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Hoge Leads After 18 at Pebble Beach

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AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am – Round Two

PEBBLE BEACH – Tom Hoge holds the outright 18-hole lead for the first time in his PGA Tour career (0-for-6 with the 18-hole co-lead). Hoge’s (63) marked the third-lowest score of his Tour career (62 twice).

Reigning FedEx Cup Champion Patrick Cantlay stands T-5 after a 6-under (65) at Monterey Peninsula Country Club.

Seamus Power (2nd/-8/SH) made his fifth start at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, with his best prior result coming in 2020 (T-38). Power earned his first career Tour victory last season at the Barbasol Championship and has two Top-5s in nine starts this season (T-4/The RSM Classic, T-3/Sony Open in Hawaii).

PGA Tour rookie Austin Smotherman, who competed at Pebble Beach as a junior participant in the 2015 Pure Insurance Championship, stands T-3 (-7/PB). Smotherman made eagles at Nos. 18 and 6, the first two eagles of his Tour career.

Two-time champions Kevin Streelman and NFL wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald lead the Pro Am portion of the competition at 11-under.

Professionals’ Pebble Beach Leaderboard – After 18 holes

Tom Hoge PB 63 (-9)

Seamus Power SH 64 (-8)

Jonas Blixt MP 64 (-7)

Austin Smotherman PB 65 (-7)

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am

COURSE(s): Pebble Beach Golf Links with Spyglass Hill Golf Course and Monterey Peninsula Country Club (Shore Course).

ARCHITECTS: Jack Neville & Douglas Grant

YARDS/PAR: 6.972 yards/Par 72

PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: $8,700,000/$1,566,000

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Daniel Berger

PAST RESULTS: (link)

PAST CHAMPIONS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points / to Winner: 500

St. John’s Destroys Hoyas at McDonough

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WASH DC – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The likes of Georgetown players of yesteryear John Duren, Craig Shelton, Steve Martin and “Sleepy” Floyd would remember the feeling, along with David Russell, Reggie Carter and Frank Gilroy of St, John’s. In a game that looked like a throwback to early times in the BIG EAST, St. John’s won 90-77 at Georgetown Thursday night. The rescheduled game was played at McDonough Arena on the Hoya campus. It was the first league game played at the venue since Jan. 18, 1984.

The Johnnies (12-9, 4-6 BIG EAST), who won on the road against the Hoyas (6-14, 0-9 BE) for only the second time since 2003, led by as many as 26 points in the second half. Julian Champagnie snapped out of his scoring dip with a game-high 27 points. He made 6-of-12 from 3-point range and added six rebounds and four assists. Joel Soriano shot 6-of-6 from the floor en route to 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Georgetown’s Donald Carey scored a career-high 23 points.

Creighton at Seton Hall is the lone Friday game on the schedule. FS1 will televise at 7 p.m. ET. Both teams are 13-7 overall. The Bluejays are 5-4 in the BIG EAST while the Pirates are 4-6. Both squads picked up road wins on Tuesday. Creighton won 59-55 at Connecticut and Seton Hall posted a 70-63 victory at Georgetown.

Saturday’s slate starts with two games that tip at noon ET. No. 17 UConn battles No. 12 Villanova at Wells Fargo Center on FOX and Butler hosts St. John’s on FS1. No. 21 Xavier hosts DePaul at 2 p.m. on FS1.

Costacos Unveils NFL QB Collection

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LOS ANGELES – (Staff Report from official News Release) – The Costacos Collection unveiled its second NFT drop in partnership with four legendary former NFL quarterbacks: Troy Aikman, Warren Moon, Jim McMahon, and Dan Marino. Following the company’s inaugural foray with baseball great Willie Mays, the QB Legends Collection re-imagines the four quarterbacks’ iconic ‘80s/‘90s Costacos posters in new digital form. In addition, the quarterbacks have worked closely with John Costacos and acclaimed digital artist Mike Campau to create all-new 3D art pieces capturing the defining moments and themes from the players’ legendary careers. A portion of proceeds from the drop will be donated to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinees Assistance Foundation, an organization that assists HOF members and their families.

