NCAA Football Quiz: [All of the following involve well-known
names.] 1) Name Alabama’s career rushing leader, initials S.A.
2) Name Alabama’s career leader in receiving yards, initials
O.N. 3) Name Arizona State’s career leader in receiving yards,
initials J.J. 4) Name the two Boston College quarterbacks to
throw for 10,000 yards in their career. Both played in the NFL.
5) What year did Brigham Young win its national championship?
Golf Quiz: Name the top ten in the world rankings. Answers
below.
Bill Cosby… “Come On, People”
Time for a little serious chat from the Cos and co-author Dr.
Alvin Poussaint of Harvard who have just come out with a book,
“Come On, People: On the Path from Victims to Victors,”
concerning problems faced by the black community. Tim
Russert featured the two on “Meet the Press” last Sunday and I
will comment further in my “Week in Review” column.
From the final essay in the book, titled “Victims to Victors.”
“The most important thing that is within the reach of just about
everyone is to make sure that every black child has two active
parents in his or her lives. If something happens to the boy’s
natural father, it’s time for the stepfather or the grandfather or the
uncle or the godfather to fill the void. Likewise with the mother.
A two-parent home is less likely to be poor, and the children it
produces are much [less] likely to end up in prison. If, a
generation from now, every black child grew up in a functional
two-parent home, the problems of crime and poverty in black
communities would greatly diminish.
“Black women seem to understand this better than our men. Few
of them, even those living in poverty, fit the stereotypes society
tends to impose. Most are trying to do the right thing for their
families and children. Most care about their children getting an
education and staying out of jail. Such parents and caregivers
are involved with schools, churches, health clinics and
community settlement homes. Probably many more would be
involved if they felt it was safe to go out without becoming a
victim of crime or senseless violence. They are the key to reach
our men.
“The young men need to learn that it is highly unlikely they will
grow up to star in the NBA or see their hip-hop CD go platinum.
Although within reach, it will be a challenge for them, today at
least, to graduate from college and start a successful business.
But most youth can overcome the obstacles to their finishing
high school and getting a legitimate job. And there is no reason
in the world they cannot become good partners and fathers,
especially since the women want them to be.
“This is the base we build on. Children who are loved will have
the confidence to succeed in school, to succeed on the job, to
succeed in life.
“Education plus jobs plus increased minimum wage plus
entrepreneurship plus affordable housing plus decreased craving
for material goods plus avoidance of credit card debt could equal
the end of poverty, maybe. Poverty is deeply rooted in American
society and our economic system. Black people have more than
their share of poverty, which stunts their ambition, and saddles
them with a host of social burdens. But by doing the things we
can do, we can make the future much brighter for poor black
youth, much brighter for everyone.
“No more excuses, no more delays. Come on, people!”
—
Stuff
–NIGHTMARE!
From Ethan Rouen of the New York Daily News:
“Nature’s call forced Nadege Brunacci, 38, to the dark bathroom
in her Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, apartment in the wee hours of
Monday morning. While washing her hands, she glanced back at
the toilet to find a 7-foot-long python staring back at her.
“ ‘I turned on the light and screamed, ‘Oh, my God!’ said the
hiss-sterical restaurateur. ‘It still makes my heart race.’
“She slammed down the lid, put a heavy box on top of it and
began calling city agencies. Most didn’t believe her, and the
ones that did told her, ‘We don’t do snakes,’ she said.
“Finally, the FDNY and her landlord came to the rescue.
Plumbers had to tear apart the downstairs neighbor’s pipes to
capture the serpent, which had retreated so that only its head
poked through Brunacci’s toilet.
“Nobody knows where the snake came from, or how it made its
way up three stories of piping, but a first-floor tenant in the four-
story Tiffany Place walkup reported seeing the creature slithering
down the basement steps eight days earlier. Brunacci gave the
snake to a friend who offered it a loving home.”
An urban legend, shattered.
–SHARK!!!!……….landed….
Adlee Bruner and five friends hauled in an 11-foot mako shark,
844-pounds! in the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida coast last
weekend. They were participating in the Destin Fishing Rodeo,
hoping to reel in a giant grouper, but instead when they hooked a
two-foot amberine on as bait and tossed it out, the mako bit. The
struggle lasted one hour.
But I’m looking through the fishing records, as found in the
ESPN Sports Almanac, and today, Oct. 18, marks the 20th
anniversary of an historic event.
Yes, on 10/18/87, Terje Nordvedt reeled in a 1,708 lb.
“Greenland Shark” in the waters of Trondheimsfjord, Norway.
If Bar Chat had been in existence then, no doubt Mr. Nordvedt
would have received the coveted “Bar Chat Angler of the Year
Award.”
