Baseball Quiz: Derek Jeter is No. 11 on the all-time hit list at 3,304. Name the ten in front of him. Answer below.
Kate Upton Scores Her Second Straight SI Cover!
American males, ages 2-104, are grateful. It’s also the 50th anniversary swimsuit issue. Elle Macpherson was featured three years running, from 1986-88. Bar Chat will reveal its favorites next weekend, after which I’ll cancel my subscription because I find this kind of exploitation of beautiful, sexy, outrageous women appalling.
The consensus has definitely formed. As I noted awhile back, this season is as wide open as any in memory. I’m now convinced, close to predicting, a team not currently in the top 25 (like San Diego State…now 18-5, 6-3, after two MWC victories this week) will win it all. At the least we’ll have a repeat of Butler-VCU, two non-power conference schools (not necessarily them…plus they are in the bigger A-10 this season), getting into the Final Four. [Akron? Check them out.]
Since my last chat, No. 1 Indiana lost to Illinois 74-72, plus right after the AP poll was released, you had No. 2 Florida getting blitzed by Arkansas. [Indiana did rebound with an 81-68 win over Ohio State on Sunday.]
No. 3 Michigan (21-3, 8-3) lost to Wisconsin (17-7, 8-3) in Madison, 65-62 in OT.
No. 5 Kansas lost its third straight to Oklahoma 72-66. Earlier they lost to lowly TCU, 62-55.
No. 8 Miami destroyed North Carolina 87-61 to go 10-0 in ACC play. How good are the Hurricanes? Obviously as good as anyone in the country at this stage. They also hit 15 of 26 from downtown. Miami has never been higher than No. 8 in the polls and aside from this week that was 53 years ago. Now they are poised to be top five when the rankings come out Monday.
So I went to bed before the end of the contest between No. 11 Louisville and No. 25 Notre Dame, only to find out the Fighting Irish prevailed in five overtimes! 104-101…the longest regular-season game in Big East history. Both teams are now 19-5 overall and 7-4 in the conference.
No. 15 New Mexico lost on the road to UNLV, 64-55.
No. 16 Creighton won’t be No. 16 come next poll. They are suddenly just 9-4 in Missouri Valley Conference play after losing to Illinois State 75-72.
Nice win for No. 23 Pitt (20-5, 8-4) over No. 17 Cincinnati (18-6, 6-5) 62-52.
In San Diego State’s three Mountain West Conference losses, they’ve shot 3/19, 2/18, 2/19 from downtown. Ergo, when they shoot well they win. [I’m tellin’ ya….this is why you go to college, kids.] Very tough road games for the Aztecs this week…Colorado State and UNLV.
As for Wake Forest, at home we are 4-1 in conference play. On the road we are 0-6. Saturday we once again looked like a team with a future after demolishing Florida State 71-46. Deacon expert Chris K. concurs that two more wins and Coach Bzdelik gets to stay. Huge winnable contest at Boston College this week. We take that one (free lunch for moi on the line as well) and Bzdelik should be home free with some weak opponents in Winston to finish up.
[Oops, just saw No. 4 Duke went up to Chestnut Hill and barely escaped, 62-61, on Sunday night. Hopefully B.C. expended too much energy and left it all on the court…meaning Wake will emerge victorious on Wednesday.]
If you thought Virginia would be alone in third in the ACC at this point of the season, go to the head of the class. UVA is now 7-3 after defeating Maryland on Sunday, 80-69 in College Park.
If you thought, as I did, that North Carolina State was a national title contender, drop and give me 40 (you just have to trust me…I did myself). The Wolfpack (17-7, 6-5) edged a lousy Clemson team 58-57 today.
I love Bill Walton. The other day he’s doing a game for ESPN, UCLA’s 59-57 win over Washington, and he just comes right out and says Ben Howland shouldn’t be coaching the Bruins. It seems the crowd at Pauley Pavilion was pathetic, so this exchange occurred between Walton and play-by-play announcer Dave Pasch.
Walton: I’m not in charge. If I were, things would be different…They should just announce that everybody can come down closer and fill in the empty seats.
Pasch: You’ve criticized the attendance now five times. Give me a solution. How do you fix it?
Pasch: OK, well, that’s obvious. How do you play better basketball?
