***Please support StocksandNews…there are big costs behind it. Click on the GoFundMe link or send a check to PO Box 990, New Providence, NJ 07974.
For Zelle: use recipient briannovak24@gmail.com.
If you have Zelle, do what you can…tonight or tomorrow. It’s critical.
—
[Posted Sunday PM, prior to late sports action.]
College Football Quiz: Name the eleven (11) programs (FBS, FCS, Div. II and Div. III) to win 900 games through 2025. Hint: Mt. Union is No. 15 at 879. And don’t forget the Ivy League. Answer below.
MLB
—The Yankees were out in San Diego for a big series against the Padres and San Diego took the first Friday night, 3-2 in 10 on a Luis Campusano 2-run walk-off homer off reliever Paul Blackburn.
New York (81-61) rebounded Saturday, 5-1, Carlos Rodon getting the win for the Yanks with five strong, while New York got to Padres starter Robbie Ray (11-8, 3.39) for all five runs in his 2 1/3 stint…San Diego falling to 74-68, ½-game back of Arizona for the final wild-card slot.
I’m posting before end of Sunday’s game, but in the first inning, the Yanks’ Gerrit Cole gave up back-to-back-to-back home runs to start the bottom of the first. Eegads…watched them all.
—The Mets were hosting the lousy Giants this weekend at Citi Field, and the Mets took the opener Friday 10-6, clubbing five home runs, two by Francisco Alvarez.
Nolan McLean (11-8, 3.06 ERA) went six innings, two runs for New York, the 13th time in his last 14 starts that he has gone six.
But the Giants bashed six home runs on Saturday, 9-5 winners. Rafael Devers hit two more homers, giving him 9 in his last 13 games.
Mets starter Zac Thornton had his worst start in the big leagues, giving up four of the homers, his ERA falling to 3.53.
But Sunday, the Mets had a stirring 4-2 win as Bo Bichette had a dramatic 3-run homer in the bottom of the 8th, after the Giants had walked Juan Soto with the open base in front of him.
—In the battle for the second spot in the NL race to avoid a wild-card playoff, the Braves (84-57) beat the Phillies (79-62) in the opener of a 4-game series, 5-2, as Chris Sale (14-9, 2.1) outdueled Cristopher Sanchez (16-5, 2.58), Sale giving up two runs in six innings, Sanchez yielding three in his six-innings of work.
The Phillies are just a half-game behind the Cubs for the top wild-card slot.
Philadelphia then won Saturday, 4-2, behind Zack Wheeler’s six strong innings, Wheeler now 12-5, 3.23. Kyle Schwarber hit No. 41 for the Phils.
But Atlanta, down 4-1 Sunday, Kyle Schwarber with No. 42, won it 5-4 as Ronald Acuna Jr. had a clutch 3-run homer in the 8th for the Braves.
–The Dodgers (84-57) kept pace with the Braves, beating the Nationals at Chavez Ravine, 5-3, as Blake Snell continued to shine, six innings, zero runs, his ERA 1.97…just 3 earned in 23 innings since his return from a lengthy injury absence.
But the Dodgers have a big issue with Shohei Ohtani. In Wednesday’s 8-6 loss to the Cardinals, Ohtani went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts. He hasn’t played since as the Dodgers have held him out due to his right knee inflammation and biceps discomfort that has kept him from returning to the mound, where he had posted an 8-2 record in 14 starts this season. He hasn’t pitched since July 3.
And Ohtani has been struggling mightily at the plate, batting just .241 in August, and with seven hits and 20 strikeouts over his past 51 at-bats.
Friday night, manager Dave Roberts said he was “hopeful” Ohtani wouldn’t go on the IL, “but I wouldn’t say confident. Hopeful. We’ll see.” And now Ohtani has soreness in his neck. He’s been battling with small ailments all season.
Without Ohtani again, Saturday, the Dodgers eked out a 6-5 win over the Nats and are now a game ahead of Atlanta for the second spot in the NL.
