---

Bar Chat

08/26/2024

Lots of Baseball...Golf...and an upset for Georgia Tech...

Add-on posted early Tuesday a.m.

MLB

--Sunday, after I posted, the Mets had a 2-0 lead on the Padres heading to the bottom of the eighth, knowing the Braves had lost earlier in the day and could cut Atlanta’s lead for the third wild card slot to 1 ½ games.

Alas, the normally reliable Jose Butto gave up a 2-run tying home run to Jurickson Profar, and then in the bottom of the ninth, Edwin Diaz surrendered a game-winning walk-off homer to Jackson Merrill...a crushing 3-2 defeat...Mets still 2 ½ back.  As Charlie Brown would have said, “Drat!”

Padres fan Bobby C. sent a note rather early Monday reminding me who the real NL Rookie of the Year will be this year, Merrill, and not Paul Skenes, and Merrill is indeed the betting favorite as I write.

One footnote: I didn’t think when I posted Sunday that Mets starter Paul Blackburn would need to go on the IL with his bruised pitching hand, but the Mets did put him on the 15-day IL. Blackburn said he won’t miss more than the 15 days.

And us Mets fans weren’t happy to see Brett Baty suffer a broken left index finger when he got hit by a pitch.  He’s played well in AAA after getting demoted early in the season and was a good prospective September callup. 

--The Orioles lost the ESPN Sunday night game to the Astros, 6-3, to fall 1 ½ back of the Yankees in the AL East.

--Monday, the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox resumed a suspended game from back in June.  Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen was midway through his at-bat in the second inning back then when a rainstorm hit.  No biggie.  Just pick up the action at a later date next time Toronto was in Boston, or the off day convenient for both.

But following a July trade to the Red Sox, Danny Jansen had the chance to make baseball history Monday, and he did, becoming the first man in a century and a half of Major League Baseball to suit up for both teams in the same game.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora assured everyone beforehand that Jansen would get the opportunity to do so, the first to play against himself.

Jansen then went 1-for-4 for Boston, but the BoSox lost 4-1. He officially shows up in both box scores, which may potentially confuse the s--- out of any baseball historians 100 years from now.  Like Dom Smith is in the lineup for Boston, but he was released a week or so ago.  Nonetheless, Dom is listed 0-for-0.

--The Yankees stretched their lead over the idle Orioles to 2 games last night, 5-2 over the Nationals in Washington, neither Aaron Judge nor Juan Soto homered, but Judge had the 1,000th hit of his career.  And a spectacular catch to rob the Nats of a 2-run homer, turning it into a double play as well.

Nestor Cortes had his third consecutive super outing, 6 2/3, one earned, now 8-10, 3.89.

Dylan Crews made his MLB debut for the Nats and was 0-for-3 with a walk.

--The Braves beat the Twins 10-6 in Minnesota, Atlanta now 3 up on the idle Mets in the wild card race.  Crisis time for the Metropolitans.

--The Tigers beat the White Sox, 6-3, loss No. 101, 31-101, specifically.

--I have to admit, I couldn’t care less about the Little League World Series.  I did back in the old days, when the sport was a little purer.  But the new deal with travel teams at that age is kind of outrageous. [Ditto basketball, lacrosse, soccer...but that’s just me, not a parent.]

Anyway, for the record, Lake Mary, Florida, rallied to beat Taiwan 2-1 in eight innings for the title, Lake Mary’s Lathan Norton, who was out Saturday with a 102-degree fever, scoring the winning run on an overthrow at first.

Hunter Alexander bunted down the first base line, just trying to move Norton to third, when the Taiwan pitcher fielded it cleanly and threw it to...no one...the happy baseball bounding down the right field line as Norton scored.

Pretty awful way for our key ally in the Pacific to lose a championship.

--Well, by now you saw the disputed Babe Ruth jersey sold at Heritage Auctions for $24.12 million Sunday evening, not the $30 million estimated beforehand, but it nonetheless shattered the record as the most expensive sports collectible ever.

The previous record, per ESPN, was a mint Topps 1952 Mickey Mantle card – one of the holy grails among card collectors – that was graded 9.5 by SGC, which sold for $12.6 million in August 2022.

A month later, Michael Jordan’s “Last Dance” Bulls jersey from Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals sold for $10.1 million.

A century-old Honus Wagner baseball card brought $7.25 million in a 2022 private sale, and nearly $6.2 million was paid the same year for the heavyweight belt reclaimed by Muhammad Ali in the 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle.”

So, my memorabilia contact, who owns a major shop (and has been involved in some Honus Wagner T206 cards), did get back to me and said that authentication is so much more advanced these days, he felt with this jersey, they had enough evidence obviously to make the bidders feel very comfortable.

