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Bar Chat

12/13/2021

Verstappen overtakes Hamilton

Add-On…posted early Wed. a.m.

Covid and the Omicron Variant

So last Sunday I posted that the impact of both the Delta variant and now Omicron was beginning to wreak havoc on sports, worldwide, citing some initial examples, and then the situation literally exploded Monday and Tuesday.

The next two Chicago Bulls games were postponed to allow the franchise to start getting back healthy players and curb further spread.  Ten players tested positive.

Under Covid protocols, the Bulls were down to a league minimum of eight players – and some of those weren’t among the top regular rotation players.  Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan were among those who are now in quarantine for 10 days or until they return two negative PCR tests within a 24-hour window.

The Nets will be without five players for their next game, the Knicks three due to Covid, plus Broadcaster Clyde Frazier, which sucks.

The NHL postponed the Calgary Flames’ next three games after six players and a staff member entered the league’s Covid-19 protocol over a 24-hour period.

The Carolina Hurricanes announced star center Sebastian Aho and another player entered the Covid-19 protocol late Monday, after Aho missed Sunday’s loss in Vancouver due to an “illness.”  Carolina played at Calgary on Thursday, winning 2-1.

The NFL said a record 37 players tested positive on Monday.  Most teams test their vaccinated players and personnel (who have to be tested only once a week, unlike unvaccinated players, who test daily) over the weekend.  But to put Monday’s number into perspective, consider that the league had only 72 positive tests in a two-week stretch from Nov. 14 to Nov. 27.

The NFL sent out a memo that urged all players and personnel to get a booster with the waning effectiveness of a two-shot regime over time.

Five teams are apparently in enhanced Covid-19 protocols now, which require daily testing regardless of vaccination status.

The NFLPA has pushed for daily testing for all players and personnel, regardless of vaccination status, as a means of identifying and tracking cases earlier and preventing spread in team facilities.

Meanwhile, as I noted the other day, it’s just a matter of time before Covid hits college basketball in a big way.  One scary thought, as many as 500 Cornell University students tested positive (many for Omicron), and the school shut down early for Christmas break.

And then we have the situation in the English Premier League.

Paul MacInnes, David Hytner / Irish Times

“The carefully crafted sense of stability around English football began to crumble on Monday night after a record number of positive Covid-19 tests, with Manchester United’s Tuesday game at Brentford called off and the possibility of more postponements to come.

“Forty-two Premier League players and officials tested positive for the virus in the seven days that ended on Sunday, a record for a single week since testing began and more than three times the 12 of the previous week.”

Two Tottenham Spurs games have been postponed and there is no word on Thursday’s fixture against Leicester and whether it will go ahead.

Players and staff around the league are now being told to return to social distancing rules that go back to those that characterized Project Restart in 2020.

As for the crowds at the games, which have been sellouts in most locations, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last week that the National Health Service Covid pass will be mandatory for entrance into spaces where large crowds gather.

But not everyone is going to be checked at the gate to prevent crowds building up outside the grounds.

So it’s a potential s---show, sports fans.  Britain is getting slammed now by Omicron.

But wait…there’s more!

At least 25 more NFLers tested positive on Tuesday, including nine on the Los Angeles Rams, among them Odell Beckham Jr., while the Browns are reported to have a slew of players now in Covid-19 protocols.

And in the NBA, Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden were among those entering the league’s health and safety protocol.  This is all occurring as the league approaches its annual Christmas Day showcase.

College Basketball…enjoy it while you still can….

--AP Top 25 (records thru Sunday)

1. Baylor (61) 9-0…won national championship last season without ever reaching No. 1 in this poll.
2. Duke 7-1
3. Purdue 9-1
4. UCLA 9-1
5. Gonzaga 8-2
6. Alabama 8-1
7. Kansas 8-1
8. Arizona 9-0
9. Villanova 7-3…don’t deserve this, s/b 16
10. Southern Cal 10-0…strong cheerleaders at Nos. 4, 8 and 10
11. Iowa State 10-0
12. Michigan State 9-2
13. Auburn 8-1
14. Houston 8-2
15. Ohio State 8-2
16. Seton Hall 9-1…Go New Jersey!
17. Texas 6-2
18. Tennessee 7-2
19. LSU 9-0
20. UConn 9-2
21. Kentucky 7-2
22. Xavier 9-1
23. Colorado State 10-0…huh
24. Arkansas 9-1
25. Texas Tech 7-1

No big upsets Monday or Tuesday, though I can’t help but note a nice win for Wake Forest last night, 77-70 over VMI (7-5) after trailing by 13 at the half.  Once again it was the Alondes Williams show, Williams pumping in 36.  The Deacs, 10-1, are off to their best start since 2008-09.

NBA

--Steph Curry entered Tuesday’s game at the Garden with the Knicks needing just two three-pointers to break the NBA record for career three-pointers held by Ray Allen.  Curry has been struggling of late from downtown, just 36.8% in his previous six games in December, including 14 of 46 in his last three, or he would have smashed the mark by now.

Steph then closed the deal with No. 2,974 in the first quarter and he received a huge ovation from the Garden crowd with his second three (of five on the game), the Warriors defeating the depleted Knicks 105-96, New York’s seventh loss in their last eight games.

Curry will now be forever known as “The Greatest Shooter of All Time,” and indeed his 43.1 percent career three-point percentage is better than Ray Allen’s (40.0%) and third-place Reggie Miller’s 39.5%.

--The Nets were without seven players by game time last night against the Raptors, the aforementioned James Harden learning an hour before the game of his positive test.

But once again Kevin Durant, who was questionable to play at the start of the day, came through for Brooklyn with 34 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 131-129 win in overtime, the Nets now 20-8.

