By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk and PGA Tour Brunch

BOSTON – On Friday, March 5th, WWYI dropped a “special edition” of this missive to preview the 2026 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference (#SSAC26) staged this weekend at the Seapport Convention Center. It was a very successful affair, one where NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spoke in a “1-on-1” with UConn, WNBA and USA Basketball great Sue Bird and then Silver was presented with a “Lifetime Achievement Award” by conference co-founders Jessica Gelman (Kraft Group) and Daryl Morey (Philadelphia 76ers), both MIT alum.

There was no ‘show-stopper’ panel or special guest moment at this year’s symposium. There were a dozen or more very interesting panel discussions. There were also tons of interesting start-ups pitching their concepts at convention tables spread out a country mile on the main concourse – at a convention center sharing space with a New England Regional Volleyball Association event that drew some 750 volleyball teams to compete in the Boston/Nike JVC National Qualifying tournament. It was an incredible site, and it looked to be very high-calibre traditional volleyball.

It was also a college volleyball coach’s dream for recruiting, as noted by Cora Thompson, the head coach of the women’s volleyball program at Tufts University. Ms. Thompson entered the year with a .737 career winning percentage which ranks her as No. 18 on the NCAA’s winningest active coaches list for Division III. It’s the 27th-best winning mark among Division III coaches all-time. Last season Tufts went 24-6 but lost in the NCAA Regional Final (to East Texas Baptist University).

Tufts recruits volleyball players without the benefit of shelling-out scholarships but, instead, the opportunity to attend one of the best universities in the land. The eight-time New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Coach of the Year and three-time American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Northeast Region Coach of the Year was kind enough to educate this columnist on a shuttle bus ride from the Convention Center’s “South Parking Lot” to the building’s entrance.

By “South Lot” and the length of the ride and/or walk back, the lot was located someplace in Rhode Island. (I kid, I kid, and I digress).

Back to #SSAC26.

While the Silver & Bird discussion stands out, a panel held Saturday and moderated by Duke, USA Basketball and NBA great Shane Battier also stood out. Battier grilled Seattle Storm head coach Sonia Raman, active but injured NBA, 6’ 11”, 265 lbs. power forward Steven Adams (of the Houston Rockets by way of New Zealand), LA Clippers basketball advisor Monte McNair, and a very impressive Ariana Andonian, the GM of Philadelphia 76ers G-League team (Delaware Blue Coats) and the VP of Player Personnel for the Sixers (NBA level).

It was pointed out during the panel discussion that the two women were both children of immigrants and – add Steven Adams and you have a pretty amazing trifecta of basketball talent and knowledge.

Some of the discussion, which Adams contributed to while wearing a walking boot, revolved around the question of “just how much” can you throw at a player in terms of analytics. While Battier admitted to accepting binders full of information and studying it throughout his career, Adams was a little more reluctant but said he ‘“would always listen.”

What the NBA analytics did show was underlined by McNair, the general manager and president of basketball operations of the Sacramento Kings in 2020 and NBA Executive of the Year in 2023, who said “crashing the glass” was discovered as the key element to success. He also noted, there was always a give and take between hitting the offensive boards vs. transition defense.

Of course, McNair was sitting next to one of the great offensive rebounders in the NBA over the past dozen years.

The group framed where analytics falls in the basketball operations hierarchy today, which is the fact crunching data is amongst the most important functions for a team. The players want the information, but once a game starts, they need to see what is developing and either take a proactive approach to force the tempo or have a reactive counter to what the offense is doing. “Execution” was the key factor for Adams and he noted that no analytic print-out could determine how he would react to what a talented player was tossing his way.

That said, the game planning, the counters to the opponents’ tendencies and attempting to stop the opponents’ most effective offensive efforts was something the team needed to stay with, even if it wsn’t working over a short period of time at the start of a game.

Again, no ‘show-stopping’ legends on stage, but good, solid discussions with the wide-ranging panels, all coming at the discussion from different fields of employment at the highest level of the sport.

Special Note: A sincere thank you to Daryl Morey, Jessica Gelman and all of the Conference leaders, organizers, volunteers and a terrific staff at the Seaport Convention Center. It’s an incredibly well-run conference, probably the best sports conference in the world.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The PGA of America was stationed at the vaunted Hall of Game at the MIT Sloan Conference. The sport of golf has been crunching all kinds of numbers to help pro players and weekend hackers improve their scores. Also, the concepts of improvement using AI and wearables is vastly improving the game, joining ever-improving technology for clubs, shoes and golf balls.

One of the PGA of America’s short-term goals is to attach teaching pros to the emerging onslaught of indoor simulation shops, from the high end of Top Golf to the more social, event and fun-based Five Iron Golf.

HURLING with HURLEY: UConn men’s basketball coach Danny Hurley is $25,000 poorer today than he was yesterday. In Saturday’s season finale, a 68-62 loss to Marquette which cost his team a share of the Big East regular season title, Hurley approached game official John Gaffney and got his chest next to the official’s right shoulder while voicing his displeasure. Hurley said he never bumped into Gaffney, though every replay angle suggested otherwise. … Hurley denied it, saying, “You could screenshot whatever you want to screenshot. I don’t feel like I made any contact with John. I don’t believe I did.” … Well, every TV camera in the building showed a definite bump into the official (who threw a double technical at Hurley in reaction to the bump). The BIG EAST spoke quickly, snuffing-out any speculation of suspending Hurley for UConn’s first BIG EAST tournament game scheduled for this Thursday evening.

The BIG EAST statement reads, “UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley has been fined $25,000 by the BIG EAST for unsportsmanlike conduct in the closing seconds of the March 7 game at Marquette. With one second left in the game, Hurley received two technical fouls for aggressively confronting a game official, was subsequently ejected from the game, and then failed to leave the court in a timely manner. Initial speculation on the game broadcast indicated possible contact between Hurley and the official; however, a review by the conference office of the officials’ game report and available game footage could not confirm physical contact. “We hold our coaches to high standards of sportsmanlike conduct during game competition, and inappropriate interactions with our officials will not be tolerated,” said BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman.

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: This is now the third (and probably last) week to mention the Mika Zibanejad effect and the fact that in two minutes (3:26pm to 3:28pm on Saturday, during a New York Rangers’ power play against the New Jersey Devils, the name Zabanejad was mentioned 10 times over the short span of time. Ten times! … The guy is amazing.

USA, USA, USA: Adam Amin, the Fox Sports play-by-play man for the World Baseball Classic, made the unforgivable mistake of comparing the current roster for the 2026 USA Baseball team to that of the 1992 USA Basketball “Dream Team.” … Puh-leeze!

The ONLY team that can ever be compared to the Magic, Bird and Jordan Dream Team – the one and only Dream Team – is the 1976 Canada Cup ice hockey team which had 17 Hall of Famers on the roster.

Take a look:

Team Canada Goaltenders:

Rogie Vachon (Los Angeles Kings)

Gerry Cheevers (Boston Bruins)

Glenn Resch (New York Islanders)

Defensemen:

Bobby Orr (Boston Bruins/Chicago Black Hawks)

Denis Potvin (New York Islanders)

Larry Robinson (Montreal Canadiens)

Serge Savard (Montreal Canadiens)

Guy Lapointe (Montreal Canadiens)

Carol Vadnais (New York Rangers)

Jim Watson (Philadelphia Flyers)

Paul Shmyr (Cleveland Crusaders – WHA)

Forwards:

Phil Esposito (New York Rangers)

Bobby Clarke (Philadelphia Flyers)

Darryl Sittler (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Guy Lafleur (Montreal Canadiens)

Marcel Dionne (Los Angeles Kings)

Bobby Hull (Winnipeg Jets – WHA)

Gilbert Perreault (Buffalo Sabres)

Reggie Leach (Philadelphia Flyers)

Bill Barber (Philadelphia Flyers)

Steve Shutt (Montreal Canadiens)

Richard Martin (Buffalo Sabres)

Lanny McDonald (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Danny Gare (Buffalo Sabres)

Dan Maloney (Detroit Red Wings)

Peter Mahovlich (Montreal Canadiens)

Coaching Staff:

Head Coach: Scotty Bowman

Assistant Coaches: Don Cherry, Bobby Kromm, Al MacNeil

For the record, the 2026 World Baseball Classic USA Baseball team roster is:

Pitchers (RHP/LHP): Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal, Logan Webb, Mason Miller, Clayton Kershaw, Clay Holmes, David Bednar, Michael Wacha, Griffin Jax, Garrett Whitlock, Matthew Boyd, Nolan McLean.

Catchers: Cal Raleigh, Will Smith.

Infielders: Bryce Harper (1B), Bobby Witt Jr. (SS), Alex Bregman (3B), Brice Turang (2B), Gunnar Henderson, Paul Goldschmidt, Ernie Clement.

Outfielders: Aaron Judge, Corbin Carroll, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Byron Buxton, Roman Anthony.

Designated Hitter: Kyle Schwarber.

That’s a great baseball team, but to equal the ‘92 Dream Team, USA Baseball would need to suit up Jackie Robinson, DiMaggio, Mays, Mantle, Aaron and Snyder for starters.

The post TL’s Sports Notebook | SSAC ’26 Edition appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

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

BOSTON – March is upon us. Madness awaits, as we’re about two weeks away from one of those great sports days of the year – “Selection Sunday.”

The regular season champions will be crowned, then the various Conference Tournaments will be staged, providing us with non-stop college basketball coverage from March 4 to 15. The Sun Belt tips-off on March 3, and the Horizon League jump-starts the full schedule on March 4, followed right away by the Atlantic Sun, the Big South, the Summit, the MAAC, the Northeast and Ohio Valley Conferences. Soon to follow are the America East, the CAA, Missouri Valley, the Southern Conference (SoCon) and then we’re off to the races with the Big Boy conferences, including the ACC (Charlotte, NC), and the BIG EAST from March 11-14 at Madison Square Garden (Digital Sports Desk to be on-site once again).

By the time the Atlantic 10, Big Ten, the IVY, and the SEC conclude on March 15, we’ll be ready for the brackets.

Let’s take a quick look at the Top 16 seeds as it stands on the day we put February in the rear-view window.

1. Duke, Arizona, Michigan, Iowa State
2. Houston, Florida, UConn, Purdue
3. Gonzaga, Illinois, Nebraska, Michigan State
4. Virginia, Kansas, St. John’s, Texas Tech

In the remaining group, certainly North Carolina, Arkansas, Alabama, BYU, Louisville and the likes of undefeated Miami (Ohio), all deserve mention and attention.

Duke’s impressive 77-51 victory over Virginia on Saturday clinched at least a tie for the Blue Devils as Atlantic Coast Conference champions. Barring an upset in the ACC tourney, Duke is very likely to ride the No. 1 overall seed into the NCAA men’s Basketball Tournament which tips off with the First Four on March 17-18. The full tournament tips on March 19-20. The Final Four is scheduled for April 4-6 in Indianapolis.

While there are no secrets in college basketball, especially on March 1st, the teams that are peaking seem to be Duke, Florida, Alabama and Tennessee – all SEC schools with the exception of mighty Duke.

While St. John’s ran off 13 in a row, their one-side loss to UConn this past Wednesday put some doubt into the Red Storm’s path in March. Only a St. John’s run-of-the-table through the BIG EAST final on March 14 will keep the Storm in that Top 16 listed above. A single loss will drop them to the dreaded No. 5 vs No. 12 slot come bracketology time. Even if a No. 5 is successful in the opener, that No. 4 seed (the likes of Alabama) would await.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The NBA on NBC (and Peacock Network) will be going retro this Tuesday. It should be fun. Here’s what NBC had to say in its corporate news release: “Legendary sports broadcasters Bob Costas, Doug Collins, Mike “Czar of the Telestrator” Fratello, Jim Gray, Hannah Storm, Isiah Thomas and P.J. Carlesimo return to NBC Sports in a special edition “throwback” Coast 2 Coast Tuesday broadcast on Tuesday, March 3 (from) Philadelphia, when Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs visit Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers. The game, which will be called by Costas, Collins and Fratello alongside courtside reporter Gray, tips off at 8:00pm ET on NBC and Peacock. NBA Showtime precedes the game broadcast at 7:00pm ET on Peacock and will feature Storm as studio host and Thomas and Carlesimo as studio analysts.

“Costas, Collins, Fratello, Gray, Storm, Thomas and Carlesimo all served as NBA on NBC Sports commentators and analysts during the 1990s and early 2000s. Costas, Gray and Fratello, who was dubbed “Czar of the Telestrator” by Marv Albert, are Emmy Award winning sports broadcasters.”

All fine and good except – where’s Marv and Peter Vecsey (and maybe even Pat Riley,and a memorial tribute to the late Bob Ferry)?

Understandably, Albert might not be up to a full broadcast, but his voice-over to start the year was tremendous, so maybe they can work him in with a voice-over tease to the game?

When Marv’s introduction aired at the start of this season as the league welcomed back NBC Sports back to the family, I teared-up. No shame. Albert called the glory years for the New York Knickerbockers on MSG Network long before it was MSG Network (it frequently aired on WOR-TV 9 in New York. His contributions to NBA broadcasting are impossible to measure.

But, then again, so was Vecsey’s.

Peter Vecsey brought hard news and serious courtside and studio analysis to the NBA broadcasts. While the league might not’ve been ready for such scrutiny in the late ‘70s or early ‘80s, by the time the NBA on NBC debuted and Vecsey led “The Insiders,” the league actually needed some tough love, while the fans dove into the news, trades, transactions and inner workings of the teams, league and player issues.

At that point in time, there was no one to rival Vecsey in terms of breaking news and notes.

When asked if he was contacted by NBC brass to join the fray this Tuesday, Vecsey replied, “Nope.”

SOUL SEARCHING: I was happy to watch the new docu-series on the American Basketball Association (ABA). A quick estimate is that the first 100 professional basketball games I witnessed in person were all ABA games at a combination of the Island Garden in Hempstead and the (then) brand news, spanking Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale.

Tickets went for $3.00 and the basketball was great.

The “Doc”-series dove deep into the usual themes of Spencer Haywood, Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Ozzie and Daniel Silna – the owners of the Spirits of St. Louis, and EllieBrown, wife of John Y. Brown who owned the Kentucky Colonels.

The talent in the ABA was tremendous, especially if you focus on league all-stars like Erving, David Thompson, Artis Gilmore and Dan Issel, among many, many others. However, the documentary continually painted the NBA as a talentless league of 1950s jump-shooters.

Sure, Dr. J had style, but the documentary overlooked the fact that Walt “Clyde” Frazier was setting the standards of 1970s cool. The doc would show an amazing clip of Dr. J soaring to the hoop but then make a comparison to black and white footage of the NBA. Not once did they show Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, JoJo White, Jerry West or Elgin Baylor.

