U.S. Open Tennis Quiz: 1) Between 1978 and 1987, who were the only three men to win the singles’ title? 2) Who won back-to-back men’s titles in 1991-92, defeating Jim Courier and Pete Sampras? 3) Who won back-to-back in 1997-98, defeating Greg Rusedski and Mark Philippoussis? 4) What woman was runner-up 1973-76, but never won? 5) How many U.S. Opens did Steffi Graf win? Answers below.
Note: It’s catch-up time after some R&R in Ireland (great weather for golf, incidentally)…and I need to cover some issues for the archives, such as Item No. 1.
Stephen Strasburg
As the Washington Nationals’ flamethrower gets ready for Tommy John surgery…
“Everybody wants a reason. Everybody wants someone or something to blame. Everybody wants to know how to feel. And everybody wants to know what Stephen Strasburg’s future will be.
“Sorry, just like Strasburg’s right elbow, we’re all out of luck. It’s bad enough that the best pitching prospect in many years is gone for at least 12 months after only 12 major league starts. But it’s even more galling that absolutely nobody can give you an exact reason or a particular culprit or a proper emotional reaction.
“And nobody can do better than give you rough odds on what kind of pitcher Strasburg will be by opening day of 2012….
“But, unlike almost any other injury recovery in sports, the stakes in Tommy John surgery are incredibly high because all outcomes – including a ‘new elbow’ and a better pitching career – are actually possible.
“There’s at least a 10% chance that Strasburg will come back better than he’s ever been. He’ll have a tendon that’s wound several times, in a figure-eight pattern, between holes that will be drilled in bones in his upper and lower arm. If the body accepts the tendon, it’s actually thicker and stronger than the original ligament.
“Also, because Strasburg was injured at a young age (22), he’ll have 18 months to grow into his lanky body and strengthen his pitching core. His shoulder, which sent him to the disabled list with inflammation, will almost have completed its mature growth. Shoulders kill careers, seldom elbows. Strasburg will actually miss one of the most precarious times in his shoulder’s development.
“Such rosy thinking – and we’re hearing plenty of it from the Nats – is just a possibility, far from a probability. The most likely outcome, perhaps 75%, is the Strasburg we’ve watched in 2010 will be almost indistinguishable from the Strasburg we enjoy in 2012.
“But there won’t be a Strasburg of 2011. That’s 100% bad. The growth in interest that has encircled the Nats this summer will be put on hold….Bryce Harper’s not coming next year.”
For now, we remember Stephen Strasburg’s 14-strikeout, no-walk debut and hope in 2012 he’s successful, and as Thomas Boswell concluded, “maybe 18 months of celebrity detoxification won’t be so bad for a modest, determined young man.”
“Yes, 10 pitchers at the 2010 All-Star Game had undergone Tommy John surgery. Yes, one in nine major league pitchers has had the surgery and returned since 2008. But for at least 24 hours, it’s okay to mourn the combustion of a supernova’s season – and the brief spike in interest and attendance for a club that once tried to pawn off its new ballpark as its No. 1 free agent….
“It’s natural to feel disappointment today because Strasburg didn’t just bring credibility to a starved-for-attention D.C. sports scene; he brought the rare good news amid other Washington sports stories that led ‘SportsCenter.’ ‘Haynesworth a No-Show’ and ‘Arenas Sentenced on Gun Charge’ were suddenly superseded by this mythical fireballer from San Diego, whose 103-mph fastballs were a blur and whose change-ups made good hitters buckle and whiff.”
Former phenom David Clyde wished Strasburg well. Clyde was one of the big bonus babies of his era, drafted in 1973 out of high school by the Texas Rangers at No. 1, who then put $125,000 in his pocket. But Clyde started his first game in the majors just three weeks from his last start in high school, beating the Twins, yet he was washed up by 24, having compiled an 18-33 mark. One of the all-time busts.
“How do you ever forget a dream come true?” Clyde told USA TODAY, speaking of his first start. “It was all kind of a nightmare after that.” But whereas Strasburg’s pending Tommy John surgery can fix what ails him, Clyde’s issue was with the shoulder and he had no real options.
