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05/01/2023

The Playoffs

Add-on posted early Wed. a.m.

NBA Playoffs

--The Knicks took on the Heat in Game 2 of their conference semifinals at the Garden last night.  Jimmy Butler was out for Miami with his sprained ankle, but Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson played for New York, despite their ankle issues, and the Knicks won it 111-105 to even their series at 1-1.

This one was tight, and entertaining, the whole way, 77-76 Heat after three, tied at 93-93 with 6:05 to play, but the Knicks slowly pulled away in the end.

However, they almost blew it when, up 108-102 with 0:24 to play, Randle committed an egregious turnover, Miami hit a three with 0:22 to play, but the Knicks hung on.

Randle was impressive in his return, 25 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists.  Brunson, after a slow start, came up big down the stretch and finished with 30 points.  Josh Hart did what Josh Hart does…14 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists…and RJ Barrett was solid with 24 points.

Game 3 down in Miami, but not until Saturday, giving Butler time to recover.

--Steph Curry and LeBron James haven’t met in the playoffs since the 2018 Finals (when LeBron was with Cleveland), and then last night they squared off again.

And it was the Anthony Davis Show, the Lakers’ All-Star with 30 points, 23 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks, L.A. beating Golden State 117-112 in San Francisco.

Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole all had six threes apiece, good production, but it wasn’t enough to stop A.D., who joined Shaq, Wilt, Kareem and Elgin Baylor as the only Lakers players to have a 30-20 game in the playoffs.

For Golden State, Kevin Looney had another monster game on the boards, 23 rebounds.

--Monday, the 76ers took on the Celtics in Boston for Game 1 and with no Joel Embiid, it seemed like an easy task for the Celts…until it wasn’t.

The Beard showed up in vintage form, James Harden with 45 points, tying a career playoff high, shooting 7 of 14 from beyond the arc, with a decisive 3-pointer with just 8.4 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Philadelphia prevailing 119-115.

Sixers teammate Paul Reed had a double-double in Embiid’s absence, 10 points, 13 rebounds, and Tyrese Maxey had 26 points. And De’Anthony Melton came off the bench to hit 5 of 6 from 3.

Plus, Philly committed only six turnovers…Boston 16.

Tuesday night, Embiid won his first NBA MVP Award, well deserved.

--The Nuggets went up 2-0 in their series with the Suns on Monday, 97-87, as Kevin Durant had a rare poor shooting night, 10 of 27 from the field. 

Nikola Jokic, on the other hand, did his usual thing for Denver…39 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 assists.  Jamal Murray, the hero in Game 1, was 0 for 9 from 3, just 10 points, but had eight assists.

--I was going to post Sunday as the Warriors-Kings game was ending and I forgot to mention that while De’Aaron Fox had a poor game, just 5-19 shooting, he played with a fractured finger, that I had noted before.  Major props to De’Aaron, who is now a household name among NBA fans all over.  Would love to see him on the Olympic team.  [Not for nothing, though, but Paris could be a mess next summer.]

NHL

--Sunday night, after I posted, I settled in to watch Game 7, Bruins-Panthers in Boston, and yet another Game 7 shocker.  The Florida Panthers are moving on, a second round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“Game 7.  Overtime win.  Against pretty much the best team in regular-season history.  It’s unreal,” Panthers center Aleksander Barkov said after Florida beat Boston 4-3 in OT. “For sure it’s up there, and it’s hard to understand right now. I don’t think we need to understand right now. We’ll understand later.”

Brandon Montour tied it with 1 minute left in regulation, and Carter Verhaeghe scored the game-winner at 8:35 of overtime.  The Panthers won three straight after falling behind 3-1 in the series.

And they beat Boston at home three times, after the Bruins had lost just four of 41 regular-season home contests.

As I noted Sunday, as to the potential for this contest, the Panthers did end up pulling off the greatest upset in NHL history.

[The Seattle Kraken late Sunday also pulled out their Game 7 against the defending Stanley Cup champions – the Colorado Avalanche.  So amazing stuff all around.]

--Monday night, my Rangers could not have sucked more in their Game 7 against the Devils in Newark, falling 4-0. And that was with Igor Shesterkin playing great in goal (now 23 straight playoff games where he has yielded 3 or fewer goals…the fourth last night an empty-netter).

But Rangers fans can’t be surprised.  I wrote all season how incredibly inconsistent they were and just look at the scores in this series.

5-1, 5-1, 1-2, 1-3, 0-4, 5-2, 0-4.

Two goals in their four losses.  Fifteen in their three wins.  Win first two, lose next three.

All those late-season trades, like for Patrick Kane, in the end flopped.  And in Game 7, everyone sucked, save for Igor.

As the New York Post’s Larry Brooks put it: “(This) team loaded with marquee stars could not get out of the first round. If this 107-point season was not a colossal waste, it surely ended in colossal disappointment. The team across the River stole the Blueshirts’ destiny.”

Rangers Coach Gerard Gallant, a likable guy, who has a .662 winning percentage, could lose his job.  Certainly he’ll be on thin ice early next season.

“Talent doesn’t mean a thing,” Gallant said after.  “It’s great to have talent, but you’ve got to play together and work together.  Obviously, the four games that we lost we had two goals.  That’s the bottom line.  You’re not going to win if you get two goals in four games.”

Meanwhile, the Devils, who had missed the playoffs nine times in the previous 10 years, are pretty solid, with a 22-year-old goalie who is now 4-1 in the playoffs, Akira Schmid having taken over for Game 3.

--Last night the Panthers defeated the Maple Leafs, 4-2, in Toronto in their Game 1.  Seattle beat Dallas in Big D, 5-4 in their opener.

MLB

--Prior to Monday night’s game at the Stadium against Cleveland, the Yankees placed Aaron Judge on the 10-day injured list due to his mild hip strain, but it’s retroactive to last Friday and he will be eligible for the May 8 series opener against Oakland.

So then in Monday’s game against the Guardians, Yankees manager Aaron Boone took starter Domingo German out after he had thrown 8 1/3 of shutout ball, allowing only two hits and one walk.  He had thrown just 88 pitches!

As Boone walked out of the first-base dugout to make a call to the bullpen, the crowd booed him vociferously.

So Boone summoned closer Clay Holmes, Cleveland scored three runs and won the game 3-2, dropping the Yanks to 15-15.

The Yankees, 99-63 last season, are not supposed to be .500.  Like I said last Chat, their fanbase is not going to stand for this.

But they did beat Cleveland last night, 4-2, Gerrit Cole, 6 innings, 2 earned, a no-decision. 

--Bryce Harper returned to the Phillies lineup Tuesday, just 160 days after Tommy John Surgery, a record, and months before the Phils expected him back.

But Harper went 0-for-4, 3 strikeouts, as the Dodgers mauled Philadelphia 13-1 in L.A.

--Pittsburgh fell to 20-10, 4-1 losers down in Tampa, the Rays a gaudy 24-6.

--Former St. Louis Cardinal, and longtime Cardinals’ broadcaster, Mike Shannon, died.  He was 83.

Shannon played for the Cardinals from 1962-70, winning two World Series, 1964 and ’67.  He started out as the regular right fielder and moved to third base in 1967, when St. Louis acquired Roger Maris.

Shannon had a few solid seasons, like 1966 when he hit 16 home runs and drove in 64, while batting .288, and in 1968, the Year of the Pitcher, he drove in 79, with 15 homers.

But for generations of fans, he was known as a broadcaster for the team, starting in 1972, and being on the air for 50 years.

--Baseball America Top Ten (5/1)

1. LSU
2. Wake Forest
3. Vanderbilt
4. South Carolina
5. Florida
6. Arkansas
7. Coastal Carolina
8. Stanford
9. Duke
10. Miami

Big weekend series for the Deacs against No. 25 Boston College coming up. Wake has to keep winning ACC series and then be in the ACC Tournament final, at worst, to secure a No. 1 seed in the regionals and super regionals…so says moi, who has a vested interest (with Gregg R.) in a little trip to Omaha at the appropriate time.

But there is a long, long way to go. On pins and needles…or as the Searchers sang in 1964, “Needles and Pins,” #13.

NFL

--The Jets addressed their failure to get one of the top four offensive lineman in the draft, due to giving away their No. 13 to Green Bay as part of the Aaron Rodgers deal, and signed veteran free agent Billy Turner.

Turner, 31, who started seven games last season for Denver, is thus reunited with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and Rodgers.  Before playing for Hackett in Denver, Turner was a full-time starter for the Packers, where he blocked for Rodgers from 2019 to2021.

Golf Balls

--Every four years or so, Golf Digest polls 120 players, caddies, media members, golf executives, locker-room attendants and tournament volunteers as to who are the Nicest Guys on Tour.

1. Tony Finau
2. Peter Malnati
3. Jordan Spieth
4. Rory McIlroy
5. Rickie Fowler

Finau is known for being generous with his time. “If I have a conversation with a person, and I leave thinking I’ve brightened their day just a little bit somehow, that makes me happy.”

Past winners of the Golf Digest Tour Nice Guys Ranking were Steve Stricker, Spieth and Fowler.

--I love what Finau told PGATour.com on changing his putting grip back to conventional and sticking with it, rather than tinkering with left-hand low one week, the claw another.

“No question, I think it’s a great lesson to be learned,” he said. “It’s a lot better to be great at one thing than tinker around with 10,000 different techniques and trying to figure it out.

“I think Bruce Lee has a saying about something like that,” he continued.  “He’s more scared of the guy who practices one punch 10,000 times than someone who practices 10,000 things one time.  I’d say I agree with that.”

--This weekend we have a designated event on the PGA Tour, the Wells Fargo Championship, where Rory McIlroy will make his return after his disastrous Masters performance.  Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler are taking it off.

Rory told reporters yesterday he needed a major “reset” of his priorities…that golf had become all too consuming.  It will be interesting to see how he plays this weekend.

--With Tiger Woods out indefinitely, his caddie, Joe LaCava, is going to work for Patrick Cantlay.  This was with Tiger’s blessing.

Premier League

--In a critical game Monday in the battle to avoid relegation, Everton and Leicester City played to a 2-2 draw in a highly entertaining match.

So here’s where we stand, just a handful of matches to be played (four, to be exact).

Played – Points

16. Leicester…34 – 30
17. Leeds…34 – 30
18. Nottingham Forest…34 – 30
19. Everton…34 – 29
20. Southampton…34 – 24

Leicester is ahead of Leeds and Forest on goal differential.

--Meanwhile, Arsenal beat Chelsea 3-1 on Tuesday to go back on top, but Man City has two games in hand.

1. Arsenal…34 – 78
2. City…32 – 76

City hosts West Ham today.

