off-duty or retired Chicago Police officers – would whisk the car away to be parked in a very safe and gated adjacent lot. On most nights, we’d be the last car to leave but the car would be waiting, backed in and facing outbound to make it easier to depart. On cold nights in the winter, the heater would be on and the car already nice and warm. On hot, steamy summer nights during the many NBA Finals games, the air conditioning would be on and the car perfectly cooled. A 5-10 minute heads up got the job done.

Yours truly bounding out Gate 3 1/2 on off-day of 1992 NBA Finals (NBA Photos)

So, I must state firmly, I miss the Chicago Bulls, in general, and I especially miss Tim Hallam and Joe O’Neill of the Bulls’ front office. And, yeah, I miss that guy who wore No. 23.

Think back to the Bulls introductions, beginning with the visiting team players being dead-panned (announced) to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon instrumental “On the Run,” accompanied by the crowd’s growing chorus of boos, was the greatest in sports history. … After the visitor’s were introduced and the dull, low of instrumental, then it really began, with an animation of a lonely bull browsing and grazing then gathering steam and running past the Chicago Theatre and through downtown Chicago until it reached the Madhouse on Madison. (a later animation had a whole stampede of Bulls on the way to the United Center). I miss hearing the instrumental of the Alan Parsons Project playing Sirius. … I miss the deafening introduction of Michael Jordan … And I miss having a courtside seat to see the most spectacular all-around player the NBA has ever seen. For those who never saw the intros in person, this version recorded in 1996 by NBC Sports and originating from the United Center doesn’t even do justice to the pure pandemonium that occurred at the old Stadium. Night and day with the level of noise, and United Center is a solid No. 2 in my eyes and ears, with Salt Lake City’s Delta Center being a distant No. 3 to back the Utah Jazz … But, back to Chi-town, when I think of the Chicago Bulls, I first think of Jordan and all the nights at The Finals, but I also think of Jerry Sloan, the toughest of all Bulls and one of the toughest players to ever play in the NBA. In most cases with the players and coaches of the NBA, you make acquaintance. With Sloan, you met him and – under the right circumstances – you had a true friend for life. Tough, sincere, loyal. I miss him greatly, and may he rest in peace. … As I close with my tribute to Chicago, I can say I even miss John Fett, the cranky old Operations Director of the Chicago Stadium. Fett was always clad in his NHL Blackhawks Starter jacket to show the NBA Bulls where his allegiance was every day of the season.

SPORTS TOWNS: I’ve always ranked the USA’s top sports towns as a three horse race, and here they are (in order):

  1. Philadelphia
  2. Chicago
  3. Boston

Everyone else is pretending or their city has so much else to offer (theatre, music, dance) that people are spread thinly with the many options. That said, if you’re going to measure sports towns by championships across the four major North American sports, here’s the list:

  1. New York (53 championships)
  2. Boston (40)
  3. Montreal (27)
  4. Chicago (26)
  5. Los Angeles (25)
  6. Detroit (22)
  7. Philadelphia (16)
  8. Toronto (16)
  9. Pittsburgh (16)
  10. St. Louis (15)

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The sports division at Netflix has been busy signing deals with properties and greasing the skids on bigger and better relationships as live full game and highlights of sports programming continues to be the be-all, end-all of DVR-free content. Netflix is getting its NBA on with a 10-part series entitled “Starting Five.” It features: Jimmy Butler, Anthony Edwards, Lebron James, Domantas Sabonis and Boston’s Jayson Tatum. Netflix has featured successful sports documentaries in NFL, Golf and Formula-1 car racing, among others. The Starting 5 has an impressive list of Producers, including James’ cohort Maverick Carter, Peyton Manning, President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle. The series will drop its first episode on Oct. 9th.

VIDEO KILLED THE AM RADIO BAND: Get this? The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 45 to 2 to send a proposed AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (H.R. 8449) to the full House for a vote.

“It’s been a stalwart of American prosperity and information sharing,” said Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC). “Having AM radio available is important to my constituents,” he added, noting its role during emergencies.

