[Posted Wed. AM]
PGA Championship Quiz: Who won at Riviera in 1983 and Pebble Beach in 1977? Answer below.
Ball Bits
“Since 1995, when the Colorado Rockies and the Yankees became the first wild-card winners of the six-division era, the goal of winning a division title has diminished. It is hard to convince anyone of the need to win a division when 10 wild-card teams have reached the World Series, with five winning the championship.
“However, things started to change two years ago when Major League Baseball introduced a second wild-card slot, with the two wild-card teams in each league facing off in a one-game playoff to advance to the division series. The move created a clear advantage for division winners. This season, 18 teams were no more than five games from a spot in the playoffs entering Monday, and even the best teams in baseball showed an emphasis on getting better through trades, which may be a sign that division titles have regained importance.”
I was debating the topic through emails with some old friends of mine, one, Bob S., in the Bay Area, who was wondering why no one was taking Billy Beane seriously when he said he just wanted to win the division, first, in making the trades for Jeff Samardzija and Jon Lester, and you can see why…what with the Angels breathing down Oakland’s neck.
The Tigers, on the other hand, don’t face an immediate division threat, but GM Dave Dombrowski certainly was looking forward to another potential matchup with the A’s down the road in trading for David Price. [The Tigers prevailed in both 2012 and 2013.]
–In his first start for the Tigers, Price threw 8 2/3 on Tuesday against the Yankees, allowing 3 runs while fanning 10 in Detroit’s 4-3 win in 12.
–Huge blow for the Pirates as they lose MVP Andrew McCutchen to an oblique injury. He was to be placed on the 15-day DL, but, what’s this? Turns out it was a small fracture in his rib cage, not an oblique, and McCutchen is trying to avoid the DL as I go to post.
Since his debut in June 2009, McCutchen had played in 843 of 868 games and never been on the DL. He’s hitting .311 with 17 HR 67 RBI, 17 steals in 18 attempts, .536 slugging percentage; arguably on his way to a better season than he had last year when he was league MVP.
–Separately, it was McCutchen who on Saturday night was the target of a totally unnecessary beanball by Kirk Gibson’s Diamondbacks. The previous night, Pirates reliever Ernesto Frieri accidentally hit Arizona star Paul Goldschmidt in the hand. Problem was it turned out to be broken and Goldschmidt is probably out for the season.
But then the next night, a-hole Gibson decides to have his pitcher retaliate and they go after McCutchen; reliever Randall Delgado hitting the MVP in the back.
Afterwards, Gibson claimed the pitch “got away” from Delgado.
“Guys get hit,” Gibson said. “It’s part of the game.” That’s not the way it’s supposed to work, Gibby.
—Felix Hernandez of Seattle keeps rolling right along. In allowing just one run in 8 innings in a 4-2 win over the Braves, Tuesday, King Felix not only improved to 12-3, 1.97, but moved his major league record mark of consecutive starts of seven innings and two or fewer runs to 15.
–Cincinnati’s Johnny Cueto improved to 13-6, 2.04, as the Reds defeated the Indians, Tuesday.
–Recently I had a quiz where I noted Bobby Abreu was the active leader in doubles with 574. Well, that’s probably where he finishes up as the Mets released the 40-year-old because he was abysmal in the pinch-hitting role they really needed him to excel in.
But he’s a class act and I’ve also said the Mets should make him a coach.
–The White Sox’ Adam Dunn pitched for the first time on Tuesday night in Chicago. With the White Sox trailing the Rangers 15-0 heading into the top of the ninth, slugger Dunn, the “Big Donkey,” threw an inning, allowing one run on two hits with one walk.
–Kristen Gowdy, writing for the Baseball Hall of Fame, notes Aug. 6, 1973…41 years ago…Roberto Clemente, Monte Irvin, Warren Spahn and Mickey Welch were among those enshrined in Cooperstown.
Clemente, of course, had been killed on Dec. 31, 1972, in a plane crash while delivering earthquake relief supplies to Nicaragua. Among his major accomplishments was 12 consecutive Gold Glove Awards.
“Clemente could field the ball in New York,” announcer Vin Scully told the Puerto Rico Herald in 2002, “and throw a guy out in Pennsylvania.”
