NFL Quiz: [Yes, it’s that time of year to run through the major
all-time lists before the season commences.] So give me the top
ten rushers all time. [Hint: None are still active.] Answer below.
[This is a Barry Bonds free Bar Chat! Well, sort of……]
Tiger
Nicklaus…18
Woods……13
Forget the fact he has never relinquished a lead in what is now 13
major titles after this weekend’s triumph at the PGA
Championship, he has never lost a tournament anywhere in the
world when he was leading by more than one shot going into the
final round! You don’t have to like the guy (and there is more
below on his personality), but imagine the sport without Tiger.
Rick Ankiel
This is one of the truly great feel-good stories of the decade.
[Bar Chat…7/18/02]
“Poor guy. You may recall how this then 21-year-old lefthander
burst on the scene with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2000, going
11-7 in his first full season with 194 strikeouts n 175 innings. He
also walked 90, not great, but not awful for a young fireballer.
But then in the playoffs, Ankiel suddenly lost it, walking 11 in 4
innings. He started off 2001 with the big club, but was shipped
to AAA after six starts and 25 walks in 24 innings. At Memphis
his problems worsened once again, as he walked an astounding
14 in just 4 innings.
“At this point the Cards threw in the towel and started over,
reassigning Ankiel to the rookie league where he found his stuff
in a big way, fanning 158 last summer in just 87 innings of work,
and with only 18 walks. But this past spring, the control
problems returned and he has been struggling ever since in the
minors. Now he’s on the disabled list for a second time and was
shut down for at least two months. Ankiel turns 23 on Friday, so
one shouldn’t be too concerned, yet, though it would be a great
story if he can make it back sometime next year. He also had a
tough childhood, so we’re pulling for him here at Bar Chat.”
[Bar Chat…6/27/06]
“This is sad. I just saw in Sports Illustrated that former
Cardinals pitcher Rick Ankiel, who’s been attempting a
comeback as an outfielder, recently underwent knee surgery and
the prognosis isn’t optimistic. But he’s still just 26 so maybe he
can pull it off. Any good baseball fan certainly hopes he does.”
Now fast-forward to today. After hitting 32 homers and batting
.267 at AAA Memphis, the Cardinals called up Ankiel and all he
did in his first game, Thursday, was hit a three-run homer against
San Diego as the Cards won 5-0. Then on Saturday he hit two
more homers. Remarkable.
Stuff
–According to various reports, the NFL will formally suspend
Michael Vick for the entire 2007 season.
–So Atlanta’s Chipper Jones got himself in some hot water with
a few comments he made about Alex Rodriguez and steroids.
Here’s what he said while in New York for the Mets-Braves
series.
“I don’t doubt (A-Rod will face suspicions about steroid use).
There’s been a lot of validation to some of the things Jose
Canseco has said over the years. At first when it came out (that
Canseco hinted A-Rod could be a user) a lot of people didn’t
want to give him a lot of credit for it. But a lot of it has been
proven true. Now, when he opens his mouth, people listen. And
unfortunately, this cloud is following probably two of the best
players of this century [Bonds and A-Rod.]”
Jones continued: “I think it will follow (A-Rod). There’s going
to be the questions because his name’s been brought up. If I had
to pose a guess on A-Rod, I would say no. But I don’t know.
He’s going to have to answer the questions. And that goes for
everybody that approaches the number. It’s just so farfetched,
the numbers that those guys are putting up. And a lot of it comes
from the era that they’re playing in.”
When questioned about Bonds and No. 756, Chipper (Larry) said
“I’m going to reserve judgment. Let’s put it that way….Time is
going to tell for a lot of people, until this Mitchell investigation is
complete. And it’s not just (Bonds and Rodriguez), but they’re
the poster children because they are the two best players in the
game, or have been.”
So that’s what Chipper said. The key was his comment about the
veracity of Canseco. Chipper was saying you have to hear Jose
out. Chipper did not, however, directly accuse A-Rod.
But the next day Chipper was all upset because the New York
papers had a field day and Chipper then blasted the media for
twisting and sensationalizing his comments. Jones, shunning the
New York beat writers, then told Atlanta scribes, “I’m actually
defending A-Rod, and they turn it around into a swipe. It’s a
joke.”
Larry, you were hardly defending A-Rod. Jose will get his day
and then the rest of us will judge. Jose’s track record hasn’t been
that bad…but it’s also not 100%.
