Baseball Quiz: 1) Name the only six to average more than 9
strikeouts per nine innings, career? [Hints: Four are still on
“active rosters” and the benchmark is 1,000 innings and 100
decisions. Roger Clemens is not one of them.] 2) The ESPN
baseball encyclopedia (awesome book), breaks down hitting for
pitchers by eras. Name the only six from 1961-72 to average
.200+. Of course you need some help here. The initials…C.H.,
G.P., B.G., C.P., J.P., J.M….no tricks here, you’ll recognize all
the names. Answers below.
**Congratulations to Tom Glavine for becoming just the 5th lefty
to win 300 games**
Barry, A-Rod, Vick, Donaghy, Strahan…..oh my!
Some things in life just suck. Barry hitting No. 755 is one of
them.
Selena Roberts / New York Times
“An identity theft has just unfolded. In the crushing instant when
Barry Bonds matched Hank Aaron’s legend in the second inning
last night at Petco Park in San Diego, there were suddenly two
Home Run Kings in baseball lore; one a vainglorious impostor,
the other an authentic icon.
“With the two standing side by side, Bonds is the sultan in the
costume jewelry crown, his 755 home runs written into the books
with the penmanship of a fabulist.
“His distorted immortality is lab made. Aaron was self-made.
He was a modest player drawn from reality, with everyman
features, extraordinary talent and a social conscience….
“But the heist of baseball’s most sacred record is a more
complicated fraud. This was a journey of deception replete with
passive accessories (Bud Selig), obfuscating co-conspirators
(Don Fehr) and ham-handed federal investigators who never
rounded the bag in time to stop Bonds….
“A record alone wasn’t swiped, but also a time and a place and a
belief linked to Aaron that will now be supplanted by a high-def
vision of Bonds as the Home Run King….
“If the past had to offer a nod to the present, why did Bonds have
to be the one who took the bow?
“Maybe Bonds isn’t a villain as much as he is a funhouse mirror
to a super-sized nation, where distortion is bottled and sold,
where silicone body parts are purchased like new tires.
“There are many good folks playing baseball, but Bonds
represents a culture of skepticism in sports and the modern-day
mantra of achievement: Whatever it takes. Faking it seems
wrong. And yet we dine on phony baloney….
“The meaning of a record has been stolen. What remains? Many
fingerprints and one counterfeit King.”
For his part, Barry Bonds, after hitting No. 755, said “It’s the
hardest thing I’ve ever gone through in my entire career….It’s
Hank Aaron. It’s Hank Aaron.”
Hank hates you, Barry.
As for Commissioner Bud Selig, who was in attendance but kept
his hands in his pockets, he issued a statement. “No matter what
anybody thinks of the controversy surrounding this event, Mr.
Bonds’ achievement is noteworthy and remarkable.”
Bud hates Barry, too.
Then there’s Greg Anderson. As reported by the New York
Post’s Paul Elias, Anderson’s friend, Paula Canny, visited
Anderson in prison on Thursday.
“Canny said Anderson is having trouble keeping up his spirits
but has said he will never testify and is determined to remain
behind bars until the grand jury’s term expires. His legal team,
which includes Los Angeles attorney Mark Geragos, will soon
ask a judge to free him.
“Canny said to pass the time, Anderson has cut his hair into a
Mohawk with dreadlocks. Canny said Anderson’s access to
television is limited but that he gets updates on Bonds’ pursuit by
watching ‘Sportscenter’ on ESPN.”
Greg loves Barry because one day Barry will give him $2 million
for keeping his mouth shut.
As for A-Rod reaching 500, you should have heard the jerk in his
press conference afterwards, saying it was all the sweeter
reaching the milestone because of “the trials and tribulations” he
has faced.
They were all of your own making! And isn’t it almost amusing
that both Bonds and A-Rod, in their personal lives, are classic
dirtballs? Their wives were both on hand to see their husbands
hit their big homers on Saturday, but I’m sure Bonds’ mistress
Kimberly Bell had a smirk on her face when learning Barry
finally hit No. 755, while A-Rod’s stripper friend did the same.
