[Posted Wednesday a.m.]
Chicago Cubs Quiz, part deux: [batting] 1) Who has the top career average in a Cubs uniform, min. 1,500 plate appearances? [modern era] 2) Who are the three with 1,300 runs scored, all modern day? 3) Who am I? I had team record 57 doubles in each of 1935 and ’36? Answers below.
NBA Playoffs
–What a shocker, Game 1, Golden State vs. Oklahoma City in Oakland on Monday. The Thunder pulled off the upset, 108-102, as OKC guard Russell Westbrook had 24 of his 27 points in the second half, along with 12 assists and 7 steals.
Golden State led 60-47 at the half behind Klay Thompson’s 19 and Steph Curry’s 14 (and 6 rebounds and 6 assists). Victory for the Warriors seemed assured.
But OKC has learned how to play defense in these playoffs (kudos to coach Billy Donovan), and the Thunder held the Warriors to just 14 points in the fourth quarter. Thompson and Curry combining for only 20 points in the second half.
Kevin Durant was a putrid 10-of-30 from the floor, 26 points, but he hit a big shot down the stretch and Westbrook got away with a travel with 17 seconds left and Golden State trailing 105-102 (as the league conceded afterwards).
It’s truly amazing that with three officials in a very confined space just how many godawful calls they still make.
Meanwhile, after the game Thunder center Steven Adams had to apologize for a postgame comment that many found offensive.
Adams is a 22-year-old New Zealander of Tongan and British descent and he described the Warriors’ guards as ‘quick little monkeys’ in a postgame interview with ESPN’s Chris Broussard.
“It was just a poor choice of words, mate,” Adams told USA TODAY Sports. “I wasn’t thinking straight. I didn’t know it was going to upset anyone, but I’m truly sorry.”
Well, guess we learned something about New Zealand in the process.
–Tuesday, Cleveland opened up its series at home against Toronto and rolled 115-84 as LeBron James had 24 points on 11-of-13 shooting from the field, the Cavs now 9-0 in the playoffs.
–Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns is the NBA’s rookie of the year, a unanimous selection as the top pick in the 2015 NBA draft averaged 18.1 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. He also became the 15th No. 1 pick to win ROY honors since 1985 and follows T’Wolves teammate Andrew Wiggins, winner of the award for 2014-15.
Impressively for Towns was his performance after hitting the proverbial “rookie wall” at around game 50, averaging 21.3 points and 11.7 rebounds over his final 31contests.
–In the NBA Draft lottery, Philadelphia won the No. 1 overall pick, with the Lakers getting the second pick and Boston the third (from Brooklyn). It’s all about LSU’s Ben Simmons and Duke’s Brandon Ingram, the two a lock to go 1 and 2.
–Finally, we note the passing of former Lakers forward Jim McMillian, 68. He died from complications of heart failure at a hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, according to a family member.
Those of us of a certain age fondly remember McMillian, a classic smooth-shooting small forward for his day (6’5”, 215), who starred at Columbia University and was drafted 13th in the first round by the Lakers in 1970.
McMillian then starred in L.A. for three seasons, including the championship 1971-72 team that produced the Lakers’ first title in L.A. and had a 33-game winning streak that remains the league record. McMillian was the third-leading scorer that season at 18.9 ppg. He averaged 19.1 after replacing retired Elgin Baylor at forward, a move that coincided with the start of the winning streak. The roster included Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, Happy Hairston, Keith Erickson and Pat Riley…all coached by Bill Sharman.
After three years, McMillian was then traded even up for Buffalo center Elmore Smith. McMillian also later played for the Knicks before ending his career in Portland.
In nine seasons, 1970-79, he averaged 13.8 ppg on .482 shooting from the field, which was outstanding for his time (and would be good today). His best run was 1971-74, including his first season in Buffalo, when he averaged 18.8, 18.9 and 18.6. That’s what you remember about Jim McMillian, just a model of consistency. RIP.
Ball Bits
–Entering the Mets’ first series of the season with the Nationals, it was interesting to note that the Nats were 13-9 against intra-division rivals Miami, Philadelphia and Atlanta, while the Mets were 10-6; Washington having already played 10 games against the Marlins.
