Stocks and News
Home | Week in Review Process | Terms of Use | About Us | Contact Us
   Articles Go Fund Me All-Species List Hot Spots Go Fund Me
Week in Review   |  Bar Chat    |  Hot Spots    |   Dr. Bortrum    |   Wall St. History
Stock and News: Bar Chat
 Search Our Archives: 
  
 


   

 

 
 


Baseball Reference

Bar Chat

AddThis Feed Button

   

08/07/2023

Down Goes The USWNT

[Posted Tues. p.m. before any sports action]

MLB

--For those teams struggling for a wild card slot, virtually every game the rest of the way is critical. 

Monday, the Yanks lost the first of an important road trip, 5-1 to the White Sox, as Gerrit Cole (10-3, 2.75) had a rare poor start, 7 innings, 4 earned, just 3 strikeouts.    The Yanks were 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position, stranding 13 runners on base.  Factoring in Sunday’s loss to the Astros, it was the first time since April 2016 that the Yanks had stranded 12 or more runners in back-to-back games.

Monday, the Yankees also put pitcher Carlos Rodon and his 7.73 ERA on the 15-day IL with a hamstring issue.

--The Mets hurt the Cubs chances, Monday at Citi Field, 11-2, snapping a six-game losing streak, rookie Kodai Senga improving to 8-6, 3.24, with six strong, Pete Alonso with two home runs and six RBIs, giving him 33 and 83.

Before the game the Mets sent Brett Baty back to AAA.  He was 0-for-18 in August, and with a highly-alarming 86 strikeouts in 278 at-bats.

It’s a classic example of how ‘you never know’ with “prospects,” no matter how highly-touted they may be.

As manager Buck Showalter said, ‘We just want him to get his mind right’…or was that the warden in “Cool Hand Luke.”  Buck added: “It’s just a little timeout.  Take a breath.”

Us fans hope that’s all it is.  We fully expect Baty and Mark Vientos, hitting .202, to be mainstays in 2024.

--The Angels lost their seventh straight, 8-3 to the Giants, Monday, falling to 56-58 and eight back in the wild card, after going all-in on both Shohei Ohtani and acquiring some big pieces at the trade deadline.  Very depressing for Ohtani and company. 

--Going back to Sunday night, after I posted, the Dodgers took it to the Padres, 8-2, as one of L.A.’s new acquisitions, Lance Lynn, threw six innings of one-run ball for the win, while another newbie, Amed Rosario hit a two-run homer, giving him 9 RBIs in his first 8 games as a Dodger after coming over from Cleveland in what every real baseball fan thought was an incredible steal. [For Noah Syndergaard and some Monopoly money. Syndergaard has yielded six earned in 11 1/3 in his two starts for the Guardians.  As my Uncle Bill would have said, “He’s a bum!”]

--Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson and Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez were suspended by Major League Baseball on Monday, two days after they exchanged punches during Saturday’s game.

Anderson received a six-game suspension and Ramirez got three games.  Both players appealed the penalties, so the suspension will be delayed until a decision is made.

Guardians manager Terry Francona and White Sox manager Pedro Grifol were among the six suspensions handed down, and they served their suspensions Monday.

--In a startlingly bad move, the Baltimore Orioles suspended radio play-by-play man Kevin Brown over a mundane comment about the team’s recent success in Tampa.

The offending comment was about the fact the Orioles had won more games at Tropicana Field this season than they had in the previous three seasons combined.

Brown’s remarks were backed up by team game notes that were put together by the Orioles’ media relations staff.

And for this he was suspended!

The other MLB announcers then went off on the Orioles Monday.

“If you’re going to be so thin-skinned to suspend Kevin Brown, then you have to suspend the entire Orioles (broadcast) truck,” Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay said during his radio show, noting that Brown’s comments had also been on a graphic on the screen.

Mets play-by-play man Gary Cohen of SNY also chided the Orioles during the game Monday night.

“Let me just say one thing to the Baltimore Orioles management, you draped yourself in humiliation when you fired John Miller and you’re doing it again. And if you don’t want Kevin Brown there are 29 other teams that do.  It’s a horrendous decision by the Orioles. I don’t know what they were thinking, but they’ve gotten exactly the reaction that they’ve deserved.  It’s just a shame because the Orioles have played so well and now they’ve diverted attention from that.  And now have themselves a laughingstock.”

College Football/Basketball Realignment

--The ACC said it will explore adding Cal and Stanford to the conference, but it makes zero sense on so many levels, starting with the travel expense, and the existing ACC members would not give Cal and Stanford equal shares of the revenue, at least initially, so it’s kind of a dumb discussion.

The best thought for the remaining Pac-12 schools, including Washington State and Oregon State, is to bide their time and then build a West Coast-based league once the buyout from the Mountain West conference schools is reduced after the 2024-25 season.

--I only care about the AP Poll early on in a football season, but since the AP hasn’t come out yet, the Preseason Coaches Poll did:

1. Georgia (61 first-place votes)
2. Michigan
3. Alabama (4…stupid…they don’t have a quarterback…)
4. Ohio State (1)
5. LSU
6. USC
7. Penn State
8. Florida State
9. Clemson
10. Tennessee

13. Notre Dame
20. North Carolina

--My Wake Forest Demon Deacons suffered a potentially huge loss when it was announced wide receiver Donavon Greene, who was named to the 2023 Maxwell Award Watch List in July, is out for the season with a knee injury.

“Donavon Greene is a great player and an even better person,” Coach Dave Clawson said in a statement.  “He will play a key role off the field this season as he works towards a speedy and safe recovery in the coming months.”

Greene had 642 yards and six touchdowns last year and holds the career Wake Forest record with 18.6 yards per reception (79 receptions over three seasons). 

But Greene was out all of 2021 with a knee injury, too.  Just sucks.  He’s got NFL written all over him, 6-2, 210.  Because of the injuries, and the Covid year, he’s still considered a redshirt junior and here’s hoping he can come back one more time in 2024.

Wake has depth at the position, but now we can’t afford another injury to one of our remaining core four or so.

Golf Balls

--For the record, 43-year-old Lucas Glover picked up his fifth career Tour title at the Wyndham late Sunday.  I posted during a rain delay, with four holes to play, and Glover won it by two over Russell Henley and Byeong Hun An.

Glover needed to finish second to get into the FedExCup Playoffs and he did one better. Ironically, before the tournament, he was bitching that the playoffs were limited to the top 70, not 125 as in the past.

Poor Billy Horschel needed to win the event to get into the playoffs and finished solo fourth, which only moved him up to 90th.

Matt Kuchar, T39, made the playoffs and now holds the distinction of being the only player to qualify in each season since the inception of the FedExCup in 2007.

Adam Scott, who gave it a good go Sunday with a 63, missed out at No. 72 in the standings, the first time he hasn’t qualified.

And you know Justin Thomas failed to get in at 71.

Shane Lowry came into the week at No. 76, needed a great tournament, made the cut, but ended up 78.

--After watching the finale of the Wyndham, I caught the end of the Korn Ferry Tour stop in Utah and Roger Sloan was a dramatic winner, his first title in nine years, going birdie, birdie to get it done.

With the win, Sloan moved from No. 92 in the points standings to 27.

Ryan McCormick was T10 to move up two to No. 25.

Thomas Walsh missed the cut and slipped one to No. 41.

We have two events left in the regular season, before a four-event ‘finals.’  At the end, the top 30 get PGA Tour cards.

Stuff

--It is rather remarkable that Lionel Messi has seven goals in his first four games for Inter Miami, including an 85th minute spectacular free kick for a 4-4 tie Sunday night against FC Dallas in a Leagues Cup elimination, which Inter Miami then won on penalty kicks.

--Today, Tuesday, I ventured into Newark to do something I do most summers…address a youth group that a high school classmate of mine set up with his wife long ago.  I just talk about life, the news, the 7,000 mistakes I’ve made, sports…and I always bring a bunch of books to pass out.

I’m going to have something to say about this in that other column I do, the one I sign, but for these purposes, I was tipped off that a bunch of the kids ran track at the local high school.

So about 28 kids, grades 10-12 (this fall), pile into the room, wondering who this white guy is who’s going to talk to them, and of course I started to talk about track and a few of their ears perked up.

Which is my long-winded way of saying…don’t forget the World Track and Field Championships, Aug. 19-27, in Budapest, Hungary.

Unfortunately, I don’t see NBC doing a ½-hour nightly wrap-up like they normally do for the Worlds…it looks like Discovery has the rights.  One alternative…BBC will have top-shelf coverage, at least online.  Most cable networks get BBC World, but not the channels BBC is televising it on.

Anyway, two days to put down on your calendar if you are a fan of the sport.  Aug. 23 and 24.

On those days we’ll have the 400 meters, men and women, and 400m hurdles, men and women.  These will be the highlight races of the meet and we’ll find out later what event Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is running in.  She recently pulled out of a meet in Europe with what coach Bobby Kersee said was a minor issue, that Sydney just wanted to make sure she was 100 percent for Budapest.  But no clue as yet which one she is going to run, the 400 or the 400 hurdles.

Since she’s a local girl, the kids I spoke to today were chattering a bit when I brought her up (which is good…as opposed to falling asleep).

Also, the men’s 400m hurdles could be special…Norway’s Karsten Warholm vs. USA’s Rai Benjamin…Warholm with the gold in Tokyo, Benjamin the silver.

[I also told them of how I sat next to Ice-T in elementary school and that blew their minds.]

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.

-----

[Posted early Sunday p.m.]

Brief update Tues. p.m.

Golf Quiz: The FedExCup Playoffs are starting this coming week.  The first one was 2007, won by Tiger Woods.  In the succeeding years, name the four non-U.S. golfers to win it.  Answer below.

USA Chokes

Yes, today we had one of the amazing choke jobs for the ages, the U.S. Women’s soccer team, No. 1 in the world, never having finished worse than third in the history of the Women’s World Cup, lost on penalty kicks to Sweden in the Round of 16.