Collectors can access the drop on the newly-launched CostacosCollection.com marketplace. The Costacos Collection has entered into a strategic technology partnership with GigLabs to build on the Flow blockchain, joining NBA Top Shot, NFL ALL DAY, and UFC Strike, created by Dapper Labs. The partnership has enabled the Costacos Collection to build a proprietary NFT marketplace on the environmentally-friendly Flow blockchain, joining other GigLabs partners that include CNN, Turner Sports, Athletes Unlimited, Speedway Motorsports, the University of Miami, and others. The Costacos Collection marketplace includes full credit card support and simple wallet signup requiring only an email address.

“We couldn’t have hoped for a more exciting group of legacy athletes with whom to partner for the launch of the Costacos Collection marketplace,” said CEO Justin Moorad. “Troy, Warren, Jim, and Dan, all with their own unique personalities and career paths, represent a generation of NFL culture that was captured in their original Costacos posters. It’s an honor to help bring those iconic images back to life, and a privilege to watch John and the players work together to create all-new digital art that we believe their legions of fans will be passionate about collecting.”

“We loved working with all the athletes, the pitchers, home-run hitters, point guards, linebackers, all of them,” said Costacos. “But there was nothing quite like creating an image with an NFL quarterback because the great ones are the guys with all the firepower that make the offense go. Jim McMahon was the first poster we printed back in 1986. There we were in Chicago, 2,000 miles from home, a couple of kids with an idea but no experience, who somehow convinced the NFL’s biggest superstar to dress up like Mad Max and take pictures next to a live bear cub in the middle of a thunderstorm. Jim was larger than life, he’d just led the Chicago Bears to their one and only Super Bowl victory and was at the forefront of sports pop culture. We may not have known how we were going to pull it off but somehow we did and had a ton of fun shooting it, and Jim did too. We got lucky with a break in the weather, the shots ended up working, and we ended up with one of the great posters of all time – and a lifelong friend in Jimmy Mac.”

“Being part of the Costacos Collection was what every athlete from our era dreamed about, it was like being on a Wheaties box but better, because you hung on the wall of every bedroom of fans across the country,” McMahon said. “It’s pretty cool that Mad Mac was the first one and the start of it all. I still have it on my wall. And it’s just as cool to be a part of this new era, I’m having tons of fun working creatively with John again. He’s the most creative guy I know, and when we’re done we always make sure to sit down for a beer or six.”

NBA Unveils New All-Star MVP Trophy

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NBA Honors the late Kobe Bryant with New Trophy for MVP

NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The National Basketball Association unveiled newly designed NBA All-Star trophies in celebration of the league’s 75th Anniversary season. Designed in partnership with artist Victor Solomon, the trophies will be presented for the first time during NBA All-Star 2022 in Cleveland. The lineup of hardware is headlined by The Kobe Bryant Trophy, which will be awarded to the Kia NBA All-Star Game MVP on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.

“As the NBA celebrates its 75th Anniversary season, this collection of All-Star trophies represents the continued growth and evolution of our game,” said Christopher Arena, Head of On-Court and Brand Partnerships at the NBA. “Through our collaboration with Victor Solomon, these trophies incorporate deep storytelling, reimagining our previous All-Star trophies in a modern aesthetic, and now serve as the new standards of excellence that future generations of All-Stars will strive to reach each year.”

Solomon’s work in this space includes his “Literally Balling” project, where he explores the icons and symbols of basketball as a platform for conceptual storytelling. His art has detailed the high process techniques involved in creating and designing stained glass basketball backboards, crystal basketballs and cast ceramic basketballs reconstructed with a Kintsugi process, and has been exhibited in New York, Los Angeles, Paris and Shanghai.

“For the past few years, the NBA and I have proudly and tirelessly worked to reconsider what a trophy is, has been and could be,” said Solomon. “Redesigning the All-Star trophies gave us a special opportunity to create event awards worthy of the energy and excitement the moment creates, while introducing the full collection’s visual, aesthetic language. The occasion also gave us the privilege and responsibility to develop an entirely new silhouette worthy of being named ‘The Kobe Bryant Trophy’ for the Kia NBA All-Star MVP for which, in the spirit of its namesake, we threw out all conventions and challenged ourselves to reorient how we thought about ‘the game.’”

