MLB 2025 BEST BETS-NEWS THRU THE WORLD SERIES !

[Cnotes53]

Tuesday’s 6-pack:
Average cost of a 30-second Super Bowl ad thru the years:
1995– $1.1M
2000— $2.2M
2005— $2.5M
2010— $3.1M
2020— $5.6M
2025— $8M

Quote of the Day
“The most important investment you can make is in yourself.”
Warren Buffett

Tuesday’s quiz
Which team is the last ACC team to win a national title in basketball?

Monday’s quiz
When ABA folded after the 1975-76 season, four teams got absorbed into the NBA:
Nets, Nuggets, Pacers, Spurs

Sunday’s quiz
Four NFL teams have never played in a Super Bowl; Browns, Lions, Texans, Jaguars.

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Tuesday’s Den: 13 baseball Hall of Famers who should’ve been elected unanimously…….​

Mariano Rivera is the only Hall of Famer who was elected unanimously.

Here are 13 Hall of Famers who also should’ve been elected unanimously…….

13) Hank Aaron
755 home runs, 2,297 RBI, 6,856 total bases. He wasn’t unanimous?
Knocked in 100+ runs in eleven different seasons.
won World Series ring in 1957 with Milwaukee Braves.
OPS didn’t exist when he played, but his career OPS was .928.

12) Willie Mays
660 home runs, 1,909 RBI, won 12 Gold Gloves; who didn’t vote for him?
Had five seasons with a slugging %age over .600.
In 1954, he hit .345 with a 1.078 OPS, after he was in the military during the ’53 season.
Giants also won the World Series in 1954.

11) Ted Williams
.344 career batting average, .482 on-base %age, career OPS of 1.116.
In 1941, he hit .406, playing 143 games, with 147 walks.
He hit .316 in his last season, when he was 41 years old.
Missed three years due to military service; he was a fighter pilot.

10) Babe Ruth
714 home runs, 2,214 RBI, career OPS of 1.164
From 1920-31, he hit 40+ home runs in 10 of 12 seasons.
Hit 15 homers, had 33 RBI in 41 World Series games.
Oh yeah, he was 94-46, 2.28 in 147 starts as a pitcher.

9) Bob Gibson
251-174 with a 2.92 ERA in 482 career starts (255 complete games)
in 1968, he was 22-9, 1.12 in 34 starts, with 13 shutouts.
made All-Star team seven years in row, from 1964-70.
won two World Series MVP’s (1964/1967)

8) Rickey Henderson
scored 2,295 runs, stole 1,406 bases, both the most ever.
drew 2,190 walks, had a career on-base %age of .401
won two World Series rings, with A’s/Blue Jays.
scored 47 runs in 60 postseason games.
played for nine teams in his 25-year career.

7) Mickey Mantle
536 home runs, 1,509 RBI, a career on-base %age of .421
won seven World Series rings.
scored 42 runs, had 40 RBI in 65 playoff games.
had eight seasons with an OPS over 1.000.

— Famous birthdays, February 11th:
Tina Louise, 91
James Silas, 76
Carey Lowell, 64
Jennifer Aniston, 56
Damian Lewis, 54
Jacque Vaughn, 50
Dansby Swanson, 31
Josh Jacobs, 27

6) Tom Seaver
was 311-205, 2.86 in 647 career starts (231 career games)
made 12 All-Star Games, won three Cy Young awards.
led the Mets to the 1969 World Series title.

5) Ichiro Suzuki
career batting average of .311, scored 1,420 runs.
made 10 All-Star games, won ten Gold Gloves
was Rookie of Year/MVP in the same year (2001)

4) Greg Maddux
was 355-227, 3.16 in 740 starts in his 23-year career.
helped Braves win the 1995 World Series
made 8 All-Star games, won 18 Gold Gloves

3) Stan Musial
.331 career batting average, career OPS of .976.
made seven batting titles, won three World Series titles.
had 3,630 hits, knocked in 1,951 runs in his career.

2) Frank Robinson
won an MVP in both leagues, for Reds/Orioles.
Hit 586 career home runs, had an OPS .926.
from 1960-62, had three years in row with an OPS of 1.000+.

1) Steve Carlton
won 329 career games in 709 starts (254 complete games)
won two World Series rings, won four Cy Young awards.
in 1972, he was 27-10, 1.97 in 41 starts for a Phillies team that went 59-97.

 

[Cnotes53]

Wednesday’s 6-pack:
Complete games pitched since 2000:
138— Blue Jays
134— Indians/Guardians
130— Phillies
126— White Sox
124— Giants
122— A’s

Quote of the Day
“One sign that you’re suited for some kind of work is when you like even the parts that other people find tedious.”
Paul Graham

Wednesday’s quiz
When Virginia won that national title in 2019, who did they beat in overtime in the national championship game?

Tuesday’s quiz
Virginia is the last ACC team to win a national title in basketball, in 2019.

Monday’s quiz
When ABA folded after the 1975-76 season, four teams got absorbed into the NBA:
Nets, Nuggets, Pacers, Spurs

*********************************************

Wednesday’s Den: Mid-week musings on a winter night…….​

— SEC
Kentucky 75, Tennessee 64
Vols led by 3 with 6:32 left in the game.
Kentucky beat Tennessee twice TY; they shot 12-24 on arc in both games.
Overall, SEC teams are shooting only 31% on arc against the Vols.

Florida 81, Mississippi State 68
Miss State led 34-33 at halftime.
Gators were 14-36 on arc, 14-25 inside arc.
Bulldogs out-rebounded Florida, 43-32.
Auburn/Alabama are tied for first, two games ahead of Florida.
Bracketology has 13 SEC teams in the NCAA Tournament.

— Big 12
Kansas State 73, Arizona 70
K-State has won six in row, after starting Big X play 1-6.
Teams combined to shoot 3-41 on arc in this game.
K-State led 35-29 at halftime; they survived shooting 16-26 on foul line.
12-1 Houston leads Arizona by a game, Texas Tech by two games.
Bracketology has eight Big X teams in the NCAA Tournament.

— Big 18
Michigan 75, Purdue 73
Michigan has won five games in a row.
Purdue led by 10 with 14:22 left to play.
Wolverines were 18-26 on foul line, Purdue 6-8

Illinois 83, UCLA 78
Illinois won the last 14 times they scored 80+ points.
Illinois is 1-7 when they score less than 80 points.
Illini scored 1.24 points possession; they out-rebounded UCLA, 36-23
Loss snaps UCLA’s six-game winning streak.
11-2 Michigan leads 11-3 Purdue, 10-3 Michigan State atop the standings.
Bracketology has ten Big 18 teams in the NCAA Tournament.

— Big East
UConn 70, Creighton 66
Liam McNeeley scored 38 points for UConn.
McNeeley was 5-10 on arc; rest of Huskies were 1-16.
Creighton PG Ashworth was 1-8 from floor, 11-12 on foul line.

Marquette 68, DePaul 58
Golden Eagles right the ship, end a three-game skid.
Teams combined to shoot 8-49 on the arc.
Marquette was 14-20 on foul line, Blue Demons 4-9
12-1 St John’s leads 11-3 Creighton, 10-4 Marquette atop the Big East.
Bracketology has four Big East teams in the NCAA Tournament.

— American
East Carolina 82, UAB 75
East Carolina shot 59.5% inside arc, scored 1.28 points/possession.
Just second loss in last ten games for UAB.

North Texas 67, Rice 61
North Texas had only five turnovers (+4)
Rice was only 12-23 on the foul line.
Mean Green won eight of its last ten games.
10-1 Memphis leads 9-3 North Texas, 8-3 UAB.

— Mountain West
San Diego State 69, San Jose State 66
San Jose State led this game 37-20 at halftime.
Spartans shot 3-10 on the foul line.
San Diego State shot 4-23 on the arc.

UNLV 77, Air Force 52
Air Force is 2-12 ATS in conference games.
12-1 New Mexico leads 12-2 Utah State atop the standings.
Bracketology has three Mountain West teams in the NCAA Tournament.

— Famous birthdays, February 12th:
Joe Don Baker, 89
Dieter Brock, 74
Joanna Kerns, 72
Dave Revering, 72
Chet Lemon, 70
Larry Nance, 66
Todd Frazier, 39
Robert Griffin III, 35
Heston Kjerstad, 26
Victor Scott, 24
Abraham Lincoln was born on this day in 1809.
Basketball great Bill Russell was born on this day in 1934.

— ACC
SMU 83, Pitt 63
SMU shot 10-20 on the arc, scored 1.22 points/possession.
Mustangs have won five games in a row.
Boston College is 1-7 ATS in its last eight games.
Clemson is 7-2 ATS in its last nine games.
Bracketology has four ACC teams in the NCAA Tournament

— Atlantic 15
George Mason 76, Saint Louis 74 OT
George Mason led by 10 with 10:33 left in regulation.
Patriots have won 10 games in a row, three of them in OT
George Mason shot 15-33 on the arc.
Dayton, St Bonaventure are both 2-8 ATS in its last ten games.
VCU is 7-1 ATS in its last eight games.
11-1 George Mason leads 9-2 VCU atop the standings.

— Missouri Valley
12-2 Drake leads 11-4 Northern Iowa, 10-4 Bradley atop the standings.
Illinois State is 6-0 ATS as an underdog, 1-7 as a favorite in MVC games
Missouri State is 4-10 ATS in MVC games.
Southern Illinois is 8-2 ATS in its last ten games.

