Baseball Quiz: 12 players in baseball history have had 100 extra-base hits in a season. 1) Name the three to do it twice. 2) Name the last four to do it…all in 2001. [One of whom is also part of #1.] Answers below.
More on Rory’s Triumph
I posted last Sunday evening, before all the commentary had rolled in on Rory McIlroy’s triumph at The Open Championship, though I think I nailed the gist of it…our search for the next Tiger is officially over.
“As Tiger Woods stood on the 18th tee on Sunday about to play his final hole of the British Open, staring at half-empty grandstands surrounding the green, Rory McIlroy was pulling into the Royal Liverpool parking lot in a black Range Rover looking like a rock star, wearing a pair of aviator shades and an air of confidence.
“Woods, a three-time British Open winner who has not won a major championship in six years, was miles from contention. McIlroy, with a six-shot lead, was about to begin pre-round preparations to win his first Claret Jug and third leg of a career Grand Slam.
“It had the distinct look and feel of a changing-of-the-guard moment: Woods on his way out quietly and McIlroy on his way in about to make a big splash.
“So, too, did the tone of some of Woods’ comments after finishing 6-over for the week in 69thplace, 23 shots behind McIlroy – both career worsts for a major.
“ ‘I got four rounds in,’ Woods said, as if that was supposed to be some grand accomplishments. ‘Unfortunately I didn’t play very well. I just made too many mistakes…’
“(Until) he contends in a major again and wins, it’s difficult to envision Woods returning to any semblance of his old self. And it’s certainly difficult to see him keeping up with his protégé McIlroy, who has the look of a star ready to take off again after a brief interruption last year with management legal squabbles, a controversial equipment change and girlfriend issues.”
“Rory McIlroy already has separated himself from the heat-wave players of his own generation, and it’s not because of his hot sleeves and pink spikes. The brilliance and audience magnetism that others strive for with their candy-colored club shafts and fluorescent shirts, McIlroy comes by easily. The golf audience long has sensed something apart about McIlroy, some elevated potential, and with his victory in the British Open, he affirmed it. The next great is crowned. He is the Boy King.
“When McIlroy hoisted the claret jug, he joined a short list of men who have won three major championships by the age of 25….
“(With) his victory at Hoylake, McIlroy made a clear statement he wants to be more than a flash. There was an aggression to his game Saturday and Sunday, an insistence on rising above the rest of the field that wasn’t just an expression of talent but of determined ambition… Despite his stretches of dormancy, McIlroy has won a major in three of the past four years… And if he hadn’t hit a house with his tee shot on the 10th hole Sunday at the 2011 Masters, which he led for three rounds, he might already have a career Grand Slam.
“McIlroy is going to win a lot more tournaments. And when he does, we’ll say the 2014 British was where he fully embraced his talent and grew into the responsibility of having it. ‘Golf is looking for someone to put their hand up and try,’ he said. ‘…I want to be that person. I want to be the guy that goes on and wins majors and wins majors regularly.’”
How many can he win? As Andy North put it, “His good is so good.”
“Maybe as important as any of those qualities, he wears celebrity and pressure lightly. He doesn’t complain about expectations or fame; he’s not defensive about his mistakes or his collapses.
“ ‘He’s not delusional like a lot of players,’ Curtis Strange observed….
“ ‘Your failures are just the setups for successes,’ (Rory) told ESPN on Saturday night, and that seems to be the Rosetta stone for his career so far.
“What all that adds up to is a riveting player. For some reason, the audience senses a difference between him and even his most gifted peers, such as Martin Kaymer, who has two majors at the age of 29. When Kaymer built an all-but-insurmountable lead in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst last month, few bothered to watch him Sunday; NBC posted some of the lowest golf ratings in history. The British was a similar situation: McIlroy had a six-stroke lead when he went to bed Saturday night. Yet his final round felt like must-watch television, appointment viewing. Why? Maybe it was the suspicion we’re seeing one of the all-time greats build to his peak.”
