[Posted early Wed. a.m.]
Golf Quiz: How many in the top ten in the current world golf rankings can you name? Answer below.
College Basketball…AP Poll (Feb. 27)
1. Kansas 26-3 (58)
2. Villanova 27-3 (2)
3. UCLA 26-3 (3)
4. Gonzaga 29-1 (2)
5. North Carolina 25-5
6. Oregon 26-4
7. Arizona 26-4
8. Louisville 23-6
9. Kentucky 24-5
10. West Virginia 23-6
11. Baylor 23-6…shocked still so high
13. Butler 23-6
14. SMU 25-4
15. Florida State 23-6
17. Duke 22-7
21. Wichita State 27-4
So the poll is released early afternoon and then Monday night….
North Carolina traveled to 23 Virginia and promptly lost, 53-43. The Cavaliers shot only 32.2% from the field (19 of 59), but Carolina was 17 of 48 (35.4%) and Virginia turned it over only four times.
11 Baylor beat 10 West Virginia 71-62 in Waco, the Bears having lost three of four.
And in a big ACC / NCAA Tournament bubble game, Virginia Tech moved to 21-8, 10-7, with a 66-61 win at home against 25 Miami (20-9, 10-7), formally joining the Hurricanes in the field.
After Monday’s play, CBS Sports’ bracketologist Jerry Palm had Wake Forest as an 11-seed, one of the last four in. His first four out: Syracuse, Georgia, Kansas State, Wichita State.
Well, this is absurd. The Shockers, should they run the table from here through their conference tourney, would probably deserve a 4-seed. And I’ve already said Syracuse is in. Book it…though I’ve taken out bracketology insurance.
Tuesday, Duke defeated Florida State 75-70, as freshman guard Frank Jackson stepped up with 22 points, while Grayson Allen’s playing time is limited due to his bad ankle.
Huge game tonight, Wednesday…Louisville at Wake Forest.
NBA
–The Wizards (35-23) had a nice win on Tuesday, 112-110 over the Warriors, now 50-10, but there was major concern over Kevin Durant’s hyperextended left knee, suffered early in the contest, with an MRI slated for later today, Wednesday. This is potentially a huge development, to say the least. The Warriors reached out to Matt Barnes, the veteran swingman, who will sign a contract for the remainder of the season.
—Toronto All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry underwent hand surgery Monday and most likely won’t return until the playoffs, which is bound to impact Toronto’s seeding.
–In Tuesday’s 109-106 win over Utah, Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook had 43 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists and still averages a triple-double for the season….31.0 points, 10.6 rebounds, 10.3 assists.
Major League Baseball
The issue of pace of play is going to be a big one the entire season and in catching up on some reading, just wanted to pass along Buster Olney’s thoughts for ESPN on the only aspect I care about.
“At heart, this discussion really comes down to what the pitcher and batters do pitch to pitch. Will pitchers remain in the area around the rubber, or will they loiter? Will hitters stay in the box, or will they step out constantly?
“I heard a really, really smart and interesting idea in recent weeks: Rather than focusing on putting teeth into the rules and trying to think of ways to penalize the violators, Major League Baseball could financially reward the players who are compliant, so they gradually build new habits and a faster-paced culture….
“Let’s say that every hitter who does not leave the batter’s box for at least 10 plate appearances in a given week gets an envelope of $1,000 in cash.
“Let’s say that every pitcher who works at least two innings a week and averages 22 seconds or less between pitches gets an envelope of $1,000 in cash.
“That would mean that every Sunday, the traveling secretary for each team would walk about the clubhouse and hand out those envelopes. Wade Miley (who averaged 17.8 seconds between pitches last year), here you go, thanks for helping out. Doug Fister, here’s some cash, have fun in the poker game on the flight to Seattle. Gary Sanchez, thanks for staying in the batter’s box between pitches – kudos.
“Would those kinds of financial incentives have any real impact on the bottom line of a player making $10 million or $20 million a year? No. Would it be that expensive for MLB to institute that sort of incentive program? No. Relative pennies, about a half-million per team.
“But this would appeal to the human nature of a lot of players: young players, who have been making almost nothing in the minors; older players, who’d like a little extra money on the road; players who’d like to pass on the cash to their favorite charity.
