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TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook | April 2nd

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – There are two days on our calendar that bring hope and optimism wrapped-up in a ball. First is New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day which comes with a ball that falls so gradually in Times Square as hundreds of thousands, maybe millions count down the final ten seconds of the year. Resolutions are made, but rarely kept as the New Year rolls in. Couples kiss and wish each other “Happy New Year” with hopes for a great year ahead. It’s a wonderful day.

Then, there’s Opening Day in Major League Baseball. Nothing brings hope like the first crack of the bat, the sound of the umpire or some promo winner screaming, “Play Ball,” or the sights and smells of the ballpark, the beautiful green grass of Fenway Park and 29 other ballparks across the USA and Toronto, Canada – all the envy of any homeowner and weekend gardener.

We experienced Opening Day at Fenway this week, complete with pregame ceremonies with F-16 jet fighter fly-over, a giant-sized American flags, a roster full of brand new Red Sox players along with a pitching crew that needs to make some resolutions of their own.

While Opening Day for the Red Sox resulted in the Big “L” there was excitement in the chilly New England air as the game went right down to the last at bat. The second game of the season brought on sheer joy of loyal fandom for the Sox faithful who hung-on to witness a game-winning home run by OF Adam Duvall, lined right into the first row of the Green Monster seats. It came after oft-injured SP Chris Sale spotted the Baltimore Orioles a 7-1 lead after three innings, so the hope of MLB’s Opening Day can go only so far in New England. Sox fans will have to judge their team on one and only one criteria this season: They won’t give up.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The topic of gender equality and the lack thereof surfaced during last year’s NCAA Final Four basketball tournaments for Men and Women. It is a topic that new NCAA President and former Governor of Massachusetts Charlie Baker must address in much deeper and efficiency than his predecessors. This week sports commentator Bomani Jones nailed it with his op-ed video that best explains the situation. It’s provided here for your viewing and 2023 education via HBO’s YouTube: CLICK HERE.

This season, Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes have made as big a statement as possible in the women’s Final Four. They’ll take on LSU at 3:30pm (ET) on ABC Sports and ESPN+ with Iowa favored by 3.5 points. Tune in for a treat.

PREDICTIONS FOR THE 2023 MLB SEASON: It’s only two games into the 2023 Baseball season and my sample size is personally witnessing two games between the visiting Baltimore Orioles against the Boston Red Sox at our downtown bandbox known as Fenway Park.

Opening Day saw the Orioles defeat Boston, 10-9, and Game 2 – Saturday, April 1 – saw Boston come back from that disastrous Sale start (allowed seven runs in three innings, including three Home Runs) but the Sox won the game in grand fashion as described above, an entertaining 9-8 victory.

The 18-18 runs produced/allowed ratio is a quick snapshot, but it might be revealing for what might come in the early month(s) of the season.

It seems the new MLB “Pitch Clock” might have a side effect – call it a severe reaction if you’d like. The lack of time for a pitcher – with runners on base – to:

  • Receive the ball
  • Step to the pitching mound/rubber
  • Make eye contact with the catcher
  • Adjust his grip on the baseball
  • Check the runner on base
  • Re-establish his pitching stance and prepare to throw a pitch (giving or getting a sign)
  • Get into his wind-up before a clock violation

All of the mechanics for each pitch give the pitcher little time to truly focus on the business at hand: Eye and aim for the desired location of his upcoming pitch. The time restraints force the pitcher – at times – to simply hurl the ball much more quickly than he would’ve done a year ago.

This should result in much higher scoring games.

That said, athletes are very quick to adjust and Major League pitchers will gradually adjust to the new rules, maybe in another two weeks – maybe two months – of regular season, so there’s no cause for alarm or panic for those who call themselves traditionalists or like to bet the “under.”

Here’s a quick and personal look at what the MLB Standings might look like, come October 1, 2023:

AL EAST

Toronto Blue Jays
New York Yankees
Baltimore Orioles
Tampa Bay Rays
Boston Red Sox

AL CENTRAL

Cleveland Guardians
Chicago White Sox
Minnesota Twins
Kansas City Royals
Detroit Tigers

AL WEST

Houston Astros
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers
LA Angels
Oakland A’s

NL EAST

Atlanta Braves
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Miami Markins
Washington Nationals

NL CENTRAL

St. Louis Cardinals
Milwaukee Brewers
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Pittsburgh Pirates

NL WEST

Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres
Arizona Diamondbacks
San Francisco Giants
Colorado Rockies

World Series: The Houston Astros to defend their title with a 4-games-to-2 series win over the San Diego Padres.

STRAT-O-MATIC: When the folks at the Strat-O-Matic game company on Long Island crunched their numbers and played out their own games, they came up with some 2023 Baseball Predictions they promoted as their own.

Strat’s simulation tabbed the Cleveland Indians with an MLB-best 111 wins to earn the AL No. 1 seed, with the NY Yankees at No. 2 and Houston (with 101 wins each).

In the NL, the San Diego Padres’ 100 wins led the circuit, with the Atlanta Braves (96) and St. Louis (94) as the other NL division winners.

The Strat-O-Matic Postseason ended with the New York Yankees topping the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-games-to-2 to win the MLB title.

Other predictions included:

  • NY Yankees Aaron Judge to earn AL MVP honors with 52 home runs, 132 RBI and .313 batting average.
  • The American League Cy Young Award winner was predicted to be Shane Bieber of Cleveland (20-6, 2.80 ERA, 228K).
  • St. Louis’ Nolan Arenado was promised to excel with a .293 average, 46 home runs and 116 RBI to earn the National League MVP honor.
  • Strat Says Yu Darvish of San Diego might claim the NL Cy Young Award with his predicted total of a 17-4 record, 2.55 ERA and 221 strikeouts

Strat-O-Matic has an interesting back story as the company and its games were invented by then-11-year-old Hal Richman in his bedroom in Great Neck, N.Y. in 1948 as a result of his frustration with the statistical randomness of other baseball board games. He discovered that the statistical predictability of dice would give his game the realism he craved. Over the next decade, he perfected the game at summer camp and then as a student at Bucknell University. After producing All-Star sets in 1961 and ‘62, he parlayed a $5,000 loan from his father (and made a deal that if it didn’t work out he would work for his father’s insurance company) into the original 1962 Strat-O-Matic Baseball season game. Needless to say, Hal never had to take a job with his father.

The Company publishes baseball, football, basketball and hockey games to play both on and off-line and they’re capable of going low to the mobile screen. “Strat-O” games are known throughout the sports community for their statistical realism and accuracy.

YouTube player

 

SHINING MOMENTS FOR 37+ YEARS: Why does the (basketball only) retirement of a guy the vast majority of the general public doesn’t know and hasn’t met strike such an emotional chord? Simply stated, it’s the time well spent. The time CBS Sportscaster Jim Nantz has dedicated to the game of college basketball. The time we – the viewers – have enjoyed spending with him. The time that flies by and adds up to make us all count the years and face our own mortality. The time shared. The time we’re amazed by the efforts of Nantz and the players he covers. Nantz is the face of a thousand people working behind the scenes and directly alongside and behind him who create every broadcast.

It’s not easy doing live remote sports television. It’s impossible to explain why. It’s difficult to explain because the networks producing the major sports in North America make it look so damn easy. It’s not. It’s hard and the games – the EVENTS – are unpredictable and move quickly.

Some look at the most visible signs of the broadcast. The announce table – with the Final Four, it’s been Nantz anchoring for the rsolid former Dukie turned USA Basketball guru Grant Hill and the irreplaceable and greatest of ‘em all, Bill Raftery, the former Seton Hall coach turned broadcaster who remains one of the few, great characters of the sporting world. As Raft ages, we age with him, but he does so and somehow remains “cooler” than anyone in the building. The secret is that Nantz knows exactly how to cue Raft up and exactly when to stay the hell out of the way.

Nantz knows when to praise the game winning shot, often with a single word. He knows when to stay silent and let the work of those thousand people – all behind the lenses of 60 cameras (16 used to be the norm). The great people at Sports Video Group (MUST READ) can give you the “inside stuff” on what goes on behind the scenes. But, the human element is the key to a good broadcast morphing into greatness. Actor-director and so many of us default to calling it – STORY TELLING – but I contend that it is much, much more.

It’s research. It’s knowledge and perspective. It’s relationships and knowing who to speak with and when to drop in a tidbit of information from that source right into the broadcast at the perfect time, a tidbit to be heard by 20+ million people. In that case, the factoid better be accurate. Nantz perfects it by way of building such solid relationships – culled over those 37+ years so his sources are impeccable. Nantz delivers.

For those of us who’ve had the pleasure of working with Jim Nantz over many, many years, he’s been the consummate professional. When Nantz would oversee a Basketball Hall of Fame press conference, it would flow like the Danube River – strong and steady. Just hearing his voice made it a big time event or announcement.

The good news? We’ll still have Nantz visiting our living/TV rooms come this week at The Masters golf tournament- A TRADITION UNLIKE ANY OTHER, his patented catch phrase first uttered in 1986 when Nantz was 26 years old and shooting promos and vignettes for CBS’ legendary golf producer Frank Chirkinian.

What’s a TL Sunday Sports Notebook without a story from an insider’s view to close it out for the week?

Knowing Jim Nantz as a local sports television guy who covered the Utah Jazz for KSL-TV in Salt Lake City, this observer was quite surprised when bumping into Nantz and then-CBS Sports Executive Producer Ted Shaker as they entered a 52nd Street restaurant back in 1985.

Together with colleague Brian McIntyre, our eyes were wide open but we kept our mouths shut at the sign that Nantz was being courted to join CBS and then – over time – be groomed to be the replacement for the face of CBS Sports in the ‘80s, Brent Musburger.

It wasn’t an immediate changeover, as Musburger remained as the lead anchor for CBS Sports until the 1990 Final Four. Nantz told the story in a 2015 conference call for sports television reporters:

Nantz said at the time, “Musburger was CBS Sports.”

“He called the NBA Finals, he hosted the Masters, he was hosting the NFL Today and did play-by-play on both college football and basketball,” Nantz said. “It was shocking. For people who weren’t around at that time, it was just unimaginable. It was front-page news in every newspaper in America.”

“The semifinal games were on March 31 that year and we had our broadcast and then there was an obligation for CBS Sports that Brent, Billy [Packer] and I had to attend after the doubleheader,” Nantz said. “It was at the Petroleum Club in Denver and we talked about what we had just seen and what we expected on Monday night. We went to that and then the three of us went out to dinner.

“We walked back to the hotel and Brent’s assistant met him at the door and said he needed to talk to him right away. We all said good night and we said we’d see each other on Sunday.

“At about 8 o’clock Sunday morning, I got a call from Ted Shaker, our executive producer, and he told me what had come down overnight. Brent had walked in and was told that CBS wasn’t going to renew his contract. My first thought was that this was April 1st, and this was some really dumb April Fool’s joke. And that’s what a lot of people thought.”

Nantz said at the time that CBS wanted him to do a short, live commentary after that Monday night championship game – a 103-73 UNLV win over Duke.

“They wanted me to deliver a commentary to express appreciation to Brent for his remarkable career at CBS,” Nantz said. “And at the time, it was a very difficult thing for me. I looked up to Brent and still do and had such deep respect for him and I had to sum up his career in about a minute-and-a-half commentary and then go back to Brent, standing on the court, for his last word.

“It was very difficult to do and there was a very empty feeling leaving the arena that night for all of us.”

That one moment was the transition for Jim Nantz to do the Final Four until tomorrow – Monday, April 3, 2023. There will be a shining moment for the NCAA Men’s Final Four, but this year, it will come as tears well in our eyes.

TL

 

 

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | March 26th

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By TERRY LYONS

NEW YORK – This week had so much potential, so much promise, so much Spring in the air and Daylight in the evenings. It was the first week of Daylight Savings time, the first week of Spring and the week of the Sweet 16 in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. But instead of promise and possibilities, the week ended with a thud, a couple kicks in the teeth and gut, a few grimaces and the Hurricanes and Aztecs bumping off a pair of No. 1 NCAA Men’s College basketball teams and – most seriously – the loss our our Captain.

Former NY Knicks great Willis Reed died Tuesday at age 80, after complications from congestive heart illness of which he’d been treated at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston.

Reed, the talent, brawn and inspiration behind the late 1960s New York Knickerbockers, along with guard Walt Frazier and a complementary group of unselfish but all-star level role players led the Knicks to NBA titles in 1969-70 and 1972-73. Reed matched-up against many of the best centers to ever play the game, and at an undersized 6-foot-9, often out-muscled, out-rebounded, out-scored and out-played his rivals.

At the time of his greatest of days and nights, Reed might face an opponent’s center such as:

  • Boston’s Bill Russell
  • LA Lakers’ Wilt Chamberlain
  • Baltimore’s Wes Unseld
  • Golden State/San Francisco’s Nate Thurmond
  • Cincinnati’s Jerry Lucas
  • Detroit and Atlanta’s Walt Bellamy
  • San Diego’s Elvin Hayes
  • Milwaukee’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
  • In later years, Boston’s Dave Cowens and Detroit’s Bob Lanier

The list marched on in a golden age of NBA powerful centers and equally talented and strong power forwards, like Bill Bridges, Paul Silas, Truck Robinson, GeorgeMcGinnis, Spencer Haywood, Sidney Wicks, and Gus Johnson, among many others. Reed would be needed to help out Dave DeBusschere on defense. There was never a night off to rest. Load management would simply be a commercial flight to the next city – first flight outbound – and a schedule that posed the next opponent, one tougher than the next, often on back-to-backs, three games in four nights.

Reed, a second round pick of the Knicks in the 1964 NBA Draft (the 8th overall selection after two territorial picks were made to start the draft off), fought those battles at a young age of 22. In scuffles that were a regular occurrence in the NBA in those days, he was known to clear out teams, benches and chase opponents back to their locker rooms.

Reed did it all.

One of the most memorable moments in sports history, never mind New York sports history were the final three games of the Knicks’ first-ever NBA title in 1970. Reed severely injured his knee and leg in Game 5 of the NBA Championship series at Madison Square Garden, but somehow his teammates managed to go on, hold on and win without him. DeBusschere, undersized forward Dave Stallworth, and back-up center, benchwarmer and MSG fave Nate Bowman held on for life against Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor to somehow manage a 107-100 win at The Garden. That fifth game came after two consecutive overtime games.

