SPIETHJUMPS INTOTHEMIXWITH 63

ASSOCIATEDPRESS

JordanSpiethputhimself into themixSaturday at the AT&TPebbleBeach Pro-Amtitle,andhelived to tellaboutit.

On a day whenSeamus

Power wentbackward to allowa half-dozenotherplayersbackinthe game, Spieth wentbackwardjust to make sure hedidn’tfall over a 60foot cliff Evenifitmighthave lookedmore dangerousthan it was,hisapproach fromthe edge ofthe cliff on the eighth holeatPebbleBeach stole theshow on a Saturdaythat typicallybelongs to BillMurray Macklemore andthe restofthecelebrities.

Spieth had a 9-under 63, hiscareer low atPebble Beach, togo from 10 strokes behind Power to oneshotbehind theleadingtrioofBeau

Hossler, Andrew Putnam and Tom Hoge. “That was byfarthemost nerve-wracking shotI’ve ever hitinmylife,”Spieth said to caddieMichael Grellerafter hisshot went justleft of the green. His tee shot ran out through thefairway, short of going over theedge. Keeping allthe weightonhisrightleg, Spiethhittheshotandimmediatelybackpedaled to level ground.Fromthe rough,he chippeddownthe slippery green to 18 feetand made theparputt.

It was highentertainmenton a Saturdaybuiltfor such theatrics And while thecelebritiesattracteda big gallery thatlinedfairwaysonanotherglorious

Tacoma at Sockers day, the final round was loaded withpossibilities.

Hosslerhad a 65 atPebble Beach,narrowly missing asecondeagleofthe round onthe 18thhole.He wasthe first to reach 15-under200.

Putnamstarted on the backnineatPebbleBeach andranoff five straightbirdieswithhardlyanyone watching, finishingwitha parfor a 68atPebbleBeach. Hoge was atSpyglassHill andshot a 68 to jointhem.

Today: 5:05p.m., PechangaArena

Streaming: MASL.TV (subscription)

Starsupdate: Tacoma(3-5)iscoming offan8-7 overtimevictory overtheOntario Fury,endinga three-game losingstreak.Nick Perera hada goal and fourassists to lead the Stars. Vinicius Dantas

Patrick Cantlay, at No.4 thehighest-rankedplayerin the field,started and finishedhis roundwith a pair of birdiesanddidn’tdo alotin between.Hehad a 68and was oneshotbehind,along withSpiethand JoelDahmen(66 atSpyglass).

“I’min greatposition and Ilove this golf courseand everyonewillbe playingonthe same golf course tomorrow soitshould be fun,” Cantlay said.

Akey figure inallthisfun was Power the34-year-old Irishman, whoset the 36hole tournament record at 128 andlookedasthoughhe coulddowrong. Hehad a five-shotlead to parand a four-shotleadon strokes,buthis roundat par-71 MontereyPeninsula became a struggleoffthe tee andaround the greens. Powerhad consecutive birdies toget back to 16 under— even forthe day— until bo- andAlexMegsoneachhad two goals. Perera also leadsin points fortheseasonwith 24,13from goals.

Sockersupdate: WilltheSockerslosethisseason?

Surely,butthey are9-0-1 to startthecampaign. San Diegois 2-0alreadythisseason against Tacoma, outscoringthe Stars19-10.IntheSockers’ winthe geyson two ofhislastthree holes for a 74.

Even so, he was only two shotsbehind goinginto the final round.

VarnerleadsSaudi event

Harold VarnerIII birdiedthepar-5 18thhole to shoot a 2-under68andtake aone-stroke lead over Adri Arnaus into the final round oftheSaudiInternational.

Defending champion Dustin Johnson was five strokesbackattheAsian Tour event,which paid big appearance fees to lurea slew ofPGA TourandDP World Tour regulars.

Arnaus was 11 under aftera 69 TommyFleetwood was anothershotbackafter his second consecutive 67.

CameronSmith (70)bogeyed three of hislastsix holes and trails Varner by fourstrokes.

Elsewhere lasttime outagainstUtica,JuanManuel Rojohad two goalsand twoassists,andChristianGutierrez added two goalsandanassist. LeonardoDeOliveira had fourassists. Tavoy Morganleadsthe way with15 goalsonthe season, fourthintheMASL.

Leona Maguire became the firstIrishwinner in LPGA Tourhistory, closing with a 5-under 67 for a threestroke victory in the LPGA Drive OnChampionship at Crown Colony.

Tiedwith Marina Alex for the second-roundleadaftera 65 onFriday Maguire had seven birdies and two bogeys thelastonthe par-5 18thwiththeoutcome decided.The 27-year-oldformerDuke star finishedat 18under 198.

