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05/09/2022

A Shocking Derby!

Add-on, posted early Wed. a.m.

NBA Playoffs

--Sunday night, Philadelphia evened its series with Miami at 2-2, with a 116-108 victory at home, James Harden deciding to show up for once, 31 points, 6-of-10 from three, while Joel Embiid continued to play effectively with his torn thumb ligament, 24 points and 11 rebounds.

Jimmy Butler had 40 for the Heat.

So on to Game 5 back in Miami, Tuesday, and the Heat ran away with it, 120-85, as they hit 45 of 84 from the field, 53.6%, and the Sixers laid an egg…Tobias Harris, Embiid and Harden combining for a paltry 43 points.

--Also last night, the Suns rolled the Mavs, 110-80, to take a 3-2 lead in their series.

--Monday, Mike Brown coached the Warriors, after Steve Kerr tested positive for Covid-19.  Brown had been named the new head coach of the Sacramento Kings earlier in the day.

But since it’s not like he was going to be really coaching the Kings for a while, nothing wrong with him sticking around for the ride with the Warriors.

Brown did the job, as did Steph Curry (32 points, 8 assists), and Andrew Wiggins (17 points, 10 rebounds), and the Warriors went up over the Ja Morant-less Grizzlies 3-1 in their series with a 101-98 win.

Golden State was 9-for-37 on 3-pointers, Memphis 9-for-35.

Morant was injured in the fourth quarter of Game 3’s blowout loss to Golden State, and the team announced Tuesday he had a bone bruise and was likely out for the playoffs.  That sucks.

Mike Brown will coach the Warriors again.

--Also Monday night, after I watched the Rangers debacle, I picked up the action in Boston at Milwaukee, Game 4, and Al Horford, playing in his 132nd playoff game, scored a playoff career-high 30 points, on 11-of-14 shooting (5-for-7 from three).  Horford had 16 of the Celtics’ 43 points in a masterful fourth quarter, the Celtics evening their series with the Bucks at 2-2, 116-108.

In the final quarter, Boston was an astounding 16-of-19 from the field, 4-of-5 from 3.  Jason Tatum added 30, as well as 13 rebounds.

Giannis had 34 points and 18 rebounds for the Bucks, but a key play in the fourth quarter was Horford posting him on a drive to the basket that tied the score at 81-81, and from that point on, Boston outscored Milwaukee 35-27.

--According to reports, Denver’s Nikola Jokic won his second consecutive MVP, besting Giannis (who won the two before Jokic) and Joel Embiid. 

But I agree with USA TODAY’s Jeff Zillgitt that all the handwringing over who wins the award is raging out of control.

“Denver’s Nikola Jokic deserved to win NBA NVP.

“So did Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid.

“Unless somehow the ballots from 100 voters resulted in a two-way or three-way tie – an unlikely scenario – only one player can win the award.

“And this year, Jokic won the award for the second consecutive season, and it’s not a popular decision in Philadelphia and certain segments of NBA Twitter.

“Impetuous Sixers fans are upset Embiid didn’t win, and there’s also the possibility that Embiid is unhappy he didn’t win.

“There’s nothing wrong with that either.  Players like to win awards, and there’s prestige that comes along with winning the MVP, plus a bonus and more endorsement opportunities (unless you’re Jokic who isn’t interested in those sponsorship deals).  Plus, there’s a narrow window when a player in his prime can win the award.

“But there’s also nothing wrong with finishing in the top three and being considered one of the three best players in the world….

“I understand that in hot-take culture it’s required to have outrage about everything….

“It’s gotten to the point that no matter who wins an award in the NBA, there’s almost always a massive gripe….

“One of the objections to Jokic winning again is that ‘nerds with calculators’ had a bias against Embiid as if somehow Jokic didn’t pass the eye test. But if you watched Jokic this season, it’s easy to see what a gifted player he is, especially with his scoring, passing and rebounding.”

The NBA is supposed to formally announce Jokic as MVP on Wednesday and the vote total will fuel further debate.

I have bigger things to worry about.  Ukraine is a little more important that Embiid’s bruised ego.  As in, just shut up.

--We note the passing of Hall of Famer Bob Lanier, 73.  I wrote a lot of Lanier over the winter due to my coverage of St. Bonaventure, where he’s a legend, and I won’t repeat everything.

Lanier, after guiding the Bonnies to a Final Four in 1970 (only to sit out the semi due to injury), averaging 27.6 points and 15.7 rebounds in three seasons in Olean, went on to star with the Detroit Pistons, and later Milwaukee, averaging 20.1 points and 10.1 rebounds in the NBA.

He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.  But his size 22 shoes (Converse said they were really 18 ½) got there ahead of him.

Lanier was a terrific global ambassador for the sport. He will be missed.

NHL Playoffs

--I watched all of Game 4, Rangers-Penguins in Pittsburgh Monday night and it was the absolute worst I have ever seen the Rangers play, New York getting shelled 7-2 to fall behind 3-1 in the series, Game 5 back at the Garden, Wednesday.

I have never watched a game where both the Rangers broadcasters, and the studio analysts, were so disgusted.  As one scribe described it, “It was ugly. It was humiliating. It was an egregious 7-2 loss.”

Coach Gerard Gallant, in describing the Rangers’ effort, said: “Played soft.  We were soft all over the ice.  That’s the biggest difference, we were soft all over the ice.”

The broadcasters couldn’t believe how faceoff after faceoff was not only won by the Penguins, but each one was seemingly won “cleanly,” meaning zero effort, and when you win a faceoff clean and get it back to the shooters with an immediate chance to fire on goal, you’re not going to win.

The statistics show the Penguins won 29 faceoffs, the Rangers 19, but it was far worse than that. The stats also show the Rangers blocked 10 shots, and I can’t recall a single one, unless they were somehow counting the shot Chris Kreider took in the throat.  There were no sliding attempts to block shots…not a single one.  The Rangers just skated around like they were at the Ice Follies.

If they don’t put out an effort on Wednesday, the team will deserve all the boos that are going to rain down on them if they get blown out again.

--Meanwhile, the Panthers evened their series with the Capitals at 2-2 in D.C., Monday, and they needed a late third-period Sam Reinhart goal at 17:56 to send the game into OT, whereupon Carter Verhaeghe won it early for the Panthers, 3-2, to avoid going down 3-1.  Game 5 back in Florida.

--Tuesday, the Hurricanes went up 3-2 in their series with the Bruins, a 5-1 blowout in Raleigh.

And the Maple Leafs went up 3-2 on the two-time defending champion Lightning with a 4-3 win in Toronto.  The Maple Leafs came back from a 2-0 first period deficit, Auston Matthews with the deciding third-period goal for Toronto.

--In a surprising move, the Islanders fired coach Barry Trotz after four seasons.  They made the playoffs his first three, but stumbled this year, a Covid-19 outbreak and a long road trip to start the season not helping.

MLB

--Monday, in a makeup game, Nestor Cortes twirled 7 1/3 innings of one-hit ball, 11 Ks, taking a no-no into the eighth, as the Yanks (20-8) beat the Rangers (11-16) 1-0, Cortes’ ERA lowered to 1.41.  It’s quite a story…journeyman makes good.

Last night, the Yanks fought back from a 5-0 deficit, behind Giancarlo Stanton’s 335-foot 3- run homer, and then Aaron Judge’s monster 3-run blast in the bottom of the ninth, Judge’s first walk-off home run in his career (and No. 10 on the season), as the Yanks won 6-5.

Toronto had three players ejected in the game as this rivalry heats up.

So the Yanks are a cool 21-8.

--Crosstown, the Mets are 21-10 after a nice 4-2 win down in Washington, Carlos Carasco with 6 2/3, 2 runs, as he goes to 3-1, 3.19.  The Nats are 10-21.

The Mets have an early 7-game lead in the NL East.

--Look, no mystery I want the Angels to do well so we get to see Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani in the playoffs.  Monday, L.A. whipped the Rays, 11-3, to improve to 20-11, as Ohtani hit two home runs, including his first grand slam, while Trout clubbed No. 7, with 3 runs scored (giving him 22 in 26 games).

And former Met, Noah Syndergaard, continues to give the Angels what they wanted from him, 5 1/3, one run, 7 Ks, as he’s now 3-1, 2.45.

But then last night, the Angels received a no-hitter from rookie lefty Reid Detmers. Detmers allowed just one walk, while striking out only two, keeping his fielders active, as L.A. is now 21-11, after a 12-0 rout of the Rays (18-13).

Mike Trout had two more home runs, another 3 runs scored (25 in 27), though his second dinger was off Tampa Bay outfielder and would-be pitcher, Brett Phillips, with Trout and Anthony Rendon hitting 54-mph sliders out of the park in the bottom of the eighth.

But it was a long frame, leaving Detmers on the bench thinking about the no-hitter, and then he came out in the top of the ninth and closed the deal.

--Justin Verlander, who pitched one game in 2020 and 2021, sitting out last year following Tommy John surgery, is in the midst of an amazing comeback at age 39.  Last night he took a no-hitter into the eighth, the Astros shutting out the Twins 5-0, Verlander going out after the eighth, yielding a lone hit, while moving to 4-1, 1.55.

--Monday, Cleveland’s Josh Naylor did something that had never been done before, hit a grand slam in the ninth inning to send the Guardians into extra innings with the White Sox.  Two innings later, Naylor hit a three-run homer to secure the 12-9 win in the 11th, the Guardians having entered the top of the ninth trailing 8-2.

Naylor became the first in MLB history to hit two 3+ run homers in the ninth inning or later in the same game.  He finished 3-for-5 with 8 RBIs, one behind the franchise record.

--While the Dodgers are off to a good start, the main man in the bullpen, Blake Treinen, is out until August at the earliest, it seems.  Shoulder inflammation, with rehab the treatment.

--USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale had a piece on Carlos Correa’s replacement at short for the Astros, 24-year-old Jeremy Pena, and the kid is off to a fine start…six home runs, 17 RBIs, .490 slugging percentage.

Pena, who moved from the Dominican Republic to Providence, Rhode Island, when he was 12, attended the University of Maine.  I like that his favorite growing up was the Mets’ Jose Reyes, loving his energy and enthusiasm.  That Reyes had, for sure.

Reyes had an underrated career…2,138 hits, .283 batting average, 131 triples (led the league four times), four seasons with 100 runs scored, a batting title, led the league in steals 3 seasons…..

If Jeremy Pena came close to those numbers, I think Houston would be very pleased.

--In College Baseball, we are just a few weeks away from conference championships and then the NCAA Tournament, culminating in the College World Series.

The latest Coaches Poll….

1. Tennessee
2. Oregon State
3. Oklahoma State
4. Arkansas
5. Virginia Tech
6. Miami
7. Louisville
8. Stanford
9. Texas Tech
10. Texas A&M

But Baseball America has it….

1. Oregon State…the Beavers are on top!
2. Tennessee
3. Oklahoma State
4. Virginia Tech
6. Miami
7. Louisville
8. Notre Dame
9. Stanford
10. Gonzaga…huh

Golf Balls

--I way underestimated the value of Keegan Bradley’s T2 at the Wells Fargo Championship.  He went from 64 to 44 in the Official World Rankings so he will get an exemption into the U.S. Open at Brookline, where he will be a big local favorite, having grown up a short drive from Boston, in his native Vermont.

