[Posted Wed. a.m.]
World Series Quiz: Name the six players with 8 or more World Series rings. [Hints: Babe Ruth is not one of them. And one of them has the initials F.C.] Answer below.
World Series
–As of Monday, tickets for the Cubs’ first home game Friday were being listed for an average of $6,155, while the average was supposedly $3,125 for Game 1 in Cleveland on TicketIQ.
Now the actual price for events like this, including the Super Bowl, seldom reaches the hype (StubHub had an average of $3,000 and SeatGeek $3,433 for Game 3), but if there was a Game 7 in Cleveland, I can’t imagine what those would be worth.
–Adam Kilgore / Washington Post
“People (in Cleveland) are trying to comprehend what has happened over these past few months, how to process a delirious and wholly unfamiliar confluence. A visitor flying in might hear a Southwest flight attendant, minutes before takeoff, declare the plane is bound for ‘Cleveland, the land of champions.’ One might see along Prospect Avenue the construction of a television stage for a national NBA pregame show, and another one around the corner for a national MLB pregame show. One might sense, over the 88 paces between one corner of Quicken Loans Arena and the left field gate of Progressive Field, some sort of cosmic vibration.
“In June, the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA championship to give the city its first major professional sports title since 1964, when the Browns won the NFL championship, three years before the Super Bowl even existed. In those 52 years, Cleveland became an object of derision. Its sporting heartbreaks earned two-word memorials: The Drive, The Fumble, The Decision. Outside the stadiums, a river caught fire, the population drained and winter seemingly never relented.
“(Tuesday night), a new world will be on full display. Around 7 p.m., a half-hour before tip, the Cavaliers will raise an NBA championship banner inside Quicken Loans Arena. A little after 8 p.m., across the street at Progressive Field, Indians right-hander Corey Kluber will throw the first pitch of Game 1 of the World Series.”
As Ronald Reagan would have said, ‘Not bad, not bad at all.’
–And so Tuesday night, Cleveland whipped Chicago 6-0 behind the spectacular pitching of Kluber and reliever Andrew Miller; Kluber pitching the first six, striking out 9 while walking none, with Miller relieving him in the seventh with a runner on and a 3-0 lead and then getting out of a bases loaded, no-out jam, adding a scoreless eighth, as the Indians tacked on three more for the final tally. Jon Lester took the loss for the Cubs after yielding 3 earned in 5 2/3.
In four games this postseason, Kluber has yielded just two runs in 24 1/3, 0.74 ERA, while striking out 29 and winning three of four decisions. For his part, Miller now has thrown 13 2/3 scoreless in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, spare part Roberto Perez homered twice last night, giving him three in 27 at-bats this postseason after just three in 153 ABs in the regular season. Shades of Al Weis and Gene Tenace.
And not for nothing, but Cleveland manager Terry Francona is now 9-0 in the World Series.
The winner of Game 1 has won 12 of the last 13 World Series.
College Football
—Three big games this weekend where you need to clear the schedule; having done your errands, including the beer run, earlier in the day.
4 Washington at 17 Utah…anxious to see this one.
7 Nebraska at 11 Wisconsin…yawn, but important should Nebraska win. [Actually, you could make a late beer run during halftime of this one, seeing as game time is 7:00 ET, though if you are making a second beer run at what would be 8:30ish, please call Uber.]
3 Clemson at 12 Florida State…this is the season, simply, for Clemson. They can’t survive a loss like Ohio State potentially can.
Now if Clemson and Washington lost, and Nebraska won, plus 8 Baylor, which plays at Texas, then things really get screwed up.
Alabama is off this week, while 2 Michigan is at Michigan State…what looked like a delicious game before the season began but no longer.
–As for the big picture and the BCS playoffs, the Ohio State loss to Penn State doesn’t hurt the Buckeyes one bit as long as they run the table, including defeating Michigan on Nov. 26. They would then be in with Alabama, Clemson and Washington, assuming ‘Bama beats Auburn, Clemson wins this weekend, Washington rolls and all three obviously win their conference championships.