It’s fun watching Durant play…he’s simply the best in the game right now, having dropped 51 points on the Pistons Sunday.

NFL

--The Rams had a huge win over the Cardinals Monday night in Glendale, Arizona, 30-23.

Aaron Donald finished with three sacks, while Matthew Stafford threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns, including a sweet 52-yard scoring strike to Van Jefferson.

Cooper Kupp (13 receptions for 123 Yards) and Odell Beckham Jr. (6-77) both caught touchdowns for L.A, 9-4, which pulled within a game of the Cardinals in the division and looks rejuvenated following a three-game losing streak in November.

With the score 30-23, Arizona recovered an onside kick, but a holding call wiped out Kyler Murray’s long run on the first play of the drive and on the final play, Donald earned a sack as Murray fell to the turf, scared for his life.

Beckham now has scored a touchdown in three straight games since joining the Rams.

Arizona is 7-0 away from home, but 3-3 at State Farm Stadium.

--Sunday night, in an extraordinary second quarter in Green Bay, the Bears and Packers exchanged five touchdowns and a field goal and a game that was 3-0 Chicago, ended up 27-21 Bears at the half.

But then it was all Aaron Rodgers and the Pack prevailed, 45-30, Green Bay moving to 10-3, Chicago 4-9.

Justin Fields got off to a fast start but then turned it over three times, including two interceptions, while Rodgers finished 29/37, 340, 4-0, 141.1.

--The Playoff picture is a mess…and fascinating….

AFC

1. New England 9-4…7-game win streak
2. Tennessee 9-4
3. Kansas City 9-4…6-game win streak
4. Baltimore 8-5
5. L.A. Chargers 8-5
6. Indianapolis 7-6
7. Buffalo 7-6
8. Cleveland 7-6
9. Cincinnati 7-6
10. Denver 7-6
11. Pittsburgh 6-6-1

NFC

1. Green Bay 10-3
2. Tampa Bay 10-3
3. Arizona 10-3
4. Dallas 9-4
5. L.A. Rams 9-4
6. San Francisco 7-6
7. Washington 6-7
8. Minnesota 6-7
9. Philadelphia 6-7
10. Atlanta 6-7
11. New Orleans 6-7

College Football

--The AP announced it was increasing the number of players honored on its All-America teams to include a third wide receiver and fifth defensive back.

The changes in structure this year is the first since 2006, when the generic categories of “linemen” on both sides of the ball and “defensive backs” were broken down by specific positions.

The addition of a third receiver and fifth D-back aligns with more offenses putting three or four receivers on the field instead of the traditional two and defenses regularly having a fifth player in the secondary replacing a linebacker or lineman.

Each of the top-10 teams in total offense this season start three receivers and seven of the top 10 teams in total defense start five defensive backs; two of the other three opened some games with five DBs.

The AP has named All-America teams since 1925 based on voting by a national media panel.  It’s the only All-America squad that matters.

First Team

OFFENSE

QB – Bryce Young, Alabama
RB – Kenneth Walker Junior III, Michigan State; Breece Hall, Iowa State
WR – Jordan Addison, Pittsburgh; David Bell, Purdue; Jameson Williams, Alabama
TE – Trey McBride, Iowa
Tackles – Ikem Ekwonu, North Carolina State; Darian Kinnard, Kentucky
Guards – Kenyon Green, Texas A&M; Zion Johnson, Boston College
Center – Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa
All-purpose player – Deuce Vaughn, Kansas State
Kicker – Jake Moody, Michigan

DEFENSE

Edge Rushers – Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan; Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon
Linemen – Jordan David, Georgia; DeMarvin Leal, Texas A&M
Linebackers – Will Anderson, Jr., Alabama; Nakobe Dean, Georgia; Devin Lloyd, Utah
Cornerbacks – Ahmad Gardner, Cincinnati; Roger McCreary, Auburn
Safeties – Verone McKinley III, Oregon; Jalen Pitre, Baylor
Defensive back – Marcus Jones, Houston
Punter – Matt Araiza, San Diego State

Second and Third Teams…just offensive weapons

Second

QB – Kenny Pickett, Pitt
RB – Sean Tucker, Syracuse; Tyler Badie, Missouri
WR – Chris Olave, Ohio State; Garret Wilson, Ohio State; Jerreth Sterns, Western Kentucky
TE – Brock Bowers, Georgia

Third

QB – C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
RB – Hassan Haskins, Michigan; Sincere McCormick, UTSA
WR – Drake London, Southern California; Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State; Jahan Dotson, Penn State
TE – Michael Mayer, Notre Dame

--South Carolina made a big splash in the transfer portal, picking up Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler and his teammate, tight end Austin Stogner, who announced Monday night they were joining the Gamecocks.

Rattler was National Freshman of the Year in 2020, throwing for more than 3,000 yards and 28 touchdowns, before a rough start in 2021 led to his benching as Lincoln Riley went with freshman Caleb Williams.

Stogner was a Second Team All-Big 12 selection in 2020 with 26 receptions, but a staph infection in his leg cost him lots of playing time this fall and he caught only 14 passes as he worked his way back to full health.

No doubt the pair will be immediate contributors for South Carolina.

Stuff

--In FIS Alpine World Cup racing last weekend in St. Moritz, Mikaela Shiffrin had two third-place finishes in two super-G races, so she leads the season with six podium finishes (2 firsts, 2 seconds, 2 thirds) and is the overall points leader.  Petra Vlhova didn’t race in either super-G.

--The New York Mets have narrowed their manager search to three candidates as of late Tuesday, including Buck Showalter, and Mets fans are virtually unanimous…we want Buck!

