1978-79 Seattle Supersonics Quiz: Name the six full-time players who scored in double-figures for this NBA championship team that defeated the Washington Bullets 4-1 in the Finals. Answer below.
American Pharoah
Triple Crown winners: Sir Barton (1919), Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), Affirmed (1978), American Pharoah (2015).
It all began five weeks ago when Pharoah captured the Kentucky Derby by a length, then Pharoah splashed in the mud at the Preakness to take it by seven lengths.
Trainer Bob Baffert shipped Pharoah back to his barn at Churchill Downs following the Preakness to begin preparing for the Belmont Stakes. Three previous times Baffert had trained horses to win the Derby and Preakness, only to come up short in New York – Silver Charm (1997), Real Quiet (1998) and War Emblem (2002).
But in his last tune-ups, Pharoah looked great. He was then flown from Louisville to New York on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the colt went to Belmont’s main track for the first time where he had an easy jog. Baffert said, “He looked happy out there and that’s the whole key, keep them happy.”
The rest of the week, after light workouts, the New York press reported that all was going well. Pharoah’s handlers said they couldn’t be more pleased. This didn’t seem to be a horse that was breaking down after a grueling first two races, which has been the issue for so many of the Derby-Preakness winners the prior 36 years since Affirmed.
All we’ve been told is it’s just too tough these days to win three big races, on three different tracks, three different lengths, when horses are primarily bred for speed, not stamina, in the modern era.
But you also kept hearing Pharoah was in terrific shape. An hour before the Belmont on Saturday, Bob Costas interviewed jockey Victor Espinoza and Espinoza added his voice to the growing chorus. Pharoah was ready. Espinoza compared it to his ride on California Chrome last year. That winner of the Derby and Preakness was not in good shape heading to the final leg.
And then, right from the start, Pharoah took command and in one of the great performances by an athlete of all time, led wire-to-wire and closed the deal.
“At the top of the stretch, this is what you heard at Belmont Park, and this is what you saw: Ninety thousand people taking a half-second to catch their breath, to recalibrate their eyes. To learn all over again how to believe.
“This is what it’s like to watch history as it happens.
“And the people, all 90,000 of them, wanted to be sure they were seeing what they were seeing, wanted to make sure their eyes weren’t tangling with the emotions, playing dirty tricks on them. American Pharoah was in the lead, and it sure seemed like he was pulling away.
“ ‘Let him be happy,’ said Victor Espinoza, the man riding him.
“ ‘That little horse deserves it,’ said Bob Baffert, the man who trained him.
“He deserved it, sure. But so did the people, so often felled by false hope these past 37 years. Now, officially, this is what they said: to hell with our voices; they’ll be back by Monday.
“To hell with our cynicism, and to the myth we had started to believe in, that no horse would ever again be good enough to add a Belmont Stakes crown to the Kentucky Derby, and the Preakness.
“Down the stretch they came. The field – the world – trailing American Pharoah, losing ground by the step, losing lengths by the second. This is what it’s like to watch royalty in real time.
“And here came American Pharoah, pulling away, the noise building, growing, spilling over the grandstands, flooding the Cross Island Parkway and Hempstead Turnpike. Here came Espinoza, enjoying the ride of his lifetime, coaxing him home.
“There, in the crowd, was Baffert and his family, Baffert recognizable from a mile and a half away thanks to his shock of snow white hair, about to climax a brilliant career the best way possible, joining an elite roster of men like Sunny Jim Fitzsimons and Ben Jones and Lucien Laurin…..
“Here they all were, and here was New York City, 90,000 strong, and the instant American Pharoah crossed the finish line – did you channel Gary Cohen ‘It. Has. HAPPENED!’? – the scene everywhere at Belmont Park was one you’ll remember for a lifetime:
“Strangers slapping hands. Strangers exchanging hugs. Fans in every level of the grandstand exiting their seats, taking to the corridors, running wildly, as if inspired by what they had seen, emptying their lungs with glee, with joy, with bliss. Some of them weeping, too.
“If somehow the Yankees could win the World Series, the Giants the Super Bowl and the Knicks the NBA championship at the same exact time, in the same exact place – well, that’s what it sounded like. If you were there, you’ll remember that sound forever. You’ll remember what you saw. Forever. History as it happened.
“The drought is over. That little horse deserved it. And so did you.”
“The tired old chorus never did play Saturday at Belmont Park. The giant old ground never did produce the habitual old sound of a sold-out 90,000 going loud with anticipation and then muffled with disappointment.
