Baseball Quiz: Don Mincher died. He played with the Minnesota Twins, California Angels, Oakland, Washington Senators, Texas Rangers and Seattle and hit 200 home runs from 1960-72, including five seasons where he hit 20+, which was big back in those days. Mincher was 73. Anyway, in looking at his career, we turn to the Angels franchise. Name the five players to hit 37 or more home runs in a single season. One did it twice. [Mincher isn’t one of them.] Answer below.
College Basketball
AP Poll
1. Kentucky
2. Syracuse
3. Kansas
4. North Carolina
5. Missouri
6. Duke
7. Ohio State
8. Michigan State
9. Marquette
10. Michigan
11. Murray State
18. San Diego State…Jamaal Franklin best player in the country past 10 days…paid for by Jamaal Franklin Fan Club / East Coast District
So “experts” such as Jay Bilas say Murray State deserves a 7- or 8-seed. But you see their poll ranking. I maintain because they are 30-1, they get a 4-seed.
Not exactly a thing of beauty in the MAAC Championship as Loyola-Maryland punched its ticket to the Big Dance in defeating Fairfield, 48-44, with Loyola shooting just 15 of 45 from the field, and Fairfield 15 of 52. “Doink….Doink…Doink…”
Shaka Smart be bad…I mean good…as in he’s a helluva coach. This year’s VCU entry lost four starters off last year’s Cinderella squad, VCU got off to a rough start, but it’s on a roll now, 17 of 18, to get to 28-6. In winning the CAA Championship, however, they beat Drexel, 59-56, and now Drexel, which won the conference regular-season title with a 16-2 record, sits uncomfortably on the bubble, 27-6 overall.
Harvard is in the NCAAs for the first time since 1946 as on Tuesday, Princeton beat Penn, 62-52. Had Penn, 11-3 in the Ivy, won, it would have forced a one-game playoff for the berth with the Crimson, 12-2. Princeton finished 10-4 in league play. Tigers senior forward Patrick Saunders said, “It was an interesting game coming in. We don’t have much love for either team. So it’s definitely nice to get a win but it’s kind of tough to swallow, knowing that our win puts Harvard in the tournament.”
Drat! I own some North Texas Mean Greenwear, one of my favorite shirts, to be exact, but they lost the Sun Belt conference championship final to Western Kentucky, which before its four-win tourney run was 11-18! Good gawd. I mean Western Kentucky fired their coach after a 5-11 start this season.
And I’d be remiss in not noting that South Dakota State’s Jackrabbits are going dancing for the first time in school history, the school having won the Summit League championship game over Western Illinois.
Finally, Yahoo Sports first reported that Syracuse violated its drug policy the past decade as at least 10 basketball players tested positive for banned substances. Syracuse then played what should have been ineligible players. The school acknowledged on Monday that the NCAA was investigating but declined further comment.
Peyton Manning
I watched Wednesday’s farewell press conference between Peyton Manning and Colts owner Jim Irsay and regardless of any bad blood between them during these final months, Manning’s release, owing to the impossible contract and his health, could not have been handled better.
So having parted ways with Indy, where does Peyton go? If I knew he was healthy, I’d love to see the Jets sign him, but how can you take such a big risk? Plus he turns 36 this month. And Peyton won’t come cheap. Someone is bound to overpay for a guy who is one hit away from potentially being a cripple. This isn’t a knee we’re talking about. It’s a freakin’ neck!
But the New York Daily News’ Gary Myers said the Jets are serious about going for Peyton. Word is Manning’s arm strength is coming back.
“The Jets have three things to offer that can separate them from other suitors.
“A team ready to win with the addition of a future Hall of Fame quarterback.
“New York, the greatest city in the world. And when the Jets play a Monday night game, he can host Saturday Night Live. If you think Madison Ave. can’t get enough of Manning now, just imagine the line outside his door if he’s playing here.
“Built-in playdates for his twins with their cousin, and Aunt Abby and Uncle Eli to baby-sit.
