NBA / MLB Quiz: 1) LeBron James is threatening to become
just the 5th player in NBA history to average 25 ppg, 7 rebounds
and 7 assists. [He’s currently at 26.3, 6.9 rpg, 7.2 apg.] Name
the four who have accomplished the feat. 2) MLB: Name the top
five Latin Americans, all time, in hits. 3) Name the only three
Latin American pitchers to win more than 200 games. Answers
below.
1945
“You can always argue who was the greatest player, but Byron is
the finest gentleman the game has ever known.”
–Ken Venturi
And you’d also have a tough time coming up with a better single
year for any athlete than what golfer Byron Nelson accomplished
in 1945. All Nelson did was win 18 of 30 events entered, along
with seven 2nd-place finishes and a worst of 9th. Plus he had a
still-record 68.33 stroke average for the full year (67.45 in the
final round). [Tiger Woods is second in this category with a
68.41 in 2003.] Oh yeah, Byron also won 11 in a row. [The
PGA Tour’s second-longest streak is held by Woods and Ben
Hogan at six, though Tiger’s was over two years.] As Ben
Crenshaw said of Nelson’s spectacular year, “The consistency
just takes your breath away.”
Author and golf historian Martin Davis, who published a terrific
book on Nelson titled “Byron Nelson: The Story of Golf’s Finest
Gentleman and The Greatest Winning Streak in History,” also
notes that in evaluating Nelson’s achievements “it is important to
realize that he came along at a time in golf history that was one
of transition in two important ways: In golf equipment, and in the
role of the golf professional.”
“Byron began playing the game with hickory shafts, but he had
to adapt to the new steel shaft, which came into use early in his
career. The new shafts demanded a new swing, and Byron is
credited with its development…the ‘modern swing.’
“If you’ve ever swung an old hickory-shafted club, you will have
noted how the clubface opened on you going back. The opening
of the clubhead came about because of the twisting or ‘torque’ in
the wooden shaft….
“When Byron started to play with his first steel shafts, his old
swing simply didn’t work any more…and gradually he put
together a new swing to suit them.”
Back to 1945, imagine the pressure during Nelson’s streak.
After winning nine in a row, the headline was the same as it had
been after winning the first three or four… “Can Nelson Win
Again?”
As he went for his 10th at Tam O’Shanter in suburban Chicago,
he kissed his wife Louise has he left their hotel room.
“I hope I blow up,” he told her.
When he returned several hours later, Louise asked, “Well, did
you blow up?”
“Yes,” he said. “I shot 66.” Byron followed that with a 68-68-
67…269, 19 under and his 10th consecutive tourney. He won the
Canadian Open in Toronto the following week for #11 and then
two weeks later the streak was over as he finished 4th at
Memphis, though he won another four events the rest of the year
(to go along with the three he garnered before commencing the
record run).
So picture…18 wins in one year. Guess he just raked in all kinds
of endorsement dollars, eh? Well, not exactly. In an era before
television and Mark McCormack, his only commercial reward
was $200 and a case of Wheaties every month for a year.
“I like Wheaties,” he said, “but I couldn’t eat a case a month.”
Nelson’s official prize money for 1945, in cash and in War
Bonds if held to maturity, was $60,337.32. Based on today’s
purses, Nelson’s total winnings would be over $20 million
(starting with an average first place check these days of
$900,000+).
Yes, there are those cynics who say the fields were thin in 1945
with some strong competitors serving in World War II, but the
mere volume of his numbers, as well as his all-time best stroke
average of 68.33 for the full year (with inferior equipment and
course maintenance…I hasten to add) outweighs anything the
detractors can come up with.
What golfer Byron Nelson achieved in ‘45 must still be
considered one of the great achievements in all of sports. In fact
author Davis asks that you consider the following.
–Joe DiMaggio hit safely in 56 consecutive games for the
Yankees in 1941, but his .357 batting average that season was 3rd
in the American League.
–Johnny Unitas threw a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive
games for the Baltimore Colts, but he needed five seasons to do
it (1956-60). He also needed teammates.
–Martina Navratilova won 74 consecutive tennis matches while
winning 13 tournaments in 1984, but she had to conquer only
seven opponents in major tournaments, only six or five in the
others.
–Wilt Chamberlain averaged 50.4 points a game for the 1961-62
Philadelphia Warriors, but the Boston Celtics won the NBA
championship.
“Byron Nelson did it all in one year and all by himself,” Davis
concludes. “If somebody else was hot, he had to be hotter.”
Remarkable as it may seem, following his spectacular year
Byron was close to retiring. You see all he ever wanted to do
was make enough money to buy a ranch and after opening up
1946 with two more wins, he purchased his dream spread and
about a year later quit the tour at age 34. Byron never looked
back
Finally, Nelson’s good friend Ken Venturi has his favorite
testament to Byron’s character. Once the two were on a West
Coast tour of exhibition matches and at every stop Nelson would
ask two questions. “What’s the course record? And who owns
it?” One day Venturi asked Nelson why he asked those two.
