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09/11/2023

Coco Bags Her First Major

Add-on posted early Tuesday p.m.

College Football

AP Top 25

1. Georgia (55)
2. Michigan (2)
3. Florida State (3)
4. Texas (2)…up 7
5. USC
6. Ohio State
7. Penn State
8. Washington
9. Notre Dame
10. Alabama…down 7
11. Tennessee
12. Utah
13. Oregon
14. LSU
15. Kansas State
16. Oregon State
17. Ole Miss
18. Colorado
19. Oklahoma
20. North Carolina
21. Duke
22. Miami
23. Washington State
24. UCLA
25. Iowa

*Clemson out of Top 25.

Texas is in the top five for the first time since starting the 2010 season at No. 5.

Ironically, the Pac-12 became just the second conference to place as many as eight teams in an AP Top 25.  Kind of sad.  Oregon State and Washington State are trying to preserve a semblance of a Pac-12, but at the same time risk not being in the Power 5, which is heading towards a Power 4.

As for next Saturday’s slate of games, it is incredibly weak.

8 Washington at Michigan State is interesting only in that the Spartans have a bit of turmoil with Coach Mel Tucker having been suspended.

Actually, to me, Virginia Tech at Rutgers is important in terms of finding out if RU might be able to hang in some major Big Ten contests down the road.

But otherwise, the schedule is a major yawner…which means there will be an upset or two because it is, after all, only Week 3 and we still don’t know about many of these teams.

--Suspended MSU coach Tucker broke his silence Monday in a lengthy statement in which he denied sexual harassment claims and labeled them “completely false.”

In the statement released through his attorney, Tucker claimed that his accuser, Brenda Tracy, had developed an “intimate, adult relationship” and that Tracy had “encouraged our personal relationship.”

Tucker was suspended without pay Sunday after USA Today published a report in which Tracy went public with her allegations, which I don’t even want to get into.

Tucker said: “We developed a mutual friendship that grew into an intimate, adult relationship; at this point, my wife and I had been estranged for a long time.”

Tracy is a sexual assault prevention advocate and works to educate athletes about sexual violence.

NFL

--Wow, what a dismal Sunday night in the Meadowlands…heavy rain at times and a Giants team that didn’t show up.

Mike Vaccaro / New York Post

“It’s one game.

“That’s the only thing you can say.  That’s the only way you can think. Really, that’s the only thing that will get you through till next Sunday without wanting to put the rest of your season tickets on eBay - or in the fireplace.  Say it again. Say it over and over again.

“Italicize it – it’s one game.

“Boldface it – it’s one game.

“Go all caps.  Use slammers!!!!

“IT’S ONE GAME!!!!!

“ ‘It’s one game,’ Giants coach Brian Daboll said.  ‘It’s wasn’t a good game. I won’t sugarcoat it. We’ve got a lot to learn from, a lot to work on.’

“Well. They’d better learn.  They’d better work. Because Sunday night the Giants didn’t belong on the same field as the Cowboys.  They didn’t belong in the same area code – the Cowboys were 201, the Giants 732.  Maybe 305.  Yes. That’s Florida. That’s how far removed they seemed from the Cowboys. The final was 40-0. In truth, it could have been anything the infidels from Dallas wanted it to be. It was that bad. It was that brutal.

“Remember last year, Week 1?  Last year, Week 1, the Giants played a marvelous, masterful game against the Titans, in Nashville. They spotted the AFC’s defending top seed a 13-0 lead. They were getting overwhelmed, both sides of the ball. Daboll cleared his throat at the half. He went for two late, the Giants converted, won, 21-20, and the rest of the season we kept going back to that game.

“Kept saying: That’s the one that set the tone….

“Overreaction Monday. Teams are never as good as they look when they win in Week 1, or as bad as they look when they lose the opener. That’s the narrative anyway.

“Unless – like last year – Week 1 really does set a tone.

“Then it’s cited like a law precedent.

“So the Giants really need to hope that next week in Phoenix, they honor what their fans are going to be chanting like a mantra – IT’S ONE GAME!!! – for the next six days….

“Because if this one did set a tone?

“Then the season is going to be, well, tone-deaf.  Because there wasn’t one thing the Giants did well Sunday.”

So for the archives, just a few stats.

It was the third-worst shutout loss in franchise history, the worst since a 42-0 beating by the Raiders in Oakland during the 1973 season.  The 40-point margin was also the eighth-largest loss ever for the Giants.

Counting last year’s playoff game against the Eagles, the Giants have been outscored 78-7 their last two games.

This was the fifth consecutive loss and the 12th in the last 13 games to the Cowboys.

Individually, start with kicker Graham Gano.  Just two days earlier, he signed a mammoth 3-year, $16.5 million extension, including $11.5 million guaranteed.  Kickers just don’t get deals like this.  But Gano had hit 91.8% of his field goals in three seasons with the Giants, including a superb 20 of 25 from 50+.

Well, his first field goal attempt Sunday was blocked and returned for a touchdown.  He duck-hooked his second, from 36 yards.

Daniel Jones signed a 4-year, $160 million extension.  He was awful, 15-of-28, 104 yards, picked off twice, including once for a touchdown after Saquon Barkley didn’t secure the catch before a big hit, a 32.4 rating, and Jones was sacked seven times.

Which means the offensive line was atrocious.  Here on local talk radio, when it comes to the Giants it’s always been about the O-Line, and the talk is seldom good.   Imagine how Giants fans feel today about these guys up front.  Talk about setting a tone.  It starts there, always, in this sport.

The Giants are scheduled to be in prime time at least four more times this season.  If they lose in Phoenix, the NFL and their networks will be looking to ‘flex’ those four into Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m., and not because they’re playing in London.

--So then the Jets played on Monday night, also in the Meadowlands, in a game as highly anticipated as any in recent memory in these parts with Aaron Rodgers making his Jets debut against the mighty Bills and Josh Allen.  And it took just four plays on offense for the Jets for the season to go spiraling out of control…Aaron Rodgers went down with an ankle injury.  Everyone who saw how he went down attempting to avoid a sack feared the worst.  After the game Coach Robert Salah said as much, saying it looked bad, it was Rodgers’ Achilles.

And sure enough Tuesday morning it was indeed a torn Achilles, Rodgers out for the season.

Monday night, Jets fans were stunned, shocked, and in a state of deep depression, even as the game progressed.  I received a lot of notes from fellow Jets fans in total despair.  I sure as hell was one of them.

But this was still just the first quarter.  Thanks to a stout Jets defense and Josh Allen throwing three picks to Jets safety Jordan Whitehead, and backup Zach Wilson (14/21, 140, 1-1, 81.4) doing just enough to keep hope alive, at least for the remaining 2 hours, and a phenomenal catch for a touchdown by Garrett Wilson, the game was tied 13-13 with 4:55 left in the game.

WTF…we all thought.

The two sides exchanged field goals to send the game into overtime, Buffalo’s Tyler Bass banging his 50-yarder off the upright but through it, and in overtime, after the Jets stopped the Bills’ first possession, rookie Xavier Gipson returned a punt 65 yards for the winning touchdown, as dramatic an ending given the circumstances of the game as the NFL and Jets fans could have hoped for.  [Thankfully, the referees missed a tripping/leg whip call…but that’s Buffalo’s problem, not mine, boys and girls.]

After the game, focus went back to Rodgers and player reaction.

“It wasn’t ideal to see him on the ground that long,” Jets right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker said.  “We were trying to lift him, telling him to get up…trying to talk to him and he was just like, ‘I’m not getting up.’

“When any player says that, you know it’s probably not the most ideal thing to happen.”

But not all the players, in the moment of the entire dramatic win and effort by the defense really knew the seriousness of the situation about to be laid out to them.

Others, such as left tackle Duane Brown, longtime veteran in the league who had been assigned to Bills edge rusher Leonard Floyd who sacked Rodgers, was visibly distraught.  They say he looked stunned.

So now the Jets need to find a backup quarterback.  Coach Salah said the team is committed to Wilson for the season, and no doubt that is true, but I’m hoping they sign Colt McCoy as a professional ready to step in.

If there was one positive that emerged from the night, aside from the stellar play on defense, it was the return of Breece Hall.

I was super high on the guy when the Jets drafted him in 2022 and he didn’t disappoint before tearing his ACL.  Hall had 463 yards on 80 carries in seven games, a 5.8 average, and the Jets were 5-2.  He was the breakaway back they’ve long sought.

But we all thought he would be worked back in slowly, and it was a big reason why the Jets signed Dalvin Cook to share the load, and all Hall did on his first two touches was run for 26 and 83 yards, going 10-127 for the game, plus a 20-yard reception.

So you can see the game plan for the rest of the year.  Controlled passes, hope Cook can carry it 15+ times a game, and make sure Hall gets his 15 touches, because in his brief time in the NFL, he’s already proven he’s a game-changer.

Next up for New York, Dallas in Big D.

Meanwhile, Josh Allen sucked, four turnovers overall including a fourth-quarter fumble that led to the Jets’ last field goal. Stefon Diggs did have a big day, 10 receptions, 102 yards and a score.  The guy is a winner.  Allen?  No rings yet.

Damar Hamlin, by the way, was on the sidelines of Monday night’s game for the Bills.  No word on exactly when he’ll see his first game action since last January’s cardiac arrest.

Lastly, Mike Vaccaro / New York Post

“And as they left the stadium, or clicked off the TV, Jets fans had to feel like they’d put in a full day’s work, too.  Sports isn’t supposed to be life and death. It just feels that way sometimes when you have skin in the game and a dog in the hunt and a heart fully invested in a team, even one that so frequently crushes your soul.

“For one night, anyway, it was all there for you. Try explaining all of that to your friends who aren’t sports fans.  Good luck with that.”

--Other news in the NFL….

--The Ravens suffered a huge loss in losing running back J.K. Dobbins, who tore his Achilles in Baltimore’s 25-9 win over Houston, ending his 2023 season and devastating the locker room, reports have it.

Dobbins had averaged 5.8 yards per carry his first two seasons, 2020 and 2022.

So now it’s up to Gus Edwards and Justice Hill.  Former Pro-Bowl back Melvin Gordon could find his way onto the field as well.  But they don’t have Dobbins’ explosiveness.

