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Bar Chat

05/06/2024

NBA/Stanley Cup Playoffs

Add-on posted early Tuesday a.m.

NBA Playoffs

--It was another fantastic finish for the New York Knicks in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series with Indiana.  The Knicks were down nine early in the fourth quarter but came back again to take it, some would say ‘steal it,’ 121-117 at Madison Square Garden.

New York got some late breaks.  Donte DiVincenzo was the beneficiary of a flop that led to an Indiana turnover with 12 seconds left and the Knicks up one.  And then the NBA ruled after it had blown a late-game kick ball call on Indiana.

But it was once again the Jalen Brunson Show, 43 points, 21 of them in the fourth quarter.  He’s the first player since Michael Jordan to score 40-plus in four straight playoff games and the fourth overall, joining Bernard King and Jerry West.

Brunson is also the fifth player in NBA history to score 30 points with five-plus assists in five straight games...a list that includes Oscar Robertson, Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

Brunson had help from the rest of the Villanova Trio...DiVincenzo (25 points, five 3s), and Josh Hart (24 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists).  So, 92 points in all for the three.

But at the end of the first half, the Knicks were not playing well, down 55-46, but Isaiah Hartenstein hit a desperation half-court heave at the buzzer, a huge momentum boost, 55-49 a lot better than 55-46.

Game 2 at the Garden on Wednesday.

--Meanwhile, in Denver, the defending champion Nuggets are down 2-0 to the Timberwolves after Minnesota embarrassed Denver, 106-80. 

The Wolves were without center Rudy Gobert, who was away from the team for the birth of his first child, and it didn’t matter; Karl-Anthony Towns with 27 points and 12 rebounds, Anthony Edwards also with 27, the two a combined 21 for 32 from the field.

And the swarming Minnesota defense held Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray to a pathetic 8 of 31, 24 points between the two of them.

Game 3 isn’t until Friday.

--San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama was the unanimous selection for Rookie of the Year, becoming the third in franchise history to win the award after Hall of Famers David Robinson and Tim Duncan.

Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Bruins whipped the Panthers on the road in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinals last night, 5-1.

Rangers play Game 2 of their series with the Hurricanes at the Garden tonight.  Can’t wait.

MLB

--Us Mets fans have had it with Pete Alonso (and Jeff McNeil).  I said last winter the Mets should trade Pete and give the first base job to Mark Vientos, and or a prospect the Mets pick up for Alonso.  I also thought Vientos and DJ Stewart would work just fine as a DH platoon, if Alonso was still on the team.  I saw no need to go for J.D. Martinez.

Anyway, Alonso entered Monday’s game in St. Louis in a 1-for-28 slump, his average down to .206, just 16 RBIs out of the cleanup slot.

And he’s 4-for-29 with runners in scoring position, .138, and 0-for-5 with the bases loaded (including twice in Sunday’s crushing loss).

As for McNeil, after winning the 2022 NL batting title at .326, he has regressed mightily, and after a mediocre campaign in 2023, he’s been awful thus far in ‘24, .231 BA, .621 OPS, and a poor attitude.  Yes, he works hard, busts his butt on the basepaths, and is solid defensively, but as the local sports talk show hosts were saying Monday, everyone is tired of his petulant behavior when things aren’t going well.

Last night, the Mets at least had a nice 4-3 win over the Cardinals in St. Louis, Brandon Nimmo with a big home run late, and Edwin Diaz, rebounding from his recent troubles, with the save.

Alonso wasn’t in the starting lineup and came in late, 0-for-1.  McNeil was 1-for-4.

--The Phillies are 25-11 after Monday’s 6-1 win over the Giants (15-20).  Zack Wheeler threw seven innings, zero earned, 11 Ks, and is 4-3, but with a 1.64 ERA.  Bryce Harper hit his 8th  home run, a 3-run shot.  But Philly is without Trea Turner for an estimated six weeks with a hamstring issue.

--After I posted, Shohei Ohtani hit two home runs (Nos. 9 and 10) as part of a 4-or-4 performance, 3 RBIs, as the Dodgers completed the sweep against the Braves on Sunday, 5-1, James Paxton going 6 2/3, one run, to move to 4-0, 3.06 ERA.  [Paxton, like Tyler Glasnow, has a long injury history but when healthy is a quality starter.]

Ohtani is now batting .364, 1.111 OPS, with 25 extra-base hits in L.A.’s first 36 games.  This last bit will be worth watching the rest of the season.

