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Bar Chat

11/10/2014

Reshuffling the College Ranks

[Posted Sunday PM under duress...another freakin’ Verizon cable situation at the last minute. Was a mess while finishing up. So this hasn’t been proofed as much as I normally try to do.]

NFL Quiz: Sacks became an official stat in 1982, but that was a 9-game strike season and Minnesota’s Doug Martin led with 11.5. Name the other three Vikings to lead the NFL in sacks. Answer below.

There is going to be a little reshuffling of the College Football Playoff selection committee poll on Tuesday after Saturday’s action. Among the questions after this week’s games, is it too late for Ohio State? [Answer...yes.]

So a brief rundown...using the CFP rankings (I have changed some quotes to reflect this).

--No. 1 Mississippi State embarrassingly took on UT Martin and won 45-16 to move to 9-0, 6-0. Whatever.

--No. 2 Florida State (9-0, 6-0) prevailed over Virginia (4-6, 2-4) 34-20 as Jameis Winston was only so-so and FSU accumulated just 376 yards of offense.

--No. 3 Auburn (7-2, 4-2) suffered a crushing loss to Texas A&M (7-3, 3-3), thus ending the Tigers’ title hopes as they turned the ball over three times, all fumbles.

“Auburn’s amazing streak of having everything goes its way during a championship run might have ended in Saturday’s 41-38 loss to Texas A&M.

“It seemed impossible third-ranked Auburn would lose at home, even after trailing by 10 points with 7:54 left.

“You assumed Auburn would find a way to win...because it usually does.

“The Tigers’ memorable run to the 2010 Bowl Championship Series title, led by quarterback Cam Newton, was one cliffhanger after another....

“Last year, en route to the BCS title game run to the Rose Bowl, Auburn defeated Georgia on a deflected pass for a touchdown (The Prayer at Jordan-Hare) before stunning Alabama on Chris Davis’ 109-yard return of a missed field goal attempt.

“Auburn might have exhausted all its pixie dust Saturday, though, inexplicably fumbling twice in the final 180 seconds against a floundering Texas A&M team coming off a 21-16 win over Louisiana Monroe.

“Auburn was outplayed most of the game, and trailed 35-17 at halftime, but was positioned to win anyway until quarterback Nick Marshall, with his team trailing by three, fumbled a handoff exchange inside the five with 2:37 left.

“Auburn forced a punt, though, and appeared poised to win on its second try until the Tigers fumbled again. The second fumble was even more bizarre, as it occurred when center Reese Dismukes snapped the ball before Marshall was ready.

“Texas A&M ran out the final seconds to record one of the season’s most unexpected upsets.”

I do have to note that in defeat, Auburn’s Cameron Artis-Payne had 221 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 30 carries.

--No. 4 Oregon (9-1, 6-1) pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 51-27 win over Utah (6-3, 3-3), as the Utes had four turnovers. 

“For about 5 seconds, the ball was just lying there in the end zone at the feet of Oregon’s Erick Dargan. Utah’s Kaelin Clay was celebrating with his teammates what looked like a long touchdown catch to put the Utes up 14-0 in the second quarter against the fourth-ranked Ducks.

“Joe Walker knew better. Clay had nonchalantly dropped the ball a yard before crossing the goal line.

“Walker returned Clay’s careless goal line fumble 100 yards for a touchdown and Marcus Mariota threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score.”

Oregon may have suffered a big loss when tight end Pharaoh Brown was carted off after an ugly leg injury.

--No. 5 Alabama (8-1, 5-1) held on at Death Valley to defeat No. 16 LSU (7-3, 3-3) in overtime, 20-13

--In a huge game with title implications, No. 6 TCU (8-1, 5-1) defeated No. 7 Kansas State (7-2, 5-1) 41-20, with Horned Frogs quarterback Trevone Boykin throwing for 219 yards and one score, along with 123 yards and three TDs on the ground.

“Barely a half hour had passed since Ohio State dismantled No. 8 Michigan State, 49-37, and already Urban Meyer had morphed from football coach to politician.

