---

Bar Chat

08/05/2024

"America, I told you...I got this!!!" --Noah Lyles

Add-on posted early Tuesday a.m.

Olympics...Monday

--Brazil’s new superstar Rebeca Andrade beat out Simone Biles in the gymnastics floor exercise on Monday.  Jordan Chiles of the U.S. picked up the bronze.  Good for her.

The silver for Biles came after a fall on the balance beam earlier in the day (an event won by Italy’s Alice D’Amato).  So she leaves Paris with three golds and a silver.  As Ronald Reagan would have told Nancy, while reading the Tuesday sports pages, ‘Not bad, not bad at all.’

I do doubt Simone will want to train for four years to compete in Los Angeles in 2028, as she has hinted.

If this was her last event, she finishes her Olympic career with 11 medals, seven gold including two-time all-around titleholder. She is the GOAT in her sport.

In the women’s 5000 on the track, Beatrice Chebet of Kenya won gold, but her teammate, Faith Kipyegon, was DQ’d for obstruction, thus having to give up the silver.  The Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan the moved up to silver.

But wait...Kipyegon was reinstated into the silver slot. 

Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson took the gold in the women’s 800.  Yes, she owns this distance these days.

American Valarie Allman, out of Hershey, Pa., defended her title in the women’s discuss.

And in an exciting pole vault, Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis (via a childhood in Lafayette, La., and then LSU), set a world record on his final attempt, American Sam Kendricks picking up the silver.

--Tuesday, I’m hoping Gabby Thomas takes the gold in the women’s 200.

And we have the men’s 1500, always a great race.

--As I’ve noted over the years, defending Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone went to high school at nearby Union Catholic, and as she competes in the 400-meter hurdles this week, the school is having a watch party for the semis, Tuesday, and presumably the finals on Thursday.  I won’t be able to make it, but I’ll be watching live at home.

But for those of you reading this from the area, we’re talking 1-3 p.m., Tuesday (2:07, specifically), and Thursday, 2-4 p.m. (3:25, supposedly), at the Stage House Tavern, Mountainside (Rt. 22 East).  It’s a good spot.

--Dan Wolken / USA TODAY...on Noah Lyles

“Every gimmick, every cry for attention, every time he set himself up to be a meme and ridiculed, it made you wonder if Noah Lyles knew what he was getting himself into, what laid in wait on the other side of another stink bomb in Paris. It wouldn’t have been the end of the world.  Life would have gone on. He would have continued to get sponsors, be famous, sprint around the world and live the life he wants.

“But it would have felt so transparently like an act – and one that few would have had an appetite to see continue another four years.

“Americans have been intrigued by Lyles, they’ve been entertained by Lyles, they’ve been bombarded with Lyles in every way, shape and form leading up to these Olympics.

“But until Sunday here at Stade de France they’ve had little reason at the Olympics to do anything but roll their eyes at Lyles.

“That all changed with a well-timed dip.  With a fortunate lean.  With a few thousands of a second.

“One of the biggest trash talkers in American sports is now one of its biggest heroes.  He ended a 20-year drought in the 100 meters. He officially buried his Tokyo flop. He won the gold.

“Redemption, anyone? ....

“Here’s what I thought during introductions for the 100 when Lyles came out hopping out of the tunnel and running almost at a full sprint for 20 yards or so; He’s trying too hard.  Lyles always tries too hard.

“A lot of people who don’t really know much about track would have only known the following things about Lyles. He talked about winning three gold medals in Tokyo, but only came away with one bronze....

“The stakes here were higher than a gold medal.  He doesn’t want to just be a sprinter, he wants to be a star. Those two things could only coexist if he hit the line first.  After three years of talk, this was about reputation and redemption.  ‘And then my name popped up,’ he said.  ‘And I’m like, ‘Oh, my gosh, I’m amazing.’”

Lyles will be in the 200, his best event, in which he has won 27 consecutive races, and he’ll presumably run the anchor leg in the 4X100 relay.  He is seeking to become the first man since Usain Bolt in 2016 to win three sprint golds at one Olympics.

--Great Britain’s swimming star, Adam Peaty, a 3-time gold medalist, said after the men’s 4X100 relay that he wants “cheating” Chinese swimmers knocked out of the sport and urged the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) to “wake up and do your job.”

China took the gold over the U.S. (silver) and France (bronze), with the British team fourth.

“In sport, one of my favorite quotes I’ve seen lately is ‘There’s no point in winning if you don’t win it fair,” Peaty said.  “I think you know that truth in your heart.

“Even if you touch and you know you’re cheating, you’re not winning, right?

“So, for me, if you’ve been on that and you have been contaminated twice, I think as an honorable person it means you should be out of the sport. We know sport is not that simple.”

