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Tiger Woods is ready to play, and that's a good start

Before we return to critiquing every aspect of Tiger Woods’ game, let’s remember that this comeback wasn’t guaranteed. Far from it, in fact.

There was little certainty that Woods, now 40, would be able to return after three back procedures since April 2014. This wasn’t an injury to his shoulder or knee, which would require a relatively straightforward surgery and rehabilitation. Damage to the lower back is more complex than that. One awkward swing, one false step, maybe even one weird tee grab … and he could be sidelined again. Just ask Jason Day.

The last time Woods was seen swinging a club, he rinsed three consecutive wedge shots on a cold morning at a media-day event in June. After that, he was shut down for the rest of the season, casting further doubt about his future. Honestly, it wouldn’t have surprised anyone if Woods had announced at his tournament in December that, hey, he tried, but his body just wouldn’t cooperate.

And yet, here he is, finally ready to return to competition at next week’s Safeway Open in Napa, Calif.

Even that appearance was uncertain. When Woods first announced his intention to return later this year, he left himself an out, saying that he “hoped” to play in three events. Last week at the Ryder Cup, there was skepticism about whether he’d be able to tee it up – after all, he’d sat out the entire week, unable to hit balls because of his duties as a vice captain. Then, this week, his hometown of Jupiter, Fla., was socked by Hurricane Matthew. An ideal run-up to his first start in 14 months, it was not.

But Woods apparently has seen enough progress that he’s ready to return to competition. Ready to face the world’s best – he is now ranked No. 767, behind Federico Maccario – despite recording just one top-10 the past three years. Ready, physically, for the practice rounds and the five-hour walks and pre- and post-round range work and recovery. Ready, mentally, for the relentless criticism, about his body, his swing, his outlook.

So many questions will soon be answered:

How will his body hold up?

Will his swing look any different?

What clubs will he use?

Can he someday win again?

This comeback could be short-lived, or it might be one of the greatest final acts an athlete has ever enjoyed. That Woods is even attempting to return is surprising enough.

-Ryan Lavner, Golf Channel on NBC Sports

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Alabama's Nick Saban used football to get out of accordion lessons

Nick Saban could have been one of the world’s greatest accordion players.

Instead, he became one of college football’s legendary coaches.

The Crimson Tide football coach said on The Dan Patrick Show that his grandmother mandated that all of the Saban kids take accordion lessons.

Saban figured out at age nine that if he played baseball and football, he could get out of those Grandma Saban-mandated accordion lessons. Here’s the story, which is about two minutes into the video above:

“One of the reasons I got into sports was Grandma Saban made everyone take accordion, all the kids, so I used to hate going to lessons. I used to hate practicing. So I found out at about nine years old that if I played baseball and football and all that stuff, that’s one way I could get out of taking accordion lessons. That’s why I got into sports.”

Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo plays the accordion too. Maybe the two greats played together while they were assistant coaches at Michigan State in the 1980s?

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Doug Baldwin claims at least one NFL owner has ordered players to stand for anthem

The NFL has no choice but to allow players to not stand for the national anthem, because no rule or labor agreement permits the NFL to compel it. But the 32 teams are individually owned, by folks who have a lot of money and power and like to spend (and make) the former and wield (and amass) the latter.

It’s no surprise, then, that Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin claims that one or more owners have ordered players to stand for the anthem. Appearing on HBO’s Any Given Wednesday, Baldwin said that “some owners” have “taken a stand and told players to do certain things” regarding the anthem issue.

Pressed for specifics, Baldwin said, “[R]egarding the National Anthem and the protests, the one quote that I was informed of was, ‘You’re going to stand on the line with your hand on your heart and you’re going to sing the National Anthem because this is my stage.’”

Baldwin then clarified that it’s his understanding an owner said that. Baldwin didn’t specify the owner, but many will suspect that it was Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who to date has been the only owner to express disappointment regarding anthem protests.

Whoever it was, someone needs to go public with the name and the specific quote, so that the owner can confirm or deny the contention. And so that the other 31 owners who didn’t say it won’t be inaccurately blamed for saying it.

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Tom Brady is back with the Patriots, AFC East beware

Tom Brady wasted little time in making his presence felt on the fields behind Gillette Stadium.

