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[Posted Sunday PM prior to late football.]
Brief Add-on up top Tues. AM.
College Football Quiz: Yes, I’ve done this one before, but I have a lot of new readers and it’s appropriate with Miami No. 1. Name the five quarterbacks and five coaches for the Hurricanes’ five national championships, 1983, 87, 89, 91 and 2001. [In 1989, there were two QBs.] Answer below.
World Series
While Fox worries about the ratings, it’s a dream World Series matchup for the Major League Baseball Players Association, which has been shouting to the world that baseball’s competitive balance is just fine, and there is absolutely no reason to dramatically change the economic system.
For MLB, it’s a nightmare, having stressed to everyone who’d listen that a salary cap is desperately needed.
And the above-noted nightmare for TV executives, with a matchup of small-market teams that could lead to the lowest ratings in World Series history.
In Friday’s opener, it was a thriller, the Brewers emerging victorious over the Rays in Milwaukee, 3-2.
Jacob Misiorowski took the mound for the Brewers, and he promptly fired his first pitch at 103.5 mph, a World Series velocity record.
“I had so much adrenaline built up,” he said.
The Miz allowed one run in five innings, with 30 of his 78 pitches over 101 mph. But he got just seven swing-and-misses and three strikeouts in picking up the win.
For a guy who had 252 strikeouts in 174 2/3 innings in the regular season, he hasn’t had a big strikeout outing since Sept. 8 (9 in 6 1/3).
The star of the game was catcher William Contreras, driving in the team’s second run, getting two hits and reaching base three times, while cutting down two baserunners, including Victor Mesa Jr.’s attempted steal of third with two outs and slugging leadoff man Yandy Diaz at the plate. Dumb move, Mesa acknowledged later.
Milwaukee closer Trevor Megill weathered a ninth-inning Rays rally, and that had even more drama when a seeming game-ending double-play was overturned after it was ruled shortstop Cooper Pratt was off the bag when he took the high throw from second baseman Brice Turant. Megill regrouped and struck out Jonny DeLuca with two runners in scoring position.
Saturday night, Game 2, the Rays scored four runs in the top of the first off Brewers’ starter Logan Henderson, and that was it…Henderson going three innings and the spectacular Milwaukee bullpen doing the rest, the Brew Crew coming back to win it 5-4. They knocked out the hottest postseason starter, Drew Rasmussen, in the fourth after he had given up three runs.
Milwaukee has seven postseason victories in which they trailed by a combined score of 20-5, only to shut out the opposition the rest of the way by a combined score of 28-0.
Not a single run.
The Brewers became the first team in postseason history to win seven of their first eight games that they’ve trailed.
The bullpen has been unconscious, yielding a 1.24 ERA in 50 2/3 in the playoffs, with reliever Aaron Ashby becoming the first pitcher in postseason history to get at least five outs in six consecutive appearances without allowing a run…15 2/3 scoreless for Ashby, including the last five outs Saturday.
Game Three at The Trop in St. Pete, Monday night.
–Meanwhile, prior to Game One, Commissioner Rob Manfred and players union head Bruce Meyer gave dueling press conferences that solidified we are headed towards a lockout in December that will last a while.
Meyer said every proposal the owners make on every issue is contingent upon a salary cap. How, someone asked Manfred, can the owners strike a deal if the union is entrenched against a cap?
“Re-thinking where you are is a really important part of trying to make a deal,” Manfred said. “It’s actually a skill in collective bargaining. It’s easy to say, ‘I’m here and I’m never moving.’ That’s not a particularly skilled approach to the process.”
As the Los Angeles Times’ Bill Shaikin put it:
“That is perilously close to telling the other guy at the negotiating table how to negotiate. It’s also something you might say when you’re feeling pretty darn good that you’re going to win the negotiation.
“ ‘We have an unprecedented level of unanimity among ownership that it is something that we need to do,’ Manfred said.”
College Football Review
Comments written prior to release of latest AP Poll….
—Three teams in the AP Top Ten were idle this week…3 Ohio State, 4 Notre Dame and 5 Georgia. [As well as 17 Wake Forest.]
Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin is out “indefinitely,” and likely for the season, after suffering a shoulder injury in last week’s win over Indiana, coach Ryan Day said Tuesday. A big blow.
It’s now up to true freshman Luke Fahey and sophomore Tavien St. Clair to take over and grab the opportunity.
At least Ohio State has the bye week to evaluate and prepare whomever Coach Day tabs to start at USC next Saturday.
This also has an impact of course on receiver Jeremiah Smith’s Heisman hopes.
On to the action…and more top ten teams went down….
No. 1 Miami is 7-0 after whipping Pitt (5-3) 52-23, as it was the Darian Mensah to Malachi Toney Show.
Mensah was 31/37, 387, 4-0, three of the four touchdown passes going to Toney, who had a monster game, 16 receptions, 194 yards and the three scores.
Both Mensah and Toney are headed to New York for the Heisman Trophy selection.
But 2 BYU (6-1) suffered its first loss at UCF (4-3), 39-31 in double overtime, Keyone Jenkins with three touchdown passes for the Knights, including the deciding TD in OT, while the Cougars’ Bear Bachmeier was only 16 of 32 through the air. It was UCF’s first win over a top-5 team in school history.
6 Indiana (7-1) barely survived, 13-6 over Michigan (4-3) in overtime in Ann Arbor. The Hoosiers, who won for the first time at The Big House since 1967, were outgained 224-212. Josh Hoover was just 8 of 18 for 81 yards and an interception at quarterback for IU, but he had the decisive touchdown run in overtime.
7 Ole Miss (5-2) lost at 19 Texas (5-2) 34-27.
It was 24-3 Longhorns at the half as Good Arch (Arch Manning) was on full display, and then Texas survived Bad Arch in the second half, Manning finishing 18/30, 212, 1-2, with his fumble returned for a touchdown. Luckily, Texas had Raleek Brown, who rushed for 157 yards on 23 carries.
For Ole Miss, QB Trinidad Chambliss can forget posing with the Heisman, just 25/52, 250, 2-3…as in three interceptions when he was needed most.
8 Texas Tech (6-1) was upset at Cincinnati (5-2) 37-24, the Bearcats’ Cole Tabb with 16 carries for 173 yards and a TD, while Cincy QB JC French IV threw four touchdown passes, though was picked off twice.
9 UCLA (7-0) kept their dream season alive, 28-10 over Michigan State (2-6), outgaining the Spartans 443-156.
10 Utah (7-0) survived its big test, beating 14 Houston (6-2) 21-13 after falling behind 10-0, as Utes quarterback Devon Dampier wasn’t that great passing it, but he rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns.
In other games of import….
11 Tennessee (6-2) fell at South Carolina (4-3) 27-24, Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers rushing for 96 yards and two TDs.
South Carolina had defeated Florida the week prior.
12 Kentucky (7-1) is top ten bound, 34-17 over Vanderbilt (3-5).
13 Alabama (6-2) defeated struggling Texas A&M (4-4) 31-20.
15 Iowa (5-2) lost at Minnesota (5-2) 13-10, as the Hawkeyes turned it over four times.
16 USC (6-2) lost at Wisconsin (4-3) 24-7, Trojans coach Lincoln Riley likely to be fired at the end of the season, if not before.
18 LSU (6-2) is working its way back into the playoff conversation, 38-17 at Auburn (4-3), which was fresh off beating then-No. 1 Georgia. Sam Leavitt (32/45, 387 yards, three touchdowns) had his second straight outstanding game for Lane Kiffin’s squad.
Leavitt has seven touchdown passes and zero interceptions his last two after throwing 8 INTs in his first six games.
21 Boise State (6-1) remained the class of the Group of Six (looking to snag that playoff bid), 31-10 over Washington State (1-7).
23 SMU (6-1) will move up some, 59-20 over California (3-5), after Cal was up 20-17 at the half; as in the Mustangs stampeded for 42 unanswered after the intermission.
