NFL Quiz: Name the 11 QBs who have thrown for 40,000 yards…two being active. Answer below.
Arnie Turns 80
My all-time sports hero, Arnold Palmer, turns 80 on September 10 so the next few Bar Chats I’ll do what I can to honor him. I learned about Arnie as a wee lad, every time I’d go ‘home’ to visit my many relatives on my mother’s side in the Greensburg/Latrobe, Pa., area. As I came of age, in a sports sense, I quickly found out that in western Pennsylvania in particular, Arnie was King, and there was always a buzz in the region when he was in town, flying his own plane to Latrobe Airport. In the succeeding years I’ve seen him on many an occasion, including the 1967 and 1980 U.S. Opens at Baltusrol; the latter where I was a toy cop, guarding the players’ parking lot, having just graduated from Wake Forest where of course Arnie also went to school and was treated like a god.
Back in 1993, Orlando Sentinel sports columnist Larry Guest wrote a book, “Arnie: Inside the Legend,” that I have in front of me. As Mr. Guest knew, you can’t begin to tell the Arnold Palmer story without first discussing his mentor, Arnie’s father Milfred “Deacon” Palmer.
Deacon Palmer died on February 6, 1976, and the day after Larry Guest wrote the following column.
“If God has had a – pardon the expression – devilish run of poa-annia in His greens; if He’s been getting too much right hand in His tee shots; or if the traps up there are in dire need of raking and weeding – then His troubles are over.
“Newest member through the pearly gates, one Milfred J. Palmer, not only has the necessary savvy and energy to lick those problems, he bears the perfect nickname to adorn the heavenly scrolls.
“In the short time since ascending late Friday afternoon, ‘Deacon’ Palmer probably has already rolled up the sleeves of his robes and resumed the same work he enjoyed for the last 55 of the 71 years he spent here on earth. By today, he’s no doubt finished reseeding the fairways on the back nine, top-dressed a half-dozen greens, trimmed down the sand traps and repainted the pro shop.
“Palmer went to work for Latrobe (Pennsylvania) Country Club in 1921 and was still earning his salary last Friday, when death caught him in his sleep. It was the only way death could. He never slowed down long enough to die when he was awake.
“Many modern-day greens superintendents and golf club professionals ride around in a golf cart wearing a white shirt and tie, or sit in their air-conditioned office and tell employees what to do. Not Deacon. He worked right alongside the help, leading by example. Just like he guided his four children.
“And while the Latrobe Country Club membership is well-acquainted with Deacon’s prowess as a club pro, you’ve more likely heard of him as Arnold Palmer’s father. Even though the designation often made Deacon cringe. Oh, it’s not that he minded the second-billing.
“ ‘Everybody here is proud of their sons,’ he once bristled at a gathering when introduced as the proud father of Arnold Palmer. ‘The thing is, I have two daughters and two sons and Arnold is just one of them. I’m proud of them all.’
“It was perhaps an understandable oversight on the part of the masses who were so familiar with the amazing accomplishments of son Arnold, the charismatic fairway hero who lifted golf from sort of an anonymous floating crap game to an immensely popular and well-heeled sport. And just as Arnold Palmer is largely responsible for making pro golf what it is today, Deacon Palmer is largely responsible for making Arnie what he is.
“ ‘Pap didn’t just teach me how to play golf,’ Arnie once understated. ‘He taught me discipline.’
“Indeed, Deacon Palmer was a wise and patient man of unwavering principles. He had a face of leather, muscles of iron and a backbone of steel. But he had a heart of velvet. A man’s man. But also a gentleman’s gentleman. A saint in golf cleats.
“He believed in all the right things: God, country, hard work, respect for others, Lawrence Welk, shots-and-beer, and – most of all – humility.
“The latter was most important in molding the personality that would whip millions of golf fans into frenzied devotion. As greenskeeper at Latrobe, Deacon stressed to his children they had no special privileges. They could not swim in the club pool and talented young Arnold was not allowed on the course when member play was heavy.
“The lesson helped Arnie maintain a perspective on his runaway fame while others in the public eye have been soundly thrashed by their own egos. But even after Arnie had become king of the links, Deacon was still there to give his celebrity son an occasional booster shot.
