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11/25/2024

College Football's scramble for the Top 12

Add-on posted early Tuesday a.m.

NFL

--In games after I posted Sunday, the Vikings (9-2) prevailed over the Bears (4-7) in Chicago, 30-27 in overtime, as Sam Darnold threw two touchdown passes for Minnesota, with Jordan Addison having a big day, 162 yards on eight receptions and a score, while Aaron Jones rushed for 106 yards and a TD.

For Chicago, Caleb Williams had his best game in a while, 32/47, 340, 2-0, 103.1.  So at least this was encouraging.

But this game was 27-16 Minnesota with 1:56 left.  But Chicago’s Deandre Carter had a 55-yard kickoff return to the 40 (after muffing a punt earlier that led to a touchdown).  Williams then drove the Bears for TD in eight plays for a score.  They converted the 2-point conversion, 27-24.

Chicago then recovered the onside kick and Williams hit DJ Moore for a 27-yard gain to the 30 before spiking the ball.  Cairo Santos then drilled a 48-yard field goal as time expired to send the game into OT.

Chicago won the coin toss, but the Bears were three-and-out.  The Vikings took over at the 21, and Darnold led a 10-play drive for the deciding field goal.

--Denver (7-5) is driving toward a playoff berth (though they are currently seventh in the standings), 29-19 on the road at Las Vegas (2-9), with Bo Nix 25/42, 273, 2-0, 94.6, and Will Lutz with five field goals.

--Green Bay is 8-3, following a 38-10 win over San Francisco (5-6), Josh Jacobs with 106 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

The injury-riddled 49ers, sans Brock Purdy, are going to be hard-pressed to make the playoffs, though they are only a game back in the mediocre NFC West.

--Speaking of the mediocre NFC West, Seattle (6-5) tied Arizona (6-5) for the lead in the division, with a 16-6 victory in their tussle, which must have been a snoozer.

--And staying in the NFC West, we then had Rams-Eagles in Inglewood in Sunday’s night affair. For the second time in three weeks, the Rams (5-6) went into the game knowing a win would move them into a tie in the division, only to struggle mightily on the prime-time stage.

Philadelphia (9-2) rolled, 37-20, as Saquon Barkley set a franchise record in running for 255 yards, which was also the most against the Rams in their history.

Barkley had his 255 yards on 26 carries, including touchdown runs of 70 and 72 yards, plus he had four receptions for another 47, his 302 total yards the 12th player to top 300 in NFL history, while the 255 yards on the ground was the ninth-highest total of all time.

Barkley now has a league-leading, and career-best, 1,392 yards rushing with six games to go, within striking distance of Eric Dickerson’s all-time 2,105 for a season, set back in 1984.

Saquon is on pace for 2,151.

He is also just the sixth player in NFL history with multiple 70-yard touchdown runs in the same game, and the first since Maurice Jones-Drew in 2009.

And he’s averaging 83.6 yards rushing per second half this season, on pace to be the highest on record (since 1991).

--Monday night, the Ravens (8-4) beat the Chargers (7-4), 30-23, as John Harbaugh improved to 3-0 in head-to-head meetings against his brother, Jim.  That includes a win in Super Bowl 47.

Baltimore rushed for 212 yards, Derrick Henry with 140 on 24 carries, while Justice Hill had a late 51-yard TD.

The Chargers were hurt by the absence of J.K. Dobbins in the second half due to a knee injury.

--I noted the issues with Barkley’s former team, the Giants (2-9), who have lost six straight, with coach Brian Daboll losing the locker room.

After Sunday’s 30-7 loss at home to Tampa Bay, rookie receiver Malik Nabers called the team “soft as f---.”

Dexter Lawrence echoed this, adding that they got the “s---” beaten out of them.

Brad Burns uttered an expletive when asked about the lopsided defeat.

OT Jermaine Eluemunor said he doesn’t think everybody is “giving 100%.”

--It seems the Jets are on the verge of benching Aaron Rodgers, but not this week against Seattle.  Rodgers is highly unlikely to be back next season, this seems certain, as the team is now in an active search for a coach and GM, led by former GM Mike Tanenbaum, who is the last GM that had the team in the playoffs.  Tanenbaum has a close relationship with Rex Ryan, having hired Rex for the Jets job, and Ryan is said to be lobbying hard for the job.

I’d love to have Rex back, but I’m in a minority on this.

NBA

--As a follow-up to comments I made Sunday about Philadelphia rookie Jared McCain, on Sunday night, the Sixers (3-13) were blown out at home by the Clippers (11-7) 125-99, as McCain was only 3 of 15 from the field, 2-11 from three, 18 points, ending his 20+ point string at seven.

--The Knicks (10-7), after an embarrassing performance in Utah, blasted the Nuggets (9-7) last night in Denver, 145-118, hitting 19 of 36 from three, and with a team-record 45 assists!

OG Anunoby had a career-high 40 points, Karl-Anthony Towns 30 and 15 rebounds, and Jalen Brunson 23 points and 17 assists.

The Celtics moved to 15-3 with a 126-94 win over the Clippers (11-8).

College Basketball

--New AP Poll, released Monday....

1. Kansas 5-0 (51)
2. UConn 4-0 (6)
3. Gonzaga 5-0 (2)
4. Auburn 4-0 (3)
5. Iowa State 3-0
6. Houston 3-1
7. Tennessee 6-0
8. Kentucky 5-0
9. Alabama 4-1
10. Marquette 6-0
11. Duke 4-1
12. North Carolina 3-1
13. Purdue 5-1
14. Indiana 4-0
15. Wisconsin 7-0
16. Cincinnati 5-0
17. Baylor 4-2
18. Florida 6-0
19. Arkansas 4-1
20. Texas A&M 4-1
21. Creighton 4-1
22. Xavier 5-0
23. Ole Miss 5-0
24. Arizona 2-2
25. Mississippi State 5-0

Rutgers, with the loss to Kennesaw State, didn’t receive a single vote in the poll. St. John’s, with the two losses last week, fell to No. 38, if you carry out the votes.  Wake Forest, with just the one loss to Xavier, but not looking particularly good otherwise, also didn’t get one vote...and 50 teams did!

Ugh.  But the Deacs have games coming up against Florida and Texas A&M.  They will be massive for us.  We need our center, Efton Reid, to get over his migraine issues, or we are screwed before the ACC season even gets underway.

Monday, UConn (4-1) then fell in the first round of the Maui Invitational to Memphis (5-0), 99-97 in overtime, as coach Dan Hurley got called for a technical foul in OT that proved costly.  Hurley had been cussing out the referees the entire contest and this was well-deserved.

--In women’s hoops, the defending champion South Carolina Gamecocks saw their program-record 43-game winning streak end with a 77-62 defeat to No. 5 UCLA Sunday at Pauley Pavilion, in front of a crowd of 13,659.

It was the Lady Gamecocks’ largest defeat since the 2019 Sweet 16 and their first road loss since December 2021.

Golf Balls

--The PGA Tour really had a terrific finale to their season with Maverick McNealy’s first victory, emerging from a four-way tie with a birdie on No. 18 at the RSM Classic.

Among the players he beat was 21-year-old Florida State junior Luke Clanton, who ended up with four top-10 finishes this year as an amateur, including two runners-up, and is well on his way to earning his PGA Tour status next year via PGA Tour University.

And as I noted, Daniel Berger comfortably got his card for 2025 with his T2 finish.

Berger moved to No. 100 from 127 at the start of the week, and Joel Dahmen, who started the week at No. 124, finished 124, but needed a final round 64 to stay inside the top 125 and secure his card for 2025.

Henrik Norlander jumped from 126 to 120 with his T17, needing a 63-68 weekend to do so.  He said the pressure was unreal.

But Hayden Springer fell short, moving from 128 to just 127, as his final round 70 wasn’t enough.  Springer had made the tour this year via Q-School.

Those who finished 126-150 on the points list have conditional status for 2025, but with reduced fields, let alone the signature events, it is going to be exceedingly difficult to get a lot of starts, so these folks will be bouncing back and forth between the PGA and Korn Ferry tours.

Berger and Norlander were the only two to move inside the top 125 at the season finale, knocking out Zac Blair and Wesley Bryan, both of whom missed the cut – Blair fell from No. 123 to No. 126, with Bryan falling from No. 125 to No. 128.

Bubble Boy for 2024 is Sam Ryder.  He started the week No. 122, after finishing T5 at last week’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship.  Ryder then missed the cut and was in a helpless position across the final two rounds.  But late stumbles by Springer and Michael Thorbjornsen, allowed him to finish No. 125.

--Tiger Woods announced he wouldn’t play in the upcoming Hero World Challenge, Woods saying in a statement on social media that he was “disappointed”, but that he is recovering from his sixth back surgery in the last 10 years.

Stuff

--The Wake Forest men’s soccer team defeated Maryland 2-1 Sunday night in Winston-Salem, advancing to the Round of 16, where they will now host Clemson on Sunday, at home, in a rematch of the ACC final.  This will be interesting.

--The Wake women’s team is facing Southern California in the quarterfinals on Friday.

--I talked extensively about the Tampa Bay Rays and their stadium issues for not just this year, but in the future, and noted all the rain the Tampa area receives in June through September, but they will be playing at Steinbrenner Field, which has no roof.

Monday, MLB then announced it was switching some series involving the Rays to the first two months of the season in an attempt to avoid the summer rain.

Tampa Bay is now scheduled to play 19 of its first 22 games at home, 37 of 54 through May 28, and then will play 64 of its last 108 games on the road.

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.

Happy Thanksgiving!  As the late, great political commentator John McLaughlin used to say... “Gob-ble Gob-ble!!”

