Baseball Quiz: I heard this one on a telecast the other day and, yes, for most of you it’s easy, but good general knowledge for the casual fan. Name the four active players to have 100 RBIs in a season with three different teams. Answer below.
NBA Draft et al
1. T’Wolves…Karl-Anthony Towns, C
2. Lakers…D’Angelo Russell, PG
3. 76ers…Jahlil Okafor, C
4. Knicks…Kristaps Porzingis, PF
5. Magic…Mario Hezonja, SF
6. Kings…Willie Cauley-Stein, C
7. Nuggets…Emmanuel Mudiay, PG
8. Pistons…Stanley Johnson, SF
9. Hornets…Frank Kaminsky, C
10. Heat…Justise Winslow, SF
14. Thunder…Cam Payne, PG…only mid-major player (Murray State) to be a lottery pick.
Now I agree with those who believe the Heat got a total steal in Winslow, who Knicks fans would have been happy with at No. 4.
I don’t agree with Hornets fans who say their team made a mistake in taking Kaminsky. He is going to be an offensive force (20 ppg) for the next ten years. Book it.
As for the Sixers taking Okafor, even though they already have some big men, it seems the decision to grab the Duke star was an easy one after management learned center Joel Embiid’s recovery from foot surgery has not gone well and that a second surgery could be in the cards to repair the navicular bone that hasn’t been healing. The latest CT scan wasn’t good.
Embiid sat out all of last season while recovering from the stress fracture and now over 12 months into the process, a medical team in Charlotte is examining him after he consulted team doctors in New York.
But around here, it’s all about the Knicks selecting Porzingis, the 7-foot 1-inch* 19-year-old stick figure out of Latvia.
Knicks fans in attendance at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn booed the poor guy because they have memories of a foreign stiff by the name of Frederic Weis, who the team selected way back, as well as the current sight of Andrea Bargnani, and just think, ‘Here we go again with another guy from across the pond.’
Now no one knows how the guy will pan out, but he lit it up in the pre-draft workouts and Porzingis seems to get it. He immediately said all the right things. That he wants to be accepted in New York and how he embraces the challenge of restoring the Knicks to relevance.
“A lot of fans weren’t happy that they drafted me,” he said. “But I have to do everything that’s in my hands to turn those booing fans into clapping fans.”
But he is rail thin, can’t play defense, and he’s a project, though I’m guessing he will emerge as a force in just his second season.
GM Phil Jackson calls Porzingis’ upside “terrific,” and that he’s “an eye-opening athlete.”
Meanwhile, Jackson made a terrific move in trading Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Washington Wizards (who then shipped him to Atlanta) for the rights to Jerian Grant, the terrific guard from Notre Dame who can play right away.
“From all the booing that echoed around Barclays Center on Thursday night, you would have thought beer sales ended early. Instead the reaction was in response to the Knicks decision to draft Porzingis, who is generally regarded as a 7-foot-3 [Ed. See? The kid keeps growing!] jump shooter who won’t make much of an impact for two or three years….
“It’s a tough ask for Knicks fans who went through a year of unprecedented losing to rally around a player that is projected to need two or three years before he begins to reach his potential. At 233 pounds, Porzingis is as thin as a lamp post and may struggle early with the physical play in the NBA. He’s not a big rebounder or a shot blocker, but more of a tall perimeter shooter in the mold of Dirk Nowitzki, someone who could open up the floor for Carmelo Anthony
“Sounds good in theory, but the reality is since Yao Ming was drafted in 2002, 19 international players have been selected in the NBA lottery and none have been named an All-Star.
“ ‘We don’t have two or three years to wait for a player to develop, especially somebody who is the No. 4 pick,’ (said one fan at the draft). ‘We have Carmelo Anthony, who’s getting old. We don’t have time to wait for anything.”
