Baseball Quiz: 1) Who was the last A.L. hurler to strike out 300 in a season? 2) Who was the last Pirates pitcher to lead the league in strikeouts? Answers below.
Jerry Buss, RIP
“When Jerry Buss bought the Lakers in 1979, he wanted to build a championship team. He also wanted to put on a show.
“The new owner gave courtside seats to movie stars. He hired pretty women to dance during timeouts. He spent freely on big stars and encouraged a fast-paced, exuberant style of play.
“As the Lakers sprinted to one NBA title after another, Buss cut an audacious figure in the stands, an aging playboy in blue jeans, often with a younger woman by his side.
“ ‘I really tried to create a Laker image, a distinct identity,’ he once said. ‘I think we’ve been successful. I mean, the Lakers are pretty damn Hollywood.’”
It was about Showtime and winning basketball; 10 championships along the way was pretty good.
Kareem, Magic, Kobe, Shaq….Hall of Fame coaches Pat Riley and Phil Jackson…
Buss was a Depression-era baby and he remembers standing in food lines in the cold of Evanston, Wyo. His parents divorced when he was an infant and he moved with his mother to Southern California when he was 9, but then she remarried and the second husband took the family back to Wyoming.
Buss worked as a bellhop at a local hotel and ran a mail-order stamp-collecting business that he started at age 13.
Eventually he graduated from the Univ. of Wyoming with a degree in chemistry. He married at 19 and the couple moved to Southern California in 1953, Buss getting a scholarship for graduate school at USC. He earned his doctorate, thus the moniker “Dr. Buss.”
After a brief stint in the aerospace industry, Buss and a colleague tried real estate. It started with a 14-unit apartment house in West Los Angeles.
Then came a second apartment building – and a $12,000 win at the racetrack, which allowed them to buy a third. But there was oil on that property, so they began receiving royalties. As Buss would later write in the book, “Winnin’ Times,” “Everything we did just went the right way.”
Well, eventually Buss purchased the Lakers, Kings, and the Los Angeles Forum in Inglewood from Jack Kent Cooke, who was going through an expensive divorce.
Buss got to work. The Lakers had Kareem. They drafted Magic. Then came the Laker Girls. Celebrities began showing up; Jack Nicholson becoming the No. 1 fan.
Buss enjoyed himself, and he treated his players and team employees well.
“Just because I’m a public figure doesn’t mean I don’t get to live my life the way I want,” he once said.
“Jerry Buss navigated his way through life and business much as Magic Johnson navigated through a tight NBA defense. He had moves, a quick learning curve and a confidence.
“In the wake of Buss’ death Monday, all sides of him will be in play in the news and tributes.
“There will be mentions of his gambling habits. He never met a poker table he didn’t like. Also mentions of his fascination with younger women. He never met an attractive 22-year-old he didn’t like….
“And even when he played the real-estate game along a slippery edge, he was able to stay upright, despite being hit with a hard shot.
“It was 1985. Buss owned rental properties in Arizona and had paid taxes on some of them at a level 8% below the going rate. Times sportswriter Steve Springer dug out a story that Arizona authorities were investigating him. Buss said he hadn’t understood the complexities of the Arizona tax laws and, the moment he saw the gravity of the matter and read threatening quotes from Arizona officials in Springer’s story that raised the possibility of prosecution, he wrote a check for nearly $1 million to settle things.
“Most people in Buss’ position would have, understandably, had a difficult time being cheery with the reporter who had brought it all on, even when the report was accurate. Not Buss. The next time he saw Springer, he joked that, had he known Springer was writing the story, he would have given him the $1 million instead….
“Bob Steiner, his longtime friend and public relations consultant, says, ‘I never saw him when he wasn’t polite to everybody.’
“He was also extremely generous.
“Walt Hazzard played for the Lakers and then, after a coaching stint at his alma mater UCLA, was hired by Buss as a Lakers special consultant in 1994. Then in 1996, he suffered a debilitating stroke. As Hazzard struggled with his health, Buss kept re-upping his contract, even adding three years to it a day or so before Hazzard was to have a dangerous, possibly life-threatening surgical procedure. Hazzard died in 2011….
“Steiner’s daughter, Cathy, is developmentally disabled. She is also a huge Lakers fans, of course, and used to sit in Buss’ box with her dad at games and keep score. She used the game program to do so.
“But somewhere along the line, an order had come to the ushers that the game programs need not be distributed in the boss’ box until he arrived. Invariably, Buss would be delayed by pregame duties, and one time, he didn’t make it into his box until near halftime. When he arrived, Cathy let him know that she would have no more of these delays, that she needed her program before the game started.
“To which Jerry Buss replied meekly: ‘I will take care of it, Cathy.’
Commissioner David Stern said of the passing of Dr. Jerry Buss, “The NBA has lost a visionary owner whose influence on our league is incalculable and will be felt for decades to come.”
Dallas owner Mark Cuban tweeted, “RIP Jerry Buss. Your encouragement and support along with your stories of staying true to yourself had an enormous impact on me.”