— WAC
9-1 Utah Valley leads 7-2 Grand Canyon atop the standings.
Utah Valley is 9-1 SU/ATS in conference games.
Southern Utah is 1-6 SU/2-5 ATS in its last seven games.

— MAAC
11-2 Merrimack leads Quinnipiac/Marist by a game; this is Merrimack’s first year in the MAAC, just their sixth year as a Division I team.
Iona is 6-1 SU/5-2 ATS in its last seven games.
Rider is 7-2 ATS in its last nine games.
Sacred Heart is 5-0 SU/4-1 ATS in its last five games.
Canisius is 3-9 ATS in conference games.

— Southern Conference
Samford, Chattanooga, NC-Greensboro are tied for first, at 9-3.
45.6% of shots in SoCon games are 3-pointers, highest %age in country.
VMI is 6-6 SU/11-1 ATS in conference games.
Chattanooga won/covered its last five games.
Furman is 3-8 ATS in its last eleven games.

— Big West
Cal-San Diego/Cal-Irvine are both 10-2, two games ahead of Northridge, Riverside.
Bakersfield is 1-6 ATS in its last seven games.
Cal-Davis is 5-2 SU/7-0 ATS in its last seven games.

 

[Cnotes53]

Thursday’s 6-pack:
Players who have scored 30,000+ points in NBA games:
41,623— LeBron James
38,387— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
36,928— Karl Malone
33,643— Kobe Bryant
32,292— Michael Jordan
31,560— Dirk Nowitzki
31,419— Wilt Chamberlain
30,008— Kevin Durant
Julius Erving scored 30,026 points, when you add in his ABA scoring.

Thought of the Day
When all is said and done, usually more is said than done.

Thursday’s quiz
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the NBA in scoring; where did he play his college basketball?

Wednesday’s quiz
When Virginia won that national title in 2019, they beat Texas Tech in overtime in the national championship game.

Tuesday’s quiz
Virginia is the last ACC team to win a national title in basketball, in 2019.

***************************************

Thursday’s Den: Nobody asked me, but…….​

— Red Sox signed IF Alex Bregman to a three-year contract worth $120M; there are murmurs that he will play second base for Boston, after playing third base in Houston.

— Villanova 73, St John’s 71
Villanova shot 60% inside arc, scored 1.20 points/possession.
St John’s was 11-37 on arc, 16-24 inside arc.
Loss snaps St John’s 10-game winning streak.

— Texas Tech 111, Arizona State 106, 2OT
Red Raiders have won eight of their last nine games.
ASU lost despite shooting 13-27 on the arc.
Tech was 23-32 on foul line, Sun Devils 13-16.

— TCU 73, Oklahoma State 72
Horned Frogs hit a contested 3-pointer with 0:00.4 left for the win.
TCU led by 10 with 10:45 left in the game.
TCU survived going 12-20 on the foul line.

— Notre Dame 97, Boston College 94, 2OT
BC led 41-35 at halftime; they’ve lost nine of last 10 games.
Notre Dame was 20-29 on foul line, Eagles 12-15
Markus Burton scored 32 points for Notre Dame.

— Florida State 72, Wake Forest 70
Deacons led by 16 with 8:22 left in the game.
Florida State shot 54.3% inside the arc.
When you’re a bubble team, home losses like this are a catastrophe.

— Robert Morris 68, Cleveland State 59
Colonials have won nine of their last ten games.
Cleveland State was only 2-16 on the arc.
Vikings still lead the Horizon by two games, with five left to play.

— New Mexico 71, Wyoming 67
Wyoming led by 13 in the first half, by 3 with 3:32 left in game.
New Mexico was 18-34 on foul line, Cowboys 4-14
Lobos won their seventh game in a row.

— Famous birthdays, February 13th:
Stockard Channing, 81
Randy Moss, 48
Luke Ridnour, 44
Aqib Talib, 39
Nathan Eovaldi, 35
Jaden Ivey, 23

— Baseball stuff:
Padres signed P Nick Pivetta for four years, $55M.
Marlins signed P Cal Quantrill for one year, $3.5M
Angels signed closer Kenley Jansen for one year, $10M
Dodgers/P Clayton Kershaw agreed on a one-year deal, rumored to be worth $5M, with a lot of incentives added in.
Baltimore Orioles signed OF Ramon Laureano for one year, $4M, with a team option for 2026.
Minnesota Twins signed 1B Ty France; they didn’t say for how much $$$.
Pittsburgh’s newly acquired 1B Spencer Horwitz is out 6-8 weeks after having surgery on his right wrist. Horwitz hit 12 homers in 97 games with Toronto last year.

— I’ve been spending decent amount of time late at night watching YouTube podcasts about fantasy baseball and I got wondering:
Do major league players watch these podcasts, to listen to nerdy people like myself analyze their prospects for this season? If it was me, I’d be a little curious what people were saying, then if they were critical of me, I’d look at my (large) bank account and turn the podcast off.

— Was watching a mock draft last night; Cubs’ P Shota Imanaga was a ninth-round pick, the 102nd player taken. This time last year, no one, and I mean no one, was touting Imanaga at all— they all liked Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but no one seemed to know anything about Imanaga.

— Sounds like Dodgers/Mets are both going to be using six-man pitching rotations, which is how they do things in Japan. NPL teams usually have Mondays off, then play six-game weeks.

— Random trivia that I learned today: Actress Helen Hunt, the waitress in As Good As It Gets with Jack Nicholson and the co-star of Mad About You, my ex-wife’s favorite TV show, was in an episode of the Mary Tyler Moore Show– she was Gavin MacLeod’s daughter.

— Each player on the Philadelphia Eagles gets $171,000 for winning the Super Bowl; all the guys on the Chiefs get $96,000.

— Was watching a college hoop game the other night; kid took an open jumper from the right wing- when he landed, he landed on a defender’s foot, which is a foul. Shooters have to have the right to land, to avoid ankle injuries..
But the officials stopped the game, looked at the replay and called it a flagrant foul, which to me seemed ridiculous. Has basketball become this soft? There was zero physical contact, other than one foot landing on the other, and it didn’t seem the least bit intentional.

— When the Milwaukee Bucks traded Khris Middleton to Washington last week, they saved $29M by getting below the second salary cap apron, after Kyle Kuzma reduced his trade bonus.

 

[Cnotes53]

Friday’s 6-pack:
Teams that force the highest %age of turnovers:
24%— UCLA
23.9%— Iona
23.7%— Cal-San Diego
23.6%— Texas- El Paso
23.5%— Tarleton State
23.3%— Abilene Christian

Quote of the Day
“He’s a franchise changer. He’s done that everywhere he’s gone and he is helping revitalize what we got here. The belief amongst this team, now that he’s arrived, as opposed to what it was before he got here, it’s night and day.”
Draymond Green, talking about his new teammate, Jimmy Butler

Friday’s quiz
Where did Aaron Rodgers play his college football?

Thursday’s quiz
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the NBA in scoring; he played college basketball at Kentucky.

Wednesday’s quiz
When Virginia won the college basketball national title in 2019, they beat Texas Tech in overtime in the national championship game.

***************************************

Friday’s Den: Random stuff with the weekend here…….​

— Gonzaga 88, San Francisco 77
USF hasn’t won in Spokane since 1989- they play there every year.
Gonzaga has won its last 31 games against the Dons.
Ryan Nembhard had 18 points, 12 assists for the Zags.

— Maryland 83, Nebraska 75
Maryland has won six of its last seven games.
Terrapins shot 63.2% inside the arc.
Loss snaps Nebraska’s four-game winning streak.

— South Alabama 91, Marshall 82 OT
Marshall was 14-48 on the arc, 16-29 inside arc.
South Alabama was 27-33 on foul line, Marshall 8-11
10-3 Arkansas State leads the Sun Belt; there are four teams tied for second place, a game behind them. Sun Belt conference tournament is going to be excellent.

— NC-Wilmington 86, Charleston 66
UNCW has won nine games in a row, is 21-5.
Seahawks out-rebounded Charleston, 43-27
UNCW shot 61.4% inside the arc.

— Early returns on the Jimmy Butler trade:
Warriors 105, Rockets 98- Golden State is 3-1 since acquiring Butler.
Mavericks 118, Heat 113- Miami is 0-4 since trading Butler.

— Famous birthdays, February 14th:
Dave Dravecky, 69
Jim Kelly, 65
Meg Tilly, 65
Drew Bledsoe, 53
Richard Hamilton, 47
Derek Norris, 36
Nick Pivetta, 32
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, 23
Nolan Schanuel, 23

— Talk about a euphemism; New Jersey Jets have told QB Aaron Rodgers they’re “going to move in a different direction at quarterback” which is nice way of saying they’re telling Rodgers to take a hike, after two disappointing years, where the Jets went 12-22, with Rodgers going 6-13 in his starts, while banking $75M.

Will Rodgers retire? He is 41; would another team want him? This will be one of the off season’s more interesting sub-plots.
— Former Detroit Lions HC Matt Patricia is going to be the new defensive coordinator at Ohio State; he was 13-29-1 as coach of the Lions, after they had gone 36-28 under his predecessor, Jim Caldwell. Lions are 39-28-1 since Patricia left Detroit.
— It rained in Las Vegas Thursday, first time it rained there in 214 days.

