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Bar Chat

04/01/2024

Final Four is Set

Add-on posted early Tuesday, a.m.

March Madness

Men’s Final Four

11 NC State vs. 1 Purdue...6:09 ET, TBS

4 Alabama vs. 1 UConn...8:49

As of Monday, Purdue is an 8.5/9.5-point favorite, depending on who you’re looking at, while UConn is favored by 11.5.

DJ Burns vs. Zach Edey is going to be fascinating, at least early in the contest.  Both Burns and Mohammed Diarra need to stay out of foul trouble for the Wolfpack.

NC State is the 6th team seeded 11th or lower to advance to the Final Four, but the previous five schools all lost in the semifinals.

--On the Women’s side...

It will also be fascinating seeing the ratings for 3 LSU vs. 1 Iowa in the Elite Eight, Iowa and Caitlin Clark winning 94-87 in a terrific affair, with Clark scoring 41 on 13 of 29 from the field, 9 of 20 from 3, while Angel Reese had 17 points and 20 rebounds before fouling out late.

Yes, the caliber of the women’s game is lightyears ahead of even ten years ago.

So Iowa will take on UConn Friday night in one Final Four (North Carolina State vs. South Carolina in the other), as the 3-seed Lady Huskies defeated 1 USC, 80-73, Paige Bueckers with 28 points and 10 rebounds, while USC star freshman JuJu Watkins had 29 and 10.

Lastly, if you are a UConn or NC State fan, you’re living a dream...Final Four teams in both the men’s and women’s championships.

--For the archives, I have to go back to NC State’s win over Texas on Sunday to advance to the Final Four.  I didn’t watch any of this one and was unaware when I posted of the major issue that both coaches were apprised of prior to the game. 

There was a discrepancy between the distances of the 3-point lines on each side of the court at Moda Center in Portland. 

The news was first relayed on air by ESPN prior to the start of the game, which went on as scheduled with head coaches Wes Moore and Vic Schaefer agreeing to play in order not to delay the game.

The NCAA confirmed it in a statement released during halftime, though it provided little detail about how the issue came to be in the first place.

“The NCAA was notified today that the three-point lines on the court at Moda Center in Portland are not the same distances,” the statement read. “The two head coaches were made aware of the discrepancy and elected to play a complete game on the court as is, rather than correcting the court and delaying the game.”

Texas lost the game, 76-66, and Lady Longhorns coach Vic Schaefer said he was told of the discrepancy while the team was warming up.

“They gave us the option of bringing somebody in and remarking it, but it would have taken an hour and we might have lost our (television) window on ABC,” Schaefer said in his postgame news conference.

The thing is the measurements were wrong for five prior tournament games at the Moda Center as well.

As Schaefer added: “I have a lot of colleagues that would say only in women’s basketball.  It’s a shame that it even happened.”

[The NCAA then said Monday that one of the 3-point lines was 9 inches short of regulation at its apex.  Everything was corrected for UConn-USC.]

NBA

--We had some important action Sunday night after I posted....

The Knicks lost a tough one at the Garden to Oklahoma City (52-22), 113-112, as New York fell to 44-30, but Cleveland lost to the Nuggets, 130-101, so the Cavs at 45-30 remain a half-game in front of the Knicks for the third playoff spot in the East.

The problem is, as Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau noted, it’s tough playing without three starters...Julius Randle, O.G. Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson (who is back on the shelf with a sprained ankle).  And Randle and Anunoby don’t seem to be close to returning, with just eight games left before the playoffs.

What’s been frustrating is that Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks, who the Knicks acquired at the trade deadline to provide more depth after the Randle and Anunoby injuries, have been a miserable failure; Bogdanovic making just 40.6% of his field goals, Burks a horrid 31.6%.

Monday, Orlando hosted Portland and pulled it out, 104-103, to tighten things further.

Standings in the East through Monday....

1. Boston 59-16...--
2. Milwaukee 47-27...11.5
3. Cleveland  45-30...14
4. Knicks  44-30...14.5
5. Orlando  44-31...15
6. Indiana  43-33...16.5
7. Miami  41-33...17.5
8. Philadelphia  40-35...19

--In the West, Sunday night, the Lakers beat the Nets, 116-104, as LeBron James had a spectacular 40 points on 13 of 17 shooting, 9 of 10 from 3, tying a career high from downtown.  LeBron joined Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history with multiple games of 40 points or more after turning 39.