“Instead, the roar that forms at the top of the stretch did something fresh and unheard for 37 years. It sustained itself. It lasted in full, goose-bump frenzy as American Pharoah, a bay colt with a truncated tail and a floating stride, commanded the race and demanded some space in the books.
“He glided toward the Triple Crown.
“The roar continued. It passed one minute, reached 90 seconds, soared and flared on past two minutes. It drew from people who had felt the past sighs, from people who care deeply about the sport and from people who waited all day for the I-was-there memory, then hugged and bounced.
“ ‘All I did was just take in the crowd,’ said American Pharoah trainer Bob Baffert…It was thundering, and I was just enjoying the call, the crowd, the noise, everything happening, 37 years, and we’re part of this.’”
“As American Pharoah came out of the far turn and squared his shoulders to let his rider, Victor Espinoza, stare down the long withering stretch of Belmont Park, a sense of inevitability surged through this mammoth old grandstand. The fans in a capacity crowd strained on their tiptoes and let out a roar from deep in their souls. It was going to end, finally – this 37-year search for a great racehorse.
“No, a battered old sport was looking for an immortal thoroughbred, one worthy to stand alongside Sir Barton and Assault, War Admiral and Whirlaway, Count Fleet and Citation, a horse able to earn the title of a Triple Crown champion….
“But as American Pharoah bounded into the stretch amid a deafening roar, the memories of the gritty Affirmed, the speedy Seattle Slew and that tremendous machine Secretariat were summoned from backside to grandstand, and rightfully so.
“No one doubted that American Pharoah was about to enter the history books. He was bouncing down the lane as if jumping from one trampoline to the other and no one was going to catch him. In the saddle, Espinoza felt a rush that twice previously he had been able only to dream about.
“He was on California Chrome last year, and War Emblem in 2002, feeling those two very good colts staggering and feeling the collective gasp of more than 100,000 people disappointed once again. But not this time – Espinoza dropped the rein of his colt and let the muscled bay take him home….
“American Pharoah’s strides seemed to get longer and longer, but Espinoza felt as if he was riding a cloud.
“ ‘You don’t even feel him,’ he said. ‘It feels like you are going in slow motion.’…
“In the record books, it will say American Pharoah covered the marathon distance in 2 minutes 26.65 seconds and paid his backers $3.50 for a $2 bet and fattened his earnings to more than $4.5 million for his owner, Ahmed Zayat.
“But as Espinoza galloped American Pharoah the length of the grandstand and let a thunderstruck crowd, many with tears in their eyes, cheer an ethereal performance of a once in a lifetime athlete, he could barely catch his breath.
“ ‘Wow,’ he told the outrider alongside him. ‘Wow. He’s just an amazing horse.’”
“A wonderful thoroughbred race horse put America on his back Saturday and took the country for a ride.
“American Pharoah’s name may be misspelled, but his mission and his magnificence can never be misstated.
“This one was for more than just racing fans, or sports fans. It was one of those moments that, if only for a short time, transcends our daily lives.
“American Pharoah won the Triple Crown. A sentence saying anyone had accomplished the feat hadn’t been typed in 37 years….
“He faced a field of seven others. There is no way to know what level of class existed in that group. If any of them were truly great, American Pharoah would have been greater. It’s just the way it was, and has been all season…
“Espinoza got to the head of the stretch at this massive Belmont track, in this ultra-challenging 1 ½-mile test for a 3-year-old, and peaked under his arms. First left, then right.
“ ‘I was looking for them,’ he said. ‘I was wondering where they were, if they were coming.’
“Seeing that only Frosted was anywhere within range, Espinoza turned his head to the front and urged American Pharoah with the reins. Poor Frosted. He was instantly iced.
“Espinoza’s action spoke louder than any words: ‘OK, big guy. Let’s get this finished.’
“And it turned the run for home into the ultimate showcase, a perfectly timed massive celebration, directly in front of a massive and loving crowd. There was no doubt who was going to win, or how. There was no question that everyone who had come to see this, a capped crowd of 90,000, were seeing everything for which they had hoped and prayed.
“It was history, and they were witnesses to it. If they cashed their winning tickets, they ought to be ashamed. Few will. They will remember this one in their heart and put its evidence on a special shelf. Maybe light a candle near it.”
By the way, the Triple Crown trophy goes back to Kentucky to get engraved with the details of the race and is then sent to the owners of Pharoah.
But now for the first time since 1978, “there will not be a Triple Crown trophy waiting to be won – until a new one is created.” [Bill Pennington / New York Times]
And we have this…Sunday, owner Ahmed Zayat said he wants the fans “to still enjoy something,” and he’s leaving it up to trainer Bob Baffert to map out a schedule.
