Good morning to everyone but especially to…
TIGER WOODS
The roar was restored. The birdies were falling. The smile as he walked off the 18th green was as wide as we’ve seen in a long, long time. Tiger Woods made his return to the PGA Tour in triumphant and inspiring fashion, birdieing the final three holes of his first round at the Genesis Invitational to post a two-under 69.
- It was the first time Woods birdied three straight holes since the 2020 Masters.
- Woods held his own playing alongside Rory McIlroy (-4) and Justin Thomas (-3).
It was really, really impressive. It was fun. It doesn’t mean we should get ahead of ourselves just yet, though, writes our Kyle Porter.
- Porter: “I said before his round started that 73 would be a good score for somebody who hadn’t played tournament golf in seven months. … What a whiff! … What’s more likely is that this round fits into the current Tiger template that we’re going to see for a while. Some flashes and some valleys. Some yesteryear and some that are a peek at what the future looks like. This 69 was one of the great ones, but to do it four straight days might be too much to ask, even for Tiger Woods.”
Max Homa and Keith Mitchell both fired seven-under 64s to share the lead, and Jon Rahm is solo third after a six-under 65.
Honorable mentions
And not such a good morning for…
POTENTIAL FIELD/COURT-STORMERS IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA
Field/court-storming is the best. It also soon might be illegal in Florida.
- Republican Florida state senator — and former Florida State star — Corey Simon introduced the “Interference with Sporting or Entertainment Events” bill, which would make entering a “covered area” a first-degree misdemeanor. It could come with up to a year in jail or a $2,500 fine.
- A similar bill has been introduced by Republican Representative Taylor Yarkosky in the state’s House of Representatives. If either bill passes its respective body and gets signed into law by governor Ron DeSantis, the law would go into effect Oct. 1.
As you can tell by where I put this in the newsletter, I do not like it. I do not like it at all. Storming the playing surface is one of the things that makes college sports special. Unlike the pros, college sports present opportunities to celebrate with colleagues; the players are fellow students, after all.
Also, the logistics of this are unclear at best, and honestly hilarious to picture. If thousands of people are on a field/court after a big win, how is every single one going to face legal action? Storming the playing surface is fun and — with very, very rare exceptions — harmless. The SEC fines schools for crowd storms, which is overkill already. An entire state making it a crime?! I’m not a fan.
Not so honorable mentions
Fixing load management in the NBA 🏀
Whoever said, “the best ability is availability” clearly didn’t foresee load management becoming such an issue in the NBA that the league is considering major changes as it hits All-Star Weekend. Earlier this week, it was reported that the NBA is considering trying a games played minimum to qualifying for major awards, such as MVP.
- It could come as soon as the 2024-25 season, when there will be a new collective bargaining agreement.
- It’s one of many potential ideas the NBA has floated to improve its regular-season product. Another is an in-season tournament.
Our NBA columnist Bill Reiter says the NBA has to fix its load management issue, and this latest proposal must be a strict one.
- Reiter: “A 70-game threshold seems fair, and it addresses a legit problem. The Western Conference team adviser also suggested a 30-minute minimum per game as well. Again, feels right. By this standard, this season’s MVP race would narrow to just two players — Nikola Jokic and Jayson Tatum. The rest of the group in the hunt for the honor this season are on pace for too few games, both by historical standards for an MVP and by the better-business practices the league and its players should support.”
It may be an uphill climb to get the players association to agree. Perhaps a shortened regular season with fewer back-to-backs would be better, since 82 games is a lot. Perhaps there’s a middle ground. Regardless, I agree with Bill: We need to see the game’s best players more often.
Maryland hands No. 3 Purdue second straight loss 🏀
Speaking of storming the court, Maryland fans got to do it, and it was awesome. The Terrapins used a massive second-half surge to top No. 3 Purdue, 68-54, for their first win over a top-10 team since 2016.
- Maryland used a 29-4 run over about nine minutes in the second half to take a 58-41 lead and never looked back.
- Jahmir Young (20 points) and Hakim Hart (13) led the way offensively, and Julian Reese (10 points, nine rebounds) did a great job on Zach Edey, who scored 18 points but needed 16 shots to get there.
- After starting the season 22-1, the Boilermakers have lost three of four, including their last two. In those three losses, they are 13 for 53 (24.5%) on 3-pointers.
Purdue ranks outside the top 200 nationally in 3-point shooting percentage, and when Edey isn’t completely dominant — and sometimes even when he is — the Boilermakers can run into trouble, writes our Kyle Boone.
As for Maryland, the Terrapins are putting it together in their first year under head coach Kevin Willard with wins in six of their last seven. Young — a Charlotte transfer — has been absolutely terrific, and in Hart, Reese and Donta Scott, Maryland has plenty of supporting options, too. The Terrapins were an 8 seed in Jerry Palm’s latest Bracketology and will be moving up with more wins of this caliber.
Former MLB All-Star, Hall-of-Fame announcer Tim McCarver dies at 81 ⚾
Tim McCarver, a two-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion and later a Hall-of-Fame announcer, died Thursday at the age of 81. A cause of death was not given.
- McCarver played 21 seasons (1959-61, 1962-80) and won World Series with the Cardinals in 1964 and 1967. He also played for the Phillies — where he was Hall of Famer Steve Carlton‘s personal catcher — Red Sox and Expos. He made his MLB debut at just 17.
- After his playing days, McCarver called games for the Phillies (1980-82), Mets (1983-98), Yankees (1999), Giants (2002) and Cardinals (2014-21). He was also a national broadcaster for CBS (1990-93) and Fox (1996-2013) and called 20 All-Star Games and 23 World Series.
- McCarver received the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award in 2012, was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2016 and was inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2017.
In a statement, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred called McCarver, “one of the most influential voices our game has known.”
What we’re watching this weekend 📺
Friday
🏒 Kings at Ducks, 9 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Rising Stars, 9 p.m. on TNT
Saturday
🏀 Illinois at No. 14 Indiana, Noon on ESPN
🏀 NCAA March Madness Men’s Basketball Preview, 12:30 p.m. on CBS
🏀 No. 10 Tennessee at Kentucky, 1 p.m. on CBS
🏀 No. 19 Iowa State at No. 12 Kansas State, 2 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 9 Baylor at No. 5 Kansas, 4 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 NHL Stadium Series: Capitals at Hurricanes, 8 p.m. on ABC
🏀 All-Star Saturday Night, 8 p.m. on TNT
Sunday
🏎 Daytona 500, 2:30 p.m. on FOX
🏀 NBA All-Star Game, 8 p.m. on TNT
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