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Bar Chat

03/24/2025

March Madness...Lindsey Vonn...George Foreman

Add-on posted early Tues. a.m.

March Madness

Men’s Sweet Sixteen

Thursday

East Region...Newark, NJ

2 Alabama vs. 6 BYU
1 Duke vs. 4 Arizona

West Region...San Francsico

1 Florida vs. 4 Maryland
3 Texas Tech vs. 10 Arkansas

Friday

South Region...Atlanta

2 Michigan State vs. 6 Mississippi
1 Auburn vs. 5 Michigan

Midwest Region...Indianapolis

2 Tennessee vs. 3 Kentucky
1 Houston vs. 4 Purdue

After the first weekend....

Big Ten 12-4
SEC 15-7
Big 12 11-3
Big East 4-5
ACC 3-3

7 SEC teams moved on (out of 14), 4 Big 12, 4 Big Ten, and Duke representing the ACC.

The Big East is out, which isn’t good for their image.  A lot of their fans were bitching they were being disrespected prior to the tournament.

This will be the first time that four conferences represent the Sweet Sixteen, the fewest in NCAA Tournament history since the bracket was expanded to 64 teams in 1985.  And it’s the power conferences.

--Going back to Sunday night, after I posted, 4 Maryland and Derik Queen got it done at the buzzer.

After 12 Colorado State’s Jalen Lake hit a go-ahead 3 with six seconds to play to put CSU up 71-70, the Terps got the ball into the freshman star’s hands to the left of the lane, and he sank an impossible bank shot for a win Maryland fans will remember a long time.

Queen, 6-10 and skilled, is heading to the lottery.  But first, the Terps have the ability to upset Florida and advance to the Elite Eight.

Back on Nov. 18, I wrote the following about Maryland and Queen:

“15 Marquette had a good road win at Maryland, 78-74. I am in no way ever going to be a Terps fan, but they’d be worth a quid or two to go all the way, with potential star freshman Derik Queen, a local kid, and some other solid players.”

Also Sunday night, 4 Arizona outlasted 5 Oregon, 87-83, as Caleb Love had 29 for the Wildcats.  Now Love goes up against his former nemesis, Duke...Love having started his career at North Carolina.

Women’s Sweet Sixteen

Friday

Regional 1

5 Ole Miss vs. 1 UCLA
3 LSU vs. 2 N.C. State

Regional 2

4 Maryland vs. 1 South Carolina
3 North Carolina vs. 2 Duke

Saturday

Regional 3

5 Tennessee vs. 1 Texas
3 Notre Dame vs. 2 TCU

Regional 4

3 Oklahoma vs. 2 UConn
5 Kansas State vs. 1 USC

But the No. 1 Lady Trojans will be without superstar JuJu Watkins, who tore the ACL in her right knee Monday night in USC’s 96-59 win over Mississippi State, awful for USC and the sport.

NBA

--Sunday night some heavyweights played...Cleveland (57-14) snapped their four-game losing streak, 120-91 over Utah.  The Thunder (59-12) edged the Clippers (40-31) in Los Angeles, 103-101, and Boston (52-19) beat the Trail Blazers in Portland, 129-116.

--Monday, the Celtics then continued their road trip in Sacramento and won again, 113-95, but Jayson Tatum sustained what appeared to be a severe ankle sprain.  How long he’ll be out hasn’t been determined as I go to post, but both coach and player said afterward they didn’t think it was too serious...so maybe just a few games.

NHL

--Big game Monday night for Rangers fans, as the Blue Jackets took on the Islanders on the road...and Columbus prevailed 4-3 in a shootout.

The Isles and Rangers are tied, a point behind Montreal for the last playoff spot, Isles with a game in hand.  The Blue Jackets are two points back.

MLB

--Season starts Thursday!  Play Ball!!!

--Last time, I didn’t want to say anything about the death of former Yankee Brett Gardner’s 14-year-old son, Miller, because there were no facts.  And it’s still not known just what happened.

A statement from the couple said that Miller died in his sleep Friday morning, the Gardners saying they “have so many questions and so few answers at this point.”  Miller fell ill during a family vacation in Costa Rica.

The Yankees said the organization was “filled with grief,” and it is just an immense tragedy.

Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza, a former Yankee coach during Gardner’s playing days, was very emotional in addressing the death while speaking to the press on Sunday.

Monday, we learned Miller died of “asphyxiation.” Several other family members fell seriously ill, according to a media report.

Local investigations said the teen’s sudden death may have been the result of “possible intoxication after apparently ingesting some food,” according to NBC News.

