David Price pitched a gem for the Bosox Saturday Night at Fenway in a 8-3 Boston victory over the Kansas City Royals.

David went only 6 because the Royals foul off more balls than any team in the majors, he threw 110 pitches, 79 for strikes against only 31 balls, a super 2 1/2:1 ratio, he gave up five hits, two earned, with two walks and 7 K’s. His fastball was hitting 94-95 and cookin’. He hit 96 on one heater which he used to strike out KC shortstop Alcides Escobar in the top of the fourth to end the inning. His change up is a total weapon at 85-86; it really fools the hitters. He was using his curve more and it was very effective. His cut fastball was really moving at 89-90. David had was excellent.

He had kind of a rough second giving up a solo shot to KC catcher Salvador Perez, a big power hitter, who cranked two in the game for 19 on the season along with 57 RBI’s, but he overcame that hiccup inning and put out a strong performance which the Sox needed it as they had lost three in a row coming into the game and lost to KC on Friday. They lost again last night to KC, so they’re 72-58 and 2 back of the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East. They lead the Wild Card race by a game over the Orioles. The Sox host the Tampa Bay Rays for a three game series tonight through Wednesday, then head to Oakland on Thursday for a Friday-Sunday weekend series. They are at San Diego next Monday through Wednesday, Sept. 5-7, and then head to Toronto for a Friday-Sunday series, Sept. 9th-11th, a huge series. So there is some really important baseball coming up for David and the Red Sox. 

David pitches again Friday at Oakland at 9:10 PM CT/10:10 PM ET. David will face Zach Neal of the A’s, who pitched against St. Louis this past Saturday Night and went 6, gave up 6 hits, two runs, with one of them earned, no walks and three ring ups, in a 3-2 A’s victory. Neal is a right hander. His ERA is 4.96 and his WHIP is 1.21, but he was good against a good Cardinals team that has been playing well lately. 

David is now 13-8 with a 3.97 ERA, which is super considering his ERA was over 6.00 in May. He has a 1.23 WHIP, walks plus hits per inning, which is getting closer to that 1.05-1.00 mark, which is very good. He has walked 41 and struck out 186, stellar numbers there, that’s 4 1/2 strikeouts to one walk total. To break that down into a 9 inning game, David strikes out 9 compared to walking 2 each time out on average. A lot of the time, he doesn’t walk anybody and he’s usually going eight innings when he throws. His control is superb.  He is third behind Chris Archer of the Rays and Justin Verlander of the Tigers in strikeouts in the American League. Archer has 202 and Verlander has 189.

Another really interesting thing that was going on Saturday Night was second baseman Dustin Pedroia’s hitting. Dustin came to the plate in the bottom of the eighth having gone 11 for his last 11, and if he had gotten one more hit, he would have tied the all time major league record for consecutive hits in a row in plate appearances. Dustin unfortunately grounded into a double play, but the ability to get a hit 11 straight times was miraculous. Walt Drapo, who played for the Detroit Tigers, set the mark in 1952, with 12. Dustin went 3 for 4 Thursday against the Rays, getting hits in his last three at bats, he went 4 for 4 on Friday night against the Royals, and he was 4 for 4 on Saturday against the Royals before hitting into the DP in the 8th. Dustin tied the National League mark held by seven guys. Super effort by the heart and soul of the team along with Big Papi, David Ortiz. The players and fans love Dustin Pedroia. He’s a 100 percent effort guy and a terrific baseball player. He’s hitting .320 on the season.

Right fielder Mookie Betts is hitting .320, Papi, the 40 years young designated hitter, is hitting .319 with 31 homers and 101 Ribeyes, and shortstop Xander Bogaerts is hitting .310. Catcher Sandy Leon is hitting .349, though he doesn’t qualify yet for the batting title due to not enough plate appearances. First baseman Hanley Ramirez is hitting .278 with 17 homers and 78 Ribbies. The Red Sox can really hit and they can play some defense, they just need their starters to be really good, which until this weekend except for David, they have. And their bullpen HAS to pick it up big time. Both groups have plenty of talent.

 If they get those two things clicking, they have a chance to hoist a World Series trophy in late October. 

Football vs South Carolina this Thursday Night

Kickoff is only three days away now. 7 PM CT/8 PM ET at Vanderbilt Stadium on ESPN against Will Muschamp and the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Gamecocks will be starting freshman Brandon McIlwain at quarterback. McIlwain is a dual threat quarterback, who looked pretty darn good in their spring game. They’ve got some weapons on the perimeter, particularly wide receiver Deebo Samuels. Running back David Williams is a good player. We’ve got our work cut out for us, but I like our team and like our chances if we play solid defense, run the ball well, don’t turn it over and get in the end zone three or four times and get turnovers ourselves on defense. We’ll need the offensive line to play well and Ralph Webb and whoever else needs to have good games. Quarterback Kyle Shurmur will need to get the ball to wide outs C.J. Duncan and Trent Sherfield and hopefully Caleb Scott, if he’s available, he’s struggling with an injury,, along with our really talented tight ends, and Kyle needs to really take care of the football. The Gamecocks lost linebacker Skai Moore for the season with a herniated disc in his neck. Moore should be back next season, but T.J. Holloman is their leader at linebacker. He’s a 6’2″, 230 pound redshirt senior and their unquestioned leader. Quite a player and not only a physical, excellent tackler, but also a playmaker who can get turnovers either by causing or recovering fumbles or interception the ball. He’s excellent.

We are a 3 1/2 point favorite. This would be a tremendous boost to our team to win this football game. Will have full preview and prediction on Thursday on my all sports blog with my other SEC and national previews and predictions. Time to be Relentless, Tough and Intelligent on the football field Thursday Night.

