NFL Quiz: 1) Most seasons leading league in touchdowns? 2)
Most TD, season? 3) Who am I? I am one of four to kick 7 FG
in a game, doing it back in 1967. 4) Most games, 200 yards,
career? Answers below.
Thanksgiving
[Time for my annual installment…it’s for the kids, you
understand.]
December 1621 was the earliest American harvest festival,
celebrated by the Pilgrims in Plymouth, Mass.
February 22, 1631…the first public Thanksgiving, a ‘fast’ day,
was celebrated by the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Way to pick a
day with great weather, guys!
November 26, 1789…President George Washington, at the
request of Congress, had Thanksgiving Day celebrated for the
first time as a national holiday, but it was really a day of
thanksgiving for the Constitution. Anti-Federalists then
protested that Washington’s proclamation violated states’ rights,
appealing their case on “The O’Reilly Factor.”
October 3, 1863…President Abraham Lincoln proclaims
Thanksgiving Day a national holiday to be observed on the last
Thursday in November. Then in 1939, President Franklin
Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving back one week to stimulate
Christmas shopping. Finally, in 1941 Congress adopted a
resolution confirming the fourth Thursday, not the last, as
Thanksgiving Day. [Notice how perhaps our 3 greatest
presidents were the most intimately involved in the establishment
of this holiday.]
But back to 1620, while the Pilgrims were some of the bravest
folks in the history of the world, they also had trouble finding
food. Their situation in those years was grim, particularly
because they didn’t land in Miami, choosing Massachusetts
instead and thus having to deal with the New England winter (let
alone the Red Sox). The Pilgrims’ leader, Governor William
Bradford, remarked:
“If they looked behind them, there was the mighty ocean which
they had passed and was now as a main bar and gulf to separate
them from all the civil parts of the world…What could now
sustain them but the Spirit of God and His grace? May not and
ought not the children of these fathers rightly say: ‘Our fathers
were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were
ready to perish in this wilderness; but they cried unto the Lord,
and He heard their voice and looked on their adversity,’ etc. ‘Let
them therefore praise the Lord, because He is good: and His
mercies endure forever.’”
Half the company died the first winter, but when the Mayflower
set sail in April not one of the survivors returned in her. Around
mid-October 1621, after the gathering of the fall harvest and a
big wild turkey shoot the Pilgrims had their first feast, with Chief
Massasoit of the Wampanoag and 90 of his subjects, “whom for
three days we entertained and feasted.” The Indians contributed
several deer, but the Pilgrims, with 35 new arrivals on the ship
‘Fortune,’ were soon starving again.
As historian Henry Commager notes in “The Growth of the
American Republic,” despite the constant battle with famine
“they never lost heart or considered giving up and going home.
These simple folks were exalted to the stature of statesmen and
prophets in their narrow sphere, because they ardently believed,
and so greatly dared, and firmly endured. They set forth in acts
as in words the stout-hearted idealism in action that Americans
admire; that is why Plymouth Rock has become a symbol. For,
as Governor Bradford concluded his annals of the lean years:
‘Thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produced
by His hand that made all things of nothing, and gives being to
all things that are; and as one small candle may light a thousand;
so the light here kindled hath shone unto many, yea, in some sort,
to our whole nation.”
—
Vince Lombardi – “The Habit of Winning”
“Winning is not a sometime thing. You don’t win once in a
while. You don’t do things right once in a while. You do them
right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is
losing. There is no room for second place. There is only one
place in my game and that is first place. I have finished second
twice in my time at Green Bay and I don’t want to ever finish
second again. It is, and always has been, an American zeal to be
first in everything we do. The object – to win!
“Every time a football player goes out to play, he’s got to play
from the ground up. From the soles of his feet right to his head.
Every inch of him has to play. Some guys play with their heads.
That’s OK; you’ve got to be smart to be No. 1 in any business.
But in football, you’ve got to play with your heart. With every
fiber of your body. If you are lucky enough to find a guy with a
lot of head and a lot of heart, he’s never going to come off the
field second.
“Running a football team is no different from running any other
kind of organization – an army, a political party, a business. The
problems are the same. The objective is to win. To beat the
other guy. Maybe that sounds hard or cruel. I don’t think it is.