“He felt it necessary, as he stood at the podium facing a problem that’s two-fold and might very well keep his Buckeyes out of the inaugural College Football Playoff.

“First, he had to try to explain away that pesky – and perpetually painful – loss to Virginia Tech, the team sitting in last place in the feeble ACC’s Coastal Division. Second, he had to try to make sure everyone paid attention to the thorough beatdown his Buckeyes delivered to a top-10 team.

“ ‘If I have to go fight for this team, what they’ve done is very impressive,’ Meyer said. ‘That darn loss, the second game, that hurts us. I’ll take the hit for that. That was a young team, (and) one that’s playing at an extremely high level right now.’

For the Spartans (7-2, 4-1), quarterback Connor Cook played well in defeat, 25/45, 358, 2-0, while the Buckeyes’ J.T. Barrett was 16/26, 300, 3-0, with another 86 yards and two scores on the ground. Ohio State outgained Michigan State 568-536.

--No. 9 Arizona State (8-1, 4-1) bested No. 10 Notre Dame (7-2) in Tempe, 55-31, as the Sun Devils remain part of the conversation. For Notre Dame, it was all about quarterback Everett Golson’s three turnovers in a 4-minute span in the first half as ASU raced to a 34-3 lead. Game over.

Well, not quite. The Fighting Irish, err, fought back to make it 34-31 with 6 ½ to go, but then the Sun Devils ended with three quick scores of their own.

--Also remaining in the conversation is No. 12 Baylor (8-1, 5-1), a 48-14 winner over No. 15 Oklahoma (6-3, 3-3) in Norman. Bears QB Bryce Petty was 32/42, 387, 1-0, with receiver Corey Coleman having a monster game, 15-224-1.

--No. 20 Georgia blasted Kentucky 63-31, which I only bring up because the two Bulldog QBs, Hutson Matson and Brice Ramsey, were a combined 18/21, 254, 5-0. As Ronald Reagan would have observed, ‘Not bad, not bad at all.’

--No. 22 Duke (8-1, 4-1) pulled away in the end for a critical 27-10 win over Syracuse (3-7, 1-5) at the Carrier Dome as the Blue Devils remain in the ACC title hunt. But what a yawner, Duke outgaining the ‘Cuse 259-224.

--No. 23 West Virginia laid an egg, losing to Texas, 33-16, to fall to 6-4, 4-3, and probably take themselves out of the running for a New Year’s Eve / New Year’s Day bowl game.

--Marshall moved to 9-0 and a possible Group of Five major bowl spot with a 63-17 win over So. Miss.

--Louisville beat B.C. 38-19. 

--Army beat UConn 35-21.

--New Hampshire moved to 8-1 with a 41-14 win over 0-10 Rhode Island. Yikes.

--SMU fell to 0-8 with a 38-28 loss at Tulsa (2-7), though at least Mustangs QB Matt Davis had 393 yards of total offense, including 181 rushing and two scores.

--And, finally, on Thursday night, No. 21 Clemson traveled to Winston-Salem to face my Wake Forest Demon Deacons and we beat the spread! It was 20-21, depending on the line, and Wake lost 34-20. Heck, it was 20-20 late. Then again, it’s also deceiving. Clemson outgained Wake (now 2-7) 427-119, with the Deacons picking up a net 7 yards on the ground.

You can’t make this stuff up. For the season, Wake has 283 yards on 282 carries. Yup, 1.0. Our three running backs with 50+ carries have averages of 2.5, 2.9 and 1.7. [We’ve obviously also been sacked a lot.]

--As the Washington Post’s Mark Maske noted, without the underclassmen who could go out for the draft next spring, we are talking just seniors Bryce Petty (Baylor) and Shane Carden (East Carolina) as possible top QB picks. But if you add Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston and Brett Hundley it’s a different story. Can’t say I’m real impressed by Hundley this year, but he has the physical goods. [He did have a fine 29/36, 302, 2-0 effort in a 44-30 Bruins win over Washington, Saturday, as he became UCLA’s all-time TD pass leader.]

I just get a kick out of those who insist on questioning Mariota’s NFL prospects. C’mon. If you feel that way you’re an idiot.