“Here’s the formula for the Jets to win the Mann hunt: Woody Johnson’s money, Ryan’s charm, Mike Tannenbaum’s cap creativity.
“Manning’s base salary was supposed to be $7.4 million for the 2012 season, so there was no way the Colts were going to commit a total of $35.4 million to him [Ed. including the $28 million option bonus that was the biggest immediate stumbling block] when his health is still uncertain. Plus, Indianapolis is ready to start a new era by drafting Stanford’s Andrew Luck with the first pick in the April 26 draft.
“Ryan loves Peyton – he even takes shots at three-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady as a way to praise Manning. Johnson, in turn, loves Ryan and Tannenbaum, but probably loves them just a little bit less now than he did at this time last year. Are Ryan and Tannenbaum willing to put their careers in the shaky hands of Mark Sanchez, who regressed last season and needs to grow up?….
“Sanchez is going to be ticked, but too bad. If he played better last season, this wouldn’t be an issue. This is a big boy league, and Sanchez has made plenty of money in his first three seasons. Taking a step back in his career and learning from Manning will benefit him in the long term.”
“If dad Archie Manning is no longer afraid of his middle son playing again, if Papa Archie seems to want him to play again as much as Peyton himself wants to play again following invasive neck surgeries and the fusion of two vertebrae, then it would be negligent on the part of Woody Johnson and Mike Tannenbaum and Rex Ryan not to do their due diligence.
“Here came the money quote the other day from Papa Archie:
“ ‘Peyton has probably, over the last couple of years, seen four of the top neurosurgeons in America. As a father, that’s what I feel good about. He’s been involved with the right people. One of them did the surgery. Now they cleared him to play. His neck is no different from any player out there. It’s a danger to anyone. That’s football. As a parent, we feel good [about] where he’s at.’….
“It is safe to say Sanchez will never be Peyton Manning. Who knows if Peyton Manning, at age 36, will ever be Peyton Manning again?
“Would it be a good idea for the Jets to give up on Sanchez? No, it would not.
“It would be a worse idea not to chase a healing, healthy Peyton Manning the way the owner and GM chased Brett Favre in 2008.
“They need a leader in their fractured locker room? Heeeere’s Peyton.
“Think Santonio Holmes would have pulled his act in Peyton’s huddle?”
Sanchez is scheduled to make $8.5 million in base salary this year with a $2.75 million roster bonus due March 28. He’s going to have to take a cut if the Jets are to make a run at Peyton.
Manning’s other likely suitors are Miami, Arizona, Seattle, and Washington. Personally, as I said when this whole topic first came up, if I were Peyton I’d go to Arizona and play catch with Larry Fitzgerald, the best receiver on the planet.
–Meanwhile, New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees is not happy. He was hoping for a long-term contract extension but instead the Saints slapped the franchise tag on him and there are reports he won’t sign it, though they have until July 15 to hammer out a long-term deal. If no deal is struck, Brees either signs the $15 million one-year contract or he’s forced to hold out.
Working in Brees favor, perhaps, is the Saints situation involving possible sanctions for the bounty program. It seems under any penalties handed down the Saints will need Brees more than ever. As Ryan Wilson of CBSSports.com writes, “If Brees isn’t the quarterback, the 2012 Saints will look a lot like the 2011 Colts. (Upside: they’ll be perfectly positioned for a run at Matt Barkley!)”
Why the Saints would jerk around Brees, of all people, is the thing that is perplexing to those who follow the sport.
Bounty Fallout, continued…
More opinion on the New Orleans Saints’ pay-for-pain program, as directed by former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.
“It’s a given that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell must severely punish longtime defensive coordinator Gregg Williams for operating a bounty system. Goodell also should hammer anyone under his authority who participated, or knowingly looked the other way….
“That’s the easy part. Changing the NFL’s warped culture, in which Williams’ out-of-bounds conduct was accepted, and even admired, is Goodell’s bigger challenge.
Goodell has stressed the need for improved player safety. He has advocated for rules changes to protect players and sternly enforced disciplinary action for contact no longer permitted….
