Chicago White Sox Quiz: 1) Who is the single-season leader in batting average at .388? 2) Who is the single-season home run leader with 49? 3) Who is the single-season stolen base leader with 77, set in 1983? 4) Post-1921, only two White Sox hurlers have won 24 games in a season. Name ‘em. Answers below.
Triple Crown?
As we wait to see what happens on Saturday at The Belmont Stakes, Joe Drape of the New York Times:
“The lawyer for the man who alleges that Ahmed Zayat has not paid a $2 million gambling debt filed a $10 million libel suit on Monday against Zayat, the owner of American Pharoah. [I keep misspelling it.]
“Joseph Bainton, the lawyer for Howard Rubinsky, said Zayat maliciously defamed him when he told reporters that the original lawsuit was ‘extortion, a fraud and blackmail.’
“In the complaint, Bainton refers to articles in The Daily News, The Associated Press and outlets as far away as The Daily Mail in London, where Zayat had characterized Rubinsky’s suit as complete ‘fiction.’ Bainton also refers to an Observer.com article on May 23, in which Zayat commented on the timing of the lawsuit.
“ ‘It’s a fraud,’ Zayat told The Associated Press. ‘It’s a scam from A to Z. It’s total fiction. It’s a total lie.’
Well, imagine what the impact on Pharoah is with all this going on. Bar Chat was in the paddock upon his arrival in New York on Tuesday and got an exclusive interview with the colt.
“Pharoah, care to comment on Joe Drape’s New York Times story?”
“No….this is like the last freakin’ thing I need at this point in time.”
“The suit claims your owner ‘opened a $3 million line of credit…at Tradewinds Sportsbook in Costa Rica’…and that he ‘lost $2 million and refused to pay,’ according to Rubinsky.”
“Look, my focus is on Saturday. Go talk to Zayat. The only two guys I listen to these days are Baffert and Espinoza. Hey, how come you didn’t bring Hannah Davis with you?!”
The weather forecast has improved for Saturday, which is not good for Pharoah. Earlier, rain was in play.
Four days after being re-elected to a fifth term as president of world soccer’s governing body, Sepp Blatter announced he would resign his position as law enforcement officials confirmed he was a focus of the investigation into FIFA.
According to the New York Times: “Mr. Blatter had for days tried to distance himself from the controversy, but several United States officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that in their efforts to build a case against Mr. Blatter they were hoping to win the cooperation of some of the FIFA officials now under indictment and work their way up the organization.”
Blatter, in a short speech, said, “FIFA needs a profound restructuring” and that he had decided to step away.
But his resignation is not immediate. According to FIFA rules, there must be at least four months’ notice to hold a special meeting to elect a new president. Blatter remains in charge in the meantime.
It seems a major reason why Blatter finally saw the handwriting on the wall was word his top deputy, Jerome Valcke, had been identified by U.S. officials “as a person linked to wire transfers involving bank payments believed to be bribes related to World Cup bids.” [Like $10M worth.]
As for reports both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to be held in Russia and Qatar are now in jeopardy, once the truth behind the bids is fully laid out, I still just don’t see it. Too much work has already taken place on both sites.
–What a Monday night on the west coast for the Mets and Yankees. The Mets’ Jacob deGrom was spectacular, 8 innings, 2 hits, no runs, no walks, 8 strikeouts as New York beat San Diego 7-0. DeGrom, after a rough 4-game stretch, has been superb his last 4 starts…29 IP, 3 ER (0.92 ERA), 14 H, 1 BB 34 SO…4 wins as well. Last year’s Rookie of the Year is back to 6-4, 2.41.
I also can’t help but note San Diego starter Andrew Cashner, who, as noted by Elias Sports, was the first pitcher in modern history to strike out at least 12, walk nobody and not make it through the fifth. He gave up six runs and 11 hits, yet still had those 12 Ks. Totally bizarre.
But then on Tuesday, it happened again! In the same series! The Mets’ Noah Syndergaard pitched just four innings, giving up 10 hits (7 earned runs) while striking out 10, as the Padres won 7-2. Now that’s amazing.
