The State of Basketball in New York

College Football Quiz:   1) Who are the top three, career, in passing yards at Boston College? [All play(ed) in the NFL] 2) What BYU quarterback has three of the top five season passing yardage marks? 3) Who am I? I hold the California (Cal) single game receiving yards mark with 289 and my initials are W.W. 4) Who was Clemson’s coach in their national championship season, 1981? 5) Who was Colorado’s QB in 1990, the year they split the national title with Georgia Tech? [Colorado was the AP choice; GT the choice of the coaches’ poll.] Answers below. 

Knicks / Nets Fever…Catch It!!! 

The Knicks are off to their worst start in franchise history, 1-9, and the Nets are 0-10. Let’s put that differently. 

Good god. When the season started I said the Knicks would win 24 and the Nets 9, but this is looking way too optimistic. In fact I said that ‘at least the Knicks would be entertaining,’ but ten games into the season, everyone is in agreement, from point guard Chris Duhon (who really, really sucks) to coach Mike D’Antoni, that the team has already quit. They’re being outscored by an average 10 points a game, unheard of in this league. At least the Nets are showing some effort, witness heartbreaking loss No. 10 on a last tick of the clock 3-pointer by Miami’s Dwyane Wade, though in the only six minutes of either team I’ve watched thus far, I saw the Nets literally throw away a game against Philly. 

The Knicks think they’re getting LeBron after the season, but why the heck would he want to join a franchise that is beyond hope? Why not the Lakers, as I suggested the other day? As Mike Lupica wrote on Sunday, the Knicks look like the NBA version of the ’62 Mets. I’d argue at least the ’62 Mets tried. 

Alas, the Nets and Knicks play this coming Saturday in the Battle for New York. I’m tellin’ ya, sports fans, this could very well be the highlight of the local basketball season. Walking around town this morning, I could sense the anticipation. 

By the way, for the storied Knicks, twice, 2005-06 and 2007-08, they went 23-59.   The Nets’ worst season in an 82-game schedule was 1989-90 when they were 17-65. 

College Football Review  

1. Florida 10-0
2. Alabama 10-0
3. Texas 10-0
4. TCU 10-0
5. Cincinnati 10-0
6. Boise State 10-0
7. Georgia Tech 10-1
8. Pitt 9-1
9. Ohio State 9-2
10. LSU 8-2…falls two spots due to barely beating La. Tech
11. Oregon 8-2
14. Stanford 7-3
18. Clemson 7-3
20. Oregon State 7-3…great game coming up against Oregon
22. USC 7-3
25. Rutgers 7-2! …however, their two losses are to Cincinnati and Pitt, while this is their non-conference schedule…Howard, Florida International, Texas Southern, Army and Maryland. That is truly pitiful. 

1. Florida .9833
2. Alabama .9521
3. Texas .9261
4. TCU .8685
5. Cincinnati .8536
6. Boise State .7950
7. Georgia Tech .7716
8. LSU .6648
9. Pitt .6569
10. Ohio State .6495 

So here’s the deal. This is the first year I can remember where not one team really looks great. I thought Oregon had it going, after beating USC, but then they lost to Stanford. I mean Florida and Alabama? C’mon. And Cincinnati has certainly looked less than overwhelming the last two weeks in defeating UConn 47-45 and West Virginia 24-21. 

The only thing that could liven it up would be for somehow Texas to stumble (which doesn’t look good) and for TCU to get the No. 2 BCS slot to play the Florida-Alabama SEC Championship winner for the national title. Now that would be fun. But otherwise we’re headed for a Florida/Alabama-Texas finale that just doesn’t excite me. I mean last year, Tim Tebow vs. Colt McCoy would have been a headliner, but neither has had a super season this go ‘round. 

How about them USC Trojans? One Stanford player, following the 55-21 beatdown the Cardinal administered, told the L.A. Times’ Bill Plaschke, “You could just see that everything is not there. They don’t run as hard. They don’t play as hard.” 

Ouch! How often have you heard that about Pete Carroll’s Trojans during his spectacular tenure? Never. 

“After seven years of leading the nation in toughness [Ed. seven straight years of contending for the national title], they are now a team capable of giving up 325 smash-mouth rushing yards to a team that simply handed the ball to a block-shaped running back…. 

“After seven years of offensive smarts, they committed four dumb turnovers against the nation’s 82nd-ranked defense while gaining 26 yards on their final four drives.” 

Plaschke writes that while the players say “This isn’t us,” he observes, “Oh yes, it is. After 10 games of it, it’s all you, a team of highly recruited stars who suddenly behave as if they are being neither taught nor motivated. After seven years as the bully, they are now being bullied.” 