“It is a reality of life that men are competitive and the most
competitive games draw the most competitive men. That’s why
they’re there – to compete. They know the rules and the
objectives when they get in the game. The objective is to win –
fairly, squarely, decently, by the rules – but to win. And in truth,
I have never known a man worth his salt who in the long run,
deep down in his heart, did not appreciate the grind. The
discipline. There is something in good men that yearns for –
needs – discipline and the harsh reality of head-to-head combat.
“I don’t say these things because I believe in the ‘brute’ nature of
man, or that man must be brutalized to be in combat. I believe in
God and I believe in human decency. But I firmly believe that
any man’s finest hour, his greatest fulfillment to all he holds
dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good
cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle victorious.”
[Source: “Golden Boy,” Paul Hornung. Hornung adds “I use that
speech every time I talk to a corporate group anywhere in
America.” By the way, if you’re looking for a fun read while
watching football, Hornung’s new book is entertaining.]
Stuff
–The Bowl Championship Series
Boy, the plot has thickened just since my last chat. No one, at
least from all I read after last weekend’s games, figured on the
most unlikely scenario in the 7-year history of the BCS; that
being the latest survey actually has Boise State up to #7.
BCS
1. USC
2. Oklahoma
3. Auburn
4. California
5. Texas
6. Utah
7. Boise State…up from #9 the previous week as #7 Michigan
and #8 Florida State lost.
What does this mean? Out of nowhere, if #5 Texas loses to
Texas A&M on Friday – a distinct possibility as the Aggies are
#19 BCS – then Boise State would move into the top six and,
you’ll recall from our season-long discussion of Utah, non-BCS
leagues can qualify for one of the four major bowl games if they
finish in the top six of the poll. Folks, this would be incredible
…and incredibly depressing for #4 California who would then
be shut out of making their first appearance in the Rose Bowl
since 1959.
And why would Cal be screwed? The BCS selection process
would put two at-large teams from non-BCS leagues ahead of a
BCS at-large team, in this case California. Heretofore, a team
from a non-BCS conference has never qualified for a single BCS
game and now we could have two do so.
But let’s assume Texas, which is hosed regardless, beats A&M.
The way it stands today, the games may look like this.
Jan. 1 – Rose Bowl…Cal vs. Michigan
Jan. 1 – Fiesta Bowl…Utah vs. Boston College
Jan. 3 – Auburn vs. Miami or Va. Tech
Jan. 4 – Southern Cal vs. Oklahoma
Of course the reason why both Texas and California are
threatened is that instead of the BCS just taking the top 8 rated
squads, the major conferences’ league champs are already in.
Michigan is in by virtue of its win over Iowa, while in the case of
both the ACC and Big East, this just happens to be a year where
the champion will have two losses as well, ala the Big Ten. [BC
still has to defeat Syracuse and Miami has a tough one against
Virginia Tech, Dec. 4.]
There now………….everyone straight?
–Here are some real estate tidbits. In Manhattan, on Columbus
Circle (next to Central Park), the Time Warner Center has been
completed and of 198 apartments, 85% have been sold. [The
center also includes stores, the corporate offices of Time Warner,
a Mandarin Oriental Hotel and restaurants.]
So who has paid what for these super luxury units?
David Kwok Po Li – CEO of the Bank of East Asia in Hong
Kong, purchased his four bedrooms on the 72nd floor for $9.5
million.
Prince Turki bin Khalid – Saudi royal, 69th floor, 3 BR…$5.8
million and another 2 BR unit for $2.3 million.
Ricky Martin – singer, 65th floor, 4 BR, $6.7 million.
Nurzhan Subkhanberdin – Chairman of the largest private bank
in Kazakhstan, 75th floor, 3 BR, $8.5 million.
Dr. Joseph H. Levine – Director of a freakin’ heart and
pacemaker center in Roslyn, New York, 75th floor, 6 BR, $15.6
million. I imagine he’s becoming fast friends with Mr.
Subkhanberdin.
John Kluge – Top 20 on Forbes ‘world’s richest’ list. 52nd floor,
2 BR, $2.1 million. [He’s in the low-rent district, that’s for sure.
I guarantee the folks on 69 and above have zippo to do with the
little people on, like, 59 and below; even if it is one of the more
wealthy people in the world.]