Stuff

--The Kentucky Derby is Saturday and the oddsmakers have Forte at 3-1, drawing the No. 15 slot, while the second-highest favorite, Tapit Trice, 5-1, will be out of the 5 post.  Both are trained by Todd Pletcher.

But the atmosphere surrounding this Derby, the 149th, is kind of ‘dark.’  Last week, one of the horses who qualified for the race, Wild on Ice, was pulled up on the backstretch Thursday with an injury to his left hind leg.  He walked on to the horse ambulance, was evaluated at Churchill downs and then was transferred to an equine hospital in Lexington, Ky., where it was determined that the gelding’s injuries were not repairable.

As the Los Angeles Times’ John Cherwa writes, “Kentucky, unlike California and New York, shows little transparency when it comes to horse injuries. So, word of the horse’s death was announced by a reporter with the El Paso (Texas) Times after being told by the horse’s owner, Frank Sumpter.  Churchill Downs only has acknowledged that the horse was injured and will not run.”

That’s awful.  But in the 148 runnings of the Derby, just one horse, Eight Belles in 2008, has died as part of the race.  As for how many horses have died training for the Derby, there are no records.

--This weekend, and for the rest of the five weeks of the Triple Crown races, you’ll hear a lot about Secretariat and seeing some historic clips, this being the 50th anniversary of the superstar’s star turn.

John Cherwa / Los Angeles Times

“There are moments in sports which forever embed themselves in the minds of those who watched it, either live or through an endless video loop.

“There was Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant bringing their teams back with furious fourth-quarter rallies.  Muhammad Ali standing over a fallen Sonny Liston. Brandi Chastain’s celebration after winning the 1999 Women’s World Cup.  Or Kirk Gibson hobbling around the bases after his pinch-hit home run in the 1988 World Series.

“But the one that you can expect to see over and over for the next six weeks is the sight of jockey Ron Turcotte looking backward, with no one in sight, while riding Secretariat in the 1973 Belmont Stakes to win the Triple Crown.

“ ‘I can’t very well forget it because every time I go on YouTube it pops up,’ Turcotte said last week.”

Racing historian Jon White reminded us of another startling fact: “Secretariat’s Triple Crown sweep was widely celebrated at the time.  But his feat actually looks even more phenomenal 50 years later, primarily because no horse has ever won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in faster times than he did.”

Understand, those records still stand today.  And Turcotte, 81, is the only surviving major player in the legend of Secretariat.  He lives on his farm in New Brunswick, Canada, after a riding accident in 1978 left him paralyzed.  Lucien Laurin, Penny Chenery Tweedy, and constant companion, Eddie Sweat, all dead.

More over the coming weeks.

--Ralph Boston, the Olympic long jump champion who, in August 1960, broke Jesse Owens’ 25-year-old world record in the event, and a year later became the first jumper to break the 27-foot mark, died on Sunday.  He was 83.

Boston dominated the long jump through much of the 1960s, winning a gold medal in the Rome Olympics in 1960, a silver medal in Tokyo in 1964, and a bronze in Mexico City in 1968.

It was while warming up in Mexico City that Boston’s teammate, Bob Beamon, leaped an astonishing 29 feet, 2 ½ inches, shattering Boston’s world record of 27 feet 5 inches by nearly two feet.  [American Mike Powell holds the current record of 29 feet, 4 ¼ inches set in 1991.]

--Gordon Lightfoot died.  The Canadian folk singer was 84.

Lightfoot was a fast-rising star in Canada in the early 1960s, who broke through to international success when his friends and fellow Canadians Ian and Sylvia Tyson recorded two of his songs, Early Morning Rain and For Lovin’ me.

When Peter, Paul and Mary came out with their own versions, and Marty Robbins reached the top of the country charts with Lightfoot’s Ribbon of Darkness, Lightfoot’s reputation soared.

When folk music ebbed in popularity, overwhelmed by the British Invasion, Lightfoot began writing ballads aimed at a broader audience.  He scored a series of hits, 1974-76, that included the Billboard #5 If You Could Read My Mind (inspired by the break-up of his first marriage), the #1 Sundown, #10 Carefree Highway, #26 Rainy Day People and #10 The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (which he wrote after reading a Newsweek article about the sinking of an iron-ore carrier in Lake Superior in 1975, with the loss of all 29 crew members).

For Canadians, Lightfoot was a national hero, a home-grown star who stayed home even after achieving spectacular success in the United States and catered to his fervent fans with constant cross-country tours.  He was known to take ambitious canoe trips far into the Canadian hinterlands.

--Willie Nelson had a 2-day 90th birthday celebration at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles last weekend.  Among those appearing at a tribute for him were George Strait, Neil Young, Kris Kristofferson, Snoop Dogg, Chris Stapleton, Stephen Stills, Emmylou Harris, Miranda Lambert, Bob Weir, Sheryl Crow, Dave Matthews, Dwight Yoakam, and Tom Jones. A rather eclectic list.

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.

-----

[Posted early Sun. p.m., prior to Bruins-Panthers and other late sports news]

Add-on up top by noon, Wed.

Horse Racing Triple Crown Quiz: 1) 13 horses have won the Triple Crown. Name the only jockey to be on two of them.  2) Name the jockey for the last five Triple Crown winners…Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), Affirmed (1978), American Pharoah (2015), Justify (2018)…none of these are the answer to No. 1.  Answers below.

NBA

--Last Wednesday, the Knicks completed their super series against the Cavaliers, 106-95, taking out Cleveland in five.

Julius Randle bounced back from his poor Game 4 performance, though the Knicks won that one, with 13 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists in just 16 minutes.  But he reinjured his ankle that kept him out 17 days near the end of the season, only to have everyone else step up.

Mitchell Robinson, with his best performance as a Knick when it mattered most, 13 points, 18 rebounds; Obi Toppin, filling in for Randle in the second half with a big 12 points; Jalen Brunson 23; RJ Barrett 21, Immanuel Quickley 19, Josh Hart 12 rebounds…talk about a team effort.

--The Knicks were then going to take on the winner of Miami-Milwaukee, and the Heat completed their titanic upset of the No. 1 overall seed Bucks, 128-126 in overtime, Jimmy Butler with another monster effort, 42 points, the Heat down 16 in the fourth quarter in this one as they take the series 4-1.

Milwaukee fans, though, had to be going nuts.  Giannis had 38 points and 20 rebounds, but was a shockingly awful 10 of 23 from the free throw line!  The Bucks 28 of 45 overall.  That’s criminal.  The fans should sue.

It was also criminal that Grayson Allen didn’t get a shot off as time expired in OT.

The Bucks shot 5-25 over the fourth quarter and overtime.

So the Knicks had home-court advantage over the Heat in a matchup that has a history to it, as in these teams hate each other, though they haven’t matched up in the playoffs in a long time.

And this afternoon, New York, without Julius Randle, looked solid, taking a 32-21 lead after the first quarter, but it was all downhill from there, the Knicks losing 108-101, shooting just 7 of 34 from 3 (20.6%), and 12 of 20 from the free throw line.  I don’t believe a single Knick player got the job done.

Miami, on the other hand, ended up 13 of 39 from three, which was solid when you consider they were 7 of 23 at the half.

Jimmy Butler turned his ankle with 5:05 to play, he stayed in, but we’ll see what his status is for Game 2 on Tuesday back at the Garden. Both teams then have a long break until next Saturday.

As in both Miami and New York have decisions to make re Butler and Randle.  Keep them out until next weekend to ensure they are healthy?  Stay tuned.

I’ll just say for the Knicks, Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes need to step up from downtown.

--Friday night, the Lakers wrapped things up in L.A. against the Grizzlies, blasting Memphis 125-85, taking the series 4-2.  LeBron was solid, 22 points on 9 of 13 shooting, while D’Angelo Russell proved he was a helluva late-season pickup with 31.

L.A. will be taking on the winner of Sunday’s Warriors-Kings series.

But it was great to see Lakers superfan Jack Nicholson back in his customary courtside seat Friday.  Those who love him have been worried how the 86-year-old has become a total recluse, not leaving his Beverly Hills mansion.

--Speaking of Kings-Warriors, Sacramento earned a Game 7 back home this afternoon with a 118-99 win at Golden State Friday in Game 6.

And Steph Curry and the Warriors came up big, 120-100.  Not quite the Game for the Ages that was expected, but a tremendous series and good for Sacramento.

Curry had a stupendous 50.  De’Aaron Fox and Crew just weren’t up to the task.  Kevon Looney had another monster game on the boards for Golden State, 21 rebounds.

So Warriors-Lakers.  That’s fun.

--The Clippers lost to the Suns in five, after winning the opener of the series, as Kawhi Leonard sat out Games 3-5.  We then learned he had been diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his right knee, which he played with in Game 2.

It’s the second time in three seasons that Leonard has suffered a right knee injury in the playoffs. A partial tear in his right ACL during the 2021 Western Conference semifinals forced him to miss the entire 2021-22 season.

Leonard, 31, hasn’t played more than 60 games in any season since 2016-17.

--Saturday night, the Suns opened their Western Conference semifinal at Denver, and the Nuggets rolled, 125-107.  Jamal Murray had 34 points for Denver, 6 of 10 from 3, while Nikola Jokic did what Nikola does, 24 points, 19 rebounds. 

The Nuggets were 16 of 37 from behind the arc with just nine turnovers.

--Boston-Philadelphia opens up Monday, but the Sixers’ Joel Embiid is doubtful with a sprained right knee.

--In College Hoops, Wake Forest picked up a Gonzaga transfer, guard Hunter Sallis, a former five-star recruit out of Omaha, NE, who didn’t play much his first two years but is said to be a good defender, at 6’5”.  We also got two late high school signees for the fall, including a kid from Denmark, while our bigs – Andrew Carr, Matthew Marsh, Zach Keller and future star Bobi Klintman – are all returning.  Coach Steve Forbes is the man.  We’ll be fine.

I missed that former Creighton point guard Ryan Nembhard, who I mentioned weeks ago had entered the portal, committed to Gonzaga.  His brother, Andrew Nembhard, also transferred to Gonzaga (from Florida) after his sophomore season, and eventually was the No. 31 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

So Ryan Nembhard joins Wyoming transfer Graham Ike, center, as Mark Few and Co. retool.

NHL

--The Devils continued to dominate the Rangers in shocking fashion, winning Game 5 in New Jersey Thursday night, 4-0.

After the dual 5-1 Ranger blowouts in the first two games in Jersey, the Devils and rookie goaltender Akira Schmid have yielded just two goals in the next three games, Schmid’s first three playoff contests of his career.

So Game 6 was at the Garden Saturday night and after the Devils scored first, us Rangers fans thought ‘uh oh.’