-----

[Posted early Sunday p.m., prior to late football action.]

StocksandNews has significant ongoing costs.  Please click on the gofundme link or send a check to PO Box 990, New Providence, NJ 07974.

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.

Cy Young Award Quiz: Chris Sale and Tarik Skubal won the NL / AL Cy Young Awards, just the third time two left-handers won in the same season.  Name the other two instances. [Hint: Both post-1970, two of the four are in the Hall of Fame.] Answer below.

College Football Review

Comments written prior to the release of the new AP poll.  CFP rankings used below.

And, boy, there will be a shakeup with the top 12....

In the Top Ten, No. 1 Oregon idle....

The biggie was 5 Indiana at 2 Ohio State, and after the Buckeyes held a 14-7 lead at the half, it was all OSU, beginning with a punt return for a touchdown, the Buckeyes (10-1) roll 38-15, outgaining the Hoosiers 316-151.

Will Howard was super at QB for Ohio State, 22/26, 201, 2-1, and IU’s longest pass play was just 19 yards.

So Indiana is 10-1, with a home game against Purdue left...so make that 11-1.  Is that enough?  That has been the question the second half of the season, once we knew Indiana was for real.

Thankfully, for Hoosiers fans, the SEC self imploded.

3 Texas (10-1) defeated Kentucky (4-7) 56-0, while 4 Penn State (10-1) held on to beat Minnesota (6-5) 26-25 on the road.

But 7 Alabama (8-3) played an inexplicably awful game against Oklahoma (6-5) in Norman, falling 24-3, its playoff hopes in the trash bin.  [Great for Indiana.]

Jalen Milroe was atrocious, throwing three interceptions, including a pick-six.  OU quarterback Jackson Arnold rushed for 131 yards, and Xavier Robinson had 107 yards and two touchdowns on the ground for the Sooners.

And 9 Ole Miss (8-3) also saw its playoff hopes shattered, more good news for Indiana, falling 24-17 at Florida (6-5), the Gators suddenly rather pesky, giving their fans some hope that maybe the school did the right thing in keeping coach Billy Napier.

For Ole Miss, Jaxson Dart threw two interceptions and had zero scores in three trips inside the red zone, his receivers with mega drops.

10 Georgia (9-2), however, is now in the SEC title game (opponent to be determined next week), after a 59-21 non-conference win over UMass (2-9).

11 Tennessee (9-2) is now seemingly playoff bound, 56-0 over UTEP (2-9), though they have a finale next week against Vanderbilt.

To complete the SEC action among the leaders, 15 Texas A&M (8-3) saw its playoff hopes go down the tubes, maybe, 43-41 at Auburn (5-6), a crazy affair that went four overtimes.

But...A&M plays Texas next week and the winner faces Georgia in the conference championship.

OK, back to the Top Ten.  6 Notre Dame (10-1) rolled over Army (9-1) 49-14 at Yankee Stadium, the Fighting Irish looking better and better with their punishing ground game, 29 carries for 274 yards and five touchdowns, Jeremiyah Love leading the way, 7-130-2, including a 68-yard TD scamper.

Army is still in the midst of an outstanding season and has zero to be ashamed about.

And then there was Wake Forest (4-7) at 8 Miami (10-1), the Deacs putting up a fight in the first half, trailing only 20-14, despite Wake QB Hank Bachmeier throwing a pick-six.  On the ensuing kickoff, Wake’s star, Demond Claiborne, took it 100 yards!

But Bachmeier was absolutely atrocious.  His 8 of 14 passing was deceptive.  He could have had 4 interceptions, and for the life of me, I can’t believe that Wake didn’t have receivers open.  It didn’t help that ESPN not once showed Miami’s coverage, but for a QB it’s 1-2-3 throw it, and there was a befuddled Bachmeier on 4-5, going to the ground, getting sacked...it was hard to watch.

The final score was 42-14, yet, seriously, this was a winnable game!  [Yes, we were outgained 508-193, but you had to watch to understand.]

As for Claiborne, a junior, I don’t see how Wake keeps him for his senior season.  He will get major NIL $s from a top contender...no doubt, and on the right team, he is a legitimate Heisman candidate next year.

Meanwhile, 12 Boise State (10-1) has not been winning in impressive fashion recently, 17-13 last night at Wyoming (2-9), as Ashton Jeanty nonetheless had 169 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown.  Boise is not only playoff bound, but they are still in a position to get a bye, because, like the SEC, the Big 12 imploded.

16 Colorado (8-3) lost at Kansas (5-6), 37-21, as the amazing Jayhawks are the first team in FBS history to beat three ranked teams in a row, with a losing record!  Devin Neal was a stud, 207 yards on 37 carries with three touchdowns, and 80 yards on four catches with another TD.

For CU, Shedeur Sanders was solid, 23/29, 266, 3-0, and Travis Hunter was Heisman-like, 8 receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns, along with seven tackles, but it was far from enough.

And then 14 BYU (9-2) fell to 21 Arizona State (9-2), 28-23, the ASU fans storming the field prematurely, when there was 0:01 left, and BYU almost connected on a Hail Mary for the win.

So as for the Big 12 title game...ASU, BYU, Colorado and Iowa State are all 6-2.  To be continued....

In other games of importance....

13 SMU (10-1) is ACC title game bound, 33-7 over Virginia (5-6).

And 17 Clemson (9-2) still has ACC title game hopes after a 51-14 win over The Citadel (5-7), but the Tigers need Miami to lose at Syracuse next week...which I’m going to say right now, will happen.  The Orange will prevail.

18 South Carolina (8-3) deserves a good bowl game, 56-12 over Wofford (5-7).

23 Missouri (8-3) defeated Mississippi State (2-9) 39-20.

Louisville (7-4) handed Pitt (7-4) its fourth straight loss, 39-7.

Boston College is bowl bound at 6-5, a nice 41-21 win over North Carolina (6-5), as the Eagles’ ‘D’ held Omarion Hampton to just 53 yards on 11 carries, after he had 244 against Wake Forest last week.

Rutgers (6-5) suffered a truly devastating loss at home, 38-31 to Illinois (8-3).  The Scarlet Knights were up 31-30 on a Kyle Monangai TD reception with 1:08 to play, only to see the Illini drive down the field and on fourth-and-13 with 14 seconds remaining, RU coach Greg Schiano calling a controversial timeout, Illini receiver Pat Bryant weaved through the RU defense on his way to a miraculous 40-yard touchdown, Rutgers falling 38-31.

I can not imagine being an RU fan in the stands at that moment.

Lastly, in the 160th meeting, most in Division I football, Lehigh (8-3) whipped Lafayette (6-6) 38-14 in Bethlehem, PA. [Princeton-Yale is 146, Harvard-Yale 140 times.]

Lehigh also won the Patriot League crown.

--And now, the new AP Poll...which will give us a clue on the next CFP reveal....

1. Oregon 11-0 (61)
2. Ohio State 10-1
3. Texas 10-1
4. Penn State 10-1
5. Notre Dame 10-1
6. Georgia 9-2
7. Tennessee 9-2
8. Miami (FL) 10-1
9. SMU 10-1
10. Indiana 10-1
11. Boise State 10-1
12. Clemson 9-2...up 5
13. Alabama 8-3
14. Arizona State 9-2
15. Ole Miss 8-3
16. South Carolina 8-3
17. Iowa State 9-2
18. Tulane 9-2
19. BYU 9-2
20. Texas A&M 8-3
21. UNLV 9-2
22. Illinois 8-3
23. Colorado 8-3...down 7
24. Missouri 8-3
25. Army 9-1...down 7

Where will the CFP put Indiana, Clemson and Alabama?

Syracuse is 28, if you carry out the votes...Miami goes down.

NFL

--An incredibly ugly season for Jets fans got even worse as owner Woody Johnson fired GM Joe Douglas on Tuesday, after firing coach Robert Saleh on Oct. 8 following a 2-3 start.

It’s not that fans care that Douglas was being released, his teams have a record of 30-64 and he was almost certainly going to be canned at the end of the season when a new regime takes over, it’s just that Woody’s timing has been strange.

Douglas made some good draft selections, like Sauce Gardner (who is already regressing, however), Garrett Wilson, Jermaine Johnson and Breece Hall.

But his misses were atrocious, namely Zach Wilson at No. 2 overall in 2021 and drafting tackle Mekhi Becton in the first round in 2020.

Douglas then made the move to trade for Aaron Rodgers, and we know how that has worked out, though to be fair, the vast majority of Jets fans loved the move, including yours truly.

The thing is, us fans thought Woody Johnson was a man behind the scenes who didn’t involve himself in player moves, and The Athletic reported that Johnson has progressively stonewalled Douglas as the weeks went on, including how Johnson wanted to bench Rodgers just four weeks into the season in favor of backup Tyrod Taylor.  The coaches present in that meeting were stunned, according to the report, and rightfully so.  Johnson backed off, but fired Saleh a week later.

But now we wait to see if Donald Trump re-appoints Johnson as ambassador to the UK.

So will the Jets now release Rodgers, to give him a chance to hook up with a contender, even as a backup, a la the Giants and Daniel Jones?  The Jets are in their bye week.

--Speaking of Daniel Jones, having been relegated to fourth string for the purposes of keeping him healthy and thus avoid paying another $23 million as part of an injury guarantee clause in his contract, Jones went to owner John Mara and requested he be released, which the team granted.

Mara said in a statement: “Daniel has been a great representative of our organization, first class in every way.  His handling of this situation yesterday exemplifies just that.  We are all disappointed in how things have worked out.”

Jones was classy in addressing reporters for the first time since his demotion.

