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Bar Chat

08/19/2024

FedEx Cup Playoffs are on....

Add-on, posted very early Tuesday a.m.

MLB

--I posted prior to the Sunday night game, the Little League Classic in Williamsport, PA, Yankees and Tigers.

America got to see Detroit ace, and Cy Young frontrunner, Tarik Skubal, who went six innings, one earned, but four walks and a no-decision, Skubal 14-4, 2.49 ERA. 

Marcus Stroman threw six scoreless for New York, leaving with a 1-0 lead.

But it was 1-0 heading to the bottom of the ninth and Yankees closer Clay Holmes blew his tenth save of the season, which is a lot, New York (73-52) eventually falling 3-2 in 10 innings.

Aaron Judge and Juan Soto combined to go just 1-for-7, a Judge single.

So, at the end of Sunday night, the Orioles and Yankees were tied atop the AL East, as Baltimore headed to New York to play the Mets.

--And then Monday night, the Mets, desperately needing to start off a brutal 10-game stretch on the right foot, put out David Peterson, 7-1, 3.04, against Trevor Rogers, 2-11, 4.89, a guy who hasn’t had a quality start since literally June 27th (a stretch of eight outings).

The Mets have a history of turning such schlubs into Cy Young, or in this case, the lefty Rogers into Sandy Koufax, so what would the Mets give their fans?

New York got to Rogers for 3 earned in 4 2/3, and then against the Orioles bullpen, the Mets literally couldn’t hit the ball out of the infield, 9 strikeouts in 3 2/3.

But with one out in the bottom of the ninth, score tied 3-3, catcher Francisco Alvarez strode to the plate against Seranthony Dominguez.  He worked the count to 3-0, Mets announcers Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez both agreed Alvarez, who has struggled mightily at the plate for two months, needed to take the pitch and try to work out a walk.

Alvarez, and manager Carlos Mendoza, had other plans.  Alvarez blasted the next pitch 420 feet over the center field fence and the Mets had a dramatic 4-3 win to start off this critical period.  Us fans slept well.

--Also Monday night, Kansas City’s Seth Lugo improved to 14-7, 3.20, with seven innings of 2-run ball in K.C.’s 5-3 win over the Angels.

The Dodgers have had more than a few issues in the starting rotation, between injuries and underperformance, but one stalwart has been Gavin Stone, who moved to 11-5, 3.44, with seven shutout innings, 10 strikeouts, in L.A.’s 3-0 win over the Mariners.

And the Giants handed the White Sox another loss, 5-3, as Chicago fell to 30-96.  Geezuz.

--The Braves suffered a huge loss...Austin Riley is out with a broken hand, suffered on a hit by pitch Sunday, for 6-8 weeks, so at least the rest of the regular season.

--After I posted Sunday, the Giants beat the A’s 4-2 in 10 innings in Oakland, with Blake Snell getting another no-decision, seven innings, one earned, 10 strikeouts.

So, following his absolutely horrid start, without a spring training, in his last eight starts Snell  has an ERA of 1.03!  [Six earned in 52 1/3.]  But he’s just 2-0 over the eight, the Giants 6-2 in those games.

And I saw a blurb on baseballreference that Snell set a franchise record with 55 strikeouts in his last 5 starts, breaking a mark held by John Montefusco, who in his Rookie of the Year campaign, 1975, had 54.

You might be thinking, what about Juan Marichal?  Well, Marichal had a bunch of 200 strikeout seasons, but only averaged over 7 Ks per nine innings once.  [Take a look at his 1966 season to see what baseball excellence looks like, except then consider that Sandy Koufax was even better...Koufax’s final season to boot.]

--I’ve been writing about Paul Skenes and his innings, 125 in his first year of professional ball, wondering when Pittsburgh would say, ‘that’s it,’ especially since they aren’t going anywhere, 7 ½ back of the last wild card spot heading into Monday.

But Ken Rosenthal and Co. at The Athletic ironically wrote about the same topic Sunday night, but with an angle I hadn’t given any thought to.

“By ending Skenes’ brilliant rookie campaign, team officials could cite the protection of Skenes’ long-term health and preservation of him for a potential playoff run in 2025.

“They also could operate with a compelling ulterior motive – the possible prevention of Skenes from finishing first or second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting, an outcome that would deprive him of gaining a full year of service time and keep him in Pittsburgh for at least one additional season.

“The Pirates currently have no such plans, according to sources briefed on their thinking.  They have no set innings limit for Skenes.  The only restriction they are considering, assuming Skenes stays healthy, is potentially shortening his outings.  The Chicago White Sox are taking just that approach with left-hander Garrett Crochet, who is working as a starter for the first time in his professional career.

“Skenes, 22, did not make his major-league debut until May 11, but could automatically earn a full year of service under a rule adopted by the league and players’ union in the 2022 collective-bargaining agreement.  The rule, designed to discourage teams from manipulating the service time of top young players, rewards the top two finishers in each league’s Rookie of the Year voting, regardless of how many days they spend in the majors....

“The new rule effectively puts voting members of the Baseball Writers Association of America in position to deprive a low-revenue team such as the Pirates an extra year of a superstar player – a far more consequential outcome than the individual cash bonuses that are frequently tied to the awards.

“For the Pirates, the difference between keeping Skenes for five more years and six would be enormous... (The) chances of Pittsburgh signing Skenes to a lucrative extension would be extremely low.  The difference for Skenes, too, could be immense.  Hs last year of arbitration could turn into the first year of a free-agent payday, and he would become eligible for the open market after his age-27 season rather than a year later.  By continuing his ascent as a generational talent, he would be in position for a historic contract.”

