St. Louis Cardinals Quiz: 1) Who was the last N.L. MVP? 2)
Who was the last N.L. Cy Young winner? 3) Who was the N.L.
rookie of the year in 1974? 4) Among Cardinals whose uniform
# is retired, who wore #14? 5) Who holds the single season RBI
mark? 6) Who had the most wins in a single season? 7) Who led
the team in RBI each season from 1972-78? Answers below.
Ray Harryhausen
Boy, if you don’t know who this guy is, then chances are you’re
under 20 years of age, for starters. The other day, Stephen Witty
had a terrific piece in the Star-Ledger (N.J.) on Harryhausen, the
now 83-year-old special effects whiz who brought us such
classics as “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad” and “Clash of the Titans.”
But let me have Tom Hanks put it best, who said the following in
1992 as he presented Harryhausen with a special Oscar.
“Some people say ‘Casablanca’ or ‘Citizen Kane.’ I say ‘Jason
and the Argonauts’ is the greatest film ever made.”
Hanks was only being slightly facetious, and ‘Jason…’ is one of
my all time favorites, too, plus it is clearly Ray Harryhausen’s
signature film.
Harryhausen grew up in Los Angeles and it was in 1933 that he
saw “King Kong” in a theatre. He became hooked on dinosaurs
and over time got into filmmaking. One of his childhood friends
was Ray Bradbury.
“We made a pact together,” said Bradbury. “We said, ‘We’re
going to grow old but never grow up. We’re going to stay 18-,
19-years-old and we’re going to love dinosaurs forever.’”
1958’s “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad” is the film in which
Harryhausen began perfecting stop-motion animation, a
painstaking process utilizing clay figures. In 1966 he gave
American males Raquel Welch and her fur bikini in “One
Million Years B.C.” But she was real, baby.
Of course these days all special effects are computer generated.
Harryhausen weighs in.
“A lot of people say they prefer our films, which is very nice. I
always thought stop-motion gave fantasy an unreal, nightmarish
quality, and that was the charm of it. Now, of course, they use
their computers and try to make everything realistic. But what’s
the point? Virtual reality? If that’s all you really want, well –
then look at reality.”
I also liked Harryhausen’s comments on modern art, and other
media, as told to Stephen Witty.
“(It’s) a lot of gibberish – people get 25,000 pounds (Ray lives in
London) for cutting a cow in half and putting it in a gallery.
(Music) has been reduced to its lowest common denominator.
(Movies are) filled with sex and violence – in every field of art,
the standards have been reduced, just as they have in schools.”
Stuff
–I was reading some comments made at Larry Doby’s memorial
service and loved this one by ESPN’s Joe Morgan, who teams
with John Miller on the network’s Sunday night baseball
telecasts.
“Last night, John Miller and I were trying to pay tribute to Larry
in our broadcast, but as usual, the Mets went down 1-2-3.”
And I just have to add, having seen a picture of Rachel
Robinson, widow of Jackie, at Doby’s service, there is no more
dignified and classy woman in America.
–While I’m on the topic of baseball and black athletes, one
indication of a problem in today’s pro game is best exemplified
by the New Jersey High School All-State team as just
announced. 13 players were selected, all white; the continuation
of a trend that doesn’t augur well for the sport since we are
missing out on some tremendous athletes that simply choose
basketball and football over baseball. Thank God for the Latin
American stars in the game. Otherwise, the caliber of play
across the board would resemble the ’62 Mets, only this time it
wouldn’t be so funny.
–Johnny Mac reminded me that Nomar Garciaparra is on track
to become the first player since George Brett to accumulate 20
doubles, 20 triples, and 20 home runs in the same season, a
terrific feat.
–And there’s this.
The Florida Marlins’ Dontrelle Willis, at 8-1, is only the 4th
pitcher since 1920 to win 8 of his first 10 starts before turning
22. The others:
Paul “Daffy” Dean, 1934, finished the season at 19-11, as brother
Dizzy went 30-7 in leading the St. Louis Cardinals to the World
Series. But Daffy had a short-lived career, like Dizzy, and ended
up just 50-34.
Mark “the Bird” Fidrych, 1976, on the way to his superb and
theatrical 19-9 rookie season for the Detroit Tigers. But Fidrych,
too, fell victim to arm problems and was out of baseball shortly
thereafter, ending up 29-19.
Lastly, Fernando Valenzuela, 1981, Los Angeles Dodgers.
Fernando started off 8-0, on the way to a 13-7 record and the Cy
Young award in that strike-shortened season. He finished 173-
153, lifetime.]
