Sunday March 26, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3135

check that off the list

I can now no longer say -- and proudly so -- "I've never seen one minute of MMA."

That one got checked off the bucket list last night when I attended the Shogun Fights card at Maryland Live! Casino at Arundel Mills.

To say I had a blast would be an understatement.

And I enjoyed it so much I'll definitely go back.

Drew's Morning Dish was a proud sponsor of the event last night in front of 3,000 or so enthusiastic spectators. There were 11 fights scheduled but one had to be canceled due to something happening to one of the fighters. Even still, each fight was different and I got to see a variety of "conclusions", including a 15-minute decision, a 26-second submission, a few tap outs, a knock out and a choke out.

Oh, and the Women's fight was a real barnburner. Those two girls got in there and went toe-to-toe. It was certainly not in any way a "drop down" from the men's fights in terms of energy and excitement.

I don't know much, still, about the technical aspects of MMA, but I was learning as I went along last night. I bumped into show owner John Rallo during the night and picked his brain a bit to try to gather as much information as I could on the fly about scoring and such.

It was fun picking who you thought was going to win based on their entrance music and they way they presented themselves at the check-in just prior to the start of the bout. I'd say I was about 50/50 on the night. There were apparently two significant upsets on the night and the prospect for future matches between the fighters involved in those upsets is appealing. That's what I heard, anyway.

As I watched last night, I figured I had to be the only person in the room who hadn't ever seen a MMA fight before I walked into the Maryland Live! Hall on Saturday. And I have to say, it was well, well worth my time.

I have a new found respect for those athletes. They are in incredible physical shape but their cardio shape is out of this world. As one veteran MMA fan (I think he used to fight -- he had the "look" of a fighter for sure) next to me said, "If you can only hang in there for 4 minutes and 30 seconds of the 5 minute round, that 30 seconds will wind up costing you. The second you relax and try to conserve energy, you're done for."

The other thing about MMA that I quickly learned is you have to be really adept at everything if you're going to survive in the cage. Wrestling, martial arts, boxing -- all of it matters. If you're not good at one of those, your opponent will quickly sniff that out and attack you from that angle.

There were a couple of fights last night where the guy on the losing side just wasn't a very good boxer. He didn't throw many quality punches and he wasn't really capable of defending them, either. That wound up being the difference for him. In both cases, the bout didn't get out of the second round.

John Rallo and his group put together an awesome event last night. It was incredibly well run and the venue was perfect. If you've never been, give it a try in the future.

Oh, and I got a real special treat last night when I got to chat with Justin Schlegel of 98 Rock fame. In a former life, I taught Schlegel when he was a student at a local broadcasting school. It was really cool to catch up with him last night, some 25 years later. He was the emcee of the show and did a great job.

All in all, it was a memorable evening. And I will definitely go back. Rallo, like most show owners and promoters, hopes everyone who attended feels the same way.

I bet they do.

This will be a great day of match play golf in Austin, Texas when the final four tees it up at Austin CC.

The semifinals have Scottie Scheffler vs. Sam Burns and Rory McIlroy vs. Cameron Young. The prospect of a Scheffler-McIlroy final match later on today has everyone in golf beyond excited.

As a matter of record, I hit on 2 of the 4 who made it all the way through to today's play. My final four (posted last Tuesday) was Scheffler, Young, Seamus Power and Min Woo Lee. My eventual champion (Scheffler) is still alive, although I wouldn't be surprised to see Burns win today. He's played as well as anyone in the field this week.

There is a lot of talk in the golf world about the Match Play championship leaving the schedule for the 2024 season. And that will be a shame indeed. Match play golf should be a part of every season on the PGA Tour.

The popularity of the event is undeniable. All 64 players in the field are guaranteed to be on site for three days of "group play", so if you can't get to the course on day one as a spectator, you can get there on day or three to see your favorite player.

The golf is also different, as players are willing to play the holes in a unique way and try shots they might not normally try in a stroke play event.

In match play, if you make a mess of a hole, it's only one hole out of 18. In stroke play, if you make a 7 or an 8, it's hard to recover from that kind of debacle in 18 holes.

Match play is awesome. The PGA Tour has to figure out a way to keep it on the schedule.

Speaking of golf, I'll be on 105.7 from 12-2 pm for a 2-hour edition of "Fairways and Greens" today. I have a nice list of guests in store and we'll check in with the final day of play in the Match Play Championship as well.

Elisa Hermes of the Maryland State Golf Association will join me to preview the 2023 MSGA calendar, plus we'll visit with Tom Pierce, Executive Director of The Classic Five golf courses (Baltimore Municipal Golf).

And I'm very excited to be joined today by esteemed golf journalist and writer Michael Bamberger, who has a new book we'll discuss plus we'll talk about the golf ball rollback with him as well. Bamberger is part of one of golf's most popular media entities, The Firepit Collective, and we'll hear all about that product from him during our visit on Sunday.

Our buddy Ryan French of "Monday Q Info" will also join us to discuss his new venture, a fully integrated website dedicated to mini-tour and qualifying events all over the country.

If you're a golfer, 105.7 is the place to be today from 12-2 pm.

Who knows, we might even spend a second or two running through the high school golf scores from this past week.

I hope you can tune in.

If you missed it last night, Florida Atlantic shocked Kansas State, 79-76, to advance to the Final Four.

But the story of the night turned out to be Jerome Tang, the Kansas State head coach.

Tang went into the FAU locker room after the game and delivered a stirring 2-minute congratulations commentary to the victorious FAU team.

His post-game press conference was equally impressive, as you'll see below.

Coaches on the losing end don't often go out of their way to endorse the team that just beat them, but that's precisely what Tang did last night.

"I told them that no one is going to beat them if they don't get distracted and just keep doing what they've done to get to where they are tonight," Tang said. "They are the toughest team we've seen all year. Nothing gets to them."

Here's Tang's press conference after the loss.

He made a lot of new fans last night.

Saturday March 25, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3134

saturday mailbag

I'm sure Lamar Jackson took notice of the Ravens activity on Friday.

They picked up a wide receiver. A familiar name, actually.

Now, I don't see the Nelson Agholor signing as a big deal or anything like that, but he's definitely a guy who can stretch the field. His hands are a question mark, but he definitely has some wheels.

I don't think Agholor's signing motivates Jackson, per se, but at least the Ravens signed someone to help bolster their wide receiver group.

Because it's the internet and everyone has to have a hot take that matters more than the one posted minutes before, people were quick to put a definitive stamp on the signing.

"This is awful..."

"Dude's very underrated..."

"If this is the best we can do, we're in deep trouble..."

"Hey, they went out and got the best guy available for Lamar..."

I don't know that any of those things are true, actually.

Agholor is a wide receiver. He's had some bright moments in the NFL. He's also on his 4th team in eight NFL seasons and collected just 800 yards in total receiving over the last two campaigns in New England.

Jerry Rice...he's not.

But he's a slight upgrade over what the Ravens had in 2022. I know folks around town are comparing him to the likes of other recent retreads the club signed like Mike Wallace, Michael Crabtree, Jeremy Maclin, Dez Bryant and DeSean Jackson. I get it.

At age 29, Agholor comes to Baltimore with a new lease on his NFL life. He doesn't quite know who the starting quarterback is going to be, yet, but he'll get a lot of footballs thrown his way. As a receiver, that's usually all you care about in the long run.

As for Lamar, there was no news at all on Friday. No leaks, no stories about home gym hucksters calling around to NFL teams trying to get Lamar a new contract. Nothing. It was a Lamar-less Friday in these parts, which felt kind of weird.

At this point, it feels a bit like the ball might be back in the hands of the Ravens, but I'm not sure there's really anything left for them to do.

They've already pretty much made their decision. They're going to use the franchise tag on Jackson and he's due to play for $32.4 million in 2023. There are rumors floating around that Jackson's nest move will be to go to the team and tell them he has to at least pay him the $45 million he would have received under the exclusive franchise tag. Otherwise, he'll sit out.

I don't know how that works and I certainly have no idea if the Ravens would bite on that hook.

But that's the story starting to percolate. Jackson's next move will be to tell the Ravens he won't play for the $32.4 million. He'll just sit out, instead, unless he gets at least $45 million.

Rich asks -- "Hey Drew, for the next Q&A you do, here's one for you. Will we see a $100M per-season player in either football or baseball in our lifetime? Thanks."

DF says -- "Of course, but why not throw basketball in there as well? Steph Curry makes $48 million in 2022-2023. He's halfway there now. We're at the point in football where $50 million per-season is about to be the going rate for a star quarterback. I know it's absurd and all, but that's the price tag.

Baseball is behind, but not by a lot. We'll see a $40 million player this year (Scherzer) and $50 million per-season isn't far behind. My guess is Ohtani could get that as a free agent.

I realize $100 million is a far, far stretch from $50 million, but the top salaries are doubling roughly every 8-10 years in football and baseball, it seems.

Some high school freshman (right now) will be a big time college QB, join the NFL in 2028, have three great years, and sign a $100 million per-season deal in 2031. We're not that far away from it."

Paul T. asks -- "Without looking it up on the internet, how many #1 hits do you think the Beatles had?"

DF says -- "Three? Which would be three more than they probably should have had. Wait, the Bay City Rollers probably had three number one hits. If they had three, I'll say the Beatles had two, then. That's my final answer."

John Langston asks -- "Help settle a water cooler bet that we started in the pro shop at Rocky Point last Saturday. In their prime, who was better? Rory or Mickelson? Harrington or Els? Love or Couples? Thanks and Go Hall!"

DF says -- "I'll tackle the last two first. Davis Love III was extremely underrated. He had the game to win 4 or 5 majors but just never did. Couples was on the first track to being a star until he blew out his back in 1993. He was sorta-kinda never the same after that. I'll take Love in that one, but only by the slimmest of margins. Love won 21 times on TOUR and Freddie won 15. They both finished with one major. It's awfully close between them.

Els finished with 4 majors and Harrington finished with 3. Ernie's career on the PGA Tour was better. Harrington was a rock star on the European Tour, mainly. Els was definitely the better player. Harrington was just a grinder who got the most out of his game. And that's not to take anything away from him at all. He did a lot of winning. But Els was a better golfer, for sure.

The Rory/Phil discussion is definitely interesting. McIlroy has 23 wins and he is halfway to Phil's win total of 45. My guess is he'll surpass 45, but he still has to win 22 more times, which is a lot. It's definitely not a slam dunk. Mickelson has 6 majors and Rory has 4. I assume Rory has 3 more majors in him, at least.

Mickelson, though, was an extraordinary player. If not for the fact that Tiger won almost twice as many tournaments as he did, we'd be talking about Phil as potentially a top 5 player of all-time. As it stands now, he's not even in the discussion for Top 10, I don't think.

Rory is probably a better player than Phil ever was, but Mickelson played a different style of golf. If Phil would have just won 3 of the majors he gave away, he'd have 9 now and we'd be talking about him in a completely different light.

That one is a toss-up. McIlroy is a tremendous player but so, too, was Mickelson. Phil's biggest problem? He got run out of the gym by Tiger for 15 years, like everyone else did in golf.

Oh, and yes sir, Go Hall!"

Brian asks -- "You have to watch one of these sporting events for one week straight without switching over to anything else. Which one do you watch? NASCAR, poker, darts or bowling?"

DF says -- "Holy cow, what did I do to deserve that? I can watch all four of them, actually, even though I'm not really a poker player at all. I like NASCAR, but only the last 10 laps of the race. We'll throw that one out first.

If I played poker, I'd probably be willing to consider that one, but I don't. So let's throw that one out, even though I'm pretty sure poker is fascinating to play (and watch) at a high level.

Darts...or bowling? Hmmmm. I'll go with bowling, I think. I appreciate darts and the skillset of those who play it, but to sit and watch it for a week on TV? I'll take bowling. Bowling reminds me of golf. It's a game of inches. Hit the pin in the right spot and you get a strike out of it. Miss your mark by an inch or two and you knock down 6 pins and you're not able to get the other 4 knocked down because of where they sit on the lane.

In another life, I could be an ardent bowler, I think. I like the concept of it."

Randy asks -- "Bruce in Baltimore is just two weeks away! If he asked you before the show to pick any song you want to hear that night what would it be? One song. You pick it. Thanks and see you at the show!"

DF says -- "Great question. I'm trying to think of one of my favorites that I've never heard him play live before. There are a couple of songs from the "Magic" album that I love that I've never heard live. And some from "Working on a Dream" as well. But if I could pick one song to hear on April 7 it would be "Bobby Jean".

So...let's hear it now, just in case."

Friday March 24, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3133

friday notes

If there is someday a book written about the best way not to handle a gazillion dollar contract negotiation, Lamar Jackson should definitely write the foreword.

He has the whole process mastered.

"Back in 2022 and 2023, I had the chance to sign a quarter of a million dollar deal with my team, the Baltimore Ravens. Along the way, I made every mistake you could imagine, including having a friend of mine who didn't have the first clue how to go about negotiating with NFL teams call general managers and inquire about their interest in me. If it looked like I was a bumbling fool throughout the entire process, that's because I was a bumbling fool."

Somehow, Jackson continues to make himself look worse day after day. Now he has some dude named Ken Francis calling around trying to peddle himself as Lamar's "advisor" in an attempt to find a team interested in Lamar's services in 2023 and beyond.

Francis and Lamar are co-promoters of a contraption called "The Entire Gym", which appears to be some sort of mobile kit that you wheel around and spread out on the nearest field or open space and complete a pre-set fitness routine.

I'm sure you're laughing at this point.

It's OK if you are. The whole thing is pretty comical at this point.

It feels like a contract negotiation you'd find in Major League 4 or something like that. You know, where Willie Mays Hayes steals 110 bases in Japan and wants to come back to play for the (now) Guardians and asks for $55 million for one season and then has the barista at his local coffee shop make the introductory calls about Hayes and his contract needs.

I have to assume even the NFLPA is embarrassed at this point. They're actually somewhat responsible for the whole charade as it is, but there's no doubt even they had to cringe yesterday when the memo from the NFL was leaked and we all found out about some guy named Ken Francis and his role with Lamar's contract talks.

The Ravens, meanwhile, just sit back and snicker.

But there's one thing to remember: This could unravel even more and, somehow, get worse before it gets better.

I know you're thinking to yourself, "There's no way this whole thing could get worse."

Oh, yes it can.

It definitely can.

Anytime I've ever written or talked about Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), I've always been quick to say, "I've never seen one minute of it."

Sure, I've seen a highlight of a kick or a punch on the internet or TV, but I've never actually seen one full minute of a MMA fight.

I'm excited to report that will change tomorrow night.

I'll be in attendance at the Shogun Fights event at Maryland Live! Casino.

I don't know the rules, I don't know how anything works and I'm actually very much OK with that. I'm just going to experience it all and take it in, learning a little something along the way and trying to appreciate the skills of the athletes at the same time.

I'm actually very excited about going and seeing MMA in person.

I also have a handful of Masters golf tournament wagers I'll throw in at the same time. You're at a casino and they allow wagering on golf...why wouldn't you make a bet or two, right?

If you're heading to the fights, shoot me a message (18inarow@gmail.com) and perhaps we can meet up for a beverage. Fights start at 6:30 pm.

A lot is being made of the 375-yard drive Rory McIlroy hit on the final hole of his match with Denny McCarthy at the Match Play Championship.

It was something to see, that's for sure.

It's one thing if you hit a 375-yard drive that just bounds down the fairway and comes to rest 60 yards from the green on a 435 yard hole.

That's a great drive indeed.

It's another thing entirely to be 1-up with 1 to play in a match play event and come to the 375-yard 18th hole and hit your drive to 4 feet...which is exactly what Rory did on Thursday in disposing of McCarthy, an Argyle CC (Silver Spring, MD) member.

Rory's final drive of the day was the toast of Thursday night social media. The PGA Tour being what it is and all, we're not in a position to post it here for you to see. But you can find it if you're on the internet today for, oh, about 5 seconds. It's everywhere.

McIlroy remains the second biggest needle-mover in all of golf, trailing only Tiger Woods. When he does something special, it's everything the sport wants and needs.

And as the PGA Tour's de facto player spokesman these days, McIlroy not only has to play loud, he has to speak loud, too. His recent brushes with LIV Golfers have made international headlines and earlier this week, the 4-time major champion made more headlines by siding with the USGA and R&A in their recent decision to begin the process of a "ball rollback" within a few years.

McIlroy thinks making professional players play one uniformed golf ball in major championships will help identify the best player. "I'm all for it," Rory said. "I don't think there's any question the distances we're hitting it off the tee these days warrants some kind of intervention. We just have to understand the courses we play don't have any more room for lengthening. They'll be obsolete if we don't do something soon."

That commentary was surprising given McIlroy's status in the game as one of the best drivers of the golf ball on any professional tour. Why would a player that thrives on hitting it far and straight want to dial back the capabilities of the golf ball to potentially level the playing field against the other competitors he faces?

"I think the best players will really flourish if we reduce the length guys can hit it off the tee," McIlroy said. "It will put more emphasis on hitting your irons well and your short game will now really take on added importance."

It's important to note that the proposed ball rollback would potentially create a difference of somewhere around 15-20 yards. It's not like guys are going to go back to the days where they were hitting their tee shots 250-275 yards. Players will still have the ability to reach 300 or more yards off the tee, even with a new, dialed-back golf ball.

"I think it's a great idea," McIlroy said. "Let's put less emphasis on how far you can hit it and more emphasis on what you can do with the ball in every facet of the game."

Speaking of golf, I'll be on 105.7 from 12-2 pm for a 2-hour edition of "Fairways and Greens" this Sunday. I have a nice list of guests in store and we'll catch up with the final day of play in the Match Play Championship as well.

Elisa Hermes of the Maryland State Golf Association will join me to preview the 2023 MSGA calendar, plus we'll visit with Tom Pierce, Executive Director of The Classic Five golf courses (Baltimore Municipal Golf).

And I'm very excited to be joined this Sunday by esteemed golf journalist and writer Michael Bamberger, who has a new book we'll discuss plus we'll talk about the golf ball rollback with him as well. Bamberger is part of one of golf's most popular media entities, The Firepit Collective, and we'll hear all about that product from him during our visit on Sunday.

Our buddy Ryan French of "Monday Q Info" will also join us to discuss his new venture, a fully integrated website dedicated to mini-tour and qualifying events all over the country.

If you're a golfer, 105.7 is the place to be this Sunday from 12-2 pm.

Who knows, we might even spend a second or two running through the high school golf scores from this past week.

I hope you can tune in.

faith in sports

I hope you give yourself 8 minutes and 35 seconds today to watch the video below. You'll meet former NFL long snapper Clint Gresham, who shares an incredible personal story about his journey and his battle with depression and how faith and his relationship with God helped him turn the corner.

This is one of the best videos ever produced by the people at the popular website, "I Am Second".

It's incredibly personal. And the story Gresham tells is, in some way, something every person can identify with.

Please take less than ten minutes today for yourself. Pour yourself a cup of coffee and watch and listen to Gresham's story.

Thanks, as always, to our friends at Freestate Electrical for their continued support of #DMD and our Friday feature, Faith in Sports.

Thursday March 23, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3132

the lamar-o-meter

My buddy Glenn Clark of Glenn Clark Radio fame came up with this idea last week. Yes, it involves Lamar Jackson. No, despite what we say, we can't get enough of Lamar and whether he's going to be a Raven in 2023.

Clark developed the "Lamar-O-Meter", a nifty little cardboard slap-together (creative, Clark is, an artist, he's not) that includes a meter-looking-thing and a needle.

With each day's Lamar news -- real, sourced or otherwise -- Clark moves the needle to the appropriate spot based on his opinion, that day, on whether Lamar will be the Ravens starting quarterback on day one of the 2023 campaign.

It's a fun little gadget and exercise. I mean, the needle has moved all over the board over the last month or so. And fiddling around with the Lamar-O-Meter is better than just talking about Lamar. I guess? Right?

I hopped on 105.7 with Clark last night at 8:15 pm to talk sports with him for a few minutes and he asked me where I'd put the needle on the Lamar-O-Meter.

Clark, at least yesterday, was at roughly 75% that Jackson will be the Ravens starting quarterback in next season's opener.

I'm probably more at like 85%. You could talk me into 90%, even.

Where's Lamar going to go, after all? Everyone that could have taken him is pretty much a no-go now with the possible exception of the New York Jets. He doesn't have a team other than the Ravens.

I just don't see any other way around it for Jackson. Sure, he could refuse to sign the tender and all and that would leave him without a job, basically, starting in September. It would actually almost be appropriate for Lamar to do just that and sit out and not get paid. He's bungled this whole thing from jump street, so why not just keep on rolling along with that theme?

But I don't think Jackson will sit out. In fact, I'm fairly certain he'll be the Ravens' QB on opening day. Officially, I'm at 85% this morning.

Oh, and I'm still of the mindset that the Ravens and Lamar are going to agree on a 3-year deal -- as I've been saying for more than two months now -- that will serve as a nice stop-gap contract for him over a shorter period of time.

Something in the neighborhood of 3-years, $150 million, with virtually all of it guaranteed in some fashion.

But for now, we're stuck with Clark's contraption, the "Lamar-O-Meter". I'm at 85%

And you? Where do you put the needle?

Come on now, play along. You know you want to.

Connecting a recently-passed Russian law with their planned "Pride Night" festivities, the Chicago Blackhawks announced on Wednesday they will not ask their players to wear Pride jerseys during the warm-up period before this Sunday's home game with Vancouver.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law back in December that greatly expands restrictions on activities seen as promoting LGBTQIA+ rights in that country. Blackhawks defenseman Nikita Zaitsev is a Moscow native, and there are other players with family in Russia or other connections to the country.

While the Blackhawks will not wear Pride warmup jerseys, the team plans to carry out a variety of activities in conjunction with Sunday's game. DJs from the LGBTQIA+ community will play before the game and during an intermission, and the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus also is slated to perform. There are also plans to highlight a couple of area businesses with ties to the LGBTQIA+ community.

Last week in San Jose, goaltender James Reimber cited his religious beliefs in announcing he wouldn't wear a Pride themed jersey during the Sharks' warm-up period. Other NHL players and teams have pulled back as well this season, opting to avoid controversy by......creating controversy.

It is, though, a very delicate topic, as is any conversation these days about the promotion of gay or transgender "activities".

That it has bled over into sports isn't totally shocking; there are gay athletes in every sport, as we know.

But that teams are creating events within their games and asking players to actively participate in the promotion of those events is where it starts to get dicey.

Inclusion is important. Everyone should feel welcome to attend a hockey game, baseball game, football game, basketball game, golf match, etc.

But that also shouldn't mean that players are forced to wear something that conflicts with their personal beliefs.

This isn't about a patch on their jersey that says "FORD" and the starting forward is a longtime driver of "CHEVY" vehicles. You wear that patch because it's part of the official team uniform and FORD and CHEVY aren't connected to your faith or personal beliefs.

I don't see anything wrong with a team promoting the LGBTQIA+ community on any given day/night. It's no different, to me, than hosting "Catholic Schools Day" at the stadium or "Latino Night".

But asking a player to wear a jersey that could conflict with his/her beliefs is a little too much, I'd say.

And then, worst of all, that player winds up being overly scrutinized. He (she) becomes the story, sadly.

We're living in the "Gotcha!" generation, where we have to be right and you, or someone, has to be wrong. I'm just dying for the opportunity to say "Gotcha!".

And that's what has happened with Pride Night and the associated activities that have been created in sports. It's no longer about promoting that community, but now it's more about discovering which players or athletes aren't willing to go along with those activities and events so we can scream "Gotcha!".

	RANDY MORGAN on American soccer
Americans are playing more and more of a vital role in international soccer these days, and Randy Morgan has his eyes on all of them for #DMD. Each week here, he looks at recent performances of American players and highlights upcoming games of importance.

u.s. men's soccer update

The US Men's National team will convene for the first official games since the Qatar World Cup this week. The team is set to play two CONCACAF Nations League games in the window.

The first will be played against Grenada on March 24th, followed by a game against El Salvador on March 27th in Orlando.

The team will be led by interim coach Anthony Hudson, as the search continues for a new Technical Director who will then hire the new long term coach. The investigation related to the Reyna incident has concluded, and US Soccer has said that Gregg Berhalter remains a candidate to return as the head coach.

This roster is a mix of veterans from the Qatar World Cup along with some players who just missed out on and prospects who have emerged with their club play over the past few months. Perhaps the most noteworthy inclusion on the roster is that of Gio Reyna, as he looks to put the recent controversy behind him, reconcile with his teammates and show his value on the field.

World Cup starters Tyler Adams, Josh Sargent, and Tim Weah were all unavailable due to injuries, as well as top center back prospect Chris Richards and a few others. The roster leans heavy on European players as there is another friendly scheduled against Mexico outside of a FIFA window in April that will likely feature more of the MLS contingent.

A few other players to watch in this window will be FC Utrecht attacker Taylor Booth, Club America's Alex Zendejas, and strikers Ricardo Pepi and Daryl Dike. Booth has been one of the top performing Americans in Europe over the past few months, earning plaudits in the Netherlands for his attacking output for 7th place FC Utrecht.

With Tim Weah out of this roster, Booth could get a chance to show what he can do at right wing. He could also be an option in midfield for the US.

Zendejas was a part of the January US camp and the dual-national has now officially decided to represent the US over Mexico internationally. He is a skillful winger who is having a good season in the Mexican league.

Ricardo Pepi and Daryl Dike were both part of the Nations League and qualifying campaigns leading up to the last World Cup, but fell short of the final roster due to form and fitness.

Pepi has put together a decent season after a transfer to Groningen in the Netherlands, while Dike has been one of the hottest US goal scorers over the past month with West Bromwich in the English Championship.

Another player to watch is Atlanta United's Miles Robinson, who will be returning to the team for the first time since early in World Cup qualifying. Robinson was a key piece in the center of defense before suffering a long-term injury. He is now back healthy and looking to regain his spot in the lineup.

Overall, the US Men's soccer team will have a mix of experience and potential in this upcoming international window, as they regroup to prepare for a pair of summer competitions.

Barring a massive upset, the US will be looking forward to both the Nations League final four and the Gold Cup this summer. Paired with the Under-20 World Cup, it represents a busy summer as the cycle begins for the US hosted 2026 World Cup.

Wednesday March 22, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3131

"stop trying to fix it..."

A parent of a junior golfer that I don't coach at Calvert Hall but who knows me through the local golf community reached out to me on Monday of this week with a story and a question.

"We're at the end of our rope," he asked. "Jason just can't seem to get his golf game straightened out. We're trying to fix his swing but nothing's working. He's never had this happen before. What should we do?"

There's a lot to unpack there, for sure.

Jason is a high school sophomore who plays for a private school in Anne Arundel County.

"We're at the end of our rope." ???

Your son is 15. He turns 16 over the summer. He has his entire golfing life ahead of him. "We're at the end of our rope." ??? Please don't think that or say that again.

When I asked for clarification about Jason's golf swing and what, precisely, needed to be straightened out, the response was brief and to the point.

"Keeps shooting 85 in tournaments. 75 in casual play, 85 in tournaments. He chokes under pressure."

He might choke under pressure because you, his parent(s), keep reminding him of his shortcomings. You know, the whole "75 in casual rounds, 85 in tournaments." That's not exactly the best way to build a golfer's self-esteem.

And what's wrong with a 15-year old kid shooting 85 in golf tournaments? If it's a "real" 85, played under tournament conditions, where every shot is accounted for, 85 is a pretty daggone good score.

Is it possible -- and I'm just spitballing here -- that a number of his casual rounds of 75 really aren't 75 after all? In other words, a mulligan here, a missed four footer that's not counted there, maybe even a couple of raked-back 3 footers that lipped out but were counted as made, anyway?

In other words, the 75 is really more like 80. Or 82, even, depending on the severity of the scoring breaches.

"We're trying to fix his swing but nothing's working." This one is the chief comment I hear from golf enthusiasts of all ages, not just juniors.

What, precisely, are you trying to fix? I always ask that anytime someone says, "I'm trying to fix my swing."

What about your swing is bad? Or wrong? Do you even know? You're hitting a lot of hooks? Interesting. Do you know why you're hitting hooks?

"Stop trying so hard to fix something you know very little about," I say all the time. "It's akin to smoke billowing out of the hood of your car on 695 today. You pull over, because the smoke tells you there's something wrong, and then you lift up the hood to inspect the engine.

You have no idea what, exactly, you're looking for, but you figured you'd just open the hood because smoke's coming out and you know that's not the way it's supposed to be.

It's the same in the golf swing. You start hitting these screeching hooks to the left...low bullets that move left, left and more left. And you know that's not the way the ball is supposed to leave the clubface. So you start trying to "change your swing".

Meanwhile, you have no idea why you started hooking the ball in the first place. But you're going to work on a new move and get rid of that hook.

News flash: You're probably not going to get rid of the hook.

I love the whole idea of "he's never had this happen before..." Of course he has. He didn't start out at age 7 shooting 85. He started out shooting 125, probably. And little by little, he started to post better scores. 115, 105, 95 and then, suddenly, he broke 90 for the first time and now, he's on his way to stardom.

So, Jason has been struggling with golf since forever, it's just that your expectations for him have adjusted more than his quality of golf has improved.

"Let him stink for a couple of weeks so he can get re-centered," I told his parent. "It's golf. It's supposed to be maddening. You're supposed to shoot 77 one day and 91 the next day. Don't try harder. If anything at all, try less, not more."

"But we're coming up on a big summer. He needs to have his "A Game" for the summer tournaments..."

Jason might not have an "A Game". Not yet, anyway. And that's OK. But if you keep telling him he needs an "A Game" and it's not there when he calls upon it. what's that do for his confidence? Not much.

Golf is generally not a sport where people can succeed by trying harder or pulling their "A Game" out of a hat.

If anything, in golf, don't try hard. Don't try harder. Don't "try" anything at all, in fact.

Just go through your fundamentals and make the best golf swing you have in that moment. Once the ball leaves the club, it's gone for good. That shot...is over.

Jason has an interesting six months ahead of him, particularly if he continues to deal with these outside influences (also called, "parents"). Whether he has the tools to be a quality, competitive junior golfer remains to be seen, but one thing for sure: He is off to a good golfing start if he's posting legitimate rounds of 85 on occasion.

"Tell Jason he's doing just fine," I said to his parent. "85 today, 95 tomorrow. It's all part of learning how to manage your game. The goal after that 95 is to bounce back the next time he plays with something a little more reasonable. Anything in the 80's would be just fine, for example."

"He was shooting 95 last summer," the parent shot back. "We figured this summer he'd be much better."

Well, yeah, maybe he will be. It's March 22, after all. June is still a few months away.

"He might have a great summer," I wrote via text. "He might go from 95 to 85 and then 85 to 80, all in the summer of 2023. I have no idea if that's going to happen, but I know it's possible."

"And what if," I mentioned, "Jason keeps shooting around 95 but develops a specific part of his game that becomes his staple? What if he struggles with the driver for a month or two but because of that he starts to develop a really sound wedge game or chipping game?"

"The scores are the scores," I concluded. "He can't change those on the spot, but he can definitely figure out what he did on the course and learn from it right then and there."

Golf is different than most sports in that there's always something specific you can look back on...your score. And everyone thinks it's their score that dictates whether they played well or didn't play well or won or didn't win.

The reality is, you can strike the ball great from tee to green and not have a good day with the putter and shoot 80. Or you can have an off-day ball striking wise, hit some bad drives, but rescue yourself with a great day chipping and putting and shoot 75.

In the end, the better "round" of golf was always the one with the lowest score...75.

But you might have played better golf in the round of 80.

Yet, it's the round of 80 where you'd finish up afterwards and think, "I have to fix things..."

As I told Jason's parent, everything isn't always in need of fixing. It's golf. Sometimes weird things happen because the playing surface isn't flat, unlike every other sport we know. Sometimes weird things happen because the wind blows a certain way or the hole moves to the left and that's not your preferred ball flight.

For all parents of junior athletes -- not just golfers -- I'd offer this: Allow them to play, allow them to make mistakes, allow them to play poorly for a week or two or three. And allow them to dig their way out of it without always worrying about how to do it or how long it takes.

Just let your junior athlete figure it out for themselves. Here's my bet: They will.

The ending to last night's World Baseball Championship was the ideal setting, as Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout to give Japan the title, 3-2.

I wrote about the tournament recently here at #DMD and it bears repeating: Having the competition in mid-March is a colossal mistake. Had this event been played in July instead of March, it would have made for riveting, compelling sports drama at its finest.

As it was last night, the majority of the sporting nation (at least here, in the U.S.) had no idea it was going on. It's not yet baseball season. No one's thinking about baseball in March.

Maybe, though, the dramatic finish to the 2023 WBC will wake up the tournament organizers and they'll realize that what they have -- the World Cup of Baseball, basically -- has the potential to be a massively significant sports event held every 4 years. Given the international impact we're seeing in baseball these days, playing the tournament in mid-July would be ideal in terms of popularity and interest.

Sure, there are flaws in the July event. Players are in the middle of their real season. Teams might be reluctant to have them play 8-10 additional games during an already jam-packed schedule. The players themselves might opt for the 3-week break rather than play in the WBC.

One reasonable suggestion would be to reduce the MLB regular season from 162 to 144 games in WBC years. The wear and tear on each player would be unchanged (and not every player in MLB plays in the WBC, remember) in that case.

There will always be injury possibilities no matter when you play; Edwin Diaz and Jose Altuve both suffered high profile injuries in this year's WBC. If those injuries happen in July instead of March, then there's real trouble. I get that. But players can (and do) get hurt during any game in the season. Stuff happens, as they saying goes.

The magical ending to last night's championship game will hopefully be a table-setter for the next one. Get the WBC out of March and into the middle of the summer where baseball fans are already locked into their team's season.

No one cares about baseball in March.

It seems that everyone knows that to be true except for......baseball people.

This Saturday night at Maryland Live! Casino, John Rallo and his Shogun Fights will provide area MMA fans with another exciting 11-fight card.

Rallo has been the state's undisputed top activist and promoter of MMA over the last 20 years and his Shogun Fights events are known throughout the country as one of the top promotions in the sport.

I've known John for the better part of 15 years now and I'm thrilled to see him have continued success with his company. In fact, this Saturday night, I'll be attending my first ever MMA event!

I had the chance to sit down with John recently and talk about his love for MMA and all that goes into running a company that produces live fight cards, plus we preview this Saturday's exciting card at Maryland Live! Casino.

Here's the interview with John Rallo. I hope you enjoy it.

Tuesday March 21, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3130

it's time for yet another bracket challenge

And you think picking the NCAA Tournament bracket is difficult?

Try going through the 64-man field at the PGA Tour's annual Match Play Championship and picking your final eight, final four and eventual finalists. It's darn near impossible.

The event starts tomorrow, Wednesday, at Austin Country Club in Austin, Texas. You'd usually see my golf picks on Wednesday here, but I'm giving them out a day earlier this week.

There are very few no-brainers in the bracket. Alas, it's set up more like soccer's World Cup than the NCAA Tournament, as each player is placed in a 4-man group and then plays the other three players once over a three-day period. But, still, every player in each group can beat the other guy on any given day.

In other words, there are no 1 vs. 16 walks-in-the-park match-ups in the PGA Tour's event this week.

Sorry Purdue fans...that wasn't intentional, trust me.

Scottie Scheffler, for example, comes in as the #1 player in the entire field and he's teeing it up against #54 Davis Riley, #17 Tom Kim and #38 Alex Noren. I suspect that Scheffler's coming out of that group, but he could also lose to any of those and it wouldn't be a complete stunner. It's golf. And it's match play golf, at that. Anything can happen.

There are certain players with great track records in match play, like Kevin Kisner, who almost always figures out a way to be playing on the weekend in the Match Play Championship. Matt Kuchar is also a solid match play competitor. Scheffler, of course, is the defending champion of this event and was an amateur match play wizard in college.

Jordan Spieth won the U.S. Junior Amateur, which is a match play event.

I could go on and on. Nearly every player in the field this week is adept at match play, which is different than stroke play in that you're playing against an opponent on a hole-by-hole basis instead of counting every stroke like you do in "regular golf".

So, yes, it's very difficult to handicap this particular field because the quality of the field is so deep and each group contains players of relatively-equal caliber. And there will be upsets, for sure. It always happens in this event.

That said, I love the tournament. It's one of my favorites of the season, actually. I'd love to see the PGA Tour do even more match play, somehow, if they could. Match play, of course, is the format in the Ryder Cup that's played every other year. It's the best way to play golf against another player.

Here's my stab at the bracket, starting with who I think will make it to the final eight, the final four and then the championship.

In the upper left of the bracket, I'll go with Scheffler and Jason Day. It's really hard to pick against Scottie Scheffler in any tournament or any format...so I won't. I will say, though, that I think Tom Kim is a sleeper in Scheffler's initial 4-man group. I love Tom Kim's game despite his slow start to the 2023 campaign.

Jason Day is really starting to play great golf again. I love his chances as a darkhorse at Augusta National in two weeks. And it wouldn't surprise me at all to see him make some real noise in Austin, Texas this week.

In the upper right, I'll go with Cameron Young and Will Zalatoris. Young just hired away Paul Tesori, the longtime caddie of Webb Simpson, so it will be interesting to see if the Young-Tesori partnership flourishes over the rest of this season. Zalatoris is a ball-striking machine with an occasionally balky putter. Match play tends to hide "off" putters, though, because in many cases you don't have to make a putt to win the hole.

The lower left portion of the bracket has five or six intriguing names. I could see the likes of K.H. Lee, Seamus Power, Shane Lowry, Max Homa or Brian Harman working their way through their side of the bracket. One real longshot worth watching is Taylor Montgomery, a 28-year old UNLV product who is playing well week after week.

But, officially, I'm moving on with Jordan Spieth and Seamus Power in the lower left. I think Spieth's game is rapidly rising, just in time for the Masters, and Power is a very underrated player.

On the lower right, it's Tyrrell Hatton and Min Woo Lee moving on. Granted, the lower right is a total crapshoot (Rory and Xander are the two "best" players), but I think both Hatton and Lee are in great form and it just feels like the time is right for one of those two to move into the spotlight.

So, there's my final eight. Scheffler, Day, Young, Zalatoris, Power, Spieth, Hatton and Lee.

And with that said, as we all know from doing any kind of bracket, there's almost zero chance I'll go 8-for-8. It's just too impossible to predict.

My final four? Scheffler, Power, Young and Lee.

In the finals, it's Scheffler vs. Lee.

And, yes, I'll take Scheffler to repeat as the champion. He's the best player in the world for a reason at this point. He wins a lot. And I don't see him losing this week at Austin CC.

The Antoine Davis story in college basketball is hilarious. Talk about delusional...

Davis, in case you don't know, plays for the University of Detroit Mercy and he finished his college basketball career just four points shy of breaking Pete Maravich's all-time NCAA scoring record.

I know...you probably had no idea.

That's because Davis and his Detroit Mercy team lost in the Horizon League tournament and then, because they were 14-19 in '22-23, did not receive an invitation to play in any of the other post-season tournaments (NIT, CBI).

So, Davis finished his career four points shy of being the NCAA's all-time leading scorer.

He feels "cheated", he says, because his Detroit Mercy squad didn't receive an invite to the College Basketball Invitational or any other "pop up" tournament that sometimes gets created to lure losing teams to pay $25,000 or more for the opportunity to extend their season.

"I'm upset about it," Davis told The Associated Press. "I feel like I got cheated out of something that they can't ever give back to me. I think it's selfish -- and weird -- that people emailed or called the CBI to say we shouldn't be in the tournament because they didn't want me to break the record."

Actually, Detroit Mercy shouldn't be in the tournament because they weren't a very good team. Sure, some other sub-.500 teams might get invites to certain post-season tournaments, but that doesn't mean EVERY bad team should get one. Detroit Mercy finished 14-19. If Davis and his teammates wanted to get a post-season invite they could have, you know, played better.

And the other thing Davis is missing as he whines about not having a shot at the record is this: The record is already long gone out of his grasp, if you're a discerning basketball fan. Maravich scored 3,667 points in 83 career games at LSU over three seasons. Davis scored 3,664 points in 5 years and 144 games at Detroit Mercy.

Too bad he couldn't have come back for a 6th season, huh?

That Maravich record would have definitely fallen in that case.

#clownshoes

This Saturday night at Maryland Live! Casino, John Rallo and his Shogun Fights will provide area MMA fans with another exciting 11-fight card.

Rallo has been the state's undisputed top activist and promoter of MMA over the last 20 years and his Shogun Fights events are known throughout the country as one of the top promotions in the sport.

I've known John for the better part of 15 years now and I'm thrilled to see him have continued success with his company. In fact, this Saturday night, I'll be attending my first ever MMA event!

I had the chance to sit down with John recently and talk about his love for MMA and all that goes into running a company that produces live fight cards, plus we preview this Saturday's exciting card at Maryland Live! Casino.

Here's the interview with John Rallo. I hope you enjoy it.

	RANDY MORGAN on American soccer
Americans are playing more and more of a vital role in international soccer these days, and Randy Morgan has his eyes on all of them for #DMD. Each week here, he looks at recent performances of American players and highlights upcoming games of importance.

european soccer update

This week the competition for Europe’s biggest prize narrowed down to eight teams as the last four entrants into the Champions League quarterfinals were decided midweek.

Over the weekend the German title race continued to provide the most drama of any in Europe, with another flip-flop at the top of the standings. In Spain, the third Clasico of the season between Real Madrid and Barcelona finished with the title race all but over.

Up in England the action was split between the Premier League and the FA Cup with Arsenal extending their lead in the former while Manchester City impressed in the latter.

There weren’t many highlights from the Americans abroad, but several played key roles in a relegation battle in England as well as a crazy finish in the FA Cup. Christian Pulisic had a decent outing getting a start for Chelsea and another teenage American debuted in Germany.

Later this week we will have a preview of the upcoming international break for the US men. Interim head coach Anthony Hudson has called in a mix of veterans from the World Cup roster and players looking to breakthrough and earn a more regular spot as the US plays their first two official games since the World Cup.

European Roundup –

Champions League

The Champions League whittled down to the final eight teams this week with the remaining four second-leg matches on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Tuesday, Manchester City delivered one of the most dominant beatdowns of the season with a 7-0 win over RB Leipzig.

It was a historic night for Erling Haaland, who joined Leo Messi and Luiz Adriano as just the third player ever to score five goals in a Champions League game. The towering striker was in the right place at the right time all night and was ruthless with his finishing, scoring the five goals on just eight shots. He opened the scoring with a penalty kick in the 22nd minute and City was off to the races from there.

The other matchup on Tuesday had considerably less fireworks, as Porto and Inter Milan played to a scoreless stalemate that saw Inter Milan advance 1-0 on aggregate.

The game was as dull as the scoreline for most of the night, however it did provide some late drama. Porto poured on the pressure in the closing minutes, needing a goal to keep the game alive. They came ever so close to finding the goal they needed, with two certain goals cleared off the line by defenders and another shot off the post in injury time.

Wednesday’s games brought less drama as Real Madrid and Napoli both entered with formidable leads against Liverpool and Eintracht Frankfurt. Both teams took care of business to cruise into the next round. Napoli continued to steamroll all comers, riding a two goal effort from Victor Osimhen en route to a 3-0 win to advance 5-0 on aggregate.

The game in Madrid was a little more balanced, providing an entertaining back and forth matchup despite the low scoreline. Each keeper came up with several big saves to keep the game scoreless in the first half.

Liverpool increasingly pressed harder in the second half needing to overcome the huge deficit from the first leg and eventually Madrid took advantage. The defending champions got a goal from Karim Benzema, set up by a scrappy effort from Vinicius Jr. to seal their place in the quarterfinals.

The draw for the final rounds took place on Friday, resulting in some tantalizing quarterfinal matchups. The top billed pairing will pit the two betting favorites against each other, with Manchester City and Bayern Munich drawn together.

The past two Champions League winners, Real Madrid and Chelsea, will square off to see who meets the City-Bayern winner in the semis.

The other side of the bracket has a strong Italian flavor, with runaway Serie A leaders Napoli drawn against the reigning Serie A champs, AC Milan. That winner will face the winner of Portuguese dark horse, Benfica, and Inter Milan.

Given the quarterfinal pairings and the way the bracket sets up, Napoli look to have the best path to the trophy. Despite Manchester City’s recent offensive fireworks, Napoli has been the best team in Europe, with strength on both sides of the ball, and they get to avoid the other three top favorites left in the competition until the final.

Even though their price was much better a few weeks ago, Napoli remains a pretty good betting bargain at around +350.

England –

In the Premier League, Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the table with a comfortable 4-1 win over Crystal Palace, led by two goals and an assist from winger Bukayo Saka. With Manchester City off from league play, the win pushed their lead to eight points.

Down towards the bottom of the table, the Americans at Leeds had a crucial showdown with fellow relegation battler, Wolverhampton. Leeds came away with an important 4-2 win that temporarily jumps them up to 14th in the standings and two points above the relegation line.

Brenden Aaronson and Weston McKennie started for Leeds, with Tyler Adams missing out with an injury.

Both Americans had solid outings with McKennie providing a strong box to box presence and coming up with several timely defensive interventions around his own box. Aaronson had some ups and downs, delivering a nice cutback pass that set up a great look at goal but also scuffing a great look himself just before being subbed off late in the game.

The other big games of the weekend in England came in the FA Cup quarterfinals. Man City rode the hot hand from their seven goal outburst in the Champions League to drop another six goals on second division leaders Burnley in a 6-0 rout.

Erling Haaland capped off a historic week with a hat-trick in the game, giving him eight goals on the week. Kevin De Bruyne chipped in with two assists and Julian Alvarez got two goals and provided one assist. City will meet another second division team, Sheffield United, in the semifinals.

On the other side of the bracket, Manchester United escaped with a 3-1 win over Fulham in a game that was tight until a crazy final fifteen minutes. Fulham played United well, carrying a 1-0 lead late into the second half until it all unraveled in one sequence.

Manchester United got a quick counterattack that finished with a Jadon Sancho shot being blocked by Fulham’s Willian with a handball on the goalline. The handball resulted in a straight red card and a penalty that United converted.

To make matters worse, Fulham striker Aleksander Mitrovic also got a red card for bumping the ref while arguing the call, reducing Fulham to nine men for the rest of the game.

The advantage proved too much as United tacked on two more goals in quick succession and advanced with a 3-1 win. Both Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson started and played well for Fulham before the game fell apart. Manchester United moves on to face Brighton in the semis.

Germany –

In the Bundesliga the drama ramped up once again with a shakeup at the top of the standings. On Saturday, Borussia Dortmund blew the doors off Koln with a 6-1 win. Marco Reus and Sebastian Haller each scored a pair of goals and Raphael Guerreiro continued his hot streak with a goal and two assists.

The win proved especially important when Bayern Munich were upset on the road against Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday.

After falling behind on a Joshua Kimmich goal in the 22nd minute, Leverkusen bounced back with two second half goals off penalties and held out for a 2-1 win. The result left Dortmund in sole possession of first place, one point ahead of Bayern.

Elsewhere in the league, 19 year old American attacker Paxten Aaronson (brother of Brenden) made his debut for Eintracht Frankfurt. Aaronson subbed on in the 82nd minute of their 2-0 loss to Union Berlin.

Though he didn’t have much involvement in the waning minutes, it was a big moment for the teenager, who could be a key player for the US Under-20 team at their World Cup this summer.

Spain –

The third Real Madrid vs Barcelona Clasico of the season ended with the La Liga title all but wrapped up. Despite the absence of star midfielder Pedri due to injury, Barcelona managed to pull out a 2-1 comeback victory to extend their lead to a seemingly insurmountable twelve points.

The visiting Real Madrid went up early in this one when a Vinicius Jr. cross took a very fortunate deflection off Ronald Araujo’s head and past a powerless Ter Stegen. However, it was Barcelona who had the better of the game from there, playing more proactively than in their recent Copa del Rey win over Madrid.

The Catalans took the game to their opponent with the home crowd behind them, keeping the pressure in the Madrid end. They finally evened the score just before halftime when Sergi Roberto struck home a loose ball in the box.

With a draw suiting Barcelona well given their comfortable lead in the table, Real Madrid began pushing higher and higher in attack, trying to find a winner.

They seemed to do just that in the 81st minute when a Carvajal ball found Marco Asensio in the box and he slotted it home, however, Asensio was ruled offside by VAR and the goal was wiped off.

In injury time, Barcelona caught Madrid with numbers forward and launched a counterattack that found Alex Balde free down the left side. The young fullback picked out a precise pass to find Franck Kessie arriving in the box and directing it past Thibaut Courtois to seal the 2-1 victory.

Italy –

In Serie A, Napoli extended their lead to 19 points with a 4-0 thrashing of Torino. Like clockwork, Victor Osimhen and Kvaradona led the way. Osimhen added two more goals to his league leading tally and Kvaradona scored a goal and assisted another.

Below them, Lazio got a tight 1-0 win over crosstown rivals Roma in the derby of the Italian capital. The win pushed Lazio up to second place while Inter Milan dropped behind them into third after losing 1-0 to a red hot Juventus team.

Had it not been for the docked points due to financial misdeeds, Juventus may just be pushing Napoli for the title. Instead they find themselves seven points back of the Champions League places.

France –

With most of the drama gone from the Ligue 1 title race, Paris St. Germain produced a listless effort and were upset 2-0 by Rennes. Despite the loss they remain seven points clear at the top of the standings.

Team of the Week

G: Onana - Inter Milan

D: Zaccagni - Lazio; Kim - Napoli; Dias - Man City; Guerreiro - Dortmund

M: De Bruyne - Man City; de Jong - Barcelona; Reus - Dortmund

F: Saka - Arsenal; Haaland - Man City; Osimhen - Napoli

Player of the Week –

Erling Haaland - Manchester City

WIth AI and GPT-4 all over the headlines, we may need to check if Haaland isn’t actually a cyborg created to score goals. The 22 year old Norwegian found the net an incredible EIGHT times this week between the Champions League and FA Cup.

What he is doing in his first season with Manchester City is truly unprecedented in the modern era. Haaland now has 42 goals in 37 games across all competitions this season.

This week he became just the sixth Premier League player to ever eclipse the 40 goal mark across all competitions in a single campaign, with upwards of fourteen games still remaining for City. Mo Salah and Ruud Van Nistelrooy share the record for most goals across competitions for a Premier League player at 44, just two more than Haaland’s current tally.

The European record for goals across all competitions is Messi’s 73 in the 2011-12 season. That record seems fairly untouchable, but if Haaland continues to put up eight-goal weeks, he could just start to threaten it down the stretch.

Monday March 20, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3129

o's, masters, lamar (but not in that order?)

Thanks to Maryland's early ouster from the NCAA tournament, the college basketball season in these parts is officially in the books.

It's also over for folks in Durham, Lexington, and West Lafayette.

Somehow, though, it's not over for Michigan State fans. The Spartans are, almost remarkably, the lone Big Ten team left standing in the NCAA tournament.

Nearly everyone's bracket is wrecked at this point, I think. I had Virginia, Kansas State, Texas and UCLA in my Final Four, so I'm still doing fairly well in that regard. I'm particularly pleased to see both Kansas State and UCLA reach the Sweet 16...if you know what I mean.

That said, the early dismissals of teams like Purdue, Kansas, Arizona and Marquette serves as a reminder that the neutral court in March Madness is the great equalizer. Fairleigh Dickinson would never, ever beat Purdue at Purdue. Never. But on one night, in a neutral setting, anything can happen. The Boilermakers learned that lesson all too well in their tournament opener.

So, with Maryland's elimination, the college basketball campaign is complete.

But for me, personally, the most important season of the year kicks off today.

My Calvert Hall golf program kicks off its 2023 season with a varsity non-conference match vs. Landon at Woodmont CC in Rockville and a junior varsity encounter with Loyola at Pine Ridge.

This Wednesday, varsity's MIAA campaign begins with a match vs. Loyola at Hillendale CC.

So, while I know most people around here refer to "opening day" as the one involving the Orioles, today is more important to me on a personal level because of Calvert Hall golf. After two months of working out in the gym and practicing on the course, not to mention our recent five day trip to Corolla, NC, we're eager to play real, competitive golf.

The O's open their 2023 season on Thursday, March 30 in Boston. Expect it to be 40 and breezy at first pitch. Fenway Park in late March is just another reason for Major League Baseball to shorten the season to 144 games and start the campaign on April 20.

After three games in Boston, the Birds will make a very rare early season appearance in Arlington to take on the Texas Rangers for three games as well.

And then it's back to Bawlmer for the home opener vs. the Yankees on Thursday, April 6. I already know what you're thinking. "Wait, the Orioles had the audacity to schedule a home game on the same night (Friday, April 7) as Bruce Springsteen is gracing the newly refurbished downtown arena with his presence?"

No, that's not true. The O's are off on Friday, April 7 when The Boss plays just a quarter-mile to the north.

Yes, baseball season is almost upon us. And this campaign feels far more special than any one in recent memory, mostly because we (most of us, I assume) think the Orioles have a legit chance to be pretty daggone good in 2023. I'll save my official MLB predictions for next week, but here's a hint: Don't plan any early October golf trips or family vacations.

I'm not sure how all of you feel about the start of baseball, particularly when it's late March, but I've long thought that there's something almost poetic about that first week of games. It means, at least on the Atlantic seaboard, that we've survived another winter (mild as its been) and spring is upon us. If baseball's here, in Baltimore, warm days are sure to follow along soon.

Hope springs eternal, the saying goes.

And if baseball season is about to start and spring is in the air, that also means the single greatest sporting event in our country -- The Masters -- is just around the corner.

This year's edition runs April 6-9, culminating on Easter Sunday in Augusta, Georgia.

I might have written this exact same thing in 2017, 2019 and 2021, who knows? But I can't remember a Masters with this many inviting "win possibilites" given recent form, course history and the potential for sizzling storylines.

The top story in two weeks will be, of course, the return of Tiger Woods, playing his second tournament of the year and seeking his record-setting 83rd career PGA Tour win and record-tying 6th Masters title. Woods plays a limited schedule these days and the four majors are really all he's gunning for as his career calendar moves into December. While the other three might be big asks, it's reasonable to think Tiger can still be a factor at Augusta National. We'll soon know if that's true.

Jon Rahm (3 wins so far in '23) and defending Masters champ Scottie Scheffler (2 wins) will be among the favorites, as will Rory McIlroy, who needs a Masters green jacket to complete the Grand Slam. Justin Thomas, who has 2 PGA Championships to his credit, needs another major of some kind to continue to validate himself as one of the world's top players.

All three of those men are great win-bet options two weeks out. Thomas in particular could fetch some nice odds.

There are plenty of other names to watch at Augusta National this year. Guys without major victories who seemingly have the game for it include the likes of Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau and Will Zalatoris. One of those four winning wouldn't be a surprise in the least.

And then you have the rat-fink-villains of the field -- no, no, the Philadelphia Flyers aren't playing in this year's Masters -- from LIV Golf, including two former Masters champions (Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed) who will definitely draw some eyeballs plus guys like Cameron Smith and Bryson DeChambeau, both of whom have won other majors and could potentially be a threat at Augusta National in 2023.

And last but not least, you have Jordan Spieth, who has five top-3 finishes in his career at Augusta (in 10 appearances as a professional) and a victory. Spieth, as we saw yesterday in the Valspar, has the ability to run scorching hot and ice cold all within the same 9-hole span. There's no telling what he might do at Augusta National in two weeks, but the "feel", at least currently, is that his game is taking shape at just right the time.

So, yes, when baseball season kicks off, that means the Masters is right around the corner. Two more weeks, folks. Hang in there for just two more weeks.

And then, there's (still) Lamar.

You know, Lamar Jackson, the (we think) quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens.

There's no news to report, other than Jackson publishing yet another crytpic social media message over the weekend where he references a soon-to-be-distributed personal interview of some kind.

I have no idea what that's about, but I'm guessing we'll find out soon enough.

My guess is Jackson is going to talk about some sort of business endeavor he's involving himself in, whether that's a style of clothes, shoes, jewelry, etc. I have no idea. But I can't imagine he's going to break any kind of "real" news in the interview. The Ravens would go ballistic if Lamar used his own social media platform to discuss the ongoing contract situation and/or the signing of a new deal in advance of them formally announcing it.

Unless there's a team doing something no one who covers the NFL either knows about or can figure out by reading between the lines, it would appear all of Lamar's options for a new employer in 2023 have dried up.

It stands to reason things could still fall apart for the Jets and Aaron Rodgers and New York could switch gears and go after Lamar instead, but that seems unlikely at this point.

The Colts could still be a factor, too, but they've had nearly a week to compile and submit a contract offer for Lamar and have yet to do so. If they haven't done it by now, when are they going to do it?

So, unless there's a team lurking somewhere that we don't know about, it would appear Jackson's going to be contractually bound to the Ravens in 2023. Whether that's through the development and signing of a new long-term deal or through the franchise tag remains to be seen, but Jackson is almost destined to spend the '23 campaign in purple.

I don't know about you, but the "story" has run its course for me. I know we're starved for news and all, but I'm close to being "Lamar'd out" at this point. And that's not all his fault, either. It's just a sign of the times that we get overly saturated with our information via the internet and social media. It never seems to stop.

And with every goofy, cryptic tweet or message Lamar publishes, the cycle begins yet again.

"Lamar's not happy with the Ravens."

"Lamar's signing somewhere else.

"Lamar's coming back to Baltimore!"

"Lamar's a Raven again!"

Someone asked Jackson on social media if he was going to be a Raven in 2023 and he replied with "fasho", which apparently means "for sure". I'm not 25 so maybe I don't understand, but why not just type those words: For Sure?? Anyway, if you believe Lamar, he's "fasho" going to be in Baltimore in the upcoming football season.

How much he's getting paid in '23 remains the big question, though. Jackson is either getting a massive, fat new contract or he's going to be forced to play for the paltry sum of $32.4 million this coming season.

Or he gets traded to another team and the Ravens go looking for a new quarterback.

That's a small option, still, but it's worth noting until Jackson either doesn't find anyone who wants him or he and the Ravens create a new deal for him.

I know you're probably on the verge of being Lamar'd out as well. I know, it's tough. But you can either be tired of reading about Lamar's contract or be tired of reading about the Ravens losing 26-13 again because Teddy Bridgewater threw a pair of second half interceptions in a loss to the Steelers, Bengals, etc.

I'd rather get Lamar'd out now if I have to choose between too much Jackson or too much losing.

Right now, though, too much Lamar definitely seems to be -------- too much.

Sunday March 19, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3128

didn't deserve to win

I'm following along with something I do regularly when I offer commentary on a Maryland basketball game.

I have not yet read Dale Williams' post-game review of the drubbing the Terps took last night in Birmingham. Instead, I'll write what I have to write and then, once I've put my thoughts "on paper", I'll go ahead and open Dale's e-mail with his post-game story and code it for publishing here at #DMD.

I'm sure Dale's analysis will be spot-on. If it differs from mine, so be it, but I'm guessing we're both pretty much going to have the same general opinion of last night's 22-point catastrophe.

Maryland didn't deserve to win.

They didn't even come close to deserving to win, in fact.

And so, that's how their season ended. They got outplayed by a team that is far, far better in almost every facet of the game. I know this is "saying it for the sake of saying it", but if Maryland played Alabama five times instead of once, the Crimson Tide would win all five games.

The Terps were a "good" team in 2022-2023. Nothing more. Alabama, potentially, has a great team on their hands. It's hard not to imagine them working their way to the Final Four after the way they dismantled Kevin Willard's team last night.

But last night's thumping and the way Maryland sorta-kinda rolled over in the second half still don't take away from what they did in Willard's first season in College Park. I wrote here yesterday that a loss to Alabama wouldn't diminish Maryland's success story of '22-23 and I still think that's true this morning.

They got beat last night by a much better team. Period. Once Julian Reese picked up his 3rd foul midway through the first half, that was pretty much the ballgame right there. It took Alabama a while to get going offensively, but they were able to take advantage of Reese's departure and woeful shooting nights from Hakim Hart and Donta Scott to easily cruise to a much deserved win.

It's also worth mentioning that Jahmir Young -- with nearly as many turnovers (4) as field goals made (5) -- wasn't nearly good enough last night to keep the Terps in the game. It's very obvious that Maryland generally goes as far as Young can take them. And last night, he couldn't take them very far.

Reese, who punctuated an on-again, off-again campaign by fouling out last night (of course), is the kind of player who could receive pre-season Big Ten Player of the Year consideration next Fall. He's also the kind of player who is maddening throughout his college career. We'll have to see which version of Juju the Terps get in the 2023-2024 campaign.

I'll still say it, though, and loudly for those in the back of the room who don't hear well. Maryland's first season under Kevin Willard was a success by any measuring stick.

Yes, they were a flawed team.

Yes, they were pretty much awful on the road.

Yes, they seemingly fell behind 18-6 in almost every away game they played.

And, yes, some of that is on Willard to figure out for next season and beyond. It's his team, after all. And Maryland's failure to come out of the game with their hair on fire in most of their road games is something the coach has to dissect and improve upon.

But for all of those flaws, this was still the best basketball we've seen from a Maryland team in a long-time. The 2019-2020 version of Terps hoops might have made some post-season noise but Covid-19 wrecked March Madness. Other than that squad, though, we haven't seen much good basketball in College Park throughout most of the last decade.

This Maryland team might have been flawed, yes, but they still managed to produce quality on the court throughout the season.

One year does not mean Kevin Willard was a "great" hire. We've all seen how quickly the fan base can turn on a coach or a player in these parts. If Maryland stumbles to an early March Madness exit next season and, then again, the following season, Willard will start getting some heat. That's just the way it is when the only real barometer for success in college basketball is March Madness.

But the bet here is that Maryland will be a Big Ten title contender next season if Willard's incoming class of recruits takes shape the way they're expected to take shape. Players play and coaches coach, as the saying goes. If Maryland has better basketball players next season, the sky is the limit for them.

As for last night's disaster, it really wasn't that much of a surprise.

The better team won, plain and simple.

But better days are ahead for Kevin Willard and Maryland basketball.

	dale williams aims the terps spotlight
DALE WILLIAMS returns for his 8th season of covering all things Maryland men's basketball for #DMD. Terps Spotlight will preview and review all games in the 2022-2023 season.

alabama roasts maryland, 73-51

Any chance that Maryland may have had at winning last night’s game against Alabama went out the window when Julian Reese picked up his second foul with the Terps up 9-2 less than 3 minutes into the game.

Any chance they had of keeping the game close left when they stopped playing defense in the second half, allowing the Crimson Tide to rain second half threes and embarrass the Terps, 73-51.

In the first half, Maryland matched the defensive intensity of Alabama. In the second, you could sense that Maryland’s offensive frustration translated into defensive lapses. Alabama scored 28 first half points and 45 in the second. Maryland had 23 and 28. The last 8 minutes of play were just “mop up” time.

Reese led the Maryland scorers with 14 points and Jahmir Young had 12.

Donta Scott failed to hit a field goal going 0-7 from the floor.

The Terps made just 1 three-point shot. The length of Alabama was devastating to the Terps, probably more so on defense than on offense.

I thought the Maryland shooters were intimidated by Alabama and as a result missed 9 layups. ‘Bama has to get credit for playing an intensive defensive game. One that allowed the Terps to take only 8 three-point shots.

There was no slow start for the Terps last night.

They hit their first 4 shots and bolted out to a 9-2 lead. Reese had 4 points and Don Carey drained a three. That was the good news.

The bad news was that, by the first media timeout, Maryland had been whistled for four fouls and two of those were on Reese, putting him on the bench just 2.5 minutes into the game.

The Terps were leading 11-8 at the first media timeout, but were in the middle of a scoring dry spell.

Maryland went on to miss 6 shots in a row with 3 possessions ending in a turnover. When the under 12-minute timeout came, you had to go back almost 6 minutes to find a Terrapin made field goal.