NFL

--The Chiefs agreed to terms with JuJu Smith-Schuster on Monday.  Smith-Schuster was Kansas City’s leading receiver for the 2022 Super Bowl champions, his only season with the Chiefs. He then signed a 3-year, $25 million contract with the Patriots but lasted just one season, the Pats releasing him earlier this month after he caught 29 passes for 260 yards and one touchdown in 11 games in 2023.

Smith-Schuster spent his first five seasons with the Steelers, including a terrific season, 2018, when he caught 111 passes for 1,426 yards.

The Chiefs had to do something because having added free agent receiver Marquise Brown and drafting Xavier Worthy in the first round, Brown dislocated his shoulder in the first preseason game and his status for the Sept. 5 regular season opener is in doubt.

--How serious was Cleveland stud running back Nick Chubb’s knee injury last season in Week 2?  He required two surgeries and is still out, the Browns putting him on the Physically Unable to Perform list, meaning he will be inactive for the first four games of the regular season, a full year later.

His first surgery was to repair his medial capsule, meniscus and MCL in late September. The second surgery in November repaired damage to his ACL.

How much does Cleveland miss Chubb?

2019...1,494 yards rushing, 5.0 avg. per carry
2020...1,067...5.6
2021...1,259...5.5
2023...1,525...5.0

Jerome Ford, who had 813 yards rushing (4.0 avg.) for the Browns last season after Chubb went down, is expected to lead the backfield once again.

The Browns still expect to have Chubb back at some point this season. Browns fan Trader George is lighting candles.

--Dallas signed holdout wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to a four-year, $136 million that makes him the second-highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, Minnesota WR Justin Jefferson topping the market at $35 million a season.

Lamb’s deal includes a $38 million signing bonus, and $100 million guaranteed. 

College Football

--Good full opening weekend lineup next week as I noted before.

Saturday...14 Clemson and 1 Georgia; 8 Penn State vs. West Virginia; 7 Notre Dame at 10 Texas A&M.

And Sunday...23 USC vs. 13 LSU.

Wake Forest opens this Thursday against North Carolina A&T.  There is little buzz surrounding the Deacs this season...like the least amount of buzz I can remember.

The contrarian would say that’s good...that we could surprise some people.  I seriously doubt it.  I’m expecting 4-8, at best.  We host No. 6 Ole Miss in Week 3, which most years would be a cool out-of-conference matchup...not this year, boys and girls.

--You know what story I’m really tired of?  The NCAA serving another Notice of Allegations to Michigan, pertaining to the alleged sign-stealing scandal from last fall. 

According to the Detroit Free Press, the latest allegations concern first-year coach Sherrone Moore and six other Michigan staffers.

Just suspend Moore a few games and move on.  Jim Harbaugh certainly moved on...wink wink...wink...

Golf Balls

--On to East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta for the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup title...and a zillion dollars.

Just 30 golfers left.  If Xander Schauffele wins it, he should be Player of the Year.

I kind of want Tommy Fleetwood to prevail, but this isn’t a prediction like my Keegan Bradley pick for last week, which frankly was rather awesome.

Justin Thomas is the bubble boy at No. 30.  Brian Harman was No. 31, Si Woo Kim, 32.

Very disappointed that Demon Deacons Will Zalatoris (No. 38) and Cameron Young (No. 44) didn’t make the field, but they hardly warranted being at East Lake.

Should be good fun.

But remember, this is how the golfers start out....

Scheffler -10
Schauffele -8
Matsuyama -7
Bradley -6
Aberg -5
McIlroy -4
Morikawa -4
Clark -4
Burns -4
Cantlay -4

Fleetwood -1...a bit of a climb for the lad...gotta go real low Thursday or Friday and be no worse than 6-back heading to round three.

Scheffler has been caught from behind the last two years...Rory in 2022, and Viktor Hovland last year. 

--Pete M. alerted me to something Nelly Korda did, after her poor back nine on Sunday at St. Andrews in the Women’s Open, leading by three strokes and ending up two back, T2.

As Golf Digest pointed out, “After a round like that, no one would blame Korda for locking herself in her hotel room for a night of room service and sitcom reruns.”

But nooo....Korda went over to the legendary Dunvegan Pub for a pint!  Korda did what Rory McIlroy didn’t do after his Pinehurst heartbreak this summer, when he bolted without talking to anyone.

A great character moment for Korda...who soars up the Bar Chat list of Good Guys/Gals and will get some December hardware for all the right reasons.

You rock, Nelly!

Stuff

--The U.S. Open is underway, and for a third consecutive Grand Slam, Novak Djokovic is on the opposite side of the bracket from Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

Sinner won in Australia, Alcaraz the French Open and Wimbledon.

So, if Djokovic is successful, he wouldn’t meet either until the final.  It’s the first time in 14 years the 37-year-old hasn’t won one of the first three Slams.