Berger, Zalatoris Out at Pebble Beach

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PEBBLE BEACH – Two of the highly favored players scheduled to compete at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am, Daniel Berger and Will Zalatoris, have withdrawn from the tournament ahead of today’s opening round. Berger announced he is tending to a back injury while Zalatoris is dealing with a positive COVID-19+ test.

James Hahn also withdrew on Wednesday after testing positive for COVID-19.

The 2022 field includes nine of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking (twice as many as 2021), including 2021 FedExCup Champion Patrick Cantlay (4), and 2017 winner Jordan Spieth (15).

The PGA Tour schedule features four events played on multiple courses, with three being played consecutively and the other being the The RSM Classic. The California swing featured The American Express (three courses), Farmers Insurance Open (two courses) and this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (three courses) played back-to-back. There are 78 players in this week’s field who played in both The American Express and Farmers Insurance Open.

The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am

COURSE(s): Pebble Beach Golf Links with Spyglass Hill Golf Course and Monterey Peninsula Country Club (Shore Course).

ARCHITECTS: Jack Neville & Douglas Grant

YARDS/PAR: 6.972 yards/Par 72

PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: $8,700,000/$1,566,000

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Daniel Berger

PAST RESULTS: (link)

PAST CHAMPIONS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points / to Winner: 500

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @attproam

OFFICIAL SITE: (AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am)

TV COVERAGE: The first two rounds of TV coverage are scheduled from 3:00pm to 6:00pm (ET) on Golf Channel. Weekend coverage is set for 1:00pm to 3:00pm (ET) on Golf Channel and 3:00 to 7:00pm (ET) on CBS on Saturday and then CBS’ coverage goes 3:00 to 6:30pm (ET) on Sunday.

PGA TOUR LIVE STREAMING on ESPN+: Streaming coverage will be featured on ESPN-Plus today through Saturday with Main Feed, Featured Hole and Featured Groups from 11:30am to 7:00pm (ET) and 10;30am to 6:30pm (ET) on Sunday.

PGA TOUR RADIO COVERAGE: SiriusXM Radio will have live radio coverage of Pebble Beach with today’s and Friday’s broadcasts from 12:00pm to 6:00pm (ET). Saturday coverage on Sirius XM Radio runs from 2:00pm to 7:00pm and Sunday from 1:00 to 6:30pm 9ET). PGA Tour Radio is available on Sirius 208/XM 92 or online via PGATour(dot)com.

Big East in the Top 25

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NEW YORK – For the eighth consecutive week at least four BIG EAST teams are ranked among the nation’s Top-25, and for the first time at least five are represented in both the AP and USA Today polls. The conference is tied for first with the Big Ten and Big 12 with the most teams ranked in both polls.

Villanova (16-5, 9-2 BIG EAST) jumped up two positions in the AP Poll to No. 12 following a perfect 2-0 week, with wins over DePaul (67-43) and St. John’s (73-62).

Maintaining sole possession of first place in the BIG EAST standings, Providence (18-2, 8-1 BE) secured a pair of ranked wins to jump to No. 15 in the polls. Also going a perfect 2-0 last week, Connecticut (15-4, 6-2 BE) moved up three positions to No. 17.

After coming up short at home against the Friars, 65-62, on Jan. 26, Xavier (14-4, 4-3 BE) rebounded with a remarkable second half comeback at Creighton on Saturday to remain No. 21 in the AP rankings.

In its first week ranked since Feb. 17, 2020, Marquette (15-7, 7-4 BE) took care of business on the road against Seton Hall, 73-63, before losing at Providence, 65-63, snapping a seven-game winning streak. Overall, the Golden Eagles sit at No. 24 in the AP Poll.

In Sunday’s lone contest, Providence edged Marquette in a thriller at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. Coming back from a 29-23 halftime deficit, the Friars’ defense prevailed in the closing seconds to win their fourth game of the season against a ranked opponent (4-0). Nate Watson led the way with a game-high 17 points, while BIG EAST Player of the Week Justin Minaya played a pivotal role on both ends of the floor, finishing with 14 points and six rebounds. Darryl Morsell led the Golden Eagles with 14 points.

