Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

While We're Young Ideas

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Nov 3

by

Breeders’ Cup 2024

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

BOSTON – Oh, how I wish this dateline was originating from sunny Del Mar, California, a stones throw from San Diego and a shorter throw to Torrey Pines Golf Course, which is a driver and nine iron from La Jolla, one of the most beautiful towns in all the 50 States.

If there’s one race course in the entire United States of America that is perfect for the annual Breeders’ Cup championships, it is Del Mar, situated adjacent Pacific Ocean and the beautiful sights of Southern California. While other horse tracks have enjoyed great days for the Breeders’ – namely Belmont in New York, Churchill Downs in Kentucky, or Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, hosted by our neighbors to the north – Del Mar is something extra special. Paradise for the horse player and the equivalent of Monte Carlo for the rich and famous of the industry known as The Sport of Kings.

Any sports fan has to call The Breeders’ Cup the most underrated event in the sports industry. It’s seven World Series games in one day. The very best of the best all competing at one track over two days.

The event began Friday afternoon with “Future Stars Friday,” where the sport’s stars of tomorrow compete in five Juvenile (two-year-old) races as the warm-up. Keep an eye on Immersive, the Juvenile Fillies winner for trainer Brad Cox. It was Cox’s seventh straight Breeders’ with a win.

In 48 hours, the Breeders’ crown 14 World Champions across different surfaces and divisions, including the season-defining $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, won by Sierra Leone, the No. 2 finisher in May’s Kentucky Derby.

EDITOR’S NOTE: There were two sudden thoroughbred deaths from cardiac events as they raced or trained this week. On Tuesday (Oct 29) at Santa Anita, Practical Move, a horse training for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, died of a cardiac event after a morning gallop. … On Saturday, 3-year old French colt, Jayarebe, finished seventh in the field of 13 for the 1 ½-mile, $5 million Breeders’ Cup Turf race, which was won by Rebel’s Romance. Trained by Irish native Brian Meehan, Jayarebe was making his sixth start of the year and eighth of his career. He had won four times. “He was immediately attended to by a team of veterinary experts led by Dr. Brent Cassady, but unfortunately passed away,” said Dr. Al Ruggles, the on-call veterinarian for American Equine Racing Practitioners.

Mookie Betts (holding trophy) – (Getty Images)

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Just in case you didn’t notice, former Red Sox All-Star Mookie Betts had the World Series winning RBI when his new team, the LA Dodgers, disposed of the New York Yankees Wednesday night in New York. The Series ended in LA’s favor a night after a moron, otherwise identified as a Branford, Connecticut man, ripped a ball out of Betts’ mitt but was later tossed out of Yankee Stadium to the streets of the Bronx for the act. The umps properly ruled the play as an out and the so-called fan was banned for Game 5.

THE NBA in MEXICO CITY: The NBA staged another Mexico City Game on Saturday night (9:30pm ET), featuring the Miami Heat and Washington Wizards in concert with a lengthy roster of marketing sponsors. The sponsor line-up included presenting partner Michelob Ultra, and associate partners 2K, AT&T, Azteca, Banco, Betcris, Elektra, Emirates, Hennessy, Hisense, Mercado Libre, Nike, PlayStation, Pepsi, Tissot, TotalPlay, Visit Washington and Wilson. … It was the 33rd time the NBA played a game (preseason or regular season) in Mexico with most games in Mexico City and a few in Monterey.

GET JACKED: The Boston Bruins and their broadcast partner NESN (co-owned by the Red Sox and Bruins) will celebrate former play-by-play announcer Jack Edwards’ career at the mic on Sunday, November 3. The honors will include in-arena and NESN’s features on the game broadcast as the Bs take on the Seattle Kraken at TD Garden at 5:00pm (ET).

“Jack has been an integral part of the Bruins organization for many years,” said Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs. “His passion for the game and deep connection with our fans elevated the experience of Bruins hockey.”

“Jack’s career as the voice of the Bruins on NESN has been nothing short of extraordinary,” said Matt Volk, COO of NESN. “For nearly two decades, he brought an unmistakable energy and passion to every game, making each moment memorable for fans across New England. We thank Jack for his exceptional contributions and the impact he’s had during his time with us at NESN, and we are thrilled to be able to do so tonight with such a special celebration at TD Garden and on NESN.”

The team will commemorate Edwards’ storied career and lasting impact on the organization with a special pregame presentation. Sunday’s game will also feature special Jack Edwards-themed contests and entertainment in the arena while Jack Edwards t-shirts and commemorative hockey pucks will be on sale in the team store.

BOB COSTAS: After a 44-year stint as one of baseball’s all-time greats, veteran broadcaster Bob Costas announced his retirement from play-by-play broadcasting of games. He will still be involved in various broadcasts, studio shows and general coverage of the game and other sports. Costas will appear on MLB Network’s MLB Tonight Monday at 6:00pm (ET) to discuss his decision. Costas was the recipient of the 2018 Ford C. Frick Award, recognized by the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a legend of the game.

NHL VALUATIONS AND CLUB $ INCREASES: It’s been a while since we’ve passed along a few notes on NHL valuations, reported by friends of WWYI from Sportico. The recent numbers are quite impressive, although still at the bottom of the four major North American team sports.

Sportico did the entire league, of course, and highlighted the Top 10 NHL franchises, in terms of value as of 2024. Here’s the Top 5, the usual characters:

  1. Toronto Maple Leafs – $3.6 billion
  2. New York Rangers – $3.25b
  3. Montreal Canadiens – $2.93b
  4. Boston Bruins – $2.67b
  5. Los Angeles Kings – $2.5b

In terms of franchise value increase this past year, there’s a surprising list of clubs rising in the ranks:

  1. Utah Hockey Club – +193%
  2. Florida Panthers – +140%
  3. Carolina Hurricanes – +137%
  4. New Jersey Devils – +127%
  5. Tampa Bay Lightening – +124%

While the average NHL franchise value is now $1.7 billion, Commissioner Gary Bettman estimates an expansion club would fetch more. “Whether it is $2 billion or $2.5 billion or $2.7 billion, I think that is the range I believe the owners would want to be in if we were going to consider expansion,” said Bettman to The Hockey News earlier this year. … Of course, Bettman’s main focus among franchise issues is the settling of the Utah Hockey Club which just relocated from Arizona and the Ottawa Senators, a franchise struggling in the national capital of Canada.

TIDBITS: There are some serious NFL coaches ready for induction at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the years to come. This year, the Pro Coach Blue-Ribbon Committee narrowed a list of 14 candidates to these semifinalists: Bill Arnsparger, Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Chuck Knox, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer, George Seifert, Mike Shanahan and Clark Shaughnessy. All but Arnsparger, Knox and Seifert reached the semifinalist stage in 2023.

RETIRING, BUT NOT TODAY: The 2024 NWSL regular season is coming to a close this weekend. “Betcha” didn’t know Christine Sinclair will be the biggest storyline, as the 41-year-old veteran will retire after her final game – whenever it comes. Sinclair has spent her whole NWSL career with the Portland Thorns and is one of the all-time greats of the women’s game, maybe the very best. With 190 goals for Team Canada, she is the most prolific international goal scorer in history, female or male. For Portland, she’s netted 66 goals in 199 regular-season appearances and is one of just three active players to have spent her entire NWSL career with the same club. On Friday night, she scored in the first half of Portland’s 3-0 victory over Angel City FC as the win allowed the Thorns to qualify for the NWSL playoffs. Sinclair received a standing ovation as she was subbed out in the 83rd minute, replaced by Meghan Klingenberg.

RATINGS GAME: The Los Angeles Dodgers clinched their eighth World Series title by defeating the New York Yankees in Game 5 this week and the TV numbers capped an amazing postseason for MLB. Game 5 attracted 18.6 million viewers across multiple FOX platforms. It marked the most-watched Game 5 in seven years and the most-viewed World Series game since 2019. Overall, the series averaged 15.8 million viewers, a 74% increase year-over-year from 2023.

SPORTS BIZ: Moonshot, one of the fastest growing companies in the national security industry, and CTH Advisors, an investment banking and advisory firm specializing in sports, media and entertainment, have announced a strategic partnership to combat the rising digital threats in the sports industry. … Moonshot secured over $20 million in government contracts to protect schools, national infrastructure, and public figures from terrorism. This initiative will leverage that technology to deliver best-in-class national security solutions to elite athletes, officials, and sports organizations. … Moonshot’s technology is already being used by major sports institutions, including the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Moonshot is responsible for protecting all Team USA athletes from online threats on behalf of USOPC. … As digital threats become more sophisticated, from AI-generated deepfakes to coordinated doxxing (the act of publicly providing personally identifiable information about an individual or organization, usually via the Internet and without their consent), the sports industry is increasingly vulnerable to both physical harm and threats to an athlete’s reputation. One in five players at major international sporting events, such as the Women’s World Cup, experiences significant online abuse​. Female athletes face disproportionate volumes of online threats, much like the national security space where Moonshot has found that 92% of women in public life experience bullying and abuse online.

Note: To receive the Notes column on Saturday nights at 10:00pm ET, please see: While We’re Young (Ideas)

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Oct 27

by

“Walking on the sidewalk, roundball under my arm

Everybody knows how you play is who you are,

Walking down the road, looking for a game or two

The real moves come through, no matter what they’re gonna do

It’s down to you.”

“Take me to the old playground

Where the old ones rule, and the young ones do their time

Take me to the old playground

Where the talk is cheap

And the restless stalk the baseline.”

“The old sage frowns, he says just pass it on around

But all-world junior’s pulling up from downtown

For some it’s a way out, for some it’s a way in

Most of us don’t even care

We’re just looking for another gym to get in.”

“Take me to the old playground

Where the old ones rule, and the young ones do their time

Take me to the old playground

Where some play from dreams

And the rest just play for pride …

The old man said stop running with those boys

But they know what to do and their folks don’t mind the noise

Say hey now, everybody’s gonna get along

Just call your own foul when you break the rules

If you make it, take it, so make your move.”

– Music and lyrics by Bruce Hornsby, John Hornsby

By TERRY LYONS, Editor in Chief of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – The great Bruce Hornsby burst on to the rock scene in 1986 with his hit song, “Just the Way It Is,“ which paved his way to a GRAMMY Award for Best New Artist of ‘86 and a solid new “Virginia Sound,” combining rock, jazz and bluegrass all into one. Hornsby wrote a few other incredible songs, including Mandolin Rain in 1986, Jacob’s Ladder (for Huey Lewis and the News) in 1987, End of the Innocence (for Don Henley) in 1989 and one of my all-time favorites – The Old Playground – in 1990.