“They were booing loudly and roundly and chanting ‘Fire Phil’ at Barclays Center, partly because Kristaps Porzingis wasn’t Justise Winslow or Emmanuel Mudiay or Willie Cauley-Stein; partly because he is skinnier than NBA commissioner Adam Silver; partly because he is a Euro project; and partly because the Knicks haven’t won anything in 42 years, once drafted Frederic Weis and just left behind the stench of an historically horrific 17-65 season.
“You either trust Phil Jackson or you don’t, and right now Knicks fans don’t.
“He better be right about this kid, and he better be right in free agency.
“Knicks fans would have been happy with a single or a double, but Jackson is looking for the home run.
“It is called daring to be great, in the twilight of a lifetime of greatness.
Marc Berman / New York Post
“Carmelo Anthony has been at a low boil since December and his temperature rose again on draft night after Phil Jackson selected European project Kristaps Porzingis and traded away Melo’s friend, Tim Hardaway Jr.
“According to a source, Anthony was ‘very disappointed’ to see Hardaway go. Anthony now is the last man standing from the Knicks roster that Jackson inherited 15 months ago….
“ ‘The bottom line is that sometimes Melo wonders if he belongs here – that’s all I can say,’ one source said.
“According to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, Anthony feels ‘completely hoodwinked and betrayed by Phil Jackson,’ from Thursday’s moves….
“ ‘[Anthony] feels like he was lied to and sold a bill of goods,’ Smith said. ‘He’s willing to concede he wanted his money, but he didn’t know it would be like this and this bad. He can’t believe the second season for Phil Jackson he has to look forward to being worse than last season was.’”
After this past season, Anthony admitted he had “second-guessed” his decision to re-sign with the Knicks as a free agent.
Jackson said following the draft, “Carmelo’s always on my mind. He’s our favorite son. But the second most important thing is what we do for this franchise. That has to be a consideration….I let Melo know that when we made this choice.”
“It’s hard to know who Anthony identified as the player left on the board who would have given the Knicks an instant boost of life, and a quick push toward contention. Tim Duncan’s name wasn’t on it. Patrick Ewing’s wasn’t. So if we’re just talking about this from a practical standpoint it’s odd – and, truthfully, maybe even wrong, because in Jerian Grant the Knicks may well have stumbled into a player who actually might provide immediate help.
“And not just from a standpoint of standing within the firmament of all-time NBA greats. After a while, it became an annual right or sporting passage to lament and bemoan the shortage of pieces the Knicks kept surrounding Ewing with in his endless and fruitless attempt to win a championship. Of course, Ewing himself never would have said that publicly, but ball doesn’t lie and neither do results.
“That’s always been a puzzling disconnect with Anthony: He demands the gravitas of a franchise cornerstone without having put in the years – or having achieved a fraction of the success – that someone like Ewing did. He wants to come across as a team-first guy (and a segment of hungry Knicks fans believe him), but he is defined by a series of me-first moves – from choosing to stay for money, to putting off surgery long enough so he could play in a New York All-Star Game, to his preferred system of iso-heavy offense.
“None of those things make him a bad person, certainly none make him a bad player. But he has had a tough enough time being the Face of the Franchise (who, by the way, is coming off knee surgery) doing what he does best – playing.”
–What an ugly situation in Los Angeles. The Lakers drafted Larry Nance Jr., a forward from the University of Wyoming, with the 27th overall pick, but Nance back in 2012 had published a tweet that read: “Gee I sure hope Kobe can keep his hands to himself in Denver this time.” It included the hashtag “#rapist,” Nance of course referring to the 2003 sexual assault case involving Bryant.
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak said Thursday night, “I’ve spoken to Larry Nance Jr. with John Black, our public relations director. Really, I’m not in a position to really share information. But it is something that they will have to discuss amongst the two of them.
“My understanding is that it’s something that happened years ago, and in today’s world, things don’t go away, which really doesn’t make it any less offensive because it was said three, four years ago.”
