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11/04/2024

College Football: Ohio State at Penn State

Add-on posted early Tuesday a.m.

NFL

--In late games after I posted, the Eagles are 6-2 after a 28-23 win over Jacksonville (2-7) in Philadelphia, the Eagles winning in spite of coach Nick Siriani’s countless mistakes, such as going for two-point conversions three times, beginning when the score was 16-0, and failing all three, which then had them letting Jake Elliott attempt a 57-yard field goal with 2:16 left.

Elliott missed, giving the Jags the ball at their own 47, down five, but Jacksonville’s second-half rally ended on a poor (atrocious) Trevor Lawrence pass that was picked off by Nakobe Dean, win sealed.

Jalen Hurts was 18/24, 230, 2-0, 132.3, for Philly, plus 67 yards rushing and a TD, while Saquon Barkley carried it 27 times for 159 yards and a touchdown, his day highlighted by a backward hurdle that will be shown for a long time.

The Eagles can put the 3-5 Cowboys to sleep next Sunday in Dallas.  [Dak Prescott will be out at least a few weeks with his hamstring injury.

--The Lions (7-1) beat the Packers (6-3) in Green Bay in miserable weather, Jared Goff 18/22 but for only 145 yards and a touchdown.  Jordan Love threw a pick-six for the Packers.

Goff nonetheless does have the best six-game stretch in NFL history in terms of passer rating, 140.1.

--Minnesota (6-2) defeated Indianapolis (4-5), who started Joe Flacco at quarterback instead of Anthony Richardson and Flacco was mediocre at best (the Vikings defense having something to do with that), 16/27, 179, 0-1, 63.7.

The Vikings got a mixed effort from Sam Darnold, great at times, awful at others, 28/34, 290, 3-2, 107.1, plus he lost a fumble.

Justin Jefferson caught seven of Darnold’s passes for 137 yards.

--Seattle (4-5) started the season 3-0, but it’s been downhill since, falling Sunday to the Rams (4-4) 26-20 in overtime, Geno Smith throwing three interceptions, the Rams Kamren Kinchens taking one of them back 103 yards.

But in OT, the Rams defense stopped the Seahawks’ opening drive, which got down to the Rams’ 16-yard line, but Kenneth Walker was stopped on a fourth-and-one, setting up the winning drive for L.A., culminating in a Matthew Stafford to Demarcus Robinson one-handed TD grab.

--The Cardinals are in the hunt at 5-4, after defeating the Bears (4-4) 29-9.

--Monday night, Kansas City stayed undefeated, 8-0, as they beat the Bucs (4-5) in Arrowhead Stadium, 30-24 in overtime; K.C. winning the coin toss and driving 70 yards for the winning score on a Kareem Hunt run.  Tampa Bay and Baker Mayfield had tied it in regulation, the Bucs not opting to go for two points and the win.

Patrick Mahomes looked like his old self, 34/44, 291, 3-0, 116.8, as Travis Kelce caught 14 passes for 100 yards, while DeAndre Hopkins had eight catches for 86 and two TDs.

--Major grumblings in New York over the performance of the 2-7 Giants, many calling for the end of the Daniel Jones Era.

Jones is 24-43-1, with a below-average passer rating of 84.9, 70 touchdowns, 45 interceptions.  He has his moments, but at this point, Giants fans know what they have...a mediocre signal-caller who isn’t a winner.

And you have a rookie stud wide receiver, Malik Nabers, saying the team isn’t going to win without the right players.

--The New Orleans Saints on Monday fired coach Dennis Allen after losing their seventh straight game Sunday to the Panthers, 23-22.  The team had started out 2-0.

Allen, who replaced Sean Payton as the coach in 2022, went 18-25...7-10, 9-8, his first two seasons.

College Football

It’s been a heckuva season...with a lot of new names.

Chuck Culpepper / Washington Post, summed it up nicely:

“Somehow, we inhabit what we ought to call the season of Vanderbilt, unless we call it the season of Indiana.  Hell, maybe it’s the season of SMU.  Here’s Alabama-LSU again, except – what? – each team has two losses already.  Defending national champion Michigan has four losses. Defending runner-up Washington has four, but it just beat Southern California, which has five.  Five unbeaten teams remain in the top tier, and here they go: Army, Miami, BYU, Indiana, Oregon.

“If you had that quintet on your betting slip in late August...you’re fibbing.”

College Basketball

--Monday was opening night, and 6 Gonzaga whipped 8 Baylor 101-63.

I spent my evening watching Wake Forest take on Coppin State, the Deacs winning 64-49 in most unimpressive fashion...as in they shot 9 of 37 from three, and just 11 of 23 from the free throw line.  But us fans got to see the new transfers and we have tremendous athleticism (Omaha Biliew and Tre’von Spillers will be huge contributors this campaign).  We also have a big early test against Michigan on Sunday.

I had 7 Duke vs. Maine on the television, Wake on the computer, because I had to see Cooper Flagg, and you know by just watching the kid for a few minutes, he is everything he is cranked up to be...in this one, 18 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.  Duke won it, 96-62.

And then I watched Elon give 9 North Carolina quite a scare until the Tar Heels pulled away late, 90-76.

NBA

--Gregg Popovich is out for an indefinite period due to an undefined illness.  He’ll be replaced by assistant Mitch Johnson.

“He’s not feeling well,” Johnson said.  “This has happened before. I think everybody’s just always got to be ready for the next man up.”

Johnson guided the Spurs to a victory over the T’Wolves on Saturday.

Popovich is the NBA’s career leader with 1,390 victories and another 170 postseason wins while winning five NBA titles.  The 75-year-old is in his 29th season with the Spurs.

The Spurs lost last night to the Clippers 113-104.

--The Knicks (3-3) were trailing the Rockets (4-3) down in Houston 98-95 last night, hoping Jalen Brunson would prove to be their closer, and he failed miserably, the Rockets pulling away 109-97.

--The Sixers (1-5) are still without Joel Embiid and they lost Monday down in Phoenix to the Suns (6-1) 118-116.

NASCAR

After I posted I caught the ending of the Cup Series event at Martinsville, VA., the race deciding the final field for next week’s championship event at Phoenix Raceway.

Ryan Blaney celebrated in Victory Lane Sunday, as he punched his ticket into the finale, along with Tyler Reddick and Joey Logano, and the final spot...William Byron.

Byron and Christopher Bell had to wait until long after the race ended, alongside their parked cars, as NASCAR had to rule on the fourth and final driver in the winner-take-all decider next Sunday.

The issue was whether Bell had smashed into the wall on the final lap and rode along it for momentum to give him the final pass he needed to move past Byron for the last spot in the championship. The move was similar to one used two years ago at Martinsville by Ross Chastain – it was dubbed the “Hail Melon” – and subsequently banned the ensuing offseason.

Bell riding the wall was ultimately deemed illegal and Byron took the final spot.

Bell argued he was trying to avoid fellow Toyota driver Bubba Wallace, who claimed he had a tire going down.

I have to admit it was kind of fascinating watching the two drivers after, cameras trained on them, trying to get inside their emotions.

Next week, Sunday at 3:00 p.m. on NBC, Blaney will be gunning for his second straight championship, which would make him the first back-to-back champion since Jimmie Johnson won a record five straight from 2006 to 2010.

MLB

--They announced the Gold Glove Award winners Sunday night, with 14 first-time recipients, including Bobby Witt Jr. and Alex Bregman.

Among the more interesting selections to yours truly was Royals pitcher Seth Lugo and Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, 23, the youngest Gold Glove-winning shortstop in National League history.

Arizona first baseman Christian Walker won his third, which is interesting to me because I want the Mets to sign him on a 2- or 3-year deal if Pete Alonso doesn’t come back. 

And former Met Andres Gimenez won his third at second base for Cleveland.

--The Yankees and Gerrit Cole agreed to stay together on the original four-year, $144 million deal remaining, Cole having exercised his option to opt out, looking for a fifth year, but the two sides agreed that extension talks would begin soon.

This was the major discussion on the New York airwaves Monday morning, and it was a fascinating one.  He’s not young, and he was injured this past season.  But then the Yanks and Cole agreed to just talk further.

Stuff

--We note the passing of the great Quincy Jones, 91, musician and producer who worked with Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra and many others.  He died “peacefully” at his home in Bel Air Sunday night, according to his publicist.

“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing.  And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him,” the family said in a statement.

Jones was best known as the producer of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album.

Many of you know him through his regular presence on Grammy night, Jones winning 28 Grammy awards and a man named as one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century by TIME magazine.

He worked closely with Sinatra early in his career and reworked the crooner’s classic “Fly Me To The Moon,” taking it from a waltz to a swing.

In the film “The Wiz,” Jones found himself working alongside a 19-year-old Michael Jackson.  He went on to produce Jackson’s album “Off the Wall,” which sold 20 million copies.  And then Jones produced the follow-ups, “Thriller” and “Bad.”

In 1985, Jones gathered 46 of America’s most popular singers of the time, including Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner and Cyndi Lauper to record “We Are the World.”

The song helped raise money for those suffering from a devastating famine in Ethiopia.

The record was the U.S. equivalent to Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas.”

