College Basketball Quiz: 1) Who am I? I was a first-round selection in 1979 out of Baylor and then had a long career in the NBA, though my fame was gained not with my original team. Was on a few NBA title teams. 2) Name Boston College’s two first-round picks in the 1980s, both of whom had long NBA careers. 3) Who am I? I was a first-round pick out of Bowling Green in 1963 and went on to a Hall of Fame career in the NBA. 4) Who were the Boston Celtics’ two first-round selections out of Brigham Young in the 1980s? [This is for Boston junkies, admittedly] 5) Who were the two first-round selections out of California in 1994, one of whom is still playing in the NBA, the other had a long career in the league. Answers below.
Wristwatch Quiz (really): Which is more expensive…a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner; Tag Heuer Professional Golf Watch; Citizen Signature Grand Complication with crocodile strap; or an Omega Constellation Double Eagle? Answer below.
Nothing But Stuff
Super Bowl final thoughts: Due to time constraints (which is an issue for any big event for me on a Sunday evening and the posting of this column), I do have to add that I had focused on Saints kicker Garrett Hartley and his spectacular kick in overtime against Minnesota, calling it the best kick I had ever seen (and that it would have been good from 80), and Hartley is really the unsung hero from the Super Bowl with his three 40-yard plus field goals (46, 44, 47), a feat never achieved before in the game. It got underreported, but all of you know just one of these missing could have been hugely deflating.
But as for Indy Coach Jim Caldwell, one of our local sports “doctors,” the “Pope,” Mike Francesa, has been saying Caldwell didn’t coach a good game, blah blah blah…pointing to the decision to have Matt Stover attempt a 51-yard field goal at a key point in the second half. So then Phil Simms gets on Francesa’s show and immediately says it was the right call. Of course it was! Stover missed it. Stuff happens. But he had enough leg. [And another reason to appreciate Hartley.]
My bottom line is the Colts, even with Manning’s decisive throw returned by Porter, didn’t lose it as much as the Saints won the game. Sean Payton gambled to start the second half and won. If a Colts player at the bottom of that pile had wrestled it away (and you all saw how that ball was loose), the parade is probably for Indy.
I was surprised to see only $82.7 million was wagered at Nevada’s sports books for the Super Bowl, Pittsburgh-Seattle having generated $94.5 million in ’06. The ‘win,’ though, was $6.9 million on Sunday…not bad. [The best recent win was the 2005 game in which New England beat Philadelphia 24-21, with $15.4 million in winnings. It was the Giants-Pats ’08 contest where the books lost $2.6 million.]
And for the record, the Super Bowl telecast was watched by more people, an estimated 106.5 million, than the previous most-watched program in television history, 1983’s final episode of “M*A*S*H”. As for the ads, I still can’t believe no one else has commented on my favorite, the Monster.com beaver concert violinist bit. Maybe it was too early in the broadcast. But for crying out loud, it was brilliant!!! Check it out…Monster.com.
Finally, last time it wasn’t possible to include the Washington Post’s Norman Chad’s thoughts on the game…so here are a few.
2:11: Pam Tebow does commercial celebrating her son Tim. I’m still concerned about his arm strength.
6:01: Go Google some Jay-Z lyrics and see if he should be kicking off the kickoff show of the Super Bowl.
6:44: Could’ve sworn I saw Peyton running the no-huddle while shopping at Safeway the other day.
6:45: When Peyton tells his kids bedtime stories, I wonder if he changes them as he goes along.
6:46: During rush hour, you’ve got to figure Peyton directs traffic.
6:47: When Peyton and his wife have relations, something tells me he has a foreplay clock in his head.
7:41: Saint’s Sean Payton goes for it on fourth and goal. I turn to my dog Sapphire and tell her I’d kick the field goal.
7:50: Agreeing with Payton’s call, Bill Cowher says, “He sends a message to his football team: ‘I’m playing to win the game.’” And I thought he was there to watch The Who.
8:22: Payton starts second half with successful onside kick. I guess he REALLY wants to win.
8:24: I’m sure he does a good job, but I assume some Colts starters don’t even know Jim Caldwell is the head coach.