So no pitcher had ever allowed 10 hits, while striking out 10 and not lasting five innings, and it happened on consecutive nights, same two teams.
As for the Yankees, all they did was knock out King Felix Hernandez in the fifth on their way to a 7-2 win in Seattle. Hernandez, now 8-2, gave up 7 earned in 4 2/3. Michael Pineda, with 6 effective innings, improved to 7-2 against his old team. Surprisingly, because of injury and suspensions, he hadn’t faced the Mariners since he was traded to the Yanks in 2012.
And on Tuesday, the Yanks prevailed 5-3 in 11 innings, thanks to Garrett Jones’ three-run blast in the top of the 11th.
Meanwhile, what the heck is up with Robinson Cano? Cano averaged .309 as a Yankee, including one of the great five-year stretches of all time for a middle infielder, 25+ home runs each season, three 100-RBI seasons, he hit between .302 and .320, 40+ doubles each year, and played every day.
Then he signs a humongous 10-year, $240 million deal after the 2013 season to play in Seattle, $24 million per, and does a solid job his first year, batting .314 with 14 HR and 82 RBI.
But this year he is at .249 with only two home runs and 17 RBI! I mean the season is one-third over. That’s one helluva last 108 games to get back to even .314, 14-82, let alone, say, the 25-90, .310 the Mariners thought they were receiving.
Thankfully for Seattle (24-28), Nelson Cruz, who signed a four-year, $57M deal in the offseason, is hitting .330 with 18 HR 39 RBI, a genuine Triple Crown threat.
Seattle is a big disappointment thus far, but a return to form by Cano would be a huge lift.
—David Wright finally spoke Tuesday, telling Mets fans he will return this season, but who knows when. GM Sandy Alderson said the team is not “on the edge of our seats” waiting for him to come back from his lower back issue, spinal stenosis.
Wright has been told surgery is not an option and he’ll be evaluated weekly. There isn’t any timetable for him resuming baseball activities. What a debacle.
–I really thought the Padres made a great move in acquiring Matt Kemp in the offseason, but in 211 at-bats, he has just one home run! ‘Sup wit dat? He’s also batting just .242.
–Aside from King Felix on Monday, Tuesday saw some other top hurlers take it on the chin. The Dodgers’ Zack Greinke allowed 5 earned in 6 innings as L.A. lost to Colorado 9-8, while Washington’s Max Scherzer dropped to 6-4, 1.85, as the Nats lost to the Blue Jays 7-3; Scherzer giving up 4 earned in 6.
Even the Pirates’ A.J. Burnett was hit hard on Tuesday, giving up 4 earned in just 5 innings, but he won (now 6-1, 2.20) as the surging Pirates beat the Giants 7-4.
–Speaking of the Giants, no doubt who the best shortstop in baseball is these days, Brandon Crawford, with 8 HR 36 RBI, .297.
–Nice debut for 21-year-old Texas first baseman Joey Gallo. Called up for the injured Adrian Beltre, Gallo went 3-for-4 with a home run, double and 4 RBIs. Gallo, the Rangers’ top prospect, had back-to-back 40 homer seasons in the minors the past two years.
–In the College World Series, top-seeded UCLA was ousted in the first round by Maryland on Monday night, 2-1, but the other top eight seeds prevailed
So heading into this weekend’s Super Regionals, which are best of three, this is the Sweet Sixteen, the eight winners advancing to Omaha and the CWS.
Virginia vs. Maryland; Arkansas vs. 8 Missouri State; 5 Miami (FL) vs. VCU; 4 Florida vs. Florida State; 2 LSU vs. La-Lafayette; 7 TCU vs. Texas A&M; 6 Illinois vs. Vanderbilt; 3 Louisville vs. Cal St. Fullerton.
You know, they say the Stanley Cup is the toughest title in sports to win, and I concur, but the CWS has to be right up there. That first round, double elimination event, is a bear.
