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Bar Chat

10/13/2014

Mississippi 1 and 3

[Posted early Sunday PM...prior to Giants-Eagles, and Giants-Cardinals]

Baseball Quiz: This is an easy one but every fan should know it. The Manager of the Year award has been issued since 1983. Name the only recipient who is in the Hall of Fame for his playing career. [So not Joe Torre] Answer below.

College Football Review

It was another spectacular Saturday for the state of Mississippi and its football fans. But to run down the action....

[Reminder...comments written prior to release of new AP poll]

--No. 1 Florida State beat Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, 38-20, with Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston completing 30 of 36 for 317 yards, 3 touchdowns, no interceptions.

But on Friday, FSU officials notified Winston he will face a disciplinary hearing into the sexual assault allegations dating back to December 2012. According to a letter first obtained by ESPN, FSU interim president Garnett Stokes and vice president for student affairs Mary B. Coburn notified Winston that he might be charged with as many as four violations of FSU’s student conduct code, two of which involve sexual conduct.

Winston has a few days to schedule an information hearing, in which he will be advised about his rights and the upcoming student conduct hearing. The process itself is unusual and I’ll get into it more specifically as the case develops.

For now, Winston and coach Dumbo Fisher are vowing he will play. The school is still being investigated by the Dept. of Education for its original handling of the alleged assault and possible Title IX violations.

A Fox Sports report detailed all manner of actions by FSU officials, as well as Tallahassee police, that appear to have hindered an official investigation.

Hours later, an extensive New York Times story shows Winston did receive preferential treatment from authorities and is but one in a long line of Florida State athletes to catch a break. [Some Tallahassee police officers also benefit financially from the success of the athletic department; including substantial extra pay working game days.]

--No. 3 Mississippi State (tied for 3rd with Ole Miss) led No. 2 Auburn 28-13 at the half in Starkville and the Tigers went on to lose 38-23, extending the Bulldogs incredible streak. Mississippi State became just the fifth team in college football history (and first since 1983) to win three straight games, all vs. Top-10 teams, in a single season; LSU, Texas A&M and now Auburn.

For the Bulldogs, quarterback Dak Prescott wasn’t spectacular, nor was the team, frankly, but he still came up with 367 total yards of offense and three touchdowns (two rushing), though he was also responsible for two of MSU’s 4 first-half turnovers.

--So the other No. 3, Ole Miss, went to College Station to face No. 14 Texas A&M and the Rebels won 35-20, despite being outgained 455-338. A&M had three turnovers, two of which Ole Miss returned for scores, and the Rebels had zero TOs.

--No. 5 Baylor was down to No. 9 TCU in Waco, 58-37 with 11:39 to go in the fourth, when the Bears stormed back to score the final 24 points in a thrilling 61-58 victory. For Baylor, their Heisman candidate, quarterback Bryce Petty, was 28/55, 510, 6-2, as Baylor racked up 782 yards of total offense. [227 of which were in that final 11:30.]

--No. 6 Notre Dame moved to 6-0, but not without a mighty struggle, 50-43 over North Carolina (2-4) in South Bend. But next week, the Fighting Irish are at Florida State in a game that should get awesome ratings.

--No. 7 Alabama edged Arkansas 14-13. Whatever.

--No. 8 Michigan State didn’t help its playoff hopes with a lackluster 45-31 win over Purdue, though the Spartans should still be in the final four if they run the table. [Michigan State-Ohio State, Nov. 8.]

--No. 10 Arizona was upset at home by USC 28-26, totally shaking up the Pac-12 all over again.

--No. 11 Oklahoma had an unimpressive 31-26 win over a crappy Texas Longhorns squad.

--No. 12 Oregon bounced back from its loss to Arizona to eliminate No. 18 UCLA from the title picture for good, 42-30 (it was 42-10 in the fourth quarter), as Marcus Mariota was 17/27, 210, 2-0, and another two TDs rushing. Mariota has 17 touchdown passes and zero interceptions thus far in 2014.