“If the home pro owns the course record, you don’t break it,” he
explained. “The home pro lives there, we’re just visitors.”
You gotta love it. One of the greats in all of sports…Byron
Nelson.
Stuff
–Just how well did CBS do with the weekend’s thrilling NCAA
games? Very, very well, thank you. Sunday’s Michigan State –
Kentucky game was the highest rated NCAA regional contest
since Duke – Kentucky in 1992 (the Laettner game). Earlier, the
Wet Virginia – Louisville and Illinois – Arizona games were the
best in their slots since 1999 and 1993, respectively.
–Bill Pennington in The New York Times had the story of a
brother and sister who went to a book auction a few weeks ago
and dropped $6 on “Jesse James and His Greatest Hauls,” a non-
descript tome published in the 1920s. But when the brother
started flipping through the pages, out dropped something most
unusual. A ticket stub for a March 1, 1927 basketball game
featuring Jim Thorpe and “His World Famous Indians”. None of
Thorpe’s biographers even knew he had a 45-game barnstorming
tour back when he was 39. The brother / sister team that owns
the ticket has been offered $800 thus far for the stub but doesn’t
know if they’ll sell it at this point.
–Back in 1971, one in four major leaguers was black. Today it’s
less than one in ten. But in a survey by Don Burke of the Star-
Ledger, from 1962-99 the share of major leaguers of Latino
origin rose from 10-20%, and five years later it was up to 28%.
Also, for the first time in history, Latinos represent the majority
at a position with 52% of shortstops.
–George Steinbrenner says an asterisk should be attached to the
record of any ballplayer who used steroids.
“That would be the best thing to do. I know it takes a hell of a
hitter to do what Barry Bonds has done. He’s a hell of a player,
but the public is not going to be satisfied with the legitimacy of it
(a record).”
–Bloomberg News carried a story on the escalation in coaches’
salaries for college sports. For example, the swim coach at
Auburn earns $160,000 a year. Defensive coordinator Carl
Torbush at Texas A&M earns $250,000. Matt Painter, an
assistant basketball coach at Purdue earned $190,000. Others:
The top assistant basketball coach at North Carolina – $158,000
The ice hockey coach at Michigan – $162,000
The soccer coach at UConn – $125,000
Women’s tennis at Texas – $98,000
Men’s golf at Oklahoma State – $110,000
The average salary for a full professor at a university offering
doctoral degrees is $104,000.
–The Washington Post, commenting on Baltimore Orioles owner
Peter Angelos in a lead editorial on Tuesday.
“It is time for Major League Baseball to stand up to Peter G.
Angelos.”
Angelos is threatening to sue baseball and the Washington
Nationals for all manner of things and is preventing the Nationals
from having a television contract, unless they go through his
Orioles network.
“According to published reports, he has already received from
baseball officials a guaranteed minimum price of $365 million
should he decide to sell the Orioles. That’s more than twice the
amount Mr. Angelos paid for the franchise in 1993 – not bad for
a team whose attendance has plummeted on his watch.”
Everything Angelos wants, of course, is at the expense of the
Nationals.
–“60 Minutes Wednesday” reported that three Carolina Panthers
were issued a prescription for a steroid cream within two weeks
of the team’s 2004 Super Bowl appearance. One of the alleged
recipients was punter Todd Sauerbrun. A punter? Hey, I’d have
never thought of this angle but in hindsight it certainly makes
sense. All the more reason to look at non-stereotypical types,
such as pitchers. Or bloggers.
–Actually, pertaining to the above story, I subscribe to all
manner of golf magazines and there is growing concern there
could be a steroids scandal lurking in the rough. Now that would
suck.
–Johnnie Cochran, RIP
“Get me Johnnie!”
What a legend. And somewhere in my piles of photos I have a
great one of him, taken at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
My friend Phil W. and I had just settled into our awesome seats
for our first night of festivities, we were admiring the female
high-jumpers doing their thing right in front of us (ahem…),
when who should come bounding up the steps in front of us but
Johnnie Cochran. This was less than a year after O.J.’s acquittal
and Cochran was at the peak of his celebrity so the crowd around
us burst into “Johnnie…Johnnie…” Great fun and he wore a big
smile. That’s when I snapped my picture. If I ever find it I’ll
throw it up on this link.
–But then there is O.J. himself, who doesn’t know when to shut
up. He was quoted in the Los Angeles Times (via the AP), in
response to Cochran’s passing.
“I’ve got to say, I don’t think I’d be home today without Johnnie
….I always tell people, if your kids or your loved ones [bumped
off two people in the vestibule of a condo complex], you would
want Johnnie.”
