1976 Olympics Boxing Quiz: The other day Sports Illustrated
had a “Where are they now?” segment on Team USA. Of the 11
members of the boxing team, name the five who won gold. Of
course you’ll get some help.
Davey Armstrong (Featherweight), Louis Curtis (Light
Flyweight), Howard Davis (Lightweight), Clint Jackson
(Welterweight), Sugar Ray Leonard (Light Welterweight),
Charles Mooney (Bantamweight), Leo Randolph (Flyweight),
Leon Spinks (Light heavyweight), Michael Spinks
(Middleweight), John Tate (Heavyweight), Chuck Walker (Light
Middleweight)
Champions Golf Quiz: OK, this one is for fanatics only. Only
two have won two senior events at the age of 60 or older. One is
Hale Irwin, who won two events at 60 last year. Who is the
other? [Hint: He is far from a big name and won his events in
1995 and 1996.]
Answers below.
—
Zidane
As I go to post, France’s national captain Zinedine Zidane is
giving a French television station his version of the headbutt that
rocked the world. Incredibly, one poll has a majority of the
French people condoning his behavior; which means France and
Italy are headed for war…..no, really.
In the meantime, here is a sampling of opinion.
“The blue angel turned into a devil,” noted the daily Le Parisien,
playing off the football team’s nickname – Les Bleus. But the
paper ran a “Thank You” headline on its front page in tribute to
the team’s overall effort.
France’s top sports paper, L’Equipe, called Zidane’s act “stupid.”
“Zinedine, you know, the hardest thing is not to try to understand
why Les Bleus, your Bleus, lost the World Cup final, but to
explain to tens of millions around the world how you could have
let yourself go and headbutt Marco Materazzi, 10 minutes from
the end of extra time.
“What should we tell our children and all those for whom you
have become an example forever?”
L’Equipe said Zidane had merely been called a “terrorist,” while
Italian media outlets first reported Materazzi had called Zidane a
“dirty Muslim.”
But French President Jacques Chirac, on welcoming the French
team afterwards, said:
“Dear Zinedine, in such a hard and intense moment for you, I
would like to express the whole nation’s affection and admiration
for you. You are a virtuoso, a genius of soccer and an
exceptional human being. That is why France admires you.”
The International Herald Tribune quoted a French girl as saying,
“There is no God except Zidane.”
Oh brother.
Well, as some of you have heard, exhaustive study of the match
video, with the help of an Italian translator and lip reader Jessica
Rees, reveals that Materazzi called Zidane, whose parents are
Algerian immigrants, “the son of a terrorist whore” before
adding “so just f*** off” for good measure, supporting the
assumption that the Frenchman must have been grievously
insulted. [Matt Hughes / London Times]
For his part Materazzi denied this, emphasizing he had never
been accused of racism. “It is absolutely not true. I did not call
him a terrorist.” But then he went on to say “I don’t even know
what the word means.” I guess we’re supposed to believe that.
Matt Hughes:
“With Materazzi denying all such charges, sources close to the
Italy defender even claimed that he had been insulted. Several
Italian newspapers claimed yesterday that Zidane had insulted
the Inter Milan player’s mother, with Materazzi retorting that the
Frenchman ‘made love to his sister.’”
Regardless, Zidane had been red-carded 13 other times in his
career, including for headbutting a player in 2000 (for which he
was suspended for five matches) and the infamous stomping
incident at the 1998 World Cup, which kept him out of action
two games then.
But while Zidane gives his television interview, for now we’ll
conclude with the thoughts of Flip Bondy of the New York Daily
News.
“Genius is ever so close to madness. We’ve seen it before.
Musicians, painters and soccer players can cross over at any
instant, from Mozart to Van Gogh to Maradona.
“And so there was Zinedine Zidane, France’s mastermind, going
off the ledge last night. He went nuts, went out like a thug, like
Dennis Rodman, with a headbutt to the chest of Marco Materazzi
….This was some fairy tale, an ending by way of the Grimms,
not Hans Christian Andersen.”
—
Merv!
On July 6, Merv Griffin turned 81. Some of us grew up
watching his talk shows. [In my case the version that aired from
8:30-10:00 PM.] He’s a piece of work, and has been wildly
successful.
About a month ago, John Colapinto wrote a terrific piece on
Griffin for Rolling Stone. A few thoughts and excerpts follow.
On his sexuality, Merv Griffin was into maintaining an air of
mystery. “I’m a quatre-sexual,” he once told the New York
Times. “I will do anything with anybody for a quarter.”
Griffin’s a right-wing Republican and a big fan of President
Bush.