For UCLA, one-time Heisman contender Brett Hundley was 26/37, 216, 2-1, with another 89 yards rushing, but for him it’s about positioning himself for the draft the rest of the way.

--No. 13 Georgia shook off the loss of Heisman running back candidate Todd Gurley, more below, in shutting out No. 23 Missouri in Columbia, 34-0, as freshman Nick Chubb filled in ably with 38 carries for 143 yards. Mizzou QB Maty Mauk had a nightmare of a game, 9/21, 97, 0-4 (picks).

--No. 19 East Carolina continued its solid play with a 28-17 win at South Florida. Quarterback Shane Carden was held to 250 yards passing, but the Pirates’ running game generated 231 yards to bail him out late.

--Thursday night, No. 25 Stanford became the first team this season to really hold Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday in check as the Cardinal won 34-17. Halliday completed 42 of 69 passes, but for only 292 yards.

--Duke once again proved their program is more than a one-season wonder, upsetting No. 22 and undefeated Georgia Tech in Atlanta 31-25. Both are now 5-1.

--Minnesota is 5-1, 2-0 in the Big Ten after defeating Northwestern 24-17.

--Kentucky is also off to a solid 5-1 start with a 48-14 victory over Louisiana-Monroe.

--Boston College ran its record to 4-2 with a 30-14 win over North Carolina State (4-3) down in Raleigh. In two weeks, BC faces Wake Forest (idle this week) in the StocksandNews Lunch Bowl.

--Rutgers, idle this week, takes its 5-1 record to Columbus next Saturday to face Ohio State. Another big opportunity for the Scarlet Knights as it’s ABC’s 3:30 game.

--SMU, ranked by CBSSports.com’s Tom Fornelli the worst team in the nation, had a bye week, giving alum Paul P. a well-deserved break from counting up the yards gained against his Mustangs.

--Back to Georgia’s Todd Gurley, he was suspended indefinitely on suspicions he was paid to sign large amounts of memorabilia by the same autograph dealer; a violation of NCAA rules that would force Georgia to forfeit future games in which he played.

But then there’s a report Jameis Winston may be involved in the same deal, with the same authenticator, James Spence. So, people ask, if Georgia saw fit to suspend Gurley, why isn’t FSU doing the same with Winston?

[It seems like Gurley could face up to a four-game suspension, Saturday’s absence being game one.]

--One other on the sexual assault allegation front. Florida Gators QB Treon Harris was cleared to return after the sexual battery complaint against him was withdrawn by his accuser. Yet another example of my dictum, ‘wait 24 hours.’ 

--Lastly, regarding the inaugural College Football Playoff committee, ESPN.com interviewed one of the 13 members, Condoleezza Rice, and she said that conference championships will matter and “should matter,” but she added that there’s no pressure to have four conference title winners in the first playoff.

Rice has canceled all overseas travel this fall and said she watches 14 or 15 games every week – live on TV on Saturdays and recorded games on Sundays. She is the committee’s point person on Conference USA and the Big Ten. She said she does pay attention to the AP poll and the coaches’ poll.

1. Mississippi 6-0 (45 first-place votes)*
2. Florida State 6-0 (12)
3. Ole Miss 6-0 (3)
4. Baylor 6-0
5. Notre Dame 6-0
6. Auburn 5-1
7. Alabama 5-1
8. Michigan State 5-1
9. Oregon 5-1...back in playoff hunt
10. Georgia 5-1
18. East Carolina 5-1
25. Marshall 6-0...more on them next time, as they’re headed to a perfect record

*The Bulldogs are the first team in the AP poll’s 78-year history to go from unranked to No. 1 in five weeks.

--After Saturday’s 6-4 win over the Orioles in Baltimore, the incredible Kansas City Royals are 6-0 this postseason (nine straight dating back to the 1985 World Series). It’s bad news for Baltimore, too, in that no team has ever won a best-of-seven LCS after dropping the first two games at home.

