BCS Quiz: 1) Who were the quarterbacks in the first BCS game in 1998, won by Tennessee over Florida State, 23-16. For one team, the starter was hurt. Who replaced him for this game? 2) In 1999, Florida State won the second BCS title game, 46-29, over Virginia Tech. Give me the quarterbacks for that one. Answers below.
The World Series
Game 3, as we all know by now, was the first time in Series history that a game ended on an obstruction call. As noted in the Official Rules of Major League Baseball:
“Obstruction is the act of a fielder who, while not in possession of the ball and not in the act of fielding the ball, impedes the progress of any runner.
“Rule 2.00 (Obstruction) Comment: …After a fielder has made an attempt to field a ball and missed, he can no longer be in the act of fielding the ball. For example, an infielder dives at a ground ball and the ball passes him and he continues to lie on the ground and delays the progress of the runner, he very likely has obstructed the runner.”
Umpiring crew chief John Hirschbeck said, “There does not have to be intent, OK? Once he has the opportunity to field the ball, he can no longer in any way obstruct the runner. That’s basically the rule.”
Boston pitcher Jake Peavy summed up the feelings of Red Sox fans. “I’m beat. I’m out of words. I don’t know what to say. I think it’s a crying shame a call like that is going to decide a World Series game. It’s a joke.”
But what’s clear is Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia made a dumb play in throwing to third base.
“It’s often said that every time you come to the ballpark, baseball will show you something that you have never seen before. But Game 3 may take the absolute nutcake prize for millions of us who have never seen a play like that end any game, much less a game that may swing a Series….
“Saltalamacchia had just tagged out Yadier Molina at home plate on a brilliant fielder’s choice – a diving stop of a Jon Jay ground smash by second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who threw accurately to the plate. Everything was suddenly right in the Red Sox world – or pretty close to it. A huge Cards rally in a 4-4 game was on the verge of being extinguished. With (Allen) Craig going from first-to-third on the Pedroia snag and throw to the plate, the Cards would have runners on the corners with two outs, but the Red Sox would have Koji Uehara, the best closer in baseball, on the mound.
“But Salty, an instant after tagging Molina, had the sudden inspiration or World Series dementia of the moment to clamber to his feet and attempt a play for the ages: gun down Craig to end the inning all by himself. His peg to third would not have nailed Craig if it had been accurate. But it wasn’t – sailing into the sliding runner, nicking his uniform.
“Boston’s (Will) Middlebrooks will spend many a night wondering why, how, he did not prevent that throw from getting past him and rolling down the line in foul territory. But the 10th time you see the replay, you’re pretty sure that, while Saltalamacchia will always get the error and be the shaggy goat, Middlebrooks gets a ‘D’ for Preventing Disaster….
“Never, perhaps, has a Series game ended with a wilder scene around home plate with players from both teams all trying to understand what had happened and (Boston manager John) Farrell begging for an explanation.”
Boston won Game 1, 8-1, behind Jon Lester’s 7 2/3 innings of scoreless ball as the Cardinals committed 3 errors, two dreadful ones by shortstop Pete Kozma. St. Louis had committed just 75 errors in the regular season, 4th fewest in the majors.
But the Cards bounced back in Game 2, winning 4-2, as Michael Wacha got the victory and is now 4-0 in his four postseason starts…27 innings, 11 hits, 3 earned runs, 28 strikeouts… 1.00 ERA. Spectacular.
Ball Bits
“In the year that the movie ‘42’ dramatized the story of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier, the number of African Americans playing in the World Series is the same as the number playing in the major leagues when Robinson made his debut in 1947: one.
“ ‘It’s sad to see,’ said Boston Red Sox outfielder Quintin Berry, the only African American on the roster of either team.
“The percentage of African Americans in the major leagues has declined from about 19% in 1984 to 8% today.”
–Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg had arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow, but he’s expected to be ready for spring training. Outfielder Bryce Harper had an operation to repair a knee condition and he too will be ready in the spring, but these things add up over time and Strasburg and Harper are obviously the key to the franchise.
And it seems the Nationals are getting ready to hire Matt Williams as their next manager, replacing Davey Johnson. Teams aren’t allowed to make such announcements during the World Series but it’s a done deal. Williams has been a coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks the past four seasons, after playing 17 seasons in the big leagues with San Francisco, Cleveland and the Diamondbacks. Popular bench coach Randy Knorr was said to be the front-runner for the job, but he will be retained to help Williams.