But then the veterans showed up, specifically Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad.

Kreider had a critical power play goal with just 25 seconds left in the first period to tie it at 1-1 and give the team a good feeling heading into the intermission.

Zibanejad then had the go-ahead goal midway through the second, his first goal in 14 games, going back to the regular season (when he had 39), and the Rangers were off and running, 5-2.

On to Game 7 in Newark, Monday.  It will be a tension convention, sports fans.

--Congratulations to the Maple Leafs, who beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in overtime in their Game 6 matchup down in Tampa last night, John Tavares with the game-winner 4:35 into OT.

For Toronto and their ever-loyal fans, it’s the first time in 19 years they got out of the first-round.

Next up, Boston or Florida.

[Tampa Bay’s run of three consecutive appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals is over.  They won the Cup in 2020 and 2021.]

--Speaking of Boston, the Bruins finished with an NHL-record 65 wins and 135 points.  For that they earned home-ice advantage through the Stanley Cup playoffs.  But Friday night, Florida beat the Bruins 7-5, forcing a Game 7 at Boston’s TD Garden on Sunday night.

Matthew Tkachuk had two goals and an assist for the Panthers, who have rallied back from down 3-1 in the series.  Just as the Miami win over Milwaukee in the NBA playoffs was among the biggest upsets in NBA history, should Florida pull this off, it is THE biggest upset in Stanley Cup playoff history.

Boston was 34-4-3 at home in the regular season, but the Panthers have won on the Bruins’ home ice twice.

I’ll be watching as soon as I go to post.

--The Islanders put up a game fight against Carolina, forcing a Game 6 Friday night at home, but they fell 2-1 in overtime, the Hurricanes advancing to the second round.

Paul Stastny, son of Hall of Famer Peter Stastny, scored 6:01 into overtime, his third career overtime playoff winner.  If you were watching like me, you were stunned it went in off the right skate of Isles goaltender Ilya Sorokin from an impossible angle. [The description of the game-winner on ESPN.com was totally inaccurate, by the way.  It did not go in “off the left pad and between his legs.”]

The Hurricanes awaited the winner of the Rangers-Devils series.

--I was happy to see the Oilers wrap up their series against the Kings in L.A., Saturday, taking it 4-2 on the heels of a 5-4 win in Game 6.  As a hockey fan, I want to see the great Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the Stanley Cup Finals.

NFL Draft

--I know that miles of ink are written on the NFL Draft, way overanalyzing picks in most cases because no one really has a clue as to how good, or overmatched, some of these players will be once they get to camp and are up against NFL competition.

That said, the first five selections were…

1. Bryce Young, QB (Alabama) to Carolina
2. C.J. Stroud, QB (Ohio State) to Houston
3. Will Anderson, Edge (Alabama) to Houston…after the Texans traded up from No. 12 to No. 3*.
4. Anthony Richardson, QB (Florida) to Indianapolis
5. Devin Witherspoon, CB (Illinois) to Seattle

*Houston gave up their additional first-found pick (No. 12 overall) to the Cardinals, as well as the No. 33 overall selection in this year’s draft, plus they parted with a first-round pick in 2024 and a 2024 third-rounder.

Others of note in the first round….

8. Bijan Robinson, RB (Texas) to Atlanta
9. Jalen Carter, DT (Georgia) to Philadelphia
12. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB (Alabama) to Detroit…a shocker, frankly
15. Will McDonald, OLB (Iowa State) to the Jets
23. Zay Flowers, WR (Boston College) to Baltimore…you know I love this guy
25. Deonte Banks, CB (Maryland) to the Giants

So as for my Jets, we all figured they would get an offensive lineman to help protect Aaron Rodgers with the No. 13, but they had to trade that to get Rodgers, receiving Green Bay’s No. 15 in return.  That presented a potential problem, and sure enough, Pittsburgh traded up and took the last ‘big name’ OL, Georgia’s Broderick Jones, at No. 14.

The Jets then took McDonald, who has a lot of raw talent, to rush the passer, but a lot of folks thought Georgia’s Nolan Smith was the better selection at 15, many shocked he was still available.  This is where you just wait and see.  You don’t waste your time today blasting GM Joe Douglas, for example.  Maybe come November you do.

The Jets then selected center Joe Tippman from Wisconsin with their second-round pick, No. 43.

Anyway, Philadelphia, having taken Jalen Carter, who before his off-field issues was a consensus top five, convinced they have the culture and veterans to get the best out of him, shockingly were able to get Nolan Smith at No. 30!  Pretty awesome, for Eagles fans.

[GM Howie Roseman also pulled off a trade with Detroit for solid running back D’Andre Swift, another former Bulldog, joining Georgia’s Carter, Smith and fourth-round pick Kelee Ringo.]

Meanwhile, quarterback Will Levis (Kentucky), who at one point was a sure-fire top-ten, maybe top-five, didn’t go in the first round at all, instead being taken by Tennessee with the second pick of the second round.

If you saw Levis with his Instagram girlfriend, you got a sense of why some teams shied away, let alone he has a toe injury that some called “problematic.”

--Among other picks…the Steelers drafted Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr., son of former Steelers standout linebacker Joey Porter, who helped the franchise win Super Bowl 40 in 2006, Porter taken by Pittsburgh with the first pick in the second round.

Stetson Bennett, rather surprisingly, went to the Rams with the 26th pick of the fourth round, when some had him going in the seventh round, despite leading Georgia to two national titles.

The pick I liked in the fourth was the last one in the round, Purdue quarterback Aidan O’Connell, who went to the Raiders.  He’s starting somewhere in the NFL by his third year.

As for Wake Forest players, I was surprised defensive tackle Kobie Turner was a 3rd round pick of the Rams.  He had a solid year after transferring from Richmond to improve his draft stock, but he was far from very good.

The guy I was shocked with was receiver A.T. Perry, who all the mock drafts had going in the mid-to-late third, but as I watched all Saturday, he wasn’t selected until the sixth round, No. 195 overall, by New Orleans.

I mean Perry, nearly 6’4”, had 26 touchdown receptions the last two seasons for Wake.  Yes, he dropped a few, and it seems scouts and GMs focused on that, and his slight build, but he also made some spectacular grabs and while not a speed burner, obviously had the ability to turn a 15-yarder upfield for six.  If he has the right attitude, he’ll find a spot on somebody’s roster this season, if not the Saints.

--Just to reiterate the futility of attempting to state definitively whether one draft pick was better than another…Mel Kiper and Todd McShay pointed out that last year for the Jets, 4th round DT selection Micheal (sic) Clemons’ production was just as good (slightly better, actually) than first-rounder Jermaine Johnson II’s (LB…but picked to be an impact edge rusher).

--NFL teams selected a record 11 quarterbacks in the first 150 picks, according to ESPN.  It’s the Purdy Effect, Brock Purdy, “Mr. Irrelevant” as the last player selected in the 2022 draft, perhaps proving it’s OK to take a shot on some of these guys who all had solid college careers.

--When it comes to conferences and schools and the Draft….

SEC had 62 selected, the Big Ten 55, ACC 32, Big 12 30, and the Pac-12 27.

The following had at least six players selected.

Georgia 10
Alabama 10
Michigan 9
TCU 8
Florida 6
LSU 6
Ohio State 6
Penn State 6
Clemson 6
Pitt 6
Oregon 6

Only one player from a HBCU was selected in the draft, which is rather startling.  My take?  It’s all about coaching and the quality of the programs.  Not the athlete.  NFL teams can be patient, but not that patient.

--The big news this week, aside from the Jets bringing in Aaron Rodgers (who nailed his first press conference, as you’d expect)*, was the Ravens finally reaching agreement with Lamar Jackson on a new contract, five years, $260 million, or $52 million per, which makes him the highest-paid player in NFL history.

The Ravens are guaranteeing $185 million of that, so less than the fully guaranteed $230 million Deshaun Watson received from the Browns, and that was important to Baltimore (and the NFL).  Jalen Hurts got $179 million guaranteed on his $255 million deal from the Eagles.

And now Jackson has Zay Flowers to throw to, Flowers a master at turning a 10-yard route over the middle into 60.

Jackson is 45-16 as a starter, but just 1-3 in the postseason.

*[It was also great seeing Rodgers at Saturday’s Rangers-Devils game, showing he’s going to try hard to be a part of the sports scene here, an important step in winning fans over.  Yup, he’ll have Gotham by the balls, IF he wins…]

--In College Football, it’s been all about Colorado the last few weeks, as Hall of Famer Deion Sanders makes his mark as the Buffaloes new coach, getting 47,000 to show up for the spring game in crappy weather.

But with the transfer portal expiring today, April 30*, as of a few days ago, 41 players had left the Colorado program.  As noted before, many of these were ‘encouraged’ to leave by Sanders and his new staff, Coach Prime wanting his own players, not the 52 or so remaining from a squad that went 1-11 last season.

But 41?  For the first time, some folks in Boulder are questioning what’s been going on since Sanders arrived, and many of these players’ parents are rather displeased, their sons having been granted full scholarships and with basically zero time to check out other opportunities.

*I saw a story today that Michigan State’s QB entered the portal.  But today is the deadline…however, Payton Thorne is entering as a grad transfer and the rules are different, I think.

MLB

--We have had a boatload of rain here in the New York area, starting Friday night. It’s put a huge damper on a big 4-game series at Citi Field between the Mets and Braves.  Friday, they got in five innings, unfortunately for us Mets fans, Braves winning it 4-0.  Saturday and Sunday were then rained out, forcing a doubleheader for Monday, which I’m not sure when this rain is ending (we’ll get 5+ inches in most areas by the time it’s done).

Of course, two weeks ago we were having historic wildfires (for our state), so it is what it is.

--Friday night the Yankees lost to the Rangers in Arlington 5-2, but the result was secondary to the elephant in the room.  What’s the deal with Aaron Judge’s hip and the MRI that was taken.

Before Saturday’s game, manager Aaron Boone said, “I think there’s something (showing on the MRI), but they didn’t think it was too serious.  But that said, we still don’t have a clear picture of it yet.”

New York then said that while Judge told them he feels much better, they will wait until Monday to decide whether to put him on the injured list.

Texas ace Jacob deGrom left Friday’s game unexpectedly after 3 2/3 with forearm tightness.  The next day he was placed on the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation.

Thank God the Mets let deGrom go.  As I said at the time, “good riddance.”  The five-year, $185 million contract the Rangers gave him in the offseason is already a mini-disaster.  Texas would be lucky to get 25 starts out of him this season, let alone in years 2 and 3. [Forget years 4 and 5.]

Through six starts this season, deGrom has a solid 2.67 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 30 1/3.