The Warriors defeated the Spurs, 117-113, and Houston had its 11-game winning streak snapped by Dallas, 125-107, the Mavs having won seven straight.  Luka Doncic had 47 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists.

So in the West, for the last play-in slot through Monday....

9. Lakers 42-33...10.5
10. Golden State 40-34...12
11. Houston 38-36...14

Back to LeBron, he’s hitting a career-high 41.6% from 3 this season, 53.3% overall on his field goal attempts.  That’s strong.

MLB

--Sunday, after the Mets lost again to the Brewers, starter Tylor Megill said he was “a little bit tender in the shoulder area,” so he got a “precautionary MRI” on Monday.  Oh joy.

Thankfully, the MRI didn’t reveal anything too serious, but he was placed on the IL due to a right shoulder strain...as in he’ll probably miss a month, if the team is lucky.  With All-Star Kodai Senga on the shelf until some time in May, it is hoped, this season is getting off to just a real swell start.

And boy, things got worse Monday night at Citi Field.  Sean Manaea made his debut for the Mets against the Tigers and he was superb, six innings, one hit, 8 strikeouts.

But we went to extra innings, 0-0, and the Mets imploded in the field and before you could say, ‘Gee, we really suck,’ it was 5-0 Detroit and that’s where we ended, the Tigers 4-0, the Metsies 0-4.  The depression is setting in early among the Mets faithful.

Meanwhile, compounding matters for us, the hated Yankees are 5-0 for the first time since 1992, 5-2 over the Diamondbacks, as Anthony Volpe went 4-for-4 with two doubles.

The Pirates are 5-0, their best start since 1983, after an 8-4 win in Washington, Monday.

And, also last night, Houston’s Ronel Blanco, who didn’t make the major leagues until he was 28, and in just his eighth career start as a 30-year-old, tossed the earliest no-hitter in baseball history (calendar date), 10-0 over Toronto.

Blanco threw 105 pitches, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts.  Earlier in the past week, he welcomed a new daughter.  Dude is on a roll.

--Baseball America Top 10...action through Sunday....

1. Arkansas
2. Clemson
3. Texas A&M
4. Florida
5. Tennessee
6. Vanderbilt
7. Duke
8. Florida State
9. Oregon State
10. Dallas Baptist
11. Alabama
12. Virginia
13. North Carolina
17. Virginia Tech
21. North Carolina State
24. Coastal Carolina

Yes, no Wake Forest...No. 1 until about a month ago...what a fall....

Stuff

--The body of former NFL cornerback Vontae Davis was found by police Monday at his home in Southwest Ranches, Fla.  He was 35.  Preliminary information suggested foul play was not involved.

Davis played his college ball at Illinois, before spending 10 seasons with Miami, Indianapolis, and Buffalo, recording 22 interceptions and twice making the Pro Bowl.  He had one of the more memorable retirements in NFL history, hanging up his pads at halftime of his 2018 season debut for the Bills, leaving the stadium as the teams played on.

“Today on the field, reality hit me fast and hard: I shouldn’t be out there anymore.  It’s more important for me and my family to walk away healthy than to willfully embrace the warrior mentality and limp away too late,” Davis said in a statement released after his retirement.

--Kansas City signed veteran quarterback Carson Wentz to a one-year deal to backup Patrick Mahomes.

--Denny Hamlin won in a green-white-checker shootout to win the NASCAR Cup Series race Sunday night at Richmond Raceway, Hamlin’s 53rd win and fifth at Richmond.

Hamlin said after, “This is all pit crew – this is a team win, for sure... They did an amazing job and have been killing it all year.”

--The New York Rangers had their five-game winning streak snapped at home Monday night, falling 5-2 to the Penguins.

In this one, Sidney Crosby, with two goals and an assist, assured himself of averaging a point per game for the 19th time in his 19 NHL seasons, tying Wayne Gretzky.

--College Hockey’s Frozen Four is set up, April 11-13 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Denver vs. Boston University
Boston College vs. Michigan

ACC!  ACC!

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.

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[Posted Sunday p.m., ...]

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.

College Basketball Quiz: Name the six players on the national champion UConn team of 2003-04 who went on to play in the NBA.  [This was the edition that beat Duke in the semis and Georgia Tech in the finals.]  Answer below.

