No. 14

Baseball Quiz: Since 1980, name the seven, in both leagues, who were Rookie of the Year and later MVP (one won both the same year).  Answer below. 

Yes, in tying Pete Sampras for most Grand Slam wins at 14, Roger Federer has proved he’s the greatest. By winning the French Open, Federer achieved the career Grand Slam, and seeing as Sampras never won the French, and with Federer, just 27, bound to win a few more, he’s the best.  End of conversation.

[Svetlana Kuznetsova won her second Grand Slam title in defeating fellow Russian Dinara Safina, who was ranked No. 1 but has choked in the big four events.]

The Summer Bird, came blowin’ in, from across the sea…. 

OK, that doesn’t exactly fit, but work with me. Johnny Mac and I were in agreement following the running of the Belmont Stakes, won by Summer Bird. It would have been nice if Calvin Borel had gotten on a horse in the week before he attempted to win a triple crown aboard two different horses, rather than appearing on every New York media venue possible. Even riding a police horse around the block, for crying out loud, might have helped. But no doubt, this year’s triple crown series was as entertaining as any considering no horse won two of the legs. 

Also, if you caught all three races, you didn’t have to be an expert to know that at the mile mark, Borel and Mine That Bird were in deep trouble, even though he was first a few seconds later. Borel ran a lousy race…pure and simple. As trainer Chip Woolley Jr. said right after, Borel should have tucked the horse along the rail until it was the right time to make the move, not let the horse dictate the pace as Borel let The Miner do. 

But you’ve got to love the Belmont, the ultimate test. Next time you’re jogging around a high school track, as I do on weekends, just stretch out that quarter mile loop in your mind and remember that it is the extra quarter that separates the men from the boys in the horse world, and the Belmont from the Kentucky Derby. 

As D. Wayne Lucas told the New York Post’s Ray Kerrison, “At the quarter pole, the gut kicks in on their pedigree. Some funny things happen in the last furlong of the Belmont.” 

–Great story…from Todd Venezia and Lachlan Cartwright / New York Post 

“A dirt-poor cowboy whose ranch was in big trouble lassoed a huge jackpot when he won $232.1 million in the Powerball lottery, officials said yesterday (June 5). 

“Handsome rancher Neal Wanless, 23, lives on a 320-acre family ranch in Mission, SD, where he raises cattle, sheep and horses with his mother, Nancy, and father, Arlen. 

“Times have been tough for Wanless and his family. Last fall, their mobile home was repossessed and the family was forced to move into a camper, pals said. 

“Their ranch – tiny by Western standards [Ed. it really is] – also was too small to support them in the current market, and they were forced to gather hay from ditches on the side of the highway to feed their animals.” 

So Wanless bought a $5 Powerball ticket for the May 27 drawing during a trip to the feed store at the next biggest town in, get this, “Winner, SD.” “He played the days and months of family members’ birthdays.” 

Wanless took the lump sum and, after taxes, he’s taking home $88.5 million. The average personal income in his particular county is $7,500. 

“To the dismay of New Yorkers, the ghost who supposedly vanished is bigger and badder than ever before. Carlos Delgado’s hip? The ghost. Jose Reyes’ right hamstring? The ghost. Oliver Perez’s body swap with Anthony Young? The ghost. J.J. Putz’s emergence as, well, a putz (albeit, an injured one)? The ghost. David Wright’s amazing – and puzzling – Sean Burrough’s impersonation? [Ed. I feel compelled to explain this one. Burroughs, a recent third baseman for the Padres, hit .280, but whereas you expect your third baseman to have some pop, he hit 11 homers in 1537 at-bats. Anyway…] The ghost. The team’s blah 28-24 record? [now 30-25] The ghost. 

“Most alarming, the ghost has found a way to take a clubhouse that has long been – if nothing else – lively and transform it into a visit to the Mahopac Public Library. (Writer’s note: I grew up going there. Very nice facility – but extremely subdued.) To be a Met these days is to live in fear of failure; to talk and talk about the renewal of a ballclub, but to be mentally crippled by the knowledge that, come season’s end, you will, somehow, blow it. 

