Baseball Quiz: [Taking care of basics before the season starts] The first five in career shutouts are Walter Johnson, 110; Grover Alexander, 90; Christy Mathewson, 79; Cy Young, 76; and Eddie Plank, 69. The next five are all modern era and Hall of Famers. Name ‘em. Answer below.
Carmel to Big Sur to Santa Barbara to Santa Monica
I have a little time to clear the table on a few things. After my last column, Monday morning I hit the beach you see on television when they broadcast the AT&T from Pebble Beach. It’s literally a two-minute walk from downtown Carmel, further making the place unlike any other. Just spectacular and everyone seems to have a dog there so I stood on the beach, drinking my coffee, watching the dogs…because they are, after all, No. 1 on the All-Species List for a reason.
I also checked around at a few of the other inns in town on rooms and work set-ups and they all are severely lacking in that regard. All the managers also said the same thing, “We get a lot of complaints on that one.”
Next was the drive on Highway 1 down to Big Sur, only about 30 miles away and wildly scenic. With all the pullovers you can easily take two hours if you want to. The road also starts to get more than a little hairy but I had great weather. Driving down the coast means you are next to the cliff the whole way (at least the full 60-mile portion of the Pacific Coast Highway that is the hairiest). You don’t want to be making the drive in rain or fog, to say the least.
When I got to Big Sur, I was trying to time my entrance for 11:30 and the opening of lunch at Nepenthe, which everyone talks about. It has as spectacular a setting as you can find anywhere in the world, high up on the cliff overlooking the Pacific, and it’s here I had the best burger ever, their famous Ambrosia burger. Good lord it was tasty. And I washed it down with two Scrimshaw Pilsners, a fine California brew. Actually the pumpkin/spice cake was out of this world as well.
Then it was on to Henry Miller’s Library, which isn’t much at all but you can see where the author lived from 1944-62. I forgot my brother has a signed book from Mr. Miller, as well as a letter and postcard, which isn’t bad. There was a rather funky crowd at the place, which is really just a big gift shop. Of course this whole part of California is funky.
After this it was on to my hotel for the evening (the restaurant, Miller’s and the hotel were all within two miles of each other) and part of me says don’t tell the readers where you stayed. But I am who I am and I know some of you have been there as well and it’s simply one of the top three places in the world I’ve been to…the Post Ranch Inn. Go ahead, look it up. Then before you think, “How the hell can the editor spend that much on a room,” remember you only live once. I was also the only single person there and I got a few stares like, “Didn’t he know this is a couples place?” Hell, I had a blast. It’s not often you get to stay in a cabin, 1,000 feet up on a cliff, overlooking the Pacific, and my dinner was phenomenal.
But at the Post Ranch, there is this note on their many hiking trails.
“On very rare occasions, a mountain lion may be sighted. Mountain lions will avoid a confrontation. In the unlikely event you see one, stay calm and back away slowly, as running may stimulate the lion’s instinct to chase. Do all you can to appear larger – raise your arms and open your jacket if you’re wearing one. You want to convince the lion you are not prey and may in fact be a danger to the lion. Finally, consider yourself fortunate if you do get to see a mountain lion. Many people have lived in Big Sur for years without spotting one.”
Oh yeah…stay calm…but back away slowly and try and look like a threat! Geezuz. So I went for a walk as soon as I checked in, and, having read this first took along my Orvis knife with the 4-inch blade (packed in my suitcase that was checked, incidentally, not my laptop case). The trail I took descended into some dark woods and I was immediately spooked out. I knew after about ten minutes I’d enter a meadow but I couldn’t wait to get out of there. Didn’t see anything. Then when I hit the meadow there were a ton of wild turkeys and some small deer. At first I was scared of the turkeys, wild turkeys being a threat to our very existence back in New Jersey, but they all gave me a look and then resumed their feeding. [“Kid’s a loser,” I heard one say to another.] Anyway, no mountain lions were encountered, thank god. I love the advice on how they will avoid a confrontation. Tell that to the relatives of the 890,000 Californians that have been killed by these beasts recently. [I think I’ve documented 3 cases over the years and just trying to extrapolate from that number.]