Actually, ‘Bama has a probable tough one Nov. 5 in Baton Rouge against LSU, which has been on a roll under interim coach Ed Orgeron, who replaced Les Miles, while Auburn has won four straight, including a 56-3 pasting of Arkansas, with its two losses being against Clemson and Texas A&M.
—NCAA Div. I-AA (FCS) poll (Oct. 24)
1. Sam Houston State 7-0
2. Jacksonville State 6-1
3. Eastern Washington 6-1
4. North Dakota State 6-1
5. James Madison 6-1
6. Richmond 7-1
7. The Citadel 7-0…didn’t know they were undefeated
8. Chattanooga 7-1
9. Charleston Southern 4-2
10. South Dakota State 5-2
24. Lehigh 6-2
NFL
—So much for the Geno Smith experiment. It’s as if a dark cloud hovers over the Jets’ quarterback’s head. He had his shot at the starting job and it lasted a half, exiting Sunday’s game with a knee injury that we found out on Monday was a torn ACL. That’s the end of Geno’s Jets career.
So Ryan Fitzpatrick, who had been benched, then played the second half in New York’s 24-16 win over Baltimore, starts this Sunday against the Browns.
But after posting this column last time, I saw Fitzpatrick’s postgame comments and they stirred up a bit of controversy. Despite the fact he deserved to be benched, Fitzpatrick blasted the organization, including the owner, general manager and coach, for losing faith in him.
“The biggest thing in this game, in order to last, is to have belief in yourself,” he said. “Because when the owner stops believing in you, the GM stops believing in you, and the coaches stop believing in you, sometimes all you have is yourself. That’s kind of something I’ve had to deal with before, something I’m dealing with now….
“I probably play better as an underdog, pissed off. Going forward, yeah, I’ll be pissed off.”
He went on and on, about how hard it was for him to get benched, but, again, the first six weeks of the season he was the worst quarterback in football! And it wasn’t even close. Geezuz, Dude.
Todd Bowles, commenting Monday for the first time, said he would discuss the matter with Fitzmagic.
“If pissed off is going to stop the turnovers, then I’m more than happy to have him play pissed off the whole time,” coach said.
“It’s a show-me game,” he continued. “It’s not about belief or non-belief. People get assigned to do jobs, and they do them. If I don’t do my job or the GM doesn’t do his job and the quarterback doesn’t do his job and the team doesn’t do their job, eventually they’ll replace us all.
“I know Fitz. I know what he means. I have no problem with him venting his frustrations. He can use it as a positive. If that’s going to cause us to win more games and be pissed off, so be it.”
All were in agreement, for once Bowles nailed it.
I mean Fitzpatrick threw a league-high 11 interceptions his first six starts. Except for one game, he was awful. But what also irked a lot of us was the fact the guy is making $12 million this year.
Frankly, Ryan Fitzpatrick is the dumbest Ivy Leaguer I’ve ever seen.
–Houston Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler returned to Denver for the first time Monday night and he got creamed as the Broncos beat up on the Texans 27-9, Osweiler having a poor night, 22/41, 131, 0-0, 60.1 rating. I agree with John Elway, who said prior to the game that Osweiler never should have left, but $72 million over four years ($37 million guaranteed) was too tempting.
Denver snapped a two-game skid to move to 5-2, while Houston fell to 4-3. C.J. Anderson and Devontae Booker combined for 190 yards on the ground in 33 carries, while Trevor Siemian, Peyton Manning’s successor, was 14/25, 157, 1-0, 88.3, which with Denver’s defense, and perhaps a resurgent ground game, the Broncos would take every week.
–Boy, wasn’t that a magical football game Sunday night, the 6-6 tie between Arizona and Seattle?
The Seahawks punted the first nine times they had the ball, with several big gains wiped out by penalties.
But each team kicked a field goal on their opening possession in overtime, So then the Cardinals got Chandler Catanzaro in position for a 24-yarder and he bonked it off the left upright. The Seahawks then went down the field and put Stephen Hauschka in position for a 28-yarder, and he also missed, though this one was hideously wide left.
It was the first NFL tie without a touchdown since 1972.
