The Sportsletter - Geno's Flowers 💐

BY JEFF YODER

NOV. 21, 2024 | SUBSCRIBE | WEB VIEW

Good Morning 👋

A week of sports variety continues while we wait for the next weekend of football. UConn's Geno Auriemma now stands alone atop the NCAA wins list. Southpaws swept the Cy Young awards. Celebrity golf gets a new twist. And we’re preparing a huge weekender for tomorrow’s edition (stay tuned).

Now let’s give Geno his flowers. 💐

Letter Rip!

PICKS

The Sportsletter’s NFL Pick ‘Em (Week 12)

Picks Take Approximately 60 Seconds

NCAA

Geno's Milestone Moment

Photo: Joe Buglewicz / Getty Images

UConn Head Coach Geno Auriemma Sets NCAA All-Time Wins Record (1,217 Wins) & He’s Not Done…

Perfect seasons, excessive banners and undeniable dynasties... These feats rare in sports, but they've become the norm in Storrs, Connecticut. Geno Auriemma is the reason why. After last night, he now stands alone as the NCAA's all-time wins leader.

The UConn women’s basketball coach secured his 1,217th win last night with a non-conference tune-up against Fairleigh Dickinson (85-41). The game itself was a formality, but Geno officially passed Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer for No. 1 all-time, men or women. Notable UConn legends were in attendance, including Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore and Sue Bird, just to name a few. The team even brought out a live goat for the GOAT (greatest of all-time) coach. And if you want to dispute Geno's GOAT status, think again.

Geno Auriemma (By the Numbers)

1,217 Career Wins (Ranks 1st)
23 Final Fours (Ranks 1st)
11 National Titles (Ranks 1st)
.883 Win Percentage (Ranks 1st)

To be clear, all of those ranks include both men’s and women’s hoops coaches over nearly 70-plus years of NCAA basketball. Some of the greatest men’s basketball coaches have only achieved 1,202 wins (Mike Krzyzewski) and 10 national titles (John Wooden). Only the late Pat Summit (.841%) holds a candle to Geno’s win percentage.

A New Word for ‘Dynasty’

A string of four or five titles fits the criteria for a “dynasty” in sports. But what about 30 years? We need a whole new word for what Geno has accomplished in Storrs. He took over the program in 1985 and delivered the first championship ten years later (1995). Since then, the Huskies have been to 23 Final Fours. Geno’s program has also posted the two longest winning streaks in NCAA history with 98 and 111 in a row, better than Wooden’s 88-game stretch with UCLA in the 60s/70s.

“We never sat down and said hey let’s make a 40-year plan and see if we can make this happen. It’s about coming here every day and trying to be better than we were yesterday.” — Geno Auriemma

Uconn is currently ranked No. 2 behind South Carolina (another budding dynasty). Paige Bueckers is a walking bucket, and the Huskies just got Azzi Fudd back from injury. If Geno continues to coach, he could post 1,300-plus wins, even more titles, and set a bar too high to reach.

Sporting News: A Goat for the GOAT? UConn Celebrate Geno Auriemma’s Win With Live Animal

MLB

Lefties Sweep Cy Young Awards

Photo: Jason Miller / Getty Images

Tarik Skubal (Tigers, AL) & Chris Sale (Braves, NL) Win 2024 Cy Young Awards

Two left-handers. Two former Tommy John surgeries. Two Triple Crowns. And now, two Cy Young winners. Chris Sale (Braves) and Tarik Skubal (Tigers) have a lot in common, but they were both bright spots for their respective teams in 2024. Few batters found success against these two arms, and there’s little debate that anyone else was more deserving of the 2024 Cy Young awards.

AL: Tarik Skubal (Tigers)

The first unanimous award-winner of the week was Skubal, and it’s obvious why. The Tigers’ flamethrower was AL’s most dominant arm with an 18-4 record, 2.39 ERA and a league-best 228 strikeouts. He’s the first Tigers player to win the Cy Young since two of this generation’s best arms — Justin Verlander (2011) and Max Scherzer (2013). At just 28 years old, he’s got plenty of Cy Young chases left. He received all 30 first-place votes. 2nd: Seth Lugo (Royals), 3rd: Emmanuel Clase (Guardians)

NL: Chris Sale (Braves)

