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Bar Chat

10/02/2023

Europe 16 1/2...USA 11 1/2

Add-on posted Tuesday at 3:00 PM, Tuesday, prior to MLB Playoff action.

MLB

--Playoff matchups….

Rangers at Rays
Blue Jays at Twins
D’backs at Brewers (and front row Amy)
Marlins at Phillies

--Since the Minnesota Twins beat the Yankees 2-0 in Game 1 of the 2004 ALDS, they have lost 18 consecutive postseason games.  It is the longest playoff losing streak in North American team sports.

Can the Twins finally win one?

--The Mets introduced their new president of baseball operations, former Milwaukee executive David Stearns, and he gave a great first impression.  He grew up in New York, a Mets fan, twice interned with the team, and would seem to be a perfect fit.

Billy Eppler is staying on as general manager, which makes sense, especially since Eppler has a good relationship in Japan, having helped bring over Shohei Ohtani when he was with the Angels, and Kodai Senga to the Mets.  And now there are two star Japanese pitchers dangling out there this offseason and it would be great for the Mets to bag one.  Certainly, Steve Cohen provides Stearns with the resources.

There is also little doubt Stearns will be going after current Brewers manager Craig Counsel, and Mets fans should love that.  Counsel has guided Milwaukee to five playoff appearances in eight seasons and is still just 53.  There was talk he wanted to take a year off, but that could easily change.

There are some in New York, namely some sportswriters, who said the Mets didn’t let Buck Showalter go in the appropriate fashion and to that I say, oh puh-leeze.  They told Buck the night before his final game so he could go out in the right fashion, getting the adoration of the fans and his players.

So Mets players, at least most of the top veterans, were sad to see Showalter go.  But they are the ones who let him down, especially Pete Alonso, who ended up hitting .217!  A .318 on-base percentage.  One of the more overrated 46 home runs and 118 RBI season in recent memory.  His historic months-long slump was a killer, costing us countless games.

Jeff McNeil wasn’t much better.  A solid finish masked an otherwise dismal campaign for him, a .270 batting average vs. his league-leading .326 in 2022, a .711 OPS vs. last year’s .836.

Starling Marte never recovered from his offseason double-hernia surgery and was awful when he did get in the lineup, a .625 OPS and .248 BA in 315 at-bats, when the previous 10 seasons he hadn’t batted under .275.

And then you had Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander letting the team down in one shape or form before they were jettisoned.

But of course the Mets’ season was over before it started with the injury to Edwin Diaz in the World Baseball Classic, as I wrote at the time and all Mets fans knew.

All of the above wasn’t Buck’s fault, but he’s the man in charge and clearly in the cases of Alonso and McNeil, for example, he and his coaching staff didn’t push the right buttons to get them on track when we needed them most.

[Monday, Stearns was asked about Alonso’s future with the team, Pete still under team control for 2024, and Stearns said the right thing…he plans to have Pete at first base on opening day.  Of course, if the right trade opportunity comes up, no one will accuse Stearns of lying, and if Pete won’t accept the Mets probable five-year offer, they’ll trade him at mid-season.]

--It seems the Yanks are keeping Aaron Boone, and may not say anything on the matter because he is, after all, still under contract for 2024.  It’s easy to postpone the decision to 2024 and if the Yanks get off to a poor start, like 15-25 out of the gate, no doubt he’ll be fired.

--The Angels are looking for a new manager, declining the option on Phil Nevin’s contract for next year, after finishing 73-89.  The next manager will be the team’s fifth in seven seasons.

--The Braves finished the season with 307 home runs, tying the 2019 Minnesota Twins for most in MLB history.  They homered in 144 games, the most ever.

--In the NL MVP race, you have to give it to Ronald Acuna Jr.

Acuna: .337 BA, 41 HR, 106 RBI, 149 runs, 73 steals, 1.012 OPS
Mookie Betts: .307, 39 HR, 107 RBI, 126 runs, .987 OPS
Freddie Freeman: .331. 29 HR, 102 RBI, 131 runs, 59 2B, .976 OPS
Matt Olson: .283, 54 HR, 139, RBI, 127 runs, .993 OPS

Acuna’s 149 runs scored were the most since Jeff Bagwell’s 152 in 2000.

Freeman just fell short of the magic 60 double mark.

--Luis Arraez was MLB’s leading batter at .354, bringing his lifetime average up to a rather sterling .326.

NFL

--New York area football fans have little cause for optimism four games into the season, a combined 2-6.

But, incredibly, Jets fans, at least for one week, have their heads held high as Zach Wilson, rather remarkably, outplayed Patrick Mahomes Sunday night at MetLife Stadium, thought the Jets lost largely because of a late Wilson fumble, and a terrible call on cornerback Sauce Gardner.

After the Jets dismally fell behind 17-0 in the first quarter, they rallied back to tie it at 20-20 in the third.

Wilson actually looked sharp much of the night, finishing 28/39, 245, 2-0, 105.2, as offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett finally let him loose.

Meanwhile, after a tough start, the Jets’ defense tightened up bigly, Mahomes just 18/30, 203, 1-2, 63.6.

But Mahomes being Mahomes, the Chief had a third-and-23 at their own 40 with 6:21 to play, when Mahomes escaped the pocket and ran for 25 yards.

The Jets again got the Chiefs into a bad situation at third-and-20, however, when Michael Carter II intercepted Mahomes, but it was called back on the incredibly awful call on Gardner for holding Valdes-Scantling before Patrick threw the ball.

Wilson’s fumble occurred at 7:24 remaining, the Jets trailing 23-20.

Us fans now wait to see if Wilson can put together 2 or 3 consecutive solid efforts, which he’s never done.

Next Sunday at Denver…we must win.

And then there was Monday night, back at the Meadowlands and MetLife Stadium, only this time the Giants hosted Seattle, and boy was it ugly.

24-3, Seahawks, as Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, he of the four-year, $160 million contract signed in the offseason, throwing two interceptions, including a pick-six, while losing a fumble and getting sacked ten times…ten…the Seattle defense recording an eleventh sack on a backward pass to Parris Campbell.

The Giants were totally humiliated, and Seattle rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who returned one of Jones’ INTs 97 yards for a TD, said afterwards that the Seahawks knew Jones “liked to stare down his first target.”

The Giants, playing again without Saquon Barkley, now face Miami and Buffalo on the road, season already over.

