[Posted Sunday p.m.]
Baseball Quiz: Gotta get some basics out of the way before the season starts. 1) Name the eight to hit 600 home runs. 2) Name the four active players at 400+. Answers below.
College Basketball Review
Wednesday…Wake Forest took a giant step towards receiving an NCAA tournament bid with a desperately needed signature win, 88-81 over 8 Louisville. Huge victory for the program and its long-struggling fans. The Deacs were down 32-18 with 9:00 left in the first half but cut it to 43-42 at the half, and then Wake closed the deal with some clutch threes down the stretch. John Collins had his 12th consecutive 20-point effort, 25 with 11 rebounds, plus 11 of 12 from the free throw line that has scouts drooling even more (a ‘big’ who hits over 70% from the line moves you up a slot or two in the draft for sure).
Saturday….
1 Kansas (28-3, 16-2) prevailed over Oklahoma State (20-11, 9-9) in Stillwater, 90-85.
2 Villanova (28-3, 15-3) beat struggling Georgetown (14-17, 5-13) 81-55.
3 UCLA (28-3, 15-3) beat Washington State (13-17, 6-12) 77-68.
4 Gonzaga walloped Pacific 82-50, the Zags at 30-1, 17-1.
17 Duke fell to 5 North Carolina 90-83, UNC avenging a loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium a month earlier. The Tar Heels were led by Joel Berry II, who had 19 of his 28 points in the first half, 5 of 5 from three. Luke Kennard had 28 for Duke, while Grayson Allen reverted to jerkdom, called for a technical when he threw an elbow.
So Carolina (26-6, 14-4) should be on their way to a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament, while Duke (23-8, 11-7) needs a win in the ACC tourney to secure a 4, I imagine.
Of course you can only have four 1-seeeds and it looks like five are locks….ergo, Gonzaga could be in trouble, and it wouldn’t be fair.
Louisville (24-7, 12-6) bounced back from its loss at Wake Forest with a 71-64 win over 19 Notre Dame (23-8, 12-6).
Big win for Seton Hall (20-10, 10-8) at 13 Butler (23-7, 12-6) 70-64 behind Angel Delgado’s 20 points and 16 rebounds. This should be enough to get the Hall into the Big Dance.
Some say Vanderbilt (17-14, 10-8) punched their ticket with an upset win over 12 Florida (24-7, 14-4), 73-71. I’m not so sure.
And Wake Forest surely officially wrapped up a bid with an impressive 89-84 road win at Virginia Tech (21-9, 10-8), Wake now 18-12, 9-9.
For the third straight contest, Wake came back from down 13 or more early to prevail, even as John Collins was scoreless in the first half with major foul trouble. Collins came back with 13 points in the second half and Bryant Crawford, in a super effort, had 26, including 13 of 14 from the free throw line. Yes, Proud to be a Deac this week!
One other in the ACC. I’ve been saying Syracuse was a lock for the tournament, even though others have them on the bubble. Not any longer after they moved to 18-13, 10-8, with a 90-61 win over Georgia Tech (17-14, 8-10). For the Orange, senior guard Andrew White went off for 40 points, including 8 of 9 from three. As Ronald Reagan would have said, ‘Not bad, not bad at all.’
—21 Wichita State won the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, 71-51, over Illinois State, with the Shockers finishing at 30-4, 17-1; the Redbirds 27-6, 17-1. Joe Lunardi still has Wichita State as an 8-seed, but Illinois State an 11.
I know the MVC sucks, but the Shockers deserve far better, and they will get it!
—Jacksonville State (Ala.) upset Tennessee-Martin 66-55 in the Ohio Valley Conference championship game to earn its first NCAA tournament berth. The Gamecocks were Division II until entering the OVC for the 2003-04 season. They had upset regular-season champion Belmont in the semifinals.
–In a Big South tournament quarterfinal, Thursday, Campbell upset co-champion UNC Asheville 81-79 as 5’ 9” sophomore guard Chris Clemons scored a school and conference record 51 points. Clemons was 18 of 32 from the floor, including 8 of 14 from three.
Clemons, out of Raleigh, then had 33 in Campbell’s 66-50 win over Radford in the semifinals on Friday.
But in Sunday’s title game against Winthrop, the Cinderella story ended for Campbell, the Eagles defeating the Fighting Camels, 76-59, for Winthrop’s first tourney bid since 2010. Keon Johnson had 26 for Winthrop (26-6) and Clemons, despite having 29, cooled off in a big way. He was 9 of 27 from the field, 6 of 18 from three. Campbell finished 17-17.
