NFL Quiz: [Yes, it’s that time of year to review some of the
important stats before the season gets started.] 1) Name the top
ten rushers all time. [Each has over 12,000 yards.] 2) Name the
only two on this list with career averages over 5.0 yards per
carry. 3) Name the four to play 21 or more seasons in the NFL.
Answers below.
SHARK ATTACK!!!!
I am grateful to Bob S. for passing along an important piece from
the Santa Rosa Press Democrat this past Monday. Randall Fry of
Auburn, CA (north of Sacramento) was diving late Sunday for
abalone in the ocean near Kibesillah Rock, about 120 miles north
of San Francisco, when he disappeared.
Fry was with a fellow diver from Auburn, just 100 yards off
shore and in shallow water, only 15 feet deep, when Fry’s
companion saw “a big fish surface between them,” according to
the sheriff’s office. “There was some blood in the water after the
incident.”
As reported by Katy Hillenmeyer, “The uninjured diver swam
back to the fishing boat and radioed the Coast Guard
immediately…A widespread air and sea search began for Fry,
involving three helicopters, two Coast Guard vessels and other
responders.”
They came up empty. Of course that’s Great White territory.
…………………Hey, did I tell you I had my first abalone on my
trip to Asia this spring? Damn, it was delicious.
—
The 1968 Summer Olympics
[Following are two pieces I did about four years ago. It seemed
appropriate to reprise them this week. *A fact or two on what
some of the participants are doing today may be off a little.]
I was ten years old the summer of ’68 and remember being
mesmerized by all that was transpiring across the country as I
became increasingly aware of more than my immediate
surroundings. The ‘68 Summer Games of Mexico City were
certainly emblematic of the chaos sweeping the land and the
world.
HBO Sports did a piece in 2000 that focused on the Tommie
Smith / John Carlos black power salute from those Games, an
incident that polarized the nation. It is impossible to write about
this, however, without using the N-word, but I will abbreviate
to denote usage as employed by the participants in the story
themselves.
Back in 1968, many black track athletes had to deal with the
feeling among the white track hierarchy (and the fans) that, “I
don”t care how fast or how far you can jump, you”re just another
n-.” America seemed to be on the eve of destruction. Vietnam,
racial inequality, poverty; these were just some of the issues
roiling our country.
Enter three athletes who were to emerge in the spotlight in
Mexico City; Tommie Smith, Lee Evans and John Carlos. Smith
and Evans were farm laborers in California with experience
picking cotton. They were humble youths who ran fast as hell.
Carlos, on the other hand, was a boisterous, cocky Harlem
youngster who, as described by his teammates, you didn”t want
as your enemy. Athletics gave all three the chance to escape
poverty and they ended up as teammates at San Jose State.
Smith was described as gazelle-like, Evans was a ferocious
competitor but with a style that looked like he was “drunk on
roller skates,” and Carlos was a wine-drinking, pot-smoking type
whose attitude seemed to say, “C”mon, sucker, I wanna see what
you got.” Smith and Carlos were to make their names in the 200
meters while Evans’s specialty was the 400.
At San Jose State, “Speed City,” Smith joined the ROTC, was
studious, religious and not the least bit rebellious. And, in
reality, San Jose State was a racist campus that somewhat
tolerated the track athletes. Also at SJS was a black sociology
professor by the name of Dr. Harry Edwards. Edwards taught,
“Once you take off that uniform, you”re just another n-,” as he
strove to turn the black athletes into advocates. The Olympics
was the target and, specifically, a movement titled the “Olympic
Project For Human Rights.” Soon, it was hoped that there would
be a boycott of the Summer Games by the track stars. “Why
run in Mexico City and crawl at home?” [The Boycott eventually
failed and the movement turned to how best to demonstrate in
Mexico City.]
Edwards became the chief target of the conservatives in
America. White athletes like pole-vaulter Bob Seagren thought
Edwards was a radical whose movement was doomed to failure.
But it did gain some white support and all black athletes were
urged to take a stand.
[One who took a stand and decided he would definitely play (and
without protest) was Charlie Scott, a spectacular basketball
player for the University of North Carolina and the only black at
the school in those days. Scott was going to be on the Olympic
team and he felt that if he was “revolutionary,” he would be
closing the doors to everyone behind him.]
And then there was International Olympic Committee (IOC)
Chairman Avery Brundage. Brundage was known as the “Bull
Connor” of the Olympic Games and he couldn”t begin to
understand the Olympic Project. Brundage was labeled “pro-
fascist” and a racist who “represented the generation that tried to
keep Negroes in their place.” It was Brundage who said, “If they
(‘the boys’) demonstrate (at the Games), they”ll be promptly sent
home.”
