NBA Quiz: 1) Allen Iverson was the first pick overall in the
1996 NBA draft. Name the last four top picks. 2) I don”t expect
anyone to get this, but who was the first player to compile a
quadruple double in an NBA game? [Hint: It was 1974 and the
player”s stats for the game were 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13
assists, and 12 blocked shots. He should be well known to hoops
fans.] Answers below.
Alan Webb
Bar Chat: 6/28/00. “(Alan) Webb was ”shut down” by his
coach and didn”t run in the Prefontaine meet last weekend. He
should be ready to assault the record book next spring.”
It”s “next spring,” folks, and Webb, the now senior runner from
South Lakes High School in Reston, VA became the fastest high
school miler ever at 3 minutes 53.43 seconds, handily breaking
the great Jim Ryun”s 1965 record of 3:55.3, at Sunday”s
Prefontaine Classic. Those of us who are track fans.admittedly
we are few and far between in this country…are rejoicing. By
2004, Webb will be a superstar and the Olympic mile will be the
glamour event of those Games.
Sunday, Webb finished 5th in a field of 16, a race that was won
by world record holder Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco in
3:49.9 (the fastest on American soil, by the way). El Guerrouj,
who set the world record in 1999 at 3:43.1, seemed as pumped
for Webb as anyone else. “He can become my number one rival
if he works at it.”
In 1998, Webb broke Ryun”s sophomore record of 4:07.8,
turning a 4:06.9. Should Webb continue to make progress, the
U.S. will have its first shot at an Olympic medal in the 1500
since Ryun”s silver in the ”68 Mexico City Games. The last
American male to win gold in the event was all the way back in
1908 (Mel Sheppard).
How Ya Doin”?…How Ya Doin”?…Baseball 2001
Following is a listing of 2000 team records, including batting
average and ERA. In brackets are the comparable 2001 figures.
What stands out is the fact that pitching has reemerged to a large
extent.
A.L. [Through Monday, 5/28]
NY Yankees 87-74, .277 BA 4.76 ERA [29-21, .272, 3.66]
Boston 85-77, .267, 4.23 [27-22, .275, 3.32]
Toronto 83-79, .275, 5.14 [25-25, .261, 4.24]
Baltimore 74-88, .272, 5.37 [24-25, .244, 4.48]
Tampa Bay 69-92, .257, 4.86 [14-36, .255, 5.46]
Chicago White Sox 95-67. .286, 4.66 [19-29, .250, 4.91]
Cleveland 90-72, .288, 4.84 [31-17, .299, 4.41]
Detroit 79-83, .275, 4.71 [22-26, .271, 4.78]
Kansas City 77-85, .288, 5.48 [18-32, .265, 5.06]
Minnesota 69-93, .270, 5.14 [32-16, .267, 3.89]
Oakland 91-70, .270, 4.58 [24-25, .254, 4.57]
Seattle 91-71, .269, 4.49 [37-12, .281, 3.80]
Anaheim 82-80, .280, 5.00 [23-26, .264, 4.24]
Texas 71-91, .283, 5.52 [18-31, .279, 6.08]
N.L.
Atlanta 95-67, .271, 4.05 [25-25, .250, 4.08]
NY Mets 94-68, .263, 4.16 [22-29, .246, 4.89]
Florida 79-82, .262, 4.59 [22-27, .263, 4.25]
Montreal 67-95, .266, 5.13 [20-31, .248, 4.93]
Philadelphia 65-97, .251, 4.77 [31-18, .258, 3.97]
St. Louis 95-67, .270, 4.38 [29-20, .276, 3.80]
Cincinnati 85-77, .274, 4.33 [20-30, .257, 4.48]
Milwaukee 73-89, .246, 4.63 [25-24, .253, 3.99]
Houston 72-90, .278, 5.42 [24-24, .264, 4.69]
Pittsburgh 69-93, .267, 4.94 [17-32, .235, 5.18]
Chicago Cubs 65-97, .256, 5.25 [29-20, .250, 3.85]
San Francisco 97-65, .278, 4.21 [26-25, .259, 4.76]
Los Angelels 86-76, .257, 4.10 [29-22, .249, 3.79]
Arizona 85-77, .265, 4.35 [29-22, .255, 3.99]
Colorado 82-80. .294, 5.26 [25-26, .299, 5.14]
San Diego 76-86, .254, 4.52 [26-24, .260, 3.93]
No surprise, the Cubbies and the Twins, in particular, are vastly
improved due to huge gains in team ERA. [They”re both
actually hitting less than last season.] And you can see why the
Mets and White Sox blow!
As for Texas” hideous pitching staff, they are threatening to be
remembered as one of the all time worst.
1930 Philadelphia Phillies (52-102). They hit .315, 2nd in the
league, but had a staff ERA of 6.71…1373 innings pitched, 1993
hits allowed! Claude Willoughby was emblematic of this awful
performance, going 4-17 with a 7.59 ERA, while giving up 241
hits in 153 innings.
1936 St. Louis Browns (57-95). 6.24 ERA. 1348 IP, 1776 H.
Jack Knott was 9-17, 7.27 ERA.193 IP, 272 H.
1936 Philadelphia Athletics (53-100.49 games back of the first
place Yankees). 6.08 ERA. Red Bullock stands out. He only
went 0-2, but you can easily see why this was Bullock”s sole
season in the big leagues. In 17 innings, he gave up 19 hits, but
walked 37! Red”s ERA was 13.76.
1996 Detroit Tigers (53-109). 6.38 ERA. 1433 IP, 1699 H.and
784 walks! That”s 5 a game. Detroit used 27 different pitchers
that season. [By comparison on the walk front, the Mets” Rick
Reed this year has allowed just 3 in 74 innings.]
*For a look at a pre-1900 squad with one awful staff, plug
“Cleveland Spiders” into my search function for a story we ran
last July.
Hiram Mendow, RIP
Attorney Mendow died recently at the age of 107. His main
claim to fame is the fact that he defended Al Capone way back in
1929, but he was also known for other cases, including a
prominent one in 1935 concerning a Minneapolis woman, Cora
May White, who sued her husband for divorce, saying, “He liked
the radio better than sex.” According to the New York Times,
Mendow managed to broker a compromise: “his client”s husband
agreed to refrain from yelling at his newfangled contraption
when he could not hear it properly, and the couple reconciled.”
Of course we all know that the outcome would have been
different if he had had a Bose Wave Radio.with CD player. No
way would they then have stayed together.
Actually, Mendow also coached football great Sid Gillman in
high school. That”s kind of neat.
Top 3 songs for the week of 5/27/67: “Groovin”” (The Young
Rascals) #2 “Respect” (Aretha Franklin) #3 “I Got Rhythm”
(The Happenings…drank some brewskies with these guys in
1980 at a small club…they were no longer happening).
*A black bear was recently spotted just four blocks from the
editor”s home here in New Jersey. If Friday”s Bar Chat is late
being posted, you”ll know what happened. The editor lost the
battle for his morning newspapers.
NBA Quiz Answers: 1) Last four overall #1 draft picks:
2000 – Kenyon Martin (Nets) 1999 – Elton Brand (Chicago)
1998 – Michael Olowokandi (Clippers.ughh) 1997 – Tim
Duncan (Spurs). 2) In 1974, Nate Thurmond registered the first
quadruple double. Thurmond was selected as one of the NBA”s
50 greatest, yet he never made 1st or 2nd team All Pro!
Next Bar Chat, Friday…baseball fanatics will like this one; what
might have been…and the Zombies.