Despite a 24-44-1 record as a starter and a mediocre (at best) 84.3 career passer rating, Jones will find a home somewhere, certainly as a backup.

He’ll first clear waivers on Monday and have a new home on a one-year deal, sooner rather than later.

No team was expected to claim the balance of Jones’ contract - $11,833,333 for this season, as well as the $23 million in injury guarantees for after this season.

Monday evening, Jones can sign with anyone.

But today, the Giants didn’t show up, falling 30-7 to Tampa Bay (5-6), a needed win for the Bucs who had lost four straight, Baker Mayfield in control, 24/30, 294, 0-0, 107.5.

Tommy Cutlets was under pressure the entire game, and he finished up 21/31, 189, 0-0.  The Giants (2-9) play Dallas on Thanksgiving, and Tommy will no doubt be the QB.

--The Lions moved to 10-1 with a workmanlike 24-6 win at Indianapolis (5-7).

--Kansas City is 10-1, but it wasn’t easy, defeating the Panthers (3-8) in Charlotte, 30-27, Patrick Mahomes with a late drive for a field goal, and a key run, after the Panthers had rather heroically tied it at 27-27 with just 1:46 to play.

--Miami (5-6) stays relevant, 34-15, over the irrelevant Patriots (3-9), Tua with four touchdown passes.

--The Titans (3-8) had a huge upset over the Texans (7-5), 32-27, in Houston, as Nick Folk kicked three field goals from over 50, while the Texans’ CJ Stroud threw two interceptions, including a pick-six.

--In an absolutely crazy affair, the Cowboys (4-7) handed the Commanders (7-5) their third straight loss, 34-26, Washington having a chance to tie it with 0:21 to play, but they muffed the extra point.  Dallas then took the squib, onside kick attempt, all the way for a TD, their second kickoff return touchdown of the quarter! 

This game was 10-9, Dallas, after three.

--Thursday, the Browns (3-8) stunned the Steelers (8-3) in snowy Cleveland, 24-19, after blowing a late lead, getting it back and then holding on.

Leading 18-6 about halfway through the fourth quarter, Cleveland gave up 13 points in 1:42.

Jaylen Warren scored from 3 yards out, Nick Herbig forced a Jameis Winston fumble, and Russell Wilson threw a 23-yard touchdown to Calvin Austin III three plays later.  Winston then threw an interception, and all looked lost.

But Pittsburgh went three-and-out, and Winston led a nine-play, 45-yard drive culminating in a 2-yard Nick Chubb touchdown.  Winston completed a huge third-and-6 pass play to Jerry Jeudy for 15.

Myles Garrett was a monster on defense for the Browns, with three sacks and a forced fumble.

Russell Wilson performed well in the awful conditions, 21/28, 270, 1-0, 116.7 for the Steelers.

Yes, it was fun to see a game in the snow.  We want that in January, but there are only so many places that can happen, like Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Buffalo, Kansas City, maybe Denver this year.

--In the latter games, San Francisco is without both Brock Purdy and Nick Bosa for its biggie against the Packers, Purdy with right shoulder soreness.  Coach Kyle Shanahan announced that veteran Brandon Allen will start in place of Purdy, with Josh Dobbs available as the backup.

College Basketball

--Going back to Tuesday, 15 Marquette had a big win over 6 Purdue, 76-58.  Golden Eagles senior guard Kam Jones finished with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, just the third triple-double in program history, which given Marquette’s rich history, I find kind of remarkable.  Dwyane Wade had the last for MU, famously coming in the 2003 Elite Eight against Kentucky.  Tony Miller had the other in 1994.

Wake Forest finally hit some 3s, 12 of 31, in an 82-69 win over Western Carolina, also Tuesday.  But the Deacs learned that key transfer Omaha Biliew, who was a 5-star recruit for Iowa State, is out 8-10 weeks after surgery on a stress fracture to his foot.  Ugh.  We needed his size, for starters.  It also seems center Efton Reid suffers from migraines, Reid hardly playing Tuesday as a result.

--Thursday in the Bahamas, we had a terrific game...No. 22 St. John’s vs. No. 13 Baylor.  I watched the entire contest, the Johnnies falling 99-98 in double-overtime.

St. John’s coach Rick Pitino was furious afterwards with the officials’ decision to ice Zuby Ejiofor at the free-throw line by going to replay after he was fouled by Jayden Nunn in the final seconds.

Baylor coach Scott Drew called for a review, thinking Ejiofor may have hit one of his players with an elbow when they fouled him.

With St. John’s up 98-96, Ejiofor then missed both free throws with 4.1 seconds to go and Jeremy Roach won the game at the buzzer in dramatic fashion with a 3-pointer.

Roach, you’ll recall, spent four years at Duke and chose Baylor for his grad season.

Ejiofor, 22 points, 10 rebounds, was solid but only 6 of 12 from the line.

I’ll say this about the Johnnies.  Last season Pitino complained his team wasn’t athletic, and, boy, this year’s edition is an entirely different story.  It can go far.

--Friday, St. John’s rebounded to beat Virginia, 80-55, while Baylor lost to 11 Tennessee 77-62.

12 Duke had a nice road win at 17 Arizona, 69-55, as Cooper Flagg had 24 points.

--Saturday, Wake (6-1) beat Detroit Mercy 67-57, as Hunter Sallis had 31.  Cam Hildreth was 1 for 10 from the field for the Deacs.  But Efton Reid was out with migraines again.  This is not good.  We play 21 Florida on Thanksgiving.

And I just watched the exciting finish of 24 Rutgers-Kennesaw State in Atlanta, the Owls (5-1) holding off a furious RU (4-1) rally, 79-77, for their first win against a top 25 team.

Not a good 24 hours for Scarlet Knights sports fans.

--Today, 22 St. John’s played Georgia in Nassau, Bahamas, in a game starting at 11:00 a.m., and the Johnnies (5-2) lost 66-63, the Bulldogs 6-1.  St. John’s was just 2 of 19 from three.  Eegads, that blows.

My friend Perry S. was there for all three Johnnies contests.  He says the Baha Mar Resort was super, in case those of you watching were wondering, with all the publicity it received.

--Geno Auriemma earned career win No. 1,217 on Wednesday night, as UConn defeated Fairleigh Dickinson, 85-41, up in Storrs, Conn.  Auriemma broke a tie with former Stanford women’s coach Tara VanDerveer.

“We never sat down and said hey, let’s make a 40-year plan and see if we can make this happen,” Auriemma said.  “It’s about coming here every day and trying to be better than we were yesterday.”

Some call Geno the greatest college basketball coach ever, period, and who can argue with that.

11 national titles, most in D-I basketball history.

1,217-162 record (.883 win pct), best in D-I basketball history.

22 Final Fours, including a record 14 straight from 2004-17.

Record 111 straight wins from 2014-17.

Eight Naismith Coach of the Year rewards.

It was great that more than 60 of Auriemma’s former players, including superstars such as Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird and Rebecca Lobo, were in attendance.

NBA

--Going back to Tuesday, after my Add-on, Cleveland was finally beaten, 120-117 by the Celtics in Boston.

The Cavs then beat the Pelicans on Wednesday, 128-100.

--The Knicks embarked on their 5-game road trip Wednesday, burying the Suns 138-122, as Jalen Brunson had 36 points and 10 assists; Karl-Anthony Towns 34 and 10 rebounds. 

--Last Tuesday, the Lakers’ Dalton Knecht tied an NBA rookie record with nine 3-pointers enroute to 37 points in a 124-118 win over Utah.

LeBron said afterward that it wasn’t so much the Lakers’ superb scouting department that identified the 6-foot-6 wing after an All-American senior season at Tennessee as the ideal prospect to select with the No. 17 pick.

It was all the other teams who passed on him.

“They didn’t ‘find’ DK,” James said.  “The other 16 teams f---ed it up. Did anybody watch him?  S---. They just didn’t f--- it up.  You don’t ‘find’ a SEC player of the year.”

--Friday, the Sixers (3-12) beat the Nets (6-10) 113-98, without Joel Embiid, as rookie Jared McCain poured in 30 points (6 of 11 from three).  McCain now has seven straight 20+ point efforts.

Here’s what I wrote in the 7/1/24 Bar Chat, following the NBA Draft.

“Jared McCain (Duke), at No. 16 by the Sixers, is going to be a star, maybe not an All-Star over the years, but a consistent scorer.”

And the following line was....

“The Lakers’ new coach, JJ Redick, got what he wanted, scoring, in stealing Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht at No. 17.  Many GMs, it seems, were turned off by Knecht’s age, 23, which is incredibly stupid.  He’s NBA ready!”

--Saturday, the Knicks (9-7) suffered a bad loss at Utah (4-12), 121-106.  After shooting lights out last few games, Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges were a combined 4 of 25 from downtown.  Yikes.

--Golden State suffered a blow when key guard De’Anthony Melton suffered a season-ending knee surgery, what was first thought to be a sprained left ACL, but later determined to be worse.  He was averaging 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists.

Golf Balls

--In the final Fall Event on the PGA Tour, the last chance to get into the top 125 and qualify for full playing privileges next year, we had The RSM Classic at Sea Island Golf Course, St. Simon Island, Georgia.

Heading into the last round....

Vince Whaley -14
Maverick McNealy -14
Daniel Berger -12
Mackenzie Hughes -12
Michael Thorbjornsen -12

For Berger and Thorbjornsen, this is huge.  Berger, had moved from 127 on the points list to 108 at the end of play Saturday, while Thorbjornsen moved from 138 to 120.  The pressure will be immense. [Actually, Thorbjornsen already qualified through PGA Tour Player U., but his positioning impacts everyone else around the 125 slot.]

