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06/05/2023

MLB Bits, Wake Forest, and Luis Arraez

Add-on posted very early Wed. a.m.

Golf Merger

Tuesday morning, in a move that shocked the sports world, the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf, i.e., Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced they will mutually end all pending litigation between the entities.  Additionally, the organizations will work cooperatively to allow a process for any LIV players to reapply for PGA Tour and DP World Tour membership following the 2023 season.

“The parties have signed an agreement that combined PIF’s golf-related commercial businesses and rights (including LIV Golf) with the commercial businesses and rights of the PGA Tour and DP World Tour into a new, collectively owned, for-profit entity to ensure that all stakeholders benefit from a model that delivers maximum excitement and competition among the game’s best players,” a joint statement read.

“After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love,” said PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan in a statement.  “This transformational partnership recognizes the immeasurable strength of the PGA Tour’s history, legacy and pro-competitive model and combines with it the DP World Tour and LIV – including the team golf concept – to create an organization that will benefit golf’s players, commercial and charitable partners and fans.  Going forward, fans can be confident that we will, collectively, deliver on the promise we’ve always made – to promote competition of the best in professional golf and that we are committed to securing and driving the game’s future…”

In a memo to members, Monahan said: “There are many details to work through as we develop a definitive agreement, which will ultimately require PGA Tour Policy Board approval, and I know you have many questions.”   Monahan said there will be a comprehensive evaluation of LIV Golf to determine how best to integrate team golf into the professional game.

In addition to the financial investment in the new entity for an equity stake, the PIF will become a premier corporate sponsor of the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and other international tours.

PGA Tour player Mackenzie Hughes tweeted: “Nothing like finding out through Twitter that we’re merging with a tour that we said we’d never do that with.”

Phil Mickelson: “Awesome day today.”

Former President Donald Trump: “GREAT NEWS FROM LIV GOLF.  A BIG, BEAUTIFUL, AND GLAMOROUS DEAL FOR THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF GOLF.  CONGRATS TO ALL!!!”

Yes, Jay Monahan has a lot of explaining to do, especially as the court case was seemingly going in the PGA Tour’s favor, witness all the LIV players who took their names off the suit.

“They were going down their path, we were going down ours, and after a lot of introspection you realize all this tension in the game is not a good thing,” Monahan said in a phone interview with the Associated Press.

“We have a responsibility to our tour and to the game, and we felt like the time was right to have that conversation.”

Monahan said the decision came together over the last seven weeks, but clearly the players were in the dark…and that’s not good.  At least that is what we know today.

I’ll have much more when I post Sunday evening, as we learn more, especially from the players, and the likes of Jim Nantz during his coverage of the Canadian Open (I’m assuming Nantz is there this weekend).

Eventually, this merger will be good…all any real golf fan wants to see is the best players at the biggest events historically, the majors, the Players, a few others.  But getting from here to there is going to be very ugly.

As for Phil Mickelson, yes, he can do his victory lap.  He’s not a factor performance-wise except at Augusta perhaps another year or two as I wrote of extensively with the last Masters.

But he needs to watch what he says because the William “Billy” Walters book is coming out soon (August), and it will not be kind to Phil’s already tarnished legacy.  I would expect a “60 Minutes” piece.

Greg Norman was left out of the negotiations and advised of the merger one minute before the announcement.

Bill Plaschke / Los Angeles Times

“A year ago, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan used two words to describe the rogue LIV Golf league.

“ ‘It’s an irrational threat,’ he said.  ‘One not concerned with the return on investment or true growth of the game.’

“On Tuesday, the PGA Tour had another word for the Saudi Arabia-backed business.

“Partner.

“In a stunning act of hypocrisy unmatched even in the mercenary world of professional sports, the PGA Tour has joined forces with its moral enemies in announcing a unification with the same LIV Golf whose presence had been constantly condemned by every PGA Tour member with a soapbox and a sermon.

“A year ago, Monahan said LIV defectors should examine their moral compass.

“ ‘It probably is an issue for players that chose to go and take that money…and I think you’d have to be living under a rock to not know that there are significant implications,’ Monahan said.

“On Tuesday, he crawled under that same rock, announcing that not only would Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund buy into the merger, but it also would become a premier tour sponsor.

“Yeah, basically, Saudi Arabia now owns golf.

“The next time you spend a Sunday afternoon curled up on the couch watching the dramatic end of a PGA Tour event, understand it has been bought by a country with no free speech, no religious freedom and a history of discriminating against women.

“The next time you watch Jon Rahm or Scottie Scheffler being interviewed after a round, understand that their paycheck is partially generated by a country that murdered Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

“ ‘This is a historic day for the game we all know and love,’ Monahan said in a statement.

“More like knew and loved….

“The PGA Tour didn’t need to do this. The PGA Tour had LIV on the ropes….

“Few were watching the rogue tour, even fewer were regularly following it, there was no buzz, scant coverage and almost zero interest.

“The LIV had dwindling sponsors, dying support and there was a good chance its members soon would have been lining up for a return to the PGA Tour.

“Then a couple of weeks ago, one of the LIV golfers, Brooks Koepka, won the PGA Championship, four other LIV players were in the top 20, 17 LIV players were in the event, and the Tour got scared.

“It worried it soon wouldn’t have the best golfers. It worried that more would follow Koepka and the money. It panicked and grabbed for the same cash that it once treated as dirty….

“(Here’s) the thing – if the PGA Tour had just waited, it could have enjoyed the influx of returning stars, but without the Saudi stain.

“A year ago, Monahan said, ‘When someone attempts to buy the sport…I doubt that’s the vision any of us have for the game.’

“On Tuesday, he just allowed the Saudis to purchase the sport.

“A year ago, commenting on 9/11 families expressing their outrage against LIV golfers for betraying the United States, Monahan told CBS, ‘As it relates to the families of 9/11…I would ask any player that has left…have you ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour?’

“On Tuesday, it was Monahan and the PGA Tour who owed the sports world an apology.

“Sorriest shank ever.”

In a meeting with tour players Tuesday at the RBC Canadian Open, Jay Monahan attempted to explain the move and things got heated, according to golfer Johnson Wagner, with “multiple” players calling for Monahan’s ouster.  By Wagner’s estimation, 90 percent of the players were against the merger.  Monahan himself said after it was “certainly heated.”

Again, much more next time, including the issue of what the sponsors will do.  Plus, Rory and Tiger’s reactions, both having been hung out to dry more than anyone.

Also, so many questions to be answered regarding 2024.

And yes, Jay Monahan is going to be receiving a lot of yearend hardware from Bar Chat.

NBA Playoffs

Miami pulled off a tremendous win in Game 2 in Denver Sunday, 111-108, to rather shockingly even the series at 1-1, Game 3 down in Miami Wednesday night.

As Jeff Zillgitt wrote in USA TODAY:

“The Miami Heat are forged in adversity.

“And discipline.  And smarts.  And hard work.  And experience.

“There’s no other way a No. 8 seed reaches the NBA Finals.

“There’s no other way a No. 8 seed goes on the road against the No. 1 seed and wins an NBA Finals game.

“The Heat embarrassed the Denver Nuggets in Game 2.  It wasn’t the final score…

“It was the manner in which the Heat played and Nuggets didn’t.

“You don’t beat the Heat on talent alone, and the Nuggets should know that.  This was a classic Heat victory, outworking, outsmarting and outplaying the opponent….

“In almost every way – except for Denver having the best all-around player on the court in two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who had a game-high 41 points – the Heat were the stronger team.”

Jimmy Butler rebounded from a poor Game 1 to have 21 points and 9 assists, Bam Adebayo had 21 points, Gabe Vincent 23, and Duncan Robinson 10 off the bench on 4-of-5 shooting.

Jokic had 41 points and 11 rebounds, but Jamal Murray was held in check with just 18 points.

Lastly, Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro is practicing as he continues his efforts to try to return from a broken hand suffered in the first half of Game 1 of Round 1 at Milwaukee.  His status for Wednesday is unclear…meaning by Game 4 or 5, he could be a factor, one would think.

Stanley Cup Finals

The Vegas Golden Knights routed the Florida Panthers 7-2 on Monday in Paradise, Nevada to go up 2-0 in the Final.

Florida has now played in six Stanley Cup Final games in franchise history and is 0-6.

Game 3 Thursday in Sunrise, Florida.

MLB

--I posted my column last Sunday at 6:00 p.m., prior to Yankees and Dodgers, and ironically wrote of Saturday night’s game where Aaron Judge made a terrific catch in right field, but crashed through the bullpen door.  I noted how I had a Mickey Mantle flashback in terms of a devastating injury for The Mick.

Well, I didn’t know Judge would then sit out Sunday’s game because he suffered a right big toe injury on that play, jamming it into the wall.

So the Yankees waited with bated breath for the results of an MRI and it revealed no fracture or break, just a sprain, but he was placed on the IL.

Meanwhile, starter Nestor Cortes was placed on the injured list with a shoulder injury and he will miss a few starts.

Tuesday night, in smokey New York (it really got bad here Tuesday afternoon), the White Sox beat the Yanks 3-2, as Liam Hendriks picked up his first save since coming back from cancer.

--Jacob deGrom was moved to the 60-day injured list Monday.  DeGrom “hasn’t improved maybe as quickly as we had hoped” after five bullpen sessions since going on the IL for inflammation in his right elbow.

And then we learned deGrom needs a second Tommy John surgery.  This really sucks, and the guy was in tears when he told reporters about his situation. 

The Rangers signed deGrom to a five-year, $185 million contract in December.