By the way, before Tommy John decided to be the guinea pig for the surgery now bearing his name, he was 124-106, a .539 winning percentage. After elbow reconstruction, he was 164-125, .567. [USA TODAY]
College Football 2010
The season starts Thursday and among the first few games through next Monday’s highlight of week one, No. 6 Boise State vs. No. 10 Virginia Tech (in Landover, Md.), you have…
No. 15 Pitt @ Utah
No. 24 Oregon State @ No. 6 TCU
No. 21 LSU @ No. 18 UNC
And there’s an intriguing Saturday contest between UConn and Michigan at Ann Arbor.
But the big event is in Winston-Salem, Thursday night…Presbyterian vs. Wake Forest. [Eegads. If we win by something like 14-10, I might have to commit hari-kari.]
Speaking of the ACC, though, Eric Prisbell of the Washington Post points out that ACC teams have made 41 bowl appearances the past five seasons – including an NCAA-record 10 in 2008 – but haven’t had a BCS title game representative in a decade. “Parity makes for regional theater but does little to enhance national relevancy.”
At least the ACC had five teams ranked in the preseason AP poll for the first time – Virginia Tech (10), Miami (13), Georgia Tech (16), North Carolina (18) and Florida State (20).
But I’m guessing they just beat each other up again, and even if one or two were to emerge and blow away the competition in conference, they’d still have to win their high-profile non-conference contests; like Virginia Tech’s vs. Boise State, or Miami’s upcoming one against Ohio State.
Peter Lenz…dead
13-year-old Peter Lenz…that’s 13…was killed during a warm-up lap for a motorcycle race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sunday, when he fell off his bike and was run over by another motorcycle, driven by a 12-year-old. He died hours later in the hospital from blunt force trauma.
“Peter passed away early this morning when he was apparently struck by another rider,” read a posting on Lenz’s Facebook page, which was signed “Dad.”
“He passed doing what he loved and had his go fast face on as he pulled onto the track,” the posting said. “The world lost one of its brightest lights today. God Bless Peter and the other rider involved. 45 is on another road we can only hope to reach. Miss you kiddo.”
As ESPN.com reported, Lenz rode the No. 45 bike, and his father was at the track Sunday.
Lenz was the first to die at the speedway since IndyCar driver Tony Renna was killed during testing in October 2003. He was obviously also the youngest.
Lenz was leading the points race for the developmental system he was racing in. Last season, though, he had a serious accident that left him with four broken bones and a severed radial nerve – all of which required surgery.
So the debate begins again as to how young is too young. Lenz was struck by 12-year-old Xavier Zayat of Flushing, N.Y., who escaped injury. Many of the older competitors in the 12-18-year old division say they were racing at 12 and the kids can handle the bikes, which can reach 120 mph. I’ll keep my mouth shut on this one, not having any kids of my own, except on another topic, I look at the travel leagues in other kids’ sports these days, compared to the days of my youth when things were so much simpler, and just shake my head. There’s a reason why a few years ago I talked so much about Willie Wilson from my high school, circa 1971-74, because a three-sport superstar of his kind is a thing of the past. How that’s a good thing, I’ll never know. Then again, the proliferation of personal sports “tutors” and coaches is a far better jobs program than anything the Obama administration has come up with!
Roger Clemens
The Rocket pleaded not guilty to six felony counts, including perjury, on Monday. The baseball world, though, has cause for concern should Clemens pursue his case all the way to trial as, in the words of the Daily News’ steroids team of reporters, it could “rip open the seamy side of professional baseball in ways perhaps not seen since the Mitchell Report put the first big dent in Clemens’ legacy.” And it’s not just about friend Andy Pettitte being forced to testify. “Subpoenas will fly like well-aimed fastballs, and will land at the doors of teammates, trainers, doctors, GMs, gym rats, girlfriends, drug dealers, and maybe even Clemens’ wife.”
