Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

Patriots Lose to Miami in NFL Opener

by

FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Services Reports) – Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa passed for 202 yards and a go-ahead three-yard touchdown to rookie Jaylen Waddle as the Dolphins spoiled New England’s rookie quarterback Mac Jones’ NFL debut with a 17-16 win over the Patriots in the season opener on Sunday afternoon.

Embed from Getty Images

Waddle, the No. 6 overall pick in this year’s draft, grabbed his first career touchdown catch with 10:51 remaining in the third quarter to put Miami on top for good at 17-10. Nick Folk‘s 42-yard field goal with 2:50 left in the third and another from 33 yards out at 10:36 of the fourth pulled New England within 17-16.

Tagovailoa, who also had a rushing touchdown, finished 16-for-27 passing and was also intercepted by New England defensive back Jonathan Jones with 8:07 to play in the fourth. Mac Jones and the Patriots drove 41 yards before running back Damien Harris lost a fumble at the Dolphins’ 11-yard line.

Waddle finished with four catches for 61 yards and the score and DeVante Parker had four catches for a team-high 81 yards for Miami (1-0).

Mac Jones, the No. 15 overall pick in this year’s draft, completed 29 of 39 passes for 281 yards and a touchdown in his pro debut. Harris rushed for 100 yards on 23 carries and Nelson Agholor made five catches for 72 yards and a score for New England (0-1).

Miami and New England were tied 10-10 at halftime.

Tagovailoa capped a 10-play, 80-yard opening drive with a three-yard TD run off the right tackle to put the Dolphins up 7-0 with 5:29 to play in the first quarter. Folk kicked a 27-yard field goal to put the Patriots on the board at 10:17 of the second.

Jones connected with Agholor for his first career touchdown pass with 2:30 left in the half to put New England ahead 10-7. The rookie faked a handoff to Harris before firing a seven-yard strike to Agholor.

Jones and Tagovailoa were teammates at the University of Alabama. Tagovailoa led the Crimson Tide to a national championship in the 2017 season and Jones guided the program to its 18th title last season.

[WD_FB id=”1″]

While We’re Young (Ideas) – Sept. 12

by

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook

By TERRY LYONS

FLUSHING MEADOW – We’ve witnessed the likes of Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Larry Bird burst into the professional sports scene to save the NBA from its downward spiral into obscurity in the late 1970s. Over the years, we’ve also enjoyed highly touted rookies in nearly every sport step up to make major impact in their sports, win Rookie of the Year honors and maybe earn a title. From Tiger Woods in golf to Wayne Gretzky in the NHL to LeBron James in the NBA to Venus and Serena Williams in women’s tennis, we marvel at the talent, determination and success displayed by these players at such a young age.

This weekend, at the 2021 United States Open tennis tournament, two young women opened a new chapter in women’s tennis as 18-year old Emma Raducanu of Great Britain defeated 19-year old Leylah Fernandez of Canada in the U.S. Open women’s final. It was the first time two teenagers squared-off in the final of a Grand Slam since 1999 when a 17-year old Serena Williams defeated world No. 1 in 18-year old Martina Hingis at the US Open.

Embed from Getty Images

Teen-aged sensations in tennis come along Like a Hurricane in the Gulf Coast with a couple doozies each season. Flip back in the record books and you’ll see the likes of Maureen “Little Mo” Connolly who in 1953, at age 16, became the first woman to win the Grand Slam of tennis (Australian and French Opens, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open) in a single season.

Like those hurricanes – every 10-to-15 years or so, more frequently of late – along comes a Category 5, a “Katrina,” a “Sandy” or an “Ida,” or “Maria.”They are storms that devastate and dominate and blow through at 125+ mph, soon to dissipate out in the wilderness or North Atlantic Ocean.

In tennis, just like those hurricanes, they’ve been known by their first names to fans all over the world. They called them Chrissy (Evert), Martina(Navratilova and Hingis), Gabriela (Sabatini), Serena and Venus (Williams sisters), Lindsay (Davenport), Jennifer (Capriati), Tracy (Austin), Steffi(Graf) and Monica (Seles). More recently, it was Maria (Sharapova), Sloane(Stephens) and Naomi (Osaka), who all burst onto the world tennis scene, some to remain for a decade or more but some to burn out like a discarded rocket engine falling back down to earth.