March Madness

--In the Sweet Sixteen Thursday, 4 Alabama upset 1 North Carolina 89-87, as Grant Nelson had the best game of his life, 24 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks – including three in the final 1:40 of the game.

The 6’11” Nelson, who transferred into Tuscaloosa this season after three years at North Dakota State, scored 10 points in the final five minutes, with a personal 7-0 run.

Nelson had scored a combined six points over his first two tournament games.

Alabama is in its first regional final since 2004.

And they face 6 Clemson, which hadn’t been to the Elite Eight since 1980.  The Tigers beat 2 Arizona, 77-72.

And it’s here where we need to pause to reflect on how North Carolina’s RJ Davis, ACC Player of the Year, and Arizona’s Caleb Love, a high-profile transfer from UNC to Tucson this season, were a combined 9 of 38 from the field, and 0 for 18 from 3.

Lots of NIL ‘collective’ money wasted on these two.  Just pathetic.

But back to Grant Nelson, that’s what makes this tournament great.

As for No. 1 UConn, they obliterated 5 San Diego State, 82-52, in a rematch of last year’s title game.

Lastly, Terrance Shannon Jr. is going high in the next NBA Draft for good reason, the talented guard playing under a cloud, scoring 29 points in 3 Illinois’ 72-69 win over 2 Iowa State.

[Shannon has not spoken publicly since he was charged with rape in December, a stance he has not changed even as he becomes a central figure in the tournament.  He is adamant he is innocent.  After Illinois suspended him, he sued the school for the chance to play.]

--Friday, 1 Purdue beat 5 Gonzaga, 80-68, as Zach Edey had 27 points, 14 rebounds, the Boilermakers 32 of 56 from the field, 57.1 percent.

2 Tennessee defeated 3 Creighton, 82-75, as All-American Dalton Knecht had 26 points, the Vols facing Purdue on Sunday.

4 Duke upset 1 Houston, 54-51, as the Cougars were forced to play without their All-American guard, Jamal Shead, who suffered a severe ankle sprain near the end of the first half, with Houston up six at the time.

Duke played tough, and Houston didn’t help itself at the foul line, going 9 for 17.

Duke makes the Elite Eight for the first time under third-year coach Jon Scheyer, and they will play upstart 11 North Carolina State on Sunday, the shocking Wolfpack winning their eighth straight, 67-58 over 2 Marquette.

Mohamed Diarra was a monster down low, 11 points, 15 rebounds, while DJ Horne had 19 points.  NC State didn’t need any offense from DJ Burns, who had only four points, on four field goal attempts, but he contributed seven assists.

And the Wolfpack defense held the Golden Eagles to a pathetic 4 of 31 from 3!  There’s your game.  Marquette fans will not be sleeping well over this one for a long time.

So the ACC has three in the Elite Eight.  Not bad, not bad at all.  Wake Forest beat all three in the second half of the ACC season, but couldn’t beat Georgia Tech, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech down the stretch, and thus no bid.

--Saturday, in the Elite Eight, 1 UConn destroyed 3 Illinois 77-52, a game that was 23-23 in the first half, and then 53-23 with 13:16 in the second...yes, a staggering 30-0 run for the Huskies, game over.

Illini star Terrence Shannon Jr. was held to eight points on 2 of 12 from the field, after his superb 29-point effort against Iowa State.

For Danny Hurley’s team, the star was talented 7’2” center Donovan Clingan, a top five pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, Clingan with 22 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots.  Rutgers transfer Cam Spencer had his first career double-double, 11 points and 12 rebounds for UConn.

The Huskies have defeated their four opponents in the tournament by 39, 17, 30 and 25 points.

Last season, in winning the national title, the margin in their six wins was 24, 15, 23, 28, 13 and 17 points.

Ergo, ten straight double-digit victories in the Big Dance.

Who can stop them?  Certainly not Alabama.

The Crimson Tide hit ten 3s in the second half, while Clemson choked time and time again at the free throw line, Alabama on the way to its first Final Four ever after an 89-82 victory last night.

Mark Sears hit seven threes, 23 points in all for Bama, while freshman Jarin Stevenson had a career-high five 3s, 19 points off the bench.