“On the field, Clemente’s arm and bat were huge assets to the Pirates, but his work off the field and his impact on the Latin American community solidified his legacy and paved the way for future Latin American stars.
“ ‘For me, he is the Jackie Robinson of Latin baseball,’ said former big league player and manager Ozzie Guillen, a native of Venezuela. ‘He lived racism. He was a man who was happy to be not only Puerto Rican, but Latin American. He let people know that. And that is something that is very important for all of us.’
“Clemente was elected on a special Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot that waived the required five-year wait following a player’s last big league game.”
As for the others, I’ve written loads on Warren Spahn over the years and it’s still amazing to think he missed three full seasons at the start of his career, serving in World War II and earning a Purple Heart, yet still won 363 games.
But in looking at his card on baseball-reference.com, I keep forgetting he won 23 games for Milwaukee in 1963, when he was 42! He threw 22 complete games and 7 shutouts.
That ’63 season was also the year of the all-time pitching matchup, July 2nd, Spahn vs. Juan Marichal, in San Francisco. It went 16 innings and both were still at it in the end, when Willie Mays homered off Spahn in the bottom of the 16th with one out for the only run. So Spahn went 15 1/3 to absorb the 1-0 loss, while Marichal went all 16 for the win. He was 25-8 that season.
Talk about forgetting things at my old age. I forgot Marichal won 25 three times! [He was also 25-6 in ’66, and 26-9 in ’68. As Ronald Reagan undoubtedly said back then… “Not bad. Not bad at all.”]
–Finally, Anthony Bosch, the former founder of the Biogenesis clinic at the heart of baseball’s steroids investigation, was rounded up along with nine others on Tuesday morning and Bosch and his attorney surrendered to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Federal sources said Bosch had reached a deal to plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids between October 2008 and December 2012.
Among those arrested was Yuri Sucart, the cousin of Alex Rodriguez, who is the star of the investigation among major league ballplayers.
But “Multiple law enforcement officials told (ESPN’s) ‘Outside the Lines’ that the names of several professional baseball players not previously identified came up in the investigation. The names have not been released, but the sources said the names likely will be in discovery filings.” [Mike Fish and T.J. Quinn / ESPN.com]
The Feds, though, are not focusing on ballplayers or other professional athletes, but rather potential illegal activities between Bosch and his associates. Bosch has been labeled “a drug dealer.”
Aside from A-Rod, thus far Biogenesis implicated Ryan Braun, Nelson Cruz, Melky Cabrera and Bartolo Colon, among others.
But this case also includes at least 15 high school or college athletes who were Bosch patients.
“Of course one of the guys who ended up in handcuffs was Rodriguez’ now-famous ‘Cousin Yuri,’ Yuri Sucart, who Rodriguez essentially called his drug mule from back in the days when Rodriguez went to the needle with the Texas Rangers. We hear now that he and Rodriguez are no longer close. Imagine what happens when the government starts sweating him about what he may have done to help Cousin Alex get baseball drugs.”
“In January, Bud Selig mused aloud about a farewell tour for his final season as commissioner. Meet some fans, shake some hands, celebrate the game.
“The parting gifts might not all be good. On his way out – so close to the finish line that owners plan to vote on his successor next week – Selig might be stained again with the residue of a drug scandal.
“There is no label that stings Selig more than ‘commissioner of the steroid era,’ no phrase he loves to repeat more than ‘toughest drug-testing program in American sports.’ Yet there is no testing program that eradicates drug use, and here we go again….
“Maybe Bosch had not given up the name of every player. Maybe Bosch had distributed steroids to associates who then sold them to players, independent of Bosch. Either way, according to an ESPN report, multiple players not previously linked to Biogenesis were identified in the federal investigation.
“If those names are released, the inevitable suspensions could affect the pennant races and the free-agent market. Selig’s last day in office: Jan. 24, 2015. Those five months suddenly got a lot longer.”
The three candidates to replace Selig are said to be MLB’s chief operating officer, Rob Manfred, MLB EVP Tim Brosnan, and Boston Red Sox chairman Tom Werner. A candidate needs 23 of the 30 owners’ votes to get elected.
