NFL Quiz: In the history of the NFL, only 3 times has a QB
thrown for 40 or more TD passes in a single season. Name the
QB(s) involved. Answer below.
Bob May
Congratulations to Mr. May for putting on a tremendous show at
this week”s PGA golf tournament. That was as stirring a display
as you”re ever going to see. And hats off to Tiger. Heck, he”s
bringing an incredible number of fans to the greatest sport
around. And gauging from my neighbors initial reaction, half are
now watching to see someone beat him. That”s alright. Say what
you will about Tiger, #1, he”s a true sportsman. Which leads me
to my next topic.
Juiced
I didn”t think it could get any worse, but it has. Traditionalists
like myself have been upset at how our treasured past time”s
records are falling to some suspect ballplayers.
But the major complaint has been the obviously juiced ball. Guys
hitting 20 homers 5 years ago are now hitting 40.
This year, however, there has been this dark undercurrent of
chatter. The players are juiced, more so than the balls themselves.
Actually, it started with the whispers about Mark McGwire and
his substance of choice when he broke Maris”s record in 1998. I
was upset then. But the past two years have seen an even more
ridiculous power surge.
Well, with an article by Sports Illustrated”s Rick Reilly this week,
the truth is starting to come out.
“The players are juiced. Steroids. Nukes. Testosterone
cocktails.”
Reilly quotes the Texas Rangers strength coach as saying “15 to
22 percent are on ”illegal substances.”” The strength coach for
the Colorado Rockies told the Denver Post it”s more like “30%.”
An estimated 20-25 percent in the minors are using them.
It”s all about money. Obviously, a player who clubs 40 home
runs earns far more than someone hitting 20. And baseball is
afraid to test…even while it is mandatory in the NFL.
One of the small things that is preventing a massive rewriting of
the entire record book is the proliferation of players on the
disabled list. Between 1989 and 1998 (the last available date), the
number of players finding their way onto the DL increased 31%.
SI”s Reilly quotes Rockies manager Buddy Bell as saying, “I
don”t think I can name a guy who is a steroid user who has not
broken down.”
The Players Association would have to approve testing and you
can be sure they aren”t about to. In the meantime the game
suffers. I don”t know one good fan who likes the caliber of play
today, where scores of 9-7 and 11-8 are the norm.
Reilly: “Steroids are altering history! Hall of Fame greats such as
Carl Yastrzemski will soon be passed on the home run list by
puffed-up one-trick freaks who couldn”t have scrubbed their
jocks.”
It”s going to take somebody”s death before the sport wakes up.
And, as a fan, I won”t feel sorry for the victim; callous as that
may seem.
You always hear talk about how a sport is supposed to be greater
than the individual. [And, on a totally different topic because a
particular person comes to mind, the U.S. presidency is higher
than any one occupant of the office.]
I”m going to Cooperstown in about a month…to pay homage to
the true greats. And, heaven help us, but if Todd Helton (a nice
guy and all…and not a steroid suspect in my book) hits .400, I
will scream. Anyone playing in Coors field should have 50 points
deducted from their year end batting average. Now if Nomar
ever did it, that would be legit.
Submarine Death
The plight of the Russian submarine Kursk, has led to much
conjecture as to how the sailors may have died. Those who
survived the initial explosions would have suffered a horrible end.
According to experts, “The most likely cause of death is not
suffocation from lack of oxygen, but poisoning by the gradual
buildup of carbon dioxide the crewmen exhale. At best, this
might mean some kind of fast fade to black. At worst, it would
result in prolonged gasping and hyperventilating, a feeling of
oxygen starvation.”
With every intake of oxygen, a person exhales a fraction of that
much CO2.
“When you die in a bank vault, it”s because the CO2 gets too
high, not because the oxygen gets too low,” said one doctor.
[Source: Washington Post]
Convention Tidbits
Just a few stories I meant to tell last week.
Back in 1980, Jimmy Carter, who had gone through a tough
primary battle with Teddy Kennedy, was giving his acceptance
speech for a second term. Just before he was about to pay
homage to Hubert Humphrey, who was then dying of cancer, a
woman several rows behind Carter created a small explosion in
some private protest.
Clearly shaken, Carter then gave tribute to “Hubert Horatio…
Hornblower.”
But, in another example of “Kennedy class,” Teddy watched the
speech from his hotel room at the Waldorf (the convention was
20 blocks away at Madison Square Garden), which meant it took
him forever to get to the stage to join Carter and others in a show
of unity. Once there, he then refused to accept Carter”s gracious
offer to raise his hand. Why this family (ex- Jackie, John John,
Caroline and Ethel) has received the free ride the American
people have given them, I”ll never know.
Edward Craven Walker
Walker died last week at age 82. Why should you care? For the
simple reason that Walker invented the lava lamp.
Back in 1963 he came up with the classy object, proclaiming, ”If
you buy my lamp, you won”t need drugs.”
He was just about two years ahead of his time but the product
eventually took off. [It was produced in Poole, England.]
Walker”s theory was, “It”s like the cycle of life. It grows, breaks
up, falls down, and then starts all over again.”
Walker was also a nudist and created a number of resorts for
pleasure seekers of that ilk. I have nothing more to add.
The Fossil
Alfred Siefker and 2 friends were checking out some rocks in
North Bergen, NJ, back in 1960, when they stumbled upon the
fossil of a 7-inch long lizard with a 10-inch wingspan. This
particular specimen, thought to be from 200 million years ago,
was significant because it proved that vertebrates had attempted
flight 10 million years earlier than anyone had previously
suspected.
Gee, Mr. Science, so what”s the point? Well, Jimmy, Siefker”s
find was displayed in the American Museum of Natural History
for 30 years, until 1990, at which point Siefker reclaimed it. Now
Siefker is auctioning it off.
Top 3 songs for the week of 8/24/74: #1 “(You”re) Having My
Baby” (Paul Anka…officially nominated as one of the three
worst songs of all time) #2 “The Night Chicago Died” (Paper
Lace) #3 “Tell Me Something Good” (Rufus and Chaka Khan)
Today”s High School Kids: So I was watching the local cable
access channel (stumbled on it…my life is generally a little more
exciting than that) and the local high school kids were
interviewing themselves as with regards to their summer plans (it
was on tape). But what I found fascinating was the fact that they
all seemed to be excited about going to catch the Allman Brothers
in concert. Good job, kids. I never would have expected that.
Update: Over the past few months I have had a number of stories
on the racketeering investigation going on in New Jersey
concerning the former president of the International Boxing
Federation and others in the organization. A jury has elected to
acquit Bob Lee, the ex-president and founder on the major
charges of bribery and racketeering. But Lee was convicted of
money laundering and tax evasion.
This was the story where Lee and his troops (namely his son)
were accepting bribes ($338,000 worth) in order to inflate
rankings for boxers so that the fighters could attain lucrative title
bouts.
The jury took 15 days to decide. In the end, one juror was asked
if she thought Lee had committed crimes, “Well, we convicted
him of something, didn”t we?” Actually, Lee didn”t get the more
serious charges because there was a discrepancy as to what state
the funds had exchanged hands in.
NFL Quiz Answer: Dan Marino tossed 48 TD passes in 1984, as
well as 44 in 1986. Kurt Warner is the other one with his 41 in
1999.
*Researchers have discovered that beer contains a powerful
antioxidant more potent than those found in red wine and green
tea. There”s only one problem. You need to down 117 gallons of
beer a day to obtain the maximum benefits. You”re reading…Bar
Chat.
Next one, Wednesday. If you”re Catholic (as I am), I guarantee
you”ll find it enlightening…and you are going to be miffed, big
time.