As for Winston and his legal issues, of course his attorney, David Cromwell, is seeking a delay in the school disciplinary hearing scheduled for the week of Nov. 17. But the following is why you hope you have the money to hire a good attorney if you’re in trouble. [I’m assuming in the case of Cromwell, he is representing Winston for the big dollars that will come his way if he’s successful in getting his client exonerated in such a high profile case.]

“Mr. Winston wants to attend the hearing and confront these false allegations, but he expects and is entitled to do so on an even playing field. We will end this baseless escapade by using the testimony of witnesses and other evidence contained in the approximately 1,000 documents and eight discs that were provided to Mr. Winston only one week ago. The University also has promised to provide additional evidence, including cellphone records. Opposing counsel say they want the hearing. They just don’t want Mr. Winston to have the time to prepare for it.”

--And the new AP Poll

1. Mississippi State 9-0 (48 first-place votes)
2. Florida State 9-0 (12)
3. Oregon 9-1...Duckwear being worn almost daily now
4. Alabama 8-1
5. TCU 8-1
6. Baylor 8-1...really in the conversation...up from 10
7. Arizona State...8-1...cheerleaders movin’ up as well with exposure
8. Ohio State 8-1...deserved boost...up from 13
9. Auburn 7-2
10. Ole Miss 8-2
11. Nebraska 8-1...huh...forgot about them...will discuss more next time
19. Duke 8-1
21. Marshall 9-0
23. Colorado State 9-1...wow...competition for Marshall, re Group of Five

Next week, just two big games...Alabama-Mississippi State; FSU-Miami (I say this because the Hurricanes are on the rise...or so it would seem).

Heading into the game, the Jets were setting a new standard “for combining atrocious pass defense with inept passing unseen in the NFL in a quarter century,” as reported by the Wall Street Journal’s Michael Saldino.

“It has been 25 years since a team has ranked last in the NFL in both passer rating and passer rating allowed, according to Stats, LLC.”

The Jets were allowing opposing passers a 112.8 rating (24 TD passes allowed, one interception) prior to Sunday.

The last team to be this bad was the 1989 edition of the Dallas Cowboys which finished 1-15. Prior to that, you have to go all the way back to the 1972 New England Patriots (3-11).

Those ’89 Cowboys, by the way, were just starting out with Troy Aikman and Jimmy Johnson and two years later were in the playoffs...Super Bowl champs the year after that. [Not that I’m saying this is what Jets fans have to look forward to.]

So what happened Sunday? Well, you saw what happened. Jets 20 Steelers 13. Steelers 4 turnovers, Jets 0. The Jets had 3 TOs in the first nine games, which I pointed out to you last chat put them on pace for a league-worst record. But then they got two interceptions and two fumbles today.

And on the quarterback rating front, Michael Vick was an efficient 10/18, 132, 2-0, 116.0 QBR, while Ben Roethlisberger, with his 12 TD passes the prior two games, went 30/43, 343, 1-2, 81.8.

But the difference in the game was safety Jaiquawn Jarrett of the Jets, who had a career effort: two picks, one fumble recovery and a sack.

--San Francisco outlasted New Orleans in overtime, 27-24, as the Niners went to 5-4 and the Saints fell to 4-5.

--Before 83,600 in Wembley Stadium, London, Dallas snapped its 2-game losing streak, beating the hapless Jaguars, 31-17, as Tony Romo returned and had a solid game...20/27, 246, 3-0. Dallas improved to 7-3; the Jags fell to 1-9.

--Detroit’s Matthew Stafford once again came up big in crunch time with a scoring strike to Theo Riddick at the 0:29 mark as the Lions advanced to 7-2 with a stirring 20-16 win over the 5-4 Dolphins.

--Kansas City is suddenly 6-3 after a 17-13 win in Buffalo, the Bills falling to 5-4.

--Seattle is back on the beam, now 6-3 after a 38-17 win over the 3-6 Giants. Russell Wilson had a rare off day in the throwing department, 10/17, 172, 0-2, but he had 107 yards rushing, while Marshawn Lynch had 140 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. For New York, it’s now about how to let Tom Coughlin go with the dignity he deserves. He’ll finish out the year and there will be a mutual agreement for him to step aside and become an adviser, I imagine.

