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While We're Young Ideas

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.

 

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Sept 8

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While We’re Young (Ideas) | On the Paris ’24 Paralympics

The 2024 Paris Paralympics came to an amazing finish (Photo by Reuters)

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

BOSTON – On August 10th, this column stated: “fighting against every ounce of common sense in my mind and keeping to an iron-clad rule of never, ever stating that the most recent occurrence is the “best,” there’s a constant thought and growing conviction to call the 2024 Paris Summer Games the very best of my lifetime.”

It turned out to be a true statement of – not just opinion – but fact. The 2024 Olympics (July 26 – August 11) were tremendous. Paris is going to be very tough to beat and that’s because it’s a gift that kept on giving. The ‘24 Paralympics (August 28 – September 8) came to a close with the same joy and sense of accomplishment as its big brother.

There were approximately 4,400 athletes competing in the Paralympics, hailing from 168 delegations and a few Neutral Paralympic Athletes (NPA) (88 from Russia and 8 from Belarus) to round-out the competition. That means there were 4,400 amazing stories to be told from the Paralympics alone.

Here’s just one.

Ali Truwit grew up in bucolic Darien, Connecticut where she swam on her local swim club and was good enough to follow in the freestyle and backstrokes of her mother and uncle who each swam for Yale’s swimming team, an accomplished team in the IVY League.

Truwit worked and planned and dreamt of studying for her MBA at Harvard Business School as she worked a summer job at McKinsey & Company. She even ran a marathon. Her affluent upbringing allowed for family vacations and trips to Caribbean hot spots like Turks & Caicos where she swam and snorkeled near the pristine, crystal blue shoreline and beautiful, sandy beaches.

Ali Truwit – Yale

In late May of 2023, Truwit and her friend, Sophie Pilkinton, a 2019 Yale grad, went swimming and snorkeling off a local boat at a Turks and Caicos beach area Truwit knew quite well. As they were swimming, a shark came upon them.

“Sophie saw it before I did,” said Truwit to Yale Alumni Magazine, “and it came from behind, and then up next to us. The next thing I knew, it was underneath us. Pretty quickly, it had my leg in its mouth,” she said.

“I remember thinking in my head, am I crazy, or do I not have my foot right now? And I turned around to see,” Truwit remembers. “That was really one of the hardest images that stuck with me for a long time, just seeing my footless leg bleeding in the clear blue water.”

Pilkinton, a medical school grad, wrapped a tourniquet around Truwit’s leg to help limit the flow of blood. The injury was, quite obviously, very serious and, eventually, Truwit required a medevac flight to a Miami hospital.

As Yale Magazine wrote: “On her 23rd birthday, eight days after the attack, a portion of her leg was amputated so that she could, some time down the road, wear a prosthetic. This was the new reality.

“When the texts began to fly and news about Truwit’s attack spread through the Yale swimming community, support poured in. Truwit’s mother’s teammates took turns sending her flowers every week. Her former Yale teammate Duncan Lee ’20, now working at MIT with a noted prosthetist, got in touch about how to start the journey to using a prosthetic. When Truwit was being moved into her parents’ first-floor guest bedroom to recover, another teammate decorated the place with photographs from Yale swimmers and other friends, to make it feel welcoming and warm.”

The story does not end there as it must weave it way to Paris and the Summer of ‘24.

In October 2023, Truwit began to train 90 minutes a day, four days a week with a goal to attend a meet in December staged by USA Paralympics Swimming. After two months of training, she went to the US Paralympics Swimming Nationals meet and swam well.

Training for the ‘24 Paralympics meant competing at swim meets on a regular basis and all over the USA. Truwit swam and competed alongside athletes whose achievements bolstered her confidence. “It was so huge for me to be able to see all of these incredible athletes just conquering obstacles and doing incredible things in the water,” Truwit told Yale Magazine. “I think it just gave me so much hope and so much strength for my own journey.”

In June, Truwit headed to Minneapolis and qualified for the Paris games, just over a year after she was attacked. The only setback came when her meets were televised and she caught a glimpse of the mobile camera on a track at poolside. To say the least, it spooked her.

