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Bar Chat

01/26/2015

Deflation

[Posted Sunday PM...So they are talking about an historic blizzard in these parts. Should they be right, that could mean power failures...just sayin’ re: Wed. / Thurs.]

Super Bowl Quiz: Name the first five quarterbacks to be selected MVP in the big game. Answer below.

Super Bowl...Or is it something else....

In a surprise press conference on Saturday, Coach Bill Belichick said he is convinced the New England Patriots broke no rules in the DeflateGate case.

“I believe now 100 percent that I have personally, and we as an organization, have absolutely followed every rule to the letter.”

He vigorously defended his team’s honor and said he was no “Mona Lisa Vito” of footballs, referencing a character in the movie “My Cousin Vinny.”

“At no time was there any intent whatsoever to try to compromise the integrity of the game or to gain an advantage. Quite the opposite. We feel like we followed the rules of the game to the letter in our preparations, in our procedures and in the way that we handle every game that we competitively play in, as it relates to this matter. We try to do everything right. We err on the side of caution.

“It’s been that way now for many years. Anything that’s close, we stay as far away from the line as we can. And in this case, I can say that we are, as far as I know and everything that I can do, we did everything as right as we could do it. And we welcome the league’s investigation into this matter.”

The NFL declined to comment following Belichick’s comments.

“If the NFL and its investigators and its lawyers can prove that Belichick was wrong on Saturday or that he has lied about any part of this, then Roger Goodell can absolutely go after him the way he went after Sean Payton of the Saints on Bountygate, and fine him and suspend him next season. But Belichick stood up and said that he doesn’t think they will.

“ ‘I believe 100 percent we have followed every rule to the letter,’ Belichick said....

“He wasn’t just defending the Patriots on DeflateGate on this day, you have to know that. Belichick was doing much more. He was defending himself, and his own reputation, and this notion that he is some kind of career criminal – or at least suspect – because of SpyGate. As if one of the greatest football coaches of all time, and one of the great football minds, will cheat to win every chance he gets....

“You know the deal on this, certainly: There was no presumption of innocence for Belichick from the start. He was guilty in the minds of most people outside of New England because of SpyGate, and in the eyes of the prosecutors in the media. Why? Because this seemed like something he would do. For some, that was grounds for conviction right there....

“ ‘This is the end of this subject for me for a long time,’ Bill Belichick said.

“If only that were true for everybody. You have every right not to believe Belichick. I do.”

“The only thing missing at this impromptu Saturday press conference was a black and white dog named Checkers.

“For everyone who still considers him Bull Belichick, he sounded like a desperate man whistling in the wind, flying over DeflateGate in a hot air balloon.

“Nothing in his scientific study offered conclusive evidence a Patriots employee with access to the balls approved by the officials did not tamper with them in the 2-hour, 15-minute interval prior to kickoff.

“Or explained why all 12 balls used by the Colts in the AFC title game were legit.”

“So if DeflateGate becomes a trilogy, then this was the ‘Empire Strikes Back’ moment. This was Darth Belichick at his finest – a defiant, defensive, science-teaching, pop-culture-referencing machine.

“This was his message to the NFL investigators going CSI on the PSI in his epic press conference: He believes that not only have the Patriots done nothing wrong, but that they followed the rules to the letter.

“Oh, and by the way? They’re the best team in the AFC and are ready to prove it in Glendale, Ariz., in a week.

“Forget the science lesson. Belichick still couldn’t explain why 11 of the Patriots’ footballs were underinflated, according to reports, while none of the Colts balls – presumably under identical conditions – were not. That’s the question the NFL has to answer, and Dr. ‘I’m not a scientist’ Belichick couldn’t answer that one.

“This press conference was many things, but at its core, this was a future Hall of Fame head coach sending a message to the 53 players in his locker room and to the football world that the air pressure in the football is not going to stop them from holding up a fourth Lombardi Trophy.”

Politi came up with his list of the eight craziest quotes from the news conference “that might be more entertaining than the Super Bowl.” I’ll list four.

8. “I’m not a scientist, an expert in footballs.” He just plays one on TV.

