Sarni's Scrolls: Soccer's Long Season Coming to an End

The MLS season began on Feb. 25 and will end -- almost 10 months later -- on Saturday, Dec. 9 with the MLS Cup, matching the Columbus Crew and defending champion LAFC.

Sorry, no Messi and Inter Miami. Maybe, probably, next season.

Both Apple and Fox will televise the 4 p.m. ET match from Columbus, which is great for the non-streamers. Jake Zivin, Taylor Twillman and Katie Witman comprise the broadcast team. Prematch show at 3.

The sides are evenly matched. Bookmakers are making Columbus (-150), which rallied from a two-goal deficit to oust Supporters' Shield winner Cincinnati in the semifinals, a slight favorite over LAFC (+115) because of home field.

"If the Crew are the plucky Star Wars rebels then LAFC are the Empire," said Andrew Wiebe, MLS Season Pass anchor and Extratime host. "It's easy to root for the rebels but the Empire is inevitable."

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The 124th edition of the Army-Navy game is being staged for the first time in Massachusetts, where the U.S. Army was created in 1775 and where the USS Constitution was launched in 1797 and still berthed.

Gillette Stadium, Saturday, 3 p.m., CBS.

And good luck trying to get a ticket.

"Ticket demand for this game is greater than any AFC Championship game, greater than Taylor Swift, greater than anybody we've ever seen," said Jonathan Kraft, president of the Kraft Group.

ESPN's "College GameDay" is in Foxboro, its ninth appearance for an Army-Navy game. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is scheduled to appear. Patriots coach Bill Belichick will be the guest picker. Both teams enter the game with 5-6 records.

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Kirk Herbstreit's golden retriever Ben has become a celebrity since he started traveling with his owner the past two months.

On the road, Ben is a certified emotional support animal for Herbstreit. He got his ESA license and official red vest in early November, which allows him to join Herbstreit in more places, including hotels and stadiums that may not typically permit pets.

"What I do, people just think 'Well, you fly private, no problem!' But you're away from your family, and you're working and you're loving what you do, but it's tough. So to bring him was huge for me," Herbstreit told "The Athletic."

"People say man's best friend, but truly -- it sounds weird -- he is. He's my guy."

Herbstreit owns two other golden retrievers, Theo and Mitch, who stay home. The family is growing. Herb and Ted are picking up a puppy on the way home from the Army-Navy game.

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The Big Lead's annual Sports Media Awards

■ Personality: Pat McAfee

■ Play-by-Play: Adam Amin

■ In-Game Analyst: Robbie Hummel

■ Studio Host: Scott Van Pelt

■ Studio Analyst: Mina Kimes

■ Sportswriter: Seth Wickersham and Don Van Matta Jr

■ Insider: Nicole Auerbach

■ Studio Show: Inside The NBA

■ Radio Show: Rick Eisen Show

■ Podcast: Pablo Torres Finds Out

■ Sports TV Show: "Welcome To Wrexham"

■ Live Event Coverage: NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament

■ Story of the Year: Deion Sanders

■ Sports Media Acquisition: Dave Portnoy Buys Back Barstool Sports

■ Shocking Moment: LIV/PGA merger

■ Media Feud: "Undisputed" hosts vs. The World

■ Special Journalism: "The Daily Northwestern"

■ Lifetime Achievement: Hubie Brown

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COLLEGE WEEKEND WATCH

Men's College Cup (Friday)

■ 6: West Virginia (5) vs. Clemson (9), ESPNU

■ 8:30: Notre Dame (2) vs. Oregon St., ESPNU

FCS Elite Eight

Friday

■ 9: Furman at Montana (2), ESPN2

Saturday

■12: Villanova (8) at South Dakota St. (1), ESPN

■ 2:30: North Dakota St. at South Dakota, ABC

■ 10: Albany at Idaho (4), ESPN+

NCAA Volleyball Quarterfinals (Saturday)

■ 4: Louisville (2) at Pitt (1), ESPNU

■ 6: Arkansas (3) at Nebraska (1), ESPNU

■ 8: Oregon (2) at Wisconsin (1), ESPNU

■10: Texas (2) at Stanford (1), ESPNU

Hall of Fame Showcase (Sunday)

■ 12: No. 2 UCLA vs. No. 20 FSU, ESPND

■ 2:30: No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 11 Utah, ESPN

■ 5: No. 17 UConn vs. No. 24 North Carolina, ESPN

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ETC.