--Goodness gracious. I didn’t watch Cleveland’s 24-3 dismantling of Cincinnati on Thursday to go to a shocking 6-3, so I missed the pathetic performance of Bengals QB Andy Dalton, who had a line of 10/33, 86, 0-3. A passer rating of 2.0. TWO.

It was the single worst percentage, 30.3%, for a Bengals QB in history (min. 25 attempts).

--Carson Palmer got a nice extension from the Arizona Cardinals, three years, $50 million, with $20.5 million guaranteed through 2015. He was due to enter free agency after this year. Despite an injury to his throwing shoulder that held him out a few games, he is 6-0, and 13-2 in his last 15 starts with the Cardinals dating back to Week 8 of last season, the best win percentage of any qualifying quarterback in that span. Who wudda thunk it?

[The above includes the Cardinals’ 31-14 win over the Rams, Sunday, as Arizona is a startling 8-1. My man Larry Fitzgerald is breaking out, nine receptions for 112 yards.]

--Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis is seriously discussing moving the franchise to San Antonio, which makes a lot of sense, actually. Certainly it’s a big enough market and doesn’t conflict with Dallas or Houston.

After I posted last time that Alex Rodriguez had admitted to the feds last January he was buying steroids from Tony Bosch, the floodgates opened as everyone chimed in on what to do with the jerk.

“At my first full-time job, a wise reporter saw me struggling with a story and gave me one of the best pieces of advice I would ever receive in this profession:

“ ‘When you hit a dead end, follow the money, sex and power, because that is what motivates everyone to behave as they will. And if you are still having problems, just follow the money, it buys sex and power.’

“This counsel has made understanding Alex Rodriguez’ career easier. Just follow the money. His greed has constantly won out over avoiding humiliation, a sense of decency, fair play and, well, this list can go on for quite a bit....

“(With) all the blights on his name, he stands as the No. 1 earner among players in baseball history.

“He is at $356 million, and if you want to know what he will do next, yep, follow the money. He is owed $61 million over the next three years from the Yankees and will behave or misbehave as he is wound up to do by his lawyer/agent/crisis manager/public relations guru of the moment to protect every cent of that.

“Rodriguez’ actions since the moment the Miami New Times first connected him to Biogenesis in January 2013 have been motivated – as always with him – by money over morality. He denied at first. Of course he did. It is Play 1 in the Rogues Handbook....

“Rodriguez is preparing to play in 2015 because that is how he gets paid. Period. Love of the game is, at best, a distant second – or ninth. He will care not if the Yankees are writing the checks or an insurance company is because he is incapacitated. Only that the checks clear.

“He did the steroids to get the contracts. He kept doing them to go after the milestone bonuses in that contract and set up a lucrative post-career he thought would come if he were the all-time homer champ.

“He followed the money – to riches and dishonor. And, quite frankly, I think he would say the dishonor was worth every penny.” 

“For the last time, and for the point-missers who are still looking to blame somebody other than Alex Rodriguez for his problems and the sniveling way he’s dealt with them: Baseball didn’t do this to him. He did it to himself. And when he finally got in a room with the feds, he caved like it was a big moment in most of his baseball Octobers. It is one thing lying to Katie Couric about steroids on ’60 Minutes.’ The feds take it much more personally....

“(Around 2010), it wasn’t Cousin Yuri sticking a needle in him, it was Tony Bosch. He ended up denying everything and blaming everybody. He finally stormed out of the conference room where his arbitration hearing was being held saying it was all ‘b------t.’ Well, it turns out that he should have stayed, and everybody else in the room should have said what he said on his way out the door. And then walked out on him. And by the way? When is the next prayer vigil for him, with posturing uptown preachers and all those phony demonstrators? When do they light their next candles for Alex Rodriguez?

“In February of 2009 he said this at his press conference: ‘I did take a banned substance, and for that I’m very sorry and deeply regretful.’

