Sports Quiz: The Atlantic Monthly magazine has a story in its
December 2006 issue titled “They Made America,” 100
influential figures. Name the two sports figures on the list.
Answer below. [Yes, this is highly subjective, but you can argue
about the conclusions.]
Beware Animal Gifts
So, are you thinking of giving that special someone a hamster for
Christmas? Read on.
As reported by Margaret Ebrahim and John Solomon of the AP,
more than 650 million critters – from kangaroos and kinkajous to
iguanas and tropical fish – were imported legally into the United
States in the past three years, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service documents obtained by The Associated Press under the
Freedom of Information Act….
“Countless more pets – along with animal parts and meats – are
smuggled across the border as part of a $10 billion-a-year
international black market, second only to illegal drugs.
“Most wildlife arrive in the United States with no quarantine and
minimal screening for disease. The government employs just
120 full-time inspectors to record and inspect arriving wildlife.
There is no requirement they be trained to detect diseases.”
Goodness gracious.
“ ‘A wild animal will be in the bush, and in less than a week it’s
in a little girl’s bedroom,’ said Darin Carroll, a disease hunter
with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
This is a problem. Scientists fear all manner of bacteria and
viruses will jump from animals to humans.
“Zoonotic diseases – those that jump to humans – account for
three quarters of all emerging infectious threats, the CDC says.
Five of the six diseases the agency regards as top threats to
national security are zoonotic.”
The Journal of Internal Medicine estimates 78,000 people
worldwide have died after catching something; like Hantavirus,
which is carried by rodents and can cause death. Hantavirus has
killed 93 in America since 1996.
“More than 770 people have been sickened since 2000 with
tularemia, a virulent disease that can be contracted from rabbits,
hamsters and other rodents. At least three people have died.”
Did I ever tell you how as a kid I was put in charge of watching
my brother’s hamster one weekend while he was away, and I
forgot about it? Let’s just say it was kind of a nasty scene when
Big Brother returned. Something about lack of water. But I
digress.
“More than 210,000 Americans were sickened between 2000 and
2004 with salmonella, and at least 89 died.” Remember, those
nasty little turtles we all used to have as pets are major carriers of
salmonella. I named mine after Bud Harrelson and Ron
Swoboda of the Mets. Then one day Ron ate Bud. I guess I
forgot to feed them, too.
This is gross. “Carroll, the disease hunter…has traveled the
globe tracing the origins of a monkeypox outbreak in 2003 that
sickened dozens of adults and children in the U.S. Midwest.
“That disease, related to smallpox, is believed to have spread to
people from rodents imported from Africa as pets.”
“Another newly discovered threat involves a current rage among
exotic pet owners: a small carnivorous mammal with sharp teeth
called a kinkajou. The nocturnal, tree-dwelling animals
originally from Central and South America’s rain forests have a
dangerous bite – as Paris Hilton recently learned.” [Hilton
landed in an emergency room this summer after her pet kinkajou
bit her.]
Of course the biggest threats in the last few years have to do with
bird flu, SARS, and Ebola.
And if you’re thinking of getting a macaque (a monkey), think
twice. 80 to 90 percent of adult macaques carry the herpes B
virus, which can cause severe neurological damage or death.
“In 1997, a 22-year-old researcher at Emory University’s
National Primate Research Center in Atlanta died from herpes B
virus weeks after a caged monkey splashed something in her
eye.”
Yeesh.
Stuff
–So who are Atlantic Monthly’s Top Ten most influential
Americans?
1. Abe Lincoln 2. George Washington 3. Thomas Jefferson 4.
FDR 5. Alexander Hamilton 6. Ben Franklin 7. John Marshall
8. Martin Luther King Jr. 9. Thomas Edison 10. Woodrow
Wilson.
This may shock you…it did me. Ulysses S. Grant is #12. “He
was a poor president, but he was the general Lincoln needed; he
also wrote the greatest political memoir in American history.”
–The Baseball Hall of Fame ballots went out the other day and
the results are to be announced on Jan. 9. First-timers Tony
Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. are locks to get in this go ‘round, but
all eyes will be on the vote total for steroid muncher Mark
McGwire. The AP surveyed 20% of eligible voters and only
one in four who gave an opinion plan to vote for McGwire this
year; 75% being needed for enshrinement.
“There is a clause on the ballot indicating that character should
be considered and after his nonperformance at the congressional
hearings his character certainly comes into play,” said the
Dayton Daily News’ Hal McCoy. Like others, McCoy’s big
problem with McGwire is his stonewalling on the issue,
especially when he told Congress “I’m not here to talk about the
past.” “He doesn’t want to talk about the past?” asked McCoy,
“Then I don’t want to consider his past.”