Note to Johnny Mac, who hails from Asheville; there seems little doubt you get an NIT bid, wrote the editor who just so happens to be wearing a UNC-Asheville sweatshirt at this moment, courtesy of J. Mac.
—Awful loss for Monmouth (27-6, 18-2) in the MAAC semifinals as they fell to Siena (17-16, 12-8) 89-85. No at-large for them. Sienna faces the winner of Iona-Saint Peter’s for the MAAC berth in the NCAAs.
—Back to Georgetown, Hoyas fans have had it with coach John Thompson III. The team sucks, and the crowds have been awful. The Hoyas will finish below .500 a second straight season and it’s the lowest point in the program since Thompson took over in 2004.
So barring a miracle run in the Big East tournament, Georgetown will miss the NCAAs for the third time in four seasons. They are 3-5 in the NCAA tournament since advancing to the Final Four in 2007 behind Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green.
But what makes the whole situation with JT III so touchy is that his father, John Thompson Jr., continues to loom large on campus, as the Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore notes. The school completed construction on the $65 million John R. Thompson Jr. Intercollegiate Athletic Center in August. “At 75, Thompson Jr. remains an icon not only within campus but also across the Washington region and even nationally. He sits on the baseline at home games – his 6-foot-10 frame is impossible to miss – and he attends most practices.”
As Kilgore adds, the view of Thompson III “tends to be harsher among students and younger alumni,” many of whom weren’t even born or were mere tykes when Georgetown great Allen Iverson was drafted.
—Missouri fired coach Kim Anderson after three seasons. He was 26-67. Ughh.
NBA
—Friday, the Spurs (47-13) beat the Pelicans (24-38) in New Orleans, 101-98, as New Orleans went to 1-3 with DeMarcus Cousins in the lineup; Cousins with 19 points and 23 rebounds, while Anthony Davis had 29 and 9. Jrue Holiday also chipped in with 26, but no other Pelican player had more than 8…and that’s a problem.
[San Antonio then moved to 48-13 with a 97-90 win over the T’Wolves on Saturday.]
Also Friday, the Cavaliers set the NBA regular-season record with 25 3-pointers in a 135-130 win over Atlanta. They made 25 of 46 attempts to break Houston’s record of 24, set on Dec. 16. LeBron James made 6 of 10.
But last night Miami beat the Cavaliers 120-92, in Miami, Cleveland opting to play without James and Kyrie Irving.
I just have to note the performance of a former Demon Deacon in Detroit’s 136-106 win over the 76ers. Ish Smith had 11 points and 13 assists in 23 minutes off the bench.
And Wake’s Al-Farouq Aminu had probably his best game of the season, 23 points off the bench in Portland’s 130-116 over the Nets.
Brooklyn is now 10-51! I forget who wrote it, but it is kind of amazing how the dysfunctional Knicks take far more heat than the Nets around these parts, but it goes to show you how there are about six or seven Nets fans overall. [Those are cardboard cutouts you see filling some of the other seats at the Barclays Center.]
–Sunday, the Knicks fell to 25-38, losing at MSG to the Warriors (51-11) 112-105.
–The 76ers shut down center Joel Embiid for the season after a reevaluation of his knee injury. Embiid averaged 20.2 points and 7.9 rebounds in the 31 games he appeared in this year after missing his first two NBA seasons with multiple surgeries on his broken right foot. He hadn’t played since Jan. 27. Really a shame.
–Quite a struggle in Los Angeles between Lakers co-owners Jeanie Buss and her brothers Jim and Johnny.
Jim and Johnny have been trying to oust her as the Lakers’ president and controlling owner and it all spilled into public view in L.A. County Superior Court on Friday, as Jeanie sought a restraining order against the two.
On Feb. 21, Jeanie removed Jim Buss from his role as Lakers vice president of basketball operations and hired Magic Johnson. Three days later, according to court documents, Johnny Buss notified his sister of a March 7 meeting to elect the team’s board of directors. He is listed as overseeing corporate development for the Lakers.
So as Nathan Fenno and Bill Plaschke report in the Los Angeles Times, “The brothers proposed four directors, according to court records, but didn’t include her. In order to be the controlling owner, she also must be a director.”
Cue Jeff Spicoli.
“The family trusts that own 66% of the Lakers can elect three of the board’s five members. The trusts mandate the co-trustees – Johnny, Jim and Jeanie – take all actions to ensure Jeanie Buss remains controlling owner. She has occupied the role since their father, Jerry Buss, died in 2013.”
