College Basketball Quiz: [Easier ones the casual fan has a shot at] 1) Who was the coach of the 1951-52 national championship Kansas Jayhawks? 2) Who was a 1969 Kansas first-rounder, a guard, who had a good NBA career? 3) Name the coaches at Kentucky since Adolph Rupp left following the 1971-72 season. 4) Who led Kentucky in scoring, 1973-75, and was a first-rounder, initials K.G.? 5) Who was the star of the LaSalle club that won the NCAA title in 1954 and was runner-up in ’55? Answers below.
Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon and Sgt. 1st Class Randall D. Shugart
I can’t help but start with this item from Army Times’ “Hall of Valor”…a look back at Black Hawk down.
“Gordon and Shugart received the Medal of Honor for defending a downed UH-60 Black Hawk pilot and crew members on Oct. 3, 1993, during the Battle of Mogadishu, Somalia. The two men were providing overhead sniper cover from the lead helicopter during an assault on a building in Mogadishu when they learned that two Black Hawks had been shot down.
“Ground forces were held up by an overwhelming number of enemy fighters and were unable to get to the crash site where one of the Blacks, Super Six Four, went down. Gordon and Shugart requested to be inserted near Super Six Four to secure it. The request was denied.
“From their position overhead, they could see the massive buildup of enemy forces converging on the site. They requested a second time to be inserted, but the request again was denied. Only after a third request were the two snipers allowed to insert 100 meters to the south. After fighting their way through enemy fire, they arrived at Super Six Four and managed to pull out pilot Michael Durant and the crew members and place them in a perimeter.
“Armed with only their long-range rifles and side arms, they fought off enemy fighters until their ammunition was exhausted. When the ammunition had been all but spent, Gordon gave his rifle and last five rounds to Durant, wished him good luck and continued to defend the perimeter with only his side arm.
“Gordon and Shugart were both killed, cut down by small arms fire, defending the bodies of fallen soldiers and surviving crew members.”
Special Alert: HBO’s “The Pacific” begins this Sunday, March 14. It’s the real-life story of three war heroes, Marines Eugene Sledge, Robert Leckie and John Basilone.
Willie Davis, RIP
When I think of the fastest baseball players I’ve personally seen, the two that immediately come to mind are Willie Wilson and Willie Davis. I’m talking about pure speed flying from first to third, or legging a triple. Davis died on Tuesday, age 69.
Willie Davis was one of the all-time Dodgers and still holds Los Angeles franchise marks in hits (2,091), runs (1,004), and triples (110).
Overall, he hit .279 for his career with 2,561 hits, 138 triples, 398 stolen bases, and 1,053 RBI. [We’ll excuse his .311 on-base percentage as his playing days, 1960-79, were a time when few focused on this now critically viewed stat.] Davis had a Dodger record 31-game hitting streak (which still stands), he was a two-time All-Star, won three Gold Gloves in centerfield and played on two World Series championship teams, 1963 and ’65. Alas, in the 1966 World Series, Davis also set a record for three errors in one inning.
Davis was born in Mineral Springs, Ark., but his family moved to Los Angeles where he was such a track star that he ran a 9.5 100-yard dash and set a city record in the long jump (25’5”). Signing him after high school graduation in 1958, the Dodgers sent him to Class C Reno where he scored from first base on a single nine times in one season.
Former teammate Tommy Davis (no relation) said, “He will always be my roommate. We were just like brothers…We had some great times together.”
But for all his accomplishments, people faulted Davis for not achieving more. Buzzie Bavasi, the Dodgers’ GM during their early years in Los Angeles, told the L.A. Times in 1996, “He could have been a Hall of Famer, but he had million-dollar legs and a 10-cent head.”
Tommy Hawkins, a retired Dodger executive who worked with Davis during his troubled later years, said he was “gregarious, competitive and fast as lightning and probably had a very difficult time as a lot of athletes do living life away from the game.
“When I think about him, I think about the incredible elevator ride all athletes take, especially the old athletes. There is nothing in ordinary life that can give you the same rewards or feelings or highs that being a successful athlete can.”