For the Royals, Mike Moustakas homered for the fourth time in five games (4 in 22 at-bats after 15 in 457 during the regular season...to go along with a .212 average), and the Royals broke a 4-4 tie with two in the top of the ninth. This followed Friday night’s thrilling 8-6 triumph in 10 innings.

Some of the stats regarding the Royals that I saw in the Star-Ledger are telling.

3 go-ahead, extra-inning home runs (Gordon, Hosmer and Moustakas).

2 games with eight runs scored after the All-Star break

The Royals bullpen has a cool 2.30 ERA in the six postseason games.

Finally, pretty funny how the Orioles led all of baseball in home runs and were last in stolen bases this season, while the Royals were last in homers and first in steals. Now it’s K.C. hitting all the homers, while still stealing 13 bases in its first six games.

--Meanwhile, Madison Bumgarner of the Giants threw 7 2/3 of shutout ball on Saturday in San Francisco’s opening 3-0 over Adam Wainwright; the Cards’ 20-game winner exiting in the fifth. He’s now gone nine innings in his two postseason starts and allowed 8 earned on 17 hits. [Wainwright has also pitched a major league-high 512 2/3 innings the past two years including the playoffs....so questions are being asked. He’s 0-4 with a 5.14 ERA in his past five postseason appearances.]

But Bumgarner set a major league postseason record with 26 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings on the road. In four postseason road starts he is now 4-0 with a 0.59 ERA.

The Giants have won 12 of their last 13 postseason games, 27-10 since 2010.

--The Yankees re-signed GM Brian Cashman to a new three-year contract valued at approximately $3 million a year. Many in this area are asking why? Yes, the Yankees won four World Series and 12 AL East titles in his 16 years, but they’ve missed the playoffs the past two seasons and Cashman committed $438 million to sign free agents Masahiro Tanaka, Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann last winter. That got them all of 84 wins.

One thing the Yanks can do this offseason, though, is re-sign closer David Robertson, who otherwise becomes a free agent. With the success teams like the Royals and Orioles have had with their powerful bullpens, the Yanks should see the import of retaining Robertson one more season to team with Dellin Betances.

--The Washington Post’s Mike Wise on the play of the Washington Nationals:

“The terms ‘choke’ and ‘cursed’ are old sports euphemisms that help crestfallen fans, most of whom are fed up with explanations about matchups and bad luck, and vent their frustration for believing in a superior team that ultimately disemboweled their soul.

“If not entirely accurate, they’re at least understandable in Washington today.

“After all the ruminations, after all the declarations of, ‘That’s baseball,’ and, ‘We picked a lousy time to go into a slump,’ the bottom line is the best team in the National League two of the last three years does not even have a single postseason series victory to show for it....

“ ‘Choke’ and ‘cursed’ also don’t begin to explain the underlying worry after the Nationals bowed out to the San Francisco Giants in the National League Division Series. You have to go deeper for that. A crisis of confidence about what it takes to win in the postseason is a fair assessment, just as it is for any talented team on the cusp of being great that somehow can’t hurdle a certain plateau.”

You see, Washington has a bad history with the Washington Capitals as well, the Caps having an inability to get out of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs despite having some of the NHL’s best regular season records.

But when it comes to the Nats, “There is no excuse for Adam LaRoche, Jayson Werth, Denard Span, Ian Desmond and Wilson Ramos going a combined 9 for 89 with 24 strikeouts for a .101 batting average in 45 innings.” [Reminder, it was a four-game series with the Giants, but one went 18 innings.]

Yeah, I’d say that was a choke job. And baseball fans are still wondering about the idiotic decision to take Jordan Zimmermann out with one out to go in Game 2.

