Sarni's Scrolls: Lamar Keeps His Eyes On The Prize

Ravens' QB shrugs off past playoff pressure with MVP performance

No player entered the NFL Playoffs under more pressure than Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

A 1-3 playoff record with seven turnovers. Never out of the Divisional round.

Now, here were the AFC top-seed Ravens hosting the upstart Houston Texans on Saturday. With Jackson, 27, the presumed favorite for his second MVP Award.

"I think he's as ready or more ready than he's ever been," said ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky before the game. "This is certainly a moment that Lamar has been chasing for years."

It was a glorious moment.

Jackson completed 16 of 22 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns, while running for 100 yards and two touchdowns in the Ravens' 34-10 victory. Most importantly, no turnovers.

"It is what it is. I don't really care about what people say," Jackson said. "I'm trying to win day in and day out. Every time I'm on that field, I'm trying to play to the best of my abilities."

On to the Conference Finals against Pat Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday at home.

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Conference Finals

■ AFC: Chiefs (+3.5) at Ravens, 3 EST, CBS

■ NFC: Lions (+7) at 49ers, 6:30 EST, Fox

An enticing Super Bowl matchup no matter what.

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It was an historic sports weekend

■ Stanford's Tara VanDerveer became the winningest basketball coach in NCAA history. Her women's basketball team defeated Oregon State 65-56  her 1,203rd career victory, passing former Duke men's coach Mike Krzyzewski.

■ University of Alabama sophomore Nick Dunlap became the PGA Tour's first amateur winner in 33 years with a one-stroke victory at The American Express.

■ Mikaela Shiffrin earned her record-extending career win No. 95 by triumphing in a women's World Cup slalom in Jasna, Slovakia.

■ The Edmonton Oilers set the record for the longest winning streak by a Canadian team in NHL history with their 13th consecutive victory, 3-1 against the Calgary Flames.

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The Australian Open quarterfinals are set.

Women

Noskova vs. Yastremska

12. Zheng vs. Kalinskaya

4. Gauff vs. Kostyuk

2. Sabalenka vs. 9. Krejcilkova

Men

1. Djokovic vs. 12. Fritz

4. Sinner vs. 5. Rublev

3. Medvedev vs. 9. Hurkacz

2. Alvaraz vs. 6. Zverez

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Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler, one of the most fascinating characters in sports, has set his sights on producing a country music album.

In an interview with The Guardian, Butler revealed he has produced 60 songs for the project.

"It's fun, and I do love it, but my goodness, it's difficult," Butler said. "It's stressful -- it's completely different from basketball. I'm not saying basketball's easy either, but just for people to be able to think they can just go do this or that - it's like, man, look. Humble yourself."

Don't expect to hear Butler's voice on the tracks. He is more interested in being a producer instead of a singer.

"I'm like the DJ Khaled of this thing," Butler said.

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"CW Sports" is prominent in the upper right-hand corner of the screen during ACC basketball games on Saturday.

Where's the "The" asks this eagle-eyed viewer.

Answer: It's been removed by the network as part of an "evolution” in its logo and brand identity.

To be clear, “The CW” will still refer to itself as “The CW.” But the “The” will now be implied, instead of in the logo. Marketing didn't think the "The" was readable.

The CW tweak also includes a new red-orange color palette that the network calls “CW hot sauce.”

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CNN chief executive and chairman Mark Thompson has outlined his plan to transform the network for the future.

In a memo to CNN's workforce, Thompson wrote that “technology and audiences are on the move again” and stated bluntly about how linear television is dying at a brisk pace while digital products balloon in size.

"It's time for a revolution"... transitioning CNN from a legacy television-focused outlet into a multi-platform destination for news and news-adjacent content, giving the organization not only different ways to reach audiences, but perhaps more importantly diversifying its business model, which is in grave jeopardy as the cable bundle collapses.

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ETC.

■ Former ESPN and Fox Sports host Katie Nolan has advanced to the "Celebrity Jeopardy!" finals. She will take on actress Lisa Ann Walter and the winner of Tuesday's semifinal – either actress Rachel Dratch, journalist Mo Rocca or comedienne Heather McMahan – in the finals.

■ There have been a tournament-record 32 five-set matches so far at this year's Australian Open.

■ Saudi Arabia plans to build a 45,000-seat stadium on a mountain, the centerpiece of a planned futuristic sports city which could host World Cup matches.

■ Comedy Central won't choose a "The Daily Show" host after a year-long search. It is reportedly expected to rely heavily on a team of correspondents to lead each night.

■ Mariska Hargitay is People's cover subject, celebrating her 25th season of "Law & Order: SVU."

■ Singer Ciara learned she's related to Derek Jeter while appearing on the PBS show "Finding Your Roots."

■ "The Hunger Games" fans are getting an illustrated version of the novel on Oct. 1.

■ British New Wave/post-punk icons Modern English is releasing its first new album in eight years, "1 2 3 4."

■ "Better Call Saul" is the most snubbed show in Emmy history: 53 nominations, 0 awards in six seasons.

■ A set of pink index cards containing Roman Roy's eulogy for his father on "Succession" sold for $25,000 at auction.

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THEY SAID IT

■ "I thought I would cry but nothing is coming out." -- Lydia Ko after winning the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, her 20th LPGA Tour championship and first title since 2022 in Orlando.

■ "Our program, we’re not outcome based. The one thing we can’t do is think about last year or think about what we need to do to repeat. We have to stay in the moment and trust.” -- FAU basketball coach Dusty May after the No. 23 Owls (15-4),  Final Four team last season, beat UTSA, 112-103 in overtime on Sunday.