Well, five years is a long, long time, especially for a pitcher.  And my point is, Skenes has been very ordinary recently, 4.15 ERA his last three starts, his stellar control hasn’t been there, and I’d limit him the rest of the season.  Pitch him like once a week, six starts, and limit him to 80 pitches, or thereabouts. 

But the Pirates would be making a big mistake to mess with his service time.  It’s the wrong message to the fan base.  [Pssst...Pirates management...you want a happy Livvy Dunne, soon to be Livvy Skenes, perhaps...in your crowd.]

--I meant to mention a fun little tale Mets broadcaster Keith Hernandez related the other night concerning Hall of Famer Steve Carlton and former second baseman Ron Hunt, who had a solid 12-year career.

Hunt perfected the art of getting hit by a pitch, leading the National League seven straight seasons, 1968-74, and until being later surpassed by Don Baylor and Craig Biggio, he was the career leader in the HBP category.  [This was in the days before body armor.]

Carlton once told Keith that ‘he wasn’t going to waste 9 pitches on the guy, so I just drilled him.’

Love it.  And I’m guessing Ron Hunt, my brother’s favorite Met, respected that.

Golf Balls

--To wrap up Sunday’s FedEx Cup playoff opener, the results in terms of the Top 50 weren’t official when I went to post, so I missed a position on two golfers.

Nick Dunlap moved from 67 to 48, just a huge deal for him, while Jordan Spieth went from No. 63 at the start to 67 and headed home.

Tom Kim suffered a huge blow in falling from 43 at the start of the week to 51.  This is a rising star, and making the field next week, and maybe for East Lake, would have done his Q rating a world of good.

Justin Rose, as you saw, also failed...starting 55 and finishing No. 55.  He’s pissed.

Viktor Hovland jumped from 57 to 16, as his game is back from a trip to the wilderness earlier in the season.

And Keegan Bradley was the bubble boy, starting 39th and finishing 50th in the points standings.  Great for him.

I’ll go out on a limb and say Bradley wins this week’s second leg at beautiful Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, CO.

But it’s a good thing this is a limited field.  Old time golf fans remember how when there was a regular tour event at Castle Pines, late-day thunderstorms were always an issue.  But with just 50 golfers, I’m sure the Tour will manipulate the fourth round starting time if necessary to get the action in on schedule for NBC.

Sure enough, I just glanced at the forecast for Castle Pines and it’s PM Thunderstorms for Wed. thru Friday, at least.

--Josele Ballester won the U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine National Golf Club on Sunday, topping Noah Kent.  Ballester turned 21 yesterday and became the first Spaniard to win the U.S. Am.

The rising senior at Arizona State is ranked 10th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

And while he is an amateur, for now, he picked up some major benefits, such as a spot in the U.S. Open at Oakmont and the Open Championship at Royal Portrush.  He’s also likely to get an invitation to the Masters, where he’ll join his mentor and idol Sergio Garcia and fellow Spaniard Jon Rahm.

And while he doesn’t receive any money for the victory, Ballester no doubt will receive some additional NIL deals or sponsorship opportunities.

--Speaking of Jon Rahm, Golf Digest’s Jaime Diaz has a feature on him that notes Rahm is dealing with “deep regret” over his decision to move to LIV Golf.

“I am 100 percent positive that if Jon could give the money back to the Saudis and come back to the tour, he couldn’t write the check fast enough,” Diaz’s source said.

“Now there are only four times a year when he’s playing that anybody is remotely interested.  [Ed. my point in my last BC.]  He thought his stature in the game was secure no matter where he was playing, and it was a bad miscalculation.”

This isn’t the first time we have heard talk like this, but Rahm, unless he’s an idiot, and I don’t think he is, knew this going in when he signed for a reported $350 million, with bonuses.

--Kind of sad to see that Arnold Palmer’s grandson, Sam Saunders, announced he’s retiring from professional golf after missing the cut this week at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Magnit Championship.

Saunders, 37, made more than 150 starts on both the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour, but this year made just four cuts on the KFT and missed the cut in nine of his last 10 starts.  He ranked 157th in the points standings and had earned only $29,920.

“I started this career over 15 years ago, and today was my last professional round,” he wrote on X.  “It was never easy for me, and I never reached my playing goals, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything...I am excited for the next chapter of my life.”

Saunders lost in a playoff at the Puerto Rico Open in 2015, and last season lost in a playoff at the KFT’s Panama Championship.  He qualified for the U.S. Open on three occasions, but he’s been battling various injuries in recent years.

Saunders counted his grandfather as his swing coach.

While he didn’t make clear what he is going to do next, I hope he immerses himself in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, a Signature event, and becomes the executive director, that kind of thing.  He’s a super likable guy and he himself said yesterday that “he would always be involved in this great game of golf that has given me so much.”

Go Sam!  We love you!

NFL

--When I mentioned Sunday that like all NFL fans, I’m anxious to see how the Bears’ Caleb Williams and the Commanders’ Jayden Daniels do at quarterback as the first two picks in last spring’s NFL Draft, Sunday night we then had another first-rounder on the field, my man Bo Nix, who was 8 of 9 for 80 yards and a touchdown in Denver’s 27-2 win over the Packers.