24 Northwestern (6-1) beat Rutgers (2-5) 42-14, Scarlet Knights QBs a combined 9/27, 100, 0-2 and a fumble, while All-American wide receiver KJ Duff was held in check…just three receptions for 33 yards for RU.
Caleb Komolafe rushed for 150 yards and a touchdown for Northwestern.
And 25 Arizona (6-1), whose only loss was to BYU 28-17 in Week Two, whipped Iowa State (3-4) 39-3. Talk about a sleeper team. The Wildcats can easily make the playoffs…they are scorching hot in winning their last five. As in they should be moving up rapidly in the AP poll.
Finally…Friday night, Duke (5-2) had an important win at Virginia (4-3) 19-16, on a brilliant play-call…a trick play that had running back Nate Sheppard throw a 28-yard touchdown pass with 1:14 to play for the Blue Devil win.
Virginia Tech (6-2) possibly sealed Dabo Swinney’s fate, 20-16 at Clemson (4-3).
Bill Belichick’s North Carolina Tar Heels (4-3) suffered a bad loss at home, 31-30 in overtime to Syracuse (3-4), as the Orange went for the 2-point conversion in OT after Carolina had scored first.
And Army is 5-2, 38-35 over Tulsa (4-4).
I’ll get to the conference standings in my Add-on.
—And now the new AP Poll!
1 Miami (FL) 7-0 (59)
2 Ohio State 6-1 (10)
3 Georgia 6-1
4 Indiana 7-1
5 Notre Dame 6-1
6 Utah 7-0
7 UCLA 7-0
8 BYU 6-1
9 Kentucky 7-1…all thrilled are Wildcats fans?!
10 Alabama 6-2
11 Texas 5-2
12 Ole Miss 5-2
13 Texas Tech 6-1
14 Wake Forest 6-1
15 LSU 6-2
16 Tennessee 6-2
17 Florida 5-2
18 Houston 6-2
19 SMU 6-1
T-20 Boise State 6-1
T-20 Northwestern 6-1
22 Arizona 6-1
23 Missouri 5-2
24 Oklahoma State 5-2
25 Wisconsin 5-2
17 Florida at 3 Georgia next Saturday. And 22 Arizona at 13 Texas Tech, a biggie, as the Wildcats have something to prove to the college football world.
And us Wake Forest fans will be praying the Deacs, coming off a bye week, hopefully all healed up, can keep the momentum going at home vs. Virginia.
—Maryland fired head coach Mike Locksley following the Terps loss to Rutgers last weekend, leaving them still winless in Big Ten play.
Locksley finished with a 38-49 record over eight seasons (not including an interim stint in 2015, in which he went 1-5). He reached three consecutive bowl games (all wins) and posted consecutive eight-win seasons from 2021 to 2023 (8 wins in 2022-23), but he also had four losing seasons and was headed towards a fifth. The Terps finished 16-47 in Big Ten play in his eight years, including 2-20 over the last three seasons.
And North Carolina State (3-4) fired longtime coach Dave Doeren after the team’s 31-28 loss at Stanford Friday night.
Doeren, in his 14th season, was the fourth-longest-tenured head coach in FBS, behind Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, Air Force’s Troy Calhoun and Clemson’s Swinney. He was under contract through 2029 and will be owed a $9.75 million buyout, according to the Raleigh News & Observer.
Doeren finishes 98-74 at the school and was one of the ACC’s most consistent winners but never won 10 games and never reached the ACC title game.
He exits as NC State’s all-time leader in wins, but the lack of high-level success left fans and donors frustrated about the program’s ceiling.
And then today, Baylor dismissed Dave Aranda after a 25-24 loss at Kansas on Saturday, dropping the Bears to 4-3. In his seventh season, the team went 40-40, 26-32 in Big 12 play. After a 12-2 season in 2021 that saw Baylor finish a school-beset AP No. 5 in the final ranking, the Bears never came close to repeating that success. Following 2021, they went 26-31 and won more than six games in a season just once.
NFL
–Sunday, of course I watched the Jets against the winless Dolphins at MetLife, and the Jets laid an egg in the first half, falling behind 21-7 at the intermission.