--Eamon Lynch / Golfweek

“Somewhere deep in the bowels of the budget for LIV Golf, well below, the lucrative prize funds and exorbitant gratuities to overlook the gratuitous, closer to the paltry media buys to induce velvety coverage, there should be a line item for diaper-changing facilities to be used by the increasingly infirm or dependably infantile who will occupy its locker rooms.

“Take Sergio Garcia (‘please,’ quoth Henny Youngman). Garcia is not entirely a one-dimensional dipstick.  He can on occasion be amiable and funny, but even at 42 he is proof that age and maturity are mutually exclusive.  In Thursday’s first round of the Wells Fargo Championship, he demonstrated anew his tendency to process every inconvenience as an injustice.

“After being informed – incorrectly, it later emerged – by a PGA Tour rules official that he had exhausted the time allotted to find his ball in a hazard, Garcia snapped.  ‘I can’t wait to leave this tour,’ he announced.  ‘I can’t wait to get out of here.’….

“The luckless official must have felt like a bartender who denies service to a belligerent drunk only to hear that he’s taking his custom elsewhere….

“Garcia checks all of the traits common among players associated with the Saudi bid to hijack professional golf: best days are in the rearview, has accomplished all that seems likely in major championships, not playing well enough consistently to benefit from increased purses on the PGA Tour, not sufficiently well-liked to reap fan engagement bonuses, endowed with a stout sense of entitlement, and consumed with petty grievances (mostly imaginary).

“Since he scissor-kicked his way to fame in 1999, Garcia has earned $54 million on the PGA Tour, but his career has been defined by petulance.  To cite but a few instances: flinging his shoe into a gallery; spitting into a cup, leaving the loogey for those unfortunate groups behind him; flipping off fans (I’d forgive him that – Bethpage galleries were obnoxious); blaming bunker-rakers and unseen forces for his loss in the ’07 Open at Carnoustie; listlessly apologizing for a racially-charged crack about Tiger Woods; being DQ’d from the Saudi International in ’19 for intentionally damaging five greens by tomahawking his club.

“Linger a moment on that last one: his conduct was once considered beyond the pale by the Saudis.

“Garcia shares another attribute with his peers who are also heavy petting with the bonesaw enthusiasts: their absence from the PGA or DP World tours would scarcely be noticed.  That’s the disconnect at the heart of the Saudi seduction.  The sums offered by LIV Golf convince players they’re elite, but just entertaining the overture is acknowledgement that they’re not, that their ability to compete against the world’s best is greatly diminished, that they’ll trade a potential hall of fame berth for an assured spot in the hall of shame….

“It’s preposterous to think the futures of the PGA or DP World tours would be impoverished by the loss to LIV Golf of Garcia and Westwood, or any others considering abetting Saudi sportswashing.  It might even be considered a positive clearing of detritus.  Whoever bolts in the coming weeks, it’s worth noting that both tours created the environment that spawned this situation – the DP World Tour by brazenly welcoming tin pot dictatorships to its schedule, and the PGA Tour by operating a nanny state that protects players’ public images from the consequences of their conduct, all in service of an Orwellian ‘These Guys Are Good’ mantra.

“It took the Crown Prince to expose professional golf’s least admirable characters.  Cynical fans might wish to applaud his willingness to take them off our hands.”

***Well, Tuesday night, the PGA Tour told its membership in a memo that players who opt to still play in the LIV event at Centurion Golf Club outside London on June 9-11 will thus be deemed to be in violation of the tour’s regulations and subject to disciplinary action, which could include suspension or a revocation of membership.

The decision essentially forces the likes of Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood and Garcia, among others – to make a choice: play in the LIV event, or continue to be a tour member in good standing.  The tour did not name players who applied for a release and made clear that players will not be punished for applying, only if they actually tee it up on June 9.

The initial LIV event falls on the same date as the RBC Canadian Open.  The wording of the PGA Tour handbook allows for a player to apply and receive up to three events per season, so long as they are not held in North America.

The battle is headed to court.

Greg Norman said: “Sadly, the PGA Tour seems intent on denying professional golfers their right to play golf, unless it’s exclusively in a PGA Tour tournament. …But no matter what obstacles the PGA Tour puts in our way, we will not be stopped.  We will continue to give players options that promote the great game of golf globally.”

Stuff

--Tuesday, Liverpool beat Aston Villa 2-1 to get back into a tie with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League, though City has a game in hand.

1. Man City…35 – 86 (ahead on goal differential)
2. Liverpool…36 – 86

Separately, City signed Norwegian striker stud Erling Haaland, 21, from Borussia Dortmund, where he had 85 goals in 88 appearances.  City fans should be psyched.

--Joey Logano picked up career win No. 28 at Darlington Raceway Sunday, after I posted, snapping a 40-race winless streak.

Pole-sitter Logano made a pass for the lead on the second to last lap by bumping William Byron into the wall, which was met by cheers, and jeers, from the crowd…Logano being one of those you either love or hate.

After the race, Logano suggested his move was retaliation for an earlier incident when Byron squeezed him toward the wall.

“If someone’s going to be willing to do that to you, then the gloves are off,” Logano said.

Byron was not happy, calling Logano an “idiot” and a “moron” who has raced others questionably throughout his career.

--Liz Clarke / Washington Post

“The NCAA’s Board of Directors issued guidance Monday designed to stop the apparent role of deep-pocketed collectives using name, image and likeness deals to influence recruits’ signing decisions and authorized investigations of glaring violations to date….

“The memo stated at the outset that the NCAA reaffirms athletes’ rights to profit from NIL deals.  Its concern is with the behavior of the third-party entities, often referred to as collectives, that broker many of the NIL deals.  Specifically, the NCAA board underscored that collectives may not dangle the promise of NIL deals as inducements to persuade recruits to sign with one school instead of another nor use them to coax enrolled athletes to transfer to another school….

“Georgia President Jere Morehead, chair of the NCAA’s Board of Directors, called it ‘a significant first step’ in addressing some of the improper NIL-related behavior that runs afoul of long-standing NCAA recruiting rules.  Kansas City, Mo.-based lawyer Mit Winter, a former Division I basketball player well-versed in NIL issues, explained the essential point behind the NCAA’s guidance.

“ ‘What they’re really trying to do is reiterate that collectives are boosters, and boosters are not allowed, under current NCAA rules, to be involved in the recruiting process,’ Winter said. ‘They’re not supposed to talk with recruits, not supposed to meet with recruits or their parents.  The guidelines also reiterate that coaches or other athletic personnel are not supposed to communicate with recruits on behalf of boosters and collectives as well.’

“What Winter found more compelling is the NCAA’s go-ahead for its enforcement staff to investigate the most egregious violations to date….

“One case that may draw NCAA scrutiny involves Tennessee’s recruitment of rising high school senior Nico Iamaleava, a quarterback from Southern California, who committed amid reports of NIL deals worth seven figures.

“The nine months that college athletes have had the right to profit from their name, image and likeness have been marked by inconsistency and confusion because the NCAA failed to establish a national policy.  Instead, individual states, conferences and schools were left to decide their own rules, and an incoherent patchwork resulted.”

Here’s what I think.  Obviously, it’s already out of hand.  It’s gone way beyond players being paid on jerseys, autographs, maybe a local endorsement with a car dealer.

And in two years, I think the players will realize what’s most important.  If they want to get to the NBA or NFL, coaches and general managers aren’t going to be looking at the NIL deals that players have, except only in a negative fashion.  Kids who are more concerned about the money they’re making off their social-media accounts and such, clearly aren’t spending as much time thinking about how they can become a better player.  It’s only common sense. 

The smart athletes won’t get swept up in the NIL deal.  They’ll focus on what’s best for their future.  That’s my guess.  Wait to see what happens next spring in the NFL Draft, for example.

--Tom Brady, whenever he quits, lets call it after this coming season, is going to be joining Fox Sports in a mammoth deal…10 years, $375 million, according to the New York Post.  By comparison, CBS’ Tony Romo and ESPN’s Troy Aikman are making about $18 million per season.

Brady will join the No. 1 announcing team.  Joe Buck and Troy Aikman were the top team at Fox for the past 20 years (which is hard to believe how time flies), but with both now at ESPN, the network had a big gap and with Kevin Burkhardt taking Buck’s place, eventually Brady will slide in next to him.  No word on who has the job in 2022.

--Meanwhile, the NFL is releasing its schedule Thursday, always a fun day.

--I’m on the record as loathing WFAN sports talk show host Craig Carton, who was convicted of fraud in 2018 and sentenced to 42 months in prison and ordered to pay $4.8 million in restitution.  Carton spent a year behind bars before being released and for some unknown reason, WFAN quickly welcomed him back and put him in the afternoon drive-time spot with Evan Roberts.

Carton had spent ten years in morning drive-time with Boomer Esiason before he was accused of running a ticket Ponzi scheme to cover debt from a severe gambling addiction.

So the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand reported that “Carton is expected to host a national TV show this fall on Fox Sports 1 that will air in the mornings. …Carton will continue to do his local afternoon drive-time radio program on WFAN with Evan Roberts, according to sources.”

Which means Carton will be going up against Boomer and Gregg Giannotti, their show simulcast on CBS Sports Network.

Why is Carton even still around?

--Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson will not be charged after punching a man multiple times before a flight out of San Francisco last month.

Good.

An investigation by the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office found the circumstances preceding the April 20 confrontation led to the decision.

“The circumstances include the conduct of the victim leading up to the incident, the interaction between Mr. Tyson and the victim, as well as the requests of both the victim and Mr. Tyson that no charges be filed in the case,” District attorney Stephen M. Wagstaffe said.  “We now deem this case to be closed.”

The victim deserved everything coming to him.

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.

-----

Add-On up top by noon, Wed.

[Posted early Sun. p.m., prior to Mets-Yankees' second games, NASCAR, NBA and NHL.]

Special Note:  If you don’t read that other column I do, I suffered a big loss.  My tech guy of 20 years, Roj, died, long ago, and I didn’t know it until Friday!  Everything has been operating smoothly and there was no reason to call him.  Then his brother, who finally got his mail, found mine, a check, and let me know.  Ergo, this site is teetering on the brink of disaster.  Cross your fingers…much to do this week.

Baseball Quiz:  The other week, Giancarlo Stanton became the seventh fastest to 350 career homers.  Babe Ruth is No. 6.  Name the top five.  The first three are from the steroids’ era, and/or are on the record as having used them.  No. 4 is the only one in the Hall of Fame.  Answer below.

Kentucky Derby

I wrote ahead of the race that it was going to be nuts…a full 20-horse field at Churchill Downs.  I thought it would be a terrific duel between 3 or 4 of the favorites down the stretch.

And then it happened.  It is why you watch sports.  On Thursday, the Mets had a stunning 7-run rally in the top of the ninth to defeat the Phillies in Philadelphia, 8-7…the biggest ninth-inning comeback in 25 years for the Metsies, and it was amazing to watch.  Yes, you never know what can happen.

