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Bar Chat

03/18/2024

March Madness...Scottie Scheffler, superstar

Add-on posted early Tues. a.m.

March Madness

--Just for the archives, the consensus was that St. John’s, Seton Hall, Providence, Indiana State, Oklahoma and Pitt were screwed in not getting bids to the Big Dance, though this is what happens when schools like NC State and Oregon win their conference tournaments, as it should be.  And when you are an Indiana State, in a mid-major conference, you have to win it all to avoid the anxiety.

Florida Atlantic got in in part because of its reputation, and if they hadn’t had a Final Four run last year, they could have gotten hosed this year instead of the Sycamores. That’s what happens.  And boy, I don’t want the tournament to expand more than it is...but that day is coming.  Everyone gets a trophy.

You can bitch all you want about seeding as well, and how some of the seedings for the Mountain West are questionable, for example, but it’s time to move on and play the games. 

And your Pick to Click Final Four, having completed my ballot on ESPN.com, the only one I do every year (and if I ruled the world, everyone gets just one ballot...don’t waste my time with telling me about your multiple entries), and since I said UConn should just be handed the title about six weeks ago, of course I have them winning it all and going back-to-back, a la Scottie Scheffler.

UConn over North Carolina, Kentucky over Creighton...UConn winning it 83-80.  The others in the Elite Eight are Duke, Iowa State, Utah State and New Mexico.

Of course this is all totally ridiculous, but better than following the world situation.

As for the NIT, the four No. 1 seeds in the 32-team field are Seton Hall, Wake Forest, Indiana State, and Villanova.

Wake hosts Appalachian State on Wednesday and I hope Wake isn’t on spring break because the App State fans will invade Joel Coliseum.  [I just looked...the kids are back from break.]  The Mountaineers would love nothing more than to beat us.  This is a strange, albeit infrequent rivalry when it comes to hoops and football.

Meanwhile, I was disappointed to see Rick Pitino turn down a bid to play in the NIT, ditto Pitt and Oklahoma.  Pitino spun it as you’d expect him to, how much he respects the NIT and St. John’s history in it, but that the time is best spent preparing for next season, which is bullshit.  He’s just eager to jettison some players and make a quick move into the portal, after getting off to a late start in same last year when he took the job.

And the story was Monday, as the portal opened up, which is incredibly stupid...wait a few weeks to allow the tournament to be front and center...that Pitino was already targeting a top Hofstra player.

--And now the new AP Poll...it’s always interesting to see the differences in seeding versus the poll ranking, though this year there is nothing outrageous between the two, except, perhaps, Auburn being a 4.

1. UConn (61) 31-3
2. Houston (1) 30-4
3. Purdue 29-4
4. Iowa State 27-7
5. North Carolina 27-7
6. Tennessee 24-8
7. Auburn 27-7
8. Marquette 25-9...way overrated...
9. Arizona 25-8
10. Illinois 26-8
11. Creighton 23-9
12. Kentucky 23-9
13. Duke 24-8
14. Baylor 23-10
15. Saint Mary’s 26-7
16. South Carolina 26-7
17. Kansas 22-10
18. Gonzaga 25-7
19. Alabama 21-11
20. Utah State 27-6
21. BYU 23-10
22. Texas Tech 23-10
23. Wisconsin 22-13
24. San Diego State 24-10
25. Washington State 24-9

I love what ESPN’s Joe Lunardi wrote Monday.  Let’s face it, college hoops fans.  Come about Jan. 15 each year, there is no man more closely followed than him.  He has his two-month annual stretch of being the most important figure in the world...at least to us.

Lunardi is good.  He does his job well.  I admire that.

Yes, he misses a few, but not many, and so he signed off thusly on Monday after the bracket was revealed.

“Thankfully, come Thursday afternoon – or maybe even Tuesday night – none [of what I have said or written] will matter.  And neither will I.  See you next season!”

--On the women’s side....

No. 1 seeds...South Carolina (32-0), Texas, Iowa, and USC
No. 2 seeds...Notre Dame, Stanford, UCLA and Ohio State

Yup, it’s the Caitlin Clark Show, until it isn’t.

NBA

--How ‘bout those Knicks?  They go a critical west coast swing and are now 3-0, 41-27, beating the Warriors last night, 119-112. 

O.G. Anunoby was out again and could be for a while due to a setback with his surgically repaired elbow, but Miles McBride filled in with a career-night...29 points, 6 of 9 from 3, 47 minutes, one turnover, and held Steph Curry to 27, 4 of 13 from downtown.

Jalen Brunson had 34, and Josh Hart another triple-double, 10-11-11, while playing all 48 minutes.

One more game in Denver on Thursday before they head home.  Awesome.

Golf Balls

--Just a few comments on Scottie Scheffler’s performance and his run of the past 26 months. Eight wins in that time...with two each at the WM Phoenix Open, Arnie’s Bay Hill, and The Players. The other two being the Dell Match-Play Championship and the 2022 Masters...a tradition unlike any other...on CBS.

It’s easy to forget Scheffler is just 27 (28 on June 21).

I hope for the sake of the game he continues to dominate.  The sport needs superstars.  Recall the era before Tiger took charge.  It largely sucked.

But this week marked the first time since 1960 that one player, Scheffler, won back-to-back, while another, Wyndham Clark, was a back-to-back runner-up.  Hadn’t been since Arnie won consecutively and Doug Sanders was second each week.

Clark said of his 17-foot birdie putt at 18, his last-ditch effort to force overtime that shockingly lipped out:

“I don’t know how that putt doesn’t go in.  It was kind of right center with like a foot to go, and I knew it was going to keep breaking, but it had speed and I thought it was going to go inside left, and even when it kind of lipped, I thought it would lip in.  I’m pretty gutted it didn’t go in.”

