U.S. Open Golf Quiz: Name the five who have won three or
more Opens. [Hint: The first one on the list won four from 1901-
05.] Answer below.
Rafael Nadal
I can’t stand this guy. Anyone who grunts like he does, even
worse than Monica Seles in her heyday, gets on my black list.
But he is a pretty fair tennis player, I guess. I caught some of the
French Open men’s final and Nadal whipped up on the classy
Roger Federer in four sets. Nadal is now 6-1 lifetime vs.
Federer, who also lost his first Grand Slam final and is now 7-1
in these events. In winning, Nadal extended his rather
impressive clay court winning streak to a record 60 matches.
So as I noted a while back, we have this great rivalry and it’s
hoped here that Federer annihilates Nadal at Wimbledon and the
U.S. Open. The two have at least given men’s tennis a real shot
in the arm, though as Johnny Mac says, these two upcoming
events are really the only ones that draw any kind of interest and
in this there’s a lesson for golf as it gears up for a new tour
format next year; one which encourages Tiger and Phil to appear
in a slew of events together, while the other half of the tourneys
will have less than stellar fields. For the first time in my golf fan
career, I’ve found myself blowing off some Sunday final rounds
this year if no big names are involved and it’s going to be even
worse in 2007.
The Barry Watch
Not sure if this should be a suicide watch, but as the New York
Times’ Murray Chass wrote on Sunday, it would appear federal
investigators are awful close to nailing Bonds on perjury, money
laundering and tax evasion charges. Undoubtedly that’s why
you’re now seeing Barry scramble big time…like in offering to
talk to Major League Baseball as long as it’s not used against
him by the feds. Of course that seems virtually impossible, plus
it’s not like Sen. Mitchell can grant Barry immunity. And so we
wish the heroic grand jury working on the Bonds case all the
best.
Yes, the whole steroid issue is heating up anew thanks to Jason
Grimsley, drug-runner, and we continue to await the release of
names blacked out in his affidavit. It was also nice of former
major leaguer Jim Leyritz to tell us he took human growth
hormone following surgery because he was told it would speed
up his recovery time (see also pitchers). In addition Leyritz
admitted he was a heavy amphetamine user, even though to be
fair I’ll add his quote from the “Opie and Anthony” radio show.
“I think the idea that guys were using (amphetamines) every day
is nuts. You would be dead. This was instead of drinking 10
cups of coffee on those days you were really dragging. This was
not a drug problem. Nobody was doing this in the offseason.”
And in other drug news, Albert Pujols’ trainer is denying he has
been advising players, including Albert, on steroids and
amphetamines. Chris Mihlfeld denied a web site report he has
been linked to the Grimsley investigation. Mihlfeld
“guaranteed” Pujols is steroid free.
As for reaction to Grimsley and his being nailed by the feds,
former teammate Jeff Nelson said “(Taking steroids) is
something that’s wrong to do, obviously. But to go and start
throwing other guys under the bus is definitely wrong as well.
Take the blame. You should take the hit and not have to be
putting it on anybody else or (saying), ‘Hey I got caught with it.
I think I’m going to bring some other guys down with me.’
That’s what’s wrong.” [USA Today]
It’s called saving your skin, Jeff.
Mike Lupica / New York Daily News
[In light of my comments on Roger Clemens over the years.]
“Roger Clemens is having the same kind of second half of his
career that Bonds is having. He is one of a handful of pitchers
who goes against everything we have ever seen in pitching in the
history of the world, which means his fastball has gotten better
and better after the age of 35, which is when pitchers start to
break down. And we are supposed to take it on faith, even as he
signs one amazing contract after another as he approaches his
44th birthday, that it’s that workout regimen of his, with maybe
some B-12 shots thrown in there.
“We are supposed to take it on faith that current home run heroes
aren’t on anything because they’ve never tested positive for
anything. Grimsley didn’t, either, at least not after that survey
year that has brought us to the testing program baseball now has,
one that still does not prevent us from seeing suspects all over
the sport.
“Now one of the suspects gets busted. When he does, when
Jason Grimsley has the feds come to his front door, he apparently
started singing like he was on ‘American Idol’ until he got
lawyered up.”
Mike Vaccaro / New York Post
“If baseball believed it had suffered indignities the past few
years, it better be ready for Armageddon now. In Grimsley, the
government not only has someone with enough knowledge to
bring down a bloody scythe, but someone with the motivation to
talk, and someone who has clearly already loosened his tongue…
“And in so many ways, that makes all of this a wonderful
development in this ugly chapter of the game’s history, because
we are now closer than ever before to getting real testimony and
real results, and getting a real light shined upon the muck. No
longer can baseball single out Barry Bonds, its most convenient
target. Not when we get the names out from under that black
magic marker….
