College Basketball Quiz: 1) In 1979, Magic Johnson was the number one overall selection in the draft out of Michigan State, which had just defeated Larry Bird’s Indiana State for the national title. Who was Magic’s teammate that was taken with the fourth pick? 2) What 1977 first-rounder out of Minnesota with the initials R.W. went on to a 10-year NBA career? 3) What player led Ole Miss in scoring, 1961-64, but then ended up having a very good baseball career, making six All-Star teams with the Chicago Cubs? 4) Who was a 1959 first-rounder out of Mississippi State who was drafted by Detroit and went on to a Hall of Fame NBA career? Answers below.
Sweet Sixteen down to Final Four
–Big blow for West Virginia in losing starting point guard Darryl Bryant to a broken foot. While Bryant has been slumping late season, Joe Mazzulla has filled in ably (despite his own injury issues) and seeing as Bryant wasn’t a big scoring option, the Mountaineers should be fine. That is if Mazzulla stays out of foul trouble because otherwise, Da’Sean Butler or Devin Ebanks would be at point and against a team with a pressure defense, this wouldn’t be good for my ‘pick to click.’
–Interesting note in the Wall Street Journal by Darren Everson:
“The Mountain West Conference continues to come up short in the NCAAs. The league has had two Sweet 16 teams in its 11 seasons, and this year’s entrants (BYU, New Mexico, San Diego State and UNLV) have all bowed out. The MWC’s all-time tournament winning percentage (.278) trails that of some conferences that often get a single tournament bid."
–It’s pitiful that Wake Forest coach Dino Gaudio, under big time heat for his team’s underperformance his three seasons at the helm (1-2 in the NCAA tournament, 0-3 in the ACC tourney) is falling back on the fact the four seniors, who, combined, had a total of about 20 outstanding individual performances in four years (out of a possible 480…4 X 30 X 4), will graduate… “and that will be 21 seniors, 21 kids graduated in the 10 years that we’ve been here,” Gaudio said (including his years as assistant to Skip Prosser). “I think that’s who we are at Wake Forest. That’s what we’re about.” [Lenox Rawlings / Winston-Salem Journal]
But we want wins! Important wins! I’m too old to care about graduation rates. I may not have many years left. I want a Final Four, gosh darnit!
–Meanwhile, in the women’s NCAA tournament, UConn’s Lady Huskies have absolutely slaughtered their first two opponents by 95-39 and 90-36 margins. Good gawd.
–And this from the women’s tourney. In Baylor’s 49-33 victory over Georgetown on Monday night, Brittney Griner of Baylor blocked a record 14 shots…13 in the second half after playing just seven minutes in the first due to foul trouble. The previous record was 11. Heck, Georgetown missed its first 14 shots of the game, and ended up at 17% for the entire contest; 12 of 70! For its part, Baylor wasn’t much better, shooting 38%. The two combined to shoot 25% with 34 turnovers. I’m really glad I skipped this one.
Beware of the Tiger
More on the interviews Tiger Woods granted to ESPN and the Golf Channel on Sunday, wherein Tiger said, “I got away from Buddhism. I quit meditating.” And then in the other interview, “I quit meditating, I quit being a Buddhist, and my life changed upside down.”
What does meditating have to do with being a sex-craved dirtball?!
Of course ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi asked the best question. “Why did you get married?” Tiger tried to convince us, rather unconvincingly at that, that he loved Elin so much.
Oh puh-leeze. You know, I’m really losing a ton of respect for Elin now as well. She should have taken the money offered back in November and fled. There is zero reason to stick with this jerk. He’s a fraud, through and through. At least now it seems she has left the country, with kids in tow, so as not to have to deal with Augusta.
That said, I want Tiger to play well when he returns. In fact I’d love him to be at the top of the leaderboard virtually every tournament…only to choke in the end as each week another of the young guns takes him out. Two who have played with him the past week, however, are friends John Cook and Arjun Atwal. Cook said, “From what I saw the last three days of ball striking, I don’t see anybody hit the ball like he does.” Atwal offered, “He’s very chilled out,” adding, “He’s hitting it longer than before, there’s no doubt. He’s killing it, absolutely killing it. If he gets that putter going at all, he’ll probably win.”
But what’s this? Another babe has stepped forward? Yes, it seems that Devon James (love the name Devon), a Florida-based ‘adult entertainer’ (not that I’ve ever dated anyone named Devon), says she was with Woods for 2 ½ years. As reported by Larry McShane of the Daily News:
“In a radio interview, she recounted her first meeting with Woods just minutes before a three-way. [Ed. What’s a three-way?….oh, I was just told…never mind….]
“ ‘Hi, I’m Tiger. Nice to meet you,’ she quoted him as saying before they quickly got down to business.
“Woods, 34, allegedly paid the two women $2,000 each for what she described as ‘dirty’ sex.
