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Bar Chat

05/05/2025

Knicks take out the Pistons, Scheffler back in the winner's circle....

Add-on posted early Tues. a.m.

NBA Playoffs

--Going back to Sunday night, the Pacers shocked the Cavaliers in Cleveland in Game 1, 121-112.  Donovan Mitchell had 33 points for Cleveland but was only 1 of 11 from 3.

And the Warriors came up huge in Game 7 against the Rockets in Houston, 103-89, as out of nowhere, Buddy Hield had 33, 9 of 11 from downtown including six in the first half.  Steph Curry had 14 of his 22 in the fourth quarter.

--But Monday night in Boston, the Knicks trailed the Celtics 75-55, midway through the third quarter, when New York went on a stunning 31-11 run to tie it at 86-86, at which point Jalen Brunson took over for the Knickerbockers, who at 100-100, 0:05 left to play, got a perfect look for Brunson down low, only to have him miss the shot, one he makes 90% of the time in the regular season, and we went to overtime.

And in OT, Brunson was tiring, kept misfiring, but OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges stepped up for huge 3s, Karl-Anthony Towns tipped in a Brunson miss, and it was 108-105 Knicks with 3.0 to play, Celtics ball.

And on the inbounds, Bridges ripped it out of Jaylen Brown’s hands, no foul, and it was over.

Holy cow!  New York steals the game!

Brunson and OG with 29 apiece, Jayson Tatum and Brown a combined 14 for 43 from the field, Brown 1 of 10 from 3, Boston 15 of 60...60...from downtown...and it’s Game Two Wednesday in Beantown, the Knicks on Cloud Nine.

Wow.

Go New York Go New York Go!

--The Nuggets stunned the Thunder in Oklahoma City, 121-119, on an Aaron Gordon 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds to go.  Nikola Jokic had 42 points and 22 rebounds for Denver.

MLB

--The Mets, needing a win in Arizona after losing a doubleheader in St. Louis on Sunday, beat the D’Backs Monday night, 5-4, as Francisco Lindor hit a 3-run homer in the 7th, after Pete Alonso hit his 9th home run, a 2-run shot, in the top of the fourth.

--The Yankees were leading the Padres 3-0 in the top of the eighth at the Stadium last night when Devin Williams and Luke Weaver combined to blow it...San Diego scores 4 runs off them and the Padres prevail 4-3.  A devastating loss for the Yanks.

--Atlanta’s AJ Smith-Shawver threw eight innings of one-hit ball as the Braves beat the Reds 4-0.

--Baseball America Top 25, a/o Sunday’s play....

1. Georgia
2. Texas
3. Arkansas
4. North Carolina
5. Auburn
6. LSU
7. Florida State
8. Coastal Carolina
9. West Virginia
10. Oregon

12. Clemson
13. Tennessee...was No. 1 much of the spring....
14. Troy

19. Louisville
21. North Carolina State

Stanley Cup Playoffs

--The Maple Leafs took Game 1 of their series against the Panthers in Toronto 5-4.

Golf Balls

--With Scottie Scheffler’s dominating win at the Byron Nelson, just what the tour needed, we are setting ourselves up for a spectacular PGA Championship in two weeks at Quail Hollow...Rory McIlroy obviously at the top of his game, and having won at this venue four times, but also having Justin Thomas winning the other week, breaking his drought, Jordan Spieth playing some of his best golf in years, including this weekend, a solo 4th at the Nelson, and, of course, Scheffler.

But first, we have a Signature Event this week, the Truist Championship at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, with Rory, Justin, Jordan and other big names in the field, all but Scheffler, who is taking the week off before Quail Hollow.

Unfortunately, the weather could be an issue this weekend, especially Friday, after what is setting up to be a soggy week in these parts.

But the PGA Tour is in great shape after a slow start to the season, the big names rising to the top.

The Derby...and the Triple Crown

--I wrote Sunday that there was a good chance Sovereignty would not run in the Preakness...and how the schedule for the Triple Crown no longer fits the modern horse racing industry.

