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Bar Chat

01/01/2024

NFL and College Football, the Pistons, Knicks

Add-on posted Tuesday a.m.

College Football

--Yes, the College Football Selection Committee got it right, and now we have a terrific final next Monday night, 1 Michigan (14-0) vs. 2 Washington (14-0), following Michigan’s 27-20 overtime thriller against 4 Alabama, and Washington’s 37-31 nailbiter against 3 Texas.

I mean college football fans could not have asked for more.

In the opener, the Rose Bowl, Alabama was up 20-13, 4:41 to play, before J.J. McCarthy calmly led the Wolverines down the field 75 yards in eight plays, Roman Wilson catching a 4-yard TD pass from McCarthy to tie it up and send the game into OT.

In overtime, Blake Corum ran it in from 17 yards to put Michigan ahead, and then Bama was stuffed, with Jalen Milroe keeping the ball himself on a draw on the final play, a highly questionable call.

The Wolverines’ defense was terrific the whole game, holding the Tide to just 288 yards, Milroe 16 of 23, but for just 116!  He was sacked six times, while Alabama could only get to McCarthy once.

But it was more than the sacks, Milroe was constantly hurried, stopped for losses and it just seemed Alabama was out of sync.  That said, they were still there in the end, and up seven with under 5:00 to play.

In the nightcap, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. threw for 430 yards and two touchdowns, receivers Rome Odunze (6-125) and Ja’Lynn Polk (5-122-1), his two prime targets like they have been all season.  The sixth-year quarterback with two surgically repaired knees is leading the Pac-12 to a possible championship in its final season.

Ironically, Washington is moving to the Big Ten and will play Michigan in Seattle in ten months.

As for the finish of this one, Texas had four shots at the end zone after getting to the UW 12 with 15 seconds remaining, but Quinn Ewers (24/43, 318, 1-0, plus 54 yards rushing) missed on the last three. The final throw was a fade to Adonai Mitchell that was perfectly covered by Elijah Jackson.

Texas is heading to the SEC, and we’ll hear in the next few days whether Ewers is coming back for one more season or testing the NFL waters.

Back to Penix, who enhanced his draft prospects by dropping some awesome dimes in both the Oregon game, for the Pac-12 title, and then yesterday, he had suffered three season-ending injuries, one to each knee and one to this throwing shoulder, in his four seasons at Indiana.

But when his former offensive coordinator at IU, Kalen DeBoer, took over at Washington, Penix was quick to follow him to Seattle, and then decided to take advantage of an extra year of eligibility to return for a second year, and a Heisman Trophy runner-up finish to Jayden Daniels.

--In the Fiesta Bowl, I know Bo Nix said on Heisman night he was playing in it for 8 Oregon, but I was still surprised he actually was on the field and doing what Bo Nix does…play awesome and win.  Nix was 19/25, 257, 4-0, at the half…all four touchdown passes in the second quarter, as the Ducks raced to a 31-6 halftime lead over 23 Liberty.  Tez Johnson had eight receptions for 129 in the half as well.

Nix ended up playing through the third quarter, 28/35, 363, 5-0, as the Ducks won it, 45-6, this after Liberty jumped on top first at 6-0 (missing the extra point).

I’ve been a huge Bo Nix fan since he got to Oregon, and I really wish my Jets would select him.  He’s going to be a very good pro, and he’s much better than a projected No. 20+ pick in the opening round.

Hell, the guy already has more high-level experience than Zach Wilson has, both college and pro, in the latter’s case.

He’s also obviously a high-character guy.

--21 Tennessee finishes 9-4 with a 35-0 demolition of 17 Iowa (10-4), holding the Hawkeyes to 173 yards in the Citrus Bowl.

--13 LSU, sans Jayden Daniels, beat Wisconsin (7-6) 35-31 in the ReliaQuest Bowl, the Tigers finishing a nice season at 10-3.

--Former Oregon State (and Clemson) quarterback, DJ Uiagalelei, announced he is transferring to Florida State, while perhaps the No. 1 QB prospect in the portal, Washington State’s Cam Ward, declared for the NFL draft Monday.

NFL Playoff Standings

AFC

1. Baltimore…13-3…No. 1 seed
2. Miami…11-5
3. Kansas City…10-6…locked into 3-seed
4. Jacksonville…9-7
5. Cleveland…11-5…clinched 5-seed
6. Buffalo…10-6
7. Indianapolis…9-7

8. Houston…9-7
9. Pittsburgh…9-7

NFC

1. San Francisco…12-4…No. 1 seed
2. Dallas…11-5
3. Detroit…11-5
4. Tampa Bay…8-8
5. Philadelphia…11-5
6. Los Angeles…9-7…clinched wild card
7. Green Bay…8-8
8. Seattle…8-8
9. New Orleans…8-8

So, in terms of the big games Sat. and Sun. coming up….

Saturday, Pittsburgh is at Baltimore, the Steelers needing to win and then receive lots of help.  The issue is how much the Ravens’ key players will actually play.

Saturday night, it’s a win-and-in between Houston and Indianapolis, in Indy.  But if Jacksonville loses to Tennessee on Sunday, the winner of Houston-Indy could be AFC South champion.

Sunday, Tampa Bay can wrap up the NFC South by winning at Carolina, but should the Rays stumble, the Atlanta (7-9) at New Orleans winner could be AFC South champion.

Philadelphia is at New York and Dallas is at Washington, Dallas needing to win take the NFC East.

Green Bay (after a 33-10 win over Minnesota in the Sunday night game) just needs to beat Chicago at home, though the Bears have been playing very well.

And then you have the biggie, Sunday night, Buffalo at Miami for the AFC East crown.  Miami has clinched a playoff spot regardless, but if Buffalo loses, they could conceivably fall out of the playoffs.

--Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin then decided Monday that even though Kenny Pickett was cleared following ankle surgery, he was sticking with Mason Rudolph, who has guided the Steelers to two consecutive wins, including Sunday’s 30-23 win at Seattle, Rudolph 18/24, 274, 0-0, 112.2.  [Najee Harris also had 122 yards rushing, George Pickens with his second consecutive big game at receiver, 7-131, with Rudolph at the helm.]

--In another late game after I posted, the Chiefs locked up their playoff slot (and eighth straight AFC West crown) with a 25-17 win over the Bengals, Patrick Mahomes with a better effort…21/29, 245, 1-0, 109.1; Isiah Pacheco with 130 yards on 18 carries, having recovered from his concussion when he stupidly lost his helmet twice and got kneed in the head in the prior game.