But as we wait, the Bulls did ink Fred Hoiberg, five years, $25 million, so it’s kind of interesting two of the higher profile college coaches are joining the NBA coaching ranks, the other being former Florida coach Billy Donovan, who earlier took the Oklahoma City job. I’m guessing both do just fine. This shouldn’t be John Calipari moving to the Nets, or, going way back, and in a different sport, Lou Holtz coaching the Jets.
Hoiberg is perfect for the Bulls, having been a popular player there and being friends with management, while Donovan should have no problem dealing with OKC’s superstars.
What will really be interesting for college basketball junkies is how Iowa State does, seeing as they are already a consensus top five with the corps they have returning.
—Adrian Peterson showed up at the Vikings’ team facility on Tuesday, participating in organized team activities (OTAs) for the first time…his first practice since Sept. 12, when he was indicted for injuring his 4-year-old son for disciplining him with a switch.
Peterson, who has expressed displeasure with the Vikings, believing they didn’t do enough to support him, said, “I’m happy where I’m at, here with the Minnesota Vikings.”
Peterson turned 30 in March. He is scheduled to make $12.75 million in 2015, but while his contract runs through 2017, he has no more guaranteed money, so the team can cut him without paying him another dime.
–Carolina QB Cam Newton signed a five-year contract extension at a reported $103.8 million, with $60M guaranteed. As Ronald Reagan would have said, ‘Not bad, not bad at all.’
–I was surprised to see a piece in the Washington Post on how the Redskins have been removing seats at FedEx Field for the third time in five seasons, further decreasing the capacity of what had been the league’s biggest stadium.
“The team listed its stadium capacity at 85,000 last season, but attendance never topped 81,000 and averaged less than 78,000. The Redskins led the NFL with an average attendance of 88,090 in 2007 but have averaged fewer than 80,000 four seasons in a row….
“Fans in recent years have complained of a poor experience at the Landover stadium, marked by snarled parking, rowdy fan behavior, long lines, frequent advertisements and large numbers of interlopers from visiting teams. At the same time, the home viewing experience for fans of all 32 NFL franchises has dramatically improved, thanks to large high-definition TVs and the NFL’s own RedZone network, which shows every scoring play.
“ ‘It’s just more fun to watch at home, without spending eight hours of your day,’ said lifelong fan Jen Riskus, whose family shed two of its six tickets several years ago and another two this spring. ‘It used to be that everyone wanted to go with us to the game. Starting two or three years ago, we couldn’t get anyone to go with us. We couldn’t even give them away for free.’”
Of course it doesn’t help the team has been unwatchable, except at home with a clean bathroom nearby.
Anyway, the Skins have removed between 4,000 and 6,000 seats, with the team declining to be specific, including on what would be replacing the empty rows. [Dan Steinberg and Scott Allen / Washington Post]
–One note concerning the college game, UAB suddenly announced it was reversing a December decision to shelve the football program, after an estimated $27 million was raised through the UAB Football Foundation, the city of Birmingham and the UAB Undergraduate Student Government Association.
Realistically, it would seem the program will get going again for the 2017 season, possibly 2016. It’s going to be a real challenge starting a roster from scratch within the existing rules, such as scholarship limitations.
UAB was 86-135 in its 19 seasons in FBS, but was a respectable 6-6 last season. The school had become the first major college football program to shut down since Pacific did so in 1995.
Golf Balls
–Big tournament this week at Jack Nicklaus’ Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio…the Memorial. Tiger Woods is back, and the Tour, whether you like it or not, is better when he’s in contention.
The problem is his game is so lowly he is now down to No. 172 in the Official World Golf Rankings. Since Tiger’s first win in the 1996 Las Vegas Invitational, he has been in the top 75. When he assumed the No. 1 spot at the 1997 U.S. Open, Woods then spent 683 weeks there.