Reminder: Five to complete the career Grand Slam…Nicklaus, Woods, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan and Gary Player.
Imagine. Rory could join that group in, say, the next three years. That would be remarkable.
–By the way, last time I wrote of the Ryder Cup issues facing Captain Tom Watson and whether he selects Woods or Phil Mickelson.
On the European side, Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell and Luke Donald aren’t currently in the top nine, so they’re scrambling for three captains’ picks with everyone else on their side as well.
[Actually, Donald would qualify under the “World Points List,” which is a second step used in determining the Euro team…it’s confusing.]
–There was a stupid little tiff at the end of Rory’s final round, as he walked off No. 18. Those of you watching saw a little kid run up alongside Rory as he was going to the scorer’s table and appear to ask for an autograph, with Rory brushing him off.
Anyway, Rory caught grief on social media. One person tweeted: “Dreadful treatment by Rory McIlroy towards an excited child seeking an autograph from his idol.”
Another: “Very distasteful watching Rory McIlroy pushing away a kid who wanted an autograph signed. Not good.”
Another: “Mr. McIlroy denying a child the two seconds it would have taken for an autograph says much about him as an individual.”
Oh, puh-leeze. That was obnoxious on the kid’s part and that was not an appropriate time to stop and do such a thing.
So fellow golfer Ian Poulter came to Rory’s defense: “Just to clear up the signature thing. We are asked not to sign autographs until we have officially handed in our scorecards.”
McIlroy had had some testy interactions with fans throughout the event, and you saw how he had a guy ejected after he interrupted his backswing at No. 16 on Sunday.
“He was giving me grief all day,” McIlroy told the Daily Mail afterwards. “I sort of put up with it for the first 15 holes, and then he deliberately coughed on my downswing on the 16th tee.”
If I had been standing next to the guy, I would have had to slug him.
Tiger had issues with fans taking pictures with their cellphones, which for some reason are allowed at The Open Championship, unlike many big U.S. events. [Matt Bonesteel / Washington Post]
–One last thought…I loved Hoylake and had no problem with all the birdies out there. Sure, most of us watch the British Open to get a spot of weather not normally seen in the States (I’ll be playing in it myself in about a month), but it’s great having birdie and eagle opportunities on a course on the back nine of a Sunday. That’s what helps make Augusta so compelling every year.
And you have those unique bunkers that always seem to claim a victim at the worst possible time, see Sergio Garcia.
Speaking of whom, talk about receiving universal praise. Has Sergio, still just 34, finally grown up? It appears that way. His actions on Sunday exuded nothing but class. And you don’t have to like the guy to know a tournament is always better with him in the hunt. Of course he’s also likely to kick our butts in the Ryder Cup again this fall.
I mean can you imagine the waterworks if that guy ever won a major?
—Official World Golf Rankings post-The Open Championship
1. Adam Scott
2. Rory McIlroy
3. Henrik Stenson
4. Justin Rose
5. Sergio Garcia
6. Bubba Watson
7. Matt Kuchar
8. Jason Day
9. Tiger Woods
10. Jim Furyk
11. Jordan Spieth
12. Martin Kaymer
13. Phil Mickelson
14. Zach Johnson
15. Dustin Johnson
–Due to declining golf equipment sales, Dick’s Sporting Goods announced it was laying off 400 PGA Golf instructors that offered in-store private lessons and aided in the sales process. Dick’s is also going to be taking away floor space from golf merchandise in its stores, and expand women’s and youth apparel instead, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Ball Bits
–The Yanks acquired third baseman Chase Headley from San Diego for infielder Yangervis Solarte and a bag of donuts. In 2012, Headley hit 31 home runs and led the N.L. in RBIs with 115. But, he has sucked since. It’s a decent gamble, however, to see if the guy finds his groove again in the Little Bandbox that Ruth Didn’t Build.
Headley then went 1-for-4 in his debut, Tuesday, but that one hit was the game-winner, a single in the bottom of the 14th as the Yanks defeated the Rangers 2-1.