Whoever does better against these three is likely to win the division, or so the old saw would go when looking at the presumed favorites. Nats and Mets fans, on the other hand, would (should) be ecstatic if their team wins the season series between these two 10-9.
So Tuesday the Mets welcomed back second baseman Daniel Murphy, who they willingly let go in free agency; Murphy signing what looks to be, thus far, a ridiculously cheap three-year, $37.5 million deal.
Murphy went 1-for-3 to slip to .399 after receiving a long standing ovation from the Mets’ faithful when he approached the plate for his first at bat.
But the story was Noah Syndergaard, who outdueled Max Scherzer, 2-0; Scherzer giving up home runs to Curtis Granderson and Michael Conforto, while ‘Thor’ struck out ten in seven innings, scattering five hits, with the Mets’ bullpen closing it out.
The Mets, unlike the wimpy Cubs, also had no problem pitching to Bryce Harper, who went 0-for-4. [Of course Harper will get his revenge more than once this season.]
–I really don’t understand how these rumors persist that the Angels would be willing to trade Mike Trout. That is truly nuts. There is only one reason to go to an Angels’ game these days, to see him. Crowds would dwindle to about 425 a game without him, 400 of whom would be soon to be unemployed vendors. The Angels also have him under contract through 2020, though they will be shelling out $34 million per in years 2018-2020.
Yet some in the game continue to believe the Angels would contemplate dealing him at the trade deadline this summer if the team continues to struggle, which they will.
No. 1 on the potential trade list is the Yankees, by all accounts, but beyond outfield prospect Aaron Judge and maybe reliever Dellin Betances, I don’t know what else the Yanks could throw in in a package.
Another potential team would be the Phillies, Trout being from south Jersey.
Look for the rumors to get stronger in the coming two months. I do admit that with the modern way of managing payrolls and controlling key players for as long as possible at a reasonable price (see the Mets and their young starters…the earliest free agent being Matt Harvey after the 2018 season), a deal could make sense for the Angels, but if I was a fan of the team, I’d have to riot.
Here’s a huge problem for that franchise, though. Remember before the season began that I told you it was common knowledge in baseball L.A. has the worst minor league system in the sport. The Angels would need like four No. 1 and 2 prospects in return for Trout to be able to sell to their fan base that this is a real effort to retool, but what team would do that to their own franchise and how many clubs have that many good major league prospects in the first place?
–Tuesday, Clayton Kershaw did it again, another masterpiece as the Dodgers beat the Angels 5-1; Kershaw giving up the lone run in eight innings, striking out 11 and walking none to move to 6-1, 1.67 ERA. He now has 88 strikeouts and just four walks. That’s not a misprint.
–Arizona’s Zack Greinke, he of the monster contract and lousy start, beat the Yankees Tuesday, 5-3, Greinke allowing 3 runs in 7 innings to improve his record to 4-3, though he still has a godawful 5.08 ERA.
Speaking of godawful, that would describe Tuesday’s losing pitcher, Michael Pineda, who is now 1-5, 6.60!
–Last time I didn’t have a chance to note the major dust-up between the Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays down in Arlington on Sunday. It goes back to last year’s playoffs between the two when Toronto’s Jose Bautista hit a dramatic three-run homer in a wild seventh inning of Game 5 and Bautista flipped his bat in memorable fashion angering Texas.
This time, Bautista got drilled in the eighth-inning by Texas rookie Matt Bush (whose story I wrote of last time), and then Bautista slid hard into second base to break up a double play and Rangers’ second baseman Rougned Odor, a real a-hole, took exception, shoved Bautista and then punched him right in the head. In the ensuing melee, eight were ejected as the Blue Jays lost 7-6.
The gutless part is that the Rangers waited until the last of seven games these two will play all season for their retaliation.
Toronto manager John Gibbons, who was ejected in the third inning over the calling of balls and strikes, returned to the field during brawl, which will cost him.
As for Odor, he spoke to reporters for the first time on Monday and expressed no regret, saying it was part of the game.
Asked whether he believes he’s a dirty player, Odor said: “I just play the game how I play. I just play the game to win games.”