And Maverick McNealy bags his first PGA Tour win, famous father Scott no doubt very proud.  McNealy with a birdie on 18 to defeat three by one stroke, one of them Daniel Berger, who easily secured top 125.

It also seems the popular Joel Dahmen, who started the week No. 124, will finish 124.  Great job.

Ryan McCormick and Bill Haas missed the cut.  It’s on to Q School or make a go of it on the Korn Ferry Tour next season.  Haas, as a past winner, will get a few exemptions on the PGA Tour, like he did this year, but not as many with reduced fields.  If he wants to attempt a real comeback, it’s KFT time.

--As expected, the PGA Tour’s Policy Board approved the changes that will be implemented for the 2026 season, as I outlined a few weeks ago.

Only 100 players, not 125 as it currently stands, will receive full status based on the previous year’s FedEx Cup points list, while the number of full cards granted from the Korn Ferry Tour will shrink to 20 from 30.

Staying the same will be the 10 players who advance from the DP World Tour and five playing cards can be earned at the annual PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament (down from five and ties).

Among the benefits of the new system will be that players who graduate to the PGA Tour from the Korn Ferry Tour will get into most if not all regular (non-signature) events.

With fewer exempt players, the tour is maintaining it can reduce field sizes and have a cleaner, perhaps faster, system.  The Players Championship field, for example, will be reduced from 144 to 120 players.  Several 156-player fields will be reduced to either 144 or 132 players, typically depending on available daylight.  At the smaller fields, there will be a reduction in weekly Monday qualifiers, from four to two at 132-player events and to zero at 120-player events.

One of the big goals is to ensure the 36-hole cut is on schedule under normal weather conditions, and you know for the tournaments in January and February in particular it is often difficult to finish rounds in daylight, ditto the Fall events.

MLB

--Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge were unanimous selections for their respective league’s MVP award.

Ohtani won his first NL MVP and third overall after his historic 50-50 season.  He joins Hall of Famer Frank Robinson as the only players to win MVPs in both leagues.

The Mets’ Francisco Lindor finished second, well deserved.

Judge won his second MVP award in three seasons, with Bobby Witt Jr. second, Juan Soto third.

Ohtani’s two-way greatness on the mound and at the plate earned him the AL MVP award in 2021 and ’23, while Judge had to hit an AL-record 62 home runs to take the crown in 2022.

This year Judge hit 58 home runs, before his postseason flameout.

As for Soto and his free agency, Judge has made it clear to Yankees ownership that he expects them to do everything possible to keep Soto in the Bronx.

--As noted above, Chris Sale (Atlanta) and Tarik Skubal (Detroit) won their first Cy Young Awards.

Sale’s comeback season ended with the NL honor, as he received 26 of the 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America to finish ahead of the Phillies’ Zack Wheeler.

Skubal won in unanimous fashion, with K.C.’s Seth Lugo a distant second.

--Stephen Vogt (Cleveland) and Pat Murphy (Milwaukee) took home their respective Manager of the Year awards.  Both won 27 of 30 first-place votes.

The Mets’ Carlos Mendoza finished third in the NL balloting, the Padres’ Mike Shildt second.

--The hot stove league is heating up.  Friday, the Reds traded Jonathan India, the 2021 NL Rookie of the Year, to the Royals for solid pitcher Brady Singer.  Outfielder Joey Wiemer is also heading to K.C. in the deal.

India, who turns 28 next months, has been a good second baseman with some pop and speed, while Singer, 28, started 32 games for the Royals last season, posting a 3.71 ERA in a career-high 179 2/3 innings.  He’s a quality back of the rotation sort.

--The Mets made an intriguing little trade, acquiring center fielder Jose Siri from the Rays for right-hander Eric Orze.

Siri, 29, is a strong defensive outfielder and will replace Harrison Bader in a center-field pairing with Tyrone Taylor.  Siri hit 18 homes in 402 at-bats last season, but he struck out 170 times!  The year before he hit 25 homers in just 338 ABs.

--But speaking of Tampa Bay, thanks to the severe hurricane damage to Tropicana Field and political problems and delays on financing, suddenly, the very future of the franchise is in doubt.

Rays top executives said in a letter to the Pinellas County Commission that the team has already spent $50 million for early work on the new $1.3 billion ballpark and cannot proceed further because of delays in approval of bonds for the public share of the costs.  It was hoped the stadium would be ready for the 2028 season.

“As we have made clear at every step of this process, a 2029 ballpark delivery would result in significantly higher costs that we are not able to absorb alone,” a letter signed by co-presidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman noted.

The commission voted Tuesday to delay consideration of the financing bonds until its Dec. 17 meeting.

The Rays are going to be playing 2025 at the Yankees’ 11,000-seat Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, but beyond that, who the heck knows!

The team’s contract with the city of St. Petersburg requires that the Rays play three more seasons at Tropicana Field assuming it is repaired.  The cost of fixing the ballpark in time for the 2026 season is pegged at more than $55 million for a building scheduled to be torn down when the new facility is ready.

The Rays new ballpark was to be part of a larger urban renovation project known as the Historic Gas Plant District, which refers to a predominantly Black neighborhood that was forced out by construction of Tropicana Field and an interstate highway spur.

But on Thursday, the St. Petersburgh City Council voted against spending more than $23 million to repair the roof, which was ripped to shreds during Hurricane Milton.  The Council had initially voted to authorize the repairs.  Hours later, they reversed course.

“I can’t say I’m confident about anything,” the Rays’ Brian Auld told the council about the team’s future.

This is a huge issue.  MLB already has the Oakland/Sacramento/Las Vegas A’s debacle.  The Rays not only need a home for 2026 and 2027, but they have to seriously consider relocating.

Let your imagination run wild.  Montreal?  Portland?  Nashville?  You could spend two years renovating existing minor-league parks in these last two to bring them up to MLB standards and the Rays could stay in Steinbrenner Field during that time.

Just musing.  But decisions need to be made...soon!

Meanwhile, there is a reason Tropicana Field had a roof. From June through September, Tampa is impacted by consistent rain.  As in Rays fans need to brace for lots of delays at Steinbrenner Field.  And lots of doubleheaders, I imagine.  This could be a nightmare.

NHL

--Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal mark might be safe until next season.  Alex Ovechkin is out 4-6 weeks as he recovers from a fracture to his left fibula, the team announced Thursday.

--Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby joined the 600-goal club in a 6-1 loss to the Utah Hockey Club, Saturday, becoming just the 21st player in NHL history to reach that mark, and the seventh player to score 600 goals with one team.

Premier League

--Manchester City announced that Pep Guardiola has agreed to a two-year contract extension, clearing up the uncertainty, for now, concerning his status, but then they went out and lost Saturday to Tottenham, at home, 4-0!

City has now lost five games in a row for the first time since 2006, and the first time they have lost three successive Premier League games under Guardiola.  He had also never previously lost a home game by four goals in his managerial career.

Also yesterday, Chelsea beat Leicester 2-1, and Arsenal whipped Nottingham Forest 3-0.

Today, Liverpool beat Southampton, 3-2, and has opened up a commanding 8-point lead.

After 12 of 38 matches...ties broken by goal differential....

1. Liverpool 31 points
2. Man City 23
3. Chelsea 22
4. Arsenal 22
5. Brighton 22
6. Tottenham 19

Stuff

--Max Verstappen wrapped up his fourth consecutive World Drivers’ Championship with fifth place in Saturday night’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The race was won by Mercedes’ George Russell, who held off teammate Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time champion taking second place.

F1 championships....

Hamilton 7
Michael Schumacher 7
Juan Manuel Fangio 5”
Alain Prost 4
Sebastian Vettel 4
Verstappen 4...and he’s only 27 years of age.

--In College Cross Country, BYU won both the men’s and women’s titles, the championship in Madison, Wis., Saturday.  Wake Forest’s men’s team finished seventh, a great finish.

--We have the second round of the NCAA Men’s soccer tournament today.  I’ll have a recap in my Add-on...Wake playing Maryland tonight.

The Wake women are taking on Ohio State today in the women’s tournament.  And they win it, 1-0! ...They are Elite Eight bound.

--Pamela Hayden, for 35 years the voice of Bart Simpson’s best friend, Milhouse Van Houten, is retiring.  Her final episode airs tonight, Nov. 24.

“The Simpsons” is currently in its 36th season, but the show has yet to be renewed for Season 37.

--Legendary game show host Chuck Woolery died. He was 83.

Woolery was the first host of “Wheel of Fortune” back in 1975, holding the gig unti 1981 when Pat Sajak took over.

Woolery later hosted shows like “Love Connection,” “Scrabble,” a revival of “The Dating Game,” and most recently “80s Quiz Show.”

--I’m drooling over the Usinger’s Famous Sausage (Milwaukee) holiday catalogue, and did you know Usinger’s Beef Hot Dogs were the official Hot Dog of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics?

Top 3 songs for the week 11/23/85: #1 “We Built This City” (Starship)  #2 “You Belong To The City” (Glenn Frey) #3 “Separate Lives” (Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin)...and...#4 “Broken Wings” (Mr. Mister)  #5 “Never” (Heart) #6  “Lay Young Hands On Me” (Thompson Twins)  #7 “Head Over Heels” (Tears For Fears)  #8 “Miami Vice Theme” (Jan Hammer)  #9 “Who’s Zoomin’ Who” (Aretha Franklin)  #10 “Part-Time Lover” (Stevie Wonder...C- week...)

Cy Young Award Quiz Answer: The only other times two left-handers won Cy Young honors in the same season were Steve Carlton and Sparky Lyle in 1977, and Randy Johnson and Barry Zito in 2002.

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.

