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Bar Chat

02/26/2024

Wake Forest-Duke

Add-on posted early Tues. a.m.

College Basketball

--New AP Poll (records thru Sunday)....

1. Houston (53) 24-3...No. 1 for first time this season
2. Purdue (4) 25-3
3. UConn (5) 25-3
4. Tennessee 21-6
5. Marquette 21-6
6. Arizona 21-6
7. Kansas 21-6
8. Iowa State 21-6
9. North Carolina 21-6
10. Duke 21-6
11. Auburn 21-6
12. Creighton 20-8
13. Illinois 20-7
14. Alabama 19-8
15. Baylor 19-8
16. Kentucky 19-8
17. Saint Mary’s 23-6
18. South Carolina 22-5
19. Washington State 21-7
20. San Diego State 21-7
21. Dayton 21-5
22. Utah State 22-5
23. Gonzaga 22-6
24. Florida 19-8
25. South Florida 21-5...first-ever ranking!

Wake Forest received enough votes to be No. 30. The Deacs are at Notre Dame tonight and it will be interesting to see what kind of letdown there will be. It’s inevitable.  Plus the Fighting Irish have been playing better of late.

Back to last Saturday, Kyle Filipowski avoided a serious injury and if he’s not back tomorrow, Wednesday, against Louisville, he certainly will be this Saturday against Virginia.

Last night, 9 North Carolina improved to 22-6, 14-3, with a 75-71 victory over Miami (15-14, 6-12), as RJ Davis poured in a career-high 42 points, 7 of 11 from 3.

NBA

--The Knicks (35-23) caught a huge break against the worst team in the league, Detroit.  Playing at the Garden, New York just couldn’t shake the pesky Pistons, with former Knick Quentin Grimes torching his old team for 14 fourth-quarter points.

Detroit was leading 111-110, ten seconds to play, when Ausar Thompson stole the ball and was hit in the midsection by the Knicks’ Donte DiVincenzo as he raced down the sideline to secure the possession.  Jalen Brunson grabbed the ball and found Josh Hart open near the rim for a layup, he was fouled, game over, 113-111.

I watched the entire contest and it was a bad no-call, Pistons coach Monty Williams livid.

After the game, referee James Williams acknowledged in the pool report that a loose-ball foul should have been called on DiVincenzo.

The Villanova Boys – DiVincenzo, Brunson, and Hart – combined for 79 points for New York.  Detroit fell to 8-49 (Washington is 9-48).

--Sunday night, after posting, Nikola Jokic did it again...32 points, 16 rebounds, 16 assists.

So in three consecutive games, Jokic not only had three straight triple-doubles, but 82 points, 50 rebounds and 45 assists; the second player in NBA history to have 80/50/45 in a three-game span, joining Wilt Chamberlain, who did so back in 1968.

Wilt never averaged under 18.2 rebounds per game for a season!

OK, wrap your heads around this factoid.  The last person to average 18.2 for a season was Dennis Rodman, in 1992-93.  But Wilt the Stilt did it his entire career!

Stuff

--I posted prior to the finale of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway and it was a finish for the ages...three cars simultaneously crossing the finish line – Daniel Suarez, Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch – with the win going to Suarez by one one-hundredth of a second.

It was just Suarez’s second career win in 253 Cup races, but it set off a celebration that included a long series of congratulations from other drivers for the popular native of Monterrey, Mexico.

NASCAR benefits with each Suarez win in growing the fan base, just like I wish Bubba Wallace would win a few more to help bring in another fan base.

--The New York Rangers laid an egg Sunday night in their quest for a franchise-record 11-game winning streak, falling to the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2, in front of a sell-out crowd of 18,293 at Nationwide Arena.  Tis a pity.

--For the record, I was correct when I noted Jake Knapp, in hitting just two fairways in the final round of the Mexico Open, was the first to hit two or fewer fairways in the final round and still win since 1983, when they first began tracking such stats.

On to Florida for the PGA Tour. The Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches (PGA National).  It’s not a signature event, but Rory McIlroy is in the field, and it is important that Rory play well and be up there on the weekend.

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.

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[Posted early Sunday p.m.]