Back to the 1966 Series fiasco in the field, Sandy Koufax was on the mound and Davis approached Koufax in the dugout after the inning. According to the account in The Times, Davis said, “I’m sorry. I just lost them in the sun.”
Jane Leavy, in the 2002 book “Sandy Koufax: A Lefty’s Legacy,” described what happened next.
“When the third out was recorded, Davis headed for the end of the bench and so did Koufax. Teammates, misconstruing his purpose, stepped in his path. They should have known better. Koufax draped an arm over Davis’ shoulder and said, ‘Don’t let them get you down.’”
There are episodes in Davis’ post-playing days that are ugly, but there’s no reason to get into them here. He was as exciting as they come and that’s how he should be remembered.
[Sources: Keith Thursby / Los Angeles Times; Douglas Martin / New York Times]
Nicki Ross…scores again!
Back on 2/1/10 in this space, I told you of the platform tennis accomplishments of my good friend Trader George’s daughter, Nicki, and her partner Corey DeLaney, now four-time winners of national championships in the sport. So guess what? The two are featured in the March 15 issue of Sports Illustrated…Faces in the Crowd! How cool is that?!
[And kudos to George’s other daughter, Brittany Ross, a swimmer at Washington and Lee, for being named Rookie of the Year in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. As Ronald Reagan would have said, “Not bad…not bad at all.”]
—College Basketball Bits and Bytes
AP Men’s Poll
1. Kansas
2. Kentucky
3. Syracuse
4. Duke
5. Ohio State
6. Purdue
7. West Virginia
8. New Mexico
9. Kansas State
10. Villanova
12. Butler
AP Women’s Poll
1. UConn*
2. Stanford
3. Nebraska
4. Tennessee
5. Xavier
6. Notre Dame
7. Duke
8. Ohio State
9. West Virginia
10. Florida State
21. Hartford
*In winning the Big East tournament, the Lady Huskies extended their new record streak to 72, exceeding their own previous mark of 70. So, assuming they win the NCAA tourney, the run will hit 78. The average margin of victory this year is 32 points.
Separately, the Wall Street Journal had an interesting item.
“Since the 2001-02 season, when the Pac-10 started holding a tournament again, the six major conferences have held a combined 48 tournaments. Only five of them were won by teams that might’ve missed the NCAAs had they not won the conference tournament.
“The Pac-10’s USC and the SEC’s Mississippi State both pulled off the trick last season – neither team was a sure bet to receive an at-large bid – but they’re the exception, not the rule. Duke or North Carolina has won every ACC tournament since 1997 save one. In the 12-year history of the Big Ten tournament, four teams seeded eighth or worse have reached the final, but none has won. No one seeded worse than third has won the Big 12 tournament, which began in 1997.
“And even when a miracle does happen, it typically doesn’t last long in the NCAA tournament. Mississippi State got bounced out of the first round by Washington last season. USC didn’t survive the first weekend either.”
[UConn, North Carolina and UCLA have not missed the NCAA Tournament in the same year since 1966, as noted by the Star-Ledger’s Tom Luicci. Boy, what a sterling effort by UConn vs. St. John’s on Tuesday night, eh? Guard Jerome Dyson had nine turnovers! If I’m Jim Calhoun, it’s a good time to leave. Relax. Take care of your health. Your legacy is more than secure.]
Watching the North Texas-Troy Sun Belt Championship game, won by NT 66-63, I couldn’t help but order a North Texas “Mean Green” t-shirt and it’s now winging it’s way to moi via FedEx, according to the good people at the NT campus bookstore. As I told Johnny Mac, I have to hedge my bets for when Wake Forest loses its first-round NCAA Tournament game. And, truth be told, I was impressed by the Mean Green cheerleaders. Very strong, girls. Very strong.
–Regarding Ben Roethlisberger and his potential assault case, the Steeler QB’s high-profile defense attorney, Ed Garland, said “The facts show that there was no criminal activity. No sexual assault occurred. Ben is completely innocent of any crime." The district attorney for the court with jurisdiction said, "The investigation is ongoing. It would be premature to make any announcements at this time.”
Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a statement that the team is closely monitoring the situation.
“All of us in the Steelers family are concerned about the recent incident involving Ben Roethlisberger in Georgia. We cannot comment on any of the specifics until law enforcement’s investigation is concluded.”
While you can understand why the Steelers can’t say much, it’s curious to me how they said zero in defense of Roethlisberger. The attorney, Ed Garland, represented linebacker Ray Lewis in his murder case, with Lewis pleading guilty to a misdemeanor. In other words; job well done by Mr. Garland.
“So now we wait to see what kind of fine mess the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback might have gotten himself into. Or let’s put it another way. Where there’s smoke, is there Ben Roethlisberger?
“He now has as many sexual assault accusers as Super Bowl rings. That 2-2 ratio is pretty hard to miss, so no wonder the sudden attention on Milledgeville, Ga. It is never a good sign when an NFL team is waiting to hear from the chief of police….
“Before anyone rushes to judgment, here are three words to remember. Duke lacrosse team.
“But it seems enough is out there now to reasonably make one call. The Steelers need to have a long talk with their quarterback.
“Mention the Steelers’ brand name and what enduring qualities come to mind? Besides a lobby full of Lombardi trophies? Stability, sound decision-making, a business-like mentality. Theirs is a cornerstone franchise, admired not only for its hardware, but its ability to avoid embarrassing headlines….
“[To Roethlisberger] You are quarterback for one of the NFL’s flagship franchises, you have survived a bad accident, won two Super Bowls, are financially set for life and still young enough for more glory. You’re a pretty lucky man. Try not to blow it.”
–I didn’t realize what happened Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway until after posting the last Bar Chat, but Carl Edwards clipped Brad Keselowski and caused his car to spin, then lift up at around 190 mph. It smashed into a barrier protecting the spectators, roof first, and then flipped back onto the track right side up. Keselowski was unhurt.
The two hate each other and earlier in the race, Keselowski had nicked Edwards, sending Edwards into Joey Logano. Edwards then spent much of the day in the garage and reemerged 156 laps behind. He was not a happy camper and thus took his anger out on Keselowski by tapping him intentionally with three laps to go. [Kurt Busch won the race.]
Well, especially seeing as how Edwards’ action could have killed a few spectators, what would NASCAR do with him? On Tuesday, they opted to put Edwards on probation for three races, but this infuriated a few of the drivers and those, like Kyle Petty, now watching things from the sidelines. Petty, for one, said Edwards should have been suspended.
For his part, though, Keselowski, who is no angel himself, knew enough to support NASCAR’s decision. “They are not in an enviable position when it comes to these matters, but they do an outstanding job.”
Edward’s wrote on his Facebook page: “I respect NASCAR’s penalty and look forward to our meeting in Bristol. I’m ready to put this behind us and get on with some good racing.”
Edwards, as you may have noticed, is sponsored by Aflac, so he better be on his best behavior.
But what most drivers are really concerned about, NASCAR as well, is why Keselowski’s car went airborne. Said President Mike Helton, “A car getting airborne at a 1.5-mile track; it’s been years since we’ve seen that.”
As the season started, NASCAR had announced that they wanted to put the racing back into the drivers’ hands. Last week it went a wee bit too far.
“After Edwards was ordered off the track, he drove defiantly in front of the stands and went backward down the pit lane. Once he climbed from the car, he didn’t even bother with a denial.
“ ‘Brad knows the deal between him and I,’ Edwards said. ‘The scary part was his car went airborne, which was not what I expected at all. At the end of the day, we’re out here to race and people have to have respect for one another and I have a lot of respect for people’s safety.’”
—Alex Rodriguez told reporters “I’m at ease no matter what” when asked about his connection to Dr. Galea, who earlier told the AP that he had prescribed anti-inflammatories for A-Rod, but never gave him or any other athlete HGH. Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran have also told federal investigators that they did not receive Human Growth Hormone. A-Rod is awaiting his interview with the feds.