“Baseball’s Henry Hill is clearing his throat, even if it means he
gets to live the rest of his life like a schnook, and that means
plenty of other former Phillies, former Royals, former Orioles,
former Indians and former Diamondbacks get to live the next
few weeks and months like terrified perps-in-waiting. Get your
helmet on. This is going to get ugly.”
—
Bear Stuff
From Craig Medred / Anchorage Daily News
“I have a confession; I’ve been running in bear country again.
“I know, a bunch of people who study bears say this is bad. We
heard it again when runner Michael Mongoven stumbled into a
sow grizzly near Anchor Point at the end of May and got chewed
up. He survived, as do most bear attack victims, but still there
were the warnings….
“(However), according to David Ropeik and George Gray,
(authors of) ‘Risk: A Practical Guide to Deciding What’s Really
Dangerous in the World Around You,’ the chances of anyone
being attacked by bear are 1 in 410,000. The chances of being
killed are even smaller: 1 in 1.2 million.
“You are more than 4,600 times as likely to be killed or seriously
injured in an automobile accident than to be attacked by a bear,
let alone killed by one.”
Well this is just stupid. Your odds of being killed by a bear
while running in bear country are clearly like 1 in 3. Thousands
of fatalities simply aren’t reported. [It’s a major Eastern
conspiracy, you know.]
Craig Medred then notes the following. “Runners make more
noise puffing and thumping through the woods than do people
out for a walk….I have witnessed bears abandoning Raven Creek
Valley as the Crow Pass Crossing foot race progresses down a
trail through the alders, willows, and head-high grass.”
Well of course they do! Geezuz, one bear isn’t going to take on
an entire Nike Legion, for crying out loud. But if you’re running
alone, you’re dead meat….actually fresh meat, but you see where
I’m coming from.
A few days a week I jog through this wooded park on the
outskirts of the Great Swamp and clearly there are bear passing
through now and then. But I always make sure a mother pushing
her baby in a stroller is nearby, which should be a tip for all of
you, boys and girls. Never put yourself at risk. Make sure a
defenseless baby stands between you and Smokey.
But back to Mr. Medred, he continues:
“(If) rumbling through bear country at some speed really is more
dangerous than tiptoeing through slowly, you’d think mountain
bikers would be the people getting mauled. They seem like
perfect candidates. They’re often going fast down wilderness
trails. They’re usually on rough terrain that demands so much
concentration there’s no time to be looking around for bears or
sign of bears….
“Because of these things, mountain bikers have been known to
maul bears instead of vice-versa.
“Several bears have been hit by mountain bikers at Whistler-
Blackcomb, the big ski resort outside Vancouver, British
Columbia….Downhill mountain bikers rocketing onto trails
through the berry patches have surprised and then collided with
bears….
“But there are precious few reports of bears attacking mountain
bikers.”
Well this is just another incredibly stupid argument. Of course
mountain bikers can outrun bears, just like a Ferrari can.
But then Medred doesn’t tell you what happens at night at
Whistler-Blackcomb, when the bears get their revenge, having
paid off desk clerks for the room numbers of bikers.
At least Medred admits a rather scary personal encounter.
“I was moose hunting years ago when I ended up in close
proximity to a grizzly sow and cubs. She charged. I hesitated
to shoot, thinking she was bluffing. She wasn’t. She ran me
over, knocked me down, and grabbed me by the ankle.
“At that point, I shot her. It is an experience I have no desire to
replay.”
And Harry K., yes, Medred says he carries pepper spray while
jogging these days, but he doesn’t wear your recommended bells.
I expect to be reading his obituary in the next year or so.
[I don’t wear bells myself because I have those aforementioned
mothers and babies nearby instead.]
Other Stuff
–World Cup
My Paraguay team lost to England 1-0 on an ‘own’ goal. But I
haven’t given up hope they’ll advance. Ditto my pick to take it
all (one of the stupider ones of my life, actually), Ivory Coast,
which lost to Argentina 2-1.
And so far, the ugliest jersey goes to Iran. But then I’d expect
nothing less from Ahmadinejad’s gang. [Angola’s, on the other
hand, had a “clean” look.]