But isn’t it funny that Cynthia Rodriguez, “was just parking (her
car at Yankee Stadium) when she heard the radio call of home
run No. 500,” as reported by Jay Greenberg of the New York
Post.
“I ran out of the car and saw him cross home plate,” said Mrs.
Rodriguez before begging off any further interviews. “It’s
typical of me, I miss all the good home runs.”
This is too much. Not only is A-Rod the most disingenuous
superstar to ever walk the planet, even more so than Bonds in the
purest sense of the word, but his wife is as big a liar as he is. It is
an absolute impossibility for Cynthia to have heard of the home
run in the car and make it into the stadium in time to see A-Rod
circle the bases.
Tim Donaghy…opinion from Jack McCallum / Sports Illustrated
“The retired ref [who desired anonymity] worked several games
with Donaghy and socialized with him occasionally. According
to the referee, Donaghy was widely despised by his peers – he
characterizes Donaghy as ‘an angry screwball and a loner’ – but
no official he knows suspected that Donaghy was talking to
gamblers or, worse, blowing his whistle based on the betting line.
He adds that a prime topic of conversation among refs is whether
Donaghy will implicate innocent officials ‘just to muddy the
water.’….
“The ref says that Donaghy had a reputation among his peers for
greediness and believes that that predilection may have led to his
troubles. ‘Anytime there was a money-related extra assignment,
like teaching a clinic or making a personal appearance, Donaghy
would want to do it,’ says the ref. ‘If he wasn’t chosen, he would
be livid. He would go into an absolute tirade.’”
What an a-hole.
“Donaghy, who made $260,000 during the 2006-07 season, was
preoccupied about working deep into the playoffs; senior
officials who ref through the Finals can make as much as
$75,000 extra. [Donaghy worked five playoff games in the ’07
postseason, including one in the second round.] ‘If the league
office told him to stand on his head for two minutes before every
quarter,’ the ref says, ‘Donaghy would do it. He was obsessed
with becoming a Finals referee to get the extra money. And you
know what? He was probably on his way to being one.’”
McCallum also commented on Michael Vick:
“No one has yet come out and said that Vick is being prosecuted
because he’s black, but reporters who have ventured into Vick’s
hometown of Newport News, Va., find almost unanimous
support for him among African-American residents. No doubt
they identify with him as a native son; perhaps they are also
more acutely aware of instances of racial discrimination in the
criminal justice system. The Virginians cite Vick’s donations of
school supplies, athletic uniforms and air conditioners to the
underprivileged. ‘There should be more role models like him,’ a
woman named Misha Brown told the Associated Press.”
Personally, I’ve always felt that half the world is full of good
people, the other half are either jerks, idiots or dirtballs. After
reading the above comment from Ms. Brown, I rest my case.
Bill Simmons / ESPN.com on Vick:
“It’s been strangely entertaining to see so many people express
shock and outrage that he could have done something so horrible.
Um, he has the same DNA as Marcus Vick! That’s like being
shocked in 2012 when Lindsay Lohan’s little sister gets her first
DUI. Plus, Vick could have been accused of murdering a
stripper, blowing up a shopping mall or funneling his Nike
money to Al Qaeda, and people wouldn’t have been even 1% as
outraged as they are about the dogfighting allegations. You can
get away with just about anything these days; just don’t tick off
dog lovers.
“And by the way, I’m one of them. I wish we could pay Roy
Williams to horse-collar Vick from behind 200 times in a row….
Hopefully, this leads to a real-life Longest Yard sequel where
Vick gets jailed and eventually leads a team of convicts against
the guards, who summarily kick the living crap out of him for
four quarters and turn his ACLs into fusilli. The End.”
Geez, even I don’t write this kind of stuff, as much as I’d like to
from time to time. Lotta hatred out there, sports fans. [Thanks,
Jeff S., for passing this one on.]