 



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Bar Chat

11/25/2024

College Football's scramble for the Top 12

Add-on posted early Tuesday a.m.

NFL

--In games after I posted Sunday, the Vikings (9-2) prevailed over the Bears (4-7) in Chicago, 30-27 in overtime, as Sam Darnold threw two touchdown passes for Minnesota, with Jordan Addison having a big day, 162 yards on eight receptions and a score, while Aaron Jones rushed for 106 yards and a TD.

For Chicago, Caleb Williams had his best game in a while, 32/47, 340, 2-0, 103.1.  So at least this was encouraging.

But this game was 27-16 Minnesota with 1:56 left.  But Chicago’s Deandre Carter had a 55-yard kickoff return to the 40 (after muffing a punt earlier that led to a touchdown).  Williams then drove the Bears for TD in eight plays for a score.  They converted the 2-point conversion, 27-24.

Chicago then recovered the onside kick and Williams hit DJ Moore for a 27-yard gain to the 30 before spiking the ball.  Cairo Santos then drilled a 48-yard field goal as time expired to send the game into OT.

Chicago won the coin toss, but the Bears were three-and-out.  The Vikings took over at the 21, and Darnold led a 10-play drive for the deciding field goal.

--Denver (7-5) is driving toward a playoff berth (though they are currently seventh in the standings), 29-19 on the road at Las Vegas (2-9), with Bo Nix 25/42, 273, 2-0, 94.6, and Will Lutz with five field goals.

--Green Bay is 8-3, following a 38-10 win over San Francisco (5-6), Josh Jacobs with 106 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

The injury-riddled 49ers, sans Brock Purdy, are going to be hard-pressed to make the playoffs, though they are only a game back in the mediocre NFC West.

--Speaking of the mediocre NFC West, Seattle (6-5) tied Arizona (6-5) for the lead in the division, with a 16-6 victory in their tussle, which must have been a snoozer.

--And staying in the NFC West, we then had Rams-Eagles in Inglewood in Sunday’s night affair. For the second time in three weeks, the Rams (5-6) went into the game knowing a win would move them into a tie in the division, only to struggle mightily on the prime-time stage.

Philadelphia (9-2) rolled, 37-20, as Saquon Barkley set a franchise record in running for 255 yards, which was also the most against the Rams in their history.

Barkley had his 255 yards on 26 carries, including touchdown runs of 70 and 72 yards, plus he had four receptions for another 47, his 302 total yards the 12th player to top 300 in NFL history, while the 255 yards on the ground was the ninth-highest total of all time.

Barkley now has a league-leading, and career-best, 1,392 yards rushing with six games to go, within striking distance of Eric Dickerson’s all-time 2,105 for a season, set back in 1984.

Saquon is on pace for 2,151.

He is also just the sixth player in NFL history with multiple 70-yard touchdown runs in the same game, and the first since Maurice Jones-Drew in 2009.

And he’s averaging 83.6 yards rushing per second half this season, on pace to be the highest on record (since 1991).

--Monday night, the Ravens (8-4) beat the Chargers (7-4), 30-23, as John Harbaugh improved to 3-0 in head-to-head meetings against his brother, Jim.  That includes a win in Super Bowl 47.

Baltimore rushed for 212 yards, Derrick Henry with 140 on 24 carries, while Justice Hill had a late 51-yard TD.

The Chargers were hurt by the absence of J.K. Dobbins in the second half due to a knee injury.

--I noted the issues with Barkley’s former team, the Giants (2-9), who have lost six straight, with coach Brian Daboll losing the locker room.

After Sunday’s 30-7 loss at home to Tampa Bay, rookie receiver Malik Nabers called the team “soft as f---.”

Dexter Lawrence echoed this, adding that they got the “s---” beaten out of them.

Brad Burns uttered an expletive when asked about the lopsided defeat.

OT Jermaine Eluemunor said he doesn’t think everybody is “giving 100%.”

--It seems the Jets are on the verge of benching Aaron Rodgers, but not this week against Seattle.  Rodgers is highly unlikely to be back next season, this seems certain, as the team is now in an active search for a coach and GM, led by former GM Mike Tanenbaum, who is the last GM that had the team in the playoffs.  Tanenbaum has a close relationship with Rex Ryan, having hired Rex for the Jets job, and Ryan is said to be lobbying hard for the job.

I’d love to have Rex back, but I’m in a minority on this.

NBA

--As a follow-up to comments I made Sunday about Philadelphia rookie Jared McCain, on Sunday night, the Sixers (3-13) were blown out at home by the Clippers (11-7) 125-99, as McCain was only 3 of 15 from the field, 2-11 from three, 18 points, ending his 20+ point string at seven.

--The Knicks (10-7), after an embarrassing performance in Utah, blasted the Nuggets (9-7) last night in Denver, 145-118, hitting 19 of 36 from three, and with a team-record 45 assists!

OG Anunoby had a career-high 40 points, Karl-Anthony Towns 30 and 15 rebounds, and Jalen Brunson 23 points and 17 assists.

The Celtics moved to 15-3 with a 126-94 win over the Clippers (11-8).

College Basketball

--New AP Poll, released Monday....

1. Kansas 5-0 (51)
2. UConn 4-0 (6)
3. Gonzaga 5-0 (2)
4. Auburn 4-0 (3)
5. Iowa State 3-0
6. Houston 3-1
7. Tennessee 6-0
8. Kentucky 5-0
9. Alabama 4-1
10. Marquette 6-0
11. Duke 4-1
12. North Carolina 3-1
13. Purdue 5-1
14. Indiana 4-0
15. Wisconsin 7-0
16. Cincinnati 5-0
17. Baylor 4-2
18. Florida 6-0
19. Arkansas 4-1
20. Texas A&M 4-1
21. Creighton 4-1
22. Xavier 5-0
23. Ole Miss 5-0
24. Arizona 2-2
25. Mississippi State 5-0

Rutgers, with the loss to Kennesaw State, didn’t receive a single vote in the poll. St. John’s, with the two losses last week, fell to No. 38, if you carry out the votes.  Wake Forest, with just the one loss to Xavier, but not looking particularly good otherwise, also didn’t get one vote...and 50 teams did!

Ugh.  But the Deacs have games coming up against Florida and Texas A&M.  They will be massive for us.  We need our center, Efton Reid, to get over his migraine issues, or we are screwed before the ACC season even gets underway.

Monday, UConn (4-1) then fell in the first round of the Maui Invitational to Memphis (5-0), 99-97 in overtime, as coach Dan Hurley got called for a technical foul in OT that proved costly.  Hurley had been cussing out the referees the entire contest and this was well-deserved.

--In women’s hoops, the defending champion South Carolina Gamecocks saw their program-record 43-game winning streak end with a 77-62 defeat to No. 5 UCLA Sunday at Pauley Pavilion, in front of a crowd of 13,659.

It was the Lady Gamecocks’ largest defeat since the 2019 Sweet 16 and their first road loss since December 2021.

Golf Balls

--The PGA Tour really had a terrific finale to their season with Maverick McNealy’s first victory, emerging from a four-way tie with a birdie on No. 18 at the RSM Classic.

Among the players he beat was 21-year-old Florida State junior Luke Clanton, who ended up with four top-10 finishes this year as an amateur, including two runners-up, and is well on his way to earning his PGA Tour status next year via PGA Tour University.

And as I noted, Daniel Berger comfortably got his card for 2025 with his T2 finish.

Berger moved to No. 100 from 127 at the start of the week, and Joel Dahmen, who started the week at No. 124, finished 124, but needed a final round 64 to stay inside the top 125 and secure his card for 2025.

Henrik Norlander jumped from 126 to 120 with his T17, needing a 63-68 weekend to do so.  He said the pressure was unreal.

But Hayden Springer fell short, moving from 128 to just 127, as his final round 70 wasn’t enough.  Springer had made the tour this year via Q-School.

Those who finished 126-150 on the points list have conditional status for 2025, but with reduced fields, let alone the signature events, it is going to be exceedingly difficult to get a lot of starts, so these folks will be bouncing back and forth between the PGA and Korn Ferry tours.

Berger and Norlander were the only two to move inside the top 125 at the season finale, knocking out Zac Blair and Wesley Bryan, both of whom missed the cut – Blair fell from No. 123 to No. 126, with Bryan falling from No. 125 to No. 128.

Bubble Boy for 2024 is Sam Ryder.  He started the week No. 122, after finishing T5 at last week’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship.  Ryder then missed the cut and was in a helpless position across the final two rounds.  But late stumbles by Springer and Michael Thorbjornsen, allowed him to finish No. 125.

--Tiger Woods announced he wouldn’t play in the upcoming Hero World Challenge, Woods saying in a statement on social media that he was “disappointed”, but that he is recovering from his sixth back surgery in the last 10 years.

Stuff

--The Wake Forest men’s soccer team defeated Maryland 2-1 Sunday night in Winston-Salem, advancing to the Round of 16, where they will now host Clemson on Sunday, at home, in a rematch of the ACC final.  This will be interesting.

--The Wake women’s team is facing Southern California in the quarterfinals on Friday.

--I talked extensively about the Tampa Bay Rays and their stadium issues for not just this year, but in the future, and noted all the rain the Tampa area receives in June through September, but they will be playing at Steinbrenner Field, which has no roof.

Monday, MLB then announced it was switching some series involving the Rays to the first two months of the season in an attempt to avoid the summer rain.

Tampa Bay is now scheduled to play 19 of its first 22 games at home, 37 of 54 through May 28, and then will play 64 of its last 108 games on the road.

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.

Happy Thanksgiving!  As the late, great political commentator John McLaughlin used to say... “Gob-ble Gob-ble!!”