Walton: Do they look like they’re having a good time? Are they playing great basketball? Are they selling tickets? Is this an atmosphere that you would say, ‘Yeah.’ This looks like people are getting ready to go to the dentist. [Source: Scott Gleeson / USA TODAY Sports]
Back to Miami. Here is what I wrote in this space 4/25/2011:
“Yup, the grass is not always greener, but I think you’re beginning to see a change in this attitude, particularly in college basketball where a year ago Brad Stevens decided to commit to Butler for the long term and now Shaka Smart has done the same at VCU.
“But while the trend might be to stay, one man who opted to leave his home after 14 years was Jim Larranaga, who shocked the George Mason University community by taking the Miami Hurricanes’ job after coach Frank Haith left for Missouri.
“This is really too bad. Larranaga, 61, put George Mason on the map, going 273-164 and taking the Patriots to five NCAA tournaments, including the unforgettable run in 2006 when they went to the Final Four.
“So why would a 61-year-old leave a secure position for an incredibly mediocre program like Miami’s?
“It was solely money. Larranaga had a reported base salary of $525,000, though his total compensation was closer to $700,000, but he supposedly will get about $1.3 million for five years at Miami.
“It also seems Larranaga was upset his good friend, GMU president Alan G. Merten, announced his retirement and Larranaga didn’t have a good relationship with Athletic Director Tom O’Connor.
“So how important was Larranaga and the 2006 Final Four to the school?
“ ‘A year after the 2006 tournament run – which ended when the Patriots lost to eventual champion Florida, 73-58 – Robert Baker, a GMU associate professor, examined the effect on the school. He found that out-of-state applicants increased by 40% in the 2007-08 academic year compared with two years before, while the total number of freshman applicants rose 22%.
“ ‘Bookstore sales were higher in March 2006 than the entire previous year; donations to the Patriot Club, an athletic department booster program, increased by 52%; and basketball season ticket sales doubled, Baker found in his report.’” [David Nakamura and Dan Steinberg / Washington Post]
“They lose Rajon Rondo for the season, there is all this talk about how they’re going to trade Kevin Garnett to the Clippers or maybe to the moon, and they turn around and win six straight.
“The first game after they lost Rondo, they beat the Heat in double overtime in Boston and after that game, this is what Doc Rivers told me:
–Washington is sure a different team with a healthy John Wall. They are 9-7 since he’s returned, 5-28 without him!
–Bad loss for the Knicks (32-17) on Sunday at home, 102-88, to the Clippers (36-17), as, err, Chris Paul led L.A. with 25, while Carmelo Anthony (42) received zero support from the rest of his boys. Knicks gotta win these if they really want to be considered upper echelon. Not for nothing, but Iman Shumpert blows since coming back from his knee injury.
“Ryan Braun says that his lawyers went to Anthony Bosch, the anti-aging king of South Florida, for expert advice when Braun tested positive for baseball drugs.
“Gio Gonzalez said he went to Bosch because he wanted to lose weight.
“Francisco Cervelli doesn’t seem to know why he went, just that it was only for real good legal stuff.
—Mike Piazza’s book “Long Shot” is being released this week. There are no big bombshells in it after five years spent away from the game following his retirement.
He does say he suffered from paranoia that Latin players were against him; he had mixed feelings about former Mets manager Bobby Valentine; and he addresses rumors he was gay; along with suspicions he used PEDs.
“It shouldn’t be assumed that every big hitter of the generation used steroids,” Piazza says in the book. “I didn’t.”
But he admits to using androstenedione as part of a supplement pack until the outcry over Mark McGwire’s use of it forced him to ‘phase it out.’ It was not a banned substance at the time. He also admits to experimenting with amphetamines until they too were banned.
–The whole investigation into Anthony Bosch and the Biogenesis clinic revolves to a certain extent around the Univ. of Miami, with the incriminating documents that have been uncovered indicating Miami baseball team strength and conditioning coach Jimmy Goins received banned substances from the clinic.
The significance of this is that Alex Rodriguez has been a longtime supporter of the program, with the team’s stadium named after him following his $3.9 million donation to renovate the field, while Ryan Braun played for the university from 2003 to 2005, Gio Gonzalez calls Goins his “off-season strength coach,” and two of Braun’s Miami teammates were named in the original report by Yahoo Sports, including catcher Yasmani Grandal.