But yesterday was beyond stunning, especially when you had that terrific aerial view from NBC Sports that highlighted just how incredible jockey Sonny Leon’s ride on 80-1 Rich Strike was, weaving in and out…and in…

The second-biggest upset in Derby history, Rich Strike finished ahead of Epicenter and Zandon, two of the four favorites, along with Taiba and Messier, the two former Bob Baffert horses that ended up 12th and 15th, respectively.

Rich Strike paid $163.60 to win, with a $2 Exacta paying off $4,101, and a $0.50 Trifecta $7,435. [$1, $14,870…$1 Superfecta (selecting top four in order), $321,500!]

John Cherwa / Los Angeles Times

“The beauty of sports is when something you never see coming happens, defying all logic and understanding.  That’s what happened Saturday in the 148th Kentucky Derby.

“Rich Strike, the horse with the longest odds, stunned the racing world with a smart ride on the inside after starting from the farthest outside post and then bolting from the back of the pack to blow by the crowd favorites and win by three-quarters of a length…

“The horse was lucky to even be in the race.  He got in Friday morning when Ethereal Road scratched.  [Ed. Owner Rick Dawson said, “We found out about 30 seconds before the deadline on Friday.”]  Rich Strike carried the saddle cloth of the 21 in the 20-horse face.  It was only his second win in eight starts.  His last three races were on a synthetic surface, not dirt. There was really very little to make anyone think the 80-1 shot had a chance.

“It was the second graded stakes win for trainer Eric Reed and first for jockey Sonny Leon.”

Let that sink in…Sonny Leon had never won a meaningful race.

“ ‘I didn’t think we’d win this necessarily, but I knew if he got in, they would know who he was when the race was over,’ Reed said.  ‘When the gate opened, Sonny immediately took him over and saved all the ground.  In the middle of the turn, I lost him for a brief second and then I saw him in the stretch and I passed out.  I don’t remember what happened after that.’

“Reed almost gave up training in 2016 when a fire swept through his Mercury Equine Center in Kentucky, killing 23 horses.

“ ‘I thought of all the years and all the stuff we’ve done to get this beautiful farm and have this happen, it’s telling me it’s the end of the line,’ Reed said.  ‘About the third or fourth day when people started showing up from states and people who didn’t know who I was let me know there is so much good out there…

“ ‘A few trainers, big, big trainers sent me texts and told me ‘Don’t let this take you out.’ …That kept me going and I decided it wasn’t going to take me out.  Thank God we’re here today.’

“Where Reed will be in a little more than a week is likely Baltimore, where Rich Strike will be running in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Racecourse.  But trainers and owners never get too far ahead of themselves.

“ ‘Let’s see how he is tomorrow, but that’s obviously the spot we got to look at,’ Reed said.  ‘And we’ll see how he is, and we’ll make the call in a few days.’

“That’s a plan everyone can see coming.”

Dan Wolken / USA TODAY

“He did it with a brilliant, where-did-that-come-from ride up the rail by Sonny Leon, a jockey based in Ohio who had never won a graded stakes before Saturday.  He did it by rallying from almost dead-last around the turn as the horses up front set a scorching, suicidal pace that eventually melted down.  And he did it in the stretch by sneaking up on Epicenter and Zandon, the two favorites in the race who appeared poised for a classic duel in the center of the track until Rich Strike passed them both.

“ ‘Everything was perfect,’ said Epicenter’s jockey, Joel Rosario.  ‘We thought we were home.’

“Was Saturday the biggest Derby upset ever?  Donerail was a bigger price in 1913 at 91-1.  Mine that Bird seemingly came out of nowhere in 2009, but at least he had won a couple big races in Canada as a 2-year-old. And in 1971, Canonero II came off the plane from Venezuela as a laughingstock and became perhaps the greatest rags-to-riches story in the entire history of the sport.

“And now we have Rich Strike, a horse that hadn’t finished better than third in his last five starts – and not in prestigious Derby preps, either.  To say Rich Strike was overlooked would imply there was actually something to look at in his record. What it looked like, at least from a distance, was an overambitious owner who just wanted to say he got a horse in the Derby and enjoy a good party at Churchill Downs.”

NBA Playoffs

--Milwaukee took a 2-1 series lead with a 103-101 win over Boston yesterday, the game with some last-second controversy when the Celtics thought Marcus Smart was fouled on a 3-point attempt, but the officials ruled Smart was fouled before he was in the act, thus he went to the line for two, whereupon he made the first, brilliantly intentionally missed the second, but three Celtic attempts at the putback for the tie came up empty.  The fourth went in, but was a tick late, time expiring.

Boston couldn’t overcome another sterling effort from Giannis, 42 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, as Jason Tatum was just 4-of-19 from the field, 10 points.

Both teams were horrid from three…Boston 9-of-33, Milwaukee 9-of-34.

--Golden State is now up 2-1 after routing Memphis 142-112 in San Francisco, Saturday, as Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole combined for 78.

But the big story potentially is the health of Ja Morant, who left the game midway through the fourth quarter with a knee injury.  Morant was injured on a play where his right knee was grabbed by Poole.

Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said after looking at a replay: “(Morant) was going after a dribble and Jordan Poole actually grabbed his knee and yanked it, which kind of triggered whatever happened, so I’m actually going to be very curious what happens after that,” meaning, how the league reacts.

Memphis had lost Dillon Brooks to a one-game suspension after his flagrant foul-2 led to an injury in Tuesday’s game.

Poole denied trying to injure Morant.

In the Game 2 loss to the Grizzlies, Warriors guard Gary Payton II suffered an elbow injury that will keep him out at least 3 weeks, after Brooks made contact with Payton’s head on a transition layup attempt, causing a hard fall.  Brooks was issued the flagrant 2 and ejected.  Just a very dirty play.

--Friday night, Joel Embiid returned from his concussion, still with the thumb injury, and gutted it out for 18 points and 11 rebounds, as the Sixers beat the Heat, 99-79, the ageless Danny Green going 7-of-9 from three for all of his 21 points.

But Miami still leads the series 2-1.  Game 4 is tonight, after I go to post.

--Dallas beat Phoenix on Friday, 103-94, behind Luca Doncic’s 26 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists.

But heading into Game 4 this afternoon, Phoenix still had a 2-1 series lead.  Wednesday, after I last posted, Chris Paul had another spectacular fourth quarter to lead the Suns to a 129-109 win over the Mavs for the then 2-0 lead.

And then Paul had major foul trouble today, and the Mavs evened it up at 2-2 with a 111-101 victory.

--The Nets announced that Ben Simmons had back surgery Thursday to “alleviate pain” caused by a “herniated disc” and that this is the “best course of action for Ben’s long-term health.”

Simmons is expected to need 3-to-4 months to make a full recovery, which would have him ready ahead of training camp.

NHL

--Jeff Miller of USA TODAY points out this is the 75th season in which the NBA and the NHL will both crown champions, and never has the same city or market won both the NBA championship and the Stanley Cup in the same season.

But this year the Miami Heat and the Florida Panthers have a very good shot at accomplishing the feat.

Boston’s Celtics and Bruins are still alive, ditto Dallas’ Mavericks and Stars.

But, the Panthers, the best team in the NHL during the regular season, are trailing the Capitals, 2-1.

And both the Bruins and Celts are down 2-1 in their series.  But wait…the Bruins beat the Hurricanes today in Beantown, 5-2, to even it at 2-2!  Brad Marchand had a rather nice game.  2 goals and 3 assists.  Give the lad a bowl of piping hot clam chowdah!

And while the Dallas Stars are leading Calgary in their series, 2-1, the Mavs trail the Suns 2-1. Wait, no, it’s 2-2!  [Such is writing on the fly.]

Meanwhile, the 2-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning trail the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1, Game 4 of this series tonight after I post.

And as for my Rangers, they lost to the Penguins last night in Pittsburgh, 7-4, in a strange game.  New York trailed 4-1 after the first period, they removed star goalie Igor Shesterkin, rallied for three to tie it 4-4 after two, but then the Penguins rolled in the third for the 7-4 win.

So Pittsburgh is up 2-1.

MLB

--The weather gods weren’t kind to baseball the last few days…six games rained out Friday, another three Saturday, including the second consecutive rainouts for Yankees-Rangers and Mets-Phillies, thus necessitating doubleheaders today for both

Thursday, as alluded to above, the Mets had a startling 7-run comeback in the ninth inning to defeat the Phillies 8-7, the biggest such comeback in 25 years.

But in today’s first game of the twin bill, any momentum from Thursday long having dissipated, the Phils beat the Mets and Max Scherzer, 3-2, Scherzer allowing the 3 runs on 10 hits over six innings to fall to 4-1, 2.92.

The Yankees, who had their 11-game winning streak ended in Toronto on Wednesday, 2-1, hadn’t played since then, one of the longer non-All-Star Game layoffs I can remember.

And they started a new winning streak in beating the Rangers 2-1 in their opener.  Gerrit Cole had a no-decision but lowered his ERA to 2.67 with 6 1/3 of one-run ball, 10 Ks, though allowing, at the time, the tying run on a Kole Calhoun home run in the top of the seventh.

Gleyber Torres then did it again…a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth, the Yanks 19-7!

--The White Sox, once again injury-riddled, have suddenly won six-in-a-row, now 14-13, after sweeping the stumbling Red Sox (10-19) in Boston…4-2, 3-1, 3-2.

More shades of 1968 and the “year of the pitcher.”

The major league batting average has ticked up to .233 through Saturday’s play, vs. 1968’s .237.

--Clayton Kershaw is off to a superb 4-0, 1.80, start after throwing seven scoreless in the Dodgers’ 7-0 win over the Cubs Saturday at Wrigley Field.

Kershaw has thrown 30 innings in five starts, 32 strikeouts and just 3 walks.

He now has the best winning percentage in the modern era, .692, slightly ahead of Whitey Ford’s .690. 

--Thursday, Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani struck out 11 batters in seven scoreless innings in an 8-0 win in Boston.  But in his best Babe Ruth imitation, Ohtani also laced a double off the Green Monster – somehow knocking his own number off the scoreboard in the process.

In batting third, it was the first time a starting pitcher has hit in the top four spots of the order since the Babe.

--The Twins, 18-11, dodged a bullet when shortstop Carlos Correa was found to have bruised his finger, not broken it, after being struck by a pitch Thursday night in Baltimore.

Correa, who the Twins signed to a $105.3 million, three-year deal with player opt outs after the first two seasons, is hitting .255 with two homers and 11 RBIs after a very poor start.

But Go Twinkies!

--In College Baseball, Wake Forest split a 3-game series with No. 5 Louisville, 1-1-1, as today’s third game ended up in a 5-5 tie after 12 innings.  I have to admit, I didn’t know college games ended after 12.  I feel like an idiot…but I’m not going to beat myself up too hard over it.

Wake is 33-14-1, but 11-12-1 in the conference, and I’m not sure if the Deacs have a shot at the NCAA championship as of now.  [Without a big run in the ACC Championship, to state the obvious.]