“Is that the best idea? I don’t know. Are there better ideas? Probably…. but it’s a different way of attacking a longstanding problem, and it’s the sort of thing that the union can kick around and talk about right now.”
The average time of a game has risen from 2:48 in 2006 to 3:05 last year, which is significant.
At the same time, some of the conversation on the pace of play is verging on hysteria. It’s baseball, people.
Actually, just limit all Yankees-Red Sox games to 3:15 instead of their standard 4-hours plus. At the 3:15 mark, a buzzer like at the end of the period for an NHL game goes off and wherever it stands at that point is the result.
–The Mets’ captain, David Wright, has played only 75 games the past two seasons due to various ailments, including spinal stenosis, and now with $67 million left on his contract over the next four years, he’s been sidelined with a shoulder issue that makes it impossible for him to throw. Thankfully, for all extended periods of time Wright is not on the active roster, the Mets recoup a big chunk of his salary.
–We note the passing of pitcher Ned Garver, 91. Garver pitched 14 seasons in the big leagues, going 129-157, while never pitching for a first-division team.
In fact he is the only pitcher in baseball history to win at least 20 games for a team that lost at least 100 times. [If you’re thinking, ‘Didn’t Steve Carlton do this?’ He was 27-10 for a 1972 Phillies team that went 59-97.]
Garver’s 1951 St. Louis Browns finished in last, going 52-102, yet he was runner-up for the A.L.’s Most Valuable Player Award, losing to Yogi Berra, whose pennant-winning Yankees finished 46 games ahead of the Browns. Garver was the starting pitcher that season in his only All-Star Game.
NFL
–The next few weeks are intense and emblematic of this, the Pittsburgh Steelers franchised running back Le’Veon Bell – meaning he is not allowed to negotiate with anyone but the Steelers, while being guaranteed about $12.4 million for 2017.
Receiving the franchise tag is not what players want. They want long-term deals and Bell and the Steelers have until July 15 to work one out or he has to play under the tag and then go back into free agency, potentially, next winter.
In this case it’s seen that the two sides will indeed reach an agreement keeping Bell in Pittsburgh for a few years.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh signed Antonio Brown to a $68 million extension over four seasons, after he plays under his existing contract that pays him $4.7 million in 2017, making him the highest-paid wideout in the league.
–There’s been all kinds of chat in Washington that the Redskins have already blown it with quarterback Kirk Cousins, in not offering him a multi-year deal after an All-Pro season in which he threw for 4,917 yards, 25 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions. Coupled with a 2015 campaign where he went 4,166, 29 and 11, he has more than proven he is a franchise QB, yet there has been this reluctance in Washington to reward the guy.
So Tuesday, the Redskins slapped the franchise tag on him for a second consecutive season, at $23.9 million, meaning he can’t become an unrestricted free agent on March 9, while the two sides will now attempt to hammer out a long-term deal, again, before July 15, though Cousins has already said he would play under the franchise label another year.
Cousins has expressed an interest in going to San Francisco to be reunited with new 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, who Cousins loved playing for when Shanahan was the Redskins’ offensive coordinator.
Meanwhile, longtime Redskins fan Kevin Durant has weighed in.
“Oh, man. I love Cousins,” he told the Washington Post. “I think he deserves a long-term deal….I think he’s the future for us.”
–Continuing with franchise tags, the Giants slapped one on Jason Pierre-Paul for a second time. JPP isn’t happy, because he was looking for a big, long-term deal, but he knows he should sign quickly and take the $17 million guarantee, while negotiating a longer-term contract.
Back in July 2015, the Giants had tagged Pierre-Paul but he hadn’t signed the deal when he had his Fourth of July fireworks accident. Because he hadn’t signed, the Giants didn’t have to pay him, and last season he had an incentive-laden deal for up to $8.7 million.
–Late Tuesday, as expected, the Jets announced they would release cornerback Darrelle Revis. It was a football decision and had nothing to do with his legal issues in Pittsburgh.
The Jets save $9.3 million in cap space, but won’t try to recoup Revis’ $6 million guaranteed salary for 2017.
