NCAA Football Quiz: 1) Who is South Carolina’s career rushing
leader? 2) Who is Southern Cal’s career rushing leader? 3) Who
was USC’s QB during its 12-0, #1 season of 1972? [Hint: Pat
Haden was the backup that year. Anthony Davis was the
tailback.] 4) Who holds the USC single-game rushing record of
347 yards set in 1976. Answers below.
We are….Wake Forest!
So I got home from Germany on Sunday afternoon, in time to see
the second half of the NCAA men’s soccer final between Wake
and Ohio State. Forget that the Deacs were down 1-0 at half and
came back to win, 2-1; it was just a terrific soccer game. I also
can’t help but note Deacon striker Marcus Tracy, who scored
three of the four goals in the last two games. Tracy is black, is
an Academic All-American, was raised in Chestnut Hill, Pa., and
has two parents. Now it might not be politically correct to write
what I just did, but I’m sure as hell proud of the guy because as I
told you a while back, the older you get the more you want your
alma mater being associated with the best of college athletics and
not as a result of a recruiting scandal or something from the
police blotter.
But related to the facts concerning Mr. Tracy, a recent Wall
Street Journal op-ed by Henry Payne discussed Detroit…Murder
City, USA. Marcus Tracy is one lucky guy to have two loving
parents. “Today, over 80% of Detroit’s black children are born
to single-parent households. Just one in nine black boys is raised
with a father.” Further, “over 50% of black men in Detroit are
high-school dropouts. In 2004, 72% of those dropouts were
jobless. By their mid-30s, 60% have done prison time.”
As I write this, I’m watching President Bush at a Rotary Club
meeting and thinking, why isn’t Bill Cosby given an hour in
prime time to address one of the biggest crises our nation faces;
the plight of Black America? Just musing.
And while we’re on this topic, the Los Angeles Times’ Bill
Plaschke recently had a piece on Tiger Woods.
“On a cool winter morning, I drove south to a modest tract home
in a cluttered Cypress neighborhood, looking for a boy wonder.
“Sitting in a living room decorated like a Thai restaurant,
wearing a weathered baseball cap and oversized shorts, was 17-
year-old Tiger Woods.
“He was black. He wasn’t black. He was a pain. Fans loved
him. Competitors slurred him.
“ ‘Sometimes I think, ‘Isn’t society screwed up?’’ he told me
before grabbing car keys and striding out the front door into the
darkness.
“I left the house thinking, he doesn’t stand a chance. Fifteen
years later, on another cool morning, I am driving north through
the lush hills of Sherwood, looking for a king.
“Standing in front of a roomful of reporters, wearing a spotless
black sweater over a perfect white shirt, staring out underneath a
perfectly fitted cap, is 31-year-old Tiger Woods.
“To most, he has become the world’s greatest golfer and most
celebrated athlete. To those of us in Southern California who
watched him grow up, he has done something far more difficult
and important. To us, he has become a man.
“He has found a wife. He has lost a father. He has become a
father. He has built a charity. He has made his place.
“While NFL stars chase trouble, he chases Jack Nicklaus. While
NBA stars are involved in gunfights, he stares down Phil
Mickelson. While seemingly every major sports star dabbles in
scandal, Woods seemingly remains as straight as his drives, as
true as his chips, as money as his putts.
“Fifteen years ago, that confused Cypress kid was right; the
society surrounding a Southern California child star was screwed
up. But somehow, some way, it didn’t screw him up.
“We watched Kobe Bryant grow into something petulant. We
watched Todd Marinovich grow into something sad.
“We are watching Woods grow into something rare, the
Hollywood kid who survives, Drew Barrymore without the
drama, Ron Howard with hair.
“I have not always been so kind to Woods in the past. I’ve been
critical of his aloofness, curious about his dullness, baffled by his
refusal to roll up his sleeves and publicly dig into such issues as a
continued lack of African Americans on tour.
“Maybe it’s because he’s older, or I’m older, but now I look at
him different.
“In a world of Michael Vicks and Barry Bondses, I have come to
appreciate Woods not only for what he does, but for what he
doesn’t do.
“He doesn’t do anything stupid. He doesn’t say anything stupid.