Dan Wolken / USA TODAY

“Every Kentucky Derby winning trainer has the same day-after script when it comes to bringing their horse to the Preakness. And the line is usually some non-committal variation of ‘they’ll tell us’ if they’re physically ready to run back just two weeks later in the second jewel of the Triple Crown.

“Bill Mott was no different Sunday, the morning after Sovereignty’s victory.  But you could almost see the thought bubble forming around his words, telling the world not to be too surprised if he and the management team at Godolphin, which owns the horse, decide to take a pass on Baltimore.

“ ‘It’s good to have that option,’ Mott told reporters waiting at his barn Sunday morning.  ‘I don’t think we’re dead set on it.  I don’t think that’s the only thing we’re thinking about.’

“Uh oh.  Is anyone in horse racing going to listen when the best trainers in the world – and the people responsible for the health and well-being of the animal – tell you over and over again that the Triple Crown is no longer viable in its current format?

“Sorry, traditionalists.  But it’s time for the Triple Crown to change.

“It doesn’t have to be anything radical.  But the modern racehorse is not bred or built to run three long races in five weeks, and there isn’t a single high-level trainer in the country that would put their horse through that gauntlet unless there was a historic achievement on the line.

“Those who have resisted adding some time between the races have long argued that it cheapens the achievement if you remove part of the challenge.  But what’s actually been happening over the last several years is that so few horses run in all three races it’s already being cheapened.

“And the ones that do, in general, don’t come out better for it on the other side....

“ ‘I think over the years, people realize that spacing these horses out a little bit gives you the opportunity to make them last a little longer,’ Mott said.  ‘I think we’re looking at a career, you know, and you want the career to last more than five weeks.’

“There could not be a more damning indictment of how the Triple Crown is now perceived....

“Often, the horses are so fit after the Derby that they can bounce right back two weeks later and deliver another monster performance.

“But it does grind them up, and the Preakness – for all its tradition and fanfare – is really just another big race.  Yeah, running for a $2 million purse is nice.  But what if the result is that they end up with a tired horse that isn’t going to run in the $1 million Haskell Stakes or the $1.25 million Travers at Saratoga or the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at the end of the season?”

So, as I pointed out before, and as Dan Wolken says, “If horse racing had its act together, this wouldn’t even be a debate.”

Add a week between the Derby and the Preakness, and then have a month before the Belmont.  Just do it.

For now, I just hope Sovereignty, Journalism or Baeza (the third-place finisher in the Derby), one of the three, goes up against Rodriguez, the Baffert horse held out of the Derby due to a foot bruise.

But then we need both Sovereignty and Journalism at the Belmont.

That would set up the summer season quite well.

One tidbit from the Washington Post’s Chuck Culpepper... “All 22 Derby winners between 1997 and 2018 entered the Preakness, and 11 of them won it to jazz up the run-up to the Belmont.”

But only American Pharoah (2015) and Justify (2018) won the Triple Crown, both trained by Bob Baffert.

Stuff

--Joey Logano won Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway, career win No. 37 for the defending Cup champion (3-time Cup champion, to be exact).

--The Baltimore Ravens cut embattled kicker Justin Tucker, who continues to maintain his innocence despite being accused of inappropriate behavior by 16 massage therapists in the Baltimore area during a span between 2012 and 2016.

Tucker, 35, is the most accurate kicker in NFL history even after having one of the worst seasons of his career.

Just on Sunday, head coach John Harbaugh adamantly told reporters that any decision on Tucker’s future would be “based on football.”

But the NFL has been investigating, and the probe is ongoing.

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.

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Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tues.

[Posted Sunday p.m.]

Baseball Quiz: Strikeouts...batters... 1) Name the only two to strikeout 2,500 times in their careers, both Hall of Famers.  2) Name the only two to strikeout 220 times in a season, not Hall of Famers but big sluggers, hitting the 220 level in 2009 and 2012.  Answers below.