But Texas has kind of snuck up on some of us, now second-best in the majors, 40-20, after defeating the Cardinals last night 6-4, with Marcus Semien extending his hitting streak to 25 games.

--Monday in Miami’s 9-6 win over the Royals, Luis Arraez had three more hits, 3-for-4, 2 RBIs, to move to .399.

Tuesday, Arraez went 2-for-4, raising his average to .401, as the Marlins won it over K.C., 6-1.

--Also Monday, the Pirates handed the A’s their 50th loss, Oakland 12-50, with a 5-4 win.  It was the A’s 15th consecutive road loss.

But then the A’s won last night, 11-2, as Jace Peterson went 5-for-5 with two home runs and 5 RBIs.

[By the way, the A’s move to Las Vegas is not necessarily a done deal, as Nevada lawmakers adjourned their four-month legislative session on Tuesday without acting on $billions in tax credits for various industries, including baseball.]

--The Mets suck, now 30-31, after losing the first of a big three-game series in Atlanta (36-24) last night, 6-4.

--We note the passing of former pitcher Bobby Bolin, who pitched from 1961-73 with the Giants and Red Sox, mostly, Bolin a starter-reliever who went 88-75, 3.40, with 51 saves for his career.  He was 84.

Bolin was a reliable cog in the Giants’ pitching staff from 1961-1969, where he was in the top ten in ERA three times, including the Year of the Pitcher, 1968.

In fact he is the answer to the trivia question, who was second to Bob Gibson’s historic 1.12 ERA in ’68, Bolin at 1.99 in 176 2/3 innings as both a starter and reliever.  On September 6 in 1968, Bolin outdueled Gibson in a 3-2 win.

--And another longtime pitcher, and then manager, Roger Craig, passed away at the age of 93.

Craig played 12 major league seasons and won championships as a player with the Dodgers (1955, 1959) and the Cardinals (1964), then won another as pitching coach of the Detroit Tigers (1984).

He was nicknamed “Humm Baby,” after the old-school chatter that encouraged a pitcher to throw harder or “hum it in there.”

He spent his first three years with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and four more in Los Angeles when the Dodgers moved, and then returned to New York with the Mets for their first two seasons, 1962-63, which were memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Craig had 27 complete games for Casey Stengel’s Metsies, but he also led the National League in losses each season, 10-24, 4.51, in 1962; 5-22, 3.78, in ’63.  He was the Mets’ Opening Day starter for their first game in ’62, the Mets falling to the Cardinals 11-4, Craig yielding five earned in 3 innings.  [Gil Hodges hit the first home run in Mets franchise history in this one.]

Craig finished his career 74-98, 3.83.

As a manager with the Padres and Giants, Craig was 738-737, winning the NL pennant with the Giants in 1989.

NCAA Baseball Championship

--Wake Forest sure proved it was worthy of a No. 1 seed in the tournament, outscoring their opponents in their regional a staggering 48-7…12-0, 21-6, 15-1.  And now they are host to 16 Alabama, as the Deacs attempt to advance to the College World Series for the first time since winning the 1955 national title.

I was nervous going into the regionals, but I am pretty confident now that we can advance to Omaha.

But once again the ACC choked with some of its other entrants, as 4 Clemson was taken out, making it 10 straight appearances since 2010 that the Tigers failed to make it out of the regional round.  No. 9 Miami lost its regional to Texas.  At least 7 Virginia is moving on, and unseeded Duke, which took out 10 Coastal Carolina.

Elsewhere, Oral Roberts was the No. 4 regional seed and advanced to the super regionals by beating Dallas Baptist in Stillwater, Oklahoma, the first 4 regional seed to make it this far since 2006.

The super regionals:

1 Wake vs. 16 Alabama
2 Florida vs. 15 South Carolina
Texas vs. 8 Stanford
5 LSU vs. 12 Kentucky
Tennessee vs. Southern Mississippi
7 Virginia vs. Duke
Oral Roberts vs. Oregon
14 Indiana State vs. TCU

Six of ten SEC schools made the super regionals.

Golf Balls

--I went to post Sunday with Rose Zhang one-up through 13 holes at Liberty National here in New Jersey, in her attempt to make history…and she did, winning a two-hole playoff against Jennifer Kupcho.

Zhang thus became the first player since Beverly Hanson in 1951 to win on the LPGA Tour in her pro debut.

Pretty awesome with all the immense expectations on her shoulders to come through like that in the most anticipated American pro debut since Michelle Wie in 2005.

But then Zhang had to rush home to take three final exams at Stanford and move out of her dorm.

--How good a guy is Viktor Hovland?  After winning the Memorial in Dublin, Ohio, Sunday, being in the Columbus area Monday morning, he caddied for a buddie from Oklahoma State, Zach Bauchou, who was attempting to make it through final U.S. Open Final Qualifying.

According to Golf Channnel, Bauchou asked Hovland last Tuesday if he could loop for him on golf’s longest day, 36 holes, and Hovland accepted it…and kept his promise.  [Bauchou didn’t come close to qualifying.]

In winning the Memorial, Hovland joined Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy as the only players to have at least one win in the last four seasons (Hovland with one in each).  He’s been playing terrifically this season, with a T-3 at the Players, T-7 at the Masters, and T-2 at the PGA Championship.

Two more majors to go…no reason not to bet on the lad.

--In the above-noted qualifying for the U.S. Open, Wake Forest’s Michael Brennan, a rising senior, made an impossible par on his final hole to secure a spot.

Stuff

--The Belmont Stakes is being held Saturday and Forte is finally running.

--Jim Hines died.  He was the first man to run the 100m in under 10 seconds.  Hines was 76.

Hines broke the record in 1968 when he recorded a hand-timed 9.9 seconds at the U.S. Championships.  He then broke his own record shortly after while winning gold at the 1968 Olympics, where an electronic timer in Mexico City recorded him at 9.95.

His record held for nearly 15 years until Calvin Smith ran a time of 9.93 in 1983.

That is the longest length of time an athlete has held the record for the men’s 100m since the International Amateur Athletic Foundation began keeping track – 110 years ago.

Hines was born in Arkansas in 1946 but was raised in Oakland, California.  He attended Texas Southern University.

In addition to winning the 100m at the Mexico City Olympics, he was also part of the winning U.S. 4X100m relay team.

Jim “Jimmy” Hines was built like a football player and with his speed, it was only natural he gave the NFL a go.  He was drafted in the sixth round by the Miami Dolphins, but his NFL career consisted of two receptions for 23 yards, and one kickoff return for 22.

--TMZ reported Monday that Taylor Swift and Matt Healy have broken up.

Swift split from actor Joe Alwyn earlier in the year.

Swift and Healy had a rumored fling in 2014, but then he started showing up at her concerts, and they were spotted having dinner, and you know…they were a couple…

…until they weren’t.

So guys, reminder…Taylor is high-maintenance and she’ll write songs about you.  For those reasons I’ve told my people not to contact her people.

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.  Much more on the LIV-PGA Tour merger.

-----

[Posted early Sunday p.m., due to a visitor who just arrived at global HQ.]

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Wed.

Baseball Quiz: With Oakland’s extreme troubles this season, historically so, let’s look at something positive.  Since 1950, including the Philadelphia and Kansas City Athletics, name the only five pitchers to win 23 or more in a season in an A’s uniform.  Yes, a few of these should be obvious, but at least one not so much.  Answer below.

NBA

--Game 2 tonight of the NBA Finals, Miami at Denver, the Nuggets cruising in Game 1 Thursday, 104-93, a game that was 84-63 after three quarters.

Nikola Jokic had another triple-double, 27 points, 10 rebounds, 14 assists, while Jamal Murray continues to be the perfect No. 2, 26 points, 10 assists.

Jimmy Butler had his fewest points in these playoffs, just 13, while Bam Odebayo was solid, 26 points, 13 rebounds.

--The Phoenix Suns reached a deal with veteran coach Frank Vogel to become the team’s next head coach.

Vogel, 49, last coached the Lakers and LeBron, leading them to the 2020 championship at the Orlando bubble.  The Lakers dismissed Vogel following the 2021-22 season with one year remaining on his contract after L.A. finished 33-49.  Vogel was then replaced by Darvin Ham.

Vogel has also coached Indiana and Orlando and has a combined record of 431-389, leading his teams to the playoffs in seven of his 11 seasons as head coach.

The Suns fired head coach Monty Williams after four seasons last month after Phoenix was eliminated in the Western Conference semis by the Nuggets.

Phoenix still has Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Chris Paul, plus center Deandre Ayton; all four making at least $30 million each next season…Durant $46 million in the second season of a four-year, $194 million contract.

You know what we say in the ‘burbs, boys and girls; that be generational wealth.

--Speaking of Monty Williams, he reached a six-year, $78.5 million deal to coach the Pistons.

--Commissioner Adam Silver said the results of the NBA’s investigation into Ja Morant for allegedly displaying a handgun on Instagram for the second time will be released after the Finals.

“We’ve uncovered a fair amount of additional information,” Silver said when asked by USA TODAY Sports how close the league was to wrapping up the investigation.  “We probably could have brought it to a head now, but we’ve made the decision that it would be unfair to these players and these teams to announce that decision in the middle of this series.”

Silver said Morant’s history will play a role if there is additional punishment stemming from the second incident.

--Oscar Tshiebwe of Kentucky has officially entered the NBA Draft, last Wednesday deadline day to announce whether you were returning to school (including transferring to a different one), or staying in the draft.

Tshiebwe averaged 16.5 points and 13.7 rebounds last year, and in 2021-22, he averaged 15.1 rebounds, most by any player since 1980. But many draft rankings don’t have him being selected in the two rounds.