“Ooooh, I love him, yes. He’s funny, bright, intelligent and
loves to have a good time.”
Merv says of Donald Rumsfeld, “I love that guy!”
And then he says, “I love Condoleezza; we have the best time
together!”
But when he was on television, Griffin kept his politics to
himself. “I felt it would hurt the interview. I never revealed it
until my friend became the president of the United States.”
That was Ronald Reagan. Nancy, as you saw at Ronnie’s
funeral, is still one of Merv’s good friends and they talk every
day. As Colapinto was doing the interview with Griffin the
phone rang.
“Naaaaancy.”
For her part, Nancy Reagan is forever grateful for Griffin’s
friendship during the long years Ronnie was ill.
“Merv’s a real upper. He will not let himself be depressed or
low. He cheers you right up.”
Griffin was also a big supporter during and after the
assassination attempt on President Reagan and it was Merv who
recommended Nancy consult with Joan Quigley, the psychic.
Merv makes no apologies. “She was very good,” he says.
But regarding his entertainment career, it was back in 1962 that
Merv filled in as guest host on “The Tonight Show” when Jack
Paar was still hosting that one. Johnny Carson ended up getting
the job when Paar left, but as a way of keeping Griffin at the
network, NBC gave Merv his own daytime talk show. During
the negotiations, Merv exhibited the kind of skill that would
make him a legend, negotiating for himself a staggering $18,000
a week.
“Ooooooh, I did love negotiation. Because it’s a contest – one
mind-set against another, and you’re talking about your own
value. People who star in things don’t go on negotiations, but I
did.”
Merv got off to a better start with his daytime venture than
Johnny Carson did with “The Tonight Show,” but eventually
Johnny caught his stride and Merv’s own ratings began to slide.
But as part of his deal with NBC, Griffin had demanded his own
production company and he began pitching ideas. He had a twist
on the standard quiz show. Contestants would get the answer
and have to come up with the question.
Jeopardy!
“He ran practice games in his Central Park West apartment. He
introduced the idea of penalizing players for wrong answers.
‘No other show ever took money away,’ says Merv. ‘We did.’”
[John Colapinto]
Merv also wrote the song.
“Back then,” he says, “all these game-show themes were very
ominous – this mysterioso music. I thought I better not revert to
anything that was done in the past. So I went to the piano and
fiddled around. I went…. ‘lah-de-dah-dah, lah-de-dah.’ It
couldn’t have taken a half-hour.”
Guess how much Griffin thinks he’s made off that one song?
Try $80 million. But this is just the beginning. Recently, he
opened a piece of mail and it contained a “huge” check. “I
couldn’t think what it was for,” says Merv. “I had to ask the
young people in my office, ‘What does this “ring tone” mean?’”
We progress to 1969 and Johnny Carson is kicking butt. Griffin
had re-launched his talk show as a syndicated program. Griffin
knew Carson was now getting $40,000 a week and that CBS was
desperate to challenge NBC so he asked for $80,000…and he got
it.
Merv was goooood….very gooood. For example, Johnny wasn’t
getting along with his brother Dick, who was producing “The
Tonight Show,” so Merv hired Dick away. Dick Carson
remained with Merv for thirty years.
But as for his late night battle against Johnny, after a brief spurt,
Griffin couldn’t keep up. Merv moved the show from New York
to Los Angeles to better compete for guests but that didn’t really
work.
Then he hit on the idea of doing single-theme, hot-button issue
programming. As Merv puts it, he was well ahead of Oprah in
having panel discussions on incest, pedophilia and transsexuals.
Merv is actually kind of pissed at Oprah for never
acknowledging this.
But Merv’s gimmicks didn’t work in the ratings games either.
Carson once urged his viewers to “make sure you watch Merv
tonight. He’s got one of his provocative themes – six Lithuanian
proctologists who want to be nuns.” By Dec. 1971, two years
after it started, “The Merv Griffin Show” was canceled.
Once again, though, Griffin came out smelling like a rose. CBS
dumped him but a new syndication company put his show on the
air and this “Merv Griffin Show” (the one I watched) debuted in
March 1972 and stayed on the air for fourteen years.
Towards the end of this run, though, the program was dated, to
say the least. Griffin’s interviews were increasingly with
“septuagenarians like Orson Welles and Laurence Olivier…with
Merv, gray-headed, rotund but ever-twinkly, lamenting the
demise of ‘the old Hollywood glamour.’ One night in 1985 he
innocently observed to insult comedian Don Rickles, ‘Sometimes
you say things that really surprise me,’ and Rickles shot back,
‘Be surprised I’m here.’” [John Colapinto]
In 1986, however, Columbia Pictures Entertainment offered $250
million for Merv Griffin Enterprises, which was built around
“Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune.” Merv snapped it up and
with that he taped his last “Merv Griffin Show.”