Last night, Monday, Ohtani then homered again, No. 11, 2-for-3, 2 RBIs, as the Dodgers (24-13) beat the lowly Marlins (10-27), 6-3.  L.A. hit four home runs in the game, giving them 12 in its last three.

But the big news was Walker Buehler hit the mound for the first time since 2022 and while he yielded 3 runs on 6 hits in 4 innings, he looked OK, including hitting 97 mph on his fastball.

--In College Baseball....

Baseball America’s Top Ten (through Sunday’s play)

1. Tennessee
2. Texas A&M
3. Arkansas
4. Clemson
5. Florida State
6. Kentucky
7. East Carolina
8. North Carolina
9. Duke
10. Virginia

13. NC State
15. Wake Forest

Wake won all five of its games last week, all out of conference.  In Saturday’s 9-2 win over Western Carolina, Chase Burns threw six hitless innings, striking out 13.  He is now 9-1 on the season, 3.00 ERA, with 140 strikeouts and just 23 walks in 75 innings.

Imagine, he transferred from Tennessee!  Come College World Series time, Vols fans will wish he had stayed in Knoxville.

The Deacs have a huge weekend at home coming up against Clemson.  And then they finish the ACC regular season the following week at NC State.  They need to go no worse than 3-3 to ensure they are hosting a regional assuming they win at least one or two games in the ACC Championship.

But how many of the seven ACC teams above will make the eight-team CWS field?  Better be at least two.

Golf

--I forgot to note Brooks Koepka won the LIV event at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore (a beautiful spot, I can say from firsthand experience).  He became the first four-time winner on the LIV tour.

Nine LIV golfers will be teeing it up at the PGA Championship, including Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson, Joaquin Niemann and Jon Rahm. And Talor Gooch has received a late invite.

Auto Racing

--Sunday’s NASCAR race once again ended after I posted (a rain delayed start not helping), but just like the Kentucky Derby, it was a photo finish at Kansas Speedway, Kyle Larson edging Chris Buescher by 0.001 seconds in the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history.

As Larson said after to the crowd, “You guys got our money’s worth today.”  He added: “That race, from start to finish, was amazing.”

The win was the second of the season for Larson, and the 25th of his career.

--I was engrossed in the Rangers Stanley Cup game Sunday afternoon, as well as baseball and golf, and didn’t watch a minute of the Miami Grand Prix.

But it ended up being rather momentous, as Lando Norris celebrated his first Formula 1 win.  He had been on the podium 15 other times for second or third, including a second last week in China, a record without a win.

In a show of sportsmanship, Max Verstappen, who had been leading for a portion of the race, applauded Norris for the win from the cockpit of his car, Verstappen stunningly finished second.  Norris also received congratulations from Donald Trump.

This was an important win for F1 fans, who’ve grown tired of Verstappen’s dominance...38 wins in 50 races before Sunday.

Stuff

--St. John’s coach Rick Pitino picked up a great point guard in the portal...Utah’s Deivon Smith.  Smith averaged 13.3 points, 7.1 assists and 6.3 rebounds for the Utes, and shot a career-best 40% from 3.

The Johnnies are still in the hunt for Seton Hall star Kadary Richmond.

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.

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[Posted Sunday p.m.]

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.

MLB Quiz: 1) Name the five players, all modern-day, with eleven consecutive seasons of 100 runs scored. 2) Who is the last player to have 150 runs in a season? Answers below.

Fun time for New York Knicks and Rangers fans, and Madison Square Garden officials are rather ecstatic to have four consecutive second-round playoff games at the ‘world’s most famous arena,’ starting with today’s Rangers game.  Like we are talking major revenue.

NBA Playoffs

--First off, I’m forever thankful to the Knicks for winning Game 6 in Philadelphia Thursday night and wrapping up the series 4-2, which allows me to largely ignore the Game 5 debacle, disaster, all-time choke job last Tuesday when the Knicks failed to clinch at home, falling 112-106 in OT.

For the record, I’ll just say it really boiled down to missed free throws, particularly OG Anunoby going 1 of 2 at 59.2 seconds, Knicks up 93-88, and then Josh Hart missing 1 of 2 with the Knicks up 96-94, after Mitchell Robinson’s inexcusable foul on Tyrese Maxey gave Maxey a 4-pointer that pulled the Sixers to within two.  Robinson admitted after he “f—ked up.”  The NBA later said Maxey had traveled.