But back to Daniel Jones…he is now 1-12 in prime-time games…the worst since 1970 among QBs with 10+ starts, Andy Dalton next at 6-21.

Granted, the Giants have been underdogs in virtually all of these contests, but just as telling, in his 13 prime-time starts, Jones has 12 touchdown passes and 18 interceptions, compared with 50 touchdowns to 22 interceptions in all other games (21-22-1 record in those contests).

--Since I posted before Sunday’s late games…for the archives….

Khalil Mack had a franchise single-game record six sacks in the Chargers’ 24-17 win over the Raiders, the sixth player in NFL history to do so.  The record of seven is held by Derrick Thomas, 1990.

San Francisco’s Brock Purdy was a franchise-best 20-of-21 for 283 yards and a touchdown pass, 134.6 rating, as the 49ers moved to 4-0 with a 35-16 win over the Cardinals.  Christian McCaffrey rushed for 106 yards and three touchdowns for San Fran, while catching seven passes for 71 and a fourth score.

Meanwhile, I talked about Joe Burrow’s awful start to the season in Cincinnati’s 27-3 loss to the Titans, Burrow 20/30, 165, on Sunday.

But the Bengals, 1-3, have scored only 49 points, the fewest points through four games since 2002, and with their $55 million per season QB still dealing with a calf injury, his 4.8 yards per attempt thus far are the worst by any player through four games (min. 150 attempts) since 1950.

Burrow is completing just 28.9% of his throws at least 10 yards downfield, on pace to be the worst mark by any quarterback since Ja’Marcus Russell in 2009.

Frustrations are mounting.  Star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase said postgame he’s “always f—king open,” and Tee Higgins has a rib injury.

--Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett avoided a major knee injury in the Steelers’ dreadful 30-6 loss to the Texans.  He could be available this coming Sunday, but coach Mike Tomlin had said after the game there would be changes.  Mitch Trubisky may get the call even if Pickett is available.

--Russ Francis, a standout tight end for 14 seasons in the NFL, 1975-88 with New England and San Francisco, who won a Super Bowl with the 49ers in 1984, was killed in a single-engine plane crash in Lake Placid, N.Y.  Francis, one of two men said to have perished, was an avid pilot and the other passenger, Richard McSpadden, was a former commander of the U.S. Air Force’s Thunderbirds team.  The Cessna 177 crashed into an embankment near the corner of Lake Placid airport.

Francis had 393 receptions for 5,262 yards and 40 touchdowns in his NFL career.  He was a first-round pick of the Patriots out of Oregon in 1975.

College Football

--As noted last time, some good games Saturday….

Noon ET – 12 Oklahoma vs. 3 Texas
7:00 PM – 10 Notre Dame at 25 Louisville
7:00 PM – 20 Kentucky at 1 Georgia

And us Wake Forest fans, 3:30, at Clemson.

--Duke may have dodged a major bullet as it was reported quarterback Riley Leonard has a high-ankle sprain, not a torn ligament as feared, and with Duke off this week, their next contest is against North Carolina State.  Leonard probably won’t be available so the Blue Devils have to find a way to beat State, and then the following week you’d hope he’d be in the lineup at Florida State.

Stuff

--LeBron James said son Bronny continues to recuperate from his heart procedure after collapsing at a USC practice, and LeBron said Bronny expects to play at some point this season.  Great news.

--This coming weekend we have the Korn Ferry Championship with 30 PGA Tour cards for 2024 up for grabs.

--An “aggressive” grizzly bear has killed two people in Canada’s Banff National Park, park officials said on Sunday.

They were notified of the incident on Friday evening, after receiving a GPS alert used to report bear attacks.

A specialized response team then traveled on foot overnight through the mountains and located the deceased couple some five hours later.

The bear, still displaying aggressive behavior, was euthanized on-site.  It was the second deadly grizzly attack in North America since July.

While officials didn’t identify the victims, a family member told Canadian media they were a couple who were seasoned backcountry hikers.

“They lived for being in the backcountry and were two of the most cautious people I know.  They knew bear protocol and followed it to a tee,” the family member told CBC News in a statement.

The family member said the couple’s dog was also killed by the grizzly.

An estimated 691 grizzly bears live in Alberta – 65 of them in Banff National Park – according to Parks Canada.

Only 14% of grizzly bear attacks are fatal, according to Reuters, but as more people head outdoors, human-bear encounters are on the rise.

In July, a grizzly bear fatally mauled a woman on a forest trail west of Yellowstone National Park. 

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.

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[Posted early Sunday p.m., prior to end of baseball games and a lot of NFL action.]

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

NFL/Kansas City Chiefs Quiz: Name the ten running backs in Chiefs history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season; four of them having done it multiple times.  Answer below.

MLB

The final playoff positions were decided Saturday night, so not as much drama heading into today’s final regular-season action….

Texas and Houston still have to decide the AL West title, Texas (90-71) with a one-game lead over Houston (89-71), both into the playoffs.

But otherwise, aside from those two, in the A.L., Baltimore is the No. 1-seed, Texas or Houston a 2, Minnesota the 3-seed, Tampa Bay 4, and Toronto, a 5 or 6.

In the N.L., it’s Atlanta as the top seed, Los Angeles 2, Milwaukee 3, Philadelphia 4, Arizona and Miami 5 and 6 (depending on today’s play…and potentially tomorrow’s conclusion of a suspended game…see below).

Both the Cubs and Reds are kicking themselves for poor stretch runs.  Chicago’s 7-6 loss Tuesday night at Atlanta on outfielder Seiya Suzuki’s two-out error in the eighth a real killer.

Some accomplishments from the weekend…Houston is in the playoffs for a seventh consecutive season; Arizona for the first time since 2017; Texas first time since 2016; and Miami, the first full-season playoff berth since 2003.

--Earlier in the week, Miami was furious with the Mets.  Tuesday’s game was inexplicably postponed due to unplayable field conditions, and this really screwed up the Marlins’ rotation heading into the stretch.

Last weekend, as the remnants of Tropical Storm Ophelia were pounding the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, the Mets were in Philadelphia.  Back at Citi Field, the tarp was on the field Saturday, but inexplicably taken off Sunday and Sunday and Monday it rained all day, into Tuesday, stopping just hours before Tuesday’s scheduled start.