One other note:

Andre Hal had an interception yesterday for the Houston Texans in their victory over the Arizona Cardinals in preseason play. Andre is firmly entrenched as the starter at Houston after having four interceptions last year. Andre is playing super. Jay Cutler had an OK day Saturday in a Bears loss to the KC Chiefs. Not his best, but he didn’t get a lot of help. He’ll keep improving. I expect a good year from Jay. Jordan Matthews is being held out of the preseason due to a bone bruise, but he says he’s ready to go for the Philadelphia Eagles opener, and Casey Hayward is ready to go again for the Packers at corner and nickel back. Zac Stacy hasn’t been picked up yet by a team so he’s still a free agent, but hopeful that will happen for Zac. Wesley Johnson is a second string center for the New York Jets. Wesley, a super player at VU like the other guys, will get plenty of chances to make a big impact this season.  

The 136th Open starts Monday on the hard courts at Flushing Meadows, New York, just outside of the City. ESPN2 and ESPN will televise.

ESPN will have the women’s final on Saturday, Sept. 10th, @ 4 PM ET/ 3 PM CT. The men’s final will air on ESPN, Sunday, September 11th, not the best day, but can honor the victims of the tragedy in 2001, @ 4PM ET/3 PM CT.

There is a roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium now, so they won’t have to suspend play in the finals for either the men’s or the women’s. The men’s final has been suspended the last four years for a day. 

Both the men’s and the women’s look very interesting this year. I see something different happening on both sides in 2016. Here are my predictions:

Men’s 

Novak Djokovic has battled a wrist injury and some confidence problems since he lost to Sam Querry in the third round at Wimbledon. and in the first round at the Rio Olympics.

There are some vets who have re-emerged. Marin Cilic, the 2014 US. Open champion, won at Cincinnati two weeks ago beating Andy Murray in straight sets on hard courts in the Queen City. He looked strong. I will add that Murray had won Wimbledon and had just won the gold medal at Rio, on hard courts, so there was probably some fatigue on Murray’s end entering that finals match with Cilic. But the 27 year old Cilic, from Bosnia, looked super in winning the title in Cincy. Juan Martin del Potro has reemerged making it to the finals of the Olympics before losing to Murray. The 27 year old Argentinian is looking like he’s got his form back from when he won the Open in 2009. I see Djoker as vulnerable. And I’ve got a darkhorse whom I’ve always believed in. So here are the predictions:

Semifinals

Cilic over Milos Raonic.

I see Cilic defeating Djoker in the quarters.

Murray over del Potro

Finals

Murray over Cilic in a war: 4-6, 7-5, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4

I’m going with the 29 year old from Great Britain, born in Glasgow, Scotland and  now living in London, to capture his fourth slam and his 2nd U.S. Open title. He won the U.S. in 2012 and has Wimbledon titles in 2013 and 2016. He also won the gold at Rio three weeks ago. Very bullish on Andy.

Ivan Lendl is back as his coach this year and Murray is 130-30 with Lendl coaching him and has three Slams under Lendl. The 56 year old Czech Republic native, who now lives in Vero Beach, Florida, was an eight time grand slam winner, and has been the difference in Andy’s performance, particularly this year. 

Champion

Andy Murray

Darkhorse

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

I see this 31 year old stud from Le Mans, France having a shot. He’s such a great athlete, and he plays well on the fast surfaces. Jo-Willie reached the semis at the French in 2013 and 2015, and the semis at Wimbledon in 2011 and 2012. He reached the quarters last year here. I see Jo Willie having a great shot to possibly go the distance. He’s so much fun to watch. I highly recommend watching Jo-Willie compete. Always have liked the Frenchman.

Women’s

Semis

Karolina Pliskova over Serena

Loved the way Karolina won the Cincy tournament crushing Garbine Muguruza in the semis, and Angelique Kerber in the finals. She’s a very strong, powerful player with a super serve and intense ground strokes, so I’m going to take the upset pick here.

Angelique Kerber over Monica Puig

Puig, the 22 year old from Puerto Rico, shocked everybody by winning the gold in Rio beating Kerber in the finals but I like Kerber, the 28 year old West German, to come back here and beat Puig in the semis. 

Finals

Pliskova over Kerber 6-4, 4-6, 7-5

Just like the 24 year old from the Czech Republic to keep her momentum going on the hard courts. She was so strong at Cincy, and that confidence from winning there two weeks ago will carry her to the title at Flushing Meadows. The interesting thing is that Kerber will overtake Serena at No.1 in the world by making the finals and Serena losing in the semis to Pliskova. 

Champion

Karolina Pliskova

Darkhorse

Simona Halep

The 24 year old from Romania has come close a lot and reached the semis last year here. So I like her chances to go deep and possibly get it done, though I’m picking Pliskova. 

California vs. Hawaii

Last year

Cal: 8-5, 4-4 Pac-12, Won Armed Forces Bowl over Air Force, 55-36

Hawai’i: 3-10

Where: ANZ Stadium, Sydney Australia (83,500)

Kickoff: 10 PM ET/9 PM CT, Noon, Saturday, in Sydney

ESPN

Broadcasters: Allen Bestwick, Mike Bellotti, Warren Smith

Refs: Pac-12, Michael Mothershed, lead whistle

Weather: 66, sunny. Wind 7-12 MPH. It’s winter in Australia, but it’s still nice. Game time there is 12 PM on Saturday. They are 15 hours ahead of Central Time and 14 ahead of Eastern Time.

Analysis

The Golden Bears of Cal lost their starting quarterback, Jared Goff, to the NFL as the first pick of the Los Angeles Rams. They are replacing him with Texas Tech transfer Davis Webb, who, in 2014,  completed 211-of-345 passes, 61.2%, for 2,539 yards, 24 TDs and 13 ints. He had limited play last year due to an ankle injury and due to Patrick Mahomes emerging as one of the Big 12’s best quarterbacks. So Webb comes to Cal as a graduate transfer and is immediately eligible to play and will start against the Rainbows tonight. He threw for 5,557 yards and 46 touchdowns in his career at Texas Tech, so Sonny Dykes and his Golden Bears team are expecting big things from Webb. Cal lost six of their top wide receivers off last year’s highly explosive offense. But they’ve got some young guys including five star freshman Demetris Robertson, a 6’0, 175 Savannah, Georgia native. Below, I’ve included an amazing video of Robertson.