His overall mark is deceiving, 1551-1517, .506, but he took three of the four teams he managed to the postseason and he inherited, or was forced to sit back while ownership blew up franchises, some crappy teams.  It wasn’t Buck’s fault.  He’s a baseball man, through and through, and would only be a positive for the Mets, plus he understands how to handle the New York media.

--Gymnasts abused by former United States national team doctor Larry Nassar reached a settlement Monday that will require the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, USA Gymnastics and their insurers to pay them $380 million.

The settlement, announced in an Indianapolis bankruptcy court, also requires USA Gymnastics to provide a seat on its board for a gymnast who had been abused by Nassar.

This comes after the leadership of USA Gymnastics and the USOPC were assailed by gymnasts, including gold medalists Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney and Aly Raisman, for turning a blind eye to Nassar, who is serving what is essentially a life sentence in prison after being convicted of sexually assaulting children and possessing child pornography.

--A spear fisher in Australia “thought it was my last day” Sunday when a bull shark charged and bit him in the leg, forcing him to fight off the attack with his spear gun.

Phillip Brown, 24, was fishing for barramundi near Rocky Island off Yarrabah when he came face to face with the shark after exploring a cave 10 feet deep, according to TropicNow ( a news agency in Cairns) and the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

“We sort of both got a fright from each other, but I was still a long way from the rocks, so I tried to swim a bit faster to the rock,” he told TropicNow.

“I knew what was going to happen; he’s a bull shark, he’s going to have to go at me.

“As I just grabbed the rock, it came up from behind and grabbed my leg.

“I just felt a big, numb jerk.  It twisted, popped my knee out of the socket.  If I didn’t have the dislocated knee, I think he probably would have ripped it off.

“I stabbed him on top of the head with the spear gun and he took off, but he kept circling around because I was losing a lot of blood.”

But by then, Brown was in ankle-deep water where two friends and two nephews came to his rescue, using an anchor rope as a tourniquet around his thigh and a shirt tied to his lower leg to stem the flow of blood.

They carried him to the boat and transported him to a hospital in his hometown of Yarrabah, where  he was treated and then airlifted to Cairns Hospital for surgery.  The extent of his injuries was unclear, but he vowed to go back out diving.  [USA TODAY]

--Last Chat I called Vincente Fernandez the ‘King of Ranchero’ music, which isn’t inaccurate, but most people it seems call it ‘Ranchera.’  So I humbly apologize as I reach into the fridge for another Dos Equis.

--Miss India was the appropriate winner of the Miss Universe pageant, though South Africa should have finished second.

Next Bar Chat, Sunday pm.

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Add-On by noon, Wednesday

[Posted Sun. p.m.]

NFL Quiz: After losing some all-time great defensive linemen the past two weeks, I thought we’d sort of honor them.  Name the individuals on the following all-time great front fours.  Pittsburgh Steelers Steel Curtain, Los Angeles Rams Fearsome Foursome (with two replacements), and the Minnesota Vikings Purple People Eaters.  In the case of the Steelers, you also have to give the uniform numbers for each.  If you do that, you win a six-pack of Iron City…or maybe you don’t.  Answers below.

NFL

--Lamar Jackson was carted off in the second quarter with an ankle injury, extent of which is unknown as I go to post, and in a critical game against the division rival Browns, Cleveland had a 24-6 lead at the half, Tyler Huntley replacing Jackson, Baker Mayfield playing well.

But the Ravens rallied back and after a late successful onsides kick (an amazingly bad play by the Browns), Baltimore was down 24-22 with a chance to win it, but the Cleveland defense stiffened and they prevailed…..the Browns more than relevant at 7-6, the Ravens [expletive] bricks, depending on the status of Lamar, now 8-5.

--Kansas City (9-4) rolled over the Raiders (6-7) in K.C., 48-9, taking advantage of five Vegas turnovers…4 of them fumbles…and Patrick Mahomes and Co. really didn’t have to do much, the State Farm shoe salesman a cool 20/24, 258, 2-0, 139.2.

--Entering today’s game against the Titans, Trevor Lawrence had struggled, perhaps a bit more than expected, and no doubt Jacksonville coach Urban Meyer’s shaky leadership hasn’t helped.

All rookie quarterbacks struggle in their first year, but what is worrisome is Lawrence, coming into today, had regressed, not improved, over the course of the season.  Lawrence indicated to reporters that in an attempt to course-correct after early-season mistakes, he had become too tentative.

Comparing his first six games with his last six, Lawrence’s interceptions went way down (8-2), but so did his marks in a slew of important categories, including passing yards per game (244.2-174.8), completion percentage (59.7-56.2), touchdowns (7-2) and yards per attempt (6.8-5.0).

Jacksonville’s points per game have nosedived from 19.3 to a measly 10.7.  Lawrence has one touchdown pass over his past five games and has topped 165 yards passing just once.

For comparison, Peyton Manning led the NFL with 28 interceptions as a rookie in 1998, but he also finished fifth in touchdown passes (26) and third in passing yards.

At similar points in their rookie campaigns, Baker Mayfield (2018), Kyler Murray (2019) and Joe Burrow (2020) all had notably better numbers across a range of major passing categories.

So what did Trevor and Co. do today?  Lost to the Titans (9-4) 20-0, in what had to be a godawful game to attend, Tennessee with just 263 yards of offense, but Lawrence with 4 interceptions and a P.R. of 35.5. [Which if you’re unfamiliar with passer ratings, blows.]

--In what had to be another awful game to attend, and spend a gazillion dollars on parking, a hot dog, and six beers (well, it’s over three hours and I assume you are Ubering it), the Cowboys (9-4) built a 24-0 lead over the Redskins (6-7) in Washington and held on for a 27-20 win…no one on offense playing well in this one.