7. “I’m embarrassed to talk about the amount of time I’ve put into this relative to the other challenges in front of us.” Translation: Trying to debunk these cheating allegations is keeping me from stealing another Lombardi Trophy!

6. “I’ve handled dozens of balls over the last week.” Offered without further comment, because I have a mortgage to pay.

5. “Now we all know that air pressure is a function of the atmospheric conditions. It’s a function of that. So if there’s activity in the ball relative to the rubbing process, I think that explains why, when we gave them to the officials, and the officials put it at, let’s say 12.5 (PSI), that once the ball reached its equilibrium state it was closer to 11.5” So any idea why the Colts’ football are immune to the same conditions?

As for the NFL, it finally acknowledged on Friday that it had determined the Patriots used improperly deflated footballs in the first half.

“While the evidence thus far supports the conclusion that footballs that were under-inflated were used by the Patriots in the first half, the footballs were properly inflated for the second half and confirmed at the conclusion of the game to have remained properly inflated,” a written statement issued by the league said.

“The goals of the investigation will be to determine the explanation for why footballs used in the game were not in compliance with the playing rules and specifically whether any noncompliance was the result of deliberate action. We have not made any judgments on these points and will not do so until we have concluded our investigation and considered all of the relevant evidence.” [Mark Maske / Washington Post]

It seems the NFL is willing to wait until after the Super Bowl at this point before determining any penalties. Yet the league has conducted over 40 interviews, “including of Patriots personnel, game officials, and third parties with relevant information and expertise.”

Patriots owner Robert Kraft said the team is taking the investigation “very seriously,” adding: “Competitive balance and the integrity of the game are the foundation of what makes our league so special and I have the utmost respect for those principles.”

Former Giants quarterback and CBS analyst Phil Simms said Friday, “I think the penalty is going to be severe." Simms doesn’t buy Tom Brady’s explanation he had no idea what happened to the balls. Earlier, ex-QBs Mark Brunell and Fran Tarkenton, among others, also ripped the Pats QB.

Troy Aikman, the Cowboys great and Fox analyst, didn’t hold back during a Dallas radio interview Thursday.

“It’s obvious that Tom Brady had something to do with this,” said Aikman. “(For) the balls to be deflated, that doesn’t happen unless the quarterback wants that to happen. I can assure you of that. Now the question becomes: Did Bill Belichick know about it.”

--There is another case that caused the NFL major embarrassment, or at least should have. Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch, who blatantly grabbed his crotch after scoring a touchdown in the AFC Championship. But in this instance, the NFL only waited four days before levying a penalty...just $20,000.

“Closing another season in which criminal and rank antisocial conduct disfigured the league – starting with the badly mishandled, make-it-go-away Ray Rice episode – the Nero Fiddles League this week again passed on an opportunity to prove to the nation it no longer will suffer those who do extraordinary dirt to the sport, especially on its largest stages....

“(Lynch), the former University of California full scholarship student-athlete wasn’t adjusting himself for comfort. And it wasn’t a costume malfunction.

“This, based on what I, you and we know it to mean and what was twice clearly seen in Fox replays, was the gutter-gesture companion of the expression, ‘Right here!’

“If an official saw it, it went unflagged. But imagine risking 15 yards at such a time in such a game to do such a low thing....

“ ‘The NFL,’ Goodell could have said, ‘on behalf of its greater good, will not allow a player to sink to such a low act without suffering commensurate consequences. Mr. Lynch, if you sow, you reap!’

“But, nah. The Nero Fiddles League took the path of slow, minimal, token resistance. Another chance to demonstrate genuine, don’t tread-on-us leadership, and it’s gone.

“Instead, the week’s heat was applied to Packers backup tight end Brandon Bostick for his unpardonable crime – failure to catch that onside kick. At 25, Bostick is Bill Buckner without the portfolio.

“Twisted, how it works. An honest mistake now goes unforgiven while in-game, post-play vandalism goes forgotten – perhaps as a standard given.”

--According to reports out of Denver, Peyton Manning is coming back for another season.

