Los Angeles Dodgers Quiz: 1) Who holds the single-season record for hits with 241? 2) Who holds the career record for hits with 2,804? [Not the same as No. 1] 3) Who are the only two to hit 45 home runs in a season? Answers below.
Trial Bits
–Huge goings on at the Jamaica Olympic Track and Field Trials as Yohan Blake, the 2011 world champion in the 100 meters when teammate Usain Bolt false started, defeated Bolt in the trials.
Bolt now has to be concerned because he got off to a terrible start out of the blocks. He’s just having trouble unfolding that 6’5” frame of his. At the same time, Blake, who ran a 9.75 to Bolt’s 9.86, can beat him on pure speed. This is going to be fascinating. Plus, another teammate, Asafa Powell, is a former record-holder in the 100 and he finished third at the trials in 9.88.
So as for the 4 X 100 matchup with the U.S., ahhh, it ain’t gonna be easy for us. Jamaica’s fourth guy, Michael Frater, ran a 9.94 on Saturday.
That 9.75 of Blake’s? Only Bolt, Powell and Tyson Gay have ever run faster.
In London, Bolt will be attempting to become the first man to ever capture back-to-back golds in the 200 as well.
–It’s funny how some athletes just suddenly lose it. You see this all the time in golf, just a handful, though, in baseball, which is more of a gradual decline most of the time. Ditto football and basketball, unless you’re talkin’ injuries.
But in track you have guys like Alan Webb, who is just 29 years old and should be at his peak in terms of a distance runner and he didn’t even run in the 1500 here and flamed out badly in a heat for the 5000, not making the final. He says it’s all in the head.
It seems like yesterday that Alan Webb had burst onto the scene, running a sub-4-minute mile and breaking Jim Ryun’s 36-year-old national high school record. He was going to be the one to finally give America an Olympic gold medal in the event, which had eluded the great Ryun.
The other day I was watching the men’s 100 meters and there was Jeff Demps of the Univ. of Florida. I think he bowed out with something like a 10.25. Just four years ago I saw Demps in Eugene set a scholastic record at about 10.10. He’s regressed. Still good, but nowhere near the top.
Also four years ago, I witnessed a then 16-year-old Jordan Hasay set a national high school record in the 1500 meters, 4:14.50. The crowd was going nuts. “Come to Oregon!” The other night in a 1500 semi, she failed to make it to the finals, doing it in 4:15.22. The now Oregon junior was despondent. “It sucks, because I hate having a bad performance at Hayward.” Over the next four years Hasay said she would turn her attention to the 5000.
[For the record, my junior year in high school cross country was better than my senior year. But I improved on my half-marathon time last December vs. two years earlier! I think I deserve a domestic for that…really.]
–On the other hand, one distance runner who is certainly peaking at the right time is Galen Rupp, Univ. of Oregon alum and American distance running’s new star after his exciting 5000 win on Thursday over teammate Bernard Lagat. Rupp broke the last remaining big record of the great Steve Prefontaine, “Pre” having run 13:22.80 40 years ago in 1972. Or as Scott Cacciola of the Wall Street Journal put it, “It only took 40 years to catch up.”
Yes, kind of an indictment of just how bad American distance running has been since the days of Ryun, Pre and Marty Liquori, as I’ve well-documented in this space.
But now Rupp, having doubled in the 5000 and 10000, and Lagat and the third finisher, Lopez Lomong, are all legitimate medal contenders in London. It should be fun to see if any of these guys can outkick the Kenyans.
–The women’s 5000 final on Thursday was unbelievably exciting. Understand some of the girls not only needed to finish in the top three, but they also needed the Olympic ‘A’ standard of 15:20 to be able to go over and drink some Bass.
