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Bar Chat

02/12/2024

Chiefs 25...49ers 22

Add-on posted early Tuesday a.m.

Chiefs-Niners, final thoughts…

--For the archives, Patrick Mahomes was 34/46, 333, 2-1, 99.3, plus 66 critical yards on the ground in nine carries, especially that final 13-play, 75-yard drive.  He also had 210 yards passing and 59 yards rushing after halftime, the only player to have 200+ passing and 50+ rushing after halftime of a playoff game since the 1970 merger.

Mahomes was Superman on his game-winning drive, with an 8-yard run on fourth-and-1, a 13-yard completion to Rashee Rice on third-and-6 and a 19-yard scramble on third-and-1.

Travis Kelce, who started the game with just one catch for one yard in the first half, finished 9 for 93.  Former Jet Mecole Hardman caught three passes for 57 yards and the winning touchdown, after having one reception for six yards with the Jets, who had acquired him in the offseason to be another weapon for Aaron Rodgers, and then never used the guy, trading him back to his former team.  Just classic Jets, when you look at this godawful franchise, that some of us still claim as ‘our team.’  It’s our cross to bear.

For San Francisco, there was nothing wrong with Brock Purdy, 23/38, 255, 1-0, 89.3. Christian McCaffrey had 160 yards of total offense, 80 in each half, 22 carries for 80 yards on the ground, 8 receptions for 80 and a touchdown.

But McCaffrey was little used in the third and fourth quarters, before he picked up 52 yards in overtime on the field goal drive.

What killed the Niners was that muffed punt that led to an immediate Mahomes to Marquez Valdes-Scantling touchdown pass that put the Chiefs up 13-10. And of course the blocked extra point, the ultimate decider, in all likelihood.

And we’ll never know what plays linebacker Dre Greenlaw might have made had he not gone out with a freak Achilles injury, just running onto the field.  Travis Kelce had 92 of his receiving yards after Greenlaw exited.

So Mahomes has not only guided the Chiefs to the conference finals in each of his six seasons as a starter, he has three Super Bowls in the last five, ditto coach Andy Reid.

K.C. the first repeat champ since the 2003-04 Patriots. [Some scribes are writing 2004-05.  No, it’s the 2003-04 seasons, not the actual date of the Super Bowl.]

Mahomes is 74-22-0 in the regular season, and a phenomenal 15-3 in the postseason, 41 touchdowns, just 8 interceptions.

Otherworldly stuff, and his ‘brand’ continues to soar to new heights.  No doubt we will see Mahomes, Reid and Kelce in a slew of new ads, and that’s all good.  They are likable guys, each in their own way.

Reid and Kelce say they’ll be back to help Patrick and the Chiefs become the first Super Bowl three-peat, which makes for a great season-long storyline, to the immense benefit of the NFL, especially if Taylor is still in the picture and not writing a breakup song about her latest beau.

--The game itself, though, was boring until the final hour, let’s face it.

--Jerry Brewer / Washington Post

“The party would not end, no matter how ugly it seemed.  That made Super Bowl LVIII the most Vegas thing ever, a kind of evening that persisted more than it shined, a spectacle that turned into a defensive bender.

“It was a compelling, momentum-swinging, borderline train wreck. It felt as if the San Francisco 49ers won multiple times, but there were the Kansas City Chiefs, who love comeback drama, comfortable amid distress.  The teams needed overtime to decide the rematch of a Super Bowl four years ago that put the Chiefs on a dynasty path and sent the 49ers on an endless climb to rise from good to great.

“It was a night filled with gaffes, punts, long field goals, hard hits and moment after moment that you just knew would spell the end for either team. It concluded in the most soul-stirring way possible, with all-world quarterback Patrick Mahomes calling for the football with a championship on the line.

“Mahomes came through again, this time with his greatest walk-off Super Bowl moment….

“It was easily their most improbable title and perhaps their most meaningful.  They won with their off hand.  A dynasty forged through offensive theatrics turned into something entirely different this season.  As the Chiefs showed by getting stop after stop against the 49ers’ clever offense, they are a defensive team now. They rebuilt their identity on the fly this season, suffering a rash of close losses, watching receivers drop passes, looking shaky and on the brink of coming apart.