“Nine years ago, the Mets reached the World Series with a significantly less-talented cast than their modern brethren. Their starting outfield – perhaps the worst in the history of the Fall Classic – was Benny Agbayani, Jay Payton and Timo Perez….The final three spots in the rotation were handled by Glendon Rusch, Rick Reed and Bobby Jones. Armando Benitez (egad) closed and John Franco, age 1,658, set him up. In short, on paper the Mets frightened no one. 

“Yet those Mets played with heart, spunk and tenacity. After every win, someone would inevitably blast Thelma Houston’s Don’t Leave Me This Way on the clubhouse stereo, turning the room into a loud, bubbly bastion of glee. Veterans like Al Leiter and Robin Ventura set the tone, and Mike Piazza seemed to hit a game-winning home run whenever one was needed. Manager Bobby Valentine, slightly less stable than a one-legged emu, walked and spoke with a swagger that, though often mocked by his players, proved invaluable. The Mets wouldn’t lay down – for anyone…. 

“(But these Mets) lay down – for everyone. They play with little gusto, and less aggressiveness. They rarely hit in the clutch, and make lackluster opposing pitchers appear to be the second coming of Steve Carlton. 

“When the Yankees suffer through a conga line of injuries, the organization never offers up the maladies as an excuse. The Mets, on the other hand, all but seek out injuries to cite to the media. If only we had Delgado. If only we had Reyes…. 

“They will add someone…sing his praises, find a groove, then sink back to reality. They will fire their manager, trade off their prospects, talk about the new Mets, the fresh Mets, the exciting Mets. But they’re still the haunted Mets.” 

Amen, brother. Despite being five games over .500, just can’t suck enough. 

—Randy Smith died of a heart attack at the age of 60 while on a treadmill at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut. Now I imagine if you are of a certain age you’re thinking, ‘Who was Randy Smith?’ All this guy did was set the NBA consecutive game mark at 906 over 12 seasons. What makes it more difficult for casual fans to remember him is the fact he played for the Buffalo Braves. Smith, a 6’3” speedy guard, and Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo, formed quite a tandem back in the day. 

Smith’s streak started in 1972 and lasted until March 1983, when he was placed on waivers with the Braves’ successor franchise, the San Diego Clippers, now the L.A. Clippers. A.C. Green would exceed his record in November 1997. 

Smith was a 7th round draft pick out of Buffalo State, but it wasn’t just a local nod as he went on to average 20 points a game four consecutive seasons. He was a two-time All-Star (MVP in the 1978 contest with 27 points in 29 minutes) and finished up with a career mark of 16.7 points a game, including stints with the Knicks, Hawks, and Cavaliers. Smith was one of the great athletes in the game (he starred in soccer and track in college as well as basketball) and was also just a good guy. RIP. 

–The NBA has to coordinate some new rules with the NCAA to stop the ‘one-and-done’ craze that has ruined some programs. As reported in USA TODAY, Congressman Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., admittedly responding to the situation in Memphis with Derrick Rose, sent a letter to the NBA and its players association calling for them to repeal the age minimum in the next labor agreement, saying it robs players of their right to earn a living. 

Commissioner David Stern, a k a God, responded, “This is not about the NCAA. This is not an enforcement of some social program. This is a business decision by the NBA,” saying that the kids leaving high school can opt for college, junior college, Europe, and the NBA Development League. 

Cohen counters, in response to NCAA officials who say there is value in the growth a player experiences by going to college for even a year, “Then why don’t we do it for everybody and not allow our soldiers to go to war unless they’ve been on a college campus for a year?” As Emeril would say, “BAM!” 

–Local school Farleigh Dickinson, a k a Farleigh Ridiculous, treated their long-time basketball coach, Tom Green, like crap in suddenly dismissing him the other day.   FDU does have a Division I hoops program and Green had been there 26 years, fifth on the list of seniority among D-I coaches. 

Green coached the school to a 407-351 overall record, including seven 20-win seasons, four NCAA tournament appearances (including one where as a No. 16 seed they almost upset Georgetown, thanks to 43 points by Elijah Green, if I recall correctly) and two NIT appearances. 

Understand this isn’t an easy place to coach, but at only 59, it was the timing that upset Green as much as anything. Normally, if you’re going to fire a coach you do so immediately after the season is over in March. Why now in June? Just three weeks ago, Green had lunch with the AD and thought everything was fine, and as Green put it, he has been an excellent ambassador for the university. What sucks even more is that he had a key player returning this year after sitting out for academic reasons and supposedly had a strong recruiting class. 