Anyway, Maxey then hit another stupendous 3-pointer to send the game into overtime where the Sixers prevailed, as Jalen Brunson was terrible in the OT. [Maxey ended up with 46 points, officially stamping himself as an NBA superstar.]

As the New York Post’s Mike Vaccaro put it, Game 5 was an “egregious gag” the Knicks needed to put behind them quickly.  “Cover it with dirt,” Vaccaro wrote.  “Try to forget.”

I didn’t sleep well Tuesday night.  I’ve invested so much of my time in this team this season, literally watching every game except when they were on the west coast.  And I, like most Knicks fans, had lost confidence.

But then Thursday night happened.  The Knicks again tried to give the game away late (after running out to a 33-11 lead), missing key free throws, OG again when the Knicks were seemingly in control, 109-101.  Brunson missed a free throw at 111-108, and then it was 111-111 with 34.9 remaining.  The Knicks had hit just 14 of 20 free throws at this point.

Ten seconds later, Josh Hart nailed a three from the top of the key.

After Philly cut it to 114-113 on an Embiid dunk, Donte DiVincenzo stepped to the line and converted his two free throws, 116-113. 

Maxey hit two free throws, 116-115, 10 seconds remaining, and Jalen Brunson sank two FTs, 118-115 and that’s where it ended...Knicks survive and move on to play Indiana in Game 1 at the Garden, Monday night.

Brunson had 41 points, his third straight 40-point effort (plus 12 assists). DiVincenzo had his best game, 23 points, 5 of 9 from 3, 7 assists.

The Villanova trio of Brunson, DiVincenzo and Hart combined for 80 points, 26 assists and 21 rebounds.

For Philly, Joel Embiid* had 39 points, 13 rebounds, but Maxey came up small, just 17 points, and Tobias Harris, a player who averaged 17.2 points per game in the regular season, was scoreless, 0 for 2 from the field in 29 minutes.  Disgraceful.

*Embiid had nine points, total, in the fourth quarter of Games 4-6.

It was also too funny that Philly co-owner Michael Rubin, who I frankly do not like, bought 2,000 tickets to Game 6 to prevent more Knicks fans from invading his place, and yet there were still a ton of New York fans celebrating in the end.

As for Indiana, they beat the Giannis Antetokounmpo-less and Damian Lillard-hampered Bucks, 120-98, to take this series, 4-2.  It’s another tough matchup for the Knicks, Indiana led by Tyrese Halliburton and Pascal Siakam, with a deeper bench, the Knicks hampered in this regard by the loss of Bojan Bogdanovic to season-ending wrist and foot injuries.

Meanwhile, some of us are still scratching our heads over just what Milwaukee was thinking in firing coach Adrian Griffin after a 30-13 start because the team wasn’t playing good defense, and then going with Doc Rivers, a coach known for his recent playoff failures.  Rivers went 19-23, including the postseason.  Giannis, Lillard and Khris Middleton played together in just eight of 42 games in Doc’s tenure, which didn’t help.

--The Lakers fired head coach Darvin Ham on Friday after two seasons. The big search is on for what all expect to be LeBron’s final season.  Ham went 90-74 during the regular season and 9-12 in the postseason – which does not include his two play-in tournament wins – since being hired to replace Frank Vogel in 2022.

The decision came after the Lakers were eliminated by Denver for the second straight season.

Despite James (71 games) and Anthony Davis (76) playing their most combined games since becoming teammates in L.A. in 2018, the Lakers only earned the No. 7 seed in the West, setting up the showdown with the 2-seeded Nuggets.

The Lakers failed to protect double-digit leads in all four of their losses in the series, including a 20-point lead in Game 2.

--The Clippers were eliminated by the Mavericks Friday night, 114-101, Dallas taking the series 4-2, and the last two games, as for L.A., Paul George and James Harden were absolutely horrid in the final two losses, the two stars combining for 2 for 16 from three in Game 6, after going 3 of 13 from downtown, 6 of 25 on all FGs, in Game 5’s 30-point loss.

--The Celtics blew out the Heat in Game 5, 118-84, to wrap up their series, 4-1, Miami a disastrous 3 of 29 from 3.

In fact, the Heat, after their stunning Game 2 where they hit 23 3s, were 21 of 70 from beyond the arc, which as they say in the burbs, sucks.