The Buss family owns approximately 65% of the Lakers and intends to maintain majority ownership.
College Basketball Review
AP Poll [records thru Sunday]
1. Indiana 23-3 (43 first place votes out of 65)…then beat Michigan State in East Lansing, Tues., 72-68
2. Miami 21-3 (20)…next up, mighty Wake Forest…after Miami skirted by Virginia, Tues., 54-50*
3. Gonzaga 25-2 (2)
4. Michigan State 22-4
5. Florida 21-3…then lose to Missouri, Tues., 63-60
6. Duke 22-3
7. Michigan State 22-4
8. Syracuse 21-4
9. Kansas 21-4
10. Louisville 21-5
*I just can’t follow the ongoing Miami investigations anymore, the latest iteration being the serious NCAA charge of lack of “institutional control” when it comes to the big booster and the football and basketball programs. When the penalty, if any, comes down….it comes down, is my attitude on it all.
–Steve D.’s Boston College Eagles upset Maryland 69-58! A killer loss for the Terps after their weekend win over Duke.
–On Monday night, I receive a note from Johnny Mac alerting me to Notre Dame’s horrid early shooting effort against No. 20 Pitt, 1 of their first 19! The Panthers were up 19-3. They lost 51-42. The No. 25 Fighting Irish proceeded to hit 17 of their last 28. Pitt was 0 for 8 from three.
–What a disappointing senior season for Murray State guard Isaiah Canaan, who could have gone out last spring and been a late first-round pick, I imagine, but opted to return and while he’s averaging 20.6 ppg, his shooting is way down, .424 FG (.368 from downtown) and in the Racers’ last two games, both losses, Canaan shot 12-42 from the field. Overall, Murray State is 18-7, 9-4, and forced to win the OVC tournament, which actually would be a fun one to attend. Not great talent but spirited play.
–We note the passing of former Duke great Phil Henderson. He was just 44. No cause of death was given. Henderson starred as the senior captain on the 1989-90 Duke team that lost to UNLV in the national championship game, averaging 18 points a game that season and 22 in tournament play. That was the Laettner, Abdelnaby, Robert Brickey, Bobby Hurley team. Duke then won the national title the next two seasons. Henderson was taken in the second round of the draft but played overseas.
Oscar Pistorius
At a bail hearing on Tuesday, Pistorius said in his sworn statement that he didn’t realize girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp wasn’t in his bed until after he opened fire through a locked bathroom door at what he thought was an intruder.
“It filled me with horror and fear,” Pistorius said. He told a packed courtroom that he felt vulnerable with an intruder inside the bathroom because he did not have his prosthetic legs on, and fired into the bathroom door.
But prosecutors said Pistorius took the time to put his legs on, walked 22 feet from the bed to the bathroom and only then opened fire.
Pistorius says he put on his prostheses and tried to kick down the door before he finally did so with a cricket bat. He found Steenkamp and lifted her body into his arms and tried to carry her downstairs to seek medical help.
The prosecutor charged Pistorius with premeditated murder, with the athlete opening fire after the two engaged in an argument, Steenkamp then fleeing into the bathroom.
[Wednesday, various witnesses talked of a long argument in Pistorius’ home before they heard shots.]
According to a study by the Medical Research Council, South Africa has the highest rate in the world of women killed by an intimate partner; like try three women killed by a partner every day in a country of 50 million. [Washington Post]
Ball Bits
Washington Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez apparently did not receive banned substances from Anthony Bosch and the Biogenesis clinic, this according to two anonymous sources in an ESPN “Outside the Lines” report.
ESPN says Gonzalez was the only player previously identified who did not receive PEDs from the clinic. Instead, he allegedly received “$1,000 worth of substances, but under ‘notes’ are several substances not banned by Major League Baseball.” Gonzalez has vehemently denied he received PEDs from Bosch but he’s also claimed he had no contact with the clinic and it certainly appears he did.
Meanwhile, among others now linked to Bosch and Biogenesis through the new ESPN report are San Diego Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera and former Met Fernando Martinez (currently with Houston), as well as a top Mets prospect.
Both Martinez and the prospect, Cesar Puello, are represented by agents Seth and Sam Levinson.
–New Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton stupidly took a shot at his old fan-base in Texas, telling a Dallas-Fort Worth television reporter that the area isn’t “a true baseball town.”
“Texas, especially Dallas, has always been a football town. They’re supportive, but they also got a little spoiled at the same time, pretty quickly.”
Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News called Hamilton’s statement “a poison-tipped barb at a fan base that did nothing for five years but support him and offer him pretty much a free pass, regardless of the excuse or indiscretion.”
Hamilton offered no apologies and said, “The true baseball fans won’t boo when I come back; the ones who are not true fans will.”
Hamilton sucked down the stretch last season, including in the wild-card playoff game against Baltimore. I’d boo him.
