Los Angeles Dodgers Quiz: 1) What 3 pitchers have had their
uniforms retired? 2) Who was the last MVP? 3) Who is the all-
time leader in home runs? 4) Who is the all-time leader in hits?
[Hint: Think 1909-1926] 5) Who is the last 20-game winner? 6)
Who is the single season RBI leader? 7) Who led the team in
wins, 1974 and ’75? Answers below.
Annika
You know, I watched CBS’s one-hour special on Sorenstam
Saturday and I came away more conflicted than ever. I noted in
my “Week in Review” that morning that part of Annika had to be
asking herself, “What did I prove?” Now, after thinking about it
some more, I think the answer is, “Not much.”
You and I are being manipulated on this issue. And on Sunday I
was reading a column by Bob Raisman of the NY Daily News
that confirmed it.
First off, I didn’t realize the strong ties between Annika and
announcer Jim Nantz. No wonder Nantz was such a butt-boy.
They both share the same agent, IMG, and it was Nantz who
picked Colonial for Sorenstam, obviously, because it was a CBS
tournament.
The Daily News’ Mike Lupica helped sum it up best. “(Annika
was) tough, classy, charming, (and) said all the right things.”
Lupica added, however:
“The question now is what she proved.
“Peter Kostis of CBS talked Friday about how comparisons,
including comparisons between male and female golfers, are
‘odious.’
“Excuse me?
“Sorenstam demanded we make these comparisons, the way she
was making them herself, by playing a men’s tournament.
Sorenstam stood up just fine through it all.
“I was just afraid we were going to have to call in grief
counselors for the announcers.”
Here’s my own deal. The key word in this whole matter is
“compete.” Boy, it was used too loosely the last few days,
if you ask me. To compete means that you not only participate,
it also means you put yourself in a position to win. Annika
handled herself beautifully, but she didn’t compete.
Oh, sure, some will say that her first round was magnificent.
Hey, I watched most of both rounds, and I agree that what she
did on Thursday was terrific, but in the end by not making the
cut you can’t say she “competed.”
There are only about 60 or so golfers on the PGA Tour who truly
compete over the course of a year. A bunch of other guys get an
occasional Top 20 and hit the exempt cutoff of Top 125 at year’s
end, but you’d never consider them competitors in the true sense
of the word.
I also have to comment on the New York Times’ Dave
Anderson’s idea; that we have a U.S. Mixed Open with the top
75 men and the top 75 women. Only here’s the catch; the
women would play from the women’s tees.
Well what the hell would that prove? Anderson, supposedly one
of the great writers of our time, thinks this would be special?
I like the idea of Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post, who said
the Colonial should invite the top woman on the LPGA each
year. That makes sense, though I imagine not all of the women
would want to enter.
And you may be surprised at my overall conclusion, after the
preceding commentary. Annika needs to play more than one
event. She didn’t give herself enough of a chance, assuming her
real goal was to “compete” with the guys.
For starters, she could play Heritage, which is a shorter, narrow
course. Or why not enter some of the end of the year, lower
profile tournaments? You know the sponsors would kill to have
her in their fields. She has to know she didn’t prove anything
this week, despite what the media wants you to believe. Patty
Sheehan, in summing up Sorenstam’s performance said, “So
many great moments.” Well, yeah, if you count her first drive,
two birdies and a nice putt at the end. But that’s about it.
Actually, as I’ve noted in this space before, the real issue is what
happens with Michelle Wie, the 13-year-old phenom destined to
shake up not just the golf world, but sports in general. If she
keeps progressing, she may be the first to truly “compete” with
the big boys.
Arlington Cemetery
Arlington currently averages 25 funerals per day, approximately
6,200 annually. The cemetery has less than 50,000 vacant graves
and is expected to reach its capacity around the year 2025, after
which it will continue to operate as a national shrine.
Only two presidents are buried at Arlingon – JFK and William
Howard Taft. Taft, you’ll recall, has the distinction of being the
only person to be both President and Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court.