“In an era when athletes whine that they are targets, nobody
wears a bigger bull’s-eye than Woods, yet lawlessness and
recklessness and even surliness have somehow missed him.
“While not always the most exciting interview or charming
personality, he is steady, historically steady, during a time when
the sports world desperately needs steady.”
—
Steroids, winding down…for now…
[In keeping with my coverage of the story, more opinion.]
Thomas Boswell / Washington Post
“This past week, the Orioles traded Miguel Tejada for a fistful of
players you never heard of. The Nationals signed free agent
catcher Paul Lo Duca, an all-star four times, for the curiously
low price of $5 million for one year. Throughout baseball, teams
and players suddenly made up their minds about where to play
next season and at what price. Andy Pettitte re-signed with the
Yankees; the Brewers gave Eric Gagne a one-year deal for $10
million. On Thursday, simultaneous with the release of the
Mitchell report, Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees, after weeks of
negotiations, suddenly finalized the biggest contract ever.
“As soon as the report was released, these coincidences became
clearer. Lo Duca, Pettitte and Gagne were all asked by Mitchell
to respond to steroid allegations against them. All declined. But
they knew they’d be in the report. They took the money on the
table, even if it was only for one year, before their names hit the
front page.
“Because 18 current or former Orioles were among the 92 names
mentioned by Mitchell, did Baltimore take what it could get for
the fading Tejada before the smoke of rumors around him
actually turned into fire? As for the Yanks, up to their pinstripes
in syringes, did they wait to sign A-Rod, the biggest still-clean
name in the sport, until the day he could provide the most PR
cover for their ex-stars, including Roger Clemens, who were
named by their former trainer Brian McNamee?
“If all this makes baseball sound like a cynical world where ‘the
juice’ is an everyday part of life as well as a factor in every trade
or signing, then you’re absolutely right. If you conclude that the
whole sport, from the union, commissioner and owners through
GMs and managers, has been deeply aware of its steroid
epidemic for many years, but didn’t have the guts to confront it,
then you’re correct again.”
Ross Newhan / Los Angeles Times
“If the Mitchell report is something less than a noose but more
than a custom-designed collar around the neck of baseball’s
owners and players union, the questions now are what has been
learned and what will be learned.
“Well, taking a mercenary approach and narrowing the context to
dollars and sense, the answer to both questions may be ‘nothing’
– and here’s why:
“Of the active players among the 86 cited by Mitchell for
involvement with performance-enhancing substances – and it’s
impossible to believe that the clubs didn’t know or couldn’t ask
and ascertain who was on that list before it was released –
several already have been gifted with more millions from
benevolent owners, subscribing to a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’
policy….
“Eric Gagne, shadowed by drug speculation throughout his rise,
fall and revitalization, and cited in the report for HGH orders
with the Dodgers, received a 2008 contract for $10 million from
the Milwaukee Brewers only a few days ago, a matter of timing
that General Manager Doug Melvin now calls a ‘black eye’ for
the organization.
“Paul Lo Duca, a virtual Dodgers conduit to former steroids and
HGH distributor Kirk Radomski, according to the report, was
recently signed to a 2008 contract for $5 million by the
Washington Nationals.
“Jose Gullen, cited by the report for ordering steroids and HGH,
was signed to a three-year, $36 million contract by the Kansas
City Royals, who were aware he would be named in the report
and suspended by Major League Baseball at the start of the 2008
season. Guillen has filed a grievance appealing his 15-day
suspension….
“We all know the history. I wrote about much of it for this
newspaper. In his report, Mitchell called it a ‘collective failure’
by the owners and a resistant players union (which sacrificed the
non-cheats among its members in the name of privacy and higher
salaries). The fact that the accomplishments of two of the all-
time greatest players, a hitter (Barry Bonds) and pitcher (Roger
Clemens), will be forever tainted – no mater the denials or
burdens of proof – is only part of the sad legacy.
“In the end, victimized by the absence of subpoena power, even
Mitchell acknowledged that his report probably named only a
small percentage of the performance-enhancing substance users
and had to be built almost entirely on the testimony of the plea-
bargaining Radomski, the former New York Mets clubhouse
attendant who is mentioned 577 times in the report, and
McNamee, the former trainer who is mentioned 156 times and
might have been charged with steroid and HGH distribution if he
didn’t testify.