I mean you’re a season ticketholder and you’re like, “Why the [heck] did I waste all that time and money when I could have done something useful?”  [Like bag up some clothes for Catholic Charities, which I’m personally on a mission to do….just get rid of everything…though t-shirts go to my friends on the island of Yap.  You see, it never gets cold there…ever…]

--My Jets are now 3-10 after an abysmal 30-9 home loss to the Saints (6-7, staying relevant in the NFC).  I’ve been patient with the boys, and QB Zach Wilson, but this effort was depressing, because Wilson really, really sucked…19/42, 202, 0-0, 59.8.

Yes, he had a lot of drops, but he also had a lot of throws that were beyond awful, and at the same time, he missed some receivers that clearly should have been in his line of vision.

I need to find a hobby to occupy my time during the remaining games this season.  Maybe as an apprentice welder….OK, this is a really bad idea if you know me.

A beer taster…now that would work.

--The Broncos are 7-6 after dismantling the Lions (1-11-1) in Denver, 38-10.

--Reminder, at this point in the season, save for Jets and Giants, I refuse to write up a game where both teams were below .500 coming in…thus I couldn’t care less that Atlanta (6-7) beat David Tepper’s Panthers (5-8) 29-21.

--Pssst….Seattle (5-8) beat Houston (2-11) 33-13.

--Speaking of the Giants (4-9), they lost to the Chargers (8-5) in Inglewood (California, not to be confused with Englewood, N.J.) 37-21, as L.A. quarterback Justin Herbert looked spectacular at times (23/31, 275, 3-0, 133.1).

Jets and Giants fans are considering a move to Newfoundland (good housing values), though I’ll wait until after the Stanley Cup playoffs, my Rangers looking super thus far.

--And in late action, San Francisco (7-6) had a huge win in overtime at Cincinnati (7-6), 26-23.

--While Tampa Bay (10-3), having surrendered a 27-10 fourth-quarter lead, beat the Bills (7-6) in OT, 33-27, on a Brady to Breshad Perriman 58-yard touchdown pass.

--Thursday night, Minnesota may have put a nail in the Steelers’ coffin*, dropping them to 6-6-1 with a 36-28 win, after nearly blowing a 29-point lead late in the third quarter, only to need a Vikings stop on the final play as Ben Roethlisberger’s throw to tight end Pat Freiermuth was on target, but Vikings safety Harrison Smith smashed into the rookie at just the right moment to dislodge the ball.

Dalvin Cook rushed for 205 yards and two touchdowns in his faster-than-expected return from a shoulder injury and the Vikings (6-7) remain relevant in the NFC playoff chase.

All but one of Minnesota’s games this year have been decided by eight points or less, including four losses by three points or fewer.

*I wrote my coffin comment Sunday morning, before the Baltimore and Cincinnati losses.  Pittsburgh is still very much in it!

--Former NFL wide receiver Demaryius Thomas died suddenly Thursday night at his home in Georgia.  He was just 33.

A police statement early Friday said “Preliminary information is that his death stems from a medical issue, and our investigators currently have no reason to believe otherwise.”

According to family members, Thomas had been suffering from seizures and apparently had one while in the shower.  He was alone and a friend couldn’t get hold of him, so he called Thomas’ driver, who had a key, and discovered him in the shower.

Thomas played the bulk of his career in Denver, with four Pro Bowl appearances (according to ProFootballReference; everyone else is reporting five) and a Super Bowl ring in 2015.

He had 724 receptions for 9,763 yards and 63 touchdowns, including five consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, 2012-2016.

Thomas retired this past June after playing his final season in 2019 with the Jets.

Two of his teammates in Denver, Tim Tebow and Peyton Manning, shared messages in remembrances of Thomas.

“I’ll be remembering him for his kindness, his smile that would light up a room, and the love he had for those in his life,” Tebow said in a message on Twitter.

Thomas famously caught the game-winning 80-yard touchdown from Tebow in overtime to beat the Steelers in a 2012 playoff game.

One of Manning’s favorite targets in Denver, Thomas also received a tribute from the Hall of Fame quarterback, with whom he had texted just a few days ago.

“D.T. was a better person than he was a player, and he was a Hall of Fame player,” Manning said.  “That tells you how good of a person he was.  He treated my kids like they were his own.  He was there for every teammate’s charity event.”

College Football

--Navy (4-8) played 11 teams this season that will end up in bowl games, more than any other school this year, and that includes Army (8-4), but in the only game that really matters, the Midshipmen defeated the Black Knights 17-13, holding Army to a season-low 232 yards of offense, and only 11 first downs.

--Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott is the new coach at Virginia.  Elliott, a former walk-on wide receiver at Clemson, has been on the staff for 11 seasons.  He was honored with the Broyles Award, presented to the top assistant coach in the country, following the 2016 season.

Elliott, 42, is replacing Bronco Mendenhall, who resigned unexpectedly last week after going 6-6 this season and 36-38 in six seasons overall in Charlottesville.  Elliott had said he turned down the Tennessee coaching job a year ago and was also in talks with Duke about the opening there.

So Clemson will be without coordinators in the Cheez-It Bowl on Dec. 29 against Iowa State.

Clemson longtime defensive coordinator Brent Venables was announced as the new head coach at Oklahoma on Monday.

--The saga in Oregon ended as the Ducks are hiring Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning as its next coach, despite the rampant rumors that Chip Kelly would return.

[Lanning will stay at Georgia through the CFP.]