Clemson had given up 14 3s total in the first three games, and then yielded 16 Saturday.

But nothing kills momentum down the stretch like missed free throws, and the frontcourt trio of Ian Schieffelin, Jack Clark and PJ Hall was only 5 of 13 from the foul line.  Absolutely hideous.

So Clemson still hasn’t made a Final Four.

--Today, 2 Tennessee had a 32-21 lead over 1 Purdue in the first half, before the Boilermakers ran off 13 straight and it was Purdue on top at the half, 36-34.

It was also the Dalton Knecht-Zach Edey show...Knecht with 18 points on 4 of 5 from 3 for the Vols, while Edey had 19 points and 10 rebounds for Purdue.

And in the second half, Knecht and Edey continued to put on their show, but both tired, only Edey had just enough, finishing with 40 points, 16 rebounds and his only blocked shot at a key moment against Knecht (who finished with 37) when it was 69-64...the Boilermakers going on to seal it, 72-66, first Final Four since 1980.

I said all year that Purdue would fall far short of the Final Four because they’d choke from 3 in key moments.

Well, they were only 3 of 15 from beyond the arc, but the third make was by Lance Jones to give Purdue a 66-60 lead with 2:43 to play.

Good for Coach Matt Painter.  He’s suffered a lot with all the tournament disappointment over the years.

And as Charles Barkley said after, “Zach Edey would not let Purdue lose today.”

Tennessee is still without a Final Four in their history.

So in the battle to determine the last Final Four participant, 11 North Carolina State trailed 4 Duke 27-21 at the half, the Wolfpack just 9 of 34 from the field (26.5%), DJ Horne 2 of 9, while the Blue Devils were only 8 of 26 (30.8%).

And boy, did things turn around in the second half for NC State, hitting 9 of their first 12, the Wolfpack up 58-46 with 3:54 to play, Burns and DJ Horne dominating on offense, and Duke just sucking wind.

NC State closes it out....76-64...Burns 29, Horne 20, 6’2” guard Michael O’Connell with 11 rebounds.  What a job by coach Kevin Keats.  A great, great story.

Next up, Burns vs. Zach Edey...that will be interesting.  Wolfpack have a chance if Horne has an unconscious game. I keep saying he is capable of that.

Duke coach Jon Scheyer is your new John Calipari...great recruiting classes, can’t get to a Final Four.

I’ll have more to say in my Add-on.

--Utah State’s Danny Sprinkle is leaving for Washington, agreeing to a six-year deal.

Sprinkle was a hot candidate after leading Utah State to its first-ever outright Mountain West regular-season title in his first season with the program. And he led the Aggies to their first NCAA tournament win since 2001, beating TCU a week ago Friday, before getting blitzed by Purdue, 106-67.

--Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart announced that John Calipari will be back for a 16th season.  This definitely could be it if Coach Cal doesn’t get more out of his team come March.

--In the NIT, we have a Final Four of Utah vs. Indiana State, Georgia vs. Seton Hall.

Seton Hall-Indiana State would be a terrific final, a battle between the first two teams who were left out of the NCAA field.  ISU’s sophomore center, Robbie Avila, is a unique talent.

--In the Women’s Tournament, Monday night we have a rematch of last season’s national title game, 3 LSU and 1 Iowa.

LSU beat 2 UCLA 78-69, Saturday, while Iowa easily handled 5 Colorado, 89-68, as Caitlin Clark had 29 points and 15 assists.

In the other Sweet Sixteen games Saturday, 1 USC defeated 5 Baylor, 74-70, as JuJu Watkins had 30 points, though was only 8 of 28 from the field, 2 of 11 from 3.

1 UConn beat 7 Duke, 53-45, so UConn vs. USC in the other big Elite Eight matchup Monday.  The ratings will be huge for these two games.

Today, we had two Elite Eight contests, and 1 South Carolina advanced to the Final Four, 70-58 over 3 Oregon State, the Lady Gamecocks 36-0!  Last season, South Carolina also entered the Final Four undefeated, before losing to Caitlin Clark and Iowa in a semifinal.

And 3 North Carolina State is in the Final Four for the first time since 1998, 76-66 over 1 Texas.

NBA

--The Knicks suffered a crushing loss Friday night in San Antonio, 130-126 in overtime despite Jalen Brunson’s 61 points, one point shy of Carmelo Anthony’s franchise-best 62.  Brunson was 25 of 47 from the field, 5 of 13 from 3, 6 of 6 at the line.  But therein lies the rub...this last statistic.