Around or about 1989 or 1990, I had the great fortune to meet Hornsby and his band and witness a dozen shows from his concert right at St. John’s University to shows at the Westbury Music Fair to summer tours at Jones Beach and one memorable concert in Philadelphia with Don Stirling, he of “The School of Rock,” and outposts such as the Golden State Warriors, NBA Properties, Mitt Romney’s Governor of Massachusetts’ office for sports, and later the Utah Jazz senior staff. We reminisced and recalled every detail of that Philly show just two or three weeks ago when a number of former NBAers met in Chicago.

Embed from Getty Images

While running my first NBA All-Star event for our Communications department, I had little time to chit-chat as the specific events unfolded, but the foundation of the Lyons-Hornsby relationship was solidified at the 1991 All-Star Weekend in Charlotte when Hornsby and Branford Marsalis combined for one of the most beautiful and meaningful National Anthem performances of our time. At that event (just a week or two after the Gulf War broke out), the challenge was getting Bruce’s BALDWIN grand piano onto the basketball court without putting a divot into the hardwood. And, as I recall, the bigger challenge was removing the piano in the two minutes we had after the anthem was completed. (I still thank many of the still photographers who went out of their way to help us get that done right in the middle of their own courtside set-ups.

Fast forward a number of years to the 2000 NBA Finals, and we snuck a small tip cup/glass onto Bruce’s piano just before he did his sound check at the Pacers’ Field House in Indianapolis. Hornsby was invited to perform by his fellow pianist and Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle. After Bruce played an impeccable “practice” National anthem a couple hours before tip-off, we tucked a couple $1 bills into the cup and made a request which – of course – he played just a few bars of as we all laughed.

One other day, years later, when UNC-Asheville played at Northeastern, Bruce’s son, Keith, was lighting up the Huskies at Matthews Arena in Boston and I was able to snap a halfway decent still photo and I e-mailed it to Keith’s Dad in real time. Bruce was astonished and ever appreciative that I thought of him.

Over the years, there were many a meet-up, including backstage at Madison Square Garden for a Grateful Dead show, a few solo shows in New York City and Boston, and one night, in particular, when I left him a simple email at about 6:00pm for an 8:00pm show, simply to say I had purchased great seats and would be in the audience, figuring he’d read my message a day or two later.

Of course, Bruce replied to the email in 10 minutes and said there’d be backstage passes awaiting. He had a number of meet-and-greet obligations after the show and I stood aside, figuring I’d just say thanks, congratulate him on an amazing show and be on my way.

Nope!

Bruce wanted to review some basketball highlight tapes of Keith and we went into a back dressing room where he brought out his laptop. Keith had transferred from UNC-Asheville to LSU where he slid over to the “2” guard spot to accomodate Ben Simmons playing the point. Keith improved his three-point field goal shooting and avaeraged about 13 points a game, good enough to get looks at Portland and Dallas, where he later signed on to play for the Texas Legends, the Mavs’ G-League squad.

Keith played in Poland, Germany and then moved up the European ladder to play in France and Lithuania before settling in with Bilbao Basket (Spain) in the highly competitive ACB.

Rightfully so, Bruce was quite proud of his son, Keith, but was always hoping for that NBA break.

It never came and Bruce and Keith played on.

PLAYING DEAD: There’s a pretty good Grateful Dead cover band that tours around, and they’re called “Playing Dead.” I’ve heard they’re pretty good but haven’t had the chance to see them perform. … The problem and reality we’re all facing is the fact that two of the original members of the real Dead are now playing dead. Yes, another member of the original band, Phil Lesh, passed away this week. In a prominent obituary, The New York Times wrote, “Key to the dynamic of the Grateful Dead was the way Mr. Lesh used the bass to provide ever-shifting counterpoints to the dancing lines of the lead guitarist Jerry Garcia, the curt riffs of the rhythm guitarist Bob Weir, the bold rhythms of the drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, and, in the band’s first eight years, the warm organ work of Ron McKernan, known as Pigpen. … Lesh joins Garcia in the afterlife, and you can only pray, they’re writing new music for a legion of fans, including our bud, Ramrod (Larry Shurtliff), the president of the incorporated band, and his wife, Francis, both frequent guests at the NBA All-Star Game and an occasional Finals. Ramrod passed away in 2006 at the young age of 61. Everyone who ever met him misses him (and Francis) greatly.

Embed from Getty Images

Now, we return to 99.9% sports notes.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The 2024 World Series began with an “Instant Classic” on Friday night when Dodgers 1B Freddie Freeman hit a game-winning, extra innings grand slam home run. Trailing the NY Yankees 3-2 in the bottom of the 10th inning, a hobbled Freeman came to bat, reminding many of the 1988 feat by Kirk Gibson against the Oakland A’s. There were even side-by-side comparisons posted to social media outlets.

Game 2 is underway as WWYI is being posted and then, the Series will continue with Games 3, 4, and (if necessary) 5 in the Bronx. … As in the past, our friends at Strat-O-Matic have crunched the numbers and run the computer simulations for the Series.

The result?

The LA Dodgers bested the NY Yankees in a seven-game series (the same number of games this and many other pundits are predicting this year).

In the StratO-Matic simulation of the decisive Game 7, Teoscar Hernandez’s single plated Series MVP Mookie Betts with the go-ahead run that gave L.A. a 2-1 edge. The hosts would add another in the bottom of the sixth on a solo home run by Dodgers catcher Will Smith, and on a bullpen day, pitcher Blake Treinen tossed two perfect innings, fanning four, as the last of eight Los Angeles pitchers in the game. Treinen registered his third save of the series.

Los Angeles rallied from a 3-1 series deficit, getting five-inning starts from SPs Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Games Five and Six to send it to the winner-take-all contest in L.A.

Betts hit .370 in the seven games with a home run and seven RBI. In the battle between probable league MVPs, New York’s Aaron Judge (.346, two home runs, three RBI) and Shohei Ohtani (.231, two HR, six RBI) were fairly even, while Giancarlo Stanton had three home runs and drove in six in the series.

TIDBITS: The Westchester Knicks selected Matt Ryan (6-6, 215, Tennessee-Chattanooga) with the first overall pick in the 2024 NBA G League Draft, which was held Saturday, Oct. 26. The Knicks also selected six-year NBA veteran Landry Shamet (6-4, 190, Wichita State) with the second overall pick, while the Cleveland Charge took Sean East II (6-3, 180, Missouri) with the third pick. … Boston’s affiliate, the Maine Celtics, (once known as the Red Claws) selected Eric Gaines, a 6-2, 23-year old rookie guard. Gaines, a former LSU (Louisiana State) and UAB (Alabama-Birmingham) collegiate player, was the ninth overall selection in the G League Draft.

In pro golf circles, there are significant rumors and multiple reports that legend Greg Norman is set to be replaced as LIV Golf’s CEO, with the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund actively looking for a replacement for the Australian tour star.

The two-time major championship winner, age 69, has been the most vocal figure and ambassador for the controversial breakaway LIV Golf since its formation in 2022. Reports note Norman will stay within LIV even after his replacement is hired. According to Sports Business Journal, Norman will simply be moved into another role as his replacement is sought. … Norman was named CEO of LIV Investments in October of 2021 in a 10-year deal that reportedly pays him $50m a year.

SPORTS BIZ: In the “can’t make it up category” also known as “Sign of the Apocalypse,” as once penned by Sports Illustrated’s Jack McCallum, this came across the sports wire on Thursday: The National Basketball Association and Wingstop announced a multiyear partnership making Wingstop the Official Chicken Partner of the NBA and NBA G League. The agreement marks Wingstop’s first official partnership with a major U.S. professional sports league. … The “chicken partner” is traded on NASDAQ. No word on a pork partner.

NBA PREDICTIONS: I usually await the 10-game mark before making any predictions, looking for some early season trends and observing the various new combos (Klay Thompson at Dallas should work) or injuries/return from injuries (Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis won’t be back until Decemberish). This year? What the heck, not all that much is going to change between two games and 10 games.

Here’s the scoop, and it’s nothing you haven’t seen elsewhere:

Eastern Conference:

  1. Boston Celtics
  2. Milwaukee Bucks
  3. New York Knicks
  4. Philadelphia 76ers
  5. Cleveland Cavaliers
  6. Indiana Pacers
  7. Orlando Magic
  8. Atlanta Hawks

Boston over Milwaukee in the ECF.

Western Conference:

  1. Oklahoma City Thunder
  2. Denver Nuggets
  3. Dallas Mavericks
  4. New Orleans Pelicans
  5. Phoenix Suns
  6. LA Clippers
  7. Memphis Grizzlies

Denver over OKC in the WCF.

Boston over Denver in the 2025 NBA Finals (unless Porzingis is OUT).

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Rocktober

by

Rocktober’s Best Touring Group is the Tedeschi Trucks Band (Photo by T. Peter Lyons/DSD)

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

BOSTON – The month of October just R-O-C-K-S. It always has rocked and I think it always will rock.

Most of the early rockin’ was done in the late ‘70s when AOR (album oriented rock) radio began with the likes of WPLJ-FM in NYC, KLOS in Los Angeles, the great KGB-FM in San Diego, WRIF-Radio in Detroit among many others all stations that left the 2-minute max-length sounds of the 1960s and delved into the lengthy music of Deep Purple, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Led Zeppelin – all playing six+ minute epics.

One station, WMNX in Minneapolis, is on record for the first to utilize the term “Rocktober.” Alex Tarpley, the former program manager of WMNX, Minneapolis, was the lead petitioner for “Rocktober,” which meant it would be nationally recognized and a law of the land to have the month of October so named by licensed radio stations.

By the mid-80s, Congress was working on – what else? – Immigration law. But within, came a proclaimation, written on November 6, 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), known as the Simpson-Mazzoli Act, into law. In addition to requiring employers to attest to their employees’ immigration status and making it illegal to knowingly hire illegal immigrants, the bill included in section 45, ii 99–603, paragraph 19, an un-related rider requiring all Classic Rock-format radio stations to observe Rocktober by using the official Rocktober voiceover when leading into a music segment, or “block,” or face fines of up to $5,000 a day.

“It was the Wild West, man,” said Tarpley. “We were out of our minds. WMNX was total madness. I had guys getting the Led out at 8 in the morning. I was first on that, by the way. This was the morning drive time and we’re getting the Led out. Unreal.”

