Baseball Quiz: The other day, USA TODAY Sports Weekly said that the Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter are attempting to become the 31st duo since 1960, and first since 2002, to start 25 or more games, win 18 or more, and have an ERA under 3.00. But heading into Wednesday’s play, Wainwright has been stumbling, though he’s still 17-10 and 2.34, while Carpenter needs to go some, he being at 15-5 and 2.90. So…I’ll tax your memories a little.
1) In 1972, Mickey Lolich was 22-14, 2.50, for the Tigers. Who went 19-14, 2.80 for Detroit that year? 2) Also in 1972, Nolan Ryan was 19-16, 2.28 for the Angels. Who on the same squad went 18-11, 2.98? 3) In 1993, Greg Maddux was 20-10, 2.36 for Atlanta. What Braves hurler went 18-6, 2.94? [Hint: The three are a little obscure all these years later.] Answers below.
College Football
Boise State 33 Virginia Tech 30
Last weekend, I wrote prior to the above that it was “absolutely huge in terms of the national title chase,” and with the result we now see even more so.
What a game. My emotions were all over the place for a number of reasons. For starters, you can’t help but pull for Boise State, plus I’ve made them my Pick to Click for the year, so at different times, particularly in the second half, I was bemoaning the fact the Broncos had opted for such an impossibly tough first game, clear across the country.
The other thing is I have a real vested interest in Boise State because I’m going to the Nov. 12 Boise-Idaho game in Moscow, Idaho on Nov. 12. This, you might recall, has become a titanic grudge match because the Boise school president said he sees no reason to play in-state rival Idaho anymore now that Boise is moving to the Mountain West Conference next year. Idaho is furious. The Vandals may get their butts kicked, but blood will be spilled (hopefully not too much of it in the stands). Of course I’m hoping Boise is still undefeated entering that one and ranked in the top three as they are now.
But with Boise State’s biggest test out of the way, aside from the emotions surrounding the Idaho game (we’ll learn a lot about Idaho’s own squad this week when they play Nebraska), the Broncos’ only other major test appears to be against Oregon State on Sept. 25. Thank god that one is at home, because the Beavers are obviously tough.
[Remember, kids. Always have some Beaverwear handy in case you want to change sides during the course of a season, just as we do here at Bar Chat. For instance, I have both Beaverwear and Oregon Duckwear for when they hold their annual civil war, which once again this year could be a huge game in its own right.]
Anyway, this coming Saturday is another special one in college football.
At 3:30 you have Michigan-Notre Dame, Ohio State-Miami, and Florida State-Oklahoma.
[At 1:00 pm, a few blocks from the world headquarters of StocksandNews, we also have Summit High School vs. Voorhees.]
Yes, it’s setting up to be an outstanding season. If Boise State can run the table, they won’t be worse than No. 3 all year and if Ohio State stumbled, and/or looked unimpressive in one or two contests, we could then have an Alabama-Boise State title game. Baby, it wouldn’t get any better than that!
[‘Bama’s big game, aside from this Saturday, will be its contest against Florida on Oct. 2.]
AP Poll
1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Boise State
4. TCU
5. Texas
6. Nebraska…welcome back, Huskers!
7. Oregon…Duckwear ready to come out again…quack quack*
8. Florida
9. Iowa
10. Oklahoma
1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Boise State
4. Texas
5. TCU
While the AP poll isn’t part of the BCS final calculation (the BCS poll begins in mid-October), I will continue to showcase it, while pointing out any big differences with the Coaches poll, which is part of the BCS formula. Boise State significantly moved from No. 5 to No. 3 in the coaches’ ranking, which as noted above helps set up the whole season.
*Oregon’s mascot, Ducky, did 506 pushups in the team’s 72-0 win over New Mexico last week.
—Reggie Bush is going to lose his Heisman Trophy from 2005, according to Yahoo Sports, with the organization responsible for the award concluding, along with the NCAA, that Bush accepted improper gifts while with USC and should have thus been ineligible for the season. The Trojans are now on four years’ probation largely as a result of the Bush investigation. He would be the first in the 75-year history of the trophy to lose it. Even O.J. got to keep his.
But, not so fast, say some. The Downtown Athletic Club said such reports are premature, with president Jim Corcoran saying, “No decision has been made.”
“Asked if he thought the Heisman should be taken away from Bush, Corcoran interrupted in midsentence and said, ‘I know where you’re going, but I can’t comment.’….