BIG EAST play continues tonight with a trio of games. UConn hosts Creighton at 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1, before Georgetown hosts Seton Hall at 8:30 p.m. on FS1. Closing out the night on CBSSN, St. John’s will welcome Providence to Carnesecca Arena at 9:00 p.m.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Brady Retires

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Tom and daughter, Vivian Brady: (Photo by Getty Images)

Bye-Bye Brady

By TERRY LYONS

Mid-afternoon Saturday, ESPN reported that all-time great NFL quarterback Tom Brady has decided to retire from playing pro football, effective immediately. He leaves with one year remaining on his NFL/Tampa Bay contract.

Brady, 44, is retiring with a record (624) touchdown passes, (84,250) passing yards in 22 seasons of NFL football, mostly with the New England Patriots but concluding with the Tampa Bay Bucs, the 2021 NFL Super Bowl champions. Brady also leaves the NFL with seven Super Bowl championships and a burgeoning business with his TB12 brand.

With the fact Brady’s children are in their formative years, the time for spending valuable days with his family is now. With his wealth, combined with the wealth and celebrity status of his super model wife, Giselle, the timing will allow them to settle in the place of their choosing, most likely New York City or Miami. They are building a home near Miami Beach, in an exclusive paradise called Indian Creek Island.

Late in the day Saturday, Brady’s agent (Don Yee) offered a vague non-denial, denial of the report and Brady’s father, Tom Sr. stated via the NFL Network, “This story Mike is total conjecture. Tommy has not made a final decision one way or the other and anybody else that says that he has is absolutely wrong.”

The take here? You’ve gotta be very happy for Tom Brady and his family. He gave his all to the NFL for 22 years and can retire healthy and at the perfect time to spend time with his wife and children. He deserves nothing but personal happiness and more professional success if he chooses to explore more entrepreneurial outlets like TB12. Otherwise, the links from Pebble Beach Ireland, Pro-Ams and celebrity golf tournaments await.

Side Note: With the announced and now highly expected retirement of Brady, the odds of TE Rob Gronkowski returning to the NFL football field fall to slim and none.

Side Note II: With the retirement of Brady, a Golden Age for Boston sports franchises comes to a full stop with Brady leaving the Patriots (lost to Tampa Bay Bucs), Paul Pierce gone from the Celtics (shipped out to Brooklyn with KG), Zdeno Chara for the Bruins (shipped to DC) and David “Big Papi” Ortiz retiring from the Red Sox and just this week voted as a first ballot National Baseball Hall of Famer. At least Big Papi remained on the Sox and retired as a winner in his Boston uniform, something Sox OF Mookie Bettsdecided against. It is the end of an amazing era in Boston sports history.

SNOWY and WIND-BLOWN BOSTON – The NFL Super Bowl participants will be determined today and the game date will be circled on everyone’s calendar – February 13, 2022 with a 6:30pm (ET) kick-off. Then, if all goes well with their negotiations (see note below), Spring Training for baseball will begin 48 hours later. Pitchers & Catchers reporting is always the first sign of spring.

There will be a February 4-20th time-out for the Beijing Winter Olympics, but with dozens of athletes testing positive for COVID+ and the time change challenges of an Asian Olympics for USA television viewing, the 2022 Winter Games are not generating much buzz or viewer enthusiasm. NBC and Peacock are now beginning 24/7 promotion of the Games, avoiding any connection to China and the obvious human rights protests on-going. NBC Sports is NOT sending broadcasters to call the Winter Olympics on site and, instead, will base much of the coverage out of their Stamford, CT studio. Blah.

That brings us to the “next” season for sports fans. With the NBA and NHL in their dog-days of winter, the focus will shift to NCAA basketball, the various conference tournaments as NCAA “March Madness” fast approaches. The bulk of the college tournaments begin March 9, but some, like the Southern Conference tip-off March 4. Here’s your pocket schedule for planning:

  • March 4: Some mid-major conference tournaments begin
  • March 9: Bulk of NCAA conference championships tip-off
  • March 13: NCAA Selection Sunday
  • First Four: March 15-16
  • First round: March 17-18
  • Second round: March 19-20
  • Sweet 16: March 24-25
  • Elite Eight: March 26-27
  • Final Four: April 2
  • NCAA championship game: April 4
  • MLB Regular Season: March 31