“They lost six regular season games, the most in Mahomes’ six seasons as a starter.  But they stayed together because they could depend on a young defense that finished second in the NFL in fewest yards and points allowed.  As the No. 3 seed in the AFC, they entered the playoffs needing to win four games to repeat as champions, and they had to go through a flashy and formidable gauntlet in the postseason: Miami, Buffalo, Baltimore and San Francisco.  Maybe they could win a round or two. But not the whole thing. Not this team.

“ ‘The Kansas City Chiefs are never underdogs – just know that,’ Mahomes said as the Chiefs raised another Lombardi Trophy.

“It’s official.  The Chiefs are a dynasty. They deserve the label after surviving a defensive grudge match until Mahomes closed the deal with his incomparable brilliance.”

--There has been a lot of talk about San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan’s decision to begin overtime on offense despite the new NFL playoff rules that make sure both teams get at least one possession.

Shanahan explained after that he was thinking several moves ahead after winning the coin toss, looking toward a potential third overtime possession when the game becomes sudden death.

“None of us have a ton of experience with it,” Shanahan said.  “We went through all the analytics and talked to those guys.  We decided it would be better getting the ball because if both teams matched and scored, we wanted to be the ones to have a chance to go win it.”

But the overtime rules are closer to the college football model, where the reward for playing defense first is knowing exactly how many points your team needs on the second possession to tie or win the game.

Andy Reid said that the Chiefs’ plan was to kick off if they won the coin toss.

Some have made the point that when facing a team like the Chiefs who have a quarterback like Mahomes, in allowing that offense to go second you essentially gave K.C. the freedom to be in four-down situations for the entire possession, and you saw how it worked out.

--CBS announced Monday that the Super Bowl averaged 123.4 million viewers across CBS, Univision, Nickelodeon, Paramount+, and the NFL app, with 120.0 million of that coming via the main feed on CBS, the most in Super Bowl history.

The previous record was last year’s Chiefs-Eagles game (115 million), which aired on NBC, for an increase of seven percent.

The 120 million on CBS specifically was also the largest audience for a single network.

It is believed to be the biggest television audience, period, since the lunar landing.

The NFL playoffs averaged 38.5 million viewers during the first three weekends, a 9% increase over last year.  That followed a regular season that averaged 17.9 million, tied for the second highest since averages were first tracked in 1995.

--In College Football, UCLA hired longtime assistant and former NFL running DeShaun Foster to be its next head football coach.

Foster, 44, played six seasons in the NFL, and starred for the Bruins prior.  He has spent 10 of the past 11 seasons on the UCLA football staff, most recently as the team’s running backs coach and associate head coach.

But he has never called a play!  It’s a huge gamble.  The guy is popular with the players, and now he should be able to retain most of them after Chip Kelly’s sudden departure for Ohio State, but we’ll see.

Foster was rumored to be headed to the Las Vegas Raiders in an assistant coaching position.

College Basketball

--New AP Poll (records thru Sunday)….

1. UConn (45) 22-2
2. Purdue (16) 22-2
3. Houston 21-3
4. Marquette 18-5
5. Arizona 19-5
6. Kansas 19-5
7. North Carolina 19-5
8. Tennessee 17-6
9. Duke 18-5
10. Iowa State 18-5
11. South Carolina 21-3
12. Baylor 17-6
13. Auburn 19-5
14. Illinois 17-6
15. Alabama 17-7
16. Dayton 19-4
18. Saint Mary’s 20-6
19. BYU 17-6
20. Wisconsin 16-8…down 9
21. Virginia 19-5
22. Kentucky 16-7
23. Indiana State 22-3
24. FAU 19-5
25. Oklahoma 18-6

Shockingly, Indiana State is ranked for the first time since the 1978-79 Larry Byrd season!

--Monday night, 6 Kansas (19-6, 7-5) became the latest top ten to fall on the road, getting clobbered by Texas Tech (18-6, 7-4), 79-50, in Lubbock.  Guard Darrion Willliams had 30 points, perfect from the field, 12 of 12, 4 of 4 on threes, 2 of 2 free throws, plus 11 rebounds.  Williams had never scored 20 points in a game this season.