--This won’t come into play at the Super Bowl, but interesting tidbit in the New York Times by James Glanz concerning the Patriots and playing in poor weather.

According to Covers, a sports betting information website, “from 2003 to 2015 the Patriots played 20 games in the regular season and the playoffs in what NFL game sheets described as light to heavy rain or snow.

“The Patriots were 17-3 ‘straight up’ in those games – meaning they won – but were also 16-4 against the spread.”

--The Baltimore Ravens are cutting ties with defensive tackle Terrence Cody, who is under investigation for animal cruelty. His contract will be terminated after the Super Bowl.

Cody, a second round pick out of Alabama in 2010, started all 16 games in 2011, but he never lived up to expectations, starting only three games during Baltimore’s Super Bowl season in 2012. He played sparingly this season, missing the first 12 games due to hip surgery.

While the Colts gave no specifics, according to Cody’s agent, Peter Schaffer, Cody took his dog to a veterinarian for treatment and the pet subsequently died.

“If the dog was treated cruelly, why take it to a vet?’ Schaffer said in a telephone interview with the AP. “When the dog passed away, Terrence was in tears.”

“It’s not even a story. It’s a joke,” Schaffer said. “The Ravens have to deal with a situation in the NFL created by overreaction.”

--From Ryan Wilson of CBSSports.com: “As one (Cleveland) player put it: (Johnny) Manziel’s 2014 season could be summed up in three words: ‘100 percent joke.’”

Separately, “‘During the draft process, not one person interviewed by the team said he was going to grow up,’ one source directly involved in the drafting of Manziel told ESPN.com. ‘You can’t blame Johnny. This is who he is. The team knew that.’....

“Some veterans ‘clearly didn’t want to play for [Manziel],’ because of the lack of readiness, and they responded better to undrafted rookie Connor Shaw in part because he knew the plays, sources said. It wasn’t lost on players that Shaw played through a dislocated finger on his left hand and a rib injury that had him passing blood after the season finale, while Manziel played six quarters before hurting his hamstring, then missed treatment on the injury on the final Saturday because he was still in bed.”

The Browns are, however, resigned to giving Johnny Football one more shot.

--Tommy Mason died. He was 75. Mason rushed for 4,203 yards and a 4.0 average in his playing days with the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams, 11 seasons in all, and was the Vikings’ first All-Pro player in 1963. He played his college football at Tulane and was Minnesota’s first overall selection in the 1961 NFL draft by the then-expansion Vikings.

But I’ll remember Tommy Mason for a selfish reason. You see, Mason was traded to the Rams after the 1966 season, and it was 1967 that I really got into football as a nine-year-old and had my electric football game.  Bzzzzzzzzz.

Well I had three teams (I bought them through the mail...very exciting when they arrived); the Jets, Packers and Rams. Tommy Mason teamed in my backfield with Dick Bass. Roman Gabriel was quarterback but as many of you know, the electric football QB was not a real effective player. Ditto the kicker.

Maxie Baughan, by the way, was a helluva linebacker in my electric football games; and not a bad player in real life, either.

[Green Bay’s Travis Williams was my overall most exciting player. Joe Namath had passing issues similar to Gabriel’s ....Bzzzzzzzzzz.]

College Football

--Tim Layden of Sports Illustrated makes the comment that with Joe Paterno getting his 111 wins back to move to 409, his record is as safe as Cy Young’s 511. Frank Beamer of Virginia Tech, for example, is the winningest active coach at 273, but he’s 68. Nick Saban, 63, has 177.

But Layden writes, when looking at Paterno’s true legacy:

“His football program was never as ideal as it was often portrayed in its 1980s prime. But it was better than most, hewing closer to whatever remains of the student-athlete ideal. In many ways he tried to do things right. Yet it’s impossible to absolve Paterno from blame in the Sandusky scandal, and impossible to forget his own words during that explosive autumn: ‘This is a tragedy,’ Paterno said on Nov. 9, 2011. ‘It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.’ At least twice he acknowledged that he had been made aware of Sandusky’s engaging in sexual behavior with young boys. Paterno’s motivation in doing so little can never be known, although many surmise that he was protecting his power and his legacy. That word again.