–Owing to the Dodgers’ sale last year for a record $2.15 billion, Bloomberg Billionaires issued a report that values teams 35% higher than the last ranking by Forbes in January, which itself had jumped 23% from 2012.
Bloomberg said 10 teams are worth over $1 billion, led by the Yankees at $3.3 billion – a billion higher than Forbes’ last estimate. Bloomberg has the Dodgers second at $2.1 billion (Forbes had them at $1.6 billion). [Steve Dilbeck / L.A. Times]
–Speaking of the Dodgers…it’s official…Don Mattingly will honor his contract and manage the team next season. Team President Stan Kasten said, “I’ve always been a big supporter of his.” Right.
College Football Review
[The following is written prior to release of the AP and BCS polls.]
It was a week highlighted by No. 5 Missouri’s shocking loss to South Carolina, No. 10 Texas Tech going down….and No. 7 Miami almost being taken out by Wake Forest.
No. 1 Alabama manhandled Tennessee 45-10, leading 35-0 at half.
No. 2 Florida State led North Carolina State 42-0 at half and coasted 49-17.
No. 3 Oregon struggled at home, initially, against No. 12 UCLA with the score knotted at 14 at half. But then the Ducks and quarterback Marcus Mariota kicked it into high gear and ran away, 42-14, as Mariota tossed one touchdown pass and now has 20 on the season with zero interceptions. Plus, Oregon was a 23 ½-point favorite. Great job on that front, boys. And how ‘bout them UO cheerleaders. My goodness, they were in peak form.
No. 4 Ohio State, as your editor expected, slaughtered Penn State 63-14.
No. 5 Missouri, though, did not perform as your editor expected in losing a heartbreaker at home, 27-24 in overtime to No. 21 South Carolina. Just a shocker, considering Mizzou was firmly in control, up 14-0 at the half, 17-0 after three, but Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier inserted Connor Shaw at quarterback and Shaw led South Carolina on three scoring drives to send the game into OT, whereupon after both teams exchanged touchdowns, the Gamecocks kicked a field goal and then Missouri’s Andrew Baggett stepped up for a 24-yard chip shot, only to have it hit the left upright and bounce back onto the field. An absolutely stunning ending to what was looking like a dream season.
Mizzou can still find its way into the SEC title game against Alabama but any hopes of a national title went up in flames.
Baggett, meanwhile, in our social media age, is feeling the wrath of the Tiger faithful. It’s ugly. Very, very ugly.
No. 6 Stanford had to struggle to defeat No. 25 Oregon State, 20-12, as the Beavers outgained the Cardinal 288-273, with quarterback Sean Mannion going 41/57, 271, 1-0.
Then there was Wake Forest at No. 7 Miami. I told you how the football world was wondering if the Hurricanes would be looking ahead to next Saturday’s matchup with Florida State. But then they received the favorable ruling in the NCAA’s long-running investigation into the Miami sports program, with the NCAA allowing Miami to participate in a bowl game this year.
So you would have thought the team would be sky high, but Wake Forest took the first drive and went 79 yards for a score on 16 plays, eating up 8 ½ minutes. Total domination. The rest of the first half was like that as well, but then with two minutes to go and Wake up 14-3 with the ball, quarterback Tanner Price’s receivers dropped two passes that would have allowed Wake, at worst, to run out the clock going into the half and instead Miami got the ball and scored to make it 14-10. To me, that was the killer. [Though zero comment from the announcers.]
Miami went on to prevail, 24-21, behind the running of Duke Johnson (30-168) who had 85 yards in the fourth quarter and two scores, the last after Wake regained the lead at 21-17 with four minutes to go.
Wake is now 1-53 against top ten opponents. But it was a gutty effort; a third straight strong game for the Deacons (now 4-4, 2-3). They can still salvage the season overall but they must beat Syracuse up in the Carrier Dome next week.
As for Miami, the Seminoles will kill them. But I do like Miami head coach Al Golden, a class act.
No. 8 Baylor beat Kansas 59-14, as the Bears rolled up another 700 yards of offense (743), while Kansas coach Charlie Weis is 3-20 in his last 23 games, including at Notre Dame.
Baylor’s schedule now gets much harder, with games against Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas to finish the regular season.
No. 9 Clemson proved once again it is not an elite team as it beat a depleted Maryland Terrapins squad by only 40-27. Clemson was favored by 16 ½, another failure….and at the end of the day, boys and girls, this is what really matters.
No. 10 Texas Tech saw any hopes it had of a BCS title washed away in Norman, as No. 15 Oklahoma beat the Red Raiders 38-30.
