Chicago Cubs Quiz (1901-2003): 1) Last World Series title? 2)
Last Cy Young winner? 3) What three players have had their
uniform retired? 4) What four pitchers were 20-game winners in
the 60s? 5) What pitcher with the initials D.C. threw a no-hitter
in 1960? 6) How many years in a row has Sammy Sosa led the
team in homers? 7) Who was the last N.L. batting champ?
Answers below.
**Phil Chokes!**
Well, he did. Phil Mickelson, that is…in the U.S. Open. Then
again, Retief Goosen is one special golfer. I just hope that
Shinnecock gets to hold another Open in my lifetime. To think it
could have been a lot harder if the wind was blowing at even
normal speed the full week may give those who choose such
things second thoughts. But now having played Baltusrol the
other week, the site of next year’s PGA, I think it will be a better
event than the 1993 Open was there. You’ll certainly see more
uniform rough at B’rol than Shinnecock, of that I’m certain.
Speaking of the PGA, boy am I looking forward to this year’s at
Whistling Straits. That place looks awesome from the pictures
I’ve seen over the years.
Ultra Woman
So I’m reading my Runner’s World (easier to read the magazine
than actually run, by the way) and there’s a story on Pam Reed,
an ultramarathon star. Last year Reed won the Badwater
Ultramarathon, 135 miles, in a time of 28 hours and 26 minutes.
This particular race, if you want to call it that, starts below sea-
level in Death Valley and climbs about 13,000 feet to a trail on
Mt. Whitney. Last year Reed walked 15 of the 135 miles but this
year she hopes not to walk at all. Hell, she had blisters for 95
miles!
But check this out. Here is the 43-year-old Reed’s daily
schedule.
4 A.M. Wakes up to alarm.
5–6 A.M. Runs 6 miles with friend and dog
6-8 A.M. Kids to school
8-9 A.M. Runs 6 miles with dog (same dog)
9 A.M.-1 P.M. Works in home office as Tucson Marathon
director
1-2 P.M. Runs 6 miles, bikes 20 miles, or swims a half mile
2-4 P.M. Drives son to soccer practice, runs 6 miles, drives home
4-11 P.M. Works, makes dinner, has family time
11 P.M.-4 A.M. Sleeps
Good thing she works out of her home because this has to be one
“gamey” smelling woman. I mean, when does she have time to
take a shower?
[I’ve also decided that I’m definitely not going to begin training
for an ultramarathon.]
Ricky Jay
And who is Ricky Jay? He’s the craps dealer / con man Eddie
Sawyer on “Deadwood.” But what a great story Jay is. He’s the
real deal, the world’s greatest sleight-of-hand artist. Now I’m
sorry I’ve been unaware of his off-Broadway shows, especially
since he’s cutting back on these performances. Here’s a sample
of his work, from Neil A. Grauer / Smithsonian magazine.
“While other magicians rely on smoke and mirrors or leggy
assistants or computerized pyrotechnics to distract, the essence of
Jay’s artistry is its disarming directness. In ‘On the Stem’ (his
off-Broadway act), Jay routinely invited an audience member
onto the stage and asked him for a credit card. Jay pulled out his
own wallet and displayed its contents – cash, theater tickets, a
photograph – then placed the credit card in a small yellow
envelope, put the enveloped in his wallet, wrapped a rubber band
around it and gave it to the man, who put it in his pocket. Pause.
Now check the wallet, Jay would instruct. The man took out the
wallet, removed the rubber band and opened it: empty, except for
the envelope. Jay then reached into his own jacket and retrieved
the cash, theater tickets and photo. The man opened the
envelope to find that it contained only a ”Brooklyn Bridge
Ownership” card. Just then, an associate of Jay’s would run
from the back of the theater toward the stage calling out the
man’s name and shouting ‘Telegram!’ He would hand the man
his credit card.”
Jay is also known for tearing up a piece of paper, which then
takes the shape of a butterfly…a real one. Those in attendance
say it’s the most amazing thing they’ve ever seen.
