Perez tells it like it is: LIV golfers hit jackpot
At a party before the Saudi-sponsored LIV Golf Invitational being held outside Portland, Oregon, PGA defector Pat Perez wore a shirt festooned with pictures of $100 bills.
“I’m 46,” he said. “I’ve played 515 events . ... I’m tired of being on the road every day and I don’t have to do it now. This opportunity (is) like winning the lottery for me.” He speaks the obvious truth that other LIV golfers won’t.
Norfolk cyclist: I’m the farthest thing from a baseball insider, but Baltimore mavens are taking close note of the Tides’ just-turned-21 shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who hit for the cycle in a victory Tuesday night. It’s unlikely, though, he’ll be rushed this season. Current O’s shortstop Jorge Mateo barely hits his weight, but carries a gold glove.
A marathon: The resurgent Red Sox no longer resemble the team that stumbled out of the gate at 11-20. But while flirting with the top spot in the American League wild-card standings, Boston runs into a tougher schedule the next month or so, with an almost daily diet of opponents also on pace to reach the playoffs.
Warming up: The Amazin’ Mets are feeling the hot breath of the Braves on their necks after Atlanta’s scorching June.
Birdland: Not to damn with faint praise, but June was a winning month for the Orioles, their first in five years. Though firmly in the AL East basement, Baltimore is on pace to win 22 more games than last season. Not great, but better.
Keeps on rolling: Even if you’re up to speed on this, let it sink in that with an eight-inning, two-hitter against the Mets on Wednesday, Astros 39-year-old Justin Verlander improved to 10-3 — the most wins in the majors — as his ERA shrank to 2.03.
Future watch: How many games the NFL can dock Deshaun Watson after this current hearing is not as intriguing to me as what might be uncovered in court cases brought by complainants that could result in another, lengthier suspension for the Cleveland quarterback.
Buh-bye: Even with the Browns’ quarterback uncertainties, Baker Mayfield says he’s moving on. Halfway out the door, he remains a media fixation. No other mediocre QB gets so much attention. Whoops, now I’m also to blame for that.
Rumor mill: The Carolina Panthers are said to be maybe the only team interested in trading with the 49ers for Jimmy Garoppolo, assuming he recovers well from shoulder surgery. Quarterback musical chairs is a fun game, isn’t it?
Go figure: Serena Williams is out at Wimbledon, but her first-round loss to Harmony Tan wasn’t an upset. Not if you take into account that Tan is 115th
in the women’s rankings, while after 12 months away from the tour Williams is ranked 1,204. Of course, I’m just fooling around. An unaccomplished player made Williams look bad. Though Tan did win her next match.
Tall story: Tennis players get no respect for their athleticism. During Wimbledon and any other tournament, you’ll hear commentators say a player who stands 6-foot-5 or more “moves well for a big man.” Why the qualification? Nobody says basketball and football players of similar height move well for big men.
Summer swoon: The USFL title game between the Philadelphia Stars and Birmingham Stallions will be on TV on Sunday night. But not on my TV. I just don’t have an appetite for what’s being served up. I’m not the only one. In each of the league’s two playoff games on FOX and NBC, the audience fell short of one million.
Off their marks: The NBA is its most interesting during the playoffs and now with the start of free agency. The regular season, not so much.
Say what?: UCLA and Southern California jumping to the Big Ten? A done deal, it’s reported. The college world is badly adrift. Is this what comes of schools no longer teaching geography? Or is it basic ethics that are lacking? What’s next, Rutgers to the Pac-12?
Bob Molinaro is a former Virginian-Pilot sports columnist. His Weekly Briefing runs Fridays in The Pilot and Daily Press. He can be reached at bob5molinaro@gmail.com and via Twitter@ BobMolinaro.