Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Quiz:
1) The award was introduced in 1954. Who are the only 4
coaches to receive the honor? [Hint: Two basketball, two
football.] 2) Who are the 5 golfers (all male) to receive the
award? [Hint: All are still alive. One is best remembered for
winning a particular U.S. Open.] 3) Who is the only auto racer
to win the award? [Hint: Think 1970s and Grand Prix racing.]
4) Who was the only basketball player to win the award in the
1980s? 5) Who was the first woman recipient? Answers below.
India”s Beauties
Barry Bearak had a funny piece in the New York Times the other
day. Last week, India”s Priyanka Chopra was named Miss
World, meaning that her country won both beauty crowns (the
other being Miss Universe) in the same year for the 2nd time in
the last six. Speaking of Miss Universe, current titleholder Lara
Dutta is Derek Jeter”s girlfriend.
But from the sounds of it, it is truly unfortunate that the Miss
World pageant was not broadcast in America because we missed
some real gems.
For starters, host Jerry Springer asked Miss Turkey the
following, “Tell me, what do you eat on Thanksgiving?” [This
cracks me up just typing it.] Evidently, Miss Turkey was rather
perplexed.
The Miss World contest is now known as a Third World pageant.
The five finalists this year were Miss India, Miss Kazakhstan,
Miss Italy (sorry to group you in this category), Miss Turkey,
and Miss Uruguay…quick, which two countries border
Uruguay? Answer below.
Meanwhile, our winner, Ms. Chopra, said she aspired to be a
clinical psychologist, in order “to understand why people turn
demented.”
The five finalists were all asked the same question. “Who do
you consider to be the most successful woman living today and
why?” True to form, Chopra named Mother Teresa, dead since
1997.
Reporter Bearak quotes an Indian writer on the recent contestant
winners for which his country is now known.
“We Indians send out some bimbo and she returns with the prize,
and we act like we”ve conquered the world. This one is
singularly stupid. She didn”t even know whether Mother Teresa
is alive or dead.”
Heck, she won, didn”t she? Be happy Chopra didn”t select
Indira Gandhi!
*Uruguay Quiz Answer: It”s bordered by Brazil and Argentina.
Neil Armstrong Tidbit
Proud Phi Delta Theta frat bro, John H., wrote to tell me of a
trivia question he had to answer while pledging. “What
technically was the first flag on the moon?” Supposedly, the
answer is the Phi Delt flag. As John tells it, Armstrong had a
pouch in his boot in which he was able to bring three personal
mementos. He brought a photo of his family, some good luck
charm, and his fraternity”s flag. [I promised John I”d write this
up. He assures me it”s true. And congrats on becoming a father,
old friend!]
Tiger Woods / SI Sportsman of the Year
Sports Illustrated”s Rick Reilly wrote the following on Tiger
back in August, after he captured the PGA. It”s as good a
description as any I”ve come across all year.
“What Woods is doing is so hard it”s like climbing Everest in
flip-flops. Performing heart transplants in oven mitts. The four
major championships have been played 344 times, and Woods
now holds or shares the scoring record in all four of them?
That”s sick.”
Just like with the majors, the question now becomes how many
Sportsman of the Year Awards does Tiger capture?
Holiday Parties
I just had to share this blurb from a piece by The Weekly
Standard”s Christopher Caldwell.
“Take the institution of the office Christmas party, which in the
Golden Age of the Corporation was a smoke-filled Rabelaisian
blowout, a Mardi Gras – bachelor party – fraternity hazing
squeezed into three or four afternoon hours, that would supply
water-cooler gossip until the next Labor Day.”
I resembled that remark.
Sports Bits
–Wildlife Update: Now you know how I love to keep you
apprised of the hunting scene. [Actually, I haven”t done much of
that, but I promise to do more for the sportsmen out there.]
Anyway, Howard Brant of the Star-Ledger reports that the 3-day
bear hunt in Pennsylvania saw 3,100 bruins bagged, breaking the
all-time record of 2,600 set in 1998. Geezuz, that”s a lot of
bears! But don”t worry, animal lovers, Pennsylvania bears have
a high reproductive rate. [Must be the Yuengling Beer, in
moderation, of course.] And consider this, two of the bruins who
are now in bear heaven were over 620 pounds.
Actually, on a more personal level, congratulations to my cousins
in the Pittsburgh area who bagged 5 deer this fall. You have to
appreciate that in the past our family would have been thrilled
with one.
–Baseball Memorabilia: Per my recent report on eBay and the
Great American autograph rip-off, my friend Stu, an old
Brooklyn Dodgers fan (sorry about the age thing, Stu) reminded
me that the 1950s Dodgers had a 30-something batboy, Charlie
DiGiovanni, aka “The Brow,” who autographed balls and bats for
Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, Gil Hodges and the rest. You
couldn”t tell the originals from The Brow”s scribble. So just
imagine how much of Charlie”s handiwork has brought top
dollar! [As for that poker game, Stu, I thought I won $2!]