The heat Wednesday here in the New York area is going to be brutal for play.

--We had a horrible, gruesome, boating accident the other day off Harvey Cedars, N.J. (Long Beach Island).  For those of you with a motorboat, never, ever tow a raft with someone on it.   

-----

[Posted early Sunday p.m.]

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.

NFL Quiz:  Last week I had a quiz on the number of first-team AP honors.  This week, name the six players to win the AP NFL MVP Award at least three times.  Two of them started their careers in the 1950s.  This is tough.  They might not all be quarterbacks...just sayin’.  Answer below.

MLB

--It was an eventful week for the New York Yankees, as they battled to stay atop the A.L. East.

Tuesday, they lost to the Guardians, 9-5, in 12 innings (Cleveland with 6 in the top of the 12th), as starter Luis Gil was awful, 3 runs in 3 innings, but 6 walks.

Gil (12-6, 3.39) was then put on the IL with a lower back issue.  He was going to be running up against an unspecified innings limit anyway, having thrown 124 2/3.   If he gets healthy, he could be a good piece for the bullpen in the postseason.

Wednesday, the Yanks crushed the Guardians 8-1, Aaron Judge with two home runs, Nos. 46 and 47, and Juan Soto with No. 36, as the two superstars accounted for all eight runs.

Nestor Cortes tossed another gem, 7 scoreless, becoming the fifth pitcher in franchise history to throw seven scoreless without walking a batter in back-to-back starts.  Cortes is 7-10, 4.00 on the season, these last two starts badly needed as he had been going through an awful stretch.

But how about Judge and Soto...

Thursday, the Yanks shut out the Guardians 6-0, Gerrit Cole with 6 strong, one hit, but 5 walks and only two strikeouts, Cole now 5-2, 3.72.

More importantly for the guy, it was career win No. 150, a superb 150-77, .661.  Cole has also more than earned his massive contract with the Yanks, 56-25, 3.13.

Aaron Judge hit No. 48.  Ho-hum...

Friday, New York shut out the visiting Rockies, 3-0, Carlos Rodon going the first six, now 14-8, 4.16.

Judge homered for the fourth straight game, No. 49.  He keeps pounding the short porch in right field, smartly.

Saturday, the Yankees lost, 9-2, as Will Warren, the replacement for Luis Gil, yielded 5 earned in 3 innings, though he struck out six.  Judge did not homer.

So, with Baltimore beating Houston 3-2, following Saturday’s play....

AL East

Yankees 76-54
Orioles 76-55...0.5

Well, with Baltimore playing in the Sunday night game, the Yanks stretched their lead to one game, a 10-3 win this afternoon.

Aaron Judge, after a day off from going yard, hit two!  Nos. 50 and 51...now 51 HR, 122 RBI, as New York beat the Rockies 10-4.  Giancarlo Stanton and Juan Soto (37) went yard, as well as the much-maligned Gleyber Torres.

But in the contest, as you’ll hear and see, umpire Nick Mahrley suffered a potentially rough injury when Stanton hit a bloop single, but his bat shattered, and the barrel hit Mahrley’s neck and throat. Awful. He was carted off...no word on the extent of any injuries.

Judge, however, is just the fifth to now have three 50-home run seasons...joining Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Alex Rodriguez and Babe Ruth.

As in exclude the first three for obvious reasons...it’s Judge and Ruth, who didn’t do steroids, but ate a lot of hot dogs and drank a lot beer.

--Going back to Tuesday, the Mets, in the midst of a brutal 10-game stretch – Baltimore, and then San Diego and Arizona on the road – had taken the first game of a 3-game series with the Orioles, but lost Tuesday, 9-5.  Baltimore had to put Zach Eflin on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation, which wasn’t seen as serious, but as I’ve chronicled, he was 4-for-4 in quality starts since being acquired from Tampa Bay. 

Eflin became the sixth Baltimore starting pitcher this season to go on the IL, some of the injuries for the season.  But the team seems confident they’ll get him back next month.

Wednesday, the Mets bounced back, 4-3, on a Jesse Winker walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth to take 2 of 3 from the Orioles.  Good job.  On to San Diego....

Thursday, the Mets came to Bobby C.’s hometown, and racked up 17 hits, 5 runs in the top of the ninth, Mets win 8-3, beating Dylan Cease in the process, Cease now 12-10, 3.43, after allowing 3 runs (2 earned) in 6 1/3. 

So the Mets had taken 3 of 4 to start the critical 10-game stretch.

But Friday night, the Mets crashed to earth, falling 7-0 as Joe Musgrove pitched seven innings of one-hit ball, the Padres staff fanning 14 Metropolitans in all, giving up just 2 hits.

The Mets also had a potential nightmare when starter Paul Blackburn was hit on the pitching hand as he shielded his face on a 100-mph line drive off the bat of David Peralta.