Now picture that with about two laps to go, local Julia Lucas took a commanding lead. She would say later that she felt awful, but decided she needed to push it. I looked at the expert next to me in the stands, we both shook our heads, said in unison ‘she’ll never last,’ and sure enough, with 300 meters to go Lucas began to falter badly. She was passed by two runners but rounding the last turn, with about 100 meters to go, it appeared Lucas might still get third. She passed right in front of us with about 80 meters left and then I realized the impossible could happen. “Holy s—!” I just burst out, startling a woman on the other side of me who started looking for bugs all over her body. “She’s not going to make it!” And as we stared down the stretch, glancing between the runners and the video screen behind them, Kim Conley and a kid from Dartmouth I had been following during the Trials, Abby D’Agostino, were gaining on Lucas rapidly. Those final 100 meters took forever it seemed.
In the end, Conley edged Lucas and D’Agostino in a photo finish.
And get this…Conley’s time was 15:19.79…she made the Olympic team by 21/100ths of a second…after running 5000 meters. “Holy cow!” I screamed, upon seeing the times, having learned to clean up my language. It still wasn’t quite the level of excitement of the men’s 800 from 2008, but it’s why some of us attend these kinds of meets. Lucas, by the way, did 15:19.83 and D’Agostino was at 15:19.98. D’Agostino is one to watch for 2016.
–I’m not into the field events normally, but on Thursday, I couldn’t help but get caught up in the discus finals when they announced Lance Brooks, who was fourth, was about to take his final toss and not only needed to somehow improve to third, but also needed the ‘A’ standard of 213’ 3” to go to London. The landing area for the discus is in line with my seat and as he tossed it, we all went ‘that looks good…real good!’ Brooks threw it 213’ 9”! His best throw ever at the best possible time. What a moment. He ended up winning the thing, too. Needless to say both he and the crowd went nuts.
–On to the women’s 200 final. Talk about loaded. Alysson Felix, Jeneba Tarmoh (the two who tied in the 100), Sanya Richards-Ross, Carmelita Jeter, Kimberlyn Duncan, Tianna Madison, Bianca Knight, and Aurieyall Scott. This group has posted the five fastest times in the world this year. In the field of 8, seven were among the ten fastest in the world. Someone writing a history of such things (ahem…ahem…) could build a case this was the best field for an Olympic Trials final in history! And it was closing out Saturday’s action.
Well, you know who I wanted…and so as the gun went off I couldn’t suppress it.
Alysson kicked butt, for those who haven’t seen. The fastest time in the world this year, 21.69. In fact only three women in history have run faster. Carmelita Jeter took second and will now be in the 100 and 200 in London (amazingly, her first Olympics) and Sanya Richards-Ross, the huge favorite in the 400, will be doubling in the 200.
As for the ongoing dispute with the tie for third between Felix and Tarmoh in the 100, it looks like it will be decided in a run-off, Monday.
–Sunday concluded with the men’s 200 meter. Four years ago in Beijing, Wallace Spearmon thought he had captured the bronze but he was ruled to be running outside his lane and lost it. This year he is running as well as anyone in the world and he took the final today, though two guys I wanted, 32-year-old Doc Patten and the 2004 gold medalist, Shawn Crawford, 34, failed to advance to London. Spearmon summed up what it’s like to be in the Trials: “You can be in shape, mentally and physically. If the slightest thing goes wrong, that’s the end of your Olympic dreams.”
I’ll never get tired of appreciating how tough it is to compete at this level, even though of course I really don’t have a freakin’ clue.
–Before the 200, we had the men’s and women’s finals in the 1500, which ordinarily would be as exciting as they come but in both, the top three finishers didn’t face any real pressure in the final 100 meters and there were no huge upsets in either. All six met the ‘A’ Olympic standard and I’ll be rooting for Andrew Wheating, who was part of that great 2008 800-meter final.
–Elsewhere, South African double amputee Oscar Pistorius failed in his quest to qualify for London by 0.22 seconds. I know this offends some of you, and I apologize if it does, but I’ve seen races with these heroic athletes and I just don’t believe they should be in the Olympics against, say, a LaShawn Merritt. I believe “Blade Runner” has an advantage with the carbon fiber legs of his. You really have to see guys like him run in person to know where I’m coming from.