“In the end, the report is actually a beginning – or a continuation,
at least – of an era pockmarked by needles, littered with phony
prescription slips. For one thing, there is no test for HGH, the
performance-enhancing substance of choice now, and how many
players are taking advantage of that loophole?….
“For now, the era merely evolves, the beat as we’ve known it
continuing, the cha-ching being the familiar sound of cash
registers as flush owners open the drawer to happy players.
“If the scouting report is positive, what does it matter if the
Mitchell report isn’t.”
Then there is the case of Andy Pettitte. In a statement issued
through his agent, Randy Hendricks, Pettitte ankowledged using
HGH in 2002 to help him recover from an injury, though he
claims his usage was limited to two days while on the disabled
list.
“I had heard that human growth hormone could promote faster
healing for my elbow. I felt an obligation to get back to my team
as soon as possible. For this reason, and only this reason, for two
days I tried human growth hormone. Though it was not against
baseball rules, I was not comfortable with what I was doing, so I
stopped….
“If what I did was an error in judgment on my part, I apologize.
I accept responsibility for those two days. Everything else
written or said about me knowingly using illegal drugs is
nonsense, wrong and hurtful. I have the utmost respect for
baseball and have always tried to live my life in a way that would
be honorable. I wasn’t looking for an edge; I was looking to
heal.”
Oh, shut up, Andy.
Dr. Gary Wadler, a steroids expert and a World Anti-Doping
Agency adviser, told the New York Daily News that Pettitte’s
explanation doesn’t pass muster.
“HGH should only be prescribed by a doctor; it is a highly
controlled drug and one of the few that can’t be prescribed for
off-label uses,” Wadler told the News. “It’s very clear. It has
very limited legit uses. An elbow injury would not be a
government-approved use of human growth hormone.”
Mike Lupica / New York Daily News
“A little over a year ago, it was reported in the Los Angeles
Times that a former Yankee pitcher named Jason Grimsley had
accused some major-league players of using performance-
enhancing drugs in a federal agent’s affidavit. One of the players
named in the Times story was Andy Pettitte, who was about to
finish his last season with the Houston Astros.
“When asked about the story at the time, here is what Andy
Pettitte, who now says he has worked hard his entire life to do
things the right way, said: ‘I’ve never used any drugs to enhance
my performance in baseball. I don’t know what to say except
that it’s embarrassing that my name would be out there.’
“Now Pettitte’s name is out there – for using human growth
hormone – in former Sen. George Mitchell’s report. Two days
after Mitchell releases that report to the public, a report that has
Pettitte getting HGH from personal trainer Brian McNamee and
using it for two to four days, Pettitte issues a statement, throws
himself on the mercy of the public and cops to two.
“So Pettitte essentially cops to half of what the report said he did.
In a way that really sounds half-something-else. This really is an
absolute classic sports apology, the kind where somebody says
that if he offended somebody he’s sorry, when the only thing
he’s really sorry about is getting caught.
“This wasn’t from Pettitte’s heart Saturday, it was from the
lawyers and agents, with more addendums than Mitchell had in
the report that brought Andy Pettitte to this moment….
“He wants to come across as a standup guy here. Instead he
looks like somebody in a boxer’s crouch, covering up so he
doesn’t get hit anymore, doesn’t get lumped in with all the other
cheap, dirty drug users named in George Mitchell’s report.
“ ‘If what I did was an error in judgment on my part, I
apologize,’ Pettitte said in a statement so carefully worded you
imagine he kept waiting for his agent’s keyboard to explode if
there was one wrong word in it, any word that could move
Pettitte away from Monument Park someday.
“If? Pettitte takes responsibility for those two days with HGH
and then goes on to say this:
“ ‘Everything else written or said about me knowingly using
illegal drugs is nonsense, wrong and hurtful. I have the utmost
respect for baseball and have always tried to live my life in a way
that would be honorable. I wasn’t looking for an edge; I was
looking to heal.’