Purdue star center Zach Edey, on the other hand, consensus National Player of the Year, announced he was withdrawing his name from the draft and returning to Purdue for another season.

The 7-foot-4 center from Canada averaged 22.9 points and 12.9 rebounds, with 28 double-doubles.

But he wasn’t projected to be selected in the first round, and ranked No. 47 on ESPN’s 2023 NBA draft rankings.

--Frederic J. Frommer has a piece in the Washington Post this weekend on the Knicks of the early 1970s and their two, and only two, NBA championships, the last in 1972-73.

Frommer talks about his late father, Harvey Frommer, who collaborated with Hall of Fame coach Red Holzman, who was also the GM for part of his time with the Knicks, on his 1987 autobiography, “Red on Red.”

“Holzman was the molder, conductor and architect of one of the most unusual, most thrilling and, for the involved basketball fan, most gratifying teams ever assembled,” the New York Times wrote.

Holzman lived in obscurity, despite his success.  He used to say no one knows him.  Once a burly usher at the Garden didn’t recognize him and refused to let him on the court.  Holzman wrote that the usher told him that “a little squirt like you could never be the coach of the New York Knickerbockers!”

Frommer:

“Once, a kid gave him a piece of paper for an autograph, but when someone yelled, ‘Hey, there’s Walt Frazier!’ the kid yanked the paper out of his hand and ran after the star point guard with the other kids.  Holzman’s ego was bruised for a bit, but then he realized a good escape plan when he was in a hurry.  ‘I’d yell, ‘Hey, there’s Walt Frazier!’’….

“When the team was on the road, (Holzman would) make a point of visiting the local racetrack which he called ‘a great form of relaxation.’  (This was in the days before iPhone meditation apps – or betting apps.)

“He didn’t have a curfew for the players, choosing to treat them as adults. But he did tell them: ‘Stay out of the hotel bar on the road.  That’s where I go and that belongs to me.’

“ ‘That was not a joke,’ noted Bill Bradley, a star of those Knicks teams, in a recent telephone interview.”

Ah, the good old days.  It was an awesome time to grow up in the New York area…Joe Namath and the Jets, Tom Seaver and the Mets, the Rangers were very exciting (albeit Cup-less), and the great Knicks teams.

The 1972-73 squad had a starting lineup of five future Hall of Famers: Willis Reed, Frazier, Earl Monroe, Bradley and Dave DeBusschere.  All five averaged in double-figures in scoring.

“Bradley said last month that the balanced scoring was a reflection of the team’s philosophy.

“ ‘We knew that no one of us was as good as all five of us could be together,’ said Bradley, who averaged 16.1 points a game that season.

“Bradley, who went on to become a U.S. senator and wrote the introduction to ‘Red on Red,’ said that the team embodied the values that people admire in basketball: selflessness, discipline, players helping each other out.

“ ‘Red’s one absolute was defense, and out of the defense would come offense,’ he said.”

NHL

The Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights were knotted at 2-2 after the first two periods of Game 1 in the Stanley Cup Finals Saturday night in Las Vegas, but the Golden Knights scored three times in the third for the 5-2 win.  Game 2 Monday.

MLB

--The story Saturday in baseball was the Marlins’ Luis Arraez, who was 5-for-5 (3 doubles), 5 RBIs* out of the leadoff position, as Miami (31-28) beat the A’s 12-1.

*First in franchise history with five hits, five RBIs.

Arraez is now hitting .390 and it’s no fluke.  He was a .300 hitter at Minnesota, winning a batting title last season, and there is no reason why he can’t hit .350+. 

As for Oakland, they are 12-48.  It’s hard to see them winning 40, the 1962 Mets an infamous 40-120.

Today, the Marlins won again, 7-5, the A’s 12-49.  Oakland came into the game with a 6.70 team ERA.  Reminder, the 1899 Cleveland Spiders of the 20-134 record had a 6.37 ERA.

For Miami, give credit to Sandy Alcantera.  The 2022 Cy Young Award winner has struggled mightily, 2-5, 5.07, including yielding five earned today, but he gave them seven innings.

Luis Arraez was 2-for-4 with an RBI and is now hitting .392.

--The Yankees are in Los Angeles for three against the Dodgers.

Yankees-Dodgers has as good a sound to it as any series in baseball, with all the history for us old-timers.

Friday night, the Dodgers took the first, 8-4, as Clayton Kershaw (7-4, 3.25) went seven, two earned, 9 Ks.  For the Yankees, Luis Severino was shelled, 7 earned in four innings, including six in the first inning.

Saturday, the Yanks won it, 6-3, Aaron Judge with his 19th home run and a terrific catch in right that sent him barreling through the Yankees’ bullpen door.

Some of us had flashes of Mickey Mantle’s devastating injury in the outfield early in his career that wrecked his right knee for the rest of his career (otherwise Mantle’s numbers are far better, at least says moi); the Mick injuring it when he tripped over an exposed drain pipe.

This could have been awful for Judge, including the wire mesh in that part of the fence, but he was none the worse for wear.

Gerrit Cole only went six innings, 80 pitches, yielding one run, and those watching wondered why he was removed so early, but it turns out he had leg cramps, Cole 7-0, 2.82.

Jake Bauers also hit two, 2-run homers for the Yanks, 35-25, L.A. 35-24, the two playing the Sunday Night game.

--Mets fans have been pleased to see some consistency in the starting rotation.  Thursday, in a 4-2 win over Philadelphia at Citi Field, completing a sweep, Max Scherzer (5-2, 3.21) had his fourth straight solid start, going seven.

Which meant when a Mets starter went six innings, the team was 16-0!  Supposedly, the league average is about .650 in that case.

But Friday night, home to the Blue Jays, Justin Verlander went a solid six innings, one run, 117 pitches, only the Mets were shut out by their old teammate, Chris Bassitt, 3-0.

Bassitt, whose wife was in labor, threw 7 2/3 as he improved to 6-4, 3.41.

The Mets declined to make him an offer at the end of last season as he became a free agent after a 15-9, 3.42, campaign and I had no problem with that, as I wrote at the time.  The guy just irked me the wrong way, and he sucked in the playoffs.

But ask us fans if we’d take 6-4, 3.41 this year!  Bassitt signed with Toronto for three years, $63 million, a relative bargain, thus far.

Saturday, the Mets lost again to the Blue Jays (32-27), 2-1, wasting another solid start, Tylor Megill, one run in 5 1/3.

The Metsies entered Sunday’s game 30-29, scoring 11 runs in their last five games, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso, the two big bats, in 2-for-28 and 2-for-19 skids…Lindor batting .212, Alonso .231.

And…they are 0-for-17 in the two games against Toronto with runners in scoring position.

This afternoon, the Metsies scored four runs, all solo homers, yet lost 6-4 as they tumbled back to .500, 30-30.

Kodai Senga, who in Japan pitched once a week, for the first time was asked to pitch on normal 4-day rest after his stellar outing last Tuesday, and it was a disaster, 2 2/3, 3 earned, 5 walks.

--The Braves are in Arizona to play the impressive D’Backs, who took the first Friday night, 3-2, Merrill Kelly with seven strong, now 7-3, 2.80.  I forgot this guy threw 200 innings last season (13-8, 3.37) as the 34-year-old has been a late bloomer.

Saturday, Atlanta prevailed 5-2, Spencer Strider with six innings of 2-run ball to move to 6-2, 2.97.

But it was the Ronald Acuna Jr. Show…a 464-foot home run, a double, and a stolen base, Acuna batting .325, 12 home runs, 17 doubles, 24 steals, a .966 OPS, and 50 runs scored in the first 58 games. Awesome.

Atlanta entered Sunday’s play 34-24, Arizona 35-24.

--The Cubs beat the Padres Friday, 2-1, as San Diego’s dreadful start continues.

Fernando Tatis Jr. did have a big game on Thursday, three doubles, four RBIs and a stolen base…just the third to do so since 1933!

Tatis then hit two home runs, 4 RBIs, in San Diego’s 6-0 win Saturday, Yu Darvish (4-4, 4.10) with 7 scoreless, 2 hits, 9 strikeouts, the Padres 27-31, the Cubs 25-32.

--The Red Sox suffered a big loss as Chris Sale went on the IL Friday with shoulder inflammation.  Sale, 5-2, 4.58, was pitching great after a tough start this season and it has to be depressing for him.

Sale hasn’t had an injury free season since 2017!  But consider how great he was.  From 2012-2018, seven straight seasons he was top six in the Cy Young Award vote, six top 5.

He was headed towards the Hall of Fame, until he wasn’t.  Here’s hoping as a baseball fan he can come back effectively this season.

--I can’t help but note the Angels’ 12-5 win over the White Sox, Wednesday, as Mike Trout hit a 461-foot home run in the first, four rows shy of clearing the left-field bleachers.  And then Shohei Ohtani hit a 459-foot shot, as well as a 425-foot homer.

Ohtani now has nine home runs of at least 450 feet in his career, all coming in the past three seasons.

Trout’s shot was his 10th of at least 460 feet, since he entered the league in 2011.  The only players with more at that distance are Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge.

But the Angels lost games Thursday and Friday, to fall to 30-29, and Friday, Ohtani yielded five runs in six innings to the Astros, in a 6-2 loss, and he’s now 5-2, 3.30 on the season.

Saturday, Ohtani went 4-for-5, but the Angels fell back to 30-30, losing to the Astros (35-23) again, 9-6.

--Shu wanted me to note that the Pirates’ Jack Suwinski had hit 30 home runs in his first 152 games as a Pirate, just the fourth to hit 30 in his first 162.