Peaty said he remained silent on the matter to stay focused throughout the Games, but decided it was finally time to express his discontent with what he claimed is a “fractured” system.

“We’ll see how they do in the four years’ time, but I think the people that need to do the job will wake up and do the job.’

Two of the four members in China’s relay team, Qin Haiyang and Sun Jiajun, were listed among the 23 swimmers who tested positive for a banned heart medication ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Games, but were permitted to compete in Paris by Wada.

Qin was among the Chinese swimmers that defended the program, revealing that they are innocent of any doping allegations and that opponents are just “threatened.”

“Some tricks aim to disrupt our preparation rhythm and destroy our psychological defense,” Qin said.  “But we are not afraid.”

Michael Phelps then weighed in and said anyone who has been caught doping should “never be allowed” to compete again in the Olympics.

“If you test positive, you should never be allowed to come back and compete again, cut and dry,” Phelps said after Peaty’s comments.  “I believe one and done.”

--They are still talking about what a rousing success golf was in the Olympics this go ‘round.  Ever since golf returned as a medal sport in 2016, there have been skeptics, but I think Rory McIlroy, as he often does, summed it up well.

Rory opted out in 2016, along with a lot of top players like Hideki Matsuyama, Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, and Jordan Spieth.

But Rory competed in Tokyo, five years later, when he finished tied for fourth, two strokes away from a bronze medal.

“I was in a certain mindset going into Tokyo and I left with a different mindset,” he said, “just like I’ve done a lot of times in my career, because I’m ignorant and naïve and I don’t give things much thought. But once you experience things, you start to see what the hype is about.”

From the Washington Post’s Rick Maese:

“The Paris event felt bigger than a typical tour stop, more raucous than most majors and more meaningful than the past two Olympic tournaments. The Tokyo competition took place on an empty course; spectators weren’t allowed because of the pandemic.

“This tournament, at Le Golf National, which hosted the 2018 Ryder Cup and is located about 20 miles west of Paris, couldn’t have been more different. Some 20,000 fans crowded around greens and tee boxes.  They were packed in several people deep all across the course, sprinting to hills and jostling for sight lines.

“ ‘It’s honestly one of the best golf tournaments I’ve ever been involved in,’ McIlroy said after Sunday’s round.  ‘This was golf’s coming-out party in the Olympic Games.’

“And you didn’t need to be high on the leader board to feel the love.  Just ask Matthieu Pavon, who finished last in the field at 13 over.

“ ‘After a few days in the Olympic Village, the Opening Ceremonies with all this crowd in front of the Eiffel Tower and all the great moments we spent the last few days,’ he said, ‘it really feels like a gold medal would be now ranked higher than a major for me.’....

“In eight years, the Olympic event has gone from an afterthought and inconvenience to a stated goal....

“The majors are still where legacies are built, and the weekly tournaments still pay the bills.  But Olympic golf made a big step in Paris.

“ ‘It’s not a fifth major, but it has a lot of weight on a personal level,’ said Jon Rahm.

“ ‘I still think that the Ryder cup is the best tournament we have in our game, pure competition, and I think this has the potential to be right up there with it,” McIlroy said.  ‘With how much of a shitshow the game of golf is right now, and you think of the two tournaments that might be the purest form of competition in our sport – we don’t play for money. It speaks volumes for what’s important in sport.’”

Needless to say, Rick Maese was not the Washington Post sportswriter I alluded to last time who dissed golf as an Olympic sport.

The same writer also dissed tennis being in the Olympics. He should have a chat with Novak Djokovic, who broke down in tears Sunday after winning gold over Carlos Alcaraz.

“When I take everything in consideration, this is probably the biggest sporting success I’ve ever had in my career,” Djokovic said.

“I’ve heard many, many times that Novak wanted to win a gold medal,” Alcaraz said. “I knew that before the match (a 7-6, 7-6 thriller).  In the close moments, the difficult situations, the tiebreakers, he played an impressive game.  I saw something. He was hungry in the match.”

Djokovic fulfilled his last big dream.

“Glory to the gods.  Incredible journey,” he said.

MLB

--Sunday, the White Sox extended their losing streak to 20, eventually falling to the Twins 13-7, after I posted at 8-5.  The 1988 Orioles lost 21 in a row.

The 27-87 ChiSox then traveled to Oakland to face the A’s, 46-67, for a huge 3-game series.  If Chicago can’t win 2 of 3, then a 39 or fewer wins season could be a certainty.  That would suck royally...royally sucky history.  Not the lovable 1962, 40-120 Mets.  Just flat out godawful, embarrassing, and a disgrace to the sport, that’s forever what the 2024 Chicago White Sox would be known as.