–And then you have this comparison between Cincinnati’s
Adam Dunn and the great Dave Kingman. As I keep threatening,
some day I’m going to prove that “Kong” belongs in the Hall of
Fame, but then Johnny Mac would have to shoot me. So J. Mac
convinced me to look at the #’s and Dunn is right on pace to
match some of Kingman’s most interesting seasons.
Through Sunday’s play, Dunn was hitting .207 with 23 home
runs and 46 RBI on just 50 hits.
Kingman had some similar statistics.
1973 / San Francisco, .203, 24 HR 55 RBI on 62 hits.
1982 / New York Mets, .204, 37 HR 99 RBI on 109 hits.
But Kong, as Chicago Cubs fans know, had some solid years at
Wrigley Field, including his best, 1979, when he hit .288 with 48
HR and 115 RBI.
Kingman’s last season, though, spoke volumes about his play.
He hit 35 HR and drove in 94 for Oakland in ‘86, but only hit
.210. 35 homers at age 37, and he wasn’t on steroids, yet no one
signed him. It’s a travesty, I tell you. Of course Jose Canseco
would give you a similar sob story, but he ate ‘roids for
breakfast.
–Can we talk about the NBA draft? Particularly as the 19
foreign players (21 including high school transfers) were
concerned, all I kept hearing was “so and so will need time to
develop.” Meanwhile, you have someone like Wake Forest’s
Josh Howard, consensus ACC Player of the Year, 4 years
experience and a college degree to boot. In other words, general
managers, no need to wait around for this guy, he’ll contribute
right away.
Hey, I’m prejudiced and all on this one, and Howard wasn’t a
lottery pick, but the Dallas Mavericks got a steal in taking him
#29. And to my friends in Nebraska, don’t worry. Creighton’s
Kyle Korver will prove his #51 selection was a joke. This guy is
going to be around a long time.
–Back to baseball, ditch interleague play. My Mets are sick of
the Yankees.
–Yes, Harry K., there seems to be little doubt that Canadian
Mike Weir is the first tour player from the Great White North to
lead the PGA on the money list. This coming weekend’s Western
Open could be a good one. All the top players are in it.
–Michelle Wie played like a very good 13-year-old this week,
finishing 18 strokes behind in the LPGA tournament.
–Thanks to Johnny Mac for telling me about Jesse Jackson’s
shakedown of NASCAR. Here NASCAR donated $250,000 in
2002 to the fake Reverend’s Rainbow/Push Coalition, only to
then have Jackson rep Bill Shack say, “I want you to know that
(NASCAR) is the last bastion of white supremacy.” NASCAR
has had a legitimate outreach program for years now to capture
more minority fans, while Jackson is flying around the world,
holding up Corporate America so he can live the high life.
Geezuz, I just wish everyone with half a brain would simply
ignore the charlatan.
–Back to baseball, nice game for the Boston Red Sox on Friday.
In case you missed it, they tied a major league record by scoring
10 runs without making an out, on the way to a 25-8 demolition
of Florida. Boston had 14 runs in the first inning alone, tying an
A.L. record, along with matching a team record 28 hits.
Outfielder Johnny Damon tied another M.L. mark by getting 3
hits in that first inning, a frame which saw Florida pitchers throw
91 pitches….in a single, freakin’ inning! I mean to tell ya, I
could have drunk three beers in that time frame.
–Ah, but then you have those lovable Detroit Tigers, who are
slumping anew and now stand 18-61 through Sunday. Eegads.
Detroit also has a startling 3 pitchers who are on track for 20
losses apiece.
Now considering that Oakland’s Brian Kingman was the last
major league hurler to lose 20, when Kingman (no relation to
Dave) went 8-20 in 1980, to have three would be dreadful. It
would also piss off Kingman, who has tremendous pride in his
achievement and openly roots for players not to beat his mark.
His reasoning? It’s the only thing he is remembered for, and it’s
better to be remembered than not, right?
So, Detroit has Mike Maroth (2-12 thru Sunday), Adam
Bernero (1-11) and Jeremy Bonderman (2-12). Tigers
management says all three should stick with the club the full
season.
Should all three Tigers lose 20, it would be the first time since
the 1916 Philadelphia A’s, who had Joe Bush, 15-24, Elmer
Myers, 14-23, and Jack Nabors, 1-20. [Rod Beaton / USA
Today]
*Nabors finished his career 1-25, and died in 1923 at age 36.
Kind of sad, I think you’d agree.
In case you were wondering, the aforementioned ’62 Mets that
went 40-120 had Roger Craig, 10-24, and Al Jackson, 8-20, but
Jay Hook, 8-19, fell short. They also had 3-17 Craig Anderson,
who attained his mark mostly in relief, along with Bob Miller
(the righty….they had a lefty Bob Miller, too) who went 1-12.
