NCAA Football Quiz: 1) Who is Duke’s all-time passing leader,
yards? [1980-83] 2) Who is the only Florida back to rush for
4,000 yards? 3) OK…this is very hard…but his name brought
back memories. Who is Florida’s all-time leader in receiving
yards? [Played from 1969-71] 4) Who is Florida State’s all-time
leading rusher? 5) Who am I? I quarterbacked FSU from 1970-
72 and threw for 6,378 yards. Then I went on to the NFL for six
seasons. 6) And another for you old-timers out there. Who is
Florida State’s all-time leader in receiving (both catches and
yards). [He played in the 1960s.] Answers below.
Lt. Michael Murphy
On June 28, 2005, Lt. Murphy, a Navy SEAL, and three
members of an elite combat team in Afghanistan were searching
for a terrorist when they came upon three goatherds. They
couldn’t tell if the locals tending them would then notify the
Taliban, but they let them pass.
As editorialized in the New York Post, referencing Petty Officer
Marcus Luttrell, one of the team members and his book “The
Lone Survivor,” letting the goatherds through could have cost
them their lives. But the Americans did and an hour later they
were ambushed by 50-100 Taliban.
“Murphy was killed in the ensuing gunfight, but not before
braving open fire to signal for help. Although wounded, Murphy
provided his unit’s location and the size of the enemy force. At
one point he was shot in the back, causing him to drop the
transmitter. Murphy picked it back up, completed the call and
continued firing at the enemy who was closing in.
“He then returned to his cover position with his men and
continued the battle. A U.S. helicopter sent to rescue the men
was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, killing all 16 aboard.
“By the end of the two-hour gunfight, Murphy and two of his
comrades were also dead. An estimated 35 Taliban were killed.
Luttrell was blown over a ridge and knocked unconscious. He
escaped, and was protected by local villagers for several days
before he was rescued.
“Leaving the goatherds free was an act with foreseeable risks.
But the alternative was to execute what might have been three
completely innocent civilians – and this Murphy and his SEALs
could not abide.”
On Monday, President Bush presented Lt. Murphy’s parents,
Dan and Maureen, with the first Medal of Honor for combat in
Afghanistan.
“While their missions were often carried out in secrecy, their
love of country and devotion to each other was always clear.”
Dan Murphy said, “We look at these guys and say, ‘What
heroes.’ These guys look at themselves and say, ‘I’m just doing
my job.’ That’s an understatement, but that’s the way they view
it, and that was Michael’s whole life.”
New York Post:
“It’s a striking illustration of precisely what separates America
from its enemies, who regularly target civilians as a political
tactic – when they’re not hiding among them.”
Wall Street Journal editorial:
“In Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. military is almost spoiled for
choice when it comes to such instances of heroism and sacrifice.
It is regrettable that these volunteers are too often rewarded with
indifference by the U.S. political culture, where ‘supporting the
troops’ becomes nothing more than a slogan when there is a
score to settle. The representative men in this war are soldiers
like Lt. Murphy.”
Max McGee, RIP
Last chat I didn’t have time to note the story behind the first
Super Bowl and how McGee ended up starring.
McGee had a solid career with the Packers [1954-67…345
receptions for an 18.4 average and 51 touchdowns], though in
1966 he hauled in just four during the regular season.
But in Super Bowl I vs. the Chiefs, starter Boyd Dowler went
down with a separated shoulder on the Packers’ first possession
and it was up to McGee to fill in. Only one problem. McGee
hadn’t gone to bed the night before.
The following is from Jeff Miller’s great book on the AFL,
“Going Long.”
Reporter Jerry Izenberg, covering the game: One night, I decided
I wanted to talk to Max McGee. I just called the hotel, and they
put me through to the room. His roommate, Zeke Bratkowski,
answered the phone. “Zeke, is Max there?” He said, “No, it’s
only 10:59.” I said, “What time’s curfew?” He said, “Eleven.
Call back in the middle of the night.”
