Football Players of the Year Quiz: Back in the early years of the
AFL, the Sporting News and UPI selected a Player of the Year,
while the AP and others stuck to the NFL. So, knowing this… 1)
Who was the AFL’s Player of the Year in 1960? [Initials A.H.]
2) AFL – 1961? [Initials G.B.] 3) AP winner in NFL, 1962?
[Initials J.T.] 4) AFL – 1963, Sporting News? [Initials C.D.] 5)
AFL – AP (now on board), Sporting News, UPI, 1966? [Initials
J.N.] 6) 1970 was the first year for a joint award between the
two leagues. Who was the AP winner? [Hint: West coast
quarterback] 7) 1976 AP winner? [Hint: Quarterback, initials
B.J.] Answers below.
Music Quiz: What were the Monkees’ three #1 hits? Answer
below.
Nothing but Stuff
–What a horrible accident the other day in the South Pacific
involving a U.S. nuclear submarine. According to Navy e-mail
messages from the moments after, as obtained by the New York
Times, the sub hit an undersea mountain while traveling at a high
rate of speed that stopped it in its tracks. About 60 of the 137
crew members were injured, including one who died as a result
of being thrown 20 feet, head first, into a metal pump. The
mountain wasn’t on any charts and the commander thought he
had clear sailing from Guam to Australia, the intended
destination.
–College Basketball [AP polls]
Men
1. Illinois
2. Kansas
3. UNC
4. Wake…remember, 1:30 Sat. vs. UNC! [Jets 4:30!]*
5. Duke
Women
1. Duke
2. Baylor
3. LSU
4. Rutgers!
5. Ohio State
*It just doesn’t get any better than this.
–Funny anecdote concerning the late Art Rooney, beloved
founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers who died in 1988. Rooney
loved to attend wakes, according to Gene Collier, columnist for
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and co-author of a play on Rooney’s
life. As told to the Times’ Jere Longman:
“Upon the death of his wife, Kathleen, Rooney attended the
viewing of another man at the same funeral home. The man had
died leaving virtually no family, Collier said, so Rooney took
flowers intended for his wife and placed them near the man’s
coffin.
“Rooney also signed the man’s guest book, as did some of the
Steelers, Collier said. ‘A night or so later, another relative of the
man showed up and said, ‘Dad knew Lynn Swann and Franco
Harris?’’”
–So a while back I bought this expensive book, Paul Johnson’s
“Art: A New History,” and I haven’t even cracked it, though I
stare at it a few times a day. [This is how things work around
here.]
Well, just now I thought “I wonder what Mr. Johnson has to say
about one of my personal faves, Camille Pissarro?” the
Impressionist. And wouldn’t you know I found something I can
force on you. After all, I can’t be the only one who didn”t
know the origin of the term, “Impressionism.” Paul Johnson:
“The word, as applied to a group of artists with very different
skills and objects, is misleading, and has confused art history
ever since it came into vogue. On 27 December 1873, Degas
joined with other artists – Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro,
Alfred Sisley, Berthe Morisot and Paul Cezanne – to form a
company, the Societe Anonyme Cooperative a Capital Variable
des Artistes, Peintres, Sculpteurs, Graveurs, whose stated
purpose was to organize exhibitions without juries. These and
other artists objected to the way the jury system worked at the
Salon, and with reason. It was arbitrary, confused, unsystematic
and often cruel. Degas hated it and that is why he joined the
others. It was not because he shared with them any particular
approach to painting, other than a willingness to experiment.
The company was a protest: the first name commonly used of its
shareholders was les intransigeants. But Monet had titled a
recent picture of his “Impression, Sunrise.” Hostile critics
pounced on it, used it of them all, and the name stuck. Indeed, it
not only stuck but had a huge impact on art history, indeed on art
itself….The company, as it happened, lasted less than six
months; it was dissolved four weeks after the first exhibition
opened on 15 April 1874. Over the next twenty-two years, seven
more such exhibitions took place, and Degas not only
participated but occasionally encouraged others, such as Cassatt,
to do so. But he much disliked the term ‘Impressionist,’ which
was increasingly used, being convenient for critics, newspapers
and dealers. When pressed, he called himself a ‘realist’ or
‘naturalist.’”
So now you know……….the rest of the story……….Plus you
see that Degas was a real pain in the ass.
–According to a British study, women’s longevity is linked to
the strength of their hearts. “Unlike men, they pump just as
strongly at 70 as they do at 20.” [David Rose / Times of
London]
“We have found that the power of the male heart falls by 20-25
percent between 18 and 70 years of age,” said Professor David
Goldspink (nice name) of Liverpool John Moores University.
[You think they play Beatles music in the school cafeteria?]