Coach Sean Payton said after of Nix, who has led the team to scores on eight of his nine possessions in the exhibition season, “Well listen, he’s played well. I’m not announcing any starting quarterback tonight.”

Nix is battling it out with Jarrett Stidham; Zach Wilson the third QB in the room.

--Mark R. noted with my mention of Anthony Munoz last time that former Steeler DT/DE John Banaszak, a neighbor of Mark R., used to talk about playing against Munoz.

“John said that he couldn’t sleep the night before the games against the Bengals.  He lined up against #78 and Munoz would beat him up all game and Banaszak would hurt for days.  John said he never beat him or got close to the QB.”

Plus, Munoz talked trash the entire game.

Bazooka Joe says: “Banaszak played his college ball at Eastern Michigan!”  [He had 22.5 career sacks in his seven seasons in the Steel City.]

College Football

--Yup, it’s here!  Saturday, Florida State at Georgia Tech to kick things off, noon ET.

And then the following Saturday, Aug. 31, we have 14 Clemson at 1 Georgia, 8 Penn State at West Virgina, and 7 Notre Dame at 20 Texas A&M.

Let the fun begin...the first season of a new era, the 12-team College Football Playoff.  Boise State is the early favorite to grab the ‘Group of Five’ playoff bid.  Otherwise, it’s all about the Power Four conferences, no more Pac-12 (Kleenex in use as the editor bawls his eyes out at the thought...only to be reminded that the USC and UCLA cheerleaders will be strutting their stuff for the Big Ten now...all good...).

--The AP announced its preseason All-America team.  Just a few folks on offense.

First team...

QB – Carson Beck, Georgia
RB – Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State; Omarion Hampton, North Carolina
WR – Luther Burden III*, Missouri; Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona; Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State

*I checked a few sources...not related to former New York Knick Luther “Ticky” Burden, but I could be wrong.  Wiki says no relation.  I’m thinking there is.

Second team...

QB – Dillon Gabriel, Oregon (via UCF and Oklahoma)
RB – TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State; Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
WR – Tez Johnson, Oregon; Tre Harris, Mississippi; Ricky White, UNLV

NASCAR

--Once again, NASCAR was beset by rain and forced to suspend the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, resuming the race Monday morning.

And Tyler Reddick picked up his second victory of the season, seventh for his Cup Series career.  William Byron was runner-up after two overtimes.

This Saturday, we have a fun one at Daytona, the summer night race.

Next Bar Chat Sunday p.m.

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[Posted early Sunday p.m.]

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.

NFL Quiz: To get you in the mood for the coming season, when you are comparing baseball players who could be in line for the Hall of Fame, a good metric for me for a hitter is how many times they were top five in the MVP vote, or for pitchers, top five in the Cy Young Award tabulation (maybe with expansion you stretch it to top six).

But for the NFL, any real football fan should blow off Pro Bowl selections and only focus on the AP first and second team picks... The Pro Bowl is relatively easy, especially with injuries and alternate selections (though now the Pro Bowl format has changed).

But the AP is the real deal.  So...13 players have been selected first-team All-NFL in the AP voting at least eight times.  Because some of these started their careers in the early days of the NFL, I’ll give you the initials for this special group.  Guess the names.  Answer below.

J.B., A.D., B.G., D.H., J.P., B.S., L.T., R.W., J.S., A.M., R.M., J.O., J.R. [Four played at least part of the their career in the 1950s, one in the 1930s, 1935-45.]

MLB

--Going back to last Tuesday night, the Yankees’ Juan Soto hit three home runs for the first time in his career, against the White Sox in Chicago, accounting for all four runs in a 4-1 New York win, Nestor Cortez (6-10, 4.20) with a needed strong performance, seven scoreless.

Wednesday, Aaron Judge then blasted No. 43, and No. 300 for his career in a 10-2 win over Chicago. Soto hit No. 34.

Judge thus became the fastest player in MLB history to reach 300 home runs in his career, doing so in 955 games, a whopping 132 fewer than the previous record-holder, Ralph Kiner, who did it in 1,087 games.

For you younger fans, go back and look at Ralph Kiner’s career.  Had he not been shelved by a bad back at an early age, he would have handily been in the 500+ club.  But his run of 40+ home runs, twice with 50, was truly prodigious...and after his rookie season, for a slugger, he hardly struck out.

Heading into the weekend, however, the Yankees had put Jazz Chisholm Jr. on the injured list with a left elbow issue, a UCL injury with an MRI revealing some damage.  Surgery hasn’t been ruled out. Chisholm, though, said he’s confident he’ll be back after a minimum stay on the IL.

Friday night, Gerrit Cole pitched six scoreless, 8 strikeouts, to move to 4-2, 4.15, as the Yankees (73-50) defeated the Tigers in Detroit, 3-0.  Aaron Judge hit No. 44 / 301.

Saturday, though, the Tigers shut out the Yanks 4-0, Carlos Rodon giving up 4 earned in 3 1/3, now 13-8, 4.30.

--Baltimore (72-51) was one game back of the Yankees after Friday night, losing to the Red Sox 12-10.

Thursday, new acquisition Zach Eflin did it again, his fourth straight quality start in four outings for the Orioles, 6 innings, one run, in a 5-1 win over Boston.  Eflin overall is 9-7, 3.72, but 4-0, 2.13, with Baltimore.

Saturday, the Orioles didn’t take advantage of the earlier Yankees loss, falling to Boston 5-1.

