The Sportsletter - Eye of the Tiger 🐯

BY JEFF YODER

FEB. 16, 2023  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  REFER  |  WEB VIEW

Good Morning,

You thought sports was going to fade after the Super Bowl? Think again. Tiger Woods is back on the golf course. The Chiefs are still partying in Missouri. Another No. 1 team in college basketball just fell from the mountain top. And NBA All-Star Weekend is right around the corner. No stopping us now…

Letter Rip!

PGA

Tiger Tracker: He's Back 🐯

Photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images

Tiger Woods Set to Tee Off at Genesis Invitational — His 1st Event Since July 2022

If sports fans needed something to get excited about post-Super Bowl, he’s here. Tiger Woods is back in the golf spotlight this weekend at the Genesis Invitational where he’ll compete in his first official event since last year’s Open Championship in July. It’s been 216 days fans last saw Tiger in a competitive format — the fifth-longest layoff of his career. Tiger, 47, battled back from the devastating car accident that took him away from golf two years ago. He previously stated that he’s not retired, but he’ll only compete in select events throughout the golf calendar. So what’s special about this weekend?

Tiger’s Love for Riviera

The host of the Genesis Invitational — the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles — is well-known as one of Tiger’s favorite courses. He knows it well, and he’s played it 14 times. The Riviera was the first course Woods ever played on the PGA Tour (Nissan Open, 1992). He’s played 14 Tour events at the Riviera in his career, and he’s never won. Consider it a story he’s chasing — finally conquering a course that’s beat him throughout his career.

Eye of the Tiger 🐯

Woods is also still sitting at 82 career wins, tied with Sam Snead for the most in golf history. He obviously has his sights set on breaking that mark before he hangs it up, but I think we can look at his weekend at Riviera as a tune-up for the upcoming stretch of spring majors — The Masters (April), PGA Championship (May), U.S. Open (June) and Open Championship (July).

Tiger Woods and 23 of the top 25 players in the world are about to tee off. Golf fans, get your Tiger Tracker ready…

Tee Times (Featured Groups)

10:24 AM: J. Rahm, P. Cantlay, V. Hovland

10:35 AM: T. Finau, B. Horschel, A. Scott

10:46 AM: M. Homa, T. Kim, X. Schauffele

10:57 AM: J. Poston, R. Fowler, M. Kuchar

2:53 PM: S. Kim, M. Fitzpatrick, N. Taylor

3:04 PM: R. McIlroy, J. Thomas, T. Woods

3:15 PM: S. Scheffler, J. Spieth, C. Morikawa

3:26 PM: J. Rose, H. Matsuyama, S. Lowry

All Tee Times (Eastern)

Additional Storylines

Yahoo! Sports: Tiger Woods ‘Playing to Win’ This Week at Genesis Invitational

CBS Sports: 2023 Genesis Invitational Predictions, Expert Picks, Odds & Best Bets as Tiger Woods Returns

📊 READER POLL

Question of the Day

Do you think Tiger Woods will make the cut this weekend?

*Click to vote (results will be posted in tomorrow's edition)

NFL

Chiefs Parade: "Run it Back" 🔊

Photo: Jay Biggerstaff / Getty Images

Kansas City Chiefs Celebrate Super Bowl LVII Win With Parade in Front of Roughly 1 Million

For the second time in five years, Kansas City, Missouri hosted a parade to raise the Lombardi Trophy. And it probably won’t be the last. After Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and the Ciefs overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII (38-35), Kansas City’s overarching message on parade day was simple — “Let’s run it back!” Chiefs tight end hype man Travis Kelce was responsible for much of the quote-worthy moments in front of an estimated 800,000-plus fans, nearing 1 million from start to finish.

“Chiefs kingdom, we do this for you. We love every single time you make Arrowhead (Stadium) shake… Everyone’s asking if this is a dynasty. It’s been a dynasty.” — Travis Kelce

“The AFC West said this was our rebuilding year… I don’t even know what rebuilding means. In our rebuilding year, we’re world champs.” — Patrick Mahomes

A chilly, cloudy day in Missouri may have contributed to a relatively tame celebration, but the typical events unfolded with players dancing on busses and signing autographs along the route. Fans in attendance (over 21) received free Bud Light to keep the party going. Mahomes donned his WWE World Championship belt, and the Chiefs offensive linemen wore shirts that read “0 Sacks” to knock the Eagles pass rush.

For the second time in five seasons, the Lombardi Trophy resides in Kansas City. And one of the youngest teams in the league plans on returning again.

