While We're Young Ideas

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | July 2

July 2, 2023 by Terry Lyons

While We’re Young (Ideas) on Indy, Star Wars and More

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – I first met Harrison Ford in 1973. He was 31 and I was only 14. He was on the Silver Screen, portraying Bob Falfa in American Graffiti, an incredible hit motion picture directed by a guy named George Lucas and produced by another familiar name in – oh – Francis Ford Coppola. I was sitting in a theatre chair, watching him, Richard Dreyfuss and Ron Howardwhile enjoying the picture and listening to one of the great sound tracks in Hollywood history.

A few years went by, my high school years, and I met-up with Ford again in 1977, except he was going by the name Han Solo in a sci-fi film named, Star Wars. What’a guy!

A few years later, we crossed paths once again. I was graduating from college (‘81) and he had changed his name and was hanging around with Hollywood characters working with Lucas. The new crew were writer Lawrence Kasdan and a new director named Steven Spielberg. They called Ford, “Indy,” as in Indiana Jones, professor of archaeology, and we followed his every move, his every trip in search of “Lost Arks” or to “Temples of Doom” or to battle the Nazi criminals or to India to free enslaved children.

Ford, errr, Indiana Jones, errr, Han Solo (by then, quite a wise-guy) and his new friends would change lives all around the world, teaming up with Mark Hamill (a young adventurer), Carrie Fisher (a princess), and Alec Guinness(wise old man). Add in the fabulous works of composer and conductor of music, John Williams, and it was the perfect formula – a motion picture soundtrack of our lives – some of it always heard in America on the 4th of July. They earned a place in our minds and souls from that Summer of ‘81 until this very day.

Ford had the thrill to go back and forth between the roles of Han Solo and Indiana Jones, and his films grossed some $5.4 billion in North America and $9.3 billion worldwide.

Ole’ Indy, (Ford is now 80 years old), is back for another go round in the summertime release of “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” in theaters now and getting very positive reviews.

Ford played other great roles, too. His Jack Ryan in “Patriot Games” and “Clear and Present Danger,” two blockbusters. And, who could forget his role as “Dr. Richard Kimble” in 1993’s “The Fugitive,” or his role as President of the United States in 1997’s “Air Force One?”

This all brings us to the point of this column, usually focused on sports but often on media. TV anchor, reporter and newly crowned host of CNN’s “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace,” a masterful show of one-on-one interviews being aired weekly on the cable news outlet.

In every instance, the talented media personality formed a team within his/her organization. Just like Han teamed-up with Chewy, his trusty sidekick, and bonded with Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker and his two friendly and trusty droids – R2D2 and C3PO, and they welcomed the input from the likes of Alec Guinness in the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

You can compare the team of the motion picture director, producer, casting director, cast and crew to a team in a live sports remote broadcast or to a team competing on the field of play. In each case, you place your trust in your co-worker’s hands and he/she does to you. You rely on your coach, the scouts, the athletic trainer and team doctor and everyone in the front office to help sell some tickets.

It’s much the same when preparing for an interview or shooting a movie.

The Wallace and Ford interview aired about a week ago, in large part of promote the release of the most recent piece of the Indiana Jones saga.

Wallace is not the first TV journalist to do a series of interesting interviews. CBS’ Anthony Mason does a great job on both the evening, morning and weekend news but he excels when he’s digging in deeply with a rock n’ roll, country music or any legendary musician, many previewing the annual Kennedy Awards, aired on CBS.

Last week, Mason had the legendary Paul Simon speaking on his new Seven Psalms and a few years ago, one of Mason’s gems was a sit-down with The Boss, Bruce Springsteen (in a MUST WATCH)..

From CNN’s Mike Wallace interviewing Harrison Ford to CBS’ Anthony Mason sitting down with Mr. “Born in the USA,” Bruce Springsteen, a logical next step might be to recognize Dan Rather and his Big Interview TV Serieson AXS-TV.

The show all other’s are based upon has to be James Tipton, the executive producer and host of Inside the Actor’s Studio on Bravo. Tipton set the bar so very high, all others strive to meet his professionalism, depth, humor and intensity. Born in 1926, Tipton passed away in March, 2020 with reports noting cause of death as bladder cancer. He was 93 years old and in those many years, from radio to TV soaps to his own show, there was no better episode as his interview with singer, songwriter, composer and Long Islander, Billy Joel.

Why all the fuss this week on some of the best journalists to ever interview actors and icons? It’s a simple reminder of how important the media are in our lives. The toxic B.S. of the political theatre has cast the media in such a negative light. We forget about the media in the arts, in religion, in investigative work (see Spotlight) and in sports. If there’s one take-away, it’s to never cast single broad stroke when you’re thinking of or speaking about “the media.”

There are as many different kinds of media as there are breeds of dogs. Some are better than others. Some breeds are smarter, others meaner, while others might be more trustworthy and show more loyalty.

If you’re casting broad strokes at the media – in general – they owe you one thing. The truth.

The problem with that? People lie to your face and tell you it’s the truth, not caring if it’s taped or live airtime.

When it’s not live, every word has to be checked, double-checked and triple-checked. In many ways, the story has two sides and each point-of-view must be sought out.

In the cases cited here – on music – each journalist has earned his stripes and the respect of his peers and his interview subjects, alike. That is the goal to strive for in any realm of the journalism industry, print, online, TV or radio.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: A new professional hockey league, featuring the world’s best women’s players, will launch in January 2024. … The new league is a venture by business and philanthropic leaders Mark and Kimbra Walter, sports icon Billie Jean King, and Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) Governors Johanna and John Boynton. The league will be supported financially by the Walters and led by board members including King, sports executive Ilana Kloss, and Los Angeles Dodgers President Stan Kasten, one-time head of the Atlanta Hawks and Turner Broadcasting.

The new league acquired assets of the PHF and has spent months negotiating a collective bargaining agreement with the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA). These actions will enable the new league to move forward while undertaking a thorough and equitable process to ensure it features the best women’s hockey players in the world.

“I have always believed that professional sports should bring the highest levels of performance and organization, and this new league will have the backing and resources it needs to represent the very best of women’s hockey,” said Mark Walter, who is the controlling owner of the Dodgers and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, co-general partner of the ownership group of the Premier League’s Chelsea Football Club and holder of a significant interest in the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity to advance women’s sports,” said King. “I have no doubt that this league can capture the imagination of fans and a new generation of players. I want to thank Mark and Kimbra Walter for their vision and commitment to investing in women’s sports.”

“This is another step forward for the women who play professional hockey and the girls who dream of it every day,” Johanna Boynton said. “The PHF has been a game-changer and catalyst for growth in the women’s professional game. This announcement builds on the established foundation, represents a shared vision for one new league, and reaffirms our belief that collective and collaborative leadership is in the best interest of women’s professional hockey.”

“I celebrate this transformational moment for women’s professional hockey,” said Kasten, who represented the Walters in both transactions. “I thank Jayna Hefford, Kendall Coyne Schofield and the PWHPA player bargaining committee, Johanna and John Boynton and their partners at the PHF, and PHF Commissioner Reagan Carey for their essential roles in this historic accomplishment.”

“This new league will be unlike anything we’ve seen in women’s hockey,” said Hockey Hall of Famer and PWHPA lead, Jayna Hefford. “I am inspired by this generation of players who are redefining the sport. We will create dreams and opportunities for girls and women around the world for decades to come.”

Although the Boston Pride competed in the prior pro hockey league, there’s been no mention on whether they will continue to be a local sports franchise or will fold.