And for those who were bitching that The Players didn’t have a truly elite field as it always advertises due to the LIV golfers who couldn’t compete, in Clark and fellow runners-up Brian Harman and Xander Schauffele, you had three of the top-10 players in the world.

--On a different topic, LIV and who I pray doesn’t bolt for it, No. 1 would be Ludvig Aberg, who finished eighth this week.  The 24-year-old Swede has the game, and charisma, to match Scheffler.

Viktor Hovland is another who if he bolted would make for a very bad look for the PGA Tour.  But Hovland has been a pain in the ass with his statements this year, and his performance has sucked, a T19 at the Genesis the best in five events, and it’s almost as if he wants to bolt for the immediate riches.

Hideki Matsuyama is different.  Everyone has been expecting him to leave the Tour for LIV.  It’s disappointing he hasn’t made more of an effort to learn some English for the American public.  It’s like he doesn’t want to even try after all these years.  The guy is very well liked and would be more so if he was more relatable. 

--***But speaking of LIV, a meeting has been held, or is about to be, in Nassau, Bahamas, reportedly between the PGA Tour board, including players like Jordan Spieth and Patrick Cantlay, as well as, critically, Tiger Woods, and PIF’s Yasir Al-Rumayyan.  This is big.

The meeting was initially scheduled for Monday at a private residence in Ponte Vedra, but it wasn’t known if Al-Rumayyan would be there, and then the venue was changed to Albany Resort in the Bahamas, where Tiger is known to hang out.

MLB

--Reigning Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell signed a two-year, $62 million deal with the Giants, with an opt-out after the first season.  Quite a comedown for a guy seeking a mammoth 5- or 6-year deal. 

Snell has thrown 180 innings just twice, his two Cy Young seasons, last year and 2018 with Tampa Bay.

College Baseball

Baseball America Top 25 (as of Sunday’s play)

1. Arkansas
2. Vanderbilt
3. Clemson
4. Oregon State
5. LSU
6. Duke
7. Florida State
8. Florida
9. Alabama
10. Texas A&M
11. Tennessee
12. East Carolina
13. Virginia
14. Oklahoma
15. Wake Forest...1st to 15th in two weeks...
22. Coastal Carolina
23. North Carolina

The Deacs are in deep trouble.  Nick Kurtz, our slugger who was off to a slow start, is out at least 3 weeks with a shoulder injury.  Drat!

In a Baseball America mock draft this week, Wake pitcher Chase Burns is up to No. 4 overall, with Kurtz still at No. 7.  And fellow Deac Seaver King No. 10.  Pitcher Josh Hartle, who has struggled mightily, is out of the first round now.

Infielder/outfielder Charlie Condon (Georgia) is projected No. 1.

Stuff

--Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol, Tenn., Sunday, the Food City 500, Food City with 97 stores in Tennessee, for those of you keeping score at home.

This one is always a 500-lap battle of attrition (and tire management) and for Hamlin it was his second straight at the track, win No. 52 for his career.

Martin Truex Jr. was second, Brad Keselowski third.

--Huge news in the Premier League on Monday. Nottingham Forest was hit with a four-point deduction for breaching PL profit and sustainability rules.  So here I noted on Sunday that Nottingham was above the relegation zone, but now....

Played (of 38) – Points

16. Everton...28 – 25...which had its own 10-point penalty earlier
17. Luton Town...29 – 22
18. Nottingham...29 – 21
19. Burnley...29 – 17
20. Sheffield...28 – 14

They are drinking heavily in Nottingham today.  They’ve been drinking heavily in Sheffield and Burnley for months.

--Division I Men’s Hockey rankings....as we approach the Frozen Four...

1. Boston College...Steve D. pumped...
2. Boston University
3. Denver
4. Michigan State
5. North Dakota
6. Minnesota
7. Quinnipiac
8. Maine
9. Wisconsin
10. Colorado College

This weekend in Lake Placid, George R.’s St. Lawrence Saints take on mighty Quinnipiac in an ECAC semifinal, the winner facing the winner of Dartmouth-Cornell.

The winners of six conference tournaments and 10 at-large bids then make up the NCAA field, which is winnowed down to the Frozen Four.

--More bear attacks in Slovakia, of all places.  Two people were hospitalized on Sunday after being attacked by a bear in the town of Liptovsky Mikulas, officials said.

A 49-year-old woman suffered an injury to her shoulder, while a 72-year-old man was treated for a gash on his head. 

Reports said police went on to drive the bear out of town and into a forest.

Videos posted on social media showed the bear bounding along a road, and in one, lunging at a man on the sidewalk.

As for the woman who died earlier after trying to escape a bear in the Low Tatra mountains, officials now believe she fell to her death.

And this is your Slovakia Bear Update, another free feature of Bar Chat.

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.

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[Posted Sunday p.m. after Players Championship and initial NCAA reveal...]

NCAA Basketball Quiz: The other week I wrote of the passing of Lefty Driesell and mentioned the 1973-74 ACC Championship final between Maryland and NC State.  The Wolfpack went on to win the NCAA title, defeating Marquette in the final, after beating Bill Walton and UCLA in double overtime in the semis.  This being the 50th anniversary of NC State’s big triumph, name the six players in the main rotation.  Answer below.

College Basketball Review

*The following comments were written, chronologically largely, prior to the bracket reveal....

--Come conference championship time, it’s about the upsets that can lead to bubble teams going home empty.

Thursday....

Providence upset 8 Creighton in a Big East quarterfinal, 78-73, while NC State beat 11 Duke in an ACC quarterfinal, 74-69.

Friday....

5 Tennessee fell to Mississippi State, 73-56, in an SEC quarterfinal, Oregon beat 6 Arizona in a Pac-12 semifinal, and Texas A&M upset 9 Kentucky in an SEC quarterfinal.