In his first practice back with the Patriots since serving his four-game suspension, Brady took a leadership role, directing equipment assistant Brenden Murphy on where to stand — short, deep, on the hash, on the goal line — as Murphy caught warm-up throws from both Brady and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

Brady worked with Garoppolo, rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels early in the sweats-and-shells session as the signal-callers got their arms loose and worked on ball-security in the pocket. Brissett did not make any warm-up tosses while members of the media were present.

There didn’t appear to be much rust when it came to Brady’s passes, and Garoppolo also appeared to be throwing well after missing his second-consecutive game last week with a shoulder injury.

Reporters were allowed to watch the first few minutes of Patriots practice, including stretching and a few warmup drills. The only players missing from the session were defensive lineman Vincent Valentine, running back Brandon Bolden and linebacker Shea McClellin. Valentine and Bolden left Sunday’s loss to the Bills with injuries.

The Patriots also had a few new faces on the practice fields for the first time: Newly-acquired tight end Greg Scruggs was wearing No. 83; practice-squad fullback Glenn Gronkowski wore No. 47; and practice-squad offensive lineman Chase Farris wore No. 66.

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Fan makes putt, wins $100 off Justin Rose at Ryder Cup

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Meet the newest hero of the 2016 Ryder Cup – Dave Johnson, who just took $100 off Justin Rose.

America’s answer to P.J. Willett was heckling the European group of Rose, Henrik Stenson, Rory McIlroy and Andy Sullivan, as Rose and Stenson were studying a putt on the eighth green, which Johnson said he could make. That’s when Stenson called Johnson out of the crowd and gave him Andy Sullivan’s putter, as Rose offered him $100 to see if he really could make it.

After complaining that the putter was too short – he can be heard asking, “Where’s DJ’s putter?” – Johnson stands over the ball, goes, “Home soil, right?” and races it into the center, sending the surrounding crowd into a frenzy.

You can see the bill laying next to the ball and later being picked up by Stenson. Here’s Johnson giving a Tiger-like fist pump, and later hugging McIlroy as Stenson hands the bill back to Rose, who then gives it to Johnson.

Props to Rose’s caddie, Mark Fulcher, for running over for the double high-five. The Europeans have had a fun Thursday, haven’t they?

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Tiger Woods booted from Ryder Cup team picture

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Tiger Woods is a vice captain on this year’s U.S. Ryder Cup team. Maybe he had flashbacks to his playing days as he tried to get in on the above team photo. Sorry, Tiger, no assistants allowed for this pic.

In addition to Woods, U.S. captain Davis Love III announced Monday that Bubba Watson has been added to the team as a fifth vice captain. The two-time Masters champion and 7th-ranked player in the world competed as a player on the last three U.S. squads, and said at the start of the year that his goals were to play in both the Olympics and the Ryder Cup.

Watson finished tied for eighth at the Rio Games, but he wound up just outside of the eighth and last automatic qualifying spot as a Ryder Cup player. He then began lobbying behind the scenes for one of the four captain’s picks at Love’s discretion.

Watson was described as “heartbroken” after the first three picks went to J.B. Holmes, Rickie Fowler and Matt Kuchar. But he also made it a point to let Love know he “still wanted to be part of the team,” even if it meant as a non-playing assistant.

Watson joins Woods, Steve Stricker, Tom Lehman and Jim Furyk as assistants. Love told at least one PGA of America official that he’d “have this figured out way before the Tour Championship starts.

“And I was, of course, completely wrong,” he said, laughing.

Love also talked previously about trying to balance all the outsized personalities that will make up the U.S. squad, as well as his assistants. After some review, he decided Watson would be a valuable complementary part.

“We felt like we needed experience with our assistant captains. We needed some former captain experience and some possible future captain experience. Obviously Bubba rounds that out; major championship experience, Ryder Cup experience, on our side,” Love said.

“He adds a lot of fun. He adds a different personality. But,” Love added, “he brings a great heart.

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Julian Edelman as Pats’ QB not as crazy as it sounds

With only four days to get ready for a Week Three game against the Texans and only one healthy quarterback, the Patriots decided not to sign an available veteran. With 10 days between Week Three and Week Four games and possibly no healthy quarterbacks, the Patriots may still not sign another quarterback as they prepare to face the Bills.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Patriots will add a quarterback only as a last resort. For now, the focus is on rehabbing Jimmy Garoppolo’s shoulder injury and Jacoby Brissett’s thumb injury.

If as of Monday the Patriots firmly believe that neither player will be ready, they could decide to add a quarterback. Last week, T.J. Yates had a tryout, and Sean Renfree visited.