X-rays were negative...ditto a CT scan, so he’ll miss a turn at most.

But once again, Saturday, the Mets rebounded.  They only had five hits, after two on Friday, but three of them were home runs, two off the bat of Francisco Lindor, including a fourth-inning grand slam off Michael King, 5 RBIs in all, Mets winning it 7-1.

David Peterson continued his rather remarkable season for New York...7 1/3, one run, and he’s now 8-1, 2.85, following offseason hip surgery.  Mets fans are hoping he’s the number five starter for years to come at this point.

Meanwhile, were it not for Shohei Ohtani, Lindor would be a prime MVP candidate...27 home runs, 78 RBIs, 34 doubles, 25 steals, 89 runs scored, .830 OPS, out of the leadoff spot, and playing his usual fine shortstop.

Alas, the Mets can’t shake the Braves, winners of 6 of 7.

NL Wildcard after Saturday....

Arizona 74-56...+3.5
San Diego 73-58...+2
Atlanta 70-59...--
Mets 68-62...2.5

Alas, Atlanta fell to the Nationals today, 5-1, as the Mets play while I go to post.

--Back to Ohtani...he joined the 40/40 club on Friday in dramatic fashion, with a walk-off grand slam in a 7-3 win over the Rays in L.A.  Earlier he had his 40th steal...thus becoming the fastest ever to 40/40.

Saturday, in a 9-8 loss in 10 innings, Ohtani smashed No. 41.

Clayton Kershaw was not good for L.A., 5 innings, 5 earned.

--Extra-base Hit Chase for 100....

It is so tough to get to hit this magic mark, but Aaron Judge has a shot.  I’m not so sure about the others.

Judge...30 2B, 1 3B, 49 HR...80
Shohei Ohtani...29 2B, 6 3B, 41 HR...76
Bobby Witt Jr. ...37 2B, 11 3B, 25 HR...73
Jarren Duran...40 2B, 13 3B, 17 HR...70

For Duran, 50 2B is a magical mark of its own.

But today’s doubles machine is Freddie Freeman, who is up to 504 for his career (59 last season!).  When Freeman gets to 564, he’s top 30 all time. At 594, top 20.

--Seattle fired manager Scott Servais, Servais learning on Thursday via a news alert that flashed across a television screen – not from his bosses.  Doh!

Seattle was seemingly on the way to a division title, 44-31 on June 18, 10 games up in the AL West, but then went 20-33 and fell five games back, 6 ½ out of the wild card through Friday.

Servais was in his ninth season, 681-642, but no division titles and one ALDS series loss.

Longtime catcher Dan Wilson was named interim manager and won his first game, Friday, 6-5 in 10 innings against the Giants.

--The White Sox won their 31st game, Tuesday, 4-1 over the Giants.

But they haven’t won since, including Saturday’s 13-4 beatdown at the hands of the Tigers (64-66), as Tarik Skubal improved to 15-4, 2.58, though he was just so-so...5 innings, 3 earned.

Chicago is 31-99.  C’mon guys...11 more wins!!!  That’s all we are asking for.

They lost again Sunday...9-4...31-100.  Make it stop!

--Outfielder Dylan Crews, MLB’s No. 3 overall prospect, was called up by Washington on Friday,  The 2023 Golden Spikes Award winner joins former LSU teammate Paul Skenes, the two the top two picks in the 2023 draft, Crews No. 2 behind Skenes.

Crews was hitting .271 with 8 home runs and 30 RBI in 48 games with AAA Rochester.  He is joining James Wood in the outfield, Wood MLB’s No.3-ranked prospect before he was called up in June.  Crews is expected to make his debut Monday against the Yankees.

--Speaking of the draft class of 2023, Wake Forest’s Rhett Lowder, the seventh overall selection by the Reds, and the pitcher who hooked up with Skenes in the College World Series last year in what has been called the greatest pitcher’s duel in CWS history, is finally settling in for Cincy.

Lowder got off to a rough start this year in AA (after a fine stint in high-A), but then got into a groove, was promoted to AAA Louisville and in his first start there this week threw six scoreless.  He is expected to compete for the starting rotation next spring for the big club.

Wake’s Nick Kurtz, the fourth overall pick of the A’s in this year’s draft, is already up to AA.

--Speaking of the Reds, All-Star Elly De La Cruz became the fastest to pile up 20 home runs and 60 stolen bases.  The kid is only 21.  But he does have a major-league leading 169 strikeouts this season!

The best season for anyone in the 20-60 club is Ronald Acuna Jr.’s 41 homers, 73 steals, last season for Atlanta, to give you a further sense of what the Braves lineup is missing this year with Acuna out with another season-ending injury going back to May.