“Now we are told that, well, everybody really knew he was lying all along. Except the people defending him, and the suckers who stood by him, they never told us they knew he was lying. They tried to blame this on everybody else the way Rodriguez did, when he was pointing fingers at Major League Baseball and his own union and team doctors....

“Maybe he is willing to subject himself to anything to get the $61 million the Yankees still owe him. Maybe the logical end to this is Rodriguez comes back and tries to play and can’t and limps away and gets his money that way, insurance paying 80% in that narrative. Maybe somebody as needy for the spotlight as he was for PEDs will actually revel in the attention he will get in Tampa, on his way to getting every last dollar owed him.

“The Yankees at least have to find out if there is a better way. Make him an offer and see what happens, with the guy who was going to be the all-time home run king of baseball and ended up what the government calls, because of the deal he made, a ‘queen for a day’ instead.

“You wish he could find a way to pay hush money to himself.”

“It should no longer even be in dispute that the Yankees should do everything in their power, and explore every possible legal option – with the full support of Major League Baseball – to make sure Alex Rodriguez never wears their uniform again.

“This doesn’t just speak to their obvious and own financial interests, and the more than $61-plus million for which they could eventually be on the hook for with a guy like Rodriguez. It speaks to their brand. The recent Yankee past is littered with guys who turned up dirty on baseball drugs. But there is nobody close to Rodriguez.”

“In a million years, in a million baseball seasons, I never would have dreamed I’d ever say this: I feel sorry for the Yankees.

“But, thanks to the disgraced and despicable Alex Rodriguez, that time has come.

“Any team that has to deal with Rodriguez and all of his drug-laden baggage could use some sympathy, especially now that Rodriguez is back to annoy everyone again, fresh off his record 162-game drug suspension.

“Poor Yankees. This past season, the franchise with enough World Series rings to bejewel a small army failed to make the playoffs for the second straight year. For a team whose fans expect championships on a steady basis, this little drought might as well be 119 years. It’s a solemn time for the Yankees, and they need some peace and quiet to reflect, and to figure out how to win again.

“But Rodriguez didn’t get that memo. Basically, he has returned playing the cymbals, ready to put on the pinstripes again for a team that needs no part of him or his noise but that now has to deal with a whole new set of drug revelations involving the onetime slugger....

“Looking back, the Yankees basically asked for this mess. Instead of others feeling sorry for them, maybe it’s the Yankees who should feel sorry for all their fans. Rodriguez has become painful to endure, and no end is in sight.”

Ball Bits

--Pablo Sandoval is seeking at least a six-year deal, according to his agent, who notes “Pablo is 28. He is still young. Maybe if he was 30 or 31 we could talk about four or five years. But he’s 28. He deserves more than that.”

GM Brian Sabean said the futures of left fielder Michael Morse and starting pitchers Jake Peavy and Ryan Vogelsong are on the back-burner until they see how things go with Sandoval.

As for Morse, it seems the Mets have some interest, which fires me up...Morse is a perfect stop gap for a year or two in left field, plus he could spell Lucas Duda at first. We can hide his glove pretty well, with Juan Lagares in center and Matt den Dekker as a late-inning replacement.

--The Washington Post’s Barry Svrluga notes that Max Scherzer will become the 15th pitcher to sign a $100 million contract – probably closer to $200 million, and Jon Lester will join him with a nine-figure deal. Fans will rejoice, but as Svrluga notes, the highway is “littered with the wreckage of the biggest pitching contracts in history,” and it’s difficult to find one “that is an unmitigated success. Those 14 pitchers have been paid or are owed a total exceeding $2 billion, and the best grade we can give on one of those deals might be ‘incomplete.’

“Kevin Brown and Barry Zito. Johan Santana and Mike Hampton (Mike Hampton!). Heck, we know Clayton Kershaw – owner of the richest contract ever granted to a pitcher, $215 million dollars – is the best hurler in the game, and maybe someday his annual average of more than $30 million will seem like a bargain. Maybe.”