SLAMBALL ART: SlamBall, the fast-paced that combines elements of basketball, football, hockey and trampolines, revealed its eight team names, logos, coaches and seven-man rosters for the league’s upcoming season. The mix of standout athletes with basketball, football and track backgrounds will be led by veteran coaching staffs in SlamBall League: Series 6, opening on ESPN July 21 at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas. … Three legacy teams – the Mob, Rumble and Slashers – will be joined by five new clubs, namely the Buzzsaw, Gryphons, Lava, Ozone and Wrath. Each squad is guided by a former SlamBall player or coach, including Ken Carter, the inspiration for the acclaimed film Coach Carter, who is back with the Rumble, the team that he led to a championship in the initial 2002 SlamBall campaign.

When we look at top picks like Bryce and Bryan, they represent high level basketball talent and high caliber football talent coming together in SlamBall, where basketball and football cultures collide,” said Mason Gordon, the Co-Founder of SlamBall. “We were incredibly gratified to see that on draft night.”

The SlamBall league and team logos and color schemes were designed by Gameplan Creative, the Chicago-based branding team headed by Tom O’that has been instrumental in creating designs for a host of teams, leagues and organizations, including the WNBA and eight of its teams and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

“The team names and logos are a nod to our history, with the Mob, Rumble and Slashers mirroring the original franchises, and also a reflection of the sport’s exciting future,” added Gordon.

SlamBall recently announced an exclusive, two-year national broadcast partnership with ESPN for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. The partnership begins on Opening Night 2023, when SlamBall relaunches on ESPN live from Las Vegas on July 21 from 7-99pm (ET) ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN+ will combine to air more than 30 hours of live SlamBall programming across five weekends, culminating August 17-19 with the SlamBall Playoffs and SlamBall Championship Game.

For a full Sunday Note column, Visit “While We’re Young (Ideas) and consider becoming a paying subscriber to help fund Digital Sports Desk.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes – June 25

June 25, 2023 by Terry Lyons

While We’re Young (Ideas) on the PGA Tour Travelers Championship and the NBA Draft

The following story appeared here on Digital Sports Desk earlier this week. Your trusty columnist and editor thought it worthy of sharing to those who might’ve missed it).

By TERRY LYONS

CROMWELL, Conn – Sixty-two might be a typical score registered by the St. John’s University Red Storm in a mid-winter BIG EAST basketball game, but Keegan Bradley, an alum of the basketball-centric school currently undergoing a massive overhaul, was thrilled with a score of 62 posted today in the opening round at the Travelers Championship.

Embed from Getty Images

It stood as the clubhouse lead until Denny McCarthy carded a (60) in the afternoon and Australian Adam Scott recorded a (62) in the afternoon to equal Bradley.

The story at day’s end was the New England kid played well.

Bradley flaunts his Northeast upbringing with a badge of honor. From his Vermont roots to his formative days in Hopkinton, Mass to his collegiate experience as sports management major in Jamaica Estates, graduating from his beloved St. John’s in 2008, Bradley eats-up the Travelers as a “home game.” With the loss of the Deutsche Bank – Northern Trust at TPC Boston, it’s his only “real” home game of the year, unless you count the tournaments in Westchester County, NY.

The nephew of LPGA superstar Pat Bradley, the St. John’s guy had an early wake-up call for his 7:25am tee-time, and he saddled up with Emiliano Grilloof Argentina and PGA Tour star Xander Shauffele of San Diego for a start off the 10th tee this morning.

Shauffele was coming off an impressive T-10 at last weekend’s U.S. Open while Grillo (+5) and Bradley (+6) each missed the cut at the Los Angeles Country Club.

“I just played so awful last week,” said Bradley, ” and I was able to get out of there (LA) and I got here early and flew my coach, Darren Mahan, out here and we got some great work Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. It really helped,” he added.

“It was better for me to miss the cut, honestly, and get here and feel better about my swing. It helped a lot, said the Thursday morning clubhouse leader.

Just what did that extra work and maybe a little rest in familiar surroundings do for Bradley?

He went out with five birdies being etched to his scorecard from No. 10-to-14. Then, made a shot that even St. John’s Dream-Teamer, Chris Mullin couldn’t hit – Bradley drained a 74-foot birdie putt on No. 17 which combined with a par four on No. 18, gave him an impressive (29) score on his first nine holes.

“I can’t believe how hard I hit that putt (on No.17),” noted Bradley. “As soon as I hit it, I couldn’t believe it. A lot of times on those putts you’re begging for it to hit the flag. It’ll just miss or bang off, and (this putt) just hit perfectly in the center and dropped down.

“It was at least – probably – a two-shot swing. Instead of walking off that green at 6-under, I’m (might’ve been) minus-4, maybe minus-3. It’s a huge swing.”

Even flirting with the idea of a Jim Furyk-esque (58) is a dream in itself, but Bradley went on to birdie two of his first three holes on his back nine, holes No. 2 and 3.

“Well, when I made that really long putt on 17 and it was — it could have gone in the water. I don’t know, (59) crossed my mind. I wasn’t thinking about it a lot, but I certainly was going to try to do it.

“And, I thought about it hardly. You know, I got enough on my hands when I play out here,” he said.

“So, I mean, it popped into my mind for a second. For the most part I was trying to execute the shots and do what we’ve been trying to do out here, and it was fun to match up a good ball striking and putting day,” Bradley noted on his complete round, the best of his 2023 PGA Tour season.

He and his caddie (Scott Veil) came back down to earth when Bradley bogeyed No. 5, to drop his score from (-8) to (-7) and a stroke closer to the wild pack of PGA Tour hyenas chasing him from hole-to-hole at TPC River Highlands in the suburbs of Hartford, Connecticut – the insurance capital of the world.

But while Bradley was enjoying his round, he and Veil had a little fun along the way, carrying on with a superstition unlike any other.

“I don’t know,” Bradley paused before admitting, “we bow to the putter. When it’s working, that’s our God.”

That thought of joy brought Bradley to speak about his real priorities and his support group, a difficult circumstance for a Northeastern (and Florida, too) based golfer jetting all over the States and the world.

“This is a special week,” he said. “I don’t get to have my family out here a lot anymore with school, and having them out here is an advantage for me. It’s really special to see my son out in the crowd watching, cheering. It’s just really great.”

Does his son “get” the whole PGA Tour and intense competition?

“He’s five, and I would say over the last six months, eight months he’s getting it now and he loves to come out and watch. He likes to cheer and clap and it’s really special.

“I’ve grown up watching the veteran guys have their kids out here and seeing them grow up on the Tour, so it’s really fun to have my boys out here now, too.”

As Bradley exited from his interview duties, it seemed to be the right time to ask if he’s kept up on the St. John’s University basketball drama with the school making the bold hire of Rick Pitino, and Pitino’s summertime overhaul of all but one player from a year ago in center Joel Soriano.

With such a question, coming out of the blue, Bradley’s eyes lit up like the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center.

“Yeah, I’ve been following it,” he said as a PGA Tour official ushered him towards the player’s-only area of the clubhouse. The tour marshall wasn’t quick enough, though, as Bradley turned back a second later.

“I’m REALLY excited,” he said.

Let’s see if Bradley can hold a spot high on the leaderboard to the afternoon today and if the St. John’s faithful turn out at TPC River Highlands for a weekend of golf within 100 miles of (Lou) Carnesseca Arena, as the golf ball flies. On Saturday, Bradley remained high on the leaderboard at the last “elevated event” of the Tour season, meaning there’s $20 million in the kitty and a winner’s share of $3.6 million awaiting the best player of this well-run tournament.