• NicolaiHojgaard shot an8-under 64 on Saturday to takea three-stroke leadinto the final round of theRasal KhaimahChampionshipin UnitedArabEmirates.

Thememocame five days after Floressued the leagueandthreeteams over allegedracisthiringpracticesfor coachesand general managers sayingtheleague remains “rifewithracism” even asitpublicly condemns it.

TheNFL’s main avenue forincreasing diversity inits leadership ranks isthe twodecade-oldRooneyRule, which requires teams to interview minority candidates for jobsincludinghead coach and generalmanager. Despite the rule,there is currentlyoneBlackhead coach intheleague:Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin.There are no Black team owners, justa handful ofBlackGMs and relativelyfew Black coordinatorsin a leaguewhere more than 70 percentofplayersare Blackoranotherethnicminority. Goodellsaidtheleague willincludeoutside experts inits review along with“currentandformerplayersand coaches,advocatesand otherauthoritiesinthis area.Our goalissimple: make oureffortsandthose ofthe clubs more effective so that realandtangible resultswillbeachieved.”

In a statement,Flores’attorneyssaidwhile Goodell’s memoappears to be a positive firststepin confronting systemicracisminthe league,they“suspectthatis itmore of a public relations ploythan real commitment to change.”

Flores’mostserious allegation ishisclaim that StephenRoss toldhimhe wouldpayhim$100,000for every lossduring the coach’s firstseasonbecausetheDolphins owner wantedtheclub to “tank”soit could get the top draft pick.

“We alsotake seriously anyissue relating to theintegrity ofNFL games,” Goodell’slettersaid. “These matterswillbe reviewed thoroughly and independently We expectthat these independent expertswill receive full cooperation from everyone associatedwith theleagueoranymember club asthis work proceeds.” Jags tweakpowerstructure Doug Pederson won’t have thepower Urban Meyer hadwith Jacksonville. The teamanditsfans can onlyhopethat’s a good thing Owner ShadKhan introducedPederson as the Jaguars’ coach andsaidthe teamhasapplied to theNFL to hire an executive vice president, a personwho would report directly to Khanand overseePederson andGeneral Manager Trent Baalke

It’s a much different structure fromwhatthe Jaguarsemployedthelast two years.Khan’s onlyotherEVP was two-timeSuperBowlwinning coach Tom Coughlin whoheldthe job for three seasons (2017-19) and was in placewhen Jacksonvillelast madetheplayoffs.

Khan plans to hire an EVPas wellasanassistant general manager to work underBaalke,whocame under fire in recentmonths after Khan opted tokeep himinsteadofcleaning house.The Jags alreadyinterviewed ex-MinnesotaGM Rick Spielman who could endup filling eitherspot. Notable

ThePackerspromoted JohnDunn to take overas tightends coach for Justin Outten, wholeft to become Broncosoffensive coordinator. TheGiantsmade Kevin Abrams seniorvicepresidentoffootballoperations andstrategy.

FROM D1 tle-game runforeseenonly bythosefanslookingwith theirhearts.

Andfor 33 yearsthis team has teased and tested, even twistedtheheartsofits faithful. Now,a franchiselocallyfamousforsplitting apart souls isbringing acity together.

“Allthe bumps alongthe way—no,notbumps—major roadblocks ...” Moehring, 54,said,“allthequestioning of ownershipandthequestioningof desire andthe questioningof everything else... everybody’s just galvanizednow.”

Thisis what’s coming to meettheRamsinSuper Bowl LVI atSoFiStadium:a regionunifiedbya teamthat hasknockedofftheAFC’s topseedsin consecutive weeksandswallowed completelythenotionthatit’s somesort ofunderdog.

InL.A.,questionspersist aboutwheretheRamsand Chargers fitinthesports landscape.Thereareno suchissueshereinan addictedcity with a major Bengalsproblem.

Cincinnatihasn’tbeen thisfarsincethe 1988season —Jan. 22 1989, to beprecise —andonly twice total,losing both times.The town’sstoriedbaseball franchisehas won five WorldSeriestitles, true,butnonesince 1990. Suddenly,inthespanof three January weekendsof “WhoDey” hysteria,thiscity isthehappiestplaceon earth.

“TheBengalsaren’tthe onlyones going to theSuper Bowl,”localrestaurateurJeff Rubysaid. “Thecity of Cincinnati andallofnorthern Kentuckyare going too.It’s likethey’reonthesame plane.It wasour teamwhen they were losing.It’s certainly going to beour team whenthey’re winning.”