--Boston awaited the Game 7 winner Sunday, Orlando at Cleveland.

Orlando forced a return to Cleveland with a 103-96 win on Friday night, despite Donovan Mitchell’s 50 points for the Cavs.  He scored Cleveland’s final 22 points, including all of the team’s 18 in the fourth quarter.  And Mitchell recorded 36 of his 50 in the paint. All this while he was visibly compromised with an apparent knee injury.

So, Sunday...Cleveland came through.  Down 53-43 at the half, the Cavs put on quite a defensive display in the second and won it 106-94, Donovan Mitchell with 24 of his 39 after the intermission. Eric Mobley with 11 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks, critical for Cleveland who was missing Jarrett Allen for a third straight game with a rib injury.

Orlando ended up shooting just 29 of 86, 33.7%, and 10 of 31 from 3.

Cleveland now moves on to Boston, Game 1 Tuesday, the Celtics without Kristaps Porzingis for this series (calf strain), though it’s hoped he would be available for a conference finals tilt.

--Minnesota is indeed for real, 106-99 over defending champion the Nuggets in Denver last night in Game 1 of their Western Conference semis; Anthony Edwards, the man in these playoffs thus far, with 43 on 17 of 29 shooting.  He’s a force...and just 22.  And he wants it.

Nikola Jokic was very ordinary for Denver, 32 points, 11 of 25, 2 of 9 from 3.

--In College Basketball...RJ Davis is returning for a fifth season at North Carolina, thus stamping himself as a Player of the Year candidate. Davis, who averaged 21.2 points for the Tar Heels last season and was named ACC Player of the Year, can make seven-figures in NIL money, so why not.  He wasn’t going to go as high in the NBA Draft as he might have expected, and this is the new way to stick around.

So, Carolina and Duke once again will dominate the ACC and their matchups will intense as always.

--Caitlin Clark played her first WNBA preseason game in an Indiana Fever uniform on Friday, scoring a team-high 21 points in a 79-76 loss to the Dallas Wings in front of a sellout crowd of 6,521 at College Park Center in Dallas.

Clark was 6 of 15 from the field and 5 for 13 from 3. 

Stanley Cup Playoffs

--We had a Game 7 Saturday night in Boston, with Toronto having shockingly pulled back-to-back 2-1 wins over the Bruins without superstar Auston Matthews, who missed the games with an unspecified illness.

But last night it was the Bruins’ David Pastrnak, beating the Maple Leafs on a breakout for the game-winner, 1:54 into overtime, Boston winning it 2-1.

--And then this afternoon, the Rangers opened their Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Hurricanes at the Garden after a one-week layoff.  Would it show?

Not really...at least early.  New York had a 3-1 lead after one...and two periods.  It was 4-2 New York late, but Carolina cut it to 4-3 with 1:47 left.  Uh oh!

And there is a late penalty on the Rangers...40.5 remaining...so with Carolina removing the goaltender, 6 on 4!  Oh s---.

But then right off the faceoff, penalty on the Hurricanes!

And the Rangers hang on!  4-3!  Awesome.

This is going to be one tough series.

MLB

--The Yankees lost 3 of 4 down in Baltimore this week, scoring a whopping six runs total.

So after watching the Mets on Friday night, I flipped on the Yanks and they were just starting the bottom of the ninth, New York down 1-0 to Detroit at the Stadium, but they staged a rather dramatic 2-run rally to win it 2-1, Giancarlo Stanton with a big double and Anthony Rizzo the walk-off hit for the ‘W.’

Saturday, the Yanks won again, 5-3, as Rizzo had a 3-run homer, Clay Holmes with his 11th save.

But Aaron Judge was ejected for the first time in his career, arguing a called strike. The umpires are way out of control thus far this season.  Total assholes.

Despite their solid record, 22-13, one of many concerns with the Yanks is Anthony Volpe.  The 23-year-old shortstop started the season 21-for-55, .382, but since April 14 he’s gone 13-for-77, .169.

Make that 13-for-80 after today’s rain-shortened (8 innings) 5-2 win to complete the sweep, Juan Soto with a bases-clearing double, Judge with his seventh home run.

--Baltimore continued its fine pitching Friday, shutting out the Reds in Cincinnati, 3-0, Craig Kimbrel with his eighth save.

And then the Orioles beat the Reds, Saturday, 2-1!

--The Mets, after winning 12 of 15, had lost 9 of 13 entering today’s game in Tampa. 