Jeff Miller: On Green Bay’s third play from scrimmage, veteran
wide receiver Boyd Dowler led a sweep in front of fullback Jim
Taylor and separated a shoulder trying to block Johnny
Robinson. With Dowler lost for the balance of the afternoon, the
Pack turned the position over to 34-year-old Max McGee, who
had announced his intention to retire after the game and had to
scramble to find his helmet when summoned. What attracted
more attention before kickoff were stories that McGee, known as
a live wire off the field with running buddy Paul Hornung, might
not have retired at all the night before the game.
Bobby Bell [Chiefs]: I don’t think McGee had his jockstrap on.
He was sitting on the bench, and they said, “Hey, you’ve gotta
play!”
Donny Anderson [Packers]: Max said he went out with the little
girls and drank his whiskey. I don’t know that. Max was such a
great storyteller. I think he has embellished that story a little bit.
Max was a great athlete, though. Whether he had one scotch or
20, I don’t know. And whether he stayed up all night, I don’t
know.
Bill Curry [Packers]: [Max] might have found something that
was worth $2,500 to him. I don’t know. It was not uncommon
for Max and Paul to observe their own training rules. Vince
loved to catch ‘em so he could fine ‘em incredible amounts of
money.
Jeff Miller: The Packers official who was in charge of bed
checks was assistant coach Dave “Hawg” Hanner. The Hawg
told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s “Packer Plus” in August
2002 that the stories of McGee’s antics the night before Super
Bowl I are just that – stories. “I can promise you, he was not out
before the game,” Hanner said. “I checked him three times that
night. And I can guarantee you, if he got out, Lombardi would
have been on my butt. If he got out and I didn’t catch him, I
would have been on the ropes and Max would have been sent
home.”
Miller: Sober or stupored, rested or rusty, McGee became the
unlikely first hero of Super Bowl lore with a game that eclipsed
his receiving output for the previous two seasons. He stunned
the Chiefs with a one-handed grab at the KC 23-yard line late in
the first quarter that he turned into a 37-yard touchdown for the
game’s first score. He added a second TD reception in the
second half and finished with seven catches for 138 yards in
Green Bay’s 35-10 triumph.
Bobby Bell: Max was catching balls behind him, one-handed,
close to the ground. He’d jump up, and the ball would just stick.
He was just fantastic that day.
But for the record, and from Paul Hornung’s book “Golden
Boy,” Hornung writes of his best friend McGee and the night
before the Super Bowl:
“I didn’t expect to play because of my injuries and Max figured
he wouldn’t get very much time, so Max wanted to go out and
party. I didn’t feel like it, so I went back to the hotel [after a big
dinner where golfer Bob Rosburg asked Hornung if it was safe to
bet on the Packers…to which Hornung said ‘yes’] while Max
stayed out and ran the streets. I’m not sure what time he got in,
but the sun was up on the day of the game.”
So we’ll go with this version. Much more from Hornung’s book
over the next week or so.
Stuff
–William Rhoden / New York Times
“With a snap of the finger and the blink of an eye, Boston has
become the epicenter of the national sports landscape.
“The Red Sox are in the World Series for the second time in four
seasons. The Patriots, winners of three Super Bowls, may be
headed for a fourth.
“The Boston Celtics made themselves instant championship
contenders with the addition of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.
And the second-ranked Boston College football team has a
realistic chance at playing for the national championship.
“Factor in New York, which is mired in sports retrograde, and
this is heaven in New England. It’s enough to make a mayor
burst with pride.
“ ‘It’s great to be the city of champions and have so many good
sports teams,’ Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston said
yesterday in a telephone interview. ‘The spirit of the city, people
feel good about the place.’”
Oh, shut up…mused your editor, a New York fan, and not even a
Giants one at that. All this Beantown success makes me sick.
[I’m incredibly jealous. Enjoy the ride, Bostonians.]
–Mike Lupica / New York Daily News…on A-Rod
“People say A-Rod’s not the only one who let the Yankees
down. He’s not. But he’s the guy routinely called the best
player in the game, the one who’s supposed to break the all-time
home run record someday, the one who is obsessed, along with
(Scott) Boras, with breaking contract records.
“The bar is supposed to be set higher for him.
