Update: Thursday a.m., Jan. 3…just clearing some items off the table.
Bowl Games
–Huge win for the ACC with No. 14 Clemson’s win over No. 9 LSU 25-24 in the Chick-fil-A Bowl to move to 11-2; a much-needed victory for the conference as Chandler Catanzaro kicked a 37-yarder with time expiring. No doubt Clemson coach Dabo Swinney gained some fans with his exuberant post-game celebration; first picking up the sideline reporter in his arms (and she was giggling like a schoolgirl) and then telling the nation, “We fought every frickin’ play,” and ‘frickin’ this and frickin’ that.’ You rock, Dabo!!!
I’ve never been to Clemson in my life but have always kind of liked the school. First off, they have good school spirit and from the stories I’ve heard, they have one hell of a good time! And at the end of the day, boys and girls, that counts for something.
—No. 13 Florida State ended No. 16 Northern Illinois’ Cinderella dreams in the Orange Bowl 31-10, as the Seminoles outgained the Huskies 534-259, with Northern Illinois star QB Jordan Lynch having a miserable contest (15/41, 176, 1-1…and just 44 yards rushing on 23 carries, including a 22-yard run, so you do the math on the other 22 carries).
–And then on Wednesday night at the Orange Bowl, No. 21 Louisville and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater staged another big upset in defeating No. 3 Florida, 33-23, as Bridgewater passed for 266 yards and two touchdowns.
So with LSU and Florida going down, does the vaunted SEC finally see its six-year BCS title run end on Monday at the hands of Notre Dame?
–The Big Ten was 1-4 in bowl games on New Year’s Day, the only winner being Northwestern, as Wisconsin, Michigan, Purdue, and Nebraska lost. With the Wisconsin loss to Stanford in the Rose Bowl, that’s nine out of ten in that one. But at least in the case of Northwestern’s win over Mississippi State, it was their first bowl victory since 1949.
–Great win for South Carolina with a last minute TD to defeat Michigan 33-28, as the Gamecocks matched their school record for wins, 11. Oh yeah, I’ll take Jadeveon Clowney with the first overall pick in 2014. [It will also be interesting to see where Denard Robinson of Michigan goes in the draft, if at all. Now some are saying they would turn the quarterback, and he’s certainly not an NFL-caliber one, into a defensive back, which makes perfect sense. The kid is still a great athlete.]
–Ah, did I pick USC to win the national title this year? Never mind. Geezuz, they lost to Georgia Tech 21-7?! I know Matt Barkley wasn’t playing, but still. How does coach Lane Kiffin look at himself in the mirror?
—Boise State announced it is ditching plans to move to the Big East, beginning with the 2013 football season, and is instead staying in the Mountain West. San Diego State, also scheduled to play football in the Big East in 2013, is reconsidering as well. Assuming this becomes fact, god only knows what the remaining Big East schools will do in terms of filling out their schedules. Like I think six of them had scheduled Boise and SDSU. Maybe Division III William Paterson here in Jersey could pick up some bucks.
Actually, I can’t begin to tell you who the hell would be in the Big East next football season, let alone in 2014.
—NFL coaches fired on Black Monday…Andy Reid after 14 years in Philadelphia; Lovie Smith after nine in Chicago and a 10-6 record; Norv Turner after six in San Diego; Ken Whisenhunt in Arizona after six seasons; Pat Shurmur in Cleveland; Chan Gailey in Buffalo and Romeo Crennel in Kansas City.
Oregon’s Chip Kelly is reportedly going to interview with Cleveland, Philadelphia and Buffalo, with Syracuse’s Doug Marrone talking to Cleveland and Buffalo as well. Kelly has been on everyone’s radar after going 45-7 at the helm of Duck Nation with four consecutive BCS bowl games. Syracuse fans must be lighting candles hoping Marrone stays.
–Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis announced he is retiring after the playoffs. It’s been 17 seasons and he is returning this Sunday as the Ravens face the Colts after being sidelined since Oct. 14 with a torn right triceps. Lewis has had a brilliant career and is the only player in NFL history with at least 40 career sacks and 30 interceptions. He was part of Baltimore’s first draft, the 26th player selected overall out of Miami.
Ray Lewis also remained a beloved figure in Baltimore even after his alleged involvement in a double-murder in Atlanta in early 2000. Instead a judge allowed him to avoid murder charges and jail time by pleading guilty to a misdemeanor and testifying against two co-defendants.
–Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez had 52 turnovers the past two seasons, but they are stuck with him and his $8.25 million guarantee for 2013.
–Oh, the Jets fired GM Mike Tannenbuam, who did some good things in his six years, and then some not so good things, like the Sanchez contract! The Jets have gone 14-18 the last two seasons after back-to-back AFC Championship games.
But coach Rex Ryan gets to stay and be miserable one more year here in Summit. Not that Summit is bad…it’s the going to work part with his dysfunctional employer that really, really sucks.
—Adrian Peterson and C.J. Spiller, one with 2,097 yards and the other with 1,244, both averaged 6.0 yards per carry…phenomenal.
College Basketball
AP Men’s Poll
1. Duke*
2. Michigan*
3. Arizona*
4. Louisville
5. Indiana
6. Kansas
7. Syracuse
8. Ohio State
9. Minnesota…nice win New Year’s Eve vs. Michigan State
10. Gonzaga
19. San Diego State
–Nice win by Wake Forest, Wednesday, over Xavier at home, 66-59. Granted, 7-6 Xavier isn’t the team it normally is, but for the Deacs it’s a start. The remaining Deaconwear, not on the island of Yap, is yearning to come out of the bottom losers’ drawer, but I still require a “signature” win…over a top 25 team, which at this point in the season means an ACC school….like, err, perhaps No. 1 Duke on Saturday! [Cough cough…ahem…cough cough…]
—Jim Boeheim became the second-winningest coach in NCAA history, surpassing Bob Knight, as he picked up win No. 903 against Rutgers on Wednesday. Coach K is first at 940.
ESPN/USA TODAY Women’s Poll
1. UConn
2. Baylor
3. Stanford
4. Duke
5. Notre Dame
6. Kentucky
7. California
8. Maryland
9. Penn State
10. Louisville
—Patti Page died. She was 85. Page was the top-selling female singer of the 1950s with more than 100 million records sold. Her most enduring song remains “Tennessee Waltz,” along with “(How Much Is That) Doggie in the Window.” Page also became the first singer to have television programs on all three major networks.
Page was born Clara Ann Fowler in Claremore, Okla., one of eleven children. She was discovered by Jack Rael, a band leader, who heard Page on a Tulsa radio station.
–I like Mark R.’s idea for the NHL. “The interest in hockey and the playoffs for Lord Stanley’s cup is gone. To survive the league should reorganize into two divisions, the North (Canadian teams – 12) and the South (American teams – 16). Move the U.S. teams like Phoenix, Columbus, Florida….to cities in Canada to balance the divisions. Establish revenue sharing to small market teams in places like Halifax, Regina, Hamilton…to allow them to survive and compete. After all, who cares in Phoenix about hockey? In the playoffs it will come down to USA vs. Canada for the Stanley Cup…every year. It will increase the interest in the sport by a factor of 10. The eventual increase in revenue will flow to the teams and players.”
Granted, there are only six Canadian teams today, and this will require much thought, but I’m imagining there are many cities not in the original NHL (and the initial expansion) that couldn’t care less if their team goes to Canada.
—13 rhinos in South Africa were poached in 2007. In 2012 the number was more than 620.
NBA Quiz: Sometime in the next few weeks, LeBron James will become the 12th player in NBA history to accumulate 20,000 points, 5,000 rebounds and 5,000 assists and he just turned 28 on Sunday. Name the other eleven. All played 1960 and after. Only one is a classic center, two I would describe as classic power forwards, and the rest are guards (at least as defined in today’s game). Answer below.
NFL Review
Next weekend’s wild-card matchups…and da weather…
Cincinnati at Houston…whatever
Indianapolis at Baltimore…40s, no precip…drat!
Minnesota at Green Bay…20s, no precip…drat!
Seattle at Washington…see Baltimore…drat!
—Tony Romo is now 1-6 in elimination games.
–The Vikings’ incredible Adrian Peterson fell just nine yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson’s all-time single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards as he finished with 2,097, 199 on Sunday in leading Minnesota to the playoffs by virtue of their 37-34 win over Green Bay.
–In Denver’s (13-3) win over pathetic Kansas City (2-14) 38-3, the Broncos outgained the Chiefs 488-119. There are going to be a lot of very drunk Kansas City fans New Year’s Eve drowning their sorrows.