Who is No. 1?  Dick Stuart, with 36.

Stuart had 228 home runs in the big leagues, starting out with Pittsburgh, and then some big years with the Red Sox, before he became a New York Met in 1966, for whom he hit four.

But Dick Stuart, for those of us collecting baseball cards back in the day, will forever be known for…. Bazooka Joe says: “Dick once hit 66 home runs in the Sally League!”

1956….Class A…66 home runs and 158 RBIs in 141 games.

As the cast of Hee Haw would have said… “Sa-lute!”

--In the NCAA Baseball tournament, regional play took place this weekend, which will conclude Monday.

Wake Forest beat George Mason 12-0 in its opener Friday night in Winston-Salem, and then they faced Maryland in the second game Saturday night.

Maryland knocked out the Deacs last year, Wake seeking revenge, but thunderstorms were rolling through the area and the game, scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m., didn’t get underway until minutes before 11:00 p.m., which was important because no games can start after 11:00.

And Wake blew out the Terps, 21-6…Maryland pitchers yielding a staggering 16 walks, the game ending around 2:00 a.m.

For Wake, Rhett Lowder moved to 14-0, 1.78 ERA, with six innings of 2-run ball, striking out 11.  [Friday night, the Deacs’ Seth Keener fanned 13 in six innings.]  For good reason, Lowder is a top two pitching prospect in the upcoming baseball draft.

So the Deacs awaited the winner of Maryland-George Mason Sunday afternoon.  For Wake to head to the super-regionals next weekend, the Sweet 16 to determine the final eight for Omaha, we just have to knockoff George Mason, as it turned out (who beat Maryland 11-10), once more in the double-elimination format.  So can clinch a spot tonight or would have to do it tomorrow.

Golf Balls

--At The Memorial, Muirfield Village, Dublin, Ohio…Jack’s Place…we had an insane leaderboard heading into the final round.

Rory McIlroy -6
Si Woo Kim -6
David Lipsky -6
Denny McCarthy -5
Viktor Hovland -5
Wyndham Clark -5
Lee Hodges -5
Mark Hubbard -5

And five more at -4, including Bradley, Morikawa, Cantlay and Matsuyama.

Morikawa withdrew before the round started with back spasms.

And Denny McCarthy took charge, with a one-shot lead heading to No. 18 over Viktor Hovland, who was in the clubhouse solo second at -7.

But McCarthy had a difficult approach shot on the par-4, needing par to secure his first win.  And he bogeyed the hole, so a Hovland-McCarthy playoff.

Scottie Scheffler, after a sterling 67, moved up to solo third.

As for Rory McIlroy, his troubles continue…just poor play, inexcusable putting issues from inside six feet… -3, T7.

So on the first playoff hole, back at No. 18…Hovland wins it!  Win No. 4 in his still burgeoning career.

--Among those missing the cut this week were Jason Day, Cameron Young and Justin Thomas.

JT has not had a good year, just two top tens (no wins) in 13 events, and as of today would not make the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

--Florida’s Fred Biondi, who won the individual NCAA men’s golf title on Monday, secured the winning point for the Gators in capturing the team title Wednesday against Georgia Tech; Florida’s fifth national championship, but first in the match-play era.

Biondi, from Brazil, is the first to win the individual and team titles since Aaron Wise of Oregon in 2016.

--On the LPGA Tour, Rose Zhang, the two-time NCAA champion out of Stanford, made her much-anticipated LPGA Tour debut this week at the Mizuho Americans Open at Liberty National in Jersey City, N.J.

And Zhang held a 2-stroke lead heading to today’s final round and as I go to post, she has a one-shot lead deep on the back nine.

FA Cup

The treble is still alive for Manchester City, as Saturday they defeated Manchester United for the FA Cup at Wembley, 2-1.

Having already won the Premier League title, next week they go against Inter Milan at the Champions League final with the opportunity to be the first to take all three biggies since Man U did it in 1999.

City captain Ilkay Gundogan scored both goals, one of which was the quickest in FA Cup final history, only 12 seconds into the contest!  Goodness gracious.

NASCAR

--The sport issued a massive penalty to driver Chase Briscoe and his team, the second-largest penalty in NASCAR history, for using a counterfeit part on the car in last week’s Cup Series race.

Briscoe and team lost 120 driver/owner points, 25 playoff points and were fined $250,000. Crew chief Johnny Klausmeier also received a six-week suspension.

With Briscoe sliding 14 places in the standings, he now must win one of the final 12 races to make the playoffs.

Today’s race in Madison, Illinois is concluding after I go to post.

Stuff

--Churchill Downs has taken the rather extraordinary step of suspending racing operations June 7 and moving the remainder of its 2023 Spring Meet to Ellis Park following 12 horse deaths at the track in the past six weeks.

Races are being held at Churchill Downs this weekend before shipping off about 134 miles west to Henderson, Kentucky, June 10 through July 3.

There have been a series of emergency meetings between Churchill and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, which said in a statement Friday it recommended the track suspend races.

During the week, track surface expert Dennis Moore completed an inspection, after which HISA said he reported “no primary areas for concern” and that “the various track metrics analyzed are consistent with previous years.”

Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen said more time is needed “to conduct a top-to-bottom review of all of the details and circumstances so that we can further strengthen our surface, safety and integrity protocols.”

Not everyone is happy the meet is being moved, with no issues being found at the track.  Instead, trainers and veterinarians want to be allowed to use therapeutic medications that greatly lessen the risk of breakdowns.

Churchill Downs did announce new safety measures, that will apply to Ellis Park as well, such as:

Horses will be restricted to four starts during a rolling eight-week period.
Horses will have ineligibility standards for poor performance: if a horse is beaten more than 12 lengths in five consecutive starts, it will be ineligible to race at Churchill Downs until approved to resume by the Equine Medical Director.

The Belmont Stakes is being run next Saturday.

--Rafael Nadal announced Saturday he had two procedures on his left hip, Friday, and a spokesman said the 22-time Grand Slam champion, who turned 37 Saturday, is expected to need five months to recover, which clearly keeps him out the rest of the season.

When Nadal announced last month that he would be missing the French Open because of the hip problem, he said that while he hoped to return in 2023, next year will be the last of his career.

--At the French Open, where Nadal has 14 of his 22 Grand Slam titles, 3-seed Novak Djokovic is rolling, winning his fourth-round match today to move to the quarterfinals.  1-seed Carlos Alcaraz also won handily to move to the quarters.  [Reminder, 2-seed Daniil Medvedev was upset early.]

On the women’s side, 1-seed and defending champion, Iga Swiatek, is stomping over her opponents, the term “Iga’s Bakery” on social media for winning a match 6-0, 6-0, for the second time in a month.  Swiatek says the term is demeaning to her opponents.

6-seed Coca Gauff, last year’s runner-up to Swiatek, has also reached the fourth round.

--Billy Joel announced he is ending his Madison Square Garden residency in July 2024 after his 150th lifetime show there.  Joel kicked it all off in 2014, generally monthly sold-out concerts, in what had become a staple of New York City.

Joel, 74, holds the record for most consecutive shows at the world’s most famous arena.

--I forgot to note in my Add-on Wednesday morning that Taylor Swift drew a record 217,000 fans to her weekend MetLife Stadium concerts.  As Ronald Reagan would have said while perusing the latest edition of People, ‘Not bad, not bad at all…’

Top 3 songs for the week 6/8/74: #1 “Band On The Run” (Paul McCartney & Wings)  #2 “The Streak” (Ray Stevens)  #3 “You Make Me Feel Brand New” (The Stylistics)…and…#4 “Dancing Machine” (The Jackson 5)  #5 “Sundown” (Gordon Lightfoot)  #6 “Billy, Don’t Be A Hero” (Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods)  #7 “Help Me” (Joni Mitchell)  #8 “The Entertainer” (Marvin Hamlisch…from “The Sting”)  #9 “Midnight At The Oasis” (Maria Muldaur…lyrics make zero sense, but beautiful tune…)  #10 “For The Love Of Money” (O’Jays…not a bad week, ‘B’…as I wrapped up my sophomore year in high school, having peaked (in hindsight) in the eighth grade…it was downhill from there….)

Baseball Quiz Answer: Oakland’s 23-game winners since 1950.

Bob Welch, 27, 1990
Catfish Hunter, 25, 1974
Vida Blue, 24, 1971
Bobby Shantz, 24, 1952
Barry Zito, 23, 2002

Zito won the Cy Young that season, 23-5, and finished his career 165-143, 4.04.

Bobby Shantz was league MVP in 1952, 24-7 on a team that went 79-75-1.  He was 119-99 in his career, with a fine 3.38, becoming a highly effective reliever the second half of his time in the big leagues, 1949-64. 

Born in Pottstown, PA, Shantz is still alive…97!

Bazooka Joe adds: “Bobby also won eight Gold Gloves!”

As for Oakland and it’s move to Las Vegas, as many reporters have been pointing out, the state of Nevada and the city of Las Vegas will not see any of the $350 million to $400 million they are being asked to pony up as part of the $1.5 billion stadium project.

Such a deal requires the A’s to sell out 81 games in the proposed 30,000 seat facility, and that obviously isn’t going to come close to happening.

Sure, if the product is great, maybe the A’s are a hit, but how many years off is this franchise from becoming competitive again?

For some history, look at what happened to attendance with the Kansas City Athletics in their time there.  [Go to Baseballreference.com]

Brief Add-on up top by Wed. a.m. …the NCAA Baseball super-regional lineup.