No. 24 is an all-time Jet, no doubt, and a surefire Hall of Famer, but the New York Post’s Mike Vaccaro says that for all the other issues, such as his holdout and first departure, eventually we’ll just remember Revis Island.
Manish Mehta / New York Daily News…a different take….
“The spectacular and surreal Darrelle Revis Era with the Jets came to a necessary end Tuesday night with the announcement that the cornerback will be released when the new league calendar begins on March 9.
“General Manager Mike Maccagnan resolved the matter with the aging and delusional former star with the kind of cold precision that is required for this wayward franchise. There’s no room for sentimentality right now for an organization that has gone sideways for the better part of its existence.
“Revis might be one of the team’s all-time greats, but he had to go. Time had robbed him of his gifts. He accelerated his demise with an inexcusable lack of commitment and professional pride that were needed in the twilight of a career that should land him in Canton one day….
“(Upon his return to the Jets after playing for New England) he embarrassed his teammates, coaches and owner by not putting in an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. He collected checks, while playing flag football. He bristled at anyone who dare question the almighty No. 24. He lived in fantasy land, delusional and entitled to the bitter end….
“He entered this final season with the Jets out of shape, a slap in the face to everyone in the organization who counted on him. He took Johnson’s money with a smile and went on his merry way.”
—Minnesota opted not to renew Adrian Peterson’s contract, so he becomes an unrestricted free agent on March 9. I think he might have something left, but no way you give him a big contract.
Premier League
Leicester City hosted Liverpool on Monday and in the first game after the firing of manager Claudio Ranieri, Leicester played its best game of the season, a 3-1 victory with caretaker boss Craig Shakespeare. Jamie Vardy broke out of his extensive scoring drought with two goals.
Huge for Leicester supporters as it moves them to 15th, with a game Saturday against Hull, so a prime opportunity to put some distance between the Foxes and the relegation line.
15. Leicester 26 games – 24 points
16. Swansea 26 – 24
17. Middlesbrough 26 – 22 [ties broken by goal differential]
18. Crystal Palace 26 – 22
19. Hull 26 – 21
20. Sunderland 26 – 19
For its part, Liverpool remained fifth in the standings.
Daytona, part II
I wasn’t the only one excited by the race Sunday, won by Kurt Busch.
Mike Bianchi / Los Angeles Times
“I don’t care what the belly-achers and faultfinders say, this was one of the most exciting Daytona 500s I’ve ever seen. So what if many of the sport’s biggest names – Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Danica Patrick, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, etc. – were knocked out by the multiple crashes? So what if half the field didn’t finish and 35 of the 40 cars on the grid suffered varying amounts of car carnage during the course of the 500-mile test of survival and attrition? Who cares if pole-sitter Chase Elliott and race leader Kyle Larson both ran out of gas on the last lap?
“The racing was so intense and the competition so fierce, Elliott stormed away from the track without talking to the media. He was no doubt second-guessing himself and wishing he had done something different on the fateful final lap.
“ ‘If wishes were fishes, the world would be an ocean,’ second-place finisher Ryan Blaney said philosophically.
“This, ladies and gentlemen, is what sports is all about and why the Daytona 500 is so spectacular: Because anything can happen – and often does. How else do you explain the top five finishers Sunday being Kurt Busch, Blaney, A.J. Allmendinger, Aric Almirola and Paul Menard. This would be like the Orlando Magic starting five winning the NBA championship.
“Unlike the NBA season, which is essentially a seven-month exhibition before the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors once again meet for the championship, anybody can win the Daytona 500. For crying out loud, one-hit wonder Trevor Bayne was threatening on the final lap to win his second 500….
“So let the NASCAR naysayers go jump into a bubbling pool of Monster Energy Drink. What happened on Sunday is why the Daytona 500 remains one of the most breathtaking, hair-raising, nail-biting events in all of sports….
“In the end, Kurt Busch, the bad boy of racing who has had issues with team members, sponsors, media members and a former girlfriend who he claimed was a trained assassin, led just one lap – the last one.”
Golf Balls
–I didn’t have a chance last time to note Jack Nicklaus’ comments on Tiger Woods Sunday, when Jack was in the broadcast booth during the Honda Classic.
