Friday Four-Pack 5.16.25

Bill Belichick flustered on live TV. Dumb Jayson Tatum takes. Reliving #freescottie a year later in a sports 'what if.' Preakness Week! 🏇🏻

No, as best I can tell, Scottie Scheffler was not arrested again. All signs are that he’ll tee off as scheduled at 1:47 p.m. on Friday afternoon.

A year ago, on the Friday morning of the PGA Championship, the sports world was flabbergasted when Scheffler’s mugshot was plastered all over social media—orange jumpsuit and all.

The world’s #1 ranked golfer was taken away in handcuffs for allegedly assaulting a police officer, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals while attempting to enter the Valhalla Golf Club. Scheffler eventually returned to the course to make his scheduled tee-time and shoot a five-under 66 (tied for the second-lowest round of the day) on his way to a T-8 on the weekend. All charges were dismissed and the arresting officer, Detective Gillis, says he still has the pair of ‘ruined’ $80 pants that became a punchline in the wild scene.

ESPN’s Jeff Darlington was the star of the moment. He happened to be in the car behind Scheffler when the arrest occurred and got a clear video of Scottie being escorted to a police cruiser in handcuffs. It has 20.4 million views a year later, and that video helped fuel the online frenzy. Early Friday, Darlington posted another video, this one recapping the crazy events of last year.

Just an unforgettable social media/X.com moment. You could not leave your phone for a few minutes without refreshing for an update. I wrote that morning, hours after it happened, “An easy Top 5 Twitter/X.com moment. Memes for days. Almost makes me miss doing live radio. What a gift.”

Many past sports moments would have broken social media and potentially found their way into that Top 5 or Top 10, like Bill Buckner’s error in the 1986 World Series. Or Secretariat’s monster win in the 1973 Belmont. Eight members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox being indicted a year later for allegedly getting paid by gamblers to throw the World Series would have been something to see unfold with burner accounts on X.com. How about the Tuck Rule? OJ and Al Cowlings being chased in the White Bronco? You can argue that moment might be at the top of the list.

But staring at the ceiling one night at 3:22 am, I kept coming back to one ‘moment’ as the one I’d love to have seen play out with the social media/24-hour-news landscape built out the way it is today—

Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player of all time, retiring from basketball in October 1993 (at the age of 30) to play minor league baseball.

Thirty-one years later, this remains an incredible image from a 1994 Sports Illustrated. Jordan, so angered by the cover photo and headline, reportedly has never talked to the magazine or its reporters since.

Jordan hit .202 in 1994 in his full season with the Double-A Birmingham Barons, managed by Terry Francona. He planned on playing baseball again in 1995 before the MLB Players’ strike lingered into the spring and had a chance to make Jordan a ‘replacement player.’ Not wanting any part of that, he walked away from the White Sox, and a return to the NBA became a possibility.

On March 18, 1995, Jordan’s “I’m back” fax shook the sports world. He’d return to the NBA, win two more MVPs, lead the Bulls to a second Three-Peat™️, and cement his legacy as one of the best athletes ever. In the process, his minor league hiatus became something to laugh about as a footnote in an unparalleled career.

But can you imagine how this would have played out in the age of social media/around-the-clock online news coverage?

• You’d have daily speculation about why Jordan was even leaving the NBA. It was widely reported he was burnt out after the murder of his father in 1993 - a story that would have also been a daily Twitter topic and subject of multiple True Crime Podcasts.

• During the excellent “The Last Dance” doc on Netflix, Jordan was asked if the NBA secretly suspended him for gambling, and his baseball break was just a cover-up. “I didn’t retire because the league kicked me out or they suspended me for a year and a half. That is not true. There’s no truth to that,” Jordan said. “I needed a break. My father just passed. And I retired. And I retired with the notion that I wasn’t going to come back.” Still, imagine this storyline's reaction in 2025—hours and hours of reckless speculation.

• Thanks to iPhones and 5 G, we’d have seen hundreds—probably thousands — of videos of Jordan playing minor league baseball. Jordan struck out 114 times in 1994, and I’m guessing many of those ‘Ks’ would have gone viral. SO many iPhone videos.

• SO many memes.