The role of AM during natural disasters was cited by several lawmakers as they spoke out during the bill’s markup, noting that FEMA has also spent tens of millions of dollars solidifying the Emergency Alert System with AM radio the backbone of EAS.

“For those of us who have experienced a natural disaster like Superstorm Sandy, we know that AM radio is an important lifeline when other forms of mass communication go out. It’s an important bill that I believe will help keep Americans safe,” said Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ), who cosponsored the bill.

If passed by the full House, the proposed AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act will require the Secretary of Transportation to issue a rule requiring access to AM broadcast stations in motor vehicles. If they don’t, carmakers could be fined, according to Inside Radio trade rag.

No truth to the rumor the House will mandate Cousin Brucie will return to WABC or if 1010-WINS will be back in the news business.

EAS: A quick question for our readers. During the global Pandemic/COVID-19, did the Emergency Alert System in your town utter one word of advice in your home? We’ve all endured countless show interruptions and middle-of-the-night awakenings to the sound of the Emergency Alert system, and its recording … You know it: “If this were an actual emergency …”

My thought is that the global pandemic was the most dangerous and lethal emergency to come down the pike in my lifetime, but not a “beep” from my EAS. What’s the deal with that? Can there possibly be a bigger emergency than a global pandemic knocking on the door?

TIDBITS AND GOLDEN NUGGETS: How many of you were absent from pop and rock school the day they taught Dua Lipa? That’s what 60 Minutes is for, right? In case you didn;t realize, 60 Minutes has been the best show on TV for 57 years. What is its secret? … It informs. … Case in point: Last weekend they had an in-depth 20 minute report on Due Lips. In case you didn’t know, Dua Lipa hails from London and was born to parents of Kosovo (Former YUG). Her father, a son of a historian, frequently played the music of David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Radiohead, The Police/Sting and the Stereophonics. Her father played in a local rock band as he was a singer and guitarist. After being told as a youngster that she couldn’t sing, she practiced and took lessons. By age 15 she was recording covers and uploading them to YouTube and SoundCloud. She’d also signed with a top modeling agency which allowed her to audition for parts with singing roles. She recorded “Hotter than Hell” and it delivered a recording contract with Warner Brothers. The dance-pop/techno-pop tempo dictated the tones of the rest of her album recordings and she was on her way to stardom. … When you figure out why there’s a Dua Lipa note in the middle of a Sunday Sports column, let me know, although her workout routines are up there with Jerry Rice or Karl Malone. She reportedly does workouts with classic warm-ups and stretching, hill sprints, core training, all body weight programs, yoga, and even some boxing. Then she winds down with long dog walks and a nap. The message: 60 Minutes just rocks.

FUTSAL: Raise your hand if you’ve been following the Futsal World Cup ‘24. … Oh, let’s rephrase the question. What the hell is Futsal and where is its World Cup? The Futsal World Cup was listed in the Sports TV Guide of the Boston Globe this week and I was curious enough to check it out. … Futsal is a derivative of Futbal in a Salon, or, in other words, Indoor Soccer. It dates back to 1930 and was conjured up by a teacher in Montevideo, Uruguay who created a version of indoor football for the members of the local YMCA. … That sounds quite similar to the start of basketball, but came some 39 years after Dr. James Naismith began bouncing basketballs in Springfield. … Futsal was usually played on the basketball hardwood floors and it’s caught on in a big way. I can attest, in Phys Ed class in high school, we played football, soccer, floor hockey, European Handball (a personal favorite), basketball, tennis, track and field events – you name it. But we never played futsal. I wish we had tried it. … The Futsal World Cup is on-going in – their words, not mine – the multifunctional sports and entertainment complex in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. … Look it up on FS-2 or check your local listings and stream it.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | 9/15/2024

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – Today is September 15th, 2024. You can grab a full deck of playing cards and deal one card per day to bring you to Election Day on November 5th, 2024. Meanwhile, we’re seven days away from Autumn, possibly the best and certainly the most beautiful season of the year in New England. We’re 16 days away from the first MLB Postseason Wild Card game, to be held October 1, 2024. The final Red Sox regular season game at Fenway Park will be held two days before that, on September 29th, 2024. The seasons of the sun, they are a’ changing.