Or…they’ll be celebrating the fact they get the #1 draft pick!
As for Peyton Manning, all he did after his neck issues was throw 37 touchdown passes vs. just 11 interceptions this season. If you thought Manning would come back like this you’re a better man than me.
–The ending to the Jets’ incredibly dysfunctional season tops it all. Quarterback Greg McElroy, who was sacked a near-record 11 times last Sunday in a loss to the Chargers, was found on Thursday to have developed headaches during a weightlifting session. McElroy and the team trainer then told Jets coach Rex Ryan that McElroy had sustained a concussion Sunday in his first NFL start and had not told the Jets’ medical staff about his initial symptoms.
Ryan was duly shocked and immediately announced Mark Sanchez, not Tim Tebow, was the starter in the finale against the Bills. Sanchez had been benched in favor of McElroy just last week.
So why not replace McElroy with Tebow? Well, a few reasons. For one, the Jets are thrilled Jacksonville is interested in Tebow and the last thing the Jets want to do is to give Tebow a start. If he plays well, the fans will clamor for the team to keep him. If he plays poorly, Jacksonville may have second thoughts. Plus Sanchez had played well against the Bills in Week 1.
Earlier in the week, Tebow felt compelled to defend his character amid another media assassination, think R.A. Dickey. No, Tebow said, I did not opt out of being the Wildcat option in the Chargers game as the media reported.
Back to McElroy, virtually all of his teammates said they would have done the same thing; hide the concussion symptoms. Defensive lineman Mike DeVito told the Daily News:
“I probably wouldn’t have…Just because you’re trying to make your name, you’re trying to make a living. You’re trying to provide for your family and sometimes you have to make sacrifices and do things that might not be the smartest thing but you’ve got to take a risk you’ve got to do what you can to try to perform.”
And how did Sanchez do? Try 19/35, 205, 0-1, 55.1…plus he lost another fumble. Stupidly, the Jets reworked this bum’s contract and he’s owed over $8 million for next season. Even the Pottstown Firebirds wouldn’t take him for $39.95 and a few six-packs of Yuengling. [OK, I’m dating myself…]
—I picked the Giants to repeat as Super Bowl champions, so yet another one by the board for your editor as New York finished the year at 9-7 and out of the show, though they finished on a positive note in defeating the pathetic Eagles (4-12) 42-7 as Eli Manning had five touchdown passes. Eagles coach Andy Reid was then fired after 14 years. Quarterback Michael Vick, in his return after sitting out a number of games, was awful and no one knows if he’ll be back.
–The Panthers (7-9) beat the Saints (7-9) in another who gives a s— game, with Carolina back DeAngelo Williams rushing for 210 yards, but in terms of the record books it mattered as the Saints’ Drew Brees crossed the 5,000 yards passing mark for a record third time, while he also had four touchdown passes and with 43 for the year is the first to have consecutive 40+ seasons in that category.
Brees 5476…2011
Brady 5235…2011
Brees 5177…2012
But the Saints also gave up a NFL record 7,042 yards on defense. Disgraced coach Sean Payton, forced to sit out the year due to the bountygate scandal, signed a five-year contract extension with the Saints that will pay him $8 million a year.
–In a meaningless game between Tennessee (6-10) and Jacksonville (2-14), the Titans became the first team in NFL history to have two players scoring twice on returns in a game; Darius Reynaud with two punt returns for scores, and linebacker Zach Brown with two interception returns. Whatever.
—The Redskins, Colts and Seahawks were a combined 14-34 in 2011. This year, behind rookie QBs Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson, they finished a combined 32-16.
–And speaking of Andrew Luck, congrats to Indianapolis for a remarkable season, 11-5, and welcome back coach Chuck Pagano.
–So I haven’t been watching too many of the bowl games, but I did see Rutgers’ choke job against Virginia Tech on Friday. No doubt they were an overrated 9-1, as the polls rightly showed at the time, the only loss at home to Kent State, but they still had a BCS berth in their hands and then proceeded to lose to Pitt and Louisville, to fall out of the BCS picture, and then on Friday they blew a 10-0 lead late to Virginia Tech and lost 13-10 in overtime to finish 9-4.
[I must say, ESPN sideline reporter Maria Taylor was lookin’ mighty fine despite the rain, it just needs to be said.]