“Alex Rodriguez’ claim that the documents purportedly belonging to Anthony Bosch and his now-shuttered Biogenesis clinic are ‘not legitimate’ took a major hit from teammate Francisco Cervelli and Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun.
“The alleged records of Bosch – most of which were published in the Miami New Times Jan. 29 – link several major leaguers to performance-enhancing drug use, including A-Rod. But a Yahoo report Tuesday included an alleged document from Biogenesis that listed Braun’s and Cervelli’s names. Both Braun and Cervelli acknowledged they had dealings with Bosch, although they denied getting PEDs from him.”
Separately, Sports Illustrated reported Detroit Tigers shortstop Jhonny (sic) Peralta is named in Bosch’s records, bringing to 12 the number of baseball players connected to Bosch’s notes, as well as Peralta becoming the fifth client of the ACES agency of Seth and Sam Levinson to be associated with Juan Nunez, a former runner for the agency.
–Only one team, the Mets from 1962 through ’65, has ever lost at least 106 games in three consecutive seasons, as noted by the New York Times’ Tyler Kepner. This time it seems the Astros are a lock following 55-107 and 56-106 campaigns. Aside from the fact they have a total payroll of like $24 million, they are now in the AL West, so a ton of games against the Rangers, Angels and A’s, plus an improved Seattle squad. I’ll say the Astros don’t win 40. 38-124.
–Kepner notes that the Pirates, “haunted by a record streak of losing seasons that has reached 20,” have a dubious record the past two seasons. They have gone a combined 17 games over .500 through July 31, but 39 games under .500 thereafter. Will they tease their fans yet again?
–It’s not going to happen…it couldn’t possibly happen…but imagine if Jason Bay actually becomes productive again? What a punch to the gut of Mets fans that would be. [I love Seattle’s pickup of Michael Morse…wish we had him.]
And way to go Seattle in signing Felix Hernandez to a seven-year, $175 million extension. I’d never give a pitcher, any pitcher, six years, let alone seven, but it ain’t my money. So King Felix becomes the highest paid hurler in baseball history. Hernandez turns 27 in April. Mariners fans should be psyched to see management commit like this. Now just keep him healthy.
–Toronto, with new acquisitions R.A. Dickey, Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson and Melky Cabrera, is going to be fascinating to watch. To me the key is whether Johnson can stay healthy. If he does, I’ll say he wins the Cy Young Award.
–The New York Times’ Scott Cacciola had a great piece the other day on the ritual of waiting for Derek Jeter, pre-formal spring training, to sign autographs at the Yankees’ training facility in Tampa. Here’s the bottom line…while I love Jeter as a player, there is little else to like about the guy and after reading Cacciola’s story, even less (yeah, I know…he’s also supposedly clean). Suffice it to say, Jeter couldn’t care less about his fans. 40 people (again, this is before spring training gets going when the hoards show up) line up every day as Jeter goes in to do his 3-hour or so workout, and then some days when he re-emerges he’ll sign maybe 10, while ignoring everyone else patiently waiting in line for hours. Absurd. Then again, he’s always had some Tiger Woods in him. [And definitely not any Phil Mickelson!]
–It’s the time of year for teams to find cap space and the Giants cut running back Ahmad Bradshaw, as well as defensive tackle Chris Canty and linebacker Michael Boley. Bradshaw could yet come back at a lesser deal and when healthy, he’s as good as they come.
–So I’m reading this piece in Sports Illustrated on the NFL’s “2013 off-season preview” and there is this line about the Jets: “Draft Notre Dame LB Manti Te’o if he falls to the second round (No. 39).”
That would be the single dumbest move of all time. I have no clue if Te’o will be a good NFL player or not, but the very last team he should play for after all he put himself through is the Jets. Even the Giants would be a huge difference. I mean Jets fans are the very worst in the nation, as I’ve said on many an occasion, and they would brutalize Te’o. He needs to hide and just concentrate on football, like in Jacksonville, or St. Louis, or Arizona.
–Meanwhile, the schedules have been released for next season (teams played, not dates).
Carolina has the toughest based on the combined 2012 records of their opponents…138-116-2.
My Jets have the 19th toughest…127-129-0…but the road opponents are brutal in my book:
Buffalo (W), Miami (L), New England (L), Baltimore (L), Cincinnati (L), Tennessee (L), Atlanta (L), Carolina (L).