Gospel of BengalJim Heis popularenough aroundhere that recently as he was receivinghis COVID-19 booster theperson administeringtheshot asked,“Hey aren’t you ‘Bengal Jim’?”

Jim Fosterearnedthat nicknamewhile growingup becausehe almost always dressedin Bengals gear,a kidwhoseimagination was firstcapturedbythe team’s colorfuluniforms.

Now 51 Fosterhasn’t missedahome gamein nearly 30years.He andnine friends—theycallthemselves “TheBengalRoadies” —have attended every game thisseason, home and away. Hehas a podcastthathas countedCrisCollinsworth andAnthonyMuñozamong its guests,a roomin his homehecalleda “museum” ofBengalsartifactsanda buspaintedintigerstripes.

Three ofhisfour sons have Bengals-inspired middlenames:Corey Anderson, for Ken;CameronCurtis,for Isaac;andAaronRiley for Ken.

Cincinnatinominated FosterfortheNFL’s “Fanof the Year”campaign,atrib- recalculate histhoughts about competition.

More FredAstaire Less FredDryer.

“That was probably the biggestlearning curve,” Gatessaid. “Thewhole show feltlikea life-skill lessonforme. For thesimple fact, mywholelifesinceI was 12, I’ve beenplaying sports. “Programming-wise,I feltlikeI was breaking through a barrier from being institutionalized because you’re usingless force. Not sostrong. Not so rough.Those are things that get you patsonthebackasa player ‘Good job. Way to be aggressive.Don’ttake (bull) fromnoone.’

“To bein a danceclass when you trulydepend on yourpartner.”

Gates was pairedwith BrieBella, a professional wrestler Show highlights includetheformerNFLstar droppinghispartnerintoa lake attemptingoneofthe movie’s mostmemorable moments at fictional Kellerman’s Lodge.

GiventhatGates finishedhiscareer with the seventhmost touchdown receptionsinNFLhistory while settingthescoring standard fortightends, drops generallyaren’t his thing.

“It’s almostlikea golf swing.It’s more of a technique,”saidGates,whois 6-4andplayedat255 pounds. “The guy that was ute to his relentlessoptimism,a beliefthat remained intact even duringthe desolate DavidShula/Bruce Coslet yearsbeginninginthe early 1990s. Foster couldbe the very faceof Cincinnatisports— roundandfull,withdarkrimmedglasses tucked underaBengalsbuckethat. Heis thesmilingfacethese days, Foster redefining jolly inaplacethateachDecemberstages a SantaCon. “Ilove theReds,”hesaid. “Butthere’snothingthat brings thiscity togetherlike theBengals.There’s way morepassionaroundthis team. Nothinghere compares to theBengalswhen they’re doing well.”

If Foster’s fandom hasa signature,hehaswritten itin theparkinglotof the team’s stadiumfor every home gamesince 1993

“Beforethe Roar is a tailgate party that, beforethe Bengalsplayed Las Vegason wild-card weekend,attracted2,000 people.

In Nashvilleforthedivisional round— yes,“Before theRoar”has goneon the roadduringtheplayoffs and willtravel to SuperBowl LVI —an estimated 5,000people showed up.

Alongwithspreadingthe orange-and-black gospel, “Bengal Jim” andhistailgatesannuallyraisemoney for charity. Thanks to Cincinnati’s successthisseason, hesaidthey could reach $60,000, four times the previousbest.

“Thiscity desperately needs a winner, Fostersaid.

“Well,they got one.”

Burrow huge really Joe Burrow willstandtall

showingmeand teaching me,hemight weigh 160 and he was doingthings that were effortlessthat I struggledwith from a power standpoint.

“I’mlike,‘I’meighttimes these guys’size. I know I’m stronger.’But I struggled withit. Yourpower was only part ofit.” The experiencesparked memoriesofhistime and timing onthe field.

“Theyhave a thing,the seven-eight countindance, that wasa direct correlation to route running,”Gates atSoFiStadium.That’s not apredictionbutafact.He’ll stand25feettall.

The giant,inflatablelikenessarrivedin November, custom-madeinChina,and —muchlike theBengals’ youngstarquarterback— quickly wasa sensation.He evenhashis own Twitteraccount:@BigBurrow9.

“It has become a beacon,” saidCraig Johnson,one of Foster’s cohorts.“We used to getatleast 20 questionsa week fromnewbiesas to where thetailgate islocated. Now,theansweris, ‘It’s underneathBigBurrow!’” Burrow as abeacon? Works in reallife, too.Hisarrivalasthe No.1 overallpick in2020 was thecentralmove inapushbolsteredby consecutive yearsofsignificant free agentspending.