College Basketball Quiz: Sixteen players in Division I history have averaged 30.0 points per game for their careers, minimum 1400 points, per sports-reference.com.  Seven of them went on to become NBA Hall of Famers, all playing their NBA careers post-1960.  Name them. [Hint: The following are not among the seven, having averaged under 30 ppg...Wilt Chamberlain, 29.85; Rick Barry, 29.84; Bob Lanier, 27.56; Kareem, 26.42.] Answer below.

College Basketball Review

--Just when I said it was time to just hand the trophy to No. 1 UConn, they lost Tuesday night at 15 Creighton (20-7, 10-6) in Omaha, 85-66, the Huskies 3 of 16 from 3, the Blue Jays 14 of 28 from beyond the arc.  It was Creighton’s first-ever win over the No. 1-ranked team (1-6).

“We played a really good game and we beat an incredible team, a team that has a legitimate chance to win a national championship,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said.  “But we’re pretty good as well.”

The Huskies fell to 24-3, 14-2, their 14-game winning streak history.  Staggeringly, UConn lost its 21st consecutive road game against a ranked team.

Also Tuesday, 25 BYU (19-7, 7-6) defeated 11 Baylor (19-7, 8-5), 78-71.

Wednesday, 12 Illinois (19-7, 10-5) suffered a terrible loss at Penn State (13-14, 7-9), 90-89, as Zach Hicks hit three free throws in the final two seconds to win it for the Nittany Lions.  That’s clutch.

Thursday, 21 Washington State (21-6, 12-4) had a terrific road win at 4 Arizona (20-6, 11-4), 77-74.

Saturday, there was only one upset in the top ten, which I’ll get into in a bit.

Otherwise, No. 1 UConn rebounded from the Creighton loss to whip Villanova (15-12, 8-8), 78-54, the Huskies 25-3, 15-2.

2 Houston (24-3, 11-3) passed another test with an 82-76 road win at 11 Baylor (19-8, 8-6).

10 North Carolina is 21-6, 13-3, following a 54-44 win at Charlottesville over Virginia (20-8, 11-6), as the Cavaliers for a third consecutive game scored only in the 40s.  Yesterday, they were 16 of 58 from the field, 27.6%.  Carolina snapped an 8-game losing streak in Charlottesville.

Virginia has opened its last three games with 21, 16 and 16 points in the first half.

In a biggie in the SEC, 13 Alabama (19-8, 11-3) lost at 17 Kentucky (19-8, 9-5), 117-95.  One hundred seventeen points.  The Wildcats were 41 of 65 from the field, 63.1%, and 13 of 24 from 3.  Freshman Justin Edwards was 10 for 10 from the floor, 4 of 4 from 3, 4 of 5 from the free throw line, 28 points, zero turnovers.

--St. John’s (15-12, 7-9) defeated lowly Georgetown (8-18, 1-14) 90-85 on Wednesday, with all eyes on coach Rick Pitino, after his outburst last Sunday night.

“We know how much Coach cares about winning,” guard Jordan Dingle told reporters after scoring a team-high 22 points in the win.  “We know how much he loves us and cares about us.”

Pitino said: “I want to apologize to any St. John’s fans.”

He also took responsibility for recruiting his current team after he had initially made it seem it had more to do with his staff’s short runway to recruit last spring.

“I recruited all these guys, not my staff,” he said. “It was all me. I totally apologize to them for doing that.”

So, Sunday, the Johnnies hosted 15 Creighton at Madison Square Garden, and wouldn’t you know, St. John’s played a complete game, Daniss Jenkins with 27 points and six assists, the Johnnies holding Creighton to 6 of 25 from 3 (Baylor Scheierman 1 for 9), and Pitino’s boys, committing just three turnovers,  upset the Blue Jays, 80-66, improving to 16-12, 8-9, while Creighton, about to surge in the polls, instead falls to 20-8, 11-6.

Also today, Rutgers hosted Maryland, the Scarlet Knights’ season already over, and they didn’t wow the home faithful, falling 63-46, RU 14-13, 6-10, the Terrapins 15-13, 7-10.

--And now the week that was at Wake Forest.