And then Monday night, they lost again, 5-1.  So they can set the A.L. record today.  The N.L. record, post-1900, is 23 straight by the 1961 Phillies, who went 47-107 (the year before baseball expanded the season to 162 games).

--Speaking of pathetic, the Mets inexplicably lost 2 of 3 to the Angels in Los Angeles, then had to travel to St. Louis for a game Monday, before resuming their road trip in Colorado on Tuesday, and then Seattle.  As in the ultimate road trip from hell.  The Mets needed Monday to be a day off in Denver...recharge the batteries, not an early evening affair in the Gateway City.

How would they respond, the offense largely absent these days?

Pretty well, it turns out...6-0, starter Sean Manaea (8-4, 3.30) with his second straight, 7-inning, no runs, double-digit strikeouts performance, while the Metsies got some clutch hitting. 

Pete Alonso was demoted in the batting order, hitting fifth, the first time in four years he wasn’t cleanup or higher.  This is what happens when you bat .198 with runners in scoring position.

The Mets remain 1 ½ back of the final wild card spot, Arizona, which beat Cleveland last night.

--I’m glad I posted prior to the conclusion of Yankees-Blue Jays Sunday.  It was 3-3 in the eighth when the rains came, and it was a nearly two-hour rain delay. For the record, the Yankees won it in the tenth, 4-3, on a DJ LeMahieu single.

--Good news...Freddie Freeman’s 3-year-old son, Maximus, was discharged from the hospital after an eight-day stay, according to an Instagram post from his wife, Chelsea.  According to her, Maximus will have to learn how to walk again, which isn’t a surprise, given the seriousness of Guilain-Barre syndrome.

Freeman then received a standing ovation Monday as he returned to the lineup, going 1-for-4 in the Dodgers’ 5-3 win over the Phillies, Shohei Ohtani with a double and home run (No. 34).

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.

-----

[Posted Sunday p.m., prior to late ballgames...]

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.

Note: I was out of pocket most of Saturday owing to a family issue...a lot of time spent on the road, so I left a few things on the cutting room table.  [By the way, Tesla’s Cybertruck is really, really ugly, having seen two of them on the highway.]

MLB Quiz: Post-1920, name the only four pitchers to throw over 360 innings in a single season. Four different names.  One is from 1920.  Answer below.

Noah Lyles! 

Wow...what a final in the men’s 100 meters...perhaps the best field ever assembled.   Lyles, who has talked up a storm all year, even at the starting line for the final in the past hour...backed it up, at the wire, barely ahead of Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson, with America’s Fred Kerley getting the bronze.

Spectacular! 

Ever the showman, when the result became official, Lyles said to the camera... “America, I told you, I got this!!!”

It’s our first win in the men’s 100m in 20 years, first time in 20 we had two on the podium.

On to the 200 for him.  And that’s his better event.

More Olympic action below....

MLB

--Friday night, the Yankees’ Gleyber Torres was finally benched for lack of hustle.  In the second inning of an 8-5 loss to the Blue Jays, the second baseman failed to run hard out of the box on a line drive off the left-field wall and had to settle for a single. Three batters later, he was thrown out trying to score on an Anthony Volpe double.  He would have scored easily had he been on second base.

Torres, who fans have been sick of for years, was removed after three innings.  He did admit afterwards, “I think he (manager Aaron Boone) did the right thing, especially in the moment.  As a professional, you have to take the consequences.”

“For one second, I thought it was a homer.  Unfortunately, it was just a single,” Torres said. “I have to get better.  I feel really sorry for whatever I [did] tonight, especially for the fans and also for my teammates.”

Whatever, you’re gone after the season, Gleyber.  Future replacement at second, Jazz Chisholm, was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in his Yankee Stadium debut after back-to-back 2-homer games in Philadelphia.

Aaron Judge hit No. 40 in the game, a 2-run shot giving him 101 RBIs.  But Marcus Stroman (7-6, 4.10) had another poor start, 2 2/3, 7 earned.

Saturday, Judge hit No. 41, another 2-run shot, 103 RBIs; Anthony Volpe with a homer and 3 RBIs as the Yankees rebounded over the Blue Jays, 8-3, Carlos Rodon good enough, now 12-7, 4.37.

[Torres was bank in the lineup Saturday at third.]

Sunday, the Yanks were leading the Blue Jays 3-2, top of the eighth, bases loaded, one out, and I knew the rain was coming...having had a storm in my area 20 minutes before....

The Jays tie it up on a sac fly...3-3...but Clay Holmes limits the damage.

And the rains come at the Stadium, the little bandbox that Ruth didn’t build.

And I’m not waiting for the game to resume before posting....

--Baltimore and the Yanks were tied at 66-46 atop the AL East heading into today, the Orioles winning Saturday over the Guardians (67-43), 7-4, as recent acquisition Zach Eflin had his second quality start for his new team, Eflin 6 1/3, 2 earned, to move to 7-7, 4.05.