--Lastly, there are some stories that tick you off more than others, far more, and one such item hit this week in New Jersey. Specifically, thieves broke into the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center on the campus of Montclair State University. I’ve have told you over the years what a terrific spot this is and how I’ve been mad at myself for not going back the last few years.

“The break-in – which sources described as ‘a team of professionals’ – entered the museum...through the adjoining Yogi Berra Stadium, home of the New Jersey Jackals baseball team....

The Essex County Sheriff, Armando Fontoura, echoed the sentiments of many. “We are outraged that this vital institution was violated.”

“Items on display include dozens of baseball cards, two of (Yogi’s) MVP Awards and each of the 10 World Series rings he won as a player.” There are also love letters he wrote to his wife Carmen the year before they were married.

“Sports memorabilia expert Rob Lifson said he feared the stolen items will never be recovered. The thieves would probably draw attention from law-enforcement officials if they tried to sell them.”

“There is a photograph in my parents’ living room, one I was looking at just a couple of weeks ago, my father standing next to Yogi Berra once at the Yogi Berra Museum. I am in front of them and so are my three sons, much younger than they are now. I was there to give a talk about baseball and fathers and sons, and I can tell you it was as good a day as you could ever have, sharing it with people I loved, and with Lawrence Peter Berra....

“(What) I remember best about the day was how much Yogi Berra loved that museum, loved showing us around the place. And in that way, the place was perfect.

“ ‘This is my second home,’ Yogi said. ‘Carmen and I, we’ve got our home we live in, and then I’ve got this one where I can come visit my memories.’

“Now Carmen is gone and Yogi is frail and in an assisted living facility. When we last saw him in the sun at the new Yankee Stadium, he stayed in a golf cart as Yankee fans cheered him one more time on Derek Jeter Day. He will, God willing, turn 90 next May.

“And what they have to come and tell him the other day is that some low forms of pond life have broken into the (museum) in the night and stolen items from there, MVP plaques and World Series rings....

“It is as if they really did break into Yogi’s home and stole memories from him, pieces that are like valuable artwork from a remarkable American life, priceless to him. They did not just steal from that place. These bastards stole from Yogi....

“Somebody knows who did this. If they try to sell what they stole to some lowlife memorabilia dealer, then that dealer will know. This isn’t as much about the stuff, as about from whom it was taken.

“If they don’t know who he was in baseball and what he meant, maybe they need to know a little bit more about where he was on D-Day, in 1944. He was on the beach at Normandy. He talked about it one time with Keith Olbermann, and spoke for all the kids who fought that war. Yogi was 18 that day:

“ ‘Being a young guy, you didn’t think nothing of it until you got in it. And so we went off 300 yards off the beach. We protect the troops. If they ran into any trouble, we would fire the rockets over. We had a lead boat that would fire one rocket. If it hits the beach, then everybody opens up. We could fire one rocket if we wanted to, or we could fire off 24 of them, 12 on each side. We stretched out 50 yard apart. And that was the invasion.’

“He could always break things down to a size you could fit into the palm of your hand. He said a lot of funny things, and got rich saying them. But he is smart and sweet and decent....

“Whatever the reward is for information – late Thursday it was $5,000 – the Yankees should make it even bigger. These punks don’t get to get away with this. Bad guys don’t get to hurt somebody this good.”

Another report did confirm the MVP plaques and “several World Series rings” as well as other priceless items were stolen, like the glove Berra used to catch Don Larsen’s perfect World Series game in 1956 – ironically on the 58th anniversary of that epic performance. Investigators suspect a “possible inside job,” which is encouraging, if true. I mean there are some good Jersey detectives, as well as a few select ‘other types’ of Jerseyans, who would be expert at getting information out of any potential suspects.

David Kohler, owner of SCP Auctions, called the learning center “the best museum for one player in the game of baseball.” I can tell you from firsthand experience it’s better than Bob Feller’s, which is excellent, but it’s not even close to Yogi’s.