To reset the stage, I told you last week that the Deacs’ home games against Pitt, Tuesday, and Duke, Saturday, were our season.  We had to win both to have a good shot at the NCAA tournament.  Period.

Wake then blitzed the Panthers, 91-58, all five starters in double figures, as the Deacs shot 60.8% from the field, 10 of 20 from 3, and we held Pitt star Blake Hinson, who had 41 points the game before, to just ten.

On to Saturday.  Wake Forest has a key big donor, Mit Shah.  Shah has singlehandedly funded many of the enhancements to the athletic facilities that have made Wake’s just about as good as any in the country, especially for a school our size.  Rutgers, for example, would die for the facilities Wake has.

Shah sits behind the Demon Deacon bench for each basketball game, wearing his Wake tie-dye hoodie.  The other week, he donated another $5 million specifically for the hoops program (read NIL money) to help keep us relevant in these tumultuous times for college sports.

Saturday, Shah paid to have 10,000 tie-dye shirts made up for the entire lower bowl of the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.  The game was announced as a sellout days before, 14,700, our first such sellout in seven years.  Granted, Duke travels well, especially to Winston-Salem, so there were more than a few Dookies in the stands, but anyone watching saw that the crowd was ready...the students were ready.  Must win time and the game lived up to the billing.

Duke led at the half, 38-36, and it was such a nip and tuck contest the entire way, incredibly, no team led by more than six points.

As you know from my writing (25 years), Wake has a history of coming up very small in big moments, in both basketball and football, especially against Duke and North Carolina in hoops, and I was waiting for the inevitable.

And then at the 4:20 mark, Cam Hildreth, playing for weeks with a broken hand, but whom I have disparaged for insisting on shooting from three even though he’s lost his touch, drained one from beyond the arc to give us a 73-69 lead, and it was at that moment, Wake fans realized we might actually do it. 

In the final two minutes, however, Boopie Miller missed the front end of a one-and-one, Wake up 79-76, and then with an 81-76 lead, the star of the game, Hunter Sallis, made an incredibly poor decision with 50 seconds left when instead of pulling the ball out to run down some clock, failed on a lob attempt under the basket to center Efton Reid.

Duke star Klye Filipowski then drained his first three of the game, after going 0 for 5 from downtown, 81-79.

Wake’s Andrew Carr (16 of his 18 points in the second half), missed a jumper, Duke had the ball with nine seconds remaining, plenty of time for the tie or the win, but Tyrese Proctor threw it away with 2.4 seconds to play. Sallis was fouled at 1.8...he made two big free throws, 83-79, and that’s where the game ended....

....And where the post-game s---show immediately developed as the Wake fans, in a frenzy (terrifically) all game, and having waited years for such a celebration, stormed the court, Filipowski was hit, he was helped off with what initially appeared to be an ankle injury, later found out to be a knee issue, Filipowski with an icepack on the knee after.

The condemnation against Wake was also immediate.  ESPN studio host Seth Greenberg blasted the “school administration” for its lack of security, blah blah blah, and Wake was suddenly not just the lead on sports shows, but also making national news programs for all the wrong reasons.

Thank God I have my ‘wait 24 hours’ principle and was afforded the time to reflect.

Filipowski said after the contact was “intentional.”

“I absolutely feel that it was personal – intentional, for sure.  There’s no reason where they see a big guy like me trying to work my way off the court and can’t just work around me. There’s no excuse for that.”

We’ll learn Monday how severe the injury is, Duke’s next game being Wednesday.

The ACC doesn’t have any existing penalties against court storming, but no doubt will quickly institute something severe.  The SEC on Thursday fined LSU $100,000 after fans ran onto the court following its men’s team’s upset of No. 17 Kentucky.  In June, the conference increased penalties for field and court stormings, and under its new guidelines, offending schools must pay $100,000 for a first offense, $250,000 for a second offense and $500,000 for subsequent offenses.

The Big East and Pac-12 issue fines for court storming, as does the Big 12, which penalized Central Florida $25,000 for a court-storming after its men’s team upset Kansas in early January.  The Big Ten penalizes schools on their third offense, but the ACC does not levy fines.