Fortunately for them, Alabama wasn’t hitting shots either and Maryland maintained a 12-10 advantage with 11:55 left in the half.

The Terps 5th turnover of the half lead to a ‘Bama dunk, tying the game. Young finally broke the ice that had formed on the rim, when he connected on a driving layup. Alabama eventually gained the lead when Mark Sears hit a short jumper as the shot clock expired.

The Terps had scored just 5 points in the last 10 minutes of play and had been outscored 13-5 during that time. Maryland was successful on just 1 of their last 12 shots.

A great layup by Hart returned the lead to Maryland, but when Brandon Miller made his first bucket, the Tide were back on top, 17-16. Second chance points were an issue for the Terps as Alabama had 7 and Maryland had none.

At 4:19, Miller hit another short jumper, putting the Tide up by 4 points, 21-17. You could feel the game slipping away from Maryland as they were in another scoring drought. This one had reached 2:39 when Willard called a much-needed time out.

A really tough call went against Maryland with 4:28 left in the half when Carey was called for a foul while Nimari Burnett was shooting a three. Burnett connected on all three foul shots and the ‘Bama lead ballooned to 7, 24-17. The Alabama run was 9-0. Maryland had made just 2 field goals over a 16-minute span.

Carey was the Terp to finally find the bottom off the net when he was successful on a layup. The half ended with a Young short jumper in the lane to make the score 28-23, in Alabama’s favor, after the first 20 minutes.

It was the defenses that shined in the first half. The aggressive movement on the defensive side was more responsible for the low shooting percentages than was poor shooting. The Terps hit just 8 of 26 attempts and Alabama, also shooting 26 times, made 10. Scott was 0 for 5 from the field and Hart made just 1 out of 4.

The most influential factor of the opening 20 minutes was the absence of Reese. With him only getting four minutes of time because of his 3 fouls, the Terps had a tough time getting into their offense.

Alabama outscored the Terps 12-7 starting out the second half. After guarding the three-point line so well in the first half, Maryland allowed ‘Bama to shoot 4 three-pointers in the opening five minutes of the second half, and they made 2 of those. Maryland fell behind 40-30.

Maryland was still down 9 when the under 12 minute media timeout occurred. The Terps were starting to get beat on the boards and they’d lost Reese to his fourth foul and Patrick Emilien to a cut above his nose. It was here that you sensed the spirit of the Maryland team had been broken.

Six consecutive points by Alabama moved the lead to 15 points, 50-35. Maryland was having trouble coping with the length of the Crimson Tide, missing 9 layups in the game’s first 30 minutes.

The gap went up another couple of points when Noah Gurly corralled an offensive rebound and made an easy putback. The anemic Terp offense had produced just 26 points over the last 27 minutes of play. Scott was 0-7, Hart was 1-6, and second chance points were hugely in ‘Bama’s favor, 13-0.

Alabama banged home a few more threes, did some mugging for the camera and safely put the game away. Both teams emptied their benches for the final few minutes as Alabama moved on to the Sweet 16.

With Alabama’s tall and long armed defenders making Maryland’s life miserable in the paint, and with their whole team denying the Terps an outside shot, there were few chances for them to put together a scoring run. When Maryland’s defense got sloppy, it was blowout time.

The two Terp players most affected by the size and wingspan of the Alabama team were Hakim Hart and Donta Scott.

Some of their shot attempts were awkward because they just couldn’t get clear of a hand. Hart’s numbers were 4 points on 2 of 7 shooting, just 3 rebounds, and 3 turnovers.

Scott did grab 7 rebounds, but went 0-7 from the field. The lack of athleticism from those two was a difference maker.

Maryland achieved more this season than anyone thought (especially me).

Young was way more influential than I figured he would be and Reese’s emergence was a welcome sight. The team shot the ball horribly and lacked big time athletes.

They should get shooting help in next year’s recruiting class, but will need to pick up some size at the four spot via the transfer portal.

Saturday March 18, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3127

roll (the) tide

Maryland basketball is in a great spot tonight when they take on #1 seed Alabama in the Round of 32.

They could lose by 20 and their season has been a success.

That kind of freedom can make a team very dangerous. The Terps -- as the saying goes -- have nothing to lose and everything to gain. For Alabama, it's the exact opposite.

Notwithstanding a futile season on the road in the Big Ten (1-9), Kevin Willard's first campaign in College Park has been a major success, no matter tonight's result. Their win over West Virginia on Thursday in the tournament opener sealed it both for Maryland and their coach. Brighter days are ahead indeed.

And this '22-23 campaign is far from over for Maryland. For anyone who thinks they don't have a chance tonight vs. the Crimson Tide, you're just plain-dead-red-wrong. They very much have a chance.

Ask Purdue if an inferior team has a chance. Or Arizona. They both peacocked their way onto to the court for their first round games and both are watching the rest of the tournament from their respective dorm rooms.

Maryland can win tonight. Sure, things have to go perfectly for them and Alabama probably has to have an "off" night, but that's exactly how Fairleigh Dickinson beat Purdue last night. Everything FDU did was right and Purdue had an off night. The same could happen tonight in Birmingham if Maryland hangs in there long enough to make the Crimson Tide think about things.

But no matter what the final score is tonight, Kevin Willard has, at least initially, delivered on his pre-season promise to make Terrapin basketball relevant once again. This time last year, Maryland basketball and "relevant" weren't used in the same sentence.

It's hard to imagine this thing called the World Baseball Classic is a favorite of managers and general managers throughout Major League Baseball. It will certainly be even more heavily scrutinized in light of the Edwin Diaz season-ending knee injury that he suffered earlier this week while celebrating a win for his Puerto Rico team.

Sure, Diaz didn't suffer the injury while pitching. He tore up his knee while celebrating the final out of a big win over the Dominican Republic. But a torn knee ligament is a torn ligament, no matter how it happens. And since he was pitching in mid-March in the WBC, the Mets, I'm sure, are going to be among the teams who would prefer the pre-season event just disappear from the calendar.

The U.S. team struggled early in the competition in part thanks to a series of playing time restrictions Major League teams handed down in advance of sending their players to play in the WBC. It definitely seems weird to have games that "matter" in mid-March and you're then asking players who are in no way ramped up to "big league speed" to step on the mound or up to the plate and perform as if it's late August.

I wouldn't go as far as to say the WBC is "silly". It's baseball's version of the World Cup which, as we all know, is the world's single-most popular international sporting event, albeit one that only takes place once every four years.

And with Major League Baseball featuring more and more players of international heritage, the WBC is a natural progression of the sport's interest in showcasing their product.

But doing it in mid-March is silly. If you're going to have this kind of event once every four years, do it right. Or don't do it at all.

The answer: Every four years, shut down the MLB season for 3 weeks and play the tournament in mid-summer where it belongs.

"But what about the season?" the purists will cry. "You can't play the World Series in late November."

Well, you have several options to look at every four years.

In the season in which a WBC is held, reduce the regular season schedule to 144 games. Play a handful of doublheaders along the way and play 18 fewer games.

Or, in the WBC season, go ahead with your 162 game schedule, finish the regular season in mid/late October, then play, at the very least, the ALCS and NLCS in neutral, warm weather (or indoor) ballparks and also do the same for the World Series.

I know, I know. It's not fair to the teams who have home ice in those seasons to not have the extra home game. That's the collateral damage of having a WBC that year. You deal with it the same way you'd deal with a hurricane or other natural disaster. You move the games and the season rolls on.

International soccer pauses in-season every four years to allow for the World Cup to be played. If "soccer people" are smart enough to figure it out, baseball folks certainly are, right?

Edwin Diaz might have torn up his knee celebrating a win in mid-July just like he did celebrating a win in mid-March. That much is true.

But just the idea of having a tournament of this magnitude played before the season is mind-boggling. None of us are even paying attention to baseball right now. Attendance numbers over the last few years show that fewer people are going to the games in the first place. And now you want those people to get glued into March baseball? I don't see that as a smart move at all.

There's definitely some meat on the WBC bone if MLB played it right. I do think it's an event worth growing and turning into something special.

But it will never materialize into anything extraordinary if it's played in March.

You need a Lamar update, don't you? Well, for the fourth day in a row, there was nothing to share on Friday. No news is good news, as far as the Ravens go.

There's not much else to say.

Jackson had Tuesday evening and all day Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to conjure up an offer from an interested team in the league and so far, nothing of the sort has taken place. Unless there's some magic being created behind-the-scenes that hasn't yet been leaked, it's looking more and more like Lamar will play the '23 season under the franchise tag.

If (when) that happens, the saga rolls on, though. Don't think for a minute the story comes to an abrupt halt once Jackson fails to provide the Ravens with an offer sheet and he's locked in to $32.4 million for the 2023 season.

Will he participate in OTA workouts in May?

What about training camp? How much of that will Lamar see?

And then you have the regular season. Will Lamar be there, ready to go, for the season opener?

Don't you worry, folks. The Summer-of-Lamar is just around the corner.

I'm sure you can't wait.

	dale williams aims the terps spotlight
DALE WILLIAMS returns for his 8th season of covering all things Maryland men's basketball for #DMD. Terps Spotlight will preview and review all games in the 2022-2023 season.

terps face alabama tonight

Maryland has a 9:40 pm date with Alabama tonight in round two of the NCAA Tournament. With having had no expectations of a March Madness run, and certainly not even a preseason thought about a possible sweet 16 berth, the Terps are truly playing with “House Money”. They have nothing to lose tonight.

I’m sure that Terp fans are hopeful that the Maryland team won’t play as nervously as they did in the opening minutes of Thursday’s game vs. West Virginia.

If they do, and fall behind by a bunch early, Maryland can expect the same outcome as their 96-77 drubbing that the Tide handed them in round 2 of 2021’s tournament. Hakim Hart and Donta Scott should remember that embarrassment.

The very same style that ‘Bama used to crush the Terps in 2021 is the one with which Maryland must contend tonight.

In 2021, Alabama made 16 of 33 three-point tries and they outrebounded the Terps, 41-19. There are your keys to tonight’s game. Deny the three and box out. It’s a very simple formula. Notice I didn’t write “contest” the three. The three-point shot needs to be denied.

If Terp defenders think they are playing solid perimeter defense by keeping a Crimson Tide player within an arms-length, they are sorely mistaken. Alabama has several players who will elevate over that and drill a three. Maryland must make them go to the bucket. There’s no other option if they wish to contend.

Equally as important is boxing out. Maryland can send all 5 guys to the defensive glass, but if they don’t put a butt on someone, the unusually long and athletic ‘Bama front court will jump over them and pile up second chance points.

Box out. Aggressively box out, even, on every Alabama shot.

That means guards too. It’s going to take a collective effort to keep Alabama off of the offensive boards. Anything other than that spells blowout.

Alabama has a very deep lineup, but they will start 3 guys who all have great size and wing spans. The most notable of these three is Brandon Miller. Miller has frequently been in the news recently, but we won’t get into that here. Google him.

On the court, this guy is a bucket. His 19 points each game come from all over the court. Checking in at 6’9”, this freshman has silky smooth moves with the ball, shoots 40% from the three-point line, and grabs rebounds at a rate of over 8 per game. He’s the full package and a probable NBA lottery pick.

The ‘Bama center is 7-footer, Charles Bediako. Just a sophomore, Bediako is more about defense and rebounding than he is a dominant offensive post player. He’ll get his hands on a ton of offensive rebounds and must be pushed away from the basket when an Alabama shot goes up.

He’s good for 6 points per game, but he might get a few more than that today courtesy of the offensive glass. He’ll make Maryland’s Juju Reese work hard.

At 6’10” and 210 pounds, Noah Clowney, is the third member of the long and lanky Alabama starting frontcourt. He’s good for 10 points and 8 rebounds each night, and he does that in just 24 minutes. He’s a tough assignment for Maryland’s Donta Scott.

The two Tide guards that will demand the most defensive attention from Maryland are Mark Sears and Jahvon Quinerly. From what I’ve seen, Spears is dangerous from the perimeter while Quinerly is better off the bounce. Watch Quinerly, he’s shifty.

Bottom line is, unless the Terps can stop the Alabama three-point game, and limit the second chance opportunities, then Maryland has no chance of winning this game.

Call me crazy, but here’s the deal: Maryland can win this game. Yup. I said it.

From all the tape I’ve watched, the ‘Bama defense is not that impressive. They are very susceptible to the dribble drive and that is where Maryland lives. If Maryland can deny the three (not defend, but deny) and box out the Crimson Tide, then the Terps can be right in the mix. Purdue lost, why not Alabama?

Maybe I’m being a homer, but I really think this game is going to be closer than most think it will be. Alabama hits threes and pounds the boards but take that away and “Bama can be had. Let’s hope that Kevin Willard knows this.

I can see a game where the Terps continually stay within reach of Alabama. But unless the Terrapins light it up from the three-point line, they just don’t have the personnel to pull off the upset.

Maryland puts a scare into Alabama, but comes up just a bit short, falling 78-75.

Friday March 17, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3126

friday stuff

Well, how's your bracket doing after day one of March Madness?

Mine is fine. In fact, believe it or not, my bracket went unblemished on Thursday.

But "unblemished" is a technicality because, as I mentioned here yesterday, I didn't actually complete a bracket this year.

So Arizona and Virginia both losing in shocking fashion didn't bother me one bit. I love the underdog in sports, so anytime you hear about a team like Furman or Princeton shocking one of the big boys, I'm all for it.

I'm sorry about your bracket, by the way. I know you put a lot of work into it this year and had high hopes. There's not to much say except, you know, "hoops happens".

Dale Williams expertly handles all of the unpacking of Maryland's win over West Virginia yesterday in his game piece below. I think Dale and I were about the only two folks in the media world who picked the Terps to win Thursday's tournament opener. I saw one social media post yesterday where 24 of 25 basketball analysts went with West Virginia to beat Maryland.

I'm not even a basketball analyst and I knew the Terps were winning yesterday. Imagine how that makes Seth Greenberg feel, huh?

It's here where I will also mention -- in the event you came here to read my analysis of Maryland's win -- that I didn't see one second of the game. Not one. My Calvert Hall golf program's pre-season spring trip is this week and we were somewhere around the 11th hole yesterday as Maryland was putting the finishing touches on their triumph.

But, Dale watched every second of it. He takes you through the entire game below. And he forgot more about basketball last Thursday than you and I will ever know. So go check out his work, please.

Oh, and also get prepared for this: Over the next 24 hours, everyone in the country is going to pick Alabama to beat Maryland on Saturday in the Round of 32. I wouldn't put much stock in those predictions. Neutral court games have a way of leveling the playing field. Just ask Virginia and Arizona.

I joked around on Twitter yesterday that by this Sunday, Lamar Jackson is going to text Eric DeCosta and just ask for $94,000.

Jackson is almost to the point where he's begging for scraps.

Unless there's something really weird and entirely covert taking place, no team in the NFL is going to make a contractual bid for Jackson. Imagine that. Not one team in the NFL wants Lamar Jackson.

Not one team looks at their current QB situation and says, "I don't care if we have to cut half the damn team, if we have the chance to sign Lamar Jackson, we're going to do it."

Not one team says, "Man, we're close to being really, really good. If we just had ourselves a quarterback, a real one, we might have a puncher's chance of doing something special in 2023. Wait, Lamar Jackson's available. Let's go get him."

Not one team says, "Our quarterback is good, Lamar Jackson is great. That's an upgrade. We're going to make him an offer he can't refuse."

Of course, the salary cap and its implications always come into play, but if the Chiefs cut Patrick Mahomes tomorrow at 12 noon, he'd have 6 contract offers by 2:00 pm. The same goes for Joe Burrow. Teams would wreck their infrastructure -- temporarily -- to get a quarterback the caliber of Mahomes and Burrow.

But no one wants Lamar.

Not one team.

I wrote this here yesterday but it bears repeating again. The Ravens played this whole thing perfectly. Whether they planned it all out this way is another story. But every piece that neeed to fall their way has done so.

No one wants Lamar Jackson. Imagine that.

I'm sure he's more shocked than anyone.

Speaking of sports predictions, I'm making one right here today: The proposed golf ball "rollback" that was announced earlier this week is never going to actually take place.

There it is. My official prediction.

The players and equipment manufacturers are going to protest the changes so much that the USGA and R&A will eventually have to abandon the proposal they presented earlier this week.

People by and large attend sporting events for several reasons, but at the core of everyone's interest in professional sports is this: You go, and follow sports, in some part because you want to see people do things, athletically, that you can't do.

We marvel at pitchers who throw 97 mile per hour strikes.

We can't believe how far a guy can hit a baseball.

We're stunned at the athletic ability of a wide receiver who jumps in the air and snags a pass over two equally-well-conditioned defensive backs.

And, in golf, people watch it because they're in awe of how far and straight the professional players can hit a golf ball.

Lots of 15 handicap players can hit a ball 300 yards. Once a round. And it invariably drifts off into the trees.

"The woods are full of long hitters," the saying goes.

But when Rory McIlroy splits the fairway time after time and you're standing there at the course watching him hit 320 yard drives?

That's something to behold, in the same way it's incredible to watch Shohei Ohtani or Aaron Judge hit a baseball 440 feet.

There's no reason at all for the USGA or R&A to tamper with a golfer's ability just because a few hundred players in the world have figured out a better way to play the sport.

It was silly the day it was announced and it's still silly today. Changing the golf ball is dumb. Changing the equipment, in any way, to potentially negate a player's performance is stupid. Dumb. And stupid. In this case, both of those words fit.

And despite their announcement on Tuesday, the USGA and R&A will both eventually agree with me.

	dale williams aims the terps spotlight
DALE WILLIAMS returns for his 8th season of covering all things Maryland men's basketball for #DMD. Terps Spotlight will preview and review all games in the 2022-2023 season.

terps nip west virginia by two

In a mercurial game that changed more frequently than recent gas prices, the Maryland Terrapins manufactured a come from behind win over the Mountaineers of West Virginia, 67-65.

Jahmir Young provided the winning margin with 3 foul shots, but Maryland advanced to round 2 of the NCAA Tournament on the backs of second half heroics from Juju Reese and Hakim Hart. The pair accounted for 9 of Maryland’s 13 second half field goals, with Reese powering his way to 13 points in the final 20 minutes and Hart tallying 8.

Not to diminish Reese’s quality effort, but West Virginia big man, Jimmy Bell Jr., had foul trouble and played just 11 minutes. It was his removal from the game in the first half that was the catalyst behind Maryland’s first half comeback when the Terps were on the verge of getting run out of the gym.

For the game, both team’s top scorers struggled. Young was 1-5 from the field and scored 7 of his 10 points from the foul line. West Virginia’s leading scorer, Erik Stevenson, hit just 4 of 17 shots while scoring 9 points. Kedrian Johnson’s game high 27 points more than picked up the slack for the Mountaineers.

Both teams endured extended scoring droughts. The Terps had an 8-minute scoreless spell in the first half that started with a 4-2 Terp lead and ended with them in a 16-4 hole. During the second half, West Virginia’s 16-0 run flipped a 7-point Terp lead into a Mountaineer 9-point advantage.

During each of those offensively frustrating Terrapin minutes, mostly fueled by turnovers, the game looked all but lost. The resilient Maryland Terps always battled back as West Virginia would follow each run with a scoreless spell of their own.

West Virginia offensive rebounds and a rash of Terrapin turnovers put Maryland in an early hole despite the Terps having yet to miss a shot.

Maryland was 2 for 2 from the field but trailed 11-4. They had amassed 5 turnovers before the first TV timeout. When the first break occurred, the Mountaineers had shot the ball 10 times to just 3 for Maryland.

Young had 3 turnovers and Reese accounted for the other 2. Don Carey was out of the game with 2 quick fouls. It was less than an idyllic start for a Maryland team playing tight and nervous.

Coming out of the first break, West Virginia knocked down 2 foul shots and had now scored 11 points in a row. Maryland hadn’t scored in almost 5 minutes. That Terp scoreless streak would get longer, but luckily for Maryland, the Mountaineers weren’t scoring much either.

The next media timeout came with 11:49 left and Maryland had failed to score during the entire span of the 2 breaks. They had missed their last 4 shots and trailed 13-4. The future looked bleak when Reese missed two foul shots to continue the Terp drought.

When the Mountaineer’s Joe Toussaint rained down a three, the Terps were down 16-4. West Virginia had poured in 14 consecutive points.

Maryland got back on the board with a pair of Young free throws on a foul call that was a bit questionable. The Terps finally made a field goal when Reese hit a short jumper. It was an 8:28 gap between Terrapin made shots. This was when Bell left the game.

The Terps were now scoring. Don Carey hit a three and Young got to the basket, helping the Terps trim the lead to 6. After a bucket by Tre Mitchell against a Terp zone, Hart made a triple and now the score was 21-16.

The next media timeout occurred after Patrick Emilien was fouled while making a layup. The Maryland run was 12-2 with one foul shot coming and West Virginia up just 3, 21-18. When the game resumed, Emilien made the foul shot to trim the deficit to 2.

Regaining a lead looked fairly impossible just a few minutes ago, but Maryland did just that when Young made a three-pointer (his only made shot of the game) to give his squad a 22-21 advantage. The Terp run had reached 16-2. The lead was short lived though, as West Virginia’s Mitchell made 2 foul shots to put the Mountaineers back on top.

The two teams traded baskets for the remainder of half, with Maryland squeezing ahead, 32-30, at the end of the half. It was a wild 20 minutes of runs. Maryland was getting blistered early, and then turned the tables on West Virginia.

The turning point in the half was very clear. At the 9:39 mark of the first half, with the Mountaineers up by a cozy 11 points, 19-8, they lost Jimmy Bell Jr to foul trouble. Without their thick, 6’10” center, West Virginia got outscored 24-11.

Maryland needed to find a way to have continued success when Bell returned for the second 20 minutes. They also needed to keep West Virginia off of the offensive glass where the Mountaineer’s doubled up Maryland, 6-3.

The second half started with West Virginia hauling in another offensive rebound which led to a single foul shot made by Mitchell. Reese followed that with an “and one” (there would be a ton of these coming up) giving the Terps their biggest lead, 35-31. That quickly became a 7-point lead when Carey buried a 3.

Johnson started dicing up the Terps “D” with back-to-back “and ones” of his own. The lead was down to one, 38-37. To outdo his consecutive 3-point plays, Johnson made a 4-point play after getting fouled while hitting from beyond the arc, giving his team a 3-point advantage.

Another 3, this time a long range shot by Seth Wilson, put the Mountaineers up 6, 44-38. Maryland was on the wrong side of a 13-0 run and it only took West Virginia 4 possessions to score those points.

Jahmir Young went to the bench with 4 fouls and his team down 6. There was 13:10 left in the game. The media timeout came at 11:18. Maryland had been outscored so far in the second half, 21-11 and now trailed 51-43. This was the second time I really thought the game was getting away from them.

When Reese was fouled as he powered his way to another bucket, his 3-point play trimmed the West Virginia lead to 5 and brought Bell back into the game after sitting with 4 fouls. The game tightened a bit more when Reese, again, bullied his way in for 2 points.

With the score now 51-48, following a Mountaineer missed front end, Scott drove to the hoop and drew foul number 5 on Bell. The Terp senior buried both foul shots and the difference was now just 1 point.

The teams traded baskets for a while, but in a half where more fouls in the act of shooting were called than I can ever remember, Hart made a layup while being hacked by Pat Suemnick. Hart went to the line with a chance to put the Terps ahead. He missed. The game was tied at 54 all with just a bit over 7 minutes left in regulation.

Hart got a chance to redeem himself when his steal led to a breakaway and he had the ball. His successful acrobatic layup put Maryland up by 2.

West Virginia came back, this time with 2 fouls shots. The lead would swing again after a Terp airball three led to a three by Stevenson. That bucket gave West Virginia a 56-53 lead. The 14-5 margin they held in offensive rebounds played a large roll in their lead, as did making 8 of 16 threes at this point in the game.

It was a Scott three that tied the game at 59-59 with 4:33 left. Next came a wild, and very lucky, sequence where a loose ball was tipped around like a volleyball before Hart found himself with the ball, wide open under the bucket for an uncontested layup.

West Virginia called a timeout with 3:30 left in the game and Maryland clinging to a 61-59 lead with the Mountaineers in possession of the ball.

A Stevenson missed three would put Reese on the foul line when he was knocked down grabbing Stevenson’s miss. Reese hit one foul shot to increase the lead to three.

Another Stevenson miss led to a transition dunk by Reese. The Terp big man was indeed coming up “big”. Unfortunately, Reese would miss 2 more foul shots and an ensuing Johnson layup trimmed the Terp lead to 3 points with 2 minutes left to go.

On the next Terp possession, Young was grabbed and went to the line shooting 2 times. He connected on both, extending the lead back to 5 points.

Timeout was called with Johnson at the line after being fouled and hitting the first free throw. After the timeout, he also made the second free throw, giving Maryland the ball up 3 with 1:09 left.

Young tripped going to the basket with 47 seconds left, and the ball went out of bounds. A lengthy monitor review gave the ball back to Maryland. It was a huge call that greatly impacted the game and required almost 5 minutes before a decision was made. But it went in the Terps favor.

Maryland had the ball, but there were only 8 seconds left on the shot clock. The rushed offensive set managed just a weak driving attempt by Scott. But Scott’s hustle allowed Maryland to retain the ball as he chased down the missed shot.

Young would give it back to West Virginia when he stepped on a defender’s foot, lost his balance, and traveled. There were 28 seconds left to determine the winner, West Virginia now had the ball down by 3, 66-63.<.p>

The Mountaineers scored on a Mitchell layup with 8 seconds left then quickly fouled Young, sending the Terp to the line for 2 crucial free throws with Maryland up one and 4.2 seconds left in the game. He made just the first attempt, giving West Virginia a chance to win.

A 35 foot heave at the buzzer by Johnson banged off of the backboard and the entire Terp nation could breathe a sigh of relief. They had moved on to meet Alabama after winning 67-65.

This game was crazy. There were big runs by both teams and more people going to the foul line after hitting a shot than I’ve ever seen in a college game.

Maryland got a little lucky with the Hart “volleyball” bucket, and were the beneficiaries of having Bell in early foul trouble. But they got steady play from Hart and were carried by Reese for the last 10 minutes.

The Terps will meet the number 1 seed Crimson Tide of Alabama at 9:40 p.m. on Saturday night. The contest can be seen on TBS.

faith in sports

If you can spare 11 minutes today, I have something for you.

Just 11 minutes.

In roughly the amount of time it takes you enjoy a bacon and egg breakfast sandwich and a cup of coffee, you can watch 11 minutes of greatness inspired by NASCAR driver Trevor Bayne.

It's truly "greatness" defined to listen to Bayne share his testimony and deflect any credit he receives and give it all to God.

This is one of the best videos from the incredible series -- "I am Second"

Thanks, as always, to our friends at Freestate Electrical for their continued support of "Faith in Sports". Please give this video a chance today. It's awesome.

Thursday March 16, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3125

lamar's in trouble

I don't want the headline to be misleading.

Lamar's not in "trouble-trouble." He's not going to be on TMZ or anything like that.

And, no, the headline isn't "click bait", either. You're already here, then you read the headline. I just meant that Lamar, in terms of that Brinks truck contract he thought he was getting, is absolutely in trouble.

Don't look now, but that poor soul might have to play for $32.4 million this year.

The only team remaining at this point that could definitely use his services happens to be in Indianapolis. The Colts could put together a whopper of a contract offer and force the Ravens' hand. They have the ability to swiftly reduce their '23 salary cap with a handful of restructured deals.

And they have the draft capital, too.

But other than the Colts, there's really no one left who has the ability -- or the interest -- to pony up the $250 million or $275 million it would take to make the Ravens think twice about giving Jackson a similar type of deal.

Lamar looks like a loser in this scenario. That is, if you call it "losing" when you make $32.4 million in four or five months of work.

The Ravens must have really done their homework over the last six weeks. Every domino that fell did so favorably for them.

Tom Brady retired and Tampa Bay needed a QB. Except the Bucs don't have any salary cap room for a Lamar-type contract.

Carolina needed a QB and they had the draft capital the Ravens would have wanted. Except the Panthers opted for Chicago's first overall pick instead.

The Jets needed a QB. They're chasing after Aaron Rodgers.

The Saints, Raiders and Falcons were all looking for a new QB as well. All three of them landed one. None of them were interested in Lamar, apparently.

The Ravens either have an incredibly gifted research department or their guesswork is wildly spot-on. Whatever good breaks they've needed, they've received. It's almost eerily falling into place for Eric DeCosta and Steve Bisciotti.

At one point, depending on which league plant you believe, the Ravens were on the verge of coughing up somewhere around $130 million in guaranteed money for Jackson.

Now, that number is down to $32.4 million.

And if Lamar has an off year in 2023 or disappears in December -- again -- that's all they're on the hook for in terms of guaranteed dollars.

Oh, sure, Lamar still has a card or two he can play. He can sit out all summer if he so chooses. He can even sit out regular season games if he really wants to push the envelope.

He could even, you know, suddenly come down with "an injury".

But any behavior like that will only diminish his already dwindling value. If Jackson still wants the mega-payday his play on the field occasionally suggests he deserves, he will need to handle the franchise tag situation the right way. He might not care about that...but other teams will care next off-season if, perhaps, he's once again available to the highest bidder.

It's fair to mention that the Ravens aren't exactly sitting on Marvin Gardens right now, particularly if this saga with Jackson continues to spiral down the drain and he's a malcontent and there's no legit quarterback in Baltimore when opening day rolls around next September.

The Ravens might win the contract battle but they might go 6-11 without Lamar as their starting QB in 2023. How is that good for John Harbaugh and Company?

We're not quite a full day into Lamar being available to the highest bidder and thus far, knowing only what we know, there isn't a team in the league sending in a contract for the Ravens to match.

Not one team.

Now, it still stands to reason that Indianapolis could wind up being "the one", which would mean Jackson could, potentially, remain in the AFC, which is definitely not something the Ravens were hoping would happen. The Colts have a need, they have the cap space (with some work) and they have the draft picks to give up.

Oh, and you have to imagine Jimmy Irsay would love to stick it to Baltimore again, right?

Can you imagine that? Lamar, in blue and white and wearing that gorgeous horseshoe helmet, coming in to Charm City next January for a playoff game...I can't even begin to think about the polarizing nature of that game.

Talk radio would set an all-time record for hot takes in one week.

There's a lot of ground to cover before we get to next January, though. Right now, Lamar is, presumably, out and about trying to find a team to give him a bonafide offer that he can take back to the Ravens. If he can't find one, he either plays for $32.4 million or signs for just about whatever the Ravens decide to grace him with in terms of dollars and years.

As of now, the Ravens are winning this game by a landslide.

But, as we saw several times last season, the game isn't over until the clock hits 00:00.

Lamar still has time.

He doesn't have much of it, but it's not over just yet.

And the Colts could definitely help Jackson snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

---

We featured Keegan Bradley as one of our win-bet picks at this week's Valspar Championship and he withdrew on Wednesday morning. So, if you can still get a dollar or two on him, we'd throw a little something on Sam Ryder at +9000. Sure, he's a longshot, but his form has been decent enough in 2023 and he almost posted a victory in La Jolla back in January.

Ryder seems like the kind of player who will win in 2023. He nearly won already, in fact. Maybe the golf gods give him a pick-me-up this week at Innisbrook.

---

For the second year in a row, I think, I failed to complete a NCAA tournament bracket. I know it's lame. I'm a sports guy and all and filling out a March Madness bracket is a rite of passage.

I'm just too busy with my golf coaching stuff to dive into it and give it any kind of real thought. Not that I'm a college basketball expert or anything of the sort. I'm definitely not.

So perhaps doing no real research at all helps me.

I have Maryland beating West Virginia, 77-67, later today.

Then Maryland bows out gracefully on Saturday with a 79-65 loss to Alabama.

My unresearched Final Four? Virginia, Kansas State, Texas and UCLA.

I have Texas beating Virginia in the championship game.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

	dale williams aims the terps spotlight
DALE WILLIAMS returns for his 8th season of covering all things Maryland men's basketball for #DMD. Terps Spotlight will preview and review all games in the 2022-2023 season.

terps open march madness today

Maryland fans didn’t have to wait very long to see where the Terps would be playing their NCAA Tournament game, being the second matchup announced, and they won’t wait long to find out the team’s first round fate.

Maryland and West Virginia will get the March Madness festivities started with a 12:15 game time today.

The programs faced each other in the 2015 version of March Madness. That was the game where Melo Trimble got mugged, the Terps turned the ball over 23 times, and Dez Wells fouled out after playing only 11 minutes and committing 8 of the 23 Terps giveaways. The Mountaineers pulled away, late, to secure a 10 point win.

Today’s game should be a bit different because in Jahmir Reese, the Terps have superior ball handling when compared to the 2014-2015. Wells and Trimble could score (and I loved Dez), but each of them was a turnover waiting to happen.

I expect Jahmir to hounded by multiple defenders, but he’ll be careful with the ball. He’ll have to be if the Terps expect to advance. The ball, and the game, are literally in Young’s hands.

We can expect West Virginia’s Kedrian Johnson to be the first defender to hound Young, but coach Bob Huggins has a deep rotation of guards available to him, so look for multiple people trying to stop Maryland’s best offensive weapon.

Of the 5 Mountaineer guards, (all of them average over 10 minutes a game) the one that worries me the most might be Former Iowa guard, Joe Toussaint. There’s nothing about the stat sheet that catches your eye when looking at Toussaint’s numbers, but this guy is a tough and gritty player who can muscle up on defense.

Because the key to beating Maryland is to limit Young, and because Toussaint is a defender built for that task, he may be a key figure today. He comes off of the bench, but logs over 20 minutes a game.

Scoring, for Iowa, comes from five players. The top 4 scoring Mountaineers all average double digits while Toussaint is close at 9.5 ppg. The leader of the West Virginia scorers is Erik Stevenson.

The much-traveled Stevenson is with his fourth team in five years, having had stops at Wichita, Washington, and South Carolina before his arrival in Morgantown. The 6’4” guard averages 15.5 points each game with almost half of his made field goals coming from the three-point line (38%).

Despite being the guy who takes the most shots on this West Virginia team, he’s only fourth in foul shots attempted. This suggests he prefers the long range and mid-range game over attacking the basket.

Stevenson might not be the guy who gets to the line the most, but fouling him isn’t a good idea. A few seasons ago, while at South Carolina, he made 61 of 62 free throws. Look for him to create his own shots with a quick step or two, then using his nice bounce to get space.

I’d like to see Ian Martinez get this assignment with Jahari Long taking a few reps. Stevenson ended his Big 12 regular season with 5 straight games of 23 points or more. It’s a good idea to deny him the ball whenever possible.

Tre Mitchell is next on the Mountaineer scoring list at 11.5 per game. He also hits 38% of his threes, but the lanky 6’9” Texas transfer (after 2 seasons at UMass) prefers shooting from much closer to the hoop. He has wild swings in his production, as evidenced by his recent 4 game stretch of scoring 3, 22, 20, and zero points.

I’d describe his rebounding ability as good, and his defense as decent. If he pairs up with Maryland’s Donta Scott, he’ll need help of else Scott will back him up all day long. His build isn’t made for physical play down low.

Starting point guard, Kedrian Johnson has a game I’d classify as “Jahmir Young light”, but he’s not his team’s first option on offense. Johnson is much better when going to the basket, especially in transition. He’s a little less than 30% three-point shooter while scoring 11.2 points per game.

The starting center for West Virginia was Jimmy Bell Jr. He’s not much of a scoring threat, but he is big and strong. Juju Reese can’t push him around inside, but Bell is susceptible to quick moves. He may have problems with Reese in the half court and even more so if Maryland decides to push the tempo and Reese gets out quickly.

West Virginia is statistically one of the worst defensive teams in the Big 12. We can attribute some of the points they allow to the pace of play. Their opponents get more possessions because the Mountaineers play fast.

They shoot quickly in eth half court and will run when an advantage can be had. We can’t blame pace for their poor showing when defensing the three-point shot. They seem to get lost sometimes. The Terps will have opportunities from the arc, and must take advantage of it.

I’ve seen nothing on tape to make me believe that this Huggins team has superior athletes when compared to the Terps. The certainly don’t have the overpowering big man that can rack up points, rebounds, and fouls on Reese. What they do have is a bunch of fighters and some guys with length.

With that, here are the keys of game for Maryland. The Terps can’t win without a solid game form Young. He has to get to the rim and he has to score. If West Virginia finds a way to stop him, like Indiana did last week, the Terp hopes fade.

Next, Maryland has to focus on their transition defense. The Mountaineers can score a bunch of points, but I’m not super impressed with their half court offense. The Terps need to force West Virginia into a half-court game. The more they do this, the better their chances become.

Next, the Terp defenders need to deny Stevenson the ball. This guy can heat up and kill you. He’s the best creator on the team and the number one scoring threat in their half court sets. He needs to be limited.

Turnovers, rebounding, and three-point shooting are big parts of any game, this one included, but the keys mentioned above are the specific factors overwhelmingly important to today’s game.

This West Virginia team has a decent blend of athletes, guys who play long, and solid defenders. They are not, however, a “40 Minutes of Hell” defense that forces an unusual number of turnovers (just 4th in the Big 12).

Despite their size, they don’t dominate on the boards or in the paint. They have one pure shooter (Stevenson) who can get his shot off at any time, and a bunch of decent quality pieces. The Terps will not be out of their element today.

Maryland is where they are today mainly because of the efforts of Jahmir Young. In Chicago last week, one NBA affiliated person told me Young had NBA caliber talent. He’s that vital to Maryland and that effective.

In a game that appears to be fairly even throughout the rest of the court, I’ll take the superior point guard and in this case it’s Young and the Terps.

It’s the most important position on the floor and doubly so during tournament time. This game means the world to Young and having a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament was the only reason he chose the Terps. He’ll be ready.

With an average three-point performance today, Maryland wins this game by a bucket or two. If they can hit a slightly higher than average rate from beyond the arc, they can win a bit more comfortably.

In the first game of this year’s event, the Terps give coach Willard only his second tournament win by defeating the Mountaineers, 71-68.

This CBS game gets the network’s number 1 announcing team with Jim Nantz, Bill Raftery, and Grant Hill providing play-by-play and color commentating.

Wednesday March 15, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3124

golf gets it........wrong

Let me get this straight.

Golf, as a professional sport, is booming.

There are seven, count 'em, seven, professional tours in existence right now where men and women can make a decent if not extraordinarily healthy living.

College golf is operating at an all-time high right now. More scholarships are being awarded than ever before and schools all over the country are spending millions and millions of dollars on golf-specific facilities. Just last month, the University of Alabama announced plans for a $28.6 million complex dedicated to their men's and women's golf programs.

Junior and high school golf particpation is soaring.

And recreational golf, energized greatly by the Covid-19 lockdown, has blossomed over the last two years to the extent that more new U.S. courses were built in 2022 (65) than in any other year since 2005.

Golf is having one of the most successful runs it has ever experienced.

And yet, the two governing bodies are going to do their best to screw the whole thing up.

The long rumored plans to restrict the distances professional players can carry the golf ball were unveiled yesterday by the United States Golf Association (USGA) and Royal and Ancient Golf Association (R&A). The method they've decided to use will be centered on the manufacturing of the golf ball. Professional players and top amateurs (in competition) will be mandated to use one of the new "conforming" golf balls that will allow for less carry (yards in the air) and, they hope, reduce the amount of golf courses they believe are becoming obsolete for tournament use.

The initial research conducted by the USGA and R&A indicates they will see an average off-the-tee reduction of 14 or 15 yards with the use of the new, "conforming" ball.

Standards for "recreational golfers" will not be changed.

But that's really not the point.

What is the point?

There's nothing at all wrong with golf the way it is right now.

Nothing at all.

That's the point.

Oh, sure, some dude with deep pockets and an endless dream wants to build a course out in Nebraska or Colorado where, he vows, no player can ever break par. But he can't buy 7,500 yards worth of land to build his game changer. He'll have to construct a course measuring 8,000 or more yards if he wants to get the best of Rory, Rahm, J.T., Scottie and the rest.

And because no one, anywhere, can find a course that the best players in the world can't master, the rush is on to figure out a way to make it tougher on the men and women who play the sport professionally.

It's silly, if not just plain stupid.

Is anyone in the world watching less golf these days because Rory McIlroy hits a handful of drives over 325 yards in any given four day tournament?

Has someone in Wisconsin or London or South Africa thrown their remote at the TV, ever, and said, "That's it. Rahm just hit a 359 yard drive there. I'm not watching professional golf any longer"??

Of course they haven't.

We marvel at what they do. We're impressed with what they do. But I don't see anyone vowing to give up the sport because the guys on TV hit it 330 yards and those of us among the great unwashed hit it 250 or 260 or 270 yards.

In my practice round with Retief Goosen at the U.S. Senior Open a couple of years ago, he routinely outdrove me by 50 or 60 yards. I thought it was funny, honestly. I wasn't mad or upset about it. Not in the least.

In fact, unofficially that day, on the back nine -- where we both played one ball through the green -- I think he shot one over par and I was two over par. Yes, it was a practice round. No, it didn't count for anything. But on the 10th hole, as an example, he outdrove me by 50 yards. I hit 7-wood into that green and he hit something like a 6-iron. We both made par.

Driving distance definitely matters and there's certainly a difference between how far the best professionals can hit it and how far you and I can hit it.

But par is the same score for both of us. The professional players makes more pars and birdies than amateurs because they're better at golf than we are.

If you took the clubs out of Rory's bag and used them, here's what you would find. A driver shaft in the "X-400" range which is stiffer than your kitchen countertop. You'd have zero chance of closing that clubface at impact.

His iron shafts are also in the "X-range", maybe X-200, and the lofts are built up in such a way that his 7-iron is your 5 or 6 iron. But in order for him to square the face on that 7 and get the most he can out of that club, he has to strike the golf ball perfectly in order to get the preferred launch angle he's looking for.

You (and I, and everyone else) wouldn't be able to generate the clubhead speed necessary to make Rory's 7-iron work -- for your swing.

Rory's clubs work for Rory, not because the clubs are "better", but because he's a better golfer than you.

You could use Rory's clubs and you're not suddenly shooting 68. You're just not. In fact, here's a bet you'd lose every single time. Whatever your handicap is, right now, you'd shoot at least 10 shots higher in a casual round of golf if you used Rory's clubs and their various components.

Do Rory's clubs help him hit the driver 320 yards and his 7-iron 190 yards? Maybe.

But what really helps him, more than anything, is that he has learned how to use his body to generate the clubhead necessary to deliver those kinds of distances.

The conclusion drawn by the USGA and R&A is that limiting the overall carry capabilities of the golf ball will help with course construction and the like. "Too many of our great golf courses are becoming obsolete due to the distances players can attain," they said yesterday.

That's simply not true at all.

Great courses are becoming obsolete because tournament directors are afraid to make the courses difficult because they don't want to hear the players whine about the rough being too deep or the greens being too fast.

That's all it is.

If Shinnenock Hills has become obsolete, it's because they don't make it tough enough, not because it's too short.

Bay Hill in Orlando featured a winning score of 9-under par two weeks ago. Some would say that's a "perfect" score from a difficulty standpoint for a TOUR event. You don't want it to be 2-over-par and you don't want it to be 22-under, either.

Whatever it is, here's the truth: Every golf course in the world can be made difficult...or at the very least, more difficult than it is on any other given day.

Scottie Scheffler won at TPC Sawgrass last week because of two things -- and they go hand in hand. His chipping and his putting. He had two chip-in eagles over the weekend and made a slew of 6 to 10 foot birdie putts on Saturday and Sunday that distanced him from everyone else in the field.

Sure, he drove the ball well, which is one reason why he's emerged as one of the best three players in the world over the last year. But his work around the greens is what won him the title last Sunday.

Surely if a dummy from Glen Burnie can figure this all out, the smart people who run golf's two major governing bodies can figure it out.

No one is upset that TOUR players are driving it 330 yards.

No one is watching less.

No one is playing less.

No one is buying less equipment, either.

The professional players are the best at their craft and their abilities and talents will always dwarf what the "recreational player" can do.

Let them play. Let them do what they do best. And stop trying to make them appear less skilled or talented.

Golf is perfectly fine just the way it is.

---

This week's PGA Tour stop is just outside of Tampa Bay at the Innisbrook Resort. They're playing the Valspar Championship on the famed Copperhead Course and the field is "decent" when taking into consideration the TOUR is coming off of Bay Hill and TPC Sawgrass in back-to-back-weeks.

Sometimes in golf wagering, the obvious, in-your-face-bet is one you tend to pass up, thinking to yourself, "It can't be that easy."

And that might be true this week. I mean, you're picking a winner out of 130 players. That's hard to do.

But if you're wagering on Valspar and you don't have Sam Burns on your card, I think that's too big of a risk. He has won the event in consecutive years. The course clearly fits him and his game, even if he's not off to a great start in 2022-2023. It's certainly a big ask to have a guy win three years straight on the same venue, but at +1600, I don't see how you leave Burns off your win-card.

The same goes for Justin Thomas, who is having, by his standards, a horrific stretch with the putter. He's the favorite this week at +1000, but bad-putter-and-all, he should be on your wagering card this week. The field, as noted above, isn't packed with top 10 players. This is an event, this week, where J.T. could win with his "B Game". He's definitely on my win-card.

Denny McCarthy is going to win at some point this year and Innisbrook could be just the track for him. He sniffed around at Pebble Beach last month and was in great position at The Players last weekend as well. His ball striking is improving leaps and bounds and he remains one of the game's best putters. He's everyone's sexy, trendy pick this week, but his odds (+3300) are just too good to pass up. I love Denny's chances to get into the winner's circle this week.

Speaking of ball striking, it's hard not to play Keegan Bradley every week based on how well he's played over the last six months. He's not the putting equal of McCarthy, for example, but Bradley is quietly having one of the best stretches of golf -- data wise -- he's produced in over a decade. He's +2200 this week, which is a really nice number for a guy who can definitely win the tournament.

	The Stats Nerd And His Numbers
Contributed by #DMD's data and numbers analyst The Stats Nerd

what a difference a year makes

A few months ago, I wrote a column exploring the Ravens options for Lamar Jackson. At the time, I was fairly convinced that he would be slapped with the Exclusive Franchise Tag when last week's deadline arrived. In fact, I still thought that up until I read the news on Twitter like most everybody else.

Initially I was floored. Couldn’t believe it.

But I have thought about a good bit over the last week and have really changed my thought process entirely. I think it was the right move at the time.

You see, I was initially looking through the lens of all the things that happened last offseason.

Last offseason was highlighted by the monster trades made by the Broncos and the Browns in acquiring Russel Wilson and Deshaun Watson, respectively.

Their trade partners demanded a haul of picks and capital in exchange for those QBs. By all accounts the trading teams, Seattle and Houston, did quite well in the exchanges.

My thinking was that this was what we were headed for with the Ravens. At some point, Eric Decosta and the Ravens brass would throw up their hands and find a way to trade Lamar to the highest bidder. It’s how the Ravens do business (right guy, right price) and I really thought this time would be no different.

But it is different. The landscape is different. Drastically different.

In last April’s draft, only one QB was selected in the first two rounds. And that player, Kenny Pickett, didn’t hear his name called until pick 20. The remaining 8 QBs selected were picked in the 3rd round or later with 3 of them picked in the 7th round. Not exactly a banner year for QB draft prospects.

This April there are expected to be 4 QBs selected in the top 10 and depending on trades and such, it’s possible all could be selected by the 5th pick.

Unsurprisingly, the teams selecting in the top 10 (with their picks at least) have had shoddy QB play of late. Carolina (having just traded into the 1st pick)? Yikes. Houston? Oh boy. Indianapolis? You get the idea.

So had this Lamar situation been a year ago the market for Lamar would likely have been considerably hotter and a team would have felt ok giving up 2 first round picks with seemingly no draft options. This would have changed the Ravens thinking and likely would have warranted the Ravens steering clear of the Non-Exclusive Franchise Tag (NEFT).

Call it luck or good timing or whatever you want. At least initially after the Ravens announced the use of the NEFT a number of teams leaked that they were not in the Lamar business. The NEFT that I thought would be a magnet for other team’s interest now seems like a well executed strategy by the Ravens.

This is the part, however, where I pause to say hooey to the leaks and back channel information. Make no mistake the whole offseason is a game of high stakes poker. Deceptions and misdirections are part of the game.

There is absolutely no reason for a team or an owner to give away their hand. Why would they? So until the negotiation window opens on Wednesday, I’d take any information about a team’s interest with a grain of salt.

That said, the Panthers didn’t trade up in the draft to pick a punter. They moved to have the pick of the litter of the 4 QBs projected to go early. It seems likely that Houston will follow suit moments later and Indy will grab the 3rd QB in 4 picks shortly thereafter.

In fact, the only team unlikely to even consider a QB in the top 10 is Arizona at 3 and Philadelphia at 10. I would guess even the Seahawks who recently extended Geno Smith to a “3 year deal” would have to think about it. (I put it in quotes because the Hawks have an out after 1 year with a manageable cap hit if Geno stinks it up). So the teams most desperate for a QB are looking at 4 draft prospects and trying to find if they have a shot at their guy.

The obvious argument is that Lamar is better than any of these guys. Of course. I don’t think even Stroud or Young would disagree with that. But Lamar is also going to cost those teams draft capital and $45M+ annually in cold hard cash.

And for teams that stink, like the ones in the top 10, that implies a lot of talent is needed. That cap space for Lamar takes away dollars that could otherwise be filling out a more competitive roster.

So outside the top 10 might be a better place to find a possible suitor for Lamar right? Probably, yes. But the Jets seem to have gone all in on Aaron Rogers so they are out of the equation.

The Texans will likely have already penciled in their QB of the future 10 picks earlier when their name is called again at 12. And the Steelers are unlikely to be interested in drafting a QB in R1 for 2 years in a row (much less making a deal with their biggest rival).

So the market for Lamar keeps shrinking. None of the teams drafting after 20 seem likely to be in the QB market so that is out.

To my eye there are the following teams that might want to make a run at Lamar in some manner:

Atlanta (8th selection) - They have stated they aren’t interested which I don’t believe.

Tennessee (11th)

New England (14th)

Green Bay (15th) - They have to give Jordan Love a shot at some point??

Washington (16th) - Hooo boy this franchise is a dysfunctional mess and who knows how long Dan Snyder will be in charge?

Tampa Bay (19th) - They are in cap jail and just not sure how they could make this work.

The interesting one is Detroit. Detroit has 2 picks in the 1st round at 6 and 18. The 18th is actually “their pick”. The 6th was received from LA Rams in the Stafford trade. As best I can tell, if Detroit signed Lamar to an offer sheet, the Ravens would get the Lions actual pick, ergo 18.

The other long rumored team to make a run at Lamar, Miami, just placed the 5th year option on Tua and don’t have a 1st round pick this year (can’t sign him to an offer sheet). They would appear out. New Orleans signed Darrick Carr so they are out. The other New York team panic-signed Daniel Jones last week so they too are out.

So absent some crazy out of left field trade, the pool of possible candidates for Lamar’s services keep shrinking. Could the Bears do something wild and offer the Ravens Justin Fields and a haul of picks in some sort of sign and trade deal? Sure. Could San Francisco do the same with Trey Lance, Brandon Aiyuk and “whatever”? No question.

And maybe that’s where this will end. Some team comes in and puts together a package that gets the Ravens attention and gets Lamar wherever he feels like he needs to be guarantee wise.

But as of now, I’m not convinced that Lamar will receive an offer sheet that will be so prohibitive that the Ravens wouldn’t just match it. And then it becomes a question of feelings.

It’s easy for us as fans to say “Hey you got 220 Million dollars go play hard for my team” or “it’s not personal, it’s just business”. All of those things are true of course.

Except to Lamar it is both business and personal. He is a young man being told by fellow players and the NFLPA that he is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Those parties care about him, of course. But they also care about how the contract he signs might impact the next contract they sign.

That’s a hell of a lot of pressure for anyone to be under much less a 26 year old young man about to sign one of the largest contracts in NFL history. We should be a little conscious of that fact.

He may be mercurial and may have approached this contract negotiation in an odd way. But he’s just a guy. A guy who by all appearances seems like someone who is genuinely a decent person, interacts with his fans, etc.

We don’t need to cry him a river but we do need to be empathetic to his situation. At least I think we do.

I said earlier that this is all high stakes poker. Poker at its core is a game of incomplete information. The player that can see through the BS the clearest and the most often is generally going to be a winner in the game.

This Lamar negotiation is also a game of incomplete information. But at least as of now, it looks as though the Ravens played their hand quite well and read the room, so to speak, better than I would have certainly. Time will tell who the real winner of this hand of poker is.

Tuesday March 14, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3123

nfl puzzle starting to take shape

With all due respect to college basketball, what the NFL is doing this week is the real version of "March Madness".

The Ravens lost two players yesterday and jettisoned another. Ben Powers left for Denver, Josh Oliver signed in Minnesota and Calais Campbell was released.

There's more to come, too. The Ravens are not only going to lose a few more players, they'll sign a handful as well. And they're still working hard to get underneath the salary cap so they can fit Lamar Jackson's $32.4 million in there in the event he plays the 2023 season under the franchise tag.

Powers and Oliver were both solid, emerging players, but neither of those losses will cripple the Ravens. The Broncos gave Powers a $52 million deal which Powers probably earned with some stellar play over the last two seasons, but was way out of the Ravens' ballpark.

Oliver is a good blocking tight end and he can also snag a TD pass every few weeks, but the Ravens have others in that position with a similar skill-set and they can always draft another Josh Oliver if necessary.

Campbell was simply collateral damage from Jackson's non-exclusive franchise tag. Had the Ravens and Lamar nailed down a long-term deal prior to yesterday, Campbell would have returned for a 4th season in Baltimore in 2023. As it stands now, he could still be back if, down the road, no team wants to sign him.

Much of what happened yesterday revolved around Lamar. In a perfect world, they would have tried to keep Powers and Oliver themselves, despite their free agency status.

A team associate told #DMD yesterday the organization knew both Powers and Oliver would be gone. "Neither of them leaving is any kind of surprise," the associate said.

Late last week, running back Gus Edwards avoided the same path as Calais Campbell when he agreed to rework his contract and help the team configure their salary cap in advance of Lamar's money going on the books. The Ravens apparently told Edwards he could either do that or they'd have to release him. The 27-year old opted for the security of a job instead of the gamble of trying to find a new one and elected to have his contract reworked. Smart move.

The Ravens recently did the same thing with defensive lineman Michael Pierce. His reworked contract helps the team navigate their way through Lamar's $32.4 million salary in 2023.

And there's more to come, for sure.

Our friend, the Stats Nerd, has an in-depth piece on Lamar's situation that we'll have for you here tomorrow at #DMD. He looks at what the non-exclusive franchise tag means for Lamar in the ongoing negotiations and also peeks at other teams around the league who might have an interest in Jackson.

One team many folks thought might want Lamar filled their QB spot yesterday when the Raiders signed former 49'ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo to a deal. With Garoppolo gone, the 49'ers then went out and signed free agent Sam Darnold to a 1-year deal.

The Steelers, looking at the landscape of the AFC North and seeing Burrow, Watson and Lamar (?) took steps to beef up their secondary yesterday by signing veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson. At 32, the likely Hall of Famer isn't what he once was, but he can still get it done.

This is true March Madness in the NFL, all ignited by the salary cap and teams that value players and positions of need differently.

The Vikings, for example, reportedly gave Josh Oliver $21 million for 3 years. The Ravens were never going to give him that kind of contract to stay in Baltimore. It's weird how it works in the NFL, where a team values a middle-of-the-road talent more than the team that just had him on their roster. In Oliver's case, he got far more from Minnesota than he ever would have from the Ravens.

As for Lamar and his situation, the pieces of the puzzle continue to fall in favor of the Ravens.

Miami will bring back Tua for the 2023 season.

Vegas signed Garoppolo.

The Jets are apparently in love with Aaron Rodgers.

Tampa Bay might have to sign your Uncle Ned as their QB next season. They have ZERO money to spend, cap wise.

There's more, but you get the picture. What once might have been considered a fertile market for Lamar and his services has suddendly dwindled down to just a couple of teams.

That sound you hear? It's Lamar losing money every day that goes by.

Meanwhile, the Ravens are more than ready to have Jackson play the 2023 season under the $32.4 million non-exclusive tag. They look at that situation like it's a steal, actually. Sure, Lamar might not be thrilled with that scenario, but he had 25 months to remedy the situation and failed to do so.

The Ravens aren't thrilled about the $32.4 million cap hit, but it's better than the $45 million they would have coughed up under the exclusive tag and also gives the team more time to work out a cap-friendly contract with their star QB. That is, if that can ever happen.

Meanwhile, nearly every deal the Ravens make or don't make over the next couple of days is somehow connected to Lamar and his situation. It's not the best way to go about your business, but in a QB-starved league, it might be the only way.

	RANDY MORGAN on American soccer
Americans are playing more and more of a vital role in international soccer these days, and Randy Morgan has his eyes on all of them for #DMD. Each week here, he looks at recent performances of American players and highlights upcoming games of importance.

european soccer recap

This was another packed week in the European schedule, with Champions League during the week and domestic leagues over the weekend. It was a great week for Bayern Munich, who are emerging as the favorites in both Europe and Germany.

In England, the title race remained unchanged and Chelsea started to turn their season around with success in two competitions.

Meanwhile in Spain, Italy and France, the title leaders all continued to pull away from the pack as the seasons head for their stretch run. It wasn’t a banner week for Americans abroad, but a few saw action in the Champions League and another continued a strong run in Spain.

Champions League –

On Tuesday in the Champions League, Borussia Dortmund traveled to London to take on Chelsea, holding a 1-0 advantage from the first leg. Given the one goal lead, Dortmund looked to play at a more deliberate pace, trying to retain possession to control the game.

However, early on Chelsea’s press caused them problems, creating a few turnovers that led to chances in the first half. Chelsea broke through near the end of the half, going up 1-0 when Ben Chilwell found Raheem Sterling in the box and Sterling fired a shot home after scuffing his first attempt.

Just after halftime, Chilwell again found space on the left wing and hit a cross that resulted in a handball in the box that earned Chelsea a penalty. After missing the initial kick, Kai Havertz converted the retake after VAR determined Dortmund players had entered the box early.

Down 2-1 on aggregate, Dortmund pressed for an equalizer and forced Chelsea keeper Kepa into several tough saves, but couldn’t come up with the goal they needed.

This game did see two American stars get on the field on opposite sides. Gio Reyna made an early appearance as a substitute in just the 5th minute when Julian Brandt got injured. Christian Pulisic came on late for Chelsea to try to help see out the win.

Reyna played well for the most part, creating four chances for Dortmund and completing 42 of 47 passes. Pulisic had limited action in his short time on the field but it was good to see him back from injury.

With the 2-1 aggregate win, Chelsea moves on to the quarterfinals, giving them some hope of salvaging what has otherwise been a disappointing campaign.

In the other game on Tuesday, Benfica picked up where they left off from the first leg, annihilating Club Brugge 5-1 to cruise to the next round.

Benfica stormed out of the gates from the first whistle, getting several good looks early on, and one goal that was called back for offside before ultimately scoring the opener in the 38th minute through Rafa Silva. Goncalo Ramos followed that up with goals on either side of the half to extend the lead.

Brugge eventually got a consolation goal after going down 5-0, but were totally outclassed in the matchup. Benfica will be a scary opponent for anyone to draw in the next round as they are firing on all cylinders in both the Champions League and in Portugal.

On Wednesday the heavyweight matchup of the round saw star studded Paris St. Germain travel to Germany to face Bayern Munich. Bayern entered just needing a draw after winning 1-0 in Paris.

Despite PSG finishing with 55% of the possession, Bayern controlled this game from the outset with a disciplined tactical approach. The Bavarians frustrated the dynamic duo of Messi and Mbappe all night, never allowing Mbappe space to break in behind or isolate defenders and forcing Messi to continually drop deep into midfield to pick up the ball and to initiate the attack.

PSG had a few opportunities, forcing an outstanding goal line save from Matthijs de Ligt after Bayern turned it over deep in their end. However, it was Bayern who doubled their aggregate lead in the 61st minute when Marco Verratti made an uncharacteristic mistake, getting stripped of the ball in his own box by Thomas Muller. Leon Goretzka quickly found an open Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting who slotted it in for the goal.

Serge Gnabry eventually tacked on a counter attack goal late in the game to seal the Bayern victory, 2-0 and 3-0 on aggregate.

Once again PSG has fallen short of their ultimate goal to claim the Champions League. For all the money invested in their superstar team, merely winning Ligue 1 is not enough, and the team has failed its test against Europe’s best for another year.

It remains to be seen if Messi will be back for another run next season. If not, this could have been his last appearance on the club game’s biggest stage. Bayern will head into the quarterfinals as one of, if not the favorites to bring home the crown.

The final game of the week was the least interesting. Tottenham and AC Milan played a fairly boring scoreless draw, with Tottenham chasing a goal to get them back in the matchup all game. Their hope was severely dashed in the 77th minute when defender Cristian Romero got sent off with a second yellow card, reducing them to ten men.

Milan keeper Mike Maignan had a big game, producing several big saves down the stretch to preserve the shutout and secure their spot in the final eight.

Tottenham will now need to direct all their energy into finishing in the top four of the Premier League to get back in this competition for next year, having been eliminated from all their cup competitions this season.

Coming up this week, Porto will look to overturn a 1-0 deficit when they host Inter Milan on Tuesday. At the same time, Manchester City needs a win at home over RB Leipzig after the 1-1 first leg draw.

On Wednesday Napoli will try to finish off Eintracht Frankfurt in the home leg in Italy, carrying a 2-0 lead from the first leg. Real Madrid will also carry a large lead into their home leg against Liverpool after their resounding 5-2 win in England.

England –

Arsenal maintained their five point lead at the top of the Premier League with a dominant 3-0 win over a scrappy Fulham team. Recent addition Leandro Trossard led the way, assisting all three goals, one each to Gabriel, Martinelli and Odegaard.

Americans Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson both started for Fulham though neither shined in this one. Robinson was beaten for Gabriel’s header on the first Arsenal goal and though Ream passed the ball well, he had several shaky defensive moments.

Manchester City kept pace in second place, eeking out a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on an Erling Haaland penalty goal. The goal was the 28th of the season for the Norwegian striker, continuing his record-breaking pace in his first Premier League season.

Manchester United took a disappointing 0-0 draw against last place Southampton to remain in third place, while Tottenham got a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest with two Harry Kane goals to hold tight in fourth place.

Down in the relegation battle, the American trio at Leeds all got on the field in a 2-2 draw against Brighton. The draw was a decent result against a tough Brighton team, but other results caused Leeds to lose ground in the fight to stay up. Everton won 1-0 over Brentford and Bournemouth upset Liverpool 1-0, pushing Leeds into the bottom three.

Germany –

In the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich separated themselves at the top of the standings, winning a 5-3 shootout over Augsburg led by two goals from defender Benjamin Pavard. Borussia Dortmund was on track to match them, carrying a 2-1 lead late into the second half against local rivals Schalke in the Revierderby, but they squandered it late.

Schalke derailed their rivals' hopes with a 79th minute headed goal from substitute Kenan Karaman. The game finished 2-2, dropping Dortmund two points behind Bayern in the title race. Gio Reyna subbed on for the last 13 minutes for Dortmund, but was unable to help them find a game winner.

In the race for the remaining Champions League qualification spots, RB Leipzig got a 3-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach, while Union Berlin drew 1-1 with Wolfsburg and Freiburg won 2-1 over Hoffenheim. The results leave those three teams tied for third place.

American right back Joe Scally went the distance for Gladbach in the loss, creating a couple of chances with crosses from the right wing. Kevin Paredes came on as a late sub for Wolfsburg against Union Berlin and assisted the game tying goal with a cut back from the left wing that found the goalscorer at the top of the box.