Give Zayat a ton of credit. He has already sold the breeding rights to Pharoah, but, “They have zero say until he retires,” said Zayat. “We owe it to the sport to do the right thing. Money plays an important factor in this game. I’ve already sold (the rights0, but it is my genuine desire, as a fan, as someone who loves horses, to race him as long as I possibly can.”
Wow. I immediately thought of the Travers at Saratoga on Aug. 29, but there is speculation it could be the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth in New Jersey on Aug. 2.
There are other possible races, including one in California, but what gives the Haskell an edge, perhaps, is Baffert has won it seven times and Zayat lives in Teaneck, New Jersey.
So what did your editor do upon hearing this? I booked a hotel room a mile from Monmouth Park for the night of the race, a Sunday, so if they choose the Haskell, I can just walk back to my hotel after the race and avoid what will be awful traffic trying to get home. [For people not familiar with the area, Monmouth Park is at the Jersey shore and Sunday nights in the summer can be a mess on the Garden State Parkway.]
There is also a chance Baffert and Zayat could wait for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Oct. 31, at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky, near where Pharoah will serve stud duty.
What race fans hope is it runs two more. Needless to say there is hefty insurance on the horse.
* I watched the race in Washington Crossing, PA, and want to thank Denise D. for serving Shiner Bock…the premium domestic.
NBA Finals
“With Kyrie Irving officially gone for the remainder of the finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers must figure out a way to compete with a powerful Golden State Warriors team that may have been too much for them even when they were at full strength.
“ ‘If he’s not able to go, it’s something that’s not new to us,’ LeBron James said Friday before it was announced that Irving had fractured his left kneecap in overtime of Thursday night’s 108-100 Game 1 defeat. ‘So next man up, and guys will be ready for the challenge.’
“Be it Matthew Dellavedova replacing Irving at point guard, or Iman Shumpert or even J.R. Smith, the Cavaliers understand this is not the Eastern Conference anymore. This opponent is not the Atlanta Hawks, whom the Cavs swept in the conference finals despite Irving’s missing two games and the loss of power forward Kevin Love for the postseason in the first round.”
Irving had surgery on Saturday and is expected to be out four to five months, meaning the impact will carry into next season.
But back to Game 1, Mike Lupica / New York Daily News:
“That was a surpassing performance from LeBron James…as he and the Cavaliers were trying to steal Game 1 from the Golden State Warriors, who are better and deeper and all that.
“LeBron carried his team all the way to the last minute of regulation, even as Steve Kerr kept running all these big, fast, strong guys at him.
“J.R. Smith had turned into the bad J.R. who Knicks fans remember, and as well as Kyrie Irving played, it was clear that he wasn’t himself.
“They had the ball at the end, had the last shot, and it was here that James surprised you and maybe even the Warriors, as well covered as he was, by taking a terrible shot with just under five seconds left.
“He essentially fired up a prayer, even if it was the kind of shot that won the Cavs a playoff game against the Chicago Bulls.
“The shot never had a chance of going in from the time it left his hands, and the fact of things is that Iman Shumpert’s desperation put-back from the right corner was the shot that almost won this game for the Cavaliers.
“The shame of all of this, now that Irving’s left knee has officially exploded and taken him out of the series, is that what we saw in Game 1 was all the possibilities of Warriors vs. Cavaliers.
“We saw what a wonderful series this could have been if the sides were remotely even.
“Only now they’re not, which is why if the Cavaliers do come back and make a series out of this, it’s going to feel like a Miracle on Ice, whether they’ve still got the King on their side or not.”
So with all the above, it was on to Game 2 and what happened? With Cleveland up 83-72 and just 3:13 left after a big three by LeBron, Golden State roared back to force overtime with a 15-4 run. James missed a driving layup at the buzzer in regulation, after getting bottled up the previous possession and committing a critical turnover the one before that.
In OT, though, the officiating was absolutely horrendous, as James was mauled a few times, but Matthew Dellavedova hit two free throws to give Cleveland a 94-93 lead with 10.1 left. Steph Curry got bottled up by Dellavedova, threw up an airball, and with James adding a free throw and Curry then throwing it away, the Cavs pull it out, 95-93.
James had 39 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists, though he shot 11-34 from the field, while Steph Curry was horrendous…5-23 from the field, just 2-15 from three and six turnovers.
Amazingly, despite all the issues, Cleveland does what it had to do. Win one in Oakland.