The World Series rings, according to Kohler, are worth at least $150,000 apiece. The MVP awards could have a value between $100,000 and $250,000.

Catch the punks, soon. 

--So beginning of the year, Jets fans were targeting the Week 2-Week 7 stretch that had them playing Green Bay, Chicago, Detroit, San Diego, Denver and New England in succession...Rodgers, Cutler, Stafford, Rivers, Manning and Brady. After an expected win in Week 1 against Oakland (accomplished), we all thought if by end of Week 7 we were 3-4, the rest of the schedule lined up well for a push to a playoff berth...9-7 a distinct possibility.

Well, after this coming Thursday night in New England, the Jets will be 1-6 and I’m looking for my sword, which I keep forgetting Johnny Mac has down Asheville way, J. Mac knowing I would likely use it after watching yet another Geno Smith pick.

A good friend, Giants fan, sent me a note after New York’s 31-17 loss to Peyton Manning and Denver on Sunday, saying ‘well at least you guys put up a good effort.’ As I told Newt, I’ve been tired of ‘good efforts’ since 1969! It’s not like this team has a future...like we’ll just turn things around next season.

This franchise is regressing at light speed! You can say, ‘Well, at least you’ll get a top three pick next year.’ But what will we do with it? Yeah, I love Marcus Mariota, for example, but would he be the answer? Of course not. The Jets will be worse next year! It doesn’t matter if there is a new coach (and I still like Rex Ryan). Nothing matters. We blow! 

[I do have to add two items. Eric Decker is a solid receiver and we were right overspending to get him. The problem is keeping him on the field. And at least we may have learned Sunday that 2nd-round pick, TE Jace Amaro, can deliver the goods as he had 10 catches.]

--Talk about being on a roll...it’s the city of Cleveland. We all know about the prospects on the hardwood, but suddenly the Brownies are 3-2 after a 31-10 whupping of the Steelers (3-3) in Cleveland. Heck, it was 31-3 until Pittsburgh scored a late meaningless TD. My friend Trader George (no longer a trader, but at Bar Chat you keep your moniker forever) is celebrating alllll night.

--Detroit moved to 4-2, even without Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush, but then they were playing Minnesota (2-4). Final result? 17-3, in what looks like a dreadful game to have attended. Rookie QB Teddy Bridgewater was picked off three times by the Lions, and Detroit tried its third kicker, Matt Prater, who hit a 52 yarder but missed two other attempts. So Detroit’s three kickers this season are just 5 of 15! Goodness gracious. Do you know how much that sucks these days?

--Speaking of sucking, Cincinnati’s Matt Nugent missed a 36-yarder in overtime that would have given the Bengals the win. Instead Cincy (3-1-1) tied Carolina (3-2-1), 37-37, as both traded first-drive OT field goals after long, six minute+ drives.

It was an interesting game for individual performances. North Carolina’s Giovani Bernard had 137 yards rushing on just 18 carries for the Bengals. Cincy receiver, via Rutgers, Mohamed Sanu had 11 receptions. Carolina’s Cam Newton had 107 yards rushing. And Boston College’s Luke Kuechly was in on 13 tackles.

--Tom Brady is back...so stop worrying! He had his second consecutive very solid effort, 27/37, 361, 4-0, as the Pats are now 4-2 after beating the Bills (3-3) 37-22.

--Baltimore’s Joe Flacco had five...count ‘em, five...first-half touchdowns against the Bucs (1-5) and the Ravens (4-2) went on to roll 48-17. That’s what Flacco ended up with, five, but us Demon Deacon fans were psyched to see receiver Michael Campanaro get his first two catches of his career, including a 19-yard scoring strike on his first.

--Steve G., old-time Summit neighbor, has been begging me not to mention his pathetic Jaguars...and so I won’t. Except they are now 0-6 after losing to the 2-4 Titans, 16-14, in Nashville. Oh yeah, that was one hot ticket.