Spain –

The top of La Liga remained unchanged this week with Barcelona getting yet another 1-0 win, this time over Athletic Bilbao, and Real Madrid winning 3-1 over Espanyol. Barcelona benefitted from two VAR reviews, with their only goal from Raphina initially called offside before being overturned.

Then a late Athletic goal that was called back on VAR for a handball. Marc Andre Ter Stegen delivered another stellar performance in the net to preserve the clean sheet and the win, which leaves them nine points clear of rivals Real Madrid.

American midfielder Luca de la Torre put in another strong outing in midfield for Celta Vigo as they got a 3-0 win over Rayo Vallecano to move up to 11th in the standings. De la Torre has been one of the top performing US midfielders since the World Cup and should be in line for a good share of minutes in the upcoming CONCACAF Nations League games.

Italy –

Napoli extended their runaway lead in Serie A with a comfortable 2-0 win over Atalanta. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia starred once again, opening the scoring with a mazy dribble into the box to beat several defenders and then rocketing a shot past the keeper.

Inter Milan was upset 2-1 by Spezia on Friday while Lazio drew 0-0 with Bologna and Roma lost 4-3 to Sassuolo, leaving those three, along with AC Milan, all within three points for places two through five.

France –

After their disappointment midweek in the Champions League, PSG bounced back with a 2-1 to maintain their large lead in Ligue 1. Messi fed Mbappe with a perfect pass to spring the counter attack for the game winning goal.

Team of the Week –

G: Ter Stegen - Barcelona

D: Pavard - Bayern; De Ligt - Bayern; Gabriel - Arsenal; Davies - Bayern

M: Musiala - Bayern; Partey - Arsenal; E. Fernandez - Chelsea

F: Havertz - Chelsea; Ramos - Benfica; Trossard - Arsenal

Player of the Week –

Goncalo Ramos - Benfica

The 21 year old striker who had a breakout performance for Portugal at the World Cup had a sensational week for Benfica. Ramos was part of several exquisite sequences in Benfica’s 5-1 win over Brugge, scoring two goals and assisting one.

He is one of the key pieces in a Benfica attack that is really clicking at the right time to be dangerous in the Champions League. He followed up his big night in European competition with a solid outing in their 3-0 domestic league win over Maritimo on Sunday, helping to set up several chances from the front line.

Monday March 13, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3122

but as for the interview...

Maryland drew the #8 seed in this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament. That sounds about right.

Their first round opponent is none other than nearby rival West Virginia University, although that rivalry has, over the years, been far more contained to the football field than the basketball court. Once upon a time, when both teams were decent at football, an early-season MD-WVU game was circled in bold on your refrigerator schedule.

This Thursday, though, it will be a basketball game between the two schools that gets the spotlight. The winner of the Maryland-WVU game draws #1 seed Alabama on Saturday. That is, of course, assuming Alabama wins their opener on Thursday against a team they should beat by, say, 40 points or more.

Robert Edward Huggins is the head coach at West Virginia basketball. If you've followed his career, Huggins has always been regarded as one college basketball's best coaches. He spent 16 seasons at Cincinnati and a season at Kansas State before finally landing in Morgantown for the 2007-2008 campaign.

I had the privilege of interviewing Bob Huggins once.

"He has 10 minutes, tops," Glenn Clark told me during the commercial break leading up to Huggins coming on the air with me. Clark was the morning show producer for me on a local radio station and was often tasked with booking guests for the show.

As Clark left the studio, he smiled at me and said, "Good luck with this one, pal."

We were interviewing Huggins because his West Virginia team was set to take on Morgan State in the first round of the 2010 NCAA tournament. The Bears were a 15 seed. The Mountaineers were a 2 seed.

Clark told me the coach had 10 minutes for me and that was it.

I think we made it about 6 minutes or so before I gave up.

"Coach, welcome in, it's so great to have you. Obviously we see a lot of Morgan State here in these parts and I'm sure you dove right into game tape last night once you saw you guys were playing them in the first round. What's the early tale of the tape on this Morgan State team you'll be facing later this week?"

Huggins: "Athletic. Feisty. Well coached."

There was a pause.

I thought the coach was reaching for a cup of coffee or something. Or maybe we were having phone trouble.

Then I heard it. A big, loud, sigh.

If nothing else, I knew the coach was still with us. I was wondering there for a second.

"Coach, your West Virginia team is the #2 seed and Morgan State is the #15 seed. What do you do this week to avoid having your players buy into what they read on the internet and see that everyone in the country is picking West Virginia to win. How do you make sure they're grounded and ready to go?"

Another big sigh.

And a pause...

"We just tell them to get ready for 40 mintues of tough basketball."

I thought there was more coming. That was a good start to, perhaps, a great answer about making sure your players don't underestimate an inferior team.

But there was silence.

And another sigh.

"Coach, is there anything you've seen on tape -- I realize you've only known you'd be playing Morgan State for about 14 hours -- that you can speak to about the Bears that you'll spend a little extra time on this week?"

I figured a basketball coach would relish the chance to dive into an X's and O's basketball question, even a throwaway question like the one I just gave him, where he could wordsmith his way through a quick 20 second reply that would make everyone listening know how great of a basketball mind Bob Huggins was.

Another sigh. A second or two of dead air.

"They get up and down the court quickly," he said.

Yet another sigh. There for a second, I thought Bob was listening to a Beatles album and was fighting to stay awake.

"We need to match their intensity," Huggins added.

I thought maybe the coffee was starting to kick up there in Morgantown and Bob was perking up a bit. I mean, he gave me two sentences on that question.

We were two minutes into a ten minute interview and I was pretty much ready to wrap up at that point.

"Coach, I'm sure you've had a chance to look at your side of the bracket. Anything about your journey stand out as you look at it?"

I even knew this was a terrible question, but at that point I felt like Bob owed me one. No coach worth his salt is going to make a comment about a future opponent without first beating the team that's next on their schedule.

I was kind of hoping the stupidity of that question might wake Bob out of his slumber. Maybe he'd snap and chastise me for "looking ahead", the exact thing he would be cautioning his team not to do that week.

There was another sigh.

A second of silence.

"I haven't even looked at the bracket," Huggins whispered, his voice sounding of pain, almost. "I just know we're playing Morgan State first up."

It was there where I thought seriously about saying, "I know you're playing Morgan State, you goof, I've been trying to ask you about them for five minutes and you sound as enthused as a guy who just heard the dentist say "root canal time" while looking at your teeth."

I wanted to say that just to see if that would irritate him into an answer. But I didn't.

And with that, I gave Bob Huggins four minutes of his life back.

About six minutes into the ten minute interview, I bid the coach farewell.

I threw out an obvious lie, hoping to elicit some kind of response from him.

"Well, coach, this has been great. It's always awesome to catch up with you. Play well this week and go get 'em."

Actually, all three of those comments were lies. It hadn't been great in the least. It wasn't awesome to catch up. And, at that point, I hoped West Virginia lost by 24 in the second round to whomever they played once they knocked off Morgan State."

"Yep, take care now," Huggins said as he hung up the phone.

I looked across the room at Clark, who was stationed on the other side of the glass.

There was silence.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

"So.........." Clark said.

"Uhhhhhhh, yeah. That......might have been the worst thing I've ever endured here," I replied.

"Old Huggy," Clark continued. "Thanks for jumping on early with us here in Baltimore, coach. Appreciate you being awake and ready to go for us."

"I bet his secretary has a bunch of medals on display in her den," I said.

"We'll remember that one," Clark added.

"We sure will," I confirmed.

And, here I am, 13 years later, still remembering.

The first thing I thought of yesterday when I saw the Maryland-West Virginia match-up was my riveting interview with "Huggy".

I wouldn't be fibbing if I said I hope Maryland beats West Virginia by 35 this Thursday.

Bob won't have anything to say at that point. Just like back 2010.

---

Scottie Scheffler took all of the excitement out of The Players yesterday with a four-hole birdie run at 9, 10, 11 and 12 and cruised to a 5-shot win at golf's "5th major".

For those who heeded my advice last Wednesday: You're welcome. Speak kindly of me this week, please.

The Players is supposed to be the one tournament each year where someone with a chance to win collapses on the final three-hole-stretch that includes a risk-reward 530 yard par 5, the best-worst 140 yard hole in all of golf, and a par-4 with water down the left side that turns even the best players in the world into a nervous wreck.

We had none of that drama yesterday.

Oh, sure, Alex Smalley made a hole in one at #17 yesterday and Aaron Rai made a triple-bogey 6. There was some excitement on that hole, just none that really mattered.

By the time Scheffler stood on the 17th tee, he had a 5-shot lead. Even one ball in the water there wouldn't have mattered all that much. But the 2022 Masters champ hit a soft wedge into the middle of the green and his fist pump confirmed what we already knew...the golf tournament was over.

Scheffler has now won 6 tournamnents in a little over 13 months. In the golf world, that's a lot of winning. And it's worth noting that a lot of great players have never enjoyed that kind of success on the PGA Tour.

Sergio Garcia never won 6 times in 13 months on TOUR.

Neither did Patrick Reed.

Matt Kuchar didn't do it.

Brooks Koepka didn't do it, either.

Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas haven't won 6 times in a 13 month stretch.

Heck, Rickie Fowler has 5 wins on the PGA Tour. In...forever. That's right. Scheffler has won more in the last 13 months than Fowler has in his entire career.

And that's probably a lot more about Scheffler than it is about Rickie.

Oh, and here's the thing about Scheffler that is really impressive. His wins have come against great fields on distinctly different golf courses.

Last year he won in Phoenix, Orlando, Austin (match play) and Augusta National. All four of those tournaments featured the top players in the world.

This year, he defended at Phoenix, with an incredible field, and won yesterday against arguably the most talented lineup on TOUR.

Golf is going through an interesting time right now, as three players have really separated themselves from the rest of the pack; Rory, Rahm and Scheffler.

It's not Tiger vs. Phil, mind you. Not that there was ever much of a "rivalry" there, because Tiger beat Phil like a drum throughout their respective careers, but you know what I mean. Those two were at the top and everyone else was a few notches down the list.

Now, you have three guys on top and everyone else fighting to get into that group of three.

Next month's Masters should be something else. Throw Tiger's return into the mix plus a handful of LIV players who will be allowed to play at Augusta National and you have the makings of an incredible 2023 Masters.

Scheffler dipped to 9-1 at the Masters after yesterday's win. Better get him now, at that price. If he wins the Match Play in a couple of weeks he'll be down to 8-1 or lower.

Sunday March 12, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3121

sunday mailbag

The Terps will learn their NCAA tournament fate early this evening when the March Madness brackets are released. My guess? Maryland comes in as a 7 seed, which might be one spot higher than they deserve, but that's what happens when you only have one conference road win over the course of an entire season.

I stumbled onto a pretty good Twitter debate last night. I never engage in those sorts of things, mainly because it wasn't my argument in the first place, but I did read the entire thread and lurked for a little while as the participants went back-and-forth.

Anyway, one guy basically said Maryland doesn't deserve to be in the field -- at all -- and he then fought dozens of Maryland hoops fans who believe otherwise.

"One road conference win. One," he wrote. "How do you let a team play in the biggest tournament of the year when they went 1-9 on the road in the Big Ten?"

You can only imagine how the conversation went from there.

What the writer failed to realize is that no one in the conference was particularly great on the road in 2022-2023. And he also fails to grasp the fact that all wins matter, including Maryland's home victories over the likes of Purdue, Northwestern and Indiana, each of whom was ranked in the Top 25 when the Terps beat them in College Park.

The Terps will be playing somewhere next Thursday or Friday. If they aren't announced tonight, that would be the shocker of all shockers. Their seed in the field is certainly worth debating, though. They lost to a couple of really good teams out-of-conference back in December (Tennessee and UCLA), yes, but they also played some of their best basketball of the season in February.

A 7 seed seems about right to me. If it's any higher than that, so be it. But the Terps are a good, middle-of-the-road basketball team this season and they'll be dancing in the first round of the tournament later this week.

And rightfully so.

Oh, and while we're talking about teams from that neck of the woods, it's worth a quick mention that the Capitals picked up a big win last night on Long Island, knocking off the Islanders, 5-1.

While the Caps are far from a sure-thing in terms of the playoffs, every win from here on in is big for them.

I'm also happy to report that the Flyers.......lost last night. Yes, their 5-1 loss to the Penguins didn't help the Capitals, as Pittsburgh is ahead of D.C. in the standings. But anytime the Flyers lose, it's a bonus.

---

Darren asks -- "Do you think the Ravens made the best offer for Lamar and they know no other team will give him more money and that's why they used the non-exclusive on him? Did they play Lamar like a fiddle? Now they'll get him for $32 mil when no one else makes him an offer right?"

DF says -- "I have no way of knowing if the Ravens' best offer for Lamar is better than anything else he'll get on the open market, but you have to assume that's what the organization hopes he discovers when he starts peddling himself to the highest bidder. I don't see Lamar playing on the franchise tag in 2023, no matter what happens during his talks with other teams.

If Jackson doesn't get any offers to take back to the Ravens, he'll agree on a new deal in Baltimore and the process will end there. The Ravens have no interest in taking a $32.4 million cap hit in 2023. And more than anything, they want Lamar to be happy."

Ray asks -- "Why wouldn't the Orioles try to lock up Adley and Gunnar now, like the Rays and Braves have been doing with their young players?"

DF says -- "I don't know. Money, maybe? Coupled with the fact that neither of those two have yet to play a full Major League season. Don't get me wrong, I think both are going to be stars. And paying them sooner rather than later makes all the sense in the world, I agree with that. But let's allow both of them to play a 162 game season first and then we'll talk about contracts.

And don't forget, both players have to want to sign, too. The Orioles can't just say, "OK, here's a new 7-year contract. Sign here, please." The player has to want to give away his first big free agency moment. It makes sense, mostly, to do that, but the deal has to be right. What if Adley, as an example, signs a 7-year $200 million extension and then becomes the league MVP in 2025 and/or 2026? He might have been able to command $40 million annually at that stage of his career.

Anyway, I love the idea of locking those two up long-term, but let's hold off for a year on that."

C.J. asks -- "Are you concerned about Bruce's show in Baltimore on April 7 now that he's canceling a bunch of concerts due to illness in the band? It will be my first time seeing him live and it would really be a bummer if he cancels."

DF says -- "April 7 is almost a month away, so I'm not worried at all. The rumor is that a COVID variant has made its way through the band and several people (Patti, Nils, Jake, Stevie) have missed shows on the current tour because of it. If that's the case, the shows he canceled this week are probably an attempt to get everyone healthy and back on the road.

Any of the canceled shows will be made up at a later date, so even if for some reason the April 7 show doesn't happen, that one will be played later on in the year, I'm sure."

Mark asks -- "Did I see that right on the golf broadcast yesterday (Friday)? It's $750 to play the course at Sawgrass in Florida where they are playing the tournament this week? Who would ever pay that kind of money to play a golf course?"

DF says -- "Who would pay it? Golfers. And I think it might be $720, not $750, but that $720 is probably the "non-Marriott price". If you stay at the hotel on property (another $300 for the night) you get a lower rate. And I think $720 is probably their peak greens fee. In the summer, it's probably a little less.

I've never played TPC Sawgrass, but it's on my list for sure. I don't think I'd part with $720 to do it, though. At that point, it's more about the principle than the money. That said, I'm trying to figure out a way to get down there and play the course sometime in the next 12 months."

Carmen asks -- "When no one is around and they're just talking "football talk", what do you think Eric DeCosta and Steve Bisciotti really say about Lamar Jackson and the contract situation? Are they pissed off with him about the whole thing?"

DF says -- "I think they say what we all know: "He should have had an agent." That's the easiest summary. There's almost no doubt a deal would have already been finalized if Lamar would have utilized the services of an agent along the way.

I'm still not sure why he opted not to use one, unless he just couldn't stomach the thought of giving someone $12 million to negotiate a $300 million contract for him. To me, though, that's stupid. It's like paying $4.50 for a cup of soup when a bowl is $6.00. It's $1.50, who cares?

So when they are "talking shop", I assume Eric and Steve are both perplexed at why Lamar didn't just use an agent and get the deal finished with a while back. The clumsy nature of the whole thing has really mucked things up for the Ravens as they prepare to install Todd Monken's new offense for the 2023 season."

Saturday March 11, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3120

tournament time yields winners and losers

Red and white always was a pretty color combination to me.

You could mix and match, either way, and it still looks sharp.

Red shorts or pants with a white jersey.

White shorts or pants with a red jersey works, too.

You can even pull off the all-white look, which they did last night, and it still looks sharp.

And it's even better when your team in all white wins, which they did on Friday evening.

It's also extra special come tournament time when you're the one doing the winning, which is precisely what happened last night when the Glen Burnie women's basketball team captured their first-ever state title with a 43-40 win over Winston Churchill down in College Park.

Decked out in their snazzy all-white uniforms with red trim, the Lady Gophers trailed at halftime and again throughout the third quarter and into the fourth, but some timely three point shooting and nerves-of-steel at the foul line gave Glen Burnie the championship.

Way to go, girls!

At least one local team won a big basketball game on Friday night.

As always, Dale Williams will do the unpacking of last night's Maryland loss to Indiana in the Big Ten tournament. Dale was courtside in Chicago for Jahmir Young's night-he-would-rather-forget and has the breakdown of how the loss unfolded in his game story below.

I don't know why this is the case, but it happened again yesterday as I casually kept my eye on the other Big Ten games. Maybe I'm salty because I had a lovely outright-win-parlay of Ohio State, Penn State and Maryland and, well, the Terps spoiled it. Maybe that's it.

But as I watched some of the tournament games yesterday, it again dawned on me, like it does every year at this time, how much I don't care for Big Ten basketball as a whole.

It's just not the same.

And by that, of course, I'm referring to ACC basketball vs. Big Ten basketball. Yes, a decade later, I'm still not really into it. I've never really connected with Big Ten-anything as it relates to the Maryland Terrapins.

Your mileage may vary on that one. If so, all good. But I just can not get into it with anywhere near the same level of enthusiasm as I could when the Terps were members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Did you happen to catch the Duke-Miami semifinal game last night? Now that was college basketball right there. I mean, you have to dismiss that it involved Duke and they actually won to set up an ACC tournament finale with Virginia. But if you can do that, the Duke-Miami game was the way I remember college basketball being played in the ACC.

I could just be howling at the moon for the sake of doing it, but I don't feel much of anything when it comes Big Ten tournament time. Maryland beat Minnesota on Thursday night. Big deal, it's Minnesota.

I wasn't even sure the Golden Gophers were Division I in college basketball until Maryland started playing them after the conference switch from the ACC to the Big Ten.

I don't know why, but this happens every year at this time. The Big Ten tournament just doesn't generate any juice. At least not for me.

But that 3-way parlay sure would have been a nice hit last night.

Weather is impacting The Players down in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, as round two was unable to be finished yesterday and the field returned at 7:30 am this morning to play and get back on schedule.

The big story from Friday was Jon Rahm withdrawing just before his tee-time due to a stomach virus. The other big news would have been Rory McIlroy (+5 with a few holes remaining) missing the cut, except he was one of the players left out on the course when the weather situation occurred on Friday, so he'll return today to finish out his round and then pack up his locker.

It's a rarity indeed when Rory plays poorly enough to miss a cut on the PGA Tour.

Which brings me around to the most impressive thing Tiger Woods has ever done during his record-setting professional golf career.

Tiger's 82 wins are nice. He's tied with Sam Snead for the all-time lead, in fact.

His 15 major championships are second only to Jack Nicklaus. Good stuff there, as well.

But Woods did something on the course that Snead, Nicklaus, and everyone else who ever played on the PGA Tour could never manage to do. He made 142 consecutive cuts.

Of all the things Tiger has done in his golf life, that's the most impressive of them all. 142 consecutive cuts made. No one will ever do that again.

Ironically, McIlroy's missed cut at The Players comes on the heels of some interesting comments he made earlier this week when asked about the proposed changes to the TOUR's schedule in 2024 and beyond, where the Top 70 players will be invited to play in certain events that include guaranteed payouts and no missed cuts.

"If it bothers guys outside of the Top 70, there's one way they can remedy that: play better golf," Rory said.

Alas, that's always the way to overcome anything you get in golf.

Don't like getting that 7:54 am tee time on Thursday morning? Play better golf and you'll be in the later pairings they reserve for streaming and live TV.

Don't like staying in a Residence Inn while the rest of the big-winners stay in the Westin or private houses they rent for $10,000 a week?Play better golf and you can afford the luxury of upgraded lodging.

Don't like flying commercial and sitting in a window seat for 3 hours? Play better golf and you can afford one of those "Net Jet" service hours contracts most of the top players purchase.

That, in general, was McIlroy's point on Tuesday at The Players press conference.

Don't like it? Play better.

"Well, the world needs ditch diggers, too," the great Ted Knight said in the movie, "Caddyshack".

Don't like digging them? Get a better job.

As for Rory, he gets a rare Sunday off tomorrow to think about his golf game. And while sitting at home tomorrow, McIlroy will do something on a Sunday that Tiger didn't do for 142 straight tournaments. He'll be watching Sunday golf instead of playing it.

	dale williams aims the terps spotlight
DALE WILLIAMS returns for his 8th season of covering all things Maryland men's basketball for #DMD. Terps Spotlight will preview and review all games in the 2022-2023 season.

terps fall by 10 to indiana

Last night in Chicago, Indiana’s combination of a First Team All-Big Ten selection and a Big Ten Freshman of the Year outplayed anything that Maryland had to offer. The final result was a dominating second half that ended with Indiana advancing to today’s Big Ten semifinals after a 70-60 victory over Maryland.

Trace Jackson-Davis had 24 points (15 in the second half) and Jalen Hood-Schifino added 19 points, but it was the work they did defensively that changed the game. Jackson-Davis totally owned the paint, blocking shots and causing other shots to not even be attempted.

Hood-Schifino knocked down 8 of 15 shots while scoring 19 points, but even more importantly, he locked down Jahmir Young in the second half. Young went 1 for 10 in the second half as Hood-Schifino cut off Young’s penetration and Jackson-Davis altered most of the shots taken inside.

The teams scored points right out of the box, but it was Indiana who sustained a torrid scoring pace. The Hoosiers hit their first five shots, scoring 11 points in less than three minutes, taking an 11-5 lead before missing a shot.

At the 15:48 mark of the half, Indiana had accumulated 6 points in the paint. Maryland had none. It was a trend that needed reversing. Four of the Terps first shots were from the three-point line and only one was successful.

Maryland withstood the early Indiana run and managed to narrow the gap to just a single point after a three by Hakim Hart. Some back and forth scoring left the scoreboard at 17-15, in favor of Indiana, with 11:32 to go in the half. The Hoosiers were shooting 61% and the Terps were hitting just 35% from the field.

The Terps grabbed their first lead when Don Carey hit a left-wing triple. Maryland’s 18-17 lead expanded to 19-17 when Young made one of two foul shots after being fouled on a layup attempt.

Indiana had cooled of significantly, missing 6 of their last 7 shots. Maryland would extend the lead to 7 points, 24-17, on a Patrick Emilien dunk that was followed by a three from Young.

Young’s triple came after Maryland stripped Jackson-Davis and recovered the loose ball. An Indiana timeout was used to break the Terrapin momentum. There was 8:19 left in the half.

With 7:20 left Reese picked up his second foul and left the game. Jackson-Davis made 1 of the 2 free throws to go along with his short jumper only 45 seconds before. Carey connected on another Terp 3, and the lead was back to 7, 27-20.

Maryland’s three-point numbers got even better when Scott hit another one, but Indiana fought right back with 4 straight points in the paint. The Hoosier advantage in that category was now 16-6 and the score was 30-26 with under 4 minutes left in the half.

The first 20 minutes ended on a Hood Schifino miss, but not before the talented Hoosier freshman had scored 10 points and brought his team to within 2 of Maryland, 34-32.

Maryland was doubled up in first half paint points, 20-10, but it was their 6-1 advantage in three pointers made that enabled them to stay ahead of Indiana. Even if it was just by a single bucket.

The second half started with a game tying bucket from Jackson-Davis shortly after Reese got whistled with his third foul. Maryland stretched the lead back to 5 on the back of Scott’s inside jumper and his three pointer. A hard drive for a layup by Hart was countered by a three from Miller Kopp. The Kopp three brought a deafening roar from the Indiana fans who comprised about 80% of the attendance.

Some good fortune allowed the Hoosiers to tie the game. Jackson-Davis was stripped of the ball, but it went directly to Tamar Bates for an easy bucket.

Maryland called timeout after Indiana tied the game again, 43-43, with more inside points. The roar this time was loud enough to make me think my 80% estimate was low. Let’s bump it up to 90%.

The Hoosiers regained the lead at the foul line when Hood-Schifino made a single foul shot after Reese picked up foul number 4. Maryland hadn’t scored in 2:32 seconds, had made just 1 of their last 7 shots, and fell behind by 4, 47-43. The crowd was definitely affecting Maryland’s play and you had to feel that the next 4 minutes would determine if this game was to be competitive or would evolve into an Indiana blowout.

Jackson-Davis was now doing the bulk of his team’s offensive work with 9 points in 9 minutes. Maryland had fallen behind by 8 and Young and Hart were a combined 1 for 10 shooting in the second half.

Maryland’s scoring woes grew to over 5 minutes without a point as they had made just 1 of their last 12 shots. When Tamar Bates connected on a 3, it put the Terps in a 54-43 hole.

The 15-0 Hoosier run was finally interrupted by a Carey three and a Hart acrobatic layup. With 8:20 left to play, the Terps now trailed 54-48.

The next 5 minutes only yielded more frustration for the Terps. They had dropped just 6 of 24 second half shots (25%) and continued to get dominated by Jackson-Davis and his 13 second half points with 3:55 left to play.

Maryland was down by 10, 61-51, and time was running out. Young had yet to connect on a second half field goal, going 0 for 7 at that point.

At 3:22, Young finally broke the ice and hit a field goal. This came on the heels of his connecting on 2 free throws. The lead was now down to six and Maryland still had hope.

The biggest sequence of the game may have happened next. Maryland’s press would force a quick Hoosier turnover and subsequent foul of Carey. The Terp guard went to the line shooting one and one with a chance to cut the lead to 4. He missed the front end and Indiana scored on the ensuing possession. The lead was back to 8 and that was that.

A shot clock buzzer beating three by Hood-Schifino was the proverbial “dagger”. There was 1:26 left to go and the Terps were down 10.

Maryland had made just 7 second half shots and got owned on both ends of the court by Jackson-Davis. The decision to keep Galloway on the bench and use Hood-Schifino to hound Young was a game changer. Young never really got into the game offensively. Indiana was still doubling Maryland’s paint points, and the gap had grown to 18, 36-18.

A microcosm of Young’s game came when he airballed a right corner three with about 40 seconds left. Indiana grabbed the miss and the Terps stopped their defensive efforts. The final score was 70-60.

The better team won. Maryland had no answer, both offensively and defensively for the Indiana dynamic duo of Jackson-Davis and Hood-Schifino.

They were too big, too strong, and too steady.

Hopefully selection Sunday will reveal Maryland’s next opponent.

Friday March 10, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3119

not a big deal...at all

The Orioles are apparently shopping the naming rights to Camden Yards.

It's always important to use the word "apparently" on most things connected with the baseball team because they don't usually say much publicly.

But that's the story. Apparently.

This wouldn't be the team's first flirtation with attaching a corporate sponsor to the stadium's official name. A decade or so ago, quiet as it was kept, a former O's star player put together a local group of interested investors with the hope they could buy the team from Peter Angelos.

Included in that potential sale was Bank of America stepping forward as the "bank of record" for the transaction and in exhcange for their efforts, the stadium name would have been assigned to them for a to-be-determined length of time.

But the local group didn't wind up purchasing the team and "Bank of America Stadium" died a quick death.

So it's not like the organization hasn't been down this road before. They've never sold the stadium naming rights to a corporate entity but that doesn't mean they're unwilling to do so.

Money talks.

The reaction in town yesterday wasn't all that favorable once news started circulating about a possible corporate name for Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Me? I said these four words as I read the story and the bellyaching from fans on social media: Not a big deal.

I mean, seriously, who gives a rat's rear end what the name of the stadium is? No matter what corporate partner they sign on, we're all still going to call it "Camden Yards" anyway. Right? Right.

Are you really going to call it Under Armour Park?

Or Truist Stadium?

Of course not. You're going to call it Camden Yards. Always.

Sure, the radio and TV guys will call it by its corporate name because they have to do that. "Here we are at Pandora Field..."

But none of us are going to do that. So why get worked up about it?

"It spoils the pureness of the game and the stadium," people will say.

Yeah, because guys hitting .229 making $14 million a year don't spoil the pureness of it, right?

Everything's for sale in sports. The bathrooms are sponsored, even. I mean, if you can put ads up above the urinals you can certainly tolerate having the stadium named after a local business. Can't you?

As I always say, this generation of folks is wired to overreact to just about everything. And the stadium name is no different.

"Camden Yards" or "Under Armour Park". Who cares?

The only thing that matters when it comes to the stadium in Baltimore is this: How many games are the O's winning there out of the 81 they play at home this season?

Nothing else matters at all.

Speaking of whining for no reason, there are still some people in the golf world singing the blues because Cameron Smtih isn't able to defend his Players title this week at TPC Sawgrass.

I'll use those same four words again that I used in the above story about the stadium name change: Not a big deal.

Why on earth would we care about a guy who chose money over integrity?

I'm not even sure Cam Smith cares.

I mean, he says he cares and all. He got a pouty-lip when GOLF.com interviewed him recently and asked him if he was going to miss defending his title.

"It stings a bit," Smtih said.

But Cameron Smith got $100 million from the creeps who run LIV Golf. Do you really, in your heart of hearts, think Cameron Smith cares all that much about not remaining eligible to play The Players?

I don't think he cares at all. And I don't know that I blame him for not caring. You wanted your hundred million. You got it. How could you possibly have anything at all to care about?

Smith knew, the day he signed that LIV deal, that he was done on the PGA Tour. Not getting to play The Players was the collateral damage. In the end, though, he's like the Beatles. No one even knows he's not there.

There's not one LIV golfer (at least from the list of those who left the PGA Tour to take that dirty money) you should feel sorry for this week. Not one.

They made their bed and now they're sleeping in it. They went from playing in events that people around the world follow to playing in events that offer $2.00 tickets online.

The Players is a real golf tournament. With a cut and four days of golf and a first-place check. Oh, and exemptions into other big tournaments as well. When you win The Players, you get some awesome PGA Tour perks.

When you win a LIV event, you get a text from one of the Saudi head honchos reminding you to stop by his niece's 12th birthday party in the tent near the 1st tee after you're finished playing.

Gotta keep those Saudi money men happy, you know?

So when I see or hear Cameron Smith crying about not getting to play this week, I shrug and say, "Yeah, well, you should have thought more thoroughly about The Players before you jumped ship last September."

End of story.

The Ravens started chiseling away at their salary cap yesterday by trading veteran safety Chuck Clark to the New York Jets. The move was, in part, an effort to trim off $9 million-plus to accommodate Lamar's $32.4 million salary that hits the team's books next week.

Clark was a decent player and all, but that's it.

Yet people were howling at the moon all afternoon on Thursday, concerned that Eric DeCosta "only got a 7th round pick for one of our best defensive players."

Well, for starters, Chuck Clark is a decent player but far, far from "one of the Ravens best defensive players." Let's get that straight right from jump street.

Second, everyone around the league knows the Ravens' cap situation heading into next week. They're well aware that the club has to cut away $9 million and some change in order to fit Lamar's 2023 salary within their salary cap. So with that said, no one is giving you anything of value to take Chuck Clark and his salary off of your books.

The Ravens are fortunate the Jets are charitable enough to give them a 7th round pick. Some teams would have offered four Southwest Airlines tickets and a new cold tub in exchange for Clark.

Again, I say: Not a big deal.

Chuck Clark can easily be replaced this April by a safety from the draft or perhaps a veteran released in training camp will come in and be a perfect fit for Mike Macdonald's defense.

Either way, it's Chuck Clark. He can be replaced. Nice guy and all. Decent player. Nothing at all "wrong" with him, per se. Except for one thing: he makes too much money.

So yesterday he had to be cut loose.

Contrary to what you heard on the radio or read on the internet yesterday, it's not the end of the world. The Ravens are still 25-1 to win the Super Bowl next season (or whatever they are...). People who own Ravens PSL's aren't selling them because Chuck Clark was traded.

There's another Chuck Clark just waiting to emerge in Baltimore. They're fairly easy to find, actually. And I'm pretty certain Eric DeCosta and his staff will do just that, in the same way they were able to bring Marcus Williams to Charm City last off-season.

I realize the Ravens are sorta-kinda low-hanging-fruit these days, what with the playoff fiasco in Cincinnati, the Lamar saga contiuning to unfold, and last week's "report card" about some of the team's ineffectiveness in the training room.

Those three things are a big deal.

Losing Chuck Clark?

Not a big deal.

	dale williams aims the terps spotlight
DALE WILLIAMS returns for his 8th season of covering all things Maryland men's basketball for #DMD. Terps Spotlight will preview and review all games in the 2022-2023 season.

terps face indiana after beating minnesota

It took all day, but a favorite finally won a Thursday game in the Big Ten Tournament as the Maryland Terrapins dispatched the Minnesota Golden Gophers, 70-54, last night. The Terps used the three-point line and the foul line to outscore Minnesota.

Kevin Willard’s team had a 9-point advantage in threes and a 7-point difference in points from the foul line.

Defensively, Maryland forced 15 turnovers while playing a suffocating and exhausting full court pressure game. Minnesota, having played the night before, could not contend with the defensive energy of Maryland.

Donta Scott provided the first half offensive fireworks for Maryland, scoring 16 of Maryland’s 31 points in the opening 20 minutes. And it was Jahmir Young who carried the Terps in the second half when he tallied 14 of his 15 points.

Pharrel Payne of Minnesota made the most out of Maryland’s interior foul trouble, scoring 17 points and grabbing a game high 9 rebounds.

The Terps started the game, offensively, by launching threes. They missed 2 before Hakim Hart drilled one to put Maryland ahead 3-2. Donte Scott followed that with a driving layup after a Gopher turnover. A 10 second call against Minnesota turned into a Scott 3 and the Terps had an 8-2 advantage going into the game’s first TV timeout.

Joshua Ola-Joseph connected on Minnesota’s first three and after the Terps third turnover of the game, a nifty spin-move by Payne brought the Gophers to within 1, 8-7. Another dry possession by Maryland left them with zero points and three turnovers in the game’s previous 3 minutes.

Minnesota briefly took a lead with a Braeden Carrington 3, but Scott immediately answered with one of his own. The second TV timeout came with 10:33 left in the half with the Terps gaining possession after Minnesota, again, failed to get the ball across half court within the allotted 10 seconds. Maryland led 15-12 at this point.

The scoringthen screeched to a halt. The only points registered during the next 3 minutes were single buckets by Juju Reese and Dawson Garcia, plus a foul shot by Jaden Henley. Reese then picked up his second foul and went to the bench. However, his return was immediately forced by Patrick Emilien picking up foul number 3.

Maryland finally started to hit some shots, and they were all threes. Scott hit two and Don Carey made one as the Terps grabbed their biggest lead so far, 26-17. They were stroking threes to the tune of 6 of 11.

The lead was still 9 with 3:33 left in the half. Scott was 4-5 shooting three pointers, as his 14 points were half of Maryland’s 28. Minnesota was leaving Scott open, but were bottling up a scoreless Jahmir Young. It’s also notable that Maryland had yet to shoot a foul shot.

Twenty seconds later the Terps were put into the bonus with Scott on the line. He made both ends and the Terps lead grew to 11, 30-19.

The half ended with the Terrapins ahead 31-24 despite them not having made a shot from the field for the game’s last 4:04. Maryland’s 6 for 12 three-point shooting, and Scott’s 16 points were allowing the Terrapins to stay a few steps ahead of the Golden Gophers even though they had hit just 38% of their shots overall.

Hart, Reese, and Young were successful on just 2 of 13 first half attempts. The Gophers also hit 38% of their shots, but they had balanced scoring with no player posted more than 6 points.

The Terps scored first in the second half when Reese got a nice feed from Young and slammed it home. Reese proved he could also play some “D” when he blocked the next Minnesota field goal try.

The play would have been great had he not pushed a Gopher away from the loose ball. That was foul number three for Reese and he joined the other two Terp bigs who also had three fouls. It also meant Reese went back to the bench. The foul call was a legitimate call, and a stupid play by the Terp center.

The good news was that Maryland made their first 4 shots of the half, 2 of them being 3-pointers, and grew their lead to 41-26.

With Reese on the bench and Emilien, his replacement, having picked up his fourth foul, the Terps were left vulnerable inside. Minnesota started to pound the ball down low to Payne and he sandwiched two layups in between a Hart driving bucket. The score was 43-32 with 15:18 left in the contest.

Just when the Gophers looked like they had run out of gas, they scored 5 straight points to trim Maryland’s lead to 8, 45-37. The Terps were 0 for their last 7 shots. All of this occurred with Jahmir Young getting a breather.

Kevin Willard brought Young right back and he delivered a driving layup and, after a Terp steal, dished to Reese for another layup.

The Gophers went back inside for two more buckets, and Young countered with two foul shots. The Terps were back up by ten, but it could have been 12 had Young not missed a dunk. (That’s becoming an all-too-common occurrence with him).

Turnovers were starting to mount for Minnesota, and the Terp lead was growing. That’s when Carrington hit back-to-back threes to drive the lead down to single digits

Maryland's answer was a Young “and one” layup and an offensive rebound put back for two more points by the Maryland point guard. The lead was now a comfortable 14 points, 63-49, with 3:25 left to play and Minnesota going to the foul line for 2 shots.

At that point the Terps took the air out of the ball and started to run down the clock. The Gophers could never score enough points to challenge, and the game ended with Maryland moving on to a clash with Indiana after handing Minnesota a 70-54 loss.

For Maryland to contend tonight with Indiana and Trayce Jackson-Davis, they will need to be better on offense then they were in Thursday’s tournament opener.. A similar offensive output will surely produce a quarterfinal loss for the Terrapins.

Young must get off to a fast start tonight and Willard has to instruct his team to double Jackson-Davis every time he gets the ball. The 11 point, 66-55, victory that Maryland enjoyed against Indiana earlier this year won’t happen again. Maryland can win, but not like that. They need to score more points.

In that game, the Terps had a 25-10 advantage in points from the foul line. That won’t happen in Chicago. Jalen Hood-Schifino is too good to go 1-14 like he did in Maryland’s earlier win. The Terps need to keep him in check tonight.

I’ll look for Maryland to get more offensive production from the three point-line tonight when compared to their last hook-up against Indiana. Jahmir Young made 3 of 6 that night, but the rest of the squad only made 2 of 15. They’ll be better tonight.

The biggest advantage that I see Maryland having is Indiana’s lack of a defender with the skills to handle Young. They gave Trey Galloway a shot at doing that in the regular season meeting in College Park, and he proved inept at stopping Maryland’s top scorer.

Indiana may try Hood-Schifino or even Tamar Bates off the bench. Stopping Young’s penetration has to be the number 1 Hoosier defensive priority.

Maryland needs to force Jackson-Davis to give up the ball. When he does, the guy to leave open is Race Thompson. At 24% proficiency form the three-point line, he’s a far better option than Galloway (47%), Miller Kopp (45%), or Hood Schifino (36%).

Here’s some advice for the Terps, and it’s a bit outside of their norm: Rebound and run.

Jackson-Davis is the best rim protecting defender in the Big Ten and possibly in all of the NCAA. It would serve the Terps well to get some points with him trailing behind. I’m not so sure that Maryland can win a half-court battle.

After attending countless ACC Tournaments, this is my first time attending a Big Ten Tournament in Chicago. The DC event and the New York one were OK, but Chicago has much more energy than either of the other two.

Now, if it could just be 70 and busting out with spring, this might rival the Tobacco Road Grandaddy of conference tournaments.

Although the Greensboro weather doesn’t look all that inviting this weekend, itsure beats the snow that I currently see here in Chicago.

faith in sports

One of the cool things about the internet is you can always "catch up" on something you might have missed. Such is the case with the video I'm posting below, which is the Monday FCA Maryland "Funders Dinner" I referenced in yesterday's edition of #DMD.

If you weren't able to be there on Monday night, have no fear. You have the ability to be there today, just by clicking the link below and watching the dinner from the comfort of your desk, living room, etc.

There's even an 8-minute appearance from your's truly around the 28 minute mark, where I discuss the growth and development of FCA Maryland Golf.

If you weren't there on Monday but would like to donate to my FCA Maryland Golf program, just drop me an e-mail and I'll tell you how you can go about doing just that: 18inarow@gmail.com

As always, thanks to our friends at Freestate Electrical for their continued support of "Faith in Sports" here at #DMD.

Thursday March 9, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3118

if not lamar, then who?

This is the fun part of LamarGate.

If Jackson is somehow not in Baltimore in 2023, who will be the Ravens starting quarterback next season?

Let the fun begin, huh?

I keep having this weird thought that the Ravens would settle on a very brief veteran stop-gap while they get their act together and figure out where to go next with the quarterback position.

Ryan Tannehill?

Jacoby Brissett?

Jimmy Garoppolo?

Those are three names you hear quite often these days. Carson Wentz will probably be thrown around, too, in the next few weeks.

I think we all know what those four guys are, don't we?

They are quarterbacks who have enjoyed moments of excellence in the NFL. Yes they are.

But they aren't reliable enough to be considered anything other than a hole-plugger until the Ravens decide where to go for a new, full-time QB.

You have to assume Eric DeCosta is thinking two steps ahead as it relates to the QB position in Baltimore in 2023.

"Well, if a team comes around next week and offers Lamar $300 million, who is going to quarterback our team next season?"

They could, of course, just give the job to Tyler Huntley for a season.

They could draft Anthony Richardson this April and go from there. Richardson just lit up the combine, in case you didn't hear.

Or they could sign one of those stop-gaps we listed above.

How about this scenario?

The New England Patriots figure out a way to make Lamar a break-the-bank offer and, as part of the process, they eventually wind up shipping Mac Jones to Baltimore.

You know Mac Jones, right? Went to Alabama. Ozzie Newsome loves Alabama players. One and one equals two, right?

I'm putting all of this out there just to play the "what if?" game because I assume the Ravens are burning the midnight oil right now in preparation for Lamar coming back to them in a week or so with an awesome they can't or won't match.

As Ozzie always says during free agency: "It only takes one team."

Remember when Manny Machado was peddling himself to the highest bidder a few years ago? Everyone thought it was going to be the Dodgers, Yankees, Mets or Red Sox who would back up the Brinks truck for him. It turned out a team no one ever suspected -- San Diego -- wound up forking over the most money for the former O's infielder.

I feel like something similar is going to happen with Lamar. While everyone is talking about Houston, Las Vegas and Atlanta as being "natural fits" for Jackson, some team you're not suspecting will be the one to pull the trigger.

Enter Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick and the Patriots. They've been losing for three years now. "Enough's enough", they're saying to themselves.

And even though the Patriots might not have the cap space or the draft picks to sew up a Jackson signing, they'll figure out a way to pull it off. When teams are desperate, they'll figure anything out.

If you're the Ravens, you'd certainly prefer that Lamar goes to a NFC team if, in fact, he's not going to return to Baltimore next season. But if Washington or Carolina or Atlanta doesn't want him, there's not much you can do.

You'd hate to see him land in New England, but that's the risk you took with the non-exclusive tag. You've left yourself open to something wacky happening.

---

As I continue to think through LamarGate, here's the one part of the story I can't help but wonder about.

Can Lamar and the Ravens co-exist again?

I know the Ravens are saying all the right things, publicly.

"We want Lamar..."

"We value Lamar greatly..."

"We have every reason to believe Lamar will be here with us in 2023..."

But that's what they say publicly. They're certainly not going to denigrate the guy, particularly when they're trying to convince other teams around the league they want him back in 2023.

We don't really know how Lamar feels, because he doesn't talk to anyone or tell the media anything.

But it's certainly worth asking. Is the Ravens-Lamar relationship solid? Or has this whole 25-month fiasco fractured the two of them in such a way that it's not worth trying to patch up?

I don't know the answer, by the way.

I'm just asking the question(s).

And it's fair to ask, I think. Are the Ravens upset at Jackson's amateur-hour negotiating style, the unreturned texts and calls, and the bizarre leak to Stephen A. Smith? Is Jackson upset at the Ravens for their refusal to fork over a fully guaranteed deal after five years of (mostly) excellent quarterback play? And if both parties are upset at the other, is the relationship beyond repair?

I don't know.

---

The one thing that seems to still be a major part of the narrative is the blame game.

Someone has to take the heat, when this eventually gets settled.

Every story has to have a villain.

It can't just be the Ravens think Lamar is worth "AAA" and Lamar thinks he's worth "AAAA" and they're either going to settle on a figure somewhere in between or Jackson will move on and the Ravens will go find a new quarterback.

Someone has to get the blame and the criticism.

I'm not saying that's right, of course. I'm saying that's the way it is in 2023.

Everyone has their own "hot take" on why Lamar's a goof or the Ravens have screwed the whole thing up. There has to be a way to assign most or all of the blame on one of the two parties.

To me, this story got extremely more complicated when Lamar didn't play this past December and January. Until that point, I think the Ravens were completely sold on giving Jackson something very close to his total-package-asking-price minus the fully guaranteed money.

But once he missed December and January and was unavailable for the last two games against the Bengals, I suspect the Ravens started to really question Lamar's overall value.

Even then, though, they still provided Lamar with an upgraded offer a week ago as they tried to hammer out an 11th hour deal to avoid the franchise tag this past Tuesday.

But in the end, it always came back to the guaranteed money. Jackson, under immense pressure from the NFLPA, simply wasn't willing to budge off of his demand that his new contract be "better" and of a higher value than the one signed by Deshaun Watson last spring. Anything less than "fully guaranteed" didn't interest Lamar or the NFLPA.

And the Ravens told Lamar from the beginning they wouldn't fully guarantee the deal. While they changed their overall offer three times since last August, one thing that never changed was the team's willingness to guarantee the entire contract. They simply weren't going to do that.

That, more than anything, is what got in the way throughout the whole ordeal. Lamar wanted all of his contract fully guaranteed and the Ravens weren't willing to do that.

People tried to dissect that, read into it, figure it out, etc. There wasn't anything to dissect or "figure out", no matter how hard people tried to do just that.

The two parties have a difference of opinion on Lamar's value. That's it. That's why, as of today, Lamar Jackson doesn't have a contract with the Ravens for 2023 and beyond.

reaching every coach and athlete

This past Monday night at The Center Club, I had the privilege of introducing FCA Maryland Golf to a sold-out room of 250 guests at the annual state wide FCA dinner.

My task was to bring the guests up to date on FCA Maryland Golf and what we did in 2022 and what we'll do in 2023 and beyond. We kicked off the golf program for the Maryland chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in March of 2022. We started with no money in the budget and no golfers on the roster.

We started, basically, with a dream and the hope that we could introduce junior golfers in the state to the sport of golf while also showcasing FCA to them at the same time.

A month or so ago, FCA Maryland President Brandon Johnson reached out to me.

"Can you bring along a guest or two to the March 6th dinner and show everyone in attendance how FCA Golf impacted him or her in 2022?" Brandon asked me.

And with that, I set out to do just that.

Monday night, I introduced Harry and Steve Belbot to the room at The Center Club.

It was quite an honor to do so.

When we first started our free clinic series at Pine Ridge last spring, I reached out to a friend of mine who is involved in middle school activities and athletics, Rick Mellendick, and told him what we were launching with FCA Maryland Golf.

At our first clinic, Rick brought along several junior golfers. Through his channels, Rick told others about the clinic series.

In May, we doubled our clinic size and one of the young men in attendance was a freshman from Loyola Blakefield. At that time, he was a not even a "golfer", per se. Harry Belbot is a talented swimmer at Loyola, with no formal connection whatsoever to FCA prior to his arrival at our clinic series at Pine Ridge.

Harry's dad, Steve, came along to watch at Pine Ridge.

At the end of each clinic at Pine Ridge, we finish with refreshments and snacks for the junior golfers and a 15-20 minute "huddle" where Brian Hubbard and I talk about faith and the role it plays in our lives. Before departing, we pray.

That night in May, we ended the evening by asking if any of the junior golfers wanted to lead us in prayer.

There was the predictable silence that comes with putting someone on the spot like that.

"I'll lead us," Harry Belbot said.

"Take it away, Harry," Brian and I both said in unison.

And from that point on, at each clinic for the rest of 2022, Harry Belbot not only attended and participated, but he led the growing group in prayer each and every night.

"Before I started going to the clinics at Pine Ridge, I didn't know what was FCA was," Harry told the audience on Monday night. "And I really didn't know how my faith could connect with my swimming and my athletic efforts. Now I know that there are things you need to have to be successful in sports; you need to be strong physically, mentally and spiritually. I have all three of those now through FCA."

Steve, Harry's dad, also told the audience on Monday night about how FCA Maryland Golf has impacted him, too, over the last 12 months. In fact, Steve attended our "adult fellowship events" during 2022, joining us at Caves Valley and Queenstown Harbor for golf and the opportunity to learn more about his faith through FCA.

I chose Harry to represent FCA Maryland Golf on Monday night because he came to us not as a golfer, but a swimmer. But he also came to us not really having any experience at all with FCA or "faith in sports".

Brandon Johnson and FCA Maryland told Brian Hubbard and I to lead "every coach and athlete into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ". They didn't tell us to only lead golfers, instead they asked us to use the sport of golf to bring the mission of FCA to as many people as we can.

We found a high school swimmer through the sport of golf and gave him an understanding of what FCA is about and how his growing faith can help him better compete in the pool and the classroom.

FCA Maryland Golf will be doing great things in 2023 but our 2022 story where we met Harry and Steve Belbot will be hard to top.

	dale williams aims the terps spotlight
DALE WILLIAMS returns for his 8th season of covering all things Maryland men's basketball for #DMD. Terps Spotlight will preview and review all games in the 2022-2023 season.

terps face minnesota tonight

Maryland’s first round opponent was revealed far too late last night for me to provide details on today’s game. When your 6:15 am flight to Chicago on Thursday morning forces you to be on the road by 3:45, staying up to watch a game that won’t end until after 11 pm isn’t an option. I’ll watch the replay while I’m in the air.

Note: Maryland will play Minnesota in today’s Big Ten tournament after the Golden Gophers surprised Nebraska last night, 78-75.

Let’s use today’s piece as a little primer to the rest of the Big Ten Tournament.

The first game on Thursday pits Rutgers against Michigan. The Wolverines went on the road two weeks ago to beat Rutgers, 58-45. Rutgers is on a downward slide, having lost 6 of their last 8 games. That streak includes a really bad loss at Minnesota. Losing Mawot Mag was pivotal for this defensive minded Rutgers team.

Michigan, at 11-9, has most likely made the NCAA Tournament field, but a win here would surely enhance their standing with the committee. I see Rutgers in most “Bracketology” listings, but another loss and they could slip to a “Last 4 out status”.

This game is a tossup, but I’ll be rooting for Rutgers. After all the smack talking over the last few years, what Terp fan can pull for Michigan?

The game pits Hunter Dickinson and Jett Howard against Clifford Omoruyi and Paul Mulcahy. This could be a great tournament game that goes down to the wire. The Dickinson/Omoruyi matchup is a big-time battle.

Game two features Ohio State (by virtue of last night’s 65-57 win over Wisconsin) bumping heads with 5th seeded Iowa. The two games these teams have already played against each other this year were split. Iowa won at home, 92-75, while Ohio State also held serve with a 93-77 home win.

Expect a ton of points to be scored. The teams may not get to the 167 and 170 combined totals of earlier this season, but this will be an up and down battle featuring First Team All-Big Ten selection, Kris Murray.

Murray is too versatile and too big for an Ohio State team lacking big man Zed Key. I’m expecting a fast tempo and fun game. The winner may need to score 80 to 85 points, so each team needs offensive help from players other than the team’s top scorer.

In my humble opinion, Iowa has a more potent lineup, 1 through 5, and I expect that to carry them to the win.

Penn State vs Illinois is another interesting matchup. Penn State is one of the conference’s best three-point shooting teams while Illinois is the worst in terms of percentage. But the Illini shoot a ton of triples, so even with a horrible percentage, they still score a good amount of their points from the three point line.

Penn State handled Illinois twice already this season, both times by double digits. Two First Team All-Big Ten players will knock heads in this game. Jalen Pickett for Penn State and Terrance Shannon Jr are the marquee names in this 6:30 pm game. Illinois needs a big game from Dain Dainja to help offset the damage to be done by Pickett (he toasted Illinois for 41 earlier this year).

Can Dainja step up and does Illinois have the muscle to contend with Pickett?

The final game on Thursday will be between the Maryland Terrapins and the winner of the Minnesota / Nebraska game. The Terps will beat either one of these teams. Both of Maryland’s potential opponents are playing their best ball of the 2022-2023 season, but neither one is built to handle Maryland on a neutral court.

The Gophers won’t win this game because they simply don’t shoot well enough and the Cornhuskers are just too small.

This is the most-wide open Big Ten Tournament since the Terps joined the conference. These teams have been beating each other up all season long and other than Nebraska or Minnesota, nobody making it to the semi-finals, or finals, will surprise me.

The madness in March has already begun. If you have yet to see it, I encourage all NCAA B-Ball fans to find a replay of the final possession of the Seton Hall – DePaul game. Let the games begin.

Wednesday March 8, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3117

to scream...or...not to scream?

I'll be the first to admit it. I'm in the minority.

For better or worse, I'm not worked up in the least about what happened yesterday with Lamar.

I'm just not.

I thought they'd somehow sign him before yesterday, but that didn't happen. My hunch was they'd create some kind of short-term contract to get him through the next three years just to see if he could play an entire season or two and return to the form of 2019 when he was the league MVP.

That didn't happen, of course.

After 25 months of (mostly) futile negotiations, the Ravens opted for the non-exclusive franchise tag yesterday and will now wait for a week or so to see if anyone in the NFL covets Lamar Jackson more than the Ravens covet Lamar Jackson.

And that, I think, is where this was always headed.

I'm not defending the Ravens and I'm not defending Lamar. I think they both got what was best for them yesterday. How it plays out from here will determine if someone wins and someone loses.

Right on cue yesterday, just after 3 pm, the overreacting in Baltimore commenced. People were outraged. People were howling at the moon. People were beside themselves.

What happened yesterday was a chess move by the Ravens. And that move sets up the next move and the next move sets up the one after that. The chess match is far from over. It's Lamar's move now.

If you're not looking at this whole thing through that lens, I think you're missing what the NFLPA wanted when they created the various "tags" teams can apply to players in the off-season. Either franchise tag provides a player with exactly what he covets most; a lot of up front cash in his hand or the ability to go out and find a new team to give him more cash than his current team is willing to give him.

So, yesterday's move by the Ravens sets forth a new series of moves, the first of which gets dictated by Lamar.

I don't see why it's worth getting apoplectic over. It's part of the business of NFL contracts, particularly ones as complicated as the one Lamar's trying to obtain.

---

My team source says the Ravens upped/improved their offer to Lamar once last August, once this past January and again late last week.

The Ravens, if you will, budged on three separate occasions. Lamar never budged. Whether that matters to you as you pick your side is your call. But if any part of your narrative is "the Ravens don't want Lamar", that's nowhere near the truth.

The Baltimore Ravens want Lamar Jackson to be their quarterback in 2023 and beyond. No question about it. What they have, right now, is a difference of opinion on his value. Nothing more. Nothing less.

There's no question that Lamar's failure to employ an agent throughout these negotiations has clearly been a factor. That's not to be interpreted as me saying, "This is all Lamar's fault." But the Ravens have been continually frustrated at Jackson's level of communication throughout the process. Whether an agent would have hammered out a deal is anyone's guess, but the lack of one has definitely impacted the entire negotiation.

Even still, I'm not worked up about yesterday's news.

I'm not going to scream about it.

I'm not going to overreact, which, by my amateur-math-count yesterday, about 80% of the people in town did on Tuesday.

I'm not mad at the Ravens and I'm not mad at Lamar.

This was always going to come down to one very simple element: Lamar's value.

That's it in a nutshell.

What is his true value?

Jackson might think his value is one dollar more than whatever Deshaun Watson got from Cleveland. Well, now he can find that out for himself. He knows the Ravens don't think that's the case or they would have given him one dollar more than Watson received. But another team might believe that to be true.

We've probably all gone through what Lamar's about to go through, except on a much smaller scale. Have you been at a job where you thought your value was AAAA and your employer only thought your value was AAA?

I have. You have, too, I bet.

I once had an opportunity back in the mid 1990's to leave Baltimore and go run the Buffalo indoor soccer team. At that time, I was using a local attorney in town as my "agent" and he conveyed to the people in Buffalo what it would take for me to leave my position in Baltimore. He came back to me and said, "You're $20,000 apart in salary, to start with."

I gave him my arguing points for why I thought my value was higher and tried to convince my agent that I was worth every penny of what I was asking for from the team in Buffalo.

"I don't disagree that your value is higher than that number they threw at you today," he told me. "But that's what think you're worth to them. You can agree with them or not."

I didn't agree with them and remained in Baltimore for the last year of my tenure with the Spirit (nee Blast).

I thought I was a $100,000 general manager and they thought I was an $80,000 general manager.

That's what it came down to in the end.

I found out, at least with one team, what they thought my value was to them.

Lamar will find out the same thing in the next week.

If he starts talking to teams and gets some kind of crazy-good offer, he can present that to the Ravens and his toes are tappin'. If some team is willing to pony up $260 million for Lamar with all of it guaranteed, he wins, either by signing with the new team or getting the Ravens to match it.

I do think it's important to remember that Lamar doesn't really care if he plays in Baltimore or Timbuktu next season. I'm not saying he hates it in Baltimore or anything like that. But we all know this is just a stopping-point for him. Jackson's never going to live here and make Maryland/Baltimore his permanent home. If the Vikings want him to play for them in Minnesota and they're willing to give him the contract he wants, he'll go to Minnesota. Done deal.

So if Jackson peddles himself to the highest bidder and finds someone to submit a contract offer, he wins no matter what the Ravens decide to do.

And if Lamar peddles himself and doesn't get a satisfactory contract offer, he still sorta-kinda wins, unless you don't consider making $32 million for 18 weeks of work to be "winning".

---

For the last 25 months, Lamar has projected his value to be "AAAA". He's never budged from that. When the whole process started, the Ravens thought Lamar's value was "AA". Along the way, they changed their mind a bit and increased their value/offer to "AAA". Lamar still, now, thinks his value is "AAAA".

So, now, he gets to find out for himself if he's right.

Of course, this is where you're going to hear Lamar-defenders spew out the "collusion" theory if Jackson doesn't get a fully guaranteed offer from anyone.

Folks are going to point to Colin Kaepernick, of course, because that's low-hanging fruit. The two situations aren't even remotely close to one another, though.

In order for a team to offer Jackson and then eventually sign him away from the Ravens, they have to give Baltimore two first round draft picks. As difficult as it is for people to believe, there might be teams simply not willing to give Lamar the $250 million or more it will take to get him PLUS two first round draft picks.

That in and of itself is not collusion. That's simply a team, any team, saying, "We don't think that's a good business decision."

People love to throw the word "collusion" around because it's a catch-all for a player who doesn't get treated the way the football-following-public think he should get treated.

But saying "collusion" and producing actual evidence showing that a team or teams colluded are two totally different things.

Evidence. That's the key word when you're accusing someone of a wrongdoing.

Guesswork, opinion, assuming, believing, "putting one and one together". None of that is actual evidence.

If there is real, breathing evidence that collusion is taking place, that's a huge, massive story in the NFL.

Anything other than evidence is just chatter. Mindless, meaningless chatter.

But that will be the ongoing story if Lamar doesn't get what Lamar wants during this negotiate-with-other-teams period. It's an inevitable part of the narrative.

No one will accept that other teams see Lamar's value the same way the Ravens see it. He's a very good player with some recent injury issues that make his long-term value somewhat dicey. No one is calling Lamar a terrible quarterback or anything of the sort. But there's a certain level of skepticism about his value now that wasn't there, say, two years ago at this time.

I still go back to the point I made above.

If you're Lamar, you have to be thrilled with this opportunity. For 25 months, you told the Ravens your value was "AAAA". They clearly didn't agree with you. Now, you get the chance to shove it up their backside by finding a team or teams who will back up your claim of having "AAAA" value.

If you're Lamar, how much better do you want it?

Oh, and don't discount that Jackson might find a team who thinks his value is "AAAAA". Wouldn't that be something?

And if he goes out into the free market and finds out the Ravens were right and his value is only "AAA", he gets the same sort of contract he would have received two months ago from the Ravens. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

As for the Ravens, they've thought all along that Lamar isn't worth "AAAA". They told him that 25 months ago, they told him that last August and they told him that last week.

They're betting on two things at this point:

That no team in the league will step forward with a massive, landscape-altering contract and Lamar will see reality for what it is. And in that situation, they'll either proceed accordingly with Jackson under a one-season price of $32 million or they'll be able to negotiate a long-term deal that fits in more with the Ravens value (AAA) than Lamar's (AAAA).

Or, more than one team comes into the picture, somehow, and the Ravens can parlay that into a trade at some point where they receive more than two first round picks from the team that wants Lamar the most. They'll simply peddle him to the highest bidder and get more for him than the non-exclusive tag yields under normal circumstances.

The worst scenario for the Ravens is one team comes in, offers Lamar a massive contract that the Ravens can't/won't match, and they lose him for two first round picks. That will be looked at as a "loss" by most people, in terms of the organization getting a significant return for their star quarterback.

And, yes, there's always the possibility that Jackson doesn't get an offer of his liking from another team and then drags the franchise tag out, not reporting until the very last minute or potentially not at all in 2023.

A Ravens source told me yesterday they don't see that happening.

"Lamar has told us all along he's acting in good faith and we accept that," the source said yesterday. "We don't think there's a situation where he wouldn't be in uniform and playing in the season opener. We're confident Jackson is going to be on the field from day one."

That, of course, remains to be seen, but only Lamar controls that part of the story. In the meantime, he's out, presumably, right now, trying to find his new best deal.

Finally, after 25 months of talking, there's some action. It's now up to Jackson to figure out if he was right about his value or the Ravens were right about his value.

We'll know soon enough.

"players" usually win the players

There have been a few odd names over the years who wind up winning The Players, also known as "golf's 5th major".

Some guy named Craig Perks won it once.

Heck, even short-hitting Fred Funk was a Players champion once upon a time.

Rickie Fowler won it, too.

OK, that was more for my buddy George McDowell than anyone else. When Fowler won it a few years back, he was still playing solid golf on a regular basis.

So, yes, an occasional odd name pops up in the winner's circle at TPC Sawgrass, but for the most part, one of the top names in the sport will be there collecting the hardware on Sunday.

But who?

Because the event is played at the same venue year-after-year, the various data that's available strongly suggests wagering on guys like Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Jon Rahm. McIlroy and Thomas have both won the event and Rahm, despite sputtering last week in Orlando, has played well this year and also at Sawgrass. He's 5-for-5 in cuts made there.

The Players also has a tendency to showcase a surprise name near the top of the leaderboard, only to have that player eventually buckle under the pressure of everything the tournament provides to the winner. Expect something similar to potentially happen this weekend, where a name you wouldn't expect hovers around the lead in the final round before finally bowing out for a Top 10 finish.

As we always do, we'll give you four players we really like this week.

We're also going to give you four other semi-longshots who could be worth watching. The Players has a way of yielding to a new hot hand and the tournament often serves as a bit of a coming out party for someone who is close to becoming one of the game's top players. Those players also typically have inviting wagering odds.