And remember, while there is still a chance Clemens could avoid trial, that would mean he’s admitting guilt at some level, which exposes Roger to a legal backlash, given the defamation suit he has against chief accuser Brian McNamee.
Divorce His – Divorce Hers
From all the stories I’ve seen, it would appear Elin Nordegren received much closer to $100 million than an initially reported $750 million in her divorce settlement with Tiger Woods.
And in an interview with People magazine, Elin admits she never suspected Tiger was being unfaithful and “went through hell” after his serial infidelities were exposed. She says she started losing her hair, suffered insomnia and weight loss, and underwent intensive therapy after his secret life became a world story.
“I’m so embarrassed that I never suspected – not a one,” she said. “For the last three-and-a-half years, when all this was going on, I was home a lot more with the pregnancies, then the children….
“I felt absolute shock and disbelief. I felt stupid as more things were revealed – how could I not have known anything? The word betrayal isn’t strong enough. I felt like my whole world had fallen apart.”
As to the rumor she attacked Tiger with a golf club, Elin said:
“There was never any violence inside or outside our home. The speculation that I would have used a golf club to hit him is just truly ridiculous.”
She adds that for months she tried to reach a reconciliation, but finally decided a union without trust and love could not work. Elin added she would up spending a lot of time alone with her kids and that it would be some time until she was ready to start dating again. She did add that she wished Tiger the best, both personal and professional.
Speaking of Tiger, professionally, he finished tied for 12th at the Barclays, the first leg in the four-event FedEx Cup Playoff. [Matt Kuchar won a playoff vs. Martin Laird as Kuchar captured his first win in a great season…ten top 10 finishes…as well as his 3rd PGA Tour triumph overall.] Tiger showed a bit of his past form, though his putting is still super inconsistent.
So what of the Ryder Cup? Gregg Doyal of CBSSports.com writes that while captain Corey Pavin has to tab Woods, he still being No. 1 in the world and all [the rankings are for a two-year period and until Woods rolls out of his excellent 2009…six wins…he’s going to stay up there for a while longer], Woods should then decline the invite.
“(If) you think Tiger Woods would help the United States beat Europe in October, I would invite you to visit a doctor. A strong one. Because the doctor will need to pull your head out of your ass.
“Tiger Woods on the U.S. Ryder cup team is a disaster in every possible way. He hasn’t shown that he’s ready to win at that level, for one thing. He would be a distraction to his teammates. And he would overshadow a glorious international event.
Of course everyone knows that if Woods isn’t in the event, TV ratings will suffer big time, but I’m one who wants to see him. Just makes it all the more interesting.
In fact, at my golf event in Ireland the past few days, there was one consensus…golf desperately needs the old Tiger back. I did not hear anyone not say that. And I asked. Or it was volunteered once discussion turned to the Ryder Cup. As I’ve written for months now, yes, the PGA Tour and golf worldwide have a ton of great young players, and I’m one who hopes Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson are the two that emerge and create a new rivalry, but that’s asking for a lot and until one of these new guys grabs the sport by the balls and wins more than one or two events, like 2 or 3 majors in a short period of time, Tiger can draw the casual fan unlike any other, including Mickelson.
A lot of people don’t like that it’s this way, but facts are facts. Plus, if you don’t think for a moment that the PGA Tour down the road could have sponsorship issues like the LPGA is going through today, think again. If the economy continues to suck wind, it’s a Bar Chat guarantee that by 2012 you’ll see some holes in the schedule. Unless there is a superstar to draw the crowds.
And a note on the LPGA…Michelle Wie finally played up to her potential in winning the Canadian Women’s Open, her second career victory on tour. But Wie, now 20, is heading back to school at Stanford after the LPGA’s next event, Sept. 10; speaking of holes in the schedule.
Back to Tiger, he has moved into an apartment in downtown Manhattan, according to Us magazine.
And back to the Ryder Cup, European captain Colin Montgomerie had three picks outside the nine automatics and he selected Edoardo Molinari, winner of last week’s Johnnie Walker Championship in Scotland, plus Padraig Harrington and Luke Donald; thus leaving out No. 8 in the world Paul Casey, and No. 23 Justin Rose (plus some would say, Bernhard Langer). Boy, I blew this one. I thought Casey would be an automatic and that Monty would then select Rose, Langer and Molinari.