“Corcoran said there was no timetable on the Bush issue. ‘I’m sure something will come up – at some point in our lifetime.’
“The larger question – one Corcoran did not address – is, what should Bush do? There have been casualties and defections all around him.
‘Mike Garrett, the U.S.C. athletic director who won the Heisman as a Trojans running back in 1965, was fired.
“Pete Carroll, the former U.S.C. coach, scampered out of the burning building and is now the coach of the Seattle Seahawks.
“According to the NCAA investigation, Bush received lavish gifts from two sports marketers who wanted to sign him. They paid for hotel stays. They paid for a rent-free home where Bush’s family apparently lived. They paid for a limousine for his use. They even bought a new suit for Bush’s Heisman acceptance in December 2005.
“If Bush had any sense of honor, he would return the trophy and save the committee the embarrassment of having to ask for it. If he had any self-respect, he would return it. Bush was effectively a kept man at U.S.C., which is probably not something he wants scrawled on his sports tombstone.
“Bush has apologized to the university, but an apology means little coming from a man in the safe haven of the NFL, watching his college team. He should share in U.S.C.’s shame, and the best way to do that is to give back the trophy. His mother and stepfather, who were culpable as well, should insist on it.
“Critics of the NCAA will ask why should Bush give it back. The standard argument is that Bush, like many college megastars, was simply getting his pound of flesh from a system that got more from him. Yes, but ultimately the athlete becomes the fall guy….
“The NCAA, at the upper echelon of Division I, is an unseemly universe of exploitation with administrators, coaches, boosters and players using one another in an exploitative dance. U.S.C. used Bush to keep the university nationally relevant. Bush used U.S.C. to catapult himself to fame and fortune in the NFL and a Super Bowl ring with the New Orleans Saints. Carroll used Bush and U.S.C. to catapult himself to glory and ultimately back into the NFL.
“The NCAA should make sure Carroll doesn’t get another college coaching job for seven years, a year for each major violation Southern California was found to have committed.
“Bush can afford to do the right thing. Indeed, he can’t afford not to. Despite the Super Bowl ring, his name has been smeared. The Heisman is a symbol of a dirty relationship, of bad decisions, poor judgment, misguided priorities – of being bought. Do you really want that in your trophy room?
“His Heisman is tarnished. Bush should give it back – without being asked.”
—North Carolina defensive line coach John Blake resigned amid the ongoing NCAA investigation into the football program. Blake is being looked into specifically for his relations with agents. According to sources, ESPN reports that head coach Butch Davis has connected Blake to the investigation of defensive tackle Marvin Austin and receiver Greg Little for possible improper contact with sports agents. The Charlotte Observer reports that Blake basically had one agent, Gary Wichard, on speed dial… “152 communications (phone calls or texts) during a 235-day period between Blake’s university-paid number and Wichard’s phone.”
It’s not illegal for a coach to be talking to a sports agent, but most schools wouldn’t allow their coaches to then tell the players which agents to select, and of course the big question in the Carolina investigation is what kind of money was being exchanged, and by whom, because some players appear to have had various trips paid for.
—Ruben Narcisse, 19, a freshman linebacker on the University of Wyoming football team, was killed when he fell asleep at the wheel on a Colorado highway on Monday. Three teammates were hurt. Alcohol and drugs were not reported to be a factor.
NFL Update
“Bah: You’d better be. The National Football League launches its 2010 campaign on Thursday – brashly kicking off right in the middle of ‘Project Runway,’ as if it doesn’t see a glaring conflict – with an opening-night rumble between the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints (wow, that sounds weird) and the Vikings, a curious outfit from Minnesota led by a drama-addict 72-year-old who plays in orthopedic Wranglers.”
And as Gay also observes, ‘Sup with Tom Brady’s hair? Some say he’s channeling Justin Bieber.
–As for my Jets, you may have noticed in my blurb on them last time I didn’t mention then-holdout All-Universe cornerback Darrelle Revis. There was a reason for this. Frankly, I thought after 36 days and some very bad blood between his camp and Jets ownership that he wasn’t returning the entire year. I wasn’t alone in this thinking.
But about six hours after I posted my column, Revis agreed to a 4-year, $46 million contract and on Monday, he received a hero’s welcome as he returned to training camp.
Greg Bishop of the New York Times had a great description.
“Some teammates bowed. Others pretended to faint. Still others teased Revis…for the length of his unruly beard or his slow march onto the field. Linebacker Bart Scott even started the ‘Rudy clap,’ an ode to the football movie, while others chanted, ‘Revis Christ!’
