NCAA Football Quiz: The other day I had a story on football
dynasties, using five years as an appropriate period. So, for
Nebraska, 1993-97 [a time when the school won 2 national titles
and was a cumulative 60-3], name the three who quarterbacked
during this period.
A Fan’s Rant
I know I’ve said this before, but I cried like a baby after the Mets
lost Game 7 of the 1973 World Series. That was about as bad as
I’ve ever felt about a team. But this year’s train wreck was
different. Let’s face it, what the Mets did the past few weeks
was simply the biggest choke since Goliath lost to David.
Because of the way this column is put together, from a time
standpoint, you’re going to have to allow me to carry forward the
telling of the 2007 disaster to Thursday’s chat. Just this morning,
I printed out over 100 pages of stories. Actually, just as in when
Chris Paul abandoned my Wake Forest Demon Deacons before
we could achieve true greatness, you’re going to be hearing
about the ’07 Mets for years to come. In fact, last week, sensing
what was about to happen, I took down the Web address,
“metsblow.com,” which is going to be my platform for insuring
that future fans of the game know this story, FOREVER! [Be
patient, I have a seven day a week job as it is and I want to do
this right.]
But here’s my take for now. All year I’ve been writing of the
New York Mets that they were the biggest underachievers any of
us fans had ever seen. After virtually every game all year, my
good friend Johnny Mac and I exchanged notes and more often
than not they were punctuated with stuff like “I can’t believe
how much this team sucks,” or, “why do we care about these
guys, they clearly don’t care about us.”
Back in the 1980s, specifically ‘84-‘86, the Mets rose from the
depths to have a truly exciting run. [1987-88 was a different
story, even if the records were OK.] They played super baseball,
had the swagger, and backed it up. Everyone knew they also
partied hard after the games (that’s what would catch up to them
later), and yet that was part of their charm. You also got the
sense they cared about the fans. They wanted to play hard for us,
and, for themselves.
But this year’s edition was just the opposite, and the poster boy
as it turned out was that little punk, Jose Reyes. If nothing else
I’m consistent and the second half of the season I kept saying he
was the most overrated shortstop in America. Turns out he
proved it.
Trade the SOB…now. I promise you, Mets fans, we’d be far
better off ridding ourselves of this cancer today, regardless of
what he does elsewhere. I despise this guy for the way he
performed. And if you’re wondering where the venom comes
from, and you aren’t in the New York viewing area, just
understand the entire second half he played like s—. The
number one offense for any player, as far as the manager and the
fans are concerned, is when you don’t hustle and someone
flipped a switch inside that little a-hole’s head and he didn’t even
give his teammates, let alone us, 70% the last two months in
particular.
Next time I’ll include the comments of those who cover the team
for a living. The beauty of Bar Chat, and another column on this
site, is that we’re documenting history for the ages…and this
Mets collapse was certainly one worthy of such treatment.
I’ll always be a Mets fan, but that doesn’t mean I have to watch
every game, each year, like I did this past one. These overpaid
choke artists not only let us, the city, and themselves down…
they wasted a ton of our time.
Good riddance, 2007 Mets. You absolutely sucked!
—
Richard Brodhead…dirtball
Duke University President Richard Brodhead, one of the true
dirtballs of this or any era, finally apologized to the Duke
lacrosse team and the players wrongfully accused of raping that
idiot stripper in March 2006. Speaking Saturday at the law
school, Brodhead said:
“Given the complexities of this case, getting the communication
right would never have been easy. But the fact is that we did not
get it right, causing the families to feel abandoned when they
were most in need of support. This was a mistake. I take
responsibility for it and I apologize….
“Duke needed to be clear that it demanded fair treatment for its
students. I took that completely for granted. If anyone doubted
it, then I should have been more explicit, especially as the
evidence mounted that the prosecutor was not acting in
accordance with the standards of his profession.”
What a disingenuous a-hole. I hope the students, their families,
and former coach, Mike Pressler, clean up in any suits against the
school. Why Brodhead is still at Duke is a disgrace.
Dave Clark Five
I vowed after last spring’s debacle at the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame Induction Ceremony not to ever give a damn about this
event…but I lied.