--Back to Skenes, I’ve been writing he hasn’t been really dominating his last few starts, but he was Thursday.  In a 7-0 win over the Reds, Skenes allowed 2 hits in 6 innings, 9 strikeouts, his record going to 8-2, 2.16.

--Back to the Yankees, we have a December entrant for A-Hole of the Year.  The coach of the Staten Island team playing in the Little League World Series said the Yankees – and Aaron Judge, in particular – didn’t give them enough attention last Sunday when the Yankees were in Williamsport for the Little League Classic to play the Tigers.

South Shore Little League coach Bob Laterza told SILive.com that Judge didn’t interact with his players when they called to him from their seats during the Yankees’ loss to Detroit.

“How about turning around or wave to New York and the kids that think you’re a hero,” Laterza told the site.  “They are the ones who pay your salary.”  [That’s news to me.  Didn’t know 12-year-olds are buying up the luxury boxes.]

As the local press said, this was a totally bizarre claim to make about Judge, as accessible a superstar as you’ll find, who regularly greets fans, especially children, both on the road and in The Bronx.

The coach also complained that only DJ LeMahieu, Tim Hill and “a few others” attended a prearranged session with the Yankees, but Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, Jasson Dominguez and Aaron Boone spent time with the team at Bowman Field later in the afternoon.

Yankees personnel were rightfully livid and released a statement Tuesday, telling a much different story.

“Our entire roster spent the day in Williamsport connecting with as many Little Leaguers as they possibly could prior to our game, including the team from Staten Island,” the statement read in part.  “We commend all of our players for devoting their complete attention to the hundreds of kids who literally walked step-by-step alongside them from the moment the Yankees landed in Williamsport through the entirety of the evening.”

You saw during the game how thrilled Judge was to be there, and he even made comments afterwards that while they lost the contest, the reward was being in Williamsport.  Judge was too classy to comment on Laterza’s outburst.  I’m not.

--Finally, I noted that a Babe Ruth jersey from Game 3 of the 1932 World Series, the game with the Bambino’s “called shot” against the Cubs, could go for auction at around $30 million.

Of course, some of us could question the authenticity.  Years ago, I was in the Bob Feller Museum in Van Meter, Iowa, and there was a Babe Ruth bat prominently displayed...said to be very valuable, and years after I was there, it was deemed to be fake.  This happens all the time.

But The Athletic this week said back in March 2019, John Robinson, the owner of Resolution Photomatching, received a request from a private sports memorabilia collector in New Jersey, asking him to authenticate this very jersey.

As reported by Rustin Dodd, Robinson’s company employs a standard three-round research process and came away with a verdict: Per their standards, it was not a match.

The very extensive article goes into the history of the jersey and back in 1999, Grey Flannel Auctions sold it for $284,000, but it was advertised for auction as a 1930 Ruth road uniform.

But then the uniform returned to Grey Flannel in 2005, and the company elected to do additional research, which is how it became touted as the uniform Ruth was wearing on Oct. 1, 1932, the day of the “called shot.”

Some questioned the change back then, including Michael Heffner, the president of Lelands, an outfit you all have heard of.

So, with more knowledge, I’ve pulled my bid of $28.4 million.

By the way, I kind of have a terrific memorabilia source of my own.  He was my neighbor here for a spell while he and his wife were building a home nearby and he owns a prominent sports memorabilia company.  I reached out to him on the Ruth issue and no reply as yet, but I think he’s on vacation.  He also may not want to give me a reply, but I would protect his identity.  [He has sold some of my own stuff.]

Golf Balls

--The second leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs was at Castle Pines GC, Castle Rock, CO, and after two rounds....

Adam Scott -13
Keegan Bradley -10

Yeah, that Keegan Bradley, the guy I said would win the tournament (and I have not been in the prediction game this year).

This is the tournament that cuts the field from 50 to the final 30 for the FedEx Cup title at East Lake in Atlanta.

And after a chaotic round three...

Bradley -12
Scott -11...horrible putting day for the Aussie...
Ludvig Aberg -10
Alex Noren -10
Xander Schauffele -7
Wyndham Clark -7

Clark went to high school about 12 miles from the course and his high school classmate, Derrick White, star on the champion Boston Celtics and gold medalist, was at the course, cheering Wyndham on.  It was fun to see...White running around high-fiving everyone in the crowd when Clark eagled 17. 

Robert McIntyre withdrew midway through the third with lower back pain.  Hideki Matsuyama, last week’s winner, withdrew in the second round with back pain.  But both had secured their positions in the top 30 and, assuming they are healthy, will be at East Lake.

Scottie Scheffler, by the way, has been out of sorts this weekend, and entered the final round T35.

So on to Sunday...with a number of golfers needing to go low to make it into the top 30.

And whaddya know...my pick, Keegan Bradley, won it!  Win No. 7 for his career.