“We’re supposed to pin a medal on a guy for using drugs he
knew he shouldn’t be using, that a doctor would never give him
for his particular medical condition. He wasn’t just another guy
going to the needle. Oh, no, he was going to McNamee the way
believers go to Lourdes.
“Come on.”
One other item. Now that the game’s two biggest stars of their
era, Bonds and Clemens, are tarnished and could be denied
entrance into the Hall of Fame, look for this to become a racial
issue. The New York Times’ William Rhoden is already turning
it into one, but I’m waiting for the columns that say ‘you’re racist
if you favor one getting in and not the other.’ I haven’t really
made up my mind on either. Probably won’t for some time to
come.
Stuff
–I saw A-Rod on “60 Minutes” and I have to admit he was as
good as he could have been. I have trouble believing the guy on
the steroids front, but as two local sports radio hosts said on
Monday, A-Rod had a great line when questioned by Katie
Couric as to whether or not he has ever used. “I’ve never felt
overmatched in baseball,” as in he’s never felt the need to look
for an edge.
However, I am proud of the fact that when Jose Canseco first
made his allegations about players like Mark McGwire I
supported Jose when few others did. So following the Mitchell
report, Canseco said he “could not believe (A-Rod’s) name was
not in (it).” And so we’re still left to wonder.
–Back to Tiger Woods, and the positive side of sports, he won
his own Target World Challenge over the weekend by seven
shots over Zach Johnson; this after Woods hadn’t played since
Sept. 30.
But there was a controversy in this invitational event as Rory
Sabbatini, the explosive one, pulled out for “personal reasons,”
so he said, prior to the last round, but his agent said it was due to
shin splints.
So as the AP reported, “Told that Sabbatini’s agent said the
reason was shin splints, Fred Couples wasn’t buying.
“ ‘Of course, he did,’ Couples said. ‘And Roger Clemens’ agent
said he didn’t do steroids.’”
One other item re Tiger. Since he turned pro in 1996, he has had
only 8…8…rounds of more than 5-over par. Mull that one over
during your Christmas meal. [When there’s a lull in the
conversation and it’s getting uncomfortable, just chirp up, “Hey,
did you guys know…..” Conversation starters…another Free
feature of Bar Chat.]
–And now….it’s time for our annual “What Am I Missing?”
installment featuring New Jersey Nets center Jason Collins.
Through his first 23 games, 20 of them starts, the 7-foot Collins
is averaging 1.1 points per game and 2.4 rebounds. For his
career, his averages are 4.6 and 4.6. In his first 490 games he
started 402. For this production, Collins is being paid $6.1
million.
Now I’ve always followed my updates on him with the comment
that Collins is a good guy. That’s never been the issue here. I’m
just saying that any of you, age 15 to 65, could get 1 point and 2
rebounds in 20 minutes of NBA action, which is the amount
Collins receives each outing.
–Only a few more shopping days left to get your loved one a
Chia Pet.
–Congratulations to Appalachian State for winning its third
straight Division I-AA football title in defeating Delaware, 49-
21.
–And congrats to Chadron State (Neb.) running back Danny
Woodhead for capturing his second straight Division II Player of
the Year honors.
–Shark! Goodness gracious…not one, but two shark attacks to
report on. Sharkhunter Bob S. alerted me to the story out of New
Zealand that surfer Olivia Hislop was attacked not once, but
twice, by probably the same shark.
It seems that Olivia “was waiting for a wave at the Meatworks
surf break on Sunday when she felt something tugging at her
surfboard. When she turned around she got the fright of her life
to see a shark’s face and upper body on her board gnashing its
teeth.
“ ‘I thought someone had come up behind me and was playing
about,’ she said.”
The shark actually smacked her in the head with its tail, dazing
her. The shark moved off and her buddies gathered, talking
about the size of the shark they had seen…a big one.
So what does Ms. Hislop do? She goes out to catch another
wave “and when she put her feet back in the water felt the shark
bang against her. After bringing up her foot to see if her toes
were still there, she realized the shark had bitten through her
leash: ‘I was expecting to see my toes just dangling.’”
Bob S. questioned whether Olivia was gunning for a Darwin
award, while I had to note she was kind of cute from the picture I
saw. At which point Bob said, “Kind of cute? She’s a girl
surfer; aren’t they all cute?!”
