NBA Quiz: Name the top five in the league in scoring this season? [Hint: They are the only five averaging over 25ppg. No one is at 24.] Answer below.
Philadelphia-Pittsburgh Super Bowl?
Now that would be cool. As it is, Philly travels to Arizona and Baltimore heads to Pittsburgh. More below.
Wake Forest 92 North Carolina 89
I’m starting to believe. Now let’s see if the Deacs suffer a letdown this week as they hit the road to play Boston College and then next weekend at undefeated Clemson. Coach Dino Gaudio deserves a ton of credit, that’s for sure.
Sporting News’ Seth Greenberg recently sat down with the UCLA coaching great, now 98.
Wooden on today’s college basketball: “I like the game now, but I don’t like the game as much. I have never cared for the showmanship, and I think there is too much showmanship in the game today. While I think the players today are just unbelievable – their athleticism – I don’t think team play is as good as it used to be.”
Wooden on Kareem being 61: “It’s a little difficult to realize. But going further than that, you may or may not know that I’ve been a speaker for the McDonald’s High School All-American Game. Three years ago, it was held in South Bend, (Ind.), where I taught (at Central High School) for nine years. I thought I shouldn’t go, but they wanted me to come very much, and finally I went….They had a luncheon, and they tried to get as many athletes as they could who had played for me at that high school. Twenty-six players. The oldest of them was 88. And I think the youngest was probably 80. That was wonderful.”
Wooden on the fact he won a high school state championship 81 years ago as a player in Indiana. Did he still remember that team? “The year before, we had lost to the championship team. The center of that team – it was Marion High School – was Charles ‘Stretch’ Murphy. He was 6-6, and there was no question he was easily the best player. We both went to Purdue. He was a senior when I was a sophomore, but we got to play together and that was a great thrill for me.”
Wooden on his WW II experience: “I was blessed in many ways…I was sent to Iowa Pre-flight, and I was there for about a year. I had orders to support the USS Franklin, and on my way to report to the Franklin in the South Pacific, I got very sick; I was in a lot of pain in my stomach. They checked me and my appendix had burst, so my orders were canceled. And the fella who took my place on the Franklin was a fraternity brother and a friend of mine. He was killed by a kamikaze. If I hadn’t gotten sick, I probably would have been in the same place that he was.”
Favorite Film: “Goodbye, Mr. Chips – the original (1939). I sure like that one a lot.”
Favorite City: “Abraham Lincoln said, ‘The favorite place is where you are.’ I try to think that way. But I suppose my favorite city may be Martinsville, Ind., where I went to high school.”
Favorite vacation: “New Zealand. I spent three months in New Zealand with Nellie (his late wife). The people, the country – it’s common. And that’s what I like.”
Favorite meal: “I know most people wouldn’t understand it – but sauerkraut and wieners. But only with mashed potatoes and fruit salad.”
Favorite restaurant: “My No. 1 place here in Los Angeles is the Chicken House at Knott’s Berry Farm.”
Wooden on why he has photographs of Abraham Lincoln and Mother Teresa in his home: “Abraham Lincoln is my favorite American, and I have many, many books and pictures of him. And the person who has lived in my lifetime for whom I have the most admiration and respect is Mother Teresa, and I have a lot of pictures and books of her, too.”
Wooden on Lincoln: “I’ve been called by some a common man. Lincoln was a common man. He had love for everybody. He had as much sympathy for the Southerners who had lost their lives as for the Northerners who had lost their lives. And his Gettysburg address is one of the greatest things ever written. And I think his second inaugural address – ‘With malice toward none, with charity for all’ – was really something. At the end of the terrible war, when they were discussing reparations to the South, the Secretary of State, who was critical of Mr. Lincoln, said, ‘You’re supposed to destroy your enemies, not make friends of them.’ And his answer was, ‘Am I not destroying the enemy who I make a friend of him?’ That’s a statement.”
Wooden on whether he thought he’d ever see a black president: “No, I never thought I’d live this long under any circumstances.”
NFL Playoffs…and bits
Boy, Eli Manning laid an egg, didn’t he? He looked dreadful, just like he did before he got on that roll in late ’07 and on into the playoffs. And few fans of the Giants really understood just how important Plaxico was. Without him, the receiver corps is below mediocre.