On the likelihood that he’ll be suspended, Odor said: “I know I’m going to be suspended for a couple of games.”
Odor has a bad reputation, going back to the minors in 2011 when he slid hard into second and wound up starting a melee after punching the opposing shortstop, who objected to his slide.
Tuesday, baseball came down hard on Odor, suspending him eight games. John Gibbons was suspended three games and Bautista one.
–Mark R. alerted me to the display by Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto on Sunday in Philadelphia. In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Phillies’ Cesar Hernandez was batting with two outs when he fouled a ball to the first base side, which Votto snagged.
As it was the last out of the inning, normally the first baseman on such a play would flip it into the stands. Votto approached the fans, raised his arm and appeared to be searching for someone to toss it to when he suddenly turned and threw it to someone on the field.
So as the boos rained down on him from the Philly faithful, Votto smiled and pumped his fist in celebration for being a true jerk.
Votto said after the game he enjoys the Phillie fans because of their passion, and that he did this in good fun. Into the December file he goes.
–MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said he is unhappy with the length of games thus far in 2016; some seven minutes longer compared with this point last year.
One reason is there has been a spike in the number of pitches to 289.25 per nine-inning game, the most in seven years.
Manfred dismisses the impact of the replay system, even though there has been a 35 percent increase in replay reviews compared with last year; though baseball still averages less than one replay per game.
–We note the passing of former Reds pitcher and one-time All-Star, Sammy Ellis, age 75. The cause was cancer.
I’ve written of Ellis in the past, among a group of terrific young hurlers in Cincinnati in the early and mid-1960s, including Jim Maloney, Jim O’Toole and Joey Jay, who all had so much promise but flamed out with arm issues that no doubt today would have been corrected with modern-day sports medicine.
In Ellis’ case, at age 24 he went 22-10 for the Reds in 1965 and made the All-Star team. That same year Jim Maloney went 20-9 and until Johnny Cueto went 20-9 in 2014, Ellis and Maloney were the last Cincy right-handers to win at least 20 in a season.
But in 1966, Ellis developed a sore arm, went 12-19 with a horrendous 5.29 ERA and was out of the game at age 28 in 1969. Overall, he finished his career 63-58, 4.15.
Later on, though, as a pitching coach with the Yankees, it was Ellis who saw the potential in Dave Righetti to be an outstanding reliever, six months after Rightetti had pitched a no-hitter on July 4, 1983.
–And former Tigers All-Star infielder Dick McAuliffe died. He was 76. McAuliffe played 14 seasons for the Detroit Tigers and played a key role on the 1968 World Championship team.
Including his final two seasons with Boston, McAuliffe was a hard-hitting middle infielder, especially for his time, accumulating 197 home runs while driving in 696 from 1960-76. He only hit .247 for his career but he was known as a clutch hitter who also drew 100 walks two seasons. He hit 20+ homers three times and made the All-Star team from 1965-67.
In ’68, McAuliffe led the A.L. in runs scored with 95 in the year of the pitcher, the same season teammate Denny McLain won 31 as the Tigers went on to defeat the Cardinals in seven for the World Series (Mickey Lolich winning three games).
But us older folk remember McAuliffe for his unique, open batting stance that every kid around the country would imitate during their pickup games.
Golf Balls
During The Players Championship, I thought Johnny Miller and Dan Hicks did a poor job of noting how close Tiger Woods and Jason Day have seemingly become. It’s important because, clearly, witness Day’s 7 wins in his last 17 starts, Woods has helped instill in Day the killer instinct that Tiger had in his prime.
Steve DiMeglio / USA TODAY Sports
“Jason Day grew up idolizing Tiger Woods.
“Now he’s playing like the Tiger of old.
“And chatting with him on a regular basis.
“Following his wire-to-wire tour de force in winning The Players Championship on Sunday at TPC Sawgrass by four shots – his seventh win in 17 starts and third this season – Day gave credit to the 14-time major champion.
“As he has said often this year, the two have become texting buddies with a few phone calls thrown in. Whether they talk training or diet or dealing with the media or the pressure of being No. 1, Day said he soaks in the knowledge whenever he communicates with Woods, who is on the sidelines recovering from back surgery.