-----

[Posted early Sunday p.m., prior to late football action.]

StocksandNews has significant ongoing costs.  Please click on the gofundme link or send a check to PO Box 990, New Providence, NJ 07974.

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.

Cy Young Award Quiz: Chris Sale and Tarik Skubal won the NL / AL Cy Young Awards, just the third time two left-handers won in the same season.  Name the other two instances. [Hint: Both post-1970, two of the four are in the Hall of Fame.] Answer below.

College Football Review

Comments written prior to the release of the new AP poll.  CFP rankings used below.

And, boy, there will be a shakeup with the top 12....

In the Top Ten, No. 1 Oregon idle....

The biggie was 5 Indiana at 2 Ohio State, and after the Buckeyes held a 14-7 lead at the half, it was all OSU, beginning with a punt return for a touchdown, the Buckeyes (10-1) roll 38-15, outgaining the Hoosiers 316-151.

Will Howard was super at QB for Ohio State, 22/26, 201, 2-1, and IU’s longest pass play was just 19 yards.

So Indiana is 10-1, with a home game against Purdue left...so make that 11-1.  Is that enough?  That has been the question the second half of the season, once we knew Indiana was for real.

Thankfully, for Hoosiers fans, the SEC self imploded.

3 Texas (10-1) defeated Kentucky (4-7) 56-0, while 4 Penn State (10-1) held on to beat Minnesota (6-5) 26-25 on the road.

But 7 Alabama (8-3) played an inexplicably awful game against Oklahoma (6-5) in Norman, falling 24-3, its playoff hopes in the trash bin.  [Great for Indiana.]

Jalen Milroe was atrocious, throwing three interceptions, including a pick-six.  OU quarterback Jackson Arnold rushed for 131 yards, and Xavier Robinson had 107 yards and two touchdowns on the ground for the Sooners.

And 9 Ole Miss (8-3) also saw its playoff hopes shattered, more good news for Indiana, falling 24-17 at Florida (6-5), the Gators suddenly rather pesky, giving their fans some hope that maybe the school did the right thing in keeping coach Billy Napier.

For Ole Miss, Jaxson Dart threw two interceptions and had zero scores in three trips inside the red zone, his receivers with mega drops.

10 Georgia (9-2), however, is now in the SEC title game (opponent to be determined next week), after a 59-21 non-conference win over UMass (2-9).

11 Tennessee (9-2) is now seemingly playoff bound, 56-0 over UTEP (2-9), though they have a finale next week against Vanderbilt.

To complete the SEC action among the leaders, 15 Texas A&M (8-3) saw its playoff hopes go down the tubes, maybe, 43-41 at Auburn (5-6), a crazy affair that went four overtimes.

But...A&M plays Texas next week and the winner faces Georgia in the conference championship.

OK, back to the Top Ten.  6 Notre Dame (10-1) rolled over Army (9-1) 49-14 at Yankee Stadium, the Fighting Irish looking better and better with their punishing ground game, 29 carries for 274 yards and five touchdowns, Jeremiyah Love leading the way, 7-130-2, including a 68-yard TD scamper.

Army is still in the midst of an outstanding season and has zero to be ashamed about.

And then there was Wake Forest (4-7) at 8 Miami (10-1), the Deacs putting up a fight in the first half, trailing only 20-14, despite Wake QB Hank Bachmeier throwing a pick-six.  On the ensuing kickoff, Wake’s star, Demond Claiborne, took it 100 yards!

But Bachmeier was absolutely atrocious.  His 8 of 14 passing was deceptive.  He could have had 4 interceptions, and for the life of me, I can’t believe that Wake didn’t have receivers open.  It didn’t help that ESPN not once showed Miami’s coverage, but for a QB it’s 1-2-3 throw it, and there was a befuddled Bachmeier on 4-5, going to the ground, getting sacked...it was hard to watch.

The final score was 42-14, yet, seriously, this was a winnable game!  [Yes, we were outgained 508-193, but you had to watch to understand.]

As for Claiborne, a junior, I don’t see how Wake keeps him for his senior season.  He will get major NIL $s from a top contender...no doubt, and on the right team, he is a legitimate Heisman candidate next year.

Meanwhile, 12 Boise State (10-1) has not been winning in impressive fashion recently, 17-13 last night at Wyoming (2-9), as Ashton Jeanty nonetheless had 169 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown.  Boise is not only playoff bound, but they are still in a position to get a bye, because, like the SEC, the Big 12 imploded.

16 Colorado (8-3) lost at Kansas (5-6), 37-21, as the amazing Jayhawks are the first team in FBS history to beat three ranked teams in a row, with a losing record!  Devin Neal was a stud, 207 yards on 37 carries with three touchdowns, and 80 yards on four catches with another TD.

For CU, Shedeur Sanders was solid, 23/29, 266, 3-0, and Travis Hunter was Heisman-like, 8 receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns, along with seven tackles, but it was far from enough.

And then 14 BYU (9-2) fell to 21 Arizona State (9-2), 28-23, the ASU fans storming the field prematurely, when there was 0:01 left, and BYU almost connected on a Hail Mary for the win.

So as for the Big 12 title game...ASU, BYU, Colorado and Iowa State are all 6-2.  To be continued....

In other games of importance....

13 SMU (10-1) is ACC title game bound, 33-7 over Virginia (5-6).

And 17 Clemson (9-2) still has ACC title game hopes after a 51-14 win over The Citadel (5-7), but the Tigers need Miami to lose at Syracuse next week...which I’m going to say right now, will happen.  The Orange will prevail.

18 South Carolina (8-3) deserves a good bowl game, 56-12 over Wofford (5-7).

23 Missouri (8-3) defeated Mississippi State (2-9) 39-20.

Louisville (7-4) handed Pitt (7-4) its fourth straight loss, 39-7.

Boston College is bowl bound at 6-5, a nice 41-21 win over North Carolina (6-5), as the Eagles’ ‘D’ held Omarion Hampton to just 53 yards on 11 carries, after he had 244 against Wake Forest last week.

Rutgers (6-5) suffered a truly devastating loss at home, 38-31 to Illinois (8-3).  The Scarlet Knights were up 31-30 on a Kyle Monangai TD reception with 1:08 to play, only to see the Illini drive down the field and on fourth-and-13 with 14 seconds remaining, RU coach Greg Schiano calling a controversial timeout, Illini receiver Pat Bryant weaved through the RU defense on his way to a miraculous 40-yard touchdown, Rutgers falling 38-31.

I can not imagine being an RU fan in the stands at that moment.

Lastly, in the 160th meeting, most in Division I football, Lehigh (8-3) whipped Lafayette (6-6) 38-14 in Bethlehem, PA. [Princeton-Yale is 146, Harvard-Yale 140 times.]

Lehigh also won the Patriot League crown.

--And now, the new AP Poll...which will give us a clue on the next CFP reveal....

1. Oregon 11-0 (61)
2. Ohio State 10-1
3. Texas 10-1
4. Penn State 10-1
5. Notre Dame 10-1
6. Georgia 9-2
7. Tennessee 9-2
8. Miami (FL) 10-1
9. SMU 10-1
10. Indiana 10-1
11. Boise State 10-1
12. Clemson 9-2...up 5
13. Alabama 8-3
14. Arizona State 9-2
15. Ole Miss 8-3
16. South Carolina 8-3
17. Iowa State 9-2
18. Tulane 9-2
19. BYU 9-2
20. Texas A&M 8-3
21. UNLV 9-2
22. Illinois 8-3
23. Colorado 8-3...down 7
24. Missouri 8-3
25. Army 9-1...down 7

Where will the CFP put Indiana, Clemson and Alabama?

Syracuse is 28, if you carry out the votes...Miami goes down.

NFL

--An incredibly ugly season for Jets fans got even worse as owner Woody Johnson fired GM Joe Douglas on Tuesday, after firing coach Robert Saleh on Oct. 8 following a 2-3 start.

It’s not that fans care that Douglas was being released, his teams have a record of 30-64 and he was almost certainly going to be canned at the end of the season when a new regime takes over, it’s just that Woody’s timing has been strange.

Douglas made some good draft selections, like Sauce Gardner (who is already regressing, however), Garrett Wilson, Jermaine Johnson and Breece Hall.

But his misses were atrocious, namely Zach Wilson at No. 2 overall in 2021 and drafting tackle Mekhi Becton in the first round in 2020.

Douglas then made the move to trade for Aaron Rodgers, and we know how that has worked out, though to be fair, the vast majority of Jets fans loved the move, including yours truly.

The thing is, us fans thought Woody Johnson was a man behind the scenes who didn’t involve himself in player moves, and The Athletic reported that Johnson has progressively stonewalled Douglas as the weeks went on, including how Johnson wanted to bench Rodgers just four weeks into the season in favor of backup Tyrod Taylor.  The coaches present in that meeting were stunned, according to the report, and rightfully so.  Johnson backed off, but fired Saleh a week later.

But now we wait to see if Donald Trump re-appoints Johnson as ambassador to the UK.

So will the Jets now release Rodgers, to give him a chance to hook up with a contender, even as a backup, a la the Giants and Daniel Jones?  The Jets are in their bye week.

--Speaking of Daniel Jones, having been relegated to fourth string for the purposes of keeping him healthy and thus avoid paying another $23 million as part of an injury guarantee clause in his contract, Jones went to owner John Mara and requested he be released, which the team granted.

Mara said in a statement: “Daniel has been a great representative of our organization, first class in every way.  His handling of this situation yesterday exemplifies just that.  We are all disappointed in how things have worked out.”

Jones was classy in addressing reporters for the first time since his demotion.