--Unbelievably, the Yankees signed outfielder Chris Young to a one-year, $2.5 million deal, with Young slated to be the fourth outfielder behind Beltran, Ellsbury and Gardner. He was a bust for the Mets, but hit .282 with the Yanks in 71 at-bats late in the season. I’ll commit hari-kari if he plays well next season. [Johnny Mac., please send my sword back.]

--Former Major League pitcher Brad Halsey died after an apparent fall from a 100-foot-high cliff near his home in Texas. According to an official, “He had either jumped or fallen.” He was 33.

Halsey finished his career with a record of 14-19, but is best known for giving up Barry Bonds’ 714th career home run.

College Basketball

--Sports Illustrated’s Preseason Top Ten:

1. Kentucky
2. Arizona
3. Wisconsin
4. Duke
5. Kansas
6. Florida
7. Louisville
8. Villanova
9. Virginia
10. Gonzaga
14. San Diego State... Go Aztecs!

What’s increasingly apparent, as much as it can be before the first game, is Wisconsin should be a fun team to follow and hoops fans should want them to get to the Final Four. Just sayin’.

--This is a semi-startling bit from USA TODAY’s Bennett Hayes.

“If you are struggling to identify returning stars, you are not alone. All 15 members of last year’s Associated Press All-America teams no longer play college basketball, and 27 of last year’s 39 AP honorable mentions have also departed the college game. Make what you will of the fact that Marcus Paige (North Carolina), Fred VanVleet (Wichita State), Tyler Haws (BYU) and Juwan Staten (West Virginia) are as notable as any returnees.”

Ergo, the caliber of play we see, especially early on, may not be that great.

1. UConn...yawn
2. South Carolina
3. Notre Dame... “There is nothing like a dame! Nothing, in the world.” [Oops, sorry. South Pacific has nothing to do with the women’s top five...carry on...]
4. Tennessee
5. Texas A&M

--The 2-5 Knicks have lost four in a row and it’s no mystery why...here are the field goal stats for Carmelo Anthony during the losing streak.

8-20
5-20
5-21
8-23

--The Nets’ Deron Williams is looking good early on, as in he’s looking healthy. For Brooklyn it’s pretty simple. Keep Williams and Brook Lopez out of the infirmary. In the Nets’ win over the Knicks, Friday night, Williams looked great in going off for 29. The Nets then defeated the Magic on Sunday to go to 4-2, with Mason Plumlee having 12 points and 10 rebounds in just 16 minutes.

--Here I just wrote about the Minnesota Timberwolves granting point guard Ricky Rubio a big contract extension and Friday night he suffered a severe ankle sprain that could keep him out up to 8 weeks. He was off to a solid start, averaging 10 assists in his first five games.

It hasn’t been the best year for NASCAR. One bad PR miscue after another, the latest being Kurt Busch, who has been accused by an ex-girlfriend of domestic assault, smashing her head against a wall three times, according to court documents. The incident, which occurred on Sept. 26 at Dover International Speedway, didn’t come to light until this week.

Rusty Hardin, the attorney for Busch, has denied the accusation. 

But Sunday saw the final race in the Eliminator Round at Phoenix International Raceway and the four who now proceed to the finale for the Sprint Cup Championship at Homestead-Miami next Sunday are....

Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Ryan Newman and Kevin Harvick. This is going to be good. Of these four, the only thing that matters next week is who finishes higher.

Golf Balls

--Huge win for Bubba Watson at the World Golf Championship event in Shanghai, the HSBC Champions. It is his first WGC title but it’s how he did it that must have been amazing, your editor not seeing it personally. He holed a bunker shot for eagle on the 18th hole to get into a playoff, and then made a 20-foot birdie putt to beat Tim Clark.  Rickie Fowler tied for third with some guy named Hiroshi Iwata, no offense to the Iwata family. Graeme McDowell was trying to win wire-to-wire but faded to finish fifth.

--At the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Miss., a concurrent PGA Tour event, Nick Taylor, 26, became the first Canadian to win on tour since Mike Weir in 2007. I’m assuming he brought his own Labatt’s to celebrate with, not wanting to quaff ‘domestic’ while in the States.