“Now comes the restoration of 111 wins, which never should have been taken away. Games were played, score was kept. Stripping the victories was a punitive act with no connection to Sandusky’s crime. But the wins don’t exonerate Paterno. They add a thin layer atop an already complex legacy, comprised of the very good and the very bad. Describing it will take at least two tweets.”

--Dan Patrick has a good little interview with Ohio State QB Cardale Jones in the current issue of Sports Illustrated. Jones comes off as very likable. Until given a reason to do otherwise, I’ll be rooting for this guy and while I am far from an Ohio State fan, their quarterback situation next season is as good a story as there will be in the college game, especially if Braxton Miller is healthy and in the mix.

[Separately, Patrick also had this comment from Rex Ryan... “Ryan is confident he can keep talented players in Buffalo. ‘You don’t necessarily get people to come here,’ Ryan said. ‘But when people are here, they stay. It could be that they love it or it might be that they’re snowed in.’”]

Ernie Banks, RIP

“Mr. Cub” died, Ernie Banks. He was 83.

In 19 seasons, all in Chicago, Hall of Famer Banks had 512 home runs and 1,636 RBIs. He was the N.L. MVP in back-to-back seasons, 1958-59. Banks had eight 100-RBI seasons, including 106 in 1969 at the age of 38. He was an 11-time All-Star and won a Gold Glove as a shortstop in 1960. His 277 home runs at that position are still second in baseball history to Cal Ripken Jr. Banks was inducted into Cooperstown in his first year of eligibility, 1977, with 83.8% of the vote.

So those are the basics. But of course Ernie Banks was much more than Hall of Fame caliber statistics.

You see, despite the fact he never played in the postseason in all those years as a Cubbie, he was always famously optimistic, best known for his effusive “Let’s Play Two” phrase.

In 2013, Banks received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama.

“That’s Mr. Cub – the man who came up through the Negro Leagues, making $7 a day, and became the first black player to suit up for the Cubs and one of the greatest hitters of all time. In the process, Ernie became known as much for his 512 home runs as for his cheer and his optimism, and his eternal faith that someday the Cubs would go all the way.”

Rev. Jesse Jackson said, “He was one of the great crossover baseball players of his day. His personality was a racial bridge builder. He treated all people with dignity and respect. He never stopped reaching out to bridge the racial chasms.”

Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said in a statement: “Words cannot express how important Ernie Banks will always be to the Chicago Cubs, the city of Chicago and Major League Baseball. He was one of the greatest players of all time. He was a pioneer in the major leagues. And more importantly, he was the warmest and most sincere person I’ve ever known.

“Approachable, ever optimistic and kind hearted, Ernie Banks is and always will be Mr. Cub. My family and I grieve the loss of such a great and good-hearted man, but we look forward to celebrating Ernie’s life in the days ahead.”

One huge Cubs fan, Chicago’s Bill Murray, named his son Homer Banks Murray.

Ernie Banks was born in Dallas, Texas, Jan. 31, 1931. He began his baseball career at age 17 with the semi-pro Amarillo Colts, barnstorming in the South and Midwest before graduating to the Negro League Kansas City Monarchs. Banks had a two-year hitch in the Army (during which he played with the Harlem Globetrotters part time) and upon returning he hit .386 with 20 home runs.

The Cubs were scouting Banks and offered him $10,000 to sign. On the first day of batting practice Banks sent the first pitch into Wrigley Field’s left-field bleachers.

In 1953 the Cubs brought him up in September with another black shortstop, Gene Baker. It was felt Baker could make the transition more easily, but Ernie instead was the man who adjusted quickly. As he developed the rarity of a power-hitting shortstop became clear. And despite his sunny disposition, Banks was one helluva competitor, as this tale from “Total Baseball” lays out.

“In 1957 only four pitchers – Don Drysdale, Bob Purkey, Bob Friend, and Jack Sanford – dared to knock Banks down. Each time Mr. Cub got up and hit the next pitch out of the park.”