The Ravens game also marked the return of Odell Beckham Jr., who had two receptions for 37 yards.  But the man I touted heavily last NFL Draft, receiver Zay Flowers out of Boston College, had a super debut…nine catches, 78 yards, plus he carried twice for another nine.  The kid is a game-changer like Breece Hall.

[I have to add that another high-profile rookie, Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud, held his own, 28/44, 242, 0-0, 78.0]

--The Jaguars beat the Colts 31-21, as Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence continued his evolution into an elite performer…24/32, 241, 2-1, 103.8.

2021…12 TDs, 17 INTs, 71.9 rating
2022…25-8, 95.2

And Clemson teammate, running back Travis Etienne Jr., has emerged as not just a solid runner, but he’s capable of breaking one on a pass from his buddy as well.  Jags fans have a lot to be hopeful for.

For Indianapolis, quarterback Anthony Richardson wasn’t bad in his rookie debut…24/37, 223, 1-1, 79.0, plus 40 yards on the ground and another score.

--Jordan Love certainly was solid for Green Bay, getting his chance to replace Aaron Rodgers, as Love was 15/27, 3-0, 123.2 in the Packers’ 38-20 win over the Bears.

--Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill had a field day in Miami’s 36-34 thriller over the L.A. Chargers.

Tua threw for 466 yards and three touchdowns, combining with Hill for 11 receptions, 215 yards and two scores.

The Chargers wasted 164 yards from scrimmage from Austin Ekeler, 117 rushing, 47 receiving.

--Monday, the Chiefs announced that Chris Jones’ holdout is over. The four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle and the Kansas City Chiefs agreed to a revised contract, ending a long standoff that resulted in Jones sitting out the season-opening loss to the Lions.

MLB

--So Sunday afternoon, as I alluded to last time, I got caught up in the Yankees game against the Brewers because Corbin Burnes was tossing a no-no against the Yanks, which I loved, and then the game developed into a true epic, including one of the great all-time catches by Milwaukee outfielder Sal Frelick (another B.C. kid).

The Yanks ended up being no-hit through ten innings but won it in the 13th.

What I forgot to mention, and I knew this, was that 20-year-old phenom Jasson Dominguez had been scratched with right-elbow inflammation…a major ‘uh oh’ for Yankee fans.

We then learned Sunday night that he was diagnosed with a torn UCL in his right elbow that will knock him out at least for most of next season.  Just a massive, massive blow for the Yanks.  I feel for the kid.  Normal recovery is 9-10 months. 

--Sunday, the Mets beat the Twins 2-0 with two in the ninth off the bat of D.J. Stewart, who has been terrific since being called up.

But Johnny Mac was talking about the Twins’ Pablo Lopez, who threw eight shutout innings in a no-decision, 14 strikeouts.

Lopez was always hit hard by the Mets when he was in Miami, yet otherwise his last four seasons has been a terrific pitcher, with an ERA of 3.75 or better each of the four, including 3.43 this season, 10-7, 178 2/3, 213 strikeouts.

It was last January that Miami picked up Luis Arraez for Lopez and two prospects.  All-in-all, a pretty fair swap.  [Arraez still leads all of baseball with a .349 batting average, but it’s a come down from the lofty talk of .400 earlier in the season.]

--Mets fans Tuesday received some great news.  Our Uncle Stevie nabbed his guy, Milwaukee’s David Stearns, to be the new president of baseball operations.

Stearns, 38, is a Harvard grad who grew up in Manhattan rooting for the Mets and interned for the club after college.  He has been a highly successful, and sought after, executive and the Mets won out over the Astros (for whom Stearns worked as an assistant GM before getting the head job in Milwaukee).  Houston wanted him back, according to reports.

Billy Eppler, acting GM, will work under Stearns, and now Eppler can do what he does best…focus on nabbing at least one of the two big stars supposedly becoming available in the offseason from Japan (Yamamoto and Sasaki), both pitchers.  Eppler had a big hand in bringing Shohei Ohtani to the Angels, and he got Kodai Senga to sign with the Mets.

Let’s just say, Eppler has one big talent.  He knows how to use chopsticks.  [Your editor does not, something that has bothered me my entire life…just can’t master it.]  But I can type a mile a minute!

As for the status of Mets manager Buck Showalter, Cohen likes him, but Stearns could probably lure Brewers manager Craig Counsel to Gotham, which I would like.

--So much for the Dodgers easing Mookie Betts back into the lineup.  He returned from his left foot bone bruise Monday, 2-for-4, home run and double, with 4 RBIs, in an 11-8 loss to the Padres.

So the Betts-Acuna Jr. MVP battle is still on, even as L.A.’s Freddie Freeman and Atlanta’s Matt Olson say, ‘Hey, don’t forget about me!’

Olson hit home runs No. 49 and 50, Monday, against the Phillies.  Olson is now one behind Andruw Jones’ 51 in 2005.

Stuff

--For the record, since I posted in the second set of Novak Djokovic’s win over Daniil Medvedev, the second set was titanic, one-hour, 44 minutes, as Djokovic ended up prevailing 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.

So Novak extended his men’s Grand Slam titles record to 24, but it also marked his 12th GS title since turning 30, his third of this season at age 36, seven wins in the past 10 major tournaments he has entered, dating back to the beginning of 2021.

Meanwhile, Medvedev picked up some more fans with his terrific play, including in his win against No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the semis.

--After the second NASCAR playoff race, won Sunday by Tyler Reddick at Kansas Speedway, the fifth of his Cup career, we have an elimination race this week at Bristol, with Bubba Wallace, Martin Truex Jr., Ricky Stenhouse and Michael McDowell on the outside looking in.

--Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested in New York early Monday for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend – a former WNBA player – inside a Manhattan hotel, authorities and police said.

Cops nabbed the 23-year-old at around 6:30 a.m. after receiving a 911 call for an assault at the Millennium Hilton New York Hotel at 1 UN Plaza.

When officers arrived, they found Porter’s 26-year-old girlfriend Kysre Gondrezick – who previously played for the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky teams – with a cut on her face and suffering neck pain, cops and sources told the New York Post.

Porter Jr. allegedly hit Gondrezick multiple times and placed his hands around her neck, cops said.

Then Tuesday, the Post reported Gondrezick was left with a broken bone in her neck, as Porter Jr. was released on $75,000 bail, with a court date on Oct. 16.  If these facts are true, the guy will be suspended without pay for at least the 2023-24 season, says moi.

Porter signed a $63.4 million contract with the Rockets in 2022.  He averaged 19.2 ppg, 5.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds last season for Houston.

--The New York Post is reporting Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are hanging out.

Next Bar Chat, early Sunday p.m. as I take a break for a few days.

-----

[Posted early Sunday p.m., Djokovic taking the first 6-3…just time to move on, boys and girls…]

Brief Add-on up top by Tuesday p.m.

NFL / New York Jets Quiz:  Only seven Jets running backs have rushed for 1,000 yards in a season.  Those seven accomplished it 18 times.  Name ‘em.  Answer below.

College Football Review

--Fans really can’t say they know what their team is until after Week 4, having normally played 3 schmos, or near schmos, among the first four opponents.  So I’m not spending any time on the blowouts.

But for the record….

1 Georgia whipped Ball State 45-3.

2 Michigan beat UNLV 35-7, but the Rebels beat the spread of 38 and for any team from Las Vegas, that’s all that matters.

4 Florida State had its way with Southern Miss, 66-13, the Seminoles racking up 306 yards on the ground, 8.3 per carry, which is most worrisome for its ACC brethren.

5 Ohio State defeated Youngstown State 35-7.

6 USC slaughtered Stanford 56-10, as Caleb Williams was a mere 19/21, 281, 3-0, playing about half the game.

7 Penn State annihilated Delaware 63-7.

But we did have a few biggies….

--3 Alabama fell to 11 Texas in Tuscaloosa, 34-24, in a huge win for coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorn program.  Quinn Ewers was terrific, 24-of-38, 349 yards and 3 touchdowns, while for ‘Bama, Jalen Milroe didn’t look like the Second Coming of Bryce Young, throwing two interceptions, though he is a terrific athlete.  Good one for Texas.

This was Alabama’s first home loss in 22 games and the program’s first non-conference loss in the regular season since 2007.

--And in a game much of the nation was watching due to some issues with other contests that I’ll address in a moment, Coach Prime’s Colorado Buffaloes whipped Nebraska 36-14 before an overflow crowd in Boulder.  Shedeur Sanders threw for 393 yards and two touchdowns, while receiver Xavier Weaver caught ten of his passes for 170 and a score. 

Travis Hunter continued his superb two-way play for the Buffaloes…3 receptions for 73 yards, and four tackles.

Next up, Colorado State, before 13 Oregon and 6 USC.

--For the second straight season, 17 North Carolina needed some late heroics to defeat Appalachian State, 40-34 in two OTs, as Drake Maye once again was so-so through the air, but won it with his legs, a 13-yard touchdown run in overtime to clinch it.

The Tar Heels’ Omarion Hampton had the game of his life, 26 carries, 234 yards and three TDs.

[Last season was the 63-61 thriller in Boone, where the Apps had 40 fourth-quarter points but fell short.]

--The No. 16 Oregon State Beavers enveloped and smothered UC Davis, 55-7.

--Miami had a terrific win for the ACC, 48-33 over 23 Texas A&M, quarterback Tyler Van Dyke a superb 21/30, 374, 5-0.

--Cincinnati won a biggie, 27-21 at Pitt.

--And the Rutgers Scarlet Knights won their second to start the season, 36-7 over Temple, with the defense yielding just 7 points for the second week.

Next up for RU, a good test in Virginia Tech before they face Michigan in Ann Arbor. 

--So Wake Forest was hosting Vanderbilt in an 11:00 a.m. affair, which irritated the hell out of me because I rush to get all kinds of stuff done Saturday mornings before settling in for sports and beginning this column.

But then the game was interrupted early in the first quarter for what ended up being a 2-hour weather delay.  So I rushed off to the Summit Dump (the world’s greatest recycling, trash facility where I get to see all my friends, the workers there…long story), and got home for the noon Notre Dame at North Carolina State, a key early test for the No. 10 Fighting Irish.