The wounded Knicks flew to Los Angeles only to be trounced by Chamberlain and the Lakers, 135-113, as Wilt scored seemingly at will, and finished with 45 points and 27 rebounds.

The Game 7 stories are of legendary status. We’ll let ABC Sports commentator JackTwyman take it from here with his iconic, “I think we see Willis coming out,” said Twyman to play-by-play man Chris Schenkel.

The lift provided by Reed’s willingness to have his knee and thigh shot-up with painkillers lifted his teammates to new levels of confidence while raising the then-brand new iconic roof of The Garden to new heights.

Reed hit his first two field goal attempts with his patented left-handed jump shot. In doing so, Knicks guard Walt Frazier took it from there, scoring 36 points with 19 assists to take a very one-sided 113-99 victory for New York’s first NBA title,

Reed led the Knicks to the NBA title in 1973, the last championship the NYK franchise has earned. He went on to coaching and executive positions in NY, New Jersey and asst. coaching positions at various places in the Association. He earned his stripes as a volunteer assistant for St. John’s and Lou Carnesseca in the ‘80s.

All the while, Reed exuded his classy ways and his love for the game while getting nothing but RESPECT in return everywhere he went. In New York, he will forever remain sports royalty up there with the Babe Ruths, Lou Gehrigs, Joe DiMaggios, Tom Seavers, Jerry Koosmans, Joe Namaths, Julius Ervings and a list of dozens of others, including his 1969-70 to 1973 teammates – especially Walt “Clyde” Frazier.

Of those, it is Willis Reed who deserves to have a statue bronzed and placed in the front entrance of Madison Square Garden. His likeness will stand there for eternity.

FUSSING AND FIGHTIN’ MY FRIENDS: Before the devastating news of Willis Reed’s death, the big story on the streets and sports pages of New York was the hiring of Rick Pitino by the St. John’s University Red Storm. After leaving a trail of bread crumbs and recruiting violations from sea to shining sea and beyond to Greece and the EuroLeague, Pitino was thrown a North American life rafter when he was hired at Iona College in New Rochelle, NY.

“Life is very short, and there’s no time

For fussing and fighting, my friend

I have always thought that it’s a crime

So, I will ask you once again

Try to see it my way

Only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong.”

(Lennon/McCartney – The Beatles)

As he’s done consistently in his past, Pitino won at Iona and he was scooped-up by the desperate Johnnies who have dismissed more coaches than Liz Taylor tossed away husbands.

Many reacted to Pitino’s hiring with joy and the anticipation of a packed Madison Square Garden and St. John’s returning to Top 10 status in the college polls. Others thought of recruiting violations with strippers entertaining players on campus poles.

It took the words of 98-year old wiseman and former St. John’s head coach, Louie Carnesecca to put the hiring of Pitino into proper perspective and to frame his sordid past in the right place:

“His coaching ability is beyond reproach. No matter where he’s coached in college, he’s had great success,” said Carnesecca to Ian O’Connor of the New York Post. “He works like a son of a gun, and all the credentials are there. I think we have a wonderful head coach.”

Regarding his past?

“It’s very simple,” Carnesecca said. “That’s why we have confessions.”

When you boil it all down, “All we are saying, is give Pitino a chance.”

BE THERE: The great Foundation to be Named Later, run by Paul Epstein for his brother, Theo, is once again planning “Hot Stove, Cool Music.” Instead of its mid-winter date, the charity will gather musicians, former players and fans on April 15th at City Winery Boston. Remember, not that long ago, as a young and talented GM, Theo Epstein brought titles to both the Red Sox and then the Chicago Cubs. Suffice to say, they work miracles.

LAX LIFE: With its teams battling for berths and positioning in the NLL Playoffs during the remaining weeks of the regular season, “The March to May” is on in the National Lacrosse League. Every matchup down the stretch will influence the eight-team NLL Playoffs that begin May 5-7. In a quirky set-up, the 2023 NLL Playoffs format features the top four teams from the East Conference and top three from the West Conference, plus a “wild card” entry with the best record between the fourth-place team in the West standings and the fifth-place finisher in the East. This “wild card” will play in the West Conference side of the bracket as the No. 4 seed. The first round of the NLL Playoffs will be single elimination, while the East and West Conference Finals and NLL Finals will each be a best-of-three series. See you on Memorial Day, along with the annual gem of the college sports calendar, the NCAA LAX Final Four to be staged May 27 & 29 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. … Boston-area lacrosse fans can circle their calendars for 2024 and 2025 when Gillette Stadium in Foxboro hosts the NCAA men’s lacrosse Final Four.

MLB OPENING DAY: From the BIG EAST to the NCAAs to Opening Day in MajorLeague Baseball (this Thursday, March 30), it’s a great time of year in the sports world. in pro golf, the PGA Tour will progress from this week’s World Golf Championship Match play to the first Major of the season when The Masters tees-it-up at Augusta National April 6-9. While they’re all great sporting events, there’s nothing like the sounds of Baseball. PLAY BALL! … The crack of the bat … and the 7th Inning Stretch.

As Spring Training comes to a close, MLB rosters will be whittled down and teams will head north from Florida or Arizona to open the season in home towns throughout the league. The Boston Red Sox open this Thursday with a home game against the Baltimore Orioles (March 30 – 2pm). MLB places an off day on Friday, just in case of a rain-out washing away the Opener. … This Thursday, the forecast is calling for sunny/clear skies with temperatures a seasonal 44-degrees. … Sam Adams Brewery has already broken out “Sam Summer Ale” and its 26.2 is not far behind as the annual Patriots’ Day and the 127th running of the Boston Marathon captures the vibes of the City on Monday, April 17. The Red Sox play their traditional 11:10am start that same day against the LA Angels.

BUZZWORDS OF THE WEEK: Sports Illustrated had its “Sign of the Apocalpse,”originated by the great Jack McCallum. Instead, “While We’re Young (Ideas)” is going to pass along “Buzzwords of the Week” … This week’s winner? ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips who on Saturday said that he “will meet with his league’s men’s basketball coaches and athletic directors as soon as the season ends to discuss ways to be more ‘proactive and aggressive’ in changing the narrative surrounding the conference.” This year’s NCAA Tournament saw the ACC receive only five bids which to Phillips and those inside the league was a “big disappointment.” Phillips said the ACC has to “portray ourselves in a different way” to the NCAA Selection Committee. … WWYI will counter with a reply of equal “Buzzword” value with a reminder to Phillips that ACC basketball is a “Zero Sum Game” and there’s a defined number of wins and losses every season. Padding ACC men’s basketball schedules isn’t the answer. Winning out of conference games is the answer. That comes with good players on every ACC team.

TIDBITS: The NHL is experiencing its share of negative publicity as the league rolled out “Pride Nights.” The league experienced considerable pushback from a number of players who chose to opt-out of the promotion to reach and better recognize the LGBTQ+ community in each NHL city/market.

Here’s Bryan Burke’s take on the situation via Canada’s SportsNet:

 

“It’s about saying this community is valuable and important and we want to honor them.” Brian Burke joined Ron MacLean to discuss Pride Nights across the NHL and supporting the LGBTQ+ community.
Embed from Getty Images

MORE TIDBITS: Former New England Patriots wide receiver Nelson Agholor is signing a one-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens, multiple outlets reported. The $3.25 million deal for the 29-year-old free agent is worth up to $6.25 million with incentives. Agholor caught 31 passes for 362 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games (seven starts) with the Patriots last season. Agholor began his career with Philadelphia (2015-19) and played with the Las Vegas Raiders (2020). … National Football League team owners expect to “take no formal actions” regarding a sale of the Washington Commanders nor will they address Commanders’ team owner Dan Snyder‘s status during the NFL’s annual meeting which began today. … The family of former North Carolina and serviceable NBA big man Eric Montross said he has begun treatments for cancer. Montross’s family issued a statement through the school on Saturday noting the 51-year-old’s recent diagnosis, though it didn’t specify the nature of the cancer.

CANX SUX: On the topic of cancer, prayers are out to a Boston Celtics colleague. The well known, well loved Veep of PR was diagnosed in July 2021 with glioblastoma brain cancer. After she responded positively within a clinical trial and new treatment, a recent scan showed “a lot more tumor growth.” … The entire Boston sports world continues to show tremendous support. Prayers and financial support.

DEACON BLUES: This brings us to the close of the March 26th While We’re Young (Ideas) column of March 26th. The sun shining, the NCAAs on TV and ready to crown the final pair of Regional Champions to qualify for the men’s Finals Four to be played in Houston, April 1 and 3. (Let’s keep the HOUSTON, we have a roaring cliche to a minimum, please). It’s not a happy ending.

Our neighbor’s wonderful dog, Deacon, passed away Monday after a brief illness and terrible cancer diagnosis. The cancer was aggressive and inoperable. We were so sad to hear the report as Deacon was our puppy’s first friend and playmate. Deacon was the best dog on our block and everyone just loved him.

Here’s a beautifully edited video and it goes out to Deacon in Dog Heaven:

While We’re Young (Ideas) is a weekly Sunday Sports Notebook & Column, written by Terry Lyons. Each notebook harkens back to the days when you’d walk over to the city newsstand on Saturday night around 10pm to pick-up a copy of the Sunday papers. Inside, just waiting, was a sports-filled compilation of interesting notes, quotes and quips. TL’s Sunday Sports Notes is brought to you by Digital Sports Desk.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | March 12th

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NEW YORK – There’s no better way to describe a basketball tournament at The World’s Most Famous Arena than to take you step-by-step from Wednesday through Saturday with an old-fashioned, popular time-line.

Come along on the amazing journey:

Wednesday, March 8:

7:29am – Amtrak Acela pulled out from RTE-128 station in the western suburbs of Boston, heading south to Providence where we picked up some Friars fans and went on to Penn Station in New York, arriving at the brand new Moynihan Train Hall at 10:50am.

7:31am – This reporter started missing his dog (and family, too).

11:00am – First activity? Walked from 8th Ave and 33rd Street to 7th Avenue to enter The Garden and pass security only to walk back to 8th Avenue to pick-up BIG EAST media passes and entrance tickets. The “new” MSG actually has incredibly friendly security people and the place is spotless.

It was the first of about 25 trips from the 8th Avenue end of The Garden to the 7th Avenue entrance hub only to return to the 8th Avenue “Expo/Rotunda” end of the building.

11:05am – The well-oiled BIG EAST media relations and sports info staff had everything perfectly organized, allowing check-in to be done in :45 seconds. Two escalator rides up and into the “Expo,” as the finishing touches were being made to the media area, and we’re online. Nice job MSG!

12 Noon – All were summoned to The Theatre at MSG where Commissioner Val Ackerman was going to present the key awards for the BIG EAST regular season. It’s absolutely GREAT to see colleagues like Ackerman and head basketball man, Stu Jackson. In prelim to her presentations, Ackerman noted it’s 10 years since The BIG EAST broke away from the pack and formed the “basketball centric” conference.

12:05pm – Time well spent and congratulations offered to Jackson, who flew westward to headline a press conference as the new WCC Commissioner. As fyi, Gonzaga defeated St. Mary’s on March 7th to take the WCC title. At the conclusion of this tournament, Jackson will assume his duties as conference commish. He will be missed by all involved with BIG EAST basketball. His new opportunity, probably basing in the SF-Bay area will be tremendous.

At the same time, it was more congratulations to Bill Raftery, tv commentator extraordinaire, who was awarded the Jim “Ock” O’Connell media award for his work and his contributions to college basketball. “Ock,” longtime college and Olympic basketball writer for the Associated Press, was a terrific colleague who lost his battle vs. a series of ailments. He was only 64 at the time of his death in 2018. The press area at MSG is dedicated to O’Connell’s memory each year at the tourney. A fitting tribute.

12:30pm – Villanova first year forward Cam Whitmore has been selected BIG EAST Freshman of the Year. The conference’s head coaches make the selections and are not permitted to vote for their own players.

12:40pm – Marquette’s head coach Shaka Smart was named Conference Coach of the Year and point guard Tyler Kolek was named BIG EAST Player of the Year. Smart’s squad made the biggest leap in conference history, jumping from a No. 9 prediction in the preseason coaches’ poll to outright regular-season champion.

Kolek is the “maestro-style” point guard, averaging 12.7 points with a league-leading 7.9 assists per game, second nationally. The 6-3 junior from Cumberland, Rhode Island (how’d he get away from those Friars), ranks first in assist/turnover ratio at 3.3., which places him sixth amongst all NCAA Div. I players. He’s fifth in the BIG EAST in steals at 1.8pg and ninth in free throw shooting, making .814 percent. Kolek is one of five finalists for the Hall of Fame’s Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard.

2:30pm – As Butler and St. John’s warm-up, there’s a little more time with Raftery and his longtime chronicler of the BIG EAST and we lament of the loss of Gantry’s and The Sly Fox in Queens. He knew they’d closed down, while others present did not.

Madison Square Garden in New York City

3:00pm – A wonderful rendition of the United States’ National Anthem and we’re tipping off the 41st rendition of the BIG EAST at The Garden, starting after three years when the conference finale was played in Providence, RI, Syracuse, NY and Hartford, CT consecutively.

In the opener, St. John’s handled Butler 76-63, advancing to the tough Thursday match-up vs. No. 1 Marquette. The victory spared Coach Anderson 24 more hours in the eye of the Red Storm (whatever a Red Storm is)?

DePaul vs Seton Hall was the first incredibly hard-fought, close, get-The-Garden-rockin’ game of the tournament and DePaul upset the Hall, plopping them into the group of NIT hopefuls, 66-65. The finish was about as entertaining as three free throws can be as DePaul’s guard Umoja Gibson stepped to the line with his team trailing, 65-63, and drained three consecutive FTs after being fouled with :04 remaining in the 2nd Half. Gibson gets “the Doug Collins Award” for calmly stepping to line in a very loud MSG and hitting nothing but net. DePaul was (3-17) in Conference while Seton Hall was (10-10). (Collins did just that but with two FTs in the 1972 Olympics under incredible pressure after being tackled by the USSR in the controversial gold medal game, stolen from the USA by incompetent table officials, the FIBA President, Renato William Jones of Great Britian and the game officials who followed their instructions blindly). … If you’re young and didn’t see it or don’t remember the game, DO NOT watch. It will haunt you for the rest of your life). … Trust me, too. It wasn’t a “Stop the Steal” thing. The FIBA President came out of the stands to add three seconds to the clock after a series of debacles in the waning moments of the game, including an errant pass by the USSR that should’ve been the official end of the gold medal game. … But, I digress!