–The Giants did the inevitable, releasing kicker Josh Brown on Tuesday after details of his 2015 arrest for domestic violence became public. Co-owner John Mara said in a statement: “We believed we did the right thing at every juncture in our relationship with Josh. Our beliefs, our judgements and our decisions were misguided. We accept that responsibility.”
Brown said he vowed to get help “so I may be the voice of change and not a statistic.” The kicker has had a successful career, but at age 37, it would seem to be over as the NFL reopens its investigation.
NBA Opening Night
—Cleveland raised its championship banner and the players, coaches, management and such received their rings, prior to blowing out the Knicks 117-88. It was just 48-45 Cleveland at the half, but the Cavs outscored New York’s new Dream Team, cough cough…hack hack….69-43 in the second half, LeBron James picking up his 43rd career triple-double in the process (19 pts., 11 rebounds, 14 assists).
–In the two other games, my Bar Chat “Pick to Click,” your Portland Trail Blazers, defeated Utah 113-104 at home behind the best backcourt in the sport, Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, who went off for 64 (Lillard 39), and a combined 16 of 16 from the foul line.
Meanwhile, the Spurs totally humiliated Golden State in Oakland, 129-100, as San Antonio spoiled the debut of the Super Team, or Super Villains, behind a superb effort from Kawhi Leonard, a career high 35 points (15 of 15 from the free throw line) and 5 steals, and disgruntled LaMarcus Aldridge’s 26 points and 14 rebounds; the Spurs hitting 12 of 24 from three, while the Warriors were just 7 of 33. As Nelson on “The Simpsons” would say, “Ha ha!”
So the post-Tim Duncan era got off to a flying start for San Antonio.
And just a reminder…last season Golden State got off to a 24-0 start in their historic 73-9 season, plus they didn’t lose a home game until April 1.
Golf Balls
–Five are being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame for 2017: Davis Love III, Ian Woosnam, Lorena Ochoa, Meg Mallon and the late Henry Longhurst. I forgot that Woosnam won 29 times on the European Tour, aside from his 1991 Masters title, so, yes, he’s very deserving, ditto Mallon (18 LPGA Tour wins plus four majors) and Ochoa (27 LPGA victories in eight seasons before retiring at 28). And who didn’t love Henry Longhurst.
As for Davis Love III….Tim Rosaforte / Golf World
“Love’s playing record included the PGA and two Players Championships among his 21 career victories. His 20th PGA Tour win, in 2008, was the benchmark needed to change the conversation from what Love hadn’t accomplished to what he had over the first 23 years of his career. Then in 2015, at age 51, he came back from neck and back surgeries to become the third oldest winner in tour history with a win in the Wyndham Championship.
“But what resonates more than Love’s competitive record has been his legacy as a sportsman. The biggest compliment in Love’s life, the most direct reflection of the way he was raised, occurred at the Presidents Cup when Arnold Palmer was captain in 1996. While addressing the United States team on how to comport themselves, Palmer singled out Love by saying, ‘Davis understands what I’m talking about.’”
Congratulations, Davis, for an honor well-deserved.
–Under the World Golf Hall of Fame’s eligibility requirements established in 2014, for induction, a player must be either deceased or at least 50 years old, and have won either the minimum 15 official victories on one or, in combination, more of the world’s accredited tours, or have at least two victories among the majors and/or the Players Championship.
I remember writing at the time I didn’t have a real problem with this criteria, but as Jaime Diaz of Golf World writes, the Hall of Fame needs to be more vibrant.
For example, Diaz says Calvin Peete, the greatest golfer of African-American descent before Tiger Woods, who had 12 PGA Tour wins, should be in the Hall and I agree.
Or Doug Sanders, who won 20 times but had no majors (four seconds). “Not only was Sanders one of the great shotmakers of all time, he was a genuinely colorful and charismatic character who brought fans to the game. Consider, too, Tom Weiskopf. Yes, he underachieved with 16 victories including one major. But he was a truly majestic player, who in full flight, according to Gary Player, played the game at a higher level than even Nicklaus. And then there’s Corey Pavin. An undersized artist who found a way to employ amazing ball control to win a U.S. Open among his 20 official victories [15 on PGA Tour, 5 international], even as golf was transitioning to the modern power game.”