Once again, Saturday’s contests were more entertaining. I despise the Ravens, especially the dirtiest player in all of football, Terrell Suggs. But you’ve gotta hand it to Baltimore as they beat Tennessee 13-10 despite begin outgained 391-211 (21-9 in first downs).
Then there’s Carolina’s Jake Delhomme. 5 interceptions. My word, that’s awful. And as Daryl Johnston kept saying, four of the throws were atrocious. But how about Larry Fitzgerald’s play the last two weeks? After the win over Atlanta I said Fitzgerald would go down in NFL history as No. 1A to Jerry Rice’s No. 1 when it comes to ranking the greatest wide receivers (if you’re talking post-Don Hutson). He certainly did nothing to disprove that against Carolina. And you have to feel good for Kurt Warner.
I can not believe Eric Mangini landed on his feet so quickly and was hired by the Browns to be their next head coach. Dave Anderson / New York Times:
“Only the Jets. Their banished head coach, Eric Mangini, got a job while they still search for his successor. Then again, they always seem to be searching for a head coach. The next one will be the 17th in their hectic half-century, including two interims but not including Bill Belichick, who for about 24 hours was the ‘h.c.,’ as he described the job before defecting to the Patriots.
“Except for Weeb Ewbank’s three winning seasons before, during and after the 1968 team won Super Bowl III and Bill Parcell’s ascension to 20 minutes from Super Bowl XXXIII, the Jets have seldom been a serious contender. Only Parcells and Al Groh, who succeeded Belichick in 2001, have had winning records. Only five others have had winning seasons: Ewbank, Walt Michaels, Joe Walton, Herman Edwards and, yes, Mangini, now the Cleveland Browns’ coach.”
Overall, the Jets are 331-401-8 in their history, 8-11 in the playoffs. “When the Giants are bad, their fans seem to trust the team will get better. When the Jets are bad, their fans seem to fear the team will get worse.”
Brett Favre continues to torture us Jets fans. He told ESPN, “I don’t feel I have anything else to prove. Do I have to redeem myself for the last five games? No. I could be trying to do that until I’m 60 years old….I’m disappointed with the last five games, sure, but I know I did everything I could have.”
You threw nine interceptions during that time, Brett. I could have done that…and still finished a column. [Feigned exasperation.]
What kills us fans, though, is Favre is now going to take his own sweet time, it seems, in deciding whether or not to return. Favre was also upset that some Jets, such as Thomas Jones and Kerry Rhodes, criticized his play. But it’s deeper than that. Favre played the role of primadonna in the locker room, as is now coming to light, though around the press he was careful to cultivate that Wrangler’s image.
Do you think Pacman Jones will get another shot next year? I say no. Michael Vick? I say, yes.
College Basketball Review
Last September, Northern State University (Aberdeen, S.D.) basketball coach Don Meyer was in a horrific auto accident that forced doctors to amputate his lower left leg and led to the discovery of a slow-growing cancer. After 55 days in the hospital, he resumed his position as coach and on Saturday, he won his 903rd game, besting Bob Knight’s 902. [The record for all divisions is held by Harry Statham of McKendree University, an NAIA school. He has 979 in 43 seasons.] Beginning his career in 1972, Meyer won 37 games at Hamline, 665 at Lipscomb, and now 201 at Northern State
My boys at NJIT lost their 49th straight, Friday night, to Columbia, 73-50. NJIT shot 29.5% from the field and for the season remains at 30.9%. You’ve gotta wonder just what the record in futility for field goal percentage is, say post-1960. You just can’t get much worse.
On Saturday, No. 6 Oklahoma defeated Kansas State 61-53. I only bring it up because All-American Blake Griffin, who had been in a bit of a funk (I follow this guy’s stats and have seen a few games), had 29 points and 15 rebounds. Intriguing player. I still can’t tell if he’s as good as the stat sheet says he is on many a night, in terms of the next level. I’m guessing he is.
Jeff B. pointed out to me the hilarious deal up at Boston College. After defeating North Carolina 85-78, they had t-shirts made up reading “We Got Your Number…85-78,” and then BC promptly lost to Harvard, the first time that school ever beat a ranked opponent, if you can believe that. On Saturday, BC’s woes continued as they lost at home to Miami. As Jeff says, you’d expect there to be plenty of inventory on the shirts and at this point, big freakin’ deal they beat Carolina.