Hawaii has a new head coach in Nick Rolovich, who takes over from Norm Chow. Chow, known for his offensive coordinating acumen, really struggled with the Rainbows going 11-39 in four years, and 4-28 in the Mountain West Conference. Rolovich has fifth year starting quarterback Ikaika Woolsey, who will try to take better care of the ball this year than last, as, in part time duty, he threw five TD’s and 6 ints. The Cal defense tied for 13th in the country in turnovers recorded with 27, so Woolsey will have to be better in 2016 starting tomorrow in Sydney, tonight in the U.S. But the Rainbows have an outstanding running game led by senior Paul Harris, who rushed for 1,132 yards last season on 197 carries (5.7 yards per carry), with 6 TDs. They’ve got a couple of others who can tote the rock pretty well.

Prediction

This could be a closer game than thought. Vegas has the line at 19 1/2, but it started off at 22 1/2. I see the Rainbows giving the Golden Bears a tougher opener than expected. Sonny Dykes is doing an excellent job at Cal, and is known for his offenses. But he does have Jake Spavital as his first year offensive coordinator. Spavital was let go by Kevin Sumlin at A&M after last season, so I don’t know if he’s the right guy for Dykes. Maybe he’ll be fine with Dykes, who is known to be an offensive guru. Webb is a pretty solid quarterback. I see the scoreboard getting lit up in this one and the Rainbows’ running game keeping them in it for a while.

California 49, Hawaii 31

Here’s the video of Cal five star freshman wide receiver Demetris Robinson.

The Mountain Brook Spartans played a pretty much flawless game last Friday Night at Gulf Shores dismantling the home team, 56-6, on the strength of 383 rushing yards and an off the charts efficient night from quarterback Hamp Sisson. 

Sam Everette led the way with 18 carries for 191 yards and three TDs. Harold Joiner had a big night rushing for 50 yards on eight carries and scoring two 7’s including a spectacular 51 yard TD reception and run on a pass from Sisson with :02 left in the first half. On that play, Sisson dropped back, rolled to his right, found Joiner for a 10 yard completion which Joiner weaved and accelerated to the house. It was beautiful. Everette had TD runs of 41, 8 and 6, and Joiner scored on a four yard run. Sophomore A.J. Gates, on his first carry as a Spartan varsity player, took it to the house from 35 yards out, and sophomore Daniel Wilbanks added a 5 yard, seven. Sophomore linebacker Colton Yeager, Coach Chris Yeager’s son, and Will Wetzler led the defense in tackles with eight apiece. Nick Belt and Tanner Dean added 6 stops, and Bradford Turner chipped in five. 

Sisson completed 6 of 8 passes (75%) for 104 yards and one TD. Sisson also had 2 carries for 28 yards. Sophomore Paul Tyson came in relief of Sisson in the fourth quarter and completed his only pass for 15 yards. Joiner caught 3 passes for 79 yards, Wilson Higgins caught a pass for 15 yards and Clay Stearns added a catch for 12 yards.

An all around superb performance by a team with high aspirations for 2016. Yeager said his team needs to clean up the penalties, they were flagged 19 times last Friday Night. Yeager said that has to improve, though many of the calls by the South Alabama refs were highly questionable.

This week it’s 6A Helena coming into Spartan Stadium and Yeager said the task is a lot taller. Helena finished last season 9-4 and went to the playoffs, and have an excellent running back, 6’0″, 175 pound junior Kopeland Rosser. Linebacker Justin Watson is also a player at 6’0″, 245, and offensive tackle Keith Wright is 6’4″, 335. So the Spartans have to be ready for a serious battle.

One thing I left out earlier was the play of the offensive line. Coach Yeager was thrilled with center Sean Doud, right tackle Price Delk, and the rest of the line. When you run for 383 yards, the line is doing their job to say the least. Super performance by the guys up front.

Mountain Brook needs to keep running it well, Hamp needs to be super efficient like always, and the defense needs to stop the run for the Spartans to emerge victorious this week. Should be fun at Spartan Stadium Friday at 7 PM.

Coach Yeager

Coach Yeager and I were talking on the phone on Monday and yesterday and we got into a conversation about his family. His oldest son, Calvin, 27, is teaching English to young children and adults in Seoul, South Korea. Coach said that Calvin teaches from 7 AM- 9 PM every day and loves it. The children are learning the language and the adults, who are trying to matriculate into business professions, are learning the slang and conversation of the English language. Calvin has told his dad that he loves the culture, and the people are super motivated, their high achievers, and it’s somewhere he could very well stay his whole life.

Calvin played for Coach Yeager when Yeager was the offensive coordinator under Joey Jones. Calvin’s sophomore and junior seasons, 2005 and 2006, he rotated at center and was going to be a key player his senior year when Yeager took over as head coach in 2007. The only thing was that Calvin was really talented in theater. Pat Yates, the famed Mountain Brook theater coordinator, came to Coach Yeager with Calvin in the spring of 2007 and told Coach that his son was extremely talented in theater and that he should be heavily involved in it. Coach Yeager said that was fine, he just assumed that Calvin could practice football and work in the theater when he wasn’t practicing football. But Pat wanted Calvin in theater full time, and Calvin wanted that over football, though he was a good football player and slated to most likely start his senior year.

Coach Yeager thought about it hard, and let his son go into theater.

Calvin took off. He was in Mountain Brook and Fairfield High School’s production of “To Kill A Mockingbird”, the Harper Lee 1960 classic novel. Calvin played Bob Ewell, who was actually the bad character in the play, who falsely accused African American Tom Robinson of assaulting his daughter, Mayella. Mayella had originally accused Tom, who was innocent. The great lawyer, Atticus Finch, got Tom acquitted. Harper Lee, of course, was from Monroeville, Alabama and the book was based in fictional small town Alabama.

The play was critically acclaimed nationally and it was featured on the Today Show. It was a resounding success. Coach Yeager was extremely proud of his oldest son and Calvin was superb at acting. Calvin is doing some acting in Seoul as Coach Yeager says there is a shortage of actors in Seoul and Calvin loves it.