It sucks that this incident marred a terrific win for us.  Wake is now solo fourth in the ACC, critical as the first four teams get a double-bye in the ACC tournament.  Wake must still win at least 2 of its last 4 to get invited to the Big Dance...on the road the next two, at Notre Dame and Virginia Tech.

The court storming also overshadowed an All-World performance by Hunter Sallis, the Gonzaga transfer who under Coach Steve Forbes has been given the freedom to do what he does best, score.  Sallis hit 11 of 13 from the field, 5 of 6 from three, and the critical last two free throws, 29 points in all, as he not only stamped himself as a first-team All-ACC, but has thrust himself into the NBA Draft conversation, as I discussed weeks ago.  [The kid also played 39 minutes.]

Wake shot 60% from the field again, 29 of 48, 9 of 17 from 3, with just six turnovers.

And good for Steve Forbes, who is well-liked and respected among the Deacon faithful, for finally getting a signature win and packing the arena.

ACC Standings

North Carolina 13-3
Duke 12-4
Virginia 11-6
Wake Forest 10-6
Clemson 9-7
Pitt 9-7
North Carolina State 9-7
Syracuse 9-8

NBA

--The Knicks started out their post-All-Star break stretch run with a nice 110-96 win over the Sixers in Philadelphia, Thursday, as some of the Knicks’ missing pieces returned, including Bojan Bogdanovic, who poured in 22 points in 24 minutes off the bench, 6 of 6 from 3.  Donte DiVincenzo and Isaiah Hartenstein also returned for New York, 34-22.

But Julius Randle (shoulder), OG Anunoby (elbow) and Mitchell Robinson (ankle) still have weeks to go before their returns.  It’s expected all three will be available at least a few weeks before the playoffs.

Randle, however, caused a bit of a stir the other day when he said while he is pushing to get back as quickly as possible, he has not ruled out season-ending surgery on his dislocated right shoulder.

Saturday night, the Knicks then fell to the Celtics at the Garden, 116-102, as this was one where the absence of Randle and Anunoby, as well as Robinson, really showed.

Boston is 45-12 for a reason, they’re good.  The Celtics, led by Jaylen Brown’s 30, shot 56.8% from the field, and 15 of 35 from 3.  The Knicks didn’t have a chance with Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic a combined 5 of 18 off the bench, 2 of 11 from downtown.

Eastern Conference standings, after today’s Bucks win over the Sixers, 119-98, but prior to other action involving East teams.

Boston 45-12
Cleveland 36-19...8.0
Milwaukee 37-21...8.5
New York 34-23...11.0
Philadelphia 33-24...12.0
Indiana 32-25...13.0
Orlando 32-25...13.0
Miami 31-25...13.5

--The Nuggets defeated the Wizards 130-110 on Thursday, with Nikola Jokic having another historic game...21 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists.  Jokic joined LeBron and Russell Westbrook as the only players in NBA history with a triple-double against every team he’s faced.

He also made all 10 of his shots from the field.  It’s the first 20/15/15 game on 100% shooting in NBA history.

And it was his fourth career triple-double with 100% shooting, which breaks a tie with Wilt Chamberlain for most all-time.

So what did Jokic do Friday in a 127-112 win at Portland?  29-15-14, his 17th triple-double of the season.

--I couldn’t give a damn about the big fight in the NBA Friday night between the Heat and the Pelicans.

MLB

--Last week I wrote that spring training was underway and made this statement:

“And then you’re worried about the pitchers and hearing something like, ‘Joe Blow left after two innings of a scheduled three-inning stint due to a little elbow soreness,’ that then turns into Tommy John surgery...’”

Days later, Mets fans received news that the man who was to be their ace this season, Kodai Senga, has a “moderate right posterior capsule strain” in his shoulder; Senga headed to the IL when the season begins, president of baseball operations Daivd Stearns told reporters Thursday.

[He had a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right shoulder and won’t throw for at least three weeks.]

Unreal.  Best case, Senga is back on the mound for the Mets sometime in May.  That would be awesome. Worst case, they find out he needs season-ending surgery, and the shoulder is worse than the elbow for a pitcher; see my story also last week on the late Don Gullett, whose career ended after rotator cuff surgery.