The problem is Padraig, Casey, Donald and Rose all play primarily on the U.S. tour, not the European one, so they aren’t picking up a lot of Euro points; but Colin was damned if he did, damned if he didn’t.
Meanwhile, Corey Pavin makes his four captain’s selections on Sept. 7. Tiger will be one and accept. The Ryder Cup begins Friday, Oct. 1, from Wales.
Stuff…and some Ball Bits
–The U.S. Open started on Monday and the Daily News’ Filip Bondy said it was an appropriate time to ask the question:
“Why do Americans suddenly stink at tennis? Or, somewhat more diplomatically, why do we no longer dominate and destroy the rest of the world, as is our birthright?
“The players bristle, denying we’ve misplaced our groove. Yet there is no American under 28 years old who owns even a remote shot at an Open singles title, and the juniors’ pipeline promises little better than solid, second-tier careers.
“ ‘You can basically make the stats say whatever you want to,’ says Andy Roddick, ranked No. 9 in the world. ‘Just ask a statistician.’
“We don’t ask the statisticians. We ask Roddick and other players what is wrong, and mostly we hear that tennis is now a global sport, and that we were spoiled rotten in the past.
“But nearly two decades since Serena and Venus arose, almost mythically, from those cracked courts in Compton, where is that one young guy, one woman, who knows how to smash a forehand down the line with cruel accuracy?
“The problem may just be a lack of proper nurturing. There is much new evidence – and the Williams sisters are fine examples of this – that kids achieve greater expertise at sports like soccer and tennis through practice and drills, not through a slew of one-sided tournament matches.
“ ‘I don’t think the junior system is the greatest,’ James Blake says. ‘Kids still need to be kids, and they are having a tough time being kids right now. They play a lot of tournaments – too many tournaments. I see them when I’m in the training room, 13-year-olds coming in there with overuse injuries, and I’m thinking, ‘I didn’t even know what overuse was when I was 13 years old.’”
And so after Roddick at No. 9 in the world, John Isner, Mardy Fish and Sam Querrey are 20 through 22 in the ATP rankings. Following them, Taylor Dent is N0. 70. And no ITF juniors in the top 15.
On the women’s side, Serena and Venus are No. 1 and 4 in the WTA rankings, but after them you have to go all the way to No. 43 to find the next American woman, Melanie Oudin. And then it’s Vania King at 74, whoever the heck she is.
Ball Bits
–The Mets’ R.A. Dickey, one of the 3 or 4 bright spots on the team this year, has now pitched in New York City, either for the Mets or against both the Mets and Yankees in his career as both a starter and reliever for a number of clubs, a total of 74 innings with a 1.46 ERA to go with an 8-1 record. I’d say he can handle the pressures of Gotham.
Talk about a breath of fresh air, Dickey says of playing, and now living, in New York:
“I enjoy the culture. I enjoy the people. The fans, they’re tough fans, but they just like to win. And I get that.”
But as for his current team, the Mets have now gone a record 27 games where they have been no more than one above or one below .500…a string of mediocrity unrivaled in the sport. Currently 65-66 as I write, at 65-65, Johnny Mac penned this ditty, sung to Zager and Evans’ “In The Year 2525.”
Now the Mets are 65-65
Their hopes are barely alive
To not finish last they strive
But we all know, they’ll take a dive…
They will finish 81-81
Another season devoid of fun
Could never score a crucial run
Screw this team, I’m about done…
–I only care about two ballplayers not on the Mets…Ichiro and Adam Dunn, as in I check to see how each has done every day. After a prolonged slump, Dunn has 9 RBI in his last 3 games and sits at 33-88; this after his 38 homers last year broke a string of five seasons of 40 or more.
Ichiro has 167 hits in 131 games, so he should get to 200 again, extending his all-time record to 10 straight seasons at this magical mark.