This is big stuff in L.A., and with good reason. Plus it’s opening up the door for all the other schools in the region, from the two Arizona Pac-10 representatives, all the way to Washington and across to the likes of Utah and Brigham Young to peel away one prospect after another. At least that’s how I view it. 

Turning the page, hey, Lane Kiffin, nice job! His Tennessee Vols suck and now he has to deal with three of his players being charged with an attempted armed robbery. 

After his 27-22 loss to Pitt, Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weis is 3-17 against winning teams since 2007. With municipalities in deep trouble financially, I haven’t found him a sanitation supervisor position yet. 

Temple is 8-2! Michigan, after losing to Wisconsin 45-24, is 5-6. 

Anyone who follows college football knows that the best player in the game right now is Clemson’s C.J. Spiller. All Spiller did in the Tigers’ 43-23 win over North Carolina State is become the first player in school history to throw a TD pass, rush for a score, and catch a pass for another. 

In a battle for a top seed in the Div. I-AA playoffs, Appalachian State whipped up on Elon, 27-10 (outgaining the Phoenix 486-270), as App QB Armanti Edwards was 21-24 passing, 281 yards, and ran 10 times for 73 yards and 3 TDs. Edwards has a completion percentage of 71% this year, as well as 15 rushing TDs. As Ronald Reagan said…. 

Remember how Prairie View A&M used to totally suck? Like try a world record 80 consecutive losses, 1989-1998. For example in 1991, they scored only 48 points all season, while giving up an average of 56. Seriously. 

This all came to mind because I noticed they are 7-1 this season. So I looked at the progression. 

It’s all about Coach Henry Frazier III, the man who has turned the program around. So what did your editor do? I’ve ordered some t-shirts. Gonna be one of the few white people in the northeast, I imagine, wearing the purple and gold of the Panthers. 

“What are you, a racist?” I’ll say with a stern look, thus ruining the questioner’s day. 

–I didn\’t see Manny Pacquiao\’s demolition of Miguel Cotto on Saturday night, but I\’d have to consider shelling out big bucks for a Pacquiao / Floyd Mayweather Jr. bout should that come to fruition.

–The early part of the college basketball season can supply some great moments. Like the other day, Rider (N.J.) defeated No. 19 Mississippi State 88-74 down in Starkville. Picture that MSU was supposed to make a lot of noise this season with all five starters returning, but Rider had four starters of its own back and they hit 10 of 16 from downtown. Great stuff. 

—Tiger Woods won the Australian Masters, leading the tournament from start to finish, his first win on Aussie soil. Woods was actually under a lot of pressure, believe it or not, because he had received a $3 million appearance fee. That’s right…$3 million. I believe he made the same dough for appearing the week before at the tourney in Shanghai. The knives would have been out if he didn’t get it done. [Aussie press is rough.] 

This is why some of us love the PGA Tour…sports at its purest. There are no appearance fees, they aren’t allowed. If you play great, you take home a lot of cash. If you don’t, and miss cut after cut, you’re struggling big time after all the expenses you have, starting with travel and your caddy, let alone the family. 

But once you get away from the PGA Tour, golf, like tennis, is loaded with appearance fees for the elite players. The European PGA Tour sure has them. So at least Tiger came through and the sponsors probably wouldn’t hesitate to invite him again (100,000 spectators turned out over the week so it was a financial success), and Tiger probably wouldn’t mind taking the cash. By the way, he only earned about $270,000 for the win. 

–Meanwhile, in the PGA Tour’s last event of the regular season, the last opportunity for someone to get into the top 125 on the money list and secure their full playing privileges for next year, I wrote the other day that David Duval was right at no. 125 with $623,824 in earnings, while I was following the likes of Chris DiMarco (no. 138…$511,000), Tommy Armour III (no. 139) and Rocco Mediate (no. 141), all of whom needed a top seven or so in the last event to sneak into the top 125. None of them made it, with Duval, Armour and Mediate not even making the cut. Rich Beem, who entered at no. 124, made the cut on the number and had a good weekend, moving up to 122 as a result. [Stephen Ames won in a playoff.] 

–Out of nowhere, Michelle Wie won her first LPGA tourney, the Lorena Ochoa Invitational, down in Mexico. Believe it or not, Wie is still just 20. Let’s hope it’s the start of something big. The LPGA desperately needs her.

Said his attorney, Arthur Horne III, “We feel like the case we presented to the judge is a good one….[Barron] had no intention of violating the policy. This is very different from Marion Jones taking performance-enhancing drugs and trying to hide what she was doing, or Mark McGwire having testosterone ratings in the 1600s.” 