The Braves may have fallen short of expectations this season after a brutal run of injuries, but Chris Sale was downright dominant. The 35-year-old had the best record in baseball (18-3), the lowest ERA (2.38) and finished No. 2 in strikeouts (225). He gave up just nine home runs over 177 innings. That’s one HR every 20 innings. Sale is the first Atlanta pitcher to win the award since Tom Glavine (1998). He received 26 (of 30) first-place votes. 2nd: Zack Wheeler (Phillies), 3rd: Paul Skenes (Pirates)

Both Pitchers Earned NL/AL Triple Crowns

(Leader in Wins, ERA & Strikeouts)

🗓️ MLB Awards Week (Schedule)

Tonight: MVP Awards

GOLF

Celebrity Golf Returns ⛳️

Image via TNT

10th Edition of “The Match” (Superstars) Tees Off Today With Celebrities & Sports Icons Galore

One week after celebrity boxing hijacked the sports world, it’s time for celebrity golf. Welcome back to the circus! Golf fans know this early-winter season has a lack of high-profile events. That’s where The Match has made its mark. What started as a 1-v-1 between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson for charity back in 2018 has evolved into this collection of star power. It's the 10th showcase in Year 6. If you’ve been following along, you’ve watched other sports stars — like Tom Brady and Steph Curry — play alongside golf’s most notable names.

Tonight, it’s “The Match: Superstars” with a loaded lineup of sports legends and actors. Still a circus? Yes. But hey, it’s fun television. These huge names will compete in the two-day event at Breakers West Country Club in West Palm Beach.

⛳️ The Match (Superstars)

Wayne Gretzky (NHL Hall of Famer)

Ken Griffey Jr. (MLB Hall of Famer)

Michael Phelps (Olympic Legend)

Blake Griffin (6x NBA All-Star)

Charles Barkley (NBA Hall of Famer)

Mark Wahlberg (Actor)

Bill Murray (Actor)

Nate Bargatze (Comedian)

The Match Schedule

Thursday & Friday: 7:30 pm ET (TNT & Max)

Video: The Match: Superstars (30 Sec.)

HIGHLIGHTS 🎥

🏒 NHL

Maple Leafs def. Golden Knights (3-0)

Joseph Woll (31 Saves), 2nd Career Shutout

Hurricanes def. Flyers (4-1)

Sebastian Aho (1G, 1A), Canes Score 3 in 3rd

Full NHL Scoreboard

🏀 NBA

Bucks def. Bulls (122-106)

Giannis Goes for 40-Bomb (41-9-8)

Knicks def. Suns (138-122)

Jalen Brunson (36 pts, 10 ast)

Grizzlies def. 76ers (117-111)

Philly (2-12) Falls to Dead Last in NBA

Full NBA Scoreboard

STORYLINES

🏈 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class 2025

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is inching closer to knocking on the door of a select few and welcoming them to immortality. Eli Manning headlines a list of 23 players, including six in their first year of eligibility. (CBS Sports)

🏀 Westbrook’s 200th Triple-Double

There might be some criticisms, but there is one thing Russell Westbrook has done better than anyone in NBA history. The Nuggets’ guard became the sole member of the 200 triple-doubles club on Tuesday. (Yahoo! Sports)

🏁 Verstappen Goes for 4th F1 Title

After a career-defining drive in Brazil, Max Verstappen is on the precipice of another Formula 1 title — that would be four straight. Here’s what needs to happen for him to do so in Las Vegas this weekend. (Sports Illustrated)

NEWS 📰

⚽️ American Businesswoman Michelle Kang Pledges $30 Million to U.S. Soccer for Girls’ & Womens’ Programs (Forbes)

🏈 Central Michigan & Former Florida Coach Jim McElwain Retires From Football (CBS Sports)

🏀 Cavaliers Ownership Group Launches Bid for WNBA Expansion Franchise in Cleveland (B/R)

⛳️ LPGA Announces Record-Setting $131 Million in Payouts for 2025 Events (ESPN)

🏈 Ex-Virginia Football Player Pleads Guilty to 2022 Shooting That Killed 3 Players (SI)

🏈 FBI Exploring if Mahomes-Kelce Burglaries are Part of ‘Transnational Crime Ring’ (NBC Sports)

🥊 Paul-Tyson Promoter Responds to Netflix Streaming Issues & Accusations That Fight Was Rigged (Yahoo! Sports)

SCHEDULE 🗓️

Today's Must-Watch List

🏈 NFL (Thursday Night Football)

Steelers at Browns (8:15 pm ET, PRIME)