As of September 11, 2021, we can add two new names in Emma (Raducanu) and Leylah (Fernandez) who made their way to the women’s finals at the Arthur Ashe Tennis Center in Queens, the tremendous site of the United States Tennis Association (USTA’s) premier event. The two young women, Fernandez un-seeded in the draw, and Raducanu advancing as a qualifier, won over the tough New York crowds and thanked them profusely and genuinely for their support as they marched to the finals. Raducanu defeated her new peer and rival 6-4, 6-3 in the final to close out 10 consecutive matches – three in qualifying and seven in the Open – without losing a set.

Her only previous Grand Slam tournament appearance came in her native land, at this year’s Wimbledon, where she disqualified during the fourth round because of trouble breathing.

Aside from their financial success – Raducana pocketed $2.5 million while Fernandez cleared $1.25 million for the U.S. Open fortnight – the two players showed poise, composure during adversity, graciousness, respect for their sport and those who played before them, such as Raducanu’s appreciation for Virginia Wade – the last U.K. women’s champ at the US Open (1968). For Fernandez, her composure after the final defeat was a sight to see, and her post semi-finals on-court speech, singling out her admiration and appreciation for Canada’s most decorated baller – Steve Nash, the coach of the Brooklyn Nets to take time to watch her play – was equally impressive and endearing.

The end result is the sport of tennis – in particular the Women’s Tennis circuit (WTA) – enjoyed a jolt of newfound interest and enthusiasm for the sport these last two weeks. It is not a statement of hyperbole to say future duels between “Emma” and “Leylah” might rival matches of “Chrissy” vs “Martina” of yesteryear, or start a resurgence of interest in tennis the way Olga Korbutor Nadia Comăneci fueled a generation of women’s gymnastics wanna-be’s that gave us Shannon Miller, Mary Lou Retton and a legion of medalists in recent Olympic Games.

The previously mentioned tennis legend, Chris Evert, ranked No. 1 in US junior tennis at age 14 and who made her Grand Slam tournament debut at age 16 at the U.S. Open in Forest Hills, was near tears in her post match analysis of EMMA vs LEYLAH I. Evert surely envisioned and stated out loud that the 2021 U.S. Open finalists could enjoy a decade of on-court and off-court competition, often the secret of superstars. Evert won singles championships in 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980 and 1981 but had Navratilova to push her throughout.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: We’re “Ready for Some Football” and the timing was perfect for our friends at Sportico to release their NFL Franchise Valuations. While the Dallas fell to the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL season opener this past Thursday night, the Cowboys reign supreme in NFL team value at a whopping $6.920 billion.

The Top 10 in the NFL: (billion) by Sportico

  1. Dallas Cowboys – $6.920
  2. New England Patriots – $5.350
  3. LA Rams – $4.680
  4. NY Giants – $4.630
  5. SF 49ers – $4.270
  6. Washington FT – $4.250
  7. NY Jets – $4.080
  8. Chicago Bears – $4.000
  9. Philadelphia Eagles – $3.870
  10. Houston Texans – $3.840

PICKS: While franchise valuations take in everything from the team’s actual value to business operations to venue ownership and overall revenue generation, the bottom line in the NFL – and all of sports, really – is Wins and Losses.

Here are the 2021 NFL picks for While We’re Young (Ideas):

  • AFC East – Bills of Buff
  • AFC North – Ravens
  • AFC South – Titans
  • AFC West – Chiefs
  • AFC Wild Cards: Browns, Colts, Chargers
  • AFC Champion – KC Chiefs

In the NFC:

  • NFC East – Cowboys
  • NFC North – Packers
  • NFC South – Buccaneers of Brady
  • NFC West – LA Rams
  • NFC Wild Cards: 49ers, Saints, Vikings
  • NFC Champion – Tampa Bay Bucs

In the Super Bowl:

  • KC Chiefs over Tampa Bay Bucs

If another play is possible? Tampa Bay over Buffalo

Ackerman Inducted into Hall of Fame

by

UNCASVILLE – (Staff report with Official Big East News Release) – Former NBA executive and first President of the WNBA, former USA Basketball president and current Big East Conference Commissioner Val Ackerman will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of its 2021 class this weekend in Springfield, Massachusetts. She will be inducted as a Contributor. Ackerman previously received the Hall of Fame’s John Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.