— Upsets of the Night:
Portland (+13.5) 84, Oregon State 72
North Carolina A&T (+12.5) 60, Elon 59
Pacific (+11.5) 83, LMU 58
Denver (+8.5) 68, North Dakota 64
Tennessee-Martin (+5.5) 76, SIU-Edwardsville 71
Kennesaw State (+4.5) 69, Louisiana Tech 47

— Tex-Arlington 82, Cal Baptist 79, OT
Cal Baptist led by 17 with 13:34 left in the game.
Tex-Arlington was 24-43 on foul line, Lancers were 7-8
Raysean Seamster was 10-18 on foul line, by himself.

— Cal-Davis 75, Cal-Riverside 74
Aggies were 22-27 on foul line, Riverside was 5-9
Riverside led by 10 late in first half.
Davis outscored Riverside 5-0 in the last 1:27 of the game.

— Cal-Irvine 62, Cal-Santa Barbara 60
Anteaters scored on a lob pass on an out-of-bounds under play with 0:00.6 left.
Irvine stays tied with Cal-San Diego stop the Big West.
Loss snaps the Gauchos’ three-game winning streak.

— South Dakota State 98, Omaha 85
Jackrabbits shot 10-20 on arc, scored 1.34 points/possession.
Only second loss in last 13 games for Omaha.
10-2 Omaha leads 9-2 St Thomas, 9-3 Jackrabbits atop the Summit standings.

— North Dakota State 94, Oral Roberts 88 OT
On TV, they said it was 21 below zero in Fargo Thursday; good grief.
ORU is 1-7 in its last eight games; they lost despite going 13-24 on the arc.
North Dakota State has the #2 eFG% in the country; they’re also the worst team in the country at forcing turnovers.

 

[Cnotes53]

Sunday’s 6-pack:
College football playoff teams with most players invited to the NFL Combine:
15— Ohio State
14— Georgia, Texas
12— Oregon
8— Notre Dame
6— Clemson, Tennessee
5— Penn State

Quote of the Day
“I thoroughly appreciate being a Celtic and love the people I get to work with every day.”
Brad Stevens, former Butler coach, now the Celtics’ president of basketball operations, dispelling rumors he will be the next basketball coach at Indiana

Sunday’s quiz
Butler lost the national championship game two years in a row, in 2010/2011; what league were they in back then?

Saturday’s quiz
Four major leaguers who have hit 600+ home runs are not in the Hall of Fame:
Bonds, Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Sosa.

Friday’s quiz
Aaron Rodgers played his college football at California

************************************************

Sunday’s Den: Wrapping up a college basketball Saturday…….​

We’re four weeks away from Selection Sunday; spring training games start this week, now I just need it to stop snowing outside.

— SEC
Auburn 94, Alabama 85
There were 67 foul shots, only 11 turnovers in this game.
Game was 65-65 with 7:45 left to play.
Tigers were 12-30 on the arc, Alabama 5-26

Tennessee 81, Vanderbilt 76
Vandy led by 16 late in first half.
Vols shot 64.5% inside the arc.
Tennessee won four of its last five games.

LSU 82, Oklahoma 79
Sooners are 3-9 in the SEC, after a 13-0 pre-conference mark.

Mississippi State 81, Ole Miss 71
State is shooting 56% inside arc, 31.5% on the arc (#294)
Bracketology has 14 of 16 SEC teams in the Field of 68, which is unlikely to happen.

— Big 18
Underdogs were 4-0 SU/ATS in Big 18 games Saturday.
Michigan State 79, Illinois 65
Tom Izzo has now won 354 Big 18 games, the most of any coach.

Wisconsin 94, Purdue 84
Badgers outscored Purdue 58-47 in second half.
Wisconsin made 20 of 22 shots inside the arc (20 of 22- that’s 90.9%!!!)
Purdue scored 1.29 points/possession and still lost by 10.
This year is the first time since 2006 that the Badgers are in top 200 in tempo; they’ve adjusted to the times, and have done it very well.
Bracketology has ten Big 18 teams in the Field of 68

— Big East
Seton Hall (+14.5) 69, UConn 68 OT
UConn led by 7 with 0:45 left in regulation.
Seton Hall snaps its nine-game losing streak.
Pirates are 2-12 in Big East, with both wins in overtime.
Bracketology has four Big East teams in the Field of 68

— Big X
Houston 62, Arizona 58
Houston started season 4-3; they’re 17-1 since then.
Cougars have the #9 eFG% defense in the country.
Arizona led by 7 with 9:10 left in the game.
Bracketology has eight Big X teams in the Field of 68

— ACC
Clemson 72, Florida State 46
Clemson is #9 experience team in the country; they’re very good.
Tigers have won nine of their last ten games.
Clemson is shooting 38.4% on the arc (#14)
Bracketology has only three ACC teams in the Field of 68

— Upsets of the Day:
Seton Hall (+14.5) 69, UConn 68 OT
LSU (+8.5) 82, Oklahoma 79
Elon (+8.5) 81, NC-Wilmington 70
Wake Forest (+7.5) 77, SMU 66
Minnesota (+7.5) 69, USC 66
VMI (+7.5) 80, Mercer 71
Washington (+6.5) 75, Penn State 73

— Sun Belt
Underdogs were 4-3 SU/7-0 ATS in the Sun Belt Saturday.
Troy 71, Arkansas State 70
Troy snapped the Red Wolves’ 15-game home winning streak.
There are four teams tied for first place in Sun Belt, with four games left.

— Atlantic 15
George Mason 58, St Joe’s 57
St Joe’s led by 8 with 7:57 left in the game.
George Mason has won its last eleven games.
George Mason has 20+ wins for third year in a row; they haven’t been in NCAA’s since 2011. Patriots have #3 eFG% defense in country.

— Mid-American
Underdogs were 3-2 SU/5-0 ATS in the MAC Saturday.
Akron 85, Central Michigan 82
Zips have won 13 games in a row; they’re 12-0 in the MAC
Be careful with the MAC team in NCAA’s; Akron is 0-2 vs top 100 teams, losing by 16 to Yale, by 19 at Saint Mary’s.
MAC is the #24 league, both this year and last, their lowest ranking in the last 28 years.

— Summit
St Thomas 95, Omaha 84
St Thomas was 13-29 on arc, scored 1.36 points/possession
Tommies take over first place in the Summit, with four games left.
Summit is a league with good offense/bad defense; average total in their three games Saturday was 172.3.

— Famous birthdays, February 16:
Tim Cullen, 83
Glenn Abbott, 74
LeVar Burton, 68
Tracy Marrow, 67 (Ice-T)
Herb Williams, 67
Kelly Tripucka, 66
Jerome Bettis, 53
Eric Byrnes, 49
Tommy Milone, 38

— Ivy League
Yale 72, Penn 71
Yale has won nine in a row, is 8-0 in Ivy games.
Bulldogs had only three turnovers (+9)
Four of eight Ivy teams make the conference tournament; Cornell is the #4-seed right now, at 5-4, leading Brown/Harvard by a game.

— Southern
VMI 80, Mercer 71
Keydets are 7-7 in SoCon; they haven’t finished over .500 in SoCon since 2014.
VMI is also 12-2 against the spread in SoCon games this season.

Samford 76, Wofford 68
Wofford has a big guy, Kyler Filewich, who at this time last week was 24-80 on the foul line this season; that is 30%, which is terrible.
Someone has apparently convinced the young man to shoot his foul shots underhanded, the way the great Rick Barry did. Barry/Steph Curry are the two best ever on the foul line.
The last two games, Filewich was 10-16 on the foul line; good for him. He’s scoring 12 points a game, a number that figures to go up now.

— CAA
Elon 81, NC-Wilmington 70
Loss snaps the Seahawks’ nine-game winning streak.
Towson leads UNCW by two games atop the CAA; Tigers are 84-44 the last four years, but they haven’t been in the NCAA Tournament since 1991.

— Conference USA
Jacksonville State 70, Louisiana Tech 68
Jaren Pierre had 34 of Jax State’s 70 points.
Jax State was 26-30 on foul line; they were the road team.
Gamecocks have won nine of last 10 games, are 10-3 and atop the C-USA.

 

[Cnotes53]

Monday’s 6-pack:
Over/under win totals for baseball season:
86— Diamondbacks
92— Braves
88.5— Orioles
86— Red Sox
86— Cubs
53— White Sox

Quote of the Day
“We made eight of our last 10 field goals, that’s how you close out a game……..Chris Moore played seven minutes, was plus-17……everyone contributed……..there is something to the fact that they trust each other, they do.”
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, after the Tigers’ win at Alabama

Monday’s quiz
In the TV show Ted Lasso, an English soccer team hires a new coach, who used to be the football coach at which American college?

Sunday’s quiz
Butler lost the national championship game two years in a row, in 2010/2011; they were in the Horizon League back then, which is how coach Brad Stevens vaulted into the NBA.

Saturday’s quiz
Four major leaguers who have hit 600+ home runs are not in the Hall of Fame:
Bonds, Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Sosa.

********************************************

Monday’s Den: Wrapping up a sports weekend……..​

— St John’s 79, Creighton 73
St John’s has won 11 of its last 12 games.
Red Storm was +10 in turnovers (15-5)
Two games vs St John’s this year, Bluejays were only 17-56 on the arc.