Final AP College Football Poll
1. Florida (48 first place votes)
2. Utah (16)
3. USC (1)
4. Texas
5. Oklahoma
6. Alabama
7. TCU…up from 11th…great season
8. Penn State
9. Ohio State
10. Oregon
A lot of players announcing they are leaving school early for the NFL draft, but one of the more intriguing will be Texas Tech receiver Michael Crabtree, arguably the nation’s top pass catcher his two seasons with over 3,000 yards and 41 touchdowns.
But I just saw that Florida’s Superman, Tim Tebow, told the school on Sunday (actually, a crowd of 40,000 celebrating the Gators’ second title in three years), “Oh, by the way, let’s do it again. I’m coming back.”
Tebow then told the press after the celebration: “Overall, I just felt loyal to this place. I feel like I’m a role model and a lot of times people start things and don’t finish them. I didn’t want to be like that. I wanted to be loyal to the university. I wanted to finish what I started and play another year.”
You know, I’m obviously more than a bit of a cynic, and it’s hard to believe Tim Tebow is as great a person as he’s cranked up to be, but, yes, he’s special. Let’s change the Constitution and just make him president in 2016.
[Back to the draft, I can’t believe that Wake Forest’s Aaron Curry is listed No. 1 by Mel Kiper, even with all the underclassmen now announcing. Crabtree should go top five.]
The dismissal of Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski was flat out bizarre. He was told by Athletic Director Gene DeFilippo he couldn’t interview for the Jets job or he’d be fired, Jagodzinski interviewed anyway, and he was indeed canned. There was clearly a major lack of communication between the two the past few months, but the real truth has not been forthcoming. DeFilippo said of the search for a new coach, Jags having been at BC just two years (with two ACC title games), “We’re going to find somebody who really wants to be at Boston College and who is going to be here for the length of their contract.”
[BC grad Steve D. suggests Doug Flutie, but word is Flutie loves his ABC gig too much, and who wouldn’t?]
–Charles Barkley has decided it’s probably best he stay away from the TNT studio for awhile, or rather his bosses made the decision for him following word he blew a .149 when he was arrested for DUI on Dec. 31 in Scottsdale. ESPN reports he’ll be off the air for several weeks. David Levy, president of TNT Sports, said “Charles is a valued part of the Turner Sports organization and we are concerned for his well-being.” At this point Bar Chat really couldn’t give a damn, especially because the editor doesn’t waste his time watching the NBA on TNT to begin with.
–Story in the New York Times reminding Knicks fans of the worst signing in the history of sports, $30 million over five years for Jerome James. The 7-foot, 300-pounder, doesn’t fit in the offense and so he sits, having played 15 minutes over four games the past two seasons. [That’s right…15 minutes in two seasons.] At least he is said to be a good teammate and Coach Mike D’Antoni said James has done all that is expected of him.
–The Star-Ledger carried the story of the 72-year-old California woman who, thanks to the intervention of a friend, discovered that a baseball card she had in her Fresno, Calif., antique shop was a little more valuable than she first thought. Bernice Gallego was about to place an 1869 card of the Cincinnati Red Stockings on eBay for only $10 when someone asked her to end the auction immediately. NBC Nightly News ran the story over the weekend and the card could be worth as much as $100,000. “I didn’t even know baseball existed that far back,” Bernice said. “I don’t think that I’ve ever been to a baseball game.”
[My friend Brad K., who has the best card collection outside the Hall of Fame, is drooling.]
–Why is John Smoltz going to the Red Sox? 21 seasons with Atlanta and the future Hall of Famer decides to sign a one-year deal with Boston. And he just had major shoulder surgery last June. So it seems the Braves were only willing to guarantee $2 million, but give him all kinds of incentive bonuses, while the Red Sox are guaranteeing the 41-year-old $5.5 million with the chance to earn another $5 million if he hits various targets. This is absurd. I always respected Smoltz but he lost me on this one. The Braves organization is big-time upset with Smoltz’s action and he, in turn, is blaming Atlanta. Not the way to end what had been a super relationship. [And so much for the thought of one-time teammates Maddux, Smoltz and Glavine going into the Hall of Fame together.]
