NCAA Football Quiz: What 3 schools currently have the most
consecutive winning seasons? Answer below.
More John Daly
This is probably about the 4th time I have written of Daly. Unlike
the cover of Sports Illustrated, it”s not exactly good to be
mentioned here. But, let”s face it, Daly is good copy and with
each article I learn more. Parts of this are a little more serious
than I normally try to be in this column. Simply put, the
following stories are true and tragic.
In the December issue of Golf Digest, Dave Kindred writes of
Daly”s troubles, compounded now because John thinks he can
resume drinking and gambling and be a big star on tour again.
“Daly was 8 when he first sneaked a beer from the family
refrigerator. At his sister”s wedding reception, he first got drunk
in public; he was 14. Because his college golf coach insisted he
lose 70 pounds his freshman year, he dieted on ”whisky and
cigarettes.””
After winning the 1991 PGA, Daly claimed he played drunk in 70
percent of his tournaments. I stated the last time I wrote about
John that I expected him to meet a tragic end. What I didn”t
know until this article was that he almost took his own life in
1997 when he was contemplating jumping off a cliff.
Current Senior PGA Tour star Brian Barnes knows a lot about
what Daly”s going through. Barnes drank “gallons” in his hey day
on the European tour and he was still able to win 16 tournaments.
In the morning he used to warm up with “eight large brandies
with coffee.” On the course he used to carry a liter bottle filled
with two-thirds vodka and one-third orange juice. The day he
won the Scottish Professional Championship, he marked his ball
on the last green with a beer can – the sponsor”s beer, thereby
avoiding a two-stroke penalty.
Barnes has been sober six years now. In that time, he has won
the British Senior Open twice as well as become a star on the
U.S. Senior Tour. He believes that Daly “needs to find God, a
help, a silent friend. Things have happened since I quit drinking
that convince me an outside agency is there to help me.”
Kindred writes of non-golfers, people like Pete Axthelm, the great
New York sportswriter who used to drink his Wheaties in beer.
A doctor told him, “If you don”t stop drinking, you”re going to
die.” Ax said, “Then I”m going to die.” He died at 47 and at his
wake his “friends” raised whisky glasses to toast to “a suicidal
drinker.” As Kindred wrote, none of these friends had ever
“kicked his ass.”
And then there is Chris Farley, who wanted to “live and die just
like John Belushi.” Belushi died at 33. Farley died at 33. Daly is
33.
Tour player Ernie Els was recently asked about Daly”s boorish
behavior. In response to a question as to whether Els was upset
at Daly for his antics when they were paired together, Els said,
“No, John”s my friend. (Pause) He breaks my heart, that guy.”
Rae Carruth
Well, I really didn”t set out to write a depressing Bar Chat but the
Carolina Panthers wide receiver is about the lowest piece of scum
on the planet right now. I was talking to a friend today about the
crime statistics in professional sports. Here we are, in a society
where the serious crime rate has declined to 25-year lows and the
rate among athletes seems to be sky-rocketing. And I know what some
of you may be thinking, “Well, back in the old days, athletes just got
away with more.” Don”t believe that for a second. There”s a big
difference between a Billy Martin busting up some bar and the crap
players pull today.
Back in 1997, Carruth was the Panthers” first-round draft pick,
having had a stellar career at Colorado. He was the leading
receiver among rookies that year with 44 catches. The last two
seasons he has been slowed by injuries. He happens to be in the
3rd year of a four-year contract that pays him 3.7 million.
On November 16th, in Charlotte, Carruth”s pregnant girlfriend,
Cherica Adams, was driving down the street when she was shot
four times from a passing vehicle. Amazingly, Adams and her
baby boy (delivered by emergency C-section after the shooting)
survived but, as of this writing, both remain in critical condition.
Carruth, the baby”s father, was arrested over the weekend, with
bail being set at $1.5 million. He has been charged, along with
two others, with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder,
attempted murder and shooting into an occupied vehicle. A
fourth suspect, allegedly in the car, is being sought.
The other two suspects are William Watkins, 44, and Michael
Kennedy, 24, both of Charlotte. Watkins had supposedly done
some car detail work for Carruth and does not have a prior arrest
record in the county. Kennedy”s relationship with Carruth is
unknown but he does have a prior charge of assault with a deadly
weapon (though he wasn”t convicted).
Should Carruth somehow get off in this case, it certainly will be
interesting to see how the NFL handles it. And seeing who
Carruth has hired to be his attorney, Leonard Kornberg (a good
one), it wouldn”t surprise me to see him lined up, split right, next
season.
Dikembe Mutombo
You may have seen Mutombo”s rather humorous ads for Charles
Schwab. It turns out that Schwab”s ad agency, fearing that the
Congo-born Atlanta Hawks star wouldn”t be understood, hired an
actor to dub his part. Mutombo is p.o.”d.
Gary Glitter
On a few occasions I have referred to this song writer”s claim to
fame, the arena anthem “Rock and Roll Part II” (the “Hey!”
song). Glen Z. and I were talking about Glitter just a few weeks
ago and it was then that Glen told me “He is one strange dude.”
Well Glen, little did you know just how strange Glitter is. The
NBA”s Raptors and the NHL”s Flames, Maple Leafs and Oilers,
have all banned his anthem. The reason, Glitter was recently
convicted in England for possessing child pornography. [Source:
Sports Illustrated].
[Boy, this is a depressing Bar Chat.let”s see if I can find
something uplifting…got it]
Magic Johnson
Sportswriter Rick Reilly recently wrote a great piece on Magic.
It is amazing how well he has handled his battle against being
HIV positive. “I guess people thought I”d be dead by now,”
Magic says, “but I”m still here – and I”m still going to be here. I
don”t think about dying. I just live.”
Magic has done an incredible amount of good as one of Americas
leading black businessmen. He has been buying Starbucks
franchises, placing them in the inner cities. He has four Magic
Johnson Theaters in inner-city neighborhoods. He”s part owner
of four inner-city shopping centers. His foundation has given
away $15 million, primarily for HIV/AIDS education and
prevention programs.
In response to a question as to why more black athletes don”t
give back to their roots, Magic said, “Black athletes forget their
neighborhoods. They forget where they came from. They take
their millions and move to the suburbs, but if they”d” just invest in
our own neighborhoods, they”d make more money there than
anywhere else!”
As Reilly writes, “Sports is leaving this century in the world”s
slowest parade, marched to a dirge, in the worst kind of luxury
box. But, thank God, Magic Johnson is alive. ”No, Magic is
dead,” he says with that 10,000-candle smile. ”They call me
Mister Johnson now.””
Top 3 songs for the week of 11/26/66: #1 “You Keep Me
Hangin” On” (The Supremes) #2 “Good Vibrations” (Beach
Boys) #3 “Winchester Cathedral” (The New Vaudeville Band…
now there”s a good trivia question for you).
Quiz Answer: Nebraska, 38, Florida State, 23, Michigan, 15.
Next Bar Chat, Wednesday.
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