–Couldn’t pass up a story I saw in the New York Daily News as
reported by Helen Peterson. The family of a Long Island furrier
has cleared a legal hurdle in its $10 million wrongful death suit
against Benihana.
“Jerry Colaitis’ bizarre death at age 47 came 10 months after he
injured his neck on a family outing to the Munsey Park outlet of
the famed Japanese steakhouse chain, noted for entertaining
chefs who grill tableside.
“ ‘The chef who was assigned to their table starts tossing food,’
said lawyer Andere Ferenzo, who represents Colaitis’ widow,
Jacqueline.
“ ‘He tosses a piece of shrimp and it hits one of the children.
They tell him to stop, he doesn’t. He does it a second time and it
strikes the brother-in-law.”
Colaitis and his family asked the chef to stop because the food
was hot. The chef smiled and tossed a third piece at Colaitis,
who in trying to avoid the flying object hurt his neck.
“That was in January 2001. By June, doctors were telling
Colaitis he needed surgery to repair an injured vertebra or face
possible paralysis.
“After two operations, he was admitted to the hospital again on
November 20. Two days later, Colaitis…was dead from a blood
infection, respiratory failure and renal failure.”
Colaitis lawyer said it is beyond dispute his client’s death was
the result of the incident.
–Harry K. had to comment on my Kreskin remark from last
time. This is a funny one, though perhaps not totally suitable for
children. [Parents, engage the ‘N’ chip….Internet chip.]
“Kreskin. What a doofus. I recall one night back in the 80s
when the mentalist (some would say he’s just mental) was the
after-dinner entertainment at the Toronto Bondtraders’
Association annual black tie dinner. Suffice it to say that there’s
a joke on Bay Street that the reason the affair is formal is so that
traders don’t have to throw up on their own clothes.
“Anyway, Kreskin’s act was incredibly lame and the traders
quickly got bored and began pelting him with buns from the
bread baskets on their tables. Kreskin became quite irate over
this slight, which only encouraged the mob. When he started to
declaim that this was the worst audience he’d ever seen, traders
shouted back that he should have been able to predict it. Then,
he blurted out that he made more money than ‘any of you,’ at
which half a dozen traders jumped to their feet and shouted,
‘Want to bet?’ Wisely, Kreskin didn’t take that one.”
–Johnny Mac passed along this Reuters story as an example of
the animal kingdom helping man, despite our lack of gratitude
most of the time. In order to do it justice, I feel compelled to
basically quote the full piece.
“A pod of dolphins circled protectively round a group of New
Zealand swimmers to fend off an attack by a great white shark,
media reported (this past Tuesday).
“Lifesavers Rob Howes, his 15-year-old daughter Niccy, Karina
Cooper and Helen Slade were swimming 300 feet off Ocean
Beach near Whangarei on New Zealand’s North Island when the
dolphins herded them – apparently to protect them from a shark.
“ ‘They started to herd us up, they pushed all four of us together
by doing tight circles around us,’ Howes told the New Zealand
Press Association (NZPA).
“Howes tried to drift away from the group, but two of the bigger
dolphins herded him back just as he spotted a nine-foot great
white shark swimming toward the group.
“ ‘I just recoiled. It was only about 2-meters away from me, the
water was crystal clear and it was as clear as the nose on my
face,’ Howes said, referring to a distance of 6 feet.
“ ‘They had corralled us up to protect us,’ he said.
“The lifesavers spent the next 40 minutes surrounded by the
dolphins before they could safely swim back to short. The
incident happened on October 30, but the lifesavers kept the
story to themselves until now.
“Environment group Orca Research said dolphins attacked
sharks to protect themselves and their young, so their actions in
protecting the lifesavers was understandable.
“ ‘They could have sensed the danger to the swimmers and taken
action to protect them,’ Orca’s Ingrid Visser told NZPA.”
Now is that a cool story or what?!
–Manny R., Rutgers alum and manic fan, believes the Scarlet
Knight’s football season, another losing one, worked out
perfectly… “It’s all part of the 200-year rebuilding program, of
which they are now in their 98th season. All Rutgers needs to do
is lower expectations down to the point where they are already
met. Kind of like what Calvin of ‘Calvin & Hobbes’ fame used
to say. ‘We shouldn’t need accomplishments to feel good about
ourselves.’”
–Ancel Keys, the creator of the K ration, died at the age of 100.