[The Dodgers’ hesitation in putting Ohtani on the IL stems from the fact that since he is considered a two-way player, and because of that status, he would be placed on the15-day injured list instead of the 10-day list, something I didn’t know.]
–Meanwhile, the Brewers (88-54), remained 3 ½ ahead of both Atlanta and L.A., beating the Reds in Cincinnati Friday night, 10-7, as Wake Forest’s Rhett Lowder (6-9, 5.43) took the loss for the Reds.
But the Reds won on Saturday, 5-3.
And Cincy won Sunday, 12-8.
–One more…Paul Skenes moved to 10-11, 3.83, with 5 1/3 scoreless (87 pitches) as the Pirates hung on to beat the Angels 1-0. We’ll always follows Skenes…he’s a fascinating story given my theory on his overuse in college that no one else brings up.
College Football
—Thursday night, Rutgers football suffered one of the worst losses in the history of the game, falling 37-21 at home to UMass. Rutgers paid UMass $1.55 million to play the role of the Washington Generals in the opener and, instead, the Minutemen built a 30-7 lead before allowing RU to sort of make it close.
Rutgers was a 29.5-point favorite.
But consider this…UMass was 0-12 last season, with just two games (Bryant and Buffalo) decided by single digits. It was one of the worst seasons in major-college history.
That is if you don’t include the seven other 10-loss seasons UMass has had since moving up to FBS in 2012. Since the move, they are 26-134.
Longtime Rutgers coach Greg Schiano (seventh season in his second stint at the school, after 11 seasons the first go around) is certainly now on the hot seat after Week One. This can’t happen.
I do have to add, UMass quarterback William Watson III was terrific, 19/22, 197, 3-0. He had played three seasons at Virginia Tech (sparingly) before transferring this year.
–Also Thursday, Wake Forest looked solid in defeating Akron at home, 38-16, a game that was 28-3 at the half.
This was the first time Demon Deacon fans got a look at new quarterback Gio Lopez, who had a so-so season at North Carolina last season amidst the chaos at Chapel Hill, but I thought it was a great portal pick for the Deacs and I’m even more impressed now.
Granted, it was Akron, but Lopez threw for 350 yards and three touchdowns, Carlos Hernandez with five receptions for 165 yards and a score just in the first half before he exited with an upper body injury (status unknown) after getting walloped on a passing route. We need Hernandez, a big returnee from last season’s Wake team.
So, we’ll see how the Deacs do at Purdue next weekend.
—Friday, 7 Miami got off to an electric start out in Stanford, 45-6, as Duke transfer Darian Mensah was a spectacular 27/30, 401 yards, five touchdowns. [Duke was pissed they lost him. They thought they had re-signed Mensah, so they sued and the two parties settled.]
Miami receiver Malchi Toney had 12 catches for a school-record 234 yards and three TDs. Tony had a terrific freshman campaign last year and he could be a first-round draft pick when he elects to take the next step up. [I should say, ‘He will be a top-ten selection.’]
–On to Saturday, and let me say up front, at the start of the week I jot down games of interest, including for most of the top ten, anticipating more than a few blowouts.
But 16 Michigan-Western Michigan wasn’t on my legal pad, and I went to bed after Yankees-Padres, not even thinking to look in on this one (having prepared to watch Clemson-Ole Miss before their lengthy lightning delay).
So, when I opened up the computer again very early Sunday morning and saw a note from Ken P. bemoaning the ‘phantom second’ in Michigan’s stunning 13-12 avoidance of a titanic upset by Western Michigan, that’s when I found out.
In Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham’s debut in Ann Arbor, the Broncos thought they had a 12-7 win that would have been as big an upset as the Wolverines’ season-opening loss to Appalachian State in 2007, when a final Hail Mary pass from Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood hit the hands of a Western Michigan defender with TV replays showing the clock at 0:00.