Instead, Kelly will no doubt stay put at UCLA for a fifth season.  UCLA wants to retain him after he guided the Bruins to its best season since 2015. Kelly’s five-year, $23.3 million contract signed upon his hiring expires after 2022 and it would be highly unusual for a coach to go into the final season of his contract without an extension.

The issue would be the terms of the extension and that could get messy, or if Kelly was to decide he wanted to return to the NFL and is offered something there.

Kelly has gone from 3-9 in 2018 to 4-8 in 2019 to 3-4 in 2020 and 8-4 this season.  The Bruins face 18 North Carolina State in the Holiday Bowl in one of the better minor bowl matchups.

--Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford is returning to Penn State for a sixth season, taking advantage of the NCAA’s Covid-19 exemption.  Clifford is looking to be a four-year starter.

Penn State started out 5-0 this fall but then lost five of its final seven. 

The Nittany Lions are supposedly loaded at quarterback for the future, with incoming rookie Drew Allar regarded as the top QB recruit in the nation by multiple industry sites.  So Clifford will also be asked to tutor the underclassmen.  He didn’t have a great 2021 but at least his touchdown/interception ratio was a solid 20-to-6.

Meanwhile, Penn State made a great move in hiring former Miami coach Manny Diaz as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.

Diaz replaces Brent Pry, who was announced as Virginia Tech’s new head coach.

--Duke ended up hiring Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko as its next coach.

Elko, 44, spent the past four seasons with Texas A&M after coordinator stints at Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Bowling Green and Hofstra.

--Bryce Young won the Heisman Trophy, the second straight for Alabama after DeVonta Smith won it last year.  Michigan defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson finished second.

--Remember the fake slide by Pitt QB, and Heisman finalist, Kenny Pickett against Wake Forest in the ACC Championship game?  How can you forget, if you are a Demon Deacon fan?  Well NCAA officials sent a bulletin that emphasized the ball-carrier should be declared dead when a quarterback appears to be going into a slide.

“Any time a ball carrier begins, simulates, or fakes a feet-first slide, the ball should be declared dead by the on-field officials at that point.  The intent of the rule is player safety, and the objective is to give a ball carrier an option to end the play by sliding feet first and to avoid contact.  To allow the ball carrier to rake a slide would compromise the defense that is being instructed to let up when the ball carrier slides feet first.  A fake slide will not be considered reviewable.”

Look, Wake Forest was indeed pathetic after taking a 21-14 first-quarter lead, but that was a critical moment early in the contest and when the Wake defenders hesitated on Pickett’s fake, he took advantage of it and went 58 yards for the touchdown and the first score of the game.

--In the NCAA Division I-AA/FCS championship, we had the quarterfinals Friday and Saturday….

1 Sam Houston was taken out by 8 Montana State, 42-19
5 Villanova lost to unseeded South Dakota State, 35-21

So Montana State and SD State square off in one semi.

3 James Madison beat 6 Montana, 28-6
2 North Dakota State whipped 7 East Tennessee State 27-3

Thus JMU vs. ND State in the other semi, the games played next weekend.  The final will be Jan. 8 in Frisco, Texas.

College Basketball

--In an absolute stunner in Piscataway, N.J., Ron Harper Jr. hit a buzzer-beater for the ages from just inside half court to give Rutgers (5-4) its first-ever win over a No. 1 team on Thursday night, 70-68 over Purdue, which had just attainted the school’s first-ever No. 1 ranking three days earlier.

Rutgers, as I’ve chronicled, had gotten off to a dreadful start this season, losing to Lafayette, among others, and with a bit of irony defeated a team from ‘West Lafayette’. 

Ron Harper Jr., who hasn’t played well since a hot start to the 2020-21 season, came up with a career effort, 30 points on 10-of-15 shooting and 10 rebounds.

Purdue had gone ahead 68-67 on a layup by Trevion Williams with 4 seconds left.  With no timeouts, Rutgers inbounded the ball to Harper, who dribbled across the half-court line and let it fly, the ball going through as time expired and Rutgers fans stormed the court.

--Also on Thursday, 23 Seton Hall beat 7 Texas, 64-60, and now Rutgers goes up against The Hall tonight, Sunday, in a huge one for New Jersey hoops fans.  This isn’t the kind of opponent the Scarlet Knights can suffer a letdown for.

--In other games of note the past few days….

Saturday, 9 Alabama (8-1) beat 14 Houston (8-2), 83-82, in a biggie for seeding down the road. Alabama got a huge dunk from JD Davidson at 33 seconds to put ‘Bama in front and then survived a final flurry at the basket by the Cougars, including a call the Houston players and coach Kelvin Sampson argued vehemently was goaltending.

Houston was only 11-of-19 from the foul line.

--Notre Dame (4-4) had a huge upset in South Bend over 10 Kentucky (7-2) 66-62.

--As for St. Bonaventure and its biggie against 15 UConn (9-2), the Bonnies were again without potential All-America point guard Kyle Lofton and it showed, as the Huskies prevailed 74-64, holding St. Bonaventure to just 38.7% from the field.

It is absolutely critical the Bonnies (8-2) beat Virginia Tech next Friday, and for that, it is hoped that Lofton will have recovered from his high-ankle sprain.

Suddenly, passengers are stepping off the Bonnie train.

--Some of them might be hopping on the Deacon train.  Granted, it was only South Carolina Upstate, but Wake Forest’s 79-53 win over them on Saturday gave the Deacs a gaudy 9-1 record, as Alondes Williams, the Oklahoma transfer, became only the second player in Wake history to have a triple-double…16 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists.

Williams is taking advantage of the huge opportunity coach Steve Forbes has given him and run with it.  The guy is opening up some eyes, and is guaranteeing, at worst, a good contract to play in Europe next year.  He’s just a ballplayer.