NBA Playoffs

--As a Knicks fan, after Tuesday night’s debacle in Game 5 at the Garden, the Knicks having a chance to put the Pistons away and failing to do so in abysmal fashion, 106-103, Coach Tom Thibodeau with an egregious, “fireable” offense in not getting Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart back in the game at the 2:50 mark after the pair left to deal with injuries.  The duo sat on the sidelines at the scorer’s table while Thibodeau refused to use his final time out to get them back in until there was about 0.27 left, and the Knicks fell short.

Sure, Brunson was awful, 4 of 16 from the field, and missing three free throws, and Karl-Anthony Towns again failed to show up in his up-and-down postseason, 5 of 14, but Captain Clutch, Brunson, didn’t get a chance to do his late-game magic and New York headed to Detroit for Game 6.  I thought for sure the Knicks would lose it, forcing a Game 7 back at the Garden on Saturday and us fans dreaded that potential outcome.

And so we then watched Thursday night as out of nowhere, New York pulled it out, 116-113, another total tension convention in an absolutely terrific series, as the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year, Brunson, not only scored 40 points, but while he missed a lot of fourth quarter opportunities, he nailed the decisive 3-pointer with 4.3 seconds left, a brilliant crossover dribble move that faked out Detroit’s Ausar Thompson badly (Demon Deacon fans watching the game immediately thinking Randolph Childress in a dramatic ACC championship final 30 years earlier), and here we are...the Knicks move on, not needing to go back to MSG.  Thank God.

[Detroit did have a good chance to tie it and force OT, but Malik Beasley fumbled a Cade Cunningham pass and time ran out.  I do have to also mention Mikal Bridges, a superb 25-point effort on 11 for 16 shooting, including the critical game-tying putback on the possession before Brunson’s game-winner.]

Of course, now we have the Celtics, and I, like everyone else believe we’ll lose in five.  We were 0-4 against them in the regular season.

Game 1 in Beantown, Monday night.

--Friday night, the Golden State Warriors had a chance to put away the Houston Rockets at home in Game 6 and blew it, falling 115-107, and setting up a Game 7 in Houston Sunday night.

Actually, Golden State had been up 3-1 in the series.  The Rockets are younger and playing with extreme confidence.  Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler aren’t young.

Friday, Fred VanVleet, the veteran point guard, led Houston with 29 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists.  Curry (29 points) and Playoff Jimmy (27-9-8) didn’t get a lot of support, Gary Payton II and Buddy Hield combining for five points.

--The Nuggets beat the Clippers in their Game 7 Saturday night in Denver, 120-101, the Nuggets now set to face the No. 1 seed Thunder in OKC, Monday.

Last night, Denver had a 58-47 lead at the half, stretched it to 93-66 after three and it was over.  The Nuggets got 15+ points from each of the starting five and 16 off the bench from Russell Westbrook.  A good formula for success.

--Entering the playoffs, more money had been wagered on the Los Angeles Laker to win the Finals than on any other team at multiple sportsbooks, per ESPN.  That money will be staying with the house.

The Lakers, kind of shockingly, lost to the Timberwolves in five games, including Wednesday’s clincher, 103-96 in L.A.

Anthony Edwards had an off night for Minnesota, just 15 points, 0 for 11 from 3, but Rudy Gobert had a monster game, 27 points and 24 rebounds (9 off the offensive boards), and former Knick Julius Randolph chipped in with 23, to neutralize Luka Doncic and LeBron James, who had a combined 50, when far more was needed from the star duo.

LeBron said after, as you’d expect, he will take his time to decide his future with the Lakers.  “I’ll sit down with my family and my wife and my support group and we’ll kind of talk it through and see what happens. And just have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play. I don’t have an answer to that right now.  We’ll see.”

But what a comedown for L.A. after the massive Doncic trade.  Lakers fans have learned one thing...Luka is not a sterling defender, and should LeBron finally exit, there is little surrounding Luka.  And there are questions about coach JJ Redick.

--Indiana pulled off a stunning comeback last Tuesday, beating Milwaukee in overtime, 119-118, after trailing by seven with 35 seconds left in OT to finish the Bucks off in five games.

Now Milwaukee, similar to the Lakers and LeBron, have a decision to make.  Or rather, Giannis Antetokounmpo has a big decision...whether he wants to stay in Milwaukee.  He’ll be without Damian Lillard next season, Lillard having suffered a torn Achilles in the series, not that the two ever really jelled.

