[Posted Sunday PM]
PGA Quiz: Name the following winners of the golf tournament.
1) 1955 and the initials D.F. 2) 1957 and the initials L.H. 3)
1964 and the initials B.N. 4) 1967 and the initials D.J. 5) Jack
Nicklaus won the PGA three times in the 1970s. Who won it
twice during the same period? Answers below.
So I just returned from a little vacation in Bermuda and it’s been
rather hectic since as I then played in my club’s tournament for
lousy golfers this weekend. Last year I lost out in the finals to
Jack “the Viper” Voorhees. This year I started out by whipping
Hank C., a victim in ’04 as well, 7 and 6. I was thus primed for
round two but, alas, I ran into a hot Bill H. who took me out 3
and 2. [Down three with two holes to play.] It’s going to be a
long off-season, sports fans. Will your editor ever win the title
of “Best Lousy Golfer”? Stay tuned.
The War is Finally Over
Following are a few of the thoughts of those who were around on
August 15, 1945, as told to the editors of Smithsonian magazine.
“On the day World War II ended, I had but recently returned
from serving with the 877th Signal Service Company, 9th Air
Force Support Command, in Europe. Now on furlough, I was
lunching with Mrs. Rhoda Chase, an old family friend, at a
Chinese restaurant on Broadway, in Times Square…As we ate,
we casually watched the electric ‘moving’ sign on the Times
News Building, when we read: ‘PRESIDENT TRUMAN HAS
ANNOUNCED JAPAN HAS SURRENDERED
UNCONDITIONALLY. THE WAR IS OVER.’
“People in the restaurant were screaming with joy, hugging each
other, and crowds were gathering in Times Square. Mrs. Chase,
who also had a son in the Army, got up, ran to the bar, and
bought me a fifth of Southern Comfort.
“ ‘Get out of here, Howard,’ she said. ‘This is no time for a
soldier to be sitting around chatting with an old lady. The war is
over. Go celebrate, have fun.’
“I took her advice. I celebrated, and here I am 60 years later, a
husband, father and grandfather whose family includes my
German-born wife, whom I met while serving in Berlin during
my second enlistment (1949-50), and a Japanese daughter-in-
law, married to one of our sons, a Navy SEAL.
“My war is over. Life is good.”
Howard E., California
“During the war, gasoline-rationing stamps were guarded as
carefully as cash. One warm summer day, the few cars that
traveled our country road were incessantly honking. Dare we
hope? We turned on the radio and learned that it was true. The
war was over. My father asked if I wanted to go for a ride with
him, a rare treat. Of course I wanted to go. He drove a few
miles to a country store and gas station. My father snapped his
suspenders for emphasis when he told the owner to ‘fill ‘er up.
And spill a little.’”
Fred M., Iowa
“I heard the news of Japan’s surrender on my car radio. I was on
assignment as a Lockheed Aircraft resident inspector in
downtown Los Angeles. Of course, there was a lot of celebrating
going on in the streets and a great feeling of relief. The other
emotion was ‘now what’? I called my manager at Lockheed and
was told that the plant would be shut down immediately to
regroup and decide on what course to take. Aircraft production
was immediately stopped and layoffs began. Planes were taken
off the assembly line and taken outside to be scrapped. The story
was that they were cut up with radio, instruments, etc., still
intact. Those days were a mixture of joy, relief that the war was
over, and some apprehension.”
Carl W., California
“I was in London when the war ended. A few days before, two
atom bombs had been dropped on two Japanese cities. The word
‘atom’ bomb was beyond our comprehension. I happened to be
on furlough at the time. We were waiting to be deployed to the
Pacific Theater. I had spent several months in France and
Germany prior to the German surrender.
“London went wild at the news of the Japanese surrender.
People poured into the streets. It seemed like everyone was
singing and dancing. Riding down the street, standing in an open
car, was Winston Churchill, flashing his famous ‘V for Victory’
sign and puffing on his ever-present cigar. Three or four of us
decided to leave Trafalgar Square and make our way over to
Buckingham Palace. A huge throng had gathered outside the
palace. Every half hour or so, the royal family would come out
onto the balcony. At that time, the royal family consisted of
King George and Queen Elizabeth and their children, Princess
Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. As they waved, a deafening
roar went up from the assembly below.
“When all the celebrations had ended, we thought about our next
happy occasion: landing on the shores of the good ole USA.”
Urban F., Ohio
—
Raffy
I haven’t had a chance to comment on Rafael Palmeiro’s being
busted for taking steroids, but I’ll let others do the talking.
Tom Boswell, Washington Post:
“Palmeiro is now America’s stock joke, its villain of the week,
its symbol of hypocrisy or stupidity. In this culture, everybody
gets a second chance, provided they come clean about their sins
and take their punishment.
“And everybody also gets the benefit of the doubt. But heaven
help you if, after playing that once-per-lifetime, I-swear-on-a-
stack-of-bibles card, you get nailed.”
Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated:
“Right now, I will not vote for him on the first ballot, and am
unlikely to vote for him subsequently. Every Hall of Fame voter
applies his version of baseball’s ultimate standards to candidates,
and a confirmed steroid cheat does not reach the standards I have
in mind.”
Last week’s poll of Hall of Fame voters taken by ESPN.com
found that 84 of 100 voters surveyed had been planning to vote
for Palmeiro before last week’s revelation. Three said they
wouldn’t, and 13 said they were undecided.
Of the 84 “yes” votes, only 16 said they still planned to vote for
Palmeiro in light of the positive steroid test, 22 said they would
not, and 46 said they were now undecided.
The Star-Ledger’s Sid Dorfman recalled Senator (and Hall of
Famer) Jim Bunning’s own presentation at last spring’s
congressional hearings on baseball and the steroids issue.
“Players who use steroids are cheaters. When I played ball, if
you got caught, whether it was by sharpening your spikes or
corking your bat, you were suspended.
“I never saw a player hit more home runs at age 40 than he was
hitting at age 25. Unlike a good wine, professional athletes
generally do not get better with age. The body breaks down and
you become more prone to injury. You just do not recover as
quickly from the grind of playing day after day.”
What gets me are the legions of fellow ballplayers who defend
Palmeiro and the rest of his ilk, including that phony a-hole,
Jason Giambi, who said of Raffy, “He’s a phenomenal player.
He’s accomplished unbelievable things. It’s just an unfortunate
thing.” Unfortunate thing?
Speaking of Giambi, the Daily News’ Mike Lupica weighed in
yet again.
“After the news about (Palmeiro) hit this week like a force-five
baseball hurricane, Giambi was asked about suspicions still
directed at him.
“ ‘I really don’t care, to be honest with you,’ he told reporters in
Cleveland.
“Then he said, ‘If somebody wants to shortchange (his offensive
production over the last month or so), that’s their problem, not
mine.’ [Ed. Giambi hit a record-tying Yankee record 14 home
runs in July.]
“He ought to care. And it is his problem. Maybe it would be
different if Giambi had ever answered one question honestly
about steroid use, during that period when he nearly tore a rotator
cuff trying to pat himself on the back for being a standup guy for
that February press conference at Yankee Stadium. But he has
never admitted to anything, as a way of protecting his contract
status with the Yankees. A few months ago, the Yankees
couldn’t give him away. Now he is the ‘resurgent Giambi,’
which is the way general manager Brian Cashman referred to
him the other day during a phone conversation we were having.
“They asked Giambi about Palmeiro in Cleveland and this is
what he said.
“ ‘My heart goes out to him and his family.’
“Why?”
As Lupica points out, no matter what Giambi says, there will
always be a doubt as for all we know he could be taking “some
kind of human growth hormone that shows up only in blood
tests, which baseball is not allowed to administer. Or that he is
ahead of the curve with some sort of new designer steroid that is
undetectable in urine tests.”
Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig is proposing tougher penalties
for all players caught using steroids, including a 50-game
suspension for a first offense. But don’t look for the sport’s
union to accept it anytime soon.
Finally, Phil W. passed along some of the comments by new Hall
of Fame inductee Ryne Sandberg, as noted in The New Republic.
“A lot of people say this honor validates my career, but I didn’t
work hard for validation. I didn’t play the game right because I
saw a reward at the end of the tunnel. I played it right because
that’s what you’re supposed to do, play it right and with
respect….
“When we went home every winter, they warned us not to lift
heavy weights because they didn’t want us to lose flexibility.
They wanted us to be baseball players, not only home run hitters
…In my day, if a guy came to spring training 20 pounds heavier
than when he left, he was considered out of shape and was
probably in trouble. He’d be under a microscope and the first
time he couldn’t beat out a base hit or missed a fly ball, he was
probably shipped out. These guys sitting up here (Ed. other Hall
of Famers) did not pave the way for the rest of us so that players
could swing for the fences every time up and forget how to move
a runner over to third; it’s disrespectful to them, to you, and to
the game of baseball that we all played growing up.”
Stuff
–Now Barry Bonds says he’s “optimistic” about playing this
season. The hope here is that he gets bird flu before this
supposed vaccine that was discussed this past weekend can be
formally produced. [Earlier, I assumed the flesh-eating disease
would get him…but unfortunately that hasn’t as yet been the
case.]
–Roger Clemens’ ERA is down to 1.38 after Sunday’s
performance. 4 of the 8 players suspended by major league
baseball this season for testing positive for steroids are pitchers.
Ergo…..
–St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols became the first in
major league history to hit 30 HR in each of his first five
seasons.
–Two months ago, the Oakland A’s and Houston Astros were
buried, dead. Then Oakland went on a 42-13 tear (through
Sunday) while Houston has gone 39-17. Oakland and the
California Angels (or whatever they’re called….does Bobby
Knoop still play for them?) are now tied atop the A.L. West with
64-47 records while my pre-season favorite to win the World
Series, the Minnesota Twinkies, have plunged to 57-54 and are
now 7 games behind in the wild card race. Did I issue the “Bar
Chat Guarantee” with this prediction? Never mind.