--I haven’t cared about some of the recent signings of free agents because it hasn’t been the big boys like Blake Snell and Cody Bellinger that are still out there. [I wrote this Saturday morning.  Saturday night we learned that Bellinger had agreed to a three-year, $80 million contract to return to the Cubs, following a bounce back 26 HR, 97 RBI, .307 BA, .881 OPS season with Chicago in 2023.]

But I can’t help but mention a few signings from the last few days.

Like infielder Tim Anderson signing a one-year, $5 million deal with the Marlins.  The shortstop hit .300 each season from 2019-2022, including a batting title, but slumped badly last season, .245, just a .582 OPS.

If the 30-year-old rebounds, what a steal for Miami.  Wish the Mets had nabbed him for $5 million instead of Joey Wendle, our infield reserve for this season.

--But a player I really don’t understand why the Mets didn’t go after was former shortstop Amed Rosario, who was part of the Francisco Lindor trade years ago.

Rosario is not a bad player by any stretch, .270 career average, some pop, great speed, solid fielder...and Tampa Bay signed him for one year, $1.5 million!  This is nuts!

Yet I’ve seen nothing on why the Mets weren’t even interested. He was a popular player here in Gotham...not a problem in the clubhouse...I just don’t get it.

I hope the Rays give him a good chance to play and wish him well.

--The Pirates did an un-Pirate-like thing in extending All-Star hurler Mitch Keller for five years, $77 million.  It’s the second-largest contract in franchise history behind Bryan Reynolds’ eight-year, $106.75 million deal last season. Ke’Bryan Hayes also received an eight-year, $70 million extension back in 2022.

--On one hand, we shouldn’t be talking about the MLB uniforms, even if they are hideous.  On the other hand, with see-through pants, we need to.  They are awful.

Fanatics is manufacturing the Nike Vapor Premier spring training uniforms and while the uniform weighs less and has drawn compliments from some players, the overwhelming response has been negative. The players’ names, for one, are much smaller, and there have been issues with the fit and feel.  Some players say they simply look cheap.

MLB has said adjustments are being made.

College Football

The College Football Playoff Board of Managers came up with a 5+7 playoff model for the next two seasons.  The new model gives the highest-ranked conference champions automatic bids – almost assuredly the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and SEC champions and then the next highest-ranked conference champion. The other seven teams will be at-large bids.  The top four seeds get byes, which is expected to be the four highest-ranked conference champions.

The previous model was 6+6, before the Pac-12 disintegrated.  Keeping the 6+6 model would have given two non-power conference champions automatic bids, so the 5+7 still allows for one Cinderella, smaller-conference automatic bid, as the initial 6+6 model intended.

This works, though I still think 8 teams total was a better expanded model.

The main thing is you won’t have an undefeated ACC champion, a la Florida State, not make the playoffs.

As for Washington State and Oregon State, they still have a shot. They will play at least six Mountain West opponents in 2024, and seven at-larges is better than six at-larges for them. 

The title game, by the way, isn’t until Jan. 20, as in January is going to be nuts for football fans with both the college and NFL playoffs happening.

--UCLA made a nice move.  Having hired Deshaun Foster to replace Chip Kelly as head coach, after Kelly left for the offensive coordinator position at Ohio State, the Bruins hired NFL veteran assistant Eric Bieniemy to be their new OC and assistant head coach.

The knock on UCLA’s choice of Foster, while being beloved at the school, is that he has never called a play and has no head coaching experience.  So now he can lean on Bieniemy, who is from the Southern California area and should be genuinely happy after constantly getting passed over for an NFL head coaching position.  Two decades ago he was the Bruins’ running backs coach as well.

Golf Balls

--True, we didn’t have a dynamic field at this week’s Mexico Open at Vidanta.  The leaderboard after three....

Jake Knapp -19
Sami Valimaki -15...25-year-old from Finland

And a bunch at -12 and -11.

In other words, it appeared to be all Knapp’s for the taking, which would be his first win. For the 29-year-old, this is only his ninth PGA Tour event and he already has a 3rd at the Farmers in January, making four of five cuts this season.  He earned his Tour card through the Korn Ferry Tour last year.