After all, the new St. John’s basketball coach lives on the famed Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, NY, a place both Bradley and Pitino are sure to be when Bradley wants to play a round or two to practice long before he takes another shot at another U.S. Open, for that event is at Winged Foot in 2028.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Boston Red Sox 3B Rafael Devers has been in and out and back in batting slumps since May when he was leading the majors in Home Runs. On Friday night Devers hits a two-run HR 434-feet at 110.1 mph to extend his season long RBI total to (60), tops in the big leagues. Despite his intermittent struggles, Devers hit five home runs in 13 games after going 27 of his previous 28 contests without a homer. … Boston’s Sunday game will end a streak of 23 games in 23 days with one rain-out tucked in there.

SLAMBALL, the fast-paced, gravity-defying sport that combines elements of basketball, football, hockey, man-to-man combat and gymnastics trampolines, announced an exclusive, two-year national broadcast partnership with ESPN for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. The partnership will begin on SlamBall’s opening night, as the popular sport of yesteryear re-launches live from Las Vegas on July 21 from 7-9 p.m. EDT.

ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN+ will combine to air more than 30 hours of live SlamBall programming during five dog-days of summer weekends, culminating August 17-19 with the SlamBall Playoffs and SlamBall Championship Game. All games will be played at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, the same site that hosts part of the NBA Summer League.

SUMMER LEAGUE: Speaking of which, the NBA announced the game and broadcast schedules for its NBA 2K24 Summer League 2023, which will take place July 7-17 at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

All 76 games of the 11-day competition will air live on television somewhere as the ESPN networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNews) air a bunch and NBA TV sweeps up a few more. Every game will also be available to stream on the ESPN App or NBA App.

Now in its 18th NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, all 30 NBA teams will play at least five games each. Each team will play four games from July 7-14. Winners advance to the playoffs, July 16-17. SlamBall will move in right afterward.

Top picks from the 2023 NBA Draft are expected to play. ESPN will televise potential matchups between both the No. 1 and No. 2 picks and the No. 3 and No. 4 picks from this week’s Draft. No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama is set to lead the San Antonio Spurs against No. 2 pick Brandon Miller and the Charlotte Hornets at 9pm ET. Earlier in the day, No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson and the defending NBA Summer League champion Portland Trail Blazers are scheduled to face No. 4 pick Amen Thompsonand the Houston Rockets at 7pm ET.

A head-to-head matchup between the Thompson Twins (see note below), pitting Amen Thompson and his twin brother, No. 5 pick Ausar Thompsonof the Detroit Pistons, is set for Sunday, July 9 at 6pm ET on ESPN2.

TIDBITS: Buzz on the Bill Walton 30-for-30 on ESPN continues to build. This columnist has yet to see the three-part documentary but has it high on the list of priorities and will report here very soon without any spoilers.

The worldwide publicity and anticipation to see France’s Victor Wembanyama at the NBA Draft. The rookie-to-be enjoyed his whirlwind tour in New York City which included a trip to Yankee Stadium on the NYC Subway system. Wembanyama was quite complimentary of the ragged and aging subway cars, noting he could “stand-up” in the car, as opposed to the smaller cars in Paris’ “Metro.” … Wembanyama tossed a baseball for the first time in his life and his large hands completely covered the baseball, making his “first pitch” from the mound of the most famous baseball stadium in the world – well – a ball.

Asked about the rookie’s impact to the NBA Europe’s Tom Marchesi who has seen it all, from Basketball without Borders magic to the rise of Tony Parkerto the Greek Freak, he said: “Difficult to put into words but his athleticism and skill is matched only by his maturity. It’s quite something,” said multi-lingual Marchesi so eloquently.

MEET THE THOMPSON TWINS: As noted just a paragraph above, this week’s NBA Draft was full of intrigue as France’s Victor Wembanyama – the 7-foot-3 bundle of energy, personality, joy and – most importantly – game wowed a global audience tuned into the annual NBA poker game to distributed its burgeoning talent pool.

Wembanyama’s meet and greet with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was the most-watched NBA Draft ever on any network, according to Nielsen company, the monitor of ratings and determining factor for NBA ad sales and money. The first round of the annual Draft averaged 4,928,000 viewers across ESPN and ABC, up 24 percent from last year’s first round on both platforms. It peaked with 6,085,000 viewers in the 8 p.m. ET quarter hour. Disney decided to broadcast two different feeds of the event, one with the knowledgeable Jay Bilas and one without.

Overall, the NBA Draft averaged 3,743,000 viewers across ESPN (both rounds) and ABC (first round-only). The average audience was up 23 percent from last year. The NBA Draft started airing on both ESPN and ABC in 2021.

Putting the French Fantastique and his wingspan the width of a Boeing 747 aside, NBA Draft night unfolded with a second plot when Commissioner Silver announced brothers Amen and Ausar Thompson as back-to-back draft picks in the first five selections. Amen went to the Houston Rockets at No. 4 and Ausar followed when the Detroit Pistons grabbed him at No. 5.

The Thompson Twins became the hottest siblings since Hamilton the Musical’s “The Schuyler Sisters” and they came similarly dressed in the subplot, both basketball and Fashion Show.

The twins, who played in the non-college non-NBA G-League “Overtime Ignite” program, joined Lonzo and LaMelo Ball as the only brothers to both go in the top 5 in a draft in the modern era.

Regardless of the accolades and the trivia, the same sentiment for success in the NBA is for all to “Work, work!”

Father’s Day – June 17th, 2001

June 18, 2023 by Terry Lyons

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook – June 18, 2023

While We’re Young (Ideas) – Asks All to Remember Our Guys

By TERRY LYONS

NEW YORK – This columnist often wonders how the three of them would’ve fared on September 11, 2001. The odds were terrible for firefighters from the outer boroughs. The odds were terrible for everyone anywhere near the World Trade Center that terrible September day, a day that began with postcard blue skies and a day when the polls opened at 6am for both Democratic and Republican primaries in NYC.

It had rained cats & dogs the night before, a Monday night when the Broncos beat the New York Giants, 31-20, on Monday Night Football. I can’t remember a thing about the game because I was stuck on the tarmac at John F. Kennedy International Airport after nearly a day of flying back from Brisbane, Australia and the 2001 Goodwill Games.

The next day, the game didn’t matter anymore. Nothing mattered, except to mourn the victims of a terrorist attack on United States soil – murder at its worst – at the Trade Centers, at the Pentagon and out in Somerset County, Pennsylvania where the closest town was Shanksville, PA – population 175.

Spin the calendar back a few months. Eighty-six days separated two dates of disaster for the FDNY in 2001. The date of September 11th is obvious to most, but many forget a date we promised three guys that we’d never forget. That – call it “other” – terrible date was 22 years ago to the exact date of this column being written.

June 17, 2001 was the date of the “Father’s Day Fire,” a five alarm blaze that engulfed a hardware store in Queens.

The fire began when two young boys were playing and knocked over a gasoline container at the rear of the store. The gas leaked under a backdoor and was eventually ignited by a hot water heater with its pilot light glowing so innocently. One thing led to another, as fires in hardware stores often do, and propane tanks and dozens of gallon-sized paint cans started exploding.

It was 2:20pm on a beautiful, lazy day Sunday. When the fire fighters arrived and began their dangerous work by 2:40pm, all hell was breaking loose in a pair of two story buildings built in the 1930s. Smoke was billowing and the men who run into the burning buildings were doing what they were trained to do.

A massive explosion did the unspeakable damage, trapping three firefighters in rubble and debris in the back of the store while blowing other FDNY clear across the street in the front of the buildings. Reports showed 48-90 firefighters and a couple of civilians injured.

“What was a quiet Sunday turned into a terrible tragedy very quickly,” fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen told the Associated Press that terrible afternoon.

Firefighters Harry Ford, 50, and John Downing, 40, were outside the building opening windows to ventilate it when the explosion occurred. They were crushed to death when the roof and facade tumbled onto them.