Bob Donaldson, DJ, aka “Dodgy Bob from England”of WMNX, and later KSQY of San Diego noted the music being played became all about a block of music, rather than one song at a time, followed by commercial spots or banter.

“For me,” said Donaldson in his put-on English accent imitating Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers, “everything became about the block. “Life in the Fast Lane” backed with “Hotel California,” “Purple Haze” backed with “All Along the Watchtower,” “Stairway to Heaven” backed with “Kashmir.”

Darrel Schmidt, the station manager at WMNX noted, to freelancer Kevin Depew, “First time I heard a block I was livid,” said Schmidt. “Did I just hear two songs in a row by the same artist? What in the hell is going on?”

The rest was history for what is now called “Classic Rock Music,” but intertwined within the Rocktober moniker were people like New York Yankees superstar Reggie Jackson, a.k.a. “Mr. October.”

Thus, the stars aligned on an everlasting October sports scene of NFL football, College football, MLB Post Season and the World Series, together with the start of the NBA and NHL. It became a collision of great rock music and great sports. All in one month.

Nowadays, even the WNBA is as cool as it gets and right on the rockin’ theme as the WNBA Finals – once staged Labor Day weekend – is playing its decisive fifth game Sunday evening at 8pm (ET) on ESPN, going up against NBC’s Sunday Night Football match-up of the New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers (8:20pm ET).

Long live, Rocktober.

a large white building with lights on it's sides
Photo by Tim Thorn on Unsplash

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The head coach of the University of Virginia, Tony Bennett, packed it in this week. The reports first stated his sudden departure “was not health related.” But, deep down, maybe it was? … Bennett, one of the highly respected and very successful NCAA I head basketball coaches, explained to the masses that his decision was directly tied to the state of the game in 2024. “The hardest thing to say is when I looked at myself and I realized I’m no longer the best coach to lead this program in this current environment,” explained Bennett at a press conference. “If you’re going to do it, you gotta be all-in. If you do it half-hearted, it’s not fair to the university and those young men. So in looking at it, that’s what made me step down. I think it’s right for student-athletes to receive revenue. … “Please don’t mistake me,” he said Friday. “The game and college athletics is not in a healthy spot. It’s not. And there needs to be change, and it’s not going to go back. I think I was equipped to do the job here the old way. That’s who I am. … “It’s going to be closer to a professional model. There’s got to be collective bargaining. There has to be a restriction on the salary pool. There has to be transfer regulation restrictions. There has to be some limits on the agent involvement to these young guys. … And I worry a lot about the mental health of the student-athletes as all this stuff comes down.” … He’s 100% correct, says WWYI, but maybe his decision was health related? Maybe we all need to worry about the mental health of the college basketball coaches? … The saying is something like, “You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube.” … It’s time for college coaches to recognize the fact they need a right hand to manage all the business BS that comes with the massive shift in college sports. The coach needs to give up the ‘full control’ militaristic approach and have a Basketball GM oversee everything that doesn’t cross between the four lines. ADs (who often think they can be the GM of a big time college basketball team but can’t because they need to dedicate their time across every sport – male and female) need to help hire that right hand for the head basketball coach. Colleges have pushed back against a “pro approach” for decades, trying to pretend it was an amateur sport, but once that March Madness () contract kicked in years ago, it quickly became a pro sport. FedEx envelopes delivered under the table are no longer in play. N.I.L. means “Now It’s Legal” and bright, creative sports business minds need to work together with their AD/Coach/Program to create an environment for the team to WIN. It’s hard. It’s different, but it’s not that difficult.

TID-BITS: It’s October 20, and there’s eleven days until Halloween. But today, there’s been (at least) two full-fledged Christmas promotions. Seen by WWYI on the morning of October 19, yes, a “Countdown to Christmas” promo for The Hallmark Channel. … Then, buried in this morning’s email was a Pottery Barn Kids Guide to its Holiday Shop. “See our latest festive collections, including exclusive styles from top designers and accents featuring fan-favorite characters,” said the missive, complete with Disney Mickey Mouse Christmas gifts and The Grinch, too. … WWYI calls “Foul,” and recommends to all marketers to – at least – wait until November. … In our joint, it’s officially Christmas season when Santa shows up at MACYS in Herald Square (NYC) the traditional end of the Thanksgiving Day Parade. … Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy made very few friends in the Gaston family when he referred to team owner Don Gaston’s son, Paul, as “Thanks Dad” when the younger Gaston took over the franchise. Now, it might be “Thanks Bro,” as the Globe is reporting that Mark Bezos, founding partner of HighPost Capital private equity group and half-brother of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is expressing interest in purchasing the club, according to an unnamed industry source. In addition, current Celtics limited partner Robert Hale, high on Forbes’ list of the wealthiest of Americans, said Friday he has “keen interest” in making a bid for the team, now that managing partner Wyc Grousbeck indicated the Celtics are up for sale. … The iconic NBA franchise could fetch a record $6 billion on the open market.

NEW NETWORK: Directly from a FanDuel media news release, Diamond Sports Group and FanDuel announced an agreement on a broad, long-term commercial partnership, including:

  • Exclusive right to name Diamond’s 16 regional sports networks and Diamond’s digital offerings, including the direct to consumer product, as FanDuel Sports Network
  • Linear and digital media placement and integration opportunities across all live NBA, NHL and MLB games on FanDuel Sports Network
  • Shared commitment to explore a unified direct-to-consumer app experience with the ability to syndicate FanDuel TV programming across FanDuel Sports Network, including studio programming like “Up & Adams,” “Run It Back” and FanDuel TV’s live rights programming
  • FanDuel to have reseller designation for Diamond’s direct-to-consumer product; and additional economic and equity elements.

David Preschlack, CEO of Diamond, stated: “Collaborating with FanDuel provides a tremendous pathway for Diamond to elevate the fan experience and deepen the incremental value we provide for our team, league and distribution partners. This partnership reinforces opportunities to further strengthen the close connection our RSNs have with local fans, including enhancing our direct-to-consumer offering for a growing digital audience. In the meantime, having finalized agreements with the NBA, NHL and our key distributors, we remain focused on moving our business forward and driving value for our team partners and our stakeholders.”

Mike Raffensperger, President, Sports, FanDuel, stated: “Partnering with Diamond provides us an opportunity to put the FanDuel brand at the intersection of the nation’s largest group of regional sports networks. A large cohort of FanDuel customers are devoted RSN viewers and this agreement allows us to further cement the FanDuel brand with sports fans and provides a unique vehicle to reward our users.”

On October 21, the (previously named) Bally Sports RSNs will officially be renamed under the FanDuel Sports Network brand with corresponding regional monikers. Diamond Sports Group‘s 16 owned and operated RSNs will include: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit, FanDuel Sports Network Florida, FanDuel Sports Network Great Lakes, FanDuel Sports Network Kansas City, FanDuel Sports Network Indiana, FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, FanDuel Sports Network North, FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, FanDuel Sports Network Oklahoma, FanDuel Sports Network SoCal, FanDuel Sports Network South, FanDuel Sports Network Southeast, FanDuel Sports Network Southwest, FanDuel Sports Network Sun, FanDuel Sports Network West, and FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin.

POWER RANKINGS: It’s past the quarter pole of the NFL regular season and things are shaking out and shaping up. The first observation, stealing just another front page headline from years of the same old story, same old lies – SAME OLD J-E-T-S, is the fact the New York (Jersey) Jets were the first NFL team this season to fire their head coach. While WWYI won’t subject you to the days of Rex Ryan, a look at the last few hirings for the Jets provide the following gems:

  • 2015-18 – Todd Bowles (24-40 .375)
  • 2019-2020 – Adam Case (9-23 .281)
  • 2021-2024 – Robert Saleh (20-36 .357)
  • 2024- ? – Jeff Ulbrich (0-1 .000)

The Jets are conducting a search for their next head coach and former New England head coach and NFL legend Bill Belichick’s name . Might the next coach come from a group of coaches most likely to see the ax, according to Vegas odds?

  • Doug Pederson Jacksonville Jaguars -140
  • Mike McCarthy Dallas Cowboys +400
  • Kevin Stefanski Cleveland Browns +550
  • Antonio Pierce Las Vegas Raiders +600
  • Zac Taylor Cincinnati Bengals +900
  • Dennis Allen. New Orleans +1600
  • Nick Sirianni Philadelphia Eagles +1800
  • Brian Daboll New York Giants +2000

It’s ON to the NFL POWER RATINGS: Here’s one man’s P.O.V. less than halfway through the NFL regular season:

AFC:

  1. Kansas City
  2. Baltimore
  3. Houston
  4. Buffalo
  5. Pittsburgh
  6. Denver

NFC:

  1. Minnesota
  2. San Fran
  3. Detroit
  4. Atlanta
  5. Washington
  6. Chicago

ROCKTOBER POWER RANKINGS FOR THE 1ST CFB PLAYOFFS: Again, just one man’s P.O.V. and still very early in the college football season:

  1. Ohio State
  2. Georgia
  3. Oregon
  4. Miami
  5. Alabama
  6. Notre Dame
  7. Penn State
  8. Ole Miss
  9. Tennessee
  10. Texas
  11. Clemson
  12. Indiana

THREADING THE NEEDLE: There’s nothing prettier in sports than an NHL defenseman beating two quick-skating, checking forwards by threading the needle with a pass that sends one of his wingers in on a breakaway to score a goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Well, the FE Apparel Company, together with the NHL Players and our friends at Getty Images is threading the needle in another fashion by creating a limited edition set of NHL custom jackets and hoodies. In this day of sustainability, FE Apparel creates their garments with 100% recycled material – not used plastic Coke bottles but recycled yarn – which is designed for durability. Many of the images on the garments depict the iconic designs of NHL goalkeepers’ masks. Bill Chang, CEO of FE Apparel Co. oversees the new brand and asks his growing number of customers to tag the company – @feapparelco – to spread the news and styles. NHL Rangers fans can visit the FE showroom next to Madison Square Garden.

Going to Kansas City, Here I Come

by

Special Edition: While We’re Young (Ideas)

By TERRY LYONS, Editor in Chief, Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – On a rather quiet night on the Boston sports scene, a fan must turn his/or/her lonely eyes West, towards Kansas City – the one in Missouri, not Kansas for the geographically-challenged Presidential candidate.

Yes, Kansas City – the city that celebrated two big professional sports victories Monday night.