As the year went on, the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. had a
catalytic effect on the black athletes. Coupled with the
assassination of Robert Kennedy, the black stars were more
willing to sacrifice. Meanwhile, down in Mexico City, the local
government was having their own problems with the kinds of
student protests that were sweeping the world. Just prior to the
Games, the police in Mexico City gunned down an estimated
300-500 students in a Tiananmen Square-type slaughter.
In attempting to “gussie up” the city for the world press that
would be covering the Games, the Mexican Army decided to
clear the streets of the daily protesters. [The government would
later claim that “only” 37 were killed. Most experts now agree on
the 300-500 number.] The Army burned the bodies or threw
them in the Pacific to keep the world from learning the true story.
When the athletes of the world met a few days later, they walked
into an armed camp. The stage was set for Smith, Carlos, and the
others.
As the black U.S. track athletes headed to Mexico City, the big
question was whether or not they would have an organized or
uniform protest. Since they couldn”t agree on whether or not
they would all wear black socks or armbands, it was decided that
everyone could do their own thing.
1968 was a banner year for the U.S. team. Superstar
performances were turned in by the likes of Bill Toomey, Bob
Seagren and Dick Fosbury (whose revolutionary “Fosbury Flop”
in the high jump was ridiculed until he won the gold). And
perhaps the best single performance in the history of track and
field was witnessed in Mexico City as well.
Bob Beamon long jumped 29 feet 2 ½ inches in a stupendous
effort that has to be seen on video to be believed. Beamon”s leap
broke the old record by almost 2 feet! It still stands as the
‘Greatest Percentage Improvement,’ 6.6%, over a world record.
But it was Tommie Smith and John Carlos who garnered most of
the attention. In the 200 meters, Smith blazed to the first sub 20-
second time, 19.83. Carlos finished third. [Trivia: Peter Norman
of Australia was second.] Smith and Carlos then decided to wear
black gloves on their right hands in a black power salute as they
stood on the awards stand. While Smith later claimed that he was
“giving glory to God” and “praying for freedom,” others didn”t
see it that way. The move was met by boos, whistles, and just a
few muffled cheers.
The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) was furious and, under
intense pressure from IOC Chairman Brundage, was forced to
act. Smith and Carlos were sent home and banned for life from
further competition. Smith said he was rather “pissed,” to put it
mildly.
Next up was Lee Evans and the 400 meters. Evans had received
death threats and he was contemplating going home. Smith and
Carlos convinced him to run. And run he did as he, too, captured
gold for the U.S. In fact, the U.S. finished 1-2-3 with Larry
James and Ronnie Freeman taking the silver and bronze. The
three of them decided to wear black berets, popularized back in
the States by the Black Panthers, when they took to the awards
stand. However, during the playing of the U.S. national anthem,
all three at least took them off.
Evans was shocked to learn that many of his fellow black
athletes and the militants back home thought he hadn”t done
enough. “Heck, I was the one who received the death threats.
They should have tried out for the team and come here and run if
they wanted more,” Evans said.
The Games were turning into one miserable, negative
experience. The USOC brought hero Jesse Owens in to talk to
the athletes and Jesse preached about the virtues of patriotism.
Evans said Owens was “pitiful.” Other athletes called Owens an
“old Negro.” Owens was crushed by the reaction and wasn”t the
same afterwards.
Then along came George Foreman to save the day for America.
In a titanic fight, heavyweight Foreman captured the gold medal
in a bout against the hated Russian. [For those of you who are
too young to remember the Olympics during the height of the
Cold War, you missed something.] During his victory
celebration, Foreman pulled out a little American flag and waved
it as he paraded around the ring, bowing at each corner. Foreman
was branded a traitor by the Black Movement and he was
startled by the reaction.
“In ‘64, I was a mugger and a thief. Now, I had an opportunity
to turn my life around,” said Foreman.
It was no wonder then that the “hated” Foreman was not a
favorite of many blacks in his historic ‘74 fight in Zaire against
Muhammad Ali. Ali”s dusting of Foreman helped solidify the Ali
legend in more ways than one.
The ‘68 Summer Games were truly symbolic of the turbulent
times in which we lived, not just in America but the World.
Tommie Smith felt he wanted simply to do his part when he
“saw wrong and tried to right it.” Smith ended up being taken
advantage of by his fellow blacks when he returned to the States.
At one point he worked in a car wash with his job being to sign
autographs for customers who wanted it. Today, he is a track
coach at Santa Monica College.