“During the lockout, players raised concerns about post-career health problems from playing the game. Yet those who followed Williams were willing to potentially end an opponent’s career for a few thousand dollars.
“And the anger expressed toward whistle-blowing players for exposing Williams’ bounty system that was detrimental to players provides another example of how much work Goodell still has ahead of him on a topic vital to the future of the nation’s most popular sport. Rightfully so, the NFL’s image has taken a painful hit….
“Several players who worked with Williams in Washington have rallied to his defense since last week, when the NFL released its findings on the Saints’ bounties. The Redskins also face a league investigation.
“Williams’ actions, at least in Washington, have been mischaracterized, players say.
“ ‘Everyone is focusing on the word, ‘bounty,’’ former Redskins cornerback Shawn Springs said. ‘That’s where this whole thing messed up.
“ ‘Bounty is a term used for trying to go kill somebody. Nothing we did in Washington was outside the rules. It was just about a little extra incentive to go out there and make plays.’
“Springs is one of my favorite guys. During my time on the Redskins beat, I often sought his opinion, and we share similar views on some topics. Not on this one.
“Although Williams offered bonuses for big plays – sacks, interceptions, fumble recoveries, etc. – the largest payouts were given for hits that injured opponents. The system was built on corrupt ideals. That’s all that matters….
“Fans enjoy the NFL’s violence. If they didn’t, the league wouldn’t generate billions of dollars each year. There’s something alarming, however, about a coach administering a program targeting players to be injured.
“That doesn’t fit with the notion of fair play, or simple human decency, most fans would expect from their favorite teams and players. And if fans lose belief in products, profits suffer….
“Goodell faces a tall order, trying to change a culture that has been shaped and reinforced over many years. Making an example of Williams seems like a good place to start.”
Former quarterback Fran Tarkenton / Wall Street Journal
“I played football professionally for 18 years. I played against some of the toughest men imaginable. Mean Joe Greene. Deacon Jones. Bob Lilly. Ray Nitschke. Dick Butkus. Jack Youngblood. And I risked getting hit more than any other quarterback of my day. No one ran more than I did – forwards, backwards, and side-to-side.
“But in those 18 years [Ed. 1961-78], I only missed five games due to injury. My opponents wanted to beat me, and they certainly wanted to hit me to achieve that goal – but no one wanted to hurt another player deliberately. For all our competitive fire, and despite that strong desire to destroy our opposition, as professional NFL players we were part of a brotherhood. There was no joy in seeing someone injured on the field of play, even if it gave our team a better chance to win. After all, we wanted to prove that we were the best; and to be the best, you have to beat the best – not beat the JV.
“But with the bounty system run by Mr. Williams, football as a fierce but honorable competition is dropped on its head.
“Over the past few days, there have been many current players and NFL analysts saying that this story is no big deal. Every team does this, they say.
“This opens the NFL up to serious legal consequences and risks a fan backlash. Audiences love hard competition. They do not want to see gang warfare on a football field.”
Well, Fran is a bit disingenuous. More than a few players over the years admit to wanting to hurt opposing players, see Jack Tatum, to state one obvious example from Tarkenton’s era, or Tatum’s teammate in 1971, Ben Davidson.
Here’s an opposing viewpoint…from the Los Angeles Times’ T.J. Simers:
“News flash: NFL players were paid to knock players out of games, as if they weren’t going to try to do the same if not paid extra?
“You love this game because people try to send other people into tomorrow without remembering what happened today.
“Violence is as critical to the success of the NFL as the ability to bet on games or play fantasy football.
“Do you really believe a bounty system increases that violence? Makes the game more savage than it really is?
“Ray Lewis picks up dirt during Super Bowl introductions and is celebrated for his intensity for copying Russell Crowe’s preparation for mayhem in ‘Gladiator.’
“Do you think Lewis backs off a quarterback if he’s not being paid extra for a ‘cart-off’ collision?