Much more optimistic with the home opponents: Buffalo (W), Miami (W), New England (L), Cleveland (W), Pittsburgh (W), Oakland (W), New Orleans (W), Tampa Bay (W).
–There is a growing movement to finally get rid of the Redskins’ nickname. I couldn’t care less, but to try and be fair, there is a difference between, say, Florida State Seminoles, Cleveland Indians, and the name Redskins. [Looking back, St. John’s Redmen was pretty bad.]
I see that Cooperstown High School in upstate New York (yeah, that Cooperstown) recently voted to ditch their “Redskins” nickname, which came about because it is the home of author James Fenimore Cooper, so now they’re considering “Deerslayers,” “Hawkeyes,” and “Pathfinders” as alternatives.
Eegads…the first and third ones suck. Hawkeyes is a safe, solid choice.
Here in New Jersey, I wish someone would adopt the moniker “Geeseslayers.” [Mascot would be Elmer Fudd with a shotgun; not that this connotes a strong image, I grant you.]
–What a stretch for Brandt Snedeker. 4 of his five starts this year in the top three, capped off by a win at Pebble Beach on Sunday, his fifth career PGA Tour victory. Going back to last year, six of his last nine are top 3. And Brandt Snedeker is now No. 4 in the world behind Rory, Tiger and Luke Donald.
–Following last week’s performance in the Waste Management Phoenix Open, Phil Mickelson was the third top pick at 12-1 odds for The Masters…a tradition unlike any other…on CBS. Tiger is 5-1. Rory McIlroy 13-2. Snedeker, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson are all at 25-1, after Phil.
I’d lay some coins on Jason Dufner at 30-1, or Hunter Mahan and Keegan Bradley, 40-1. Ernie Els is 80-1….that would be worth a Krugerrand or two. Heck, Bill Haas is 80-1. Angel Cabrera, who has won at Augusta, is 125-1!
–Congratulations to Rocco Mediate for winning his first Champions Tour event on Sunday.
1. Alabama*
2. Florida
3. Ohio State
4. Notre Dame
5. Mississippi**
6. Michigan
7. LSU
8. Texas A&M
9. Florida State
10. Georgia
60. Wake Forest
*13 of ‘Bama’s signees were ranked among the top 10 at their respective positions. Good lord.
**Out of nowhere, Ole Miss signed the nation’s overall top recruit, defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche (Loganville, Ga.), as well as the nation’s top offensive tackle, Laremy Tunsil (Lake City, Fla.), and top wide receiver, Laquon Treadwell (Crete, Ill.). In his first season as head coach, Hugh Freeze improved the Rebels from 2-10 in 2011 to 7-6. But it’s all about those Mississippi Belles, sports fans. [Isn’t it?]
Attendance figures for the 2012 season were released and Michigan was the leader for a 15th straight year…an average 112,252 fans for six home games. Grand Valley State led Division II at 12,034, while St. John’s (Minn.) led Division III with 7,948.
—Lindsey Vonn’s timing in one regard was good. Thanks to her budding romance with Tiger Woods, Tiger sent his private jet to Austria to pick Lindsey up and bring her back home for her surgery after Vonn’s horrific accident.
Meanwhile, at the Alpine skiing world championships that Vonn was participating in, Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal won the men’s downhill title, followed by Italy’s Dominik Paris and David Poisson of France. So Austria was shut out, with Austrian Klaus Kroell finishing fourth; a bitter disappointment for the host fans. [I assume Mr. Poisson is known as “The Flying Fish.”]
Svindal, by the way, has now won 11 medals at major championships, but this is nine short of the all-time record held by fellow Norwegian Kjetil Andre Aamodt.\
France’s Marion Rolland won the women’s downhill, picking the world championships for her first career victory.
Earlier, American Todd Ligety won the super-G, while teammate Julia Mancuso placed third in the women’s super-G.
–What a disaster…USA men’s soccer. In the opening match of the final round of qualifying for the World Cup, the U.S. lost to Honduras 2-1. They need to finish within the top three of six teams to earn an invite to the Cup in Brazil, 2014.
—Baseball America’s Preseason College Baseball Ranking
1. North Carolina
2. Vanderbilt
3. Arkansas
4. Louisville
5. Mississippi State
6. Oregon State
7. South Carolina
8. North Carolina State
9. Stanford
10. LSU
Will an ACC team finally win its first CWS since Wake Forest in 1955? Doubtful.