John Carlos is living somewhere in California, having suffered
through his wife”s suicide. Evans has coached for years in
Madagascar (hey, someone has to do it). Foreman has his Lean
Mean Machine, which makes an awesome burger and is highly
recommended by the editor. One other sidelight, Professor Harry
Edwards of San Jose State was criticized heavily by the militants
for not showing up in Mexico City and basically being AWOL
for the 3 months leading up to the Games. Edwards claimed he
couldn”t attend because of death threats. He was later fired by
SJS. [If memory serves me, he”s back there today.]
Finally, I can”t blame Smith et al for acting the way they did. But
neither can you condone the mistreatment of Foreman and
Owens. The times were different then. We don”t want to repeat
them.
Marty Glickman
Glickman, well known to New York sports fans, passed away a
number of years ago at the age of 83. He was a broadcasting
legend, having tutored the great Marv Albert, among many.
But while Glickman will always be best known for his
revolutionary calls of football and basketball games (he was the
first to figure out how to describe a basketball game’s action on
the radio, for example), he also deserves recognition for his role
in the 1936 Hitler Olympics in Berlin.
Glickman was a great track star at Syracuse and had qualified for
the 400-meter relay team. But the day before the event, assistant
U.S. coach Dean Cromwell dropped Glickman and Sam Stoller
from the team. They were the only two Jewish athletes on the
U.S. squad. Glickman and Stoller were then replaced by Ralph
Metcalfe and Jesse Owens for that event. [Owens deserves credit
for protesting the American team’s move, though he did go on to
win his 4th gold of the Games.]
While team officials denied that anti-Semitism (and fear of
Hitler) was at play, Glickman was convinced that Avery
Brundage, one of the Dirtballs of the Century and head of the
United States Olympic Committee back then, was “sympathetic
to the Nazis.”
William Wallace of the New York Times notes that while
“written proof” wasn”t found, in 1998 the U.S.O.C. presented
Glickman with a plaque in lieu of the gold medal he most likely
would have won had he been allowed to race.
In 1986, Marty Glickman returned to Berlin as part of a
celebration of Owens’s achievements. He later recounted how
he felt as he stood in the Olympic Stadium.
“Suddenly a wave of rage overwhelmed me. I thought I was
going to pass out. I began to scream every dirty curse word,
every obscenity I knew. Being there, visualizing and reliving
those moments, caused the eruption which had been gnawing at
me for so long and which I thought I had expunged years ago.”
[Source: Wallace]
As for Marv Albert, he got his start when in 1964 Glickman was
snowed out of a Knicks broadcast in Boston. He then tabbed
Marv to fill in and the rest is history.
—
Par-tee!!!!
The Princeton Review (not affiliated with Princeton University)
has just published its latest list of party schools and The State
University of New York at Albany is #1. Congratulations, girls
and guys…that’s quite an honor! Rounding out the top ten are…
2. Washington and Lee Univ., Lexington, VA (Bobby Lee’s
school…Stonewall Jackson is buried in Lexington as well).
3. Wisconsin-Madison
4. West Virginia
5. Ohio Univ.
6. Florida State
7. Texas-Austin
8. Georgia
9. Colorado-Boulder (was #1 last year…disappointing…but then
this place has had quite a few problems, I think you’d agree)
10. Ole Miss
Now the Review has a separate category, “Lots of Beer,” and
Washington and Lee takes the top slot here. [Also for “Hard
Liquor.”]
Texas A&M is #1 for having students “most nostalgic for Ronald
Reagan.”
—
1894
There’s been some talk this summer of one of baseball’s dark
chapters, the 1994 players’ strike that shut the sport down. But
Johnny Mac says, hey, take a look at 1894 instead.
That year, baseball stipulated that a wooden slab, called the
rubber, 12 in. by 4 in., was to be sunk into the pitcher’s mound
60 ft. 6 in. from the front edge of the plate, and that a pitcher be
required to place both feet on it at the start of his delivery. Other
new rules mandated that a foul bunt with two strikes on the batter
be called strike three and that a player who sacrificed was not to
be charged with a time at bat. In other words, the modern era
was underway.
Elsewhere, the United States Golf Association was formed in
1894 at a meeting of five golf clubs from Long Island, NY.,
Mount Hope, N.Y., Brookline, Mass., Newport, R.I. and
Chicago.
And there was a riot of striking miners at Connellsville, PA that
left 11 miners dead. [I have relatives out that way…had to throw
this in.]
But wait, there’s more…did you know that on September 1,
1894, a fire killed 500 people in Hinckley, Minnesota and 18
neighboring towns? Flames were fanned by a cyclone.