By the way, no television in your room at the Post Ranch Inn, but great Internet connections. I listened to the Mood Music on one of the stereo channels the whole time. Yup, just your editor and nature…and some Scrimshaw Pilsner. [I also kept the knife handy in case a mountain lion came crashing through the screen door.]
Tuesday morning I continued my drive down the PCH to Santa Barbara, about 200 miles from Big Sur. Thankfully the weather cooperated again. It’s been bad in these parts (and is going to be bad again this weekend) so there were some rock slides and road construction to deal with along the cliffs, which is a little unsettling when the road suddenly narrows even more than it already is and the Pacific is 1,000 feet down on your right. But, oh, the scenery. Finally, around San Simeon and the Hearst Castle, the road is normal and you can go more than 20 mph, which is the speed limit on large stretches of the PCH after you leave Big Sur.
There’s a lot I’m forgetting to tell you, like the waters I was passing are where you’ve had some of the great white shark assaults on surfers. Every now and then you pass an area where you see surfers in isolated coves, maybe just two of them, and you think ‘I wouldn’t do that.’ Your eyes play tricks on you in that you think you see a shark or whale but more often than not it’s kelp.
Anyway, around San Simeon I pull off at one of the vista points and there are more cars than usual in this particular lot. I walk around a little but wonder why there seems to be a crowd about 100 feet away. I was about to head back to the car when I made one of those decisions we all do every day. Go see what they’re looking at!
And so it was I almost missed something spectacular… Point Piedras Blancas…about five miles north of Hearst Castle.
Back in 1990, the nature folks spotted the first elephant seal in these parts. In 1992 the first pup was born. By 1996, 1,000 pups were born here. Today, the colony at Point Piedras numbers about 15,000 and there they are, sunning on the beach, right below a little outcropping where the Friends of the Elephant Seal have built a terrific walkway so you can look down on them in safety.
Folks, this was as cool as anything I’ve ever seen. Hundreds of them, and the bulls are massive, like 9-feet in length and who knows how many pounds, or tons. The elephant seal isn’t to be confused with the killer leopard seal, but you’ve seen your nature shows. Don’t mess with the elephant seal either. Of course great whites and killer whales that ply these waters also love seal pups so you know they’re nearby. But I can’t believe I almost missed this extraordinary sight.
I did not go to Hearst Castle, only went to the visitor center. It just takes too much time to do it right and I’ll do that next time I’m around. At least I got to see it from afar. What a piece of property he picked out.
Finally, after this long, leisurely drive I got to Santa Barbara in time for another great feed on the water. And then this morning I drove the 60 miles to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and after that came down to Santa Monica. I’ll comment on the Reagan museum in that other column I do, but suffice it to say it’s very moving, especially given the shape of the world today. I was surprised how emotional I got watching some of the videos. In fact I was kind of a mess while there.
But the place was mobbed, mostly because it’s a vacation week for a lot of school kids, but you also just have a lot of folks like me checking out this great country of ours and our heroes. What was so strange, though, is that at the end of the deal, you are directed to the gift shop and then I seemed to be the only one who wanted to check out his grave! I was incredulous. I must have stood there for five minutes, all by myself, reaching for my Kleenex, and no one else was around. That’s about as much of my private thoughts I’ll share for now. [A security camera is trained on you and I can just imagine what the guards see all day.]
I also can’t imagine what the crowds will be like come summer. As you’ve heard they just redid the exhibits and here’s one tip for you. Blow off Air Force One. It takes too long and it’s nothing special.
Finally, it’s Wednesday evening and I’m in Santa Monica. I picked a hotel a block from the famous pier so I could take a stroll. Wow, there are a ton of weirdoes and homeless folks, not that I didn’t already know this, but there’s a terrific Italian restaurant across the street, Il Fornaio, where I just enjoyed a good feed, and some Chianti to mix it up. On to the Nixon Library, Thursday, as I wind my way down to San Diego for Saturday’s big ball game. Thankfully, Brigham Young cooperated in defeating Colorado State on Wednesday, so it’s the 26-2 Cougars vs. the 27-1 Aztecs. As Ronald Reagan would have said…not bad, not bad at all.