McGwire finished his career with 583 home runs and 11 of the
15 Hall of Famers with 500 were elected on the first ballot; the
exceptions being Mel Ott (third ballot), Harmon Killebrew
(fourth ballot), Jimmie Foxx (fifth ballot) and Eddie Mathews
(sixth ballot). McGwire will have up to 15 years to get in as long
as he continues to receive 5% of the vote each time.
I’ll take a stab at it and say McGwire ends up with 48%. I
certainly wouldn’t vote for the guy, at least this first time, if for
no other reason than to send a message.
Meanwhile, I’m partial to seeing Bert Blyleven get in. He
received 53.3% last time and this is his 10th year on the ballot.
Jim Rice (13th year) and Goose Gossage (8th year) each received
64% last year, so it will be interesting with all the votes going for
Gwynn and Ripken whether their own percentages go up any
further.
–Big game in New Jersey this Sunday…Giants – Cowboys.
After the Tennessee collapse the New York press is divided on
the fate of coach Tom Coughlin. I kind of like the guy, and feel
sorry for him because there has to be nothing worse than having
to deal with today’s prima donna athletes. Coughlin is getting
some heat for “humiliating” rookie Mathias Kiwanuka on
television after the defensive end failed to wrap up Vince Young
on a key play late in Sunday’s game. What the heck was
Coughlin supposed to do? Pat him on the head?
Meanwhile, here’s the New York Post’s Steve Serby’s take on
loser Eli Manning.
“What, Eli Worry? There are plenty of Giants fans who would
trade Eli Manning for Tony Romo or Philip Rivers or Ben
Roethlisberger in a heartbeat today. But while Manning is in the
eye of a tsunami that threatens to wash the Giants season away,
he refuses to blink.
“ ‘My teammates know this is not gonna affect me. We’ve been
through tough times, I’ve been through tough times here before,
and I’m gonna keep competing, I’m gonna keep going out there
and giving my all and try to make plays and just try to put this
team in a situation to win,’ Manning said.
Serby:
“He has forgotten how to do that….
“I asked him if he thinks he is in a slump.
“ ‘No, I don’t think I’m in a slump,’ Manning said. ‘We just
gotta figure out a way to win games.’
“Two fourth-quarter interceptions Sunday. Two interceptions
against the Jaguars. Two interceptions against the Bears.
“Slump? What slump?”
Geezuz, Manning sucks.
But you know who had a good observation on Eli? Joe Namath.
The New York Times’ William Rhoden interviewed Namath at
last Sunday’s Jets game and Joe Willie said this of Eli (before the
catastrophic Giants loss later in the day).
“I believe the only problem that Manning is having, other than a
bad game or two, is the way he looks. There’s so much more
that it seems he could express emotionally, but he’s so under
control and tries to maintain his control so much, he doesn’t have
the facial expression of a guy that’s hot, of a guy that’s happy.”
Bang on, Joe. In other words, he’s no Tony Romo!!!!
–Now I always thought Chicago’s Ben Wallace was a good guy
(influenced heavily by all the puff pieces on him), but there is no
better example of the current sports scene and the total lack of
respect for authority exhibited by today’s athlete than what
Wallace did the other night.
From ESPN.com and the Chicago Tribune:
“Ben Wallace knew he wasn’t supposed to wear a headband, and
he’s not sorry.
“ ‘If you know the rules and break them, you expect to be
punished. I can’t try to put myself above the team or anybody
else and wear a headband like I did. I’m man enough to take the
punishment. But I’m not sorry.’”
Huh?
Here’s the deal. The Chicago Bulls have a policy against
wearing headbands and Wallace was benched Saturday during a
win over the hapless Knicks for wearing one. Aside from the
above quote, Wallace said “I just felt like wearing it.”
Now understand he just signed a 4-year, $60 million contract to
play for the Bulls after becoming a star in Detroit. But he’s not
putting himself above the team….right…what a jerk.
–Speaking of jerks, Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick
apologized for flipping off the home fans following the Falcons’
fourth loss in a row.
“I’m sorry and I apologize to all the young kids and to whoever
saw me make that gesture.”
The Washington Post’s Michael Wilbon:
“It’s unthinkable the way things are unraveling for Michael Vick,
so quick the plunge and so ugly the overtones. One week his
coach’s father is agreeing with the assertion that Vick is a ‘coach
killer.’ And the next week Vick, just two years ago the most
beloved person in Atlanta since Henry Aaron, is furiously giving
the middle finger on each hand to the hometown fans who now
boo him and his team as if they were common thieves.
“Even in the fickle world of sports and entertainment we live in,
where today’s hero is next month’s bum, Vick’s free fall is
something of a stunner….
