College Football Quiz: What? Isn’t it too early, editor? Au contraire, mon frères. I just picked up my copy of “The USA TODAY College Football Encyclopedia, 2010-2011,” edited by Bob Boyles and Paul Guido, which as I’ve noted in the past is simply the single best sports encyclopedia around. So as you’re lounging on the beach with your buddies, or sitting on a porch, drinking Shiner Bock or Yuengling…since 1953, give the top ten Division I programs in terms of winning percentage, including conference championship and bowl games. Answer below.
Jack Tatum
In a preseason football game back on Aug. 12, 1978, Oakland Raiders safety Jack Tatum collided with New England Patriots receiver Darryl Stingley, who was lunging for an incomplete pass, when in one of the sport’s worst moments, Tatum smashed Stingley, leaving Darryl a quadriplegic after Tatum’s devastating blow; Stingley fracturing two vertebrae in his neck and severely damaging his spinal cord.
“It was a slant and they throw it in the middle. (Tatum) is going for the ball, Stingley is going for the ball. Stingley leaves his feet, they have a collision, and Stingley doesn’t get up. Even saying that, you get that feeling in the pit of your stomach. That’s something no one wants. You never want to hear about it. You never want to see it.”
Tatum had a reputation of being one of the toughest players in the game before this, but he never apologized to Stingley and the two never spoke afterwards, with Stingley dying in 2007.
Tatum once claimed he tried to visit Stingley at an Oakland hospital but was turned away by Stingley’s family.
“It’s not so much that Darryl doesn’t want to, but it’s the people around him,” Tatum said in 2004. “Every time we plan something, it gets messed up. Getting to him or him getting back to me, it never happens.”
John Madden swears, “It was something that ate on him for his whole life.”
But at the same time, Tatum titled his 1980 book, “They Call Me Assassin,” and then he wrote two follow-ups; “They Still Call Me Assassin: Here We Go Again” in 1989, and “Final Confessions of an NFL Assassin” in 1996.
Tatum had been a standout at Ohio State when he was drafted in the first round by the Raiders in 1971. In nine seasons with Oakland he had 30 interceptions and helped them win their first Super Bowl title in ’76.
Tatum’s hit on Stingley was one of many memorable hits by the safety. Back in 1972, during a playoff game between the Steelers and Raiders, it was Tatum’s hit on Pittsburgh running back Frenchy Fuqua that jarred the ball loose, only to have it plucked out of the air by Franco Harris who ran 42 yards for the winning touchdown in “The Immaculate Reception.”
I also can’t mention Tatum without noting the others in Oakland’s “Soul Patrol” secondary; George Atkinson, Skip Thomas and Willie Brown. Atkinson said of his teammate:
“As many big plays as Jack made, it let you know this guy knew where to be when the chips were down. Guys didn’t want to come across the middle because getting hit by him was like getting hit by a truck. He was devastating with his timing and his angles of contact.”
In his later years, Jack Tatum suffered from diabetes and had his left leg amputated. He died of a massive heart attack on Tuesday at the age of 61.
Meet the Mutts
So my buddy Pete M. and I went to see the Mets Tuesday night, their first game after a disastrous 2-9 road trip following the All-Star break, and prior to Tuesday’s contest, it was appropriate to once again note that great philosopher Michael Ray Richardson, who when asked “What do you think is happening to the team?” responded, “The ship be sinking.” How far can it sink? “Sky’s the limit.”
Yup, that be the Metsies, who’ve been playing like the Mutts they have often resembled these past few years…and much of the franchise’s history.
But out of nowhere, the Mets belted St. Louis’ star hurler, Adam Wainwright, on their way to an 8-2 triumph. So prior to Wednesday’s game, the Mets, at 51-49, are still kind of in the hunt, but only just barely.
I was surprised, though, on how well behaved Tuesday’s crowd was, seeing as how so many of us were out for blood. Jason Gay wrote the following in the Wall Street Journal:
“Fans have been emotionally tortured this season. It’s been down and up, down and up, and now, crushingly, down and down, with no upswing in sight. You could use the obvious roller coaster metaphor, but only a sadist would design a roller coaster like this one.”