KC Royals catcher Salvador Pérez hit a baseball out where there once stood South Bronx tenements and otherwise nothingness, before the palace that Jeter built was erected. But, if it were the old Yankee Stadium or the middle semi-renovated version of Yankee Stadium, the ball would’ve landed out by Monument Park, the same place George Brett used to hit them for the Royals.

MLB Postseason Baseball (KC vs SF in World Series)

Perez’ solo homer was part of a big fourth inning that turned a 1-0 New York lead into a 4-1 KC advantage which held up as a 4-2 victory to even the American League Division Series at 1-1 as the clubs pack up and head west.

At the same time, out at Arrowhead Stadium in KC, the Chiefs were puttin’ a ‘hurtin on the New Orleans Saints, in a lopsided 26-13 victory where Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes threw for 331 yards on 28-of-39 while RB Kareem Hunt came from a locker full of mothballs to run for 102 yards and a TD while carrying the ball 27 times. Yes 27 times.

Another key to the KC football victory was 27-year old JuJu Smith-Schuster who secured seven of eight targets for 130 yards. Most NFL and New England Patriots observers do not need to be reminded, Smith-Schuster was recetly released from the Patriots’ wide receiver room, a place occupied by the distinguished DeMario Douglas, Ja’Lynn Polk, and oft-injured Kendrick Bourne – the latter having played one game and has one catch to his credit on the 2024 season.

The proven point is that a city which used to have October nights filled with David “Big Papi” Ortiz postseason baseball homers or game-winning Tom Brady to Julian Edelman touchdowns now has only a hard-fought Wakefield vs. Arlington high school soccer game on the books (Wakefield won, 4-3).

Meanwhile, Kansas City’s Royals clocked a big ALDS series victory on the road at Yankee Stadium and KC’s Chiefs won an important cross-conference Monday Night Football game to extend their unbeaten streak to five games, resistering as the only team in the NFL to be 5-0 in a season at the quarter pole.

Instead of world class model Gisele Bundchen and the kids skipping along on the sidelines, rooting for the World’s No. 1 quarterback Tom Brady, we were submitted to the return of World No. 1 pop star Taylor Swift returning to Arrowhead Stadium after taking two road games off. Her return prompted beau Travis Kelce to his best game of the new season, with the tight end grabbing a hefty nine catches for 70 yards, and averaging 7.8 yards per reception. Oh, the humanity.

While New England fans are starved without Sausage Guy leftovers on Landsdowne Street, the Kansas City faithful can go upscale BBQ at Q39, or head over to Arthur Bryant’s or Chef J BBQ for some pork belly burnt ends which are far better than New England burned corners and safeties.

The Chiefs are destined for a run at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, Red Sox fans are destined for a winter of Polar Park and also a spring trip to Worcester to watch AAA ball, seeking out WooSox prospects between snowflakes.

While the Royals might upset the mighty Yankees, Patriots fans might be watching the worst team in the entire NFL, a club with a four game losing streak that’s likely to grow to five when the Houston Texans land in Foxborough this weekend. Only an October 20 contest vs Jacksonville (in London) might solve the troubles that first year head coach Jerod Mayo is facing this season.

Earlier in the season, rookie Javon Baker made a poor decision and posted an angry video after receiving a traffic ticket from one of Massachusetts’ finest. That spurt of hot water turned boiling this past weekend when team captain, safety Jabrill Peppers was arrested and later arraigned for alleged charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault of a family/household member, strangulation, and – the kicker, tough to deny, possession of a Class B substance, which allegedly tested as white powder cocaine.

That’s a quarter-season of misery for Mayo, owner of a resume that reads 1-4 (0-2 at home), a four game losing streak, a quarterback conundrum – not a controversy – between veteran Jacoby Brissett and first-round draft pick Drake Maye (No. 3, overall). Brissett is being subjected to protection by the worst offensive line in recent memory. The Patriots shuffled between five different starting offensive line combinations in their first five games. In doing so, they’ve allowed the highest pressure rate on their QB of all NFL teams. Miami only sacked Brissett twice, but San Francisco’s defense leveled Brissett six times.

Would you subject a rookie quarterback to that scenario?

And, where do the longtime buttoned-up, disciplined and character-first Patriots stand on charges against Peppers? Innocent until proven guilty is the way of the land, of course, but a bag of cocaine in possession is a pretty cut and dry violation of NFL rules.

The answer to all is a realization of a franchise hitting bottom, of early speculation on the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and a Foxborough filled pack of season ticket holders who must experience the misery of losing – possibly for a very long time in the ultra-competitive AFC.

That all brings us to October 8, 2024 and Opening Night in the National Hockey League – the Boston Bruins in gusty Florida for their regular season opener against the pesky Panthers. The New Jersey Devils are undefeated (2-0) and the Buffalo Sabres are (0-2) after a pair of opening games in Prague. The rest of the league drops the puck tonight.

Meanwhile, the NBA shipped the Celtics to Abu Dhabi for a pair of preseason games in the friendly confines of Etihad Arena in Dubai. Nothing wrong with a (2-0) start against the Denver Nuggets and reigning MVP extraordinaire, Nikola Jokic, otherwise known as the greatest second round pick since the Spurs grabbed Manu Ginobili in Round Dos last century.

New England fans, lovers of blame and the pastime of pointing fingers have no other choice but to turn the pages of the calendar to the winter sports season. It’s ice hockey and hoops time in Boston.

See you in June.

 

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes| Sept 29

by

E.L.O. lit-up the Celtics’ Banners at TD Garden (photo by T. Peter Lyons)

 

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – There are ninety-five days remaining in 2024 until the ball drops to bring in 2025. Twenty-five years since the world was going to end because of the Y2K (supposed) disaster. Just think? When 1999 turned to 2000, could you ever imagine that the most serious world disaster of our generation was just twenty years away?

Somehow, most of us survived. Some did not, taken by a global pandemic that so many have begun to publicly minimize, or forget, or pretend that it never existed while preaching the USA’s reaction was too cautious and overblown.

Truth be told, the key to surviving the 2019-2020-2021+ COVID pandemic was to circle the wagons with your immediate family and to bond together, trust each other and endure.

That’s what we did, and not to be forgotten, we added a puppy to the mix – Penny (Lane) is her name – and she just celebrated her fourth birthday in style. She made her biggest contribution as a puppy – she helped us endure. Four years later, joined by her “little brother,” Max, the message is still the same: keep bonding and keep on keeping on – everyday.

Why do I reach back, recall the beginning of this decade and send such a message as 2024 begins to meld with 2025?

Because it’s the same message being sent to the Boston Celtics by their coach, Joe Mazzula, just as the local pro basketball team starts training camp in an attempt to defend their title of 2024 – their record 18th NBA championship.

From Day 1 of training camp, all the way to the 2025 NBA Playoffs, the Celtics’ two all-world players – Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown – will hear the same question, over and over and over again as they meet with media from 28 different cities in North America. In fact, on October 4-6, they’ll hear the questions when they head to Abu Dhabi and meet with the scribes of Dubai.

To Brown: “Did the fact you were not selected to the 2024 USA men’s Olympic team both you after you won an NBA title and were named the MVP of the NBA Finals?”

To Tatum: “You were benched for two games at the Paris Olympics, a preliminary round game against Serbia on July 28 and the semifinal game against Serbia on August 8, will those perceived snubs from USA coach Steve Kerr provide motivation for you going into this NBA season?”

There’s no right answer to those questions, even though the Boston faithful will take it out on Kerr come November 6th when Kerr’s Golden State Warriors visit TD Garden for a “Day after Election Day, Wednesday night affair.” You’ve gotta wonder if the Boston fans will “stand back and stand by” when Kerr is introduced? I can imagine Tatum putting up 50.

Stepping back to Mazzula and the reality of 2024-25, the coach said to the Media Day assembly of hacks, TV types and social media followers, we can quote Cs point guard Jrue Holiday: “Joe’s message? … I think he just pointed out that people are going to say that we’re really good. And at times, people are gonna say that we suck,” Holiday said of Mazzulla’s message entering training camp. “I think that was word for word.

“People think we’re going to be really good. People think that we’re going to suck. But none of that matters,” added Holiday, another gold medalist from this summer. “All that matters is that we take care of each other, we go out there every day, do what we can for the person next to us.”

That’s called circling the wagons and bonding, as one. The 2024-25 Boston Celtics will be closer and they’ll know what it takes to win. The competition will be tougher, after all the Celtics have the proverbial NBA target on their backs. Like Mazzula said, none of that matters. What does matter is staying healthy, getting a healthy Kristaps Porzingis back from a very devastating injury and bonding/taking care of each other/enduring.

Porzingis might be back in action in December. Let’s see where he is in May and June?

An Indiana Fever fan wants to be like Caitlin (file photo)

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: I think it’s time to give Caitlin Clark – an incredible young athlete – a frickin’ break. Literally, and journalistically. … This note is being written off the top of my head, so please do not nit-pick if I miss something –> She’s had three BIG Ten titles, a couple Final Fours, three USA Basketball gold medals at U-16 and U-19 and she’s college basketball’s all-time leading scorer.

HUH? – But placing her name next to that of Serena and Simone Biles isn’t fair. Katie, too. This off-season, she’ll digest a very rough and tumble season of 2023-24, losing to South Carolina at her second straight Final Four, she was drafted No. 1 by the Indiana Fever in WNBA and she faced the toughest competition she’s ever seen in her life. – Ahhh, many of you weren’t paying attention to the WNBA being so deep and physical ever since its inception in 1997! … You might be hearing it here first: Caitlin Clark will see her day. She’ll come back for her second year in WNBA a little stronger and fully adjusted. She’ll be plugged into the USA senior national team that will begin preparation for the 2026 Women’s World Cup of Basketball in Berlin and she’ll be a core member of that team, although she might or might not be the best player on the team. She’ll be more reserved in her shot selection and her 3-for-16s will become 6-for-10s while her overall boxscore lines will improve with fewer turnovers (she only had three vs Connecticut in her last WNBA Playoff game). Her points, rebounds and assists will astound us, but, she’ll still be scrutinized more than any other player in basketball. Every hard foul, every scrape, every confrontation will make headines and SportsCenter. All the ssame tuff taken for granted when MJ was bounced around by the Celtics, Knicks and Pistons, will still be a big deal. In the WNBA, the only player scrutinized by so many “people” was Rebecca Lobo who was given a pretty hard time by ’96 USA Basketball coach Tara VanDeveer. Lobo, Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Tina Thompson, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi were the trail blazing athletes for the WNBA. Caitlin Clark will take the women’s game to new heights. To a great degree, she already has made the 27-year old league tick like Big Ben. But, so has A’ja Wilson of the Vegas aces, Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx, Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty or Clark’s teammate, Aliyah Boston of the Fever. They can all PLAY and I could go on. … But, let’s settle on one thing as the WNBA Playoffs progress without Clark and Boston and the Indiana Fever, let’s give Caitlin Clark a break. She’s earned it. She deserves it.