But last night, despite a 3-1 loss, the Mets’ top pitching prospect, Christian Scott, made his debut and after allowing hits to the first three Rays batters, Scott slammed the door and was as advertised...6 2/3, one run, 6 strikeouts.  Great to see.

What wasn’t great to see was the Metsies going 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

And then this afternoon, the Rays (17-18) completed the sweep, 7-6 in 10, as Edwin Diaz gave up a two-out, game-tying home run to Randy Arozarena in the bottom of the ninth.  This is nowhere near the Edwin Diaz of 2022, his fastball down 2-3 mph, and the mystique is non-existent.  As Charlie Brown would say, “Drat!”

I’ll discuss the Mets’ Pete Alonso in my Add-on.  Many of us are disgusted with him...but it is far deeper than that.

--The Cardinals’ Sonny Gray moved to 4-1, 0.89, with seven shutout innings in St. Louis’ 3-0 win Friday over the White Sox, who fell to 6-26.

--The Dodgers beat the Braves on Friday in L.A., 4-3 in 11, in a potential NLCS preview series.

And L.A. (22-13) won again Saturday, 11-2, as Max Muncy hit three home runs, Shohei Ohtani with three hits including a homer.  Tyler Glasnow pitched seven strong, 2 runs, 10 Ks, and moved to 6-1, 2.70.  The Braves are 20-11.

Monday, Walker Buehler is making his 2024 debut for the Dodgers against the Marlins.  Buehler, who turns 30 in July, hasn’t appeared in a game since June 2022 after his second Tommy John surgery.  But he is 46-16, 3.02, for his short career.    

--Friday, the Marlins and Padres completed a blockbuster trade.  Infielder Luis Arraez, who has back-to-back batting titles (2022 with Minnesota, 2023 with Miami) is going to San Diego in exchange for four prospects.  Arraez was expected to become the Padres’ DH.

But no one necessarily expected him to be in the lineup Saturday night in Phoenix as San Diego took on the Diamondbacks, Arraez arriving at 3:45 p.m.  And all he did his first four times up, out of the leadoff spot (and DH) was go double, single, single, single...4-for-6 overall, the Padres getting to .500 (18-18) as they slammed the D-backs (14-20) 13-1.

--Friday, the A’s beat the Marlins 3-1, as Arraez said his goodbyes in the dugout, surprising Oakland 16-17, Miami 9-25.

The A’s have won five in a row, 7 of 8.  Every baseball fan should want them to be the story of the year and make the playoffs in their final season in Oakland.  That would be fitting.

Well, the A’s annihilated the Marlins Saturday, 20-4, so Oakland is 17-17 (Miami 9-26).

--The Red Sox (19-16) ended Minnesota’s 12-game winning streak today, 9-2, the Twinkies 19-14.

--Poor Mike Trout.  His future Hall of Fame credentials have long been established, but he hasn’t played 140 games in a season since 2018, and four of the last five only saw action in 53 or fewer games (the exception 2022 when he played in 119), due to one injury after another.

And this week it was announced Trout has a torn meniscus in his left knee and he underwent surgery.  There was no timetable for his recovery but it is not believed to be season-ending.

In 29 games, he was batting only .220, but had 10 home runs and a .867 OPS.  He had also stolen six bases, which equaled his total for the previous four seasons combined.  [This was a guy who when he burst on the scene in 2012, had 49 steals.]

“It’s just frustrating,” an emotional Trout told reporters after the announcement.

He’ll still just turn 33 in August, but he’s making $37 million a year through 2030.

Prior to the latest injury, the Los Angeles Times’ Bill Shaikin talked to an MLB executive about what the Angels could expect in return if they traded Trout.

“The executive sighed.  The best-case scenario for the Angels might be no prime prospects, he said, because that could mean that another team had agreed to absorb the entirety of Trout’s contract.

“And, the executive said, the likelihood of that scenario would range from highly unlikely to impossible.  A realistic best-case scenario would be the Angels buying top prospects: fortifying a paper-thin minor league system by eating all or part of Trout’s remaining contract.

“Think about that: The best outcome for the Angels could be paying another team to let the best player in franchise history finish his career somewhere else.”

Again, this was before the latest injury report.

--The Houston Astros optioned veteran first baseman Jose Abreu to their Florida Complex League team in West Palm Beach, even as Abreu, by virtue of his lengthy MLB service, had the power to reject any optional assignment.  Instead, he consented, understanding he has issues.