“And yet his numbers are so low in the last three postseasons and
when the Yankees began to fall apart against the Red Sox in
2004 that you need to scrape them off the bottom of shoes. The
first six guys in the Red Sox batting order all did more for their
team against the Indians than A-Rod has done for the Yankees
lately.
“We keep hearing how ‘random’ the playoffs are. Hear it about
the outgoing manager especially. Well, somebody down in
Tampa posed this question to Joe Torre the other day, and it was
a pretty good one if you ask me: How come we never heard
about how random things were in the playoffs until the Yankees
stopped winning them?
“The Red Sox are in the same random, crapshoot playoffs and
have now gotten off the deck and come back from 3-0 down and
3-1 down in the last four years, and which of A-Rod’s Yankee
teams do you think were capable of that? The Red Sox were able
to do this because their biggest stars – David Ortiz, Manny
Ramirez – stepped up to the plate in all ways.
“And right in the crazy happy scene at Fenway Park when the
Red Sox won a pennant Yankee fans still think should have
belonged to them was a kid who loked like a bat boy. His name
is Dustin Pedroia and he plays second base for the Red Sox. In
two innings of Game 7 and two at-bats against the Indians, he
knocked in more postseason runs for his team than Alex
Rodriguez has in three years for the Yankees.
“Now A-Rod wants to be paid as if he’s indispensable, because
the Yankees wouldn’t have made it to the playoffs this year
without him. True enough. Here’s something else that is true:
They sure don’t make the World Series very much with him on
their side.
“It is why the Yankees should absolutely call his bluff about
opting out. If he really wants to go, let him.”
–Rudy Giuliani is in some hot water. While campaigning in
Boston and New Hampshire on Tuesday, he was asked who he
was rooting for in the World Series.
“I’m rooting for the Red Sox. I’m an American League fan, and
I go with the American League team – maybe with the exception
of the Mets. Maybe that would be the one time I wouldn’t,
because I’m loyal to New York.”
Well, the New York tabloids have had a field day and Rudy
deserves the heat.
Actually, he should have just said “I’m an American League fan
so I guess Boston, but you all know I live and die with the
Yankees and I’m still licking those wounds. And most Yankee
fans aren’t allowed to root for Boston, anyway.”
But he not only compounded matters by throwing the Mets in the
equation, he looks like a huge hypocrite when it comes to Hillary
Clinton, who herself has received deserved grief for shifting
allegiances to suit the politics of the moment. Yoh Rudy, you
blew this one.
–Only one regular season game worth watching in the NFL this
year…Nov. 4…New England and Indianapolis. So start stocking
up on the Chex Mix and beer before they disappear from the
shelves, just as we’re doing here at Bar Chat.
–Only two PGA Tour events left for golfers to finish the year in
the top 125 on the money list and earn their card for 2008. For
you junkies out there….you know who you are…here are slots
120-130.
120. J.P. Hayes…$771,215
121. Mathias Gronberg…764,020
122. Ben Curtis…759,451
123. J.B. Holmes…754,616
124. Ted Purdy…748,002
125. Kevin Stadler…737,276
126. Brett Quigley…717,411
127. Craig Kanada…695,280
128. Cameron Beckman…694,362
129. Harrison Frazier…688,814
130. Joe Durant…675,570
So assume No. 125 Stadler makes the cut in one of the two
events and picks up $15,000, moving him to $752,000; that
means that Durant would need to finish higher than 20th to have a
shot, with a 20th place check in these final two events being
worth about $60,000. But a top ten would wrap it up for any of
the five behind Stadler. And at the same time, bare minimum,
Ted Purdy, Holmes and possibly Curtis better make at least one
cut.
In other words, sports fans, this is pressure.
–Brad K. passed along the disaster at the Bristol Hippodrome
(England) where theater-goers walked out of a new ballet
production because they were covered in pigeon droppings
during the performance. “For the past few months visitors have
faced the prospect of being pelted from up high after the birds
found a hole in the roof….two unfortunate ballet lovers were
forced to flee after being hit by a hail of droppings.” [AP]
As Brad notes (this being part of the final animal assault on us
overrated humans), “The pigeons are targeting our more
privileged society goers prior to targeting the masses. Not just a
drop, but rather a hailstorm of horror.”