–Finally, the Olympic Trials have now been in Eugene the last two times. I’ve been here both. There’s a reason why they call Eugene “Track Town USA.” As a local columnist for The Register-Guard, George Schroeder, put it, Eugene cares about track and field. The history is also deep and authentic. It really was an old Univ. of Oregon coach, Bill Bowerman, who helped get America into jogging. You had that famous Sports Illustrated cover of Steve Prefontaine, Oregon boy, which also played a role. Imagine. There was a time Prefontaine held every American record from 800 meters to 10000!
Hayward Field is perfect for track…the perfect audience size, too. And you can’t discount the power of Nike, whose headquarters are in nearby Beaverton and whose chairman, Phil Knight, keeps pumping more and more money into the sport, and the school.
Yes, Eugene is a pain in the neck to get to from around the country. The local airport has few flights of any distance and the city is a solid two hour drive from Portland’s airport.
Eugene also doesn’t have enough hotels, which is why both times I’ve stayed 30- and 45-minute drives away (which just hasn’t been a problem at all). You can get a hotel in the city, but to book one well ahead the downtown places charge you an arm and a leg.
But the powers that be who run USA Track and Field are always looking for better venues. Des Moines, which I also know well, would be a good host and is certainly a little easier to get to. Sacramento has hosted the Trials in the past (2000 and 2004). But track, at least in my lifetime, just isn’t going to command the attention where you could pack a 50,000 seat stadium for eight days. It remains a niche sport that all but a handful of us care about; and most only every four years. [Ditto swimming.]
I must say, though, that the weather this time has truly sucked. The only two days there wasn’t rain at least part of the time were the two off days, Tuesday and Wednesday. Four years ago, however, I had nothing but sunshine and excessive heat here. Oregon is Oregon. It is as unpredictable as anywhere in the country. [I got a real bad head cold from sitting in the rain the first few days here.]
So the USATF will decide in December 2013 where to hold the 2016 Trials. Des Moines (and Drake University) are hosting the U.S. track and field championships next year and they’ll be bidding on 2016, as will probably Sacramento.
“Nike spends millions of dollars promoting the Trials in Eugene. The company…is the only gold level sponsor. The Nike swoosh is everywhere, from the fan festival at Hayward Field [Ed. which really is perfect…the beer tents, plenty of space, two big monitors to catch the action] to the buses ferrying athletes around town [Ed. plus an extremely efficient shuttle bus system from the parking lot at the football stadium to the track. Or you have a highly picturesque walk of 15 minutes or so from your car if the weather is good.]
“The budget for the 10-day event is nearly $10 million. Tickets sales cover more than half of those costs [Ed. my 8-day package was about $400], with the rest coming from private donors and sponsors like Nike…NBC Sports network, which is televising the meet, does not pay a rights fee….
“Nike is also using the Trials as a corporate bonding experience, bringing in busloads of employees from its main campus near Portland to see where the company began. It is hard to imagine that the company would spend as much money on the trials if they were held in Iowa or California, sports business experts said.”
That’s the bottom line. If it was up to me, I’d keep the Trials here, or at worst, commit to going back and forth the next 20 years between Eugene and Des Moines.
Ball Bits
–After stumbling in his effort last Sunday against the Yankees, R.A. Dickey and his “angry knuckleball” was back in form against the Dodgers on Friday. I was following the contest on my smartphone, while sitting in the Pioneer Saloon, and I couldn’t really cheer or anything because there were angry looking customers there, if you catch my drift. Not the best-looking crowd at the Pioneer. [Very nice staff, however. Girls, you’re allowed to call me “sweetheart” when serving me a beer anytime. The tip-meter goes up, too.]
