Judy Garland, Part I

300-Game Winner Quiz: OK, now that’s it’s been awhile since Randy Johnson won his 300th, and you had all those 300-winner lists, time to check the memory. Name the seven who spent at least part of their career in the 1800s. Answer below. 

Somewhere, Over the Rainbow 

If you were old enough to understand, as I did, this is the 40th anniversary of a depressing day. Make that tragic. Because of all the classic Hollywood lives from the days of the “studio bosses,” none was more tragic than that of Judy Garland. 

June 22, 1969. From the New York Times, LONDON – “Judy Garland, whose successes on stage and screen were later overshadowed by the pathos of her personal life, was found dead in her home here today. 

“The cause of death of the 47-year-old singer was not immediately established, and an autopsy was scheduled. 

“Miss Garland’s personal life often seemed a fruitless search for the happiness promised in ‘Over the Rainbow,’ the song she made famous in the movie ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ 

“Her father died when she was 12 years old; the pressures of adolescent stardom sent her to a psychiatrist at the age of 18; she was married five times; she was frequently ill; her singing voice faltered, and she suffered from the effects of drugs she once said were prescribed either to invigorate or tranquilize her. 

“She came here at the end of last year to play a cabaret in another of the ‘comeback’ performances that dotted her last 15 years. 

“Three months ago she married Mickey Deans, a discotheque manager. It was Mr. Deans, her fifth husband, who found Miss Garland dead on the bathroom floor in their home in the Belgravia district. 

“Also surviving are three children, Liza Minnelli, the singer and actress, and Lorna and Joseph Luft.” 

Normally I would have been leading with the U.S. Open, but while supposedly Bethpage, Long Island has received rain 15 of the last 21 days, officially, in the New York area it’s now 18 of 21 (make that 19 of 22, as I discovered this morning); the absolute worst stretch of weather in my lifetime…especially for June. 

And so it’s amazing the U.S. Open should end later today. Back on Thursday, it was looking like it could extend to an unheard of Tuesday. 

So there isn’t much I can say, really. I’m posting this around 7:00 a.m. and the final story has yet to be told. At least after all I’ve written of David Duval and his troubles, he’s been more than hanging in there. It would be great if he could contend on a regular basis.   And of course we have another big story on the course, Phil Mickelson.

Mike Vaccaro / New York Post

“See, here’s the thing about those of us who’ve grown up in New York caring about sports and the people who play them: We aren’t that hard to figure out. We aren’t that complicated. You want us to embrace you? We ask only three things: 

3. Prove to us, at least once, that you’re the kind of guy we’d like to have a beer with. If you do, it’s on us. 

“That’s been the appeal of Phil Mickelson going back to 2002, the first time the U.S. Open came to Bethpage. That’s the way it’s been every time a major arrives here, whether it’s Shinnecock Hills or Winged Foot, Baltusrol or the Black. 

“He had us from hello. He hinted at No. 1 back in ’02, finishing second to Tiger, cemented it with that feathery chip that clinched the ’05 PGA at Baltusrol. No. 2 came in the teeth of his worst golfing moment, his meltdown at the 72nd hole at Winged Foot, ’06 Open, exclaiming ‘I’m an idiot!’ with all the frustrated ferocity of a 30-handicapper. 

“No. 3 is harder to quantify; though he clearly has that mastered, too, especially when asked yesterday if he had any explanation why folks don’t only cheer for him in New York, they all but adopt him. 

“ ‘I love talking sports with people in New York, because there’s probably no place that has as knowledgeable sports fans,’ he said. ‘I’ve kind of brushed up on my information on the Giants and the Jets and Yankees and Mets. In case I get into some discussions, I know what I’m talking about.’ 

–Oh, baby…ya gotta love it. A-Rod is back in the news. Curiously, the team announced that it was giving him two days off, Friday and Saturday, due to “fatigue.” Manager Joe Girardi could have just said he wanted to give the slumping slugger (8-for-55 in June at the time) a few days off to rest, seeing as A-Rod hadn’t missed a game since he came back from hip surgery, but the team used the other term. 

So now some say the reason he was benched was because he’s been acting up, including breaking curfew, like after partying in South Beach all night with Kate Hudson (the Yankees were playing the Marlins over the weekend). He was seen with her Friday night until 2:30 a.m. But the team insists the time off edict came after a doctor recommended it.  [A-Rod returned on Sunday and went 1-for-4.]

—Dusty Rhodes died. He was 82. I got a kick out of the lead of one of his obituaries… “a light-hitting, hard-drinking outfielder who was at his best on baseball’s biggest stage.” 