Many of us want change…like a change in manager. The team needs fiery Wally Backman at the helm, as my brother reminds me daily. He’s got a Wally shirt, you see. I, on the other hand, stupidly bought the two of us Rod Barajas jerseys after the catcher got off to his impressive start. But from the time the shirts arrived, Rod has had all of about 2 RBI.
And now Rod is on the disabled list as he became the 83rd Met, or so it seems, to suffer an oblique strain. Of course before he was put on the DL, us fans were told Rod was fine. As Johnny Mac pointed out, it’s as if the Mets took lessons from the Soviets. “Nothing to worry about. Comrade Chernenko has a slight cold.” That was the signal to make funeral arrangements.
Meanwhile, under the category of what’s really important, beer, Pete and I arrived early, about 5:30, for the 7:10 start, and perused the new Mets Museum. They’ve done a good job with this and hopefully the collection grows over the years, but for now you can see things like Gil Hodges’ player contract with the team, 1963, when he made $31,000. Or Tom Seaver’s first minor-league contract in 1966 that paid him $500 a month. And who wrote the lyrics to “Meet the Mets”? Ruth Roberts and Bill Katz, 1963.
Anyway, then it was on to the Shake Shack for a burger and ale, but around 6:00 it was time for another beer and our seating area being up top, we discovered all the concession stands there were closed until 6:30! What kind of bush league operation is this? It spoke volumes about Mets ownership and all the questions still swirling around it concerning the Wilpon family’s investments with Bernie Madoff. I feel like the Wilpons just felt they were saving money by refusing to open up until 30 minutes before game time…the jerks.
[Pssst…we did finally get our fill of beer, took the train back to Hoboken where I stayed overnight at the superb W Hotel, and admired the scenery until the wee hours…which means I’m more than a little groggy as I write this, quite frankly.]
–Former Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Billy Loes died. He was 80. Loes’ career spanned 1950, 1952-61, including four full seasons with the Dodgers, 1952-55, during which time he was 50-26. In 1952, Loes had his best season at the age of 22, going 13-8 with a 2.69 ERA. [Lifetime, Loes was 80-63, spending time in Baltimore and San Francisco as well.]
The New York Times’ Richard Goldstein had this about the quirky Loes and those great Brooklyn teams.
“On the eve of the 1952 Series, Loes was asked how the Dodgers would fare. He picked the Yankees to win in six games.
“Then came Loes’ misadventures in Game 6, at Ebbets Field.
“Pitching in the seventh inning with a 1-0 lead, Loes gave up a home run by Yogi Berra and a single by Gene Woodling. Then he balked by letting the baseball slip from his hand while he was on the pitching rubber, sending Woodling to second base. With two out, Vic Raschi, the Yankees’ starting pitcher, hit a ball off Loes’ leg, and it caromed into right field for a single, scoring Woodling. The Yankees went on to a 3-2 victory, tying the Series at three games apiece.
“Afterward, Loes had an explanation for failing to snare Raschi’s comebacker: he said he had lost the ground ball in the sun.
–The other day I mentioned the 1880s hurler Jim Whitney, who was credited with 270 strikeouts and just 27 walks one year, a 10:1 ratio exceeded only by Bret Saberhagen and, possibly this season, Cliff Lee.
But I wanted to learn more about Whitney and I glanced through a book I had purchased earlier in the year but haven’t had a chance to read yet, “Fifty-nine in ’84…Old Hoss Radbourn, Barehanded Baseball & The Greatest Season A Pitcher Ever Had” by Edward Achorn. It turns out this book has a ton on Whitney, but I’m going to save it for when I pay my respects to the man’s grave one day up in Binghamton, New York.
For now, however, just two tidbits. I noted earlier Whitney was called “Grasshopper Jim.” It turns out this was because of “his bounding gait and spindly limbs. Standing well over six feet tall, he seemed a freakish specimen of manhood, with uncommonly long arms and legs, a craning neck, a sleep expression, and ears that stuck out prominently from his smallish skull.”