Toxicology results aren’t known, and the family is trying to get the body home.  This occurred at a very upscale resort.

--Baseball America College Baseball Poll, as of Sunday’s play....

1. Tennessee
2. Arkansas
3. Texas
4. Georgia
5. LSU
6. Florida State
7. Clemson
8. Oklahoma
9. Oregon State
10. Alabama

13. Wake Forest...the Deacs had a disappointing 1-3 week, losing at Liberty, and 2 of 3 at Clemson.  We should have won the rubber game against the Tigers Sunday, leading 6-3 in the eighth inning before the bullpen coughed it up.

NASCAR

Kyle Larson picked up career win No. 30 on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, FL. Teammate Alex Bowman was second.

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.

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[Posted early Sunday evening...prior to late NCAA games.]

Add-on up top by noon, Tues.

Men’s Hoops Quiz: With the coaching matchup of John Calipari and Rick Pitino, it had me going back to Coach Cal’s spectacular 5-year run at UMass, 1991-96, when the team didn’t finish worse than AP Final No. 17 and was a 3-seed or better for each NCAA Tournament; in 1996 losing to Pitino’s Kentucky in the Final Four, the Wildcats then winning the national title.

In that 5-year run for UMass, who are the only two players on the roster to play in the NBA? Answer below.

***Before I get to the main stuff, history was accomplished this afternoon, incredibly by Lindsey Vonn.

Vonn made her first podium since returning from a five-year retirement, finishing second in the super-G at the World Cup finals in Sun Valley, Idaho, in her last race of the season.  It’s probably her last World Cup race on U.S. soil in her career.

The 40-year-old, 82-time World Cup winner, and the 2010 Olympic downhill champion, shattered the record of oldest women’s podium finisher.  Austrian Alexandra Meissnitzer had the record of 34 years and nearly 9 months old, set in 2008, according to ski-db.com.

In her 13th race of the comeback, Vonn previously had a sixth in a downhill and fourth in a super-G on Jan. 11 and 12.

The goal is to make her fifth Olympic team in 2026, then retire for good.

A nation can qualify up to four skiers per Olympic race, and Vonn is now the third-ranked American this season in the downhill and second in the super-G. The Olympic team will be named next winter.

You go, Girl!!!!

March Madness

Thursday and Friday wasn’t that crazy.  Usually, one of the two days is full of upsets but that wasn’t the case this year.

But, the tournament’s first game, the 16-16 play-in between St. Francis (Pa.) and Alabama State on Tuesday, was the best pure basketball game of the first three days, at least; Alabama State pulling it out 80-78 on a spectacular full-court Hail Mary pass, hurled by Micah Simpson, where it bounced off several pairs of hands before nestling in those of teammate Amarr Knox.  Already behind the St. Francis defenders amidst the scrum for the ball, Knox laid it in and it was pandemonium at University of Dayton Arean.

Having watched the whole game, it was just a real good example of college basketball at its best.

Personally, I was then blown out of my bracket within the first 4 hours on Thursday.  9 Creighton manhandled 8 Louisville 89-75, while 12 McNeese beat 5 Clemson 69-67, in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score.  Clemson trailed 31-13 at the half, having shot 1 of 15 from three, with 10 turnovers, and they would finish 9 of 30 from beyond the arc.

It was a nightmare for us ACC fans, who while the conference was down this year, I thought Louisville, Clemson and Duke would represent us ably, and now it’s just Duke.

[North Carolina had a nice play-in win on Wednesday vs. San Diego State, but then fell behind to 6 Ole Miss at the half, 44-26, Friday, and despite a game comeback, fell 71-64.  The Tar Heels shot 5 of 24 from three.]

Meanwhile, John Calipari’s No. 10 Arkansas squad took out 7 Kansas and Bill Self, 79-72, marking the first time since 2006 that Self and the Jayhawks couldn’t get past the first round.

Kansas also became just the second AP preseason No. 1 ranked team to lose in the first round of the tournament, with the only other team being Kansas itself in 2005.

Kansas has now been the preseason No. 1 five times and hasn’t made the Sweet 16 in any of those times.

Friday...the only real upset was 12 Colorado State over 5 Memphis 78-70, but this is hardly monumental.

1 Duke destroyed Mount St. Mary’s 93-49, as Cooper Flagg looked 100% after his ankle injury.

In the first four days, thru Friday...the Big Ten was 8-0, SEC 8-6, Big 12 6-1, Big East 4-2 and the ACC 2-3.

Which brought us to Saturday...and John Calipari vs. Rick Pitino, Arkansas vs. St. John’s.  Delicious.