Separately, so much for the Franchy Cordero bobblehead doll later in the summer.  All you had to do was look at the back of his baseball card to know that his hot start with the Yanks, four home runs and 11 RBIs in his first seven games, was a mirage.

He’s gone 1-for-28 since, striking out 13 times, and Friday he was shipped to AAA.

For his career, Cordero is a .215 hitter in 706 at-bats, striking out a staggering 273 times.

So the Yankees called up Jake Bauers from AAA to replace Cordero and in his first game Saturday, he didn’t make it out of the first inning, crashing into the left-field wall on a nice catch, bruising his left knee.

The Yanks lost the game, 2-0, as Nate Eovaldi pitched his first nine-inning shutout, holding the Yanks to 3 hits, no walks, 9 strikeouts.

Today, the Yankees fell to 15-14, getting blown out 15-2, the Rangers 17-11.

I just have to note that in the Yanks’ 4-2 win over Texas on Thursday, Gerrit Cole improved to 5-0, 1.11, with 6 2/3 of 2-run ball.  This was the game Judge left with hip discomfort.  Without Cole, look at where the team would be.  Their fans are going to be very, very surly when they get home.

--The Pirates swept the Nationals in a doubleheader on Saturday, 6-3, 16-1, to move to 20-8!

In the nightcap, 33-year-old Drew Maggi (34 in two weeks) got his first two hits in the big leagues, three days after his callup.  For all he knows, these could be his only two hits, as he was the ‘27th man’ for the DH.

But former Yankee Miguel Andujar made his season debut for the Pirates and slammed home runs in each game, 4-for-5, six RBIs.

Imagine, it was way back in 2018 that Andujar burst on the scene with 27 home runs, 92 RBIs.

But then a series of injuries put him in the baseball wilderness, season after season, with less than 400 major-league at-bats, combined, the next four years.

--Clayton Kershaw did it again…another 7-inning scoreless stint, 2 hit, no walks, 9 strikeouts, the Dodgers beating the Cardinals 1-0 last night in L.A., Kershaw improving to 5-1, 1.89.

L.A. is just 15-13, but the shocking story is the Cardinals…10-18!  Who wudda thunk it coming into the season?

--The Phillies are back, 15-13 after a 6-1 win, Saturday, at Houston.  Philadelphia had started off the season 5-10.

--Baltimore is 19-9 after a 5-3 win today at Detroit (10-17).  Very cool.

--And Sonny Gray of the Twins (17-12) moved to 4-0, 0.77, with six innings of one-run ball in Minnesota’s 8-4 win today over the rather pathetic Royals (7-22).

--Since I last posted, Seattle lost left-hander Robbie Ray, who had surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his pitching elbow and will miss the rest of the season.

Ray, in the second season of a $115 million, five-year contract, was injured in his season debut back on March 31.

Ray had been durable.  Aside from the 2020 Covid season, Ray has made at least 28 starts five times since 2016, including 2021, when he won the Cy Young Award with Toronto.

--One of the better all-around athletes of the last 75 years, former baseball All-Star and NBAer, Dick Groat, died the other day. He was 92.

Groat, who grew up just east of Pittsburgh’s downtown, starred at Duke in basketball and baseball in the early 1950s, earning All-American honors in both, which is remarkable.  His No. 10 jersey hangs inside Cameron Indoor Stadium after the program retired his number following the end of his senior year in 1952.

While Groat said basketball was his first love, a stint in the military during the mid-1950s redirected the arc of his athletic career.

After leaving the service, Pirates GM Branch Rickey persuaded Groat to focus on baseball, and he soon embarked on a 14-year MLB career split between the Pirates, Cardinals, Phillies and Giants.

Groat, a shortstop, made the All-Star team five times and was the NL MVP in 1960 for a Pirates team that upset the Yankees to win the World Series (thank you, Bill Mazeroski).  Groat hit .325 that season to lead the majors.

Groat was second in the 1963 MVP vote while playing for the Cardinals, with whom he would go on to win a World Series in 1964 (beating the Yankees again).

For his career, Groat had 2,138 hits, batting .286.

Groat played 26 games for the Ft. Wayne Pistons of the NBA in 1952-53, averaging 11.9 points per game.

--We also note the passing of former Mets pitcher Dennis Ribant, 81.

Mets broadcaster Howie Rose announced the news on Twitter on Thursday.

“In 1966, he became the first Mets starter to turn in a solid season, going 11-9, and was promptly traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for OF Don Bosch (didn’t work out) and P Don Cardwell, a 1969 Met.  RIP.”

Ribant’s 11-9, 3.20 ERA, really was a solid season, plus he had three saves and a 1.14 ERA in 13 relief appearances. Both he and 1966’s Bob Shaw (11-10) were the first Mets starters to finish with winning records.

Both Johnny Mac and Mets broadcaster Gary Cohen said they imitated Ribant’s delivery in their youth.  I remember 1966 as being the first season I was really following the Mets, and all sports, intensely.

And that Mets team (66-95 under manager Wes Westrum) was the first not to finish last.

Golf Balls

--At the Mexico Open at Vidanta (Vallarta, Mexico), entering the fourth round, the two best players in the field were at the top of the leaderboard, along with a budding star….

Tony Finau -19
Jon Rahm -17
Akshay Bhatia -17
Brandon Wu -16

Rahm had a spectacular 61 in the third round.  He’s the defending champion at the event.  Bhatia is a 21-year-old out of Los Angeles.

And Finau takes down Rahm by 3, win No. 6 in his PGA Tour career.  The guy who seemed to take forever to get win No. 2, now has a total that is worthy of major respect.

Rahm was second.  Wu third, Bhatia fourth…a huge finish for him playing in the last group.

And good for Rahm.  Once again, like after the Masters, he could easily have taken the week off but came back in this non-designated event as defending champ.  He will, however, rightfully take next week off, even though it’s a designated tournament…the Wells Fargo.

--Talor Gooch became the first player to win back-to-back LIV Golf titles after a playoff hole victory against Sergio Garcia at the LIV Singapore tournament at Sentosa Golf Club on Sunday.

Gooch and Garcia were tied after two rounds, Brooks Koepka a stroke back, and that’s how they finished, Koepka third.

So Gooch won another $4 million. 

I just have to add that this resort, an island off the main part of Singapore, is very cool, as is Singapore overall.  You can take a cable car to the island, which gives you a great view of the massive ports and cargo traffic, and then in my case, I walked over to the beach club, drank beer, and watched the supertankers in the Malacca Strait.

I just wish Singapore was closer…it’s a pisser of a place…best zoos in the world (including a ‘night zoo’), exotic, awesome food.  Yes, it’s strict…good!  They executed eleven people last year on drug charges.

And that’s a memo.

Premier League

--Last Wednesday, struggling Arsenal traveled to face Manchester City in what was billed as a Battle for the Ages, and City said, ‘No problemo,’ blasting Arsenal 4-1, to gain the upper hand for a third straight league title, while inching closer to a historic treble.

My second favorite player in all of soccer (next to Harry Kane), Kevin de Bruyne, opened the scoring in the seventh minute, tallying a second goal after the intermission, while Erling Haaland had his 33rd goal of the PL season, breaking the record for most ever in a 38-game season…with seven games to play!*

But City has a Champions League semifinal, first leg May 9, and the FA Cup final (June 3 vs. Manchester United).  Only one English side – United in 1998-99 – has completed a UEFA continental treble.

City then played at Fulham today, Sunday, …..

In other games of note, some involving the battle to avoid relegation….

Nottingham picked up a biggie, Wednesday, 3-1 over Brighton.  But then they lost Saturday to Brentford, 2-1.

Everton lost to Newcastle, 4-1, on Thursday.  Tottenham, for once, played a strong second half to salvage a 2-2 draw against Manchester United, after the Spurs trailed 2-0.

Today, City struggled but won on the road at Fulham 2-1, Haaland with goal No. 34, as City moved up on top of the table; Man U defeated Aston Villa 1-0; Bournemouth drubbed Leeds 4-1; Newcastle buried Southampton (further) 3-1; and then, in a stirring contest, Liverpool took a 3-0 lead against Tottenham, the Spurs, like they did earlier in the week against Man U, rallied to tie it in extra time, 3-3, only to have Liverpool’s Diogo Jota put one in a minute later (90+4) for the win.

*Haaland’s 34th goal tied Alan Shearer and Andy Cole for most in a PL season, but that was back when they played 42 matches.  Since 1995-96, the PL has been a 20-team league playing 38, thus Haaland’s 33rd broke the record, and now he has extended it.

Standings (32/34 of 38)…Played – Points

1. Man City…32 – 76
2. Arsenal…33 – 75
3. Newcastle…32 – 65
4. Man U…32 – 63
5. Liverpool…33 – 56
6. Tottenham…34 – 54
7. Aston Villa…34 – 54

16. Leeds…34 – 30
17. Nottingham…34 – 30
18. Leicester City…33 – 29
19. Everton…33 – 28
20. Southampton…34 – 24

Leicester plays Everton, Monday…a mammoth game.

Stuff

--The Red Bull Racing Team continues to dominate big time in Formula One, Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen finishing 1-2 at today’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku.  They have each won two of the first four races.  Charles Leclerc finished third for Ferrari.

Next week, the Miami Grand Prix, with lots of celebs, and wannabe celebs.

--We note the passing of April Stevens, who along with her brother, Nino Tempo, had a No. 1 Billboard Pop Chart hit with the tune “Deep Purple” in 1963, the song winning a Grammy Award.  She was 93.  Glen Campbell played on the record as a session musician.

Top 3 songs for the week 5/3/69:  #1 “Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In” (The 5th Dimension) #2 “It’s Your Thing” (The Isley Brothers)  #3 “Hair” (The Cowsils)…and…#4 “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” (Blood, Sweat & Tears)  #5 “Only The Strong Survive” (Jerry Butler)  #6 “Time Is Tight” (Booker T. & The  M.G.’s) #7 “Sweet Cherry Wine” (Tommy James and The Shondells) #8 “Hawaii Five-O” (The Ventures) #9 “The Boxer” (Simon and Garfunkel)  #10 “Galveston” (Glen Campbell…B week…)

Horse Racing Triple Crown Quiz Answers: 1) Eddie Arcaro is the only jockey to have two Triple Crown winners…1941 – Whirlaway; Citation – 1948.  2) Ron Turcotte was aboard Secretariat, Jean Cruguet on Seattle Slew, Steve Cauthen atop Affirmed, Victor Espinoza on American Pharoah, Mike Smith on Justify.

At 18, Steve Cauthen became the youngest jockey to win the Triple Crown; Mike Smith was the oldest at 52.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Secretariat’s great run.

Add-on up top by noon, Wed.  Kentucky Derby preview.