--Well today, Purdue avoided a second upset in defeating North Carolina State (7-3) 82-72 in overtime.  The last I checked, the Wolfpack, up 31-27 at the half, had increased the lead to 54-41, so a gut check for the Boilermakers.

--But your reigning NCAA champions, Baylor (9-0), will take over the top spot in tomorrow’s AP Poll after a 57-36 win over 6 Villanova (7-3), which deserves to plummet…like to No. 16.  I don’t care who they’ve played, the Wildcats have now lost three games. Period.

Understand, ‘Nova shot both 22.2% from the field (12-54) and from three (6-27).  Give this easy math problem to your kids who are a year behind in their learning.

NBA

--The mystifying New York Knicks’ season continued this afternoon at the Garden, another stinker, Knicks losing 112-97 to the Bucks (18-10).

New York has now lost six of seven to fall to 12-15 and is a sickly 5-9 at home.  Rising star Obi Toppin was out for Covid reasons, but the guy who is supposed to be leading the Knicks, Julius Randle, hot off a career year last season and a big contract extension, has disappeared.  He absolutely sucks…today with 8 points in 35 minutes and a -17.

--Speaking of Covid, it is beginning to have a real impact on play, with the Hornets and Bulls’ rosters hit hard, and the league has to be very concerned.

The NHL has had similar issues impacting the schedule, and it’s only a matter of time before some high-profile college hoops teams are hit, I imagine.  This is where the Omicron variant, because of its transmissibility, is most worrisome.  See the Tottenham Spurs below.  That’s the UK.  What starts there ends up here.

And now the Detroit Lions have a major Covid issue.

--Zion Williamson’s return to the court was dealt another blow, as the New Orleans Pelicans announced on Saturday that his training will be scaled back “for an extended period,” leaving his season debut still uncertain.

Williamson experienced persistent soreness in his right foot and medical imaging showed a regression in the bone healing of his fifth metatarsal, according to the team.

This is not good.

Williamson was initially supposed to be ready for the opener on Oct. 20 and it’s been one setback after another.

--Hall of Fame point guard John Stockton is defending Kyrie Irving and anti-vaxxers.

Stockton, appearing on a podcast, took aim at “serial felon” vaccine manufacturers and “segregation” mandates.

“You have a lot of supporters Kyrie,” Stockton told fellow vaccine skeptic podcast hosts Chad Fisher and Tony Farmer. “Not all of them can get to you, and you can’t get to all of them, but there’s every bit a majority out there that’s sitting there pulling for you.  They’re just not quite as bold as he is. I’m proud of him as an individual to take that kind of individual risk and be that bold for what you feel is right.”

Stockton cited his “significant research” into Covid-19, saying doctors are unknowingly peddling a dangerous vaccine because of fraudulent research pushed by pharmaceutical companies.

“It’s amazing the protection they have, and even with that, they are serial felons,” Stockton said of the vaccine manufacturers.

The vaccines have been proven safe and effective through extensive clinical trials, but Stockton claimed he’s certain the vaccines are harmful.

“I can see it on the internet,” he said.  “And I know people.  So indisputable.”

Stockton said he would’ve “trusted the doctors” and taken the vaccine early in his playing career, but would’ve resisted once he became more established and educated.

“There’s not a chance I would risk any of that to play,” Stockton said.  “My hope would be other guys would join in. And all of us lock arms.  And none of us play.”

You’re an idiot, Stockton.  Into the December file you go as a late edition.

Formula One…it’s Verstappen!

I watched the entire final race today for the championship in Abu Dhabi and what a memorable finish it was…the two who were tied in the points race coming in, Max Verstappen and seven-time F1 champ Lewis Hamilton, went after it in a winner-take-all final lap.

Verstappen and his Red Bull Honda stormed past Hamilton in his Mercedes to win his first title, and first for the Dutch.

As has happened throughout this Grand Prix season, there was loads of controversy, but there was a critical late crash that brought out the safety car, and the race director, Michael Masi, initially said lapped cars would not be allowed to un-lap themselves, as is normal practice, but  decided to allow lapped cars to overtake the safety car on the restart, with Red Bull boss Christian Horner urging him to do so over the track radios.

The move thus put Verstappen behind Hamilton for the restart, even though Hamilton had led most of the previous 57 laps, setting up the final-lap drama.  The decision threw the result into chaos, with Mercedes filing two protests afterwards, which were quickly dismissed.

[Had the lapped cars not been allowed to clear themselves, Verstappen would have had to overcome traffic to even have a shot at Hamilton.  Verstappen was also running on fresh tires, a critical move on the part of his team to get them on when the safety car first went out. Hamilton’s team didn’t.]

Verstappen burst into tears after crossing the finish line.

Needless to say, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff expressed disbelief in the change in decision by Masi to allow the lapped cars to clear the stage.

Wolff demanded “the last lap be reinstated” on the radio.

“Toto, it’s called a motor race,” Masi tersely replied.  “We want car racing.”

And that’s what the fans got.

How big was it in the Netherlands?  Prime Minister Mark Rutte congratulated Verstappen, calling it “A historic day for Dutch sport” on Twitter.

Premier League

--In weekend action, Manchester City beat the Wolves 1-0 to retain the top spot, while Liverpool needed a penalty kick from Mohamed Salah to defeat Aston Villa, now under the leadership of former Reds star Steven Gerrard, 1-0.

Chelsea beat Leeds 3-2, and Arsenal picked up a 3-0 win over Southampton.

Manchester United needed a penalty kick from Cristiano Ronaldo for its 1-0 win over lowly Norwich, keeping interim manager Ralph Rangnick’s unbeaten streak going.