But then they came back, 21-14 with 1st-and-goal at the 1-yard line and then failed to punch it in, 21-17.
At which point the Dolphins’ Caleb Douglas, basically on a dump off from quarterback Malik Willis, took it 63 yards for the score, Jets safety Minkah Fitzpatrick missing an open field tackle, 28-17.
And then the Jets roared back and scored quickly, converted for the two points, 28-25, 3:24 to play.
So, the Jets’ defense would have to get it done…and quick.
And they gave up a 14-yard run on first down, 3:10 to go, Jets having to burn a timeout. Yes, same old, same old Jets….
Miami goes for it on 4th-and-1 and converts at midfield…game over…Jets 2-5, Miami 1-5.
Truly pathetic. Oh, how the New York sports talk radio waves will be raging tomorrow.
Jets are 0-8 in divisional play under Aaron Glenn.
–Meanwhile, in Houston, Giants coach John Harbaugh opted to go with J.J. McCarthy over Jameis Winston at quarterback
Cam Skattebo, who talks a big game but has been a very ordinary running back, let alone the fact he had fumbled four times this season, was running effectively.
But it was 21-21 at the end of regulation and then in OT, the Giants got a “run-off” victory, 27-21, as Skattebo rumbled for 42 yards, followed by Devin Singletary’s 30-yard touchdown run for the win…massive.
Skattebo answered the critics, at least for one week, 17 carries, 124 yards and a TD, while John Harbaugh looks rather smart for starting McCarthy, who was an efficient 20/28, 252, 0-0, 99.1. Malik Nabors had seven catches for 111 yards. The perfect formula.
New York is 4-2-1, still atop the NFC East, while Houston, after two consecutive wins, suffers a huge loss, 2-5.
–The Vikings stayed undefeated, 6-0, in unimpressive fashion, 16-10 over the Colts (2-5). It’s been all defense for Minnesota, little on offense. But they are racking up the Ws.
–In Atlanta, however, the Falcons (3-4) upset the 49ers (6-1) 29-20 behind Michael Penix Jr.’s 3 touchdown passes, while Brock Purdy had his first really poor game of the season, throwing two picks.
—Cincinnati (4-2) was down 13-0 at the half to the Ravens (4-3) before going on a 35-0 run in the second…Joe Burrow, who entered the game 1-5 lifetime against Baltimore, ending up 22/30, 292, 4-0, 143.3. As Ronald Reagan would have told Nancy while reading the Monday morning sports pages, Nancy preparing blueberry pancakes for her beloved Ronnie, ‘Not bad, not bad at all…’
–The Browns are 5-2, 27-24 over the Titans (1-6).
—Sunday morning from Paris, the hot Steelers (5-2) defeated the Saints (2-5) 16-10, Aaron Rodgers doing enough at quarterback, Jaylen Warren with 101 yards on the ground. There were no “issues” in Gay Paree.
—The Commanders lost receiver (and team leader) Terry McLaurin for the season after he tore his left patellar tendon Monday night in Washington’s 23-17 loss to the 49ers
Patellar tendon tears are notorious for being among the most difficult injuries to overcome for athletes, typically requiring upward of 10 months for a player to return – if he returns at all.
In a study in the Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine, of the 56 NFL players who suffered the tear in the 2009-10 and 2022-23 seasons, only 36 returned to play at all after recovering from the injury.
–CBS locked up JJ Watt for a few years as analyst on the lead NFL team with Jim Nantz, signing a new multi-year agreement with the network.
NBA
—The New York Knicks received their championship rings on Tuesday at the Garden, but lost the opener, 106-100, to the Sixers in LeBron’s debut.
And then New York lost up in Boston, Friday night, 107-103, Mikal Bridges 0-for-8 from the field (0-for-5 from three) for New York and to me that’s the story.
The Celtics were led by Jayson Tatum’s 36 points, Tatum afterwards talking at length about the departed Jaylen Brown, and their online beef after Brown was traded to the Sixers. It’s just ugly, and as Tatum explained, he doesn’t understand why.
But there are two sides to every story.