–There are some who say golfer Adam Scott never recovered from his breakup with Kate Hudson. He had a terrible second half in particular. But Kate did OK, right kids? 

–Speaking of kids, the PGA Tour is loaded. Just look at these rapidly rising potential superstars…Ryo Ishikawa, 18, Danny Lee, 19, Rickie Fowler, 20, Rory McIlroy, 20. One of them is going to break through in a big way next year…either win a major or at least two other Tour stops. 

Mac O’Grady became friends with Australian pro Roger Mackay when they competed in Australia years ago, “pre-metal days.” Mackay died in 2002 of cancer, so this year, O’Grady tied for fifth in the Australian Senior Open. But what makes it noteworthy is that in honor of his old friend, O’Grady played with persimmon woods! Heck, he was giving up 30 yards off the tee to everyone else in the field. Very cool. You’d also expect nothing less from the eccentric O’Grady. 

–We note the passing of David Lloyd, 75, one of television’s greatest comedy writers, including the classic “Chuckles Bites the Dust” episode of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” Lloyd also wrote numerous installments for “Cheers,” Jack Paar when he was doing “The Tonight Show,” “The Bob Newhart Show,” “Rhoda,” “Lou Grant,” “Taxi,” “Frasier” and others. 

But it was the Chuckles episode where Lloyd gained lasting fame in the eyes of many. The WJM-TV news staff had to deal with the death of a colleague: kiddie-show host Chuckles the Clown, who dies while serving as grand marshal for a visiting circus. 

Dennis McLellan / L.A. Times 

“As Ed Asner’s Lou Grant informs the newsroom staff: ‘It was a freak accident. He went to the parade dressed as Peter Peanut…and a rogue elephant tried to shell him.’ 

“Chuckles’ clown credo was ‘A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants,’ and the reaction to his being crushed to death by an elephant quickly generates newsroom quips. 

“Although Mary thinks there is nothing funny about Chuckles’ death, even she gets a case of uncontrollable giggles at the funeral for the man whose characters included Mr. Fee-Fi-Fo, Billy Banana and – the preacher’s particular favorite – Aunt Yoo-Hoo.” 

–Looking at the final MLB attendance for the season, I was surprised to see Milwaukee drew over 3 million. And in the battle of L.A. vs. N.Y…. 

L.A. wins! 

[Philly was 3rd overall, drawing 3,600,693…Oakland was last at 1,408,783 to Florida’s 1,464,109] 

–Bizarre story that former reliever John Wetteland was hospitalized for being possibly suicidal. “Police said Wetteland came out of his house with his hands in the air and asked for help.” But after a spell in the hospital, Wetteland returned home and said he was OK, blaming his problem on high blood pressure and an elevated heart rate. 

—Paris Hilton is furious the Kardashian sisters, who got their start glomming onto her, are now far bigger. But did you know what girls like Paris get for club appearance fees? Try $100,000.   $100,000?!  Hell, I’ll get drunk and act like an idiot for $1,000…. plus cab fare. 

–From the AP:

"An 11-year-old Idaho boy fatally shot a black bear on his family\’s front porch after he said it wouldn\’t leave.

"The boy was at his house near Driggs, just west of the Idaho-Wyoming border, with his younger sisters last Wednesday when the bear showed up. He says he couldn\’t shoo the animal away, so he went and got a gun and shot it."

This kid is now a marked man in the animal kingdom.  I hope he understands that.

–And now…your aging editor explores the December issue of Men’s Health to see where he screwed up the last 30 years and if it’s possible to stage a comeback. 

“When it comes to friendships, the gender barrier has all but vanished. Here’s how to keep everyone honest.” 

Right. Like this will work. 

“Dave’s been married to Sandra for 6 years. He’s been friends with Hannah, an attractive, witty pal he met as a teenager, more than twice as long. The two chat weekly and have been known to close down more than a few bars together. Sandra’s response? She rolls out the red carpet whenever Hannah’s around.” 

Oh, c’mon. Hannah and Dave close down bars together and Sandra is OK with that? 

“From coed rec leagues to office cubicles, the friendship gender barrier is all but gone. Not surprisingly, though, the chumminess may not always be on the up-and-up.”  

“A recent University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire study reveals that men in relationships struggle with feelings about their female friends. ‘We found that the more the men were romantically attracted to their friends, the less satisfied they became with their primary relationships,’ says study author April Bleske-Rechek, Ph.D. In fact, 15 percent of relationships result from ‘mate poaching,’ another study shows.” 

Speaking of months, January Jones was more than a bit nervous during her opening monologue Saturday on SNL. But she recovered. Black Eyed Peas were good. Fergie appears to be in awesome shape, right guys? 