The Patriots are reluctant to add a quarterback because they’d be required to cut a player on the 53-man roster. If the player have fewer than four years of service, he’d be exposed to waivers. A vested veteran would be free to sign with another team.

So would New England run the risk of actually having to use Julian Edelman as the starter on Sunday? Perhaps. He knows the offense better than Yates or Renfree or any other free agent would, and Edelman played quarterback at Kent State.

The Patriots also have another player whom they believe would be able to take snaps, if need be. While the team is being characteristically tight lipped about who that would be, the smart money is on second-year tight end A.J. Derby, a sixth-round pick in 2015 who played quarterback at Iowa, Coffeyville Community College, and Arkansas.

Based on the manner in which the Patriots got Brissett ready to play quarterback in four days, don’t be shocked if they decide to start getting Edelman ready in the event that neither Garoppolo nor Brissett will be able to play in what will be the last game before Tom Brady’s suspension ends.

Whatever happens, coach Bill Belichick surely has a plan. And it would be unwise to assume his plan won’t work.

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Two-time Olympic champion gives up chance to win to help collapsing brother cross finish line

In an incredible act of sportsmanship and brotherly love, two-time Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee gave up a shot of winning the World Triathlon Series Grand Final to help his heat-exhausted younger brother across the finish line.

Two-time Olympic medalist Jonny Brownlee appeared to be in serious trouble while leading in the final kilometer, after 1 hour, 45 minutes of racing in Cozumel. Legs wobbled. Arms flailed. Finally, Jonny grimaced and his eyes veered left. He slowed to a stop and had to be held up by somebody on the side of the run course.

Behind him, Alistair and South African Henri Schoeman had been battling for second place. They came up to pass a stopped Jonny for the lead.

That’s when Alistair chose his brother over a possible victory, stopping and wrapping Jonny’s right arm around his own neck. Alistair could tell just how dire the situation was.

“It’s as close to death as you’re going to be in sport,” he said later of Jonny.

Alistair helped Jonny the rest of the way, about 80 seconds of jogging together. Alistair pushed Jonny across the finish line in front of himself for second place, as Jonny was in contention for the season-long world title and Alistair was not. They were 18 seconds behind Schoeman.

Spain’s Mario Mola later finished fifth, by four seconds, to clinch the world title by four points over Jonny.

At the finish, Jonny fell to the blue carpet after Alistair let go, was eventually stretchered off and taken to a hospital for precaution, but he would be OK.

Alistair said he would have stopped for anybody in that situation and not just his brother. He recalled his own battle with exhaustion at the end of a World Triathlon Series race in London in 2010 (video here).

Had Jonny kept his lead Sunday and finished first, he would have topped Mola for the world title.

“I wish the flippin’ idiot just paced it right and crossed the finish line first,” Alistair said. “He could have jogged that last 2K and won the race, but who am I to talk?”

-OlympicTalk on NBC Sports

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FIA set to investigate marshal on track incident at Singapore Grand Prix

The FIA will investigate the incident during Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix that saw a marshal remain on-track when the race resumed at Marina Bay.

An early safety car period was called in Singapore following a crash for Nico Hulkenberg at the start, his Force India requiring removal by the marshals from the main straight.

Race control confirmed that green flag running would resume on lap three, with Nico Rosberg leading the field away.

However, TV footage showed a marshal running across the main straight just before the cars arrived at Turn 1, narrowly avoiding being caught out after getting out of the firing line.

According to a report from Autosport, the marshal was given the call to head out on-track after the circuit had been declared clear three times.

The FIA will now investigate the incident, saying it takes the matter “seriously” and that “everything will be done to ensure this does not happen again”.

Rosberg was asked about the incident after his winning for the eighth time this year in Singapore, admitting that the green flag call came as a surprise.

“That was pretty hairy, for sure,” Rosberg said.

“I think just as we didn’t expect the restart, he didn’t either, I think, because the restart was somehow pretty abrupt.

“But he got out of the way just about in time so it was OK. Of course we all had to drive a bit carefully through there.”

-MotorSportsTalk on NBCSports

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VIDEO: Tottenham's Harry Kane injured at end of Sunderland win

Harry Kane scored the winning goal in the 1-0 win over Sunderland, with plenty of hard possessional work against a defensive-minded opponent, but it was not without a cost.