So we hereby throw FDU’s AD, David Langford, in the December file for “A-hole AD of the Year” consideration. After 26 years, Mr. Langford, how could you not treat Green with respect? Obviously, there aren’t any D-I job openings left come June, you jerk. 

–The Wall Street Journal’s Matthew Futterman had a story on “Chocolate Thunder,” former NBA star Darryl Dawkins, king of the dunk during a career that spanned 1975 to 1989. Ah yes…some of the names he gave his thunderous slams were “Yo Mama Dunk,” “Heartstopper,” the “Turbosexaphonic Delight,” the “Flying Chocolate Thunder,” and the “Spinechiller Supreme.” 

“When we played it was all about style. You came in a serious suit, played a serious game, and then got in a serious car with a serious girl.” 

I really want to comment, but seeing as I have a Honda Accord in my garage…. 

Randy Johnson became the 24th pitcher to win 300 games as the Giants beat the Nationals the other day. It’s pretty amazing that Johnson, now 45, ever came close when you consider all the injuries he had over his career. He is the second-oldest to accomplish the feat, the oldest being Phil Niekro, who was 46 when he won his 300th in 1985. 

“If you want to know why Johnson is going to be the last pitcher to win 300 games, take a look at these stats: In 105 of his 586 career starts, he threw 130 or more pitches. In 46 of them he threw 140 or more pitches. So in approximately 18% of his starts he hit the 130 mark. If any of today’s pitchers were allowed to throw that many pitches even once, his manager’s job would be on the line. And with the unofficial per-game pitch count quota on starters now set at 100, a game’s most decisive innings are left to inferior pitchers. Case in point: On May 24 at Yankee Stadium, CC Sabathia and Cole Hamels, arguably two of the best lefthanders in the game, matched up against each other, but neither was around for the decision. Hamels was out after six innings, 109 pitches; Sabathia after eight and 110 pitches. The Phillies won the game in the 11th inning – against Brett Tomko. 

“This brought to mind perhaps the most famous pitching duel between elite starting pitchers of all time – July 2, 1963, when future Hall of Famers Juan Marichal and Warren Spahn pitched shutout ball against each other into the 16th inning. The Giants and Marichal won the game, 1-0, on a Willie Mays homer off Spahn with one out in the bottom of the 16th. If you’re wondering about the pitch counts for the game, they were 227 for Marichal and 201 for the 42-year-old Spahn. They both hung in there for the decision.”  

I don’t know if I had ever seen the actual pitch counts for that game before. 

The other thing Madden points out is that today, the percentage of decisions for starters has dropped into the mid-70s or lower. The Giants’ Tim Lincecum only had 40 decisions in his first 68 starts, 29-11, or 59%. 

Talk about being treated like crap, Tom Glavine tried to make a comeback and finish his career with the Atlanta Braves, but on Wednesday was unceremoniously released, this after parading him out in Rome (Ga.) to a sold-out crowd for his minor league start that night. Braves president John Schuerholz had to apologize “on behalf of the organization and myself personally for the way that it ended.” 

But what really sucks is the Braves organization said their “evaluation was he would not be successful” in the big leagues. Yet Glavine had thrown 11 scoreless innings in his last two minor league rehab appearances, including six on Tuesday night. 

“Based on my performance?” Glavine asked, repeating the assessment. “Well, my bad, I just threw 11 scoreless innings. Was I supposed to throw a no-hitter and strike out 15?” 

No, the Braves wanted to save $1 million, which is what they would have had to pay Glavine for making the major league roster, and instead opted to bring up promising hurler Tommy Hanson (who gave up 6 runs in 6 innings in his debut on Sunday). 

Derek Jeter is not getting engaged to “Friday Night Lights” actress Minka Kelly, according to Jeter himself. Which means maybe I have a……….…. just kidding, sports fans! 

Yankee closer Mariano Rivera was pulled in the ninth for the second time this season on Saturday by manager Joe Girardi. In his six prior years, Mariano was pulled a total of three times. Mariano is pissed.   Girardi’s an idiot. Then again, so is the other manager in New York. 