Yes, the ABA had the Floridians and a dance team, but let’s not forget “Dancin’ Harry”of Baltimore fame (then NYC when Monroe was traded to the Knicks).

Thus, “Soul Power” made many a factual mistake (at the worst) or the production was completely disingenuous (at best). I thought there was no reason for the slight of the NBA. Just tell the ABA story straight and it would’ve been great.

With the fact, Erving and Common were the executive producers, they should’ve known that and controlled it in production. Instead, it came across as a B-minus production, maybe two-stars. Watch it, but do NOT expect to learn a thing.

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: I don’t like to get “political” in this column very often, but in making an exception today, I’ll ask one simple question: “Have you EVER seen one guy screw up two gold medal winning ice hockey teams?” … It’s incredible. … CoryAlexander did an incredibly nice job as expert analyst alongside Dave O’Brien (soon to return to Fenway Park). Alexander is a regular ESPN/ACC Network analyst who previously played for Virginia and served as an analyst for the Virginia radio network. Meanwhile, Molly McGrath did her usual A-level courtside reporting job.

FOLLOWING UP: To follow-up on an item from last week’s salute to the wonderful Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics and the men’s ice hockey tournament, it must be known that a flip of the channels – from college basketball to the NHL on ABC Saturday afternoon – the Pittsburgh Penguins visited Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Rangers and the first nine names I heard from the play-by-play man, Sean McDonough, was? … You guessed it … Zibanejad … Zibanejad … Zibanejad. Yes, Mika Zibanejad was all over the ice for the Rangers, including a non-stop 3×3 overtime period before the NHL rules called for a “spin the bottle” contest (shoot-out) to determine a winner.

YOU CAN’T MAKE IT UP: According to multiple media reports on Thursday, the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks announced plans to honor Magic City — which they called “the city’s iconic cultural institution.” However, together with the Gold Club, Magic City is best known as “one of Atlanta’s ’s most famous strip clubs.” The promotion will come during a March 16 home game against the Orlando Magic at State Farm Arena. The pro basketball club believes no dancers will take part in the festivities.

While the team tried to spin the promotion to be all about Magic City’s chicken wings, the truth of the matter is that an NBA team just cannot turn aside 50% of its audience by putting its female fans in an awkward position.

The shoot-yourself-in-the-foot promo reminded this columnist of the early days of the NLL Boston Blazers lacrosse team when three “scantily clad” women gave “Scorch,” the Blazers’ mascot a lap dance on the field of play during halftime. The promotion went downhill from there, and the Blazers were in crisis communications mode faster than you could say Mayor Menino.

YOU CAN’T MAKE IT UP II: A sequel? The Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers game Friday night was delayed for nearly 18 minutes in the third quarter by a blaring “horn” after a power surge caused the overhead scoreboard to malfunction. During a timeout with the Pistons leading 65-64 in their exciting 122-119 overtime victory, the horn sounded to signal the teams to return to the floor. However, it kept blasting away despite frantic work from clock operators, technicians, and arena workers at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The teams returned to their respective benches for a few minutes and were eventually told to go back on the floor to warm up. After 13 minutes, the staff shut down the entire overhead scoreboard and the horn stopped, as loud “Bronx” cheers erupted from the stands. From that point onward, the Pistons’ home scoring crew used a manual airhorn when needed. The NBA game officials brought Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff and Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson to midcourt for a brief discussion, before announcing the game would resume without the main scoreboard. However, moments after the game got back underway, the scoreboard came back on and all was well.

The post TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | March 1 appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk and PGA Tour Brunch

BOSTON – There have been “big goals” in ice hockey games of the past, but just where does Megan Keller’s gold medal winning overtime goal for Team USA vs. Canada stand in the pantheon of greatness?

First, let us state the obvious.

There are big goals and then there are “BIG GOALS.”

Keller’s goal was a “BIG GOAL,” as it resulted with a game-winning gold medal clinching moment for the United States women’s Olympic ice hockey team. It came in overtime after an amazing come-from-behind, late third period comeback by the USA to tie Team Canada which had out-played the Americans throughout the final game of competition.

Keller’s goal, which won the game in 3-on-3 wide-open overtime, also prompted a While We’re Young (Ideas) core question. Where does the goal fit if a list of the “BIGGEST” goals were to be compiled. That is a very difficult task of you consider the complete work of art that is ice hockey, meaning men’s and women’s Olympics, NHL regular season and Stanley Cup playoffs.

Here’s a quick list, off top of head and no in-depth research from yesteryears of NHL, International  and Olympics ice hockey competitions.

1. Mike Eruzioni’s game-winning goal against the Soviet Union in the semifinals of the 1980 Men’s Olympic ice hockey tournament.
2. Mark Johnson’s game-tying goal in the third period of the USA vs. USSR game at Lake Placid that same tournament.
3. Mark Johnson’s first goal, a game-tying (2-2) last second goal in the first period of the gold medal game.
4. Megan Keller’s goal in the 2026 Olympics, described above.
5. (Considering my lifetime) – Bobby Nystrom’s Stanley Cup-winning goal (May 24, 1980) to clinch the Cup for the New York Islanders in a hard-fought seven-game series against the Broad Street Bullies – the Philadelphia Flyers.
6. New York Islanders’ J.P. Parise’s overtime and series-clinching goal, coming 11 seconds into overtime against the New York Rangers (at Madison Square Garden) in 1975. That goal marked the Islanders arrival from expansion team to contender.
7. Boston Bruins defenseman Bobby Orr’s iconic 1970 Stanley Cup winning goal against the St. Louis Blues when Orr soared through the air after depositing the gmae/series winner.
8. The 1976 Canada Cup final was a best-of-three series which was played between Czechoslovakia and Canada, as the vaunted Soviet Union sent a young, less experienced club to the tournament. After the Canadiens won game one 5-0, Czechoslovakia led, 4–3 in game two, with four minutes remaining in the third period. Canada’s Bill Barber scored the game-tying goal, and in overtime, Toronto’s Darryl Sittler received a pass from Marcel Dionne, faked and scored the series winner.
9. Alex Ovechkin (Washington) beat G Ilya Sorokin (NY Islanders) on April 6, 2025 to score the 895th goal of his NHL career, passing “The Great One,” Wayne Gretzky to become the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer. Coincidentally, the Islanders were the team Gretzky was playing against when he scored his final NHL career goal (No. 894) in 1999, setting the mark for Ovechkin to chase.
10. And, then, there was “The Goal” in the 1972 Summit Series between NHL greats from Canada and the Soviet Union national club.

“Cournoyer has it on that wing. Here’s a shot. Henderson made a wild stab for it and fell. Here’s another shot. Right in front, they score! Henderson has scored for Canada!”

— Foster Hewitt, calling the play-by-play description of Henderson’s goal.

The play was captured on film and by still photo (Frank Lennon/Toronto Star) in the days long, long before digital photography. In fact, it was a time stuck in a decades old Cold War that seemed more insurmountable than the great Russian goalkeeperVladimir Tretiak.

To set up “The Goal,” Team Canada had eventual Hall of Famers and their top goal scorers – Phil Esposito (Boston Bruins), Yvan Cournoyer (Montreal Canadiens) and Peter Mahovlich (Montreal Canadiens) – on the ice, but Toronto’s Paul Hendersoncalled off Mahovlich in a line change. Henderson bolted from the bench to the action in front of the Russian goal, as Cournoyer attempted to pass the puck along the boards. Henderson fell behind the net, then returned to his skates and sought position in front as Esposito took a shot that Tretiak went down to stop. with only :34 seconds remaining, Henderson spotted the rebound and slid the puck under Tretiak for the series winner, with Canada taking a 4-3-1 final game lead with the 6-5 victory.

After the ‘72 Summit Series there would be other competitions, including the Canada Cup in 1976. At the time of the ‘72 series, Team Canada had been boycotting the Olympics and the World Championships in protest of NHL professionals being banned from participating by the International Ice Hockey Federation.

It would take until 1998 at the Nagano Winter Olympic Games for NHL players to be made eligible to play in the Olympic Games.

Canada’s Paul Henderson celebrated the series winning goal with Russian goalkeeper Vladimir Tretiak sprawled down in his crease. (photo by Frank Lennon)

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The NHL (National Hockey League) and the PWHL (Professional Women’s Hockey League) could not have asked for more in these 2026 Winter Olympic Games. Although the time change will always be an issue with many an international event (Reminder: The men’s gold medal game starts at 8:00am Sunday morning, February 22), the NHL and PWHL will both look to capitalize on the success of the teams supplying the most talent to their respective leagues. The age-old question: Will the 2026 Winter Olympics provide a boost to the NHL’s and PWHL’s bottom line – via ticket sales, merchandise, international TV deals and better USA and Canadien TV ratings?

In the sport of soccer, the World Cup will be staged in North America and the powers-that-be within MLS (Major League Soccer) and NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) are hoping for a major boost in awareness and attendance.

But, time and time again, USA success in soccer has not ignited a firestorm of interest in the professional soccer ranks. Yes, there’s been a few nice blips on the screen – name recognition for the likes of Alexi Lalas or Landon Donovan but the huge increase in affinity has never surfaced in the United States.

In the past, the 1992 USA Basketball “Dream Team” set the standard for increased global awareness for the NBA, but other Olympic sports have enjoyed significant boosts.

• In 1972, Russian pixie Olga Korbut did her back flip off the uneven bars and ignited a huge increase in American young women joining gymnastics programs thought the 1970s.
• In 1996, Kerri Strug, Dominique Dawes, Shannon Miller and the Magnificent Seven sent another lightning rod of attention for women’s gymnastics.
• That was backed up by Carly Patterson who took the all-around title and fueled more interest in women’s gymnastics throughout the 2000s.
• Then came the Simone Biles era, and Biles was supported by Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney and a period of USA dominance in world gymnastics, fueled by Biles.
• The 1996 USA Basketball women’s national team was the main attraction at the Atlanta Summer Olympic Games. Among many others, UConn’s Rebecca Lobo started a new era for young women playing basketball. Counting her UConn record (35-0) and then ‘just’ the official USA Basketball exhibition games, and her first 15 WNBA games, Lobo went 60-0 during that time period and that doesn’t count another 40+ games played as scrimmages against American college teams. That promotion helped launch the WNBA in 1997.

Can ice hockey, and then later this year, soccer (Futbol) enjoy an extended boost of interest throughout the USA?

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: The Boston Bruins will hold their first post-Olympics practice at the Warrior Rink at 11:30am Sunday, just hours after the completion of the gold medal game in Milan. … On Saturday, CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz reminded viewers we’re inside seven weeks until The Masters. … Every Major League Baseball team was in action for Grapefruit or Cactus League games. … The 2026 Chairman’s Cup between the Red Sox and Minnesota Twins began Saturday with their first of eight Grapefruit League matchups, with four at Hammond Stadium and four at JetBlue Park. (Little Fenway). The clubs split the Cup in both 2024 and 2025. … The Chairman’s Cup is named in honor of the ownership chairmen of the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins, recognizing the friendly rivalry between the two clubs that share spring training facilities in Fort Myers, Florida. It’s meant as a symbolic gesture celebrating the teams’ leadership and spring training connections.

THIS JEST IN: The selection committee for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament issued their first look at potential seedings for the March Madness college basketball tourney. The top four seeds in each region were revealed on Saturday. Michigan was ranked as the No. 1 overall seed while Duke and Arizona rounded-out what the committee chair called a consensus top three. After extensive discussion, the committee settled on Iowa State to fill the fourth top seed.

UConn, Houston, Illinois and Purdue were the consensus No. 2 seeds.

*Please keep in mind, Michigan and Duke play each other (after WWYI’s deadline on Saturday night).

Gotta hope you know your college logos to decipher the rest. One hint, the two V’s are Virginia and Vanderbilt.

THINGS I WONDER ABOUT: These are things I think about now and then, and no one seems to have any answers:

• Every now and then, our two pups cry and it’s a sound that goes right through me to the point where I’d do anything to come to their aid. My question is this: If dogs can cry, and it is so damn effective, why can’t they laugh?
• Speaking of which, our dog Penny (Lane) can say one word in the English language, and it is “out.” Somehow, she changes her bark a bit and the sound is clear – and in the King’s English.

On another topic:

• Who was the guy who invented the traffic circle or “Roundabout?” I’d like to get him.
• Lastly, to decompress from watching the Winter Olympics and every ice hockey game, I plan to loop NBC hockey play-by-play man Kenny Albert’s voice forcefully stating the name – Mika Zibanejad – 45 times for each 60-minute interval for at least 10 days. “Zibanejad this, Zibanejad that. Poke check, Zibanejad. Wrist shot,Zibanejad. Everything Zibanejad and anything Zibanejad.”

EDDIE: There’s an old NBA scouting story that would relate directly to Kenny Albert’s calls on Mika Zibanejad, but you’d need to change the basketball to ice hockey. Famed New York Knickerbockers GM Eddie Donovan used to drive to many a college basketball game to scout pro prospects. Since there were no stats, no game notes (to speak of), no internet, rare TV coverage, Donovan would spend the first quarter of the games he was scouting by staying in his car and tuning into the game on radio. He would keep count of the number of times the radio announcer would mention a player’s name. Donovan would then enter the building with the tally sheet and know which players to pay the most attention to as he watched the final three quarters of the game.

As it relates to this year’s men’s Olympic ice hockey tournament, undoubtedly, the great Eddie Donovan would’ve recommended to his Madison Square Garden/New York Rangers counterpart, “You better scout this guy, Zibanejad!”

YOU CAN’T MAKE IT UP: Last weekend, as reported in Digital Sports Desk, there was quite a brawl between St. John’s and Providence after a Flagrant Foul take down of (former Friar) St. John’s forward Bryce Hopkins. In the postgame WPRO-Radio report by Providence College, color man Joey Hassett (he of Providence basketball – 1973-to-1977 – and later a three-point FG specialist with the Seattle SuperSonics where he won an NBA championship ring in 1979) actually said, referring to St. John’s transfer Hopkins, “he’s the one who started the fight.”

Said Hassett, “The (Providence) Friars had momentum at that point. They were up 41-40. That situation (brawl that saw two ejections, and a two game suspension to Providence forward Duncan Powell for his flagrant 2 take-down of Hopkins). They get four free throws,” added Hassett. “He gets the flagrant foul, and could’a just got up, but — he started the fight.”

The post TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook | Feb 22nd appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – As pitchers and catches reported to Spring Training and Major League Baseball turned towards the 2026 season, three MLB teams took a gut punch, right in the very first inning.