— Michigan 86, Ohio State 83
Michigan is 20-5; they were 8-24 last season.
Wolverines have won six games in a row, all by 4 or fewer points.
Michigan out-rounded the Buckeyes, 46-31.

— Nebraska 68, Northwestern 64
Northwestern led 41-21 early in the second half.
Nebraska was 22-28 on foul line, Wildcats were 5-8.
Cornhuskers have won five of their last six games.

— New Mexico 82, Utah State 79
Aggies led 42-36 at halftime.
Lobos were 27-34 on foul line, Utah State 13-16.
New Mexico’s subs played a total of only 23:00.

— Bradley 61, Drake 59
Bradley shot 61.5% inside the arc.
Loss snaps Drake’s 11-game winning streak.
Drake still leads Bradley by a game atop the MVC standings.

— South Dakota State 94, South Dakota 91
State’s big man Cluff had 21 points, 16 rebounds.
Jackrabbits out-rebounded South Dakota, 44-30.
State won eight of its last nine games.

— Green Bay 79, Wright State 68
Green Bay snaps their 21-game losing streak.
Green Bay was 26-34 on foul line; frosh G Tweedy was 15-16.
Wright State is 4-7 in its last eleven games.

— Famous birthdays, February 17
Dick Bosman, 81
Rene Russo, 71
Neil Lomax, 66
Lou Diamond Phillips, 63
Michael Jordan, 62
David Klingler, 56
Jerry O’Connell, 51
Kelly Carlson, 49
Jeff Ulbrich, 48
Josh Willingham, 46
Case Keenum, 37
Sony Michel, 30
Monday would’ve been the great actor Hal Holbrook’s 100th birthday.


— Wichita State 84, Memphis 79 OT
Memphis led by 4 with 0:38 left in regulation.
Loss snaps the Tigers’ eight-game winning streak.
Wichita won its last four games, by 8-5-5-5 points.
PJ Carter is a senior guard for Memphis; he played for Texas-San Antonio last year, and from 2020-22, he played for the Campbell Camels. He’s scoring 5.5 ppg in 14.5 minutes/game for Memphis this season. I’m guessing that sometime down the road, he’ll be able to write a very good book about his travels through college basketball.

— Want to buy 10% of an NFL team? New Jersey Giants are selling a 10% non-controlling stake in the team- they hired an investment bank and strategic adviser explore the sale.

Giants’ ownership has been split 50-50 between the Mara and Tisch families since 1991; it is unclear how much the Giants’ franchise is worth, but the Eagles were recently valued at $8.3B- most people think the Giants are with more than that.
10% of $8B is $800M, a healthy piece of change, so if you’ve got $800M to toss around, feel free to give the Giants a call.

— Remember when NFL Films miked Chiefs coach Hank Stram during Super Bowl IV? Chiefs were a big underdog, but they whacked Minnesota 23-7 and Stram became famous because of his quirky vocabulary— “Keep matriculating the ball down the field, boys!!!”
After his coaching days were done, Stram had a good career doing Monday night games on the radio with the great Jack Buck- they were an excellent combination.

Found out this week that when NFL Films wanted to mike Stram during the Super Bowl, he held out for some money— they wound up paying him $500, which in 1970 was a decent paycheck for doing something that hadn’t been done very often. Stram did it very, very well.

— Boston College is having a rough season; they’re 10-15, 2-12 in ACC games. Three of their last five losses came in overtime, though; Eagles lost in triple OT at Syracuse February 8th, then lost the next game in double overtime at home to Notre Dame.
Eagles haven’t been in the NCAA’s since 2009; moving to the ACC hasn’t been good for their basketball program. Coach Earl Grant won a lot at Charleston; we’ll see if he can get BC over the hump.

— Bracketology has 14 SEC teams getting into the NCAA Tournament; I’m guessing it will be less than 14 teams. How can you justify a team that finished 14th in a 16-team league getting to play for a national title? Would rather see some teams who fared better in the regular season in a lesser league get to play in the NCAA’s.

— Draymond Green has made $203M in salary in his NBA career; he’s on the books for another $53M the next two seasons. He’s won four NBA championship rings.

You’d think he’d be a little more upbeat about the state of the NBA, but he thinks “It’s just who can run faster, who can hit more 3s, it’s no substance. I think it’s very boring.”

Golden State Warriors are probably more responsible than any other team for leading the NBA into this spacing and shooting era, the kind of stuff Green thinks makes the NBA “boring” but it has also made Green famous and really, really rich.
In other words, he should play ball and keep his negative thoughts to himself.

 

[Cnotes53]

Tuesday’s 6-pack:
Pitchers who induced most whiffs on pitches in strike zone last year:
17.9%— Garrett Crochet, CWS
17.1%— Tarik Skubal, Det
16.8%— Cole Ragans, KC
16.4%— Bailey Ober, Minn
16.3%— DJ Herz, Wash
16.2%— Tanner Bibee, Clev

Quote of the Day
“OK, you’re either going to draft me or you’re not. If you don’t draft me, that’s your fault. You’ve got to remember you’re the same team that’s got to play me for the rest of my career, and I’ll remember that.”
Miami Hurricanes QB Cam Ward, who will be drafted into the NFL in April

Tuesday’s quiz
What is the only American League team that has never had a pitcher win the Cy Young award?

Monday’s quiz
In the TV show Ted Lasso, an English soccer team hires a new coach, who used to be the football coach at Wichita State.

Sunday’s quiz
Butler lost the national championship game two years in a row, in 2010/2011; they were in the Horizon League back then, which is how coach Brad Stevens vaulted into the NBA.

***************************************

Tuesday’s Den: Nobody asked me, but…….​

— Red Sox signed 3B Alex Bregman last week for three years, $120M; they’re not saying where Bregman will play in the field this year, but incumbent 3B Rafael Devers had a lot to say about the situation Monday.

“No. Third base is my position. It’s what I play. I don’t know what their plans are. We had a conversation. I made it clear on what my desires were. Whatever happens from here, I don’t know.”

Devers is a three-time All-Star, has played third base for Boston since 2017 and got a big $$$ contract from the Red Sox two years ago.
Bregman could play second base, but they also have Kristian Campbell, a 2B who is a highly-thought of prospect.

— Kansas Jayhawks are 8-6 in Big X this season, 3-4 in their last seven games. They’re ranked 23rd by the AP this week, the lowest they’ve been ranked since 2009 (they were also #23 in February, 2021).

— Northern Iowa 74, Murray State 67
Game was moved to Nashville, after there was a power outage on the Murray State campus, which caused this game to be postponed Sunday.
Northern Iowa was 20-26 on foul line, Racers were 8-12. Panthers have won five in a row, nine of last 11 games. Murray State is 3-8 in its last eleven games.

— Duke 80, Virginia 62
Duke shot 61.1% inside the arc.
Blue Devils out-rebounded Virginia, 41-24.
Three of Duke’s five starters are freshmen.

— TV recommendation; Suits LA starts on NBC Sunday night, a spin off from the old USA Network show. It is about a former New York prosecutor who starts law firm in Los Angeles that specializes in criminal and entertainment law.
Aaron Korsh is the creator; he also did the original Suits, so this figures to be a very good show.

— Famous birthdays, February 18
Dal Maxvill, 86
John Travolta, 71
Chuck Long, 62
Matt Dillon, 61
Molly Ringwald, 57
Le’Veon Bell, 33
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, 32
Ryan Mountcastle, 28
Jake Irvin, 28
Isaac Paredes, 26

— Angels’ star Mike Trout is switching from center field to right field this year, as he tries to stay healthier as he gets older.
33-year old Trout has played in only 266 games the last four years. Angels haven’t made the playoffs since 2014; they haven’t won a playoff game since 2009.

Somehow, the Angels are actually paying 3B Anthony Rendon more than Trout, and now it looks like Rendon’s career might be over. If his Angels’ stint is over, Rendon will have played a total of 257 games, out of a possible 1,032, while banking $228M from the Halos.

— Things can fall apart quickly; four years ago, the White Sox over/under win total was 91.1 wins, for the 2021 season. This year, it is 61.5.
Last year, the Pale Hose went 41-121. No bueno.

— Mets P Frankie Montas has a high-grade lat strain, is likely out until Memorial Day— this is an injured muscle around the rib cage. Montas has been shut down for 6-8 weeks, and then will start his season over from scratch from there.

— Arizona Diamondbacks gave SS Geraldo Perdomo a 4-year, $45M contract extension; 25-year old Perdomo hit .273 with a .718 OPS last year, in 98 games.

— Kansas City Royals signed P Cole Ragans to a 3-year deal worth $13.25M; Ragans was 11-9, 3.14 in 32 starts for the Royals last year, helping the Royals make the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

— This will be the 21st year of our fantasy baseball league, a dynasty league with 14 teams in it. Our first draft took 81 days to finish. The first two players I drafted were Matt Holliday and Adam Dunn, two very different hitters.
Dunn walked a lot and hit a lot of home runs. From 2005-08, he hit exactly 40 home runs four years in a row, which doesn’t seem possible. He hit 462 home runs, had a career OPS of .854.
He was the kind of player Billy Beane talked about in Moneyball; when Dunn was 34, at the tail end of his career, he played 25 games for the A’s, but by then, he was washed up. He did help my fantasy team a lot though, when he played for Cincinnati.