The Class of 2021 enshrinement ceremony will be held on Saturday, September 11.

Villanova head coach Jay Wright is also a member of the 2021 Hall of Fame class. Other inductees of the 2021 class are: Rick Adelman, Chris Bosh, Yolanda Griffith, Lauren Jackson, Paul Pierce, Bill Russell, Ben Wallace, Chris Webber, Howard Garfinkel, Cotton Fitzsimmons, Clarence “Fats” Jenkins, Toni Kukoc, Bob Dandridge and Pearl Moore.

“I’m extremely honored by this recognition and will be forever grateful to David Stern and Russ Granik for opening doors for me and allowing me to be part of so many exciting moments in basketball history,” said Ackerman. “It’s been a tremendous privilege to lead the BIG EAST and build on its proud heritage these past eight years, and to be part of the class that includes Jay Wright makes this moment very hard to top.”

Ackerman was named the fifth Commissioner of the BIG EAST on June 26, 2013. She was the founding President of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and is a past President of USA Basketball, which oversees the U.S. men’s and women’s Olympic basketball program. Ackerman also served for two terms as the U.S. representative to the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). She has had a long and accomplished career in the sports industry and the distinction of serving in leadership positions in both men’s and women’s basketball at the collegiate, professional, national team and international levels.

Ackerman was named the first President of the WNBA in 1996 and oversaw the league’s day-to-day operations for its first eight seasons. During her tenure, the league expanded from 8 to 16 teams, drew broad national sponsor and network support, established women’s team sports attendance records and maintained successful player labor relations. Ackerman was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011 and received the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Billie Jean King Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

Ackerman served on the USA Basketball Board of Directors for 23 years, including as President for the 2005-08 term, which culminated with gold medals for the men’s and women’s teams at the Beijing Games. She served as a primary NBA liaison to USA Basketball in the early years of the “Dream Team” era and was the driving force behind the 10-month tour of the USA Basketball women’s national team that preceded the 1996 Olympics and set the stage for the launch of the WNBA. She received USA Basketball’s Ed Steitz Award for contributions to international basketball in 2008.

While at the helm of the BIG EAST, Ackerman has presided over the rebirth of the conference following its return in 2013 to its original basketball-centric configuration. She led the move of the conference office to its current location in New York City and has managed the BIG EAST’s fruitful partnerships with Fox Sports and Madison Square Garden, which has hosted the conference’s men’s basketball tournament since 1983. Ackerman led the negotiations that resulted in the return to the BIG EAST in 2020 of the University of Connecticut, one of the conference’s charter members. The BIG EAST has maintained its national successes in men’s basketball since reconfiguration, highlighted by multiple NCAA tournament bids and Villanova’s national titles in 2016 and 2018.

Prior to assuming her role with the BIG EAST, Ackerman a widely acclaimed, comprehensive white paper detailing growth strategies for women’s college basketball.

Ackerman attended Hopewell Valley Central High School in Pennington, New Jersey, where she remains the school’s all-time leading basketball scorer. She was among the first female athletics scholarship recipients at the University of Virginia, from which she graduated in 1981 with a B.A. in political and social thought. She was a four-year starter, three-time captain and two-time Academic All-American on the Cavaliers’ women’s basketball team. She was also the program’s first 1,000-point scorer and was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference’s 50th Anniversary Team in 2002. Ackerman received her law degree from UCLA in 1985.

Brady Leads Bucs to Win vs Cowboys

by

TAMPA – (Staff and Wire Service Reporting) – Tampa Bay place kicker Ryan Succop laced a 36-yard field goal with two seconds left, after Bucs’ aging but amazing quarterback, Tom Brady, passed for 379 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 31-29 victory over the visiting Dallas Cowboys in the opening game of the 2021 NFL season.

Embed from Getty Images

The win for Tampa began their 2021 Super Bowl defense but the Cowboys did not go down easy as they rallied to take a 29-28 lead when kicker Greg Zuerlein placed  a 48-yard field goal between the uprights with 1:24 remaining in the game before Brady drove the Buccaneers 57 yards on 11 plays to set up Succop’s game-winning field goal.

Brady, 44, completed 32 of 50 passes and was intercepted twice during his 300th career regular-season start. Brady’s compadre from New England, Rob Gronkowski, caught eight passes for 90 yards and two touchdown passes while Antonio Brown (five receptions, 121 yards) and Chris Godwin (nine for 105) also had scoring receptions for the Buccaneers (1-0).