Once again, Bob nailed the issue and I felt like an idiot. I asked
for his forgiveness, seeing as how I first learned about the item
after drinking some premium lager in Germany. I’m awaiting
the decision of the International Web Site Association’s Shark
Attack Reporting Board to see whether or not I’ll be sanctioned.
And there was this other incident.
“A swimmer has been attacked by a shark at Australia’s Bondi
Beach, popular with tourists from around the world, for the first
time in 70 years.”
I’ve been to Bondi….about five years ago. What a great spot for
people watching.
“Scott Wright, 34, was swimming at the south end of the beach
on Friday evening when a small shark bit his arm, leaving him
with deep gouges.
“Mr. Wright, a tourist from Tasmania, made his way ashore
before passing out in a cliff cave that he was camping in
temporarily while in Sydney. He was found by his girlfriend (the
next morning).”
No word on his condition but all are in agreement if the shark
was bigger, he’d be dead. [Though there are supposed to be
safety nets to prevent Great Whites from wreaking havoc, a la
“Jaws.”]
I’m also kind of wondering about the girlfriend…wanting to be
with a guy who has zero means of support and lives in a cave.
–Depressing story out of the northern Pacific as researchers have
concluded 4,000 walrus died last year in stampedes. Due to the
fact their pack ice is melting, they are forced to beach themselves
because the walrus, unlike the seal, needs a place to relax from
time to time, not being able to stay in the water forever. But
when thousands crowd on shore and, say, a polar bear shows up,
they stampede into the water and that dooms the weaker and
youngest in the group. This is also a good reason why the walrus
will never be No. 1 on the All-Species list.
–Great story in the London Times the other day. 7-time Formula
One champion Michael Schumacher flew his private plane from
his home in Switzerland to Bavaria to pick up a new dog from a
breeder. But the trip went slower than he expected and he had a
meeting in Italy that evening. So when his cabbie was going too
slow after the Schumacher family got the dog, Michael took
control of the cab to get to the airport faster. The cabbie said it
was the most hair-raising ride of his life. But Schumacher gave
him a 100 euro tip.
–Speaking of dogs, two canines in Australia pulled a 2-year-old
boy out of a dam. The kid had wandered off from his home, the
dogs followed him, and the kid went into the water. The reason
why the boy’s parents know what happened next is when they ran
in a panic to the water, he was on shore and there were drag marks
from the water’s edge. Dogs….once again proving themselves in an
otherwise lousy world.
–“A-Hole Franchise of the Year” candidate….my New York
Mets, who after blowing the biggest late-September lead in the
history of the game decided to hike ticket prices about 20 percent
for 2008, the last season in decrepit Shea Stadium.
–Fernando Alonso, two-time Formula One champ, has signed a
two-year contract with Renault paying $51.3 million per. And if
you didn’t already know, these guys also get the world’s ultimate
beauties to grace their arm. [Or both arms.]
–I see I missed absolutely nothing in “For Worse…..” Sadly,
little Francine may be warming up to Liz. I was hoping for an
Exorcist type moment, possibly on New Year’s Eve.
–Some final notes on Germany. Since my last report, I went to
the Berlin Zoo (they actually have two….I was at the main one)
to see Knut, the famous polar bear. Well, Knut is no longer a
cuddly little guy. He’s 250 pounds and a dirty orange, the color
of the dirt he’s playing in. But I snapped off a picture and if it
comes out I’ll put it on the site. [No, I don’t have a digital
camera.]
It turns out there is a huge tussle over Knut as well. The finance
director of the zoo wanted to use Knut as a symbol of climate
change and promote him around the world, while the other zoo
director’s want the revenue that Knut has generated to be used
for the other zoo animals in Berlin, solely. So the first guy quit.
I saw a gibbon, who just may be No. 1 on the All-Species list,
but when I mentioned to him he was in the running for this
honor, I got a clueless, Eli Manning-type look in return. Now
I’m not so sure.
Every time I see some coatis, I think of Marlon Perkins. Back in
the day, coatis seemed to take up half of each “Mutual of
Omaha’s Wild Kingdom.”