--The Dolphins suffered a big loss as star linebacker Bradley Chubb suffered a torn ACL with just 3:05 left and Miami down 49-19 to the Ravens at the time.  This could be disastrous for a defense that already lost linebacker Jaelen Phillips for the season to an Achilles tear.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel took ownership of the fact he chose to leave his starting defense in with his team down 30 points and Lamar Jackson out of game.  Just dumb. And most likely costly.

--The Round 1 draft order after Sunday’s play.

1. Chicago (from CAR)
2. Washington
3. New England
4. Arizona
5. Giants…should definitely take a QB
6. Chargers
7. Tennessee
8. Jets…take Bo Nix, let him learn under Rodgers, and get offensive line help in the other rounds…
9. Atlanta
10. Chicago

Quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are still the top two on most draft boards, but will the Bears stick with Justin Fields?

--In a video clip that went viral Sunday, Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper, long known for his temper when he was making his $billions on Wall Street, appeared to toss a drink from a luxury suite in the direction of Jaguars fans in the stands at Jacksonville’s EverBank Stadium.

The incident reportedly took place after Panthers QB Bryce Young threw an interception late in the fourth quarter.  It was unclear if Tepper was reacting to a play on the field or to possible comments from fans during what ended as a 26-0 loss.

Team owners are subject to the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

To say it has been a disastrous year for Tepper is an understatement. The team is not only 2-14, but the Bears own the Panthers’ No. 1 pick in April’s draft, thanks to a trade last spring in which Carolina moved up to No. 1 in the 2023 draft to grab Young, a former star at Alabama.

There were concerns over Young’s 5’10”, 204-pound body, slight for NFL quarterbacks, but Tepper said in April his team saw the quarterback as having “the highest probability of winning Super Bowls.”

Young has sucked this year, and he has a shitty supporting cast, to put it bluntly.

As for the stories on Tepper’s temper, a 2010 New York magazine profile described him as having an occasionally volatile temperament.

“I had stuff thrown at me,” a source described by the magazine as a former colleague of Tepper said of him.  “…It’s almost like Jekyll and Hyde, you didn’t know any given day who was going to walk through the door.”

Tepper told New York magazine then that he “used to be worse” and was now “kinder and gentler.” [Des Bieler / Washington Post]

College Basketball

--We had a big upset late Sunday, as Stanford (6-6) made a school-record 16 3-pointers in a 100-82 upset of 4 Arizona.  Freshman guard Kanaan Carlyle scored 25 points for the Cardinal.

--New AP Poll (records thru Sunday)

1. Purdue (49) 12-1
2. Kansas (5) 12-1
3. Houston (9) 13-0
4. UConn 11-2
5. Tennessee 9-3
6. Kentucky 10-2
7. Marquette 11-3
8. North Carolina 9-3
9. Illinois 10-2
10. Arizona 10-3…down 6 after Sunday’s loss
11. Oklahoma 12-1
12. BYU 12-1
13. Colorado State 12-1
14. Duke 9-3
15. Memphis 11-2
16. Clemson 11-1
17. FAU 10-3…down 10
18. Baylor 10-2
19. James Madison 13-0
20. Texas 10-2
21. Wisconsin 9-3
22. Mississippi 13-0
23. Providence 11-2
24. Gonzaga 9-4…down 11
25. Auburn 10-2

The Zags, despite losing 3 of 5, remain in the poll, which they’ve been in since Jan. 11, 2016, but the streak is in serious jeopardy.

I said San Diego State would be in the top 25 after beating Gonzaga, but the Aztecs are No. 26, if you carry out the votes.

NBA

--OG Anunoby made his Knicks debut Monday afternoon at the Garden against Minnesota, as New York took on the West’s best team.  OG, the key piece in a trade with Toronto on Saturday, then played 35 minutes despite the whirlwind he went through, packing, flying to New York, getting a physical, being handed a playbook.

And yet he was terrific, an instant fan favorite, 17 points and 6 rebounds, plus his signature tough defense (plus-19) before fouling out.

More importantly, the Knicks came up with a terrific 112-106 win to improve to 18-15, Julius Randle dominating for 39 points, the Wolves falling to 24-8.

--Meanwhile, former Knicks RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley started for their new team last night, the Raptors, who beat the Cavs 124-121, Barrett with 19 points and 9 rebounds, Quickley 14 points.

Stuff

--Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was arrested in the D.R. after he failed to show up for a scheduled meeting with prosecutors regarding an investigation into an alleged inappropriate relationship with a minor.

Franco’s whereabouts had been unknown since last Thursday until he arrived in Santo Domingo with his lawyers on Monday, according to various reports.

He was apparently arrested because of his failure to show last week and not because of advancements in the investigation.

--With the first tournament of the PGA Tour season days away out in Hawaii, after I posted Sunday, that evening, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan issued a memo to players stating that the Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund were “working to extend” the negotiations into the new year.

Three people familiar with the talks told the New York Times’ Lauren Hirsch that they were discussing a formal one-month extension, which could be further prolonged.

Meanwhile, the PGA Tour continues to hold simultaneous talks to raise additional money from Strategic Sports Group, an investment group led by Fenway Sports Group – parent company of the Red Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Premier League club Liverpool.

Monahan said Sunday the Tour and Strategic Sports Group “have made meaningful progress” in their talks.

So we wait to see what develops.  This cannot drag on much further without, for one, fans of the sport beginning to tune out.

--The sport of NASCAR lost one of its all-time greats on New Year’s Eve, driver Cale Yarborough. He was 84.

“Cale Yarborough was one of the toughest competitors NASCAR has ever seen.  His combination of talent, grit and determination separated Cale from his peers, both on the track and in the record book,” said Jim France, chairman and CEO of NASCAR.  “He was respected and admired by competitors and fans alike and was as comfortable behind the wheel of a tractor as he was behind the wheel of a stock car.”

Known for his fierce toughness and grit, Yarborough won the Daytona 500 four times and the Southern 500 at his home track of Darlington Raceway five times. His 83 Cup Series victories are tied with Jimmie Johnson for sixth on NASCAR’s all-time wins list.

“But one of his most famous moments came in the 1979 Daytona 500, the first to be televised live flag to flag across the country.  Yarborough, a Golden Gloves boxer who also earned a football scholarship to Clemson, crashed while racing with Donnie Allison on the final lap for the win. The two drivers got out of their wrecked cars to fight, Allison’s brother, Bobby, pulled over to join the scrap and it was two Allison brothers versus Yarborough as Richard Petty crossed the finish line first.

“It was a breakthrough moment for NASCAR, which, because of a snowstorm on the East Coast, was being shown on live television to its largest audience ever.” [Jenna Fryer / AP]

Yarborough quit full-time racing after winning six races in 1980 and finishing second in the Cup standings after winning three straight crowns from 1976-78.

After retirement, Yarborough opened and operated a used car dealership in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina and served on the Florence County Council.