Hehasan ability, confidenceand charisma around whichthis franchise—and city —hasrallied.Inastrikingly briefamount oftime, Burrowhasbecomepartof Cincinnati’s core. If you walkintoThe Precinct,oneofRuby’s restaurants, youcanorder theSteak Burrow, a 14ounce,blackened New York stripthatisCajun-based asa nod to thequarterback’s timeatLouisiana State.

Thedishis finishedwitha crawfishand asplash ofcreole sauce. To understand howmuchpeoplehere are devouring everythingBurrow, realizethat a man recentlyorderedhisdessert in thesamestyle,Ruby’s staff servingup acrustaceantopped wedge of cheesecake.

“He’s Cincinnati’s answer to Joe Namath,”saidRuby, whohasbeeninthe restaurantbusinessfor40-plus years.“Ifhe were any cooler, he’dbeillegalin Utahand someother conservative states.”

Styleandsubstance Burrow joinedtheBengalsnearly two yearsago, but didn’ttrulyarriveuntil this playoff run,mixinghisonfieldsubstancewithan offfieldstylethathassparkled intheglaringlight of social media.

Fromhis rose-colored CartierCDecorglasses to his “JB9” chain theoneGQ describedas “icy”— Burrow hasbecomeasviral-worthy before andafter gamesashe typicallyisin thetime between.

Atage69,Dave Lapham has watchedthis all unfold with wonder. He wasanoffensivelineman onthe Cincinnati teamthatmadeSuperBowlXVIin 1982 and now, as part of the radio crew, has surpassed 45 years withthe franchise.

“We captivatedthecity andthetri-stateareaback then,too,butthatwasbefore socialmedia,” Laphamsaid. “Now,it’s likesomeonehas poured gasolineonthe fire.”

Still,forallofBurrow’s flash,hepossesses a grit that’s as Cincinnatiasall those flyingpigstatues around town.

Thatquality never was more ondisplaythan during theBengals’ 19-16victory overtheTitans two weeks ago.In that game,Burrow was sacked ninetimesand yet his teamnever trailed.

“There’s thiskindred thingwithinthecityabout that,about getting knocked downbutnotout,”saidDan Wright,the chef/ownerof Pontiac restaurantin Cin- cinnati’sOverThe Rhine neighborhood.“Hisswagger haspeoplearoundhere realizingthatsamesort of confidenceinthemselves.”

Cincycivicpride

Just aroundthe corner fromPaulBrown Stadium stands another version of Burrow:a mannequin dressedinhis No 9 uniform.

ThefauxJoe greets everyone walkinginto Koch SportingGoods,aCincinnatitradition,as thesign out front reads,“since 1888,” when thisplaceopenedasa supplieroftheater curtains.

Inthebackof thestore sits 39-year-oldEric Koch, who representsthe fifth generationofthefamily He’s unpackingboxes ofSuperBowl LVI T-shirts, attempting to keepup with thespikingdemand. Koch said January sales were up 300percent from a yearago.Heestimatedtheincrease from February 2021 couldbe 600 percent.

“That justspeaks to the civic pride thatthecitizens of Cincinnatiarehaving rightnow, Koch said. “They feel good.They’re puffing their chestout.They’reon thesamelevel as a LosAngeles,atleastfor two weeks.”

Thefactthatheissitting cross-leggedonthe floor,in anarea cordonedoffbyracks ofclothes,is a fittingimage. There’sno roomin the store’s normalunloading areabecauseof the 1,000SuperBowlhats that justarrived.

Sucha snapshotis telling. Andthere are others:

Peopleliningupoutside CincyShirtsinnearbyHyde Park on Mondaymorning despitebeing toldthestore

NFL quick-fire withGates wouldn’t reopenuntil Tuesday. ThecityofHillsboro 55 mileseastofCincinnati,temporarily changingitsname to Hillsburrow. Alocal coupledecidinga SuperBowlberth would resultin ahead shaving.So, whentheBengalswinthe AFC,she goesthroughwith it.

“Cincinnatiissucha greatsports town,”saidAnderson,whoquarterbacked theBengals to that firstSuperBowl appearance. “There’ssomuchpride here inour sports teams.That’s oneofthethingsusold guys leanon.”

Gameballs

Thereisprideinthese Bengals, to besure,the connectionas tightasthelaces ona Wilsonfootball.After each postseasonvictory, the teamhashandedout game balls to localbusinesses.

Coach Zac Taylor explained thathe wantedthe city to sharein the team’s success,notingthathisplayers particularlythe younger ones— “mightnot understandthesignificance”of whattheBengalshave accomplished.