Once again, the DC Five, who as documented in these pages
were totally screwed by Rolling Stone’s Jann Wenner, are among
the nominees, along with Madonna, The Beastie Boys, John
Mellencamp, Donna Summer, the Ventures and Chic.
What’s total BS is how the Hall of Fame has stretched the
definition of the genre. I love the Hall in Cleveland, myself, and
will be going back before year end to see some exhibits on the
Beach Boys and the Who, but Chic! And of course you can say
the same of Madonna and Donna Summer. Plus Metallica, Kiss,
and Jethro Tull were once again snubbed.
But the other day I Googled “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
nominees” to double-check the date for next year’s ceremony
and came across “Blogcritics” and the thoughts of one Brad
Laidman.
“Dave Clark Five – Whoever nominated them has been sniffing a
ton of glue.”
Oh, there is so much I want to say about this comment, and the
author. For now, what you all need to know is I gave in. I
booked my room at the Waldorf for next March 10. As buddy
“Double Play” reminded me, “If you went last year, you have to
go this time because of the crowd that would surround Madonna
and Donna Summer.” I promise to do a better job of scoping out
the hall and entranceways.
Stuff
–College Football review:
What a Saturday! And it wasn’t supposed to be. Next weekend
was…with match-ups such as Oklahoma-Texas and LSU-
Florida.
Top tens going down: #3 Oklahoma to Colorado; #4 Florida to
Auburn; #5 West Virginia to #18 South Florida (Friday); #7
Texas to Kansas State; and #10 Rutgers to Maryland. Plus
undefeated #13 Clemson lost to Georgia Tech.
New AP Top Ten
1. LSU*
2. USC*
3. California*
4. Ohio State*
5. Wisconsin*
6. South Florida!!!*
7. Boston College*
8. Kentucky*
9. Florida
10. Oklahoma
16. Hawaii*
17. Missouri*
18. Arizona State*
20. Cincinnati*
23. Purdue*
*Undefeated…the only other undefeated team not in the top 25 is
UConn…which is 34th. However, if UConn is for real, it has a
chance this coming week in playing Rutgers.
As for the rest….here are the big ones coming up.
USC…at Oregon, Oct. 27; at Cal, Nov. 10; at Arizona State,
Nov. 22.
LSU…Florida, Oct. 6; at Kentucky, Oct. 13
Ohio State…Purdue, Oct. 6; Wisconsin, Nov. 3; at Michigan,
Nov. 17 [could be a real sleeper…funny to say that of this
contest, but true]
Kentucky…this Thursday night at South Carolina
South Florida…at Rutgers, Oct. 18
Other tidbits:
One of the best stories of the early season keeps getting better;
that being former Wake Forest quarterback Ben Mauk’s
performance at the helm of undefeated Cincinnati. Recall, since
Mauk had graduated from Wake and the school told him he
wouldn’t be the starter should he opt to take his final season of
eligibility this fall, Mauk, an Ohio native, was able to transfer to
Cincinnati and not have to sit out a year. Missing one game (the
third) due to injury, Mauk has completed 70% of his passes with
9 TDs and only two interceptions in leading the surprising
Bearcats to their 5-0 start.
Bad loss for Penn State (3-2) to Illinois (4-1). Early this year it
looked like Joe Paterno was back.
Maryland’s win, along with Florida State’s victory over #22
Alabama, was a lift for the struggling ACC.
I didn’t realize you could still play on the soccer team and kick
for the football team these days in Division I. Clemson’s kicker,
Mark Buchholz, assisted on two goals in Clemson’s loss to Duke
Friday night, then blew four field-goal attempts in Clemson’s 13-
3 loss to Georgia Tech. He says he wasn’t tired, and he did have
the leg on kicks ranging from 30 to 50 yards, but you can’t tell
me fatigue didn’t have something to do with the accuracy.
Notre Dame is 0-5 after losing to 5-0 Purdue. Ha! Hey, Charlie.
How the slacks fittin’?
Since Wake Forest, idle this week, defeated Maryland, and since
Maryland defeated Rutgers, that means Wake would kick
Rutgers’ butt.