“ ‘There was very little talk the first time,’ said James (no relation to LeBron, but maybe Joslyn), a 29-year-old busty blond.
“Woods immediately asked for her personal phone number, and the affair continued into 2008, she claimed.
“The trysts bring the total of Woods’ mistresses to 15, by some counts….
“That new tales of his infidelities are still emerging has Woods’ wife, Elin, furious, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.”
[Actually, as the New York Post points out, the other woman in the threesome is No. 16. Tiger, incidentally, of course texted Devon. “I want you to be my whore!”]
For those of you who saw part II of “The Pacific” and the heroism of Sgt. John Basilone, understand that was 100% authentic. Raritan, New Jersey’s own, and simply one of the greatest soldiers in the history of warfare.
Following is his Medal of Honor citation for actions taken as portrayed in “The Pacific.”
For The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Sergeant John “Manila John” Basilone, United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action against enemy Japanese forces, above and beyond the call of duty, while serving with the First Battalion, Seventh Marines, FIRST Marine Division in the Lunga Area, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on the night of 24-25 October 1942. While the enemy was hammering at the Marines’ defensive positions, Sergeant Basilone, in charge of two sections of heavy machineguns, fought valiantly to check the savage and determined assault. In a fierce frontal attack with the Japanese blasting his guns with grenades and mortar fire, one of Sergeant Basilone’s sections, with its guncrews, was put out of action, leaving only two men able to carry on. Moving an extra gun into position, he placed it in action, then, under continual fire, repaired another and personally manned it, gallantly holding his line until replacements arrived. A little later, with ammunition critically low and the supply lines cut off, Sergeant Basilone, at great risk of his life and in the face of continued enemy attack, battled his way through hostile lines with urgently needed shells for his gunners, thereby contributing in large measure to the virtual annihilation of a Japanese regiment. His great personal valor and courageous initiative were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
[It is estimated Basilone killed 38 Japanese, at least. The 8 minutes in “The Pacific” detailing his actions are as good as you’ll ever see in any war movie, particularly because it’s true.]
–While I’m on the topic of the military, through my subscription to Army Times I can’t help but recommend you all go on to the following site and check out the song/video of “Cowboy Soldiers (Please Send Me A Beer)”. It’s good stuff. Check out gijams.com.
—A-Rod is being questioned by FBI agents and members of other federal agencies on Friday in Buffalo as part of the investigation into Canadian physician Dr. Anthony Galea, who treated Rodriguez but never gave him HGH, so he says. This isn’t going away. A-Rod is in trouble.
—Jose Canseco has been subpoenaed by the grand jury looking into whether Roger Clemens lied to Congress when he denied using performance-enhancing drugs. In a 2008 affidavit submitted to Congress, Canseco said, “I have never had a conversation with Clemens in which he expressed any interest in using steroids or human growth hormone.” Will Jose change his tune?
–The New York Mets finally had some good news on the health front…shortstop Jose Reyes’ overactive thyroid is under control and there’s a shot he will be in the Opening Day lineup. Yippee! But some of us Mets fans are amused at the decision to start first base prospect Ike Davis in Triple-A after he hit .480 with three homers (two of which were absolutely crushed), while Daniel Murphy, who is hitting .121, gets the nod.
–No sooner had the Minnesota Twins announced the contract extension for All-World Joe Mauer when they learned star closer Joe Nathan was out for the year with Tommy John surgery. The last six years Nathan has saved between 36 and 47 games, though he’s been less than stellar in the playoffs.
–As a story in USA TODAY Sports Weekly puts it, when it comes to Giants pitching prospect Madison Bumgarner, who had a 6.43 ERA in his first three outings in spring training… “not so fast.” He’s only throwing 88-89 mph thus far when he was far harder in the minors last season. All of you baseball fans can go back over the years with your own favorite club and for every one hurler that made it up through the farm system to go on to have a decent career, there were five or six high-profile busts….not that I’m saying this is the case with Bumgarner. But maybe he should change his first name, which is way cool for a girl, but….
—College Baseball Top Ten
1. Arizona State
2. Virginia…will choke
3. Georgia Tech…will choke
4. LSU
5. Clemson…will choke
6. UCLA
7. Florida State…will choke….because the ACC always does in this sport
8. Texas
9. Florida
10. TCU
–NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said he would meet with Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to discuss his off-field behavior. But Roethlisberger’s attorney, Ed Garland, said authorities in Georgia have withdrawn their request for a sample of his DNA because they told him they no longer needed it, as reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Garland said, “Ben had been requested to supply his DNA, had offered to supply it, and had agreed to supply it.” Forensic expert Dr. Cyril Wecht told the Post-Gazette the fact that police haven’t taken a sample from Roethlisberger means it’s likely there is nothing to back up the woman’s claims.