In this weekly back-and-forth battle to determine who the best player in the world is, Rory McIlroy almost always figures out a way to surface. He didn't even play "great" last week at Orlando and still had a 12-foot putt at the 18th hole to potentially force a playoff with Kurt Kitayama. You're not getting great odds on Rory this week (+850) but it's hard to ignore him given the quality of golf he's producing.

The good news about golf wagering is you can bet on one, two, three or 20 players to win. You never have to bet on just guy to win. But if you made me bet on just one this week, and one only, I'd take Scottie Scheffler. His odds aren't great either (+1000), but when you're trying to pick the right guy to win, his odds don't really matter. Over his last 24 rounds on TOUR, Scheffler is ranked #1 in a critical stat: Shots gained, Ball Striking. That category is important this week, which is one big reason why we like Scheffler.

Week in and week out, I suspect at some point Sungjae Im is going to break through and finally win a significant event, if not a major championship. We're leaning on him again this week and his odds (+3500) are very, very inviting. He has produced some stellar golf on Pete Dye designed courses and has played well at Sawgrass over the years. This is the kind of tournament Im should win to prove his spot among the world's top players is deserving.

This also feels like the sort of tournament where Patrick Cantlay gets his game together for a big four days of golf and wins something that's almost a major championship. At +2000, he provides a nice return on your investment if he's holding up the trophy early Sunday evening.

When it comes to ball striking, few on TOUR do it better than Corey Conners, who is a massive steal at +6500. I had to double check and triple check those numbers to make sure they were accurate. +6500 for Corey Conners? Yes, please. Even if he doesn't win, he's the kind of guy who finishes Top 10 or Top 5 and has a puncher's chance of winning down the stretch.

Shane Lowry is a Pete Dye specialist, if you look at the data he's generated throughout his career. He's also one of the most underrated players in the sport of professional golf. At +5500, he's one of the best "longshot investments" on the board this week.

And now, for two "real longshots", we give you Davis Riley at +18000 and Aaron Wise at +22000. We always remind you that someone wonky might wind up as the 54-hole leader and those two fit that bill.

No matter who wins or loses, remember this as you watch the final round on Sunday: You're one day closer to the Masters.

Tuesday March 7, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3116

tough night for tigers, caps

Man, I don't know how much closer Towson University men's basketball can get without winning a pivotal tournament game in the CAA.

They were there last night, game in balance, in their semifinal showdown with rock-star-conference-king College of Charleston. But the Tigers simply couldn't make a shot in the game's final minute and Pat Skerry's team saw their NCAA tournament hopes fizzle in a 77-72 loss.

After trailing by as many as nine points with five minutes remaining in the game, Towson battled back to eventually take the lead at 70-69 with 1:48 remaining in the contest. On five occasions thereafter, the Tigers missed shots from the floor that would have either given them the lead or tied the game.

Their final miss, trailing 73-70, came with 12 seconds remaining when Nicolas Timberlake couldn't find the basket on his game-tying attempt.

Charleston hit their final four foul shots and Towson hit a meaningless lay-up with 2 seconds left. And once again, Towson will fail to reach the NCAA tournament.

This was certainly one of Pat Skerry's best teams. They dropped a pair of close games to Charleston during the regular season, but after a 26-point thrashing of Delaware in the quarterfinals on Sunday night, lots of people were clinging to the "it's tough to beat a good team three times in one season" theory as the Tigers went up against conference-big-boy College of Charleston last night.

Towson raced out to a 38-33 halftime lead, but a ten minute shooting dry spell and some hot hands from Charleston led to a 27-9 run and a 13-point deficit for Towson with just over ten minutes remaining in the contest.

The Tigers clawed back to within nine at the 5:00 mark of the second half, setting the stage for the frentic comeback and eventual 2-point lead with just under two minutes left. But when it mattered most, Towson's best shooters couldn't find the mark.

"We had the ball in the hands of the guys who were shooting the best at the end," Skerry said afterwards. "We had good looks. They just didn't fall."

Towson will now wait for a post-season tournament invitation that isn't the NCAA tournament. The Tigers haven't made a March Madness appearance since 1991 under coach Terry Truax.

The Caps ended their 3-game west coast swing with a listless 4-2 loss at Los Angeles last night, and, to rub salt in the wound, they were bested by their own former netminder, Pheonix Copely.

Washington has now dropped 8 of their last 11 games and are on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture at this point. The Caps trail Pittsburgh by three points, but Washington has played three more games than Pittsburgh. In fact, all three teams tied with the Caps at 68 points (Buffalo, Ottawa and Florida) have played fewer games than Washington. That's not good, obviously.

Monday night was particularly unkind to Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson. All three of those players were a minus-3 for the evening, which is a fairly telling hockey statistic. You were on the ice for three more goals scored against your team than you were on the ice for goals scored by your team.

Ovechkin did manage a power play goal last night, but it was an otherwise forgettable evening for the Caps' star.

Newcomer Rasmus Sandin, acquired last week in a trade with Toronto, scored his first goal in a Washington uniform.

The Caps are in trouble. They were clearly sellers at least week's trade deadline, opting to move several valuable pieces in an effort to prepare for a rebuild of sorts next season. Whether they can sneak into the playoffs this year remains to be seen, but it's definitely not looking all-that-promising right now.

The only good news?

The Philadelphia Flyers continue to labor through a (delightfully) horrible campaign, with just 59 points on the season. They'll miss the playoffs again.

Another year without a Stanley Cup in the City of Brotherly Love. Just when you thought there was nothing to be gained from this hockey season, you have that nugget to chew on. And the taste is awesome, isn't it?

One of the biggest tournaments of the golf season starts Thursday at TPC Sawgrass, as The Players is contested over Pete Dye's impressive layout in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

The Players has long been considered golf's "5th Major", as the victory comes with a significant list of perks. Not only does the champion collect almost $4 million, he is exempt on TOUR for the next five years and receives a 3-year exemption into golf's four major championships.

If you can't win one of the majors or the lucrative FedEx Cup title, The Players is by far the next best to tournament to win.

The big discussion-point this week has been the absence of defending champion Cameron Smith, who lost his spot in the field when he jumped over to LIV last year with the rest of the charlatans.

A lot of pro-LIV folks have spent the last few days bellyaching about Smith not being allowed to play this year. The Australian, who also won the British Open in 2022, had his PGA Tour "life" in the garden spot before he elected to take LIV's money and jump to the rival circuit last September.

You reap what you sow, as they say.

And the real truth is, Smith will no more be missed at this year's event than a streaker on the 18th green. Of all the top players who took the Saudi money and left their integrity at the first tee, Cameron Smith is probably the least impactful of them all. No disrespect to Australians intended, but most of golfing America doesn't really know much about Smith. He's just a guy.

But the support for him this week has been almost bizarre.

You're going to feel sorry for a dude who took $100 million from LIV? I surely don't. I assume most reasonable don't, as well.

When he left the PGA Tour after the conclusion of last August's FedEx Cup, Smith knew precisely what that decision meant. It wasn't a secret. It wasn't cramped into the fine print at the bottom of the page. He knew.

A move to LIV meant no more PGA Tour play. And, for Smith, that meant he forfeited the opportunity to play in this year's Players.

That he also wasn't honest about the transition is something that irritated people, but anyone with half-a-brain knew Smith wasn't telling the truth last summer when he tried to deny rumors that he would jump to LIV at the end of the TOUR's playoff campaign.

It's one thing to get mad at someone for lying when you didn't suspect they were lying.

But it's hard to get mad at someone for lying when you knew all along they were lying, which is definitely the case with Smith. He kept saying "I don't know what I'm doing, I'm just here playing golf" when everyone knew he was jumping to LIV as soon as the check from LIV cleared.

Someone else other than Cam Smith will win The Players this week and that's fine. It's a shame he can't be there to defend his title.

It's also a shame he doesn't understand what it was like in this country on September 11, 2001. If he knew, maybe he would have thought twice about french-kissing the regime who helped fund those attacks.

Well, we made it this far without mentioning Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, but we'll cave in to the pressure here and acknowledge that today is the day.

Today, of course, is the deadline for NFL teams to apply the franchise tag to a pending free agent.

Speaking on a radio show yesterday in Cleveland, former Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome mentioned that the organization will use most of this morning and early afternoon to negotiate with Lamar in an effort to scratch out a last minute contract and avoid the franchise tag.

Failing that, Newsome said on the air, Jackson will receive one of the two franchise tags.

Yesterday's rumor-of-the-day was not all that surprising. Supposedly,the Ravens have tried to ramp up their discussions with Jackson over the last few days and he hasn't been all that engaging with the club.

My bird-in-a-tree at Owings Mills says that wasn't actually a rumor.

An increased offer was made to Jackson last Friday and the quarterback wasn't moved by it.

I assume that's the way things will go today. I remain hopeful the two parties can somehow create a last-minute deal so the Ravens salary cap isn't wrecked for 2023, but that's looking less and less likely.

One thing that's almost certain about the entire negotiation(s) with Jackson. When the dust settles and the Ravens will be forced to franchise him, the blame, if you're looking to cast any, will fall on Lamar's shoulders. I'm sure he's OK with that, but that's how things are going to be perceived by the fan base.

The Ravens have, over the last eight weeks, tried desperately to create a new contract with Jackson. The quarterback has not been willing to budge.

As Eric DeCosta always points out in his limited public commentary, "It takes two people to get the deal done."

That's DeCosta's way of reminding people that the Ravens have tried and Lamar, well, hasn't really tried all that much.

If the Ravens do use the franchise tag on Jackson today, the only remaining question will be: Which form of it do they employ? The non-exclusive or the exclusive?

Both have their upsides and both definitely have their downsides.

Most industry experts feel the Ravens would engage the franchise tag tactic as a first step in trying to trade Lamar before the April draft. That remains to be seen. But one thing for certain: Things are about to get really interesting in Baltimore for the next five weeks or so.

	RANDY MORGAN on American soccer
Americans are playing more and more of a vital role in international soccer these days, and Randy Morgan has his eyes on all of them for #DMD. Each week here, he looks at recent performances of American players and highlights upcoming games of importance.

european soccer recap

This week in Europe brought a dramatic finish in the title race in England, along with a historic blowout in one of the Premier League’s most storied rivalries.

In Spain, Barcelona had an outstanding week across multiple competitions. The German title race remains tight, though two teams are separating themselves at the top. This afternoon brings about the start of four decisive second leg matchups in the Champions League round of sixteen.

There weren’t many highlights for the Americans in Europe, though one midweek FA Cup matchup featured the heaviest American influence of any game this season. Across the Atlantic, a couple of American attackers found the net in the second week of the MLS season.

FC Dallas striker Jesus Ferreira had a stellar showing in their 3-1 win over the LA Galaxy, scoring two of the three goals. Fellow USMNT World Cup veteran Jordan Morris scored his league leading third goal of the season for Seattle in a 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake.

European Roundup

Champions League –

The Champions League returns to action this week, with second leg matchups to determine the first four teams in the quarterfinals. On Tuesday, Benfica will host Club Brugge, carrying a 2-0 lead from the first leg.

Also on Tuesday, Chelsea will try to overturn a 1-0 first leg deficit as they host Borussia Dortmund. Christian Pulisic is reportedly back from his recent injury and could get on the field for Chelsea. Gio Reyna has seen limited time recently for Dortmund, but will also be an option off the bench.

Wednesday brings the second leg of the marquee matchup of the round, with Bayern Munich hosting Paris St. Germain and holding a 1-0 lead from the first leg.

Neymar has recently been ruled out for the rest of the season due to injury, but Leo Messi and Kylian Mbappe have been firing on all cylinders for PSG in his absence and should make this one a contest.

The final game of the week has Tottenham hosting AC Milan needing to overturn a 1-0 deficit. Both teams have been in shaky form over the past few weeks, so this game could go either way.

England –

On Saturday morning it looked like the gap in the title race was about to get closer. Manchester City got a comfortable 2-0 win over Newcastle United, led by the currently on-fire Phil Foden, who scored the opening goal of the game, giving him four goals in their last three games.

That game was followed by Arsenal going down in the first seconds to Bournemouth, eventually going behind 2-0 before staging a dramatic second half comeback. Arsenal capped it off with a potentially season defining moment when substitute left back Reiss Nelson scored the game winner in the final seconds with a screamer from the top of the box.

The other big game of the weekend came on Sunday, when one of the league’s biggest rivalries produced a historic result. Manchester United traveled to Liverpool on a great run of form while the hosts entered with their season at a crossroads.

The game completely bucked those trends, with Liverpool producing the most lopsided victory in the history of the rivalry with a 7-0 thrashing that could be the turning point in their season.

Winter addition Cody Gakpo was the key man for Liverpool, scoring twice and causing all kinds of problems for the United defense. Fellow attackers Mo Salah and Darwin Nunez each added two goals apiece to the onslaught.

The win vaulted Liverpool up to fifth in the table and could just be the boost they need to push for a top spot and qualification in next season’s Champions League. Despite the embarrassing loss, Manchester United remains in third place. Below Manchester United, fourth place Tottenham suffered a surprise 1-0 loss to Wolverhampton, reducing their lead over Liverpool to just three points.

During the week in the FA Cup, Fulham hosted Leeds in the Americans in England Bowl, featuring four Americans starting in the game and a fifth coming off the bench.

Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie started for Leeds while Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson started for Fulham. Ream and Robinson came out on top on the day, with Fulham advancing with a 2-0 win.

Ream was outstanding as he has been all season for Fulham, and Robinson was solid as well. Tyler Adams had a decent game though it was his pass that was intercepted to lead to the first Fulham goal.

Brenden Aaronson came on as a sub in the second half and had a good showing, setting up a couple decent chances, including one for McKennie that was saved off the line by Ream.

Germany –

The Bundesliga title chase is shaping up as a two-horse race to the finish between familiar rivals Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, with both teams winning over the weekend and separating themselves from the pack.

Dortmund got a tough 2-1 win over fourth place RB Leipzig on Friday with goals from veterans Marco Reus and Emre Can. Bayern got a 2-1 win on the road against Stuttgart with goals from center back Matthijs de Ligt and striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.

The results leave the teams tied on points at the top of the standings, though Bayern has a large lead in the goal differential tiebreaker. Meanwhile, third place Union Berlin dropped points with a 0-0 draw against mid-table Koln.

Spain –

The most high profile game of the week in Spain came on Thursday in the Copa del Rey semifinals, which brought the second Clasico matchup of the season between Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Missing two of their best players, Pedri and Robert Lewandowksi, to injuries, Barcelona produced perhaps the biggest victory of the Xavi era. The Catalans downed their arch rivals 1-0 on the road in Madrid with a counterattack goal set up by midfielder Franck Kessie.

Barcelona flipped the script on Real Madrid, allowing the hosts to maintain most of the possession and playing mostly direct and on the counter attack. After grabbing the lead Barcelona often played over the top of the Madrid press and focused on maintaining their defensive shape.

They got excellent efforts in midfield from Frenkie de Jong and Gavi to go along with outstanding defense from Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde. That pair managed to put the clamps on the dynamic Madrid duo of Vinicius Jr. and Karim Benzema. It was the first time Real Madrid failed to record a shot on target in a home game since 2010.

Over the weekend Barcelona scratched out another 1-0 win over Valencia to maintain control of the La Liga title race.

Real Madrid dropped points in a disappointing scoreless draw against Real Betis, falling nine points behind Barcelona. Below them, Atletico Madrid got an emphatic win, blowing the doors off of Sevilla in a 6-1 rout thanks to standout performances from Antoine Griezmann and Memphis Depay.

Italy –

In Serie A, Napoli suffered their first loss in quite a while, falling 1-0 to Lazio on a second half goal by Matias Vecino. The win moved Lazio up to third place. Inter Milan remained in second place with a 2-0 win over Lecce.

Further down, Roma got a big 1-0 win over Juventus to jump to fourth place thanks to an early second half goal from defender Gianluca Mancini. Meanwhile, AC Milan dropped down to fifth place, losing 2-1 to Fiorentina.

France –

Paris St. Germain maintained their eight point lead in the Ligue 1 title race with a 4-2 win over Nantes. Leo Messi and Kylian Mbappe once again led the way, each scoring a goal as PSG prepares for the defining moment of their season this week against Bayern Munich.

Team of the Week –

G: Ter Stegen - Barcelona

D: Kounde - Barcelona; Araujo - Barcelona; De Ligt - Bayern; Nelson - Arsenal

M: De Jong - Barcelona; Rodri - Man City; Griezmann - Atletico

F: Salah - Liverpool; Gakpo - Liverpool; Foden - Man City

Player of the Week –

Cody Gakpo - Liverpool

Signed from Dutch team PSV Eindhoven after his breakout performance in the World Cup, Gakpo has been off to a slow start for Liverpool, taking some time to find his place in the team. This weekend he had his breakout performance, driving the Liverpool attack to an astounding seven goals against Manchester United.

Gakpo opened the scoring, cutting inside from the edge of the box onto his right foot and curling a shot inside the back post.

Later he added another tally with a run in behind the defense and a deft dink over the keeper. His movement and positioning in between the defensive lines of Manchester United caused issues all game and could give Liverpool something to build on going forward.

Monday March 6, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3115

do we call that a "collapse"?

Everything was set up perfectly for a win.

Right up until the final moments.

That was a pretty major collapse, if we're telling the truth.

I realize people like to avoid that word in sports.

Choke.

Collapse.

Whichever term you feel more comfortable using, they both sorta-kinda represent the same thing. You had it in the palm of your hands and then, for whatever reason, you couldn't keep doing the things you were doing and it started to weigh on your mind. Your performance declines.

And the next thing you know, instead of winning, you're losing.

No, no, no. I'm not talking about Maryland yesterday. I mean, sure, that was a major collapse. Or choke. You call it whatever you want. But I'm letting Dale Williams handle the Terps' shocking loss in his post-game piece below.

I'm talking about golf, not basketball.

A lot of players had the chance to close the deal yesterday at the Bay Hill Invitational and didn't do it, but no one let the tournament get away from them more than Jordan Spieth did in the final 60 minutes.

Spieth, who finished at 7-under par, couldn't make a putt when it mattered most, missing four of them from inside of eight feet on the back nine to eventually fall by two shots to impressive winner Kurt Kitayama.

The 3-time major champion led at various points throughout the final nine holes -- as did others, it's fair to point out -- but when his putter needed to seal the deal, it refused to cooperate.

"He hasn't missed a putt inside of 6 feet all week," analyst Paul Azinger said as Spieth cozied up to a par-saving effort on the 14th hole.

You knew what was coming next.

Spieth missed the putt out to the right. And that began a stretch where nothing went right for him, as he also made bogey at 15, missed a short birdie putt at 16, and failed to make yet another in-tight par putt at 17.

Some might argue that it wasn't a collapse. Putts fall. And then they don't.

But in Spieth's case, the tournament was right there for the taking and he failed to get the job done. And while he's still a great player, there's no doubt the inspired play we saw from him 7 or 8 years ago is no longer there on a regular basis.

His golf swing has gone through a significant change -- for the better -- and it wouldn't be at all surprising to see him among the contenders at Augusta National in a month. If there's one place Spieth can arm it around and make some putts, it's that place.

But yesterday's back nine putting collapse was tough to watch. It's not like he drove it all over the map and couldn't find a fairway or hit a green. His game was a bit shaky coming in, yes, but the tournament he had in the palm of his hand was given away on the greens, which is usually where Spieth takes control.

You hate to see a guy cling on to two "C words" in one nine-hole swing. "Champion" and "Collapse". Both were part of Spieth's back nine tour of Bay Hill yesterday.

Unfortunately, at the end, champion was the word left out of the day's discussion.

---

We're closing in on decision-day for the Ravens as it relates to Lamar Jackson and more rumors have started hitting the streets with regard to the quarterback's future in Baltimore.

The three making the rounds yesterday:

With the Ravens' permission, Jackson has been seeking a trade partner for several weeks, but can't find a team willing to pony up the kind of cash he's looking for over a 6-year period.

The Ravens are prepared to use the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson tomorrow, one that will allow him to navigate the landscape and determine what his real NFL market value is. The Ravens could then match any formal offer submitted by another team or get 2 first round draft picks in exchange for letting Lamar sign with that team.

An upgraded offer from the Ravens was provided on Friday of last week that Jackson continues to mull over as the deadline quickly approaches.

I have no idea if any of those three are true.

None of them seem all that outlandish, of course. But there's no way of knowing if any of those stories are actually true.

Here's the one thing I keep saying about the Ravens and Lamar Jackson.

Anytime there's a leak of some kind, it's most likely either coming from the Ravens or Lamar.

They're the only two people who know everything and know the real, honest truth.

But.....

How would it benefit Lamar if he leaked out, "I'm trying to find a new team and no one wants to pay me..." ??

How would it benefit the Ravens if they leaked out, "We're probably going to use the non-exclusive tag on Lamar..." ??

How would it benefit the Ravens or Lamar if either party leaked out, "The Ravens supplied an improved, counter-offer on Friday..." ??

I don't see the benefit to either party leaking out information at this point.

It's chess, now. Not checkers. This is a contract that could shape the Ravens for the next five years or send them spiraling into a quick "repair and reload" situation while they cling to a strong defense and try to figure out a way to win with a patchwork offense.

Sounds familiar, huh?

There's nothing to be gained from telling any source, media or otherwise, what's going on with the contract for Lamar.

So I'm not sure I buy any of the rumors.

Could the Ravens apply the non-exclusive tag to Lamar? Of course. It's an available option. I'm sure Eric DeCosta has considered it.

It gives the organization an opportunity to see what kind of offer, if any, Lamar will receive from another team or teams. The Ravens are hoping, obviously, that Jackson will find out he's not a $250 million or $300 million quarterback. If he comes back with that offer, the Ravens can match it and keep him if they choose to do so.

But if Lamar comes back with an offer in the $200-$220 million range, the Ravens just saved a bunch of money.

And if nothing happens and no offers are returned, Jackson plays for $32 million in 2023 instead of the $45 million he would have received under the exclusive franchise tag.

The one big negative: If Jackson comes back to the Ravens with a monster contract in hand and the team doesn't want to match it, Jackson leaves and the Ravens only receive two first round draft picks in exchange.

That kind of haul would pale in comparison to what Houston received from Cleveland (Watson) and Seattle received from Denver (Wilson). It would be, by almost any standards, "an awful swap".

I keep saying this over and over. And we'll know tomorrow if I'm wrong. I think the Ravens and Lamar are going to figure out a deal before the deadline.

I don't see any benefit at all to using either franchise tag. The exclusive tag wrecks your salary cap and the non-exclusive version is just too risky given that Jackson might come back to you with a deal you can't match and then you only get two draft picks for him.

The whole thing has been incredibly clumsy, starting with the fact that Lamar refuses to employ an agent. Most people agree that a deal in Baltimore would have been done months ago had Lamar utilized the services of a real, actual agent that 95% of the players use to iron out their contracts.

If Jackson somehow does negotiate his way out of Baltimore, that will be his one big mistake. An agent would have made all the difference in the world. Sure, he or she would have received somewhere between 3% and 5% of Lamar's new contract, but when you're raking in $250 million, who cares if someone snags $7 million or so for helping you negotiate the deal?

What's $7 million when you have $250 million in your hand? It's like a friend of yours turning to you at the cash register and saying, "This is $5.75 and all I have on me is a five. You have a dollar bill on you?"

As for the Ravens, I'm convinced their biggest issue has been Lamar's disappearance in December of 2021 and 2022. That, I'd say, has created a significant concern with them.

Had Jackson played the entirety of the 2021 and 2022 seasons and had the Ravens won two or three playoff games along the way, a new mega-deal for Lamar would have been much easier to put together.

But giving a guy $250 million or more who hasn't played in December the last two seasons? Risky.

Fortunately, we'll know by tomorrow.

And then we can move on to the next chapter of the Lamar saga, whatever that might be.

	dale williams aims the terps spotlight
DALE WILLIAMS returns for his 8th season of covering all things Maryland men's basketball for #DMD. Terps Spotlight will preview and review all games in the 2022-2023 season.

terps fall at penn state and in big 10 standings

Maryland defensive lapses allowed Penn State to close yesterday’s game with a 30-14 run, erasing a big Terrapin second half lead, and providing Penn State with a surprising 65-64 win.

With Hakim Hart making just one shot while scoring only 3 points (he also had 5 turnovers), and Donta Scott getting blanked from the field (0-5), the Terrapin defense needed to step up. They didn’t, allowing PSU to score 21 more second half points than first half points.

Jahmir Young carried the Terp offense with 26 points, but he took almost half of Maryland’s second half shots and failed to get his teammates into the offensive flow, notching just 1 assist in a half where Maryland only scored 29 points.

Young took 10 shots while Don Carey took three 3 shots and 3 other Terps took just 2. Poor offensive balance and lackluster defense won’t get the job done in the Big Ten on the road.

I’m not sure why, but this Maryland team can’t hit shots early in road games.

The Terps started 1-6 from the floor while Penn State hit their first three attempts and had hit 4 of 7 when the first TV timeout came around after 4:25 had been played. Two of the Nittany Lion buckets were threes and they held a 10-6 lead.

Julian Reese had all 6 Terps points as the rest of his team was 0-4 from the floor. The Terps had missed both of their threes, and both were hoisted way too early in the possession.

When play resumed, it was Jahmir Young that put the Terps ahead for the first time. A driving floater went down and then, after a Penn State turnover, he hit a three. When Carey followed that with another three, Maryland had a 10-0 run and a 14 10 lead.

When the second TV timeout arrived, there was 10:20 left in the half and the Terps were ahead by 2, 17-15. They had made 3 of 8 three pointers, but after Reese’s hot start the offense was way too focused on the triples and wasn’t working hard enough to get good looks inside. They had launched as many threes (8) as twos.

The Terps finally did make an attempt to get points in the paint by twice feeding Reese on the low blocks. Both of those possessions came up dry as Reese forced a shot while being double teamed and then turned it over on the next trip.

There was about 8 minutes left in the half and neither team was doing much scoring until Ian Martinez drained a three. Penn State had missed 6 shots in a row and was engulfed in a scoring drought that reached 6 minutes. Maryland was now ahead by 7, 22-15.

The usually careful Nittany Lion team already had 5 turnovers, and it was hurting them.

Penn State turnover number 6 would result in another Martinez three and a 10-point lead, 25-15. The scoring frustrations for Penn State were now over 7 minutes. After a Penn State shot clock violation, the smoking’ hot Martinez connected on this third three without a miss and Maryland now had its biggest lead 28-15.

After 8 minutes without a point, Kanye Clary finally moved Penn State off of 15 points with a driving layup from the right side. Turnovers began mounting, not just for Penn State bit for the Terps too. The Nittany Lions total of 8 miscues was nearly matched by Maryland’s 7.

The first half ended with Jalen Pickett hitting an acrobatic running three as the horn sounded. That shot cut a 16-point lead down to 13, 35-22.

The Terp first half offense was heavily reliant on the three-pointer. They attempted 17 first half threes compared to just 12 tries inside the arc. Only 8 of Maryland’s 35 points had come in the paint.

Part of that lopsided Terp point distribution was a direct result of Reese only logging 12 minutes because of foul trouble. The other factor was Penn State’s defensive pressure on the perimeter.

The second half began with a much different offensive flow. Five minutes had been played and 11 field goals had been made. Penn State had 6 successful shots and Maryland had 5, all were 2 pointers. Maryland’s buckets were all from point blank range and Penn State was matching them.

Myles Dread hit the second half’s first three, but Martinez answered with a foul line extended deuce. There was now 14:43 remaining in the game and the Terps held a 47-35 advantage.

Jahmir Young hit Maryland’s first three point attempt to give the Terps a 15 point bulge, 50-35. The shot went in as the clock ran down to zero. Penn State answered with a layup when Young forgot his assignment.

That bucket was followed by a Funk three from the right corner. Very quickly the lead was down to 10 and the Nittany Lions would have the ball when the TV timeout was over, because of a Terp shot clock violation.

Reese stopped the 7-0 Penn State run with a couple of made foul shots, but the Nittany Lions would trim the lead even further with another Dread triple.

With the Terp lead collapsing to just 7 points, Young came through for Maryland in a huge way, The Terp point looked like he was trapped in the lane before he shot, and hit, a spinning 6-footer. Young was fouled and connected on the free throw. The lead was 10 again, 55-45. There was 8:47 was left in the game.

Two Funk triples sandwiched between two Young foul shots further shrunk the Terrapin lead to just 8 points. With 4:12 remining in the game, Seth Lundy hit Penn State’s sixth three of the half bringing his team to within 5 points.

The second half made three-point totals were 6-1 in Penn State’s favor. Turnovers also vastly favored Penn State, 5-1. It’s notable that at this point of the game, Donta Scott was scoreless and Hakim Hart had made just a single shot.

The game got even tighter when Patrick Emilien fouled Lundy in the act of shooting a three. When Lundy hit all three shots, the margin was now just 4 points and the Terps looked to be on the ropes. Donta Scott would be fouled, but with the Terps in the bonus, would hit just 1 of 2 foul shots putting Maryland up 5. That would be followed by 4 consecutive Penn State points, first was a layup and then a 2 pointer from the right side by Funk. The lead was now a single point.

The Terps had the ball, up 1, with 1:11 left in the game.

Maryland went to Young (who else), who missed a contested layup from the left side. Penn State grabbed the miss and now had a chance to take the lead.

A defensive error by Carey, who lost his man, gave an uncontested layup to Camren Wynter. Penn State now had a one-point lead of their own. The Maryland defense had really let them down, giving up numerous second half open looks.

With Maryland’s chances for victory seemingly in the balance, and under 25 seconds left on the clock, a well-drawn-up play got the ball to Reese on the left side of the lane and he delivered a twisting layup to put Maryland back up by 1, 64-63 with 19 seconds left in the regular season.

The game would be decided by the last, helter-skelter, Penn State possession where a lot went on “behind the scenes”.

The first thing that happened was that Willard decided to pull Reese after he made the go-ahead bucket. I understood the strategy because of Penn State’s smaller lineup, but I didn’t agree with it. Not having his best rebounder in the game would cost Maryland.

Everyone knew Picket would get the ball in his hands, and we were correct. He dribbled, guarded by Hakim Hart, straight to a spot just above the top of the key. He then veered left getting a screen from Funk.

Maryland did an automatic switch with Martinez now checking Pickett and Hart hanging with Funk. At this point all 5 Nittany Lions were outside of the three-point line.

Pickett continued to race down the left side looking to turn the corner and get to the baseline. While that was happening, Hart (almost like he had forgotten that he was supposed to help with Pickett) began hauling butt directly towards the Pickett/Martinez duel. Martinez did a great job of cutting off Pickett’s progress, causing Pickett to retreat back towards the corner and directly to Hart.

The two Terp defenders could have trapped Pickett along the sideline, but Martinez elected to retreat back to his original assignment, which was Funk. Seeing that Martinez was gone, and Hart was above him, Pickett again drove the baseline.

This set up the sequence that led to Maryland’s demise. To stop Pickett, Scott left Lundy and Young left Wynter, who had been camping out near the right corner. Being triple teamed forced Pickett to pick up his dribble, but it also gave him open options for a pass.

He rifled the ball to the top of the key right to an open Lundy. Martinez was closing, but for some reason hesitated, giving Lundy enough room to get off a clear shot with 4.2 seconds left.

The shot missed and bounced high in the air directly in front of the rim. Both Young and Hart were in position to get the rebound, but Lundy came crashing in and disrupted the Terrapin rebound efforts.

The deflected ball went directly to Wynter who made an uncontested left-handed layup with .4 seconds left. Maryland’s attempt to win ended when a three-quarter court pass was intercepted. Maryland had found a new way to lose a road game.

Here’s where the Terp defense failed in that fateful 14 seconds.

First, Hart was really late realizing that Pickett was to be doubled.

Second, when Hart arrived as Pickett was retreating from the bucket, why did Martinez leave? A sideline trap with 7 seconds left could have changed the game.

Next, why did Martinez hesitate on the closeout of the Lundy missed three?

Then, Martinez compounded his mistake by not boxing out Lundy. That failure was the key to the possession. If Lundy can’t get to the ball, the Terps get the rebound and the game is over. Fundamentals.

Lastly, Young abandoned Wynter and instead went to the center of the lane to get a rebound. Had he put a butt on Wynter, the PSU guard never gets the tipped ball and never scores. Again…fundamentals.

That series of minor defensive gaffes all added up to a major problem. It was a microcosm of the Terrapin defensive lapses in the final half.

After holding PSU to just 22 points in the first 20 minutes, Penn State torched the Terp defense for 43 in the second. It seemed like every Nittany Lion possession featured a Terp losing his assignment and a Nittany Lion getting a wide open shot.

Maryland was not mentally tough enough to win yesterday’s game, just like most of their road contests this year.

On Thursday at 9 p.m., the Terps will draw the winner of Wednesday’s Minnesota/Nebraska game in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.

Sunday March 5, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3114

sunday stuff

Something weird happened on the PGA Tour on Friday and people, somehow, spent part of Saturday afternoon and evening defending a dude who cheated on his score.

It's a sad state of affairs when folks aren't allowed to just call things as they are.

Kamaiu Johnson, who was playing the Arnold Palmer Invitational on a sponsor's exemption, signed for the wrong score on his 9th hole of the day in Friday's second round.

Not only did he sign for the wrong score, but when asked to confirm what he made on the hole, Johnson told officials, "6".

"We have you down on ShotLink as making a "7", they told him.

"No, I made a 6," the player insisted.

Minutes later, tournament officials reviewed video cameras stationed around the 9th green.

"You made a 7 there. We've just watched the video. You made 7."

And with that, they disqualified Johnson, who plays his primary golf on the Advocates Professional Golf Association, a tour developed to help provide opportunities to minority professional golfers who aspire to someday play on the PGA Tour.

It's not a good scene at all for Johnson, who wound up missing the cut at the tournament in Orlando by six shots.

This, I'm afraid, is going to be hard to recover from.

"Signing a scorecard is the dumbest golf rule ever," someone moaned on Twitter in the aftermath of the story breaking early Saturday afteroon. "If you shot 70, that's what you shot. Why do you have to fill out a scorecard and sign it"?

"So if he missed the cut anyway, why embarrass the guy with the story about the wrong score?" someone else posted.

"Is it worth tarnishing this guy's career forever over this?" another golf enthusiast asked on a website dedicated to PGA Tour chatter.

Sometimes if feels like I'm having an out of body experience when I see people write the stuff they write on the internet.

Signing a golf scorecard is dumb? Huh? It's the easiest part of playing golf.

How many strokes did it take you to get the ball in the hole? Five? That's what you made. Write "5" down on the scorecard in the small box that corresponds with that hole you just played.

And the reason you sign your card is because the only thing that matters in golf is your score.

It doesn't matter at all how how you do it. Your swing doesn't matter. The clothes you wear don't matter. Nothing matters except your score.

So when the round is over -- a competitive round, that is -- and people say "What did you shoot?", you tell them your score. And by filling out a scorecard and signing it, you're attesting that you did, in fact, shoot that score. They do the same thing in bowling.

You own your score. It's your score. You authored it.

I think I've told this story here before. A few years ago I played a tournament in Pennsylvania and was paired with a young assistant professional from the York area who looked the part but certainly didn't play the part.

When our round was finished, I handed him his scorecard (in tournament golf, you don't keep your own score, but you attest to it and sign for it afterwards), which read 44-45 -- 89.

He quickly threw his signature on the card and handed it in my direction. "I have a golf lesson back at the shop at 4:30 pm," he explained. "Can you drop my card off at the scorer's table for me?"

"I'm not dropping your scorecard off. You drop it off," I shot back. "You turn it in the same way you would if you shot 69 instead of 89," I said.

Part of the golf tournament is the process of turning in your score and having it checked by tournament officials. Then, while you're still standing there, they typically write your score on a scoreboard situated near the scoring table.

I've always liked that part of tournament golf. You turn in your score and they write it on the board for everyone to see.

That's why I told the young man from York to turn in his own card. Had he shot 69, he would have raced to the scorer's table and stood there while they wrote "69" and his name on the board. Instead, having produced an 89, he didn't want to be part of that process.

Wrong.

You shot it. You turn it in. You stand there and take the heat.

Every hole on your 18 hole scorecard is your score. What other way do we know for sure that's what you did on any given hole unless you say, "That's what I did on that hole"?

Whether Johnson missed the cut or not, it simply doesn't matter. Either way, he signed for the wrong score. The evidence in place would suggest he knew he made a "7" but insisted for several minutes he made a "6" instead. Only when the TOUR told him the whole thing was on video did he realize it was time to move on, clean out his locker and put his phone on silent for a day or two.

Johnson issued a quick statement on Saturday saying he "got lost in the moment because my group had been put on the clock for slow play". They did get put on the clock, that's true. How that connects with one of the three players in the group cheating on their score is something I've yet to figure out.

Should the episode tarnish Johnson forever? I don't know.

Quick, what is Jeffrey Maier best known for?

Bill Buckner?

Scott Hoch?

Those three had one memorable thing happen to them and it became their calling card.

Kamaiu Johnson will have a hard time overcoming Friday's incident, I'm afraid. Oh, sure, he'll carry on and play in more tournaments and continue his quest to be a PGA Tour member.

But what happened in Orlando will not, unfortunately, stay in Orlando.

What happened in Orlando will travel with him for a long, long time.

---

Now I'm going to just complain about a few things I've already complained about because, well, they haven't changed and so I'm still going to complain.

I can't for the life of me figure out why MASN wouldn't be showing all of the baseball games from Sarasota this spring.

I sorta-kinda understand not showing every spring training game from Florida. I do get that, a little bit. I mean, you own a TV network and you already do televise four games, so it's not like the equipment and other various needs aren't already there and available to you.

But why isn't every Orioles home game televised this spring?>

Here you have a new team, with some fresh, exciting players and prospects, and you'd rather have a poker tournament on your network than the baseball team that makes you whatever money you do make? I don't get it.

And please don't tell me "it's too expensive to do spring training games." That's your problem. We already pitch in every month via our cable TV bill. You figure out the make-it-happen part.

A lot of things MASN and the Orioles do are weird, but not showing the games from Sarasota tops the list.

This pitch clock/batter's clock thing is already on everyone's nerves and we're only 10 days into spring training. Jean Segura got called out yesterday and he looked, to everyone but the umpire, to be settled in and ready to go at the 8-second mark.

The Ump Show, coming to a stadium near you this April!

Max Scherzer tried to throw a pitch too quickly the other day and they called him for a balk.

So, wait. You want the pitchers to throw more quickly. But not too quickly?

That's like the scene from Fast Times at Ridgemonth High where Spicoli wrecks Jefferson's car.

"Well make up your mind, dude. Is he gonna s**t or is he gonna kill us?"

You want the pitchers to throw the ball quickly? Or don't you? Which one?

I said from the first day it was unveiled that 15 seconds (without runners on base) and 8 seconds (to get in the box and be ready to have a pitch thrown to you) were both a shade too quick and I still see it that way today.

I definitely realize there has to be a number put on it. But 15 and 8 aren't the numbers.

And then...deciding a game, potentially, on this silly speed-up-the-game idea seems like backwards thinking.

I'll sit through a 2 hour and 50 minute game that's not decided by the umpires if that means I don't have to sit through a 2 hour and 35 minute game that is decided by the umpires. I don't need those 15 minutes all that much.

I hope MLB gets this right in time for the season. Or, at the very least, just tell the umpires to cool their jets a little bit and let the baseball players be the showcased feature and not the men (and women) in blue.

I'm not complaining about Lamar Jackson today. In fact, I'm not saying anything at all, other than the clock continues to tick.

Tuesday is "the day".

I imagine we'll hear something either today or tomorrow.

	dale williams aims the terps spotlight
DALE WILLIAMS returns for his 8th season of covering all things Maryland men's basketball for #DMD. Terps Spotlight will preview and review all games in the 2022-2023 season.

terps visit penn state today

Today at noon, Maryland and Penn State will run back their game from February 11th. Here’s a lightning recap of that first meeting.

Maryland grabbed a big early lead because Penn State kept turning over the ball. When the Nittany Lions finally shot it, they missed.

In the first 12 minutes, Penn State hit just two shots. Later in the half, they got back into the game by hitting threes. It was 31-28, Terps, at the half.

Maryland played an inside game while Penn State hit threes. The game stayed really tight until Maryland held PSU scoreless from about the seven-minute mark of the second half until there were 2 minutes left in the contest. Ballgame.

Penn State made 12 threes in the game. Maryland shot 23 foul shots, making 18, while Penn State went 2 for 4 from the charity stripe.

Points off turnovers favored Maryland 17-6 as did points in the paint, 28-20. The final score was 74-68.

So, let’s play the “What will happen again and what won’t happen again” game.

Number one in the “won’t happen again” category is the 23-4 gap in foul shots attempted. It’s just the way of life in the Big Ten. A home team will never shoot just 4 free throws.

The second thing we can’t expect to happen is that the Nittany Lions won’t make just 2 buckets in the opening 8 minutes. I’m not ready to predict another Maryland false start on the road, but the Terps won’t jump out to a big lead like they did in the first game.

Penn State hit 12 of 26 three pointers in the first game (46.2%). The Nittany Lions are a really good three-point shooting team, but they won’t hit 46% again. Shooting averages would dictate that (they average 39%), but also, the Terps will focus on chasing Penn State off of the line.

In Maryland’s favor, they should far exceed the 4 offensive rebounds they collected in the first game. Penn State has some well-built, muscular guards, but as a team they are small.

Maryland will work the boards today, and as a result, their second chance points will increase from the 5 they had in the first match-up.

I expect the Terps to focus less on Jalen Pickett and more on his teammates on the perimeter. Pickett had 15 points in the first game, but 4 other Nittany Lions posted double digits. Kayne Clary had 17 points, and the Terps won’t allow that to happen again.

Look for him to finish the game closer to his 3.4-point average than the 17 he had previously. Let Pickett get his…focus on the perimeter.

From a strategy standpoint, the game isn’t really hard to figure out. Penn State will shoot threes and use Pickett to back down a defender looking to score or to kick out if he gets doubled. The Terps will focus on getting Jahmir Young into the paint and they’ll also try to get frequent inside isolations for Juju Reese.

I expect Penn State to double Reese whenever possible. If they don’t, Reese will go for 25.

The biggest question for me is what changes, if any, will Maryland make defensively. Penn State put up 40 second half points against the Terps in the first game. They did so with the help of only 2 foul shots, so changes need to be made.

There is seemingly so much in Penn State’s favor today. Obviously, Maryland is on the road, enough said. Also, it’s senior day at the Bryce Jordan Center and the Nittany Lions have 8 seniors. In fact, the five PSU players that log the most minutes are all seniors. It will be a big emotional day for Penn State.

Penn State has a lot to play for today. They are clearly on the tournament bubble and badly need a victory that would secure their spot as a participant in March madness.

Lastly, we have the betting angle. It’s the classic home favorite, unranked, against a ranked road dog. It’s a huge percentage play.

I’m now going to lay out what I believe is the recipe for a Maryland road win today. It’s not very elaborate and it’s all about protection. Protect the ball and protect the three-point line.

Penn State is very stingy with the ball, having one of the lowest turnover rates in the Big Ten. You can’t get sloppy with the ball against them because the giveaways/takeaways won’t balance out. Terp turnovers will become PSU points.

Protecting the three-point line against the Nittany Lions means holding them under 40%. They take so many threes that it becomes extremely essential to defend against that part of their game. If that means that Maryland can’t double Jaden Pickett when he backs down his defender, so be it. Don’t get beat from the three-point line.

We know how important a win would be for Penn State, but it’s big for the Terps too. They need to avoid going into the Big Ten tournament with 2 consecutive losses after losing to Ohio State their last time out.

The selection committee would not look kindly at a team having lost 2 in a row, 3 of their last five and 4 of their last 8. That’s exactly where the Terps will be should they let Penn State beat them today.

With both teams equally motivated, and with Maryland having superior size and a quality point guard, I’m looking at the Terps to end their Big Ten regular season with a “W”.

Reese will own the paint, and Jahmir Young will get into the paint. Penn State’s Big Dance fate will rest in their Big Ten Tournament performance, but today will belong to Maryland.

Tune in to BTN at noon to watch the 2.5-point underdog Terrapins win by 6, 75-69.

Saturday March 4, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3113

saturday mailbag

Another day, another flurry of no-news regarding Lamar Jackson.

I was at a golf course yesterday meeting with a head professional about our junior golf tournament schedule this summer for Maryland FCA and we sat down at a table for a quick cup of coffee in the club's restaurant.

I quickly glanced up at the TV screen and there was a still shot of Lamar with words written underneath.

Did they sign him? That was the first thing I thought.

Ravens and Lamar reaching moment of truth it read.

Team has until Tuesday to issue franchise tag on their star quarterback

Duh...

ESPN had nothing new to report, but they just had to get some Lamar-talk in their shows and on their screen, so they went with that piece of non-information.

So, Friday came and went with no news.

I'm still of the mindset the Ravens and Lamar are going to get something figured out before Tuesday. The franchise tag does the Ravens more harm than good, I think.

And I also think it's not-all-that-great for Jackson except for the fact he gets $32 million or $45 million in his hand, at a mininum, in 2023. But the risk factors probably outweigh a one-year money-grab for him.

It's weird. Both parties know the franchise tag isn't really much of a help and yet, they can't figure out a way to avoid it.

Look at us. Talking about Lamar and the Ravens on Saturday, March 4 when there's really nothing new to talk about.

So, with that. We'll move on.

---

Eric C. asks -- "Hey Drew, for your next Q&A, would you, if you were the Ravens, take 3 first round picks for Lamar and just call it a day? Thanks, Drew."

DF says -- "I guess it matters where that first year pick falls in the draft, but on the surface, three first rounders for him sounds like a good start. I'd need a little more than that for Jackson, or at the very least I'd ask for more. But, yes, three first rounders would definitely get my interest if, in fact, I had to trade him."

K.C. asks -- "I am registering for a golf pool where you pick four players for the majors plus the Players' Championship and those four get points for making the cut in the majors (and the Players'), finishing top 10 and winning. Two of the four players you choose can be former major champions and two can't be. Who would you suggest I should take?"

DF says -- "Hmmmmm. Good one. Well, for sure, Jon Rahm has to be your #1 pick. End of story there. Your next guy could be Rory, J.T., Scheffler or Spieth. All four of those guys are playing well of late. It's almost a coin flip, honestly, but I think Justin Thomas would be my next pick.

Of the two non-major winners, there are also a lot of guys on that list as well. One of mine would be Xander Schauffele for sure. I keep thinking he's going to break out at some point soon and have a dominating run. He's just too good.

And if it's for 2023, you have to take Max Homa as your other non-major player. He's on a great heater. And his golf is only getting better with the more he contends and wins.

So there's my four. Rahm, Justin Thomas, Schauffele and Homa. Good luck! And let me know who you eventually settle on."

Dave asks -- "What stock do you put in the report that was issued about the Ravens and their various departments? Some of their grades were concerning, no?"

DF says -- "I covered this on Friday at #DMD. I think some of the grades were definitely concerning. I also think players are prone to complaining. And, generally, complaints are louder than compliments. So, sure, if I'm the Ravens, some of that stuff is worth reviewing and trying to fix moving forward.

But, for the most part, I'm worried about wins and losses. If they finish 5-12 but they're ranked #2 on that list, who cares? On the other hand, 13-4 and ranking #29 is probably OK. What you want, of course, is to finish 13-4 and rank in the top 5. That's the goal. But the general answer to your question is, "If I'm the Ravens I'm concerned about the report, but far more concerned about signing my star quarterback and adding a few quality receivers." The Ravens are in business to win football games."

Craig Peel asks -- "Golf question for you, Drew. Does the golf ball make a lot of difference for us regular folk who just play once a week at the most? I'm a 14-handicap trying to get down to single digits in the next year and I'm looking for every little edge I can get and was wondering if the golf ball matters? Thanks. Good luck with your Calvert Hall season."

DF says -- "The golf ball definitely doesn't matter at the mid-handicap level. I don't know the details of your clubhead speed (which is generally how most golf balls are "fitted" for players) but you're going to go from as 14 to a 9 by making a few more putts each round and hitting a few more fairways each round, not by buying an expensive golf ball.

Keep buying the $25 or $30 (dozen) golf balls and take that extra $12 or $15 you'd spend on a ball upgrade and put it towards a lesson with your local PGA professional. He or she will help you get to that single-digit level."

Mitch asks -- "What happens first in Ravens-land, Bisciotti sells, Harbaugh leaves or they fire DeCosta?"

DF says -- "Wow. That's a wacky question there. Bisciotti's ownership is probably tied into the employment of both of those other two because they are "his guys". If Steve sold the team, a new owner would likely want his own coach and own GM in there unless, of course, the Ravens were coming off of a Super Bowl win or something of that nature.

John and Eric will both be there as long as Steve owns the team, most likely. I think it's very obvious that Bisciotti values both of them. So I guess the answer to your question is, "Steve sells". I don't know how much longer he wants to own the team, but he can own it as long as he wants.

John can coach for another 10 years if he wants. Eric is very young. He can be a team executive for 20-30 more years. In both cases, Harbaugh and DeCosta, they'd have another NFL job in 30 minutes if Steve ever fired them."

Dennis asks -- "Do you think there's one LIV golfer the PGA Tour really regrets losing?"

DF says -- "Good question. I'd say, for the good of the TOUR as a business, they probably wish they could still have Bryson DeChambeau. He was a marketable player, an American, a guy they had sponsors connecting with, and so on.

No one in the U.S. cares about Cameron Smith. GREAT player, of course, but no one is rushing to their TV sets to watch him play and no one is throwing a bunch of money at the PGA Tour to sponsor the broadcasts because they're spending $25 million on Smith as one of his main sponsors.

Guys like Reed, Dustin Johnson, etc. have some value as golfers, but not much value elsewhere. D.J. was featured in some Taylor Made ads, but they're advertising on the networks with or without Dustin Johnson. He was just part of their stable. D.J. also had a deal with RBC and they're a big TOUR spender, but I can't imagine they cared all that much about him overall. As soon as he went to LIV, they pulled their deal with him.

Mickelson is in his 50's. He's a non factor, playing wise. Koepka's game has really dropped off. The TOUR was probably happy to see those guys take their 2 handicaps to LIV.

All of the other players are just that -- players. The TOUR didn't blink an eye when Pereira and Niemann and Carlos Ortiz left. They didn't care when Hudson Swafford or Charles Howell III left. Who cares?

But DeChambeau had quickly become a "name" in golf and he's the one guy I think they probably regret losing because he brought along sponsors and marketing opportunities that the TOUR relishes."

Monty asks -- "Feeling any better about the Bruce tour now that he's 10 shows in and the set list seems to be getting a little more diverse?"

DF says -- "Eh, not really. I mean, I'm going on April 7 and I'm excited, but I didn't buy September 9 seats for the baseball stadium. I don't see much change in the setlist from the show on March 2nd in comparison to the tour opener in Tampa early last month. There are a few different songs, here and there, but the whole thing is very cookie-cutter, to me.

And maybe that's just where Bruce and the band are now. Maybe they just want a 32-song "catalog" and they play 25 or 26 of them on any given night and sprinkle in a new song or two along the way. If that's what they're doing now, so be it. But I love the "old days" (don't we all?) where you never knew what songs you were getting when you showed up at the venue.

Now, you know what 8 or 9 of the first 10 songs are going to be for sure. It's just not my idea of a great setlist."

Friday March 3, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3112

ravens in danger of being held back a year

The report card issued on the Ravens this week wasn't good.

It looked like something I saw a lot in my days at Glen Burnie High School.

A couple of A's, some B's, C's, D's and even an F- in one category. I had to laugh when I saw that. "F-minus". Like, just plain old "F" wasn't bad enough?

Editor's note: The only "E" I ever got at Glen Burnie was my teacher's fault. Not mine. After all, she was charged with "teaching" me and if I didn't learn anything, who really failed? But anyway...

The Ravens report card was so bad this week, they might have to repeat a grade.

I listened to sports talk radio yesterday and wasn't at all surprised by the (over) reaction of everyone.

But I get it. The report on the Ravens -- with research provided and published by the NFLPA -- wasn't good. And it was low hanging fruit for every guy or gal in town who thinks the football team is quickly becoming the baseball team.

The Ravens have been this town's fair-haired-boy for a long, long time. A lot of what they've done has been "model citizen" type stuff. And so, when the King falls, he falls hard. Yesterday's reaction wasn't all that surprising.

Here's one thing to always remember: For the most part, players are always disgruntled about something.

And so, too, is the NFL Player's Association. They're always upset about the way the players are treated.

Just like it's natural for a fisherman to have scars on his arms and hands and dirt under his fingernails, it's natural for professional athletes to be disgruntled.

"I'm not paid enough."

"The cafeteria doesn't have Fruit Loops."

"The trainer's massage technique is too hard."

"We never stay in a Westin on the road."

"The player's parking lot at the stadium should be underneath the stadium, not outside."

"My family's tickets for home games shouldn't be in the upper deck."

"Why do they let the media people in the locker room? I don't go to their office and ask them questions."

And so on and so on.

Players are, by nature, disgruntled.

It's the life of entitlement, in some ways. You're the star and you want to be treated like one. I get it.

And I also get that some of their gripes are, in fact, legitimate. And I'm quite certain the Ravens saw their report card and weren't thrilled about it, since those grades were generated by polling current and former players.

---

Carl Davis, Jr. is a former Ravens player who was loudly outspoken on social media. You probably don't remember him. He never made much of an impact, a story he apparently thinks is more the team's fault than his own.

That's not unexpected at all. Most "former" players beef about being "former". It wasn't their fault they didn't live up to their potential, of course.

The worst grade of all, "F-", came in the "Strength Coaches" category, where the Ravens have recently made a change. Clearly, although the players probably think it was 3 years too late, the Ravens sensed something was wrong with the way Steve Saunders was doing things at 1 Winning Drive. So they let him go.

That grade, F-, shows something was really wrong in that department.

The Ravens' overall rank was middle-of-the-pack, basically. They finished 17th out of 32 teams.

But "F-" in the Strength Coach category was really damning because that area directly relates to on-field performance.

"Treatment of Families." Important. But whether your wife sits in the upper deck or lower deck shouldn't make the difference between you catching a pass in the 3rd quarter or dropping it.

"Food Service/Nutrition." Important. But who cares if they don't have fat free dressing at the salad bar? Bring your own if that's important to you.

Strength coach and training room? Those are important.

Rashod Bateman was a current player who bristled publicly on Thursday, but it wasn't so much about the report card as it was about comments Eric DeCosta made about the team's need for an improved wide receiver group.

Bateman, who, when he's healthy and able to play, is the team's best receiver.

"How 'bout you play to your players' strengths and stop pointing the finger at us and No. 8," he wrote on Twitter, alluding to Lamar Jackson. "Blame the one you let do this. We take heat 24/7. And keep us healthy. Care about us and see what happens. Ain't no promises, though. Tired of ya'll lyin' and cap'n on players for no reason."

There's so much to unpack there, I called my buddy Jim Pappas who owns a local moving company, Top Notch Moving, and asked him to take his crew of guys to the Castle today."

I have no idea who Bateman is "blaming" when he says to the Ravens, "blame the one you let do this" in his Twitter rant. I assume he was talking about Steve Saunders. But Saunders didn't "hurt" any of the players, at least not initially. Players got/get hurt playing football. It's a natural part of the process.

Some players get hurt more than others, for whatever weird reason. The sports term for that is "injury prone".

Bateman is a guy who is bordering on being injury prone. I wouldn't go that far, yet. But if we were playing a game of "horse" and the word was "prone", instead, he'd have P-R-O-N.

"We take the heat 24/7." That's true. You do. You get paid millions of dollars in exchange for said "heat". It's called "the price of doing business", I think.

A lot of times, that heat is warranted. And on most of the occasions when it is warranted, players still don't want to be noticed..

Except, of course, when things go well. That's when they want to be noticed.

Players will always take the applause and accolades when things work out favorably for them. When it doesn't go well, blame the coach or the trainer or the lack of fat free salad dressing.

"Care about us and see what happens..."

Huh? The Ravens drafted you #1 and will spend upwards of $13 million on you over a four-year period. They cared a lot. You haven't played all that much, which probably means you're actually the one getting over as of now. But that's OK. Maybe one of these seasons you'll actually play all of the games, catch 150 passes, and look like a #1 receiver.

And if that happens, the Ravens might be on the winning end of the bargain with you. For once.

"Ain't no promises, though."

Of course not. The players can't and won't ever make any promises. Too much can go wrong. The other team tries too, right?

I understand where Bateman's coming from. He's been injured a couple of times as a professional and he likes to be active on social media. Some fans are nice to him, others are ruthless in their criticism. He gets agitated because he's doing something for a living that most of the people criticizing him never did or never could do.

And when he gets frustrated with the criticism, he lashes out at something -- anything -- to help deflect whatever is coming his way.

Later on Thursday, Bateman apologized on Twitter.

Cooler heads prevailed.

But that damage had already been done. You wrote it, you published it and the organization saw it. I'm not suggested the relationship between the Ravens and Rashod Bateman is irrepairable, but his comments probably left a scar, apology and all.

---

And then you have the sports talk world piling on and, now, the Ravens are really under fire.

Part of what's happening in Baltimore these days is an interesting turn of events, where the Orioles are actually on the verge of possibly being good and the Ravens are involved in an incredibly polarizing situation with their star quarterback and yet another offensive coordinator is being brought in to help improve the club's chances of scoring points.

For once, the worm has turned in Baltimore. The Orioles are going up, the Ravens might be going down.

And so, sports talk folks and callers are doing what comes most natural: criticizing and complaining.

Everyone knows the drill. The phone lines don't blink when the team wins. But they're jammed when the team loses. It's natural.

When that report card surfaced this week, that became an off-season "game". The Ravens definitely didn't win. They lost.

No one talks about the A's and the B's, of course.

"You're supposed to get A's and B's" we always tell our children.

It's the other grades everyone zeroes in on.

And while they're not to be ignored, I go back to one of the first things I wrote above.

Most players (not all -- "most") are always aggravated about something. Being disgruntled is part of the professional athlete's code of conduct.

So when I see that report card, much like mine in the old days, nothing surprises me.

And I also don't overreact to it, either.

I'm sure the grades are "fairly accurate". Like I wrote above, "F-" seems like overkill. But maybe that's what Steve Saunders earned.

I jokingly referenced one of my former teachers earlier and mentioned how "she failed" when I got an "E" in her class in 1981. That, of course, isn't true at all. I failed because I didn't like the class and didn't do the work. Nothing more, nothing less. I earned an "E" and she gave it to me.

The Ravens earned their various grades, good and bad.

How they fix them is something I assume they're already discussing. One thing for sure: They need to pay attention to their bad grades and take steps to improve them. In some ways, apparently, they've already done that.

But I also hope the Ravens understand that no matter what they do, players are always going to gripe. Some complain more than others. But in almost every instance where a player can evaluate something, they're more likely to be negative than positive.

Just like a fisherman always has dirt under his fingernails. Some things are just part of the business.

faith in sports

This is a true "find" for today's edition of "Faith in Sports". Jordy Bahl is one of the top softball pitchers in the country. She's also a Christian.

And her story about the Sooners' campaign in her freshman season and how her faith helped her navigate that nerve-wracking year is really special.

This one's 12 minutes long, but worth every second of it. If you have a high school or college athlete in your family, please show this to them. It provides a lot of encouragement and, hopefully, a template for how they can connect their student-athlete responsibilities with their growing faith.

Thanks, as always, to our friends at Freestate Electrical for their continued support of "Faith in Sports".

Thursday March 2, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3111

nothing said, nothing expected

Eric DeCosta didn't say much yesterday.

Well, he didn't say much that we weren't expecting, is perhaps a better way of putting it.

"We want Lamar here," DeCosta emphasized.

I believe that. I'm not sure Eric believes with 100% conviction that Lamar is actually going to be in Baltimore next September when the season starts, but I do believe, despite everything that has transpired over the last 12 months, that the Ravens do still want Jackson in purple.

"We can still get this done. I'm an optimist. There's still time," DeCosta said.

Of course that's true. The time is winding down before next Tuesday's franchise deadline, but all it takes is one phone call -- by either party -- and the deal gets fimished.

"It takes two people to do it, it takes communication," DeCosta stated. "It takes respect, it takes appreciation for each other and it takes an understanding of the greater good and how this thing is going to fit together. I remain positive. I have no reason not to remain positive.”

Of everything DeCosta said on Wednesday, that was probably the most telling.

In virtually every public conversation DeCosta has had about Jackson over the last eight months, he'll always throw in "It takes two people to do it". I assume that's a subtle jab at Lamar's on-again, off-again negotiating style and his almost odd habit of wanting to do a lot of his negotating via text.

The "greater good" comment yesterday was also intriguing if you like reading between the lines. That one, it would seem, is a direct request to Jackson to "be a team player" and help the Ravens build a better offense around him. Shelling out $32 million or $45 million for him via the franchise tag would severely hamper the club's ability to spend freely in the free agent market this off-season.

But if Jackson signs a new deal and the Ravens creatively figure out a way to put it all into their salary cap, they will have some freedom to bring in a wide receiver or two and perhaps another veteran cornerback.

In the end yesterday, nothing DeCosta said was unexpected or surprising.

They're still trying to sign Lamar, a point he referenced several times, even going as far as mentioning they've talked twice recently.

A report surfaced later on Wednesday that indicated the NFLPA has told Lamar to "stand his ground" in the ongoing talks with the Ravens as it relates to his request for a fully guaranteed contract.

I would say, as I often do here, that a report of that nature is to be considered with the same degree of belief you'd have if a friend told you he bumped into Jennifer Aniston at a bar in Baltimore and she's interested in having a drink with you later that night.

I'm certainly not saying the NFLPA isn't riding along with Lamar in this situation and I'm 100% sure they're giving him free advice along the way.

But don't believe last night's report just because it says "the NFLPA is telling Lamar to stand his ground..."

My guess is that things likely haven't changed all that much.

The Ravens have probably told Lamar "This is what we're willing to do and we're not really moving off of those terms and that number."

And Lamar, in return, is pretty much saying the same thing. "This is what I'm willing to do and I'm not really flexible on it."

That's where they are. That's how it's March 2nd and there's no deal.

You can't really blame the Ravens.

And you can't really blame Lamar.

He sees these other lame dudes like Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray and Deshaun Watson raking in beaucoup bucks and draws a line in the sand and says, "No way I'm playing for the same or less than those chumps."

And the Ravens, of course, are saying, in so many words, "Just because the Broncos, Cardinals and Browns are overpaying their quarterback doesn't mean we then have to wildly overpay our quarterback."

This is, of course, about "setting the market", which is always the key buzz word in sports contract negotiations.

But, because it's a salary-cap league, you can't just run around saying, "Yeah, well, the Browns gave Watson $245 million so we'll just give Lamar $275 million."

You can do that in baseball. Heck, the Padres just forked over $350 million to Manny Machado. It could have been $360 million or $410 million. The final number didn't matter at all. Baseball teams are treating the luxury tax the way you and I treat an episode of Three's Company. They're laughing at it.

In football, though, you have to be smart about the way you do things. That is, unless you're the Browns, Cardinals and Broncos.

---

The PGA Tour yesterday announced a series of sweeping changes to their 2024 schedule and the way TOUR players will gain eligibility for their growing list of "Designated" events moving forward.

Several of their events next year will include reduced fields (70 to 78 players) and no 36-hole cut. Very loosely, those tournaments will look and feel just like the old World Golf Championships events that were a big part of the TOUR for 20 years or so before slowing fading out over the last few years.

I get why they're doing that. I understood the idea behind the old WGC events and I understand this concept, too. Give the best players in the world a handful of events on the schedule where you can sell massive sponsorships, promise those companies the best players will be there are all weekend, and then provide a boatload of cash to all of the players who make the field.

