THIS WAS FUTBOL ... AND INDYCAR RACING ... TO LIKE

 A little of a lot …

If you like soccer even a little bit … and missed Sunday’s 

Club World Cup final … your loss. Chelsea did to Paris 

Saint-Germain what PSG was supposed to do to Chelsea. 

With COLE PALMER scoring identical goals then 

setting upJOAO PEDRO with a highlight-reel pass, all 

before halftime, the English Premier League team won 3-

0 in a match that threatened to get out of hand after 

intermission. 

For reasons that should be investigated by FIFA, the 

sport’s international governing body, referee ALLURES 

FAGHANI let too much go … and left himself wide open 

to a charge of knowing which team was supposed to win 

… and allowing that to influence his call of the game. 

In the end, though, the Australian of Iranian descent had 

no choice but to end whatever suspense remained by 

giving a red card to PSG’s JOAO NEVES for (literally) 

grabbing a handful of MARC CURCURLLA’s … shall 

we say, rather abundant head of hair and yanking him to 

the ground. 

Paris St-Germain had posted shutouts in seven of its 

previous eight games. It hadn’t allowed a goal in seven 

hours, 16 minutes when Palmer got the ball just inside the 

18-yard box and calmly slotted a left-footed curling shot 

that eluded goalkeeper GIANLUIGI DONNARUMMA 

to the left post in the 22d minute … then did it again 

(same shot, same foot, from same spot) eight minutes 

later … 

“Chelsea has turned this game upside down,” said TV 

analyst BRIAN DUNSETH, heard here on TBS. 

Palmer, 23, was named Man of the Match. Goalie

 ROBERTSANCHEZ, 29, 6-6 from Spain, would have 

been an excellent choice, too. “He’s stood on his head,” 

Dunseth said. “… made four phenominal saves.” Five or 

six, actually.

Shortly after the game was over, a brawl threatened to 

break out when Donnarumma and PSG manager LUIS 

ENRIQUE were seen trying to get at a couple of Chelsea 

players, drawing a crowd. “The result is proving 

embarrassing for Paris St-Germain,” Dunseth said.

**** HAVING SEEN too much follow-the-leader on the 

IndyCar circuit over the years, we had pretty much 

stopped watching … the only exception, the Indianapolis 

500 which hasn’t been THAT much better (if at all) but it 

is one of this country’s major sporting events, so ...

Saturday, while channel-hopping (looking for nothing in 

particular), we happened to click on a red-flag timeout of 

a 245.85 -miler at Iowa Speedway … and, being curious, 

stopped to find out what had gone wrong.

Nothing serious, as it turned out, but ABC’s talking heads 

had been so convincing that we stayed tuned for a 

resumption of race-dominate JOSEPH 

NEWGARDEN’s chase of PATO O’WARD over the 

final 17 laps.

We weren’t disappointed. O’Ward, who took the lead 

when Newgarden pitted 42 laps from the end, refused to 

give in, and Chevrolet won for the first time this season in 

the first of two races this weekend in Newgarden’s back 

yard. They’ll do it again Sunday.

“Joseph is the master of these races. He rules around here 

… so I knew I had to be so precise on the end laps to beat 

him at his own game,” O’Ward said. “We’ve had so many 

duels. He usually comes out on top more. Today is the 

day that changes [that].”

To be precise, Newgarden, who led 232 of the 300 laps 

and O’Ward, winning his first race of the season, eighth 

overall, now have finished 1-2 nine times. Newgarden has 

won six.

With about five laps to go, Newgarden, 34. faked to the 

inside ... and attempted to pass O’Ward on the outside, 

high to the right, going approximately 200 miles per hour. 

Nice try, but (cliché alert) no cigar.

O’Ward deftly cut him off … and, somehow, they 

managed to avoid contact … that certainly would have 

wrecked both of them.

Actually, O’Ward probably knew what was coming … as 

the two-time IndyCar champion (2017, 2019) and Indy 

500 winner (2023-2024) is known for deft passing on a 

rival’s right side, referred to on the circuit as The 

Newgarden Move.

It was the 100^th Indy Car race and eighth victory for 

O’Ward, 26. As for Pato, he says he was named for a 

great-grandfather who was Irish.

**** WHY DO WE get the idea manufactured animosity 

has become standard … a phony way of attracting 

attention to a league or individuals who think they 

deserve or need some?

In the WNBA, who hasn’t weighed in on CAITLIN 

CLARK? It’s got to be more than jealousy. Surely, the 

girls understand Clark has made the league relevant, like 

it or not?

Whatever happened to DAN PATRICK? Glad you asked. 

He must be concerned, too, because, out of the blue, he 

recently alleged former employer ESPN used “a smear 

campaign” against him after he left the Worldwide Leader 

in 2007 to launch his own daily radio show.

“Any affiliate that carried my show … would be dropped 

by ESPN,” Patrick, 69, said.

Then there is KIRK HERBSTREIT’s verbal dustup with 

… what’s her name? 

**** So, the Washington Nationals, with the first pick in 

the 2025 MLB draft, opted for a shortstop … as expected 

… only it was a 17-year-old high school shortstop ELI 

WILLITS … and not the son of former all-star MATT 

HOLLIDAY, who also sired former No. 1 Jackson, an 

infielder who didn’t take long to make the Baltimore 

roster.