–More from Men’s Health…there is a rather delicious picture of actress Beatrice Rosen, who stars in “2012,” and she lists “25 things she wishes you (us guys) knew.” To wit: 

2. Women speak a different dialect than men. For example, “I’m fine” means “I’m not so fine,” just as “No dessert for me” means “I’ll be polishing off yours.” 

3. Remember, PMS stands for “physical and mental stress.” So let me cry freely, behave irrationally, and eat your dessert. My mood swings are hormonal, not personal. 

5. Always tell me when I look hot; never tell me when I don’t. And don’t forget: I need 20 compliments to offset one thoughtless remark. [Ed. this is where I’ve totally screwed up over the years. I’d stop at ten and think everything was alright. By the way, Beatrice, “You look hot!”] 

6. I remember the shirt you were wearing when you first said, “I love you.” The fact that you don’t makes me question whether you meant it. [Ed. you know what? I’m more amazed than ever what women remember. I mean I don’t remember anything …zilch… nothing…nada…] 

12. Spontaneously kiss my neck from behind, and I might let you stay back there for awhile. [Ed. my goodness.] 

13. Yes, my girlfriend knows what we did last night. We share everything, including that. [Ed. gotta do a better job bringing my A game, I guess.] 

16. I don’t withhold sex to punish you. Sometimes I just need to be left alone but, at the same time, not left alone. And no, I can’t explain that. [Ed. But I work all Friday on “Week in Review” and that means Saturday is really the only free night because Sundays I work on “Bar Chat” and…and….hey, where are you going?] 

18. I love sex. With or without you, as Bono might say. My mind is filthier than you might think. [Ed. no comment.] 

24. Here’s how to fix what you’re doing wrong in bed: When you go slow, go slower. When you go fast, go faster. [Ed. I’m thinking if you play Earth, Wind and Fire, “That’s The Way Of The World” would be the slow entry, and “Shining Star” the faster one.] 

25. I feel lucky to have you, and I hope you feel the same. You can’t have it all unless you have someone to share it with. [Ed. I feel the same way, Beatrice. Glad we could spend this time together.  Can I call you?] 

–After my bit on the Top Ten War Movies per Army Times, Allen H. noted those that weren’t mentioned…and there are many. 

And then there is Audie Murphy, whose simple headstone is easy to miss. Murphy was the boy from Farmville, Texas, who lied about his age to enlist in the United States Army and then proceeded to become the most decorated soldier of World War II. Audie fought in Sicily, Italy and Germany, rising rapidly to the rank of Second Lieutenant, while receiving 24 decorations, including the Congressional Medal of Honor. The citation for this nation’s highest award details his bravery while in Germany:

“With (six) enemy tanks abreast of his position, 2nd Lieutenant Murphy climbed on (a) burning tank destroyer, which was in danger of blowing up at any moment, and employed its .50 caliber machine gun. His deadly fire killed dozens of Germans. (Murphy) received a leg wound, but ignored it and continued the single-handed fight until ammunition was exhausted. 2nd Lieutenant Murphy’s indomitable courage and his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his company from possible encirclement and destruction, and enabled it to hold the woods which had been the enemy’s objective.”

Audie Murphy went on to star in 40 movies, but died tragically in 1971 when his private plane crashed in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Murphy received full military honors at Arlington, with United Nations Ambassador George Bush reading President Nixon’s official proclamation:

“(Audie Murphy) came to epitomize the gallantry in action of America’s fighting men. When challenged to defend their freedom, Americans have always stood ready to defend it with courage and daring, and each war in which the nation has been engaged has produced its own special heroes. As America’s most decorated hero of World War II, Audie Murphy not only won the admiration of millions for his own brave exploits, he
also came to epitomize the gallantry in action of American fighting men. The nation stands in his debt and mourns at his death.” 

Back to Allen H. and other war movies not on the original Army Times list, of course you also have to include “Patton.” And for the small screen, “Combat: starring Rick Jason and Vic Morrow.” [Some of you will remember that Morrow died in a helicopter stunt accident during the filming of “Twilight Zone: The Movie.”] And then there’s “Band of Brothers,” of course. 

And, OK, OK, Allen. I’ll mention you got a good tackle in on Ed Marinaro while you were at Bucknell. [A.H. and I worked together long ago.] 

–A Briton was arrested with two suitcases containing 1,000 live spiders at Rio airport, police in Brazil said. The guy faces a staggering $2 million fine, and for good reason. If a few of them were poisonous or harmful to the environment, it could be disastrous once they took hold. 