--Also Tuesday, the Celtics eliminated the Magic in five, 120-89.

--As expected, the Spurs announced Gregg Popovich has retired from coaching and will transition to a role as the team’s president of basketball operations on a permanent basis and no longer serve as coach.

Popovich, 76, missed most of this season after suffering what the team called a mild stroke before a game Nov. 2.  He remained in contact with interim head coach Mitch Johnson* throughout the season and spoke with the team on occasion, but last month, he required medical attention after an incident at a San Antonio restaurant in which he reportedly fainted.

The Hall of Fame coach led the Spurs to five NBA championships and is the winningest coach in NBA history.

*May 2nd, Johnson was promoted to full-time head coach.

MLB

--The Yankees lost second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. to a right oblique strain for what could be a lengthy period.

But they have Max Fried, their big offseason free agent signing, 8 years, $218 million, and all Mr. Fried has done is earn his contract and then some.  Yes, it’s early, very early in terms of seven years, but he’s been phenomenal, 6-0, 1.01 ERA after Friday’s 3-0 win over Tampa Bay at the Stadium, Fried going seven innings, one hit.

Fried has allowed eight hits and no earned runs in his last 20 2/3 innings over three starts.  The Yanks are also now 7-0 in games he’s started.  As Larry David would say, “pretty, pretty good....”

Meanwhile, Aaron Judge had a double and triple on Friday and was bating .430...4-3-0... .430...52-for-121...20 extra base hits, 10 homers, 32 RBIs, a 1.298 OPS.

Last season, Judge hit a career-high .322, with a career-best 1.159 OPS.  He turned 33 last week.  A belated Happy Birthday, Aaron.  You know I’m not a Yankees fan, but I’ll watch their games when the Mets aren’t on to see Judge...and now Fried.  But other than Fried and Carlos Rodon, their rotation is rather mediocre, without Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil.

On to Saturday, and Judge homered his first at bat.  Goodness gracious.  He would go 2-for-4, average up to .432, but with the tying run on third and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Judge grounded out, Yanks (19-14) lose 3-2 to the Rays (15-18).

And the Yankees lost Sunday, 7-5, Judge 1-for-5, average down to .423.

--The Mets finished off their homestand during the week with two crappy losses to Arizona and were 21-11 heading to St. Louis for a weekend series, and, thankfully, they started off on the right foot, 9-3 winners Friday night, Clay Holmes with six effective innings, three earned for the Metropolitans, Pete Alonso with his eighth homer (now 30 RBIs).

But what a signing by Mets GM David Stearns in going after Holmes, knowing they were going to turn the reliever into a starter, which is what Holmes wanted.  He’s 4-1, 2.95.  Outstanding.  And he’s comfortable pitching in New York and with the media pressure.  He had an MLB-worst 13 blown saves last season for the Yankees (along with 30 saves) and never let the media get to him...handling all the questions professionally, taking responsibility...unlike Devin Williams, I can’t help but add.  [Williams pitched a scoreless eighth inning Friday for the Yanks, Luke Weaver closing it, as manager Aaron Boone tries to build his confidence back up.]

The Mets, however, have serious issues in their bullpen, which has been terrific thus far, with both lefties out potentially for the season.  Danny Young definitely so as he’s having Tommy John surgery, and AJ Minter, probably...Minter on the shelf with a serious lat issue that may require surgery as well.

At least one-time lefty Met reliever Brooks Raley was signed and he should be available in a few weeks.

Saturday, the Metsies were rained out, which meant playing two on Sunday.

And in the first game it was a very disappointing 6-5 loss, Juan Soto twice getting caught looking on 3-2 pitches, Pete Alonso the same in the top of the eighth, Mets down the run, bases loaded, and then Brandon Nimmo flies out to end what had been a rally to cut the lead from 6-3.

The second game didn’t start until 6:15 p.m., Mets (22-12) having to fly to Arizona after, they must win this one....