And “The Sidewalks of New York” was written and composed
by Charles Lawler. This was popular then, but became more so
in 1924 when Alfred E. Smith used it in his campaign for the
Democratic presidential nomination in 1924.
Rudyard Kipling was living in Brattleboro, VT in 1894, and this
was the year “The Jungle Book” was published.
Anyway, back to baseball, on June 16 the squeeze play was first
employed by George Case and Dutch Carter, players on the Yale
team, in a game against Princeton. It wasn’t introduced in the
major leagues until 1904 when Clark Griffith, manager of the
New York Highlanders in the American League used it.
But Johnny Mac points out that in 1894, the hitting star was Hall
of Fame outfielder Hugh Duffy of the Boston Beaneaters. Duffy
had one of the greatest offensive campaigns ever; batting .440
with 237 hits, 160 runs scored, 145 runs batted in, 48 steals and,
get this, he struck out just 15 times in 539 at bats; all in only 125
games! Duffy’s all-Irish outfield mates were Tommy McCarthy
(no relation to Johnny, that I’m aware of) and Jimmy Bannon.
And J. Mac’s favorite hurler, Kid Nichols, was 32-13 with 40
complete games.
[After their playing careers, Duffy and McCarthy owned a
successful tavern on the south side of Boston and were later
buried next to each other.]
But before the season started, Charlie Bennett, Boston’s veteran
catcher, fell beneath a moving train and lost both legs. And then
there was South End Grounds, the home park and one of the first
two-tiered stadiums in the league.
During a game against the Orioles, John McGraw became
engaged in an on-field fight with Beaneater Tommy Tucker. The
fans began littering the field with fruit, trash, etc., and somehow
a fire started in the bleachers and they burned to the ground;
along with the grandstand and 170 buildings covering 12 acres
surrounding the park. [Fires were big in 1894.]
And if you’re an Atlanta Braves fan, you really should know
the lineage.
Boston Red Caps (1876-82)
Boston Beaneaters (1883-1906)
Boston Doves (1907-1910….peaceniks)
Boston Braves (1911-35)
Boston Bees (1936-40)
Boston Braves (1941-52)
Milwaukee Braves (1953-65)
Atlanta Braves (1966 to today)
Stuff
–August 19, 1982. Pascual Perez of the Dominican Republic
was scheduled to start against the Montreal Expos in Atlanta.
Perez, in his rookie season with the team, had been getting rides
to the ballpark from teammates, but this time he decided to drive
on his own.
The directions were simple; Interstate 285 to Interstate 20. But
Perez got lost, real lost.
Perez had left his apartment at 4:30 PM for the 20-minute drive
and the 7:35 start, but he ended up going around and around in
circles. At 7:10 PM he stopped for gas, but he wasn’t carrying a
wallet. With minimal English and hand gestures, Perez got the
attendant to give him $10 worth of gas and directions. He finally
arrived 10 minutes after the game had started. Phil Niekro
started in his place and won, 5-4.
The Braves’ manager at the time was Joe Torre. He figured no
one could make up a story like Perez’s so Torre fined him just
$100, and couldn’t stop laughing. The next day the team had a
warm-up jacket ready for Pascual. On the back… “I-285.”
–Olympics: Perhaps I was a bit unfair last time, but boy I was
shocked to read of the local television ratings for the New York –
New Jersey – Connecticut viewing area this past Sunday. The
Olympics drew a 16.8 during the time slot the Mets-
Diamondbacks game garnered 3.7. But what got me is the Mets
game, totally meaningless, even to the players’ spouses, had the
exact same viewership as the PGA, one of four freakin’ majors,
for crying out loud. Very disappointing, sports fans.
Anyway, Johnny Mac weighs in on the Olympics. “I have a
novel idea. Why don’t we all actually wait and see if someone is
any good before we anoint them and give them mega-buck deals.
Remember the Dan vs. Dave decathalon fiasco? Dan O’Brien
didn’t even make the team.”
And Johnny did correctly observe that the Expos are drawing
more spectators than the Games of Athens.
I must say, though, I did watch Monday’s men’s 200-meter
freestyle final, and Tuesday’s 4 X 200 men’s freestyle relay; both
tremendous. But did Carly Patterson of the women’s gymnastics
team choke or what?! And the U.S. women were bad sports to
boot. Suck it up, girls.
That synchronized diving is wonderful………………..ack ack.