--The Mets are in Los Angeles, for the start of their longest road trip of the season, and thankfully they had the hapless Angels as their opponent.

And wouldn’t you know, but our new starting pitcher, via Oakland, Paul Blackburn, pitched six great innings in his Mets debut Friday night, one earned, just 82 pitches, and the Metropolitans won 5-1. 

Brandon Nimmo, in a deep slump since the All-Star break, had three hits, a good sign.

But the Mets then lost 5-4 on Saturday.  Drat.

--The White Sox lost their 19th in a row on Saturday, worst in the majors since Baltimore lost 19 straight in 2021, Chicago falling to the Twins in Minneapolis, 6-2. 

The White Sox, 27-86 and on pace for 39-123, have been outscored 118-41 during this stretch.

Sunday, the ChiSox were immediately down 8-0 in the second, the top batting average in the starting lineup, .238 (shortstop Nicky Lopez).  Dear God, make it stop!!!!

Well, as I post, Chicago is staging a comeback for the ages, 8-5, mid-seven, but I’m moving on.

--On the positive side, the big news in the majors Friday was Blake Snell’s no-hitter for the Giants against the reds in Cincinnati. Snell, who never had a complete game in nine seasons, had 11 strikeouts, allowing three walks, and on 114 pitches pitched the no-no, 3-0.

I noted the other day Snell’s remarkable stretch, all no-decisions.  Well, he finally picked up a ‘W’...and in his last five starts, he’s given up 2 earned runs in 33 innings – a 0.55 ERA, striking out 41 with 10 walks.

San Francisco could have traded Snell, but at 55-56, they found themselves just 4 games out of the wild card at the completion of Friday’s action.

The trade deadline, for all the moves made, ended up kind of being bleh...as Snell, Tarik Skubal and the White Sox’ Garrett Crochet stayed put.

Crochet, who pitched 4 innings of one-run ball Saturday and is 6-8, 3.19, with a major league-leading 162 strikeouts in 118 1/3 innings, for a pathetic ballclub, was a real jerk, making all kinds of demands, including bonus pay for the playoffs, so it became impossible for Chicago to trade him.

--The Dodgers did acquire starting pitcher Jack Flaherty from the Tigers and Flaherty paid immediate dividends with six innings of shutout ball in his first start for L.A. last night against the A’s, a 10-0 win.

And San Diego got closer Tanner Scott from the Marlins, a big piece for the stretch run.

--The Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. is en fuego (though he took an 0-fer Saturday, and went 1-for-5 today in a 3-2 win).  He had one of the best months of July in MLB history for a position player.

Witt played in 23 games with exactly 100 plate appearance.  He hit .489/.520/.833, yes, 1.353 OPS, 7 home runs, 22 RBIs.

Through Friday, Witt had 20 home runs, 78 RBIs, 31 doubles, 10 triples, 25 steals, 94 runs scored.  And he’s hitting .348, .996 OPS.

Could he be MVP over Aaron Judge?  Of course.  Let’s see how it all plays out.

[While we’re on the topic of Kansas City, I have to mention Seth Lugo’s 8 innings of one-run ball Thursday, the Royals beating the Tigers 7-1, Lugo 13-5, 2.51.

--San Diego is playing great ball, and going back to Wednesday, Dylan Cease, hot off his no-hitter, pitched 5 2/3 of one-run ball in the Padres’ 8-1 win over the Dodgers, Cease moving to 11-8, 3.42.

Clayton Kershaw was knocked around for L.A., 3 2/3, 7 runs (3 earned), 83 pitches.

Speaking of L.A., future Hall of Famer Freddie Freeman hasn’t played since July 25 as he takes care of his 3-year-old son, who is hospitalized with a severe case of Guilain-Barre syndrome.

This is scary stuff.  I almost lost my brother to G-B years ago, but he made a miraculous full recovery.  G-B is extremely rare in children.

The boy, Maximus, went into “full body paralysis,” but the worst appears to be over.  Freeman may return to the Dodgers this week. 

--Mike Trout’s year is officially over.  Another busted season, this one after just 29 games.

In his last five seasons, he played in 119 games in 2022, and the other four were 82 games or less...including seasons of 53, 36, and this year’s 29.

The Angels still owe him $37.1 million per season through 2030, part of the 12-year, $426.5 million extension granted him in 2019, when he played 134 games and won his third AL MVP award.  He was still just 27.

I feel for the guy, and the Angels.  Torn thumb ligament, calf strain, back inflammation, broken hamate bone, and this year’s torn meniscus.

Some are now questioning if he’s really a Hall of Famer, which is just stupid.  Of course he is!