It mattered little, like nothing, that we played better today in a 0-0 draw, only to spit the bit numerous times in the penalty kick session when Sweden was handing it to us after they missed twice.

But it goes back to the first game against lowly Vietnam.  It was pathetic, we could only beat them 3-0 (I admired Vietnam’s effort, they had zero chance coming in), with the Netherlands later defeating the same team 7-0 by comparison.

Everyone knew then we were in trouble, and after a draw with the Netherlands, Portugal missed beating us by inches, which would have sent us home even before Sunday.

The U.S. was incredibly cocky coming in, and advertisers are now extremely embarrassed because they spent $millions on expensive ads highlighting players on the team and now they have weeks of showcasing now laughable spots.

Four goals in four games from the supposed Best Team in the World.

I’m not going to talk about individuals on the squad.  Social media, unfortunately, will be vicious.  I don’t follow it.  It’s a big part of what makes the world as crappy as it is.

But hopefully a few of the girls are a bit humbled, though I doubt one in particular will be.

Go Sweden.  Go Jamaica.

College Football / Basketball Realignment

It is absolutely depressing what is taking place in college sports, nothing but greed, how to get recruits their NIL money, a process that is obviously massively corrupt, and the rest of us schmucks can do nothing but shake our heads and say, ‘the world blows.’ 

I’m not spending much time on the topic, because I’ve already used up gobs of ink on it the past few years.

But for the record, after another titanic day on Friday….

Utah and Arizona State are headed to the Big 12, where they will join Arizona.

Oregon and Washington are leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten.

So once the ink is dry, the Pac-12 will be left with California, Stanford, Washington State and the Beavers of Oregon State.

Earlier in the year, Colorado left the Pac-12 for the Big 12.  And last year USC and UCLA announced they were joining the Big 10.

When everything is formalized, the Big 12 will have a 16-team conference, two schools smaller than the 18-team Big Ten.  The SEC has 16 (after Texas and Oklahoma officially come on board).  The ACC has 14, for now.

The Pac-12 can’t just add Mountain West teams like San Diego St. (who already tried to leave) and Fresno State, because of a $32 million exit fee per MWC school to leave before the start of the 2025 football season.

So just merge the two conferences and put everyone under the Pac-12 label.  You’d then have 16 schools, some very competitive in both football and hoops.  And geographically it would make perfect sense.

I imagine Cal and Stanford would balk, because of their snobby natures, but this is a no-brainer.

As for the ACC, Florida State is making waves about leaving for the SEC, assuming the SEC wants them, because FSU, and a few other ACC schools aren’t satisfied with the difference each of the schools in the conference make off their television deal, vs. the Big Ten and SEC.

Longtime North Carolina AD Bubba Cunningham said: “If they want to leave then that’s going to be their choice, but there’s certain obligations that they do have. We have an exit fee and we have a grant of rights.  I believe that the ACC is a great league, it’s been a great league for a long time.  Their frustration about the money – everyone would like to have more money and everyone would like to win more.”

FSU President Richard McCullough said: “We love the ACC.  We love our partners at ESPN. Our goal would be to continue to stay in the ACC but staying in the ACC under the current situation is hard for us to figure out how we remain competitive unless there was a major change in the revenue distribution within the conference in the ACC conference itself.”

Cunningham said: “I don’t think you have to have the most money to win the most games. I think we’ve demonstrated that over the years.”  He added, “Frankly, I don’t think it’s good for our league for them to be out there barking like that.”

So here’s something I have given a lot of thought to this week.  It is a no-brainer for Rutgers to move to the ACC.  The move to the Big Ten, purely for money, has been a disaster for the Scarlet Knights and their loyal fans.  There isn’t one natural rivalry, no one gives a damn about a Rutgers-Minnesota, Rutgers-Northwestern matchup, in either football or basketball, and in football, you’ve seen how Rutgers has been slaughtered.

In the ACC, they’d renew old rivalries with Pitt, Syracuse and Boston College, and it would be particularly exciting in hoops with these schools.

Academically, not that this matters anymore, Rutgers is a great fit.

As for Notre Dame…this is the remaining big question, aside from what happens to the four Pac-12 members left. But ND is staying independent for now.

One other aside, re college hoops.  Neighbor Michael C. is friends with Digger (there’s only one Digger), going back to their Fordham days, and I was asking him about Notre Dame, Michael having a connection there I’ll get into down the road, but Digger told Michael the other day that what the Power conferences want is a 64-team tournament away from the NCAA.

Normally I hate ideas like this, hating change in general, but I told Michael yesterday that I loved this one.

Now think about it…right now, with the changes to come, you have 64 teams in the Big Four conferences, excepting the four schools remaining in the Pac-12.  Since it’s hoops, you’d have to work in the Big East.

But what this would allow you to do, my idea, is you reinvigorate the NIT with a 32-team tournament involving all the other D-I programs, instead of these idiotic side events that have sprung up, mainly pay to play.

The Big Four+ (kind of like OPEC+) would have to agree to the new NIT, and it would stir up some controversy.  The winner would have bragging rights, talk about how they could beat the Big Four+ winner, and that’s all good.  The two winners should be mandated to play each other the following December.

If you don’t think you’d have a lot of drama in the 64-team, Big Four affair, think about a 64-seed Boston College (sorry, Steve D.) beating No. 1 Arizona (or Kansas, UCLA).  That would be drama.  [One rule that seems natural…conference opponents can’t play each other in the first round.]

Well, as you lounge around these final weeks of summer, perhaps in your neighborhood watering hole, this gives you something to chat about.  Tell your friends it comes from Digger.

--Meanwhile, Deion Sanders insists he’ll be able to run out onto the field for Colorado’s opener against TCU on Sept. 2, despite further surgery to remove blood clots.

Sanders was asked in a press conference if his many health issues since 2021 were related to his previous injuries as a player.  He said the blood clots had nothing to do with that or with being vaccinated against Covid-19, as many have been spreading across social media.

“It had nothing to do with the shot,” he said. “It’s hereditary. So people should know that. My uncle passed away with blood clots. My other uncle almost passed away with blood clots.  My mother had blood clots.  It’s hereditary, unfortunately.”

I thank Coach Prime for saying this.

--University of Iowa football player Aaron Blom has been handed criminal charges related to underage sports wagering.  The junior kicker with tampering with records related to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s probe into sports gambling.

Blom is charged with hiding his identity by using his mother’s name to set up an account with DraftKings.  Court documents confirm his mom knowingly consented to Blom’s use of her name and information.  Blom admitted to DCI agents that he placed underage online wagers using his mother’s account.

Blom, 21, is a non-scholarship player and was the backup kicker last season.

He made 170 wagers totaling more than $4,400, including a bet on the point total of the 2021 Iowa vs. Iowa State football game, all before he turned 21, the legal betting age in Iowa.

The over/under of the Sept. 11, 2021, game was set at 45, and the final score was 27-17 in favor of Iowa, putting the total points at 44.  Blom bet the “under.”  He didn’t see action in the contest, but Iowa State missed a 45-yard field goal attempt with 31 seconds left.  Wonder if there is video somewhere of Blom’s reaction on the field.

Blom saw limited action in 2022, missing a game-tying field goal as time expired in the matchup with Iowa State, giving Iowa State a 10-7 victory in Iowa City.  He was just one of three in field goal attempts last season.

And Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers was charged with tampering with records related to a Iowa DCI probe into his sports gambling.

Dekkers is accused of placing 26 wagers on Iowa State sporting events, including the 2021 football game against Oklahoma State when he was sophomore backup quarterback.  Dekkers did not play in that game.

The complaint alleges Dekkers made 366 mobile/online bets in his DraftKings account totaling “over $2,799.”

Dekkers started all 12 of the Cyclones’ games last season*.  He is not participating in Iowa State’s fall football camp in order to “focus on his studies and on the defense of this criminal charge,” according to a statement from his attorneys.

*He completed 66% of his passes while throwing for 3,044 yards and 19 touchdowns, but also 14 interceptions for a team that was a disappointing 4-8.

Two other Iowa State athletes were charged with tampering with records.  One of them, Paniro Johnson, a Big 12 Conference champion in wrestling (149 pounds) last season, placed wagers totaling $45,640 on approximately 1,283 bets, according to the complaint.  Goodness gracious. 

Former Iowa State defensive lineman Enyi Uwazurike was accused of placing wagers in two games he played in while a Cyclone in 2021.

Uwazurike, who was drafted by the Broncos in 2022 in the fourth round, was indefinitely suspended by the NFL last month for placing bets on NFL games, including 32 wagers on Broncos games and players last season.

--In College Basketball, UCLA landed a prized big man, 7-foot-3 Aday Mara from Spain, who is widely projected as a possible lottery pick in the 2024 NBA draft.

The announcement came one day after Mara posted on Instagram that he was leaving his Spanish professional team, Casademont Zaragoza, as part of a contentious separation in which the team once said it would “adopt the necessary measures” to enforce Mara’s contract.

So the Bruins have this kid for a year. Better than not having him at all.

MLB

--The Yankees’ Luis Severino took the mound again Friday night against the Astros at the Stadium, having given up at least 7 earned in three of his previous five starts, and he went out and yielded five earned over four innings, the Yankees falling 7-3, Severino now 2-6 with a ghastly 7.74 ERA.  Opponents are hitting .327 against him with a .988 OPS!  He has a 13.85 ERA in the first inning.

But what a 48 hours it was the Yanks.  Pitcher Domingo German entered an alcohol abuse program, the shocking announcement made by the Yanks in an email about 30 minutes before Wednesday night’s home game against the Rays.

There was no statement from German.

We learned an incident triggered German’s entrance to the program, and initially GM Brian Cashman wouldn’t get into it, but the story emerged German smashed a television in the clubhouse and confronted manager Aaron Boone.