Let’s take a good, long look at September 15ths of the past. It’s been a pretty amazing date on the calendar.

In 608, Saint Boniface IV began his reign as Pope. The 4th? Doesn’t this make you want to meet the other three guys?

In 1683, Germantown, Pennsylvania was founded by 13 immigrant families. Like Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote, “Immigrants, they get the job done.”

In 1789, the US Department of Foreign Affairs was renamed Department of State.

In 1851, Saint Joseph’s University was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. That would eventually bring us all the great Mike Bantom.

In 1857, Timothy Alder of NY patented the typesetting machine. Good man he was.

In 1902, Chicago Cubs infielders Tinker, Evers, & Chance turned their first double play together in a 6-3 win over Cincinnati. But, get this, on September 19, 2024, I’ll be able to see Chicago’s Wrigley Field, first known to the world as a Federal League ballfield – Weeghman Park. The Cubs host the Washington Nationals in seven days. The game will take place in the “friendly confines.” The Cubs played their first home game at Wrigley on April 20, 1916, defeating the Cincinnati Reds, 7–6, in 11 innings. Only Fenway Park (1912), here in Boston, is older than Wrigley.

On September 15, 1921, WBZ-AM, here in Boston, began its radio transmission.

In 1946, the Dodgers beat Cubs, 2-0, in a shortened five innings when the game was called because of gnats.

In 1960, Maurice “Rocket” Richard announced his retirement from the Montreal Canadiens. He finished his career with 544 goals, an NHL record at the time. He played 18 seasons in the NHL and was the first 50 goal scorer.

A year later, in 1961, the 61st US Golf Amateur Championship saw Jack Nicklaus win at the age of 21. I’m pretty sure he turned pro and had a pretty nice run.

In 1963, the Alou brothers – Felipe, Matty, & Jesús – appeared in the San Francisco Giants outfield for an inning in a 13-5 win over Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field/

In 1966, then US President Lyndon B. Johnson, responding to an August 1 sniper attack at the University of Texas at Austin, wrote a letter to the United States Congress, urging the enactment of gun control legislation. The August 1 attack was known as the University of Texas Tower shooting where 15 people were killed and 31 others were injured before police shot the mass murderer, a 25-year old Marine. Forty-one years later, the Virginia Tech shootings took place, killing 32 and injuring another 17 people. That mass murder came seven Presidents after LBJ and nothing’s been done since.

In 1969, Steve Carlton was pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals when he struck-out 19 New York Mets but lost the game, 4-3, when the Metsies tagged him for two runs in the 8th inning when Ron Swoboda hit his second of two (two-run) homers. In the little-known facts department, the day before Swoboda’s two HR game, Mets broadcaster – the great Ralph Kiner – took Swoboda aside for some instructional batting practice. Tug McGraw earned the victory in relief of Gary Gentry. The Mets had rallied in September to take the divisional lead only five days before. It was the first year of division play in MLB. The Mets would go on to take the NL East by eight games over the Cubs. Then, they swept the Atlanta Braves in three games in the NL Championship Series, and defeated the Baltimore Orioles in five games in the World Series with Jerry Koosman gaining the two most important victories in franchise history, including a complete game in the ‘69 World Series finale. That team will forever be known as the “Miracle Mets.”

In 1974, Market Square Arena – home of the Indiana Pacers until 1999 – opened its doors in downtown Indianapolis.

In 1978, before 63,352 at the New Orleans SuperDome, the greatest – Muhammad Ali defeated Leon Spinks in 15 rounds. Spinks had upset Ali in February of ‘78 with a split decision.

In 1982, the first edition of USA Today was printed by satellite and distributed all over the United States. Editorial Note: Earlier that year, newspaperman Henry Freeman visited my office at the NBA to explain what they had in mind and asked for help with the NBA team PRs sending extra information and quickly sending full final boxscores which ran in the sports section, increasing NBA coverage exponentially over the short Associated Press boxscores.

In 1985, at The Belfry … Europe defeated the United Staes in the Ryder Cup 16½-11½, marking the first US loss since 1957. Sam Torrance clinched the win for Europe by beating Andy North, 1 up.