To combat that fear, Truwit had to swim faster and faster to gain a starting block in the center of the pool rather than the outside lanes. She succeeded once again, and in the ‘You can’t make this up’ category of sport, Truwit swam and earned a silver medal this past Thursday in the women’s 400-meter freestyle.

For everyone who witnessed the Olympics and Paralympics this summer, “We’ll always have Paris.”

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Last week, the PGA Tour put on the finishing touches with Scottie Scheffler’s win at the TOUR Championship. This weekend, pro tennis calls it a summer with the closing weekend of the United States Open, the fan-friendly, only-in-New York, boisterous, crazy, hectic and ultra-competitive tennis tournament every player just loves to play. … With the two summer sports folding the deck and Baseball heading into the home stretch, it’s time for the NFL to dominate the airwaves. But first, let’s look at the …

US OPEN: Aryna Sabalenka, the amazing, strong, humble and eloquent (in both Russian and English) women’s pro tennis player defeated American Jessica Pegula (7-5, 7-5) in straight sets to take her first United States Open women’s singles title, to be added to her 2023 and 2024 Australian Open championships to begin her claim as the best women’s tennis player in the world. Sabalenka – currently ranked No. 2 in the world – also reached the semifinals of the 2023 French Open and Wimbledon (where she also made the 2021 semis). Pegula, the daughter of Terry Pegula (owner of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and NHL’s Sabres) and Kim Pegula, a Korean-born American businesswoman and president of Pegula Sports & Entertainment – the parent company of the sports entities. Kim Pegula suffered a severe stroke in 2022 and was legally declared incapacitated in 2023, but has worked her way back through physical therapy. The 26-year Sabalenka calls Boca Raton, Florida home as she’s not able to return to her hometown of Minsk (Belarusia) during wartime. Both women provided U.S. Open fans with some of the best tennis to be played as No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland and American favorite Coco Gauff were eliminated. … Sunday (2:00pm ET) brings the men’s final between Italy’s Jannik Sinner, ranked No. 1, vs. American Taylor Fritz.

TIDBITS AND GOLDEN NUGGETS: We always preview the NFL season with the annual Strat-0-Matic predictions for the pro football season. This year in the Stratosphere? The Dallas Cowboys finished the regular season at 12-5, first in the NFC East and second best in the NFL. … The Cowboys were the prediction to go on to win the Super Bowl, according to the Strat-O-Matic simulators. … Specifically, Dallas won the title with a 27-16 victory over the KC Chiefs. The second-seeded Cowboys defeated New Orleans, Detroit and Chicago to advance to the Super Bowl. … By the way, please, please stop the political ads targeting New Hampshire. … Break-up the Boston College Eagles. One week after their upset victory over nationally ranked Florida State, Boston College blanked visiting Duquesne, 56-0, in the 2024 home opener at Alumni Stadium Saturday. The Eagles compiled 563 total yards of offense, including 306 yards on the ground. … With the win, BC opened the season at 2-0 for the first time since the 2021 season. … Shortstop Trevor Story started and batted seventh for the Boston Red Sox Saturday night against the Chicago White Sox. Story, 31, started at shortstop in each of the Sox’ first eight games this season before being placed on the Injured List on April 6 with a left shoulder dislocation. … Originally selected by the Colorado Rockies in Competitive Balance Round A of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, the two-time All-Star (2018-19) and two-time Silver Slugger Award recipient (2018-19) has hit .265 (892-for-3,368) with an .834 OPS, 177 home runs, and 124 stolen bases in 890 career games with the Rockies (2016-21) and Red Sox (2022-24).

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Sept. 1

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The FM: New LPGA tournament on the block in Norton, Mass

 

By TERRY LYONS, Editor in Chief, Digital Sports Desk

NORTON – The dateline might look familiar. It last appeared on Digital Sports Deskin September of 2020, freshly inked from the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs and the Northern Trust (won by Dustin Johnson) in the good ole days before the Tour was as divided as the two major political parties of the USA.

The bean counters took a look at the Nielsen TV ratings and the PGA Tour execs cut their playoffs down to three rounds, to be sure they conclude before the start of the NFL season. Then, FedEx used its clout as year-long sponsor and the keeper of all things playoffs, the BMW Championship (formerly the Western Open) and Coca-Cola stepped-up with big-time money for record purses to keep the pseudo semi-finals and the TOUR Championship right where they are today, as the men finish their season at East Lake Country Club, near Atlanta.