And then there was Wake Forest at 9 Duke, what proved to be as frustrating a loss for Demon Deacon fans as there has been this season, 77-69.

Wake should have won, but Cameron Hildreth and Boopie Miller, who came in averaging a collective 30 points, shot a combined 2 of 16 from the field, 0 for 6 from three, while Damari Monsanto was 2 of 9 from downtown, the Deacs 6 of 26 from 3 overall. That’s the game.  Full stop. We also missed countless layups, most of them from Hildreth.  Pathetic.  It’s not that Duke played terrific defense, we just missed our shots.

Wake can not beat Duke or North Carolina.  It’s been that way for ages, and we aren’t getting into the NCAA tournament unless we do, the Deacs now 16-8, 8-5; Duke is 19-5, 10-3.

Wake goes to No. 21 Virginia on Saturday, another must win situation if we are to remain relevant.

NBA

--So after the Wake game, I tuned in for the second half of Knicks-Rockets in Houston and what a disaster that turned out to be.  The still severely undermanned Knickerbockers played a gritty game, and it was 103-103, headed to overtime, when referee Jacyn Goble whistled a foul on Jalen Brunson, who was closing out on Aaron Holiday, launching a prayer from beyond the arc with 0.3 seconds remaining.

If Brunson touched Holiday, it was in the slightest fashion, but the call was made, Holiday sank 2 of 3 free throws, game over, 105-103, the Knicks (33-21) third straight defeat.  Knicks color commentator Wally Szczerbiak was incensed, saying it was “incidental,” not a foul.

But coach Tom Thibodeau didn’t have a challenge.

An hour after the game, NBA official Ed Malloy, who was the crew chief at the game, acknowledged to a pool reporter that they blew it.

“After seeing it during postgame review, the offensive player was able to return to a normal playing position on the floor,” Malloy said.  “The contact, which occurred after the release of the ball, therefore is incidental and marginal to the shot attempt. And it should not have been called.”

Houston is 19-9 at home, 5-20 on the road, the biggest such splits in the league.

--Philadelphia (32-21) had a big road win at Cleveland (35-17), snapping the Cavs’ 9-game winning streak (17 of 18).  Newly acquired Buddy Hield had 24 for the Sixers.

Golf Balls

--The weather forecast for the Genesis Invitational at Riviera this weekend has improved, a little.  Looks like they’ll have no problem getting in the first two rounds, and reduce the field to top 50 and ties, but rain is in the forecast Saturday and Sunday looks like a washout, with Monday not much better if they are forced to extend things.  At least the course has had a chance to dry out some from last week’s torrential rain.

But a Sunday washout would really suck.  This is every golf fan’s top 2 or 3 event that is not a major or the TPC.  And it’s Tiger’s debut. 

Woods announced Monday he was launching his new apparel line, “Sun Day Red,” in partnership with TaylorMade, after ending his 27-year relationship with Nike.

“Sun Day Red” will be a separate business from TaylorMade, with its own headquarters, staff and designers.  I kind of like the initial look.

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.

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[Posted immediately following the Super Bowl]

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.

Baseball Quiz: [Football is over, pitchers and catchers report this week…] Name the 11 active players with 300 home runs, three of which are still free agents, last I saw.  [Nelson Cruz is not one of the eleven as he retired.]  Answer below.

NFL…The Game…

--The Chiefs were without All-Pro guard Joe Thuney, their best offensive lineman, but he missed the AFC Championship game against the Ravens, with fifth-year veteran Nick Allegretti in his place.  It’s just “next man up.”

Gronk missed the kick again!

As I wrote the other week, Patrick Mahomes entered the game 14-3 in the postseason, 39 touchdown passes, just 7 interceptions.

And the game started…San Francisco with three first downs in the first four plays before Christian McCaffrey fumbled it away.  But K.C. did nothing and we were off and running.

[Any Planet of the Apes movie is good with me.]

[Apartments.com terrific commercial, ditto Kawasaki Ridge spot.]

[Messi Mich Ultra spot great.]

When do I put my pizza in the oven, is the big question at StocksandNews global HQ.  Or should I just pop another Coors Light?  I choose the latter.