As I always say...

"It's good work if you can get it."

But just because I understand why it's being done doesn't necessarily mean I like it.

Because, for the most part, I think any event on TOUR, other than a major, that restricts players from playing in it is wrong.

So the 78th ranked player is "good enough" for an event but the 79th player isn't?

I don't see that as being fair to the entire TOUR-card-carrying membership. If you want to find out who the best player is that week you have to let all the players play in order to find that out.

The majors are different. I do understand the nature of those. But any other regular TOUR event should be accommodating to the membership as a whole.

And, more critical, to me, is this: Any event that doesn't have a 36-hole cut is robbing said event of the very one thing that makes golf great and better than any other sport in the world -- if you don't play well, you don't get paid.

In a time when baseball players get $35 million a year whether they hit .187 or .287 or football players get $50 million whether they throw 12 touchdowns or 42 touchdowns, golf is great because you show up on Thursday and try to beat half the field over two days. If you do that, you get the privilege of sticking around for two more days and you make money. If you don't do that, you go home with the other guys who stunk it up and you don't get paid.

It's called "earning your keep."

And it's why stories like last weekend's two from the Honda Classic -- Chris Kirk not winning for 8 years and Eric Cole looking for career security via his first ever TOUR win -- are what really makes the PGA Tour hum.

Sure, the stars are vital to the global element of the PGA Tour. No doubt about it. If you're a sponsor shelling out $15 million or more to put your name on a tournament, you damn well want Rahm, Rory, J.T., Scheffler, Morikawa and Spieth there, just to name six guys not named Tiger Woods that automatically give your tournament some valuable cachet.

I get it. They're the best players and you want them dueling it out on Sunday afternoon.

But what really makes golf great are "stories".

And what makes the PGA Tour great is that it's really, really hard to get your TOUR Card and it's very difficult to keep it. You have to be a greater-than-great player to keep your card year after year, particularly if you don't win.

But that's OK...because it's supposed to be hard.

So, it's always been my belief that the 36-hole cut is a valuable part of every TOUR player's seasonal journey. I understand people have expenses. Air fare, hotels, meals, caddies, etc.

Guess what? Businesses have expenses, too. Rent, employees, insurance, gas and electric, cost of goods, and so on. It's part of running a company. You take on those expenses without any guarantee at all that revenues will exceed them. When they do, you're profitable. When they don't, you go back to the drawing board and figure out how to improve so you can turn a buck or three.

Golf is the same way. You're upset because you missed three straight cuts, spent $25,000, and the only return you got was that $150,000 check back at the beginning of the year for wearing that credit card logo on your shirt?

Here's the solution...

Make more birdies.

Go get better and come back next week. Make the cut. Get paid.

Any event without a 36-hole cut robs the player just as much as it robs the fans and the tournament. It robs the player of the element he or she needs most to keep their golf game growing and improving; "eat what you kill".

Aside from jumping into business with the government that helped kill 3,600 innocent Americans on 9-11, the one thing I resent the most about LIV golf is the guaranteed money aspect of their business model.

You've given their players millions and millions of free money. All they have to do to make it is just show up. They don't have to play well. They don't have to make birdies. They don't have to win.

There's nothing in it for the players at LIV. Except more money, of course. That lure is still very much dangling in front of them.

But when you have $100 million already, what's another $4 million?

I don't want to see the PGA Tour start making their business model entirely money driven. Professional golf should be about "win driven" first. The money comes thereafter.

And part of the climb and the ability to win is teeing it up every week without knowing if you're actually going to make any money that week. That's the driving force behind making more birdies and getting better.

	dale williams aims the terps spotlight
DALE WILLIAMS returns for his 8th season of covering all things Maryland men's basketball for #DMD. Terps Spotlight will preview and review all games in the 2022-2023 season.

terps fall to lowly ohio state

The Ohio State Buckeyes shut down Jahmir Young last night and in doing so stymied the Maryland offense. OSU also made all 20 of their foul shots and hit just enough shots from the field to hand Maryland a 73-62 defeat.

The Buckeyes got extremely balanced scoring as six OSU players notched double digit points. Justice Sueing led OSU with 16 points, 8 of those coming from the foul line. Juju Reese topped his team in scoring and rebounding with 17 and 12, respectively.

Certainly, slowing down Young, getting to the foul line, and having balanced scoring were keys to the Ohio State victory, but they also controlled the boards. Reese’s 12 rebounds were exactly half of his team’s 24 rebound total, while the Buckeyes grabbed 32.

Maryland’s defense also betrayed them by allowing far too many easy looks in the paint. It was all too much considering that Young, Donta Scott, and Hakim Hart combined to make only 9 of 29 shots.

Ohio State broke from the gate with a whole lot of “want to”.

In the first 4 minutes of the game, OSU had 8 points in the paint and buried both of their three point tries. That enabled the Buckeyes to score 12 points in a row while cruising to a 14 -4 lead. It was exactly the kind of start that OSU needed to kick off their senior night.

By the 11:30 mark of the initial half, Maryland had amassed 5 turnovers and had a streak of 3:30 without scoring. When Hakim Hart finally broke the drought, OSU had an 18-11 lead but the Buckeyes leading scorer, Sensabaugh, was benched with 2 fouls.

The under 8-minute TV timeout came at 7:05 with OSU leading 24-15 and going to the foul line to shoot 1 shot as play resumed. Turnovers, and the points that Ohio State scored off of those mistakes, were the Terps undoing. Maryland had 6 turnovers that the Buckeyes converted into 9 points. When OSU’s Isaa Likekele hit the foul shot, OSU had a 10-point lead, 25-15.

The Terps came out of the timeout scoring 6 points in a row, the last three points being a Scott triple. The teams then traded buckets including a couple of threes before Sensabaugh made a tough jumper near the right baseline to put Ohio State up 6. That’s where the lead stayed going into the half. The score was 35-29.

Both teams shot the ball well during the first 20 minutes. The Terps were 12 of 22, while OSU connected on 14 of 26. Sean McNeil had a perfect offensive half, knocking down 2 triples, a single shot in the paint and 2 foul shots. All without a miss. His 10 points were the high for either team in the first half.

The Terps came out cold to start half number two.

They missed their first four shots and OSU stretched out to an 11-point advantage.

The Buckeyes achieved their largest lead of the night to that point, 13, after hitting two foul shots courtesy of a Hart intentional foul followed quickly by a nifty turnaround “J” by Sensabaugh.

It was an ugly second half start for Maryland. They were outscored 11-4 and committed 4 personal fouls in the first 4 minutes.

The lead was back to 11 when play resumed after the second TV timeout. Fouls were beginning to mount for both teams as the Terps were in the bonus with 11:41 left in the game while the Buckeyes had already converted 9 second half foul shots.

At this point, 6 Buckeye players had scored in the second half while only three Terps had second half points.

Kevin Willard called a timeout with his team down 8, 60-52, and exactly 6 minutes left on the clock. OSU lost Likekele, who had fouled out but they continued to roll. Two more unanswered Buckeye buckets increased the lead to 12 and brought another Terp timeout.

When Sueing drilled a three after a Terrapin miss, OSU had their largest lead at 15-points with 3:31 left. There was little time for Maryland to stage a comeback.

Any hope of a Terrapin comeback was done in by perfect second half Ohio State foul shooting. They were17 of 17 from the line in the second half. A bevy of missed Maryland three-point attempts also sealed their fate. The final score was 73-62.

As we outlined in our pregame piece, stopping Young and getting balanced scoring were the recipe for an Ohio State upset.

They did just that and got the win.

The road Terrapins and the home Terrapins have been two entirely different teams. In back-to-back road games, Maryland has lost to Nebraska and, now, the 5-14 Ohio State Buckeyes.

It seems like in this season, a home court is a prerequisite for a Big Ten victory. This is a conference wide phenomenon not just a Terp issue.

Come NCAA tournament time, might the Big Ten get exposed? There will be no home courts and massive free throw discrepancies come March Madness. Where will that leave teams who thrive only under those conditions?

The crowded Big Ten standings will provide a ton of Big Ten tournament seeding movement until all regular season games are played. As of now, the pairing possibilities are practically endless.

Maryland will wrap up their Big Ten regular season at Penn State this Sunday at noon. Watch it on BTN.

Wednesday March 1, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3110

the blame game

Because someone simply must be at fault, the finger pointing as it relates to the Ravens and Lamar Jackson is really ramping up as the days go by and the franchise tag seems inevitable.

"It's the Ravens' fault, period," I heard a local sports talker say yesterday over and over. "Eric DeCosta should have had this deal done a year ago."

"Lamar has to accept the blame for this, he's the one with the crazy contract demands and he's the one that has only played half the season in the last two years," a show caller said later on.

Nothing can ever be just the way it is. Someone has to get the blame for the way things turn out.

My quick take on all-things-Lamar is this: Has the damage of a year (or more) of a negotiating fractured their relationship to the point where it can't be repaired?

I don't know the answer, but I do think it's a question worth asking.

Can the two of them move on and live happily ever after once this contract situation gets settled, in whatever way it eventually does get worked out?

You ask your longtime girlfriend to marry you. Ring in hand, beads of sweat on your forehead, down to one knee you go.

"Will you marry me?" you ask.

There's a pause.

A few seconds go by.

"I want to," she says.

You're not sure if that's a "yes". You're more than a little nervous.

"But I just don't know if the time is right," she says. "Maybe just not right now?"

So, she didn't say yes.

I'm sure that exact scenario has played out thousands of times and many of those couples eventually did marry and their life together was splendid.

But it's also likely that a significant number of those situations ended up with the two not marrying and, eventually, going their separate ways.

And so, I wonder if the Ravens and Lamar can eventually tie the knot and end this 5-year courtship or is there simply too much damage done now that neither of them seem willing to say "Yes!" to the other?

Will Lamar ever get over the fact that the Ravens wouldn't give him the 5-year, fully-guaranteed, monster contract he thought he deserved?

Even if he signs a deal tomorrow for 5 years and $250 million but only $175 million of it is guaranteed...can he move on and love the Ravens the same way he would have with his "dream contract" intact and signed last summer?

And can the Ravens cough up the kind of money that's necessary to keep Lamar and make him happy? Or do they feel like there's just too much damage that's been done? Too many games missed, too many unreturned texts, not enough negotiating flexibility. Can it be repaired?

They say money can fix a lot of things.

And it most certainly can.

But those are typically material items; your house, your car, your driveway, your office building.

Can money fix your pride, though?

At this point, is it even worth trying to hammer out a deal with Lamar?

Or should the Ravens get the message, sell the ring, and look for a new girl?

---

The Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Florida will take on the look of a major championship this weekend as the best players in the world converge on Bay Hill GC for another one of the TOUR's "designated" events.

Bay Hill is a place where great players shine, because you basically have to do everything well in order to win there. Aside from little-known Matt Every inexplicably winning two years in a row there almost a decade ago (2014-2015), the list of winners is about who you would expect it to be.

Tiger won Bay Hill eight times in his career. He's not in the field this week.

In the last five years, winners have included Scheffler, DeChambeau, Hatton, Molinari and McIlroy.

Day, Els, Leishman and Singh have also won there.

With all due respect to Chris Kirk and Eric Cole, you're typically not going to see those kinds of names on the top of the leaderboard at the API.

This is a place where the big boys almost always surface, with the occasional surprise mixed in.

And so, here we are, offering you four players we think are set to play well at Bay Hill this week.

If you're wagering on golf these days and don't play Jon Rahm, you're simply giving the best player in the field to everyone else.

He's at +700 this week, which is exactly what he was when he won at Riveria a couple of weeks ago. While the API isn't the "fader's paradise" that Riveria CC is/was, it's still the kind of course where Rahm's ball striking talents should shine through. And in what could be shaping up to be a monster year for the Spaniard, I wouldn't pass him up this week.

Collin Morikawa is having a remarkable statistical start to his '22-23 season but he has yet to enter the winner's circle. That could change this week at Bay Hill, where he's a solid +2000 on the various wagering sites. What Morikawa needs this week is a hot putter. All other elements of his game are trending in the right direction. He just needs a solid week with the flat stick and he should be among the leaders on Sunday.

I feel like Xander Schauffele -- at +2800 -- is one of those guys that wins as soon as you leave him off of your slip, so I'm going to continue to play him when the course is a good fit for him, and I think Bay Hill could serve him well despite a pedestrian record of sorts in Florida throughout his career. "X" is Jon Rahm-lite in that he does everything well. Could this be his week to break through? Maybe.

As the top players on the TOUR try to establish themselves as the true #1 player in the world, I always feel like Justin Thomas is the guy with the best shot of a 6-week heater that could overtake Rahm, Scheffler, etc. He's a threat nearly every week he tees it up, with his putter serving as the only slight impediment to another wise out-of-this-world golf game. He's also at +2000 this week and someone I'll play in almost every element I can. Even if he doesn't win, he's a great pick for a Sunday charge and a back-door Top 10 or Top 5.

Off the radar guys seem like wasted picks at the API, but anyone over +3000 returns a really nice yield on both win wagers and Top 20's, Top 10's, etc.

Here are four of those for you: Keegan Bradley (+6600), Shane Lowry (+6600), Min Woo Lee (+12500), and Sam Ryder (+17500)

You know the API field is strong when Lowry (14-1 last week at the Honda) is 66-1 just a week after being one of the top 5 favorites at the Honda Classic.

---

My friend Bobby Vermillion's Endless Golf website is a must-see for anyone heading to Ocean City this summer, either just for vacation or golf. Bobby is "Mr. Ocean City" when it comes to promoting everything good going on down on the Eastern Shore.

Two weeks ago, he and I enjoyed a half-hour podcast discussion that's now featured on his website.

Here's where you can find the podcast (on video) if you're interested: Drew and Bobby Vermillion

	dale williams aims the terps spotlight
DALE WILLIAMS returns for his 8th season of covering all things Maryland men's basketball for #DMD. Terps Spotlight will preview and review all games in the 2022-2023 season.

terps face sagging ohio state tonight

The Ohio State basketball world changed drastically on January 5th, less than 4 minutes into their game against Purdue.

Before that unfortunate moment they were 2-0 in the Big Ten, having knocked off Northwestern on the road and Rutgers at home. They also had a resume building win over Texas Tech to add to their portfolio.

But with 16:15 left in the first half, Purdue’s Zack Edey brought his arms up while jumping in hopes of grabbing an offensive rebound off a missed Purdue foul shot. In doing so he forced OSU’s Zed Key’s arm up with him, both damaging the Buckeye center’s shoulder, and effectively ending the Buckeyes’ season.

Ohio State, winners of their first two conference games, took 14 games to win their 2 more. They will finish in 13th place in the 14 team Big Ten and currently own a 4 and 14 record with 2 games left.

It’s a season of what could have been for the team from Columbus.

These two teams met on January 8 with Maryland coming from behind to post an 80-73 victory. The Terps trailed by 4 at halftime, but scored 14 points in a row to start the second half.

Ohio State fought back after trailing by as much as 14, and eventually lowered the Terp lead to a single possession, but they could never get over the hump.

Noteworthy stats from game 1 were Jahmir Young’s 30 points…with 13 of them coming from the foul line. Those numbers will force OSU to sell out tonight, in an effort to limit Young’s ability to get into the paint. This will leave teammates open all over the floor.

Can Young find the open man and can the Terps hit shots on the road? Two big questions, for sure.

Also significant in that meeting in College Park was the major advantage the Terps had in total rebounds and offensive rebounds.

They out ‘bounded the Buckeyes 40 -26 and enjoyed a 14 -7 lead in offensive boards. Without Key and with only getting little help from his replacement, Felix Okpara (3.6points 3.1 rebounds), OSU is really small.

They will be hard pressed to keep the Terps, and especially Juju Reese, off of the glass tonight.

Oddly enough in the first game, OSU and the Terps each made 24 shots from the floor with the Buckeyes hitting 9 threes compared to Maryland’s 5.

The Terps countered that with a 27-16 edge in foul shots made. The home teams have had a decided advantage at the foul line this year. That bodes well for OSU tonight.

Brice Sensabaugh (16.5 ppg) has been doing the bulk of the offensive work for OSU, but he’ll need Justice Sueing (12 ppg), Sean McNeil (9.6), and Bruce Thornton (9.6) to step up in order for OSU to have a chance at knocking off the newly ranked (#21) Terrapins.

In an oddity, the Terps are favored by just 2.5 points for tonight’s game. They were favored by 1.5 in College Park and the home/away swing is generally 6 to 8 points towards the home team. Tonight, it went the other way by 1. Very strange indeed.

There’s no denying who is the better team. Maryland has better size, better interior scoring, and better ball handlers.

Maryland has a premiere point guard, something very much lacking on the OSU squad. While the two offensives perform evenly, the Terps are significantly better defensively.

Again, the Terps are better than OSU and if all things were equal, they should win this game. But all things are not equal. It’s senior night which always adds a bit of emotion early and can sometimes carry through.

More so, Ohio State is the home team in a year where playing in front of your own Big Ten fans has had a massive impact, especially at the foul line. That 27-16 number is bound to change this time.

The bottom line here is the Terps have more scoring weapons and are better on the defensive side. That should be enough to carry them through. However, I don’t expect it to be easy.

Many of the recent OSU losses have been close ball games. Maryland has been in three single possession games and lost all three, with the Nebraska game being the most recent.

A Terp loss here is not my expectation, but it would not surprise me either.

I anticipate a very close game that could go either way. Since I have to put a number on it, I’ll go 70-67 in a game with far less scoring than the 80-73 game of January 8.

Look for the game on BTN starting at 7 pm.

Tuesday February 28, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3109

tuesday roundtable

All of this stuff just piled up on me at once.

Some of it is sports-related that you'll care about, some of it is sports-related and you won't care about it.

Either way, thanks for stopping by today.

As I always say, "If what we have here today isn't interesting to you, please come back tomorrow. Odds are, we can't get it wrong two days in a row."

The FCA Maryland Golf program that I'm involved with had a stellar first year in 2022. We exceeded every imaginable goal we established this time last year, with free monthly junior clinics, adult fellowship golf trips to Caves Valley, Queenstown Harbor and the Dormie Club. And we also organized and held two junior golf tournaments in 2022, both of which featured sold out fields of 44 players.

In 2023, we're hosting six junior golf tournaments throughout the summer and fall. Our friends at CraftMasters of Maryland are sponsors of FCA Maryland Golf and our junior tournament series. We're grateful for their help and support.

But I could use one additional partner for our two events in Harford County and Cecil County. We're looking for someone to sponsor those two junior tournaments, in particular, to help us defray those expenses for the juniors who will tee it up in those two tournaments; June 22 at Bulle Rock GC in Havre De Grace and August 8 at Chesapeake Bay GC in Rising Sun. In addition, we're going to have a free junior clinic at Chesapeake Bay GC in the summer, modeled after the successful clinic series we run at Pine Ridge.

If you're a business owner or someone involved in the marketing of a company in Harford and/or Cecil County and you're interested in joining us as a marketing partner with FCA Maryland Golf, please reach out to me via e-mail: 18inarow@gmail.com

And even if it's not you -- but you know someone with a business up that way who could be interested -- please consider passing my information along to him/her.

I ran across an interesting Twitter discussion yesterday about Maryland's Kevin Willard. It started out as a tip-of-the-cap to Willard for his outstanding first season in College Park, where the Terps are most certainly tournament bound and could be a threat to win the Big Ten title next weekend.

It evolved into a back-and-forth about Willard's career record in the NCAA tournament, which is just 1-5 (at Seton Hall).

"If he can't get the Terps into the Sweet Sixteen, what's he done?" someone asked.

Things dissolved from there, as the discussion turned into what most Twitter debates turn into; people telling each other they're stupid and that they don't know what they're talking about.

I never hop in on those kinds of social media moments, but I read and shake my head. I realize a lot of what I read is trolling, but some of it isn't. Some of it, sadly, is what people really think.

Kevin Willard is in his first season at Maryland. His track record in College Park, save perhaps for that home woodshed-beating the Terps took at the hands of UCLA in December, is nearly impeccable. What he did at Seton Hall shouldn't matter one bit. Not one.

In College Park -- which right now is all that matters -- Willard has been outstanding.

If Maryland somehow stumbles in the opening round or second game of the upcoming NCAA touranment, that does not, in any way, mean "Willard was the wrong hire." Yet, there were clueless nitwits saying that on Twitter yesterday.

"We need a coach that can win in March, not January or February!".

Ummmm, hello. In order to get to March, you have to win in January or February. They don't just award March Madness spots to anyone.

Here we are, with the Terps rolling along and sporting a perfect record at home in the Big Ten, and people are pre-complaining about what Maryland might do in the upcoming NCAA tournament.

Just watch the games, people. Enjoy the tournament. Maryland might win four games, they might lose their first game and be out. Who knows? But Kevin Willard's time at Seton Hall has nothing at all to do with what he's done at Maryland or will do at Maryland.

They are, for sure, two different places and two different sets of circumstances.

Kevin Willard at Maryland is the only thing Maryland fans should concern themselves with, after all.

LIV Golf started their 2023 schedule by televising last weekend's event from Mexico on their "flagship network", the CW, and it probably wasn't the start the Saudi-funded golf league was hoping for.

For Saturday's second round, where 26 CW affiliates aired the LIV tournament, the numbers were incredibly embarrassing: 0.2.

The top Saturday program on the CW was "World's Funniest Animals", in case you were wondering what kind of shows drew more viewers than LIV Golf.

In New York City, where there are 7.7 million households according to Nielsen, they estimate roughly 7,600 people tuned into LIV on Saturday.

I guess no one wanted to watch Charles Howell III bolt to the top of the leaderboard in the Big Apple, huh?

While total viewership numbers were still being compiled on Monday, two industry experts both calculated that a total of about 200,000 watched LIV Golf on Friday, Saturday and Sunday combined.

In case you're looking for some comparison, Thursday's first round of the Honda Classic on the Golf Channel drew 342,000 viewers. Oh, and it's probably worth noting the CW is in twice as many homes as is The Golf Channel.

A few weeks back when CBS aired the third round of the Genesis Invitational -- with the best field of the season to date plus Tiger Woods -- the viewership numbers were staggering: Saturday's play drew a 1.8 rating.

LIV Golf is great for the golfers who bilked the Saudis out of all of that guaranteed money. It's great for guys like Charles Howell III, who couldn't ever win again on the PGA Tour but picked up $4 million for winning in Mexico last weekend. As I always say: That's good work...if you can get it.

But no one else in the golf world cares at all about LIV. No one's watching. No one's following along. No one, despite what Greg Norman says, can name the teams in the league or who plays for the Ace Sticks or the Four Goats.

The players did get rich, for sure. Cameron Smith won the British Open and then jumped to LIV to pick up $100 million of free money. Good for him.

But he also went from known to unknown in the snap of a finger.

Now, perhaps he'll win the Masters next month. Or maybe he'll repeat as the British Open champion in July. But even if he does that, he'll be a guy no one follows or cares about, golf wise, any longer.

And that's not me saying that. The TV sets are saying it. Loud and clear.

The only people who care about LIV are the people involved with LIV. No one else cares.

It couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of fellas, huh?

We're getting down to the nitty-gritty as it relates to Lamar Jackson and the Ravens and whether they're going to keep him, trade him and so on.

They have until March 7 to button everything up and make a decision. The betting favorite at this point? The Ravens will announce sometime in the next week that they're going to apply the franchise tag to Lamar.

What happens after that, though? That's the real question.

Does Jackson stay?

Does he get traded?

I'm still of the mindset the Ravens are going to figure out a way to keep Jackson around.

I get asked nearly every day, somehow, "What are the Ravens going to do with Lamar?"

My guess?

I think they're going to sign him to a 3-year deal in the $150 million range that gives them the chance to see how things shake out with him over the next couple of years.

It won't be the 5 or 6 year deal worth $250 million or $300 million that Jackson and the NFLPA have been seeking, but it will still be a life-changing contract for Jackson and keep him in Baltimore for a while at the very least.

That's what I think. I don't know anything else. My contacts at Owings Mills have said all along they believe the Ravens are going to sign Lamar, but as the days goes by and he remains unsigned, the possibility definitely exists that Jackson will be a "former Raven" by the end of April.

My friend Bobby Vermillion's Endless Golf website is a must-see for anyone heading to Ocean City this summer, either just for vacation or golf. Bobby is "Mr. Ocean City" when it comes to promoting everything good going on down on the Eastern Shore.

Two weeks ago, he and I enjoyed a half-hour podcast discussion that's now featured on his website.

Here's where you can find the podcast (on video) if you're interested: Drew and Bobby Vermillion

	RANDY MORGAN on American soccer
Americans are playing more and more of a vital role in international soccer these days, and Randy Morgan has his eyes on all of them for #DMD. Each week here, he looks at recent performances of American players and highlights upcoming games of importance.

european soccer roundup

The week featured another packed schedule in European soccer. The Champions League continued midweek with the remaining four first-legs of the round of sixteen. Then the weekend brought domestic league action as well as the first Cup final in England.

The top of the Premier League remained tight while in Germany there were several pivotal matchups in the heated title race. Barcelona gave Real Madrid a chance to get back in the race in Spain, meanwhile the gaps at the top widened further in Italy and France.

It was another mostly quiet week for Americans in the top leagues abroad, though a couple of strikers scored key goals for their teams. Daryl Dike came on as a first half substitute and scored twice to help lift West Bromwich to a 2-0 win in the English Championship.

Over in the Netherlands, Ricardo Pepi scored a goal in a 3-0 win for Groningen as they try to avoid relegation in the Dutch top division. Back in the USA, the MLS kicked off its season with a new TV/streaming platform on Apple TV.

Champions League –

The favorites mostly prevailed in this week’s Champions League games. On Tuesday, Real Madrid once again summoned their Champions League black magic to come back from an early 2-0 deficit and beat Liverpool 5-2. Liverpool got off to a fast start with a nice goal off a backheel flick from Darwin Nunez in the 4th minute after a threaded pass from Mo Salah.

They quickly doubled their lead on a comical blunder from Real Madrid keeper Thibaut Courtois that gifted Salah a goal in the 14th minute. The bliss didn’t last long though, as Vinicius Jr. scored an amazing goal with a curling shot inside the back post just seven minutes later.

Madrid then benefitted from an error from Liverpool keeper Alisson, when he tried to clear the ball and it deflected off Vinicius Jr. and into the net.

Real Madrid took over in the second half with a quick headed goal from a free kick by Eder Militao before tacking on two more through Karim Benzema.

Though the game was closer than the final score would make it appear, with Liverpool actually finishing with more big chances and higher possession, Real Madrid once again proved their resilience and made the most of their opportunities.

Luka Modric continues to age like a fine wine, producing a tireless performance in this one and helping Real Madrid take a huge advantage into the home leg.

The other game on Tuesday had Serie A leaders Napoli traveling to Germany to take on Eintracht Frankfurt. Napoli carried over their dominant league form to get a resounding 2-0 win over Frankfurt, in a game where the score could have been much worse.

Napoli held 70% of the ball in the game and missed a penalty kick to go with the two goals they scored. Frankfurt generated little in attack and were put behind the eight ball early in the second half after a red card to attacker Kolo Muani reduced them to ten men.

Mexican winger, Hirving Lozano, had a standout performance, setting up the first goal for Victor Osimhen with a quick drive down the wing and an excellent bending cross. The second Napoli goal was a thing of beauty, one of the best team goals of the season.

A mesmerizing passing sequence was capped off by a backheel pass from Kvaratskhelia in the box to set up right back Giovanni DiLorenzo to smash a shot in the corner.

On Wednesday, bookmaker favorite’s Manchester City got out to a first half lead on RB Leipzig on a counter attack goal from Riyad Mahrez, but failed to capitalize and get the road win.

Instead it was Leipzig coming back to get a point thanks to a 70th minute towering header from center back Josko Gvardiol. City will now have work to do in the home leg to secure their spot in the quarterfinals.

The final matchup of the round featured Inter Milan and Porto. The Italian hosts had the majority of possession with 60% of the ball but struggled to take advantage for most of the game.

Porto actually had the better of the chances until midfielder Otavio picked up a second yellow card in the 78th minute and was sent off. Inter was able to take advantage of the extra man, getting an 86th minute goal from Romelu Lukaku to give them a 1-0 lead heading into the second leg.

England –

The status quo was maintained at the top of the Premier League this weekend with both Arsenal and Manchester City winning their games. Arsenal had the tougher challenge, eeking out a 1-0 road win over Leicester City with a Gabriel Martinelli goal in a tight defensive battle.

Manchester City got a comfortable 4-1 win at Bournemouth, led by Phil Foden who contributed a goal and an assist. Erling Haaland also scored once again to continue his record setting pace with 27 goals in just 25 Premier League games this season.

Both third place Manchester United and fifth place Newcastle United were off from Premier League action as they met for the final of the EFL Carabao Cup. The first cup of the season in England, the Carabao Cup is the lesser of the two major Cups, lacking the status of the FA Cup.

Nonetheless, it was a positive step for Manchester United, to get their first trophy under new coach Erik Ten Hag with a relatively easy 2-0 win on first half goals from Casemiro and Marcus Rashford.

Tottenham held firm in fourth place with a relatively easy 2-0 win over their crosstown London rivals Chelsea, who continue to struggle under new coach Graham Potter.

Down near the bottom of the table, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, and Brenden Aaronson all started for Leeds United and helped deliver a crucial 1-0 win over last place Southampton. All three Americans had solid performances and the win temporarily boosts Leeds above the relegation line.

Germany –

On Saturday, Borussia Dortmund temporarily went to the top of the table with a 1-0 win over Hoffenheim with Julian Brandt scoring the lone goal just before halftime. However, on Sunday, Bayern Munich jumped back even with Dortmund on points, holding the lead on the goal difference tiebreaker.

Bayern made a statement with a dominant 3-0 win over fellow title contenders Union Berlin, scoring all three goals before the halftime break. The loss was a dose of reality for Union, dropping them down to third place. RB Leipzig topped Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 to move into fourth place, one point behind Union and four points off the leaders.

Spain –

Barcelona gave up some ground this week, getting upset by Almeria in a 1-0 road loss in a game where they controlled possession but couldn’t convert their chances. However, Real Madrid failed to fully take advantage of the slip up, only managing a 1-1 draw in the Madrid derby with crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid.

Atletico looked like they were heading for a 1-0 win after a 78th minute headed goal from Jose Gimenez, but teenage substitute, Alvaro Rodriguez, scored a header of his own in the 85th minute for Real Madrid to pull out a draw. Real Madrid remains seven points behind Barcelona in the title race with Real Sociedad nine points behind them in third and Atletico one point lower in fourth.

Luca de la Torre continued a strong run of games for Celta Vigo, starting in their 3-0 win over Real Valladolid. The American midfielder was 19 of 25 passing and helped create two chances in a win that put some distance between Celta Vigo and the relegation line. Yunus Musah and Valencia got a big win over third place Real Sociedad but remain one point below the cut line in the relegation zone.

Italy –

In Serie A, Napoli continued to crush the drama from the title race with another dominant 2-0 win over Empoli. Victor Osimhen added to his league leading goal tally, now with 19 on the season. Second place Inter Milan was upset 1-0 by Bologna, dropping them 18 points behind Napoli.

While the title is all but decided, drama remains in the chase for Champions League qualification, with Inter, AC Milan, Roma, Lazio and Atalanta all within six points. AC Milan got a big win in that chase, downing Atalanta 2-0 thanks to an amazing strike from left back Theo Hernandez.

France –

The title race in France is beginning to look like a runaway for Paris St. Germain. On Sunday, second place Marseille hosted PSG with a chance to close the gap to just two points.

However, PSG stamped their claim on the top of the table with a resounding 3-0 win. Kylian Mbappe and Leo Messi stole the show, combining for all three goals, with Mbappe scoring two goals set up by Messi and Messi scoring one set up by Mbappe.

Team of the Week –

G: Donnarumma - PSG

D: DiLorenzo - Napoli; Militao - Real Madrid; Savic - Atletico Madrid; Theo - AC Milan

M: Modric - Real Madrid; Casemiro - Man U; Lobotka - Napoli

F: Messi - PSG; Mbappe - PSG; Vinicius Jr. - Real Madrid

Player of the Week –

Vinicius Jr. - Real Madrid

The 22 year old Brazilian star was the key player in Real Madrid’s 5-2 destruction of Liverpool at historic Anfield stadium. Vinicius Jr. scored the goal of the round to get Madrid back in the game at 2-1.

Dribbling through several defenders into the box then curling a pinpoint shot inside the back post. He then helped generate the second goal by pressuring Alisson into a mistake. He capped off the fantastic performance by assisting Benzema for the final goal of the game.

Vinicius Jr. was 30 for 39 passing in the Champions League win and was a danger all game. In the weekend derby game against Atletico Madrid he was a threat again, creating five chances, but was unable to find the back of the net.

After a relatively slow start to the season, Vinicius Jr. is starting to reach the outstanding form he hit during last season’s run to the Champions League and La Liga double titles.

Monday February 27, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3108

"you never know"

Years ago, after a couple of decades of competitive golf and experiencing improbable moments involving both myself and others, I finally figured out the theme of golf: You Never Know.

That's not to suggest I figured out golf. No, no, no.

But I did figure out how you should approach golf when you're playing it competitively. You Never Know.

Ted Lasso has his sports axiom: Be A Goldfish.

I have mine: You Never Know.

This past Saturday in Iowa City, Michigan State led Iowa, 91-78, with 1:34 remaining in the game. Their lead was 10 points with 40 seconds left.

ESPN.com listed the win probability for Michigan State at 99.9% with 1:34 remaining.

In that final 1:34 of regulation, the Spartans went 10-of-11 from the foul line. They didn't do anything dumb. They did all the things you're supposed to do when you're ahead by 13 points in the waning stages of a game.

But so, too, did Iowa. They started hitting 3 pointers. They fouled right away when Michigan State got the ball. They hit a couple of NBA-range 3 pointers as the game reached the final half minute.

Michigan State would hit two foul shots. Iowa would hit a 3-pointer. Suddenly, it was a 2-point game.

There was simply no way Michigan State was going to cough up that lead. Until they did.

Iowa hit another three pointer with 3 seconds left and the game went to overtime, where they then finished off the miracle comeback, 112-106.

You Never Know.

If you were Iowa and you gave up with 1:34 remaining, you would know. If you threw in the towel with 40 seconds left, you would have also known then.

But if you just let things play out and keep trying until the clock hits 00:00 -- You Never Know.

Life, as we all know, is filled with "You Never Know" moments. Look back at your own. Things have happened along the way -- good and bad that you never would have predicted.

Me? I probably have 10 or 15 moments that I can file under "You Never Know". Things went my way, didn't go my way, went as expected, were totally unexpected, and so on.

You simply just...never know.

---

Chris Kirk, by most standards on the PGA Tour, is a "journeyman".

He's had a nice career and all. There was a time, between 2011-2015, when he won four TOUR events and looked like a promising, young, American player.

But golf suddenly took a backseat to alcohol.

Depression then set in.

Kirk, by his own admission, was making too many bogeys on the golf course because he couldn't stop making bogeys off of it.

In 2019, he stepped away from the PGA Tour to get his life straight. He sought help, both mentally and spiritually. Professional golfers are typically not the kind of people who relish the thought of vulnerability. Really, no one does. Kirk had reached such a vulnerable moment in his life he wasn't sure what was going to happen.

"I was in a pretty dark place a few years ago," he said yesterday.

I'm sure he would have thought you were completely crazy had you encountered Chris Kirk in 2019 and said, "Hang in there buddy, I've seen the script. You're going to get through all of this and in 2023 you're going to win the Honda Classic."

"I wasn't sure what was in store for me, golf wise, when I came back," Kirk admitted early Sunday evening as the sun set in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

A year or two of getting his game back together greeted him when he got sober.

Golf, as anyone who plays, knows, is not the kind of sport you can put on the back burner for a month or a year and have everything in fine working order when you decide to start playing again.

He had a decent season in 2021-2022, making 18 cuts in 25 events and finishing Top 10 in nine of those tournaments. His earnings for the year were $2.4 million and change. It's good work if you can get it.

---

Kirk entered the final round of Sunday's Honda Classic with a two shot lead over another fascinating story, Eric Cole.

Cole has been in and out of professional golf for the better part of 15 years, but this is his first-ever year on the PGA Tour. So far in '22-23, he's played in 15 events and made 8 cuts. Before the Honda, his best finish of the season was a T15 at Pebble Beach a few weeks ago.

Those two distanced themselves from the rest of the field on the back nine of Sunday's final round with Kirk leading, Cole leading, Kirk leading and, finally, as they both stood on the 18th hole, just one shot separated the two players.

With one hole left, Chris Kirk or Eric Cole were going to be the winner of the Honda.

You Never Know.

Sure, the field at this year's event wasn't stacked with the TOUR's most talented players. The previous two events were the new "designated" tournaments with $3 million winner's checks. It made sense that the Honda's field would be lukewarm, at best.

But there were still plenty of big names playing; Sungjae Im, Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka, Zach Johnson, Webb Simpson, Padraig Harrington, and Matt Kuchar were all in the field.

In the end, the two guys standing on the 18th tee were Chris Kirk and Eric Cole.

You Never Know.

On that last hole, both players split the fairway with their drives. Kirk had 260 yards to the green, over water, to a tough pin on the right side of the green.

The general, reasonable play there would have been a layup down the left side and a wedge to the pin for a potential birdie.

But the 18th hole at PGA National is considered "easy" by most TOUR stalwarts. And while the rest of the great unwashed looks at a 260 yard 5 wood over water with $1.5 million on the line to not be easy, Kirk didn't blink.

"I knew Eric was going for the green in two there," Kirk said in his press conference last night. "And I loved the shot I had. I just needed the ball to go another yard, I guess."

Kirk was right. Cole did go for the green in two shots. But his effort was much easier after Kirk's second shot hit the rock wall just in front of the green and bounded backwards some 60 yards into the lake that surrounds the 18th green.

Kirk said he needed another yard on that shot. He needed another foot, really. It was that close to being perfect.

Cole's second shot was left of the green but he faced, for a TOUR player at least, an easy chip down the hill. When Kirk's 4th shot stopped some 15 feet from the hole, all Cole had to do was get his chip close and make birdie and his life would change.

A win gets the player a trip to the Masters. Forget the prize money and the TOUR exemption. You get to play Augusta National if you win the Honda.

All Eric Cole had to do was chip a ball some 20 yards and make the next putt.

"I know how good his short game is," Kirk said to the media last night. "I figured he would knock that one close and make birdie there."

You Never Know.

Cole's shot was too hard and the ball raced past the hole and trickled off the green. His next chip left him two feet short of the hole. He "cleaned up" the par effort and watched Kirk line up his 15 footer for the win.

"You just expect the guy to make it in that situation," Cole said afterwards. "I was disappointed that I didn't make birdie there. I figured he was going to make that one."

You Never Know.

Kirk missed his putt to the right. They were headed for a playoff.

And that's when things got bizarre.

---

Kirk's tee shot on the first playoff hole -- the 18th again, landed directly behind a tree on the right side of the fairway.

Cole's tee shot split the fairway, leaving him a few yards inside of where he was just 20 minutes earlier on the final hole of regulation.

Now...it was over.

Kirk had no chance to go for the green in two shots and even faced a difficult lay-up from behind the tree. Cole had a perfect look at the putting surface from his position some 240 yards out.

You Never Know.

After Kirk's layup left him with 100 yards to the hole, Cole rifled his second shot in direct line with the flag. The ball hit the back of the green and bounced into the bunker on the right side.

No problem.

Cole had been outstanding playing out of PGA National's bunkers for four straight days. This was, by any TOUR player's standards, a garden variety "up and in" out of the greenside bunker.

That is, until Chris Kirk hit his wedge shot to 18 inches.

Suddenly, Cole went from the hunted to the hunter. He was no longer in command.

With Kirk in tight for a kick-in birdie, Cole couldn't afford a par. This was sudden death. Low score wins.

Two minutes earlier, he was in the driver's seat.

You Never Know.

Cole splashed out a good shot to 10 feet. But now he was in "must make" territory knowing Kirk was going to brush his short birdie putt into the hole.

And when Cole's putt nicked the left edge and spun out, it was all but over.

He tapped in for par and then watched Chris Kirk calmly roll in an improbable birdie for the winning margin.

Twelve minutes earlier, Kirk was in big trouble and Cole was in the garden spot.

"I needed to hit a great shot for either my second or third and, instead, I hit two good shots," Cole lamented afterwards. "Give Chris credit. He hit a great shot for his third on the playoff hole."

You Never Know.

Golf is one sport where you just keep playing and whatever happens, happens. I've been preaching that to my high school players for the better part of 12 years now.

"You have a hard enough time knowing what you are going to do," I say to them. "You have no idea at all what the other guy is going to do in any given situation."

There's nothing else to say, really, except "You Never Know".

I'm living proof of that, having beat a field of 90-some players in 2021 en route to qualifying for the U.S. Senior Open at age 58.

I had no business, really, earning one of those three spots that day at Argyle Country Club. My golf accomplishments were nowhere near as impressive as 20 of the players I somehow beat for the right to play in one of professional golf's major championships.

Six weeks later, there I was, standing on the first tee at Omaha Country Club playing in the U.S. Senior Open.

Talk about "You Never Know", huh?

I'm the best example of it.

So, it was great to see Chris Kirk get back into the winner's circle yesterday. He beat Eric Cole and a lot of demons on Sunday en route to that trophy.

And in April, he'll be playing Augusta National at the Masters.

I'm sure at some point while he's there, Kirk will look around and say, "I didn't know if this was possible again."

Golf, man. It's the greatest.

You Never Know.

	dale williams aims the terps spotlight
DALE WILLIAMS returns for his 8th season of covering all things Maryland men's basketball for #DMD. Terps Spotlight will preview and review all games in the 2022-2023 season.

terps blister northwestern

With a perfect home regular season carrot dangling in front of their eyes, the Maryland Terrapins pumped in a season high 42 points from the three-point line on Sunday, outscoring the Northwestern Wildcats by 27 points from behind the arc while pulling away to a 75-59 win.

Despite hitting 8 of 11 triples in the first half, Maryland found themselves ahead by just a single point early in the second half. When the Terrapin three-point bombs again started to fall in half two, their lead steadily grew until Ian Martinez nailed a dagger three to extend the Terp lead to 18 points, 73-55, with 3:15 left in the game.

Martinez made all three of his triple tries, while Don Carey and Jahmir Young each made 4 of 7.

Maryland’s long-range assault definitely rattled Northwestern in the second half. The visitors reacted to Maryland’s successes by hoisting quick threes, making just 1 of 9 in the second half, as their offense stalled.

Even the Wildcat two-point shots seemed forced and off balance. They tallied just 9 points over a span of 12.5 minutes, turning a tight game into a blowout as the sold-out XFINITY Center crowd voiced their satisfaction.

Young’s 18 points led 5 Maryland double digit scorers. Carey posted 13 followed by Juju Reese with 12. Donta Scott was next with 11 and finally Hakim Hart had 10.

Chase Audige led Northwestern with 16 points, but only had 2 in the second half. Boo Buie, The Wildcat scoring leader made just 1 of 9 shots and scored 4 points.

The Terps won the opening tip and began the game by going to Juju Reese who was immediately double teamed and lost the ball. He would shortly make up for it by scoring Maryland’s first two points.

Two Terp threes and a foul shot by Don Carey accounted for the rest of the Maryland points prior to the first TV timeout. With just over 4 minutes off the clock, Maryland had a 9-6 lead. Northwestern’s points came from two dunks and a layup.

The next 5 minutes block of time featured some unexpected scoring by both teams. For two teams at the bottom of the Big Ten in shooting proficiency, they were lighting up the nets like it was easy.

The Wildcats poured in 9 of their first 15 shots (60%) and the Terps were hitting 7-12(58%). The score was 20-18, with Northwestern holding the two-point lead. Chase Audige had 10 of his team’s points and had made 2 of 3 attempts from behind the three-point line.

After Northwestern went up by 5 points, courtesy of Scott fouling Berry while shooting a three, 7 consecutive Terp points gave them the lead, 25-23. It was a Jahmir Young triple that put them ahead.

The score was 35-34, Terps, when the final TV timeout of the half arrived. The teams were still shooting at a level rarely seen by either squad. The Terps were a blistering 6 of 7 from the three-point line and had made 67% overall. Northwestern was 61% from the floor and 43% from long range.

This was rare air for both of these teams. Audige had 12 points at this point while Young led Maryland with 10.

When Young hit a half-ending buzzer beating three (his 4th of the half), Maryland had a 41-39 lead. The teams were totally out of form during the first 20 minutes.

For the season, both teams were connecting on 31% of their threes, during the first half Maryland hit 8 of 11 and Northwestern converted 4 of 10. Even the 2’s were dropping at a good clip. The Wildcats made 12 of 17 2-point tries and the Terps 8 of 15.

If you were expecting a high turnover (just 4 combined), poor shooting (see above) low scoring (80 total points) half of basketball, join the club. Instead, we were treated to 20 minutes of sharpshooting and cautious ball handling. It was good basketball and a tight game.

The Terps continued their torrid shooting as the second half began. They drained both of their three pointers in the open minutes of the second half and extended their lead to seven points, 50-43. That margin became 4 points when Ty Berry had his first successful try of the game, and it was a three.

Maryland kept bombing threes and they kept going in. This time it was Martinez hitting his second of the game to widen the gap to 9 points, 55-46. The Terps were now 11 of 14 shooting threes.

A tough pass from Audige went through some Northwestern hands and out of bounds. Maryland had the ball up 8, 57-48, with 11:58 left in the game. The Terps were outscoring the Wildcats 9-3 from the three-point line and 16-10 in the half.

Maryland’s lead finally reached double digits when Carey hit his teams’ 12th three of the game. That lead would quickly get extended when Young scored inside on a nifty dribble drive. A Wildcat timeout finally came with 8:51 left in the game and Maryland holding a 64-51 lead.

As Northwestern came back down to earth with their shooting, Maryland kept pouring in the buckets. The Wildcats had hit only one of their last seven shots and found themselves down by 14, 67-53, with under 6 minutes left. Their shot section seemed rushed and they looked panicked offensively.

As Northwestern jacked, and missed threes, the Terps were running the shot clock down to almost zero before shooting. Another missed Wildcat three was met with a Reese “and one”, putting the game out of reach, 70-53.

Martinez added a “dagger” three to make the bulge 18 points with 2:51 left. The Terps were now 14 of 22 shooting triples. Game Over.

Maryland, at 11-7, is now in a four way tie for second-pace in the Big Ten with only Purdue at 13-5 ahead of the pack. They will play two road games to end their season. The first one is against a depleted Ohio State team who will finish their season without the services of big man Zed Key.

Maryland’s last regular season game will be a dog fight against Penn State.

The Terps have attained their lofty position in the Big Ten by playing solid defense and by leaning on Jahmir Young for crunch-time points. Yesterday, someone forgot to remind them that they are one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the country.

Northwestern isn’t strong enough throughout their lineup to withstand off nights by Buie and Ty Berry (a combined 2-17 shooting), and a season best effort from the Terrapin three-point shooters. They became overwhelmed and folded.

Not to be overlooked is the job that Maryland did protecting the ball. Northwestern needed to cause turnovers and convert those into points.

It’s a big part of the poor shooting team’s offense. Maryland only turned it over 7 times yesterday, translating to only 4 Northwestern points.

Maryland will travel to Ohio to face the floundering (4-14) Buckeyes at 7 pm this Wednesday. Watch the game on BTN.

Sunday February 26, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3107

how was your saturday?

I hope your day went well yesterday.

How 'bout those snow flurries, eh? That was fun for 10 or 15 minutes.

If for some reason you didn't have a great Saturday, there's good news.

There were some other folks who had a MUCH worse day than you likely did.

Paul Azinger is NBC's lead golf analyst, as you probably know if you're even just a casual golf observer. This weekend's coverage of the Honda Classic is being aired on NBC, so you're getting a full dose of Azinger and his expert analysis.

Akshay Bhatia is a 21 year old professional golfer who played collegiately at Wake Forest and is trying to earn his stripes on both the PGA and Korn Ferry Tour(s). Bhatia is an American -- born in Northridge, California -- of Indian descent and has a dark skin color.

During Saturday's 3rd round at PGA National, Bhatia was forced to hit a shot from an area adjacent to a pond and decided to remove his shirt in an effort to stay as dry as possible.

"That's the tannest guy on TOUR right there," Azinger said.

Yep. He said that.

That's why a live microphone is far more dangerous than the written word.

If I wrote that here, at #DMD, I'd at least have the opportunity to read it a time or three before hitting "publish" and, hopefully, I'd eventually think better of calling Bhatia "the tannest guy on TOUR."

Azinger didn't have that luxury on Saturday.

He said it. Everyone heard it. And then he got crushed on social media.

That's usually how it works these days. Remember, we're living in "Gotcha!" times, where you're not allowed to make a mistake.

Azinger's comment was dumb, of course. I don't think he was trying to denigrate Bhatia in any way. And I know Azinger is well aware of Bhatia's Indian heritage.

He just said something dumb in an effort, I guess, to add some light humor to the broadcast.

Except no one thought it was funny.

Later in the broadcast, when talking about 35-year old Ben Martin, Azinger noted that Martin is "an up and comer you're going to be hearing a lot about in the next couple of years."

Ben Martin was the runner up in the 2009 U.S. Amateur and turned professional later that year. He won a PGA Tour event back in 2014.

35 is young, but when you're 35 and you've been playing professional golf for the better part of 13 years, an "up and comer" you're not.

C'mon Paul. Do better.

I'm a dummy from Glen Burnie and I'm watching the broadcast and saying to myself, "Which Ben Martin is he talking about? Are there two of them and I didn't know that?"

Brandon Miller is still playing basketball at Alabama despite being in the middle of an ongoing murder investigation in Tuscaloosa.

We wrote about the situation here earlier this week at #DMD. Miller was driving a vehicle that contained the gun used in the murder of a female near the University of Alabama campus. No formal charges have been brought against him, but Alabama's decision to allow Miller to continue playing basketball has created quite a stir.

Thus far, though, the school and hoops coach Nate Oats have worked hard to defend their stance that he should be allowed to play.

That might have ended yesterday.

During pre-game introductions, Miller was introduced, like normal, and made his way to the end of the team line where he was greeted by a non-starter.

Players typically exchange some kind of "special greeting" with the player at the end of the line. A series of fist bumps or handshakes, a salute, or so on. If you've watched any college basketball live and in person, you know what I'm talking about.

Yesterday, Miller ran to the player who was greeting the starters and paused in front of him. The greeter than did a "pat down" of Miller, as if he were checking him for weapons.

Even the partisan home crowd at Alabama was stunned. It's not the first time Miller and the introduction greeter did the "pat down" skit this season, but it was the first time it's happened since the murder investigation became public.

"It was not appropriate," Nate Oats said afterwards. "It's been addressed and it won't happen again."

Yeah, I'd say it's probably "inappropriate" for a guy who drove a gun to a man who later used it to kill someone to allow for a midcourt "pat down" during a pre-game ceremony.

I'm sure the parents of the young woman who died in the shooting weren't thrilled with Miller's "skit" yesterday.

Here's hoping Alabama has their freshman basketball star issue an apology to the parents. It's the least he can do.

Guess who else had a crappy Saturday? None other than the worst franchise in the history of sports. The Flyers got shellacked in New Jersey, 7-0.

That's all.

There's no need for any scoring details or anything like that.

The scoreboard tells the whole story: Devils 7 - Flyers 0.

A fellow Flyers critic sent me a text when it was 6-0 and said, "Have you seen the Flyers/Devils score?"

I quickly checked my phone.

"That's a bummer," I said.

"Huh?" he replied.

"It's a bummer that it's only 6-0 and not 9-0 or 10-0."

We'll take 7-0, though. That's a nice, thorough butt kicking in the NHL.

It couldn't have happened to a nicer group of guys, huh?

Be prepared right now...for Ump Show 2023 in Major League Baseball. It's coming to a stadium near you, trust me.

In yesterday's spring training game between Atlanta and Boston, the score was tied 6-6 in the bottom of the 9th when the Braves loaded the bases with 2 outs.

On a 3-2 count, Cal Conley of the Braves was called out by the home plate umpire because he failed to meet the 8 second "batter's clock".

When Conley didn't "dig in" within 8 seconds, a strike was called. That out ended the inning and, the game, since spring training contests don't extend past 9 innings.

Get ready for this nonsense all season long.

I don't mind the effort to quicken the pace of baseball games. I get it. Baseball and chess are similar in their pedestrian nature.

But anytime you give the umpires more power, you're asking for trouble.

I understand there's probably no other way to do it. Someone has to be in charge. But the umps are just foaming at the mouth for their opportunity to get involved and enforce the rules down to the nano-second.

A game or two will be decided in April or May because a pitcher takes longer than 20 seconds with the bases loaded and that will force MLB to tell the umps to cool their jets a little when the game is in the balance.

"Do a better job of reading the room, you goofs," the memo will read.

OK, so maybe it won't say that, exactly.

But at some point, Major League Baseball has to remember that people don't watch the games to see the umpires get involved in the winning run. It's one thing to endeavor to speed up play. Most people understand that.

Let's just not get so goofy with the new "clock rules" that we're ending games with automatic balls and strikes because you want the game to finish in 2 hours and 25 minutes instead of 2 hours and 28 minutes.

It was kind of funny on Saturday in the spring training game between the Braves and Red Sox.

I doubt it will be funny in May when the Orioles lose a game to the Yankees in part because the home plate umpire decided Gunnar Henderson took 8.4 seconds to get situated in the batter's box in the top of the 9th of a 5-4 game.

So how was your Saturday? I hope, despite a temporary return to winter temperatures, you were able to do something productive and enjoy your afternoon and evening.

February is just about in the books and March is on the way. It would appear, barring something really weird, that we've gone an entire winter without any kind of substantial -- "shut the city down" -- snowfall.

I made my way up to York, PA yesterday to watch one of my Calvert Hall players take a swing lesson from his instructor. On the way up I-83, just outside of the Shrewsbury exit, I saw a large farm with a big, beautiful pond right in the middle of it.

On the outer edge of the pond was an ice hockey goal.

Sadly, I doubt it's been cold enough this winter to get the pond into a frozen condition. The hockey goal probably hasn't been moved since last winter.

45 years ago -- yeah, I can't believe I'm writing that, either -- I would skate at Lake Waterford in Pasadena throughout January and February. There was also a smaller pond at a place called "Friendship Park" right near BWI Airport that would also freeze over for skaters, but I figured out that "hockey players" made their way to Lake Waterford and "skaters" went to Friendship Park.

Those were the days, for sure.

As I've gotten older, I've become less and less a "winter guy", which is also the case for a lot of people my age in the Mid-Atlantic who spend the cold months down in Florida.

I envy my Maryland friends who travel to Florida throughout the winter. Why stay up here and freeze when you can fly 3 hours south and don shorts and a golf shirt and play 18 holes every day?

That said...

I have very few life regrets.

But one of them is that my "pond hockey" days ended in my early 20's.

I think it would be really cool to come home from work in December or January and head out to a local pond with a dozen other guys in the neighborhood and play hockey for an hour or two. Bring along an adult beverage to keep you warm. Build a fire in an old metal garbage can. Use piled up snow for rink "boundaries". Everyone pitches in and shovels the ice clean every hour.

Golf every day sounds awesome.

But a couple of months of pond hockey is tough to beat.

Every three or four months, I'll drive past my old house in Glen Burnie for whatever reason. I may be down in Anne Arundel County for work or to play golf and I'll always zip past Biddle Road to see the house that I grew up in.

And if I have ten extra minutes, I'll jump off of Ritchie Highway when I reach Pasadena and drive to Lake Waterford just for old times sake. I played youth football on the fields there and skated on the lake for six years or so from the time I was 13 until I got out of high school and started working for the Blast.

As I saw that pond on the farm outside of Shrewsbury yesterday, it reminded me, again, of how great my childhood was.

	dale williams aims the terps spotlight
DALE WILLIAMS returns for his 8th season of covering all things Maryland men's basketball for #DMD. Terps Spotlight will preview and review all games in the 2022-2023 season.

terps host northwestern today

No one (certainly me included) would have seen today’s late season matchup between Maryland and Northwestern as meaningful and perhaps even “marquee” when the schedule was released last summer.

But the 12-noon game has become very significant in the Big Ten as the Wildcats try to hold on to their 1-game second place standing (11-6) over 4 chasers at 10-7, the Terps being one of them.

The dynamics of this game are extremely interesting for anyone following the Big Ten. Both teams are defensively driven and, to be blunt, both teams miss a lot of shots.

Terp fans are surely aware of Maryland’s three-point woes, Northwestern is just as bad. In fact, the Wildcats and Terps have identical .313 shooting percentages from the three-point line. From the field, Northwestern is even worse than the Terps.

In the 14 team Big Ten, Maryland ranks 10th in field goal percentage while Northwestern is 12th.

Even with Juju Reese having elevated his game during the second half of this season, the Terps are still very guard driven, and that guard is Jahmir Young. Stop Young, and you can stop the Terps.

Northwestern is built to stop other team’s guards. Their senior backcourt duo of Chase Audige and Boo Buie are athletic and disruptive.

Audige is second in the Big Ten with 2.4 steals per game, and his 6’4” body could give Young a tough time today. He may not draw Young though, because doing so would leave a big height gap with Hakim Hart drawing either the 6’2” Bowie or the 6’3” Ty Berry.

If I’m Wildcat coach Chris Collins (the current favorite for Big Ten Coach of the Year), I’m plastering Audige to Young’s chest until Willard proves that the Terps can capitalize with Hart being checked by the shorter Buie.

To me, Buie isn’t the same level defender as Audige, but he is very athletic and he’ll need that should he be forced to contend with Young.

Matching strength with strength, the Terps guard pressure will be equaled or exceeded by the Wildcat pressure. With Audige, Buie, and Ty Berry supplying perimeter pressure, Maryland will need to be very careful with the ball or they will find themselves with 15 turnovers and a ton of extra Northwestern points as a result. The backcourt matchups are intriguing, but so is the battle of the bigs.

The Terp front court offers more agility, speed, and finesse than does their Wildcat counterparts, but the Wildcat’s have much more size. At the 4 spot, Maryland’s Donta Scott will lock heads with Northwestern’s Robbie Beran.

Beran is 6’9” with a good wingspan. He plays long even without being a strong leaper. Scott had success with his back-down game against Minnesota. Today, that same one-on-one strategy won’t work. Scott’s offensive production will be better served with a dribble-drive mentality. Once he gets inside, he’ll run into the 7’0”, 255lb, Matthew Nicholson.

Nicholson is far from a scoring threat, getting the occasional bucket or lob pass. He’s an average rebounder (under 6 a game) who’s main purpose is strictly being a big interior defender. Nicholson’s ability to neutralize Reese will go a long way in determining today’s outcome.

If Reese can work Nicholson in isolation situations, then his Terp mates stand a much better chance of closing out their perfect Big Ten home regular season. I’m not so sure that Nicholson, who really isn’t a true rim protector, is up to the task of shutting down Reese.

I tagged this game as “interesting” because, to me, there’s no easy answer as to what team wins which matchup. Can Audige or Buie slow down Young?

Is Hart too big for Berry and Buie, forcing Collins to put Audige on him?

Does Scott take advantage of his quickness and force Beran to guard him away from the basket?

Can Reese get the best of Nicholson when those two get matched up?

That’s a lot of questions to sort out.

Let me try to answer the easy questions first. Yes, Reese can beat Nicholson all day. No problem there, but that raises two more questions.

The first is, can the Terp guards get Reese the ball in a location where he can do something with it when they are being hounded out front? Second, Northwestern loves to double team, how will Reese handle that?

I think Reese has a decent scoring game today but 3 turnovers by the Terp center are not out of the question. I also think the trio of Northwestern guards gets the best of the Maryland guards. Scott is now the lone wildcard with his battle against Beran. The edge here goes to Scott. He may be a bit too physical for the slower Beran.

Boo Buie will shoot and miss a bunch of shots today. He’s Northwestern’s leading scorer at 17.6 a game, but hits just 41% from the field and 31% from the three-point line.

Audige connects on 38% and 34% to account for his 14.5 points per game. Berry, posts 35% and 29.7%. Beran’s numbers are 37% and 33%.

Nicholson doesn’t shoot threes, and makes 57% of his layups and dunks (not an impressive percentage at all), to score 6 points per contest.

Those are some pretty bad numbers from your starting five. The Wildcat bench offers little assistance as I expect each starter to log at least 30 minutes, assuming foul trouble doesn’t play a role. The over/under on Wildcat airballs is 5. Theytend to take some really bad shots that miss wildly.

This should be a low scoring contest with both sides struggling to hit shots. I also expect a high Terp turnover number with a key being does Northwestern convert those Maryland giveaways into points.

Maryland bigs will outscore the Northwestern big men, but the Northwestern guards return that favor. In a sold-out XFINITY Center, the crowd is treated to an intensely played game with both teams grinding on the defensive end.

To me it all comes down to Young. The Terps win comfortably if they get a big game out of their point guard. A poor game from him and they lose. A moderate effort from Young yields a toss-up.

This game is so even on paper that I wish I could predict a tie. Only because the Terps had trouble early in the season with physical guards, will I say that Northwestern ruins Maryland’s perfect home conference record.

The Wildcats do their damage by getting to the rim, scoring inside, drawing fouls and connecting at the foul line.

It promises to be a great college game where Northwestern prevails, 61-60. The game starts at noon with coverage on BTN. The Terps have been installed as a 6.5-point favorite and the over/under is a modest 110.

Saturday February 25, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3106

saturday stuff

Lamar, Lamar, Lamar, Lamar.

Lamar, Lamar, Lamar, Lamar.

Lamar, Lamar, Lamar, Lamar.

Even the national folks are beating that dead horse into the ground now.

Yesterday's "news" came via a friendly Lamar-camp-leak to Stephen A. Smith where now we're hearing Lamar didn't actually ask for a fully guaranteed contract in the first place.

Of all the things you could leak, that's one fib that's impossible to believe.

The NFLPA must have had a conniption yesterday when they start perusing social media and saw that note floating around.

You mean, after eight months of national and local media coverage about Lamar and the "fully guaranteed contract" that yesterday, February 24, was the day Lamar and his people suddenly realized they should set the record straight?

You didn't do that last August? Or back in December when Lamar was hurt and 3/4 of the city assumed he was sitting out because he was miffed about his contract situation? Or in January when the season ended and contracts talk were once again on the table?

You picked February 24 to tell everyone, "Oh, no, wait, Lamar never actually asked for his contract to be fully guaranteed?"

Yeah, I'm not buying it.

And I assume no one else will buy it, either.

And I'm sure the NFLPA isn't thrilled to have their "marquee free agent" suddenly shift gears and confess "Oh, I didn't really want my deal fully guaranteed all along." That doesn't bode well for the next quarterback in the pipeline who wants his new contract fully guaranteed.

I'm not even sure why Lamar's camp felt compelled to push that agenda through to Stephen A. Smith of all people. Why him? Now, it's very fair to point out that Smith might have been given that nugget by someone who isn't really in the know but sent the story along to the ESPN mouthpiece as if they were -- and he bought it hook, line and sinker.

But if someone from within Lamar's camp really did send that note along to Smith, you really have to wonder what, exactly, they're trying to accomplish by doing so.

Eric DeCosta and the Ravens see that news flash across their screen at 1 Winning Drive and immediately bristle at the idea that Lamar's out there telling tall tales about his contract situation. That's one point of the story I'm sure Lamar's camp didn't think about yesterday.

If you're trying to make the best deal you can with the Ravens, why fib about your contract demands to the national media at this point in the game? That seems like a weird way to go about trying to sew things up.