“ ‘It’s been an amazing kind of journey for me to be able to idolize him as a junior guy and growing up and now I’m good mates with him and I get to pick his brain about what he did when he was dominating,’ Day said.
“Now Day is the one dominating. The world No. 1 added his 10th PGA Tour title to his resume on Sunday and can count among his wins a major championship, two WGC titles, two FedEx Cup wins and The Players.
“And he’s starting to close out many of his wins just like Woods did. Woods has held the outright lead after 54 holes 45 times and finished off 43 of them. Day has now won his last five Tour titles when holding the 54-hole lead.”
As Day said: “For us to have that friendship and to be able to be open about talking and him taking me under his wing a little bit with regards to trying to finish tournaments and what he’s done in the past, I mean, that’s stuff you can’t really experience other than just getting there and doing it.”
What should scare his fellow competitors, including Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy, is Day’s statement over the weekend: “I’ve never been more motivated to be No. 1 in the world. I’ve never been more motivated to try to extend that lead from No. 1 to No. 2. All the hard work that I’ve put into my game right now has paid off, but I’ve got to keep working hard to win as much as I can.
“… (I have to) keep pushing, keep pushing, because Tiger says he’s going to kick my butt when he comes back. So I’m going to try and extend that gap, so if he does come back and he’s turned into Tiger Woods again, I’ve got to kind of watch my behind.”
Mark Cannizzaro / New York Post
“On Wednesday, while playing a practice round with Jason Day, Adam Scott took notice of something significant that struck him about his Aussie countryman.
“ ‘The way he’s walking around,’ Scott said, ‘he’s got that kind of unbeatable look about him.’
“That look never left Day for four rounds en route to winning the Players Championship by four shots at 15-under Sunday at TPC Sawgrass. That look hasn’t left him for the better part of the last year as he has dominated the sport.
“That’s why Day is No. 1 in the world. It is why he’s separating himself from his nearest competitors right in front of our eyes.
“Seven wins in his last 17 starts will do that.
“ ‘That’s Tiger-esque, that kind of a run,’ Scott said. ‘I always try to explain how good you feel after one win, and I try to imagine how good Tiger felt playing about five years into his pro career, having won like 50 events. Imagine how you’d feel confidence-wise. Jason must be kind of feeling something like that at the moment.’
“Those of us who follow golf closely make a habit of labeling players. Dating back to the Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player days, we’ve come up with a ‘Big Two, Big Three, Big Four.’
“More recently, Day has been a part of a ‘Big Three’ that includes Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy. Rickie Fowler, though he still is seeking his first major championship, has made a minor case to be part of a ‘Big Four.’
“But the reality right now – and it was accentuated this week at Sawgrass – is this: Day is ‘The Big One.’ He stands alone as the best player in the world until further notice.
“The gap between him and Spieth, who missed the cut this week, and McIlroy, who finished eight shots behind him, is widening….
“Day is too polite to crow in public. It’s not his style. But according to those who know him best, he knows he’s inside the head of Spieth.
“ ‘I’ve got him,’ he told one friend of Spieth.
“Much like Woods, his boyhood idol who has become a mentor and friend, Day is walking the walk, and it’s showing in his results. This is what Scott noticed immediately Wednesday. It is what Day’s competitors are noticing every time he tees it up.”
World Golf Rankings
1. Jason Day 13.38
2. Jordan Spieth 10.90
3. Rory McIlroy 8.83
4. Bubba Watson 7.86
5. Rickie Fowler 7.40
—As for Tiger himself, Monday morning he appeared at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md., a promo for the Quicken Loans National tournament, the week after the U.S. Open in June and an event that benefits his foundation. To say it was humiliating would be an understatement.
In an attempt to put on an exhibition of some sort, Tiger hit a ceremonial shot from a forward tee on the par-3 10th hole, and chunked it into the water from about 100 yards. He asked for another ball. Same result. He tried a third time. It barely cleared the pond, then rolled down the bank into the water. Three balls…three in the drink.
Suffice it to say this put to rest questions that he is nearing a return.