Jones rose from running with gangs on the South Side of Chicago to the very heights of show business, becoming one of the first Black executives to thrive in Hollywood and amassing an extraordinary musical catalog.  For years, it was unlikely to find a music lover who did not own at least one record with his name on it, or a leader in the entertainment industry and beyond who did not have some connection to him.

Jones kept company with presidents and foreign leaders, movie stars and musicians, philanthropists and business leaders.  He toured with Count Basie and Lionel Hampton, arranged records for Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, composed the soundtracks for “Roots” and “In the Heat of the Night,” organized President Bill Clinton’s first inaugural celebration and oversaw “We Are the World,” which he co-wrote with Lionel Richie, who called Jones “the master orchestrator.”

Personally, my favorite Quincy Jones album was “Sounds...and Stuff Like That!!”

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.

-----

[Posted early Sunday p.m., prior to late NFL games.]

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.

Note: StocksandNews has significant ongoing costs, and your support is greatly appreciated.  Please click on the gofundme link or send a check to PO Box 990, New Providence, NJ 07974.

College Basketball Quiz: The season starts Monday!  Going back to 2014, name the last 10 men’s national champions, there being no champ in the 2019-20 Covid season. Answer below.

College Football

Comments written prior to release of new AP Poll....

With 6 Texas, 8 Notre Dame and 9 BYU idle this week...the rest of the action in the Top Ten....

No. 1 Oregon (9-0) traveled to the Big House to take on Michigan (5-4) and prevailed 38-17.

Oregon had an early TD on a pass play from Dillon Gabriel to Evan Stewart that on video review, Stewart clearly dropped it, with an official staring right at him, but somehow the replay booth missed that.

That egregious call aside, the Ducks dominated, as Traeshon Holden caught six of Gabriel’s passes for 149 yards, while Jordan James rushed for 117 and a touchdown.

Oregon is a lock for the Big Ten title game with a pretty easy schedule its remaining three games.

2 Georgia (7-1) defeated Florida (4-4) 34-20, Georgia breaking a 20-20 tie with two late touchdowns, the Bulldogs winning despite Carson Beck’s three interceptions.  No Heisman Trophy for him.

Which brings us to the biggie, 3 Penn State hosting 4 Ohio State, the Buckeyes prevailing 20-13 in a highly entertaining affair that largely lived up to the billing.

OSU quarterback Will Howard, a Pennsylvania native, said prior to the game that as a kid, he always wanted to play at Penn State, “but they didn’t think I was good enough.”  So he had a lot to prove.

But in the first half, Howard threw a pick-six, giving the Nittany Lions a 10-0 lead, and then as Howard was running to the goal line, he was stripped of the ball at the two and the ball bounced off his knee, across the pylon, and it was a touchback.  Huge.  Until at the end of the half, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar’s pass into the end zone appeared to be a touchdown, only replay showed one of the better interceptions you’ll ever see by the Buckeye’s Davison Igbinosun.

In the end, Howard clearly got the better of Allar, 16/24, 182, 2-1, and he showed the Penn State coaching staff, specifically head coach James Franklin, that they should have recruited him.

Penn State and Ohio State are both now 7-1, on the outside looking in when it comes to the conference title game, at least today, but both could be at-large bids.

A huge win for Buckeyes coach Ryan Day, who is now 3-7 against top five teams, while James Franklin, in losing to Ohio State for an eighth straight time (1-10 overall), is 1-14 against the top five.

It’s another year where not just Penn State fans, but college football fans in general are saying, this gets tiresome. But Franklin is on a 10-year contract that takes him through the 2031 season at a price tag of $8.5 million a year.

Moving on....

5 Miami was down to Duke at home, 28-17, with ten minutes to play in the third quarter, but the Hurricanes then rolled, scoring 36 points on the way to a 53-31 win, Miami 9-0, Duke 6-3.

Quarterback Cam Ward solidified his top-three Heisman position (with Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, and Colorado’s Travis Hunter), Ward 25/41, 400, 5-1, while receiver Xavier Restrepo broke Santana Moss’ school record for career yards with his eight receptions for 146 yards and three touchdowns.  He’s now tied for total receptions as well.

For Duke, their big offseason recruit, quarterback Maalik Murphy (via Texas), threw three interceptions.

7 Tennessee (7-1) defeated Kentucky (3-6) 28-18.

But 10 Texas A&M (7-2) was upset at South Carolina (5-3) 44-20, as LaNorris Sellers threw two touchdown passes for the Gamecocks, while rushing for 106 and a score, and Raheim Sanders chipped in with 144 yards on the ground and two TDs.

In other games in the Top 25....

11 Clemson (7-2) suffered a dreadful loss at home in terms of its playoff hopes, 33-21 to Louisville (6-3).

Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnick, who has been outstanding (since his clunker in the opener against Georgia), needed 56 passes to throw for just 228 yards, while for the Cardinals, Isaac Brown rushed for 151 yards and a TD.

The other team tied for No. 11, Iowa State (7-1), suffered its first loss, and at home, 23-22 to Texas Tech (6-3) on a late TD by the Red Raiders.

13 Indiana is still undefeated (9-0) and Big Ten title game bound against Oregon, at least today, following a 47-10 win at Michigan State (4-5), after trailing 10-0.  Former Wake Forest receiver Ke’Shawn Williams finally got some major playing time, six receptions for 86 yards.

The Hoosiers still have Michigan (home) and Ohio State (away), this last one for the title game opportunity.

IU is also going to move up into the top ten when the next poll is released.

[Reminder...Indiana was picked 17th, one spot off the bottom, in the Big Ten’s preseason media poll.]

17 Kansas State (7-2) fell at Houston (4-5) 24-19.

In a biggie for the ACC, 18 Pitt suffered its first loss, now 7-1, getting crushed at 20 SMU (8-1) 48-25, the game being 31-3 at the half.  Brashard Smith rushed for 161 and two touchdowns for the Mustangs, including a 71-yard TD scamper, and Paul P.’s SMU is destined to take a big step forward in the AP Poll.

As of today, it’s also ACC title game bound against Miami.

19 Ole Miss (7-2) stayed slightly relevant, 63-31 over a solid Arkansas (5-4) squad.  Jaxson Dart was 25/31, 515, 6-0...school records for these last two, while receiver Jordan Watkins set school marks for receiving yards, 254, and touchdowns, five. 

21 Army was without star quarterback Bryson Daily (injury or illness, the Black Knights secretive on this), but they prevailed to stay undefeated, 8-0, with a 20-3 home win over Air Force (1-7).  Kanye Udoh picked up the slack for Army with 22-158-2 on the ground.

Friday night, 15 Boise State (7-1) defeated San Diego State (3-5) 56-24, as the aforementioned Heisman favorite Ashton Jeanty rushed for 149 yards on 31 carries and two touchdowns.

Because of Jeanty’s heroics this year (190-1525-8.0 avg), quarterback Maddux Madsen’s effort is getting overshadowed.  He was 24/32, 307, 4-0 Friday, and now has 17 touchdown passes against only two interceptions.

Finally, in other games of note, Wake Forest and Rutgers idle, North Carolina (5-5) got a monster game from Omarion Hampton in a 35-11 romp at Florida State (1-8); Hampton rushing for 172 yards and four touchdowns on 32 carries, while catching three passes for 93 yards and another score.

And Syracuse (6-2) is bowl bound following a nice 38-31 win in overtime against a solid Virginia Tech team (5-4).

--And now the new AP Poll!

1. Oregon 9-0 (62...unanimous)
2. Georgia 7-1
3. Ohio State 7-1
4. Miami (FL) 9-0
5. Texas 7-1
6. Penn State 7-1
7. Tennessee 7-1
8. Indiana 9-0...up 5!
9. BYU 8-0
10. Notre Dame 7-1
11. Alabama 6-2
12. Boise State 7-1
13. SMU 8-1...up 7!
14. LSU 6-2
15. Texas A&M 7-2
16. Ole Miss 7-2
17. Iowa State 7-1
18. Army 8-0
19. Clemson 6-2...down 8
20. Washington State 7-1
21. Colorado 6-2
22. Kansas State 7-2
23. Pitt 7-1
24. Vanderbilt 6-3
25. Louisville 6-3

Indiana is the highest (for a non-pandemic season) since they were No. 4 during their 1967 Rose Bowl season.

Army is at its highest ranking since it was No. 10 at midseason in 1960.

Boise State’s ranking is its highest since they were No. 8 in the 2011 final poll.

*The first CFP ranking show is Tuesday on ESPN, 7:00-8:00...but I have to admit, I won’t be watching, like most of you, as there is something more important going on Tuesday evening.  I’ll see it online.

Conference Standings

ACC

Miami 5-0
SMU 5-0
Clemson 5-1
Pitt 3-1

Big Ten

Indiana 6-0
Oregon 6-0
Ohio State 4-1
Penn State 4-1

Big 12

BYU 5-0...pretty easy final four games
Iowa State 4-1
Colorado 4-1

SEC

Georgia 5-1...at Ole Miss next week
Texas A&M 5-1
Tennessee 4-1
Texas 3-1
LSU 3-1

Mountain West

Boise State 4-0
Colorado State 4-0...these two don’t play each other until the title game, perhaps

American Athletic Conf.