“Like many players in the 1880s, Whitney was not content to make do with skill. He used cheating and outright violence to gain an edge. He threw overhand long before the rules legitimized the motion, daring umpires to call him on it. More ominously, he kept batters in a state of terror by hitting them repeatedly Since the rules did not yet automatically award first base to a man struck by a pitch, the worst punishment a pitcher faced was a fine. Even that minimal penalty was rarely imposed, though, because umpires had to deem that the assault had been intentional, and many did not want to deal with the violent argument that would inevitably ensue after such a judgment call. Whitney exploited that opening. Indeed, some observers argued that his wild pitches – horribly painful if they smacked flesh, certainly capable of dealing death – were key to his effectiveness. ‘After a player has faced him once and had several ribs staved in by one of his chain lightning shots, he comes to the bat the second time and strikes at balls he couldn’t reach with a ten-foot pole, in order to get out of the way of another shot,’ the Cincinnati Enquirer observed. Wearing only cloth caps to protect their vulnerable heads, batters were doubly unnerved by the way Grasshopper took a hop, step, and jump to the forward line of the box before hurling the ball toward them.”
On the second thought, Grasshopper Jim is one creepy and disturbing character. Maybe it’s best I not pay my respects.
–Wednesday’s USA TODAY had an item concerning the 1961 baseball season. It seems that the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) discovered two key errors in the official scoring. As reported by Mike Dodd:
“The miscues incorrectly credit (Roger) Maris with an extra RBI and New York Yankees teammate Mickey Mantle with an extra run – both significant in that they change the league-leading totals for that season.
“Maris, who originally won the RBI title with 142, was erroneously awarded one in a July 5 game at Yankee Stadium and is now credited with 141, which puts him in a tie for the league title with the Baltimore Orioles’ Jim Gentile. [The run scored on an error.]
“And Mantle was given one run too many off an official scorer’s error in filling out the box score on Sept. 10. [Yankee first baseman Bill Skowron scored the run, not Mantle.]
“Mantle had been tied with Maris for the league title with 132 runs, so Maris now holds it alone.”
SABR has been working with Retrosheet to computerize play-by-play accounts from as many pre-1984 games as possible. The changes were announced on baseball-reference.com, which now reflects the correct figures, as my own look revealed.
—The NFL finally gets it. It has begun hanging posters in locker rooms on the dangers of concussion, using words like “depression” and “early onset of dementia.” As Alan Schwarz of the New York Times reports:
“The new document also warns players that repeated concussions ‘can change your life and your family’s life forever,’ a clear nod to retired players’ wives who have spoken out on the issue, occasionally before Congress. A draft of the poster also features photographs of unnamed youngsters in various sports with the reminder, ‘Other athletes are watching.’”
—Matt Garza threw the first no-hitter in Tampa Bay history and fifth in the major leagues this season, beating Detroit 5-0. He allowed but one second-inning walk. Tampa Bay itself had been held hitless three times in the past year. [1991 was the last season with at least five no-nos.] The other four this year were thrown by Oakland’s Dallas Braden, Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay, the D’Backs’ Edwin Jackson and Colorado’s Ubaldo Jimenez. Braden and Jackson’s came against the Rays. Last July, Mark Buehrle threw a perfect game for the White Sox against Tampa Bay.
The New York Mets, in existence since 1962, still haven’t had one. We truly suck.
—Stephen Strasburg had to pull out of a start for Washington on Tuesday because of “stiffness and discomfort” in his right shoulder. Thankfully an MRI showed no damage and it appears he just needs some rest, but it’s a reminder how fragile pitchers are.
–Florida’s Chris Coghlan tore his meniscus in his left knee delivering a pie to the face of teammate Wes Helms following Helms’ game-winning, 11th-inning single in a 5-4 win over Atlanta. It was back in May that Angels slugger Kendry Morales broke his left leg while leaping onto home plate following his game-ending grand slam.
–David P. passed along a great item I missed last time. In winning the Canadian Open, Carl Pettersson (sic) captured his fourth PGA Tour title, this after he thought he had missed the cut two days earlier.