“The star quarterback, the franchise player and face of the only
pro sports team that matters in Georgia, flashed the middle finger
of his left hand, then the middle finger of his right hand. And it
was quite natural, being a son of a Southerner, a black Georgian
no less, to wonder how all of this will play out on different
emotional levels in and around Atlanta, relations and history
being what they’ve been over the decades.”
–Phil W. passed along a story from the Winston-Salem Journal
concerning Sun Ming Ming – an aspiring NBA player currently
living and training in Greensboro, NC. Sun, 23, is kind of tall.
Like 7’ 8 ¾”! Sadly, as you might imagine, Sun has a big
problem with the pituitary gland at the base of his brain. But
Sun’s condition is compounded by the fact he has a tumor near
the gland. [Former NBA player Gheorghe Muresan had a similar
issue.]
Last year, Sun underwent surgery in Los Angeles to remove most
of the tumor, but on Thursday he is to have a second operation at
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center to take out the
rest. What’s scary is it’s next to Sun’s optic nerve so surgeons
are going to attempt to use a “Gamma Knife,” which “uses a
highly concentrated beam of radiation to destroy tumors.” It
turns out that Wake Forest treats one of these kind of patients
every two months.
So we’ll say a little prayer for Sun. If the surgery works he could
have a shot at the big time, where he’d be the tallest player in
history.
–With five games to go, San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson has
scored 24 touchdowns with the NFL record being 28, as set by
Shaun Alexander of Seattle last season. So let’s say Tomlinson
scores two a game and finishes with 34. That would be a record
that could stand for quite a while, sports fans.
–From Smithsonian: On December 2, 1956, the first gorilla born
in captivity made a surprise entrance at Ohio’s Columbus Zoo.
“Colo, the four-pound female Western lowland gorilla, arrives
unexpectedly – a gorilla’s gestation period turns out to be
slightly shorter than a human’s. Now a mother of 3 and
grandmother of 16, Colo is still queen of the Columbus Zoo.
Some 1,000 Western lowland gorillas have been born in
captivity; 94,000 exist, endangered, in the wild.”
[Uh oh…I went to my book “The American Encyclopedia of
Facts and Dates” and it says Dec. 22nd is Colo’s birth date, not
the 2nd! I’m so confused.]
–You’ll be happy to note this is the final week for PICKS TO
CLICK! I’m really sorry everyone is down $750,000 thus far,
but I’m giving myself one last shot at finishing over .500. So
since I’m 13-16-1, I’m going with four games this time.
Take Wake Forest and 2 ½ vs. Georgia Tech
Take California, giving 28 ½ vs. Stanford
Take Florida, giving 2 ½ vs. Arkansas
Take Nebraska and 3 ½ vs. Oklahoma
I’m so confident of winning all four and pulling the season out
that I’m encouraging savvy school age kids to raid their trust
funds.
–Big game for Rutgers at West Virginia. Only one problem;
check out the last few times the Scarlet Knights have traveled to
Morgantown.
2003…L…34-19
2001…L…80-7
1999…L…62-16
1997…L…48-0
1995…L…59-26
1993…L…58-22
Yikes!
–“Game of the Century”…1971…Nebraska 35 Oklahoma 31
Here’s the recap from “Fifty Years of College Football” by Bob
Boyles and Paul Guido.
“Longtime rivals hooked up in contest that was worthy of pre-
game accolades. To stop Sooners (9-1), who averaged NCAA-
record 566 yards per game, Nebraska DEs Willie Harper and
John Adkins were deployed wide in attempt to keep ball away
from HB Greg Pruitt and WB Joe Wylie. Pruitt and Wylie were
significantly negated (only 70 total yards combined), but QB
Jack Mildren produced 267 yards in total offense and 4 TDs, 2
passing. With so much action in the middle of the line,
Cornhuskers NG Rich Glover responded with 22 tackles.
Nebraska (11-0) enjoyed 174 yards rushing and 4 TDs from IB
Jeff Kinney, who ended game with Huskers career rushing
record. Despite number of stars, one player shone most of all.
Nebraska WB Johnny Rodgers opened scoring with amazing
punt RET: With 6 Sooners surrounding him on Huskers 28YL,
Rodgers took high boot by P Wylie, taking a chance that lesser
men would have fair-caught. Pruitt hit Rodgers with hard shot
that spun him away from precarious situation – G Ken Jones was
about to nail him. Several nifty moves later, Rodgers was off on
72 yard TD, with Wylie being bumped aside by Nebraska DB
Joe Blahak. OU wiped out 14-3 deficit as Mildren ran for TD
and teamed up with WR Jon Harrison for TD. It was Huskers’
turn and QB Jerry Tagge led them on two drives resulting in
Kinney TDs for 28-17 lead. Sooners mustered magnificent rally
to regain lead at 31-28 as Mildren ran for score and threw his 2nd
TD to Harrison. Nebraska’s winning march featured more
Kinney and Rodgers. Kinney bulldozed into OU territory, where
drive reached crucial 3rd-and-8. Tagge was forced out of pocket
before throwing to Rodgers, who made incredible catch between
two defenders while sliding to his knees. Kinney crashed off
tackle for winning score six plays later. It truly was a memorable
‘Game of the Century.’”