But the rest of Coach’s story gets even more interesting. Chris has seen Calvin twice in four years. A couple of years back, Calvin trekked the Santiago Trail in Spain, in which he hiked across the entire country sleeping at nights in a hammock or at Youth Hostels. He’s send his mom, Elaine, and his dad photos and messages every day by text or on Facebook. Coach hadn’t seen his son for a year and a half and really missed him, but was proud of him for doing the hike. The Yeagers woke up on Father’s Day morning and were looking for a picture of Calvin from Spain, it was his last day two days before and they wanted to see some more photos. They got up at 4-5 AM to look at the photos. When they looked on Elaine’s phone, they saw a picture of Calvin in their living room. Calvin was there for his dad on Father’s Day.  Coach Yeager said it was unforgettable.

While Calvin is excelling in South Korea, middle son Clay, 25, is a TV sports anchor in Dothan at WDHN, a popular Dothan channel, and, as Coach Yeager says, Clay’s “livin’ the dream.” Clay played defensive line for Coach Yeager at Mountain Brook in in 2009 and 2010 rotating with superstar Wilson Love in 2009 and with Harry Riech in 2010. In 2010, the Spartans went to the semifinals when Edward Aldag was a junior quarterback. John Beck and Mark Rector were key players on that team that lost a tough one to Hoover in the semis, but had a terrific year.

Colton, Coach Yeager’s third son, is a sophomore linebacker and Coach Yeager says he’s the one who’ll quite possibly get into coaching. Colton was around the program since he was born and the first time he walked was in Spartan Stadium.

I asked Coach Yeager if he’s talked to his sons about coaching.

“i’ve told them they have to blaze their own trails, “he said. “For me, I’ve never worked a day in my life. I wake up every day and when my feet hit the floor I’m motivated to coach. I wouldn’t have been fulfilled if I had to do something else. The main job in coaching is how you affect other people in a positive way.” Yeager loves his job and Mountain Brook football players unconditionally. But he wants his sons to make their own decisions about their professions. Calvin seems very happy in Seoul and Clay loves sportscasting and their dad loves to see them both happy and productive.

 “I want my sons to follow their dreams,” he said. 

Yeager has always been a passionate, outstanding football coach, and his sons look headed for awesome things as well.

Super course hosting the Barclays this week as the top 125 players from the Fed Ex standings compete in the first event in the Fed Ex playoffs at Bethpage Black Course.

The top 100 after Sunday’s final round will move on to the Deutsche Bank Championship next week, Sept. 2-5, at TPC Boston. The top 70 from the Deutsche will move on to the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana on Sept. 8-11. And the top 25 who emerge from the BMW will play for the $10 million bonus awarded to the winner of the Fed Ex Cup at the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta Sept. 22-25.  The week after that is the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National GC in Chaska, Minnesota. So an epic month and a half coming up.

As for the U.S. Ryder Cup team, five players have clinched a spot: Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, Jimmy Walker and Brooks Koepka. There are a host of others competing for the other four captain’s picks including Bubba Watson, who sits at 10th, Rickie Fowler, who is 12th, and some other solid players. No.6 is Brandt Snedeker, No.7 is Zach Johnson, and No.8 is Patrick Reed, but those three aren’t guaranteed. The eight automatic selections will be awarded this Sunday at the conclusion of the Barclays. Captain Davis Love III will chose three captain’s picks on Monday, Sept. 12th after the BMW Championship, and Love will make his final pick on Sunday, Sept. 25th after the Tour Championship.

The 12 man U.S. team is facing a European team that already has nine automatic qualifiers, with Sergio Garcia, Rory McIlory, Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose headlining the team. The other five automatics are rookies, but good players, and Europe has a mental edge on the U.S. right now as they’ve won three consecutive times with the last coming in 2014 at Gleneagles in Scotland. European captain Darren Clarke will make his final three selections this coming Tuesday, August 31, at 6 PM CT/7PM ET on the Golf Channel. Guys who could get selected for  the European team include Russell Knox, who is fourth in the Fed Ex standings, Martin Kaymer, who sank the winning putt in 2014 at Medinah Country Club, and Graeme McDowell, always a tough competitor in the Ryder Cup. That experience that Kaymer and McDowell bring could help these rookies with guidance at the pressure packed event. 

So some really interesting stuff coming up in golf. 

The Barclays  will be played this weekend at Bethpage Black, a 7,468 yard, par 71. “The Black” has hosted the 2002 U.S. Open, won by Tiger at -3, the 2009 U.S. Open, won by Lucas Glover at -4, and the 2012 Barclays, won by Nick Watney at -10. The course is of course playing a lot tougher at the U.S. Open, but it’s tough in general.

 The defending champion is Jason Day, who, if it wasn’t for Jordan Spieth, would have walked away easily with the player of the year award in 2015. It was close. Day won the Farmers in San Diego in February of ’15, the RBC Canadian in late July of ’15, the PGA in August of ’15, the Barclays, and the BMW. He didn’t win the Fed Ex Cup because of Spieth, who had a miraculous year winning the Valspar in March of ’15, the Masters and the U.S. Open, the John Deere and the Tour Championship. It was spectacular golf by both players and both were highly deserving.

Day won last year at Plainfield Country Club in New Jersey shooting 63-62 on the weekend winning by six shots over Stenson. Day finished -19 for the tournament. 

Day leads the Fed Ex standings with Dustin Johnson second, Adam Scott third, Russell Knox fourth, and Spieth fifth. Snedeker is sixth, Patrick Reed is seventh, Mickelson is eighth, Kevin Na is ninth, and Justin Thomas is 10th. 

The weather on Long Island in New York, just outside the City, is this:

Thursday: 84 partly sunny, no rain, winds at 14-21 MPH.

Friday: 90, 40% chance of t-storm, wind 12-15

Saturday: 88, sunny, wind 8-12.

Sunday: 83, sunny, humid, wind 10-14. 

TV:

Thursday-Friday: Golf Channel, 2-6 PM ET/1-5 PM CT

Saturday: Golf: 1-2:30 PM ET/12-1:30 PM CT; CBS, 3-6 PM ET/2-5 PM CT

Sunday: Golf, 12-1:30 PM ET/11 AM-12:30 PM CT; CBS: 2-6 PM ET/1-5 PM CT.