In the Villanova vs Georgetown nightcap, everyone was thinking that the ticket stub would be a saver, as it was possibly Patrick Ewing’s last game as the head coach of the Hoyas after a (2-18) BIG EAST record. After a 6-6 start, ‘Nova went on a leisurely 14-2 run and that was it. The halftime score of 41-20 – Villanova – was indicative of the season-long effort from PAT-TRICK Ewwwwwing’s team.

Final score? 80-48 in favor of Villanova and by Thursday morning, yes, Ewing was fired.

Thursday, March 9th

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Now, don’t plan on reading a recap of each and every game, but instead, a brief commentary on the incredibly interesting and entertaining basketball tournament.

12 Noon – The “morning” game when the lightly-tested, Butler-besting Johnnies did the quick turn-around to face No. 1 seeded Marquette was another WILD and CRAZY BIG EAST game. A good crowd filled the building from the get-go. Non-St. John’s fans who flocked to New York to support their own schools jumped on the Johnnies’ band wagon to root against the favored Golden Eagles.

That Garden magic propelled a highly inconsistent St. John’s team to play one of their better games of the 2022-23 season. You must note that St. John’s and Marquette closed out their respective regular seasons with one of the crazier finishes as the Golden Eagles led by 10 with 30 seconds remaining but found themselves needing game ending free throws to earn a 96-94 victory.

In the tournament, it was the opposite. Marquette found themselves trailing by 10 at the half, 36-26, but when the second half began, you truly believed the Johnnies’ scoreboard was stuck on 36 as Marquette held the Red Storm scoreless for the first 4:14 and the first TV timeout showed a one point, 36-35, St. J lead after the momentum and confidence factor did a 180-degree turn.

Fast-forward to the ending and St. John’s A.J. Storr hit three consecutive FTs with 23 seconds remaining to cut a four-point lead to one. Two turnovers (from two steals) later, a Marquette FT by Olivier-Maxence Prosper and then a Dylan Addae-Wusu lay-up tied the game with 10 seconds left. A final scramble resulted in a missed three pointer at 61-all and the morning game went into OT, sending the Garden into another frenzy.

Overtime was physical and the majority of scoring was done from the FT line as the only field goal was Cam Jones’ bucket 30 seconds into OT. In the end, a beautifully designed play with the Storm down by two, saw St. John’s guard, Posh Alexander, launch a three-point FG that looked like all net from one angle of The Garden but it fell short for a 72-70 survive and advance for No. 1 ranked Marquette.

3:00pm – As you might expect, the entire State of Connecticut jammed their way past the turnstiles to fill The Garden with a partisan Huskies crowd and the team delivered against neighboring Providence of Rhode Island. UConn was up by 16 at the half as led by as many as 26 with 12:06 remaining in the 2nd half.

Then it was Rhode Island’s turn to cheer as Providence head coach, Ed Cooley – showing his coaching abilities, his faith in the players and a whole lotta love for the program he’s built – as he “kept his cooling and wasn’t fooling” as the Friars made their way back and trailed by only five points with 48 seconds to go.

UConn prevailed, 73-66, when Tristen Newton drilled a pair of FTs for two of his 16 points off the bench.

7:00pm – In the night session, the best teams prevailed but it took quite an effort for No. 15 (national ranking) Xavier to knock-off the pesky DePaul Blue Demons. DePaul sustained their high-energy in a big way and led 49-40 at the half.

BIG EAST men’s basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year in 6-10 center Jack Nunge had 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Colby Jones scored 22 and the Musketeers pulled off a late comeback to beat DePaul, 89-84.

Coach Sean Miller, all mic’d up for the evening, noted to his team post game that he kept calling Jones’ number and the player delivered time-and-time again, allowing his Xavier team to experience one of the “greatest things,” in sports – “playing on Friday night at the BIG EAST tournament at The Garden.”

It’s magical.

9:50pm – Late night at The Garden provided for Creighton’s 87-74 dismissal of the former lock for BIG EAST champions in Villanova. The ‘Cats aren’t as tough as they were under retired coach Jay Wright, as they ended the season with a 17-16 record and will end a 10-year streak of NCAA appearances in exchange for an NIT bid.

Friday, March 10th

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With an afternoon off to “recover” from the Wednesday/Thursday marathon sessions, the BIG EAST semi-finals, a.k.a. “Friday Night at the Garden” tips-off at 6:30pm and can be described as “magical,” as in The Magical World of Madison Square Garden Center – the tagline coined by the late John Condon on the MSG public address in the late ‘60s.

The four teams that make their way to Friday night are pretty much locks for bids to the NCAA tournament, so they play for the pride and glory of being BIG EAST champions. It never disappoints.

Never.

The Garden is packed. Everyone in the building (usually with friends, college buddies, family) is happy to be right here, rather than anywhere else on earth. It’s a bit like sitting in your seat a few minutes before the curtain rises at Hamilton the Musical. There’s no place else you’d rather be.

6:30pm – Marquette vs. UConn is the first semifinal, but there’s no BIG EAST basketball fan who wouldn’t prefer to see those two teams meeting Saturday night in the BIG EAST Final. Conference Coach of the Year, Shaka Smart is matching basketball minds and chops vs. UConn’s Dan Hurley, one-time Seton Hall guard, Wagner and Rhode Island head coach. His brother, Bobby, is head coach out at Arizona State and has a chance of an NCAA berth. Their father, Bobby Hurley, Sr., is a Hall of Fame high school basketball – as in THE Basketball Hall of Fame.

You probably have read the game stories by now, but Marquette vs UConn was what we attendees of the 1983 BIG EAST tourney, the first here at MSG after three nomadic efforts in Providence, Syracuse and Hartford, might call “an Old-Fashioned” BIG EAST game.

IT’s WILD.

Smart’s Golden Eagles somehow turned back a better UConn squad in another survive and advance mode.

In the Semifinals, Marquette won 70-68 to send at least 12,000+ UConn crazies home disappointed. Without the pre-electronic ticket ability to scalp tickets from the losing schools right on the premises, UConn fans work the Stub Hubs and the Vivid Seats and the Ticket Geeks and even the Box Office and TicketMaster to gobble up every available seat in The Garden.

9:10pm – In the nightcap, No. 15 Xavier rolled on No. 24 Creighton, 80-62.

After all of the pressure-packed, exciting games, the late night semi was one of the few games not to deliver the juice as The Garden gradually emptied out.

By day’s end, St. John’s head coach. Mike Anderson, had a faded red slip and all the rumors had Iona’s disgraced coach, Rick Pitino, as signed sealed and delivered to yet another Catholic School, as he was still coaching his Iona Gaels towards the MAAC championship. (They defeated Marist, 76-55, to advance to the Big Dance with Pitino apparently holding a contract offer from one NYC school as he coached their rival Westchester County foes). Go figure, as St. John’s Anderson and Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing walked into The Garden and the tournament with a pair of the most prestigious coaching jobs in all of sport, and they walked out on the unemployment line.

Saturday, March 11th

6:30pm – No. 1 seeded Marquette, ranked No. 6 nationally, marched off to to 12-2 start and never looked back in the BIG EAST Championship game. They led 33-10 when Conference Player of the Year Tyler Kolek made a lay-up with 7:04 left in the opening half.

Kolek led the Golden Eagles with 20 points, eight rebounds and three assists and Marquette won its first-ever BIG EAST men’s basketball championship in a 65-51, one-sided rout.

In the end, the tough, physical Marquette defense – coach Shaka Smart called it violent – was the reason the championship trophy took a ride to Milwaukee after the all Midwest/Rustbelt BIG EAST final.

Hello? Amtrak?

 

WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: With apologies to Billy Joel – who is now on tour with Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks – “It’s 5 AM on a Saturday and Ohtani gives me a smile, because the World Baseball Classic can be, one of the most entertaining events you can see, when the fans at the Big Egg cheer for a while.”

Saturday morning, Japan defeated the Czech Republic, 10-2, at Tokyo Dome (a.k.a. The Big Egg) and are now 3-0 in their pool.

The USA has yet to play but will open Saturday evening with a game against Great Britain at Chase Field in Arizona. For you early morning readers on Sunday, FS1 will be televising Japan vs Australia at 6:00AM (ET).

Much like the FIBA World Cup, this event struggles to get traction in the USA, but the fans around the world seem to love it, especially in Japan. You can count Puerto Rico, The Dominican Republic, Mexico and Venezuela amongst the national teams with the most support.

You must credit Major League Baseball with their efforts to fund and keepin’ on, keepin’ on with the event. If they continue to pound the drum, the event will thrive. It’s halfway there in the USA and Canada.

The time zone challenge is a lot like what the USA TV viewers face when World Cup level events are in Australia, Asia and the Middle East.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | March 5th

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A Tribute to the late David Benner | Writer, Former Pacers PR and Fan of Famous Dave’s

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Every summer, about August 10th-15th, every team in the NBA, every player on those teams, the trainers, travel secretaries, coaches, marketing people and PR people are chomping at the bit to get the NBA Schedule for the upcoming season. It’s a relentless hunt for any leak, glimpse or glimmer of the official NBA schedule.

The athletic trainers and their assistants and equipment guys – usually all a combo of the franchise’s travel secretaries – need to book hotels, get charter schedules, arrange for practice sites – YOU NAME IT – to get ready for the grueling season to come.

There was one slight exception.

When the schedule came out, a handful of us, including the late David Benner of the Indiana Pacers – a really good man who lost a 13+ year battle against colon cancer this week – would first look at the Pacers’ road schedule and hope there’d be an off-day when his club came here to Boston.

He and longtime team broadcaster, Mark Boyle, valued their time in Boston and prayed for an off day on a road trip which would allow them to visit one of their favorite places on earth – Stanza Dei Sigari – in Boston’s North End, steps from the popular Mike’s Pastry Shop on Hanover.

Sometimes, the Pacer would fly after their previous game and get to Boston far too late for a run to Stanza. (It closes about 12:30am). Then, they’d play a night game in Boston and fly off to the site of the next game.

That happened all too often.

On a few nights over the past 10-to-14 years, we’d hit the jackpot and the Pacers would fly in the day before their game. David and Mark would check-in, drop their luggage, grab a quick bite, double-check to be sure there weren’t any pressing team business and cab it to the North End, faster than Paul Revere rode through the Freedom Trail. On more than a few of those occasions David Benner’s friends, admirers and counterparts would join them for a cigar and a drink, and be entertained for the night, listening to Benner’s great stories, his quick wit, sarcastic humor and ability to just eloquently crush anyone in our small group so quietly, so quickly that it was amusing to all, but an honor to be on the receiving end.

He was smart, opinionated, well-informed and entertaining. His personality bloomed like spring garden with wildflowers and the longer you knew him the more he trusted you, once you cleared the check-point, you’d be given a gift – the clear, blue sky of 100% genuine Benner.

Leading up to a terrible day in the history of Boston, then-Sports Illustrated senior NBA writer/reporter/columnist Ian Thomsen had pre-arranged the perfect Boston welcome for David, much just to say thank-you for all his service, help getting Pacers’ coach and administrator – the great Larry Bird – to make a call back to said reporter. If David said it was done, the phone would ring. Benner batted 1.000 with Bird, his boss and friend, and that was golden for a Boston-based sports writer.

The outing was planned to begin at Massimino’s – a 10-table no nonsense, no reservation type place – possibly the best Northern Italian Food in the Commonwealth. After a great dinner, we would, then, walk a block or three and climb down a staircase and head left or right depending on the crowd or lack thereof on either side of the cigar lounge and significantly relaxing bar.

As the Pacers were in the air that day, terror hit our hometown as two homemade bombs filled with schrapnel were stuffed into backpacks and left for no one and every one on Boylston Street in the Back Bay, right where the runners of the Boston Marathon would be finishing their 26.2 mile trek. With the varying speeds of the runners, the finish line would be crossed by tens of thousands long after the men’s and women’s champions finished the race.

The Boston Marathon is what the great and 1967 race winner, Amby Burfoot, so accurately calls “the Carnegie Hall” of long-distance race locations. If you can run Boston with its difficult qualifying process and equally difficult course, including Heartbreak Hill, you’ve made it and can make it anywhere.

Benner was so disappointed to hear the news that Boston had pretty much closed down and that the Pacers game the next night against our Celtics was very likely to be postponed. Our plans seemed so trivial in the scope of such senseless madness, as the deaths of three people at the finish line when the two bombs exploded some 14 seconds and 210 yards apart was reported. There was a bitterness added, when the news of the death of a little boy and the maiming of his sister’s leg made its way to the newscasts. Hundreds of others were seriously injured, still others injured with wounds that didn’t bleed. We all still carry that emptiness on a day that is without a doubt the best thing Boston has to offer, each and every year.

Other regular season and even a playoff match-up allowed us to meet again, another better day, at Stanza. It wasn’t the same but Benner and Boyle always brightened the mood and our spirit, especially after the police and law enforcement community hunted down the two crazed maniacs, one dying in the chase and the other convicted and sentenced for his multiple counts of murder and terrorism.

Just the sight of David Benner with a cigar in his hand brought back memories of the summer of 2002 when the FIBA Worlds were staged in Indianapolis and the spirit and actions of volunteerism brought the event to life, only as the State of Indiana can do.

Benner’s position with the Pacers made him the perfect candidate to run the entire media operation at two venues as the World Championship (now called World Cup of Basketball) took place as summer wound down and those precious few days until the NBA preseason would begin melted away into the summer night.

Night after night for a long tournament and one when the USA Basketball national team struggled mightily, putting a negative damper on the entire effort. The USA would finish a lowly SIXTH but the medal round of the tournament marched on as Argentina and eventual champion Yugoslavia taught all the world that global basketball no longer belonged to Americans.

The tournament crept its way toward Labor Day weekend and the fatigue and frustration showed in Benner’s face one day. He seemed so down, but his professionalism and dedication to the job won out over his own wishes for a Labor Day weekend with his wife, Jane, and friends.

It was Jane, also volunteering to work the events, who was asked by this reporter that Labor Day weekend Friday if there was something – anything – we could do to thank David and maybe bring him some joy?