“Nose tackle Kris Jenkins said: ‘It’s about time. It’s great to see the morale in the locker room. It’s through the roof.’”
That’s the thing. The Jets have embraced the idea that they are the team to beat in the NFL this season unlike any other I can remember. It’s kind of shades of the 1986 New York Mets, their cousins (in so many ways). That Mets team was as cocky as any in baseball history, but for that one year backed it up (thank you, Bill Buckner). The opposition hated the Mets. The opposition now hates the Jets…and for good reason. Not a lot of humility on this squad.
If you’re a Jets fan, it presents you with a dilemma. I love that we have the talent, especially on defense with Revis’ return, to be competitive in every single game, but we have a second-year quarterback and some big questions on offense. And it’s just so tough to live up to the hype. At least the Jets open at home the first two games, but two toughies…Baltimore on Monday night and then New England (which I’ll be attending). [And then at Miami…pretty brutal first three…better go 2-1 or a lot of us will be committing hari-kari.]
“Coach Rex Ryan won respect inside his locker room for his last-ditch trip to see Revis in South Florida….
“The turning point came Saturday, when Ryan flew to South Florida with Woody Johnson, the owner, to talk with Revis; his mother, Diana Gilbert; and her brother, Sean, a longtime NFL defensive end who once held out an entire season. Revis said Ryan was smiling as if ‘he took a trip to Disney World.’
“The meeting, held inside a conference room, lasted three hours. But to Johnson, it felt like 20 minutes. The sides talked about timing, with the season one week away, about Super Bowl aspirations, and about Revis one day entering the Hall of Fame in his Jets jersey. Ryan played down his own importance Monday, but Revis said the visit ‘meant a lot.’”
Mark Sanchez was 8-7 in the games he started his rookie season. As Sports Illustrated points out, Sanchez was just the seventh first-round pick since 1970 to make all or all but one of his team’s starts at QB as a rookie. So here is how the other six fared in their second season.
1971…19 TD 16 INT
1972…8 – 25
1993…12 – 17
1994…11 – 7
Peyton Manning / Colts
1998…26 – 28
1999…26 – 15
2002…9 – 15
2003…9 – 13
2008…16 – 11
2009…22 – 14
2008…14 – 12
2009…21 – 12
Sanchez threw 12 TD passes and 20 interceptions his first year. He needs to be like Flacco or Ryan in their second season for the Jets to truly harbor Super Bowl dreams.
–Ever wonder what players consigned to NFL practice squads make? Doug Farrar of Yahoo Sports spells it out. Each team signs 8 players, with each player then making a minimum of $5,200 per week as long as they’re on an NFL roster, and they can be signed by another team if that club intends to move them to the active roster. Practice squad players take part in all normal activities, like practice, film, and meals.
Ryder Cup
Well, I got three of Corey Pavin’s four captain’s picks right when I guessed who would make it in this space, 8/19…Tiger, Zach Johnson and Stewart Cink. The fourth selection, 21-year-old Rickie Fowler, was a bit of a surprise but a great pick. I thought it would be Lucas Glover, but that was before I saw Glover moping around the next few weeks, constantly beating himself up, compared to the jaunty Fowler.
“The objective here is to have 12 players that make up Team USA that are going to go out there and have one goal in mind, and that’s to try to win the Ryder Cup over in Wales.”
“There’s a lot of guys deserving to be on the team, a lot of people in the mix. It just came down to feelings. I had a gut feeling about Rickie. He has a good Walker Cup record (7-1). He’s a very good player….I think he’s a very mature young man.”
“I can bring some youth to the team and hopefully get the guys pumped up a little bit.”
As for Tiger, Pavin said Woods’ play the past few weeks (much improved) made his job easier. When Pavin called Tiger Monday night to ask if he’d like to be on the team, Tiger said, “Absolutely. Whatever you would like me to do, I will do, just tell me what you would like.”
The Ryder Cup is going to be huge for Tiger in terms of his public rehabilitation. I’ll have far more on it as we get closer (and after I pour through all my golf magazines), but among the questions for Pavin will be if Tiger plays just so-so the first day, does he automatically just pencil him in for day two? And let’s say the U.S. is 3 behind entering the singles, does Tiger go last or first? Does Mickelson take the other slot? One thing to me seems certain…Tiger will be pared with Steve Stricker, at least the first day. [And a Dustin Johnson-Bubba Watson bomber-duo seems a no-brainer as well.]