But I also switched on golf for the finish of the WM Phoenix Open…after a great commercial from State Farm and Arnold…Nick Taylor a stroke behind…well, I’ll pick it up down below….

Though I missed Jake Moody’s 55-yard field goal.  3-0 San Fran.

Back to golf…see below.

And I missed Pacheco’s fumble inside the red zone!  As Tony Soprano would have said, ‘Whaddya gonna do?’

And then I missed wide receiver Jauan Jennings’ 21-yard TD pass to McCaffrey, 10-0, because, err, I thought that was a good time for a break, if you know what I mean.

Back to golf…2nd playoff hole…see below.

Mahomes was then able to drive the Chiefs 65 yards for a field goal, 10-3, at the half.

Let’s see what Usher does. I’ve told you I’m looking forward to it. I’m in the minority, at least among my crowd.

But…first…Mahomes was 11/13, 123, 0-0, 106.1, for the half, with Travis Kelcie just one catch for one yard. Taylor is wishing she stayed in Japan and relaxed a bit.

Brock Purdy was 10/15, 123, 0-0, 91.8, but passing the test.  Christian McCaffrey with 80 total yards despite the fumble.

And…Usher’s halftime show was a mess.  It’s always tough mic’ing the sound properly and they blew that…and the only good part was Alicia Key’s first 30 seconds.

Time to bring back ‘Up with People’ next year.  Or Anita Bryant (she’s still alive), or maybe Paul Anka…with Odia Coates.  And he could sing “The Times of Your Life” as the finale, which is a tearjerker…getting America to cry, collectively, due to the state of our union.

As we start the second half, Kansas City stupidly didn’t challenge a clear missed spot on 2nd down…

And Beyonce has morphed into a white person, which is rather disturbing.

Still 10-3, but my pizza is good.

Harrison Butker kicks a Super Bowl-record 57-yard field goal, 10-6.

And then the Niners muff a punt, Patrick Mahomes converts on the first play after, 16 yards to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and it’s 13-10 K.C.  Goodness gracious.  The game is suddenly kind of intriguing, the Taylor Swift conspiracy theories running rampant.

By the way, I’d kind of like a blue tent to go into at night in my living room. Bet I’d sleep better.

We continue with the game action…still 13-10, less than 12 minutes left in the contest, those betting ‘Under’ (46.5) looking good.

But then Jennings catches a 10-yard touchdown pass from Purdy, only to have Moody’s extra-point blocked!  16-13… ‘Gee willikers,’ my grandfather would have said. 

Butker kicks a short field goal, 16-16…that missed XPA ginormous.

San Fran drives back down the field…3rd and 4 from the K.C. 35, pass incomplete, but Jake Moody boots a 53-yarder…19-16 Niners, with 1:53 left.

Mahomes to Kelce gets the ball down to the 11, 0:10 left, one timeout remaining for the Chiefs.

First pass play is incomplete, K.C. goes for tying FG, and it’s good.  19-19 OT.  Moody’s missed extra point the difference.

San Fran takes the overtime kickoff 66 yards in 13 plays, Moody nails the field goal, 22-19, K.C. gets the ball back.  The Chiefs need at least an FG.

Chiefs drive back down, Mahomes with two big 3rd-down runs, pass to Kelce down to the four, 1st-and-goal, and then Mahomes to Mecole Hardman for the win!  25-22…Mahomes’ third Super Bowl, and back-to-back!  Wow.  More in my Add-on.  It’s a dynasty.

--Lamar Jackson joined an exclusive club in becoming a multiple NFL MVP Award winner, one of 11 players to have done so.

Christian McCaffrey won Offensive Player of the Year.

Myles Garrett won Defensive Player of the Year.

The Texans took both the Offensive Rookie of the Year (C.J. Stroud) and the Defensive Rookie of the Year (Will Anderson Jr.).

Joe Flacco was Comeback Player of the Year.

--The NFL announced seven new inductees for the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame:

Dwight Freeney, Andre Johnson, Devin Hester, Randy Gradishar, Patrick Willis, Steve McMichael, and Julius Peppers.

--Crazy times in the coaching world.  Ryan Grubb was slated to be Alabama’s offensive coordinator after Kalen DeBoer took over as coach from Nick Saban.