—Duke lost to Cincinnati 48-34 in the I Can’t Believe It’s Butter Bowl, sponsored by Belk. While I didn’t catch any of it, I read about the ending and then Johnny Mac filled me in on the important stuff…to wit…
“And now, boys and girls, another example of the dangers of betting. Poor old Duke (football version), who last won a bowl game during the JFK administration and lost their last four games of the season, somehow managed to get invited to the ever-popular Belk Bowl. The line opened at Cincy -11, but a flood, yes a flood, of Duke money drove the line to 7, a massive move, but late Cincy action sent it back to -8, where it settled.
“The game tied at 34, Duke had the ball inside the Bearcat 10 with a minute and change left, the offense setting up the winning field goal…but a running back with one fumble all year coughs it up inside the 5. Then, still in shock, Duke screws up their coverage and allows an 80+ TD strike to the tight end. Duke gets the ball back with 40 seconds, the QB gets hit and throws a pick-six. Just that fast its 48-34, Cincy covers, pay up, suckers…a lesson learned, kids.”
Terrific advice from Bar Chat’s Life Coach, Johnny Mac. It’s why I always tell you that if you’re going to bet big, at least first raid your parents’ retirement account so that any loss doesn’t fall on you…at least immediately. Remember that you would eventually take a hit, however.
–Fun game between Texas and Oregon State as the Longhorns came back for a 31-27 victory, both teams finishing at 9-4. But good lord, can Texas’ Marquise Goodwin run or what?!
And what awful coverage by ESPN of the cheerleaders on both sides. Oregon State’s Beaverettes were looking to break the USC-Oregon stranglehold on the nation’s best squads but with ESPN’s incomplete coverage I am giving the title to the women of Oregon over USC’s beauties.
–And I loved the Syracuse-West Virginia contest, even though it ended up being lopsided, a 38-14 win for the much-improved ‘Cuse. Yes, the weather in Yankee Stadium had a lot to do with it. It was snowing at home, I wasn’t going out, and a nice way to chill with a cold frosty while watching the fans in the stands get frosted on. Even though Syracuse’s Ryan Nassib and West Virginia’s Geno Smith had subpar days due to the field conditions, as a Jets fan I would easily take either one of them in the coming draft. Ditto the Mountaineers’ Tavon Austin.
Notre Dame-Alabama
Can ND break the SEC’s run of six straight BCS titles? Alabama is going for its second title in a row, which would be a BCS first, and third in four years. This is Notre Dame’s first BCS championship game. One thing is for sure…the television ratings will be phenomenal.
The Fighting Irish lead the series 5-1, though the teams have not met since 1987.
The first meeting was in the 1973 Sugar Bowl at Tulane Stadium. Alabama came in undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press and United Press International polls. Notre Dame was undefeated and ranked in the top four.
It was the “Game of the Century” and Notre Dame outlasted Alabama 24-23. Notre Dame’s victory would push the Irish to No. 1 in the AP poll, but Alabama would claim a share of the title because UPI determined its champion after the regular season, a practice discontinued afterward.
From “The USA TODAY College Football Encyclopedia,” edited by Bob Boyles and Paul Guido (a must have for every college football fan):
“Needing a 1st down to seal win and national title, Notre Dame (11-0) turned to unlikely hero: backup TE Robin Weber. On 3rd down-and-8, deep in his own territory, Irish QB Tom Clements found wide-open Weber for 35y completion, which matched TE’s number of receptions in entire regular season. Primary target on play was other TE, star Dave Casper, but Weber, who needed cortisone shot prior to game for his ailing knee, was too free to ignore against Crimson Tide’s D which totally expected Irish to call conservative running play. With Alabama (11-1) O nailed in place with no positive y in 1st Q, Irish sprung misdirection elements of Delaware’s Wing-T formation and opened scoring with FB Wayne Bullock’s 1y TD run on drive that featured 3 straight completions/59y to WR Pete Demmerie. [Ed. there’s a name out of the past.] After exchange of TOs, Alabama QB Gary Rutledge led 52y drive that netted 7-6 lead. It was short-lived as ND frosh HB Al Hunter raced 93y with ensuing KO, and 2-pt. conv pass to Demmerie gave Notre Dame 14-7 edge. Tide added FG before H and then took their opening possession of 2nd H to 5y TD run by HB Wilbur Jackson that climaxed 93y drive in 11 plays. Trailing 17-14, ND regained lead after LB Drew Mahalic returned FUM 9y to Alabama 12YL. Misdirection TD run by HB Eric Penick following huge block by Casper gave Irish 21-17 lead. Later, with Tide on ND 25YL, alternate QB Richard Todd handed off to HB Mike Stock, who threw back to Todd, all alone in left flat. Todd scored easily for 23-21 lead, but K Bill Davis missed crucial x-pt. Notre Dame next drove behind Clements – game’s MVP with 74y rushing and 169y passing – who lugged it 3/25y and completed 30y pass to Casper (3/75y). K Bob Thomas then booted winning 19y FG, although Tide still had time to rally. Irish D held and forced punt, which was boomed 69y by P Greg Gantt to ND 1YL. At that juncture, Clements and Weber prepared to run out clock and enter ND lore. Alabama’s mysterious bowl winless streak had reached 7 games.”