Although the TOUR promised us a tournament every other season, thus was the end of men’s pro golf in Greater Boston/Providence as the Deutsch Bank Championship and its Labor Day finish was stopped cold in 2018 and, after a year at Liberty National in New Jersey, the Boston/Labor Day concept was briefly reinstated in 2020. But Northern Trust couldn’t be trusted and golf fans of New England were left with a free Labor Day Monday and an occasional major at The Country Club – not bad at all.

This weekend, professional golf returned to Eastern Massachusetts as a new LPGA tournament, the FM Championship, is being staged at famed TPC Boston.

While We’re Young (Ideas) and Digital Sports Desk are both on-site for the LPGA’s “FM” this weekend. Please visit DSD on Sunday for complete coverage of the tournament’s final day, coinciding with the PGA Tour’s 2024 conclusion at the TOUR Championship. (FM is a corporate real estate assessment firm to mitigate potential water/flood/other damage to land assets/HQs).

From the FM Media Center Saturday, we can note that nine players are separated by five strokes with S. Korea’s Jin Young Ko (67) – (-11) atop the leaderboard after her Saturday round. American Lauren Coughlin snuck into second place at (69) – (-9).

There’s a definite surge in the overall popularity of women’s sports, much to the credit of basketball phenom Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever who bolsters the WNBA this season. But, lifelong sports fans must always recognize the two mainstays of women’s sports – tennis and golf – as the cornerstones of activity. They’re both on display this weekend, as summer sports give way to the Fall of ‘24.

Chicago Sky PF Angela Reese might be pushing Clark in the WNBA, but there’s a long list of players in hot pursuit of LPGA leading money winner, Nelly Korda,($3,601,630 over 13 events) who is being chased by more than a dozen talented, world class golfers as the women’s tour zig-zags the USA and the globe. Korda took a pass at playing Boston this week after her near-miss “W” at the AIG Women’s Open at the Old Course in Britain.

UPSETS: Aside from the LPGA/FM Championship and WTA/U.S. Open tennis tournament, let’s look at some upsets in sports at the start of the Fall schedule of college & pro football, MLB, WNBA, U.S. Open tennis, the TOUR Championship and the women’s golf home stretch:

  • Georgia Tech knocked off Florida State, 24-21, in their ACC opener held in Dublin, Ireland (Week 0).
  • French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) was handed his earliest exit at the US Open when he lost in straight sets, 6-1, 7-5, 6-4, to World No. 74 Botic van de Zandschulp (Netherlands).
  • A night later, No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic (Serbia) lost to No. 28 seed in Australia’s Alexei Popyrin, 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, in the third round on the same court.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Next week, WWYI will delve into the 2024 NFL season, but this week, it’s important to note that the rookie QB (Drake) Maye to coach (Jerod) Mayo era will wait a while, as Mayo named veteran QB Jacoby Brissett the opening week starter. … The pundits of Las Vegas have the New England Patriots listed as O/U 4.5 in season wins, an NFL low. Yet, it’s very difficult to count five possible “Ws” on the Patriots’ difficult AFC East schedule. … In other words, take the (U)under. … Boston College football opens up on the road vs (0-1) Florida State. The Eagles are in trouble, as the Seminoles will play ‘pissed’ after their loss to ACC Sleeper Georgia Tech. … The SMU Mustangs might be considered another ACC sleeper, after their 29-24 victory over Nevada (Augst 24).

TID-BITS AND GOLDEN NUGGETS: The Boston Bruins are seeking some veteran experience and influence in the locker and on the ice with the signing of forward Tyler Johnson to a Professional Tryout Agreement (PTO). … Johnson, 34, appeared in 67 games with the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2023-24 season, recording 17 goals and 14 assists for 31 points. The 5-foot-8, 185-pound forward has skated in 738 career NHL games with Chicago and Tampa Bay, totaling 193 goals and 238 assists for 431 points with a plus-20 rating. The two-time Stanley Cup winner (2020, 2021) has also played 116 career Stanley Cup playoff games, tallying 32 goals and 33 assists for 65 points. … Norway’s Erling Haaland scored his second consecutive futbol hat trick which led Manchester City to a 3-1 win at West Ham United on Saturday, maintaining Man City’s perfect start to the Premier League season. … Going into Saturday night’s game at Detroit, the Boston Red Sox are (16-23) in the 39 fun-filled games since the MLB All-Star break.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Aug 25

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While We’re Young (Ideas) | On College Football’s Future
What is ahead for College Football?