And an update: The Yankees “released a stern statement Sunday afternoon denying a New York Post report that the club has raised prices for tickets to their game against the Royals at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 7, when the team is scheduled to honor the retiring Derek Jeter with a pregame ceremony,” as reported by Jorge Castillo of the Star-Ledger.
The statement read in part: “The New York Yankees have not, did not, and will not raise any ticket prices for the game to be played (that day).”
The Yankees said the Post was confusing the primary ticket market (which is what I was trying to confirm in reporting the story…and couldn’t) with the secondary ticket market.
–The Oakland A’s agreed to a 10-year lease extension to stay in Oakland, pending approval by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, which previously voiced its support.
As part of the new lease, the team agrees to stay in Oakland for at least two years and would pay a penalty of $1.6 million-per-year if it left before the lease is up. The deal also requires that A’s ownership engage in good-faith discussions to bring about a new ballpark in Oakland.
So at least for now, talk of moving the team to San Jose, which the San Francisco Giants have been blocking, goes away.
As to what improvements will be made to the Oakland Coliseum, which suffers from sewage issues and giant rats and sea monsters, nothing is in the cards as yet.
–Gotta give the Angels credit. They’ve announced they are not limiting ace Garrett Richards’ workload down the stretch. Richards, a sudden star at 11-2, 2.47 ERA, is on pace for 200+ innings after a career-high 145 last season. GM Jerry Dipoto said the team won’t be “phobic” about his health while the team is in a division race with the A’s.
No two teams have made more of a statement that they are gunning for the Series this year like the Angels and A’s, with all their respective recent acquisitions.
–Colorado’s Troy Tulowitzki has been placed on the 15-day disabled list because of a left hip flexor strain. While it’s his first trip on the DL this season, he has taken days off to rest his chronically tight legs, which dates back to 2008 when he tore the left quadriceps tendon.
This has always been the knock on Tulowitzki, that he can’t stay healthy and thus why would you risk trading for the guy (should Colorado want to break up its core and go in a different direction), plus he is owed $129,000 through 2021, including a team option for 2021.
So Tulowitzki didn’t help his future cause any by making this statement on Tuesday.
“That ’08 injury really put me behind the eight-ball because when you completely tear a muscle, it never gets the same again. All the other muscles have to help support. I knew it was going to be a long road back from that injury.
“I didn’t know to the extent, but here we are six years later and it’s still giving me issues.”
He’s leading the league in hitting this season at .340 with 21 home runs.
–In the ongoing debate whether the Cleveland Cavaliers should trade No. 1 overall draft pick Andrew Wiggins as part of a package for the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Kevin Love, Coach Mike Krzyzewski, who coached Love on Team USA, thinks the Cavs shouldn’t think twice about dealing Wiggins. Coach K told John Feinstein on CBS Radio that he would make the trade without “one second of hesitancy.”
“He’s a double-double guy, but he’s a double-double guy that can spread the court. There aren’t many double-double guys, if any, who spread the court. He can go inside and outside….No pun intended, but I love Kevin Love.”
Coach K points to LeBron’s age as the deciding factor.
“You look at LeBron and you have the best player in the world. He’s 29. I’m not saying he’s at the end of his career, but he’s in the second half of his career, let’s put it that way. And in the first half of his career, he was becoming a great player. He was a great talent becoming a great player. That takes time – just like if Wiggins or (Anthony) Bennett are going to be great, it’s not going to happen right now. They’re great talents. LeBron is a great player right now.”
Again, Cleveland must first sign Wiggins before it can trade him, and it then has to wait 30 days in the interim.
—Donald Sterling is not going away easily, with Sterling, currently squaring off against his wife in an L.A. court, having now filed suit against her and the NBA, charging Shelly’s sale to Steve Ballmer amounts to fraud.
Interim Clippers CEO Richard Parsons testified in the Sterling-vs.-Sterling case that if Donald Sterling remains as owner, Coach Doc Rivers is likely to quit the team.