Sunday, Baltimore beat the Red Sox 4-2, Boston 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position, which kind of blows, as we say in the ‘burbs.

The Yankees are in the ESPN Sunday night game.

--Going back to Thursday afternoon, the Mets had a 5-0 lead on the A’s at Citi Field, attempting to take the rubber game of a 3-game series, but they blew it...Oakland winning 7-6 in an absolutely brutal contest for the Metsies, wasting two opposite field bombs from Mark Vientos.

But this game was brutal for fans to watch, let alone the result, because it took 3 hours, 45 minutes, the record for a 9-inning game under the pitch clock.

There were 425 pitches, 213 from the A’s staff, 212 from Mets pitchers, New York giving up 11 walks.  Get this, there were 93 foul balls!

Friday night, the Mets (63-59) rebounded with a 7-3 win over the Marlins, Brandon Nimmo with a big 3-run homer, his first since the All-Star break.   Praise the Lord.  Sean Manaea with seven strong, now 9-5, 3.46.  Nothing wrong with his effort this season.

It was a good night for Mets fans all around, as the Braves also lost so the Mets entered Saturday’s play just one back of Atlanta for the last wild card spot.

The Mets then got a rare complete game shutout from Luis Severino yesterday, 4-0, Seve convincing manager Carlos Mendoza he could go the distance and he did, much to the delight of the Citi faithful, 113 pitches.  It was Severino’s first complete game, and shutout, since 2018!  He’s now 8-6, 3.91.

Like in the case of Sean Manaea, Seve was a terrific offseason signing.

Alas, the Braves beat the Angels Saturday, 11-3, as Chris Sale went six strong, 2 earned, 10 strikeouts, and is 14-3, 2.62, speaking of terrific offseason acquisitions.

After a super run from 2012-2018, seven consecutive seasons where he finished in the top six in the Cy Young Award balloting, Sale is on his way to his first Cy Young trophy.  Great story, unless you are a Mets fan.

Well, the Metsies suffered a brutal loss in the Roku Sunday morning (noon start this time) game, 3-2. They had 1st and 2nd, no outs in the bottom of the ninth, and Jeff McNeil couldn’t move the runners over, Francisco Lindor hit a 400-foot bomb for a long out, and Mark Vientos feebly struck out to end the game.

New York now hosts Baltimore for three, before going back out West to play four in San Diego and three in Arizona.

As in....this is the season, Mets fans.  Ugh.  I would take 5-5 in a heartbeat.  I’m fearing 2-8. [They then finish up the road trip with three in Chicago against the White Sox.]

--The Dodgers lost promising rookie starting pitcher River Ryan.  Ryan had made four starts and pitched to a 1.33 ERA before going down for the remainder of the season with a right elbow injury.

L.A. then put Tyler Glasnow on the 15-day injured list with right elbow tendonitis.  I’ve written of him all season, the Dodgers signing him to a 4-year $110 million contract, plus a team/player option for 2028, even though he had never thrown more than 120 innings in a season.

Well, he has thrown 134 this season, 9-6, 3.49, but this is his second time on the IL, the first because of back tightness.

At least Clayton Kershaw is back after offseason shoulder surgery and throwing OK, but otherwise it’s been a devastating season for the Dodgers on the pitching front.

L.A. trotted out Bobby Miller last night against the Cardinals in St. Louis and Miller was hit hard (4 earned in 4 2/3), now 1-3, 8.02 following a stint in the minors, this after an 11-4, 3.76 rookie campaign last year.

The NL West race has tightened up mightily.

But the Dodgers got six scoreless from Kershaw today, just 70 pitches, and L.A. beat the Cards 2-1.

--The White Sox won Game No. 30 on Friday, 5-4 over the Astros (65-56) in Houston as Luis Robert Jr. hit two home runs, 4 RBIs in all.

But they lost 6-1 Saturday, now 30-94.  We just need them to win 11 more games so as not to eclipse the 1962 Mets’ 40-120.

Make it 30-95...Chicago falling to Framber Valdez today, 2-0, Valdez seven scoreless, 9 Ks, now 13-5, 3.20.

Make it stop!

--The Pirates beat the Mariners 5-3 in Pittsburgh, Friday, Paul Skenes with six innings, 2 runs, earning the win...7-2, 2.30, but far from dominating.  I go back to the innings issue.  He’s thrown a lot this season, his first full year of professional baseball.  I’m not for babying pitchers, but the first year is important and kind of stupid to overdo it.

Skenes is up to 125 innings, including the minors.  I’m just saying 150 would be a reasonable first year.

--The Brewers, 10 games ahead in the NL Central heading into Saturday’s play, lost Christian Yelich for the season as he gave in and had back surgery this week. He was hoping to rehab and finish the season and then maybe have surgery.  But this way, he could be available at the start of 2025.

The poor guy was on his way to a Hall of Fame career after being NL MVP in 2018 and runner-up in 2019, but then the back issues arrived and he lost his power.

But he had a good bounce back campaign in 2023, and had 11 homers, 42 RBIs, .315 BA, and .909 OPS in 73 games this season before the old problem popped up again.

--I was sorry to see Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene go on the IL with right elbow soreness Saturday.  He’s been having a terrific season, 9-4, 2.83, 162 strikeouts in 143 1/3, a breakout campaign for the immensely talented lad.

Greene had Tommy John surgery in 2019.  But...as I go to post, manager David Bell said the “MRI looked good,” so it’s possible Greene only misses a few turns.