Michael Strahan
I realize this is a bit more parochial and of little interest outside
the New York area, but the case of the Giants’ defensive end is
rather comical.
Steve Politi / Star-Ledger
“It had to drive Michael Strahan crazy last season, watching his
smiling nemesis on the other side of the locker room get all the
attention.
“Tiki Barber let his pending retirement slip out – cough, cough –
during an early season interview, and the 2007 Giants season
became a farewell tour that conveniently jumpstarted Barber’s
television career. Strahan, meanwhile, was left injured and
ignored, only remotely part of the national dialogue while
waving a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at an ESPN reporter.
“Now Strahan is trying to top Tiki at his own game. What else
could he possibly be doing with this retirement nonsense?
Nobody is naïve enough to believe he actually wants to quit. The
Giants, who seem delighted to move in another direction, are not
going to add another penny to his contract – and rightly so.
“If respect and cash were his motivations, then Strahan is chasing
a quarterback he cannot sack.”
Politi quotes Rick Gentile, a former CBS executive producer.
Gentile agrees Strahan is using the holdout to raise his profile.
“There are people who think every ounce of publicity is a
positive thing, but I’m not sure that’s the case, and I don’t think
this is doing anything for him,” he said.
Politi: “Barber, the most media-savvy athlete in New York
history, could write a book entitled ‘How to Make Retirement
Work For You.’….
“He might have landed on the ‘Today’ show without his
retirement tour, but it certainly didn’t hurt.”
Now we learn Strahan’s agent was making calls to other teams
gauging their interest, which could be construed as a violation of
the NFL’s anti-tampering policy. Remember, Strahan is still
under contract to the Giants. And no one is going to want to pay
a 35-year-old, injured, defensive end $4 million, which is what
the Giants would pay the jerk if he just showed up.
And I just have to add that the other day when I alluded to the
fact NFL players receive a lot of their compensation up front,
since the salary part isn’t guaranteed, understand Strahan’s
seven-year, $46 million deal signed in 2002 included $20.9
million in guarantees.
Now I knew when I brought up this topic, loyal reader Ken V., a
long-time Giants stalwart, would be a bit ticked off. Ken wrote
that as far as Strahan is concerned, “Why can’t anyone see that
he might feel it is worth $14,000 [the amount he is being fined
each day] to NOT practice in 90+ degree heat in Albany?”
At first I have to admit I didn’t necessarily agree with this, but
the Daily News’ Gary Myers had the following bit in his Sunday
column.
“If Michael Strahan retires and money somehow is not the issue,
then how can anybody argue with his decision? It’s his life. The
problem is he owed more to the Giants than waiting until the
night before camp opened. But one former player says that’s
when reality sets in. ‘It takes a lot to get geared up, especially
when you are not the player you were,’ he said. ‘To go through
the whole rigors of camp is a real mental battle. Once you get
there and get with the guys and find out the game is still just a
game, then it’s easy. Before then, it’s tough mentally.’”
OK, Ken. Good point. But I have to leave the topic with Mike
Vaccaro’s take in the New York Post.
“Good for [Giants’ GM] Jerry Reese. Good for John Mara.
Good for the Giants. For every athlete, even the great ones, there
comes a time when the world stops falling over itself trying to
please you, when the endless string of enablers finally steps
forward and says, ‘Enough is enough.’
“That is where the Giants are now. Michael Strahan wants more
money. Or he just wants a little vacation. Or he simply wants
the kind of attention Tiki Barber received last year….Or there’s
some other agenda at work, because with Strahan there is always
an agenda.
“Whatever. This is what the Giants are saying to all of that….
‘Enough.’”
But this just in…Strahan addressed his fans on Sunday in an e-
mail through his agent.
“I am human, and despite the images of me grimacing and
tackling opposing quarterbacks and running backs, I have to face
my mortality like anyone else. When an athlete like myself who
does what I do for a living starts having doubts, then its time to
take a step back and seriously consider my future.”