“And while the ranking angels will probably now enjoy the Heavenly Links as they never have before, they’d be advised not to get too uppity when a certain tough old coot comes riding by on his gang mowers.”
Here are Arnie’s thoughts, lessons learned, as recounted by Larry Guest around the time of his writing the book.
“It isn’t everything to be up here all the time,” Arnie said, raising his hand eye-level to indicate the upper social strata. “That isn’t the whole name of the game to me. It’s fun to sometimes be down here with some people that are down to earth and different. I enjoy that. I enjoy hearing them and enjoy talking to them. They are just nice people who are going along and want to have a little fun and drink a little beer and enjoy life.
“My father might be classified as a liberal, though he probably didn’t realize what a liberal was until he was much older. I was raised in a different environment from that of most Tour golfers and I realize how things can be a little difficult in terms of life style.”
Larry Guest: “Often misstated is the premise that Arnold Palmer is equally at home in a New York boardroom, the Oval Office or some grungy pool hall. Wrong. Arnie is much more at home trying to bank the eight-ball two rails against a guy wearing a greasy denim shirt and Caterpillar cap, with the next round of beers riding on the shot. There are any number of stories with Arnie circling a green-felt table, stalking his next shot in the back room of a roadhouse, matching his stickmanship against mill workers.
“Nearly 40 and at the height of his career, this international celebrity millionaire once stopped in at a steel workers’ billiards bar 20 miles from Latrobe for a frosty Rolling Rock and a game of eight-ball. The musty neighborhood establishment rarely had a high-fashion visitor wearing designer loafers and a Rolex watch. The regulars, all in work grays, eyed the intruder suspiciously. Arnie and his friends grew uncomfortable with the obvious scrutiny. At last, a crusty old mill hand approached Arnie: ‘You’re Deke Palmer’s boy, ain’t ya?’ Arnie nodded, the unofficial sergeant-at-arms flashed an approving smile and the King of Golf became one of the boys. Overdressed a bit, but nevertheless one of the boys.”
–Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman summed up the Mets’ injury woes appropriately. “Jose Reyes was supposed to be day-to-day when he went out with a leg injury. Year-to-year is more like it.” And “who ever thought the heart of their daily order would be comprised of Daniel Murphy (whose lack of power means he’s no certainty to keep his first-base job), free swinging Jeff Francoeur and journeyman Cory Sullivan? Don’t even ask about the bottom of the order.”
Sports Illustrated, you’ll recall, picked the Mets to go all the way; but Heyman picked the Cubs…the other huge disappointment on the season. Speaking of which, Heyman notes, “(Manager Lou) Piniella admitted this week that the team’s clubhouse ‘mix’ wasn’t the best. Loosely translated, that means he’s fed up with Milton Bradley and Carlos Zambrano, who between them have the maturity of a 4-year-old.”
Another huge disappointment on the season is the Cincinnati Reds. They certainly seem to have the talent. But with a 59-73 record, it’s no wonder that in the first game of a day-night doubleheader at home against the Pirates on Monday, there were a reported 2,000 fans in the stands. [And a whopping 9,000 for the nightcap.]
–This just in from the Yankees…and Jeremy Olshan of the New York Post:
“For the first time ever, playoff tickets will actually be cheaper than the astronomical prices the team charged during the regular season, the team said yesterday.
“The $2,500 Legends seats right behind home plate will cost only $275 during the American League Division Series.
“And even if the Bombers make it all the way to the World Series, the most fans will pay for Legends seats – the priciest in the Stadium – will be $425.”
OK, as Olshan correctly points out, “Most of the$2,500 that wealthy fans shelled out to sit in Legends seats went toward the upfront ‘licensing fees’ they paid for the privilege of actually buying the tickets. That made the average cost of a regular-game ticket itself $325.”
But, hey, if you want a grandstand seat for the ALDS, it will only set you back $29, though few of these tickets will probably be available.
–Interesting story by David Biderman of the Wall Street Journal on pitchers and the difference between first half and second half performances, as measured by ERA.