In comments afterwards, Woods said: “I have been practicing at home, and I’m progressing nicely. I’m hoping to play. That’s the overriding question I keep hearing: When are you coming back, when are you playing? I get it all the time. If I knew, I’d tell you, because it’d be fun to know.”
Woods added his comeback has been hard: “Nerve pain – if you’ve never experienced it, man, it’s something else.”
He said he no longer has any nerve pain, but he is not pain-free. [You have to be worried in a case like his on getting hooked on pain-killers.]
Woods maintains he is getting stronger and hitting the ball better. IF Tiger plays again this year, or ever, maybe my initial thought of his first tournament being the PGA at Baltusrol end of July will be right after all. Granted, it would be nice to have an easier event under your belt before then because if you aren’t driving the ball well, the rough at B’rol, I’ve already been told by folks who have played it in the last few weeks, is beyond brutal…rough being Baltusrol’s main defense against a slew of 64-65s. [Three have shot 63 at Baltusrol in majors…Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf at the 1980 U.S. Open, and Thomas Bjorn at the 2005 PGA.]
Stanley Cup Playoffs
—San Jose evened their Western Conference finals matchup with St. Louis at 1-1 after a 4-0 win on Tuesday, while Pittsburgh evened their series with Tampa Bay at a game apiece when Sidney Crosby scored in overtime, Monday, for a 3-2 Penguins win. Game 3 of this one is Wednesday.
Premier League
–As I noted last chat, with some details still sketchy at the time, what an embarrassment, Sunday, when Manchester United was forced to cancel its game with Bournemouth, the season finale, because of what turned out to be a dummy bomb (taped to a toilet door) left over from an earlier training exercise. The incident will cost the club about $4.3 million, while Greater Manchester police commissioner, Tony Lloyd, said Man Utd. should take responsibility for the “fiasco.”
It was the first time in 24 years that a Premier League match has been cancelled on security grounds.
It turns out the device was one of 13 planted for sniffer dogs in a drill on Wednesday but was not collected by the company in charge afterwards.
The club offered a refund to those who bought tickets for the game, which was then played Tuesday with free entry.
Mr. Lloyd said: “The device should not have been allowed to be there from Wednesday til Sunday and only discovered 20 minutes before the kick-off.
“It is outrageous this situation arose and a full inquiry is required to urgently find out how this happened, why it happened and who will be held accountable.
“This fiasco caused massive inconvenience to supporters who had come from far and wide to watch the match, wasted the time of huge numbers of police officers and the army’s bomb squad, and unnecessarily put people in danger, as evacuating tens of thousands of people from a football stadium is not without risk.”
The training exercise was conducted by Deacon’s Canines, based in Anglesey, along with a small security company, whose managing director said: “The mistake is entirely mine.”
Think about what happened. It’s as if anyone could have walked in prior to the game and planted a bomb.
John Bahadur Lamb, an expert at counterterrorism at Birmingham City University, told the Financial Times that sports clubs would have to improve security.
“The publicly accessible but privately owned nature of football stadiums gives a false sense of security, which may be why the pre-match search appears to have been lacking,” he said.
The main point is why wasn’t the stadium swept before the fans were let in? The device was discovered by a member of United staff but not before the stadium was full.
Euro 2016 kicks off in France in less than a month, which adds to the unease as this is a major target. 2.5 million fans are expected to attend 51 matches over the course of a month.
[Tuesday, Man U then beat Bournemouth 3-1 to secure the fifth position in the standings and an automatic Europa League spot. Southampton finished sixth and will be in the Europa League qualification stage.]
Stuff
—Saturday is the running of the Preakness…don’t forget. Nyquist is going to face a slew of new challengers, as well as Kentucky Derby runner-up, Exaggerator. Third-place finisher Gun Runner pulled out, but apparently will run in the Belmont. Observers say Nyquist has looked great at Pimlico, having arrived early. [The weather forecast for Saturday is awful, by the way.]
–The Atlanta Falcons aren’t moving into their new Mercedes-Benz Stadium until 2017, but for some reason they’ve already announced some concession prices and it almost makes you want to drool. $2 hot dogs! $2 pretzels! And, get this, sports fans…a 12-ounce cup of beer, Bud Light, for just $5, which is a relative steal for stadium/arena prices these days.