By TERRY LYONS, Editor in Chief, Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – This week, the NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) struck a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that looks more like the English Premier League model than the NFL, NBA or NHL. For the women, there will be more pay but the annual Draft will get tossed. A growing cadre of talented collegiate players or incoming internationals will be free agents able to sign with the team of their choice.

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

That might sound strange to North American sports fans, but it can be said that the system mimics NCAA talent in all sports who are recruited to play by collegiate coaches and their bagmen, who are now able too offer full scholarships and unprecedented amounts of NIL money, as long as the college boosters stay with the program.

While writing on college programs, please note that the University of Connecticut is – once again – on the block for a possible move to the Big 12, a college conference aggressively seeking to out-position the other Power (is it four?) Conferences, while destroying anything in its path, like the Pac 12.

UConn is near and dear to the Digital Sports Desk legacy, as it was here that you first read that UConn had agreed to return to the BIG EAST in 2020, leaving the American Athletic Conference which was an off-shoot of the original BIG EAST but with a preference for the sport of football rather than hoops.

Now, big time college football is luring UConn back to the negotiating table (for the third time, no less) and the decision could have serious ramifications for the little old BIG EAST, which would return to 10 teams of yore.

The bottom line is that NCAA football is beginning to look like European futbol as much or more that the NWSL could ever hope for in the near future.

It’s not a stretch to think of UConn as Manchester United, Alabama as Arsenal, and Georgia as Liverpool. That might make Manchester City a bit like Penn State, Tottenham Hotspurs a version of Michigan, and Spain’s Real Madrid and FC Barcelona take on characteristics of USC and UCLA.

Playing the comparison out, the short term goal is to win the EPL/Conference championship, whether it be the ACC, SEC, BIG 12 or Big Ten, but the longer term strategy is to join and win in the Champions League.

The mirror of the Champions League for College Football will be the 12-Team CFB Playoff coming in 2025. That is where a national champion will be crowned and with it the cash and prestige to keep the coffers filled and alum happy for at least one more year before some other conference gets gobbled up or sees its longtime anchors disappear.

Do you hear that UNC, Clemson, and Florida State? Where might you be headed in 2025-26?

Florida State, by the way, dropped its opener on Saturday, bowing to an upstart Georgia Tech squad, 24-21, in Dublin, Ireland. Georgia Tech and SMU have been tabbed as the “sleepers” of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The hometown favorites, Boston College, might be more of a snoozer than sleeper as the Eagles are likely to be 1-3 after an opener vs a very angry Florida State Seminole team at Tallahassee, a home breather vs Duquesne, a road jaunt to Mizzou and another home game – the annual Red Bandana Game – against Michigan State (winnable).

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Once upon a time, the Boston Red Sox were tagged as the second hottest team in the American League, but, as of August 24, the Sox are back to their inconsistent ways, dropping the second of a three game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Fenway. The Sox are 5-6 in their last 11, 10-11 in 21 games during August, and 14-19 in 33 games since the MLB All-Star break. Going into the series finale against the D-Backs, Boston is four games out of the Wild Card slot. … Boston starters, such as Cutter Crawford (loser on Saturday, and (8-11) on the season, are reason for much of the inconsistency. Sunday will mark Game 129 of the 2024 season for the Sox, also home game 64 of 82.

The Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and catcher Danny Jansen will be making history this Monday when Jansen will become the first major leaguer to appear in a game for both teams if he plays catcher for the Boston in the resumption of a suspended game against the Toronto Blue Jays.

“He’s catching. Let’s make history,” Boston manager Alex Cora said Friday before the Red Sox dropped the opener of a three-game series against Arizona 12-2.

Jansen was about to bat for Toronto when the June 26 game against Boston was suspended in the second inning because of heavy rain. It was rescheduled for this Monday as part of a doubleheader.

He was traded from Toronto to Boston on July 27.