--Nice game for Kansas City’s Dairon Blanco yesterday against the Reds.  The little-used, 31-year-old outfielder, batting ninth in the lineup, had two home runs (one a grand slam) and 7 RBIs in a 13-1 win.

Various standings through Saturday’s play....

AL East

New York 73-51
Baltimore 72-52...1

AL Central

Cleveland 72-51
Minnesota 70-53...2

NL West

Los Angeles 72-52
San Diego 70-54...2
Arizona 69-55...3

NL Wild Card

San Diego 70-54...+4.5
Arizona 69-55...+3.5
Atlanta 65-58...--
New York 64-59...1

--Aaron Judge is likely to be AL MVP, but...Bobby Witt Jr. is having a phenomenal season.  Both have a very real shot at 100 extra-base hits, a magical mark.

After Saturday’s action....

Witt: 35 doubles, 11 triples, 25 home runs, 90 RBI, 25 steals, 106 runs scored, .351 batting average, 1.021 OPS.

Judge: 29 2B, 44 HR, 111 RBI, 96 runs, .332 BA, 1.172 OPS.

Reminder...no one in the AL has had 100 XBHs since Albert Belle, 103, 1995. [Barry Bonds, 107, et al, 2001, were the last to do so in the NL...a steroids-filled, cartoonish season when Todd Helton, 105, Sammy Sosa, 103, and Luis Gonzalez, 100, also passed the century mark.]

--A Babe Ruth jersey could fetch as much as $30 million at auction.  It’s the one he wore when he “called his shot” in the 1932 World Series.

During Game 3 against the Cubs on October 1, Ruth came up to bat in the fifth inning. During the plate appearance, Ruth allegedly pointed toward the outfield before depositing a pitch from Cubs pitcher Charlie Root into deep center field.

The Yankees went on to win the game 7-5 behind Ruth’s two home runs and four RBIs and beat the Cubs again the next day to complete the sweep and win the World Series.

“We know that he pointed but we don’t know if he was pointing to the pitcher, toward the players in the Cubs outfield or calling his shot,” said Chris Ivy, director of sports auctions at Heritage.  “But that mystery is why we’re still talking about it almost 100 years later.

“What we do know is that this is the shirt Babe Ruth was wearing on that day.”

The auction takes place Aug. 23-25 at Heritage Auctions HQ in Dallas.

Golf Balls

--We had the first leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs this week at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tenn., and after two rounds....

Denny McCarthy -11
Hideki Matsuyama -11
Sam Burns -10
Scottie Scheffler -9
Justin Rose -8
Nick Dunlap -8

Matsuyama had lost his wallet in London and lost his caddie and coach for the start of the playoffs after thieves snatched their bag, but none of that seemed to bother Hideki.

Matsuyama won the Olympic bronze medal and stopped over in London with caddie Shota Hayato and his swing coach, Mikihito Kuromiya.  They were having dinner in town when Matsuyama said his caddie noticed the bag was no longer there. The contents included Matsuyama’s wallet, and the passports of Hayato and Kuromiya.  Matsuyama had left his passport – and his bronze medal – in his hotel room.

“It was an unfortunate situation,” Matsuyama said.  “Luckily, I lost only my wallet, but Shota, my caddie, and the coach, lost their passports, and we’re trying hard now to get their visas back in line.  And, hopefully, we can join as a team as soon as possible.”

In the meantime, he lined up Taiga Tabuchi, who had been caddying on the Japan LPGA recently and had worked with Ryo Hisatsune on the PGA Tour earlier this year.

And Hideki continued to roll Saturday...after three rounds....

Matsuyama -17
Dunlap -12
Viktor Hovland -11
Scheffler -10
Burns -10

Burns hung in there after breaking his driver early in round 3 in a fit of rage.  Because it was self-inflicted, he couldn’t replace it in his bag during the round.

Gotta finish in the top 50 to move on to Castle Pines in Colorado this coming week for round two of the playoffs.

And so Matsuyama was cruising along, generally with a 4-shot lead the entire way, until he put the ball in the water on the par-3 14th.  Xander Schauffele was methodically moving up the leaderboard, -7 thru 16 on the day, and suddenly....

Matsuyama -17...thru 14
Schauffele -15...16
Hovland -14...14

Schauffele sensational 2-putt from long distance to stay -15 on 17.

Hovland birdies 15 and 16!... -16.

Matsuyama doubles 15!

Hovland -16...16...Hovland six back to start the day
Schauffele -15...17
Matsuyama -15...15

Matuyama has fallen apart after a discussion on a potential rules violation on No. 12 (there wasn’t), which clearly rattled Hideki...the fact his regular caddie isn’t on the bag suddenly a factor....

Wow....Hideki has been missing fairways all day and that is the biggest difference.

Hovland started the week 57th in the Cup standings.  He’s currently 4th!

It’s a ballgame!

Schauffele finishes -15...63 for the round...he was nine strokes back to start the day!

Hovland bogeys 17... -15

Schauffele -15
Hovland -15...17
Matsuyama -15...16

As my grandfather would have said, Gee Willikers! [He never swore...I have over 10 million times.]

Hovland super approach on No. 18...

Matsuyama huge birdie on 17... -16!

But Hovland has a 9-foot putt birdie putt to tie Matsuyama...and he doesn’t make it...finishes -15.

Can Matsuyama par 18 for his tenth PGA Tour career win?

Yes!  Super approach shot...birdie, 2-shot win after all the drama.