A scout told the New York Post that “The chances of (David Ortiz’s) birth certificate being accurate are zero. That’s both birth certificates.  Remember, he was David Arias [when he played in the minor leagues for] Seattle.” Ortiz, after hitting his second homer on Saturday, is at .197 with 22 RBI in 198 at-bats. 

The N.L. wildcard race this year is going to be outrageous. I’m guessing six teams have a shot with ten games to go. On the other hand, I’m guessing there won’t be a race at all in the A.L. as the wildcard goes to either the Yankees or Boston. 

Toronto’s Roy Halladay is 10-1. No pitcher has won 25 since Bob Welch (“Ebony Eyes”) won 27 in 1990. In today’s modern game, if Halladay won 25 it would be something special. 

Shu was livid, as he should be, when Pittsburgh traded Nate McLouth to Atlanta. “Truly,” wrote Shu, “I feel the baseball season is over…the stadium should be empty. Sucks [expletive deleted] – plain and simple.” And what made it worse is a lame letter to the fans by Neal Huntington, GM of the Pirates. 

“The decision to trade Nate was perhaps the most difficult one both personally and professionally that we have made to date. [Spare me, you jerk.] Tough decisions are not always popular. However, we have a singular focus on our goal of building an organization that can consistently compete for championships, not simply finish above .500.” 

Yeah, but McLouth was one of your freakin’ building blocks! And I had assembled about five Mets fans that were ready to jump to Pittsburgh after the All-Star break…but not now, Mr. Huntington. No sir, we’re instead thinking Kansas City….oops, just checked their record. Maybe next year. 

Baseball’s draft is Tuesday, June 9, and all eyes are on Stephen Strasburg, a 6’5”, 220-pound righthander out of San Diego State. Strasburg is being called one of the great prospects in history, thanks to his 102 mph heater and vicious breaking ball. Entering the NCAA regionals, Strasburg was 13-0, with a 1.24 ERA and 180 strikeouts in 102 innings. In his last regular season start, he threw a no-hitter against Air Force and fanned 17. Last year, he fanned 23 Univ. of Utah hitters in nine innings. 

So the team that selects first is Washington, but along with all their obvious problems, being the worst franchise in baseball, now they have to deal with agent Scott Boras, who is going to be seeking a six-year, $50 million contract for a guy who hasn’t pitched to a single batter in professional baseball. As Tim Keown writes in ESPN the Magazine, “The Nationals are in a great spot. The Nationals are in a horrible spot.” 

Here are some high-profile amateur pitchers who didn’t live up to the hype. 

Mark Prior (Cubs, 2001), Colt Griffin (Royals, 2001), Brien Taylor (Yankees, 1991), Todd Van Poppel (A’s, 1990), Ben McDonald (Orioles, 1989). 

In terms of overall No. 1s, since the inception of the amateur draft in 1965, pitchers have been selected first 13 times. As USA TODAY Sports Weekly points out, “None has won a Cy Young Award or as many as 20 games in a season, although Mike Moore went 19-11 for the Athletics in 1989 and Andy Benes finished 18-10 for the 1996 Cardinals.” 

The only four to win 100 were Moore, 161-176; Benes, 155-139; Tim Belcher, 146-140; and Floyd Bannister, 134-143. 

The other nine overall No. 1s were Ben McDonald, 78-70, lifetime; Kris Benson, 69-74 (still active, barely); Paul Wilson, 40-58; David Clyde, 18-33; Matt Anderson, 15-7 (active reliever); Luke Hochevar, 7-15 (currently on Royals); David Price, 1-0 (on Tampa Bay); Bryan Bullington, 0-5 (active); Brien Taylor (failed to make majors). 

–I missed this last time, but congratulations to Texas A&M for winning the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship. The NCAA employed a different format this year.  The 30 teams that qualified played three rounds of stroke play to winnow the field down to 8, then it was match play; by all accounts a successful move. The Aggies defeated Arkansas in the finals. And not one ACC team made it to the elite eight, but North Carolina State’s Matt Hill won the individual title, besting Clemson’s Kyle Stanley. Wake Forest was 27th out of 30…ughh. 

—Michael J. Fox, at a charity golf event in Des Moines. 

“Golf gives you a new opportunity to fail every couple minutes, but it gives you an opportunity to succeed every couple minutes, too.” 