The Spurs (18-56) had 32 free throws to the Knicks’ 12, with Victor Wembanyama having 12 himself on the way to a 40-point, 20-rebound, 7 assists effort, his first 40-point game in his very solid rookie season.

Brunson, who is constantly driving the lane, just isn’t getting the calls.

Earlier in the week, the Knicks beat the Raptors in Toronto, 145-101, as center Mitchell Robinson returned after missing 50 games due to ankle surgery.

--Standings thru Saturday....

East

1. Boston 58-16...--
2. Milwaukee 47-27...11
3. Cleveland 45-29...13
4. Knicks 44-29...13.5
5. Orlando 43-31...15
6. Indiana 42-33...16.5
7. Miami 40-33...17.5
8. Philadelphia 39-35...19
9. Chicago 35-39...23
10. Atlanta 34-40...24

The Knicks host the Thunder tonight.

West...the battle for the final play-in spot

8. Sacramento 42-31...9
9. Lakers 41-33...10.5
10. Golden State 39-34...12
11. Houston 38-35...13

The Rockets’ win streak is up to 11...Houston hosting Dallas tonight.

MLB Bits

Thursday....

--Yankees fans were fired up with their opener down in Houston. Trailing 4-0 early, New York fought back and had a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the ninth, Juan Soto’s debut going well...an RBI single and two walks...when Soto saved the game with a brilliant throw from right field to nail a runner at the plate (aided by a great tag by catcher Jose Trevino).  It was a Hollywood type beginning for Soto’s Yankee career.

--The Orioles were rather pleased with their February acquisition of stud starter Corbin Burnes, who pitched Baltimore to an 11-3 win over the Angels in their opener, Thursday, Burnes with 11 strikeouts, no walks, in six innings, giving up a solo homer to Mike Trout, who I was thinking the Angels should trade to the Orioles.

--The Dodgers’ MVP Three – Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman – had six hits and four RBI in their home opener against the Cardinals, 7-1, L.A. having opened the season in Seoul.

--The Cubs lost All-Star starting pitcher Justin Steele to a hamstring injury in the fifth inning of their opener, which blows.  Steele had allowed one earned in 4 2/3 with six strikeouts in what ended up being a 4-3 loss in ten innings to the world champion Rangers.

--Red Sox outfielder Tyler O’Neill, playing his first game with Boston since being acquired in a trade after six years with St. Lousi, became the first player in MLB history to homer in five consecutive opening day games, as the BoSox defeated Seattle 6-4.

--Arizona had a franchise-record 14-run third inning on the way to a 16-2 win over Colorado. It was the most runs in a single inning on opening day since 1900.

Friday....

--In the Mets’ rain-delayed opener at Citi Field, they were one-hit by Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta and the pen, New York’s only hit a solo homer off the bat of Starling Marte, which was the only bright spot, Marte coming off an injury-riddled 2023.

The Mets had been 41-13 in Opening Day games since 1971.  But they lost their opener in 1969, and we know what happened that year!

--Zack Wheeler threw six innings of shutout ball for the Phillies against the Braves, yet Philadelphia lost 9-3.  Which means the Phillies’ bullpen sucked, boys and girls!

--The Yankees moved to 2-0 with a 7-1 win over the Astros, Juan Soto with three hits, Carlos Rodon an encouraging 4 1/3, one run.

--The Dodgers are 3-1, 6-3 winners Friday over the Cardinals, as Bobby Miller was dominating, six innings, no runs, 11 strikeouts, one walk.  Teoscar Hernandez homered twice for L.A.  Ohtani was 0-for-4.

Saturday....

--The Mets lost again, 7-6 to the Brew Crew, as Luis Severino made his Mets debut and it was a real stinker...5 innings, 6 earned, 12 hits.  At least the Metsies hit three home runs to make it interesting.

--The Yankees have opened the season 3-0 for the first time since 2003, defeating the Astros again, 5-3, Juan Soto with his first home run, Oswaldo Cabrera his second of the season.

Cabrera, playing third base in place of the injured DJ LeMahieu, has 7 hits in the first three games, six RBIs.

Marcus Stroman made his Yankees debut on the mound, six innings, zero earned.