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder Corbin Carroll, and Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday all suffered the same exact injury – broken hamate bones in their wrists.

There’s nothing as bad as losing a star player on the first day of Spring Training, and, in each case, it was a foundational talent for their respective teams.

The human wrist is an amazing joint, chock full of small bones that allow the wrist to move in every direction. A hamate bone injury is a fracture or stress reaction of the key bone, which is located within the wrist. The injury is often caused by activities that require a strong grip, such as baseball or golf. Symptoms typically include pain and swelling on the palm side of the wrist, particularly near the pinky finger, and recovery can take several weeks. Severe cases can require surgery. The procedure and rehabilitation (often difficult and painful) can take, at least, six weeks.

From first hand experience, and in layman’s terms – “It is never the same again.”

The most noticeable talent of major league baseball players resides in the eyes and wrists of the most successful batters. Yes, power can come from the arms, thighs and legs planted in a proper stance, but seeing the ball and then moving the hands and often turning the wrists to create bat speed is the secret all of the best hitters possess. Great eyes and great wrists can not be taught. It is innate.

Six or maybe eight weeks in a cast (or even a soft cast) will result in atrophy and soreness, no matter how great the rehabilitation process is managed. When hands/wrist/bat speed is lost, even milliseconds, it can take .010 or more off a batting average.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Noting from the NBA’s official news release, – At the 26th NBA All-Star Technology Summit at YouTube Theater in Los Angeles, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg, Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel and the world’s most-followed basketball YouTube creator, Jesser, previewed a new AI-powered technology that allows fans to watch live games from a player’s vantage point in real time. … During a live onstage demo, Jesser activated “POV mode,” enabling viewers to watch the Jan. 29 game between the Mavericks and Hornets from the on-court perspective of Flagg and Knueppel in real time. The presentation showcased the limitless ways that fans will be able to watch live NBA games through immersive angles and personalized customizations. The prototype animations from the demonstration will ultimately be replaced with visualizations of the actual players. It can be viewed HERE.

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: Veteran NBA guard and former president of the NBA Player’s Association Chris Paul announced his retirement during NBA All-Star Weekend in LA. He did it with a short social media post, quickly picked up by fans and some 200 media “influencers” stationed at the festivities. “This is it! After 21 years I’m stepping away from basketball,” Paul wrote on Instagram. … NBA Commissioner Adam Silverissued the following statement to note the contributions made by Paul: – “After 21 remarkable seasons, Chris Paul retires as one of the greatest point guards in NBA history and a true steward of our sport. From the moment he entered the league, Chris distinguished himself with his savvy playmaking skills, elite competitiveness and intense work ethic. He also poured enormous time and energy into his role as President of the Players Association – offering thoughtful and principled perspectives to strengthen our game and our business. His leadership on behalf of the players was essential in negotiating collective bargaining agreements, helping guide the league through a pandemic, addressing important societal issues and so much more. On behalf of the NBA, I congratulate Chris on an extraordinary career and thank him for his friendship, partnership and lasting contributions to our game.”

PREZ: President Barack Obama spoke at the NBA’s Tech Summit in Los Angeles. The seminar is an “off the record” event, but a very simple message from Obama resonated worldwide: “Sports is one of America’s greatest exports,” he said. “Sports can bring the world together. I’m a big believer that joy brings about change.” – That comment is no secret to anyone who has worked in, or competed in sports and should be shouted from the highest mountains, everywhere in the world.

SLAM: There’s often talk of the career Grand Slams in professional golf and tennis, but did you know Anthony Davis, now of the Washington Wizards, is the only male player to win the grand slam-dunk for basketball. Davis has won:

• NCAA National Championship: 2012 (University of Kentucky)
• Olympic Gold Medal: 2012 (London) and 2024 (Paris)
• FIBA World Cup Gold: 2014 (Spain)
• NBA Championship: 2020 (Los Angeles Lakers)

On the women’s basketball side, the feat has been accomplished far more often. In fact there’s a dozen players. Here is the list of women who have won the “Grand Slam-Dunk”

• Breanna Stewart
• Sue Bird
• Diana Taurasi
• A’ja Wilson
• Maya Moore
• Brittney Griner
• Tamika Catchings
• Sheryl Swoopes
• Cynthia Cooper
• Swin Cash
• Asjha Jones
• Kara Wolters

SPORTS BIZ: Over the NBA All-Star break, the Boston Celtics extended their advertising agreement with Experience Abu Dhabi through the conclusion of the 2027–28 season. This renewal broadens Experience Abu Dhabi’s presence across Celtics platforms and fan-engagement initiatives. “We look forward to continuing our relationship with Experience Abu Dhabi as we look to expand the global reach and engagement of both the Boston Celtics and Experience Abu Dhabi brands,” said Ted Dalton, Boston Celtics Chief Partnership Officer. “Their commitment to creating special fan moments, both in Boston and internationally, aligns closely with our vision, and this renewed agreement will allow us to deliver even more impactful experiences over the coming years.” … Under the renewed agreement, Experience Abu Dhabi will continue as an Official International Marketing Partner of the Boston Celtics. The partnership includes extensive in-arena visibility during Celtics home games, with courtside signage, basket stanchion signage, center-hung scoreboard LED rings, and commercial spots, all of which will extend into the playoffs. Experience Abu Dhabi will also receive banner advertising on Celtics.com. … “We are delighted to extend our relationship with the Boston Celtics through to the 2027-28 season,” said Steve Cox, Acting Strategic Marketing & Communication Sector Executive Director at DCT Abu Dhabi. “Abu Dhabi is a welcoming destination defined by culture, community and memorable experiences, and this agreement reflects that spirit. Sport continues to enrich Abu Dhabi’s appeal as a destination, while allowing us to build meaningful and lasting connections with travelers worldwide.”

The NBA and USA Basketball have played exhibition games in Abu Dhabi, including the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers this past October.

INJURED: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Giannis Antetokounmapo are both injured and out for the World team. Alperen Şengün and De’Aaron Fox will replace the injured players. Fox, the Spurs’ guard joins USA Stripes while Heat swingman Norman Powell (Jamaica) moves from USA Stripes to Team World. Steph Curry of the USA Stripes is also out (right knee) and will be replaced by Brandon Ingram.

COLLEGE SPORTS RANKINGS: While everyone in the Fall is focused on the CFP rankings, and college basketball fans are now watching the NCAA Coaches and Associated Press Top 25s, some might care to see two other polls. The men’s college ice hockey and the NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse poll is worth a look. In each case, I’ll provide the Top 10 with links for the rest.

College Hockey: (via U.S. College Hockey Online) – (link)

1. Michigan State
2. Michigan
3. North Dakota
4. Western Michigan
5. Quinnipiac
6. Penn State
7. Providence
8. Denver
9. Cornell
10. Minnesota Duluth

Division I Men’s Lacrosse (via Inside Lacrosse poll) – (link)

1. Maryland
2. Syracuse
3. Princeton
4. Cornell
5. Georgetown
6. North Carolina
7. Notre Dame
8. Richmond
9. Duke
10. Ohio State

SECOND HAND, ERRR, CHANCE NEWS: In a category touching upon “you can’t make it up,” the POTUS pardoned five former NFL football players — one posthumously — for various crimes ranging from perjury to drug trafficking.

The pardons were announced by White House pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson just days after the NFL Super Bowl. Ex-NFL players Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry and the late Billy Cannon were granted the clemency.

“As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again. So is our nation,” Johnson wrote on the social media site X.

Klecko, a former lineman for the New York Jets, pleaded guilty to perjury after lying to a federal grand jury that was investigating insurance fraud. A defensive lineman, Klecko was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023.

Newton, an offensive lineman, pleaded guilty to a federal drug trafficking charge after authorities discovered $10,000 in his pickup truck as well as 175 pounds of marijuana in an accompanying car driven by another man. Newton was a two-time All-Pro player and six-time Pro Bowler.

Lewis, formerly of the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns, had previously pleaded guilty in a drug case in which he used a cellphone to try to set up a drug deal not long after he was a top pick in the 2000 NFL draft. Lewis, a running back, was named an All-Pro once and was a one-time Pro Bowler. He was named the 2003 AP Offensive Player of the Year.

Henry, who played for the Denver Broncos, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic cocaine for financing a drug ring that moved the drug between Colorado and Montana. He was a running back for three teams and a one-time Pro Bowl star.

Cannon, who played for the Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs, admitted to counterfeiting in the mid-1980s after a series of bad investments and debts left him broke. He was a two-time All-Pro player and a two-time Pro Bowler. Cannon also won the 1959 Heisman Trophy while starring for Louisiana State University, where he had one of the most memorable plays in college football history: an 89-yard punt return for a touchdown against Ole Miss. He died in 2018.

MASCOT MANIA: For fans of Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, and the event mascots, Milo and Tina, it’s been nearly impossible to find a plush toy of the stuffed siblings in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. … Many of the official Olympics stores in the host cities are already sold out, less than a week into the Winter Games. … “I think the only way to get them is to actually win a medal,” Julia Peeler joked Tuesday in central Milan, where Tina and Milo characters posed for photos with fans. The 38-year-old Peeler, from South Carolina, is on the hunt for the plushies for her niece. Buona fortuna – or Good luck.

LOOKING FORWARDS & BACKWARDS: This column is usually a forward-thinking document but today it’s important to look back to last week’s Super Bowl and the outstanding defensive performance by the Seattle Seahawks in their 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots. Credit must also be given to Seahawks QB Sam Darnold who threw for 202 yards and a TD to lead his club to the win while his running back Kenneth Walker III took MVP honors with a 27-carry, 135 yard performance which also added two catches for another 26 yards. … My forecast was for a New England victory with the Patriots’ defense making a game-long stand. … Seattle was far too good for the young Boston team, especially QB Drake Maye who was rushed, sacked, beaten and pummeled all day long. Seattle had the superior D and far superior team.

Looking forward, here’s a few dates and sporting events to circle:

• February 18, 20-21 – Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey
• February 19 – Women’s Olympic Ice Hockey medal round
• February 25 – St. John’s at UConn (men’s basketball)
• March 6-7 – MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference (Boston)
• March 11-14 – BIG EAST men’s basketball at MSG (New York)
• March 15 – NCAA men’s Selection Sunday

The post TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Feb 15 appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

By TERRY LYONS, Editor in Chief

BOSTON – Oh, the glory. The Winter Olympic Games colliding with the Super Bowl. NHL players are back in the ice hockey tournament and the New England Patriots are playing in their first Super Bowl since 2019, which seems like forever and a day ago if you have to turn the calendar back to the Year 2000.

Here’s a quick look at the Patriots’ Super Bowl appearances with a translation from Roman Numerals to the more modern Hindu-Arabic numbers we use these days:

Tom Brady (file photo)

New England Patriots Super Bowl Appearances:

Super Bowl 20: Chicago Bears 46, New England Patriots 10

Super Bowl 31: Green Bay Packers 35, New England Patriots 21

Super Bowl 36: New England Patriots 20, St. Louis Rams 17

Super Bowl 38: New England Patriots 32, Carolina Panthers 29

Super Bowl 39: New England Patriots 24, Philadelphia Eagles 21

Super Bowl 42: New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14

Super Bowl 46: New York Giants 21, New England Patriots 17

Super Bowl 49: New England Patriots 28, Seattle Seahawks 24

Super Bowl 51: New England Patriots 34, Atlanta Falcons 28

Super Bowl 52: Philadelphia Eagles 41, New England Patriots 33

Super Bowl 53: New England Patriots 13, Los Angeles Rams 3

Every Super Bowl (link)

SUPER: The theme of this week’s notebook is to enjoy some reminiscing about Super Bowls of the past. This year marks Super Bowl LX and it dates those of us who can remember Super Bowl I (Kansas City vs Green Bay in Los Angeles). Super Bowl I wasn’t even in the lexicon of sports fans before Super Bowl I, as the term was coined by Lamar Hunt, the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, in 1966. He suggested the name during a meeting while trying to decide on a title for the championship between the NFL and AFL.

The story goes that Super Bowl I wasn’t sold out in the massive Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum which was commissioned in 1921 and opened in 1923. The game was played January 15, 1967 (I had just turned seven years old).

The LA Coliseum is enormous (77,500), and over the years with the LA Rams and then the LA Raiders playing in the venue, it caused some issues for the NFL as it was, indeed, difficult to sell out and thus the NFL TV blackout rules might kick-in to black out the home Los Angeles (No. 2 TV market) and spoil TV ratings.

My memories were looking at what seemed to be an invincible Green Bay Packers team and thinking the Kansas City Chiefs were going to get clobbered in this first great match-up between the National Football League (NFC) and the rival American Football League (AFC). My premonitions were correct and KC got smoked by the score of 35-10. Green Bay QB Bart Starr was the Most Valuable Player as he would be in Super Bowl II at the Orange Bowl in Miami. That game featured the Oakland Raiders who fell 33-14 to the Pack, a slight improvement. I can remember the great Vince Lombardi stalking the sidelines, classically dressed in his overcoat and stoic.

We (meaning my family and most of the kids in my neighborhood) were AFL fans, as the New York Jets played at Shea Stadium, which was closer to our homes. The rival New York Giants seemed old and stogy, and they played at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. The love of the Mets was the attraction to the Jets and thus, the dislike of the Yankees and the (football) Giants.

Then, there was a key factor – Joe Willie Namath, a.k.a. “Broadway Joe.” Sure there was Yankees greats Joe DiMaggio (Mr Coffee) and Mickey Mantle and some others, but Joe Namath was the very first marketing machine athlete I can remember, and his charisma of coolness fit in with Walt “Clyde” Frazier of the New York Knickerbockers.

Of course, the Jets upset the Baltimore Colts, with the QB tandem of Earl Morrall and the great Johnny Unitas), 16-7, after Namath made the bold guarantee for the New Yorkers to win the game. I had other sports idols on the Jets. I had an Emerson Boozer sweatshirt, and loved defensive safety Johnny Sample and the host of great receivers, like Don Maynard and George Sauer.

That game cemented my love of the NFL and it lasted until the Jets moved from the aging Shea Stadium to the new Giants Stadium in New Jersey (1984). The trip through the Midtown Tunnel and Lincoln Tunnel to East Rutherford was too much, and our dump, the beat-up, cold and windy Shea Stadium, seemed so great, although imperfect.

With these various memories in mind, I consulted with column contributor Tom Walsh, the organizer and facilitator of the greatest Super Bowl, and then, AFC/NFC Championship parties in the history of the world, as well as being the most trustworthy and loyal friend you could ever ask for.