So it’s likely there is no semen, hair or saliva! Hey, don’t look at me. That’s what Dr. Wecht observed.
–Moving right along, NFL owners approved the new overtime format for playoff games by a 28-4 vote. Some, such as Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, were surprised by the overwhelming margin, but Commissioner Goodell backed the proposal in a big way. And there’s still a chance the rule could be put in place for the 2010 regular season as well.
As discussed previously, the rule now in effect on a trial basis for next season’s playoffs holds that unless one team scores a touchdown on the first possession of overtime, or unless the defense scores a safety on the first possession of overtime, the other team gets a shot.
Peter King points out that while only 1.2 overtime games per postseason have been played in the past 15 years, it’s still a significant rules shift.
“With this change, Sean Payton would have had to decide whether to play for a 40-yard Garrett Hartley field goal in overtime of the NFC Championship Game in New Orleans in January – or stay aggressive and try to score a touchdown to end the game. If he chose the Hartley field goal, the gimpy Brett Favre would have had one more potentially heroic chance to win the game with a touchdown drive on the next possession (or, conversely, a chance to be a goat with an interception).”
King adds that several coaches are very unhappy with the rule change, “because they (feel) it adds a major level of decision-making to the game, like whether to throw a challenge flag for replay review. The new level will be if you’ve got a strong defense, would you want to kick the ball to start overtime, theorizing you could make the opponent go three-and-out, get the ball in great field position, then drive for the winning field goal?” [Worst case you give up the field goal and still get the ball back.]
Since 1994, 59.8% of overtime games were won by the coin-flip winner, whereas from 1974 to 1993, it was 46.8%.
Actually, the more I think about it, it’s a great change. Coaches will hate it…fans will love it. Lots of Bar Chat, in other words.
1. Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
2. Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
3. Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma
4. Eric Berry, S, Tennessee
5. Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State
6. C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson
7. Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech
8. Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa
9. Joe Haden, CB, Florida
10. Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma
14. Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame
40. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas
43. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida…for all the criticism, still 4th-ranked QB
The chart of the above contains 40 times and the No. 44-ranked player, DT Terrence Cody of Alabama, all 6-4, 349 lbs., ran it in 5.71. That’s not good, boys and girls. Suh and McCoy, by contrast, did it in 5.03 and 5.04, respectively. [Spiller’s 4.27 was the fastest of 64 players listed.]
Cody is a guy who was once thought to be a potential No. 1 overall, but if you saw pictures of him at the NFL combine, his body looked like mush.
—The New Jersey Nets are 7-63.
The skin on the heel is 40 times thicker than that on the rest of the body.
And here’s another example of the benefits of running barefoot. The great LoLo Jones said, “When my feet are tight or stressed, I run on the track barefoot. It instantly relaxes my feet.”
–Prosecutors are recommending that NBA star Gilbert Arenas serve three months in jail for bringing guns into the Washington Wizards’ locker room. Seems appropriate. The maximum is potentially five years, but Arenas will also no doubt receive extensive community service and be placed on a lengthy probation.
–NBC News ran a story Tuesday night that then hit a lot of the papers on Wednesday concerning a study by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard Medical School in Boston which tracked some 34,000 healthy women over 13 years, with an average starting age of 54 at the beginning of the study. As noted in USA TODAY:
“13% of women were ‘successful weight maintainers’ – they started at a healthy weight and gained less than 5 pounds at any checkpoint during the 13 years. They consistently did about 60 minutes a day of moderate-intensity exercise.”
That’s what some are finding depressing. You have to maintain a serious exercise regimen just to maintain, not necessarily to lose weight. 30 minutes of running or jogging, by the way, is equal to 60 minutes of walking. Most importantly, for your overall health, and forgetting the weight issue, keep exercising.
“Beetle ‘world’s strongest insect’”
“After months of trials, a contender for the title of World’s Strongest Insect has been named by scientists.
“The dung beetle species Onthophagus Taurus can pull a load 1,141 times its own body weight – the equivalent of an average person pulling six fully laden double-decker buses.
“Dr. Rob Knell, one of the researchers from Queen Mary, University of London, said: ‘Insects are well known for being able to perform amazing feats of strength, and it’s all on account of their curious sex lives.
“ ‘Female beetles of this species dig tunnels under a dung pat, where males mate with them. If a male enters a tunnel that is already occupied by a rival, they fight by locking horns and try to push each other out.’
“Dr. Knell’s team tested the ability of beetles to resist a rival by measuring how much force was needed to pull them from their holes.”
[It took like six men to do so….or so I’m imagining.]
“Dr. Knell said: ‘Interestingly, some male dung beetles don’t fight over females. They are smaller, weaker and don’t have horns like the larger males. Even when we fed them up they didn’t grow stronger, so we know it’s not because they have a poorer diet.