Well, R.A. scattered three hits over eight innings, improving his mark to 12-1 with a 2.15 ERA. In his last 13 starts going back to April 18, he is 10-0 with a 1.51 ERA. You know, that’s kind of a large sample. Here’s hoping he gets the starting nod for the All-Star game.
And Shu pointed out to me how R.A. and Jeff Bridges in the Big Lebowski look alike, let alone a great line from the movie that fits Dickey’s dream season.
“Sometimes there’s a man, who, well, he’s the man for his time ‘n place.”
–Arizona’s Aaron Hill did something that has only been done once since 1900…hit for the cycle (for those who don’t follow baseball that closely, a single, double, triple and home run in the same game) twice in one year. In Hill’s case, 12 days! Babe Herman of the Brooklyn Dodgers did it back in 1931.
Hill has had an interesting career. His one huge power year kind of sticks out like a sore thumb, frankly. Kind of like Brady Anderson’s 50-homer season. I’ll let you go to baseballreference.com to check it out…and draw your own conclusions.
—Erin Andrews is leaving ESPN and probably going to Fox Sports.
Hey, how did that get in Ball Bits? Who’s editing this?!
–The other night Tampa Bay’s David Price, now 11-4, bested Detroit superstar Justin Verlander, now ‘only’ 8-5. Further evidence R.A. Dickey is easily the best pitcher in the game right now.
Need more evidence? Stephen Strasburg fell to 9-3, 2.81, after losing to the Braves on Saturday. Strasburg was pulled after just three innings where he allowed three runs and walked four.
–But back to Detroit, Prince Fielder is hitting .296 through 79 games with 12 HR and 53 RBI. That’s nice. He also has a .374 on-base percentage. But he’s freakin’ 50 pounds overweight and being paid $23 million! And it’s not like he’s going to morph into Jared or Michael Phelps of Subway fame.
–Baltimore acquired Jim Thome from the Phillies for two prospects. Thome will probably DH for the Orioles, who have been struggling at the plate. Good move.
–Two weekend series I wouldn’t have attended, even if my life depended on it.
—Euro 2012 Final…Spain 4 Italy 0. Three weeks ago the two teams played to a 1-1 tie.
Spain now is the first team in history with three major championships in a row…Euro 2008, the World Cup and now Euro 2012. As Ronald Reagan would have said, not bad, not bad at all.
–I didn’t watch any of it, but read about the weather mess in the Washington, D.C. area and the AT&T National at Congressional. Pretty amazing how Tiger Woods now has three wins on the year…the only player on Tour to do so…and many of us have been counting him out.
Tiger’s win on Sunday was No. 74, passing Jack Nicklaus, with only Sam Snead’s 82 left.
–My only thought on the NBA Draft, and I’m not alone it seems, is what was Cleveland thinking in taking Syracuse’s Dion Waiters with the fourth overall selection? The guy didn’t even start!
Harrison Barnes No. 7; Kendall Marshall No. 13; John Henson No. 14; Tyler Zeller No. 17.
I still think the last three will have better careers than Barnes.
And I don’t know why but I like Miles Plumlee at No. 26 by the Pacers. No one else seems to, though. I just think he could be a rebounding monster.
–Now that NBA free agency has begun, I said I wouldn’t care about the league until December at the earliest, but I do hope the Knicks re-sign Jeremy Lin, Steve Novak and J.R. Smith (I can’t believe I just wrote this last one…still don’t like Smith as a person, but we need him).
I also hope for Brooklyn’s sake they can re-sign Deron Williams. But what’s this? Dwight Howard now says he wants to go to Brooklyn?!
–So for the record, I have worn my Wake Forest hat each day at the Trials and not one person, not one, has commented, like “Did you go to Wake Forest?” “Does your basketball program blow as much as it appears to from out here?” Nothing. Kind of shows you just how low the sports program has sunk.
–Story in the Wall Street Journal on attendance in the NFL, down 4.5% since 2007. Of course broadcast and online audiences are soaring. I mean why would you pay huge $s and have to schlep to the game in heavy traffic, and spend an hour getting out of the parking lot afterwards, when you can drink domestic and eat Chex Mix in the comfort of your home or local tavern?