As for Yankee management, they’re still upset, regardless of the outcome of the investigation, because A-Rod didn’t tell the team he was meeting with Galea and thus he could be in violation of his contract as the Yankees have the right to approve doctors not on their own staff.
–The Mets are waiting for further test results before proclaiming Jose Reyes fit to play. Initial tests on his thyroid showed his condition could be the most “minimal case of hyperthyroidism possible,” according to agent Peter Greenberg.
–In an exciting debut, the Nationals’ Stephen Strasburg threw two scoreless innings with no walks and a number of pitches in the 100 mph range.
–The percentage of African-Americans on last year’s opening day baseball rosters was 8%. As reported in USA TODAY, Major League Baseball is doing all it can to promote the sport in the inner cities but nothing is working.
One thing that hurts, though, is the colleges only being able to hand out 11 Division I scholarships and MLB could help finance programs to provide more. Agent Scott Boras, whose son plays for USC, said, “The colleges have corrupted baseball because they have taken away the scholarships. They’ve taken away America’s pastime from the grass-root level of homes.”
But Boras says nothing of the impact of Title IX. That’s what has reduced the number of scholarships to a large extent.
Another point, though, is that major league teams are spending a huge amount to scout and develop Latin American players and that money could be better spent here.
–On Wednesday, Nomar Garciaparra signed a one-day contract with the Boston Red Sox and then retired after 14 years, a .313 batting average, 229 home runs, 936 RBI and the 1997 MVP Award. In 1999 and 2000, he hit .357 and .372, winning back-to-back batting titles. But by the time he turned 30, his body began to break down and any whispers today are probably appropriate. He’s going to be an analyst for ESPN.
—Tiger Woods is working with swing coach Hank Haney. Bay Hill in two weeks is a lock. Book it, though others say he could still play in a club event, the Tavistock Cup matches between residents of Tiger’s club, Isleworth, and Lake Nona. But this would mean six rounds in seven days if he then rolled into Bay Hill, which starts the following Thursday, March 25. Longtime friend Mark O’Meara said he wouldn’t be surprised if Tiger returns at the Tavistock event. O’Meara said he hasn’t spoken to Woods but they’ve exchanged text messages.
But get this…the Daily News reported there is speculation caddie Steve Williams could be fired! Now wouldn’t that be a laugh. I told you Stevie should just shut up, but I have to apply my adage of waiting 24 hours on this one. One alternative (this is strictly me speaking), would be for Tiger to put Williams on probation, seeing as how it would be difficult for Tiger to return with a new guy on the bag on top of everything else he’ll have to deal with.
–I forgot to acknowledge last time that in Fred Couples winning his second straight Champions Tour event, Tom Watson finished with a 62! Not bad for a 60-year-old, and further proof he should receive an exemption into the U.S. Open.
–The PGA Tour and Ping reached an agreement to finally ban square-grooved Ping Eye 2 clubs from the Tour, effective prior to the Masters. Phil Mickelson, Hunter Mahan and Fred Couples were among the players who had used the wedges this year, which touched off a bit of a firestorm when Scott McCarron accused Mickelson of “cheating,” but later apologized. A settlement in a 20-year-old lawsuit had grandfathered the Ping clubs as long as they were made before April 1, 1990, and not altered. Ping agreed to waive its rights from the settlement.
–I feel sorry for basketball’s Allen Iverson. Maybe I shouldn’t, but for starters, no one ever played the game harder than he did but now it appears his career could be over as he deals with “tough times,” in his own words, following his wife filing for divorce. The Philadelphia Daily News strung together some of his Tweets.
“To my fans: You all know that my life isn’t perfect. I am going through some very tough times right now, like I am sure that we all do…from time to time. However, I will stand tall like always with ‘rhino’ thick skin. Even though I have become used to hearing people say…things about me that aren’t true, it still hurts. I encourage you to continue your ongoing support and I want you to trust that this is…another obstacle in my life that, with God’s help I will overcome. God Bless You All.”