The Phillies (19-15) could have pulled to within 2 games of New York but fell to the Diamondbacks 11-9 in ten, after being down 7-1 in the fourth.

--The Dodgers placed Tyler Glasnow on the IL with right shoulder inflammation.  Glasnow, 31, and with his injury history, is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA.

L.A. entered the season with great rotation depth but now Tony Gonsolin, Kyle Hurt, Clayton Kershaw, River Ryan, Emmet Sheehan, Blake Snell and Gavin Stone are currently on the IL, along with Glasnow.  Roki Sasaki, Dustin May and Yoshinobu Yamamoto remain in the rotation.

And Yamamoto pitched six innings of one-hit ball Friday night in Atlanta, the Dodgers winning 2-1 as Mookie Betts hit his fifth home run.  Yamamoto is now 4-2, 0.90!

L.A. has had a strange start...8-0, then 8-10 in its next 18, and now 6 straight Ws to get to 22-10.

Shohei Ohtani has had a bizarre start.  After a 2024 season for the ages, 54 home runs, 130 RBIs, 59 steals, a 1.036 OPS, in 30 games this season he has seven homers, but just 10 RBIs!  Good lord.

Make that seven straight for L.A., 23-10 after a 10-3 win over the Braves Saturday; Ohtani with home run No. 8, RBI No. 11, Freddie Freeman with three hits, 4 RBIs, average up to .338.

--The Colorado Rockies were 4-25 and on track for a 27-135 projected record before, out of nowhere, they won two in a row...6-25 after a 4-3 win in San Francisco Thursday night.  Break ‘em up!

But the Rockies were shut out 4-0 by the Giants and Robbie Ray on Friday, Ray with seven strong, 2 hits, to move to 4-0, 3.05 for San Fran (20-13).  And Colorado (6-27) lost Saturday, 6-3.

--The Red Sox lost first baseman Triston Casa for the season to a ruptured left patellar tendon requiring surgery, Casas with 24 home runs in 2023, but struggling with injury and a rough time at the plate last season and this one.

--Angels star Mike Trout is back on the injured list because of a bone bruise in his surgically repaired left knee.  The team said there is no structural damage to the knee.

As we all know, Trout, who is batting only .179 but has nine home runs, has played in more than 82 games only once in the past four seasons. He hasn’t played 130+ since 2019.

--Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes experienced arguably the worst start of his career on Thursday against the Cubs, surrendering three home runs for the first time during an appearance at the big-league level.

Overall, he did only allow the three solo homers, three runs, in five innings, but he also walked four and fell to 3-3, 2.74, for the struggling Buccos.

The night before in Pittsburgh, both teams were shocked when a man fell from the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall during the game.  It was awful, a very disturbing video.

Pittsburgh police called it an accident, and the man, Kavan Markwood, remained in critical condition. 

But the organizer of his GoFundMe page, Jennifer Phillips, said Saturday night Kavan was awake and alert and had made significant progress.  “He still has a long road ahead of him, but today brought a moment of hope that we’ve all been holding onto.” 

We wish him a full recovery.

Stanley Cup

--I said I was barely following the playoffs, but I’m all in on Canada, and going back to Thursday, Toronto closed out Ottawa, 4-2, to win the series 4-2 as well.  And Edmonton closed out their series with Los Angeles 6-4, also taking it in six.

So Monday the Maple Leafs open at home against the Panthers, and on Tuesday, the Oilers are in Vegas to play the Golden Knights.

Also Tuesday, the Capitals and Alex Ovechkin open against the Hurricanes.

--The Rangers pounced on Mike Sullivan to be their next head coach, days after the Penguins announced they were parting ways with him.

This is perfect.  Sulivan comes to New York with 917 regular-season games and 89 playoff games of experience with both the Penguins and Bruins.  Over 10 years in Pittsburgh, Sullivan, 57, became the winningest coach in franchise history and helped deliver back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.

Kentucky Derby

--It was unfortunate when we learned Thursday that one of Bob Baffert’s two horses, Rodriguez, was scratched from the Derby with a foot bruise, co-owner Tom Ryan saying they needed to be cautious “and will target him for the Preakness.”  So that left Baffert with only Citizen Bull.