This is not looking good. Parsons said the team could fall into a “death spiral” if fans, sponsors, players and coaches flee should Sterling remain with the team. Reminder…this is Dick Parsons, former Time Warner CEO, who knows a thing or two about such issues.
Parsons also called the $2 billion that Ballmer was willing to pay a “knockout price” and that “If Steve goes away,” Parsons testified, “I don’t know how you get to this price again.”
Parsons did acknowledge that the Clippers are selling just as many season tickets in this off-season as last. [James Rainey, Nathan Fenno / Los Angeles Times]
—Tony Dungy is catching heat for comments he made to the Tampa Tribune. Dungy, who fought discrimination as a black head football coach, said of Michael Sam, the first openly gay player to be drafted into the NFL:
“I wouldn’t have taken him. Not because I don’t believe Michael Sam should have a chance to play, but I wouldn’t want to deal with all of it.
“It’s not going to be totally smooth…things will happen.”
As Chris Korman of USA TODAY writes, “Dungy’s comments come as no surprise,” rooted in ideology. Let’s just say Dungy is very conservative and had an issue with Jason Collins’ “lifestyle.”
The next day, Dungy issued a clarification, saying the distraction he meant had to do with the media attention Sam draws. Dungy said that in the interview, he was asked about his philosophy of drafting, which was to minimize distractions for his teams.
“I do not believe Michael’s sexual orientation will be a distraction to his teammates or his organization. I do, however, believe that the media attention that comes with it will be a distraction.”
Chris Korman counters: “This, the main point of his clarification, remains bogus. Tony Dungy must be grossly exaggerating the volume of media attention Michael Sam will get. He’s already been through the draft and mini-camps. The profiles have been written….
“Dungy still hasn’t explained why Sam’s presence could be an issue. Does he anticipate trouble that would stir negative news and fracture a team?
“Because if Dungy doesn’t think Sam is good enough – that he isn’t worth the trouble – he can just go ahead and say it. No need to talk around it.”
—Johnny Manziel currently has the best-selling jersey in the NFL, according to ESPN’s Darren Rovell, beating out Russell Wilson, Colin Kaepernick and Peyton Manning.
Personally, while I have a Testaverde jersey somewhere, given to me by my brother long ago, I’d wear a Namath jersey, or Jim Brown, though while I see you can get a jersey with his name on the back, I’m not sure they had the names back in his day. I just YouTubed a bunch of highlight packages of his and didn’t see any. By the way, do what I did. YouTube “Jim Brown / Cleveland Browns”. Great stuff.
–Goodness gracious…last week, Adidas signed a 10-year, $1.3 billion agreement with Manchester United to provide Man U with jerseys.
Monday, Chevrolet announced it had signed a record seven-year, $560-million deal with the club to splash its Chevrolet bow-tie logo across the front of the Adidas’ jerseys. Chevy is replacing Aon.
Under Armour paid $76 million to help outfit Premier League club Tottenham (your editor’s new team), while others such as Dunkin’ Donuts and Subway inked arrangements of one sort or another with Liverpool.
Back in the States, I’m convinced the big winner out of the World Cup is American viewership for Premier League games this coming season, which begins the weekend of Aug. 15.
—James Rodriguez, the 23-year-old breakout star in the World Cup for Colombia, signed a six-year contract to play for Real Madrid, after the Champions League titleholder paid French club Monaco a transfer fee of about $108 million. Days earlier, Real had acquired one of Germany’s stars, Toni Kroos.
Real Madrid rival Barcelona had just signed Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez from Liverpool.
–The Washington Post’s Norman Chad was musing about Mount Rushmore the other day, after LeBron had said awhile back that he will eventually bump one of basketball’s Mount Rushmore – in LeBron’s eyes, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson – which was controversial in that there was no Wilt or Bill Russell.