–Then there is the ongoing case of Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter. At 36, and in the midst of a big slump (2 for 27), Jeter is hitting .268, having entered the season with a .317 mark, and his on-base percentage is but .333, compared to a career average of .388 at the beginning of 2010.
So once again, what do the Yankees do with this legend come season end and his expiring contract? As Tim Marchman of the Wall Street Journal recently wrote, since 1952, the record of shortstops playing another 400+ games after turning 36 is not good. Omar Vizquel has played the most, hitting .269 in 754 games but with a poor OBP of .334, though his fielding stayed up there. Ozzie Smith did hit .280 in 605 games, but Larry Bowa, Luis Aparicio, Maury Wills and Barry Larkin hardly played at a level warranting the kind of money, and length of contract, that Jeter will be seeking. It’s going to come down to how well Jeter does the rest of the year.
–A man with one of the great sports names of all time died, Cal McLish, a former pitcher. Make that Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish. [Johnny Mac also likes Joe Don Looney and Van Lingle Mungo. I was always a fan of football’s Billy Joe.]
McLish was born in Anadarko, Okla. His father, Cal once said, gave him the long name because, “There were eight kids in the family, and I was No. 7 and my dad didn’t get to name one of them before me. So he evidently tried to catch up,” he told the Oklahoman in 1999.
Gotta love that story. Ya think there was a bit of tension between Mr. and Mrs. McLish?
Anyway, McLish pitched 15 seasons in the big leagues, though many of these were cups of coffee appearances and he served in the Army one year. It was during the war, 1944, that he was called up as an 18-year-old and went 3-10 for Brooklyn with a 7.82 ERA; so you could say he was a tad overmatched. In fact he really didn’t break through until he was 32 in 1958, when he went 16-8 for Cleveland and followed that up with a 19-8 campaign, a year he made his lone All-Star team.
For his career, McLish was 92-92 with a 4.01 ERA. But then he had a long career as pitching coach and scout. He was 84.
—Manny Ramirez is now a White Sox. ESPN’s Jayson Stark commented on another ugly ending for this primo jerk.
“In Boston, the knee starts hurting. Might be the left knee. Might be the right knee. He’s really not sure. But it’s too much of an effort to take that long, transcontinental trip from home plate to first base in less than 18 seconds. Because that knee must be hurting. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
“And in L.A., it’s a calf. At least we know for certain it’s the right calf. We got that part narrowed down. It’s a calf issue, followed by a hamstring issue, followed by another calf issue. All leading to 77 games out of the lineup, 65 games missed this year in all. Culminating in a bizarre one-pitch ejection on a strange Sunday afternoon that finally pushed yet another team to decide it had had enough, seen enough.
“So what do we have here? We have Ramirez’s Dodgers career ending Monday much the way his Red Sox career ended. With one more employer saying: ‘Please, just go away. Please.’ What a coincidence.”
And to think the Dodgers gave Manny $45 million after his spectacular 2008 performance following the trade deadline deal between the Red Sox and Los Angeles. But then Manny had a positive drug test and he was never the same, plus his play in the field was a joke. And then there were the trips to the disabled list.
So a friend of Jayson Stark’s sent an e-mail after Manny had written his L.A. Story, posing this question.
“Can you truly be a Hall of Famer, with or without steroid taint, if you’re run out of so many cities?”
An N.L. executive, upon hearing the question responded, “How could a true Hall of Famer be whisked out of town like this in two places? Not a lot of Hall of Famers get put on outright waivers – just take the contract and he’s yours – two different times, the first time when he’s still in his prime, right? You don’t see that a whole lot.”
—Aroldis Chapman is expected to be called up shortly by the Cincinnati Reds. He was clocked at 105 mph in a Friday night appearance for Louisville but there’s no telling if the radar gun was accurate. Nonetheless, the Cuban defector is the next big thing now that Stephen Strasburg is out.