And on a very sloppy track, Sovereignty (7-1) won the Derby in impressive fashion.  It was a first-time win for jockey Junior Alvarado, and a second Derby win for trainer Bill Mott, though his first Derby triumph was rather tainted, winning on a DQ in 2019 with Country House after race favorite Maximum Security was ruled to have unfairly impeded at least three other horses. 

Prerace favorite Journalism (3-1) was a solid second, the two neck-and-neck down the stretch before Sovereignty pulled away.  Citizen Bull finished 15th after starting out way too fast.  Baeza, a late entry due to scratches, took third.

So now we wait for Monday, and Tuesday, to see what the trainers of Sovereignty and Journalism say about the shape of their colts and whether they will run in the Preakness.  It would be a huge disappointment not to have at least one of them in the race.

There have been growing complaints in the sport about the two weeks off before the second leg of the Triple Crown and then three weeks until the Belmont...that for the modern-day racehorse and their trainers/owners, it’s too quick a turnaround for the Preakness.  So an obvious solution is to add just one week, but then you run up against the Memorial Day holiday, and there’s a lot of competition in the sports world then, let alone other stuff.

Mike Tirico, the veteran journalist, had to exit Saturday’s coverage on NBC early because he was “under the weather” due to suffering from an allergic reaction.  He has nut allergies.  I wasn’t watching the coverage early on but he apparently did not look well.

And as I go to post, there is a good chance Sovereignty will not run in the Preakness, as an excellent story in the Washington Post notes, that I’ll refer to later...we may get a decision Monday. Drat....

NFL/College Football

--Jets fans will wonder even more why the team didn’t select Shedeur Sanders (or Jalen Milroe) after learning Jordan Travis’ playing days are over, Travis announcing his retirement.

Travis was the fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Florida State, who had suffered a gruesome leg injury during his final college game on Nov. 18, 2023, which likely cost FSU a national championship, for those who were following that season closely.  Travis was a surefire first-round selection in that quarterback deep draft.

But it’s been a mystery to Jets fans what his condition was all last season. The team purposely said nothing about his condition, only that he had suffered a setback in his rehab last spring and was placed on the non-football injury list in July.  Then it was crickets....

Travis in a statement the other day said “despite all my efforts, my leg never responded the way we hoped.  After much prayer and consultation with the doctors, medical experts and my agent, I’ve been medically advised to retire from the game I love so deeply.”

--Speaking of Shedeur Sanders, the NFL fined the Falcons $250,000 and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich a separate $100,000 for the NFL draft prank committed by Ulbrich’s son, Jax.

Jax and a friend recorded themselves calling Sanders over the weekend claiming to be Saints GM Mickey Loomis, telling the former Colorado star the franchise was ready to draft him.

Jax had gotten Sanders phone number off his dad’s laptop, which is why the league took the steps it did.  I can’t imagine the conversation Dad is having with his son.  Jax did apologize to Shedeur.

The thing is, Jax is from next-door Chatham, NJ, where he played his high school ball, this being when Jeff Ulbrich was an assistant coach for the Jets (Ulbrich finishing up last season as the interim head coach).  I pass the school every day in doing my errands.

--Boise State gave coach Spencer Danielson a contract extension that will keep him with the Broncos through the 2029 season, his new deal doubling his salary to an average of $2.2 million per year.  

Danielson, just 36, is a rising star for sure after leading the team to the College Football Playoff in 2024.

--I love this story.  Ian Schieffelin of Clemson was my favorite college basketball player outside of Wake Forest this past year (and in years before).  Just a terrific college power forward I thought could make it in the NBA...with somebody.

But you’d watch him and occasionally the folks broadcasting the game would mention that Schieffelin would make for a good NFL tight end.

So whaddya know?  Clemson’s Dabo Swinney approached Ian and offered him an opportunity to play tight end for the Tigers.