–A year-long government investigation in Australia found that doping is widespread across the sporting world Down Under. Organized crime is heavily involved as well, with many of the drugs used not yet approved for human use. The findings were described as a “black day” for the country.
–You know who’s a real jerk? Rutgers’ women’s basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer, who was bitching the other day as she approached her 900th career victory, which would make her just the fourth to do so. What once was a perennial Top 20 program is mired in mediocrity these days and she got all defensive the other day.
“It’s truly amazing to me,” Stinger said. “I shouldn’t be upset. But that’s how people are. What have you done for me lately? ‘Well you didn’t go to the Final Four.’ Really? Well, what else is new?”
“How many (Final Fours) did you go to before? (Stringer went to two with Rutgers, four total). How many NCAAs did you go to before? (Stringer has 14 at Rutgers). How many (men’s) basketball championships have we won? (None). How many football championships have we won? (none).
“Just back it off. Just back the crap off. I’m not dealing with that. I know what I’ve done. You know and I know that this program has been the star of this university in athletics for the past 15 years. So you really think I want to hear about the last three years?”
Over the past three seasons, the Knights are 30-18 in the Big East and have been bounced from the NCAAs on the first weekend each season. They’ve also lost 28 of their last 29 against Top 10 opponents.
Attendance has gone from an average of 4,740 during the 2007-08 season to “a generously listed 1,964 this season.” [Dave Hutchinson / Star-Ledger]
Stringer, in her press conference, also liberally sprinkled in four-letter words.
Here’s why I even bring her up. “She’s the highest-paid state employee with a salary of $1.035 million this season before bonuses.”
And she’s drawing 1,900?! Geezuz. I’m putting her name in the December file for “Jerk of the Year” consideration.
–So, do you think PNC’s Jim Rohr enjoyed his two great moments in the spotlight on Saturday at Pebble Beach?
–We note the passing of James Muri, 94, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for valor in the Battle of Midway, the decisive contest for control of the Pacific in the Big One. As noted by the New York Times’ Paul Vitelo:
“(Muri) piloted an unwieldy B-26 twin-engine bomber through heavy antiaircraft fire, maneuvered it close to a Japanese aircraft carrier, dropped a torpedo and pulled away into a sky filled with enemy shells just as his bomb detonated.
“He survived the second half of the day – getting back to base with three wounded crewmen on board – on the strength of a hunch.
“(Muri) first had to evade the hail of antiaircraft fire still coming from the carrier he had just attacked. His inspiration, which saved the lives of his crew as well as his own, was to swing around, go in low and fly straight over the carrier’s deck to avoid its guns.
“ ‘The guns were all pointing out. That was the safest place to be,’ he said, explaining his reasoning in a 2002 interview in The Billings Gazette. ‘I always said we could have touched down if we had lowered the gear.’”
—Online gambling is coming to New Jersey, perhaps as early as September, following moves between Gov. Chris Christie and state legislators. Only Atlantic City’s 12 casinos could run online betting operations and it would be limited to New Jersey residents. But a casino bet could be placed from anywhere in the state, like at Dunkin’ Donuts.
Personally, I have zero interest in this but it’s a good move. I just want sports betting, which a state legislator, with the approval of Christie, is trying to push through with the feds through the court system.
–We wish loyal reader Jeff B. well as he recovers from a back injury, this as he gears up for another season in the Old Man’s Tennis League (OMTL) in Connecticut. Jeff fears if he doesn’t get healthy, his team will be relegated from the top division, which would probably force his GM to sell Jeff to a franchise in Montana. Or perhaps I’m reading too much into the situation.
“A one-month-old baby has been hospitalized after his finger was ripped off by a fox that dragged him from his cot at the family home in Bromley.
“The child’s mother was alerted by his screaming and rushed into his room to see his hand lodged ‘halfway down the animal’s throat,’ according to reports.
“It is believed the animal entered the house in Bromley, southeast London, through an open back door and entered the infant’s bedroom when the attack occurred.”
The mother “heard piercing screams and a thud as the child was thrown to the floor by the wild animal.
“She told police she fought desperately to release her son, repeatedly kicking the fox until it eventually let go.