For its part, the initial reaction of the British press is fascination with the Fowler selection, “America’s very own Rory McIlroy.” Can you imagine these two up against each other in an important singles match? As they say, that would be delicious.
“There’s a new tall blonde bombshell who owns Ashe Stadium and it’s not Maria Sharapova.
“Yesterday’s battle of the blondes was not such a battle. Caroline Wozniacki, the 5-foot-11 Great Dane, was too good, too consistent, too mentally tough….
“The 20-year-old, top-seeded Wozniacki limited her mistakes, mixed it up from the baseline and made Sharapova work for points in capturing a closer-than-the-score, 6-3, 6-4 fourth-round triumph….
“Wozniacki, a finalist at last year’s Open, is marching toward her first Grand Slam title….Though the CBS suits may be upset Sharapova is going home, Wozniacki is creating her own buzz as tennis’ new sex symbol, with her long legs coming out of one of the shortest skirts in tennis.
“Wozniacki giggled when asked about the length of her dress.
“ ‘I think it’s nice,’ she said. ‘I’m definitely sure I’ll get a lot of male fans now. For me, it’s important to feel good on the court and of course look good. Then I can focus on my tennis 100 percent.’”
I have no problem with this…no problem at all…really don’t.
[Fyi…this is being posted prior to Wozniacki’s Wednesday match, which I’m going to miss because of a meeting and I’m very, very upset about it.]
Meanwhile, for a second straight year there will be no American men in the quarterfinals, which also happen to be the only two times in the 41-year Open era.
The last American to win any major was in 2003 (Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi).
–Very depressing item in the world of baseball on Monday, as the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez became the first player in major league history with 14 seasons of 100 or more RBI, breaking a tie with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx. It’s just sickening that A-Rod was in the same conversation with these three in the first place. [In the same game, Derek Jeter reached 150 hits for a 15th consecutive season, which is far more palatable.]
–Colorado’s Carlos Gonzalez is suddenly just three home runs from winning a triple crown thru Tuesday’s play.
He leads in batting average, .340, and RBI, 100, and trails Albert Pujols 35-32 in homers.
[Atlanta’s Omar Infante doesn’t have enough at-bats yet to qualify for the batting title but if he plays every day the rest of the way he will. He’s at .339 thru Tuesday.]
I also have to repeat that thru Tuesday, “Cargo” has these home/away splits.
Home: 246 AB…25 HR 66 RBI, .394…22 BB 42 SO
Away: 260 AB…7-34, .288…9 BB 75 SO
Amazing. As the Mets announcers were commenting today, Wednesday, how can you give him the MVP with these splits? [Unless he wins the triple crown.]
San Diego 78-59
San Francisco 78-61
Colorado 74-64
Phillies 80-60
Atlanta 79-60
–Johnny Mac first told me of the huge news over the weekend that Sonya Thomas, the “Black Widow,” had gobbled up nearly 181 chicken wings in 12 minutes at the ninth National Buffalo Wing Festival in Buffalo, New York, Sunday. And who did the Black Widow beat? None other than Joey Chestnut. Or as Johnny so appropriately put it:
Down Goes Chestnut! Down Goes Chestnut! Down Goes Chestnut!
The favored Chestnut, incidentally, polished off 169. It was the first time these two faced off in a wings contest.
All I can do is compare the Black Widow’s feat to Wilt Chamberlain scoring 100 points, or Usain Bolt’s record achievements in the 100 and 200 at the Beijing Olympics. I bow down to Ms. Thomas, while at the same time reissuing my challenge to take on all comers in sugar cookies or veal cutlets.
—Todd B. reminded me of something important re: collegiate golf. I forgot the men are restricted to 4.5 scholarships (women 6) so Todd, a fellow Wake Forest alum, says us Deacs, as a private school, are losing out to some of the public universities that can spread out the dollars better to make it more affordable to go to, say, Georgia, over Wake. Thanks, Todd. Home version of “Bar Chat: The Game” coming to you parcel post, once we get around to making it. Actually, I’ll buy you a beer at Homecoming.
“On Sept., 1886. Apache chief Geronimo surrendered to Army Gen. Nelson Miles, after an exhausting five-month, 1,386-mile chase through the Arizona desert and Mexican Sierra Madre Mountains, marking the end of the Indian wars in the southwest.
“After 1875, Geronimo gained notoriety by escaping a harsh U.S. government reservation in central Arizona. Federal troops wrangled and escorted him and his followers back to the reservation. But during the next decade, Geronimo would escape again, fight and evade Army units and raid white settlements. At one point, 5,000 troops were pursuing him. The Army eventually named him a top target and assigned Miles to track him down.
