Weekend winners
Everyone involved in the Anthony Davis-to-L.A. LeBron, who has his best sidekick of his career. AD, who got what he wanted and will be the next face of the Lake Show. The Pelicans, who got a ton for a team being held over the barrel. Rob Pelinka, who got the deal completed that Magic couldn't. Heck, even Magic, who Tweeted "Great trade Rob Plink! Job well done." The NBA, because there was a ton of NBA chatter on a busy sports weekend. ESPN, who added Woj, who broke the story and may own a national beat more than anyone in this BID-ness. Side question: Considering how this played out - a LeBron-centered Super Team (after the dip in NBA playoffs ratings, the league need King James in the postseason), New Orleans getting a ready-made superstar replacement with a shocking win in the lottery - should conspiracy theorists start digging in?
Tyson Fury. We mentioned this earlier this month, but the increased profiles of boxing and MMA since connecting with ESPN is undeniable. Fury pummeled some heavy bag on Saturday night and was charismatic as all get out in the post-fight. Who is not here for an engaging heavyweight champ.
U.S. Women's soccer. A 2-0 start punches their ticket to the Round of 16. They won those two matches by a combined 16-0 and played everyone on the roster. And as a perfect response to the overblown hubbub of the "too much celebration" in the 13-0 win in the opener, the USWNT celebrated with handshakes and golf claps in a 3-0 win over Chile. I am all for the "We're here to win this puppy, and we are not going to apologize for being good" chip on their shoulder this bunch has brought to France.
Yankees lineup. Because New York needed more power, right? New York dealt for Edwin Encarnacion, who has more than 400 career homers. (Yes, really.) Man, when the Yankees get healthy, that will look like a slow-pitch softball team.
U.S. Open ratings. The overnights were staggering. The numbers - especially with the primetime bump - will be just as strong. Even without Tiger in the mix - or even with Tiger in a prime spot to get a lot of the early afternoon coverage before the leaders got going - this will be a multiyear high for Fox.
Bonus: The Braves, who took two of three from the Phillies by mashing the baseball. It should have been an grab-the-NL East-by-the-throat-three-game sweep, too, but - stop if you've heard this one, but the Braves closer, a rabbi and a priest walk into a biker bar filled with southern baptists. And to no one's surprise, all three walked out without a single solitary save. Also of note: The Braves set an attendance record in the short history of Sun Trust Park on Saturday. (With that, and the unbelievably good Ronald Acuna deal - friends within three years, that will be viewed as the best contract and value in sports - you Braves leaders can afford to go get a closer.)
Weekend losers
Padres-Rockies pitching. Wowser. A four-game series split with the Rockies outscoring the Padres 48-44 will shift almost every ERA in each bullpen. The teams combined for 131 hits, and the two Padres' wins were after trailing by 6 runs entering the ninth on Friday and 3 runs entering the ninth on Sunday.
The Fox broadcast crew. I like Joe Buck. In football and baseball. I think Paul Azinger is really good, and will be the best in the lead-golf-analyst BIDiness before long. But Curtis Strange was ear-bleedingly bad, and the host of other on-course folks were at best forgettable. (Side note: Joel Klatt assuming the combined role of Tom Rinaldi ((emotional tear-jerkers)) and the bald-dude on NBC ((scanning the golf tidbits of beat guys and sharing said tidbits)) had promise.)
"In the hole guy." Good gracious was this the worst a major championship crowd has ever acted? From "Sweep the Leg" to the forever tired "In the hole" to whatever else those bozos were yelling, it marred a great tournament at a beautiful venue. Hey, I'm all for being a fan and being you. But if you are so unoriginal to go with things as tired as "In the hole" well, maybe you should sit the next few tournaments out there Champ. "Get in the hole" guys has to be on the Rushmore of worst fans to sit next too right? Right there with "Way to Drunk guy," "Guy who thinks a ticket and freedom of speech is a pass to drop curse words" and "Debbie Downer Fan" who, even if your team scores to take a 35-0 lead, is worried because your team scored too quickly.
Auburn. Up 4-1 in its opener of the College World Series heading to the ninth, the Tigers folded against Mississippi State. A two-out throwing error allowed the tying run to score and the Bulldogs added the game winner on an RBI single two batters later. It was a painful loss, especially when the undeniable fact is that only 12 of the 72 College World Series winners since the bracket went to double-elimination lost their first game. (Side question: First, I think it is cool that the AU head coaches of the three major sports support each other as much as they do. Gus and Bruce Pearl were in Omaha and joined the ESPN crew last night. That's not a question. Pearl was easily the most engaging of the two and because of the Final Four run, he was the primary talking point rather than Gus. That is not a question either. But this is: If any other SEC team this side of UK was in the College World Series and their basketball and football coaches were in the booth, is any other basketball coach the primary interviewee in that scenario? I don't think so.)