Game 1, by the way, was the highest-rated Game 1 for ABC ever, according to Nielsen, a 12.9 overnight figure. The game delivered a 41.4 rating in the Cleveland market and a 28.9 in San Francisco, the highest-ever numbers for an NBA game at each.
–We note the passing of Clarence “Bevo” Francis, who scored 113 points for a small Ohio college in a 1954 game. He was 82.
Francis’ landmark game came against Michigan’s Hillsdale College on Feb. 2, 1954, and put his tiny Rio Grande College on the map. At the time, the school in southeastern Ohio, had less than 100 students.
The record stood until 2012 when Grinnell College’s Jack Taylor poured in 138.
During the 1952-53 season, Francis led his school to a 39-0 record. In 1954, he averaged 48.0 points a game.
The 6-feet-9 center was part of a barnstorming team after college and while drafted later by the Philadelphia Warriors of the NBA, he chose not to play.
Stanley Cup
The Tampa Bay Lightning came back from their Game 1 defeat against the Chicago Blackhawks to even up the series at 1-1 with a 4-3 win in Tampa Saturday night.
Tampa Bay made three goalie changes in the third period, 20-year-old Andrei Vasilevskiy replacing Ben Bishop twice. The Lightning didn’t say why Bishop left the game, came back and left again, but Vasilevskiy was outstanding.
The Lightning are 4-0 in Game 2 of their four postseason series after going 1-3 in Game 1.
—Clayton Kershaw is 0-4 with a 7.54 ERA the past two postseasons against the Cardinals, but he got some modicum of revenge on Saturday night in a 2-0 Dodgers win over St. Louis, as he allowed only one hit in eight innings and struck out 11.
So suddenly Kershaw is back on the beam, winning his last three to improve to 5-3, while allowing just two earned in 22 innings to drop his ERA to 3.36. Yup, as Sandy Koufax noted a few weeks ago, nothing to worry about after the ace’s poor start.
–Best pitchers in the N.L. these days? Try Pittsburgh’s Gerrit Cole, 9-2, 1.73, after 7 scoreless against the Braves in a 3-0 win on Sunday. [Nice 13-3 run for the Bucs, after a lousy 18-22 start.]
Or St. Louis’ Michael Wacha, 8-1, 2.18.
Or San Diego’s James Shields, 7-0, 3.58.
–Talk about surprise teams, Minnesota is 33-23, and former Met Mike Pelfrey, who was 5-16 for the Twins the past two seasons, is 5-2, 2.28 thus far in 2015.
–Texas rookie hurler Chi Chi Gonzalez has thrown 14 2/3 innings of shutout ball to start his career, including a 3-hit shutout the other night.
–Heading into the Sunday night game, Dodgers rookie Joc Pederson had 17 home runs which have gone for a major league baseball best average of 428 feet.
–Injured Mets third baseman David Wright spoke the other day and indicated he will play again this season, with surgery for his spinal stenosis not an option at this point. But Wright hardly reassured fans or Mets management.
No one will be surprised if he never comes back, and the club, beyond the short term, may not be that concerned because GM Sandy Alderson acknowledged the club has an insurance policy that will soon kick in, allowing the Mets to recover a portion of Wright’s salary – believed to be about 75 percent – while he is on the disabled list.
–One week into his return, poor Josh Hamilton strained his hamstring and will be out 3-4 weeks.
–Oakland’s Pat Venditte became the first pitcher in 20 years to pitch with both arms in a major league game on Friday, going two scoreless against Boston. Rule 5.07(f) requires a switch-pitcher to declare which arm he will use before a batter steps to the plate. The rule was meant to avoid a standoff with the pitcher and the hitter refusing to pick sides.
—Alex Rodriguez got an RBI in Friday’s 8-7 win over the Angeles, moving him past Barry Bonds for second all-time with 1,997. He now trails only Hank Aaron, who had 2,297.
[For its official stats, Elias and MLB don’t recognize RBIs prior to 1920, but Baseball Reference has Babe Ruth at 2214, Ruth having started his career in 1914. More on this a week from now. There’s a reason for this.]
–The woman hit by a broken bat Friday night at Fenway Park is listed in serious condition, but is now expected to survive, according to her family. Friday night, her injuries were described as life threatening.
Oakland’s Brett Lawrie broke his bat on a groundout to second base in what was a “violent” hit to the woman’s forehead. A man sitting one row behind her said, “She bled a lot. A lot.”
The only fan known to baseball researchers to have ever died after being hit by a bat or ball was a 14-year-old boy killed by a foul line drive off the bat of Manny Mota at Dodger Stadium in 1970.