Key holes:

No.3, 232 yards par 3

The green is small and angled from right front to back left. The bunkers are so deep on the right and left that the players might only be able to see the top of the flag when they’re in them.

Np.7, 525 yards, par 4

This is a par 5 for the public. The tee shot is fairly straight then the hole doglegs to the right. Tall trees to the right prevent the players from cutting off the dogleg. The approach will be with a long iron to a green that is not elevated, which is unusual for the Black and allows a player to run the ball up to the green. A large bunker guards the right, and a smaller bunker is on the left. 

No.13, 605 yards, par 5

This hole could be reached by the longer players if the course is running firm, but the wind, depending on direction, could keep even the longer hitters from getting home in two. There are cross bunkers 30 yards short of the green which will penalize a player who comes up short. The green slopes moderately from back to front and the bunker on the right side is among the deepest on the course.

No. 17, 207 yards, par 3

Considered the best par 3 on the course, the green is slightly elevated. There are bunkers all over the hole with the front of the green guarded by a deep bunker.

No. 18, 411 yards, par 4

This is a birdie opportunity. The drive is downhill to a fairway that narrows to about 16 yards as it passes through an enormous cluster of bunkers and fescue grass on both sides. Players can play short of the bunkers and have a 160 yard shot or use driver and have a wedge. I’m sure they’d all like to have a wedge in their hands on their second shots. The approach is to an elevated green that slopes back to front, so keeping it below the hole is critical.

Jason Day leads the tour in strokes gained putting and Dustin Johnson leads the tour in proximity to the hole from the fairway.

Winner

Going with the 35 year old who is 6th in the Ryder Cup standings and 6th in the Fed Ex Standings and won the Fed Ex Cup in 2012.  He needs this for the Ryder Cup and he needs it for the Fed Ex Cup. He played last week at the Wyndham in Greensboro, N.C., and finished tied for third. He also finished 2nd here to Watney in 2012. 

Brandt Snedeker

Darkhorse

J.B. Holmes

Holmes is ninth in the Ryder Cup standings and 38th in the Fed Ex Cup standings.Needs a victory here for both of those things.

DP pitched a gem last night at Tropicana Field in Tampa with an eight inning shutout of the Tampa Bay Rays in a Red Sox 6-2 victory.

David pitched 8, gave up just two hits, no runs, with two walks and eight ring ups. Price threw 116 pitches, with 71 for strikes against 45 balls. His change up was superb. It was his out pitch last night at 82-85 MPH. His fastball hit 93 consistently, and his cut fastball came in at 90-91 was very effective with a ton of movement. His curve was good, too. Just an overall terrific performance by the Man. And he got excellent support offensively and particularly defensively. More on that in a moment.

With the victory, the BoSox moved to 70-54 on the season and in a tie with the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the American League East. Both teams are at 70-54. The Sox have three more games at Tampa, then head home after a long 11 day road trip to face the red hot Kansas City Royals, who have won eight straight and are back in contention for a wild card spot. The defending world series champions are 64-60 and four back of the Orioles for the second spot in the wild card playoffs. Seattle, Detroit and Houston are ahead of the Royals also. They are 8 1/2 back of the Cleveland Indians in the NL Central, so, with 38 games left, the AL Central is not totally over either. The Tigers are 7 1/2 back of the Indians in the central.

David will face a really good pitcher Saturday night at Fenway in Royals left hander Danny Duffy, who is 11-1 with a 2.66 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched), and has issued just 29 walks while striking out 147. So a huge test for David and the Sox Saturday night, but a lot of work left in Tampa and also a Friday night matchup with KC in which Sox stud righty Steven Wright will start. Wright will be just off the 15 Day DL after having some arm soreness. Wright is 13-5 with a 3.01 ERA. He was an All-Star this year and has perfected the knuckle ball, but was having some arm issues. But he’s good to go Friday. He’ll face KC’s Ian Kennedy, who is 8-9 with a 3.58 ERA. But first things first in Tampa.The Rays are a scrappy team despite their 52-71 record. They’ve always played scrappy baseball and had a lot of success from 2007 to 2012 before they traded David, so it’s always a challenge playing them.

One last note on Duffy, David and the Sox’s opponent Saturday night. In his August 1st start vs the Rays, he walked 1 and struck out 16 in eight innings of work in a KC 3-0 victory on the road. In his last start against the Twins, which was this past Sunday, he pitched 6.2 innings, gave up 8 hits, one earned with 2 walks and 4 K’s in a 2-1 Royals victory at home.

But back to last night’s game. Chris Young came off the DL to play left field, with super rookie Andrew Benintendi in center, and Jackie Bradley, Jr off last night. Young doubled in a run and shortstop  Xander Bogaerts added a two run shot in the top of the ninth.

Benintendi moved to left in the bottom of the eighth and made one of the plays of the year in MLB and a potential game saving play for David and the Sox. With the Sox ahead 3-0 and the Rays with a man on first, Rays right fielder Steven Souza Jr, hit a shot to left field which Andrew took off after leapt over the left field wall and basically diving against the wall, pulled the ball back in play and saved the Sox from a two run homer. It was a spectacular play by Andrew. He’s terrific. I’ve linked the video of this awesome catch below. You gotta see it.

David came out after the eighth after throwing 116 pitches and battling phenomenally with some great plays by his defense to go along with it. Catcher Sandy Leon threw out another runner trying to steal second. Leon has thrown out 11 of 25 runners trying to steal second, which is 44%, as good as it gets at catcher in any era. He’s terrific. Young made an excellent running catch to his right on what looked like it could be a double off the bat of DH Tim Beckham. But David did pitch superbly and had excellent Red Sox defense behind him along with some timely hitting. David is so accurate and the Sox are so confident that he’ll be throwing strikes, that they’re ready to play defense every play. That’s always been the case with David. The teams he’s played on always play good defense when he throws because they know every pitch is going to be a strike or close to a strike. It’s a compliment to David and the Sox’ defense.