Duke shocked the world with a 13-10 win over No. 14 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. Duke had lost 47 straight against ranked opponents but is now 6-2 and bowl eligible for a second straight season for the first time in school history. But, imagine. The Blue Devils did not complete a single pass in the second half, as QB Anthony Boone was 7/25, 107 with four interceptions for the game. Duke was outgained 387-198. But all that matters is the final score.
Johnny Manziel threw for 305 yards and four scores as No. 16 Texas A&M beat Vanderbilt 56-24.
No. 17 Fresno State remained undefeated, barely, escaping with a 35-28 overtime victory against San Diego State.
No. 18 Northern Illinois is also still undefeated after destroying Eastern Michigan 59-20.
Teddy Bridgewater had another solid game, 25/29, 344, 3-0, as No. 20 Louisville beat South Florida 34-3.
But the team that handed the Cardinals their first loss last weekend, Central Florida, furthered its BCS prospects as No. 23 UCF beat winless UConn 62-17. Remember, the new AAC conference still gets an automatic BCS berth.
No. 24 Nebraska lost to Minnesota 34-23 as Cornhusker fans call for the head of coach Bo Pelini. Bye-bye, Bo.
Yes, everyone is saying it so I might as well too. North Carolina is the best 2-5 team in the country, having picked up win No. 2 against Boston College 34-10. BC alum Steve Dyer wrote before the game he couldn’t believe Carolina was a 6 ½-point favorite, both of us believing the Eagles should have been favored. Wrong.
Michigan State is 7-1, 4-0, after beating Illinois 42-3, as the Spartans fly under the radar; their only loss 17-13 to Notre Dame.
Horrible loss for Rutgers at home to Houston, 49-14, as quarterback Gary Nova threw three more interceptions to give him seven in two games. At least true freshman running back Justin Goodwin had 161 yards on the ground for the Scarlet Knights, Goodwin having played his high school ball for neighboring Madison (though ESPN.com lists his hometown as Summit! Never knew this.)
[Houston and UCF are the lone undefeateds in the AAC and play each other on Nov. 9 at UCF.]
Grambling returned to the field and lost 23-17 to Texas Southern.
Princeton defeated Harvard 51-48 in three overtimes.
My Maine Black Bears moved their mark to 7-1 with a 37-35 win over Villanova.
Bucknell shocked Lehigh 48-10. The great Hall of Fame pitcher Christy Mathewson is buried in a cemetery adjacent to the Bucknell campus…just feel obligated to add.
Back to Oregon, the Ducks trounced Tennessee 59-14 on Sept. 14. Alabama beat the Volunteers 45-10. ‘Bama led 35-0 at half. Oregon led 59-7 after three. Oregon had 687 yards of offense, ‘Bama 479.
And a final word on UCLA. If I’m a Bruins fan, I’m fired up. That program is headed in the right direction.
As for Alabama coach Nick Saban, what a jerk…a very successful jerk, to be sure, but one nonetheless.
In the days leading up to Saturday’s home game against Tennessee, Saban complained about the Crimson Tide’s late-arriving and early-leaving student fans.
“Everybody else should have the same sort of commitment” as the people in his program, he said during his radio show Thursday. “You don’t have to do the work all week, you don’t have to practice, you don’t have to come in at 7 in the morning and leave at 11 at night, you don’t have to do any of that stuff.
“All you have to do is come to the game, drink beer, do whatever you want, party in the parking lot. …All I’m asking is that you just come and have fun and stay for the whole game.”
So on Friday, the university suspended the block seating privileges of 20 student organizations, such as fraternities, which heretofore had reserved seating. The seats were still saved for students but on a first-come basis. This time the students stayed to the end, it appeared, despite the result of the contest not being in question after about 10 minutes.
I’ve written in the past of Alabama student apathy despite all the success. Mike Hiserman of the Los Angeles Times noted that “only 69.4% of about 17,000 student seats were typically filled last season, according to a report in the Crimson White, a university newspaper.”
But there have been crowd issues all over the country, and not just with the students. Saturday’s Miami crowd was awful, despite their lofty ranking, and the stands for Boston College-North Carolina in Chapel Hill seemed half full.
–Someone please tell ESPN’s Joe Tessitore that he doesn’t need to make each play sound like a World War II documentary. He makes you appreciate play-by-play men like Joe Buck and Jim Nantz.
–And the new AP Poll….