9:26: As Peyton drives Colts for potential game-tying drive, my stepson Isaiah asks where his weekly allowance is.
9:26:15: I make a note to check my prenup after the game.
9:42: If I’m Drew Brees, I’m not going to Disney World, I’m going to Denny’s for a Free Grand Slam Breakfast Tuesday.
College Basketball Review
AP Men’s Poll
1.Kansas
2. Syracuse
3. Kentucky
4. Villanova…then beat WVU
5. West Virginia
6. Purdue
7. Georgetown
8. Duke
9. Kansas State
10. Michigan State…then lost to Purdue
27. Cornell…No. 22 in USA TODAY/ESPN poll
28. Wake Forest
We start off with Rutgers. On Tuesday they scheduled Division II Caldwell College. When Johnny Mac informed me, I thought it was Caldwell High School, which is near here. Why would Rutgers schedule Caldwell College? Coach Fred Hill said it was to give his starters a break in the middle of the Big East grind and let the reserves have some playing time.
So what happened? Rutgers (12-12) eked out an 8-point win, 70-62. 8 points! As J. Mac noted, Caldwell lost to mighty Felician College, 80-52! I mean you have to figure Felician would thus wax Rutgers. Caldwell College is now 3-19, for crying out loud, and Rutgers had a freakin’ nail biter. This program blows.
Speaking of Division II, J. Mac’s East Stroudsburg is No. 12 in the latest poll, which means it, too, would demolish Rutgers.
As to Wake Forest, which with a win on Tuesday against Boston College upped its ACC mark to 7-3, they are ranked No. 36 in the USA TODAY poll. C’mon, guys, that’s absurd.
“Great” means you are in most years among the top four.
“Very good” is reserved for those who end up as a 4-seed or better in the tourney.
“Good” is normally reserved for a 5- or 6-seed. Good means you’re handily in the top 30 but expected to do little more than win a first-round game during March Madness.
Wake Forest has proved it is a good team. No worse, no better. If we can split our final six conference games, and win our first-round ACC Tourney contest, we’ll gain a 6-seed. So we aren’t 36th!
But I thought Phil W. had a great point, Phil being a fellow Wake alum. North Carolina’s sudden fall has hurt the reputation of the conference. No doubt, the ACC is far from great this year, but we have a ton of teams that are good…not great or very good…but good. Because Carolina is 13-10, 2-6 in league play heading into Wednesday night’s contest vs. Duke, however, the rest of us are penalized.
And I thought Johnny Mac had a great idea to recapture interest in New York City area college hoops, which is in the midst of a death spiral. Combine St. John’s, Seton Hall, and Rutgers with St. Francis (NY), LIU, Manhattan and Fordham…or at least have them play each other more often. “With all the talent in the area, it’s ridiculous New York hoops sucks so bad.”
Golf Bits…lots of ‘em…
Steve Stricker may be No. 2 in the world, and us fans love the guy, but if he’s No. 2 he does have to win a major before long…like this year. In 2009 he had just one top ten (t-6) in the Masters for the four big ones.
Golf Digest celebrated its 60th Anniversary with blurbs on some famous golfers. Just a few tidbits from their selection, and ignoring ones you already know, like Bill Clinton’s liberal use of mulligans, we have…
Andrew Carnegie, 1835-1919. “It was over a chilly round at St. Andrew’s in Yonkers, N.Y., in late January 1901, and afterward over drinks at Carnegie’s cottage on the course, that Charles M. Schwab, president of the Carnegie Steel Company, mooted J.P. Morgan’s offer to buy out Carnegie: $480 million, with $225,639,000 going to Carnegie, making him the world’s richest man. He spent his retirement disbursing the money, mostly to fund libraries and schools. [Famous quote: “The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced.”] Carnegie once said: “I never found my business anything more than mere play. Golf is the only serious business of life.”