The next season, Alabama was undefeated and ranked No. 1 again in the AP, while the Irish were 9-2 and ranked No. 8. Notre Dame held on for a 13-11 win in coach Ara Parseghian’s final game. The ND defense, having been torched in regular season finale by USC, 55-24 (the famous contest where ND built up a 24-0 lead before Anthony Davis and Co. scored 8 TDs in 17-minute span), forced five ‘Bama fumbles and two interceptions, and held the Wishbone offense to just 62 yards rushing, as Bear Bryant lost his 8th straight bowl game.
1980: Notre Dame won 7-0 in Birmingham. Bear Bryant went 0-4 against the Irish.
1986: No. 2 Alabama beat unranked ND 28-10 in an early-season game in Birmingham.
1987: No. 7 Notre Dame won 37-6 against No. 11 Alabama in South Bend. Both teams then lost their final three contests of the season, including bowl games.
College Basketball
–Congratulations to UConn’s Kevin Ollie. Early in the season I said I hoped he got a contract extension and the school did the right thing in giving him one through the 2017-18 season. After Jim Calhoun retired, Ollie was given just one year at $465,000. But despite losing five underclassmen from last year’s team, Ollie has UConn at 10-2 after a win over Washington on Saturday.
–After the Brooklyn Nets got off to a promising, and surprising, 11-4 start, they then proceeded to go 3-10 to even their record at 14-14, upon which Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, the Russian billionaire, fired coach Avery Johnson.
Now there isn’t a person involved in the sport who doesn’t like Johnson as a person but while he himself was shocked he was canned with a .500 record (let alone his son who is going apes— on social media), the fact is Prokhorov made a huge dollar commitment to assemble a top-shelf team and .500 doesn’t, nor shouldn’t, cut it. Exit Johnson, who we should hasten to add was a dreadful 60-116 overall in his time with the Nets.
Whoever the new coach is (P.J. Carlesimo is the interim coach, with Phil Jackson rumored to be coming in) needs to light a fire under once star point guard Deron Williams. This team has a lot of talent…they should be a 50-game winner.
–On Friday night, you had an interesting situation for Wake Forest fans…a sad reminder of how far our basketball program has fallen.
On Jan. 21, 2009, Wake was No. 1…No. 1…in the nation. But then we stumbled down the stretch, dropped to a 4-seed in the NCAA tournament, and suffered a brutal loss to 13-seed Cleveland State in the first round. The following 2009-10 season, Wake was 20-11 and went out in the second round of the tournament. Coach Dino Gaudio was let go for his postseason failures and we have gone 8-24 (1-15), 13-18 (4-12) and 6-5 (0-0) since under coach Jeff Bzdelik.
My point on Friday is that James Johnson sank a three at the buzzer to give the Kings a big win over the Knicks, while Atlanta’s Jeff Teague was leading the Hawks with 27 in a win over Cleveland. Both were first-rounders in 2009 out of Wake. Both left school early (after just two years) and Wake never fulfilled the dream of its first Final Four since 1962. [Ish Smith and Al-Farouq Aminu off the 2009 squad are also now in the NBA, though Aminu is in a major doghouse down in New Orleans.]
–Incredibly, the Los Angeles Clippers have won 16 straight, while at the same time, it was just a few weeks ago that I was praising the Charlotte Bobcats for their 7-5 start after going an NBA-record-worst 7-59 last season. Alas, the Bobcats have now lost 18 in a row!