Army 6-0
Tulane 5-0
Navy 4-1

NFL

--There were a lot of folks following the NFL this season who were wondering just what Vegas oddsmakers were thinking when they had the 2-6 New York Jets as 2.5-point favorites over the 6-2 Texans at MetLife Stadium on Thursday night.  No one could recall ever seeing a line like this.

And yet there was the final score...Jets 21, Texans 13.

A big reason, supposedly, for the pre-game ‘line’ was that Houston wide receiver Stefon Diggs joined fellow star wideout Nico Collins on the injured list during the week, Diggs missing the remainder of the season after suffering a torn ACL in Sunday’s win over the Colts.

But even so, there was no reason at halftime to think the Jets had a shot, down 7-0, and being outgained 202 to 69 yards.  Our Jets looked awful, particularly Aaron Rodgers, 7/14, 32.

The Jets, though, took the opening drive of the second half down the field, Rodgers hooking up on a sweet touchdown with Garrett Wilson, 21 yards, and then the combination hooked up on an otherworldly, jumping one-handed grab in which Wilson somehow got his left shin down inbounds before his knee hit the sideline...a play that will be replayed for years.

Rodgers, who finished 22/31, 211, 3-0, 118.1, sealed the game with a touchdown pass to Davante Adams.

Wilson finished 9-90-2, and running back Breece Hall rushed for 74 yards on 15 carries.

In the second half, when Rodgers targeted Wilson and Adams, he was 10 for 11 for 147 yards and three touchdowns, a perfect 158.3 passer rating.

Meanwhile, the Jets defense was superb, holding C.J. Stroud to a career-worst 11/30, just 191 yards and no touchdowns, 59.2 PR, while sacking him eight times!

Yes, a total team effort, an example of what this Jets team can actually be.  But at 3-6, it’s too late...I hope not...but probably so.

--Today, in the early games, there were some hideous matchups I couldn’t have cared less about, like two, 2-6 vs. 1-7 games.

Instead, I watched the entire Commanders-Giants contest at MetLife Stadium in the lovely, fall-spackled Meadowlands, marsh gases exuding that special seasonal smell, and the Commanders are now 7-2, following a 27-22 win over a Giants (2-7) team that played some gutty ball, Daniel Jones in particular, 20/26, 174, 2-0, 119.7, plus 54 yards and a score on the ground, but they muffed two, 2-point conversions and that was kind of the story. [Plus an atrocious pass interference call on a touchdown against the Giants.]

Jayden Daniels was unspectacular, but efficient, 15/22, 209, 2-0, 128.8.

--Baltimore is 6-3 following a 41-10 triumph over Denver (5-4), Bo Nix, after guiding the Broncos to wins in 5 of 6, humbled, while the duo of Lamar Jackson (16/19, 280, 3-0, a perfect 158.3) and Derrick Henry (23 carries, 106 yards and two touchdowns) were too much for Denver.

--The Cowboys are 3-5, after a 27-21 loss at Atlanta (6-3).  Kirk Cousins was rather solid at 19/24, 222, 3-0, 144.8, while the Cowboys lost Dak Prescott in the second half due to a hamstring injury.  Cowboy Nation is dwindling to the size of Benin.

-Buffalo is 7-2 after a spectacular ending against Miami (2-6) in Orchard Park, 30-27, on a 61-yard field goal by Tyler Bass with 0:05 remaining.  Wow.

The Dolphins had tied it at 27-27 with 1:38 to play, but the Bills and Josh Allen, taking over on their own 30, got the 27 yards they needed to the Miami 43 and Bass did the rest.

--The Chargers (5-3) beat the Browns (2-7) 27-10, Jameis Winston throwing three interceptions for Cleveland.

--The Bengals (4-5) stayed relevant, 41-24 over the Raiders (2-7), as Joe Burrow threw five touchdown passes.

World Series Recap

For the archives, since I last posted, in Game 4 at the Stadium, the Yanks attempting to stave off elimination, and a sweep, saw Freddie Freeman hit a 2-run homer in the first inning, the fourth straight game he had homered in the Series, and sixth straight game overall he had homered in a World Series, a new record.  It seemed like the same old, same old for New York.

But then Anthony Volpe provided the jolt Yankees fans were yearning for, a grand slam in the bottom of the third off reliever Daniel Hudson, the Dodgers employing their bullpen game arsenal, and the Yanks went on to win 11-4, Aaron Judge with an RBI single to give him some hope.

So that set up Game 5, the Yanks sending out ace Gerrit Cole, the Dodgers Jack Flaherty.  Suddenly, if the boys in pinstripes could sent it back to L.A., ya never know.

And the Yankees ran out to a 5-0 lead as Judge bashed a two-run homer in the bottom of the first, followed by a solo shot from Jazz Chisholm Jr., and then Giancarlo Stanton hit his seventh postseason homer in the third.

On the mound, Gerrit Cole held the Dodgers hitless through four in what seemed destined to be a memorable, career-defining moment for both him and New York.

And then the fifth inning happened.  It was indeed memorable, for all the wrong reasons if you were a Yankees fan.

Juan Soto would say after, “We definitely thought we got them.”

But in the top of the fifth, after a Kike Hernandez single, Aaron Judge dropped a soft liner to center, an absolutely egregious muff, followed by Anthony Volpe spiking his throw to third that Chisholm couldn’t handle, and the Dodgers had the bases loaded with no outs.

Cole then heroically struck out Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani, and induced Mookie Betts to hit a little ground ball to the right of first base, Anthony Rizzo fielded it cleanly, if perhaps not aggressively enough, and Gerrit Cole forgot he needed to go to first to take Rizzo’s easy throw for the final out.

It was still just 5-1, but Freddie Freeman singled in two and Teoscar Hernandez doubled in another two and it was tied, 5-5.   Just shocking.

The Yankees took the lead again in the sixth, but they surrendered two runs in the eighth, both on my favorite play in baseball, the sacrifice fly, and in the bottom of the ninth, with L.A. up 7-6, manager Dave Roberts called on starter Walker Buehler to close it out, Buehler not having pitched in relief since 2018.

One-two-three...the Dodgers win their eighth World Series championship, taking the series 4-1.

Freddie Freeman was the clear choice as MVP, with his 12 RBIs tying a World Series record set by Yankee Bobby Richardson over seven games in 1960.

Friday, they celebrated with a parade and a big Dodger Stadium party.

It was emotional for veterans like Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers winning the Covid World Series in 2020, but unable to celebrate with the fans then.

As for New York, they’ll never forget that fifth inning, and overall, fingers were being pointed at Aaron Judge, 4 for 18 in the five games, and since 2020, he has batted .147 in the postseason.

And fingers were also pointed at manager Aaron Boone, who inexcusably in the fifth, never once went out to the mound to give Cole, who would throw 49 pitches in the frame, a break, both mentally and physically.  Unbelievable...as even John Smoltz and Joe Davis in the booth were commenting during the inning.

But now attention is turned to Juan Soto, who said after that the Yanks weren’t necessarily getting a home-team discount as he hits the free agent market and a probable $500 million, maybe $600 million, contract.

As for the Dodgers, this is a dynasty in the making.  And they will no doubt be in the Soto sweepstakes, given their big pocketbook.

Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freeman are all back, and with Ohtani hitting the mound next spring, you have him joining a rotation of Tyler Glasnow, Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May, all returning from injury, plus Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Gavin Stone.  Holy Toledo!  And that’s assuming the Dodgers let Walker Buehler hit free agency.

So, Congrats, L.A.!  You clearly had the best team this year, and it’s your chance to go for history.

--It’s going to be an exciting offseason, especially for Yankees and Mets fans.  Hopefully not a disappointing one.

But after I wrote this, Saturday morning, we learned Gerrit Cole exercised his option, opting out of his contract with four years and $144 remaining. This was pretty much expected, but the onus is on the Yankees to add a fifth year at $36 million, to a deal that is already keeping him in The Bronx through the 2028 season.

While no one expects the Yanks to allow Cole to walk, he did have elbow issues last season, and had a pedestrian (for him) 3.41 ERA in 17 regular-season starts before shining in the postseason (save for the unforgivable gaffe of failing to cover first).

The Mets Sean Manaea opted out of his $13.5 million option for 2025, totally as expected, and the Mets should sign him for a reasonable raise and multi-years, but no more than three.

The Braves got things started by trading slugging outfielder Jorge Soler to the Angels for right-hander Griffin Canning, who while his ERA was 5.19, started 31 games for L.A. and threw 171 2/3 innings.

--Will Venable was named manager of the White Sox, Venable a former major leaguer who spent the last two seasons on Bruce Bochy’s staff as the associate manager of the Rangers.

NBA

--Orlando suffered a big blow when All-Star forward Paolo Banchero, one of the NBA’s rising stars and the first 50-point game of the season the other day, tore his right oblique muscle and will miss months, most likely.  He is not going to even be re-evaluated for 4-6 weeks.

The Magic (3-3), lost their first game without him Friday night to the undefeated Cavaliers (6-0) in Cleveland, 120-109.