Dallas QB Dak Prescott threw for 403 yards, three touchdowns but one interception on 42-of-58 passing for Dallas (0-1) in his first game since sustaining a severe right ankle injury nearly 11 months ago. Dallas wide-out Amari Cooper had a career-best 13 receptions for 139 yards and two touchdowns while his fellow wide receiver, CeeDee Lamb, had seven catches for 104 yards and a score.

Tampa Bay led by two late in the game and looked en route to adding to the advantage, but Godwin was hit hard by Damontae Kazee and fumbled at the 2-yard line. Jourdan Lewis recovered in the end zone and returned it to the Dallas 10 with 4:52 remaining. The Cowboys responded with an 11-play, 60-yard drive to set up Zuerlein’s go-ahead kick. The key play was when Prescott connected with Lamb for 34 yards on third-and-11 to the Buccaneers’ 34.

Brady guided the comeback on a night when the Buccaneers were outgained 451 yards to 431. The Cowboys were without six-time Pro Bowl guard Zack Martin due to a positive test for COVID-19.

In the first half, Brady threw a trifecta of touchdown passes to Godwin (5 yards), Gronkowski (2) and Brown (47) as the Buccaneers built a 21-16 lead. Prescott tossed scoring passes to Lamb (22 yards) and Cooper (5).

 

NBA: Lakers Sign Jordan

by

LOS ANGELES – (Staff and Wire Service Reports) – As expected, the Los Angeles Lakers signed veteran center DeAndre Jordan to their roster, completing a deal that was reported when the Brooklyn Nets traded Jordan last week. The Athletic reported that Jordan’s deal  is a one-year deal worth $2.6 million.

Embed from Getty Images

Jordan, 33, was an All-Star in 2017 as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers and has averaged 9.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots in 13 seasons with the Clippers (2008-18), Dallas Mavericks (2018-19), New York Knicks (2019) and Brooklyn Nets (2019-21). He was a teammate of LeBron James on the USA Basketball national team.

In 2020-21 as a member of the Nets, he averaged 7.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

He joins a Lakers team that features James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard.

The signing was precipitated by a trade between the Nets and Detroit Pistons Sept. 4, which paved the way for Jordan’s release and eventual signing in L.A.

That deal involved the Nets trading Jordan to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for center Jahlil Okafor and forward Sekou Doumbouya. Okafor was released by the Nets earlier Thursday.

The Pistons also received $5.78 million, as well as second-round picks in 2022, 2024, 2025 and 2027.

Cantlay, Rahm Vie for Player of Year

by

PONTE VEDRA BEACH – (Staff and wire service report) – Newly crowned PGA Tour/FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay of the United States and World No. 1 ranked Jon Rahm of Spain lead a group of five players nominated for 2020-21 PGA Tour Player of the Year honors. Bryson DeChambeau, Harris English and Collin Morikawa are also nominated for the Jack Nicklaus Award.

Embed from Getty Images

Garrick Higgo and Will Zalatoris are the two nominees for PGA Tour Rookie of the Year honors, also known as the Arnold Palmer Award.

Winners are determined by PGA Tour player voting. Players who competed in at least 15 official FedExCup events during the 2020-21 season are eligible to vote through September 10th with the announcement forthcoming.

Cantlay Wins TOUR Championship

by

ATLANTA – FedExCup leader Patrick Cantlay hit a five-foot, eleven inch putt on No. 16 to go two strokes ahead of Spain’s Jon Rahm, bogeyed No. 17 to make it interesting and then birdied his final hole with a six-inch tap-in to win the TOUR Championship and its $15 million first place prize for the FedEx Cup.

For the third season, the TOUR Championship was weighted by the FedExCup “starting strokes” system, with the format crowning a single champion. Patrick Cantlay, the player with the lowest score in relation to par combined with his FedExCup Starting Strokes edge of (-10), won the TOUR Championship and the FedExCup – wire-to-wire. Cantlay becomes the third player in FedExCup history to rank No. 1 in the FedExCup entering the TOUR Championship and go on to win. He also became the first player to win four or more times in a season since Justin Thomas in 2016-17.