“Once caught, Geronimo and his band were sent to Florida and Alabama before stopping at the Kiowa and Comanche reservation near Fort Sill, Oklahoma Territory. Geronimo farmed the local land and later converted to Christianity.
“In 1906, his autobiography, ‘Geronimo’s Story of His Life,’ was published. The chief died at Fort Sill on Feb. 17, 1909.” [He was 79.]
–Westchester County, New York, a suburb of Gotham, is inundated with coyotes and over the weekend, police had to gun down one after it attacked three people. What a tale, as told by Oren Yaniv and Lukas I. Alpert of the Daily News.
“The bloodthirsty beast began its rampage late Sunday when it wandered out of the woods onto a Rye Brook cul-de-sac and made a beeline for a group of kids tossing a football.
“ ‘It came after me – attacked me and lunged at me,’ the 14-year-old said. ‘I smacked it out of the way before it had a chance to bite me. I did it twice. Then I smacked a third time and scared him off and chased it away from the other kids.’
“Less than an hour later, the beast reappeared a half mile away, where it sneaked up onto a family’s front yard and tried to snatch a 2-year-old girl who sat with her dad.
“ ‘We were sitting outside playing,’ said Jared Zuckerman. ‘I sensed something out of the corner of my eye, but by that time it was grabbing her.’
“Before the animal could bite down on the child’s arm, Zuckerman pulled her away, but the wild canine wasn’t prepared to let him off that easily.
“ ‘I grabbed [the 2-year-old] and turned around and [the coyote] grabbed my tush – it was just a superficial wound,’ he said. ‘It barely got [the child]. She was very lucky.’
“Zuckerman, his daughter and Eric were all given rabies shots at a local hospital.
“Town officials dispatched a trapper to hunt the coyote down. When they cornered the creature, it viciously snapped off the head of one of its own puppies. It then lunged at an officer prompting him to shoot it dead.”
And I never thought it would be possible to find a species lower than Man, but suffice it to say, for snapping off its kid’s head, the coyote could be at the bottom of the list, though admittedly it’s a tough pick between it and the Canada geese (the U.S. variety…I’ve never had an issue with those that properly return to north of the border once their work visas are up).
“Human remains found inside shark”
“Bahamian police are trying to identify human remains found in the stomach of a tiger shark caught off the Exuma islands.
“Forensic investigators were conducting DNA tests on the two legs, two arms and severed torso found inside the 12-foot shark, said Assistant Police Commissioner Glenn Miller [bandleader on weekends].
“He said the remains appeared to be a couple of days old, but that it was not clear whether the person was dead or alive when consumed by the shark.
“The tiger shark can migrate long distances and has been known to attack people.
“Mr. Miller said at least two people were reported missing recently on the archipelago. He also did not rule out the possibility that the remains are those of an impoverished migrant whose boat might have capsized during a risky sea journey to Florida.”
I just think this proves my theory that shark-related fatalities are being understated by at least 123,000 per year. And once again you can count on the International Shark Attack File not including this clear case of death by shark in its “official” tallies.
–“Sydney authorities have banned a circus from performing an act involving live fish after an animal rights group complained it was cruel.
“The Great Moscow Circus, touring in Miranda in Sydney’s south, includes a performance in which a woman picks a live fish from a bowl, swallows it, then regurgitates it while it is still alive….
“Animals Australia executive director Glenys Oogjes said the performance reportedly left many in the crowd upset….
“ ‘Science shows that fish can feel, they can suffer, they can feel pain and fear and to do that sends out a terrible message, especially to the kids there, who by all reports turned up their noses when they saw it.’” [Sydney Morning Herald]
Well, I imagine the fish was going to its buddies, “Hey, who’s that Russian outside the bowl?” Then, “Hey! What the [fish expletive]!”
You also can’t help but comment that this isn’t exactly Raquel Welch in “Fantastic Voyage,” I’m just sayin’.
“In addition to fighting the release of an alleged sex tape with soon-to-be-ex-husband Spencer Pratt, Heidi Montag has her hands full.
“The former ‘Hills’ star took to Twitter Tuesday morning to tell fans about her daily routine for keeping her infamous breast implants ‘soft.’
“ ‘Giving myself a soft tissue breast massage,’ Montag, 23, wrote. ‘Ladies we have to keep those breast implants soft.’”