Calipari led Pitino 16-13 all-time going in; 13-10 in college games, 3-3 in the NBA.  Between them, the two have won three NCAA championships and coached in 13 Final Fours. 

In March Madness, Pitino’s Kentucky went 2-0 against Calipari’s UMass, before Calipari’s Kentucky went 2-0 against Pitino’s Louisville.

In this one, however, the pressure was all on St. John’s.  They had to win it.

And in an incredibly disappointing outcome for New York area hoops fans, St. John’s fell, 75-66, as they shot themselves out of the tournament...a dismal 21 of 75 from the field (28%), including a gazillion missed layups (9 in just the first 11 minutes!), were 2 for 22 from 3-point range, and missed nine free throws, many on the front end of one-and-ones.

The thing is the score was 35-32 Arkansas at the half and those of us rooting for the Johnnies were like ‘no problem...St. John’s is a terrific second-half team.’  Alas, it was only more suckdom.

Big East Player of the Year, RJ Luis Jr., was 3 of 17 from the field, nine points.  Kadary Richmond, a critical cog, played just 16 minutes and fouled out with five points on 2 for 7 shooting.  Aaron Scott was 1 for 10.

Pitino, for some reason, played little used Greek freshman Lefteris Liotopoulos for 17 minutes, and the kid went 1 of 8, 1 for 6 from 3, supposedly his specialty.

But the big mystery in the end was why Pitino sat star RJ Luis Jr. the final 5 minutes of the game.

“He played 30 minutes,” Pitino told reporters after the game.  “That’s a long time.”

“So he was tired?” the reporter asked.

“No, he played 30 minutes, and I went with other people,” Pitino responded.  “You already know the answer.  You’re asking leading questions. ...You already know why he didn’t play.”

Pitino then clarified his answer on Luis when he was asked again about his star player.

“You know he was 3 for 17, you know he was 0 for 3 (from 3-point range),” Pitino said.  “So, you’re answering your own (question).  I’m not gonna knock one of my players.”

For his part, Luis, sitting on the dais next to Coach, said, “I let my teammates down. I should’ve been more of a leader. That’s on me.”

He later added: “Of course, everybody wants to play. For me to not be able to be on the court for the last couple of minutes to help my team win hurt me.”

He then said: “It feels like we didn’t do anything, really.  It sucks to lose the way we lost, the way we went out.”

Luis could come back for another year.  His performance certainly didn’t help his draft prospects should he decide to go out.  Or he could transfer.  St. John’s will find the bucks to keep him, but does Luis still respect Pitino?  We’ll find out soon.

In other games Saturday, No. 1 overall seed Auburn beat 9 Creighton, 82-70, as freshman Tahaad Pettiford, a guard out of Jersey City, NJ, scored 23 points off the bench for the Tigers.

1 Houston prevailed in a good one, 81-76 over 8 Gonzaga, L.J. Cryer with 30 points for the Cougars.

The Zags streak of nine consecutive trips to the Sweet 16 ends, while Houston now holds the longest current Sweet 16 streak at six.

And in the best finish of the day, 6 BYU makes it to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2011, 91-89 over 3 Wisconsin.  For the Badgers, John Tonje had 37, but threw up an airball as the final buzzer sounded.

Finally, 12 McNeese’s one-game Cinderella run came to an end against 4 Purdue, 76-62, as coach Will Wade heads to North Carolina State.  For the Boilermakers, Trey Kaufman-Renn had 22 points and 15 rebounds in an impressive display.

Cowboys manager Amir Khan could be hitting the transfer portal himself, “Aura” the biggest breakout star of March Madness thus far.

Sunday, it was all about two games for your editor, and thankfully they were the first two.

In the opener, two-time defending champ UConn, an 8-seed, took on the team that many feel will win it all, 1 Florida.

And UConn was in front, playing a gutty game the entire way, up 61-59 with 3:20 to play, but first-team All-American Walter Clayton Jr. hit a three, 62-61 Gators, and then another to make it 70-64, and Florida went on to win it, 77-75.

Clayton, who any NBA team would love to have, had 23 points, 5 of 8 from beyond the arc, and was simply clutch.

Liam McNeeley, Alex Karaban and Solo Ball, on the other hand, were a combined six of 26 from three for the Huskies.  UConn should have won this game...but they didn’t.

As a fan, however, boy I was impressed with the Huskies’ Tarris Reed Jr., who is a beast down low and has a future as a quality NBA reserve....Reed with eight rebounds

But as every fan knows, unless you are UConn, circa 2022-2024, every national champ gets tested once in the tournament, and Florida withstood the challenge.  I look for them to cruise to the final against Duke, wrote the guy whose bracket puts him below the Mendoza line...as Donald Trump would say, to levels never seen before.