Between 1957 and 1960, Banks hit 40+ home runs all four seasons, unheard of power from the shortstop position. In fact as noted by ESPN The Magazine’s Tim Kurkjian, “Nearly 20 years after he retired in 1971, and nearly 30 years after he played his last game at shortstop in 1961, Banks still had 80 more home runs than any other shortstop in history. Over a nine-year period at short, he averaged .290 with 37 homers and 106 RBIs for every 150 games, a stunning rate for a position that had been played primarily by defensive specialists.”

At one point Banks played in 717 consecutive games, all at shortstop.

But by 1962, Banks’ knees were shot and the Cubs moved him to first. By the time Leo Durocher came along to manage the team in 1966, Banks was past his prime. As “Total Baseball” puts it:

“In certain situations Banks had become a liability; for example, with men on base and less than two outs he had a tendency to ground into double plays. Durocher was frustrated because he knew that if he did not play the popular Banks – or even if he rested the player when he was ailing – the Chicago fans and media would be up in arms.

“ ‘He was a great player in his time,’ Durocher later wrote. ‘Unfortunately his time wasn’t my time. He couldn’t run, he couldn’t field; toward the end he couldn’t even hit. There are some players who instinctively do the right thing on the base paths. Ernie had an unfailing instinct for doing the wrong thing.”

Some alleged Durocher tried to publicly embarrass Banks, but for his part, Banks never took the bait and wouldn’t respond to Durocher’s tactics or attitude.

But the 1969 season was a bitter one for Cubs fans and its players. They held a five-game lead on Sept. 3 over the Mets but then proceeded to lose eight in a row and 17 of 25 in September. It was Banks’ best chance to finally play in the postseason.

The following winter, February 1970, Banks learned about the other side of fame. A death threat was delivered by an anonymous phone call to Cubs coach Joe Becker at the Chicago training camp in Scottsdale, Arizona. “I’ve got a rifle and I’m gunning for Ernie Banks,” said the caller. The FBI was brought in; Banks later said, “I thought I’d been traded.” Shortly thereafter a young man was arrested who made the call from a Chicago YMCA.

Banks’ final game was played with zero fanfare at Wrigley Field on September 26, 1971. “I didn’t want a big deal,” he said. Even before he announced his retirement in the offseason, he had been named the “Greatest Cub of All Time.”

After the Cubs traded Ferguson Jenkins in 1973, Jenkins said, “I don’t think those people at Wrigley Field ever saw but two players they liked, Billy Williams and Ernie Banks. Billy never said anything and Ernie always said the right thing.”

As for the origin of “Let’s Play Two,” Banks once said:

“It was a very bad day in Chicago. I came into the locker room, and I was feeling great. And I said to all my teammates, ‘It’s a beautiful day – let’s play two!’ That was a time in my life that I was really excited about going to Wrigley Field.”

Finally, perhaps this other story sums up Ernie’s attitude about life. He was proud of what he became after growing up in Texas picking cotton. As noted in the Chicago Tribune:

“The journey always delighted Banks more than the destination, such as the time he recalled teeing off with billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill Gates.

“ ‘I golfed with half of the U.S. economy at Augusta National!’ Banks said, pumping his fist. ‘Here’s a young kid from Dallas, Texas, from a family of 12, playing golf at a private club with Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. Is this a great country or what?’”

College Basketball

About the biggest recent upset was Texas Tech (11-9, 1-6) beating No. 9 Iowa State (14-4, 4-2) 78-73 on Saturday.

--But Sunday, Virginia (19-0, 7-0) was trailing lowly Virginia Tech (8-11, 0-6) late, only to rally for a 50-47 squeaker.

--And Coach K finally picked up win No. 1,000 against St. John’s (13-6, 2-4) as Duke (17-2, 4-2) prevailed, 77-68. Jahlil Okafor had 17 points and 10 rebounds.

--My Wake Forest Demon Deacons, after playing Louisville and Duke tough in back-to-back losses early this month, have seen their record fall to 9-11, 1-6 in ACC play following a terrible loss on the road at Clemson, Saturday, 59-57. While winning on the road isn’t easy, Wake controlled this one the entire contest until the very end, though they also shot just 31.1% from the field and were 13 of 21 from the free throw line. They’ve got to put up some ‘Ws’.