To Mr Walsh, the following question was posed:

Q: “I know you love the KC Chiefs as you adopted them in the Len Dawson era and rooted for them against the mighty GB Packers. What are your earliest memories of the Super Bowl?”

A: (Surprised me a bit) – “So the first Super Bowl ever was played on my fifth birthday Jan 15, 1967. Truth be told, I don’t remember a thing about that particular “game.” I do, however, remember a lot of fuss going on in the household because we had moved from Kansas City the year prior and my brother Billy ( five years older) was a fan already, so it was a combination of birthday and Super Bowl celebration.

“My first clear memories of a Super Bowl came from Super Bowl IV (January 11, 1970) and at that point in time, I was fully aware of sports. The Mets were coming off of their miracle Mets run (of 1969) and I was beginning to care about and participate in sports. The Chiefs beat the Minnesota Vikings 23-7). It was that moment that did it for me in terms of fandom.”

He was a Chiefs fan for life.

And, that’s how the NFL does it and how the Super Bowl became the highest-rated, most watched, can’t miss worldwide sports event on the planet. World Cup be damned!

The New England Patriots vs Seattle Seahawks game will attempt to break last year’s 127.7 million viewers. That’s to serve up :30 second spots at $8 million or :60s at $16m to $20m. (estimated 2026 prices)

As the ‘70s marched on there were great (better call them super) football teams in the Miami Dolphins (coach Don Shula), the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers – The Steel Curtain. Those high level teams dominated but were highly respected by all football fans.

Another early memory for me was the fact many of the games were somewhat one-sided. It wasn’t until the 1979 Pittsburgh vs. Dallas Super Bowl, won by Pitt (35-31) that I can remember a high scoring affair.

Fast forward to the early ‘90s and we witnessed the Buffalo Bills’ four consecutive bridesmaids era and then later in the decade, the Denver Broncos era.

As the clock struck 2002, it was time for Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the Patriots to ride in with a decade of dominance give or take a few disappointments, a New York Giants miracle or two (ask David Tyree) and ultimately the Patriots chasing Brady down I95 where he won another Super Bowl with former Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski as a sidekick.

Patrick Mahomes and the Walsh Family enjoyed their renaissance and took three Super Bowl titles in the 2020s, while losing title games to Brady’s newfangled Tampa Bay Bucs and the mighty Philadelphia Eagles who can still fly with the best of ‘em.

All the while, event organizers from New Orleans to Miami Gardens to Los Angeles to Las Vegas to Santa Clara have raked in the millions in economic boosts the size of Saturn Five rockets. This week, the NFL has inserted major cash flow from San Francisco to Palo Alto and from San Jose to Santa Clara. There’s nothing like it as the New England and Seattle faithful have traveled heavy and at steep prices.

Face value for a cheap seat is roughly $950 but that same ticket is going for $3,869 on the secondary market as kick-off time draws nearer and nearer. Meanwhile, lower bowl “decent/good” seats are going for $5,007 and as high as $8,000 to $14,000 per seat, depending on how close you like your seat to the 50 yard line.

High-priced tickets go for $40,530 to $44,796 per seat on the secondary market and a luxury suite will set you back $600,000 to $1.8 million. Although ticket prices can fluctuate drastically in the final two days, Super Bowl LX is currently the second-most expensive Super Bowl on record, with an average purchase price of roughly $8,016.

ALL ABOUT TONIGHT: That brings us to game time. How about some predictions and prognostications, with an attempt to avoid the cliches? (Such as protect the ball, limit turnovers, team that has the ball last, pass protection is key, focus, special team play can be the determining factor).

Please keep in mind, after the Joe Namath Jets, my NFL allegiances were usually to root for the favorite teams of friends, so they could enjoy the title. But, while living in New England, it was always fun to watch Tom Brady operate on a weekly basis, orchestrating comeback after comeback, victory after victory, but the arrogance of team owner Bob Kraft always kept me an arms-length away from the team/Gillette Stadium. That said, I have a friend who was BBs right hand man, and I certainly rooted for him to take in a Playoff share. He left the Patriots when BB did.

This year, it’s been very different. I did not expect the Patriots to win five or six games, maybe seven. I did not think QB Drake Maye could turn into a major contender for MVP (Matthew Stafford of the LA Rams edged Maye out) in teh voting, and I did not think Mike Vrabel’s effect on the team would be so amazing, so vibrant and meaningful in his first year as Patriots’ head coach.

Well, damn the torpedos, and full speed ahead.

Let’s take a look.

TL PREDICTIONS: The prediction here is that Vrabel’s defense will step up once again. Just as they held the Los Angles Chargers and Denver Broncos and Houston Texans offenses down, I expect even more from NE’s “D” on Sunday. The neutral home field will be a major advantage, compared to the crazy and hostile setting of Denver. The Patriots’ defense endured and QB Drake Maye did what he had to do to rally, run and score.

Against Seattle, I see a game-long defensive battle. The Patriots, as they’ve done thoughout the late half of the regular season and all of post season, will limit RB Kenneth Walker III to play as though he’s not age III but age LX. Walker’s sidekick, RB Zach “Don’t Call Me ‘Guy’” Charbonnet is out – a huge setback for the Seahawks. Seattle, like the Patriots’ other opponents, will struggle to gain more than 3.4 or 3.5 per offensive play, a factor that will see punt-after-punt-after-punt in the early going.

LOW SCORING: I see a possible 0-0 first quarter score, and maybe a 7-0 or 10-3 halftime.

SECOND HALF ADJUSTMENTS: It will be the second half when Vrabel’s defense can win the game. Look for at least one “points off turnover” score, coming from a forced fumble or mid-field interception. It would not surprise if there’s a “Pick 6” or a score off a muffed punt. The Patriots might produce seven or 10 points from the defensive and special team side of the ball, while holding Seattle QB Sam Darnold to “three and outs” regularly.

CAN NEW ENGLAND RUN VS. SEATTLE D? If New England can establish a decent running game, with RB Rhamondre Stevenson and his sidekick, rookie TreVeyon Henderson, it will open up the passing game for Maye and simultaneously create running opportunities for the MVP-runner-up QB. I can see Maye break a 15-20 yard run, maybe for a TD.

PUTTING THAT ALL TOGETHER: I see a relatively low-scoring game. Certainly, it will be a battle of defensive capabilities in the first half. Will one team have its defense on the field too long? Will fatigue play a factor? Will points be scored off turnovers and just how many turnovers or significant mistakes will be made by the young QBs (of either team) and the stumbling, fumbling RBs?

X-FACTOR: I see New England’s TE Hunter Henry playing a pivitol role in converting those third and long or third and five/six situations. He will be a clutch performer and I haven’t seen that written anywhere else.

IN CONCLUSION … a.k.a. THE VEGAS LINE: I think Las Vegas bookmakers have the wrong team favored. The line came out at New England (+5), then settled at New England (+4.5). … In some other books, the line came out at Seahawks (-3.5) and settled at (-4.5) and its stayed put. … Two Sundays ago, I would’ve placed the line at New England (-2.5). Today, I might call it (- 1.5). … The scoring total is at 45.5 – far too high, unless the defenses score 14 points or more apiece.

I see it more like: New England 17-6 or New England 17-10. Drake Maye runs for one TD, throws for another (Henry) and Maye gets his MVP and his first Super Bowl ring.

Most of the experts disagree and they, of course, are the guys who set the Vegas lines.

The guy I trust the most is Matt Youmans of VSiN and he has it: Patriots 23-20 over Seattle, with Drake Maye as the MVP. In scientific terms, that means he’s on the Patriots and the “Under.”

A factoid to consider: The team that is the better NFL Playoff seed (Seattle a No. 1 and New England a No. 2) is just 2-17-1 (ATS) = (10.5%) in the last 29 Super Bowl games. (Some games had teams with the same playoff seed). And, in the last 24 years, Underdogs own an (18-6) record = 75%. By the way, another slice has Underdogs (14-4) over the last 18 Super Bowls, but those stats doesn’t really matter as this is forward thinking column and past performances have ZERO to do with the outcome of Sunday’s game.

FLIP SIDE: If you’re keen on the Seattle Seahawks and don’t buy any of the logic explained above, you’re probably criticizing New England’s relatively smooth (not easy, but smooth) path to the Super Bowl. (Chargers to Texans to Broncos).

In the wild card round, New England held the Los Angeles Chargers to one second quarter field goal in a low-scoring, 16-3 contest.

While Houston looked great on paper and rode a 10-game winning streak, the fact of the matter was New England’s defense stood up to Texans QB C.J. Stroud and held him down in the Red Zone. Houston led 10-7, but a NE pick six (Marcus Jones) returned for 26 yards, and a Drake Maye to Stefon Diggs 7-yard TD strike made it 21-10 Patriots at the half.

In the AFC Championship game, New England faced a Denver Broncos team without their (more) dynamic QB Bo Nix.

Lady Luck!

SLEEPLESS SEATTLE … can impose a much more dynamic offensive approach, sans No. 2 RB Zach Charbonnet. The combo of much-travelled but underrated QB Sam Darnold to Pro Bowl WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba is dangerous at all times and can take advantage of New England’s one defense weakness – a suspect secondary. The deep ball is not a friend in New England.

Can Vrabel devise his defensive schemes to take Smith-Njigba out of the game, and force Seattle to run? Can the New England secondary step-up and play their best game of the season? – Lots of question marks but the answers will play out in Santa Clara.

Kick-off is 6:30pm ET/3:30pm (Local).

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: What’s a Super Bowl Notebooks without a few of the basic lines? Here’s the basic line and a sampling of alternate wagers/props:

Super Bowl LX

• Seattle (-4.5) over Patriots (Line opened at 5.0 points)
• Over/Under 45.5

Most Rushing Yards

• (Seattle’s) Kenneth Walker III – (-225)
• (NE’s) Rhamondre Stevenson – (+240)
• (NE’s) Drake Maye – (+700)
• (NE’s TreVeyon Henderson – (25/1)
• (Seattle’s) George Holani – (50/1)
• (Seattle’s) Rashid Shaheed – (66/1)

Yards Rushing (Over/Under)

(Seattle’s) Kenneth Walker III

• Over 74.5 yards – (118)
• Under 74.5 yards – (-110)

(New England’s Rhamondre Stevenson

• Over 47.5 – (118)
• Under 47.5 – (110)

(New England’s) TreVeyon Henderson

• Over 37.5 (118)
• Under 37.5 (110)

(New England’s) Drake Maye

• Over 37.5 (115)
• Under 37.5 (115)

Passing Yards

(New England’s) Drake Maye

• Over/Under – 221.5 (115)

(Seattle’s) Sam Darnold

• Over/Under – 229.5 (113)

Longest Rush

• (New England’s) Drake Maye – 13.5 (120)

Photo by Eiliv Aceron on Unsplash

TIDBITES (sic) & (Chicken) NUGGETS: Ahh, the annual Lyons/Martin Super Bowl Menu. It’s not a game time decision, it’s an all day affair.

Breakfast

• Fresh Whole Oranges, peeled and sliced into silver dollar sized bites
• The World’s Greatest pitted Grapes (both red and green), cold and crunchy
• Assorted Cereals, with Almond Milk or 1%
• Fresh Everything Bagels, with Garden Veggie cream cheese, served toasted
• Assorted Berries or Chocolate Chip Pancakes, served with Vermont Maple syrup
• Tropicana Orange Juice, Cranberry Juice Cocktail
• Freshly Brewed Coffee or Bigelow Tea (assorted flavors), served with 1/2 & 1/2

Lunch

• Classic, well done Omaha Steak Cheeseburgers w/ Heinz ketchup and dill pickles
• Crispy tater-Tots
• Diet Cokes

Pre-Game Snacks

• Veggies Crudite – Celery, Carrot sticks, sliced Multi-Color Peppers
• Knorr’s Vegetable Soup Mix dip, sour cream
• Pig in Blankets
• BUFFs’ Chicken Wings (Medium, not too hot)
• Cheeze Sticks (Trader Joe’s)

Game Time

• White Chicken Chili
• Taquitos
• Hint of Lime Chips
• Sam Adams American Light Beer
• Diet Coke
• Wine Spritzers
• Olde Tyme Prezels (Dark and Regular)
• Dry Roasted Planter’s Peanuts
• Chips
• Honoring Super Bowl stars of the past, famous GRONK-a MOLE w chips
• A new dish will be: crispy bacon B.L.Ts with MAYE-O

Half Time

• Clare’s Famous Meatball Subs
• Artichoke Dip with Pita
• Street Corn
• Celery sticks
• Blue Cheese Dressing
• Combinations of Kalamata, Pitted Green, and Castelvetrano Olives, mixed with artichokes, feta, and marinated vegetables (a.k.a. Giardiniera)

Post Game or Anytime

• Breyers Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
• Coffee
• 2019 Silver Oak: Cabernet Sauvignon
• Josh Cellar, 2024: Pinot Grigio

PARTING WORDS & MUSIC: Two guys walk into an English pub near London 250 years from today. They want to toast what used to be The United States of America. “Yeah, they made it 250 years, but then, forget it,” says the older man. “Let’s not talk about that tonight,” says the younger lad. “I want to play some music. The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?”

“The Beatles,” says the older gentlemen.

“The Stones,” says the young lad.

“The Who,” shouts someone from the bar.

Obviously, the argument of the best rock band is endless, and there’s never a right answer.

“What’s your favorite color,” asked the Bridgekeeper in Monty Python’s Holy Grail?

“Red, no Blue.”

Arghhhh.

But if some sports historian two hundred and fifty years from now were to ask anyone, from any corner of the earth, “What was the best halftime act in NFL Super Bowl history?” There would be a chorus.

A chorus of “Prince.”

The stories of the legendary halftime show are endless, and they’ve taken on even more magnificence in the 269 fictitious years since Prince took the stage in the middle of a serious thunder/lightening storm in South Florida for my little story, here.

But, the point being: No one will ever top the halftime act performed by Prince at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

Bruce Springsteen was great. Others were fan-tastic. Some were controversial (Where were you when the term “Wardrobe Malfunction” was coined?

Today, to put the finishing touch on this Super Bowl LX collection of notes and quotes and quips and nuggets, I give you Prince.

Note: You will need to click-through to watch the show on the NFL Youtube channel. That’s the NFL’s rule because it’s their footage. It’s a MUST WATCH.

While We’re Young (Ideas) is a weekly (every weekend) collection of Sports Notes and News written by Terry Lyons. The posting of each notebook harkens back to the days when you’d walk over to the city news stand on Saturday night around 10:00pm to pick-up a copy of the Sunday papers. Inside, just waiting, was a compilation of interesting sports notes, quotes and quips in a column that always sold a few newspapers. Wire Service reports are utilized within the column. And, remember, PGA TOUR Brunch is On Sale.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes – Brought to you by Digital Sports Desk.