–Speaking of the Reds, in what Sports Illustrated noted was another “Sign of the Apocalypse,” the organization was “unable to hold a ceremony honoring Pete Rose’s record-breaking 4,192nd hit on Sept. 11, the 25th anniversary of the play, because Rose has an appearance scheduled at a casino that day.”
–The Cincinnati Bengals cut wide receiver Antonio Bryant, after signing him to a 4-year, $28 million contract in the offseason, with $8 million guaranteed. But Bryant didn’t practice well during camp, after an injury-plagued season with Tampa Bay, his knee wasn’t getting any better, and then the Bengals signed Terrell Owens. But the Bengals still owe the guy a ton of money and people are asking why the hell they signed him in the first place?!
30% believe the Saints are going to repeat. 45% believe Peyton Manning is the best player.
Hottest cheerleaders…and here the players were careful…the big three in ascending order:
Cowboys (14%), Dolphins (16.7%), Redskins (17.5%). Regarding the winner, a fifth-year pro gave as much explanation as anyone was comfortable in giving. “Everybody has really, really good things to say about the Redskins cheerleaders. Not that I ever look. I better leave it at that.”
Best coach? A clear number one, Sean Payton.
–Sporting News has picked the Jets over the Cowboys in the Super Bowl. Your exclusive NFL pick from your editor in a week or so.
–MGM Resorts International is being investigated following a Twitter posting from Michael Jordan’s 19-year-old son, Marcus. It seems Marcus tweeted Aug. 20, “Last night was stupid…35K at Haze. Total 50K something the whole day.”
So did he spend $35,000 at Haze at Aria Resort & Casino? The tweet was removed and Marcus, a University of Central Florida sophomore guard, said, “I didn’t mean it the way it came across.”
Of course the reason why MGM is being investigated is because at 19, Marcus is underage. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
–U.S.A. national soccer coach Bob Bradley has had his contract extended through the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The move was a surprise to some because it was felt Bradley would be replaced by former German coach Juergen Klinsmann or another foreign candidate.
–I noted the passing last week of Bill Millin, the bagpiper at D-Day. But in perusing The Economist afterwards, I must include some of the sentiments from their obituary.
“Any reasonable observer might have thought Bill Millin was unarmed as he jumped off the landing ramp at Sword Beach, in Normandy, on June 6th 1944. Unlike his colleagues, the pale 21-year-old held no rifle in his hands. Of course, in full Highland rig as he was, he had his trusty skean dhu (knife), in his little dirk, tucked in his right sock. But that was soon under three feet of water as he waded ashore, a weary soldier still smelling his own vomit from a night in a close boat on a choppy sea, and whose kilt in the freezing water was floating prettily round him like a ballerina’s skirt.
“But Mr. Millin was not unarmed; far from it. He held his pipes, high over his head at first to keep them from the wet (for while whisky was said to be good for the bag, salt water wasn’t), then cradled in his arms to play. And bagpipes, by long tradition, counted as instruments of war. An English judge had said so after the Scots’ great defeat at Culloden in 1746; a piper was a fighter like the rest, and his music was his weapon. The whining skirl of the pipes had struck dread into the Germans on the Somme, who had called the kilted pipers ‘Ladies from Hell.’ And it raised the hearts and minds of the home side, so much so that when Mr. Millin played on June 5th, as the troops left for France past the Isle of Wight and he was standing on the bowsprit just about keeping his balance above the waves getting rougher, the wild cheers of the crowd drowned out the sound of his pipes even to himself.”
By the way, Millin (immortalized in the movie “The Longest Day”) played “The Nutmeg Brown Maiden” as his last tune on D-Day; doing so “for a small red-haired French girl who, with her folks cowering behind her, had asked him for music as he passed their farm.”
—Crocodile Dundee, aka Paul Hogan, is being hit with a $34 million tax bite by the Australian government and has been ordered to stay in the country until he pays up (the claim could reach $100 million). Hogan, 70, will be arrested if he tries to board a flight at any Australian airport. He arrived in Australia about ten days ago from Los Angeles, where he lives, to attend the funeral of his mother, who died at the age of 101. Hogan’s wife, Linda Kozlowski, who starred with him, is back in L.A. with their 12-year-old son. So it’s all pretty devastating. Paul is there. She’s in L.A. with the kid. It’s over.