Golf Balls

--I was shocked they got rounds 2 and 3 in on Friday and Saturday at the Wells Fargo Championship in Potomac, Md.  I mean the entire mid-Atlantic had boatloads of rain those two days, but entering today’s final round we had…

Keegan Bradley -8
Max Homa -6
Anirban Lahiri -4
James Hahn -4

Bradley hasn’t won since 2018, but has been playing very well, finishing 5th at The Players Championship, and then a T8 and T4 in his last two events, though he didn’t qualify for The Masters.

But what he really wants to qualify for is the U.S. Open at Brookline, Mass., outside his beloved Boston.  He entered the week ranked No. 64 in the world and needs to be in the top 60 on May 23 to qualify.  A win would do the trick.

And in the end, it was Max Homa, his fourth win, second this season, in a topsy-turvy round, lots of 2-shot swings, as Bradley finished T2 with Matthew Fitzpatrick and Wake Forest’s Cameron Young.

Bradley should have accumulated enough points to get into the top 60 in the world rankings, Jim Nantz seemed to think so, but I’m not sure how it works with three tied for second, vs. solo second.

--Sergio Garcia got a lot of ink due to his frustration over a ruling on a lost ball in the first round.

After driving his tee shot on the 10th hole into a hazard at TPC Potomac, Garcia became frustrated with a PGA Tour rules official who assessed him a penalty for taking too much time while trying to find his ball.

After losing the argument, Garcia waved his hand in disgust and said, “I can’t wait to leave this tour. …I can’t wait to get out of here, my friend.”

After walking through the waist-high grass a little longer, Garcia said, “A couple of more weeks, I don’t have to deal with you anymore.”

It turns out the Tour admitted after the round it had made a mistake, but it couldn’t change the score.

The comments, though, seemed to confirm that Garcia is headed to the LIV Golf Invitational Series.  Wednesday, Lee Westwood confirmed to Sky Sports that he has asked the PGA Tour and DP World Tour (European Tour) for releases to compete in London, June 9-11, the first LIV event.

--Meanwhile, Alan Shipnuck’s book on Phil Mickelson is coming out soon and according to an excerpt, federal auditors investigating Mickelson’s role in an insider trading scheme found his gambling losses totaled more than $40 million from 2010 to 2014.

Shipnuck posted the excerpt on his “Firepit Collective” site Thursday.  His unauthorized biography comes out May 17 during the PGA Championship.  Mickelson, the defending champion, has not said if he is playing as yet.

Mickelson was a relief defendant in 2016 in the insider trading case that sent noted gambler Billy Walters to prison.

Walters has since been released and has said he is writing a book.

Mickelson’s annual income in 2012 – the time of the Dean Foods stock deal that netted Mickelson nearly $1 million in one week – was estimated at about $48 million.

Shipnuck also said money was largely behind his split with longtime caddie Jim “Bones’ Mackay in 2017.  He wrote that Mackay left Mickelson after the Memorial that year over a series of “simmering grievances,” including hundreds of thousands of dollars in back pay.  Shipnuck said more details on that would be in the book.

Now this angle will be interesting, to see how Mackay handles it.  We could have some must-see television, and reading, coming up.

Premier League

--In a huge game Saturday, Tottenham kept its Champions League hopes alive by managing to grab a point at Liverpool, 1-1, in a game that the Reds desperately needed to win if they are to win the Premier League title.

Also Saturday, Chelsea continued its mediocre play down the stretch, their Champions League position seemingly secure, with a 2-2 draw at home with the Wolves.

Chelsea’s minds are elsewhere, as the club agreed to terms on a $5.2 billion sale to a consortium led by Todd Boehly, co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, with private equity firm Clearlake Capital owning a majority of the shares in Chelsea.  Billionaire Mark Walter, another co-owner of the Dodgers, is also an investor.  Much of the acquisition cost goes into Chelsea’s charity, an account from which funds will be distributed to worthy organizations.

Also yesterday, Brighton totally humiliated Manchester United 4-0, as United fails to reach the Champions League for just the fifth time in 30 years.

So today, Arsenal took on Leeds and got the job done, 2-1, to remain ahead of Tottenham, the two hooking up in a biggie, Thursday.

Manchester City then regained the top with a 5-0 wipeout of Newcastle.

And in another huge one…Everton got a clutch ‘W’, beating Leicester 2-1 to move above the relegation line.  Massive.

So the standings…Played (of 38) – Points

1. Man City…35 – 86
2. Liverpool…35 – 83
3. Chelsea…35 – 67
4. Arsenal…35 – 66
5. Tottenham…35 – 62
6. Man U…37 – 58

16. Everton…34 – 35
17. Burnley…35 – 34 …ahead on goal differential
18. Leeds…35 – 34
19. Watford…35 – 22
20. Norwich City…35 – 21  

In Champions League play, Wednesday, Man City suffered one of the most remarkable collapses in history as Real Madrid came back from the abyss to set up a final showdown with Liverpool.

It was the second leg of the matchup and City were two goals ahead on aggregate going into the 90th minute; City having won the first leg 4-3, and then up 1-0 in this second contest.

But just as in the Kentucky Derby, it happened.  Rodrygo happened.

The Brazilian substitute scored two goals in 90 seconds, and then in the 95th minute, extra time, Benzema knocked in a penalty shot for Real.

Folks are calling it the greatest Champions League semifinal ever, and it sets up a potentially historic final…Liverpool-Real, May 28, in Paris.

Real beat Liverpool 3-1 in the CL final in 2018.

City has five Premier League titles – and maybe a sixth – since the 2008 Abu Dhabi takeover of the club, but the Champions League title has eluded manager Pep Guardiola and Co.  Without that title, they can’t be really called a true iconic franchise in world football.

Auto Racing

--Matt Kenseth was elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.  He won a championship and 39 Cup Series races, including two Daytona 500s.

He finished in the top ten of his Cup races 47.5% of the time.

--Meanwhile, we had a big event down in Miami today…the debut of the Miami Grand Prix on the Formula One circuit.  The glitterati showed up in force.  There’s a power photo of Lewis Hamilton, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady and David Beckham cycling through social media.  Prices for hotel rooms and meals off the charts.  A major coup for the city to establish itself as the sport thrives, globally.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had the pole, and in the end, in a very entertaining affair, your editor watching much of it, defending F1 champ Max Verstappen won it over Leclerc, who still holds the championship points lead early in the season.

Stuff

--Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports assigned all 32 projected starters at quarterback in the NFL a ranking, from bona fide franchise signal-callers to replacement-level placeholders.

He has nine of the 32 as franchise QBs: Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Russell Wilson, Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow, Matthew Stafford

Top Pros, Proven winners (2): Matt Ryan, Deshaun Watson.

Then La Canfora has two other categories, “You Can Win With Them” (9): Derek Carr, Kirk Cousins, Ryan Tannehill, Dak Prescott, Kyler Murray, Jameis Winston, Jalen Hurts, Mac Jones, Tua Tagovailoa.

And “Good Luck” (8): Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, Drew Lock, Daniel Jones, Justin Fields, Marcus Mariota, Sam Darnold, Mitchell Trubisky.

Lastly, “Jury Is Out” (4): Zach Wilson, Trevor Lawrence, Trey Lance, Davis Mills.

I just have trouble looking at Matthew Stafford as a franchise QB, though obviously I’m wrong in feeling that way.

Somehow, Jets and Giants fans hope that after this coming season, La Canfora has elevated Jones and Wilson to the “You Can Win With Them” category.

--The NFL announced that it will hold five games in Europe next season, including Giants vs. Packers in London (Tottenham Stadium), Seahawks vs. Bucs in Munich, and 49ers vs. Cardinals in Mexico City.

Whatever.  I’m glad my Jets aren’t playing overseas.

--We note the passing of Mickey Gilley, the “urban cowboy,” who died Saturday at the age of 86.  Gilley died in his adopted hometown of Branson, Mo.

The entire urban cowboy movement in the 1980s can be traced through Gilley, who was a hit-making singer, honky-tonk owner and even occasional actor.

Gilley’s namesake club in the Houston suburb of Pasadena inspired and was featured prominently in the 1980 film “Urban Cowboy,” starring John Travolta. Gilley’s cover of “Stand By Me” was included in the film’s soundtrack.

Gilley, prior to the movie, was a country music star who had seven songs top the Country charts in the 1970s, including “Room Full of Roses” and “Don’t the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time.”

Born March 9, 1936, in Natchez, Miss., Gilley grew up across the Mississippi River in Ferriday, La., with his cousins – including Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Swaggart.

After seeing Lewis’ rock ‘n’ roll career take off, Gilley thought to himself: “I can do that.”

It didn’t happen as easily as Gilley thought it would, so in 1971, he opened up Gilley’s.  His co-owner, Sherwood Cryer, decided to put a mechanical bull inside the club.  Gilley thought it was crazy. It became iconic, and was copied by establishments nationwide.

--The latest Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class was announced and Dolly Parton is in, despite her protestations.  Also part of the incredibly underwhelming class is Pat Benatar, Duran Duran, Eminem, Eurythmics, Lionel Richie and Carly Simon.

Parton clarified in an interview about ten days ago, prior to the announcement, that if she were voted in, she’d “accept gracefully,” even though she “felt like I would be taking away from someone that maybe deserved it, certainly more than me, ‘cause I never considered myself a rock artist.”

The Eurythmics were incredibly depressing.

Top 3 songs for the week 5/7/77:   #1 “Hotel California” (Eagles)  #2 “When I Need You” (Leo Sayer)  #3 “Southern Nights” (Glen Campbell)…and…#4 “Sir Duke” (Stevie Wonder)  #5 “Don’t Leave Me This Way” (Thelma Houston)  #6 “Right Time Of The Night” (Jennifer Warnes)  #7 “So In To You” (Atlanta Rhythm Section…was a unique sound at the time…big hit at Wake Forest…)  #8 “I’ve Got Love On My Mind” (Natalie Cole)  #9 “Couldn’t Get It Right” (Climax Blues Band)  #10 “I Wanna Get Next To You” (Rose Royce…so this is spring of my freshman year at Wake…I’m on my way to an acceptable 2.5 GPA…and then, disaster struck…as I turned into one of the worst students in college history who still graduated in four years…and you can look it up….)

Baseball Quiz Answer: Five fastest to 350 homers…

1. Mark McGwire, 1280 games
2. Juan Gonzalez, 1298
3. Alex Rodriguez, 1301
4. Harmon Killebrew, 1319
5. Albert Pujols, 1320

6. Babe Ruth, 1329
7. Giancarlo Stanton, 1341
8. Ralph Kiner, 1345

McGwire peaked at 23.7% in the Hall of Fame voting (4th year).

Gonzalez was finished at age 33, 434 home runs, 2X-MVP, but received 5.2% in his first year of eligibility for the HOF, 4.0% the next year and it was bye-bye.

But our main man, Harmon Killebrew, was a hero to many of us of a certain age.  It’s still a very cool baseball card to look at…eight seasons with 40+ home runs.  In today’s ballparks, he would have been hitting 50+ a year, and earning himself quite a bit of coin.

Add-On up top by noon, Wed.  If the site stays up….



