U.S. Open Quiz: 1) Who was the last European to win? 2) Who were the three multiple winners in the 90s? 3) These two finished second to Johnny Miller in 1973 and Hale Irwin in ’74, initials J.S. and F.F. Neither was good. Name ‘em. Answers below.
Black History Quiz: 1) Who was the first African-American to play in a PGA Tour event? 2) Who was the first to win? Answers below.
Golf House
As you watch the U.S. Open, you’ll notice the commercials for the U.S.G.A. and Golf House, which is in Far Hills, N.J. I hadn’t been there in years until Wednesday and I have to tell you, for those of you in the area, go. With all the renovations and additions, it has become a truly first-class museum on the history of the game, particularly in the U.S. I didn’t have a lot of time but will be heading back before long to get a lot of material for future chats. There’s also a terrific library there that it appears us schleps can access (it was closed Wednesday morning as the librarian needed to be on Pacific time for any requests she may receive from Pebble Beach this week).
One thing that you appreciate when you go to a golf museum is the quality of equipment the players used back in the old days. You wonder what a Walter Hagen, for example, would have done in the modern era?
As for the U.S. Open itself…your OFFICIAL PICK TO CLICK…Rory McIlroy!!! [Though like most of you I’d love to see Phil make it two straight majors.]
The World Cup
Well, my final four all tied their first games…Uruguay, Paraguay, England and Slovakia. Funny, but while Uruguay was in a 0-0 tie with France, the other three all allowed lousy goals in 1-1 contests, headed up by England goalkeep Robert Green. Seeing as I wagered about $59,500 on the Cup, I’m not happy. [But nice win by Switzerland over Spain! No World Cup champ ever lost their first game and here Spain was picked to win it all by many of the experts.] And this just in…my Uruguayans beat South Africa! There is justice…see below.
In terms of scoring, in the first 14 games, only 23 goals were scored, vs. 34 in 1998, 39 in 2002, and 31 in 2006.
And as Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated points out, through Tuesday’s contests, not one goal was scored on a bender. This new ball blows! It’s freakin’ flying like a beach ball, for crying out loud. Great job, Adidas…NOT! Tthere won’t be a lot of kids tugging at their mothers to buy them that piece of crap.
But even worse, soccer officials have ruled the vuvuzela are here to stay. Sepp Blatter (nice name), president of FIFA, soccer’s governing body, said:
“I have always said that Africa has a different rhythm, a different sound. I don’t see banning the music traditions of fans in their own country….Would you want to see a ban on the fan traditions in your country?”
Oh give me a freakin’ break, Sepptic Tank. For starters, it’s not music! Give me some Zulu chants, for crying out loud. That’ll scare the hell out of both teams on the pitch, while providing real atmosphere. [Though I have to admit, I’d have to sleep with one eye open for about a week afterwards.]
But Rich Mkhondo, a spokesman for the World Cup organizing committee, reiterated the official stance.
“As our guests please embrace our culture, please embrace the way we celebrate.”
Geezuz. This is culture? C’mon, this is emblematic of a dumb country.
And so we begin another Bar Chat Exclusive, designed to get your editor in mega trouble, after which he flees to any other land that will accept him (and American Express).
Top Ten Dumb Countries
1. North Korea
2. Zimbabwe
3. South Africa
4. Congo
5. Belgium
6. Somalia
7. Venezuela [granted, they’ve given America some great ballplayers]
8. Yemen
9. Bangladesh
10. Myanmar
College World Series
Double elimination in the brackets, then 2 of 3 for the championship.
TCU
Florida State
Florida
UCLA
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Arizona State
Clemson
Arizona State (1), Florida (3) and UCLA (6) are the only three of the original eight seeds to advance to the CWS, the fewest since seeds were first awarded in 1999.
But will Clemson or Florida State finally gain for the ACC its first title since Wake Forest in 1955? Doubtful.
And of course wouldn’t you know, but I received my Coastal Carolina Chanticleer wear the day they were eliminated from the tourney.
Ben Hogan
Golf Week’s Jeff Rude did a two-part series on Hogan recently and here are a few tidbits.
Hogan didn’t win the first of his nine major championships until the year he turned 34. After a car accident that nearly killed him in 1949, he never walked without pain but amazingly won six of nine majors entered in 1950-53.
[I was reminded of the following at Golf House. In 1953, because it was so difficult for Hogan to walk four rounds, he severely limited his appearances. Like try six tournaments, that’s all. And what did Hogan do? He was runner-up in the Greenbrier Pro-Am, won at Colonial, won the Pan American Open, and then won the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open. Forget the Tiger Slam (which was over two years), this is the best year in golf history, given the circumstances (better than Bobby Jones’ slam as well.]