--St. John’s amazing run ended in a Big East semifinal on Friday night, 95-90 to 2 UConn (30-3, 18-2), as Rick Pitino’s boys fell to 20-13, 11-9.

But the Johnnies, in their key test, defeated Seton Hall in Thursday’s quarterfinal, 91-72, to wrap up a bid to the Big Dance, the sixth straight win since Pitino’s blowup, so says moi, though some have them ‘first four out.’

--No. 16 Kansas, struggling mightily down the stretch, lost its second-round Big 12 game to Cincinnati, 72-52, as the Jayhawks fell to 22-10, 10-8, losers of 4 of 5.

But they were playing without stars Kevin McCullar Jr. and Hunter Dickinson, the two out with injuries, Kansas hoping they are both back for the NCAA tournament.  Coach Bill Self was optimistic a few days ago.  The two combine for 36 points and nearly 17 rebounds.

--As for my Wake Forest Demon Deacons, no NCAA bid for them.  After defeating Notre Dame 72-59 in their ACC tournament quarterfinal, they had a huge game against Pitt, both on the bubble, both desperately needing the win, and Wake started off miserably, down 25-14 with 8:50 left in the half, and 36-28 at the intermission.

Wake was then down 55-36 with 13:10 to play when they launched a comeback that could have been one for the ages, the Deacs cutting it to 65-61 with 5:00 to play, Hunter Sallis at the line, and he hit just 1 of 2 free throws, 65-62.  Andrew Carr went to the line for Wake with 2:48 to play and he hit just 1 of 2, 69-65 and it was essentially over, Wake falling 81-69, the Deacs NIT bound at 20-13, 11-9.

But get this.  Pitt outscored the Wake bench 39-0!  The Deacs were just 6 of 21 from 3, freshman sharpshooter Parker Friedrichsen 0 for 6 from downtown. Ugh.

Pitt (22-11, 12-8) then lost to North Carolina in its ACC semifinal, 72-65.

--Saturday was nuts....

No. 1 Houston was humiliated by 7 Iowa State in the Big 12 championship final, the Cougars shooting 15 of 56 from the field, All-American Jamal Shead 3 of 17, Houston 4 of 22 from 3. At the same time, Houston’s vaunted defense allowed the Cyclones to hit 50% of their field goal attempts, 25 of 50.

2 UConn will move up to No. 1 in tomorrow’s AP poll, taking the Big East title handily, 73-57, over 10 Marquette, as Donovan Clingan, one of the more intriguing players in the country in terms of potential NBA ability, had 22 points and 16 rebounds for the Huskies.

Wisconsin defeated 3 Purdue 76-75 in overtime in a Big Ten semifinal.

12 Auburn beat Mississippi State 73-66 in an SEC semi, thus ending the Bulldogs’ Cinderella run.

But then we had the American Athletic Conference tournament.  The AAC was likely to get two bids...South Florida and Florida Atlantic, the latter a Final Four team last year with virtually the same squad back this season.

South Florida then fell to UAB (22-11, 12-6) 93-83, with the Bulls at 24-7, 16-2.  South Florida had a 15-game winning streak during the regular season, but it has a poor NET ranking and no Quad 1 wins.  They are NIT bound.

Meanwhile, Florida Atlantic, who fell to Temple (16-19, 5-13) in shocking fashion, 74-73, will be on pins and needles. FAU, who got as high as No. 7 in the AP poll this year, No. 10 preseason, is 25-8, 14-4.

As in the AAC is getting the UAB-Temple winner, and probably FAU, but you can see how other bubble teams were apoplectic over these developments.

Brown then eliminated Princeton in an Ivy League Championship semifinal.  Princeton, 24-4, 12-2, was going to be something like a 12-seed with definite upset potential in a first-round game.  Now they are out. 

Brown is just 13-17, 8-6, and squares off against Yale (21-9, 11-3) for the bid, the Bulldogs defeating Cornell in the other semi, 69-57.

And then there is North Carolina State, whose only path to the NCAA Tournament was to win the ACC Championship, and for the first time since 1987, they did, shocking 4 North Carolina in the finale last night, 84-76, behind DJ Horne’s 29 and D.J. Burns Jr.’s 20, offsetting RJ Davis’ 30 for the Tar Heels, though Davis was 10 of 26 from the field.

Hubert Davis’ boys came up small.

The Wolfpack beat 15-seed Louisville, 7 Syracuse, 2 Duke, 3 Virginia and then No. 1 seed UNC...five wins, five consecutive days.

The win has huge implications.  Virgina, suddenly, may get shut out of March Madness. And Pitt can kiss any chance they had goodbye.  [At this point, Wake will be lucky to get an NIT bid!]

It didn’t help that Oregon (23-11, 12-8) defeated Colorado (24-10, 13-7) for the final Pac-12 title.  The Ducks weren’t even slated to get into the NCAAs prior to the weekend.

And St. John’s and Seton Hall could get shut out, which would be another shocking development if both were.

A few more games of note...I actually watched most of Delaware State-Howard, and Fairfield-Saint Peter’s (with The Players Championship sandwiched in between), because these kinds of games interest me far more than the big conference tilts.

Howard is going back to the Big Dance for a second consecutive year, 70-67 over the Hornets in the MEAC Tournament final, while Saint Peters hopes to repeat its performance of two seasons ago when it shocked the basketball world by making it to the Elite Eight, defeating Kentucky and Purdue along the way.

The Peacocks ousted Fairfield for the MAAC Championship, 68-63.

And in one of the better stories of the year, Long Beach State is goin’ dancin’ with a head coach who the school fired earlier in the week.

The 49ers defeated UC Davis in the Big West championship game Saturday night, 74-70.

Coach Dan Monson was allowed to coach the team in the tournament, even after he acknowledged the need for a replacement in a statement announcing a “mutual separation.”