“In stark contrast, over the same period there was no age-related
decline in the power of the female heart, meaning that the heart
of a healthy 70-year-old woman could perform almost as well as
a 20-year-old’s.”
Ergo, women live longer.
But wait, men. The good professor also tells us that the hearts of
veteran male athletes between the ages of 50 and 70 were as
powerful as those of 20-year-old male undergraduates who did
not exercise. Ah ha!
–Did you know that there is a device called the X-Pack that can
turn mud to water? It’s true. Manufactured by Oregon-based
Hydration Technologies, it is a hit in Iraq and is now being
employed in the tsunami relief effort. [U.S. News & World
Report]
–Mr. Blackwell’s “Worst Dressed List”
1. Nicollette Sheridan…should be #4
2. Lindsay Lohan…should be #5
3. (tie) Ashlee and Jessica Simpson…I’d place Ashlee #1, but as
for Jessica, she can wear anything she wants, know what I’m
sayin’?
4. Courtney Love…need a separate category for pigs, one she’d
top.
5. Paris Hilton…I never did go online and watch the video(s);
afraid I’d catch a virus…………oops, that didn’t come out right.
6. Serena Williams…should be “1A” behind Ashlee. Whatever
happened to the days of Chris Evert?!
7. Britney Spears…oh c’mon…she’s cute.
8. Paula Abdul…tramp…move her to #3
9. Meryl Streep…Blackwell said Streep wears “dowdy glasses
and lumpy tents.” Couldn’t agree more, which is why she should
be #2
10. Anna Nicole Smith…#2 on pig list behind Courtney.
–The debate over the Boston Red Sox’ Doug Mientkiewicz and
his refusal to give up the ball that was involved in the last out of
the World Series continues. Law professor Paul Finkelman gave
his take in a New York Times op-ed.
“For most baseball games, the ball is provided by the home team
and therefore belongs to the home team – in this case, the St.
Louis Cardinals, Boston’s opponent. For World Series games,
Major League Baseball provides the balls but in effect gives
them to the home team to use during the game. Thus, there are
only two plausible owners of the ball that Mientkiewicz caught:
the St. Louis Cardinals or Major League Baseball…
“(While fans are entitled to a ball hit into the stands…by
tradition as well as official team policy), a ball caught by a
fielder…is by definition not in the stands. And the fielder who
catches the ball is an employee of a team. His job is to catch the
ball and make an out; if he has the ball when the play ends, he is
supposed to throw it to the pitcher to be used again. He cannot
simply stick the ball in his pocket and take it home, even if it is
the final out of the game. It is not his ball.
“Possession may be nine-tenths of the law, but when you take
something that belongs to your employer or anyone else, the law
calls it theft.”
Yeah, you tell him, Professor Finkelman. Lock Mientkiewicz
up…10-20 years, I say.
–In a poll of sports fans conducted by USA Today / CNN /
Gallup, 50% said they would not be disappointed at all if the
NHL season is cancelled. I can’t believe it’s not higher. I don’t
know one person who gives a damn.
–I have these friends in the Oklahoma panhandle, a classic farm
family in Gates. Well I hadn’t spoken to them in a while so I
called Karalee yesterday to get an update. Turns out they
recently had a big problem with rattlesnakes and Gene gunned
down seven last fall.
But I was asking Karalee about the progress of the dairy herd,
which when I first met them was no more than 40 and is now up
to 88. She then said they wanted to get into the beef business,
too, and had planned on starting the breeding this year.
However, the neighbor’s Angus bull snuck into their property
one day and…presto! 10 of their 15 heifers were suddenly
pregnant. Fast work, we both agreed.
By the way, if you’re thinking of having a dairy cow in your
backyard, it uses up 5 gallons of feed a day.
–Jeff B. and I have a major problem with the injury sustained by
Elizabeth in “For Better or For Worse.” Now I’m no medical
doctor, though I play one on this site, but Elizabeth slipped
walking out of a party and fell on her back, yet she somehow
dislocated her knee. More importantly, when does Anthony
leave that witch he’s married to? Will this be resolved by
Valentine’s Day? Is there a tragedy coming up?
–The other day the Charlotte Bobcats’ Emeka Okafor had his
streak of double-doubles ended at 19, nonetheless a new record
for a rookie. And whose did he break? Jerry Lucas, 1963-64,
Cincinnati. How many of you know that Lucas ‘averaged’ a
double-double his first nine seasons?
1963-64…17.4 rpg…17.7 ppg
1964-65…20.0…21.4
1965-66…21.1…21.5
1966-67…19.1…17.8
1967-68…19.0…21.5
1968-69…18.4…18.3
1969-70…14.2…15.1
1970-71…15.8…19.2
1971-72…13.1…16.7
And Lucas was only 6’8” with a vertical leap of about an inch.