--A 39-year-old surfer died in Hawaii after sustaining injuries in a “shark encounter,” the Maui Police Department said over the weekend.

Authorities didn’t reveal the extent of his injuries, not the species of shark involved.

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.

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[Posted early Sunday p.m., prior to late football action.  I will post an Add-on by early Tuesday p.m. that will get into the playoff situation, as well as cover the College Football Playoff action from Monday.]

College Football Quiz: For the period 1960 to 1989, name the seven schools that won multiple national championships, according to the Associated Press final poll, in that 30-year time frame.  Answer below.

NFL

--Joe Flacco did it again Thursday night against the Jets, throwing for 300 yards for the fourth consecutive game, the only Browns QB since at least 1970 to do so, according to football-refernce.com.

The Browns are 11-5 after the 37-20 pasting, Flacco with an astounding 296 yards in the first half (309 overall), despite throwing a pick six.

Meanwhile, Jets fans are wondering anew just what Woody Johnson was thinking when two weeks ago, he gave head coach Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas a vote of confidence, saying they would be back in 2024.  Of course, as I noted at the time, it’s Aaron Rodgers pulling the strings.

The Jets were awful again Thursday, another 12 penalties, the supposed vaunted defense having long packed it in for the season.

So before he left the interview room at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Saleh provided a glimpse of the toll that comes with all the losing (13 straight seasons without reaching the playoffs, for starters) and criticism.  A reporter asked Saleh why he didn’t seem angry or upset over the result:

“I’m not quite sure about that question,” Saleh said, glaring at the reporter before cutting off a clarification. “Do you want me to throw the podium on the floor?”

As Andy Vasquez of NJ.com described it:

“After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence – long enough to be certain that all nearby furniture would remain safely upright, but not quite long enough to point out that the coach was actually standing behind a lectern and not on a podium – a team official signaled the end of the Q&A session with a terse ‘thanks, everybody.’  The door to the locker room swung open. Saleh quickly headed back from where he came, grumbling (perhaps more loudly than he intended) a less-than-favorable evaluation of the question as he walked the few steps to the door and it shut behind him.

“It was far from a meltdown, but it was a fair question because this version of Saleh is in such stark contrast to the Saleh they hired nearly three years ago.”

The Jets have gone 4-13, 7-10 and now 6-10 under the coach.

And so there was also the obvious question, that I brought up long ago…why didn’t Joe Douglas sign Joe Flacco when Aaron Rodgers went down in September?  Flacco was on the team from 2020-22 as a backup.  Yeah, he was only 1-8 when he got a chance to start, but he exhibited that cannon of an arm and would have stabilized the team when it became clear Zach Wilson wasn’t cutting it as Rodgers’ replacement.  For one, Flacco would have hooked up with star receiver Garrett Wilson far more than the other QBs did this season.

Meanwhile, Flacco has now led Cleveland to its second playoff berth since 2002.

--Saturday night, the Lions (11-5) lost to the Cowboys (11-5) in Dallas, 20-19, when the third 2-point try by Detroit was an incomplete pass short of the goal line.

But boy, it was the first attempt at the two points that was successful, and then called back, which is making waves.

Detroit coach Dan Campbell said he explained to officials before playing the Cowboys what would happen on a 2-point conversion play the Lions had planned.

But officials ruled offensive lineman Taylor Decker wasn’t an eligible receiver when he caught the conversion pass that would have given the Lions the 21-20 lead with 23 seconds remaining.

The explanations, however, contradicted each other, with Goff saying he was certain Decker reported as an eligible receiver and Dan Skipper had not.  In a pool report, referee Brad Allen said the opposite, that Decker didn’t report and Skipper did.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” said Campbell, who was visibly angry with Allen when they talked after the officials made the ruling. “I explain everything pregame to a tee, OK? I did that.”

Allen said Skipper, a backup tackle, reported to him as an eligible receiver, but then went to the tackle spot, which meant he didn’t have to report at all.  Decker, the starting left tackle, was already in the game.

Video showed Decker having a conversation with Allen, who then said something to the Dallas defense.  But Skipper was also running towards the official.

“That conversation is where (Skipper) reports to me, and I then go to the defensive team, and I say to them ‘(Skipper) has reported as an eligible receiver,’ so they will be aware of who has reported and then I return to my position,” Allen said in the pool report.  “That was the conversation with the defensive line.”

Decker’s conversation with officials came after Goff’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown.  Campbell said he had already told his team he would go for the win if the Lions scored.

“All I want to say on it, just so I don’t get myself into trouble, is I did exactly what coach told me to do,” Decker said.  “It was my understanding, too. Dan brings up the possibility of those sorts of plays pregame, so I did what I was told to do. Did how we did it in practice all week.”

You clearly see Decker talking to the officials.  This is the issue.  What was he telling them, and did Allen just assume it was Skipper, or did he mix them up because both were there?

[Summit’s Michael Badgley was successful on field goals of 30 and 41 yards for the Lions, as well as his lone extra point attempt.]

--On to Sunday, and while Miami at Baltimore was the showcase early contest…we started the day with the following needing to continue to win.

Wild Card standings….

AFC

7. Indianapolis 8-7
8. Houston 8-7
9. Pittsburgh 8-7

NFC

6. Los Angeles 8-7
7. Seattle 8-7

A bunch of 7-8 teams wanting to get back into the conversation in the NFC.

Well, the Steelers are facing the Seahawks in a late game, after I post.

But as for the others….

Indianapolis defeated the Raiders (7-9), 23-20, to maintain the 7th position at 9-7.

Houston, with C.J. Stroud back at quarterback following his concussion issues, easily handled Tennessee (5-11) 26-3, Stroud looking solid, 24/32, 213, 1-0, 102.7.

Indy and Houston square off next Sunday.

And the Rams remain ahead of Seattle at 9-7, barely, as in an epic final few minutes the Giants fell short after putting up a tremendous effort, 26-25.

After New York’s Gunner Olszewski returned a punt 94 yards to cut L.A.’s lead to 26-25, 3:37 to play, the Giants went for two and Tyrod Taylor muffed the conversion on what should have been an easy pass to Saquan Barkley for what would have been the go-ahead score.

But the Giants got it back, Taylor with a 31-yard run to set up Mason Crosby for a 54-yard field goal attempt and the win, but Crosby’s kick was rather crappy, dying left and short.

There were three missed extra points in the game, two by L.A.’s kicker, and they’ll be talking about this one for a few days.

[Wake Forest rookie Kobie Turner had another 2 ½ sacks for the Rams, giving him 9 on the season, and he’s a DT!]