But that one then went into a nearly two-hour weather delay as well, which is why FOX got a lot of us for the Colorado game.

I mean this sucked.

But the Deacs beat Vandy 36-20.  New quarterback Mitch Griffis was OK, didn’t cough it up most importantly, but the big news was Wake had 288 yards on the ground, including some key first-down runs for Griffis, who I said last season would be better than Sam Hartman in this key category, Griffis able to break out for first down runs Hartman would fall short on.  And the defense forced three turnovers, something that was lacking last season.  Go Deacs, now 2-0.

But I’m far from convinced this team is more than 6-6 in the end.  I’d take 7-5, today, in a heartbeat.  We conceivably could start 4-0, but then it gets much, much tougher.

Meanwhile, the ACC is 4-1 against the SEC after the first few weeks.  ACC! ACC!

--So speaking of Sam Hartman, he was solid (15/24, 286, 4-0), but America saw again that running back Audric Estime could be the key man for the Fighting Irish if they are to get to the CFP; Estime with 134 yards and two scores on just 14 carries, a man among boys.

I do have to note for the Wolfpack, they are going with Virginia transfer Brennan Armstrong at quarterback.  Armstrong was a breakout star in 2021, 31 touchdown passes and just ten interceptions, but he was absolutely atrocious las season, 7 and 12, and I don’t know what made N.C. State think Armstrong was the answer in 2023.

Notre Dame is now 40-7 against ACC teams since the start of the 2015 season.

--Iowa beat Iowa State 20-13 in their annual tussle.  One leading Republican presidential candidate watched from a luxury box, the other leading candidate watched from the field.

--Carl Williams, father of reigning Heisman winner Caleb Williams, said this week that his son might return to school after the season if the NFL Draft order shakes out undesirably.  No mystery here.  I told you the other day all the companies in Los Angeles that Williams is already shilling for, easily earning a $million, possibly far more.

--Breaking…it seems Michigan State coach Mel Tucker, in his third year of a 10-year, $95 million deal, is going to be fired over a sexual harassment allegation.  Too soon to know if the school can get out of the contract.

NFL

--I will not be attempting in the least to cover the NFL like I always have College Football, and I am only focusing on the Jets and Giants, and of course this week both are in prime time, tonight and tomorrow.

I’ll look at a few games in the 1:00 time slot, but I need to post Sundays before all the late action is completed for my sanity.

I’ll certainly add some stuff in my now Tuesday evening Add-ons.

--In the Chiefs’ stunning opening night loss to the Lions, 21-20 Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City was credited with five drops, the most in a game with Patrick Mahomes, with Kadarius Toney responsible for three of the five in what was truly a dreadful night for him and the receiving corps as whole.

Mahomes’ stat line targeting wide receivers in the second half: 2 of 12, 12 yards, and an interception (a pick-six after the pass went through Toney’s hands), is godawful.

Overall, Mahomes was 21/39, 226, 2-1, 77.5, while on the other side, Jared Goff was efficient, 22/35, 253, 1-0, 94.1, and David Montgomery rushed for 74 yards on 21 carries.

So a great win for Detroit, marked as 2023’s Cinderella before Thursday, while for Kansas City, the good news is Travis Kelce should be back for Week 2 after a bone bruise kept him out of the opener.  His absence obviously showed.

--Joe Burrow signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension with the Bengals, making him the highest paid NFL player ever on a per-year basis.

At $55 million average annual value, Burrow’s deal surpassed Justin Herbert ($52.5 million), Lamar Jackson ($52m) and Jalen Harris ($51m), all of these contracts signed this offseason.

Burrow is second behind Patrick Mahomes ($450 million) in total value, and his $219.01 million guaranteed is second behind Deshaun Watson ($230m).

So how did Burrow do today in the opener at Cleveland?  If you said “SUCK,” you win all the merchandise behind the box Carol Merrill is standing in front of. 

Burrow was 14/31, 82 yards, 52.2, as the Bengals had a total of 142 yards offense!

I watched much of this one, and obviously the Cleveland defense was outstanding.  And they have Nick Chubb, who did what Nick Chubb does…18 carries, 106 yards.

--The 49ers’ Nick Bosa signed the biggest contract in NFL history for a defensive player, five years, $170 million, $122.5 million guaranteed.

Bosa had been holding out from training camp while waiting for an extension, and he has said he’d be ready for the opener at Pittsburgh.  Indeed he was.

Did Bosa fare better than Burrow?  Yessiree, sports fans.  He didn’t play a lot that I saw, but the 49ers whipped the Steelers 30-7, as Christian McCaffrey had 152 yards on the ground, including a 65-yard TD scamper.

--Just one more…the Falcons beat the Panthers 24-10, which I bring up for the debuts of two future stars, maybe.  Carolina’s Bryce Young was 20/38, 146, 1-2, 48.8.  Looking like a rookie.

For Atlanta, running back Bijan Robinson is supposedly the second coming of Jim Brown and did nothing to dispel that…10 carries for 56 yards.  I want Robinson to do well.  Would be good for the game.

QB Desmond Dekker for Atlanta was 15/18, but just 115 yards.  He had the late 60s hit the “Israelites.”

……I was just informed it’s Cincinnati alum Desmond Ridder.  My bad.

--The Jets’ Aaron Rodgers trails only Patrick Mahomes in revenue generated by player-branded gear, according to figures from the NFL Player’s Association.  During the same period last year, Rodgers ranked 20th and was 11th among quarterbacks.

Ah, the power of coming to New York.

MLB

Wild Card Standings thru Saturday….

AL

Tampa Bay 87-56…+7.5
Seattle 79-63…--
Toronto 79-63…--
Texas 77-64…1.5

NL

Philadelphia 78-63…+4
Chicago 76-67…+1
Arizona 75-68…--
Miami 73-69…1.5
San Francisco 72-70…2.5
Cincinnati 73-71…2.5

AL West

Houston 81-62…
Seattle 79-63…1.5
Texas 77-64…3

--Thursday morning, the Yankees having suddenly won 8 of 9 to get back over .500 and within six games of the wild card, fans were kind of fired up and expressing optimism, in no small part because of the arrival of 20-year-old phenom Jasson Dominguez.

But then they lost Thursday to the Tigers at the Stadium, 10-3, as Carlos Rodon yielded 7 runs in 3 innings to fall to 2-5, 6.60, and Friday night, 8-2 to the Brewers, the only two runs on Dominguez’ fourth home run in his first seven games as a big leaguer.

So the Yanks were back to 70-71, 8 games from a wild card berth, season officially over.

It didn’t help that Friday’s starter, Luis Severino, exited with a seemingly acute left side injury in the fifth, and most likely his last game in Yankee pinstripes as he’s a free agent and had an abysmal 2023.

Saturday, the Yankees lost again, 9-2…10-3, 8-2, 9-2 last three. Geezuz, that sucks.

Then today, Sunday, I saw that the Brewers’ Corbin Burnes was no-hitting the Yanks through six, so your editor, thinking this was rather delicious and looking at his pitch count, tuned in.

Gerrit Cole was matching zeroes, however, and it was 0-0 after nine, Cole out after seven (3 hits, ERA down to 2.79) and Burnes with the no-no through eight, but out after 109 pitches, understandably so, Milwaukee needing to protect him for the postseason.

And the game was then 1-1 after eleven, Milwaukee outfielder Sal Frelick (Boston College alum), with a catch for the ages in right-center, the Brewers scored two in the 12th, the Yankees matched on Giancarlo Stanton’s home run in the bottom of the inning, and, ahhhh, I’m posting.

--The Dodgers’ rotation is in a state of flux with the suspension of Julio Urias and the loss to injury of Tony Gonsolin, but rookie right-hander Ryan Pepiot stepped up and threw seven innings of one-hit ball in a 10-0 win over the Marlins Thursday night in Miami.  Does he become the fourth starter for October, the others being Bobby Miller, Kershaw and Lance Lynn?

[Urias was placed on administrative leave Wednesday by MLB, after being arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence.  Even if he isn’t charged, he could face discipline under the domestic violence policy, for which he was suspended 20 games back in 2019 after another incident.]

The Dodgers dodged a bullet when Mookie Betts left the stadium Thursday night on crutches after fouling a ball off his left foot.  Medical scans confirmed he suffered only a bone bruise, manager Dave Roberts said on Friday, a minor injury that should allow Betts to return by Monday.

Betts had been on a roll in his battle with Ronald Acuna Jr. for NL MVP.

--Speaking of Acuna, he hit three home runs, Thursday and Friday, and after Saturday’s play has 35 homers, 91, RBIs, 128 runs, .336 batting average, 1.002 OPS.

Betts, who the Dodgers have zero reason to rush back, is at 38 HR, 99 RBI, 118 runs, .314 BA, and 1.020 OPS.

Advantage Acuna.

Separately, the Braves announced right-handed pitcher Michael Soroka’s season is over due to a right forearm injury, but his injury won’t require surgery this time.  Soroka, who had a spectacular rookie season in 2019 (13-4, 2.68), then missed virtually all of 2020-22 due to a torn Achilles, and a setback during his rehab requiring a second surgery.

So he finally returned this season, but in seven appearances, six starts, was 2-2 with a 6.40 ERA.

--The struggling Rangers placed All-Star outfielder Adolis Garcia on the IL with a right patellar tendon strain on Thursday.  Garcia was leading the American League with 100 RBIs* through Wednesday, with 34 home runs.

The Rangers announced they were calling up top prospect Evan Carter from Triple-A, who went 1-for-3 Friday in his debut.

*Thru Saturday, Houston’s under-the-radar superstar Kyle Tucker now leads the AL in RBIs, with 101, Tucker also with 26 home runs and 26 stolen bases.  Love this guy.  Wish he was a Met!

--For the record, the Yanks Giancarlo Stanton hit home run No. 400 on Wednesday (after today, at 401), a 451-foot shot.  He is the fourth quickest player to reach the 400-homer mark in terms of games (1,520).  Only Mark McGwire, Babe Ruth and Alex Rodriguez did it faster.