Premier League Standings

1. Chelsea 9-2-0...29 points
2. Southampton 8-1-2...25
3. Man City 6-3-2...21
4. West Ham 5-3-3...18
5. Swansea City 5-3-3...18
6. Arsenal 4-5-2...17
7. Man U 4-4-3...16
12. Tottenham 4-2-5...14...my Hotspurs are strugglin’

OK...so some of you casual fans of the Premier League, which is what I am, though I’m getting better with age, are thinking, ‘What’s up with Southampton, West Ham and Swansea City?’

That was my thought, exactly. So I looked up last year’s final standings (they play 38 matches, by the way, so we have a long ways to go), and Southampton finished 8th (out of 20), West Ham 13th and Swansea 12th. I’m guessin’ fans of all three are psyched.

I watched Southampton’s win over pathetic Leicester City, 2-0, on Saturday. Really, I did. But I missed Swansea City’s big win, Sunday, over Arsenal, 2-1.

Veterans Day

The other day, President Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to a soldier who died 151 years ago at the climax of the Battle of Gettysburg. So I’ve saved a piece from Army Times to use today.

“Alonzo Cushing was the commander of Battery A, 4th United States Artillery, Artillery Brigade, 2nd Corps, Army of the Potomac. The battery bore the brunt of the famous Confederate assault known as Pickett’s Charge.

“First Lieutenant Cushing’s battery took a severe pounding by Confederate artillery. As the rebel infantry advanced, he manned the only remaining, and serviceable, field piece in his battery,’ the White House reported.

“ ‘Refusing to evacuate to the rear despite his severe wounds, he directed the operation of his lone field piece continuing to fire in the face of the enemy,’ the White House said. ‘With the rebels within 100 yards of his position, Cushing was shot and killed during this heroic stand. His actions made it possible for the Union Army to successfully repulse the Confederate assault.’

“The spot where Cushing died would become known as the high-water mark of the Southern cause.

“The announcement caps a four decade-long campaign by Margaret Zerwekh, an amateur historian from Cushing’s hometown of Delafield, Wisconsin, who lobbied Wisconsin’s congressional delegation to pass a law waiving the time limits for making the award.”

Now how cool is that? God bless her. As of September and the Army Times piece, Margaret Zerwekh was in failing health, 94, but upon notification her efforts succeeded, she said, “That’s incredible.”

It turns out when she married her second husband, they lived on the Cushing family property that her husband had purchased in 1947.

Cushing is buried at his alma mater, West Point.

Laura Jowdy, an archivist with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, said, “The nice thing about Cushing’s case is it was written about at the time. It was something people saw and wrote about and remembered later in life.”

“Benjamin Franklin once complained that republics are notoriously forgetful. But Cushing’s long-awaited award today is proof that, even if memory is often short, valor is long.”

--Congratulations to Guy Lapointe, the Hall of Fame defenseman with the Montreal Canadiens who had his No. 5 retired at the Bell Centre on Saturday night. He joins fellow defenseman Serge Savard and Larry Robinson in receiving the honor, the three part of the 1970s Montreal dynasty. Those were great years to be a hockey fan. 

--Former North Carolina football player Michael McAdoo filed a lawsuit against the university, saying it failed to provide him and other athletes a quality education by guiding them toward sham classes.

--Sergey Kovalev whupped up on 49-year-old Bernard Hopkins, winning a unanimous 12-round decision to stake his claim as the best light-heavyweight in the world. The Russian is 26-0-1 with 23 knockouts. Hopkins (55-7-2) may finally retire after this.

--FIFA has warned Russia that there could be a boycott of the 2018 World Cup unless President Vladimir Putin gets tougher on racism. There have been a lot of disturbing racist incidents in the Russian soccer league of late. Black players may say they are not going there. I would fully support a boycott if the situation didn’t improve. Russia shouldn’t have been granted the World Cup in the first place.

CSKA Moscow has been forced to play its Champions League home games in empty stadiums because of fan abuse toward black players, as reported by the L.A. Times’ Kevin Baxter.