–Shaquille / Man of the Year: Shaq continues to score, in my
book. There is no doubt that he”ll be a Sports Illustrated
Sportsman of the Year himself some day. This week”s feel good
story has to do with Shaq receiving his degree from LSU today.
He”s also having his jersey retired (joining Bob Petit and Pete
Maravich for you trivia buffs out there). O”Neal playfully told
reporters, “I could be anything I want – I could take your job, I
could be a lawyer.” Shaq added, “There”s real life, and there”s
fairy-tale life. This is real life.” [Source: USA Today.]
In this world bereft of role models, Shaq is a great one. I must
admit, however, it took me awhile to understand what he was all
about. I just hope today”s youth follows his example, and not
that of Allen Iverson.
And the Lakers and Coach Phil Jackson deserve credit for letting
Shaq take a day off, missing a game to personally receive the
degree. Well, it was Vancouver, after all.
–I was perusing some football stats the other day and came up
with two bits from the ”70s that football junkies will enjoy.
The 1978 New England Patriots still hold the record for most
rushing yards in a single season…3,165. Yet they didn”t have a
1,000-yard rusher in the group. Following are the primary backs
that season.
Sam Cunningham, 768 yards (3.9 avg.)
Horace Ivory, 693 (4.9)
Andy Johnson, 675 (4.6)
Steve Grogan, 539 (6.7!)
Don Calhoun, 391 (5.1)
The Patriots went 11-5, but lost in the playoffs, 31-14 to
Houston, as they were held to just 83 yards rushing in that
contest.
And then there were the 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers. Coming off
back-to-back Super Bowl triumphs, the Steelers started the ”76
season, 1-4. But then the Steelers put together one of the great
defensive streaks in modern football, winning their last 9 games
while allowing a total of only 28 points. [They had given up 110
in the first 5 games, still not bad.]
The point totals for those 9 games were 6-0-0-0-3-16-3-0-0.
But the Steelers lost the AFC Championship game to Oakland,
24-7. Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier, both 1,000-yard rushers
during the regular season, were hurt in their first round playoff
victory and couldn”t play against Oakland.
Gatorade Showers And Death
Yes, it”s that time of year when winning football coaches from
all around the country get a Gatorade or ice water shower for
winning a bowl or playoff game. But I hope these coaches recall
the story of the legendary George Allen. Because, as Allen”s
daughter claims in her book on her famous father, the ice water
shower that Allen received after leading Long Beach State to its
first winning season in years, caused his death. After the game,
Allen sat in his soaking wet clothes, talking to reporters. He
caught a bad cold and died just a few weeks later.
**Which reminds me of that great president, William Henry
Harrison, who was inaugurated on March 4, 1841. It was cold
and rainy, yet the jerk refused to wear a hat or coat. And to top it
off, his inaugural address took one hour and forty-five minutes!
The longest such address in history.
So, guess what? Harrison caught a cold and by March 27, he
was bedridden. On April 4 he died of pleurisy fever
(pneumonia).
Actually, Harrison”s wife, Anna, was taken ill one month before
the inaugural and wasn”t able to attend it. In fact, during her
husband”s one month in office, she never made it to Washington.
[Source: “Facts About the Presidents,” Joseph Kane]
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
This year”s inductees are Solomon Burke (father of 21 children),
The Flamingos (“I Only Have Eyes For You;” this song will be
great 500 years from now), Ritchie Valens (doesn”t deserve it),
Paul Simon (already in with Simon & Garfunkel), Steely Dan
(put together the best pure albums, start to finish), Aerosmith
(it”s amazing Tyler is still alive), Queen (your editor is just
beginning to appreciate how great Freddie Mercury was), and
Michael Jackson (already in with Jackson 5…watch your kids).
Top 3 songs for the week of 12/18/71: #1 “Family Affair” (Sly &
The Family Stone) #2 “Brand New Key” (Melanie) #3 “Have
You Seen Her” (Chi-Lites).
SI Sportsman of the Year Quiz Answers:
1) 4 coaches: John Wooden (”72), Joe Paterno (”86), Don Shula
(”93), Dean Smith (”97). 2) 5 golfers: Arnold Palmer (”60), Ken
Venturi (”64), Lee Trevino (”71), Jack Nicklaus (”78), Tiger
Woods (”96 and ”00). *Woods is the only two-time winner in the
history of the award. 3) Auto racer: Jackie Stewart (”73).
Richard Petty or A.J. Foyt should have received it along the way.
That”s just my opinion, I could be wrong. 4) Basketball player
in the ”80s: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. 5) First woman: Billie Jean
King, who shared it with Wooden in ”72.
Next Bar Chat, Monday.