[And Wake Forest men’s soccer remains #1 in the country!]
In defense of Rutgers (because I’m bound and determined to
report all sides), Rutgers English Professor William C. Dowling
is now a “dirtball of the year” candidate for his remarks to the
New York Times concerning a new book of his that blasts big-
time athletics in general and Rutgers football in particular.
“If you were giving the scholarship to an intellectually brilliant
kid who happens to play a sport, that’s fine. But they give it to
functional illiterates who can’t read a cereal box, and they make
him spend 50 hours a week on physical skills. That’s not
opportunity. If you want to give financial help to minorities, go
find the ones who are at the library after school.”
The school’s president and athletic director fired back,
considering that in the last survey of the 119 major football-
playing schools, Rutgers ranked No. 7 nationally in the
Academic Progress Rate and has a cumulative GPA of 2.7,
which is 0.7 better than your editor’s.
Shu, Elon grad, was proud his school only lost to Appalachian
State 49-32. But I didn’t realize App. State lost the previous
week to Wofford! Wassup with dat?!
Not for nothing, but check out your editor’s first weekend for his
football picks….
Hawaii, giving 25 ½ to Idaho…WIN…48-20
Louisville, giving 9 to N.C. State…WIN…29-10
Tulane, taking 40 vs. LSU…WIN…9-34
Clemson, giving 3 to Georgia…LOSS…3-13
3-1 !!!
Now most of you bet the recommended $40,000 to $50,000 a
game, so you netted at least $80,000. Not bad…not bad at all.
Personally, I plopped down $64,900 per game and picked up
$129,800 for my efforts. Stay tuned for next week’s selections
as part of Thursday’s chat.
And now…a look back at some of our EXCLUSIVE early
predictions on the baseball season. Only Bar Chat’s computers
can take the first week of play (BC 4/9) and project out to such
incredible accuracy.
For example…
I had the Phils’ Ryan Howard hitting 8 home runs. He had 47.
[Mark R. said he’d have 42.] Just a slight miss on my part.
I said Barry Bonds would not only not beat Aaron’s record, but
that he’d tear up the clubhouse and be booted off the team, the
day after which he’d be indicted. Missed this one.
I said Minnesota’s Johan Santana would win all 33 of his
starts…alas, he went 15-13. I can at least hold my head up high.
I thought Derek Jeter, after three errors in his first five games,
would commit 74. Instead, he finished with 18. Again, slight
miss.
I said Jose Reyes would have 89 triples. He had 12.
I thought the Mets would win 139, they won 88.
I thought the Washington Nationals would go 14-148, but they
shocked the world and finished 73-89.
And I figured the Pirates, after a 4-2 start, would end up 133-29.
Missed only by half. They were 68-94.
I said David Wright would hit .295, but with only 2 HR and 23
RBI. Wright got his power stroke back and went 30-107, .325.
[He was one of the few positives this year.]
But when it comes to A-Rod, I wasn’t far off. I said he’d finish
with 87 HR and 243 RBI. Well wouldn’t you know he had 54-
156, with 143 runs scored; one of the truly great seasons of all
time, as much as it pains me to write this. His 156 RBI were the
most by an infielder since Vern Stephens had 159 for the Red
Sox in 1949, and most by a Yankee since Joe DiMaggio’s 167 in
1937.
I also had the Yankees going 62-99, but they ended up 94-68.
All in all, not a bad effort, I think you’d agree.
A few other more important bits.
He did it…Philadelphia’s Jimmy Rollins got a triple in his last at
bat to join Detroit’s Curtis Granderson in the ultra-exclusive 20-
20-20-20 club (doubles, triples, homers, stolen bases). Rollins
was just the fourth. Back on 9/17, I said if the Phils get into the
playoffs, he should be the MVP. He will be. [Rollins was also
the first in baseball history with 200 hits, 15 triples, 25 homers
and 25 steals, plus he broke Willie Wilson’s single season at bat
mark of 705. Rollins ended up with 716.]