But Jay says his act takes hours of practice before each show and
with his other work (he’s been in 16 movies), his future
Broadway performances will be limited.
Finally, Jay once set the record for throwing a card faster and
farther than anyone. Don’t mess with him.
Fred Parris
Years ago, WCBS-FM in New York asked its listeners to vote on
an all-time top 500 rock and roll list for the station’s 20th
anniversary as the nation’s leading oldies station. Out of
nowhere, at least to me, “In The Still Of The Night” captured the
top slot. Each time CBS has put together a new list since, this
doo-wop tune is still #1.
Shoo doot’n shoo be doo
Shoo doot’n shoo be doo
In the still of the night
I held you, held you tight
‘Cause I love, love you so
Promise I’ll never, let you go
In the still of the night…
The song was recorded by Fred Parris and The Five Satins in a
church basement in New Haven, Connecticut, 1956. Parris is
still around today, performing in reunion shows, but he recently
told Neil Amdur of Smithsonian how the tune came about.
Parris met Marla, the girl of his dreams, at an amusement park in
West Haven, Connecticut, in May 1954. “Destiny prevailed,”
Parris recalled. “I couldn’t believe my luck.” He and Marla got
engaged and when Fred enlisted in the Army in 1955, she moved
in with Parris’s family.
Amdur: “After spending a weekend with her in Connecticut, the
young soldier spent the entire train ride back to Philadelphia,
where he was stationed, thinking about ‘how we met, the good
times, that day in May.’ He goes on. ‘When I arrived at camp, I
went straight to the day room. There was a piano there and I
started playing the chord in my head and the words in my heart.
Before I realized it, it was time to go to guard duty. It was a
cold, black night, and the stars were twinkling. The setting was
very apropos for my feelings and emotions.’”
“Alas,” Amdur writes, “that Connecticut weekend would be the
couple’s last together. That winter, Marla yielded to her
mother’s pleas to join her in California. The couple saw each
other only one more time.”
Stuff
–June 21, 1904…At the Republican National Convention in
Chicago, Secretary of State John Hay announces that he has sent
a telegram to the Moroccan government reading: We Want
Perdicaris Alive or Raisuli Dead.
[An American named Ion H. Perdicaris had been kidnapped in
Morocco the previous month by an outlaw named Raisuli.]
Soon afterward Perdicaris is released unharmed. 100 years later
this kind of crap is still going on, except for the happy ending.
[American Heritage]
–So one of the big questions in New York over the next year will
be ‘Is Phil Jackson going to coach the Knicks come the 2005-06
season?’ After a year’s sabbatical, I bet Jackson will be itching
to take one more bow and he has long said New York is the only
job he would take if he left L.A. [In case you missed it, Jackson
announced he’s finished with the Lakers, as is Kobe and
evidently Shaq.]
–And I was remiss the other day in not giving Detroit Pistons
owner William M. Davidson proper credit. He paid $7 million
for the team back in 1974 so I imagine he has a nice profit when
he chooses to cash in, which I hope is soon because Mr.
Davidson is 81 and he ought to enjoy the loot, know what I’m
sayin’? Then again, he owns the Stanley Cup Champion Tampa
Bay Lightning and the current WNBA titleholders the Detroit
Shock. And according to Business Week, Davidson does the
right thing with his charity dollars, unlike some dirtballs I write
of elsewhere on this site.
–I was looking at a list of holes-in-one at the U.S. Open, of
which there have been only 7 since 1995 (including this year)
and there he was, my Wake Forest classmate (1980) Gary
Hallberg.
I was at Shinnecock for the 1995 Open and followed Hallberg for
a few holes. As he approached a par-3, I got in line for a hot
dog. The line wasn’t moving as fast as I expected and then I
heard “ROAR!” Oh no, I thought. Did he? Yes, Hallberg had
aced the hole and I missed it. But I ran over to the chute
connecting the next tee and at least got to high-five him. [Come
to think of it, that was about his last highlight on the PGA Tour.]