The team said their forecast was that the rain would stop Sunday, yet everyone in my area freakin’ knew the forecast was for rain Sunday and Monday!  Everyone!  I didn’t see one forecast saying the rain would stop Sunday.  What idiots!

The Marlins then split a Wednesday doubleheader, but when the rains returned Thursday night, Miami had just taken a 2-1 lead in the top of the ninth when umpires suddenly stopped play.  Three hours later they suspended the game, potentially necessitating both teams to finish the game on Monday.

Obviously, they should have finished Thursday in the rain, as crappy as the conditions were.

[It now seems they will not resume the suspended game tomorrow.]

The Mets are going to have a new manager, Buck Showalter telling reporters today he won’t be back, the team making an official announcement tomorrow as they bring in new president of baseball operations David Stearns from Milwaukee, the speculation Brewers manager Craig Counsel will follow him to Gotham.

Not a surprise, and as a Mets fans I’m not upset, a little sad, he’s a good man.

As the season wound down to a precious few games…some Ball Bits….

--The Orioles clinched the AL East title, and top seed, on Thursday with a 2-0 victory over the Red Sox, win No. 100, the first time the franchise has hit that figure since 1980.

What is so amazing is that they were 52-110 just two seasons ago.

Baltimore’s most recent pennant and World Series title were in 1983.

--Wednesday night, Ronald Acuna Jr. swiped his 70th base to become the first player in MLB history with 40 home runs and 70 steals.  He’s also the first player since Jacoby Ellsbury in 2009 to steal 70+ in a season.

Saturday, in Atlanta’s 5-3 win over Washington, Spencer Strider pitched well enough for his 20th win, five innings, 3 earned.  But with his gaudy 20-5 record, his ERA is just 3.86.

Atlanta hit one home run, Marcell Ozuna’s 38th, giving the Braves 305 on the season, the record 307 by the 2019 Twins.

--Carlos Rodon had quite a night, Friday in Kansas City.  He pitched to eight batters, six hits, two walks, no outs…eight earned runs in a catastrophic finale to a disastrous first season of a six-year, $162 million contract.  [The Yanks lost the game 11-5.  Bobby Witt homered, No. 30, and is a stolen base shy of the 30-50 club...he missed Sat. night, getting caught stealing.]

Rodon, who missed the first half with an injury, ended up 3-8, 6.85 ERA!

Yankees fans are just thrilled they have him another five years.

Friday was quite a contrast to the prior game, Wednesday night in Toronto, where the Yanks won 6-0 as Gerrit Cole finished his Cy Young season with a complete game, 2-hit shutout, Cole ending the year 15-4, 2.63.  He is earning his contract.

Aaron Judge also hit two, 2-run homers, Nos. 36 and 37.

Saturday, the Yankees ensured they would have their 31st consecutive winning season, when just a while ago this was in serious doubt, as they defeated the Royals 5-2.

For New York, Frankie Montas picked up an emotional win with 1 1/3 of scoreless relief, his first appearance of the season after shoulder surgery.  He wasn’t expected to pitch in 2023 and he’s a pending free agent, so an important effort for his career.

Give the Yankees credit, they played well down the stretch, but Aaron Boone will be fired.

Or maybe not…rumors this afternoon make it seem like he’ll be back for the final year of his contract.  Whatever.

--In a 14-5 loss Thursday night to the Rockies, the Dodgers nonetheless made history as J.D. Martinez hit a two-run homer, giving him 100 RBIs on the season.

Along with Mookie Betts, Max Muncy and Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers now have four players with 100-plus RBIs – the most the team has had in a single season.

--The Giants fired Gabe Kapler on Friday after a late-season collapse that dropped the team out of playoff contention and prompted questions about the direction of the franchise going forward.

I was surprised the team didn’t wait until Sunday night or Monday. 

San Fran had just a 78-81 record, after being 61-49 on Aug. 2, just 2 ½ back in the NL West.  So 17-32 since.  That’s awful.

Kapler took over as Giants manager in 2020, and by 2021 they were a 107-55 club – the only time in the past 11 years a team finished ahead of the Dodgers in the NL West.  L.A. then won the division series that year, and San Francisco struggled last season en route to an 81-81 record.

The Giants are in good shape, payroll wise, and clearly will be targeting Shohei Ohtani.

--Miguel Cabrera played his last game Sunday, before a standing-room only crowd that will pay its final respects to the 12-time All-Star, 2-time MVP, Triple Crown winner, with 511 home runs, 1,881 RBIs, a .307 batting average and .901 OPS thru Friday.

Last year, Cabrera joined Hank Aaron and Albert Pujols as the three players in baseball history with 3,000 hits, 500 homers and 600 doubles.

This season he only has four home runs in 331 at-bats, .260 BA.

--More than 70 million fans will attend Major League Baseball games for the first time in six years, a post-pandemic rebound that instituted its biggest on-field changes in decades.

With the new pitch clock, game times are down 24 minutes to 2:40 for nine innings this season – and limits on defensive shifts, new social spaces at ballparks and technology innovations to speed entry have factored into a 9.2% rise in average attendance to 29,176.  Expanding the playoffs to 12 teams, which began last year, certainly has led to more late-season excitement as well.

But the average of 29,000+ remains below the record high of 32,785 in 2007 and MLB hasn’t reached 30,000 since 2017.

Attendance is based on tickets sold, not the number who actually walk through turnstiles.

Twenty-four teams were up this season, led by the Phillies and Reds.  The White Sox and Nationals, on the other hand, dropped by six figures.

--Lastly, I learned of Brooks Robinson’s passing at the age of 86 two hours after I posted my Tuesday Add-on, which is just as well.  I wouldn’t have given the story the treatment it deserves.

Robinson, Baltimore’s Hall of Fame third baseman, was a 15-time All-Star (18 times, 15 seasons, to be accurate), and record 16-time Gold Glove-winner 16 years in a row.

Robinson also hit .267, with 268 home runs, 1,357 ribbies, and was A.L. MVP in 1964, when he slammed 28 homers, had 118 RBIs, and batted .317, as well as his usual Gold Glove play at third.

But he’ll forever be known on the field for his performance in the 1970 World Series, when Baltimore beat Cincinnati in five, Robinson batting .429 with two home runs and six RBIs, but, more importantly, absolutely spectacular play in the field, mentioned further below.