Selected standings through Saturday’s play...lots of games in the 4:00 hour this afternoon after I post that have major implications on the races....

A.L. West

Seattle 59-53...--
Houston 57-53...1

A.L. Wild Card

Yankees 66-46...+4
Minnesota 61-48...+0.5
Kansas City 62-50...--
Boston 58-51...2.5
Houston 57-53...4

N.L. East

Philadelphia 65-45...-- ...six straight losses going into Sunday...
Atlanta 60-50...5

N.L. Wild Card

Atlanta 60-50...+1.5
San Diego 60-52...+0.5*
Arizona 59-52...--
Mets 58-52...0.5
St. Louis 57-54...2
Pittsburgh 56-54...2.5
San Francisco 55-57...4.5 ...Giants then won the Sunday a.m. game, 8-2 over the Reds

*Bobby C., former all-time hard throwing, yet crafty, lefty for Summit High School who has lived in San Diego for decades, is pumped.  [Politically, he hails from the right.]

Olympics

I don’t know about you, but I’m enjoying these Olympic Games as much as I ever have.  I have to admit, I’m just taking advantage of the ‘live’ competition in the afternoon and not watching the evening coverage, which is filled with more ‘features,’ but I love it.  And if we can get through another week without a major ‘incident,’ what a commercial for Paris.  [Fingers crossed, given the situation in the Middle East.]

Tuesday

--The U.S. women’s gymnastics team, on their redemption tour after Tokyo, got the job done, picking up the gold over Italy and Brazil...

Simone Biles, Jade Carney, Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, and Hezly Rivera.  Awesome.

--In the pool....

The U.S. took silver in the men’s 4X200 freestyle relay, losing to Great Britain, but beating Australia.

In the men’s 800 free, Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen became the first male from his country with a medal in swimming, and it was gold.  American Bobby Finke captured the silver medal.

In the women’s 100 backstroke, Aussie Kaylie McKeown captured the gold over the U.S.’s Regan Smith, who got yet another silver medal.

Wednesday

--In the pool....

In the women’s 100 free, Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom, age 30, was the surprise winner over American Torri Huske.

In the men’s 200 butterfly, France’s superman, Leon Marchand, captured the gold.

In the women’s 1500 free, our superhero, Katie Ledecky, captured the gold, easily.

Marchand, in a turnaround of less than two hours, then took gold in the men’s 200 breaststroke, making him 3 for 3.  He’s coached by Bob Bowman, Michael Phelps’ former coach, and it was great seeing how psyched Phelps was in the stands, and the NBC studio, cheering on Marchand.  A truly remarkable performance.

In the men’s 100 free, China’s Pan Zhanle captured the gold and was all pissed off over the lack of respect he seemed to receive from his opponents, including on the medal’s stand.

But this is what happens when your team comes into the Games with a severely tarnished reputation.

Back to Ledecky, this was her 12th Olympic medal of any color, 8th gold (seven individual, one relay), the 12 tying her with fellow Americans Jenny Thompson, Data Torres and Natalie Coughlin, as well as Australian Emma McKeon for the most by a female swimmer.

Thursday

--So, for Ledecky to break out of the 12-medal pack, she needed to medal in the women’s 4X200 relay, and the Americans picked up the silver, unfortunately losing again to the Aussies with Ariarne Titmus.  But Ledecky thus became the most decorated U.S. female Olympic athlete of all time.

In other races...American Katie Douglas picked up gold in the women’s 200 breaststroke.

Hungary’s Hubert Kos snatched gold in the men’s 200 backstroke.

And in the women’s 200 butterfly, Regan Smith got another silver, her fourth career (to go with a bronze), second silver of these Games, falling to Canada’s summer McIntosh in the women’s 200 butterfly.

--Meanwhile, Simon Biles won the all-around, another gold medal, with defending champion (from Tokyo), Suni Lee, getting the bronze...Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade the silver.

A good day for those of us on Team Suni and Team McIntosh (Ohhh Caa-na-daaaa!)

--The U.S. men’s rowing team won its first gold medal since 1960, and the women’s foil fencing team won its first gold ever.

Friday

--In the pool...

Aussie Cameron McEvoy won gold in the men’s 50 free, with France’s Florent Manandou, age 33, picking up the bronze, making it four straight Olympics with a medal in this event.  This is great stuff.

Unfortunately, American Caleb Dressel, finished sixth.

France’s Leon Marchand then made it 4 for 4, winning the men’s 200 IM.  French President Emmanuel Macron, in the stands, was beaming with pride.

Australian Kaylee McKeown won gold in the women’s 200 backstroke, becoming the first Aussie with four individual gold medals.  And, you guessed it, Regan Smith picked up another silver, No. 5 in her career, third of these Games.