–David Bushnell, the founder of Bushnell binoculars, died at the
age of 91. See, there was a Bushnell.
–And then I saw this headline as part of an obituary:
“Frank Livingstone, 76, taught Unabomber at U. of Michigan”
Great. Nice way to be remembered. Livingstone, a professor of
anthropology at the University of Michigan, once gave Ted
Kaczynski an A+. So what? This is newsworthy? Then again, it
did make this column. Hope his kids see it!
–Did you know that unless the Knicks’ Allan Houston retires,
the team has to fork over $19 million during next season just for
him to hold his place on the disabled list? I know I’ve brought
this up before but in light of the above story on Byron Nelson
I just thought it bore repeating…both men making roughly the
same in today’s dollars…except one wins 18 golf tournaments
and the other sits on his ass.
–Golfer Fred Funk’s win the other day at The Players
Championship is even more extraordinary upon closer
examination. Not only is he 48 (turning 49 in June), but while I
knew he had six other wins on tour I had no idea just how
‘minor’ the events were. To wit (and no offense to these
tournament sponsors):
1992 Shell Houston Open…1995 Ideon Classic at Pleasant
Valley, Buick Challenge…1996 B.C. Open…1998 Deposit
Guaranty Golf Classic…2004 Southern Farm Bureau
Classic…and then the Players’ title. You da man, Freddie!
–I owned two Mark McGwire 1984 United States Baseball Team
cards when he was an Olympian and always knew they were
worth something, but I gave one to a cousin who was a huge
McGwire fan while I held the other (and still have it). What I
didn’t know, though, until perusing the April 4 issue of
Newsweek, is that the card’s value peaked in 2000 at, get this,
$10,000! Today they still say it’s worth $600, even after the
steroids controversy. Hell, I’d sell my card for $600. Any
takers?
[The way I see it…Smithwick’s Ale, of Ireland’s oldest brewery,
is now available at my local liquor store for an admittedly
premium price of $6.99 a six. Call it $6.50 in bulk…or about 90
six-packs for one McGwire card! You’re reading Bar Chat……]
–So I’m reading Runners World and here’s the lowdown on
eggs, courtesy of Liz Applegate, PH.D.
“What’s top on my list of perfect foods for runners? Eggs. In a
mere 70 calories per large egg, you get six grams of high-quality
protein, a good dose of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, more
than 30 percent of your vitamin K needs (a nutrient crucial to
bone health), and other nutrients including brain-boosting
choline and eye-saving lutein.
“Sure, eggs are loaded with cholesterol. But research has shown
that those who eat eggs – even those who eat them every day –
may have a lower risk for heart disease than those who avoid
them. Scientists currently speculate that it’s the amount of
saturated and trans fats – not the amount of cholesterol – in your
diet that raises your heart-disease risk.”
Egg Beaters are a good substitute.
There…just thought it was time someone stuck up for the
freakin’ egg….know what I’m sayin’?!
[Of course regarding the above, Burger King’s new egg
sandwich, the monstrosity with two huge omelets, sausage and
other stuff, is probably a bit too many eggs in one sitting.]
–April 2, 1805…Hans Christian Andersen is born in Odense,
Denmark. Hans was the son of a cobbler who started writing in
1827 and by the time of his death in 1875 had written 212 tales,
including The Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, and The Ugly
Duckling. Thumbelina really freaked me out, quite frankly.
Top 3 songs for the week of 3/29/75: #1 “Lady Marmalade”
(LaBelle) #2 “Lovin’ You” (Minnie Ripperton…chirp chirp…
cheep cheep) #3 “Philadelphia Freedom” (The Elton John Band)
NBA / MLB Quiz Answers: 1) Four in the 25-7-7 club –
Oscar Robertson, 1960-66!
1960-61: 30.5, 10.1 rpg, 9.7 apg
1961-62: 30.8, 12.5, 11.4
1962-63: 28.3, 10.4, 9.5
1963-64: 31.4, 9.9, 11.0
1964-65: 30.4, 9.0, 11.5
1965-66: 31.3, 7.7, 11.1
John Havlicek, 1970-72
1970-71: 28.9, 9.0, 7.5
1971-72: 27.5, 8.2, 7.5
Larry Bird
1986-87: 28.1, 9.2, 7.6
Michael Jordan
1988-89: 32.5, 8.0, 8.0
2) Latin Americans / Hits
Rod Carew (Panama) 3,053
Roberto Clemente (Puerto Rico) 3,000
Rafael Palmeiro (Cuba) 2,922
Tony Perez (Cuba) 2,732
Roberto Alomar (Puerto Rico) 2,724
3) Latin Americans / Wins [Only three with 200]
Dennis Martinez (Nicaragua) 245
Juan Marichal (Dominican Republic) 243
Luis Tiant (Cuba) 229
Next Bar Chat, Tuesday…Deadwood, the real story.