Hard throwing Matt Barnes came on in the bottom of the ninth, and had a little trouble giving up a two run homer to Evan “Longo” Longoria, but finished the game off with a K. He was throwing 96-97. Barnes has great stuff, he just needs to keep the ball down more and he’ll be very effective. The Sox starting pitching has been super the past month. If the bullpen can do its job, and Koji Uehara is throwing again and should be back in early September, which would really help in the set up role for closer Craig Kimbrel along with the other guys in the pen, then we’ve got a shot to do some great things in September and October.

David moved to 12-8 on the season and now has a 4.00 ERA. In his last two starts, he’s gone 14 innings and given up 6 hits, 1 run with 2 walks and 12 K’s. His WHIP is 0.50 and his ERA is 0.64 in those two outings. He pitched last Wednesday Night  in Baltimore and got the 8-1 victory in a rain shortened six inning game. But he gave up only four hits in that outing, allowing one run with 0 walks and four K’s. He’s been spectacular lately. David looks like the ace the Red Sox thought they were getting in December of 2015. He’s really pitched well this year for the most part, he’s just had a couple of tough outings. But he was super at Camden Yards last Wednesday, and super last night against the Rays. David came into last night’s game 0-3 at the Trop, so the Rays had given him a lot of trouble prior to last night’s gem.

The  Red Sox are playing stellar ball and are 6-2 on this road trip. Need to get the W tonight. Clay Bucholz, who’s been a stud in the past, and has come on for the BoSox lately as he’s gotten a chance to start due to some injuries, will get the ball tonight against talented but struggling right hander Chris Archer of the Rays. Archer is 7-16, but has great stuff and is dangerous. Clay, who went 6 last week against the Tigers and gave up 6 hits, only 1 run, walked none and K’d 3 against a stellar hitting lineup, has gotten John Farrell and the Red Sox’ confidence back, though he’ll need to follow it up tonight. Clay didn’t get the victory last Thursday against the Tigers because the bullpen couldn’t hold it and the Sox lost 4-3 after that red eye flight from Baltimore the night before. But the bullpen had no excuses. They just didn’t get the job done. So we need to finish this trip up strongly. Tonight would be a good follow up to the team’s performance last night if we can get the W. 

Here’s Benintendi’s catch below. Not only was it superb but it was also hugely clutch. Don’t worry about the language below the video. Thanks. 

David Price

David pitched a beauty in a rain shortened game at Baltimore last night, going 6 innings, giving up only four hits, 1 run, with 0 walks and 4 K’s, and the BoSox won their sixth straight with a two game sweep of the Orioles, winning 8-1 last night in a rain out after 6 innings.

David threw 94 pitches with 62 for strikes against 32 balls. Excellent work by Dave. His fastball was good, hitting 92-94, with a lot of movement, his cutter and change up were excellent out pitches, and the BoSox knocked the cover off the ball once again. David moved to 11-8 on the year with a 4.19 ERA. David has now issued only 37 walks and has struck out 171, which is third in the American League behind Tampa Bay’s Chris Archer, who has 186, and Detroit’s Justin Verlander, who has 176. David is not throwing 96-97 right now, but his overall pitching is tremendous. His mixture of fastball, change up, cutter and a few curves are so effective. Love where David and his team are right now.

Center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr cranked a two run shot, and superb catcher Sandy Leon, who has really exploded with the bat since July and is an excellent defender, almost hit it out of Camden Yards with a 438 foot shot. It was fun to watch. Leon is hitting .383 right now. He’s not had enough at bats to lead the majors, but he might by the end of the season.

Camden Yards is a total hitters park, but David has been a major success there. In 9 career starts at Camden Yards, David is 5-0 with a 3.05 ERA, giving up only 13 walks and striking out 52. He’s something else in Baltimore. He’s something else period.

The frustrating thing about the game last night was that the BoSox have had a brutal road schedule so far and they had to play at Detroit today at 12:10 PM CT/1:10 PM ET (Bosox tied 1-1 after 5), after going to Cleveland Monday for a makeup game Monday afternoon, then flying to Baltimore for two, and going to Detroit for a four game set that started today.

 The bottom fell out of the skies in Baltimore last night and the field was flooded, but the umpires let the delay go on for an hour and 15 minutes before calling it. The Orioles had something to do with it because it’s getting closer to playoffs time and they were trying to have Boston as tired as possible for the game today at Detroit if they couldn’t win the game. Detroit would not accommodate Boston and move the game time back. Partly for competitive reasons, the Tigers are in a race for the wild card with the Red Sox though the Bosox are only one game back of Toronto in the AL East, and partly because the Lions have a preseason game tonight, and the Tigers organization didn’t want to mess up the attendance and have a traffic nightmare with the Lions playing close to Comerica Park, they would not accommodate the Sox. So it is what it is. Good news though; Sandy Leon homered in the fourth and the Sox are tied at 1 in the top of the 6th. The Sox got to Detroit at 4 AM today, so no rest for the weary.

But on the positive side, they’re so hot, maybe the just want to keep playing baseball as much as possible and get back on the field as soon as they possibly can. As “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, played by Ray Liotta in the classic movie Field of Dreams, said when he came out on the Iowa field that Ray Consella, played by Kevin Costner, built,  “I’d play this game for free.” The Bosox seem to have that attitude right now. They’ve got those kind of guys who love playing the game. It’s a special group.

Dansby Swanson

Dans had a stellar night for the Braves in his first start in the big leagues as an Atlanta Brave. Dans went 2-for-4 at the plate with a line drive single to right in the bottom of the fourth, and a shot up the middle past the pitcher for a base hit in the bottom of the 9th. It was a spectacular debut by the man. Dans also played solid short. What was so awesome about it, besides the fact that Dans was playing in the big leagues, was that his parents, his girlfriend, his grandmother, his whole family, and just a host of people from Marietta, GA. were there cheering him on. Dans is from nearby Marietta, so this is an ideal situation for him. Everybody in Turner Stadium was pulling for him. It was pretty special to watch. So proud of Dans. The Braves lost 10-3 to Minnesota, but it didn’t matter to me. Dans is in the big leagues, and the Braves are building for the future, and Dans will be a big part of that. The Braves host the Nationals tonight @ 6:10 PM CT/7:10 PM ET on SportsSouth. 