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Bar Chat

06/05/2023

MLB Bits, Wake Forest, and Luis Arraez

Add-on posted very early Wed. a.m.

Golf Merger

Tuesday morning, in a move that shocked the sports world, the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf, i.e., Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced they will mutually end all pending litigation between the entities.  Additionally, the organizations will work cooperatively to allow a process for any LIV players to reapply for PGA Tour and DP World Tour membership following the 2023 season.

“The parties have signed an agreement that combined PIF’s golf-related commercial businesses and rights (including LIV Golf) with the commercial businesses and rights of the PGA Tour and DP World Tour into a new, collectively owned, for-profit entity to ensure that all stakeholders benefit from a model that delivers maximum excitement and competition among the game’s best players,” a joint statement read.

“After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love,” said PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan in a statement.  “This transformational partnership recognizes the immeasurable strength of the PGA Tour’s history, legacy and pro-competitive model and combines with it the DP World Tour and LIV – including the team golf concept – to create an organization that will benefit golf’s players, commercial and charitable partners and fans.  Going forward, fans can be confident that we will, collectively, deliver on the promise we’ve always made – to promote competition of the best in professional golf and that we are committed to securing and driving the game’s future…”

In a memo to members, Monahan said: “There are many details to work through as we develop a definitive agreement, which will ultimately require PGA Tour Policy Board approval, and I know you have many questions.”   Monahan said there will be a comprehensive evaluation of LIV Golf to determine how best to integrate team golf into the professional game.

In addition to the financial investment in the new entity for an equity stake, the PIF will become a premier corporate sponsor of the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and other international tours.

PGA Tour player Mackenzie Hughes tweeted: “Nothing like finding out through Twitter that we’re merging with a tour that we said we’d never do that with.”

Phil Mickelson: “Awesome day today.”

Former President Donald Trump: “GREAT NEWS FROM LIV GOLF.  A BIG, BEAUTIFUL, AND GLAMOROUS DEAL FOR THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF GOLF.  CONGRATS TO ALL!!!”

Yes, Jay Monahan has a lot of explaining to do, especially as the court case was seemingly going in the PGA Tour’s favor, witness all the LIV players who took their names off the suit.

“They were going down their path, we were going down ours, and after a lot of introspection you realize all this tension in the game is not a good thing,” Monahan said in a phone interview with the Associated Press.

“We have a responsibility to our tour and to the game, and we felt like the time was right to have that conversation.”

Monahan said the decision came together over the last seven weeks, but clearly the players were in the dark…and that’s not good.  At least that is what we know today.

I’ll have much more when I post Sunday evening, as we learn more, especially from the players, and the likes of Jim Nantz during his coverage of the Canadian Open (I’m assuming Nantz is there this weekend).

Eventually, this merger will be good…all any real golf fan wants to see is the best players at the biggest events historically, the majors, the Players, a few others.  But getting from here to there is going to be very ugly.

As for Phil Mickelson, yes, he can do his victory lap.  He’s not a factor performance-wise except at Augusta perhaps another year or two as I wrote of extensively with the last Masters.

But he needs to watch what he says because the William “Billy” Walters book is coming out soon (August), and it will not be kind to Phil’s already tarnished legacy.  I would expect a “60 Minutes” piece.

Greg Norman was left out of the negotiations and advised of the merger one minute before the announcement.

Bill Plaschke / Los Angeles Times

“A year ago, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan used two words to describe the rogue LIV Golf league.

“ ‘It’s an irrational threat,’ he said.  ‘One not concerned with the return on investment or true growth of the game.’

“On Tuesday, the PGA Tour had another word for the Saudi Arabia-backed business.

“Partner.

“In a stunning act of hypocrisy unmatched even in the mercenary world of professional sports, the PGA Tour has joined forces with its moral enemies in announcing a unification with the same LIV Golf whose presence had been constantly condemned by every PGA Tour member with a soapbox and a sermon.

“A year ago, Monahan said LIV defectors should examine their moral compass.

“ ‘It probably is an issue for players that chose to go and take that money…and I think you’d have to be living under a rock to not know that there are significant implications,’ Monahan said.

“On Tuesday, he crawled under that same rock, announcing that not only would Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund buy into the merger, but it also would become a premier tour sponsor.

“Yeah, basically, Saudi Arabia now owns golf.

“The next time you spend a Sunday afternoon curled up on the couch watching the dramatic end of a PGA Tour event, understand it has been bought by a country with no free speech, no religious freedom and a history of discriminating against women.

“The next time you watch Jon Rahm or Scottie Scheffler being interviewed after a round, understand that their paycheck is partially generated by a country that murdered Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

“ ‘This is a historic day for the game we all know and love,’ Monahan said in a statement.

“More like knew and loved….

“The PGA Tour didn’t need to do this. The PGA Tour had LIV on the ropes….

“Few were watching the rogue tour, even fewer were regularly following it, there was no buzz, scant coverage and almost zero interest.

“The LIV had dwindling sponsors, dying support and there was a good chance its members soon would have been lining up for a return to the PGA Tour.

“Then a couple of weeks ago, one of the LIV golfers, Brooks Koepka, won the PGA Championship, four other LIV players were in the top 20, 17 LIV players were in the event, and the Tour got scared.

“It worried it soon wouldn’t have the best golfers. It worried that more would follow Koepka and the money. It panicked and grabbed for the same cash that it once treated as dirty….

“(Here’s) the thing – if the PGA Tour had just waited, it could have enjoyed the influx of returning stars, but without the Saudi stain.

“A year ago, Monahan said, ‘When someone attempts to buy the sport…I doubt that’s the vision any of us have for the game.’

“On Tuesday, he just allowed the Saudis to purchase the sport.

“A year ago, commenting on 9/11 families expressing their outrage against LIV golfers for betraying the United States, Monahan told CBS, ‘As it relates to the families of 9/11…I would ask any player that has left…have you ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour?’

“On Tuesday, it was Monahan and the PGA Tour who owed the sports world an apology.

“Sorriest shank ever.”

In a meeting with tour players Tuesday at the RBC Canadian Open, Jay Monahan attempted to explain the move and things got heated, according to golfer Johnson Wagner, with “multiple” players calling for Monahan’s ouster.  By Wagner’s estimation, 90 percent of the players were against the merger.  Monahan himself said after it was “certainly heated.”

Again, much more next time, including the issue of what the sponsors will do.  Plus, Rory and Tiger’s reactions, both having been hung out to dry more than anyone.

Also, so many questions to be answered regarding 2024.

And yes, Jay Monahan is going to be receiving a lot of yearend hardware from Bar Chat.

NBA Playoffs

Miami pulled off a tremendous win in Game 2 in Denver Sunday, 111-108, to rather shockingly even the series at 1-1, Game 3 down in Miami Wednesday night.

As Jeff Zillgitt wrote in USA TODAY:

“The Miami Heat are forged in adversity.

“And discipline.  And smarts.  And hard work.  And experience.

“There’s no other way a No. 8 seed reaches the NBA Finals.

“There’s no other way a No. 8 seed goes on the road against the No. 1 seed and wins an NBA Finals game.

“The Heat embarrassed the Denver Nuggets in Game 2.  It wasn’t the final score…

“It was the manner in which the Heat played and Nuggets didn’t.

“You don’t beat the Heat on talent alone, and the Nuggets should know that.  This was a classic Heat victory, outworking, outsmarting and outplaying the opponent….

“In almost every way – except for Denver having the best all-around player on the court in two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who had a game-high 41 points – the Heat were the stronger team.”

Jimmy Butler rebounded from a poor Game 1 to have 21 points and 9 assists, Bam Adebayo had 21 points, Gabe Vincent 23, and Duncan Robinson 10 off the bench on 4-of-5 shooting.

Jokic had 41 points and 11 rebounds, but Jamal Murray was held in check with just 18 points.

Lastly, Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro is practicing as he continues his efforts to try to return from a broken hand suffered in the first half of Game 1 of Round 1 at Milwaukee.  His status for Wednesday is unclear…meaning by Game 4 or 5, he could be a factor, one would think.

Stanley Cup Finals

The Vegas Golden Knights routed the Florida Panthers 7-2 on Monday in Paradise, Nevada to go up 2-0 in the Final.

Florida has now played in six Stanley Cup Final games in franchise history and is 0-6.

Game 3 Thursday in Sunrise, Florida.

MLB

--I posted my column last Sunday at 6:00 p.m., prior to Yankees and Dodgers, and ironically wrote of Saturday night’s game where Aaron Judge made a terrific catch in right field, but crashed through the bullpen door.  I noted how I had a Mickey Mantle flashback in terms of a devastating injury for The Mick.

Well, I didn’t know Judge would then sit out Sunday’s game because he suffered a right big toe injury on that play, jamming it into the wall.

So the Yankees waited with bated breath for the results of an MRI and it revealed no fracture or break, just a sprain, but he was placed on the IL.

Meanwhile, starter Nestor Cortes was placed on the injured list with a shoulder injury and he will miss a few starts.

Tuesday night, in smokey New York (it really got bad here Tuesday afternoon), the White Sox beat the Yanks 3-2, as Liam Hendriks picked up his first save since coming back from cancer.

--Jacob deGrom was moved to the 60-day injured list Monday.  DeGrom “hasn’t improved maybe as quickly as we had hoped” after five bullpen sessions since going on the IL for inflammation in his right elbow.

And then we learned deGrom needs a second Tommy John surgery.  This really sucks, and the guy was in tears when he told reporters about his situation. 

The Rangers signed deGrom to a five-year, $185 million contract in December.

