Monday morning….no quiz…no Top 3…just random musings.
So I was on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, this weekend and played the Ocean Course on Friday with a good friend from college, Dr. W. (we can’t divulge more than this), and I’ve gotta tell ya, as this is where the 2012 PGA Championship is going to be, it’s going to be a bear. As it is, this event will be the longest major ever, but if they want they can stretch it to over 8,000 yards! The course is all set up as it will be and Dr. W. and I couldn’t believe some of the tees. But I also learned from the doctor, who vacations here every summer for two weeks, that in August, when the heat cranks up, the late afternoon winds are brutal, i.e., the leaders will face some incredible conditions.
[Golf Digest, in its current issue, ranks the Ocean Course as the “toughest in America,” ahead of 2. Pine Valley and 3. Oakmont. An “anonymous pro” told Sports Illustrated this week that the Ocean Course will be the best of next year’s majors “because it has more potential for disaster. It’s the PGA, it’s August and it’ll be 300 degrees on the beach.” One of SI’s writers said “It’ll look beautiful on TV but could be a bloodbath for scores."]
Meanwhile, I did a half-marathon on Saturday and since I am responsible for this column, gosh darn it I’m going to talk about myself. You can look it up…Kiawah Marathon 2011…and for the half I finished 1243 out of over 2300, but let’s say 2100 who gave it a legitimate effort. I ran the whole thing and finished 3 minutes faster than I did in 2009.
It’s funny. I purposefully held myself back the first four miles, running an 11-minute pace to be sure I could do it (I didn’t have a practice run over 7 miles) and then, starting mile 5, I frankly kicked ass. I know for sure no one passed me after mile 7. You can tell that from looking at the comparative 10-mile times on the results page.
So, yes, I could have done better and one of these days, when I’m 60, God willing, I’ll train more properly and give the two-hour mark another shot before I die. [1:51 being my best.]
[Connie W., wife of Dr. W., kicked my butt once again, finishing seven minutes ahead of me.]
The NBA
In all honesty, between travel and extensive time either golfing, running, or partying, I have no freakin’ clue what’s happened in the NBA the past few days.
“The three-team deal that would have sent New Orleans Hornets All-Star guard Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers and involve the Houston Rockets has fallen apart.
“But the Los Angeles Clippers, who were suitors a week ago for Paul, have re-emerged as a possible landing place for him.
“Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic have given permission to the Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and New Jersey Nets to speak to Dan Fegan, the agent for center Dwight Howard, who, like Paul, can become a free agent after the season.”
But after the deal sending Paul to the Lakers was nixed by Commissioner David Stern and his boys, L.A. is sending forward Lamar Odom to Dallas, who sent Tyson Chandler to the Knicks. The Lakers in turn can go after Howard, while the Lakers would send center Andrew Bynum to Chicago.
Paul, who wants to end up with the Knicks and has vowed not to sign a contract extension unless he is traded to New York, could agree to be moved to any team seeing as he’s waiting for free agency. He has his defenders, but you know how I feel about the guy.
Meanwhile, Dwight Howard wants to be a Net, which would pare him with All-Star guard Deron Williams, who has said he’d like to remain in New Jersey, especially since they are moving to Brooklyn in 2012.
Back to Tyson Chandler, what a great move for the Knicks. And what a frontcourt…Chandler, Stoudemire and Anthony. I’ll actually watch a few games this year.
“The only thing left for David Stern, who has stayed on too long as the NBA commissioner, who only damages his own legacy the rest of the way, is face-saving. Now that the Chris Paul deal has fallen through again, Stern is truly accountable for the mess he has made with the Hornets and Lakers and Rockets. It’s time he admits he made a rookie mistake after all these years on the job. The original deal was fine. It was Stern’s job to fix his league this year, just not like this.
“Stern is still routinely called the best commissioner in pro sports, but only by reflex now, after two lockouts in the past 12 years. He is not the best commissioner, has not been for a long time. We went into this latest work stoppage hearing that 20 teams in Stern’s league were losing money. So how well was the alleged best commissioner in sports doing, really?
“We also heard all the talk about competitive balance in the NBA, and how Stern’s owners – ‘my owners’ as he calls them – absolutely had to do something about that going forward, as if the future of the league was riding on that. Except the lockout that shortened the season to 66 regular season games (about the only good to come out of the whole thing) did nothing to address competitive balance, did nothing substantive to keep big, star players with the league’s mid-major franchise….
“So now Chris Paul, who has only represented his team and his sport honorably in his NBA career, gets banged around because of a system Stern and his greedy, short-sighted, bone-headed owners created. David Stern, who is all about image, wants it to look as if only he can stop players such as Paul from ending up in Los Angeles, keep the next Carmelo Anthony from strong-arming his way to Madison Square Garden, threatening to hold his breath unless he gets traded where he wants to get traded.
“Stern talks and talks about ‘my owners’ – as if he went to the Internet and got a good deal on them – but suddenly looks like he is no better than whining Dan Gilbert, who continues to act like the only owner in the history of all pro sports who ever lost a big free agent.”