It was always felt Manfred was a lock, but some owners now want Werner. As Jayson Stark of ESPN.com put it, “Manfred has been to Selig what Adam Silver was to former NBA commissioner David Stern – a longtime trusted aide who negotiated labor deals, handled crises….and was intimately involved in major issues ranging from drug testing to revenue sharing.” But he’s taken criticism over MLB’s methods in the Biogenesis investigation.
When the Giants drafted running back David Wilson in the first round of the 2012 draft, I thought it was a good move. Wilson, in my mind, was destined for stardom.
But in his first preseason he had fumbleitis and immediately found himself in the doghouse, though when he got to run the ball he averaged 5.0 for 358 yards, plus he had a 97-yard kickoff return for a score.
Then in his second year, he got off to a slow start, had trouble holding the ball again, and then he suffered a neck injury that knocked him out the rest of the season. He underwent spinal fusion surgery in January, though was cleared by the Giants before training camp.
Alas, he reinjured his neck in camp the other day and doctors ruled he should never play again, so David Wilson is walking away. His dream of a long NFL career shattered, Wilson issued a statement through the Giants.
“Growing up, ever since I was 8 years old, I wanted to play in the NFL. It was my dream. And I can’t say that I didn’t live my dream, because I did. I played for the New York Giants. I was a first round draft choice of the New York Giants. I scored touchdowns. I caught touchdowns. I returned kicks for touchdowns and I set records. So I got to do some of the things I dreamed of doing all my life.”
“The benefit of hindsight tells us the Giants, who will err on the side of caution rather than rush a player back and place him in harm’s way, who pride themselves on their medical vigilance, were lucky Wilson suffered a mere burner last Tuesday when the worst-case scenario is unthinkable.
“He should keep that infectious smile on his face and that song in his heart, even if he never gets to play two-hand touch again.
“He gets to live a normal life.
“When the Giants cleared Wilson before training camp, they thought they were certain his spinal fusion surgery in January would not place him in jeopardy. Unfortunately, they thought wrong….
“Peyton Manning, who endured four spinal fusions, didn’t try to rush back the way Wilson did, and doesn’t have to run headfirst into predator linebackers. And, oh, by the way, the average life span of an NFL running back is maybe three years.
“A sad day for Wilson, a sad day for the Giants… He was lightning, was destined to become one of the league’s most exciting players. He was a home run waiting to happen, especially on kickoffs… Then he suffered that herniated disc last October. It was the beginning of the end for him.
“Thankfully, it won’t end for him the way it ended for a Patriots receiver named Darryl Stingley, crushed over the middle 36 years ago by Raiders safety Jack Tatum and rendered a quadriplegic.
“A sad day for Wilson and the Giants, but not a tragic day.”
Jim Kelly
Gregg Doyel of CBSSports.com had the following, after observing the Hall of Fame quarterback during this past weekend’s festivities in Canton; Kelly battling cancer for some time now.
“People like Jim Kelly make me star-struck, and it’s not the football. All due respect, when you’re born with the physical gifts of Jim Kelly, greatness is an easy choice to make. Greatness is fun, rewarding. So it doesn’t blow me away when a guy like Jim Kelly makes that choice.
“Jim Kelly the man, on the other hand, is different. That’s different, because he’s a lot like you and me. Got married, had kids. Been there, done that. One of his kids was born with a deadly illness. That wasn’t me or my kids, but it could have been. Years later Kelly himself was stricken by a potentially deadly illness. That hasn’t been me, but it could be. We’ll see.
“What I’m saying is, Jim Kelly the football player, like LeBron James in basketball and Derek Jeter in baseball and Bill Gates in technology, is a fantasy. That was never me. It was never going to be me….
“But Jim Kelly, the man, is real. And how he has handled Hunter’s tragedy [Ed. his son died at 8 of a rare disease], how he has handled his own, how he has continued to be strong for his family as they deal with his illness – and how he has continued to be strong for other kids and their families as they deal with Krabbe disease – is shocking and uplifting. It blows me away. Intimidates me, shames me, but in a good way. No reason I can’t be as good or as strong as Jim Kelly, though I know in my heart I’m not….