--And my “Pick to Click” for 2014-15, San Diego State (15-5, 5-2), lost at Colorado State (18-2, 5-2) on Saturday, 79-73, as for just about the only time this season the Aztecs’ vaunted defense didn’t get the job done. At least SDSU’s offense has been better of late.

--I do have to note an individual performance from Wednesday night (after I had posted), that being Baylor’s Rico Gathers, a forward. In the Bears’ 81-61 win over NAIA Huston-Tillotson (what is it with Baylor’s fixation on playing scrubeenies in major sports?), Gathers had a Big 12 record 28 rebounds, along with 25 points, in just 28 minutes. The junior has had three 15 or better rebound efforts against major competition this season as well.

--Cool event down at Duke the other day. Marshall Plumlee took part in a contracting ceremony through Duke’s ROTC program, which served as a swearing-in to the U.S. Army. Upon graduation in spring 2016, he would become an Army officer. His teammates were in attendance.

Plumlee, at 7 feet, is actually four inches too tall but the Army granted him a special waiver.

--Fans are still abuzz over the performance Klay Thompson put on in the third quarter of Friday night’s 126-101 win by Golden State over Sacramento.

Thompson set a league record with 37 points in the period on the way to a career-high 52. The All-Star made all 13 shots, including a league-record nine from 3-point range, plus he hit both of his free throws in those 12 minutes.

For the game, Thompson was 11 of 15 from three-point land, 73.3%, the best percentage ever for anyone taking 15 attempts.

The previous record for points in a quarter was 33, held by George Gervin (1978) and Carmelo Anthony (2008).

Michael Redd and Joe Johnson had the record with 8 threes in a period.

I just have to note two comments I’ve made about Thompson the past year.

6/23/14... “The Lakers are trying to acquire Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson for the seventh pick in next week’s draft, part of a three-way trade that would send Minnesota All-Star Kevin Love to the Warriors. I wish the Knicks had Thompson...just 24, he is a real emerging star. If I’m the Lakers, I make this move in a heartbeat. [But it sounds like the deal is falling apart.]”

8/4/14... “So reports say it’s a done deal...Kevin Love going to Cleveland. Forget Chicago, to me it was always about Golden State refusing to give up Klay Thompson, which I would never do either.”

--Is this the end of the line for Kobe Bryant? He would appear to be out for the season after tearing the rotator cuff in his right shoulder on a slam dunk the other night. “It doesn’t look good,” said a person familiar with the situation.

This will be the third consecutive time Bryant wasn’t able to finish a season. You had the torn Achilles’ tendon in 2013 and a broken bone in his knee last season.

So the 2014-15 book on him closes after only 35 games, with averages of 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists, as well as a career-worst 37.2 field-goal percentage.

--Very scary deal with the Brooklyn Nets’ Mirza Teletovic. As the New York Daily News’ Stefan Bondy put it, “depressing and scary news.”

Teletovic was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs and will miss the remainder of the season.

The 29-year-old Bosnian left Thursday’s 123-84 loss against the Clippers in Los Angeles in the second quarter after experiencing “shortness of breath.” Bondy writes: “He was shuttled to a hospital in L.A. before returning to the team hotel, apparently unaware of the unfortunate diagnosis.”

Teletovic tweeted a few hours after the game: “I had a small problem. But now everything is ok.”

But then the tests were released. According to the Nets, a CT scan, among other exams, revealed a “bilateral pulmonary embolus.”

He remains in a Los Angeles hospital and won’t be coming home until he is cleared to travel.

This is the last thing the Nets needed, as they’ve been in freefall since climbing back to .500 at 16-16. Today they are 18-26, after having followed up the Clippers’ drubbing with a 108-73 loss in Utah.

--So here’s what’s irritating about the Knicks. They actually won three in a row before losing to the Hornets 76-71 on Saturday to drop to 8-37.