Stanton, who turns 34 in November, hit .211 last season and .201 this year and is still owed $119 million through 2027, plus a bit more for 2028, though a decent portion of this is paid by Miami.

That said, the Yanks are solely on the hook for $64 million 2024-25, so there’s all kinds of talk of just letting him go and eating the money.  But it’s Hal Steinbrenner’s money, not yours or mine, and it’s not like someone else will take him, without New York picking up a huge percentage of this.

Anyway, another interesting offseason decision.

It’s also a potential lesson for the Mets and what to do with Pete Alonso and his quest for a big extension.  Stanton hasn’t aged well.  Ryan Howard didn’t age well.  Alonso, in the 3rd or 4th year of his deal potentially won’t age well.  He turns 29 in December.

[Alonso hit No. 43, Saturday, in another meaningless loss by the Mets in Minnesota.]

--Also for the record, since my last post early Tuesday, that night, Jose Altuve homered in each of the first three innings, giving him a home run in four straight plate appearances going back to Monday’s game and five homers in six plate appearance; thus becoming the first player since at least 1961 to hit a home run in four consecutive innings, and the fourth to hit five homers in six plate appearances, joining Manny Ramirez (1998), Shawn Green (2002) and Josh Hamilton (2012).

Altuve didn’t homer his next three games.

--According to a report in USA Today, the Angels would be willing to trade Mike Trout if he requested one.  He has a no-trade clause, but he told the Orange County Register, “When it’s brought up in the offseason, you’ve obviously got to talk about it, and think about it.”  He wants to see “the direction of everything and what the plan is.”

Trout still has seven years and more than $248 million left on his contract.

And he’s been nothing but one injury after another the past four seasons.

Plus, he’s really just evolved into a power hitter.  He doesn’t steal bases anymore.  But at the same time, I don’t know a fan who wouldn’t want the guy on their team.  Very intriguing.

--Washington Nationals owner Mark Lerner disputed reports about pitcher Stephen Strasburg’s planned retirement.

Strasburg was set to retire during a press conference at Nationals Park on Saturday, as I noted a few weeks ago – with his seven-year, $245 million contract intact – but the 35-year-old veteran was informed by the team on Thursday that their agreement was off.

According to Lerner, however, discussions between the Nats and Strasburg never resulted in a deal and he says the media has “mischaracterized these events.”

“It is regrettable that private discussions have been made public through anonymous sources attempting to negotiate through the media,” Lerner said Friday in a statement.  “While we have been following the process required by the Collective Bargaining Agreement, behind-the-scenes preparations for a press conference had begun internally.  However, ho such event was ever confirmed by the team or promoted publicly.”

Strasburg is still owed $105 million under the original seven-year, $245 million contract he signed to return to the Nationals in December 2019 after being the hero of the World Series.

For now, as Nats GM Mike Rizzo told a radio station on Wednesday, “he’s got (3.5) years left on the deal, and he’ll get paid for those four years on the deal until he makes a decision on what his future’s going to be.”

U.S. Open

--Saturday, in the women’s final at the U.S. Open, 19-year-old American Coco Gauff, seeded sixth, did it, becoming the third American teenager to win the title (after Tracy Austin and Serena, last in 1999), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, over 2-seed Aryna Sabalenka, 25, who Monday becomes the World No. 1 after No. 1 Iga Swiatek’s early exit in this tournament.

Sabalenka, from Belarus, was an unforced error machine, while Gauff answered Sabalenka’s best, keeping the pressure on her opponent until Sabalenka cracked.

Just a great champion, a great role model for young kids, and great for U.S. tennis.

[I’m ignoring some of Gauff’s bitter statements after, and frankly I’m growing tired of such talk, ‘people didn’t believe in me, our team, blah blah blah.’  See also Shedeur Sanders this weekend.]

Gauff had advanced to the final in straight sets over No. 10 seed Karolina Muchova, a match marred by a 49-minute delay, caused by climate activists.

Sabalenka outlasted Madison Keys in her semifinal, despite losing the first set 6-0.

--Friday night, I watched the fourth and final set of 3-seed Daniil Medvedev’s semifinal triumph over No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, and it was pretty funny how Medvedev couldn’t close it out, but did, setting up a final against 2-seed Novak Djokovic.

Medvedev defeated Djokovic in New York in 2021 to capture his lone Grand Slam title.

Djokovic, 36, is playing for a record 24th major singles title after defeating American Ben Shelton, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6, earlier on Friday.  If he prevails, he would be the oldest man to win the U.S. Open.

I do like how Djokovic dissed Shelton’s “Hang up the phone!” celebration gesture by mimicking it himself as he recorded the victory.  I’m sorry, but I thought Shelton’s showmanship in his quarterfinal win over Frances Tiafoe was a bit over the top for a kid who hasn’t won anything.

So Medvedev’s upset robbed fans of a rematch of Alcaraz and Djokovic’s superb Wimbledon final in July, but Medvedev is no slouch.  As Alcaraz put it afterward, “Well, obviously Daniil is there.  He’s always there.”  This was the third meeting of the year for Medvedev-Alcaraz in a final or semifinal.

--Naomi Osaka announced she will return to professional tennis in 2024, after taking a break to have a baby. 

--The U.S. Open protester who glued his feet to the stadium floor says the NYPD tried to discredit him by sticking him in a psychiatric ward.

Shayok Mukhopadhyay knew the world would be watching Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova’s Thursday match when he stuck his feet to the floor of his seating bowl.

Well, I wasn’t going to even mention this jerk but because of his statement, he and his two compatriots actually thought they were doing their cause good?!  He actually thought thousands of people watching on television would say, ‘You know, these folks have a point…I’m going to sign up and start protesting myself tomorrow…’?

You, sir, are an amazing asshole and into the December file you go.  [Jeff Spicoli hardware is among the awards he is up for.]

Stuff

--Vincent Norrman (sic) won the Irish Open at The K Club today, as Rory McIlroy, in line for the win going to the fourth round, shot a disappointing 74 (+2) to finish T16.

But Shane Lowry had an important T3.  Lowry hasn’t had a good year but was a captain’s pick for the Euro Ryder Cup squad so Luke Donald and Co., and Lowry, must be feeling much better as they head to Rome in less than three weeks.

--What an embarrassment.  The United States was knocked out of the FIBA World Cup by Germany, 113-111, in the semifinals of the World Cup on Friday in the Philippines.

Germany was led by Andreas Obst (who plays in the Euro League), the Magic’s Franz Wagner, and the Pacers’ Daniel Theis.

The Americans last won the tournament in 2014.  In 2019, they were knocked out by France in the quarterfinals.

--No Premier League action this weekend as they had European Championship qualifier action.

--I was reading a story in the Washington Post by Daniel Wu on a letter Ernest Hemingway wrote back in 1954 that sold at auction about ten days ago for $237,055.

The four-page missive was written while Hemingway was recovering from not one, but two plane crashes while on safari with his last wife, Mary Welsh.

I remember the story of Hemingway surviving two plane crashes, but had forgotten they were so close to each other.

Hemingway hired a small Cessna plane in 1954 for a sightseeing trip with Mary, as described in Andrew Farah’s 2017 book “Hemingway’s Brain.”

The couple had arranged to fly over the Murchison Falls in Uganda, according to Farah’s book.  “But as the plane dove to avoid a flock of birds near the falls, it struck a telegraph wire.  The plane crashed, stranding Hemingway, Welsh and their pilot on the shore of the Nile River, where they spent the night.

“Welsh broke two ribs in the crash and Hemingway sprained his shoulder, Farah wrote, but they were able to flag down a passing boat the next morning and find passage to a nearby town.  There, Hemingway and Welsh boarded a second plane to leave Uganda – and, incredibly, suffered their second crash.  Shortly after the plane took off from a rocky field, it fell back to Earth and burst into flames.

“Welsh and the plane’s other passengers escaped through a window, but Hemingway, too large to join them, was trapped inside the flaming fuselage, according to Farah. He eventually escaped by battering open a jammed door with his head.  Hemingway suffered two fractured disks, burns across his head, face and arms, and a fractured skull, Farah wrote.”  [Daniel Wu]

Hemingway wrote the letter from a Venice hotel in April 1954, where he recovered from his injuries.

Farah wrote in “Hemingway’s Brain” that the injuries the writer suffered in the two plane crashes added to a long list of physical traumas he’d endured, including from a mortar round in World War I and antitank gunfire in World War II, and played a key role in the depression and erratic behavior that marked his final years before he died by suicide in 1961.

--I have quite a few friends who are disappointed that Bruce Springsteen has postponed all of his September concert dates as he is treated for symptoms of peptic ulcer disease.

“Over here on E Street, we’re heartbroken to have to postpone these shows,” a statement posted on The Boss’ Instagram Wednesday night read.

“First, apologies to our fabulous Philly fans who we missed a few weeks ago.  We’ll be back to pick these shows up and then some.  Thank you for your understanding and support,” it added, alluding to earlier cancellations.

Symptoms of peptic ulcers include pain in the upper part of your abdomen, feeling full too soon while eating a meal, nausea and vomiting, as well as bloating and belching, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease.

Springsteen’s statement did not specify what symptoms he’s experiencing.

Top 3 songs for the week 9/14/68: #1 “People Got To Be Free” (The Rascals)  #2 “Harper Valley P.T.A.” (Jeannie C. Riley)  #3 “Light My Fire” (Jose Feliciano)…and…#4 “Born To Be Wild” (Steppenwolf)  #5 “1, 2, 3, Red Light” (1910 Fruitgum Company)  #6 “The House That Jack Built” (Aretha Franklin)  #7 “You’re All I Need To Get By” (Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell)  #8 “Hush” (Deep Purple)  #9 “Hello, I Love You” (The Doors) #10 “Hey Jude” (The Beatles…would be #1 two weeks later and stay there for 9 weeks…A- week…)

NFL / New York Jets Quiz Answer: 1,000-yard seasons, rushing….

Curtis Martin (7), including the top three totals
Thomas Jones (3)
Freeman McNeil (2)
Adrian Murrell (2)
Shonn Greene (2)
Chris Ivory (1)
John Riggins (1)

Brief Add-on up top, Tuesday p.m.