–Johnny Mac passed along the story concerning Chuck E. Cheese and the behavior of some adults who go to the place, known for kids’ birthday parties, noting the following is yet another reason why humans continue to drop further and further down the All-Species List.
Susquehanna Township police have been called to the Chuck E. Cheese restaurant on Union Deposit Road 12 times in the past year, as best exemplified in a YouTube clip. 13 have been arrested, including six women, charged with disorderly conduct in a Saturday night brawl. In 2007, police responded to the restaurant 18 times for similar offenses.
The Susquehanna Police Chief Robert A. Martin said the violence stems from ongoing disputes among people who bump into each other in the restaurant. “They see each other at Chuck E. Cheese, and before you know it an argument turns into something physical.”
The Wall Street Journal recently reported on similar violence at other Chuck E. Cheese’s around the country; Wisconsin, Kansas, Ohio, Michigan….
–SHARK! From the Sydney Morning Herald, Jan. 11:
“A surfer bitten by a shark on the far (New South Wales) north coast is in stable condition, NSW police say.
“Police said the surfer suffered injuries to his left thigh after being attacked about 70m offshore.” His wound is not life threatening.
–Shane Watson has a piece for women in the London Times on finding a man at 40. Among the many guidelines, such as “Must not wear short-sleeved shirts,” are the following:
“Must not wear jewelry. Although you can tell a lot from jewelry. Any man wearing a leather-thong necklace is certainly a narcissist who still imagines he could have been in the Rolling Stones. Pierced earrings past the age of 40 equal midlife-crisis man.”
“Must not wear hoodies or V-neck sweaters with nothing underneath. Hoodies are for boys. And ‘nothing underneath’ is another I Love Myself sign, only this time there’s also the suggestion of And I Am Hot in Bed.”
Well, I have to stop things here. I certainly agree with the V-neck comment, but this winter I’ve worn my East Stroudsburg Univ. hoodie (courtesy of Johnny Mac) with great relish.
“Some say fiddle with your hair, your cleavage, your earrings. I say don’t risk looking like you have fleas. Don’t lick your lips-teeth under any circumstances. He may think you are chasing canapé particles.”
“Be extravagantly open about everything (bar medical stuff). Honesty is disarming.”
I was once sort of interested in a girl who in our first lengthy conversation told me everything about her medical history. I mean, everything. Good lord, I thought. We never had a real date.
Shane Watson also writes this of “Being successfully single” from the female viewpoint.
“Look, meeting a man is not your only goal in life. It doesn’t keep you awake at night (although it has been known to). But the key to being successfully single is keeping an open mind. You want to exude contentment and confidence, but also avoid giving the impression that you are so pleased with your single life, you wouldn’t give it up for anything, including the right man.
“If there is one thing the single woman cannot afford to be, it’s a burden. You must be sunny and amenable, the best guest, the most reliable friend, the tonic at the party and the one who blends in on the family holiday. Being successfully single means having lots of different options and knowing plenty of people who might think, ‘Yes, bring her along!’ rather than, ‘Maybe not.’”
–There is a restaurant in New York, City Crab, that had a 20-lb. lobster by the name of George the Giant Lobster, that PETA has just liberated. The Daily News reported that executive chef Joseph Vaina and manager Keith Valenti had displayed George on a huge platter by the lobster tank since New Year’s Eve. The lobster was being treated as a pet and was never meant to be sold – lobster fetching $27 a pound at City Crab – but a patron contacted PETA and they sprang into action. George is going to be released into protected waters near Kennebunkport, Maine.
But here’s the reason why I’m telling this story. It seems George is 80 years old. So he was born the year of the Great Crash of ’29. Oh, the stories he could tell. “You shudda seen Ted Williams when he came up as a rookie in ’39. Man, that kid could hit.”
[I’m suddenly very hungry for lobster and melted butter. Not having a lobster around, I may just slather melted butter on pretzels or somethin’.]
–Ripped from the pages of the High Plains Journal, “Bison baby thinks she’s a horse.”
MERIDIAN, Okla. (AP) – “The only buffalo she’s ever seen are in pictures,” said Chad Yackeschi. “She thinks she’s a horse.”
Yackeschi is director of the Comanche Land Management Department. He and his wife, Sheila, are also surrogate parents to a 7 ½-month-old, 300-pound bison baby.