Best Taverns
The July issue of American Heritage magazine has two articles
of note, one on the great taverns of America by Stephen
Beaumont and Janet Forman. I thought I’d list their personal
picks, in the hopes all of you can visit some of them, if you
haven’t already.
Puempel’s Olde Tavern, New Glarus, Wisconsin.
The Norwich Inn, Norwich, VT (Jasper Murdock’s Alehouse)
Hobe Brass Pub, Portland, Oregon.
Rose and Raindrop, Portland, Oregon.
Baumgartner’s Cheese Shop, Monroe, Wisconsin.
And despite working in the area for years, I didn’t realize that
Delmonico’s (New York City) was the first true dining
establishment in America, 1827. [For those of you questioning
this, Fraunces Tavern wasn’t considered a “dining establishment,”
or full restaurant, back in George Washington’s time.]
As the authors of the article note, “Our nation was born in
taverns,” drinking, eating and arguing the issues of the day.
And why do you find so few 100-year-old taverns in America
today? Prohibition, my friend.
–The same issue of American Heritage has a piece by Sylvia
Lovegreen on Bar-b-q, or Bar-B-Que, or just Q. Now back in
my days down in North Carolina, I fell in love with Carolina
Bar-B-Que, which you all know is pork shoulder. Of course
aficionados in the Southwest and Midwest like beef. Ms.
Lovegreen picks out the following spots as her favorites.
Bryan’s Pink Pig Bar-B-Q, Levy, SC
Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que, Llano (sic), TX (a favorite
of President Bush)
Cozy Corner, Memphis, TN
Dixie Bones, Woodbridge, VA
Kreuz Market, Lockhart, TX
LC’s Bar-B-Q, Kansas City
Lexington Barbecue, Lexington, NC
Mitchell’s Ribs, Chicken & Barbecue, Wilson, NC
Moonlit Bar-B-Q Inn, Owensboro, KY
Pinkey’s Drive-Inn, Delight, AR
Wall’s Bar-B-Que, Savannah, GA
Man, I’m hungry already. And as I’ve written before, there is
nothing better than attending a NASCAR race, drinking a frosty,
and eating barbecue sandwiches.
–One other North Carolina note. I didn’t realize that NASCAR
legend Richard Childress was raising cattle on the banks of the
Yadkin River. [Admittedly, this is of interest only to my Wake
Forest readers. We had a raft “race” down the Yadkin each year.
Oh, that was a good time.] Childress just had a “dispersal sale”
due to the drought. This spring’s floods only compounded
things, but he vows to come back after he reworks the pastures.
By the way, if you’re a NASCAR fan, Childress’s racing
museum, complete with 50 cars, had its grand opening on May
16, located in Welcome, NC.
–Michael Jackson’s former financial advisors are joining the
chorus of those saying he has gone through about “half a
billion.” Said one, “He has little or no means of income. He
lives off a line of credit.”
Now these stories aren’t new, but today, one firm in South Korea
is claiming Jackson owes them $12 million in fees and expenses.
Forbes, on the other hand, asserts Jackson has $200 million in
debt, but still maintains a net worth of $350 million.
Stuff
–So I read this story of how two art collectors, Meyer and Vivian
Potamkin, were hoping to sell a Ted Robinson (“Father of
American Impressionism”) for a considerable sum. Back in
1952 the couple purchased this particular work for $900 and the
story said that Sotheby’s thought it might go for $400,000-
$600,000.
Well, I got a little curious and checked out sothebys.com. First
off, I mean to tell you, look this site up sometime and click
on “auction results.” It’s pretty cool.
On May 21, the Robinson ended up going for $2.13 million! I
also saw that among the paintings the Potamkin’s sold (the total
collection ended up fetching $15.3 million) was an Edward
Hopper that they had paid $5,500 for. It brought $596,000 (est.
was $500-$700K).