–Not since Jesse Owens in the 1930s had a man won four races
in the NCAA track and field championships, but this weekend
LSU’s Xavier Carter did just that in winning the 100 and 400
meters, as well as participating in his team’s winning 1,600- and
400-meter relay efforts. Maybe you have to have run track to
appreciate how great this is, but think of the fact he ran the 100
and 400 just 30 minutes apart. [FYI…Owens won the 100 and
200 sprints, as well as the low hurdles and the long jump.]
–Jamaica’s Asafa Powell equaled the record in the 100 meters,
9.77, at a meet in Britain. Powell and Justin Gatlin are slated to
finally duke it out in London on July 28, which is kind of funny
because I thought Gatlin was looking to meet Powell in the
hottest locale possible and unless global warming is hitting even
faster than I thought, London in July doesn’t normally provide
the 85 degree temps that sprinters love.
–Belgium’s Justine Henin-Hardenne won her third French Open
title, defeating the Russkie Svetlana Kuznetsova. Henin-
Hardenne has now carved out quite a career for herself as it was
her fifth Grand Slam championship overall.
–How about some good baseball news? Every fan of the sport
has a different way of reading box scores, especially these days
with the Internet. But while I read details of every Mets game,
there is one player in baseball that I look up every day as well
and that’s Seattle’s Ichiro.
So Johnny Mac and I were musing the other day on how out of
nowhere Ichiro is suddenly back in top form. All good baseball
fans hope he one day makes a run at .400 and it’s not necessarily
out of the question that it won’t be this year.
But picture this, he started off the season 11-for-62 and was
hitting .177 on April 18. The next game he went 4-for-4, the first
of five such 4-hit games already this year, and he’s been on a
.419 tear since…an astounding 91-for-217 streak thru Sunday’s
play as his average is now all the way up to .366.
–Johnny Mac’s research on lousy hitting pitchers reveals Al
Leiter, .085 lifetime with 290 strikeouts in 530 at bats. [In 2003
he was 1 for 53.] And John Burkett, who hit .093 in his career,
including 1 for 55 in 1992. [Geezuz, J. Mac. I forgot Burkett
won 166 games.]
–New Jersey became the first state to begin testing for steroids at
the high school level, though the program is limited. It appears it
will initially be geared only to athletes involved in individual or
team championships. If you test positive to one of 80 substances,
you face a one-year loss of eligibility.
Of course steroids is rampant in my state just like it is at the high
school level all over the country. I’m picturing a big-name
player at Boston College these days who when he was an all-
state performer in high school was as obvious a case of steroid
abuser as I’ve ever seen. The guy, white, was absolutely
humongous and it sure as hell wasn’t from just weight-lifting.
But at least New Jersey has taken a step, and it was former Gov.
Dick Codey who spearheaded the effort.
–Goodness gracious. If you have money these days, lots of it,
there’s no shortage of interesting opportunities. Like the one
Phil Mickelson is participating in, according to the Wall Street
Journal. He is shelling out $3.4 million “for a membership at St.
Andrews Grand, a private club and time-share residence that
overlooks the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland.”
It’s four-bedrooms with a wraparound terrace and views of the
first tee and 18th fairway. Membership residences at this
century-old dormitory that is being renovated cost between $1.3
and $3.4 million for nine weeks reserved occupancy. Plus you
still have to shell out annual club fees of between $26,000 and
$34,700…and you have to fight for tee times at St. Andrews, a
public course.
–Shaq was 1-of-9 at the free throw line in Game One of the
NBA Finals. Then in Game Two, he was 1-of-7…with only five
points overall. Dallas is up 2-0.
–We note the passing of former pitcher Mo Drabowsky at the age
of 70. Drabowsky pitched from 1956-72, but is best known for his
sterling relief effort in Game One of the 1966 World Series.
Pitching for Baltimore, Drabowsky threw 6 2/3 of scoreless ball,
striking out 11, as the Orioles went on to sweep the Dodgers, 4-0.
–From a story in the New York Post:
“A Brooklyn family’s precious pooch was accidentally ‘roasted’
to death after the tiny Shih Tzu was left under a grooming
parlor’s scorching blow dryer for too long…
“Eight-year-old Zoe Del Toro dropped off her pup, Phoebe, for
an annual shave and shampoo at the Brooklyn Zoo & Aquarium
…never suspecting she would not see the dog alive again.
“Zoe and her mom, Tina, ran errands, and when the car phone
rang two hours later, the pair thought the groomer was calling to
tell them to come pick up Phoebe.”
Alas, that wasn’t the case.