This is a guy the Yankees stood by even as he was suspended 81 games by Major League Baseball for violating the domestic violence policy.  And then they stood by him after he was suspended 10 games for violating a rule against doctoring baseballs this year, and he rewarded them with the fourth perfect game in franchise history at Oakland on June 28.

It was last Monday, in a 5-1 loss to the Rays, that German was scratched from his scheduled start, only to bizarrely pitch five shutout innings in relief.

But then something happened after, perhaps the next day, and this is the result.

German finished the season 5-7, 4.56 ERA in 20 games, 19 as a starter.

The Yankees then announced that Anthony Rizzo was being placed in concussion protocol and the IL and the explanation was unreal.

Rizzo is believed to have suffered a concussion on May 28 at Yankee Stadium when he was rammed in the head by Padres’ outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr., on a pickoff attempt.

But it wasn’t diagnosed then.  Only now.  How did this happen?  The Yankees said Rizzo passed baseline concussion tests right after the incident and thought his only injury was a sore neck, which kept him out 3 games.

Since the collision, Rizzo hit .172 with one homer and nine RBIs in 46 games after!

This is simply unbelievable.  This is a professional, high-profile sports team, screwing up like no other.  [Actually, kind of Mets-like, given our history of misdiagnoses.] 

No telling how long Rizzo will be out.

And you have Aaron Judge not being able to play three games in a row.

Well, the Yanks beat the Astros on Saturday, 3-1, Justin Verlander* starting for Houston and going seven strong, two earned, as he fell to 6-6, 3.11. For New York, Nestor Cortes returned to the mound after a lengthy injury stint, four innings, one earned, eight strikeouts, the bullpen with five scoreless.

So the Yanks entered play Sunday having gone 4-5 over a key 10-game stretch, facing the Orioles, Rays and Astros.

Make that 4-6, losing to Houston 9-7 today.  Carlos Rodon with another lousy outing, 2 2/3, 5 earned, his ERA a whopping 7.73, as he is just starting a six-year, $162 million deal in New York.  Fans are thrilled.  [Pssst….Rodon jerseys are on sale for $9.95…but be careful where you wear one…]

*Thursday, Max Scherzer won his first start for Texas, 5-3, as he went six innings, 3 earned, 9 strikeouts.

--After the trade deadline passed, Mets owner Steve Cohen admitted the Mets are looking beyond next season.

“We will be competitive in ’24, but I think ’25-’26 is when our young talent makes an impact,” Cohen wrote in a text to the New York Post.  “Lots of pitching in free agency in ’24.  More payroll flexibility in ’25.  Got a lot of dead money in ’24.”

Cohen and the Mets sold off/traded closer David Robertson, starters Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, and outfielders Tommy Pham and Mark Canha, in exchange for a ton of prospects, immediately rebuilding a putrid farm system with lots of outfield, middle infielder and catching talent, but not the needed pitching.

That said, I love what the Mets did.  It is of course a mighty disappointment for us fans, with dreams of a World Series this year behind Scherzer and Verlander, and normal big seasons from the likes of Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Starling Marte, Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo, with the development of even just one of our core four minor leaguers.

But not one of the players on offense lived up to the back of their baseball cards, and we were where we were, suckdom, come the trade deadline.

Uncle Stevie, in essence, then used his checkbook to get teams to take our star pitchers in return for some of their best prospects by paying potentially $100 million alone on the remaining contracts of Scherzer and Verlander, something that had never been done before in the history of baseball.  He bought a farm system, and accomplished something that would have taken a minimum of four years to do going through the annual MLB Draft, IF we nailed our picks.

What us Mets fans desperately want to see these final two months is the development of two players in particular, Brett Baty and Mark Vientos.  They’ve been given a shot.  Now show us before season end that we can have hope over the offseason these are two key pieces going forward.  We’ve already seen what catcher Francisco Alvarez can do…he’s a future superstar. And we hope to see Ronny Mauricio with the big club shortly.

That’s it.  I’ll leave it up to management to somehow acquire/sign at least two credible starting pitchers in the offseason, and Edwin Diaz will be back next year.

So Uncle Stevie, great job with the cards you had.  The smartest guy on the planet, at least among baseball’s owners, knew he had to do a 180 and got it done.

But what an offseason it’s going to be.  Alonso, Lindor, McNeil…everyone will be made available (Alonso is a free agent after 2024, for those of you not from the area and wondering why we’d trade a big bopper like him…it’s because we’ve seen what he’s done this season and is he worth an 8-year, $240 million deal?  Maybe not).

On the field, the Mets are 0-5 since the trade deadline, including being swept by the Royals in Kansas City and the first two in Baltimore this weekend.

The scores…7-6 (on a tenth-inning balk), 4-0, 9-2, 10-3, 7-3 last night.

As manager Buck Showalter put it after Saturday’s dismal effort, “We aren’t having competitive at bats.”

It’s also discouraging seeing Brett Baty struggle, 0-for-17, seemingly striking out every time up.  It’s not what Mets fans want to see from our supposed future stars.

Lots of empty seats the rest of the way at Citi Field.

Make it six straight off the deadline…2-0 losers today, wasting another solid effort from Jose Quintana (six innings, 2 runs), his fourth good outing after missing the first half of the season on the IL.

Johnny Mac said this is our slogan for next season: “Senga and Quintana then nothing for manana.”

Home version of ‘Bar Chat: The Game’ on its way to you, Johnny, as soon as we get around to producing it.

--The Angels went all-in at the trade deadline, keeping Shohei Ohtani and picking up key pieces, but they started 0-4 after the deadline, including Thursday’s 5-3 loss to the Mariners.

Ohtani made the start and threw four scoreless, but he had to leave after experiencing cramping in his right middle finger, though he stayed in the game as the DH and hit his 40th home run.

L.A. closer Carlos Estevez had a 3-1 lead going to the top of the ninth and yielded a grand slam to Cade Marlowe, a crushing loss at Angels Stadium.

But Ohtani was the first player with a stolen base and a home run in a game he started on the mound since Jim Mudcat Grant did it in 1964.  [Grant did that with Cleveland, by the way, before he was traded to Minnesota, in case you were wondering.]

[Wednesday, one of the key additions, starter Lucas Giolito who was acquired from the White Sox, gave up 9 earned in 3 2/3 in a 12-5 loss to the Braves.]

The Angels lost to the Mariners 9-7 on Friday, to fall five behind in the Wild Card race, Seattle 2 ½ behind Toronto for the third slot.

And L.A. lost again, Saturday, 3-2, despite a home run from one of the new acquisitions, Randal Grichuk.

Six back in the wild card race, and now back to .500, 56-56, 0-5 since the deadline.

--The Phillies continue to play well, former Met Taijuan Walker improving to 13-4, 3.98, with seven innings today in Philadelphia’s 8-4 win over the Royals.

For K.C., Zack Greinke, in his final season, is now 1-12, 5.53, lowering his career mark to 224-152, 3.48.

--The Diamondbacks lost at Minnesota, 12-1 on Saturday, and have now lost 13 of 16, 7-21 since July 2, as they tumble in the wild card chase after looking like they’d win the NL West.

--Big fight between the White Sox’ Tim Anderson and Cleveland slugger Jose Ramirez Saturday night at Progressive Field, Chicago winning 7-4.

Both are facing perhaps hefty suspensions (very bad for the Guardians and their playoff chase), the altercation beginning when Ramirez slid headfirst into second after lacing an RBI double into right field, Anderson standing over him, straddling Ramirez.

When Ramirez got up, he pointed his finger at Anderson and yelled, prompting them to square off.

Anderson threw the first punch, setting off the brawl, dugouts emptying.  Ramirez then caught Anderson with a right hook, sending him to the ground.

“I felt I was able to land one,” Ramirez said through a translator.

This stuff bores me.  [It’s also emblematic of Anderson’s shockingly lousy season.]

--Wild Card standings thru Sat.

AL

Tampa Bay…67-46…+4.5
Houston…63-49…+1
Toronto…62-50…--
Seattle…59-52…2.5
New York…58-53…3.5
Boston…57-53…4
Los Angeles…56-56…6

NL

San Francisco 61-50…+3
Philadelphia…60-51…+2
Cincinnati…59-54…--
Miami…58-54…0.5
Chicago…57-54…1
Arizona…57-55…1.5
San Diego…55-56…3

NL Central

Milwaukee…60-52
Cincinnati…59-54…1.5
Chicago…57-54…2.5

Golf Balls

--It was a biggie this week at the Wyndham Championship, Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro, North Carolina, the last event in which golfers could qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs…only 70 making it.

There are always tons of ‘story lines’ in the final regular season tournament, but one stood out coming in…Justin Thomas’ attempt to make the playoffs even as he stood 79 in the points standings.

And Thomas, after a pedestrian opening round par-70, shot 65-66 to start the final round T11, and up to 72 in the points standings.  He’d need another outstanding effort this afternoon to get into the playoffs.

And then you had the two tied at the top for the lead, Billy Horschel and Lucas Glover.

Glover entered the week 112th in the standings, Horschel 116!

They started the final round having moved up to 50 and 53, but it’s likely only one of them will make it, because of the difference in points between first and second, though it also depends on the performance of others behind them today.

Anyway…after three rounds….

Glover -18
Horschel -18
Russell Henley -17…securely in the playoffs
Byeong Hun An -15…same
Stephan Jaeger -13…into the playoffs barring a total meltdown

JT -9

So last night, I’m looking at the forecast, as I do a few times a day for spots all over the world, and I’m thinking, we have an issue late afternoon Sunday in Greensboro, and I was surprised they started the final round on schedule, not at least an hour early, and that’s why I’m posting early.

The weather came…as tour officials should have known.

And I’m closing out the column before they finish…if they do today….

Henley -20…thru 14
Glover -20…14
An -18…14
Horschel -16…14

Horschel needs a miracle to get in the top 70.

Glover can get in with a solo second.