Her response is etched in our minds with the memories of David, a true professional, a two time winner of the Brian McIntyre Award for excellence in NBA team media relations, and just our man, Benner.

“Yes, “ she said without a second of hesitation. “This is his favorite weekend of year and he’s missing it,” Jane added, almost in tears some 21 years ago. She was upset because every year there’s a massive BBQ Festival held in Indianapolis where all the great Midwest BBQ cooks and connoisseurs meet to judge the best of the best.

The idea was planted firmly and it was only seconds before the plans were hatched to solve that problem.

After commandeering a large vehicle with ample trunk storage space, said trunk was first emptied and then wrapped inside with bedsheets and towels (“borrowed” from the hotel). After getting hand-written directions – long before the words Tom-Tom or the letters GPS were globally recognized – onward we went to the outskirts of town with the destination being Benner’s favorite of all the favorites – Famous Dave’s BBQ ribs.

To the proprietor of Famous Dave’s, the question was asked, “How much would it cost for “all of it.”

“All of it,” he asked?

“Yes, all of it, or as much as we can afford, please?” (Note: Some of the players pitched in $100s).

Famous Dave understood the plea and had his staff drop everything and spring into action to make some 100 portions for Benner to share with his media relations staff back at the place we once called Market Square Arena but was now and then a brand new gorgeous Fieldhouse of Basketball.

The Famous Dave’s staff delivered and helped tuck and secure the trunkfull of BBQ into our car and not a drop was spilled. The only stumbling block was the heavy security surrounding the Fieldhouse as we were just short of a year since the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a plane highjacked in Pennsylvania. Some ‘splaining had to be done and the story was backed-up by the wonderful aroma of smoked ribs, pulled pork and other varieties of BBQ, and their side dishes of corn, mashed potatoes and all kinds of fixins.

Yes, for one minute the security rules were broken, as a dozen media relations staffers descended upon the trunk and moved all the portions safely and right into the media relations HQ where they could be shared amongst the massive number of volunteers serving under the direction of one man, David Benner.

The look on his face said it all when he caught a whiff of our plotting and the forever image of joy and satisfaction on his wife’s face as she basked in the glow of her husband’s favorite dish being hand delivered to him in his workplace.

It was Priceless and Tasty!

Five years later, a reminder came along upon the author’s decision to depart New York City, the NBA office and set sail to this great town in New England.

Benner wrote, “Congratulations on ‘retirement’ – consultant-ville or however they wish to put it. While you will be ackowledged for contributions to the NBA, media, international relations and other resume-worthy accomplishments, your legacy with me will always remain with the timely delivery of Famous Dave’s ribs at the Basketball World Championships. For that, I am forever indebted.”

This all leaves us here, today, in the moment of a death of a friend. It began with a diagnosis some 13 years ago, one he kept to himself or shared with just a very few friends.

He fought and carried on.

He received treatment and carried on.

In 2019, the diagnosis of cancer came back again. He fought and he fought until he couldn’t fight it anymore, once again proving to everyone that CANCER SUCKS.

He took about three weeks after he and his wife decided to stop the fight and they found everlasting peace.

For that peace and lessons of life and a very dignified death, this writer – colleague, admirer, consumer of his sharp wit, witness of really good, funny impersonations and witness of a superstitious ritual/trash talking/face to face/nose to nose/pre-game/scream-out with our friend, Reggie Miller – will always remember one David Benner and I will remain forever indebted to him for sharing his precious time and an everlasting impression of his blessed and noteworthy life.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: This week’s usual notes are dedicated to David Benner with respect paid to his wonderful wife and family members.

The head of the NBA’s basketball media operation, Tim Frank, posted his memorial and put it quite well:

“It’s almost impossible to completely explain the impact David Benner had on not only me but so many of us in this profession,” wrote Frank. “When I first met him, I was a student at Notre Dame and he was the Notre Dame football beat writer for the Indianapolis Star. The guy was positively hilarious. He did a Lou Holtz impression that was second to none and he would entertain everyone. When I got to the Rockets, I was pleasantly surprised to learn he had become the Pacers PR Director. It’s a pretty big transition but my gosh did he kill it in every way. And he was so helpful to me along the way. Players, media (local and national), team people … anyone you talked to came away from experiences with David with a smile on their face. He was as good as anyone at dealing with players and helping them understand how important this part of the job was. I always knew about his incredible connection to the Pacers players but when the organization honored him last April and Reggie Miller flew in just to be there, it said it all. The NBA will certainly be different without him but his impact will live in so many of us. He was a legend in this job, plain and simple. But more importantly for me, he was a tremendous mentor and friend and someone I just will never forget. I’ll miss him tremendously but the opportunity to know him was a gift and one I’ll never take for granted.” RIP DB

Memorial contributions can be made to the Indianapolis Animal Care and Control Foundation 7399 North Shadeland Avenue Suite 117 Indianapolis, IN 46250 or at www.friendsofindyanimals.org, or the Humane Society of Johnson County Indiana 3827 North Graham Road Franklin, IN 46131 or at www.hsjc.org or the Franciscan Health Foundation 8778 Madison Avenue Suite 100 Indianapolis, IN 46227 or at www.franciscanhealthfoundation.org

Benner is survived by his wife of 21 years, Jane Jankowski; sister Sue (John) Smitha of Indianapolis, brother Larry (Carol) Benner of Lapel, and brother Bill (Sherry) Benner of Indianapolis. A proud 1973 graduate of Center Grove High School who attended Indiana University-Bloomington and IUPUI, David began his journalism career as a copy boy at The Star and later joined the sports staff, where his beats included high schools, IU, Notre Dame and most notably a long-time stint (1983-1991) covering the Pacers.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | February 19th

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While We’re Young (Ideas) on Murders at Michigan State

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Local, State and Federal law enforcement agencies all refer to an open school campus as a Soft Target. This week, the soft target consisting of 50,023 students at Michigan State University and they were attacked when an assailant walked right into buildings made of brick and steel. Yes, a crazed gunman, a mass murderer to be, walked into the back door of Berkey Hall, home to the College of Social Science, the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research, and the Department of Sociology, and opened fire on unsuspecting, innocent students.

He exited Berkey and walked to the Michigan State University Union, passed by Spart’s Express, and emptied a handgun to kill at random. The Student Union was his second Soft Target on the 5,300 acre campus in East Lansing, Michigan. A short time later, as he was about to be arrested, the gunman used the handgun to end his own life, just as he killed three promising students only minutes before. The shooter also seriously wounded five others, four still listed in critical condition and one stabilized three days after being shot.

He huffed and he puffed and the strong building of brick and steel became the most recent soft ratget. Only 50,020 souls are left to mourn.

To their credit, law enforcement responded quickly and emergency protocol for an active shooter was immediately put in place. EMS and medical staff were able to access Berkey Hall quickly as eye witness accounts assured authorities the shooter exited the building on foot. Then, soon after, there were additional reports of an active shooter at the Student Union and the systems were put in place again.

“Secure-in-Place immediately,” read an emergency text message to all students, faculty and staff of the school. “Run, Hide, Fight.”

The damage was done, however, as the assailant walked away, leaving the campus as easily as he walked in. He had no connection to the University. He had no apparent motive, as far as police and FBI investigators could identify in short order. The crime – which killed juniors Arielle Anderson and Alexandria Verner at Berkey and sophomore Brian Fraser at the Union while seriously injuring five others – might’ve come at a Soft Target made of brick and steel – but it sent speeding bullets into soft human tissue, bones and organs. Hand guns and high-powered bullets have a way of doing that these days.

Less than 24 hours after the gunman fatally shot the three Michigan State University students and critically wounded the five (yet to be identified) others, the students at the East Lansing campus and many others elsewhere in Michigan and across the nation are rallying around each other, conducting prayer vigils and rallies.

Why is this Sunday Sports Notebook delving into the senseless, dark and controversial topic of gun violence in America? Maybe because of two or three direct, first-hand connections to the school. Maybe because of similar crimes at Virginia Tech in 2007 which killed 32 people. Maybe because of recent shootings in Monterrey Park or Half Moon Bay or Evalde where they shot 21 kids and wounded 15 othrs, or Orlando or 100 other places in recent years.

Almost immediately in the aftermath of the mass murder, Michigan State announced that the school was to cancel classes and all extracurricular events, including sporting events, the life blood of the Big 10 school. Among the events cancelled or postponed was the home men’s basketball game against Minnesota. Instead, the face of that basketball team and maybe the man most recognized by the entire nation, Coach Tom Izzo, took part in a Wednesday night vigil on campus.

Izzo and Earvin “Magic” Johnson are direct connections while former St. John’s and Georgetown Sports Communications executive Michael “Mex” Carey is my third man at Michigan State and he posted on social media accounts that he knows the city and school will “get through this.” It’s a tight knit community in East Lansing, always has been and always will be, but one has to wonder if the mass murders Monday night, reported as the 67th of 2023, will be the cause of any changes in national gun laws.

The uniquely American obsession with guns – more guns than people in many places – is defended by a majority of law-makers who cite the Second Amendment to the US Constitution. A few local and national politicians, including President Joe Biden, called out for change.

You see, the senseless murders Monday night fell as a nation mourns the fifth anniversary of 17 students and staff being shot dead at Florida’s Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on February 14, 2018. Not long before that, a madman with a high-powered machine gun positioned himself on the top floor of a Las Vegas Casino hotel and opened fire on concert goers directly in the range of his weapon. That resulted in 60 people killed and 800+ injured. Before that, another shooting known around the world when a crazed gunman walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut and killed 26 people with 20 being six and seven year old children.

Whether 2012, 2017, 2018 or 2023 – NOTHING has been done to curb gun violence. As the Biden administration just passed the midterm mark, the charge is to institute universal background checks and to limit or eliminate high-powered assault weapons and their 30+ round ammunition cartridges.

Advocates from the student body of Marjorie Stoneman Douglas H.S. are calling for action – across both major political parties – to ban the manufacturing and sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, then creating a buy-back program. They seek to end the online sale of guns and ammunition; they hope to address too many suicides by hand gun; and they are adamant on requiring background checks for all gun sales while “adequately” funding the universal background check system nationwide.

Since Monday, another five mass shooting incidents were reported, killing one person in Sweetwater, Tennessee while incidents in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania resulted in 17 gun-related violence injuries. The number, tracked by Gun Violence Archive, is sure to rise by the time you read this Sunday morning. On Wednesday night at a food court in El Paso, Texas, an argument turned violent between two small groups and all hell broke loose in a shopping mall, bullets sprayed like a graffiti artist on a city street. Not to be finished, nine people were shot in Maryland on Wednesday, as well.

After taking Thursday as an off-day, another nine people were shot in Georgia on Friday while six people were shot and killed in the rural Mississippi town of Arkabutla where a gunman shot his ex-wife and five others.

Saturday? There were more. Four people were injured from a mass shooting in Loris County, South Carolina where the search for the motive and the overall investigation have just begun.

What can be done?

Since the senseless killing of little children at Sandy Hook school in Newtown, CT, there’s been nothing. President Barack Obama tried and his actions were halted in an NRA influenced Congress.

The young students from Parkland mobilized. They and the parents of the deceased had an audience with President Trump. Three years later, after pointing fingers and blaming others, he issued a statement that covered his ass but did little to address the issue, other than a tap on the fogged-up windows of the Congressional leaders who grease their re-election campaign funds with money from the gun lobby.

Back at Michigan State, sporting activities returned Friday night. The men’s and women’s basketball teams each had weekend games while students will return to class next week.

“You have to figure out a way to honor the people who were senselessly killed, and our way of being able to do that is to play the game,” Izzo said to ESPN. “The players felt that if they played it would help not only themselves [but] maybe help the campus heal a little bit,” Izzo said. “…we also know everybody grieves differently and everybody processes trauma in a million different ways.”

Let’s hope Coach Izzo and leadership in Michigan and at Michigan State, along with “Magic” and “Mex”can work some magic to influence more law-makers to take-on the NRA and other gun lobbyists to make changes while the 117th Congress is in session. Clearly, the overwhelming majority of American voters support smart, effective reform. But, no one will do a blessed thing to stop the senseless killing of our children, our students and our neighbors. One thing is for sure, as time goes by, the gunman will be at YOUR school or at YOUR shopping mall or in YOUR neighborhood, or God forbid, at YOUR house. Only then will your thoughts and prayers turn into horror. The steps to do something about it are clear. It’s time to take them – one small step at a time – and you had to be impressed with the unity and classy efforts of the Wolverines toward their cross-state rival Spartans.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: With such a serious downer of a lede, the column will swing in the opposite direction with a story about Providence Friars basketball coach Ed Cooley who sat down with CBS Sports Clark Kelloggfor a deep dive into Cooley’s upbringing in the tough town in which he coaches.

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“Us. We. Together. Family. Friars.” is Cooley’s mantra at Providence as the coach believes his club is in hot pursuit of something very special. The Friars (12-4 in Conference) are only a game behind current Big East leader Marquette (13-3). Regardless of their place on the ladder, once the BIG EAST Tournament rolls around (March 8-11) and then again when the NCAA March Madness tournament takes over the U.S. sports landscape un til the Final Four (March 31-April 3) in Houston, Texas.

Cooley has created an incredible culture at Providence, one so many teams try to replicate. He does so with a real connection to the Providence College and local community and it spreads to his staff, players and the great fans from the city and surrounding Rhode Island neighborhoods.

The Friars have seven 20-win seasons in 12 years Cooley’s been the team’s head coach.
The head coaches of the BIG EAST join Commissioner Val Ackerman at MSG (File)

At BIG EAST Media Day last fall, it was noted that seven of the 11 BIG EAST men’s basketball programs were led by African-American/Jamaica-American coaches. That’s a major statement by a major basketball conference.

SIGNS OF SPRING: The very second The Super Bowl is completed, it seems the talk moves to baseball, fantasy baseball, pitchers and catchers reporting and a few other – more obscure – baseball happenings.

On the North Shore of Long Island, the folks at Strat-o-Matic celebrated their opening day on Friday of this week. It’s a tradition for the cult-like fans of the old-skool boardgame soon to be digitized like the rest of the world.

The 2023 Strat-o-Matic game cards were issued and are now on sale for fans of all ages.
The 2023 Strat-o-Matic season game cards were unveiled Friday (file photo)

Unlike the 2020 MLB season, we won’t need Strat-o-Matic to simulate the big league with their game. This year, the Majors begin March 30th but the Strat-o-Matic games can begin today.