Monson has been coach for 17 undistinguished seasons, and this is just the 49ers second bid during his tenure.

--Sunday, prior to The Reveal...in a phenomenal ending I tuned in to, Yale overcame a 60-54 deficit with 27 seconds left, to take out Brown, 62-61, for the Ivy League championship, only because Brown missed three free throws in that time.  Sickening for Bears fans (Brown, that is...not Chicago, or Baylor).

And Duquesne is goin’ dancin’ for the first time since 1977!...57-51 winners over VCU for the A-10 title.

Auburn won the SEC title, 86-67 over Florida, the Gators getting a bid.

Illinois took the Big Ten title, 92-87 over Wisconsin, who doesn’t deserve to get in.

And UAB defeated Temple, 85-69.  The A-10 will indeed get screwed on at-large bids.

--The coaches at Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt (Jerry Stackhouse), Stanford, and Michigan (Juwan Howard) are among those having been fired thus far.

Boy, what a dramatic fall for Howard.  His first four seasons at the helm in the Big Ten he was 10-10, 14-3 (23-5 overall, a No. 1 seed), 11-9, and 11-9.  And then 3-17, 8-24, this year.  All kinds of off the court garbage for this all-time alum.  Unfortunate, but a deserved firing.

And now the reveal....I will have far more comments in my Tuesday Add-on, including your EXCLUSIVE Final Four...but UConn, Houston, Purdue, and North Carolina are your No. 1 seeds.

And NO St. John’s, Seton Hall, Pitt (as expected) and others to be discussed Tuesday. Big East dissed hugely.

NBA

--Going back to last Tuesday after I posted, the Knicks rebounded from last Sunday’s hideous 79-73 loss to the Sixers, by beating Philly in a return matchup, 106-79, with Josh Hart having 20 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists.  Broadcaster Ian Eagle noted that Hart exited the game just one rebound shy of a remarkable stat.  He could have become the first player with 20-20-10 since Hall of Famer Guy Rodgers did it back in 1962.

Reminder, Hart is just 6’4”, but with all the injuries, he’s not only been playing 40+ minutes per game, he’s been a rebounding machine.

O.G. Anunoby did make his return on Tuesday after being out since Jan. 27 due to elbow surgery.

The Knicks then started a critical west coast swing with a 105-93 win in Portland (19-47), Thursday, Jalen Brunson with 45 points, Hart 15 rebounds, and Anunoby playing 36 minutes.  But then O.G. said he felt discomfort in his surgically repaired elbow.

Saturday in Sacramento, Brunson became the first Knick since Carmelo Anthony with back-to-back 40-point efforts, scoring 42 on 17 of 28 shooting, New York with a huge, gritty 98-91 win over the Kings (38-28) to advance to 40-27.

OG Anunoby was in the lineup, playing 33 minutes, but was a miserable 1 of 8 from the field.  The Knicks were 11 of 39 from downtown.

It was all Jalen Brunson...and Josh Hart’s 13 rebounds.

Eastern Conference Standings (thru Saturday)

1. Boston...52-14...--
2. Milwaukee...43-24...9.5
3. Cleveland...42-25...10.5
4. New York...40-27...12.5
5. Orlando...39-28...13.5
6. Indiana...38-30...15
7. Philadelphia...37-30...15.5
8. Miami...36-30...16
9. Chicago...33-35...20
10. Atlanta...29-37...23

It's a tension convention for us Knicks to stay out of a play-in spot, and preferably no worse than No. 4, and really No. 3 to avoid Boston if they make it to the second round.

--In a biggie on the West Coast last night, the Warriors beat the Lakers, 128-121, Steph Curry with 31, LeBron with 40, though L.A. played without Anthony Davis all but 12 minutes after he was poked in the eye early (diagnosed as an eye contusion, and he’ll be evaluated prior to Monday’s game against Atlanta).

Both Golden State and L.A. are still trying to avoid the play-in round.

West Coast Standings (thru Saturday)

6. Phoenix...39-28...8
7. Sacramento...38-38...8.5
8. Dallas...38-29...9
9. Golden State...35-31...11.5
10. L.A. Lakers...36-32...11.5
11. Houston...32-35...15

NFL

--Since I last posted, as free agency continued, the Steelers cleared the way for Russell Wilson to be the starting quarterback by trading Kenny Pickett to the Eagles, Pittsburgh receiving the No. 98 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, along with two 2025 seventh rounders, while the Eagles received the Steelers’ No. 120 selection.

--Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald announced his retirement Friday after 10 dominant seasons.  In those 10 campaigns, Donald was a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, an eight-time first team All-Pro, a 10-time Pro Bowl selection and the 2014 Defensive Rookie of the Year.

He finished his career with 111 sacks, the second-most among primary defensive tackles in a career behind John Randle (137.5) since individual sacks became official in 1982.  He holds the Rams’ franchise record for career sacks.

“Throughout my career, I have given my everything to football both mentally and physically – 365 days a year was dedicated to becoming the best possible player I could be,” Donald said on social media.  “I respected this game like no other and I’m blessed to be able to conclude my NFL career with the same franchise that drafted me.  Not many people get drafted to a team, win a World Championship with that team and retire with that team. I do not, and will not, take that for granted.”

--The Washington Commanders traded quarterback Sam Howell and a pair of picks to Seattle for two higher selections in next month’s draft. Washington sent a fourth-round pick (No. 102) and a sixth-round pick (No. 179) to Seattle and received selections in the third round (No. 78) and fifth round (No. 152).  Washington now has six of the top 100 selections, including Nos. 2, 36, and 40.

Howell, a 2022 fifth-round pick, impressed in a Week 18 win over Dallas in his rookie season after sitting behind Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke, but after a strong start to 2023, he regressed as the offense (and team) struggled.

Washington recently signed Marcus Mariota, no doubt to be a mentor to a younger quarterback and help him develop – or, if necessary, step in and start.