--On the track...it was a dramatic men’s 10,000m....with American Grant Fisher becoming just the second from the U.S. in 56 years to medal in the event, taking the bronze, with Uganda’s all-time great, Joshua Cheptegei* winning the gold.  What a race...so much fun, especially if you were ever a distance runner.  Fisher stayed in the lead pack the entire 24 laps and had a kick at the end to capture a spot on the podium.

*Cheptegei is the world record holder in the 5000 and 10,000, and a gold medalist in the 5000 in Tokyo, which he will attempt to match later in the week.  He’s also a 3-time world champion in the 10,000.

Saturday

--In the pool...among the events....

Summer McIntosh picked up another gold in the women’s 200 IM, with Kate Douglas getting siiver and Kaylee McKeown bronze.

But American Alex Walsh originally had the bronze, only to be disqualified.  In the race consisting of 50 meters of each stroke – butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle – Walsh flipped onto her stomach going into the backstroke-to-breaststroke turn, rather than finishing the leg on her back, video replay showed.

Katie Ledecky then got gold medal No. 9 in her signature event, the women’s 800 free, besting rival Ariarne Titmus, with American Paige Madden picking up the bronze.  It was Ledecky’s fourth win in this race...never been done before.

Ledecky thus took her medal total up to 14, four in these Games (two gold, one silver and one bronze), and her ninth gold ties her with Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina for the most gold medals for any female Olympian in history (and most by an American).

The nine golds also tie her for second with Mark Spitz and Carl Lewis.  Michael Phelps is still a wee bit away at 23.

The U.S. also won gold in the mixed 4X100 relay.

--Simone Biles earned gold medal No. 7 in the vault (her 10th medal overall), besting Brazil’s Andrade, with Team USA’s Jade Carney earning the bronze medal.  Good for her.

And as for Andrade, she is really good.

--“Clark Kent,” aka Stephen Nedoroscik, earned a bronze medal on the pommel horse.  He has become one of the sensations of the Games.

--The U.S.’s Ryan Crouser became the first Olympian to win the shot put three times! What a feat.  And American Joe Kovacs picked up another silver, his third in the Olympics...yes, all three times behind Crouser.

--On the track, in an upset, and a driving rain, Sha’Carri Richardson had to settle for silver in the women’s 100 meters, falling to unheralded Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia, in a romp.  It was Saint Lucia’s first Olympic medal.  Amazing.

It was a romp because Alfred’s winning margin of 0.20 was the biggest margin in the women’s Olympic 100 since 2008.

Richardson’s training partner, Melissa Jefferson, picked up the bronze.

Jefferson is the pride of Coastal Carolina University, as Johnny Mac reminded me...J. Mac and the missus preparing for 20 inches of rain from Debby.  Ugh.

And, separately, Norway’s Markus Rooth won the decathlon.

--Back to Biles, USA TODAY’s Nancy Armour had the following on why, in her estimation, Simone has surpassed all other GOATs.

“No disrespect to Phelps, Bolt, Williams or any of the others, but the average person can do what they did.  Not as well, of course.  But you can get in the pool and swim a lap like Phelps did.  You can go out to a track, or a sidewalk, and run like Bolt did.  You can go to a court and hit a tennis ball, like Williams did.

“Ask the average person just to flip on the balance beam or do a simple vault, however, and you better have an ambulance on standby. And Biles does her thing with more ease and grace than most of us can muster walking to the bathroom.”

--The USWNT is in the semifinals, facing Germany on Tuesday, after a dramatic win over Japan in the quarterfinals on a Trinity Rodman goal.

Sunday

--Coming into Paris, Team USA had racked up the most swimming medals in every Olympics from 1992 onward, but some looked back on the past 10 days and thought our performance was disappointing. 

The thing is, the world has just gotten better, look at Ireland, Canada and Hungary, for example.

And the rivalry between the U.S. and the West vs. China never really materialized, save for 100m world-record holder Pan Zhanle’s sour grapes, and a rival coach calling his performance “impossible.”  [Watching it ‘live,’ I sure thought it was impossible myself.]

Social media in China quickly rounded on “arrogant Westerners” and said it was “so satisfying to see their superiority complex smashed.”

Pan singled out Australia’s Kyle Chalmers, who took silver, and the U.S.’s Jack Alexey, who was seventh, for their disrespect.

But it was Brett Hawke, Chalmers’ coach, who raised suspicions over the manner of the victory, with a post on his Instagram page which read: “That swim was not real life.  Not in that pool, not against that field.”

For his part, however, Chalmers said after he was confident there was no foul play.

“I do everything I possibly can to win the race and I trust everyone’s doing the same as I am and staying true to sport and the integrity of sport,” he said.  “So yeah, I trust it, I trust that he’s done everything he possibly can to be there and he deserves that gold medal.”