Under league rules, said NBA spokesman Mike Bass, “Jeanie Buss is the sole Governor of the Los Angeles Lakers…and she has control over the team. She has not only been a terrific leader for the Lakers organization, guiding the business before and after her father’s passing, but an incredibly influential voice among all our team owners.”
I like Jeanie. Never understood why she stuck with Phil Jackson so long, who Knicks fans have learned is a potential “Jerk of the Decade” recipient.
Well, it seems the brothers signed a document Thursday night reelecting Jeanie as controlling owner and canceling next week’s meeting to elect new directors, though some are questioning the document’s validity.
Jeanie will remain in control.
–At 6:06 p.m. Wednesday, the Warriors announced that they had signed guard Jose Calderon. At 8:05 p.m. Wednesday, the team announced that it had waived Calderon.
In between he made $415,000. Golden State didn’t even have a game that day.
As Anthony Slater of the San Jose Mercury News explained it Thursday, Calderon’s recent buyout arrangement with the Lakers, one that would free him to join the Warriors, cost him $400,000. Golden State, with an open roster spot, had agreed to pay him a bit more than that to play for them the rest of the season.
But when Kevin Durant went down with a knee injury on Tuesday, suddenly the Warriors needed another forward and veteran Matt Barnes, recently waved by the Kings, was available.
So having promised Calderon they were signing him, the guard passing up other opportunities, Golden State’s management felt ethically bound to do the right thing financially. [Des Bieler / Washington Post]
The Hawks claimed Calderon on Saturday.
As for the status of Durant, the MCL sprain and bone bruise he suffered in Tuesday night’s game against the Wizards will keep him out at least four weeks, but he should be back before the regular-season finale on April 12.
MLB
–Like the rest of you, I’m already antsy for Opening Day and Red Sox fans breathed a sigh of relief on the news pitcher David Price does not need surgery after having soreness in his left arm.
Price, who signed a seven-year, $217 million contract before last season, then went a disappointing 17-9. The record was fine but the 3.99 ERA was the highest of his career since he was a rookie in 2009. They need him to return to form, or the fans will kill him.
[Price also had his obligatory shell-job in the playoffs last fall and is now 2-8, 5.54 ERA in his postseason career, so he has zero margin for error, but $30 million per to fall back on.]
–The legend of Noah Syndergaard continues to grow. Mets fans have a love-affair with ‘Thor,’ who not only performs on the mound, but he’s charismatic and says all the right things, including in his explanation of why he is not pitching for the U.S. team in the World Baseball Classic.
The vast majority of U.S. fans couldn’t care less about the WBC (I sure as heck don’t…though I imagine I’ll catch some of the semis and the championship game). Thor, however, said, “Ain’t nobody made it to the Hall of Fame or win a World Series playing in the WBC.”
His point is that it’s not like it’s the Olympics, and he’s right. The timing of the tournament is really poor for pitchers looking to ramp up their activity and as Syndergaard said, first and foremost “I’m a Met.”
Now we all just hold our breath each time he pitches because thus far he has defied the laws of physics in how hard he can throw without blowing out his elbow.
–As for the pace of play issue, Major League Baseball and the players association announced their agreement on several rule changes Thursday, including pitchless intentional walks.
Video review regulations were changed to establish a 30-second limit for a manager to make a challenge and a conditional two-minute guideline for the replay umpire to make a decision. When a manager is out of challenges, an umpire crew chief may ask for a review of a non-home run call starting in the eighth inning, one inning later than last season.
Golf Balls
–In his first tournament after becoming World No. 1, Dustin Johnson picked up his 14th PGA tour title with a one-shot victory over England’s Tommy Fleetwood at the WGC event in Mexico City. DJ blew a four-shot lead on the back nine but still prevailed.
More on this one next time, but congrats to the people of Mexico.
—David Feherty premieres season seven of his Golf Channel program Monday night, interviewing Phil Mickelson. But he had some things to say about Tiger Woods the other day, specifically on why he hasn’t asked Tiger to appear on his show.
“I just want him to be in the right place, because I don’t want to do a show with him where he has to give padded answers. I don’t want that show. I want him to be the kid that I know. I want him to lose the iron dome. You know, when he first came out, before we followed him from the car to the putting green to the range to the course and back through the press area. Before every time he finished a round we wanted him to stand in front of a microphone and answer questions for 45 minutes every single time that he played, I’m surprised he lasted as long as he did.”
Broadcaster Mike Tirico said: “Everything Tiger did was times 10, the amount of attention he got, what he shot, if he blew somebody off, it was 10 times more than what every other guy had to deal with.”
–The USGA and the Royal & Ancient Golf Club have proposed a series of rule changes designed to make the rules “easier to understand and apply,” the most sweeping changes since the sport’s first known rule book was published in 1744.