In the last 30 years, looking at hurlers who have thrown at least 750 innings before and after the All-Star break:
Brett Tomko…5.08 ERA 1st half / 4.12 2nd half… -0.96 difference
Barry Zito…4.23 / 3.38… -0.85
Jose Rijo…3.59 / 2.76… -0.83
Chan Ho Park…4.67 / 3.93… -0.74
Kevin Millwood…4.37 / 3.63… -0.74
Johan Santana…3.43 / 2.73… -0.70
Zito, he of the seven-year, $126 million contract, has a 1.92 ERA in 56 1/3 innings since the All-Star break this year, compared to a 5.01 ERA in 18 starts before then.
[I have to admit, I had no idea that Brett Tomko has already thrown over 1,770 innings in his career. No offense to the Tomko family, you understand.]
–Speaking of tickets, both the football Giants and Jets are having trouble selling out seats for their new joint stadium in 2010, and both have thousands still available for this season. Could either team be blacked out this year? It’s not likely, but it is a possibility. [The biggest problem in this regard around the NFL for ‘09 appears to be the Jacksonville Jaguars.]
–ESPN reporter Erin Andrews told Oprah, in a program to be aired Sept. 11, that it was a “nightmare” to see a tape of herself nude in a hotel room as posted on the Internet, and she was frustrated by the media attention. But she insisted the sitdown with Oprah would be her “first and last” interview. Ms. Andrews resumes her career from the sidelines of the South Carolina-North Carolina State football game on Thursday night. Expect her to be conservatively dressed. I’d also expect her broadcast partners to keep their mouths shut.
But I just don’t think come this winter that Dick Vitale will be able to. “What a shame…what a crying shame…what happened to our lovely Erin Andrews this past summer.” Producer in Vitale’s ear: “Ah, Dick? Shut up.” Vitale, ignoring said producer: “I mean, in America, why can’t you prance around nude in your hotel room without having to worry about some pervert filming you. Granted, Erin’s got a great…” Producer frantically screaming in Dick’s ear: “DICK, DON’T GO THERE!!!…….. NOOOOO!”
–As if Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez isn’t already in enough trouble, given that his team sucks and he’s facing allegations the players have been worked far beyond the established NCAA guidelines, now comes word he and some partners owe upwards of $3.9 million in a real estate deal gone bad near Virginia Tech (though Rodriguez had been coaching at West Virginia before he moved on to Michigan).
–The Minnesota Timberwolves got screwed. In June they selected Ricky Rubio, an 18-year-old point guard from Spain with the fifth overall pick in the NBA draft. Rubio balked, acting like he didn’t want to play in Minneapolis and that he also should have gone even higher in the draft.
But now Rubio has announced he is staying in Spain to play ball there for two years before attempting the NBA. As for the T’wolves, all is not lost, however. They hold the rights to the kid in perpetuity. Said team president David Kahn, who took a risk in drafting Ricky, “At the end of the day, he is still ours. Not in uniform yet, but he is still ours.”
—1969 Mets, continued…Just another five or so weeks left, friends. We pick up our story with the Mets 74-52 and only 2 ½ games behind the first-place Cubs. The Mets just swept San Diego on the West Coast and now travel up to San Francisco.
Aug. 29…Mets lose to the Giants, 5-0, as Juan Marichal (16-9) goes all the way on a 4-hitter, striking out 7 and lowering his ERA to 2.28. Gary Gentry (9-11) gets shelled, giving up a 3-run homer to Bobby Bonds, his 29th.
Aug. 30…Mets win 3-2 in 10 innings. Tug McGraw (7-2) picks up the win in relief of Don Cardwell, who went 7 1/3, giving up 2 runs, as Donn Clendenon won it in the 10th with his 9th home run off starter Gaylord Perry (16-11).
Aug. 31…first of two, Mets win 8-0 behind Tom Seaver (19-7) who goes all the way, scattering 7 hits while striking out 11. Ron Swoboda, Jerry Grote and Al Weis each have 2 RBI. Mike McCormick (9-8) takes the loss for the Giants.
Aug. 31…in the nightcap the Giants win 3-2 in 11. Jim McAndrew goes 9 for the Mets, allowing 2 runs, but Tug McGraw (7-3) takes the loss in the 11th as fellow reliever Ron Taylor walks in the winning run. Frank Linzy (13-6) gains the win, while Ron Swoboda accounts for the lone Mets runs with a two-run homer, his 6th.