A 13-year-old girl was killed by a deflected puck at a Columbus Blue Jackets game in 2002.
–In the NCAA Baseball Championship, Virginia beat Maryland in the Super Regional to advance to the College World Series with a dramatic three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth to win Game 2 (best of three) 5-4. Friday, the Cavaliers used a five-run eighth-inning rally to defeat the Terps 5-3.
In other action, Miami (Fla.) advanced to the CWS, taking out VCU, while Florida advanced in beating Florida State; Arkansas goes to the CWS after besting Missouri State; and LSU is going to Omaha after outplaying La-Lafayette. [The other Super Regionals wrap up Monday.]
French Open
Fighting off the flu, Serena Williams was able to pick up her 20th major singles title on Saturday with a 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-2 victory over Lucie Safarova.
Yes, it was too close for comfort, but as Christopher Clarey wrote in the New York Times:
“(As) Williams’ increasingly remarkable tennis career has made clear, she is never more dangerous than when cornered.
“This obstacle course of a French Open provided reminders in nearly every round as Williams hit, shrieked, swore and coughed her way through all kinds of trouble, including five three-set matches and a nasty case of the flu.
So Serena’s 20 majors is third behind Margaret Court’s 24 and Steffi Graf’s 22, with Wimbledon and the U.S. Open coming up.
Serena won the Australian Open earlier this year so she has a shot at becoming the first to complete a true Grand Slam since Graf. [She also won the U.S. Open last fall.]
[For Safarova, by the way, it was her major singles final.]
On the men’s side, No. 1 Novak Djokovic survived his two-day semifinal match with No. 3 Andy Murray, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 5-7, 6-1 to face off against No. 8 seed Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland in the final.
Wawrinka had defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in his semi, 6-3, 6-7 (1), 7-6 (3), 6-4, and, earlier, Roger Federer in the quarters.
And Wawrinka then took the title, playing spectacularly well, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4; his second major (2014 Australian Open being the other), while Djokovic remains winless at Roland Garros.
Djokovic was total class afterwards, saying of Wawrinka: “There are things that are more important in life than victories and that is character and respect – Stan you are a great champion with big heart.”
[For the record, and since my last post, Djokovic had ended Rafael Nadal’s epic French Open run, defeating him in straight sets in the quarterfinals. Nadal had won nine titles at Roland Garros, including the last five.]
Golf Balls
At Jack’s Memorial tournament in Dublin, Ohio, Sweden’s David Lingmerth won his first PGA Tour event in a 3-hole sudden death playoff with Justin Rose.
Meanwhile, Tiger Woods, who once again needed a clutch putt on his final hole Friday just to make the cut, then imploded, shooting a career-worst 85 in the third round Saturday, including a quadruple-bogey 8 on the 18th hole.
He made just one birdie and dropped to last place, by six strokes! Woods declined to talk to reporters afterward.
It was the second time this year he has shot in the 80s, but just the third time overall in a professional career that dates back to 1996.
Jack Nicklaus has 16 scores in the 80s as a pro, with six of those coming before he turned 40. His highest score was an 85 at the 2003 Masters, when the Golden Bear was 63.
In 2015, Woods has 18 completed rounds, with two scores in the 80s and only three in the 60s; including his final round 74 on Sunday.
And that’s the thing. The low number of rounds. He’s just not playing, and he’s been seemingly healthy for months. But he had previously said he’ll play every other week through the PGA, with his next event in two weeks at the U.S. Open, where it sounds like now he might be capable of a 90 at Chambers Bay, because it’s such an unknown, quirky venue.
–My friend Dan V. was at the Memorial and saw Tiger’s horrific 18th on Saturday. He also said Jordan Spieth stopped to sign his six-year-old son’s souvenir golf ball after one of the rounds and was “super cool.”
—LSU defeated USC to win the NCAA men’s golf championship, the Tigers beating the Trojans 4-1 for their fifth team title and first since 1955.
Champions League Final
I missed this as I was traveling, but I didn’t really miss anything as Barcelona completed the Treble, taking out Juventus 3-1. Barca, which had already won the Spanish title and the Copa Del Rey, won its second Treble in six years, becoming the first team to ever do it twice.
For Barcelona, Ivan Rakitic, Luis Suarez and Neymar scored.
For Juve, they became the first team in the history of the competition to lose six finals, having been defeated in their last four.
[In a ‘friendly’ this weekend, the U.S. men’s national soccer team shocked No. 6 world-ranked Netherlands, in Amsterdam, 4-3.]