And then there is Justin Thomas, who shot 68, stands T11, but is 71st in the standings.  Among the groups remaining on the course (six), he needs some collapses to sneak in.  But it was a heroic effort, including a near miracle birdie on No. 18 where he would have punched his ticket into next week in Memphis.

Adam Scott shot 63 today, but falls short at No. 72.  Shane Lowry, 76 coming into this week, didn’t get it done, finishing 78 as I post.

--The PGA Tour is announcing its highly anticipated 2024 schedule next week, but according to Golfweek, the changes discussed in the spring are coming to fruition.

Twelve of the non-major PGA Tour events will be considered “designated,” but only four of those tournaments – the Players Championship, the Genesis Invitational, the Memorial Tournament and the Arnold Palmer Invitational – will include 36-hole cuts. The Genesis is hosted by Tiger Woods, while the Memorial is Jack Nicklaus’ event.

[Tiger, back at the Masters, said both he and Jack did not like the idea of no-cut tournaments, so that could still be part of ongoing negotiations, though for now at their events they got their wish.]

At the rest of the season’s limited-field big-money events, there will be four days of stroke play with no cut.

The no-cut plan will allow top players to play four guaranteed days, a move that will please both the tournament title sponsors and TV partners.

Golfweek reported that aside from the Players Championship – which will remain a full-field event – the three invitationals with 36-hole cuts will have a maximum of 80 players in the field with a cut to the top 50 and ties.

Additionally, unlike during the 2023 season, the designated events will not be “mandatory” for top players.

Among other reported changes:

The Pebble Beach Pro-Am will be a designated event (or what will be called part of the tour’s Signature Series), and it will still have an amateur portion, but just 36 holes.

The Houston Open is back to a spring slot with a new tournament sponsor, after Houston Astros owner Jim Crane threatened to move the tournament to LIV.

The Travelers Championship is gaining designated status, even as it stays in the week after the U.S. Open slot, which means the field won’t be as filled with star power (given that players don’t have to play the ‘Signature Series’).

The Honda Classic lost its sponsor, Honda, due to the lack of star power in the field, sandwiched in between Pebble, the Genesis on one end, and the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship on the other, so we’ll see what happens here, no new sponsor as yet having been announced. 

The Canadian Open is in a state of flux…it will be held this coming year, but it’s not a designated event and suffers from being on the front of two such tournaments, including the U.S. Open.  RBC has apparently agreed to renew its sponsorship for just one more year until it sees how things shake out with the Saudis.  But like with the Honda, regardless, the fields will be weak.

You have the Olympics in Paris in ’24 (July 26-Aug. 11) and it seems that a lot of stars may pass on it, given the crowded schedule that time of year, FedExCup playoffs after Paris.

The stars will need a rest, what with 12 designated events and four majors, and then the playoffs, so the lesser tournaments, like the Rocket Mortgage Classic, 3M Open and John Deere Classic will suffer from lack of star power, but as I discussed in the spring, I’m tired of some of the bitching, this week’s edition coming from Lucas Glover.

First off, not every ‘name’ is going to qualify for the designated events, and the way you do so is to perform in the non-designated tournaments.  The Tour has already laid this out in a format fans will like and keep interest in the tournaments.  I mean you win one of these and you get in the big ones for the next year, including the playoffs.

I think tournament sponsors will see a lot better fields than they were thinking they’d get.

But first, let’s get a freakin’ deal finalized between the Saudis and the PGA Tour, jettison LIV, and begin to move on.

--Michael Rosenberg / SI.com

“The stakes have changed and their games have declined. One has a brittle body and the other has a shattered image. They have won only two of the last 41 majors. But the Tiger-Phil rivalry is hotter and more meaningful than it’s ever been. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are probably done battling each for green jackets, but now they are wrestling for the future of the sport.  Of course they are.

“Woods joined the PGA Tour policy board Tuesday, a move that officially gives him more power but effectively confirms he already had it. The PGA Tour is trying to decide how to strengthen itself and potentially crush Mickelson’s upstart LIV tour, and Woods will be in the meetings, trying to get one more victory over his rival.

“The PGA Tour’ framework agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is vague in many ways, but clear in a crucial one: If they can get the business stuff squared away, the Tour will have the power to run the sport.

“That means if they reach a final agreement, the PGA Tour can kill LIV…and that means the future of Phil Mickelson’s breakaway tour is largely in Tiger Woods’ hands now.

“The sun should be setting on Woods by now, but in golf, he is the sun. Never mind that he can barely walk, or that he plays so rarely that ‘part-time golfer’ seems hyperbolic.  When he speaks, most players hang on every word – except for the ones who have Phil in their other ear.

“Mickelson continues to work every angle to get the public on his side.  He continues to push the idea that LIV won the battle, that LIV is thriving, that no LIV golfer has any interest in returning to the PGA Tour.  After LIV’s Brooks Koepka won the PGA, Mickelson claimed ‘Love LIV or hate it, it’s the best way/Tour to be your best in the majors.’  LIV proceeded to put two players in the top 10 of the U.S. Open and two in the top 20 at the British, but hey, folks, forget all that, Phil has coffee he’d like to sell you.

“If you gave Mickelson truth serum, he’d probably talk you into taking it yourself.  But for all his selling, and regardless of what PIF head Yasir Al-Rumayyan is telling LIV players, LIV’s future is in serious doubt.  Al-Rumayyan agreed to drop lawsuits and let the PGA Tour control what happens to LIV in exchange for a piece of the business and a seat at the table in golf’s most exclusive clubhouses.

“Mickelson worked hard to create LIV. Woods has used his rare public forums in the last 18 months to stand up for the Tour.

“Mickelson has publicly shared his antipathy and mistrust of PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan. Woods just announced in a Tour press release that Monahan ‘has my confidence moving forward.’

“You don’t have to ask Phil Mickelson what Woods does with a lead entering the final round. He knows.  We all know….

“It’s Tiger vs. Phil, all over again. Phil Mickelson started this latest squabble.  Tiger Woods can finish it.”

--Speaking of LIV, Bryson DeChambeau fired a 58 at the Greenbrier today to capture his first LIV title by six over Mito Pereira.  DeChambeau was -23 for the 54 holes.

How disinterested were Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka?  They finished -6 and -3, respectively.

Back in 2010, Stuart Appleby shot a 59 to win the Greenbrier Classic when it was a PGA Tour event…as in an event that mattered.

Next week, LIV comes to my backyard, Bedminster, Trump’s place, for what promises to be a real shitshow…a lot of drunken assholes.

Stuff

--Four-time Olympic champion Simone Biles made a triumphant return to gymnastics after a two-year break.

The 26-year-old thrilled a Chicago crowd with a terrific display to win the U.S. Classic in her first event since the Tokyo Olympics.

“Everyone that was cheering – made posters, all of that in the crowd – it just made my heart melt that they still believe in me,” Biles said.

Biles won the all-around and thus qualified for the U.S. Championships in a few weeks in San Jose, California, which is a huge step towards next summer’s Paris Olympics.

--The Lakers’ Anthony Davis agreed to a three-year, $186 million maximum contract extension, tying him to the franchise through 2028 for a total of $270 million, agent Rich Paul said Friday.

Davis’ deal is the richest annual contract extension in NBA history, averaging $62 million a season.  Good lord.

Davis has been a cornerstone of the franchise, along with LeBron James, averaging 25.9 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2 blocks last season, as well as shooting a career-high 56%.

But the 30-year-old has only played 40 and 56 games the past two seasons and hasn’t played more than 62 since 2017-18.

So chances are he’s being paid $1 million for every game he gets on the court.

--Three Montana women were inner tubing along the Jefferson River in Montana on Wednesday around 8:15 p.m. when they observed one or two otters, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks said in a news release Thursday.

At least one otter attacked the women, who called 911 when they were able to get out of the water.

All three women received treatment for their injuries, with one having “more serious” injuries and was flown to a hospital via helicopter.

“While attacks from otters are rare, otters can be protective of themselves and their young, especially at close distances,” Montana FWP said.  “They give birth to their young in April and can later be seen with their young in the water during the summer. They may also be protective of food resources, especially when those resources are scarce.”

People should “give all wildlife plenty of space,” the FWP advised in its release.

Well, I always give all wildlife I see plenty of space.  You see a hippo, for example, at your neighborhood pond, give it space.  It can kill you.

Tips on keeping clear of hippos at the town park, another free feature of Bar Chat.

--To end on a better note, come year end, the New York Jets’ Sauce Gardner could be in the running for “Good Guy” hardware.

Gardner made a promise to his mother when he left Cincinnati early last year for the NFL Draft; one day he’d return to graduate.

And so after Thursday’s preseason opener in Canton, Ohio, Gardner flew to Cincinnati to make that commitment to his mother official and walk in his own graduation ceremony.

“It was everything I thought it was going to be,” Gardner said. 

Gardner added: “One of them had one of my [Jets] jerseys on under his gown.  It was cool, man. Being able to feel regular.  Being able to feel like a student again.”

You rock, Sauce.  Good luck this season.

Top 3 songs for the week 8/10/63:  #1 “Fingertips – Pt. 2” (Little Stevie Wonder)  #2 “Wipe Out” (The Surfaris)  #3 “(You’re the) Devil In Disguise” (Elvis Presley)…and…#4 “Blowin’ In The Wind” (Peter, Paul & Mary)  #5 “So Much In Love” (The Tymes)  #6 “Judy’s Turn To Cry” (Lesley Gore) #7 “Surf City” (Jan & Dean)  #8 “Candy Girl” (Four Seasons)  #9 “Easier Said Than Done” (The Essex)  #10 “More” (Kai Winding…C- week…British Invasion and Beatles on Ed Sullivan six months away…)

Golf Quiz Answer: Four non-U.S. golfers to win FedExCup championships….

2008 – Vijay Singh, Fiji
2013 – Henrik Stenson, Sweden
2016, 2019, 2022 – Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland
2018 – Justin Rose, England

Brief update Tues. p.m.