“Gary Player says when he phoned from Brazil to ask a swing question, Ben Hogan replied, ‘I’m going to be real curt with you, fella,’ then asked which equipment Player used. ‘Dunlop,’ Player said. Irritated that the South African wasn’t using Hogan Co. clubs, Hogan told him to call Mr. Dunlop. Then he hung up.”
Hogan called everyone ‘fella,’ including Palmer and Nicklaus, though Hogan liked Nicklaus. [He couldn’t stand Palmer, however, for which Arnie rightfully never forgave him.]
Hogan also liked Lee Trevino. “He had a soft spot for self-made golfers who grew up poor and excelled through hard labor. Yet he never called Trevino by name. When he needed new Hogan Co. equipment tested, he’d tell a rep, ‘Take these clubs over to that little Mexican guy in Dallas. He’s the only one who hits it solid every time. We’ll find out if they’re any good.’”
“Hogan Co. started in 1953, the year its namesake won the Triple Crown. Over the next four decades, many players wondered if they should seek him out when at the factory. Once an intercom page asked Tommy Armour III to report to the front. Told Mr. Hogan wanted to see him, he entered Hogan’s office and heard, ‘You can’t come and say hello when you come to my factory? Don’t ever come here and don’t say hello again.’”
“Hogan sat by the first tee when Jeff Sluman started the third round of the 1990 Colonial. Sluman hit a heel cut down the middle and avoided eye contact. ‘I was afraid to look,’ he said. ‘Oh, my God, I was more nervous than I’ve ever been.’”
“A savvy investor, Hogan left $1 million – a reported 1/30th of his worth – to Fort Worth’s University Christian Church, where he was known to arrive late for services, sit in the back and leave early to avoid fuss. At times, he would read about someone down on his luck and donate anonymously.
“Herman Keiser was broke until Hogan lent him $1,500. Keiser won the next event, repaid Hogan and won the 1946 Masters. Years later, Keiser annually would tell Fuzzy Zoeller at the Masters Champions Dinner to thank Hogan at Colonial. Zoeller delivered the message. Hogan’s face brightened. ‘He’s never forgotten,’ Hogan said.
“A year after winning an NCAA title at Houston, John Mahaffey played a 1971 Houston Champions International practice round with Hogan. The week of Hogan’s last competitive round would be a launching pad for Mahaffey, an assistant pro at Champions. After the practice round, Hogan asked Mahaffey if he’d like to play the Colonial tournament. Mahaffey said he wasn’t a PGA Tour member. ‘I didn’t ask you if you were a Tour member,’ Hogan said. ‘I asked if you want to play Colonial.’
“Told yes, Hogan went into an office, came back 10 minutes later and said, ‘You’re in. The stipulation is you have to play all practice rounds with me.’ Mahaffey tied for 12th, signed a Hogan Co. contract the next week and got through Q-School that fall. He went on to win 10 Tour titles, including the 1978 PGA Championship.”
“Hogan warmed to animals and children, too. He had grown attached to two dogs that roamed Shady Oaks, one named Buster, now buried by the golf shop. When Hogan first visited the gravesite, he put his hat over his heart, kissed his fingertips and patted the tombstone. His eyes sparkled with tears.”
“Ben Hogan grew up poor, at 9 watched his father commit suicide, dropped out of school, turned pro at 17 during the Great Depression, went broke twice, was battered and nearly killed by a bus at his peak, lived next to Byron Nelson’s sunshine and operated as an introvert in a fish bowl.
“Mike Wright, Shady Oak’s head professional for 26 years, sometimes asked Hogan how he wanted to be remembered. The answer was always, ‘As a gentleman.’”
When you see a photo of the car crash Hogan was in on Feb. 2, 1949, you can’t believe he survived, let alone his wife who was unhurt thanks to Ben throwing himself across her. They were hit head-on by a Greyhound Bus, traveling in Texas on a very foggy night.
–Yes, Game 7…Boston v. Los Angeles…should be good, but it won’t be. L.A. by 15.
–Caddie Bruce Edwards, back in 1982 as TomWatson prepared to chip from deep rough off the 17th green at the U.S. Open, Pebble Beach. “Get it close,” Edwards thinking it would be a great shot to keep it within ten feet of the hole.
“Get it close?” Watson answered. “I’m gonna make it!”
And so he did, using a 56-degree Wilson Staff Dyna-Power sand wedge he had salvaged a few years earlier from David Graham’s garage. “David loves golf clubs, and he had only the best,” Watson says. “His castaways were anybody else’s first-teamers.”