Each week, the Associated Press Top 25 and the NCAA Basketball Coaches Poll rank the best college hoops teams. There’s rarely a spot or two difference between the two polls. As of this week, there’s 99.9% agreement on the Top 10 programs in ‘22:

  • Auburn
  • Gonzaga
  • Arizona
  • Baylor
  • Kansas
  • Purdue
  • Duke
  • UCLA
  • Houston
  • Michigan State

In the Top 11-25 ranked range, these teams should be noted as contenders to go deep into the tournament:

  • Wisconsin
  • Villanova
  • Kentucky
  • Texas Tech

Of course, in the NCAA’s, you can always count on at least one or two teams to catch fire in late February and the first week of March, then become the Cinderella darlings of March Madness. Loyola (Chicago) certainly qualifies in that realm, as does a well-coached and scrappy Providence team from the Big East. UConn and Marquette are two clubs to keep an eye on throughout February.

Winning in-Conference road games by any margin is always the key indicator for this reporter. Don’t let those rankings, Quad-1-to-4 victories, RPI or NET rankings fool you.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Saturday, January 29th, 2022 (yesterday – or tonight if you’re reading the bulldog edition) marks the first Saturday without “real” football since August 21, 2021. The NCAA football season began the following Saturday (August 28) and the nFL filled what might’ve been a dormant January 8 with two games of their final regular season weekend. (KS 28-24 over Denver) and Dallas 51-26 over Philadelphia). … The NCAA All-Star exhibitions don’t count.

POWER RANKINGS: Green Bay, Buffalo, Dallas, Tampa Bay and Tennessee all tapped-out last weekend, leaving the January 18 NFL Power Ranking in shambles. No. 7 LA Rams and No. 8 Cincinnati Bengals both advanced and the San Francisco 49ers surprised everyone but the Las Vegas bookies. That leaves us:

Cincy at KC, 3pm (ET) on CBS

SF at LA Rams, 6:30pm (ET) on FOX

Prediction: The home teams win and cover. … That said, Cincinnati is dangerous and will be a team to be reckoned with for at least five more years. KC and Buffalo both in that category, too. Anyone else? Let’s hear it.

PITCHERS & CATCHERS & LAWYERS: The MLB Spring Training countdown clock reads 14 days as of January 30th, with most teams asking pitchers & catchers to report on February 15th. This week, there was a Floridian-style ray of hope as consecutive meeting days (this past Monday-Tuesday) between MLB and the MLBPA concluded with reports of progress in their negotiations for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. … The deadline for a deal is fast approaching so it is reasonable to think the two sides will continue to meet and chip away on the details for a new deal. … The good news, there has been surprisingly little said to media as the negotiations continue.

List Wins at Farmers Insurance Open

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TORREY PINES – With darkness setting in and nearly two hours passing since he finished his round before regulation play ended at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, Luke List defeated Will Zalatoris on the first hole of sudden death with a tap-in birdie at the par-5 18th. It was List’s first career PGA Tour victory.

The playoff at the Farmers Insurance Open marked the second playoff of the 2021-22 PGA Tour season (Hideki Matsuyama defeated Russell Henleyafter one hole at the Sony Open in Hawaii). It also marked the 18th playoff in the Torrey Pines-based event history, the first since Jason Day defeated Alex Noren and Ryan Palmer in 2018.

Zalatoris was seeking his first PGA Tour title in his 40th start. Torrey Pines was the site of his first professional start on Tour.

In his bid to become the first player to successfully defend a Farmers Insurance Open title since Tiger Woods in 2008, Patrick Reed finished T-46 at 5-under (283).