--In the pool....

Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom won another gold medal in the women’s 50 free.

And then American Bobby Finke defended his Olympic title in the men’s 1500 free, Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen the bronze.  Finke was the first U.S. male to win gold in these games, and he did it in world record time.  Great stuff!

China then won the men’s 4X100 medley relay, the U.S. second, France third.  Two of China’s 4-man team had tested positive in Tokyo.  Anchorman Pan Zhanle not one of them.  There was good sportsmanship after between China and the U.S.   At a certain point, as Tony Soprano would have said, ‘whaddya gonna do...’  You gotta move on...until any test results are released.

But with the U.S. and Australia tied at seven golds in the team competition, the final event was the women’s 4X100 medley relay, and the U.S. girls blitzed to victory, Australia second.

[Australia’s Emma McKeon was a member of the 4X100 and picked up her 14th medal, ten in relays, becoming the most decorated Aussie Olympian of all time.  She has six golds, but just two are individual, vs. Ledecky’s 14 medals, nine gold, eight individual; in case you are engaged in an exchange with an Aussie at a bar, at which case if this happened in Sydney, I would be most careful...]

Final tally in the pool....

United States 28 medals...8 gold
Australia 18...7
China 12...2
Canada 8...3
France 7...4

Yup, the streak continues.

To look back, in Tokyo...

U.S. 30 medals...11 gold
Australia 20...9

--In the Olympic golf competition, after 54 holes....

Jon Rahm -14
Xander Schauffele -14
Tommy Fleetwood -13
Hideki Matsuyama -11
Nicolai Hojgaard -11

And Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler were among those at -10.

I want Fleetwood to win.

On to the fourth round...and what great crowds!  And a very entertaining course...not a great one, for sure, but perfect for the Olympics.

Deep into the back nine...great leaderboard....

Rahm -18...thru 13
Fleetwood -18...13
Matsuyama -17...14
McIlroy -17...14
Scheffler -17...14

But Rory puts it in the water on 15...and Rahm doubles 14.

Scheffler birdies 17 to get to -19.

Fleetwood birdies 16 to tie him.

Rahm birdies 16.

And we have....

Scheffler -19...17
Fleetwood -19...16
Matsuyama -17...17
Rahm -17...16
Victor Perez -16...a 63, with a 29 on the back for the Frenchman, who had some great thoughts after on the importance of the Olympics and the impact on his country and the sport.

Scheffler finishes out his round with a bogey-free 62... -19.

Fleetwood bogeys 17 after a poor third on the par-4...falls to -18.

Rahm bogeys 17...back to -16.

Matsuyama misses a makeable birdie putt on 18 and finishes -17.

Scheffler -19...62, 29 on the back.
Fleetwood -18...17
Matsuyama -17...65
Rahm -16...17
Perez -16...63

[Xander Schauffele never a factor...finishes -12.]

So we had drama on 18...

But both Rahm and Fleetwood hit poor approach shots at the par-4, 471-yard hole.

Fleetwood misses his birdie opportunity...Scheffler has the Gold!

Rahm misses his birdie attempt to force a playoff for a medal....and bogeys...-15.  Victor Perez solo fourth.

Fleetwood needs to make his par putt to secure Silver.  And he does!  Good on Tommy!

Matsuyama wins the bronze.

One last thought...to the national sports journalist (a rather famous figure) for the Washington Post who said that Olympic golf was stupid and meaningless, I hope he watched Scottie Scheffler tear up at the medals’ ceremony.  It’s as meaningful as any major to him from his reaction.

I don’t know why I’m cutting the writer a break by not revealing his name, because he has gotten rather ‘precious’ in his latter years, after some terrific work on the sport and college basketball, in particular.

--Novak Djokovic won the gold medal in tennis, 7-6, 7-6 over Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic finally winning gold in his fifth Olympics appearance, thus becoming only the fifth tennis player to achieve the so-called “golden slam” – the four majors and a gold medal.  The others are Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams.

--In cycling, the U.S.’s Kristen Faulkner won the women’s road race, our first gold in the event in 40 years!  You go, Girl!

--There was a time in my youth, the Olympics in the late 60s and 70s, specifically, when Boxing was as big as swimming and track.  Howard Cosell had a lot to do with this during ABC’s coverage of the Games.  You also had the USA vs. Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries’ angle.

But, boy, I couldn’t care less about Olympic boxing these days and the gender debate bores me, BUT, it is outrageous some of the boxers winning medals are basically men beating up on women.

[I do still enjoy a good professional boxing match these days.]

--And terrific win for Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh in the women’s high jump.  Just imagine the moment of joy she brought her country.  God love her. Slava Ukraini!