–Congratulations to Boston College hockey coach Jerry York, who became the NCAA career leader in wins over the weekend, 925 in 41 seasons, including stints at Clarkson and Bowling Green. York has four national titles with the Eagles and one at Bowling Green. Alum Steve D. wishes Wake Forest had hockey so he could get a free lunch off me.
–On Saturday, in Bormio, Italy, the men held a World Cup downhill and the top four finishers were separated by two-hundredths of a second! No one can recall a downhill that close. Hannes Reichelt of Austria and Dominik Paris of Italy shared victory in 1 minute 58.62 seconds. Overall World Cup leader Aksel Lund Svindal was third, 0.01 behind.
Meanwhile, Lindsey Vonn didn’t race in a slalom in Austria this weekend due to intestinal problems. Get well, Lindsey!
–This is funny. Diageo, owners of Guinness, decided the best-selling stout needed its own glass so it hired a branding company, jkr, to come up with the new drinking instrument and it is being panned royally by Guinness lovers in Ireland. Said one owner of a popular pub in north Kerry, “I could safely say that around 99% of my customers prefer the old glasses” and the new ones are being tossed in the trash bin, or given to tourists.
Here’s one of the problems. There is a harp logo embossed on the inside of the glass that makes bubbles when the pint is poured. A veteran Guinness drinker, interviewed by the Irish Independent, agreed that the foam head doesn’t form properly in the new glasses. “It just doesn’t feel feckin’ right,” he said.
Wouldn’t you think jkr would have tested the feckin’ glass with regulars first? Let alone pub owners?
–Speaking of drinking, it being New Year’s and all, I was reading a review of a book “Dinner with Churchill” by Cita Stelzer that goes into his drinking, as noted by Tracy Lee Simmons in The Weekly Standard.
“With Churchill and drink, we move from history to legend. ‘You can’t make a speech on ice water,’ he is supposed to have said. The scantest research reveals that Churchill kept alcohol streaming in his system every hour of every day. One Roosevelt aide said that while the prime minister stayed at the White House, Churchill’s ‘consumption of alcohol continued at quite regular intervals through most of his waking hours,’ though, it was added, ‘without visible effect.’ Churchill did begin drinking whisky in the morning, from a glass hugely diluted with water or soda – what one secretary recalled was practically a ‘mouthwash’ – though he saved his serious drinking for dinnertimes and after, and almost always with company.
“There is no evidence that Churchill’s prodigious drinking impaired his capacity to work. The Canadian prime minister wrote in his diary that dinner wine, for instance, had an effect on Churchill purely of ‘quickening his intellect and intensifying his facility of expression,’ an observation confirmed by almost all witnesses. Alcohol enhanced, not diminished, his companionship. What we call ‘social drinking’ was a prime cause and condition of fellowship for Winston Churchill – it was the forge of bonds among civilized people. Churchill famously said that he took more out of alcohol than alcohol took out of him – and anyway, his drinking seemed to create an image he wished to sustain, happy to allow others to believe that he drank more than he did.
“His drinking provided occasions of mirth. When he joined Franklin Roosevelt for their conference at Casablanca, Churchill wrote a letter of distress at finding the place less than hospitable: ‘Dinner at [FDR’s villa] (dry, alas!) with the Sultan…After dinner, recovery from the effects of the above.’ Perhaps he saw the value of posing a counter-image to the teetotalism of Hitler, whom A.J. Liebling called the ‘archtype of the abstemious man. When the other krauts saw him drink water in the Beer Hall they should have known he was not to be trusted.’”
–“The star topping his tree is recognized by NASA…Women leave mistletoe up until August in case he stops by…His gingerbread house has central air…He speaks reindeer…He is, the most interesting man in the world.”
“I don’t always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.”
–And now your 2012 “Bar Chat Awards,” with your host Jamie Foxx….
“Great to have you here, Jamie. Always got a kick out of your act…and play ‘Blame It (On The Alcohol)’ every night before I go to bed….so let’s get started…in no particular order…”
Jerk – Rutgers men’s basketball coach Mike Rice, who was suspended and fined for throwing basketballs at some players’ heads during practice.
