College Football Quiz: 1) Name the 3 Division I-A runners to go
over 6,000 yards in their career. 2) Name the 3 winningest teams
of the 1960s (not including bowl games). 3) What school has the
record for most consecutive non-losing seasons (.500 and
above)? [Hint: 1939-87] 4) What school won 35 straight
(including bowl games) from 1969-71? [Hint: This is the second
best, post-1920, to Oklahoma’s record 47 from 1953-57.]
Answers below.
December 5, 1933…Part I
70 years ago, the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was
ratified. And why do we celebrate this date at Bar Chat?
Because the 21st repealed the 18th Amendment, which had
prohibited the sale of booze. [Actually, I’ve never celebrated
this day before, I just remembered to this time.]
So for a scholarly examination of the topic, I turn to “The
Growth of the American Republic,” first written by the great
historians Samuel Eliot Morison (sic) and Henry Steele
Commager in 1930 (with William E. Leuchtenburg then joining
the other two in 1969 for future editions).
[I had a professor at Wake Forest who was always going,
“Commager says this, Commager says that…” Too bad I got a
‘C’ in the class.]
Anyway, since I paid good money for the two volumes, and I’m
running short on time, I don’t think the authors (one of the three
may still be alive) will mind if I quote them extensively in their
description of the background behind Prohibition.
In the second half of the 19th century, there were all kinds of
crusades in America, including one against “Demon Rum, a
movement which in the United States dates back to the early
days of the Republic.”
“By 1851 the temperance forces had established prohibition in
Maine and had won minor victories in other states, but between
1860 and 1880 the liquor business increased almost sevenfold,
and by the end of the century New York, Chicago, St. Louis, and
other large cities with heavy Irish and German populations
contained one saloon for every 200 inhabitants. [The editor is
drooling.] Old stock, Protestant middle-class Americans,
especially in rural areas and small towns, waxed indignant at the
mores of urban immigrants, who flouted such values as self-
control, discipline, and sobriety.
“The churches denounced drinking as a sin; women attacked the
saloon as a menace to the American home; reformers exposed
the unholy alliance of the liquor business with crime and the
connection between intemperance and poverty; businessmen
discovered that drinking affected the efficiency of the
workingman and increased the dangers of industrial accidents;
while Southern whites insisted on denying liquor to the Negro.
For many of the progressives, prohibition was as crucial a reform
as social welfare legislation. As Andrew Sinclair has written
they looked forward to ‘a world free from alcohol and, by that
magic panacea, free also from want and crime and sin, a sort of
millennial Kansas afloat on a nirvana of pure water.’
“Prohibition, as distinct from temperance, was furthered by three
well-organized agencies: the Women’s Christian Temperance
Union…long dominated by Frances Willard; the Anti-Saloon
League, founded in Oberlin, Ohio [ed: remind me not to go here,
out of spite], in 1895 and financed by churches and businessmen;
and the Methodist Church, most active of all religious
denominations. By the turn of the century these organizations…
had succeeded in drying up five states, all of them predominantly
rural….
“In the first fifteen years of the new century the cause of
prohibition advanced with rapid strides, and by the time the
United States entered World War I over two-thirds of the states
were dry, and almost three-fourths of the population lived under
‘local option’ dry laws. The large cities, however, continued to
be wet and from them supplies of liquor flowed unimpeded into
thirsty dry areas. [ed: I would have been a city kid back then.]
One prohibitionist insisted: ‘Our nation can only be saved by
turning the pure stream of country sentiment and township
morals to flush out the cesspools of cities and to save civilization
from pollution.’”
The demand for a constitutional amendment grew out of an
interpretation of the Interstate Commerce Clause, which the
Attorney General at the time said “has been made a weapon of
offense by which the liquor producing States have compelled
prohibition States to receive intoxicating liquors willy-nilly, and
thus have made the enforcement of local prohibition substantially
impossible.”
You see, they were saying ‘willy-nilly’ 100 years ago.
Anyway, Congress wrote the prohibition into the Constitution in
the form of the 18th Amendment.
Proposed 18 December 1917; Declared Ratified 29 January 1919
“After one year from the ratification of this article, the
manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors
within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof
from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction
thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.”
Aagghhhhhhh!
Part II, Tuesday. FDR saves the day.
Q School
So the annual torture test for 30-35 slots on the PGA Tour next
year has begun, with 170 entrants who survived the earlier
regional qualifying now playing 6 rounds under just unreal
pressure.
Some of those in the field this week and next whom you may
be familiar with include Steve Pate, Russ Cochran, Per-Ulrik
Johansson, Dennis Paulson, Ted Tryba, Grant Waite, and Donnie
Hammond.
Hammond went thru Q School last year, earned one of the 35
tour cards handed out (it’s technically the top 30 and ties), and
then proceeded to finish 166th on the money list, thus meaning he
had to come back once more and do it all over again.
[Remember, only the Top 125 on the PGA Money List are
automatically eligible for the following year.]
Per-Ulrik was the player who finished #126 in 2003, meaning if
he had made one key putt in one of his better tournaments he
wouldn’t be going through this pressure cooker. One freakin’
putt…amazing.