Hogan’s issue is for the tax years 2002 through 2005 where he alleged he was living in Australia but stateless, this while receiving millions of dollars in royalties and film fees. During this period in question, Hogan supposedly received about $34 million in royalties that he didn’t declare.
—John McEnroe asserted the other day that women should play fewer tennis events than men.
“You shouldn’t push them to play more than they’re capable of,” McEnroe said, referencing unidentified female tennis players who suffer “an actual meltdown on the court.”
Needless to say, Mr. McEnroe is once again in hot water.
–I was reading the Irish Independent and there was a bit about “black rice,” revered in ancient China but overlooked in the West. Evidently, scientists believe this could be a real super food because “the cereal is low in sugar but packed with healthy fiber and plant compounds that combat heart disease and cancer, say experts. Centuries ago it was known as ‘Forbidden Rice’ in China because only nobles were allowed to eat it. Today black rice is mainly used in Asia for food decoration, noodles, sushi and deserts.”
One scientist said, “Just a spoonful of black rice contains more health promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than a spoonful of blueberries, but with less sugar, and more fiber and vitamin E antioxidants.”
So like I’m thinking I’m going to start buying up all the black rice in the world and drive the price up.
–Back in April, Korean Oh Eun-sun claimed to become the first woman to climb the world’s 14 highest peaks, but the Korean Alpine Federation has since judged she “probably failed” to reach the third-highest, Kangchenjunga. There are no pictures, nothing to prove she did it.
–Lily Kuo of the Los Angeles Times had the awful story of how in China, it’s the zookeepers who are the savages.
“In 10 years of visiting zoos and animal parks in China, David Neale has seen a bear punched in the head by a trainer, tigers whose teeth and claws had been removed and hundreds of animals that lived in filthy, unhealthy conditions.
“Too many facilities take credit for simply keeping animals alive, while a large number rely on barbaric techniques such as whipping, beating and prodding with metal hooks to control them, said Neale, the animal welfare director of Animals Asia, a Hong Kong-based advocacy group.
“ ‘The conditions are appalling,’ Neale said recently. ‘It’s setting the bar at the lowest level.’”
Recently two pandas died…one was accidentally killed by a poisonous gas, the other after going untreated for an intestinal malady for almost 20 days, and before that, 11 Siberian tigers at the Shenyang Forest Wild Animal Zoo starved to death.
But while there are laws protecting animals in the wild, there are none for state-owned zoos nor safari parks.
“Activists also said China must stop allowing humiliating and abusive animal performances. The most common of these, they said, are bears riding bicycles or doing acrobatics and tigers hopping through hoops of fire. Others included elephants spinning on their trunks and monkeys balancing on the horns of goats.”
And so it is, friends, that Man continues to plummet on the All-Species List, while it should be no surprise when the animals seek revenge.
–Uh oh…From Kyle Hopkins of the Anchorage Daily News:
“A shotgun round fired by Seward police to kill a black bear Thursday night pierced the animal, ricocheted and hit a bystander in the abdomen, police say.
“The bear died. The person? Merely bruised, City Manager Phillip Oates said Friday….
“The encounter was the first of at least three bear sightings in Seward that night. The city’s swarming with them, residents said….
“One police officer said he saw as many as seven bears while on patrol on a recent night.”
One can only wonder when the bears begin to march south into the Lower 48.
–And regarding a story a number of you passed along, that of the ongoing issues involving baboons in South Africa, in this case Cape Town’s suburbs where they are imbibing, eating the fermented grapes from the region’s vineyards and then turning into hooligans, a la British soccer fans, Jane Flanagan of the Daily Telegraph also reports “traumatized locals are struggling to find a workable solution.”
“ ‘Where there’s a mountain, there’s a baboon,’ said Justin O’Riain of the Baboon Research Unit at the University of Cape Town. [Ed. not on my list of ideal jobs, recession or no recession.] ‘As we take up more and more of their land, the conflict increases.’”