He also assured everyone it wasn’t about money…..you can stop
laughing.
Stuff
–In the latest sign of the apocalypse, the Associated Press reports
that tennis’ ATP is looking into possible match fixing. A British
online gambling company received about $7 million in wagers
on a match last week involving 4th-ranked Nikolay Davydenko of
Russia, about ten times the usual amount.
“Most of the money was on No. 87 Martin Vassallo Arguello of
Argentina to win the second-round match on clay in Sopot,
Poland. And some of those bets were placed after Arguello lost
the first set to Davydenko, a semifinalist at the French Open
twice and at the United States Open last year.”
Davydenko won the second set, then retired in the third with a
left toe injury. His agent said Nikolay was “flabbergasted” when
told of the suspicious betting. I’m aghast. Aren’t you aghast?
–Tiger Woods won his 58th PGA Tour event at Firestone in the
WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, waxing Rory Sabbatini yet again
in the process.
But in one of the more remarkable sports statistics of all time,
Woods has now won 14 of 25 WGC events. Understand, these
are the best fields in the world each year, along with the TPC,
and are superior to those in the four majors. Since the start of
2005, Woods has also not gone more than five starts on Tour
without winning.
–College football is right around the corner. Here is USA
Today’s preseason top ten:
1. USC
2. LSU
3. Florida
4. Texas
5. Michigan
6. West Virginia
7. Wisconsin
8. Oklahoma
9. Virginia Tech
10. Ohio State
16. Rutgers
31. Wake Forest…if you carried the votes out past No. 25.
–Phil W. passed along an e-mail concerning Babe Ruth as a
pitcher, which reminds me…those saying A-Rod will be known
as the greatest baseball player of all time when he hangs it up are
full of it. Sure, A-Rod may own all the power numbers,
eventually, but just consider this one fact. He is a .305 career
hitter. Ruth hit .342, and hit the home runs.
Plus…Ruth was 94-46 on the mound! He had a 2.77 career
ERA, went 23-12 one year and 24-13 the next. He led the league
in ERA in 1916, and in 1917 started 38 games and completed 35!
He was 3-0 in World Series play with a 0.87 ERA!
Anyway, Phil’s note adds that Ruth and Walter Johnson faced off
9 times and Ruth won six of them. One of Johnson’s wins was in
relief…a 10-inning contest that Washington won 4-3. Even here,
Ruth pitched a complete game and also went 5 for 5 at the plate.
Only 3 lefthanders in history threw more shutouts in a season
than Ruth’s 9 in 1916. Koufax, Carl Hubbell and John Tudor.
And on the topic of A-Rod and his place among baseball’s
greats, I loved what Harvey Araton of the New York Times
wrote.
“With all due respect to his immense talent and the monster
season he’s in the midst of compiling – let me pose a question:
You’re going into the playoffs and you have the choice of one
player, A-Rod or Pete Rose? To me, it’s a no-brainer. I’ll take
the career hits leader, thank you very much, to spray the ball all
over the ballpark.”
–The New York Daily News’ Mike Lupica is right. Lay off
Yankee owner George Steinbrenner, 77, whose health it would
seem has been deteriorating for years.
“George Steinbrenner gave everybody enough quotes and stories
and headlines. He became the most famous and visible owner in
the history of sports, and ultimately the most successful, going
away. On his watch the Yankees became the Yankees again,
first at the end of the ‘70s, then two decades later. Somehow
there has to be a back end of that deal now, and people need to
leave him alone.
“If, through the publicist and some of the people in his employ,
there is a conceit – or deceit – that he is still everything he used
to be, it seems like a harmless one these days. You don’t have to
go to his house using another old man as interference, as a way
of finding out he’s not what he was. He’s not. There’s no great
crime here, and no coverup.”