We’ll get to the biggest stage part shortly, but “light-hitting”? Are you kidding me? Dusty Rhodes did play sparingly, 1952-1959 (ex-58), for the New York Giants (’59 for San Fran), but he was hardly light-hitting. While he only had 1172 career at-bats, and hit .253, he clouted 54 homers and drove in 207. In other words, for a full season where he would bat 585 times, he’d hit 27 home runs and drive in 103. That ain’t no light-hitter, know what I’m sayin’? Now granted, Rhodes, batting from the left side, was tailor made for the short porch in right at the Polo Grounds, but I was struck by another stat. Rhodes had 207 RBI on 296 hits. Or you could say 70% of his hits resulted in RBI. That just stood out to me. Like it seemed high when measuring productivity. 

So I looked up some players at random. Hank Aaron: 3771 hits, 2297 RBI, or 61%. A-Rod: 2432 hits, 1632 RBI, 68%. Mickey Mantle: 2415 hits, 1509 RBI, or 62%. Alas, Babe Ruth: 2873 hits, 2217 RBI, 77%. [Yet another reason why the Babe was the best of all time. Manny Ramirez is at 72%, by the way. Bud Harrelson was at less than 25%.] 

Anyway, don’t tell me Dusty Rhodes was a light-hitter. Productive, yes. Light, no. During the regular season in ’54, Rhodes had 15 homers and drove in 50 in only 164 at-bats. And in his career, twice he hit 3 homers in a game. 

But Dusty Rhodes is best known for his only World Series appearance, 1954, when he delivered a game-winning pinch-hit home run in the 10th inning of Game 1, a game-tying pinch-hit single in Game 2 and a two-run pinch single in Game 3 to help the Giants win their last championship by sweeping the heavily favored Cleveland Indians. Overall, Rhodes was 4-for-6, with two home runs and 7 RBI. Yeah, I’d say, again, that’s productivity. Oh, and his two homers were off Bob Lemon and Early Wynn. 

Part of the ’54 story, though, is how hard manager Leo Durocher wanted Rhodes traded during the season. 

“I decided Rhodes couldn’t run or field a ball and I decided I didn’t want him around. Get rid of him. He can’t do nothing. He convinced me now how wrong I was,” Leo said later. 

And, yes, Rhodes loved to party.  He was also born in Mathews, Alabama, and grew up dirt poor, but former teammate Monte Irvin said Rhodes was “color blind.” “He was like a brother to all the black players,” Irvin told the Daily News. “He sure did like the good life, though, which would drive Leo crazy.” In fact, Rhodes didn’t play in Game 4 of the Series, but Dusty recalled later, “It was just as well. After the third game I was drinking to everybody’s health so much that I about ruined mine.” 

—Ken Green was an interesting character on the PGA Tour back in the 1980s, winning five events between ‘85 and ‘89. He was known for wearing green shoes and being an anti-establishment type, including sneaking friends through the gates at Augusta by putting them in the trunk of his courtesy car. Green also once drank a beer on the back nine at The Masters during the second round in ’97. Why? He was paired with Arnold Palmer. As Golf World’s Tim Rosaforte writes: 

“When Green talked with Palmer a few moments later, he said, ‘I always wanted to have a beer with you, and I figured this would be my only chance.’ Not missing a beat, Palmer replied, ‘Why didn’t you bring one for me?’” 

The other day, Arnie was leaving a voice-mail for Green at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. 

You see, it was 1:30 a.m., June 8, and Green was heading to North Carolina on Interstate 20 near Meridian, Miss., after a Champions Tour event in Texas. Driving the RV was brother Bill when a tire blew, causing Bill to lose control. The RV went down an embankment and crashed into a large tree. Killed were Bill Green, Jeannie Hodgin (Ken’s girlfriend) and a dog, Nip. A week later, Green lost part of his right leg. Now Green is determined to come back and be the first to play a professional tour on an artificial leg. Don’t put it past him. 

By the way, that dog, Nip? In 2003, the German shepherd jumped into a canal behind Green’s West Palm Beach home and Green jumped in to save the dog from an alligator that had grabbed Nip during a game of fetch. The two prevailed. But Nip couldn’t survive the crash. 

SN says Wake’s James Johnson will go at No. 16 (Chicago) and Jeff Teague at No. 19 (Atlanta) 

St. Louis manager Tony La Russa became just the 3rd to win 2500 games; an incredible feat. 