--As for Tottenham, which had a game snowed out a few weeks ago, it had to postpone its game against Brighton, due to be played Sunday, after its Europa Conference League game with Rennes was postponed earlier in the week due to a Covid outbreak among the Spurs.

Eight players and five staff members tested positive, and UEFA ruled the Europa League match will not be rescheduled.

So Tottenham has to make up two Premier League games, for starters, and this comes as the Christmas crush approaches…four matches in nine days…great for fans and television, but awful for the players.

And no word on how UEFA will settle the Europa League situation.

Today, West Ham played to a costly 0-0 draw at lowly Burnley.

Standings after 16 of 38….

1. Man City 38 points
2. Liverpool 37
3. Chelsea 36…the cream has quickly risen to the top
4. West Ham 28
5. Man U 27…crawling back into the race
6. Arsenal 26
7. Tottenham 25…but played only 14

--Congrats to New York City FC for winning its first MLS Cup title in a shootout after a 1-1 draw with the Portland Timbers on Saturday.

NYCFC, which joined the league in 2015, had never advanced to the title game.

I have to admit, as you can readily tell, I do not follow MLS…all-in on the Premier League and that’s it.  I will be fired up over the World Cup next fall.

--And in the NCAA Men’s Division I Soccer Championship, 8 Clemson beat 4 Notre Dame in one semi, 1-1 (PKs), and 2 Washington defeated 3 Georgetown in the other semi, 2-1.

So this afternoon we had the College Cup final in Cary, North Carolina…ACC vs. Pac-12…

And Clemson won it, 2-0!  ACC!  ACC!

NHL

--Chicago Blackhawks’ goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury became just the third goalie in NHL history to reach 500 career wins with a 2-0 shutout of the Canadiens on Thursday.

Only eight of Fleury’s 500 wins have come with Chicago.  He won 375 games with the Penguins, and his other 117 came with the Vegas Golden Knights.  He has three Stanley Cups.

Martin Brodeur 691
Patrick Roy 551
Fleury 500

Stuff

--Tiger Woods is returning next week at the unofficial PNC Championship, an event featuring parent-child teams so Tiger will be paired with his 12-year-old son, Charlie, just as he did at last year’s event.

This was a bit of a surprise, though this should not be taken as a signal that Tiger will be teeing it up at Augusta next April.

Golf carts are allowed at the event.

--Serena Williams is not playing in the Australian Open, the season-opening major in January.  The 40-year-old hasn’t played since her first-round match at Wimbledon with a right hamstring injury and her ranking has slipped to No. 41.

Serena said she’s following the advice of her medical team and that she just isn’t physically ready to compete.

Novak Djokovic will be playing at Melbourne Park beginning Jan. 17, despite Australia’s strict regulations requiring all players, officials and fans to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

Djokovic has declined to comment on his vaccination status in recent months.

--Al Unser, one of only four drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 a record four times, died Thursday following a long illness.  He was 82.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced that Unser died at his home in Chama, New Mexico, with his wife, Susan, by his side.  He had been battling cancer for 17 years.

Unser is the third member of one of America’s most famed racing families to die in 2021.  His oldest brother, three-time Indy 500 winner Bobby Unser, died in May, and Bobby Unser Jr. passed six weeks after his father.

Known as “Big Al” once his own son made a name for himself in racing, Unser is part of an elite club of four-time winners of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”  Unser won the Indy 500 in 1970, 1971, 1978 and 1987, and is the only driver in history to have both a sibling and a child also win one of the biggest races in the world.

His final victory at age 47 made him the oldest winner in Indy 500 history.

Al Jr. won the Indy 500 twice – in 1992 and 1994.  Coincidentally, Al Unser, Al Jr. and Bobby Unser all won their final Indy 500s driving for Roger Penske.

Al Unser earlier this year was at Indy to welcome Helio Castroneves to the four-time winners club.  Unser achieved the feat after A.J. Foyt, and Rick Mears won his fourth in 1991.  Castroneves won in May to become the first new member in 30 years.

--From Army Times, the Naval Academy adopted the goat as its mascot in 1904 and all goats have since been dubbed Bill.

West Point officially made the mule its mascot in 1899 without bestowing a name.

So there’s the tradition of stealing each other’s mascot, which has been occurring for nearly 70 years, and despite being banned in 1992 after Navy midshipmen were a little overzealous in their attempt – cutting phone lines and zip-tying six Army employees while stealing West Point’s mules – the observance of the annual heist has continued unabated.

The first cadet theft of Bill occurred in 1953 and involved a convertible and chloroform.

Since then, 10 successful (more PETA friendly) Army-conducted raids have occurred.

But the cadets blew their mission this year.

From Claire Barrett, Army Times:

“According to a joint statement released by the Army and Navy in response to questions from the New York Times, the West Point raiders attempted to sneak up on Bill No. 37 as he dozed peacefully in a pasture with several other retired Bills.

“ ‘The noisy assault team spooked the goats into a run, though, and when the fumbling cadets gave chase, they managed to grab only one goat – and not the right one,’ the New York Times report reads.  ‘After a four-hour drive back to West Point, they unveiled not Bill No. 37 but Bill No. 35, an arthritic, 14-year-old retiree with only one horn.’

“Bill No. 35 was unharmed and safely returned by some rather sheepish Army officers.”

--Britain’s environment ministry announced it plans to ban hunting trophies connected to thousands of species, including lions, rhinos, elephants and polar bears.

The ministry said Friday the ban will apply to imports of hunting trophies from endangered and threatened animals to Britain.  It said the ban supports long-term species conservation and protects some of the world’s most endangered and threatened animals.