“I don’t know if it’s set in for me. It’s definitely a cool thing,” Jansen said. “Honestly, when I heard about it, I didn’t think I would be the first. The game has been around for so long. It’s one of those oddities that happen in this sport. It’s extremely rare and cool.”

AT BAT: Major League Baseball recently announced the tournament format, pool play opponents and sites for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. There are four pools of five teams each, with one slot open for a qualifier in each pool. The United States will face a formidable challenge from Mexico, then hope to outplay Italy, Great Britain and the qualifier TBA. As in past years, San Juan and Tokyo will host first round match-ups with tough North American (Canada), Americas (Panama) and Caribbean (Cuba) world teams heading to Puerto Rico while Japan plays host to Australia, Korea, Czechia and a qualifier.

The semifinals and finals will be played in Miami.
Artist’s rendition of Bristol Motor Speedway set-up for Baseball (MLB)

SPEED RACERS: On August 2, 2025, Major League Baseball will again expands its horizons within the United States when they stage a game at the famed Bristol Motor Speedway in northeastern Tennessee. The Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves will rev-it-up for the special occasion as Baseball tries to one-up their highly successful “Field of Dreams“ effort. … The one-off game will be part of a three-game series as the Reds are the home team.

GOLDEN NUGGETS & TIDBITS: The Boston Bruins dealt goalkeeper Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators back on June 24. In doing so, the Bruins made a longterm commitment to their ‘24 starter Jeremy Swayman but Swagman and the Bruins have yet to come to terms on a new contract. For that matter, the Senators have yet to sign Ullmark to an extension that was planned when the deal went down. Stay tuned as camp opens in about one month. … The PGA Tour is down to its penultimate week of play. This week, the best 50 players on the season-log FedEx Cup point listing are competing in Castle Rock, Colorado with the Top 30 to qualify for the TOUR Championship next week in Atlanta. The BMW Championship is the oldest non-major on the PGA TOUR schedule, dating back to 1899. It was known as the Western Open for most of the time. The tournament is being played at its 11th different venue since 2007 and the first in Colorado since 2014 . Why the break? Altitude is a bitch! … The Castle Pines GC is playing as a Par 72 at 8,130 yards, the longest in PGA Tour history. Through 54 holes, Keegan Bradley (Vermont and Hopkinton, Mass) – (-12), Adam Scott (Australia), along with Sweden’s Alex Soren and Ludvig Åberg are ripping up the course, finishing Saturday’s round at (-12), (-11) and (-10). Xander Schauffele and Denver’s Wyndham Clark are four back of the leaders. … With a $75 million prize pool, the winner of the TOUR Championship will bank $18 million. … While St. John’s grad Keegan Bradley was leading at the BMW, another St. John’s guy, Mike Repole (think Vitamin Water) was cleaning up at Saturday’s Travers Stakes in Saratoga (Sponsored by Draft Kings). Repole’s bay colt, Fierceness, took the $1,250,000 purse Travers with John R. Velazquez riding to the $787,500 prize, nipping Torpedo Anna at the wire. … Meanwhile, on the St. John’s campus, coach Rick Pitino’s office was robbed of memorabilia he was scheduled to sign. The perp was nabbed, a Long Island City man was arrested in connection with the robbery. Emanuel Yakubov was nabbed by the 107th Precinct at 9 p.m. Friday, according to the NYPD. He faces multiple charges, including third-degree burglary, petit larceny, third-degree criminal trespassing, and fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property. Security footage tipped off the NYPD sleuths.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | August 18

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Just think about the possibilities for this venue at LA ‘28

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

FROM THE LYONS’ DEN IN BOSTON – Congratulations are in order to USA Basketball’s Men’s and Women’s (5×5) Olympic teams for their haul of 24 gold medals at the recently concluded Summer Olympic Games. Two of those 24 medals are counted in the stupendously ridiculous medal standings that every newspaper and TV station publish on a daily basis. More on that later.

The men’s and women’s team worked (very) hard and earned their medals as the competitors in the 20214 basketball tournaments were as deep and talented as we’ve ever seen, although the men’s side has had tough comp since 2000. Remember, it’s no longer about the number of players with NBA contracts on a roster. The basketball nations of the world come to play, as evidenced by Canada, Germany, (the reigning World Cup champions), Greece and South Sudan. Exhibit 1-A was a July 27 game featuring Greece vs Canada won by our neighbors to ‘Da North, (86-79). In that contest, Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) got his first taste of Olympic basketball and scored 34 points. Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) countered with 21 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. Both teams fared well, but lost in the quarter-finals (medal round). Much of their rosters wee non-NBA players.