Grubb was never officially named, but he was seen out recruiting for the Crimson Tide.

Grubb was then hired as the Seahawks’ new OC by new coach Mike Macdonald.

Grubb was the OC under DeBoer at Washington the past two seasons, a damn good one.

Alabama can find an offensive coordinator, but it’s already getting late in the offseason, the way football works these days, newcomers, including high schoolers, enrolling after Christmas so that they can participate in spring practice.

--But then we had the stunner, Friday, that UCLA coach Chip Kelly was leaving the school to be the new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Ohio State under Ryan Day.

Kelly replaces Bill O’Brien, who was named coach at Boston College earlier Friday.  OSU had hired O’Brien in mid-January as part of Ryan Day’s move to no longer call plays and to run the program more holistically.

Kelly and the Buckeyes agreed to a three-year deal.  He is expected to take a pay cut of more than $4 million dollars with the move, as he made nearly $6 million at UCLA.

This is a great position for Kelly, who despite his lack of success at UCLA (35-34 during six seasons), was an offensive genius at Oregon and he has NFL coaching experience.  He doesn’t need the extra money.

Back to O’Brien, I said a week ago he was B.C.’s new coach, but it turns out it wasn’t official.  Now it is.

UCLA now, however, is left to start over in mid-February.  Spring practice begins soon.  For Ohio State, March 5.

College Basketball Review

--Going back to action since I posted early Tuesday, that evening, Clemson (15-7, 5-6) won for just the second time in 62 visits to Chapel Hill, upsetting No. 3 North Carolina (18-5, 10-2), 80-76, PJ Hall with 25 points and nine rebounds.  Huge win for the Tigers and any NCAA hopes.

Meanwhile, your editor was eagerly watching Wake Forest finally win on the road, slaughtering Georgia Tech, 80-51, despite shooting just 5 of 21 from 3.  The Yellow Jackets (10-13, 3-9) shot just 28.3% from the field, 17 of 60.  At one point to start the game, they were 2 of 25!

So Wake improved to 15-7, 7-4, very much on the bubble, but needing to defeat North Carolina State at home on Saturday, Duke looming Monday.

Back to North Carolina, how did they lose to Georgia Tech?

I’d also go back to the thought, ‘How the hell do you seed the coming NCAA Tournament?’

--Wednesday, Michigan (8-15, 3-9) beat 11 Wisconsin (16-7, 8-4), 72-68.

--No upsets in the Top Ten Thursday or Friday.

--So, Saturday, we started out with No. 1 UConn blasting lowly Georgetown (8-15, 1-11), 89-64, the Huskies with 12 straight Big East wins, now 22-2, 12-1 overall.  I’ve talked about how ‘seeding’ will be impossible, but we do know one thing…UConn will be the No. 1 overall seed and is a clear favorite to defend its title.  It’s just a great team.  [Supporter Jeff B. is thrilled anew.]

3 North Carolina rebounded for a good 75-72 at Miami (15-8, 6-7), the Tar Heels 19-5, 11-2.

The Hurricanes are a mystery.  Elite Eight and Final Four the last two seasons, and the roster is solid.  Coach Jim Larranaga just isn’t getting through to his players like he’s normally excelled at.

6 Tennessee (17-6, 7-3) fell at Texas A&M 915-8, 6-4) 85-69.

And another top ten fell on the road, 10 Illinois (17-6, 8-4) lost at Michigan State (15-9, 7-6), a critical win for Tom Izzo’s team.

Rutgers (13-10, 5-7) is not totally out of the tournament picture, winning their third straight, upsetting 11 Wisconsin (16-8, 8-5), 78-56.  Center Cliff Omoruyi with a monster game…13 points, 13 rebounds and 8 blocked shots….while Noah Fernandes was 5 of 5 from 3, after coming into the game shooting 28.6% from beyond the arc.

St. John’s (14-10, 6-7), on the other hand, is probably out of the picture when it comes to the Big Dance, falling at 7 Marquette (18-5, 9-3), 86-75.

Clemson (16-7, 6-6) had an important road win at Syracuse (15-8, 6-7), 77-68.  I still get confused watching Clemson, especially in this one, when I see Joe Girard III wearing a Tiger uniform, after he played four terrific seasons under Jim Boeheim.