Meanwhile, Khloe Kardashian tweeted that she’s “sad” her husband Lamar has been traded from Los Angeles to Dallas.
Ryan Braun
The National League MVP for 2011, Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers, tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance. He’s appealing but no one wins appeals from MLB.
As a source told the New York Daily News (ESPN first broke the story), Braun’s “original test for PEDs as the playoffs were winding down in October was ‘insanely high, the highest ever for anyone who has ever taken a test, twice the level of the highest test ever taken.’”
Braun’s people point to this last fact as evidence there are “unusual circumstances” behind the reading.
Braun faces a 50-game suspension and the loss of $1.87 million from his $6 million salary, though he had earlier signed an extension that guarantees him $145.5 million over a decade.
The BBWAA, which votes on the MVP award, will not strip Braun of it if he is suspended.
Bob Costas on NBC put it best…no matter what you think of Tim Tebow, it is one of the better stories in sports this year. Tebow is now 7-1 as a starter as his Broncos defeated the Bears, 13-10 in overtime. Once again, Denver was down in the fourth quarter, this time 10-0, but the Broncos tied it late with a 59-yard field goal, and then won it as Matt Prater kicked a 51-yarder in OT. Amazing. Denver is now 8-5. Former coach Jimmy Johnson of Fox said Tebow “is the best I have ever seen at bringing out the best from the people around him.”
[Tebow, when interviewed, and complimented, by Tony Siragusa: “Thank you so much. God bless you!”]
But then there is the Giants’ Eli Manning, who late Sunday night engineered his sixth fourth quarter comeback of the season in leading New York back from a 34-22 deficit to defeat the Cowboys 37-34. How great was NBC’s camera work in showing the emotions of Jerry Jones and his clan in the box as they celebrated the seeming victory with five minutes to go, only to watch Jason Garrett blow the time management game a second straight contest, with another missed field goal (after the kicker had successfully nailed one as time outs were called on consecutive weekends…only this time at least it wasn’t Garrett who froze his own kicker).
And talk about being put through the wringer, that’s been the fate of New York area football fans this season. Midway through the season, the Giants and Jets looked like locks for the playoffs, then they fell on their face. Now they are both right there again, the Jets upping their mark to 8-5 in defeating the Chiefs, which places them in the final AFC playoff spot as of today. It’s gettin’ exciting, plus the Giants play the Jets on Christmas Eve. Everyone I know is adjusting their schedules accordingly.
Other Stuff
—Robert Griffin III won the Heisman Trophy…outpointing Andrew Luck 1,687 to 1,407, with Trent Richardson third at 978.
—Joe Paterno broke his pelvis again after falling at his home, but he will not need surgery, according to a family friend. At least he was fired. Otherwise, we’d have to deal with Paterno coaching from his living room and trying to explain that to fans and potential recruits.
—Luke Donald became the first man to win the U.S. and European money lists in one year after finishing third at the Dubai World Championship. But can the world’s No. 1 win a major?
—North Carolina won the NCAA men’s soccer crown by defeating UNC-Charlotte, 1-0.
—Indiana stunned No. 1 Kentucky in college basketball, 73-72, while No. 2 Ohio State, playing without Jared Sullinger due to back spasms, fell to No. 13 Kansas, 78-67.
–Since my last Bar Chat, we note the passing of actor Harry Morgan, 96, who undoubtedly was one of the more popular actors of our time. I mean just think of it. Morgan was Col. Sherman T. Potter of M*A*S*H* fame, but also Officer Bill Gannon on “Dragnet.” He appeared in more than 100 movies as well.
On M*A*S*H*, Morgan replaced McLean Stevenson’s Lt. Col. Henry Blake as Stevenson left the show.
In films, Morgan appeared in “High Noon,” “Inherit the Wind,” “How the West Was Won,” and “The Glenn Miller Story.”
By the way, while I knew the M*A*S*H* finale was the most watched television show ever, I forgot 77% of those watching television that day were tuned in.
–And Dobie Gray died. He was said to be 71. Gray was known for two big hits, the 1973 “Drift Away” and one of my all-time favorites, “The ‘In’ Crowd.” While “Drift Away” peaked at #5, incredibly, “The ‘In’ Crowd” only made it to #13, but I swear it’s one of the best songs ever, as anyone my age or older understands.
Actually, I’m just ticked off that Dobie’s obits all start with “Drift Away” and it’s not until like the fourth or fifth paragraph they mention his other hit. I imagine these obit writers are all of 25 years old and don’t know better.
But I do, Dobie. RIP. Your place in music history is more than secure.
—Jose Reyes was a real jerk for his comments when he signed his contract with the Miami Marlins.
“I wanted to stay in New York, but that didn’t happen. I just need to move on, because they didn’t offer anything, really. They didn’t make a real offer. So that means they don’t want me there.”