The tweet was deleted within minutes of his selection by the Lakers.
But on Saturday, Kobe took the high road, announcing he had talked with Nance Jr. about the tweet, saying “there’s no need” for any further discussion about the matter.
“The kid figured it out himself,” Bryant said. “He’s a kid, man. He actually sent me a great message [Friday], which is really funny. I looked at it [the message], and it was like, ‘This is when you know it’s about time to hang these things up, when your teammate writes you, Hi, Mr. Bryant.’
“I was like, ‘what the f—? But it was really nice and apologetic about what had happened. I said, ‘Dude, listen. We’ve all said things and done things that we regret and wish we could take back. It’s water under the bridge, man. Welcome to the team.’ He writes back, ‘Thank you, sir.’”
Meanwhile, Bryant is approaching what will probably be his last season. It’s the final year of a contract that is paying him a league-high $25 million.
–But with the draft over, what of the free agent class? LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love, Greg Monroe, DeAndre Jordan…and DeMarcus Cousins is clearly available.
I thought Aldridge was staying in Portland, but that’s clearly not the case today. Could he be San Antonio bound? Dallas?
Will Love re-up with the Cavs? [Or does he go to Portland, Love having grown up in Oregon, to replace Aldridge?]
A lot of the players are also positioning for 2016, when there will be a huge increase in the salary cap due to the league’s TV contract hitting the system.
Marc Gasol is yet another big man who is a free agent but he’s expected to stay in Memphis.
Dwyane Wade? He could go…or he could stay.
–Johnny Mac says St. John’s Sir’Domnic Pointer, selected by the Cavs in round 2, could be a sleeper. For starters he plays good ‘D’ and can rebound. LeBron should like him.
–I join all baseball fans in wishing Giancarlo Stanton the best, while fearing the worst. Stanton, with 27 home runs and 67 RBIs, on his way to a truly monster season, broke the hamate bone in his left hand on a swing Friday night and he’ll be out 4-6 weeks. But these injuries are very complicated and with the mammoth investment the Marlins have made in Stanton, and with the team going nowhere even when this happened, you have to believe they’ll be very careful in even letting him come back this season. But for the sake of the game, we all hope he is able to.
–I have Washington winning it all this year and boy has their vaunted starting staff put on a show recently. With all five healthy for the first time since basically Opening Day, or so it seems, Max Scherzer, Gio Gonzalez, Stephen Strasburg, Doug Fister and Jordan Zimmermann fashioned a franchise record 48 consecutive innings of shutout ball (the second-longest in modern baseball history), including Scherzer’s perfect five innings on Friday, six scoreless, before he was touched up for single runs in the seventh and eighth as the Nats won 5-2, Scherzer extending his record to 9-5, 1.76, in his first start since his no-hitter.
But, including his one-hit complete game shutout in the start prior to the no-no, this meant Scherzer went 23+ innings allowing just one hit.
–The Washington Post’s Thomas Boswell had a piece on just what an awesome first half Bryce Harper is having. Through Saturday, Harper had an on-base-plus-slugging-percentage of 1.185, as he’s on pace for 53 homers and 127 RBI.
“Of the 20 players in history with the highest career OPS, Babe Ruth topped Harper’s current 1.185 seven times in a full season and Barry Bonds did it four times, all in his tainted late-career period. How many others did it?
“Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby and Mark McGwire (with an asterisk) each did it twice. Jimmie Foxx and Frank Thomas once. That’s it.”
[The Nats split a doubleheader with the Phillies on Sunday, Harper’s OBP going down to 1.180.]
–Last season, Nelson Cruz led the majors with 40 home runs, but as of Saturday, 11, including Cruz, were on pace to match that total. Albert Pujols, Todd Frazier and Bryce Harper were on pace for 50. Stanton for 60.
Zach Helfand of the Los Angeles Times notes that the last time we had multiple players hit 50 home runs in the same season, excluding the steroid era, was 1961, Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle.