“After a swing as purposeful as it was abbreviated, Watson’s ball came out as high and soft as human nerves would allow. As it began to trundle over the putting surface, announcer Dave Marr eyed its every rotation. ‘It looks good, it looks good,’ Marr said in a voice rising with possibility. Soon enough, the ball began to accept the slight rightward break. Just before it collided with the flagstick, Watson crouched into a hunch of hope and anticipation, and as the ball fell into golf lore, an incredulous Marr asked his audience, ‘Do you believe it? Do you believe it?’
At the time, Jack Nicklaus was already in the clubhouse, tied with Watson. He was getting ready for an interview with Jack Whitaker and neither was watching the TV monitor when Watson’s shot went in. But David Fay, who would go on to become the USGA’s executive director, was watching. When Watson chipped in to take the lead, Fay blurted out, “Holy [bleep]! He holed it!”
“Nicklaus, seated in a swivel chair, spun around, looked at Fay and said, ‘No, he didn’t.’
“According to Fay, all expression drained from Nicklaus’ face as he stared at the screen. ‘I can’t believe it,’ Nicklaus said to no one in particular. ‘I can’t believe it happened again.’
“ ‘For a moment he was ashen,’ Fay recalls, ‘but he quickly regrouped and he was Jack Nicklaus again, the most gracious loser the game has ever seen.’
“Watson didn’t have to birdie the 18th hole, but when he did Nicklaus was there to greet him. The two friends shook hands and, according to Watson, Nicklaus told him affectionately, ‘You little son of a bitch, you did it to me again. I’m proud of you.’ As they walked off the green, Nicklaus put his arm around Watson. Watson smiled and reciprocated.”
But while Watson won two more majors, and Nicklaus the 1986 Masters, they didn’t finish one-two again in a major championship.
So what’s left of the shot? The club is in a display case outside the pro shop at The Greenbrier, where Watson is professional emeritus. “The Wedge, 1982 U.S. Open,” is all it says.
And the ball? It never made it off the Monterey Peninsula. “I gave it to the ocean,” says Watson, who impulsively threw it into Carmel Bay after winning.
One other thing about Pebble Beach. Golf World had a list of ten memorable shots there, both at the Open and in the Crosby National Pro-Am.
No. 10. Jack Lemmon, driver, 1981 Crosby. As Jim Moriarty writes, “Lemmon’s opening tee shot flies off the toe of his driver, zings over the heads of the gallery, threads through the trees and into a lodge room – his own.”
–Yippee! The conference realignment game, with one or two exceptions, is over! Texas said, ‘Screw all you Pac-10ers. We’re getting our compatriots to stay in the Big 12,’ and so the remaining ten schools are, after Nebraska moved to the Big Ten and Colorado to the Pac-10. But there are still a ton of questions, such as the Big 12 can’t hold a conference title game with only 10 members and it’s these title games alone that can pay for a school’s minor sports, or ensure the football program remains in the black.
But it would seem the Big 12 is prepared to sign all kinds of new, lucrative television contracts so they’re convinced this will work.
Meanwhile, the Pac-10 (now 11 when Colorado joins in 2012) still needs another school to secure a conference title game and that could be Utah, which would be a blow to the Mountain West.
–I used to like Pete Carroll…really, really like the guy. The best thing going in terms of college sports, I thought. But today, I’m really, really tired of him as he begins to defend the era in which he was at the helm of USC. It’s not just about one or two players having contacts with agents, Pete. It’s about the fact that Reggie Bush had a beautiful home, almost totally paid for, a car, airfares for family members, you name it, Bush and his clan got it. Yet Carroll claims total innocence, this as it was Carroll that allowed Hollywood’s celebrities to hang out at practices, turning his players into NFL-level celebs in their own right. It was a fairyland, and it was bound to end badly.
–The Jets have a problem on their hands with All-World cornerback Darrelle Revis, who is under contract with the Jets for $1 million this season, but is demanding in excess of $10 million. Revis has called the proposals the Jets have made thus far “an insult.” Revis actually wants to be paid the same as the highest paid back, Oakland’s Nnamdi Asomugha…$15-16 million.
–Tennessee Titans QB Vince Young said he was sorry for assaulting a guy in a strip club. Young then said, “I pray to God that Roger Goodell doesn’t come down hard on me, because I definitely want to be here for my teammates.”
–It seems I was right to criticize the whole Abby Sunderland deal. We’ve since learned her father was preparing to sell his daughter’s attempt to sail round-the-world to reality television, but according to Laurence Sunderland, he pulled out, weeks after Abby had already set sail, when it seemed that the production company wanted to present the angle that the family was sending their daughter on a death trip. And memo to Abby: No one cares about you anymore. Go to college and get on with your life.