“That’s OK, Jason (Aldean). I’d rather hit the honky-tonk dive bars in town and listen to some good music while drinking Shiner Bock.”

--Let’s face it. Whether you like the Dallas Cowboys or not, the NFL is more entertaining if the Cowboys are playing well, especially with their Thanksgiving Day slot.

So this afternoon’s big win at Seattle, the Cowboys’ fifth straight to move to 5-1, was huge, 30-23. Seattle, which fell to 3-2, just didn’t bring its ‘A’ game, including quarterback Russell Wilson, who was a putrid 14/28, 126, 0-1.

For Dallas, Terrance Williams had a spectacular catch in crunch time that was probably the play of the game.

But fear not, Seahawks fans. Yes, it is very difficult to repeat as Super Bowl champs, but your team will be right back there in the end.

--San Diego (5-1) pulled out a tough win in Oakland against the winless Raiders (0-5), 31-28. For Oakland, though, rookie QB Derek Carr threw four touchdown passes.

--The Cardinals are now 4-1 after outlasting the Redskins (1-5) 30-20. Washington QB Kirk Cousins, while playing pretty well when given the chance, is nonetheless 1-7 as a starter, 0-4 this season in relief of the injured RG3.

--Jerry Angelo, a former NFL executive and general manager of the Chicago Bears from 2001 to 2011, told USA TODAY Sports that teams did not discipline players in “hundreds and hundreds” of domestic violence incidents during his 30 years in the league, and said he now regrets his role in the failure to take action.

Angelo did praise Commissioner Roger Goodell for his integrity: “He would never cover anything up,” but said the league’s failure to obtain the Ray Rice video made it look like “they were just trying to cover their ass.” [Josh Peter / USA TODAY Sports]

I’ve waited for the details to emerge from this exploding national story and in the past few days we’ve learned them, with seven members of the football team being arrested and criminally charged for sexual hazing, attacks that occurred between Sept. 19 and Sept. 29. A parent, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect her son, a member of the team, told the Star-Ledger that each of the alleged attacks involved seven upperclassmen, the same number charged. “Four older members of the team would pounce on a freshman, restraining him, while two more kept watch at the locker room’s entrance.

“The final attacker, the parent said, would sexually assault the prone victim, inserting a finger into his rectum and then placing the finger into the freshman’s mouth.

“ ‘It’s sickening, man,’ the parent said. ‘Not only to hear the description, but to see these freshmen that are in the locker room or these other kids that don’t want to be bothered with that stuff in the locker room, and just think if my son or somebody else’s son wanted to leave...they couldn’t leave because there was somebody at the door there. I could see the kids saying, ‘You’re not going nowhere until this is over.’ It’s just like being in a bad dream, you know?’

“In a case that has affected the football program and divided the community, authorities said three members of the championship-caliber team had been charged with aggravated sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual contact, conspiracy, criminal restraint and hazing. If convicted in juvenile court, each faces up to five years in prison.

“The other players are charged with various counts, including aggravated assault, conspiracy, aggravated criminal sexual contact, hazing and riot. The defendants range in age from 15 to 17.”

Police were seen at the homes of two of the team captains, whose names I won’t mention in this space (they’re public), but I’ll say one of them is a star running back who had committed to Penn State (of all places).

The status of head coach George Najjar remains an open question. In his first comments in a brief telephone interview, he said his future was uncertain. The 62-year-old coach has headed the football program in Sayreville for two decades. The community is upset he has been silent, but, frankly, I understand why from a legal standpoint.

Nonetheless, state Sen. Raymond Lesniak summed up everyone’s feelings: “If he didn’t know what was going on, he should have known. Based on what has come out, there needs to be a total house-cleaning at the Sayreville athletic department.” [Mark Mueller / Star-Ledger]

Yes, you can imagine how this has shattered the community (which I don’t know at all). Jon Bon Jovi is an alum. He played the trumpet in the marching band there and has been very generous to the school.

