NCAA Basketball Quiz: OK, I know this is a layup for many of you, but these quizzes are for the masses. As we watch the lone undefeated team, Wichita State, attempt to finish regular season play without a loss, only five teams managed unbeaten regular seasons in the last 38 years.* Name the only one of the five not to make the NCAA tournament. Answer below. [Of course you might as well name the other four, while you’re at it.]
*See below for screwup on how this was originally phrased…but you can still play.
Jason Day defeats Victor Dubuisson…and that’s just half the story
Oh, what a special day for the game of golf. I’m posting in a moment, but earlier I was tweeting up a storm as Day and Dubuisson staged an Accenture World Golf Match Play final that will go down as one of the best matches, let alone Sunday finishes, ever. Next Bar Chat I will note all the commentary that will pour thru the next 24 hours, but France’s Victor Dubuisson has just gained, literally, millions of new fans, including moi. Love the man!!!
Dubuisson, as the entire CBS golf crew marveled, was absolutely spectacular with his recovery shots to extend Day to a fifth extra hole.
And Jason Day himself has no shortage of fans. He has always been immensely likable, let alone talented, and now he has win No. 2.
Wow…it was special. Cliché alert…it’s why so many of us love sports…and why I never understood those who didn’t.
Vive le France! Vive Victor Dubuisson! And g’day Jason Day. You two staged a show for the ages.
—Vladimir Putin got what he wanted for the most part, save for the men’s Russian hockey team’s flameout in the quarterfinals at the hands of Finland, 3-1. It’s the third straight Olympics that the Russian team will fail to medal. Going back to Soviet Union days, from 1956-2002, there were 13 Olympics and the Russians failed to medal in only one, 1994, picking up 8 golds. Nothing since.
1. Russia 13 gold – 11 silver – 9 bronze…33
2. United States 9 – 7 – 12…28
3. Norway 11 – 5 – 10…26
4. Canada 10 – 10 – 5…25
5. Netherlands 8 – 7 – 9…24
For the U.S., 6 of the 9 golds came in X-Game sports, 3 in snowboarding and 3 in freestyle skiing. 7 of the 28 overall were in the latter.
So otherwise it was two Alpine golds (more below) and the ice dance team of Meryl Davis and Charlie White.
I do have to single out Steve Holcomb for bringing home 2 bronze medals in the 2- and 4-man bobsled events. That’s huge. [On Sunday, Holcomb piloted the 4-man to bronze by just .03 of a second, which really is remarkable after four runs.]
In the end, for us traditionalists, however, not the greatest showing by the U.S., including getting shut out of both men’s and women’s figure skating.
–The U.S. men’s hockey team played a less-than-inspired game against Canada, losing 1-0 in the semifinals, and then laid an egg of epic proportions in losing to Finland 5-0 in the bronze medal contest. They were outhearted and outplayed by 43-year-old Finnish captain and national treasure, Teemu Selanne, who scored a pair of goals in his Olympics farewell, while goalie Tuukka Rask stopped the U.S. cold.
So after scoring 20 goals in their first four games of the tournament, Team USA failed to score over the final six periods. Nice going, guys.
And back to the Canada game, that’s three times in the past four Olympics the Americans have faced Canada in an elimination game, and all three times they have lost.
Of course the performance in Sochi continues an old story. The United States has never won Olympic gold outside our own soil (Squaw Valley, 1960; Lake Placid, 1980).
“We might as well make it official and apply to become the 11th province, because Canada already owns us….
“This was supposed to be the Olympiad for Team USA in hockey, the year the Americans finally broke through and proved to the world that, when it comes to hockey, we are not just second-class citizens.
“The women came here as the favorites to win the gold medal for the first time since their sport was added to the Games in 1998. The men looked so much like the team to beat after stunning Russia and cruising to the semifinals that finally, they wouldn’t have to answer all those questions about 1980 anymore.