[Lupica was referring to an upcoming Vanity Fair piece that
paints a very unfavorable picture of the Boss. The guy has
Alzheimer’s…let it go.]
–For the archives…there is still some housekeeping to take care
of. In becoming the youngest to reach 500, 32 years 8 days, A-
Rod surpassed Jimmie Foxx, who hit No. 500 at 32 years, 338
days.
Next up, Jim Thome (490 thru Sat.), Manny Ramirez (488) and
Gary Sheffield (478)…then we should have a welcome drought
for a few years…as Carlos Delgado (424) and Mike Piazza
(422), who follow Sheffield, won’t reach the magic number.
–The other day I wrote of the Canadian Open and how it’s long
lost its luster thanks to scheduling, yet the last five champions
are Jim Furyk (twice), Mark Calcavecchia, Vijay Singh and Bob
Tway. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better stretch for any tour
stop than this one.
But John Strege of Golf World had the following story
concerning this year’s event, which followed the British Open.
“Tournament management even chartered a plane to ferry
players from Scotland to Canada (passengers were charged
$1,000 a seat), as an inducement to British Open participants
who might have been balking at playing the Canadian Open
because of the logistics. Among the 18 players who accepted the
offer was Furyk, who was coming anyway.
“Also among the players who hitched a ride home on the jet were
Steve Stricker, Jerry Kelly, Carl Pettersson, Ryan Moore and
Boo Weekley. According to the Canadian newspaper National
Post, the departure of the charter was even delayed an hour to
allow Stricker, who played in the final twosome in the final
round at Carnoustie, to make the flight. But none of the five
bothered to play at Angus Glen. Moore and Weekley had
committed to the event, but withdrew once they arrived in
Canada. The other three presumably never planned to play; they
were just looking for an easier – and cheaper – way home than
flying commercial. [Stricker and Kelly at least sent e-mails
thanking the RCGA and the tournament for the flight.]”
Yes, golf is loaded with jerks just like the other sports.
–I imagine there are only a handful of you who actually give a
damn about the NBA these days. I couldn’t care less about the
Kevin Garnett trade, for example. But I do have to note that it
was a sign of the times for the league when the Clippers’ Elton
Brand ruptured his Achilles’ tendon the other day while working
out.
–Touching moment at the NFL Hall of Fame ceremonies.
Inductee Gene Hickerson, the great Cleveland offensive lineman,
has Alzheimer’s but he was brought onstage by three former
teammates he helped get into the Hall themselves; running backs
Jim Brown, Leroy Kelly and Bobby Mitchell.
–Goodness gracious! From the New York Post:
“The city and conservationists spent $25 million for the latest
Central Park restoration project – and got a lot more than they
bargained for.
“Parks Department workers dredging parts of The Lake were
startled to discover more than 5,000 massive carp lurking in the
shadows.
“The behemoth koi, some 3 feet long and weighing up to 30
pounds, were pulled from the popular rowing spot. The dredging
also stirred up several brawny, bellicose snapping turtles – some
as big as 50 pounds – and plenty of freshwater clams.”
Can you imagine if they had been snakeheads, which are capable
of walking on land?
2:00 a.m., any night in New York…..ring ring….
“Hello.”
“Mr. Mayor?”
“Huh…yeah, what’s the problem?”
“It’s the fish, sir. They’ve launched an invasion of the East
Side.”
“Oh s—.”
–The following is incredibly gross…so you may want to drop
down to the cougar story.
In the German city of Dortmund lived a man named Mark
Voegel. Voegel, 30, never invited people into his home,
neighbors would later say. It turns out Voegel lived in a “zoo” of
lizards and insects. He was dead between 7 and 14 days when
neighbors alerted police because of a stink coming from his
home.
What police found was pet black widow spider “Bettina” and
200 other spiders, several snakes, a gecko lizard named Helmut
and several thousand termites that had gorged on his body.