[Cleveland went to 7-0, Saturday, with a 114-113 win at Milwaukee (1-5).]

--The Knicks (3-2) had a dominating 128-98 performance at Detroit on Friday, Jalen Brunson with 36 and Karl-Anthony Towns with 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.  KAT, hot off a 44-point effort the game before at Miami, is settling in.

--The situation in Philadelphia is getting uglier and uglier. The Sixers are off to a 1-4 start, following a 124-107 loss at home Saturday night to the Grizzlies (4-3), as Joel Embiid has yet to play, due to “left knee injury management,” the team keeps saying.

Embiid has been roundly criticized by former players and the press as a result, and the fact is, Embiid has already missed a ton of regular-season, never playing in more than 68, and just 39 last season due to injury.  The Sixers were 31-8 in games he played, and 16-27 without him.

But last night he got into it with a reporter from the Inquirer, shoved him, and the NBA is investigating.

[Not for nuthin’, but regarding Memphis, former Demon Deacon Jake LaRavia is playing terrifically off the bench.  And he turns 23 today.  Happy Birthday, Jake!]

NHL

--The other night, Washington’s Alex Ovechkin had two goals in a 5-3 win over the Rangers, and then a goal against the Canadiens on Thursday, plus one Saturday in a 7-2 win against the Blue Jackets, giving him 859 for his career, needing just 36 to beat Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894.  I never thought Gretzky’s record would be broken, but if Ovechkin doesn’t do it this season, certainly early next fall, you’d think.

--Superstar Connor McDavid is out 2-3 weeks with an ankle injury for Edmonton, having scored 10 points in his team’s first 10 games, which is below his normal pace.

Golf Balls

No Fall Event this week; three left for players to finish in the top 125 and keep their full playing privileges for 2025.

But the PGA Tour announced it will be making some changes to prioritize the stars of the game and reduce opportunities for journeymen players, assuming the proposed changes are passed.

The Tour’s Player Advisory Council sent a 23-page document to players on Tuesday, outlining a plan to shrink the number of available PGA Tour “cards” from 125 to 100 and reduce the number of spots in PGA Tour full-field events.

Moving forward, player leadership believes it is in the tour’s best interest to continue down the path started with the introduction of signature events: limited-field, no-cut tournaments to ensure the best players tee it up against each other more regularly.

The changes will not be made official until they are approved by the PGA Tour Policy Board in a meeting on Nov. 18.  If approved, the plan would not come into effect until the 2026 PGA Tour season.

Under the plan, 20 players from the Korn Ferry Tour will receive PGA Tour cards instead of 30.  Only five PGA Tour cards will be available at PGA Tour Q-School, rather than the top five and ties.  The 10 cards available to top-performing DP World Tour players will remain the same – Robert MacIntyre and Matthieu Pavon both went from the European-based tour to the PGA Tour and found immediate success in 2024.

If approved, the players ranked No. 101-125 on the FedEx Cup standings at the conclusion of the fall season will instead earn “conditional” membership (they can attempt to improve their status throughout the season to gain more starts, but they won’t have a set schedule).

The committee also decided that 156-man events should instead be capped at 144 players.  Events prior to daylight savings will be capped at 120 (great idea) and events after daylight savings at 132.

These changes mean a reduction in Monday qualifying opportunities.

But as Golfweek’s great writer Eamon Lynch points out, while the changes are proper, the wrong guy are making the call.

“Pity the PGA Tour’s proletariat, who are now fretting about two votes in November that could jeopardize much of what they feel entitled to. Some of them might even be less wary of a former California prosecutor than they are of a prosecutorial Californian.  After all, Kamala Harris doesn’t much care about reshaping the PGA Tour, but Patrick Cantlay sure does.

“On Nov. 18, Cantlay and his fellow Policy Board members will vote on an exclusive slate of proposals that will have an enormous impact on rank and file Tour members....

“Some players will see an unfair narrowing of pathways to make a living; others will welcome a toughening of competitive standards.  Either way, it represents revolutionary change for an organization whose members revere Adam Smith but are accustomed to seeing their workplace run as though Alexandria-Oacasio-Cortez were the commish.

“Capitalism for thee, socialism for me!

“Unlike most recent innovations – signature events, equity ownership grants, huge growth in prize money – these latest proposals aren’t a counter against LIV Golf but rather a reflection of the PGA Tour’s new for-profit status....

“The Tour’s longstanding raison d’etre – creating playing opportunities for members, an objective on which its executives were bonused – is dead.  Remaking a complacent product for a competitive market means it’s now about earning opportunities.  Every proposal is defensible, if debatable....

“Whether in the glass-walled office of Ponte Vedra or the wood-paneled locker rooms on Tour, too many people are paid too much money for too little.  More than 600 guys have made starts on Tour this year, and the average inside-the-ropes earnings currently stands at $2,030,418.  That’s a lot of money for what is, comparatively speaking, a lot of mediocrity....

“But even those who will be hurt by the proposed changes largely accept that the Nov. 18 vote – unlike that other one, 13 days earlier – is a foregone conclusion. And necessary. As it has been written, so it shall be done.”

Breeders’ Cup

--I always try to catch two races from this great event...Friday night’s Juvenile, and Saturday’s Cup Classic.

In the Juvenile, which is supposed to showcase the best 2-year-olds, and horses that we might then see in the Kentucky Derby, though it is always a long time from here to there in that regard, it was great to see Bob Baffert return in a big way, his horses, Citizen Bull, ridden by Martin Garcia, and Gaming finishing one-two, while his other entry, Getaway Car, finished fourth.

“It’s exciting when your horses show up,” Baffert said. “I was hoping they’d run 1-2-3.”

So expect at least one of these three to make the Derby field next May.

But on the other hand, here’s the reality of the Juvenile.  Between 1984 and 2022, a span of 39 years, the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile produced six entrants for the Kentucky Derby, which doesn’t seem like a great percentage, but it is more than any other stakes race for 2-year-olds.  Only two, Street Sense (2006) and Nyquist (2015) won the Juvenile and then the Derby.

Yes, a lot can go wrong with a 2-year-olds between November and May.

By the way, last year’s Juvenile winner, Fierceness, was 15th in the Derby, but won last August’s Travers Stakes, setting up his run in....

The Breeders’ Cup Classic, Saturday evening at Del Mar, was an intriguing affair.  City of Troy was the morning line favorite, but the horse hadn’t run on dirt before and doubts increasingly cropped up in the betting so that Fierceness went off as the favorite, 5-2, City of Troy and Forever Young at 4-1.

But 6-1 Sierra Leone, runner-up in the Derby and third at The Belmont (as well as third at the Travers), won the Cup Classic by 1 ½ lengths over Fierceness (Forever Young third), coming from way back in the field, as trainer Chad Brown got a well-deserved victory after a frustrating season, Flavien Prat up top for his sixth Breeders’ Cup win.

City of Troy was a disappointing eighth.

Premier League

--We had some shockers Saturday.  Bournemouth defeated Manchester City for the first-time ever, 2-1, while Nottingham Forest, in defeating West Ham 3-0, won its third Premier League game in a row since May 1999.

Meanwhile, Newcastle shocked Arsenal 1-0 at home, and that meant Forest is third in the table, with Liverpool now on top, 2-1 winners over Brighton.

Sunday...Tottenham had a nice 4-1 win against Aston Villa, and Chelsea and Manchester United played to a 1-1 draw.

Standing after 10 of 38 matches...

1. Liverpool...25 points
2. Man City...23
3. Nottingham Forest...19
4. Chelsea...18...fourth on goal differential
5. Arsenal...18
6. Aston Villa...18
7. Tottenham...16

17. Crystal Palace...7...relegation line
18. Ipswich...5
19. Southampton...4
20. Wolves...3

Stuff

--What a gorgeous day in New York City today for the Marathon, just perfect running weather.

And Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands won the men’s race in 2 hours, 7 minutes, 39 seconds, with 2022 champion Evans Chebet second, six seconds behind.

Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya took the women’s event in 2:24.35, with last year’s champion, Hellen Obiri, finishing second, 15 seconds behind.

Both winners pulled away in the final few hundred meters.

The top Americans finished sixth in both races. Connor Mantz led the men and Sara Vaughn the women.

Top 3 songs for the week 11/6/82: #1 “Up Where We Belong” (Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes)  #2 “Who Can It Be Now” (Men at Work)  #3 “Heart Attack” (Olivia Newton-John)...and...#4 “I Keep Forgetting’ (Every Time You’re Near)” (Michael McDonald)  #5 “Jack & Diane” (John Cougar)  #6 “Eye In The Sky” (The Alan Parsons Project)  #7 “Heartlight” (Neil Diamond)  #8 “You Can Do Magic” (America)  #9 “Gloria” (Laura Branigan...just awful...)  #10 “Truly” (Lionel Richie...much better...C- week...)

College Basketball Quiz Answer: Last ten national champs, going back to 2014.

2014: UConn
2015: Duke
2016: Villanova
2017: North Carolina
2018: Villanova
2019: Virginia
2020: ---
2021: Baylor
2022: Kansas
2023: UConn
2024: UConn

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.