Back to the Sixers, they won their home opener Thursday against the Cavaliers, 114-106, coming back from 29 points down in the first half. Owing to James’ presence, lower bowl seats were going for up to $4,000.
Philadelphia moved to 3-0 Saturday night, 127-106 over the Bucks (0-3) but LeBron sat out.
–It finally happened…the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander failed to score 20 points, after 141 straight games doing so, the longest streak in NBA history.
Thursday, in a 96-84 win over the Nuggets, SGA was just 6 of 19 from the field (3 of 11 from three), 17 points in all.
–In the college game, the season starts next week, but Kansas added All-Big Ten forward Trey Kauman-Renn, who played four seasons at Purdue before getting picked by Minnesota in the second round of the NBA draft.
Kaufman-Renn intends to play another season of college hoops after the NCAA’s sudden and chaos-inducing rule change designed to allow student-athletes to play five seasons over a five-year span.
The rule was not intended to include players who had finished their careers this past season. But the gray area it created has led to a wave of lawsuits across the country, as athletes in all sports seek another year of eligibility. Kaufman-Renn was granted a preliminary injunction earlier this month, making the 6-foot-9 power forward eligible to play for Kansas for the time being.
Golf Balls
—The Fall Season was back on with the Butterfield Bermuda Championship at beautiful Port Royal Golf Club, a place I fondly remember over a few trips there, one where I walked to the course from my hotel each morning and met two great guys from Kentucky who took me in for the week as part of their group. One of my 6,400 mistakes in my life was not keeping in touch with them. They were characters. Anyway….
As is always case for this event, the field isn’t necessarily terrific, but it can yield a life-changing event for one tour player should he grab his first win there.
After 36…
Kensei Hirata -13
Chandler Blanchet -13
Seamus Power, Corey Conners and Eric Cole among the group at -12.
Bill Haas missed the cut by two. At least he was able to tee it up.
Heading into Sunday’s final round we had….
Austin Smotherman -16
Seamus Power -16
Power started the week 103rd in the points standings, so this is huge for him.
But due to extreme weather, and winds over 40 mph, play was suspended for Sunday and the Tour was figuring out what to do next. Not one player even teed off.
*But as I go to post, Smotherman and Power will have a playoff for the win, Monday, the event otherwise canceled after 54 holes due to the ongoing weather conditions. I’m not sure what the terms of the playoff are. Golf Channel will have it at 8:00 AM ET.
–I missed last week that former Demon Deacon and budding star, Will Zalatoris, announced he will undergo a third back procedure, one that will keep him out for all of 2027. This really sucks. He was on the fast track to stardom but it’s been a grind ever since in his comeback attempts, and then this.
—LIV players have until today, Sunday, to decide if they are staying with whatever new iteration of LIV Golf the league come up with, or leaving to pursue other opportunities. LIV is attempting to restructure via a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.
As of Friday afternoon, Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Thomas Pieters and Tom McKibbin were the biggest players announcing they were departing. Sergio Garcia had announced, but there isn’t a single golf fan alive who gives a damn about that guy anymore. Louis Oosthuizen is leaving, but he’s past his prime at 44.
All of these guys, including Rahm, are going to have to play the DP World Tour (if that tour wants them) and excel to ever have a shot at playing on the PGA Tour. Rahm will still be showing up at the majors.
It was also reported, as part of the bankruptcy filing late Thursday that LIV Golf paid CEO Scott O’Neil $6.75 million in the months between Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund saying it was ending financial support and LIV filing for Chapter 11.
Premier League
Saturday, Aston Villa had a stirring 2-1 win over Manchester City, handing City its first loss of the season, Nicolas Jackson with both goals.
This is not an unusual result for this matchup. Villa has won five of the last seven meetings between the two and the fourth straight at Villa Park.
Arsenal then moved back into a tie with City atop the PL, 2-0 over Everton.
And Tottenham, which had won last Monday, picked up win No. 2 on the season, 2-0 at Chelsea. Yippee! It was just the Spurs’ second win in 36 years at Stamford Bridge.
Sunday, Liverpool beat Brighton 2-0 to move into solo fourth, Brighton third.