Meanwhile, the good people at TOPPS have issued their 2023 Series 1 (set) at $360.00 and a 2023 Hobby Box at $89.00 and a relic box at a more affordable $25.00. All provide a mid-winter glimpse of springtime and Opening Day for Baseball 2023.

TL’s Super Sunday Notes | Feb 12th

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Have a Super Sunday

By TERRY LYONS

FOXBORO – There’s been quite a few sports columns written from Foxboro, Massachusetts leading up to Super Bowl Sundays of the past. Unlike this column, those were written about Tom Brady and the New England Patriots participating in the Big Games, like those played in the Louisiana SuperDome (2002), Reliant Stadium in Houston (2004), Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville (2005), University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (2008) – the same joint as this year’s game.

Memories of the Patriots’ Super Bowls of the past come from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis (2012), back at Glendale, AZ (2015) and NRG Stadium in Houston (2017), at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota (2018) and their last appearance in the Super Bowl, the 13-3 victory over the La Rams at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta (2019).

That’s six Super Bowl championships in nine tries since the turn of the Bill Belichick century with two losses coming at the hands of the NY/NJ Giants, and one to the Philadelphia Eagles who just happen to be the 1.5 point favorites in this year’s Super Bowl matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Overall, the Patriots are 6-5 in 11 total Super Bowl appearances, with the Patriots taking a 46-10 shellacking by Mike Ditka’s Chicago Bears in 1986 and losing 35-21 to the Green Bay Packers in 1997, three years before Belichick would become head coach in New England.

This year, all that you can leave behind are Ford Fusions from Rodman Ford sitting idle, like the Patriots, even with their good housekeeping seal of approval from Gronk. In other words, there’s not much going on in Foxboro this weekend except the filing of retirement papers by a certain former quarterback.

That brings us to Super Sunday 2023 in Glendale, Arizona – also known asSuper Bowl LVII (57) – pitting the Philadelphia Eagles (that’s in Pennsylvania, not New Mexico, Illinois or some 22 other places in the world) versus the Kansas City Chiefs (and that’s KC in Missouri, not Kansas for the geographically inept and moronic former Twitter user out there).

Philly opened getting (+1) a point, but the line quickly moved to KC getting (+1.5), a 2.5 swing stressing Eagles’ backers. The line has stayed solid for the past 13 days. The reaction surely a concern on the injury woes of the Chiefs versus the dominating fashion in which the #FlyEaglesFly boys dispatched on the NY/NJ Giants (38-7) in the NFL Divisional round and the (31-7) ear-slappin’ the Eagles put on the season-long impressive SF 49ers in the NFC Championship game.

After two weeks of prep, practices, prognostications, props and predictions – you’ve heard enough. The six hour-plus pregame show will provide another dose, a primer for those who tried to ignore the usual pre-Supe media blitz. Yes, from Radio Row to coverage of the PGA Tour event at nearby Scottsdale there were predictions from every angle.

A compelling score was found on a Golf Channel interview with Merrill Reese, the Eagles’ longtime radio play-by-play man. Reese has been calling Philly Eagles’ games since 1977 and with all of his work, his history, his spending every minute of the 1977-78 to 2022-23 NFL seasons with the Eagles, his advice was to avoid turnovers, especially down the stretch when the last team to possess the ball just night make off with the NFL’s Lombardi Trophy.

If I’ve heard that Super prediction once, I’ve heard it 57 times.

On a more serious note, the Digital Sports Desk site has a super-worthy read of insights and predictions – done with the assistance of content provider extraordinaire Field Level Media. Visit by clicking HERE.

In all previews, the main concern is the injury factor to Kansas City. While so much focus has rightfully been on KC QB Patrick Mahomes, the injuries sustained by KC WRs JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) and Kadarius Toney(ankle, hamstring) will be a factor if they flare-up. As of Saturday, they’ve both been cleared to play, along with RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire who was activated in place of receiver Mecole Hardman (injured reserve list and out). Edwards-Helaire will re-join a backfield that will rush in triplicate as once reserve RBs Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon have shown signs of greatness to come. The Chiefs will need 80-100 yards from the trio, and a TD or two.

TE/receiver Travis Kelce could rack-up two TDs himself and if you add a FG, the number to beat for the Eagles will be 38 points. That would be two points shy of the only “bad” loss the Eagles endured all season, a 40-34 beatin’ at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys on December 24th and three more points than any other team in the NFL scored against the tough Philly defense the rest of the season. (Detroit Lions lost 38-35 on opening day in September).

The general thought, however, is for Philadelphia’s defense to limit Kelce to one score and to hold the KC backfield so tight, they might come up empty. If Mahomes tweeks the injured right ankle, the Chiefs will be in big trouble as he’ll try to gut-it-out, as he did during KC’s playoff win against the Buffalo. The difference, the Philly D and pass rush schemes will counter and be too much for KC to handle.

That’s all the Big GameDay prognostication from WWYI, except, oh yeah: This is the first time two African American QBs will meet in the Super Bowl AND the Kelce Family will need to watch both All Pro TE Travis (KC) and Philly offensive lineman Jason go at it! (Bet you hadn’t heard that, eh?)

Remember, though! Limit turnovers, take care of the ball! What else is new?

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Whether you head down AZ-101 or brave the traffic and veer over to I-17, the road from Glendale and the Super Bowl to North Scottsdale and the Tournament Players Club, is filled with drama. Scottsdale, the site of the WM Phoenix Open, is golf with NOISE! You can hear the fans roaring all over the course, but none better (or worse, depending how you look at it) than the crowd of 20,000+ on No. 16 at The Stadium Course. … Scottie Scheffler (-13) and Jon Rahm (-11) are the top players on the leaderboard and they will play together with Canada’s Nick Taylor (-11) in the final round Sunday. TV coverage begins at 1:00pm (ET) on Golf Channel and continues on CBS at 3:00pm (ET).

If you want to map your television viewing day, and avoid a few hours of the Super Bowl pregame coverage, here’s your TV sports guide (all times ET):

  • 8:00am – WTA Tennis from Abu Dhabi (Tennis Channel)
  • 9:00am – Manchester United at Leeds (USA Network)
  • 11:30am – Aston Villa at Manchester City (USA Network)
  • Noon – Temple at Memphis men’s hoops (ESPN2)
  • 1:00pm – You’ll want to tune-in to PGA Tour golf. (Golf Channel)
  • 1:00pm – Michigan State at Ohio St. men’s hoops (CBS)
  • 1:00pm – FOX NFL Today kicks-off 5.5 hours of pregame coverage
  • 2:00pm – Memphis at Boston Celtics – (ABC)
  • 3:00pm – The WM Phoenix Open switches from Golf Channel to CBS
  • 6:30pm – The Super Bowl (FOX)

The Super Bowl halftime show looks promising with Rihanna headlining but the New York Post’s Phil Mushnick always has a beef.

TID-BITS: Shouldn’t Heinz be all over this particular Super Bowl? … I would with some serious “57 Varieties” guerrilla marketing, straight from Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. … More Book Controversy in FLA … A book about late Afro-Puerto Rican MLB legend Roberto Clemente is no longer on the shelves of public school libraries in Florida’s Duval County. “Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates” by Jonah Winter and Raúl Colón – and other books about Latino figures such as the late Afro-Cuban salsa singer Celia Cruz and Justice Sonia Sotomayor – are among more than 1 million titles that have been “covered or stored and paused for student use” at the Duval County Public Schools District, pending “reviews” by State media specialists. … Simply Astonishing.

It’s about a month until BASEBALL. The World Baseball Classic will have qualifying pool play in Miami. Games will also be played in Taichung (Rep of China (Taiwan), Tokyo (Japan) and Phoenix. … Speaking of The Valley of the Sun and its busy week of hosting the WM Phoenix Open and nearby Glendale hosting the Super Bowl, the NBA and Phoenix Suns stole some of the buzz when the Suns acquired former NBA MVP Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets on the day of the NBA Trading Deadline. NBA pundits quickly speculated the Suns could be the team to beat in the NBA West, predicting the aging Durant can join with the (very) again point guard Chris Paul, center DeAndre Ayton and oft-injured but highly-talented Devin Booker to overtake the West’s No. 1 fave, the Denver Nuggets. … If so, Durant will need to shore-up his defensive game and Chris Paul will need to play out of his mind while the combo of Ayton-Booker must remain healthy until June.

Not long after LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, a record many believed would never be approached, waived NBA and EuroLeague Basketball veteran Enes “Freedom” came down hard on James with a tweet which read: 38,388 Points 0 Morals 0 Values 0 Principles 0 Empathy 1 Bow Down to #China Congratulations to @KingJames – Ouch.

ALL THE FIXIN’S: Younes Rachidi, former tennis player from Morocco, was banned for life this week after being found guilty of 135 match-fixing offenses. The 135 thrown matches marked the highest number of match-fixing offenses by one person ever detected in the sport, according to the International Tennis Integrity Agency. Rachidi, who claimed his highest doubles ranking of No. 473, was banned from ever playing in, coaching or attending any tennis event sanctioned by governing bodies the ATP and WTA. He was fined only $34,000. Independent anti-corruption hearing officer Janie Soublière ruled that all charges against the 36-year-old Rachidi were proven. The International Tennis Integrity Agency said Rachidi was involved in match-fixing with two Algerian players who were recently banned following investigations in Belgium.

SUPER BOWL MENU: Here’s a glimpse for Feb 12 home tailgating menu – to be made prior to the 6:30pm (ET) kick-off.

  • There will be a “Super” Dog Run for Penny (Lane) from 10am to 11am, it should tucker her out for a good portion of the afternoon, although she’ll keep me company out back – none too close to avoid injury or burns.
  • PGA Tour Radio will be on; Skip and Shannon Sharpe will not be on.
  • The Traeger Timberline will be brought out of the bullpen and into action after a good cleaning and vacuuming of old ash.
  • Two (2) Lobster Tails will be smoked and grilled, along with some Sirloin Steak Tips.
  • Breast of Chicken will be perfectly sliced into long strips, seasoned with the special Traeger rub for Poultry, aligned with some green, red, yellow and orange peppers and wrapped with Kayem THICK Bacon strips. They will be grilled and smoked, then readied for a warm-up later in the afternoon.
  • Various vegetables will be smoked and grilled, including some asparagus and Tri-color carrots. Raw Celery, Cucumber strips, raw carrots, along with steamed Broccoli and Cauliflower tips will be readied for special onion dip or Marie’s Dressing.
  • The drinks of choice will be Sunday morning percolated Coffee and then Diet Coke on ice. Diet Coke consumption will come to an abrupt halt very soon, to be replaced by Iced Tea all spring and summer long.
  • The late evening just might see some Pizza.

PARTING WORDS & MUSIC: This week, we lost a giant in the world of music.

Burt Bacharach (1928-2023) passed away Wednesday, February 8th. His work, together with his collaboration with lyricist Hal David (1921-2012) and vocalist Dionne Warwick (born: Marie Dionne Warrick) will forever hail as one of the all-time great entertainment combinations in history.

Yes, it was Bacharach’s death and he should be respected, but the memories of the great Dionne Warwick performing the Bacharach-penned songs and with many lyrics written by David rise to the forefront of musical history. There are more hit songs and ever-lasting themes than can be listed in this notebook. The memories are endless, as there was not a weekend that I can remember growing up in the 1960s and ‘70s, that a Warwick/Bacharachcomposition was not glowing from the living room stereo.

Here’s a sampling/medley, certainly a MUST WATCH.

Bacharach also wrote one of the most memorable movie scores to a classic scene in Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid. Ray Stevens was the first choice to record the song, lyrics by David of course, but he passed. The assignment went to the late B.J Thomas.(1942-2021) and he brought it home with Bacharach and David, complete with two Academy Awards, for best Original Song in a motion picture and best music score for a film. The film was nominated for an Oscar but lost to Midnight Cowboy. Thomas, in 2014, was awarded a Grammy and inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame. The late and legendary Burt Bacharach made it all happen. Rest in Peace.

Another Must Watch:

TL

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | February 5th

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Welcome to the Dog Days of Winter. It’s the first Sunday without NFL football since the weekend of September 11, 2022. That disregards the event formerly known as the Pro Bowl, now being staged in forms other than football.

What do the Dog Days of Winter bring to our sports-loving fandom?

A good look at the NBA of late brings altercations as in fights with guys coming off the bench to “give it a go.” There’s a laundry list of other assorted violations that will keep the NBA Dean of Discipline, the great Joe Dumars, up to his eyeballs with accounting paper and incident reports. Dumars, the most professional, wonderful, honest, down-to-earth player that’s ever played in the NBA, now knows what it was like when his predecessors (Rod Thorn, Stu Jackson) had to deal with the 1987-88-89-90 “Bad Boys” aka the elbow throwing, cheap-shotin’ Bill Laimbeer of the Detroit Pistons.

Suffice to say, Dumars has his hands filled, as did the Veeps of Violence of years past. It’s simply that time of year.

Since February 1st, Dumars has seen his officiating staff dole out 19 technical fouls. They’ve resulted in six ejections, a $25,000 fine for Donovan Mitchell and a one game suspension without pay for Dillon Brooks, estimated to cost the player a cool $78,621 for their efforts this past Thursday.

On Friday night, one of the crazier altercations of out time on earth began with Mo Bamba coming off the Orlando Magic bench to confront Minnesota’s Austin Rivers, who threw several punches as Orlando’s Jalen Suggs joined the melee to tangle with Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels and Taurean Prince both joining the fracas.

Facing the facts? There will be more.

Players, coaches, referees, and even the hot dog vendors have “had it” at this point in the year. They’re “banged up.” They’re playing hurt and the pressure is being turned up as the playoffs grow closer and closer. From a slow simmer on the back burner of January to a full boil come April, there’s no more room for understanding. The Dog Days call for dukes. No questions asked.

Even the G-League experienced the doldrums of the Dog Days of Winter in balmy Sioux Falls when Skyforce guard Mychal Mulder was suspended one game without pay for making contact with a game official and escalating an on-court altercation while Birmingham Squadron forwards James Kelly, Sr. and Kelan Martin were suspended one game without pay for leaving the bench area and escalating that altercation. The incident resulted in the ejections of Kelly, Sr. and Mulder.