Despite a 24-44-1 record as a starter and a mediocre (at best) 84.3 career passer rating, Jones will find a home somewhere, certainly as a backup.

He’ll first clear waivers on Monday and have a new home on a one-year deal, sooner rather than later.

No team was expected to claim the balance of Jones’ contract - $11,833,333 for this season, as well as the $23 million in injury guarantees for after this season.

Monday evening, Jones can sign with anyone.

But today, the Giants didn’t show up, falling 30-7 to Tampa Bay (5-6), a needed win for the Bucs who had lost four straight, Baker Mayfield in control, 24/30, 294, 0-0, 107.5.

Tommy Cutlets was under pressure the entire game, and he finished up 21/31, 189, 0-0.  The Giants (2-9) play Dallas on Thanksgiving, and Tommy will no doubt be the QB.

--The Lions moved to 10-1 with a workmanlike 24-6 win at Indianapolis (5-7).

--Kansas City is 10-1, but it wasn’t easy, defeating the Panthers (3-8) in Charlotte, 30-27, Patrick Mahomes with a late drive for a field goal, and a key run, after the Panthers had rather heroically tied it at 27-27 with just 1:46 to play.

--Miami (5-6) stays relevant, 34-15, over the irrelevant Patriots (3-9), Tua with four touchdown passes.

--The Titans (3-8) had a huge upset over the Texans (7-5), 32-27, in Houston, as Nick Folk kicked three field goals from over 50, while the Texans’ CJ Stroud threw two interceptions, including a pick-six.

--In an absolutely crazy affair, the Cowboys (4-7) handed the Commanders (7-5) their third straight loss, 34-26, Washington having a chance to tie it with 0:21 to play, but they muffed the extra point.  Dallas then took the squib, onside kick attempt, all the way for a TD, their second kickoff return touchdown of the quarter! 

This game was 10-9, Dallas, after three.

--Thursday, the Browns (3-8) stunned the Steelers (8-3) in snowy Cleveland, 24-19, after blowing a late lead, getting it back and then holding on.

Leading 18-6 about halfway through the fourth quarter, Cleveland gave up 13 points in 1:42.

Jaylen Warren scored from 3 yards out, Nick Herbig forced a Jameis Winston fumble, and Russell Wilson threw a 23-yard touchdown to Calvin Austin III three plays later.  Winston then threw an interception, and all looked lost.

But Pittsburgh went three-and-out, and Winston led a nine-play, 45-yard drive culminating in a 2-yard Nick Chubb touchdown.  Winston completed a huge third-and-6 pass play to Jerry Jeudy for 15.

Myles Garrett was a monster on defense for the Browns, with three sacks and a forced fumble.

Russell Wilson performed well in the awful conditions, 21/28, 270, 1-0, 116.7 for the Steelers.

Yes, it was fun to see a game in the snow.  We want that in January, but there are only so many places that can happen, like Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Buffalo, Kansas City, maybe Denver this year.

--In the latter games, San Francisco is without both Brock Purdy and Nick Bosa for its biggie against the Packers, Purdy with right shoulder soreness.  Coach Kyle Shanahan announced that veteran Brandon Allen will start in place of Purdy, with Josh Dobbs available as the backup.

College Basketball

--Going back to Tuesday, 15 Marquette had a big win over 6 Purdue, 76-58.  Golden Eagles senior guard Kam Jones finished with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, just the third triple-double in program history, which given Marquette’s rich history, I find kind of remarkable.  Dwyane Wade had the last for MU, famously coming in the 2003 Elite Eight against Kentucky.  Tony Miller had the other in 1994.

Wake Forest finally hit some 3s, 12 of 31, in an 82-69 win over Western Carolina, also Tuesday.  But the Deacs learned that key transfer Omaha Biliew, who was a 5-star recruit for Iowa State, is out 8-10 weeks after surgery on a stress fracture to his foot.  Ugh.  We needed his size, for starters.  It also seems center Efton Reid suffers from migraines, Reid hardly playing Tuesday as a result.

--Thursday in the Bahamas, we had a terrific game...No. 22 St. John’s vs. No. 13 Baylor.  I watched the entire contest, the Johnnies falling 99-98 in double-overtime.

St. John’s coach Rick Pitino was furious afterwards with the officials’ decision to ice Zuby Ejiofor at the free-throw line by going to replay after he was fouled by Jayden Nunn in the final seconds.

Baylor coach Scott Drew called for a review, thinking Ejiofor may have hit one of his players with an elbow when they fouled him.

With St. John’s up 98-96, Ejiofor then missed both free throws with 4.1 seconds to go and Jeremy Roach won the game at the buzzer in dramatic fashion with a 3-pointer.

Roach, you’ll recall, spent four years at Duke and chose Baylor for his grad season.

Ejiofor, 22 points, 10 rebounds, was solid but only 6 of 12 from the line.

I’ll say this about the Johnnies.  Last season Pitino complained his team wasn’t athletic, and, boy, this year’s edition is an entirely different story.  It can go far.

--Friday, St. John’s rebounded to beat Virginia, 80-55, while Baylor lost to 11 Tennessee 77-62.

12 Duke had a nice road win at 17 Arizona, 69-55, as Cooper Flagg had 24 points.

--Saturday, Wake (6-1) beat Detroit Mercy 67-57, as Hunter Sallis had 31.  Cam Hildreth was 1 for 10 from the field for the Deacs.  But Efton Reid was out with migraines again.  This is not good.  We play 21 Florida on Thanksgiving.

And I just watched the exciting finish of 24 Rutgers-Kennesaw State in Atlanta, the Owls (5-1) holding off a furious RU (4-1) rally, 79-77, for their first win against a top 25 team.

Not a good 24 hours for Scarlet Knights sports fans.

--Today, 22 St. John’s played Georgia in Nassau, Bahamas, in a game starting at 11:00 a.m., and the Johnnies (5-2) lost 66-63, the Bulldogs 6-1.  St. John’s was just 2 of 19 from three.  Eegads, that blows.

My friend Perry S. was there for all three Johnnies contests.  He says the Baha Mar Resort was super, in case those of you watching were wondering, with all the publicity it received.

--Geno Auriemma earned career win No. 1,217 on Wednesday night, as UConn defeated Fairleigh Dickinson, 85-41, up in Storrs, Conn.  Auriemma broke a tie with former Stanford women’s coach Tara VanDerveer.

“We never sat down and said hey, let’s make a 40-year plan and see if we can make this happen,” Auriemma said.  “It’s about coming here every day and trying to be better than we were yesterday.”

Some call Geno the greatest college basketball coach ever, period, and who can argue with that.

11 national titles, most in D-I basketball history.

1,217-162 record (.883 win pct), best in D-I basketball history.

22 Final Fours, including a record 14 straight from 2004-17.

Record 111 straight wins from 2014-17.

Eight Naismith Coach of the Year rewards.

It was great that more than 60 of Auriemma’s former players, including superstars such as Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird and Rebecca Lobo, were in attendance.

NBA

--Going back to Tuesday, after my Add-on, Cleveland was finally beaten, 120-117 by the Celtics in Boston.

The Cavs then beat the Pelicans on Wednesday, 128-100.

--The Knicks embarked on their 5-game road trip Wednesday, burying the Suns 138-122, as Jalen Brunson had 36 points and 10 assists; Karl-Anthony Towns 34 and 10 rebounds. 

--Last Tuesday, the Lakers’ Dalton Knecht tied an NBA rookie record with nine 3-pointers enroute to 37 points in a 124-118 win over Utah.

LeBron said afterward that it wasn’t so much the Lakers’ superb scouting department that identified the 6-foot-6 wing after an All-American senior season at Tennessee as the ideal prospect to select with the No. 17 pick.

It was all the other teams who passed on him.

“They didn’t ‘find’ DK,” James said.  “The other 16 teams f---ed it up. Did anybody watch him?  S---. They just didn’t f--- it up.  You don’t ‘find’ a SEC player of the year.”

--Friday, the Sixers (3-12) beat the Nets (6-10) 113-98, without Joel Embiid, as rookie Jared McCain poured in 30 points (6 of 11 from three).  McCain now has seven straight 20+ point efforts.

Here’s what I wrote in the 7/1/24 Bar Chat, following the NBA Draft.

“Jared McCain (Duke), at No. 16 by the Sixers, is going to be a star, maybe not an All-Star over the years, but a consistent scorer.”

And the following line was....

“The Lakers’ new coach, JJ Redick, got what he wanted, scoring, in stealing Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht at No. 17.  Many GMs, it seems, were turned off by Knecht’s age, 23, which is incredibly stupid.  He’s NBA ready!”

--Saturday, the Knicks (9-7) suffered a bad loss at Utah (4-12), 121-106.  After shooting lights out last few games, Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges were a combined 4 of 25 from downtown.  Yikes.

--Golden State suffered a blow when key guard De’Anthony Melton suffered a season-ending knee surgery, what was first thought to be a sprained left ACL, but later determined to be worse.  He was averaging 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists.

Golf Balls

--In the final Fall Event on the PGA Tour, the last chance to get into the top 125 and qualify for full playing privileges next year, we had The RSM Classic at Sea Island Golf Course, St. Simon Island, Georgia.

Heading into the last round....

Vince Whaley -14
Maverick McNealy -14
Daniel Berger -12
Mackenzie Hughes -12
Michael Thorbjornsen -12

For Berger and Thorbjornsen, this is huge.  Berger, had moved from 127 on the points list to 108 at the end of play Saturday, while Thorbjornsen moved from 138 to 120.  The pressure will be immense. [Actually, Thorbjornsen already qualified through PGA Tour Player U., but his positioning impacts everyone else around the 125 slot.]