But Texas has kind of snuck up on some of us, now second-best in the majors, 40-20, after defeating the Cardinals last night 6-4, with Marcus Semien extending his hitting streak to 25 games.

--Monday in Miami’s 9-6 win over the Royals, Luis Arraez had three more hits, 3-for-4, 2 RBIs, to move to .399.

Tuesday, Arraez went 2-for-4, raising his average to .401, as the Marlins won it over K.C., 6-1.

--Also Monday, the Pirates handed the A’s their 50th loss, Oakland 12-50, with a 5-4 win.  It was the A’s 15th consecutive road loss.

But then the A’s won last night, 11-2, as Jace Peterson went 5-for-5 with two home runs and 5 RBIs.

[By the way, the A’s move to Las Vegas is not necessarily a done deal, as Nevada lawmakers adjourned their four-month legislative session on Tuesday without acting on $billions in tax credits for various industries, including baseball.]

--The Mets suck, now 30-31, after losing the first of a big three-game series in Atlanta (36-24) last night, 6-4.

--We note the passing of former pitcher Bobby Bolin, who pitched from 1961-73 with the Giants and Red Sox, mostly, Bolin a starter-reliever who went 88-75, 3.40, with 51 saves for his career.  He was 84.

Bolin was a reliable cog in the Giants’ pitching staff from 1961-1969, where he was in the top ten in ERA three times, including the Year of the Pitcher, 1968.

In fact he is the answer to the trivia question, who was second to Bob Gibson’s historic 1.12 ERA in ’68, Bolin at 1.99 in 176 2/3 innings as both a starter and reliever.  On September 6 in 1968, Bolin outdueled Gibson in a 3-2 win.

--And another longtime pitcher, and then manager, Roger Craig, passed away at the age of 93.

Craig played 12 major league seasons and won championships as a player with the Dodgers (1955, 1959) and the Cardinals (1964), then won another as pitching coach of the Detroit Tigers (1984).

He was nicknamed “Humm Baby,” after the old-school chatter that encouraged a pitcher to throw harder or “hum it in there.”

He spent his first three years with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and four more in Los Angeles when the Dodgers moved, and then returned to New York with the Mets for their first two seasons, 1962-63, which were memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Craig had 27 complete games for Casey Stengel’s Metsies, but he also led the National League in losses each season, 10-24, 4.51, in 1962; 5-22, 3.78, in ’63.  He was the Mets’ Opening Day starter for their first game in ’62, the Mets falling to the Cardinals 11-4, Craig yielding five earned in 3 innings.  [Gil Hodges hit the first home run in Mets franchise history in this one.]

Craig finished his career 74-98, 3.83.

As a manager with the Padres and Giants, Craig was 738-737, winning the NL pennant with the Giants in 1989.

NCAA Baseball Championship

--Wake Forest sure proved it was worthy of a No. 1 seed in the tournament, outscoring their opponents in their regional a staggering 48-7…12-0, 21-6, 15-1.  And now they are host to 16 Alabama, as the Deacs attempt to advance to the College World Series for the first time since winning the 1955 national title.

I was nervous going into the regionals, but I am pretty confident now that we can advance to Omaha.

But once again the ACC choked with some of its other entrants, as 4 Clemson was taken out, making it 10 straight appearances since 2010 that the Tigers failed to make it out of the regional round.  No. 9 Miami lost its regional to Texas.  At least 7 Virginia is moving on, and unseeded Duke, which took out 10 Coastal Carolina.

Elsewhere, Oral Roberts was the No. 4 regional seed and advanced to the super regionals by beating Dallas Baptist in Stillwater, Oklahoma, the first 4 regional seed to make it this far since 2006.

The super regionals:

1 Wake vs. 16 Alabama
2 Florida vs. 15 South Carolina
Texas vs. 8 Stanford
5 LSU vs. 12 Kentucky
Tennessee vs. Southern Mississippi
7 Virginia vs. Duke
Oral Roberts vs. Oregon
14 Indiana State vs. TCU

Six of ten SEC schools made the super regionals.

Golf Balls

--I went to post Sunday with Rose Zhang one-up through 13 holes at Liberty National here in New Jersey, in her attempt to make history…and she did, winning a two-hole playoff against Jennifer Kupcho.

Zhang thus became the first player since Beverly Hanson in 1951 to win on the LPGA Tour in her pro debut.

Pretty awesome with all the immense expectations on her shoulders to come through like that in the most anticipated American pro debut since Michelle Wie in 2005.

But then Zhang had to rush home to take three final exams at Stanford and move out of her dorm.

--How good a guy is Viktor Hovland?  After winning the Memorial in Dublin, Ohio, Sunday, being in the Columbus area Monday morning, he caddied for a buddie from Oklahoma State, Zach Bauchou, who was attempting to make it through final U.S. Open Final Qualifying.

According to Golf Channnel, Bauchou asked Hovland last Tuesday if he could loop for him on golf’s longest day, 36 holes, and Hovland accepted it…and kept his promise.  [Bauchou didn’t come close to qualifying.]

In winning the Memorial, Hovland joined Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy as the only players to have at least one win in the last four seasons (Hovland with one in each).  He’s been playing terrifically this season, with a T-3 at the Players, T-7 at the Masters, and T-2 at the PGA Championship.

Two more majors to go…no reason not to bet on the lad.

--In the above-noted qualifying for the U.S. Open, Wake Forest’s Michael Brennan, a rising senior, made an impossible par on his final hole to secure a spot.

Stuff

--The Belmont Stakes is being held Saturday and Forte is finally running.

--Jim Hines died.  He was the first man to run the 100m in under 10 seconds.  Hines was 76.

Hines broke the record in 1968 when he recorded a hand-timed 9.9 seconds at the U.S. Championships.  He then broke his own record shortly after while winning gold at the 1968 Olympics, where an electronic timer in Mexico City recorded him at 9.95.

His record held for nearly 15 years until Calvin Smith ran a time of 9.93 in 1983.

That is the longest length of time an athlete has held the record for the men’s 100m since the International Amateur Athletic Foundation began keeping track – 110 years ago.

Hines was born in Arkansas in 1946 but was raised in Oakland, California.  He attended Texas Southern University.

In addition to winning the 100m at the Mexico City Olympics, he was also part of the winning U.S. 4X100m relay team.

Jim “Jimmy” Hines was built like a football player and with his speed, it was only natural he gave the NFL a go.  He was drafted in the sixth round by the Miami Dolphins, but his NFL career consisted of two receptions for 23 yards, and one kickoff return for 22.

--TMZ reported Monday that Taylor Swift and Matt Healy have broken up.

Swift split from actor Joe Alwyn earlier in the year.

Swift and Healy had a rumored fling in 2014, but then he started showing up at her concerts, and they were spotted having dinner, and you know…they were a couple…

…until they weren’t.

So guys, reminder…Taylor is high-maintenance and she’ll write songs about you.  For those reasons I’ve told my people not to contact her people.

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.  Much more on the LIV-PGA Tour merger.

-----

[Posted early Sunday p.m., due to a visitor who just arrived at global HQ.]

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Wed.

Baseball Quiz: With Oakland’s extreme troubles this season, historically so, let’s look at something positive.  Since 1950, including the Philadelphia and Kansas City Athletics, name the only five pitchers to win 23 or more in a season in an A’s uniform.  Yes, a few of these should be obvious, but at least one not so much.  Answer below.

NBA

--Game 2 tonight of the NBA Finals, Miami at Denver, the Nuggets cruising in Game 1 Thursday, 104-93, a game that was 84-63 after three quarters.

Nikola Jokic had another triple-double, 27 points, 10 rebounds, 14 assists, while Jamal Murray continues to be the perfect No. 2, 26 points, 10 assists.

Jimmy Butler had his fewest points in these playoffs, just 13, while Bam Odebayo was solid, 26 points, 13 rebounds.

--The Phoenix Suns reached a deal with veteran coach Frank Vogel to become the team’s next head coach.

Vogel, 49, last coached the Lakers and LeBron, leading them to the 2020 championship at the Orlando bubble.  The Lakers dismissed Vogel following the 2021-22 season with one year remaining on his contract after L.A. finished 33-49.  Vogel was then replaced by Darvin Ham.

Vogel has also coached Indiana and Orlando and has a combined record of 431-389, leading his teams to the playoffs in seven of his 11 seasons as head coach.

The Suns fired head coach Monty Williams after four seasons last month after Phoenix was eliminated in the Western Conference semis by the Nuggets.

Phoenix still has Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Chris Paul, plus center Deandre Ayton; all four making at least $30 million each next season…Durant $46 million in the second season of a four-year, $194 million contract.

You know what we say in the ‘burbs, boys and girls; that be generational wealth.

--Speaking of Monty Williams, he reached a six-year, $78.5 million deal to coach the Pistons.

--Commissioner Adam Silver said the results of the NBA’s investigation into Ja Morant for allegedly displaying a handgun on Instagram for the second time will be released after the Finals.

“We’ve uncovered a fair amount of additional information,” Silver said when asked by USA TODAY Sports how close the league was to wrapping up the investigation.  “We probably could have brought it to a head now, but we’ve made the decision that it would be unfair to these players and these teams to announce that decision in the middle of this series.”

Silver said Morant’s history will play a role if there is additional punishment stemming from the second incident.

--Oscar Tshiebwe of Kentucky has officially entered the NBA Draft, last Wednesday deadline day to announce whether you were returning to school (including transferring to a different one), or staying in the draft.

Tshiebwe averaged 16.5 points and 13.7 rebounds last year, and in 2021-22, he averaged 15.1 rebounds, most by any player since 1980. But many draft rankings don’t have him being selected in the two rounds.