• And SO many hot takes. In 1994, those were reserved for sports radio, newspaper columns, and bar conversations. Today, we’d have daily YouTube breakdowns on each Jordan at bat. Hell, I’m guessing every game would have been streamed somewhere online.

• The cost of getting information out is so much cheaper, and the speed at which you can do it is so much faster now. I envision dozens of ‘Michael Jordan reporters’ creating their own content. The big media outlets would have assigned someone to the Jordan Beat. Instead of getting away from the bright lights of the NBA, he would have just shifted their glare to Birmingham.

• The “I’m back” fax moment would have been an all-timer. Or how about that period between leaving the White Sox and returning to the Bulls? For weeks before his return, Jordan was reportedly practicing with the team…even that would have been buzzworthy.

• The sports TV talking-head shows, born from sports radio, would have delivered daily commentary that would have made the over-the-top Lebron discussions these days seem tame.

Would Jordan have been able to deal with it? A few years ago, he said it would have been tough playing in the NBA in a time of social media. He was the best at what he did with a basketball—wouldn’t the baseball coverage and commentary have been worse?

Thinking about this the last few weeks and writing it all out, I can’t imagine he’d have been able to pull it off. The around-the-clock coverage and commentary would have gotten very messy, and we’d probably have a different view of Jordan’s baseball experience.

Which brings us back to #FreeScottie. How the hell did he get arrested in the morning, go through one of the most high-profile arrests in recent memory, and shoot 66 in the second round of a major? He was listed as a solid +330 favorite to win this weekend after shooting a two-under 69 on Thursday.

Here’s to an arrest-free Friday and a stress-free tee-time at the PGA Championship for the best golfer in the world.

Meanwhile, Bill Belichick went on Good Morning America and looked rattled. Jayson Tatum is done, but the Celtics’ season is still alive. And it’s Preakness weekend!

All ahead in today’s Four-Pack.

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On Bill Belichick’s GMA appearance…

Minutes after Bill Belichick appeared on Good Morning America on Friday morning, the GMA website posted a story about the interview, clearly intended to generate Google search traffic and clicks.

Michael Strahan waited eight minutes into the almost 10-minute interview, but he eventually got to why GMA wanted Belichick on. And it was not to promote his book.

After telling the world that Jordon Hudson as NOT present for the interview, he asked Belichick about his relationship with the 24-year-old Miss Maine runner-up.

"She’s been through the whole process and she’s been very helpful to me," Belichick told "GMA" co-anchor Michael Strahan in a live interview. "She does the business things that don’t relate to North Carolina that come up in my life so I can concentrate on football, and that’s really what I want to do."

Pressed further, Belichick offered 'Well, we have good personal relationship. And, you know, I'm not talking about personal relationships, Michael, you know that,' Belichick said to former NFL player Strahan, who revealed Hudson was not on the GMA set.

But forget the words—Belichick became flustered and red-faced when asked about Hudson. He can pull the “I'm not talking about personal relationships” card with a former NFL player asking the questions, but the college football media will not be as friendly. These were tame questions that never mentioned the Pablo Torre reporting or the CBS Sunday morning interview.

Bill was rattled. I watched it again to ensure I wasn’t forcing it, but nope. There he is, red-faced, upset at the questions - kind of like how reporters used to look when BB would embarrass them in a press setting!

This is not going to end well. These were softball questions. The first eight minutes were zzzzzzzzz, but the end was worth it. Decide for yourself.

I plan to read Bill’s book this week and review it here next Friday. As a coach of many youth sports teams, I’m hopeful I'll learn something.

We all learned Friday that Bill Belichick will have trouble answering even easy questions about his girlfriend/business manager/PR maven.

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On Jayson Tatum and the state of the Celtics…

As a Day One Tatum Guy, this sucked. Not only because of the injury, but the hot takes it was bound to ignite.

🏀 Like this one from Emmanuel Acho, “The Celtics match up better against the Knicks without Jayson Tatum than they do with him.” The Celtics, favored to win the game in a classic let-down spot for NY, destroyed the Knicks on Wednesday…just like they had in Game 3….with Tatum.