–Who wudda thunk it? The New Jersey Devils and the New
Jersey Nets, together, right to the end. This marks just the 8th
time that the same city has had teams in the NBA and NHL
finals, but never have both won.
For those of you not from the general area, most New Jersey
sports fans are Devils fanatics, if they have a favorite, as opposed
to the Nets. Nets fans tend to be old Knicks fans. It took me
until just a few years ago to convert to the Nets myself. As for
hockey, I’ll always be a Rangers fan, which means I won’t see
another Stanley Cup in my lifetime.
–Roger Clemens could win game #300 before I address you
next. We’ll have some thoughts on his career next time.
–From the Star-Ledger (N.J.) comes word that the last 30-game
winner, Denny McLain, is working behind a counter at a 7-
Eleven in Sterling Heights, MI as part of his work-release
program for his sentence on money laundering, embezzlement
and mail fraud.
–You just can’t make this stuff up, but Chris Moneymaker, 27,
won $2.5 million in the World Series of Poker. Moneymaker is
an accountant from the Nashville area who learned his craft
playing online poker. He also just started with a $40 entry fee.
–Lots of stuff going on at Mount Everest, as you can imagine,
this being the 50th anniversary of Edmund Hillary’s historic
assault on the top. Normally, the climb from the last base camp
takes 4 days, but last week a Sherpa by the name of Pemba
Dorjie did it in a record 12 hours and 45 minutes, four hours
better than the previous best.
–The European golf tour is having major problems with Seve
Ballesteros. I wrote a few weeks ago that PGA player Ken
Green said Ballesteros was nuts. Turns out he is. Seve is about
to have a nervous breakdown, and the Europeans have been
fining him excessive amounts for his bad behavior at various
events.
–Former sports agent, and founder of IMG, Mark McCormack,
who died last week, was in a coma his last four months, which
was particularly ironic since he was a man who never sat still.
He was also known for scheduling his “casual” phone calls
months in advance. In other words, a difficult personality.
–The Yankees began the season 20-4, their all-time best start,
and since then have gone 9-17. As Mike Lupica said, we all are
waiting for George Steinbrenner to explode.
–Don Burke of the Star-Ledger has been writing about the Mets’
Mo Vaughn and his “Knee over America” tour. Vaughn has
bone spurs, which isn’t good, but he has spent over a month
traveling around the country getting different opinions, six in all.
Needless to say, the Mets, who are paying him $17 million, wish
Mo would make his freakin’ mind up. Then again, the rest of us
are just hoping the 472-pound first baseman retires.
–Big bear news in New Jersey! Oh, I’ve been warning all of
you, but last Thursday a 35-year-old Jersey man was mauled by a
bruin. Amazingly, after suffering puncture wounds to his head,
back and chest, he survived.
But, it turns out that state officials opted not to go after the
assailant, because the man had left his garbage open, a major no-
no. Ergo, the bear was innocent under Jersey law. You get ‘em,
Smokey!!
Top 3 songs for the week of 5/27/72: #1 “Oh Girl” (Chi-Lites)
#2 “I’ll Take You There” (The Staple Singers) #3 “’The First
Time Ever I Saw Your Face” (Roberta Flack)
Oh, to be there in Red Square last week with Paul McCartney.
And they say he played 3 hours.
Los Angeles Dodgers Quiz Answers: 1) Pitchers / uniforms
retired: #20 Don Sutton; #32 Sandy Koufax; #53 Don Drysdale.
2) Kirk Gibson was the last MVP, 1988. 3) Duke Snider is the
all-time leader in HRs with 389. 4) Hits: Zach Wheat, 2,804. 5)
Ramon Martinez is the last 20-game winner, 20-6 in ’90. 6)
Single season RBI: Tommy Davis, 153, 1962. 7) Who led in
wins in ’74 and ’75? Andy Messersmith, 20 and 19.
Next Bar Chat, Thursday.
This Memorial Day, we remember, in particular, those who have
given their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.