His wife, Tawanna, filed for divorce the same day he decided he wouldn’t return to the Sixers this year, this after he spent time with his family to deal with his 4-year-old daughter’s undisclosed serious illness.
Sources say Iverson is dealing with alcohol and gambling issues. The Philly Inquirer’s Stephen A. Smith says there are concerns A.I. “will either drink himself into oblivion or gamble his life away.” According to Smith, his gambling issues are so severe he has been banned from casinos in Atlantic City and Detroit. Just a sad story.
–Auto racing fans are looking forward to this weekend’s season debut for Formula One as the great Michael Schumacher, seven-time champion, makes his comeback for Ferrari after being away from the sport for three years. The initial race is Sunday in Bahrain and it’s worth catching even a little of it for the drama. [I always forget myself that most of the Grand Prix races are on early Sunday morning, Eastern Time.] Schumacher is making no promises for early in the season but says that by end of the schedule, he expects to be right on top.
[Incidentally, when Schumacher was racing, he was the richest athlete in the world in terms of yearly earnings, all in.]
–Running back Thomas Jones signed with the Chiefs for two years, $5 million, though no word on how much is guaranteed. The Jets would have had to shell out $5.8 million had they opted to retain him this season.
–Hey, my high school alma mater, Summit, has a kid who high-jumped 6’10” this winter, Mark Jones. Turns out his father was the first New Jersey high-schooler to do 7’ back in the day. Seeing as I’m two blocks from the high school track, I’ll have to check him out. [The best for a high school athlete in the country thus far this year is 7’0”. And here just ten miles away we also have the great shot-putter Nick Vena.]
—A fellow from Ireland died while descending from the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro and it’s believed he “may have suffered a bite from a rare insect while on the mountain.” Nothing more in the report from the Irish Independent. A spider, beetle?….sounds like more than a mosquito.
–The bear population in New Jersey is soaring. In just two counties, Sussex and Passaic (for you locals out there), the number of bears surged from 1,317 to 2,141 from 2002 to 2007. Bears are also sighted throughout the rest of the state, including an incident this week a few miles from me. Complaints have risen sharply, from 1,300 in 2006 to over 3,000 in 2009.
So after a five-year ban, the bear hunt is coming back….assuming protesters don’t have their way.
–SeaWorld in Orlando has not yet decided the fate of orca Tilikum and whether it will be allowed to return to performing. Too bad Johnnie Cochran isn’t still alive. Tilikum could use good representation.
“A baby elephant thought to have died in its mother’s womb was born alive this morning at Taronga Zoo. [I’ve been here…one of the better zoos in the world.]
“Six days after Taronga’s Asian elephant Porntip went into labour,” the baby was born.
“A team of veterinarians told the media earlier this week that they did not believe the calf had survived and that if it was delivered ‘it would be a miracle.’”
“A woman was bitten by a snake in the Blue Mountains this afternoon, the second attack today and the eighth in six days.” Goodness gracious.
“Five people were bitten in a three-hour period in different parts of (New South Wales) on Saturday.”
I had previously told you of the boy who was bitten by a suspected red belly black snake and I’ve just learned he was released after being in the hospital for two days.
And then there was the snake handler who “was bitten twice on the face by a brown snake in his home.”
“The 35-year-old man was bitten once on his nose and once on the forehead.” He was listed in serious but stable condition. Alas, this guy kept a number of snakes at home. Brown snakes are another deadly serpent.
So why the jump in snake bites? Officials blame it on “the high incidence of wet, overcast but warm conditions.” I’d say it’s because they’ve been infiltrated by al-Qaeda.
“One of our closest primate relatives, the bonobo, has been shown to voluntarily share food, scientists report.
“This sort of generous behavior was previously thought by some to be an exclusively human trait.
“But a team has carried out an experiment that revealed that bonobos were more likely to choose to share their food than opt to dine alone….
“The researchers hope this work could also shed light on what drives humans to voluntarily share.”
–According to a report in the British Medical Journal, by 55, men have an average sexual life expectancy of 15 years and women can expect 10 more years. People in very good or excellent health were almost twice as likely to be interested in sex as people in poorer health.