Yackeschi first brought Buffy (St. Marie) home after she had fallen into a creek during a rainstorm and he roped and pulled her to shore. Several other calves couldn’t be rescued, he said. The calf’s mother went over a cliff and died, leaving Buffy an orphan.
Anyway, Buffy lives in a pen among 14 horses, a mess of pigs and chickens and dogs, but prefers horses.
Yackeschi claims “She talks to ya. ‘Thppt’ is either ‘Hey’ in buffalo or the sound of a listener being buffaloed,” he said.
Don’t worry…we’re wrapping this story up, but there is one problem. Buffy has taken to Mrs. Yackeschi and charges when he sees her. This is going to end very badly when Buffy puts on another 100 lbs.
COLD SPRING, Minn. (AP) – On a recent day in Cold Spring, it’s a brutal 9 degrees below zero. John Hooper puts on his heavy duty jacket, gloves, and boots. He’s heading to the corral in the backyard of his farm.
“ ‘We’ll be taking a Ranger out to do the chores,’ said Hooper. ‘It’s a four-wheel, kinda like a heavy duty golf-cart. It’s my utility vehicle.’
“When he arrives at the gate, Hooper is eagerly greeted by one of his calves. Patches is 9 months old, and he’s one of about 80 yak on Hooper’s farm.
“This one was bottle-fed and he lived in our backyard,” said Hooper. “He thinks he’s a dog.”
What’s going on here? Buffalo that think they are horses?! Yaks that think they are dogs?! Makes ya wonder.
As for Hooper, though, he sells breeding stock to other producers around the country who are getting started with yak herds. “He also sells his meat to….” Oops, forgot to mention this story doesn’t have a happy ending. He cross-breeds as well.
“I do the cross breeding for my meat program,” Hooper said. “They get bigger quicker and I can butcher them and the meat is still the same as full-blooded yak.”
And remember, kids. Yak is low in fat and cholesterol! Plus, “Yak fat is located on the outer part of the carcass so it can be easily trimmed.”
No antibiotics or hormones for Mr. Hooper’s yaks, either. But sitting at the kitchen table for the story, Hooper admits he gets attached to his animals sometimes.
“I’ve had a couple of them that I chose not to be there when they were killed.”
The noble yak…helping to nourish a nation during the worst economic times since the Great Depression.
–A giant panda at the Beijing Zoo has assaulted a human for a third time, “attacking a man who jumped into its enclosure to retrieve his son’s stuffed panda toy,” as reported by Kelly Chan of the South China Morning Post.
“Beijing newspapers reported that Gu Gu, one of the zoo’s five pandas, bit the intruder’s leg and refused to let go until staff came to his rescue.”
From his hospital bed, 32-year-old Zhang Jiao, said “I fell off accidentally when sitting on the barrier with the toy in my hand.”
Kelly Chan writes: “He accused zoo staff of giving him the wrong instructions. ‘They told me not to move when the panda approached me, saying it would be more aggressive. I listened to them and lay on the ground, but the panda bit my left leg after only three seconds and my flesh was almost torn.’”
As for 8-year-old Gu Gu, he has attacked two other visitors since moving to Beijing in 2004. No doubt China will try and pawn him off on some unsuspecting Western zoo.
–Just in…Bonnie, a 30-year-old female orangutan at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., has taught herself to whistle…after watching a Lauren Bacall flick no doubt.
–Former pitcher Dave Roberts died at the age of 64. Roberts pitched for eight teams from 1969-81 and had a 103-125 record. His best year was 1973, when he went 17-11 for Houston. Others might say his best year was ‘71 with San Diego, when he went 14-17 but finished second in the league with a 2.10 ERA.
–Mouseketeer Cheryl Holdridge passed away. She was 64, too. Holdridge became a Mouseketeer in 1956 at the start of the second season of “The Mickey Mouse Club.” She also played Wally Cleaver’s girlfriend for two seasons in “Leave It to Beaver.”
By the way, the original nine Mouseketeers were Sharon, Bobby, Lonnie, Tommy, Annette, Darlene, Cubby, Karen, and Doreen. Cheryl and Dennis Day then joined the second season.
–And Jon Hager of the duo the Hager Twins died. He was 67 and said to be in poor health and suffering from depression following the death of his twin brother Jim last May. The Hager Twins were original cast members of “Hee Haw,” which debuted in 1969.