FIFA Scandal Bits
“Despite longstanding suspicion of corruption, world soccer’s governing body has received a clean bill of financial health for 16 consecutive years from KPMG, one of the world’s top auditing, accounting and consulting firms.
“No one has challenged the accuracy of the annual reports of the body, FIFA, which are prepared according to international accounting standards by KPMG’s office in Zurich, where FIFA is based….
“As FIFA’s first and only outside auditor, KPMG has worked for the organization since 1999, one year after Sepp Blatter, who resigned on Tuesday as president, began his tenure. KPMG took on a client long criticized for its lack of transparency and its corporate governance issues.
“But it is an important relationship for both sides. For FIFA, it means a member of the Big Four accounting club is signing off on its books.”
Oh, from time to time KPMG questioned a few items, but in the end, it’s their name on the audits.
Separately, a BBC investigation has seen evidence that details what happened to the $10m sent from FIFA to accounts controlled by former vice-president Jack Warner.
The money was in three transactions in 2008 at a time Warner was in charge of Concacaf, the governing body for football in North and Central America and the Caribbean.
Among other things, including using the money for personal loans, he would bribe officials with envelopes containing $40,000 in cash.
As for American FIFA official Chuck Blazer, who pleaded guilty in 2013 and then wore a wire, he made millions from his position as general secretary of Concacaf. “Blazer kept two Concacaf-paid apartments at the Trump Tower (total rent: $24,000 a month), which included one for his cats.”
He was known as “Mr. 10 Percent” for the cut he took off every Concacaf business deal.
Finally, Irinia Shayk, Bradley Cooper’s current girlfriend, denied a story she had an affair with Sepp Blatter. A Spanish daily El Mundo made the sensational claim that the Sports Illustrated cover girl was one of Blatter’s “many lovers.”
Shayk previously dated Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo for five years.
Track and Field Bombshell
A BBC investigation for a documentary, “Catch me if you can,” alleges that coach Alberto Salazar violated anti-doping rules and doped United States 10,000m record holder Galen Rupp in 2002 when the athlete was 16 years old.
Mo Farah, the reigning Olympic and world champion over 5,000m and 10,000m, joined Salazar in 2011, with Rupp becoming Farah’s training partner. Rupp then took the Olympic 10,000 silver behind Farah at London 2012.
Farah withdrew from Sunday’s Diamond League meeting in Birmingham, England, where he was scheduled to run the 1500m, saying he was “emotionally and physically drained” while saying he wants “to go back to the U.S. and seek answers” after a “stressful week.”
There is no suggestion Farah has done anything wrong but to say the least he’s “angry” his name is being “dragged through the mud.”
Salazar is strenuously denying the claims made by the BBC, as is Rupp.
“Salazar is a U.S. athletics legend, who won the New York marathon three years in a row and ran himself unconscious in winning the Boston marathon in 1982.
“He is now one of the world’s most successful coaches. The head coach at the prestigious Nike running camp based in Portland, Oregon, Salazar has worked with Farah since 2011 and has coached his training partner Rupp for 14 years.
“His coaching philosophy involves intensive training and the use of the latest scientific techniques….
“None of (Salazar’s) Nike Oregon Project (NOP) athletes has ever failed a drug test. But the BBC has heard claims about some of Salazar’s methods including the use of banned steroids and unethical practices.
“The BBC is aware of at least seven athletes or staff associated with the NOP who say they have gone to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) with their concerns, though Usada does not confirm or deny investigations….
“The investigation into the Oregon Project – heard claims that American distance runner Rupp had been given the banned anabolic steroid testosterone in 2002, when he was 16 years old. [Both Salazar and Rupp deny this.]
“Steve Magness, who was Salazar’s number two at the Oregon Project in 2011, said he saw a document showing Rupp’s blood levels, which said the athlete was on ‘testosterone medication.’
“ ‘When I saw that, I kind of jumped backwards,’ Magness said.
“ ‘Testosterone is obviously banned…everybody knew that.
“ ‘When I looked a little further I saw it was all the way back in high school – and that was incredibly shocking.’
“Since 2003, Wada (World Anti-Doping Agency) rules have stipulated that athlete support personnel involved in doping someone as young as 16 could be liable for a lifetime ban….
“Magness claimed when he questioned the coach about the document, Salazar said it had been a mistake.
“The 30-year-old left Nike after the 2012 London Olympics and went to Usada with his story….
“Rupp, who is one of America’s most drug-tested athletes, strenuously denied ever using testosterone or testosterone medication.
“ ‘I have not taken any banned substances and Alberto has never suggested that I take a banned substance.’”