But officials called for a review and it was determined there was a second remaining, giving Underwoood another shot and he connected with JJ Buchanan for a 47-yard touchdown pass that lifted Michigan to the miraculous win.
The Big Ten stood by the review in a statement released two hours after the game, when it also published a recording of the replay as it was reviewed by the officials that showed the game clock at 1second when the ball was touched by WMU’s Micah Davis.
And so we move on…but Wolverine fans can’t be happy with what they saw from Whittingham’s squad overall, Michigan turning it over three times and hardly dominating the line of scrimmage.
In other games (using AP rankings), No. 1 Ohio State blitzed Ball State, 56-3, Julian Sayin 21/25, 320, 3-0 for the Buckeyes, while Heisman Trophy candidate Jeremiah Smith caught eight for 151 yards and two scores.
2 Oregon, for the second time in three seasons, survived Boise State’s upset bid in Eugene, 34-27. I was surprised the Broncos were a 24.5-point underdog. After all, fifth-year senior Maddux Madsen was still at QB for Boise, Madsen with three touchdown passes Saturday.
But another Heisman candidate, Dante Moore, threw for 378 yards and three touchdowns of his own for the Ducks.
3 Georgia annihilated Tennessee State, 63-3.
5 Texas demolished Texas State, 59-7, as Arch Manning was 20/27, 305, 4-1.
Defending champion Indiana, ranked No. 6, beat North Texas 52-16, Josh Hoover 13/16, 231, 4-0 in his Hoosier debut, the field temperature 152 at one point…yes, 152. More than a few games Saturday were played in excessive heat.
13 Alabama blasted East Carolina 48-10.
18 Penn State shutout Marshall 45-0, as quarterback Rocco Becht, after four years at Iowa State, had four touchdown passes in his debut for the Nittany Lions.
And then there was the aforementioned 2 ½-hour delayed 11 LSU-Clemson game.
All eyes were on new coach Lane Kiffin (just as he likes it), as he led a pregame parade into LSU’s Death Valley that included social influencers/models Brooks Nader and Livvy Dunne looking rather amazing, just to state the obvious, and when the game finally got started, it was a no-contest…51-10 LSU’s Tigers.
New quarterback Sam Leavitt, formerly of Arizona State, was 16/28, 230, 1-1, but 113 on the ground and two scores for Kiffin’s squad, LSU humiliating Clemson in outgaining the other Tigers 644-145.
It could be another long season for Dabo and Co.
But as Kiffin said at halftime, he was doing it without professional players, the two who had controversially been brought into the program after attending NFL training camp held out of the contest.
Tonight we have two biggies…Wisconsin at 4 Notre Dame, and 24 Louisville at 9 Ole Miss.
–Lastly, we note the passing of former two-time All-America defensive back Alphonso Smith, 40, who played four seasons in the NFL, 2009-2012, with Denver and Detroit, after a sterling career at Wake Forest.
Smith was a delightful guy at Wake, with 21 interceptions in his four seasons, 15 his final two where he attained All-America status, first-team his senior year, before Denver selected him in the second round of the 2009 NFL draft.
After one season with the Broncos, he was traded to Detroit, where in his first two seasons he had eight interceptions, two returned for touchdowns, and it seemed like he would have a long NFL career.
But it wasn’t to be and he appeared to post on his Facebook account Wednesday, before his death, lamenting his mental health challenges, apologizing and asking for forgiveness.
“Do not cry for me!” a post read on his account. “I tried everything in my power to fight the demons behind the ones that someone put into ME! I did not want to be that WAY! I know I have disappointed so many folks. This is a DEMON in me! But not only me! It’s EVERYONE! I have HURT so many! I needed help & did not get it! I am so sorry!”
Smith apologized to his children in the post and suggested that trauma from his childhood had caused his mental anguish. “I pray my soul rest in heaven for my heart is pure,” he said.
It’s heartbreaking.