–Johnny Mac passed on the story out of Gauhati, India, a true
tragedy, as “Six Asiatic wild elephants were electrocuted” after
going berserk following a night of drinking “rice beer.”
As reported by the AP, “The 40-strong herd uprooted an electric
pole while looking desperately for food on Friday in Chandan
Nukat….
“ ‘There would have been more casualties had the villagers not
chased them away,’ said Dipu Mark, a local conservationist.”
Of course readers of Bar Chat have long known that elephants
have a taste for rice beer, but the electrocution comes just days
after I told you of five lions that were electrocuted in India as
well, though that turned out to be via an illegal electrical fence a
freakin’ villager put up to protect crops.
Well, lest you be too distraught over this latest news, remember,
elephants have killed more than 600 people in Assam state alone
the past 16 years. As Ronald Reagan said in his farewell speech,
“not bad…not bad at all.”
–But wait…there’s more! My brother Harry passed on a story
from right here in New Jersey….and it involves our noble, yet
mangy, friend the yak!
“Yak attacks man at Hunterdon animal farm”
“An apparently protective yak butted a Hunterdon County man
last night and may have broken some of his ribs, police said.
“The yak, weighing 500 pounds and standing 5 feet tall, attacked
the 66-year-old man about 8 pm at an exotic-animal farm in
Holland Township…The officer said the attacking yak was
believed to have become protective of another yak.” [Daily
Record]
Our sympathies to the man and his family, of course, but you’ve
got to admire the behavior, and character, of the yak. Plus it’s
nutritious!
–This one was all over the papers. An idiot 8-year-old leaped
over a panda enclosure at the Beijing Zoo and was mauled by Gu
Gu, a panda with quite a reputation…kind of like Mike Tyson,
actually. It was the second time Gu Gu attacked an intruder.
Last year it took a chunk out of the leg of a drunken man who
found his way into its enclosure. Police are rightfully blaming
the kid, who no doubt will spend the rest of his life in a
reeducation camp.
–Uh oh…I’m reading Fred Aun’s ‘Outdoors’ column in the Star-
Ledger and he has the following.
“One thing is certain: A New Jersey coyote is easily
distinguished from one found in, say, Montana. The Eastern
coyote is larger and more apt to eat deer than its western
counterpart….
“Some attribute the differences to hybridization, suggesting
Eastern coyotes are the result of Western coyotes mating with
gray wolves.”
But get this. Expert Roland Kays told Fred Aun that when
coyotes started moving into New Jersey 50 years ago, there were
really two distinct movements.
“One came straight east through Ohio and the other went through
Ontario, over the St. Lawrence River and into New York state…
It looks like Pennsylvania and New Jersey are where the northern
front and western front came together.”
Sounds like Rommel and his pincer movements during the
German’s peak in WW II.
–And then there is this one. In Taiwan, a whale was found on
the beach and because it was still alive, barely, Professor Wang
Chien-ping ordered the whale to be moved to a nature preserve
where his institution could study the animal before it totally
decomposed.
But en route, atop a trailer, the whale exploded, splattering
passers-by and cars with blood and body parts.
“Residents and shop owners wore masks while trying to clean up
the spilt blood and entrails,” according to Reuters.
Professor Wang noted, “Because of the natural decomposing
process, a lot of gasses accumulated, and when the pressure
build-up was too great, the whale’s belly exploded.”
But it was Brad K. who pointed out that the animal kingdom is
hitting us hard these days, by land, sea and air, as you may have
noticed from all the above tales. And of course this was no
ordinary whale with trapped gases. This was the work of
communist China. A boycott of the Olympics could be the
result.
–With its 5-0 win over Coastal Carolina, the #1 Wake Forest
men’s soccer team has now outscored its last five opponents
25-0. But, on Saturday, the Deacs travel to Chestnut Hill, Mass.,
to take on #12 Boston College, who is actually atop the ACC
with a 5-0-0 record to Wake’s 4-0-1.
–Putting my 8-8 record on the line…your EXCLUSIVE Bar
Chat Football Picks to Click for this weekend.