The Twins’ Joe Mauer is down to .407, but he now has 202 plate appearances. If he was at 220 he’d be on the list for qualifying for the batting title. So he’s getting there. We want him over .400 when he finally reaches the number of at-bats for inclusion. 

I forgot this tidbit, from SI.com’s Joe Posnanski. Since 1950, slugger Ted Kluszewski is the only player to hit 40 home runs and strike out 40 or fewer times. And he did it on three occasions, 1953-55.  

But Klu’s last good season came in ’56 (35 HR 102 RBI) when he was just 31. He dropped off precipitously afterwards, hanging on another five seasons and finishing his career with 279 home runs and 1028 RBI. 

It’s safe to say former Yankee Mel Hall won’t be attending any Old-Timers games, anytime soon, seeing as he was just sentenced to 45 years for raping a 12-year-old girl. He must serve 22 ½ years before becoming eligible for parole. And how easy was the case? It took a jury only 90 minutes to determine his guilt. 

Top-selling Minor League jerseys, according to MLB and ESPN The Magazine: 

—Florida State faces severe penalties for academic-misconduct involving 61 student-athletes, including the forfeit of victories in 10 sports. While the legal process has many steps to go, the NCAA is calling for FSU to forfeit 21 football victories in what would be a huge blow to Bobby Bowden, who at 382 wins is one behind Joe Paterno as major college football’s all-time leader. [Of course I and many others have written that it was dog track time for Bowden years ago.] FSU’s 2006 NCAA outdoor track championship is also at risk. 

–Update: Cleveland receiver Donte Stallworth was suspended indefinitely by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, after Stallworth pleaded guilty to a DUI manslaughter charge. Goodell said, “There is no reasonable dispute that your continued eligibility for participation at this time would undermine the integrity of and public confidence in our league.” 

“Pacman” Jones was indefinitely suspended, but that turned into a six-week ban. I’m guessing Stallworth could be back in a year, assuming he’s a model of contrition with all the community service he is now obligated to be involved with. 

But many are asking why Goodell hasn’t suspended Plaxico Burress, though Burress’ case hasn’t been adjudicated yet. 

–It’s funny that the Sunday Times Magazine has a huge, way too long, piece on Rafael Nadal (he’s not that interesting) that did touch on his ripped body…as in it might be too ripped, which could lead to injuries. Because sure enough, Nadal has pulled out of Wimbledon due to knee issues. Well that’s a huge blow for NBC and ratings. And it also obviously makes Roger Federer’s bid for a record 15th major all the easier. Here’s hoping he is at least challenged. Federer has a career mark against Nadal of 7-13. 

–Former NFL star Bernie Kosar filed for bankruptcy. Kosar owes almost $1.5 million in “unsecured debt” to the Cleveland Browns, his ex-wife $3 million, a $725,000 loan from the owner of the Cleveland Arena Football team, and $9 million to a bank for bad real estate deals. 

–As reported by Kris Maher / Wall Street Journal, on Monday, “The last batch of Iron City beer will be brewed at the nine-acre, red-brick brewery complex outside downtown Pittsburgh that was founded in 1861. Production will move 40 miles away to the Latrobe, Pa., brewery that once made another recently displaced regional favorite, Rolling Rock, now brewed in Newark, N.J.” 

It seems this has really ticked off some folks in Pittsburgh, seeing as Iron City was given all manner of incentives to stay there following its emergence from bankruptcy. Allegheny County is demanding $129,000, for example, while the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority plans to seek payment of $600,000. The owners of Iron City Brewing Co. contend upgrades to the plant would have cost $12 million to $15 million, and the company insists that whatever it loses in Pittsburgh, it will pick up in Pittsburgh nation; those who have left the city for places like Charlotte and New York. My bottom line always was that the beer was rot gut. 

–The Guinness Book of World Records has now recognized Britain’s Henry Allingham as the world’s oldest man at 113. What’s even more significant is that Allingham is one of two surviving British veterans of the First World War. He is the last surviving founding member of the RAF, and the last man to have witnessed the Battle of Jutland. 

Allingham joined the army in 1915, and the scenes he witnessed at Ypres stayed with him forever. As he told the BBC: 

“They would just stand there in 2-feet of water in mud-filled trenches, waiting to go forward. They knew what was coming. It was pathetic to see those men like that. I don’t think they have ever got the admiration and respect they deserved.” 

His key to longevity? Live within yourself. “The trick is to look after yourself and always know your limitations.” 

Allingham’s friend, Dennis Goodwin, said Allingham is finding it harder to take any pleasure from life. 