Yoh, Jose. The Mets had a deal on the table…$75 million over five years with incentives to kick it up higher. If you really wanted to stay in New York, you would be receiving more than enough money. I mean talk about the “1 percent,” these guys are the absolute worst…
–…the primo case being Albert Pujols. Boy, I want this guy to fall on his face, though in the end, the St. Louis Cardinals will be better off without having a $200 million albatross of a contract hanging around their necks.
“In baseball free agency, only one rule has emerged over the last 35 years: You overpay for quality because the rest is junk.
“However, this week, the game’s classic offseason maxim has finally been pushed to a new breaking point. All over baseball, teams are wondering, ‘How much is finally too much?’ That’s why the hunt for Prince Fielder, the pursuit of Japan’s Yu Darvish and the Nationals’ so-far-indecisive courtship of Roy Oswalt will be wracked with so much tension.
“This week, Albert Pujols, Jose Reyes, C.J. Wilson, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell signed $509 million in free agent contracts, all with either the Los Angeles Angels or Miami Marlins. At first glance, all five deals look idiotic. Pujols was overpaid by about $100 million, the rest by a total of maybe $75 million, if you apply conventional stats for guesstimating player value….
“The Angels’ deal with Pujols shows just how deeply the ‘pay up’ mantra has sunk into the game. Before the ’08 season, Alex Rodriguez signed a $275 million, 10-year extension with the Yankees at the same age Pujols is now. This year, A-Rod had only 16 homers and 62 RBI in 97 games. His career slide seems irreversible – with six seasons left on his deal.
“Over and over we hear ‘Pujols is unique.’ But he isn’t quite. At the same age, Frank Thomas had a 1.013 career OPS, a hair behind Pujols now, and a career .320 batting average. But the Big Hurt faded fast. Before ’08, A-Rod had higher home run and RBI totals than Pujols does now.”
—Tim McCarver is getting a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame as a recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting. McCarver has called a record 22 World Series and worked locally for the Phillies, Mets, Yankees and Giants.
I never had a problem with him when he was with the Mets, but really don’t understand the criticism of him today.
“I hate the Yankees. I don’t want to waste this valuable time talking about the Yankees…I told Joe Girardi I used to love them and now I hate them.”
Those of us who live in the New York area, and hate the Yankees, love this talk.
–Update: Lindsey Vonn won her fourth straight World Cup race at a super-G race at Beaver Creek, Co. So, again, I recognize how wrong I was in thinking her divorce would impact her performance.
–The world’s oldest dog died…Pusuke, a fluffy tan Shiba mix, died last Monday after falling ill and refusing to eat, according to her owner outside Tokyo.
According to the Guinness World Book of Records, the dog was born on April 1, 1985, and was recognized as the world’s oldest living dog last December. Bluey, an Australia cattle dog, is believed to hold the record at 29 years, Bluey dying in 1939.
“A pygmy elephant has gored to death an Australian woman in a remote area of Borneo in Malaysia.”
It seems Jenna O’Grady Donley may have gone too close to the elephant. According to the Sydney Morning Herald:
“Ms. O’Grady was walking with her friend and a local guide…on Borneo island in Malaysia yesterday morning, when the rare pygmy elephant charged at the group.
“She died instantly when one of the elephant’s tusks pierced her body.”
At last word, rangers were searching for the elephant in the forest.
Ms. O’Grady was due to graduate from the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Veterinary Science this week. It’s not known if the Malaysian elephant community will send a representative to her funeral, which by my thinking would be the right thing to do.
But how does this incident impact elephants’ position on the All-Species List? Not a lick. They remain in the Top Five.
“The best night Tali ever had working the night shift at Rick’s Cabaret in Midtown, one of the most profitable strip clubs in the nation, she took home $10,000 – and never even took off her clothes.
“Her sugar daddy that night was an older man dressed in jeans and a clean-pressed button-down shirt, recalls the 30-year-old dancer, who grew up in Colombia and moved to New York 13 years ago in pursuit of ‘The American Dream.’
“ ‘I watched as all the girls approached him in an aggressive way and he told them all to go away,’ she said on a recent Wednesday night in between lap dances.
“ ‘I decided to go up to him, but I was going to do it different.’
“Tali, a buxom brunette dressed in a custom-made ‘gown’ she takes off and puts back on countless times each night, approached the man and introduced herself, as if they were meeting at a regular bar where the women aren’t paid to strip.
“ ‘He said, ‘You’re the first person who actually told me her name,’ she said. ‘As soon as I sat down, he gave me $1,000. I said, ‘Does this mean you want me to stay? Sometimes people give you money to leave. He told me to stay because he didn’t want all the girls approaching him. We just talked and he ordered a bottle of champagne. Every hour, he gave me another $1,000.’”
Goodness gracious. The Post story goes on to say some of the girls at this establishment make $500,000 a year.
—439 bears were killed in New Jersey’s six-day hunt including, get this, a 776-pounder and one weighing 829! [Star-Ledger] As one official put it, larger than Alaskan grizzly bears!