Twitter avatar for @PGATOURPGA TOUR @PGATOUR

Lights out Luke. 🏆

Farmers Insurance Open | Final Leaderboard:

*Luke List 67-68-72-66—273 (-15) SC-NC

Will Zalatoris 69-68-65-71—273 (-15) SC-NC

Jon Rahm 66-65-72-71—274 (-14) SC-NC

Cameron Tringale 67-65-72-70—274 (-14) SC-NC

Jason Day 70-65-67-72—274 (-14) SC-NC

*won with a birdie-4 on the first playoff hole (No. 18

Big Papi is First Ballot Hall-of-Famer

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COOPERSTOWN – (Staff Report from official News Release) – Former Boston Red Sox designated hitter and first baseman David Ortiz was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, it was announced tonight on MLB Network. He received 307 votes (77.9%) cast by eligible members of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Embed from Getty Images

Ortiz is one of 37 former Red Sox to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame for their playing careers. He joins Pedro Martinez, Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, and Wade Boggs as the only individuals to earn election in their first year of eligibility after spending more seasons with the Red Sox than with any other team. Overall, Ortiz is the 58th player to earn election in their first year on the BBWAA ballot. He is the fourth player born in the Dominican Republic to be elected, joining Martinez, Vladimir Guerrero, and Juan Marichal.

“I am truly honored and blessed by my selection to the Hall of Fame—the highest honor that any baseball player can reach in their lifetime. I am grateful to the baseball writers who considered my career in its totality, not just on the statistics, but also on my contributions to the Red Sox, the City of Boston, and all of Red Sox Nation. I am also grateful to my teammates, my managers and coaches and Red Sox ownership for their faith in me and allowing me to be part of three World Championships,’ said Ortiz in a prepared statement.

“For a young boy from Santo Domingo, I always dreamed of playing professional baseball. Thanks to the encouragement of my father, Leo, and my mother, Angela Rosa, I knew from my earliest days at Estudia Espaillat High School in the Dominican Republic that I had the opportunity to pursue my dream of playing in the big leagues. And while my path to success was not straightforward, it was my friend, the Hall of Famer, Pedro Martinez, who convinced the Red Sox to give me a chance to achieve success. And while my path to Boston took 10 years, those 14 years in a Red Sox uniform were the best of my life. We broke the curse and then got two more championships before I retired in 2016—what a sweet and beautiful journey it has been.

“I am so thankful to my family and my children for being with me tonight on this special recognition. And I know my mother is throwing me kisses from heaven just like I always threw her a kiss after every home run,” Ortiz concluded.

“There are countless reasons why David is deserving of this honor, beginning with three World Series trophies that we would not have without his heroics on the field and his leadership,” said Red Sox Principal Owner John Henry. “He was critical in transforming the narrative around the Red Sox from one of curses and superstitions to tales of clutch moments and a collection of championships. David’s most meaningful and profound contributions, however, are not fully reflected in trophies and awards, but rather on the faces of every player held in David’s bear-hug embrace over the years, by our memories of stirring dugout rally speeches, and with his fist raised in solidarity with our community during its darkest hour. For the past two decades, David has meant the world to us and we are proud that Cooperstown will be another stop on his supremely impactful journey. Congratulations, David.”

“It has been a privilege to watch David’s storybook career in Boston for fourteen years and three World Series Championships,” said Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner. “This honor only confirms what many of us at the Red Sox and throughout New England already knew: that he is not only one of our greatest players, but one of baseball’s greatest players. Even now, as the sole BBWAA ballot inductee, he continues to stand out in the same way he did throughout his playing career. David, you deserve to take your rightful place alongside the Hall of Fame’s legends. Congratulations on this special recognition.”

“David Ortiz is the most important player to ever wear a Red Sox uniform,” said Red Sox President & CEO Sam Kennedy. “He came to Boston in relative anonymity and with his captivating personality and his formidable bat he shattered expectations and paved the franchise’s future in championships and Duck Boat parades. The record numbers he put up and the dedication he showed in meticulously honing his craft is deserving of first ballot entry into the Hall of Fame. David, Boston and Fenway Park will always be your home but we will make an exception for Cooperstown. Congratulations, my friend. Enjoy your moment.”

The 2022 National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place Sunday, July 24, at 1:30 p.m. on the grounds of the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, NY. The only player elected by the BBWAA this year, Ortiz will be enshrined along with four Golden Days Era Committee electees (Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Minnie Miñoso, and Tony Oliva) and two Early Baseball Era Committee electees (Bud Fowler and Buck O’Neil).