Actually, I just saw that seven teams offered $5 beers last season, with Cincinnati having a 14-oz. $5 offering. The average league cost, though, was $7.42. [Matt Bonesteel / Washington Post]
–Even the “Today” show had the story of the 23-year-old woman bitten by a nurse shark in Boca Raton on Sunday. The 2-footer glommed onto her arm and wouldn’t let go, and then we learned the shark was dead as both the woman and the shark, still attached, were taken to the hospital, where the shark was removed. The woman was released Monday.
Well, like I always say, better to be bitten by a nurse than assaulted by a hammerhead. Nurse shark, that is.
–The following was another item appearing on every national newscast, further proof that ‘Man,’ No. 323 on the All-Species List, will never again sniff the Top 100.
“A bison calf in Yellowstone National Park has been put down after tourists who thought it was cold put it in their car, causing the animal’s mother to reject the calf when it returned to the herd.
“Park wardens condemned the stupidity of the tourists involved after they loaded the animal into the back of their vehicle.
“A spokesman said: ‘They received an initial ticket for $110 but they could face further charges.’….
“Karen Richardson, a park visitor who was at a ranger station when the tourists pulled up with the calf, told East Idaho News: ‘They wanted to talk to the rangers. They insisted the animal was freezing cold and dying. Crazy stuff happens in Yellowstone all the time and this is just one example that park rangers have to deal with.’
“The bison was recently made America’s national mammal and is adept at surviving the cold.
“There are more than 3,000 of them in Yellowstone and tourists are supposed to stay more than 25 yards away….
“Park rangers later tried repeatedly to reunite the calf with its herd but in vain….
“ ‘The calf was euthanized because it was abandoned and causing a dangerous situation by continually approaching people and cars along the roadway.’” [Irish Independent]
‘Bison,’ by the way, despite being ‘America’s Mammal,’ is No. 134 on the ASL because it is without doubt one of the stupider animals on the planet, yet still safely ahead of Man.
–Brad K. passed along this disturbing tale from the AP:
“A poisonous snake in a tree has bitten a customer at a home improvement store in North Carolina.
“A spokeswoman for Lowe’s Companies Inc. said in an email Tuesday that a customer was bitten in the outdoor lawn and garden center Monday at a store northwest of Charlotte.
“The East Lincoln Fire Department had said in a Facebook post that the copperhead bit an employee [later corrected to ‘customer.’]
“The customer’s name and condition were not available.
“The company doesn’t know how the snake got into the garden center.”
I’m guessing it slithered in…that being the way most snakes travel.
–We note the passing of Julius La Rosa, 86. La Rosa was a celebrated 1950s singer who got his star turn on the Arthur Godfrey show, only to be humiliated and fired on-air by Godfrey, before La Rosa reinvented himself and had a long career performing on television, stage and as a nightclub performer.
La Rosa was plucked from obscurity by the powerful Godfrey and taken into the “Little Godfrey” family, “paid a salary beyond his wildest dreams and exposed to colossal television and radio audiences. For a Brooklyn kid just out of the Navy it was a dream come true,” writes Robert D. McFadden of the New York Times in his obituary.
La Rosa appeared on CBS’ “Arthur Godfrey Time,” a weekday morning television and radio show, and for “Arthur Godfrey and His Friends,” a Wednesday night variety program, from 1951 to 1953, when 35 million people would tune in. La Rosa became a big hit, fans swooned, and soon he was receiving 7,000 letters a day (more than Godfrey took in), while his salary grew to $900 a week.
McFadden:
“But it all came at a price.
“Mr. Godfrey – a folksy, sentimental ukulele strummer to his audiences but an imperious, tyrannical boss behind the sets – ordered all his entertainers to take dancing lessons. Mr. La Rosa refused. He also insisted that his performers not work for outside interests and not be represented by personal agents.
“Feeling exploited, Mr. La Rosa did both. He signed with Cadence Records, a label owned by Mr. Godfrey’s musical director, Archie Bleyer, and made several recordings, including his first hit, ‘Anywhere I Wander.’ He also hired an agent to renegotiate his CBS contract and manage his outside interests.