■ The historic Under (30.5) for the Patriots-Steelers Thursday Night Game was shattered before halftime, Al Michaels wasted no time telling viewers.

■ The Texas-Oklahoma Red River Rivalry will continue at the Cotton Bowl through 2036.

■ Peacock is planning to produce a year-long documentary on Notre Dame football. Their own version of "Hard Knocks." Set to debut in 2024.

■ "Brett," a documentary on Kansas City Royals Hall of Famer George Brett, debuted on the MLB Network on Thursday.

■ Joe Castiglione, radio voice of the Red Sox for the past 41 seasons, is headed to the Hall of Fame after winning the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence.

■ Bronny James is expected to make his USC debut against Long Beach St. on Sunday.

■ Messi and Inter Miami have scheduled a match in Hong Kong on Feb. 4.

■ Group B in the Euro 2024 Draw is considered the "Group of Death" -- Spain, Croatia, Italy, Albania.

■ Fort Lauderdale is building the first purpose-built pickleball stadium in a complex with 43 courts.

■ President Biden is pushing to allow the Indigenous nation that invented lacrosse to play under its own flag when the sport returns to the Olympics in 2028.

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■ Def Leppard and Journey's Summer Tour will play 18 MLB parks. Heart, Cheap Trick and the Steve Miller Band will be guests.

■ Baldur's Gate 3 won Game of the Year at the Game Awards in Los Angeles on Thursday.

■ Season 5 of "Fargo" is delightful. Noah Hawley is back in form.

■ Kim Kardashian, sensational in Season 12 of "American Horror Story," will play a divorce lawyer in Ryan Murphy's upcoming Hulu legal drama.

■ Nicolas Cage says he wants to make three or four more movies, and maybe TV is the next step for him.

■ "Rizz" is Oxford's Word of the Year. Definition: "style, charm, or attractiveness; the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner." Derived from "charisma."

■ WalletHub's Most Fun Cities: 1. Las Vegas, 2. Orlando, 3. Miami, 4. Atlanta 5. San Francisco, 6. New Orleans, 7. Austin, 8. Chicago, 9. Honolulu, 10. New York.

■ Pantone's Color of the Year is Peachy Fuzz, "a light, fruity tone that conjures peacpeace and serenity."

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THEY SAID IT

■ "We are witnessing a superstar in the making. And it's happening in real time. Tyrese Haliburton is putting the basketball world on notice that he has arrived." -- Reggie Miller after the Pacers star scored 27 points with 15 assists in 128-119 victory over the Bucks in NBA In-Season Tournament semifinal Thursday. Indiana takes on the Lakers, 133-89 winners over the Pelicans, in Saturday's final.

■ "Excitement, that's what it is. The next year is going to be a phenomenal year." -- USMNT coach Greg Berhalter following the Copa America draw. The U.S. drew Uruguay, Panama and Bolivia.

■ "Hey, this ain't 'First Take,' this gonna be the first ass whooping you take if you come over here with that loud ass talking." -- Charles Barkley's message to Stephen A. Smith when TNT and ESPN combined their Studio shows for NBA In-Season Tournament coverage Thursday.

■ "They're going to win because I said so." -- Mike Tyson, betting on the Dolphins at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino as sports betting officially launched in Florida on Thursday.

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Jim Sarni, BC Class of '69, is a former sportswriter for The Boston Globe and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He resides in Fort Lauderdale and watches a lot of television. If you have a comment or an opinion, we'd love to hear from you Jksarni@aol.com