9 Baylor then took on 1 Duke, and it was 24-23 Baylor, early, when the Dookies went on a 24-6 run for a 47-30 halftime lead, Cooper Flagg with 15 points.  Duke shooting 65% from the field, 16 of 19 from the foul line.

It killed Baylor that Norchad Omier picked up three fouls after dominating down low early on, Omier the Miami transfer.

In the second half...let’s just say the lead grew to 79-58 with 3:58 to play, and Duke won it 89-66, Tyrese Proctor the star....9 of 10, 7 of 8 from three, 25 points. Wow.

--We had the release of the AP All-American team, the one that matters in terms of one’s legacy.

Johni Broome of Auburn and Cooper Flagg were unanimous first-team picks, joined by Alabama’s Mark Sears, Purdue’s Braden Smith and Walter Clayton Jr. of Florida.

On the second team we had JT Toppin (transfer from New Mexico to Texas Tech), John Tonje (transfer from Missouri to Wisconsin), PJ Haggerty (Tulsa to Memphis), Kam Jones (Marquette) and RJ Luis Jr. (St. John’s).

Third team...Hunter Dickinson (Kansas), Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton), Zakai Zeigler (Tennessee), Eric Dixon (Villanova) and LJ Cryer (Houston).

--Indiana hired West Virginia’s Darian DeVries to be its next head coach.  DeVries went 19-13 overall and 10-10 in the Big 12 despite a season-ending injury limiting his son – Tucker, the team’s No. 2 scorer and the two-time Missouri Valley Conference player of the year – to just eight games.

Prior to West Virginia, DeVries was the head coach at Drake, where he went 150-55 in six seasons, guiding the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in three of his final four seasons.

--Virginia hired Ryan Odom as its new head basketball coach.  Yes, the same Ryan Odom who led Maryland-Baltimore County to one of the NCAA men’s tournament’s greatest upsets.

Odom, son of former Wake coaching great Dave Odom, spent the last two seasons at VCU, posting a 52-21 record and a berth in the NCAA Tournament this year, the Rams falling to BYU.

It was UMBC in 2018 that the became the first 16-seed to upset a 1-seed, in this case Virginia.

--On the Women’s side....not a lot of excitement in the first round, but then this tournament is supposed to be about the Elite Eight and Final Four matchups most fans expect with all the heavyweights in the field.

I guess 10 South Dakota State over 7 Oklahoma State, 74-68, is worth a mention.

But I can’t help but note some amazing blowouts.

On Friday, 2 Duke beat 15 Lehigh, 86-25, the Lady Mountain Hawks 9 of 46 from the field, with 30 turnovers.

Saturday, 15 Arkansas State fell to 2 UConn, 103-34, the Lady Red Wolves 12 of 70 from the floor, 17.1%, 6 of 40 from 3.

And 1 USC took out 16 UNCG, 71-25, the Lady Spartans a mere 7 of 54 from the field, 13.0%.  Goodness gracious.

I’ve decided I’m going to root for 8-seed Richmond, the Lady Spiders prevailing in the first round over 9 Georgia Tech, 74-49.  Richmond takes on 1 UCLA late Sunday night.

NBA

--Cleveland lost its fourth straight Friday night in Phoenix, 123-112, which is kind of startling after the 56-10 start, and winning streaks of 15 and 16 games.  And the four losses have hardly come against elite teams.

--The Knicks, meanwhile, are in a major funk without Jalen Brunson, as Miles McBride has hardly stepped up in his place, New York falling Wednesday at San Antonio, 120-105, and then Thursday in Charlotte (18-51), 115-98, the Knicks just 10 of 39 from three and falling to 43-26.

But in the Spurs game, one of my all-time favorite college players, Sandro Mamukelashvili, formerly at Seton Hall, scored a career-high 34 points for San Antonio in just 19 minutes, the  most points in NBA history when playing fewer than 20 minutes since 1951-52, when minutes became official.

“I don’t know what f---ing happened,” Sandro said after.  “I don’t know what f---king happened.”

Mamukelashvili was 13 of 14 from the floor, 7 of 7 from three, a free throw, and he chipped in nine rebounds in that small amount of time.

He’s just been a role player in his four seasons in the NBA, but he’ll always have a spot on some NBA roster after a performance like that.

New York did rebound Saturday at home, 122-103 over the tanking Wizards (15-55), praying they can somehow snag Cooper Flagg.