But a reason why real golf fans appreciate tournaments like this one, even with its largely no-name field, is to understand that these are the opportunities for kids like Knapp and Valimaki to break through and get into the signature events and the majors.

Many among the group outside golf’s current elite (as defined by the signature events) bitch and moan they don’t have the opportunities to get into fields like they used to, but here is your shot, so grab it!

For me, I’m following the progress of a local Jersey boy, Ryan McCormick, son of the head pro at Suburban Golf Club, where I was a member for years.  Ryan picked up his tour card through the Korn Ferry Tour like Knapp and this is the third event he has been able to get into this year, just his fifth overall on the PGA Tour going back to 2016-17, and he made his first cut this week!  That’s how it starts.  Make cuts, pocket a few checks, get some FedEx Cup points, and eventually a top ten or two, and then have that one magical week like Jake Knapp is on the verge of.

So, what happened in the fourth round?

Knapp started out in brutal fashion, bogeying two of the first three, and after seven holes, Knapp and Valimaki were tied at -18.

But in the end, in a fascinating final round, Jake Knapp did it!  Good on you, Jake!  For his grandfather.

Knapp -19
Valimaki -17...great for him, too...

Knapp hit just two fairways, the first to win a tournament like that since they started keeping figures in 1983.

Knapp’s girlfriend would be a fool not to stay close to her lad.  [Cough cough] He’s got game.  Just straighten out the driver.

Ryan McCormick finished T38.

--Joaquin Niemann, who has been bitching up a storm about not getting world ranking points for his LIV Golf play, got something he won’t be complaining about...a special invitation to the Masters...a tradition unlike any other...on CBS....

Augusta National also extended an invite to 21-year-old Ryo Hisatsune, the first Japanese player to be European tour rookie of the year, and Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark.

--I don’t look through social media to see what others are commenting on as to the big topics of the day. I use social media simply to post my columns.

But of course I hear and read about reaction to various items, and in the case of Tiger Woods’ son Charlie, who at age 15 attempted to qualify for a PGA Tour event and shot an 86, it is truly pathetic that some people went online to trash the kid.

Only assholes would do such a thing, of which the world is full of ‘em. [My proprietary Global A-Hole Meter is up to 57.4.]

Tiger himself said the following back in December, according to Sports Illustrated, concerning his son.

“I just don’t like the fact that he stares at his phone all the time. Put your phone away and just look around.  That’s one of the things that I think all parents struggle with is most kids don’t look up anymore.  Everyone is looking down.

“Look around you, the world is so beautiful around you, just look up.  But everyone is staring into a screen, and that’s how people view life. It drives me nuts at times because he’s always looking down and there’s so many things around you that are so beautiful at the same time.”

You can criticize Tiger for a lot of things that have transpired over the years, but by all accounts, he has never put any external pressure on Charlie or his older sister, Sam, who plays soccer. 

He’s letting Charlie figure it out on his own.  During the PNC Championship, when Charlie was playing with his dad, Tiger kept his son away from interviews, but as Stephen Borelli of USA TODAY described:

“Charlie stopped at the turn to answer questions from Will McGee, the 12-year-old son of two other golfers, Mike McGee and Annia Sorenstam.

“My mom was wondering, because she gives me advice on my swing but I don’t listen often. ...Do you listen to your dad on swing tips?” Will asked.

“It doesn’t happen very often,” Charlie responded. “I mean, when I get desperate, yeah.”

Charlie will indeed figure it out on his own one day.  Tiger is there for support if he wants it.

But good advice from Dad.  Freakin’ look up (and around) now and then.

--Anthony Kim is reportedly returning to professional golf on the LIV tour in next week’s Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, event.  He will be a designated “wildcard” player – competing as an individual and not on one of the 13 teams. 

