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PGA Tour Battling vs. LIV Golf

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BOLTON – As the LIV Golf players teed-off in the third and final round shotgun start Sunday in the western suburbs of Boston, the PGA Tour tossed another major hurdle at the players, via a memo leaked to Sports Illustrated and reported by SI and FOX News.

“The Tour cannot enter into a membership agreement with a player when, as here, it reasonably anticipates the player will not perform the material obligations under that agreement,” said the letter to former PGA Tour pros now on the LIV Tour. “Accordingly, your PGA Tour membership cannot and will not be renewed for the 2022-2023 PGA Tour season.”

Taylor Gooch (-12), Joaquin Nieman (-11) and Dustin Johnson (-10) were busy competing for a $4 million/ $2.125 million or $1.5 million first through third prize at The International, a course set in the woods of Worcester County, Massachusetts – about 45 miles from where the PGA Tour used to play the DeutschBank Championship – a round of its FedEx Playoffs – every Labor Day weekend.

The LIV Golf venture joined an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour that was initially filed by select LIV golfers such as Pat Perez, Carlos Oritiz, Abraham Ancer and Jason Kokrak were among the players filing who dropped their lawsuits against the PGA Tour. Outspoken veteran PGA Tour pro Phil Mickelson was among those that first filed suit in August, claiming suspensions from the Tour were aimed at hurting their careers.

Others pro golfers filed temporary restraining orders to compete in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, claiming they qualified for the PGA Tour postseason playoffs prior to joining LIV Golf. A federal judge in California denied that injunction.

LIV Golf: These Guys Are Great

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BOLTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The fourth event of the new LIV Golf season, the LIV Golf Invitational Boston, teed-off today at The International, in the far suburbs of Boston. The tournament field includes six players making their LIV Golf debut, including World No. 2 and 2022 Open Champion Cameron Smith, World No. 19 and top Chilean golfer Joaquin Niemann, Harold Varner III (No. 46), Cameron Tringale (No. 55), Marc Leishman (No. 62) and India’s top-ranked pro Anirban Lahiri (No. 92) who will join the field of 48 competing in the weekend tournament. Also making his first LIV Golf appearance is two-time Masters champion and former world No. 2 player Bubba Watson, who will debut as a non-playing captain and will make on-air contributions to live event coverage.

As the world’s No. 2 golfer, Smith becomes the highest-ranked player to compete in a LIV Golf event. Winner of the 2022 Open Championship in July at St Andrews, the 150th playing of golf’s oldest major, the Australian has 8 professional wins including the Players Championship earlier this year. The 29-year-old joins the list of LIV golfers who have met the minimum playing eligibility requirements for the World Golf Hall of Fame, though he must wait another 16 years until the minimum age requirement of 45 before official consideration. Smith has amassed 48 additional top-10 finishes and is a consistent contender in the majors, including finishing T-4th at the 2015 U.S. Open – his first major start – and earning four top-10 finishes at the Masters (T-5th 2018, T-2nd 2020, T-10th 2021, T-3rd 2022). A two-time Australian PGA Championship winner (2017-2018), Smith has also represented his home country in international team competitions including the 2018 World Cup, the 2019 Presidents Cup and the Tokyo Olympics.

Chile’s top professional golfer, the 23-year-old Niemann jumped onto the global golf scene as a teenager. As the World Amateur Golf Rankings’ No. 1 player for 44 weeks between 2017-2018, he earned victories against top international players on the Chilean Tour before turning pro in April 2018. The current world No. 19 golfer has two professional wins, 26 top-10 finishes, and represented Chile as part of the International Team in the 2019 Presidents Cup and the Tokyo Olympics.