Winston Churchill, 1874-1965: Apparently played quite a bit prior to World War I, but in a caption for a photo of him playing the sport, his son, Randolph, writes, “He fails to keep his head down and foozles his drive. Mr. Churchill had little aptitude for golf, and so he abandoned it.” We needed him focused on other stuff about 30 years later.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1859-1930: Conan Doyle was a single-digit man, playing all over the world, and he conceived “The Hound of the Baskervilles” during one weekend golf trip.
Sir Sean Connery, 1930- : Didn’t pick up sport until he had to prepare for his golf scene in “Goldfinger,” then became hooked. “Soon,” he wrote in a recent autobiography, “it would nearly take over my life.”
Bing Crosby, 1903-77: Crosby died walking off the 18th green at La Moraleja Golf Club in Madrid. His last words: “That was a great game of golf, fellas.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1890-1969: Well, we all know how often he played, especially when in the White House, and it’s said he once shot 79 at Augusta, where he became a fixture as a member, but I didn’t realize he made his only hole-in-one at the age of 77, the year before he died.
W.C. Fields, 1880-1946: “In a 1972 Golf Digest article, Lester A. Weinrott recalled his 18-martini round with W.C. Fields in 1932: ‘The first six holes are a phantasmagoria in my memory. I remember much laughter at what Mr. Fields said and did. I remember with what artistry he juggled two, three, then four golf balls. I recall that he did wonderful tricks with a golf club. I remember that he won all the side bets. Mostly I remember many refills from one of the martini bottles. I had the remaining good sense to pour mine, or most of mine, onto the grass.’”
Rev. Billy Graham, 1918- : “For me, a golf course is an island of peace in a world often full of confusion and turmoil.”
Bob Hope, 1903-2003: At one time he was a legitimate 4-handicap.
Rudyard Kipling, 1865-1936: It’s said he invented snow golf – in the Vermont winters (he lived in Brattleboro), he would paint balls red and play to tin cans sunken into the snow.”
Sidney Poitier (Sir Sidney, that is), 1927- : ‘I dig my work, I love my family, I booze with my friends, I go to church, I play a lot of golf. What else is there? I mean, what else?”
Others…Karl Marx played golf in London while working on “Das Kapital.” Jack Lemmon once hit his opening tee shot at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am right into his hotel room. And who knew? North Korean leader Kim Jong-il “is said to have shot a 38 in his first and only round of golf – including five holes-in-one.” Really. Just remember if you see him in Pyongyang to compliment him on this achievement…at least if you know what’s good for you.
[Actually, one man who legitimately shot five holes-in-one in his life was Johnny Weissmuller.]
GM: What was the lowest low point? [Ed. Michelle having struggled mightily before breaking through late last year.]
Wie: I don’t remember a lot from that time [nervous laugh]. I think I’ve blocked it out.
GM: You mean you don’t dwell on it, or you literally don’t remember?
Wie: I literally do not remember a lot of things from that time.
Wie: Yeah, it was a lot more traumatic for me than people think.
Wie: I can’t remember. I literally can’t. I don’t remember. It all blurs together. The year [2007] feels like it was a really short time.
GM: You said something at a press conference at the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open that was very revealing. Do you remember that tournament?
Good lord! Airhead doesn’t begin to describe her. Granted, she’s a good-looking airhead with a great swing, but I digress…
–Thoughts on Willie Mays…with release of James S. Hirsch’s “Willie Mays: The Life, the Legend.”
Gerald Eskenazi / Wall Street Journal: “Watching Willie Mays do something typically wondrous on a baseball field, a press-box colleague of mine once mused: ‘People named Willie are just better than other people.’”
[Ed. I’ll be up all night thinking if it’s possible to refute this. For starters, I have an autographed picture of Willie Wilson hanging in my hallway. He was pretty darn good. Wily Mo Pena has been a bust, but then he spells his name differently. You’ve got Joe Willie Namath…Willie Randolph, Willie McGee, Wee Willie Keeler, Willie Horton, Willie McCovey, Willie Davenport, Willie Davis (baseball), Willie Stargell, Willie Davis (football edition), Willie Gault, Willie Shoemaker…]
Eskenazi: “(Mays) once admitted to me that he purposely had his cap made one size too large after he realized the effect on people when it tumbled to the grass. He was known as the ‘Say Hey Kid,’ but he readily acknowledged that he never uttered the phrase ‘say hey,’ as everyone thought he did. What he actually said by way of greeting was just ‘hey,’ because he was lousy at remembering names.