Mike Vaccaro / New York Post
“Chipper speaks his mind….because Chipper is Chipper, he
stood by what he said, reiterating that he believes A-Rod is clean,
and that’s all fine. But the bigger point is the broader point:
Jones is one player admitting he lends credence to Canseco’s
words, in a baseball culture when most of the brethren run for
cover when the subject is steroids.”
But as Vaccaro and others have commented in the wake of
Chipper’s comments, “Baseball needs to be able to believe in A-
Rod.”
–I saw the following item in Golf World, published via Asian
Golf Monthly, and as small as it may seem, it’s also just
remarkable by my way of thinking.
There is an ongoing dispute between the Asian Tour and the
PGA European Tour.
“Sources with knowledge of the talks (between the two) told
Asian Golf Monthly magazine that PGA Tour commissioner Tim
Finchem was critical of the European Tour for ignoring protocol
and announcing events in India and Korea next year without
sanctioning from the Asian Tour.
“The Asian Tour, the official regional sanctioning body for
professional golf in Asia, reportedly called for the expulsion of
the European Tour from the International Federation.”
Here’s the deal, which I just find incredible. The European Tour
is holding the $2.5 million Indian Masters (Feb. 7-10) and the
$2.6 million Ballantine’s Championship in Korea (March 13-16)
and never talked to the Asian Tour folks prior to scheduling the
events. This is absurd, and of course it’s “invading Asia.” What
a bunch of a-holes!
It’s all going to come to a head during a meeting at the Presidents
Cup in Montreal late September.
–Back to Tiger, Kevin Manahan of the Star-Ledger reported on a
frustrating aspect of the superstar; his lack of rapport with the
fans. I’ve commented on this countless times before and you
keep waiting for Tiger to ”get it.” Every now and then he shows
signs, but these are fleeting.
“Whether it’s a practice day or tournament day, Woods, flanked
by security, usually sprints from the range to the practice green
to the tee box without stopping. He always seems to have
something to do, something to occupy his eyes – he is peeling a
banana or opening the wrapper of a granola bar or flipping
through his yardage book as if he’s trying to figure out how
many paces it is to the players’ dining room.
“And if he doesn’t have a prop, his eyes are trained on the
ground as he walks. His look is deadly serious.
“From behind the microphone at the AT&T National, hosted by
Woods a few weeks after the U.S. Open, he cut short a question
about his autograph policy:
“ ‘No. 1, I sign,’ he said. ‘The only things I don’t sign are golf
balls. We sign. That’s our responsibility as players. We sign an
inordinate amount.’
“Not really. On Sunday of the U.S. Open, when asked how
many autographs Woods had signed during the tournament, a
Pennsylvania state trooper assigned to Woods every minute he
was at the course said, ‘I’d guess he signed 15 times, and that
might be pushing it. It’s probably closer to 10.’”
Manahan described a scene during the pro-am at the AT&T
National.
“Woods arrived at the par-3 10th. With a backup on the hole, he
had to wait about 20 minutes to play. He spent half of that time
in a tent, away from the spectators, mixing and gulping an energy
drink and chatting with marshals.
“Eventually, he sat on a bench, within feet of the spectators, his
back to them. Many called for him to turn around for photos.
When he didn’t, they reached out, held their cameras in front of
his face and snapped anyway. After a few minutes, a fan called
out:
“ ‘You pumped to be here, Tiger?’
“He answered, staring straight ahead: ‘Yeah, man. Very excited,’
he said.
“A few more minutes passed. ‘Congratulations on the new baby,
Tiger.’
“He again answered without looking at the fans: ‘Thanks, man.’
“More time went by. ‘What are you going to hit here, Tiger?’
“He didn’t look up: ‘I’m thinking a 3-iron,’ he said.
“ ‘Tiger, can I have an autograph?’
“Silence. After a pause, the same fan called out again: ‘Think he
heard me?’
“The crowd laughed…..
“Maybe Woods’ reluctance to sign autographs is based on his
inability to relate to the autograph seekers: ‘Having somebody’s
signature on a piece of paper didn’t mean anything to me,’ he
said once. ‘I just wanted to meet people who were my heroes.
The guy I really wanted to meet was Michael Jordan, and I got to
do that.’
“Woods, a hero to the kids at Oakmont, never allowed them to
meet him, however.”
No doubt, Tiger’s greatness, aside from the swing and his natural
gifts, is his ability to focus. But we all also watch him and think,
would it really impact his game on, say, Thursday, if he talked to
the gallery a little, let alone Mon.-Wed.?