–And succeed Tiger Woods did this weekend, winning Jack Nicklaus’ tourney at Muirfield Village in Ohio. Tiger shot a virtually flawless 65 in coming from four strokes back to win his 67th PGA Tour title. Yes, he’s ready for Bethpage. I’m saying he’s a lock to win it. 

–Congratulations to my high school alma mater, Summit, N.J., for winning the overall state title in lacrosse, besting one of those private school snob factories. 

–And in New Jersey’s Meet of Champions, sophomore shot-putting sensation Nick Vena of Morristown High School tossed a stupendous 72-8 (11 feet ahead of the runner-up), easily breaking the meet record of 68-11 set in 1997. In fact, Vena bested it on five of his six throws. He also beat his own state record of 72-2 set in April and it’s the No.4 toss in U.S. high school history. Repeat…Nick Vena is a sophomore. Oh, and then he won the state title in the discus on his final throw. 

–Interesting World Cup qualifier with geopolitical considerations. Iran played North Korea to a 0-0 draw and Iran must win its final two matches to even have a slim shot at advancing. Some say this could impact Iran’s June 12 election, to the detriment of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. 

–North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il supposedly eats live fish, washing them down with French wine and brandies, according to his former chef who fled the commie state. Kenji Fujimoto said, “I sliced the fish so as not to puncture any of the vital organs, so of course it was still moving. Kim Jong-il was delighted. He would eat with gusto.” Kenji also told The Sun that Kim would complete his “pleasure parties” by ordering women to dance naked to “American dance music” with his aides. I’m assuming Tavares was on the playlist. “Heaven…must be missin’ an angel…” 

–There was a story in New York this week that police repeatedly left parking tickets on a vehicle that was pulled over beneath the Brooklyn-Queen Expressway overpass. It turns out there was a dead guy in the front seat…for weeks. It’s believed he died of a heart attack, and his daughter had been trying to locate him all this time. As Brad K. noted, this is akin to road stripers painting over road kill. 

–To my Los Angeles area readers, let me just say that after reading a L.A. Times story on Pink’s hot dog stand in Hollywood, I am very, very hungry. The establishment, on the corner of Melrose Avenue and La Brea Boulevard, is going to be celebrating 70 years this fall and it has such a reputation, it serves 2,500 hot dogs a day. 

Jay Leno once did a skit there where Aerosmith cooked the dogs. In the mid-80s, Bruce Willis proposed to Demi Moore at Pink’s. 

What’s the secret to Pink’s success? “Consistent quality is the first priority, Richard Pink said. The typical hot dogs are 9-inch, all-beef wieners with natural casing, made for Pink’s since 1939 by Hoff’s Quality Meats. The dogs are steamed and doused in a chili sauce made specially for Pink’s. Richard Pink refuses to divulge the maker of the chili. 

[Sounds like a job for Jack Bauer to get the secret out, not that Bauer needs to be sticking a fork into Richard Pink’s hand, or anything of the kind…but where was I?] 

For the 70th anniversary celebration in November, the Pinks already have a commitment from Bill Cosby to serve up some dogs. That would be funny to see, with the Cos’s classic facial expressions. 

–Back to The Sun, “A businessman is suing a strip club after he was hospitalized when a stiletto-wearing dancer kicked him in the face. 

“Michael Ireland needed surgery after stripper Sakeena ‘Suki’ Shangeer’s kick left him with eye injuries and a broken nose.” 

Ireland says he was kicked without provocation, but the strip club says he was kicked “after violently slapping the girl’s behind.” 

–What’s this? New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine is in favor of sports betting in my state? He be da man! [Look, I can’t stand the guy, but I’d also love to be able to go to Atlantic City come NCAA tournament time and have a little fun, know what I’m sayin’?] I also didn’t realize that it is federal law that prohibits sports betting in all but four states, Delaware, Montana, Nevada and Oregon. Heck, I didn’t realize Montana and Oregon allow it (Delaware just approved it…which is another serious threat to A.C., Pennsylvania having already moved in with its freakin’ slot parlors). 