On the men’s side, USA Basketball’s staff and its de facto team GM, Grant Hill, will have their hands filled going forward. The assignment is daunting and that’s a great thing.

Much of the roster make-up conversation has pointed to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. While that makes for easy column inches right after the 2024 Games, there is far more need for concern on the roster for the 2027 World Cup in Qatar from 27 August to 12 September 2027 (notice the European style of date-listing?)

The Worlds are a grueling 32-team tournament. Looking back at 2023, the USA lost to Germany 113-111 in the semifinals and that meant the United States failed to medal at consecutive World Cups for the first time since 1967 and 1970. In global basketball at the senior team level, the USA’s last team to lose three games in a major tournament was the 2004 Olympic team.

While many pundits looked at the potential roster for the 2028 Olympics, the focus should be on the roster composition at the 2027 Worlds which can lead to continuity for a team headed to Los Angeles a year later.

For the sake of sanity, let’s figure the elder statesman who excelled in Paris and Lille this summer, take a pass at playing for the USA again. That will put Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Lebron James in the stands as opposed to on the court. Let’s assume Kawhi Leonard is on AARP’s mailing list by then as well. And, lastly, in the summer of 2027, no one has any idea if Joel Embiid will be healthy or not considering his history of injuries and lack of conditioning. He’ll be 33 in March of 2027.

On the other side of the coin, here’s a list of players from the 2024 roster who will be locks if healthy and willing to dedicate their 2027 and ‘28 summers to USA Basketball.

  • Bam Adebayo
  • Devin Booker
  • Anthony Edwards
  • Tyrese Halliburton (PG)
  • Jrue Holiday
  • Jayson Tatum
  • Derrick White (PG)

That leaves another five roster spots to select for the 2027 World Cup team, again assuming all listed are volunteering to play. Here are the no-brainers:

  • Jalen Brown
  • Jalen Brunson (PG)

Here are the three others that make the most sense to round out the roster:

  • Cooper Flagg (let the long-range planning begin) – (also, limited minutes)
  • Chet Holmgren
  • Anthony Davis (who will be 34) (they need another rebounder)

To be considered for sure: Paolo Banchero (Orlando), Jalen Duren (Detroit), Josh Hart (New York), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Miami), and Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia).

Of course, there are dozens of other players who deserve mention but the players above (noting the three necessary point guards who need to work for USA Basketball as pass first/run the offense/run the break PGs – old school types. The list also assumes the Boston Celtics players will let bygones be bygones in respect to USAB head coach Steve Kerr’s snub of Tatum this summer with an expected coaching change to come within the next two years … (Do you think Grant Hill can talk Coach Mike Krzyzewski to return for an encore)?

Figuring Krzyzewski will remain in his much-deserved retirement, it will be a toss-up between two great coaches in Tyronn Lue of the LA Clippers and Miami’s Eric Spoelstra for the head spot heading into 2026-27.

Here’s my Dream Coaching Staff for USA Basketball:

Head Coach: Pat Riley

Assistant Coaches: Mike Krzyzewski, Mike D’Antoni, Bob McKillop.

Select Team Coaches: Jeff Van Gundy, Tom Izzo, Doc Rivers

THE MEDAL STANDINGS: Let’s get this out there and straight as an arrow, the Olympic Medal Standings are RIDICULOUS. There are dozens of reasons, but here’s just a few:

  • It’s not about the athletes who medal
  • It is ALL ABOUT the competitions, the honor of being an Olympian
  • Having Medal standings and using them so prominently SENDS the WRONG MESSAGE to the youth of the world
  • The jingoistic “Rah, Rah” for the USA leading the medal standings in a tête-à-tête vs. China or Russia or Japan or Australia or Great Britain is a little too much as the USA sends far more athletes and the sports (for the most part) have the wherewithal to send athletes to worldwide competitions and train with the highest levels of equipment, venues, nutrition, wellness and weight training, travel and overall budgets.
  • Lastly, the phrases, “Settling for the Silver” or “Settling for the Bronze” just burn me up.
  • Grow up

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | August 11

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The 2024 Olympic Games are the first to have both Men and Women’s Teams from two countries play for the Gold Medal (FIBA)

FROM the LYONS’ DEN in BOSTON – We all should’ve known better. When it came time for the United States Men’s Olympic team to seal a victory, whether it be the semifinals against Serbia or the gold medal game against an incredible, upstart national team of France, there was only one person in the gym to count on.