Bradley -12
Aberg -11
Scott -11
Sam Burns -11

Pete M. told me Sunday morning, Bradley was a 60-1 pick going into the tournament.  Unfortunately, I didn’t put down any coin.  I’m just trying to scrounge for breakfast these days.

I’ll get into the field for East Lake in my Add-on.

--Lydia Ko, the gold medal winner in Paris and the youngest golfer to make the Women’s Golf Hall of Fame, won the Women’s British Open at St. Andrews, despite a 4-day stretch of awful weather.

It’s the 27-year-old’s third major but first since she was 18.  Yup, she burst on the scene, racked up a ton of her now 21 LPGA victories by the time she was 20, including her first two biggies, but was kind of in the golfing wilderness when she got it together in Paris.

The New Zealander (via South Korea) is a popular champion.

Nelly Korda had the lead on the back nine today but ended up in a four-way tie for second, two back.

--It’s been tough getting television ratings, as SportsMediaWatch.com has changed its format, but I’ve been looking for good comparisons between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf events.

So last week, the final round coverage of the first leg of the FedEx Cup, the St. Jude Championship, on NBC was a big disappointment, ratings wise, averaging 2.21 million viewers on Sunday, down 31% from last year on CBS (3.21M).

But on the CW, the final round Sunday of the LIV event at the Greenbrier drew 165,000, beaten out by Pro Pickleball on Fox: 295,000.

Neither the PGA Tour nor LIV figures include streaming, but that’s the kind of ratio we’ve seen since LIV started.  I don’t know what the hell the Saudis are thinking.  But then they aren’t real smart.  They were just blessed with a lot of oil.

College Football

--In a terrific opener in Dublin, Ireland, #10 Florida State was upset by Georgia Tech, 24-21, on a last-second 44-yard field goal from Aidan Birr.

FSU had legitimate national title hopes with 5th-year QB DJ Uiagalelei (Clemson, Oregon State) at the helm and he was solid, 19/27, 193, 0-0, but the Yellow Jackets’ defense was up to the task.

Great win for coach Brent Key and the Georgia Tech program.  This was an FSU that was undefeated last season, after all (albeit with a major roster reshuffle for 2024) and got dissed for the College Football Playoffs.

What a miserable, very long flight home for the Seminoles and their faithful who had made the trek, pounding headaches/hangovers compounding the misery.

--The University of Colorado effectively decided to muzzle a journalist because of the critical commentaries he wrote about head football coach Deion Sanders.

The university confirmed Friday that it would no longer take questions from Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler at football-related events.  He is “still permitted to attend football-related activities as a credentialed member of the media and other reporters from the Denver Post are welcome to ask questions of football program personnel made available to the media...,” the school said in a statement.

In a news conference earlier this month, Keeler wished Sanders a “happy summer” before Sanders expressed displeasure with him and wouldn’t take a question from him.  He told him he was “always on the attack,”

“You don’t like us, man,” Sanders said on Aug. 9.  “Why do you do this to yourself?”

Keeler wrote about it afterward, calling Sanders “Deposition Deion” but acknowledging Sanders had a right to push back.

“I’ve taken my swings at the pinata,” Keeler wrote. “Friday was Prime’s turn, and he didn’t miss. I had it coming, as the old song from ‘Chicago’ goes. That’s fine.”

Keeler has been critical of Sanders’ bold statements about his team and potential.

“Deion Sanders is a false prophet, the Bruce Lee of B.S., Harold Hill in designer shades. He’s also in the wrong business,” Keeler wrote back in February. “If Coach Prime wanted to run for governor, he’d kill it.  Rallies for breakfast.  Adoring fans for miles.  No NCAA.  No recruiting rules. No pesky Washington States to hammer you senseless in the cold.”

Sanders has specific language in his contract with CU that requires him to speak only with “mutually agreed upon media.” [Brent Schrotenboer / USA TODAY]

Bottom line, CU has to finish at least .500 after going 4-8 last season.

--Locally, Rutgers lost a key starter on defense for the season, captain and senior linebacker Mohammed Toure, out with a torn ACL.  He will have the opportunity to return for the 2025 season if he elects to do so.

Toure also tore an ACL in the spring of 2022 during camp.  He was named to the preseason Butkus Award watch list.

I feel for the guy.

NFL

--My man Bo Nix officially got the starting nod from Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton this week.  He will be the first rookie QB to start Week 1 for the franchise since John Elway in 1983.

Nix, the 12th pick in the draft out of Oregon, beat out Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson, not exactly stiff competition.

But, of course, Nix is hardly a classic rookie, after five seasons of Division I football, 61 games, 1936 passing attempts, and he’s 24 years old.

--Washington traded receiver Jahan Dotson to the Eagles, a slot receiver with 49 receptions for 518 yards last season.  The Eagles only traded a third round 2025 pick and two seventh rounders while also picking up a fifth rounder.