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Bar Chat

11/04/2024

College Football: Ohio State at Penn State

Add-on posted early Tuesday a.m.

NFL

--In late games after I posted, the Eagles are 6-2 after a 28-23 win over Jacksonville (2-7) in Philadelphia, the Eagles winning in spite of coach Nick Siriani’s countless mistakes, such as going for two-point conversions three times, beginning when the score was 16-0, and failing all three, which then had them letting Jake Elliott attempt a 57-yard field goal with 2:16 left.

Elliott missed, giving the Jags the ball at their own 47, down five, but Jacksonville’s second-half rally ended on a poor (atrocious) Trevor Lawrence pass that was picked off by Nakobe Dean, win sealed.

Jalen Hurts was 18/24, 230, 2-0, 132.3, for Philly, plus 67 yards rushing and a TD, while Saquon Barkley carried it 27 times for 159 yards and a touchdown, his day highlighted by a backward hurdle that will be shown for a long time.

The Eagles can put the 3-5 Cowboys to sleep next Sunday in Dallas.  [Dak Prescott will be out at least a few weeks with his hamstring injury.

--The Lions (7-1) beat the Packers (6-3) in Green Bay in miserable weather, Jared Goff 18/22 but for only 145 yards and a touchdown.  Jordan Love threw a pick-six for the Packers.

Goff nonetheless does have the best six-game stretch in NFL history in terms of passer rating, 140.1.

--Minnesota (6-2) defeated Indianapolis (4-5), who started Joe Flacco at quarterback instead of Anthony Richardson and Flacco was mediocre at best (the Vikings defense having something to do with that), 16/27, 179, 0-1, 63.7.

The Vikings got a mixed effort from Sam Darnold, great at times, awful at others, 28/34, 290, 3-2, 107.1, plus he lost a fumble.

Justin Jefferson caught seven of Darnold’s passes for 137 yards.

--Seattle (4-5) started the season 3-0, but it’s been downhill since, falling Sunday to the Rams (4-4) 26-20 in overtime, Geno Smith throwing three interceptions, the Rams Kamren Kinchens taking one of them back 103 yards.

But in OT, the Rams defense stopped the Seahawks’ opening drive, which got down to the Rams’ 16-yard line, but Kenneth Walker was stopped on a fourth-and-one, setting up the winning drive for L.A., culminating in a Matthew Stafford to Demarcus Robinson one-handed TD grab.

--The Cardinals are in the hunt at 5-4, after defeating the Bears (4-4) 29-9.

--Monday night, Kansas City stayed undefeated, 8-0, as they beat the Bucs (4-5) in Arrowhead Stadium, 30-24 in overtime; K.C. winning the coin toss and driving 70 yards for the winning score on a Kareem Hunt run.  Tampa Bay and Baker Mayfield had tied it in regulation, the Bucs not opting to go for two points and the win.

Patrick Mahomes looked like his old self, 34/44, 291, 3-0, 116.8, as Travis Kelce caught 14 passes for 100 yards, while DeAndre Hopkins had eight catches for 86 and two TDs.

--Major grumblings in New York over the performance of the 2-7 Giants, many calling for the end of the Daniel Jones Era.

Jones is 24-43-1, with a below-average passer rating of 84.9, 70 touchdowns, 45 interceptions.  He has his moments, but at this point, Giants fans know what they have...a mediocre signal-caller who isn’t a winner.

And you have a rookie stud wide receiver, Malik Nabers, saying the team isn’t going to win without the right players.

--The New Orleans Saints on Monday fired coach Dennis Allen after losing their seventh straight game Sunday to the Panthers, 23-22.  The team had started out 2-0.

Allen, who replaced Sean Payton as the coach in 2022, went 18-25...7-10, 9-8, his first two seasons.

College Football

It’s been a heckuva season...with a lot of new names.

Chuck Culpepper / Washington Post, summed it up nicely:

“Somehow, we inhabit what we ought to call the season of Vanderbilt, unless we call it the season of Indiana.  Hell, maybe it’s the season of SMU.  Here’s Alabama-LSU again, except – what? – each team has two losses already.  Defending national champion Michigan has four losses. Defending runner-up Washington has four, but it just beat Southern California, which has five.  Five unbeaten teams remain in the top tier, and here they go: Army, Miami, BYU, Indiana, Oregon.

“If you had that quintet on your betting slip in late August...you’re fibbing.”

College Basketball

--Monday was opening night, and 6 Gonzaga whipped 8 Baylor 101-63.

I spent my evening watching Wake Forest take on Coppin State, the Deacs winning 64-49 in most unimpressive fashion...as in they shot 9 of 37 from three, and just 11 of 23 from the free throw line.  But us fans got to see the new transfers and we have tremendous athleticism (Omaha Biliew and Tre’von Spillers will be huge contributors this campaign).  We also have a big early test against Michigan on Sunday.

I had 7 Duke vs. Maine on the television, Wake on the computer, because I had to see Cooper Flagg, and you know by just watching the kid for a few minutes, he is everything he is cranked up to be...in this one, 18 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.  Duke won it, 96-62.

And then I watched Elon give 9 North Carolina quite a scare until the Tar Heels pulled away late, 90-76.

NBA

--Gregg Popovich is out for an indefinite period due to an undefined illness.  He’ll be replaced by assistant Mitch Johnson.

“He’s not feeling well,” Johnson said.  “This has happened before. I think everybody’s just always got to be ready for the next man up.”

Johnson guided the Spurs to a victory over the T’Wolves on Saturday.

Popovich is the NBA’s career leader with 1,390 victories and another 170 postseason wins while winning five NBA titles.  The 75-year-old is in his 29th season with the Spurs.

The Spurs lost last night to the Clippers 113-104.

--The Knicks (3-3) were trailing the Rockets (4-3) down in Houston 98-95 last night, hoping Jalen Brunson would prove to be their closer, and he failed miserably, the Rockets pulling away 109-97.

--The Sixers (1-5) are still without Joel Embiid and they lost Monday down in Phoenix to the Suns (6-1) 118-116.

NASCAR

After I posted I caught the ending of the Cup Series event at Martinsville, VA., the race deciding the final field for next week’s championship event at Phoenix Raceway.

Ryan Blaney celebrated in Victory Lane Sunday, as he punched his ticket into the finale, along with Tyler Reddick and Joey Logano, and the final spot...William Byron.

Byron and Christopher Bell had to wait until long after the race ended, alongside their parked cars, as NASCAR had to rule on the fourth and final driver in the winner-take-all decider next Sunday.

The issue was whether Bell had smashed into the wall on the final lap and rode along it for momentum to give him the final pass he needed to move past Byron for the last spot in the championship. The move was similar to one used two years ago at Martinsville by Ross Chastain – it was dubbed the “Hail Melon” – and subsequently banned the ensuing offseason.

Bell riding the wall was ultimately deemed illegal and Byron took the final spot.

Bell argued he was trying to avoid fellow Toyota driver Bubba Wallace, who claimed he had a tire going down.

I have to admit it was kind of fascinating watching the two drivers after, cameras trained on them, trying to get inside their emotions.

Next week, Sunday at 3:00 p.m. on NBC, Blaney will be gunning for his second straight championship, which would make him the first back-to-back champion since Jimmie Johnson won a record five straight from 2006 to 2010.

MLB

--They announced the Gold Glove Award winners Sunday night, with 14 first-time recipients, including Bobby Witt Jr. and Alex Bregman.

Among the more interesting selections to yours truly was Royals pitcher Seth Lugo and Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, 23, the youngest Gold Glove-winning shortstop in National League history.

Arizona first baseman Christian Walker won his third, which is interesting to me because I want the Mets to sign him on a 2- or 3-year deal if Pete Alonso doesn’t come back. 

And former Met Andres Gimenez won his third at second base for Cleveland.

--The Yankees and Gerrit Cole agreed to stay together on the original four-year, $144 million deal remaining, Cole having exercised his option to opt out, looking for a fifth year, but the two sides agreed that extension talks would begin soon.

This was the major discussion on the New York airwaves Monday morning, and it was a fascinating one.  He’s not young, and he was injured this past season.  But then the Yanks and Cole agreed to just talk further.

Stuff

--We note the passing of the great Quincy Jones, 91, musician and producer who worked with Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra and many others.  He died “peacefully” at his home in Bel Air Sunday night, according to his publicist.

“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing.  And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him,” the family said in a statement.

Jones was best known as the producer of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album.

Many of you know him through his regular presence on Grammy night, Jones winning 28 Grammy awards and a man named as one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century by TIME magazine.

He worked closely with Sinatra early in his career and reworked the crooner’s classic “Fly Me To The Moon,” taking it from a waltz to a swing.

In the film “The Wiz,” Jones found himself working alongside a 19-year-old Michael Jackson.  He went on to produce Jackson’s album “Off the Wall,” which sold 20 million copies.  And then Jones produced the follow-ups, “Thriller” and “Bad.”

In 1985, Jones gathered 46 of America’s most popular singers of the time, including Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner and Cyndi Lauper to record “We Are the World.”

The song helped raise money for those suffering from a devastating famine in Ethiopia.

The record was the U.S. equivalent to Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas.”