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Bar Chat

05/09/2022

A Shocking Derby!

Add-on, posted early Wed. a.m.

NBA Playoffs

--Sunday night, Philadelphia evened its series with Miami at 2-2, with a 116-108 victory at home, James Harden deciding to show up for once, 31 points, 6-of-10 from three, while Joel Embiid continued to play effectively with his torn thumb ligament, 24 points and 11 rebounds.

Jimmy Butler had 40 for the Heat.

So on to Game 5 back in Miami, Tuesday, and the Heat ran away with it, 120-85, as they hit 45 of 84 from the field, 53.6%, and the Sixers laid an egg…Tobias Harris, Embiid and Harden combining for a paltry 43 points.

--Also last night, the Suns rolled the Mavs, 110-80, to take a 3-2 lead in their series.

--Monday, Mike Brown coached the Warriors, after Steve Kerr tested positive for Covid-19.  Brown had been named the new head coach of the Sacramento Kings earlier in the day.

But since it’s not like he was going to be really coaching the Kings for a while, nothing wrong with him sticking around for the ride with the Warriors.

Brown did the job, as did Steph Curry (32 points, 8 assists), and Andrew Wiggins (17 points, 10 rebounds), and the Warriors went up over the Ja Morant-less Grizzlies 3-1 in their series with a 101-98 win.

Golden State was 9-for-37 on 3-pointers, Memphis 9-for-35.

Morant was injured in the fourth quarter of Game 3’s blowout loss to Golden State, and the team announced Tuesday he had a bone bruise and was likely out for the playoffs.  That sucks.

Mike Brown will coach the Warriors again.

--Also Monday night, after I watched the Rangers debacle, I picked up the action in Boston at Milwaukee, Game 4, and Al Horford, playing in his 132nd playoff game, scored a playoff career-high 30 points, on 11-of-14 shooting (5-for-7 from three).  Horford had 16 of the Celtics’ 43 points in a masterful fourth quarter, the Celtics evening their series with the Bucks at 2-2, 116-108.

In the final quarter, Boston was an astounding 16-of-19 from the field, 4-of-5 from 3.  Jason Tatum added 30, as well as 13 rebounds.

Giannis had 34 points and 18 rebounds for the Bucks, but a key play in the fourth quarter was Horford posting him on a drive to the basket that tied the score at 81-81, and from that point on, Boston outscored Milwaukee 35-27.

--According to reports, Denver’s Nikola Jokic won his second consecutive MVP, besting Giannis (who won the two before Jokic) and Joel Embiid. 

But I agree with USA TODAY’s Jeff Zillgitt that all the handwringing over who wins the award is raging out of control.

“Denver’s Nikola Jokic deserved to win NBA NVP.

“So did Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid.

“Unless somehow the ballots from 100 voters resulted in a two-way or three-way tie – an unlikely scenario – only one player can win the award.

“And this year, Jokic won the award for the second consecutive season, and it’s not a popular decision in Philadelphia and certain segments of NBA Twitter.

“Impetuous Sixers fans are upset Embiid didn’t win, and there’s also the possibility that Embiid is unhappy he didn’t win.

“There’s nothing wrong with that either.  Players like to win awards, and there’s prestige that comes along with winning the MVP, plus a bonus and more endorsement opportunities (unless you’re Jokic who isn’t interested in those sponsorship deals).  Plus, there’s a narrow window when a player in his prime can win the award.

“But there’s also nothing wrong with finishing in the top three and being considered one of the three best players in the world….

“I understand that in hot-take culture it’s required to have outrage about everything….

“It’s gotten to the point that no matter who wins an award in the NBA, there’s almost always a massive gripe….

“One of the objections to Jokic winning again is that ‘nerds with calculators’ had a bias against Embiid as if somehow Jokic didn’t pass the eye test. But if you watched Jokic this season, it’s easy to see what a gifted player he is, especially with his scoring, passing and rebounding.”

The NBA is supposed to formally announce Jokic as MVP on Wednesday and the vote total will fuel further debate.

I have bigger things to worry about.  Ukraine is a little more important that Embiid’s bruised ego.  As in, just shut up.

--We note the passing of Hall of Famer Bob Lanier, 73.  I wrote a lot of Lanier over the winter due to my coverage of St. Bonaventure, where he’s a legend, and I won’t repeat everything.

Lanier, after guiding the Bonnies to a Final Four in 1970 (only to sit out the semi due to injury), averaging 27.6 points and 15.7 rebounds in three seasons in Olean, went on to star with the Detroit Pistons, and later Milwaukee, averaging 20.1 points and 10.1 rebounds in the NBA.

He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.  But his size 22 shoes (Converse said they were really 18 ½) got there ahead of him.

Lanier was a terrific global ambassador for the sport. He will be missed.

NHL Playoffs

--I watched all of Game 4, Rangers-Penguins in Pittsburgh Monday night and it was the absolute worst I have ever seen the Rangers play, New York getting shelled 7-2 to fall behind 3-1 in the series, Game 5 back at the Garden, Wednesday.

I have never watched a game where both the Rangers broadcasters, and the studio analysts, were so disgusted.  As one scribe described it, “It was ugly. It was humiliating. It was an egregious 7-2 loss.”

Coach Gerard Gallant, in describing the Rangers’ effort, said: “Played soft.  We were soft all over the ice.  That’s the biggest difference, we were soft all over the ice.”

The broadcasters couldn’t believe how faceoff after faceoff was not only won by the Penguins, but each one was seemingly won “cleanly,” meaning zero effort, and when you win a faceoff clean and get it back to the shooters with an immediate chance to fire on goal, you’re not going to win.

The statistics show the Penguins won 29 faceoffs, the Rangers 19, but it was far worse than that. The stats also show the Rangers blocked 10 shots, and I can’t recall a single one, unless they were somehow counting the shot Chris Kreider took in the throat.  There were no sliding attempts to block shots…not a single one.  The Rangers just skated around like they were at the Ice Follies.

If they don’t put out an effort on Wednesday, the team will deserve all the boos that are going to rain down on them if they get blown out again.

--Meanwhile, the Panthers evened their series with the Capitals at 2-2 in D.C., Monday, and they needed a late third-period Sam Reinhart goal at 17:56 to send the game into OT, whereupon Carter Verhaeghe won it early for the Panthers, 3-2, to avoid going down 3-1.  Game 5 back in Florida.

--Tuesday, the Hurricanes went up 3-2 in their series with the Bruins, a 5-1 blowout in Raleigh.

And the Maple Leafs went up 3-2 on the two-time defending champion Lightning with a 4-3 win in Toronto.  The Maple Leafs came back from a 2-0 first period deficit, Auston Matthews with the deciding third-period goal for Toronto.

--In a surprising move, the Islanders fired coach Barry Trotz after four seasons.  They made the playoffs his first three, but stumbled this year, a Covid-19 outbreak and a long road trip to start the season not helping.

MLB

--Monday, in a makeup game, Nestor Cortes twirled 7 1/3 innings of one-hit ball, 11 Ks, taking a no-no into the eighth, as the Yanks (20-8) beat the Rangers (11-16) 1-0, Cortes’ ERA lowered to 1.41.  It’s quite a story…journeyman makes good.

Last night, the Yanks fought back from a 5-0 deficit, behind Giancarlo Stanton’s 335-foot 3- run homer, and then Aaron Judge’s monster 3-run blast in the bottom of the ninth, Judge’s first walk-off home run in his career (and No. 10 on the season), as the Yanks won 6-5.

Toronto had three players ejected in the game as this rivalry heats up.

So the Yanks are a cool 21-8.

--Crosstown, the Mets are 21-10 after a nice 4-2 win down in Washington, Carlos Carasco with 6 2/3, 2 runs, as he goes to 3-1, 3.19.  The Nats are 10-21.

The Mets have an early 7-game lead in the NL East.

--Look, no mystery I want the Angels to do well so we get to see Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani in the playoffs.  Monday, L.A. whipped the Rays, 11-3, to improve to 20-11, as Ohtani hit two home runs, including his first grand slam, while Trout clubbed No. 7, with 3 runs scored (giving him 22 in 26 games).

And former Met, Noah Syndergaard, continues to give the Angels what they wanted from him, 5 1/3, one run, 7 Ks, as he’s now 3-1, 2.45.

But then last night, the Angels received a no-hitter from rookie lefty Reid Detmers. Detmers allowed just one walk, while striking out only two, keeping his fielders active, as L.A. is now 21-11, after a 12-0 rout of the Rays (18-13).

Mike Trout had two more home runs, another 3 runs scored (25 in 27), though his second dinger was off Tampa Bay outfielder and would-be pitcher, Brett Phillips, with Trout and Anthony Rendon hitting 54-mph sliders out of the park in the bottom of the eighth.

But it was a long frame, leaving Detmers on the bench thinking about the no-hitter, and then he came out in the top of the ninth and closed the deal.

--Justin Verlander, who pitched one game in 2020 and 2021, sitting out last year following Tommy John surgery, is in the midst of an amazing comeback at age 39.  Last night he took a no-hitter into the eighth, the Astros shutting out the Twins 5-0, Verlander going out after the eighth, yielding a lone hit, while moving to 4-1, 1.55.

--Monday, Cleveland’s Josh Naylor did something that had never been done before, hit a grand slam in the ninth inning to send the Guardians into extra innings with the White Sox.  Two innings later, Naylor hit a three-run homer to secure the 12-9 win in the 11th, the Guardians having entered the top of the ninth trailing 8-2.

Naylor became the first in MLB history to hit two 3+ run homers in the ninth inning or later in the same game.  He finished 3-for-5 with 8 RBIs, one behind the franchise record.

--While the Dodgers are off to a good start, the main man in the bullpen, Blake Treinen, is out until August at the earliest, it seems.  Shoulder inflammation, with rehab the treatment.

--USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale had a piece on Carlos Correa’s replacement at short for the Astros, 24-year-old Jeremy Pena, and the kid is off to a fine start…six home runs, 17 RBIs, .490 slugging percentage.

Pena, who moved from the Dominican Republic to Providence, Rhode Island, when he was 12, attended the University of Maine.  I like that his favorite growing up was the Mets’ Jose Reyes, loving his energy and enthusiasm.  That Reyes had, for sure.

Reyes had an underrated career…2,138 hits, .283 batting average, 131 triples (led the league four times), four seasons with 100 runs scored, a batting title, led the league in steals 3 seasons…..

If Jeremy Pena came close to those numbers, I think Houston would be very pleased.

--In College Baseball, we are just a few weeks away from conference championships and then the NCAA Tournament, culminating in the College World Series.

The latest Coaches Poll….

1. Tennessee
2. Oregon State
3. Oklahoma State
4. Arkansas
5. Virginia Tech
6. Miami
7. Louisville
8. Stanford
9. Texas Tech
10. Texas A&M

But Baseball America has it….

1. Oregon State…the Beavers are on top!
2. Tennessee
3. Oklahoma State
4. Virginia Tech
6. Miami
7. Louisville
8. Notre Dame
9. Stanford
10. Gonzaga…huh

Golf Balls

--I way underestimated the value of Keegan Bradley’s T2 at the Wells Fargo Championship.  He went from 64 to 44 in the Official World Rankings so he will get an exemption into the U.S. Open at Brookline, where he will be a big local favorite, having grown up a short drive from Boston, in his native Vermont.