Back to makos, on July 21, 2001, Luke Sweeney caught a 1,221
lb. monster off Chatham, MA, the record for the species. Sadly,
the mako wasn’t actually dead and after being weighed, took out
Mr. Sweeney and 14 of his friends and family, or so legend has
it.
–Only 1,500 tigers remain in India, down 50 percent since 2001
thanks to poaching. This sucks. Here’s hoping the tigers launch
a counter-assault and take out Calcutta. [Don’t worry, I can’t
imagine I have too many readers there.]
–College football
BCS Standings
1. Ohio State .9416
2. South Florida .9200
3. Boston College .8906
4. LSU .8400
5. Oklahoma .7623
6. South Carolina .7432
7. Kentucky .6833
8. Arizona State .6831
Yes, incredibly, South Florida is in the driver’s seat, though we’ll
see if we can still make that claim following Thursday night’s
game against Rutgers. Ohio State, meanwhile, still has resurgent
Michigan on Nov. 17. As for Boston College, they have a bear
of a schedule, beginning with a biggie on Oct. 25 vs. Virginia
Tech.
I was glancing at some quotes from Wake Forest coach Jim
Grobe on the state of college football these days and for you
junkies out there, the following may provide a little insight.
[On the unpredictability of college football around the nation…]
“You just never know from week-to-week. You just have to
remember that you’ve got the unknown with the players.
They’re kids. They have responsibilities every week. Some
weeks are tougher than others in the classroom. You have
illnesses and injuries and all other types of things you have to
deal with. And then you never know from week-to-week how
strong the other team is going to be. And it’s whether you’re
playing at home or playing on the road. There are so many
intangibles in college football today that from week-to-week you
see a little more balance talent-wise across the country. And
then you take into account that you’re really only going to get
sky-high for three or four games a year and the rest you have to
win on talent. I think it’s really, really tough as a college football
coach to find a win on any Saturday.”
[On voting in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll…]
“One way I try to look at it, this far along in the season, is if I’ve
got one team ranked above another one, I try to think who would
win on a neutral field if they were playing today. That doesn’t
mean I’ll feel the same way next week. It just means today that
if they played on a neutral field, this is who I think would win.”
Back to the BCS, James Carville had the following thought last
week in his interview with Sports Illustrated (and before LSU’s
loss to Kentucky, as well as Cal’s to Oregon State).
“The BCS is like the electoral college – a convoluted way to pick
a winner. The electoral college was a bad idea thought up by
great men trying to do a noble thing. The BCS is a stupid idea
thought up by intellectual midgets trying to protect greedy
college presidents. My dream scenario for the BCS is that Cal
and BC go undefeated while LSU has a one-point loss. The
computers put Cal and BC in the national title game in New
Orleans. A slew of enraged Cajuns descend on the city and hang
the BCS establishment in Jackson Square. A Louisiana jury, still
searching for justice, awards the Cajun mob $500 million in civil
damages.”
Goodness gracious…rather violent, don’t you think? You could
just force a glass of New Orleans tap water down the BCS
establishment’s throats and have the same effect, I imagine.
–Mere hours before Nebraska fired athletic director Steve
Pederson, Ken S., a suffering and extremely irate Husker fan,
told me this was in the works and that Tom Osborne was coming
back to be interim AD. Good sleuthing, Ken. Ken noted the
state is in a total uproar over this disastrous season where for the
first time ever, Nebraska’s defense has given up 40 points in four
games. Coach Bill Callahan is obviously next to go as in four
years Nebraska is just 14-14 in Big 12 contests.
But talk about pitiful, if I’m reading the stories correctly, Steve
Pederson had just been granted a five-year contract extension in
July! And Callahan’s was extended last month! No wonder
morale across all of Nebraska, let alone the campus, is at an all-
time low. Hell, now I’m getting depressed………..I need a beer.
–Phil W. alerted me to Division III Guilford College’s (N.C.)
football team and the scores of their games thus far in
accumulating a 4-2 record.
28-76, 41-35, 49-56, 47-13, 50-47, 70-26
I can’t imagine in the history of the game there are too many
teams that have had 70 ‘dropped’ on them and then turned
around and did it themselves.
–Putting my 7-5 record on the line, here are your Picks to Click.
Take Louisville, giving 3 to UConn [Friday]
Take Texas Tech and 3 ½ vs. Missouri
Take Maryland, giving 4 ½ to Virginia
Take Troy, giving 18 ½ to North Texas
[Wednesday’s lines]
As always, kids under 12 must obtain permission from their
parents before betting in excess of $6,000 per contest.