But for you golf nuts, some ‘name’ golfers didn’t even make it to
the final 170 for Q School, including Casey Martin, who missed
out in his regional qualifying by 3 strokes, Jay Don Blake (8
strokes), Jim McGovern (he’s from NJ, 7), Gary Hallberg (my
Wake Forest classmate and 3-time winner on tour who missed by
9…ughh), Nolan Henke and Ty Tryon. Yes, Ty Tryon. What a
story he has become.
Tryon is the kid who two years ago decided he was good enough
to go straight from high school onto the PGA Tour and he
actually earned his card in 2001 at the age of 17 (for play in
2002), but he then lost five months to mono. So he received a
Major Medical Exemption and another shot in ’03, but
proceeded to make just 4 cuts out of 21 events, finishing 196th
on the money list.
Well, a few weeks ago Tryon missed advancing to the Q School
finals in the second stage of qualifying by 14 strokes. At age 19,
he could be finished. A lesson to all of you teenage phenoms out
there…go to college first, at least for 2 or 3 years.
The Naming of Led Zeppelin
Guitarist Jimmy Page formed the group after the breakup of the
Yardbirds in 1968 and originally called his new band the New
Yardbirds. Drummer Keith Moon of the Who is usually credited
with suggesting the name Led Zeppelin, but according to long-
time tour manager Richard Cole:
“What happened was Keith Moon, John Entwhistle, and I were
in New York at a club called the Salvation. At the time I was
with the Yardbirds, so that would have been around May of ’68.
Now Keith and John were always going through things about
leaving the Who, and they were talking about forming a new
band. They were gonna try to get Jimmy Page on guitar, Stevie
Winwood on vocals, and then they came up with this name in the
club. I have a feeling it was Entwhistle – I’m not sure, most
people say it was Moon – and he said, ‘Oh, that’s good, I’ve got
the name for it – we’ll call it Lead Zeppelin, ‘cause it will go
down like a lead balloon.’ So that’s where it came from. It
originally started out as a new name for Keith and John.”
According to the Led Zeppelin biography by Stephen Davis
(“Hammer of the Gods”), Page misspelled ‘lead’ “so the thick
Americans wouldn’t mispronounce it ‘leed.’”
[Source: “Rock Names: How Rock Bands Got Their Names,”
Adam Dolgins]
Sylvester Croom
Add me to the list of those who will be rooting big time for the
former Green Bay Packers assistant as he takes over the head
coaching job at Mississippi State, thus becoming the first black
head coach in the SEC. There are still just 5 black head coaches
overall out of 117 slots in Division I-A. Incredibly, the SEC had
340 previous hirings over 70 years before Croom’s
groundbreaking selection. And I just may have to take a
roadtrip next fall to Starkville to see how things are going.
P. Diddy’s Marathon
Runner’s World magazine has a bit in the January ’04 issue on P.
Diddy’s New York marathon run. It turns out he only trained for
9 weeks, something I respect, though he obviously had the best
help money could buy.
For example, he first trekked out to Nike’s Beaverton
headquarters, where he was handed the personal trainer who also
works with Beyonce. [Now there’s a dream job……………….
…………………………sorry.] He also worked with the great
Alberto Salazar, had a biomechanist, a special marathon coach,
and all kinds of other help. But P. Diddy did whip off a 17.6 and
20-mile training run before the big day.
According to the man himself, “Everything that an adult is
allowed to do, I’ve given up,” he said before the event. One of
his coaches weighed in on his nutritional preparation. “His diet
was good, except for the alcohol.”
Diddy had some knee problems beforehand so Nike flew in a
special therapist who treated the case with Vioxx and stretching
exercises. Anyway, he finished the race in over 4 hours.
Stuff
–So here’s the deal with the Bowl Championship Series and the
prospects for an Oklahoma – USC title game. Obviously, a USC
win over Oregon State on Saturday and a LSU loss to Georgia
settles things. Otherwise, should they both win, us Trojans fans
want Notre Dame to beat Syracuse, because that would aid
USC’s strength of schedule ranking, USC having earlier kicked
the Fighting Irish’s butt. But I also have to admit, over the past
few weeks LSU has proven it belongs, I guess.
–Wow, my Demon Deacons killed Indiana the other night, 100-
67. I’m tellin’ ya, we’re the sleeper team of the year. I also have
to add that I’m now rooting for Indiana’s Patrick Ewing Jr. He
seems like a good kid and he had to put up with a father who is
a real jerk.
–ACC basketball is back!
–St. John’s isn’t. Hofstra killed them by 17, thereby earning the
always coveted mid-week ‘frosty’ award.
–So did you catch Tuesday’s Oklahoma – Arkansas Pine Bluff
basketball game? Holy cow. OU won 94-24…yes, 94-24.
UAPB was 9 of 44 from the field and the high scorer had a
whopping six points. But in scanning the box score, I spotted
what has to be a record of some kind. All 15 Pine Bluff players
committed at least one turnover, 41 overall. As for the Sooners,
11 different players had a steal (26 for the game).