It's one thing to fib and stretch things a year ago when you were trying to make something happen. But we're at the 11th hour now. Nerves are frayed. The Ravens have a decision to make by March 7. I would think, at this point, Lamar should be taking DeCosta and the Ravens fruit baskets and boxes of chocolates to endear himself even more to the organization.

Getting Stephen A. Smith to spew out some mistruths about your contract demands in an effort to make the Ravens look bad? I don't know if I'd call that "endearing". But that's just me.

---

Baseball spring training games kicked off yesterday and the big news of the day was the new "pitch clock" that will be used in 2023.

Pitchers have 15 seconds to start their delivery when the bases are empty and 20 seconds with runners on base. They are given an automatic ball if the clock expires.

The full menu of MLB's new rules -- including a ban on defensive shifting, a limitation on pickoff moves and larger bases -- was on display for the first time Friday. With all 30 teams scheduled to play Saturday, Friday highlighted what the league hopes will be viewed as a new-and-improved version of the game in 2023.

Manny Machado was cited for a "clock violation" of a different kind on Friday when he failed to get set in the batter's box within 8 seconds. That's another way MLB hopes to speed up games in 2023 and reduce times by as much as 20 or 25 minutes per contest.

Watching highlights of the two Friday games, it's apparent that both the 15-second clock (for pitchers) and 8-second clock (for batters) is definitely going to speed up the game. In a big way.

I'm sure there were rooms of data nerds who came up with those two times. They weren't just picked out of thin air.

But both 15 seconds and 8 seconds seemed almost too quick on Friday. It will take time for everyone to adjust, of course, and it figures that along the way there will probably be more leeway given as the season progresses, but on Friday, at least, it seemed like everyone was playing at a rapid pace.

Baseball might want that, of course. Maybe they want things to from 45 rpm to 78 rpm. If so, they're well on their way.

With the Oriole starting their weeknight "school year" games at 6:35 pm this season, it will be interesting to see how many of those are finished before 9 pm. That would be quite a contrast from last year, where weeknight games starting at 7:05 were usually bumping up closer to 10:00 pm at their conclusion.

Starting a half-hour earlier in April, May and September, coupled with the new pace-of-play rules, might help the O's attract more fans.

And if the team is good......who knows what 2023 might bring for the Birds?

---

The creeps at LIV Golf are still at it, as their 2023 campaign started yesterday in Mayakoba, Mexico and the news of the day wasn't the leaderboard or the early tournament front runner (I have no idea on either of those) but instead it was commentary from Sergio Garcia on his fractured relationship with Rory McIlroy that grabbed the headlines.

Who needs golf scores and a leaderboard update when you have what LIV covets most -- more fighting with the PGA Tour and their star players?

Garcia cited McIlroy's "lack of maturity" as a key reason for their relationship souring over the last 12 months.

I like Sergio as a player, but the Spaniard pointing to another player and using the words "lack of maturity" in the same sentence is some funny stuff. Garcia might be the most petulant, immature golfer of his generation. Actually, you can strike "might be" from that previous sentence.

I'm sure their relationship is wobbly after Garcia defected to LIV and McIlroy kept his integrity in check by turning down a gazillion dollars from those charlatans and sticking with the PGA Tour.

Why Garcia chose yesterday to air his issues with McIlroy is puzzling, particularly given that LIV was playing almost-real-golf yesterday in their first tournament of the new year.

Wouldn't it be better for LIV "Golf" to let their "golf" be the centerpiece of what they're doing?

When you google "LIV Golf" all you get are stories of lawsuits and bickering, and stories about the Saudi government's accumulation of wealth and their role in helping fund the 9/11 attacks on our country.

I guess, to those of us who golf and were born in this country, their role in 9/11 will never be forgotten. Which, of course, is why most people who care about golf in this country couldn't care less about LIV.

Dustin Johnson saw it as a way to collect $125 million for, in his words, "playing less and making more money."

Brooks Koepka saw it as a way to no longer have to lose every week to people like J.T., Morikawa, Rory, Scheffler and the other 20 top players who beat him like a drum. Oh, and he got to collect $75 million or so from LIV for giving up.

Patrick Reed saw LIV as a mechanisim to collect guaranteed money without worrying about the end result on the leaderboard.

Wise golfers in this country see LIV for what it is: A laughable attempt to sportswash their way into having people in this country think we should forget about what they've done to us in the past.

LIV is trying to appeal to 20-something golfers in the U.S., you know, those who might not have been born on September 11, 2001 or were, at the very least, too young to understand the tragic nature of that Tuesday morning.

I guess they call that "marketing".

I call it "trying to pull the wool over people's eyes".

In Garcia's case yesterday, he tried to do the same thing. He endeavored to get people think poorly of Rory McIlroy when, we all know, it's Garcia who has displayed shameful behavior time and time again throughout his career.

Have fun on LIV, El Nino. Enjoy your riches. Who needs integrity when you have $100 million, anyway?

Friday February 24, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3105

friday quick hits

I got about halfway through ESPN.com's extensive piece on Lamar Jackson yesterday and moved on to something else.

"We've all heard this stuff over and over," I said to myself as I clicked on a story about the Capitals trading away two players on Thursday afternoon.

Alas, the piece on Jackson was definitely informative, but most of us in Baltimore are well versed -- and then some -- on all of the nuances pertaining to the Ravens and their star quarterback.

"He wants all of his money fully guaranteed." We know that.

"He wants more money than Deshaun Watson got in Cleveland." We know that.

"He hasn't played in December in the last two seasons." We know that.

"Some people in the building at 1 Winning Drive wonder how serious Lamar's 2022 knee injury really was." We know that.

"The team might have to franchise Lamar and pay him $45 million in 2023." We know that.

"If Lamar gets franchised, he's not going to like it. And he might not sign the tender until the 11th hour." We know that.

We've heard it all over the last three or four months.

Lamar's not happy with how things are going.

The Ravens aren't thrilled, either.

Will they figure something out? Who knows...

But at this point, we've heard it all, we know what's going on and we're just waiting to see it all unfold.

Most of us, I think, just want something to happen...anything, really. Just make a move. Someone.

---

The Capitals shipped Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway to the Bruins on Thursday, which doesn't mark the end of the Caps' playoff hopes or anything like that, but it certainly indicates that team management knows where this club is headed in the short term.

Orlov is a good player, but not much more than that. Most nights he's worth having, other nights not so much. His absence will be felt over the remainder of '22-23, but I wouldn't lose much sleep over his departure.

Hathaway has certainly improved over the last couple of years. When he first started, I thought he was a total bum. Part hockey player, part headhunter. But he's been better of late. And while the Caps will certainly survive and thrive without him, he's a nice piece if you have other solid guys around him on the roster.

Either way, the Caps didn't crush themselves yesterday by sending those two to Boston.

Side note: Washington dropped their 6th straight game last night, losing at home, 4-2, to the lowly, scuffling Anaheim Ducks. The Caps are in dire need of a major rebound or they're going to circle the drain and play themselves out of an Eastern Conference playoff spot.

---

The story involving Alabama basketball player Brandon Miller is definitely interesting if nothing else. Miller, you might remember, was "involved" in a shooting incident five weeks ago that left a female dead in Tuscaloosa.

And yet, he played on Wednesday night in Alabama's win at South Carolina. Oh, and he scored 41 points with the student section chanting "Lock Him Up!" whenever he touched the ball.

I know what you're thinking.

"Wait. What? He was involved in a murder and is playing basketball for Alabama, still?"

Yes, he is.

But here's what happened. Miller was giving a friend, teammate Darius Miles, a ride to a friend's house. Unbeknownst to Miller (according to Miller and Miles), Miles left a gun under some clothing in the back seat of the car.

A while later, Miles called Miller and asked him to come and pick him up from where he had previously been dropped off.

"I need my gun," Miles allegedly told Miller.

Miller didn't know what that meant, specifically. He had no idea the weapon was in his back seat. When he arrived, Miles picked up his gun from the back seat later used it in a homicide.

Miller was originally considered an accomplice in the shooting but has since not been charged and, apparently, won't be.

“The prosecutors are now saying they don’t have any evidence that he knew what the gun would be used for,” said Philip Holloway, a Georgia criminal defense attorney who has been following the case. “They would have to prove that when he provided the gun to the third party, he was knowingly participating in some kind of criminal act. If he didn’t know that, and there was nothing else illegal about the transfer of that weapon, then there’s no crime.”

Miller was, in fact, at the scene of the shooting, but never got out of his vehicle at any point during the altercation between Miles and two people, one of which Miles shot and killed.

All Miller did was drive his vehicle to meet Miles. He didn't hand over the gun. He says, in fact, he didn't even know the gun was in the car until Miles told him about it. And prosecutors are unable to find any way to arrest him and charge him with a crime.

So Alabama decided he could play basketball again.

I don't know, man.

This one's tough.

Nate Oats, the Alabama basketball coach, naturally wants Miller to play. The Crimson Tide could very well be on the verge of a #1 seed in next month's NCAA Tournament.

Miller is a big part of his team.

I'm sure glad I'm not the Athletic Director in this situation.

One of your basketball players was (loosely) involved in a murder five weeks ago and you're OK with that?

OK then.

As long as you folks can sleep at night down there in Tuscaloosa, you just go ahead and do your thing.

---

There was an interesting name among the finalists for the World Golf Hall of Fame when the list was released yesterday.

Butch Harmon.

Yes, Jim Furyk's nominated and he's getting in. So, too, is Padraig Harrington. I suspect current CBS analyst and former LPGA Tour star Dottie Pepper will also get in this year.

But the most interesting name of everyone is definitely Butch Harmon.

An instructor? In the Hall of Fame?

Yes, indeed. He should get in. And not just because he was Tiger's first "real teacher", either.

Harmon worked with a lot of others besides Tiger and helped them all, for sure. His stable of great players was, of course, highlighted by Tiger, but those in the golf world always favored Harmon's teachings over his contemporaries like David Leadbetter, Sean Foley and Hank Haney.

In my opinion, Harmon's selection to the Hall of Fame is a no brainer. And not just because he helped make Tiger great, but because Harmon represents the one aspect of golf that is the main source of all of today's top young players: instruction.

Some people think it's the equipment that has made more young players better, faster.

That's wrong.

The equipment hasn't helped them square the face better at impact and it hasn't helped them hit a wedge to within 6 feet from 80 yards out.

Instruction and a (far) better understanding of how the body works in the golf swing are the reasons why people get better, faster, these days.

And Butch Harmon, and others of his ilk, deserve their place in the sun for what they've discovered along the way and what they've been able to pass along to their clients.

We recently had JV tryouts for Calvert Hall Golf and a kid showed up that I didn't know. I not only didn't know him, I'd never heard of him before. And, in terms of golf, at Calvert Hall, I pretty much know every single kid who can break 90. Most of the time, I knew them in 7th and 8th grade and was an encouraging voice, if you will, when they decided where they were going to attend high school.

I watched this kid hit 10 balls at the range. Everyone was nearly perfect in both the strike and the trajectory. After about the 20th ball, I stopped him and said, "Who are you?"

After he told me his name, I asked him what year he was in school.

"I'm a junior," he said.

"Where have you been the last two years?" I asked.

"I didn't start playing golf until last spring," he replied.

"Last spring? As in 2022?" I said. That couldn't be right, I thought to myself. Not "last" spring. He must mean 2021.

"Yes, sir," he said. "Spring of 2022."

"Who taught you how to play golf?" I asked him.

"YouTube," he stated. "I watch this guy named George Gankas and just do what he says to do."

I looked at his clubs. They were probably 30 years old. Hand-me-downs from his grandfather, I guessed.

"You could use an updated set of clubs," I mentioned to him.

"Really?" the young man answered. "These seem to work fine."

It was staggering, almost amazing, really, to see this young man hit the golf ball after one year of watching George Gankas videos on YouTube. Now, as we later found out, he's still a little rusty on the golf course itself. His chipping and putting need some work, for sure.

But instruction is what made him into a golfer in 12 months. That's what did it. Equipment didn't do it. A golf teacher did.

And that's why guys like Butch Harmon belong in the Golf Hall of Fame. I have no idea how many majors Tiger Woods would have if he never met Butch Harmon, but I definitely do know this: He wouldn't have won 15 of them.

And Tiger, perhaps against his wishes, would admit the very same thing.

---

My ever-steady producer on 105.7, Caleb, brought something up last Monday night during my fill-in appearance that I've been thinking about all week.

He asked me what my "Mount Rushmore" of great songs is during my lifetime.

I've been tossing this one around in my head all week.

What are the four best songs of my life? I mean, we're talking "Mount Rushmore" here. These have to be the best of the best. The four very, very best.

There's no question about the first two.

"Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin.

And "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen.

I don't think you even have to be enamored with either Zeppelin or Springsteen in order to know every word to both of those songs. You've heard them thousands of times in your life. You just know the words.

I also think Aerosmith's "Dream On" is that kind of song. It's an anthem, just like the other two, that you've heard thousands of times in your life. It never, ever gets old.

But what's the fourth song?

Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody"??

"Baba O'Riley" by The Who?

I wouldn't argue with either of those as the fourth song. They're both anthems, after all.

Now, I have my personal "Mount Rushmore" of four songs that are entirely different than what I think my generation's choices would be.

My own personal top four...

"L.A. Woman" by The Doors.

"American Pie" by Don McLean.

"Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin.

"Rearviewmirror" by Pearl Jam.

faith in sports

Today's "Faith in Sports" is a story a lot of you reading this right now can easily understand. This might have been you. Everything was going great, things were rolling along nicely and then, it all went sideways.

Landry Jones has an incredible story.

This video is 5 minutes long, but it's an incredible 300 seconds. He's vulnerable, open and completely honest. I know you'll hear what he says and say to yourself, "Some parts of that story sound a little familiar, if I'm being honest."

We all didn't become NFL football players, but we all probably encountered similar things to what Landry Jones faced during his journey.

Five minutes. Can you take five minutes today to listen to his story?

Thanks, as always, to our friends at Freestate Electrical for their continued support of #DMD and Faith in Sports every Friday.

Thursday February 23, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3104

demographics

This seems like a trap, but it's the end of February and I can only write so many times about the Masters and whether Tiger will play somewhere in the next four weeks as a lead-up to the tournament.

I saw the commentary from several of you in yesterday's #DMD about some "adult content" on 105.7's morning show.

At least one person believes I should intervene and address it with the people involved in the show and/or station management.

I'll start at the end and work backwards.

There's ZERO chance I'm doing anything of the sort.

For starters, I didn't hear the show or segment in question. I do listen occasionally in the morning to 105.7 and, of course, have a longtime personal friendship with both Rob Long and Jeremy Conn. They're both good men. I only casually know Ed Norris, but he's always nice to me.

That said, I didn't hear yesterday's segment and, therefore, can't make any kind of comment on it.

But that's really not the point at all.

Radio is about one thing. Giving the demographic you're attempting to reach content and material that will make them stay with you and not change the station.

It's about that...and that only.

105.7 is the #1 station in the market in the men 25-54 demographic. I don't know if the Morning Show is #1 or not, but I'm going to assume they are. And if they aren't, they're probably #2. Either way, it's a wildly popular show in the men 25-54 demographic.

I don't fit that demographic, by the way. So, in other words, they're not really all that interested in me, per se. I'm a little older than 54.

Likewise, if you're carting around school-age children on a Wednesday morning, the show isn't for them, either. They're not broadcasting content for kids. They're broadcasting content for adults. Mainly, men, ages 25-54.

That means that sometimes, yes, the material might be "edgy" or, simply put, "for mature audiences only".

Don't get me wrong. There are 18 and 21 year olds listening to 105.7 for sports talk and the station enjoys having them -- or anyone -- listening at any hour of the day. But their ratings and such reflect a much older audience tuning in for the majority of the time.

Most importantly: I'm not here to judge anyone on their show content. If I listen to something and it doesn't appeal to me, I turn it off. When I'm breezing through my satellite radio and a Beatles song comes on, for example, I change the station. It's not for me. So I change it.

I don't e-mail Sirius/XM and bark at them about playing the Beatles. They're a music entity, they're supposed to play the Beatles. (Insert your quip about the Beatles and "not being real music" here). When the Beatles come on, I don't get mad at Sirius/XM. I change the station.

As the great Charley Eckman would say..."It's a very simple game."

---

During the Super Bowl ten days ago, I thought the halftime show was objectionable. But they weren't airing Rihanna for me. They were airing it for 25 and 35 year olds. And I didn't want my daughter watching it, so I sent her into the kitchen while Rihanna was dancing and gyrating around on stage. I could have changed the channel, even, if it meant that much to me.

And just like I didn't want my daughter watching that on my TV, I might not want her listening to a male-dominated morning radio show of any kind, sports, rock-n-roll or otherwise. And if she did listen and I heard something objectionable, I'd just turn the dial.

The idea that I would somehow contact the station or the show hosts to announce my objection to them is beyond silly. What on earth would that do, except have them all look at my like I have three heads? I don't have an ounce of influence there, other than I'm a guy who talks about golf and will occasionally fill in when there's a shortage of available hosts.

And, honestly, me objecting to any kind of content probably doesn't matter one iota. After all, again, radio is a business. Big business. And if their audience likes that sort of content (and the ratings either confirm or don't confirm that), the show is accomplishing exactly what it's setting out to accomplish -- keep the people listening.

If you, as a listener, object to something on the air, the remedy for that is very simple. Don't listen. It's your radio, after all. Simply don't listen.

And it's here where I should note my commentary at #DMD is in no way any kind of official statement on behalf of 105.7. I'm a (very) part-time employee there who doesn't have any sort of official role whatsover. Any opinions you read here today are mine and mine only.

I've said this before recently but it bears repeating again here. We spend a lot of time these days telling other people how they should feel about things. We saw that play out recently in Philadelphia where a Flyers player didn't want to wear a practice jersey supporting the LGBQT community.

He got crushed with criticism, most of which included advice on how he should "think" about supporting LGBQT rights.

The player didn't want to wear the jersey. End of story. It doesn't make him a horrible guy in the same way it doesn't make anyone horrible who did wear the jersey. But people overreacted, as we love to do these days, and tried to make the player in question out to be a hateful bigot.

In the case of yesterday's radio show, those guys were doing what they do every morning: radio.

It might have contained some content not suitable for 12 year old boys or girls. That's because the show isn't intended for them. If objectionble content suddenly started appearing on episodes of "Handy Manny" or "The Wiggles"...now that would be a different story.

105.7 is catering to a mostly male demographic and a large majority of the people tuning in throughout the morning are between the ages of 25 and 54. They can make their own decisions about what they like and don't like.

And so can I.

And so can you.

But please...don't tell me what I should do on your behalf.

---

I end all of my golf shows on 105.7 the same way: "Be sure and thank God for the fairways and greens you play on...your birdies and your bogeys...and thank God for the family and friends you have who enjoy this great game of golf with you."

Sometime last year, someone reached out to me via direct message on Twitter and said it was a turn off to him that I would use the show to "promote Christianity".

I didn't even bother replying to the guy, because the real answer is one he didn't want to hear (read). That being: "It's my show and if I want to thank God, that's what I'm going to do. And it's your radio, and if you feel compelled to change the station, go ahead and do that."

I mentioned a few weeks back about the "classic" Dinesh D'Souza video on YouTube where he schools an Amherst College student during a debate about minorities not being admitted to Amherst.

D'Souza asked the kid (who is white, by the way) what his solution is to the situation and the young man responded by saying, "In the future, I think less white kids should be allowed in at Amherst and their seats should go to minority students instead."

In other words, "I'm here already so I should stay and benefit...but down the road, things should change."

D'Souza then put the kid in checkmate by saying to him, "Actually, if you want Amherst to do something about it, you should go to the Admissions office right now and give up your seat at Amherst and instruct them to replace you with a minority student. If you want this remedy to be in place, you should be the leader. Give up your seat. Not someone else's seat. YOUR seat."

If you think the material and content on the radio (at any station) are objectionable, feel free to rattle some cages and make your voice heard. But don't ask me to do it for you. For starters, I don't even know that I would find it as off-putting as you did. And even if I did, I might not care enough to fight your battle for you.

If you're that upset about it, make the call or write the e-mail yourself. Don't wait for other people to be offended with you...because you might be sitting there all by yourself.

And don't get mad at me or anyone else because you're offended that we're not offended. If you're offended, tell someone that. Handle your business as you see fit.

Oh, and even better, stop being offended by everything. You'll have more fun that way.

	dale williams aims the terps spotlight
DALE WILLIAMS returns for his 8th season of covering all things Maryland men's basketball for #DMD. Terps Spotlight will preview and review all games in the 2022-2023 season.

terps cruise past minnesota

With the score tied 20 to 20 and 9:18 remaining in the first half last night, a 15-0 run ignited by Donta Scott and Hakim Hart gave the home Terps a nice cushion and they would never again be challenged.

The lead would climb to 28 points late in the second half before Maryland settled for an 88-70 blowout of the Minnesota Golden Gophers last night in front of only a handful of fans at the XFINITY Center.

The Terp starters shot 29 for 40 from the floor and 6 for 8 from the three-point line.

Every one of them scored in double digits topped by Juju Reese and his 21 points on 9-11 shooting. In any other game, his 3-8 foul shooting may have been an issue, but last night it didn’t matter. Hart tossed in 21 points and Scott had 18.

Less than one third of the Terp buckets were assisted. They had 10 assists (6 by Hart) on their 33 made shots. This was a good indication of a night where the one-on-one basketball was too much for anyone guarding a Terp with the ball.

Time after time Scott, Hart, or Reese would either back down their defender or drive into the paint and score over top of an overwhelmed Gopher. Maryland seemed to have an endless supply of mismatches and all those short-range buckets are the reason why the starters shot almost 75% for the game.

There was no lack of early scoring last night. At the first TV timeout, the score was 11-8 with the Gophers in the lead. Juju Reese had six of the 8 Terp early points, of which all 8 came in the paint.

Minnesota would score the next 2 points, capping off a 7-0 run, to lead by 5. A Young 3 immediately followed by a Gopher turnover converted into a Martinez layup, quickly tied the score.

The next break came at 11:47 and, after the teams traded baskets a few times (which included the Terps first three) Maryland trailed by just 1.

Maryland started to separate from Minnesota at about the 9-minute mark. Scott and Hakim Hart sandwiched threes in between a Hart layup, and in a flash the Terps were up by 8, 28-20. It had been almost 4 minutes since the Gophers hit a shot from the field.

For the rest of the half, Maryland methodically padded their lead. It reached 20 points before a Jaden Henley triple swished through as time in the half was expiring. It was a very comfortable 47-30 Terrapin lead after 20 minutes.

Maryland was able to shoot 73% in the first half because all but one two-point shot was from point blank range. Any Terp who got the ball in close was able to shoot over a would-be Gopher defender.

Hart and Scott each had 14 first half points. Juju Reese had 8 points on 4-4 shooting and Young made 3 of 5 to get his 7 points.

Other than Don Carey getting 8 quick points to start the second half, nothing of consequence happened during the first 8 minutes of the final 20 minutes.

The lead vacillated from 17 to 22 with neither side getting many stops. The score was 72 to 53 and there were still 10 minutes of game time left.

By the 8-minute mark, Maryland had run their field goal percentage up to 75% and had taken advantage of a trio of Minnesota turnovers to push their lead to 24 points, 77-53.

Willard waited until the lead was 25 and the time remaining was under 5 minutes before even remotely going deep into the bench. That's if you call inserting Ike Cornish, "going deep".

Finally, at 2:59, Willard called off the dogs with his team up by 26. In came his subs and there went the 20-plus point lead. Maryland would go the last 4:24 without a field goal and would be outscored 11-1 over the final 4:03. The Terps still prevailed by 18.

Minnesota gave a valiant effort but this patchwork roster of theirs is lacking in so many areas. Their defense at the guard position is nonexistent and they have little quickness.

At 10-7 now, the Terrapins are tied for third place in the Big Ten. They share that position with Indiana. Minnesota, at 1-15, is headed for a last place finish in the conference with 3 games left.

The Terps wrap up their home Big Ten schedule on Sunday with a noon game against the dangerous Wildcats of Northwestern. At 11-5, the 21st ranked ‘Cats are solo second in the conference. You can see the game on the Big Ten Network.

Wednesday February 22, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3103

"my plan is for the offense to......stink"

I told you several weeks back we were entering the "Dog Days" of late winter sports.

As soon as the football playoffs ended, we were headed in the direction of a dry patch. The NBA and NHL were meandering through their regular seasons, baseball free agency was finished and college basketball, while important, was also just rolling through its slew of regular season games.

Here in Baltimore, we actually did have some stuff to talk about, but the problem is we beat it into the ground day after day. Or, actually, hour after hour.

"What's going to happen with Lamar?"

"What will the Ravens do with their offensive coordinator position?"

We still don't have the Lamar answer, even though it's still a topic of conversation around here. We'll know more in a couple of weeks, but it's looking more and more like the franchise tag is inevitable.

As for the offensive coordinator, that became a bigger story a month ago when Greg Roman resigned before the Ravens and John Harbaugh had the tough talk with him. Last week, the Ravens snapped up Todd Monken -- the former University of Georgia offensive coordinator -- to take Roman's spot.

And yesterday, Monken met with the media for the very first time to take questions and share his thoughts with Baltimore football fans on what they can expect from his offense in 2023.

Social media lit up with enthusiasm for Monken.

You would have thought the Ravens just hired Bill Walsh.

"This guy is just what we needed!"

"Get this man some receivers and watch the Ravens fly!"

"Monken is such a breath of fresh air! Finally, someone who wants to throw the football!"

Indeed, the new guy made an excellent impression yesterday. No two ways about it. If there is, in fact, a Masters degree for "talking football", Monken has the diploma on his wall.

And by no means am I saying he's "all talk" or anything even close to that. I'm sure he "knows football". I'm merely saying he talked-the-talk in a way yesterday that made it almost impossible not to feel all warm and fuzzy about his arrival in Baltimore.

"To me, balance isn't run-pass," Monken said. "Balance is make them cover all five of your guys, make them defend the field, make them defend the depth of the field."

Sounds to me like Todd Monken is a "pass first" kind of guy. That's awesome. Now, just get four or five quality receivers and figure out who is going to play quarterback and ---- we might be onto something next season.

But let me be the one to caution everyone.

All Todd Monken did yesterday was talk.

He sounded like a man who is very enthusiastic about his new role, and rightfully so. He came across as a guy who knows offense and knows how to put points on the board. He seemed like a genuinely nice man, too, if that matters at all.

But let's remember, it's called a "press conference" for a reason. The press are gathered there to hear him speak. A football coaching veteran like Monken knows how to work a room.

What did you expect him to say?

"My plan is for the offense to stink this season. Maybe by 2024 will be a bit better. But, originally, I think we're better off taking two steps back."

He said all the right things yesterday and Baltimore football fans gobbled it up. That's the expected reaction after the bellyaching about Greg Roman that went on for the last two years. But just remember, all Monken did yesterday was talk. Nothing more.

I'm excited. You're excited. We're all anxious to see how he does.

But the betting odds are against him in Baltimore simply because we always wind up eventually being unhappy with the coach, the offensive coordinator, the defensive coordinator and just about everyone else in charge.

Heck, there was an offensive line coach -- Juan Castillo -- a decade ago that everyone in town grew to dislike. An offensive line coach. That's how insane we are in Baltimore.

So I liked what I heard from Monken yesterday but it's also exactly what I assumed I'd hear from him. He didn't say anything distinct or surprising. At least not to me.

I do know one thing, though. His offense better score at least 30 in the season opener next September.

Anything less and we'll be chasing him out of the parking lot after the game.

---

The PGA Tour is heading to Palm Beach Gardens for this week's Honda Classic and the field quality is greatly reduced after two straight weeks of "designated" events in Phoenix and Los Angeles.

That certainly makes it harder to wager on, but it also creates some awesome story lines. Sepp Straka's win last year was typical of a Honda Classic victory. No one had him as a favorite heading into the week and then he held off former British Open champ Shane Lowry down the stretch to post a surprising win.

You could very well see the same thing this week. Some guys who have been knocking on the door recently might work their way into contention this week; Denny McCarthy, Ben Griffin, Taylor Pendrith, Joseph Bramlett. Those four are popular "longshot" players this week.

Here's who we like:

J.T. Poston is one of those players who is starting to show better and better with each PGA Tour season. I wouldn't go as far as saying he could have a "Max Homa" kind of rise in 2023, but I could see him winning a couple of times and perhaps even contending for a FedEx Cup win at one of the season ending tournaments in August. He's positioned very nicely this week, odds wise, at +3500.

The same goes for Aaron Wise, although he's a little more hot and cold overall than is Poston. Wise, though, has a decent history at PGA National, making three cuts in four appearances. That he hasn't played the Honda since 2018 is a little concerning, but his form right now suggests he's worth playing this week. He's at +1600 this week, which suggests oddsmakers think he's a potential winner.

Adam Svensson is a Canadian golfer who is likely going to challenge Adam Hadwin, Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith as that country's top player before long. He does have a win this season (Sea Island GA, last November) and comes in to the Honda having posted a T9 finish week at the Genesis. We love his odds this week at +3000.

But you can't play a win-bet at this week's Honda Classic without having Sungjae Im on your card. You're not getting much in return, as he's the favorite at +1000, but, like Rahm last week, you just can't see the best player in the field doing anything but playing great golf. And that's what we expect from Im. The only small negative about his otherwise stellar game is that he hasn't yet built a reputation as a Sunday closer. That could definitely change this week in Palm Beach Gardens.

If you're someone who likes to throw a buck or two at some true longshots, you might consider Hayden Buckley (+5500) and Davis Riley (+8000). Both of them are "next up" kind of guys who are on the verge of making a name for themselves and a win would do just that.

	dale williams aims the terps spotlight
DALE WILLIAMS returns for his 8th season of covering all things Maryland men's basketball for #DMD. Terps Spotlight will preview and review all games in the 2022-2023 season.

heavily favored terps host minnesota tonight

Minnesota vs Maryland, part II, takes place in College Park tonight after part one was played a little over 2 weeks ago in Minneapolis.

That first outcome wasn’t one the Golden Gophers care to repeat, as the Terps trucked them 81-46.

The Gophers went to the foul line 24 times compared to only 11 for Maryland, but they made just 13 field goals while the Terps made 33. Maryland also had a 9 to 2 advantage in three pointers.

Maryland, at one point, had run the lead to as much as 42 points. To say it was ugly for Minnesota is a gross understatement. The Gophers for sure quit, but it was understandable.

For the Gophers to contend that night, they would have needed big offensive games from Jamison Battle and Dawson Garcia. Battle never got going (2-9, 1-5) and the 6’11” Garcia was out nursing an ankle injury.

With Garcia, the team’s biggest offensive threat (15.5 points a game) and best rebounder (6.5 a game) on the bench, it was always going to be a struggle for them to get enough points. This is a team that suffers offensively when at full strength.

Without their #1 guy, they were easy pickings.

It helped the Terps’ cause that Donta Scott, Don Carey, and Ian Martinez combined to make 7 of 12 three-point tries.

Minnesota, with Garcia back, will also start 3 forwards who are all 6’7” and they have a 6’4” point guard. These are not slick ball handling forwards and that’s part of the reason why Minnesota is in a last place tie in Big Ten turnovers. Their bigger, but slower, lineup doesn’t create many miscues either.

As if the talent discrepancy isn’t enough, the Gophers are coming to Maryland fresh off of a Monday night loss at Illinois that was a covid rescheduled game.

Back-to-back road games with only a single day in between won’t make any NCAA b-ball coach, or his players, very happy. Unfortunately for Minnesota, they have to face a Terp team with the bad taste in their mouth Sunday’s loss to Nebraska.

In game 1, Kevin Willard emptied his bench and rested the starters. Only Scott played as much as 25 minutes, with the other staters going 22 or less. That might not happen tonight.

We can expect the Gophers to play harder than they did before, despite having some dead legs. I don’t anticipate the same “quit” in this game. They were embarrassed at home, and they’ll fight hard tonight.

Maryland will still be on the plus side of the turnover battle, but it won’t be as large as the 16-5 gap they enjoyed a few weeks ago. The Terps shooting 54% from the three-point line can’t be expected either. On the plus side, they will certainly shoot more than the 11 foul shots that they were awarded in Minneapolis.

As I wrote prior to game 1, Battle dropped 39 points the last time he was in the XFINITY Center. He made 7 of 16 threes that night, so you know he’s capable…but can that repeat?

The Gophers don’t possess anyone who can combat the speed of Jahmir Young or even Ian Martinez if he gets the start tonight. Young could have a big night tonight, but virtually every Terp can out-class their Minnesota counterpart in this game.

I look for Scott to rebound from his horrid shooting night (2-16) against Nebraska a few nights ago. I don’t expect the Terps game plan to include any new twists or wrinkles. They’ll stick to the formula that got them to 9-7 in the Big Ten.

You’ll see a lot of dribble penetration on offense and also look for the Terrapin guards to apply massive pressure on the ball.

I never thought I’d see a Big Ten game this year where Maryland is favored by 16.5 points, but here we are. The line came out at 16.5 and has held steady as of this writing.

Only because a score of 76.5 to 60 can’t happen, I’ll put this one at 75-60, but betting a college basketball game with a 16.5 spread is not my bag. The over/under has been set at 128.5.

Gametime is 7 p.m. and you can catch the action on BTN.

	RANDY MORGAN on American soccer
Americans are playing more and more of a vital role in international soccer these days, and Randy Morgan has his eyes on all of them for #DMD. Each week here, he looks at recent performances of American players and highlights upcoming games of importance.

international soccer review

England –

From last weekend’s action.

Wednesday featured the biggest game of the Premier League season to date, with leaders Arsenal hosting Manchester City with only three points separating the teams in the title race.

Man City managed to shake off some of their recent struggles and get a 3-1 win in a game that was closer than the score line would indicate. City won with an uncharacteristically defensive approach, allowing Arsenal to control the ball with 64% possession, but setting up the first two goals with an effective high press.

Arsenal had their own chances but cost themselves with several sloppy moments on the ball in the back that lost them their place at the top of the league.

Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring in the 24th minute when he pounced on a poor back pass from Arsenal right back Tomiyasu and dinked a lovely first time left footed shot over the keeper. Bukayo Saka answered for Arsenal before halftime, scoring a penalty after City keeper Ederson took out Eddie Nketiah in the box.

The teams remained even until midway through the second half when another poor Arsenal pass from center back Gabriel was intercepted by Bernardo Silva and eventually found its way to Jack Grealish on the the opposite side of the box and he scored it.

City then put the game away in the 82nd minute with a nice passing sequence to get De Bruyne free in the box where he cut it back for Erling Haaland who took a quick touch and fired a right footed shot into the corner.

On Saturday, it looked like Arsenal might suffer a hangover from the midweek loss that dropped them to second place, with Aston Villa scoring in the 5th minute to take an early lead. But Arsenal bounced back and pulled off a big comeback, eventually taking the lead in injury time on a wonderful Jorginho strike from the top of the box and finishing with a 4-2 win.

The comeback proved crucial, as Man City squandered all the momentum they generated on Wednesday, coughing up a late 1-0 lead to Nottingham Forest and settling with a 1-1 draw against a club from the bottom half of the league. The loss, paired with the Arsenal win, vaulted Arsenal back on top of the standings, two points ahead of Man City.

Manchester United kept pace as well, winning 3-0 over Leicester City with two more goals from red hot Marcus Rashford, keeping them in third place, five points off the lead.

Tottenham also got a win to round out the top four, beating West Ham 2-0. Fulham continued to keep their hopes of a place in one of the European competitions alive with a 1-0 win over Brighton & Hove.

It was another strong outing for both Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson to keep Fulham in 6th place. Things didn't go as well for the other American-influenced Premier League team, as Leeds suffered a devastating 1-0 loss to fellow relegation battler, Everton, dropping Leeds into second to last place, looking up at the relegation cut line.

Germany –

There was more drama in the Bundesliga title race this week as well. Bayern Munich lost to perennial thorn in their side, Borussia Monchengladbach, 3-2 on Saturday.

Gladbach has been the bogey team for Bayern over the last few years, able to give the champions problems no matter their current standing or form. Jonas Hofmann was the Bayern killer this time, leading the way with a goal and two assists.

The Bayern loss left the door open for Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund, but only one could take advantage. Dortmund looked great again, getting an easy 4-1 win over Hertha Berlin.

They were led by a strong game from veteran Marco Reus. The win pulls Dortmund even on points with both Bayern and Union Berlin in a three way tie at the top, though Bayern holds a significant lead in the goal difference tiebreaker. Union squandered their chance to take sole possession of first place, failing to score in a 0-0 draw with last place Schalke.

Spain –

Barcelona maintained their eight point cushion at the top of La Liga with a 2-0 win over Cadiz on goals from Robert Lewandowski and Sergi Roberto. Real Madrid stayed in second with a 2-0 win over Osasuna with Marco Asensio and Fede Valverde providing the goals.

Italy –

Napoli continued to steamroll Serie A, this time winning 2-0 over Sassuolo with goals once again from Kvaradona and Osimhen. Inter Milan remained in second place with a 3-1 win over Udinese. Roma, AC Milan and Lazio all won to stay tightly packed in 3rd through 5th.

France –

For a while it looked like the title race could be back on in Ligue 1, but Paris St. Germain pulled out a 4-3 win in a wild game over American Tim Weah and Lille.

Kylian Mbappe scored his second goal of the game in the 87th minute to tie the score then Leo Messi scored a fantastic free kick goal in the final moments of injury time to seal the win and keep PSG five points ahead at the top of the league.

Weah started at left back for Lille in this game and had a decent outing. He had several dangerous moments early on, forcing a save from Donnarumma.

Though he was caught out of position for the second Mbappe goal and struggled a bit defensively when he switched the left side and had to deal with the superstar attacker.

Team of the Week

G: Alisson - Liverpool

D: Royal - Tottenham; Schlotterbeck - Dortmund; Li. Martinez - Man U; Zinchencko - Arsenal

M: Odegaard - Arsenal; De Bruyne - Man City; Musiala - Bayern

F: Hofmann - Gladbach; Mbappe - PSG; Rashford - Man U

Player of the Week

Kevin De Bruyne - Manchester City

The star Belgian midfielder led the way for Manchester City in their crucial win over Arsenal on Wednesday, netting a goal and an assist. With Arsenal dominating the majority of possession, De Bruyne didn’t get his usual large amount of touches on the ball, but he managed to make the most of the opportunities he get and was one of the keys to victory.

He was good in the weekend game against Nottingham Forest as well, despite the disappointing result. De Bruyne created four chances and had seven shots but couldn’t help City find the breakthrough for the win.

Tuesday February 21, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3102

o's woes continue

As I mentioned last night on 105.7 during my 6-9 pm fill-in shift, at least the Orioles are decent on the field now.

There was a time when nearly everything they did on and off the field was a bumbling mess.

And in those days we'd all say, "I wouldn't mind so much if they were at least competitive on the field."

Alas, here they are. "Decent" on the field now. Maybe even better than that in 2023, who knows?

But there are still times where the off-the-field stuff is so weird and so "Orioles-like" that we all have to wonder how much things have really changed at The Warehouse.

There's the ongoing lease issue. It's still unsigned.

John Angelos, the team's CEO and de facto "face of ownership", says they're working on something bigger and better than anything they've had before. Something about multi-dimensional entertainment and blah, blah, blah. Whatever that means. When baseball fans think of multi-dimensional, they think of Trea Turner on the field, not Billy Joel or Bruce Springsteen.

The Mayor and Governor have both commented on the lease, too, but what on earth do they know? No offense to either of those guys, personally, but their involvement in the Orioles lease issue just tells me they're trying to get on TV.

I'm personally not worried about the Orioles moving. But it would be nice to see the new stadium lease get completed nonetheless. I mean, that would erase any doubt at all about the team's long term "life" here in Charm City.

That John Angelos got so aggravated a month ago when a local reporter asked him a question or two didn't help anyone feel all warm and fuzzy about the situation. Angelos tried to use the Martin Luther King holiday as a reason to not speak about Orioles-related business, but he came across as confrontational and petty. Maybe that's the look he was going for in the first place. If so, you can place a check mark in that box, sir.

This past weekend, he showed up in Sarasota to help get spring training off and running and, yet again, said some weird things about the role he plays in the organization and some other team-related issues.

He essentially said MASN's decision to televise only 4 of the team's 27 spring training games is connected to finances. As in, "it's too expensive" to televise games from Sarasota.

It's fair to point out that "MASN" and "the Orioles" are two different things, in the same way "Budweiser" and "Busch" are two different beers. But they're made by the same company. When people see MASN, they see the Orioles. It's just the way it is.

Anyway...only televising 4 games in spring training and claiming it's a "financial decision" is interesting when you take into account this -- YOU ALREADY HAVE EVERYONE'S MONEY!

You're getting money from cable subscribers in October, November, December and January and there's absolutely NOTHING on the MASN network that anyone watches in those four months. Zero. Nada. Zilch. On any occasion I pass by MASN in those months as I search for a hockey game or something that's interesting, all I see MASN showing is poker, fishing and old Orioles games from 1979 when the team was good.

Yet we give them money every month in those four months in return for no content at all. And then when February and March roll around and we'd potentially watch a spring training game or three each week, they tell us "it's too expensive" to air all the games.

I file this one under "Orioles gonna Orioles". You have our money already. Air the freakin' games.

This would be akin to the downtown parking garage you use charging you an annual fee to park there and then closing the upper level for some reason over a 4-month period and forcing you to park on the street. "You already have my money...open the top level of the garage so I can park there, please."

Some team defenders -- the 167 left in town -- will say it's "nitpicking" to call the organization out for not airing spring training games. If we all weren't paying $6 every month to keep the network afloat, I don't think anyone would give a hoot. But that's just me.

Angelos also spoke about team payroll over the weekend. That subject, I'd say, was the one bandied about the most on social media by Orioles fans.

The owner of the team basically said, "Payroll isn't my department."

Ummmm, yes, it is.

If payroll isn't the department of the owner, then who is in charge of payroll?

In his commentary on Sunday, John Angelos tried to pass the Orioles off as a "small market" team, like, you know the Padres. Except, well, there's only issue there. The Padres are spending money on baseball players.

So, while the small market argument might be valid, comparing the Orioles to the Padres was a swing and a miss Chris Davis would laugh at.

If the Orioles payroll tops out at $75 million in 2023, so be it. It's the end of February -- who of any value is left to sign anyway?

But at some point down the road the O's are going to have to move up the payroll ladder in MLB, whether that's by giving Adley Rutschman $300 million or signing a key free agent or two at $30-$35 million annually.

Payroll, as we all know, has always been a sensitive subject with the Orioles.

They gave Miguel Tejada $72 million over 6 years once and he tried hard for about three of those years.

They gave Chris Davis $161 million and got about $31 million worth of production out of him.

Big contracts haven't been favorable to the Orioles, that's for sure.

But crying poor doesn't work in professional sports. It just doesn't.

Peoople don't care that extraordinarily wealthy people are having a tough time coming to grips with having to spend money on their sports franchise.

"If you don't want to spend money on (baseball, football, basketball, hockey) players, sell the team." That's the popular comment you hear from the fan base, at least.

Most people don't really care who owns the team. I mean, let's be serious, if Steve Bisciotti announced tomorrow he's selling the Ravens to Joe Schmoe, I don't think anyone in town would sell their season tickets because Bisciotti is bowing out.

People just want the owner to do right by the fans and put the best product on the field that's possible.

The Orioles, on the field, seem like they're heading in the "best product" direction. We'll have to see how that all turns out in 2023 and 2024.

Off the field, there are still questions. You can bring Bruce Springsteen to town for a concert all you want, but that's not changing the way folks think about ownership. We want winning baseball more than we want "Born To Run".

Get the lease signed, pay some players, and show the town you're trying to do the best you can for them. Don't wordsmith us about finances and the like. You own the team. You fund it.

Just know you're in charge of the product the community has supported here for well over 60 years. Be aware. Be present. Do your very best to make Baltimore proud.

That's all everyone is asking of John Angelos.

And show more than four spring training games. Or give us all $25 back.

Personally, I might even just take the $25 and call it even.

	RANDY MORGAN on American soccer
Americans are playing more and more of a vital role in international soccer these days, and Randy Morgan has his eyes on all of them for #DMD. Each week here, he looks at recent performances of American players and highlights upcoming games of importance.

international soccer review

It was an important week in European soccer, with the Champions League knockout round getting started and a major showdown in the English title race.

The German title race grew tighter with Bayern Munich getting tripped up by their recurring nemesis.

Around the rest of the continent the leaders held firm at the top of Spain, Italy and France and it was a relatively quiet week for the American contingent. The Champions League round of sixteen continues this week with the first legs for four more matchups.

European Roundup

Champions League –

The top teams from around Europe came back together as the Champions League knockout round commenced last Tuesday.

The headline matchup of German champions Bayern Munich and star-studded French champions Paris St. Germain got off to a slow start but came alive in the second half.

Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann made some tactical adjustments after a scoreless first half and they paid off when halftime substitute Alphonso Davies hit a picture perfect cross that found Kingsley Coman open on the back post who first-timed a shot past Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The Paris goalie could have done much better to keep the shot out, but he rebounded with several big saves to keep the game close later in the second half. Star PSG striker, Kylian Mbappe, was out of the starting lineup due to an injury, but subbed on midway through the second half and changed the balance of the game.

He tested the Bayern backline several times, finally breaking through with what appeared to be a game tying goal in the 82nd minute, but it was brought back for offside earlier in the sequence. PSG knocked on the door a couple more times before the end of the game but Bayern held firm to take a 1-0 lead back to Bayern for the second leg.

In the other game on Tuesday, reigning Italian champions, AC Milan, took on English club Tottenham.

Milan got off to a good start with an early goal setup by left back Theo Hernandez and headed in by midfielder Brahim Diaz. A depleted Tottenhman was missing its entire starting midfield and failed to get much going offensively, allowing Milan to hold out for a 1-0 win.

On Wednesday Borussia Dortmund got a 1-0 home win over Chelsea thanks to an outstanding goal from Karim Adeyemi. The speedy attacker received the ball on a counter attack after a Chelsea corner and blew past Enzo Fernandez then rounded the keeper and passed the ball into the net.

Despite the loss, Chelsea had the better chances in the game, with 21 shots to 14 for Dortmund and 3 big chances to 1. Chelsea attacker Joao Felix had one great look that beat the keeper but hit the crossbar. Both teams will be optimistic that they can get the result needed to advance when they meet in London next week.

In the other game last Wednesday, Portuguese leaders Benfica carried over their dominant form from the league, winning 2-0 in rather easy fashion over reigning Belgian champs Club Brugge. Benfica generated 6 big chances to just one for Brugge and look like they will coast into the quarterfinals.

This week brings a rematch of last season’s final on Tuesday, with Real Madrid heading to Liverpool. Neither of these teams has quite hit the heights they did in the previous season, but both remain dangerous threats.

Liverpool sits a surprising 8th place in the Premier League, while Real Madrid is second in La Liga, albeit a distant eight points behind leaders Barcelona.

Reigning champions Real Madrid are the slight betting favorites to advance from this matchup (-125), but Liverpool is favored to win this first leg at home.

Madrid enters on a four game winning streak while Liverpool has won just two of their last five. However, they did receive a boost from the return of Virgil Van Dijk over the weekend, looking better in a 2-0 win over a tough Newcastle United team.

This is a tough assignment for Liverpool though, as issues in midfield have hampered them all season and now they’ll go up against one of the best midfield units in Europe, led by Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Fede Valverde.

Also on Tuesday, my favorites to win the tournament, Napoli, travel to Germany to take on reigning Europa League champions, Eintracht Frankfurt. Frankfurt has been playing well, with just one loss since the German season resumed in mid-January, but they have a tall task against Napoli.

The runaway Serie A leaders picked up right where they left off before the World Cup, extending their league lead to 15 points and rolling through opponents. They come in on a five game winning streak with breakout attackers Kvaradona and Victor Osimhen firing on all cylinders. They are favored to win both this leg and to advance to the next round (-245).

On Wednesday, the bookmakers favorites to win the tournament, Manchester City, travel to Germany for the first leg against a resurgent RB Leipzig.

Man City hasn’t quite reached their peak form this season, showing some inconsistencies. This was exemplified in the past week when they looked like the force everyone expected in a 3-1 win over Arsenal, only to falter at the weekend in a 1-1 draw to lowly Nottingham Forest.

Leipzig has been playing well of late, keeping pace in a packed title race in Germany. Despite that, City is favored to win both this first leg and to easily advance to the next round (-650).

The final matchup of the week pits the second place teams from Italy and Portugal. Both teams enter in good form, with Inter winning four of their last five and Porto riding a ten game winning streak, having not lost a game since October.

The Italian team boasts more star power and pedigree and thus are favored in both this home leg and to get to the next round (-160), however Porto are one of the hotter teams in Europe and could be primed for a dark horse run.

In tomorrow’s #DMD, we’ll take a look back at the weekend results from England, Germany, France, Spain and Italy.

Monday February 20, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3101

you call that a race?

I'm glad you're off and enjoying a holiday on this beautiful, late February Monday.

I have a full slate today.

#DMD in the morning. Some outreach work at the church rectory a little while later. Calvert Hall golf practice at 12 noon. And then I'm hosting the 6-9 pm shift tonight at 105.7.

No rest for the weary, I think they say.

There's no rest for Dale Williams, either, as he has the full review of Maryland's dismal loss to Nebraska below. Just when we thought the Terps were the real deal they go and do that, huh? Dale will also be joining me tonight at 6:15 on 105.7 to talk Terps and their final Big Ten stretch. If you're able, please give us a listen.

While Maryland was battling it out with the Cornhuskers, I was mainly glued to the final few holes of the Genesis Invitational and the last 25 laps of the Daytona 500.

As you might know, 25 laps in NASCAR racing can take an hour to complete. In the case of last night's finish, the final 4 laps took about 20 minutes, at least.

Oh, and here's the most bizarre thing of all about last night's finish to the Daytona 500. It didn't actually finish.

I like auto racing. I think drivers (of any race car, but in this case, NASCAR vehicles) are extraordinarily athletic. There's an art and science to what they do, all while risking their life, that is vastly underappreciated by folks without the necessary sophistication to appreciate their acumen.

But as much as I like auto racing, I can't for the life of me figure out why NASCAR would stage their biggest race of the season and then not actually have a car cross over the finish line in first place.

All that racing...gone to waste.

Yes, yes, yes. I'm aware of their overtime rules, which were in place yesterday. I get it. "Those are the rules," people said to me on Twitter last night.

That's a dumb rule.

It would be akin to the NFL just flipping a coin at the end of regulation and saying, "We've played enough, 60 minutes of football can't decide a winner, so we'll just toss this coin in the air."

You did all of that racing yesterday and, in the end, no one had to cross the finish line first? How #clownshoes is that?

Do anything except end the race the way you ended it yesterday. That's what makes the most sense to me.

Every time there's a caution flag in the last ten laps, take away the last six cars. Do that if it helps "narrow the field" to avoid other potential accidents from occurring. If you have three accidents in the final ten laps, you'll get 18 cars out of the way.

By the way, that's not really my idea. I saw it on a NASCAR discussion page yesterday. But it seems acceptable to me, as, you know, someone who actually wanted to see a car cross the finish line at the end of the race.

Come up with some way of finishing the race other than the silly way you did it yesterday, where Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won because his car was in front of (maybe? it was really close) the second place car when the final caution flag of overtime came out. I have no idea who came up with that stupid rule, but take his moonshine away the next time there's a competition committee conference.

Anyway, there's your NASCAR coverage for the year here at #DMD. Just when I tried to get locked into a race and actually show some interest in their sport, they award their biggest race of the year to a car that didn't actually beat all of the other cars to the finish line.

Amateur hour...

---

Jon Rahm won the Genesis Invitational yesterday in impressive fashion and it was only fitting he won at a tournament hosted by Tiger Woods because Rahm is currently on a Tiger-like heater.

It was Rahm's 3rd win of the year (not the season...the year) and his 10th career victory on TOUR. Rahm won the Tournament of Champions back in the first week of January and then won the American Express a couple of weeks later. Don't forget, he also entered the final round at Torrey Pines and TPC Scottsdale with a chance to win as well.

He doesn't have 5 wins...but he could have won 5 times in 2023 with just a little bit of a luck and a putt or two falling in at the right time.

I said this last week after Scottie Scheffler won the Phoenix Open and moved into the #1 spot in the world rankings: Scheffler isn't the best player in the world. Jon Rahm is. And with yesterday's win in L.A., the Spaniard moved back into the top spot where he belongs.

This is the kind of golf Woods played for nearly a decade starting in 2000, where he beat anyone and everyone just about whenever he wanted. The one main difference now is that there are players who show up to events still thinking they can win even when Rahm is in the field. Back then, if Tiger was teeing it up, 90% of the guys in the field knew Woods was winning.

But make no mistake about it, whether guys like Rory, J.T., Scheffler, Spieth, Morikawa, Homa, etc. "think" they can beat Rahm, they're not doing a very good job of doing it.

To wit, check out this stat. Rahm has played 5 tournaments in 2023. Exactly 8 players have beat him over 72 holes. That's it.

Now that, right there, is a true "Tiger stat".

Rahm is now listed at 7/1 to win the Masters. I don't know if he'll get much lower than that, but that's about as much of a favorite as you'll ever see at Augusta National. I'd tell you to run out and grab him at 7/1 now just in case. But perhaps if he doesn't win again in March he'll wind up at 9/1 or 10/1. Either way, I have news for you: He's going to win at Augusta. Wager accordingly.

---

John Angelos spoke to the media for 35 minutes yesterday in Sarasota and I'm still trying to piece together exactly what he said so I can figure out if I should have an opinion on all of it.

One thing that I did hear/read that stood out: He indicated the family isn't interested in selling the team.

That comment represents a definite change of heart somewhere along the line in recent months. I'm not sure why that's the case now, but it's worth delving into for sure. The Angelos family will continue to own the team? I think some folks in Baltimore are going to be disappointed. I'll just leave it at that.

But Angelos also made several comments about payroll figures yesterday and those have caused quite a stir with Baltimore's baseball faithful.

"We have a very young team that's overachieved and overperformed because of the great work of our baseball folks," John said yesterday. "It's not my job to predict payroll. My job is to make sure that the community partnerships are sustained, and I think all of that comes after that."

"Not my job to predict payroll..."

Ummmmm, you own the team, bro.

It actually is your job to predict payroll since, well, it's your money.

And any idea that the Orioles are going to be big spenders in 2023 and 2024 was quickly put to rest by Angelos. ""Could payroll be double or triple what it is? Or could it be over 100 million? Yeah. We're not there yet."

Right now they're in the $55 million range for team payroll for the '23 campaign in Baltimore. Or, you know, about what Aaron Judge will make this season.

Anyway, I'm doing some digging on my end to learn a little more about this news from yesterday that Angelos says there are "no plans to change the management or ownership structure of the team." That's certainly big news if true. Maybe not great news...but big news nonetheless.

---

I have an awesome local lineup of guests on tap for tonight from 6-9 pm on 105.7 The Fan. I hope you get the chance to tune in.

Dale Williams will talk Maryland hoops with me at 6:15 pm.

At 6:45 pm, I'll talk Calvert Hall hoops and the NBA All-Star Game with Gary Neal.

At 7:10 pm, it's Charley Toomey, head lacrosse coach at Loyola University, who are coming off of two great wins over Maryland and Hopkins.

At 7:45 pm, Towson's Pat Skerry joins me to talk about the Tigers and their CAA hoops campaign. Towson has a real chance to make some noise in the conference tournament next month.

And at 8:30 pm, I'll be joined by Mount Saint Joseph basketball coach Pat Clatchey, as we talk about the Gaels' undefeated MIAA season (16-0) and his team's playoff opener vs. Loyola tomorrow night.

	dale williams aims the terps spotlight
DALE WILLIAMS returns for his 8th season of covering all things Maryland men's basketball for #DMD. Terps Spotlight will preview and review all games in the 2022-2023 season.

terps lose in ot at nebraska

In a back-and-forth game that featured seven lead changes and five ties, Nebraska outlasted the Terrapins, 70-66, in overtime on Sunday in Lincoln. In the decisive overtime period, the Terps were done in by 4 turnovers, but none was bigger than the steal and score by Sam Hoiberg with 37 seconds left in the extra session.

Maryland was throwing the ball in on their side of the court and in front of their own bench. Hakim Hart tried to get the ball to Jahmir Young going away from the basket. The pass was a bit lazy, a bit late, and easy pickings for Hoiberg, who picked it off in full stride and raced down court for an uncontested layup and three-point Cornhusker lead.

When the next Terp possession ended with Hart being tied up by Nebraska’s Derrick Walker, the possession arrow gave Nebraska the ball and the game.

Juju Reese had a big game for the Terps, scoring 16 points and grabbing a game high 16 rebounds.

Young also had 16 points, but he made just 6 of his 16 shots plus he turned the ball over 4 times.

Incredibly, Donta Scott went over 40 minutes without hitting a shot. He knocked down a three to start Maryland’s scoring, then missed 16 straight shots before making a layup with seconds left in overtime. His 2-16 (from the floor) and 1-8 (threes) stat line was as significant as any in Maryland’s loss this season.

Nebraska got 23 points from Walker (9-11 from the foul line) and 20 from Keisei Tominaga. Tominaga’s three pointer to start the overtime was huge.

The game’s first 5 minutes would yield just 7 points and 12 missed shots. Donta Scott got the scoring started with a three from the left side after the Terps had missed their first 3 attempts from the field. A breakaway layup and little inside jumper by Nebraska gave the ‘Huskers an early 4-3 lead.

Tominaga then netted 5 straight points, but 7 Terrapin offensive rebounds allowed the Terps to stay within three points, 9-6, at the under 8-minute TV timeout. The Terps had made just 2 of 14 shot attempts and they also had committed 4 turnovers. At this point the Terps hadn’t made a field goal in over three minutes.

Nebraska went to Walker for 3 straight possessions and came away with 6 points and a second foul on Reese. With the Terps down by 9, 15-6, Hakim Hart hit a three and then Patrick Emilien converted a pair of driving layups to quickly trim the Cornhusker lead to just 2, 15-13. Nebraska hadn’t scored in almost 2 minutes.

Hart hit another 3, this time from the left corner, to give Maryland a 1 point lead. In what was becoming a game of runs, it was now Nebraska’s time to punch back.

A trio of layups by the Cornhuskers gave them 6 fast points and a 5-point lead. Kevin Willard was forced to come back with Reese despite his two fouls. Reese answered right away with a nicely defended attempt by Walker followed immediately by his own short jumper.

The half would end without Maryland making another bucket during the final 2.5 minutes and Nebraska would push to a 31-24 lead after the first 20 minutes.

The Terps shot just 29% from the field in the opening half with Scott (1 for 9) struggling the most. Nobody had more than 6 points for Maryland.

The Cornhuskers were led by Tominaga’s 11 points and 10 from Walker. It was another low scoring first half for the Terrapins. Missed short shots were more the culprit than superlative defense from the Cornhuskers.

A traditional 3-point play by Reese immediately cut the lead to 4 as the second half started. Nebraska was able to counter with another Tominaga layup and a foul shot by Walker. The lead was back to 7, 34-27.

When Reese missed two foul shots and Sam Griesel made a right baseline floater, the Cornhuskers had their biggest lead of the night at 9 points, 36-27.

But with Walker now on the bench with 3 fouls and Griesel following him with 4, Maryland made a small run before the first TV timeout of the second half. The Terps scored 5 straight points and cut the lead to 36-32. An Ian Martinez three made the Terp run 8 points and brought Walker back on the floor.

Maryland retook the lead after Johari Long was fouled shooting a three and converted all three foul shots. Next, Walker made two foul shots when Reese picked up his third foul, and the game was now tied at 38 a-piece.

Nebraska had gone over 5 and half minutes without a made shot, and when Hart buried his third three of the game, the Terps had a three-point lead with 11:46 left in the game. Nebraska was seriously on the ropes as they had scored just 7 points in over 9 minutes of second half play.

When Hart hit yet another three, (he was 4 for 5 at this point) the Maryland run was now 17-2 and they had a 6-point lead at 44-38. Nebraska’s frustrations from the field now spanned almost 7 minutes. The run was initiated by the benching of Walker and Griesel because of foul trouble, but also contributing was Nebraska having made just 1 of 12 threes.

A Walker layup finally put points on the board for the ‘Huskers. But the Terps hit another three. This time by Young. The lead was 7, 47-40 with 7:50 left. Maryland had dropped 7 threes compared to just the 1 by Nebraska.

Sam Hoiberg finally hit a triple for Nebraska to trim the Terp advantage to 5, 50-45. Foul shots got Nebraska back into the game but another Reese three-point play returned the lead to 5, 53-48, with just 3:52 remaining. The Cornhuskers had made just 2 of their last 13 shots.

It became a 3-point game with under 3 minutes left when Walker hit a short jump hook over Scott. There was now 2:40 left in the game and the Terps had the ball up 53-50. A Martinez miss gave Nebraska the ball and they made the most of it with a Griesel layup off of a great cut.

Young got another “and-one” for Maryland before Tominaga made 2 foul shots. It was 56-54, in Maryland’s favor, with 1:20 left. Another Scott miss (he was now 1-14) led to Tominaga being back on the free throw line after Martinez fouled him on the rebound. Tominaga hit both shots and the game was now tied with 1:06 left.

The Terps, again, went to Jahmir Young who hit a floater over an undersized Hoiberg who was in the game because Jamarques Lawrence had a twisted ankle. It was 58-56, Terps, with 39 seconds left and Nebraska inbounding the ball near their own bench after calling a timeout.

When Nebraska finally got the ball inbounds, it was Walker who went straight to the left side of the rim for a tough layup. Tie game, 58-58 with 14.2 left to decide the outcome.

With a chance to win the game, the ball went to Young and no one else touched it. He dribbled down the clock and wound up taking a step-back from just outside the foul line when the lane was cut off. It was off the mark and the contest went to a minute overtime.

The OT started with a Hart charging foul followed by an NBA three from Tominaga. Young hit a little scoop shot before Walker stepped out of bounds, turning the ball over to Maryland.

Young, again, went to the basket and was awarded 2 foul shots. He hit both and the Terps were up 1, 62-61. An awkward try by Griesel was blocked and Hart capitalized with an impressive dunk.

The score was now 64-61, Maryland. Nebraska went to Walker and he delivered with 2 foul shots after being fouled. The successful foul shots put Nebraska down by just a single point, 64-63.

Both teams then missed a couple of tough shots before Griesel made a driving layup and was fouled. He missed the free throw, but Nebraska was now the owner of a 65-64 lead.

Maryland would regain possession of the ball with 37.7 left and Nebraska still ahead 65-64.

The Terps called timeout, and when play resumed it was Hoiberg who made the play of the game. He stole the inbound pass, as described above, and raced downcourt for an easy layup that gave his Cornhuskers a three-point lead.

The Terps had a chance to tie, but Walker tied up Hart and Nebraska had the possession arrow. The Terps quickly fouled Hoiberg, and he hit both shots. It was now 69-64 with 14 seconds left.

Scott finally made a shot, pulling the Terps to within 3, 69-66, with a scant 11 seconds left. Nebraska threw it in to Lawrence, who was quickly fouled by Hart. He only needed to hit 1 to give his team a 2 possession lead, as that's exactly what he did. It was a four-point game, 70-66, and would end that way after the Terps fumbled away the last 10 seconds.

The good, bad, and ugly of this game is pretty easy to define.

Good, was the continued improvement of Juju Reese. Once he gets bigger and can defend with his body and not his hands, thus enabling him to commit less fouls and stay on court, he’s going to be real trouble in the Big Ten.

Bad, goes to the Terp reliance late in regulation and in overtime, on the offensive game of Jahmir Young. There was entirely too much dribbling from Young and not enough team offense. They need other offensive options in crunch time.

What could be uglier than Donta Scott’s 2-16 and 1-8 shooting stats?