Hideki showed his true toughness...and the sub caddie is breathing a huge sigh of relief.

Dunlap moves from 67 to 48 to make next week’s field and all of 2025’s riches.

--I made a mistake a few weeks ago when I said if you made the FedEx Cup Playoffs, you qualified for the eight Signature events in 2025.  It’s the top 50, as you saw this weekend.

But many of the top 70 will get in.  Each field next year is at least 72 players, there are various ways to get in through play in the weeks leading up to a Signature tournament, and you generally have at least four sponsor exemptions, so the likes of Jordan Spieth, who finished the week 66th, is obviously going to grab a bunch of these.

--The PGA Tour released its 2025 schedule on Wednesday with no real surprises and every indication the tour and Saudi-backed LIV Golf will be going their separate ways at least until 2026.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said talks with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia are “complicated discussions” but that the sides continue to meet as they try to work out a deal for an investment with the commercial PGA Tour Enterprises.

“As it relates to times and timeframes and where we are, I’d just say that we’re in a good place with the conversations,” he said.  “That’s the most important thing.”

Asked if the release of the 2025 schedule suggested that there would be no involvement with LIV through 2026 or 2027, Monahan replied, “That’s fair.”

Patrick Cantlay, who is on the board of the PGA Tour and the for-profit PGA Tour Enterprises said chatter has “definitely quieted down.”

“There’s going to be ebbs and flows, depending on what kind of information comes out or what announcements,” he said.  “But I know all of us are working incredibly hard all the time to get the best outcome.”

--So I was thinking during the week about how little I’ve thought about LIV Golf in recent months, as in I stopped looking at their results because there is absolutely zero reason to give a [damn]. I then got a note from Pete M. Saturday, saying he had stumbled on the television coverage of the event this weekend at The Greenbrier, which I didn’t even know was taking place, and Pete commented that the number of spectators was sparse.  I checked it out for a minute for confirmation of same.  Really pathetic.

Anyway, there was a piece on LIV in USA TODAY and how because of it, PGA Tour purses skyrocketed, which is very true.  By the end of the season, Scottie Scheffler will have made five to seven times what the tour’s top earner made in 2020-21, the year before LIV debuted.

And those who jumped to LIV, at least the big names, obviously profited rather handsomely.

But then you continue to have idiotic comments from some of the LIV golfers, like this from Patrick Reed.

“Things need to evolve.  Things need to change,” Reed said during the week. “I feel like that’s what LIV is. They’ve stepped into a world that was all about tradition only and changed the face of golf for the better.  And I feel like with LIV, we’re now allowed to touch a lot broader and better way of golf.  Golf is boring, slow, long, and we’ve now brought in the fast and more entertaining part of life.”

What?  The 54-hole format, and 13 four-man teams, hasn’t taken off at all.  No one gives a [buck] about the team play, except a few of the players themselves.  No one watches LIV on TV, no one buys its merchandise. 

“When people start to see the true value that we’re bringing, that intrinsic value is only going to exponentiate over the course of time, which is what I’m excited for,” Bryson DeChambeau said. “I’m waiting for that kind of domino effect, for it to start falling in that cool direction that we see here on our side at LIV, especially with the team aspect.”

You’ll be waiting a long time, Bryson.

[I flipped on LIV today for a minute, and there were about 300-400 in the gallery, all following the leaders, Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm, which if I was there, with literally nothing else to do, and knowing the beer is cheap – a desperate attempt to draw spectators – I would have been following them too.]

NFL Bits

--Quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s season is over before it officially began.  The Vikings rookie will be sidelined until 2025 after undergoing surgery Wednesday to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, coach Kevin O’Connell said.

The news was devastating for the team, who now turn to veteran Sam Darnold, who signed a one-year contract worth $10 million in March.  It’s Darnold or Nick Mullens.

McCarthy was the No. 10 overall pick of the April draft out of Michigan, where he led the Wolverines to the national title.  Whether he started on Week One was still to be determined, but he was drafted as the long-term replacement for Kirk Cousins, who departed in free agency.

--I couldn’t care less about the exhibition season, just as long as everyone I care about stays healthy and for Jets fans, Aaron Rodgers isn’t injured yet.  The ‘over/under’ on how many games he will play this season is the big sports bet in the area.  I’ll say seven.

But it will be interesting to see what kinds of starts some of the rookie QBs get off to, having been handed the starting job.

Washington’s Jayden Daniels looked sharp Saturday, completing 10 of 12 for 78 yards.

And Caleb Williams made some exciting plays for Chicago, the Windy City’s enthusiasm for the Bears returning with Caleb taking full control early and showing he can indeed be the franchise savior.

But to me, the big story is who takes control at quarterback for Pittsburgh...Russell Wilson or Justin Fields.

Off the early preseason performance, it should be Fields.  Head coach Mike Tomlin said after yesterday’s game the battle to be No. 1 is “going to heat up” as we approach the season opener.

NASCAR

--I was shocked NASCAR took away driver Austin Dillon’s automatic berth in the playoffs after he was involved in two wrecks on the last lap before winning last Sunday’s Cook Out 400 in Richmond, VA.

He’s still declared the race winner but loses the automatic bid and he and the Richard Childress Racing No. 3 team will be docked 25 points, it was announced on Wednesday.

Dillon had hit Joey Logano from behind in the fourth turn on the final lap and sent him crashing into the wall.  Dillon then clipped Denny Hamlin, causing another crash, and crossed the finish line first for his first win in nearly two years.