 



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Bar Chat

05/01/2023

The Playoffs

Add-on posted early Wed. a.m.

NBA Playoffs

--The Knicks took on the Heat in Game 2 of their conference semifinals at the Garden last night.  Jimmy Butler was out for Miami with his sprained ankle, but Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson played for New York, despite their ankle issues, and the Knicks won it 111-105 to even their series at 1-1.

This one was tight, and entertaining, the whole way, 77-76 Heat after three, tied at 93-93 with 6:05 to play, but the Knicks slowly pulled away in the end.

However, they almost blew it when, up 108-102 with 0:24 to play, Randle committed an egregious turnover, Miami hit a three with 0:22 to play, but the Knicks hung on.

Randle was impressive in his return, 25 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists.  Brunson, after a slow start, came up big down the stretch and finished with 30 points.  Josh Hart did what Josh Hart does…14 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists…and RJ Barrett was solid with 24 points.

Game 3 down in Miami, but not until Saturday, giving Butler time to recover.

--Steph Curry and LeBron James haven’t met in the playoffs since the 2018 Finals (when LeBron was with Cleveland), and then last night they squared off again.

And it was the Anthony Davis Show, the Lakers’ All-Star with 30 points, 23 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks, L.A. beating Golden State 117-112 in San Francisco.

Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole all had six threes apiece, good production, but it wasn’t enough to stop A.D., who joined Shaq, Wilt, Kareem and Elgin Baylor as the only Lakers players to have a 30-20 game in the playoffs.

For Golden State, Kevin Looney had another monster game on the boards, 23 rebounds.

--Monday, the 76ers took on the Celtics in Boston for Game 1 and with no Joel Embiid, it seemed like an easy task for the Celts…until it wasn’t.

The Beard showed up in vintage form, James Harden with 45 points, tying a career playoff high, shooting 7 of 14 from beyond the arc, with a decisive 3-pointer with just 8.4 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Philadelphia prevailing 119-115.

Sixers teammate Paul Reed had a double-double in Embiid’s absence, 10 points, 13 rebounds, and Tyrese Maxey had 26 points. And De’Anthony Melton came off the bench to hit 5 of 6 from 3.

Plus, Philly committed only six turnovers…Boston 16.

Tuesday night, Embiid won his first NBA MVP Award, well deserved.

--The Nuggets went up 2-0 in their series with the Suns on Monday, 97-87, as Kevin Durant had a rare poor shooting night, 10 of 27 from the field. 

Nikola Jokic, on the other hand, did his usual thing for Denver…39 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 assists.  Jamal Murray, the hero in Game 1, was 0 for 9 from 3, just 10 points, but had eight assists.

--I was going to post Sunday as the Warriors-Kings game was ending and I forgot to mention that while De’Aaron Fox had a poor game, just 5-19 shooting, he played with a fractured finger, that I had noted before.  Major props to De’Aaron, who is now a household name among NBA fans all over.  Would love to see him on the Olympic team.  [Not for nothing, though, but Paris could be a mess next summer.]

NHL

--Sunday night, after I posted, I settled in to watch Game 7, Bruins-Panthers in Boston, and yet another Game 7 shocker.  The Florida Panthers are moving on, a second round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“Game 7.  Overtime win.  Against pretty much the best team in regular-season history.  It’s unreal,” Panthers center Aleksander Barkov said after Florida beat Boston 4-3 in OT. “For sure it’s up there, and it’s hard to understand right now. I don’t think we need to understand right now. We’ll understand later.”

Brandon Montour tied it with 1 minute left in regulation, and Carter Verhaeghe scored the game-winner at 8:35 of overtime.  The Panthers won three straight after falling behind 3-1 in the series.

And they beat Boston at home three times, after the Bruins had lost just four of 41 regular-season home contests.

As I noted Sunday, as to the potential for this contest, the Panthers did end up pulling off the greatest upset in NHL history.

[The Seattle Kraken late Sunday also pulled out their Game 7 against the defending Stanley Cup champions – the Colorado Avalanche.  So amazing stuff all around.]

--Monday night, my Rangers could not have sucked more in their Game 7 against the Devils in Newark, falling 4-0. And that was with Igor Shesterkin playing great in goal (now 23 straight playoff games where he has yielded 3 or fewer goals…the fourth last night an empty-netter).

But Rangers fans can’t be surprised.  I wrote all season how incredibly inconsistent they were and just look at the scores in this series.

5-1, 5-1, 1-2, 1-3, 0-4, 5-2, 0-4.

Two goals in their four losses.  Fifteen in their three wins.  Win first two, lose next three.

All those late-season trades, like for Patrick Kane, in the end flopped.  And in Game 7, everyone sucked, save for Igor.

As the New York Post’s Larry Brooks put it: “(This) team loaded with marquee stars could not get out of the first round. If this 107-point season was not a colossal waste, it surely ended in colossal disappointment. The team across the River stole the Blueshirts’ destiny.”

Rangers Coach Gerard Gallant, a likable guy, who has a .662 winning percentage, could lose his job.  Certainly he’ll be on thin ice early next season.

“Talent doesn’t mean a thing,” Gallant said after.  “It’s great to have talent, but you’ve got to play together and work together.  Obviously, the four games that we lost we had two goals.  That’s the bottom line.  You’re not going to win if you get two goals in four games.”

Meanwhile, the Devils, who had missed the playoffs nine times in the previous 10 years, are pretty solid, with a 22-year-old goalie who is now 4-1 in the playoffs, Akira Schmid having taken over for Game 3.

--Last night the Panthers defeated the Maple Leafs, 4-2, in Toronto in their Game 1.  Seattle beat Dallas in Big D, 5-4 in their opener.

MLB

--Prior to Monday night’s game at the Stadium against Cleveland, the Yankees placed Aaron Judge on the 10-day injured list due to his mild hip strain, but it’s retroactive to last Friday and he will be eligible for the May 8 series opener against Oakland.

So then in Monday’s game against the Guardians, Yankees manager Aaron Boone took starter Domingo German out after he had thrown 8 1/3 of shutout ball, allowing only two hits and one walk.  He had thrown just 88 pitches!

As Boone walked out of the first-base dugout to make a call to the bullpen, the crowd booed him vociferously.

So Boone summoned closer Clay Holmes, Cleveland scored three runs and won the game 3-2, dropping the Yanks to 15-15.

The Yankees, 99-63 last season, are not supposed to be .500.  Like I said last Chat, their fanbase is not going to stand for this.

But they did beat Cleveland last night, 4-2, Gerrit Cole, 6 innings, 2 earned, a no-decision. 

--Bryce Harper returned to the Phillies lineup Tuesday, just 160 days after Tommy John Surgery, a record, and months before the Phils expected him back.

But Harper went 0-for-4, 3 strikeouts, as the Dodgers mauled Philadelphia 13-1 in L.A.

--Pittsburgh fell to 20-10, 4-1 losers down in Tampa, the Rays a gaudy 24-6.

--Former St. Louis Cardinal, and longtime Cardinals’ broadcaster, Mike Shannon, died.  He was 83.

Shannon played for the Cardinals from 1962-70, winning two World Series, 1964 and ’67.  He started out as the regular right fielder and moved to third base in 1967, when St. Louis acquired Roger Maris.

Shannon had a few solid seasons, like 1966 when he hit 16 home runs and drove in 64, while batting .288, and in 1968, the Year of the Pitcher, he drove in 79, with 15 homers.

But for generations of fans, he was known as a broadcaster for the team, starting in 1972, and being on the air for 50 years.

--Baseball America Top Ten (5/1)

1. LSU
2. Wake Forest
3. Vanderbilt
4. South Carolina
5. Florida
6. Arkansas
7. Coastal Carolina
8. Stanford
9. Duke
10. Miami

Big weekend series for the Deacs against No. 25 Boston College coming up. Wake has to keep winning ACC series and then be in the ACC Tournament final, at worst, to secure a No. 1 seed in the regionals and super regionals…so says moi, who has a vested interest (with Gregg R.) in a little trip to Omaha at the appropriate time.

But there is a long, long way to go. On pins and needles…or as the Searchers sang in 1964, “Needles and Pins,” #13.

NFL

--The Jets addressed their failure to get one of the top four offensive lineman in the draft, due to giving away their No. 13 to Green Bay as part of the Aaron Rodgers deal, and signed veteran free agent Billy Turner.

Turner, 31, who started seven games last season for Denver, is thus reunited with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and Rodgers.  Before playing for Hackett in Denver, Turner was a full-time starter for the Packers, where he blocked for Rodgers from 2019 to2021.

Golf Balls

--Every four years or so, Golf Digest polls 120 players, caddies, media members, golf executives, locker-room attendants and tournament volunteers as to who are the Nicest Guys on Tour.

1. Tony Finau
2. Peter Malnati
3. Jordan Spieth
4. Rory McIlroy
5. Rickie Fowler

Finau is known for being generous with his time. “If I have a conversation with a person, and I leave thinking I’ve brightened their day just a little bit somehow, that makes me happy.”

Past winners of the Golf Digest Tour Nice Guys Ranking were Steve Stricker, Spieth and Fowler.

--I love what Finau told PGATour.com on changing his putting grip back to conventional and sticking with it, rather than tinkering with left-hand low one week, the claw another.

“No question, I think it’s a great lesson to be learned,” he said. “It’s a lot better to be great at one thing than tinker around with 10,000 different techniques and trying to figure it out.

“I think Bruce Lee has a saying about something like that,” he continued.  “He’s more scared of the guy who practices one punch 10,000 times than someone who practices 10,000 things one time.  I’d say I agree with that.”

--This weekend we have a designated event on the PGA Tour, the Wells Fargo Championship, where Rory McIlroy will make his return after his disastrous Masters performance.  Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler are taking it off.

Rory told reporters yesterday he needed a major “reset” of his priorities…that golf had become all too consuming.  It will be interesting to see how he plays this weekend.

--With Tiger Woods out indefinitely, his caddie, Joe LaCava, is going to work for Patrick Cantlay.  This was with Tiger’s blessing.

Premier League

--In a critical game Monday in the battle to avoid relegation, Everton and Leicester City played to a 2-2 draw in a highly entertaining match.

So here’s where we stand, just a handful of matches to be played (four, to be exact).

Played – Points

16. Leicester…34 – 30
17. Leeds…34 – 30
18. Nottingham Forest…34 – 30
19. Everton…34 – 29
20. Southampton…34 – 24

Leicester is ahead of Leeds and Forest on goal differential.

--Meanwhile, Arsenal beat Chelsea 3-1 on Tuesday to go back on top, but Man City has two games in hand.

1. Arsenal…34 – 78
2. City…32 – 76

City hosts West Ham today.

