USA Today - 13.11.2019

E2 USA TODAY z WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2019z SECTION C

Around the NBA

Zillgitt on Hayward, Rankin on Waiters, more 3C

High school basketball report

Super 25, plus undecideds on signing day eve 5C

Hot stove buyers, sellers

Marquee MLB teams state intentions 8C

IN SPORTS

GORDON HAYWARD BY DAVID RICHARD/USA TODAY SPORTS

FIRST WORD

For me, it’ll be simple. I
love spearfishing. I love
being in the water, I love
hunting. I like going on
hunting trips, fishing trips
and diving trips, so to me,
just being out in nature is
the (expletive) ultimate
best.”

Tiger Woods, slipping in an
expletive during a live radio
interview Tuesday on Triple M’s
“Hot Breakfast” in Australia.
Woods, who was promoting
next month’s Presidents Cup
golf tournament in Australia,
had been asked what he plans
to do after he retires and if he
had any tips for struggling
golfers. The station managed
to bleep the word.

BASEBALL AWARDS

Rocco Baldelli, the first-year
manager who took the Twins to

their first AL Central title since

2010, was named American

League Manager of the Year,

the Baseball Writers’ Associa-

tion of America announced

Tuesday. He is MLB’s youngest

manager at 38. Minnesota set a

season record with 307 home

runs, breaking the mark of 267

on Aug. 31. Mike Shildt, in his

first full season, took the Car-

dinals to the NL Central and

won the award for the National

League. Cy Young Awards will

be given out Wednesday.

NOTABLE NUMBER

8-

Record for Green Bay

in games during a

three-year run of NFL champi-

onships in the 1960s when

backup QB Zeke Bratkowski

either started or replaced Bart

Starr with the score tied or the

Packers trailing by seven points

or fewer. Bratkowski died in his

Florida home at 88, the Packers

said.

LAST WORD

We are disappointed

that it did not work out

here for Vernon and we wish

him continued success mov-

ing forward.”

Buccaneers GM Jason Licht, on

releasing former first-round

draft pick Vernon Hargreaves,

after the cornerback was

benched for a lack of hustle.

SPORTS WEEKLY

LSU finally enjoys a view from

the top of the mountain, while

Alabama doesn’t look Playoff

worthy. Picks, predictions and

lines for pro and college foot-

ball. Available on newsstands.

Subscribe at mysportsweekly-

.com or 800-872-1415. The

digital edition is available in

the Apple, Google Play and

Amazon Kindle stores.

SPORTSLINE

The NFL remains unde-

feated.

It wasn’t so long ago – two

or three seasons, max – that

alarms were blaring about the

future of America’s favorite

sport. Safety concerns, player

protests, awful games and a

lack of interest by teenagers

and 20-somethings were sup-

posedly taking an irreversible

toll on the NFL’s popularity,

reflected in declining TV rat-

ings and empty seats in stadi-

ums.

It might not happen in the

next season or two, but the

NFL was dying, the doomsay-

ers said. Within a decade or

two, football, and the NFL in

particular, would be relegated

to niche status, much like

what happened with boxing

and horse racing. It might re-

tain its popularity in pockets

of the country, but it would

never again be the social and

entertainment behemoth that

it is now.

Hahahahahahahaha. Oh,

that’s a good one.

What some took as the

start of the NFL’s demise has

turned out to be nothing more

than a temporary blip. Don’t

believe it? A glance around

your school, office or neigh-

borhood Tuesday probably

found plenty of people yawn-

ing or chugging extra coffee

because they’d stayed up way

too late watching “Monday

Night Football,” which went to

overtime before Seattle ended

San Francisco’s run as the

NFL’s last unbeaten team.

Beyond the anecdotal evi-

dence are hard numbers. Af-

ter the NFL’s TV ratings de-

clined in 2016 and 2017, view-

ership numbers are up for a

second consecutive season.

Nancy Armour

Columnist

USA TODAY

Far from

dying,

NFL is

thriving

See ARMOUR, Page 2C

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – “He’s gonna miss it,”

Duane Brown told anyone who would listen.