It’s a good move for Howell, who gets a fresh start with a new coaching staff in Seattle.  Gino Smith remains the starter, but his backup, Drew Lock signed with the Giants in free agency.

So will the Commanders take Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye with the No. 2, assuming Chicago selects Caleb Williams at No. 1?  Or will Washington trade back and collect even more draft capital while grabbing one of the ‘second-tier’ QBs in J.J. McCarthy, Bo Nix or Michael Penix Jr.?

--The Chargers, with major cap-space issues, traded veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen to the Bears., Chicago sending L.A. a fourth-round pick (No. 110 overall).

Allen, 32 in April, has caught 904 passes for 10,530 yards and 59 touchdowns in his 11 seasons, including six seasons with 1,000 yards, and five with 1,000 yards and 100 receptions.  Last season he had 108 catches for 1,243 yards.

Ergo, a nice veteran target for the aforementioned Caleb Williams.

--Meanwhile, what are the Bears doing with Justin Fields?

Late Saturday, we found out...in a shocking development, he was traded to the Steelers in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round pick that becomes a fourth rounder if he’s on the field for 51% of snaps next season.

So, clarity and a new start for Fields.  Reports are that there will be no competition in training camp between Wilson and Fields.  Wilson is the starter.  Now if the Steelers get off to a 2-4, 2-5 start, well, you see what could transpire.  Wilson only has the one-year contract.

--Baltimore reached agreement on a two-year, $16 million contract with running back Derrick Henry.  The deal could be worth up to $20 million, according to reports, with $9 million guaranteed in the first year.

The Ravens are pairing a two-time NFL rushing champion with the league’s reigning MVP in Lamar Jackson.

Baltimore desperately needed to make this move because running back Gus Edwards agreed to a two-year deal with the Chargers, and J.K. Dobbins is a free agent.

Henry has 9,502 yards in his 8-year career, including a fifth 1,000-yard season last year with Tennessee.

--Tennessee signed receiver Calvin Ridley to a 4-year, $92 million deal, $50 million guaranteed.  Ridley, who sat out 2021 to focus on his mental health, and then served a year-long suspension for violating the NFL’s gambling policy, caught 76 passes for 1,016 yards, and eight touchdowns, with Jacksonville last season.  Prior to that, he was one of the more dynamic receivers in the game with Atlanta, 2018-20.

--After his magical run with the Browns in 2023, quarterback Joe Flacco signed a one-year deal with the Colts.

--Houston traded for running back Joe Mixon and signed star rusher Danielle Hunter to a two-year, $49 million deal.

Mixon has four, 1,000-yard seasons in his seven years in the league with Cincinnati, including last season, while Hunter is coming off his best season in the NFL with the Vikings, the defensive end with 16.5 sacks.

--The Vikings scooped up former Green Bay star running Aaron Jones on a one-year, $7 million contract, a great move by them.  Jones has a 5.0 yards per carry average in his seven seasons in the NFL.

--Lastly, the Jets have to deal with another Aaron Rodgers controversy, as CNN revealed journalist Pamela Brown met Rodgers during the 2013 Kentucky Derby, and when Rodgers learned she was with CNN, he began spouting comments on the validity of the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, saying in part, “Sandy Hook never happened” and that “all those children had never existed.”

“They’re all making it up.  They’re all actors,” a second source said Rodgers told him, per CNN’s Jake Tapper .

Rodgers, on vacation, then issued a statement saying: “As I’m on the record saying in the past, what happened in Sandy Hook was an absolute tragedy.  I am not and have never been of the opinion that the events did not take place.”

But he did not refute the CNN story.

On the field, the Jets have been eagerly addressing a key weakness, the offensive line.  First they signed left guard John Simpson and are bringing back right tackle Morgan Moses, and then they secured a biggie, former Dallas left tackle Tyron Smith, a 2X All-Pro, 8X Pro Bowler.  Smith, 33, signed a one-year deal that could be worth up to $20 million with incentives.

Good job, GM Joe Douglas.  And now the Jets, with the 10th pick in the draft, won’t feel pressed into drafting a tackle.

MLB

--Yankees fans were on pins and needles this week as Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole got checked out by Dr. Nel ElAttrache on Thursday and word is Cole can avoid Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.  The initial recommendation is rest, rehab and some conservative, non-surgical treatments. 

Cole then spoke for the first time Saturday and said he’s optimistic, and that while he won’t be throwing for 3-4 weeks, and then will have to ramp up like it’s spring training all over again, he’s “going to keep the arm live” while he’s resting, meaning he’ll be doing exercises for it.  Cole is thus expected to be out about two months, if all goes well. 

The Yankees were hoping to trade for White Sox righty starter Dylan Cease to help alleviate Cole’s absence, but San Diego surprisingly pulled off a trade for Cease, a talented 28-year-old under team control for two years.

Chicago, in the midst of a massive rebuild and looking to shed salary, picked up three prospects and reliever Steven Wilson.

--The Brewers suffered a big blow as All-Star closer Devin Williams was diagnosed with two stress fractures in his back and is expected to miss at least three months.

Williams pitched through back pain last September on his way to winning National League reliever of the year for the second time, and it flared up this spring.

In five seasons, Williams is 26-10, 1.89, with 54 saves and 337 strikeouts in just 214 innings.

--Mets owner Steve Cohen, aka Uncle Stevie, said the team doesn’t expect to sign a long-term contract with slugger Pete Alonso until after the season (if at all, he left unsaid).

Alonso, a looming free agent, with Scott Boras his agent, is seeking a mammoth extension I don’t want the Mets to give him.  I agree with those who say the 30-year-old won’t age well.

We’re talking Ryan Clifford is in the future, the editor wrote to the diehard Mets fans who know who he is.