The Dog Days know no bounds! But, it can get very dangerous. “Rudy T” dangerous because the players are BIG and STRONG and QUICK and they can pack a punch. There’s very few face masks, no padding and maybe a couple dozen mouth guards being worn by otherwise fully exposed players. Sheer momentum can bring two players together at warp speed.

It’s time for the league to get the word out – the officials are going to enforce the rules on the books. They need to T-up any and all verbal jabs and the players will adjust. The Holy Grail in the NBA is “Playing Time” and the players know where to draw the line when they know the league, from those in the office to officials at the games are going to come down on the B.S. and a suspension and $78k fine gets the word out.

AT PRESS TIME: The NBA league office came down with the hammer. Here’s the news release on fines and suspensions for the Orlando v Minnesota bout:

Orlando Magic center Mo Bamba has been suspended four games without pay and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Austin Rivers has been suspended three games without pay for their roles in an on-court altercation, it was announced today by Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations.

In addition, Magic guard Jalen Suggs has been suspended one game without pay for escalating the altercation by aggressively grabbing Rivers around the neck and pulling him to the floor.

Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels has been fined $20,000 for his role in the altercation which included running into the scrum and pushing Bamba in the back.

The incident, for which all four players received technical fouls and were ejected, occurred with 1:32 remaining in the third quarter of the Magic’s 127-120 win over the Timberwolves on Feb. 3 at Target Center.

Bamba and Rivers engaged in an altercation in front of the Magic bench, with both players throwing punches. Suggs and McDaniels then entered the altercation as non-peacemakers, which resulted in a continued escalation of the situation.

Following the incident, Bamba attempted to continue to engage with Rivers in a hostile manner in the corridor outside the locker rooms where he also aggressively shoved a security representative. Both Bamba and Rivers continued the escalation on social media following the game.

GET THE REMOTE: As you begin your Dog Day Sunday Morning & Afternoon, your viewing choices can range from a 9:00am (ET) Leeds United v. Nottingham Forest Premier League soccer game on USA Network to a 12 Noon (ET) DePaul at Seton Hall tilt on FS1.

If you prefer to stick with USA Net, the Fordham Rams and Richmond Spiders will be awaiting tip-off in an A-10 tussle. Or, you can watch Six Nations Rugby or Bowling or Figure Skating or Rodeo or Horse Racing or Women’s Pro Hockey or wait-out some NASCAR race at the LA Coliseum at 8pm (ET) – it’ll be Sunset Grills in Southern California.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Only eight days until Pitchers & Catchers report to Spring Training for Major League Baseball teams. That’s a sure sign, Spring is on the way and this cold blast (-10 here) will blow back to Canada and beautiful Spring days are not too far away. Spring Training leads to March Madness and WWYI favorite event of the year with the BIG EAST tournament scheduled for March 8-11th, the 41st year the tournament will be staged at The Garden. … The PLAYERS Championship is aligned with the BIG EAST and will be staged at TPC Sawgrass from March 7-12th. The signature 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass gets the vast majority of the attention, but the entire course is gorgeous and one of the most famous in the world. (More on that later in the column). … After a sometimes chilly March 30th Opening Day for Baseball their are a few other sure signs of Spring in the Northeast United States. The Masters will take place at beautiful August National from April 6-9 and it will be followed by the single best day of the year in Boston. Patriots’ Day, Monday April 17th, and the running of the Boston Marathon is only 71 days away. The great day is enhanced by the 11:00am LA Angels at Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park. Sheer perfection for a day when the entire city of Boston and the Commonwealth as a whole revolves around sports and celebrates the marathoners as they weave their way through eight local towns and cities: Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline, and Boston. … Of recent years, the Boston Marathon was set back severely when the 2013 race was marred by a bombing incident. Two crazed radicals manufactured two homemade bombs and set them off within minutes of each other and some 200 yards from the finish line in Copley. Three spectators will killed immediately while some 260+ people were injured, 17 losing limbs. A few days later, while trying to escape a citywide manhunt with residents sheltered in place, the two brothers killed an MIT police officer and fled to the suburbs. The crime fighters of multiple agencies located the two bothers and one was killed in a shoot-out and subsequent fatal rundown as his younger brother fled the scene. Later, the younger brother was located, hiding in the backyard of a Watertown home, shot and critically injured in a winterized boat. His trial resulted in multiple charges meriting the death penalty. He is currently incarcerated in the Supermax ADX detention center in Florence, Colorado. A March, 2022 court ruling reinstated the death penalty verdict handed down but was being scrutinized by the Supreme Court of the United States.

Here’s a look at some select dates you can circle on your calendar (Partial List of Great Sports Events from Feb to June 1):

  • February 4 – March 18 – Six Nations Rugby
  • February 12 – Super Bowl (Phoenix, AZ)
  • February 19 – NBA All-Star Game (Salt Lake City, UT)
  • March 7-12 – The PLAYERS (TPC Sawgrass)
  • March 8-11 – BIG EAST Tournament (New York City)
  • March 12 – NCAA Selection Sunday (Indianapolis, IN)
  • March 8-21 – World Baseball Classic (Miami and other cities)
  • March 14-15 – NCAA Men’s Basketball First Four (Dayton, OH)
  • March 16-17 – NCAA Men’s Basketball First Round (Multiple cities)
  • March 18-19 – NCAA Men’s Basketball Second Round (Multiple)
  • March 23-24 – NCAA Sweet 16
  • March 25-16 – Elite 8
  • March 30 – Opening Day in MLB (Multiple cities, all 30 teams)
  • March 31-April 2 – NCAA Women’s Final Four (Dallas)
  • April 1 – Final Four (Houston, TX)
  • April 3 – NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Game (Houston, TX)
  • April 6-9 – The Masters (Augusta, GA)
  • April 11-14 – NBA Play-In Tournament (Multiple Cities)
  • April 15 – NBA Playoffs Begin
  • April 17 – Patriots’ Day – Boston Marathon + Red Sox at 11am (Boston, MA)
  • April 17 – NHL Playoffs Begin
  • May 6 – Kentucky Derby – (Churchill Downs)
  • May 16 – NBA Draft Lottery –
  • May 18-21 – PGA Championship – (Oak Hill, Rochester, NY)
  • May 20 – The Preakness Stakes – (Baltimore, MD)
  • May 28 – Indy 500 – (Indianapolis, IN)
  • May 28 – French Open – (First Matches) – (Paris, France) – until 6/11

Clip and Save ⬆️

TIDBITS: Pick a job, any job. What would you rather do for gainful employment? If you are Secretary of Labor, a Cabinet position, reporting to the President of the United States of America OR become the head of the NHL Players Association? … Similarly, would you prefer to be the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the President of the National Collegiate Athletic Association? … That is the question for former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, and recently replaced Governor of Mass, Charlie Baker, who did not seek a third term after serving from 2015 to 2023. Both jobs are prestigious, yet thankless positions with much public scrutiny. The NHL Players association gig potentially pays the most while the NCAA President job has the most heavy-lifting to do, fighting off the influences of the “Power 5” NCAA football programs while juggling multiple issues, including Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) issues and the equal treatment of women within the collegiate framework. … The realities? WWYI can NOT see Baker living in Indianapolis nor Walsh living in Toronto or NYC. … Let’s see how this plays out.

MORE WORDS, PHRASES AND CLICHES TO AVOID: While We’re Young (Ideas) provided the STRONG recommendation to NOT use the word “Narrative” any longer in your written or verbal communications. While you read that piece of advice, you were also urged to stop “Unpacking” or having a “lot to unpack” from a situation. The advice came with a few other gems. … Today, a few more:

  • “Just like that”
  • Ball screen
  • “The crowd is electric”
  • “No Question”
  • True freshman
  • Bubble team
  • “The car’s running a little loose”
  • ‘Turnovers (or protecting the ball) will be the key”

Let’s play cliche BINGO at Super Bowl parties everywhere?

A PEBBLE FOR YOUR THOUGHTS: The PGA Tour made its way to the fabulous Monterrey Peninsula and 17 Mile Drive at Pebble Beach. Thursday was a gorgeous day until the winds kicked-in late in the first round. The scenic course layout prompted the question: Name the most beautiful golf courses in the USA? Here’s WWYI’s take on that open-ended question:

  1. Augusta National (Augusta, GA)
  2. Pebble Beach Golf Links (Pebble Beach, CA)
  3. Cypress Point (Monterrey, CA)
  4. Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
  5. Oakmont CC (Chicago, IL)
  6. Seminole GC (Palm Beach, FLA)
  7. Winged Foot (Westchester, NY)
  8. Muirfield Village (Ohio)
  9. The Country Club (Brookline)
  10. Riviera Country Club (Pacific Palisades, CA)

Noteables: Torrey Pines (San Diego); The Plantation Course, (Kapalua, HI), Whistling Straits (Wisconsin); Bethpage Black, (Long Island, NY); Kiawah Island Golf Resort: The Ocean Course (South Carolina); Shadow Creek (Las Vegas, NV); Pinehurst No. 2 (North Carolina); Baltusrol (Lower) (Springfield, NJ).

Across the Pond?

  1. Old Course at St. Andrews
  2. Muirfield, East Lothian, Scotland
  3. Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland
  4. Turnberry, Scotland
  5. Royal St. George’s, Sandwich, England
  6. Royal Birkdale, Southport, England
  7. Carnoustie Golf Links is in Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes – Jan 29th

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While We’re Young (Ideas) – On the NFL and Much More Important Things

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick (File Photo)

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – First things first. The AFC Championship is NOT in Foxboro and the Patriots reportedly are pointing fingers at coach Bill Belichick, his assistant coaches and each other on the reasons why. The tail end of that sentence clearly answers the front end declaration. It’s time for a shake-up at Gillette and the re-hiring of Bill O’Brien will not be enough.

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

O’Brien returned to New England after a two-year stint as Nick Saban’s offensive coordinator at Alabama. O’Brien also had brief stints at Penn State as head coach in 2012-13 and a longer run with the head coach of the Houston Texans from 2014-20.

While the Patriots’ defense ranked No. 9 in Opponent Yards per Game and 11th in points allowed per game, it’s certainly the offensive side of the football that needs work. Looking at Special Teams, the Patriots ranked a league worst, according to ESPN’s DVOA (Defense adjusted-Value Over Average) and, the Patriots finished the 2022-23 NFL season at No. 16 in scoring and No. 26 in Yards per Game. Only Indianapolis, Chicago, Carolina, Tennessee, Houston and the LA Rams fared worse on gaining yards. In 3rd Down conversions, New England ranked No. 27 (of 32 NFL teams).

Belichick quickly addressed the issue, hiring O’Brien before the NFC/AFC Championship weekend. That will fill about 25% of the Patriots’ overall hole. The other 75% is on the players – the players on offense.

An interview with Captain Obvious floats the rumors the New York Jets will attempt to acquire longtime Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers just as they did in acquiring Green Bay’s Brett Favre in 2008. The Favre experiment lasted one season. Rodgers? Maybe two, but the trade would put New England at the bottom of the AFC East ladder predictions come September. (In 2022, New England (8-9) barely bested the J-E-T-S (7-10).

For New England, RB Rhamondre Stevenson, a 1,000+ yard rusher in 2022 will have high expectations as a 25-year old come 2023. RB Damien Harris spells Stevenson nicely, so the concentration for Belichick and O’Brien will be elsewhere.

Quarterback Mac Jones with his 84.9 QB rating over 14 games started in ‘22 will be in a make-it-or-break-it season. Bailey Zappe, who will turn 24 in April, is the No. 2 who will never be compared with Josh Allen of Buffalo or Patrick Mahomes of the KC Chiefs.

The NE receiving corps were abysmal. Jacobi Meyers (804 yards on 67 receptions); DeVante Parker (539 yards on 31 receptions); Kendrick Bourne (434 on 35) and tight end Henry Hunter (509 yards on 41 receptions) didn’t get the job done. Meyers had six TDs and the next three combined for six. The Patriots’ braintrust will need to beef up the WRs and TEs either through the free agency market or draft.

It won’t be until the WRs improve that any blame can be placed upon the shoulders of Mac Jones. Unless a minor miracle is performed at Patriot Place, Jones will be the started QB for 2023.

In the NFL Draft (April 27-29), the Patriots will seek help for the offensive line and for a deep-threat wide receiver. Of course Belichick never remains shy if there’s a top-notch corner available when the Patriots pick at No. 14.

That Patriots forecast leads us to Sunday’s NFC (SF 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles) and AFC (Cincinnati Bengals at KC Chiefs) Championship, arguably the best day of the year on the NFL schedule, unless you enjoy endless, two-week long pregame hype and endless $7-million dollar TV ads.

For those who enjoy a trip to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl or the first Thursday/Friday of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, next time, try the NFC/AFC doubleheader which comes along with lesser crowding, better games and some decent regular season hoops (College and NBA) games on Saturday.

From this armchair, the kiss of death for the Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals is that every talking head, every handicapper, former players, known sports gamblers – everybody – is picking a Philadelphia vs Cincinnati Super Bowl.

The lines as of Jan 28th – roughly 24 hours before kick-off:

  • Eagles (-2.5) over 49ers
  • Chiefs (-1.5) over Bengals

The pontificating pigskin public first saw the Eagles at (-1.5) while the Chiefs were getting (+1) on the opening.

The O/U for the Niners v Eagles opened at (45.5) and stands at (46.0).

The O/U for the Bengals at Chiefs opened at (46.5) and is up to (48).

Call me crazy, I like the Niners getting 2.5 and would not be afraid of the (+130) ML while I really like the KC Chiefs. Rumor has it a lot of “sharp” money came in on KC early.

KC will do or die by their secondary coverage of WRs Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. I think KC can keep Chase under wraps, maybe a TD. Higgins can be the deciding factor as Cincy QB Joe Burrows will hit the open man. RB Joe Mixon on short screens could be a factor more so than via his straight run game.

The emergence of RB Isiah Pacheco for the Chiefs and the sure-fire, can’t stop it QB Patrick Mahomes to TE Travis Kelce will be enough to guide the Chiefs at Arrowhead. That said, a re-injury to Mahomes’ high ankle sprain would be disastrous for KC.

For SF, it’s all about Christian McCaffrey and the 49ers’ solid defense to match Philly. Any wavering by the Eagles in the first half will bring the pressure of the “Linc” down upon a playoff inexperienced roster. The Niners will need (at least) six points from their defense.