But he was still just 61. So he bought the Beverly Hills Hilton
and pumped $60 million into it. He purchased other hotels. And
then in 1988 he got into Atlantic City, acquiring Resorts
International, which included the Paradise Island property. Merv
outmaneuvered Donald Trump in the process and while they’ve
battled for years since, Trump admits “Merv is a very
sophisticated businessman. He’s very affable, and at the same
time he’s a tough negotiator….I like Merv. But, his only
problem is that he has never been able to say that Donald Trump
beat the s*** out of him in business.”
Actually, the numbers show Griffin won. Merv ended up selling
Resorts to Sol Kerzner, the South African billionaire.
Oh, sure, Merv’s had his share of problems. Like a nasty divorce
and then in 1991 a palimony suit. Merv called the later
“extortion.”
Then Denny Terrio, the host of “Dance Fever” (I liked this show
…or rather, I liked the dancers), charged sexual harassment,
claiming Merv had propositioned him and then fired him when
Terrio declined the offer. Both the palimony suit and Terrio’s
case were thrown out of court.
Go Merv! Hey, what’s not to love about the guy? He ‘gamed’
the system, so to speak. And he’s been good to Nancy.
Stuff
–John Canzano (Knight Ridder) had the following thoughts on
former slugger Jose Canseco.
“On ‘60 Minutes,’ Canseco told the truth about baseball’s steroid
problem. In his book, ‘Juiced,’ he told the truth about former
teammate Rafael Palmeiro. He also correctly predicted the
commissioner’s office would be slow to react to the steroid issue.
Later, he said MLB would go public in a big way once it realized
the story wasn’t going way….
“So when Canseco recently called baseball ‘the mafia’ and
suggested the sport isn’t interested in knowing the truth about
some star players’ use of performance-enhancing drugs, I refused
to dismiss him as a desperate, bitter ex-star, clinging to the public
spotlight and trying to sell a few more books.
“Instead, I got worried for MLB. And I hoped that Canseco…
won’t stop talking candidly until the game gets honest with itself.
“ ‘The policy sounds great, but that’s not the problem,’ Canseco
told reporters. ‘There are major problems not with the policies
but the individuals who are instituting this policy. For example,
and this is theoretical, if Roger Clemens gets tested and he gets
tested positive…what do these individuals do with this policy? I
think it’s going to depend on a case-to-case, player-to-player
basis.’
“Then, Canseco hinted that what the public has seen in the area
of steroid use by MLB players is ‘the tip of the iceberg,’ and that
more damaging news will come.”
For its part, all Major League Baseball could say was Canseco’s
comments were “complete nonsense.”
John Canzano:
“This is pretty much the same thing Palmeiro said about
Canseco. And it’s the same thing baseball said when Canseco
made his original statements on steroids. And this isn’t to say
that MLB is guilty as charged here, but it must certainly be aware
that Canseco made his original statements on steroids. And this
isn’t to say that MLB is guilty as charged here, but it must
certainly be aware that Canseco, and the public who trust he has
no agenda, are watching.
“As a human, Canseco is flawed. As a ballplayer, he’s broken.
But as a messenger in this steroid scam, he’s been dead perfect.”
[Source: Star-Ledger]
But this isn’t all. In a survey of 476 major leaguers by USA
Today, 75% believe some players have used amphetamines
(banned) this season, and 69% said their colleagues have used
another performance-enhancing drug, such as steroids or HGH.
Thirteen players are on track this season for 50 home runs, a feat
accomplished by only 22 in baseball history. Some of this can be
attributed to the band boxes that are becoming the norm, like in
Philadelphia, but perhaps most damning is this item.
“There have been 10 homers hit at least 470 feet this season,
including three blasts of more than 490 feet, according to USA
Today research.”
Veteran Boston reliever Rudy Seanez said, “Come on, do they
think we’re idiots? Are we really supposed to believe this is
normal? Guys are hitting home runs one-handed to the upper
deck. It’s a joke.”
Wrigley Field has seen two, 8-homer games this season.
On the other hand, while it’s now obvious pitchers have been as
big a group of offenders as hitters over the years, Minnesota
Twins outfielder Torii Hunter said “I’m not the only one who has
noticed guys out there whose velocity is down” as more stringent
testing has gone into place.
But there is also no doubt the players do work out more than
ever, they are stronger (and perhaps not always because of
steroids), the ball is clearly a little juiced, and you have these
small ballparks. [That’s a pretty meek defense, I think you’d
agree.]