Firefighter Brian Fahey, 46, was inside the store. He fell into the burning basement and was trapped for hours, officials said. Dozens of firefighters, some wielding pick axes and chain saws, cut through the rubble but Fahey died before they could reach him. It took some four hours to recover his body and soul.

Ford, a father of three, was a 27-year veteran who was decorated nine times for bravery. Downing was an 11-year veteran and father of two. Fahey, a father of three, was a 14-year veteran.

These deaths were not because of rookie mistakes. There was a combined 52 YEARS of experience. Then, so suddenly, there were eight children without their fathers.

Harry Ford, 50, from Rescue 4: Ford joined FDNY in 1974. He received the Thomas Crimmins Medal, and learned to rollerblade and snowboard because of his children.
Lt. John Downing, 40, Ladder 163: Downing joined FDNY in 1989. He enjoyed barbecuing, telling and listening to jokes, home improvement and was a sports fan.
Brian D. Fahey, 46, Rescue 4: Fahey joined FDNY in 1987. He was a volunteer with the Hempstead Fire Department Engine Co. 4 and a deputy chief instructor with the Nassau Fire Service Academy. In his spare time, he taught others how to fight fires.

Aside from the devastation of the loss of three brave public servants who I think of often for the last 22 years, just what was my personal bond with three men I never met and did not know anything about before they perished?

My children were born in 1997 and 1999. They were still toddlers on June 17, 2001, as they learned about the tradition of Father’s Day, and they loved the idea so much. I was relating to the fallen lads as a Father, not just a fellow New Yorker. We didn’t watch the TV news that June night, but eighty-six days later, living on the UES of Manhattan, the devastation of 9/11 was inescapable.

On June 17th, I bonded – spiritually – with three guys – father-to-father – and mourned the loss of the brave men and women who protect us all.

On September 11th, I wondered what a terrible world we had brought forth for my two daughters to live their lives.

I still wonder. And on Father’s Day, I’ll remember them once again with a prayer of Rest in Peace and hope for their families as they’ve carried on for 22 years.

Note: What can you do? A prayer for the Firefighters and their Families is appropriate or maybe a donation. If you’d like to do something for the FDNY or the Boston FD (Marathon domestic terror attack), you can show your support HERE or HERE.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The hammer came down on Memphis Grizzlies All-Star guard Ja Morant and it fell hard and to the tune of a 25-game suspension without pay which estimates to a $7.5 million on his 2023-24 contract of $33.5 million. … In case you didn’t hear about the incident resulting in the suspension, Morant posed with a firearm in a car during a live-streamed video on May 13, less than two months after he was suspended eight games without pay for the live streaming of a video on March 4 in which he displayed a firearm while in an intoxicated state at a Denver area nightclub. Morant received an eight-game suspension in March,

On the more recent infraction, the NBA League Office’s investigation found that, on May 13, Morant intentionally and prominently displayed a gun while in a car with several other individuals as they were leaving a social gathering in Memphis. Morant wielded the firearm while knowing that he was being recorded and that the recording was being live streamed on Instagram Live, despite having made commitments to the NBA and public statements that he would not repeat the conduct for which he was previously disciplined. On May 16, Morant issued a statement taking full accountability for his actions.

Morant’s suspension begins immediately and will remain in effect through the first 25 games of the 2023-24 NBA regular season for which he is otherwise eligible and able to play. He’ll be required to meet certain conditions before he returns to play and will be ineligible to participate in any public league or team activities, including summer league and preseason games, during the course of his suspension.

“Ja Morant’s decision to once again wield a firearm on social media is alarming and disconcerting given his similar conduct in March for which he was already suspended eight games,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concerning. Under these circumstances, we believe a suspension of 25 games is appropriate and makes clear that engaging in reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated.

“For Ja, basketball needs to take a back seat at this time. Prior to his return to play, he will be required to formulate and fulfill a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this destructive behavior.”

Silver is a staunch advocate of the league working with its players on the players’ mental health as he recognizes the pressure and stress placed upon the league’s players, young and older. Silver addressed the situations in depth at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in 2022.

Not surprisingly, the head of the NBA Players Association balked at the length and severity of the suspension.

“Ja has expressed his remorse and accepted responsibility for his actions, and we support him unequivocally as he does whatever is necessary to represent himself, our players and our league in the best possible light,” NBPA executive director Tamika Tremaglio said in a statement as reported by multiple media outlets. “As to the discipline imposed … we believe it is excessive and inappropriate for a number of reasons, including the facts involved in this particular incident, and that it is not fair and consistent with past discipline in our league.”

The NBPA said it would explore “all options and next steps” with Morant.

Recognizing that the Players’ union must back-up its membership, the larger issue to the NBPA is the damage done to their own player marketing efforts, as the Union took back rights from the NBA years ago and formed Think450, an agency headed by Que Gaskins, noted rep of former NBA All-Star and MVP Allen Iverson.

In addition, former New Jersey Nets All-Star forward Jayson Williams served a 27-month sentence for accidentally wielding a 12-gauge shotgun and killing his limo driver, Costas “Gus” Christofi, on February 14, 2002. Williams was indicted for aggravated manslaughter and witness and evidence tampering, among other charges.

After issues with the trial and a hung jury, Williams pled guilty to aggravated assault in February 2010 and was sentenced to a five-year term, serving time only until April of 2012.

The NBA has repeatedly addressed the issues of gun violence and weapon safety in its longstanding Rookie and Player orientation program, dating back to 1987 when Boston Celtics great Tom “Satch” Sanders was asked to head-up the new department by the late NBA Commissioner David Stern.

TID-BITS: Former Charlotte Hornets team owner George Shinn scraped together $32.5 million dollars to secure the expansion team in 1988. On Friday, NBA legend Michael Jordan sold his majority shares in the club to fellow shareholders Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall with the franchise value at $3 billion. That a cool $2.968 billion increase in value over 35 years in the NBA. … Think Shinn should’ve kept hold of his asset?

TO GET THE FULL WEEKLY COLUMN sent right to your inbox 51 weeks a year, please subscribe to this reader-funded effort by clicking HERE.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | May 28th

May 28, 2023 by Terry Lyons

While We’re Young (Ideas) Thank-You to TNT, Tara and T.K

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – The Eastern Conference Finals will come to a close on Monday with what could be a history-making series for the Boston Celtics or an epic march to the NBA Finals for the Miami Heat. One thing is for sure, with the final game of the Eastern finals, the crew at TNT will turnover the reigns of the NBA Playoffs to ABC/ESPN, the broadcast rights holders for the 2023 NBA Finals.

It doesn’t seem that long ago when NBA Commissioner David Stern informed us that the NBA on TBS (Turner Sports’ “Superstation,” would be passing the torch for the NBA and many sports to its new sister station, a station nobody had heard of and no cable system carried at the time.

Memories of giving the late NBA Commish a hard time upon checking into an Orlando Omni hotel and – No TNT. “Don’t worry, said Stern, “it’ll come,” as he added “Go complain to the front desk and ask them to get TNT.”

Wouldn’t you know? One of the latest reports shows TNT in some 89.573 million U.S. households and it is the jewel of Turner Sports. (See more thoughts on TNT and the Inside the NBA crew below). Stern was very rarely wrong when it came to predicting where Cable TV and the media industry, in general, were going and he knew it long before anyone else.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: A couple weeks ago, the spotlight was on Michael Jordan’s ‘92 Olympic Gold Medal Ceremony jacket, now it’s a multi-million dollar bid for MJ’s game-worn Olympic uniform.