Originally signed by the Seattle Mariners as an international free agent in November 1992, Ortiz compiled a lifetime .286 batting average (2,472-for-8,640) in 2,408 games with the Minnesota Twins (1997-2002) and Red Sox (2003-16), totaling 1,768 RBI, 1,419 runs scored, a .380 on-base percentage, a .552 slugging percentage, and a .931 OPS. His 541 home runs rank 17th in Major League history, while his 632 doubles rank 12th. The only other players with at least 500 home runs and 600 doubles are Hank Aaron, Albert Pujols, and Barry Bonds.

Ortiz is the all-time Major League leader in games played as a designated hitter (2,029), as well as in hits (2,191), doubles (557), home runs (485), extra-base hits (1,060), total bases (4,239), and RBI (1,569) at the position. He earned the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award a record eight times (2003-07, ’11, ’13, ’16), and his seven Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Awards as a DH (2004-07, ’11, ’13, ’16) are the most ever at the position.

In addition to his accolades as a designated hitter, Ortiz twice earned the American League’s Hank Aaron Award (2005, ’16), given annually to the top offensive performer in each league. He finished in the top 10 in Most Valuable Player voting seven times, including in the top-five in each of his first five seasons with the Red Sox (5th, 4th, 2nd, 3rd, 4th). A 10-time All-Star, Ortiz started the Midsummer Classic for the American League seven times, twice as a first baseman (2006-07) and five times as a DH (2005, ’11-13, ’16).

Having signed with the Red Sox as a free agent on January 22, 2003, Ortiz is one of eight players to appear in at least 14 consecutive seasons for the Red Sox (2003-16), along with Carl Yastrzemski (23), Dwight Evans (19), Tim Wakefield (17), Jim Rice (16), Jason Varitek (15), Ted Williams (15), and Dustin Pedroia (14). Ortiz joins Pedroia as Boston’s only three-time World Series champions in the post-World War I era, having led the Red Sox to titles in 2004, 2007, and 2013. Ortiz is one of just four players with at least 500 career homers and three World Series championships, along with Hall of Famers Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and Reggie Jackson.

Ortiz hit 483 home runs with the Red Sox, a total that trails only Ted Williams (521) on the franchise’s all-time list. He also ranks among all-time club leaders in RBI (3rd; 1,530), hits (6th; 2,079), doubles (3rd; 524), extra-base hits (3rd; 1,023), runs scored (5th; 1,204), walks (4th; 1,133), total bases (5th; 4,084), times on base (4th; 3,241), and games played (5th; 1,953). Among players with at least 3,000 plate appearances for the Red Sox, Ortiz ranks fourth in slugging percentage (.570) and OPS (.956), having hit .290 with a .386 on-base percentage with Boston. He is one of only five players to record as many as 10 seasons with at least 30 home runs and 100 RBI for a single team, joining Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Hank Aaron, and Albert Pujols.

In 2016—his final season as a player—Ortiz batted .315 (169-for-537) and led the Major Leagues in doubles (48), extra-base hits (87), slugging percentage (.620), and OPS (1.021), also pacing the Red Sox in home runs (38), RBI (127), walks (80), and on-base percentage (.401). He set Major League records for most homers, RBI, doubles, and extra-base hits in a final season, and also set single-season records in each of those categories for a player age 40 or older. The 2016 season was Ortiz’s 10th with at least 100 RBI, passing Ted Williams for the most such seasons in club history.

Known as the greatest clutch hitter in Red Sox history, Ortiz is the franchise’s all-time leader with 10 walk-off home runs in the regular season. He recorded an additional seven walk-off hits with Boston, as his 17 game-ending RBI rank first in franchise history. In addition to his heroics in the regular season, Ortiz hit a walk-off home run in third and final game of the 2004 ALDS against the Anaheim Angels, then won Games 4 and 5 of the 2004 ALCS with walk-off hits in Boston’s historic comeback against the New York Yankees. In 2013, he provided the signature moment of the Red Sox’ postseason by hitting a game-tying grand slam in the eighth inning of a 6-5 win over the Detroit Tigers in Game 2 of the ALCS.

Named MVP of the 2004 ALCS and of the 2013 World Series, Ortiz is the Red Sox’ career leader in postseason games (76), runs (51), hits (80), doubles (19), home runs (17), extra-base hits (38), RBI (57), total bases (154), and walks (59). Among players with at least 50 plate appearances in the Fall Classic, Ortiz owns Major League Baseball’s best-ever World Series batting average (.455), on-base percentage (.576), and OPS (1.372).