--Break up the Pirates, 3-0, after a 9-3 win yesterday over the Marlins in Miami.

--The Braves are sending an early notice to the rest of the NL East, having defeated the Phillies in Philadelphia again, 12-4, 19 hits.  The message is, “the rest of you are playing for a wild card.”

--The Dodgers fell to 3-2, losing 6-5 in extra innings to the Cardinals.  But Yoshinobu Yamamoto rebounded from his horrid debut in Seoul last week, five shutout innings, two hits, no walks, five strikeouts, while Mookie Betts homered for a fourth straight game.

But the Dodgers bullpen appears to be a real weakness and Shohei Ohtani popped out to end the game with the bases loaded in the bottom of the tenth.

Sunday....

--The Mets were already without their new manager, Carlos Mendoza, suspended one game for throwing at Milwaukee’s Rhys Hoskins on Saturday, relief pitcher Yohan Ramirez suspended three games, which Ramirez appealed, making him available for today’s game.  And he proceeded to come into a 2-1 game, Brewers on top in the fifth, and gave up two hits, two walks and a run.  [He ended up pitching three innings, 2 runs.]

Mets lost 4-1, a miserable 0-3 start to the season for us fans.  It doesn’t help when your table-setters, Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor, are a combined 2-for-25.

--The Phillies rebounded, beating the Braves 5-4, though Atlanta will take heart from the solid debut of Chris Sale, 5 1/3, 2 earned, 7 strikeouts.

--The Pirates did it again, 9-7 over the Marlins in ten innings.  4-0 (Miami 0-4).  Buccos fans Shu and Jeff B. are very happy.

--Make it 4-0 for the Yankees, Astros 0-4, after a 4-3 win today.  Juan Soto another three hits, an RBI, Clay Holmes with his third save already.

Oh, sports talk radio will have a lot to talk about in this area.  Yours truly in a deep state of depression.

In other baseball news....

--Jordan Montgomery signed with the Diamondbacks, $25 million this season with a vesting option for a second.  He needs to make 10 starts this season to get the second campaign.

--Tampa Bay All-Star shortstop Wander Franco was placed on administrative leave through June 1 while the investigation continues into an alleged relationship with a minor in the Dominican Republic.

Franco has remained in the D.R. while authorities investigate and did not report to spring training.  He hasn’t played since Aug. 12.

--Back to Ohtani, Bill Plaschke, veteran sportswriter at the Los Angeles Times, opined on what we all are feeling about the star.

“The gambling controversy that has engulfed Ohtani in the past week has taken too many weird twists and wrong turns for me to feel completely confident in its ultimate destination.

“This could be nothing.  This could be everything. So much is still unknown.  So much is still so confusing. Leak by agonizing leak, the uncertainty chips away at the aura of an icon who was once thought to be untouchable.

“The doubt is ugly. The disbelief is unsettling.  I don’t feel great about writing this.  I’m guessing many Dodgers fans aren’t feeling so great about living it.

“Does Shohei Ohtani have a gambling problem, or a money management problem, or neither, or both?

“Is Shohei Ohtani devious enough to throw his closest colleague under the bus to save himself, or was he simply naïve enough to allow that colleague to fleece him for millions?

“Ohtani has spoken, but has taken no questions.

“The season has started, but this isn’t ending....

“I am skeptical at the idea that any bookie would extend $4.5 million in credit to an ordinary gambler, and then collect that money without confirming its source to ensure that the money was not being stolen.

“Above all, I am incredulous at the notion [interpreter Ippei] Mizuhara could give a completely plausible Ohtani-approved explanation of the payments in one interview, then, seemingly two hours later, be called a liar and accused of theft by the same Ohtani representatives.

“It doesn’t add up. Furthermore, it’s amazing Ohtani’s crisis management team – some of the same people who represented the likes of Harvey Weinstein and Danny Masterson – would not have realized it doesn’t add up....

“Somebody is lying somewhere.  Somebody is hiding something. I don’t know who is doing what, and I’m surely not alone....

“There are no winners here.  There is only a loss of innocence, a summer of purgatory and the sad cynicism surrounding a man previously known in Japan as, kanpeki na hito.

“ ‘The perfect person.’

“Maybe one day, but not now.”