Of course Stanton’s injury shows just how hard it is to stay at this level for an entire season, let alone pitchers begin to wise up.
For example in his rookie season in 1987, Mark McGwire hit 33 home runs in the first half and finished with 49. In 1969, Reggie Jackson hit 37 in the first half and only 10 in the second.
–Have to give props to the Yankees’ Ivan Nova, who in his first start since 4/19/14 following Tommy John surgery shut out the Phils over 6 2/3 as New York won 10-2 on Wednesday, thus supplying a big shot in the arm for the ball club, so to speak.
–The Phillies’ Ryan Sandberg resigned as manager after having gone 119-159 over parts of three seasons. Pete Mackanin took over on an interim basis. The losses were really getting to the Hall of Famer on an emotional level.
–On Wednesday, the Mets extended their losing streak to 7 with a 4-1 loss to the Brewers, but then they rode their offense to a 2-0 win against Milwaukee and a 2-1 win over the Reds back at Citi Field, Friday. [Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard each went 8 innings, while closer Jeurys Familia closed out both games for the Metropolitans.]
So over this nine-game stretch, the Metsies had scored 13 runs…13 runs in nine games. I don’t think that’s too good, do you?
[Jacob deGrom has a 1.23 ERA his last eight starts; eight earned in 58 2/3 innings of work.]
But wait, there’s more! After rain suspended play on Saturday, the Mets finished it off Sunday afternoon and won it, 2-1, in 13 innings.
Then, in the nightcap, the Mets won 7-2 behind the latest Mets pitching phenom, Steven Matz, who not only threw 7 2/3 of two-run ball, but he also became the first pitcher in history to drive in four runs in his debut as he went 3-for-3 in a 7-2 victory. So suddenly the Mets have won four in a row.
–The San Francisco Giants hit four triples in a game for the first time in 55 years, including two by Brandon Belt, in a 13-8 win over the visiting Padres on Thursday.
On Sept. 15, 1960, the Giants tripled four times, with Willie Mays hitting three of them.
–The Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw fell to 5-6, 3.20 ERA, as L.A. lost to the Marlins on Saturday, 3-2, though Kershaw gave up just one earned in seven.
Almost all the greats have a season like this. In 1974, in the midst of an otherwise masterful seven-season stretch, Tom Seaver was 11-11, 3.20, in 32 starts for the Metsies.
[Meanwhile, hard-luck Zack Greinke threw 7 2/3 of shutout ball as the Dodgers beat the Marlins 2-0 on Sunday, dropping the 6-2 hurler’s ERA to 1.58.]
–This past Wednesday represented the 45th anniversary of a special date in New York Yankees history, June 24, 1970, a doubleheader with the Indians, and your editor was there.
My childhood buddy Jeff’s father took us to Yankee Stadium, school having just ended for the summer (and even though Jeff and I were Mets fans). I think Mr. Williams got the tickets through his employer, which is why we got to go because I recall the seats being very good.
Well, in the first game of a 7-2 Cleveland win (a complete game by Sam McDowell, though he struck out just four in running his record to 10-4), Bobby Murcer homered in the ninth for the Yankees.
Then in the second game, which the Yanks won 5-4, Murcer homered his first three times up for four in a row.
But the doubleheader was memorable because in the top of the ninth inning of game one, Yankee reliever Steve Hamilton threw his lobbed pitch, the Folly Floater (where he came to a complete stop, before tossing it high in the air), inducing Cleveland’s Tony Horton to foul out meekly, after which Horton, as he approached the dugout, crawled into it.
What’s kind of funny is that I looked up Hamilton’s obituary in the New York Times, the pitcher having died at an early age in 1997, 62, and the account says Hamilton struck out Horton on three pitches. Just not true. You can see the at bat on YouTube.