1. Alabama 8-0 (55 first-place votes)
2. Oregon 8-0 (3)
3. Florida State 7-0 (2)
4. Ohio State 8-0
5. Baylor 7-0
6. Stanford 7-1
7. Miami 7-0
8. Auburn 7-1…wow
9. Clemson 7-1
10. Missouri 7-1…surprised they didn’t drop more
11. LSU 7-2…play ‘Bama Nov. 9 after week off
12. Texas A&M 6-2
13. Oklahoma 7-1
14. South Carolina 6-2…overrated
15. Texas Tech 7-1
16. Fresno State 7-0…very overrated
19. Central Florida 6-1
21. Northern Illinois 8-0…underrated…s/b No. 17
24. Michigan State 7-1
1. Alabama .994
2. Oregon .952
3. Florida State .921
4. Ohio State .884
5. Stanford .792
6. Baylor .765
7. Miami .756
8. Clemson .669
9. Missouri .610
10. Oklahoma .606
16. Fresno State
17. Northern Illinois
It was scary to listen to Brett Favre the other day, expressing uncertainty regarding what ailments he may face related to the pounding he took over his 20 seasons in the NFL.
“God only knows the toll,” he told Sports Talk 570 in Washington. He discussed the experience of not being able to remember his daughter playing youth soccer games one summer, as well as other memory lapses.
So goes the Jets season…4-4. They’ll bounce back at home against New Orleans next week after getting totally blitzed by Cincinnati 49-9. Nothing more to say on this one…except Andy Dalton appears to be really coming into his own. He threw some gorgeous passes today.
NFC East
Dallas 4-4
Eagles 3-5
Washington 2-5
New York 2-6
Yes, the Giants are still in it! Having lost their first six, they defeated the Eagles 15-7 on Sunday for their second straight.
While at the same time the Dallas Cowboys were losing a startling game to the Detroit Lions (5-3), 31-30, as Matthew Stafford led the Lions 80 yards in 50 seconds, capping it off with a surprise one-yard plunge for the winning score with 12 seconds left when virtually everyone on the field and in the stands thought Stafford was going to spike it. A play for the ages…at least for this season.
Detroit receiver Calvin “Megatron” Johnson had 329 yards on 14 receptions, just seven yards short of the all-time NFL record held by Flipper Anderson, 1989.
Stafford was 33 for 48, 488 yards, but threw two interceptions. Dallas QB Tony Romo was 14/30, 206, 3-0, while Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant, who all week said he was as good as Megatron, had two touchdown receptions but looked like a total, out of control jerk on the sidelines after Detroit took the lead on Stafford’s incredible play.
The Chiefs moved to 8-0 in defeating the Browns 23-17.
Oakland is now a respectable 3-4 after beating the Steelers (2-5) 21-18, as Raider quarterback Terrelle Pryor had a 93-yard TD run.
The Patriots survived an early scare, down 17-3 at half to the Dolphins, before scoring 20 unanswered in a 27-17 victory to move to 6-2.
Peyton Manning had four touchdown passes (but three interceptions) as Denver advanced to 7-1 in whipping the Redskins 45-21. RG III was RG Blows with a quarterback rating of 45.4.
In London (this is so stupid), San Francisco upped its mark to 6-2, winning its fifth in a row by beating Jacksonville 42-10. All of London got to see just how awful the 0-8 Jags are.
The season is about to begin…and your Pick to Click is…the Brooklyn Nets!!! It’s a guaranteed winner, boys and girls. The Nets have tremendous depth and I’m guessing Jason Kidd, with help from assistant Lawrence Frank, convinces the likes of Kevin Garnett to play less during the regular season to preserve their bodies for the playoffs. [Admittedly, keeping Deron Williams healthy is critical.]
Now I’ll still be a Knicks fan, first and foremost, but I’m not optimistic. Something like 48-34 and an early playoff flameout.
The Knicks are taking heat for including point guard Chris Smith on the 15-man roster. The former Louisville player just isn’t that good, but…he is the younger brother of J.R. Smith and now he’s taking a beating on social media. It’s also curious that coach Mike Woodson, Carmelo Anthony and the Smith brothers are all represented by Creative Artists Agency, and Carmelo is a free agent at the end of the season.
Meanwhile, NBA owners voted to change the Finals format to 2-2-1-1-1 after 30 years of 2-3-2. Commissioner David Stern said, “There’s been a sense among our teams that in a 2-2 series, it’s not fair for the team with the better record to be away [for Game 5].”
Sharman played in the NBA from 1950-61, a shooting guard who averaged 17.8 points per game, and a spectacular .883 career FT percentage (leading the league in this category seven times).