–Forgot to include this last chat.
Oct. 14, 1947…Air Force captain Chuck Yeager, 25, shattered
the sound barrier for the first time in flying an experimental
plane at 43,000 feet over California’s Mojave Desert. Yeager’s
feat dispelled fears that compression forces at such speed would
destroy the plane. It was kept quiet until December.
–Tiger Woods has signed a deal with Gatorade that could be
worth as much as $100 million over the next five years for his
own line of sports drinks…. “Elin Passion Fruit” is no doubt one.
–Ripped from Page Six of the New York Post:
“If Bronx Bomber Derek Jeter wants to keep his sex life a secret,
he should learn to tie up any post-tryst loose ends.
“Our spy in the lobby of the Shore Club in Miami early Sunday
morning spotted ‘two scantily clad women screaming at the front
desk because they had spent the night at Jeter’s penthouse and
were then charged for parking.’
“ ‘The girls were wearing what looked like the same clothes they
wore the night before – a tight cocktail dress and a mini-skirt.
They were making a huge scene….
“ ‘Obviously, they’d spent the night there,’ giggled the onlooker,
who noted that one of the overnight guests was screaming into
the phone, ‘After last night, he’d better [bleep]ing take care of
it!’”
The girls later left happy, so it’s assumed Jeter picked up the tab.
–My pitiful 1-5 Jets are on the verge of a full-fledged mutiny
against Coach Eric Mangini. [“Mangenius,” as he’s derisively
called these days.]
–Brad K., Duke alum, couldn’t help but note the discovery of the
105-foot plant-eater, among the largest dinosaurs ever found, in
Argentina. Scientists believe the “Futalognkosaurus dukei”
walked the Earth 88 million years ago.
Futalognkosaurus dukei? How did they come up with this one?
you may be asking. Turns out it is comprised of the Mapuche
Indian words for “giant” and “chief,” and for Duke Energy
Argentina, which helped fund the excavation.
So with the Duke connection, Brad is thinking why not
Dukfutbolsukasaurus?
–Richard Sandomir of the New York Times reports that Jimmy
Kimmel’s appearance on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” was
his last. Kimmel, stupidly, spent much of his brief gig cracking
on Joe Theismann, who was fired and replaced by Ron Jaworski
in the off-season. Among Kimmel’s “classless” comments (as
producer Jay Rothman put it) was this one. “I’d also like to
welcome Joe Theismann, watching from his living room with
steam coming from his ears.”
–Thank god for “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” though I think there
are only three left. And have you followed my advice and
watched HBO’s “Tell Me You Love Me”? I haven’t heard if it is
getting any ratings, but just terrific acting. [I warned you…it’s a
bit steamy.]
–Meg James of the Los Angeles Times reports that Jay Leno
doesn’t want to leave his “Tonight Show” perch in 2009 as NBC
announced three years ago, with Leno scheduled to be replaced
by Conan O’Brien. Back then, NBC executives were afraid of
losing O’Brien so it promised Conan “The Tonight Show”.
But Leno will be just 59 in 2009 and there is a chance we could
see a replay of 1992, when Leno and David Letterman became
part of the infamous fight to replace Johnny Carson. Leno could
bolt to ABC or Fox, for example.
As for O’Brien, if NBC turned around and decided to keep Leno,
Conan would receive $40 million to kill the deal. Some just feel
O’Brien’s humor might not translate to the older 11:35 pm
audience.
–Timothy J. Carroll reported recently in the Wall Street Journal
that over 200 golf courses have banned the ball-mark repair tool
because many are now saying it damages the greens far worse
than use of a simple tee. The movement is headed by five-time
PGA Tour winner Danny Edwards, who markets a competing
product. The problem is the standard tool can damage the root
structure by going too deep into the soil.
Well I feel better now since I always forget to put the ball-mark
repair tool in my pocket before the start of a round and have used
a tee instead. Many pros now do the same.
–Last July I wrote of seeing a Pissarro (1830-1903) exhibit at the
Milwaukee Museum of Art, the artist being one of my favorites.
So I see the Jewish Museum in New York City has a show of his
work until February, for those of you into such things. Pissarro
Fever, Catch It!
[Reminder, Camille Pissarro is not to be confused with pitchers
Camilo Pascual, 1954-71, 174-170 W/L, or Juan Pizarro, 1957-
74, 131-105. Both, incidentally, hit .200 in their careers.]
–The International Web Site Association / Comic Strip Division
lifted the suspension placed on Jeff B. and yours truly, thus
allowing us to resume with our hard-hitting analysis of “For
Worse…” And not a moment too soon, it would seem. [It also
helps to have a good attorney.]