No doubt, it’s tough being Tiger. But all you have to do is look
at Arnold Palmer. Arnie’s always been so comfortable in his own
skin, and the world is far richer for it. I wouldn’t follow
golf nearly as much as I do were it not for Tiger, but he’s over 30
now and while some of us have been patient with the guy, it’s
time for him to get with the program. Until he does, he won’t
achieve the greatness outside the ropes that his father predicted
for him. Then again, Tiger might not care.
–Well, early in the year I predicted that Adam Scott would win
the Masters and PGA, Tiger the U.S. Open, and Henrik Stenson
the British………………………..never mind….
–It was 100 degrees all four rounds of the PGA. Run for your
lives!
–I loved Nick Faldo’s take on Tiger’s win. “This is base camp
13 on the way to the summit of Everest (18).”
–12-year-old Alexis Thompson became the youngest
quarterfinalist in the 107-year history of the United States
Women’s Amateur. She lost in the semis.
–Pensions:
A 62-year-old, 10-year baseball player who retired in 1976
would receive $2,716 per month beginning at 45, or $9,351 per
month beginning now.
A 62-year-old, 10-year NFL player who retired in 1976, would
receive $1,130 per month beginning at 45, or $4,782 per month
beginning today.
[Matthew Futterman / Star-Ledger]
–Sports Illustrated has a great chart of Barry Bonds through the
years. As in when he first came up in 1986, 21 years old, 6’1”,
185 lbs. He didn’t put on any weight until 1991, when he tipped
the scales at 190, where he sat until 1997, when at age 32 he had
suddenly grown an inch and hit 206.
By 2000, Bonds, 35, was 6’2”, 210, as he hit 49 home runs.
2001…6’2”, 228…the year he hit 73. He maintained that weight
until this year where he is an especially bloated 238 lbs.
–Boy, my Mets just totally suck this year. Not one position
player is exceeding expectations. [David Wright’s stats are,
however, respectable…but the number of clutch hits is nothing
compared to what he’s done in the past.]
Yeah, the Mets have had their share of injuries, especially in the
outfield, but they just have this incredibly lackadaisical attitude
about them and at this point some of us believe they will choke
and miss the playoffs.
Phil W., fellow Mets fan, and I were exchanging notes the other
day about Atlanta pitcher Tim Hudson. Hudson, now 132-65 in
his career, has an unfathomable 93-1 record when given a three-
run lead, having beaten the Mets last week in another such effort.
In other words, both he and his bullpen mates have closed the
deal.
But as Phil points out, Hudson would be 47-47 if he had the likes
of Guillermo Mota, Aaron Heilman, and, going back a few years,
Braden Looper, working for him.
–Today, Aug. 13, is the anniversary of Mickey Mantle’s death.
It’s already been 12 years…that’s hard to believe.
–A man was stopped at Cairo’s airport moments before he was
to board a Saudi Arabia-bound plane with carry-on bags filled
with live snakes and some baby crocodiles. Security officials
became suspicious when the X-ray machine gave odd readings.
My word, there was even a cobra in the mix! You’d think the
cobra would have killed off the competition before they got to
the airport.
Anyway, the reptiles were confiscated and the man was allowed
to fly on. It was just last May that another fellow was caught at
the Cairo airport carrying 700 live snakes in carry-on luggage.
Lotta snakes in Egypt, surmised your editor.
–But speaking of snakes, here’s an awful tale from the AP:
“At least 35 of the 226 people killed in this year’s monsoon have
died of snake bites, the government of Bangladesh said.
‘Everything, everyone, is restricted to tiny, tiny islands with very
little space,’ said Romulus Whitaker, a snake expert, who
explained that the tight quarters made it harder for humans to
avoid snakes. There are hundreds of different snakes on the
Indian subcontinent, many of which are venomous. But only
four are responsible for the vast majority of deaths – kraits,
Russell’s vipers, saw-scaled vipers and cobras.”
Like I always say, invest in the Russell 2000; but avoid the
Russell’s viper.
[Actually, I’ve never said that in my life.]
–And Brad K. passed on this incredible snake tale. Also from
the AP, dateline…Prosser, Washington.
53-year-old Danny Anderson and his 27-year-old son, Benjamin,
were feeding horses when a 5-foot rattler emerged. They
“pinned the snake with an irrigation pipe and cut off its head
with a shovel. A few more strikes to the head left it sitting under
a pickup truck.”