--Mets fans also note the passing of pitcher Jim McAndrew, 80.  He was the classic spot starter, long reliever, pitching for the Mets from 1968-73, before a final season in San Diego.

With New York, McAndrew often pitched with zero run support and his 36-49 record was deceiving, as he had a solid 3.65 ERA for the Metropolitans.

But because he was the fifth starter, he didn’t appear in the 1969 or ’73 World Series.

On Sept. 10, 1969, though, McAndrew started the first game of a doubleheader against the Expos, going 11 innings, 2 runs, before the Mets pulled it out in the bottom of the 12th, a win that put the Mets in first place for the first time in their history.  [Ken Boswell had the game-winning hit.]

As Johnny Mac said of McAndrew, he was also the only major leaguer from Lost Nation High School, out of Lost Nation, Iowa.

There was another major leaguer born in Lost Nation, George Stone, who in 1906 won an AL batting title while with the St. Louis Browns, but there was no Lost Nation High School back then. Lost Nation, population 434 in the 2020 census, merged with the Midland School district in 1993.

Which means, it is impossible for Lost Nation HS to have another major leaguer, ever...unless they discovered they are sitting on a massive lithium deposit, and thus the need for a battery factory, and the population soared to 45,000, necessitating the need for a new high school.  At which point the town could be renamed Discovered Nation, or Rediscovered, depending on how the City Council voted.

And now you know, potentially...the rest of the story....

--In College Baseball, what an awful week for 7 Wake Forest.  We lost 17-9 at 22 Coastal Carolina on Tuesday, the pitching staff yielding 9 walks and hitting, hitting, 10 batters!  Johnny Mac was afraid to get too close to the action for fear he’d get hit as well by a 90-mph fastball.

The horrendous pitching continued at No. 15 Virginia on Friday, the start of a 3-game series, the Deacs falling 16-10, as a guy who was tabbed to be a top ten draft pick later this spring, Josh Hartle, gave up 6 earned for a second straight start for the Deacs.  Your guess is as good as mine as to what’s wrong with the guy.  And our slugger, Nick Kurtz, went out with an injury, status unknown.

Kurtz was out of the lineup on Saturday, but Wake did have another potential first-rounder, Chase Burns on the mound, and Burns is single-handedly keeping the Deacs in the Top 25, as he threw another gem, 7 innings, 1 run, 13 strikeouts, the Deacs winning 9-3.  Burns, 4-0, has 27 strikeouts in his last 13 innings, but I didn’t like seeing that he threw 109 pitches yesterday.  Coach Tom Walter never likes to see his guys throw more than 100, but these are desperate times for Wake.

But then today, sans our No. 3 starter, Michael Massey, for unknown reasons, Wake blew a 10-5 seventh-inning lead and lost 11-10 in ten.  Season already over.  [Expletive deleted.]

Golf Balls

--Golf’s ‘fifth major,’ The Players Championship, once boasted the best field in the sport, and that was true, but this year with the defection of Jon Rahm, and LIV Golf’s other stars, you can’t exactly make that claim (as opposed to the majors that have allowed some of them to play).

But we also need to remember that the Players can produce a weak winner, like a Craig Perks, who did zero afterwards, so you never know.

We did, however, get off to a strong start as Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy grabbed the first-round lead, along with  Wyndham Clark at -7.

But after 36 holes, Clark grabbed a 4-shot lead....

Clark -14...65-65
Schauffele -10
Nick Taylor -10
Matt Fitzpatrick -9
Maverick McNealy -9

Scottie Scheffler among those at -8. Rory fell back to -6.

And then it was Xander Schauffele Day, Saturday, as he fired his second 65 to take the 54-hole lead....

Schauffele -17 ...65-69-65
Clark -16 ...65-65-70
Brian Harman -15 ...72-65-64...a record 129 for two consecutive rounds
McNealy -13
Fitzpatrick -13
Sahith Theegala -12
Scheffler -12

Rory -9

It’s set up to be a spectacular final round, especially given the vagaries of this terrific course for spectators.

And early on, it was the Scottie Scheffler Show, as he shot a 5-under 31 on the front nine and we had....

Scheffler -17...thru 9
Schauffele -17...6
Clark -17...6
Harman -15...7

[When is ‘spell check’ going to get Schauffele’s name right, typed the exasperated editor.]

Scheffler finished up shooting a 64... -20...and he waited.

Harman -19 thru 15
Schauffele -18 thru 15
Clark -17 thru 15

But as they approached No. 18....

Schauffele -19
Clark -19
Harman -19

And in an incredible lip-out for the ages, Wyndham Clark missed out on tying Scheffler for a playoff.

Scottie Scheffler becomes the first to win The Players back-to-back.  As I noted last week, after he won at Bay Hill, exactly what the sport needed!  A true superstar!

And not for nothing....$8.5 million the last two weeks.

--Among those missing the cut were Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Will Zalatoris.

--All eyes were on PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan Tuesday in his annual news conference at the Players (and first formal one since last August).  He said negotiations with the Private Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia are “accelerating” and that he sees a “positive outcome,” given more time.

Monahan said he met recently with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of PIF and the director of LIV Golf and “our negotiations are accelerating as we spend time together. While we have several key issues that we still need to work through, we have a shared vision to quiet the noise and unlock golf’s world-wide potential.

“It’s going to take time, but I reiterate what I said at the Tour Championship in August. I see a positive outcome for the PGA Tour and the sport as a whole.”

Well, it’s freakin’ March, Commissioner.  You have done a lousy job.  Yes, the Tour entered into an important agreement with Strategic Sports Group to pump nearly $3 billion into the for-profit PGA Tour Enterprises which will see players reap considerable sums in equity, but with PIF continuing to pick off top PGA Tour players like Rahm, you need a deal with PIF, today, as much as I loathe the Saudis.