Varner III, currently 46th in the world, is a two-time winner as a pro including the 2015 Australian PGA Championship and the 2022 PIF Saudi International presented by Softbank Investment Partners. The memorable Asian Tour event featured a thrilling finish, where Varner sunk a 92-foot eagle putt on the 18th hole to defeat fellow LIV Golf competitor Bubba Watson by 1 stroke. Consistently a fan favorite, Varner has 24 top-10 finishes over his professional career, which began in 2012 following a successful collegiate career at East Carolina University where he earned honors as Conference USA Player of the Year.

Leishman has 13 professional victories and an additional 64 top-10 finishes, including three notable showings at the Masters (T-4th 2013, 9th 2018, T-5th 2021) and The Open Championship (T-5th 2014, T-2nd 2015, T-6th 2017). A former Rookie of the Year who has been ranked as high as No. 12 in the world, the Australian is a consistent competitor on international stages, including the Tokyo Olympics, two World Cups (2016, 2018) and four Presidents Cups (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019).

For more than 80 consecutive weeks, American Cameron Tringale has been ranked among the world’s top 100 players. The California native has 30 top-10 finishes in his career and was a three-time NCAA All-American at Georgia Tech. Lahiri, a two-time Olympian for India, has amassed 18 wins and an additional 55 top-10 finishes throughout his professional career. Runner-up at the 2022 Players Championship to winner Cameron Smith, he has twice represented the International Team at the Presidents Cup (2015, 2017), is a three-time representative for Asia in the EurAsia Cup (2014, 2016, 2018), and is a two-time competitor in the World Cup (2013, 2018).

Players will compete in golf’s most exciting new format for $25 million and the chance to become LIV Golf’s fourth individual and team champions while earning points towards LIV Golf’s season-long individual competition.

LIV Golf: Trying to Aid Communities

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BOLTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – LIV Golf – forever to be compared and competing with the PGA Tour – is reaching out to support Massachusetts communities through donations to nine charitable organizations within the Boston, Bolton, Lancaster and surrounding areas as part of the LIV Golf Invitational this weekend in the suburbs of Boston. The donations are aligned with the LIV to Give platform and its commitment to making a positive impact through support of education and career development, environmental sustainability, and golf programs that create positive change and enhance the well-being of communities now and in the future.

“LIV Golf is committed to giving back and investing in organizations that build stronger communities,” said Greg Norman, CEO and Commissioner of LIV Golf. “We are privileged to host such an exciting event in Massachusetts and are proud to support so many deserving charities that deliver much-needed services throughout this region.”

Among the beneficiaries is the Bolton Conservation Trust, which helps maintain the rural nature of the town by engaging the community through events, environmental education programs and land stewardship. The Trust also bridges communications among landowners, public officials, and financing interests.

“This generous donation will have a direct impact on our continuing efforts to protect open space. Our team will expand the environmental component of our Tom Denney Nature Camp by revamping the curriculum, upgrading the facilities, and offering more scholarships for those families in need,” said Dan Gaffney, Bolton Conservation Trust President. “We will re-start our Four Winds environmental enrichment program, which was taught in the K-5 elementary classrooms and brings a very hands-on environmental experience back to hundreds of young students.”

Coaching4Change (C4C) provides a near-peer mentoring model that recruits, trains and places local, diverse, and talented college students to support school improvement initiatives aimed at increasing student engagement and social-emotional learning in underprivileged schools.

The Boston Invitational LIV to Give recipients include:

  • Bolton Conservation Trust to fund trail maintenance, environmental and educational programs, and support land stewardship in the town of Bolton.
  • Coaching4Change to provide low-income students critical mentorship services, empowering youth with life skills that unlock success.
  • Glen Doherty Memorial Foundation to fund scholarships to special operations vets as they transition out of service and into employment opportunities.
  • Boys and Girls Club of Assabet Valley to fund after-school and summer programs, STEM education materials and supplies, and partnership with the local museum to provide enhanced instruction.
  • Bridge Over Troubled Waters to widen the pathways to self-sufficiency for homeless youth through education, employment, mental health care and life skills development.
  • Friends of Bolton Seniors to provide Bolton senior citizens with fuel, nutrition and financial assistance.
  • WHEAT – United Way of Tri-County to fund food security programs.
  • The Joseph and Leslie Carr Foundation to feed area families this upcoming holiday season, fill canned food at food banks, and fund a local diaper bank.
  • Nashoba Neighbors to fund services that empower seniors to age in place/at home.In addition to financial support, as part of LIV to Give’s commitment to developing the next generation of leaders through golf, LIV Golf hosted two special clinics this week. On Tuesday, Richard Bland, Turk Pettit, Cameron Tringale and LIV Golf reporter Troy Mullins led dozens of local youth from Bolton Youth Baseball and Softball in golf drills and spoke about the positive impact of sports, competition and teamwork. On Wednesday, Norman, Bryson DeChambeau, Martin Kaymer, Shergo Kurdi and David Feherty welcomed local military veterans to The International. The group, which included Feherty’s Troops First Foundation and Clear Path for Veterans New England shared inspiring stories, expert instruction and a special day together at the course.LIV Golf is owned and operated by LIV Golf Investments whose vision and mission are centered around making holistic and sustainable investments to enhance the global golf ecosystem and unlock the sport’s untapped worldwide potential. LIV Golf Investments is a newly formed company, with group companies in the USA and United Kingdom.

See You in September

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“I’ll be alone each and every night
While you’re away, don’t forget to write,

“Bye-bye, so long, farewell
Bye-bye, so long

“See you in September
See you when the summer’s through.”

– The Happenings but written by Sid Wayne and Sherman Edwards for The Tempos

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – August, just like its namesake Caesar Augustus, is in the rearview mirror. We’ll See you in September.

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It will be a September without 2021 U.S. Open women’s tennis champion Emma Raducanu who lost her first round match to France’s Alize Cornet (6-3, 6-3) on the evening of August 30. It will be a September without two-time U.S. Open champions and multi-Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka who lost her first round match at Flushing Meadows to No. 19 seed Danielle Collins of America.

We’ll start September’s college football schedule with St. Francis of Pennsylvania at Akron (6pm, ET) but progress to match-ups like Central Michigan at No. 12 Oklahoma State, West Virginia at No. 17 Pittsburgh, and a tough B1G Ten opener for Penn State at Purdue. That’s just Thursday’s schedule.

We’ve already witnessed a Week Zero of college football with Northwestern upsetting Nebraska, 31-28, in Ireland, Illinois spanking Wyoming in similar style to Liz Cheney‘s recent primary defeat, 38-6.

We’ll have a lot to look forward to this weekend when college football really begins. On the local scene, Boston College opens with a “must win” at home vs the B1G Ten’s usual doormat, Rutgers. No. 11 Oregon will travel to play No. 3 Georgia in Atlanta, not Athens and No. 5 Notre Dame is getting (+17) when they play No. 2 Ohio St. before 102,780 fans at Columbus (7:30pm ET, September 3)

We’ll have to wait until Thursday, September 8 for the NFL to begin, but thankfully the NFL preseason is in the books and the regular season Week 1 awaits, complete with the AFC’s Buffalo Bills heading west to SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles to face the defending Super Bowl champion Rams.

The NFL will start without Jon Gruden coaching in Las Vegas but with Jimmy Garrapolo quarterbacking in San Francisco (really Santa Clara). Gruden’s coaching career went up in flames when an NFL investigation into then-Washington football executive Bruce Allen unearthed a slew of racist, anti-gay and misogynistic language in emails which first came to light in a Wall Street Journal article last Oct. 8. Strangely, of the 650,000 emails collected in the NFL internal  investigation, the lawsuit contends, Gruden’s were the only ones made public. Go figure?