The one-time MVP was 7-for-71, .099, 3 RBIs, and a .269 OPS, this after driving in 90 runs for Houston last season, though his OPS had plummeted to just .680, when he had never been below .798.  He is, after all, 37 years old.  And being born in Cuba, for all we know he could be 47.

--Speaking of underperformers, ‘sup with Vladimir Guerrero Jr.?  It was 2021 when the future, err, Hall of Famer Vlad Guerrero Sr., was runner-up in the AL MVP vote while with Toronto, 48 home runs, 111 RBIs, .311 BA, 1.002 OPS, 123 runs scored.  The kid was just 22.

But since then...2022: 32 HR, 97 RBI, .274, .818 OPS. 2023: 26-94, .264, .788.

And it’s not like he was hurt.  156+ games each season.  Yes, an All-Star, but nothing more than that.

This year...3 HR, 11 RBI, .231, .675.

I mean does he give a s---?  The now 25-year-old is not a free agent until 2026, but he’s making $19,900,000 this season.

--Pittsburgh future star Paul Skenes threw six innings of shutout ball on Tuesday, striking out 10.  He has now thrown 23 innings, giving up one earned run, with 41 strikeouts.

Skenes’ future mound mate, 22-year-old Jared Jones, allowed one hit in seven innings Saturday against the Rockies, 10 strikeouts, but it was a no-decision, the Pirates eventually winning it 1-0.

Jones is only 2-3, but has a 2.63 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 41 innings.

Kentucky Derby

Horse racing badly needed a shot in the arm, and it received one Saturday, delivering a spectacular 3-horse photo finish at the Kentucky Derby, the first since 1996 and “the closest three-horse photo finish since 1947,” according to Churchill Downs.

In a ride for the ages, Brian Hernandez Jr. took 18-1 Mystik Dan along the rail as the horses broke off the final turn for the stretch run and held off Sierra Leone and Japan’s Forever Young.

“Three jumps before the wire I didn’t see (the other horses) at all,” Hernandez said. “And right at the wire they surged late and I was like, ‘Did we win the Kentucky Derby?’ That was the longest two minutes waiting. From the fastest two minutes to the longest.”

It was the first Derby win for both Hernandez and trainer Kenny McPeek.  The thing is, the duo also won the Kentucky Oaks, the top race for fillies.  McPeek was the first trainer to achieve this double since 1952.

Fierceness, the 3-1 favorite, finished 15th.

The winnings of $3.1 million were a record.

But the Derby was missing Bob Baffert, one of the sport’s many issues these days.

It would have been a cool story if Forever Young had taken it...no Japanese horse ever has.

Next up, the Preakness Stakes on May 18 and then the Belmont Stakes on June 8.

Golf Balls

--The big names were missing from this week’s PGA Tour event, the CJ Cup Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch, McKinney, Texas.  But that means it’s huge for the guys not getting invited to the signature events and the mammoth purses.  It’s the only way they can move up...perform.

There has been a ton of rain in the Dallas area, as you’ve no doubt seen (and a lot more in Houston), and the course was soft and ripe for scoring.

Jake Knapp, the former bouncer who broke through earlier this year at the Mexico Open, had the 36-hole lead after back-to-back 64s.  16-year-old English amateur Kris Kim made the cut, the youngest to do so on the PGA Tour since Kyle Suppa, also 16, did so at the 2015 Sony Open.

And then entering the final round....

Taylor Pendrith -19
Knapp -18
Ben Kohles -17
Matt Wallace -17
Alex Noren -17

And it ended up being a heart-breaking finish.  Ben Kohles birdied 16 and 17 to go one clear on Pendrith heading to the easy 18th, but Kohles became the first golfer all day to ‘bogey’ it in a pure choke job, and Pendrith won it with a birdie, the first win for the Canadian.

--New Jersey’s Ryan McCormick, son of an old friend, made his fourth cut in ten tournaments in this his rookie year, but it was T41, and he hasn’t done better than T38.  Very few opportunities remaining the rest of the year to get into the top 125.

--Scottie Scheffler announced he will skip next week’s signature event, the Wells Fargo Championship, as he and his wife Meredith continue to await the birth of their first child.  Will this be an issue for the PGA Championship less than two weeks away? Stay tuned.