Diaz also mentions Paul Azinger, who won 14 times on the PGA and European tours, including a major, but contracted cancer in his prime.
Well, yes, I heartily agree on Peete, and I agree with Diaz that Calvin, who died a while ago, should get in before Tiger Woods. But I have a problem with Sanders, Weiskopf and Pavin.
Looking at Azinger’s career, however, I put him in. I had to look him up to remind myself this is a guy who won 11 of his 12 PGA Tour titles, including the PGA Championship, from 1987-93, and then had to deal with cancer, not returning to winning form until he won his final PGA Tour title (he also had two wins on the European Tour, 1990 and ‘92) in 2000. He did truly miss a lot of time in his prime.
Plus he captained a winning U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2008. So ‘Zinger should be in.
And that’s a memo….
–Remember Michelle Wie? She’s still just 27, but this was a miserable year for her as she achieved her first top 10 of the season last weekend at the Blue Bay LPGA in Hainan, China, her 23rd tournament of the year. She last won at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open, a year in which she finished fourth on the money list. She dropped to 49th in 2015, and this year is 111th with $64,435 in earnings. She missed the cut 12 times. And Wie was also 155th in driving accuracy, as well as just 30th in driving distance, which if you followed her at all in her early career, you’ll find startling, as I did.
Earlier this year, Wie’s longtime teacher, David Leadbetter, called her problems more mental than physical, saying, “Michele has to come to terms with what she wants to do.”
Wie still has four more events the rest of this season and then she said she’ll go back to Hawaii “and try to regroup for next year.” The LPGA desperately needs her back in top form.
–Former Pennsylvania Gov. and Dept. of Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge in Golf World on Arnold Palmer:
“It was called the 4 O’Clock Caucus. In the bowels of the Rayburn House Office Building, across from the U.S. Capitol, a bipartisan crew of NBA wannabees – otherwise known as middle-aged congressmen desperate for some exercise – would play an intense game of basketball on a shrunken court. Then-House Speaker Tip O’Neill would never call for a floor vote at 4 p.m. on game days, hence the name.
“Having first been elected to Congress in 1982, I was privileged to play in many of those games. Imagine that, Republicans and Democrats in Washington actually engaged in something other than screaming at one another….We enjoyed each other’s company. And the relationships forged on the hardwood were often the foundation for getting things done when it was time to get back to work.
“Thinking back, the 4 O’Clock Caucus was really where sports and politics first began to blend for me. As I got older and my ‘jumper’ turned more into a ‘stander,’ golf took over as my outlet. It was golf and politics that led me to Arnold Palmer.
“I first met Arnold during my campaign for Pennsylvania governor in the early 1990s. Both of us were born in southwestern Pennsylvania, and we clicked immediately….Since Arnold’s death last month, which happened in the midst of the ugliest presidential campaign we’ve ever seen in modern politics, I can’t help but think about the lessons today’s politicians could learn from Arnold….
“Namely that sportsmanship, an attribute so closely linked to Arnold, is civility’s cousin. Just like we did on that basketball court, Arnold competed like hell on the golf course. And what a competitor!…But when the round was over, those he competed with – and many times lost to – were always treated with class and civility. Can you imagine a fiercer rival than Jack Nicklaus? Yet there was Jack tearfully delivering Arnold’s eulogy in Latrobe. That says it all.
“Arnold treated everyone the same, from a titan of industry to a locker-room attendant. He was a gentleman who never demeaned his rivals, all while being the fiercest competitor you’d ever meet. It’s a playbook every politician should embrace.
“Arnold and I were honored to receive an honorary degree together from Allegheny College several years back. We spent a wonderful weekend on that beautiful little campus in northwest Pennsylvania. I recall how much he enjoyed speaking with the students during commencement weekend. And how they – and their parents – adored him. Deeply troubled by the rise of incivility in U.S. politics, Allegheny created the Prize for Civility in Public Life to highlight the unheralded public figures who strive to positively advance civility. I was proud to be in the room earlier this year when college president Jim Mullen presented the prize to Vice President Joe Biden and Senator John McCain. Though they disagree on virtually every policy issue, the Democratic vice president and Republican senator have built a decades-old friendship whose foundation is mutual respect.