The New England Patriots leave training camp behind but face a tough September schedule that just might leave them 0-3, or maybe 1-2. Anything better than that and the team is improved over that of last season and might have a chance. Both the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins stand in the way in the AFC East. The toughest thing many overlook, the Patriots close-out the regular season with games vs. Cincinnati and Miami and at Buffalo on a sure-to-be ice COLD January 8th. Those August days will be a long lost dream when the Bills and Pats tee-up the kick-off that day.

The Red Sox are happy to leave August (and July) in the past, but doubt the month of September will treat the club much better. In Rich Hill they trust.

With Rory McIlroy coming back from six strokes down to defeat Scottie Scheffler and company at the TOUR Championship last weekend, the 2021-22 PGA Tour season is behind us with only a few Fall tournaments, the President’s Cup and a few silly season events (think Skins Game) awaiting until the January 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions starts off the PGA Tour schedule. In the meantime, we have a LIV Golf on-going in Boston (Bolton, Mass) where dozens of former PGA Tour golfers have jumped ship in an attempt to earn fortunes of Saudi Arabian bucks to the tune of some $4 million for the tournament winner, plus team bonuses.

Golf will never be the same, as the two Tours duke it out for best players, key dates, qualification to the Majors and Ryder Cup teams and just about everything else worth fighting for … or should it be “fore?”

One thing is for sure as the days grow shorter and the sun sets earlier, come September 1 or, maybe on Labor Day in the USA, everyone seems to think the Season of Summer is over but like so much in the world these days, that is “misinformation.” Summer in the USA lasts until September 21, or the end of Week 2 for you NFL fans, Week 3 for NCAA football fans. In fact, in the northeastern USA, the weekend of October 1-2 is often one of the most beautiful of the entire year.

See you in October.

Musical Note: “See You in September” is a song written by Sid Wayne and Sherman Edwards. It was first recorded by the Pittsburgh vocal group The Tempos. This first version peaked at No. 23 in the summer of 1959. The most popular take on “See You In September,” by The Happenings in 1966, reached No. 3.

Broadway: The Player Named Later

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Boston Red Sox acquired minor league right-handed pitcher Taylor Broadway from the Chicago White Sox, completing the August 1 trade for left-handed pitcher Jake Diekman in which Boston received catcher Reese McGuire. Broadway will report to Double-A Portland. Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom made the acquisition.

Broadway, 25, is 3-2 with a 4.74 ERA (26 ER/49.1 IP) in 37 relief appearances for Double-A Birmingham this season, having also made three appearances for High-A Winston-Salem. Selected by Chicago in the sixth round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Mississippi, the right-hander is 4-2 with a 4.45 ERA (32 ER/64.2 IP) and 12.80 strikeouts per 9.0 innings in 52 career appearances (one start), recording 92 strikeouts and only 18 walks.

Rory McIlroy Wins FedEx Cup (Again)

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ATLANTA – Rory McIlroy wins AGAIN!

McIlroy became the first player to win the FedEx Cup three times as he took the 2022 TOUR Championship for his 22nd career title. Amazingly, McIlroy began the day six strokes back and stormed back on his final 18 holes which marked the largest final-round comeback in TOUR Championship history.

No. 1 seed Scottie Scheffler tied a TOUR record for largest lead lost with 18 holes left to play (6) and became only the second No. 1 seed not to go on to win the FedEx Cup (in fourth year of Starting Strokes format), the other being Justin Thomas in 2019.

South Korea’s Sungjae Im (T-2) recorded the best finish in FedEx Cup history by a player from Asia.

Max Homa (T-5) recorded the best finish among nine first-time participants in the field.

TOUR Championship | Final Leaderboard

Rory Mcllroy -4 67-67-63-66 (-17) -21

Sungjae Im -4 67-65-66-66 (-16) -20

Scottie Scheffler -10 65-66-66-73 (-10) -20

Xander Schauffele -6 66-63-70-69 (-12) -18

Max Homa -2 71-62-66-66 (-15) -17

Justin Thomas -3 67-68-63-68 (-14) -17

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Aug 28

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Who are you guys and what did you do with the Boston Red Sox?