--Tiger Woods accepted the USGA’s special exemption for him to be included in the field for the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in June.  Woods said in a statement: “I’m honored to receive this exemption and could not be more excited for the opportunity to compete...especially at Pinehurst, a venue that means so much to the game.”

Tiger won the 2000, 2002 and 2008 U.S. Open Championships. But he also won three consecutive U.S. Junior Amateurs (1991-93) followed by three straight U.S. Amateurs (1994-96) and an overall USGA match play record of 42-3.

--We note the passing of longtime British golfer and broadcaster, Peter Oosterhuis, who died one day shy of his 76th birthday from the effects of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Oosterhuis was beloved in the game, a true gentleman, who was a helluva player, winning seven times on the European Tour as well as the Canadian Open (his lone PGA Tour win).  He finished second twice in The Open Championship, and made six consecutive Ryder Cup teams, where he took down Arnold Palmer twice.

Oosterhuis was known here in New Jersey because for six years, 1987-93, he was Director of Golf at Forsgate Country Club, a great complex that I belonged to a long, long time ago.  He then became Director of Golf at Riviera!

Eventually, he hit the broadcast booth and was best known for manning the 17th tower at Augusta on CBS for years.

Premier League

--In PL action this weekend, all eyes on the top of the standings, and Arsenal stayed in first with a 3-0 win over Bournemouth, while Manchester City crushed the Wolves, 5-1.  But City has a game in hand.

Today, Liverpool ended Tottenham’s Champions League hopes 4-2, even as Aston Villa was losing to Brighton 1-0.

Just 2-3 games left...Played (of 38) – Points....

1. Arsenal 36 – 83
2. Man City 35 – 82
3. Liverpool 36 – 78
4. Aston Villa 36 – 67
5. Tottenham 35 – 60

--A big story in the New York Times by Bruce Schoenfeld details how many English soccer/football fans are not happy how their sport has been taken over by U.S. owners.  Nine of the 20 Premier League clubs are now owned by the Americans and it’s about to become ten.

It’s all about the changes the Americans immediately make, economic ones, such as adding luxury boxes, exclusive bars and clubs inside the stadiums, high-end restaurants and boutique hotels adjacent to the venues, all designed to extract extra money from the fans.

But this means rising ticket prices, and English soccer fans are used to showing up just at game time and leaving immediately thereafter.  They do their drinking prior, and after, in their neighborhood pubs and aren’t about to be forced to stick around for far more expensive fare.

--The Philadelphia Union of the MLS completed a unique deal to sign highly-rated U.S. youth international Cavan Sullivan to the most lucrative homegrown contract in MLS history, as first reported by The Athletic.

Sullivan is 14!  He will transfer to Manchester City when he turns 18.  City will pay up to $5 million for him.  Philadelphia will retain a sell-on percentage in Sullivan as well. 

He is expected to make his Philadelphia Union debut later this season if he continues to progress.

Stuff

--Growing up in New Jersey, any auto racing fan knew of fellow Garden Stater, East Brunswick’s Wally Dallenbach, who raced in the IndyCar series, winning five races, as well as being a fixture at the Indy 500.  He actually won three of his five in a three-race stretch in 1973, including his most famous victory: the 1973 California 500 at Ontario Motor Speedway.  He finished second in the championship that season to Roger McCluskey.

His best Indy finishes in 13 starts were two fourth places in 1976 and ’77, while with Patrick Racing.  In 1975, he led the Indy 500 four times for a race-high 96 laps, but on Lap 162, he suffered a burnt piston and was forced to retire.  Just 12 laps later, the race was called due to rain, with Bobby Unser earning the win.

But while Dallenbach’s last race at Indy was in 1979, in 1981, rain ruined the first weekend of 500 qualifying, and Mario Andretti, racing for Patrick at the time, didn’t get a chance to record a time. The second qualifying weekend, he had a clash with his Formula 1 schedule – the Belgian Grand Prix. Dallenbach, a Patrick Racing veteran, agreed to attempt to qualify Andretti’s No. 40 STP Oil Treatment Wildcat/Cosworth and slotted in eighth.

Since Andretti would go on to race the car, though, the No. 40 was forced to move toward the back of the grid, starting 32nd.  As Nathan Brown of the Indianapolis Star writes: “From there, Andretti would go on to complete one of the most stunning race-day performances ever seen, working his way up into the lead, pacing 12 laps overall before finishing second to Bobby Unser – results that would be appealed multiple times (once ruling Andretti the winner) before eventually settling with the original finishing order.”