NHL

--My Rangers have been en fuego, winners of nine straight as they headed to Philadelphia for a Saturday matinee against the Flyers, and what an exciting ending, the Rangers holding off Philly 2-1, as Igor Shesterkin was again superb in crunch time.  Rookie Matt Rempe, a 6’7”, 240 lb. center, had his first NHL goal, the game-winner, in just his fourth game, and three minutes into the affair, got into a fight with the Flyers’ Nicolas Deslauriers, with both coaches after saying “It was a good, old-fashioned hockey fight.”  Rempe will be an instant Garden favorite.

In extending their winning streak to ten, the Rangers tied a franchise record and tonight are attempting to break it in Columbus against the Blue Jackets.

--Toronto superstar Auston Matthews has really been on fire himself, scoring his 50th and 51st goals of the season Wednesday night in the Maple leaf’s 6-3 win over the Coyotes in Tempe.  Matthews thus broke a tie as the fastest U.S.-born player to reach 50 goals at 54 games.  His 51st gave him 350 career goals in 535 games.

Only Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky have scored 50 goals quicker, Lemieux in 50 games in 1995-96, and Gretzky, 50 in 39 games for Edmonton in 1981-82 on his way to a record 92 goals.

Matthews also had nine goals in his last four games as of Wednesday, including two consecutive hat tricks.

Thursday, Matthews then got goal No. 52 in the Maple Leafs’ 7-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights.

Saturday, Matthews didn’t score but had an assist as Toronto (33-16-8) had a big 4-3 road win at Colorado (35-19-5), Tyler Bertuzzi with a hat trick for the Maple Leafs, including the game-winner with three minutes left, and it was his birthday!  [The first player in Toronto history to score three on his birthday, by the way...which given their long history is rather remarkable.]

NFL

--The NFL announced Friday that its salary cap for the 2024 season will be a record $255.4 million per team – a huge increase of $30.6 million more per team than last year’s $224.8 million.

This could have a significant impact on the free agent market set to open next month, as most teams had been using cap projections in the range of between $240 million and $245 million when budgeting for the upcoming season.

--We note the passing of former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Golden Richards, who died at his home in Utah Friday at the age of 73, after suffering from congestive heart failure.  He had been battling health and drug abuse issues for years, according to Deseret News.

Richards spent most of his seven-year career (1973-79) with Dallas, finishing with 122 receptions for 2,136 yards (17.5 per) and 17 touchdowns. 

The former Hawaii and BYU star averaged more than 21 yards per catch in the 1975 and 1976 seasons.

Richards emerged as a valuable asset during Dallas’ road to their second Super Bowl win in 1977, catching a 32-yard touchdown in the NFC Championship game against the Vikings, to open the scoring in a 23-6 win.

And then in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl against the Broncos, with Cowboys head coach Tom Landry calling one of his signature trick plays in big games, running back Robert Newhouse threw a pass to Richards for a 29-yard touchdown to cap off the scoring in a 27-10 win.

Premier League

Last Wednesday, Liverpool defeated Luton Town 4-1.

Saturday, Aston Villa beat Nottingham 4-2; Fulham handed Manchester United a bad home loss, 2-1; Manchester City edged Bournemouth 1-0; Everton picked up a big point with a 1-1 draw at Brighton; and Arsenal whipped Newcastle 4-1...Arsenal defeating its four Premier League opponents in February by a combined score of 18-2.

So the standings, 25/26 of 38...played – points

1. Liverpool...26 – 60
2. City...26 – 59
3. Arsenal...26 – 58
4. Aston Villa...26 – 52
5. Tottenham...25 – 47
6. Man U...26 – 44

Helluva race for the title.

Stuff

--The men’s World Cup Alpine circuit was in Palisades Tahoe this weekend, and in today’s giant slalom, American River Radamus picked up his first podium finish, 3rd, as Marco Odermatt of Switzerland won his tenth consecutive GS race.  As Ronald Reagan would have told Nancy while reading the sports section from the Monday morning Los Angeles Times, Nancy fixing him Cream of Wheat, ‘Not bad, not bad at all...’

I did watch this today on NBC.  Good stuff.

I also learned Mikaela Shiffrin is slated to return in two weeks, Are, Sweden, for a giant slalom and slalom.

--We had a very sad situation on Thursday when three members of the University of Wyoming swimming and diving team were killed and two others injured when their sport utility vehicle veered and rolled over alongside a rural highway, bringing the total to at least 15 of the school’s students killed in recent years on the perilous road.