Since his return from back surgery in 2014, Woods’ only top-20 finish has been a T-17 at this year’s Masters. [Alex Miceli / Golfweek]
Meanwhile, Tiger’s former caddie, Steve Williams, in an interview for Golf Digest, says he doesn’t believe Woods used PEDs, though he thinks all the weightlifting Tiger did hurt him.
“Did Tiger do PEDs? There’s no chance,” Williams said. “Love him or hate him, Tiger always respected the game. He knows its history and people, its standing in sports and the world. He always knew what golf did for him personally.
“Whether PEDs have been used by other people is a good question, because it’s occurred in every other sport. So why would golf be any different? The PGA Tour tries so hard to promote a squeaky-clean image, and we all know that’s not the case, certainly with recreational drugs and probably the other stuff. I saw no specific cases and was never particularly interested in the subject. But, yeah, I’m sure it’s gone on.”
–So the other day I talked of the Irish Open at Royal County Down in Northern Ireland, a spectacular links course that was a bear for the pros last weekend, and I had to note this from John Huggan in Golfworld.
“An art form emanating from an increasingly bygone age rather than a modern-day science project, golf by the seaside has long provoked a range of emotion and conclusion. To those disinclined to the unexpected, the unpredictable or, heaven forbid, the ‘unfair’ – aka a sizable percentage of 21st-century tour professionals – the idea of a lot of bounces good and bad is anathema. But for the more romantic soul, the same scenario represents proper golf, fascinatingly multi-dimensional, the ball on the ground as much as in the air.”
Ernie Els called Royal County Down “one of the top three links in the world.” Another leading professional deemed it, “an unplayable nonsense.”
John Huggan: “Perhaps the only common ground can be found in the unimpeachable view that this broad expanse of classic linksland in Newcastle, at the foot of Northern Ireland’s spectacular Mourne Mountains, is one of the most beautiful golf locations on the planet.”
That it is. But when my friends and I were there, mid-90s, “The Troubles” were still part of the story and it was incredible the attitudes we encountered as we drank in a Protestant pub for an hour, and then walked across the street to a Catholic establishment. But, thankfully, things have changed for the better, at least a little.
–Congratulations to SMU’s Bryson Dechambeau for winning the NCAA individual golf title in Bradenton, Fla., at The Concession Golf Club. Dechambeau defeated Washington’s Cheng-Tsung Pan.
As for match play, the final eight was Illinois vs. UCLA, Vanderbilt vs. LSU, Georgia vs. South Florida, and Texas vs. Southern California.
So today, LSU is squaring off against USC. LSU is gunning for its fifth title, but first since 1955, while USC is seeking its first, which surprised me.
—Stanford defeated Baylor for the NCAA women’s title. Emma Talley of Alabama was your individual winner.
French Open
—No. 8 Stan Wawrinka whipped No. 2 Roger Federer in straight sets, thus depriving the 33-year-old Federer once again of a shot at his 18th major singles title. He’s been stuck on 17, the record by three, since winning Wimbledon in 2012, going 0-for-11.
–As I go to post, play is about to begin in the quarterfinals between No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 6 Rafael Nadal, while No. 3 Andy Murray plays No. 7 David Ferrer.
Nadal leads his series against Djokovic 23-20 overall, 9-3 at Grand Slam tournaments, 6-0 at the French Open, which Nadal has won a staggering nine times (9 of his 14 majors).
–For the second time in three weeks, a bison seriously injured a tourist in Yellowstone National Park. As reported by the AP, “The bison tossed the 62-year-old Australian several times into the air Tuesday morning. The unidentified man was flown by helicopter to a hospital. He had serious but not life-threatening injuries.
“The man wasn’t the only person to blame for the encounter, park officials said. Several people crowded the bison as it lay on the grass near a paved sidewalk not far from the famous Old Faithful Geyser.
“ ‘The bison was already getting agitated,’ Yellowstone spokeswoman Amy Bartlett said.
“The man stepped forward and snapped photos with an electronic notepad just 3 to 5 feet away from the animal, she said.
“When the bison charged, the tourist had little chance to escape.”
Bison and elk, by the way, attack more people each year at Yellowstone than grizzly bears and wolves.