--Eamon Lynch / Golfweek

“Somewhere deep in the bowels of the budget for LIV Golf, well below, the lucrative prize funds and exorbitant gratuities to overlook the gratuitous, closer to the paltry media buys to induce velvety coverage, there should be a line item for diaper-changing facilities to be used by the increasingly infirm or dependably infantile who will occupy its locker rooms.

“Take Sergio Garcia (‘please,’ quoth Henny Youngman). Garcia is not entirely a one-dimensional dipstick.  He can on occasion be amiable and funny, but even at 42 he is proof that age and maturity are mutually exclusive.  In Thursday’s first round of the Wells Fargo Championship, he demonstrated anew his tendency to process every inconvenience as an injustice.

“After being informed – incorrectly, it later emerged – by a PGA Tour rules official that he had exhausted the time allotted to find his ball in a hazard, Garcia snapped.  ‘I can’t wait to leave this tour,’ he announced.  ‘I can’t wait to get out of here.’….

“The luckless official must have felt like a bartender who denies service to a belligerent drunk only to hear that he’s taking his custom elsewhere….

“Garcia checks all of the traits common among players associated with the Saudi bid to hijack professional golf: best days are in the rearview, has accomplished all that seems likely in major championships, not playing well enough consistently to benefit from increased purses on the PGA Tour, not sufficiently well-liked to reap fan engagement bonuses, endowed with a stout sense of entitlement, and consumed with petty grievances (mostly imaginary).

“Since he scissor-kicked his way to fame in 1999, Garcia has earned $54 million on the PGA Tour, but his career has been defined by petulance.  To cite but a few instances: flinging his shoe into a gallery; spitting into a cup, leaving the loogey for those unfortunate groups behind him; flipping off fans (I’d forgive him that – Bethpage galleries were obnoxious); blaming bunker-rakers and unseen forces for his loss in the ’07 Open at Carnoustie; listlessly apologizing for a racially-charged crack about Tiger Woods; being DQ’d from the Saudi International in ’19 for intentionally damaging five greens by tomahawking his club.

“Linger a moment on that last one: his conduct was once considered beyond the pale by the Saudis.

“Garcia shares another attribute with his peers who are also heavy petting with the bonesaw enthusiasts: their absence from the PGA or DP World tours would scarcely be noticed.  That’s the disconnect at the heart of the Saudi seduction.  The sums offered by LIV Golf convince players they’re elite, but just entertaining the overture is acknowledgement that they’re not, that their ability to compete against the world’s best is greatly diminished, that they’ll trade a potential hall of fame berth for an assured spot in the hall of shame….

“It’s preposterous to think the futures of the PGA or DP World tours would be impoverished by the loss to LIV Golf of Garcia and Westwood, or any others considering abetting Saudi sportswashing.  It might even be considered a positive clearing of detritus.  Whoever bolts in the coming weeks, it’s worth noting that both tours created the environment that spawned this situation – the DP World Tour by brazenly welcoming tin pot dictatorships to its schedule, and the PGA Tour by operating a nanny state that protects players’ public images from the consequences of their conduct, all in service of an Orwellian ‘These Guys Are Good’ mantra.

“It took the Crown Prince to expose professional golf’s least admirable characters.  Cynical fans might wish to applaud his willingness to take them off our hands.”

***Well, Tuesday night, the PGA Tour told its membership in a memo that players who opt to still play in the LIV event at Centurion Golf Club outside London on June 9-11 will thus be deemed to be in violation of the tour’s regulations and subject to disciplinary action, which could include suspension or a revocation of membership.

The decision essentially forces the likes of Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood and Garcia, among others – to make a choice: play in the LIV event, or continue to be a tour member in good standing.  The tour did not name players who applied for a release and made clear that players will not be punished for applying, only if they actually tee it up on June 9.

The initial LIV event falls on the same date as the RBC Canadian Open.  The wording of the PGA Tour handbook allows for a player to apply and receive up to three events per season, so long as they are not held in North America.

The battle is headed to court.

Greg Norman said: “Sadly, the PGA Tour seems intent on denying professional golfers their right to play golf, unless it’s exclusively in a PGA Tour tournament. …But no matter what obstacles the PGA Tour puts in our way, we will not be stopped.  We will continue to give players options that promote the great game of golf globally.”

Stuff

--Tuesday, Liverpool beat Aston Villa 2-1 to get back into a tie with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League, though City has a game in hand.

1. Man City…35 – 86 (ahead on goal differential)
2. Liverpool…36 – 86

Separately, City signed Norwegian striker stud Erling Haaland, 21, from Borussia Dortmund, where he had 85 goals in 88 appearances.  City fans should be psyched.

--Joey Logano picked up career win No. 28 at Darlington Raceway Sunday, after I posted, snapping a 40-race winless streak.

Pole-sitter Logano made a pass for the lead on the second to last lap by bumping William Byron into the wall, which was met by cheers, and jeers, from the crowd…Logano being one of those you either love or hate.

After the race, Logano suggested his move was retaliation for an earlier incident when Byron squeezed him toward the wall.

“If someone’s going to be willing to do that to you, then the gloves are off,” Logano said.

Byron was not happy, calling Logano an “idiot” and a “moron” who has raced others questionably throughout his career.

--Liz Clarke / Washington Post

“The NCAA’s Board of Directors issued guidance Monday designed to stop the apparent role of deep-pocketed collectives using name, image and likeness deals to influence recruits’ signing decisions and authorized investigations of glaring violations to date….

“The memo stated at the outset that the NCAA reaffirms athletes’ rights to profit from NIL deals.  Its concern is with the behavior of the third-party entities, often referred to as collectives, that broker many of the NIL deals.  Specifically, the NCAA board underscored that collectives may not dangle the promise of NIL deals as inducements to persuade recruits to sign with one school instead of another nor use them to coax enrolled athletes to transfer to another school….

“Georgia President Jere Morehead, chair of the NCAA’s Board of Directors, called it ‘a significant first step’ in addressing some of the improper NIL-related behavior that runs afoul of long-standing NCAA recruiting rules.  Kansas City, Mo.-based lawyer Mit Winter, a former Division I basketball player well-versed in NIL issues, explained the essential point behind the NCAA’s guidance.

“ ‘What they’re really trying to do is reiterate that collectives are boosters, and boosters are not allowed, under current NCAA rules, to be involved in the recruiting process,’ Winter said. ‘They’re not supposed to talk with recruits, not supposed to meet with recruits or their parents.  The guidelines also reiterate that coaches or other athletic personnel are not supposed to communicate with recruits on behalf of boosters and collectives as well.’

“What Winter found more compelling is the NCAA’s go-ahead for its enforcement staff to investigate the most egregious violations to date….

“One case that may draw NCAA scrutiny involves Tennessee’s recruitment of rising high school senior Nico Iamaleava, a quarterback from Southern California, who committed amid reports of NIL deals worth seven figures.

“The nine months that college athletes have had the right to profit from their name, image and likeness have been marked by inconsistency and confusion because the NCAA failed to establish a national policy.  Instead, individual states, conferences and schools were left to decide their own rules, and an incoherent patchwork resulted.”

Here’s what I think.  Obviously, it’s already out of hand.  It’s gone way beyond players being paid on jerseys, autographs, maybe a local endorsement with a car dealer.

And in two years, I think the players will realize what’s most important.  If they want to get to the NBA or NFL, coaches and general managers aren’t going to be looking at the NIL deals that players have, except only in a negative fashion.  Kids who are more concerned about the money they’re making off their social-media accounts and such, clearly aren’t spending as much time thinking about how they can become a better player.  It’s only common sense. 

The smart athletes won’t get swept up in the NIL deal.  They’ll focus on what’s best for their future.  That’s my guess.  Wait to see what happens next spring in the NFL Draft, for example.

--Tom Brady, whenever he quits, lets call it after this coming season, is going to be joining Fox Sports in a mammoth deal…10 years, $375 million, according to the New York Post.  By comparison, CBS’ Tony Romo and ESPN’s Troy Aikman are making about $18 million per season.

Brady will join the No. 1 announcing team.  Joe Buck and Troy Aikman were the top team at Fox for the past 20 years (which is hard to believe how time flies), but with both now at ESPN, the network had a big gap and with Kevin Burkhardt taking Buck’s place, eventually Brady will slide in next to him.  No word on who has the job in 2022.

--Meanwhile, the NFL is releasing its schedule Thursday, always a fun day.

--I’m on the record as loathing WFAN sports talk show host Craig Carton, who was convicted of fraud in 2018 and sentenced to 42 months in prison and ordered to pay $4.8 million in restitution.  Carton spent a year behind bars before being released and for some unknown reason, WFAN quickly welcomed him back and put him in the afternoon drive-time spot with Evan Roberts.

Carton had spent ten years in morning drive-time with Boomer Esiason before he was accused of running a ticket Ponzi scheme to cover debt from a severe gambling addiction.

So the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand reported that “Carton is expected to host a national TV show this fall on Fox Sports 1 that will air in the mornings. …Carton will continue to do his local afternoon drive-time radio program on WFAN with Evan Roberts, according to sources.”

Which means Carton will be going up against Boomer and Gregg Giannotti, their show simulcast on CBS Sports Network.

Why is Carton even still around?

--Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson will not be charged after punching a man multiple times before a flight out of San Francisco last month.

Good.

An investigation by the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office found the circumstances preceding the April 20 confrontation led to the decision.

“The circumstances include the conduct of the victim leading up to the incident, the interaction between Mr. Tyson and the victim, as well as the requests of both the victim and Mr. Tyson that no charges be filed in the case,” District attorney Stephen M. Wagstaffe said.  “We now deem this case to be closed.”

The victim deserved everything coming to him.

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.

-----

Add-On up top by noon, Wed.

[Posted early Sun. p.m., prior to Mets-Yankees' second games, NASCAR, NBA and NHL.]

Special Note:  If you don’t read that other column I do, I suffered a big loss.  My tech guy of 20 years, Roj, died, long ago, and I didn’t know it until Friday!  Everything has been operating smoothly and there was no reason to call him.  Then his brother, who finally got his mail, found mine, a check, and let me know.  Ergo, this site is teetering on the brink of disaster.  Cross your fingers…much to do this week.

Baseball Quiz:  The other week, Giancarlo Stanton became the seventh fastest to 350 career homers.  Babe Ruth is No. 6.  Name the top five.  The first three are from the steroids’ era, and/or are on the record as having used them.  No. 4 is the only one in the Hall of Fame.  Answer below.

Kentucky Derby

I wrote ahead of the race that it was going to be nuts…a full 20-horse field at Churchill Downs.  I thought it would be a terrific duel between 3 or 4 of the favorites down the stretch.

And then it happened.  It is why you watch sports.  On Thursday, the Mets had a stunning 7-run rally in the top of the ninth to defeat the Phillies in Philadelphia, 8-7…the biggest ninth-inning comeback in 25 years for the Metsies, and it was amazing to watch.  Yes, you never know what can happen.