The post TL’s Super Sunday Notes | NE v SEA appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

Could it happen?

As one who doubted the success of the New England Patriots as the 2025 NFL season began, it’s hard to believe there’s enough Kool Aid in all of Boston to go out on an ice-covered limb and predict the Patriots as Super Bowl LX champions.

That’s an especially difficult task as this year’s NFL is about as even and unpredictable as any season in the last 50 years. Just look at the fact a preseason pick of the Detroit Lions to play the Kansas City Chiefs (or the Baltimore Ravens) would’ve been a credible choice for any NFL maven.

Nope. No Chiefs. No Lions. No Ravens. You mean an NFL maven says, “Doubt the Ravens, Evermore?”

That leaves us with a really WILD pro football wild card weekend with only AFC regular season champion Denver Broncos and NFC top seed Seattle Seahawks assured to play in the divisional round of January 17-18.

Everyone else? Good luck with your predictions.

Here are mine.

NFL PLAYOFF PICKS: With two games being played as this bulldog edition hits Al Gore ‘s online creation, it’s time to make some predictions with a possible goose-egg Saturday start just as likely as two correct picks, although the LA Rams look pretty good. Admittedly, the columnist has had a gallon of clam chowder flavored Kool-Aid, New England stylewith the final, Super Bowl selection … Here are the picks and, of course, there’s a chance the NFL brackets do not set up the way these picks are chosen, but, what the hell.

WILD CARD

AFC Wild Card Winner 1 – Bills

AFC Wild Card Winner 2 – Patriots

AFC Wild Card Winner 3 – Texans

NFC Wild Card Winner 1 – Rams

NFC Wild Card Winner 2 – Bears

NFC Wild Card Winner 3 – Eagles

DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS

AFC Division Winner 1 – Broncos

AFC Division Winner 2 – Patriots

NFC Division Winner 1 – Seahawks

NFC Division Winner 2 – Eagles

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

AFC Conference Winner – Patriots

NFC Conference Winner – Eagles

SUPER BOWL LX

Super Bowl Champion – Patriots

BOB WEIR / REST IN PEACE:

RIGHT AT PRESS TIME: The news of the Grateful Dead founding member, guitarist, vocalist, magician and storyteller Bob Weir’s death hit the airwaves via a heartfelt SOCIAL MEDIA post from Chloe Weir. The announcement of his death said he went peacefully. He was battling cancer but died of some underlying complications of the lungs.

These two clips are from Bob’s final shows at Golden Gate Park, performed this past summer (August 1-3, 2025), a three-night stand celebrating 60 years of music – pure magical music. My indoctrination into the Dead was way back in high school, but my Ph D. came from the late, great Bill Walton who often dove deep into the lyrics and vibes to lead the way for many of us.

Wrote Chloe on behalf of the family: “It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Bobby Weir. He transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after courageously beating cancer as only Bobby could. Unfortunately, he succumbed to underlying lung issues.

For over sixty years, Bobby took to the road. A guitarist, vocalist, storyteller, and founding member of the Grateful Dead. Bobby will forever be a guiding force whose unique artistry reshaped American music. His work did more than fill rooms with music; it was warm sunlight that filled the soul, building a community, a language, and a feeling of family that generations of fans carry with them. Every chord he played, every word he sang was an integral part of the stories he wove. There was an invitation: to feel, to question, to wander, and to belong.

Bobby’s final months reflected the same spirit that defined his life. Diagnosed in July, he began treatment only weeks before returning to his hometown stage for a three-night celebration of 60 years of music at Golden Gate Park. Those performances, emotional, soulful, and full of light, were not farewells, but gifts. Another act of resilience. An artist choosing, even then, to keep going by his own design. As we remember Bobby, it’s hard not to feel the echo of the way he lived. A man driftin’ and dreamin’, never worrying if the road would lead him home. A child of countless trees. A child of boundless seas.

There is no final curtain here, not really. Only the sense of someone setting off again.”

“It must be getting early, clocks are running late

Paint-by-number morning sky looks so phony

Dawn is breaking everywhere, light a candle, curse the glare

Draw the curtains, I don’t care ‘cause it’s alright,

I will get by

I will get by

I will get by

I will survive.”

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: As long as we were playing the prediction game up above, how about a few more for 2026?

• The “U” to win the CFP championship as tough “D” and home field advantage win out at Hard Rock. Indiana will have put up a fight like no other.
• Jannik Sinner to win Down Under at the 2026 Australian Open
• William Byron to make it a three-peat at the 2026 Daytona 500
• Canada to win the gold at Milan Winter Olympics men’s ice hockey
• UConn to win 2026 BIG EAST men’s basketball tournament (and women’s, too)
• Michigan to take the 2026 Final Four in men’s hoops
• Scottie Scheffler to get back on track and win The Masters
• Colorado Avs and Florida Panthers to meet for The Cup (Avs to win)
• OKC to repeat at the NBA Finals and take their second Larry O’Brien Trophy
• LA Dodgers to repeat at 2026 World Series, defeating the NYY
• No Triple Crown winner in 2026
• Cameron Boozer to go No. 1 in NBA Draft
• Jannik Sinner to repeat at Wimbledon (singles)
• Iga Świątek to repeat in Ladies’ singles in London
• Scottie Scheffler to take the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup

Some more in-depth analysis and additional predictions to come before each season/playoffs begin. In the list above, you’ll notice a LOT of chalk. The WWYI office reports, “Carlos Alcaraz is on Line One.”

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: Good News: Zach Harper of The Athletic pointed out that Muggsy Bogues turned 61 years of age on Friday. The 5-foot-3 guard entertained NBA audiences for a solid 14 seasons. … Bad News: Former NBAer and shot blocker extraordinaire Jawann Oldham died this past week in Atlanta at the age of 68. Oldham hailed from Seattle, Washington.

The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, the Florida-based creator and sponsor of the Fred Biletnikoff Award, honored unanimous 1st-Team All-America receiver Makai Lemon of the University of Southern California as the 2025 winner of the prestigious Biletnikoff Award.

Legendary sportscaster Al Michaels will return to call the 2026-27 NFL season for Prime Video, according to a report by Richard Deitsch of The Sports Business Journal.

Former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh seems to be the answer to every NFL team’s dreams. Harbaugh, fired by Baltimore this week, put the brakes on every NFL team that drew their ax on NFL Black Monday (maybe we should call it Red Monday, thus with the ax falling)? … The NY Post has been swooning over a possible Harbaugh hiring for the football Giants.

New York Islanders rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer is the likely Calder Trophy winner come April/May and he’s proving to be the best NYI blue-liner since the great Denis Potvin (not to put any pressure on the rook).

The LIV Tour started its season this week with a qualifier at Black Diamond Ranch in Lecanto, Florida while the PGA Tour opens this Thursday at the SONY Open in Honolulu, Hawaii. Pro golf is back but Brooks Koepka is not.

As expected, pro golfer Brooks Koepka applied for reinstatement to the PGA TOUR. ESPN first reported that the expected became true. Koepka, 35, decided to leave LIV Golf and announced it on December 23. He had one year left on his contract with the Saudi-backed pro circuit. Koepka will not be eligible to return to the PGA Tour until August, 2026 at the very earliest.

Koepka was one of the top PGA Tour players to jumo to LIV Golf in 2022, reportedly cashing a $125 million check as an enticement for the love.

BASEBALL HALL of FAME: Neither WWYI nor Digital Sports Desk have a ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame. That’s fine, but it doesn’t stop a baseball scribe from casting a phantom ballot. Here are the picks this year, using the less is more theory with five choices for baseball infamy amongst the 27 players eligible on the BBWAA official ballot.

• Carlos Beltran
• Andruw Jones
• Andy Pettitte
• Alex Rodriguez
• David Wright

The post TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Jan 11th appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – There are some really tough jobs in the sports industry. They are often thankless and low paying in comparison to what someone would make in a similar position “in the real world.” So many of the jobs in sports require extra long hours, working every weekend and holiday and being away from family on important dates (graduations, weddings, birthdays) and many of the holidays.

That is the price you pay for a challenging job in sports, hearing the “roar of the crowd,” and you usually know the job description and travel requirements before you sign up.

To be successful on the job, you need a tremendous support system behind the job and that is the family – a very understanding family to say the least.

Looking at tough jobs, there’s Charlie Baker of the NCAA.

Baker is the former Governor of Massachusetts and current president of the NCAA. He served two terms in the Commonwealth and signed up with the NCAA in March, 2023. He has an impossible job – the kind that has zero chance of being 100% successful as he serves far too many constituents in the world of collegiate athletics.

Simply put, Baker has too many mouths to feed. He also has four Power 4 obstacle courses to navigate (remember when it was Power 5 – a la the Pac 10-12)? Yes, the commissioners of the Power 4 football conferences, along with the newly created hierarchy of the College Football Playoffs, undermines the power of the NCAA. And, it’s getting worse by the day, by the season – across more sports than just football.

Local Boston sports columnist Dan Shaughnessy had a chance to sit down with the former Guv’nah and asked about the thankless job Baker endures: “There’s a lot about it that’s frustrating,” Baker said to Shaughnessy over lunch last week. “But I spent most of my career in healthcare and government, and those can be frustrating environments, as well. OK?“

Shaughnessy also sought insight from Peter Roby, a lifelong sports administrator as A.D. at Northeastern and Dartmouth who spent a five-year stint on the NCAA committee for men’s basketball and Roby did not disappoint: “No one talks about education or personal development at the highest levels. It’s about transfer portal, NIL revenue sharing, and the need for congressional intervention. Schools continue to complain about rising costs and the need for more revenue, yet they are paying out multimillion-dollar buyouts for fired coaches and hiring coaches at $12 million per year.

“The way things are trending, the NCAA will not exist in its current form in the next few years. It will only manage sports championships. All the legal settlements have resulted in billions of dollars being paid out over the next 10 years, and that money is coming from the NCAA and member schools. This has resulted in (fewer) programs being offered to students, coaches, and administrators by the NCAA, while rendering the NCAA powerless to pass overarching legislation or enforce current rules for fear of more litigation. All of this comes as a result of the failure of (University) presidential leadership and overreach by boards of trustees,” said Roby.

As the NCAA has morphed into a championship event organizing company – and a good one at that – the rest of the US collegiate sports industry turns its lonely eyes to yesteryear, seeking some common sense rules and general leadership. But, with the landscape and mega-dollars going the way they’re going (straight up – ), Baker has no chance to succeed as the head of a true national governing body for college sports.

Caught directly in the crosshairs is Division I collegiate basketball. They’re playing at the mercy of the big brother and major money-maker of football and the power has been slip-sliding away. Only the commissioners of the Power 4, the BIG EAST and West Coast Conferences stand a chance at carving out some reasonable existence in this big, bad world of footy-driven administration.

What does that leave to the (formerly) powerful National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC)?

It leaves them to do what they do best – Complain but do nothing.

The complainer-in-chief is Coach John Calapiri, the head coach of Arkansas (after see-saw stints as head coach at UMass, Memphis, Kentucky and a pro try-out with the (then) New Jersey, now Brooklyn Nets franchise.

Typing a transcript of Coach Cal’s December 29 beef would not do it justice, so here it is to watch and listen ‘til your heart’s delight:

Isn’t that fabulous? Calipari turned a Fayetteville, Arkansas post-game press availability into a cry for help at the U.S. Capitol or Arkansas State House. While some called it a tirade or rant, I’d label it as pleading for help, for leadership in athletics and guidance to police the college coaches from themselves.

You really have to agree with Coach Cal or UConn Coach Danny Hurley who suggested college basketball “could really use a commissioner.” A commissioner for college basketball (one job) would need to hire a No. 2a and 2b to oversee the men’s and women’s divisions, while also needing a top-notch labor lawyer. Properly done, college basketball could then former a Labor Relations Board who could hammer-out a common sense, reasonable Collective Bargaining Agreement which would even the playing field and account for USA citizens and international students. (Note: Calipari kept singling out European players, but there’s talent coming from every corner of the globe and most have never heard of an NCAA handbook.

“It’s such an incredible sport,” said Hurley. ““We’ve got the greatest sport(ing) event that this country has on a yearly basis that catches the imagination of the whole country, casuals, non-sports fans. Everyone’s got a bracket. You’ve got this incredible product that’s marketed horribly outside of March. It’s an incredible sport. We need a commissioner.

“A (Roger) Goodell or a David Stern. Somebody that’s gonna make decisions and start making moves that are in the best interest of college basketball, not just having coaches and players do what’s in the best interest of them,” said the outspoken Hurley.

Upon further review, it must be said that the college football and “Olympic sports” side would be much tougher to resolve than the problems of basketball and it’s not realistic to name a “Commissioner” for every sport, all reporting into Baker and it’s quite evident, in football, no one is going to give up power and that includes the highly paid commissioners of the Power 4, Notre Dame (as a whole), the TV industry (with existing or future contracts in hand), school presidents and athletic directors and a growing breed of player agents. All have their piece of the pie and aren’t planning to give up a slice.

Plus: what’s good for college football or basketball won’t work for baseball or softball and rules for all of the sports above (football, baseball, basketball, and softball) might not be good for college soccer or tennis or lacrosse or swimming or volleyball and so on. And, what’s great for the Big 12 might not work in the Atlantic 10.

Gonzaga coach Mark Few went so far as to suggest Congress weigh-in on the issue, saying, “Our lack of leadership has really shown,” Few said last Sunday after his team beat Pepperdine University 96-56. “Now it’s probably time to get some help from Congress, but they’re more screwed up than the NCAA.”

As it relates to Baylor’s signing of James Nnaji, the NCAA issued a prepared statement to college basketball site “Field of 68″,” declaring: “Schools are recruiting and seeking eligibility for more individuals with more international, semi-pro and professional experience than ever before and while the NCAA members have updated many rules following the House injunction, more rules must likely be updated to reflect the choices member schools are making. At the same time, NCAA eligibility rules have been invalidated by judges across the country, wreaking havoc on the system and leading to fewer opportunities for high school students, which is why the Association is asking Congress to intervene in these challenges.”

Congress considered one small slice of the debate earlier this year, as the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsement (SCORE) Act fractured the Republican side of the aisle and garnered opposition from Democrats. Earlier this month, House leadership canceled a vote on the SCORE Act, which would have regulated compensation student-athletes receive from NIL deals.