For the people who are tagged as NBA lifers, we met the guy in 1991 when his Dad, Dell Curry of the hometown Hornets, was competing in the NBA Three-Point Shootout in Charlotte. Dell’s son, Stephen, was pictured sitting right on his Dad’s lap, high-fiving his favorite NBA players and flashing his tremendous smile for all to see.
Steph Curry, on his Dad’s lap, along with West Coach Don Nelson, Sacramento’s Mitch Richmond and New Jersey’s Drazen Petrovic (NBA)

Young Steph blended in with the thousands of credentialed players, friends, family, media and dignitaries who hovered around the NBA All-Star Game festivities in February of 1991. Quite frankly, this columnist didn’t even think of him again until a phone call came in as Midnight Madness struck for the 2006 college basketball season.

“Do you know Dell Curry,” asked Davidson coach Bob McKillop (my mentor and longtime basketball maven who coached Holy Trinity HS in 1977 and beyond? Of course, McKillop went on to be the decorated (and now retired) head coach of Davidson College and remained in close touch with so many of us on a monthly basis from June ‘77 until today.

“Yes, sure,” was the answer, “but why do you ask?”

“I have his son – who’s going to be a freshman on the Davidson team. He’s the best player I’ve ever had.”

McKillop wasn’t kidding.

Steph Curry led Davidson for three years, including a magical run in the 2008 NCAA’s that brought the Wildcats within a game of the Final Four.

On recall, there were two things that stood out about Steph when he played college ball for Davidson in the Southern Conference.

  1. He kept getting better and better. Every game, every year.
  2. He was the best shooter anyone had ever seen.

Nowadays, the 36-year old, four-time NBA champion and sure-fire first ballot Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer is known the world around. He was drafted by the Golden State Warriors with the seventh overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft. He’s a 10-time NBA All-Star and a two time league MVP. Curry even made the NBA’s exclusive 75th Anniversary all-time team.

Fast forward to his very first (and only) gold medal game for the Olympics, and it was today, Saturday August 10, 2024, in Paris France where Curry proved himself as the undisputed greatest shooter of a basketball the world has ever seen. And, he did it under intense pressure.

France’s amazing 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama tipped in a shot with 2:58 remaining in the fourth quarter of the gold medal game to cut the USA’s lead to three points, 82-79.

It was Curry Time.

Steph drained a three-point field goal with 2:48 to extend the US lead to six, 85-79. Then, after two key free throws by Kevin Durant (“Call him KD Tres Bien”), Curry drained another long three-pointer to create a nine-point cushion with 1:58 remaining in the game.

France would not let up. Wembanyama hit a three-pointer of his own to make it a six-point game with just under a minute remaining.

It was Curry Time, yet again.

With :35 seconds left in the game, the incredible Curry hit his third consecutive shot from “centre-ville” to ice the game for the United States, 96-87. Devin Booker’s lay-up at the :21-second mark closed out the scoring and the USA earned its fifth consecutive gold medal at the Olympic Games, making the 2004 bronze medal in Athens seem like a 20-year old fading memory.

Aside from winning the game for the USA, Curry also saved his longtime coach, Steve Kerr, from the embarrassment and criticism he would’ve received upon returning to the States. Golden State’s Kerr – ably assisted by Ty Lue (Los Angeles Clippers), Mark Few (Gonzaga) and Erik Spoelstra(Miami Heat) – juggled line-ups and combinations throughout the tournament, sitting Boston’s Jayson Tatum twice for entire games, including the semis (medal round) when the USA needed an offensive spark and an aggressive, “take-it-to-the-basket” scorer.