Arizona’s Micah Owens went 20-for-60 at the plate with 4 HR
15 RBI. He’s a pitcher.
What a year for Detroit’s Magglio Ordonez…216 hits, 54
doubles, 28 homers, 139 RBI, and a batting title, .363.
One of the big surprises was Tampa Bay’s Carlos Pena with 46
homers and 121 RBI.
What a great job by Colorado down the stretch.
And 41-year-old Moises Alou hit .341, thus surpassing the great
Stan Musial, whose .330 at the same age (minimum 250 at bats)
had been the record. Congratulations, Moises. Like David
Wright, you were one of the few bright spots on an otherwise
Pathetic Mets squad.
The Yankees’ Bobby Abreu had 22 RBI in his first 51 games and
79 in his final 107. He also stole his 25th base in the final game,
his fifth season with 25 steals and 100 RBI. Only Barry Bonds
(8) and Honus Wagner (6) have more.
–Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie broke the world record in the
marathon Sunday, winning the Berlin Marathon in 2 hours, 4
minutes, 26 seconds; besting the mark by 29 seconds.
Gebrselassie is a two-time Olympic champion in the 10,000-
meters.
–Green Bay quarterback Bret Favre is the new career leader in
touchdown passes with 422, besting Dan Marino’s 420. Favre is
also catching up in the career yardage category with 58,705 to
Marino’s 61,361. And Favre extended his record for regular
season wins to 151. But, not only is Peyton Manning going to
obliterate the record book, football’s career marks hold little
meaning with yours truly due to the fact so many of the greats
played under 12- or 14-game regular season schedules vs.
today’s 16.
Of import to Green Bay is their surprising 4-0 start. And could
Detroit be playing a meaningful Thanksgiving Day game? Why
they are 3-1. And my pick to go all the way, San Diego, is 1-3!!!
Geezuz, guys. Get your friggin’ act together.
Finally, the Giants tied an NFL record by sacking Philadelphia’s
Donovan McNabb 12 times in their win. Osie Umenyiora had a
club-record six sacks. My Jets, 1-3, are playing for the #1 draft
pick.
–SHARK ATTACK!
This just in… “A young woman was killed in a shark attack
while swimming off the Loyalty Islands archipelago in French
New Caledonia on Sunday, police said.
“The 23-year-old victim, who had headed out with a friend for an
early morning swim, bled to death after suffering a deep shark
bite from knee to hip.
“Her friend swam ashore to ask local tribesmen for help, but they
were too late.
“An analysis was under way to determine which species of shark
was responsible for the attack.” [Agence France Presse / Sydney
Morning Herald]
Incidentally, sports fans, New Caledonia is next to Vanuatu. I
expect the International Shark Attack File folks in Florida to
once again fudge their records, however.
–The War on Terror has taken on a new dimension. On
Saturday, a bird dive-bombed an AirTran Airways flight from
Philadelphia to Atlanta shortly after takeoff, cracking the
windshield, injuring the co-pilot, and forcing the plane to make a
hasty return. Understand this was ten minutes after takeoff, so
the bird had clearly been doing earlier reconnaissance. One also
can’t help but wonder if it was tipped off by an insider in the
control tower.
–Uh oh… “Ranchers and farmers fighting the nation’s largest
population of feral hogs could soon be trying to ward off twice as
many of the tusked, field-shedding animals.”
It turns out the record rains in Texas, and thus ample vegetation,
could lead to a doubling of the state’s estimated 2 million hogs!
Sows annually have up to two litters a year of four to eight pigs,
but today, Kirby Brown of the Texas Wildlife Association, says
“We are seeing an absolute explosion.” [Betsy Blaney / AP]
While feral pigs are found in 38 states, Texas has half the
nation’s population. In case you needed reminding, these
monsters can reach 400 pounds or more and are capable of
hurling you some 600 feet in the air.
We need to start negotiations, right quick, or they could overrun
the country. I’m thinking press them into border control service.
Pen them inside the double wall we have in some spots and…
presto! No more illegal immigrants!
[Immigration control advice…another free feature of Bar Chat.]
–This one I just find hard to believe, but Phil Mercer of the BBC
reported the following:
“Three homesick crocodiles in Australia have shocked experts by
returning hundreds of kilometers to their homes after being
relocated. The discovery was made after tracking devices were
attached to the reptiles….