 

 



AddThis Feed Button

 
-08/07/2023-      

 Home  |  Week in Review  |  Bar Chat  |  Hot Spots  |  Dr Bortum  |  Wall St History  |  Lamb in Command  |  About Us  |  Contact Us
Web Epoch NJ Web Design  |  (c) Copyright 2016 StocksandNews.com, LLC.
Bar Chat

08/07/2023

Down Goes The USWNT

[Posted Tues. p.m. before any sports action]

MLB

--For those teams struggling for a wild card slot, virtually every game the rest of the way is critical. 

Monday, the Yanks lost the first of an important road trip, 5-1 to the White Sox, as Gerrit Cole (10-3, 2.75) had a rare poor start, 7 innings, 4 earned, just 3 strikeouts.    The Yanks were 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position, stranding 13 runners on base.  Factoring in Sunday’s loss to the Astros, it was the first time since April 2016 that the Yanks had stranded 12 or more runners in back-to-back games.

Monday, the Yankees also put pitcher Carlos Rodon and his 7.73 ERA on the 15-day IL with a hamstring issue.

--The Mets hurt the Cubs chances, Monday at Citi Field, 11-2, snapping a six-game losing streak, rookie Kodai Senga improving to 8-6, 3.24, with six strong, Pete Alonso with two home runs and six RBIs, giving him 33 and 83.

Before the game the Mets sent Brett Baty back to AAA.  He was 0-for-18 in August, and with a highly-alarming 86 strikeouts in 278 at-bats.

It’s a classic example of how ‘you never know’ with “prospects,” no matter how highly-touted they may be.

As manager Buck Showalter said, ‘We just want him to get his mind right’…or was that the warden in “Cool Hand Luke.”  Buck added: “It’s just a little timeout.  Take a breath.”

Us fans hope that’s all it is.  We fully expect Baty and Mark Vientos, hitting .202, to be mainstays in 2024.

--The Angels lost their seventh straight, 8-3 to the Giants, Monday, falling to 56-58 and eight back in the wild card, after going all-in on both Shohei Ohtani and acquiring some big pieces at the trade deadline.  Very depressing for Ohtani and company. 

--Going back to Sunday night, after I posted, the Dodgers took it to the Padres, 8-2, as one of L.A.’s new acquisitions, Lance Lynn, threw six innings of one-run ball for the win, while another newbie, Amed Rosario hit a two-run homer, giving him 9 RBIs in his first 8 games as a Dodger after coming over from Cleveland in what every real baseball fan thought was an incredible steal. [For Noah Syndergaard and some Monopoly money. Syndergaard has yielded six earned in 11 1/3 in his two starts for the Guardians.  As my Uncle Bill would have said, “He’s a bum!”]

--Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson and Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez were suspended by Major League Baseball on Monday, two days after they exchanged punches during Saturday’s game.

Anderson received a six-game suspension and Ramirez got three games.  Both players appealed the penalties, so the suspension will be delayed until a decision is made.

Guardians manager Terry Francona and White Sox manager Pedro Grifol were among the six suspensions handed down, and they served their suspensions Monday.

--In a startlingly bad move, the Baltimore Orioles suspended radio play-by-play man Kevin Brown over a mundane comment about the team’s recent success in Tampa.

The offending comment was about the fact the Orioles had won more games at Tropicana Field this season than they had in the previous three seasons combined.

Brown’s remarks were backed up by team game notes that were put together by the Orioles’ media relations staff.

And for this he was suspended!

The other MLB announcers then went off on the Orioles Monday.

“If you’re going to be so thin-skinned to suspend Kevin Brown, then you have to suspend the entire Orioles (broadcast) truck,” Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay said during his radio show, noting that Brown’s comments had also been on a graphic on the screen.

Mets play-by-play man Gary Cohen of SNY also chided the Orioles during the game Monday night.

“Let me just say one thing to the Baltimore Orioles management, you draped yourself in humiliation when you fired John Miller and you’re doing it again. And if you don’t want Kevin Brown there are 29 other teams that do.  It’s a horrendous decision by the Orioles. I don’t know what they were thinking, but they’ve gotten exactly the reaction that they’ve deserved.  It’s just a shame because the Orioles have played so well and now they’ve diverted attention from that.  And now have themselves a laughingstock.”

College Football/Basketball Realignment

--The ACC said it will explore adding Cal and Stanford to the conference, but it makes zero sense on so many levels, starting with the travel expense, and the existing ACC members would not give Cal and Stanford equal shares of the revenue, at least initially, so it’s kind of a dumb discussion.

The best thought for the remaining Pac-12 schools, including Washington State and Oregon State, is to bide their time and then build a West Coast-based league once the buyout from the Mountain West conference schools is reduced after the 2024-25 season.

--I only care about the AP Poll early on in a football season, but since the AP hasn’t come out yet, the Preseason Coaches Poll did:

1. Georgia (61 first-place votes)
2. Michigan
3. Alabama (4…stupid…they don’t have a quarterback…)
4. Ohio State (1)
5. LSU
6. USC
7. Penn State
8. Florida State
9. Clemson
10. Tennessee

13. Notre Dame
20. North Carolina

--My Wake Forest Demon Deacons suffered a potentially huge loss when it was announced wide receiver Donavon Greene, who was named to the 2023 Maxwell Award Watch List in July, is out for the season with a knee injury.

“Donavon Greene is a great player and an even better person,” Coach Dave Clawson said in a statement.  “He will play a key role off the field this season as he works towards a speedy and safe recovery in the coming months.”

Greene had 642 yards and six touchdowns last year and holds the career Wake Forest record with 18.6 yards per reception (79 receptions over three seasons). 

But Greene was out all of 2021 with a knee injury, too.  Just sucks.  He’s got NFL written all over him, 6-2, 210.  Because of the injuries, and the Covid year, he’s still considered a redshirt junior and here’s hoping he can come back one more time in 2024.

Wake has depth at the position, but now we can’t afford another injury to one of our remaining core four or so.

Golf Balls

--For the record, 43-year-old Lucas Glover picked up his fifth career Tour title at the Wyndham late Sunday.  I posted during a rain delay, with four holes to play, and Glover won it by two over Russell Henley and Byeong Hun An.

Glover needed to finish second to get into the FedExCup Playoffs and he did one better. Ironically, before the tournament, he was bitching that the playoffs were limited to the top 70, not 125 as in the past.

Poor Billy Horschel needed to win the event to get into the playoffs and finished solo fourth, which only moved him up to 90th.

Matt Kuchar, T39, made the playoffs and now holds the distinction of being the only player to qualify in each season since the inception of the FedExCup in 2007.

Adam Scott, who gave it a good go Sunday with a 63, missed out at No. 72 in the standings, the first time he hasn’t qualified.

And you know Justin Thomas failed to get in at 71.

Shane Lowry came into the week at No. 76, needed a great tournament, made the cut, but ended up 78.

--After watching the finale of the Wyndham, I caught the end of the Korn Ferry Tour stop in Utah and Roger Sloan was a dramatic winner, his first title in nine years, going birdie, birdie to get it done.

With the win, Sloan moved from No. 92 in the points standings to 27.

Ryan McCormick was T10 to move up two to No. 25.

Thomas Walsh missed the cut and slipped one to No. 41.

We have two events left in the regular season, before a four-event ‘finals.’  At the end, the top 30 get PGA Tour cards.

Stuff

--It is rather remarkable that Lionel Messi has seven goals in his first four games for Inter Miami, including an 85th minute spectacular free kick for a 4-4 tie Sunday night against FC Dallas in a Leagues Cup elimination, which Inter Miami then won on penalty kicks.

--Today, Tuesday, I ventured into Newark to do something I do most summers…address a youth group that a high school classmate of mine set up with his wife long ago.  I just talk about life, the news, the 7,000 mistakes I’ve made, sports…and I always bring a bunch of books to pass out.

I’m going to have something to say about this in that other column I do, the one I sign, but for these purposes, I was tipped off that a bunch of the kids ran track at the local high school.

So about 28 kids, grades 10-12 (this fall), pile into the room, wondering who this white guy is who’s going to talk to them, and of course I started to talk about track and a few of their ears perked up.

Which is my long-winded way of saying…don’t forget the World Track and Field Championships, Aug. 19-27, in Budapest, Hungary.

Unfortunately, I don’t see NBC doing a ½-hour nightly wrap-up like they normally do for the Worlds…it looks like Discovery has the rights.  One alternative…BBC will have top-shelf coverage, at least online.  Most cable networks get BBC World, but not the channels BBC is televising it on.

Anyway, two days to put down on your calendar if you are a fan of the sport.  Aug. 23 and 24.

On those days we’ll have the 400 meters, men and women, and 400m hurdles, men and women.  These will be the highlight races of the meet and we’ll find out later what event Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is running in.  She recently pulled out of a meet in Europe with what coach Bobby Kersee said was a minor issue, that Sydney just wanted to make sure she was 100 percent for Budapest.  But no clue as yet which one she is going to run, the 400 or the 400 hurdles.

Since she’s a local girl, the kids I spoke to today were chattering a bit when I brought her up (which is good…as opposed to falling asleep).

Also, the men’s 400m hurdles could be special…Norway’s Karsten Warholm vs. USA’s Rai Benjamin…Warholm with the gold in Tokyo, Benjamin the silver.

[I also told them of how I sat next to Ice-T in elementary school and that blew their minds.]

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.

-----

[Posted early Sunday p.m.]

Brief update Tues. p.m.

Golf Quiz: The FedExCup Playoffs are starting this coming week.  The first one was 2007, won by Tiger Woods.  In the succeeding years, name the four non-U.S. golfers to win it.  Answer below.

USA Chokes

Yes, today we had one of the amazing choke jobs for the ages, the U.S. Women’s soccer team, No. 1 in the world, never having finished worse than third in the history of the Women’s World Cup, lost on penalty kicks to Sweden in the Round of 16.