Having fired GM MIKE RUSSO (as well as manager

 DAVE MARTINEZ) a week earlier, interim GENE 

DiBARTOLO was entrusted with making the call … 

which he said was the result of a unanimous vote … made 

easy because Willits was both the best hitter and 

defensive player available (at least as far as some of the 

people responsible for the worst won-lost record in major-

league baseball were concerned).

Until next time ...

A little of a lot …

If you like soccer even a little bit … and missed Sunday’s Club World Cup final … your loss. Chelsea did to Paris Saint-Germain what PSG was supposed to do to Chelsea. 

With COLE PALMER scoring identical goals then setting up JOAO PEDRO with a highlight-reel pass, all before halftime, the English Premier League team won 3-0 in a match that threatened to get out of hand after intermission. 

For reasons that should be investigated by FIFA, the sport’s international governing body, referee ALIREZA FAGHANI let too much go … and left himself wide open to a charge of knowing which team was supposed to win … and allowing that to influence his call of the game. 

In the end, though, the Australian of Iranian descent had no choice but to end whatever suspense remained by giving a red card to PSG’s JOAO NEVES for (literally) grabbing a handful of MARC CURCURLLA’s … shall we say, rather abundant head of hair and yanking him to the ground. 

Paris St-Germain had posted shutouts in seven of its previous eight games. It hadn’t allowed a goal in seven hours, 16 minutes when Palmer got the ball just inside the 18-yard box and calmly slotted a left-footed curling shot that eluded goalkeeper GIANLUIGI DONNARUMMA to the left post in the 22d minute … then did it again (same shot, same foot, from same spot) eight minutes later … 

“Chelsea has turned this game upside down,” said TV analyst BRIAN DUNSETH, heard here on TBS. 

Palmer, 23, was named Man of the Match. Goalie ROBERTSANCHEZ, 29, 6-6 from Spain, would have been an excellent choice, too. “He’s stood on his head,” Dunseth said. “… made four phenominal saves.” Five or six, actually.

Shortly after the game was over, a brawl threatened to break out when Donnarumma and PSG manager LUIS ENRIQUE were seen trying to get at a couple of Chelsea players, drawing a crowd. “The result is proving embarrassing for Paris St-Germain,” Dunseth said.

**** HAVING SEEN too much follow-the-leader on the IndyCar circuit over the years, we had pretty much stopped watching … the only exception, the Indianapolis 500 which hasn’t been THAT much better (if at all) but it is one of this country’s major sporting events, so ...

Saturday, while channel-hopping (looking for nothing in particular), we happened to click on a red-flag timeout of a 245.85 -miler at Iowa Speedway … and, being curious, stopped to find out what had gone wrong.

Nothing serious, as it turned out, but ABC’s talking heads had been so convincing that we stayed tuned for a resumption of race-dominate JOSEPH NEWGARDEN’s chase of PATO O’WARDover the final 17 laps.

We weren’t disappointed. O’Ward, who took the lead when Newgarden pitted 42 laps from the end, refused to give in, and Chevrolet won for the first time this season in the first of two races this weekend in Newgarden’s back yard. They’ll do it again Sunday.

“Joseph is the master of these races. He rules around here … so I knew I had to be so precise on the end laps to beat him at his own game,” O’Ward said. “We’ve had so many duels. He usually comes out on top more. Today is the day that changes [that].”

To be precise, Newgarden, who led 232 of the 300 laps and O’Ward, winning his first race of the season, eighth overall, now have finished 1-2 nine times. Newgarden has won six.

With about five laps to go, Newgarden, 34. faked to the inside ... and attempted to pass O’Ward on the outside, high to the right, going approximately 200 miles per hour. Nice try, but (cliché alert) no cigar.

O’Ward deftly cut him off … and, somehow, they managed to avoid contact … that certainly would have wrecked both of them.

Actually, O’Ward probably knew what was coming … as the two-time IndyCar champion (2017, 2019) and Indy 500 winner (2023-2024) is known for deft passing on a rival’s right side, referred to on the circuit as The Newgarden Move.

It was the 100^th Indy Car race and eighth victory for O’Ward, 26. As for Pato, he says he was named for a great-grandfather who was Irish.

**** WHY DO WE get the idea manufactured animosity has become standard … a phony way of attracting attention to a league or individuals who think they deserve or need some?

In the WNBA, who hasn’t weighed in on CAITLIN CLARK? It’s got to be more than jealousy. Surely, the girls understand Clark has made the league relevant, like it or not?

Whatever happened to DAN PATRICK? Glad you asked. He must be concerned, too, because, out of the blue, he recently alleged former employer ESPN used “a smear campaign” against him after he left the Worldwide Leader in 2007 to launch his own daily radio show.

“Any affiliate that carried my show … would be dropped by ESPN,” Patrick, 69, said.

Then there is KIRK HERBSTREIT’s verbal dustup with … what’s her name? 

**** So, the Washington Nationals, with the first pick in the 2025 MLB draft, opted for a shortstop … as expected … only it was a 17-year-old high school shortstop ELI WILLITS … and not the son of former all-star MATT HOLLIDAY, who also sired former No. 1 Jackson, an infielder who didn’t take long to make the Baltimore roster.

Having fired GM MIKE RUSSO (as well as manager DAVE MARTINEZ) a week earlier, interim GENE DiBARTOLO was entrusted with making the call … which he said was the result of a unanimous vote … made easy because Willits was both the best hitter and defensive player available (at least as far as some of the people responsible for the worst won-lost record in major-league baseball were concerned).

Until next time ...