 

[Cnotes53]

Wednesday’s 6-pack:
Six leading scorers in the country:
23.2— Eric Dixon, Villanova
22.0— Jamal Mashburn Jr, Temple
21.7— Jaron Pierre, Jacksonville State
21.4— Ty Johnson, Cal-Davis
21.2— PJ Haggerty, Memphis
21.2— Trent McLaughlin, Northern Arizona

Quote of the Day
“I’m here. We didn’t get an agreement. Now, they’re going to have to compete with 29 other teams. They had their numbers, I had my numbers. It’s just business, like I always say. Things happen. We’re all good.”
Vladimir Guerrero Jr, talking about his failed contract talks with the Blue Jays

Wednesday’s quiz
Which college basketball team is known as the Cyclones?

Tuesday’s quiz
Texas Rangers are the only American League team that has never had a pitcher win the Cy Young award.

Monday’s quiz
In the TV show Ted Lasso, an English soccer team hires a new coach, who used to be the football coach at Wichita State.

*************************************

Wednesday’s Den: Mid-week musings…….​

— Spring training is a week old; the Red Sox already have a lot of drama, as the players are voicing their opinions as to which well-paid star should play third base this year.

Tuesday, 1B Triston Casas chimed in with his opinion:
“I think it’s Raffy Devers’ position. He’s done it for a really long time now and I think he’s only getting better at that position… I think he’s the best third baseman in the league. I wouldn’t take anybody over him.”

Someone needs to tell Cases that since coming to the major leagues, Devers has been the worst defensive third baseman in the big leagues- that includes all 103 players who have played 750+ innings at the hot corner.

— There is an interesting podcast on YouTube for two hours every weekday: Foul Territory, which has former big league catchers AJ Pierzynski, Erik Kratz, with host Scott Braun and an assortment of other people- Todd Frazier is on a decent amount.

Monday, they had agent Scott Boras on for an hour, which is unusual for this show, but Boras had a lot to say and it was interesting to listen to him talk about how teams spend/don’t spend their money.

Boras is basically a scum weasel lawyer who screws over the cheap teams, but I’m bitter because I root for the A’s. He’s the best agent in baseball, for his clients, at least.

Someone said Tuesday that this winter alone, with the new contracts Boras has negotiated for his clients, his company has banked $95M. Thats million, with an M

Tuesday, Foul Territory had Will Carroll on; he is a writer who specializes in the coverage of medical issues. He was interesting to listen to; he suggested that Giancarlo Stanton doesn’t actually have “tennis elbow” in both elbows, he has some other injury in the elbow that was just easier to describe as tennis elbow..
Anyway, the show is worth listening to; lot of stuff to learn.

— Chicago Cubs signed IF/DH Justin Turner to a one-year, $6M deal; Turner will be playing for his 7th major league team- he hit .259 with 11 homers LY in 139 games for Toronto/Seattle.

— Since 2012, San Diego State has made nine of 12 NCAA Tournaments; they’ve made the finals of the Mountain West tournament 11 times in those 12 seasons, but were only 3-8 SU in those 11 finals- they get at-large bids into the NCAA’s, so not a huge deal, just unusual.
Aztecs are 5-3 in the first round of their last eight NCAA tourneys; they were national runner-up two years ago, but for some reason, the finals of the conference tournament has been a problem.

— When Championship Week starts next month, no team will have more pressure on them than the Toledo Rockets in the MAC.
The last four years, Toledo has won the MAC’s regular season every year, but never won the MAC tournament, which is the only way a MAC team is making the NCAA’s.

This year, Toledo is 8-4 in the MAC, in third place; Akron is 12-0 in the MAC, so for once, the Rockets won’t be favored to win the tournament.
Toledo hasn’t been in the NCAA Tournament since 1980.

— Cincinnati Bengals’ QB Joe Burrow has a $46.3M cap hit next season; now it is up to the Bengals’ front office to re-sign WR Ja’Marr Chase and fortify the team’s offensive line to make sure Burrow has the best chance to earn all that $$$.

— Carolina Panthers re-signed backup QB Andy Dalton for two years, $8M; Dalton was a mentor for young QB Bryce Young last fall. Young played way better in the second half of the season, and Dalton’s contract says he had a lot to do with it.

— Famous birthdays, February 19th:
Jackie Moore, 86
June Jones, 72
Jeff Daniels, 70
Dave Stewart, 68
Dwight Freeney, 45
Josh Reddick, 38
Nikola Jokic, 30
JP Sears, 29

 

[Cnotes53]

Thursday’s 6-pack:
Six players drafted ahead of Stephen Curry in 2009:
1- Blake Griffin, Clippers
2- Hasheem Thabeet, Grizzlies
3- James Harden, Thunder
4- Tyreke Evans, Kings
5- Ricky Rubio, T’wolves
6- Jonny Flynn, T’Wolves
7- Stephen Curry, Warriors
Minnesota passed twice on Curry………Oy

Quote of the Day
“I think everybody here believes in their abilities. I think all of us believe that if we all put together a good effort this season, we have a really good chance of being a winning baseball team. For me, I can only talk for myself, I’ll play wherever it helps the team win.”
Alex Bregman

Thursday’s quiz
New York Knicks have won only two NBA titles, in 1970, 1973; who was the Knicks’ coach in those years?

Wednesday’s quiz
Iowa State’s teams are known as the Cyclones.

Tuesday’s quiz
Texas Rangers are the only American League team that has never had a pitcher win the Cy Young award.

*******************************************

Thursday’s Den: Nobody asked me, but…….​

— Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fired his agent this week, will now represent himself.
Next season, Gilgeous-Alexander is expected to make $38,333,050. Friend of mine told me an agent makes 5%, so that means by firing his agent, Gilgeous-Alexander will save himself an impressive $1,916,652.50, just for one season.

— There is an actual baseball game on TV Thursday; Cubs-Dodgers at 3:00, as Cactus League play begins. Temperatures here in beautiful upstate New York will actually get over freezing this weekend. Spring isn’t far away!!!
Spring training games have an extra twist this year, over 60% of spring training games will have an automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge system as MLB continues to move closer to using it during the regular season, which won’t happen this season, if ever.
Each team will be given two challenges per game and will retain successful challenges.
AAA minor league baseball will use the challenge system during the 2025 regular season, giving MLB as much information as possible before a decision is made on 2026.

— ESPN will have the Milwaukee-Bronx game on TV Opening Day; Joe Buck will do play/play, with Joe Girardi, Bill Schroeder doing analysis. Have always thought that Joe Buck is better on baseball than football (he is good at both), but ESPN says this is just a one-time deal.

— Sacramento/Las Vegas A’s gave manager Mark Kotsay a contract extension thru 2028, which is when the A’s are supposed to re-locate to Las Vegas.
Kotsay is a good manager; the A’s played .500 ball after the All-Star break last year.

— Random trivia: When Magic Johnson was the first pick of the 1979 NBA Draft, Larry Bird wasn’t in that draft- the NBA had different rules back then.

2nd pick in the 1979 draft was David Greenwood, a forward from UCLA who played 12 years in the NBA, mostly for the Bulls. He scored 10.2 ppg in his career.

Larry Bird was the 6th player taken in the 1978 draft; somehow he was eligible to be drafted in 1978, but if the Celtics hadn’t signed him before the ’79 draft, he would’ve gone back in the ’79 player pool. Bird had a great season, and the Celtics signed him.

Here are the five players drafted ahead of Bird in 1978:
1- Mychal Thompson, Portland (Klay Thompson’s father)
2- Phil Ford, Kansas City Kings
3- Rick Robey, Indiana
4- Michael Ray Richardson, NYK
5- Purvis Short, Golden State

— NFL salary cap is going to jump between $22-26M for 2025, meaning the league’s salary cap will have jumped roughly $55M over the last two years.

— Philadelphia Eagles started this past NFL season in Brazil, then won the Super Bowl; LA Chargers are going to open next season in San Paolo, on Friday night in Week 1.

— Famous birthdays, February 20th:
Clyde Wright, 84
Charles Barkley, 62
Liván Hernández, 50
Stephon Marbury, 48
Jay Hernandez, 47
Justin Verlander, 42
Brian McCann, 41
Rihanna Fenty, 37
Jurickson Profar, 32
Luis Severino, 31

 

[Cnotes53]

MLB trade candidates: Five players who could move before Opening Day, plus possible landing spots​

Camps may be open but there's still plenty of times for GMs to shake up the roster before the regular season​

[IMG alt=" Mike Axisa
"]https://sportshub.cbsistatic.com/i/r/2016/05/04/ce897635-4b80-42b2-85aa-3c683000b0e5/thumbnail/80x80/aa92fe03e70945bfd424902b13f08c4d/mikeaxisa.png[/IMG]

By Mike Axisa

Feb 14, 2025 at 11:18 am ET•6 min read

Getty Images
Spring training is underway but that doesn't mean the trade and free-agent markets get put on hold. A handful of our top 50 free agents remain unsigned, and there are trades every spring. Dylan Cease got traded last March 13. Jon Berti, Manuel Margot, and Ben Rortvedt were also traded last spring, among others. Trades don't stop until the trade deadline each summer.
With that in mind, here are five notable players with a chance to get traded this spring. They might not want to get too comfortable in their spring training condos, if you catch my drift.