Without considering offensive rebounds, Scott’s 14 missed shots translate into 14 dry possessions. Against competitive schools, especially away from the XFINITY Center, Maryland can’t withstand that degree of ineffective shooting.

Maryland gets a chance to run their Big Ten record to 10-7 when they take on the lowly (1-13) Minnesota Golden Gophers on Wednesday at 7 pm in the XFINITY Center. The Big Ten Network will carry all the action.

Sunday February 19, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3100

how good could it be?

As golf enthusiasts watched Tiger Woods work his way around Riveria CC yesterday looking like someone we used to know, it was more than fair to consider it: Could he be continue to improve, health wise, and actually be a threat at Augusta National in early April?

Three rounds of golf doesn't mean he's "back" or anything of the sort. He struggled down the stretch on Friday, after all, and was right on the +1 cut line when 2nd round play resumed early Saturday. Fortunately, he hung on to make the weekend and would go on to post a nifty round of 4-under 67 yesterday to vault up the leaderboard and give himself a real shot at Top 20 finish in his first golf tournament since last July.

Pick your favorite course, public or private, and try to shoot 67 today. Play whatever tees you want. Go break par and shoot 67 today.

Then think about a 47-year old guy with one good leg shooting 67 at Riveria CC with its 7300 yards and weird kikuyu grass in the rough and around the greens. In a golf tournament, no less. With the entire world watching.

It could all be fleeting hope, of course. We were worried about Saturday and he got past that one just fine, but there's no evidence he can keep up the pace over the weekend.

Four straight days of golf and the walking that goes with it could be his undoing today. This is the first time he's walked 72 holes in tournament conditions since last April. There's no telling what the result of today's activity is going to be.

But if he gets through today in decent shape, there's optimism. Real optimism. We all know he'll never be the Tiger of old again. No one is ever as good now as they were 15 years ago. But even Tiger at 70% is plenty good enough to cobble together a few good rounds in April at Augusta National and thrill us one more time.

And if there's ever a place where Tiger at three-quarters-efficiency could still contend and be dangerous, it's at the Masters. Friends of mine always throw out the question and my answer is almost always the same, word for word.

"Do you think Tiger can win again?"

"Of course. He could win at Augusta for five or ten more years as long as his leg holds up and he can walk the course."

If he's going to continue to play this truncated schedule where he tees it up only in the majors and two or three other events where he's directly involved (Genesis being a prime example), it's going to be very difficult for Woods to ever tack on career win #83 and pass Sam Snead for the all-time lead.

It's hard enough to beat Rahm, Rory, Morikawa, Scheffer, J.T., Zalatoris and Spieth when you're playing all the time. Those guys are the best players in the world and they're healthy and, at least for now, still getting better.

Try beating them when you only play a tournament once every eight weeks and you're operating on one fully functioning leg. And you're 47. And your back has been surgerically revived three or four times in the last 15 years.

So that's why it makes sense to me, at least, that Tiger's only "real" hope of winning another tournament comes every year at Augusta National. He knows the course, knows the nuances and, if you look at his career data, playing courses with four par 5's has always been a huge benefit to him. His length off the tee and touch around the greens there is the biggest reason why he's won 5 green jackets.

And as we've seen this week at Riveria CC, he can still beat the driver out there with the kids. Woods has nine recorded drives of over 310 yards this week.

The British Open does return to a familiar venue for him this year; Royal Liverpool. So there will be lots of nostalgia presented with coverage of that event, where Woods won in 2007. But it seems far more likely that he'd contend at Augusta National in my opinion.

Tiger did mention yesterday that he's considering adding a "tune up event" prior to Augusta National, which would seem to indicate he's feeling positive about the way his body has reacted to three days of tournament play this week in Los Angeles. Would he tee it up at Bay Hill or The Players, perhaps? He knows both layouts very well. He could get away with playing either of those with only one practice round, you'd think.

Oh, and an even bigger part of the Tiger-at-the-Masters story is the actual tournament itself. Things could certainly change over the next six weeks, but right now, there are eight of the best players on the world primed for a collision course at Augusta that could make that event one of the most anticipated of the last 30 years.

So many guys are playing great golf right now, including those who made the cut at this week's Genesis. Jon Rahm (-15) is the leader out there by three shots over Max Homa, while Morikawa, Rory, J.T., Scheffler, Zalatoris and Spieth are all enjoying solid starts to their 2022-2023 campaign.

There's no telling what's in store at Augusta National this April. We still have to get past today's final round at Riveria CC. But all signs are pointing to a memorable showdown between the greatest to ever play the game and the guys who grew up watching him and wanted to be like him.

Augusta is on the horizon.

---

Just a quick update on the six golfers I gave you last Wednesday in advance of the Genesis. Five of six made the cut, which is good, and several of them have an opportunity for a Top 30, Top 20 or Top 10 finish.

Jon Rahm is the 54-hole leader at Riveria CC. I told you on Wednesday it was a fader's layout and no one hits it left to right with more power and precision than Rahm. By the way, no matter what happens to him today, I'd go out right now and get him at whatever odds you can for the Masters. Just sayin...

Collin Morikawa was well in the hunt until yesterday's 1-over par round dropped him to 7-under. Morikawa (currently T6) could still make a run at a Top 5 finish, which would pay out nicely if you played him for a Top 20, Top 10 or Top 5 in addition to your win wager.

Xander Schauffele (even) and Tony Finau (-1) are out of the tournament, although both could squeak into a Top 20 finish with a 64 or 65 today.

Wyndham Clark (-2) could also finish Top 30 or Top 20 with solid play today.

If you have a few extra bucks laying around and you'd like to play someone on the outside to race up the leaderboard and finish in the Top 10, Cameron Young seems like a perfect guy for that endeavor. He currently sits at T18 with rounds of 68-74-67. I don't know what happened in round 2, but those 18 holes were an outlier.

I love Young's game. He drives it great, from left to right, and he can hit those low burners that are a major advantage at firm and fast Riveria CC. And I'd say he's fully capable of another round of 67 (or better) today which could get him into the Top 10 and net you a nice return, depending on the odds (and I have no idea what they are...).

---

Don't forget, I'll be on 105.7 today from 12-1 pm talking golf and then again tomorrow night, from 6 pm to 9 pm, chatting about all sports on The Fan.

Please tune in if you can. I'm working on some good, local guests for tomorrow night's show.

	dale williams aims the terps spotlight
DALE WILLIAMS returns for his 8th season of covering all things Maryland men's basketball for #DMD. Terps Spotlight will preview and review all games in the 2022-2023 season.

terps visit nebraska today

On Saturday, January 28, the University of Maryland jumped all over Nebraska. The Terps hung an 82-63 loss on the visitors by winning the first half by 10 points, (40-30) and the second half by 9 (42-33).

Since that game, much has happened with this injury depleted Nebraska team. They lost another player, Denim Dawson, who is listed as questionable for today’s game, but they have found something else.

In my pre-game piece for the first game, I noted that Cornhusker guard Keisei Tominaga can get hot and score in bunches. Of course, against the Terps, he attempted just 3 shots and scored only 3 points.

But he has been the offensive focus for a Nebraska team that has won 3 of its last 4 games after winning just 3 of its first 12 conference games. Tominaga has been the offensive difference and high scorer in each of their last 4 games.

In the last 4 Cornhusker games, the slightly built Tominaga has upped his shot total to just under 16 attempts per game and he’s connected on close to 60% of those. During that same time, he’s made 47% of his threes.

That all adds up to a scoring average of 24.5 points a game and a nice run of success for Nebraska. Rutgers was their last victim and that Cornhusker win came on the road. (Side note on Rutgers, they’ve lost three straight and haven’t been the same since losing Mawot Mag)

Tominaga, other than points, won’t light up the stat sheet. Assists, steals, and rebounds are all infrequent for him. He won’t get to the free throw line very often either, but he can score from the outside and has a unique way of getting open near the rim.

With a team as small as Nebraska, rebounding is always an issue. Derrick Walker is a strong inside presence, but he gets little help on the boards. The Cornhusker’s -4.1 rebounding margin accurately reflects their woes on the glass. It’s an area that the Terps exploited in game 1, (an 11-4 advantage in offensive boards) and will look to do so today. They should be successful.

Nebraska actually shot the ball better than the Terps did when they met earlier despite Maryland making 1 more shot. The Cornhuskers connected on 53% of their attempts compared to just 44% for Maryland. Because of the turnover differential and offensive rebounds, Maryland took 11 more shots than Nebraska. Maryland also had that whopping 24 to 9 advantage in foul shots made.

For Nebraska to have a chance today, Tominaga needs to replicate his efforts of the last 4 weeks. A big game from him is vital while another 3 point game, like in his previous meeting with Maryland, will spell doom for his ’Huskers. Outside of Walker, the rest of the Nebraska starters also need to pick up their games.

Walker made 8 shots in the first game, a number equal to the amount of shots made by the rest of the Nebraska starters. That won’t win many games and it surely won’t get the job done in this contest.

Julian Reese picked up some quick fouls in the previous game and logged just 14 minutes of game time. He’ll score at will against this small Nebraska lineup, assuming he can stay on the court.

Overall, Maryland has the better talent and should win today’s game. How easy will that be is anybody’s guess. This is the first of 3 consecutive Nebraska home games before they end their regular season on the road at Iowa. Both teams are riding high, Maryland with their win over Purdue and Nebraska with the streak of 3 wins in four tries.

It’s hard to think that after getting beat by 19 in College Park that the Cornhuskers can pull off the upset, even when playing in front of their home crowd.

Maryland defends the guard position really well, and Nebraska needs Tominaga in a big way. He’ll have to play the game of his life to get the 24 points that he’s been averaging lately.

The Terrapins are playing with so much effort right now, that I can’t expect them to let down here. If they lose it will be because Nebraska beat them, not because Maryland played with little intensity. That being said, I’m not sure the ‘Huskers have the horses to pull away from Maryland. Keep it interesting? Yes. Win? Perhaps not.

The final score of today’s game won’t show the 19-point gap that existed with game 1.

The Terps come out on the right side, but I see a close game. The linemakers have posted the spread at Terps -7.5. Unless they hold Tominaga to under 10 points, Maryland won’t cover that number.

We’re looking at a 68-64 Terrapin win. The contest starts at 5pm and can be seen on Fox Sports 1.

Saturday February 18, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3099

saturday q & a

There's lots of good stuff to get to this morning.

The leaderboard at the Genesis Invitational looks like a major championship, sort of like it did at the halfway point of last week's event at TPC Scottsdale.

Homa, Rahm, Morikawa, McIlroy, Cantlay, Zalatoris -- all in the top 10 and in the hunt. In an interesting twist, most or all of those six guys turned down free money from the Saudis to jump to LIV. And they, along with guys like Scheffler, J.T. and Spieth (who also turned down LIV), are the ones carrying the torch of the PGA Tour moving forward.

The only name missing from the leaderboard that would really make the weekend interesting is that of Tiger Woods. Tiger was rolling along nicely yesterday until a bogey at his 15th hole (#6) and then closing bogeys at #8 and #9 sent him to the cut line, which technically still isn't yet decided because play didn't finish yesterday.

It looks like Tiger's +1 total for 36 holes will get him to the weekend, but that's almost a waste of time for Woods. As tournament host, he's out in Los Angeles for the weekend no matter what, but stressing his leg for two days to shoot 73-75 and finishing T57 is hardly worth the trouble given what he's dealing with physically.

"Good news, Tiger...you made the cut."

"Bad news, Tiger...you made the cut."

Tiger's short game is definitely rusty. He drove the ball well for two days and hit some delicious iron shots, including a near hole-in-one on a par-3 yesterday. But his chipping and pitching was not anywhere near good enough. He cost himself 4 or 5 shots in the opening 36 holes.

As for those playing well, Max Homa continues to be a central part of the narrative in the "real portion" of the '22-23 TOUR campaign. He is, simply, the real deal. Whether he can hold off the game's big names like Rory, Rahm and Morikawa remains to be seen, but this is now quite the 12-month heater for the 32-year old Burbank, California native. He's a Top 10 player in the world right now.

The other big story from the Genesis actually wasn't a story at all, unless you made it into one.

During Thursday's opening round, Tiger had been driving the ball near or past both Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy on several holes, which is particularly funny (from a golf standpoint) when you realize Tiger is 47 years old and only has one fully functioning leg and the other two are much younger and far more healthy.

So, on the next occasion where Tiger hit it past J.T. off the tee, Woods slipped a tampon into his younger playing competitor's hands.

And once that got out, the predictable outrage commenced.

Woods issued a quick, heartfelt apology yesterday. "It was a private joke between guys," he said. "If anyone was offended by it, I'm sorry."

It was, in fact, so private that to the naked eye, nothing out of the ordinary happened as the two walked off the tee box. If J.T. had slipped the product into his pocket instead of dropping it on the ground, no one would have ever seen the moment. But when zoomed in on with still and TV cameras, there it was. Tiger slipping a tampon into J.T.'s hand in an attempt to needle him for allowing the old man to hit the ball past him off the tee a few minutes before.

Two decades ago during the annual Skins Game, Annika Sorenstam outdrove Fred Funk. Fred's penalty for that occurrence? He had to play the remainder of that hole in a skirt.

That, too, was a joke. It actually wasn't even "private". It was there for everyone to clearly see. No one got their feelings hurt. Men who don't drive the golf ball far weren't offended. It was meant to be a funny moment. No harm intended at all. And none was taken. By anyone.

People actually thought it was funny. Fred Funk didn't need therapy or anything like that. It was a light moment. Everyone realized it as such and everyone -- hope you're sitting down -- survived and had outstanding careers.

Baseball teams have several "road trip pranks" they originate every season. One of them is having players dress in women's clothing. It's a light moment designed to take some of the stress off of a long, 6-month "work deployment". No one gets offended, including, I think, women themselves.

Woods and J.T. constantly rib one another, just like Paul Azinger and Payne Stewart used to play practical jokes on each other. Max Homa and Joel Dahmen have that same sort of relationship now. So, too, do J.T. and Jordan Spieth.

Whether you and I think practical jokes are juvenile is really not the issue. Stewart once put a banana in Azinger's shoes and the entire locker room roared when Paul tried to slip into his shoes. Practical jokes are supposed to be juvenile and funny, but usually they take on that form only with the people who are involved in them.

That people were outraged by Tiger's attempt to needle J.T. is incredibly sad.

But, as I've said here time and time again over the last couple of years, the number one thing we do these days as a society is overreact to things. Whatever the reaction should be to something, we need to double or triple that reaction in order to show our dislike or disdain for the moment or the person.

Tiger and J.T. shared a private, 3-second practical joke on Thursday and there were people saying Woods should lose sponsors, be suspended from the TOUR or make a generous donation to a public service campaign designed to make sure women in the world realize wearing a tampon isn't a bad thing.

I have no idea how we got to this point as a country, but we are there, for certain. Overreaction is what we do best.

---

And now, let's clean out some questions from the mailbag inbox, shall we...

Creston asks -- "Any idea what's going on with the Capitals? They're looking lousy these days."

DF says -- "Well, this week in particular they're struggling without Alex Ovechkin, who is dealing with the death of his father. Without Ovechkin, they're not beating anyone. It's like the Ravens without Lamar. Their chances of winning go significantly downhill without him. No Ovi-no winning.

But even with Ovechkin, the Caps are "just another team". I think Stats Nerd said it well a month or so ago. They don't do anything great and they don't do anything poorly. They're just a decent, middle of the road hockey team. Unfortunately, they're in a conference with four really good teams and there's likely no way they can get past two or three of them in the spring...if they even make the playoffs.

And no matter what the stats say, I Kuemper is having just a "so-so" season. He reminds me of Varlamov a bit in that he seems to give up a shaky goal almost every game.

The Caps title window has shut. They got their Stanley Cup five years ago. This is now about Ovi's chase for Gretzky's record. The organization's interests have shifted. Settle in for a couple of years of mediocre hockey while Ovechkin tries to surpass #99's goal scoring record."

Steve in Hunt Valley asks -- "Hi Drew, I've noticed on Twitter you have your CHC golf team doing a variety of exercises and I assume most of them are golf specific and I was wondering if you would share them in the Morning Dish. Are they just for junior golfers or for all golfers in general? It's inspiring to see your young men in the gym like that a few months before the season. Thanks."

DF says -- "Thanks, Steve. We're the only team that I know of in the conference with a dedicated five-week fitness program leading up to the start of the season. We take a lot of pride in it. The exercises we do are perfect for any golfer, young or old. Because we play in March and April when it's still cold, we do involve some light running, both just for general fitness and also to get some good, fresh, cold air in their lungs and help them start adapting to cold weather activity. We'll generally do a mile a day of running.

We also do a lot of work with the medicine ball. You can YouTube "medicine ball golf exercises" and get some great ideas. We use the medicine ball for rotational strength, mostly. And we also do a lot of "box jumping" on 12", 24" and 30" boxes. We try to get 75 or more of those done every day we're together in the workout room. This helps with hip strength and extension at impact of the golf swing.

One other form of activity that's awesome for golf is swimming. If you have the ability to get in a pool and swim for 15-20 minutes as part of your routine, do it. If we had access to a pool in January or February at CHC, we'd be doing a lot of swimming. Alas, that's MIAA swim season and the pool isn't available. But swimming is a great way to get in shape for almost any sport, including golf."

Mike C. asks -- "What do you make of Manny's announcement he's going to opt out of his deal in San Diego after this season? Any chance he's plotting a return to Baltimore to take care of unfinished business?"

DF says -- "The first thing I "make" of it is that you're making $35 million a year and living in San Diego and you want to leave? Something's definitely wrong with you. I think we all know what Manny's ultimate baseball-dream is -- either play in New York for the Yankees or in Miami for the Marlins.

He's not coming back to Baltimore. He didn't care about playing in Baltimore when he played here the first time, why would we come back for round two? I could also see a scenario where the Angels can't afford to keep Ohtani and Machado somehow finagles his way to the Angels for $250 million over 6 years or something insane like that. He'd be a perfect fit with the Angels. He can make $40-$45 million a year and they can go 77-85 every year."

Randy asks -- "With the renovation of the Baltimore arena do you see any chance at all of minor league hockey returning to Baltimore or the Blast leaving Towson and going back to the arena?"

DF says -- "I haven't followed minor league hockey in so long I have no idea who is in what league. Could minor league hockey work in Baltimore? Eh, maybe. We're barely a "major league" town, so I'm not sure minor league sports are a good fit. But the new building would certainly attract some interested parties, I'm sure.

It seems to me the Blast have found their niche at SECU Arena on the campus of Towson University. They're regularly drawing crowds of 3,000 there and while they're obviously restricted from an attendance standpoint, they can price their tickets accordingly and perhaps make as much from a revenue standpoint with 3,000 people as they could with 6,000 downtown.

I don't know anything about their expenses at Towson vs. the downtown arena, but I think they're probably not looking to make back to the new building. But maybe they could play a game or two there every season? That would be cool, even if just for old times sake."

---

Two radio programming notes to remind you of: I will be hosting my golf show, "Fairways and Greens", on 105.7 tomorrow, Sunday, from 12-1 pm.

And this Monday, February 20, I'll be hosting the 6 pm to 9 pm shift on 105.7, talking all sports in general.

Hope you can tune in one or both days.

Friday February 17, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3098

"now that...was sports like it should be"

I attended a remarkable sporting event last night just outside of Washington D.C.

Incredible, really.

The players and their performance, plus the conduct of the students, were an awesome representation of what I hoped I would see when I decided to attend the event.

As one parent of the winning team said to me afterwards, "Now that...was sports like it should be."

Last night, I gave up an opportunity to watch Maryland beat Purdue in person and, in exchange, I ventured to the Ice Gardens in Laurel to watch the Spalding-Calvert Hall MIAA ice hockey championship.

The teams battled through two scoreless periods before Spalding poked the puck into the net with a little over 4 minutes remaining in the game. They held on from there, withstanding a serious challenge from the Cardinals, and the Cavaliers won, 1-0, avenging last year's title game loss to that same Calvert Hall team.

The arena was packed, one half filled with enthusiastic Archbishop Spalding supporters and the other jammed with a few hundred Calvert Hall fans.

Dale Williams was front and center for Maryland-Purdue and he has the full report below on Maryland's convincing win. I wish I would have been there. I saw the Terps-Illinois game back in December and the building was electrifying that night.

But I'm sure glad I made the decision to bypass College Park last night and instead, stopped 20 minutes earlier in Laurel for the hockey game. It was an "instant classic", both in the way the teams played and the way the students in the stands conducted themselves.

Two weeks ago I witnessed an ugly scene where a group of students and student-athletes were a poor representation of the mission their educational institution lays out for them on a daily basis. It was, in a word, embarrassing.

Last night was the exact opposite. Everything from start to finish was a proud moment for each school.

Both teams played hard. If not for the respective play of the two goaltenders, the score might have been 5-4 instead of 1-0. The action flowed from end to end. No cheap shots. No head hunting. Just good, clean, well played hockey.

Both student bodies were remarkably composed. Sure, they were enthusiastic and certainly "favored" their school when something went their way on the ice. But when the game ended, everyone filed out respectfully and, even in the crowded lobby, where family members and friends waited for both teams to emerge from the locker room, there was never a moment of concern.

There was no friction between students or family members or friends. Everyone mingled and greeted players and coaches as they made their way into the lobby. Had you just flown in from Pluto, you would have probably thought this was one school's intramural final or something of that nature.

"You played your heart out," I told one of my varsity golfers who is a member of the Hall hockey team. "You have nothing to be ashamed of. They scored one goal. You guys didn't score. It can't get much closer. The other guys try, too."

A Spalding hockey parent came up to me, my Calvert Hall Golf apparel apparently giving away some kind of affiliation with the golf program. He mentioned that his son's good friend plays for Spalding's golf team and we chatted briefly about the upcoming golf season, which will feature two Spalding-Calvert Hall matches.

"This was a great game tonight," he said as our conversation shifted to what we just saw on the ice.

I remarked about the play of the two goaltenders and how much the action just went up-and-down with very few stoppages.

"The students were awesome from both schools," he continued. "I was surprised to see how many kids were here from Calvert Hall given how far away this is."

"It was an awesome environment," I said.

"Now that was the way sports should be," the Spalding parent stated.

I couldn't have agreed more.

And I left the arena thinking to myself, "I made the right decision on which sporting event to see in person tonight..."

---

Much is now being made out of the fact that the Ravens apparently didn't "involve" Lamar Jackson in the interview process for the team's offensive coordinator.

Dog days, remember?

I remarked here six weeks ago that John Harbaugh's mention of that very thing was wildly overblown by the team's fan base.

"He (Lamar) will be involved in it," Harbaugh said back on January 20. "I'll keep him abreast to what's going on, and I'm sure he'll have some input along the way. But I know his focus – like he told me – is going to be on getting himself ready and getting his guys ready for next season."

To some, that meant that Lamar would be given the list of the eight finalists and be allowed to call them all and "interview" them himself.

That's also what some local radio hosts in town assumed, too.

Harbaugh, of course, never said anything of the sort. "Involved in it" could be as simple as saying to Lamar, "We have (XXXX) in the building tomorrow for an interview. Stop in at 12 noon and say hi. We'll be in the cafeteria having lunch and you guys can chat for a little while."

"I'm sure he'll have some input along the way" could be nothing more than, "Here's the four guys we've zeroed in on. Feel free to check them out through your circle of football people and get back to me if anything -- good or bad -- jumps out at you."

The Ravens don't even know if Lamar Jackson will be their quarterback in 2023. Why on earth would they give him anything more than cursory participation in who they might hire as their offensive coordinator?

I totally understand what a lot of people are doing in Baltimore these days: They're scrambling for any "Gotcha!" moment they can with Harbaugh. It's very obvious, even from 35,000 feet.

"Another Harbaugh lie," one loon said yesterday on the local airwaves. "They probably hired the guy Lamar didn't want just to piss him off so much that he doesn't sign the franchise tag."

Yep, that's it. You figured those Ravens out. "Why don't we do something that might not be good for our franchise just so we can aggravate our (potential) franchise quarterback."

To borrow one of the great lines from Mr. Hand in Fast Times At Ridgemont High, "What are you people...on dope?"

The Ravens have no idea if Lamar is going to be playing in Baltimore or elsewhere in 2023. They have the ability to keep him, of course, by applying the franchise tag, but that might not ultimately be what they feel is best for the long term. If they can't sign Lamar in the next few weeks, they have to, at the very least, at least listen to what other teams might offer them for Jackson.

But having Lamar involved in the offensive coordinator search and hire was never going to happen. It surely would have happened had the Ravens been able to sign Jackson in January. I'm quite certain of that.

Failing that, though, there was no reason to involve Lamar other than to give him the courtesy, perhaps, of keeping him up to speed on who was next on the interview list.

And even then, there's no telling if Jackson would even respond to those texts.

---

The G.O.A.T. did a very G.O.A.T. thing yesterday when Tiger Woods rescued himself from a drab, dreary round of golf and turned it into a promising first round score of two under 69 at Riveria CC in Los Angeles.

Woods birdied 16, 17 and 18 to electrify the huge gallery on hand for the opening round of the Genesis Invitational.

As I remarked on Twitter afterwards, "Tiger, on one leg, just beat 100 of the best players in the world. Icon."

Now, one round does not a tournament make, and a number of TOUR players who have been around him this week say the 15-time major champion is still walking with a pronounced limp. It could easily all unravel today in the second round. He'll likely need a round of even par (or better) to make the 36-hole cut.

But for one day, at least, we all got to see what we knew but still wanted to witness in the flesh: Tiger is still as good as anyone in the world at actually hitting a golf ball. He routinely outdrove both Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas yesterday, hitting several tee balls over 300 yards.

On one occasion when he hit it past Justin Thomas off the tee, Woods discreetly slipped a feminine hygiene product into J.T.'s hand. The two shared a laugh as they walked down the fairway.

Keith Mitchell and Max Homa share the first round lead at 7-under par.

The ever-present Jon Rahm is one shot back at 6-under. He was, you might recall, one of our "win-bet" suggestions for you on Wednesday here at #DMD.

But on the first day of the Genesis, no one was talking about Homa or Mitchell.

The talk was all about Tiger and his return to the TOUR for the first time since last July. And unlike St. Andrews, where he sputtered his way around the course for two days, Woods looked the part yesterday.

He'll be under the gun again today in round two, but Thursday was certainly a very promising start.

	dale williams aims the terps spotlight
DALE WILLIAMS returns for his 8th season of covering all things Maryland men's basketball for #DMD. Terps Spotlight will preview and review all games in the 2022-2023 season.

terps pound purdue with second half offensive spree

College basketball can be a crazy game.

With a comfortable early second half 8-point lead, and seemingly on cruise control, Purdue got tagged with a technical foul that stopped their momentum and lit a fire under the home Terrapins.

Kevin Willard’s team then put a frantic game deciding 29-4 run on the shell shocked and overwhelmed Boilermakers that cemented Maryland’s first win over a top 3 team in almost 9 years Final from College Park: Maryland 68-Purdue 54.

It was a dominant second half that saw the Terps ou trebound Purdue 18-7 and outscore them 43-26 after trailing Purdue by 3 (28-25) in the first half.

The Boilermakers had just 1 offensive rebound in a final 20 minutes that also saw them outscored in the paint by Maryland, 24-10. A suddenly confident Terp team made 4 of 5 threes in the second half and were perfect from the foul line going 5 for 5.

I think blitzed is the right word.

Maryland, for 10 minutes, blitzed Purdue to the tune of 32 to 6. It was 10 minutes of offensive and defensive perfection for the Maryland team while panic and frustration ruled Purdue.

Jahmir Young led all Terp scorers with 20 points. Hakim Hart added 13 (11 in the 2nd half) and Juju Reese tallied 10 points and 9 rebounds. Young and Hart were the propellants for the Terrapin 2nd half run, but every Terp who entered the game in the final 20 minutes made a solid contribution.

Zach Edey and Braden Smith each had 18 points for the Boilermakers. Those two combined to make 16 of their 28 shots while the rest of their team went just 6 for 22.

The game started with two Edey touches and two Edey turnovers but the Terps couldn’t capitalize despite several offensive rebounds. It was Juju Reese who got the Terps on the board with their first two buckets. Maryland, again, struggled to hit shots from the start.

Four Purdue turnovers helped negate the 1 for 8 early Terp shooting. Both teams then settled down and started having success inside. At the first TV timeout, Purdue led 8-6.

The lead would change hands twice in the next 2 minutes as Hakim Hart managed an old-school three-point play, but the Boilermaker’s Smith countered with a reverse layup.

The first successful three-point shot of the game came from an unlikely source, Maryland’s Patrick Emilien. That shot tied the game at 18 all with just under 6 minutes left in the first half. Maryland was shooting just 32% from the field, but they hit the lone three and held a 3-0 advantage from the foul line.

The Terps had yet to be whistled for a foul while Purdue had amassed 5 personal fouls.

At 3:47 Purdue finally was awarded some foul shots when Mason Gillis was fouled in the act. He buried both, giving Purdue a 24-20 lead. Edey made the lead 6 when he pushed in a short jumper after a Terp turnover.

Not much scoring occurred, on either side, from this point on. Purdue, in possession of the ball with 21 seconds left in the half, failed to get off a shot as some well timed strategic Maryland fouls helped choke out the clock with the Boilermakers leading 28-25.

The 8-2 Terp advantage in free throw points could have been even greater if not for Reese missing two in a row and Ian Martinez failing on the front end of a one and one. As it was, the Terps were able to offset their 31% shooting by winning at the foul line, 8-2.

The Terps were doing a great job of making Edey work hard for his 8 first half points. His limited touches and forced kickouts reflected the focus that Maryland had in keeping him quiet. Edey also had just 3 rebounds, plus 2 personal fouls.

The Terps also collected 6 offensive rebounds compared to just 2 for Purdue. Also noteworthy was that Emilien’s made three stood up as the only one of the first 20 minutes as the two teams combined to shoot 1 of 11 from the three point line.

The first 4 minutes of the second half became a “block party” for Purdue. Half of the Terps first 6 shots were rejected. Two blocks went to Edey and one help-side block came from Smith. Smith also hit the Boilermakers first triple, while Edey added 2 buckets of his own.

Terp coach Kevin Willard called a timeout with his team trailing by 8, 37-29. Purdue was methodically stretching the lead and looked to be in total control.

The Boilermaker lead, and then some, would be gone in a flash. First, Young hit a shot jumper with time running out on the shot clock. The next sequence changed the whole game

Mason Gillis was charged with a foul while chasing a rebound. His protests of that call earned him a technical foul. Young dropped the two foul shots, and that was followed by three Terp baskets in the paint after Purdue missed quick shots on their end. A lightning quick 10-0 run had Maryland up 2, 39-37.

A Brandon Newman triple briefly returned the lead back to Purdue but the Terps answered with 4 straight points to go ahead 43-40 at the under twelve minute timeout. The second of those baskets was a dunk by Emilien that ignited the loud and rowdy home crowd.

The Terp run hit 16-3 when Young penetrated for another short jumper. Maryland now had their biggest lead at 5, 45-40. The Terrapin lead would get bigger. Hart tried a corner three, and the deafening crowd let everyone know that the shot found the bottom of the net. Maryland now had a 9 point-bulge and they were far from finished.

Ian Martinez got into the act with a driving layup on which he was fouled. He hit the foul shot. Purdue was in the midst of a huge scoring drought, and as they continued to struggle, the Terps would continue to make shots.

Maryland ran the lead to as much as 17 points, 58-41. It was a 29-4 run, all fueled by that technical foul. Maryland was making almost 70% of their shots while Purdue was shooting, and missing a bunch of threes.

It's hard to describe how frenetic the pace was during that decisive 10-minute block of action. It seemed as though every possession had Purdue taking a quick shot and missing. Maryland grabbed the rebound and went directly to the rim to score. The next sequence would be the same thing. Like Bill Murray in “Groundhog Day” but in fast-forward. One of the loudest XFINITY Center crowds in recent memory did their part too.

That 17-point bulge was one Purdue just couldn’t overcome. The two teams traded points for a while before Donta Scott added some salt to the wound with a shot clock buzzer beating banked in three. When all was said and done, Maryland had a 68-54 win and the students were storming the court.

For thirty minutes last night, (the first 24 and the last 6) the game went pretty much as I expected. Edey controlled the interior and a poised Purdue team was patiently doing their thing and looking like the better team.

But, wow, those other ten minutes featured some dominating ball from Maryland mixed in with some panic from Purdue.

Not to be lost in the shuffle were the 40 minutes of high pressure, high intensity, defense that Maryland threw at Purdue last night. That level of pressure seemed to force Purdue into a pace with which they weren’t comfortable.

Also, the effort to double Edey and force him to pass the ball out of the post paid dividends when two Purdue starters failed to score and the other only had 6 points.

Four of Maryland’s last five conference games are against the bottom four teams in the league. The other game is a home court battle against second place (10-5) Northwestern.

With a 9-6 record and currently in a tie for third place in the Big Ten, Maryland has put themselves in a strong position for an enviable seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament.

FS1 will broadcast Sunday’s game at Nebraska. Gametime is 5p.m.

faith in sports

These three aren't all current K.C. Chiefs any longer, but the message still resonates. And with the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl last Sunday, we thought we'd give Kansas City their due today here in "Faith in Sports".

Thanks, as always, to our friends at Freestate Electrical for their support of #DMD and our regular Friday feature.

Thursday February 16, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3097

"a year later, has anything changed?"

There's a huge basketball game down in College Park tonight, as Maryland takes on one of the nation's top teams in Purdue. Dale Williams takes care of our full preview below.

The Terps' early-season win over Illinois has been tempered somewhat over the last five weeks as the Fighting Illini have turned into a middle of the pack kind of squad, but make no mistake about it, tonight's Purdue team is a legit contender for a top 1 or 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament in March. There's nothing "middle of the pack" about the Boilermakers.

Kevin Willard has -- with the exception perhaps of that home drubbing by UCLA back in December -- engineered quite a first season at Maryland. A win tonight vs. Purdue would get the Terps firmly into the discussion as a top 5 seed in March.

Meanwhile, we're gonna tackle some questions from the mailbag today. As always, you're welcome to throw a question my way by e-mailing me: 18inarow@gmail.com

John C. asks -- "Drew, a question for your Dish mailbag here. Is there a hole at Mount Pleasant you've birdied more than any other? I played there last Sunday (2/12) and birdied the 5th hole and it got me to thinking that I have probably birdied that hole at least 50 times in my life. I'm 48 and I've played the Mount probably 500 times in my life. What about you? Any holes at the Mount stand out for you?"

DF says -- "I have no idea why, but I've definitely birdied the 12th hole at Mount Pleasant more than any other one on the course. I have no idea how many times I've birdied it, but by far it's my best hole there. Funny enough, I might say #5 there is one of my least birdied holes! So congrats to you for make a lot of birdies there. I could never hit it close enough to the hole on that huge green."

Ben asks -- "I've been seeing the previews for the Netflix series about the PGA Tour and LIV Golf is a central part of the series. I'm just wondering what you think about LIV Golf now that they have a year under their belt? Has anything changed in the way you think about them?"

DF says -- "Nothing's changed in terms of my opinion. I think the whole thing is awful.

From a golf standpoint, I think the bloom is off the LIV rose at this point and they've secured all of the big names they're going to secure by now. And even with some of those big names, no one cares who wins and no one is watching their events. Nobody is rushing to their TV or their computer to see how Cameron Smith or Louis Oosthuizen is doing in the next LIV event.

And the players who did go only got one thing: Money. They lost everything else. They squandered their position in the world rankings, they damaged their reputation, their spoiled whatever legacy they had created with their PGA Tour careers and, most importantly -- or worst of all -- they jumped directly into bed with a government that helped fund the 9/11 attacks on our country.

In one of the episodes of the "Full Swing" series on Netflix, Dustin Johnson summed it up perfectly: "For me, it was easy. Less golf. More money." That's the story right there. He doesn't care about golf or legacy or anything else. He just wanted more money and wanted to do less work for it. So, he got that. He also tarnished his golf legacy in the process. But he's definitely rich, which is really all he wants. Or, actually, "more rich" than he was before he jumped ship to play for those creeps.

So, yes, those LIV guys definitely got their money. And in that regard, those players probably think they "won". But they've lost in every other way imaginable. That said, they knew going in what they were potentially going to lose. So it's hard to feel sorry for them.

The same goes for the Saudis who continue to fund the LIV circuit. They gave Brooks Koepka $100 million and he can't break an egg, let alone par. They gave Phil Mickelson $200 million and he hasn't threatened a Sunday leaderboard over the last 8 months. Hard to feel sorry for them, either."

Chris Pratt asks -- "With today's (Wednesday's) news that the Ravens told offensive coordinator candidates they interviewed that Lamar might not be their QB in 2023, what do you think that says about his chances of returning?"

DF says -- "I'm not sure. That could be a smokescreen by the Ravens to push Lamar into thinking they're seriously considering franchising him and trading him. It could be the truth, too. They actually don't really know if they're going to be able to make a deal with him and now they're starting to consider the ramifications of having him on a $45 million franchise tag and what that does to their cap and their ability to improve their roster.

I think they're probably still going through the entire process and felt it was best to be honest with every candidate. "We think he'll be here with us but we can't give you that full assurance he'll be here."

I said here yesterday at #DMD it was my best guess that's exactly what they told Todd Monken and it didn't matter to him. He wanted to get back into the NFL and Baltimore was a good fit for him, with or without Lamar at QB."

Ed Cress asks -- "Your thoughts on Major League Baseball agreeing to continue the extra-innings rule in 2023?"

DF says -- "I talked about this on Glenn Clark's show this week. I've changed my tune on the rule a little bit now that we've seen it in play for a while. I see the reasoning behind it. I get it. Baseball is looking to avoid 13, 14 and 15 inning games that wreck pitching staffs for 5 days. I do understand that.

But putting a guy on 2nd to start the inning -- with no outs -- just seems too easy. Why not do this: Give the manager his choice. Start the inning with a runner on 2nd and one out...or start the inning with a runner on 1st and no outs? I have no idea which of those two would be the prevailing choice, but it just seems like, at the very least, a runner on 2nd with 1 out might not yield as many quick wins.

That said, I do get that you need to get the game over with by the 11th or 12th inning, at the latest. I do think you need some kind of rule in place to expedite the game's conclusion."

J.R. asks -- "A Baltimore sports question for your next Q&A. Which Baltimore sports figure or athlete got the rawest deal ever in this town?"

DF says -- "Holy cow, what a question! The "rawest deal" ever? This one...I have to think about.

(20 minutes later) - Well, I think Mike Mussina got a raw deal in terms of the way people in town turned on him just because he signed with the Yankees. The Orioles tried to lowball him when they assumed he wouldn't leave as a free agent. And that move backfired on them. What was Mussina supposed to do, turn down an extra $20 million from the Yankees?

I also think Brian Billick got a raw deal in the way people beat him up on his way out of Baltimore. He came to town in 1999 and completely changed the culture of the entire organization. Not just the team, on the field, but the organization. Sure, he had Ray Lewis and Jon Ogden and that 2000 defense -- no disputing that. But Billick helped cultivate and produce a winning culture. That's hard to do. And then to see him get ridiculed by people in 2007 when things went sideways...it was, if I'm being honest, one of our town's more bush-league moments."

Trey in Hereford asks -- "Who are the next 10 Ravens who will go in their Ring of Honor?"

DF says -- Ten? Wow, that's a lot. Terrell Suggs will be their guy in 2023, I assume. Joe Flacco will go in at some point soon, for sure. So will John Harbaugh once he's finished coaching. Marlon Humphrey will be in someday. Justin Tucker is an obvious slam dunk. I'm guessing they'll put Sam Koch in within the next 2 or 3 years. I think there's a chance they'll put Jimmy Smith in, although I'm not 100% sure he's a Ring of Honor kind of performer.

Mark Andrews will get in at some point. Lamar Jackson will be in as long as this isn't the end of the road for him in Baltimore. If he were to somehow get traded this off-season, then maybe he won't get in. That's nine. I can't think of ten."

Marcus asks -- "I was sorry to read about the passing of Jim Pollihan. I worked at Burger King for 20 years and had the pleasure of meeting Jim a number of times when we sponsored the Blast. A question for your website. Where would he rank on your list of all time Blast greats?"

DF says -- "Jimmy was an outstanding player but I think he would have said, by his own admission, that his indoor career was winding down when he played for the Blast. He had a really good season in 1981-82, then started seeing his playing time dwindle in '82-83. By '83-84, he was basically a role player. So in that regard, he wouldn't rank on an "all-time" list of the team's greatest players.

But he was certainly on the team's list of all-time great gentlemen. He was the consumate team player. And he became an outstanding assistant coach with the Blast and then, later, a terrific head coach with Harrisburg in the NPSL. He had a wonderful, successful life in the sport of soccer."

	dale williams aims the terps spotlight
DALE WILLIAMS returns for his 8th season of covering all things Maryland men's basketball for #DMD. Terps Spotlight will preview and review all games in the 2022-2023 season.

terps host purdue tonight

With Maryland having lost to Purdue on January 22nd by just 3 points (58-55) and now facing the Boilermakers at the XFINITY Center, one would think the Terps have a bit of an advantage tonight.

I mean, if you lose by three on the road, you should be able to better that result at home. Add to that the fact that Purdue has lost 2 of their last 3nd games (both losses were on the road) and the chances for the Terps look even brighter, right? Well, maybe. Maybe not.

The Terps should shoot way better tonight than the 3 for 21 that they put up from the three-point line in the first game.

Combine that with the unlikely probability of Jahmir Young shooting 4 for 18 again, and things don’t look horrible for Maryland this evening.

Another good sign that the Terps might upset the number 3 team in the country is the prospect of the reversal of Maryland’s 8-point deficit from the foul line with Maryland now at home. We’ve certainly seen, this year more than others, how that “Home Cooking” works.

But even with the advantages listed above, I still have to lean towards Purdue tonight because of what I saw in the first game.

In the January contest, the Terp shots seemed really hard to get. I’m not necessarily referring to the total points scored (even though it was just 56), but I’m more concerned with how tough some of the shots they took, and even made, were.

Yes, they had some dunks and layups in the second half especially, but it seemed like so many Terp offensive possessions ended with a really tough shot. That’s not the way to beat a team that has the number 1 offensive weapon in the country with the huge Zach Edey.

I also believe that the Boilermaker’s head coach, Matt Painter, will have his squad much better prepared for the Terrapin pressure on the ball.

Purdue committed 15 turnovers in the first game, and that won’t repeat tonight. I mentioned the 3 for 21 Terp three-point shooting, and Maryland surely should improve upon that, but Purdue made just 2 of 13. The Boilermakers drop an average of 7 triples a game, and they are far more likely to make 7 than 2 tonight.

Zach Edey will be the star of tonight’s game as the 7’4” giant makes his bid for Big Ten and National Player of the Year. He had 24 points and 16 rebounds against the Terps in their previous meeting and I expect Purdue to use him even more tonight.

Of his 16 rebounds in the first meeting, 7 came off the offensive glass. His offensive touches tonight won’t be so reliant upon him grabbing someone else’s misses.

A huge factor in the first game was the Boilermaker’s choice to defend Jahmir Young with Ethan Morton, and the 6’7” junior used his size advantage to frustrate Maryland’s top scorer. Young made none of his 6 threes and, as mentioned above, hit just 4 of 18 overall. Look for Morton to attempt to duplicate that effort tonight.

For a full report on the Purdue starting lineup, you can browse the DMD archives for the January 22nd issue. The condensed version is right here. Edey’s supporting cast is just “OK”, but will contribute far more than they did in January’s game. Edey will dominate, and the Terps will drop their first conference home game of the season.

The very early line had Maryland as a two-point underdog. That was quickly bet down to 1.5 points.

Purdue has a horse in Edey but the rest of the team won’t allow Purdue to run away from the Terps. That translates into a Purdue win over a competitive Maryland team that just can’t get enough late stops to pull off the upset.

Too much Edey and too little Terrapin offense leads to a Purdue win by 6, 68-62.

Wednesday February 15, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3096

"the ravens offense has been fixed!"

Depending on how you view things, the Ravens either fixed their offense on Tuesday or just brought in the town's next football whipping boy.

Most initial opinions I read and heard yesterday from the purple faithful about Todd Monken were typically centered on one of those two.

"Now we have a guy in town who knows how to coordinate an offense and get the very best out of Lamar!"

"Meh, they couldn't get Bieniemy so they went with the college guy who failed in Cleveland and couldn't even get hired in Tampa Bay three weeks ago when he interviewed with them."

I heard both of those comments yesterday on talk radio and saw a gazillion more just like it on the internet.

I even heard someone yesterday say, "I'm very non-plussed about this hiring..."

Editor's note: "Non-plussed" has always been one of those words I "think" I know how to use correctly in a sentence but I'm not quite sure. So I usually just avoid it.

It's similar to the difference between infer and imply. I hear people use those two words incorrectly all the time. I hear and read people -- smart people at that -- use the word "literally" incorrectly time after time as well.

And I've heard really, really intelligent folks say "I could care less", which is probably my all-time pet peeve of pet peeves.

It's "I couldn't care less", bro. Come on, man, think about what you're saying.

Me? I have no idea at all what to think about the hiring of Todd Monken. Actually, I'll amend that. I do "think" it's a very good hire. But I also know this: I have no idea if he'll work out in Baltimore or will flop in Baltimore. There's no science to it from what I can tell.

Here's what I do know: Monken sure did a great job at the University of Georgia. Then again, he had at his disposal a handful of the best players in college football. If he couldn't succeed with those guys, shame on him.

But no matter his roster in Athens or his history in the NFL, Monken seems like the kind of guy the Ravens like. Someone looking to prove themselves after a not-so-successful NFL run and a really impressive, albeit short, streak of success at the college level.

I think that's an underrated element of hiring someone. Often times, the person looking to "re-prove" themselves is the one with the most fire in their belly.

The only guess I'm going to make about Monken is that he's taking the gig not being all that concerned about who the quarterback will be in Baltimore.

I don't know if others who are currently employed by NFL teams were wary of taking the job in Baltimore without a rock-solid guarantee that they'd be coordinating a Lamar Jackson-led offense, but my hunch is that Monken wanted another shot in the NFL and didn't care if Jackson was locked and loaded or a "maybe".

Beggars can't be choosers, after all. You want a job in the NFL? Here's one for you. We don't know who our starting quarterback will be quite yet but we "think" it's going to be Lamar. If you want the gig, you're coming to town with that little note as part of the equation.

It's not really about money. Monken made $2 million as the offensive coordinator at Georgia. Greg Roman made $3.5 million in Baltimore. I'm sure there's a happy in-between somewhere that both the Ravens and Monken quickly agreed upon when the position was formally offered to him.

The Ravens had a dozen guys they could have hired, presumably. They must feel like Monken's the best fit, just like they thought Mike Macdonald was the best fit this time last year as their new defensive coordinator.

But anyone running around saying "this was a great hire!" or "this is a terrible hire" is just saying that to say it.

It's a great hire if Baltimore's offense improves and it's not a great hire if their offense doesn't improve. As the great Charley Eckman would routinely say: "It's a very simple game."

With or without Lamar in 2023, Monken has a tough task ahead of him. People tend to forget in Baltimore -- it's one of our collective specialties, you might know -- that Greg Roman with Lamar was a pretty solid duo. Greg Roman without Lamar? Not so solid.

So if Monken does, in fact, get Lamar in 2023, he better coordinate the living heck out of that offense and the Ravens better rank in the top 5 in a lot of different categories if Monken doesn't want to feel the wrath of one of the most impatient and unrealistic sports fan bases in the entire country.

And if he doesn't get Lamar in 2023, Monken will face the same quandary that Roman faced for several months over the last two seasons. And if that happens, people in Baltimore will still expect him to make lemonade out of lemons.

There's only one way the hiring of Todd Monken is "good": If the Ravens offense is outstanding and the team wins games, advances in the playoffs and reaches a Super Bowl. That's the expectation level he has to meet in Charm City.

Good luck, coach.

And one tip from the top for you...

Delete the Twitter app from your phone.

---

A quick radio programming note for those interested. I will be back on the air with my golf show, "Fairways and Greens", this Sunday from 12-1 pm on 105.7 The Fan.

And this Monday, February 20, I'll be hosting three hours of general sports talk -- with some golf mixed in, I'm figuring -- from 6 pm to 9 pm on 105.7 The Fan.

I hope you get the chance to tune in once or on both occasions.

---

The Orioles yesterday announced that the great Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will be performing at Camden Yards on Saturday, September 9th.

That makes four shows in the Baltimore/Washington area between the end of March and that September 9 date. His Baltimore indoor show is April 7 at the downtown arena. I'll be there for that one.

I got several e-mails and Twitter direct messages from people yesterday asking about the September 9 show and whether I'm going or interested in a ticket(s) if they get an extra one or two when they go on sale.

My answer: I'm not sure.

And I know people are bellyaching about ticket prices on this tour, but I've never been one to complain about the cost of such things. You want to see (something) and it's $500? $1,000? Pay it. Or don't.

You want a Tesla? They're $50,000 to start. Pay it. Or don't. But don't whine about it.

And as Springsteen has said, on the record, about the prices for tickets to see him and the band on this particular tour: "If you go to the show and don't get your money's worth, we'll give you your money back."

I realize that's actually impractical and I'm sure Bruce does as well. But, in reality, it's never about the money when it comes to a Bruce Springsteen concert. He gives more than he gets for 3 hours or so. No one ever disputes that.

I saw Adam Duritz and the Counting Crows sleepwalk through a lazy 2 hour show at Pier Six in Baltimore 15 years ago. On that night, I would have been well within my rights to wait for the band's manager at their tour bus and say, "I want my $60 back."

This April 7 show will mark the 28th time I've seen Bruce. I'm an enthusiastic Bruce supporter, for sure. And I've never been shortchanged at one show. Not one.

Truth of the matter...most times when I leave the show I'm looking for a big jar where I can add a "gratuity" for what I've just witnessed. I always feel like I got the better end of the bargain.

But, I'm still watching his setlist choices from the first six shows of the current tour and they remain mostly unchanged. That bothers me.

I was excited to see that last night in Houston he kicked-off the show with "Night" from the Born To Run album, but the next six songs followed along with what he and the band have done at each show over the last two weeks.

I won't go as far as to say it's "cookie cutter", since each show does feature 2 or 3 different songs from the previous show's setlist. But there's a lack of variety that's just not very inspiring to me, as a lifelong Springsteen junkie.

I realize I'm in the minority. 80% of the people in the venue are likely seeing him for the first or second time and they don't care what songs he plays and sings. But I do.

If the setlist is going to mostly be the same on September 9 as it will be on April 7, I'll probably pass on that Camden Yards show. Anyway, thanks to those of you who reached out via e-mail or Twitter. I'm definitely in a "wait and see" mode.

genesis invitational preview

Just like last week at TPC Scottsdale, this week's PGA Tour event at Riveria CC in Los Angeles has certain "course specs" that are difficult to ignore when trying to ascertain who might wind up playing well.

Last week, the guys who putt Bermuda greens the best were favored and, for the most part, delivered performances that won you some money if you wagered on them smartly.

This week's course is wide open, with little OB or penalty areas. It's also fairly short by TOUR standards, as most of the traditional country club layouts tend to be. The par-5 first hole, for example, can be reached in two shots by nearly every player in the field and some will play the hole with an iron off the tee. That's really short.

Riveria generally favors players who fade the ball off the tee. That's been the calling card of nearly every winner of the last 25 years. If you hit it right to left (for a right handed player), you're facing an uphill battle.

The putting surfaces are poa annua, which means guys who grew up on the West Coast have a distinct advantage in this one. That is, if the rest of their game is steady and intact.

But the main guys to feature are those who can work the ball from left to right off the tee.

I'm going back to Xander Schauffele (+1600) again this week because I think his short game woes from a week ago were a fluke. He putted and chipped horribly at TPC Scottsdale and yet still finished in the Top 10. He drives it great and should know the Poa greens as a San Diego native.

If you're talking about hitting fades, no one in golf does it better than Jon Rahm. I know he's due for a stinker at some point soon since all he's done so far in 2023 is either win or be in the hunt nearly every single time he's played, but there doesn't seem to be any let-up in his quality. You're not getting great odds (+750) with him, admittedly, but I still think you're silly to not play him.

I know Collin Morikawa had a disaster on the greens last week at TPC Scottsdale, but I look for a massive rebound from him this week in Southern California. I love his number, too, at +2000. He can win every single week. If his putter behaves, watch out.

And any time Tony Finau gets to play a course that favors a fade-bias-shot, you have to think he's going to contend over the four days. He's not in a great spot betting wise at +1600, but that's still plenty good enough to get you a nice return on a win or top 5 wager. Riveria CC feels like the kind of place Finau should conquer as he continues to prove he's one of the best 10 players in the world when he's on his game.

Two healthy "long shot" wagers for this week are Wyndham Clark (+10000) and Kurt Kitayama (+15000). Both of those guys play courses well that don't have much rough and are generous off the tee. Sprinkle them in with your win wager guys and your top 10 plays as well. I wouldn't be shocked to see either of them hovering around the leaderboard on Sunday, somewhere.

Tuesday February 14, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3095

this one's tough

I knew several days ago I'd be writing about the death of former Baltimore Blast player, coach and longtime friend of mine, Jim Pollihan.

I just didn't know when I'd be writing it.

Pollihan collapsed on Sunday, February 5 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania while playing his usual Sunday afternoon pick-up soccer game.

For a day or two, doctors had hope that tests and scans would show the 68-year old would survive the cardiac incident.

By the middle of last week, they knew that wasn't going to happen. As is the case with a number of people who have to be revived, the damage was just too severe. Word spread quickly throughout the Blast "family" that the guy we all called "Polli" wasn't going to make it.

Pollihan never woke up and, on Sunday, February 12, he passed away quietly among family members at the Harrisburg hospital.

If there's any solace at all during a time like this, it's that Pollihan's last living, breathing day on Earth was spent on a soccer field. Other than being around his wife, Barb, and daughter, Madison, there's no place else Pollihan would have rather been. He was also an ardent golfer, but soccer was his first love for sure.

Jim Pollihan was a great player, a terrific coach and one of the best men you'd ever meet.

He was an All-American at Quincy College in St. Louis. He made 15 appearances for the United States National Team. He played in the North American Soccer League and, later, joined the fledgling Major Indoor Soccer League and will forever be known as the player who scored the first goal in league history while playing for the New York Arrows in 1978.

Pollihan played for the Blast from 1980 through 1985 and then joined the team as an Assistant Coach in 1986. He served as an Assistant to Kenny Cooper through the 1989-90 campaign, then joined the Harrisburg Heat of the (then) National Professional Soccer League in 1990 and spent almost a decade there as their head coach.

I spent a lot of time with Jim Pollihan. We traveled together with the Blast, roomed together on various road trips, and played a lot of golf in those years. As I've said here many times, I didn't start playing golf until I was 23 years old. Pollihan was one of the first people I played with who was actually "good" at golf and his passion for the sport definitely motivated me to improve and get better.

He was a left-handed golfer and his famous line, anytime I hit a bad shot in those days, was to say: "You know what you're problem is, Drewski? You're hitting from the wrong side of the ball."

Sometime around 2010 or so, I was attempting to qualify for the U.S. Mid-Amateur up in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. I shot 70 that day, which, for a while had me snagging one of the coveted spots for the national championship. But as players came in, I went from tied for first to tied for second to tied for third and, eventually, out of the running for one of the three places they were awarding.

"You look like you need a beer," I heard a familiar voice say from behind me.

I turned around and there was Pollihan, smiling, tan, and looking like someone who had just spent six hours on a soccer field at a youth camp.

"Had camp this morning but saw your name and tee time in the newspaper and thought I'd stop by and try and catch you," he said with a smile. I hadn't talked with Pollihan in a year or two, probably, but there he was, greeting an old friend and heading up to the snack bar to grab two cold refreshments so we could catch up on old times.

We would then see one another at various Blast-related events throughout the years. He was always among the fittest of the "old guys" and still talked about playing soccer "for fun" and spending time with his family. Jim settled nicely into retirement. He deserved it, too.

On the day of my first round at the U.S. Senior Open in 2021, I got to the course around 11:00 am and went downstairs to my locker to hang up the clothes I'd be wearing later that afternoon when I teed off at 2:51 pm.

On my locker was an envelope.

I opened it and there was a note from Jim Pollihan.

He could have found someone who knew my contact information and either texted me or e-mailed me. But he somehow reached out to Omaha Country Club and had the note delivered to me at my locker.

"I think the first time we played together you shot 120 with five mulligans! I can't tell you how proud I am to see what you've accomplished in golf. Best of luck today and this week. We're all rooting for you but you've already won. -- Jim Pollihan"

That was Jim Pollihan right there. Above and beyond. He was a good, good man.

Fans of the Blast teams from the early 1980's will remember him fondly as a hard nosed, tenacious defender. He was a mean so-and-so on the field and a gentleman off the field. He wasn't a dirty player. Not in the least. He was just a guy who would play you as hard and tough as the rules allowed and afterwards would treat you to a cold beer or two.

Jim Pollihan was a special man. I'm grateful to have known him.

---

In the aftermath of Sunday's Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, a number of bizarre and even "questionable" videos of Roger Goodell have surfaced.

No, no, no, not the Hunter Biden kind. Come on people, get your heads on straight.

But they are unsettling nonetheless.

Goodell, the Commissioner of the league, is seen on the field hugging various members of the Chiefs.

These aren't simple, gentlemanly handshakes for the winning coach, winning quarterback and winning owner, all of which would be acceptable after a championship game.

Instead, they are strange, lengthy and very questionable hugs from the Commissioner of the league to various players on the winning team.

And when I say "strange" and "questionable" I'm not in any way making a sexual reference.

I'm simply saying it doesn't look good. It looks bizarre, almost. But more than anything, it looks like a guy who is the Commissioner of the most powerful sports league in our country (and perhaps the world) doing something with players that I don't think any other Commissioner would ever do.

It's a horrible, horrible look for Roger Goodell.

Those of you who watch the NFL Draft no doubt have seen him do the same thing every April with all first round picks who are in attendance at the venue where the Draft is held.

Goodell welcomes them to the league with a strange, lengthy hug right there, on center stage, as if they're family members.

I have no idea if anyone has ever approached Goodell and mentioned how odd he looks doing that, but if so, the Commissioner is clearly dismissing their advice.

Sunday night after the game was a bizarre moment to say the least.

The league does a great job of removing any videos of the post-game hugs once they're up, so I'm trying my best to post one but to no avail. But they're out there, circulating, and it's hard to see any of those moments and not cringe.

A handshake? Sure.

Even a quick, half-a-man-hug might be OK.

But to stand there for 10-15 seconds and hugging various players on the winning team? Not a good look in the least.

Someone who just flew in from Pluto would even say the Commissioner looking "that happy" might even indicate the team he wanted to win did, in fact, win the game.

It's so weird. And Goodell should know better.

He's the only Commissioner in sports who does that sort of thing.

It's a terrible, terrible look.

---

This week's Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles has been propped up by the 2023 debut of Tiger Woods. Tee times will be published today, but his Thursday and Friday rounds will be followed by golf enthusiasts all over the country.

Jim Cleary sent me an e-mail yesterday and asked an interesting question about Woods that I thought I'd answer here today.

Would Woods ever use a golf cart in competition if the players in the field all approved of it and wanted him to ride to give him the fairest chance to compete?

I think the answer to that is "no" for a variety of reasons.

First, I don't think Tiger would ever want or use any kind of on-course advantage like riding in a cart while the rest of the field walked the course for four days.

Tiger knows if he rode and won that the historical placement of that victory would look like this:

2023 - 1st, Genesis Invitational (67-66-70-67)*

*indicates player used motorized golf cart while remainder of field did not

He'd never be given full credit for a win that took place while he rode in a cart and rightfully so.

And, more to Jim's question, I don't think players in the field would ever unanimously approve of Woods riding in a cart during a tournament.

In a practice round? Maybe.

That's still sketchy in my opinion, but I could see players not caring one way or the other if Woods rode the course during a practice round. Practice rounds on TOUR are optional, of course. If you want to "save your legs" for the actual event, you can simply bypass the practice rounds.

But in the actual tournament? I don't see any way players would approve of it. Nor should they.

Would a handful of players approve of Tiger riding in a cart this week at the Genesis? Maybe so. You might get 10-15 who say "Sure, he's great for the sport. We want him out here. It's not that big of a deal."

But you would get a lot of players objecting to it and rightfully so. It's not the way professional golf is played. You walk the course, plain and simple.

I've mentioned here a few times that Scott Verplank was granted use of a motorized golf cart at the 2021 U.S. Senior Open and a lot of players resented that decision. When it's 100 degrees and you're walking and a guy buzzes by you in his golf cart, it can set you off for sure.

Tiger's a different story because, you know, he's Tiger Woods, but the concept is the same.

"If I have to walk the course, every player should have to walk the course."

That's the way golfers feel and it doesn't matter if it's Tiger Woods limping around or some other player. Everyone walks. Or everyone rides. But never in between.

	RANDY MORGAN on American soccer
Americans are playing more and more of a vital role in international soccer these days, and Randy Morgan has his eyes on all of them for #DMD. Each week here, he looks at recent performances of American players and highlights upcoming games of importance.

european soccer recap

This week saw the title race in England tighten up ahead of a massive head to head between the top two teams in the league.

The German title race also remained tight while the leaders in Italy and Spain took care of business. It was a relatively quiet week for Americans, but one defender continues to stand out in the English Premier League.

We’ll also preview the knockout round of the Champions League which kicks off this afternoon.

European Roundup –

Champions League Preview

This week marks the return of the preeminent club competition in the world, with the Champions League knockout round set to begin. Sixteen teams remain and from this round on, the tournament shifts to two-legged home and home matchups with the aggregate winner moving on.

Despite some recent stumbles in the Premier League, Manchester City enters the knockout round as the prohibitive betting favorites, coming in at +170 to win the whole thing.

The next best odds to win belong to Bayern Munich, who appear to be regaining top form after a post-World Cup lull at +600. They are followed by their opponents in this round, Paris St. Germain and then Liverpool and reigning champs Real Madrid.

However, if you’ve been following these reports closely, you might be aware of another potential favorite. Runaway leaders of Italy’s Serie A, Napoli, are playing the best soccer of any team in Europe right now, and have been all season.

So while I don’t give out much betting advice in this space (though I did recommend Argentina to win the World Cup at +550), if you want a great value I’d suggest Napoli at +1200.

Obviously it's no guarantee, in a single elimination tournament anything can happen, but Napoli has been extremely impressive this season, with breakout stars Khvicha Khvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen leading their attack.

While they may not have quite the depth of the richest teams in the world like Man City and Bayern, they have plenty of talent to make a run and have proved this season they can manage without one or two of their stars for a time.

Napoli has talent at every level of the field and likely will be able to conserve minutes and energy in Serie A thanks to their large lead, allowing them to focus their resources on winning the Champions League, whereas Man City and Bayern look to be in tough title races in their leagues.

Napoli should have extra motivation to win this year, since they won’t have the luxury of bringing everybody back for another run next year if they fall short. Several of their key stars are almost certain to get bought by richer clubs after their breakout seasons.

This week features the first legs for four of the eight round of sixteen matchups. The highest profile pairing of the round kicks off on Tuesday afternoon between two of the top three favorites, Bayern Munich and Paris St. Germain.

The big question hanging over this match is the injury status of PSG star Kylian Mbappe. The superstar attacker was injured last week in Ligue 1 and faces an uphill battle to make it back for the game.

Bayern has played well in their last few games after a slight downturn after the restart of the German Bundesliga post-World Cup. PSG has not been in top form recently, but remains on top of Ligue 1 in France. The oddsmakers have this first leg in Paris as a toss-up, but Bayern is a slight favorite to advance to the next round at -155.