Of course,thisis a new tradition,andCincinnati still is relearninghow to celebrate.So,whenthe 38-yearold Taylorstoppedatthe Mt. Lookout Tavern to presentit witha gameball,he was cardedandbrieflydenied entry becausehedidn’thave hisdriver’s license.

TheHolyGrail received its gameballafter the Tennesseewin.Displayingthe ballat thebar, Moehringis morethanwilling to share it withhispatrons,sincethe ideaof sharingis what landedthethinghere in the firstplace.

Afew days ago apolicemanforthecity stoppedin afternearbyS.W.A.T. training and askedif he couldsee theball.

“Here’sthis rough, tough guy—a commander alieutenant—allof asudden cradlingthisfootball like it’s his6-month-oldbaby,” Moehringsaid,smiling. “The response hasbeen unbelievable.”

Onewin away

Noneofthis wassupposed to happen,which makesthesceneall over townmore delightful.

TheBengals won six games combinedthelast two seasonsand, even with Burrowonboard and every arrow pointing up,the team was thought to stillbe a year away atleast. Now,thosearrowsare pointingallthe way up,into the gray,dreary, winter clouds and beyond.

“They’ve beentheunderdogs andthat’s whatthiscity is,” Moehringsaid.“It’sa blue-collarcity that’s usually theunderdog. Ithink we’re starting to sensethatAmericaloves theunderdog.”

Perhaps,butnotasmuch asCincinnatidoes,this parchedcity justonewin away fromtippingbackfootball’s holy grail.

Millerwrites for theL.A. Times.

FormerChargersAll-Pro AntonioGates reacted to a range of football topics.

Hall of Famechances: “I’malwaysanoptimisticperson. Basedonseeingwhatpeople getinwith,I’ve doneorsurpassed (much of that) But at theend of the day, you never know. There areguys youthinkshould getinthatdidn’t getin. …Justanxietyandnervousness…becausethat’s the pinnacle. That’sthestarsamongstars.”

BesttightendinNFL: “Thebestis probably (George) Kittle (ofthe 49ers),because he means the most to his team.” Tom Brady retirement: “When youhave the opportunity to playagainstaguylikethat,that’s something you can tell your kidsabout,‘Iplayed against TomBrady.’ Hemakesthe game easier.…WhenI wentintothehuddle withhimin ProBowls, whateverhe tells you, youthinkit’s going to work.Hecould tellme to run to thecooler overthereandI’drun to the cooler.Hehadthatleadershipability.”

Brian Flores,NFLlawsuit: “We’re pushingtheenvelopeinthe rightdirection.…In terms ofsystemic racism, experiencing that asan AfricanAmerican,a Blackman,a man of color, thingsdohappen. Themore we can voice our opinionandbe aware of certainthings,themorethingscanchange for the better for everybody.” than the scenes. said.“Inmymind,it’s likea five-step(quarterback) drop.That’s essentiallya seven count,in a way. I was able to graspsome of the conceptsfaster becauseI have thatsysteminmy head.”

Some mentalwiring required flushing. “Inever considered dance,a situationwhere you need to bevulnerable to yourpartnerand yourpartnerisbeingvulnerable to you,”hesaid “Theleast vulnerable person insports is generallythemostsuc- cessful.

“… I walked away a brand new humanbeing, a brand new man, a brandnew father justforthesimplefact that I was vulnerableandI was OKwithit. I feltlikeI hadmore strength,being vulnerable.”

Gatesadmitted hehad notseenthemovieuntilhe started preppingforthe show. Puttinginthe work and competingcamenaturally. Studying a new playbooktranslated,as well. Intheend, the sounds caughthisattentionmore

“Ihadn’tseenthemovie, sothat was anotherdynamic,”hesaid.

“Everything was predicatedaround danceand chemistry and togetherness,trust.Ithad a lot of similarities to mybackgroundinsports. You have to prepare the way you want play, in a sense.That was theeasypart.Gettingthe stepsand routinesdown, that was thehard part.

“Andshoot, I love the soundtracknow.” Through itall,Gates

BRYCEMILLER indeedhadthetimeofhis life.

“It was probablythe mostfunI’ve hadinmylife,” hesaid.“WhatI’ve learned overtime,withmy 16-year career, I typically regretthe thingsI don’ttry. Sothat was really oneofthebiggest (factors) inwhy I wanted to get involved.” Thoughnobodyputs Babyinthe corner theshow will revealifGatesfound himselfthere. Choose yourFred wisely. bryce.miller@sduniontribune.com