“Just as the coati mundy needs insurance protection for a rainy
day, so do you…”
Our own Dr. Bortrum told me the Berlin Zoo was great and
indeed it was. At one exhibit you really get to see how hippos
swim (via an indoor tank). But one hippo was eyeing me warily,
like he wanted to attack, so I ran out of the place.
But as I was walking through the Asia outdoor exhibit, I spied a
shaggy-looking group of animals…….could it be? Maybe? Yes,
a group of Yak. They seemed genuinely happy to see me. The
feeling was mutual. These noble animals remain top ten in my
book, even if they are more than a bit mangy.
By the way, to give you an idea of what a great zoo this is, in
some of the indoor areas (it being wintertime, the apes are inside,
for example), they allow you to see the kitchen and what they
feed the animals. I’m telling you, it’s better than what
Continental serves! Certainly looks fresher.
I went to a few art museums in Berlin and learned later the city
has 175 museums, overall. In fact, when it was just West Berlin,
the city spent more on culture than the entire U.S. government
was spending on it.
Then on Saturday I took the train back to Cologne for a final
blowout at the Christmas markets. But I first went to the German
sports museum there, which featured mostly Olympic moments.
I was mesmerized by Leni Riefenstahl’s 1936 Olympic film.
Riefenstahl, as you know, was Hitler’s propagandist on this
front, but the ’36 film was really a special work for mostly the
right reasons. Riefenstahl employed 30 camera operators in the
first full Olympic production of its kind and some of the shots
are great…obviously highlighted by Jesse Owens’ phenomenal
performance.
But you should have seen Cologne on Saturday. Now the week
before I was in the city on Sunday and Monday and I thought it
was pretty crowded, which was fine with me as it added to the
festive spirit. Saturday, though, it was wall-to-wall people
wherever you went. So after hitting some of the markets, I’m
passing this one bar and hear just a tremendous amount of
singing and cheering. About 20 yards later I thought, “you
jerk, go in there!”
The place was called Kulisse and I just lucked out in a big way.
They had a band playing folk tunes, which the hundreds there
were singing at the top of the their lungs and none of which I had
ever heard before, but it was also a little after 4:00 and it turns
out the top German soccer league had six games on tap at once
on their television network and the coverage was great. Needless
to say, I stayed the next two hours, watching games such as
Bremen v. Bayern-Leverkuesen and Hertha v. Bayern-Munchen
(Germany’s most famous team) and while I didn’t do any
singing, it was a super time. All ages were in the place and this
one older gentleman who spoke good English became a fast
friend. Plus….the glasses of Kolsch were only about $2.50!
[Granted, it was just 10 ounces, but such a deal!]
Alas, I mellowed out the rest of the evening and let the town
party on its own while I stayed at the hotel bar (not that my cot
was there). It proved to be a good move, I think.
Anyway, I heartily recommend Cologne for a different kind of
Christmastime experience. If you ever feel like doing this, drop
me a line and I’ll give you some good advice.
Top 3 songs for the week 12/21/74: #1 “Kung Fu Fighting” (Carl
Douglas) #2 “When Will I See You Again” (The Three Degrees)
#3 “I Can Help” (Billy Swan)…and…#4 “Cat’s In The Cradle”
(Harry Chapin) #5 “Angie Baby” (Helen Reddy) #6 “Do It (‘Til
You’re Satisfied)” (B.T. Express) #7 “You’re The First, The
Last, My Everything” (Barry White) #8 “Sha-La-La” (Al Green)
#9 “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” (Elton John) #10
“Junior’s Farm / Sally G.” (Paul McCartney & Wings)
*We note the passing of Dan Fogelberg.
NCAA Football Quiz Answers: 1) George Rogers, 1977-80, is
South Carolina’s career rushing leader with 5,205 yards. 2)
Charles White, 1976-79, is USC’s career rushing leader with
6,245 yards. 3) Mike Rae was USC’s QB in 1972. 4) Ricky Bell
rushed for 347 yards in a game vs. Washington State in 1976 on
51 carries!
Next Bar Chat, Christmas Eve….I’ll have my annual Christmas
special at that time. [I also need the next two weeks to catch up
and take a little break.]