 



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Bar Chat

09/11/2023

Coco Bags Her First Major

Add-on posted early Tuesday p.m.

College Football

AP Top 25

1. Georgia (55)
2. Michigan (2)
3. Florida State (3)
4. Texas (2)…up 7
5. USC
6. Ohio State
7. Penn State
8. Washington
9. Notre Dame
10. Alabama…down 7
11. Tennessee
12. Utah
13. Oregon
14. LSU
15. Kansas State
16. Oregon State
17. Ole Miss
18. Colorado
19. Oklahoma
20. North Carolina
21. Duke
22. Miami
23. Washington State
24. UCLA
25. Iowa

*Clemson out of Top 25.

Texas is in the top five for the first time since starting the 2010 season at No. 5.

Ironically, the Pac-12 became just the second conference to place as many as eight teams in an AP Top 25.  Kind of sad.  Oregon State and Washington State are trying to preserve a semblance of a Pac-12, but at the same time risk not being in the Power 5, which is heading towards a Power 4.

As for next Saturday’s slate of games, it is incredibly weak.

8 Washington at Michigan State is interesting only in that the Spartans have a bit of turmoil with Coach Mel Tucker having been suspended.

Actually, to me, Virginia Tech at Rutgers is important in terms of finding out if RU might be able to hang in some major Big Ten contests down the road.

But otherwise, the schedule is a major yawner…which means there will be an upset or two because it is, after all, only Week 3 and we still don’t know about many of these teams.

--Suspended MSU coach Tucker broke his silence Monday in a lengthy statement in which he denied sexual harassment claims and labeled them “completely false.”

In the statement released through his attorney, Tucker claimed that his accuser, Brenda Tracy, had developed an “intimate, adult relationship” and that Tracy had “encouraged our personal relationship.”

Tucker was suspended without pay Sunday after USA Today published a report in which Tracy went public with her allegations, which I don’t even want to get into.

Tucker said: “We developed a mutual friendship that grew into an intimate, adult relationship; at this point, my wife and I had been estranged for a long time.”

Tracy is a sexual assault prevention advocate and works to educate athletes about sexual violence.

NFL

--Wow, what a dismal Sunday night in the Meadowlands…heavy rain at times and a Giants team that didn’t show up.

Mike Vaccaro / New York Post

“It’s one game.

“That’s the only thing you can say.  That’s the only way you can think. Really, that’s the only thing that will get you through till next Sunday without wanting to put the rest of your season tickets on eBay - or in the fireplace.  Say it again. Say it over and over again.

“Italicize it – it’s one game.

“Boldface it – it’s one game.

“Go all caps.  Use slammers!!!!

“IT’S ONE GAME!!!!!

“ ‘It’s one game,’ Giants coach Brian Daboll said.  ‘It’s wasn’t a good game. I won’t sugarcoat it. We’ve got a lot to learn from, a lot to work on.’

“Well. They’d better learn.  They’d better work. Because Sunday night the Giants didn’t belong on the same field as the Cowboys.  They didn’t belong in the same area code – the Cowboys were 201, the Giants 732.  Maybe 305.  Yes. That’s Florida. That’s how far removed they seemed from the Cowboys. The final was 40-0. In truth, it could have been anything the infidels from Dallas wanted it to be. It was that bad. It was that brutal.

“Remember last year, Week 1?  Last year, Week 1, the Giants played a marvelous, masterful game against the Titans, in Nashville. They spotted the AFC’s defending top seed a 13-0 lead. They were getting overwhelmed, both sides of the ball. Daboll cleared his throat at the half. He went for two late, the Giants converted, won, 21-20, and the rest of the season we kept going back to that game.

“Kept saying: That’s the one that set the tone….

“Overreaction Monday. Teams are never as good as they look when they win in Week 1, or as bad as they look when they lose the opener. That’s the narrative anyway.

“Unless – like last year – Week 1 really does set a tone.

“Then it’s cited like a law precedent.

“So the Giants really need to hope that next week in Phoenix, they honor what their fans are going to be chanting like a mantra – IT’S ONE GAME!!! – for the next six days….

“Because if this one did set a tone?

“Then the season is going to be, well, tone-deaf.  Because there wasn’t one thing the Giants did well Sunday.”

So for the archives, just a few stats.

It was the third-worst shutout loss in franchise history, the worst since a 42-0 beating by the Raiders in Oakland during the 1973 season.  The 40-point margin was also the eighth-largest loss ever for the Giants.

Counting last year’s playoff game against the Eagles, the Giants have been outscored 78-7 their last two games.

This was the fifth consecutive loss and the 12th in the last 13 games to the Cowboys.

Individually, start with kicker Graham Gano.  Just two days earlier, he signed a mammoth 3-year, $16.5 million extension, including $11.5 million guaranteed.  Kickers just don’t get deals like this.  But Gano had hit 91.8% of his field goals in three seasons with the Giants, including a superb 20 of 25 from 50+.

Well, his first field goal attempt Sunday was blocked and returned for a touchdown.  He duck-hooked his second, from 36 yards.

Daniel Jones signed a 4-year, $160 million extension.  He was awful, 15-of-28, 104 yards, picked off twice, including once for a touchdown after Saquon Barkley didn’t secure the catch before a big hit, a 32.4 rating, and Jones was sacked seven times.

Which means the offensive line was atrocious.  Here on local talk radio, when it comes to the Giants it’s always been about the O-Line, and the talk is seldom good.   Imagine how Giants fans feel today about these guys up front.  Talk about setting a tone.  It starts there, always, in this sport.

The Giants are scheduled to be in prime time at least four more times this season.  If they lose in Phoenix, the NFL and their networks will be looking to ‘flex’ those four into Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m., and not because they’re playing in London.

--So then the Jets played on Monday night, also in the Meadowlands, in a game as highly anticipated as any in recent memory in these parts with Aaron Rodgers making his Jets debut against the mighty Bills and Josh Allen.  And it took just four plays on offense for the Jets for the season to go spiraling out of control…Aaron Rodgers went down with an ankle injury.  Everyone who saw how he went down attempting to avoid a sack feared the worst.  After the game Coach Robert Salah said as much, saying it looked bad, it was Rodgers’ Achilles.

And sure enough Tuesday morning it was indeed a torn Achilles, Rodgers out for the season.

Monday night, Jets fans were stunned, shocked, and in a state of deep depression, even as the game progressed.  I received a lot of notes from fellow Jets fans in total despair.  I sure as hell was one of them.

But this was still just the first quarter.  Thanks to a stout Jets defense and Josh Allen throwing three picks to Jets safety Jordan Whitehead, and backup Zach Wilson (14/21, 140, 1-1, 81.4) doing just enough to keep hope alive, at least for the remaining 2 hours, and a phenomenal catch for a touchdown by Garrett Wilson, the game was tied 13-13 with 4:55 left in the game.

WTF…we all thought.

The two sides exchanged field goals to send the game into overtime, Buffalo’s Tyler Bass banging his 50-yarder off the upright but through it, and in overtime, after the Jets stopped the Bills’ first possession, rookie Xavier Gipson returned a punt 65 yards for the winning touchdown, as dramatic an ending given the circumstances of the game as the NFL and Jets fans could have hoped for.  [Thankfully, the referees missed a tripping/leg whip call…but that’s Buffalo’s problem, not mine, boys and girls.]

After the game, focus went back to Rodgers and player reaction.

“It wasn’t ideal to see him on the ground that long,” Jets right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker said.  “We were trying to lift him, telling him to get up…trying to talk to him and he was just like, ‘I’m not getting up.’

“When any player says that, you know it’s probably not the most ideal thing to happen.”

But not all the players, in the moment of the entire dramatic win and effort by the defense really knew the seriousness of the situation about to be laid out to them.

Others, such as left tackle Duane Brown, longtime veteran in the league who had been assigned to Bills edge rusher Leonard Floyd who sacked Rodgers, was visibly distraught.  They say he looked stunned.

So now the Jets need to find a backup quarterback.  Coach Salah said the team is committed to Wilson for the season, and no doubt that is true, but I’m hoping they sign Colt McCoy as a professional ready to step in.

If there was one positive that emerged from the night, aside from the stellar play on defense, it was the return of Breece Hall.

I was super high on the guy when the Jets drafted him in 2022 and he didn’t disappoint before tearing his ACL.  Hall had 463 yards on 80 carries in seven games, a 5.8 average, and the Jets were 5-2.  He was the breakaway back they’ve long sought.

But we all thought he would be worked back in slowly, and it was a big reason why the Jets signed Dalvin Cook to share the load, and all Hall did on his first two touches was run for 26 and 83 yards, going 10-127 for the game, plus a 20-yard reception.

So you can see the game plan for the rest of the year.  Controlled passes, hope Cook can carry it 15+ times a game, and make sure Hall gets his 15 touches, because in his brief time in the NFL, he’s already proven he’s a game-changer.

Next up for New York, Dallas in Big D.

Meanwhile, Josh Allen sucked, four turnovers overall including a fourth-quarter fumble that led to the Jets’ last field goal. Stefon Diggs did have a big day, 10 receptions, 102 yards and a score.  The guy is a winner.  Allen?  No rings yet.

Damar Hamlin, by the way, was on the sidelines of Monday night’s game for the Bills.  No word on exactly when he’ll see his first game action since last January’s cardiac arrest.

Lastly, Mike Vaccaro / New York Post

“And as they left the stadium, or clicked off the TV, Jets fans had to feel like they’d put in a full day’s work, too.  Sports isn’t supposed to be life and death. It just feels that way sometimes when you have skin in the game and a dog in the hunt and a heart fully invested in a team, even one that so frequently crushes your soul.

“For one night, anyway, it was all there for you. Try explaining all of that to your friends who aren’t sports fans.  Good luck with that.”

--Other news in the NFL….

--The Ravens suffered a huge loss in losing running back J.K. Dobbins, who tore his Achilles in Baltimore’s 25-9 win over Houston, ending his 2023 season and devastating the locker room, reports have it.

Dobbins had averaged 5.8 yards per carry his first two seasons, 2020 and 2022.

So now it’s up to Gus Edwards and Justice Hill.  Former Pro-Bowl back Melvin Gordon could find his way onto the field as well.  But they don’t have Dobbins’ explosiveness.