And then there is Jacksonville, atop the AFC South, ahead of Indy and Houston, but also 8-7 entering their game against the 2-13 Panthers.  The Jags were without quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who missed the first NFL game of his career, ruled out with a sprained AC joint in his shoulder.  C.J. Beathard started in his place.

No problem.  Jacksonville wins it 26-0, holding Bryce Young and the Panthers to 124 total yards.

As for Miami-Baltimore, it was 28-13 Ravens at the half, Lamar Jackson wrapping up the NFL MVP Award with a perfect performance at the intermission, 12/14, 255, 3-0, 158.3 (the top mark you can attain), and it ended 56-19, Jackson finishing up the El Perfecto, 18/21, 321, 5-0, 158.3.  What a terrible performance by the Dolphins.  But, yes, Baltimore is the top team in the NFL right now.

Meanwhile, San Francisco (12-4) maintained the top seed in the NFC, 27-10 over the pathetic Commanders (4-12).

But the Eagles fell to 11-5, inexplicably losing to the Cardinals (4-12) after leading 21-6 at the half.  Kyler Murray, 3 touchdown passes, led the comeback, James Conner rushing for 128 yards and a touchdown, former Wake Forest receiver Greg Dortch with seven receptions for 82 yards, and some good kickoff and punt returns.  Unreal.

Buffalo continued to roll, now 10-6, after a 27-21 win over New England (4-12). But Josh Allen was awful, 15/30, 169, 0-1, 53.3, though he rushed for two touchdowns.

New Orleans is still in it, 8-8, sending NFC South rival Tampa Bay to 8-8 as well, after a 23-13 win.  But the Bucs own the tiebreaker and play the Panthers next week.  The Saints host the Falcons, who lost to the Bears today, 37-17.

I’ll have all the playoff details in my Add-on…Now, it’s time for a little New Year’s Eve break for moi.

--Denver benched Russell Wilson.  The 35-year-old quarterback is about to enter the first year of a five-year, $245 million extension he signed back in September 2022, before he even played a game for Denver.

But he is guaranteed $39 million for the 2024 season but nothing after that.  His entire 2025 salary ($37 million), though, becomes guaranteed if he’s on Denver’s roster when the 2024 league year starts on March 17.

Wilson has known his days were numbered and he’s handled it well, expecting to be cut in the offseason.

The Broncos would save some money, though, by designating him as a post-June 1 release.

He was benched to keep him healthy, because injured players cannot be outright released – without a negotiated injury settlement, at least. Jarrett Stidham is filling in for Wilson, who was having a solid season, 26 touchdown passes, 8 interceptions, 98.0 PR.

But the Broncos, 7-8, had lost their last two to see their playoff hopes essentially go up in flames.

Wilson would be an interesting option for the Giants.

College Football

--Barry Svrluga / Washington Post

“Texas is preparing to face Washington in one of the College Football Playoff’s semifinals, but the Longhorns’ backup quarterback – who steered his team to a pair of midseason victories when starter Quinn Ewers was hurt – has already left the program.  Unbeaten Florida State was (in)famously left out of the CFP, in part because the Seminoles looked shaky without backup quarterback Tate Rodemaker in the ACC championship game against Louisville. Rodemaker would have been healthy for an attractive Orange Bowl matchup with Georgia – except, like Texas quarterback Maalik Murphy, he decided to transfer, too.

“College football’s offseason comes when its season is still decidedly on, with players’ newfound – and justified – free agency occurring while practices are ongoing and bowl games fill the TV lineup.  The sport’s leaders – that term is, of course, used loosely – have chosen chaos over order. The result is confusion.

“Lane Kiffin, you coach Mississippi and you have spent the week trying to get your team ready to face Penn State in the Peach Bowl.  Take it away.

“ ‘It’s a terrible system,’ Kiffin told reporters in Atlanta leading up to Saturday’s game.  ‘…I wouldn’t think any other sport, professional sports, have ever set up a system where free agency starts while the season is still going.

“ ‘So it really makes no sense.  You can leave.  You can stay.  You can go other places.  Coaches can call you – and our season is still going.  It would be like before the NFC or AFC playoffs start in a couple weeks, all of a sudden, ‘Hey, free agency, the week before, opens!’’

“There’s a lot going on here and not much that makes sense.  Let’s be clear from the jump: College athletes should have the right to transfer without penalty – the old sit-out-a-year-rule was garbage – just like any other college student can transfer without consequences.  The athletes produce the product.  The athletes should have rights. The athletes aren’t the problem.

“What has resulted, though, are several red-letter days on the college football calendar that are completely out of order.  It’s as if the sport’s alphabet starts E-B-A-C-D.

“First comes the opening of the transfer window – this year, Dec. 4.  That’s two days after the conclusion of the conference championship games and one day after the CFP selection committee makes its choices.

“Players can transfer through Jan. 2 – which happens to be the day after the CFP semis.  Oh, and in the middle of it comes early signing day Dec. 20.  All incoming freshmen have to warily watch the players in the transfer portal, while those potential transfers cash a suspicious eye right back.  Even if coaches aren’t making official depth charts, players and their parents are. It’s a puzzle figuring out where a kid might have the best opportunity to play, except the pieces never stop moving.

“So consider Murphy’s predicament: If Ewers got hurt against Washington, he might be thrust into action – meaningful action – on the sport’s biggest stage.  But if he’s thinking about his career – and he is, understandably – he knows Ewers may return to Texas for what would be his third season in 2024.  He also knows former No. 1 recruit Arch Manning – yes, of those Mannings – replaced Ewers in a late-season blowout win over Texas Tech while Murphy watched from the sideline.

“Murphy wants real playing time as a college quarterback.  His options this month: Stick around through the playoffs and maybe watch the Longhorns win a national title – and even help them do it.  Of he could leave, either now or later.  There’s another transfer window in April, by which point Murphy still might be behind Ewers and Manning.  Wait and transfer then, and he would have lost a semester of workouts with a new school.

“So last week, Murphy announced he would transfer to Duke – and the Longhorns’ practices and  preparations for the program’s biggest game since it played for the national title following the 2009 season are changed because of it.”

And as Barry Svrluga observes, as for the other bowl games, the non-playoff ones, between ongoing transfers and players opting out of playing to protect their health in preparation for the NFL draft, you’re left with “bowl games with a spring game feel. The games can be competitive and compelling, but they don’t really relate to the season just past.”

Next year, with an expanded 12-team CFP, you are no doubt going to have some controversial player moves among those in the playoffs.  No one should be surprised.

At least this year, J.J. McCarthy, who may or may not come back as Michigan’s quarterback next year, or head to the draft, is “completely in the present moment,” as he put it, not addressing his intentions.  But that uncertainty means all the quality QBs in the transfer portal can’t really consider Michigan.

Yup, a mess, and not likely to get better.