Monahan said the SSG deal enhances the discussions with the PIF.

“As we went through that process, there were a number of potential investors,” he said. “We made the decision on December 7th as a board unanimously to move forward with SSG. It was important for SSG and it was important for the Tour to engage directly with the PIF prior to finalizing any deal, which is why I joined principals from SSG on a trip to Saudi Arabia to meet with Yasir and members of PIF, and that’s why we continue to have productive discussions.

“There’s a mutual respect there that I think is helpful towards ultimately getting a deal done, and I think it is that level of discussion that has helped accelerate the conversations.”

I suspect little is going on.  This shouldn’t be that complicated.  It’s about money.  I wish SSG was totally in charge of the PGA Tour. It is comprised of major league successful businessmen.

Monahan then said: “The more we can do to increase fandom, to bring our product forward in a way that is consistent with the way fans want to consume product and a better job and the more steps we can take to dimensionalize our great athletes, those are all steps that we can take to grow fandom. And when we grow fandom, ultimately that drives your commercial success.”

Monahan admitted that fans are “tired of hearing about conflict, money and who is getting what. They want to watch the world’s best golfers compete in tournaments with history, meaning, and legacies on the line at venues they recognize and love.”

Monahan then said that when it comes to LIV players coming back to the PGA Tour or competing alongside of PGA Tour players outside of the major championships, he couldn’t discuss elements of the formal discussions between the Tour and PIF.

Last week I noted that Webb Simpson, a member of the PGA Tour Policy Board, said not making a deal with the PIF would be “extremely dangerous.”  And Simpson, Tiger Woods and Patrick Cantlay, all board members, have said they’ve had no direct conversations with Bonesaw Nation.

How did the players react to Monahan’s comments?  Hours later, Xander Schauffele did not hold back, when asked whether Monahan is the “right person” to guide the Tour as it enters its new partnership with SSG and continues negotiations with PIF.

Schauffele, speaking at a press conference, said Monahan has yet to gain the trust of the full membership.

“I guess we’ll start with the easy one,” Schauffele joked in response to the initial question. Then he answered:

“I mean, you know what I’ve said in the past on how I feel about it.  Trust is something that’s pretty tender, so words are words, and I would say in my book he’s got a long way to go. He could be the guy, but in my book, he’s got a long way to go to gain the trust of the membership. I’m sure he’s got the support of the board, since they were with him making some of those decisions, but for me personally he’s got quite a ways to go.”

Schauffele did say: “I have trust in some of the people that are leading us and hoping for a good outcome,” I’m guessing alluding to Tiger Woods, among others, as well as SSG.

Rory McIlroy said the golf world is “sick of all the fighting,” in calling for the PGA Tour, DP World Tour (European Tour) and PIF to get a deal done as soon as possible.

“The more we go down this road, the more people will tune in just four times a year,” McIlroy said, referencing the four major championships, and he’s basically right.

“I want the train to speed up so we can get this over and done with,” Rory said.

Ratings have not been good for the PGA Tour.  While they obliterate LIV’s ratings, Scheffler’s win at Bay Hill last Sunday saw ratings down 32 percent on NBC from last year, according to Sports Media Watch.  It had 2,291,000 viewers, though LIV Golf’s tape-delayed finish from Hong Kong was just 228,000.

“I think they really worked last year,” McIlroy said.  “If you look at the leaderboards, you look at the ratings, I felt like they really, really worked in 2023, and for whatever reason, they’re not quite capturing the imagination this year compared to last year.

“I think, if I were to put my own perspective on it, I think it’s because fans are fatigued of what’s going on in the game, and I think we need to try to reengage the fan and reengage them in a way that the focus is on the play and not on talking about equity and all the rest of it.

“That’s why I said, the sooner that this is resolved, I think it’s going to be better for the game and better for everyone, the fans and the players.”

Unlike Schauffele, McIlroy supports Monahan.

“You look at what Jay has done since he took over,” Rory said. “The media rights deal (which began in 2022), navigating us through Covid, the strategic alliance with the DP World Tour. I would say creating PGA Tour Enterprises, we were just able to accept a billion and a half dollars in the business, people can nit-pick and say he didn’t do this right or didn’t do that right, but if you actually step back and look at the bigger picture, I think the PGA Tour is in a far stronger position than when Jay took over.”

McIlroy said “some of the reaction to June 6th was warranted, but I think at this point it’s eight months ago, and we all need to move on. We all need to sort of move forward and try to bring the game back together.”

Viktor Hovland isn’t complimentary of Monahan, believing he has made some significant misjudgments and Hovland is upset that the commissioner hasn’t owned up to them.

“As a leader of the organization, I will want a person like that to take some ownership and say, hey, we made a couple of mistakes, but this is how we’re going to rectify it, instead of kind of sweeping it under the rug, which I felt has been done to a certain degree.”

But Hovland didn’t get into specifics which particular “mistakes” he was referring to, though I’m sure it’s about being left in the dark when the June 6 framework agreement was announced.

Joel Beall of Golf Digest notes that regarding potential unification, “PIF has argued for both LIV integration into the PGA Tour schedule, and for tour players to compete in LIV events.  Monahan wants several LIV players under the tour umbrella, albeit with LIV shut down. Most of the top PGA Tour players – including Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Tiger Woods – do not want LIV players back without some sort of penalty or retribution.”

Spieth said Friday that the PGA Tour players on the board are slated to hold a meeting with PIF soon.  That could be critical.

Premier League

We had a limited schedule due to many of the teams being in the FA Cup quarterfinals, held Saturday and Sunday.  And the four semifinalists to emerge in this terrific competition are Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United and Coventry City.

United defeated Liverpool in a match for the ages, 4-3 in extra time, Liverpool scoring first in ET, but United responding with two for the win...Marcus Rashford and Amed Diallo the heroes.  This is good for English football.