Dotson was a first-rounder out of Penn State in 2022 and had a solid rookie campaign...35-523, 14.9.  This could be one of those sleeper ‘steals.’

--For those of you who saw that Bears safety Douglas Coleman III was stretchered off the field Thursday night after suffering a frightening injury in a game against the Chiefs, the next day, coach Matt Eberflus said Coleman was “in good spirits” and flying back to Chicago.  Eberflus added, “he’s walking around.”  No other details.

Coleman’s neck snapped back when making contact with Chiefs wide receiver Cornell Powell.

Stuff

--We had a terrific field Saturday for the last of the big summer horse races, the Travers Stakes (“Midsummer Derby,” and “Graveyard of Champions”) in beautiful Saratoga, New York.  [If you haven’t been there, great spot...good 2-night stay...National Horse Racing Museum...historic battlefields...good food...and then head west to Cooperstown!]

Anyway, aside from a heavyweight field, with Dornoch (winner at the Belmont...and the Haskell...), Fierceness (favorite at the Derby) and Sierra Leone (second at the Derby), we have a 3-year-old filly, Thorpedo Anna, attempting to become the first filly since 1915 to win the Travers.

Thorpedo Anna won the Kentucky Oaks, the Derby for fillies.

And then in a race that totally lived up to the hype, Fierceness barely held off a charging Thorpedo Anna down the stretch, Sierra Leone third.

[Until today, I had no idea that a fraternity brother, David R., is the cousin of Kenny McPeek...aka trainer for Thorpedo Anna.  The wonders of Facebook...as I posted a video of the race after and David, aka DFR, as we affectionately called him, saw the clip...]

On to the Breeders’ Cup, which should be terrific.

--At Daytona Saturday, under the lights, in a dramatic, crash-filled race, half the field out of contention by the end, 23-year-old Harrison Burton picked up his first NASCAR Cup Series win, and a berth in the postseason.

Burton, who doesn’t have a ride for next season, gave Wood Brothers Racing its 100th win in team history.  Wood Brothers announced Josh Berry will be racing the No. 21 Ford starting next year.

Burton’s father, former NASCAR driver Jeff Burton, was calling the race for NBC and got to radio down to his son on the victory.  Cool stuff.

--Lando Norris picked up his second Formula 1 win at Zandvoort in the Dutch Grand Prix, beating Max Verstappen, the season leader.

Norris’ McLaren Racing has closed the gap on Red Bull in the constructor’s championship, but Verstappen still has a big lead for the title.

Zandvoort is one cool-looking track...a great spot for a spectator. 

--In Premier League play this weekend, Manchester City whipped Ipswich 4-1. Erling Haaland with a hat trick, and Kevin de Bruyne the other tally.  It’s scary to think that Haaland is “fully healthy” after a campaign plagued by nagging injuries, where he still scored a league-leading 27 goals in 31 games.

Arsenal beat Aston Villa on the road, 2-0, a huge disappointment for the Villa fans who have dreams of contending for the title.

My Tottenham Spurs beat Everton 4-0, the great Son Heung-Min with two goals.

Today, Liverpool beat Brentford, 2-0, and Chelsea blasted the Wolves, 6-2, Noni Madueke with a hat-trick.

--No. 1-ranked Jannik Sinner will be playing in the U.S. Open – which begins next week – even though word emerged the other day that he tested positive twice in March for a banned anabolic steroid and some people are not too happy about this...calling it a double standard.

No one knew anything until Tuesday, and players are confused about why this was all kept under wraps, and want to know why Sinner was allowed to keep competing before there was a resolution.

“I will now put this challenging and deeply unfortunate period behind me,” Sinner said in a statement posted on social media.  “I will continue to do everything I can to ensure I continue to comply with the sport’s anti-doping program and I have a team around me that are meticulous in their own compliance.”  [Sinner fired his existing team at week’s end.]

“Different rules for different players,” 2021 Wimbledon semifinalist Denis Shapovalov wrote on social media.

Sinner, the 23-year-old Italian who moved up to No. 1 in the ATP rankings for the first time in June, picked up his first Grand Slam trophy in January at the Australian Open, defeating Novak Djokovic in the semis and Daniil Medvedev in the final.

But he was found to have taken Clostebol, an anabolic steroid that can be found in ointments and sprays sold over-the-counter in some countries, such as Italy, and used to treat cuts or scrapes.

It is considered a performance enhancer, and San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. is an example of a high-profile athlete who was suspended for using it (in his case 80 games in 2022).

Sinner’s urine sample showed traces of Clostebol during the Indian Wells tournament in California in March; an out-of-competition sample eight days later also tested positive.