–Brittney Skye, the adult film actress who exposed herself to
golfer Jim Furyk at the U.S. Open, said, “I would love to have
Tiger, Jonathan Byrd or Fredrik Jacobson in one of my movies.”
No response as yet from any of the three.
–So by the time some of you read this, the mess involving the
ACC and Big East may be largely resolved, with only losers, as I
see it. Thanks to Arnie (not his real name) for passing along a
piece in the Greensboro News & Record by Ed Hardin, who
comments thusly on the crazy idea of admitting Virginia Tech,
after VT was one of those suing the ACC for going after Miami,
Boston College and Syracuse, the latter two now being nixed by
the ACC.
“Tech got in because its most hated rival was forced to play
political football. Virginia’s spineless president, one John T.
Casteen III, was told by Virginia’s mindless governor, one Mark
Warner, to back Virginia Tech in any expansion talks, the
equivalent of our governor telling Richard Petty how to drive.
“Casteen did it, throwing the entire expansion process into
fiasco-mode and resulting in the bizarre chain of events that led
to Syracuse and Boston College being thrown back to the Big
East lawyers and a horrified ACC to inviting Virginia Tech at the
risk of watching the entire process crumble.
“Now Virginia, which hates Virginia Tech, and Virginia Tech,
which hates Virginia (and a lot of people agree with both of
them) have become strange bedfellows in a politically induced
sleep that has a lot of people bickering and a lot more
snickering.”
Your editor is going to the Boston College / Wake Forest football
opener up in Beantown on Aug. 30. They’re already writing up
there about how they hope to annihilate us Demon Deacons. I
may have to go undercover. [I’m already sitting with B.C. alum
as it is.]
–Follow-up: Last chat I mentioned that rapper Lil’ Kim had
$250,000 in jewelry stolen from a handbag that had been
accidentally checked in at Kennedy Airport. Well, with all the
publicity, the thief(s) got cold feet and left the haul on top of a
JFK locker. My apologies to the diminutive one for insinuating
it was all part of an insurance scam.
–WARNING: Name Dropping Alert!!!!!!!
On Saturday I was invited to an art reception up in Westchester
County, New York, and exchanged grunts with Federico
Castellucio (Furio) from “The Sopranos.” And seriously, some
of you have heard he’s an artist. I mean to tell you, while I’m
not into his particular style, this is one talented guy. The
paintings and drawings he was displaying were terrific, and also
expensive; $16,000-$45,000 and up.
–Back to jewelry, Johnny Mac noticed that LeBron James was
sporting a $500,000 watch. Yup, $500,000…and he’s just out of
high school. As Johnny says, is that the message we really want
to send back to the ‘hood?
You know, I myself have been hard on LeBron, but I have to
admit he seems like a pretty good kid, but as J. Mac says,
LeBron could have dedicated a youth center, or something, yet
instead he plays right into the stereotype. Which is why some of
us like David Robinson and Tim Duncan so much. Kobe’s good
people, too.
–And then you have this awful, tragic situation involving Baylor
basketball player Patrick Dennehy, who hasn’t been seen for
over two weeks and as of this writing is assumed to have been
killed. Equally disturbing is the fact that some of his teammates
could be implicated.
Dennehy, a transfer from New Mexico who didn’t play last year,
did display a volatile temper at his last stop and you just wonder
if he was so despised by his teammates that they decided to do
something incredibly stupid. [I apologize for speculating on this
matter in such a fashion. Not making light of it, you understand.]
–What? More baseball? For those of you not aware, “hitting for
the cycle” means getting a single, double, triple, and home run in
the same game. Bob Meusel (New York Yankees) and Babe
Herman (Brooklyn, Chicago Cubs) are the only two players in
major league history to do it 3 times in a career. In fact it’s as
rare as a no-hitter. There have been 239* instances of hitting for
the cycle and 232 no-hitters. [*I’m including Oakland’s Eric
Byrnes, who accomplished the feat on Sunday.]
–Wayne Arnold in the Sunday Times reports that in Singapore,
the Luohan fish is fetching up to $40,000. This isn’t to eat, but
to just swim around and bring good luck, at least according to
ethnic Chinese there. The average Luohan goes for a more
reasonable $1,500. And each one (6-8 inches) requires it’s own
aquarium, because they don’t like company.
–97,000 Canada geese call New Jersey home. At one pound of
waste per goose per day, that’s 97,000 pounds of crap finding its
way into our water system every 24 hours. But, finally,
something is being done about it. In my county alone, 2,700 are
slated to be rounded up and gassed. Animal rights groups are
complaining it isn’t humane. I see it as an excuse to throw a
party.