NBA
—The NBA levied the largest punishment in league history on the LA Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer on Wednesday after a year-long investigation determined that they circumvented the league’s salary cap rules. The Clippers will lose five first-round picks – selections in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033 – and are being fined $30 million, the league announced.
Ballmer has been suspended for one year, the NBA said, “for knowingly seeking to help (Kawhi) Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities.” The NBA said Ballmer approved a deal with Aspiration because he knew it was a precondition for the company to go into a sponsorship deal with Leonard.
Clippers team president Lawrence Frank has been suspended for six months, while the Clippers president of business operations, Gillian Zucker, has been suspended for one year. The NBA’s report said that Frank and Zucker received different punishments for their roles because while Frank was open and honest about his recollections, to their determination, Zucker was evasive and “inconsistent” in her interviews.
The Clippers, according to NBA investigators, tried to elude NBA rules on circumvention by creating a “novel theory” that it was OK to introduce business partners to players if the player or their representative asked for it. The NBA did not find that persuasive.
Leonard has been forced to pay the NBA back $700,000. The NBA report said Leonard pressured the Clippers, through his uncle Dennis Robertson, “to assist him in obtaining off-court income opportunities, successfully obtaining those opportunities, and failing to reimburse payments by the Clippers for personal expenses.”
“The NBA’s collectively bargained system for determining player compensation is a fundamental component of the basketball competition that the league oversees for the benefit of the teams and players and ultimately the fans,” Adam Silver said. “I am deeply disappointed by the flagrant violations of our rules and by the Clippers’ institutional and leadership failures that led to this misconduct. The severity of the penalties reflects the seriousness of the violations.”
Leonard’s future remains unclear for now. The results of the investigation should clear the way for his deal to the Toronto Raptors. The Clippers agreed to trade him there earlier this summer, but the deal has been on hold.
Bill Plaschke / Los Angeles Times
“Steve Ballmer has been tattered. Lawrence Frank has been shredded. Their team future has been flattened.
“Boom, goes those damn Clippers.
“They had transformed themselves from the ridiculed Clip Joint to a top-shelf NBA organization, with the billionaire owner, the beautiful arena, the best coach and the most devoted fans…but they apparently got greedy, seemingly played dirty, and now have been affixed with a scarlet eight letters that will follow them forever.
“Cheaters.
“The NBA has ruled that the Clippers are cheaters.
“Ballmer, cheater. Frank, cheater. Even president of business operations Gillian Zucker, cheater….
“In arguably the harshest punishment in sports since SMU was given college football’s death penalty in 1987 – this is even worse than the USC sucker punch of 2010 – the league added injury to insult by stripping the team of five consecutive draft picks from 2029 to 2033.”
Balmer was furious, but from the details I’ve read, it’s evident the Clippers, and Leonard, cheated, pure and simple.
Instead of suing the league, they should accept the penalty and move on.
Golf Balls
–They held the Walker Cup at historic Lahinch Golf Club in County Clare, Ireland, this weekend and for those of us who have played here many times, your editor an overseas member, it was a joy to watch on Golf Channel…great memories. The U.S. and Great Britain & Ireland (GBI) players hitting some shots I’ve seen before, the course being very hard when the wind is up, as it normally is, but you can score (I’m not saying I ever did) when the wind is down, and we had both this weekend.
And what an event it turned out to be. Like you can’t draw it up any better.
After being down 6 ½ to 5 ½ following Saturday’s foursomes and singles, the U.S. came out smoking Sunday morning, winning all 4 foursomes to take a 9 ½ to 6 ½ lead, ten singles matches to go.
And then GBI took the first four singles matches, taking a 10 ½ to 9 ½ lead, six matches still on the course.
But the momentum swung right back to the U.S., and it looked like we were going to win, except owing to some choke jobs, poor decision making, giving an opponent a gimme when he shouldn’t have in a critical moment, GBI came back, literally on the final green, to pull it out 13 ½ to 12 ½.