Witness the Orange Bowl, with No. 6 Georgia finishing the season 13-1, after mauling 5 Florida State, 63-3, a game that was 42-3 at the half (I said it would be 35-0), as the depleted Seminoles were outgained 673-209.  FSU, feeling like they were dissed after a 13-0 season and not getting into the CFP, going home humiliated.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart, though, after the game, sounded like Barry Svrluga.

“Maybe I’m wrong here and maybe this will be a bad sound bite,” Smart said near the end of his postgame press conference. “People need to see what happened tonight, and they need to fix this. It needs to be fixed.  It’s very unfortunate that they, who has a good football team and a good football program, are in the position they’re in.”

Florida State had 28 players miss the game due to opt outs, injuries or transfer.  They were missing a whopping 14 starters, Georgia had just a few key players out.

“Everybody can say it’s their fault,” Smart said.  “Everybody can say we had our guys and they didn’t have their guys. I can listen to all that, but college football has to decide what they want.  I know things are changing and things are going to change next year (with the 12-team playoff), but you know what?  There’s still going to be bowl games outside of those.  People got to decide what they want and what they want to get out of it.”

--I hadn’t watched a lick of any bowl game until Thursday, when I caught virtually all of SMU-Boston College at Fenway Park, and then Miami and Rutgers in Yankee Stadium, and these were two highly entertaining games.

B.C. finishes 7-6 with a very nice 23-14 win over No. 24 SMU (11-3), Thomas Castellanos, the quarterback for the Eagles, rushing for 156 yards and two touchdowns.

Rutgers also finishes 7-6 with a 31-24 victory over Miami (7-6).  Yes, this one was chippy, the “Chippy Bowl,” everyone was saying after.

But for RU, it was a good showcase for their offensive star, running back Kyle Monangai, 25 carries, 163 yards and a touchdown.

Seriously, Rutgers could be good next year, with Monangai, I imagine, receiving some Heisman Trophy attention.  But RU has to find a quarterback! 

--So Friday in the Cotton Bowl, 9 Missouri beat 7 Ohio State, 14-3, as Mizzou (11-2) had starting quarterback Brady Cook and star running back Cody Schrader (29 carries, 128 yards and a touchdown) in the lineup, while Ohio State did not have quarterback Kyle McCord (who transferred to Syracuse) nor All-American wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., preparing for the draft.  And so it goes.

--Saturday, 11 Ole Miss finished 11-2, 38-25 over 10 Penn State (10-3), the first 11-win season in school history, and a definite 2024 national title contender.  Both teams had a majority of their key players in action, with Mississippi quarterback Jaxson Dart throwing for 379 yards and three touchdowns.

Once again, Penn State coach James Franklin comes up small in a biggie.

--One other note on bowl game action.  USC finished on a positive note, defeating 15 Louisville (10-4) 42-28 in San Diego Wednesday night, as sophomore QB Miller Moss, in place of Caleb Williams, threw six touchdown passes, one short of a major college bowl game record (Joe Burrow’s seven in LSU’s 63-28 win over Oklahoma in a 2019 CFP semifinal).

So the Trojans, finishing 8-5, could have their answer at QB for 2024.

NBA

--It’s been all about the Pistons lately, and on Thursday, at Boston, Detroit had a 66-47 halftime lead as they sought to break their single-season record 27-game losing streak, and avoid No. 28, which would have tied the overall NBA record for longest streak over two seasons.

But the game was tied by the end of the third quarter, and Detroit lost in overtime, 128-122 to the league-best Celtics.

The Pistons played heroically, Boston leading by six with under two minutes left in the fourth quarter, Bojan Bogdanovic’s putback forcing overtime.  But then they lost it.

Tuesday, I watched the entire Nets-Pistons game (nothing else on) and it was fascinating, Brooklyn pulling it out 118-112 to hand Detroit loss No. 27, setting the single-season mark.

The Nets have a lot of solid pieces, 8 or 9 players that would be part of every elite team’s rotation, they just don’t have  a star.  The Pistons, however, have one in the making in Cade Cunningham, the overall No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft who is really emerging this season despite Detroit’s problems, Cunningham with 41 Tuesday, and 31 against Boston.

So now we’re on to Saturday night, and the Pistons hosted the Raptors.

The game was set up for the Pistons to win, because as I’ll explain shortly, the Raptors were missing two key pieces that had been traded in the afternoon, three players in all.  And Toronto had lost the night before in Boston, 120-118.

So the Pistons did it, barely, a 129-127 victory, as Cade Cunningham continued to shine, 30 points and 12 assists.  The streak is over at 28.

--Tyrese Halliburton had himself a game for the ages Thursday night against the Bulls, as the Pacers won it 120-104.  The rising superstar had 21 points and 20 assists, with zero turnovers…only the second player in the basketball-reference database to have 20+ points, 20+ assists and 0 turnovers in a single game, Chris Paul the other in 2016.

--Speaking of Halliburton, he then had another phenomenal game, and having watched it all, rather quietly, 22 points and 23 assists, with just two turnovers, as the Pacers beat a shorthanded Knicks team, 140-126 in Indianapolis, despite Donte DiVincenzo’s spectacular career-high 38, 7 of 11 from three.

The Knicks have gone through a brutal stretch, five games in eight days, and after beating Milwaukee on Christmas Day at the Garden, went on the road to lose at Oklahoma City on Wednesday, 129-120, then fell to the Magic in Orlando, Friday, 117-108, and went to Indiana for Saturday’s effort, so the Knicks have fallen to 17-15.

But I said they were shorthanded because on Saturday, the Knicks pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Raptors, sending RJ Barrett (who is from Toronto) and Immanuel Quickley, plus a 2024 second-round draft pick, for Raptors forward OG Anunoby, big man Precious Achiuwa, and point guard Malachi Flynn.

I loved the move immediately.  But before I go on, the New York Post’s Mike Vaccaro summed it up perfectly for us long-time Knicks fans.

“This group of Knicks had learned to play well together.  This group had enjoyed some wonderful success beginning last year, with a terrific push down the stretch and a satisfying first-round playoff win over the Cavaliers. This group had mostly carried that over to this year, showing splashes of its finest qualities: resilience, grittiness, work ethic.

“But one other thing had become apparent about this group.

“It had reached its ceiling.

“That was fine, on one hand.  You can generate a lot of excitement in a basketball city like this one with a 44-to-48-win team that plays hard every night. And in many ways, RJ Barrett had symbolized this rise from the dust: just as the Knicks had gotten better most every year (save for 2021-22), so, too, had Barrett.  If the Knicks as a whole were bumping against that ceiling, it feels like Barrett may still have a few stories higher to climb.  [Ed. I totally disagree with Vaccaro on this last point.  Barrett isn’t getting any better, even though he’s still just 23.] ….