“On Oct. 19, 1953 – 23 months after Mr. La Rosa’s debut – Mr. Godfrey retaliated in a morning segment heard only on the radio. Mr. La Rosa had just finished singing ‘Manhattan’ when Mr. Godfrey delivered the sentence in his solemn foghorn voice.
“ ‘That was Julie’s swan song,’ he said.
“He later fired Mr. Bleyer, too, and told reporters that Mr. La Rosa had been banished because he lacked ‘humility.’”
But La Rosa quickly rebounded, with Ed Sullivan signing him at triple his old salary for a dozen appearances on his national television variety show, ‘Toast of the Town.’ Soon, La Rosa had his two biggest hits, “Eh, Cumpari’ and ‘Domani.’ He went on to tour nationally with the likes of Sarah Vaughan, Perry Como, Patti Page, and Nat King Cole.
And he appeared on countless television shows, including those of Dinah Shore, Steve Allen, Peggy Lee, Johnny Carson and Merv Griffin.
For decades after, La Rosa also appeared on stage and in nightclub acts.
—Tony Barrow, the man who became the Beatles’ first publicist in 1962 and coined the term the Fab Four, died the other day in Morecambe, England. He was 80.
As Allan Kozinn writes in the New York Times:
“In one of his first acts as the Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein wrote to Mr. Barrow in December 1961, hoping to get the group mentioned in ‘Off the Record,’ the record review column Mr. Barrow had been writing for The Liverpool Echo, under the pen name Disker, since 1954. The Beatles were then an unsigned dance-hall and bar band, and Mr. Barrow, who had moved to London and also had a job writing liner notes for Decca Records, responded that as a record reviewer, he could do nothing for a band that had not made any recordings.
“Mr. Epstein was persistent. While visiting London in the hope of getting the Beatles a record deal, he visited Mr. Barrow and played him a poor-quality live recording of the group. Mr. Barrow was intrigued enough to help Mr. Epstein arrange for the group to audition for Decca.”
Well, Decca turned down the Beatles for Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, but after Epstein got a deal for the Fab Four with an EMI subsidiary, late in 1962, Epstein invited Barrow to join his production company, NEMS Enterprises. Barrow and his wife didn’t want to leave the security of a steady corporate job to work for an unknown pop band, but Epstein offered to double Barrow’s Decca salary and Barrow rolled the dice.
Barrow, as a former critic, knew what writers wanted and he filled his early news releases with details on everything from their instruments, to who wrote the songs, to fan-friendly information on each of the Beatles’ backgrounds.
In those early years, Barrow played a critical role on so many fronts, but after Epstein’s death in 1967, the Beatles set up their own company, Apple, which had its own publicity department and Barrow resigned from NEMS to start his own operation, Tony Barrow International with a client roster that included the Bee Gees, the Kinks and the Bay City Rollers.
In 2005 Barrow published a memoir, “John, Paul, George, Ringo & Me: The Real Beatles Story,” that I bet is pretty good.
Top 3 songs for the week 5/18/63: #1 “If You Wanna Be Happy” (Jimmy Soul) #2 “I Will Follow Him” (Little Peggy March) #3 “Puff the Magic Dragon” (Peter, Paul & Mary)… and…#4 “Surfin’ U.S.A.” (Beach Boys) #5 “Foolish Little Girl” (The Shirelles…love this one…) #6 “Pipeline” (Chantay’s) #7 “Losing You” (Brenda Lee) #8 “Reverend Mr. Black” (The Kingston Trio) #9 “Can’t Get Used To Losing You” (Andy Williams…love this one too…was #2 for four weeks but didn’t hit #1…) #10 “I Love You Because” (Al Martino)
Chicago Cubs Quiz Answers: 1) Bill Madlock is the Cubs top hitter for batting average at .336, though he played only three full seasons, 1974-76, winning batting titles in ’75 and ’76. 2) 1,300 runs scored: Ryne Sandberg 1,316; Billy Williams 1,306; Ernie Banks 1,305. 3) Hall of Famer Billy Herman had back-to-back 57 doubles in 1935-36.
Next Bar Chat, Monday. An abbreviated one due to a weekend with the guys at the shore.