Sharman went on to coach ten seasons in both the ABA and NBA, winning an ABA championship with Utah, 1970-71, before moving on to the Los Angeles Lakers the following year and leading the 1971-72 squad to an NBA title and a spectacular 69-13, which included a 33-game winning streak, the longest in pro sports history, while the 69-13 mark stood as the NBA’s best until the 72-10 Chicago Bulls of 1995-96. [Miami threatened the winning streak record last season but theirs ended at 27.]
That ’71-’72 squad, featuring Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Gail Goodrich, averaged 121 points a game and failed to score more than 100 only once. They defeated Golden State in one game by a then-record 63.
When Sharman was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 2004, adding to his distinction as a player in 1976, he joined only John Wooden and Lenny Wilkens with that double honor. In 1996, he was selected as one of the NBA’s 50 best players of its first 50 years.
Bill Sharman was not only a star guard at Southern California, where they retired his jersey in 2007, but he was drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950. A year later, he was called up to the big leagues in time to be in the dugout at the Polo Grounds when the Giants’ Bobby Thomson hit his famed “Shot Heard ‘Round the World.” [However, Sharman never actually appeared in a game for Brooklyn.]
Golf Balls
—Phil Mickelson said he will play fewer events on the PGA Tour this season in order to focus more on trying to win the majors, particularly the U.S. Open, which would complete a career Grand Slam.
This week at the CIMB Classic in Malaysia, which counted as a PGA Tour event, Mickelson was T-19. Ryan Moore and Gary Woodland will have a playoff Monday after they tied in regulation but play was called because of darkness.
–In the Champions Tour event in San Antonio, one week before the season finale Schwab Cup, Kenny Perry became the first three-time winner this year in besting Bernhard Langer in a playoff. Colin Montgomerie choked down the stretch. What else is new.
—Darrell Wallace Jr. became the second black driver to win on NASCAR’s national level and first in a half-century, taking the Truck Series race Saturday at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia.
The only other black driver to win was Wendell Scott, December 1963, in Jacksonville in what is now known as the Sprint Cup Series, the highest of NASCAR’s three levels.
Wallace, 20, drives for Kyle Busch Motorsports, but Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing, summed up the feelings of many.
“I had a chance to talk with Darrell and his father in victory lane today and we are just thrilled for him and his entire family on the win in Martinsville. We obviously think a lot about Darrell. He has tremendous talent and we really believe he can have a huge impact on our sport.”
–Meanwhile, in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship, Jeff Gordon won his first of the year at Martinsville and with just three races to go, Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson are tied, with Gordon now in third. This could be super stuff come the finale.
—Lindsey Vonn decided to skip the season-opening World Cup race in Austria, opting to make her official return after knee surgery at the races in Beaver Creek, Colo., Nov. 29-Dec. 1.
There’s nothing wrong with her comeback. U.S. women’s head coach Alex Hoedlmoser told the Associated Press, Vonn was skiing “like nothing really happened” during training camp in Chile.
Vonn needs only three more World Cup wins to match Austrian great Annemarie Moser-Proell’s record of 62.
Meanwhile, Bode Miller began his comeback after a year away from the World Cup and in the first race of the season on Saturday in Soelden, Austria, Miller finished 19th in the grand slalom, won by American Ted Ligety, his 18th career WC title, all in GS. [He won six of eight races last season.]
–U.S. Olympic track stars Lolo Jones and Lauryn Williams made the U.S. bobsled national team, but now the U.S. needs to qualify all three sleds if Jones and Williams are to be assured spots in Sochi. Only one sled is qualified thus far (I think I have this right).
–We note the passing of a local TV sportscaster legend, Bill Mazer, 92. He had a long run as WNEW-TV’s sports anchor, and did NHL and NFL work on all the major networks. Mazer was the first, at least in this area, to have a weekend roundup “Sports Extra” on Channel 5 that was a must-see long before the days of Sports Center. He also hosted a sports-talk radio show when that format was new.
And while at WNEW-TV, it was the news anchor John Roland who proclaimed Mazer the “Amazin’” after Roland started tossing sports questions at him that Mazer always seemed to know the answer to.
Mazer served in World War II, where he met sportscaster Marty Glickman, who recommended him for his first major sports slot at a Buffalo radio station in 1948.
–Actress Marcia Wallace died, and with her passing the voice of Bart Simpson’s fourth-grade teacher Edna Krabappel will be retired. Fellow cast member Yeardley Smith, the voice of Lisa Simpson, wrote a farewell on Twitter.