“But in OG Anunoby, the Knicks acquire a two-way player who ought to be a perfect fit inside their core rotation.  Just by showing up he improves the Knicks’ defense… And if Anunoby’s offensive numbers don’t match Barrett’s, his is a game that requires the ball far less frequently than Barrett, and in an offense where Randle and Jalen Brunson command the ball so much, that’s significant.

“And don’t sleep on one of the secondary names in the deal, either.  The addition of Precious Achiuwa provides an immediate strengthening of the Knicks’ interior….

“Back in July, when the Knicks and Anunoby were first linked, a longtime NBA executive familiar with both the Knicks and the Raptors told me: ‘The Knicks are a really nice team. There’s nothing wrong with having a really nice team, at all. But there’s only so much you can expect to achieve with a really nice team.’….

“Sports teams are like sharks, after all: they have to keep moving or they die.

“The Knicks are moving forward.  They shook up their comfortable core.  It was the right thing to do.”

The 6-foot-7 Anunoby is averaging 15.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists, while shooting 37% from downtown.  He was an NBA All-Defensive second team selection last season.  He was the No. 23 overall pick in the 2017 draft out of Indiana.

“OG will bring one of the toughest-minded, competitive and winning driven players in the NBA,” former Indiana coach Tom Crean told NJ Advance Media.

“His passion for defending and taking away other top players strengths is extensive and extremely high level. He works tirelessly on improvement throughout the season and off season….

“The city of New York and Knicks fans are going to love his dedication and determination and be very happy he’s on their side.”

I’m pumped.

One other item…while the Knicks will deeply miss Quickley’s production off the bench, they had a glut of guards and this will free up more playing time for Quentin Grimes and Miles McBride.  The Knicks then extended McBride’s contract Saturday for three years, $13 million, a good move.  He’s a terrific defender and deserving of more PT.

*I have to admit that as soon as I heard about the trade, I immediately thought of Dec. 19, 1968, and the Knicks acquiring Dave DeBusschere, the power forward, from the Pistons for Walt Bellamy and Howard Komives.

DeBusschere proved to be the missing piece, but they didn’t win the championship that 1968-69 season.  They won the following year.  So maybe history will repeat in 2024-25.  I’m sure the Knicks have one more move in mind.  They have tremendous draft capital remaining.

College Basketball

--It was a quiet week until we had some conference play begin over the weekend.

--Friday, San Diego State (11-2) will likely be back in the top 25 after an 84-74 win over 13 Gonzaga (9-4).

--Saturday, Wake Forest opened ACC play at home against a solid Virginia Tech team and I couldn’t have been more proud, being glued to this one, as the Deacs showed a defensive intensity throughout the entire contest that I haven’t seen before, Wake blowing out the Hokies (9-4), 86-63, a game that was 44-24 at the half.  As total a team effort as you will find, each of the starting five scoring at least 13 points, the Deacs committing just seven turnovers to VT’s 19!

Wake is 9-3, seven straight, and now, as I’ve been writing, we have a biggie on Tuesday at Boston College.  If we win that one to start out 2-0 in the ACC, our confidence will be soaring, not that it isn’t already after Saturday’s impressive display. We’ll also start getting some votes in the AP Poll.

--Also Saturday, 10 Marquette (11-3) took out 22 Creighton (9-4) 72-67 in Milwaukee.

--But out of nowhere yesterday, 7 Florida Atlantic (10-3) lost to Florida Gulf Coast (6-9) 72-68.  The college hoops world is trying to figure out just who FAU is.  They get to the Final Four last year, have essentially the same team coming back, then lose to Bryant, beat Arizona, and then lose to FGC.  Tiz a puzzlement.

--No. 11 Illinois suffered a big blow with the arrest of potential All-American guard, Terrence Shannon Jr., who was arrested Thursday on a rape charge and then immediately suspended from the program, the school announced.

A warrant for his arrest was issued Wednesday by authorities in Lawrence, Kansas, after an alleged incident on Sept. 8 while Shannon was in attendance for the Illinois-Kansas football game.

Shannon, 23, then traveled to Lawrence on Thursday to turn himself in and posted bail.

He was averaging 21.7 points per game, along with 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

Shannon played three years at Texas Tech before transferring to Illinois for the 2022-23 season and was named First-Team All-Big Ten last season.

--Former DePaul player and then coach, Joey Meyer, died Friday at the age of 74.  No cause of death was given by the family, who said they were with him in the end.

After scoring 1,233 points, averaging over 13 per game for his three seasons at the school, including a senior year in which he scored 19.2 points per game while playing for his legendary father, Ray, Meyer was drafted by the Buffalo Braves in 1971, but did not suit up in any games.

Meyer then joined the DePaul staff as an assistant under his father, holding the position for 10 years.

In 1984, he took over the head coaching duties, reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first five years.

Meyer’s best campaign came in 1986-87 when the school went 28-3 and made it to the Sweet 16 for a second straight year, eventually falling to LSU.

Overall, he was 231-158, 6-7 in NCAA Tournament games, and he led DePaul into three different appearances in the NIT.

MLB

--Right-hander Lucas Giolito and the Red Sox agreed to a two-year, $38.5 million contract on Friday, Giolito with an opt-out after the first year. He was just 8-15, 4.88, with three teams last season, leading the American League with 41 home runs allowed.

But he gives you 30+ starts and is capable of a few gems.

The Mets were hot on his trail as well.

--Isiah Kiner-Falefa agreed to a two-year, $15 million deal with the Blue Jays on Wednesday.  IKF, as he was known in New York, had a rocky, up-and-down two years with the Yankees, a polarizing figure when he became an everyday shortstop in 2022.  He hit .261, but with just a .642 OPS, and was not a great fielder.  And in 2023, he was much of the same.

But he played every position last season, apart from catcher and first base, and he held his own in center field.

So the Rangers are looking at his versatility.

--Saturday, the Braves pulled off a mini-shocker with the Red Sox, acquiring 34-year-old starter Chris Sale for a promising infielder Vaughn Grissom.

Sale, who finished in the top six in the Cy Young Award voting seven consecutive seasons, 2012-2018, has been on one injured list after another since then, but showed signs of his old self last season in 20 starts, 125 strikeouts in 102 2/3 innings.

Sale is owed $27,500,000 in 2024 and has a club option for 2025, but Boston is paying $17 million of Sale’s salary.

IF the guy can stay reasonably healthy, like 25 starts, 140 innings, and he’s healthy at season end for the playoffs, this will have been yet another coup for the Braves, much to the detriment of Mets fans.

--Tampa Bay shortstop Wander Franco did not respond to a summons filed in the Dominican Republic to address allegations that he had inappropriate relationships with minors, the agency director said Thursday.