--The Boston Celtics are being sold for what would be a record-setting initial valuation of $6.1 billion to a group led by Symphony Technology Group managing partner William Chisholm, the sides said Thursday.

The sale – if approved by the NBA’s board of governors after a thorough vetting process – would be the richest in U.S. major pro sports history.  That process won’t be completed until the summer, at the earliest.

The $6.1 billion valuation, which would be the minimum, would break the mark set when a group led by Josh Harris bought the NFL’s Washington Commanders for $6.05 billion in 2023.

Boston Basketball Partners LLC announced last summer that it intended to sell the majority of the Celtics either late last year or early this year, then would sell the balance of its shares in 2028.  Wyc Grousbeck, whose family leads the ownership group, is expected to remain the Celtics’ governor through the 2027-28 season.

The most recent NBA franchise sale was in 2023, the Phoenix Suns, who were purchased by mortgage firm owner Mat Ishbia for $4 billion.

--Paul George, who signed a 4-year, $212 million contract last summer to play for Philadelphia, is out for the season after a knee injury.  George, 34, played just 41 games for the Sixers, who had high hopes, but with the issues surrounding Joel Embiid (who played just 19 games), George and others, they are 24 games under .500 (23-47).

MLB

--The season is off and running, in Tokyo, and the Dodgers are already 2-0, having defeated the Cubs, 4-1 and 6-3.

In the first game, Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw five innings of one-run ball for the Dodgers, hometown hero Shohei Ohtani 2-for-5 with a double.

In the second game, Roki Sasaki made his debut for L.A., 3 innings, one run, but five walks, though the Dodgers prevailed, Ohtani 1-for-3 with a home run.

It was the PERFECT way for MLB to showcase its product, and for Japan to see all their local heroes (including Chicago’s Shota Imanaga, who threw four shutout innings in the first game). 

MLB sees potential for a $billion in revenues out of Japan.  For starters, everyone is a Dodgers fan, buying the gear, and ratings for Dodgers games are, and will be, sky-high (even with the time difference).

Both teams have flown back and will restart their regular seasons on Thursday, ditto the rest of baseball.  Can’t wait.

--The Paul Skenes MLB Debut Patch autographed card sold for $1.11 million early Friday morning, ending with 64 bids in Fanatics Collect’s March Premier auction.  The buyer’s identity is not yet known, but nice haul for the 11-year-old boy from Los Angeles who originally landed the one-of-a-kind Skenes card from a pack of 2024 Topps Chrome Update baseball cards on Christmas morning.  The kid gets $925,000 from the sale.

Skenes will only make $875,000 this season.

NFL

--The Giants, apparently losing out on Aaron Rodgers, who seems to be leaning to signing with Pittsburgh, if the Steelers give him a contract, signed a backup, Jameis Winston, to a 2-year, $8 million, with incentives.

A lot of Giants fans will like this move.  He’s a polarizing figure, but Winston has ten years in the league, is just 31, still a good athlete, and he can be exciting, albeit very mistake prone.

He has a 36-51-0 record as a starter, 154 touchdown passes, 111 interceptions, a career 86.4 PR.

But Winston’s career can best be summed up with his 2019 season with Tampa Bay, where he led the NFL in passing yards (5,109), threw 33 touchdown passes, but also a staggering 30 interceptions!

So if the Giants can’t draft Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders, Winston could see a lot of playing time.  When he’s on his game...it’s must-see TV.

--Former New York Jets receiver Derrick Gaffney died. He was 69.

Gaffney played seven seasons with the Jets from 1978 to 1984, plus two games in 1987, catching 156 passes for 2,613 yards (16.8 avg.) and seven touchdowns.

NHL

--Alex Ovechkin scored again on Thursday, in a 3-2 win by the Caps over the Flyers, his 35th of the season in 53 games, and No. 888 with 13 games left to break Gretzky’s 894.  The Great One said he’ll be in attendance when the record is broken.

Washington hosted the Florida Panthers on Saturday and while the Caps prevailed 6-3, Ovechkin was scoreless, though he had two assists.

--The incredibly frustrating Rangers had a nice 5-3 win at home, Saturday afternoon.

But for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference...games – points....

1. Ottawa 69 – 79
2. Montreal 69 – 75
Rangers 71 – 74 ...looking bleak, with the games played difference....
Islanders 69 – 73
Columbus 69 – 71 ...having lost six straight!

--In College Hockey, the inestimable Pete M. just informed me that Boston College, Michigan State, Maine and Western Michigan are the top seeds for the men’s national championship, that leads to the Frozen Four (B.C. No. 1).