Take Troy, giving 4 ½ to Arkansas State
Take Wake Forest, giving 6 to North Carolina
Take Buffalo, giving 1 to Akron
Take Oregon, giving 3 to USC
[Wednesday’s lines]
I never like betting on Wake, I have to admit, but have a much
better feeling on this one. Shu, $5, you got the other side.*
*This is code for $5 Xs 23,000.
Remember, kids, I’m a professional. Always check with your
parents before wagering more than $6,000 on any single contest.
–Two deaths in the food world of note. Peg Bracken, author of
“The I Hate to Cook Book,” which every family of a certain age
seemed to have in their kitchen (such as ours), and Vincent
DeDomenico, one of the inventors of Rice-A-Roni (along with
his brothers). “Sau-tee…and simmm-mer….the flaaa-vor can’t
be beat…[ding ding]…Rice-A-Ro-ni…the San Francisco
treat…”
These days dishes like Rice-A-Roni take too long for me. I’m
one of those 90 seconds in the microwave rice guys, know what
I’m sayin’?
–Very funny the way Larry David is handling his real-life
divorce on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” as on the show the breaking
point for Cheryl was when the plane she was on seemed in
danger of crashing as it flew through a wicked storm. She called
Larry to say goodbye (in case she didn’t make it), and Larry told
her to “call back in 10 minutes” because his Tivo was being
fixed…………….this cracks me up just typing it.
–In “For Worse….” drummer Gerald is being a real pain in the
ass, not accepting the fact that only one in 10 million bands ever
strike it big. April, in a rare moment of maturity, says “Even
though I love music, it’s not gonna be my whole life!” To which
Gerald, whose application to be a Canadian Mountie was ripped
up in front of his face, said, “So…it’s over. I knew it was gonna
end.” “We can still be a band!” April pleaded. “But we won’t
be a couple,” replied Gerald, totally missing that he had an
opportunity to…………………………….I was just informed by
the monitors at the International Web Site Association / Comic
Strip Analysis Division, and Jeff B., that I can’t go there.
Top 3 songs for the week 10/30/76: #1 “If You Leave Me Now”
(Chicago) #2 “Disco Duck” (Rick Dees & His Cast of Idiots) #3
“Rock’n Me” (Steve Miller)…and…#4 “The Wreck Of The
Edmund Fitzgerald” (Gordon Lightfoot…insufferable…will it
ever stop?!) #5 “A Fifth Of Beethoven” (Walter Murphy & The
Big Apple Band…absolutely putrid…the music sucked my
freshman year in college) #6 “Love So Right” (Bee Gees…eh)
#7 “She’s Gone” (Daryl Hall & John Oates…thank god for this
one…top 50 hit for your editor) #8 “Play That Funky Music”
(Wild Cherry…and liked this one) #9 “Muskrat Love” (Captain
& Tennille…stay away…they could be rabid) #10 “Magic Man”
(Heart…alright)
NCAA Football Quiz Answers: 1) Ben Bennett is Duke’s
passing leader…9,614 yards (1980-83) 2) Eric Rhett (1990-93)
is Florida’s all-time rushing leader with 4,163 yards. [Emmitt
Smith is #2 with 3,928. He holds the single game mark with 316
yards.] 3) Florida’s leading receiver, career…Carlos Alvarez
(1969-71) caught 172 passes for 2,563 yards. [1969, Alvarez
caught 88 passes from QB John Reaves.] 4) FSU’s leading
rusher is Warrick Dunn (1993-96) with 3,959 yards. 5) Gary
Huff was FSU’s QB from 1970-72. He then played for Chicago
and Tampa Bay. 6) FSU’s all-time leading receiver…Ron
Sellers (1966-68), 212 catches for 3,598 yards.
And when you look at Florida State’s history, you can’t help but
notice the stretch 1987-2000 when the Seminoles never lost more
than 2 games and finished in the top five of the AP poll each
year. [Two national titles, ’93 and ’99.]
Next Bar Chat, Monday. I’m heading to Kansas City on
Thursday for a quick trip. Hopefully I get some chat out of it
because if I don’t, it will have been a bust. One clue…it involves
a guy I’ve written of often who starred in my home town of Summit,
NJ….and a visit to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