–The World Series shares have been announced. The Florida
Marlins awarded 37 full shares at $306,000 apiece. Goodness,
gracious. That’s a lot of freakin’ money. [Actually, 26 weeks
for the regular season, at $300k per, is $7.8 million, an amount
which tons of players make these days.] The Yankees doled out
39 full shares at $180,000 apiece.
–Speaking of the Marlins, we have to give them credit for
attempting to keep the team together with the signings of Luis
Castillo and Mike Lowell, and possibly Ivan Rodriguez.
Personally, though, I would have kept Derek Lee and let Castillo
go. Cubs fans should be drooling over Lee.
–Orlando’s Tracy McGrady must be thrilled to be on the Magic
these days. Orlando is 1-17 through Wednesday’s play.
–I wish the Knicks would stop being so competitive suddenly. I
wanted to make fun of them all year.
–I realize some football fans across the country must be sick of
hearing how great Jets quarterback Chad Pennington is, but let’s
face it, it’s true – the guy’s been amazing.
Pennington now has 17 regular season starts under his belt, and
along with his 11-6 record over that span he’s completed 67.9%
of his passes for 4,510 yards, to go with 34 touchdown passes
and just 12 interceptions. Plus he’s about the most likeable
athlete you’ll ever see, especially in this era of thugs and
showboaters.
Unfortunately, Pennington is also being compared to Joe
Montana, which isn’t really fair, but let’s take a look at
Montana’s first few years as a starter anyway.
Montana played sparingly his rookie year, 1979, throwing only
23 passes. Then in 1980 he appeared in 15 games, completing
64.5% of his 273 attempts for 1,795 yards, with 15 TD and 9
INT. San Francisco was 6-10, overall.
It was in 1981 that Montana then led the 49ers to their first Super
Bowl as Joe played in all 16 contests, completing 63.7% for
3,565 yards, 19 TD / 12 INT. Montana’s QB ratings were 87.8
and 88.4 those first two years as a starter; Pennington’s is 102.7
for his 17 starts.
Bottom line, the Jets have to win the Super Bowl next year, and
they will!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
–Car and Driver’s Top Ten Automobiles
Acura TSX
Audi S4 Quattro
BMW 3-series / M3
Chevrolet Corvette
Ford Focus
Honda Accord…the official car of StocksandNews
Honda S2000
Infiniti G35
Mazda RX-8
Toyota Prius
If you don’t own one of these, you should be embarrassed. I’d
also think about buying one of the above before your next
holiday party, just to make life easier.
–Folks, I have to level with you on a matter that may be a bit
uncomfortable for some………………………………………..
……………………………………………..I’ve listened to Al
Green’s new CD “I Can’t Stop” twice and I’m disappointed. As
you know, I was really looking forward to this release, but it now
goes into the “Bar Chat Remainders” file, with about 600 other
CDs. Kind of like being on the “Island of Misfit Toys.”
–When will the Beach Boys learn? Keep “Kokomo” out of all
the greatest hits compilations. The song blows.
–Marine biologists at Oregon State now believe that the red sea
urchin can live more than 200 years! Previously, as all of you
were undoubtedly aware of, the estimate was more like 10-15.
So, this means that an urchin alive today possibly saw the
racehorse Peacemaking run two miles in 3:54, a record that then
stood for 30 years (true story), assuming someone was kind
enough to carry the little urchin in a container of seawater out to
the racetrack. Let alone the fact that an urchin alive today may
have greeted Lewis & Clark on November 8, 1805, when they
reached the Pacific. Perhaps the boys then dined on one!
–There has been an incredible lack of news on the bear front in
the New York / New Jersey area ever since the spring, when
bears were wreaking havoc. This has perplexed yours truly for
weeks, but I now realize why the bruins have been hiding. The
bear hunt in New Jersey is about to begin! Next week. In other
words, they’ve been gearing up for the onslaught, preparing
their turf for a big counterattack. Unless you have a better
explanation.
Top 3 songs for the week of 12/7/74: #1 “Kung Fu Fighting”
(Carl Douglas…sucks) #2 “I Can Help” (Billy Swan…
underrated) #3 “When Will I See You Again” (The Three
Degrees…overrated)
College Football Quiz Answers: 1) 6,000 yards – Ron Dayne
(Wisconsin) 6,397…5.7 avg. …1996-99; Ricky Williams
(Texas) 6,279…6.2 avg. …1995-98; Tony Dorsett (Pitt)
6,082…5.7 avg. …1973-76. 2) Winningest teams of the 60s (not
including bowl games): Alabama, 85-12-3; Texas, 80-18-2;
Arkansas, 80-19-1. *Boy, if you got all three, pour yourself a
frosty. You know your college football. 3) Penn State has the
record with 49 consecutive non-losing seasons, 1939-87. 4)
Holy Toledo! Yes, remember, Toledo did win 35 straight, 1969-
71. The AP, which only ranked 20 teams in those days, had
Toledo #12 in 1970’s final poll, #14 in 1971. [Miami’s more
recent streak stopped at 34, in case you were wondering.]
Next Bar Chat, Tuesday. Our ‘exclusive’ on Prohibition
continues, plus Joe Namath and Bachelor’s Three.