Earlier, the College Athletics Reform Act (CARA) was introduced by Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-Mass-5th), and the bill attempted to protect athletes’ rights and create a sustainable system for college sports. It included provisions to establish federal standards for NIL rights and enhance opportunities for women’s and Olympic sports. It went nowhere.

So much for Congressional relief.

What’s the solution?

Here’s WWYI’s take for a road map to sanity:

1. Take Hurley’s recommendation and hire a Commissioner for NCAA Basketball.
2. That job should go to Joel Litvin, former President of Basketball for the NBA.
3. Allow Litvin to hire any combination of labor lawyers, advisors and “basketball people” to become his Labor Relations Board (include Jim Tooley/Sean Ford of USA Basketball, Tommy Amaker, head coach at Harvard, retired Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and Stu Jackson, Commissioner of the West Coast Conference. An advisor named Russ Granik would chair the meetings and head up the Labor board for both men and women.
4. Prompt the basketball players (both men and women) to hire labor lawyers.
5. Negotiate a fair Collective Bargaining Agreement to govern the sport(s).
6. Prompt the NABC to form a labor division.
7. Negotiate a Collective Bargaining Agreement with the coaches.
8. Name Dan Gavitt as the head of NCAA men’s basketball championships, a job he’s done quite well with since 2012.
9. Continue with Amanda Braun, director of athletics at Milwaukee, to chair the women’s committee for championships.
10. In addition to her role as Commissioner of the BIG EAST, ask Val Ackerman to chair the Labor Relations Board for women’s basketball.

Executing the items from the Top Ten list will take some serious doing and it would be followed by months and months of very hard work and lengthy negotiations, but it will set a firm, new path to actual sanity for the sport of college basketball. It would set clear-cut rules for basketball operations, the signing of players and payment structure. It would address incoming players, both transfers and first-year (domestic and international). It would institute a maximum team salary cap for schools to operate and abide by, and that could be done conference-by-conference with different salary levels for Div. II and III. It’s not a cookie cutter approach.

Once negotiated, Litvin would oversee the entire legal, basketball and business operation of the NCAA division for basketball on an on-going basis with the staff of his choosing to govern both men’s and women’s basketball

The Patriots parted with Bill Belichick, giving Jerod Mayo a one-year audition as head coach before firing him and hiring Mike Vrabel in January 2025 (file)

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Two pro teams faced two tough decisions. The New England Patriots fired their coach, popular former player Jerod Mayo, after only one season when he finished with a 4-13 record. The firing came about a year ago. Mayo was the hand-picked successor to the great Bill Belichick and New England Patriots team owner Bob Kraft has a few years to consider his choices as the Belichick era of Patriots football limped to a close after 24 seasons, six Super Bowl titles, nine AFC championships and 17 AFC East titles, including 11 consecutive division crowns.

Last January, Kraft pulled the trigger on Mayo’s firing and the hiring of Mike Vrabel on January 12, 2025 – possibly Kraft’s best move since writing his name on contracts addressed to Belichick and retired quarterback Tom Brady, a.k.a. – The Franchise. Vrabel had played linebacker for the Patriots from 2001 to 2008 and was an integral member of three of the six Super Bowl championship teams. After retiring as a player, he served as Tennessee Titans coach from 2018 to 2023, posting a 54-45 regular-season record and 2-3 mark in the NFL Playoffs, including a trip to the AFC Championship Game in 2019.

It was a tough decision to pull the rug out from under Mayo after only one year at the helm, but hiring Vrabel was the right decision at the key time and Vrabel proved Kraft right by leading the Patriots to a surprising AFC East Division title in 2025-26, and there might be more to come.

Down in New York, there was a tough coaching decision but it was at the opposite end of the spectrum of winning. The New York Knicks had eliminated the defending champion Boston Celtics in the 2025 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals and NY advanced to the Conference Finals where they lost to the youthful Indiana Pacers, 4-2.

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau completed his fifth season with the Knicks, improving each and every year since 2021-22 to a 50+ win season and New York’s best finish since losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the 1999 NBA Finals.

Knicks front office guru Leon Rose decided to make a change and dismissed Thibs and hired Mike Brown who has New York atop the NBA’s Atlantic Division whiel guiding them to an NBA Cup title in December.

Again, a very difficult decision, but the right one. A gutsy call by Rose.

Brown is playing a more open offensive style while utilizing more players in his rotation. The defense stressed by Thibodeau has not been forgotten by the same core crew to upend the Celtics last spring, but undoubtedly, the Knicks will have fresh legs and ample offense to take on all opponents come April.

Two difficult coaching decisions with two outcomes – both the best for each team.

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: The injury bug keeps biting the NBA. Aside from all-stars like Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton being out indefinitely, Dallas’ Anthony Davis being in & out of the lineup all season, the league took a major hit with the fact Denver’s incredible Nikola Jokić is out for some three-to-four weeks with a hyper-extended knee injury. The injury came days after Jokić posted a 56-16-15 line in a Nuggets victory over

A non-comprehensive list of players currently OUT or questionable because of injury include (Player, Team):

• Trae Young, Atlanta
• Jayson Tatum, Boston
• Miles Bridges, Charlotte
• Josh Giddey, Chicago
• Coby White, Chicago
• Larry Nance, Jr., Cleveland
• Max Strus, Cleveland
• Anthony Davis, Dallas
• Dereck Lively, Dallas
• Kyrie Irving, Dallas
• Dante Exum, Dallas
• Aaron Gordon, Denver
• Nikola Jokić, Denver
• Christian Braun, Denver
• Seth Curry, Golden State
• Fred Van Fleet, Houston
• Obi Toppin, Indiana
• Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana
• Ivica Zubac, LA Clippers
• Bradley Beal, LA Clippers
• Rui Hachimura, LA Lakers
• Austin Reaves, LA Lakers
• Zach Edney, Memphis
• Scottie Pippen Jr., Memphis
• Ty Jerome, Memphis
• John Konchar, Memphis
• Tyler Herro, Miami
• Taurean Prince, Milwaukee
• Terrence Shannon Jr., Minnesota
• Dejounte Murray, New Orleans
• Mitchell Robinson, New York
• Josh Hart, New York
• Landry Shamet, New York
• Jaylin Williams, OKC
• Isaiah Hartenstein, OKC
• Nikola Topic, OKC
• Jalen Suggs, Orlando
• Franz Wagner, Orlando
• Kelly Oubre Jr., Philadelphia
• Grayson Allen, Phoenix
• Jalen Green, Phoenix
• Jerami Grant, Portland
• Scoot Henderson, Portland
• Jrue Holiday, Portland
• Damian Lillard, Portland
• Zach LaVine, Scaramento
• Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento
• Devin Vassil, San Antonio
• Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio
• Jacob Poeltl, Toronto
• Ace Bailey, Utah
• Walter Kessler, Utah
• Georges Niang, Utah
• Cam Whitmore, Washington

That’s a major league list of injuries, but NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made note at his NBA Cup media availability that the number of injuries this season are down from a year ago.

“All I can deal with is the data itself, and the data we have so far this season is we have the lowest number of injuries in the last three years,” said Silver to a pointed question on league-wide injuries.

“I’ll stop there and say, regardless where the level of injuries stands versus prior years, of course the soft tissue injuries concern us. All injuries concern us, for that matter. The most frustrating issue right now, and the one that we have seemingly the least control over, is keeping star players on the floor.

“I think we have made progress. We’ve made adjustments in scheduling. We’ve made adjustments in the sharing of information among teams. We’ve made adjustments in the care of players. But there are no silver bullets here.

“I think we have to be true to the data. So when people say because of the Cup the season was denser leading up to now — it wasn’t, full stop.

“The level of density up until this point in the season is roughly what it’s been for the last decade. It’s just factually not true that, as a result of Cup scheduling, the first part of the season created a denser schedule.

“We are seeing an increase in pace of play. You could measure that in different ways. But measured by speed in which players are bringing the ball to half court — yes, that’s up. That may be causing some additional injuries. But what do you do about that? That’s something we’re looking at.

“Also part of your question, we’re very focused with our team doctors on the data we’re seeing and the evidence in terms of the wear and tear on players’ bodies when they get to the league. I think, as you said, we’re seeing young players now specialize at 10 years old and up as opposed to a generation before them that — I’m looking at James Jones — the top athletes played a different sport in every season and they developed their musculature in a different way.

“We think that’s preventative when you have a balanced system. Now it’s not even just that athletes aren’t switching from — young athletes aren’t switching from season to season, they’re literally playing year-round.

“Even modern NBA players, they finish the season, they take a day off and they’re right back in the gym. It may be that over time that with better data, this may be another area where AI can ingest enormous amounts of data and video and look at patterns, might be able to solve some of these problems.

“So the answer is it’s frustrating. It’s frustrating for our teams. It’s frustrating for our fans. But I do think we have to be true to what the evidence is as opposed to saying there’s a narrative out there that injuries are up or injuries are up because of scheduling. They’re not.

“But, we continue to slice and dice the data in every way we can, plus we look at qualitative information. People who have been around this game for a long time, what are they seeing? Are players training differently? Are there better techniques out there to keep players healthier? By the way, this is not a problem unique to the NBA. It’s tremendously frustrating in all sports to see star players in particular go down, but of course any player.

“We’re very focused on it. There’s no amount of money we’re not willing to invest in it to make those investments to see if there’s better resources out there. I would say also, Andre Iguodala and the Players Association have been tremendously cooperative, as well. We all have a common interest in keeping players on the floor.

MAKE NOTE: with Nikola Jokić of Denver and Victor Wembanyama of San Antonio injured and their February playing futures unknown, the International team at the NBA All-Star Game might take a major hit to its potential “Starting 5.” Initially looking like a lock to win the NBA’s new All-Star Classic, now, it’s a toss-up once again. The Internationals still have the advantage (think: Shai).

HOW MANY DAYS? Here’s a look-see at the number of days between January 4th and …

33 – Days Until Opening Ceremonies of the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics

37 – Days Until Pitchers & Catchers Report for MLB Spring Training

49 – Days Until the Gold Medal Game for Men’s Ice Hockey at the Olympics

61 – Days Until the annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference (Seaport)

70 – Days until NCAA Selection Sunday

81 – Days Until MLB Opening Day

89 – Days Until Red Sox Home Opener (vs. SD Padres)

106 – Days Until the Boston Marathon (Patriots’ Day)

The post TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Jan 4 appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

The lads welcome in the New Year (file photo)

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – The year twenty-twenty-five was a difficult year. The news was grim. We lost too many favorite people, actors and rock stars but the sports scene was a constant source of entertainment and solace.

January 2025 brought terrible wild fires in California with the Palisades fire destroying a legendary neighborhood near Los Angeles. It worsened with the inauguration – but that’s a column for another day.

We lost the lovable, boxing great and entrepreneur/grill salesman George Foreman. Midyear, we lost rock legends in Beach Boys leader and songwriter Brian Wilson and Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne.

We lost President Jimmy Carter and every living POTUS attended his funeral to pay proper respects to a wonderful man who set the standard for life after a Presidency.

Astronaut Jim Lovell, the captain of the ill-fated yet miraculous Apollo 13, passed away at the age of 97. In September, we lost one of Hollywood’s most admired legends with the death of Robert Redford and not too much later, we lost actors Diane Keaton and a personal fave – Val Kilmer (Top Gun (1986), The Doors (1991), Tombstone (1993) and Heat (1995). We lost the great Gene Hackman and then heard of the terrible death of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner.

After the death of beloved Pope Francis, 88, Pope Leo XIV, the first United States-born Pope, brightened spirits for a new generation of Roman Catholics, never mind lifting the hopes for championships in his native Chicagoland and at Villanova University, near Philadelphia, where the Pontiff attended college as “just a guy” named Robert Francis Prevost.

The war in Ukraine/Russia rages on and National Guard hit the streets in five US cities, with two guardsman shot and killed in an ambush in Washington DC in November. On a dark December New England Saturday, two students at Brown University were shot and killed while nine others were wounded by bullets and an entire region was wounded without scars – but mentally. A day later, the same gunman shot at MIT Professor and the mass shooting numbers for the United States, alone, swelled to 470 for 2025. The same weekend, crazed gunmen in Bondi Beach, (near Sydney) Australia, killed 16 and wounded at least 40 others in an attack on a gathering of people of the Jewish faith celebrating the first night of Hanukkah.

There were jewel heists and constant bickering over the release of the Trump-dreaded Epstein files which were ruled to be made public by Congressional decree.

As noted the world of sports provided some incredible moments and entire seasons. The Philadelphia Eagles upended the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl and Baseball had an amazing 2025 season and postseason. The current NFL season is primed to provide an unpredictable playoffs to culminate at the Super Bowl (Santa Clara) in February 2026.

My beloved St. John’s won the BIG EAST (regular season and conference title) to enjoy their best season in 30 years. The Johnnies had The Garden rocking as they went undefeated on their home court, but lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament (to Arkansas), putting a quick end to March Madness in Jamaica Estates.

Rory McIlroy won The Masters and, in doing so, clinched a Career Grand Slam of wins at golf’s four major championships.

The Florida Gators took the NCAA men’s tournament while the UConn Huskies won their 12th NCAA women’s tourney in grand fashion with a statement victory over the tough South Carolina Gamecocks, 82-59. In the NBA, regular season and NBA Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the OKC Thunder to the 2025 NBA title.

NBA Basketball School opened its doors on Dec. 26, 2025 (file photo)

Lastly, on another personal adventure, the NBA played a pair of exhibitions in Abu Dhabi and – together with longtime basketball friends – we were able to attend one of the games while we launched the NBA Basketball School of Turkiye and managed to win the U-17 young men’s tournament in the UAE. Remember, Gold Medals are a good thing.

Twenty-twenty-five is almost over and that’s a good thing. Let’s be sure there are much better days ahead.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES – Picking up from last weekend’s January-to-June 2025 Part I of the list, here’s what was written in WWYI from July-to-December:

July 6:

• The Kaitlin Clark Effect
• PGA TOUR adjusts tourney purses upward

July 13:

• Savannah Bananas Invade Fenway and it was fun
• Fred VanFleet Named NBA Players’ Assn. President

July 20:

• STAND UP to Cancer
• WNBA: “Failing to prepare, is preparing to fail.”