Michael’s book has arrived from the publisher. You remember.
He wrote one for which he was granted a $25,000 advance, yet
none of the Bar Chat team, including Kathy B., my brother Harry
and sis-in-law Cindy could remember what the book was about.
All we’ve been told was it was a novel, though Jeff B. uncovered
that the publisher commented in a note to Michael on Feb. 2 of
this year:
“I rarely say things like this, but you have crafted a superbly
compelling, intensely emotional story. With few adjustments,
we can include your book in our fall lineup.”
With this clue it all came together. Yup, you guessed it. It’s
about Eskimos, polar bears, leopard seals, oil, corruption and a
brothel… “ANWR.”
The problem is Michael is no Michener, plus he’s already spent
the $25,000, mostly getting ripped off in buying Eskimo trinkets.
[That polar bear claw? It’s really a piece of plastic covered in
lead paint and made in China.] Harry also points out that
Micheal’s wife, Deanna, had an affair with Weed, his best friend,
and soon this will come out. [Of course Michael was sleeping
with Becky at the same time, you’ll recall.]
–Kid Rock is on the cover of the Oct. 18 issue of Rolling Stone,
a rather bodacious one at that; so Trader George and I were
musing, ‘You know, it wouldn’t be that bad being Kid Rock for a
week.’ Might even rival being Tom Brady, or Derek Jeter.
–This is a surprise, not having listened to country music
recently, but the No. 1 selling album in America these days is
Reba McEntire’s new one, “Reba Duets,” with guest stars such
as Justin Timberlake, Kelly Clarkson and Don Henley. Good for
Reba…can’t help but love her. [Reba supplanted Kanye West
and 50 Cent, while Barry Manilow’s “The Greatest Songs of the
Seventies” debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard chart.]
Top 3 songs for the week 10/19/74: #1 “Nothing From Nothing”
(Billy Preston) #2 “Then Came You” (Dionne Warwick &
Spinners) #3 “You Haven’t Done Nothin” (Stevie Wonder)…
and…#4 “I Honestly Love You” (Olivia Newton-John) #5
“Jazzman” (Carole King) #6 “The Bitch Is Back” (Elton John)
#7 “Never My Love” (Blue Swede) #8 “Can’t Get Enough”
(Bad Company) #9 “Steppin’ Out (Gonna Boogie Tonight)”
(Tony Orlando & Dawn) #10 “Love Me For A Reason” (The
Osmonds)
*Remember Adam Wade, host of “Musical Chairs,” the 1976
game show? Did you know he had three top ten hits in 1961?
Yup, the Pittsburgh native had the #7 “Take Good Care Of Her”,
#5 “The Writing On The Wall” and #10 “As If I Didn’t Know.”
[All three were done with George Paxton & His Orchestra.]
Plus, he worked as a lab assistant with Dr. Jonas Salk! Adam,
my man!
NCAA Football Quiz Answers: 1) Alabama’s career rushing
leader, Shaun Alexander (1996-99), 3565. 2) Alabama’s career
leader in receiving yards, Ozzie Newsome (1974-77), 102
catches for 2070 yards. 3) Arizona State’s career leader in
receiving yards, John Jefferson (1974-77), 188 catches for 2993
yards. 4) BC career passing yards: Doug Flutie (1981-84),
10579; Glenn Foley (1990-93), 10039. 5) BYU won its title in
1984, going 13-0, but wrapped it up with an unimpressive 24-17
victory in the Holiday Bowl over a 6-6 Michigan team. Doug
Flutie was the Heisman winner that season.
Tidbits:
–Auburn’s Bo Jackson rushed for 290 yards on 23 carries
against SW Louisiana in 1985, and 256 yards on 20 carries vs.
Alabama in 1983. But…Curtis Kuykendall ran for a school
record 307 yards in 1946 vs. Miami.
–Wow…forgot just how bad Baylor has been since last finishing
above .500 in 1995 (7-4).
1996-2006…4-7, 2-9, 2-9, 1-10, 2-9, 3-8, 3-9, 3-9, 3-8, 5-6, 4-8.
[The Bears are 3-4 thus far in ’07.]
Golf Quiz Answer: World rankings
1. Tiger, 23.60
2. Phil Mickelson, 9.54
3. Jim Furyk, 7.79
4. Ernie Els, 7.51
5. Steve Stricker, 7.18…you could win some coin on this one
6. Adam Scott, 6.31
7. Padraig Harrington, 5.96
8. K.J. Choi, 5.64
9. Sergio Garcia, 5.61
10. Rory Sabbatini, 5.55
Next Bar Chat, Monday.