SPEAKING OF THE WNBA: The WNBA Players Association, via their current Executive Director Terri Carmichael Jackson (and surely with the approval of WNBA Union player President Nneka Ogwumike), issued a five segment statement – call it rant – on X to complain about coverage of the “W” by USA Today columnist Christine Brennan. … At a time when the WNBA Playoffs should be the only focus of the league, the players, the vendors and hot dog sales people, the Union decided to create a story pointing fingers at one of the very few national columnists that regularly covers the sport. The action(s) were so counterproductive. Gripes and any issues between Union/League/Team/Players to Media need to be resolved one-on-one and behind closed doors with the specific member of the media. That usually works 90-95% of the time. … What the WNBA PA’s ill-timed statement did was to magnify the story, totally out of proportion, and it now forces every columnist in the country to defend Brennan’s rights as a journalist and the rights of every media member to write their POV and opinion. Let’s keep in mind, the media is not in the business, nor required, to “celebrate” A’ja and Caitlin and DiJonal, and Napheesa. That’s the Union’s job, together with @WNBAPR. Please stop with this sophomoric behavior (writing on X) as it takes away from the professionalism of the #WNBA players at a time when the focus should be on the games and on the court.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Chicago

by

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

CHICAGO – When I think of Chicago, I think of the NBA and I immediately picture Chi-town native son Brian McIntyre, my boss and partner in crime at the league office for years and years – far too many to count. I also think of No. 23 – Michael Jordan – (pictured above) who took a symbolic NBA baton from Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, Clyde Frazier and Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Julius “Dr. J” Erving, then Larry Bird and Earvin “Magic” Johnson and ran it to every corner of the earth. How can you possibly think of Chicago and not think of Michael Jordan and the Bulls?

It’s great to be back in Chicago this weekend. I missed it a lot.

How did I miss thee? Let me count the ways.

I miss the 4:00am Blues Bar Kingston Mines. I miss the Twin Anchors and their baby back spare ribs.

I miss Magic Slim and the Teardrops. Slim passed away not long after a tour in 2013. We spent many a night chasing Slim to different dives around Chicago. One time during the 1997 Finals, were were disappointed not to see Slim playing in Chicago during the Game 1 and 2 schedule, only to find him at Club DV8 right next to the Salt Lake City Marriott for Games 3 and 4.

I miss Wrigley Field and the Cubs. And the great Harry Caray and his famous 7th inning stretch. How about Ernie Banks, Mr. Cub, stating, “Let’s play two,” because two games were better than just one in the days of frequent doubleheaders.

I miss a nice cold Old Style or a Falstaff. 🍺

I miss motoring down Lake Shore Drive in the spring and walking along Michigan Avenue in the summer.

I miss Buddy Guy’s at 700 S. Wabash. We had some good times there. I miss McCuddy’s, the old landmark Chicago saloon across the street from Comiskey Park.

I miss the Billy Goat Tavern on Lower Wacker. Word has it, this location wasn’t the original which was out on Madison. “Cheezeborger, Cheezeborger, Cheezeborger.” and “No Coke, Pepsi.” Now, they have eight locations. What a shame.

How about an Italian beef sandwich dreamt up by Al Ferrari? Or, maybe something as simple and great as a Chicago Hot Dog or Deep Dish Pizza?

I miss watching Gale Sayers running for the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Sayers was to NFL football what Julius “Dr. J” Erving was to the ABA and NBA. He was amazing and the best running back I’ve ever seen. Bears’ fans hold RB Walter Payton in the highest esteem, and I have no beef with that at all. Detroit Lions fans can boast of RB Barry Sanders, and they have every right to do so. But to me, Sayers was the best of all-time. He was drafted No. 4 overall in the 1965 NFL Draft. The Bears had the No. 3 (Dick Butkis) and No. 4 (Sayers), and they were preceded by the No. 1 pick, Tucker Frederickson of Auburn going to the New York Giants and No. 2 Ken Willard of North Carolina going to the San Francisco 49ers. Both Frederickson and Willard were Pro Bowl players. Butkis and Sayers are Hall of Famers.

I miss the Chicago Stadium, the loudest sports venue, by far, of any I’ve ever set foot inside and that goes for both ice hockey and basketball. Madison Square Garden rocks, and so did The Spectrum in Philly or the arenas – new and old – in the Bay Area, but the Stadium? Forget it.

Former Bulls PR man turned NBA guru Brian McIntyre says they had to wrap aluminum foil around the old Radio Shack computer couplers in order for reporters to send in stories late in the fourth quarter. It was so loud, the sound rattled the computer transmissions.

I miss Tony Esposito and Stan Mikita, Keith Magnuson and Bobby Hull, Pit Martin and Dennis Hull, all of the great Chicago Blackhawks teams. The most prominent musical instrument ever built was housed in the old Chicago Stadium. In fact, it was the largest Barton Organ ever built had some 51 ranks of pipes of massive scale with the usual percussion, traps, and effects. A rather gaudy red and gold “circus wagon” console (perhaps the largest organ console ever built) was on prominent display on the arena’s balcony. A balcony seat behind the goal was the best seat in hockey.

I miss Gate 3 1/2 – the media, employees, players and VVIP entrance to the Chicago Stadium, and possibly, the most unique “gate” in pro sports history. At a normal regular season game, parking in the Gate 3 1/2 lot was a breeze. In the Playoffs, forget it unless you had some serious juice. In many places around the league, the great (my old boss at NBA) Brian McIntyre had some juice. In Chicago, he was Mr. Tropicana. At NBA Finals games, we’d be able to drive within five-ten feet of Gate 3 1/2, hop out, grab out jackets and bags and Brian would hand the keys to an attendant – usually an off-duty or retired Chicago Police officers – would whisk the car away to be parked in a very safe and gated adjacent lot. On most nights, we’d be the last car to leave but the car would be waiting, backed in and facing outbound to make it easier to depart. On cold nights in the winter, the heater would be on and the car already nice and warm. On hot, steamy summer nights during the many NBA Finals games, the air conditioning would be on and the car perfectly cooled. A 5-10 minute heads up got the job done.

Yours truly bounding out Gate 3 1/2 on off-day of 1992 NBA Finals (NBA Photos)

So, I must state firmly, I miss the Chicago Bulls, in general, and I especially miss Tim Hallam and Joe O’Neill of the Bulls’ front office. And, yeah, I miss that guy who wore No. 23.

Think back to the Bulls introductions, beginning with the visiting team players being dead-panned (announced) to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon instrumental “On the Run,” accompanied by the crowd’s growing chorus of boos, was the greatest in sports history. … After the visitor’s were introduced and the dull, low of instrumental, then it really began, with an animation of a lonely bull browsing and grazing then gathering steam and running past the Chicago Theatre and through downtown Chicago until it reached the Madhouse on Madison. (a later animation had a whole stampede of Bulls on the way to the United Center). I miss hearing the instrumental of the Alan Parsons Project playing Sirius. … I miss the deafening introduction of Michael Jordan … And I miss having a courtside seat to see the most spectacular all-around player the NBA has ever seen. For those who never saw the intros in person, this version recorded in 1996 by NBC Sports and originating from the United Center doesn’t even do justice to the pure pandemonium that occurred at the old Stadium. Night and day with the level of noise, and United Center is a solid No. 2 in my eyes and ears, with Salt Lake City’s Delta Center being a distant No. 3 to back the Utah Jazz … But, back to Chi-town, when I think of the Chicago Bulls, I first think of Jordan and all the nights at The Finals, but I also think of Jerry Sloan, the toughest of all Bulls and one of the toughest players to ever play in the NBA. In most cases with the players and coaches of the NBA, you make acquaintance. With Sloan, you met him and – under the right circumstances – you had a true friend for life. Tough, sincere, loyal. I miss him greatly, and may he rest in peace. … As I close with my tribute to Chicago, I can say I even miss John Fett, the cranky old Operations Director of the Chicago Stadium. Fett was always clad in his NHL Blackhawks Starter jacket to show the NBA Bulls where his allegiance was every day of the season.

SPORTS TOWNS: I’ve always ranked the USA’s top sports towns as a three horse race, and here they are (in order):

  1. Philadelphia
  2. Chicago
  3. Boston

Everyone else is pretending or their city has so much else to offer (theatre, music, dance) that people are spread thinly with the many options. That said, if you’re going to measure sports towns by championships across the four major North American sports, here’s the list:

  1. New York (53 championships)
  2. Boston (40)
  3. Montreal (27)
  4. Chicago (26)
  5. Los Angeles (25)
  6. Detroit (22)
  7. Philadelphia (16)
  8. Toronto (16)
  9. Pittsburgh (16)
  10. St. Louis (15)

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The sports division at Netflix has been busy signing deals with properties and greasing the skids on bigger and better relationships as live full game and highlights of sports programming continues to be the be-all, end-all of DVR-free content. Netflix is getting its NBA on with a 10-part series entitled “Starting Five.” It features: Jimmy Butler, Anthony Edwards, Lebron James, Domantas Sabonis and Boston’s Jayson Tatum. Netflix has featured successful sports documentaries in NFL, Golf and Formula-1 car racing, among others. The Starting 5 has an impressive list of Producers, including James’ cohort Maverick Carter, Peyton Manning, President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle. The series will drop its first episode on Oct. 9th.

VIDEO KILLED THE AM RADIO BAND: Get this? The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 45 to 2 to send a proposed AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (H.R. 8449) to the full House for a vote.

“It’s been a stalwart of American prosperity and information sharing,” said Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC). “Having AM radio available is important to my constituents,” he added, noting its role during emergencies.

The role of AM during natural disasters was cited by several lawmakers as they spoke out during the bill’s markup, noting that FEMA has also spent tens of millions of dollars solidifying the Emergency Alert System with AM radio the backbone of EAS.

“For those of us who have experienced a natural disaster like Superstorm Sandy, we know that AM radio is an important lifeline when other forms of mass communication go out. It’s an important bill that I believe will help keep Americans safe,” said Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ), who cosponsored the bill.

If passed by the full House, the proposed AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act will require the Secretary of Transportation to issue a rule requiring access to AM broadcast stations in motor vehicles. If they don’t, carmakers could be fined, according to Inside Radio trade rag.