What’s the point? Tank! Fans have long stopped caring about 2014-15 and what good does it do to finish, say, 19-63, rather than 14-68?

The problem is the Knicks have three guys on 10-day contracts (rolled over once) who actually give a damn and are seizing the opportunity.

But we don’t want that! [This is only partly tongue in cheek, you understand.]

Timberwolves 7-36
Sixers 8-36
Knicks 8-37

And then you have the situation with Carmelo Anthony. He played well in the three wins, but then sat out the Hornets game with his bum knee.

We keep hearing that he needs surgery on it, but what’s frustrating is he’ll sit out a few games, then suit up for a few, then sit down...I mean you’re either really hurt, Melo, and need surgery, or play every day! Seriously, many of us in this area can’t ever recall an injury situation like this. Melo will no doubt have surgery at the end of the season and, again, if we finish 19-63 but he struggled to play the rest of the way, what did it all mean?

I’m ready for pitchers and catchers...and some good Stanley Cup playoff action.

--Bill Haas won his sixth PGA Tour event at the Humana Challenge (the old Bob Hope event), beating out five others one stroke back. Man, Haas showed me something with this one. First and foremost his short putting game was excellent. [Fellow Demon Deacon Webb Simpson was T-7.]

--So you know how Rickie Fowler finished in the top five of all four majors last year? Somehow I missed until reading Golfweek that the only two golfers to accomplish this feat in the history of the game are Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, who both did it twice.

--In the Australian Open, second-seeded Roger Federer was upset in the third round by unseeded Andreas Seppi in four sets.

--So I watched the women at the U.S. Figure Skating Championship on Saturday night. Ashley Wagner won her third U.S. title, beating defending champ Gracie Gold by a whopping margin, but good drama nonetheless. 

Fifteen-year-old Karen Chen was third at her first senior U.S. Championship, but she is too young to qualify for the upcoming world championships so Olympian Polina Edmunds, who was fourth, will take her place. All in all, it works out great for the U.S. women as they look down the road.

--Saturday was winter sports day for me. I watched all the NBC coverage from Kitzbuehl and the men’s downhill, the fabled Hahnenkamm, won by Kjetil Janrud of Norway. I just admire the hell out of great skiers.

Speaking of athletes I admire, the amazing Lindsey Vonn did it yet again in winning a super-G race on Sunday at St. Moritz, extending her record to 64 World Cup victories.

I mean, seriously, for what she has gone through to get right back on top is not only one of the great sports stories in modern times, but she’s my admittedly early pick for “Sportsman of the Year” for 2015. If she can win one in the upcoming World Championships, being held in Vail-Beaver Creek, that should wrap it up.

--In a surprising (or perhaps not too surprising) announcement, four-time Sprint Cup Champion Jeff Gordon announced the 2015 season will be his last as a full-time NASCAR driver.

Gordon has 92 career Cup wins, third all time. But he’s now 43, and once said he wouldn’t race past 40. He’s also tired of being away from his family so much, and in this instance he is one athlete who is sincere on the topic.

--The F.A. Cup is an annual knockout tournament involving all of England’s soccer teams, from the Premier League on down. I have to admit, over the years I haven’t followed it but this was an historic weekend in tournament history. Four of the top six teams in the Premier League were upset, with league leader Chelsea blowing a 2-0 lead and falling to third-tier Bradford City 4-2. Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho said, “We must feel ashamed; me and the players must feel ashamed. ‘Frustration’ is not the right word – ‘embarrassed’ would be more appropriate.”

Sometimes, though, as was the case with Chelsea, the Premier League squads rest some of their stars when they are playing the lower-tier teams and this can backfire.

Southampton, third in the Premier League, lost at home to Crystal Palace, 3-2, and host Tottenham – sixth in the league – lost to lowly Leicester City, 2-1.

Meanwhile, Manchester United was held to a 0-0 draw by fourth-tier Cambridge United at Old Trafford.

--Great story...according to the Birmingham Mail. Golfer Lee Westwood was vacationing in Barbados and saw a man struggling to stay above water in the Atlantic. Westwood sprang into action and saved the man, who turned out to be an Englishman, Colin Davies – a miner turned millionaire.