“They did, however, develop substantially bigger testicles for their body size.”
“This suggests they sneak behind the back of the other male, waiting until he’s looking the other way for a chance to mate with the female.”
“Instead of growing super-strength to fight for a female, they grow lots more sperm to increase their chances of fertilizing her eggs and fathering the next generation.”
Kind of makes you want to treat the male dung beetle with a little more respect.
–So I still can’t remember how it was I got a free subscription to Men’s Health, but it’s so entertaining, I officially subscribed. There’s a subscription card that has in bold letters, “MORE SEX? HOTTER SEX?” and I’m reminded of Verne Lundquist saying of a dramatic Jack Nicklaus putt at the 1986 Masters, “Yes, sir!!”
So in the April issue, we have the rather attractive Amanda Righetti of the CBS series The Mentalist. Ms. Righetti (who’s married) says guys looking to score should open with conversation, not compliments. “Some men think paying a compliment will open a door for them, but in my experience it never really does.” Conversation, not flattery, is what will really make you stand out from the guys who are always trying out lines.
Huh. Let’s give it a try.
“Hi. Say, you know what’s really screwed up about UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 34-day war between Israel and Hizbullah in 2006? Hizbullah is supposed to give up its arms, yet has only gotten stronger, and Israel keeps sending jets screaming over Lebanese territory, including over Beirut, and they aren’t supposed to do that….Hey, where are you goin’?”
–Golfer Ernie Els’ favorite television show… “Family Guy.”
–Boxer Manny Pacquiao’s recent bout against Joshua Clottey at Cowboys Stadium generated 700,000 HBO pay-per-view buys and $35.3 million in revenue, the network announced. Pacquiao’s 12 pay-per-view fights have generated 6.25 million total buys and $320 million in revenue.
–OK, go ahead. Take a guess. How many deer did Pennsylvania hunters take out during the 2009-2010 season?…I’ll get a domestic while you come up with an answer…time’s up….
308,920. And yet this was the lowest haul since 1986-87! [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette] I mean anyone who has ever traveled in Pennsylvania knows there are a ton of deer, but if they killed 300,000+, imagine the total out there! We need to take out another 300,000…at least.
Top 3 songs for 3/24/73: #1 “Love Train” (O’Jays) #2 “Killing Me Softly With His Song” (Roberta Flack) #3 “Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)” (Deodato…dreadful)…and… #4 “Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)” (Gladys Knight & The Pips…just never liked them) #5 “Last Song” (Edward Bear) #6 “The Cover Of ‘Rolling Stone’” (Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show) #7 “Dueling Banjos” (Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandell… ‘Deliverance’) #8 “Danny’s Song” (Anne Murray…Mom not a fan of this Canuck) #9 “Break Up To Make Up” (The Stylistics) #10 “Ain’t No Woman ( Like The One I’ve Got)” (Four Tops…one of their top five)
*We note the passing of Ron Banks of the Dramatics. His memorable falsetto powered the group’s soul classics “In The Rain” and “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get,” the latter on your editor’s all-time top 20. Go ahead…iTune it….just as I’m about to do.
College Basketball Quiz Answers: 1) Greg Kelser was the other first-rounder out of Michigan State in 1979. He had a so-so six-year career, averaging 9.7 points per game. 2) Ray Williams was the 1977 first-rounder out of Minnesota, selected by the Knicks though he bounced around some over a solid 10-year career where he averaged 15.5 ppg. 3) I found this surprising. Baseball’s Don Kessinger starred in basketball at Mississippi, leading Ole Miss in scoring his three seasons (21.4, 21.8, 23.5) before becoming a mainstay in the Cubs infield at short. 4) Bailey Howell was a first-round selection out of Mississippi State by Detroit and went on to a 12-year, Hall of Fame career, averaging 18.7 ppg and 9.9 rebounds. But I had no idea Howell played just four of his seasons in Boston. I would have said more like 8. You see, his years there, 1966-70, were when I was just becoming an NBA fan and I have vivid memories of the Sunday ABC games featuring lots of Boston-Philly matchups. But get this…his junior year at Miss. St., Howell finished fourth in the country in scoring with a 27.8 average. The three ahead of him? Oscar Robertson, 35.1; Elgin Baylor, 32.5; Wilt, 30.1. Not bad company. Nos. 5-10, on the other hand, you wouldn’t recognize.
Lastly, I never ask you for anything, but let’s move the needle. I keep buying Paul Sorvino’s vodka or marinara pasta sauce. Perhaps a little pricey compared to the alternatives, but it’s really good. Give it a try.
“Made with imported Italian San Marzano plum tomatoes.” Ooh baby.
“I’ve been cooking this sauce for fifty years; my ancestors have been cooking it for 300 years.”
–Paul Sorvino
Next Bar Chat, Monday.