“Stay alive, Jim Kelly. Do it for yourself, your family, your friends. Do it for your fans, like those people who lined the hospital exit in May as you left another radiation treatment.
Golf Balls
World rankings:
1. Rory McIlroy
2. Adam Scott
3. Sergio Garcia
4. Henrik Stenson
5. Justin Rose
As for Tiger Woods and his status, as I go to post it’s still Woods teeing off with Phil Mickelson and Padraig Harrington on Thursday.
Early last week, prior to his Sunday withdrawal from the WGC-Bridgestone, Woods said of his comeback from back surgery vs. prior knee surgeries;
“The knee is so much easier to deal with and rehab. This thing is just way different. The people that I’ve talked to that have had the same procedure, how long it takes them to come back, and most of the people I talked to who have had the procedure have no idea how I’m even back here playing. They just can’t understand that.” [Steve DiMeglio / USA TODAY Sports]
So I’m looking at the tee times for Valhalla and I see the name Jerry Smith. Jerry Smith, the guy I followed ten years ago at Q-School? I looked it up and sure enough, now 50-year-old Jerry Smith qualified for this week by finishing in the top 20 of the PGA National Pro Championship.
This is what I wrote in December 2004 from Q-School out in California, the year I walked all six rounds with Bill Haas.
“But then you have those who are not only struggling to get on the tour but, worst case, ensure they at least gain an exemption onto the Nationwide, the AAA of golf. About 50 gained their Nationwide tour privileges out of the 169 this week. One regular on the minor circuits is Jerry Smith, 40, who played with Bill Haas in the 5th round. Jerry’s lovely wife Jennifer followed him around and she was a joy to talk to. The Smiths long ago chose the vagabond lifestyle of the professional golfer who is just a notch below the top level, and after watching these guys for six rounds you can appreciate the difference between a PGA Tour golfer and a Nationwide one is small. Everyone can bang their drives 280+ and hit solid wedge shots. The difference isn’t just in the putting but between the ears. Two strokes here, two strokes there and you miss a cut and go home hungry.
“Jerry was a classic example of the other side. He had it to 7-under in the 5th round on Sunday but bogeyed two holes coming in to finish at -5 heading into Monday’s finale. I sought out Jennifer before Jerry teed off today and she was shaking like a leaf. Sadly, he went 3-over on his round and failed to get his PGA card. But I’ll be following him as closely as possible on the Nationwide this coming year. This is one class act.”
—San Antonio became the first NBA team to hire a woman as a full-time assistant coach, Becky Hammon, a 16-year veteran of the WNBA who worked in an informal basis with the team last season, attending practices and film sessions, while sitting behind the bench at home games. She’s been friends with Tony Parker and Tim Duncan, and clearly earned Coach Gregg Popovich’s respect.
“I very much look forward to the addition of Becky Hammon to our staff,” Popovich said in a statement. “Having observed her working with our team this past season, I’m confident her basketball IQ, work ethic and interpersonal skills will be a great benefit to the Spurs.”
–As Team USA moves on from the Paul George injury, Coach Mike Krzyzewski said that Derrick Rose has looked very good. In fact Coach K said he’s back at an “elite” level; great news for Bulls fans.
College Football
–CBS Sports had seven panelists vote on all the CFB conference races this year and all seven had Wake Forest last in their ACC division. [All seven also had Rutgers last in its new Big Ten division, Rutgers fans.]
As in, “Last season less than one-third of the English Premier League players were actually English, the smallest percentage since the league’s start in 1992.” [By contrast, La Liga was 60 percent Spanish.] The slow and steady decline has led to homegrown players being relegated to the lower leagues, replaced by international stars. In 1992, 73.1% of the Premier League were English.
Only 35% of the coaches in the Premier League were English last season (7 of 20). But 67% of the coaches in Germany’s main league are German, and 75% of the coaches in La Liga are Spanish. [80% in Italy, 85% in France]
–The Los Angeles Times’ Hugo Martin had a piece on Disneyland’s “It’s a Small World” ride. Walt Disney promised costume designer Alice Davis (not the actress) that the ride he was planning for 1964’s New York World’s Fair would bring joy “to every child from 1 to 100.”