Reds manager Sparky Anderson said of Robinson’s play in the Series, “I’m beginning to see Brooks in my sleep.  If I dropped this paper plate, he’d pick it up on one hop and throw me out at first.”

Thomas Boswell / Washington Post

“The worst scoop I ever got, long ago, was that Brooks Robinson was in financial distress.  How do you interview a boyhood hero and ask: ‘Are you broke?  And why?’

“Robinson was known for his empathy.  But I was still surprised that he seemed concerned about me, a rookie in my first full year on the Orioles beat in 1976, who would have to bear the bad tidings to all of his fans.  Robinson didn’t even want messengers to get killed.

“So, he emphasized, his predicament was his own fault.  He hadn’t been tough enough in running his sporting goods store in Baltimore.  He had kept too many nice folks – youth teams and such – on the cuff for too long.

“After the story, Robinson was swamped with mail – which often included $5 or $10 in an envelope from Orioles fans.  One check was for $10,000.  Brooks sent every dollar back.  He probably paid the postage.

“Robinson didn’t ask the Orioles for a loan. He didn’t shift blame that he had earned less than $1 million in salary, before taxes, in his entire 23-year career.  His playing days just missed the bonanza of free agency.  In his 10th season he was the American League MVP and earned $35,000.

“Yet in 1977, he retired midseason, when every dollar was dear, because his 97-win team needed a roster spot in a pennant race, the Orioles just missing, finishing second.

“ ‘Every player I’ve ever managed blamed me at the end, not himself,’ Earl Weaver, Robinson’s longtime manager, told me.  ‘They all ripped me and said they weren’t washed up.  All except Brooks.  He never said one word, and he had more clout in Baltimore than all of them.  He never did anything except with class.  He made the end easier for everybody….

“During the nearly 50 years I knew Robinson, my experience has been the same as, apparently, every other earthling:  Nobody ever said a bad word about him.

“After Robinson died, his Hall of Fame buddy Jim Palmer, after some on-air tears, said that for decades, he had teased Brooks that ‘Every ball I’m asked to sign already has your autograph on it.  Please, learn to write smaller.’

“Palmer added that many young players look for one veteran as a personal and professional model of behavior.  Palmer chose Brooks.  Cal Ripken Jr. did the same.  Now another generation of players think they are modeling their best self on Ripken.  They are. But there is a lot of Brooks in Cal….

“ ‘People love Brooks because he deserves to be loved,’ said Weaver, accidentally defining love.

“Now about that fielding thing….

“Nothing was going to happen that would be as unbelievable as what Robinson did on an every-other-game basis. He made ‘the best play you have ever seen’ dozens of times a season.

“Thank heavens that videotape, in color and slow motion, arrived in time for the 1970 World Series.  It sure stops a lot of arguments about ‘he couldn’t have been that good.’

“Go frame by frame as Robinson robbed Lee May of a double over the bag with a backhand lunge then threw him out from 10 feet in foul territory and ask, ‘What happens in the next frame?’  My answer, as Brooks stumbles across the foul line, head at knee level, would be ‘He does a somersault.’  Instead, the answer is ‘He regains his balance with one jab-step plant, leaps, spins in the air, cocking his arm, then just as his foot touches down, giving a bit of leverage, the ball leaves his hand for first base.’

“My favorite call, after Brooks grabbed a Johnny Bench line drive two feet in foul territory – less a robbery than a hallucination – was announcer Curt Gowdy blurting, ‘This guy’s in another world.’….

“Arguing defense, where style points for beauty can cloud evaluation, has been futile for a century. Let us leave it at this – no position player has as many Gold Gloves as Robinson, who also had 2,848 hits and 1,357 RBI.

“Yet hardly anyone in baseball mentions Robinson, the first-ballot Hall of Famer, before saying, in all caps, that the game had no better person.

“We have too few compasses – for character – that are still set accurately.  Every time we think of Brooks Robinson, remember: That’s true north.”

Dave Sheinin / Washington Post

“ ‘Around here, nobody’s named a candy bar after Brooks Robinson,’ Baltimore-based sportswriter R. Gordon Beard said in 1977, referring to the confection named for New York Yankees slugger Reggie Jackson.  Instead, he said, ‘We name our children for him.’

“Celebrity is not the same as decency, and not every hero is worthy of memorializing with something as personal and eternal as a child’s name – but Baltimore Orioles legend Brooks Robinson absolutely was….

“ ‘Established modern standard of excellence for third basemen’ reads the first sentence of Robinson’s Hall of Fame plaque in Cooperstown, N.Y.

“But Robinson – known to teammates as ‘Brooksie’ and to sportscasters as the ‘Human Vacuum Cleaner’ for the way he sucked up groundballs at third base – was also a kind and generous and humble and accommodating man whose ambassadorship for the Orioles franchise lasted well beyond his playing days.  It lasted through his Hall of Fame induction in 1983, deep into the autumn and winter of his life, and continued almost to the day he died….

“ ‘I’ve even had a few dogs named after me,’ Robinson once said.  In fact, in 2019, WBAL-TV in Baltimore held a ‘Puppy With a Purpose’ campaign to pair dogs with veterans and first responders.  When the station held a vote to let viewers pick one new pup’s name, there were 117,000 votes.  And soon, someone had a new puppy named Brooks.”

The aforementioned Thomas Boswell once wrote in 1977:

“While other players dressed like kings and acted like royalty, Robinson arrived at the park dressed like a cabdriver.  Other stars had fans. Robinson made friends.”

Robinson himself said in 1969: “Baseball is the only thing I have ever done in my life, and it is the only thing I have ever loved.”

--Baseball suffered another loss today…former Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield died at the age of 57.  The cause was brain cancer, according to ex-teammate Curt Schilling, who outrageously outed the illness on a podcast last week without Wakefield’s consent, the family seeking to keep the illness private.  The Red Sox were furious.

Wakefield started out as a first baseman, drafted by the Pirates, but converted to a pitcher after mastering the knuckleball in the minor leagues.  He went on to win 200 games, including 186 in Boston – behind only Cy Young and Roger Clemens in franchise history.

Wakefield, 200-180, 4.41 ERA for his career, with two World Series championships, was also an eight-time nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award that goes to a ballplayer for exemplary sportsmanship and community involvement, winning it in 2010.  After retiring, he became an analyst for Red Sox broadcasts and remained active in the team’s charities.  Like Brooks Robinson, he was the best the sport has to offer.