Sept. 1…Mets travel to Los Angeles and lose the opener, 10-6, as winner Jim Bunning (12-9) goes the first 6 2/3 for the Dodgers, giving up five runs, while Jerry Koosman (12-9) never makes it out of the first, allowing 4 runs on 3 hits. The Dodgers’ Andy Kosco goes 4-for-4 with 3 RBI, while for the Mets, Tommie Agee also goes 4-for-4, including his 23rd homer, and catcher Duffy Dyer hits his 3rd.
Sept. 2…Mets defeat L.A., 5-4, as Gary Gentry (10-11) rebounds from his last start to go 8 1/3, giving up 3 runs. Tug McGraw picked up his 10th save. Donn Clendenon had two solo homers off loser Don Sutton (15-13), home runs No. 10 and 11, while Ron Swoboda drove in 2.
Sept. 3…Mets finish up West Coast swing taking 6 of 10, but lose the finale, 5-4, as reliever Jack Dilauro (1-4) takes the loss after Jerry Koosman went 6 innings, yielding 3 runs. Tommie Agee, No. 24, and Donn Clendenon, No. 12, hit 2-run homers in the 8th for New York off starter Claude Osteen, but Pete Mikkelsen (7-3) got the win in relief.
Mets are now 77-56, but the Cubs’ lead is back up to 5 games. I’m 11 years old and not in the least bit optimistic at this point, but school has started, 6th grade. Actually, this was a good year for the kid. My report card was mostly VGs (Very Good) and I had a good teacher. Little did I know both my Mets and I were about to peak and, with one exception (1986…for the Mets that is), it would be downhill from there.
–Nancy Dillon / New York Daily News:
“Incredibly, Chris Brown said Monday he has no recollection of the brutal beating he gave ex-girlfriend Rihanna in a rented Lamborghini last February.
“And oh, by the way, he still loves the sultry ‘Umbrella’ singer – even though a judge ordered he stay away from her until 2014….
“But last night, Brown backed off his memory-lapse comment, saying in a statement to People magazine that he ‘misspoke’ during a 30-second clip aired Monday. ‘Of course I remember what happened,’ Brown said. ‘But it was and still is a blur.’
“ ‘I’m in shock, because, first of all, that’s not who I am as a person, and that’s not who I promise I want to be,’ he told CNN’s Larry King earlier in an interview airing Wednesday….
“One expert said Brown appeared to be ‘reneging’ on his recent guilty plea in the case.”
Oh brother. Chris Brown…an odds-on favorite for 2009 “Dirtball of the Year.”
–And you know how the other day I said it was difficult to find “Jerk of the Year” candidates, as opposed to dirtball and idiot? Well, I found an example of one; Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora, who on Monday was upset that new defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan criticized his play against the Jets on Saturday in a team meeting. According to reports, Umenyiora left the practice facility in a huff.
But at least Osi, who always seemed like a good guy, recognized he made a mistake and apologized. [He also realized he was about to be fined a substantial amount.]
“I was wrong,” he said in a statement. “I came in here this afternoon and met with coach Coughlin, coach Sheridan and [defensive line] coach Mike Waufle and apologized and explained why I left the building….That’s the end of it, as far as I am concerned.”
“That’s the message state wildlife officials are sending residents of Colorado communities besieged by hungry black bears with a taste for fresh-baked pies and other fattening human fare.
“In hundreds of brazen – and sometimes violent – incursions this summer, the bears are bursting into homes, ripping open cars, ravaging trash bins and strolling insouciantly down busy streets.
“In Aspen, the hardest-hit town, police have received more than 460 calls for help dealing with bears since July1, including 15 during one 24-hour period last week. Wildlife officials say the bears are not only comfortable with humans, but are also teaching their cubs to scavenge for fried chicken and candy instead of acorns and berries.”
Alas, “There has been one fatal bear attack in the state this year, involving a woman who defied years of warnings and persisted in feeding bears in southwest Colorado.”
[Bar Chat extends its sympathies to the woman’s family, though obviously she should have known better.]