Rahm carded his 15th Top-10 this season, the most by any player in a season since 2015-16 and Kevin Na played his final 57 holes without a bogey en route to best FedExCup finish of his career.

Joaquin Niemann (29th at (+4) played as a single in the final round, teed-off first and shot a 2-over (72) in 1 hour, 53 minutes.

TOUR Championship Leaderboard:

Final-Round Leaderboard

1 Patrick Cantlay – (Started -10) – 67-66-67-69 (-11) – (-21)

2 Jon Rahm – (Started -6) – 65-65-68-68 (-14) – (-20)

3 Kevin Na – (Started -2) – 66-67-66-67 (-14) – (-16)

4 Justin Thomas – (Started -4) – 67-67-65-70 (-11) – (-15)

Final Leaderboard: (link)

Cantlay Leads at TOUR Championship

by

TOUR Championship – FedExCup Playoffs Finale Today

ATLANTA – FedExCup leader Patrick Cantlay (-20) will take his third career 54-hole lead/co-lead after posting a third-round (67) while Jon Rahm seeks to become the second consecutive FedExCup champion to win while ranked No. 1 in the world.

Cantlay recorded six birdies on the day, good for a two-shot lead entering Sunday’s final round. He had reached 21-under for the week with a birdie on the par-4 10th to assume a four-shot lead before bogeys on 11, 14 and 16 cut it to one shot as he birdied the 18th hole to finish at 20-under.

Justin Thomas recorded his only bogey of the day with a three-putt on the par-5 18th for a third-round (65), matching Saturday’s low round. He’s in third place, five back.

Sungjae Im has now carded 493 total birdies for the 2020-21 PGA TOUR season, tying the all-time record since 1980.

Brooks Koepka withdrew after 12 holes with a left wrist injury

Rahm and Cantlay will be paired together today for the 21st time in their careers.

TOUR Championship Leaderboard After 54 Holes:

1 Patrick Cantlay (Started -10) 67-66-67 (-10) -20

2 Jon Rahm (Started-6) 65-65-68 (-12) -18

3 Justin Thomas (Started -4) 67-67-65 (-11) -15

4 Kevin Na (Started -2) 66-67-66 (-11) -13

PGA TOUR Championship: First Look

by

Preview – TOUR Championship First Look

COURSE: East Lake Golf Club – (Atlanta, Georgia)

ARCHITECT: Tom Bendelow

YARDS/PAR: 7,346 yards/Par 70

PRIZE Money/FedEx Champ/First Place Winnings: $60,000,000/$15,000,000

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Dustin Johnson

PAST RESULTS: (link)

PAST FedEx Cup CHAMPIONS: (link)

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @Playofffinale

OFFICIAL SITE: (TOUR Championship)

TV COVERAGE: Thursday, September 2 and Friday, September 3: Coverage from 1:00pm to 6:00pm (EDT) on Golf Channel.

On Saturday, September 4, Round 3 coverage 1:00pm to 2:30pm (EDT) on Golf Channel. NBC Sports takes over from 2:30pm to 7:00pm (EDT). On Sunday, September 5: Golf Channel opens final round coverage 12:00pm to 1:30pm (EDT) and NBC wraps it up from 1:30pm to 6:00pm (EDT).

PGA TOUR LIVE STREAMING: Streaming coverage on Thursday and Friday, from 11:00am to 6:00pm (EDT) on PGA Tour Live.

On Saturday, PGA Live coverage runs from 12:00pm Noon to 7:00pm (EDT) and Sunday, PGA Tour Live will stream 11:00am to 6:00pm or conclusion (EDT).

PGA TOUR RADIO COVERAGE: SiriusXM Radio will have live radio coverage of the TOUR Championship with Thursday and Friday broadcasts from 12:00pm to 6:00pm (EDT). Weekend coverage on Sirius XM Radio begins Saturday from 2:00pm to 7:00pm (EDT) and Sunday’s finale from 1:00pm to 6:00pm (EDT) or conclusion. PGA Tour Radio is available on Sirius 208/XM 92).

TOUR Championship/Final of the FedExCup

ATLANTA – The 50-event 2020-21 PGA TOUR Season will conclude at the TOUR Championship, where the FedExCup Champion will be crowned. Patrick Cantlay, the PGA TOUR leader in wins this season (3), enters the TOUR Championship at No. 1 in the FedExCup standings and will begin the tournament at 10-under via FedExCup Starting Strokes.