It mattered little, like nothing, that we played better today in a 0-0 draw, only to spit the bit numerous times in the penalty kick session when Sweden was handing it to us after they missed twice.

But it goes back to the first game against lowly Vietnam.  It was pathetic, we could only beat them 3-0 (I admired Vietnam’s effort, they had zero chance coming in), with the Netherlands later defeating the same team 7-0 by comparison.

Everyone knew then we were in trouble, and after a draw with the Netherlands, Portugal missed beating us by inches, which would have sent us home even before Sunday.

The U.S. was incredibly cocky coming in, and advertisers are now extremely embarrassed because they spent $millions on expensive ads highlighting players on the team and now they have weeks of showcasing now laughable spots.

Four goals in four games from the supposed Best Team in the World.

I’m not going to talk about individuals on the squad.  Social media, unfortunately, will be vicious.  I don’t follow it.  It’s a big part of what makes the world as crappy as it is.

But hopefully a few of the girls are a bit humbled, though I doubt one in particular will be.

Go Sweden.  Go Jamaica.

College Football / Basketball Realignment

It is absolutely depressing what is taking place in college sports, nothing but greed, how to get recruits their NIL money, a process that is obviously massively corrupt, and the rest of us schmucks can do nothing but shake our heads and say, ‘the world blows.’ 

I’m not spending much time on the topic, because I’ve already used up gobs of ink on it the past few years.

But for the record, after another titanic day on Friday….

Utah and Arizona State are headed to the Big 12, where they will join Arizona.

Oregon and Washington are leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten.

So once the ink is dry, the Pac-12 will be left with California, Stanford, Washington State and the Beavers of Oregon State.

Earlier in the year, Colorado left the Pac-12 for the Big 12.  And last year USC and UCLA announced they were joining the Big 10.

When everything is formalized, the Big 12 will have a 16-team conference, two schools smaller than the 18-team Big Ten.  The SEC has 16 (after Texas and Oklahoma officially come on board).  The ACC has 14, for now.

The Pac-12 can’t just add Mountain West teams like San Diego St. (who already tried to leave) and Fresno State, because of a $32 million exit fee per MWC school to leave before the start of the 2025 football season.

So just merge the two conferences and put everyone under the Pac-12 label.  You’d then have 16 schools, some very competitive in both football and hoops.  And geographically it would make perfect sense.

I imagine Cal and Stanford would balk, because of their snobby natures, but this is a no-brainer.

As for the ACC, Florida State is making waves about leaving for the SEC, assuming the SEC wants them, because FSU, and a few other ACC schools aren’t satisfied with the difference each of the schools in the conference make off their television deal, vs. the Big Ten and SEC.

Longtime North Carolina AD Bubba Cunningham said: “If they want to leave then that’s going to be their choice, but there’s certain obligations that they do have. We have an exit fee and we have a grant of rights.  I believe that the ACC is a great league, it’s been a great league for a long time.  Their frustration about the money – everyone would like to have more money and everyone would like to win more.”

FSU President Richard McCullough said: “We love the ACC.  We love our partners at ESPN. Our goal would be to continue to stay in the ACC but staying in the ACC under the current situation is hard for us to figure out how we remain competitive unless there was a major change in the revenue distribution within the conference in the ACC conference itself.”

Cunningham said: “I don’t think you have to have the most money to win the most games. I think we’ve demonstrated that over the years.”  He added, “Frankly, I don’t think it’s good for our league for them to be out there barking like that.”

So here’s something I have given a lot of thought to this week.  It is a no-brainer for Rutgers to move to the ACC.  The move to the Big Ten, purely for money, has been a disaster for the Scarlet Knights and their loyal fans.  There isn’t one natural rivalry, no one gives a damn about a Rutgers-Minnesota, Rutgers-Northwestern matchup, in either football or basketball, and in football, you’ve seen how Rutgers has been slaughtered.

In the ACC, they’d renew old rivalries with Pitt, Syracuse and Boston College, and it would be particularly exciting in hoops with these schools.

Academically, not that this matters anymore, Rutgers is a great fit.

As for Notre Dame…this is the remaining big question, aside from what happens to the four Pac-12 members left. But ND is staying independent for now.

One other aside, re college hoops.  Neighbor Michael C. is friends with Digger (there’s only one Digger), going back to their Fordham days, and I was asking him about Notre Dame, Michael having a connection there I’ll get into down the road, but Digger told Michael the other day that what the Power conferences want is a 64-team tournament away from the NCAA.

Normally I hate ideas like this, hating change in general, but I told Michael yesterday that I loved this one.

Now think about it…right now, with the changes to come, you have 64 teams in the Big Four conferences, excepting the four schools remaining in the Pac-12.  Since it’s hoops, you’d have to work in the Big East.

But what this would allow you to do, my idea, is you reinvigorate the NIT with a 32-team tournament involving all the other D-I programs, instead of these idiotic side events that have sprung up, mainly pay to play.

The Big Four+ (kind of like OPEC+) would have to agree to the new NIT, and it would stir up some controversy.  The winner would have bragging rights, talk about how they could beat the Big Four+ winner, and that’s all good.  The two winners should be mandated to play each other the following December.

If you don’t think you’d have a lot of drama in the 64-team, Big Four affair, think about a 64-seed Boston College (sorry, Steve D.) beating No. 1 Arizona (or Kansas, UCLA).  That would be drama.  [One rule that seems natural…conference opponents can’t play each other in the first round.]

Well, as you lounge around these final weeks of summer, perhaps in your neighborhood watering hole, this gives you something to chat about.  Tell your friends it comes from Digger.

--Meanwhile, Deion Sanders insists he’ll be able to run out onto the field for Colorado’s opener against TCU on Sept. 2, despite further surgery to remove blood clots.

Sanders was asked in a press conference if his many health issues since 2021 were related to his previous injuries as a player.  He said the blood clots had nothing to do with that or with being vaccinated against Covid-19, as many have been spreading across social media.

“It had nothing to do with the shot,” he said. “It’s hereditary. So people should know that. My uncle passed away with blood clots. My other uncle almost passed away with blood clots.  My mother had blood clots.  It’s hereditary, unfortunately.”

I thank Coach Prime for saying this.

--University of Iowa football player Aaron Blom has been handed criminal charges related to underage sports wagering.  The junior kicker with tampering with records related to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s probe into sports gambling.

Blom is charged with hiding his identity by using his mother’s name to set up an account with DraftKings.  Court documents confirm his mom knowingly consented to Blom’s use of her name and information.  Blom admitted to DCI agents that he placed underage online wagers using his mother’s account.

Blom, 21, is a non-scholarship player and was the backup kicker last season.

He made 170 wagers totaling more than $4,400, including a bet on the point total of the 2021 Iowa vs. Iowa State football game, all before he turned 21, the legal betting age in Iowa.

The over/under of the Sept. 11, 2021, game was set at 45, and the final score was 27-17 in favor of Iowa, putting the total points at 44.  Blom bet the “under.”  He didn’t see action in the contest, but Iowa State missed a 45-yard field goal attempt with 31 seconds left.  Wonder if there is video somewhere of Blom’s reaction on the field.

Blom saw limited action in 2022, missing a game-tying field goal as time expired in the matchup with Iowa State, giving Iowa State a 10-7 victory in Iowa City.  He was just one of three in field goal attempts last season.

And Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers was charged with tampering with records related to a Iowa DCI probe into his sports gambling.

Dekkers is accused of placing 26 wagers on Iowa State sporting events, including the 2021 football game against Oklahoma State when he was sophomore backup quarterback.  Dekkers did not play in that game.

The complaint alleges Dekkers made 366 mobile/online bets in his DraftKings account totaling “over $2,799.”

Dekkers started all 12 of the Cyclones’ games last season*.  He is not participating in Iowa State’s fall football camp in order to “focus on his studies and on the defense of this criminal charge,” according to a statement from his attorneys.

*He completed 66% of his passes while throwing for 3,044 yards and 19 touchdowns, but also 14 interceptions for a team that was a disappointing 4-8.

Two other Iowa State athletes were charged with tampering with records.  One of them, Paniro Johnson, a Big 12 Conference champion in wrestling (149 pounds) last season, placed wagers totaling $45,640 on approximately 1,283 bets, according to the complaint.  Goodness gracious. 

Former Iowa State defensive lineman Enyi Uwazurike was accused of placing wagers in two games he played in while a Cyclone in 2021.

Uwazurike, who was drafted by the Broncos in 2022 in the fourth round, was indefinitely suspended by the NFL last month for placing bets on NFL games, including 32 wagers on Broncos games and players last season.

--In College Basketball, UCLA landed a prized big man, 7-foot-3 Aday Mara from Spain, who is widely projected as a possible lottery pick in the 2024 NBA draft.

The announcement came one day after Mara posted on Instagram that he was leaving his Spanish professional team, Casademont Zaragoza, as part of a contentious separation in which the team once said it would “adopt the necessary measures” to enforce Mara’s contract.

So the Bruins have this kid for a year. Better than not having him at all.

MLB

--The Yankees’ Luis Severino took the mound again Friday night against the Astros at the Stadium, having given up at least 7 earned in three of his previous five starts, and he went out and yielded five earned over four innings, the Yankees falling 7-3, Severino now 2-6 with a ghastly 7.74 ERA.  Opponents are hitting .327 against him with a .988 OPS!  He has a 13.85 ERA in the first inning.

But what a 48 hours it was the Yanks.  Pitcher Domingo German entered an alcohol abuse program, the shocking announcement made by the Yanks in an email about 30 minutes before Wednesday night’s home game against the Rays.

There was no statement from German.

We learned an incident triggered German’s entrance to the program, and initially GM Brian Cashman wouldn’t get into it, but the story emerged German smashed a television in the clubhouse and confronted manager Aaron Boone.