Keys, who had done extensive research on nutrition in his early
years, was asked by the U.S. government at the start of World
War II to “design a lightweight but nutritionally robust ration for
paratroops. The K Ration, named for him, was originally made
up of items from a Minneapolis grocery store – hard biscuits, dry
sausage, hard candy and chocolate.” [Patricia Sullivan /
Washington Post]
Keys also did definitive studies on the relationship between
saturated fat and heart disease as well as on the benefits of the
Mediterranean diet; the latter the “Seven Countries Study” that
provided evidence a diet rich in veggies, fruit, pasta, bread and
olive oil was better for you than one mostly made up of meat,
eggs and dairy products.
–Why the New York Mets are still supposedly contemplating
acquiring Sammy Sosa I’ll never know. Lee Jenkins of the New
York Times had the following account of his last game this
season in Chicago.
“The final straw may have come during the final game, Fan
Appreciation Day, when Sosa, who was not in the lineup, left the
stadium in the first inning. His teammates were so enraged that
one smashed Sosa’s boom box, famous for blaring salsa music at
heavy-metal decibels in the clubhouse. Mark Prior, the starting
pitcher that day, publicly demanded an apology from Sosa to the
entire team. Even the organization refused to protect him. Club
officials, who could have gone along with Sosa’s contention that
he left the game in the seventh inning, checked the videotape
from a security camera in the players’ parking lot and revealed
that he had left in the first.”
Chicago fans will not take another year of Sammy, and I sure as
hell hope us Mets fans don’t have to either.
–I’m trying to bury this, but my Wake Forest Demon Deacons
are ranked #1 in the AP college basketball poll for the first time
in school history. I said last spring this was going to be our year,
but man, we have a long, long way to go…and a handful of
frustrating defeats. Of course I’m also trying to hide this #1 deal
until the pre-season NIT is over and I’m posting before Wake’s
Wednesday effort.
But I have to note Wake Forest is the smallest school to be
ranked #1 since LaSalle in 1954. St. Joe’s, #1 for one week last
year, has 500 fewer undergrads than Wake but has a larger total
student population. [Thanks, Phil W.]
And you know what I also found hard to believe? Maryland has
never achieved the AP #1 ranking, though it has been #2, 23
different weeks. [The final AP poll is done before the NCAA
tournament starts.]
–Congratulations to Johnny Mac’s St. Francis Terriers for their
win over the Redmen of St. John’s, Ron Artest’s school. And
did you see Artest on the “Today Show”? What an
embarrassment for St. John’s. They actually accepted this
wacko! And don’t give me this crap “he’s basically a good guy
with a kind heart.” Oh c’mon. Artest even had the temerity to
say he was “very focused on the season.” Huh? Is this the same
a-hole who had just asked for time off to promote his rap CD?
–339 NFL players weigh 300 pounds or more. [ESPN]
–Wow, Atlanta QB Michael Vick is the 7th-leading rusher in the
NFC…89 carries for 640 yards and a 7.2 average. Otherwise,
Atlanta is the most overrated 8-2 team in history. [Don’t worry,
Atlanta fans. I recognize my 7-3 Jets have had a very easy
schedule thus far.]
–Crap, the Knicks are 5-5. I wanted them 2-8 to match the Nets.
Top 3 songs for the week of 11/27/71: #1 “Theme From Shaft”
(Isaac Hayes) #2 “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves” (Cher) #3
“Baby I’m-A Want You” (Bread)
*U2’s new album is great…the perfect stocking stuffer, parents.
And Bono has been a big supporter of the U.S., unlike some of
his European brethren.
NFL Quiz Answers: 1) Most seasons leading league in TD: Don
Hutson, 8, Green Bay, 1935-38, 1941-44. 2) Most TD, season:
Priest Holmes, 27, Kansas City (2003). 3) 7 FG in a game: Jim
Bakken, 1967, St. Louis. Others – Rich Karlis, 1989, Minnesota;
Chris Boniol, 1996, Dallas; Billy Condiff, 2003, Dallas. 4) Most
games, 200 yards rushing, career: O.J. Simpson, 6. LaDainian
Tomlinson, San Diego, already has 4.
Next Bar Chat, Tuesday. And then, starting Thursday, 12/2,
exclusive coverage from the PGA’s Q-School!