“He thinks he has got to a time where he is more than ready to go. But as his mother used to say, ‘Wait to be asked, Henry, wait to be asked.’” 

–70-year-old Joe Waldis landed the biggest fish ever caught by a rod and line in the British Isles, a 12 ft., 9 inch shark weighing 1,056 pounds. Waldis, a Swiss man, was on a charter off the coast of County Clare, Ireland, an area I’m very familiar with but never knew such monsters lay in wake offshore. [Actually, I just assumed there were giant squids in the waters…which is why I never go after errant tee shots that fly into the ocean.] 

I saw a picture of the beast in the Irish Independent and the accompanying story didn’t identify exactly what kind of shark it was but it looked to be a great white. Waldis struggled with it for only 35 minutes. The previous record for the Isles, by the way, was for a blue fin tuna weighing 999 pounds. 

–The Molson family owned the Montreal Canadiens from 1957 to 1971, and publicly traded Molson Inc., the brewery, from 1978 to 2001. Now the family is back in, paying $550 million for the team and the arena. Expect the beer to be at least two days fresher. 

–Since I’ve been playing up this local high school shot putter, Nick Vena, I have to mention that at the Nike Outdoor Nationals for scholastic athletes, Vena finished third, losing to Colorado’s Mason Finley, with a Texas lad second. It was the first shot put competition in U.S. high school history where four boys exceeded 70 feet. 

–HBO Alert: Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel has a segment on Tuesday with Jim Brown and Bill Russell that should be interesting, concerning their social activism. Plus Lenny Dykstra! 

–According to sources in the know, the reason why Katie Lee Joel broke up from husband Billy is because he’s too old; he being 60, she being 27. Duh! At least Billy supposedly has an ironclad prenup. Billy should have dumped the kid long ago. 

“A golf-resort develop put nearly two dozen NHL stars on ice – taking millions they had invested with him and blowing it on parties packed with porn stars, hookers and his baseball buddies, including ex-Yankees Roger Clemens and Reggie Jackson, according to two explosive lawsuits filed yesterday. 

“The 19 former and current stick-handlers – including an all-star roster of Rangers and Islanders – are demanding that Las Vegas-based golf-course mogul Ken Jowdy return the $25 million they invested, plus fork over $15 million in damages for failing to build two luxury resorts in Mexico that are seven years behind schedule. 

“Instead, the players say, Jowdy got rowdy, squandering their cold cash on ‘lavish parties’ that included ‘various female porn stars, escorts, strippers [and] party girls’ to impress Clemens, Jackson, banned star Pete Rose and ESPN announcer Joe Morgan, one of the suits filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleges.” 

Perhaps the clincher is that while Jowdy took the hockey players’ money, they weren’t invited to the parties. Some of the players lost $600,000 to $700,000. And what’s the deal with Joe Morgan? The others I can see. 

–Boy, here’s a real dirtballesse…Beyonce. I was disappointed to learn that she backed out of a club engagement in New York City after the owner of M2, Joey Morrissey, had agreed to pay her $200,000, and had spent $100,000 preparing for the show, renting equipment and such, as per her own specifications. 

–And media mogul and Ticketmaster honcho Barry Diller went after Bruce Springsteen in the latest round in the concert-ticket flap. 

“Bruce Springsteen has been one of our most vocal critics on our ticketing policies and while he’s more than entitled to his opinion, it seems minimally fair-minded to point out that in the concert that created the fracas, where Ticketmaster apologized for making a technical mistake, it seems that Mr. Springsteen held back from his fans all but 108 of the 1,126 tickets closest to the stage,” referring to the Star-Ledger report I passed on in a recent Bar Chat.  Bruuuuuce!

Top 3 songs for the week of 6/24/72: #1 “The Candy Man” (Sammy Davis, Jr.) #2 “Song Sung Blue” (Neil Diamond) #3 “Outa-Space” (Billy Preston)…and…#4 “Nice To Be With You” (Gallery) #5 “I’ll Take You There” (The Staple Singers) #6 “Troglodyte” (The Jimmy Castor Bunch) #7 “Lean On Me” (Bill Withers) #8 “(Last Night) I Didn’t Get To Sleep At All” (The 5th Dimension) #9 “Oh Girl” (Chi-Lites) #10 “Too Late To Turn Back Now” (Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose) 

300-Game Winner Quiz Answer: [that pitched at least part of the time in the 1800s] 

In case you were saying, hey, what about Christy Mathewson? He started his career in 1900. 

And what about Eddie Plank? you might have asked yourself, in David Byrne fashion. Plank pitched from 1901-1917.