Alabama QB

The intel I’m getting is that freshman Jalen Hurts is really impressing people down in Tuscaloosa. It’s hard to see S starting a freshman, but Jalen is making quite a case for himself. In the scrimmage last Saturday, he completed a 50 yarder to Calvin Ridley and ran for 50 yards on a keeper. He sounds as good as Blake Sims. I’m hearing that S and the coaches want Blake Barnett to win the job, but if Hurts keeps this up, the QB selection will be very interesting for Kiff and S. Hurts sounds like the most talented one right now. Cooper Bateman is not out of the picture either. It would be unprecedented for S to start a true freshman at QB1 on opening day. S and Kiff could very well use both Barnett and Hurt against USC, and go with the hot hand, and let them battle it out early in the season like A.J. and Phillip Sims did in 2011 before A.J won the job and helped lead the Tide to back to back national championships in 2011 and 2012. That could very well be the strategy, but it’s a tough opener to try and do that. There is so much talent around the quarterback on the Crimson Tide offense that S and Kiff might try that. Alabama vs. USC @ AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas 7 PM CT/8 PM ET on ABC, Saturday, September 3rd. The opening weekend in college football is a major blockbuster. Will have a preview and prediction for all the games that weekend on Thursday, Sept. 1st. Missouri @ West Virginia, 11 AM CT/Noon ET on Fox Sports 1, LSU vs. Wisconsin @ Green Bay, Whisky @ 2:30 PM CT/3:30 PM ET on ABC,  UCLA @ A&M at College Station @ 2:30 PM CT/3:30 PM ET on CBS, Georgia vs North Carolina in Atlanta @ 4:30 PM CT/5:30 PM ET on ESPN are all on Saturday afternoon and evening along with a huge one on the Plains I’ll talk about below, and Ole Miss vs Florida State in Orlando on Monday, September 5th @ 7 PM CT/8 PM ET on ESPN. It starts off with Vanderbilt hosting South Carolina on Thursday, Sept. 1st at 7 PM CT/8 PM ET on ESPN.

Prediction for starting QB:

Blake Barnett starts and Jalen Hurts comes in if

Blake struggles

Auburn

With Gus and AU, Sean White and John Franklin III look like the two competing for the job. Jeremy seems a little behind them though he’s listed No.2 on the latest depth chart I’ve seen, so it’s still to be determined. Sean gives AU the better throwing option, while Franklin give the Tigers offense more of a run option and he can throw it some. Jeremy was super two years ago, but had major problems last year before being benched, but then came back and did well at the end of the season, so he’s in the picture. Awesome young man, so that means a lot, too. High character kid who’s a good leader. I’m pulling for Jeremy personally because I like him so much, but Gus and Rhett Lashlee will go with the triggerman who gives them the best shot at beating Clemson on September 3rd at 8 PM CT/9 PM ET on ESPN. Gus said he wants to name a starter sooner rather than later, and it’s a big decision for him because this is a critical year for Gus. He needs to show improvement from the last two years. There’s a lot of talent though running back is a little thinner as Jovon Robinson was kicked off the team. It looks to be Kerryon Johnson, who’s put on 16 pounds of muscle and weighs 211 now, as the starter, and  Kamryn Pettway a 6’0″, 240 pound bruiser, as his backup. Senior Damian Lewis and three talented freshmen will provide more depth. So it’s actually a pretty decent situation and Gus is probably relieved to have Robinson, a massive headache, off the team.. Johnson has super speed and with his added power can run between the tackles. Pettway can definitely do that. Gus’s defense looks pretty solid, so if the offense can get it done with whomever the quarterback is, the skilled players contributing heavily along with good offensive line play, and there is good talent there, this could be a solid season for the Tigers. They open with a major challenge in the Clemson Tigers at Jordan-Hare, Saturday, September 3rd, @ 8 PM CT/9 PM ET on ESPN. Should be a classic. It would be a tremendous victory for the Tigers if they could get it and really catapult them into the season. DeShaun Watson, Wayne Gallman and company will be a blockbuster challenge for the Tigers on September 3rd. 

Prediction for QB1 @ AU

White gets the start and Franklin or Jeremy comes in if

necessary

Saban: The Making of a Coach

Monte Burke did a terrific job with the S book and I’m just over halfway through with it. I’m a little behind getting to it, but really enjoying it now. There are some super anecdotes Burke tells, and one I just read last night about Terry and her role as the first lady of football at the University of Alabama. 

Burke writes that S relies on Terry for everything, and I mean everything, and she is the perfect wife for him. Burke told the story of the time S and Terry were driving around home in Fairmont, West Virginia when he was in his earlier years at Alabama, but had just won a national championship. Terry had an old boyfriend who was now running a gas station in Fairmont. When they drove by S said, “If you married that guy your husband would have owned a gas station.” Terry responded, “If I had married that guy he would have been the head coach at Alabama.” Pretty quick.

They have a great relationship, and there are super stories throughout the book. S was kind of upset because he called it an “unauthorized” piece, which I guess is true, but it’s very positive about him as a head coach, and says positive stuff about him as a person. There is some stuff not as positive, but it’s the life of a big time football coach. Highly recommend Saban The Making of A Coach, by Monte Burke if you haven’t read it already. 

P.J. Fleck

This 35 year old coach is really making his mark in college football at Western Michigan. He took his Broncos team to an 8-5 season last year and a 45-31 Bahamas Bowl victory over Middle Tennessee in which his team was highly impressive in victory. He’s becoming a hot commodity in college football. Talk about a guy who thinks outside the box, this is one guy who really does.

In an ESPN article on Monday, ESPN writer Adam Rittenberg waxed about Fleck’s unique methods for motivating his football team. Last year, walk on Trevor Sweeney fielded an onside kick in practice only to find scholarship papers wrapped around the football.