The BBC program heard claims that testosterone was seen on several occasions by athletes and staff, “including a massage therapist at an altitude training camp in Utah in 2008.
“The therapist was allegedly told by Salazar the testosterone was for his own use for treatment of a heart condition. The BBC spoke to several cardiologists who said treating a heart condition with testosterone would be highly unusual.
“The program will broadcast claims that Salazar tested testosterone cream on a human subject, to find out how much it would take to trigger a positive drugs test.
“Salazar is said to have told others he had carried out this experiment to safeguard against his athletes being sabotaged by rivals surreptitiously rubbing testosterone on them in order to make them fail a drugs test.”
High-profile distance runners Adam and Kara Goucher were Oregon Project athletes. They claim Salazar and Rupp abused Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs), which allow athletes to use a banned substance or method to treat a legitimate medical condition.
Rupp said: “Earlier in my career, WADA required TUEs for my asthma medication…the few other TUEs I have applied for and received related to the treatment of severe asthma flare ups.”
The Gouchers left Salazar in 2013 and took their stories to Travis Tygart, the Usada chief and the man who brought down Lance Armstrong.
Long-time readers know I’ve not only covered this topic extensively, I’ve covered Rupp in my attendance at the 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. Nothing would surprise me in this sport, but it would also be stupid of me to say much more without really knowing all the facts.
–The Eagles offensive coordinator, Pat Shurmur, said of quarterback Tim Tebow on Wednesday, “He is actually getting better every day. He works extremely hard. He is getting comfortable in what we do.”
Quarterback coach Ryan Day also said Tebow’s throwing is getting better all the time.
The University of North Carolina was accused of five of the NCAA’s most severe violations, as part of a renewed investigation into academic fraud and other infractions.
In its notice of allegations, published Thursday, the NCAA supplied evidence that school employees suggested grades for athletes, turned in assignments on their behalf, and refused to comply with a previous investigation. It also claims the schools displayed a lack of institutional control as the violations occurred.
As I noted before, this thus begins the review period, and the way the timetable works out, it probably won’t be until late this year or early 2016 before there is a final resolution.
Among the allegations, the impermissible benefits stretching from 2002-2011 represent a “Level 1” violation of the NCAA, and the letter contains 252 pieces of evidence from interviews and e-mails to support the claims.
There are other Level I violations, including issues with the African and Afro-American Studies department, previously well documented.
There is nothing new here, but as Paul Barrett of Bloomberg writes: “The NCAA wants to let UNC off easy. The organization’s (findings) against the (school) at first glance seem tough, but the accusations are actually crafted to protect a storied men’s basketball program….
“This entire scandal has its roots in UNC’s desperation to field championship men’s basketball teams. The school’s premier sports franchise has brought home national trophies, most recently in 2009 and 2005. Previous investigations, including one sponsored by UNC and released last fall, showed that the school ran a ‘shadow curriculum’ in its former African and Afro-American Studies department….
“Yet longtime men’s basketball coach Roy Williams has only a walk-on role in the NCAA’s findings, suggesting that he’s a mere bystander. Instead, the NCAA comes down hard on marginal campus figures, including a former women’s basketball academic adviser and former black-studies chairman. Whistleblowers Mary Willingham, a former UNC athlete tutor, and Jay Smith, a tenured history professor, had this to say in a trenchant blog post.
“ ‘We find it especially revealing, and discouraging, that Jan Boxill [the women’s basketball adviser] was singled out for one of the five named allegations. Boxill worked in a system where all who had regular contact with athletes were complicit in a charade. These people included admissions officials, athletic directors, academic counselors, coaches, and compliance staff for football, men’s basketball, and many other sports.’….
“For years now, UNC has compromised its heritage as one of the best public universities in the country by trying to minimize the extent of the intellectual rot within its flagship campus. This matters not because UNC is unique but because its problems are all too typical. Rather than admit there’s something fundamentally wrong with the college sports business, UNC’s top administrators have white-washed past sins. The NCAA seems eager to help, perhaps because the Tar Heels play a vital role in the March Madness basketball tournament that’s one of the most celebrated elements of a multibillionaire-dollar industry.”
How confident is the school that the basketball program won’t be severely impacted? It’s negotiating an extension for coach Roy Williams.
–Jersey boy Martin Truex Jr. won his 3rd NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Pocono on Sunday, with Kevin Harvick picking up another second.
–From Reuters: “A protective female moose with two young calves has injured at least three campers, one of them severely, within a 10-day span at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska, park officials said.