After losing six-of-seven games and dropping to (60-65) and fifth place in the American League East Division on August 25th, the Boston Red Sox somehow bounced back this weekend and won two important games from their AL East rival, Tampa Bay Rays.

Realistically, the Red Sox (62-65) still remain some 17 games out of first place, trail the first-place New York Yankees (78-48), and have no shot at catching the Yanks, but the two-game winning streak injected some life into the Red Sox team and sent the fans at Fenway Park home quite happy. In the Wild Card, Seattle, Tampa Bay and Toronto hold the three slots in the AL and Boston is seven games back, with the upstart Baltimore Orioles, the solid Minnesota Twins and the surprising Chicago White Sox in between. The Red Sox possibilities are slim but not none with only 35 games left in the regular season.

Coincidentally, it was back on July 4th when the Red Sox defeated the same Tampa Bay Rays, (4-0), to peak at 10 games over the .500 mark (45-35) and place second in the division as they held the top Wild Card spot in the AL. Then, the slide began. Two consecutive losses to the same Rays, then two straight to the Yankees. A two game bounce-back preceded the Sox losing 9-of-10 between July 11 and July 27 to drop to the AL East cellar.

The return of Trevor Story was a good omen for Boston Saturday but an 11 strike-out effort and three-hitter over seven innings pitched by Rich Hill was the brightest sign of hope for the Sox who play one more game against Tampa this homestand before the Fenway Faithful sing “See You in September” as their club travels to Minnesota for a three-game set against the mighty tough Twins this Monday to Wednesday.

The MLB/AL schedule-maker has the Red Sox returning from the Land of 10,000 Lakes to face the Texas Rangers in a four-game set at Fenway Park, September 1-4, before yet another road trip (three games each at Tampa and Baltimore) which will determine the fate of the 2022 baseball season by September 11th.

The New England Patriots take center stage that same weekend as the seasons begin to change and a chill takes the air in New England.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: We’re quickly approaching the most sports-centric time of the year. … The U.S. Open tennis tournament begins this Monday, August 29th at the Billie Jean National Tennis Center where Daniil Medvedev will defend his 2021 crown while both Roger Federer(injured/rehabbing) and No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic (unvaccinated vs COVID) is ineligible to compete. … Keep in mind, Medvedev was blocked from competing at Wimbledon earlier this summer because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Spain’s Rafa Nadal will be poised for a run to the men’s final.

On the women’s side, Iga Swiatek of Poland is the No. 1 seed in a draw that will feature both Serena Williams and Coco Gauff surely to have the boisterous New York crowds solidly behind them throughout the two-week test. … Williams will team with her sister, Venus in women’s doubles. … U.S. Open tickets on the nights Serena or Serena and Venus play will become the toughest tennis ticket in town since Jimmy Conners made his run in 1991.

College football kicked-off Saturday with Northwestern’s 31-28, come-from-behind victory over Nebraska in the B1G Ten opener in Ireland. The local New England college football schedule is highlighted by the Boston College Eagles taking on a big-time B1G Ten challenger in Rutgers for their very first game of the season on September 3 at Noon. BC head coach Jeff Hafleybegins his third season and does so without an “auto win” opening opponent such as UConn, Howard or the likes of past season openers in The Heights.

The National Football League starts for real on Thursday, September 8 when the Buffalo Bills travel to Los Angeles to face the defending Super Bowl champion Rams before the rest of the league opens on September 11-12.

About a month later, the National Hockey League will face-off with their regular season openers (October 11) before the National Basketball Association begins their 76th regular season campaign on October 18th which marks the times of the pro sports equinox when on any given day, all four major North American sports can be playing on the same day – Major League Baseball, by then, fully into the Postseason.