Sinner was provisionally suspended, but he appealed, saying that he inadvertently was exposed to the steroid.  He argued that one member of his team purchased a spray that contained Clostebol in Italy, then gave it to another team member – a physiotherapist – who cut a finger.  Sinner said the physiotherapist then gave him a massage, which transmitted the substance to Sinner.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency, which handles anti-doping and anti-corruption investigations for the sport, accepted his explanation, as did an independent tribunal, which said Sinner was not negligent and not at fault.

Because one of the positive tests came during a tournament, Sinner did have to forfeit $325,000 in prize money and 400 ranking points he earned by getting to the semifinals at Indian Wells.

Nick Kyrgios, the Wimbledon runner-up in 2022, called the situation “ridiculous” and said he thought a ban was warranted.

--We note the passing of NBA Hall of Famer Al Attles, 87.  Born in Newark, N.J., the “Jersey Jet,” or “The Destroyer” for his physical play at point guard, Attles played 11 seasons for the Philadelphia, and then San Francisco, Warriors, averaging 8.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists.

Attles scored 17 points against the Knicks on March 2, 1962, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, the game where teammate Wilt Chamberlain scored 100.

Attles then coached San Francisco/Golden State for 14 seasons, going 557-518, making the playoffs six times.

But his crowning achievement, and the reason he’s in the Hall, frankly, is because he guided the 1974-75 Warriors to the NBA title, a team led by Rick Barry.

In Newark, Attles went to Weequahic High School, which is across the street from a youth group I visit most summers that my high school classmate runs.   He then went to North Carolina A&T University.

--Sadly, an Alabama high school football player died Saturday, a day after he was critically injured during a game.

Morgan Academy quarterback Caden Tellier was hurt following a tackle in the third quarter of the school’s Friday night contest against Southern Academy in Selma.  Tellier, a 16-year-old junior, suffered a brain injury and was flown to the University of Alabama at Birmingham hospital Friday night.

Tellier’s family donated his organs.

I didn’t see details on the tackle, but this is just awful.  Our thoughts and prayers to the family, the school, and the players, including the boy involved in the tackle on the other end.  Imagine what he is going through.

--Rick Pitino’s office at St. John’s was broken into by a pair of idiots, caught easily on camera.  They made off with a whopping $375 worth of goods, including a basketball and bullhorn.  Other items taken were a sword, mask and bottles of alcohol (which was probably the most expensive item...you know, Coach only had the good stuff in there).

The pair took off on a moped.

Update: At least one of the two was arrested and arraigned. Pitino commented, joking online that one of the bottles of alcohol was a wine worth over $1,500!

“Really upset!  Taking my memorabilia is one thing but the 1985 6L Petrus Pomerol has me livid!!!” he wrote on X.

--Taylor Swift broke her silence on the ‘devastating’ alleged Vienna terrorist plot.

Swift, who completed a five-show stint at London’s Wembley stadium Tuesday to finish up the European leg of her Eras Tour, let fans know that it was for their safety that she waited until this moment to address the Vienna situation.

“Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating. The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows,” Swift wrote in an Instagram post.  “But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives.

She continued: “I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together. I decided that all of my energy had to go toward helping to protect the nearly half a million people I had coming to see the shows in London.  My team and I worked hand in hand with stadium staff and British authorities every day in pursuit of that goal, and I want to thank them for everything they did for us.”

“Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who want to harm the fans who come to my shows,” she wrote.

“In cases like this one, ‘silence’ is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when it’s right to.  My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that.”

Swift ended up becoming the first solo artist to ever play Wembley eight times (three of the concerts in June before the final 5-nights) in a single tour.  “We will never, ever be able to thank you enough for it,” she said.

Eras was the first tour to surpass $1 billion in revenue. The tour returns to the U.S. in October and ends in Vancouver, Canada, in December.

Top 3 songs for the week of 8/26/72: #1 “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” (Looking Glass)  #2 “Alone Again (Naturally)” (Gilbert O’Sullivan...one of the most depressing songs in the history of music...)  #3 “Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)” (The Hollies)...and...#4 “I’m Still In Love With You” (Al Green)  #5 “Hold Your Head Up” (Argent...formed by former Zombies keyboardist Rod Argent...)  #6 “(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want To Be Right” (Luther Ingram)  #7 “Goodbye To Love” (Carpenters)  #8 “Coconut” (Nilsson)  #9 “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim” (Jim Croce)  #10 “Baby Don’t Get Hooked On Me” (Mac Davis...B week...)

NFL Quiz Answer: Three or more AP MVP awards.

Peyton Manning...5
Aaron Rodgers...4
Tom Brady...3
Jim Brown...3
Brett Favre...3
Johnny Unitas...3

Two awards....

Steve Young, Kurt Warner, Joe Montana, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson.

Look at Jim Brown on profootballreference.com....as noted last week, 8 times first-team All-AP...but in nine seasons!  To me, greatest football player ever.

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tues.

---