--Speaking of the Dodgers, they handed catcher Will Smith a 10-year, $140 million extension, believed to be the longest term for a catcher’s contract.

Smith is good, but not spectacular, averaging 23 home runs the last three seasons, but he was eligible for free agency after this season.  And he’s batting cleanup behind Betts, Ohtani and Freeman.

All four are now signed to contracts extending through at least 2027.

--MLB owners unanimously approved David Rubenstein as the new controlling owner of the Baltimore Orioles.

--In College Baseball, stick a fork in Wake Forest, which was swept in a series at home against North Carolina, 6-5, 10-6, 14-10. In the opener, Chase Burns struck out 14 in 6 1/3, no walks, but yielded six earned, his first loss of the season and it set the tone.

Wake, at 17-10, 4-8 in conference, is done.  Good thing I went to the College World Series last year.  They’re not going back anytime soon.

NFL

--Jadeveon Clowney, a three-time Pro Bowler, agreed to a deal with the Carolina Panthers, reportedly $20 million over two years ($24 million if incentives are reached).  The Jets were said to be in the running for him after losing edge rusher Bryce Huff to the Eagles.

So then the Jets traded for the Eagles’ Haason Reddick to replace Huff, the Jets sending a conditional third-round pick in 2026 to Philadelphia.

Reddick, 29, was given permission to seek a trade in February because he was unhappy with his contract.  His 52 sacks over the last five seasons are tied for the fifth-most in the NFL.

The Jets inherit the $14.5 million due to Reddick in the last year of his contract, but there is hope New York will reach an agreement on an extension soon.

He started all 34 games over the last two seasons, with 27 sacks combined.

--Once again the NFL is infuriating the NBA, which for decades owned Christmas Day.  No longer.  This year, the NFL will have two games on Christmas Day, a Wednesday.

Last season, the NFL’s ratings were super for the three Christmas games it had, averaging 30 million viewers with each among the top-10 rated regular-season matchups.

Meanwhile, Peacock streaming service will be the exclusive platform for the opening week Friday night game in Brazil (which is absurd) featuring the Eagles.

And Amazon secured the rights for an exclusive streaming playoff game.

--The NFL approved a new rule that will take what essentially becomes “a dead play,” the kickoff return, and make it an integral part of the game again.

For a standard kickoff, the ball would be kicked from the 35-yard line with the 10 kick coverage players lined up at the opposing 40, with five on each side of the field.

The return team would have at least nine blockers lined up in the “set up zone” between the 30- and 35-yard line, with at least seven of those players touching the 35.  There would be up to two returners allowed inside the 20.

Only the kicker and two returners would be allowed to move until the ball hits the ground or was touched by a returner inside the 20.

Any kick that reaches the end zone in the air can be returned, or the receiving team can opt for a touchback and possession at the 30. Any kick that reaches the end zone in the air and goes out of bounds or out of the end zone also would result in a touchback at the 30.

There are other nuances.

This will take a while for teams to work on the strategy, but you see the point...from the opposing 40, defenders won’t have time to work up speed and deliver devastating hits on the return man.  Could be very cool.

Golf Balls

--At the Texas Children’s Houston Open, Tony Finau had the 36-hole lead after a course-record tying 62 in the second round.

But Scottie Scheffler was finishing his second round Friday having had 28 consecutive rounds of even par or better, and no double bogeys in 218 holes, he double-bogeyed the 18th, but still finished even par...so that makes it 29 rounds par or better.  The record holder is Tiger Woods, at 52.

Scheffler finished Friday four off the lead.

At the end of Saturday’s third round...there he was again, Scheffler tied for the lead at -9 along with four others, while Finau is two back.

But Scheffler missed a 5-footer for birdie on the 18th today to force a playoff, and Germany’s Stephen Jaeger (he moved to the U.S. when he was 17) picked up his first win on the PGA Tour, Scheffler, Finau and three others one back in second.

--Tiger Woods played a practice round Saturday at Augusta, a good sign he might really tee it up in less than two weeks.

NHL

--The Rangers continue to roll.  First a 6-5 overtime win over the Flyers at the Garden, Tuesday; then a 3-2 shootout victory at Colorado, Thursday; and Saturday, 8-5 over the Coyotes in Tempe, Alexis Lefreniere with his first career hat trick.