“Just recently, the college commissioned a survey to see if incivility is getting worse – and what the implications may be for our democracy. When compared to just six years ago, more Americans say they’re OK shouting over someone they disagree with in a political debate, belittling or insulting someone or throwing out personal attacks. The findings are quite chilling….
“Arnold surely would be concerned, too, as the daily bombardment of incivility is antithetical to his entire life. The lessons Arnold learned as a young man that served him so well on the golf course were the same lessons he used so effectively in becoming a hugely successful businessman. Arnold treated everyone the same. Arnold would never belittle or insult, interrupt or attack….While he had strong political views, Arnold never questioned the motivation or morality of those who differed. He was a gentleman who never demeaned his rivals. It’s a playbook every politician should embrace.
“There was one finding from that Allegheny survey that jumped out at me and that troubles me deeply. The percentage of voters who believe elected officials should pursue personal friendships with members of other parties plummeted, from 85 percent in 2010 to just 56 percent today. Think of that. Nearly half of the voters’ surveyed think Rs and Ds should not be friends. Maybe that’s why they don’t play that basketball game anymore. They should. They need it now more than ever. Arnold would tell them to kick each other’s butt, and then go grab a beer. Together.”
–The November issue of Golf Digest has a bit on youth participation in the sport and a Sports and Fitness Industry Association survey that covers the period 2009-14, ages 6-17.
Overall, there was a 9% decrease in youth sports participation in the U.S., with basketball down 6.8%, soccer down 8.4%, baseball 4.3%, football 17.9%, but golf up 18.5%. [Lacrosse was up 28.6% but off a very low base.]
I was distressed to see track and field down 10.4%.
NCAA Men’s Division I Soccer Rankings (Oct. 25)
1. Maryland 13-0-2
2. Wake Forest 12-2-2
3. North Carolina 11-2-2
4. Denver 14-0-2
5. Clemson 9-2-4
6. Syracuse 10-2-2
7. Louisville 11-3-2
8. Charlotte 9-2-1
9. Stanford 9-2-4
10. Indiana 8-1-6
Stuff
–I was remiss in not noting that Lewis Hamilton won the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, the 50th of Hamilton’s career, which leaves him behind only Alain Prost (51) and Michael Schumacher (91) in the history of the sport. For the year, Hamilton trails Nico Rosberg, his Mercedes teammate, with three races to go (next weekend in Mexico, then Brazil and then Abu Dhabi).
But what was good to see was that the three-day event in Austin drew a record 270,000 fans, which is terrific. I only knew this because I was reading how Malaysia is going to drop holding the Malaysian Grand Prix after next year because they have been drawing dwindling crowds, only 45,000 this year for a race with a capacity of 120,000; the event at Sepang being a staple of the Formula 1 circuit since 1999.
What struck me was the reason given by Malaysian Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who said competition from other Asian venues was taking its toll.
“When we first hosted the F1 it was a big deal. First in Asia outside Japan. Now so many venues. No first mover advantage. Not a novelty,” he tweeted.
This would make for a cool MBA project, boys and girls…obviously tie it to the tech industry, F1 also essentially being a tech sector.
U.S. firm Liberty Media is taking over Formula 1 next year (I think that’s when it’s official).
—SHARK ATTACKS!!!
Yes, plural. The same day. Monday.
From the Sydney Morning Herald:
“A NSW (New South Wales) surfer is still in shock a day after escaping the jaws of a 2.7 meter great white off the NSW north coast.
“Jade Fitzpatrick, 36, says he’s ‘one of the lucky ones’ after suffering three puncture wounds to his upper thigh when his surfboard bore the brunt of the attack off a beach between Suffolk Park and Broken Head near Byron Bay on Monday morning.
“After analyzing his board shark experts have determined it was a great white that took the bite.”
Fitzpatrick said he was lying on his surfboard waiting for a wave when the shark attacked.
“He bit down on my leg and this fin has got him in the mouth and he has spat me out. I thought, that is definitely not a dolphin,” he said.
Fitzpatrick was able to paddle into shore with the help of a friend. He has vowed to go back in the water. Me? I’d stay on the beach.