🏀Locally, Felger and Mazz took a different approach. Their narrative (because God forbid Mike and Tony disagree on something, and if they do, Mazz will do a quick 180° to get back in line) was that the Celtics with Tatum “are broken,” and the way they played in Game 5 shows that. They kept harping on the 27 assists they had as some magic number, so I checked the Game 3 boxscore - they had 23. They averaged the 6th most points in the NBA this season on the 12th most assists. A massive reach for a show that usually can back up its points with numbers.

🏀 Now, if you want to say they played a better brand of ‘team’ basketball on Wednesday, sure. They needed the entire team to pick up the slack after losing a Top 5 player in the league, and they did that against an inferior team.

🏀 It helped that Joe Mazzulla finally woke up and realized that Kristaps Porziņģis is cooked in this series.

🏀 It’s also worth mentioning that Peyton Prichard played 20, 22, and 24 minutes in the C’s three losses and 35 and 39 minutes in the two wins. Again, hey Joe!

🏀 The Celtics are better than the Knicks, even without Tatum. That Mazzulla just sat there for those first two meltdowns is maddening. BUT…even if they lose this series, firing the head coach is now likely off the table. There will be a lot to navigate next season, and adding a new head coach into the mix seems unlikely.

🏀 It’s too early to plan out how the team should rebuild this offseason, but Brad Stevens will earn his money trying to balance the roster and account for Tatum's loss and hopefully his eventual 2026 return. It won’t be easy, but I have faith in Stevens.

I love watching Jayson Tatum play basketball. He’s an elite elite elite offensive talent and his complete game puts him on par with the best players in the league. There is no world where the team is better without him, but they might still be good enough to get to the NBA Finals. And if they win Game 6 Friday night, they’re winning Game 7, and they’ll face the Pacers for that opportunity.

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On the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes…

#18 Sovereignty (5-1) - Two good races this year in Florida. A running style that should suit this race. A win on the track last October, beating a few of these. Hall of Fame trainer in Bill Mott. Gets back to his usual rider in Junior Alvarado. Training well. Wet track would be no issue. Legit player and a win candidate on Saturday. In fact, if he drifts up on price, I could see myself placing a win bet at 8-1 or better.

Another Florida horse, #18 Sovereignty, rounds out my superfecta…he’s training better and will be flying late. In some ways, I think he’s the most likely upsetter to Journalism.

We had the right idea in the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby. I made some money on the race, but it was not a Derby Score. Not close. And I got bloodied on the undercard, even with a few short-priced winners.

As I wrote extensively last week, the long-term future of Preakness is very much in doubt. The current Triple Crown schedule is due for a change, thanks in part to the change in the way trainers condition their horses in 2025.

Did about 45 minutes on the Preakness, the Pick 4 leading into the race and the future of the Triple Crown with friends Jessica Paquette and Dick Jerardi in this week’s MutStack Podcast - Handicapping the Preakness Stakes. Jess had the Derby winner, so you’re costing yourself money by not listening. Just sayin’.

As for the 151st Preakness field:

#1 Goal Oriented (6-1) - I like his debut going 6F more than his win on the Derby Day undercard. He set a moderate pace in that race and wired the field. I can’t imagine he can set another pace like that, and I’m not convinced he won’t just be better sprinting. Ownership also has Rodriguez, who was pointing here, but will instead look towards the Belmont at Saratoga. Talent is there, but I am not really interested in him here in this race.

#2 Journalism (8/5) - Horse to beat here by a wide margin. Has three Beyer figures better than any other horse in here. Ran well in the Derby with a less than ideal trip - got shoved towards the rail and was in tight heading into first turn. It wasn’t a bad trip but I don’t think people are even mentioning the trouble. Plenty of speed for him to sit off of and ideal post. He’d be 2 to 5 if this were just an allowance race and not the Preakness - 8/5 would represent value on Saturday.

#3 American Promise (15-1) - Trainer D. Wayne Lukas wired this race last year with Sieze the Grey, and I’m guessing that’s the plan here. The ride Frankie Dettori gave Imagination in that one, handing the lead to Sieze the Grey, should have received much more scrutiny. I guess Goal Oriented and Prat might do the same thing here, but there should be other speed to keep him company. I get those hoping for a repeat, but I will not be backing this guy. A reminder - when I don’t bet Lukas, he wins. It’s science.