It’s kick-off time at 3:00pm (ET) (FOX) at Philly and roughly 6:30pm, call it 7:00pm if the game runs long, at Kansas City on CBS.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The NBA announced that they’ll pick sides for the annual NBA All-Star Game right before the game begins. Besides watching the Consumer Products guys flip-out providing proper jerseys and numbers and the Courtside stat inputter have a canary typing in the players/teams into the computers, it should make for a lot of fun.

The bad news, it should result in more “three point shots” being chucked-up as the coaches won’t even have a single practice to put in a few offensive sets to run. The talent of the NBA players will rise when the coaches put in some offense being run by nearly every team, but may God bless the point guards if they can organize any kind of half-court game.

The knee-jerk when the offenses aren’t in sync is for the ball to go up from three-point-land in the Mike D’Antoni style of “Seven Seconds of Less.” That concept calls for a shot to go up before the defense gets back. In other words, get the shot when the 24-second shot clock reads … 18-17. Last February, Steph Curry hit (16) three-pointers, shooting 16-of-27 from behind the arc. He had 50 points.

The number(s) to beat are (90) attempts by Team LeBron in 2019 when the game had a record (167) three-point field goal attempts. Sheesh.

TID-BITS: A copy of “How Basketball Can Save the World,” by David Hollander magically appeared in the mailbox of WWYI on Friday. Funny how that happens, isn’t it? Upon a quick flip today, the book looks like a job very well done. I can’t wait to find time to delve deep and read every syllable, then re-read it all again. First thought was that the book should be REQUIRED reading for every collegiate Sociology and Sports Business Management class in the world. More to come.

They call them “The Joker(s)” because American fans have trouble pronouncing Denver Nuggets’ MVP candidate Nikola Jokic or tennis great Novak Djokovic who will face “the Greek Tzatziki” in Stefanos Tsitsipas at 3:30am (ET) this morning. Set your alarm clock or your iPhone alarms.

QUARTERLY REPORT: As will be the custom – as often as a quarterly basis, the investment wing of WWYI Enterprises will reveal its most recent plays in the market. Some are successful while others are not. We tip our hat and tap our ice hockey sticks to our mentor in the investment world, Ralph Kramden. Old Ralph boy made significant investments in a few beauties. Here are just a few:

  • No Cal Pizza
  • A Parking Lot Next to the Movie Theatre (How would he know it was a Drive-In)?
  • The Handy Housewife Helper (MUST WATCH here)

Here’s our Quarterly Portfolio:

  • Sizable Investment in a new Theatrical Show: Chartreuse Man Group
  • 10,000 Shares in: The Fire-and-Brimstone Tire Company
  • 100,000 Shares in: The Lava Fence (*clinical trial failed in Hawaii)
  • Controlling interest in Oscar Madison Square Garden Network

ONE SMALL STEP FOR HOMA, ONE GIANT LEAP for the PGA TOUR: Did you see the clip of PGA Tour pro Max Homa walking toward his ball on the 13th hole at Torrey Pines? If not, watch this and I’ll pick it up “on the other side.”

Twitter avatar for @GolfonCBS

Golf on CBS ⛳ @GolfonCBS
Mic’d up Max Homa ‼️🎤 “If I can hit this thing to 5 feet then I’m too good to be only 7 under.” 😂
HOME MIC’D UP:

First, let’s credit Max Homa for his participation and willingness to do an interview DURING his round of professional golf.

Secondly, credit the top notch interview skills of newly crowned golf commentator Trevor Immelman who made his CBS lead commentator debut this week. Add, equal praise for both Ian Baker-Finch and Frank Nobilo. With all three, the line of questioning was perfect for both a 1-handicap or a newcomer to the game of golf.

With the pressure applied to the PGA Tour by the LIV golf circuit, there will be more and more interaction with the PGA Tour players during their rounds, in addition to the usual before or after. It seems the players, as a group, realize the stakes have been raised and this is the time to forge cooperation with the Tour’s network partners.

Meanwhile, LIV Golf settled for a US television deal with the CW Network and moved their final event from Miami to Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) to take place November 3-5 – a good two months after the PGA Tour crowns its FEDEx CUP champion at the TOUR Championship to be played at East Lake in Atlanta (before the NFL season kicks-off).

WE LOVE THE TEAM VALUATIONS, HERE’s to the EPL:

Again, tip of the cap to our friends at Sportico for the hard work that goes into making these valuations, here’s the list of the Top 5 English Premier League clubs:

  1. Manchester United – $5.95 billion
  2. Liverpool – $4.71 billion
  3. Manchester City – $4.43 billion
  4. Arsenal – $3.6 billion
  5. Chelsea – $3.47 billion

The “average” Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise is worth $582 million. Not too shabby.

Parting Words

I DO NOT know where to start, so I’ll wing it on a topic far too important to take lightly. Better said, I’ll just try to do my best:

It wasn’t until about 2008 or so when I really learned there are some bad people in this everyday world, all with a single common denominator of evil overtaking them and their minds and actions. It’s prevalent in every single workplace, every field, every industry, in every single corner of the earth. Why? I do not know.

It took me 48 years to understand it and much was taught to me by my friend and former NBA colleague, Bob Delaney, who faced certain evils as a New Jersey State Trooper at the ripe age of 23, as he went undercover to try to bust up a major crime syndicate on the Jersey side of the Hudson. He wrote of it in his book, COVERT, recently re-printed as demand continued for a good true-crime book. Bob stressed they were just a bunch of “regular guys” who would bump off a delivery truck on the way to attend a First Holy Communion ceremony and then meet-up with each other for a Sunday family party.

Yes, I had heard about it. Yes, I had watched it unfold but as psuedo-comedy shows or motion pictures, such as “The Sopranos” or “Goodfellas.” I’d never heard it “live” like we saw on tape from a light pole in Memphis Friday night.

We – at the NBA – had a criminal rogue referee betray all we had done in our basketball lives, a wonderful force of like-minded people were all spreading the basketball gospel. Until THUD. A ref and his high school ‘friends” betting on the games. “GUILTY,” said the Judge.

“There are bad guys everywhere,” said Delaney to me as I was shaken to the core by someone who would undermine our game and all the work that was put-in over the years.

That basketball moment was important to me at the time, but this… this disgrace in Memphis … this total undermining of the entire law enforcement society built to protect us all … is disgusting and CRIMINAL.

Yes, I believe in the “innocent until proven guilty by a jury of your peers,” but damn, it’s on tape.

So, let the justice system do its job. The big Blue Shield has been exposed once again, evil overtaking the good of all the people of Memphis. The people who need their police to protect them, not kick them to death.

It burns me (and everyone on the right side of the law) up. It undermines and disappoints us to the highest degree possible.

What’s left? What can we do other than to pray for the people of Memphis, for the deceased (Mr. Tyre Nichols) and his family. Pray for peace and justice in Memphis at this precise time in our nation’s sorely blemished history.

Pray for healing. It’s not the answer but simply a remedy for the growing illness of evil.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Jan 22

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While We’re Young (Ideas) | Time Flies for Patriots and Sox

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Glance over your shoulder and 2018 doesn’t seem all that long ago. But five years in the NFL equates to a player’s career counted in dog years and Blake Bortles, Leonard Fournette and the Jacksonville Jags laying a 28-14 whoopin’ on the Pittsburgh Steelers is a long way back.

The Steelers battled back that January and Jaguars squeaked by to face the vaunted Patriots defeated Jacksonville, 24-20 to win the AFC Championship on January 21, 2018. The National Football League “Goliaths” somehow lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, 41-33, that February but would bounce back a year later to win their second Super Bowl title in three years, their sixth title in the Tom Brady–Bill Belichick era.

Since then, the Jags built, re-built, sucked and re-built again with two of the best young players in the game today. Tanking a la carte.

How fragile it can be in the NFL.

Over at the old ballpark, the Boston Red Sox won four World Series titles from 2004 to 2018, that magical year at Fenway. Steve Pearce was the World Series and Mookie Betts was the MVP of the American League just five years ago.

A lifetime ago in Major League Baseball years, free agency and all. Old Dog years.

We have just 22 days until Pitchers & Catchers report to spring training and the scouting reports for the Sox project another possible last place finish in the AL East, a division loaded with talent, from the 99-win New York Yankees seemingly on the way up to the Wild Card holders Tampa Bay and Toronto to the immensely talented Baltimore Orioles, winners of 83 games last season.

The 2023 Sox?

One can predict ahead to the strength of a baseball team by looking straight up the middle. For Boston, because of the loss of SS Xander Bogaerts to free agency to the oft-injured Trevor Story, the men-in-the-middle will be challenged. Take a quick look at the depth chart:

  • Catcher: Reese McGuire
  • 2B: Christian Arroyo
  • SS: Kiké Hernandez
  • CF: Rob Refsnyder
  • SP: Chris Sale; Corey Kluber, Nick Pivetta and – maybe – James Paxton

Suspect, at best. Cellar-dwellers, at worst.

So what do those stubborn and spoiled New Englanders do for their sports fix in 2023?

The Boston Bruins of the NHL are a league leading 36-5-4 with a whopping 76 points through 45 games (not including Saturday night). The Bruins are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and an astonishing 21-1-3 at TD Garden, never a fortress of Ws.

Bruins goalkeeper Linus Ullmark of Sweden is the favorite for the league’s Vezina Trophy for best goaltending with his 1.89 goals against average and his .937 save percentage, both figures topping NHL goaltenders.

Forward David Pastrnak leads Boston in scoring with 63 points, good enough to rank T-4th in the NHL. Pastrnak has 35 goals and seems to be warming up after a bit of a slow start to the 2022-23 season. Forwards Brad Marchand and team captain Patrice Bergeron returned for injuries, Bergeron was considering retirement as his longtime goalkeep Tuukka Raskhad decided to hang-up the skates in ‘22.

Forwards David Krejci (1,000 games into his career) and left wings Taylor Hall and Jake DeBrusk have picked up the scoring to round-out a very consistent offense – both home and on the road.

Some of this might be news to out-of-towners, but for Bostonians the buzz for a busy April-May-and possibly-June surround the Garden.

Across the Hall, the same goes for the Boston Celtics, league leaders in W-Ls, winners of nine-of-ten and nine in a row after gutting out a 121-118 OT win over the visiting Golden State Warriors on Thursday and a 106-104 win over Toronto on Saturday, January 21st, in a game that stayed locked at the final score for the final 1:13.

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is in a four player race for league MVP, along with international stars Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Doncic, an amazing stat considering only 25% of the NBA player rosters consist of international players. Joel Embiid of Philly by way of Cameroon, might be a distant fifth in the race.

The Celtics, after a 2022 NBA Finals loss to Golden State last summer, are primed, deep and ready for the next step. Only injuries might stand in their way and they are coming quite often. Of late, guard Marcus Smart, last season’s Defensive Player of the Year, and Robert Williams are both sidelined as of Saturday. Smart left the Cs game against the Raptors with an injured ankle while Williams Saturday hyperextended the same left knee he had surgery upon last March. Tatum has been playing through a sore left wrist and might skip some time as he did against the Raptors.

It’s a ways until the NBA All-Star Week in Salt Lake City and the NHL All-Star Game in sunny Sunrise, Florida. Until the mid-season classics are in the book and the dog-days of March play-out, the NBA and NHL playoff seedings are very much up for grabs. Only the health of the players can determine success come springtime.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Front Office Sports delved into the wonderful world of Pickleball after Major League Pickleball (we’re not joking) unveiled its A-list team of investors for its 24-team league. KC Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is in on the action as are tennis stars Naomi Osaka and Chris Evert, nevermind supermodel and adidas influencer Heidi Klum.

Other investors include Major League Baseball pitcher Justin Verlander and his wife, the model and actress Kate Upton, German soccer star Mesut Ӧzil, former National Basketball Association stars Jeremy Lin and Dirk Nowitzki, and former NFL wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald

Major League Pickleball also unveiled its final two franchises to be added to the league, with the St. Louis Shock and Orlando Squeeze joining ahead of the 2023 tournament/season starting this month.

The addition of the two new teams completes the expansion to 24 teams that the league announced in December. The Shock’s ownership group will be headed by Richard Chaifetz and his son Ross, while Ryan DeVos will front he new ownersship group of the Squeeze.

The DeVos family, who own the NBA’s Orlando Magic and Major League Soccer’s Orlando City, invested in the newly formed Pro Volleyball Federation through an ownership group for a new franchise in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

TID-BITS: New York-based venture capital firm Courtside Ventures is now launching its third fund, focusing on early-stage companies involved in sports, digital media, fitness and gaming. Courtside announced a new raise of $100m – much from current NBA team ownership groups.

NBA POWER RATINGS: This listing should probably await the NBA All-Star break, but here’s an early look as the second half of the season fast approaches:

  1. Boston Celtics
  2. Denver Nuggets
  3. Milwaukee Bucks
  4. Memphis Grizzlies
  5. Philadelphia 76ers
  6. Brooklyn Nets (injuries a factor)
  7. Sacramento Kings (winners of six straight)
  8. New Orleans Pelicans
  9. Cleveland Cavaliers
  10. Dallas Mavericks

Perennial NBA playoff qualifiers, like the Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, LA Clippers and Lakers, Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz, might be in trouble.

The upcoming NBA Trading Deadline (Thursday, February 9) could put some intrigue in the air around stalled franchises, like hot-start Portland (10-4 start, now sitting at 21-24).

NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL POWER: The men’s college basketball conference championships and “March Madness” are on the horizon. Teams in the BIG 10, ACC, BIG EAST, Big 12 & Pac 12, SEC, American Athletic (just Houston, really), and the West Coast Conference (figuring Gonzaga will be there in the long haul) are all battling it out within conference. Here’s a short list of the teams to watch through the end of February

  1. Purdue
  2. Houston
  3. Kansas
  4. Alabama
  5. UCLA
  6. Xavier
  7. Texas
  8. Gonzaga
  9. Tennessee
  10. Virginia
  11. Arizona
  12. Iowa State
  13. Kansas State
  14. UConn
  15. TCU
  16. Auburn

There’s still a VERY long way to go. Don’t turn your backs on Duke, North Carolina, Marquette, Miami, Clemson and Providence. It’s 49 days until Selection Sunday.