College Basketball Review
AP Men’s Poll
1. Duke
2. Ohio State
3. Kansas
4. Pitt
5. Texas
6. San Diego State
7. BYU
8. Purdue
9. Notre Dame
10. Arizona
23. St. John’s…first time ranked in like 11 years
I’m not going to bitch that SDSU didn’t rank higher after all those ahead of it, except Duke, went down last week. They are No. 4 in the USA TODAY Coaches survey. But if the Aztecs defeat BYU on Saturday, San Diego State better move up in the AP poll.
UConn coach Jim Calhoun was suspended for the first three Big East games of the 2011-2012 campaign over recruiting violations. Calhoun denies the charges, but he should just shut up and accept the sanction because UConn is emerging otherwise scot-free. They lose a scholarship or two and are on probation for three years, but they are not banned from postseason play.
[I didn’t realize UConn had been one of just five schools without any infractions in any sport until this one. And two of the remaining four, Boston College and Northwestern, have asterisks because of point-shaving scandals that weren’t adjudicated by the NCAA. The only two that are unblemished are Penn State and Stanford.]
No. 2 Kansas had to suspend starting guard Tyshawn Taylor for an undisclosed violation of team rules, i.e., his character sucks. But, he is still allowed to practice and clearly will be reinstated before March Madness. At the same time, the Kansas women’s coach used identical language in suspending one of her players. Hmmm. You don’t think…
Wake Forest failed to cover the spread again, losing to Virginia Tech 76-62 on Tuesday. I lost $85,000 on this one. I’ll never learn.
[And I see that prior to the game, Wake Forest was No. 248 in the Sagarin ratings, one behind Shu’s Elon. But we’re ahead of Youngstown State and Cal-State Northridge! Then again, we’re freakin’ behind No. 244 Bethune-Cookman, for crying out loud. Ohio State is No. 1, Kansas No. 2, in Sagarain. SDSU is No. 7, BYU No. 5.]
AP Women’s Poll
1. UConn…back on top
2. Stanford
3. Baylor
4. Tennessee
5. Texas A&M
6. Xavier
7. DePaul
8. Notre Dame
9. Duke
10. Michigan State
21. Marist
–Well it’s done. Carmelo Anthony is a Knick, along with Chauncey Billups, Corey Brewer, Anthony Carter and some circus clowns, including a guy the Knicks had before, Renaldo Balkman. The Knicks had to give up Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Timofey Mozgov, a 2014 first-round draft pick, some other draft selections, Anthony Randolph, Eddy Curry and a year’s supply of Wammy Sticks behind the curtain where Carol Merrill is standing.
My bottom line is the Knicks had to make the move, but I’ll predict that Gallinari is going to be a real stud in the league. I understand why they had to give him up, but it’s just a shame. The key for Denver, however, is Chandler. If he develops a little further, and they can re-sign him, then between those two they have some real building blocks. I would agree with most experts, though, that Chandler is limited. I also feel the Knicks never gave Randolph a shot.
And…I just saw that on Wednesday, in his first game as a Knick, Melo came through with a 27-point, 10-rebound effort, while Chauncey Billups did his usual deal, hitting 12-of-12 from the free throw line. Knicks win…114-108 over Milwaukee. It’s a new era and it should be fun.
[I also just see the Nets picked up Deron Williams from Utah. More star power for the New York area. This is good, though Williams is a jerk.]
–If you were thinking of going to the Bahrain Formula One race, well, you’ll have to make other plans for the weekend of March 13. Something about demonstrations and protests designed to topple the monarchy there that isn’t real conducive to partying with the beautiful people.