–In this year’s 3rd round at the Open, J.J. Henry shot an 86 with
only one par. The USGA doesn’t keep track of such things but
as one official said this has to be the only time in Open play this
has ever occurred. Henry had 10 bogeys, 3 doubles, a triple, 3
birdies and the par. [Shinnecock is a par 70]
–Billy Mayfair’s card at Shinnecock…70-70-81-89. At one
point he was minus 2…then finished +30.
–Jeff Maggert is pretty amazing in the Open. 7 top tens in his
last 11 starts.
–50-year-old Jay Haas finished in the top ten, wracking up more
Ryder Cup points in the process. Great story.
–For all the bitching over the course conditions, it needs to be
noted that 1-under won at Shinnecock in 1986 and even par in
1995.
–Yes, I picked Tiger Woods to win the Open, but I did this back
in January. Next year I’m not going to be so foolish. [I have
Justin Leonard winning the British Open next month.] Tiger is
barely top ten in the world these days, present official ranking
excluded.
–Hey Mets fans. It’s great to have Jose Reyes back, and Mike
Cameron finally contributing, but the real story is still in the
minors, though not for much longer. Third baseman David
Wright. This is our true savior.
–Sorry Tigers fans. But my Metsies needed to sweep you guys
this weekend.
–OK…let’s see how your editor is doing with his World Series
picks. What’s this? The Houston Astros are collapsing?
Geezuz, they’re back to 35-33. But my Kansas City Royals are
26-40, a mere 11 games back. No problemo.
–Congrats are in order for the Milwaukee Brewers, off to a super
35-31 start. And how about the job Lou Piniella has done in
keeping Tampa Bay together. They have reeled off 11 in a row!
–Ahem…my 2004 European Championship pick, Czech
Republic, has qualified for the quarterfinal round. Good job by
host Portugal to get to the quarters as well, beating Spain for the
first time since 1981.
–Congratulations to Ken Griffey Jr. for clubbing his 500th home
run. He’s still only 34. 700 may be back in play…if he stays
healthy.
Other Baseball Tidbits…courtesy of Johnny Mac
–Dickie Kerr was the one honest starter on the 1919 Black Sox
and followed up his rookie year with a 21-9 record in 1920.
Then he was a solid 19-17 in ’21 for a decimated ball club.
After Chicago owner Charles Comiskey turned down Kerr’s
request for a $500 raise, Kerr bolted, choosing to pitch
independent league ball rather than play for the Sox.
Kerr proceeded to have a long career as a minor league manager.
In one of his stops, he inherited a 19-year-old pitcher. The kid
was a great athlete but developed arm problems and considered
bagging baseball and going home to the mills. Kerr convinced
him to try the outfield and he quickly became a stellar performer.
So the kid’s wife was pregnant and she went into labor. Dickie
Kerr was running red lights getting her to the hospital, but the
child was born en route. The young player, out of respect for
Kerr, named his first born after him. And so the child was born
Richard (Dickie) Musial, first son of the great Stan the Man.
Musial later bought Kerr a home in Houston after reaching
stardom.
And now you know………the rest of the story.
–1963…Harmon Killebrew and Dick (Dr. Strangeglove) Stuart
are battling for the A.L. home run title. Each had forty heading
into the final three-game set at Fenway (Twins vs. Bosox).
Stuart clubbed a pair of homers, but Killebrew hit five, thereby
beating Stuart 45-42. Asked to comment, Stuart said “He had an
advantage. He got to hit against our staff. Heck, I might have
bombed 10 out.”
–Two shortstops. Average career statistics comprised over a 162
game season.
Player A… .262 BA, .328 slugging, 155 hits, 25 doubles, 4
triples, 2 homers, 50 RBI and 37 steals.
Player B… .273 BA, .356 slugging, 161 hits, 26 doubles, 4
triples, 5 homers, 53 RBI with 24 steals.
Both were great fielders and Player B is still going strong at 37.