–Tiger Woods’ return could be fairly close. The AP is reporting he’s aiming for the Match Play Championship the last week of February. If not then, possibly at Arnie’s Bay Hill event. Regardless, a return by the Masters is looking solid.
–Golf fanatics are curious to see how the economic turmoil will project onto the Tour, though as I’ve been pointing out, most of the tournament sponsor contracts run through 2010, if not 2012 when the TV deals with CBS and NBC end. But the season opens with tournament names involving: auto, electronics, auto, financial, auto. That’s a problem.
–I forgot this one. Sports Illustrated has a piece talking about strange contract incentives, such as in 2000, when Bengals QB Akili Smith had a base salary of $275,000, but if he threw for 1,600 yards it would jump to $4 million. “At 1,253, the struggling Smith was benched in Game 11 in favor of journeyman Scott Mitchell, prompting speculation that the team was looking to save a buck. ‘Everybody knows what is going on,’ said teammate Damon Griffin.”
So when Joe DiMaggio was in the midst of his 56-game hitting streak, if he had reached 57 he reportedly would have received a $10,000 bonus (big money then) from Heinz.
–You’ve probably seen the stories how cold it’s been in Alaska recently. In Fairbanks, the air temperature has often been a staggering 40 below. So in preparing to tackle the 1,000-mile Tesoro Iron Dog snowmobile competition, consider this. As reported by Craig Medred of the Anchorage Daily News, “On a snowmobile doing 60 mph, the new, national windchill index calculates the affect on the body as comparable to standing in still air at 91 degrees below zero.
“Exposed flesh will freeze in less than five minutes at that temperature. Veteran snowmobilers…(know) this. So they put patches of duct tape over cheeks and noses to protect against the wind.
“What they didn’t know, however, is that at 40 below, it’s a good idea to put duct tape around goggles too, because at these temperature air can hold hardly any moisture. Thus, every time a person breathes, the moisture in the air that comes out of the lungs goes looking for a place to condense.
“If any of this moisture gets inside goggles, it will fog them in a blink.”
–You can\’t make this stuff up. The Mets new $850 million Citi Field is already beginning to rust, as the New York Post reports.
–Here’s yet another reason to sleep with one eye open. Trader George passed along a report commissioned by NASA on solar storms that could severely disrupt our power grid. The threat is so serious, scientists have concluded the government could lose control of the situation.
Like imagine if this happened during halftime of the Super Bowl this year, with Bruce performing! Instant chaos and mass destruction.
Actually, an 1859 solar storm shorted out telegraph wires in both the United States and Europe, igniting widespread fires. The report states:
“Impacts would be felt on interdependent infrastructures with, for example, potable water distribution affected within several hours; perishable foods and medications lost in 12-24 hours; immediate or eventual loss of heating/air conditioning, sewage disposal, phone service, transportation, fuel resupply and so on.”
Outages could take months to fix, the researchers say. Banks could close. International trade would grind to a halt. Just six years ago, a solar storm knocked out two Earth-orbiting satellites.
Top 3 songs for the week 1/13/73: #1 “You’re So Vain” (Carly Simon) #2 “Superstition” (Stevie Wonder) #3 “Me And Mrs. Jones” (Billy Paul…we got a thinnng, goin’ on…)…and…#4 “Clair” (Gilbert O’Sullivan) #5 “Funny Face” (Donna Fargo) #6 “Your Mama Don’t Dance” (Kenny Loggins & Jim Messina…that’s how they called themselves then) #7 “Rockin’ Pneumonia – Boogie Woogie Flu” (Johnny Rivers) #8 “Superfly” (Curtis Mayfield…my man!) #9 “Crocodile Rock” (Elton John…probably my least favorite tune of his next to “Candle In The Wind”…being partial to “Your Song” and “Bennie And The Jets”…but I digress…) #10 “Keeper Of The Castle” (The Four Tops…talk about an underrated tune)
Kobe Bryant…27.2
Granger, of Indiana, is the one I was shocked to see myself, not having really studied the list this year. The 4th year pro out of New Mexico has had a nice career trajectory…7.5ppg, 13.9, 19.6 and now 25.9. [Chris Bosh, Toronto, is 6th at 23.8]