–Yet another New York sportswriter, Larry Brooks of the Post, took over three weeks to bring up what I first did back on May 20. Is it possible A-Rod’s hip injury “is an indication that Rodriguez, who will turn 35 on July 27, is beginning to break down after spending an unknown amount of time injecting or otherwise ingesting an unknown amount of unknown chemicals into his body”?
–USA TODAY had the stats on how teams have done with the bases loaded through June 13, Sunday’s contests.
The Yankees are 35 for 82, a .427 clip, with 6 grand slams already. Not bad…not bad at all. The Cards are next at .370, while the Blue Jays are hitting just .132 with the bases filled.
–No wonder Mark R. and other Phillies fans are in the dumps. They’re on a 6-15 run thru Tuesday!
1998…25 homers
1999…35
2000…42
2001…49
2002…30
2003…33
2004…32
2005…20
2006…15
2007…17
2008….7 (hurt)
2009…15
2010….2 in 196 at-bats
—Tom Izzo turned down the Cleveland Cavaliers coaching job and recommitted himself to Michigan State. Why he even considered the job I’ll never know. I can understand why college coaches get tired of the recruiting game, but once you get to the level of Coach K. or Izzo, the big players seek you out. It’s nowhere near as difficult recruiting McDonald’s All-Americans as it is at, say, Wake Forest or Baylor.
Izzo has taken the Spartans to the Final Four six times (the only school to do so between 1999 and 2010) and won the 2000 championship.
—Porn star Devon James (actually, I wouldn’t really know if she is a ‘star,’ but someone thinks she is), claims that she bore a Tiger cub, son Austin T. James, no relation to LeBron (at least that we know of), or ESPN broadcaster Craig James. According to Joanna Molloy of the Daily News, the middle initial is a secret tribute to the golfer James’ loved.
“She was 19 at the time, and she was attending a Christian school program” when they met, a source told the Daily News. “They immediately started a relationship. She became pregnant, but she decided not to tell Tiger.”
James never had a DNA test but claims Woods was the only African-American man she dated.
So this is the second woman claiming a love child. Theresa Rogers earlier said she had Woods’ baby in 2004 and negotiated a settlement to keep it under wraps.
This all reminds me of Paul Anka’s 1974 hit, “You’re Having My Baby.” Not that the sentiments expressed in that tune are what Woods was thinking, know what I’m sayin’?
–I didn’t realize just how big that high school mile race I saw on Saturday was. Not only was the winner, Lukas Verzbicas of Orland Park, Ill., the No. 1 miler in the country, but his time of 4:04 was the fastest this year. In fact the first three finishers ended up with the fastest times in the country this season. There were nine state champions in the race.
–So I’m reading Army Times and they have a book review I can’t help but pass on.
“Former cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point can relive their college days – and those who never strode its halls can get a feel for life there – with a new novel by West Point grad Terron Sims II.
“ ‘With Honor in Hand’ tells the story of two friends and mercenaries hired by the vindictive Col. Drasneb of the Serbian army. The mercenaries, Douglas ‘Big Mac’ Pollard and Amos ‘Man Killer’ Stewart, have serious doubts when Col. Drasneb’s plan reveals itself as the downfall of the West Point Corps of Cadets….
“Sims – a former Army captain who deployed to Iraq from May 2003 to July 2004, said, ‘Most people don’t know anything about West Point. With this story, those people who have no idea what West Point is can get a real, honest appreciation for what the school is all about.’
“Sims’ characters are based on close friends and mentors from West Point…”
Sounds like it has potential…for those of you looking for summer beach reading.
–From the South China Morning Post: “A man was mauled to death by a group of Siberian tigers after he and his son walked into the animals’ enclosure in a wildlife park in Shaanxi on Sunday, mainland media reported yesterday.
“The zookeeper in charge of the tiger enclosure at Xian’s Qinling Wildlife Park has been detained by police for failing to close the gates before the father and son entered the enclosure, the China News Service reported.
“The enclosure’s gates are only supposed to be opened for tourist buses. Police said the father and son had wandered into the area because the zookeeper failed to close the gates immediately after a tourist bus passed through them.
“The 45-year-old man was found dead with bites on his neck. He was believed to have bled to death.
“His 17-year-old son, who was attacked by three tigers, was rescued by zoo workers in two rescue vehicles. ‘The boy was numb with shock,’ one member of the rescue team said.”
The boy later said that he and his father “entered the tiger enclosure when the first set of gates automatically opened after they arrived. They proceeded into the enclosure because the second set of gates was not closed, only to realize a few seconds later, when about five tigers jumped out, that they were in a dangerous situation.”