One of Michael Jordan’s autographed jersey from the Barcelona Olympic Games, featuring the famed “Dream Team,” sold for $3.030,000. The jersey was part of a collection consigned by Dream Team member Karl Malone, with Jordan writing on the jersey, ‘To Karl, Good Luck, Michael Jordan #9.”

Goldin Auctions, orchestrating the deals, said other Dream Teamers’ jerseys sold from the collection included Larry Bird ($360,000), Magic Johnson ($336,000) Charles , Barkley ($230,400), David Robinson ($116,400), Clyde Drexler ($91,200), Scottie Pippen ($80,400), Malone ($58,800), John Stockton ($55,200), Patrick Ewing ($39,600), then-collegian Christian Laettner ($39,600) and Chris Mullin ($37,200).

Jordan’s Olympic medal ceremony jacket is part of a Sotheby’s auction and is on display and online this month until the auction takes place in late June.

KOEPKA’s COACH STRIKES BACK: Claude Harmon III, the golf coach of recently crowned PGA Champion Brooks Koepka got into quite a pissing match with former PGA Tour player and current Golf Channel anchor Brandel Chamblee in the last two weeks.

When discussing the upcoming Ryder Cup, Chamblee had made it clear that he doesn’t believe that Koepka or other players on the Saudi-backed LIV Tour should be on the team.

“Brandel is a paid actor by NBC and Golf Channel. All he’s trying to do is get his lines and shows for the Golf Channel,” Harmon III said. “He’s just trying to get lines for Brandel … And I mean, I love him, I think Eamon is a fantastic writer, but for Eamon Lynch and Brandel Chamblee, who worked for NBC to utter the words ‘sports washing’ when the company they work for televised the last two Winter Olympics in Russia and China with the same leaders that they’ve had. It’s not like they were good leaders back then. It’s not like Putin was a good guy, right?”

Chamblee countered with a very lengthy post on Twitter that read:

“The farrago of what-about-isms that inevitably accompanies any discussion on sports washing, attempts, in answering a condemnation with an accusation, to impugn the credibility of the accuser and to distract from having to deal with the complexities of the question. Much like sports washing, its sole goal is to obfuscate. Of course it is usually accompanied by an ad hominem attack most notably by calling someone a hypocrite or most recently as directed at me, a paid actor to recite my lines.

The accusation that I am just a proxy for the opinion of my employer is a curious one to me, and while the natural back and forth with colleagues certainly informs my opinion, no one for whom I work with or for has ever tried to influence what I am going to say. I’d like to think that they trust whatever opinion I have, whether it agrees with their’s or not, I’ve done the research to back it up. Which is more than I can say for those who suggest that because there is evil everywhere, all evil is relativized and unless all of it can be addressed at the same time and in the same way, it should all be ignored.

Especially, as in the case of the person who called me a paid actor, if they can somehow profit from the evil. This is where the debate crashes headfirst into the nexus of politics, sports and narcissistic greed. Where those who want to escape it most often cloy at what-about-isms, to stop the discussion with a pejorative accusation because they don’t want their motives to be discovered.

And we must impute motives to see the evils clearly.

To raise the question whether LIV has been good for the PGA Tour is to miss the very human and most important point of the whole issue of sports washing. It is bad for the people who continue to be oppressed by the man who funds LIV Golf. And as I have said many times, like the pollution that hangs over our biggest cities, its darkness is better seen from a distance and its stench is too easily dismissed as the smell of commerce. It poisons and dulls our sensibilities making it easy to forget that many a bad movement owes its greater success to the apathy of conformism.

So while Brooks Koepka’s win at the PGA Championship was impressive, it should not distract us from the simple fact that LIV players are being used for the benefit of some very bad people and to the detriment of a great many more good people. That LIV Golf, with its inability to develop stars and seeking to buy them like high performance cars, is undermining the dignity intrinsic in golf.

Dignity that was most profound in watching the play of Michael Block, the club professional who stole the show at the PGA Championship with his gratitude and joy and of course with his incredibly sharp game. He was a stark reminder of what is missing in LIV Golf and even what will be missing in the PGA Tour’s no cut, small field, designated events next year.

Because golf has always been and hopefully will always be, more about hope than heroes.”

WHAT’s AHEAD: As a competitor, it’s always a good idea to “stay in the moment,” and not look nor regret the past while never worrying about an uncertain future. That’s also sage advice for every coach on the planet. “The Next Play” is of concern, not the previous two or three when the team didn’t execute, took terrible shots, remained scoreless or turned the ball over.

For fans in the sports world, it’s smart to look ahead and circle some important dates on your calendar from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Let’s call it:

The Sports Highlights of the Summer of ‘23.

May 28: Indianapolis 500
May 28: At Noon, Boston College will take on No. 1 seeded Northwestern in the women’s NCAA lacrosse National Championship game in Cary, NC.
May 28 – June 11: French Open
May 29: At 1pm (ET), No. 1 Duke will face-off against No. 3 Notre Dame in the men’s lacrosse National Championship game at The Linc in Philly.
June 1: Start of NBA Finals
June 8: Start of Stanley Cup Finals
June 10: The Belmont Stakes
June 10: UEFA Championship (Final) – (Greece)
June 15-18: U.S. Open (Golf) – (Winged Foot, Westchester, NY)
June 18: Last possible date (Game 7) of NBA Finals and NHL Stanley Cup Finals
June 22: NBA Draft (Brooklyn)
June 24-25: MLB London Series – Cubs vs. Cardinals
July 1-23: Tour de France
July 3-18: Wimbledon
July 9-11: MLB Draft (Seattle)
July 10 – August 20: Women’s World Cup (Australia/New Zealand)
July 10: MLB Home Run Derby (Seattle)
July 11: MLB All-Star Game (Seattle)
July 16-23: The Open (Royal Liverpool)
July 23: Baseball Hall of Fame Induction (Cooperstown, NY)
August 1: MLB Trading Deadline
August 3-6: Enshrinement Week at Pro Football Hall of Fame (Canton, OH)
August 11-14: FedEx St. Jude Championship (1st Round FedEx Cup Playoffs)
August 12: Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Inductions (Springfield, MA)
August 18-21: BMW Championship (Wilmington, DE) – 2nd Round FedEx Cup
August 19-27: IAAF World Championships (Budapest, Hungary)
August 25-28: Tour Championship (Atlanta) – FedEx Cup Championship
August 25 – September 10: FIBA World Cup (Asia)
August 28 – September 10: U.S. Open (tennis) – (Flushing Meadow, NY)

Notes: The last day of the regular season for MLB Baseball is October 1 and the 2023 Ryder Cup for golf is September 29-October 1st.

TID-BITS: Isn’t it (Curtis) strange that the (Charles Schwab Challenge) at Colonial is staged over Memorial Day weekend, but The Memorial is staged the weekend afterward? … The Memorial, founded and hosted each year by Jack Nicklaus at his Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, could take a page from the PGA Tour/FedEx Cup Playoffs days of yesteryear and start The Memorial on the Friday before the national holiday and finish on Memorial Day. … That worked great when the Deutsche Bank Championship held down the Labor Day weekend here in Boston. … Just sayin’ …

SBJ AWARDS: Ready for even more awards? The great team at the Sports Business Journal held their annual awards dinner and presented the “ABE-Ys” (pronounced ABE-EEZE), a fictional tribute to the highly competent leader of SBJ, Abe Madkour. Here are the results:

Deal of the Year — Michele Kang’s acquisition of the Washington Spirit
Best in Sports Betting — FanDuel
Best in Sports Social Media — Bleacher Report: Hero Ball
Best Talent Representation — Wasserman
Sports Event of the Year — U.S. Open Tennis Championship
Athletic Director of the Year — J.D. Wicker, San Diego State
Best in Sports Media — Fox Sports
Best in Property Consulting, Sales and Client Services — Elevate
Sports Sponsor of the Year — T-Mobile U.S.
Sports Facility of the Year — Fenway Park
Sports Breakthrough of the Year — NHL Digitally Enhanced Dasherboards
Best in Agency Creativity and Innovation — MKTG Sports + Entertainment
Sports Team of the Year — Angel City FC
Sports Executive of the Year — Eric Shanks, Fox Sports
Sports League of the Year — NFL
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman received SBJ’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Actor Jon Hamm, a St. Louis native and lifelong hockey fan, presented the award

Notables include the honor of Facility of the Year in Boston’s own Fenway Park, America’s Most Beloved Ballpark. While not the jewel of MLB in terms of State of the Art tech and a brand new look, Fenway Park never fails to amaze fans. It’s a treasure to be savored like a fine red wine. … A surprising result was Fan Duel’s win over Boston-based Draft Kings. … Let the competition begin for the 2024 version of that award. May the most lucrative bookie win.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook | May 21st

May 21, 2023 by Terry Lyons

While We’re Young (Ideas) on PGA/LIV; NCAA Crisis

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – With apologies to the late Ian Fleming, the famed British writer who created the wonderful and exciting series of James Bond (books and subsequent movies) and the great Sir Paul McCartney of The Beatles, this column will start with take-off of Fleming’s second novel but will be slightly edited to state: LIV and Let Die.

This weekend, the best of the best golfers in the world traveled to Rochester, NY to play the 105th PGA Championship. When it was time to tee-off Thursday morning at the Oak Hill Country Club, there was the welcome site of Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson who – among others – were eligible for the PGA Championship alongside the best-of-the-best from the PGA Tour.

The players as a whole voiced their tidings of joy and happiness as they renewed old friendships with those who chose to leave the PGA Tour grab gobs of LIV money. For two LIV golfers, the Saudi-based payoff placed them on Forbes’ List of the Top 10 moneymakers in the sports world.

Forbes Magazine The World’s 10 Highest-Paid Athletes in 2023

$136m – Cristiano Ronaldo
$130m – Lionel Messi
$120m – Kylian Mbappe
$119.5 – LeBron James
$110m – Camillo Alvarez
$107m – Dustin Johnson ($102m of $107m bonus plus on golf course)
$106m – Phil Mickelson ($104m of $106m bonus plus on golf course)
$100.4 – Steph Curry
$95.1m – Roger Federer ($95m off the court)
$89.1m – Kevin Durant

When LIV golf began play in June 2022, the organization attempted to tossed aside initial criticism – much from the families of 9/11 victims bridging the Saudi Public Investment Fund money with 15 of the 19 September 11th terrorist attackers hailing from Saudi Arabia. LIV Golf failed to secure a big-time TV network right fee and played in obscurity much of the season. LIV settled for streaming tournaments on Facebook and YouTube, along with their own site.

While the tournaments were well organized and competitive, crowds were sparse and patrons seemed more interested in post golf concerts than the names on the leaderboard. Meanwhile LIV Golf communications, public and media relations were double-bogeying every hole at every tournament. They triple-bogeyed the lead up to their first-ever event in London, England.

This week, there was more of the same as the organization stopped making public its TV ratings on the CW Network, a desperate time buy on the little-known USA-based TV network. According to multiple reports, including the highly respected Sports Business Journal, LIV “quietly stopped publicly reporting its TV ratings, reversing course on an early-season strategy,” and a “sign that the league could be struggling to generate sufficient viewer interest,” according to James Colgan of GOLF.

PR 101 teaches “if you want them to cover the ‘good news and positive stuff,’ you’d better be transparent and accessible when facing the bad news.”

The people who run LIV Golf, including Greg Norman, its Commissioner, consistently fail by turning a blind-eye to their dilemmas as they fumble one PR crisis after another.

The CW broadcasts suffered mightily when the LIV Tour made its way to Australia and Singapore, and will suffer again in June and July when the LIV golfers play in Spain and England. But, consistency and ‘“facing the music” is as much about professional sports as the X’s and O’s of each game played.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant is “in the news” once again. Here’s The Atlantic’s Jemele Hill to explain:

“In an apology statement on Tuesday after his latest suspension for apparently brandishing a gun on social media, the NBA star Ja Morant declared, “My words may not mean much right now, but I take full accountability for my actions. I’m committed to continuing to work on myself.”

The Memphis Grizzlies point guard is right: His promises can’t be trusted. On Saturday, an Instagram Live video appeared to show Morant recklessly waving a firearm while riding in a vehicle’s passenger seat. In response, the Grizzlies indefinitely suspended him on Sunday from all team activities. In March, after another Instagram Live video showed Morant holding up a gun inside a Denver-area nightclub, the NBA suspended Morant for eight games without pay for conduct detrimental to the league.”

Said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to ESPN’s Malika Andrews during the league’s annual Draft Lottery broadcast:

“The consequences there, an eight-game suspension, was pretty serious and something that he — at least to me — seemed to take incredibly seriously in that time. I mean, we spoke for a long time about not just the consequences that could have on his career but the safety issues around it. [He] could have injured, maimed, killed himself, someone else with an act like that. And also the acknowledgment that … he’s a star, he has an incredibly huge following, and my concern — and I thought he shared with me — that millions, if not tens of millions, of kids globally would see him as having done something that was celebrating in a way that act of sort of using a firearm in that fashion. And so I at least was left with the sense that he was taking this incredibly seriously.

“Honestly, I was shocked when I saw this weekend that video,” Silver added. “Now, we’re in the process of investigating it, and we’ll figure out exactly what happened to the best we can. Again, the video’s a bit grainy and all that, but I’m assuming the worst. But we’ll figure out exactly what happened there.”

A number of media reports defended Morant’s rights to own a gun and brandish it any way he chooses, citing Constitutional rights. However, the Second Amendment addresses a USA citizen’s rights to bear arms with no Government interference so that defense does not apply to Morant’s Memphis Grizzlies franchise not the NBA, which is a joint venture partnership – certainly not the Government.

“Those guys are just, they’re just freaking idiots,” Charles Barkley said Wednesday on TNT of the Morant defenders in the media. “I only say ‘freaking’ because y’all won’t let me say what I want to say.

“Man, when you’re making $100 million a year to play sports, your life changes,” Barkley noted. “There are certain rules and regulations you have to live by, plain and simple. You can’t do stupid stuff. That’s the trade-off. Now, if you want to do all that stuff and give the money back, more power to you.”

It IS important to note, Morant did not break any laws, according to Tennessee and Colorado local state law as reported by several media outlets. But, his employment as a player in the NBA and the uniform player contract he signed (as Kenny Smith pointed out on TNT’s award-winning Inside the NBA this past Wednesday night) holds him to higher standards which were Collectively Bargained by the National Basketball Player’s Association.

And, that is the question once again. Where is the NBA Player’s Association on this?

There’s been little or no word spoken publicly on the issue from NBPA Executive Director Tamika Tremaglio. No word from the head of the NBPA licensing arm – THINK450 – Que Gaskins.

Morant has done just as much damage to the NBA Player’s version of Name, Image and Likeness marketing as he has to the league as a whole. The NBPA and THINK450 should be taking more action – not punitive – but in publicly calling out the action(s) of Morant and offering counseling and safety advice.

That advice might come from a former NBA player, Jayson Williams, who, in 2002, was fooling around with a shotgun at his posh New Jersey home when it discharged a round and killed Williams’ limo driver, Gus Christofi. Williams served time for attempting to cover-up the shooting and he also pled guilty to aggravated assault when the case went to court in February 2010 and was sentenced to an 18-month prison term he served until April 2012.