–This whole NASCAR / Jeremy Mayfield suspension is a total mess. NASCAR has tried to hush up just what Mayfield was allegedly found to have in his system during a routine drug test, but Mayfield’s people say that while he tested positive for amphetamines, they attribute it to use of Adderall for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Claritin-D for allergies. NASCAR counters that those drugs were accounted for but that there was a third, “dangerous, illegal, banned” substance, but hasn’t named it. Now NASCAR wants Mayfield to give up $150,000 in prize money for causing harm to the sport’s reputation. 

–Frankly, I don’t really care how David Carradine died, as the 72-year-old former star of the series Kung Fu was found dead, naked, in a hotel closet in Thailand. According to the AP, “Police initially suspected suicide but now believe he may have died from accidental suffocation after finding a rope tied to his neck and genitals.” Good god! Imagine the whispers at his funeral back in the States. “Pssst…they say he was (cough cough)….” 

“A secret sect of kung fu assassins could have silenced actor David Carradine as he delved into their shadowy activities, according to his family’s lawyer. 

“In a twist that could be straight out of one of the ‘Kill Bill’ star’s movies, attorney Mark Geragos suggested that Carradine may have been killed as he tried to uncover groups working in the martial-arts underworld…. 

“The suggestion they killed Carradine echoes conspiracy theories that Bruce Lee – who, ironically, competed with Carradine for the lead role in the ‘Kung Fu’ series – was killed in 1973 by the Triads, a Chinese secret society.” 

–Speaking of sex, and murder, Phil Spector’s wife, Rachelle, told the Los Angeles Times that her husband was a killer in bed. “We had sex. We were doing it all the time.”  [Yikes, did you see the pictures of Spector?] Rachelle is only 28, you understand, and is no doubt now being pursued by every possible L.A. creep, seeing as she is living alone in the mansion while Phil rots in prison, trying in a last desperate attempt to create a wall of sound. 

–A lot of you probably saw this one…North America’s Top Shark-Attack Beaches… but I have to get it down for the archives. 

New Smyrna Beach, Fla., home county of Volusia where there have been at least 210 attacks. You see the television pictures every year of the annual migration of millions (maybe hundreds) of sharks congregating in confined areas. 

North Shore, Oahu…tiger sharks big here, but it doesn’t stop surfers. 

Long Beach Island, N.J. …hey, I used to go here all the time…never knew this. Well, it seems it really goes back to the big attack in 1916 where in a span of 11 days, one great white took out four innocents. This served as source material for “Jaws.” 

Stinson Beach, Calif. …now this is where the great whites swim in shallow waters. Frankly, I wouldn’t get out of my car, if I were you. 

—Lucy O’Donnell, the source of John Lennon’s “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” is terminally ill. She went to nursery school in Surrey with Julian Lennon and became “the girl with kaleidoscope eyes.” Julian had drawn a picture of her with starlike shapes before telling his father that it was “Lucy in the sky with diamonds.” That was 1967. Lucy, now 46, is suffering from Lupus.   Julian, who lives in France, heard about her condition and is doing what he can to help out. He was a product of John’s marriage to Cynthia. For many years, it was thought Lucy in the sky with diamonds referred to LSD. Wrong. 

Of course Julian had a bitter relationship with his father, as John dumped Julian and his mother when the boy was five for Yoko Ono and shut Julian and Cynthia out. But today Julian says he has nothing but love for John and has been buying up John’s memorabilia, which he is lending to the Beatles’ museum in Liverpool, which I’ve got to get to one of these days, soon. 

Top 3 songs for the week 6/8/68: #1 “Mrs. Robinson” (Simon & Garfunkel) #2 “Tighten Up” (Archie Bell & The Drells) #3 “This Guy’s In Love With You” (Herb Alpert)…and…#4 “The Good, The Bad And The Ugly” (Hugo Montenegro…Clint! Lee Van Cleef! Eli Wallach!…as the years go by, this film only gets better…might have to watch it again this week) #5 “Mony Mony” (Tommy James & The Shondells) #6 “Yummy Yummy Yummy” (Ohio Express…ughh) #7 “MacArthur Park” (Richard Harris…source of many a suicide) #8 “A Beautiful Morning” (The Rascals) #9 “Think” (Aretha Franklin) #10 “Honey” (Bobby Goldsboro) 

Baseball Quiz Answer: Rookie of the Year and MVP since 1980.