Purdue star center Zach Edey, on the other hand, consensus National Player of the Year, announced he was withdrawing his name from the draft and returning to Purdue for another season.

The 7-foot-4 center from Canada averaged 22.9 points and 12.9 rebounds, with 28 double-doubles.

But he wasn’t projected to be selected in the first round, and ranked No. 47 on ESPN’s 2023 NBA draft rankings.

--Frederic J. Frommer has a piece in the Washington Post this weekend on the Knicks of the early 1970s and their two, and only two, NBA championships, the last in 1972-73.

Frommer talks about his late father, Harvey Frommer, who collaborated with Hall of Fame coach Red Holzman, who was also the GM for part of his time with the Knicks, on his 1987 autobiography, “Red on Red.”

“Holzman was the molder, conductor and architect of one of the most unusual, most thrilling and, for the involved basketball fan, most gratifying teams ever assembled,” the New York Times wrote.

Holzman lived in obscurity, despite his success.  He used to say no one knows him.  Once a burly usher at the Garden didn’t recognize him and refused to let him on the court.  Holzman wrote that the usher told him that “a little squirt like you could never be the coach of the New York Knickerbockers!”

Frommer:

“Once, a kid gave him a piece of paper for an autograph, but when someone yelled, ‘Hey, there’s Walt Frazier!’ the kid yanked the paper out of his hand and ran after the star point guard with the other kids.  Holzman’s ego was bruised for a bit, but then he realized a good escape plan when he was in a hurry.  ‘I’d yell, ‘Hey, there’s Walt Frazier!’’….

“When the team was on the road, (Holzman would) make a point of visiting the local racetrack which he called ‘a great form of relaxation.’  (This was in the days before iPhone meditation apps – or betting apps.)

“He didn’t have a curfew for the players, choosing to treat them as adults. But he did tell them: ‘Stay out of the hotel bar on the road.  That’s where I go and that belongs to me.’

“ ‘That was not a joke,’ noted Bill Bradley, a star of those Knicks teams, in a recent telephone interview.”

Ah, the good old days.  It was an awesome time to grow up in the New York area…Joe Namath and the Jets, Tom Seaver and the Mets, the Rangers were very exciting (albeit Cup-less), and the great Knicks teams.

The 1972-73 squad had a starting lineup of five future Hall of Famers: Willis Reed, Frazier, Earl Monroe, Bradley and Dave DeBusschere.  All five averaged in double-figures in scoring.

“Bradley said last month that the balanced scoring was a reflection of the team’s philosophy.

“ ‘We knew that no one of us was as good as all five of us could be together,’ said Bradley, who averaged 16.1 points a game that season.

“Bradley, who went on to become a U.S. senator and wrote the introduction to ‘Red on Red,’ said that the team embodied the values that people admire in basketball: selflessness, discipline, players helping each other out.

“ ‘Red’s one absolute was defense, and out of the defense would come offense,’ he said.”

NHL

The Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights were knotted at 2-2 after the first two periods of Game 1 in the Stanley Cup Finals Saturday night in Las Vegas, but the Golden Knights scored three times in the third for the 5-2 win.  Game 2 Monday.

MLB

--The story Saturday in baseball was the Marlins’ Luis Arraez, who was 5-for-5 (3 doubles), 5 RBIs* out of the leadoff position, as Miami (31-28) beat the A’s 12-1.

*First in franchise history with five hits, five RBIs.

Arraez is now hitting .390 and it’s no fluke.  He was a .300 hitter at Minnesota, winning a batting title last season, and there is no reason why he can’t hit .350+. 

As for Oakland, they are 12-48.  It’s hard to see them winning 40, the 1962 Mets an infamous 40-120.

Today, the Marlins won again, 7-5, the A’s 12-49.  Oakland came into the game with a 6.70 team ERA.  Reminder, the 1899 Cleveland Spiders of the 20-134 record had a 6.37 ERA.

For Miami, give credit to Sandy Alcantera.  The 2022 Cy Young Award winner has struggled mightily, 2-5, 5.07, including yielding five earned today, but he gave them seven innings.

Luis Arraez was 2-for-4 with an RBI and is now hitting .392.

--The Yankees are in Los Angeles for three against the Dodgers.

Yankees-Dodgers has as good a sound to it as any series in baseball, with all the history for us old-timers.

Friday night, the Dodgers took the first, 8-4, as Clayton Kershaw (7-4, 3.25) went seven, two earned, 9 Ks.  For the Yankees, Luis Severino was shelled, 7 earned in four innings, including six in the first inning.

Saturday, the Yanks won it, 6-3, Aaron Judge with his 19th home run and a terrific catch in right that sent him barreling through the Yankees’ bullpen door.

Some of us had flashes of Mickey Mantle’s devastating injury in the outfield early in his career that wrecked his right knee for the rest of his career (otherwise Mantle’s numbers are far better, at least says moi); the Mick injuring it when he tripped over an exposed drain pipe.

This could have been awful for Judge, including the wire mesh in that part of the fence, but he was none the worse for wear.

Gerrit Cole only went six innings, 80 pitches, yielding one run, and those watching wondered why he was removed so early, but it turns out he had leg cramps, Cole 7-0, 2.82.

Jake Bauers also hit two, 2-run homers for the Yanks, 35-25, L.A. 35-24, the two playing the Sunday Night game.

--Mets fans have been pleased to see some consistency in the starting rotation.  Thursday, in a 4-2 win over Philadelphia at Citi Field, completing a sweep, Max Scherzer (5-2, 3.21) had his fourth straight solid start, going seven.

Which meant when a Mets starter went six innings, the team was 16-0!  Supposedly, the league average is about .650 in that case.

But Friday night, home to the Blue Jays, Justin Verlander went a solid six innings, one run, 117 pitches, only the Mets were shut out by their old teammate, Chris Bassitt, 3-0.

Bassitt, whose wife was in labor, threw 7 2/3 as he improved to 6-4, 3.41.

The Mets declined to make him an offer at the end of last season as he became a free agent after a 15-9, 3.42, campaign and I had no problem with that, as I wrote at the time.  The guy just irked me the wrong way, and he sucked in the playoffs.

But ask us fans if we’d take 6-4, 3.41 this year!  Bassitt signed with Toronto for three years, $63 million, a relative bargain, thus far.

Saturday, the Mets lost again to the Blue Jays (32-27), 2-1, wasting another solid start, Tylor Megill, one run in 5 1/3.

The Metsies entered Sunday’s game 30-29, scoring 11 runs in their last five games, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso, the two big bats, in 2-for-28 and 2-for-19 skids…Lindor batting .212, Alonso .231.

And…they are 0-for-17 in the two games against Toronto with runners in scoring position.

This afternoon, the Metsies scored four runs, all solo homers, yet lost 6-4 as they tumbled back to .500, 30-30.

Kodai Senga, who in Japan pitched once a week, for the first time was asked to pitch on normal 4-day rest after his stellar outing last Tuesday, and it was a disaster, 2 2/3, 3 earned, 5 walks.

--The Braves are in Arizona to play the impressive D’Backs, who took the first Friday night, 3-2, Merrill Kelly with seven strong, now 7-3, 2.80.  I forgot this guy threw 200 innings last season (13-8, 3.37) as the 34-year-old has been a late bloomer.

Saturday, Atlanta prevailed 5-2, Spencer Strider with six innings of 2-run ball to move to 6-2, 2.97.

But it was the Ronald Acuna Jr. Show…a 464-foot home run, a double, and a stolen base, Acuna batting .325, 12 home runs, 17 doubles, 24 steals, a .966 OPS, and 50 runs scored in the first 58 games. Awesome.

Atlanta entered Sunday’s play 34-24, Arizona 35-24.

--The Cubs beat the Padres Friday, 2-1, as San Diego’s dreadful start continues.

Fernando Tatis Jr. did have a big game on Thursday, three doubles, four RBIs and a stolen base…just the third to do so since 1933!

Tatis then hit two home runs, 4 RBIs, in San Diego’s 6-0 win Saturday, Yu Darvish (4-4, 4.10) with 7 scoreless, 2 hits, 9 strikeouts, the Padres 27-31, the Cubs 25-32.

--The Red Sox suffered a big loss as Chris Sale went on the IL Friday with shoulder inflammation.  Sale, 5-2, 4.58, was pitching great after a tough start this season and it has to be depressing for him.

Sale hasn’t had an injury free season since 2017!  But consider how great he was.  From 2012-2018, seven straight seasons he was top six in the Cy Young Award vote, six top 5.

He was headed towards the Hall of Fame, until he wasn’t.  Here’s hoping as a baseball fan he can come back effectively this season.

--I can’t help but note the Angels’ 12-5 win over the White Sox, Wednesday, as Mike Trout hit a 461-foot home run in the first, four rows shy of clearing the left-field bleachers.  And then Shohei Ohtani hit a 459-foot shot, as well as a 425-foot homer.

Ohtani now has nine home runs of at least 450 feet in his career, all coming in the past three seasons.

Trout’s shot was his 10th of at least 460 feet, since he entered the league in 2011.  The only players with more at that distance are Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge.

But the Angels lost games Thursday and Friday, to fall to 30-29, and Friday, Ohtani yielded five runs in six innings to the Astros, in a 6-2 loss, and he’s now 5-2, 3.30 on the season.

Saturday, Ohtani went 4-for-5, but the Angels fell back to 30-30, losing to the Astros (35-23) again, 9-6.