CIRCLE SEPTEMBER 9-10TH: Not only does the NFL kick-off their season on the 8th, and the US Open tennis stage the men’s semi-finals and women’s finals on the 9th/10th, but the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame will induct its Class of ‘22 with opening festivities at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut Friday and the Enshrinement Ceremony staged September 10th in Springfield, Mass from 7-10pm on Saturday.

BREAKING NEWS: Italy’s Sportando Basketball reporter Emiliano Carchiawas the first to report of Danillo Gallinari’s injury.

GALLINARI INJURED: Newly acquired Boston Celtics shooting specialist Danillo Gallinari injured his knee in a FIBA World Cup qualifying game in Brescia, Italy on Saturday. There was no official confirmation of the injury but Sportando Basketball reported the injury with quotes, video and photos and FIBA.com made reference in its brief game story, noting Gallinari took over the game in the third quarter scoring 15 of his 17 points. Other game stories speculated an injured MCL ligament for the NBA veteran who was playing against Georgia in the FIBA qualifier, a 91-84 meaningless Italy victory. After the injury, the games were called-off.  … The injury was the third NBA off-season setback this week as Orlando Magic guard Gary Harris suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee and will undergo further evaluation to determine the extent of the injury and need for treatment or surgery. … Earlier this week, Oklahoma City rookie first-rounder Chet Holmgren was injured and deemed out for the 2022-23 season with a devastating Lisfranc injury. The No. 2 overall pick of last June’s NBA Draft was playing in Jamal Crawford CrawsOver Pro-Am league at Seattle Pacific University on a court that was reportedly very slippery. … In other games at Crawford’s ProAm, LA Lakers’ Lebron James and Boston’s Jayson Tatum were among the players working out.

DIAMOND DUST-UPs: Front Office Sports is reporting Washington’s Monumental Sports and team governor Ted Leonsis along with Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein are interested in buying the Baltimore Orioles or possibly the Washington Nationals of MLB, if and when either team hits the market, as expected.

BOSTON’s Alex Cora won his 345th game with the Red Sox on Friday night and his 346th Saturday, making him the ninth-winningest manager in franchise history, one ahead of Eddie Casko. Among the 10 club managers with 600+ games at the helm of the Sox, Cora ranks third in winning percentage (.564/ 346-267) behind:

  1. Don Zimmer (.575/ 411-305)
  2. Terry Francona (.574/ 744-552)

Cora has a 17-8 postseason record (.680) with the Sox, including the 2018 World Series title and an American League Championship appearance in 2021.

TOUR Championship: The 2021-22 PGA Tour season will come to its conclusion today (Sunday, August 28) with the FedEx Cup champion to be crowned at the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. To the winner? A cool $18 million from a $75 million prize pool. … The PGA Tour will pick-up the 2022-23 season with the Fortinet Championship on the weekend of September 15-18th, but the full Tour will start in earnest in the first week of January 2023 with the annual Sentry Tournament of Champions, a.k.a primetime golf from Maui. … Our sister publication – PGA Tour Brunch – will publish its final 2022 missive on Monday, August 29th with a recap of the TOUR Championship and then re-start publication in January. … The LIV golf circuit will visit Boston September 2-4 with its 12 teams, 48 players, 54 (LIV for you Roman Numeral fans) holes. The site is The International Golf Club in Bolton, Massachusetts, north of Boston. … No cut. … For those unfamiliar with the pro golf scene, the average PGA Tour event has some 125 players, a cutdown after 36 holes and a total of four rounds or 72 holes to win. There is no team concept. … The LIV is considering selling franchises and establishing the teams more definitively for the 2023 season. … Digital Sports Desk is scheduled to cover the LIV event. … September 21-25 will mark the dates of the 2022 President’s Cup with the USA golfers pitted against a team of world golf pros. The competition is scheduled for the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte. The more popular Ryder Cup is USA vs. European golfers. The 2023 Ryder Cup will be played at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, Italy.