Stuff

--The Kentucky Derby is Saturday and the oddsmakers have Forte at 3-1, drawing the No. 15 slot, while the second-highest favorite, Tapit Trice, 5-1, will be out of the 5 post.  Both are trained by Todd Pletcher.

But the atmosphere surrounding this Derby, the 149th, is kind of ‘dark.’  Last week, one of the horses who qualified for the race, Wild on Ice, was pulled up on the backstretch Thursday with an injury to his left hind leg.  He walked on to the horse ambulance, was evaluated at Churchill downs and then was transferred to an equine hospital in Lexington, Ky., where it was determined that the gelding’s injuries were not repairable.

As the Los Angeles Times’ John Cherwa writes, “Kentucky, unlike California and New York, shows little transparency when it comes to horse injuries. So, word of the horse’s death was announced by a reporter with the El Paso (Texas) Times after being told by the horse’s owner, Frank Sumpter.  Churchill Downs only has acknowledged that the horse was injured and will not run.”

That’s awful.  But in the 148 runnings of the Derby, just one horse, Eight Belles in 2008, has died as part of the race.  As for how many horses have died training for the Derby, there are no records.

--This weekend, and for the rest of the five weeks of the Triple Crown races, you’ll hear a lot about Secretariat and seeing some historic clips, this being the 50th anniversary of the superstar’s star turn.

John Cherwa / Los Angeles Times

“There are moments in sports which forever embed themselves in the minds of those who watched it, either live or through an endless video loop.

“There was Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant bringing their teams back with furious fourth-quarter rallies.  Muhammad Ali standing over a fallen Sonny Liston. Brandi Chastain’s celebration after winning the 1999 Women’s World Cup.  Or Kirk Gibson hobbling around the bases after his pinch-hit home run in the 1988 World Series.

“But the one that you can expect to see over and over for the next six weeks is the sight of jockey Ron Turcotte looking backward, with no one in sight, while riding Secretariat in the 1973 Belmont Stakes to win the Triple Crown.

“ ‘I can’t very well forget it because every time I go on YouTube it pops up,’ Turcotte said last week.”

Racing historian Jon White reminded us of another startling fact: “Secretariat’s Triple Crown sweep was widely celebrated at the time.  But his feat actually looks even more phenomenal 50 years later, primarily because no horse has ever won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in faster times than he did.”

Understand, those records still stand today.  And Turcotte, 81, is the only surviving major player in the legend of Secretariat.  He lives on his farm in New Brunswick, Canada, after a riding accident in 1978 left him paralyzed.  Lucien Laurin, Penny Chenery Tweedy, and constant companion, Eddie Sweat, all dead.

More over the coming weeks.

--Ralph Boston, the Olympic long jump champion who, in August 1960, broke Jesse Owens’ 25-year-old world record in the event, and a year later became the first jumper to break the 27-foot mark, died on Sunday.  He was 83.

Boston dominated the long jump through much of the 1960s, winning a gold medal in the Rome Olympics in 1960, a silver medal in Tokyo in 1964, and a bronze in Mexico City in 1968.

It was while warming up in Mexico City that Boston’s teammate, Bob Beamon, leaped an astonishing 29 feet, 2 ½ inches, shattering Boston’s world record of 27 feet 5 inches by nearly two feet.  [American Mike Powell holds the current record of 29 feet, 4 ¼ inches set in 1991.]

--Gordon Lightfoot died.  The Canadian folk singer was 84.

Lightfoot was a fast-rising star in Canada in the early 1960s, who broke through to international success when his friends and fellow Canadians Ian and Sylvia Tyson recorded two of his songs, Early Morning Rain and For Lovin’ me.

When Peter, Paul and Mary came out with their own versions, and Marty Robbins reached the top of the country charts with Lightfoot’s Ribbon of Darkness, Lightfoot’s reputation soared.

When folk music ebbed in popularity, overwhelmed by the British Invasion, Lightfoot began writing ballads aimed at a broader audience.  He scored a series of hits, 1974-76, that included the Billboard #5 If You Could Read My Mind (inspired by the break-up of his first marriage), the #1 Sundown, #10 Carefree Highway, #26 Rainy Day People and #10 The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (which he wrote after reading a Newsweek article about the sinking of an iron-ore carrier in Lake Superior in 1975, with the loss of all 29 crew members).

For Canadians, Lightfoot was a national hero, a home-grown star who stayed home even after achieving spectacular success in the United States and catered to his fervent fans with constant cross-country tours.  He was known to take ambitious canoe trips far into the Canadian hinterlands.

--Willie Nelson had a 2-day 90th birthday celebration at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles last weekend.  Among those appearing at a tribute for him were George Strait, Neil Young, Kris Kristofferson, Snoop Dogg, Chris Stapleton, Stephen Stills, Emmylou Harris, Miranda Lambert, Bob Weir, Sheryl Crow, Dave Matthews, Dwight Yoakam, and Tom Jones. A rather eclectic list.

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.

-----

[Posted early Sun. p.m., prior to Bruins-Panthers and other late sports news]

Add-on up top by noon, Wed.

Horse Racing Triple Crown Quiz: 1) 13 horses have won the Triple Crown. Name the only jockey to be on two of them.  2) Name the jockey for the last five Triple Crown winners…Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), Affirmed (1978), American Pharoah (2015), Justify (2018)…none of these are the answer to No. 1.  Answers below.

NBA

--Last Wednesday, the Knicks completed their super series against the Cavaliers, 106-95, taking out Cleveland in five.

Julius Randle bounced back from his poor Game 4 performance, though the Knicks won that one, with 13 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists in just 16 minutes.  But he reinjured his ankle that kept him out 17 days near the end of the season, only to have everyone else step up.

Mitchell Robinson, with his best performance as a Knick when it mattered most, 13 points, 18 rebounds; Obi Toppin, filling in for Randle in the second half with a big 12 points; Jalen Brunson 23; RJ Barrett 21, Immanuel Quickley 19, Josh Hart 12 rebounds…talk about a team effort.

--The Knicks were then going to take on the winner of Miami-Milwaukee, and the Heat completed their titanic upset of the No. 1 overall seed Bucks, 128-126 in overtime, Jimmy Butler with another monster effort, 42 points, the Heat down 16 in the fourth quarter in this one as they take the series 4-1.

Milwaukee fans, though, had to be going nuts.  Giannis had 38 points and 20 rebounds, but was a shockingly awful 10 of 23 from the free throw line!  The Bucks 28 of 45 overall.  That’s criminal.  The fans should sue.

It was also criminal that Grayson Allen didn’t get a shot off as time expired in OT.

The Bucks shot 5-25 over the fourth quarter and overtime.

So the Knicks had home-court advantage over the Heat in a matchup that has a history to it, as in these teams hate each other, though they haven’t matched up in the playoffs in a long time.

And this afternoon, New York, without Julius Randle, looked solid, taking a 32-21 lead after the first quarter, but it was all downhill from there, the Knicks losing 108-101, shooting just 7 of 34 from 3 (20.6%), and 12 of 20 from the free throw line.  I don’t believe a single Knick player got the job done.

Miami, on the other hand, ended up 13 of 39 from three, which was solid when you consider they were 7 of 23 at the half.

Jimmy Butler turned his ankle with 5:05 to play, he stayed in, but we’ll see what his status is for Game 2 on Tuesday back at the Garden. Both teams then have a long break until next Saturday.

As in both Miami and New York have decisions to make re Butler and Randle.  Keep them out until next weekend to ensure they are healthy?  Stay tuned.

I’ll just say for the Knicks, Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes need to step up from downtown.

--Friday night, the Lakers wrapped things up in L.A. against the Grizzlies, blasting Memphis 125-85, taking the series 4-2.  LeBron was solid, 22 points on 9 of 13 shooting, while D’Angelo Russell proved he was a helluva late-season pickup with 31.

L.A. will be taking on the winner of Sunday’s Warriors-Kings series.

But it was great to see Lakers superfan Jack Nicholson back in his customary courtside seat Friday.  Those who love him have been worried how the 86-year-old has become a total recluse, not leaving his Beverly Hills mansion.

--Speaking of Kings-Warriors, Sacramento earned a Game 7 back home this afternoon with a 118-99 win at Golden State Friday in Game 6.

And Steph Curry and the Warriors came up big, 120-100.  Not quite the Game for the Ages that was expected, but a tremendous series and good for Sacramento.

Curry had a stupendous 50.  De’Aaron Fox and Crew just weren’t up to the task.  Kevon Looney had another monster game on the boards for Golden State, 21 rebounds.

So Warriors-Lakers.  That’s fun.

--The Clippers lost to the Suns in five, after winning the opener of the series, as Kawhi Leonard sat out Games 3-5.  We then learned he had been diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his right knee, which he played with in Game 2.

It’s the second time in three seasons that Leonard has suffered a right knee injury in the playoffs. A partial tear in his right ACL during the 2021 Western Conference semifinals forced him to miss the entire 2021-22 season.

Leonard, 31, hasn’t played more than 60 games in any season since 2016-17.

--Saturday night, the Suns opened their Western Conference semifinal at Denver, and the Nuggets rolled, 125-107.  Jamal Murray had 34 points for Denver, 6 of 10 from 3, while Nikola Jokic did what Nikola does, 24 points, 19 rebounds. 

The Nuggets were 16 of 37 from behind the arc with just nine turnovers.

--Boston-Philadelphia opens up Monday, but the Sixers’ Joel Embiid is doubtful with a sprained right knee.

--In College Hoops, Wake Forest picked up a Gonzaga transfer, guard Hunter Sallis, a former five-star recruit out of Omaha, NE, who didn’t play much his first two years but is said to be a good defender, at 6’5”.  We also got two late high school signees for the fall, including a kid from Denmark, while our bigs – Andrew Carr, Matthew Marsh, Zach Keller and future star Bobi Klintman – are all returning.  Coach Steve Forbes is the man.  We’ll be fine.

I missed that former Creighton point guard Ryan Nembhard, who I mentioned weeks ago had entered the portal, committed to Gonzaga.  His brother, Andrew Nembhard, also transferred to Gonzaga (from Florida) after his sophomore season, and eventually was the No. 31 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

So Ryan Nembhard joins Wyoming transfer Graham Ike, center, as Mark Few and Co. retool.

NHL

--The Devils continued to dominate the Rangers in shocking fashion, winning Game 5 in New Jersey Thursday night, 4-0.

After the dual 5-1 Ranger blowouts in the first two games in Jersey, the Devils and rookie goaltender Akira Schmid have yielded just two goals in the next three games, Schmid’s first three playoff contests of his career.

So Game 6 was at the Garden Saturday night and after the Devils scored first, us Rangers fans thought ‘uh oh.’