The Ravens game also marked the return of Odell Beckham Jr., who had two receptions for 37 yards.  But the man I touted heavily last NFL Draft, receiver Zay Flowers out of Boston College, had a super debut…nine catches, 78 yards, plus he carried twice for another nine.  The kid is a game-changer like Breece Hall.

[I have to add that another high-profile rookie, Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud, held his own, 28/44, 242, 0-0, 78.0]

--The Jaguars beat the Colts 31-21, as Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence continued his evolution into an elite performer…24/32, 241, 2-1, 103.8.

2021…12 TDs, 17 INTs, 71.9 rating
2022…25-8, 95.2

And Clemson teammate, running back Travis Etienne Jr., has emerged as not just a solid runner, but he’s capable of breaking one on a pass from his buddy as well.  Jags fans have a lot to be hopeful for.

For Indianapolis, quarterback Anthony Richardson wasn’t bad in his rookie debut…24/37, 223, 1-1, 79.0, plus 40 yards on the ground and another score.

--Jordan Love certainly was solid for Green Bay, getting his chance to replace Aaron Rodgers, as Love was 15/27, 3-0, 123.2 in the Packers’ 38-20 win over the Bears.

--Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill had a field day in Miami’s 36-34 thriller over the L.A. Chargers.

Tua threw for 466 yards and three touchdowns, combining with Hill for 11 receptions, 215 yards and two scores.

The Chargers wasted 164 yards from scrimmage from Austin Ekeler, 117 rushing, 47 receiving.

--Monday, the Chiefs announced that Chris Jones’ holdout is over. The four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle and the Kansas City Chiefs agreed to a revised contract, ending a long standoff that resulted in Jones sitting out the season-opening loss to the Lions.

MLB

--So Sunday afternoon, as I alluded to last time, I got caught up in the Yankees game against the Brewers because Corbin Burnes was tossing a no-no against the Yanks, which I loved, and then the game developed into a true epic, including one of the great all-time catches by Milwaukee outfielder Sal Frelick (another B.C. kid).

The Yanks ended up being no-hit through ten innings but won it in the 13th.

What I forgot to mention, and I knew this, was that 20-year-old phenom Jasson Dominguez had been scratched with right-elbow inflammation…a major ‘uh oh’ for Yankee fans.

We then learned Sunday night that he was diagnosed with a torn UCL in his right elbow that will knock him out at least for most of next season.  Just a massive, massive blow for the Yanks.  I feel for the kid.  Normal recovery is 9-10 months. 

--Sunday, the Mets beat the Twins 2-0 with two in the ninth off the bat of D.J. Stewart, who has been terrific since being called up.

But Johnny Mac was talking about the Twins’ Pablo Lopez, who threw eight shutout innings in a no-decision, 14 strikeouts.

Lopez was always hit hard by the Mets when he was in Miami, yet otherwise his last four seasons has been a terrific pitcher, with an ERA of 3.75 or better each of the four, including 3.43 this season, 10-7, 178 2/3, 213 strikeouts.

It was last January that Miami picked up Luis Arraez for Lopez and two prospects.  All-in-all, a pretty fair swap.  [Arraez still leads all of baseball with a .349 batting average, but it’s a come down from the lofty talk of .400 earlier in the season.]

--Mets fans Tuesday received some great news.  Our Uncle Stevie nabbed his guy, Milwaukee’s David Stearns, to be the new president of baseball operations.

Stearns, 38, is a Harvard grad who grew up in Manhattan rooting for the Mets and interned for the club after college.  He has been a highly successful, and sought after, executive and the Mets won out over the Astros (for whom Stearns worked as an assistant GM before getting the head job in Milwaukee).  Houston wanted him back, according to reports.

Billy Eppler, acting GM, will work under Stearns, and now Eppler can do what he does best…focus on nabbing at least one of the two big stars supposedly becoming available in the offseason from Japan (Yamamoto and Sasaki), both pitchers.  Eppler had a big hand in bringing Shohei Ohtani to the Angels, and he got Kodai Senga to sign with the Mets.

Let’s just say, Eppler has one big talent.  He knows how to use chopsticks.  [Your editor does not, something that has bothered me my entire life…just can’t master it.]  But I can type a mile a minute!

As for the status of Mets manager Buck Showalter, Cohen likes him, but Stearns could probably lure Brewers manager Craig Counsel to Gotham, which I would like.

--So much for the Dodgers easing Mookie Betts back into the lineup.  He returned from his left foot bone bruise Monday, 2-for-4, home run and double, with 4 RBIs, in an 11-8 loss to the Padres.

So the Betts-Acuna Jr. MVP battle is still on, even as L.A.’s Freddie Freeman and Atlanta’s Matt Olson say, ‘Hey, don’t forget about me!’

Olson hit home runs No. 49 and 50, Monday, against the Phillies.  Olson is now one behind Andruw Jones’ 51 in 2005.

Stuff

--For the record, since I posted in the second set of Novak Djokovic’s win over Daniil Medvedev, the second set was titanic, one-hour, 44 minutes, as Djokovic ended up prevailing 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.

So Novak extended his men’s Grand Slam titles record to 24, but it also marked his 12th GS title since turning 30, his third of this season at age 36, seven wins in the past 10 major tournaments he has entered, dating back to the beginning of 2021.

Meanwhile, Medvedev picked up some more fans with his terrific play, including in his win against No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the semis.

--After the second NASCAR playoff race, won Sunday by Tyler Reddick at Kansas Speedway, the fifth of his Cup career, we have an elimination race this week at Bristol, with Bubba Wallace, Martin Truex Jr., Ricky Stenhouse and Michael McDowell on the outside looking in.

--Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested in New York early Monday for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend – a former WNBA player – inside a Manhattan hotel, authorities and police said.

Cops nabbed the 23-year-old at around 6:30 a.m. after receiving a 911 call for an assault at the Millennium Hilton New York Hotel at 1 UN Plaza.

When officers arrived, they found Porter’s 26-year-old girlfriend Kysre Gondrezick – who previously played for the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky teams – with a cut on her face and suffering neck pain, cops and sources told the New York Post.

Porter Jr. allegedly hit Gondrezick multiple times and placed his hands around her neck, cops said.

Then Tuesday, the Post reported Gondrezick was left with a broken bone in her neck, as Porter Jr. was released on $75,000 bail, with a court date on Oct. 16.  If these facts are true, the guy will be suspended without pay for at least the 2023-24 season, says moi.

Porter signed a $63.4 million contract with the Rockets in 2022.  He averaged 19.2 ppg, 5.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds last season for Houston.

--The New York Post is reporting Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are hanging out.

Next Bar Chat, early Sunday p.m. as I take a break for a few days.

-----

[Posted early Sunday p.m., Djokovic taking the first 6-3…just time to move on, boys and girls…]

Brief Add-on up top by Tuesday p.m.

NFL / New York Jets Quiz:  Only seven Jets running backs have rushed for 1,000 yards in a season.  Those seven accomplished it 18 times.  Name ‘em.  Answer below.

College Football Review

--Fans really can’t say they know what their team is until after Week 4, having normally played 3 schmos, or near schmos, among the first four opponents.  So I’m not spending any time on the blowouts.

But for the record….

1 Georgia whipped Ball State 45-3.

2 Michigan beat UNLV 35-7, but the Rebels beat the spread of 38 and for any team from Las Vegas, that’s all that matters.

4 Florida State had its way with Southern Miss, 66-13, the Seminoles racking up 306 yards on the ground, 8.3 per carry, which is most worrisome for its ACC brethren.

5 Ohio State defeated Youngstown State 35-7.

6 USC slaughtered Stanford 56-10, as Caleb Williams was a mere 19/21, 281, 3-0, playing about half the game.

7 Penn State annihilated Delaware 63-7.

But we did have a few biggies….

--3 Alabama fell to 11 Texas in Tuscaloosa, 34-24, in a huge win for coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorn program.  Quinn Ewers was terrific, 24-of-38, 349 yards and 3 touchdowns, while for ‘Bama, Jalen Milroe didn’t look like the Second Coming of Bryce Young, throwing two interceptions, though he is a terrific athlete.  Good one for Texas.

This was Alabama’s first home loss in 22 games and the program’s first non-conference loss in the regular season since 2007.

--And in a game much of the nation was watching due to some issues with other contests that I’ll address in a moment, Coach Prime’s Colorado Buffaloes whipped Nebraska 36-14 before an overflow crowd in Boulder.  Shedeur Sanders threw for 393 yards and two touchdowns, while receiver Xavier Weaver caught ten of his passes for 170 and a score. 

Travis Hunter continued his superb two-way play for the Buffaloes…3 receptions for 73 yards, and four tackles.

Next up, Colorado State, before 13 Oregon and 6 USC.

--For the second straight season, 17 North Carolina needed some late heroics to defeat Appalachian State, 40-34 in two OTs, as Drake Maye once again was so-so through the air, but won it with his legs, a 13-yard touchdown run in overtime to clinch it.

The Tar Heels’ Omarion Hampton had the game of his life, 26 carries, 234 yards and three TDs.

[Last season was the 63-61 thriller in Boone, where the Apps had 40 fourth-quarter points but fell short.]

--The No. 16 Oregon State Beavers enveloped and smothered UC Davis, 55-7.

--Miami had a terrific win for the ACC, 48-33 over 23 Texas A&M, quarterback Tyler Van Dyke a superb 21/30, 374, 5-0.

--Cincinnati won a biggie, 27-21 at Pitt.

--And the Rutgers Scarlet Knights won their second to start the season, 36-7 over Temple, with the defense yielding just 7 points for the second week.

Next up for RU, a good test in Virginia Tech before they face Michigan in Ann Arbor. 

--So Wake Forest was hosting Vanderbilt in an 11:00 a.m. affair, which irritated the hell out of me because I rush to get all kinds of stuff done Saturday mornings before settling in for sports and beginning this column.

But then the game was interrupted early in the first quarter for what ended up being a 2-hour weather delay.  So I rushed off to the Summit Dump (the world’s greatest recycling, trash facility where I get to see all my friends, the workers there…long story), and got home for the noon Notre Dame at North Carolina State, a key early test for the No. 10 Fighting Irish.