“Cheers to the hilarious, kind, fab Marcia Wallace, who has taken her leave of us. Heaven is now a much funnier place b/c of you, Marcia.”
Wallace was just 70 and had survived breast cancer. For years she was also receptionist Carol Kester on the 1970s sitcom “The Bob Newhart Show,” which she parlayed into multiple appearances on shows such as “Hollywood Squares” and “The $25,000 Pyramid.”
—Quincy Jones sued Michael Jackson’s estate, claiming he is owed millions in royalties and production fees. Jones, who is seeking $10 million, claims the singer’s estate and Sony Music Entertainment, improperly re-edited songs to deprive him of the cashola.
The music in question is being used in the film “This Is It” and two Cirque du Soleil shows based on Jackson’s music. Jones and Jackson collaborated on hits like “Billie Jean,” “Thriller” and “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.”
–So Ringo Starr is publishing a book, “Photograph,” of photos he took while a Beatle and this week he put out an all-points bulletin for one particular photo from the Beatles’ first visit to the United States in February 1964, a picture of six gawking teenagers he snapped from his limousine that he was hoping to identify for a caption.
I didn’t think this would be that much of a story, but the kids were identified as being students from Fair Lawn High School, which is pretty close to where I live. The Bergen Record had a bit on the kids, as told by Bob Toth, then a 17-year-old, who at 66 remains in Fair Lawn.
Five of the six are still alive and they were all juniors and seniors at Fair Lawn High the day the Beatles flew into John F. Kennedy International Airport. The kids decided to play hooky and drove to Queens.
Toth remembered: “It was disappointing. We got to the airport and we couldn’t get near the place. We turned around and started to go home.”
The, on the highway, they passed four limos in formation. “I don’t think the windows were tinted,” Toth said. “As we passed by, we saw that they were the individual Beatles, one in each car.
“We got to Ringo – the car he was in – and we rolled down the window and he started talking to us. We were going 50 miles an hour. He said ‘Hello.’ We said, ‘Welcome to America!’ And of course the girls in the back seat were screaming their lungs off.”
But here’s the kicker. Toth was suspended for three days for skipping school. Some, but not all, of the others were, too. [Jim Beckerman / The Record]
—Noel Harrison died. He sung the Academy Award-winning song “The Windmills of Your Mind” for the film “The Thomas Crown Affair.”
The son of actor Rex Harrison, Noel was also an actor, appearing on shows like “The Mod Squad” and “Mission: Impossible,” as well as “The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.,” a spinoff of “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.”
And Noel Harrison competed on England’s alpine ski teams at the 1952 and 1956 Olympic Games.
But back to “The Windmills of Your Mind,” which was composed by Michel Legrand, I was shocked when I pulled out my Billboard book to see where it peaked on the charts and it wasn’t a top 40! Kind of staggering to me. The following year, actually, Dusty Springfield did her own rendition and it hit #31.
Harrison said he never tired of singing the song, and actually performed it in concert the day before he died of a heart attack at age 79.
–And on Sunday we lost Lou Reed, 71. Lead singer/songwriter of the Velvet Underground, as a solo artist he is best remembered for the 1973 hit “Walk On The Wild Side,” which peaked at #16 and is a staple on album rock stations today. He was born on Freeport, Long Island and was a New Yorker through and through….a very controversial one at that. Not always easy to like.
The Velvet Underground influenced the likes of the Talking Heads, R.E.M., and Patti Smith.
Top 3 songs for the week 10/28/67: #1 “To Sir With Love” (Lulu…great tune…) #2 “The Letter” (The Box Tops) #3 “Never My Love” (The Association)…and…#4 “How Can I Be Sure” (The Young Rascals…back on Broadway for another gig in December…) #5 “Expressway To Your Heart” (Soul Survivors) #6 “It Must Be Him” (Vikki Carr…I had a secret crush on her…don’t tell anyone…) #7 “Soul Man” (Sam & Dave) #8 “Your Precious Love” (Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell…their duets were awesome…) #9 “A Natural Woman (You Make Me Feel Like)” (Aretha Franklin) #10 “Incense And Pepperrmints” (Strawberry Alarm Clock)
BCS Quiz Answers: 1) QBs 1998: For Tennessee, Tee Martin. For Florida State, Marcus Outzen replaced the injured Chris Weinke. 2) QBs 1999: For Florida State, Weinke started. Michael Vick was Virginia Tech’s QB.