RIP.

Ryder Cup

It was destined to be a long weekend for Team USA at Marco Simone Golf Club outside of Rome, Italy, after the U.S. was swept in Friday morning’s foursomes (alternate shot), 4-0, and then royally choked down the stretch in the afternoon fourballs.

The U.S. had late leads in three matches, only to see Justin Rose, Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland all stick daggers into the pairings of Homa-Clark, Scheffler-Koepka, and Thomas-Spieth to pick up draws in all three. 

Instead of the score being 5-3 Europe after the first day, it was a sickening 6 ½ to 1 ½.  Evidently, it was not a real happy ‘team room’ Friday night and it will take a few days for the truth to come out.

The poor play continued in foursomes Saturday morning, U.S. losing 3-1 to trail 9 ½ to 2 ½.

Included in Saturday morning’s wipeout was the worst beatdown in the 44-year modern history of the Ryder Cup, Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka getting crushed, 9&7, by Hovland and Ludvig Aberg.

The result was so bad, Scheffler was reduced to tears, which gives you a sense of the immense pressure these guys feel vs. your everyday tour event.

Only Max Homa and Brian Harman picked up a point in the morning session for the U.S., and that duo would do the same in the afternoon fourballs, ditto Sam Burns and Colin Morikawa, and, spectacularly, Patrick Cantlay and Wyndham Clark, Cantlay saving the day for the U.S. with three straight birdies down the stretch to beat Rory McIlroy and Matthew Fitzpatrick, thus avoiding a total humiliation.

So we stand at 10 ½ to 5 ½ entering tomorrow’s singles, needing an 8 ½ to 3 ½ finish in the 12 singles matches for the U.S. to retain the Cup.

Today, while the U.S. put a brief scare into the Euros, the final score was 16 ½ to 11 ½, Jon Rahm picking up the first critical half-point for Europe on the 18th hole of his match with Scottie Scheffler, almost holing a 90-foot par putt that resulted in a match-tying birdie, and then Viktor Hovland waxing Collin Morikawa, 4&3, and it quickly became a virtually insurmountable lead.

Oh, you can nitpick, especially why Rickie Fowler conceded a 2-foot, eight-inch birdie putt to Tommy Fleetwood that was the clinching half-point on the 16th hole.  When the putt by Fleetwood came up that short, Paul Azinger said, ‘Surely, Rickie won’t concede that one,’ and immediately, Rickie did.  That’s kind of the attitude of a lot of American Ryder Cuppers over the years, as opposed to the blood and guts of the Euros.

For Europe, it was the fifth win in the past seven Ryder Cups and eighth in the past 12, the U.S. not winning on European soil since 1993.

As I’ve long written when it comes to competitions like the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, aside from national pride, it’s also about your Q-rating and boosting your popularity with the likes of Madison Ave.

For the Europeans, Justin Rose didn’t hurt himself and you can expect to see him on more commercials, deservedly so, ditto Rory, who has had a mediocre Ryder Cup history but came through this time.

Jon Rahm clearly reestablished himself as a major stud, and Viktor Hovland’s star power only grows stronger and stronger.

Shane Lowry, though, has proved to be a bit of an oaf and while he’s been popular with American galleries on the PGA Tour, I sense that will change a bit. 

On the U.S. side, Max Homa and Brian Harman benefit, especially Homa.

Sam Burns and Morikawa saved their dignity with their Saturday afternoon performance.

Brooks Koepka hurt himself with his boorish behavior, but he doesn’t care.

The big winner was Patrick Cantlay, who proved to be the stud for the U.S., and the galleries on the PGA Tour will embrace him a bit more than in the past.  He hasn’t helped himself with his slow play and dour demeanor, but maybe marriage (he’s getting married Monday) will help a bit on the latter.  

Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas go down a few notches.

Which brings me to Captain Zach Johnson.  Why he stuck with Spieth and Thomas Saturday afternoon is an issue.

And the fact many of the U.S. players hadn’t played competitively in five weeks coming into the Ryder Cup was another topic, as Paul Azinger kept bringing up.  I told you last week that all 12 Euro players played at their PGA BMW Championship in Wentworth, England, two weeks prior, all 12 making the cut, 7 in the top 12 of this high-profile DP World Tour event.  It showed…they came in on form.

As for Euro captain Luke Donald, young golf fans won’t remember that he was a very good player in his prime (including a 10-4-1 Ryder Cup record), and popular among U.S. fans.  He’s a good, classy guy.   Consider how he was a replacement for Henrik Stenson, when Stenson went to LIV and was stripped of his duties.

I do have to say the golf course, Marco Simone, is not where you want to hold a ‘major,’ but it proved to be perfect for the Cup, with a great finishing stretch built for drama in match play.

And you had to drive the ball well, which Europe planned on in its player matchups, especially in alternate shot, while Zach Johnson is being rightly criticized for putting some iffy drivers of the ball in the Friday and Saturday morning sessions.

Well, on to Bethpage Black on Long Island in 2025.  Hope I’m still alive for it.

That course, by the way, had eight inches of rain on Friday as part of the New York area deluge.  Whether this time of year is iffy in my area.

College Football Review…comments written prior to release of new AP Poll…

No. 1 Georgia (5-0) had a tough one at Auburn (3-2) before pulling it out 27-20 and it was the Brock Bowers Show.  The superstar tight end caught eight passes for 157 yards, but 148 yards were in the second half, including a decisive 40-yard scoring strike with two minutes to play from quarterback Carson Beck, who knew enough to get it to potentially the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Beck 23/33, 313, 1-1, as he continues to improve.

2 Michigan is 5-0 after a 45-7 demolition of Nebraska (2-3).

3 Texas (5-0) had a nice 40-14 win over 24 Kansas (4-1), quarterback Quinn Ewers 25/35, 325, 1-1, while running back Jonathon Brooks rushed for 218 yards and two touchdowns.

No. 4 Ohio State and No. 5 Florida State were idle.

6 Penn State (5-0) got off to a slow start at Northwestern (2-3), down 10-7 early, before it went on to roll 41-13, the PSU defense holding the Wildcats to just 175 yards of offense.  And the spread was 27 points, so the Nittany Lion faithful were happy about that aspect of the outcome, because at the end of the day, boys and girls….