METS DO the RIGHT THING: The New York Mets held their “Old-Timer’s Day” on Saturday and surprised the great Willie Mays by retiring his uniform No. 24. Mays, at age 41 and 42, only played two seasons with the Mets in 1972 and ‘73 but was beloved by the New York fans because of his start with the New York Giants. Mays and the Giants moved from the Polo Grounds (1891-1957) to Candlestick Park in San Francisco in 1958 after six seasons in New York. He missed a season because of necessary military service in 1953. Mays, born May 6, 1931, is now 91 years old and carries the mantle as the greatest living baseball player. His rivals, Hank Aaron (1934-2021), Micky Mantle (1931-1995), Duke Snider (1926-2011), and Joe DiMaggio(1914-1999) have all passed away. … The retirement of Mays’ number comes a year after the Mets “Did the Right Thing” by retiring Jerry Koosman’s No. 36.

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JIMMY FUND: According to Radio Ink, the 20th anniversary of the ‘WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon’, raised $3.517 million for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The radio-telethon was launched by WEEI-FM, The Jimmy Fund and the Boston Red Sox in 2002. New England Sports Network (NESN) joined the effort in 2003.

“This was the 20th anniversary of the Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon, and our listeners and sponsors came through like never before,” said Mike Thomas, SVP/MM Audacy Boston. “To hear the doctors talk about the progress that is being made, the clinical trials that are ongoing and to hear from patients about how Dana-Farber saved their lives will forever be in our hearts and minds. There really is nothing like the two days of this fundraiser.”

The event was part of a 36-hour live broadcast during WEEI weekday programming on August 23 and 24. To date the radio/telethon has raised more than $65 million for cancer research at Dana-Farber.

TID-BITS: The MLB Network has been airing a series of promotional spots, entitled Baseball Zen. In relative silence, the super-slow motion photography catches some of the subtle nuances of the game of baseball … a grounds crew slowly raking the infield dirt, or watering the infield … Shohei Ohtani delivering a strike, but shot in super-slow motion in order to pick-up the spin of the baseball.

The spots are good. They air on the MLB Network and MLB Extra Innings OTT and are far better than a billboard that states the “game will return.” Yet, the slow, methodical nature of the spots are a 180 from the popular and original “NBA Action … It’s Fantastic” bloopers and superstar highlights with incredible action footage, depth defying acts of NBA players before a well-known actor, musician or comedian delivered the iconic “I Love This Game” tagline. … Two very different takes on league promotional theory.

The MLB Zen spots make you think about the wonderful things you experience when you attend a baseball game, many times far away from the in-game cameras. Coincidentally, this reporter was listing a few just this week. Here’s what was scribbled down on a notebook page:

  • The home plate ump with the timeless cleaning of home plate with his brush
  • Rafa Devers’ tradition of his pre-At Bat greeting to the Red Sox ballboys
  • The announcement of the game attendance in the press box
  • Bubble gum and sunflower seeds in the dug-outs
  • Breaking-in a new baseball glove
  • Dodgertown at Vero Beach
  • Tossing a rosin bag directly behind the pitcher’s mound
  • The “W” flown at Wrigley Field to signal a Cubs’ victory that day
  • Old traditions, gone-by, like the bullpen carts with team helmets
  • The San Diego (a.k.a.) The Original Chicken setting the high bar for mascots
  • The proper placing and lime for the batter’s box, tap-tap with a hammer
  • An impromptu sharpie signature on Fenway’s right field “Pesky Pole”
  • Twi-Nighters at Shea Stadium
  • Banner Day

I could go on-and-on, but will come back for more next week with football in mind.

Red Sox Win Two; Face 35-Games Uphill

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Who are you guys and what did you do with the Boston Red Sox?

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After losing six-of-seven games and dropping to (60-65) and fifth place in the American League East Division on August 25th, the Boston Red Sox somehow bounced back this weekend and won two important games from their AL East rival, Tampa Bay Rays.