The hosting 49ers and kicker Chase

McLaughlin were lining up for a potential win-

ning field goal with three minutes left in over-

time after a back-and-forth affair that had the

feel of a heavyweight bout.

But Brown wasn’t having it. He and his Sea-

hawks teammates weren’t heading back north

empty-handed. So that’s why he made the bold

prediction that McLaughlin would miss.

In this wacky 100th NFL season, we’ve seen

the unexpected, the improbable and even the

impossible. These Seahawks – with seven of

their eight wins decided by seven points or fewer

• have seen and experienced just about every
  roller coaster the game has to offer. Two of those
  wins have been decided by one point. Four
  points or fewer have determined two others. Two
  needed overtime to settle.

Nothing can shake the Seahawks’ confidence

or dampen their optimism. So when McLaughlin

and the 49ers took the field for the potential

game winner with three minutes left in overtime,

the possibility of Chase McLaughlin making the

47-yard field goal didn’t enter Brown’s mind.

“We felt like we were going to win,” he said

matter-of-factly. “We felt like throughout the

game, no matter the adversity we had to over-

come. We always felt like we were in control. ...

We kept telling each other he was going to miss

it.”

Sure enough, McLaughlin’s kick did send the

ball wide left, and the Seahawks responded by

marching back up the field and scoring on a field

goal of their own as time expired.

With a 27-24 victory, Seattle ruined the 49ers’

perfect record and simultaneously took a step

closer toward its goal of ascending to the top of

the NFC West.

“We’re always optimistic here,” Brown con-

tinued. “That’s just the makeup of our team.”

Grit also ranks among the attributes of this

Seattle team’s makeup. You see that in the Sea-

Kicker Jason Myers celebrates his field goal in overtime that secured the Seahawks’ 27-24 victory and the first loss for the 49ers.
KYLE TERADA/USA TODAY SPORTS

‘WE ALWAYS BELIEVE’

Mind-set separates these Seahawks

Mike Jones

Columnist

USA TODAY

See JONES, Page 2C

The #1 In Value—Fully Guided Tours Since 1952

Volcanoes, Rainforests, Beaches

Come explore Costa Rica on a fully

guided tour with Caravan. All hotels,

all meals, and all activities included.

Detailed itinerary at Caravan.com.

Happy Travels!—Caravan

Day 1–San José, Costa Rica

Welcome to the "rich coast", friendly

land of democracy and rare natural

beauty. Hotel transfers provided.

Day 2–Sarchi, Coffee Tour

Visit the artisan town of Sarchi.

Enjoy a tour at a coffee plantation.

Day 3–Wildlife Center, Fortuna

Visit a wildlife rescue center. Then,

to Fortuna for a two night stay.

Day 4–Cruise, Hot Springs

Cruise the Rio Frio. Enjoy a relaxing

soak in the volcanic hot springs.

Day 5–Hanging Bridges, Beach

Hike the Hanging Bridges. Enjoy a

two night stay on the Pacific Coast.

Day 6–Turtle National Park

Visit Leatherback Turtle Park. Relax

at your world class beach resort.

Day 7–Cruise, Manuel Antonio

Cruise on the Tarcoles River. Then,

to your hotel located directly at the

Manuel Antonio Park entrance.

Day 8–Manuel Antonio Park

Visit Manuel Antonio Park. Hike the

rainforest and along beach coves.

Day 9–San José

Your tour ends after breakfast.

Airport transfers provided. Thanks

for vacationing with Caravan!

FREE 24 Page Brochure

1-800-CARAVANCaravan.com

9-Day Tour$ 1295

Fully Guided • All Meals • Tax,fees extra

DAY HOTEL

1, 2 San JoséBarcelo Palacio

3, 4 FortunaMagic Mountain

5, 6 GuanacasteJ.W. Marriott

7 Manuel AntonioSan Bada

8 San JoséReal InterContinental

Advertisement