#4 Heart of Honor (12-1) - Love the fight he showed between horses late in the UAE Derby, but that race came up very slow. Has raced at this distance twice and has two seconds, but again, those were slow races. Bottom of trifectas, maybe.

#5 Pay Billy (20-1) - Benefitted in his Tesio win when Kentucky Outlaw broke slow and had a rough trip. Slow on Beyer and Timeform + a massive jump in class = an easy toss for me in this spot.

#6 River Thames (9/2) - He had every chance to run by East Avenue in the Bluegrass and could not do it, settling for third. Gets the patented five-week setup for trainer Todd Pletcher, and with another improvement, could be part of the Top 4. Usable underneath, but can’t help that like Goal Oriented, he’ll be better on the cutback.

#7 Sandman (4-1) - Deep closer benefitted from awesome pace setups on the Arkansas Derby trail. Was a non-factor in the Derby, even with a fast pace. Trainer Mark Casse claims he was dealing with a foot issue. How did we not hear about that with all the reporting done during Derby week? I don’t believe it. He has an online following thanks to TikTok star and minority owner Griffin Johnson. This guy will be overbet thanks to that, being a grey, and the Metallica angle. Casse just 3 for 25 (12%) running a horse back on 10-15 days rest. One of those wins was a turf-to-dirt switch, and the other two came in MDCLM ranks. Likely tossing completely on Saturday.

#8 Clever Again (5-1) - I like this guy. Has run two fast races in 2025. Last time in Oaklawn, he cruised on the front end before powering home in a race that got a 101 Beyer; the figure there has held up. In fact, looking at the whole card that day from Oaklawn, most of the figures have held up. The dam ran long on the turf in Europe, so the distance should not be an issue. Jose Ortiz leaves Sandman and ends up here - that’s a plus. It will be hard to wire this field, given the other speed, I get it. But he looks like a talented, lightly-raced runner that might be sitting on a big race for a trainer who has won this Preakness twice. Love that right after that last win, Asmussen said we’re running in the Preakness with this guy. My exacta push with the favorite.

#9 Gosger (20-1) - I’ve seen some love for this longshot on social media, and I get it. Beat a pretty good group in the Lexington, including Hypnus (2nd to Goal Oriented at CD) and Preator (a good one for Chad Brown). Has shown an ability to rate, so maybe he can tuck in off the speed and not get foated out wide. Appears to be working well out of that win. Will be using in trifectas - surprise package.

There don’t appear to be many good reasons to spend money trying to beat Journalism in this year’s Preakness. But we’ll write about how we plan to make money on the race and the day in tomorrow’s Preakness Final Thoughts newsletter.

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On your sports media and sports betting notes…

• On more on Bill. Credit to 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Toucher and Hardy for contuniting to cover the absurdity of the Belichick / Hudson relationship. Their interview on Thursday with Pablo Torre, who broke this story wide open a week ago today, was excellent. Some of the daily radio shows in Boston ignore it, and I don’t get it…it’s a great sports radio topic.

• In our MutStack Preakness Podcast, Dick Jerardi made a great point about the TV rights for the race being up after this year. Currently, NBC holds the rights to the Derby and the Preakness, while Fox has the rights to the Belmont. If Fox lands the Preakness, they would have a major interest in the Derby winner running in that race, keeping the dream of a Triple Crown alive into the Belmont, which they also air. The lure of a big TV payday might be enough to finally get the hardcore traditionalists in Baltimore and New York to move their races. Money, as always, talks.

• As a manager, Pete Rose bet on his own team. And when he didn’t, bookies knew it was a good day to bet on the other team. These “sports betting is legal now” arguments about Rose and the Hall of Fame are silly. It will be a terrible look for MLB and its vaunted Hall of Fame if Rose is inducted like any other player. /oldmanrant

• Does Dave Portnoy’s appearance in the Patriots schedule release video mean the NFL’s ban on Barstool Sports is over? Or was this a Kraft middle-finder to Roger Goodell??? 👀👀👀

And with that, we have said it all.

Back on Saturday with Preakness Final Thoughts and betting plans. Good luck with your bets there and in the PGA Championship.

Thanks for reading.