1. Marcus Stroman, Yankees​

Marcus Stroman
NYY • SP
ERA4.31
WHIP1.47
IP154.2
BB60
K113
View Profile
Stroman took his spring physical Tuesday because it was mandatory and finally arrived at camp Friday after missing the team's first two workouts. He has been on the trade block just about all offseason, and, at one point, the Yankees reportedly floated a Stroman for Arenado trade. Could the Yankees and Cardinals get desperate enough to revisit that? I would not close the door on it until Arenado or Stroman are playing elsewhere. Point is, Stroman is very available.

Marcus Stroman arrives at Yankees camp, defiant about bullpen possibility: 'Been a starter my entire career'
Matt Snyder

The obstacle in the way of a Stroman trade is the free-agent market. Similar back-end veterans like Kyle Gibson, Andrew Heaney, and Jose Quintana remain unsigned. The Yankees have reportedly expressed a willingness to eat some of the $18 million they owe Stroman in 2025, though he gains an $18 million player option for 2026 with 140 innings pitched this year. That's an issue. Stroman turns 34 in May and his game has declined enough that the possibility of owing him $18 million in 2026 will steer teams away. The Yankees may have to eat so much money to get a trade done that it's not worth it.






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Possible landing spots: There aren't many. The best chance for a Stroman trade involves another team losing a starter or two to injury in spring training, and having to scramble to add innings. Even then, guys like Gibson and Quintana are available for just cash. To list a team, I'll say the Angels.

2. Nolan Arenado, Cardinals​

Nolan Arenado
STL • 3B • #28
BA0.272
R70
HR16
RBI71
SB2
View Profile
On Thursday, Cardinals POBO John Mozeliak said Arenado is "likely going to be a part of our club," though these things can change with one phone call, and there's a long way to go between now and Opening Day. St. Louis wants to unload as much of his contract as possible and Arenado wants out, and presumably wants to play for a contender and not a team entering a "reset," as Mozeliak put it earlier this offseason. I'm not saying a trade will be easy or will happen soon. Just that I won't close the door on one.
Furthermore, Alex Bregman is off the board now, which unclogs the market a bit. Teams interested in Arenado no longer have Bregman as a fallback plan. Arenado is signed through 2027 and his game has steadily declined the last few years. It's normal age-related stuff for the soon-to-be 34-year-old. His glove is merely great rather than all-world, the bat is closer to league average, etc. How desirable a trade target is he, really? Ultimately, there are few alternatives available, and it only takes one team to blink for Arenado to get moved.

Possible landing spots: The Tigers and Yankees seem most likely, though a) it's unclear whether Arenado would waive his no-trade clause to join either team, and b) neither team's home ballpark is well-suited for his pull-heavy profile as a righty. The Yankees have the greater need at third base and are more likely to take on Arenado's contract.

3. Robert Suarez and other expensive Padres​

Robert Suarez
SD • RP • #75
ERA2.77
WHIP1.05
IP65
BB16
K59
View Profile
It's been a fairly quiet offseason for the Padres, who made Nick Pivetta their big addition. Otherwise they've added veterans Elias Díaz, Kyle Hart, Jason Heyward, and Connor Joe on low-cost one-year contracts totaling only a few million. All indications are the Padres cannot add to payroll significantly as the infighting at the ownership level rages on. FanGraphs estimates the team's competitive balance tax payroll at $259 million, above the $241 million penalty threshold and well above last year's $227 million CBT payroll.
GM A.J. Preller may have to shed money before he can further reinforce his roster, or even to balance the books before Opening Day. Suarez is San Diego's most expendable expensive player. The All-Star closer is owed $10 million in 2025 and $8 million in both 2026 and 2027, though he can opt out of his contract after 2025. That will be a tough contract to move -- if Suarez is good, he'll opt out, but if not, you're stuck with him -- but it could be less painful that moving Cease ($13.75 million in 2025), Luis Arraez ($14 million), or Michael King ($7.75 million). As good as Suarez is, those three are much more vital to San Diego's success this season.

Possible landing spots: The Cubs have been loosely connected to Suarez in recent weeks and they make sense, even after bringing in Ryan Pressly. I'd also call the Mets, because why not?

4. Anthony Bender and other Marlins relievers​

Anthony Bender
MIA • RP • #37
ERA4.08
WHIP1.28
IP53
BB18
K59
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POBO Peter Bendix has stripped the roster down to the studs since taking over last offseason. There are still a few (but only a few) desirable pieces here, most notably 2022 NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara. The Marlins are more likely to let Alcantara show he's healthy following Tommy John surgery before trading him though. He could move closer to the trade deadline rather than in spring training. I won't rule out an Alcantara trade before Opening Day. I just think it's unlikely.
The last thing a bad team needs is a good bullpen and the Marlins have several quality relievers. Bender will make a whopping $1.42 million this season and is the most expensive of the bunch. Declan Cronin, Calvin Faucher, and Andrew Nardi are still in their cheap pre-arbitration years and should be available too. When you're rebuilding, you should trade your good relievers as soon as possible, because you don't know how much longer they will be attractive trade chips. Injuries happen and reliever performances are volatile. Bendix traded Berti and Steven Okert last spring. No reason to think he won't be active this spring.

Possible landing spots: We're talking about cheap relievers, so they could land anywhere. For the sake of variety, I'll list the Brewers, Mariners, and Royals as possible fits.

5. Christian Vázquez, Twins​

Christian Vazquez
MIN • C • #8
BA0.221
R29
HR7
RBI27
SB3
View Profile
The Twins went on a mini-spending spree recently (Harrison Bader, Danny Coulombe, Ty France) and POBO Derek Falvey praised ownership for upping payroll. "I think that's a credit to them and certainly a tick up for us that allows us to add a little bit more to this roster," he told the Star Tribune. I know Falvey is going to thank his boss, but come on, Bader, Coulombe, and France are role players who will make a combined $10.25 million in 2025. I'll say it since Falvey can't: "Thank you ownership for doing the bare minimum."
ANYWAY, Vázquez has been on the trade block all offseason. He hasn't hit the last two years and he lost the starting catcher job to Ryan Jeffers, with Jair Camargo ready to step in as the backup. Vázquez is owed a hefty $10 million in 2025, though shedding even $4 million of that would help offset the Bader and Coulombe signings that are apparently so extravagant the head baseball operations executive had to publicly thank ownership for opening the checkbook. Vázquez is 100% available this spring.

Possible landing spots: I wonder if the Athletics would have interest. Even after a busy winter, their payroll is only $73 million, putting them at risk of the MLBPA filing a grievance over their revenue sharing spending. The Twins would probably give Vázquez away and the A's don't have a clear-cut backup catcher.

 

[Cnotes53]

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays fail to agree to contract extension before slugger's self-imposed deadline​

Guerrero will hit free agency after the 2025 season​

[IMG alt=" Mike Axisa
"]https://sportshub.cbsistatic.com/i/r/2016/05/04/ce897635-4b80-42b2-85aa-3c683000b0e5/thumbnail/80x80/aa92fe03e70945bfd424902b13f08c4d/mikeaxisa.png[/IMG]

By Mike Axisa

Feb 18, 2025 at 9:56 am ET•2 min read

Getty Images
The Toronto Blue Jays and franchise player Vladimir Guerrero Jr. did not reach a long-term contract extension prior to Guerrero's self-imposed deadline Monday, the slugger told reporters Tuesday morning from spring training camp in Dunedin. Guerrero had previously said he will not discuss a new contract once the team's full squad workouts begin Tuesday. He is scheduled to become a free agent after the season.
"I'm here. We didn't get an agreement," Guerrero said through an interpreter. "Now, they're going to have to compete with 29 other teams."
Guerrero said the two sides were working until 10:30 p.m. Monday but were unable to find a deal.
"They had their numbers, I had my numbers," he said. "It's just business, like I always say. Things happen. We're all good."

Guerrero, 26 next month, will be the best and youngest free agent on the market this coming offseason. He is coming off a terrific 2024 season, one that saw him hit .323/.396/.544 with 44 doubles and 30 home runs. That earned him his fourth straight All-Star selection and a sixth-place finish in the MVP voting. Guerrero was the AL MVP runner-up in 2021.

Vladimir Guerrero
TOR • 1B • #27
BA0.323
R98
HR30
RBI103
SB2
View Profile
"Obviously very disappointed," GM Ross Atkins told reporters Tuesday. "We worked very hard. The motivation is still there. Confident that every thought, idea we had, every dollar that we had was communicated. But we're obviously disappointed to not have gotten that done."
While Atkins declined to reveal any specifics on his offer, he said he was "confident that we exhausted the communication, the ideas, the thoughts and communicated every dollar and felt that (agent Barry Praver) and Vlad got to the point that they were comfortable as well."

Team president Mark Shapiro said the club "went past our value because we cared so deeply about him and wanted to have him here."
Juan Soto's record 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets raised the salary bar for star players in their mid-20s. Vlad Jr. is not Soto, but he is pretty much the next best thing, and the Blue Jays are desperate. They've had trouble convincing free agents to take their money the last few years. Losing their homegrown franchise player would be devastating.
In December, Guerrero confirmed the Blue Jays offered a $340 million contract that was "not even close to what we're looking for." The offer was made before Soto's contract changed the landscape. Contracts for star players take them through age 39 or 40 these days (Soto, Mookie Betts, Aaron Judge, Manny Machado, etc.). That means at least a 13-year deal for Guerrero.