Golf Balls

--At the full-field Valspar Championship, Innisbrook Resort, Palm Harbor, Florida, we had the following leaderboard after three rounds....

Nico Echevarria -7
Jacob Bridgeman -7
Viktor Hovland -7

Justin Thomas -5
Shane Lowry -5
Billy Horschel -4

Good to see Hovland playing well. 

And Justin Thomas got it to -12 after 15, Hovland -10 thru 14.

But then...JT bogeyed 16, Hovland birdied it...

JT -11
Hovland -11

Game on...Thomas pars 17. Hovland birdies it.

Thomas bogeys 18...-10.  Hovland is beginning to make a mess of 18 himself. He just needs to make bogey.  His third on the par-4 is good enough, and Viktor Hovland picks up win No. 7, first since the 2023 Tour Championship, and forget the concerns that Hovland will go to LIV.  He’d be an idiot to do so.  But then the world is peopled with idiots.

For JT, a bitter loss...just some very careless swings down the stretch.  He remains winless since the 2022 PGA Championship.  But he was classy in his interview with NBC, and he clearly has a lot to build on as we approach the Majors.

--As Pete M. alerted me to, I didn’t have ratings information for The Players Championship when I was posting, but Monday’s playoff between Rory McIlroy and J.J. Spaun drew 1.5 million viewers across TV and digital platforms from 9-10 a.m. ET, which is a huge number for that time of day on cable (Golf Channel).

Analyst Brandel Chamblee then couldn’t resist.

“Compare this to LIV’s finale last year that concluded in prime time on the east coast with Rahm winning...which drew 55,000 viewers,” Chamblee wrote on X.  “People tune in to sports that matter.”

Chamblee was a bit off.  The second round of the LIV Golf Chicago event last September drew 134,000 viewers, but only 89,000 for the third and final round, but you get the point.

The Players actually drew an average audience of 3.6 million on Sunday, up from 3.5 million last year, with a peak audience of 6.2 million, besting last year’s peak of 6 million.

Chamblee responded when seeing these figures: “LIV is dying a slow costly death,” before turning his attention to the players.

“LIV players have seller’s remorse.  They want the meritocratic cachet that competing at the highest level confers but they have shown in their choice to play for LIV that they’d rather have the money first and sue for the cachet.  Trying to blur the distinction between gift and reward.”

He continued, “The audience sees right through them, and chooses to watch those that prefer to play for history and legacy.”

There really is increasing evidence that the PGA Tour doesn’t need to cut a deal with the LIV and the Saudis.

--I noted the other day that Collin Morikawa has been a bit surly with the press this year and I didn’t realize it got worse at The Players Championship when he declared in his press conference that he didn’t owe the media anything, and felt no regret for leaving Bay Hill the Sunday before without speaking to the press (like many media-avoiders of late, he finished second). 

As Golf Digest’s Shane Ryan then put it: “Brandel Chamblee and Paul McGinley then took issue with those remarks on Golf Channel, which led Morikawa to double down, making a short statement Friday that included this doozy of a sentence: ‘It might have been a little bit harsh [to say] that I don’t owe anyone, but I don’t owe anyone.’”

But as Shane Ryan put it, “hating journalists has become a national sport...in 2025, you can’t lose by standing against the press.”

And it’s true, as Ryan notes, he works for Golf Digest, a rather prominent media outlet for the sport, but if he wanted to get 30 minute alone with Morikawa or Scheffler or Rory “at some point in the next three months, I’d have a hard time. I could either approach them personally at the course or email their agents, and I can tell you with near certainty how that would go – in person, they’d tell me to talk to their agents. Then their agents would likely say no, but in the off chance they said yes, it would be after a long series of emails sussing out my intentions, possibly asking for the questions in advance and wondering whether it could just be a phone call.  I’ve been there, and the process is unpleasant enough that it has a chilling effect...at a certain point, its easier just to stop asking and find other ways to cover them.  Needless to say, those other ways don’t involve an actual human conversation.”

Rory and Scheffler, by the way, were short with the press as well at The Players.

Shane Ryan talks about the access that the late John Feinstein had, and when he had a disagreement with an athlete or coach, they would talk it out.

"What Feinstein managed was to show the humanity of his subjects, but in the age of restricted access, it’s getting harder and harder to do that.  You can’t write what you can’t see, and important conversations simply aren’t happening....

“(As) with so many other aspects of society, we’re consumed by escalating mistrust.  When we contemplate each other from a bitter distance, it should be no surprise that the situation keeps getting worse.”

--Scottie Scheffler’s menu for the Champions Dinner at The Masters.