7 Washington (5-0) was a 20-point favorite at Arizona (3-2) and only prevailed 31-24, but Michael Penix Jr. (30/40, 363, 0-0) and the Huskies were in control the entire way, Arizona with a last-minute TD to make the score closer than it was.

I talked about 8 USC’s lack of a defense and how Colorado (3-2) would put up some points in Boulder, and that the Buffaloes did.

But the Trojans (5-0) were up 48-21 before Colorado roared back to 48-41, where it ended.

Heisman winner, and the holder of this year’s Heisman Trophy, Caleb Williams, was 30/40, 403, 6-1…six touchdown passes.

Coach Prime’s son, Shedeur, acquitted himself well, 30/45, 371, 4-1.

Colorado regained some respect after having their bubble burst at Oregon last Saturday, and now they need to beat Arizona State and Stanford in their next two because the last five games are brutal.  Like I said last week, going from 1-11 to 6-6 and a bowl game would be a super first season for Prime and Co.

Bo Nix of 9 Oregon (5-0) is your potential Heisman runner-up, Nix 27/32, 290, 4-0, as the Ducks whipped Stanford (1-4) 42-6.

Friday night…19 Oregon State (4-1) had a good win over 10 Utah (4-1) in Corvalis, 21-7, as Silas Bolden caught a 27-yard touchdown pass (one of six receptions for 100 yards), and had a 45-yard TD run.

Utah has been without quarterback Cam Rising all season, who warmed up with the team but was in street clothes at kickoff.

Rising, a sixth-year senior, has led the Utes to back-to-back Pac-12 titles, but he tore his left ACL during last January’s Rose Bowl and he’s been rehabbing from surgery ever since.

But Friday night, backups Nate Johnson and Bryson Barnes couldn’t get it done, the OSU ‘D’ holding the pair to a miserable 13/31, 141, 1-1 evening.

The Beavers held Utah to just 198 yards of offense overall.

Which brings us to 11 Notre Dame at 17 Duke, which was a rather enthralling contest on paper and it proved to be every bit as much of that, the Fighting Irish with a 10-0 halftime lead.

But with Duke rallying back behind the legs of quarterback Riley Leonard (18 carries for 88 yards), the Blue Devils had a 14-13 lead with just 2:35 to play, when ND QB Sam Hartman took control, driving his team 95 yards in ten plays, including a game-saving scramble for 17 yards on a fourth-and-16, that then set up running back Audric Estime’s 30-yard touchdown run, Estime having been bottled up for just 51 yards on his previous 17 carries.

Notre Dame converted for the 2 points and that was the final, 21-14, a bitter loss for Coach Mike Elko’s team, made doubly so by a seemingly devastating injury suffered by quarterback Leonard on the last futile attempt to come back with just 30 seconds to play.

So Notre Dame is 5-1, Duke 4-1, but for the Blue Devils, their season is over if Leonard is seriously hurt.

12 Alabama (4-1) stayed relevant with a 40-17 win at Mississippi State (2-3), Jalen Milroe 10-of-12 passing for 164 yards, while running for 69 and two touchdowns, including a 53-yard TD scamper to open the scoring in the first quarter.

For MSU, Will Rogers, his jokes falling flat, tossed three interceptions.

In an old-fashioned shootout, Lane Kiffin’s No. 20 Ole Miss (4-1) had a signature 55-49 win over 13 LSU (3-2).

The quarterbacks shined in this one, with LSU’s Jayden Daniels 27/36, 414, 4-0, plus 99 yards and a touchdown on the ground, while Mississippi’s Jaxson Dart threw for 389 and four touchdowns, plus 50 on the ground and another score.  Quinshon Judkins also rushed for 177 yards for Ole Miss.

Good for Lane Kiffin.

14 Oklahoma is 5-0 after a 50-20 win over Iowa State’s online gamblers, now 2-3.

In other games of note….

Friday, Louisville moved to 5-0 and a top-25 poll spot no doubt after a 13-10 win at North Carolina State (3-2), the Wolfpack and quarterback Brennan Armstrong held to just 201 yards of offense.

I told you I didn’t understand why NC State wanted Armstrong, who transferred after an awful year at Virginia last season and has five touchdown passes and six INTs with his new school.  The guy sucks.  And he probably is receiving a fair amount of NIL money.

Louisville doesn’t play Clemson, Florida State or North Carolina, but they do face Notre Dame next week, Miami, and Kentucky in the season finale.

Speaking of Kentucky, they will move into the AP Top 25 at 5-0 following a 33-14 win over 22 Florida (3-2), as Ray Davis rushed for 280 yards and three touchdowns, 206 of the yards in the first half!

23 Missouri (5-0) beat Vanderbilt (2-4), 38-21, quarterback Brady Cook 33/41, 395, 4-0 for the Tigers.

25 Fresno State (5-0) beat Nevada 27-9.

Clemson (3-2) had a solid 31-14 win at Syracuse (4-1).

Boston College (2-3) was down 21-7 at the half to lowly Virginia (0-5) but came back for a 27-24 win despite four turnovers.

--Back to Coach Prime, what kind of impact has he had on Colorado’s budget and revenues?

As USA TODAY Sports’ Brent Schrotenboer noted:

“Colorado athletic director Rick George gave a surprising answer last year when asked how he came up with enough money to pay for his new football coach, Deion Sanders.

“This was on Dec. 4, the day he introduced Sanders in Boulder.

“ ‘We don’t have the money yet,’ George told reporters then.  ‘But I know we’ll have it.’

“Ten months later, it turns out the university found the money.  And it wasn’t hiding under the cushions of the sofa.  It came instead from a return on investment with Sanders that has become shocking in scope, unlike anything ever seen less than a year after hiring a new college football coach.

“Two numbers sum it up. Here’s what Colorado is set to pay Sanders over five years through 2027, according to his contract with the university:

“$29.5 million, including $5.5 million this year.

“Here is the estimated return value on that investment just one month into his first season:

“$280 million.”

$280 million is a conservative estimate by USA Today Sports, including increases in football ticket sales from last year ($20 million), increases in donations ($8 million), increases in other categories (at least $3 million) and the estimated value of the increased media exposure ($249 million).