According to NASCAR.com, the automatic playoff berth was taken away under Section 12.3.2.1.b, which says: “Race finishes must be unencumbered by violation(s) of the NASCAR Rules or other action(s) detrimental to stock car auto racing or NASCAR as determined in the sole discretion of NASCAR.”

Elton Sawyer, NASCAR senior vice president of competition, told NASCAR.com: “We came to the conclusion that a line had been crossed.  Our sport has been based going for many, many years, forever, on good, hard racing. Contact has been acceptable. We felt like, in this case, that the line was crossed.”

Dillon dropped to 31st in the overall standings after the 25-point deduction.  He now needs to win one of the three remaining races to qualify for the playoffs.

I’m just surprised NASCAR acted in this fashion.  I thought they would wait until the offseason to tweak some rules on contact.

Stuff

--The Premier League started its new season this weekend.

Once again, Manchester City and Arsenal are expected to dominate.  The promoted teams are Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton.  Leicester and Southampton return after one-year absences, while Ipswich Town will return after a 22-year absence.

I can’t get into the season until October.  But Man City (2-0 over Chelsea this afternoon), Arsenal and Liverpool won their first...Liverpool under new manager Arne Slot, who took over for the retired Jurgen Klopp.

--USMNT has a new coach, and it is a high-profile hire.  Mauricio Pochettino will lead the team into a crucial juncture ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which the U.S. is co-hosting with Mexico and Canada.

Pochettino is most familiar to Premier League fans, having coached at Southampton, Tottenham, and Chelsea, as well as PSG.

He led Tottenham to a second-place finish in the PL in 2017 and a Champions League final in 2019.  He also won Ligue 1 at PSG.  Chelsea finished sixth in the Premier League last year, second in goals scored.

He’s the first hire for the USMNT this millennium who hasn’t played or coached in the U.S. prior to his assuming the role.  This is the right man for the job.

--Romania’s Ana Barbosu received her bronze medal Friday, after the Court of Arbitration for Sport took it from Jordan Chiles.

Chiles, in her first statement since being stripped of the bronze, said: “I have no words. This decision feels unjust and comes as a significant blow, not just to me, but to everyone who has championed my journey.  To add to the heartbreak, the unprompted racially driven attacks on social media are wrong and extremely hurtful.  I’ve poured my heart and soul into this sport and I am so proud to represent my country.”

Personally, I haven’t seen these attacks, but those posting them should be deported.

--I was surprised ESPN fired Robert Griffin III.  I thought he was a rising star at the network and just this fall I commented on how much I enjoyed his work.  [Sam Ponder was also let go...but I don’t watch any of the shows she was associated with.]

--Frank Selvy died.  He was 91.

Selvy is best remembered for one singular college basketball game, Feb. 13, 1954.  He was a 6-foot-3 guard for Furman University, the top scorer in college basketball for a second season, and his family and neighbors made the 250-mile journey from Kentucky to watch him play a fellow South Carolina school, little Newberry College.

It was a mismatch, Newberry Division II, and Furman’s coach told the team to set Selvy up for a shot whenever it had the ball.

The result was he scored 100 points, setting a single-game record for a Division I player.

I’m shortchanging Selvy in that he had a solid NBA career, drafted in the first round by the Baltimore Bullets in 1954, a time-time NBA All-Star.

But on that winter night in ’54, in an era before the shot clock, Selvy hit 41 of 66 shots together with 18 free throws.  In the last 30 seconds, he scored two baskets and then tossed in a 40-footer to beat the buzzer and reach the century mark, Furman routing Newberry 145-95, and the fans hoisted Selvy on their shoulders.

Forty-one years later, Selvy told Sports Illustrated, “I made eight or nine baskets that would been 3-pointers today.

[I saw a Furman bumper sticker this week, which I have to admit I had never seen in these parts.  Always thought it was a cool sounding place to go to school.]

--Notre Dame suspended its men’s swimming program Thursday for at least one year after an external review found members of the team violated NCAA rules by wagering among themselves on the results of their competitions and failed to “treat one another with dignity and respect.”

“In order to ensure that this behavior ends and to rebuild a culture of dignity, respect, and exemplary conduct, we have decided to suspend the men’s swimming program for at least one academic year,” athletic director Pete Bevacqua said in a statement.

According to the reporting on the matter, members of the team had set up a makeshift, internal sportsbook where athletes could wager on the times of themselves or teammates at meets. Athletes were not found to have bet on opposing teams or on any other Notre Dame athletic events, the person said.

Apparently, a group text chat with members of the team filled with derogatory remarks and messages was also found.

The women’s swimming and diving teams and the men’s diving team were not found to have been involved.  The coaches fully cooperated with the review and none of them were dismissed.

This is truly pathetic.

--Grizzly bears were put on the Endangered Species List in 1975, when as few as 700 prowled the Lower 48 states.

But biologists estimate the grizzly population has risen to at least 2,000, and the bears are now roaming far beyond their Glacier and Yellowstone National Park strongholds and into towns, farms and ranches across the Northern Rockies, where they hadn’t been seen in over a century.

Grizzly advocates are fighting to maintain protections, arguing today’s population pales in comparison to the estimated 50,000 bears that roamed the Western U.S. in the mid-1800s.

But many locals are calling for the species to be removed from the Endangered Species List, or at least allow for limited hunts on an annual basis.