–From the Sydney Morning Herald comes a tale from Florida:
“According to a report on news website KeyNews.com, a 37-year-old woman crashed her Ford Thunderbird into the back of a Chevrolet pick-up truck while trimming her [you know].
“Megan Mariah Barnes was allegedly traveling with her ex-husband Charles Judy on her way to visit her boyfriend and reportedly needed to tidy up her personal area, so Judy took hold of the steering wheel while Barnes attended to her bikini line.
“The car then crashed into the back of the Chevy truck.”
“The pair then drove up the road and swapped seats, and when Florida Highway Patrol officer Gary Dunick got to the scene, the pair claimed that Judy was driving. But officer Dunick wasn’t fooled.” [Ed. Or you could say Dunick was no Nudnick.]
“A CBS report claims the officer noticed passenger airbag burns on the chest of the man in the driver’s seat, and that the driver’s airbag didn’t deploy.
“Barnes shouldn’t have been in the driver’s seat in the first place (let alone with razor in hand). According to the CBS report, Barnes had been driving with a suspended license, just a day after being convicted of driving under the influence.”
Ms. Barnes is in a heap of trouble. And that’s your White Trash Update for March 11.
–It didn’t hit me until watching the news the day after The Oscars how Farrah Fawcett was omitted from the In Memoriam segment, though I immediately thought it was because her work was almost solely TV related and, indeed, the man responsible said the academy committee debated including Farrah and Gene Barry, a longtime TV actor who died in December, but ultimately omitted both. As to the inclusion of Michael Jackson, Bruce Davis explained that Jackson had appeared in the recent theatrical release that proved to be popular.
So I can see Farrah, but why exclude Henry Gibson? While he had his big run with “Laugh-In” and then other television projects, he also had a famous turn in the movie “Nashville.”
Top 3 songs for the week 3/8/69: #1 “Everyday People” (Sly & The Family Stone) #2 “Proud Mary” (Creedence Clearwater Revival) #3 “Build Me Up Buttercup” (The Foundations)…and… #4 “Dizzy” (Tommy Roe) #5 “Crimson And Clover” (Tommy James and The Shondells) #6 “This Magic Moment” (Jay And The Americans) #7 “This Girls In Love With You” (Dionne Warwick) #8 “Baby, Baby Don’t Cry” (Smokey Robinson & The Miracles) #9 “Touch Me” (The Doors) #10 “Indian Giver” (The 1910 Fruitgum Co.)
College Basketball Quiz Answers: 1) Forrest “Phog” Allen was the Jayhawks coach when they won it all in 1952. 2) Jo Jo White was a first-rounder by Boston in 1969. White had a great 7-year run, 1970-77, when he scored at least 18+ per game and for his career averaged 21.5 in 80 playoff contests. 3) Since Adolph Rupp the coaches at Kentucky have been: Joe B. Hall, Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith, Billy Gillispie, and John Calipari. 4) Kevin Grevey led Kentucky in scoring, 1973-75 (21.9, 23.6) and was a first-rounder by Washington (and San Diego of the ABA). He went on to have a respectable 10-year career, averaging 11 ppg. 5) Tom Gola was the LaSalle All-American who led them to the title in 1954 and runner-up in ’55. The 6’6” Gola averaged 23 points and 21.7 rebounds in 1953-54, and then 24.2 and 19.9 the following year. But he was a disappointing pro, averaging just 11.3 points in 10 seasons. Basketball in his time was light years from the game it is today. Which is why baseball is so good, because aside from the steroids era inflating home run stats, the skills over the past 55-60 years have more or less remained the same. Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron, who all came up in the 50s, would have been awesome today as well. Basketball players from that era, however, with just one or two exceptions (like Bob Cousy, and of course Bill Russell and Wilt if you stretch it to the late 50s), wouldn’t have a shot at starting in 2010.
Cuando reciba su formulario del Censo del 2010, visite 2010census.gov para obtener ayuda sobre como completario.