But in the articles last week on the doubleheader, with Murcer’s exploits and Hamilton’s, there was nothing on a stark remembrance of mine. A spectator threw an ash can at Indians catcher Ray Fosse that exploded at his feet. [He was OK.]
These were wild times. Fan misbehavior was rampant, witness how Mets fans tore up the Shea Stadium turf twice in the 1969 post-season, though the second time didn’t matter.
I was listening to the Mets-Reds game on Saturday night on radio and the Mets broadcasters were reliving the drama of the 1973 Mets-Reds playoff at Shea, the game when Pete Rose barreled into Bud Harrelson at short and started a huge brawl.
Afterwards, you wouldn’t believe what the Mets fans were throwing at Rose in the outfield. I sure remember…lots of big batteries, for starters. It got so bad that four Mets had to go out to calm the faithful, or the Mets risked having to forfeit.
Anyway, back to June 24, 1970, it brought back great memories, including of Mr. Williams, a classic in the Ward Cleaver mold who died way too young himself just a few years after.
—Shu was telling me of his time playing for a slow pitch softball team in Baltimore, sponsored by McCormick (the spice guys), and one of the outfielders was the human bowling ball, Baltimore Colt Don Nottingham.
Shu was recalling he also played against Joe Pepitone at one point, Pepitone having retired from the major leagues in 1973.
Joe was an underrated slugger, for his era, hitting 26+ homers five seasons. And he was a heckuva fielder, winning three Gold Gloves.
But of course he’s also remembered for being ahead of his time…the first player with a hair dryer in the locker room.
Back to Nottingham, I would have loved to see him slug a few.
Growing up in my youth, Summit had a terrific fast pitch softball league and my aforementioned buddy Jeff and I would rush down to Memorial Field after dinner to catch the action. Oh yeah…West Summit Garage…Pete, Connie and Willie Horn. Good lord, could these three bash it!
–Good piece by the New York Times’ Tyler Kepner on Danny Luckett, who after 46 years at Louisville Slugger retired on Friday at the age of 68.
“Luckett is believed to have made more than two million bats for Louisville Slugger, which was bought by Wilson Sporting Goods in March but will retain its name and continue to manufacture bats in Louisville, Ky….
“(Luckett) takes decades of highlights with him, including Oct. 11, 1972. With the best-of-five National League Championship Series between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati tied, two games apiece, Luckett went to work for the Reds’ star catcher.
“ ‘Johnny Bench hit a home run in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game with a bat I had turned that morning,’ Luckett said. ‘Our representative took it to Cincinnati in the afternoon and he used it in the game.’
“The Reds went on to win the pennant. Some two decades later, Luckett said, he watched as Joe Carter used his bat for the homer that won the 1993 World Series for the Toronto Blue Jays….
“Of all the clients he served, Luckett said, Tony Gwynn had perhaps the smallest bats, at 33 inches, 30 ½ ounces. Gwynn, a Hall of Famer, liked the light bats because he could whip them through the strike zone so quickly. The heaviest bats, he said, were for the Willie Stargell-Dave Parker Pirates teams of the late 1970s.
“ ‘They wanted 37-inch bats, and they wanted 35, 36 ounces,’ Luckett said. ‘They were called ‘the Lumber Company’ for good reason.”
–Congratulations to the Virginia Cavaliers, who not only picked up their first College World Series title, 4-2 in the deciding Game 3 vs. Vanderbilt, but it was the ACC’s first title since Wake Forest in 1955. [Drat, now I can’t mention this ever again in Bar Chat.]
It was also sweet revenge for the Wahoos, who had lost the finals to Vandy last year. UVA was led by Pavin Smith, who hit a two-run homer to tie the game at 2 in the fourth, and then singled in the go ahead run an inning later.
I must say I thought it was kind of strange that Vanderbilt pinch-hit Kyle Smith with a man on and two down in the ninth as the Commodores were thinking long ball to tie it.
He had had all of 15 at-bats all season, with one hit. Just a curious choice.