NHL POWER RATINGS: Lastly, a quick look at the NHL’s best:

  1. Boston Bruins
  2. Carolina Hurricanes
  3. Toronto Maple Leafs
  4. New Jersey Devils
  5. Tampa Bay Lightning
  6. Dallas Stars
  7. Winnipeg Jets
  8. Seattle Kraken
  9. Vegas Golden Knights
  10. New York Rangers

Look out for those Rangers, while the Kings, Oilers, Caps, Wild, Penguins, Calgary and Avalanche are all within the realm of Stanley Cup Playoffs contenders in 2023.

While We’re Young (Ideas) is a weekly Sunday Sports Notebook & Column, written by Terry Lyons. Each notebook harkens back to the days when you’d walk over to the city newsstand on Saturday night around 10pm to pick-up a copy of the Sunday papers. Inside, just waiting, was a sports-filled compilation of interesting notes, news, quotes and quips. TL’s Sunday Sports Notes – brought to you by Digital Sports Desk.

TL’s Sunday (Mostly) Sports Notes

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While We’re Young (Ideas) Examines “The Garden”

By TERRY LYONS

NEW YORK – Do you have a reuooooommme? (a.k.a. a room or, in German, zimmer).

I have a favorite reuoooooommme in New York City. It’s located atop Pennsylvania Station, 31st-to-33rd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenue. It comes with a view and memories. More memories than the human mind can hold. It’s the World’s Greatest Arena and that’s no exaggeration. From when we all can remember as a little kids, the boxing publicity and great Public Address man, the late John Condon, reminded me of the fact. Condon was right every time.

Madison Square Garden is my favorite place in the world, edging out Fenway Park in Boston and the towns of Chatham and Osterville, and my home sweet home near Boston, Massachusetts. Fenway Park is a gift, one of only two neighborhood and old-time ballparks remaining with Wrigley Field in Chicago being the other.

Fenway is my happy place, whether the Red Sox are World Series Champions or cellar-dwellers. You can count on Fenway and you can count on baseball every spring and summer. Sometimes Fenway Park switches from baseball to college football or to its Summer Concert Series. If you can see the likes of Paul McCartney on a nice summer night at Fenway, just do it.

The high ratings for the two Cape Cod towns is self explanatory for anyone who has set foot on our sandy jewels, on the coast. The only place that can compete in the Northeast is Ditch Plains in Montauk.

But that brings us back to New York and the Garden. In fact, you can step on a Long Island Rail Road train in the town of Montauk and ride all the way (117 miles) to the engineering wonder of Penn Station and The Garden. Even on the coldest day of winter, if you run from your car to the train, you don’t even need a coat, as you can take a series of escalators and steps right to the ticket windows at MSG. State the same for hundreds of other routes – whether they be Metro North, Subways from the Bronx to the far reaches of Brooklyn or Queens – fans can get to The Garden.

Which brings me to this week’s notes column and Friday night’s Billy Joel Concert. The Garden just announced that this July’s concert by the Bronx-born, Hicksville, Long Island reared Joel is scheduled to be his 92nd monthly and 138th all-time performance at Madison Square Garden. He’s been playing his monthly residence at The Garden since January 2014 – nine years ago – and says he’ll keep playing “as long as the demand continues.” The shows sell out utilizing every inch, never mind seat in the building and come complete with “Garden-sized” ticket prices ($97.00-to-$1,090.60+) and $20.00 a beer pops to the wallet which ring-up more money in one night than Joel made in many of his years climbing to a 1999 Rock Hall of Fame inductee.

He’s won everything from Grammys to TONYs to Kennedy Center honors to American Music Awards, among many others.

So why all the fuss about Billy Joel in a Sports Notes column? Joel has played Citified, Yankees and Shea Stadiums, the latter the venue for a terrific show (and DVD), “The Last Play at Shea.” He’s played Fenway, Wrigley and Camden Yards. He’s even played the Notre Dame Stadium and the Melbourne Cricket Grounds in Australia. You name the ballpark, and he’s sold-it-out and some. Throughout 2023, he’ll play a series of outdoor shows with Fleetwood Mac’s siren and songstress, Stevie Nicks, including a summertime stop at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. His only European stop this summer will be at Hyde Park in London.

Joel’s Friday night show at MSG joins a long list of personal favorite moments at a personal favorite place.

But, taking it a step further, here’s a couple listings of my personal favorite moments at MSG, a list that might fluctuate, depending on my old but vivid memories “from when I wore a younger man’s clothes.”

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TL’s List of Favorite Madison Square Garden Memories: Yes, I was there!

  • The 1971 National Invitational Tournament is a great way to start my two lists as it was the first time I stepped foot in the “new” Garden which opened in February 1968. St. John’s and 15 other highly ranked college basketball teams played first round, quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals, all at MSG. We attended most sessions, with my oldest brother, the late Timothy Lyons usually driving to Queens Plaza in Elmhurst and then taking the subway (now the “R” train) into the City. We saw a young Julius Erving and UMass, a strong Providence Friars with Coach (the late) Dave Gavitt and Ernie D (DiGregorio), and semi-finalists Duke and St. Bonaventure along with finalists Georgia Tech vs. North Carolina with Coach (the late) Dean Smith with LI Lutheran’s Bill Chamberlaingaining NIT MVP honors for Carolina. (March 1971)
  • A year later, St. John’s reached the semi-finals of the 1972 NIT once again but lost in a two-point heartbreaker to Niagara while Tom McMillen took MVP honors for NIT champion Maryland, 31-point winners over Niagara in the final. (March 1972)
  • The Concert for New York stands out as a tremendous night. The show-stoppers were The Who with Roger Daltry, Pete Townshend, bass John Entwistle, drummer Zak Starkey (Ringo Starr’s son) and pinch-hitting keyboardist Jon Carin performing the greatest rock n’ roll set of the night and maybe a performance that can stand up historically to Freddie Mercury and Queen at Live Aid or Prince practicing at his Paisley Park studios on a Tuesday afternoon, not to mention his work center stage at Royal Albert Hall, playing “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” in a tribute to The Beatles’ George Harrison. At the 2001 Concert for New York, only a month or so after the attack on the Twin Towers, The Who were forced to play mid-way through the show because Entwistle had previously booked a solo show at B.B. King’s in Times Square. There was no foolin’ around as The Who player four of their best songs, rocking a sold out Garden and providing thousands of Fire Fighters, Cops and other first responders a chance to sing, dance, applaud and smile for the first time since the night of September 10th that year. They played:
    • Who Are You?
    • Baba O’Riley
    • Behind Blue Eyes
    • Won’t Get Fooled Again

John “The Ox” Entwistle passed away suddenly in June 2002.

  • The 1998 NBA All-Star Game at The Garden is mostly remembered for then 19-year old Kobe Bryant (RIP) challenging game MVP Michael Jordan, but it’s on this list for a different reason. At the break, the NBA pulled off one, if not THE greatest sports halftime show of all-time when they shutdown Broadway and had the cast of every theatrical hit musical on hand and in full costume to do an incredible medley of songs. An impossible sound engineering miracle, it will never be repeated and was a “shake your head in disbelief moment” as King Wally, Mike Walczewski introduced The Broadway All-Stars. (MUST visit HERE).
  • A total luck-out delivered my all-time favorite New York Rangersmemory when longtime NYR goalkeeper, Eddie Giacomin, was waived by the team. As fate would have it, Giacomin was picked-up off waivers by the Detroit Red Wings and they were scheduled to play the Rangers at The Garden on Sunday, November 2, 1975 – two days after the waiver claim. Long before that, we had acquired four tickets – in the Greens – to the Red Wings at Rangers game. Giacomin, wearing a red No. 31 instead of his usual home white No. 1 for the Rangers, started in goal and the Rangers’ fans let it be known who they were rooting for that night. Giacomin led the Red Wings to a 6-4 win over the NYR while the MSG crowd rooted for Detroit all night long, even booing the Rangers who scored. As an Islanders fan, it just made my day.
  • St. John’s vs. Duke in a midseason double overtime thriller (January 24, 1999) became the best regular season game many of the players had ever competed in, and both coaches – Mike Krzyzewski of No. 2 Duke and the overmatched Mike Jarvis of the No. 8 Johnnies said the same. St. John’s swingman Bootsy Thornton was unstoppable, totaling 40 points but Duke, with Elton Brand (16-12 and 7) and company taking a 92-88 national televised victory back to Durham.
  • Syracuse defeated UConn (127-117) in a Six Overtime BIG EAST tournament nightcap which took 3 hours and 46 minutes to complete. The quarter-final victory vaulted Syracuse to a win vs. West Virginia on Friday night and to the Big East final when they lost to Louisville. The Orange did make the Sweet 16 of the NCAA’s before losing to Oklahoma. (March 12-13, 2009)
  • St. John’s won the 1983 BIG EAST Conference championship and Madison Square Garden became the home of the BIG EAST forever. The first year, 1980, the BIG East staged its conference tournament in Providence, much to the ease of Commissioner Dave Gavitt’s home office. Syracuse took the honors. The following two years, the season ending tourney was held at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse and the Hartford Civic Center, respectively. When Chris Mullin and the Johnnies won at The Garden, everyone in the conference knew something special was on hand. The BIG EAST tournament has been at MSG ever since and the long list of incredible games and memories is far too long for this column. It is – no doubt – my favorite event of the year.
  • More Concerts than I can even Remember: Yes, I feel both spoiled and fortunate at the same time, but concerts – like the 12-12-12 event for Sandy Hurricane relief, multiple shows featuring Eric Clapton, including a once in a lifetime CREAM show with Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce, both since passed away, tons of Bruce Springsteen, U2, multiple shows by the greatest band, The Rolling Stones (RIP Charlie), The Grateful Dead (once with Bruce Hornsby on the keyboards), R.E.M., Dave Matthews, Phil Collins, and, of course, The Allman Brothers.
  • The show that stands out the most? It’s U2 with a series of shows from October 24-27, 2001, 43 days after the terrorist attacks that took down the World Trade Center, Pentagon and killed good, innocent passengers and crew of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Ohio. When Bono grabbed his guitar, draped his microphone stand so delicately with the USA Flag, we knew it was coming. The simplest gesture of scrolling the name of every person killed by the terrorists on a black screen to the tunes of ONE which led into WALK ON brought us all to tears. U2 repeated the tribute at the 2002 NFL Super Bowl. It was powerful on the global stage, but seemingly intimate at The Garden. The greatest place in the world.

TL’s List of Favorite Madison Square Garden Memories: Seen on TV:

  • New York Knicks team captain Willis Reed limped out to the court to join his teammates in warm-ups, then start Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Championship. Reed hit his first two jumpers against Wilt Chamberlainand the Los Angeles Lakers sending The Garden into a frenzy never seen before or afterwards. Reed led the Knicks to a one-sided 113-99 victory, not scoring again in the game but lifting guard Walt Frazier’s confidence enough for Frazier to score 36 points with 19 assists and seven rebounds. (May 8, 1970)

Twitter avatar for @NBAHistory

@NBAHistory
“I think we see Willis coming out!” On May 8, 1970, Willis Reed fought through injury to start Game 7 in the @nyknicks‘ NBA Finals-clinching win over the Lakers at MSG. #NBAVault
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7:30 PM ∙ May 8, 2020

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  • After losing the first game of the 1973 NBA Championship Series to the Los Angeles Lakers, the New York Knicks took four straight games, including two at The Garden. The defensive-minded Knicks with six Hall of Fame players on the roster and Red Holzman as coach, won 87-83 and 103-98 to win the title, the first for Jerry Lucas and Earl “The Pearl” Monroe. (May 6 & 8, 1973)
  • The Knicks scored the final 19 points of the game with a 19-0 run to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks, 87-86. Earl Monroe led New York with 22 points as the Knicks outscored defending champion Bucks with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 29-to-12 in the final quarter. Afterward, NYK forward Bill Bradley said it was the first and only time in his life he could see “sound” as The Garden crowd rocked and prompted the victory. (November 18, 1972)
  • Smokin’ Joe Frazier defeated Muhammad Ali in “The Fight of the Century” at a jam packed, sold out Garden. (March 8, 1971)
  • New York Islanders forward J.P. Parise scored a goal (4-3) against the favored Rangers 11 seconds into overtime to eliminate the Rangers and advance the Isles in their best of three 1975 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff series. (April 11, 1975)
  • The many tremendous Knicks vs (then) Baltimore Bullets playoff series games, as a whole, stand out amongst my greatest memories of the NBA, and the Garden. Home court advantage mattered.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Geez? With the list above, do we even need “Notes” this weekend?

NFL POWER RANKINGS for the PLAYOFFS: Here’s my final list of the season and with it, are predictions for the 2023 Super Bowl participants:

  1. Kansas City Chiefs
  2. San Francisco 49ers
  3. Buffalo Bills
  4. Cincinnati Bengals
  5. Dallas Cowboys
  6. Philadelphia Eagles
  7. LA Chargers

That’s where we’ll draw the line.

PITCHERS & CATCHERS: We can begin the 30-day countdown. A notebook in the next 2-3 weeks will be dedicated to Major League Baseball, the Boston Red Sox, Free Agency thoughts and – maybe, just maybe a VERY early set of predictions.

Parting Words & Music

With the sudden passing of the great guitar legend, Jeff Beck (1944-2023), readers of this column will not be surprised that this week’s Parting Words & Music section of the weekly notes is dedicated to him. Beck died from a fatal case of bacterial meningitis, a dangerous disease which attacked the membranes of his brain and spinal cord. He was 78 years old.

Beck’s guitar influence is far reaching. He was made famous by joining the Yardbirds to replace the current greatest living guitarist and whole package, Eric Clapton and later when he teamed up with Rod Stewart in the Jeff Beck Band.

There were dozens upon dozens of essential Jeff Beck songs to choose from, each with guitar perfection. As you might expect, there’s a connection between the notebook leading this column and the song selected for this segment. “I couldn’t let the night go by without doing something by Jeff, said Joel as he played this gospel induced epic by Curtis Mayfield on Friday night, January 13, 202 at Madison Square Garden, my Roooooommme.

While We’re Young (Ideas) is a weekly Sunday Sports Notebook & Column, written by Terry Lyons. Each notebook harkens back to the days when you’d walk over to the city newsstand on Saturday night around 10pm to pick-up a copy of the Sunday papers. Inside, just waiting, was a sports-filled compilation of interesting notes, news, quotes and quips. TL’s Sunday Sports Notes – brought to you by Digital Sports Desk.

A “reeeuuucooooommme” with a Dog:

Guten Tag

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