“Canada always happens. It stormed back from a 2-0 deficit late in the third period, tying the game with the goalie pulled, to stun the women in overtime. The U.S. players were still choking back tears at a news conference the next morning, and while none would say this, those silver medals are likely doomed to a lifetime hidden in the back of a sock drawer. They have finished behind the Canadians in the last four Olympics.
“Then, as predictable as an episode of DeGrassi Junior High, the U.S. men were overwhelmed in a 1-0 loss to the Canadians… Forget the score. This was a blowout in every other way, with Canada the sharper, smarter, faster team from the first drop of the puck.”
More than a few American players said they didn’t lay it all on the line, didn’t put out their best effort. That’s unfathomable.
Anyway, once again we have the debate whether NHL players should participate in the Games as New York Islanders’ John Tavares, one of the true stars in the game, suffered a torn MCL and meniscus in his left knee and will miss the rest of the NHL season, while the Rangers’ top scorer, Mats Zuccarello will be sidelined 3-4 weeks with a fracture in his left hand.
One of the issues is that the NHL isn’t compensated for injured players or their teams. Islanders general manager Garth Snow said, “Are the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) or IOC going to reimburse our season-ticket holders now? It’s a joke. They want all the benefits from NHL players in the Olympics and don’t want to pay when our best player gets hurt.”
But the vast majority of the players leap at the opportunity to represent their country.
*One last hockey item…Sweden center Nicklas Backstrom did not play in the gold medal game, having been notified a mere 20 minutes before he had failed a doping test, testing positive for a substance found in an allergy medication.
Sweden’s coach, Par Marts, criticized the IOC for its timing, especially since Backstrom was tested in connection with Sweden’s game against Slovenia.
The failed test didn’t impact Sweden’s silver medal because under the rules you need violations from two or more team members before disqualification or other disciplinary action takes place.
Backstrom plays for the Washington Capitals, who acknowledged he was taking the medication this season.
–No one can complain about the performance of the men’s and women’s Alpine teams. Ted Ligety won gold in the giant slalom, Bodie Miller completed his comeback with bronze in the super-G, Andrew Weibrecht took silver in the same event, Mikaela Shiffrin became the youngest at 18 to win gold in the women’s slalom, and Julia Mancuso won a bronze despite having a poor World Cup season up to this point.
So five medals from five different athletes. That’s really what we could have hoped for, realistically. Mancuso is probably the biggest surprise.
One thing is for sure, the U.S. team, and the international picture, is going to look a lot different come 2018 and Pyeongchang. Shiffrin has already served notice she wants five golds, but Mancuso and Ligety will be 33, Bodie Miller will have retired, and Lindsey Vonn would also be 33.
Plus superstars Maria Hoefl-Riesch would be 33 and Slovenia’s Tina Maze 34, both saying they will retire beforehand.
—Austrian Mario Matt, 34, won the slalom Saturday to become the oldest Alpine gold medalist in Winter Games history. Austria ended up with 9 Alpine medals to lead Sochi, after only four – zero for the men – in 2010 at Vancouver.
So maybe in Matt, Mancuso, Ligety, and Vonn have their role model for 2018.
[Jimmy Roberts had a good piece on Saturday afternoon about America’s first two medalists in men’s Alpine at Innsbruck, 1964…Billy Kidd and the late Jimmie Heuga, who took silver and bronze in the slalom. I vividly remember these two on a Sports Illustrated cover prior to the ’68 Olympics, though neither medaled at Grenoble, the Games where Jean-Claude Killy burst on the scene.]
–As to the women’s figure skating event and the win by Russian Adelina Sotnikova, I agree with Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski…Sotnikova was the deserving winner over 2010 gold medalist Kim Yu-na.
But as USA TODAY’s Christine Brennan pointed out, one of the nine judges had been suspended for a year for trying to fix an event at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.
“And another (judge) is the wife of the former president and current general director of the Russian figure skating federation.”