–So I’m thumbing through this magazine called Inside Jersey and I see that racist Irish tenor Ronan Tynan is performing with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in some Christmas shows, that were obviously set up long ago before his little incident in Manhattan that led to his suspension by the Yankees in terms of singing “God Bless America.”  Wonder if he’ll be booed.  

“After 24 years, which have included repeated stints in rehab to battle alcoholism (Ronnie), lines of heroin and cocaine (Ronnie), a replacement plastic septum for a cocaine-ravaged nose (Ronnie), multiple music tours of the world and even a joint arrest for cocaine possession in the Caribbean, one of rock’s most enduring marriages ended yesterday at the High Court in London. 

“Ronnie and Jo Wood, who met at the height of the Rolling Stones’ fame and whose union endured decades of the guitarist’s notoriously excessive lifestyle, were granted a decree nisi after he admitted adultery.” 

Jo Wood, 54, will receive about $10 million; this after Ronnie, 62, struck up an affair with a 20-year-old Russian cocktail waitress “during a vodka-drinking spree in Ireland last year.” 

Ronnie Wood joined the Stones in 1976 but only became a full partner in 1990 and doesn’t share in the lucrative songwriting royalties shared by Mick and Keith. Wood was a key member of The Faces when Rod Stewart was their lead singer. 

–I feel like I was the last one to discover this, but on the off chance one or two of you doesn’t know it yet, U2 has some terrific video footage of their current concert tour, specifically a recent performance at the Rose Bowl. Just YouTube it. 10 million viewers clicked on it live, a record for simultaneous viewing on the site. Bono agreed to it because of his friendship with Sergey Brin. 

But get this. YouTube was totally surprised by the number and didn’t capitalize financially, failing to sell a sponsorship for the event. A DVD of the concert will be released next year. 

–So last time I didn’t have a chance to comment on the CMA Awards Show, though I caught most of it. I was happy for Taylor Swift. I just think it’s a great story how she swept all the top awards and is kicking butt. 

But Wynonna Judd, who was a presenter with mother Naomi, said Taylor’s success Wednesday evening was “too much too soon.” 

“Mom and I rode in a car for the first year of our career to visit radio stations. There was a making of the star, there was a rising up, and the fans went with us.” 

What a jerk. In fact that’s the true definition of one…and so we place Wynonna’s name in the December file for serious consideration for “Jerk of the Year.” 

I do have to note there was a neat tribute to Barbara Mandrell, long one of my favorites, but Darius Rucker getting “Best New Artist”? Talk about PC…Rucker being the first African-American to win a CMA award since Charley Pride in the 1970s. What I have an issue with is Rucker’s music just isn’t that good. In fact, if you watched the entire CMA show you’d undoubtedly reach the same conclusion I did…country music is not going through its best period. Like it’s plummeted in just 3 years, in the humble opinion of your editor. 

Top 3 songs for the week 11/19/77: #1 “You Light Up My Life” (Debby Boone) #2 “Boogie Nights” (Heatwave) #3 “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” (Crystal Gayle)…and…#4 “It’s Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next To Me” (Barry White) #5 “Baby, What A Big Surprise” (Chicago) #6 “How Deep Is Your Love” (Bee Gees) #7 “Heaven On The 7th Floor” (Paul Nicholas) #8 “We’re All Alone” (Rita Coolidge) #9 “Blue Bayou” (Linda Ronstadt) #10 “Nobody Does It Better” (Carly Simon…music was on the verge of really beginning to suck.) 

College Football Quiz Answers: 1) Top three passing yards at Boston College: Doug Flutie, 10579; Glenn Foley, 10039; Matt Ryan, 9323. Flutie is the only one to throw for 500 (520 vs. Penn State in 1982). 2) Ty Detmer holds the 1st, 3rd, and 5th marks in passing yardage for BYU. Jim McMahon holds the 2nd, while Robbie Bosco holds the 4th. Detmer’s record is 5188 yards in 1990. 3) The great Wesley Walker, who went on to star with the Jets, had 8 catches for 289 yards for Cal in 1976 in a contest with San Jose State. 4) Danny Ford coached Clemson to the title in 1981 as they defeated Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, 22-15. I can’t believe that was 28 years ago! I mean Ronnie had been president less than a year! 5) Darian Hagan quarterbacked Colorado to the national title in 1990. He actually only completed 46% of his passes that season, though he ran for 442 yards as the Buffs went 11-1-1 and defeated Notre Dame 10-9 in the Orange Bowl; a game in which Rocket Ismail’s stunning 91-yard punt return for a score was erased on an illegal block from behind by Irish DB Greg Davis as Rocket appeared to have clear sailing. Ty Detmer won the Heisman that year; Ismail finished second.