Matt Kuchar and Rickie Fowler. Which one is actually the best player without a major, and here's wondering if either one of those dudes will ever get one?
Bonus pick: The 5-at-10. No this has nothing to do with how brutally bad my U.S. Open entry was. This was the first Father's Day without my Dad. It was harder than I expected. I share that to remind those of you who still have your parents, make sure they know how you feel as often as you can, whether it's the second Sunday in May or the third Sunday in June. Now back to the show.
U.S. Open and closed
Good for Gary Woodland, even if no one saw that coming.
It was a win that allowed the rest of us to get by his stoic demeanor and the steely glare that makes him look like a side-kick actor in a cop flick that puts an aging C. Thomas Howell and some up-and-comer in a bad-cop-good-cop setting.
We got to hear the stories of his personal hardships when he and his wife had a newborn daughter die. We got to watch the great exchange he had with a Special Olympics golfer in Arizona earlier this year. (View it here. I'm not tearing up. It's allergies.)
Woodland took Brooks' best shot early, stood tall as Rose wilted and never opened a door to allow anyone else to believe it was anyone else's time but his.
For golf fans, there was a lot to like Sunday.
The USGA did a good job. In fact, they may have erred on the side of being too easy considering the number of folks in red numbers.
Pebble Beach looked pristine. And it translated through the TV that: a) it would be worth the 500 clams to play that joint if for no other reason than to say you did, b) it is a legit course that a 10-handicapper would not break 100 from the back tees, and c) the Pebble Beach land has to be worth, what $1 billion. It was beautiful. (Side question: Did you see the story on Fox that the town of Carmel has a no-high-heel law? If you are visiting, you have to go get a permit from town hall to wear high heels because the cobblestone streets are so uneven, high heels and turned ankles are more connected than Koepka and contending at majors. It's a CYA thing in this litigious world.)
While Woodland's excellence after a duck hook put a world of storylines into the picture sucked most of the drama out of the final result, there were still some intrigue.
Really, until Koepka missed that 8-footer for birdie that would have cut the lead to one with Woodland waiting on the 18th tee, there was some unknown.
Plus, Woodland got his signature moment under the pressure - the chip from the green on 17 that allowed him to save par - and the image of the tournament with an improbable and not-even-needed 30-footer for birdie on the final hole.
Kudos, Gary, you had the look of a major champion and now you have the resume of one.
This and that
- Speaking of the U.S. Open. I got a little jammed up this morning, and with a slew of tournament baseball this weekend, I did not get to the scoring on the Open. I will have that shortly.
- Here's our guy and TFP ace sports columnist Mark Wiedmer being Weeds, and Weeds being Weeds makes the TFP worth the price of admission friends. That's a great look at new UTC football coach Rusty Wright on a Father's Day that I hope you all enjoyed.
- In the least shocking moment of a rather shocking sporting weekend all things considered, here's LaVar Ball ripping the Lakers for dealing Lonzo to the Pelicans.
- Speaking of LaVar, well, Bob Ryan, the legendary longtime columnist for the Boston Globe who became a fixture on the great (and now dead) Sunday TV show The Sports Reporters, stepped into the quagmire of the social media quicksand of sensitivity. After the monster trade, Ryan tweeted "Attention, New Orleans: get out the plywood and sand bags. Hurricane Lavar is on its way and it's a Category 5!" He has apologized multiple times since for not being more sensitive about Hurricane Katrina. So there's that.
- One more golf observation: Have we noticed how well Brooks Koepka hides his tobacco use? Now think back to the old footage of Arnold and those guys burning a heater on the walk up the fairway. Crazy right?
Today's questions
Weekend winners and losers, we are looking for nominations.
There are a slew of in-5-at-10 questions above, feel free to offer some insight.
Here's another one: After the scary line drive that domed Sean Newcomb, how long in your opinion before pitchers wear protective headgear?
Did you know that the Republican Party had its first convention on this day in 1856.
On this day in 1962, some pudgy kid from Columbus, Ohio, beat Arnold Palmer at Oakmont for his first major. Here's betting things worked out for that dude named Jack.
On this day last year, The "Incredibles 2" set a box office record for an animated release with $180 on the opening weekend. Rushmore of animated sequels. Go.