“It’s sad that I just presumed Sotnikova was going to get a boost (in points) because this was in Russia,” former U.S. Olympic figure skating coach Audrey Weisiger said in a phone interview. “Isn’t it sad that I automatically thought that? Not one person in skating I’ve talked to said that’s the way it should have gone.”
Well that’s not true, as I just pointed out, though it’s no surprise many shared the sentiment of the Los Angeles Times’ Bill Plaschke:
“Kim finished second, but it was as if she was never even here, as the strength of her presence was overwhelmed by thousands of chanting, cheering Russian fans while the beauty of her skating was ignored by a seemingly biased panel of judges.”
“Later, huddled in the darkened hallways of a building that was still buzzing early Friday, some experts agreed that on this night, in this place, Kim needed to be more aggressive.”
For his part, Putin congratulated Sotnikova in a message published on the Kremlin’s website: “(She) won and conquered the height that our figure skating team has been working for long years…the whole Russia is proud of you.”
–The Netherlands ended up with a record 23 medals in long-track speedskating, including a record eight gold medals. Staggering.
The U.S. men and women ended up with zero long-track medals for the first Games since 1984. That’s just super.
–As I go to post, they have not restarted the race after rain swept in on lap 38. If they don’t restart, it’s a Monday finish on Fox at 5:00 PM.
–The New York Post’s Steve Serby had a Q&A with six-time Sprint Cup Series Champ Jimmie Johnson (Johnson owning a home in Manhattan’s West Village and spending as much time as possible in New York). I like this one.
Johnson: The thing that gets me is when others feel like they’re gonna make an aggressive move towards me on the road. And I always chuckle. I’m like, “If you only know what I did for a living, you’d probably second-guess your decision here.” So I always get a little laughter out of that.
College Basketball
–In the big rematch, No. 1 Syracuse (25-2, 12-2) dropped its second straight on the week, 66-60, to No. 5 Duke (22-6, 11-4) in Durham in a game that will long be remembered for Cuse coach Jim Boeheim’s implosion on a controversial charge call at the end with just 10 seconds remaining and Duke up 60-58. C.J. Fair’s tying basket was waved off due to the charge and Boeheim went ballistic like no one has ever seen him do before and was nailed with a double technical…ejected…game over just like that.
Boeheim claimed afterward, “I’ve only been thrown out once in my life and that was an exhibition game.” As to the charge, he said, “I just thought that was the worst call of the year…I just hate to see the game decided on that…”
The rule, as defined by the NCAA: “Under the revised block/charge call in men’s basketball, a defensive player is not permitted to move into the path of an offensive player once he has started his upward motion with the ball to attempt a field goal or pass. If the defensive player is not in legal guarding position by this time, it is a blocking foul.”
My immediate reaction wasn’t so much about the charge call, which I saw as blocking, but how the referee handled Boeheim given the moment. I just believe Boeheim should have been allowed to vent, while being warned, “Back off or I’ll have to tee you up.” That was the shame of it all.
Meanwhile, it was a busy week for Duke as just two days earlier they lost to surging North Carolina 74-66.
*Shout out to Melissa P., daughter of old friend Bob P., who is a freshman at Duke and getting into the camping out for tickets experience. That is not required at Wake these days, incidentally.
—No. 2 Florida (25-2, 14-0) will be your new No. 1 after defeating Ole Miss (16-11, 7-7) 75-71 in Oxford.
—No. 3 Wichita State remained the only undefeated team in the nation at 29-0 with a convincing 83-54 win over Drake’s Cakes University of Des Moines. Yes, the Shockers have had a cupcake schedule, but that’s not necessarily their fault.
—No. 4 Arizona (25-2, 12-2) manhandled Colorado (20-8, 9-6) in Boulder 88-61. I have to go with the Wildcats come April. [Despite my “Pick to Click” and my allegiance to SDSU.]