Golf Balls
—Bubba Watson defeated Paul Casey in a playoff for his second Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Conn., eighth PGA Tour title overall.
Jeff Maggert captured his second Seniors Tour major this year in defeating Colin Montgomerie by two strokes at the U.S. Senior Open in Sacramento. Maggert, Monty (3) and Bernhard Langer (3) have won the last 8 senior majors.
Chairman Brian France issued a statement on the Confederate flag Saturday, reiterating the sport’s policy preventing the use of the flag in any official capacity.
“In all areas that NASCAR controls on a given race weekend, the flag has no presence,’ France said. “We have been clear in support of this position throughout our industry and to those across the country who have called for the eradication of the Confederate Flag.”
Additionally, referring to those flying the flag in the infield, France said, “We will be as aggressive as possible to disassociate NASCAR events from an offensive and divisive symbol. We are working with the industry right now to achieve that goal.”
Meanwhile, the most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., reiterated his longtime stance on Friday when asked by reporters at Sonoma Raceway, saying he agreed with NASCAR that it should be removed from the grounds of the South Carolina state capitol.
“I think it’s offensive to an entire race,” Earnhardt said. “It does nothing for anybody to be there flying, so I don’t see any reason. It belongs in the history books and that’s about it.”
In the race at Sonoma on Sunday, Kyle Busch beat older brother Kurt, cementing the former’s comeback from a broken right leg and shattered left foot, suffered at Daytona earlier this season.
Women’s World Cup
–The U.S. women advanced on Friday, beating China, 1-0, in the semis. It’s the seventh straight World Cup in which the Americans have reached the final four. Carli Lloyd’s header in the 51st minute held up.
So the U.S. plays Germany on Tuesday, the Germans advancing in a shootout (5-4) over France after a 1-1 draw in regulation and overtime.
In the other semi, to be played Wednesday, it’s going to be England vs. Japan. England defeated host Canada 2-1, while Japan prevailed over Australia 1-0.
[In men’s action at the Copa America, Paraguay advanced to the semifinals by upsetting Brazil 4-3, in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw. Having been to Paraguay about ten years ago I can appreciate what a huge deal this is for the people down there. Paraguay now plays Argentina, while Chile faces Peru in the other semifinal.]
—American Pharoah made an appearance for his fans at Santa Anita on Saturday, but still no word from the Zayats or trainer Bob Baffert where Pharoah’s going to run next. I received my Monmouth Park Haskell tickets in the mail yesterday. I’m praying.
—Wimbledon gets underway on Monday, with Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic the top seeds.
Roger Federer, Wimbledon’s seven-time champion, is seeded second, followed by Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka (the French Open winner).
Rafael Nadal has dropped to 10th and he hasn’t performed well at the All-England Club in years.
Williams, halfway to the Grand Slam this season, may have just one real concern, last year’s champ, Petra Kvitova, who is seeded second.
Caroline Wozniacki hurt her back in the warmup tournament but she insists she’ll be fine.
–Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio on the Russell Wilson contract situation in Seattle, Wilson about to enter the final year of his rookie deal, which will pay him $1.5 million next season.
The two sides have been working on a deal, with Wilson having turned down a substantial offer.
So what happens if the Seahawks and Wilson don’t reach a deal before next offseason?
Florio: “The possibility of the Seahawks opting not to pay a market-value deal and also opting not to use the exclusive franchise tag (which likely would result in a three-year payout to Wilson of more than $98 million) would leave the Seahawks with one choice: Apply the non-exclusive tag, assume the risk that someone else will sign him to an offer sheet reflecting a market-value deal, and either match the offer or accept two first-round picks as compensation from Wilson’s new team.” [NJ.com]
–In an interview with ESPN.com and Yahoo! Sports, North Carolina coach Roy Williams said he is taking some relief in the fact that his name appears just once in the 59-page document laying out the five major violations in the NCAA’s investigation into academic fraud and other things.