At least two people have filed legal action against Franco.  He is also under investigation for allegedly having a relationship with a third minor, sources told ESPN, although there has been no formal complaint to authorities from the third girl.

Franco was placed on administrative leave in August by Major League Baseball, which is also investigating the allegations.

--According to a press release by Auction Monthly, a California-based company that evaluates and consigns sports memorabilia, a treasure trove of more than 600 cards “were discovered in a closet by a Northern California resident cleaning out his father’s home” and are “some of the rarest vintage baseball cards from the 1920s.”

The early 1900s Pedro Cut Plug Tobacco tin was filled with “many different types of pre-war baseball cards from the 1920s era including strip baseball cards from 1919 to 1923 and rare 1924-26 Zeenuts cards that were distributed on the West Coast.”

Among the collection were 1919 ‘Black Sox’ and Babe Ruth cards, ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson, Ty Cobb and George Sisler. 

They will be sold on AuctionMonthly.com, though it seems to private buyers and at various sports card auctions.

Premier League

--Lots and lots of PL action this week…the best time of year for fans, the worst for the players, frankly, with all the action crammed in.

Among the biggies….

Tuesday, Aston Villa took an early 2-0 lead at Manchester United, and then United scored three times in the second half for a thrilling 3-2 win.  Liverpool beat Burnley, 2-0.

Wednesday, Manchester City defeated Everton 3-1.

Thursday, Arsenal was upset at home by West Ham, 2-0; while Brighton defeated Tottenham 4-2.

Saturday, Aston Villa rebounded to beat Burnley, 3-2; City defeated Sheffield, 2-0; and Nottingham defeated Man U 2-1.

Sunday, Fulham handed Arsenal its second straight loss (out of nowhere), 2-1; and Tottenham beat Bournemouth 3-1.

The table after 19/20 of 38….

1. Liverpool…19 – 42 points …plays Newcastle Monday…
2. Aston Villa…20 – 42
3. Man City…19 – 40
4. Arsenal…20 – 40
5. Tottenham…20 – 39
6. West Ham…19 – 33

Everton, suddenly losers of three straight, after winning four following their big 10-point penalty, is back to just one point above relegation.

17. Everton…20 – 16
18. Luton…19 – 15
19. Burnley…20 – 11
20. Sheffield…20 – 9  

Stuff

--The New York Rangers recorded a franchise-best 25th victory through 35 games with a terrific 5-1 win against Tampa Bay on the road, Saturday, Artemi Panarin, who is having a great season himself, with his second hat trick of the month.

The Rangers are 9-1 after losses (having lost Friday at Florida) and 6-0 in the second game of back-to-back tilts this season, which is rather awesome.

--The PGA Tour starts its new season next weekend and I can’t wait.  On Friday, the tour released the commitment list for The Sentry, with 59 of the 60 eligible players set to compete at Kapalua Resort in a tournament that also doubles as the tour’s first signature event of the year.

The lone eligible golfer missing is Rory McIlroy, who in previous years has skipped the event, in order to begin his season in the Middle East on the DP World Tour.

But…nothing on the negotiations between the Tour and the Saudi PIF, which were to have been completed Dec. 31.

--We note the passing of Tom Smothers, half of the Smothers Brothers and the co-host of one of the most socially conscious and groundbreaking television in the history of the medium.  He was 86.

The National Comedy Center, on behalf of his family, said in a statement Wednesday that Smothers died Tuesday at home in Santa Rosa, California, following a battle with cancer.

“Tom was not only the loving older brother that everyone would want in their life, he was a one-of-a-kind creative partner.  I am forever grateful to have spent a lifetime together with him, on and off stage, for over 60 years,” his brother and the duo’s other half, Dick Smothers, said in the statement.  “Our relationship was like a good marriage – the longer we were together, the more we loved and respected one another.  We were truly blessed.”

I loved “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” which debuted on CBS in the fall of 1967.  It was an immediate hit.

As an obituary in the Associated Press put it:

“(The) Smothers Brothers would prove a turning point in television history, with its sharp eye for pop culture trends and young rock stars such as the Who and Buffalo Springfield, and its daring sketches – ridiculing the Establishment, railing against the Vietnam War and portraying members of the era’s hippie counterculture as gentle, fun-loving spirits – found an immediate audience with young baby boomers.  The show reached No. 16 in the ratings in its first season.

“It also drew the ire of network censors, and after years of battling with the brothers over the show’s creative content, the network abruptly canceled the program in 1970, accusing the siblings of failing to submit an episode in time for the censors to review.”

Years and years ago, I went to the Museum of Television and Radio in New York and spent hours just watching videos of their shows.  [I guess this is now The Paley Center for Media]  You could just sit in a little booth and pull up any old show you wanted and I settled on this one.

Oh, the Smothers Brothers could piss people off.  Like at Christmas, when other show hosts were sending best wishes to soldiers fighting overseas, Smothers offered his to draft dodgers who had moved to Canada.

In still another episode, the brothers returned blacklisted folk singer Pete Seeger to television for the first time in years.  The censors refused to air the segment, so the brothers brought Seeger back for another episode and this time his song, “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy,” widely viewed as ridiculing Lyndon Johnson for the Vietnam War, made the air.

After the show was canceled, the brothers sued CBS for $31 million and were awarded $775,000.

Tom and Dick Smothers were born in New York, their father an officer in the Navy.  In 1940, the father was transferred to the Philippines, and his wife, two sons and their sister, Sherry, accompanied him.

When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the family was sent home and Maj. Smothers remained.  He was captured by the Japanese during the war and died in captivity.  The family eventually moved to the Los Angeles suburb of Redondo Beach.

Tom and Dick had spent years on the nightclub and college circuits and doing TV guest  appearances, honing their own offbeat comedy routine that mixed folk music with a healthy dose of sibling rivalry.

They would come on stage, Tom with a guitar in hand, Dick toting an upright bass.  They would break into a traditional folks song, and after playing several bars, Tom, positioned as the dumb one, would mess it up, and then quickly claim he had meant to do that. As Dick, the serious, short-tempered one, berated him for failing to acknowledge his error, he would scream in exasperation, “Mom always liked you best!”

Among the writing crew they employed for the show were Rob Reiner, musician Mason Williams and comedian Steve Martin, who presented Smothers with the lifetime Emmy in 2008.  Regular musical guests included John Hartford, Glen Campbell and Jennifer Warnes.

Bob Einstein, now better known as stuntman Super Dave Osborne, had a recurring role as Officer Judy, a dour Los Angeles police officer who once cited guest Liberace for playing the piano too fast.

Tom Smothers had another talent, which he showed off from time to time, that being his considerable skills with a yo-yo, which helped sell a ton of them, including to my brother and I. All kids had a yo-yo back in those days.