After a review period, the rules would go into place by 2019.
Among them:
When dropping a ball while taking relief, players can do so from just above the ground, rather than from a standing position with the arm outstretched.
Time for a ball search is reduced from five to three minutes.
Allow players to repair “any damage on the green,” including spike marks and shoe damage.
No penalty for hitting an unattended flagstick still in the hole on a putt from the green.
Players are encouraged to employ “ready golf” and take shots out of turn when it makes sense to do so; players should make strokes in no more than 40 seconds. [Yippee!]
Players could have their number of strokes on a given hole capped under a “maximum score” format.
NFL
–History was made at the NFL combine as former Univ. of Washington receiver John Ross was clocked at 4.22 seconds in the 40-yard dash, breaking Chris Johnson’s previous record of 4.24
Ross is undergoing shoulder surgery in about a week. He missed the 2015 season with a torn ACL, in case you were wondering if you could come back at full strength after. He is ranked by some as the third best receiver after Clemson’s Mike Williams and Western Michigan’s Corey Davis.
–The Jets released veteran receiver Brandon Marshall to free up an additional $7.5 million in cap space, bringing the Jets’ cap space total to $33.778 as the purge of veterans continues. Eric Decker may yet become another victim.
–Pete Prisco / CBSSports.com
“Do you believe the talk that the New England Patriots will not trade quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo – no matter what?
“It’s about as believable as a sleeveless hoodie becoming a fashion trend.
“There have been many reports by several high-profile media members who keep insisting that the Patriots will not trade Garoppolo, even if they get blown away by an offer.
“I don’t believe it.
“This, to me, smells of a calculated play by Patriots coach and general manager Bill Belichick. He is trying to drive up the price for Garoppolo. What would be the point to keeping him?
“There is none.
“Tom Brady has continually said he will play another four years or more, and who’s to say he can’t? He turns 40 this year, but he was sensational rallying the Patriots from 25 points down to claim a Super Bowl victory over the Falcons last month. Did he look old? Washed up? Breaking down?
“So why keep Garoppolo around? Some will say it’s insurance for next season. Let me tell you something: If Brady were to go down for any length of time, the Patriots are done….
“I like Garoppolo. If I were the Cleveland Brown, I would offer the 12th pick in the first round of this April’s draft and something else to get him. But to think this kid is going to sit for four years, and then take over in New England when Brady does hang it up is sheer stupidity.
“The Patriots know this. The rest of the league knows this.”
Meanwhile, ESPN’s Adam Schefter believes the Pats will hang onto Garoppolo. “They love him,” Schefter said.
So I asked two long-time Pats fans / childhood friends what they thought and David P. said Garoppolo will be in Pats laundry next year, and then franchised the following season.
Pete M. says he wants his boys to get a high draft pick for the QB, believing Brady will play more than another two years, ergo, you wouldn’t franchise a guy with 3 NFL starts to ride the bench in 2018.
Premier League
Manchester United remained in sixth place with a draw against a gutty 10-man Bournemouth squad, 1-1, the Cherries playing one down the entire second half after a highly chippy first in which Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Bournemouth’s Tyrone Mings got into it twice. Ibrahimovic elbowed Mings in the face, after Mings appeared to land on the back of the head of the United forward as he lay on the ground.
Leicester won its second straight, 3-1 over Hull City, following the ouster of manager Claudio Ranieri; caretaker boss Craig Shakespeare now angling to be tabbed the new full-time manager. So suddenly Leicester is safely above the relegation line.
Swansea had a big 3-2 win over Burnley to also give itself some breathing room, while Crystal Palace had a huge 2-0 win over West Brom, manager Sam Allardyce’s squad with its second straight.
And in a biggie, Liverpool manhandled Arsenal 3-1 to get back into the top four.
Sunday, my Tottenham Spurs then took on solid Everton at White Hart Lane (Tottenham) and held on for a 3-2 win, behind another two goals from the spectacular Harry Kane, whose 19 now lead the Premier League.
Standings….after 26/27 of 38
1. Chelsea 26 matches – 63 points…plays at West Ham Monday
2. Tottenhan 27 – 56
3. Manchester City 26 – 55
4. Liverpool 27 – 52
5. Arsenal 26 – 50…has lost 3 of 4
6. Manchester United 26 – 49
14. Bournemouth 27 – 27
15. Leicester 27 – 27
16. Swansea 27 – 27
17. Crystal Palace 27 – 25
18. Middlesbrough 27 – 22
19. Hull City 27 – 21
20. Sunderland 27 – 19
NASCAR
Kevin Harvick led 293 of 325 laps at Atlanta on Sunday, but because of a penalty for going too fast into his last pit stop, he finished ninth to Brad Keselowski, his 22nd career win.