Jones rose from running with gangs on the South Side of Chicago to the very heights of show business, becoming one of the first Black executives to thrive in Hollywood and amassing an extraordinary musical catalog.  For years, it was unlikely to find a music lover who did not own at least one record with his name on it, or a leader in the entertainment industry and beyond who did not have some connection to him.

Jones kept company with presidents and foreign leaders, movie stars and musicians, philanthropists and business leaders.  He toured with Count Basie and Lionel Hampton, arranged records for Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, composed the soundtracks for “Roots” and “In the Heat of the Night,” organized President Bill Clinton’s first inaugural celebration and oversaw “We Are the World,” which he co-wrote with Lionel Richie, who called Jones “the master orchestrator.”

Personally, my favorite Quincy Jones album was “Sounds...and Stuff Like That!!”

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.

-----

[Posted early Sunday p.m., prior to late NFL games.]

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.

Note: StocksandNews has significant ongoing costs, and your support is greatly appreciated.  Please click on the gofundme link or send a check to PO Box 990, New Providence, NJ 07974.

College Basketball Quiz: The season starts Monday!  Going back to 2014, name the last 10 men’s national champions, there being no champ in the 2019-20 Covid season. Answer below.

College Football

Comments written prior to release of new AP Poll....

With 6 Texas, 8 Notre Dame and 9 BYU idle this week...the rest of the action in the Top Ten....

No. 1 Oregon (9-0) traveled to the Big House to take on Michigan (5-4) and prevailed 38-17.

Oregon had an early TD on a pass play from Dillon Gabriel to Evan Stewart that on video review, Stewart clearly dropped it, with an official staring right at him, but somehow the replay booth missed that.

That egregious call aside, the Ducks dominated, as Traeshon Holden caught six of Gabriel’s passes for 149 yards, while Jordan James rushed for 117 and a touchdown.

Oregon is a lock for the Big Ten title game with a pretty easy schedule its remaining three games.

2 Georgia (7-1) defeated Florida (4-4) 34-20, Georgia breaking a 20-20 tie with two late touchdowns, the Bulldogs winning despite Carson Beck’s three interceptions.  No Heisman Trophy for him.

Which brings us to the biggie, 3 Penn State hosting 4 Ohio State, the Buckeyes prevailing 20-13 in a highly entertaining affair that largely lived up to the billing.

OSU quarterback Will Howard, a Pennsylvania native, said prior to the game that as a kid, he always wanted to play at Penn State, “but they didn’t think I was good enough.”  So he had a lot to prove.

But in the first half, Howard threw a pick-six, giving the Nittany Lions a 10-0 lead, and then as Howard was running to the goal line, he was stripped of the ball at the two and the ball bounced off his knee, across the pylon, and it was a touchback.  Huge.  Until at the end of the half, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar’s pass into the end zone appeared to be a touchdown, only replay showed one of the better interceptions you’ll ever see by the Buckeye’s Davison Igbinosun.

In the end, Howard clearly got the better of Allar, 16/24, 182, 2-1, and he showed the Penn State coaching staff, specifically head coach James Franklin, that they should have recruited him.

Penn State and Ohio State are both now 7-1, on the outside looking in when it comes to the conference title game, at least today, but both could be at-large bids.

A huge win for Buckeyes coach Ryan Day, who is now 3-7 against top five teams, while James Franklin, in losing to Ohio State for an eighth straight time (1-10 overall), is 1-14 against the top five.

It’s another year where not just Penn State fans, but college football fans in general are saying, this gets tiresome. But Franklin is on a 10-year contract that takes him through the 2031 season at a price tag of $8.5 million a year.

Moving on....

5 Miami was down to Duke at home, 28-17, with ten minutes to play in the third quarter, but the Hurricanes then rolled, scoring 36 points on the way to a 53-31 win, Miami 9-0, Duke 6-3.

Quarterback Cam Ward solidified his top-three Heisman position (with Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, and Colorado’s Travis Hunter), Ward 25/41, 400, 5-1, while receiver Xavier Restrepo broke Santana Moss’ school record for career yards with his eight receptions for 146 yards and three touchdowns.  He’s now tied for total receptions as well.

For Duke, their big offseason recruit, quarterback Maalik Murphy (via Texas), threw three interceptions.

7 Tennessee (7-1) defeated Kentucky (3-6) 28-18.

But 10 Texas A&M (7-2) was upset at South Carolina (5-3) 44-20, as LaNorris Sellers threw two touchdown passes for the Gamecocks, while rushing for 106 and a score, and Raheim Sanders chipped in with 144 yards on the ground and two TDs.

In other games in the Top 25....

11 Clemson (7-2) suffered a dreadful loss at home in terms of its playoff hopes, 33-21 to Louisville (6-3).

Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnick, who has been outstanding (since his clunker in the opener against Georgia), needed 56 passes to throw for just 228 yards, while for the Cardinals, Isaac Brown rushed for 151 yards and a TD.

The other team tied for No. 11, Iowa State (7-1), suffered its first loss, and at home, 23-22 to Texas Tech (6-3) on a late TD by the Red Raiders.

13 Indiana is still undefeated (9-0) and Big Ten title game bound against Oregon, at least today, following a 47-10 win at Michigan State (4-5), after trailing 10-0.  Former Wake Forest receiver Ke’Shawn Williams finally got some major playing time, six receptions for 86 yards.

The Hoosiers still have Michigan (home) and Ohio State (away), this last one for the title game opportunity.

IU is also going to move up into the top ten when the next poll is released.

[Reminder...Indiana was picked 17th, one spot off the bottom, in the Big Ten’s preseason media poll.]

17 Kansas State (7-2) fell at Houston (4-5) 24-19.

In a biggie for the ACC, 18 Pitt suffered its first loss, now 7-1, getting crushed at 20 SMU (8-1) 48-25, the game being 31-3 at the half.  Brashard Smith rushed for 161 and two touchdowns for the Mustangs, including a 71-yard TD scamper, and Paul P.’s SMU is destined to take a big step forward in the AP Poll.

As of today, it’s also ACC title game bound against Miami.

19 Ole Miss (7-2) stayed slightly relevant, 63-31 over a solid Arkansas (5-4) squad.  Jaxson Dart was 25/31, 515, 6-0...school records for these last two, while receiver Jordan Watkins set school marks for receiving yards, 254, and touchdowns, five. 

21 Army was without star quarterback Bryson Daily (injury or illness, the Black Knights secretive on this), but they prevailed to stay undefeated, 8-0, with a 20-3 home win over Air Force (1-7).  Kanye Udoh picked up the slack for Army with 22-158-2 on the ground.

Friday night, 15 Boise State (7-1) defeated San Diego State (3-5) 56-24, as the aforementioned Heisman favorite Ashton Jeanty rushed for 149 yards on 31 carries and two touchdowns.

Because of Jeanty’s heroics this year (190-1525-8.0 avg), quarterback Maddux Madsen’s effort is getting overshadowed.  He was 24/32, 307, 4-0 Friday, and now has 17 touchdown passes against only two interceptions.

Finally, in other games of note, Wake Forest and Rutgers idle, North Carolina (5-5) got a monster game from Omarion Hampton in a 35-11 romp at Florida State (1-8); Hampton rushing for 172 yards and four touchdowns on 32 carries, while catching three passes for 93 yards and another score.

And Syracuse (6-2) is bowl bound following a nice 38-31 win in overtime against a solid Virginia Tech team (5-4).

--And now the new AP Poll!

1. Oregon 9-0 (62...unanimous)
2. Georgia 7-1
3. Ohio State 7-1
4. Miami (FL) 9-0
5. Texas 7-1
6. Penn State 7-1
7. Tennessee 7-1
8. Indiana 9-0...up 5!
9. BYU 8-0
10. Notre Dame 7-1
11. Alabama 6-2
12. Boise State 7-1
13. SMU 8-1...up 7!
14. LSU 6-2
15. Texas A&M 7-2
16. Ole Miss 7-2
17. Iowa State 7-1
18. Army 8-0
19. Clemson 6-2...down 8
20. Washington State 7-1
21. Colorado 6-2
22. Kansas State 7-2
23. Pitt 7-1
24. Vanderbilt 6-3
25. Louisville 6-3

Indiana is the highest (for a non-pandemic season) since they were No. 4 during their 1967 Rose Bowl season.

Army is at its highest ranking since it was No. 10 at midseason in 1960.

Boise State’s ranking is its highest since they were No. 8 in the 2011 final poll.

*The first CFP ranking show is Tuesday on ESPN, 7:00-8:00...but I have to admit, I won’t be watching, like most of you, as there is something more important going on Tuesday evening.  I’ll see it online.

Conference Standings

ACC

Miami 5-0
SMU 5-0
Clemson 5-1
Pitt 3-1

Big Ten

Indiana 6-0
Oregon 6-0
Ohio State 4-1
Penn State 4-1

Big 12

BYU 5-0...pretty easy final four games
Iowa State 4-1
Colorado 4-1

SEC

Georgia 5-1...at Ole Miss next week
Texas A&M 5-1
Tennessee 4-1
Texas 3-1
LSU 3-1

Mountain West

Boise State 4-0
Colorado State 4-0...these two don’t play each other until the title game, perhaps

American Athletic Conf.