“I’ve said I felt very comfortable for a very long time because we’ve been investigated by 73 people and all 12 disciples of the Lord, it feels like, and every one of them has said Roy Williams didn’t know anything about this; he didn’t do anything,” Williams said. “So there was a sense of relief, but it’s what I expected. It wasn’t a big relief, because it’s what I thought was going to be there.”
The school obviously feels certain Williams won’t be personally punished when the NCAA levies its final decision, which is months and months away, because Williams’ contract was just extended through the 2019-20 season.
–The New York Rangers made a flurry of player moves around the NHL draft, with backup goaltender Cam Talbot going to the Edmonton Oilers for three draft picks, while the Rangers replaced Talbot with Chicago backup Antti Raanta, who was 7-4-1 last season with the Blackhawks.
Among others moves, the Rangers traded forward Carl Hagelin to Anaheim for forward Emerson Etem. Ranger fans hate to see Hagelin go but they weren’t going to be able to pay him what he wanted, the focus being on re-signing center Derek Stepan.
—Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher indefinitely suspended freshman quarterback De’Andre Johnson on Thursday for an undisclosed violation of team rules, but according to Tallahassee Police, Johnson has been accused of punching a female FSU student at a Tallahassee bar Wednesday night.
As reported by ESPN.com’s Mark Schlabach, “Johnson was involved in an argument with the woman after she cut in front of him while they were waiting to order drinks at a bar near the FSU campus. Witnesses told police the woman raised her arms and then Johnson grabbed them and punched her in the face.”
So I print stuff out all day and night, some stuff goes in one pile, other stuff in another one, and when I picked up this story for this particular Bar Chat, I threw it in the garbage, thinking, ‘I just wrote about this…’
But that was LSU a week earlier, not FSU! Hard to keep this all straight, isn’t it boys and girls?
Anyway, no doubt this will be the last time I mention De’Andre Johnson’s name because it looked like he was third-string, at best, behind Notre Dame transfer Everett Golson and junior Sean Maguire.
—Alberto Salazar has written an open letter addressing allegations that he has practiced doping techniques on athletes.
The 56-year-old coach said he will “never permit doping,” adding, “I believe in a clean sport and hard work and so do my athletes.”
The whole BBC Panorama / ProPublica investigation that led to the accusations really centers around just one athlete, distance runner Galen Rupp, 29, who it is alleged was given steroids by Salazar when he was 16 years old. No other allegations were made against other Nike Oregon Project athletes, including Britain’s Mo Farah.
Salazar wrote: “I am saddened that these false allegations have been allowed to run with little care for the carnage in their wake.”
—SHARKS!!! Good lord, in just the past few days there has been another wave of shark attacks off the east coast.
Saturday, a 17-year-old boy became the latest victim of an attack in North Carolina waters, the second in as many days and the sixth in the past two weeks.
“Rescue personnel and park rangers responded to the boy, who received what they described as injuries to his right calf, buttocks and both hands while swimming in the Outer Banks on Saturday… The boy was swimming with others when he was bitten, but no one else was hurt, officials said.”
The boy was airlifted to a Norfolk, Virginia, hospital.
“On Friday, a North Carolina man was bitten on his back and leg in Avon while playing in the surf with his children. A 43-year-old man was also attacked by a shark near Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, on Friday. Both men were treated for non-life threatening injuries.”
As Jimmy Stewart said in the movie “Shenandoah,” “Ah, ah, ah…now it concerns us.”
Director of Shark Attacks for Bar Chat, Bob S., said the action off the Outer Banks will cause an economic calamity, as tens of thousands flee the area in panic.
–We note the passing of actor Patrick Macnee, 93, “John Steed” on the 1960s TV series “The Avengers.”
Imported to the United States in 1966 from England, where it was launched five years earlier, the show ran on ABC until the series ended in 1969.