But yesterday was beyond stunning, especially when you had that terrific aerial view from NBC Sports that highlighted just how incredible jockey Sonny Leon’s ride on 80-1 Rich Strike was, weaving in and out…and in…

The second-biggest upset in Derby history, Rich Strike finished ahead of Epicenter and Zandon, two of the four favorites, along with Taiba and Messier, the two former Bob Baffert horses that ended up 12th and 15th, respectively.

Rich Strike paid $163.60 to win, with a $2 Exacta paying off $4,101, and a $0.50 Trifecta $7,435. [$1, $14,870…$1 Superfecta (selecting top four in order), $321,500!]

John Cherwa / Los Angeles Times

“The beauty of sports is when something you never see coming happens, defying all logic and understanding.  That’s what happened Saturday in the 148th Kentucky Derby.

“Rich Strike, the horse with the longest odds, stunned the racing world with a smart ride on the inside after starting from the farthest outside post and then bolting from the back of the pack to blow by the crowd favorites and win by three-quarters of a length…

“The horse was lucky to even be in the race.  He got in Friday morning when Ethereal Road scratched.  [Ed. Owner Rick Dawson said, “We found out about 30 seconds before the deadline on Friday.”]  Rich Strike carried the saddle cloth of the 21 in the 20-horse face.  It was only his second win in eight starts.  His last three races were on a synthetic surface, not dirt. There was really very little to make anyone think the 80-1 shot had a chance.

“It was the second graded stakes win for trainer Eric Reed and first for jockey Sonny Leon.”

Let that sink in…Sonny Leon had never won a meaningful race.

“ ‘I didn’t think we’d win this necessarily, but I knew if he got in, they would know who he was when the race was over,’ Reed said.  ‘When the gate opened, Sonny immediately took him over and saved all the ground.  In the middle of the turn, I lost him for a brief second and then I saw him in the stretch and I passed out.  I don’t remember what happened after that.’

“Reed almost gave up training in 2016 when a fire swept through his Mercury Equine Center in Kentucky, killing 23 horses.

“ ‘I thought of all the years and all the stuff we’ve done to get this beautiful farm and have this happen, it’s telling me it’s the end of the line,’ Reed said.  ‘About the third or fourth day when people started showing up from states and people who didn’t know who I was let me know there is so much good out there…

“ ‘A few trainers, big, big trainers sent me texts and told me ‘Don’t let this take you out.’ …That kept me going and I decided it wasn’t going to take me out.  Thank God we’re here today.’

“Where Reed will be in a little more than a week is likely Baltimore, where Rich Strike will be running in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Racecourse.  But trainers and owners never get too far ahead of themselves.

“ ‘Let’s see how he is tomorrow, but that’s obviously the spot we got to look at,’ Reed said.  ‘And we’ll see how he is, and we’ll make the call in a few days.’

“That’s a plan everyone can see coming.”

Dan Wolken / USA TODAY

“He did it with a brilliant, where-did-that-come-from ride up the rail by Sonny Leon, a jockey based in Ohio who had never won a graded stakes before Saturday.  He did it by rallying from almost dead-last around the turn as the horses up front set a scorching, suicidal pace that eventually melted down.  And he did it in the stretch by sneaking up on Epicenter and Zandon, the two favorites in the race who appeared poised for a classic duel in the center of the track until Rich Strike passed them both.

“ ‘Everything was perfect,’ said Epicenter’s jockey, Joel Rosario.  ‘We thought we were home.’

“Was Saturday the biggest Derby upset ever?  Donerail was a bigger price in 1913 at 91-1.  Mine that Bird seemingly came out of nowhere in 2009, but at least he had won a couple big races in Canada as a 2-year-old. And in 1971, Canonero II came off the plane from Venezuela as a laughingstock and became perhaps the greatest rags-to-riches story in the entire history of the sport.

“And now we have Rich Strike, a horse that hadn’t finished better than third in his last five starts – and not in prestigious Derby preps, either.  To say Rich Strike was overlooked would imply there was actually something to look at in his record. What it looked like, at least from a distance, was an overambitious owner who just wanted to say he got a horse in the Derby and enjoy a good party at Churchill Downs.”

NBA Playoffs

--Milwaukee took a 2-1 series lead with a 103-101 win over Boston yesterday, the game with some last-second controversy when the Celtics thought Marcus Smart was fouled on a 3-point attempt, but the officials ruled Smart was fouled before he was in the act, thus he went to the line for two, whereupon he made the first, brilliantly intentionally missed the second, but three Celtic attempts at the putback for the tie came up empty.  The fourth went in, but was a tick late, time expiring.

Boston couldn’t overcome another sterling effort from Giannis, 42 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, as Jason Tatum was just 4-of-19 from the field, 10 points.

Both teams were horrid from three…Boston 9-of-33, Milwaukee 9-of-34.

--Golden State is now up 2-1 after routing Memphis 142-112 in San Francisco, Saturday, as Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole combined for 78.

But the big story potentially is the health of Ja Morant, who left the game midway through the fourth quarter with a knee injury.  Morant was injured on a play where his right knee was grabbed by Poole.

Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said after looking at a replay: “(Morant) was going after a dribble and Jordan Poole actually grabbed his knee and yanked it, which kind of triggered whatever happened, so I’m actually going to be very curious what happens after that,” meaning, how the league reacts.

Memphis had lost Dillon Brooks to a one-game suspension after his flagrant foul-2 led to an injury in Tuesday’s game.

Poole denied trying to injure Morant.

In the Game 2 loss to the Grizzlies, Warriors guard Gary Payton II suffered an elbow injury that will keep him out at least 3 weeks, after Brooks made contact with Payton’s head on a transition layup attempt, causing a hard fall.  Brooks was issued the flagrant 2 and ejected.  Just a very dirty play.

--Friday night, Joel Embiid returned from his concussion, still with the thumb injury, and gutted it out for 18 points and 11 rebounds, as the Sixers beat the Heat, 99-79, the ageless Danny Green going 7-of-9 from three for all of his 21 points.

But Miami still leads the series 2-1.  Game 4 is tonight, after I go to post.

--Dallas beat Phoenix on Friday, 103-94, behind Luca Doncic’s 26 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists.

But heading into Game 4 this afternoon, Phoenix still had a 2-1 series lead.  Wednesday, after I last posted, Chris Paul had another spectacular fourth quarter to lead the Suns to a 129-109 win over the Mavs for the then 2-0 lead.

And then Paul had major foul trouble today, and the Mavs evened it up at 2-2 with a 111-101 victory.

--The Nets announced that Ben Simmons had back surgery Thursday to “alleviate pain” caused by a “herniated disc” and that this is the “best course of action for Ben’s long-term health.”

Simmons is expected to need 3-to-4 months to make a full recovery, which would have him ready ahead of training camp.

NHL

--Jeff Miller of USA TODAY points out this is the 75th season in which the NBA and the NHL will both crown champions, and never has the same city or market won both the NBA championship and the Stanley Cup in the same season.

But this year the Miami Heat and the Florida Panthers have a very good shot at accomplishing the feat.

Boston’s Celtics and Bruins are still alive, ditto Dallas’ Mavericks and Stars.

But, the Panthers, the best team in the NHL during the regular season, are trailing the Capitals, 2-1.

And both the Bruins and Celts are down 2-1 in their series.  But wait…the Bruins beat the Hurricanes today in Beantown, 5-2, to even it at 2-2!  Brad Marchand had a rather nice game.  2 goals and 3 assists.  Give the lad a bowl of piping hot clam chowdah!

And while the Dallas Stars are leading Calgary in their series, 2-1, the Mavs trail the Suns 2-1. Wait, no, it’s 2-2!  [Such is writing on the fly.]

Meanwhile, the 2-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning trail the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1, Game 4 of this series tonight after I post.

And as for my Rangers, they lost to the Penguins last night in Pittsburgh, 7-4, in a strange game.  New York trailed 4-1 after the first period, they removed star goalie Igor Shesterkin, rallied for three to tie it 4-4 after two, but then the Penguins rolled in the third for the 7-4 win.

So Pittsburgh is up 2-1.

MLB

--The weather gods weren’t kind to baseball the last few days…six games rained out Friday, another three Saturday, including the second consecutive rainouts for Yankees-Rangers and Mets-Phillies, thus necessitating doubleheaders today for both

Thursday, as alluded to above, the Mets had a startling 7-run comeback in the ninth inning to defeat the Phillies 8-7, the biggest such comeback in 25 years.

But in today’s first game of the twin bill, any momentum from Thursday long having dissipated, the Phils beat the Mets and Max Scherzer, 3-2, Scherzer allowing the 3 runs on 10 hits over six innings to fall to 4-1, 2.92.

The Yankees, who had their 11-game winning streak ended in Toronto on Wednesday, 2-1, hadn’t played since then, one of the longer non-All-Star Game layoffs I can remember.

And they started a new winning streak in beating the Rangers 2-1 in their opener.  Gerrit Cole had a no-decision but lowered his ERA to 2.67 with 6 1/3 of one-run ball, 10 Ks, though allowing, at the time, the tying run on a Kole Calhoun home run in the top of the seventh.

Gleyber Torres then did it again…a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth, the Yanks 19-7!

--The White Sox, once again injury-riddled, have suddenly won six-in-a-row, now 14-13, after sweeping the stumbling Red Sox (10-19) in Boston…4-2, 3-1, 3-2.

More shades of 1968 and the “year of the pitcher.”

The major league batting average has ticked up to .233 through Saturday’s play, vs. 1968’s .237.

--Clayton Kershaw is off to a superb 4-0, 1.80, start after throwing seven scoreless in the Dodgers’ 7-0 win over the Cubs Saturday at Wrigley Field.

Kershaw has thrown 30 innings in five starts, 32 strikeouts and just 3 walks.

He now has the best winning percentage in the modern era, .692, slightly ahead of Whitey Ford’s .690. 

--Thursday, Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani struck out 11 batters in seven scoreless innings in an 8-0 win in Boston.  But in his best Babe Ruth imitation, Ohtani also laced a double off the Green Monster – somehow knocking his own number off the scoreboard in the process.

In batting third, it was the first time a starting pitcher has hit in the top four spots of the order since the Babe.

--The Twins, 18-11, dodged a bullet when shortstop Carlos Correa was found to have bruised his finger, not broken it, after being struck by a pitch Thursday night in Baltimore.

Correa, who the Twins signed to a $105.3 million, three-year deal with player opt outs after the first two seasons, is hitting .255 with two homers and 11 RBIs after a very poor start.

But Go Twinkies!

--In College Baseball, Wake Forest split a 3-game series with No. 5 Louisville, 1-1-1, as today’s third game ended up in a 5-5 tie after 12 innings.  I have to admit, I didn’t know college games ended after 12.  I feel like an idiot…but I’m not going to beat myself up too hard over it.

Wake is 33-14-1, but 11-12-1 in the conference, and I’m not sure if the Deacs have a shot at the NCAA championship as of now.  [Without a big run in the ACC Championship, to state the obvious.]