“ ‘When I reached down to pick up the head, it raised around and
did a back flip almost, and bit my finger,” Anderson said. ‘I had
to shake my hand real hard to get it to let loose.’
“His wife insisted they go to the hospital, and by the time they
arrived at Prosser Memorial Hospital 10 minutes later,
Anderson’s tongue was swollen and the venom was spreading.
He then was taken by ambulance 30 miles to a Richland hospital
to get the full series of six shots he needed.
“The snake head ended up in the bed of his pickup, and
Anderson landed in the hospital until Wednesday afternoon.
“Mike Livingston, a Washington Department of Fish and
Wildlife biologist, said the area where the Andersons’ live is near
prime snake habitat. But he said he had never heard of anyone
being bit by a decapitated snake before.
“ ‘That’s really surprising but that’s an important thing to tell
people,’ he said. ‘It may have been just a reflex on the part of
the snake.’”
Brad K. had the right conclusion. “This is not good; the ol’
pretend I’m dead with my head cut off back flip banzai bite
charge ploy. We are in our final days.” Good point.
Brad also passed on this story from Cheshire, Conn.
“A woman killed a raccoon with her bare hands Thursday when
the animal attacked a young boy. Officials with Cheshire animal
control say the woman was walking in the woods around 11 a.m.
with a group of children when the animal bit the 5-year-old son
of a friend.
“She pulled the raccoon off the child, told the children to run
home and strangled the animal, authorities said.
“ ‘She had the presence of mind to choke it,’ animal control
officer April Leiler told the Record-Journal of Meriden. ‘She is
one tough lady.’”
The carcass tested positive for rabies and both the woman and
the kid died……………………just kidding!
–Re: “For Worse….,” I’m beginning to think Anthony and Liz
will elope. I’m awaiting Kathy B.’s expert opinion.
–If you thought there was a chance that the series “Rome” would
one day return, forget it. The set in Rome burned down.
–“Yasgur’s Farm,” site of the 1969 Woodstock festival, is on the
market for $8 million, according to the New York Times. Owner
Roy Howard, 73, is moving to Arizona after living on the
property for two decades. Howard and his 53-year-old
companion, Jeryl Abramson, while living in sin, have been good
neighbors, allowing annual reunions on their 100-acre
homestead. There are no restrictions on the sale, so anyone
could do anything to the land….as should be the case because
it’s time to move on. Stop wallowing in the mud, people! [Fake
outrage]
Max Yasgur died in 1973, while Howard purchased the home
and 100 of 300 acres in 1985.
–What is the difference between beavers and Toll Brothers or
Lennar? Beavers only build what they need…and this, sports
fans, is why the beaver consistently ranks higher than us humans
on the species list.
–Lastly, we note the passing of the great Merv Griffin. To honor
him, I thought I’d re-run a piece I wrote 7/13/06.
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.
Top 3 songs for the week of 8/11/73: #1 “The Morning After”
(Maureen McGovern) #2 “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” (Jim
Croce…can’t stand this one) #3 “Live And Let Die” (Wings…a
fave of Trader George and yours truly)…and…#4 “Smoke On
The Water” (Deep Purple…I like this one more today than ever)
#5 “Yesterday Once More” (Carpenters….ooohwaaaaa) #6
“Diamond Girl” (Seals & Croft) #7 “Touch Me In The
Morning” (Diana Ross……where?) #8 “Brother Louie”
(Stories…white/black deal…I’m not touching this one, know
what I’m sayin’?) #9 “Will It Go Round In Circles” (Billy
Preston) #10 “Shambala” (Three Dog Night)
NFL Quiz Answer: Top ten rushers, career.
Emmitt Smith…18,355 (4.2 avg)
Walter Payton…16,726 (4.4)
Barry Sanders…15,269 (5.0)
Curtis Martin…14,101 (4.0)
Jerome Bettis…13,622 (3.9)
Eric Dickerson…13,259 (4.4)
Tony Dorsett…12,739 (4.3)
Jim Brown…12,312 (5.2)
Marshall Faulk…12,279 (4.3)
Marcus Allen…12,243 (4.1)
Franco Harris…12,120 (4.1)
Thurman Thomas…12,074 (4.2)
*Corey Dillon…11,241 (4.3)
*Edgerrin James…10,385 (4.1)
*active
Next Bar Chat, Thursday, from Iowa.