But that one then went into a nearly two-hour weather delay as well, which is why FOX got a lot of us for the Colorado game.

I mean this sucked.

But the Deacs beat Vandy 36-20.  New quarterback Mitch Griffis was OK, didn’t cough it up most importantly, but the big news was Wake had 288 yards on the ground, including some key first-down runs for Griffis, who I said last season would be better than Sam Hartman in this key category, Griffis able to break out for first down runs Hartman would fall short on.  And the defense forced three turnovers, something that was lacking last season.  Go Deacs, now 2-0.

But I’m far from convinced this team is more than 6-6 in the end.  I’d take 7-5, today, in a heartbeat.  We conceivably could start 4-0, but then it gets much, much tougher.

Meanwhile, the ACC is 4-1 against the SEC after the first few weeks.  ACC! ACC!

--So speaking of Sam Hartman, he was solid (15/24, 286, 4-0), but America saw again that running back Audric Estime could be the key man for the Fighting Irish if they are to get to the CFP; Estime with 134 yards and two scores on just 14 carries, a man among boys.

I do have to note for the Wolfpack, they are going with Virginia transfer Brennan Armstrong at quarterback.  Armstrong was a breakout star in 2021, 31 touchdown passes and just ten interceptions, but he was absolutely atrocious las season, 7 and 12, and I don’t know what made N.C. State think Armstrong was the answer in 2023.

Notre Dame is now 40-7 against ACC teams since the start of the 2015 season.

--Iowa beat Iowa State 20-13 in their annual tussle.  One leading Republican presidential candidate watched from a luxury box, the other leading candidate watched from the field.

--Carl Williams, father of reigning Heisman winner Caleb Williams, said this week that his son might return to school after the season if the NFL Draft order shakes out undesirably.  No mystery here.  I told you the other day all the companies in Los Angeles that Williams is already shilling for, easily earning a $million, possibly far more.

--Breaking…it seems Michigan State coach Mel Tucker, in his third year of a 10-year, $95 million deal, is going to be fired over a sexual harassment allegation.  Too soon to know if the school can get out of the contract.

NFL

--I will not be attempting in the least to cover the NFL like I always have College Football, and I am only focusing on the Jets and Giants, and of course this week both are in prime time, tonight and tomorrow.

I’ll look at a few games in the 1:00 time slot, but I need to post Sundays before all the late action is completed for my sanity.

I’ll certainly add some stuff in my now Tuesday evening Add-ons.

--In the Chiefs’ stunning opening night loss to the Lions, 21-20 Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City was credited with five drops, the most in a game with Patrick Mahomes, with Kadarius Toney responsible for three of the five in what was truly a dreadful night for him and the receiving corps as whole.

Mahomes’ stat line targeting wide receivers in the second half: 2 of 12, 12 yards, and an interception (a pick-six after the pass went through Toney’s hands), is godawful.

Overall, Mahomes was 21/39, 226, 2-1, 77.5, while on the other side, Jared Goff was efficient, 22/35, 253, 1-0, 94.1, and David Montgomery rushed for 74 yards on 21 carries.

So a great win for Detroit, marked as 2023’s Cinderella before Thursday, while for Kansas City, the good news is Travis Kelce should be back for Week 2 after a bone bruise kept him out of the opener.  His absence obviously showed.

--Joe Burrow signed a five-year, $275 million contract extension with the Bengals, making him the highest paid NFL player ever on a per-year basis.

At $55 million average annual value, Burrow’s deal surpassed Justin Herbert ($52.5 million), Lamar Jackson ($52m) and Jalen Harris ($51m), all of these contracts signed this offseason.

Burrow is second behind Patrick Mahomes ($450 million) in total value, and his $219.01 million guaranteed is second behind Deshaun Watson ($230m).

So how did Burrow do today in the opener at Cleveland?  If you said “SUCK,” you win all the merchandise behind the box Carol Merrill is standing in front of. 

Burrow was 14/31, 82 yards, 52.2, as the Bengals had a total of 142 yards offense!

I watched much of this one, and obviously the Cleveland defense was outstanding.  And they have Nick Chubb, who did what Nick Chubb does…18 carries, 106 yards.

--The 49ers’ Nick Bosa signed the biggest contract in NFL history for a defensive player, five years, $170 million, $122.5 million guaranteed.

Bosa had been holding out from training camp while waiting for an extension, and he has said he’d be ready for the opener at Pittsburgh.  Indeed he was.

Did Bosa fare better than Burrow?  Yessiree, sports fans.  He didn’t play a lot that I saw, but the 49ers whipped the Steelers 30-7, as Christian McCaffrey had 152 yards on the ground, including a 65-yard TD scamper.

--Just one more…the Falcons beat the Panthers 24-10, which I bring up for the debuts of two future stars, maybe.  Carolina’s Bryce Young was 20/38, 146, 1-2, 48.8.  Looking like a rookie.

For Atlanta, running back Bijan Robinson is supposedly the second coming of Jim Brown and did nothing to dispel that…10 carries for 56 yards.  I want Robinson to do well.  Would be good for the game.

QB Desmond Dekker for Atlanta was 15/18, but just 115 yards.  He had the late 60s hit the “Israelites.”

……I was just informed it’s Cincinnati alum Desmond Ridder.  My bad.

--The Jets’ Aaron Rodgers trails only Patrick Mahomes in revenue generated by player-branded gear, according to figures from the NFL Player’s Association.  During the same period last year, Rodgers ranked 20th and was 11th among quarterbacks.

Ah, the power of coming to New York.

MLB

Wild Card Standings thru Saturday….

AL

Tampa Bay 87-56…+7.5
Seattle 79-63…--
Toronto 79-63…--
Texas 77-64…1.5

NL

Philadelphia 78-63…+4
Chicago 76-67…+1
Arizona 75-68…--
Miami 73-69…1.5
San Francisco 72-70…2.5
Cincinnati 73-71…2.5

AL West

Houston 81-62…
Seattle 79-63…1.5
Texas 77-64…3

--Thursday morning, the Yankees having suddenly won 8 of 9 to get back over .500 and within six games of the wild card, fans were kind of fired up and expressing optimism, in no small part because of the arrival of 20-year-old phenom Jasson Dominguez.

But then they lost Thursday to the Tigers at the Stadium, 10-3, as Carlos Rodon yielded 7 runs in 3 innings to fall to 2-5, 6.60, and Friday night, 8-2 to the Brewers, the only two runs on Dominguez’ fourth home run in his first seven games as a big leaguer.

So the Yanks were back to 70-71, 8 games from a wild card berth, season officially over.

It didn’t help that Friday’s starter, Luis Severino, exited with a seemingly acute left side injury in the fifth, and most likely his last game in Yankee pinstripes as he’s a free agent and had an abysmal 2023.

Saturday, the Yankees lost again, 9-2…10-3, 8-2, 9-2 last three. Geezuz, that sucks.

Then today, Sunday, I saw that the Brewers’ Corbin Burnes was no-hitting the Yanks through six, so your editor, thinking this was rather delicious and looking at his pitch count, tuned in.

Gerrit Cole was matching zeroes, however, and it was 0-0 after nine, Cole out after seven (3 hits, ERA down to 2.79) and Burnes with the no-no through eight, but out after 109 pitches, understandably so, Milwaukee needing to protect him for the postseason.

And the game was then 1-1 after eleven, Milwaukee outfielder Sal Frelick (Boston College alum), with a catch for the ages in right-center, the Brewers scored two in the 12th, the Yankees matched on Giancarlo Stanton’s home run in the bottom of the inning, and, ahhhh, I’m posting.

--The Dodgers’ rotation is in a state of flux with the suspension of Julio Urias and the loss to injury of Tony Gonsolin, but rookie right-hander Ryan Pepiot stepped up and threw seven innings of one-hit ball in a 10-0 win over the Marlins Thursday night in Miami.  Does he become the fourth starter for October, the others being Bobby Miller, Kershaw and Lance Lynn?

[Urias was placed on administrative leave Wednesday by MLB, after being arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence.  Even if he isn’t charged, he could face discipline under the domestic violence policy, for which he was suspended 20 games back in 2019 after another incident.]

The Dodgers dodged a bullet when Mookie Betts left the stadium Thursday night on crutches after fouling a ball off his left foot.  Medical scans confirmed he suffered only a bone bruise, manager Dave Roberts said on Friday, a minor injury that should allow Betts to return by Monday.

Betts had been on a roll in his battle with Ronald Acuna Jr. for NL MVP.

--Speaking of Acuna, he hit three home runs, Thursday and Friday, and after Saturday’s play has 35 homers, 91, RBIs, 128 runs, .336 batting average, 1.002 OPS.

Betts, who the Dodgers have zero reason to rush back, is at 38 HR, 99 RBI, 118 runs, .314 BA, and 1.020 OPS.

Advantage Acuna.

Separately, the Braves announced right-handed pitcher Michael Soroka’s season is over due to a right forearm injury, but his injury won’t require surgery this time.  Soroka, who had a spectacular rookie season in 2019 (13-4, 2.68), then missed virtually all of 2020-22 due to a torn Achilles, and a setback during his rehab requiring a second surgery.

So he finally returned this season, but in seven appearances, six starts, was 2-2 with a 6.40 ERA.

--The struggling Rangers placed All-Star outfielder Adolis Garcia on the IL with a right patellar tendon strain on Thursday.  Garcia was leading the American League with 100 RBIs* through Wednesday, with 34 home runs.

The Rangers announced they were calling up top prospect Evan Carter from Triple-A, who went 1-for-3 Friday in his debut.

*Thru Saturday, Houston’s under-the-radar superstar Kyle Tucker now leads the AL in RBIs, with 101, Tucker also with 26 home runs and 26 stolen bases.  Love this guy.  Wish he was a Met!

--For the record, the Yanks Giancarlo Stanton hit home run No. 400 on Wednesday (after today, at 401), a 451-foot shot.  He is the fourth quickest player to reach the 400-homer mark in terms of games (1,520).  Only Mark McGwire, Babe Ruth and Alex Rodriguez did it faster.