–Fish Tales
Matt Higgins of The New York Times had a story the other day
on that great game fish, the muskie (muskellunge), which is
found in large lakes and rivers in the Northeast, Midwest and
Canada. Trader George used to regale me with tales of muskie
and their strength; the fish often growing to 4 ½ feet in length.
As Higgins writes:
“Because of their size, and an orthodontist’s nightmare of jagged
teeth, muskies are at the top of the freshwater food chain, even
preying on muskrats and ducks.
“Unconfirmed stories abound of them attacking dogs and
swimmers, too.”
One angler, Marc Arena, said he was fishing on a lake in upstate
New York about eight years ago, reeling in a 10-inch bass, when
a muskie snatched it from his line.
“It was like a lightning bolt,” he said.
Muskies are also exceedingly difficult to catch. Arena once
calculated it took him 12 hours to snag one.
The limit for a catch on Lake Erie is 54 inches. “I could have a
six-foot muskie,” Arena said. “I would let it go. You develop a
level of respect for the fish.”
So I’m reading this and got to thinking, just what is the record
catch?
Cal Johnson…July 24, 1949, Hayward, Wisconsin. 67 lbs. 8 oz.!
Now the book I’m looking at doesn’t give the length, but to put
this in some perspective, Arena talked of reeling in a 43-inch, 20-
pound muskie. Why that means this 67-pounder was like 12-feet
long! [Work with me here.]
Speaking of giant fish, 400 million years ago, long before the
Mets’ Orlando Hernandez was born, a fish 33 feet long plied the
oceans, a sea monster known as Dunkleosteus terrelli, which
according to Mark Henderson of the London Times could inflict
a bite four times more powerful than T-rex.
D. terrelli, as it’s called, could “tear a shark in two with just a
single bite.” The force was said to be 11,000 lbs., vs. 3,000 for
T-rex and only 300 lbs. for a modern shark. [A labrador’s bite is
125 lbs. by comparison).
What a shame D. terrelli isn’t still around to supply us with some
great headlines…let alone bar chat.
“Queen Mary Attacked By D. Terrelli….1000s Feared Dead!”
“Unsuspecting Mexican Cliff Diver Swallowed In Mid-Air By
Leaping D. Terrelli!”
“Chinese Sub…Following USS Kitty Hawk…Destroyed By D.
Terrelli”
“Family Featured In ‘For Better or For Worse’ Cartoon Strip
Wiped Out By D. Terrelli While On Vacation!”
–Regarding this last one, FBOW, wasn’t that the longest car ride
in history after the trial that Liz and Anthony testified in? I mean
it took like four days to go a few miles. As our Lamb illustrator
added, while Anthony deserves a little credit for wrestling the
attacker to the ground, Paul the cop would have blown the
dirtball away. As for the parents, Jeff B. is thinking undiagnosed
stroke and I’m looking at possible Mad Cow. They just aren’t
acting normal. In fact they are being quite irrational in pushing
Liz towards the rapidly aging Anthony who now looks ten years
older than Liz’s father.
–Our sympathies to Southern University and Dartmouth. On
Tuesday night Florida beat Southern 83-27 as Southern shot 10
of 48 from the field; while Kansas defeated Dartmouth 83-32 as
Dartmouth was 12 of 48.
–Mark your calendars… A special on the making of “The Yule
Log” is going to be broadcast on New York’s WPIX/Ch. 11,
Dec. 23 at 7 p.m. I’ll remind you again of this one.
Top 3 songs for the week of 11/28/87: #1 “(I’ve Had) The Time
Of My Life” (Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes) #2 “Heaven Is
A Place On Earth” (Belinda Carlisle) #3 “Mony Mony ‘Live’”
(Billy Idol)…and…#5 “Faith” (George Michael) #7 “I Think
We’re Alone Now” (Tiffany) #10 “Shake Your Love” (Debbie
Gibson)…….just a dreadful decade, but since I had that big piece
a few weeks ago on 60s music, I didn’t want to repeat those
tunes for a while.
Sports Quiz Answer: Two influential sports figures on Top 100
list – Jackie Robinson, #35 [“He broke baseball’s color barrier
and embodied integration’s promise”]; Babe Ruth, #75 [“He
saved the national pastime in the wake of the Black Sox scandal
– and permanently linked sports and celebrity”]
Next Bar Chat, Monday p.m.