--Shu wanted me to note that the Pirates’ Jack Suwinski had hit 30 home runs in his first 152 games as a Pirate, just the fourth to hit 30 in his first 162.

Who is No. 1?  Dick Stuart, with 36.

Stuart had 228 home runs in the big leagues, starting out with Pittsburgh, and then some big years with the Red Sox, before he became a New York Met in 1966, for whom he hit four.

But Dick Stuart, for those of us collecting baseball cards back in the day, will forever be known for…. Bazooka Joe says: “Dick once hit 66 home runs in the Sally League!”

1956….Class A…66 home runs and 158 RBIs in 141 games.

As the cast of Hee Haw would have said… “Sa-lute!”

--In the NCAA Baseball tournament, regional play took place this weekend, which will conclude Monday.

Wake Forest beat George Mason 12-0 in its opener Friday night in Winston-Salem, and then they faced Maryland in the second game Saturday night.

Maryland knocked out the Deacs last year, Wake seeking revenge, but thunderstorms were rolling through the area and the game, scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m., didn’t get underway until minutes before 11:00 p.m., which was important because no games can start after 11:00.

And Wake blew out the Terps, 21-6…Maryland pitchers yielding a staggering 16 walks, the game ending around 2:00 a.m.

For Wake, Rhett Lowder moved to 14-0, 1.78 ERA, with six innings of 2-run ball, striking out 11.  [Friday night, the Deacs’ Seth Keener fanned 13 in six innings.]  For good reason, Lowder is a top two pitching prospect in the upcoming baseball draft.

So the Deacs awaited the winner of Maryland-George Mason Sunday afternoon.  For Wake to head to the super-regionals next weekend, the Sweet 16 to determine the final eight for Omaha, we just have to knockoff George Mason, as it turned out (who beat Maryland 11-10), once more in the double-elimination format.  So can clinch a spot tonight or would have to do it tomorrow.

Golf Balls

--At The Memorial, Muirfield Village, Dublin, Ohio…Jack’s Place…we had an insane leaderboard heading into the final round.

Rory McIlroy -6
Si Woo Kim -6
David Lipsky -6
Denny McCarthy -5
Viktor Hovland -5
Wyndham Clark -5
Lee Hodges -5
Mark Hubbard -5

And five more at -4, including Bradley, Morikawa, Cantlay and Matsuyama.

Morikawa withdrew before the round started with back spasms.

And Denny McCarthy took charge, with a one-shot lead heading to No. 18 over Viktor Hovland, who was in the clubhouse solo second at -7.

But McCarthy had a difficult approach shot on the par-4, needing par to secure his first win.  And he bogeyed the hole, so a Hovland-McCarthy playoff.

Scottie Scheffler, after a sterling 67, moved up to solo third.

As for Rory McIlroy, his troubles continue…just poor play, inexcusable putting issues from inside six feet… -3, T7.

So on the first playoff hole, back at No. 18…Hovland wins it!  Win No. 4 in his still burgeoning career.

--Among those missing the cut this week were Jason Day, Cameron Young and Justin Thomas.

JT has not had a good year, just two top tens (no wins) in 13 events, and as of today would not make the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

--Florida’s Fred Biondi, who won the individual NCAA men’s golf title on Monday, secured the winning point for the Gators in capturing the team title Wednesday against Georgia Tech; Florida’s fifth national championship, but first in the match-play era.

Biondi, from Brazil, is the first to win the individual and team titles since Aaron Wise of Oregon in 2016.

--On the LPGA Tour, Rose Zhang, the two-time NCAA champion out of Stanford, made her much-anticipated LPGA Tour debut this week at the Mizuho Americans Open at Liberty National in Jersey City, N.J.

And Zhang held a 2-stroke lead heading to today’s final round and as I go to post, she has a one-shot lead deep on the back nine.

FA Cup

The treble is still alive for Manchester City, as Saturday they defeated Manchester United for the FA Cup at Wembley, 2-1.

Having already won the Premier League title, next week they go against Inter Milan at the Champions League final with the opportunity to be the first to take all three biggies since Man U did it in 1999.

City captain Ilkay Gundogan scored both goals, one of which was the quickest in FA Cup final history, only 12 seconds into the contest!  Goodness gracious.

NASCAR

--The sport issued a massive penalty to driver Chase Briscoe and his team, the second-largest penalty in NASCAR history, for using a counterfeit part on the car in last week’s Cup Series race.

Briscoe and team lost 120 driver/owner points, 25 playoff points and were fined $250,000. Crew chief Johnny Klausmeier also received a six-week suspension.

With Briscoe sliding 14 places in the standings, he now must win one of the final 12 races to make the playoffs.

Today’s race in Madison, Illinois is concluding after I go to post.

Stuff

--Churchill Downs has taken the rather extraordinary step of suspending racing operations June 7 and moving the remainder of its 2023 Spring Meet to Ellis Park following 12 horse deaths at the track in the past six weeks.

Races are being held at Churchill Downs this weekend before shipping off about 134 miles west to Henderson, Kentucky, June 10 through July 3.

There have been a series of emergency meetings between Churchill and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, which said in a statement Friday it recommended the track suspend races.

During the week, track surface expert Dennis Moore completed an inspection, after which HISA said he reported “no primary areas for concern” and that “the various track metrics analyzed are consistent with previous years.”

Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen said more time is needed “to conduct a top-to-bottom review of all of the details and circumstances so that we can further strengthen our surface, safety and integrity protocols.”

Not everyone is happy the meet is being moved, with no issues being found at the track.  Instead, trainers and veterinarians want to be allowed to use therapeutic medications that greatly lessen the risk of breakdowns.

Churchill Downs did announce new safety measures, that will apply to Ellis Park as well, such as:

Horses will be restricted to four starts during a rolling eight-week period.
Horses will have ineligibility standards for poor performance: if a horse is beaten more than 12 lengths in five consecutive starts, it will be ineligible to race at Churchill Downs until approved to resume by the Equine Medical Director.

The Belmont Stakes is being run next Saturday.

--Rafael Nadal announced Saturday he had two procedures on his left hip, Friday, and a spokesman said the 22-time Grand Slam champion, who turned 37 Saturday, is expected to need five months to recover, which clearly keeps him out the rest of the season.

When Nadal announced last month that he would be missing the French Open because of the hip problem, he said that while he hoped to return in 2023, next year will be the last of his career.

--At the French Open, where Nadal has 14 of his 22 Grand Slam titles, 3-seed Novak Djokovic is rolling, winning his fourth-round match today to move to the quarterfinals.  1-seed Carlos Alcaraz also won handily to move to the quarters.  [Reminder, 2-seed Daniil Medvedev was upset early.]

On the women’s side, 1-seed and defending champion, Iga Swiatek, is stomping over her opponents, the term “Iga’s Bakery” on social media for winning a match 6-0, 6-0, for the second time in a month.  Swiatek says the term is demeaning to her opponents.

6-seed Coca Gauff, last year’s runner-up to Swiatek, has also reached the fourth round.

--Billy Joel announced he is ending his Madison Square Garden residency in July 2024 after his 150th lifetime show there.  Joel kicked it all off in 2014, generally monthly sold-out concerts, in what had become a staple of New York City.

Joel, 74, holds the record for most consecutive shows at the world’s most famous arena.

--I forgot to note in my Add-on Wednesday morning that Taylor Swift drew a record 217,000 fans to her weekend MetLife Stadium concerts.  As Ronald Reagan would have said while perusing the latest edition of People, ‘Not bad, not bad at all…’

Top 3 songs for the week 6/8/74: #1 “Band On The Run” (Paul McCartney & Wings)  #2 “The Streak” (Ray Stevens)  #3 “You Make Me Feel Brand New” (The Stylistics)…and…#4 “Dancing Machine” (The Jackson 5)  #5 “Sundown” (Gordon Lightfoot)  #6 “Billy, Don’t Be A Hero” (Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods)  #7 “Help Me” (Joni Mitchell)  #8 “The Entertainer” (Marvin Hamlisch…from “The Sting”)  #9 “Midnight At The Oasis” (Maria Muldaur…lyrics make zero sense, but beautiful tune…)  #10 “For The Love Of Money” (O’Jays…not a bad week, ‘B’…as I wrapped up my sophomore year in high school, having peaked (in hindsight) in the eighth grade…it was downhill from there….)

Baseball Quiz Answer: Oakland’s 23-game winners since 1950.

Bob Welch, 27, 1990
Catfish Hunter, 25, 1974
Vida Blue, 24, 1971
Bobby Shantz, 24, 1952
Barry Zito, 23, 2002

Zito won the Cy Young that season, 23-5, and finished his career 165-143, 4.04.

Bobby Shantz was league MVP in 1952, 24-7 on a team that went 79-75-1.  He was 119-99 in his career, with a fine 3.38, becoming a highly effective reliever the second half of his time in the big leagues, 1949-64. 

Born in Pottstown, PA, Shantz is still alive…97!

Bazooka Joe adds: “Bobby also won eight Gold Gloves!”

As for Oakland and it’s move to Las Vegas, as many reporters have been pointing out, the state of Nevada and the city of Las Vegas will not see any of the $350 million to $400 million they are being asked to pony up as part of the $1.5 billion stadium project.

Such a deal requires the A’s to sell out 81 games in the proposed 30,000 seat facility, and that obviously isn’t going to come close to happening.

Sure, if the product is great, maybe the A’s are a hit, but how many years off is this franchise from becoming competitive again?

For some history, look at what happened to attendance with the Kansas City Athletics in their time there.  [Go to Baseballreference.com]

Brief Add-on up top by Wed. a.m. …the NCAA Baseball super-regional lineup.