Monday's deadline was self-imposed and the thing about self-imposed deadlines is they're flexible. The Blue Jays could approach Guerrero about a new deal at some point in the coming weeks, just in case he changes his mind, though the slugger did say Tuesday that he doesn't intend to negotiate during the season. His family presumably does not need the money given his and his father's careers, allowing Guerrero to play hardball.
The Blue Jays went 74-88 in 2024, their worst record since 2019. They tried and failed to sign several prominent free agents this offseason (Soto, Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, etc.) before pivoting to Anthony Santander, Max Scherzer, and Jeff Hoffman.

 

[Cnotes53]

MLB rumors: Astros sign Gold Glove-winning second baseman as Jose Altuve takes reps in outfield​

Here are your hot stove rumors for Wednesday, Feb. 19​

[IMG alt=" R.J. Anderson
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By R.J. Anderson

15 hrs ago•1 min read

USATSI
Major League Baseball's exhibition season will get underway on Thursday. As such, teams have all the reason in the world to wrap up their offseason additions as soon as possible. Below, CBS Sports has compiled all of Wednesday's most notable news, rumors, and moves for your convenience.

Astros sign Rodgers as Altuve gains experience in outfield​

The Astros have agreed to a minor-league deal with Gold Glove-winning second baseman Brendan Rodgers, according to KPRC2's Ari Alexander. Rodgers won his only piece of hardware back in 2022, when he tallied more than 20 Defensive Runs Saved, per Baseball Reference's measurements.
Rodgers, 28, was non-tendered by the Rockies earlier this winter after posting a 94 OPS+ in 2024. He was once ranked as a top-25 prospect in the sport for four consecutive years by Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, and MLB. Rodgers hasn't quite lived up to those expectations, but his addition is nonetheless notable based on some other recent developments with Houston's roster.

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Indeed, incumbent second baseman Jose Altuve has already taken fly balls in left field this spring, and manager Joe Espada has indicated Altuve could bounce between positions. "I'm not going to share the plan with you yet because this is going to be an everyday thing," Espada told reporters. "[Altuve] will play some second base. Right now, it's one day at a time. I want to get some feedback from him before we discuss where we're going to go next, but he will play some second base."

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Mauricio Dubon figures to see action at the keystone on days when Altuve is in left, at least to start the season, but it stands to reason Rodgers could work himself into the picture with a strong showing this spring. The Astros, after letting Alex Bregman leave in free agency, have signed Christian Walker to play first base and acquired third baseman Isaac Paredes in the Kyle Tucker trade.

 

[Cnotes53]

Friday’s 6-pack:
VCU has had 24 straight winning years, under seven different coaches:
— Mack McCarthy 65-55, 35-32 in CAA games (0-0 NCAAs)
— Jeff Capel 79-41, 50-22 in CAA (0-1 NCAAs)
— Anthony Grant 76-25, 45-9 CAA (1-2 NCAAs)
— Shaka Smart 163-56; 38-16 CAA/36-14 A-10 (6-5 NCAAs)
— Will Wade 51-20, 28-8 A-10 (1-2 NCAAs)
— Mike Rhoades 129-61, 72-32 A-10 (0-3 NCAAs)
— Ryan Odom 45-19, 22-9 A-10 (0-0 NCAAs)

Quote of the Day
“Unfortunately in recent years, we have seen ESPN scale back their baseball coverage and investment in a way that is not consistent with the sport’s appeal or performance on their platform.
Given that MLB provides strong viewership, valuable demographics, and the exclusive right to cover unique events like the Home Run Derby, ESPN’s demand to reduce rights fees is simply unacceptable. As a result, we have mutually agreed to terminate our agreement.”

Major League Baseball, in a statement; ESPN/MLB are done after this season

Friday’s quiz
In Kevin Costner’s baseball movie For Love of the Game, what veteran actor plays the catcher for the Detroit Tigers?

Thursday’s quiz
New York Knicks have won only two NBA titles, in 1970, 1973; Red Holzman was the Knicks’ coach in those years.

Wednesday’s quiz
Iowa State’s teams are known as the Cyclones.

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Friday’s Den: Random stuff with the weekend here…….​

— Since I watch too much TV, I have two TV recommendations today:

1) Red Storm Rising- A Hard Knocks-type show about Rick Pitino/St John’s basketball, which airs on Vice TV. I found it on YouTube, since I don’t think I get Vice TV. Saw the first couple episodes; very well done. If you like college basketball, it is worth your time.

2) Underrated- Apple TV has a 90-minute show about Steph Curry, which focuses more on his college days at Davidson than his NBA career, but it shows both.
Curry is one of the best 10-15 players ever; he is the best shooter ever. It is interesting that he seems to be a fairly normal person. Wish they had shown the time he made 90+ 3-pointers in a row after a practice, but this was a really good show that I enjoyed watching.
Trivia; In his first college game ever, Curry had 13 turnovers, against Eastern Michigan; team had 30 turnovers overall, in an 81-77 win. There were skeptics that Curry would ever be a good Division I guard; those skeptics shut up a long time ago.

— Curry’s father Dell played 16 years in the NBA; he made 40.2% of his 3’s in his career. Dell Curry went to Virginia Tech; so did Curry’s mother.
Steph Curry wanted to play college ball at Virginia Tech, which had gone 19-29 in conference games the previous three seasons, but Curry was a pretty skinny kid, so the coach passed on giving him a scholarship.
That coach was Seth Greenberg, now one of ESPN’s college basketball studio guys.

— 9-time Pro Bowl guard Zack Martin has retired from the Cowboys/NFL after a great career. He will be get inducted into the Hall of Fame five years from now, that’s how good he was.

— Last year, Brett Baty wore number 22 for the Mets; this winter, Mets signed OF Juan Soto for $51M a year. Soto also wears number 22; Baty gave up number 22 to Soto and Thursday, Soto gifted Baty with a black Chevy SUV, which apparently cost $92,000, pocket change for Soto.

— LaSalle basketball coach Fran Dunphy is going to retire at the end of the season; the 76-year old Dunphy has made the NCAA Tournament 17 times in his career- he has a 623-376 record at Penn, Temple, La Salle— one of the three best coaches in Ivy League history.

— Famous birthdays, February 21st:
Tyne Daly, 79
William Petersen, 72
Kelsey Grammar, 70
Alan Trammell, 67
Steve Francis, 48
Jennifer Love Hewitt, 46
Andre Barrett, 43
Bo Naylor, 25

— Texas/USC cancelled their spring football games this year, like Nebraska/Florida State did. Texas/USC made up BS reasons for cancelling the games; Nebraska coach Matt Rhule was honest, citing teams watching the Cornhuskers’ spring game, then enticing players to enter the transfer portal and bolt Lincoln.

Florida State coach Mike Norvell: ”I would assume that you’re going to see less and less spring games just because of that part of it.”
— San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is out for the year, with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. The condition is typically treated with blood-thinning medication, which usually prevents a player from playing a contact sport like basketball.
Spurs are optimistic that Wembanyama will make a full recovery for the start of next season.

— Bronx Bombers gave manager Bret Boone a 2-year contract extension, through the 2027 season; Boone is 603-429 in the regular season, making the playoffs six of seven years. He is 22-23 in playoff games, getting to the World Series last year, for the first time.
In his seven years as manager, New York has paid out a total of $1,744,951,625 in salaries to their players, an average of $249,278,934/year.

— Kansas City Royals signed P Ross Stripling to a minor league deal; Stripling has pitched in the majors for nine years, for four different teams- he is 40-54, 4.17 in 248 games (129 starts).

— Term of the Day: robber baron- a person who becomes rich through ruthless and often unscrupulous business practices.

 

[Cnotes53]

Saturday’s 6-pack:
— Michigan State 75, Michigan 62- Spartans lead Big 18 by half a game.
— Milwaukee 85, Youngstown State 74- Panthers had 35-22 edge on boards.
— Yale 92, Cornell 88- Yale improves to 10-0 in the Ivy League.
— Miami OH 96, Kent State 92 OT- RedHawks shot 14-28 on the arc.
— Villanova 81, Marquette 66- Wildcats shot 15-26 on the arc.
— Loyola 76, Dayton 72- Ramblers shot 55% inside the arc.

Quote of the Day
“It’s not a strategy for [the MLB teams], so why work on it? I don’t want to make a farce of anything, but we’re here getting ready for a season and that’s not helping us get ready.”
Reds manager Terry Francona, on why he asked veteran players not to use the ball-strike challenge rule during spring training games this year

Saturday’s quiz
When Michael Jordan played minor league baseball for the White Sox’ AA team in 1994, what major league manager was his manager that year?
(Hint: He has won a World Series as a manager)

Friday’s quiz
In Kevin Costner’s baseball movie For Love of the Game, John C Reilly plays the catcher for the Detroit Tigers.

Thursday’s quiz
New York Knicks have won only two NBA titles, in 1970, 1973; Red Holzman was the Knicks’ coach in those years.

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Saturday’s Den: Some early conference tournament trends…….​

March 1st is next week; conference tournaments are right around the corner. Here is an early look at some conference tournament trends……..
Teams that have done well in conference tournaments:

— WCC
Gonzaga is 27-4 in its last 31 WCC tournament games.
Saint Mary’s is 14-7 in its last 21 WCC tournament games.