“I know I’ve disappointed a lot of people who have supported me,” Morantsaid in a statement. “This is a journey and I recognize there is more work to do. My words may not mean much right now, but I take full accountability for my actions. I’m committed to continuing to work on myself.”

TIDBITS: This week, the NLRB issued a complaint against the NCAA, Pac-12 and USC, alleging they have unlawfully misclassified college athletes as student-athletes rather than employees in football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball, according to USA Today. … What does that mean? The NCAA, Pac-12 Conference and the University of Southern California will go before an administrative law judge on November 7. At that hearing, according to USAT, the “NLRB’s general counsel Jennifer Abruzzo will be seeking an order requiring those three entities to ‘reclassify the Players as employees rather than as ‘student-athletes’ in their files, including, but not limited to, their handbooks and rules, and notify all current Players that they have done so,’” according to the complaint.

Concludes USAT, this formal complaint was inevitable once the Regional NLRB Director found merit to the unfair labor practice charge back in December. Unless USC had settled the case (which was highly unlikely), this complaint was coming.

WWYI questions, why draw the line at football, men’s and women’s basketball?

On 3 – the self proclaimed “Bloomberg” of College Sports noted ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips on the need for a Federal Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) standard: “As it relates to name, image and likeness, there has to be agent registration. There has to be a standardized contract. There has to be a registry. And then four there has to be education on campus. And that should just be open, that should be — that should be available for schools to see. Each other, etc. And I think it allows at least a little bit of disclosure that we’re not seeing in that space. The standardized contract, again, just everybody fills out the same thing whether it’s a $500 name, image and likeness opportunity or a $500K name, image and likeness opportunity. So, that’s part of it.” Phillips added, “Student athletes should absolutely be able to monetize their [NIL]. But at the end of the day, if you’re going to have intra and interstate competition, there has to be some level playing fields on that.” On the tampering that has reportedly pervaded the space, Phillips remarks: “We all know that [NIL] was never meant to be an inducement. It was really meant to be a serious and an honest way for young people that have great talents and a likeness and an image, that they could monetize it. That they’d be able to do that. But the two have been connected like a magnet, which is disappointing. And so that’s going on all across the country.”

Newly employed NCAA President and former Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has his hands full on these issues and more. The influence of major college football still rules, limiting the influence of the NCAA office. … On another financial front, multiple college/athletic department marketing partner LEARFIELD was forced to renegotiate terms of marketing deals with six of its multimedia rights partners as the company deals with $1.1B in debt maturing this year, according to Sportico. … Adding it all up, college athletics are under siege and there doesn’t seem to be a simple solution to solve the major issues. Why? The very make-up of college athletics doesn’t allow for any one entity (or person) to take charge and do what’s best for everyone. The schools – all different sizes, in different Divisions (Div I, II… and so on), in different locales (States), in different Conferences – some with their own lucrative Network deals, others with nothing – have no interest nor desire to do what’s good for the others. Each sport provides the NCAA with different opportunities and challenges with the revenue-producing sports at the top of the pecking order because of the multi-million – make that multi-billion dollar rights fees being tossed about by ESPN, CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX and so on.

Here’s the latest: Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, drafted new legislation titled the “College Sports NIL Clearinghouse Act of 2023.” The draft has been circulated to the various stakeholders of collegiate athletics and, of course, it was leaked. The draft calls for another version of the NCAA to oversee the name, image and likeness activity in all of collegiate athletics, further limiting the powers college athletics’ governing body. … The clearing house would act more like an enforcement agency (see NCAA compliance department). The essence of the bill is to return some power to the college conferences, and to a lesser extent the schools with the purpose to undercut the business agencies and the NIL collectives popping-up all over the country.

It’s not pretty and the legal battles to be fought, beginning this winter, might further complicate the issues and set the NCAA back 50 years.

LAX is LIFE: If NCAA Women’s Lacrosse were to be compared to NCAA Men’s Basketball in consecutive Final Four appearances, only John Wooden’s legendary UCLA teams (1967-1976) would rank ahead of the Boston College Eagles. This week, in Newton, Mass., BC clinched its SIXTHconsecutive trip to the NCAA Women’s Final Four after their 20-6 shellacking of Notre Dame. BC will advance to beautiful Cary, North Carolina (25 minutes from Duke (Durham) and 40 minutes from Wake Forest, NC. No. 3 ranked Boston College will play No. 2 Syracuse in a national semifinal and be joined by No. 1 ranked Northwestern vs. No. 5 Denver, in the other semi.

Among the many storylines is Boston College grad student Melanie Welchwho is the captain of the BC lacrosse team and winner of the Welles Crowther award. Welch was a walk-on at BC but suffered and rehabbed through two ACL injuries and stuck it out to play lacrosse while enduring the setbacks of the global pandemic but also earning two graduate degrees and while honored as an Atlantic Coast Conference All-Academic team member.

Before her days at The Heights, Welch played midfield for Academy of the Holy Angels (Demarest, NJ) not far from her hometown of Pearl River, NY. Welch returned to Chestnut Hill this year as a second year Grad student to play defense in all 21 games of the (18-3) Eagles’ 2023 season.

At the Final Four, there’s a curve in the story as Melanie’s sister Kathryn is a freshman at top-rated Northwestern. Kathryn was recruited to play lacrosse at Northwestern after never playing the sport in high school and prep school. Kathryn was a standout ice hockey player but the NW coaches saw her play, knew her background and offered her a scholarship believing she would transition into a solid lacrosse player. As a first year, Kathryn has played in only seven of Northwestern’s 20 games (19-1) with their only loss coming in their opening game against Syracuse on February 11th.

Parents, Len and Kelly Welch, who follow both their daughters all season long, can enjoy their Saturday rooting for each of their favorite teams. Should both BC and Northwestern advance to the National Final, there’s potentially a choice to made on Monday night.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | May 7th

May 7, 2023 by Terry Lyons

While We’re Young Ideas Provides Some Key Advice to Saudi Hoops

BOSTON – Earlier this week Yahoo’s Jay Hart wrote an interesting but fictional premonition of the near future. It read:

“The year is 2030, and the Saudi Basketball League is experiencing a boom. Thanks to the cash poured in from the Saudi Investment Fund to lure Kevin Durant and Steph Curry, the league is as popular as it’s ever been since its founding in 1976.‌

But throwing ridiculous money at aging superstars who’ve postponed retirement for nine-figure per-year paychecks can only earn the league so much credibility. To gain real cred, they need the best players now, not the best players of a decade ago. So they set their sights on Victor Wembanyama, who since being drafted No. 1 overall in 2023 has won three NBA MVPs, two titles and emerged as the most popular player in the world.

‌Their pitch: 5 years, $2 billion, or about $1.5 billion more than the NBA’s supermax contract allows… All of this is a massive hypothetical, of course, but it’s not unrealistic,” said Hart in an interesting column.

BACK to REALITY: As we know and have seen from the inner workings and past history of LIV Golf Tour, that’s NOT the way to get it done.

What is the way for Saudi Arabia to make a mark on the basketball world?