“I don’t know about Tiger. That is the biggest puzzle to me that I know. I just don’t know where he is and where his mind is. I don’t know.”
That’s what we’re all thinking.
–TV alert, that I forgot to mention last chat. The season premiere of “Feherty” with Phil Mickelson, Monday, March 6, 9:00 p.m.
Division I Hockey (Feb. 27)
1. Denver
2. Harvard
3. Minnesota-Duluth
4. Massachusetts-Lowell
5. Minnesota
6. Union
7. Boston University
8. Western Michigan
9. Cornell
10. Providence
20. St. Lawrence
Stuff
–So I surprised myself Sunday night, staying up to watch the entire Oscars telecast and I have to be honest, I didn’t think it was that bad. I got a kick out of Sean Hannity on Monday night, trashing Hollywood for a “disgusting display,” “unprecedented attacks,” and “where are the awards shows for firemen and EMTs?!”
Oh brother. Some of us need to lighten up. You know I never gave a damn about Hollywood, but Sunday night in terms of Trump hatred was tame, and Jimmy Kimmel was funny. Period.
But as for the ending, I’m thinking around 11:30 Eastern, hell, I’ve stayed up this long, might as well stay up for the finale, Best Picture. And as soon as it was announced, I flipped the television off!
Needless to say, I was shocked Monday morning to read of the colossal screw-up.
So for the archives, I’ll let Kate Sheehy of the New York Post sum it all up.
“The bean counter who handed Oscars presenter Warren Beatty the wrong winners envelope Sunday night was busy tweeting snapshots of actors back stage just before he set in motion the biggest blunder in the award show’s history.
“Brian Cullinan, a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, which handles the Oscars voting, giddily posted a photo of ‘La La Land’ star Emma Stone just three minutes before giving Beatty what was supposed to be the envelope containing the name of the Best Picture.
“ ‘Best Actress Emma Stone Backstage!’ Cullinan tweeted at 9:05 p.m. PST, according to the Wall Street Journal. The newspaper obtained a copy of the post before it was yanked, allegedly along with a slew of other tweets the on-duty accountant sent out during the show.
“Cullinan, 57, an LA-based, Cornell-educated accounting executive, was one of two PwC honchos overseeing the winners’ envelopes at the time. He was standing stage-right during the event, holding a briefcase that contained the 24 envelopes with the winners’ names inside. His PWC partner, Martha Ruiz, was stage left holding another briefcase with an identical set of envelopes.
“The pair took turns handing out an envelope to each presenter as they alternated taking the stage from either side. They were supposed to dispose of the envelopes they didn’t hand out.
“Stone had just received her award for Best Actress in a Leading Role from presenter Leonardo DiCaprio, who was handed his envelope by Ruiz.
“For the final award, Beatty entered from stage right, Cullinan’s side. But instead of giving Beatty that envelope, Cullinan handed him the one for Best Actress.
“Beatty, 79, had already been fighting with co-presenter Faye Dunaway, 76, during rehearsals over who would announce the winner, according to TMZ. The 1967 ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ co-stars were so mad at each other that they refused to even walk out on the stage together.
“Beatty walked on holding the red envelope, not realizing that it said ‘Best Actress in a Leading Role’ on the outside, and ripped it open as he said, ‘The Academy Award…for Best Picture’ – but then seemed to hesitate, looking back off stage and appearing to study the card and envelope.
“Dunaway, apparently thinking he was teasing, said, ‘You’re awful, God!’ before he handed it to her. She glanced at it and announced ‘La La Land’ was the winner.
“Pandemonium ensued.
“ ‘Oh, f—k. Oh, my God. He got the wrong envelope,’ a female stagehand was overheard repeatedly muttering behind the curtains, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“Meanwhile, ‘La La Land’ producer Jordan Horowitz and the film’s stars and crew poured onto the stage and began making acceptance speeches.
“Cullinan, the stage manager and a member of the crew finally ran out.
“The ashen-faced accountant gave Beatty the right envelope, while a stagehand approached Horowitz and asked to see his winner’s card.
“The horrified producer saw that the card he had was the wrong one.”