This is a guy the Yankees stood by even as he was suspended 81 games by Major League Baseball for violating the domestic violence policy.  And then they stood by him after he was suspended 10 games for violating a rule against doctoring baseballs this year, and he rewarded them with the fourth perfect game in franchise history at Oakland on June 28.

It was last Monday, in a 5-1 loss to the Rays, that German was scratched from his scheduled start, only to bizarrely pitch five shutout innings in relief.

But then something happened after, perhaps the next day, and this is the result.

German finished the season 5-7, 4.56 ERA in 20 games, 19 as a starter.

The Yankees then announced that Anthony Rizzo was being placed in concussion protocol and the IL and the explanation was unreal.

Rizzo is believed to have suffered a concussion on May 28 at Yankee Stadium when he was rammed in the head by Padres’ outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr., on a pickoff attempt.

But it wasn’t diagnosed then.  Only now.  How did this happen?  The Yankees said Rizzo passed baseline concussion tests right after the incident and thought his only injury was a sore neck, which kept him out 3 games.

Since the collision, Rizzo hit .172 with one homer and nine RBIs in 46 games after!

This is simply unbelievable.  This is a professional, high-profile sports team, screwing up like no other.  [Actually, kind of Mets-like, given our history of misdiagnoses.] 

No telling how long Rizzo will be out.

And you have Aaron Judge not being able to play three games in a row.

Well, the Yanks beat the Astros on Saturday, 3-1, Justin Verlander* starting for Houston and going seven strong, two earned, as he fell to 6-6, 3.11. For New York, Nestor Cortes returned to the mound after a lengthy injury stint, four innings, one earned, eight strikeouts, the bullpen with five scoreless.

So the Yanks entered play Sunday having gone 4-5 over a key 10-game stretch, facing the Orioles, Rays and Astros.

Make that 4-6, losing to Houston 9-7 today.  Carlos Rodon with another lousy outing, 2 2/3, 5 earned, his ERA a whopping 7.73, as he is just starting a six-year, $162 million deal in New York.  Fans are thrilled.  [Pssst….Rodon jerseys are on sale for $9.95…but be careful where you wear one…]

*Thursday, Max Scherzer won his first start for Texas, 5-3, as he went six innings, 3 earned, 9 strikeouts.

--After the trade deadline passed, Mets owner Steve Cohen admitted the Mets are looking beyond next season.

“We will be competitive in ’24, but I think ’25-’26 is when our young talent makes an impact,” Cohen wrote in a text to the New York Post.  “Lots of pitching in free agency in ’24.  More payroll flexibility in ’25.  Got a lot of dead money in ’24.”

Cohen and the Mets sold off/traded closer David Robertson, starters Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, and outfielders Tommy Pham and Mark Canha, in exchange for a ton of prospects, immediately rebuilding a putrid farm system with lots of outfield, middle infielder and catching talent, but not the needed pitching.

That said, I love what the Mets did.  It is of course a mighty disappointment for us fans, with dreams of a World Series this year behind Scherzer and Verlander, and normal big seasons from the likes of Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Starling Marte, Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo, with the development of even just one of our core four minor leaguers.

But not one of the players on offense lived up to the back of their baseball cards, and we were where we were, suckdom, come the trade deadline.

Uncle Stevie, in essence, then used his checkbook to get teams to take our star pitchers in return for some of their best prospects by paying potentially $100 million alone on the remaining contracts of Scherzer and Verlander, something that had never been done before in the history of baseball.  He bought a farm system, and accomplished something that would have taken a minimum of four years to do going through the annual MLB Draft, IF we nailed our picks.

What us Mets fans desperately want to see these final two months is the development of two players in particular, Brett Baty and Mark Vientos.  They’ve been given a shot.  Now show us before season end that we can have hope over the offseason these are two key pieces going forward.  We’ve already seen what catcher Francisco Alvarez can do…he’s a future superstar. And we hope to see Ronny Mauricio with the big club shortly.

That’s it.  I’ll leave it up to management to somehow acquire/sign at least two credible starting pitchers in the offseason, and Edwin Diaz will be back next year.

So Uncle Stevie, great job with the cards you had.  The smartest guy on the planet, at least among baseball’s owners, knew he had to do a 180 and got it done.

But what an offseason it’s going to be.  Alonso, Lindor, McNeil…everyone will be made available (Alonso is a free agent after 2024, for those of you not from the area and wondering why we’d trade a big bopper like him…it’s because we’ve seen what he’s done this season and is he worth an 8-year, $240 million deal?  Maybe not).

On the field, the Mets are 0-5 since the trade deadline, including being swept by the Royals in Kansas City and the first two in Baltimore this weekend.

The scores…7-6 (on a tenth-inning balk), 4-0, 9-2, 10-3, 7-3 last night.

As manager Buck Showalter put it after Saturday’s dismal effort, “We aren’t having competitive at bats.”

It’s also discouraging seeing Brett Baty struggle, 0-for-17, seemingly striking out every time up.  It’s not what Mets fans want to see from our supposed future stars.

Lots of empty seats the rest of the way at Citi Field.

Make it six straight off the deadline…2-0 losers today, wasting another solid effort from Jose Quintana (six innings, 2 runs), his fourth good outing after missing the first half of the season on the IL.

Johnny Mac said this is our slogan for next season: “Senga and Quintana then nothing for manana.”

Home version of ‘Bar Chat: The Game’ on its way to you, Johnny, as soon as we get around to producing it.

--The Angels went all-in at the trade deadline, keeping Shohei Ohtani and picking up key pieces, but they started 0-4 after the deadline, including Thursday’s 5-3 loss to the Mariners.

Ohtani made the start and threw four scoreless, but he had to leave after experiencing cramping in his right middle finger, though he stayed in the game as the DH and hit his 40th home run.

L.A. closer Carlos Estevez had a 3-1 lead going to the top of the ninth and yielded a grand slam to Cade Marlowe, a crushing loss at Angels Stadium.

But Ohtani was the first player with a stolen base and a home run in a game he started on the mound since Jim Mudcat Grant did it in 1964.  [Grant did that with Cleveland, by the way, before he was traded to Minnesota, in case you were wondering.]

[Wednesday, one of the key additions, starter Lucas Giolito who was acquired from the White Sox, gave up 9 earned in 3 2/3 in a 12-5 loss to the Braves.]

The Angels lost to the Mariners 9-7 on Friday, to fall five behind in the Wild Card race, Seattle 2 ½ behind Toronto for the third slot.

And L.A. lost again, Saturday, 3-2, despite a home run from one of the new acquisitions, Randal Grichuk.

Six back in the wild card race, and now back to .500, 56-56, 0-5 since the deadline.

--The Phillies continue to play well, former Met Taijuan Walker improving to 13-4, 3.98, with seven innings today in Philadelphia’s 8-4 win over the Royals.

For K.C., Zack Greinke, in his final season, is now 1-12, 5.53, lowering his career mark to 224-152, 3.48.

--The Diamondbacks lost at Minnesota, 12-1 on Saturday, and have now lost 13 of 16, 7-21 since July 2, as they tumble in the wild card chase after looking like they’d win the NL West.

--Big fight between the White Sox’ Tim Anderson and Cleveland slugger Jose Ramirez Saturday night at Progressive Field, Chicago winning 7-4.

Both are facing perhaps hefty suspensions (very bad for the Guardians and their playoff chase), the altercation beginning when Ramirez slid headfirst into second after lacing an RBI double into right field, Anderson standing over him, straddling Ramirez.

When Ramirez got up, he pointed his finger at Anderson and yelled, prompting them to square off.

Anderson threw the first punch, setting off the brawl, dugouts emptying.  Ramirez then caught Anderson with a right hook, sending him to the ground.

“I felt I was able to land one,” Ramirez said through a translator.

This stuff bores me.  [It’s also emblematic of Anderson’s shockingly lousy season.]

--Wild Card standings thru Sat.

AL

Tampa Bay…67-46…+4.5
Houston…63-49…+1
Toronto…62-50…--
Seattle…59-52…2.5
New York…58-53…3.5
Boston…57-53…4
Los Angeles…56-56…6

NL

San Francisco 61-50…+3
Philadelphia…60-51…+2
Cincinnati…59-54…--
Miami…58-54…0.5
Chicago…57-54…1
Arizona…57-55…1.5
San Diego…55-56…3

NL Central

Milwaukee…60-52
Cincinnati…59-54…1.5
Chicago…57-54…2.5

Golf Balls

--It was a biggie this week at the Wyndham Championship, Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro, North Carolina, the last event in which golfers could qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs…only 70 making it.

There are always tons of ‘story lines’ in the final regular season tournament, but one stood out coming in…Justin Thomas’ attempt to make the playoffs even as he stood 79 in the points standings.

And Thomas, after a pedestrian opening round par-70, shot 65-66 to start the final round T11, and up to 72 in the points standings.  He’d need another outstanding effort this afternoon to get into the playoffs.

And then you had the two tied at the top for the lead, Billy Horschel and Lucas Glover.

Glover entered the week 112th in the standings, Horschel 116!

They started the final round having moved up to 50 and 53, but it’s likely only one of them will make it, because of the difference in points between first and second, though it also depends on the performance of others behind them today.

Anyway…after three rounds….

Glover -18
Horschel -18
Russell Henley -17…securely in the playoffs
Byeong Hun An -15…same
Stephan Jaeger -13…into the playoffs barring a total meltdown

JT -9

So last night, I’m looking at the forecast, as I do a few times a day for spots all over the world, and I’m thinking, we have an issue late afternoon Sunday in Greensboro, and I was surprised they started the final round on schedule, not at least an hour early, and that’s why I’m posting early.

The weather came…as tour officials should have known.

And I’m closing out the column before they finish…if they do today….

Henley -20…thru 14
Glover -20…14
An -18…14
Horschel -16…14

Horschel needs a miracle to get in the top 70.

Glover can get in with a solo second.