Schieffelin had entered the transfer portal last month hoping for a fifth year of eligibility amid the ongoing lawsuits against the NCAA, though he said the likelihood of an outcome in time for him to play in 2025-26 seemed slim.  Otherwise, he was preparing for a crack at the pros – likely overseas or the G-League until he proved himself.  Then Dabo made the offer.

Clemson is thin at tight end and Schieffelin is going to suit up and see how it goes.

“He has elite football measurables that I believe will translate well,” Swinney said.

--As opposed to the above, we have the tragic story of John Elway’s best friend, and longtime business partner, Jeff Sperbeck, 62.  Sperbeck died of injuries sustained four days earlier in a “golf cart accident,” according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.

According to most reports, Sperbeck fell off the back of the cart, which seems to have been driven by Elway last Saturday night at a private golf community in La Quinta, California.

In a statement, Elway said: “I am absolutely devastated and heartbroken by the passing of my close friend, business partner and agent Jeff Sperbeck. There are no words to truly express the profound sadness I feel with the sudden loss of someone who has meant so much to me.....”

According to TMZ, Elway was driving when Sperbeck fell off and hit his head on the asphalt.  TMZ said Sperbeck was in the passenger seat, but there are reports he fell off the back.

TMZ reported that there was no indication that Elway was driving negligently when Sperbeck fell after the two men and their spouses had left a party.

An investigation is ongoing and it would be easy to comment further, but it’s best I don’t.

Golf Balls

--We had the CJ Cup Byron Nelson event this week at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, TX, the home tournament for one Scottie Scheffler, looking to win it for the first time.

And after two rounds, Scheffler was already up six shots after a 61-63, -18.

And after three, he had stretched the lead to eight!  The biggest 54-hole lead on tour since 2011.

Scheffler -23
Erik van Rooyen -15
Adam Schenk -15
Ricky Castillo -15...a huge tournament for these last three as they seek to get into, or closer to, the critical top 70 in the FedEx Cup standings.

On the march to his 14th PGA Tour victory, Scheffler built up a 9-shot lead after 11 holes...and he prevailed, 8 shots, tying the Tour record for a 72-hole score, -31.  For runner-up van Rooyen, a massive finish as he moves from 130 to 53 in the standings.

--We note the passing of trailblazing Black golfer Jim Dent, 85. Dent, who grew up in Augusta, Ga., had recently attended the Masters, a place he worked at as a caddie long ago before a local pro convinced him he had the goods to give professional golf a try.

Dent, 6-2 and 225 pounds, could hit the ball a mile and after failing to get through Q School a few times finally broke and thus began a 40-year PGA/Senior Tour career.  He never won a PGA tour event in 450 career starts but he had an occasional top ten and played in five U.S. Opens and six PGA Championships, as well as 11 Players Championships.  He never qualified for the Masters.

But when he turned 50, his focus was the Senior/Champions tour, where he amassed 12 wins in 21 years.

Premier League

--With Liverpool having wrapped up the title, it’s all about the final Champions League slots for 2025-26.

Saturday, Aston Villa beat Fulham 1-0, while Bournemouth upset Arsenal 2-1.

Sunday, Newcastle and Brighton played to a 1-1 tie, while Chelsea had an important win against Liverpool, 3-1, to retain the final CL berth, for now.

The Table...35 of 38 played – points....

1. Liverpool...35 – 82
2. Arsenal...35 – 67
3. Man City...35 – 64
4. Newcastle...35 – 63
5. Chelsea...35 – 63
6. Nottingham...34 – 60 ...play Crystal Palace Monday in a biggie...
7. Aston Villa...35 – 60 ...behind Nottingham on goal differential...

--Kevin De Bruyne is playing out the string at Manchester City, having announced earlier it was his last with the team after a spectacular career.  So who would the 33-year-old midfielder (soon to be 34) play with next?  He said he would stay in Europe, but now there is talk he’ll sign with the Chicago Fire, which would be cool, De Bruyne my favorite player these days with Harry Kane no longer in the Premier League.  He has won 19 trophies in his ten seasons at City and contributed 189 goals for his team.

--In Champions League play...PSG defeated Arsenal on the road, 1-0, for a massive first leg win in their semifinal matchup.