Cullinan has been with PwC for 32 years and has been doing the Oscars four years. He had boasted of meeting stars such as Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Goldie Hawn He did not return requests for comment.
Tim Ryan, the U.S. chairman of PwC, placed the blame squarely on Cullinan in a statement to USA TODAY: “At the end of the day, we made a human error. We made a mistake.
“What happened was, our partner on the left side of the stage, Brian Cullinan, he handed the wrong envelope to Warren Beatty.”
We also learned Tuesday, via People magazine and the Wall Street Journal, that Cullinan asked beforehand if he could post to social media and Academy Awards bigs balked, warning him that he had to stay offline to focus on his sole task – making sure each envelope got in the right hands.
–My favorite presenter? Salma Hayek…good lord….
And Faye Dunaway looked pretty, pretty good for her age.
—Michael Phelps told a Congressional hearing in Washington on Tuesday that he was drug tested 13 times in the leadup to the Rio Olympics. But many athletes in 10 high-risk sports, which includes swimming, track and field and weightlifting, were not tested in 2016. [Of course if you won a medal, you were then forced to ‘give it up.’]
–“Game of Thrones” fans note the passing of the actor who played the giant Mag the Mighty, Neil Fingleton. He was 36 and died of heart failure.
Fingleton, 7-foot-7, was recognized in 2007 as Britain’s tallest man, telling the Guinness World Records website in 2006 that he had “always been taller than everyone since I can remember.”
Fingleton played some college ball at the University of North Carolina and Holy Cross, playing briefly in Europe before beginning his acting career.
His “GoT” character was one of the great ones in television history; Mag, the fearsome giant on the northern side of the great ice wall guarded by Lord Commander Jon Snow and the men of the Night’s Watch. He died in battle, season six.
–‘Man’ drops to No. 343 on the All-Species List after Brad K. passed along a story from the Daily Mail…monkey napping.
“A Florida man is behind bars after police say he stole his neighbor’s high-priced pet monkey and sold it.
“Oscar Leiva, 21, of Homestead, was booked into Miami-Dade Jail on Sunday night on a grand theft charge in connection to Friday’s heist targeting Vanessa Di Gennaro’s beloved white tufted marmoset named Zoe.
“At the time of Leiva’s arrest, there was no sign of the stolen pet anywhere on his property, but the following day Zoe unexpectedly returned to her owner, who was much relieved to have her four-legged ‘best friend’ back.”
Di Gennaro had adopted Zoe from a breeder to help her cope with anxiety and other health problems.
I hardly think adopting a monkey would help with anxiety issues. If anything, it would heighten them! I mean how can you sleep at night, not knowing when your ‘pet’ monkey is going to rip your face apart or bite your nose off?!
Like have you seen the trailers for “Kong: Skull Island”?!
Not that Ms. Di Gennaro’s tufted marmoset represents a threat similar to that posed by Kong…..
Top 3 songs for the week 3/3/62: #1 “Duke Of Earl” (Gene Chandler) #2 “Hey! Baby” (Bruce Channel) #3 “The Wanderer” (Dion)…and…#4 “Break It To Me Gently” (Brenda Lee) #5 “The Twist” (Chubby Checker) #6 “Crying In The Rain” (The Everly Brothers) #7 “Norman” (Sue Thompson) #8 “Midnight In Moscow” (Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen….funny tune, looking back on those times, pre-Missile Crisis…) #9 “Peppermint Twist” (Joey Dee & The Starliters) #10 “Chip Chip” (Gene McDaniels…of course, I’m just building up to the British Invasion…)
Golf Quiz Answer: Top Ten in world golf rankings….
1. Dustin Johnson 10.33
2. Jason Day 9.57
3. Rory McIlroy 8.95
4. Hideki Matsuyama 8.49
5. Henrik Stenson 8.49
6. Jordan Spieth 8.28
7. Adam Scott 5.68
8. Justin Thomas 5.46
9. Rickie Fowler 5.38
10. Sergio Garcia 5.20
11. Alexander Noren 5.00…America has yet to really see the Swede…I’ll say the late-bloomer, 34, wins a major this year.
12. Patrick Reed 4.99
13. Justin Rose 4.73
Next Bar Chat, Monday.