Table after 8 of 38 – points
1 Man City 21
2 Arsenal 21 [ties settled by goal differential]
3 Brighton 16
4 Liverpool 15
5 Chelsea 13
NHL
–Edmonton superstar Connor McDavid has led the NHL in points six seasons in his sterling career, still just 29.
But this season he had a staggering 31 points in his first 10 games, including two 5-point games in his last three.
Saturday, however, the Oilers (8-2-1) were blitzed at home by Toronto (7-4-2) 7-2, though McDavid had two assists on the two Edmonton goals, both by linemate Leon Draisaitl.
So, 33 points in 11 games.
—The Rangers (7-5-1) lost at Ottawa (8-4-1) 7-4 last night. New York is 6-0-0 at home, but 1-5-1 on the road.
Last season they were a stunningly bad 14-20-7 at home, 20-19-2 away.
—Rangers fans mourned the passing of former star forward Ron Duguay, just 69.
Duguay was unique, known for his scoring flair, flowing hair, and Manhattan escapades during his time with the Rangers, 1977-83, before he was traded to Detroit. He posted 20 goals and 20 assists as a rookie and went on to accumulate 340 points (164 goals, 176 assists) over eight seasons with the Rangers (including a brief stint, 1986-88).
Overall, his two best points seasons came in Detroit, and for his career he had 274 goals, 346 assists, 620 points. He scored another 31 goals in 89 playoff games.
But Duguay was far more. He embraced his heartthrob reputation, which grew following a role in a 1979 Sasson jeans commercial that featured him skating and singing with Rangers teammates Phil Esposito, Anders Hedberg and Dave Maloney. In journalist Rick Carpiniello’s book, “The Franchise: A Curated History of the Blueshirts,” Duguay discussed going out with celebrities such as Cher and Farrah Fawcett and spending many nights in the well-known New York City nightclub, “Studio 54.”
He was traded to the Red Wings in 1983, which Duguay suspected was because then-Rangers coach Herb Brooks disapproved of his flamboyant lifestyle.
“He got his way,” Duguay told the New York Times then, referring to Brooks. “I wasn’t shocked, because there’s been so much talk about it, but I was very disappointed. …I love New York and I hate to leave there.”
Most importantly, Ron Duguay was known as just a real good guy who did lots of charity work for the Rangers after he hung up the skates, and was a broadcaster on the MSG network from 2007-2018. Since 2022, he dated Sarah Palin. RIP.
Stuff
—The Alpine World Cup season opened this weekend in Solden, Austria, and Mikaela Shiffrin finished 7th in her new priority event, the giant slalom that she has said she would be focusing on this season, as well as super-G, with just a few slalom races. With far and away the most wins in World Cup history, and that incredibly clutch gold medal slalom performance in Milano Cortina, she has zero to prove…the greatest in history.
But American Paula Moltzan won the race, her first career win! Good for her.
Top 3 songs for the week 10/25/75: #1 “Bad Blood” (Neil Sedaka) #2 “Calypso / I’m Sorry” (John Denver) #3 “Miracles” (Jefferson Starship)…and…#4 “Lyin’ Eyes” (The Eagles) #5 “ ‘They Just Can’t Stop It’ the (Games People Play)” (Spinners…another great one from the group…) #6 “Feelings” (Morris Albert) #7 “Who Loves You” (Four Seasons) #8 “Island Girl” (Elton John) #9 “Ballroom Blitz” (Sweet) #10 “It Only Takes A Minute” (Tavares…A- week, a ‘sleeper week’ as we say at global HQ…)
College Football Quiz Answer: Five quarterbacks/coaches for the five national championships at The U…Miami.
1983 – Bernie Kosar (Howard Schellenberger)
1987 – Steve Walsh (Jimmy Johnson)
1989 – Craig Erickson, Gino Torretta (Dennis Erickson)
1991 – Gino Torretta (Dennis Erickson)
2001 – Ken Dorsey…though running backs Christian Portis and Frank Gore were the keys for the offense (Larry Coker).
Brief Add-on up top Tues. AM.