Here’s some free advice, as the end game is building awareness and participation in the sport by men, women, boys and girls:

Begin working with Euroleague Basketball to form both coaching clinics and player clinics, much like the way the NBA proved highly effective with the NBA Coaches World Tour in the early ‘90s and then with Basketball without Borders, beginning in 2001. (To refresh memories, the Nba sent the likes of the late, great Dr. Jack Ramsay, and former players like Bill Walton, Calvin Murphy and dozens of others to events which coincided with a local basketball championship or tournament which attracted hundreds of youth and pro coaches).
Sponsor global basketball events much like the way Turkish Airlines sponsors the EuroLeague and sponsored and advertised at the 2002 FIBA Worlds in Indianapolis.
Participate in existing regional (Middle East and Asia Region) tournaments at youth and senior levels. Potentially host a regional tournament or eventually a qualification tournament
Invest in and build a state of the art facility – designed with perfection to play in and host major basketball tournaments and other sporting events. As we know, an Arena can act like a giant Town Hall to modernize an entire segment of a city.
Potentially include the Sports Facility in Neom, a futuristic international economic center – already visualized – and being constructed in the temperate Northwest of Saudi Arabia.
Host the NBA/FIBA “Basketball without Borders” event to make a statement about Saudi Arabia-Europe-Middle-East-Israel-Asia-Africa investments and better diplomatic and business relations.
Eventually bid for and host EuroLeague regular season games, NBA preseason and a Euro Final Four or Regional Olympic or Worlds qualifying tournament.
Continue to train local players and pro teams to improve towards world class level of play, seeking the “next” version of Yao Ming, Hakeem Olajuwon, Dirk Nowitzki, Manu Ginobili or Tony Parker.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: In case you didn’t notice, the Boston Red Sox have won a season-high eight consecutive games, MLB’s longest active winning streak. The Sox are on their longest winning streak since 6/25-7/2/21 (8 games). … The Red Sox (20-14, .588) own the 5th-best record in MLB. … The Red Sox are 16-6 in their last 22 games, dating back to April 14. Only the AL East’s Baltimore Orioles are better in that span. … After concluding their set with the Philadelphia Phillies (which coincides with Boston vs Philly in the NBA Eastern Semis), the Sox will be 8-3 in series play and 6-1 in their last seven series. … Reliever/closer Kenley Jansen last night recorded his 399th career save, recently surpassing Craig Kimbrel for most among active pitchers and 7th most in MLB history. … The Red Sox have two rookies with active on-base streaks of 15+ games (Triston Casas and Yoshida) … It’s just the 2nd time in club history the Red Sox have concurrent on-base streaks of 15+ games by rookies with the other being Jacoby Ellsbury (26 games) and Dustin Pedroia (19) in 2007 (source: Elias). … Triston Casas’ 17 game on-base streak is the 2nd longest in the AL, trailing only Houston’s Yordan Alvarez (26). … Both Casas and Yoshida earned a day off yesterday when the Sox defeated the Phils, 7-4.

Speaking of Phils or maybe Two Phil’s – Mage, a 15-1 mid-to-long shot, crossed the finish line to win the 149th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday. Mage overtook Two Phil’s down the stretch to win the first leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown. For the effort, Mage was able to dip the aching hooves in Palmolive. … Humans were rewarded, too, as those with winning betting slips earned some hefty returns. … Mage paid $32.42, $14.58 and $9.08. Two Phil’s returned $10.44 and $6.52 at 9-1 odds. Angel of Empire paid $4.70 to show. … A $2 exacta paid $330.44 and a Superfecta paid $15,643.65 for a $1 bet.

TIDBITS: Our friends at Sportico recently posted the 20 most valuable soccer clubs. Here’s the Top 5 – (you’ll have to subscribe to Sportico for the other 15).

Top 5 Most Valuable Soccer Clubs (according to Sportico) (in billions)

Manchester United – $5.95b
Real Madrid – $5.23b
FC Barcelona – $4.95b
Liverpool – $4.71b
Bayern Munich – $4.46b

In terms of the USA-based Major League Soccer (MLS), the Los Angeles FC rated as No. 16 with a value of $900m. The LA Galaxy weren’t far behind with a value of $865.

On the latest Sports Business Journal’s SBJ Live, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told SBJ’s Austin Karp that expansion is a high priority and the league has narrowed a list of a hundred potential cities “down to 20 or so.” … That’s 100 cities – as in one hundred – vying for a WNBA franchise! … By comparison, as my mind recalls, the most the NBA saw was about a dozen legitimate requests in 1986 when the league began expansion planning to what would become four additional franchises: Charlotte, Miami, Minnesota and Orlando.

TO RICK PITINO: “Bronny James ain’t coming through that door!” … LeBron James’ heralded son, Bronny, made public his plans to attend USC and wrote a letter of intent. … Aunt Becky (Lori Loughlin) was not involved in the decision nor transaction. … A Rick Pitino signing of Bronny to headline St. John’s at Madison Square Garden would’ve earned the troubled coach his stripes on his new and latest gig.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook | April 2nd

April 2, 2023 by Terry Lyons

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.

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’s Sunday Sports Notes | March 26th

March 26, 2023 by Terry Lyons

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 honour them."

Brian Burke joined Ron MacLean to discuss Pride Nights across the NHL and supporting the LGBTQ+ community. pic.twitter.com/fFo3kiG4XM

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 26, 2023

“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 | February 5th

February 5, 2023 by Terry Lyons

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:

Augusta National (Augusta, GA)
Pebble Beach Golf Links (Pebble Beach, CA)
Cypress Point (Monterrey, CA)
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
Oakmont CC (Chicago, IL)
Seminole GC (Palm Beach, FLA)
Winged Foot (Westchester, NY)
Muirfield Village (Ohio)
The Country Club (Brookline)
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?

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

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes – Jan 29th

January 29, 2023 by Terry Lyons

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.

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.”

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.” 😂

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:

Manchester United – $5.95 billion
Liverpool – $4.71 billion
Manchester City – $4.43 billion
Arsenal – $3.6 billion
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.

DigitalSportsDesk.com

1 month ago

The Association Launches New NBA Basketball School Türkiye 🏀🏀🏀

... See MoreSee Less

New: NBA Basketball School Türkiye - Digital Sports Desk

digitalsportsdesk.com

For us at Globalist Sports, working with the NBA Basketball School represents an opportunity to bring world‑class standards, structure, and ambition to youth basketball in Türkiye, said Devrim Kıv...

View on Facebook

View Comments likes 0 0 Comments: 1

1 CommentsComment on Facebook

Sox Clean House ... See MoreSee Less

View Comments likes 0 0 Comments: 0

0 CommentsComment on Facebook

To Oscar - The Holy Hand of 🏀

TL's Sunday Sports Notes | On Oscar - Digital Sports Desk

“The Boston Marathon is to a runner as Red Rocks is to a Rock n’ Roll band.” - TL “The Boston Marathon is to a runner as Red Rocks is to a Rock n’ Roll band.” - TL

2 months ago

Sunday Sports Notes - If you like it, subscribe at Substack - TL's Sunday Sports and/or PGATourBrunch

TL's Sunday Sports Notebook | Mar 29 - Digital Sports Desk

Somehow, the Blue Devils are connected to the basketball gods. Somehow, the Blue Devils are connected to the basketball gods.

View Comments likes 0 1 Comments: 0

3 months ago

Welcome to Boston (on a beautiful, cold, overcast, freezing, freezing-rain meets snow flakes day). The 20th rendition of this conference is beginning as I type with the Opening remarks by conference co-founders Daryl Morey (Phil 76ers) and Jessica Gelman (Kraft Analytics). ... Here's a preview:

MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conf '26 - Digital Sports Desk

The influx of ESPNers improved the conference make up, including everything from moderating panels to in-depth interviews conducted on stage. The influx of ESPNers improved the conference make up, inc...

The Custom Facebook Feed plugin

While We're Young Ideas

While We’re Young (Ideas) on Indy, Star Wars and More

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook – June 18, 2023

While We’re Young (Ideas) – Asks All to Remember Our Guys

While We’re Young (Ideas) Thank-You to TNT, Tara and T.K

While We’re Young (Ideas) on PGA/LIV; NCAA Crisis

Forbes Magazine The World’s 10 Highest-Paid Athletes in 2023

Across the Pond?

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

Parting Words