July 27:

• House of Reps Order = Real March Madness; Govt. should stay out
• Gotham City

August 3:

• FedEx Cup Playoff Preview
• WNBA in Boston? Not So Fast

August 10:

• Seasons Change: A Look at Fall Sports
• JIMMY Fund Radio/Telethon

August 17:

• HARD KNOCKS is Back
• BU vs. BU

August 24:

• The New ESPN App
• Whole Lotta Streaming and $

August 31:

• Ryder Cup Preview | Bradley Family
• College Football Preview

September 7:

• Basketball Hall of Fame | Jeff Twiss
• NFL Preview

September 14:

• U.S. Open Tennis
• What it Takes to Watch Sports on TV

September 21:

• What Happened to Penn State?
• Ryder Cup Preview at Bethpage Park (Black Course)

September 28:

• USA Ryder Cup Blues
• College Football Report
• WNBA Uprising vs League, Officiating

October 5 (Special Edition):

• Dateline: Abu Dhabi
• NBA Basketball School Tournament

October 12:

• Thoughts from Abu Dhabi – Post Trip
• The Story of “I Love This Game”
• NBA and NHL Look-Aheads

October 19:

• College Basketball 2025-26
• St. John’s with High Ranking, Higher Expectations
• MLB Gold Gloves

October 26:

• Federal Gambling Investigation Involving Basketball
• Paul Newman and The Sting tribute

November 2:

• Load Management Issues Examined
• BC vs. ND
• CFP Schedule and Look-Ahead

November 9:

• Thank You to Baseball for an Incredible Season of ‘25
• Penn Gaming Flops
• NBA on NBC (Peacock Network) Plays it Straight

November 16:

• NBA in “Good Trouble” with dominant International Team Set for All-Star ‘26
• MLS Calendar Change Upcoming

November 22 (Thanksgiving Day Preview):

• TL Thank-You Column
• Great TV

November 30:

• The American Revolution Documentary
• The Voices: Including Peter Coyote (Ken Burns’ narrator)

December 7:

• The DIGGIES ‘25 – Great Rock Lyrics
• Missing NYC

December 14:

• Stuart Scott Remembered
• FIFA World Cup Draw

December 21:

• Fenway Sports Sold the Pittsburgh Penguins
• Year in Review: Part I

BIG EAST HEADS-UP: The Villanova Wildcats are now 10-2, and the Seton Hall Pirates are a solid 11-2. The Butler Bulldogs are 10-3 and the UConn Huskies are 12-1 with their lone loss inflicted by Arizona back on November 20th. Only Marquette is playing sub-.500 ball. BIG East play begins in earnest on December 30th and it will be a challenge to wind up in the top four as of March 7, 2026 when the regular season concludes with a Providence at Georgetown game at 8:00pm at the Cap One Arena. Playing on BIG East Friday might determine NCAA bids (unless UConn gets upset on Thursday – as they’ll be “in” for sure. How will St. John’s fare? Your guess is as good as mine. As of Dec 24th, the Johnnies had some coal placed in their stockings and fell out of the Top 25.

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: After some calculations, Major League Baseball handed out its postseason cash awards for the teams participating in Baseball’s Playoffs. The Red Sox divided their bonus into 91 shares. Here’s the breakdown for the teams nice, rather than naughty. Note: Amounts are distributions per full share, rounded to the nearest dollar, with the number of full shares in parentheses:

• Los Angeles Dodgers: $484,748 (82)
• Toronto Blue Jays: $354,118 (70)
• Milwaukee Brewers: $168,853 (70)
• Seattle Mariners: $182,376 (69)
• New York Yankees: $47,318 (71)
• Detroit Tigers: $46,865 (75)
• Philadelphia Phillies: $52,043 (64)
• Chicago Cubs: $48,741 (70)
• Boston Red Sox: $9,346 (91)
• Cleveland Guardians: $11,056 (71)
• San Diego Padres: $10,711 (68)
• Cincinnati Reds: $11,528 (69)

ANOTHER SHAMELESS PGA TOUR BRUNCH PLUG: Say Happy New Year to your favorite golf fan with A GIFT SUBSCRIPTION to PGA Tour Brunch. Posted to in-boxes six days a week (not Tuesdays) for lunch or brunch-time reading, PGA Tour Brunch provides fans of the PGA Tour (and its growing list of Fantasy, gambling and DFS players, too) with a one-stop, mobile friendly e-news to help navigate the hundreds of golf news sites available. PGA Tour Brunch is short and sweet, a couple mobile page scrolls and it provides all the basic information, like tee times, the field, odds, player notes, leaderboards, and even some breaking news. It’s designed by @terrylyons with a blessing from the popular @SoxLunch creators. Discount for 2026 is HERE.

PREMIER LEAGUE PREDICTIONS: In Major League Baseball, fans circle the standings on the 4th of July as foresight to the eventual pennant race winners and post season participants. In the English Premier League championship, Christmas Day or Boxing Day is a time to look at the ladder and to put a tuppence or more down for a bet on the EPL champ. As of December 25, 2025, here’s a look at the odds to win the title in 2026:

1. Arsenal – (-140)
2. Manchester City – (+140)
3. Aston Villa – 22/1
4. Liverpool – 28/1
5. Chelsea – 40/1
6. Manchester United – 80/1

However, as USA Network’s Premier League tv coverage and The Athletic pointed out Saturday morning, “In the Premier League era, leading at Christmas has not always meant getting the job done in May. Those that have topped the table on December 25 have gone on to be crowned champions in 17 of the past 33 seasons, meaning just under half of the league leaders at this stage have been pipped to the post.”

The post TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Dec 28 appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

By TERRY LYONS BOSTON – “Good trouble” is a phrase popularized by the late Congressman John Lewis of Georgia’s 5th Congressional District, referring to necessary, nonviolent actions taken to challenge injustice and create meaningful change. Lewis encouraged people to engage in “good trouble” to fight for civil rights and social justice throughout his life. On a far less important scale, I see some “very good trouble” arising for the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend. The NBA All-Star Game and its accompanying annual rookie – or Rising Stars – game have been under fire from the critics of late, and rightfully so. After a “catch lightening” moment at the 2020 NBA All-Star Game in Chicago when the quirky “Elam Ending” gimmick created quite a finish when Team LeBron came back to win the game, 157-155, against Team Giannis in a contest where East and West were thrown to the wind, the annual Mid-Season classic has been a yawn-fest. The players – exhausted from a weekend of non-stop promotions, sponsor commitments, interviews, photo and video shoots, practices, parties and after-parties – limp to the starting gate on Sunday evening drained of energy and any desire to win, place or snore. Last year, the league went so far as to have joint meetings with the NBA Players Association and then orchestrate pep talks from some of the true legends of the game in order to create some rivalry and incentive to play hard and win. The players bought-in, but their games took the night off despite a major change in the format. About two months before the All-Star Weekend, the NBA announced that the All-Star Game would use a four-team tournament format with a championship, similar to the format used by the Rising Stars Challenge since 2022. Each of the teams will consist of eight players, with the traditional pool of selected all-stars drafted for the first three teams by NBA on TNT analysts Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith (who will be honorary general managers of each team, to be known as Team Chuck, Team Shaq, and Team Kenny, respectively). The fourth team in the tournament will be the winner of the Rising Stars Challenge, with their honorary general manager being Candace Parker (and therefore known as Team Candace). Two major problems arose: TNT (Turner Sports) was bidding adieu to its long-held NBA broadcast rights and – with it – the superb coverage of All-Star Saturday since its inception in 1984. To that end, there were frequent stoppages in play and a (veery) long halftime ceremony to mark the occasion. If that weren’t enough, Turner hired comedian Kevin Hart to help emcee the coverage and Hart must’ve thought fans were tuning-in to see him instead of the All-Star basketball players. It was brutal. Fast forward to the upcoming 2026 NBA All-Star Game and the NBA (and their new (but old) television partner NBC Sports) have vowed to try it again, this time with a format announced/confirmed just this week. On November 11, the NBA announced that the All-Star Game format for 2026 will feature a round-robin tournament with three teams: U.S. Team One U.S. Team Two International Team Each mini-team will consist of at least eight players – all chosen regardless of position – Thank God. The games will last 12 minutes each, and the top two teams will advance to a championship game based on their records. The “good trouble” and the words “at least” used just above are the focus of this column. The NBA international team will be stacked, including the fact the consensus top five players in the league will all suit-up for the visitors. Take a quick look: Reigning MVP – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC/Canada) Previous MVP and the league’s most dominant player – Nikola Jokic (Den/Serbia) Incredible, multi-talented phenom Victor Wembanyama (SA/France) The indescribable scorer and new LA Lakers leader – Luka Doncic (LAL/Slovenia) Multi-dimensional and former MVP – Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milw/Greece) Now, the “good trouble” with the fact the following players are amongst the league’s Top 35 all-around players: Alperen Sengun (Hou/Turkey) Pascal Siakam (Ind/Cameroon) Josh Giddey (Chi/Australia) Domantas Sabonis (Sac/Lithuania) Nikola Vucevic (chi/Montenegro via Switzerland) Karl-Anthony Towns (NYK/Dominican Republic) Jamal Murray (Den/Canada) Deni Avdija (Port/Israel) Franz Wagner (Orl/Germany) Lauri Markkanen (Utah/Finland) Other NBA international players who are all pretty good and worthy of consideration: Daniels (ATL/Aussie); Ayton (LA/Bahamas); Edgecombe/Bahamas); (former NBA MVP) Joel Embiid (76ers/Cameroon; Nembhard/Mathurin (IND/Canada); Wiggins (MIA/Canada) RJ Barrett (TOR/Canada); Gobert (Minn/France); Sarr (Wash/France); Hartenstein (OKC/Germany); Schroder (Sac/Germany)-MVP of the FIBA World Cup); Porzingis (ATL/Latvia); Zaccharie Risacher (ATL/France) and OG Anunoby (NYK/UK/Nigeria). There are dozens of others. There are enough international players to change the format and easily field two international teams and go to a four-team tournament format with the winners of the opening round facing each other for the NBA All-Star title. The “good trouble” might just become “bad trouble” if the lone International team blows the USA club off the floor in the NBA All-Star finale. That said, as the early season games have proved-out, NBC Sports (and Peacock Network) have done a marvelous job of returning to NBA coverage with the focus squarely on the game. There are no gimmicks, no shouting halftime shows, no selling other shows or SportsCenter, no … nothing but Net. So, a one-sided all-star telecast is likely to get the same treatment, covering the best in basketball – no matter where the players come from. Here’s an example of a very recent stand-out moment from NBC’s coverage of the NBA: That was Marvelous! HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The National Basketball Retired Players Association struck a new partnership with the Harlem Globetrotters just as the Globies celebrate 100 years of basketball and entertainment excellence. The collaboration marks a new period of supporting former players and uplifting future generations. This milestone partnership — led by Charles “Choo” Smith, Chairman of the NBRPA, Keith Dawkins, President of the Harlem Globetrotters and Herschend Entertainment Studios, and Antonio Davis, President & CEO of the NBRPA — embodies the enduring spirit of teamwork, joy, and service that has defined the Globetrotters for a century. “Being part of the Harlem Globetrotter family taught me the power of connection,” said Charles “Choo” Smith, NBRPA Chairman. “This partnership continues that legacy — bringing together generations of players to serve and inspire. It’s about unity, honoring where basketball has taken us, and using our collective platform to impact the next generation.” Antonio Davis, President & CEO of the NBRPA, added: “The Harlem Globetrotters have been cultural ambassadors and pioneers for basketball around the world. Partnering with them during their 100th anniversary is both an honor and a responsibility — one that reflects our shared mission to uplift, empower, and unite former players across every league.” Keith Dawkins, President of the Harlem Globetrotters and Herschend Entertainment Studios, echoed this sentiment: “Our Centennial season brings about the opportunity to expand our relationships across the global sport of basketball. With the NBRPA, there’s not only a shared history and commitment to our athletes but also for about where we are going in the future. From community events to special projects to our massive global tour, we are looking forward to expanding the reach, and power, of our collective efforts to garner larger audiences around the world.” As part of the new pact, the NBRPA and Harlem Globetrotters will launch a yearlong celebration highlighting the Globetrotters’ 100-year legacy, including: National Events & Appearances: Joint appearances at community and league events featuring former Globetrotters and other Legends of Basketball. Storytelling & Content Series: Digital and social campaigns celebrating Globetrotter alumni and the organization’s trailblazing role in sports and entertainment. Legends Care Initiatives: Programs designed to support former Globetrotter players with resources in health, education, and career development. Youth Engagement & Clinics: Basketball clinics, mentorship opportunities, and educational activations emphasizing leadership, sportsmanship, and inclusion. The Globetrotters’ Centennial season will begin with a special event at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Sunday, December 14. TIDBITS & NUGGETS: The MLS approved a calendar change that will align the league with popular European and other global soccer league competition. The change calls for one more season under the current format, then a switch to the new format of a Summer of ‘27 to Spring of ‘28 schedule, moving away from the current February to November calendar. To help the transition, the MLS will play a compact 14-match season in the winter and spring of 2027 before adapting to the new gig. Overall, the shift aims to align with international soccer schedules, improve player transfers, and enhance the overall quality of play. THIS JUST IN: This week Massachusetts legislators discussed several proposals that could dramatically reshape the gambling landscape in the Commonwealth. According to the Boston Globe, one such bill, state Senator John Keenan’s “Bettor Health Act,” would ban all in-game prop bets and limit sports betting advertisements during sports broadcasts. Prop bets – wagers involving the outcome of a specific play or a single player’s in-game or final-game statistics – have come under fire as NBA and Major League Baseball players currently face federal charges that they allegedly conspired with organized crime gamblers and fixed their performances. The scandals have questioned the integrity of all sports and they’ve raised questions about whether prop bets should be restricted or banned. The leagues do not control the type of wagers gambling companies offer, but they do control the flow of live statistics from the various sports’ venues to the sports books. The leagues are spending significant resources on monitoring wagering trends and spotting potential fraud and even minor idiosyncrasies. CAN’T MAKE IT UP: The Texas A&M Aggies staged their biggest comeback in school football history, but one member of their law and order team wasn’t around to witness it. Instead he might find himself on the witness stand. No. 3 ranked Texas A&M trailed unranked South Carolina 30-3 at the half, but managed a miraculous comeback to win Saturday afternoon’s game at College Station, Texas, 31-30. … A Texas trooper who had an altercation with South Carolina’s Nyck Harbor after a Gamecocks touchdown and the un-named trooper was sent home from the game, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Harbor scored on an 80-yard reception in the second quarter and ran into the end zone tunnel, limping following the score. As he and three other players were walking back to the field, the trooper walked in between Harbor and another player and bumped into them as they passed each other. The trooper and Harbor turned around and the trooper pointed at Harbor with both hands and said something to him. Harbor was quickly pushed away by his teammate and they continued to the field. The public safety department issued a statement saying the trooper was sent home. “Our Office of Inspector General is also aware of the incident and will be further looking into the matter. No additional information will be released at this time,” the statement reads. REMOTE CONTROL KRYPTONITE: At this time of year, with dozens upon dozens of college football games scattered all over the cable/streaming tv guide, there comes a time when you stumble across a listing for a vintage motion picture and the remote control seems to malfunction. It just won’t go. Not a chance in hell you can get past the listing without pressing “OK” and watching a bit. Here are a few of the all-time classics, some with great scenes, others simply guy movies or great comedies: (Listed in no order) The Godfather/Godfather II Stripes Caddyshack Animal House Rocky/Rocky II (forget the others) The Fugitive (especially opening train scene) A Few Good Men Goodfellas Casino Airplane Blazing Saddles The Big Lebowski Diner Die Hard The Dirty Dozen Léon: The Professional Goldfinger (and add your own favorite James Bond picture) Saving Private Ryan (opening D-Day scene) HEAT (Bank robbery scene) The Terminator Dirty Harry Pink Panther/Pink Panther II Pope of Greenwich Village The Maltese Falcon Lethal Weapon/Lethal Weapon II Titanic Slapshot My Cousin Vinny Wall Street Wolf of Wall Street The Sting

The post TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Nov 16 appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

2025 MLB Champion Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB)

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

CHESTNUT HILL – Here’s the text of a letter to be sent to Major League Baseball this week. It addresses the 2025 MLB season:

Commissioner Rob Manfred

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball

1271 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10020

Dear Commissioner Manfred:

I trust you’ve had a modicum of rest since the grand finale of the 2025 World Series and I hope this letter finds you, your family and your talented staff in the best of health and spirits.