–Speaking of SDSU (23-3, 12-2), just an awful performance for the No. 6 Aztecs at The Pit in Albuquerque as they lost to New Mexico (21-5, 12-2) 58-44. The Lobos’ Cameron Bairstow had 26 points and 9 rebounds, while SDSU once again struggled mightily from the field, 21-65, 32.3%, and took just 3 free throws, missing ‘em all. Incredibly, leader Xavier Thames is in a funk of epic proportions, hitting just 10 of his last 50 field goal attempts over four games, including 3 of 15 Saturday night.
—No. 11 Louisville (23-4, 12-2 AAC) defeated No. 7 Cincinnati (24-4, 13-2) in Cincy, 58-57 on a last-second Russ Smith jumper. Great gut-check for the Cardinals come tourney time. Rick Pitino really is doing a great job with a team that I, for one, had no chance in hell of defending its title about six weeks ago. Now? Why not.
—St. John’s ((18-10, 8-7) is no lock for the big dance after losing a heartbreaker at No. 9 Villanova (24-3, 12-2) 57-54. The Johnnies must win their next two against Xavier and DePaul and then roll the dice at Marquette in the regular season finale to have a chance at playing March 20.
—Wake Forest (14-13, 4-10) moved to 2-31 on the road in ACC play in the Jeff Bzdelik era as North Carolina (20-7, 10-4) crushed the Deacs 105-72 in Chapel Hill. Wake’s defense was non-existent, to say the least, as UNC shot 57.4% from the field and a school-record percentage 11 of 15 from three (min. 10 attempts).
So Wake has lost seven conference games in a row as the end nears for Bzdelik. We all need to be put out of our misery, including coach himself.
—Bad loss for VCU (20-7, 8-4) at UMass (21-5, 8-4) on Friday night, 80-75, as the Rams shot 39% from the field, just 7 of 25 from three, and a horrendous 10 of 22 from the free throw line.
VCU and SDSU have to be the worst-shooting ‘good’ teams in the country right now.
–The Nets signed Jason Collins to a 10-day contract. This is the perfect place for him. Yes, it’s historic. After dealing Reggie Evans, the Nets needed a big body and Collins has lots of supporters in the Brooklyn organization. He’ll be suiting up within hours for the Nets’ game against the Lakers.
–The Knicks fell to a dismal 21-35 on Saturday, losing to the Hawks 107-98 after building a 17-point lead. Wake’s Jeff Teague had 28 for Atlanta, hitting 13 of 15 from the free throw line. There are few better at creating in the paint, but so often he is hesitant to do so, going back to his days in Winston-Salem.
The night before, the Knicks were up 14 points late in the third, only to lose to lowly Orlando in double overtime, 129-121, thanks to another incredibly stupid play in an incredibly stupid season. Tyson Chandler went up for a dunk with 1:07 left in the first OT and dunked the ball behind his head… “Only the ball had barely passed through the bottom of the rim, emphatically, when it hit Chandler on his head – It. Hit. Him. On. His. HEAD! – and popped back out the top of the rim, and if Chandler plays H-O-R-S-E every day for the rest of his life, he’s going to have a hard time duplicating that.
“Dick Bavetta made a circular motion with his forefinger: offensive goaltending.” [Mike Vaccaro / New York Post]
Knicks fans are just so sick of the same old story. The only one playing worth a damn, and acting like he cares, is Carmelo Anthony, who almost always gives 100%.
They have to dump coach Mike Woodson. Do something! Or as the New York Daily News’ Mike Lupica (a Woodson defender) nonetheless puts it: “(The) Knicks, by playing the way they have, have made spring training the main event around here. It is not such a terrible thing in New York, especially after a winter like this one. So they want to know about every pitch from Tanaka. They want to know if Syndergaard’s curveball is as filthy as Terry Collins says it is.
–Can’t help but note two outstanding efforts Friday night by former Demon Deacons. For the Suns, point guard Ish Smith had a career night, 15 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks and just one turnover in 31 minutes as Phoenix blitzed San Antonio 106-85.
And James Johnson had 15 points in just 18 minutes off the bench in Memphis’ 102-96 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. A reminder. The Grizzlies were 10-13 when they signed Johnson in mid-December. They are 21-11 since (having lost on Saturday).