—An American woman, a tourist, died at a lion park in Johannesburg, South Africa, when a lion attacked through an open window in the vehicle in which she was traveling. The park specifically forbids visitors from opening their car windows in areas such as the one she was in.
And so ‘Man’ remains mired at No. 323 on the All-Species List. ‘Lion,’ of whom I’m not a big fan vs. No. 3 ‘Tiger,’ is nonetheless at No. 11.
[Next week I’ll unveil a new Top Ten…Where will the ‘Leopard Seal’ rank? Does he even make it? What of ‘Gibbon’? One thing is for sure, ‘Chimp’ will be nowhere to be found until he stops firing s— at zoo onlookers. Does ‘Beaver’ suddenly get a reprieve? After years in hiding, does ‘Yak’ reemerge? ‘Grouper’? ‘Swordfish’? He shows me everything these days. I can guarantee one surprise; a common species in North America that can sing about 12 different tunes.]
–By the way, re chimps, a headline in Wednesday’s New York Times reads: “Chimps Would Cook if Given the Chance, Research Says.”
As reported by James Gorman: “It’s not that the animals are ready to go head-to-head with Gordon Ramsay, but scientists from Harvard and Yale found that chimps have the patience and foresight to resist eating raw food and to place it in a device meant to appear, at least to the chimps, to cook it.”
Sorry, chimps are overrated and chances are they’d cook up a meal for you and then as they are serving it, throw it in your face. To paraphrase GEICO, “It’s what chimps do.”
[Of course the chimp is also capable of ripping your face off…but we won’t go there.]
–So here I just wrote about the difference between George Clooney’s box office success (or lack thereof) and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s, and Johnson once again kicked butt last weekend with the surprisingly strong debut of “San Andreas,” which took in $53.2 million in the U.S. and Canada. It’s Johnson’s best debut as a solo lead. Personally, I love it. No reason not to like the guy, at least from what I’ve read over the years.
As for Clooney, his “Tomorrowland” saw ticket sales drop 58% from the previous weekend to just $13.8 million.
–We note the passing of Louis Johnson, the bassist who had a string of hits with the Brothers Johnson, while also working as a session musician for Quincy Jones, appearing on Michael Jackson’s “Off the Wall” and “Thriller” albums. Johnson was just 60 and the cause has not been determined.
Louis and his brother, George, collaborated for years and had a number of platinum albums in the 1970s and ‘80s, with hits such as ‘I’ll Be Good to You,” “Stomp!” and “Strawberry Letter 23,” which all hit #1 on the R&B charts and were top ten on Billboard Pop lists.
–Shu and his wife caught the new Brian Wilson biopic, “Love and Mercy,” and said it was outstanding.
Top 3 songs for the week 6/5/76: #1 “Love Hangover” (Diana Ross) #2 “Silly Love Songs” (Wings…dreadfu l…) #3 “Get Up And Boogie (That’s Right)” (Silver Convention…ughh…)…and…#4 “Misty Blue” (Dorothy Moore) #5 “Happy Days” (Pratt & McClain) #6 “Shannon” (Henry Gross…song about former Cardinals third baseman Mike Shannon…I think…) #7 “Welcome Back” (John Sebastian…solid tune that has aged well…) #8 “Sara Smile” (Daryl Hall & John Oates…one of my faves of theirs…) #9 “Shop Around” (Captain & Tennille) #10 “Fool To Cry” (The Rolling Stones)
Chicago White Sox Quiz Answers: 1) Hall of Famer Luke Appling hit .388 in 1936. 2) Albert Belle hit 49 home runs in 1998, the same season he set the White Sox’ single-season RBI mark at 152. 3) Rudy Law stole 77 bases in 1983. 4) Two 24-game winners: LaMarr Hoyt, 1983, and Wilbur Wood, 1972-73, throwing 376 and 359 innings, respectively, in those two seasons. [49 and 48 starts…no way we see this kind of performance ever again in our lifetime.]