And then in Hawaii…from the Irish Independent:
“Surfer Federico Jaime has told how he fought back when he was attacked by a shark at a Hawaii beach causing him serious injuries….
“It was the second shark attack in the U.S. in a fortnight, while there have been three in Australia’s New South Wales state in a month.
“Mr. Jaime was surfing on Friday at a beach close to his Paia home when he felt a shark bite his left arm, he recalled on Monday from his Maui hospital bed.
“ ‘It just came out of nowhere,’ he said. ‘I saw the shark right in my face. It grabbed my arm – my left arm. It was really violent.’…
“ ‘I could see my arm was pretty much destroyed. I hit it with my hands and my legs. I don’t know what I did.’
“Then, he said, he felt something pull on his left leg. At the time, he did not realize the shark had bit him a second time.”
Jaime started screaming and nearby surfers helped get him to shore. One of them used a surfboard leash as a tourniquet.
It seems it was a reef shark.
October happens to account for the greatest number of Hawaii shark bites.
“University of Hawaii researchers say this may be because female tiger sharks migrate south from the Hawaiian Islands to give birth. An influx of hungry pupping sharks may boost the likelihood of a bad encounter with a human.”
I’m avoiding the Pacific Ocean in October from here on. I suggest you do the same.
Jaime underwent three hours of surgery but will need another operation to repair a tendon in his arm.
–So I’m reading this piece by David Dunlap of the New York Times on ravens and crows coming back to New York City, which is kind of a surprise because their numbers had been scarce, just a decade ago.
“Crows and ravens would seem to be the perfect New Yorkers. Both bird species are whip-smart, sociable, energetic, talkative and loud. And they dress entirely in black.”
I have to admit I forgot the crow population collapsed in the early 2000s after an outbreak of West Nile Virus. Seriously, around that time when I was in my townhouse, I now remember sitting in the living room and hearing a loud “kerplunk!” I looked out on my deck and there was a dead crow (or raven). I was aware of West Nile at the time and we had been told to call authorities so they could do samples and within an hour, a guy came over to pick up the bird, which it was clear had not just hurled himself at a window. But I digress….
Anyway, as Mr. Dunlap reports, ravens, which prefer wooded areas, or lakes, are being spotted all over New York.
Ravens, by the way, make a guttural, croaking sound, while crows are easy to identify because they go “caw caw caw,” kind of like Andrea True sang “more more more….how do you like it, how do you like it…”
Actually, there’s a cool bit on birdnote.org…plug in ‘crows and ravens’ and you’ll get, once and for all, the difference between the two.
I have a ton of crows outside my aerie here in Summit, NJ, and not as many ravens. But in Gotham, “Ravens are dramatically increasing in the areas where they’re willing to live,” said Kevin J. McGowan, of the Cornell lab, an expert in corvids, as the crow family is called.
“The common raven said: ‘You know what? I can handle seeing a couple of people a day,’” Dr. McGowan said. “Ravens are happy to use human-made structures for nesting. They love bridges and cell towers.”
David Dunlap: “And the crow?
“Formerly a more rural, more reticent bird, crows began inching closer to humanity after hunting restrictions were introduced in the 1970s. For a brief while, they were even a feature of life in the city.”
“ ‘Once they made that behavioral jump, that it was O.K. to be close to people, they could exploit resources that they hadn’t before,’ Dr. McGowan said. ‘American crows tend to like what people like: a park area. They have to have trees, to nest and roost in, but they like open spaces for foraging.’”
This is fascinating…if you’re into such things. Mr. Dunlap notes:
“The National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count reflects both the growth and the decline of the population. In 1980, volunteer counting parties in the five 15-mile-diameter surveying circles that cover the city reported 2,199 crows. In 2000, they counted 54.549. Only a year later, the count plummeted to 3,440.”
West Nile did hit it hard, but it bounced back.
–Natalie O’Neill / New York Post
“This parrot’s a rat!
“A pet parrot squawked to its owner that her hubby was two-timing here with their maid, nearly landing him in Kuwaiti jail, according to reports Tuesday.