Girard was good Saturday, 18 points, passing 2,000 for his career, 1,652 of which were with the Orange.

Which brings me to Wake Forest hosting North Carolina State, another critical game for both teams and postseason hopes.

Understand, I haven’t seen two teams despise each other as much as these two do in a long time.  This isn’t Duke-North Carolina and all their history.  This is two teams wanting to beat the crap out of the other.

It goes back to the first game in Raleigh, the Deacs falling 83-76, blowing a 45-35 halftime lead and flat-out losing their composure down the stretch.  Near fights breaking out. I said then, mark Feb. 10 on your calendar. Payback time.

And so the Deacs and Wolfpack were back at it, NC State with a six-point halftime lead, State’s DJ Horne and Wake’s Hunter Sallis lighting it up, but in the end the Deacs prevailed, 83-79, in a terrific college basketball game.  Fellow Wake alum Gregg D. told me after that he didn’t breathe the last 45 minutes.

Wake had to win this, and they can thank Sallis, a career-high 33 (no doubt putting his name on some NBA watch lists, but hopefully not until 2025).  The guy has an NBA game, can hit the three, but a terrific mid-range arsenal as well.

Wake is now 16-7, 8-4, with Duke, in Durham, on Monday.  The deal is we must split with the Blue Devils, the Deacs hosting them Feb. 24.  We don’t have a signature win.

The Wolfpack are 15-9, 7-6, and falling out of the NCAA picture.

--Today, Sunday, Seton Hall (15-9, 8-5) was annihilated at Villanova (13-11, 6-7), 80-54.

--Caitlin Clark scored 27 points in Iowa’s win over Penn State this week, leaving her 39 points shy of Kelsey Plum’s NCAA women’s basketball scoring record.

The Hawkeyes then played Nebraska on Sunday, and talk about a choke job, Iowa blew a 14-point 4th-quarter lead and was outscored 27-10 as Nebraska defeated the No. 2 team in the nation, 82-79, Clark with 31, but held scoreless in the fourth.

NBA

--The Knicks were the big winners at the trade deadline, picking up veterans Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks, a super move, and they didn’t give up anything…Quentin Grimes (who maybe one day develops into something), Evan Fournier, Malachi Flynn and two future second-round picks.  Kudos to GM Leon Rose.

But OG Anunoby underwent surgery to remove a bone fragment in his right elbow and will miss a minimum of three weeks, Julius Randle is still out for weeks to come, and Mitchell Robinson is weeks away from returning.

Plus, Jalen Brunson missed Thursday’s loss to the Mavs with an ankle sprain; the Knicks with only eight available players for the 122-108 defeat.

So, Saturday, the Knicks hosted Indiana in a key contest at the Garden, Brunson back, but Isaiah Hartenstein out with a sore left Achilles and backup center Jericho Sims missing his third game due to an illness.

The Pacers (30-24) were too much for the depleted Knicks (33-20), who went just eight deep, falling 125-111.

Bogdanovic and Burks made their debuts, the former with 11 points on 3 of 10 shooting, Burks with 22 points in 22 minutes.  [Brunson with another heroic effort, 39 points.]

The Knicks need to get healthy, at which point they’ll have a terrific 10-man rotation, if they choose to go that deep.

But they need to win their next two games, on the road, at Houston and Orlando, to regain the mojo heading into the All-Star break, having now lost 3 of 4.

--Joel Embiid had a “successful procedure” on his left knee and won’t be reevaluated for about four weeks.

But the Sixers (31-21) have been struggling mightily, losing 8 of 9 before last night’s 119-113 win at pathetic Washington (9-43).

Eastern Conference standings thru Sunday’s play….

Boston 41-12…--
Cleveland 35-16…5 …have won 9 straight, 17 of 18
Milwaukee 34-19…7
New York 33-20…8
Philadelphia 31-21…9.5
Indiana 30-24…11.5
Orlando 29-24…12
Miami 28-25…13

MLB

--The Dodgers brought back Clayton Kershaw on a one-year contract with a 2025 player option, allowing the pitcher an opportunity to rewrite his final chapter while probably ensuring that he will indeed retire in blue, rather than go home to play for the Rangers.