Of course one of the big stories at the All-Star Game on Tuesday
was the absence of one Barry Bonds.
New York Daily News reporter Mike Lupica:
“If it were someone else but Barry Bonds with all these home
runs, if it were anybody else, you know they would have changed
the rules to get him to this All-Star Game, aching knees or not.
They would have found a way to get him at least one swing
against the American League. But he is not someone else. He is
who he is and what he is, the guy who isn’t there in Pittsburgh.
Baseball won’t miss him because no one will.
“The great Henry Aaron, the all-time home run king of baseball,
the one who Bonds limps after until he finally limps away from
his sport for good, played his final All-Star Game at County
Stadium in Milwaukee in 1975. Aaron was with the Brewers by
then, a designated hitter, and ended up getting one at-bat.
“The leadoff hitter for Aaron’s team that All-Star night in
Milwaukee 31 years ago? A Yankee outfielder named Bobby
Bonds.
“All this time later, Bonds’ son, one of the most gifted players of
all time before he grew faster than the Internet, has 720 career
home runs….And if the son had done things differently, had not
used the performance-enhancing drugs he is believed to have
used by everyone except his most blind and ridiculous
supporters, there would have been everything except a write-in
movement to get Bonds to Pittsburgh, get him a proper All-Star
sendoff. Instead, you know commissioner Bud Selig wanted
Bonds nowhere near this game, the way Selig wanted to be
nowhere near Bonds when he hit No. 715….
“There are people in baseball who now believe Bonds will be
indicted for perjury, and possible tax evasion for money he gifted
to a former girlfriend, before he ever appears in another All-Star
Game, or breaks any further home run records.”
New York Daily News’ Michael O’Keeffe and T.J. Quinn:
“Barry Bonds has played in 13 All-Star Games during his career,
but during yesterday’s All-Star media sessions he seemed like
one of those old Soviet leaders who were airbrushed out of
photographs when they fell out of favor with their peers.
“While the players themselves tried to avoid any topic outside
the gentle fairways of good news, the U.S. Attorney’s office in
San Francisco is mulling over whether it will seek an indictment
against Bonds, perhaps as soon as next week.”
Yippee!!!!!!!!
Meanwhile, Commissioner Bud Selig said baseball is focusing
on amphetamine use. Paul White of USA Today reported:
“Selig said in discussions with team officials he heard the theory
that players who had become used to helping boost their energy
with amphetamines, or ‘greenies,’ as the season wore on now
will tire or be more susceptible to injury.
“ ‘The use of amphetamines seems to bother the medical people
more than anything else,’ Selig said of the message he received
in meetings with team doctors and trainers. ‘They told me
someone was going to die.’”
No tears will be shed here should this prove to be the case.
–Is Danica Patrick switching to NASCAR, too? Wow, first
Montoya, then possibly her. That would be awesome…and the
death knell for Indy racing. But others say she’s just trying to
negotiate a bigger contract with car owners Bobby Rahal and
David Letterman.
–It would appear the black rhino is now extinct.
Conservationists can find no evidence there are any left in
Cameroon.
But, lest you be totally bummed out and contemplating throwing
yourself off the Sears Tower, the number of Southern white
rhinos was once down to about 30 in 1895 and yet its population
is now up to 14,500, thanks to an active breeding campaign and
successful protection measures. So it can be done. [BBC News]
–Goodness gracious. A chap who runs a private fishery in
Britain has begun importing Australian carp as game fish. These
monsters can reach 80 lbs. and are double the size of native
species. Steve Couch is hoping to attract anglers that would
normally go to France or Spain for their action.
But officials in Britain are concerned the giant carp will spread
disease as well as threaten native species. [London Times]
No kidding! If I’m like a 3-lb. trout and I see an 80-lb. carp in
the waters, approaching at ramming speed, this after your mother
had told you not to worry about the more gentlemanly British
carp, you’d probably find the nearest fish hook and commit hari-
kari!
–From the BBC:
“A woman in Bangladesh armed only with an oar from her
rowing boat fended off a Royal Bengal tiger which was attacking
her husband, police say.” [Drat.]
“Tigers kill about 20 people a year in Bangladesh, mostly in the
Sundarbans.”
Actually, the husband’s name is Anwarul Islam. Probably safe
to say he’s not a Methodist.
Incidentally, Bengal tigers consume 40 pounds of meat at a time
and then go without eating for days. So that’s like 40
porterhouse steaks from Ruth’s Chris, know what I’m sayin’?