The England international went down after a nasty-looking ankle turn in the waning minutes of the match, one of a few injuries the Spurs players appeared to succumb to late on.

[ RECAP: Kane goal downs Sunderland 1-0]

Kane was forced off in the 87th minute in favor of Vincent Janssen, and the stretcher was required to move him from the touchline into the locker room. Following the match,Mauricio Pochettino said that he had no update as of now, and Kane would have tests on his ankle starting tomorrow.

Poch describes Kane injury as a 'twist'. Said it would be assessed tomorrow. His eyes didn't look too ecstatic about the whole thing. #thfc

— Nick Godwin (@NickGodwinsport) September 18, 2016

Worst-case scenario for the 23-year-old would be torn ligaments, which could require surgery and keep him out for months. Best-case at this point is probably just a sprain, although even those can linger longer than expected.

Janssen is the likely replacement for Kane should he miss significant time, although the young Dutchman displayed some cringe-worthy selfishness at the end of the Sunderland match, refusing to feed a wide-open Erik Lamela in added time with a chance to kill off the game, instead wildly rifling the ball acres over the goal.

-ProSoccerTalk on NBC Sports

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Tatyana McFadden upset in Paralympic marathon photo finish

Tatyana McFadden, the U.S. track and field star of the Rio Paralympics, was shockingly beaten in a photo finish in her final event, the T54 marathon, on Sunday.

McFadden lost to China’s Zou Lihong, though they both completed the 26.2-mile course in Rio in 1:38.44. American Amanda McGrory took bronze in 1:38.45, the same time as the fourth-place finisher.

McFadden finished the Games with four gold medals and two silvers, the most medals by a U.S. track and field athlete at a Paralympics since Bart Dodson took eight (all gold) at the 1992 Barcelona Games.

The marathon may be McFadden’s best event, as she swept the Boston, London, Chicago and New York City Marathon wheelchair races in 2013, 2014 and 2015, plus the Boston and London Marathons so far this year.

In Rio, McFadden won the 400m, 800m, 1500m and 5000m and earned silver in the 100m. She and the U.S. were disqualified from the 4x400m relay. McFadden came to Rio with a shot at seven gold medals.

McFadden, 27, is now at 17 career Paralympic medals, including seven golds. One medal came at the Winter Paralympics, where McFadden took cross-country skiing silver at Sochi 2014.

McFadden’s back story is well-known in Paralympic and marathon circles. She was born in Russia paralyzed from the waist down due to spina bifida and adopted from a St. Petersburg orphanage at age 6.

NBC and the NBC Sports app will have Paralympics coverage Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.

-Olympic Talk on NBC Sports

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Marshal has lucky escape on Singapore Grand Prix restart (VIDEO)

A marshal had a very lucky escape during Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix after finding himself on-track at the restart of the race.

A crash for Nico Hulkenberg off the line prompted officials to send out the safety car, slowing the pack down while the wrecked car could be removed from the main straight.

The race resumed after just one full lap behind the safety car, but came a little too early for the marshal who had to run across the track on the main straight as race leader Nico Rosberg took the green flag.

-MotorSportsTalk on NBC Sports

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VIDEO: Giant lizard emerges on F1 track at Singapore

Saturday’s final Formula 1 practice session for the Singapore Grand Prix was interrupted by an unexpected visitor when a giant lizard made its way onto the track.

FP3 was red flagged after 10 minutes when Pascal Wehrlein clipped the wall with the rear of his Manor, damaging his rear wing and leaving debris across the track.

As the drivers began to make their way back to the pits, Max Verstappen came across the giant lizard sitting in the middle of the track, narrowly avoiding it.

“Woah, there’s a giant lizard on the track!” Verstappen told his Red Bull team over the radio.

“I’m not joking, out of Turn 3!”

“Face to face with Godzilla then mate!” his engineer joked back.

-MotorSportsTalk on NBC Sports

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Sharing the Joy: NASCAR couple Kyle and Samantha Busch provides hope for those with infertility

Samantha Busch collapsed and bawled on a bathroom floor. The wife of Kyle Busch had just taken another pregnancy test and again it was negative.

She and husband Kyle Busch wanted to have child but had been unable to do so. The despair, anger and frustration overcame Samantha that day a few years ago.

“I just … felt like a failure,’’ Samantha said.