It said a 60% decline in global wildlife over the past half-century was the reason for a change in British rules over wildlife trophies by big-game hunters.

This will be one of the toughest bans in the world.

You go, Brits.  God Save the Queen.

Years and years ago I did some terrific personal reporting on this topic.  When I find the time, I’ll try to resurrect it, but it involves a little place in Nebraska.

--We note the passing of Michael Nesmith – Monkee Mike, Nez to fans – who died Friday at the age of 78, leaving Mickey Dolenz as the last of the Monkees after the deaths of Davy Jones in 2012 and Peter Tork in 2019.  Formed for a 1960s NBC sitcom, the group transcended its casting-call roots to make a mark on its time, and times to follow.

After the deaths of Jones and Tork, I wrote extensively of the Monkees’ backstory, but Nesmith was one of hundreds who answered a semi-legendary Variety ad for “Folk & Roll Musician-Singers for acting roles in a new TV series.  Running parts for 4 insane boys.”  By intention or happenstance, the band was drawn half from traditional show business and half from the scuffling streets.  Jones had played the Artful Dodger in “Oliver!”  Dolenz was a child actor.  But Tork was a multi-instrumentalist folkie transplanted to Hollywood from Greenwich Village, while Nesmith, a long, tall Texan (even taller in his signature knit wool cap), was a singer-songwriter with a publishing deal for his songs and a handful of singles to his name.

Amazingly, or maybe not so, the four bonded immediately and it was instant chemistry.  The musicians were natural actors, and the actors would quickly learn to be musical.

Nesmith was the leader, and a musician.  He contributed songs to even the earliest albums, and he’d written “Different Drum,” a hit for Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys.

The series, which won an Emmy in 1967, ran from 1966 to ’68.  But Nesmith and Tork were the first to leave the group and Nesmith branched off into other ventures, including video work for the Nickelodeon cable network that in turn led to the creation of MTV.

Nesmith had family money – his mother invented the typing corrective Liquid Paper – success as a multimedia entrepreneur, and the security to follow myriad creative interests and pursuits whether they paid off or not.

As time went on, the Monkees’ reputation only solidified.  After all, their songs were on the same radio stations as those by bands not made for TV.

Andrea Peyser / New York Post

“Singing such squeaky-clean hits as ‘Last Train to Clarksville’ and “I’m a Believer,’ the band was designed in a Hollywood studio to serve as replacements for the Beatles, whose turn to drug-fueled music alienated a core audience of small children.  Of people like me – a tot who eagerly saw the Monkees play, live, at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium with my older sister, my screams of joy disguising the fact that, at the time, these guys were frauds.

“Originally, the four mop tops didn’t write their own music or even play their own instruments.  Critics dismissed them as a garbage act.  Their TV show only lasted two seasons.

“But with the help of their leader, Michael Nesmith, all that began to change… In 1967, he led a successful rebellion, ousting record producer Don Kirschner.  The Monkees took control of their instruments, their music and their lives.  They never looked back….

“Ultimately, through the strength of great songwriting, some of it penned by Carole King or by Nesmith himself, the Monkees prevailed long after the band’s expiration date.  They were promoted by MTV and confounded naysayers by getting together for reunions and tours that continued almost to the present day….

“The loss of Nesmith leaves a hole in a music business dominated by people lacking the talent and fortitude exhibited by this unexpected master.  His music will live on – on the air waves and in movies such as ‘Shrek.’

“I couldn’t have predicted this back in the day, when I was a little kid bopping to the Monkees.

“But he was one of the greats.”

Back to the confrontation Nesmith had with Don Kirschner, when all four Monkees demanded they take control of the music, they were warned they would be sued for breach of contract.

“At that, Nesmith rose from his seat and smashed his fist through a wall, telling Kirschner it could have been his face.”  [Associated Press]

For years Nesmith denied this happened but the other three gleefully recounted it to reporters and then Nesmith conceded it did happen in his 2017 memoir, “Infinite Tuesday,” saying he had lost his temper when he felt his integrity was being questioned.

After the show concluded and the band embarked on a lengthy concert tour before crowds of adoring fans, Jimi Hendrix was sometimes their opening act.

--Lastly, we learned today that Vincente Fernandez died, 81, the King of Ranchero music, which is infectious, in my humble opinion.  Good drinking music…Corona or Dos Equis in a warm weather spot.

Top 3 songs for the week 12/15/73: #1 “The Most Beautiful Girl” (Charlie Rich)  #2 “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” (Elton John)  #3 “Top Of The World” (Carpenters)…and…#4 “Just You ‘N’ Me” (Chicago)  #5 “Time In A Bottle” (Jim Croce) #6 “Hello It’s Me” (Todd Rundgren…in my personal top three…)  #7 #Leave Me Alone” (Helen Reddy)  #8 “Photograph” (Ringo Starr)  #9 “The Joker” (Steve Miller Band)  #10 “If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me)” (The Staple Singers…B week…)

NFL Quiz Answers: Pittsburgh Steelers Steel Curtain – Mean Joe Greene, DT, #75; L.C. Greenwood, DE, #68; Ernie Holmes, DT, #63; Dwight White, DE, #78.  Los Angeles Rams Fearsome Foursome – Rosey Grier, DT (replaced by Roger Brown); Lamar Lundy, DE (replaced by Coy Bacon); Merlin Olsen, DT; Deacon Jones, DE. [If you carry it out a bit further, you can include Diron Talbert.]   Minnesota Vikings Purple People Eaters – Alan Page, DT; Carl Eller, DE; Jim Marshall, DE; Gary Larsen, DT (replaced by Doug Sutherland).

Add-On up top by Wed. noon.

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