Army 6-0
Tulane 5-0
Navy 4-1

NFL

--There were a lot of folks following the NFL this season who were wondering just what Vegas oddsmakers were thinking when they had the 2-6 New York Jets as 2.5-point favorites over the 6-2 Texans at MetLife Stadium on Thursday night.  No one could recall ever seeing a line like this.

And yet there was the final score...Jets 21, Texans 13.

A big reason, supposedly, for the pre-game ‘line’ was that Houston wide receiver Stefon Diggs joined fellow star wideout Nico Collins on the injured list during the week, Diggs missing the remainder of the season after suffering a torn ACL in Sunday’s win over the Colts.

But even so, there was no reason at halftime to think the Jets had a shot, down 7-0, and being outgained 202 to 69 yards.  Our Jets looked awful, particularly Aaron Rodgers, 7/14, 32.

The Jets, though, took the opening drive of the second half down the field, Rodgers hooking up on a sweet touchdown with Garrett Wilson, 21 yards, and then the combination hooked up on an otherworldly, jumping one-handed grab in which Wilson somehow got his left shin down inbounds before his knee hit the sideline...a play that will be replayed for years.

Rodgers, who finished 22/31, 211, 3-0, 118.1, sealed the game with a touchdown pass to Davante Adams.

Wilson finished 9-90-2, and running back Breece Hall rushed for 74 yards on 15 carries.

In the second half, when Rodgers targeted Wilson and Adams, he was 10 for 11 for 147 yards and three touchdowns, a perfect 158.3 passer rating.

Meanwhile, the Jets defense was superb, holding C.J. Stroud to a career-worst 11/30, just 191 yards and no touchdowns, 59.2 PR, while sacking him eight times!

Yes, a total team effort, an example of what this Jets team can actually be.  But at 3-6, it’s too late...I hope not...but probably so.

--Today, in the early games, there were some hideous matchups I couldn’t have cared less about, like two, 2-6 vs. 1-7 games.

Instead, I watched the entire Commanders-Giants contest at MetLife Stadium in the lovely, fall-spackled Meadowlands, marsh gases exuding that special seasonal smell, and the Commanders are now 7-2, following a 27-22 win over a Giants (2-7) team that played some gutty ball, Daniel Jones in particular, 20/26, 174, 2-0, 119.7, plus 54 yards and a score on the ground, but they muffed two, 2-point conversions and that was kind of the story. [Plus an atrocious pass interference call on a touchdown against the Giants.]

Jayden Daniels was unspectacular, but efficient, 15/22, 209, 2-0, 128.8.

--Baltimore is 6-3 following a 41-10 triumph over Denver (5-4), Bo Nix, after guiding the Broncos to wins in 5 of 6, humbled, while the duo of Lamar Jackson (16/19, 280, 3-0, a perfect 158.3) and Derrick Henry (23 carries, 106 yards and two touchdowns) were too much for Denver.

--The Cowboys are 3-5, after a 27-21 loss at Atlanta (6-3).  Kirk Cousins was rather solid at 19/24, 222, 3-0, 144.8, while the Cowboys lost Dak Prescott in the second half due to a hamstring injury.  Cowboy Nation is dwindling to the size of Benin.

-Buffalo is 7-2 after a spectacular ending against Miami (2-6) in Orchard Park, 30-27, on a 61-yard field goal by Tyler Bass with 0:05 remaining.  Wow.

The Dolphins had tied it at 27-27 with 1:38 to play, but the Bills and Josh Allen, taking over on their own 30, got the 27 yards they needed to the Miami 43 and Bass did the rest.

--The Chargers (5-3) beat the Browns (2-7) 27-10, Jameis Winston throwing three interceptions for Cleveland.

--The Bengals (4-5) stayed relevant, 41-24 over the Raiders (2-7), as Joe Burrow threw five touchdown passes.

World Series Recap

For the archives, since I last posted, in Game 4 at the Stadium, the Yanks attempting to stave off elimination, and a sweep, saw Freddie Freeman hit a 2-run homer in the first inning, the fourth straight game he had homered in the Series, and sixth straight game overall he had homered in a World Series, a new record.  It seemed like the same old, same old for New York.

But then Anthony Volpe provided the jolt Yankees fans were yearning for, a grand slam in the bottom of the third off reliever Daniel Hudson, the Dodgers employing their bullpen game arsenal, and the Yanks went on to win 11-4, Aaron Judge with an RBI single to give him some hope.

So that set up Game 5, the Yanks sending out ace Gerrit Cole, the Dodgers Jack Flaherty.  Suddenly, if the boys in pinstripes could sent it back to L.A., ya never know.

And the Yankees ran out to a 5-0 lead as Judge bashed a two-run homer in the bottom of the first, followed by a solo shot from Jazz Chisholm Jr., and then Giancarlo Stanton hit his seventh postseason homer in the third.

On the mound, Gerrit Cole held the Dodgers hitless through four in what seemed destined to be a memorable, career-defining moment for both him and New York.

And then the fifth inning happened.  It was indeed memorable, for all the wrong reasons if you were a Yankees fan.

Juan Soto would say after, “We definitely thought we got them.”

But in the top of the fifth, after a Kike Hernandez single, Aaron Judge dropped a soft liner to center, an absolutely egregious muff, followed by Anthony Volpe spiking his throw to third that Chisholm couldn’t handle, and the Dodgers had the bases loaded with no outs.

Cole then heroically struck out Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani, and induced Mookie Betts to hit a little ground ball to the right of first base, Anthony Rizzo fielded it cleanly, if perhaps not aggressively enough, and Gerrit Cole forgot he needed to go to first to take Rizzo’s easy throw for the final out.

It was still just 5-1, but Freddie Freeman singled in two and Teoscar Hernandez doubled in another two and it was tied, 5-5.   Just shocking.

The Yankees took the lead again in the sixth, but they surrendered two runs in the eighth, both on my favorite play in baseball, the sacrifice fly, and in the bottom of the ninth, with L.A. up 7-6, manager Dave Roberts called on starter Walker Buehler to close it out, Buehler not having pitched in relief since 2018.

One-two-three...the Dodgers win their eighth World Series championship, taking the series 4-1.

Freddie Freeman was the clear choice as MVP, with his 12 RBIs tying a World Series record set by Yankee Bobby Richardson over seven games in 1960.

Friday, they celebrated with a parade and a big Dodger Stadium party.

It was emotional for veterans like Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers winning the Covid World Series in 2020, but unable to celebrate with the fans then.

As for New York, they’ll never forget that fifth inning, and overall, fingers were being pointed at Aaron Judge, 4 for 18 in the five games, and since 2020, he has batted .147 in the postseason.

And fingers were also pointed at manager Aaron Boone, who inexcusably in the fifth, never once went out to the mound to give Cole, who would throw 49 pitches in the frame, a break, both mentally and physically.  Unbelievable...as even John Smoltz and Joe Davis in the booth were commenting during the inning.

But now attention is turned to Juan Soto, who said after that the Yanks weren’t necessarily getting a home-team discount as he hits the free agent market and a probable $500 million, maybe $600 million, contract.

As for the Dodgers, this is a dynasty in the making.  And they will no doubt be in the Soto sweepstakes, given their big pocketbook.

Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freeman are all back, and with Ohtani hitting the mound next spring, you have him joining a rotation of Tyler Glasnow, Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May, all returning from injury, plus Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Gavin Stone.  Holy Toledo!  And that’s assuming the Dodgers let Walker Buehler hit free agency.

So, Congrats, L.A.!  You clearly had the best team this year, and it’s your chance to go for history.

--It’s going to be an exciting offseason, especially for Yankees and Mets fans.  Hopefully not a disappointing one.

But after I wrote this, Saturday morning, we learned Gerrit Cole exercised his option, opting out of his contract with four years and $144 remaining. This was pretty much expected, but the onus is on the Yankees to add a fifth year at $36 million, to a deal that is already keeping him in The Bronx through the 2028 season.

While no one expects the Yanks to allow Cole to walk, he did have elbow issues last season, and had a pedestrian (for him) 3.41 ERA in 17 regular-season starts before shining in the postseason (save for the unforgivable gaffe of failing to cover first).

The Mets Sean Manaea opted out of his $13.5 million option for 2025, totally as expected, and the Mets should sign him for a reasonable raise and multi-years, but no more than three.

The Braves got things started by trading slugging outfielder Jorge Soler to the Angels for right-hander Griffin Canning, who while his ERA was 5.19, started 31 games for L.A. and threw 171 2/3 innings.

--Will Venable was named manager of the White Sox, Venable a former major leaguer who spent the last two seasons on Bruce Bochy’s staff as the associate manager of the Rangers.

NBA

--Orlando suffered a big blow when All-Star forward Paolo Banchero, one of the NBA’s rising stars and the first 50-point game of the season the other day, tore his right oblique muscle and will miss months, most likely.  He is not going to even be re-evaluated for 4-6 weeks.

The Magic (3-3), lost their first game without him Friday night to the undefeated Cavaliers (6-0) in Cleveland, 120-109.