Also on Tuesday, reigning Serie A champions AC Milan host Tottenham. AC Milan has been struggling mightily since the league restarted after the World Cup, while Tottenham had been in good form until getting blown out by Leicester City this weekend.

Unfortunately for Tottenham they also lost key midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur to a season ending injury in that game. Despite that, Tottenham remains the favorite to advance from this pairing (-165), but AC Milan is favored to win this first leg at home.

American right back Sergino Dest has been dealing with some injuries and has been left off the roster for AC Milan for this round, so he will not appear.

Wednesday likely will feature another young American, with Gio Reyna and Borussia Dortmund hosting Chelsea.

Christian Pulisic is still sidelined with an injury for Chelsea, but Reyna has been on a scoring streak for Dortmund recently. Reyna is more likely to come off the bench than to start this one, as Dortmund has been closely monitoring his minutes to prevent further injuries. Chelsea has been trying to rebuild on the fly this season, attempting to integrate multiple high priced transfers at midseason.

They are the favorites to advance from the round (-177), but Dortmund is the favorite as the host in the opening leg. The German side has been playing well since the Bundesliga restarted, pushing Bayern Munich for the top spot in the title race.

Dortmund seems to be gelling at just the right time while Chelsea are still trying to figure out who they are.

The last matchup of the week brings together Portuguese league leaders Benfica and reigning Belgian champs, Brugge. Brugge was the Cinderella story of the group stage, but they have been in poor form of late, winning just one of their last five games and falling to fourth place in the Belgian league.

Benfica, on the other hand, are running away with the Portuguese league title and haven’t lost a game since the turn of the new year. They were a dark horse team in last year’s knockout round, pushing Liverpool to the brink before being eliminated. They look primed to make another underdog run this year as well, coming in as heavy favorites to advance from this matchup (-360).

England –

The Premier League title race got a little tighter this week. On Saturday, Arsenal squandered a late 1-0 lead against Brentford when Ivan Toney headed in a ball after a scramble around the box. The goal cost Arsenal two points as they had to settle for a draw.

Unlike last week, Manchester City took advantage this time around, convincingly dispatching Aston Villa 3-1 on Sunday.

The win pulls City to just three points behind Arsenal, with the teams set for their first showdown in the league on Wednesday.

It will be the biggest game of the year thus far in England and could go a long way to determining the title winner. The downside for Manchester City is that Erling Haaland left the game early with an injury and could miss the big game on Wednesday.

Manchester United remained in third place, playing Leeds twice in the same week and coming away with a 2-2 draw in the first and 2-0 win in the second.

Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie started both games in midfield for Leeds, while Brenden Aaronson came on as a late sub each time. Adams was solid in both games, making some highlight-worthy tackles and helping to set up the first goal for Leeds in the draw.

Aaronson nearly scored in the first game with a free kick that pinged off the post. Marcus Rashford continued his excellent form for United, scoring in each game.

Tim Ream delivered another strong performance for Fulham as they won 2-0 over Nottingham Forest, to keep their spot in 7th place.

Germany –

In the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich maintained their top spot, cruising to a 3-0 win over lowly VFL Bochum. Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund continued to push them, each winning over the weekend to keep the pressure on.

Union Berlin downed RB Leipzig 2-1 to stay one point behind Bayern, while Dortmund came alive after a scoreless first half to beat Werder Bremen 2-0 to stay within three points. Gio Reyna got the start for Dortmund but had a relatively quiet outing.

Italy –

Napoli was dominant once again at the top of Serie A, winning 3-0 over Cremonese with goals from star attackers Kvaradona and Victor Osimhen. The race for Champions League spots remains tight with Inter Milan, Atalanta, Roma, AC Milan and Lazio all within five points.

Spain –

Barcelona secured another hard fought 1-0 win to maintain their lead atop La Liga. This time it was Villarreal they defeated, with the goal coming from midfield star Pedri after a nice passing sequence with Robert Lewandowski.

Real Madrid were idle in the league this weekend as they went off to win the Club World Cup.

Further down the table, Luca de la Torre had a solid game as a starter in midfield for Celta Vigo, helping them to nearly pull out a draw against Atletico Madrid, though ultimately falling 1-0 on a late goal. It was the fourth straight start for de la Torre who has seemingly played his way into the lineup for Celta.

France –

Paris St. Germain gave up some ground in Ligue 1, losing 3-1 to Monaco with a highly rotated side, as they opted to rest many key players ahead of their Champions League matchup with Bayern Munich. Despite the loss and a Marseille win, PSG still hold a five point lead at the top of the table.

Team of the Week –

G: Kobel - Borussia Dortmund

D: Di Lorenzo - Napoli; Ream - Fulham; Schlotterbeck - Dortmund; Guerreiro - Dortmund

M: Pedri - Barcelona; Rodri - Man City; Bellingham - Dortmund

F: Ihenacho - Leicester City; Toney - Brentford; Rashford - Man U

Player of the Week –

Ivan Toney - Brentford

The 26 year old English striker was a thorn in Arsenal’s side all game. After knocking on the door all day, including a shot off the crossbar, Toney got free to head home the game tying goal late in the second half.

He finished with four shots on goal and continually provided a solid target for Brentford to play through up top, winning an outstanding 12 of 14 aerial duels.

Toney is in the midst of a breakout season, sitting third in the league in goals scored behind just Erling Haaland and Harry Kane and has been a big reason why Brentford sit in the top half of the league.

Monday February 13, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3094

they almost got it right

The Kansas City Chiefs, as you were told here yesterday morning, claimed a 3-point win in last night's Super Bowl, edging the Eagles in what was one of the better played championship tilts in recent memory.

In case you're considering a gift for your friend, I do prefer the Napa Valley Silver Oak over the Alexander Valley Silver Oak. Either will do, though.

It might have still finished 38-35 even if not for the marginal defensive holding call late in the 4th quarter last night, but that flag sullied what was otherwise an incredible night of (offensive) football in Glendale, Arizona.

The NFL just can't quite throw a perfect game, can they?

They had it going for a while, though, as the officials mostly kept the flags in their pockets and let some vicious hits play out the way they should as both teams played hard and fair throughout the evening. But that late defensive holding call was a doozy, and a game changer, as the Chiefs were able to run the clock down to 11 seconds instead of kicking a go-ahead field goal with roughly 1:40 remaining.

It's such a shame the game was sorta-kinda decided on that marginal defensive holding call. Philly's James Bradberry, who was flagged on the play, said afterwards, "It was a hold. I was just hoping the refs would let it go."

So was everyone else watching the game. The Chiefs were destined to go ahead there, most likely, but at the very least a field goal with 1:40 remaining would have given the Eagles a final opportunity to win the game. The penalty effectively ended the night because the Chiefs could then run the clock down and win at the buzzer.

The Eagles even tried to let the Chiefs score a touchdown and K.C. wouldn't bite. They knew the game was over if they didn't do anything dumb.

It's just a shame the night didn't attend without controversy. Was it "holding"? Yes. Was it a "minor" hold or a "major" hold? My eyes said "minor". He grabbed the guy, sure. But I've seen a lot worse called (and not called) this season. Just a gripe from a guy who definitely favors the "let 'em play" style of officiating in championship-type games.

Oh, and as all of you know, I'm no defender of Philadelphia-anything, yet I wasn't really pulling for the Chiefs last night. I didn't have a dog in the hunt either way. But anytime Philly loses at something sports-related, it brings a smile to my face.

That said, it was a ticky-tack call at the end of the game. That wasn't the final two minutes of a week three game in late September. It was for all the marbles in mid-February. Swallow your whistle there, zebra(s).

And will someone please tell Travis Kelce to pipe down a bit? Great player. Hall of Famer, for sure. But, geez, man, has anyone ever bellyached about pre-season predictions like Kelce?

He was obnoxious after the AFC title win over the Bengals and was even worse after last night's win. "No one thought the Chiefs would win the Super Bowl!" he yelled into the cameras last night after the game. Who cares, bro? You just won the Super Bowl. And that's what's on your mind? #clownshoes

Editor's note: Speaking of losing and Philadelphia, it's here where I'll take a second to remind all of you that Philadelphia's hockey team, the Flyers, haven't raised the Stanley Cup trophy since 1975. Yes, that's 1975. A long, long, loooonnnnnggggg time ago. It thrills me to report that here to you.

---

I'm also here to mention, briefly, that the commercials in last night's big game were almost all forgettable.

And the halftime music "show" was more like a 14-minute ad for The Million Dollar Saloon in Dallas. If the NFL threw a flag for "illegal touching" during Rihanna's performance, she would have been penalized a dozen times at least.

The Bud Light commercial was memorable. I don't really remember any others catching my eye. But the Bud Light commercial was funny and heartwarming in a funny, "commercial kind of way".

I also remember the Bass Pro Shops commercial because it actually just told people about.......Bass Pro Shops. Most of the commercials take you 30 or 40 seconds to figure out, if not more. The Bass Pro Shops commercial was simple and well done.

So make that two commercials that stood out and a halftime musical performance that pretty much needed an "R" rating. I asked my 12-year old daughter to make me a cup of coffee once I saw the first minute of Rihanna's performance. I knew where it was headed.

And I like Rihanna as a singer. She's very talented. But last night's performance was a bit over the top. I assume that's what the NFL wanted out of her, though. "Push the envelope..."

I thought the FOX broadcast was excellent. I didn't watch one second of the pre-game stuff, so I can't make any comment on that. I turned the TV over just as some guy named Babyface was singing a song prior to the National Anthem.

But the in-game coverage was outstanding, even if both Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi seemed hesitant to do anything except tell us the obvious. Neither of them seemed "on" last night, but maybe that was just me.

Now...back to football and Philadelphia losing last night.

---

The Chiefs win spoiled an otherwise (mostly) stellar night from Jalen Hurts, who did cough up a fumble that led to a touchdown in the second quarter, but was mostly spectacular throughout the game. Any thoughts at all that Hurts' performance in the 2022 regular season was a fluke were put to rest in the post-season and definitely dismissed after his performance in last night's Super Bowl. That kid is a nice quarterback.

But the other guy, in Kansas City? You can go ahead and put Patrick Mahomes in the Hall of Fame now. I realize the rules don't allow for it, but you might as well go ahead and get his spot ready in Canton.

Will he someday be thought of in the same way we think of guys like Brady, Montana and Unitas? I'm not sure. But he now has the same amount of Super Bowl wins as Peyton, Elway and Big Ben -- three Hall of Famers -- and there's almost no doubt last night's triumph won't be the final title of his career.

And don't look now, but Andy Reid is starting to rise up the ranks of the game's all-time great head coaches. A decade ago, Reid was a bit of a coaching punch line. Even five years ago, people made fun of his clock management and ability to "coach away" games he seemingly had won.

It helps to have a Hall of Fame quarterback, sure, but Reid has dispelled most of the negativity surrounding his past. He's now an elite NFL head coach who, at age 64, still has plenty of time remaining to add to his list of impressive accomplishments.

Reid was going to the Hall of Fame whether Harrison Butker makes that kick at the end or doesn't, but Sunday's Super Bowl victory takes him from "outstanding career" to "elite career"...just like that.

Last night might have also ended the run of Eric Bieniemy in Kansas City. The ever-popular Chiefs' offensive coordinator is being courted by several teams, including the Ravens and Washington Commanders. It's assumed the Ravens are going to apply their full court press on Bieniemy as early as today or tomorrow. If they don't get him, it's seems likely they'll offer the position to either Dave Canales of the Seattle Seahawks or University of Georgia's Todd Monken.

Bieniemy, though, might know something we all don't. Like, perhaps Reid has told him the K.C. head coaching job will be his in 2 or 3 years if he'll hang on with the Chiefs until Reid is ready to retire. There's no way of knowing if that sort of back room agreement exists, but it sure would be hard to leave K.C. and Mahomes for either Baltimore or Washington D.C. at this point.

As for the Eagles, they'll be heavy favorites to return to the Super Bowl next season, with San Francisco also receiving strong off-season consideration.

They have a terrific young quarterback, a nice group of wide receivers, a rock star tight end, a solid offensive line and a competent running game. That running attack was prominently featured in their two playoff wins but was virtually a non-factor last night in the loss to the Chiefs. Either way, though, Philly's offense will be among the league's best again next season.

As long as they're healthy next season, the Eagles will be heard from again. And soon.

And now that the Super Bowl is in the books, we can go back to doing what we've been doing in Baltimore for the last five weeks: Waiting for the Ravens to hire an offensive coordinator and waiting for the Ravens to either sign Lamar to a new contract or officially slap the franchise tag on him.

scheffler back to #1

I'm sure I'm not the first person to mention this, but here goes: The PGA of America should consider hosting a Ryder Cup at TPC Scottsdale.

Yeah, I said it.

Imagine the heat at the 16th hole if the Ryder Cup outcome was on the line in the last few matches of the singles competition on Sunday.

It would be insane.

I thought of that scenario yesterday as I watched the leaders play their way through the middle of the back nine and approach the 16th tee. At that point, Scottie Scheffler owned a precarious one-shot lead over Nick Taylor and both players missed the green on the 175 yard par-3 hole.

In what was a classic game of "make/miss" or match play golf, Scheffler rolled in his 12-foot par putt and Taylor missed his 6-footer moments later to give the 2022 Masters champion some much needed breathing room. But just having the event on the line right there, in that moment at the 16th hole, was worth the price of admission.

Scheffler would go on to birdie 17 to boost his lead to three shots and eventually won by two, earning his fifth win in the last calendar year. With the victory, he also moved past Rory McIlroy and into the top spot in the Official World Golf Rankings. I'm not sure Scheffler is a better golfer than either Rory or Rahm, but the rankings say he is.

Scheffler drove it all over the place yesterday but managed to scratch and claw his way to an impressive final round 65, thanks mainly to some superb iron play and a handful of key putts, including a huge 20-foot eagle that found the middle of the cup at the 13th hole.

To his credit, Taylor hung in there with Scheffler and played him shot-for-shot until 13, where the Canadian made birdie to Scheffler's eagle, and then again at 16, where Taylor made bogey to fall two shots behind.

Scheffler hasn't changed much from last season, where he was the TOUR's Player of the Year after winning four times. He is not a great driver of the golf ball, but his lack of accuracy off the tee is helped by incredible iron play and a putter's touch that makes him among the best in the world on the greens. He won't be a single, one-event winner in 2023. That's a certainty.

Augusta National, without much rough to deal with off the fairway, should be a perfect venue for him in early April. There are lots of guys who could win there this year. And Scheffler is among those to strongly consider.

Yesterday's visit to the winner's circle earned him $3.6 million. It was the first of the PGA Tour's "Designated Events", with increased purses and FedEx Cup points. The winner's total was roughly the same amount as what the LIV folks are paying their tournament champions.

In Scheffler's case, he made $3.6 million and he didn't have to sell his soul to the regime that helped fund the attacks on September 11, 2001. Bank account boosted and personal integrity intact. A pretty good four days of work, I suppose.

As for my four top players, Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele, Sungjae Im and Corey Conners, three of them finished in the Top 10, with Conners struggling on the greens en route to a T50.

Justin Thomas continued his mastery of Bermuda grass greens with a nifty 65 on Sunday to vault all the way to -13 and a solo 4th place finish. Any event in 2023 that features Bermuda grass greens is worthy of a short term investment on Thomas, if he's in the field.

The same goes for Sungjae Im, who could only muster a 2-under round of 69 on Sunday but still managed to roll in at T6 with an 11-under par winning score. Im will be on my win-bet card at the Masters in April, that's for sure.

And Xander Schauffele sputtered all weekend, missing a number of short'ish putts on his way to 70-70 on Saturday and Sunday and a T10 finish. Schauffele's game is perfect for TPC Scottsdale. When his putter is cooperating, he's as good as anyone.

We'll have this week's Genesis Invitational preview on Wednesday. Tiger Woods is in the field, you might have heard about 44 times on Sunday if you watched the Phoenix Open coverage. Woods, I can tell you now, will not be anywhere near my four "win-bet" players in Wednesday's preview.

Sunday February 12, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3093

championship sunday

There's a pretty big sporting event taking place out in the Phoenix area today.

You probably heard about it.

Scottie Scheffler has the chance to repeat as champion of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. This time last year, heading into Sunday's final round, Scheffler had never once visited the winner's circle on the PGA Tour.

Then he chased down Sahith Theegala, won the Phoenix Open, and captured three titles before the middle of April, including the 2022 Masters at Augusta National.

It's been quite a 12 months for Scheffler, who sits at 13-under par heading into today's final round at TPC Scottsdale.

And the 2023 portion of his '22-23 PGA Tour campaign could get a massive boost today if he can hold off the likes of Jon Rahm (-11), Jordan Spieth (-10), Sungjae Im (-9), Xander Schauffele (-9), Jason Day (-9) and, yikes, yes, even Rickie Fowler (-9).

Canadian Nick Taylor is also at 11 under par. Let's not forget him.

The field at this week's tourney is "major worthy", which is why the PGA Tour designated the 2023 WMPO as one of it's "elevated events" prior to the start of the season. Bigger purse, more FedEx Cup points and, simply, more prestige for winning what used to be just another early February tournament on the TOUR schedule.

But that all changed with the development of the 16th hole as perhaps golf's "craziest scene", where 16,000 are situated in temporary grandstands surrounding the hole.

It's such a wild, memorable spectator scene that people were leaving the property after yesterday's third round and immediately stationing themselves at the entrance to the course to spend the night in line to make sure they were able to get access to #16 again today for the final round.

Editor's note: I remember camping out overnight at the Hecht Co. circa 1980 to get Van Halen tickets. So I'll never criticize anyone who camps out to get seats or tickets of any kind. If you want to see the action, sometimes you have to camp out.

Make no mistake about it, the PGA Tour has created an electrifying environment at the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale. Think about it like this. On most weeknights in baseball season, the Orioles are fortunate to draw 12,000 at Camden Yards. Put 12,000 in your mind and put them in Oriole Park.

Now, for those of you who have played Pine Ridge, take 16,000 people and crowd them around the 4th hole there, a downhill par 3 that plays 190 yards from the back tee.

That's what they've done at TPC Scottsdale. They've built "arena seating" that holds 16,000 around the 16th hole. It's the craziest scene in golf, for certain. The players love it, the spectators love it and the company with the beer contract at TPC Scottsdale this week also loves it.

It might not be "traditional golf" as your father and his father came to know it, but it's here to stay, at least at the Phoenix Open. They've actually had to dial it back a notch this year, as things were really starting to get out of hand in '21 and '22. And by "dialing it back", I mean they took out a level of the grandstand that had the capacity at over 20,000 a year ago.

The leaderboard is jam packed with great players. Yes, even Rickie Fowler has finagled his way in there to sniff the top spot.

The folks at the PGA Tour are getting precisely what they wanted as the lead-in to the Super Bowl. Big names fighting for a trophy and the 16th hole will be the centerpiece of it all later this afternoon.

It's going to be a lot of fun.

Speaking of golf, I get an extra hour of "Fairways and Greens" today on 105.7, as I'll be in the host's seat from 12-2 pm talking golf as a lead-in to the station's Super Bowl coverage.

I have a couple of guests lined up, including our own "Stats Nerd" here at #DMD to take us through all of golf's statistical data and tell us what "shots gained" means and the like. He'll join me at 12:30 pm. At 1:00 pm, it's Bobby Vermillion, the longtime host of "Endless Golf".

Please join me from 12-2 pm today if you can.

The NFL season officially ends today when the Chiefs and Eagles meet in the Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona. Rihanna is the musical halftime guest. I know, I'm just as disappointed as you are, but there's always next year to get it right.

I'm taking the Chiefs to win, 30-27, but I haven't paid much attention to anything Super Bowl related this week. I assume everyone's healthy and ready to go. I'm taking Kansas City based only on two things; better coach and better quarterback.

K.C. by three points is my call. But I don't have a nickel on the game and don't plan on putting a nickel on it, either.

I had the the 49'ers beating the Raiders back when I did my pre-season predictions. That one was a bust, although San Francisco obviously held their own in 2022. The Raiders...not so much.

One of the more interesting things about Super Bowl gambling is the seemingly endless array of "prop bets" one can make that have almost nothing at all to do with "skill". You're just laying money down on something to happen because you like laying money down on something happening.

The coin flip, for example, is one of those bets. It's a coin flip. That means, of course, there's no skill involved whatsoever.

But because there's ultimately a result, people bet on it.

Who will punt first? That's another prop bet. If you knew which team was getting the ball to start the game, you might have a smidgen of an idea who punts first, but the reality is, these two teams might not punt until the 2nd quarter. Again, there's no skill involved, but you're betting on something just to bet on it.

In the old days in the soccer business, we had players who would bet on the color of the next car that passed the bus we were taking to the game or the hotel. They would actually sit in the back of the bus and yell out "blue!", "black!", "white!" and one of the players would collect their dollar bills and they'd wait for a car to pass the bus.

People don't need to really know anything about what they're betting on; they just want the bet.

So, with my $60 today, I'm betting on these 6 prop bets, $10 each.

I'm taking Eagles kicker Jake Elliott to have more than 7.5 kicking points (+110)

Because tails never fails, I'm taking "tails" for the opening coin flip (+100)

The halftime "song total" is 9.5 songs. I'll take the "under" in that one (-140)

Will the Super Bowl MVP reference God at any point in his post-game TV interview when he receives the award? I say "yes". (-110).

Will there be a defensive touchdown in the game? I say "yes". (+300)

Who will score the game's first points? I'll take the Eagles (-110)

I tried to find a prop bet for "Will the announcers mention that Lamar Jackson remains unsigned" during today's game? But I couldn't find one.

Anyway, have fun today/tonight, gamble within your means, stay safe on the roads and enjoy the second biggest sporting event in the Phoenix area.

	dale williams aims the terps spotlight
DALE WILLIAMS returns for his 8th season of covering all things Maryland men's basketball for #DMD. Terps Spotlight will preview and review all games in the 2022-2023 season.

terps ride foul shooting to win over penn state

The inside game of Maryland withstood the outside game of Penn State as the Terrapins rode a 23-point effort by Hakim Hart to a 74-68 victory over the Nittany Lions.

Despite hitting 12 of 26 threes (46%), PSU was done in by a 28-20 Terrapin advantage in points in the paint and an almost unbelievable 23 to 4 difference in foul shots attempted. The Terps tallied 18 points from the foul line while Penn State made just 2 of 4.

Jahmir Young posted 18 points, Juju Reese had 11, and Donta Scott put up 9 points and 10 rebounds. Scott may have had a tough night shooting 3’s, (1-5) but he made some tough second half buckets in the paint to ensure that the Terps walked out winners.

Four different Penn State players scored in double figures. Kanye Clarey led Penn State with 17 points while Jalen Pickett had 15. Myles Dread, Andrew Funk, and Seth Lundy combined to go 10 for 20 from the three -line.

Missed shots, blocked shots and turnovers highlighted the first four and half minutes. Maryland started out shooting 2-7 and Penn State was just 1-5. The Nittany Lions had four turnovers but had already blocked three Terrapin shot attempts. The Terps, who would lead the entire first half, were up early, 5-3.

PSU called a timeout at 12:08 because a major regrouping was necessary. Their 1-10 shooting-start mimicked some of the Terps' starts on the road. Penn State never had any continuity on offense and their shot selection reflected that. On one end PSU was shooting 1 for 10 while on the other end they forgot to defend Reese. Back-to-back buckets by Reese gave Maryland an 11-3 advantage.

Coming out of the timeout, Myles Dread buried a three, making the score 11-6. Through the first 10 minutes of action, Penn State had yet to make a two-point shot.

The Terp lead had been pushed to 12 points when Hakim Hart knocked down a right corner three, but Andrew Funk answered with a three of his own and the teams went into the under 8-minute TV timeout (7:53) with the score 18-9.

A steal and spinning layup finally got Penn State a 2-point bucket, but it came after Don Carey drilled a three. The Terps led 21-11.

Another Dread triple brought the Penn State deficit to 7, 23-16. At the same time that Jalen Pickett started to back his way into a couple of inside baskets, the Penn State outside game opened up and, in a flash, Penn State had cut the Terp advantage to just a single point.

A second Lundy three then tied the game, but it didn’t last long as Young hit his own triple to push the Terps ahead 29-26 with 1:60 left in the half.

The scoring had picked up greatly and when the first half smoke cleared, Maryland was clinging to a 31-28 lead. Penn State, as is their custom, did most of their damage from the three-point line, hitting 6 of 11.

One place the Nittany Lions did not score was the foul line. They had just one attempt and they missed that one. The Terps converted 5 of 7 free throws. Amazing how that happens at home, right?

Turnovers were another key element of the first half. Ten PSU miscues were converted into 10 Terrapin points.

Pickett began the second half with another back-you-down bucket, drawing the Nittany Lions to within 1 point. A Reese foul shot followed by a Pickett score in the paint, tied the game at 32. PSU finally took a lead when Picket banged home a three. He now had 7 second-half points.

Reese and Scott began throwing their muscle around in the paint, scoring twice, and when Young hit a three, Maryland’s lead was back to 6, 41-35.

The second half’s first TV timeout came at 15:00, and Young was back at the foul line shooting twice with the Terps up 41-38.

Maryland kept scoring inside and PSU kept making threes.

A plethora of points-in-the paint allowed Maryland to lead by three with 6:37 left in the game. Penn State had made 10 threes, but the Terps had an almost absurd 12-0 advantage in foul shot points.

Again, Maryland went into the paint to score. Coupled with a Penn State scoring drought, the Terps scored twice and surged to a 10-point lead, 62-52 with just under four minutes remaining in the game.

The score was 64-52 when Penn State called timeout with 2:14 left in the game. Penn State had been held scoreless for 4:58 and had tallied just 2 points in the last 6:28.

The game had been decided before PSU hit their first foul shots of the game. Maryland was up by 9 when Lundy dropped 2 free throws. There were 29 seconds left in the game and the Terps were up 7.

PSU would make two more shots from the field while Maryland hit three more foul shots. The final score would be 74-68.

I thought the Terps, and Kevin Willard did a nice job of attacking PSU weaknesses. Penn State was never gong to be able to defend the paint and that’s where the Terps thrived. They were either scoring from close range or drawing fouls.

Lost in the fog of Penn State making so many threes was the defensive effort given by Scott. He had a tough matchup for long stretches of the game and still put forth a solid effort.

Maryland has a break until Thursday when the Purdue Boilermakers come to the XFINITY Center for a 6:30 game broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

Saturday February 11, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3092

saturday answers

Here we are, a day before the Super Bowl -- mid-February, basically, by next week -- and the Ravens still don't have an offensive coordinator.

I'd say it's fairly obvious what that means. The team's primary target for the position is Eric Bieniemy of the Kansas City Chiefs. Whether they can lure him away from the Chiefs is a whole different story.

It's not known yet if the Ravens have formally interviewed Bieniemy for the position previously vacated by Greg Roman. One team associate told me this week they thought the relationship between John Harbaugh and Andy Reid would prevent the Ravens from conducting an interview until the Super Bowl was over.

"John has too much respect for Andy to interfere with their post-season run and Super Bowl appearance," I was told.

"But I'm sure Eric (Bieniemy) knows John is interested," the associate says to me. "That word has definitely gotten back to him. My guess is he gets interviewed early next week, by Wednesday at the latest."

If the Ravens can't persuade Bieniemy to leave Kansas City, they'll bring someone in from the list of candidates they've already interviewed. Expect a decision by late next week at the latest.

Bieniemy is also coveted by the Washington Commanders, but common sense would tell you he'd take the Baltimore gig long before he'd sign on to go to D.C.

That is, unless, he thinks the head coaching position in D.C. will become open sometime soon, which it very might. They go through coaches down there like the folks at MASN go through lawsuits. The head coach slot in Baltimore might not open for another five years. The Commanders might need a new head coach by next January.

I know the Baltimore offense is in flux until there's a decision made on Lamar Jackson, but at the very least, right now, Eric DeCosta and John Harbaugh can say to Bieniemy, "We're going to franchise Lamar and he's going to be your quarterback in 2023."

The Commanders are handing Bieniemy the keys to their offense with who, exactly, at quarterback?

So the thought here, from what I can piece together, is that it's Bienmiey's job in Baltimore if he wants it. Harbaugh would likely add an "associate head coach" title along with the offensive coordinator role to button it up nicely for Bieniemy, who also interviewed for the Indianapolis Colts' head coach position a couple of weeks ago and remains a candidate to take position.

Or, Bieniemy can just continue to do his thing in Kansas City and work with a future Hall of Fame quarterback for the next X-number of years.

No matter what Bieniemy decides to do, his toes are still tappin', as the great Mike Damone once said in the movie, Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

---

Happy Saturday!

It was a sad, then thrilling, Friday at Calvert Hall yesterday.

Students arrived at school on Friday morning to hear of the news that Mia Zinn, the 17 year old daughter of head athletic trainer Chris Zinn, had passed away Thursday afternoon.

Every student-athlete in the last 20 years at Calvert Hall has been under the care of Zinn. So, too, has every coach. Zinn and I share a common battle with gout, so I've spent many an afternoon in the athletic office talking with him about it and sharing "home remedy" stories.

By the way, here's the best home remedy for gout: Don't get it in the first place. Of course, your family history plays a large role in gout, so it's not something you can necessarily "avoid" getting. But I digress...

Last night, Calvert Hall hosted McDonogh as the MIAA A-Conference starts winding down. Playoffs are set to begin in ten days.

If I went through how the game went, you'd assume I was making up the whole thing.

The night started with both teams sporting bright yellow "Mia Strong" tee shirts during warm-ups in honor of Mia Zinn. A big thanks goes out to McDonogh for participating in the honorary gesture for Ms. Zinn. Both coaches kept the tee shirts on during the game, as well.

Calvert Hall had a chance to win at the end of regulation but couldn't put the game away. They led 46-41 with a minute left but McDonogh battled back to tie it and send the contest to overtime.

Calvert Hall had a chance to win at the end of the first overtime, too, but couldn't. (You're going to notice a theme here).

McDonogh then led by 5 points with just over a minute remaining in the second overtime, but this time, it was the Eagles who couldn't make a shot or get a defensive stop when most needed in the waning seconds. On to a 3rd overtime the two teams went.

The visitors then quickly raced to a 6-point lead less than a minute into the 3rd overtime period.

Calvert Hall scratched their way back to within two points before McDonogh moved ahead 75-69 with 1:20 remaining in the extra session.

I assume you know where this is going...

Calvert Hall cut the lead to 75-70 on a foul shot.

McDonogh turned the ball over.

Calvert Hall hit a 3-pointer with 40 seconds left to make it 75-73.

McDonogh missed a shot or two, rebounded the ball, and a foul sent them to the charity stripe.

They missed.

Calvert Hall then hit another three pointer with 20 seconds left to take the lead, 76-75.

McDonogh missed another shot, Calvert Hall collected the rebound, and was immediately fouled.

The Cardinals made the first one to make it 77-75, then missed the second one.

McDonogh needed a two to tie and a three to win. They lost the ball on the way to the hoop and Calvert Hall gathered it up and was fouled again.

They made the first one to bump their lead to 78-75. And missed the second one.

There were 1.6 seconds left. McDonogh called time-out.

And their desperation 3 pointer from midcourt clanged off the rim...nearly sending the game to a 4th overtime, but instead sending the frenzied Calvert Hall team into a joyous celebration.

From down 75-69 with 1:20 remaining to winning by three points after McDonogh failed to score a point in the final

I walked over to Athletic Director Dan Mulford and said, "I can't believe that just happened. But I know exactly how it happened. Mia Zinn."

Yes, on "Mia Zinn Night", there was no way Calvert Hall was losing. It took a while and there were a number of occasions when it looked like the game was both in the bag and a bad, bad, loss. But in the end, Mia saw to it that the school she loved would prevail.

---

And now, a couple of mailbag questions to get out of the way.

Brad P. asks -- "Hey Drew, just wondering what you think of Tiger's chances next week at the Genesis now that he has announced he's playing? I would assume he's going there fully healthy and ready to compete, right?"

DF says -- "Well, first off, I don't think the words "fully healthy" and "Tiger Woods" will ever again appear in the same sentence. There's just no way he'll ever be 100% again. But as he has said several times over the last six months, it's not the "golf" that he can't do. It's the walking. So from a golf standpoint, I think he can do whatever he needs to do to compete next week.

But I just don't see how he can walk the course for four straight days and be competitive at the same time.

I'm well aware that doubting him has always turned out to be a bad thing to do. Just ask Curtis Strange, who once snickered at a 20 year old Woods when Tiger said his plan was to come out on TOUR and win right away. "You'll see," Strange said with a smile and a snarl all rolled into one.

Yeah, we did see. 82 times in fact.

But this is different now. Tiger's health is the issue, not his golf.

I'm certainly anxious to see him play and would love to see his name on the leaderboard, but I just don't see any way that's possible given the quality of the field, the course length and layout and the fact he hasn't played a competitive, "real" round of golf since last July at St. Andrews."

Chris asks -- "What's your predicted Orioles win total for 2023? Can they win more than 90 games?"

DF says -- "Of course they can win more than 90 games. They won 83 last year without Adley and Gunnar for the entire 162-game season.

Mix in the balanced schedule and you can definitely see them winning 90 games. In fact, here's one for you. I'd say they have a better chance of winning more than 90 than they do less than 80. Unless something goes horribly wrong, injury wise, this Orioles team is poised to win at least 90 games.

Do they still need better starting pitching? Sure. But, again, they won 83 games a year ago and their starting pitching wasn't all that great and they played the other A.L. East teams half the time.

Whatever you're wagering thoughts are, keep this in mind: Bet on the Orioles, not against them."

	dale williams aims the terps spotlight
DALE WILLIAMS returns for his 8th season of covering all things Maryland men's basketball for #DMD. Terps Spotlight will preview and review all games in the 2022-2023 season.

terps host penn state today

Buckle up Terp fans, today’s 12 noon game vs. Penn State could be a bumpy ride. As the song says after they unfurl the huge Maryland flags during the first TV timeout of the second half in the XFINITY Center, “We’ve hit turbulence.”

Penn State has two modes of offensive operation. The most prominent is launching threes, the second is to watch Jaden Pickett dribble, and dribble, and dribble, and then score or dish.

Penn State takes, and makes, more threes than anybody in the Big Ten. They’ll take almost 27 each game and they average making over 10. That’s why games can be a wild ride with them. You can get PSU down by 10 points, and in the space of 3 possessions, it’s a one-point game.

Andrew Funk is a 6’5” senior guard who came to Penn State via Bucknell, and he tosses the most threes on the team. He shoots a toasty 40% from the three-point stripe, but what makes him unique is that many of those shots probably should have never been attempted.

He’ll shoot from any angle at any time, covered or not. Some of his misses are nowhere near the hoop. He adds 12.7 points a game to the PSU total. That’s third on the team. Watch him today, some of his misses are comical.

The guy that shoots the next most threes is Seth Lundy. Lundy makes 45% of his triple tries and 49% overall.

At 14.7 points per contest, the 6’6” 220lbs senior is the second leading Nittany Lion scorer and he’s also second on the team in rebounds. Lundy is a solid player in all phases of the game. He’s on a bit of a run from the three-point line having connected on 21 of his last 40 tries.

Myles Dread is another senior guard that requires attention on the perimeter. Despite his big 6’4” 235lbs frame, Dread lives on the outside, having attempted just 6 shots this year from inside the three-point line. He’s currently knocking down 37% from long range. Like Lundy, at times he can get smoking hot from the outside.

Those three guys, plus Pickett, make up the vast majority of Penn State’s three point, and overall, fire power. What separates Pickett from his other backcourt mates is his ability to score in other ways.

Like I mentioned above, this 6’4” Siena transfer can be a bit of a ball hog. He’ll be bouncing the ball a lot tonight as he works his man down into the paint. Once he’s made sufficient progress backing his man down, he’ll then take a short jumper.

There will be possessions when he’s the only one who touches the ball. In fact, when the Nittany Lions aren’t firing passes all over the perimeter looking for a nice three, the ball is in Pickett's hands as he backs a defender down into the paint.

He's pretty effective too. With 17.6 points, Pickett is the team scoring leader. He also leads Penn State in rebounds (7.8), assists (a lofty 7 per game), and steals (just 1 per game). Because he has the ball the most, he also leads his team in turnovers with 2.2 each game.

PSU can score outside, and Pickett can score all over the court, but what they can’t do is defend the interior.

This is a really small team by Big Ten standards.

Today, Juju Reese and Donta Scott should be able to score often on the inside. Penn State does have a 6’10” freshman that sees 14 minutes a game, but he’s not ready to be an impact player in this league. The Terps will win both the battle on the boards and the war in the paint.

It's the guard spots that have me the most worried. Their guards are bigger than Maryland’s and they can get physical too. The man-to-man matchups only become relevant during the beginning of a possession because Penn State will constantly switch on picks and screens.

A weakness is that they are so small inside, that double teaming is a necessity, and that leaves the outside open. It’s the biggest reason why PSU is the second worst Big Ten team in defending threes.

Penn State may be the scariest team in the country that carries a 5-8 conference record. Their 5 wins include Michigan, Iowa, and Indiana at home.

Their lone road win came in Illinois against the #17 ranked Fighting Illini. This is a capable, yet inconsistent PSU team. If they hit threes, they can hang with anyone. They also throw offensive clunkers out there too. They beat Michigan by 22 but lost by 9 to Nebraska. They are fickle.

Today, the Terps will get a steady diet of three pointers and a healthy helping of Pickett going solo. They will counter by playing more back to the basket offense than is their norm.

Maryland must also prevent transition buckets, as PSU looks to push the ball and launch threes on the break.

Which style prevails here? I think PSU gives the Terps more trouble than you might expect from a 5-8 team. They can score a little and may be a tad disruptive to the Terrapin guards. However, they are so guard oriented (all of their top 5 scorers are guards) that it makes it hard for them to stop low post players.

It’s the Terp bigs that enable them to win this one, although I expect a game effort from PSU. I won’t be surprised to see a tight contest with the result hanging in the balance late in the contest. Reese gets 18, Scott pours in 15, and the Terps grab a home win, 70-66.

Today’s game can be viewed on BTN. For those interested in such things, the line opened at Terps -9 and was quickly bet down to -8.

Friday February 10, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3091

friday grace

OK, so most of this won't be sports related today.

It's fine if you want to skip the content below. Come on back tomorrow and we'll have sports-stuff here for you. I hope you stay, of course. I want you to read this and absorb it, but I also understand you come here for sports and nearly every single day of our existence, we've given you sports related stuff to read.

Sometimes real life gets in the way of sports.

A member of the Calvert Hall faculty lost his 17 year old daughter to cancer yesterday.

I'm not mentioning this today just because she was connected to Calvert Hall. I'm mentioning it more because I know her father and I know what their family has gone though over the last 18 months.

It's a terrible, terrible story. Every parent reading this right now is probably terrified at the mere thought of losing one of their children. My friend and his wife experienced it, first hand, yesterday morning.

I'm heartbroken for them.

Even though they knew from the outset her battle was going to be tough and she was facing rather long odds, they did what we all would do in those circumstances. They dug in for the fight.

There were good days and bad days. There were somber reports from the doctor and encouraging reports, too. The Calvert Hall community rallied around the young girl. We had "stadium prayer sessions" and other events designed to uplift her and her family.

Sadly, yesterday's sad news reminded us all that nothing about our existence is guaranteed except that someday it will end.

We are, as I said above, heartbroken for the family. We know these are tough, tough days.

---

At our Thursday morning FCA huddle at Calvert Hall yesterday, I was blessed with the opportunity to speak to the 15 students who were in attendance.

Totally by happenstance, my discussion centered on this theme: Grace.

And by extension, the main topic was the phrase: There but for the grace of God, go I.

I had no idea that only hours after my talk at the FCA huddle I'd hear the sad news about our faculty member's daughter.

The subject of grace was simply on my heart yesterday. God's providence, I'm guessing.

This past Tuesday morning, I was going to Towson University for a 7 am men's fellowship meeting that I attend as often as my schedule allows. At the intersection of Putty Hill and Goucher Blvd, just in front of Calvert Hall, there was a horrific car accident, with one of the vehicles belonging to a Baltimore County police officer.

The last time I inquired about my friend's daughter, I was told "things are going OK". That was right before Christmas. Three hours after I addressed the students at the FCA huddle yesterday, she passed away.

A week ago, a friend of mine for almost the last 40 years of my life tragically collapsed while playing soccer. He woke up on Sunday morning filled with enthusiasm for a pick up game with his friends, kissed his wife goodbye and off he went. He never came home.

Another faculty member at Calvert Hall and good friend of mine lost his father recently. It all happened very suddenly. They were chatting about football on Saturday night and the next day he collapsed. Within a week, his father was in heaven.

All of that has made me stop and think even more about the topic I brought up to the students on Thursday morning: There but for the grace of God, go I.

Whether you know it or not, whether you appreciate it or not, all that you have and all that you'll ever receive is first given to you through grace.

I talked to the student-athletes in attendance on Thursday about the inclusion of "luck" in sports.

"How many of you," I asked them yesterday, "have ever been on a winning team and one of your friends or perhaps an opposing player said to you, 'You guys were lucky to win'?"

Every single one of them raised their hand.

"And how did you feel about that?" I asked.

"Offended," said one.

"Mad", said another.

"I was disappointed," said one other young man. "Saying we were lucky to win made it sound like we didn't deserve it."

"That's precisely what luck is, though," I explained. "It's something that happens to you -- either good or bad -- that you don't necessarily deserve."

"People that win the lottery," I went on to say, "aren't exactly "deserving" of their new fortune. They were, simply, lucky to have their number(s) drawn. Nothing more. There's no skill involved. But in that very moment, they're happy about having good luck."

So, on one hand, you're offended when your team wins or you make a winning shot or winning putt and the other players say, "You were lucky." But you're not offended when you win the lottery or find a $50 bill on the floor or win a new set of steak knives at BINGO night at church. That kind of luck is all well and good.

The personal analogy I shared with them -- sports wise -- comes from golf. You hit your tee ball right down the middle of the fairway. Your opponent hits their tee shot way right, far off into the woods, but the ball bounds off a tree and miraculously shoots out to the left into the fairway and settles a few feet from your ball.

This happens again two holes later. And again midway through the back nine.

"Man, how much luck is this dude gonna get?" you ask yourself.

It bothers you, of course, to see someone else get good fortune, particularly when you've used your skill and acumen to play "perfect golf" while your opponent is struggling to find the middle of the clubface and, yet, still winds up in the fairway nonetheless.

So you say to him, finally, "I can't believe how lucky you're getting."

His response should be: "I know. I can't, either! But I'm really happy about it."

You (and I) should be thrilled to receive good grace. Humbled and thrilled. Don't ever think receiving grace is a bad thing. It isn't.

No matter how you "get lucky", it's all about the way you accept it. There's no shame in admitting you've received good luck. No shame at all.

We are all the same in that our lives and our grace are given to us by God. Whatever we get, it all starts with the grace God has afforded us. Whatever we accomplish, earn or otherwise maintain is all through grace. There's no shame in admitting you've received grace.

We don't "deserve" any of it. It's been given to us. It's a gift. Just like luck is a gift. So, too, is grace.

There but for the grace of God, go I.

---

This might not be easy for you to accept or understand. There's a certain level of humility that comes with admitting you don't deserve the good fortune you've received or earned on your own accord. And I'm not sure I'm doing a great job of articulating it, either. It's not easy to write about humility.

But just because we've done nothing to deserve the grace we've been given doesn't mean we should appreciate it any less. We all need grace.

I'm working hard every day to accept it and understand it. By no means do I have it all figured out. But I'm starting to come to grips with it more and more along the way. I don't deserve any of this. I'm receiving it through the grace of God. It's just luck, if you will. I'm blessed to have this good luck come my way.

As I eased my way through the accident last Tuesday morning and watched as police officers cleaned up the broken glass and shattered pieces of both vehicles, I thought to myself, in that very moment. "There but for the grace of God, go I."

That could have been me going through that intersection when the police officer was rushing to a call and the accident took place. Or you. Or a family member or friend.

Through God's grace, it wasn't me. Or you.

Death has a way of reminding us all that no one here is in their bodily form forever. I've known three people who have passed away in the last two weeks. It happens like that, I suppose. It's not intentional or anything. It's just the nature of how many people you know, their ages, and their circumstances.

And as you age, death resonates more and more. At least it does with me.

Admitting I'm receiving God's grace every day is something I'm learning to do and learning to handle. You might be just like a lot of other people in the world and not want to admit that you're only here because God put you here in the first place and continues to keep you here. It's difficult to sign off on that, I know. But it's true. "200% true", as John Harbaugh might say.

John Harbaugh.

Ravens.

Football.

You see, we did eventually get to some sports here after all.

Have a great weekend, all. And enjoy your grace.

phoenix open round one update

I'll do something a little different below as we look at action in the first round of Thursday's Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale.

Below you'll see what I said about each of the seven players I mentioned here on Wednesday, along with where they are right now after the opening 18 holes.

Wednesday -- This feels like a tournament Xander Schauffele (+1400) is primed to win, both because of his golf accumen and the data he has compiled at TPC Scottsdale over the years. In five visits to Scottsdale in his career, Schauffele has finished 3rd, 2nd, 16th, 10th and 17th. I think he's a great win-bet this week.

Round one: Schauffele's lone bogey of the day came at the famed 16th hole, as he posted a solid opening round of 4-under 68 to sit one shot behind the co-leaders at 5-under par. I love Xander's chances this weekend.

Wednesday -- Justin Thomas is one of the best Bermuda greens putters on the planet, which is more than enough reason for me to put him in my win-bet pool. But at +2200, he's impossible to pass up. And given that the WMPO will take on a "major feel" this week, which is where Thomas thrives, I think he has a great shot at winning.

He's one of the guys who didn't even get halfway through round one because they got a late start on Thursday. Thomas sits at 1 over par through 12 holes, which means he has to finish strong this morning to complete round one and then make some birdies on Friday in round two. There's a lot of golf left, though. He's still in the tournament.

Wednesday -- I keep thinking Sungjae Im (+3000) is primed for a big win so I'm including him this week given his solid play at TPC Scottsdale over the years and his various "shots gained" data that dovetails perfectly with the course. Im is an incredibly talented ball striker. His putting runs very hot and cold. If it's "hot" this week, he could reach 20 under par.

They set the course up difficult on Thursday and will likely do so again on Friday (once round one is finished Friday AM and the pins are changed for round two), so I don't think 20 under par is going to win the event. But Im's opening round of 1 under par has him in decent shape as long as he puts up another under par round on Friday.

Wednesday -- Corey Connors is a high-quality ball striker who is rising up the world rankings and a win at TPC Scottsdale -- while not a major -- would be just what the doctor ordered for him. From a wagering standpoint (+6500) he is incredibly well positioned. His putting is always a question mark, but when you strike the golf ball like he does, you can navigate your way around it by stuffing it to 10 feet on 20 or 25 holes during the 72 hole event.

Connors, like Im, shot 1-under 70 on Thursday and is in decent position through 18 holes. He just needs another good round on Friday to get himself situated nicely for the weekend. The harder the set-up, the better his chances, I'd say. He's not a "great" putter, so if something like 14 or 15 under wins it instead of 19 or 20 under, I think that helps the Canadian.

Wednesday -- I realize he just sniffed the winner's circle last week at Pebble Beach, so maybe Denny McCarthy shouldn't be in the longshot group, but he's also winless in his career, so a victory at this event would be quite a surprise given the quality of the field. McCarthy is not only one of the best putters on TOUR, he's top 5 in Bermuda Greens putting over the last 3 years. At +10000, he's hard to ignore, both as a potential upset winner and a top 10 finisher.

It wasn't a good day at all in round one for McCarthy, as he posted 4-over 75 and is in danger of missing the cut unless he can produce a 66 or 67 on Friday in round two. His normally outstanding putting work on Bermuda greens was nowhere to be found on Thursday.

Wednesday -- There's something about the game of Si Woo Kim that always has me thinking "this could be the week he wins". Usually when I think that, he struggles on the greens and finishes T44. But this year's WMPO feels like the kind of event where he rises to the occasion, and I can't ignore some lofty (+7500) odds on the talented South Korean, even if only for a Top 10 or Top 5 finish.

Kim sits at even par through 10 holes in round one. A lot of golf left. Let's see how he sits after Friday.

Wednesday -- J.T. Poston is a player on a bit of a career heater over the last two years, which makes his +10000 odds incredibly puzzling. His history at TPC Scottsdale is decent, too. He's a bit of a coin-flip on Bermuda greens but occasionally putts that surface well. And this could be one of those "well" weeks where he's in the hunt standing on the 16th hole on Sunday before getting nipped at the wire.

Off to a slow start at +3 through 11 holes. Needs to finish strong and get after it in round two.

faith in sports

I wrote earlier this week about my Super Bowl experiences on Radio Row and mentioned that one of my fondest memories of the New York (2014) Super Bowl was interviewing Tim Tebow.

Glenn Clark and I were preparing to interview Tebow, who was sitting in front of his going through his phone while we were on a commercial break.

Clark and I started casually talking about our dinner plans for later that evening when Tebow looked up at us.

"You guys like fish?" he asked us.

"Sure," we both said in unison.

Tebow then mentioned a Manhattan restaurant. "They have the best grouper in New York," Tebow said. "Richard is the general manager. He'll be there tonight. If you go, ask for him and mention you're a friend of mine."

Clark and I looked at one another and laughed.

"A friend of mine..."

Tim Tebow.

Anyway, the next day as I was getting a coffee in the media lounge, a voice popped up.

"Hey Drew, did you guys get that grouper last night?"

It was Tim Tebow.

I wasn't dumbfounded or starstruck that Tim Tebow called me by name. I was impressed simply by the fact that he remembered my name, which, of course is a skillset he has perfected over years and years of meeting hundreds of new people every week (or every day).

And so, on the occasion of this "Super Bowl week", here's Tim Tebow and the story of his "3:16 game" in the NFL.

I've published this video here before so if you've seen it, my apologies. But if you haven't, please give this 6 minutes your attention and enjoy an awesome story by one of the best men sports has ever showcased.

Thanks, as always, to our friends at Freestate Electrical for their continued support of "Faith in Sports" every Friday here at #DMD.

Thursday February 9, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3090

coming to a high school near you?

"My son would love to play football for you," a parent will say sometime this spring as 8th graders all over the state of Maryland decide where they'll attend school next fall.

"But let me ask you this. Are you all able to help with any N.I.L. deals? We already have a substantial amount on the table from a rival school. I thought you should know."

That scene is no longer a fantasy for student-athletes and parents, even at the high school level. It's happening throughout the country, and even in Maryland, where both college and high school athletes are now permitted to accept financial compensation for their name, image and likeness (N.I.L.) in connection with their participation as an athlete at their school.

"If it's a muddied mess here, I can only imagine what it's going to be like at the high school level," an area college coach said to me on Tuesday of this week.

"Good luck. That's all I have to say," he said.

It's very fair to point out that a large majority of college athletes will never be able to parlay their athletic skills into any kind of significant cash windfall. There's just not a market for the starting offensive tackle on the football team or the left fielder on the baseball team to generate enough impact from their various media platforms to warrant being paid big bucks from a corporate entity.

But that doesn't mean it's going away anytime soon. It's not, in fact. N.I.L. is here to stay, albeit perhaps with revamped rules as the years go by and everyone figures out how it all works.

"What I've seen so far," the local college coach tells me, "is college kids going into local eateries and coffee shops and striking a trade-for-services kind of deal. They'll post a few social media messages in exchange for free food and stuff like that. Most of the kids at my level don't have enough name recognition to attract any kind of real, big business from a corporate sponsor. But free food? They'll take that every day."

The coach admits, though, not every kid is happy with free pizza or free coffee. "I'd be lying if I said we haven't had kids come to us looking for cash, straight up, and asking us to do the work for them to help them figure out how to get it using N.I.L. We tell them all the same thing: 'We're not in that business.'"

"You'll see," the coach says to me. "There will be an 8th grader who comes along at some point and wants to play golf for you and he brings along a sponsor. You know, his dad's best friend owns a car dealership or a local fast food joint and he wants that published in the golf program and wants their logo on his golf team sweater or something like that."

We're still trying to learn all of the rules at the high school level, so I can't comment on it in the least. I most certainly can see how it could be a "muddied mess" as my college coach-friend remarked to me this week. Anytime you create a distraction of some sort with a student-athlete, at any level, there's reason for it to have a negative impact on your program if it's not handled the right way.

That said, there's probably going to come a time in the next decade where you, as a school, either get in the game of N.I.L. or stand back and say, "Sorry, we don't play in that arena." You'll risk losing players, of course, but some schools might simply decide they're not going to get involved in the recruitment of players based solely on N.I.L. monies.

It's here where we should point out that schools can't directly pay their student-athletes within the current N.I.L. model, but we all know if school "A" hears school "B" is helping the star point guard acquire and maintain a $250K N.I.L. deal that they're going to go out of their way to help that same player potentially snag a $350K deal within their community.

The biggest current story is that of soon-to-be college quarterback Jaden Rashada, who last June signed a $9.5 million dollar N.I.L. deal with the Miami Hurricanes, all made possible by an unnamed school booster. A few months later, Rashada changed his mind. I'm sure you know why.

A company called "Gator Collective", formed and run by a former University of Florida baseball player, agreed to fork over $13.5 million to Rashada to coax him up to Gainesville to play football for the Gators for four years.

The deal called for a $500,000 initial payment, with increasing monthly payments each year. Rashada had to reside in Gainesville, Fla., make branded Twitter and Instagram posts once a month, participate in up to eight fan engagement events per year and autograph up to 15 pieces of merchandise per year. The contract also stated that the collective can “in its sole and absolute discretion” terminate the agreement “without penalty or further obligation,” according to The Athletic

But because N.I.L. deals can't be used as a "recruiting inducement" (you can giggle here, if you like), the deal fell apart once it was revealed that Rashada's first $500K payment was supposed to hit his account before he had actually started school in Gainesville.

On December 7, Gator Collective announced they were pulling out of the deal. Rashada is now set to attend Arizona State University, although people at that school are adamant that the quarterback does not have a N.I.L. deal in place for the 2023-2024 school year.

You can believe what you want on that one, I suppose.

Make no mistake about it, though: It's all free agency at its finest. In college sports. And at some point down the road, in high school sports as well.

"I have to be totally honest," the local coach said this week. "I think where you're going to see the biggest impact in the next 5-10 years will be with female athletes. They're the ones who are the best at using social media, at least from what I've seen at my level. They are the ones with the numbers, the likes, the follows and all that stuff. I think they have a big advantage over the guys."

"And where we will have to draw the line, at least at my school, is when a kid comes along and says, "I can get $100,000 from (xxxx school) but if you'll get me $150,000 I'll play for you," the coach says. "We just can't get into that part of the deal. If you come and play for us and walk in my office and say, "I have to leave practice early because I'm signing autographs at a car dealership in town" we'll have to figure out a way to work with that scenario. But we can't be in the business of outbidding other schools for student-athletes. It's just not something we can do."

"We're pretty fortunate here," the coach concludes. "Most of the stuff I've seen from my players has been small potatoes kind of stuff that won't matter much in the long run. If they can get a couple of grand a month for posting things on Twitter or social media platforms that's fine. If they can get free pizza or sushi because they have 10,000 followers, more power to them. I don't think we'll ever have a student-athlete making six figures here. There's just no market for it.

But my friends who are coaching at some elite schools are having a tough time working through this whole thing. As one of them said to me last week, 'No one really knows what's going on, but we know there's been a power shift. The kids are doing just about whatever they want. If you think coaching college sports was tough before, it's only going to get more tough down the road.'"

"Oh, and don't forget about this," the college coach add. "At some point, the big name quarterback, point guard or golfer is going to want his "help" to be fully guaranteed, the same way Lamar wants his deal fully guaranteed. As a college coach, what do you do with that when the quarterback or pitcher knows he's in your program for three or four years come hell or high water because a booster or friend of the school got him all that money under the agreement that he'd have to be there for at least three, if not four years?"

In the "old days", college scholarships were year-to-year agreements where coaches could, if performance or conduct warranted it, "cut" a student-athlete at any point during his/her college career. Those days are gone. Scholarships are now much more binding and coaches have far less authority to remove a player from the program based on performance.

So you can add that into the mix of the so-called "muddied mess" and see where, for the first time ever, the power dynamic in college sports has shifted from the school to the student-athlete.

Wednesday February 8, 2023

#DMD

Issue #3089

one other thing...

I wrote briefly here yesterday about Justin Rose, who broke a 4-year PGA Tour winless streak on Monday by capturing the weather-delayed event at Pebble Beach.

In that piece on Tuesday, I mentioned that my admiration for Rose grew sharply after the 2017 Masters when he lost to Sergio Garcia and was gracious in defeat during his various media interviews.

But there's one other thing about him.

It struck me yesterday as I talked about Rose's win on a national podcast that I have another reason to appreciate the Englishman's golf game and career: He didn't cave in to LIV.

While other Europeans in their 40's like Westwood, Poulter and the aforementioned Garcia gave up playing "real golf" for the hit-and-giggle money grab provided to them by the Saudis, Rose did no such thing. Winless in over three years, it would have been easy for him to say, "You know, 10 TOUR wins and a major championship are more than enough. Now I'll cash in and take this free money from Greg Norman and it will never matter if I win another tournament or not."

Rose didn't take the money.

Instead, he just kept on playing golf. He didn't even make the PGA Tour's Top 125 last season, which kept him out of the FedEx Cup playoffs for the first time. A player of Rose's caliber not making the Top 125 would be akin to Alex Ovechkin doing a 10-game injury rehab stint in the AHL and not scoring a goal.

But Rose stuck it out. No free money. No guaranteed paydays. He decided to just continue playing tournament golf the way it was meant to be played. 72 holes, with a 36 hole cut. You want a big payday? Go out and earn it.

While other players of his ilk cashed in and gave up trying to beat other high quality players, Justin Rose did just the opposite. He earned his money the old fashioned way...by showing up, beating the other players, and winning.

LeBron James became the all-time leading scorer in the history of the NBA last night in a Lakers home loss to Oklahoma City.

Predictably, the accomplishment was met with equal parts applause and denial. The age old argument of "who is the G.O.A.T.?" started just after James poured in his 36th point of the night in the 3rd quarter to push him past Kareem Abdul Jabbar for the all-time point scoring lead.

The reality is, they're all great. Greater than great, really.

Oscar Robertson. Great.

Jerry West. Great.

Bill Russell. Great.

Wilt Chamberlain. Great.

Kareem. Great.

Doctor J. Great.

Magic. Great.

Larry Bird. Great.

Kobe. Great.

Michael Jordan. Great.

Steph Curry. Great.

LeBron. Great.

Who's the greatest of them all? I have no idea how you make that assessment. I'd say Michael, personally, but LeBron is certainly worth discussing. One thing I'd never do is shout down someone who insists LeBron is better than Michael. Maybe he is. They were both great, that's for sure.

One other thing...

James has never once been anything but a showcase for the NBA. No police blotter stuff, no wild internet stories, no tabloid front page articles. Other than the Cleveland-to-Miami fiasco, which he later acknowledged was poorly orchestrated, LeBron has been nothing but a charm for the NBA.

Playing in the social media age -- which guys like Jordan, Larry, Magic, Kareem and many others never lived through -- LeBron has easily navigated his way through that period with grace and professionalism.

I'm not here to suggest he's been perfect. Some of his team moves over the course of his career have been clumsy, for sure. But I am here to say that I think he's largely gone underappreciated as a marquee player who has done nothing but generate positive juice for the league and the teams for which he's played.

Whether he's the G.O.A.T. or not is your call. But there's no denying his greatness.

There was a recent report circulated by a national media member that the Ravens and Lamar Jackson are as much as $100 million apart in salary talks connected to the quarterback's contract extension.

No they're not.

I'm told by a Ravens associate that's not true at all. "There's no deal in place, obviously," the associate says. "But there's not a $100 million difference in the total amount of money being offered. That's just not true."

I asked the team associate what they thought the chances, percentage wise, are of Lamar being franchised. "80% at this point," the associate said. "I don't see the Ravens moving, money wise. And it doesn't seem like Lamar is moving, either."

"But they're not $100 million apart, so don't believe that number," they added.

One other thing...

As much as the discussion recently has centered on the new offensive coordinator wanting to know who his quarterback will be in Baltimore, Jackson is potentially doing the same thing.

"Lamar is eager to find out who his new coordinator will be," the team associate states. "I think that's weighing on his mind. Maybe not as much as the money, but he's waiting like the rest of us to find out who it is."

Yesterday here at #DMD, I made the mistake of answering a question about an incident that took place last Friday night at Loyola when the Dons hosted Calvert Hall in basketball.

I didn't actually "answer" the question, rather I tried to neatly navigate my way around the question by simply saying it would be inappropriate for me to answer it. Given my role at Calvert Hall, I felt it was best to stay out of it.

A bunch of comments were posted over the next few hours yesterday, a number of which I thought were both inaccurate and in poor taste.

I was actually involved in something yesterday that kept my attention away from the website for several hours, but I was alerted to the comments by a staff member and immediately instructed her to remove all of the Calvert Hall-Loyola comments.

I was at the game last Friday night. I know precisely what happened. And I know who was responsible. It's not guesswork. It's not even my "opinion". I was there. 20 feet from it.

And that's how the discussion will end, here, about the incident, because there's nothing else to be gained from it, particularly from people who weren't there. The school responsible for the incident will, I'm guessing, handle it as they see fit. End of story.

I've said this before and will undoubtedly repeat it every so often here. I completely understand there are good-intentioned folks who comment here and there are trolls who simply come around to stir the pot. I know the difference between the two. Given the nature of last Friday's incident, I don't think trolling about it is fair. So I had those comments removed yesterday and we're moving on.

But there's one other thing...

If you see a high school basketball game's final score is 100-50, you might want to accuse one coach of "running up the score". That's your opinion. Have at it. My thoughts on running up the score are fairly well documented. If you feel offended by getting beat, play better.

But I understand there are people who see 100-50 and think the winning coach was trying to show up the losing coach or his/her team. I get it. You see 100-50 and your opinion is someone was running up the score.

What I won't comply with are people making comments about a situation they didn't see, personally, and attacking a school or a coach without actual evidence to support that criticism.

I removed a bush league comment about St. Frances basketball a couple of weeks ago that was not only racially insensitive, but it just flat-out was wrong. It wasn't an opinion. It was stated as fact and, for sure, it wasn't a fact at all. So I removed the comment.

I'll own the mistake of allowing the Loyola-Calvert Hall question to even appear in yesterday's edition. I should have known better than to run it. I didn't want to duck it since the contributor referenced in the question itself that they saw me at the game. But I shouldn't have even used the question in the Mailbag segment in the first place.

The only thing posting the question did was get people to choose sides to fit their agenda, despite not having any idea at all of what actually transpired. So yesterday afternoon I removed both the question and the comments from the website and, I'm here to say, I won't make that same mistake again in the future.

I'm still learning, even at age 60.

waste management phoenix open picks

In what has become one of the PGA Tour's marquee non-major events, the circuit moves into the Phoenix area for this week's Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale.

18 of the top 20 players in the world rankings are in this week's field, given it both elevated status on TOUR and creating a mini-major feel to the 72 hole event.

After a course redesign by Tom Weiskopf in 2014, the tournament has changed somewhat in terms of identifying a potential winner. In the last eight editions of the WMPO, the top finishers have performed well in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, Strokes Gained: Approach, Greens in Regulation, Proximity to the Hole and Par 4 Scoring.

It's also important to note, when trying to pick a winner beforehand, that TPC Scottsdale features bermuda greens. Some players on TOUR are great on Bermuda, others aren't so great. It happens that a "not so great" Bermuda greens putter triumphs on Bermuda, but it's very rare indeed.

We don't see this week being much different, but there are a couple of guy