Dick Smothers was a race-car driver, a legitimate one, who raced at Le Mans, Watkins Glen and Sebring, among other tracks.

Top 3 songs for the week 1/1/66: [Each year at this time I have to skip a year or I’d be repeating the same songs.]  #1 “The Sounds Of Silence” (Simon & Garfunkel)  #2 “We Can Work It Out” (The Beatles) #3 “I Got You (I Feel Good)” (James Brown)…and…#4 “Turn! Turn! Turn!” (The Byrds)  #5 “Over And Over” (The Dave Clark Five) #6 “Let’s Hang On!” (The 4 Seasons)  #7 “Fever” (The McCoys)  #8 “Ebb Tide” (The Righteous Brothers)  #9 “England Swings” (Roger Miller)  #10 “Make The World Go Away” (Eddy Arnold…great tune… ‘A’ week…)

College Football Quiz Answer: Seven schools that won multiple titles, per the AP, from 1960 to 1989….

Alabama, 5…1961, 64, 65, 78, 79
Notre Dame, 4…1966, 73, 77, 88
USC, 3…1962, 67, 72
Oklahoma, 3…1974, 75, 85
Miami, 3…1983, 87, 89
Nebraska, 2…1970, 71
Penn State, 2…1982, 86

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And now…the Annual Bar Chat Awards, with your host, Dave Chappelle.  Thank you for being here, Dave, after walking off the stage in Florida last night.  I would have done the same.

“Good to be here, Editor.  What do I have to do?”

“You can go now…just wanted to drop your name.”

“OK, thanks.  Happy New Year.”

And the awards…a brief show this year.

--Dirtball and Idiot…Ja Morant, for flashing a gun, at least twice, on social media, including after he had first been suspended for doing same.

--Male Rescuers of the Year…India’s “Rat Miners,” who helped save 41 workers trapped in a tunnel that had collapsed.

--Idiot and Jerk…Charissa Thompson, for making a mockery of her profession, sideline reporter, and thus dissing her compatriots.

--Athlete of the Year…Mikaela Shiffrin, for breaking the all-time FIS Alpine World Cup win total.

***All Shiffrin did this week is win both a slalom and giant slalom in Lienz, Austria, to give her 93 for her career.  One hundred not that far away, sports fans!

--Dirtballs…Simon Paul and Travis John Branson, who allegedly killed approximately 3,600 birds, including bald eagles and golden eagles on the Flathead Indian Reservation and elsewhere, looking to sell the tail feathers.

--Dirtball…Draymond Green.

--Hero Dog…Tucker, a 6-year-old chocolate lab, who alerted his owners that Pennsylvania escaped prisoner Michael Burham was in their backyard.  After the owners called police, Burham was caught shortly after.

--Hero Kids…fast-food coupons from KFC, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, and Chick-fil-A for the four children, aged 13, 9, 4 and 1, who survived 40 days in the Amazon jungle in Colombia after their plane crashed in May, killing all three adults on board, including their mother.  Just amazing.

--Asshole…PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, for totally botching the tour’s negotiations with the Saudi Public Investment Fund.

--Good Guy…to Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, who made a promise to his mother when he left Cincinnati early last year for the NFL Draft that one day he’d return to graduate, and he did just that this summer, picking up his bachelor’s degree after the Jets played their preseason opener in Canton, Ohio.  Gardner then flew to Cincinnati to make that commitment official and walk in his own graduation ceremony.

Gardner was invited to sit in a suite and he said he wanted to sit with his class, which he said was a bit surreal, lots of “quick selfies” being taken.

“One of (the students) had my Jets jersey on under his gown,” Gardner said, laughing.  “It was cool, man… Being able to feel like a student again.”

--Asshole and Dirtball…Phil Mickelson, for throwing one-time associate and gambler, Billy Walters, under the bus.

--Dirtball…James Harden, for calling Philadelphia 76ers team president Daryl Morey a liar, this after Harden picked up his $35.6 million option with the 76ers for this season and then promptly said he wanted to be traded.

Morey did all he could to find a suitable deal, and finally worked out a three-team transaction that had Harden going to the Clippers.  Philadelphia is 22-10, Los Angeles 19-12 through Saturday.

--Idiots…to Yevgeny Prigozhin’s fellow travelers on the plane.

--Dirtball…boxer and now Filipino legislator, Manny Pacquiao, for comparing gay people to animals, and far worse.

--Hero Dog, part II…Yoda, the 4-year-old Belgian Malinois who took down escaped killer Danilo Cavalcante.

--Idiot and Asshole…Tommy Tuberville, for all manner of reasons, but mainly for insulting high-ranking officers, including Gen. Eric Smith, a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who suffered a heart attack, while carrying out multiple duties due to Tuberville blocking promotions.

The senator from Alabama compared Gen. Smith’s job of making life-and-death decisions to his former job as a football coach.

--D—k…the U.S. Open protester who glued his feet to the stadium floor, disrupting the U.S. Open semifinals.

--Dirtball…Memphis guard Jamirah Shutes, who was charged with assault after hitting Bowling Green senior guard Elissa Brett in the face following the team’s 73-60 victory over the Tigers in the women’s NIT Super 16.

--Good Guy…The great Michael Jordan, who celebrated his 60th birthday on Friday by making a $10 million donation to Make-A-Wish; the largest donation ever received from an individual in the organization’s 43-year history.

Jordan’s hope was that by celebrating his birthday by making such a donation, he would inspire others to do the same and help fulfill the wishes of the kids still waiting for their wishes to come true.

Jordan first supported Make-A-Wish in 1989.

He has granted hundreds of wishes to children all over the world and remains one of the most requested celebrity wish granters.

God bless him.

--Animal of the Year…Dog, of course, yet again.  But on a serious note, dogs were really at the forefront of the disasters in Lahaina, Maui, and Turkey’s catastrophic earthquake…cadaver dogs mostly in the former, who helped bring closure, and rescue dogs in the latter.  They are always there for us.

--Finally, we lost some titanic figures in the world of sports this year…headlined by Jim Brown, Dick Butkus, Bobby Hull, Bobby Knight, Willis Reed and Brooks Robinson.

And in the music and entertainment sectors...the likes of Bob Barker, Tony Bennett, Harry Belafonte, Burt Bacharach, David Crosby, Gordon Lightfoot, Tina Turner, Jimmy Buffett, Raquel Welch and Matthew Perry.

RIP.

Special thanks to Phil W., Mark R., Johnny Mac, Ken P., Steve G., George R., Pete M., Shu, and Jeff B., among others, for their contributions to Bar Chat over the years.

Add-on up top by early Tuesday p.m.

 

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