Baxter added: “The Russian Football Union has also taken little action against racism, earning international condemnation for failing to sanction FC Rostov Coach Igor Gamula for saying last week that he wouldn’t sign a player from Cameroon because the club has ‘enough dark-skinned players. We’ve got six of the things.’”

--In Norway, world chess champion Magnus Carlsen is a national hero (and the guy’s a stud, girls). This weekend he began his title defense against Viswanathan “Vishy” Anand, a four-time undisputed world champ, who lost his crown to Carlsen a year ago. The match takes place in Sochi. 

Anand defied expectations and won the 2014 Candidates Tournament, giving him the right to go up against Magnus a second time. [Jonathan Zalman / Wall Street Journal]

--Director of Bear Attacks for Bar Chat, Brad K., passed along this item from the Daily Mail.

“Helicopter rescue teams airlifted a 68-year-old American man to hospital after he was attacked by bears while hunting on a remote island off the coast of Alaska....

“It is understood a group of up to five bears attacked (Michael S.) and his friend as they dragged the carcass of a deer they had shot through dense vegetation on Sally Island in Uganik Bay....

“Nathan Svoboda, a local wildlife biologist, gave details of the attack to Alaska Dispatch News.

“He said the two men were dragging a deer through vegetation when they stopped for lunch. No sooner had they sat down to eat when a large female bear charged at them.

“The animal reportedly attacked (Michael), biting and scratching his body before (the friend) shot the animal three times, killing it. Seconds later, more bears emerged, with (the friend) shooting and killing one of the cubs. The shooting apparently scared the rest of the animals away.

“The crew on board a fishing vessel witnessed the entire incident and reportedly raced to the shore to remove the men to the safety of the sea.”

Michael S.’s condition is not thought to be life-threatening.

I mean is this a perfect straight-to-video story? Throw in an obligatory Kate Upton scene, of course.

--Taylor Swift’s album “1989” is a monster hit, going platinum with 1.287 million copies sold in its first week in the biggest debut of an album since 2002 (Eminem’s “The Eminem Show”).

Until this one, there wasn’t a single album released this year to reach sales of 1 million copies. Ms. Swift famously removed all her music from Spotify the other day.

--Congratulations to country power couple Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton for copping the Female and Male Vocalist of the Year honors at the CMA Awards the other night, the fifth straight year they have done so. Luke Bryan was Entertainer of the Year.

Top 3 songs for the week 11/13/65: #1 “Get Off Of My Cloud” (The Rolling Stones...my favorite Stones era...) #2 “A Lover’s Concerto” (The Toys) #3 “1-2-3” (Len Barry... this song gets better with time and has entered my Top 50...)...and...#4 “You’re The One” (The Vogues...solid tune...) #5 “I Hear A Symphony” (The Supremes...diva alert...diva alert...) #6 “Rescue Me” (Fontella Bass...love it...) #7 “Everybody Loves A Clown” (Gary Lewis and The Playboys...Jerry’s boy was underrated...yeah, he had the breaks, but the music was great...) #8 “Let’s Hang On!” (The 4 Seasons...one of my favorites of theirs...at their peak...) #9 “Taste Of Honey” (Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass...was with some high school friends the other week and we concluded I was the worst trumpet player of all time...) #10 “Ain’t That Peculiar” (Marvin Gaye...folks, you aren’t going to find a better top ten for pure balance and songs that have held up 49 years later! Geezuz, 49 years...now I’m depressed...)

NFL Quiz Answer: The other three Vikings to lead the NFL in stats, aside from Doug Martin, were Chris Doleman, 21.0 (1989); John Randle, 15.5 (1997); Jared Allen, 22.0 (2011). Doleman and Randle are Hall of Famers, while Allen, with 130 career sacks, could be headed to Canton as well.

Anytime us Jets fans think about the sack title, thoughts go back to Mark Gastineau, who led the league in 1983 (19.0) and ’84 (22.0), but in looking up his career, I forgot what a shooting star he was. He’s the only Jet to lead the NFL, by the way.

Michael Strahan still holds the single-season record with 22.5 in 2001, though some of us remember that last ½-sack was rather iffy...a gift. 

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