FIS World Cup Skiing
Lindsey Vonn picked up two seconds in the Downhill and Super-G at races this weekend in Jeongseon, South Korea. Italy’s Sofia Goggia won both.
Stuff
–Ryan Sabalow of the Sacramento Bee:
“A California coyote hunter found the roles of predator and prey reversed last week when a big cat pounced on him and he shot the cougar.
“The incident occurred Friday near the northern shore of Mono Lake, between Yosemite National Park and the Nevada border.
“The hunter, dressed in camouflage and lying on his belly, was blowing a call that mimicked a wounded rabbit in an effort to lure a hungry coyote, said Lt. Bill Dailey of the Department of Fish and Wildlife. The hunter spotted a flash of movement and looked over his shoulder just in time to watch a mountain lion leap toward his head.
“He threw up his hands to protect his face, the animal struck, bounded away, and the hunter fired twice, killing the cat, Dailey said.”
It happened extremely fast and the hunter “didn’t even have time to aim…It was 100 percent instinctual,” said Dailey.
The hunter, whose name wasn’t released, received a head wound and is receiving rabies shots.
Killing a mountain lion is illegal, but wildlife officers determined he was justified “given the suddenness of the attack” and the “fear for his life.” [Another reason why officials haven’t released his name…these days, he’d be killed on social media.]
Coyotes are legal to hunt year-round in California. Talk about a terrifying moment.
–Meanwhile, Brad K. passed along two pieces that will send ‘Man’ plummeting further down the All-Species List.
From AFP: “A group of visitors at a Tunisia zoo stoned a crocodile to death, authorities in the capital said Wednesday, denouncing the ‘savage’ act.
“The municipality of Tunis posted gory pictures on Facebook….
“The animal died after being hit on the head by two large rocks.”
Man, this sounds like an awful zoo. A vet there told AFP, “Citizens leave waste and plastic bags… They throw stones at lions and hippos.”
On a serious political note, while Tunisia struggles to maintain its democracy, more ISIS foreign fighters come from here than any other country, in case you were wondering how the people could treat animals in such a fashion.
And this story from AFP: “Wildlife officers in Thailand have launched an investigation after an Asian black bear was accidentally dropped from a helicopter and killed.
“The young mammal, weighing around 90kg, was being transported to the Khao Laem jungle after being caught roaming around a village market close to Khao Kai National Park.
“The bear, which was supposed to be sedated, reportedly woke up and panicked, before falling from its netting after the helicopter flew into a pocket of rough weather.”
The net was attached to a faulty ring, it turned out. The bear was flown, rather than taken by car, because officials wanted to place it deep in the jungle.
So with the two above situations, ‘Man’ falls to No. 347 on the ASL.
–Speaking of which, I hope you are watching BBC America’s “Planet Earth II,” the third of six episodes airing last night. It is easy to watch full episodes online and it is the single best nature series you will ever see. Phenomenal.
One animal that is featured in Episode 2 will be elevated into the top ten when I next reorder the ASL.
And we had some good news from Six Flags Great Adventure here in New Jersey this weekend. The park announced that three female reticulated giraffe calves have been born in recent months; Xena, Eddie and Charly. All three will eventually stand 16 feet tall and weigh 1,800 pounds.
Top 3 songs for the week 3/9/63: #1 “Walk Like A Man” (The 4 Seasons) #2 “Ruby Baby” (Dion) #3 “Rhythm Of The Rain” (The Cascades)…and…#4 “Hey Paula” (Paul and Paula) #5 “You’re The Reason I’m Living” (Bobby Darin) #6 “Our Day Will Come” (Ruby and the Romantics) #7 “The End Of The World” (Skeeter Davis) #8 “Wild Weekend” (The Rebels) #9 “What Will Mary Say” (Johnny Mathis) #10 “Walk Right In” (The Rooftop Singers…this was in an era when you could leave your doors open…)
Baseball Quiz Answers: 1) Eight with 600 home runs: Barry Bonds 762 (booo….booooo…); Hank Aaron 755; Babe Ruth 714; Alex Rodriguez 696 (booo….booo…); Willie Mays 660; Ken Griffey Jr. 630; Jim Thome 612 (not sure…); Sammy Sosa 609 (booo….boooo….). 2) Four active with 400: Albert Pujols 591; Miguel Cabrera 446; Adrian Beltre 445; Carlos Beltran 421.
Next Bar Chat, Thursday.