Sadly, on September 15, 2004 Johnny Ramone, the lead guitarist for the Queens, NY band passed away from prostate cancer. He was only 59. The Ramones were inducted to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and earned a Lifetime GRAMMY Award.

We can wish Long Island’s Marcus Iavaroni a happy 68th birthday today. Better known as Marc, the starting power forward for the ‘83 NBA champion Philadelphia 76ers, he hails from Plainview Kennedy H.S. in New York (Mid-Island) and attended Virginia before being drafted by the New York Knicks in the third round of the 1978 NBA Draft (55th overall). (Little known fact, the Knicks drafted two champion power forwards and watched them win as members of other teams. Iavaroni, you know. The other? Kurt Rambis of the Los Angeles Lakers. Almost a mirror image, the Knicks grabbed Rambis out of Santa Clara with the third round pick of the 1980 NBA Draft (58th overall).

There’s another 17 NBA players and two ABA players who were born on September 15, and the late Buddy Jeannette is the only Hall of Famer of the bunch. Jeannette was born in 1917 and attended Washington & Jefferson College. He was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994. Jeannette passed away March 11, 1998 at the age of 80.

And, aside from Marc Iavaroni, there are dozens of famous folks who were born on September 15, including Prince Harry, actor Tommy Lee Jones, US President William Howard Taft and explorer Marco Polo, if you can find him.

HERE NUNN, THE NOTES: That’s no typo. Here Now, former NBA referee and one time Director of Officiating Ronnie Nunn is being inducted to the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame, a newly reorganized entity that will undertake the huge responsibility of paying tribute to the City game. … Nunn played ball at Brooklyn Tech and went on to play college basketball at George Washington University in DC. He played pro basketball in Mexico for two seasons but returned to New York to find his first calling as a special ed teacher and as an assistant coach at Pace University and also his high school alma mater.

Nunn began his officiating career in 1984 when he worked in the Continental Basketball Association and the Pro-Am summer league. Nunn went on to work 1,134 NBA regular-season, 73 NBA Playoff and four NBA Finals games, while enjoying an assignment at the 1996 NBA All-Star Game.

After retiring from active duty as an official, Nunn served as the NBA’s Director of Officials for five years, including his work on “You Make the Call” for NBA Entertainment.

The 2024 NYC Basketball Hall of Fame festivities will be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Thursday, September 19. Nine others will join Nunn for the honors.

TIDBITS AND GOLDEN NUGGETS: A follow-up to the terrible story of NHL star Johnny Gaudreau: The driver of the vehicle which struck and killed Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road has been charged with two counts of death by automobile. The driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins of Woodstown, New Jersey, had a blood-alcohol level of .087, above the .08 legal limit in New Jersey, a prosecutor said. … At a hearing held September 13, a judge ordered that Higgins be held for trial after prosecutors described a history of alleged road rage and aggressive driving. Higgins told police he had five or six beers that day and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint. He also failed a field sobriety test, the complaint said.

The Boston Red Sox are 22-31 since the MLB All-Star break and 5-4 over their last nine games, a pace that just won’t get it done in the AL Wild Card race. They’re 4.0 games back from Minnesota in the AL Wild Card standings but have Detroit and Seattle in between them and the Twins.

SMALL FRYE: Remember the ill-fated Frye Festival of 2017? Well, the George Mason college basketball team contracted with The VII Group of Georgia for a trip to play games against top competition in Nassau (Bahamas) and has cancelled the trip completely as VII Group allegedly hasn’t fulfilled obligations. George Mason placed $160,000 with the VII Group to plan a four-night basketball camp and exhibition games between August 8-12, 2024. Apparently, the FBI is now looking into the case, according to SPORTICO.

RIP No. 7: New York Mets fan favorite, Ed Kranepool, passed away this week after fighting a lengthy illness. While Tom Seaver, Rusty Staub, Buddy Harrelson, Jerry Koosman, Tommie Agee, Ron Swoboda, Doc Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Mike Piazza and Pete Alonso might be the all-time headliners of Mets favorites, it was Kranepool who first held that honor in the 1960s.