Stanton, who turns 34 in November, hit .211 last season and .201 this year and is still owed $119 million through 2027, plus a bit more for 2028, though a decent portion of this is paid by Miami.

That said, the Yanks are solely on the hook for $64 million 2024-25, so there’s all kinds of talk of just letting him go and eating the money.  But it’s Hal Steinbrenner’s money, not yours or mine, and it’s not like someone else will take him, without New York picking up a huge percentage of this.

Anyway, another interesting offseason decision.

It’s also a potential lesson for the Mets and what to do with Pete Alonso and his quest for a big extension.  Stanton hasn’t aged well.  Ryan Howard didn’t age well.  Alonso, in the 3rd or 4th year of his deal potentially won’t age well.  He turns 29 in December.

[Alonso hit No. 43, Saturday, in another meaningless loss by the Mets in Minnesota.]

--Also for the record, since my last post early Tuesday, that night, Jose Altuve homered in each of the first three innings, giving him a home run in four straight plate appearances going back to Monday’s game and five homers in six plate appearance; thus becoming the first player since at least 1961 to hit a home run in four consecutive innings, and the fourth to hit five homers in six plate appearances, joining Manny Ramirez (1998), Shawn Green (2002) and Josh Hamilton (2012).

Altuve didn’t homer his next three games.

--According to a report in USA Today, the Angels would be willing to trade Mike Trout if he requested one.  He has a no-trade clause, but he told the Orange County Register, “When it’s brought up in the offseason, you’ve obviously got to talk about it, and think about it.”  He wants to see “the direction of everything and what the plan is.”

Trout still has seven years and more than $248 million left on his contract.

And he’s been nothing but one injury after another the past four seasons.

Plus, he’s really just evolved into a power hitter.  He doesn’t steal bases anymore.  But at the same time, I don’t know a fan who wouldn’t want the guy on their team.  Very intriguing.

--Washington Nationals owner Mark Lerner disputed reports about pitcher Stephen Strasburg’s planned retirement.

Strasburg was set to retire during a press conference at Nationals Park on Saturday, as I noted a few weeks ago – with his seven-year, $245 million contract intact – but the 35-year-old veteran was informed by the team on Thursday that their agreement was off.

According to Lerner, however, discussions between the Nats and Strasburg never resulted in a deal and he says the media has “mischaracterized these events.”

“It is regrettable that private discussions have been made public through anonymous sources attempting to negotiate through the media,” Lerner said Friday in a statement.  “While we have been following the process required by the Collective Bargaining Agreement, behind-the-scenes preparations for a press conference had begun internally.  However, ho such event was ever confirmed by the team or promoted publicly.”

Strasburg is still owed $105 million under the original seven-year, $245 million contract he signed to return to the Nationals in December 2019 after being the hero of the World Series.

For now, as Nats GM Mike Rizzo told a radio station on Wednesday, “he’s got (3.5) years left on the deal, and he’ll get paid for those four years on the deal until he makes a decision on what his future’s going to be.”

U.S. Open

--Saturday, in the women’s final at the U.S. Open, 19-year-old American Coco Gauff, seeded sixth, did it, becoming the third American teenager to win the title (after Tracy Austin and Serena, last in 1999), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, over 2-seed Aryna Sabalenka, 25, who Monday becomes the World No. 1 after No. 1 Iga Swiatek’s early exit in this tournament.

Sabalenka, from Belarus, was an unforced error machine, while Gauff answered Sabalenka’s best, keeping the pressure on her opponent until Sabalenka cracked.

Just a great champion, a great role model for young kids, and great for U.S. tennis.

[I’m ignoring some of Gauff’s bitter statements after, and frankly I’m growing tired of such talk, ‘people didn’t believe in me, our team, blah blah blah.’  See also Shedeur Sanders this weekend.]

Gauff had advanced to the final in straight sets over No. 10 seed Karolina Muchova, a match marred by a 49-minute delay, caused by climate activists.

Sabalenka outlasted Madison Keys in her semifinal, despite losing the first set 6-0.

--Friday night, I watched the fourth and final set of 3-seed Daniil Medvedev’s semifinal triumph over No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, and it was pretty funny how Medvedev couldn’t close it out, but did, setting up a final against 2-seed Novak Djokovic.

Medvedev defeated Djokovic in New York in 2021 to capture his lone Grand Slam title.

Djokovic, 36, is playing for a record 24th major singles title after defeating American Ben Shelton, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6, earlier on Friday.  If he prevails, he would be the oldest man to win the U.S. Open.

I do like how Djokovic dissed Shelton’s “Hang up the phone!” celebration gesture by mimicking it himself as he recorded the victory.  I’m sorry, but I thought Shelton’s showmanship in his quarterfinal win over Frances Tiafoe was a bit over the top for a kid who hasn’t won anything.

So Medvedev’s upset robbed fans of a rematch of Alcaraz and Djokovic’s superb Wimbledon final in July, but Medvedev is no slouch.  As Alcaraz put it afterward, “Well, obviously Daniil is there.  He’s always there.”  This was the third meeting of the year for Medvedev-Alcaraz in a final or semifinal.

--Naomi Osaka announced she will return to professional tennis in 2024, after taking a break to have a baby. 

--The U.S. Open protester who glued his feet to the stadium floor says the NYPD tried to discredit him by sticking him in a psychiatric ward.

Shayok Mukhopadhyay knew the world would be watching Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova’s Thursday match when he stuck his feet to the floor of his seating bowl.

Well, I wasn’t going to even mention this jerk but because of his statement, he and his two compatriots actually thought they were doing their cause good?!  He actually thought thousands of people watching on television would say, ‘You know, these folks have a point…I’m going to sign up and start protesting myself tomorrow…’?

You, sir, are an amazing asshole and into the December file you go.  [Jeff Spicoli hardware is among the awards he is up for.]

Stuff

--Vincent Norrman (sic) won the Irish Open at The K Club today, as Rory McIlroy, in line for the win going to the fourth round, shot a disappointing 74 (+2) to finish T16.

But Shane Lowry had an important T3.  Lowry hasn’t had a good year but was a captain’s pick for the Euro Ryder Cup squad so Luke Donald and Co., and Lowry, must be feeling much better as they head to Rome in less than three weeks.

--What an embarrassment.  The United States was knocked out of the FIBA World Cup by Germany, 113-111, in the semifinals of the World Cup on Friday in the Philippines.

Germany was led by Andreas Obst (who plays in the Euro League), the Magic’s Franz Wagner, and the Pacers’ Daniel Theis.

The Americans last won the tournament in 2014.  In 2019, they were knocked out by France in the quarterfinals.

--No Premier League action this weekend as they had European Championship qualifier action.

--I was reading a story in the Washington Post by Daniel Wu on a letter Ernest Hemingway wrote back in 1954 that sold at auction about ten days ago for $237,055.

The four-page missive was written while Hemingway was recovering from not one, but two plane crashes while on safari with his last wife, Mary Welsh.

I remember the story of Hemingway surviving two plane crashes, but had forgotten they were so close to each other.

Hemingway hired a small Cessna plane in 1954 for a sightseeing trip with Mary, as described in Andrew Farah’s 2017 book “Hemingway’s Brain.”

The couple had arranged to fly over the Murchison Falls in Uganda, according to Farah’s book.  “But as the plane dove to avoid a flock of birds near the falls, it struck a telegraph wire.  The plane crashed, stranding Hemingway, Welsh and their pilot on the shore of the Nile River, where they spent the night.

“Welsh broke two ribs in the crash and Hemingway sprained his shoulder, Farah wrote, but they were able to flag down a passing boat the next morning and find passage to a nearby town.  There, Hemingway and Welsh boarded a second plane to leave Uganda – and, incredibly, suffered their second crash.  Shortly after the plane took off from a rocky field, it fell back to Earth and burst into flames.

“Welsh and the plane’s other passengers escaped through a window, but Hemingway, too large to join them, was trapped inside the flaming fuselage, according to Farah. He eventually escaped by battering open a jammed door with his head.  Hemingway suffered two fractured disks, burns across his head, face and arms, and a fractured skull, Farah wrote.”  [Daniel Wu]

Hemingway wrote the letter from a Venice hotel in April 1954, where he recovered from his injuries.

Farah wrote in “Hemingway’s Brain” that the injuries the writer suffered in the two plane crashes added to a long list of physical traumas he’d endured, including from a mortar round in World War I and antitank gunfire in World War II, and played a key role in the depression and erratic behavior that marked his final years before he died by suicide in 1961.

--I have quite a few friends who are disappointed that Bruce Springsteen has postponed all of his September concert dates as he is treated for symptoms of peptic ulcer disease.

“Over here on E Street, we’re heartbroken to have to postpone these shows,” a statement posted on The Boss’ Instagram Wednesday night read.

“First, apologies to our fabulous Philly fans who we missed a few weeks ago.  We’ll be back to pick these shows up and then some.  Thank you for your understanding and support,” it added, alluding to earlier cancellations.

Symptoms of peptic ulcers include pain in the upper part of your abdomen, feeling full too soon while eating a meal, nausea and vomiting, as well as bloating and belching, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease.

Springsteen’s statement did not specify what symptoms he’s experiencing.

Top 3 songs for the week 9/14/68: #1 “People Got To Be Free” (The Rascals)  #2 “Harper Valley P.T.A.” (Jeannie C. Riley)  #3 “Light My Fire” (Jose Feliciano)…and…#4 “Born To Be Wild” (Steppenwolf)  #5 “1, 2, 3, Red Light” (1910 Fruitgum Company)  #6 “The House That Jack Built” (Aretha Franklin)  #7 “You’re All I Need To Get By” (Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell)  #8 “Hush” (Deep Purple)  #9 “Hello, I Love You” (The Doors) #10 “Hey Jude” (The Beatles…would be #1 two weeks later and stay there for 9 weeks…A- week…)

NFL / New York Jets Quiz Answer: 1,000-yard seasons, rushing….

Curtis Martin (7), including the top three totals
Thomas Jones (3)
Freeman McNeil (2)
Adrian Murrell (2)
Shonn Greene (2)
Chris Ivory (1)
John Riggins (1)

Brief Add-on up top, Tuesday p.m.