In the past, troublesome animals were “regularly killed or maimed by home owners and farmers. Now around 20 full-time ‘baboon monitors’ are employed to protect them and guide them away from residential areas. It has proved mission impossible. Last week, a 12-year-old boy was left traumatized after confronting a troop who had broken into his family home.”
“Hearing noises from the kitchen,” reports Jane Flanagan, “he went to investigate and found the beasts ransacking cupboards. When the child fled upstairs to find his babysitter, three males gave chase and surrounded him as he made a tearful phone call to his mother, while the animals pelted him with fruit.”
Holy [expletive deleted]! How do you recover from something like that if you’re a kid?
The baboons in recent weeks have killed chickens, geese, even a Great Dane. They ripped up roof tiles, electric fences and orchards.
Wildlife authorities are now collaring troublesome animals and instituting a three strikes and you’re out policy. One infamous 14-year-old, William, a large male who had terrorized the coastal suburb of Scarborough for years, was the first to be killed under the plan.
“Meanwhile,” writes Flanagan, “For Sale signs are sprouting up in suburbs with baboon populations. Families which have lived in the same house for generations are giving up, moving away to get away from their animal tormentors.”
–We note the passing of William P. Foster, 91, the man who revolutionized the world of collegiate marching bands as the longtime director of the high-stepping Marching 100 band of Florida A&M University. Back when he arrived at the historically black school in 1946, marching bands played nothing more than Sousa marches, but Foster changed that. Dazzle them with energy, he said. As for the name Marching 100, he started out with only 16…but today there are 400, including drum majors and flag-bearers.
–Speaking of high-stepping, among the contestants for “Dancing With The Stars,” Season 11, we have Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, former Laker Rick Fox, former quarterback Kurt Warner, Michael Bolton, David Hasselhoff, Bristol Palin!, Audrina Patridge (ooh baby), and Florence Henderson! The show premieres Monday, September 20.
–And finally, Mark Zabel, inventor of deep-fried Texas treats, including the strawberry waffle ball and jalapeno corndog shrimp, has invented deep-fried beer! Zabel is looking to take home the trophy at the State Fair of Texas on Sept. 26.
Zabel told Jacksonville.com that he is currently using Guinness but might switch to Shiner Bock or a pale ale like Sierra Nevada. Mmmmmm …Shiner Bock….
“By using our patent pending process, we are able to place beer inside a salty pretzel-like dough, and deep fry it. When you take a bite, beer pours out of the inside pocket,” says Zabel.
One must be 21 or older in Texas to purchase this particular fried fare.
Top 3 songs for the week 9/1/73: #1 “Brother Louie” (Stories…She was black, as the night…) #2 “Let’s Get It On” (Marvin Gaye) #3 “Delta Dawn” (Helen Reddy)…and…#4 “Touch Me In The Morning” (Diana Ross…where? Oh, sorry…) #5 “Live And Let Die” (Wings…they’re best…Trader George’s top song all time) #6 “Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose” (Dawn featuring Tony Orlando) #7 “The Morning After” (Maureen McGovern…has new meaning today, thanks to, err, the pill) #8 “Get Down” (Gilbert O’Sullivan) #9 “Loves Me Like A Rock” (Paul Simon) #10 “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day” (Chicago…this did not describe my body after days of tough golf, pints at the 19th hole, and further mayhem in Lahinch afterwards)
U.S. Open Tennis Answers: 1) 1978-87 – Jimmy Connors, 78, 82, 83; John McEnroe, 79, 80, 81, 84; Ivan Lendl, 85-87. 2) Stefan Edberg won back-to-back, 1991-92. 3) Patrick Rafter won back-to-back, 1997-98. 4) Evonne Goolagong-Cawley was runner-up, 1973-76 (the first two as Evonne Goolagong), losing to Margaret Smith Court, Billie Jean King, and Chris Evert (last two). 5) Steffi Graf won five titles, 1988-89, 93, 95-96, plus she was second in 87, 90, and 94.