“Researchers said the results of their study were ‘staggering.’
“ ‘We often thought crocodiles tired very quickly but here we
show very clearly that they are capable of moving long distances
for days on end,’ added Professor Craig Franklin, from the
University of Queensland.
“One large croc was trapped on the west coast of Queensland’s
rugged Cape York Peninsula. It was flown by helicopter to the
east coast. Within three weeks it was back home, after a journey
of more than 400 km (250 miles). The other crocs in the
experiment did exactly the same….
“Professor Franklin said crocodiles probably used many factors
such as their position to the Sun, magnetic fields, sight, and smell
to navigate.
“ ‘Crocodiles are more closely related to birds than they are any
other reptile so they are possibly using navigation systems
similar to birds,’ Franklin added.”
Ah ha! Now it’s all coming together. And the only conclusion
you can make is most worrisome, given the above story on the
suicide bird. Crocs and the Nazgul are working together, with
crocs acting as GPS beacons, in part. And now we know why
birds sit on crocs…they are getting valuable information.
–As if all the above wasn’t enough, Brad K. first passed along
the story on the brain-eating amoeba found in lakes in various
states, and then countless newspapers had Chris Kahn’s AP tale
that is more than a bit disconcerting.
Six boys and young men have been killed this year by an amoeba
that “enters through the nose and attacks the brain where it feeds
until you die.”
Michael Beach, a specialist for the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, says “This is a heat-loving amoeba. As water
temperatures go up, it does better. In future decades, as
temperatures rise, we’d expect to see more cases.”
The amoeba, Naegleria fowleri (nuh_GLEER-ee-uh FOWL-erh-
eye) killed 23 people in the U.S. from 1995 to 2004. Of the six
victims this year, three were in Florida, two in Texas and one in
Arizona.
The Arizona victim, a 14-year-old, picked it up in the shallows of
Lake Havasu, a popular man-made lake on the Colorado River.
“Beach said people become infected when they wade through
shallow water and stir up the bottom.
“If someone allows water to shoot up the nose – say, by doing a
somersault in chest-deep waster – the amoeba can latch onto the
olfactory nerve.
“The amoeba destroys tissue as it makes its way up into the
brain, where it continues the damage, ‘basically feeding on the
brain cells,’ Beach said.”
“People who are infected tend to complain of a stiff neck,
headaches and fevers. In the later stages, they’ll show signs of
brain damage such as hallucinations and behavioral changes,”
said Beach.
“Once infected, most people have little chance of survival.”
The only prevention, according to the CDC, is to avoid
swimming in warm, standing water. If you do, wear a nose clip.
Frankly, why anyone would swim, period, is beyond me. The
amoeba will kill you in lakes, rivers are dirty, and in the ocean,
well, you know the issues here…sharks, stingrays, barracuda,
and leopard seals.
That’s why here at Bar Chat, we prefer to stay on land, sit at a
sidewalk café, and slug beer.
–Look for Mars this week. It will be the closest to us until 2014.
Rising around 11 pm local daylight time, Mars will cover half
the entire sky so I urge you to warn the children. This is not an
actual invasion…repeat…this is not an invasion……….But I’m
keeping one eye open just in case.
–Say it ain’t so! Miss Moneypenny is dead.
Lois Maxwell, who played the role from the first James Bond
movie, “Dr. No,” to 1985’s “A View To A Kill,” passed away at
the age of 80 in Australia.
–Thomas Willcox of South Carolina found a bunch of folders of
old letters in his parents’ closet months ago, stashed them in his
SUV, forgot about them, then decided to take a closer look.
Some were signed by none other than Gen. Robert E. Lee. Three
sold at auction Saturday for $61,000. Total sales for Willcox’s
items were close to $400,000.
In one 1861 letter during the first Battle of Manassas, Sgt. Maj.