--Speaking of bears, this time of the polar variety, two polar bears killed a worker at a remote Arctic radar station in Canada’s northern Nunavut territory, prompting an investigation into the rare fatal attack.

The employee was working for a logistics company that operates defense sites on behalf of the Canadian government.

Other workers responded to the scene and killed one of the bears, the company said in a statement.

“We are working closely with local authorities and regulatory agencies to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident,” the company said.

Last year, a woman and her 1-year-old son were killed by a polar bear in an Alaskan village.

There are about 17,000 polar bears living in Canada – making up around two-thirds of the global population of the species, according to the Canadian government. [BBC News]

--One more...last Sunday, a three-year-old girl in Montana was dragged out of her tent at a private campground by a black bear.  Wildlife officials set traps and euthanized one bear believed to have been involved in the attack.  The girl was reportedly released from the hospital on Tuesday.

--Peter Marshall, the long-time host of “The Hollywood Squares,” died on Thursday at the age of 98.

Marshall, an actor, singer and comedian, hosted the show from 1966 until 1981.  The wildly popular show brought him four Daytime Emmy Awards.

As I wrote in that other column I do, the one I sign, “Hollywood Squares” was certainly unique for its time with its risqué humor in a daytime game show slot, and it made Paul Lynde famous as the center square.  He was hilarious, and often you could tell the humor was fueled by alcohol.

As Peter Marshall put it in an interview one time, they filmed five shows in a day, and after the third show they broke for lunch, setting the tone for the afternoon session.  As Marshall put it, “Everyone would drink, the wine flowed.  The last two shows were hysterical.”

And Peter Marshall, one of whose children through his first marriage was former major leaguer Pete LaCock, thus joins a very select group in being mentioned in two separate columns at StocksandNews!

--We lost three individuals from the music world who made their names in various ways.

Greg Kihn of the Greg Kihn Band died.  He was 75.

Kihn had two big hits in the 1980s, “The Breakup Song,” #15 on the Billboard Charts in 1981, and the #2 “Jeopardy” from 1983.

Maurice Williams died.  He was the singer and songwriter whose single “Stay,” recorded with his doo-wop group the Zodiacs, shot to No. 1 and became a cover-song staple for the likes of the Four Season, the Hollies and Jackson Browne.  He was 86.

Williams and the Zodiacs’ recording of the song stood out not only for its infectious hooks but also for its eye-blink length – slightly over 90 seconds.

“We wanted to make it short so it would get more airplay,” Williams said.  And, he added, “It worked.”

And songwriter Jerry Fuller died.  He was 85.

Fuller specialized in love songs and his first major hit was “Travelin’ Man,” about a globe-trotter who sings, “In every port I won the heart/Of at least one lovely girl.”  Ricky Nelson took it to the top of the Billboard charts in 1961.

In 1968, Fuller produced O.C. Smith’s recording of the love song “Little Green Apples,” which reached No. 2, and he oversaw the rise of Gary Puckett and the Union Gap.

Hired the previous year as a producer for Columbia Records, Fuller was charged with finding new talent, and he succeeded with Puckett, whom he came across in a San Diego bowling alley, offering to sign Puckett to Columbia that night.

From the end of 1967 to the end of 1968, Fuller produced four singles that sold a million or more copies for the band: “Woman, Woman” (#4), “Young Girl” (#2), “Lady Willpower” (#7), and “Over You” (#7). 

Until I was reading an obit in the New York Times, I never really thought much about the lyrics to “Young Girl,” but it’s about an older man in the midst of an intensifying flirtation with an underage girl.

Gary Puckett and the Union Gap also had 1969’s #9 “This Girl Is A Woman Now,” so five top tens in less than two years...and then they were gone.

But as Ronald Reagan told Nancy back in the day, having watched my favorite Puckett tune, “Over You,” on the “Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour,” Nancy preparing him a nightcap, “Not bad, not bad at all.”

Top 3 songs for the week of 8/21/71: #1 “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart” (The Bee Gees) #2 “Mr. Big Stuff” (Jean Knight) #3 “Take Me Home, Country Roads” (John Denver...an all-time fave)...and...#4 “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” (Marvin Gaye...ditto...)  #5 “You’ve Got A Friend” (James Taylor...goodness gracious...great trio of tunes...)  #6 “Sweet Hitch-Hiker” (Creedence Clearwater Revival)  #7 “Beginnings” (Chicago)  #8 “Signs” (Five Man Electrical Band)  #9 “Draggin’ The Line” (Tommy James)  #10 “Liar” (Three Dog Night...super week...A...)

NFL Quiz Answer: 13 to make at least eight first-team AP All-Pro squads....

Jerry Rice (10), Jim Otto (10), Ron Mix (9), Anthony Munoz (9), Joe Schmidt (8), Reggie White (8), Lawrence Taylor (8), Bruce Smith (8), Jim Parker (8), Don Hutson (8), Bill George (8...Go Deacs!), Aaron Donald (8), Jim Brown (8).

Here are those who made seven AP first teams....

Zack Martin, Randy White, Bulldog Turner, Mike Singletary, Randall McDaniel, Bruce Matthews, Peyton Manning, Bob Lilly, Ray Lewis, John Hannah, Forrest Gregg, Otto Graham, Gino Marchetti.

Just seeing names like Bob Lilly and John Hannah puts a smile on the face of us old-timers.

Tom Brady only made the first team three times.  He sucks.  [Just kidding, Pats fans!  You don’t have to start rioting at my building.]

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

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