No truth to the rumor the House will mandate Cousin Brucie will return to WABC or if 1010-WINS will be back in the news business.

EAS: A quick question for our readers. During the global Pandemic/COVID-19, did the Emergency Alert System in your town utter one word of advice in your home? We’ve all endured countless show interruptions and middle-of-the-night awakenings to the sound of the Emergency Alert system, and its recording … You know it: “If this were an actual emergency …”

My thought is that the global pandemic was the most dangerous and lethal emergency to come down the pike in my lifetime, but not a “beep” from my EAS. What’s the deal with that? Can there possibly be a bigger emergency than a global pandemic knocking on the door?

TIDBITS AND GOLDEN NUGGETS: How many of you were absent from pop and rock school the day they taught Dua Lipa? That’s what 60 Minutes is for, right? In case you didn;t realize, 60 Minutes has been the best show on TV for 57 years. What is its secret? … It informs. … Case in point: Last weekend they had an in-depth 20 minute report on Due Lips. In case you didn’t know, Dua Lipa hails from London and was born to parents of Kosovo (Former YUG). Her father, a son of a historian, frequently played the music of David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Radiohead, The Police/Sting and the Stereophonics. Her father played in a local rock band as he was a singer and guitarist. After being told as a youngster that she couldn’t sing, she practiced and took lessons. By age 15 she was recording covers and uploading them to YouTube and SoundCloud. She’d also signed with a top modeling agency which allowed her to audition for parts with singing roles. She recorded “Hotter than Hell” and it delivered a recording contract with Warner Brothers. The dance-pop/techno-pop tempo dictated the tones of the rest of her album recordings and she was on her way to stardom. … When you figure out why there’s a Dua Lipa note in the middle of a Sunday Sports column, let me know, although her workout routines are up there with Jerry Rice or Karl Malone. She reportedly does workouts with classic warm-ups and stretching, hill sprints, core training, all body weight programs, yoga, and even some boxing. Then she winds down with long dog walks and a nap. The message: 60 Minutes just rocks.

FUTSAL: Raise your hand if you’ve been following the Futsal World Cup ‘24. … Oh, let’s rephrase the question. What the hell is Futsal and where is its World Cup? The Futsal World Cup was listed in the Sports TV Guide of the Boston Globe this week and I was curious enough to check it out. … Futsal is a derivative of Futbal in a Salon, or, in other words, Indoor Soccer. It dates back to 1930 and was conjured up by a teacher in Montevideo, Uruguay who created a version of indoor football for the members of the local YMCA. … That sounds quite similar to the start of basketball, but came some 39 years after Dr. James Naismith began bouncing basketballs in Springfield. … Futsal was usually played on the basketball hardwood floors and it’s caught on in a big way. I can attest, in Phys Ed class in high school, we played football, soccer, floor hockey, European Handball (a personal favorite), basketball, tennis, track and field events – you name it. But we never played futsal. I wish we had tried it. … The Futsal World Cup is on-going in – their words, not mine – the multifunctional sports and entertainment complex in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. … Look it up on FS-2 or check your local listings and stream it.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | 9/15/2024

by

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – Today is September 15th, 2024. You can grab a full deck of playing cards and deal one card per day to bring you to Election Day on November 5th, 2024. Meanwhile, we’re seven days away from Autumn, possibly the best and certainly the most beautiful season of the year in New England. We’re 16 days away from the first MLB Postseason Wild Card game, to be held October 1, 2024. The final Red Sox regular season game at Fenway Park will be held two days before that, on September 29th, 2024. The seasons of the sun, they are a’ changing.

Let’s take a good, long look at September 15ths of the past. It’s been a pretty amazing date on the calendar.

In 608, Saint Boniface IV began his reign as Pope. The 4th? Doesn’t this make you want to meet the other three guys?

In 1683, Germantown, Pennsylvania was founded by 13 immigrant families. Like Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote, “Immigrants, they get the job done.”

In 1789, the US Department of Foreign Affairs was renamed Department of State.

In 1851, Saint Joseph’s University was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. That would eventually bring us all the great Mike Bantom.

In 1857, Timothy Alder of NY patented the typesetting machine. Good man he was.

In 1902, Chicago Cubs infielders Tinker, Evers, & Chance turned their first double play together in a 6-3 win over Cincinnati. But, get this, on September 19, 2024, I’ll be able to see Chicago’s Wrigley Field, first known to the world as a Federal League ballfield – Weeghman Park. The Cubs host the Washington Nationals in seven days. The game will take place in the “friendly confines.” The Cubs played their first home game at Wrigley on April 20, 1916, defeating the Cincinnati Reds, 7–6, in 11 innings. Only Fenway Park (1912), here in Boston, is older than Wrigley.

On September 15, 1921, WBZ-AM, here in Boston, began its radio transmission.

In 1946, the Dodgers beat Cubs, 2-0, in a shortened five innings when the game was called because of gnats.

In 1960, Maurice “Rocket” Richard announced his retirement from the Montreal Canadiens. He finished his career with 544 goals, an NHL record at the time. He played 18 seasons in the NHL and was the first 50 goal scorer.

A year later, in 1961, the 61st US Golf Amateur Championship saw Jack Nicklaus win at the age of 21. I’m pretty sure he turned pro and had a pretty nice run.

In 1963, the Alou brothers – Felipe, Matty, & Jesús – appeared in the San Francisco Giants outfield for an inning in a 13-5 win over Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field/

In 1966, then US President Lyndon B. Johnson, responding to an August 1 sniper attack at the University of Texas at Austin, wrote a letter to the United States Congress, urging the enactment of gun control legislation. The August 1 attack was known as the University of Texas Tower shooting where 15 people were killed and 31 others were injured before police shot the mass murderer, a 25-year old Marine. Forty-one years later, the Virginia Tech shootings took place, killing 32 and injuring another 17 people. That mass murder came seven Presidents after LBJ and nothing’s been done since.

In 1969, Steve Carlton was pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals when he struck-out 19 New York Mets but lost the game, 4-3, when the Metsies tagged him for two runs in the 8th inning when Ron Swoboda hit his second of two (two-run) homers. In the little-known facts department, the day before Swoboda’s two HR game, Mets broadcaster – the great Ralph Kiner – took Swoboda aside for some instructional batting practice. Tug McGraw earned the victory in relief of Gary Gentry. The Mets had rallied in September to take the divisional lead only five days before. It was the first year of division play in MLB. The Mets would go on to take the NL East by eight games over the Cubs. Then, they swept the Atlanta Braves in three games in the NL Championship Series, and defeated the Baltimore Orioles in five games in the World Series with Jerry Koosman gaining the two most important victories in franchise history, including a complete game in the ‘69 World Series finale. That team will forever be known as the “Miracle Mets.”

In 1974, Market Square Arena – home of the Indiana Pacers until 1999 – opened its doors in downtown Indianapolis.

In 1978, before 63,352 at the New Orleans SuperDome, the greatest – Muhammad Ali defeated Leon Spinks in 15 rounds. Spinks had upset Ali in February of ‘78 with a split decision.

In 1982, the first edition of USA Today was printed by satellite and distributed all over the United States. Editorial Note: Earlier that year, newspaperman Henry Freeman visited my office at the NBA to explain what they had in mind and asked for help with the NBA team PRs sending extra information and quickly sending full final boxscores which ran in the sports section, increasing NBA coverage exponentially over the short Associated Press boxscores.

In 1985, at The Belfry … Europe defeated the United Staes in the Ryder Cup 16½-11½, marking the first US loss since 1957. Sam Torrance clinched the win for Europe by beating Andy North, 1 up.

Sadly, on September 15, 2004 Johnny Ramone, the lead guitarist for the Queens, NY band passed away from prostate cancer. He was only 59. The Ramones were inducted to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and earned a Lifetime GRAMMY Award.

We can wish Long Island’s Marcus Iavaroni a happy 68th birthday today. Better known as Marc, the starting power forward for the ‘83 NBA champion Philadelphia 76ers, he hails from Plainview Kennedy H.S. in New York (Mid-Island) and attended Virginia before being drafted by the New York Knicks in the third round of the 1978 NBA Draft (55th overall). (Little known fact, the Knicks drafted two champion power forwards and watched them win as members of other teams. Iavaroni, you know. The other? Kurt Rambis of the Los Angeles Lakers. Almost a mirror image, the Knicks grabbed Rambis out of Santa Clara with the third round pick of the 1980 NBA Draft (58th overall).

There’s another 17 NBA players and two ABA players who were born on September 15, and the late Buddy Jeannette is the only Hall of Famer of the bunch. Jeannette was born in 1917 and attended Washington & Jefferson College. He was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994. Jeannette passed away March 11, 1998 at the age of 80.

And, aside from Marc Iavaroni, there are dozens of famous folks who were born on September 15, including Prince Harry, actor Tommy Lee Jones, US President William Howard Taft and explorer Marco Polo, if you can find him.

HERE NUNN, THE NOTES: That’s no typo. Here Now, former NBA referee and one time Director of Officiating Ronnie Nunn is being inducted to the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame, a newly reorganized entity that will undertake the huge responsibility of paying tribute to the City game. … Nunn played ball at Brooklyn Tech and went on to play college basketball at George Washington University in DC. He played pro basketball in Mexico for two seasons but returned to New York to find his first calling as a special ed teacher and as an assistant coach at Pace University and also his high school alma mater.

Nunn began his officiating career in 1984 when he worked in the Continental Basketball Association and the Pro-Am summer league. Nunn went on to work 1,134 NBA regular-season, 73 NBA Playoff and four NBA Finals games, while enjoying an assignment at the 1996 NBA All-Star Game.

After retiring from active duty as an official, Nunn served as the NBA’s Director of Officials for five years, including his work on “You Make the Call” for NBA Entertainment.

The 2024 NYC Basketball Hall of Fame festivities will be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Thursday, September 19. Nine others will join Nunn for the honors.

TIDBITS AND GOLDEN NUGGETS: A follow-up to the terrible story of NHL star Johnny Gaudreau: The driver of the vehicle which struck and killed Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road has been charged with two counts of death by automobile. The driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins of Woodstown, New Jersey, had a blood-alcohol level of .087, above the .08 legal limit in New Jersey, a prosecutor said. … At a hearing held September 13, a judge ordered that Higgins be held for trial after prosecutors described a history of alleged road rage and aggressive driving. Higgins told police he had five or six beers that day and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint. He also failed a field sobriety test, the complaint said.