Many have written into the Star-Ledger and other media outlets (or called into sports shows like WFAN’s in New York) to relate their own experiences with hazing and football programs growing up. And the Ledger (also called NJ Advance Media these days) ran a headline on Friday that, as reporter Steve Politi put it, “was like a 2-by-4 to the forehead.”

“Sayreville allegations not unique as experts see increase in anal-penetration hazing.”

Politi: “The accounts are chilling to read. Sayreville isn’t an exception, but just the latest example of a national problem, another sickening reminder of how the sports culture continues to foster the worst behavior from young athletes....

“This is another generation with millions of kids dealing with emotional scars and, judging by the response of our readers last week, they’ll be dealing with them for the rest of their lives.”

A NJ Assemblyman echoed what every single New Jersey resident, and every well-meaning person in America that knows of this story is thinking: “Where were the grownups in the room when this was happening?”

There is at least one hero in all this. Superintendent Richard Labbe, who had the guts to call off the rest of the football season upon learning of the facts. To say the least, with the community as divided as it is, he’s under incredible pressure but he has spoken to NJ.com about how one of his own sons had been hazed.

--Kevin Harvick moved into the third round of NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup with a victory Saturday night in Charlotte, an event that saw a fight between Brad Keselowski and Matt Kenseth at the end in the garage.

Actually, first, Denny Hamlin was held back by his own crew from going after Keselowski, who appeared to try to wreck Hamlin after the race, then Kenseth jumped Keselowski from behind; this following the two making contact racing for the lead on a late restart. Keselowski hit Kenseth’s car after the race, too.

Kenseth was furious that he had his seat belt and head-and-neck restraint off when Keselowski clobbered him from behind with the race over. [Actually, Keselowski then inadvertently hit the rear bumper of Tony Stewart, Stewart put his car into reverse and rammed Keselowski, and in an effort to get away from Stewart, Keselowski backed into Danica Patrick’s car. With all this going on, it’s amazing no one was hurt.]

Well, me thinks Mr. Brad is in for a bit of trouble with NASCAR officials.

Bottom line...Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. all go into next Sunday’s elimination race at Talladega needing a victory and this track has a history of being like a demolition derby.

--Huge potential blow for the Oklahoma City Thunder as Kevin Durant goes down to a fracture in his right foot that early prognosis has him missing at least six to eight weeks. What’s worrisome is these are the injuries that tend to recur...and it’s yet another reason why if you’re an athlete, you grab all the money you can, when you can.  Hopefully, this is a one-time occurrence that keeps him out only until December.

--Phil W. has been passing on some terrific recruiting news on the Wake Forest basketball front. As in new coach Danny Manning landed in the past week a 7-footer, Doral Moore, and a highly-touted 6-9 power forward, John Collins. Earlier, Manning got Bryant Crawford, a highly rated guard out of Gonzaga HS in Washington, D.C.

So I’m thinkin’ Final Four in 2017.

Note to these recruits: Just do enough in class to get a ‘C’, just as your editor did for much of his four years at Wake. [Of course I had a few below that low-water mark...and a few above...and presto! Got me a sheepskin!]

--Ten-time World Series of Poker winner Phil Ivey lost his case against a British casino he accused of improperly withholding his winnings. Ivey was seeking $12.4 million. Britain’s High Court ruled that Ivey’s use of “edge sorting” tactics was not legitimate and that the casino did not have to pay.

The casino said Ivey kept track of card values by looking for imperfections on the backs of the cards. Ivey claims he won the money during two days of playing baccarat at a Mayfair casino.

--We note the passing of former SNL cast member and actress, Jan Hooks, who was just 57. Hooks was on SNL from 1986 to 1991 with Chris Farley, Mike Myers, Phil Hartman, Dana Carvey and Dennis Miller, one of the better eras for the show.