“Officials at the park have been warning campground guests about the mammal’s erratic behavior….
“ ‘Cow moose are good moms but not always the best neighbors if you get too close,’ wildlife biologist Pat Owen said in a Denali Park news release on Friday.
“The defensive moose, powerful enough to stave off a full-grown grizzly bear, has prompted officials to provide newly arriving campers with an orientation specific to this cow and her young ones.
“Staff at the park said guests must be at least 75 feet from the moose and avoid taking selfies….
“One woman was knocked down by the moose who then kicked her in the head and shoulders.
“The woman was taking photos of the moose and its calves when it became aggressive and charged a crowd…
Yet another reason why ‘Man’ will never sniff the top ten on the All-Species List.
–From Brad K. and the Billings Gazette: “A black bear that made off with and ate a small dog from a private residence at Lake McDonald over the weekend was captured by Glacier National Park rangers and euthanized.
“Park spokeswoman Denise Germann said it was the third time the 5-year-old male bear had approached the home… the homeowner had successfully shooed the bear away the first two times, but the third time the animal ignored the man’s efforts, walked onto the porch, attacked the dog and then carted the dog off into the woods….
“In March, a ranger shot a mountain lion that got into a fight with the ranger’s dog in park employee housing in West Glacier.”
Wow…that was bold on the part of the mountain lion, don’t you think?
Sounds like if you go to Glacier, you better keep your windows rolled up and make sure your cabin has a ‘safe room.’
–…It turns out the American tourist killed by a lion at a game park outside Johannesburg earlier this week was an effects editor on “Game of Thrones,” as well as being from the area, Rye, N.Y., so this got some press in these parts. The NBC affiliate interviewed a local from Rye who said of the victim’s death, “It makes me think twice, anything can happen.”
What a stupid comment. Getting hit by a bus when you are walking across the street in the right fashion is ‘anything can happen.’
Being in a lion park and rolling down the car window when there are signs everywhere, “KEEP THE CAR WINDOWS SHUT!” is not ‘anything can happen.’ That’s being an idiot. The lion was a yard away! [I did see the photo taken from the car behind, of the lioness in the window…what a moment.]
–There have been two shark attacks in Florida waters in the past three days, including one on Sunday where an 11-year-old boy, wading in knee-deep water, was bit by a juvenile bull shark, as identified by a witness. He was airlifted to a hospital and no word as yet on his condition.
“Seinfeld” actor Jason Alexander revealed Wednesday that castmates “had such bad on-set rapport with Heidi Swedberg, the actress who played his fiancée Susan Ross, that it led to her character’s weirdly abrupt demise….Susan suffered a remarkable run of bad luck hanging out with Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer.
“The crew accidentally burned down her family’s cabin, outed her dad’s affair with John Cheever and got her fired from her gig at NBC. And of course, Kramer threw up on her.”
So with the total lack of chemistry between Swedberg and the others, “Finally, an off-hand comment by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who played Elaine, to [Larry] David led to Susan’s end, according to Alexander.
“ ‘And Julia actually said, ‘I know, don’t you just want to just kill her?’’ he said. ‘And Larry went, ‘Ka-bang! Now we got to kill her, we got to kill her!’’”
Swedberg’s 28-episode run ended in 1997 when she died from accidental poisoning – licking cheap wedding invitations for her upcoming wedding to George.
Alexander relayed the story on “The Howard Stern Show.”
By week’s end he was apologizing to Swedberg in a blog post.
Top 3 songs for the week of 6/4/77: #1 “Sir Duke” (Stevie Wonder) #2 “I’m Your Boogie Man” (KC & The Sunshine Band) #3 “Dreams” (Fleetwood Mac)…and…#4 “Got To Give It Up” (Marvin Gaye) #5 “Gonna Fly Now” (Bill Conti) #6 “Couldn’t Get It Right” (Climax Blues Band) #7 “Lucille (Kenny Rogers) #8 “Lonely Boy” (Andrew Gold) #9 “Feels Like The First Time” (Foreigner…song about a lad’s first beer…) #10 “When I Need You” (Leo Sayer…had just finished my first highly mediocre year at Wake Forest…it would go straight downhill from there…)
1978-79 Seattle Supersonics Quiz Answer: The six who scored in double-figures were Jack Sikma (15.6), Dennis Johnson (15.9), Gus Williams (19.2), John Johnson (11.0), Lonnie Shelton (13.5), and “Downtown Freddie” Brown (14.0). Coached by Lenny Wilkins.
Next Bar Chat, Thursday…a new All-Species List Top Ten.