Recently, in fall camp, Fleck did it again. It started with Fleck running onto the field dressed out in pads and a helmet and challenging walk on linebacker Kasey Carson to an Oklahoma drill, where a running back and an offensive lineman take on a defensive player to see who wins the battle. Fleck took on Carson one on one and said if Carson tackled him, the players would get the night off with no meetings. The 5’11”, 206 Carson leveled Fleck, and that’s where things got interesting. Fleck directed his players to watch the  video board in Waldo Stadium where Sly Stallone appeared alongside Alec Gores, a successful Beverly Hills businessman who played for Western Michigan in 1973. Sly, said, “I haven’t played for any Broncos, but I got hit by a few. You have gotten a full ride scholarship!”

Carson’s teammates lifted him on their shoulders as the theme song to Rocky played. At the end on the video board, Stallone and Gores started rowing a boat. The motto Fleck brought into Western Michigan when he became head coach in 2013  was “Row the Boat.” It’s a motivational motto about being the best you can be in everything you do. The idea for giving Carson the scholarship spawned from a Fleck and Stallone meeting at Gores’s Super Bowl party last February. Fleck was out in Beverly Hills for the party and met Stallone, and Sly said to let him know what he could do to help the program. Fleck remembered it, got it set up with Gores and Sly, and that’s how it happened. I’m starting to feel like Paul Harvey today.

Mookie Betts

The 23 year old Boston Red Sox right fielder is tearing apart major league pitching right now, and that’s even an understatement. On Sunday against Zac Greinke and the Diamondbacks, Betts hit three homers, one out of Fenway Park, 425 feet, and added eight Ribeyes to go along with the three long ones. Last night against the Orioles, Betts hit two bombs and drove in five runs. Manager John Ferrell dropped Mookie to third in the order from hitting first and it’s paying major dividends. As former Alabama football and sports personality, the late Doug Layton used to say sarcastically, “That’s mind boggling!” I make light of it, but it really is. Mookie has hit 28 long ones and has 89 Ribeyes while hitting .315. On his second home run in the top of the eighth in a BoSox 5-3 victory over the Orioles, Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis “Eck” Eckersley, the Red Sox color commentator, said, “I don’t know what to say.” That describes what Betts is doing right now. He’s definitely the frontrunner for the AL MVP, while Daniel Murphy of the Nationals is the guy in the National League.

The Bosox, the Blue Jays and the Orioles have quite a division race going in the AL East. Toronto leads Boston and Baltimore by a game through 120 games for the Blue Jays, 118 for the BoSox and the Birds. There are 42 or so games left, so this is riveting right now. My man David Price from Vanderbilt University goes tonight versus the Orioles @ Camden Yards at 6 PM CT/7 PM ET on E-S-P-N.

Pro Tennis

There’s an excellent and highly relevant ATP tournament going on in professional tennis right now for both the men and the women. The Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati is taking place with all the big names for the most part playing except for a couple of blockbuster names . The relevance of this tournament is that it’s the final hard court tune up for most all of the players before the U.S. Open commences in just under two weeks, August 29th, @ Flushing Meadows, NY in the Big Apple. Three key players are missing though. Novak Djokovic, Serena and Roger Federer. Fed is on the shelf for the year with an injury, Djoker has an injury and had to withdraw, but hopes to be ready for the Open, and Serena has a shoulder injury, and is also had to withdraw, but she hopes to be ready for the Open. 

But there are quite a few big names playing. Andy Murray is playing the best tennis in the world and he’s the top seed. Stan Wrarinka is No.2, the resurgent Rafa Nadal is seeded third after having an excellent Olympic performance where he lost to the also resurgent Juan Martin del Potro in three hard fought sets. Rafa looks like he could be back. A victory here and he would be back. I love Jo-Wilfried Tsonga from France, too. I see him as a darkhorse. Jo Willie is one of the most exciting players on tour and took Murray to five sets in the quarters at Wimbledon. del Potro is not playing. 

The U.S. Open should be superb with Djoker (12 Grand Slams) going for his 13th Slam, and third U.S. Open, he won it last year and in 2011, Rafa (14 Grand Slams) going for his 15th Slam, and third U.S. Open title, he won the Open in 2010 and 2013, and Murray (3 Slams) going for his fourth Slam as he’s had a major breakthrough this year winning Wimbledon and the gold medal at Rio last weekend. Andy won the Open in 2012. So this is setting up for an epic in NYC at the end of this month and into September. The quarterfinals, semis and finals of the Western and Southern Open will be on ESPN2 Friday night through Sunday afternoon. 

Men’s Prediction:

In an upset, Rafa over Murray 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 7-5 (best 2 out of 3 sets)

On the women’s side, even without Serena, there is still Australian Open champion and Wimbledon finalist Angelique Kerber of Germany and super Romanian player Simona Halep, who hasn’t won a slam, but has been close numerous times and is knocking at the door. Also, 22 year old Garbine “Mugu” Muguruza of Spain is playing. Mugu won the French, knocking off Serena this year in an amazing display of tennis. Mugu kind of fell off at Wimbledon losing in the second round, but her talent is through the roof good. Serena, if she’s healthy, will be trying to reach 23 slams at the Open and break her tie with Steffi Graf for most Slams in history. She tied Steffi at 22 Slams with her straight set victory over Kerber at Wimbledon. These girls are getting a jump on Serena though as they are playing in Cincy this week. The women’s side will be televised by ESPN 2 also.

Prediction

Mugu over Kerber 6-4, 4-6, 7-5  

Dansby Swanson got called up to the Atlanta Braves. Huge for Dans.

David Price pitches tonight for the BoSox @ Baltimore @ Camden Yards. Dylan Bundy is now the scheduled pitcher for the O’s. He’s 6-3 with a 2.93 ERA. Should be a nice matchup. ESPN will televise at 7 PM ET/6 PM CT.

Pedro did not get to hit last night. The Sox won 5-3 as Mookie Betts blasted his 27th and 28th home runs. Mookie hit three Sunday against Arizona at Fenway. The Sox right fielder is hitting .315 with 28 homers and 89 Ribeyes. He had five ribbies last night.

Mookie, to me, is the leader right now for the AL MVP without a doubt. The Sox are red hot. Will have David write up tomorrow.