Wednesday, Inter visited Barcelona in their first-leg meeting and it was a 3-3 draw.

Stuff

--Oscar Piastri won today’s Miami Grand Prix, beating McLaren teammate Lando Norris, George Russell (Mercedes) third; Piastri’s fourth win of the season in the first six races.

--While us Wake Forest fans have been discouraged by the performance of our baseball team this spring, we do have the top-ranked men’s tennis team in the country, which started off play in the NCAA Tournament this weekend.

“Now, it’s about doing it,” Coach Tony Bresksy said of his 34-1 team.

And for one weekend at least, they did...defeating Gardner Webb (4-1) and Kentucky (4-1) in the regional that the Deacs hosted Friday and Saturday, thus advancing to the Super Regional, where they will host Texas A&M or Baylor next weekend, with that winner advancing to the NCAA Championship in Waco...where you have the final eight teams.

--We just had the Paris Olympics and I was thus surprised to see that Katie Ledecky set another world record in her specialty, signature event, the 800 meters this weekend at a meet in Fort Lauderdale.  I just assumed she’d take some competitive time off before she begins the long grind to 2028 and Los Angeles, which she has already committed to.

Ledecky won the race in 8 minutes 4.12 seconds, besting her previous record set at the Rio Olympics in 2016, 8:04.79, a memorable race where she lapped the field.

Ledecky won her first gold medal at the age of 15 in the 800 at the 2012 London Games. Think about that.  She then defended the title in Rio, the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and then last summer in Paris.

She’s now the owner of the 10 fastest 800 times ever.

On Wednesday, Ledecky posted the second-fastest time ever in the women’s 1,500 freestyle – a winning time of 15:24.51, not far off the record she set in 2018 (15:20.48).  She now holds the 22 best times in the history of the women’s 1,500.

Then, in the 400 freestyle Thursday, Ledecky posted a 3:56.81, her fastest mark in nine years, setting a U.S. record.  It was the second-best 400 time Ledecky had ever posted.

On, on Friday, she finished second in the 200 free, just behind American Olympian Claire Weinstein.

--Lady Gaga gave a free concert Saturday night in front of 2 million+ fans who poured onto Copacabana Beach in Rio for the biggest show of her career.  The scene was staggering.

“Tonight, we’re making history...Thank you for making history with me,” Gaga told the screaming crowd.

Now you can be sure Gaga was paid handsomely, certainly all of her massive expenses, at least, but it was a huge coup for the government, which is promoting tourism in Rio, amidst its rough reputation, and local officials estimate that at least half a million fans came from out of town and pumped $100 million into the economy.  Good for them.

Thankfully, an alleged bomb plot was uncovered by police, two suspects arrested, two really sick suspects it sounds like...not from a major terror group...but some very ugly kids from what I’ve read, with extremist twisted thoughts targeting the kinds of people that were attending the concert...the kind that don’t bother me.  Have a good time.  Support local businesses, is what I say.

Top 3 songs for the week 5/5/84: #1 “Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)” (Phil Collins)  #2 “Hello” (Lionel Richie)  #3 “Hold Me Now” (Thompson Twins)...and...#4 “Footloose” (Kenny Loggins)  #5 “Love Somebody” (Rick Springfield)  #6 “To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before” (Julio Iglesias & Willie Nelson)  #7 “You Might Think” (The Cars)  #8 “They Don’t Know” (Tracey Ullman)  #9 “Let’s Hear It For The Boy” (Deniece Williams)  #10 “Miss Me Blind” (Culture Club....D week....)

Baseball Quiz Answers: 1) Only two to strikeout 2,500 times in a career...Reggie Jackson, 2,597; Jim Thome, 2,548.  2) Only two to strikeout 220 times in a season...Mark Reynolds, 223 in 2009; Adam Dunn, 222 in 2012.

Reynolds, 298 HR for his career, had his all-time strikeout season in his best campaign, 44 homeruns with Arizona; Dunn hit 462 HR in his career, 41 in 2012 with Cincinnati.  One of my all-time favorite players, he had six seasons with 40+, including five straight.

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tues.

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