–I love that Yankees owner Hank Steinbrenner (managing partner) took a jab at Derek Jeter in intimating that Jeter was more focused on the development of his 30,000-square foot mansion with 7 bedrooms, 9 baths on Davis Island in the Tampa area last year. Jeter’s neighbors are pissed over his 6-foot high fence.
–Item in Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal by Jared Diamond, talking about 36-year-old shortstop Orlando Cabrera, “arguably the greatest journeyman in baseball history.”
You see, “Cabrera tied a record last year by playing in October four straight seasons with four different teams, joining Kenny Lofton and Eric Hinske, whose streak is also active. Hinske’s run will probably end, however, because he re-signed this winter with the Braves, his team from 2010.”
The last four seasons Cabrera has made the playoffs with the Angels (2007), White Sox (2008), Twins (2009), and Reds (2010).
And now the Indians have solidified their albeit meager playoff hopes by acquiring Cabrera.
–Rachel Alexandra was bred to Curlin. Curlin was a two-time Horse of the Year, while Rachel won the 2009 Preakness and was Horse of the Year in ’09 as well. Rachel smoked a cigarette after it was over.
–Parents, tell your budding baseball stars NOT to slide headfirst. The other day, an Arizona State outfielder, freshman Cory Hahn, slid headfirst into second on a steal attempt and required neck surgery after. No word on how this will impact his baseball future. He was a USA TODAY All-USA second-teamer last year.
–And parents, steer your kids away from professional bowling. I see from the money list after the first nine tournaments that No. 48, Kelly Kulick, has earned $9,840, or barely enough to meet travel expenses. I only looked this up because I saw an article on Kulick, the first woman to win a PBA Tour event last year, who is struggling in 2011. [No. 10 on the money list has made $48,090…hardly great stuff either for being 10th best in your sport.]
1. North Dakota
2. Boston College
3. Yale
4. Merrimack…wow!
5. Union…I have made a note to go to a Union (upstate New York) game next winter. Just for the hell of it.
Hey Pete and Trader George. No sign of Colgate or St. Lawrence in the top 20 or “others receiving votes.” ‘Sup wit dat?
–I have to make note of a local woman, Kathleen Castles, 39, from New Providence, where I lived for 16 years until recently, who won the Myrtle Beach Marathon the other day in 2:40. What makes this even better is that she beat the fastest man by two minutes! Ms. Castles qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials next year.
–The Monkees are going on tour in the U.K. to celebrate 45 years as a group; at least Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones are. Michael Nesmith hasn’t been with the group in years. Given that I’m sure they have some good musicians filling in on background, I bet this would be pretty good. Jones’ voice is still solid from what I know.
–Oh baby. Katy Perry at the Calgary Stampede. Wish I was goin’. You ain’t lived until you’ve been to The Stampede, sports fans.
Top 3 songs for the week 2/24/79: #1 “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” (Rod Stewart…I just looked in the mirror and I look like crap today) #2 “Fire” (Pointer Sisters…never liked them) #3 “A Little More Love” (Olivia Newton-John)…and…#4 “I Will Survive” (Gloria Gaynor…eh) #5 “Y.M.C.A.” (Village People…don’t like this song…don’t like that’s it’s become kind of a party anthem…it’s just freakin’ stupid) #6 “Tragedy” (Bee Gees…this song is a tragedy! Just awful…talk about mailing it in!) #7 “Le Freak” (Chic…they sucked too) #8 “Lotta Love” (Nicolette Larson…liked this one…then again it didn’t have a lot of competition in those days) #9 “Somewhere In The Night” (Barry Manilow…had bad hair, but the boy had some pipes!) #10 “I Was Made For Dancin’” (Leif Garrett…oh yeah, his career went far…let this be a warning to you, Biebs!)
Baseball Quiz Answer: Nos. 6-10 on the all-time career shutout list…Warren Spahn, 63; Nolan Ryan, 61; Tom Seaver, 61; Bert Blyleven, 60; and Don Sutton, 58. [The next modern era hurler is Bob Gibson with 56.]
Next Bar Chat, Monday…not too sure on timing given Sunday is mostly a waste flying back home.