“I walked in the locker room (after finishing his second round) and (fellow player) Jay Williamson had all the scenarios written out, and he’s like, ‘Grab a beer,’ Pettersson said. ‘Before you know it, I’d had seven beers. Made the cut. And my caddie had to drive me home. I wasn’t in that bad of shape, but I didn’t want to drive. I can usually handle seven beers.”
So all he did in the third round was shoot a 60 to get into contention and then closed with 67 to win by one.
–Funny story out of Dallas. Cowboys rookie receiver Dez Bryant refused to carry the veterans’ pads after practice which has been the custom for all rookies. Veteran wideout Roy Williams tried to give Bryant his pads but Bryant refused. “I’m not doing it,” Bryant said. “I feel like I was drafted to play football, not carry another player’s pads.” Not real smart, Dezzie boy. Not real smart.
–Uh oh, Jay-Z is upset with LeBron. According to the website Mediatakeout.com, a source on the inside says “Jay-Z felt disrespected that King James did not consult with him during the free agency process.” But Jay-Z only has a $1 million stake in the New Jersey Nets, while new Russian owner Mikahil Prokhorov paid $200 million for an 80% one.
–Update: Chris Paul says he remains “committed to the city of New Orleans” and that he’s “never been able to envision” continuing his career anywhere but the Big Easy. He has two more years left on his contract and the NBA is reminding owners and GMs that they can’t tamper with him. I’ve said my piece on this topic…plus right about now I need to take a nap. You see, sports fans, your editor is too old to be staying up until 1:30 on a school night as I did Tuesday.
It would seem that two of its basketball players, Jamie Harris and Kevin Phillip, along with a third man, were involved in an armed robbery in Philadelphia last week. Phillip and Harris brandished guns and demanded money, but the third guy, Devon Bond (not to be confused with James…as you’re about to learn), thought there was money in the house, found none, so the three ran off with two cellphones. On Monday, they turned themselves in to police.
Of course those involved with Harris and Phillip said it was “out of character.” What cracks me up when I see the paltry sums taken in such crimes is why these guys don’t just play the options market or somethin’, know what I’m sayin’?
–So if you were thinking, hey, I’m out of work, maybe I’ll become a bullfighter, you may want to think about a different career because Catalonia’s parliament voted to ban bullfighting – the first region of mainland Spain to do so. Support for the sport is waning across the land as opponents call it barbaric and outdated. But backers say it is an art form that should be preserved.
–Attention horse racing fans…if you are in the South Jersey area this weekend (where it’s not expected to be 100 degrees, by the way, like last weekend), there is an outstanding field lined up for The Haskell at Monmouth Park. Like try Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver and Preakness winner Lookin At Lucky (which should have won the freakin’ Triple Crown, for crying out loud!).
But wait…there’s more! Florida Derby winner Ice Box, Preakness runner-up First Dude, and other four-legged thoroughbreds are entered…plus there’s cold beer! [Yours truly is not compensated by the New Jersey Department of Tourism…but I should be.]
–John Butler, an Irish author and motivational speaker, was out tending his garden on Sunday afternoon when he was bitten by a wasp. No more John Butler. He died immediately. The wasp has not been apprehended as of this writing.
“Jack Hanna, director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, had quite an encounter while on a trip to Glacier National Park.
“Hanna and his wife were hiking along a park trail over the weekend when they rounded a bend and came face to face with a family of grizzly bears, Hanna said on Tuesday.
“The bears, a mother bear and her two cubs, were lumbering toward them, Hanna said.
“Hanna said he and his wife and three other hikers nearby backpedaled up the trail to get out of the bears’ way, but one of the 125-pound cubs started charging at them.
“That was when Hanna said there was only one thing he could do.
“ ‘The animal starts coming for us, and I can’t judge, because it happened so fast, 20 to 30 feet. I unloaded a blast of pepper spray, that was too far, I should have known better, but when a bear is coming to you, you only have four puffs, so I puffed the one and he still is coming and the wind took it,’ Hanna said.
“ ‘I unloaded it about 20 feet, maybe 15 feet, real close to that, and the bear shakes its head. Then, 10 feet, it happened in seconds, and looking (at the bear) right in the face, and then bam! I unloaded the whole can in his face and the bear starts going back toward its mom and other baby. And at that point I said, ‘Oh, Thank God.’