The FedExCup Starting Strokes system was implented at the 2019 TOUR Championship. That year, No. 1 seed Justin Thomas went on to finish T3, while Rory McIlroy, who began the tournament in fifth place at 5-under came from five strokes back to win. Dustin Johnson entered as the No. 1 seed in 2020 before going on to defeat Thomas and Xander Schauffele by three strokes, becoming just the second No. 1 seed entering TOUR Championship to win the FedExCup.

The players who’ve qualified for the TOUR Championship are eligible for the following tournaments in the 2021-22 season: Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, Genesis Scottish Open and The Open Championship.

Patrick Reed, who has just recovered from a case of pneumonia (both lungs), is in the field this week at No. 30. He is also playing for possible selection for the USA Ryder Cup team. (Reed to play)

Two players in the field qualified for the TOUR Championship for the first time: Sam Burns and first-year member Erik van Rooyen. Burns earned his first victory on TOUR earlier in the season at the Valspar Championship, while van Rooyen won the Barracuda Championship. 20 players in the field qualified in 2020 and 29 of the 30 players are in the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking, both record-highs for the FedExCup era (van Rooyen, No. 55).

The Basics:

With the limited field of 30 players, TOUR Championship Tee Times Thursday run from 11:40am to 2:00pm (EDT) with players playing in pairs.

Weather: Thursday forecast is for sunny skies and a comfortable 75-degrees. Humidity will be 65% with only a 10% chance of rain (link)

While We’re Young (Ideas) – August 29

by

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – At Christmas time in 1963, the great crooner Andy Williams released “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” a chart-topping, holiday favorite. He sang of parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting, jingles belling, and caroling out in the snow. The song was written by Edward Pola and George Wyle and they make a bundle every year as its played on Holiday radio stations, in shopping malls and at homes all over the world.

As August turns to September, I might suggest Pola and Wyle pen another version to salute the sports world. Right here, right now, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. Let’s take a look at what we have to look forward to on the 2021-22 sports calendar approaching.

Via ways of streaming consciousness, (not order of preference nor chronology, I give you the menu of sporting events:

  1. Major League Baseball’s regular-season home stretch to the Postseason.
  2. The start of College Football (Illinois 30, Nebraska 22).
  3. The start of NFL Football.
  4. PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs and the Ryder Cup
  5. U.S. Open Tennis.
  6. NHL Training Camp and start of the season.
  7. NBA Training Camp and start of the season.
  8. MLB Playoffs.
  9. World Series.
  10. The start of College Basketball.

There will be some other wonderful sporting events sprinkled in, too. The Boston Marathon will be run on October 11th. The Breeders’ Cup will be run on the first weekend in November. Fans of auto racing and other motor sports will have dates circled on their calendars and local Boston fave, “The Head of the Charles,” will be staged October 22-24. … The Revs and the MLS will be revvin’ and the World Cup contenders will be qualifying. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of other great sporting events all around the world.

Let’s all look forward to the events ahead and when they’re completed we’ll focus on another “Wonderful Time of the Year,” when March Madness leads into the start of Baseball, the NHL and NBA Playoffs.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Let’s get this right out of the way … Just in case you were wondering, the George Wyle mentioned above is the same guy who wrote the theme song to “Gilligan’s Island.” … Whew.

TAKE A SHOT: Taking a good shot took on another meaning for the National Basketball Association this week when the NBA issued a pair of memorandums, one dropped in the lap of the Associated Press on Friday. The league notified its teams that all team personnel who will be near players and NBA game officials must be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus this season. A day later, the NBA and its referees agreed on a vaccination pact with an addendum to add any possible “booster” shots to be recommended in the future. … This agreement was a win-win,” the Refs’ Union said in a statement. “It will support the NBA’s objective of creating a safer on-court environment and continuity of play while protecting the health and well-being of the referees.” … The NBA-NBRA agreement noted, “that all referees must be fully vaccinated unless they have a religious or medical exemption. The referees have also agreed to take any recommended boosters. Any referee who does not get vaccinated and is not exempt will be ineligible to work games.”

Subscribe to While We’re Young (Ideas) via Substack to get the full notebook delivered every weekend.

Note: While We’re Young Will NOT publish on Labor Day weekend.