I remember this.  For you younger folk, while ‘scoring’ was improved over, say, the 50s and 60s, it wasn’t nearly as sophisticated as it is today.

Anyway, Dallenbach became CART’s first competition director and chief steward in 1980, holding onto the post until 2004.  His focus was on safety and his tenure led to enhancements in chassis construction that resulted in the use of more energy-absorbing materials.

Wally Dallenbach died the other day.  He was 87.  RIP.

--I have a confession to make. At 11:00 p.m. ET during the week, I sometimes catch “The Price Is Right.”  A terrific, mindless break, plus I’m normally eating lunch before noon. 

So, I saw Drew Carey, who is 65, announced he is “not going anywhere.”

Carey has been the beloved host since 2007, when he took over from Bob Barker, who hosted it for 35 years.

“I think Bob made a mistake by retiring,” Carey added.  “I’m not gonna make that same mistake.”

“As long as my heart is ticking and they want me to be on the show, I think I’m gonna do ‘The Price Is Right.’ I just love it,” he said.  “I think I was made for it.”

--Goodness gracious...I’m reading a piece in the South China Morning Post on the danger of snakebites in Nepal and take a guess how many die annually of same in this place.

Try 3,225, according to the medical journal The Lancet.

Globally, nearly 138,000 people die of snakebites annually, according to the World Health Organization, with a 2019 study estimating 70 percent of them are in South Asia.

A big issue in Nepal is the delays in receiving critical medical interventions during the first few hours after being bitten.

--Actor Bernard Hill died. He was 79.  He is best known for his role as Captain Edward Smith in “Titanic,” and as Theoden, King of Rohan in “Lord of the Rings.” 

--American guitarist Duane Eddy – hailed by many as one of the founding fathers of rock and roll – has died age 86.

His death occurred April 30 in Franklin, Tennessee.  Hs wife said the cause was cancer.

The Grammy-winning artist had a run of instrumental hits in the 1950s and 60s.  He reached the charts again in 1986 with a remake of his song Peter Gunn.

He was called the King of Twang for his distinctive style.  He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

“Duane inspired a generation of guitarists the world over with his unmistakable signature ‘Twang’ sound,” Eddy’s representative was quoted as saying by Variety’s website.

“He was the first rock and roll guitar god, a truly humble and incredible human being.  He will be sorely missed.”

Eddy was born in Corning, New York, in 1936.  He began playing the guitar at a young age.  He was self-taught and his distinctive sound inspired artists like the Beatles, which you hear loud and clear on their “Day Tripper,” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Born To Run.”

In 2011, Eddy told the BBC: “When people come right out, like Bruce Springsteen or John Fogerty, and say: ‘Duane was a big influence,’ that’s just one of the perks and rewards of what I did.

“That’s worth more to me than money and the fame. That goes right to the heart.”

Among his hits were 1958’s “Rebel-‘Rouser” and “Cannonball,” 1959’s “Forty Miles Of Bad Road,” “Because They’re Young” (1960) and “Peter Gunn” (1960).

[I just YouTubed all the above...they are so great...]

--65-year-old Madonna put on a free concert Saturday night on Copacabana beach in Rio De Janeiro.  The crowd was estimated at 1.6 million!  Needless to say, the crowd was rather tightly packed.

Top 3 songs for the week 5/7/83:  #1 “Beat It” (Michael Jackson)  #2 “Jeopardy” (Greg Kihn Band)  #3 “Let’s Dance” (David Bowie)...and...#4 “Come On Eileen” (Dexyx Midnight Runners)  #5 “Der Kommissar” (After the Fire)  #6 “Overkill” (Men at Work)  #7 “She Blinded Me With Science” (Thomas Dolby) #8 “Mr. Roboto” (Styx) #9 “Little Red Corvette” (Prince)  #10 “I Won’t Hold You Back” (Toto...C week...)

MLB Quiz Answers: 1) Five with eleven consecutive seasons of 100 runs scored....

Lou Gehrig...13...1926-38
Hank Aaron...13...1955-67
Alex Rodriguez...13...1996-2008
Willie Mays...12...1954-65
Stan Musial...11...1943-44, 1946-54 (Military, 1945)

Gehrig actually had 12 consecutive seasons with 120+.

2) Last with 150 runs in a season...Jeff Bagwell, Houston, 152 in 2000.

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tues.

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