--Toronto’s Auston Matthews is just 26, but he already has 359 career goals, netting No. 60 on the season Saturday in a 3-0 win over Buffalo, his second 60-goal campaign in addition to four other seasons in which he hit 40 goals.

Matthews is the first to have multiple 60-goal seasons since Pavel Bure had back-to-back 60-goal campaigns with Vancouver in 1992-93 and 1993-94.

Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy lead the list with five 60-goal seasons.

Premier League

--Saturday, Tottenham stayed in the Champions League hunt with a 2-1 win over Luton Town, Son Heung-min with a late game-winning goal for the Spurs, his 160th with the club, while Aston Villa beat the Wolves 2-0 to hold onto the fourth slot.  Manchester United managed only a draw, 1-1, at Brentford.

--But this weekend was all about Manchester City hosting Arsenal today (after Liverpool had a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Brighton at Anfield), and I must say, having watched the entire contest, this was far from an entertaining two hours, a 0-0 draw, which as the BBC put it:

“This was a game that made a nonsense of its billing as a potential classic, as Arsenal’s containing tactics snuffed out City while the Gunners had only limited chances of their own in a desperately poor affair.”

Bottom line...Liverpool fans are thrilled as they are now two points clear at the top.

Standings...played (of 38) – points

1. Liverpool...29 – 67
2. Arsenal...29 – 65
3. Man City...29 – 64
4. Aston Villa...30 – 59
5. Tottenham...29 – 56
6. Man U...29 – 48

Stuff

--Ted Leonsis, owner of the Washington Wizards and Capitals, announced along with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, that he would keep the teams in downtown D.C. until 2050, ending his plans to move to Virginia, which is a huge blow to Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, whose image as a rising star in the GOP has taken some major hits recently.

Under the terms of the deal, D.C. would spend $515 million over three years to help Leonsis modernize the arena and the owner would sign a new lease keeping the teams in D.C. for 25 more years.

Just three months ago I wrote how Leonsis joined Gov. Youngkin to announce a handshake agreement to build a new arena in the Potomac Yard area of Alexandria as part of a $2.2 billion mixed-use development.

--Actor Louis Gossett Jr. died, 87.  In taking home an Academy Award for best supporting actor in 1983’s “An Officer and a Gentleman,” Gossett became the first Black performer to win that category – and only the third (after Hattie McDaniel and Sidney Poitier) to win an Academy Award for acting.

Gossett won an Emmy as Fiddler, the mentor of the lead character, Kunta Kinte (LeVar Burton), in the blockbuster 1977 mini-series “Roots.”

Gossett Jr. was born in Brooklyn, the only child of Louis Gossett, a porter, and Helen (Wray) Gossett, a nurse.

--Beyonce is receiving praise for her new album, “Cowboy Carter,” but fans who pre-ordered it on vinyl are reporting that five of its tracks have gone missing.  It is not clear whether all vinyl copies are affected.  Fans have also reported that CD copies are missing four tracks.

The likely explanation is that Beyonce added the songs late into the album’s creation, and vinyl production requires a long lead time.

Top 3 songs for the week 4/1/78:  #1 “Night Fever” (Bee Gees)  #2 “Stayin’ Alive” (Bee Gees)  #3 “Lay Down Sally” (Eric Clapton)...and...#4 “Can’t Smile Without You” (Barry Manilow)  #5 “Emotion” (Samantha Sang) #6 “If I Can’t Have You” (Yvonne Elliman)  #7 “I Go Crazy” (Paul Davis)  #8 “(Love Is) Thicker Than Water” (Andy Gibb)  #9 “Thunder Island” (Jay Ferguson)  #10 “Dust In the Wind” (Kansas...#s 4, 7 and 9 prevent the week from being a ‘D’...)

College Basketball Quiz Answer: Six UConn players from the 2003-04 national champions who went on to play in the NBA...Ben Gordon (18.5 points per game), Emeka Okafor (17.6 ppg, 11.5 rebound), Charlie Villanueva (8.9 ppg, 5.3 reb.), Josh Boone (5.9 ppg, 5.8 reb.), Hilton Armstrong (9.1 minutes per game), Marcus Williams.

The other three key players in the rotation were Rashad Anderson (11.2 ppg), Denham Brown (8.9 ppg) and Taliek Brown (6.3 ppg).

Jim Calhoun was the coach.

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.

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