“We then realized we shouldn’t have gone there,” said the boy. He swears the two hadn’t been trespassing and paid to get into the park.
–We note the passing of Jimmy Dean, 81. I’ll never forget taking a long trip in the family Dodge out west, and into Canada the summer of 1965. While Dean’s song “Big Bad John” was a top hit in 1961, for some reason I vividly recall it over the car radio that summer (along with Roger Miller’s “Dang Me”). Funny how music works its magic.
Jimmy Dean was actually doing pretty well, health-wise, and the day he died his wife said he was eating in front of the television. She left the room, came back and he was unresponsive.
Dean was raised in poverty in Plainview, Texas, and dropped out of high school after the ninth grade. What a great career he had afterwards, including the nationally televised “The Jimmy Dean Show.”
And then in 1969, he started the Jimmy Dean Meat Co., later selling it to Sara Lee Corp. in 1984, making a small fortune. I know in our house Jimmy Dean Sausages were a hit.
Sadly, in 2009, a fire gutted Dean’s home and while he was able to salvage his Grammy for “Big Bad John,” he lost a collection of celebrity-autographed books, posters of Dean with Elvis and other prized possessions.
But I didn’t know that for all his wisecracks and quick wit, he could be tough. Like he once fired bandmate Roy Clark, who then went on to “Hee Haw” fame, for showing up late for gigs.
He also got pissed at Sara Lee in 2003 when they dropped him as a spokesperson, saying it was because of his age.
Dean wrote “Big Bad John” in two hours, by the way. He also became the first country star to play the Vegas Strip, and of course he played the role of James Bonds’ ally Willard Whyte in the film “Diamonds Are Forever.” [Ooh baby…Jill St. John…the peak for her.]
–Hey Pete M. and you other Entourage fans. It’s back…Sunday, June 27…10:30. Ari is better than ever, according to advance word. “I’m so good I’d [errr] myself if I were only more flexible.”
–Rolling Stone discusses the sad state of affairs in the concert business this summer. Christina Aguilera canceled her tour, the Eagles canceled a number of gigs on theirs, tons of empty seats, Bono’s injury forcing U2’s postponement. Of course in Aguilera’s case, she canceled her entire 20-city tour because of lack of sales but she hiked the price to $155 from $87 in 2007! Earth to Xtina. What universe are you in, babe. We’re talking 17% real unemployment, for crying out loud.
But Lady Gaga is surviving (average ticket price $92 for what all say is a spectacular show). And Jack Johnson and Dave Matthews still draw because they keep prices low.
–Jeff B. attended the Carole King / James Taylor concert at Madison Square Garden and reported, “What a show! JT was his usual dry, funny, pitch-perfect self. While Carole’s voice was a bit rough in spots, she is still amazing and then made up for it with her enthusiasm and obvious delight in being on the stage in front of a huge audience. She was bobbing all over the place. There must have been at least 7 standing ovations after songs and she got the majority of them.”
–Just saw a picture of Diane Lane…I won’t be the same all day. [For you younger guys out there, just understand that once you reach about 45, it’s all about Diane. Right Bro?]
Top 3 songs for the week 6/16/73: #1 “My Love” (Paul McCartney & Wings) #2 “Playground In My Mind” (Clint Holmes) #3 “Pillow Talk” (Sylvia…huh… huh…huh…aie aie aie aiiiie…)…and…#4 “I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby” (Barry White…you just know that Upstairs, Barry is packin’ em in; especially the ladies…he and Teddy Pendergrass… “I’m kind of bored. Hey, Barry and Teddy are playing tonight!”) #5 “Daniel” (Elton John) #6 “Frankenstein” (The Edgar Winter Group) #7 “Will It Go Round In Circles” (Billy Preston) #8 “Give Me Love – (Give Me A Legitimate No. 4 or 5 Starter)” (George Harrison) #9 “Kodachrome” (Paul Simon) #10 “Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree” (Dawn featuring Tony Orlando)
U.S. Open Quiz Answers: 1) Tony Jacklin remains the last European to win, way back in 1970 at Hazeltine. 2) Multiple winners in the 90s: Payne Stewart (91, 99); Lee Janzen (93, 98); Ernie Els (94, 97). 3) Runners-up: John Schlee finished second to Johnny Miller in 1973 and Forrest Fezler was second to Hale Irwin in ’74.
Black History Quiz Answers: 1) Ted Rhodes was the first African-American to compete in an official PGA Tour event, 1946, at the L.A. Open. 2) Charlie Sifford was the first to win an official PGA event, the 1967 Greater Hartford Open.