And then there is Justin Thomas, who shot 68, stands T11, but is 71st in the standings.  Among the groups remaining on the course (six), he needs some collapses to sneak in.  But it was a heroic effort, including a near miracle birdie on No. 18 where he would have punched his ticket into next week in Memphis.

Adam Scott shot 63 today, but falls short at No. 72.  Shane Lowry, 76 coming into this week, didn’t get it done, finishing 78 as I post.

--The PGA Tour is announcing its highly anticipated 2024 schedule next week, but according to Golfweek, the changes discussed in the spring are coming to fruition.

Twelve of the non-major PGA Tour events will be considered “designated,” but only four of those tournaments – the Players Championship, the Genesis Invitational, the Memorial Tournament and the Arnold Palmer Invitational – will include 36-hole cuts. The Genesis is hosted by Tiger Woods, while the Memorial is Jack Nicklaus’ event.

[Tiger, back at the Masters, said both he and Jack did not like the idea of no-cut tournaments, so that could still be part of ongoing negotiations, though for now at their events they got their wish.]

At the rest of the season’s limited-field big-money events, there will be four days of stroke play with no cut.

The no-cut plan will allow top players to play four guaranteed days, a move that will please both the tournament title sponsors and TV partners.

Golfweek reported that aside from the Players Championship – which will remain a full-field event – the three invitationals with 36-hole cuts will have a maximum of 80 players in the field with a cut to the top 50 and ties.

Additionally, unlike during the 2023 season, the designated events will not be “mandatory” for top players.

Among other reported changes:

The Pebble Beach Pro-Am will be a designated event (or what will be called part of the tour’s Signature Series), and it will still have an amateur portion, but just 36 holes.

The Houston Open is back to a spring slot with a new tournament sponsor, after Houston Astros owner Jim Crane threatened to move the tournament to LIV.

The Travelers Championship is gaining designated status, even as it stays in the week after the U.S. Open slot, which means the field won’t be as filled with star power (given that players don’t have to play the ‘Signature Series’).

The Honda Classic lost its sponsor, Honda, due to the lack of star power in the field, sandwiched in between Pebble, the Genesis on one end, and the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship on the other, so we’ll see what happens here, no new sponsor as yet having been announced. 

The Canadian Open is in a state of flux…it will be held this coming year, but it’s not a designated event and suffers from being on the front of two such tournaments, including the U.S. Open.  RBC has apparently agreed to renew its sponsorship for just one more year until it sees how things shake out with the Saudis.  But like with the Honda, regardless, the fields will be weak.

You have the Olympics in Paris in ’24 (July 26-Aug. 11) and it seems that a lot of stars may pass on it, given the crowded schedule that time of year, FedExCup playoffs after Paris.

The stars will need a rest, what with 12 designated events and four majors, and then the playoffs, so the lesser tournaments, like the Rocket Mortgage Classic, 3M Open and John Deere Classic will suffer from lack of star power, but as I discussed in the spring, I’m tired of some of the bitching, this week’s edition coming from Lucas Glover.

First off, not every ‘name’ is going to qualify for the designated events, and the way you do so is to perform in the non-designated tournaments.  The Tour has already laid this out in a format fans will like and keep interest in the tournaments.  I mean you win one of these and you get in the big ones for the next year, including the playoffs.

I think tournament sponsors will see a lot better fields than they were thinking they’d get.

But first, let’s get a freakin’ deal finalized between the Saudis and the PGA Tour, jettison LIV, and begin to move on.

--Michael Rosenberg / SI.com

“The stakes have changed and their games have declined. One has a brittle body and the other has a shattered image. They have won only two of the last 41 majors. But the Tiger-Phil rivalry is hotter and more meaningful than it’s ever been. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are probably done battling each for green jackets, but now they are wrestling for the future of the sport.  Of course they are.

“Woods joined the PGA Tour policy board Tuesday, a move that officially gives him more power but effectively confirms he already had it. The PGA Tour is trying to decide how to strengthen itself and potentially crush Mickelson’s upstart LIV tour, and Woods will be in the meetings, trying to get one more victory over his rival.

“The PGA Tour’ framework agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is vague in many ways, but clear in a crucial one: If they can get the business stuff squared away, the Tour will have the power to run the sport.

“That means if they reach a final agreement, the PGA Tour can kill LIV…and that means the future of Phil Mickelson’s breakaway tour is largely in Tiger Woods’ hands now.

“The sun should be setting on Woods by now, but in golf, he is the sun. Never mind that he can barely walk, or that he plays so rarely that ‘part-time golfer’ seems hyperbolic.  When he speaks, most players hang on every word – except for the ones who have Phil in their other ear.

“Mickelson continues to work every angle to get the public on his side.  He continues to push the idea that LIV won the battle, that LIV is thriving, that no LIV golfer has any interest in returning to the PGA Tour.  After LIV’s Brooks Koepka won the PGA, Mickelson claimed ‘Love LIV or hate it, it’s the best way/Tour to be your best in the majors.’  LIV proceeded to put two players in the top 10 of the U.S. Open and two in the top 20 at the British, but hey, folks, forget all that, Phil has coffee he’d like to sell you.

“If you gave Mickelson truth serum, he’d probably talk you into taking it yourself.  But for all his selling, and regardless of what PIF head Yasir Al-Rumayyan is telling LIV players, LIV’s future is in serious doubt.  Al-Rumayyan agreed to drop lawsuits and let the PGA Tour control what happens to LIV in exchange for a piece of the business and a seat at the table in golf’s most exclusive clubhouses.

“Mickelson worked hard to create LIV. Woods has used his rare public forums in the last 18 months to stand up for the Tour.

“Mickelson has publicly shared his antipathy and mistrust of PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan. Woods just announced in a Tour press release that Monahan ‘has my confidence moving forward.’

“You don’t have to ask Phil Mickelson what Woods does with a lead entering the final round. He knows.  We all know….

“It’s Tiger vs. Phil, all over again. Phil Mickelson started this latest squabble.  Tiger Woods can finish it.”

--Speaking of LIV, Bryson DeChambeau fired a 58 at the Greenbrier today to capture his first LIV title by six over Mito Pereira.  DeChambeau was -23 for the 54 holes.

How disinterested were Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka?  They finished -6 and -3, respectively.

Back in 2010, Stuart Appleby shot a 59 to win the Greenbrier Classic when it was a PGA Tour event…as in an event that mattered.

Next week, LIV comes to my backyard, Bedminster, Trump’s place, for what promises to be a real shitshow…a lot of drunken assholes.

Stuff

--Four-time Olympic champion Simone Biles made a triumphant return to gymnastics after a two-year break.

The 26-year-old thrilled a Chicago crowd with a terrific display to win the U.S. Classic in her first event since the Tokyo Olympics.

“Everyone that was cheering – made posters, all of that in the crowd – it just made my heart melt that they still believe in me,” Biles said.

Biles won the all-around and thus qualified for the U.S. Championships in a few weeks in San Jose, California, which is a huge step towards next summer’s Paris Olympics.

--The Lakers’ Anthony Davis agreed to a three-year, $186 million maximum contract extension, tying him to the franchise through 2028 for a total of $270 million, agent Rich Paul said Friday.

Davis’ deal is the richest annual contract extension in NBA history, averaging $62 million a season.  Good lord.

Davis has been a cornerstone of the franchise, along with LeBron James, averaging 25.9 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2 blocks last season, as well as shooting a career-high 56%.

But the 30-year-old has only played 40 and 56 games the past two seasons and hasn’t played more than 62 since 2017-18.

So chances are he’s being paid $1 million for every game he gets on the court.

--Three Montana women were inner tubing along the Jefferson River in Montana on Wednesday around 8:15 p.m. when they observed one or two otters, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks said in a news release Thursday.

At least one otter attacked the women, who called 911 when they were able to get out of the water.

All three women received treatment for their injuries, with one having “more serious” injuries and was flown to a hospital via helicopter.

“While attacks from otters are rare, otters can be protective of themselves and their young, especially at close distances,” Montana FWP said.  “They give birth to their young in April and can later be seen with their young in the water during the summer. They may also be protective of food resources, especially when those resources are scarce.”

People should “give all wildlife plenty of space,” the FWP advised in its release.

Well, I always give all wildlife I see plenty of space.  You see a hippo, for example, at your neighborhood pond, give it space.  It can kill you.

Tips on keeping clear of hippos at the town park, another free feature of Bar Chat.

--To end on a better note, come year end, the New York Jets’ Sauce Gardner could be in the running for “Good Guy” hardware.

Gardner made a promise to his mother when he left Cincinnati early last year for the NFL Draft; one day he’d return to graduate.

And so after Thursday’s preseason opener in Canton, Ohio, Gardner flew to Cincinnati to make that commitment to his mother official and walk in his own graduation ceremony.

“It was everything I thought it was going to be,” Gardner said. 

Gardner added: “One of them had one of my [Jets] jerseys on under his gown.  It was cool, man. Being able to feel regular.  Being able to feel like a student again.”

You rock, Sauce.  Good luck this season.

Top 3 songs for the week 8/10/63:  #1 “Fingertips – Pt. 2” (Little Stevie Wonder)  #2 “Wipe Out” (The Surfaris)  #3 “(You’re the) Devil In Disguise” (Elvis Presley)…and…#4 “Blowin’ In The Wind” (Peter, Paul & Mary)  #5 “So Much In Love” (The Tymes)  #6 “Judy’s Turn To Cry” (Lesley Gore) #7 “Surf City” (Jan & Dean)  #8 “Candy Girl” (Four Seasons)  #9 “Easier Said Than Done” (The Essex)  #10 “More” (Kai Winding…C- week…British Invasion and Beatles on Ed Sullivan six months away…)

Golf Quiz Answer: Four non-U.S. golfers to win FedExCup championships….

2008 – Vijay Singh, Fiji
2013 – Henrik Stenson, Sweden
2016, 2019, 2022 – Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland
2018 – Justin Rose, England

Brief update Tues. p.m.