But then the veterans showed up, specifically Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad.

Kreider had a critical power play goal with just 25 seconds left in the first period to tie it at 1-1 and give the team a good feeling heading into the intermission.

Zibanejad then had the go-ahead goal midway through the second, his first goal in 14 games, going back to the regular season (when he had 39), and the Rangers were off and running, 5-2.

On to Game 7 in Newark, Monday.  It will be a tension convention, sports fans.

--Congratulations to the Maple Leafs, who beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in overtime in their Game 6 matchup down in Tampa last night, John Tavares with the game-winner 4:35 into OT.

For Toronto and their ever-loyal fans, it’s the first time in 19 years they got out of the first-round.

Next up, Boston or Florida.

[Tampa Bay’s run of three consecutive appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals is over.  They won the Cup in 2020 and 2021.]

--Speaking of Boston, the Bruins finished with an NHL-record 65 wins and 135 points.  For that they earned home-ice advantage through the Stanley Cup playoffs.  But Friday night, Florida beat the Bruins 7-5, forcing a Game 7 at Boston’s TD Garden on Sunday night.

Matthew Tkachuk had two goals and an assist for the Panthers, who have rallied back from down 3-1 in the series.  Just as the Miami win over Milwaukee in the NBA playoffs was among the biggest upsets in NBA history, should Florida pull this off, it is THE biggest upset in Stanley Cup playoff history.

Boston was 34-4-3 at home in the regular season, but the Panthers have won on the Bruins’ home ice twice.

I’ll be watching as soon as I go to post.

--The Islanders put up a game fight against Carolina, forcing a Game 6 Friday night at home, but they fell 2-1 in overtime, the Hurricanes advancing to the second round.

Paul Stastny, son of Hall of Famer Peter Stastny, scored 6:01 into overtime, his third career overtime playoff winner.  If you were watching like me, you were stunned it went in off the right skate of Isles goaltender Ilya Sorokin from an impossible angle. [The description of the game-winner on ESPN.com was totally inaccurate, by the way.  It did not go in “off the left pad and between his legs.”]

The Hurricanes awaited the winner of the Rangers-Devils series.

--I was happy to see the Oilers wrap up their series against the Kings in L.A., Saturday, taking it 4-2 on the heels of a 5-4 win in Game 6.  As a hockey fan, I want to see the great Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the Stanley Cup Finals.

NFL Draft

--I know that miles of ink are written on the NFL Draft, way overanalyzing picks in most cases because no one really has a clue as to how good, or overmatched, some of these players will be once they get to camp and are up against NFL competition.

That said, the first five selections were…

1. Bryce Young, QB (Alabama) to Carolina
2. C.J. Stroud, QB (Ohio State) to Houston
3. Will Anderson, Edge (Alabama) to Houston…after the Texans traded up from No. 12 to No. 3*.
4. Anthony Richardson, QB (Florida) to Indianapolis
5. Devin Witherspoon, CB (Illinois) to Seattle

*Houston gave up their additional first-found pick (No. 12 overall) to the Cardinals, as well as the No. 33 overall selection in this year’s draft, plus they parted with a first-round pick in 2024 and a 2024 third-rounder.

Others of note in the first round….

8. Bijan Robinson, RB (Texas) to Atlanta
9. Jalen Carter, DT (Georgia) to Philadelphia
12. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB (Alabama) to Detroit…a shocker, frankly
15. Will McDonald, OLB (Iowa State) to the Jets
23. Zay Flowers, WR (Boston College) to Baltimore…you know I love this guy
25. Deonte Banks, CB (Maryland) to the Giants

So as for my Jets, we all figured they would get an offensive lineman to help protect Aaron Rodgers with the No. 13, but they had to trade that to get Rodgers, receiving Green Bay’s No. 15 in return.  That presented a potential problem, and sure enough, Pittsburgh traded up and took the last ‘big name’ OL, Georgia’s Broderick Jones, at No. 14.

The Jets then took McDonald, who has a lot of raw talent, to rush the passer, but a lot of folks thought Georgia’s Nolan Smith was the better selection at 15, many shocked he was still available.  This is where you just wait and see.  You don’t waste your time today blasting GM Joe Douglas, for example.  Maybe come November you do.

The Jets then selected center Joe Tippman from Wisconsin with their second-round pick, No. 43.

Anyway, Philadelphia, having taken Jalen Carter, who before his off-field issues was a consensus top five, convinced they have the culture and veterans to get the best out of him, shockingly were able to get Nolan Smith at No. 30!  Pretty awesome, for Eagles fans.

[GM Howie Roseman also pulled off a trade with Detroit for solid running back D’Andre Swift, another former Bulldog, joining Georgia’s Carter, Smith and fourth-round pick Kelee Ringo.]

Meanwhile, quarterback Will Levis (Kentucky), who at one point was a sure-fire top-ten, maybe top-five, didn’t go in the first round at all, instead being taken by Tennessee with the second pick of the second round.

If you saw Levis with his Instagram girlfriend, you got a sense of why some teams shied away, let alone he has a toe injury that some called “problematic.”

--Among other picks…the Steelers drafted Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr., son of former Steelers standout linebacker Joey Porter, who helped the franchise win Super Bowl 40 in 2006, Porter taken by Pittsburgh with the first pick in the second round.

Stetson Bennett, rather surprisingly, went to the Rams with the 26th pick of the fourth round, when some had him going in the seventh round, despite leading Georgia to two national titles.

The pick I liked in the fourth was the last one in the round, Purdue quarterback Aidan O’Connell, who went to the Raiders.  He’s starting somewhere in the NFL by his third year.

As for Wake Forest players, I was surprised defensive tackle Kobie Turner was a 3rd round pick of the Rams.  He had a solid year after transferring from Richmond to improve his draft stock, but he was far from very good.

The guy I was shocked with was receiver A.T. Perry, who all the mock drafts had going in the mid-to-late third, but as I watched all Saturday, he wasn’t selected until the sixth round, No. 195 overall, by New Orleans.

I mean Perry, nearly 6’4”, had 26 touchdown receptions the last two seasons for Wake.  Yes, he dropped a few, and it seems scouts and GMs focused on that, and his slight build, but he also made some spectacular grabs and while not a speed burner, obviously had the ability to turn a 15-yarder upfield for six.  If he has the right attitude, he’ll find a spot on somebody’s roster this season, if not the Saints.

--Just to reiterate the futility of attempting to state definitively whether one draft pick was better than another…Mel Kiper and Todd McShay pointed out that last year for the Jets, 4th round DT selection Micheal (sic) Clemons’ production was just as good (slightly better, actually) than first-rounder Jermaine Johnson II’s (LB…but picked to be an impact edge rusher).

--NFL teams selected a record 11 quarterbacks in the first 150 picks, according to ESPN.  It’s the Purdy Effect, Brock Purdy, “Mr. Irrelevant” as the last player selected in the 2022 draft, perhaps proving it’s OK to take a shot on some of these guys who all had solid college careers.

--When it comes to conferences and schools and the Draft….

SEC had 62 selected, the Big Ten 55, ACC 32, Big 12 30, and the Pac-12 27.

The following had at least six players selected.

Georgia 10
Alabama 10
Michigan 9
TCU 8
Florida 6
LSU 6
Ohio State 6
Penn State 6
Clemson 6
Pitt 6
Oregon 6

Only one player from a HBCU was selected in the draft, which is rather startling.  My take?  It’s all about coaching and the quality of the programs.  Not the athlete.  NFL teams can be patient, but not that patient.

--The big news this week, aside from the Jets bringing in Aaron Rodgers (who nailed his first press conference, as you’d expect)*, was the Ravens finally reaching agreement with Lamar Jackson on a new contract, five years, $260 million, or $52 million per, which makes him the highest-paid player in NFL history.

The Ravens are guaranteeing $185 million of that, so less than the fully guaranteed $230 million Deshaun Watson received from the Browns, and that was important to Baltimore (and the NFL).  Jalen Hurts got $179 million guaranteed on his $255 million deal from the Eagles.

And now Jackson has Zay Flowers to throw to, Flowers a master at turning a 10-yard route over the middle into 60.

Jackson is 45-16 as a starter, but just 1-3 in the postseason.

*[It was also great seeing Rodgers at Saturday’s Rangers-Devils game, showing he’s going to try hard to be a part of the sports scene here, an important step in winning fans over.  Yup, he’ll have Gotham by the balls, IF he wins…]

--In College Football, it’s been all about Colorado the last few weeks, as Hall of Famer Deion Sanders makes his mark as the Buffaloes new coach, getting 47,000 to show up for the spring game in crappy weather.

But with the transfer portal expiring today, April 30*, as of a few days ago, 41 players had left the Colorado program.  As noted before, many of these were ‘encouraged’ to leave by Sanders and his new staff, Coach Prime wanting his own players, not the 52 or so remaining from a squad that went 1-11 last season.

But 41?  For the first time, some folks in Boulder are questioning what’s been going on since Sanders arrived, and many of these players’ parents are rather displeased, their sons having been granted full scholarships and with basically zero time to check out other opportunities.

*I saw a story today that Michigan State’s QB entered the portal.  But today is the deadline…however, Payton Thorne is entering as a grad transfer and the rules are different, I think.

MLB

--We have had a boatload of rain here in the New York area, starting Friday night. It’s put a huge damper on a big 4-game series at Citi Field between the Mets and Braves.  Friday, they got in five innings, unfortunately for us Mets fans, Braves winning it 4-0.  Saturday and Sunday were then rained out, forcing a doubleheader for Monday, which I’m not sure when this rain is ending (we’ll get 5+ inches in most areas by the time it’s done).

Of course, two weeks ago we were having historic wildfires (for our state), so it is what it is.

--Friday night the Yankees lost to the Rangers in Arlington 5-2, but the result was secondary to the elephant in the room.  What’s the deal with Aaron Judge’s hip and the MRI that was taken.

Before Saturday’s game, manager Aaron Boone said, “I think there’s something (showing on the MRI), but they didn’t think it was too serious.  But that said, we still don’t have a clear picture of it yet.”

New York then said that while Judge told them he feels much better, they will wait until Monday to decide whether to put him on the injured list.

Texas ace Jacob deGrom left Friday’s game unexpectedly after 3 2/3 with forearm tightness.  The next day he was placed on the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation.

Thank God the Mets let deGrom go.  As I said at the time, “good riddance.”  The five-year, $185 million contract the Rangers gave him in the offseason is already a mini-disaster.  Texas would be lucky to get 25 starts out of him this season, let alone in years 2 and 3. [Forget years 4 and 5.]

Through six starts this season, deGrom has a solid 2.67 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 30 1/3.