Just an awesome show.
I don’t want to name the offenders, because these guys are amateurs, but many of them are going to be on Tour, like real soon.
But the last three U.S. players left, after Americans Ryder Cowan and Josiah Gilbert, at Nos. 9 and 10, had secured their points, flat-out choked, pure and simple.
And for the one player on the par-5 18th to hit driver off the deck for his second, was an awful decision from a risk/reward standpoint. [I’ve done that on the same hole, but I was probably 50 yards shorter with my drive then this player was.] We lost a half point on that one and it was critical.
And the two other Americans left made some really dumb decisions.
I can speak from experience, having legitimately played at least 50 rounds on the course. Yes, over 50.
Oh well…I’m guessing Golf Channel got some great ratings. Kudos to them…their coverage was outstanding.
But to my friends at Lahinch, you did yourselves proud! Great fans. A great little town.
I talked to a friend from Lahinch after Saturday’s play, someone I met there long, long ago in a pub, and we’ve kept in touch. She was fired up at what the event had done for them.
—Jackson Koivun was added to the U.S. team for the Presidents Cup, just three months after leaving Auburn, one of two newcomers captain Brandt Snedeker picked for an American team that hasn’t lost in 28 years.
Snedeker also took Presidents Cup newcomer Jacob Bridgeman, who won at Riviera this year.
The six Americans who qualified on points were Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Sam Burns, Collin Morikawa and Russell Henley. Snedeker’s other picks were not surprising – Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas and Chris Gotterup.
The Presidents Cup is Sept. 24-27 at Medinah Country Club in Chicago.
—Tiger Woods will lose his driver’s license for five years and pay $1,500 in fines in a plea agreement made at a hearing Sept. 2 at the Martin County Courthouse.
Woods was charged with DUI following a crash on Jupiter Island on March 27. He pleaded no contest to the reduced charge of reckless, willful driving, which comes with a five-year license suspension and a $1,000 fine. The no-contest means he accepted the punishment without formally admitting guilt.
His refusal to submit to the sobriety test comes with a five-year license suspension and $500 fine.
Martin County Judge Darren Steele warned Woods that he would be sent to jail if he is caught driving.
Woods’ attorney, Douglas Duncan, also represented Woods in a 2017 DUI case in Palm Beach County.
Premier League
–In action this weekend, Manchester City defeated Coventry 1-0, Erling Haaland with the lone goal.
Tottenham is still scoreless after three, playing a 0-0 draw at Nottingham.
Newbie Hull City remained unbeaten, 0-0 against Aston Villa.
And today, Everton tied Manchester United 2-2 on a spectacular stoppage time goal.
Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1.
Top 3 songs for the week 8/31/68: #1 “People Got To Be Free” (The Rascals) #2 “Born To Be Wild” (Steppenwolf) #3 “Light My Fire” (Jose Feliciano)…and…#4 “Hello, I Love You” (The Doors) #5 “Sunshine Of Your Love” (The Cream) #6 “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” (The Vanilla Fudge) #7 “Harper Valley P.T.A.” (Jeannie C. Riley) #8 “You’re All I Need To Get By” (Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell) #9 “I Can’t Stop Dancing” (Archie Bell & The Drells) #10 “Stay In My Corner” (The Dells… A week…)
College Football Quiz Answer: 11 programs to win 900 games…FBS, FCS, Div. II and Div. III.
1 Michigan 1022
2 Ohio State 990
3 Alabama 985
T4 Note Dame 972
T4 Texas 972
6 Oklahoma 960
7 Yale 952
8 Penn State 950
9 Nebraska 931
10 Harvard 918
11 Georgia 904
12 USC 891
13 Penn 888
14 Tennessee 883
15 Mt. Union 879
16 Princeton 868
Brief Add-on up top Tues.
*Reminder…as we approach 9/11, I have a timeline of the awful events of that day on my “Hot Spots” link.