[Cleveland went to 7-0, Saturday, with a 114-113 win at Milwaukee (1-5).]

--The Knicks (3-2) had a dominating 128-98 performance at Detroit on Friday, Jalen Brunson with 36 and Karl-Anthony Towns with 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.  KAT, hot off a 44-point effort the game before at Miami, is settling in.

--The situation in Philadelphia is getting uglier and uglier. The Sixers are off to a 1-4 start, following a 124-107 loss at home Saturday night to the Grizzlies (4-3), as Joel Embiid has yet to play, due to “left knee injury management,” the team keeps saying.

Embiid has been roundly criticized by former players and the press as a result, and the fact is, Embiid has already missed a ton of regular-season, never playing in more than 68, and just 39 last season due to injury.  The Sixers were 31-8 in games he played, and 16-27 without him.

But last night he got into it with a reporter from the Inquirer, shoved him, and the NBA is investigating.

[Not for nuthin’, but regarding Memphis, former Demon Deacon Jake LaRavia is playing terrifically off the bench.  And he turns 23 today.  Happy Birthday, Jake!]

NHL

--The other night, Washington’s Alex Ovechkin had two goals in a 5-3 win over the Rangers, and then a goal against the Canadiens on Thursday, plus one Saturday in a 7-2 win against the Blue Jackets, giving him 859 for his career, needing just 36 to beat Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894.  I never thought Gretzky’s record would be broken, but if Ovechkin doesn’t do it this season, certainly early next fall, you’d think.

--Superstar Connor McDavid is out 2-3 weeks with an ankle injury for Edmonton, having scored 10 points in his team’s first 10 games, which is below his normal pace.

Golf Balls

No Fall Event this week; three left for players to finish in the top 125 and keep their full playing privileges for 2025.

But the PGA Tour announced it will be making some changes to prioritize the stars of the game and reduce opportunities for journeymen players, assuming the proposed changes are passed.

The Tour’s Player Advisory Council sent a 23-page document to players on Tuesday, outlining a plan to shrink the number of available PGA Tour “cards” from 125 to 100 and reduce the number of spots in PGA Tour full-field events.

Moving forward, player leadership believes it is in the tour’s best interest to continue down the path started with the introduction of signature events: limited-field, no-cut tournaments to ensure the best players tee it up against each other more regularly.

The changes will not be made official until they are approved by the PGA Tour Policy Board in a meeting on Nov. 18.  If approved, the plan would not come into effect until the 2026 PGA Tour season.

Under the plan, 20 players from the Korn Ferry Tour will receive PGA Tour cards instead of 30.  Only five PGA Tour cards will be available at PGA Tour Q-School, rather than the top five and ties.  The 10 cards available to top-performing DP World Tour players will remain the same – Robert MacIntyre and Matthieu Pavon both went from the European-based tour to the PGA Tour and found immediate success in 2024.

If approved, the players ranked No. 101-125 on the FedEx Cup standings at the conclusion of the fall season will instead earn “conditional” membership (they can attempt to improve their status throughout the season to gain more starts, but they won’t have a set schedule).

The committee also decided that 156-man events should instead be capped at 144 players.  Events prior to daylight savings will be capped at 120 (great idea) and events after daylight savings at 132.

These changes mean a reduction in Monday qualifying opportunities.

But as Golfweek’s great writer Eamon Lynch points out, while the changes are proper, the wrong guy are making the call.

“Pity the PGA Tour’s proletariat, who are now fretting about two votes in November that could jeopardize much of what they feel entitled to. Some of them might even be less wary of a former California prosecutor than they are of a prosecutorial Californian.  After all, Kamala Harris doesn’t much care about reshaping the PGA Tour, but Patrick Cantlay sure does.

“On Nov. 18, Cantlay and his fellow Policy Board members will vote on an exclusive slate of proposals that will have an enormous impact on rank and file Tour members....

“Some players will see an unfair narrowing of pathways to make a living; others will welcome a toughening of competitive standards.  Either way, it represents revolutionary change for an organization whose members revere Adam Smith but are accustomed to seeing their workplace run as though Alexandria-Oacasio-Cortez were the commish.

“Capitalism for thee, socialism for me!

“Unlike most recent innovations – signature events, equity ownership grants, huge growth in prize money – these latest proposals aren’t a counter against LIV Golf but rather a reflection of the PGA Tour’s new for-profit status....

“The Tour’s longstanding raison d’etre – creating playing opportunities for members, an objective on which its executives were bonused – is dead.  Remaking a complacent product for a competitive market means it’s now about earning opportunities.  Every proposal is defensible, if debatable....

“Whether in the glass-walled office of Ponte Vedra or the wood-paneled locker rooms on Tour, too many people are paid too much money for too little.  More than 600 guys have made starts on Tour this year, and the average inside-the-ropes earnings currently stands at $2,030,418.  That’s a lot of money for what is, comparatively speaking, a lot of mediocrity....

“But even those who will be hurt by the proposed changes largely accept that the Nov. 18 vote – unlike that other one, 13 days earlier – is a foregone conclusion. And necessary. As it has been written, so it shall be done.”

Breeders’ Cup

--I always try to catch two races from this great event...Friday night’s Juvenile, and Saturday’s Cup Classic.

In the Juvenile, which is supposed to showcase the best 2-year-olds, and horses that we might then see in the Kentucky Derby, though it is always a long time from here to there in that regard, it was great to see Bob Baffert return in a big way, his horses, Citizen Bull, ridden by Martin Garcia, and Gaming finishing one-two, while his other entry, Getaway Car, finished fourth.

“It’s exciting when your horses show up,” Baffert said. “I was hoping they’d run 1-2-3.”

So expect at least one of these three to make the Derby field next May.

But on the other hand, here’s the reality of the Juvenile.  Between 1984 and 2022, a span of 39 years, the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile produced six entrants for the Kentucky Derby, which doesn’t seem like a great percentage, but it is more than any other stakes race for 2-year-olds.  Only two, Street Sense (2006) and Nyquist (2015) won the Juvenile and then the Derby.

Yes, a lot can go wrong with a 2-year-olds between November and May.

By the way, last year’s Juvenile winner, Fierceness, was 15th in the Derby, but won last August’s Travers Stakes, setting up his run in....

The Breeders’ Cup Classic, Saturday evening at Del Mar, was an intriguing affair.  City of Troy was the morning line favorite, but the horse hadn’t run on dirt before and doubts increasingly cropped up in the betting so that Fierceness went off as the favorite, 5-2, City of Troy and Forever Young at 4-1.

But 6-1 Sierra Leone, runner-up in the Derby and third at The Belmont (as well as third at the Travers), won the Cup Classic by 1 ½ lengths over Fierceness (Forever Young third), coming from way back in the field, as trainer Chad Brown got a well-deserved victory after a frustrating season, Flavien Prat up top for his sixth Breeders’ Cup win.

City of Troy was a disappointing eighth.

Premier League

--We had some shockers Saturday.  Bournemouth defeated Manchester City for the first-time ever, 2-1, while Nottingham Forest, in defeating West Ham 3-0, won its third Premier League game in a row since May 1999.

Meanwhile, Newcastle shocked Arsenal 1-0 at home, and that meant Forest is third in the table, with Liverpool now on top, 2-1 winners over Brighton.

Sunday...Tottenham had a nice 4-1 win against Aston Villa, and Chelsea and Manchester United played to a 1-1 draw.

Standing after 10 of 38 matches...

1. Liverpool...25 points
2. Man City...23
3. Nottingham Forest...19
4. Chelsea...18...fourth on goal differential
5. Arsenal...18
6. Aston Villa...18
7. Tottenham...16

17. Crystal Palace...7...relegation line
18. Ipswich...5
19. Southampton...4
20. Wolves...3

Stuff

--What a gorgeous day in New York City today for the Marathon, just perfect running weather.

And Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands won the men’s race in 2 hours, 7 minutes, 39 seconds, with 2022 champion Evans Chebet second, six seconds behind.

Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya took the women’s event in 2:24.35, with last year’s champion, Hellen Obiri, finishing second, 15 seconds behind.

Both winners pulled away in the final few hundred meters.

The top Americans finished sixth in both races. Connor Mantz led the men and Sara Vaughn the women.

Top 3 songs for the week 11/6/82: #1 “Up Where We Belong” (Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes)  #2 “Who Can It Be Now” (Men at Work)  #3 “Heart Attack” (Olivia Newton-John)...and...#4 “I Keep Forgetting’ (Every Time You’re Near)” (Michael McDonald)  #5 “Jack & Diane” (John Cougar)  #6 “Eye In The Sky” (The Alan Parsons Project)  #7 “Heartlight” (Neil Diamond)  #8 “You Can Do Magic” (America)  #9 “Gloria” (Laura Branigan...just awful...)  #10 “Truly” (Lionel Richie...much better...C- week...)

College Basketball Quiz Answer: Last ten national champs, going back to 2014.

2014: UConn
2015: Duke
2016: Villanova
2017: North Carolina
2018: Villanova
2019: Virginia
2020: ---
2021: Baylor
2022: Kansas
2023: UConn
2024: UConn

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.