“ ‘They said your dog has passed,’ Tina recalled. ‘I said, ‘Passed
where?’ They said, ‘Your dog is dead.’”
“When Tina arrived at the groomers, she was handed Phoebe in a
cardboard box – which was still hot to the touch.”
“Most groomers dry dogs by hand…but (Peter) Eppilito’s shop,
which grooms at least 150 animals a week, also puts dogs in
cages that have dryers clipped to them.”
Well you can imagine word of this is spreading quickly in the
animal kingdom. If I were Mr. Eppilito, I wouldn’t be sleeping
well.
–Perhaps Bruno the Bear could do in Eppilito. Johnny Mac
passed along a story that the German bruin continues to elude
authorities after crossing the Austrian border a few weeks ago.
Der Spiegel reports that as of late last week, Bruno had killed at
least 30 sheep…as well as a few rabbit. [Of course had he not
taken out the rabbits, they would have multiplied by at least
6,000-fold in just the next few months.]
Wildlife officials, though, are concerned for Bruno’s safety and
one organization is offering a substantial reward for his capture,
alive.
Farmers, though, say Bruno is a merciless killer and German
officials are concerned he is about to launch a series of home
invasions.
Knock knock.
“Who’s there?”
“Candy gram.”
–I see where Chile has been importing water buffalo, the latest
from Australia. But did you know that water buffalo farming is a
big deal on the South American continent? In Argentina there
are 65,000. Don’t they know these animals are dangerous? Then
again, maybe they can counter Hugo Chavez’s designs for
regional domination.
[There’s a story in the Sunday New York Times on Venezuela’s
weekend reserve units, including a picture of a 74-year-old
grandmother leading exercises. Friends, I think we can
downgrade the Chavez threat to Level I.]
–Vijay Singh tied Sam Snead this weekend in winning at
Westchester. It was Vijay’s 17th PGA Tour title since turning 40,
matching Snead’s mark. This is a helluva accomplishment,
especially when you consider how few tour golfers win more
than, say, two in their entire careers. [Vijay now has 29 overall.]
[We also wish ABC golf analyst Judy Rankin the best as she
battles breast cancer. She’s as classy as they come.]
–According to a Harris poll, Tiger Woods is the most popular
male athlete, surpassing Michael Jordan for the first time since
1993. But Brett Favre is 3rd! Why? And Barry Bonds is 10th!
He shouldn’t be on this list at all.
But I’m even more upset at the women’s side. Venus Williams
is #1, with Serena #2. These two has-beens are followed by Mia
Hamm (whatever), Michelle Wie (now we’re talkin’), Danica
Patrick (ooh baby), Michelle Kwan (loser), Annika Sorenstam
(eh), Maria Sharapova (should be #1), Anna Kournikova (no
longer an athlete…but I’d place her #1-A, anyway) and Sasha
Cohen (loser). Hey, where’s Peggy Fleming?!
–From the New York Post’s Page Six:
“A French men’s club that charges members a whopping
$50,000 a year is looking for ‘stunning women and models’ to
work as exotic dancers, bartenders and waitresses at its soon-to-
open Midtown location. Chateau du Grand Vaucroze, based in
Avignon, will pay each beauty around $140,000 a year to work at
the shadowy Manhattan joint, which opens in September,
according to an ad on Craig’s List. ‘The club services high-class,
high net worth individuals who pay a membership fee of
$50,000,’ reads the ad. ‘We have the best cuisine for this type of
venue and are considered one of the classiest, best places to work
in France.’”
But just imagine the kind of a-holes you’d have to work for,
girls.
Top 3 songs for the week of 6/11/66: #1 “Paint It, Black” (The
Rolling Stones) #2 “Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your
Mind?” (The Lovin’ Spoonful…they did better) #3 “I Am A
Rock” (Simon and Garfunkel)…and…#6 “Strangers In The
Night” (Frank Sinatra) #7 “Monday, Monday” (The Mamas and
the Papas) #8 “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” (James
Brown…it’s only taken 40 years, but I’m finally appreciating
this guy’s greatness)
U.S. Open Golf Quiz Answer: Willie Anderson, Ben Hogan,
Bobby Jones and Jack Nicklaus won four titles; Hale Irwin did it
three times.
*And now…your exclusive Bar Chat pick to win the U.S. Open,
Adam Scott! [Yes, this is only about the 16th time I’ve picked
him to win a major. But seriously, take out a second home
equity line on this one.]
Next Bar Chat, Thursday.