A champion of charitable initiatives, Ortiz won the 2011 Roberto Clemente Award, MLB’s highest honor for those who best represent the game of baseball through positive contributions on and off the field. He created the David Ortiz Children’s Fund to provide critical pediatric services in New England and in his native Dominican Republic. In Boston, he has provided his time and other resources to Mass General Hospital for Children, donating tickets to patients from the hospital as part of his “Papi’s Pals” program.

On September 13, 2017, Ortiz and the Red Sox reached a long-term agreement, allowing the former slugger to act as a mentor for current players, participate in recruitment efforts, make a variety of special appearances for the club, and work in a business development capacity for Fenway Sports Management and its partners. His uniform number (34) was formally retired during the 2017 season, and in 2022 he will be officially inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame.

Farmers Insurance Open: Early Preview

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TORREY PINES – The PGA Tour, CBS Sports, Farmers Insurance and the Century Club have shifted to a Saturday final round that will result in Friday and Saturday evening viewing on the East Coast with finish times of 8 p.m. (ET) both days on CBS. The scheduled Saturday finish is the first on the Tour since the 1996 Waste Management Phoenix Open, when Phil Mickelson defeated Justin Leonard in a sudden-death playoff. The adjustment is largely to avoid the AFC/NFC football doubleheader on Sunday.

This year’s Farmers Insurance Open will be headlined by World No. 1 Jon Rahm. When Rahm captured the 2017 Farmers for his first career PGA TOUR title, he became the first player to win his maiden Tour event since Jay Don Blake in 1991. Rahm has enjoyed additional success at Torrey Pines, having finished runner-up at the event in 2020, T-7 last year (2021) and most recently as winner of the 2021 U.S. Open last summer on the South Course.

Olympic Gold Medalist and San Diego native Xander Schauffele finished T-2 at the 2021 Farmers Insurance Open, his best finish in six starts and just the second time he made the cut at the event. The San Diego State University standout joins Rahm as the only players in the field this week that earned Top-10 finishes at both the 2021 Farmers Insurance Open and 2021 U.S. Open.

Charlie Hoffman and Chris Stroud WD from tournament on Tuesday.

Each of the last three winners of the Farmers Insurance Open have opened the event on the North Course (Patrick Reed/2021, Marc Leishman/2020, Justin Rose/2019). The Torrey Pines South Course ranked the fourth toughest course last season with the Average Score to Par: +1.340.

Preview | Farmers Insurance Open

COURSE: Torrey Pines (South) and (North)

ARCHITECT: William Bell

YARDS/PAR: 7,765 yards/Par 72

PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: $8,400,000/$1,512,000

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Patrick Reed

PAST RESULTS: (link)

PAST CHAMPIONS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points / to Winner: 500

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @FarmersInsOpen

OFFICIAL SITE: (Farmer’s Insurance Open )

TV COVERAGE: The tournament starts a day early which means today’s coverage is from 12:30pm to 4:30pm (ET) on Golf Channel. Thursday TV broadcast from 3:00pm to 7:00pm (ET)

Friday coverage runs from 3:00pm to 5:00pm (ET) on Golf Channel and continues with CBS picking up the tournament from 5:00pm to 8:00pm (ET), tossing local and nightly newscasts for a loop! Final Round TVis Saturday: 2:30pm to 4:30pm (ET) on Golf Channel and 4;30pm to 8pm (ET) on CBS.

PGA TOUR LIVE STREAMING on ESPN+: Streaming coverage will be featured on ESPN-Plus today and Thursday with Main Feed, Featured Hole and Featured Groups from 12:00pm to 7:00pm (ET). Friday and Saturday ESPN+ Streaming from 12:00pm to 8pm (ET).

PGA TOUR RADIO COVERAGE: SiriusXM Radio will have live radio coverage of the The Farmers with today’s and Thursday’s broadcasts from 1:00pm to 7:00pm (ET). Friday and Saturday coverage on Sirius XM Radio runs from 3:00pm to 8:00pm (ET). PGA Tour Radio is available on Sirius 208/XM 92 or online via PGATour(dot)com.