“[Fellow L.A. Times writer Bill] Plaschke writes about the damage done to Brett Favre and Kurt Warner: ‘At the time, we thought we were watching a clean hit. Turns out, we were watching a hired assault.’
“It’s not as if defenders were hitting Favre and Warner with crowbars in an attempt to be paid extra. And I presume they would still have thought about clobbering the both of them if defensive coach Gregg Williams had failed to put a price on it.
“Hired assault? Everyone who plays defense in the NFL is hired to assault the opposition, separate ball from ballcarrier and send a bone-jarring message.
“Some people have worked themselves into an emotional lather and now liken this to criminal behavior. I would guess there’s criminal behavior on almost every play in an NFL game based on the standards of most communities.
“As the self-righteous sermon goes, players’ lives are at stake, and how the bounty system changes that, I do not understand….
“How many of you hypocrites were calling for ‘retaliation’ last week?
“The three hosts on one radio show were calling for something to be done to Dwyane Wade for fouling Kobe Bryant, breaking his nose and causing a concussion.
“What is retaliation? More than likely it’s a cheap shot, someone going physically out of his way to make contact with Wade so you might feel better.
“That’s the way it is in baseball. There’s no bounty being paid, but if a pitcher doesn’t hit the opposition after one of his teammates has been plunked, he won’t get the respect of his teammates. And that’s worth more than $1,500….
“We are agreed Williams went too far, but probably not for the same reasons.
“He did something to upset the sensibilities of those who are now viewing football as they would anything else in normal life.
“But football is played by huge men already making huge amounts of money with a ton at stake over a span of 16 games. It’s nothing like life as we know it.
“It’s all about knocking the snot out of the other guy – bounty system or no bounty system.”
Well here’s your editor’s bottom line. We all know that one of these days we’re going to be witness to a tragedy. Some player will be on the field who shouldn’t be…doctors having mistakenly cleared him to play before his concussion symptoms were fully gone…before his brain had had time to recover…and this guy will get slammed in the wrong spot, he’s laid out, unconscious, carted away, and five hours later we learn he is brain dead. Two days after he’s taken off life support. It’s inevitable. You just know the Commissioner’s office has “gamed this out” in terms of how they’ll handle it from a PR standpoint.
But…heaven help the sport if the player applying the hit was part of some formal bounty scheme. That’s why the league has to ban Gregg Williams for life. Players can joke about it all they want, but 90% of them are not exactly mental giants to begin with so they need help from us wise folks, or super wise men like Roger Goodell.
The New York Mess
“At the very least, this year should have been fun. You only reach your 50th birthday, your golden anniversary, the old half-century mark, once. So, at the very least, Mets fans should have been able to enjoy the occasion that was supposed to be the 2012 season. Whether it was a proud memory, like the 1969 and 1986 World Series titles, something funny, like Casey Stengel’s 1962 Amazin’ Mets, or even something painful, like the collapse of 2007, it should have been fun.
“Instead, these are the darkest days in the history of the franchise.
“To think that a team and its fans cannot even enjoy some form of optimism while gathered in sunny Florida for spring training is almost unfathomable. But that is, indeed, the state of the Mets. There is only bad news.
“Monday, U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff ruled that Mets owner Fred Wilpon and club president Saul Katz must stand trial on March 19, in a suit brought by trustee Irving Picard that the judge earlier ruled can seek no more than $386 million in funds to distribute to those who lost money in Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. Monday’s ruling established Picard will receive up to $83 million from Wilpon, his businesses and charity. The trial will determine if Picard will receive an additional $303 million from Wilpon. The most important piece of news here, however, was that Wilpon’s motion to have the suit dismissed was denied.”
The only good bit of news, and I’m stretching mightily, is that Judge Rakoff said he didn’t think Picard would be able to prove Wilpon et al owe the extra $300 million.
“Conclusions are no substitute for facts, and too much of what the parties characterized as bombshells proved to be nothing but bombast,” Rakoff wrote in his brief. “Nevertheless, there remains a residue of disputed factual assertions from which a jury could infer either good or bad faith depending on which assertions are credited.”