A police spokesman said “It was like a horror movie. His corpse
was over the sofa. Giant webs draped him, spiders were all over
him…….[I’m not even going to print the next line]”
The lizards had also torn him up. An animal cruelty officer,
Gabi Bayer, said he kept creatures “that should never be allowed
in a private home….He had spiders so aggressive they are the
equivalent of a pit-bull in the animal world.”
Turns out the heating elements on two tanks containing the
spiders and their termite snacks had exploded and dislodged the
metal tops allowing them to escape. [Source: The Sun of
England]
–“Man wrestles with cougar to save boy”!!!
“A man wrestled with a cougar after it attacked a 12-year-old
boy in Canada. Mark Patterson was camping with friends in
Clinton, British Columbia, when the animal pounced on Colton
Reeb as he walked to a bathroom. It locked its jaws around
Colton’s head but Mr. Patterson kicked it and then throttled it
with his bare hands. Eventually it let go and slinked away with a
parting growl. ‘I growled back at him and said, ‘I’m ready to
go,’’ said Mr. Patterson, whose wife was standing by with a meat
cleaver. The boy is being treated in hospital for cuts. The cat
was later shot by park officers.” [London Times]
Yikes, aside from the fact I will never go to a public restroom at
a campground again without a bazooka, I’m not about to invite
the Pattersons over for drinks on New Year’s, know what I’m
sayin’?
–Of course these Pattersons are undoubtedly related to the
Pattersons of “For Better or For Worse” fame.
Jeff B. had the trenchant (Bar Chat ‘word of the day’) comment,
‘Hey, whatever happened to the occupants of Michael and
Deanna’s rental property after the fire?’ I suspect they, too, will
be on the sidewalk in the final panel, waving goodbye to Liz and
Anthony as they enter the limo following their wedding. Maybe
Lynn Johnston is so sick she’ll even have Chopper Boy standing
in the background, his helicopter having crashed into the
reception hall.
But did you see Shannon the other day? As Jeff pointed out, it’s
pitiful the kid can’t spell. Yet another indictment of our
education system, not just in America but Canada as well.
Well, our long international nightmare will be over soon.
Top 3 songs for the week 8/7/71: #1 “How Can You Mend A
Broken Heart” (The Bee Gees…#1 four weeks) #2 “Indian
Reservation” (Raiders) #3 “You’ve Got A Friend” (James
Taylor)…and…#4 “Mr. Big Stuff” (Jean Knight) #5 “Draggin’
The Line” (Tommy James…I still regret not seeing these guys in
like 1977 at a high school near me…obviously long before the
oldies craze hit) #6 “Take Me Home, Country Roads” (John
Denver…loved this tune…which doesn’t make me a bad person
…don’t you miss John Denver? How could you not like the
guy?) #7 “It’s Too Late” (Carole King…awesome) #8
“Beginnings / Colour My World” (Chicago) #9 “What The
World Needs Now Is Love/Abraham, Martin and John” (Tom
Clay…huh, having trouble remembering this one) #10 “Mercy
Mercy Me” (Marvin Gaye…another awesome tune…great week)
Baseball Quiz Answers: 1) Top six in strikeouts / 9 innings
(entering 2007): Randy Johnson, 10.77; Kerry Wood, 10.35;
Pedro Martinez, 10.20; Nolan Ryan, 9.54; Johan Santana, 9.48;
Sandy Koufax, 9.28. [Coincidentally, Ryan, Koufax, and Pedro
are also the top three all time in fewest hits / 9 innings. #4? The
Mets’ Sid Fernandez!!!! 2) Hitting pitchers, 1961-72: Catfish
Hunter, .226; Gary Peters, .222; Bob Gibson, .206; Camilo
Pascual, .205; Juan Pizarro, .202; Jim Maloney, .201.
1973-87, there were three outstanding hitting pitchers…Ken
Brett (.262), Rick Rhoden (.238), and Don Robinson (.231).
From 1901-20, the top hitting pitcher was Ruth, .299.
Next Bar Chat, Thursday.