“Five years ago, a father and his daughter were severely mauled by a mother bear and her two cubs on the same hiking trail.
“Hanna said he is still shaken up and said this is the first time in all of his travels that he has had to use pepper spray to fend off a wild animal.”
You can’t go in the water anymore…you can’t go hiking…I’m just staying inside and getting my groceries delivered.
“An eastern Pennsylvania woman has been cited for harassment after her son told police she cleaned the bathroom with his toothbrush, then returned it to its holder. Police in Lower Saucon said 52-year-old Deborah Woist decided on July 18 that a bathroom inside her home needed a good scrubbing because it hadn’t been cleaned in two months.
“Her 26-year-old son, Justin Novack, said the scrubbing was done with his toothbrush. He said his mother put it away when she was done. Novack then called police, claiming his mother applied feces to his toothbrush.”
And so we nominate Deborah for “Woist Mother of the Year.”
–Speaking of, err, crap… Fans who attended the Kings Of Leon performance on Friday night in St. Louis have begun receiving refunds for a rather unusual occurrence. The group walked off the stage complaining about pigeon droppings. The band said they didn’t want to do it but after three songs, the boys felt it was so disgusting and unhealthy, they were left with no choice.
Needless to say the fans weren’t real happy, after first waiting in the heat for hours beforehand just to get into the place.
Jennifer Elston told the Los Angeles Times, “All they told us was they were leaving for their safety. They didn’t say anything about health or sanitation or pigeon crap.”
“According to the group’s manager, bass player Michael Jared was hit several times during the first two songs.
“The Kings called it quits after the third tune, when Jared was hit on the cheek by flying poo and some of it landed near his mouth.”
Sorry. I guess I should have warned you ahead of time that this was pretty gross.
—Elvis Presley’s white “Knabe” grand piano, which had been the house piano at Ellis Auditorium, Memphis, where the likes of Duke Ellington and Count Basie performed, before Elvis bought it and spiffed it up in white, is going on the auction block in Memphis, Aug. 14, and is estimated to fetch $1 million.
–Concert tip. If you’re in the New York City area, on Saturday at 5:00 p.m., Damrosch Park Bandshell / Lincoln Center, there is a free concert featuring Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels and, get this, ? (Question Mark) & The Mysterians of “96 Tears” fame, the 1966 No. 1 hit. Who wudda thunk these guys, fronted by Rudy Martinez, were still around?
Top 3 songs for the week 7/25/64: #1 “Rag Doll” (The 4 Seasons) #2 “A Hard Day’s Night” (The Beatles) #3 “I Get Around” (The Beach Boys)…and…#4 “Memphis” (Johnny Rivers) #5 “The Girl From Ipanema” (Getz/Gilberto) #6 “The Little Old Lady (From Pasadena)” (Jan & Dean) #7 “Can’t You See That She’s Mine” (The Dave Clark Five) #8 “Dang Me” (Roger Miller) #9 “Wishin’ And Hopin’” (Dusty Springfield) #10 “Keep On Pushing” (The Impressions…wow, what a week, kids. Not a bad tune in the bunch and incredible diversity. I was just six-years-old but the transistor radio was glued to my ear and I remember walking down to this newspaper store, “Sam’s,” in Plainfield, N.J., and getting packs of Rock ‘n’ Roll trading cards, before I started collecting the baseball variety…and it’s killing me that somehow these were thrown away!)
College Football Quiz Answer: Top ten in winning percentage.
1. Ohio State .7629
2. Oklahoma .7508
3. Penn State .7389
4. Nebraska .7370
5. Texas .7186
6. Alabama .7166
7. Michigan .7134
8. Southern California .7050
9. Auburn .6846
10. Tennessee .6822
11. Florida .6800
12. Notre Dame .6742
13. Florida State .6682
14. Georgia .6613
15. Miami .6571
16. Arizona State .6565
17. LSU .6446
18. Arkansas .6401
19. UCLA .6305
20. Virginia Tech .6186