Each season, you probably receive thousands of letters, e-mails and other forms of communication broaching every known topic regarding Major League Baseball and I imagine most of them are filed under the vertical of complaints. Surely, team executives, club managers and fans write to you to address perceived problems in the game, poor umpiring, rising ticket prices or to address specific issues of poor fan behavior, suggestions or disagreements regarding rule changes or to share their opinions on everything from Baseball Hall of Fame inductions to Minor League (MiLB) baseball policies.

This letter comes under an area not related to any of the previously mentioned topics. It comes to you as a message of sincere thanks and congratulations on a job well done for the recently concluded season. I honestly wonder just how few letters you receive that simply say, “Thank You,” and point out a few of the things that made this season your best, your crowning jewel of accomplishment in your tenure as the Commissioner of Baseball.

The 2025 Baseball season can be compared to the finest things life has to offer. It might equate to the very best vintage of Opus One. The season enjoyed the best finishing stanza since Eric Clapton wrote the closing instrumental for “Layla.” This season was everything a professional sport strives for in its entire existence.

Surely, there were problems. There were some bench (and bullpen) clearing brawls, some bad calls, some rained-out games, and some untimely player injuries. There were unfortunate job losses to Managers and a few players waived into the abyss of eternal free agency. There were broken bats and Baltimore chops. There were some games played in freezing cold and unbearable heat, but that’s what Mother Nature had in store for some games that began way back on March 26 and concluded on November 2.

In 2025, we lost Hall of Famers like Dave Parker and Ryne Sandberg and even the great Bob Uecker who must be in the “front row” up in heaven’s Field of Dreams. Speaking of which, I understand that the Philadelphia Phillies and the Minnesota Twins will play in Iowa next summer. Nice move, sir.

But, all of the ups and downs are somewhat out of your control as the supreme leader for professional baseball played in the United States and in Canada. You must focus on the bigger picture and sometimes look five, ten or twenty years down the baseline. With that in mind, this letter is to underline and congratulate you for the finer things in Baseball.

First, was last. Yes, the last game of the 2025 World Series was an instant classic, as were the vast majority games of the Series and the MLB postseason. Together, we witnessed the very best in Baseball, some performances of the Century, to be sure.

World Series Most Valuable Player in Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto put forth a performance in Los Angeles’ 5-4 victory in Game 7 of the World Series which surely will go down as one of the greatest pitching performances in the annals of baseball history. Not to be overlooked was his complete game, one run outing in Game 2.

Yamamoto-san’s fellow Japanese teammate, Shohei Ohtani, had an equally impressive World Series and an MLB postseason for the ages. His .333 batting average included nine hits, three homers, five RBIs and six runs scored in the seven games of the 2025 World Series. Of course, he pitched quite well and started Game 7 with the weight of Los Angeles and an entire nation on his shoulders.

While the players from Japan have been recognized, how about an all-out salute to our neighbors to the north in the Toronto Blue Jays, American League pennant winners and another team for the ages. The Blue Jays had most of Canada rooting for them and rightfully so as Montreal-born and Dominican-bred Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. was magnificent. Historians of the game could close their eyes and see tiny, four-year old Vlad, Jr. tipping his little batting helmet as his father was given a standing ovation as he stood in his No. 27 Montreal Expos uniform – a picture worth ten thousand words.. Now, it’s Vlad, Jr’s turn to soak in the applause, and he was just a few outs shy of a World Series win at home.

There were others – far too many to mention in this missive to you, dearest Commissioner – but those others aren’t just from the two World Series teams. The MLB All-Star Game had two impressive rookies in pitcher Shane Smith and shortstop Jacob Wilson. And, that James Wood of Washington is something else, isn’t he?

The rule changes adopted a season or two ago have paid off with ten times their basic value, a gamble – yes- but one that made sense and reduced overall games times to make a night out at the ballpark quite enjoyable, especially in the shrines that are Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago.

As to those locales, Pete Crow-Armstrong is entertaining the fans at Wrigley while Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony have rejuvenated the mighty Red Sox for sellout crowds at tiny Fenway. Paul Skenes looks great in Pittsburgh and Tarik Skubal is among the best pitchers the game has ever seen.

You might have some work to do out in Colorado with those Rockies, but that worry is for another day.

This is all about celebrating the present and your work during the 2025 big league season. It was magnificent.

So, on behalf of Baseball fans everywhere, from Sea (of Japan) to shining (Caribbean) Sea, and all those in between, it’s been a great 2025, crowned by a World Series that earned the tag, “Fall Classic.”. Congratulations go out to you, Commissioner, and to all your hard-working colleagues at the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, along with the MLB Network, MLB Advanced Media, MLB.com, the MiLB and the umpires, too. Thanks for a great year.

Fully knowing you have club owners’ and GMs’ meetings, the annual Winter Meetings and plenty of other things to attend to before Pitchers and Catchers report on or about February 11, 2026 and the World Baseball Classic will be staged once again next spring, I hope you can take a short break and relax. But, your planned retirement, circled for January 2029, will come around faster than you think, so enjoy – maybe treasure – the remaining days of your service to the game of baseball. Ride the high wave of 2025 to even greater heights in 2026 with the winds of appreciative fans breezing behind you until you choose to sail toward the sunset.

Sincerely,

A Fan

cc: Gary B. Bettman (NHL); Roger Goodell (NFL) and Adam Silver (NBA)

bcc: Mark Walter, Chairman of MLB club owners

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: After a total debacle with their partnership with Barstool Sports, PENN Gaming now has folded the deck in the midst of a $2 billion deal with ESPN. Earlier this week, PENN made two timed announcements before the markets opened Thursday morning.

First: PENN Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: PENN) (“PENN”) and ESPN announced that they have mutually agreed upon the early termination of their exclusive U.S. online sports betting (“OSB”) agreement, effective December 1, 2025.

Under the terms of the original commercial agreement, announced in August 2023, ESPN agreed to provide PENN with media, marketing services and the exclusive right to the ESPN BET trademark for OSB in the United States in exchange for $150 million per year in cash payments to ESPN and warrants to purchase common stock of PENN. The agreement had an initial term of 10 years, with the right for either party to terminate the agreement after the third year if specific market share performance thresholds were not met.

“When we first announced our partnership with ESPN, both sides made it clear that we expected to compete for a podium position in the space,” said Jay Snowden, CEO and President of PENN Entertainment. “Although we made significant progress in improving our product offering and building a cohesive ecosystem with ESPN, we have mutually and amicably agreed to wind down our collaboration. We plan to refocus our digital strategy on our growing iCasino business, while continuing to capitalize on our omnichannel advantage as the nation’s leading regional retail casino operator.”

Snowden continued, “Looking ahead, we plan to rebrand our OSB offering in the U.S. to theScore Bet®, with a target date of December 1, 2025 to coincide with the expected launch of sports betting in Missouri, subject to regulatory approvals. We currently operate theScore Bet brand in Ontario, Canada.

The termination cut the losses to $450 million, according to reported terms of the deal.

Upon completion of PENN’s deal with Barstool, Snowden oversaw the sale of the Barstool deal back to Barstool head honcho Dave Portnoy for a grand total of $1.00 a few years after the $380 million PENN acquisition of Barstool in 2020. That’s $387,999,999 down the drain.

Secondly: ESPN PR issued this news release, stating: ESPN and Draft Kings Inc. (Nasdaq: DKNG) (“Draft Kings”) announced an agreement, naming Draft Kings the exclusive Official Sportsbook and odds provider of ESPN, effective December 1, 2025. This agreement, which unites two of the most iconic brands in sports, will deliver fans premium sports betting content and experiences.

Beginning in December 2025, Draft Kings entertainment products will be exclusively integrated across ESPN’s ecosystem with a full rollout expected in 2026. Fans will be able to enjoy betting features and access to offerings including DraftKings’ sportsbook, daily fantasy, and Draft Kings Pick 6 at launch.

Together, Draft Kings and ESPN will collaborate to advance their shared commitment to responsible gaming, by dedicating prominent assets to educate, raise customer awareness and promote responsible play through campaigns and integrations.

“Our betting approach has focused on offering an integrated experience within our products,” said Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman, ESPN. “Working with Draft Kings, a leader in the space, will allow us to build upon that foundation, continue to super-serve passionate sports fans and grow our ESPN direct-to-consumer business. We are excited about this new collaboration with Draft Kings.”

Draft Kings will also play a major role across ESPN’s digital platforms. Draft Kings will power the betting tab within the ESPN app and their customers will receive special promotions for ESPN Unlimited, ESPN’s newly launched direct-to-consumer product.

“ESPN’s unmatched visibility across the world of sports make this collaboration a natural fit,” said Jason Robins, CEO and Co-Founder of DraftKings. “As an innovative leader in digital sports entertainment, DraftKings is uniquely positioned to integrate our technology and products with ESPN’s iconic brand and storytelling power. Together, we’re delivering a seamless, engaging, and responsible experience that elevates how fans connect with live sports.”

Put together, ESPN will not skip a beat, or even a Bad Beat.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: A few random thoughts and items from the notebook … A strong opinion – besides the headline grabbing gambling scandal that rocked the start of the NBA regular season – the NBC Sports/Peacock broadcasts (and studio shows) have been terrific. What a novel idea: Focusing on the game at hand and the league/basketball news. Amazing how that works so well. It’s certainly better than Stephen A. Smith and Ben Stiller’s blabber/non-X and O/fan/rah, rah approach witnessed last year from Madison Square Garden. … I’d love to see Stephen A. come back down to eaarth and play it straight alongside an accomplished coach. … Amazon Prime doing quite well, but admittedly, I find my viewing habits much more on the FIOS cable side, rather than switching over to the streaming side of the screen. … It was great to see Ernie, Chuck, Kenny and Shaq back in action. … Underdog, too. … On the music side, circle December 12-13 in Providence, Rhode Island for Goosemas 2025.

On Friday, the NCAA announced xix former men’s college basketball players at three schools — New Orleans, Mississippi Valley State and Arizona State — participated in gambling schemes that included game manipulation or sharing information with known bettors, according to informed sources. … Two cents? Beware of the Mid-Majors with this issue.

Aryna Sabalenka, the top-ranked women’s tennis player in the world will play and exhibition against former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios in a “Battle of the Sexes” match in Dubai on December 28th. It’s not exactly Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs, but it should be fun. The match will be staged at the 17,000-seat Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai (UAE). Both Sabalenka and Kyrgios will be featured in an exhibition at New York’s Madison Square Garden on December 8 but not against each other: Sabalenka will play Naomi Osaka and Kyrgios will face Tommy Paul.

WHEELS UP: The Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators will depart their respective cities for a pair of regular-season games at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, scheduled on November 14 and November 16. The clubs will begin practices on Tuesday, November 11th. The 2025 NHL Global Series will mark the 15th NHL season to include regular-season games outside North America. The event marks the league’s return to Sweden and is a pillar of the NHL’s continued international focus, following the success of the 4 Nations Face-Off. The two games featuring the Penguins and Predators will mark the 17th and 18th games played in Stockholm, which has hosted more NHL regular-season games than any other city outside of North America. The games will be covered for TV locally and via the NHL Network.

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: In preparation for a special THANKSGIVING column, I encourage our legions of readers to post a comment/note or to Direct Message your roving reporter with a “Favorite Thing” or something you are especially Thankful for this year. Indicate if you’d like your name used or not. The Sunday Notes of November 23rd will be dedicated to Thanksgiving while the November 30th column will be a hodgepodge of notes and observations from my personal Thanksgiving Week (Nov. 24-29th). We’ll see if it is just a few notes or if it merits timeline. One note on that: The apple wood chips have already been purchased for the all day smoking of two birds.

More to come on Thanksgiving, so send in your faves.

THE BEATLES: Did you know that on this date (November 9) in 1961 Brian Epstein travelled to The Cavern Club in Hamburg, Germany to see The Beatles play for the very first time. It would take several more trips before Epstein and the lads would agree to have Epstein manage the band which he did until his death in 1967. Coincidentally, on November 9, 1966, Beatles great guitarist and song writer, the late John Lennon, met Yoko Ono for the first time. Lennon’s future wife was showing of her work at the Indica Art Gallery in London and she supposedly didn’t know who Lennon was at the time. The two wouldn’t “come together” until 1968.

THIS JUST IN a.k.a. the BUTT FUMBLE? Former New York J-E-T-S quarterback Mark Sanchez will not return to the Fox Sports analyst both as the former NFLer faces a trial stemming from his alleged attack on a truck driver last month. “We can confirm that Mark Sanchez is no longer with the network. There will be no further comment at this time,” a Fox Sports spokesperson said Friday.

Sanchez had been off the air since the October 4 dust-up at the Westin Hotel in downtown Indianapolis. Sanchez was in Indy for the NFL game between the Colts and Las Vegas Raiders when he confronted a truck delivery man before allegedly attacking and injuring him.

Sanchez was stabbed in the chest in the incident and he spent a week in an Indiana hospital. The trucker, who claimed self-defense and has not been charged, is suing Sanchez and Fox Sports for unspecified damages.

To replace Sanchez, Fox hired Super Bowl-winning quarterback Drew Brees.

The post TL’s Sport Notebook | Nov. 9th appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.