And that’s your Heidi Montag breast update…Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010.
“Runners won’t go hungry – or thirsty – at the Harpoon Brewery Octoberfest 5-K in Windsor, Vermont (October 10). Along with admission to the post-race party, all entrants get two Harpoon beers, a Kayem bratwurst, and a 16-ounce glass mug.”
So like I’m thinking I’d go (can’t this year, maybe next) and offer up Andy Etchebarren baseball cards for each participant’s beer coupons.
Because, to paraphrase former Jets/Chiefs coach Herman Edwards:
–A new four-DVD set called “The Complete Ed Sullivan Shows Starring the Beatles” has just been released. What makes this different from prior offerings is it contains a lot of the original commercials, plus all the other acts on the four shows the Beatles’ performed on Feb. 9, 16 and 23, 1964, and Sept. 12, 1965.
As David Hinckley of the Daily News notes: “After three years watching AMC’s ‘Mad Men’ formulate the advertising of the early 1960s, at last we can see what the TV ads of that era really looked like.”
And for those of you who saw last Sunday’s “Mad Men” episode (I’ve watched all but one thus far this year…terrific season…but my word, Don Draper is drinking a lot), on the second show of the Sullivan set, Ed welcomes Cassius Clay, who had just defeated Sonny Liston for the title.
“These DVDs could even spark a bit of revisionism about Sullivan himself. He’s chiseled into history as one of the stiffest TV hosts ever, but he knew what he was doing. He could be dry and even puckish, like when he tells the crowd at the end of one show, ‘You’ve been a fine audience in spite of severe provocation.’
“But for fans of TV’s olden days, the ads are the real co-stars of this really big show.
“Like the All ad, in which the announcer declares that new cold-water All gets colors just as bright as warm-water detergents. It’s a safe sales hook here, since the ad is black and white.
“The Pillsbury ads dust off one of the great jingles ever: ‘Nothing says lovin’ / Like something from the oven / And Pillsbury says it best.’….
“The women look like Betty Draper from ‘Mad Men’ as they happily do laundry and fix their hubbies a pineapple lemon parfait. The men nod confidently after a satisfying session with Aero Shave; then they put on a dark suit with a white shirt and thin tie.”
–Lastly, Mike Edwards, a founding member of Electric Light Orchestra, was killed when a “300kg bale of hay careened down a field, bounced over a hedge and struck the front of his van on a road near Dartmouth in Devon on Friday.” He died instantly.
Mike Edwards, 62, was the cellist known for his eccentric style. Note to Bob B. from Wake Forest. I’m sure you’re in mourning. Hang in there. I’ll buy you a beer at Homecoming, too.
Top 3 songs for the week of 9/6/75: #1 “Rhinestone Cowboy” (Glen Campbell) #2 “Fallin’ In Love” (Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds…underrated) #3 “Get Down Tonight” (K.C. & The Sunshine Band)…and…#4 “At Seventeen” (Janis Ian…interesting artist…depressing, but brilliant tune) #5 “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” (James Taylor…not quite ‘At Seventeen,’ know what I’m sayin’?) #6 “Jive Talkin’” (Bee Gees…dreadful…has aged like a banana) #7 “Fame” (David Bowie…the bridge to this song sucks) #8 “Fight The Power Part I” (The Isley Brothers…not their best) #9 “Could It Be Magic” (Barry Manilow*…at the peak of his powers, right LT?) #10 “One Of These Nights” (The Eagles…my favorite of theirs…had hit #1 five weeks earlier)
*So I had to glance through Barry’s top 40 tunes and I was shocked to see that “Daybreak” peaked at only No. 23. Shocked, I tell ya. Should have been top ten! Really.
Baseball Quiz Answers: 1) Joe Coleman was 19-14, 2.80, for the 1972 Tigers. They lost to the Athletics in the ALCS. 2) Clyde Wright was 18-11, 2.98 for the ’72 Angels, who failed to make the postseason. 3) Steve Avery was 18-6, 2.94, for the ’93 Braves, which lost to the Phillies in the NLCS.
It may not have been fair saying any of these three was “obscure,” but certainly compared to their mound mates the season in question they were.
Coleman actually had a great stretch, 1971-73, where he went 20-9, 19-14 and 23-15 for the Tigers, with 200+ strikeouts each season. He finished 142-135 for his career.
Wright went 22-12 for California in 1970 and was 100-111, lifetime.
Avery went 18-8 in 1991 and ended up 96-83 in an injury-shortened career.