The Boston Red Sox are 22-31 since the MLB All-Star break and 5-4 over their last nine games, a pace that just won’t get it done in the AL Wild Card race. They’re 4.0 games back from Minnesota in the AL Wild Card standings but have Detroit and Seattle in between them and the Twins.

SMALL FRYE: Remember the ill-fated Frye Festival of 2017? Well, the George Mason college basketball team contracted with The VII Group of Georgia for a trip to play games against top competition in Nassau (Bahamas) and has cancelled the trip completely as VII Group allegedly hasn’t fulfilled obligations. George Mason placed $160,000 with the VII Group to plan a four-night basketball camp and exhibition games between August 8-12, 2024. Apparently, the FBI is now looking into the case, according to SPORTICO.

RIP No. 7: New York Mets fan favorite, Ed Kranepool, passed away this week after fighting a lengthy illness. While Tom Seaver, Rusty Staub, Buddy Harrelson, Jerry Koosman, Tommie Agee, Ron Swoboda, Doc Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Mike Piazza and Pete Alonso might be the all-time headliners of Mets favorites, it was Kranepool who first held that honor in the 1960s.

 

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Sept 8

by

While We’re Young (Ideas) | On the Paris ’24 Paralympics

The 2024 Paris Paralympics came to an amazing finish (Photo by Reuters)

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

BOSTON – On August 10th, this column stated: “fighting against every ounce of common sense in my mind and keeping to an iron-clad rule of never, ever stating that the most recent occurrence is the “best,” there’s a constant thought and growing conviction to call the 2024 Paris Summer Games the very best of my lifetime.”

It turned out to be a true statement of – not just opinion – but fact. The 2024 Olympics (July 26 – August 11) were tremendous. Paris is going to be very tough to beat and that’s because it’s a gift that kept on giving. The ‘24 Paralympics (August 28 – September 8) came to a close with the same joy and sense of accomplishment as its big brother.

There were approximately 4,400 athletes competing in the Paralympics, hailing from 168 delegations and a few Neutral Paralympic Athletes (NPA) (88 from Russia and 8 from Belarus) to round-out the competition. That means there were 4,400 amazing stories to be told from the Paralympics alone.

Here’s just one.

Ali Truwit grew up in bucolic Darien, Connecticut where she swam on her local swim club and was good enough to follow in the freestyle and backstrokes of her mother and uncle who each swam for Yale’s swimming team, an accomplished team in the IVY League.

Truwit worked and planned and dreamt of studying for her MBA at Harvard Business School as she worked a summer job at McKinsey & Company. She even ran a marathon. Her affluent upbringing allowed for family vacations and trips to Caribbean hot spots like Turks & Caicos where she swam and snorkeled near the pristine, crystal blue shoreline and beautiful, sandy beaches.

Ali Truwit – Yale

In late May of 2023, Truwit and her friend, Sophie Pilkinton, a 2019 Yale grad, went swimming and snorkeling off a local boat at a Turks and Caicos beach area Truwit knew quite well. As they were swimming, a shark came upon them.

“Sophie saw it before I did,” said Truwit to Yale Alumni Magazine, “and it came from behind, and then up next to us. The next thing I knew, it was underneath us. Pretty quickly, it had my leg in its mouth,” she said.

“I remember thinking in my head, am I crazy, or do I not have my foot right now? And I turned around to see,” Truwit remembers. “That was really one of the hardest images that stuck with me for a long time, just seeing my footless leg bleeding in the clear blue water.”

Pilkinton, a medical school grad, wrapped a tourniquet around Truwit’s leg to help limit the flow of blood. The injury was, quite obviously, very serious and, eventually, Truwit required a medevac flight to a Miami hospital.

As Yale Magazine wrote: “On her 23rd birthday, eight days after the attack, a portion of her leg was amputated so that she could, some time down the road, wear a prosthetic. This was the new reality.

“When the texts began to fly and news about Truwit’s attack spread through the Yale swimming community, support poured in. Truwit’s mother’s teammates took turns sending her flowers every week. Her former Yale teammate Duncan Lee ’20, now working at MIT with a noted prosthetist, got in touch about how to start the journey to using a prosthetic. When Truwit was being moved into her parents’ first-floor guest bedroom to recover, another teammate decorated the place with photographs from Yale swimmers and other friends, to make it feel welcoming and warm.”

The story does not end there as it must weave it way to Paris and the Summer of ‘24.

In October 2023, Truwit began to train 90 minutes a day, four days a week with a goal to attend a meet in December staged by USA Paralympics Swimming. After two months of training, she went to the US Paralympics Swimming Nationals meet and swam well.

Training for the ‘24 Paralympics meant competing at swim meets on a regular basis and all over the USA. Truwit swam and competed alongside athletes whose achievements bolstered her confidence. “It was so huge for me to be able to see all of these incredible athletes just conquering obstacles and doing incredible things in the water,” Truwit told Yale Magazine. “I think it just gave me so much hope and so much strength for my own journey.”

In June, Truwit headed to Minneapolis and qualified for the Paris games, just over a year after she was attacked. The only setback came when her meets were televised and she caught a glimpse of the mobile camera on a track at poolside. To say the least, it spooked her.

To combat that fear, Truwit had to swim faster and faster to gain a starting block in the center of the pool rather than the outside lanes. She succeeded once again, and in the ‘You can’t make this up’ category of sport, Truwit swam and earned a silver medal this past Thursday in the women’s 400-meter freestyle.

For everyone who witnessed the Olympics and Paralympics this summer, “We’ll always have Paris.”

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Last week, the PGA Tour put on the finishing touches with Scottie Scheffler’s win at the TOUR Championship. This weekend, pro tennis calls it a summer with the closing weekend of the United States Open, the fan-friendly, only-in-New York, boisterous, crazy, hectic and ultra-competitive tennis tournament every player just loves to play. … With the two summer sports folding the deck and Baseball heading into the home stretch, it’s time for the NFL to dominate the airwaves. But first, let’s look at the …

US OPEN: Aryna Sabalenka, the amazing, strong, humble and eloquent (in both Russian and English) women’s pro tennis player defeated American Jessica Pegula (7-5, 7-5) in straight sets to take her first United States Open women’s singles title, to be added to her 2023 and 2024 Australian Open championships to begin her claim as the best women’s tennis player in the world. Sabalenka – currently ranked No. 2 in the world – also reached the semifinals of the 2023 French Open and Wimbledon (where she also made the 2021 semis). Pegula, the daughter of Terry Pegula (owner of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and NHL’s Sabres) and Kim Pegula, a Korean-born American businesswoman and president of Pegula Sports & Entertainment – the parent company of the sports entities. Kim Pegula suffered a severe stroke in 2022 and was legally declared incapacitated in 2023, but has worked her way back through physical therapy. The 26-year Sabalenka calls Boca Raton, Florida home as she’s not able to return to her hometown of Minsk (Belarusia) during wartime. Both women provided U.S. Open fans with some of the best tennis to be played as No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland and American favorite Coco Gauff were eliminated. … Sunday (2:00pm ET) brings the men’s final between Italy’s Jannik Sinner, ranked No. 1, vs. American Taylor Fritz.

TIDBITS AND GOLDEN NUGGETS: We always preview the NFL season with the annual Strat-0-Matic predictions for the pro football season. This year in the Stratosphere? The Dallas Cowboys finished the regular season at 12-5, first in the NFC East and second best in the NFL. … The Cowboys were the prediction to go on to win the Super Bowl, according to the Strat-O-Matic simulators. … Specifically, Dallas won the title with a 27-16 victory over the KC Chiefs. The second-seeded Cowboys defeated New Orleans, Detroit and Chicago to advance to the Super Bowl. … By the way, please, please stop the political ads targeting New Hampshire. … Break-up the Boston College Eagles. One week after their upset victory over nationally ranked Florida State, Boston College blanked visiting Duquesne, 56-0, in the 2024 home opener at Alumni Stadium Saturday. The Eagles compiled 563 total yards of offense, including 306 yards on the ground. … With the win, BC opened the season at 2-0 for the first time since the 2021 season. … Shortstop Trevor Story started and batted seventh for the Boston Red Sox Saturday night against the Chicago White Sox. Story, 31, started at shortstop in each of the Sox’ first eight games this season before being placed on the Injured List on April 6 with a left shoulder dislocation. … Originally selected by the Colorado Rockies in Competitive Balance Round A of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, the two-time All-Star (2018-19) and two-time Silver Slugger Award recipient (2018-19) has hit .265 (892-for-3,368) with an .834 OPS, 177 home runs, and 124 stolen bases in 890 career games with the Rockies (2016-21) and Red Sox (2022-24).

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Sept. 1

by

The FM: New LPGA tournament on the block in Norton, Mass

 

By TERRY LYONS, Editor in Chief, Digital Sports Desk

NORTON – The dateline might look familiar. It last appeared on Digital Sports Deskin September of 2020, freshly inked from the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs and the Northern Trust (won by Dustin Johnson) in the good ole days before the Tour was as divided as the two major political parties of the USA.

The bean counters took a look at the Nielsen TV ratings and the PGA Tour execs cut their playoffs down to three rounds, to be sure they conclude before the start of the NFL season. Then, FedEx used its clout as year-long sponsor and the keeper of all things playoffs, the BMW Championship (formerly the Western Open) and Coca-Cola stepped-up with big-time money for record purses to keep the pseudo semi-finals and the TOUR Championship right where they are today, as the men finish their season at East Lake Country Club, near Atlanta.

Although the TOUR promised us a tournament every other season, thus was the end of men’s pro golf in Greater Boston/Providence as the Deutsch Bank Championship and its Labor Day finish was stopped cold in 2018 and, after a year at Liberty National in New Jersey, the Boston/Labor Day concept was briefly reinstated in 2020. But Northern Trust couldn’t be trusted and golf fans of New England were left with a free Labor Day Monday and an occasional major at The Country Club – not bad at all.

This weekend, professional golf returned to Eastern Massachusetts as a new LPGA tournament, the FM Championship, is being staged at famed TPC Boston.

While We’re Young (Ideas) and Digital Sports Desk are both on-site for the LPGA’s “FM” this weekend. Please visit DSD on Sunday for complete coverage of the tournament’s final day, coinciding with the PGA Tour’s 2024 conclusion at the TOUR Championship. (FM is a corporate real estate assessment firm to mitigate potential water/flood/other damage to land assets/HQs).

From the FM Media Center Saturday, we can note that nine players are separated by five strokes with S. Korea’s Jin Young Ko (67) – (-11) atop the leaderboard after her Saturday round. American Lauren Coughlin snuck into second place at (69) – (-9).