But Player B has had the misfortune to play in the same league as
Jeter, A-Rod, Nomar and Tejada.
Player A is Ozzie Smith. Player B is Omar Vizquel. Vizquel
will disappear quickly from the Hall of Fame ballot when he
becomes eligible. It’s a shame.
–June 22 is the anniversary of a rather historic lineup back in
1928. The Philadelphia A’s were playing the New York
Yankees and the A’s fielded seven future first ballot Hall of
Famers. Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Jimmie Foxx, Mickey
Cochrane, Al Simmons, Eddie Collins and Lefty Grove. Cobb,
Speaker and Collins were all at the end of their careers (and 40 or
41 years of age), but it’s still an impressive deal.
–And did you know that Mickey Mantle is the only player to hit
home run #500 in Yankee Stadium and yours truly was there?
Yup, Mother’s Day. Took me mum…though Dad paid since I
was but a 9-year-old back in 1967.
–But wait, there’s more! Greg Maddux suddenly has 295 career
wins, but we all know he has become a 40 pitches and out guy.
Well, maybe 85. Speaking of, David Leonhart had an interesting
piece in the New York Times the other day concerning pitch
count. From 1994-2000, there were about 480 times a season
where the starter threw 120 or more pitches in a game. But for
2001-2003, the average was more like 230 per season. Now we
all know the sport has become overspecialized the last ten years,
but why the sudden change the last few in particular? Studies
now show that when a starter throws more than 120 pitches in a
game his performance suffers the following start. Also, throwing
130 pitches one week and 70 the next is worse than 100 and 100.
–Baseball Anthem.
From Nancy Kriplen / Smithsonian
“On the eve of the 1956 World Series, a sickly, 78-year-old man
lay in his Beverly Hills apartment watching television. The year
had produced a ‘subway series’ – the Brooklyn Dodgers versus
the New York Yankees – and now, on his Sunday night TV
show, Ed Sullivan introduced some stars of the game: Yogi
Berra, Sal Maglie and Hank Aaron.
“As the studio audience applauded, the band played ‘Take Me
Out to the Ball Game’ – no words, just the disarmingly simple,
soft-shoe waltz in the cheerful key of D major that the man in the
bed, Albert Von Tilzer, had composed 48 years earlier. After
Sullivan bid his audience good night, Tilzer’s nurse turned off
the TV and tucked him in for the evening. Sometime before
morning, Von Tilzer died. It is nice to think that the final
melody the old man heard was his own.”
Bet you didn’t know that one, folks. I certainly didn’t. Von
Tilzer’s lyricist, by the way, was Jack Norworth. Norworth said
he got the idea for the song from an advertisement he saw while
riding a New York City subway. Neither had evidently seen a
baseball game. Von Tilzer finally saw one in the 1920s,
Norworth not until 1940; though Norworth became so hooked he
helped start Little League Baseball in Laguna Beach, California.
Top 3 songs for the week of 6/17/78: #1 “Shadow Dancing”
(Andy Gibb) #2 “You’re The One I Want” (John Travolta &
Olivia Newton-John) #3 “Baker Street” (Gerry Raftery…great
beginning, lousy thereafter)
Chicago Cubs Quiz Answers: 1) Cubbies last won the Series in
1908. 2) Greg Maddux is the last Cubs pitcher to win the Cy
Young award, 1992. 3) Retired uniforms: Ernie Banks, #14;
Bill Williams, #26; Ron Santo, #10. 4) 20-game winners in the
60s: Fergie Jenkins (’67, ’68, ’69…also ’70-’72), Bill Hands
(1969), Dick Ellsworth (1963), and Larry Jackson (1964… 24-11
with a 76-86 team…not too shabby). 5) Don Cardwell threw a
no-hitter in 1960. 6) Sammy Sosa has led the Cubs in homers
from 1993-2003. 7) Bill Buckner was the last to win a batting
championship, .324 in 1980.
Next Bar Chat, Thursday.