Well your editor went on it in 1964, and did again at Disneyland about 6 years later, and it has had a deleterious effect on my life.
So fifty years later, It’s a Small World remains one of Disneyland’s most popular rides, even as rides come and go every 15 years or so depending on the latest flick or tastes.
But how popular? This is astounding. 290 million have been on it, “or an average of 111,000 a week, for half a century.” Nearly 16,000 a day! As my grandfather used to say, “Gee willickers!” [The ride clocks in at 15 minutes and is fully air conditioned, a major plus.]
But it seems there is a Small World movie in the works! Well, if you have little wee ones, that will be your responsibility.
By the way, as Hugo Martin reports, the ride first came about because UNICEF asked Disney to build an attraction for the World’s Fair and Walt wanted a ride with a wholesome, inspiring theme, according to Alice Davis, now 85.
–Not that you didn’t know this, but in the Aug. 11, 2014, issue of Army Times we have this:
“Can drinking alcohol lead to more mosquito bites? A study from the Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association (that one I do not subscribe to) showed a link between beer consumption and mosquito landings. The study showed a ‘mosquito landing on volunteers significantly increased after beer ingestion compared with before ingestions.’ If you’re headed to an outside event, be sure to pack your bug spray.”
No word on whether there is a difference between those quaffing domestic or premium.
–Speaking of drinking – and here at Bar Chat, we always urge you to drink responsibly, or, if irresponsibly, call a taxi – we congratulate Syracuse University for claiming the title of nation’s top party school! [As determined in “The Best 379 Colleges,” put out by The Princeton Review.] That’s great, kids! You are to be admired…..
….oops, some parents are emailing me. They aren’t happy. Here’s one from Jane Cheeseboard: “My husband and I are shelling out $45,000 a year to send our kid to the number one party school and you think that’s great!!! Cancel my subscription!”
Pssst…kids…Univ. of Iowa (last year’s winner), the Univ. of California-Santa Barbara, West Virginia (“Al-most hea-ven…West Vir-gi-nia!”) and the Univ. of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana round out the top five.
Hey, Pete M. Colgate topped the list of most beautiful campuses.
Other categories, per an AP story I saw in USA TODAY. Stanford is No. 1 in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender-friendly category.
Elon University is “best-run”…they have been pumping huge amounts into the campus there as well.
Yale University has the “best newspaper.” Whatever.
The ‘unhappiest students who give a damn about sports and have lousy football and basketball programs’ were at Wake Forest. At least that’s my guess. Not sure that was a real category.
–Fox’s “24: Live Another Day” ended up doing very well on the ratings front. Jack Bauer still has it. When you add in all the “non-linear platforms” these days, like Video On Demand, the show’s finale did 12% better than the last season, 2010. Now, to get accurate final ratings, you wait 30 days for all the platforms to come in. Heck, I’m one who binged on 5 or 6 episodes one day to catch up so I could watch the finale the regularly scheduled night.
[Recall, Bauer was heading to prison in Moscow as the show ended and is no doubt working on a plan to not only extricate himself, but also to target a certain leader in the Kremlin.]
Top 3 songs for the week 8/5/67: #1 “Light My Fire” (The Doors) #2 “I Was Made to Love Her” (Stevie Wonder) #3 “All You Need Is Love” (The Beatles)…and… #4 “Windy” (The Association…underrated group…had been #1 before ‘Light My Fire’…) #5 “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” (Procul Harum) #6 “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” (Frankie Valli…great moment in “The Deer Hunter”…) #7 “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” (The Buckinghams) #8 “White Rabbit” (Jefferson Airplane…’bout a little white bunny in the back yard…or maybe not…) #9 “Pleasant Valley Sunday” (The Monkees) #10 “Little Bit O’Soul” (The Music Explosion…hasn’t aged well….)
PGA Championship Quiz Answers: Hal Sutton won at Riviera in 1983; Lanny Wadkins at Pebble Beach in 1977.
Next Bar Chat, Monday…Jeff B.’s brush with a big-time celebrity on Watch Hill, Rhode Island.