Separately, according to financial records and the AP, Citi Field revenues have plummeted 30% since the ballpark opened in 2009, and premium ticket sales are down by nearly 50%, as attendance has declined 26%. Concession revenue, no surprise, is also down 28%. Newsday reported parking revenues were down 37%.
Linsanity Winds Down
It was inevitable. Jeremy Lin’s run would end. The Knicks were 8-15 when he was inserted in desperation into a game against the Nets and a star was born. The Knicks reeled off seven in a row to even their mark at 15-15. But since then, heading into Wednesday’s road game against San Antonio, the Knicks are 3-5, as Lin has been ordinary at best, awful (when you include his lack of defense) at other times. And on Tuesday in a 95-85 loss in Dallas, Carmelo Anthony shot 2 for 12 from the field and sulked both on the bench and afterwards. Now the Knicks will be struggling the rest of the way just to nail the final playoff spot in the East.
Jeremy Lin is going to be a quality point guard for years to come in a league loaded with them (with many more on the way when you look at the college ranks), but he really needs a full off-season and training camp. His game will improve in all facets; he’s just too smart and talented for it not to. It’s just that us fans shouldn’t expect too much from him the rest of this year.
Note: When I went to post last Sunday night, I didn’t know all the specifics on Celtics guard Rajon Rondo and his spectacular 18 point, 17 rebound, 20 assist effort that afternoon vs. the Knicks. While I reported the numbers, I didn’t realize it was the first 17-17-17 game since Magic Johnson, April 18, 1989, when Magic had 24 points, 17 rebounds and 17 assists in a 142-118 victory. According to Elias, Wilt Chamberlain is the last with a triple-double of at least 20 in each category…22 points, 25 rebounds and 21 assists against the Detroit Pistons on Feb. 2, 1968. How awesome is that? As former Knicks great Walt Frazier says, Wilt Chamberlain was the greatest to ever play the game…and it’s not even close.
–The other day when I noted the new wild-card situation in baseball, I forgot to mention that the new format for the first two division series games, the 2-3 split, with the higher-seeded teams on the road and Games 3, 4 and 5 at home, is only for this coming season because the schedule was made before the new playoff format was announced. As Tyler Kepner of the New York Times writes, “baseball could not fit both the wild-card play-in game and two travel days during the division series.”
“It all really hasn’t sunk in for me yet. It’s like when you’re getting remarried and you are renewing your vows. That’s how I feel.” McCutchen hit 23 home runs and drove in 89, but his batting average slid to .259. Nonetheless, the 25-year-old should only continue to get better and he’s a fan favorite.
–Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby has been cleared to play again, as he said he is symptom-free from lingering concussion and neck problems. He indicated he could play as early as Sunday against the Bruins. All sports fans should keep their fingers crossed. Hockey needs him.
–The story of former Met Lenny Dykstra is flat out sad and pathetic. I’ve said enough about the guy, but for the archives, he was sentenced to three years in a California state prison for grand theft auto as Dykstra pleaded “no contest” to criminal charges in October, after being accused of trying to lease cars using phony business cards…and other stuff…like an earlier case where he destroyed more than $400,000 worth of property from his bankrupt estate.
I give California officials credit for allowing him to attend Gary Carter’s funeral. As I noted before, this tore Dykstra up. A look in the mirror that Lenny wishes he had done years earlier.
—Web Sweeps Week…semi-adult fare as your editor attempts to juice traffic during a key ratings period…Kids, ask your parents for permission to view some of the following.
“Las Vegas adult and topless pools open for the season”!!!
Yes, the pool scene is back on the Vegas Strip, sports fans. MGM Grand’s Wet Republic, The Mirage’s Bare Pool Lounge, Aria’s Liquid Pool Lounge, Encore Beach Club, TAO Beach at The Venetian, Mandalay Bay’s Moorea Beach Club….It’s an exciting time for Vegas aficionados.
“Selena Gomez flaunts her bikini body while soaking up the sun in Florida”
“The former Disney star recently helped beau Justin Bieber celebrate his birthday.”