The worst draws these days are the Bengals, just 75% of capacity, the Dolphins (81%), Redskins (84%…surprising) and Bills (85%…surprised it’s this high). The Jets and Giants are in the 95-96% range, but there was a time, especially for the Giants, when you could never get a seat…as in for generations.
–Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com listed the “11 Worst Contracts in the NFL” and the Jets have three of them…Mark Sanchez, Santonio Holmes, and Bart Scott. No argument here.
–The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency says its review board made a unanimous recommendation to file formal doping charges against Lance Armstrong. Armstrong can now challenge the case at an arbitration hearing, which he has said he would do. One of the USADA’s board members, Clark Griffith, told the AP he “can’t wait” to see what the panel thinks of the evidence they’ll present.
USADA says it has at least 10 former teammates and associates who will testify against Lance as well as samples from 2009 and 2010 that are “fully consistent” with blood doping.
[At least in track, for a decade or more, eventually the steroid users get uncovered and punished.]
–I wasn’t going to comment anymore on the Jerry Sandusky case but that was rather devastating to see new emails were uncovered by CNN showing Paterno was consulted by officials who previously said they didn’t know of the shower incident, from the former president on down.
–An American was attacked and severely injured by chimps at the Jane Goodall Institute in eastern South Africa. The University of Texas-San Antonio anthropology graduate student had been inspired by Goodall and was allowed to “observe” the chimps at the sanctuary. Remember these SOBs (chimps not being a favorite of your editor) can reach a height of 5’7” and weigh as much as 160 lbs., yet for some reason the guy went between the two layers of fences that protect tourists and researchers and the chimps managed to drag him under the second fence, an electrified one, where they proceeded to bite him and drag him half a mile before he was rescued. Officials don’t know what provoked the chimps, but it’s kind of obvious there were two layers of fence for a reason and the idiot didn’t follow the rules.
Chimps thus tumble to No. 123 on the All-Species List. [Their cousin, the docile gibbon, remains a perennial top 3.] Man, for not following the rules yet again, slides to 202 behind the salamander.
Top 3 songs for the week 7/2/88: “Dirty Diana” (Michael Jackson…don’t know her) #2 “Foolish Beat” (Debbie Gibson) #3 “The Flame” (Cheap Trick)… and…#4 “Make It Real” (The Jets) #5 “The Valley Road” (Bruce Hornsby and The Range) #6 “Mercedes Boy” (Pebbles) #7 “Pour Some Sugar On Me” (Def Leppard… but ask permission first…I mean if I had just taken a shower, it’s not like I’d be fired up to have to take another, know what I mean?) #8 “Nothin’ But A Good Time” (Poison…then again, who’s pouring the sugar on me?) #9 “New Sensation” (INXS…sugar, anyone?) #10 “Together Forever” (Rick Astley)
Los Angeles Dodgers Quiz Answers: 1) The aforementioned Babe Herman has the record for hits in a season with 241, 1930, when he hit .393, slammed 35 homers and drove in 130, plus he scored 143 runs. [Tommy Davis had 230 hits in his stellar 1962 campaign.] 2) Hall of Famer Zack Wheat is the team’s all-time leader in hits with 2,804, playing with Brooklyn from 1909-26, before finishing his career with the Philadelphia A’s. Wheat’s best years were 1922-25 (aside from a batting title in 1918), age 34-37, when he hit .335, .375, .375 and .359. 3) The only two to hit 45 home runs in a Dodgers uniform are Shawn Green, 49 in 2001, and Adrian Beltre, 48 in 2004. Duke Snider hit 40 or more five times but never 45.
Next Bar Chat, Monday, July 9. Need to play catch up when I get home. It’s also nuts I’m leaving my hotel here at 2:00 a.m. tonight to drive to Portland to get my flight.