–Golf Digest polled a bunch of doctors who regularly tee it up
and among their findings:
97% say popular alternative remedies like copper bracelets and
magnet therapy are either a waste of time and money (37%) or of
only psychological benefit (60%).
22% say they’d try to keep an appointment with Tiger Woods in
a pro-am at Pebble Beach even if they woke up with heart-attack
symptoms (tightness in the chest, tingling left arm).
Personally, I’d ignore heart attack symptoms, diphtheria,
whooping cough, and bird flu if it meant golfing 18 with Arnie.
–Oh, I stepped in it last time with my comment on Bruce
Springsteen. Two years ago in the “Week in Review” column,
8/14/04, I had to apologize after receiving a note from an old
family friend, Steve G., not to forget Bruce’s charitable work as I
was disparaging him. So I said then I’d lay off. Then I forgot
this promise.
So who should write this week after I called Bruce a “jerk”?
Steve again….and he’s right. Bruce has done some good things
with his amazing wealth that Springsteen never seeks to be
recognized for; as opposed to, say, Sandy Weill.
But Steve, in rebutting my comment on his lagging concert
attendance for his folk act, notes Bruce is selling out dates in
Dublin and Belfast; which only makes sense because the Irish
absolutely detest America’s politics. [Having been to Ireland at
least 15 times since 1989, don’t contest me on this one. I love
the country, but some of the natives can be a royal pain. Wealth
has gone to their heads.]
Anyway, Steve and I are going to be quaffing micro brews in
Colorado later in the year….not that this is any kind of penalty,
mind you.
–Actress Brett Somers turned 82, which means she was an ‘old’
45 or so when she was on “Match Game.”
–So Syd Barrett died. Am I supposed to be upset? Reading
some of the obituaries, it’s as if this co-founder of Pink Floyd
was with them during their great years. I beg to differ. By 1968,
Barrett was out of there and if he didn’t have anything to do with
“Dark Side of the Moon,” he was simply overrated.
I mean, hell, Syd was really on only one album. And in pulling
out my VH-1 Rock Encyclopedia, I see this item.
Oct. 24, 1967: An already postponed US tour is canceled when
Barrett refuses to move his lips in time to ‘Arnold Layne’ when
they lip-synch it on ABC-TV’s “American Bandstand.” [During
further “promotion,” Barrett, who is developing an LSD drug
dependency, being interviewed on “The Pat Boone Show,”
responds to questions with a blank stare….actually, he was
probably just shocked he was with Pat Boone, so I’ll give him a
pass on this one.]
Barrett was asked to leave in April 1968. “Dark Side of the
Moon” didn’t come out until 1972, let alone the other great
works that followed. One of my own personal favorites, “Shine
On You Crazy Diamond” (part of the ‘Wish You Were Here’
LP) wasn’t released until 1975. Oops, “Shine On…” was a
tribute to Barrett. Oh well, he was still a jerk.
Top 3 songs for the week of 7/13/74: #1 “Rock Your Baby”
(George McCrae) #2 “Annie’s Song” (John Denver…ughh) #3
“Rock The Boat” (The Hues Corp….not to be confused with
Howard Hughes, or Dick Hughes, the latter having pitched for
the Cardinals….just had a baseball card flashback)…and…#4
“Sundown” (Gordon Lightfoot….never thought this was a guy
you’d want to have a beer with….even though he was Canadian)
#6 “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” (Elton John…early
Elton some of the best music ever made) #7 “Billy Don’t Be A
Hero” (Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods…hit #1…but I loved
their song “Who Do You Think You Are”* which peaked at #15
the same year) #10 “Rock And Roll Heaven” (Righteous
Brothers)
*”Who Do You Think You Are?”
Who am I?
I’m just a guy who only wants…to try
To do what’s right and never make…you cry
But you’re no good to me and
Who do you think you are?
You try to push me a bit too far
And every day sees another scar
Tell me who do you think you are?
1976 Olympics Boxing Quiz Answers: The five gold medal
winners were Howard Davis, Sugar Ray Leonard, Leo Randolph
(he was my favorite), Leon Spinks and Michael Spinks. [Tate
won a bronze and Mooney a silver.] Can you believe it’s been
30 years? Holy Toledo.
Champions Tour Quiz Answer: Aside from Hale Irwin, the only
golfer 60 or older to win two Champions (Senior) Tour events is
Jimmy Powell…one at 60, the other at 61. Incidentally, the
oldest to win a Senior Tournament is Mike Fetchick, who was 63
to the day when he won in 1985 at Hilton Head. [Source:
GolfWorld]
Next Bar Chat, Tuesday.