“The show’s popularity soared in 1962 when Honor Blackman because Steed’s partner, Mrs. Cathy Gale, a self-assured judo expert whose black leather outfits worn in action scenes helped set off a fashion craze….
“Actor Peter O’Toole reportedly said that only Mrs. Gale could lure him away from the pubs before closing time.”
But by the time the show got to America, Blackman had been replaced by Diana Rigg as Mrs. Emma Peel.
Macnee once said of the series, “It was the first show that put its leading man and leading lady on an equal footing and showed a woman fighting and kicking and throwing men around. That was a radical departure in its time.”
–Johnny Mac passed on this story out of Bethlehem, PA.
“A college party got a little wild when a black bear showed up.
“The black bear, weighing between 300 and 400 pounds, crashed the party early Saturday near the campus of Lehigh University….
“The bear ‘lumbered close to the party and scared the living daylights out of people,’ police Chief Mark DiLuzio said.”
The school announced the bear was captured, tranquilized and brought to trial. In a moment, the results of that trial. [Sorry, channeling Bob and Ray.]
But get this…a district officer from the Pennsylvania Game Commission said a tattoo on the bear’s inner lip indicates that it was from New Jersey. Bears being good swimmers, he probably swam across the Delaware River (or took the bridge and used his EZ-Pass) when he caught word of the party on social media.
–I told Brad K. I made my flight arrangements to go to Des Moines in August for the Iowa State Fair and he’s jealous because I’ll get to check out some new food entries, your editor already being partial to the pork on a stick there from my trips in 2007 and 2011.
This year Brad notes there will be new items like “Cattleman’s Steak Wrap,” “Pumpkin Spice Funnel Cake,” “Donut Sundae,” “Deep Fried Nacho Balls,” and “27 degree Super Chill Beer.”
But the best one has to be “Ultimate Bacon Explosion,” featuring 8 ounces of bacon-wrapped brisket trimmings infused with jalapeno cheese and spices, then smoke and spritzed with sweet chili barbecue sauce.
Sounds like you need to be near the Super Chill Beer outlet when checking this last one out.
–‘Man’ falls another few notches on the All-Species List as two children died on consecutive days in Baltimore as the parents left them in a car in sweltering heat. I relayed this to my brother who is editor of a local paper and he told me police have been issuing summons around here when they see dogs in a parked car with the windows up. Good!
–RadarOnline.com first reported that Taylor Swift is in final discussions for the Super Bowl halftime show. A source said the gig is Swift’s “to refuse.” It’s also the 50th anniversary game. No way she turns this down.
Top 3 songs for the week 6/25/83: #1 “Flashdance…What A Feeling” (Irene Cara…whatever …) #2 “Time (Clock Of The Heart)” (Culture Club…you know how I feel about these guys…most depressing group/music of all time…) #3 “Electric Avenue” (Eddy Grant…tune hasn’t aged well…)…and…#4 “Every Breath You Take” (The Police…they had a ton of far better songs than this…) #5 “Let’s Dance” (David Bowie…everyone is just mailing it in this week…) #6 “Family Man” (Daryl Hall & John Oates…eh…) #7 “Don’t Let It End” (Syyx…no, make it stop!) #8 “Never Gonna Let You Go” (Sergio Mendes… crafty lefty…good 7th inning set-up guy….) #9 “Affair Of The Heart” (Rick Springfield) #10 “Too Shy” (Kajagoogoo…you know, this one was OK…)
Baseball Quiz Answer: Four active players with 100 RBIs in a season for three different teams: Alex Rodriguez (SEA, TEX, NYY); Adrian Beltre (LAD, BOS, TEX); Aramis Ramirez (PIT, CHC, MIL); Adrian Gonzalez (SDP, BOS, LAD)
No Bar Chat, Thursday, due to the upcoming holiday, which I’ll be working on, writing about Greece, for sure, in that other column I do. I also desperately need to do some marketing.