Separately, so much for the Franchy Cordero bobblehead doll later in the summer.  All you had to do was look at the back of his baseball card to know that his hot start with the Yanks, four home runs and 11 RBIs in his first seven games, was a mirage.

He’s gone 1-for-28 since, striking out 13 times, and Friday he was shipped to AAA.

For his career, Cordero is a .215 hitter in 706 at-bats, striking out a staggering 273 times.

So the Yankees called up Jake Bauers from AAA to replace Cordero and in his first game Saturday, he didn’t make it out of the first inning, crashing into the left-field wall on a nice catch, bruising his left knee.

The Yanks lost the game, 2-0, as Nate Eovaldi pitched his first nine-inning shutout, holding the Yanks to 3 hits, no walks, 9 strikeouts.

Today, the Yankees fell to 15-14, getting blown out 15-2, the Rangers 17-11.

I just have to note that in the Yanks’ 4-2 win over Texas on Thursday, Gerrit Cole improved to 5-0, 1.11, with 6 2/3 of 2-run ball.  This was the game Judge left with hip discomfort.  Without Cole, look at where the team would be.  Their fans are going to be very, very surly when they get home.

--The Pirates swept the Nationals in a doubleheader on Saturday, 6-3, 16-1, to move to 20-8!

In the nightcap, 33-year-old Drew Maggi (34 in two weeks) got his first two hits in the big leagues, three days after his callup.  For all he knows, these could be his only two hits, as he was the ‘27th man’ for the DH.

But former Yankee Miguel Andujar made his season debut for the Pirates and slammed home runs in each game, 4-for-5, six RBIs.

Imagine, it was way back in 2018 that Andujar burst on the scene with 27 home runs, 92 RBIs.

But then a series of injuries put him in the baseball wilderness, season after season, with less than 400 major-league at-bats, combined, the next four years.

--Clayton Kershaw did it again…another 7-inning scoreless stint, 2 hit, no walks, 9 strikeouts, the Dodgers beating the Cardinals 1-0 last night in L.A., Kershaw improving to 5-1, 1.89.

L.A. is just 15-13, but the shocking story is the Cardinals…10-18!  Who wudda thunk it coming into the season?

--The Phillies are back, 15-13 after a 6-1 win, Saturday, at Houston.  Philadelphia had started off the season 5-10.

--Baltimore is 19-9 after a 5-3 win today at Detroit (10-17).  Very cool.

--And Sonny Gray of the Twins (17-12) moved to 4-0, 0.77, with six innings of one-run ball in Minnesota’s 8-4 win today over the rather pathetic Royals (7-22).

--Since I last posted, Seattle lost left-hander Robbie Ray, who had surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his pitching elbow and will miss the rest of the season.

Ray, in the second season of a $115 million, five-year contract, was injured in his season debut back on March 31.

Ray had been durable.  Aside from the 2020 Covid season, Ray has made at least 28 starts five times since 2016, including 2021, when he won the Cy Young Award with Toronto.

--One of the better all-around athletes of the last 75 years, former baseball All-Star and NBAer, Dick Groat, died the other day. He was 92.

Groat, who grew up just east of Pittsburgh’s downtown, starred at Duke in basketball and baseball in the early 1950s, earning All-American honors in both, which is remarkable.  His No. 10 jersey hangs inside Cameron Indoor Stadium after the program retired his number following the end of his senior year in 1952.

While Groat said basketball was his first love, a stint in the military during the mid-1950s redirected the arc of his athletic career.

After leaving the service, Pirates GM Branch Rickey persuaded Groat to focus on baseball, and he soon embarked on a 14-year MLB career split between the Pirates, Cardinals, Phillies and Giants.

Groat, a shortstop, made the All-Star team five times and was the NL MVP in 1960 for a Pirates team that upset the Yankees to win the World Series (thank you, Bill Mazeroski).  Groat hit .325 that season to lead the majors.

Groat was second in the 1963 MVP vote while playing for the Cardinals, with whom he would go on to win a World Series in 1964 (beating the Yankees again).

For his career, Groat had 2,138 hits, batting .286.

Groat played 26 games for the Ft. Wayne Pistons of the NBA in 1952-53, averaging 11.9 points per game.

--We also note the passing of former Mets pitcher Dennis Ribant, 81.

Mets broadcaster Howie Rose announced the news on Twitter on Thursday.

“In 1966, he became the first Mets starter to turn in a solid season, going 11-9, and was promptly traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for OF Don Bosch (didn’t work out) and P Don Cardwell, a 1969 Met.  RIP.”

Ribant’s 11-9, 3.20 ERA, really was a solid season, plus he had three saves and a 1.14 ERA in 13 relief appearances. Both he and 1966’s Bob Shaw (11-10) were the first Mets starters to finish with winning records.

Both Johnny Mac and Mets broadcaster Gary Cohen said they imitated Ribant’s delivery in their youth.  I remember 1966 as being the first season I was really following the Mets, and all sports, intensely.

And that Mets team (66-95 under manager Wes Westrum) was the first not to finish last.

Golf Balls

--At the Mexico Open at Vidanta (Vallarta, Mexico), entering the fourth round, the two best players in the field were at the top of the leaderboard, along with a budding star….

Tony Finau -19
Jon Rahm -17
Akshay Bhatia -17
Brandon Wu -16

Rahm had a spectacular 61 in the third round.  He’s the defending champion at the event.  Bhatia is a 21-year-old out of Los Angeles.

And Finau takes down Rahm by 3, win No. 6 in his PGA Tour career.  The guy who seemed to take forever to get win No. 2, now has a total that is worthy of major respect.

Rahm was second.  Wu third, Bhatia fourth…a huge finish for him playing in the last group.

And good for Rahm.  Once again, like after the Masters, he could easily have taken the week off but came back in this non-designated event as defending champ.  He will, however, rightfully take next week off, even though it’s a designated tournament…the Wells Fargo.

--Talor Gooch became the first player to win back-to-back LIV Golf titles after a playoff hole victory against Sergio Garcia at the LIV Singapore tournament at Sentosa Golf Club on Sunday.

Gooch and Garcia were tied after two rounds, Brooks Koepka a stroke back, and that’s how they finished, Koepka third.

So Gooch won another $4 million. 

I just have to add that this resort, an island off the main part of Singapore, is very cool, as is Singapore overall.  You can take a cable car to the island, which gives you a great view of the massive ports and cargo traffic, and then in my case, I walked over to the beach club, drank beer, and watched the supertankers in the Malacca Strait.

I just wish Singapore was closer…it’s a pisser of a place…best zoos in the world (including a ‘night zoo’), exotic, awesome food.  Yes, it’s strict…good!  They executed eleven people last year on drug charges.

And that’s a memo.

Premier League

--Last Wednesday, struggling Arsenal traveled to face Manchester City in what was billed as a Battle for the Ages, and City said, ‘No problemo,’ blasting Arsenal 4-1, to gain the upper hand for a third straight league title, while inching closer to a historic treble.

My second favorite player in all of soccer (next to Harry Kane), Kevin de Bruyne, opened the scoring in the seventh minute, tallying a second goal after the intermission, while Erling Haaland had his 33rd goal of the PL season, breaking the record for most ever in a 38-game season…with seven games to play!*

But City has a Champions League semifinal, first leg May 9, and the FA Cup final (June 3 vs. Manchester United).  Only one English side – United in 1998-99 – has completed a UEFA continental treble.

City then played at Fulham today, Sunday, …..

In other games of note, some involving the battle to avoid relegation….

Nottingham picked up a biggie, Wednesday, 3-1 over Brighton.  But then they lost Saturday to Brentford, 2-1.

Everton lost to Newcastle, 4-1, on Thursday.  Tottenham, for once, played a strong second half to salvage a 2-2 draw against Manchester United, after the Spurs trailed 2-0.

Today, City struggled but won on the road at Fulham 2-1, Haaland with goal No. 34, as City moved up on top of the table; Man U defeated Aston Villa 1-0; Bournemouth drubbed Leeds 4-1; Newcastle buried Southampton (further) 3-1; and then, in a stirring contest, Liverpool took a 3-0 lead against Tottenham, the Spurs, like they did earlier in the week against Man U, rallied to tie it in extra time, 3-3, only to have Liverpool’s Diogo Jota put one in a minute later (90+4) for the win.

*Haaland’s 34th goal tied Alan Shearer and Andy Cole for most in a PL season, but that was back when they played 42 matches.  Since 1995-96, the PL has been a 20-team league playing 38, thus Haaland’s 33rd broke the record, and now he has extended it.

Standings (32/34 of 38)…Played – Points

1. Man City…32 – 76
2. Arsenal…33 – 75
3. Newcastle…32 – 65
4. Man U…32 – 63
5. Liverpool…33 – 56
6. Tottenham…34 – 54
7. Aston Villa…34 – 54

16. Leeds…34 – 30
17. Nottingham…34 – 30
18. Leicester City…33 – 29
19. Everton…33 – 28
20. Southampton…34 – 24

Leicester plays Everton, Monday…a mammoth game.

Stuff

--The Red Bull Racing Team continues to dominate big time in Formula One, Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen finishing 1-2 at today’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku.  They have each won two of the first four races.  Charles Leclerc finished third for Ferrari.

Next week, the Miami Grand Prix, with lots of celebs, and wannabe celebs.

--We note the passing of April Stevens, who along with her brother, Nino Tempo, had a No. 1 Billboard Pop Chart hit with the tune “Deep Purple” in 1963, the song winning a Grammy Award.  She was 93.  Glen Campbell played on the record as a session musician.

Top 3 songs for the week 5/3/69:  #1 “Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In” (The 5th Dimension) #2 “It’s Your Thing” (The Isley Brothers)  #3 “Hair” (The Cowsils)…and…#4 “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” (Blood, Sweat & Tears)  #5 “Only The Strong Survive” (Jerry Butler)  #6 “Time Is Tight” (Booker T. & The  M.G.’s) #7 “Sweet Cherry Wine” (Tommy James and The Shondells) #8 “Hawaii Five-O” (The Ventures) #9 “The Boxer” (Simon and Garfunkel)  #10 “Galveston” (Glen Campbell…B week…)

Horse Racing Triple Crown Quiz Answers: 1) Eddie Arcaro is the only jockey to have two Triple Crown winners…1941 – Whirlaway; Citation – 1948.  2) Ron Turcotte was aboard Secretariat, Jean Cruguet on Seattle Slew, Steve Cauthen atop Affirmed, Victor Espinoza on American Pharoah, Mike Smith on Justify.

At 18, Steve Cauthen became the youngest jockey to win the Triple Crown; Mike Smith was the oldest at 52.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Secretariat’s great run.

Add-on up top by noon, Wed.  Kentucky Derby preview.