And Maverick McNealy bags his first PGA Tour win, famous father Scott no doubt very proud.  McNealy with a birdie on 18 to defeat three by one stroke, one of them Daniel Berger, who easily secured top 125.

It also seems the popular Joel Dahmen, who started the week No. 124, will finish 124.  Great job.

Ryan McCormick and Bill Haas missed the cut.  It’s on to Q School or make a go of it on the Korn Ferry Tour next season.  Haas, as a past winner, will get a few exemptions on the PGA Tour, like he did this year, but not as many with reduced fields.  If he wants to attempt a real comeback, it’s KFT time.

--As expected, the PGA Tour’s Policy Board approved the changes that will be implemented for the 2026 season, as I outlined a few weeks ago.

Only 100 players, not 125 as it currently stands, will receive full status based on the previous year’s FedEx Cup points list, while the number of full cards granted from the Korn Ferry Tour will shrink to 20 from 30.

Staying the same will be the 10 players who advance from the DP World Tour and five playing cards can be earned at the annual PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament (down from five and ties).

Among the benefits of the new system will be that players who graduate to the PGA Tour from the Korn Ferry Tour will get into most if not all regular (non-signature) events.

With fewer exempt players, the tour is maintaining it can reduce field sizes and have a cleaner, perhaps faster, system.  The Players Championship field, for example, will be reduced from 144 to 120 players.  Several 156-player fields will be reduced to either 144 or 132 players, typically depending on available daylight.  At the smaller fields, there will be a reduction in weekly Monday qualifiers, from four to two at 132-player events and to zero at 120-player events.

One of the big goals is to ensure the 36-hole cut is on schedule under normal weather conditions, and you know for the tournaments in January and February in particular it is often difficult to finish rounds in daylight, ditto the Fall events.

MLB

--Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge were unanimous selections for their respective league’s MVP award.

Ohtani won his first NL MVP and third overall after his historic 50-50 season.  He joins Hall of Famer Frank Robinson as the only players to win MVPs in both leagues.

The Mets’ Francisco Lindor finished second, well deserved.

Judge won his second MVP award in three seasons, with Bobby Witt Jr. second, Juan Soto third.

Ohtani’s two-way greatness on the mound and at the plate earned him the AL MVP award in 2021 and ’23, while Judge had to hit an AL-record 62 home runs to take the crown in 2022.

This year Judge hit 58 home runs, before his postseason flameout.

As for Soto and his free agency, Judge has made it clear to Yankees ownership that he expects them to do everything possible to keep Soto in the Bronx.

--As noted above, Chris Sale (Atlanta) and Tarik Skubal (Detroit) won their first Cy Young Awards.

Sale’s comeback season ended with the NL honor, as he received 26 of the 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America to finish ahead of the Phillies’ Zack Wheeler.

Skubal won in unanimous fashion, with K.C.’s Seth Lugo a distant second.

--Stephen Vogt (Cleveland) and Pat Murphy (Milwaukee) took home their respective Manager of the Year awards.  Both won 27 of 30 first-place votes.

The Mets’ Carlos Mendoza finished third in the NL balloting, the Padres’ Mike Shildt second.

--The hot stove league is heating up.  Friday, the Reds traded Jonathan India, the 2021 NL Rookie of the Year, to the Royals for solid pitcher Brady Singer.  Outfielder Joey Wiemer is also heading to K.C. in the deal.

India, who turns 28 next months, has been a good second baseman with some pop and speed, while Singer, 28, started 32 games for the Royals last season, posting a 3.71 ERA in a career-high 179 2/3 innings.  He’s a quality back of the rotation sort.

--The Mets made an intriguing little trade, acquiring center fielder Jose Siri from the Rays for right-hander Eric Orze.

Siri, 29, is a strong defensive outfielder and will replace Harrison Bader in a center-field pairing with Tyrone Taylor.  Siri hit 18 homes in 402 at-bats last season, but he struck out 170 times!  The year before he hit 25 homers in just 338 ABs.

--But speaking of Tampa Bay, thanks to the severe hurricane damage to Tropicana Field and political problems and delays on financing, suddenly, the very future of the franchise is in doubt.

Rays top executives said in a letter to the Pinellas County Commission that the team has already spent $50 million for early work on the new $1.3 billion ballpark and cannot proceed further because of delays in approval of bonds for the public share of the costs.  It was hoped the stadium would be ready for the 2028 season.

“As we have made clear at every step of this process, a 2029 ballpark delivery would result in significantly higher costs that we are not able to absorb alone,” a letter signed by co-presidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman noted.

The commission voted Tuesday to delay consideration of the financing bonds until its Dec. 17 meeting.

The Rays are going to be playing 2025 at the Yankees’ 11,000-seat Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, but beyond that, who the heck knows!

The team’s contract with the city of St. Petersburg requires that the Rays play three more seasons at Tropicana Field assuming it is repaired.  The cost of fixing the ballpark in time for the 2026 season is pegged at more than $55 million for a building scheduled to be torn down when the new facility is ready.

The Rays new ballpark was to be part of a larger urban renovation project known as the Historic Gas Plant District, which refers to a predominantly Black neighborhood that was forced out by construction of Tropicana Field and an interstate highway spur.

But on Thursday, the St. Petersburgh City Council voted against spending more than $23 million to repair the roof, which was ripped to shreds during Hurricane Milton.  The Council had initially voted to authorize the repairs.  Hours later, they reversed course.

“I can’t say I’m confident about anything,” the Rays’ Brian Auld told the council about the team’s future.

This is a huge issue.  MLB already has the Oakland/Sacramento/Las Vegas A’s debacle.  The Rays not only need a home for 2026 and 2027, but they have to seriously consider relocating.

Let your imagination run wild.  Montreal?  Portland?  Nashville?  You could spend two years renovating existing minor-league parks in these last two to bring them up to MLB standards and the Rays could stay in Steinbrenner Field during that time.

Just musing.  But decisions need to be made...soon!

Meanwhile, there is a reason Tropicana Field had a roof. From June through September, Tampa is impacted by consistent rain.  As in Rays fans need to brace for lots of delays at Steinbrenner Field.  And lots of doubleheaders, I imagine.  This could be a nightmare.

NHL

--Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal mark might be safe until next season.  Alex Ovechkin is out 4-6 weeks as he recovers from a fracture to his left fibula, the team announced Thursday.

--Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby joined the 600-goal club in a 6-1 loss to the Utah Hockey Club, Saturday, becoming just the 21st player in NHL history to reach that mark, and the seventh player to score 600 goals with one team.

Premier League

--Manchester City announced that Pep Guardiola has agreed to a two-year contract extension, clearing up the uncertainty, for now, concerning his status, but then they went out and lost Saturday to Tottenham, at home, 4-0!

City has now lost five games in a row for the first time since 2006, and the first time they have lost three successive Premier League games under Guardiola.  He had also never previously lost a home game by four goals in his managerial career.

Also yesterday, Chelsea beat Leicester 2-1, and Arsenal whipped Nottingham Forest 3-0.

Today, Liverpool beat Southampton, 3-2, and has opened up a commanding 8-point lead.

After 12 of 38 matches...ties broken by goal differential....

1. Liverpool 31 points
2. Man City 23
3. Chelsea 22
4. Arsenal 22
5. Brighton 22
6. Tottenham 19

Stuff

--Max Verstappen wrapped up his fourth consecutive World Drivers’ Championship with fifth place in Saturday night’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The race was won by Mercedes’ George Russell, who held off teammate Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time champion taking second place.

F1 championships....

Hamilton 7
Michael Schumacher 7
Juan Manuel Fangio 5”
Alain Prost 4
Sebastian Vettel 4
Verstappen 4...and he’s only 27 years of age.

--In College Cross Country, BYU won both the men’s and women’s titles, the championship in Madison, Wis., Saturday.  Wake Forest’s men’s team finished seventh, a great finish.

--We have the second round of the NCAA Men’s soccer tournament today.  I’ll have a recap in my Add-on...Wake playing Maryland tonight.

The Wake women are taking on Ohio State today in the women’s tournament.  And they win it, 1-0! ...They are Elite Eight bound.

--Pamela Hayden, for 35 years the voice of Bart Simpson’s best friend, Milhouse Van Houten, is retiring.  Her final episode airs tonight, Nov. 24.

“The Simpsons” is currently in its 36th season, but the show has yet to be renewed for Season 37.

--Legendary game show host Chuck Woolery died. He was 83.

Woolery was the first host of “Wheel of Fortune” back in 1975, holding the gig unti 1981 when Pat Sajak took over.

Woolery later hosted shows like “Love Connection,” “Scrabble,” a revival of “The Dating Game,” and most recently “80s Quiz Show.”

--I’m drooling over the Usinger’s Famous Sausage (Milwaukee) holiday catalogue, and did you know Usinger’s Beef Hot Dogs were the official Hot Dog of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics?

Top 3 songs for the week 11/23/85: #1 “We Built This City” (Starship)  #2 “You Belong To The City” (Glenn Frey) #3 “Separate Lives” (Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin)...and...#4 “Broken Wings” (Mr. Mister)  #5 “Never” (Heart) #6  “Lay Young Hands On Me” (Thompson Twins)  #7 “Head Over Heels” (Tears For Fears)  #8 “Miami Vice Theme” (Jan Hammer)  #9 “Who’s Zoomin’ Who” (Aretha Franklin)  #10 “Part-Time Lover” (Stevie Wonder...C- week...)

Cy Young Award Quiz Answer: The only other times two left-handers won Cy Young honors in the same season were Steve Carlton and Sparky Lyle in 1977, and Randy Johnson and Barry Zito in 2002.

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.