Wilt Chamberlain averaged a double-double all 14 seasons of his
career, incidentally. Kareem did it 12 times. As did Olajuwon.
This current season will be Shaq’s 13th.
–How could someone select Michael Vick over Peyton Manning
for Player of the Year? One joker out of 48 did just that. Are
there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?
–If you eat one of Hardee’s 1,420 calorie Monster Thickburgers
(two, 1/3-pound patties, 4 strips bacon, 3 slices cheese, slathered
in mayonnaise and a buttered bun), you would have to do one of
the following to work it off.
A 3.3 hour walk at a brisk pace.
1.9 hours of running
2.1 hours of stair climbing
2.4 hours in an aerobics class
3.2 hours of basketball
4.8 hours of golf (walking)…who says golf isn’t exercise?
5.4 hours of grocery shopping
7.5 hours of brushing your teeth…good alternative if the weather
is bad.
18.3 hours of watching TV.
[Source: Los Angeles Times]
–For the record, since I forgot to put this in last time, Stuart
Appleby won the first PGA Tour event of the year last weekend.
Carlos Franco finished last. The Editor is rapidly losing interest
in a book project on the latter’s life.
But this week at the Sony in Hawaii, Michelle Wie, now 15, tees
it up with the big boys again. How many will she beat? Should
be fun.
–So I turn on ABC five minutes before “Desperate Housewives”
comes on and catch the last five of “Extreme Makeover.” Last
Sunday the homebuilder, Centex, gave the folks the home was
built for $71,000 to put in a college fund. Personally, I’d take it
to Vegas and bet on red….you know, try and double it.
But you know what’s funny about “Desperate Housewives,” you
can tell the producers really didn’t think the show was going to
be a hit, expecting it to be cancelled after about 8 episodes,
because no series has ever crammed more story lines into one
hour than this one can. Don’t get me wrong, I still haven’t
missed a minute, but I keep wondering when it’s going to slow
down…and what could possibly be left for a second season?
–I’m now very confident about my Jets’ prospects against the
Steelers. And I’m going to win a case of beer from Mark R.,
with possession of same to be taken at the Yuengling Brewery.
And remember, sports fans, as superb as Pittsburgh’s Ben
Roethlisberger has been this season, he is only the 7th rookie
quarterback to start an NFL playoff game. According to Eli
Gelman of the Star-Ledger, of the previous six, only two have
won:
1976 Pat Haden / Rams…defeated Dallas
1983 Dan Marino / Dolphins…lost to Seattle
1985 Bernie Kosar / Browns…lost to Miami
1986 Jim Everett / Rams…lost to Washington
1991 Todd Marinovich / Raiders…lost to Kansas City
1999 Shaun King / Bucs…defeated Washington
The combined TD / INT totals for these six QBs was 5 TD,
10 INT. Now that’s what I’m talking about. [Marinovich, one of
the biggest busts in the history of all of professional sports, threw
4 of the interceptions.]
–Here’s a guy who likes home cooking…NOT!
Rutgers basketball star (using the term loosely) Ricky Shields
grew up in the Washington, DC, area and on Tuesday Rutgers
was in town to play Georgetown. So that meant Ricky had some
30 family members and friends in attendance. Shields is a senior
and for his four appearances here over the years, including the
other night, he was 5-for-42 from the field.
Top 3 songs for the week of 1/14/67: #1 “I’m A Believer” (The
Monkees) #2 “Snoopy vs. The Red Baron” (The Royal
Guardsmen) #3 “Tell It Like It Is” (Aaron Neville)
Monkees Quiz Answer: Three #1 hits – “Last Train To
Clarksville,” “I’m A Believer,” “Daydream Believer.”
And here’s something I don’t remember. The Monkees
television series, which premiered on September 12, 1966, ran on
Monday nights. I can’t recall if I was allowed to watch this,
being only 8 at the time. But I will forever be grateful to my
parents for letting me stay up and watch Johnny Carson’s
monologue from about age 12 on. I still miss the guy.
Football Player of the Year Quiz Answers: 1) 1960, AFL…
Abner Haynes, HB, Dallas Texans. 2) 1961, AFL…George
Blanda, QB, Houston. 3) 1962, NFL…Jim Taylor, FB, Green
Bay. 4) 1963, AFL (Sporting News)…Clem Daniels, HB,
Oakland. [Lance Alworth, WR, San Diego was the UPI’s
selection.] 5) 1966, AFL…Jim Nance, FB, Boston. 6) 1970,
NFL…John Brodie, QB, San Francisco. [George Blanda was the
Maxwell Club winner.] 7) 1976, AP…Bert Jones, QB,
Baltimore. [Ken Stabler was the Maxwell Club winner.]
Next Bar Chat, Tuesday.