William S. Mullins writes, “But shall I tell you now of the
battlefield?…heads off, arms off, abdomens protruding, every
form of wound, low groans, sharp cries…convulsive agonies as
the souls took flight. It is useless to write. I know something of
the power of words to paint and I tell you that a man must see all
this to conceive it.” [Jim Davenport / AP]
Not for nothing, but many of today’s 21-year-olds are incapable
of such prose. [Except for those of you reading this site, it goes
without saying.]
–In recent days, two of the sexiest women in the history of
civilization, Brigitte Bardot, 73, and Anita Ekberg, 76, celebrated
birthdays. Of course it was Ekberg’s famous pose under the
Trevi Fountain in 1960’s “La Dolce Vita” that launched a
thousand ships….or something like that. They at least served as
beacons.
–Wally Parks died, age 94. Who was he? Back in 1951, he
founded the National Hot Rod Association in California as a way
of promoting legal drag racing. The NHRA’s first official race
was held at the L.A. County Fairgrounds in Pomona in 1953, and
a few years later the sport took off.
Ah yes, Don “the Snake” Prudhomme, Tom “the Mongoose”
McEwen, Shirley “Cha-Cha” Muldowney, and the baddest of
them all, “Big Daddy” Don Garlits. ABC’s “Wide World of
Sports” played a large roll in popularizing the sport.
–My brother relayed some great news. Pilsner Urquell now sells
pint cans. According to Harry, “Research shows green glass is
not effective in keeping out light, and Pilsner Urquell in bottles
can sometimes be skunky.” Kinda makes you thirsty, doesn’t it?
–Yeah Brad Pitt is a pretty boy, but he can also act and he is
getting rave reviews for his performance in “The Assassination
of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.” Sean Penn’s movie
“Into the Wild” also looks like a winner. Of course I don’t
actually go to movies. I buy them for future viewing, like maybe
15 or 20 years later. Jeffrey Lyons, my favorite movie critic,
also loved “The Kingdom.” So I’ll buy that one, too. Hell,
maybe we’ll have a Bar Chat Movie Festival in 2022.
–U2 is recording a new album. Producer Daniel Lanois told
Rolling Stone the project is “going great.”
–Rolling Stone listed the Top 25 Music DVDs. The top ten:
1. The Last Waltz
2. Monterey Pop
3. A Hard Day’s Night
4. Woodstock: Three Days of Peace and Music
5. Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
6. Gimme Shelter
7. Wild Style [hip-hop]
8. Stop Making Sense [Talking Heads’ tour]
9. Purple Rain
10. No Direction Home [Bob Dylan and the Band, 1966 show]
Personally, RS has “Elvis: ’68 Comeback Special” at No. 15.
This is top five!
–Pamela Anderson is ready to marry again….time for me to get
a haircut. Oops, too late. She’s marrying Rick Salomon, who “is
best-known for making a sex videotape with his then-girlfriend
Paris Hilton and was previously married to actress Shannen
Doherty.” Pam, you can do better!!!!
Top 3 songs for the week 10/4/69: #1 “Sugar, Sugar” (The
Archies)#2 “Jean” (Oliver) #3 “Little Woman” (Bobby Sherman)
…and…#4 “I Can’t Get Next To You” (The Temptations) #5
“Hot Fun In The Summertime” (Sly & The Family Stone…they’ll
be playing this one 200 years from now) #6 “Everybody’s Talkin’”
(Nilsson) #7 “Easy To Be Hard” (Three Dog Night…their best)
#8 “Honky Tonk Women” (The Rolling Stones) #9 “This Girl Is
A Woman Now” (Gary Puckett and the Union Gap…their best,
too) #10 “Green River” (Creedence Clearwater Revival)…one
of the more interesting top tens you’ll see in terms of the mix.
NCAA Football Quiz: Nebraska, 1993-97: QBs –
1993…11-1…Tommie Frazier
1994…13-0…Brook Berringer / Frazier
1995…12-0…Frazier
1996…11-2…Scott Frost
1997…13-0…Scott Frost
It’s interesting…these were not superstar players, in the truest
sense of the word, but aside from having great supporting casts,
including running backs like Lawrence Phillips and Ahman
Green, they were obviously winners.
Next Bar Chat, Thursday a.m. More on the Mets…like a lot
more.