Ball Bits
–Oh brother, it’s already started. Some in the New York press are talking about Mets pitcher Matt Harvey returning to the big leagues by September following Tommy John surgery.
Harvey threw for the first time Saturday at spring training and said he felt “awesome.” I’m glad he’s happy. I just don’t want to hear about his recovery every week. I want Harvey to disappear, focus on his rehab, and see him 100% next spring. Please don’t rush him, Mets! [There is zero indication the organization will, but you can be sure Harvey himself will be pushing them by summer and he’ll use his media allies to put the heat on.]
Meanwhile, the Metsies are legitimately loaded in the pitching department. This is good.
—Nelson Cruz finally signed…one year, $8 million by Baltimore. Cruz hit 27 home runs in 109 games before being handed a 50-game suspension last season in the Biogenesis scandal.
–On Sunday we learned the Yankees and outfielder Brett Gardner agreed to a four-year extension worth $52 million, a shocker to me. The deal starts 2015.
–The Atlanta Braves signed shortstop Andrelton Simmons to a seven-year, $58 million contract, a record deal for a player with less than two years of service time. Simmons, 24, hit 17 home runs and won his first Gold Glove last year. The deal makes sense to me.
The Braves have now committed $280 million to Simmons, Freddie Freeman, Jason Heyward, closer Craig Kimbrel and pitcher Julio Teheran.
–Earlier in the week, Homer Bailey agreed to a six-year, $105 million contract with the Reds. Bailey was 11-12, 3.49, in 2013; 49-45 in his career with a 4.25 ERA, as well as two no-hitters the last two seasons.
–The San Francisco Giants are bringing Barry Bonds back to be a special instructor at spring training, joining other former Giants…Jeff Kent, Robb Nen, Will Clark and J.T. Snow. What the hell. As Manager Bruce Bochy told the San Francisco Chronicle: “To have his knowledge, and have a guy who’s one of the great hitters of all time talking to hitters, it’s going to be beneficial to everyone. Barry had talent, sure. But he was a very smart hitter.”
–100 years ago…Babe Ruth signed with the Baltimore Orioles of the International League in February 1914, and then went 22-9 with Baltimore and Providence before the Red Sox brought him up end of the season, where he went 2-1 in 23 innings and was 2 for 10 at the plate. It’s amazing to remember he didn’t have 300 at-bats until 1918, he was such a great pitcher.
And here’s some trivia for you. Ruth was 5-0 lifetime with the Yankees, though with a 5.52 ERA. He actually just appeared on the mound for the Yanks in five games and won them all.
Separately, remember that 1923 World Series watch of Ruth’s that I mentioned the other week (BC 1/29). I said this was one item you couldn’t question its legitimacy and on Saturday it sold in Manhattan for $717,000, with Heritage Auctions calling it “The most important baseball artifact in existence!”
Babe was on his death bed in 1948 when he presented the watch to a pal, boxing promoter Charles Schwefel, whose wife gave it to a nephew, Lewis Fern, who had caddied for Ruth at the St. Albans Golf Club in Queens. In 1988, Fern sold it to a collector. [Elizabeth Ferguson and Bill Sanderson / New York Post]
By the way, the Ruth watch is inscribed, “Presented by Baseball Commissioner to George H. Ruth.” Yup, it’s real.
At the same auction, a 1911 game-used bat from “Shoeless” Joe Jackson sold for $956,000! Now that is one item I couldn’t go for after all the fake bat stories we’ve seen.
–Turning to college baseball, Oregon State starting pitcher Ben Wetzler, a top prospect, has been in the news as the NCAA said he must sit the team’s first 11 games because he sought the advice of a representative from a sports management group following last summer’s Major League Baseball amateur draft. The lefty had been selected in the fifth round by Philadelphia and then decided to stay at Oregon State.
The NCAA notified the school it was looking into the matter back in November, the school and Wetzler cooperated fully, and now OSU is ticked off.