Regarding this last category, from Dec. 4 until this week, CU has generated 68,536 mentions in the media, according to data provided by the university from Cision, the university’s media-monitoring service.  That has an estimated advertising equivalency of $375 million, as calculated by Cision.  It includes TV viewership, radio, online and print media but does not include social media mentions.  By contrast, over the same period a year earlier, CU had 17,674 media mentions for an estimated ad equivalency of $126 million.

The difference is roughly $249 million just four games into the season.

--And now…the new AP Poll! …no change in top eight, but it has tightened at the top…

1. Georgia (35) 5-0
2. Michigan (12) 5-0
3. Texas (10) 5-0
4. Ohio State (1) 4-0
5. Florida State (4) 4-0
6. Penn State 5-0
7. Washington 5-0
8. Oregon 5-0
9. USC 5-0
10. Notre Dame 5-1
11. Alabama 4-1
12. Oklahoma 5-0
13. Washington State 4-0
14. North Carolina 4-0
15. Oregon State 4-1
16. Ole Miss 4-1
17. Miami 4-0
18. Utah 4-1
19. Duke 4-1
20. Kentucky 5-0…zooommm
21. Missouri 5-0
22. Tennessee 4-1
23.LSU 3-2
24. Fresno State 5-0
25. Louisville 5-0

Next week, Oklahoma and Texas in their Red River shootout (since changed to “Red River Rivalry”); Kentucky at Georgia; and Notre Dame at Louisville.

NFL

--Thursday, Detroit improved to 3-1 with a 34-20 win in Green Bay (2-2), 34-20, as David Montgomery ran for 121 yards and three touchdowns, while Jared Goff was his usual self, solid (19/28, 210 1-1).

The Detroit defense held the Packers to just 230 yards of offense as Jordan Love was not good, 23/36, 246, 1-2, 69.9.

Lions fans have good reason for their preseason optimism.

--Sunday in London, Jacksonville beat Atlanta 23-7, both teams 2-2.  I watched zero of this as I was watching the Ryder Cup.  I do have to note rookie Falcons running back Bijan Robinson had 14 carries for 105 yards.

--The Bills are 3-1 after whipping the Dolphins in Buffalo, 48-20, in a game that was little in doubt early, 31-14 at the half, Josh Allen literally a perfect game, 158.3 passer rating, 21/25, 320, 4-0, plus a TD on the ground; Stefon Diggs with six receptions, 120 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Miami is 3-1 and now we have no undefeated teams, already, in the AFC.

--The Ravens are 3-1, beating the Deshaun Watson-less Browns (2-2) 28-3, in what must have been a dreadful game to watch, Baltimore outgaining Cleveland 297-166.

--The Broncos won their first (1-3), beating the winless Bears (0-4) 31-28 in Chicago, Russell Wilson 21/28, 223, 3-0, 133.5.  For the Bears, Justin Fields started out perfect, 25-of-28 with four touchdowns at one point, but ended up 28/35, with a critical interception and a fumble that was returned for a touchdown.

--Tennessee is 2-2 after a 27-3 home win over the punchless Bengals (1-3), as Joe Burrow continues to struggle with his sore calf, a shell of his $55 million per self.  Derrick Henry had 122 yards and a touchdown on the ground for the Titans.

--Surprising Houston is 2-2 after a 30-6 win over Pittsburgh (2-2) as rookie C.J. Stroud continues to impress, 16/30, 306, 2-0, while on the other side, the Steelers’ Kenny Pickett sucked, 15/23 for just 114 yards and an interception.

--The Rams are 2-2 after a 29-23 overtime win at Indy, the Colts falling to 2-2.

--The Eagles stay undefeated at 4-0 after a 34-31 overtime win over the Commanders (2-2), as Jake Elliott booted a 54-yarder in OT.  Sam Howell played well for Washington, 29/41, 290, 1-0, recovering from his four-interception game last week, but it wasn’t enough.

--So you may have heard Taylor Swift is coming to New Jersey for Sunday night’s Chiefs-Jets game at the Meadowlands.

After the Chiefs beat the Bears Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium, Swift there in support of her new beau, Travis Kelce, Kelce said on his podcast that he co-hosts with his brother, Eagles center Jason Kelce:

“Shoutout to Taylor for pulling up.  That was pretty ballsy. I just thought it was awesome that everybody in the suite had nothing but good things to say about her, the friends, and family.  She looked amazing, everybody was talking about her in great light, and on top of that the day went perfect for the Chiefs.”

Steve Politi / Star-Ledger…note to Taylor…

“We know you’ve already been here, technically. We have daughters, too, and instead of trading a few vital organs for tickets to your sold-out shows at MetLife Stadium this summer, we had to convince them that making friendship bracelets at the kitchen table while listening to your albums was just as good.  They’ll sort all that out in therapy, eventually!

“But, sorry, flying a private jet into Teterboro Airport and taking a limo directly into the stadium is not truly experiencing the sports and entertainment complex we call the Meadowlands.  You didn’t get to soak up any of the, uh, atmosphere that comes with attending a J-E-T-S game – especially one at night like the Chiefs-Jets game you are reportedly going to attend here as a fan this Sunday.

“A night game allows Jets fans to spend the entire day drinking away the pain of what is becoming another losing season.  We know you have ample evidence to suggest that everyone on earth other than Kanye West loves and adores you. But you are arriving here as a fan of the other team. It doesn’t matter that you are rumored (nudge, nudge) to be dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

“We cannot emphasize this enough: You, Taylor Swift, are the enemy.

“You think you know Bad Blood*?  Well, put on that red No. 87 jersey and do a couple laps around the parking lot before kickoff.  You’ll have enough material for another album that you can eventually repackage into another album and then turn into YET ANOTHER spectacular tour that we won’t be able to afford to take our daughters to!

“* The best part about this column is going to be when the middle-age sportswriter thinks he’s making a clever reference to a Taylor Swift song when, in fact, he is just proving how little he knows about the world’s biggest pop star….

“No, Taylor, you will not be walking into a happy place when you come to the Meadowlands this time.  Jets fans don’t want your stinkin’ friendship bracelets.  They want your boyfriend’s quarterback!  But we’ll settle for two tickets to your next New Jersey show and call it even.”

NBA Blockbuster

Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo are now inextricably linked, after Portland traded Lillard to the Bucks in a 3-team deal, thus making Milwaukee instant favorites to win the NBA championship this season. 