Additional Storylines

KMBC: The Biggest Moments From the Chiefs Super Bowl LVII Victory Parade

CBS Sports: Orlando Brown’s ‘Zero Sacks’ T-Shirt Comment Becomes Reality

ESPN: Chiefs Tell Parade Party They Plan to ‘Run it Back’ Next Year

NCAA

Rocky At The Top ⛰️

Photo: Eakin Howard / Getty Images

#10 Tennessee Takes Down #1 Alabama (68-59), Marking 8th Loss by a No. 1 Team This Season

Another No. 1 bites the dust! Just two days after securing the first No. 1 ranking in 20 years, Alabama basketball has been beaten. The Crimson Tide traveled to rival Tennessee last night for a top-ten showdown that went the way of the Vols, leaving a sense of déjà vu for Bama fans dating back to football season. Tennessee pulled the upset despite shooting just 26.1 percent from deep, but they won the turnover battle by 11 (8-19). The game was within four points inside four minutes (58-54), but Tennessee pulled away with a few key buckets in crunch time. James Aidoo had a double-double (12 points, 11 boards, 3 blocks) while Zakai Zeigler (15 points) and Santiago Vescovi (15 points) knocked down three 3s apiece for Tennessee. The SEC just got interesting down the stretch.

Watch: #10 Tennessee Tops #1 Alabama (68-59)

History: Top Team Takedowns

Alabama becomes the fourth team to lose after garnering the No. 1 ranking this season. Purdue (3), North Carolina (2) and Houston (2) all suffered multiple losses as the top team. That’s eight total losses this year by No. 1 teams, tied for the most ever prior to the beginning of conference tournaments. If you love March Madness, that's a sign of parity and upsets to come.

Other Men’s NCAA Highlights

#7 Virginia def. Louisville (61-58)

#11 Marquette def. #16 Xavier (69-68)

Northwestern def. #14 Indiana (64-62)

Women’s NCAA Highlights

#6 UConn def. Creighton (62-60)

#7 Iowa def. Wisconsin (91-61)

#14 Villanova def. St. John’s (73-57)*

*Maddy Siegrist Scores 39 Points for Villanova

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🎥 THE HIGHLIGHTS

🏀 NBA: Rejuvenated Bridges Drops 45 for Nets

Getting Miles Bridges in the Kevin Durant trade with the Suns could’ve been a solid consolation prize for the Nets. Bridges popped off for a career-high 45 points (8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks) in last night’s win over the Heat (116-105) on 17-for-24 shooting.

⚽️ UCL: Dortmund Downs Chelsea (1-0) in Leg 1

The marquee matchup of the day in the Champions League (Round of 16) was another close call on Wednesday. Borussia Dortmund struck down Chelsea (1-0) on the back of Karim Adeyami’s one-man counter attack. A Chelsea corner kick was cleared to the foot of Adeyami who made a magic run and finish on the other end for the lone goal of the match.

🏒 NHL: Rangers Roll to 6th Straight

The Rangers kept their crown as the hottest team in the NHL on Wednesday thanks to a 6-4 win over the Canucks. Artemi Panarin (2 goals, 1 assist) and Mika Zibanejad (2 goals, 1 assist) led the charge. New York (72 points) is 13-2-2 since the start of 2023, and they’re quickly climbing into the race for the top spot in the Metro.

THE STORYLINES

🏈 The Post-SBLVII Kelce Podcast

Last Sunday night, Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce battled it out in Super Bowl LVII with their proud parents—Donna and Ed—watching from the stands. Their sons made NFL history by becoming the first brothers to square off in the championship game. (Sports Illustrated)

⚾️ MLB Spring Training Questions

At long last, the offseason is coming to an end and spring training is about to begin. MLB teams will begin reporting to spring training camps in Arizona and Florida on Wednesday, and all 30 clubs will be up and running by Friday. (CBS Sports)

🏁 Daytona 500 Odds: The Great American Race

It's time to turn the page on the sports landscape calendar. And if you are looking for something BIG to watch and wager on this upcoming weekend, the Daytona 500 is the perfect place to start. Let’s take a look at the prerace lines for drivers. (FOX Sports)

📰 THE HEADLINES

• Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley Applies for Reinstatement After 1-Year Ban for Gambling (USA Today)
• Adrian Peterson Rips Damar Hamlin for ‘Disrespectful’ Super Bowl 57 Jacket (CBS Sports)
• Michael Jordan Celebrates 60th Birthday With $10 Million Donation to Make-A-Wish (Yahoo! Sports)
• Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy to Interview for Commanders OC Job (SI)

• Buyout Candidate Russell Westbrook Talking With Multiple Teams Including Bulls, Heat & More (B/R)

• DA Drops Domestic Violence Case Against Ex-Texas Head Coach Chris Beard (ESPN)

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Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Product Manager: Matthew Cahill

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

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