But get this… “In Aspen on Monday, a bear attacked a woman dozing on her deck, injuring her leg. Two weeks ago, another bear broke into an Aspen home and clawed the homeowner when she surprised him as he rifled through some chocolate toffee. Both bears were euthanized.”
[Bar Chat also extends its sympathies to the bears’ families.]
Tyler Baskfield, a state wildlife official, told the Journal, “We have two generations of bears that have figured out they can make a much better living off human food.” [Ed. I had no idea they were monetizing this.]
Another official, Randy Hampton, said, “The moment a bear is rewarded by figuring out there’s food in these funny boxes we live in, you can’t build a door or a window that will keep him out.”
“(Black bears) can smell food from as far as five miles away.”
Yes, boys and girls, yet another reason to sleep with one eye open.
“Dog deflates NC deputy’s tires after dog complaint”
HOPE MILLS, N.C. – “Some dogs chase cars. One in a North Carolina town decided to try and eat one. The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office says a pit bull deflated all four tires of a deputy’s cruiser near Hope Mills on Sunday. Spokeswoman Debbie Tanna said the deputy parked his car in a woman’s driveway while responding to her complaint about another dog.
“When Deputy Lynn Lavallis went to speak with Gloria Bass (no relation to former Astros outfielder Kevin Bass), the dog chomped into the tires. The dog didn’t attack the deputy in the town near Fayetteville.
“Tanna says the dog’s owner, Bass’s next-door neighbor, will be billed $500 for a new set of wheels.”
[You can probably get a new set of wheels at Sears for $300.]
–The New York Times argues in an editorial that the first legal wolf hunt in the continental United States is premature. Hunters in Idaho and Montana are being allowed to take down 295 between the two states this fall as the Interior Department decided that the wolf population across the northern Rockies has recovered to the point of sustainability even after the hunts.
But the Times points out that the total population in the area is just 1,600 with most experts arguing 2,000+ is needed before you can declare victory, with the Times concluding:
“To us, the wolf hunt in Idaho and Montana seems indecent. Hunters want to kill those wolves because wolves kill elk – and the human hunters want the elk. A second reason is a love of killing things. A third is an implacable, and unjustified, hostility to the wolf. It is well past time to let gray wolves find their own balance in the Rockies.”
–Issie Lapowsky / New York Daily News:
Megan Fox likes to be in charge when it comes to relationships, as noted in the October issue of Cosmopolitan.
“Women hold the power because we have the vaginas,” Fox said. “If you’re in a heterosexual relationship and you’re a female, you win.”
Huh. Ms. Fox also tells Cosmo she likes to play games with “boys” (“I never call them guys”).
“Male actors drop lines about their private jets, trying to seem powerful, but I don’t give a s—. I don’t need someone else’s power. I’m obtaining my own.”
“I can flip on a switch in my brain, and even if the next Brad Pitt is standing next to me, I won’t look at him. But I can also turn that switch off, and then I collect attractive boys.”
However, Megan, it seems, is engaged to former “90210” star Brian Austen Green. Drat!
–From research at the University of Miami, party central, comes word that women who classified themselves as heavy drinkers – more than 45 drinks in a month – “exercised 14 more minutes a week than those who drank one to 14 drinks a month.”
Researchers can’t explain why heavier drinkers exercise more, but some say it’s because of a feeling of guilt.
–An all-time bestseller list of the Beatles’ singles, going through old record data and commissioned by the BBC, reveals that “She Loves You” was No. 1 in sales, followed by “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “Can’t Buy Me Love.” Surprisingly, “Yesterday” was only No. 24, but then it was never issued as a single in the UK.
Top 3 songs for the week 9/1/73: “Brother Louie” (Stories) #2 “Let’s Get It On” (Marvin Gaye) #3 “Delta Dawn” (Helen Reddy)…and…#4 “Touch Me in The Morning” (Diana Ross…where?) #5 “Live And Let Die” (Wings…all-time fave of Trader George and countless other fans of Bar Chat) #6 “Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose” (Dawn featuring Tony Orlando) #7 “The Morning After” (Maureen McGovern) #8 “Get Down” (Gilbert O’Sullivan) #9 “Loves Me Like A Rock” (Paul Simon) #10 “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day” (Chicago)
NFL Quiz Answer: Passing…40,000 yards.