“Ah, but as a player he was something to behold. He could fly close to the sun and his wings wouldn’t melt. At his retirement after the 1973 season – after 22 summers, all with the Giants except for the last two with the Mets – only Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron had more career homers. Willie recorded more outs than any outfielder. He was the first player to generate 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in the same season. He routinely drove in 100 runs while scoring another 100*. He erased naïve opposing base-runners with the strength of his arm. He was a brilliant field general….
“All that, and he was an appealing guy, with his high-pitched voice and engaging smile.”
*Didn’t realize Mays had 9 such seasons. Aaron had 10, Ted Williams 9, Babe Ruth had 12, as does A-Rod, to name a few.
–So remember how when the whole Bernie Madoff deal hit I said the Wilpons, owners of the Mets, had a huge liability? It appears now I was wrong. Instead, it’s a different issue. The Wilpons, by one measure, lost a few $million, just a few, but the concern now is will the government force them to give up some of their profits? One American League official, commenting to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman on why the Mets have failed to come up with anyone aside from Jason Bay in the free agent market, said, “Is that $20 million [the Wilpons would have to cough up], $100 million, $200 million? If it is in the hundreds of millions and they actually have to pay that back, what does that mean for them even owning the team long-term?”
The Mets enter this season, as one agent told Sherman, “with no starting catcher or first baseman, a second baseman you hate and no legitimate starters after Johan [Santana].”
As fans we’ve been blaming GM Omar Minaya, who truly deserves his share of it for the past, but now it appears it’s not his fault the team stopped at Bay. It’s pretty clear these days his hands are tied tight.
–This is too funny. The New York Knicks teased us fans with some solid play in December after a 3-14 start, but now the Knicks, 19-32, have lost 12 of their last 16. “We’re just not fighting,” said Coach Mike D’Antoni following the team’s 118-114 OT loss at home to Sacramento.
But here’s why I bring it up. Not only was the Madison Square Garden crowd booing the Knicks for blowing a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter, but there were “raucous chants” of “Omri Casspi,” in honor of the Kings rookie, the first Israeli to play in the NBA “and a folk hero to Jews around the world.” The guy scored 18 and is the fifth-leading rookie scorer in the league.
–So I mentioned senior golfer Jim Thorpe and the possibility he might play in four Champions Tour events before starting his one-year prison term for tax evasion and it turns out Thorpe was just suspended by the PGA Tour, thus precluding him from playing. Not a big surprise, and probably warranted, but officials notified Thorpe by e-mail. That’s bush league.
–For the record…Sports Illustrated said Germany would come out on top of the Medal Count in Vancouver for the third time in the last four Winter Games.
Germany…35 medals projected
Canada…30
U.S. …27
But there is a potentially devastating development for the United States. Lindsey Vonn hurt her shin in practice last week and she told an interviewer on Tuesday night it is a big issue, as in she just can’t apply pressure on it. Because of steroid rules, she also can’t risk taking an injection and having something show up in a test.
–We note the passing of Jimmie Heuga, 66, from complications from MS. For those of us of a certain age, the Winter Olympics of 1968, the Jean-Claude Killy Olympics, were the first to be covered extensively and Heuga and Billy Kidd were the two U.S. wonder boys, Heuega having won bronze in 1964 in the slalom, with Kidd winning the silver, thus giving U.S. Alpine skiing a real shot in the arm, though both then failed to medal in Grenoble. In 1970, Heuga learned he had multiple sclerosis.
–The New York Times’ Karen Crouse had a good report on the state of speedskating in the United States. Despite winning 75 medals in the sport, the most successful for us in the Winter Games, there are only four 400-meter ovals in the country (two of which are indoors). A fifth outdoor rink in Butte, Montana is unusable. Often the athletes are flat broke, and constantly fund-raising to travel to events in, say, Europe. They train 8 to 10 hours a day, so that restricts employment opportunities.