— Big 18
Last four years, Illinois won the Big 18 conference tournament twice; they lost in the first round the other two years.
Last 12 years, Wisconsin is 9-3 in its first conference tournament game.

— Big X
Last 11 years, Iowa State has won the Big X tournament five times; the other six of those years, Cyclones were 1-6 in tournament games.
Since 2017, Arizona was 14-2 in the Pac-12 tournament, winning four tournaments, but they’re not in the Pac-12 anymore.
Since 2008, Kansas is 36-8 in conference tournaments.
Since 2018, Houston is 14-4 in conference tournament games, winning two tournaments.
Last 14 years, Colorado is 13-1 in its first conference tournament game.
Last seven years, Cincinnati is 7-0 in its first conference tournament game.

— Atlantic 15
Since 2007, VCU Rams are 35-12 in conference tournament games.
Last 12 years, Davidson is 11-1 in its first conference tournament game; they won the SoCon tournament in both 2012/2013, but since, they’ve only won one tournament (2018)

— AAC
Last three years, UAB Blazers are 8-1 in conference tournament games.

— Famous birthdays, February 22nd:
Paul Dooley, 97
Julius Erving, 75
Mike Hohensee, 64
Chris Dudley, 60
Jeri Ryan, 57
Drew Barrymore, 50
Rajon Rondo, 39
Chris Bassitt, 36
Khalil Mack, 34
Cody Bradford, 27
Today was my dad’s birthday, his and George Washington’s. My dad was an awesome guy; he passed away ten years ago. He is missed every day.

Teams that haven’t done as well in conference tournaments:
— ACC
2012-14, Louisville won three straight conference tournaments; since then, Cardinals are 3-8 in conference tournament games.
From 2004-12, Syracuse was 15-7 in Big East tournament games; since then, Orangemen are 5-9 in conference tournament games.
North Carolina has won the ACC tournament only once since 2008 (they won it in 2016).

— Atlantic 15
Dayton hasn’t won a conference tournament since 2003; since 2016, they’re 5-8 in A-15 conference tournament games.

— Big East
Butler is 3-10 in Big East tournament games; before that, they were 13-6 in their previous 19
conference tournament games.

Creighton won Arch Madness the last two years they were in the MVC; since then, Bluejays are 10-10 in Big East tournament games.

Georgetown won the Big East tournament in 2021, after going 7-9 in conference play during the regular season. Other than that unlikely run, since 2017, Hoyas are 0-7 in Big East tournament games.

Last eight years, St John’s went WL in six of eight Big East tournaments, going 1-1 the other two years. Despite playing the tournament on their home floor, St John’s hasn’t won the Big East tournament since 2000.

— Big 18
From 2016-21, Michigan was 13-3 in conference tournament games; the last three years, they went 0-3.
UCLA hasn’t won a conference tournament since 2014; they’re 9-9 in tournament games since then.

— Big X
Since 2017, Baylor is 2-7 in conference tournament games.
Last four years, Central Florida went WL in all four conference tournaments.
Since 2004, TCU is 11-10 in its first conference tournament game; they’re 1-10 in their second conference tournament game.

 

[Cnotes53]

Sunday’s 6-pack:
Baseball teams with biggest increases in attendance last year:
+20.4%— Kansas City
+20.3%— Baltimore
+19.2%— Arizona
+15.4%— Cleveland
+15.3%— Washington
+9.5%— Texas

Quote of the Day
“This travel is something I’ve never experienced, even at the NBA level. This is more intensive travel than even when I was a player at the Lakers or a coach at the Lakers.”
Cal basketball coach Mark Madsen, on increased travel in college sports now

Sunday’s quiz
When Pete Rose NL Rookie of the Year, what position did he play?

Saturday’s quiz
When Michael Jordan played minor league baseball for the White Sox’ AA team in 1994, Terry Francona was his manager that year
.
Friday’s quiz
In Kevin Costner’s baseball movie For Love of the Game, John C Reilly plays the catcher for the Detroit Tigers.

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Sunday’s Den: Wrapping up a college basketball Saturday…….​

Selection Sunday is three weeks away; what information will you use to fill out your brackets? After studying the last five NCAA tournaments, here is some knowledge to ponder:
Stats that don’t seem to matter much:

Depth— Of the last 20 teams to make the Final Four, only 2 of 20 ranked in the top 100 in bench minutes. TV timeouts are longer in the NCAA’s; starters have more time to rest.
Playing fast- Only 5 of the last 20 Final Four teams were in top 100 in tempo; 11 of 20 were outside the top 200 in tempo.
Forcing turnovers- Only 4 of the last 20 Final Four teams were in top 100 in forcing turnovers; 8 of 20 were outside the top 200.
So what numbers should we be looking at in three weeks:
1) Who makes shots, and who prevents opponents from making shots
15 of last 20 Final Four teams were in top 100 in offensive efficiency.
14 of last 20 Final Four teams were in top 100 in defensive efficiency.

2) Experience
12 of last 20 Final Four teams were in top 100 in experience.

3) Being able to make 3-point shots
You don’t need to shoot a lot of them, but 17 of last 20 Final Four teams were in top 100 in 3-point shooting %age- 10 of 20 were in the top 50.
So, we’re looking for experienced teams with a good shooting percentage.

Top 8 teams in offensive efficiency:
Auburn
Duke
Alabama
Florida
Kentucky
Houston
Missouri
Gonzaga

Top 8 teams in defensive efficiency:
Tennessee
St John’s
Houston
Duke
Kansas
Texas A&M
San Diego State
Florida
Next week, we’ll look into whether or not winning/losing the conference tournament means anything, as far as success in the NCAA’s goes.

— Upsets of the Day:
Oregon (+8.5) 77, Wisconsin 73
Oral Roberts (+8.5) 71, St Thomas 66
Dartmouth (+7.5) 76, Princeton 61
Saint Mary’s (+6.5) 74, Gonzaga 67
Colorado (+6.5) 76, Baylor 74
Valparaiso (+6.5) 83, Southern Illinois 79
Hampton (+5.5) 83, NC-Wilmington 70
Marshall (+4.5) 69, Appalachian State 59
Eastern Illinois (+4.5) 67, Morehead State 62

— SEC
Tennessee 77, Texas A&M 69
Tennessee shot 13-27 on the arc, Aggies were 5-30.
Vols have won five of their last six games.

Arkansas 92, Missouri 85
Arkansas was 28-37 on foul line, Mizzou 13-17
Ivsic scored 20 points for the Hogs; he was 0-10 from floor in the Hogs’ last game.
Bracketology has 12 SEC teams in the NCAA Tournament.

— WCC
Saint Mary’s 74, Gonzaga 65— Gaels clinch the WCC regular season title; they’re 5-3 in their last eight games vs Gonzaga.
Gonzaga is 2-7 in games decided by 8 or fewer points

Santa Clara 109, Washington State 79
Santa Clara took 38 3-point shots, made 23 of them; not bad.
Broncos led this game 61-33 at halftime.

— Big X
BYU 96, Arizona 95
Arizona scored 1.36 points/possession, but lost
BYU was 14-31 on arc, Wildcats 10-22.
BYU won eight of its last ten games.

— Big 18
Oregon 77, Wisconsin 73
Badgers led by 14 with 6:15 left in the game.
Oregon was +9 in turnovers (17-8) in turnovers.
Ducks have won four in a row, after a 1-6 skid.
Bracketology has ten Big 18 teams in the NCAA Tournament.

— Atlantic 15
VCU 70, George Mason 54
Rams have won six in row, 12 of last 13 games.
These teams are tied first first in the A-15, with four games left.
This is first week in while that Bracketology has A-15 getting two bids to the NCAAs this year: VCU-George Mason would probably have to meet in A-15 final, for that to happen.
VCU has a well-traveled player, 6-10 senior Jack Clark:
2018-22- LaSalle
2022-23- NC State
2023-24- Clemson
2024-25- VCU
Clark is playing 27 minutes/game this year, is shooting 64.5% inside the arc; he had 12 points, nine rebounds in this game.

— Famous birthdays, February 23rd:
Jackie Smith, 85
Fred Biletnikoff, 82
Jim Youngblood, 75
Ed (Too Tall) Jones, 74
Paul McDonald, 67
Bobby Bonilla, 62
Jerod Mayo, 39
Andrew Wiggins, 30
D’Angelo Russell, 29
Jamal Murray, 28

— Ivy League
Yale 90, Columbia 64
Yale has won 12 games in a row, the longest active win streak in the country.

— Sun Belt
Texas State 93, South Alabama 92 OT
Jaguars scored 1.33 points/possession and lost. Unusual.
USA had an 8-point lead midway thru the second half.
Bobcats were 13-28 on arc, South Alabama was 12-27
Doesn’t matter so much, because the conference tournament is on a neutral floor in Pensacola, FL, but with two games left in the regular season, James Madison leads three other teams by a game atop the Sun Belt standings.

— Mountain West
Utah State 79, San Diego State 71
Aztecs are tied for 4th with Boise State in the MW standings. Unusual.
Bracketology has three Mountain West teams in the NCAA Tournament.

— WAC
Texas-Arlington 67, Tarleton State 57
Saw something in this game I’ve never seen before, at least not in the shot clock era; Tarleton led 29-23 at halftime. Eight Texas-Arlington players had scored, but none of them had more than 3 points. The team’s leading scorer had 3 points at halftime, then they went out and scored 44 points in the second half.