Norman Chad, though, wonders how many Americans would be able to get all four presidents on Mount Rushmore, guessing most would forget “The Other Guy,” Teddy Roosevelt.
So as for his Mount Rushmore of fast-food burgers: “Fat Burger, Five Guys, Shake Shack, Umami Burger.”
Mount Rushmore of sitcoms: “The Honeymooners,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “All in the Family,” “Seinfeld.” If you can only pick four, tough to argue with this list.
Mount Rushmore of beer: “Newcastle Ale, Yuengling, Rolling Rock (pre-Anheuseer Bushc ownership), PBR in a can,” says Mr. Chad. Shiner Bock has to be in there.
—SHARK! Sightings of great whites are surging in the area off Cape Cod and merchants are cashing in. One apparel store owner told the AP sales of shark-related t-shirts, hats and other accessories are up 500%.
Of course the surging seal population is bringing the sharks closer to shore. This is good, too. August is summer “Web Sweeps Month,” after all, and shark attacks are always a surefire ratings boost for Bar Chat.
–Happy Birthday to good friend and contributor, Johnny Mac, who turns the big Al Weis and Oscar Robertson today.
—Joe Queenan had a funny piece in The Weekly Standard on going to classical music concerts and having issues with those seated around him. Like “the fat guy sitting next to me at the Metropolitan Opera suddenly (opening) up his iPad to check his email,” or “the scruffy music lovers at Carnegie Hall” who kept their baseball caps on, until Queenan yanked them off. “This is Carnegie Hall,” I tell them. “We don’t do that here.”
“Two years ago, I was attending a New York Philharmonic concert that featured Emmanual Ax hammering away on the 88s. He did a superb job with Debussy’s Pagodes, but I couldn’t really enjoy the performance because the grizzled old coot sitting a few seats to the left in the row directly behind me was snoring. I poked him with my program after the piece ended and told him to shape up – but he snored through the next piece, too. After intermission, the industrious but not especially scintillating Alan Gilbert launched into Mahler’s Fifth Symphony. More sawing logs could be heard to my rear. In the interval between the third and fourth movements, I turned around and stuck my finger into the man’s chest.
“ ‘As you know,’ I said, ‘This is the slow movement that was played by the Philharmonic at Bobby Kennedy’s funeral. Leonard Bernstein was the conductor that day. The service was held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a temple sacred to Irish-Americans for sociopolitical reasons I will not go into at this juncture. My name is Queenan. I am Irish-American. I cannot overestimate the displeasure I will feel if you don’t stay awake during this movement. I simply cannot.’
“The movement was played with exquisite precision and deep sensitivity by the orchestra. Maestro Gilbert was at his very best. The Mahler, as always, was sublime. And for the rest of the concert, nary a snore was heard anywhere in my vicinity. Thus ended another eventful night at the concert hall.”
Top 3 songs for the week 7/20/63: #1 “Surf City” (Jan & Dean) #2 “Easier Said Than Done” (The Essex) #3 “So Much In Love” (The Tymes)…and…#3 “Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport” (Rolf Harris) #5 “Memphis” (Lonnie Mack) #6 “Fingertips – Pt 2” (Little Stevie Wonder) #7 “Wipe Out” (The Surfaris) #8 “Sukiyaki” (Kyu Sakamoto…was #1 for three weeks…) #9 “(You’re the) Devil In Disguise” (Elvis Presley) #10 “Pride And Joy” (Marvin Gaye)…time for British Invasion…
Baseball Quiz Answers: 1) The three to twice have 100 extra-base hits in a season are Lou Gehrig, Chuck Klein and Todd Helton. 2) The four to last do it, all in 2001 (can you say steroids?) were Todd Helton, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Luis Gonzalez.
Top 3…
Babe Ruth 119, 1921
Lou Gehrig 117, 1927
Barry Bonds 107, 2001
This topic was on my brain because the Angels’ Mike Trout is currently on track for 95 XBH (29 2B, 5 3B, 24 HR thru Tuesday’s play).