Realistically, the Red Sox (62-65) still remain some 17 games out of first place, trail the first-place New York Yankees (78-48), and have no shot at catching the Yanks, but the two-game winning streak injected some life into the Red Sox team and sent the fans at Fenway Park home quite happy. In the Wild Card, Seattle, Tampa Bay and Toronto hold the three slots in the AL and Boston is seven games back, with the upstart Baltimore Orioles, the solid Minnesota Twins and the surprising Chicago White Sox in between. The Red Sox possibilities are slim but not none with only 35 games left in the regular season.

Coincidentally, it was back on July 4th when the Red Sox defeated the same Tampa Bay Rays, (4-0), to peak at 10 games over the .500 mark (45-35) and place second in the division as they held the top Wild Card spot in the AL. Then, the slide began. Two consecutive losses to the same Rays, then two straight to the Yankees. A two game bounce-back preceded the Sox losing 9-of-10 between July 11 and July 27 to drop to the AL East cellar.

The return of Trevor Story was a good omen for Boston Saturday but an 11 strike-out effort and three-hitter over seven innings pitched by Rich Hill was the brightest sign of hope for the Sox who play one more game against Tampa this home stand before the Fenway Faithful sing “See You in September” as their club travels to Minnesota for a three-game set against the mighty tough Twins this Monday to Wednesday.

The MLB/AL schedule-maker has the Red Sox returning from the Land of 10,000 Lakes to face the Texas Rangers in a four-game set at Fenway Park, September 1-4 before yet another road trip (three games each at Tampa and Baltimore) which will determine the fate of the 2022 baseball season by September 11th.

The New England Patriots take center stage that same weekend as the seasons begin to change and a chill takes the air in New England.

Story Back with Red Sox

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Boston Red Sox reactivated second baseman Trevor Story from Major League Baseball’s 10-Day Injured List and optioned outfielder Jarren Duran to Triple-A Worcester following Friday night’s 9-8 Sox victory. The roster move was made by Boston’s Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom.

Story, 29, was placed on the 10-Day Injured list due to a right hand contusion on July 16, retroactive to July 14. The right-handed hitter made two rehab starts at second base for Double-A Portland on August 24 and 25, going 3-for-5 with three runs, a double, a home run, and three RBI. Story has hit .221 (68-for-307) with 49 runs, 17 doubles, 15 home runs, 58 RBI, and a team-high 10 stolen bases in 81 games for Boston this season while making 79 starts at second base.

Duran, 25, has played 57 games for Boston this season, making 47 starts in center field and five in right field. The left-handed hitter has batted .220 (44-for-200) with 23 runs, 20 extra-base hits, and 17 RBI in the majors this season. Duran has also hit .305 (54-for-177) with 23 extra-base hits and 28 RBI in 43 games for Worcester.

Drama Builds at TOUR Championship

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ATLANTA – FedEx Cup leader Scottie Scheffler carded his fifth round of (66) or better in his 10th round at East Lake Golf Club as the No. 1 seed is attempting to win and match each of the last two year’s winners in (Dustin Johnson/2020, Patrick Cantlay/2021)

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However, it will not be an easy run for Scheffler as Xander Schauffele shot (63) for his lowest career round at East Lake Golf Club, highlighted by a closing eagle on the par-5 18th hole. Xander is two back.

Jon Rahm added a (63) of his own in search of his fourth Top-5 finish in the FedEx Cup in six seasons.

Max Homa’s (62) marked the lowest round at the TOUR Championship since 2007.

TOUR Championship | Leaderboard After 36 Holes

1 Scottie Scheffler -10 65-66 (-9) -19

2 Xander Schauffele -6 66-63 (-11) -17

3 Jon Rahm -3 67-63 (-10) -13

T-4 Patrick Cantlay -8 70-66 (-4) -12

T-4 Sungjae Im -4 67-65 (-8) -12