–In an absurd ruling, the NCAA is banning the use of American
Indian mascots by sports teams during postseason tournaments,
but for now schools can continue to use them during the regular
season. Committee chairman Walter Harrison said, “What we
are trying to say is that we find these mascots to be unacceptable
for NCAA championship competition.”
As noted in a report for ESPN.com, “at least 18 schools have
mascots the NCAA deem ‘hostile or abusive,’ including Florida
State’s Seminoles and Illinois’ Illini.” In the case of FSU, it has
long had permission from the Seminole tribe in Florida to use the
nickname. But Charlotte Westerhaus, the NCAA vice president
for diversity and inclusion (oh brother) said “Other Seminole
tribes are not supportive.” What other Seminole tribes?
Well, with all this it’s time once again to praise Chief Wahoo of
the Cleveland Indians.
–On the other hand, San Francisco Giants announcer Larry
Krueger is one insensitive dweeb. Following the Giants loss to
the Colorado Rockies last week, Krueger said he was tired of
watching San Francisco’s “brain-dead Caribbean hitters hacking
at slop nightly,” adding “You have a manager in Felipe (Alou)
whose mind has turned to Cream of Wheat.” Ah, Larry? You’ve
just become a candidate for the exclusive Bar Chat “Idiot of the
Year” award.
–Congratulations to 17-year-old Morgan Pressel on winning the
U.S. Women”s Amateur.
–We note the passing of Peter Jennings.
–From a Sports Illustrated poll of 50 Tour players.
“Who’s the biggest underachiever?”
Tie – Charles Howell and Neal Lancaster [After “me”]
“Who’s the biggest overachiever?”
Corey Pavin
“Would you abstain from sex for a year in exchange for a win in
a major?”
Yes 38%…No 62%……….huh………
“Do you know any Tour wives who have had cosmetic surgery?”
Yes 80%…No 20%……….huh………
–It turns out that Ernie Els tore his ACL on his sailing holiday,
but supposedly he will be back playing competitive golf in four
months.
–PGA Tour purses
1994…$56.4 million
2005…$252.3 million
But the four-year television contract expires following the 2006
season and according to Golfweek, the Tour will have to accept
between $85 million and $125 million less than the current $850
million. Which means that purses may finally decline unless
sponsors pick up the difference.
Average viewers in millions…2004 data
NFL………15.4
NASCAR…8.8
PGA Tour…3.8
MLB………3.7
All three major networks have seen their ratings slump for 2003-
2005 vs. 1999-2002 when it comes to golf coverage.
–Boy, you have to hand it to golfer Jason Gore, the darling of
last June’s U.S. Open. I thought he was a flash in the pan and all
he’s done is win his last three Nationwide Tour events which
automatically earns him a trip to the big tour. Great story.
–Researchers have concluded that last year’s Hurricane Ivan
spawned a 90-foot wave in the Gulf. The giant wave was
detected 75 miles south of Gulfport, Miss., by instruments on the
ocean floor. On September 15, as Ivan passed through the area,
146 large waves, including 24 higher than 50 feet and one at 91
feet, were measured, as reported in the current issue of the
journal Science. The 90-footer did not reach land.
–Killer bees have officially reached Louisiana. RUN FOR
YOUR LIVES!!!!!
–LT and I were checking out the Bermuda Maritime Museum
last week and there was an etching with the following
inscription.
“Terrified sailor trying to sooth a sea monster with music and
barrels of beer.”
Great advice, though I would probably stay clear of playing “The
Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” It’s been known to drive sea
monsters crazy.
And there was this 1718 quote.
“A man who went to sea for pleasure would be likely to go to
hell for a pastime.”
And did you realize that it cost just $10 to take a cruise on the
Oceana from the U.S. to Bermuda back in 1910?
Finally, we had the chance to do the Dolphin Quest deal, but I
was convinced they were really sharks dressed in dolphin
costumes; plus the water was full of E. Coli. At least that’s my
story and I’m stickin’ to it.
–So I’m reading this gossip column in Bermuda, one concerning
Jennifer Aniston and her pending divorce from Brad Pitt.
Aniston notes that when it comes to the man with a pea for a
brain, “There’s a sensitivity chip that’s missing.” Ouch!
Top 3 songs for the week of 8/7/65: #1 “I’m Henry VIII, I Am”
(Herman’s Hermits) #2 “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (The
Rolling Stones) #3 “What’s New Pussycat?” (Tom Jones)
PGA Quiz Answers: 1) Doug Ford won in 1955. 2) Lionel
Hebert in ’57. 3) Bobby Nichols in ’64. 4) Don January in ’67.
5) Dave Stockton won it twice in the 70s…’70 and ’76.
*And your EXCLUSIVE PGA prediction….the winner will be,
Adam Scott!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [If you’ve seen me pick him
before, well, err, I’ll eventually be right.]
Next Bar Chat, Thursday.