Stuff

--In what could be a serious development, new Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore is one of seven members from the 2023 national champions accused of violating NCAA rules in a draft of the NCAA’s notice of allegations obtained by ESPN.

The draft, subject to change, states Moore could face a show-cause penalty and possibly a suspension for allegedly deleting a thread of 52 text messages with former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions in October 2023 on the same day that media reports revealed Stalions was leading an effort to capture the playcalling signals of future opponents.

The draft states that the texts were later recovered via “device imaging” and Moore “subsequently produced them to enforcement staff.”

Who knows where this ends up.

As for former coach Jim Harbaugh, he’s a happy clam in Los Angeles with the Chargers.

--The NCAA placed the Kentucky football program on two years’ probation, for violations involving at least 11 former players who received payment for work they did not perform between spring 2021 and March 2022.  As part of the penalty, the program will have to vacate the records of games in which the ineligible players participated.

As a result, Kentucky will vacate all of its victories from the 2021 campaign, when it won 10 games in a season for only the fourth time in school history.

This is so freakin’ stupid...they won the games!

--A federal judge overturned a jury’s $4.7 billion verdict in the class-action lawsuit filed by “Sunday Ticket” subscribers against the NFL and has granted judgment to the NFL.

U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez ruled Thursday that the testimony of two witnesses for the subscribers had flawed methodologies and should have been excluded.

On June 27, the jury awarded $4.7 billion in damages to residential and commercial subscribers after it ruled the NFL violated antitrust laws in distributing out-of-market Sunday afternoon games on a premium subscription service. Whatever.

--Last month, a 19-year-old hiker in Romania, Diana Cazacu, was mauled to death by a bear in the Bucegi mountains north of Bucharest, Romania.

Having been to the area, what I didn’t know is that there are 8,000 bears living in the broader Carpathian mountains, one of Europe’s last wilderness regions, but the area is threatened by logging, the spread of towns, and tourism.

The BBC reported that “angry locals say they’re afraid to walk home at night, because of the bears.”

The government just overturned a 2016 moratorium on bear hunting following the death of Cazacu.

--The New York Post’s Page Six reports that Travis Kelce has been ring hunting and has gone to Taylor Swift’s father, Scott, for his blessing.  You can imagine a wedding after the coming season.

--So much for Aerosmith’s farewell tour.  The band announced they are retiring from touring after an amazing five decades together because lead singer Stephen Tyler’s voice can’t recover from his injury.

But what a 54 years it was; the band first forming in 1970, but not hitting the charts until five years later with 1975’s “Sweet Emotion,” followed the following year by “Dream On,” and they were off and running....

Top 3 songs for the week 8/2/69: #1 “In The Year 2525” (Zager & Evans...dumb tune that was amazingly #1 for six consecutive weeks...) #2 “Crystal Blue Persuasion” (Tommy James and The Shondells...this should have been #1, but was #2 three weeks...in my all-time top ten...)  #3 “Spinning Wheel” (Blood, Sweat & Tears...had been #2 three weeks before ‘Crystal Blue Persuasion’...also could have been a #1...)...and...#4 “My Cherie Amour” (Stevie Wonder...shockingly peaked at #4...yes, should have been a #1...brilliant tune...)  #5 “What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)” (Jr. Walker & The All Stars...best opening of any rock / R&B tune ever...)  #6 “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town” (Kenny Rogers and The First Edition)  #7 “Sweet Caroline” (Neil Diamond)  #8 “Honky Tonk Women” (The Rolling Stones)  #9 “Baby, I Love You” (Andy Kim)  #10 “The Ballad of John and Yoko” (The Beatles... ‘A’ week...Zager & Evans prevent it from being an A+...)

The 1969 Mets were 6 ½ back of the Cubs on Aug. 2nd.  But they would fall 10 behind on Aug. 13 after getting swept by the Astros in Houston.  Us fans were depressed.

But then, led by Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman, the Mets finished the season 38-11 and beat Leo Durocher’s Cubs, running away with it.

MLB Quiz Answer: Post-1920...only four to throw 360 innings in a single season.

Wilbur Wood...1972...376 2/3 innings, 49 starts, 20 complete games.
Mickey Lolich...1971...376, 45 starts, 29 complete games.
Bob Feller...1946...371 1/3, 42 starts, 36 complete games.
Grover Alexander...1920...40 starts, 33 complete games, also five saves out of the bullpen.

Wood’s 1972 White Sox played only 154 games...teams lost the first week of the season to a strike, teams playing 153 to 156.

Tom Bradley had 40 starts for Chicago and Stan Bahnsen 41, but just 16 complete games between the two.  They had a terrific reliever, Terry Forster, who saved 29 games and threw 100 innings.

Very brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.

---