Cheeseburger sliders (Scottie style, which means putting the fries on the burger...I’ve done that); firecracker shrimp, Papa Scheff’s meatball and ravioli bites; Texas-style chili, wood-fried cowboy ribeye or blackened redfish, and a warm chocolate chip skillet cookie.

I’m drooling.

Stuff

--No Premier League action as it was all about World Cup qualifiers this weekend.

--Oscar Piastri picked up his third career win at the Chinese Grand Prix today as McLaren looked a cut above a second straight race to open the Formula One season, teammate Lando Norris second; Norris having won the Aussie Grand Prix the week before.

George Russell was third, Max Verstappen fourth for Red Bull.

--Kirsty Coventry was elected president of the International Olympic Committee to become the first woman and first African to get perhaps the biggest job in global sports.

The Zimbabwe sports minister and two-time Olympic swimming gold medalist got a stunning first-round win in the seven-candidate contest after voting by 97 IOC members on Thursday.

Many were predicting an absolute majority could take several rounds of votes but she got the exact total of 49 needed.

She gets an eight-year mandate into 2033, aged just 41.

--We note the passing of one of the more unique figures in sports and American history of the past 75 years, George Foreman, who died at the age of 76.

Known as Big George in the boxing ring, Foreman built one of the most remarkable and enduring careers in the sport, winning Olympic gold as a heavyweight in 1968 and claiming the world heavyweight title twice, 21 years apart – the second making him the oldest champion in history aged 45.

He lost his first title to Muhammad Ali in their famous Rumble in the Jungle fight in 1974. But overall, he boasted an astonishing record of 76-5, including 68 knockouts.

Foreman retired in 1997 but not before he agreed to put his name to a best-selling product – a grill, that made him $hundreds of millions, dwarfing his boxing earnings.

His family said in a post on Instagram on Friday night: “Our hearts are broken.  A devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand and great grandfather, he lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility and purpose.”

The statement added: “A humanitarian, an Olympian, and two-time heavyweight champion of the world.  He was deeply respected – a force for good, a man of discipline, conviction, and a protector of his legacy, fighting tirelessly to preserve his good name – for his family.”

Mike Tyson said Foreman’s “contribution to boxing and beyond will never be forgotten.”

The Ring magazine, the Bible of Boxing, described him as “one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.” [It ranked him No. 7 in a 2017 survey.]

“[He] will be remembered as an icon of the sport forever.”

Foreman was born in Marshall Texas, Jan. 10, 1949, and was raised along with six siblings by a single mother.  He dropped out of school and turned to street robberies before eventually finding his outlet in the ring.

Foreman won the heavyweight gold medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, and while Tommy Smith and John Carlos were on the medals podium raising their clenched, black-gloved fists in a Black Power salute, Foreman endeared himself to a segment of the American population by waving a little American flag in the ring after his gold-medal bout.  It was a tumultuous time.

Foreman said afterward: “I was just glad to be an American.  Some people have tried to make something of it, calling me an Uncle Tom, but I’m not.  I just believe people should live together in peace.”

It was in Kingston, Jamaica, 1973, Foreman already 37-0, when he faced undefeated reigning champion Joe Frazier and knocked him down six times in the first two rounds, one of the knockdowns made famous by television announcer Howard Cosell, who uttered one of boxing’s most famous calls: “Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!  Down goes Frazier!”

“It was unbelievable,” the Times sports columnist Arthur Daley wrote.  “In little more than four and a half minutes, George Foreman destroyed Joe Frazier tonight, and the man who supposedly couldn’t lose never had even one ghost of a chance for victory. So there is a new heavyweight champion of the world, and he won it with authority in an explosive demonstration of overpowering punching skills.”

This is a great clip of the fight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVETXpz3k4g

Foreman defended his title twice, before the 1974 Rumble in the Jungle against Ali in Kinshasa, Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which remains one of the most famous boxing matches ever, popularized by the Oscar-winning documentary “When We Were Kings.”*

Ali, the older man, was the underdog after he was stripped of his crown seven years earlier for refusing to be drafted into the Vietnam War.

Foreman reflected on the fight 50 years later in an interview with the BBC, explaining that everyone thought he was going to decimate Ali.

“Oh, he’s not going to last one round,” the boxer said experts were predicting at the time.

Foreman told the BBC he typically would get “real nervous” and have “butterflies” before any boxing match, but that night – it was the “most comfortable” he had felt.

But Ali, using his “rope-a-dope” tactic, wore out Foreman, causing him to throw out hundreds of punches before Ali unloaded on him in the eighth round and scored a knockout.