Golf Balls

--I was shocked they got rounds 2 and 3 in on Friday and Saturday at the Wells Fargo Championship in Potomac, Md.  I mean the entire mid-Atlantic had boatloads of rain those two days, but entering today’s final round we had…

Keegan Bradley -8
Max Homa -6
Anirban Lahiri -4
James Hahn -4

Bradley hasn’t won since 2018, but has been playing very well, finishing 5th at The Players Championship, and then a T8 and T4 in his last two events, though he didn’t qualify for The Masters.

But what he really wants to qualify for is the U.S. Open at Brookline, Mass., outside his beloved Boston.  He entered the week ranked No. 64 in the world and needs to be in the top 60 on May 23 to qualify.  A win would do the trick.

And in the end, it was Max Homa, his fourth win, second this season, in a topsy-turvy round, lots of 2-shot swings, as Bradley finished T2 with Matthew Fitzpatrick and Wake Forest’s Cameron Young.

Bradley should have accumulated enough points to get into the top 60 in the world rankings, Jim Nantz seemed to think so, but I’m not sure how it works with three tied for second, vs. solo second.

--Sergio Garcia got a lot of ink due to his frustration over a ruling on a lost ball in the first round.

After driving his tee shot on the 10th hole into a hazard at TPC Potomac, Garcia became frustrated with a PGA Tour rules official who assessed him a penalty for taking too much time while trying to find his ball.

After losing the argument, Garcia waved his hand in disgust and said, “I can’t wait to leave this tour. …I can’t wait to get out of here, my friend.”

After walking through the waist-high grass a little longer, Garcia said, “A couple of more weeks, I don’t have to deal with you anymore.”

It turns out the Tour admitted after the round it had made a mistake, but it couldn’t change the score.

The comments, though, seemed to confirm that Garcia is headed to the LIV Golf Invitational Series.  Wednesday, Lee Westwood confirmed to Sky Sports that he has asked the PGA Tour and DP World Tour (European Tour) for releases to compete in London, June 9-11, the first LIV event.

--Meanwhile, Alan Shipnuck’s book on Phil Mickelson is coming out soon and according to an excerpt, federal auditors investigating Mickelson’s role in an insider trading scheme found his gambling losses totaled more than $40 million from 2010 to 2014.

Shipnuck posted the excerpt on his “Firepit Collective” site Thursday.  His unauthorized biography comes out May 17 during the PGA Championship.  Mickelson, the defending champion, has not said if he is playing as yet.

Mickelson was a relief defendant in 2016 in the insider trading case that sent noted gambler Billy Walters to prison.

Walters has since been released and has said he is writing a book.

Mickelson’s annual income in 2012 – the time of the Dean Foods stock deal that netted Mickelson nearly $1 million in one week – was estimated at about $48 million.

Shipnuck also said money was largely behind his split with longtime caddie Jim “Bones’ Mackay in 2017.  He wrote that Mackay left Mickelson after the Memorial that year over a series of “simmering grievances,” including hundreds of thousands of dollars in back pay.  Shipnuck said more details on that would be in the book.

Now this angle will be interesting, to see how Mackay handles it.  We could have some must-see television, and reading, coming up.

Premier League

--In a huge game Saturday, Tottenham kept its Champions League hopes alive by managing to grab a point at Liverpool, 1-1, in a game that the Reds desperately needed to win if they are to win the Premier League title.

Also Saturday, Chelsea continued its mediocre play down the stretch, their Champions League position seemingly secure, with a 2-2 draw at home with the Wolves.

Chelsea’s minds are elsewhere, as the club agreed to terms on a $5.2 billion sale to a consortium led by Todd Boehly, co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, with private equity firm Clearlake Capital owning a majority of the shares in Chelsea.  Billionaire Mark Walter, another co-owner of the Dodgers, is also an investor.  Much of the acquisition cost goes into Chelsea’s charity, an account from which funds will be distributed to worthy organizations.

Also yesterday, Brighton totally humiliated Manchester United 4-0, as United fails to reach the Champions League for just the fifth time in 30 years.

So today, Arsenal took on Leeds and got the job done, 2-1, to remain ahead of Tottenham, the two hooking up in a biggie, Thursday.

Manchester City then regained the top with a 5-0 wipeout of Newcastle.

And in another huge one…Everton got a clutch ‘W’, beating Leicester 2-1 to move above the relegation line.  Massive.

So the standings…Played (of 38) – Points

1. Man City…35 – 86
2. Liverpool…35 – 83
3. Chelsea…35 – 67
4. Arsenal…35 – 66
5. Tottenham…35 – 62
6. Man U…37 – 58

16. Everton…34 – 35
17. Burnley…35 – 34 …ahead on goal differential
18. Leeds…35 – 34
19. Watford…35 – 22
20. Norwich City…35 – 21  

In Champions League play, Wednesday, Man City suffered one of the most remarkable collapses in history as Real Madrid came back from the abyss to set up a final showdown with Liverpool.

It was the second leg of the matchup and City were two goals ahead on aggregate going into the 90th minute; City having won the first leg 4-3, and then up 1-0 in this second contest.

But just as in the Kentucky Derby, it happened.  Rodrygo happened.

The Brazilian substitute scored two goals in 90 seconds, and then in the 95th minute, extra time, Benzema knocked in a penalty shot for Real.

Folks are calling it the greatest Champions League semifinal ever, and it sets up a potentially historic final…Liverpool-Real, May 28, in Paris.

Real beat Liverpool 3-1 in the CL final in 2018.

City has five Premier League titles – and maybe a sixth – since the 2008 Abu Dhabi takeover of the club, but the Champions League title has eluded manager Pep Guardiola and Co.  Without that title, they can’t be really called a true iconic franchise in world football.

Auto Racing

--Matt Kenseth was elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.  He won a championship and 39 Cup Series races, including two Daytona 500s.

He finished in the top ten of his Cup races 47.5% of the time.

--Meanwhile, we had a big event down in Miami today…the debut of the Miami Grand Prix on the Formula One circuit.  The glitterati showed up in force.  There’s a power photo of Lewis Hamilton, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady and David Beckham cycling through social media.  Prices for hotel rooms and meals off the charts.  A major coup for the city to establish itself as the sport thrives, globally.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had the pole, and in the end, in a very entertaining affair, your editor watching much of it, defending F1 champ Max Verstappen won it over Leclerc, who still holds the championship points lead early in the season.

Stuff

--Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports assigned all 32 projected starters at quarterback in the NFL a ranking, from bona fide franchise signal-callers to replacement-level placeholders.

He has nine of the 32 as franchise QBs: Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Russell Wilson, Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow, Matthew Stafford

Top Pros, Proven winners (2): Matt Ryan, Deshaun Watson.

Then La Canfora has two other categories, “You Can Win With Them” (9): Derek Carr, Kirk Cousins, Ryan Tannehill, Dak Prescott, Kyler Murray, Jameis Winston, Jalen Hurts, Mac Jones, Tua Tagovailoa.

And “Good Luck” (8): Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, Drew Lock, Daniel Jones, Justin Fields, Marcus Mariota, Sam Darnold, Mitchell Trubisky.

Lastly, “Jury Is Out” (4): Zach Wilson, Trevor Lawrence, Trey Lance, Davis Mills.

I just have trouble looking at Matthew Stafford as a franchise QB, though obviously I’m wrong in feeling that way.

Somehow, Jets and Giants fans hope that after this coming season, La Canfora has elevated Jones and Wilson to the “You Can Win With Them” category.

--The NFL announced that it will hold five games in Europe next season, including Giants vs. Packers in London (Tottenham Stadium), Seahawks vs. Bucs in Munich, and 49ers vs. Cardinals in Mexico City.

Whatever.  I’m glad my Jets aren’t playing overseas.

--We note the passing of Mickey Gilley, the “urban cowboy,” who died Saturday at the age of 86.  Gilley died in his adopted hometown of Branson, Mo.

The entire urban cowboy movement in the 1980s can be traced through Gilley, who was a hit-making singer, honky-tonk owner and even occasional actor.

Gilley’s namesake club in the Houston suburb of Pasadena inspired and was featured prominently in the 1980 film “Urban Cowboy,” starring John Travolta. Gilley’s cover of “Stand By Me” was included in the film’s soundtrack.

Gilley, prior to the movie, was a country music star who had seven songs top the Country charts in the 1970s, including “Room Full of Roses” and “Don’t the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time.”

Born March 9, 1936, in Natchez, Miss., Gilley grew up across the Mississippi River in Ferriday, La., with his cousins – including Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Swaggart.

After seeing Lewis’ rock ‘n’ roll career take off, Gilley thought to himself: “I can do that.”

It didn’t happen as easily as Gilley thought it would, so in 1971, he opened up Gilley’s.  His co-owner, Sherwood Cryer, decided to put a mechanical bull inside the club.  Gilley thought it was crazy. It became iconic, and was copied by establishments nationwide.

--The latest Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class was announced and Dolly Parton is in, despite her protestations.  Also part of the incredibly underwhelming class is Pat Benatar, Duran Duran, Eminem, Eurythmics, Lionel Richie and Carly Simon.

Parton clarified in an interview about ten days ago, prior to the announcement, that if she were voted in, she’d “accept gracefully,” even though she “felt like I would be taking away from someone that maybe deserved it, certainly more than me, ‘cause I never considered myself a rock artist.”

The Eurythmics were incredibly depressing.

Top 3 songs for the week 5/7/77:   #1 “Hotel California” (Eagles)  #2 “When I Need You” (Leo Sayer)  #3 “Southern Nights” (Glen Campbell)…and…#4 “Sir Duke” (Stevie Wonder)  #5 “Don’t Leave Me This Way” (Thelma Houston)  #6 “Right Time Of The Night” (Jennifer Warnes)  #7 “So In To You” (Atlanta Rhythm Section…was a unique sound at the time…big hit at Wake Forest…)  #8 “I’ve Got Love On My Mind” (Natalie Cole)  #9 “Couldn’t Get It Right” (Climax Blues Band)  #10 “I Wanna Get Next To You” (Rose Royce…so this is spring of my freshman year at Wake…I’m on my way to an acceptable 2.5 GPA…and then, disaster struck…as I turned into one of the worst students in college history who still graduated in four years…and you can look it up….)

Baseball Quiz Answer: Five fastest to 350 homers…

1. Mark McGwire, 1280 games
2. Juan Gonzalez, 1298
3. Alex Rodriguez, 1301
4. Harmon Killebrew, 1319
5. Albert Pujols, 1320

6. Babe Ruth, 1329
7. Giancarlo Stanton, 1341
8. Ralph Kiner, 1345

McGwire peaked at 23.7% in the Hall of Fame voting (4th year).

Gonzalez was finished at age 33, 434 home runs, 2X-MVP, but received 5.2% in his first year of eligibility for the HOF, 4.0% the next year and it was bye-bye.

But our main man, Harmon Killebrew, was a hero to many of us of a certain age.  It’s still a very cool baseball card to look at…eight seasons with 40+ home runs.  In today’s ballparks, he would have been hitting 50+ a year, and earning himself quite a bit of coin.

Add-On up top by noon, Wed.  If the site stays up….