Jerk – New York Road Runners CEO Mary Wittenberg for her clueless remarks when Mayor Bloomberg finally canceled the New York City Marathon in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Plus, a New York Post investigation found that the NYRR donated only $494,000 in direct aid last year despite making itself out to be “a charitable gold mine.” The $494,000 is less than the $500,000 salary of Wittenberg…despite $54 million in revenue.
Idiot – Melky Cabrera, outfielder, formerly of the San Francisco Giants, for getting caught using PEDs while he was having a career year that then cost him a spot on the Giants’ World Series roster.
Good Guy – Former NBA star Yao Ming, who is a major spokesman for an anti-poaching group in China.
Dirtball – NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman…enough said…
Idiot – The Florida owner of a reptile store that offered a grand prize of a python to the person who ate the most live roaches. The 32-year-old winner died afterward as an autopsy found the roaches were contaminated with a bacteria or pathogen. The victim thus became a posthumous idiot himself.
Idiot – Notre Dame broadcaster (and former star) Allen Pinkett, for saying, “I’ve always felt like to have a successful team you’ve got to have a few bad citizens on the team. That’s how Ohio State used to win all the time. They would have two or three guys that were criminals, and that just adds to the chemistry of the team.”
Dirtball – Arnold Schwarzenegger for the way he treated Maria Shriver.
Jerk/Idiot – The Giants’ Jason Pierre-Paul for tossing teammate Prince Amukamara into a cold tub. Pierre-Paul could have broken Amukamara’s neck, let alone any other number of injuries that might have ended the cornerback’s career. [Honorable Mention Jerk Award to punter Steve Weatherford for taping the incident and posting it on Twitter.]
Dirtball/Idiot – Former receiver Chad Johnson for being arrested on a domestic violence charge that ended his career.
Good Guy – Rory McIlroy. When he hit a teenager in the head with a tee shot at the British Open, McIlroy, upon hearing the kid was camping out for the week, put him up in a hotel. “I thought it was the least I could do,” said Rory. “I put him and his mate up for the night and gave them a bit of cash to go for a bit of food.”
Idiot – The Knicks’ Amare Stoudemire for putting his hand through a fire extinguisher glass case that cost him a number of games.
Good Guy – Former Rutgers’ defensive lineman Eric LeGrand, paralyzed a number of years ago in a game, who continues to be an inspiration to us all.
Jerk/Idiot – Ozzie Guillen, for expressing his love for Fidel Castro.
Dirtball – Former receiver Terrell Owens for constantly being behind on his child support payments.
Dirtball – John L. Smith, who had just been hired by Weber State as its football coach, only to take the job at Arkansas months later to replace another dirtball, ex-coach Bobby Petrino, who tried covering up a motorcycle accident where his 25-year-old assistant/mistress was on board. But Smith got his comeuppance as Arkansas went 4-8, whereupon he was canned.
Good Guy – Mets pitcher Johan Santana for his charitable work, including a $100,000 donation to NYU Langone Medical Center for melanoma research. Yes, you can say, well, these guys have tons of money, what else are they going to do with it? But the fact is, Johan is ‘doing,’ and not just pissing it away.
Jerk – The Gettysburg Foundation leaders who allowed a bobblehead doll of John Wilkes Booth, holding a gun, to be on sale at the Gettysburg National Military Park visitors’ center bookstore.
Posthumous Good Guy – Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter, who died way too soon. Geez, I’m tearing up just writing this…
Dirtball – Racist Liverpool player Luis Suarez…long story…you have to follow the Premier League.
Good Guy – R.A. Dickey…for treating the fans at all times with respect.
Jerk – Floyd Mayweather Jr., for his comment that then Knicks guard Jeremy Lin wouldn’t be getting all the publicity he received for his spectacular play if he was black.
Good Guy – Giants receiver Victor Cruz for his sincere and personal interest in one of the Sandy Hook Massacre victims, 6-year-old Jack Pinto. Cruz took time out to go to Newtown, Conn., to meet with Jack’s parents on the day of his funeral and Jack was buried in the jersey of his favorite player.
Jerk – Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun for claiming victimhood even though we all know he was/is a major steroids abuser.
Good Guy – Tim Tebow…there is nothing phony at all about his foundation and the impact he has on the young people he sees before games, let alone off the field.
And now… “Man of the Year”…
Honorable Mention – Actor Jon Hamm, for blasting Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton for being rewarded for being “idiots.”