There’s a definite surge in the overall popularity of women’s sports, much to the credit of basketball phenom Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever who bolsters the WNBA this season. But, lifelong sports fans must always recognize the two mainstays of women’s sports – tennis and golf – as the cornerstones of activity. They’re both on display this weekend, as summer sports give way to the Fall of ‘24.

Chicago Sky PF Angela Reese might be pushing Clark in the WNBA, but there’s a long list of players in hot pursuit of LPGA leading money winner, Nelly Korda,($3,601,630 over 13 events) who is being chased by more than a dozen talented, world class golfers as the women’s tour zig-zags the USA and the globe. Korda took a pass at playing Boston this week after her near-miss “W” at the AIG Women’s Open at the Old Course in Britain.

UPSETS: Aside from the LPGA/FM Championship and WTA/U.S. Open tennis tournament, let’s look at some upsets in sports at the start of the Fall schedule of college & pro football, MLB, WNBA, U.S. Open tennis, the TOUR Championship and the women’s golf home stretch:

  • Georgia Tech knocked off Florida State, 24-21, in their ACC opener held in Dublin, Ireland (Week 0).
  • French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) was handed his earliest exit at the US Open when he lost in straight sets, 6-1, 7-5, 6-4, to World No. 74 Botic van de Zandschulp (Netherlands).
  • A night later, No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic (Serbia) lost to No. 28 seed in Australia’s Alexei Popyrin, 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, in the third round on the same court.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Next week, WWYI will delve into the 2024 NFL season, but this week, it’s important to note that the rookie QB (Drake) Maye to coach (Jerod) Mayo era will wait a while, as Mayo named veteran QB Jacoby Brissett the opening week starter. … The pundits of Las Vegas have the New England Patriots listed as O/U 4.5 in season wins, an NFL low. Yet, it’s very difficult to count five possible “Ws” on the Patriots’ difficult AFC East schedule. … In other words, take the (U)under. … Boston College football opens up on the road vs (0-1) Florida State. The Eagles are in trouble, as the Seminoles will play ‘pissed’ after their loss to ACC Sleeper Georgia Tech. … The SMU Mustangs might be considered another ACC sleeper, after their 29-24 victory over Nevada (Augst 24).

TID-BITS AND GOLDEN NUGGETS: The Boston Bruins are seeking some veteran experience and influence in the locker and on the ice with the signing of forward Tyler Johnson to a Professional Tryout Agreement (PTO). … Johnson, 34, appeared in 67 games with the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2023-24 season, recording 17 goals and 14 assists for 31 points. The 5-foot-8, 185-pound forward has skated in 738 career NHL games with Chicago and Tampa Bay, totaling 193 goals and 238 assists for 431 points with a plus-20 rating. The two-time Stanley Cup winner (2020, 2021) has also played 116 career Stanley Cup playoff games, tallying 32 goals and 33 assists for 65 points. … Norway’s Erling Haaland scored his second consecutive futbol hat trick which led Manchester City to a 3-1 win at West Ham United on Saturday, maintaining Man City’s perfect start to the Premier League season. … Going into Saturday night’s game at Detroit, the Boston Red Sox are (16-23) in the 39 fun-filled games since the MLB All-Star break.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Aug 25

by

While We’re Young (Ideas) | On College Football’s Future
What is ahead for College Football?

By TERRY LYONS, Editor in Chief, Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – This week, the NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) struck a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that looks more like the English Premier League model than the NFL, NBA or NHL. For the women, there will be more pay but the annual Draft will get tossed. A growing cadre of talented collegiate players or incoming internationals will be free agents able to sign with the team of their choice.

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

That might sound strange to North American sports fans, but it can be said that the system mimics NCAA talent in all sports who are recruited to play by collegiate coaches and their bagmen, who are now able too offer full scholarships and unprecedented amounts of NIL money, as long as the college boosters stay with the program.

While writing on college programs, please note that the University of Connecticut is – once again – on the block for a possible move to the Big 12, a college conference aggressively seeking to out-position the other Power (is it four?) Conferences, while destroying anything in its path, like the Pac 12.

UConn is near and dear to the Digital Sports Desk legacy, as it was here that you first read that UConn had agreed to return to the BIG EAST in 2020, leaving the American Athletic Conference which was an off-shoot of the original BIG EAST but with a preference for the sport of football rather than hoops.

Now, big time college football is luring UConn back to the negotiating table (for the third time, no less) and the decision could have serious ramifications for the little old BIG EAST, which would return to 10 teams of yore.

The bottom line is that NCAA football is beginning to look like European futbol as much or more that the NWSL could ever hope for in the near future.

It’s not a stretch to think of UConn as Manchester United, Alabama as Arsenal, and Georgia as Liverpool. That might make Manchester City a bit like Penn State, Tottenham Hotspurs a version of Michigan, and Spain’s Real Madrid and FC Barcelona take on characteristics of USC and UCLA.

Playing the comparison out, the short term goal is to win the EPL/Conference championship, whether it be the ACC, SEC, BIG 12 or Big Ten, but the longer term strategy is to join and win in the Champions League.

The mirror of the Champions League for College Football will be the 12-Team CFB Playoff coming in 2025. That is where a national champion will be crowned and with it the cash and prestige to keep the coffers filled and alum happy for at least one more year before some other conference gets gobbled up or sees its longtime anchors disappear.

Do you hear that UNC, Clemson, and Florida State? Where might you be headed in 2025-26?

Florida State, by the way, dropped its opener on Saturday, bowing to an upstart Georgia Tech squad, 24-21, in Dublin, Ireland. Georgia Tech and SMU have been tabbed as the “sleepers” of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The hometown favorites, Boston College, might be more of a snoozer than sleeper as the Eagles are likely to be 1-3 after an opener vs a very angry Florida State Seminole team at Tallahassee, a home breather vs Duquesne, a road jaunt to Mizzou and another home game – the annual Red Bandana Game – against Michigan State (winnable).

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Once upon a time, the Boston Red Sox were tagged as the second hottest team in the American League, but, as of August 24, the Sox are back to their inconsistent ways, dropping the second of a three game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Fenway. The Sox are 5-6 in their last 11, 10-11 in 21 games during August, and 14-19 in 33 games since the MLB All-Star break. Going into the series finale against the D-Backs, Boston is four games out of the Wild Card slot. … Boston starters, such as Cutter Crawford (loser on Saturday, and (8-11) on the season, are reason for much of the inconsistency. Sunday will mark Game 129 of the 2024 season for the Sox, also home game 64 of 82.

The Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and catcher Danny Jansen will be making history this Monday when Jansen will become the first major leaguer to appear in a game for both teams if he plays catcher for the Boston in the resumption of a suspended game against the Toronto Blue Jays.

“He’s catching. Let’s make history,” Boston manager Alex Cora said Friday before the Red Sox dropped the opener of a three-game series against Arizona 12-2.

Jansen was about to bat for Toronto when the June 26 game against Boston was suspended in the second inning because of heavy rain. It was rescheduled for this Monday as part of a doubleheader.

He was traded from Toronto to Boston on July 27.

“I don’t know if it’s set in for me. It’s definitely a cool thing,” Jansen said. “Honestly, when I heard about it, I didn’t think I would be the first. The game has been around for so long. It’s one of those oddities that happen in this sport. It’s extremely rare and cool.”

AT BAT: Major League Baseball recently announced the tournament format, pool play opponents and sites for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. There are four pools of five teams each, with one slot open for a qualifier in each pool. The United States will face a formidable challenge from Mexico, then hope to outplay Italy, Great Britain and the qualifier TBA. As in past years, San Juan and Tokyo will host first round match-ups with tough North American (Canada), Americas (Panama) and Caribbean (Cuba) world teams heading to Puerto Rico while Japan plays host to Australia, Korea, Czechia and a qualifier.

The semifinals and finals will be played in Miami.
Artist’s rendition of Bristol Motor Speedway set-up for Baseball (MLB)

SPEED RACERS: On August 2, 2025, Major League Baseball will again expands its horizons within the United States when they stage a game at the famed Bristol Motor Speedway in northeastern Tennessee. The Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves will rev-it-up for the special occasion as Baseball tries to one-up their highly successful “Field of Dreams“ effort. … The one-off game will be part of a three-game series as the Reds are the home team.

GOLDEN NUGGETS & TIDBITS: The Boston Bruins dealt goalkeeper Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators back on June 24. In doing so, the Bruins made a longterm commitment to their ‘24 starter Jeremy Swayman but Swagman and the Bruins have yet to come to terms on a new contract. For that matter, the Senators have yet to sign Ullmark to an extension that was planned when the deal went down. Stay tuned as camp opens in about one month. … The PGA Tour is down to its penultimate week of play. This week, the best 50 players on the season-log FedEx Cup point listing are competing in Castle Rock, Colorado with the Top 30 to qualify for the TOUR Championship next week in Atlanta. The BMW Championship is the oldest non-major on the PGA TOUR schedule, dating back to 1899. It was known as the Western Open for most of the time. The tournament is being played at its 11th different venue since 2007 and the first in Colorado since 2014 . Why the break? Altitude is a bitch! … The Castle Pines GC is playing as a Par 72 at 8,130 yards, the longest in PGA Tour history. Through 54 holes, Keegan Bradley (Vermont and Hopkinton, Mass) – (-12), Adam Scott (Australia), along with Sweden’s Alex Soren and Ludvig Åberg are ripping up the course, finishing Saturday’s round at (-12), (-11) and (-10). Xander Schauffele and Denver’s Wyndham Clark are four back of the leaders. … With a $75 million prize pool, the winner of the TOUR Championship will bank $18 million. … While St. John’s grad Keegan Bradley was leading at the BMW, another St. John’s guy, Mike Repole (think Vitamin Water) was cleaning up at Saturday’s Travers Stakes in Saratoga (Sponsored by Draft Kings). Repole’s bay colt, Fierceness, took the $1,250,000 purse Travers with John R. Velazquez riding to the $787,500 prize, nipping Torpedo Anna at the wire. … Meanwhile, on the St. John’s campus, coach Rick Pitino’s office was robbed of memorabilia he was scheduled to sign. The perp was nabbed, a Long Island City man was arrested in connection with the robbery. Emanuel Yakubov was nabbed by the 107th Precinct at 9 p.m. Friday, according to the NYPD. He faces multiple charges, including third-degree burglary, petit larceny, third-degree criminal trespassing, and fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property. Security footage tipped off the NYPD sleuths.