The Blazers traded Lillard in a deal also including Phoenix, and in exchange are receiving Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, a 2029 unprotected first-round pick and the right to swap picks in 2028 and 2030.

The Suns are receiving Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson.

No one, defensively, will be able to stop the trio of Lillard, Giannis and Khris Middleton.

As one scribe put it, the defense will suffer a little with Holiday gone, but with that trio, assuming they stay healthy, who is going to stop them?

Giannis had been laying seeds all summer about a possible exit, but the team made the move he was looking for.

***But wait…there’s more!  Today, the Celtics acquired Jrue Holiday from Portland, Boston sending the Blazers guard Malcolm Brogdon, center Robert Williams, a 2024 first-round pick previously acquired from the Warriors, and the Celtics’ 2029 first-round pick.

Premier League

We had a spectacular Saturday in the PL.  Manchester City suffered its first loss of the young season, 2-1 at Wolverhampton; Arsenal whipped Bournemouth 4-0; and Tottenham, in a phenomenal game, defeated Liverpool 2-1 on Joel Matip’s own goal deep into stoppage time at Hotspur Stadium.

But this one had tons of controversy, Liverpool playing the last 20+ minutes two-men down, but also having an early goal disallowed by the referee, and VAR, on an offsides call that league officials ruled later was a back call, a “significant human error.”  The league added it did not understand why VAR failed to intervene.

Nonetheless a massive win for new manager Ange Postecoglou, whose team remains unbeaten in Premier League play.

Standings after 7 of 38….

1. Man City 18 points
2. Tottenham 17
3. Arsenal 17
4. Liverpool 16

Stuff

--Lionel Messi didn’t play in Inter Miami’s U.S. Open Cup final against Houston Dynamo and Houston prevailed, 2-1, on Wednesday to win the trophy in Fort Lauderdale.

So Messi has missed four of his last five games for club and country with a leg issue.  His status the next few weeks is uncertain.

--A whale struck a boat in Australia, killing one man and leaving another injured, police say.

The men were on a fishing expedition when their boat was hit in waters nine miles south of Sydney.

The alarm was raised after the vessel was spotted unoccupied and circling.  A state minister for New South Wales called it “an absolute freak accident.”

Police said in a statement the likely collision had caused the boat to tilt, throwing both men overboard.

Australia’s coastline hosts 10 large and 20 smaller species of whales.  It is not yet clear which species was involved in Saturday’s collision.

But, yet another reason not to go near the water.

--Las Vegas police indicted Duane Keith Davis for the murder 27 years ago of Tupac Shakur.  Davis has said in interviews and a memoir that he was in the passenger seat of the white Cadillac that pulled up near the vehicle holding Shakur on a night in 1996, after a Mike Tyson-Bruce Seldon prizefight in Vegas.

Shot four times, the 25-year-old rapper died at a hospital less than a week later.

Despite plentiful speculation, evidence and reporting surrounding the murder across the span of nearly three decades, no charges had ever been filed in the shooting.  But talk of the case was revived in July, when the Las Vegas police executed a search warrant at a home in Henderson, Nev., connected to Davis.

--Bruce Springsteen is sitting out the rest of the year. Bruce & The E Street Band officially postponing the remainder of their 2023 tour dates due to the frontman’s struggle with peptic ulcer disease.

“Thanks to all my friends and fans for your good wishes, encouragement, and support,” Springsteen, 74, said in a statement posted on social media.  “I’m on the mend and can’t wait to see you all next year.”

Tickets for postponed performances will remain valid, while makeup dates will be announced. Refunds are available for anyone who can’t make their rescheduled concerts if they submit requests within 30 days of the 2024 shows being announced.

Yes, age is catching up to some of our touring warriors.  To wit…

--Aerosmith canceled the rest of their farewell tour in 2023, due to frontman Steven Tyler, 75, still recovering from his vocal problem.

Sharing the news on their Facebook page, the group wrote: “To our fans: Unfortunately, Steven’s vocal injury is more serious than initially thought.”  [He fractured his larynx.]

Aerosmith hopes to resume the tour sometime in 2024, with new dates to be announced.

Tyler wrote: “I promise we will be back as soon as we can!”

--U2 opened the 20,000 capacity, $2.3 billion state-of-the-art Sphere Friday night in Las Vegas.

As the New York Post’s Alex Mitchell wrote:

“Witnessing U2 perform their ‘Achtung Baby’ album is surreal – like watching an elaborate music video, visual effects and all, with the band actually playing live.  Some may even prefer watching the screens over the stage.

“The visuals – a rainbow-colored version of matrix-looking letters running from bottom to top of the whole arena – are ‘Dr. Strange-esque’ in their dimensionality and ability to create a moving sensation that, when paired with excellent music, is euphoric, to say the least.

“ ‘Elvis has definitely not left this building,’ Bono told his sold-out crowd of 20,000 raving fans early into the performance, later calling Sphere and MSG owner James Dolan ‘one mad bastard’ for coming up with the concept.”

I read some reviews from the Irish Times and they too had spectacular reviews of the place, and U2’s act. 

The group is expected to earn $1 million per show, 25 dates scheduled at the Sphere, factoring in their performance fees and merchandise sales.

U2 also debuted their new release “Atomic City” Friday.  Check out the music video on YouTube.

Top 3 songs for the week 10/2/71: #1 “Maggie May” (Rod Stewart)  #2 “Go Away Little Girl” (Donny Osmond)  #3 “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” (Joan Baez)…and…#4 “Superstar” (Carpenters)  #5 “Ain’t No Sunshine” (Bill Withers)  #6 “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” (Paul & Linda McCartney)  #7 “Spanish Harlem” (Aretha Franklin)  #8 “Smiling Faces Sometimes” (The Undisputed Truth)  #9 “Yo-Yo” (The Osmonds)  #10 “Do You Know What I Mean” (Lee Michaels…B- week…)

Kansas City Chiefs Quiz Answer: Ten to rush for 1,000 yards….

Larry Johnson, twice; Priest Holmes, three times; Jamaal Charles, five times; Christian Okoye, twice; Kareem Hunt, Joe Delaney, Mike Garrett, Tony Reed, Abner Haynes, Barry Word.

Top five seasons….

Larry Johnson, 2006, 1789
Johnson, 2005, 1750
Priest Holmes, 2002, 1615
Holmes, 2001, 1555
Jamaal Charles, 2012, 1509

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

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