“We’re at a place where the idea of being ‘elite’ is somehow considered negative. Whether it’s Paris Hilton or Kim Kardashian or whoever, stupidity is certainly celebrated. Being a (freaking) idiot is a valuable commodity in this culture because you’re rewarded significantly…it’s celebrated. It doesn’t make sense to me.” [Can’t wait for another season of “Mad Men.”]
Honorable Mention – Nik Wallenda, for his spectacular high-wire act over Niagara Falls and all the good work he does throughout the year.
Man of the Year – Edward Ristaino.
“As a fierce thunderstorm that seemed to come out of nowhere closed in, hot-air balloon pilot Edward Ristaino spotted an open field 4,000 feet below and calmly and tersely warned the five skydivers aboard the craft, ‘You need to get out now.’
“With lightning spidering across the sky and the wind rocking their parachutes, the skydivers floated safely to the ground, while the balloon was sucked up into the clouds, then sent crashing to earth. Ristaino’s body wasn’t found until Monday, nearly three days later.
“ ‘If we would have left a minute later, we would have been sucked into the storm,’ said skydiver Dan Eaton….
“An updraft took Ristaino into the clouds, 17,000 or 18,000 up, he told his ground crew via walkie-talkie. Then the storm apparently collapsed the balloon and twisted it into a streamer. In his last transmission, he reported that he was at 2,000 feet and saw trees beneath him, according to the sherriff.”
And the “Animal of the Year”… “Ole,” a Welsh corgi.
“A dog buried for four days by an avalanche that killed its Montana owner was hungry but otherwise unscathed when it was found outside a motel room the man had rented, authorities said.
“In a tale of survival that avalanche experts described on Thursday as remarkable, Ole was able to free itself from feet-deep layers of snow that last Saturday barreled down a Wyoming mountainside and killed Dave Gaillard, 44, of Bozeman, Mont.
“ ‘We don’t have a lot of data on dogs and avalanches. What we do know is that humans very, very, very rarely survive such a long burial,’ Mark Staples, avalanche specialist for the Gallatin Forest Avalanche Center in Montana, said.”
Gaillad, his wife and Ole were back-country skiing when they inadvertently triggered the avalanche. The wife searched for her husband for hours, she having escaped by grabbing a tree. She then skied on for help and rescue crews reported no sign of the dog, which was presumed killed.
“But Robert Weinstein, manager of the Alpine Motel in Cooke City, spotted the corgi on Wednesday lying before the door of the room where the Gaillards had stayed.”
The corgi had traveled four miles through snow 60 inches deep. You can’t begin to explain these things. But it’s yet another reason why “Dog” maintains its No. 1 ranking on the All-Species List.
—In Memoriam…among those who died this year, I note the following for gracing some if not all of my life with their actions or general entertainment.
Mike Wallace, Davy Jones, Dick Clark, Teofilo Stevenson, Gary Carter, Joe Paterno, Neil Armstrong, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, Andy Griffith, Andy Williams, Steve Sabol, Larry Hagman and Jack Klugman.
–Finally, we note the passing of Fontella Bass, 72, who had the big 1965 hit “Rescue Me,” which topped out at No. 4 on the Billboard pop chart and has aged very well. Alas, the St. Louis native didn’t have another top 20.
Top 3 songs for the week 12/24/83: #1 “Say Say Say” (Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson…just dreadful…) #2 “Say It Isn’t So” (Daryl Hall – John Oates…not bad, not bad at all…) #3 “Union Of The Snake” (Duran Duran…never was a fan of these guys…)…and…#4 “Owner Of A Lonely Heart” (Yes) #5 “All Night Long” (Lionel Richie…I need my sleep) #6 “Uptown Girl” (Billy Joel…and how did that work out, Billy?) #7 “Love Is A Battlefield” (Pat Benatar…tell me about it…) #8 “Twist Of Fate” (Olivia Newton-John) #9 “Undercover Of The Night” (Rolling Stones) #10 “Break My Stride” (Matthew Wilder…eegads…)
NBA Quiz Answer (from ESPN The Magazine): Kareem, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Jerry West, Larry Bird, Gary Payton, Clyde Drexler, and John Havlicek.
No Bar Chat this week…next one Monday, Jan. 7….though I may throw in some items mid-week as I did this past one. I’ll have a lot of final thoughts ahead of the Baseball Hall of Fame decision on the 7th.