Kershaw, after a terrific 2023, 13-5, 2.46, was lit up for six runs in 1/3rd of an inning against Arizona in the playoffs, his postseason record 13-13, 4.49.  Most good fans of the game didn’t want his career ending that way.

But after shoulder surgery, he won’t be available until the second half of the season and at that point we’ll see how useful he could be on an otherwise loaded squad with all kinds of stories.

--The Astros extended Jose Altuve for another five years, $125 million, thus avoiding him becoming a free agent after the 2024 season.

The future Hall of Famer, 33, has 2,047 hits in his quest for 3,000, but he hasn’t been real durable last few seasons.

--The Athletics are set to move to Las Vegas, eventually, but Vegas Mayor Carol Goodman, who has served as mayor since 2011, was asked the other day about the Athletics’ impending relocation and the stadium to be built on The Strip.

“I thought, ‘This does not make sense,’ and so why is it happening?”

“I personally think they’ve gotta figure out a way to stay in Oakland and make their dream come true.”

“I just know that (owner John Fisher) – longtime successful family – in my opinion, needs to listen to the people that are up there.  It’s their team.”

The A’s haven’t figure out yet where they are going to be playing while the stadium is built, 2025-27, and MLB has warned them to come up with a plan for 2025 by the summer.

--Former Mets general manager Billy Eppler was placed on MLB’s ineligible list for the entirety of the 2024 season for what the league described as “improper use of Injured List placements, including the deliberate fabrication of injuries; and the associated submission of documentation for the purposes of securing multiple improper Injured List placements during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.”

But former players, and others inside the game, are kind of incredulous that Eppler was singled out.

Tommy Hunter, who pitched for the Mets from 2021-23, said his old boss did not do anything much different than other GMs he played for, and Hunter was placed on the IL or disabled list multiple times in that period.  Other former Mets have said the same thing.

Golf Balls

--At the WM Phoenix Open, the weather was less than desirable, with rain delays, but improved for the weekend, albeit very chilly for Phoenix. Scottie Scheffler is attempting to become the first player to win the same tournament three straight years since Steve Stricker at the John Deere Classic (2009-2011), and Scheffler was among a group four back after 36 holes….

Sahith Theegala -13
Andrew Novak -12
Nick Taylor -12

Lurking…

Scheffler -8
Justin Thomas -8
Cameron Young -8
Jordan Spieth -8

Due to earlier rain and frost delays, the leaders entered Sunday just having played 6-7 holes of the third round, and after third round play ended we had….

Theegala -15
Taylor -15
Novak -14
Charley Hoffman -14
Young -13
Scheffler -13

Well, because of the players playing catchup, once again, sadly, this event is going to finish after the Super Bowl has started.  Your editor needs to watch Reba and the “Star Spangled Banner,” and I’ll be following online of course.

An hour before kickoff….

Hoffman -19 thru 13
Scheffler -18 thru 12
Taylor -18 thru 11
Sam Burns -17 thru 13
Theegala -17 thru 11

And Nick Taylor, with three birdies in the last four holes, forces a playoff with Hoffman at -21.

Burns and Scheffler T3.

And Nick Taylor pulls it out, win No. 4, on the 2nd playoff hole…five birdies in his last six holes.  Very impressive crowd that stayed ‘till the end given the Super Bowl was almost at halftime.  Poor Charley Hoffman.

--Lucas Glover missed his tee time Thursday, 8:26 a.m. local.

“I just misread my text messages [that listed my tee time],” Glover told Golf Channel after PGA Tour officials called him just moments before he was scheduled to tee off on the first hole.  “I’m kicking myself but laughing at myself at the same time.”

The withdrawal was his first on the PGA Tour since 2013.  But he can take solace from the fact he’s already in all the signature events for 2024, including next week’s Genesis Invitational at Riviera, where Tiger Woods is teeing it up for the first time this season.

But as I noted last week, the weather forecast for Riviera is awful.  The Tour just can’t catch a break.

--Cristobal Del Solar shot a 57 on Thursday at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Astara Golf Championship in Bogota, Colombia, the lowest-ever score in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event. 