What goes down among Disney characters, stays in the Magic Kingdom, they always say.
Lastly, LPGA golfer Natalie Gulbis was asked by Golfweek about her recent body painting session for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
Gulbis: The process was very elaborate. I had seen several versions of the suit prior to the actual photo shoot. I also saw pictures of the suit on a model with a similar build. [Ed. I didn’t think it was possible for anyone in the world to have a build similar to Ms. Gulbis’, if you know what I mean.] I arrived at the studio at 8 a.m. The next 13 hours, I stood as three artists painted the suit on. We took the first actual photo at 10 p.m.
Gulbis: Exhausting. I was freezing in the studio so SI gave me Ugg boots, and two heaters while they were painting.
And that’s your behind the scenes look at the making of Natalie Gulbis, err, painting of Natalie Gulbis. Guys, you may now resume thinking about March Madness. Guys? Guys?
—Robert Sherman died. He was 86. Sherman, along with his brother Richard, composed scores for films including “The Jungle Book,” “Mary Poppins” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” Robert and Richard earned two Oscars for “Mary Poppins,” – best score and best song, “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” which is an OK ditty.
Robert Sherman developed an affection for England and British characters in no small part because he recovered in a London hospital from being wounded in World War II. Prior to his injury, he was one of the first American soldiers to enter Dachau, and, according to his son, the only Jewish serviceman there.
Sherman wrote “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” but he and his brother are also responsible for the song that has launched many a suicide, “It’s a Small World (After All).” Disney theme park workers in particular can only stay in their jobs for three weeks before they go crazy.
–OK, Bruuuuce fanatics; like you, Steve G. and Steve D. Rolling Stone gives “Wrecking Ball” 5-stars.
“Wrecking Ball is the most despairing, confrontational and musically turbulent album Bruce Springsteen has ever made. He is angry and accusing in these songs, to the point of exhaustion, with grave reason.”
Well, Rolling Stone, through Bruce, then goes off on America in general, not that I disagree with some of it.
–Meanwhile, Paul McCartney sold 132,408 LPs in the first two weeks of “Kisses on the Bottom.” As Ronald Reagan would have said; not bad…not bad at all.
Top 3 songs week of 3/8/80: #1 “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” (Queen…took me awhile to appreciate how great Freddie Mercury was, in all seriousness. Can you imagine how big he’d be today?) #2 “Yes, I’m Ready” (Teri DeSario with K.C….hey, Teri was cute!) #3 “Longer” (Dan Fogelberg…getting too mushy for me)…and…#4 “Desire” (Andy Gibb…interminable) #5 “On The Radio” (Donna Summer…a study at this time shows disco caused major brain damage as certain parts of the cerebrum weren’t exercised like they need to be) #6 “Another Brick In The Wall” (Pink Floyd…absolutely hated this one…especially considering the rest of their body of work… “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” being my favorite of theirs…some great youtube versions on this one, if you’re really drugged out…not that I do drugs, personally….no sirree, just domestic for the kid…premium if the portfolio has improved…which hasn’t been the case in a while, frankly) #7 “Do That To Me One More Time” (The Captain & Tennille…wha? Do what?) #8 “Working My Way Back To You” (Spinners…far from their best effort… “It’s A Shame” being my fave) #9 “Him” (Rupert Holmes…not bad…really, I swear…then again, it was my last semester at Wake and I was struggling to graduate…there’s an on-going debate whether I actually finished last in my class or next to last…school won’t tell me) #10 “The Second Time Around” (Shalamar…just awful…Rick Santorum said it made him want to puke)
Baseball Quiz Answer: Five California/Los Angeles/Anaheim Angels to hit 37 or more home runs.
Troy Glaus, 47, 2000
Troy Glaus, 41, 2001
Vladimir Guerrero, 39, 2004
Reggie Jackson, 39, 1982
Bobby Bonds, 37, 1977
Leon “Daddy Wags” Wagner, 37, 1962