A Mets announcer is broadcasting this event for NBC. He
should be ashamed of himself. [I apologize to those parents of
synchronized divers who may be reading this. I am a fan of the
regular diving events…like cliff diving from Acapulco. Ah yes,
Barney Cipriani, remember him? And don’t forget, boys and
girls, when cliff diving in Acapulco, always wait for the tide to
come in before taking your leap.]
As for the U.S. basketball team, part of me couldn’t give a damn,
but another part doesn’t want us totally humiliated, even though
this isn’t a real likeable bunch of guys, outside of Duncan and a
few others. Some of us also feel for Larry Brown, at least a bit.
But I liked my friend Phil W.’s suggestion for future U.S. men’s
squads.
“Next time put together a team six months prior to the NBA
season. Have it comprised of former college players who can’t
make the NBA and let them play against colleges, NBA teams,
international competition, etc.”
Phil and I were spoiled, growing up during the New York Knicks
glory days of the late 60s / early 70s when we learned what it
was to play as a team. Or as Phil points out, for a more recent
example look at the world champion Pistons.
–Elephant update: The Indian government is pleading with
Bangladeshi officials not to kill about 100 rogue elephants
wreaking havoc on the border between the two. I noted last time
that about 40 are killed by elephants each year in Bangladesh,
but to be more specific, this particular herd is responsible for at
least 13 deaths already and countless injuries.
The BBC reports that “the elephants (are) not able to find a
corridor to go back to India, so they are turning violent.”
It’s clear what the real issue is; those damn summer highway
projects and the indecipherable detour signs. We wish the
pachyderms the best.
–Oh nooooooooo…actress Diane Lane got married. Drat.
–Dr. Bortrum just apprised me of an important story out of
Baker Lake, Washington. At the resort there, state wildlife
agents found a black bear passed out. The bear had gotten into
campers’ coolers and found the beer. But according to Lisa
Broxson, bookkeeper at the campground, the bear drank “the
Rainier and wouldn’t drink the Busch beer.” Actually, the bruin
had about 36 cans of Rainier, by Broxson’s best estimate. The
bear was allowed to sleep it off for a spell before being trapped
and moved to a safer, dry county. [Source: AP]
–So after I posted my last piece and told you all of losing my big
golf match, I saw that the Star-Ledger here in New Jersey had all
the local golf results from the weekend…….and my ‘crappy
golfer’ effort was included. Talk about humiliating. At least
they spelled the name right.
–Barry Bonds is up to 691 lifetime home runs. Sorry to bring
you all down. Heck, Sammy Sosa is up to 564.
–The other day I related how there have been 7 cases of fatal
flesh-eating disease this year in Texas alone, officially labeled
“Vibrio vulnificus.” Harry K. discovered that according to the
Bad Bug Book (Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition),
there were 16 cases of V. vulnificus in Los Angeles County
between April 1993 and May 1996. Uh oh. Harry does point
out, however, that this latest development creates new
opportunities for the likes of John Carpenter and George
Romero.
Top 3 songs for the week of 8/22/64: #1 “Where Did Our Love
Go” (The Supremes) #2 “Everybody Loves Somebody” (Dean
Martin) #3 “A Hard Day’s Night” (The Beatles)
NFL Quiz Answers: 1) Top ten rushers all time –
Emmitt Smith…17,418
Walter Payton…16,726
Barry Sanders…15,269
Eric Dickerson…13,259
Tony Dorsett…12,739
Jerome Bettis…12,353
Jim Brown…12,312
Marcus Allen…12,243
Franco Harris…12,120
Thurman Thomas…12,074
[Curtis Martin is #11 at 11,669]
2) Barry Sanders, 5.0, and Jim Brown, 5.2, are the only two in
the top ten to average over 4.4 yards per carry, actually. 3) Four
to play 21 or more seasons: George Blanda, 26; Morten
Andersen, 22; Gary Anderson, 22; Earl Morrall, 21. Now it just
so happens that the first three on this list are also the top three
all-time scorers.
G. Anderson…2,346 points
M. Andersen…2,259
Blanda………..2,002
And what the heck…let’s crack on Eddie George’s yards per
carry, shall we? I figure we’ll do this two or three other times
during the season.
2000…1,509 yards…3.7
2001……939………..3.0
2002…1,165………..3.4
2003…1,031………..3.3
Hell, I could have a few beers and stumble forward and get that
much!………..voomp! [OK, OK…I know Eddie George is a
warrior and all…and he does have 10,009 career yards. I just
think, as proved time and time again, that there are a ton of NFL
2nd-teamers that if given the chance can do at least as good.]
Next Bar Chat, Tuesday. Hogweed…and other perils.