Even the great Bob Cousy questioned Kerr’s coaching decisions, stating on radio broadcasts and to the Boston Globe: “This isn’t just a snub,” Cousy said. “This is an embarrassment for that poor kid all over the [expletive] world. The Olympics have gotten that big. Everyone’s going to think that there’s something wrong this this kid.

“Not playing Tatum at all says to the world, ‘Not only is he not top five, he’s not good enough to get into a close game.’ I can’t figure out Kerr’s thinking, and he’s done it twice, so he obviously feels strongly about it.”

One thing is for sure, the snub to Tatum spoiled a golden year for Boston Celtics basketball. Kerr’s coaches decision will follow Tatum all around the NBA next season and the storyline will build to a crescendo when the Celtics meet the Golden State Warriors, two times in the 2024-25 regular season. When you’re hearing it from The Cooz, you’re in trouble.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Fighting against every ounce of common sense in my mind and keeping to an iron-clad rule of never, ever stating that the most recent occurrence is the “best,” there’s a constant thought and growing conviction to call the 2024 Paris Summer Games the very best of my lifetime.

It’s damn near impossible to top the 2000 Summer Olympics, held in Sydney, but somehow the beauty of Paris – placing the scenic views of the Eiffel Tower just ahead of the Sydney Opera House, on the shore of Sydney Harbor. While the 2000 Games were outstanding, Paris 2024 was backed-up by incredible performances across the great span of sporting events.

Paris 2024 got off to a rocky and worrisome start as a terror attack struck the French rail lines on the day before the Games began. But, the organizers endured and the athletes took over the show.

The long list of Olympic stand-out performances is even too much list all of them for this week’s While We’re Young (Ideas), but let’s look at just a few from swimming, athletics (track and field), volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s gymnastics with a once-in-a-generation performance by the USA’s Simon Biles and a follow-up by Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade was simply amazing.

Tennis saw 37-year old Novak Djokovic earn the gold, while men’s golf saw once-in-three-generations professional PGA Tour player, Scottie Scheffler, come from behind to earn his golden token.

Add the story of the USA’s Noah Lyles, competing after contracting the COVID-19 virus and trying to gut-it-out, while a hometown hero from France, Léon Marchand, was winning gold in the swimming pool.

Add USA swimming legend Katie Ledecky, along with Bobby Finke and Nic Fink and there was more to marvel at in the pool.

Looking back at last week’s missive, both swimmer Nic Fink (son of NBA events superstar, Peter) and soccer mindfielder Samantha Coffey (daughter of former New York Daily News columnist and dear friend Wayne Coffey) earned gold medals. Fink added a silver, too.

TIDBITS AND GOLDEN NUGGETS: Here’s a couple more notes from the Men’s Basketball Tournament which concluded in Paris on Saturday:

Final Standings of the Men’s Basketball at Paris 2024

1. USA

2. France

3. Serbia

4. Germany

5. Canada

6. Australia

7. Greece

8. Brazil

9. Spain

10. South Sudan

11. Japan

12. Puerto Rico

Surprisingly, the Most Valuable Player award went to the USA’s Lebron James over Stephen Curry. How did that happen? I do NOT know, unless they voted over the entire tournament and not the medal round games.

The five tournament All-Stars: James, Curry, Serbia’s Nikola Jokic,Germany’s Dennis Schroder and France’s Victor Wembanyama. This reporter would’ve had Curry as the MVP and France’s Guerschon Yabuseleon the All-Star list over Schroder.

The “BIGGEST” take-away from the Paris Summer Games, maybe across any sport, was the play of Wembanyama. Although he was totally distraught after the gold medal game, and actually seeking consolation from his fellow NBA stars, like Kevin Durant, Wembanyama, age 20, showed a passion and sheer love of the game that is refreshing, today, but will be a force to be reckoned with starting tomorrow. The 7-foot-4 Wembanyama led the French team in scoring with 15.8 points, rebounds at 9.7, assists at 3.3, steals with 2.0 and blocks with 1.7 per game. However, his 26 points, seven rebounds and two assists in the gold medal game proved there’s a superstar in the making. In fact, he’s made.

The hometown French crowd at Bercy, singing La Marseillaise (see last week’s Words & Music section) as the Bleu accepted their silver medals was a sight to be seen and put a finishing touch on the Paris Games that have edged the 2000 Olympics in my mind.