*Foreman famously helped a Parkinson-afflicted Ali climb the steps to receive his Oscar for the documentary in 1996.

After a second professional loss, Foreman retired in 1977 and became an ordained minister at the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in Texas, which he founded and built.

Foreman recalled his preaching started small, on street corners and with friends, then grew.

“We began meeting informally at various homes in Houston, and before long, the crowds became too large for most houses to accommodate,” Foreman said on his website.

“Eventually, we bought a piece of land and an old, dilapidated building on the northeast side of Houston.”

But then Foreman came out of retirement in 1987 to raise money for a youth center he founded.  He won 24 matches before losing to Evander Holyfield after 12 rounds in 1991.

And then in 1994, he knocked out undefeated Michael Moorer, 26, who had defeated Evander Holyfield for the title, to become the oldest-ever heavyweight champion at 45.

“Anything you desire, you can make happen,” Foreman said after the fight.  “It’s like the song, ‘When you wish upon a star your dreams come true.’  Well, look at me tonight.”

Think about his career arc in boxing...he fought Chuck Wepner in the 1960s, Dwight Muhammad Qawi in the ‘80s and Evander Holyfield in the ‘90s.  With Frazier and Ali, Foreman embodied a golden era for the sport in the 1970s, when boxing was still a cultural force in America.  One classic bout after another.

Big George then became the pitchman for his George Foreman Grill, which millions have purchased since it hit the market in 1994, thanks to his memorable catchphrase, the “Lean Mean Grilling Machine.”  I loved his infomercials.  He would also endorse mufflers, fried chicken and chips.

One key to Foreman’s business success in so many areas, he said, was making personal appearances.

“That’s bigger than anything, any endorsement, I don’t care who you are,” he said.  “They want to touch you; they want to know you.”

“Then,” he said, “they buy you.”

Foreman was married five times.  He has a dozen children, including five sons who are all named George.

He explained on his website that he named them after himself so “they would always have something in common.”

“I say to them, ‘if one of us goes up, then we all go up together,’” he explained.  “And if one goes down, we all go down together!” [BBC News, New York Times, and other sources.]

--The Wall Street Journal’s Marc Myers had a piece on the 50th anniversary of the Earth, Wind & Fire album “That’s the Way of the World,” a brilliant LP that I wore out on the turntable.

But what I didn’t know was the group was hired in 1974 to compose the soundtrack for a B movie of the same title.

“Fearful the low-budget film would stall EWF’s ascension, Columbia Records released the soundtrack album three months ahead of the movie. The strategy set the music apart, allowed it to gain chart traction, and distanced Columbia from the film’s plot, which cast the record industry as artless and corrupt.”

After the album came out 50 years ago this month, “the LP sold a half-million copies within weeks and reached No. 1 on Billboard’s pop and soul charts.  The record also revolutionized the sound of soul and set new studio production standards. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004.”

The film, by the way, was a box-office flop.

“ ‘Shining Star’ kicks off the LP with a lead-in boogie-woogie lick by guitarist Al McKay, who used an audio delay to produce a taut, rubbery effect. The lyrics summarize the album’s emotional message: ‘You’re a shining star / No matter who you are / Shining bright to see / What you could truly be.’

“An a cappella vocal chant at the end segues into the pulsating title ballad, which again has a self-help message: ‘You will find / Peace of mind / If you look way down in your heart and soul / Don’t hesitate ‘cause the world seems cold.’”

Ah, for good reason, EWF is one of my all-time faves.

[“Shining Star” peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard charts, “That’s the Way of the World” at No. 12.]

Top 3 songs for the week 3/18/78:  #1 “Night Fever” (Bee Gees)  #2 “Stayin’ Alive” (Bee Gees)  #3 “Emotion” (Samantha Sang)...and...#4 “Lay Down Sally” (Eric Clapton) #5 “Can’t Smile Without You” (Barry Manilow)  #6 “(Love Is) Thicker Than Water” (Andy Gibb)  #7 “I Go Crazy” (Paul Davis)  #8 “Sometimes When We Touch” (Dan Hill) #9 “If I Can’t Have You” (Yvonne Elliman)  #10 “Thunder Island” (Jay Ferguson...#s7, 9 and 10 salvage the week and prevent it from being a C-...instead it’s a Gentleman C...)

Men’s Hoops Quiz: The only two UMass players from their 1991-96 run to make the NBA were Marcus Camby, who played 17 seasons in the league, and Lou Roe, who only played in 66 games over two seasons, Detroit and Golden State.

UMass hasn’t been in the AP Final Top 25 since Calipari left following the 1995-96 season.

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tues.

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