The crash happened on U.S. 287 about 10 miles south of the Wyoming-Colorado line between Laramie, Wyoming, and Fort Collins, Colorado.

In 2001, a head-on crash with a drunk driver on the same highway killed eight members of the University of Wyoming cross-country team.

In that crash days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a Wyoming student swerved into the lane in front the athletes’ northbound SUV.

In 2021, three University of Wyoming students were killed when their car slid on icy pavement and was struck by an oncoming vehicle near the scene of Thursday’s wreck.

There have been other incidents involving Wyoming students on that road over the years.

[I just realized I’m unintentionally wearing a Wyoming t-shirt as I write this, having picked it up when I went to Laramie years ago as part of my longest western road trip from Tucson, Arizona, to the Black Hills.  My thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of the victims.]

--Manhattan residents lost a friend on Friday, when Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl who had escaped a year ago from the Central Park Zoo and then captivated New Yorkers with his behavior, including sitting on rails and looking into office and apartment windows, died when he flew into a building near Riverside Park.

Pjetar Nikac, superintendent at 267 West 89th Street, an eight-story apartment building, was returning from the store at around 5 p.m. when he noticed an object on the ground in the building’s courtyard space.

“I thought it was a rock,” he told the New York Times. “I came closer and I saw: Owl.”

Nikac knew immediately it was Flaco.

Nikac and a building resident who is a birder, rushed to get him help, but Flaco was soon pronounced dead.

--Beyonce has become the first Black woman to top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.

The singer’s banjo-heavy track, “Texas Hold ‘Em,” holds the No.1 slot, and “16 Carriages” ranks at No. 9, per Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.

Beyonce is also the first woman to have topped both Billboard’s country and R&B/hip-hop lists since records began in 1958, Billboard reported.

I know some people have a problem with this...I sure as hell don’t.  Have you seen the video?  Goodness gracious.

Top 3 songs for the week of 2/24/73: #1 “Killing Me Softly With His Song” (Roberta Flack)  #2 “Dueling Banjos” (Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandell)  #3 “Crocodile Rock” (Elton John)...and...#4 “You’re So Vain” (Carly Simon)  #5 “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love” (Spinners)  #6 “Do It Again” (Steely Dan)  #7 “Last Song” (Edward Bear)  #8 “Don’t Expect Me To Be Your Friend” (Lobo)  #9 “Love Train” (O’Jays)  #10 “Rocky Mountain High” (John Denver...quality week, A-...)

College Basketball Quiz Answer: Seven to average 30 ppg in college who then went on to Hall of Fame careers in the NBA....

Pete Maravich, 44.18, 1968-70, LSU
Oscar Robertson, 33.78, 1958-60, Cincinnati
Calvin Murphy, 33.09, 1968-70, Niagara
Elgin Baylor, 31.22, 1957-58, Seattle
Elvin Hayes, 31.01, 1966-68, Houston
Larry Bird, 30.32, 1977-79, Indiana State
Bill Bradley, 30.16, 1963-65, Princeton

All seven played before the advent of the 3-point shot.  Pistol Pete, as you know through the Caitlin Clark watch, is the all-time Division I scorer, male or female, with 3,667 points.

Austin Carr, 34.59, 1969-71, Notre Dame, is second in scoring average to Maravich, nearly 10 points per back.

Big-time college hoops fans who are, shall we say, old, remember some great names on the 30 ppg list....

Bo Lamar, 32.67, 1971-73, Louisiana
Rick Mount, 32.26, 1968-70, Purdue
William “Bird” Averitt, 31.45, 1972-73, Pepperdine
Freeman Williams, 30.65, 1975-78, Portland State.  [Not be confused with “Fly” Williams, who averaged 28.5 ppg for Austin Peay, 1972-74.]

If you’re wondering about Harry “Machine Gun” Kelly, he averaged 27.9 ppg for Texas Southern, 1980-83, but is No. 9 on the all-time points list at 3,066.

The 3-point line in college basketball wasn’t universally adopted until 1986.  A few conferences tinkered with it prior.

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.

 

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