But with U.S. Speedskating facing a $300,000 budget shortfall after its primary sponsor, Dutch bank DSB, declared bankruptcy, up stepped Stephen Colbert. Through his efforts “The Colbert Report” has raised $300,000 in three months. Colbert said he could relate to the speedskaters’ woes. “Believe me, I spent 20 years racking up huge debts pursuing comedy.”
–The other day there was a story that shortstop Omar Vizquel, who has joined the Chicago White Sox, was permitted to wear Luis Aparicio’s retired No. 11 uniform, Aparacio agreeing to ‘unretire it’ for the great Vizquel, who turns 43 in April. So that was nice of Luis to give it up for a fellow Venezuelan.
But the article mentioned another Venezuelan shortstop from days of yore, Chico Carrasquel, and I didn’t realize this guy was a four-time All-Star from 1950-55, before being replaced by Aparicio.
Meanwhile, Vizquel is going to be an interesting Hall of Fame debate issue down the road. The 11-time Gold Glover is as good a shortstop as there’s ever been, and he has over 2,700 career hits. But he might be one of those that slowly climbs up and gets in on his 13th try. He deserves to be there.
–If you’re Andy Roddick, married to Brooklyn Decker, are you sincerely glad she’s the Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover girl this year, or do you quietly (very, very quietly) wish she was just one of the girls, and not the feature? Just asking. [Goodness gracious, guys. That’s a helluva cover, ain’t it?]
–ESPN’s Erin Andrews is ticked off prosecutors are only recommending 27 months in jail for her stalker, Michael Barrett. Turns out Barrett ran Internet searches on more than 30 female sports reporters, TV personalities and other women, in addition to filming Andrews and another 16. Andrews has a full-time bodyguard these days and “wakes up at least once a night fearing that the defendant is breaking into her home,” according to her attorney.
— “Study finds beer is good for your bones: Light-colored ales most effective against osteoporosis”!!!
“Turns out beer’s not only a good source of dietary silicon, which is key for bone health, but the silicon levels vary depending on the type of beer and the malting process used to produce it. Researchers at the University of California-Davis performed their chemical analyses on beer’s ingredients and measured the silicon content of various brands….
“ ‘Beers containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon,’ lead researcher Charles Bamforth noted.”
Two beers essentially gives one the daily silicon intake most individuals get through their regular diet, though there’s no official recommendation.
So I’ll set one…the Bar Chat recommendation, which carries more weight anyway, is for two Rolling Rocks per day. “A domestic brew, with the taste and feel of premium.”
–Wohhh… “Three coyotes turned up on the Columbia University campus on Sunday morning, prompting an e-mail alert to students and faculty.
“A few hours later, a coyote was spotted darting around bushes and across a frozen lake in Central Park.”
Remember, kids. Don’t offer your hand to a coyote. You’ll never see it again. And if you thought Columbia students were among the brightest in the land, the school felt it necessary to remind them “not to approach these animals.”
–Since I reported that Brad and Angelina had split, I better note that the two have begun legal action against the tabloid News of the World for printing that the couple was history. The two attended the Super Bowl together, but the next day she flew to Haiti for aid efforts and undoubtedly will return with 43 more kids, at which point Brad will drop the lawsuit and file for divorce.
–Finally, Feb. 9 was of course the 46th anniversary of the Beatles’ first “Ed Sullivan” appearance. While I’ve written extensively of this in the past, I have a new little tidbit, courtesy of an old article by David Fricke of Rolling Stone.
But first, do you remember any of the other guests on Sullivan that night? Fred Kaps, a Dutch magician, though this was a pre-recorded bit that the audience was forced to watch on studio monitors that in those days were small and hideous. Fifteen members of the cast of “Oliver!” sang “I’ll Do Anything.” One of those on stage? 18-year-old Davy Jones.
Frank Gorshin, the great comic / imitator of the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Anthony Quinn, Marlon Brando and Kirk Douglas.