“The tattletale chirped sweet nothings – flirty phrases the man had never said to his wife – confirming her suspicion that he’d been cheating, the Arab Times Online reported.
“The unnamed woman, from Hawalli, reported her unfaithful hubby to cops, using the bird as proof, according to the paper.
“Adultery is illegal in the Middle Eastern country – but police said the parrot’s statement wouldn’t hold in court….
“It’s unclear what the parrot in Kuwait said to squeal on its owner. The paper also didn’t report the little loudmouth’s name or breed.”
This isn’t the first time a parrot has ratted out its owner.
–Louise Crane of BBC News had a piece the other day on some hero dogs of yore.
“In 1925, the small Alaskan town of Nome was in the throes of a deadly diphtheria epidemic. To save the town’s inhabitants, 20 teams of sled dogs transported a vital anti-toxin over 674 miles of ice and snow, in just six days, through the most brutal winter conditions for decades.
“Of the dogs that took part in the Nome Serum Run, the most celebrated were two Siberian huskies named Balto and Togo. Today dogs like these compete in epic sled races, outperforming many of the greatest human athletes. They are the fastest land mammal for distances over 10 miles….
“Diphtheria is a bacterial infection that mainly affects the nose and throat. Left untreated, it can prove fatal. Nowadays it is rare because most people are vaccinated, but that was not the case in 1925.
“The outbreak had come at the worst possible time. Nome was cut off by the worst winter in 20 years and there were no local stocks of the anti-toxin serum treatment. Without it, the town doctor predicted a mortality rate of 100%. The closest the serum could get by rail was Neana, 674 miles away.
“On 24 January 1925, Nome’s Board of Health voted unanimously to use a dog-sled relay to transport the serum from Neana to Nome.
“With the help of the U.S. Postal Service, who regularly used dogs to transport mail across Alaska, 20 dog-sled teams positioned themselves along the route. (“Musher” Leonard) Seppala was set to make the penultimate leg from Shatoolik to Golovin.
“The entire route would ordinarily take the postal service 25 days, but that was far too long. In the brutal weather conditions, the serum would only last six. The dogs would have to complete the journey in less than a quarter of the normal time.
“Their first challenge was simple: avoid freezing to death.
“Siberian Huskies have lots of very fine, highly twisted secondary hairs, compared to other breeds, says veterinary pathologist Kelly Credille. These hairs form a special layer of their coat that traps warm air against the body, like a down jacket.
“Huskies can also use their large fuzzy tails to ensure that they breathe warm air at night. Each dog curls up into a wall and covers its nose with the fur of its tail, which acts as a warm air filter….
“(So) by January 31 1925, (the Huskies) had travelled 170 miles from Nome to meet the oncoming serum delivery.
“With just two days before the serum expired, time was melting away, so Seppala made the decision to cross the unstable Norton Sound ice sheet. Then a blizzard closed in, and Seppala found himself in a whiteout. He might as well have been blind.
“To survive, Seppala relied on his lead dog Togo to navigate around deadly open stretches of water.
“Togo was ideally suited to this, because dog whiskers…can sense changes in airflow. The key to this is the sensors at the bases of the whiskers….
“Huskies are also rather intelligent, thanks to centuries of selective breeding. The Chukchi people needed dogs that could make split-second navigational decisions to safely transport them across the snow and ice.
“The other thing the Chukchi needed from their dogs, and that Seppala and the other mushers relied on, was teamwork….
“Working as a team, Seppala’s dogs found their way through the treacherous Sound. That brought the serum 91 miles closer to Nome.
“Another driver named Gunnar Kaasen then stepped in, with a team of dogs led by a Siberian Husky called Balto. They delivered the serum to Nome with half a day to spare, saving 10,000 lives.
“The story made Siberian Huskies famous. Balto is immortalized in a bronze statue in New York’s Central Park; arguably rather unfairly, as he was only one of many dogs involved in the Run.”
So you might be thinking, how do Huskies sustain the levels of exercise they do for days on end?
Well they eat an extreme diet.
“Since the dogs are burning 10,000kCal a day, they need to eat about that much to sustain themselves. That is the equivalent of 24 Big Macs a day: a lot of food to fit into a small dog.”