--A 3-year-old boy who fell into the Jaguar exhibit at the Little Rock Zoo was in stable condition, suffering from extensive scalp lacerations, a depressed skull fracture, and minor puncture wounds. It’s not known if the puncture wounds came from the fall or one of the animals in the exhibit.

However, a primate zookeeper who called emergency services told police that she saw one of the jaguars with its mouth around the little boy’s neck. Supposedly the parent threw something at the cat that got it to release his son.

From a picture of the enclosure, it seems pretty clear the parent was holding the kid up to see over the ledge and something stupid happened.

--I normally wouldn’t comment on someone dying from a swarm of bees, but a fellow in Douglas, Arizona (on the border with Mexico) died the other day and I bring it up because the poor soul and his injured co-worker, doing assorted yard work, came across a colony of Africanized bees that numbered an estimated 800,000 that were in a 3-by-8-foot nest in an attic. Officials say the nest may have been accumulating for ten years and it’s not known if the homeowner knew.

--Did you see that “posh” Weldon Springs, Missouri, home that was overrun by brown recluse spiders? The house has been vacant for two years, after the couple that bought it moved out upon realizing the scope of the infestation, like try 5,000 of them. So an extermination company has put a tarp over the place and it’s been pumping poison into the home.

A spider expert said the bite from a recluse brown spider won’t kill you, “but it will make you wish you were dead.”

The house has also been in foreclosure and the couple is suing the previous property owners, arguing they were never informed of the disturbing infestation. Experts said it’s probable the furniture that was moved into the home carried them and the colony grew.

--Turns out that coyote in New Jersey I wrote about the other day attacked five people over two days before it met its match, a hunter it bit who then killed the rabid beast.

--Huge diplomatic deal between Russia and China, as Kuzya, a 23-month-old Siberian tiger that became a mascot for President Vladimir Putin, who had a personal hand in reintroducing Kuzya to the wild in the Russian Far East in May, fled to China; Kuzya choosing to cross the frigid Amur River that separates the two countries.

The problem is that in Russia, the tiger was protected (as much as this is possible) from poachers. In China, it is exceedingly hard to do so. Wildlife officials there are scrambling to try and track him down using a radio transmitter and at last word the Chinese thought they had a bead on it.

40 tigers are illegally hunted each year in China, feeding the country’s growing appetite for tiger parts used in traditional medicines, as well as tiger bone wine. A poacher can get as much as $10,000 a carcass.

--Katy Perry is set to do the Super Bowl halftime show, a good choice I think you’d agree. Responding to stories the NFL was asking the halftime act to pay the league, Perry said, ‘I’m not the kind of girl who would pay to play the Super Bowl.”

--For some reason the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame dissed Bon Jovi again when it released its 2015 induction nominees. Now I was never a Bon Jovi fan, but, heck, they do have quite a body of work in terms of Billboard chart-toppers.

This year’s list includes Stevie Ray Vaughn, Lou Reed, Bill Withers, Sting and N.W.A., as well as Green Day.

Top 3 songs for the week 10/13/84: #1 “I Just Called To Say I Love You” (Stevie Wonder...talk about mailing it in...tarnishes his legacy like Watson’s captaincy of the Ryder Cup hurt his...) #2 “Let’s Go Crazy” (Prince and the Revolution...not bad, not bad at all...) #3 “Drive” (The Cars...I’m getting a new Honda Accord this week...)...and ... #4 “Hard Habit To Break” (Chicago...drinking Coors Light...) #5 “Lucky Star” (Madonna) #6 “Caribbean Queen” (Billy Ocean) #7 “Missing You” (John Waite) #8 “Cover Me” (Bruce Springsteen) #9 “The Glamorous Life” (Sheila E.) #10 “She Bop” (Cyndi Lauper...ughh...)

Baseball Quiz Answer: The only Manager of the Year who is in the Hall of Fame for their playing career, first and foremost, is Frank Robinson, MOY in 1989 while being skipper of the Orioles, who finished second that season.

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