But Coventry City?  They play in the Championship League (think AAA) and are unlikely to gain promotion to the Premier League this season, but they’ve made the FA Cup semis for just the second time in their history.  Coventry advanced by defeating Wolverhampton, 3-2.  That’s what makes this perhaps the single best sports competition in the world.

But a non-top level (PL) team hasn’t won since 1980.

In PL action, Tottenham suffered an awful loss, 3-0 on the road at Fulham, Saturday, while fourth place Aston Villa managed only a draw, 1-1, at West Ham today, as Spurs fans breathed a sigh of relief.  Villa could have been five points clear of the final Champions League slot, though Tottenham has a game in hand.

Standings...Played – Points

1. Arsenal...28 – 64
2. Liverpool...28 – 64
3. Man City...28 – 63
4. Aston Villa...29 – 56
5. Tottenham...28 – 53

In a key battle to avoid relegation, Nottingham Forest and Luton Town played to a 1-1 draw.

16. Everton...28 – 25
17. Nottingham...29 – 25
18. Luton...29 – 22

Stuff

--The New York Rangers are still 4 points clear in the Metropolitan division in the NHL following a 7-4 win, Saturday, in Philadelphia, Artemi Panarin with a 5-point game.

Make that six points clear, temporarily, the Rangers defeating the Islanders at the Garden this afternoon, 5-2.

--They held the FIS Alpine World Cup season finale this weekend in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, and on the men’s side, Marco Odermatt’s perfect giant slalom season ended Saturday, as the Swiss superstar skied out in his second run while holding a commanding lead over eventual winner Loic Meillard.

Odermatt, the overwhelming overall WC champion for the season, had won each of the previous 12 giant slaloms since February 2023, including nine this season.

And on the women’s side, Mikaela Shiffrin, due to her six-week injury absence, didn’t win another overall title, Lara Gut-Behrami gets it this season, but Shiffrin won her record-extending 60th slalom race, 97th overall.  So, the march towards 100 resumes next fall.  That will be exciting.

Needless to say, Shiffrin is stoked that she was able to come back before season end and win both slaloms.  Huge for her confidence.

[There are two more races next weekend, but Shiffrin isn’t competing in them.]

--A 31-year-old woman from Belarus died after she was chased by a bear in the north of Slovakia, officials said.  The woman’s body was recovered from a forest in Slovakia’s Low Tatras mountains on Friday evening.

She had been walking with a male companion when they were set upon by a bear.  According to the man, he and the woman fled in different directions.  The area has thick forest and steep ravines.

The woman’s body was discovered by a search dog shortly after her companion went for help.

The bear was still nearby and was frightened off by the Mountain Rescue Service with warning shots.

Officials have yet to say if the bear actually killed the woman.

The last fatal bear attack in this region was in 2021, reported to be the first in Slovakia for a century.

Bears are common across the Carpathian mountain range, stretching from Romania through western Ukraine on to Slovakia and Poland.

Researchers estimate there are 1,275 bears in Slovakia.  [BBC News]

The couple should have been carrying some Kolachi nut rolls to give the bear, just as I do when I hike in the woods.  “Do you want traditional or poppy seed, Mr. Bear?”

Top 3 songs for the week 3/13/76: #1 “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” (The Four Seasons)  #2 “All By Myself” (Eric Carmen)  #3 “Love Machine” (The Miracles)...and...#4 Take It To The Limit” (Eagles)  #5 “Dream Weaver” (Gary Wright)  #6 “Lonely Night (Angel Face)” (Captain & Tennille)  #7 “Theme From S.W.A.T.” (Rhythm Heritage...ugh...)  #8 “Love Hurts” (Nazareth...blows...)  #9 “Sweet Thing” (Rufus featuring Chaka Khan...awesome song...)  #10 “Junk Food Junkie” (Larry Groce...B week...)

NCAA Basketball Quiz Answer: Six players in the NC State rotation, 1973-74....

David Thompson, 26.0 ppg, 7.9 reb; Tom Burleson, 18.1 ppg, 12.2 reb; Monte Towe, 12.8 ppg; Mo Rivers, 12.1 ppg; Phil Spence, 6.0 ppg, 6.3 reb; Tim Stoddard, 5.5 ppg, 4.5 reb.

Steve Nuce and Mark Moeller were the next two off the bench. [I met Moeller summer of 1972, who was a counselor at a camp I was at.  Ditto coach Norm Sloan.]

Stoddard went on to a solid career as a 6’7” reliever in the big leagues, his best seasons with the Orioles, with whom he won a World Series ring in 1983.  Ergo, a college basketball national championship and a WS.  As Larry David would say, ‘pretty, pretty good.’

The Wolfpack beat Providence, 92-78; Pitt, 100-72; UCLA, 80-77; and Marquette, 76-64, in their championship run after beating Maryland in the ACC Championship.  Providence was led by Marvin “Bad News” Barnes and Kevin Stacom; Pitt by the great Billy Knight; the Marquette team was led by Maurice Lucas and Bo Ellis; and one of my favorite people in the world, Bill Walton, had 29 points and 18 rebounds in the semifinal for UCLA.

*I have a ton of stuff on Marvin Barnes in my archives, but just two bits from Terry Pluto’s superb, and hilarious history of the ABA, “Loose Balls,” one of the 3 or 4 best sports books of all time.

Broadcaster and former ABA star, Steve Jones. “The morning after a game, we’d be on the bus ready to go to the airport and Marvin would come out with a woman on each arm.  He would kiss them both a couple of times before he got on the bus.”

Barnes often showed up just 20 minutes before a game.  He’d stuff his face with food while getting taped and then, as the team warmed up, would sit with his women in the stands.  After losing a road game, Marvin would shout when the team got back to the hotel, “Party hardy, gentlemen.  Party hardy.”

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.

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