–We welcome Lisa Guerrero, the new sideline reporter for
Monday Night Football, and look forward to her insightful
analysis. [Psst…guys, she’s hot.]
–Back to college sports. With Josh Howard’s selection in the
first round of the NBA draft, Wake Forest became just the third
school since 1998 to have a first-rounder in basketball, baseball
(Kyle Sleeth) and football (Calvin Pace). The other schools were
Fresno State and Florida.
–And congratulations to Stanford for winning its ninth
consecutive National Assn. of Collegiate Directors of Athletics
Cup. In other words, Stanford had the best overall college
athletic program, combining all sports, men and women. Texas
was second, Ohio State third.
–So I’m glancing through the Wall Street Journal on Friday, the
issue with that luxury housing list that’s fun to fantasize about.
Anyway, one home caught my eye. Nine bedrooms, nine baths,
11,400+ sq. feet, unobstructed view of San Francisco Bay and
the Golden Gate Bridge. Three kitchens. Two-room wine cellar.
Asking price: $45 million, the most expensive residential
property ever marketed in San Francisco. Hell, with today’s no
money down mortgages, you gotta think about it, eh?
–Recipes with Beer:
From the “Beer Cookbook,” [published by CQ Products] I bring
you two easy ones.
Creamy Beer Dip
2-8 oz. pkgs. Cream cheese, softened
1-1 oz. pkg. Ranch dressing mix
2 C. shredded Cheddar cheese
1/3 C. beer [Make it a full cup.]
In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and dressing mix. Stir
in Cheddar cheese and then beer. The mixture will appear
mushy. Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, overnight
if possible. Serve with pretzels or Chex Mix. Then do a separate
bowl for the rest of your guests.
Beer Margarita
1-6 oz. can frozen lemonade concentrate
8 oz. vodka
3-12 oz. cans or bottled beer
Empty lemonade concentrate into pitcher (do not add water!).
Pour in vodka and beer. Serve over ice.
*And remember, boys and girls, drink responsibly.
–Speaking of beer, Robert Wechsler, the man responsible for the
Miss Rheingold Contest, passed away at age 90. The public was
first allowed to vote on Miss Rheingold back in 1942. Pennants
with the portraits of the contestants and ballot boxes were
installed in bars and restaurants throughout the New York area.
By 1952, some 25 million votes were cast….though there was
lots of ballot stuffing. Robert Wechsler, great American, patriot.
–Cliff Claven, explaining the “Buffalo Theory” to Norm at
Cheers.
“Well, ya see, Norm, it’s like this. A herd of buffalo can only
move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is
hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are
killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a
whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group
keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members.
“In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast
as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we
know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and
weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of
beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster
and more efficient machine. That’s why you always feel smarter
after a few beers.”
[Thanks, Mike H.]
Top 3 songs for the week of 6/30/73: #1 “Give Me Love (Give
Me Peace On Earth)” (George Harrison) #2 “My Love” (Paul
McCartney & Wings) #3 “Will It Go Round In Circles” (Billy
Preston)
*Harry K., responding to my recent description of a new favorite
line of mine from a country tune, “Long neck bottle let go of my
hand,” notes that one of his favorite artists, Bill Kirchen, has a
relatively new album titled “Tied To The Wheel,” which features
the classic “Truckstop At the End of the World.” One review
from ‘Guitar Player Magazine’ goes:
“Kirchen goes ballistic on ‘Truckstop at the End of the World’
and whups major hillbilly ass on ‘How Mountain Girls Can
Love.’”
Harry thoroughly recommends this release from an ex-bandmate
of Commander Cody. I remember a few of my classmates at
Wake being major fans of his. I also like another title that Harry
recommends, Dave Dudley’s “I Have Been Known Not to Go
Home.”
St. Louis Cardinals Quiz Answers: 1) Willie McGee was the last
N.L. MVP, 1985. 2) Last Cy Young winner / Bob Gibson, 1970.
3) Rookie of the year in 1974 / Bake McBride. 4) Ken Boyer
wore #14. 5) Joe Medwick holds the record for RBI in a single
season – 154. This was Medwick’s Triple Crown year, as he
also banged out 31 home runs and hit .374. 6) Dizzy Dean has
the most wins in a season, 30, in 1934. 7) Ted Simmons led the
Cards in RBI each year from 1972-78.
–Sorry, too late to do anything on Katharine Hepburn.
–Happy Canada Day! And thank you for Shania Twain and great
beer.
Next Bar Chat, Thursday. All about the Fourth.