Division I Men’s Hockey Poll
1. Quinnipiac…still on top despite loss to St. Lawrence
2. Minnesota
3. Miami
4. Boston College
5. New Hampshire
6. North Dakota
7. St. Cloud State
8. Western Michigan
9. Minnesota State
10. Denver
22. St. Lawrence
–Meanwhile, in the NHL, the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Vancouver Canucks in a 4-3 shootout to make it 16 straight games with at least one point, matching the NHL record to start a season. Next contest is Friday when they hosts San Jose.
–On Tuesday, Tiger Woods gave his usual pre-tournament press conference and said he has never been drug tested away from a tournament site. Referring to being tested away, Woods said, “I know guys who have, but I have not.”
Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood are among others who said they have never been tested away from a tournament site. Ditto Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson.
Still no word from the Tour on how they are going to treat Vijay Singh’s admission he used deer antler spray. [Karen Crouse / New York Times]
–The Washington Post’s Norman Chad (the Slouch) on LeBron James’ recent 30-60 streak (30 points, 60% FG percentage).
“I believe (it) is one of the great stretches in post-Renaissance history. To be sure, it compares favorably with the three greatest, documented stretches of high-level productivity since the 16th century.
“In 1888-89, Vincent Van Gogh painted ‘Starry Night Over the Rhone,’ ‘The Bedroom,’ ‘The Mulberry Tree,’ ‘Irises,’ ‘The Yellow House,’ ‘Wheat Field with Cypresses’ and ‘The Café Terrace on the Place du Forum, Aries, at Night.’ Note: He also cut off part of his left ear in 1888; contrary to published reports, this likely occurred as a reaction to sinus medication he was taking.
“From 1974 to 1980, Robert De Niro made ‘The Godfather: Part II,’ ‘Taxi Driver,’ ‘The Deer Hunter’ and ‘Raging Bull.’….
“Between 1985 and 1988, Ben & Jerry’s introduced New York Super Fudge Chunk, Coffee Heath Bar Crunch, Cherry Garcia and Chunky Monkey ice cream flavors in back-to-back-to-back-to-back years.”
Q: Now that the Vatican is looking for a new pope, should they go with a high-priced veteran or just stick with the draft (Peter P., Oakton)
A: Pay the man, Shirley…Ask the Slouch Cash Giveaway, earn $1.25…asktheslouch@aol.com
–The New York Jets did the right thing and released veteran linebackers Bart Scott and former Demon Deacon Calvin Pace, among others, to get some cap space. [Pace could return on a re-worked deal.]
–Back when Roger Clemens was 28 he was messing around with 15-year-old Mindy McCready, so the story goes. Roger was married with two children yet would fly McCready around the country on his private plane to attend games and play Parcheesi afterwards (I’m guessing). This all came to light in 2008 during the Justice Department investigation into Clemens’ alleged use of PEDs. McCready at the time confirmed the relationship.
So country singer McCready commits suicide on Sunday and on Monday, Clemens said the following in a written statement.
“The few times that I had met her and her manager/agent they were extremely nice. I had heard over time that she was trying to get peace and direction in her life.”
Clemens, at the Astros’ training camp, was asked directly by the New York Post about McCready and Roger replied, “Like I said, I feel really sad about that. I’ve released a statement.”
As for McCready, I was never a fan, and she only had three top tens I’m aware of in 1996-97, but what can you say about a mother who leaves two children, 6 and 10 months? And she killed her dog first, I just saw. Plus who knows what her involvement was with the death a month earlier of her boyfriend, who died of a gunshot at the same house, originally ruled a suicide.
The Knicks’ Amar’e Stoudemire has taken to New York in a big way, been a solid teammate, done a lot of charity work…a model citizen.
So what the heck is he doing, touting Christopher Dorner’s manifesto as “a must read”? At least Stoudemire didn’t elaborate.
Also, in yet another Sign of the Apocalypse, on Sunday an online shoot-‘em-up video game surfaced putting gamers in Dorner’s shoes. It’s called “Chris Dorner’s Last Stand: A True American Hero.” I’m moving to Yap.
Top 3 songs for the week 2/24/73: #1 “Killing Me Softly With His Song” (Roberta Flack) #2 “Dueling Banjos” (Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandell…wow, 40 years ago, “Deliverance,” one of the top ten films of all time…and to the young ones out there…you just can’t imagine what a star Burt Reynolds was back in the day…he put today’s fake celebs to shame…) #3 “Crocodile Rock” (Elton John)…and…#4 “You’re So Vain” (Carly Simon) #5 “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love” (Spinners…man, they did some great tunes…) #6 “Do It Again” (Steely Dan…unique sound for back then…) #7 “Last Song” (Edward Bear) #8 “Don’t Expect Me To Be Your Friend” (Lobo) #9 “Love Train” (O’Jays) #10 “Rocky Mountain High” (John Denver…love this one…he had eight Top 10s from 1971-75, but totally forgot he wrote “Leaving On A Jet Plane”!)
Baseball Quiz Answers: 1) Pedro Martinez (Boston) was the last to strikeout 300 in the A.L., 313 in 1999. 2) Bob Veale was the last Pirates pitcher to lead the N.L. in strikeouts with 250 in 1964, besting the likes of Gibson, Koufax and Drysdale.