Golf fans know Westwood is one of the greatest never to win a major, so Davies told the Mail:

“If there is a power looking over us, I hope he takes note and delivers three majors to this kind and gentle human being.”

It turns out Davies has Parkinson’s and by his own admission it was “foolhardy or stupid” of him to go into the water.

--Participation in snowboarding dropped 28% from 2003-2013, according to the National Sporting Goods Association. Downhill skiing was down 10% by comparison.

--Good news for the Mets. Ticket sales for 2015 are up 19% over this time last year, with season-ticket sales increasing 12%.

The Mets have been trying everything on the promotion front and because of this, they now know what works and what doesn’t.

What works is to focus marketing efforts on weekends.

--Former two-time All-Star pitcher Ted Lilly was arrested on three felony charges for an alleged insurance scam involving an accident with his RV last year. As reported by Larry Mcshane (sic) of the New York Daily News:

“The California Insurance Department found Lilly received a damage estimate of $4,600 from a body shop last March 19.

“Five days later, he bought car insurance from Progressive – and then filed a claim for the damage on March 28, officials said.”

--Good news out of India. According to the Environment Minister, the tiger population has risen from 1,706 in 2011 to 2,226 in 2014. Understand the tiger population is falling everywhere else.

It’s all about new conservation practices. Some communities, for example, have been willing to relocate to allow the tigers to roam in their natural habitat.

--Yikes... “A two-meter Eastern brown snake, dubbed the largest of its kind in the world, has found a new home at the Australian Reptile Park after being caught in a suburban backyard.

“And there is a fair chance more snakes of a similar size are currently lurking in long grass on the east coast.”

I saw a photo of this beast. These are the snakes that are prevalent on Guam but what I didn’t know is the Eastern brown snake is the second deadliest in Australia after the Inland Taipan and is quite common in Sydney. This one, labeled “Gigantor,” was found in Brisbane.

But there is some good news. Said one curator at the reptile park, “He’s a snake that will save lives in the coming years. The anti-venom here saves about 300 lives a year.”

--Reminder: If you do not want the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, call, toll free, 1-866-228-1175.

--We have some “Dirtball of the Year” candidates...three fraternities and three sororities at the Univ. of Michigan who caused an estimated $75,000 in damages to the Treetops Resort and Spa in Gaylord, Michigan, as well as the Boyne Highlands Resort in Harbor Springs, during the weekend of Jan. 17-18. ABC News covered it and the pictures are unreal. I’d be surprised if it wasn’t more than the figure given.

Said Treetops general manager Barry Owens, “I’ve been in this business for almost 30 years and I’ve never seen something even close to this. We do cater to them [college students] but this one got completely out of hand.”

At least one of the fraternities involved at Treetops was suspended for a year by the national chapter. I’m embarrassed to say that my frat, Pi Kappa Alpha, was staying at Boyne.

--We note the passing of Dallas Taylor, drummer for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. He was 66. Taylor played on the first few albums, including the 1969 classic, “Crosby, Stills & Nash,” before drinking and drug abuse forced the band to toss him out.

Top 3 songs for the week 1/27/62: #1 “Peppermint Twist” (Joey Dee & the Starliters) #2 “The Twist” (Chubby Checker) #3 “I Know (You Don’t Love Me No More)” (Barbara George)...and...#4 “Can’t Help Falling In Love” (Elvis Presley) #5 “Norman” (Sue Thompson...song about former point guard Norm Nixon...or maybe not...) #6 “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” (The Tokens...I break out in hives when I hear this...I’m breaking out now...) #7 “When I Fall In Love” (The Lettermen) #8 “The Wanderer” (Dion...this guy is so underrated...) #9 “Baby It’s You” (The Shirelles...their best...one of my all-time faves...) #10 “Walk On By” (Leroy Van Dyke)

Super Bowl Quiz Answer: First five QBs to be selected MVP for the game.

Bart Starr (1967-68)
Joe Namath (1969)
Len Dawson (1970)
Roger Staubach (1972)
Terry Bradshaw (1979-80)

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