“Surgeons were able to reattach the baby’s finger and he was said to be recovering well.”
The Fox, No. 72 on the All-Species List, has thus been put on six-month probation and cannot take part in any ASL formal engagements, such as the annual party held on Earth Day. He also must undergo mandatory drug testing to prove he’s clean before he can come back.
–Mr. Fox’ cousin, the Wolf, is killing more and more sheep in France, thus imperiling its own population. Farmers want to wipe out wolves. But some in the French government want a campaign where the wolves are released into remote areas. There are 250 wolves in France, according to the last survey. [London Times]
–What’s this? New Jersey’s bobcat population is on the rise?! This may force me to alter my jogging routine and stick to the track rather than the wooded park I prefer. While officials say to never fear them because they are extremely reclusive, I wouldn’t be so sure. Word is out in the Animal Kingdom that your author only favors Big Cats, not the smaller variety, and there is a growing backlash, which is why I only travel with a heavy security detail these days.
Top 3 songs for the week of 2/14/70: #1 “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” (Sly and the Family Stone) #2 “I Want You Back” (The Jackson 5) #3 “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” (B.J. Thomas)…and…#4 “Venus” (The Shocking Blue) #5 “Hey There Lonely Girl” (Eddie Holman…great tune…has aged well…the ultimate test…) #6 “No Time” (The Guess Who…Molson on the house…they being Canadian, you see….) #7 “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again” (Dionne Warwick…a bit of a diva, so they say…) #8 “Psychedelic Shack” (The Temptations) #9 “Travelin’ Band” (Creedence Clearwater Revival) #10 “Arizona” (Mark Lindsay…another good one as he stepped out to go solo from the Raiders…)
Still not sure…are guys allowed to like Taylor Swift? I mean I’m going to be 55 this year so it’s not like I’d be going out with her and she’d then destroy me in a tune.
Carrie Underwood followed the memo…just sayin’.
Rihanna lookin’ mighty fine, though.
Geezuz, Beyonce…what happened to the Super Bowl outfit!
JT’s bit would have been great if Jay-Z hadn’t appeared on stage with him.
Yippee…Kelly Rowland showed some skin! Hell with CBS, I say. [Feigning outrage.]
Big Bruno Mars fan…also like the Beatles, Beach Boys, Dave Clark Five, the Four Seasons, and the vastly underrated Zombies. Plus the early Rolling Stones. “Paint It Black” continues to rocket up my all-time list and is threatening my top three of “Crystal Blue Persuasion,” “Fooled Around And Fell In Love,” and “Hello It’s Me.”
Tommy James and the Shondels should be in the Hall of Fame, gosh darnit!
Roger Miller was one of the greatest all-around entertainers of the last century.
I’m really getting tired of Dave Grohl as the years go by. I think I’d like him better if he cut his hair. Actually, I know I would.
Beethoven would have been a trip accepting a Grammy.
I like Alicia Keys. Why is the Maroon 5 guy singing “This girl is on fire”?!
Don Rickles should be doing the Grammys.
Walt “Clyde” Frazier would also be a good emcee….granted, a little different kind of act than Rickles.
Wouldn’t mind being Johnny Depp for a day.
That was really impressive the other night that four people were shot on Bourbon Street but everyone else kept partying….speaking of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
Someone tell Dr. John he’s allowed to look normal.
If you have a chance, catch Montgomery Gentry in concert.
Baseball Quiz Answer: Top ten all-time hit list.
1. Pete Rose 4.256
2. Ty Cobb 4,189
3. Hank Aaron 3,771
4. Stan Musial 3,630
5. Tris Speaker 3,514
6. Cap Anson 3,435
7. Honus Wagner 3,420
8. Carl Yastrzemski 3,419
9. Paul Molitor 3,319
10. Eddie Collins 3,315
11. Derek Jeter 3,304
I’m really struggling with Cap Anson these days. Just have trouble treating his career seriously because it was such a different game back then. And so different from even when Wagner played. Anson’s last season, coincidentally, was Wagner’s first, 1897. I may need to see a shrink on this.
“Dr. Melfi, I’m having an issue deciding whether or not I should take Cap Anson’s career seriously. I mean who was he playing with? The game was just getting started….It seems more like he was accumulating records at a company picnic, know what I’m sayin’?”
“Not really. What sport are you talking about?”