The more fat the better, and the dogs are good at converting fat into glycogen.
But a warning, dog lovers. You cannot feed this kind of diet to your pet dogs. You’ll kill them.
It’s just that “when a pet dog consumes high amounts of fat, it shows up as fatty acids in the bloodstream. But in sled dogs, it does not.”
–Jeff Goldman of the Star-Ledger (NJ.com) had an update on professional poker player Phil Ivey and his court case against the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City. A judge ruled that Ivey, a former Jersey resident, didn’t cheat when he won $9.6 million playing baccarat at the Borgata over a four-day period in 2012, but he still might have to pay back some of the money.
U.S. District Judge Noel Hillman said Ivey and an associate were liable for breach of contract, though the judge ruled the two hadn’t committed fraud.
Huh?
“Ivey and Cheng Yin Sun employed a technique called ‘edge-sorting’ in which players detect small manufacturer defects in the cards and use it to their advantage.
“Hillman said that Ivey and Yin Sun altered the odds to their advantage and in doing so violated the Casino Control Act. The Borgata has 20 days to outline what Ivey owes and then Ivey has 20 days to respond.
“Ivey allegedly had Yin Sun ask the dealer to rotate high value cards 90 degrees, which moved the flaw on the card back to the opposite corner and made it identifiable.
“Ivey also insisted that a shuffling machine be used (which keeps the cards from being spun and altered) essentially setting up a deck where he was able to identify the value of the next card off the deck to a certain degree.”
It has to do with the card manufacturer, Gemaco, who Ivey says was responsible for producing cards within contractual and industry standards, but that the Borgata knew the manufacturing process didn’t produce perfectly symmetrical card backs. Ivey also claims the Borgata destroyed the deck of cards so they couldn’t be used as evidence.
On one lucrative day, Ivey won $4.8 million in 17 hours by betting an average of $89,000 a hand.
The Borgata learned of Ivey’s technique through a London court case that Ivey is appealing. Playing a similar game in 2012 there, he won $12.4 million, with a judge ruling in the casino’s favor, which is now withholding the winnings.
So kids, if you see Phil Ivey at your front door, asking if you want to play some poker or baccarat, I’d politely say, “No thanks, Phil. Not this time.”
—Bobby Vee died. He was 73. His son said he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2011.
Born Robert Velline in Fargo, N.D., Vee was just 15 when he took the stage in nearby Moorhead, Minn., to fill in after the 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and “The Big Bopper.”
Within months, Vee and his band, the Shadows, had a regional hit and he would go on to have 38 Top 100 tunes, including the following top tens:
#6 Devil Or Angel, 1960
#6 Rubber Ball, 1960
#1 Take Good Care of My Baby, 1961
#2 Run To Him, 1961
#3 The Night Has A Thousand Eyes, 1962…my fave of his
#3 Come Back When You Grow Up, 1967
But Bobby Vee is also known for giving a young Bob Dylan his start. Dylan played briefly with Vee’s band and it was he that suggested Bobby change his last name to Vee.
Top 3 songs for the week 10/23/71: #1 “Maggie May” (Rod Stewart) #2 “Superstar” (Carpenters) #3 “Yo-Yo” (The Osmonds)…and…#4 “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves” (Cher) #5 “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” (Joan Baez) #6 “Do You Know What I Mean” (Lee Michaels) #7 “Go Away Little Girl” (Donny Osmond) #8 “Sweet City Woman” (Stampeders) #9 “Theme From Shaft” (Isaac Hayes… “You see this cat Shaft is a bad mother…” “Shut your mouth”… “But I’m talkin’ about Shaft”…) #10 “If You Really Love Me” (Stevie Wonder…one of my three favorites of his…)
World Series Quiz Answer: 8 or more World Series rings: Yogi Berra, 10; Joe DiMaggio, 9; Bill Dickey, 8; Phil Rizzuto, 8; Frankie Crosetti, 8; Lou Gehrig, 8.
Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Johnny Murphy, Hank Bauer and Herb Pennock had 7, though Ruth had just 4 with the Yanks, the other 3 with Boston.
Next Bar Chat, Monday.