With the help of in-vitro fertilization, Samantha and Kyle Busch are able to experience the joys of parenthood with the birth of son Brexton in May 2015. For all their happiness, Samantha and Kyle Busch realized not every infertile couple could afford such treatments, which can cost nearly $20,000.

They started the Bundle of Joy Fund, which provides grants through the Kyle Busch Foundation to infertile couples to help with treatments.

As part of the application process, each applicant must write an essay on why they want a grant. The stories can be poignant and profound.

One couple endured nine miscarriages. Another wife had counted the days since she and her husband had begun tying to have a child.

“I felt inadequate as a woman,’’ said one wife.

It was those couples and others Samantha and Kyle Busch wanted to help after their struggles.

-NASCAR on NBC Sports

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Paralympic soccer bronze means pension for former homeless player

Argentina’s Froilan Padilla said his future was at stake in a Paralympic 5-a-side soccer bronze-medal match.

“It will be the match of my life,” Padilla said, according to Rio 2016.

It was not hyperbole.

Argentines who earn medals also receive pensions after the age of 40.

This fact is especially significant for the 37-year-old Padilla, who struggled for many years without basic shelter.

“I was unemployed and I slept in churches, in different houses,” said Padilla, who has congenital visual impairment.

So Padilla knew the importance of Argentina’s semifinal against Iran on Thursday. A victory would ensure a medal and the financial security of a pension.

The Argentines lost, heartbreakingly, in a shootout. That meant Padilla was left with one more shot in the bronze-medal match Saturday.

Argentina prevailed in its second chance, beating China 1-0 in a shootout. It marked the culmination of a life-changing experience at his second Paralympics. Padilla and Argentina lost the bronze-medal match at London 2012.

“I traveled by plane, which I had never imagined, but I am the same person who walked the dirt roads in my village,” Padilla said, according to Rio 2016. “My present and my future are built by my past, and my past made me grow.”

Rio Paralympics coverage on NBCSN and the NBC Sports app continues Sunday at 12 a.m. ET.

-OlympicTalk on NBC Sports

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Abby Wambach, on USWNT’s Olympics: “They didn’t have a soul … Something was missing”

“Something was missing” from the U.S. women’s national team when the Americans failed to win their fourth straight gold medal at the 2016 Olympics, says recently retired legend Abby Wambach, though it wasn’t necessarily her and her all-time record 184 international goals.

[ FOLLOW: All of PST’s USWNT coverage ]

Wambach, whose brand new memoir,Forward, was released this week, was asked the inevitable question — “What happened in Rio?” — during her appearance on the Dan Patrick Show on Thursday.

To which she responded: “They just got really tight” … “They didn’t have a soul” … “Something was missing.”

[ MORE: USMNT’s Pulisic to be rewarded with new Dortmund contract ]

The 2016 edition was always going to be lacking in the leadership department following Wambach’s retirement last fall, as well as those of Lauren Holiday, Shannon Boxx and Lori Chalupny (689 combined international appearances, including Wambach). All the international caps, trophies and medals won by the remaining players couldn’t make up for the leadership of their retired teammates. Leadership is different than experience, and the summer of 2016 taught the USWNT that lesson.

For more about Wambach’s book, and how she arrived at telling the story she has ultimately done, which includes her April 2016 arrest for DUI and her admission of years of drug and alcohol abuse, check out the below video in which she explains how that night changed the course of her life, and the book.

-ProSoccerTalk on NBCSports

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Source: Marshawn Lynch "up in the air" about a possible return

In the offseason, retired Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch was adamant: He’s done with football.

Eventually, he may not be.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Lynch is currently “up in the air” about returning to the NFL. The source said that Week Four or Week Five could be the hot spots for a possible unretirement.

The Seahawks still hold Lynch’s rights, since he was placed on the reserve-retired list. If he files the appropriate paperwork necessary to end his retirement, the Seahawks will have to decide whether to welcome him back onto the active roster, to trade him, or to cut him.

If he returns before the trade deadline, which comes on the Tuesday after Week Eight, Lynch would become a free agent, if released. After the trade deadline, he would pass through waivers, if the Seahawks cut him. (Obviously, at that point they couldn’t trade him.)

Lynch has a $9 million salary; the prorated amount of it would hit the team’s salary cap, if he’s reinstated to the active roster. The Seahawks have, by all appearances, moved on; however, the team’s won-loss record and overall effectiveness of its offense will surely be factors in whatever decision the team makes.

-ProFootballTalk on NBCSports