Wetzler didn’t receive any compensation from the representative and the university called the penalty “too harsh” given the circumstances.
The NCAA said in its decision announced Friday: “NCAA rules allow a baseball student-athlete to receive advice from a lawyer or agent regarding a proposed professional sports contract. However, if the student-athlete is considering returning to an NCAA school, that adviser may not negotiate on behalf of a student-athlete or be present during discussions of a contract offer, including phone calls, email or in-person conversations.”
The story is the Phillies offered Wetzler a $400,000 signing bonus to skip his senior year, and after he refused, the Phils ratted Wetzler out.
The Beavers were ranked No. 2 in the preseason polls and are No. 1 in the Feb. 17 ranking.
–So I’ve told you from time to time I’m possibly the only subscriber to High Plains Journal (Southern Plains Edition) in New Jersey and my weekly comes with a major lag sometimes, but I was just reading the Feb. 17 issue and a story on the Peterson Brothers of Assaria, Kansas. They became viral YouTube sensations in June 2012 after posting a parody of the song “Sexy and I Know It,” changing the words to “farming and I grow it.” This single video with over 8 million hits has led to others and interviews in New York City with Fox News and the like. Just a great story. And these are kids (young men at this point) to admire greatly. So good luck, Bros! They’re spreading the word on family farming (now five generations strong in their case).
–From Army Times I learned that GI Joe turned 50 this month. Yes, it was 1964 when Hasbro deployed its “movable fighting man,” 11.5 inches tall with 21 moving parts – plus accessories.
“He always emerged from his packaging with a clean face and a crisp uniform, ready for adventure.”
GI Joe was developed by Korean War veteran Don Levine, Hasbro’s head of research and development, and his team. Levine said the toy was a tribute to veterans.
Well I was a big GI Joe user. Probably got my first one in 1966, I’m thinking. I then got a second, in Marine dress. And then a Captain America, which was different, of course.
GI Joe originally sold for $4 and as many an Army Vet has said since, it might have been the best recruiter ever, at least back in those days.
–Finally, we note the passing of Maria von Trapp, 99, the last surviving member of the Trapp Family Singers of “The Sound of Music” fame. Von Trapp died at her family home in Stowe, Vermont, where the family long ago set up the Trapp Family Lodge. It was literally 40 years ago that my family vacationed in Stowe and I remember a delicious meal at this establishment, with its beautiful grounds (we were staying elsewhere in town).
Von Trapp and her family fled Nazi-occupied Austria in 1938, as you know, and ended up performing in the U.S. Their story inspired the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical and then the subsequent film in ’65. Maria von Trapp was portrayed as Louisa.
The family moved to Vermont in 1942 after visiting during a singing tour, settling in Stowe, which reminded them of their native Austria. It really is one beautiful area. Need to get back.
Top 3 songs for the week of 2/26/72: #1 “Without You” (Nilsson) #2 “Hurting Each Other” (Carpenters) #3 “Precious And Few” (Climax)…and…#4 “Let’s Stay Together” (Al Green…pretty common theme first four…not exactly “Meet the Mets” stuff….) #5 “Down By The Lazy River” (The Osmonds) #6 “Joy” (Apollo 100 featuring Tom Parker…absolutely dreadful…) #7 “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” (Robert John) #8 “Everything I Own” (Bread) #9 “American Pie” (Don McLean…the one and only…) #10 “Sweet Seasons” (Carole King…I appreciate her work more with each passing year…)
*NCAA Basketball Quiz Answer: Five teams to go undefeated in the regular season in the last 38 years are…
Rutgers, 1976; Indiana State and Alcorn State, 1979; UNLV, 1991; St. Joseph’s, 2004.
Alcorn State was not invited to the tourney, which was only 32 teams back then.
None won the national championship, with Rutgers and UNLV reaching the national semifinals.
*Question was phrased improperly….of course Indiana was undefeated all the way in 1976. Thanks Johnny Mac!