The 30-year-old Chilean then shot 69-75 his next two rounds and was nine shots off the lead, kind of incredibly, entering fourth-round play.

And look who was on top…a friend of Bar Chat and Phil W. (the son of a Wake Forest classmate, actually two classmates, Tom and Elizabeth).

Thomas Walsh -20
Kevin Velo -17
Trevor Cone -17

19-year-old South African Aldrich Potgieter was at -14.  He had a 59 in the second round, but then followed that up with a 73.

Alas, Walsh finished T3, losing by two to the winner of a playoff between Brian Campbell and Kevin Velo. [Velo won it.]

Solar bounced back with a 63 for solo fifth at -19.  57-69-75-63.

--PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan sent a memo to players on Wednesday, broadly outlining a plan that will see $930 million go to qualified members in initial grants, after the Tour announced its new deal with Strategic Sports Group.

While details are still not known on who would receive what, there are stories that even Jack Nicklaus will get something for being a player who was “instrumental to building the modern PGA Tour, based on career performance.”

It seems the top 36 players based on career performance, last five-year performance and Player Impact Program results will receive the bulk of the $930, specifically the first $750 million.

--LIV was playing in Vegas this week, trying to capitalize on last Sunday’s broadcast from Mayakoba, Mexico, being up 48% from last year on the CW, given the rain at Pebble Beach.

But to put things in context, LIV’s best ratings yet, 432,000 viewers, still paled in comparison to the 1.21 million that watched a replay of the third round at Pebble. [Sports Media Watch]

This week, Dustin Johnson won his third LIV title by one stroke over Talor Gooch and Peter Uihlein.

Premier League

In big matches Saturday-Sunday….

Manchester City beat Everton 2-0; Liverpool defeated Burnley 3-1; Tottenham edged Brighton, 2-1, with a goal deep in additional time; Arsenal blitzed West Ham 6-0; and Manchester United had a good road win at Aston Villa, 2-1.

Standings after 24/25 of 38…played – points

1. Liverpool…24 – 54
2. Man City…23 – 52 …game in hand
3. Arsenal…24 – 52
4. Tottenham…24 – 47
5. Aston Villa…24 – 46
6. Man U…24 – 41

Stuff

--In FIS Alpine Ski World Cup action, Mikaela Shiffrin is still out following her big crash, but in weekend action at Solden, Andorra (I’d love to go there, looks awesome), the American Girls picked up two podium finishes!

In the giant slalom, 23-year-old AJ Hurt finished third for a second time this year, and Sunday, Paula Moltzan picked up her third career podium finish in the slalom.

In the overall World Cup standings, however, Lara Gut-Behrami, who won the giant slalom, is now five points ahead of Shiffrin, with Shiffrin having been out for weeks.

--Marathon world record-holder Kelvin Kiptum, who won the Chicago Marathon in October with a record-setting time of 2:00:35, died in a car crash in Kenya late Sunday.  He was 24.

God, that sucks. RIP.

Top 3 songs for the week 2/8/64: [Going back to 60 years ago, when the Beatles made their debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” Feb. 9, 1964.]  #1 “I Want To Hold Your Hand” (The Beatles)  #2 “You Don’t Own Me” (Lesley Gore)  #3 “Out Of Limits” (The Marketts)…and…#4 “Hey Little Cobra” (The Rip Chords)  #5 “Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um” (Major Lance)  #6 “Surfin’ Bird” (The Trashmen)  #7 “She Loves You” (The Beatles)  #8 “For You” (Ricky Nelson)  #9 “Anyone Who Had A Heart” (Dionne Warwick…Bacharach at his musical best…)  #10 “There! I’ve Said It Again” (Bobby Vinton…A- week…seven weeks later, The Beatles would hold the first four positions in the Top Ten…)

Baseball Quiz Answer: 11 active players with 300 home runs.

Giancarlo Stanton…402
Mike Trout…368
Joey Votto…356
Evan Longoria…342
Paul Goldschmidt…340
Nolan Arenado…325
Freddie Freeman…321
J.D. Martinez…315
Manny Machado…313
Bryce Harper…306
Carlos Santana…301

Last I saw, Votto, Longoria, and Martinez are still free agents, though one or two of them could end up retiring.

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.

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