Tessie O’Shea, a Welsh singer who tipped the scales at 224 pounds, sang a medley of show tunes. McCall and Brill, a comedy team, which believe it or not “got a roar from the audience when McCall joked, ‘My little girl used to be one of the Beatles…Somebody stepped on her.’”
And Wells and the Four Fays, so-called comedic acrobats. Such acts are now made fun of in Internet newsgroups.
But here’s a bit from David Fricke’s article on the Beatles’ arrival at the recently christened John F. Kennedy International Airport. It was Friday, February 7, and George Harrison was the first Beatle to disembark.
“He was followed by Lennon (wearing a leather cap), McCartney and Starr. Harrison was also the only Beatle who had ever been to America before. In September 1963, he had taken a two-week vacation from British Beatlemania, visiting his sister Louise at her home in Benton, Illinois.
“ ‘We went camping, and he had a wonderful time with my kids, being an uncle,’ says Louise, who was eleven years older than George, married and had lived in North and South America since leaving England in 1956. She had never seen the Beatles perform or met George’s bandmates, although she passionately promoted the group’s records to area newspapers and radio stations.
“But on the night before her brother left for England, Louise witnessed his U.S. solo debut: at a VFW hall where George sat in with a combo, the Four Vests, jamming on Carl Perkins and Chuck Berry numbers. ‘It was like a bolt of lightning went through the room,’ she says. ‘When George finished singing, somebody came over to the bandleader and said, ‘That kid who’s trying out for your band tonight – you’d be crazy if you don’t hire him.’ And I remember thinking, ‘This is only one of the Beatles. If he can make this impact on 200 people in the middle of nowhere, what must the four of them be like?’”
Oh to be there. Love that story. And I still miss George. One more bit next time.
Top 3 songs for the week 2/13/82: #1 “Centerfold” (The J. Geils Band) #2 “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)” (Daryl Hall & John Oates) #3 “Harden My Heart” (Quarterflash)…and…#4 “Open Arms” (Journey) #5 “Turn Your Love Around” (George Benson) #6 “Shake It Up” (The Cars) #7 “The Sweetest Thing (I’ve Ever Known)” (Juice Newton) #8 “Physical” (Olivia Newton-John) #9 “Waiting For A Girl Like You” (Foreigner) #10 “Sweet Dreams” (Air Supply)
College Basketball Quiz Answers: 1) Baylor: Vinnie Johnson was selected in the first round in 1979 by Seattle, before he made his name with Detroit. Johnson holds the school record with 50 points in a game. 2) Boston College: First round picks…John Bagley / Cleveland, 1982; Dana Barros / Seattle, 1989. Both had solid NBA careers. But the best player of that era for BC was guard Michael Adams, who was a third-round selection in 1985 by Sacramento, but ended up being the best of the three, once averaging 26.5 points per game for Denver in 1990-91. 3) Bowling Green’s Nate Thurmond was a first-round pick by San Francisco in 1963 and went on to a Hall of Fame career, averaging 15 points and 15 rebounds per game over his 14 seasons. Loved this guy. 4) Brigham Young: The Celtics selected two from here in the first round, Greg Kite, 1983, who had a long but lousy career, and Michael Smith, 1989, who totally flopped. 5) California: In 1994, Jason Kidd was selected by Dallas and Lamond Murray by the Clippers.
Wristwatch Quiz Answer: The Rolex Oyster Perpetual is $6,400; Tag Heuer Professional Golf Watch, $1,600; Citizen Signature Grand Complication with crocodile strap, $1,125; and the winner is…Omega Constellation Double Eagle, $16,500. I saw this in Golf Magazine and just had to pass it along, being the owner of a $40 watch myself. Incidentally, Mickelson wears the Rolex, Tiger the Tag Heuer, Padraig the Citizen, and Sergio Garcia the Omega.
Next Bar Chat, Monday. Charles Schulz died 10 years ago, Feb. 12, 2000. I still read Peanuts every day, and while much of it is dated, in about one in every five his brilliance continues to shine through.
Speaking of brilliant cartoonists, Happy Birthday to my brother, Harry, who is on a little sabbatical these days. But he is now Jack Lambert’s number! I can’t wait until I get there myself…not…
