Athletes in Trouble

Athletes in Trouble

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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