NFL Quiz: I’m scrambling, as described below, and admittedly the following is for football fans of a certain era, but very answerable. 1) In 1970, there were two 1,000-yard rushers, initials L.B. and R.J. Name ‘em. 2) In 1971, there were five with the following initials; F.L., J.B., L.C., S.O., W.E. Name ‘em also. Answers below.
Note: Folks, it was a super busy weekend and I didn’t get as much time to work as I normally do. One of the good things that happened, though, was attending a Tommy James and the Shondells concert. In a nutshell, if you get the chance to see him and you were always a ‘60s music fan, go. He may be 63 years old but his voice is fine, the band is solid, and he plays nothing but the hits. I loved it. And tip to the guys, the women in the audience, mostly around 60, really got into it. Why it could keep you out of the doghouse for, err, maybe a week!
#1 Hanky Panky
#4 I Think We’re Alone…this one sounds awesome
#10 Mirage
#18 Gettin’ Together
#3 Mony Mony…this really got the ladies going
#1 Crimson and Clover
#7 Sweet Cherry Wine…my new overplayed song in the car stereo
#2 Crystal Blue Persuasion…one of your editor’s all-time top 3
#19 Ball of Fire
#4 Draggin’ The Line…opened with this tune and it too has held up super…they all have.
James was born in Dayton, Ohio, but has spent a lot of time in New Jersey where he lives today. He also just came out with a book, “Me, the Mob, and the Music: One Helluva Ride with Tommy James and the Shondells,” that is evidently being made into a movie and a Broadway show. Certainly the music would be great on Broadway, in “Jersey Boys” fashion.
But there’s this story behind it, the tale of Roulette Records president Morris Levy, a well-known mobster. Tommy James saved the label from going under, but at the same time, Levy, like so many other record executives of this era, stole the royalties.
As Jay Lustig of the Star-Ledger quoted Robert Nederlander Jr., president and CEO of Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment, when it comes to Tommy James’ story, “Think of it as ‘Jersey Boys’ meets ‘The Sopranos.’”
James says that Levy and Roulette bet the farm on their act, “But as soon as we got up there, we started learning some of the realities – who we were dealing with. There were some very strange people floating in and out of there, and a lot of them had bent noses and brought in packages… they’d bring in a package, and not leave with one. So, we’d meet somebody in Morris’ office, and two weeks later we’d see him on the news, being taken out of a warehouse in New Jersey in handcuffs, doing the perp walk.”
“Every time I go to say something really nasty about Morris,” James says, “my conscience bothers me, because if it hadn’t have been for Morris Levy, there wouldn’t have been a Tommy James.
“If we had gone with one of the corporate labels, like Columbia or RCA, we would have been, probably, a one-hit wonder. At Roulette, they really needed us….So we were treated like royalty up there – broke royalty, because we weren’t paid!”
At least James was given free reign, artistically. It’s the money angle, though, that hurt him.
“When I left there in 1974, my accountant had figured out that Morris owed us between $30 and $40 million. Morris threatened him and told him, ‘If you ever use that, they’re gonna fish you out of the river.’ There were a lot of scary moments.”
The book also goes into how they passed up Woodstock (which probably kept them out of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I’m musing), and how Tommy and the band spent a lot of 1968 campaigning for Hubert Humphrey, which at the time was strange for a rock act. As I find the time I’ll relate some of the details.
But last week I also saw Todd Rundgren; his “Hello It’s Me” being another in my all-time top three. This concert was different. There was no playing of the hits. Instead, the performance was in two acts…two full albums… “Todd” and “Healing.” I thought it would suck. Instead, it was fantastic. He had his long-time bandmates with him, the period costumes were great, the laser lightshow super, and I’m here to tell you, he has one hard-core fan group. It was fun to see.
So, folks…especially you older ones…when you see acts like this in your area, jump on ‘em. There is a limited window left for these guys.
J-E-T-S…Jets Jets Jets!!!
Ah, it’s late Sunday night and I’ve returned home from my first Jets game at the New Meadowlands Stadium. The logistics of the setup are a freakin’ nightmare, but for those of you in the area let me give you some advice.
I drove to Hoboken, where I met Pete M. for some adult beverages. Pete, Hoboken resident, had taken his car to the Meadowlands earlier and then took the train back to Hoboken to meet me. Insane? Not quite. After 16 beers (just kidding…or am I?), we took the train from Hoboken to Secaucus, about 25 minutes. It lets you off right at the stadium.
We then met Bill and Amy at Pete’s car, which was stocked and iced down, and, err, you know, had another 42 beers.
As it was a 4:15 start, we stayed in the lot until 3:45, but missed the kickoff because of the crowd, which seemed to have the same idea. Upon finding our seats, we had another 16 beers.
But, my car was back in Hoboken and I had to finish this column, among other things, you understand, so I left shortly after halftime, because I had to take the train back to Hoboken. Thanks to the latest technology, I kept up on the game in the interim and then watched most of the final quarter at a certain, err, establishment.
So…let me tell you…the New Meadowlands is a freakin’ joke if you’re driving in. They spent $1.6 billion on the place and the parking system has no rhyme or reason. Some of my friends sent me notes after being stuck in the lot for an hour following game’s end. Pete, all of 25 minutes away, took well over an hour to get home. I’m too old for that crap. So my advice is, go to Hoboken, park there, support the myriad taverns in the city, and then take the train to the stadium.
As for the game itself, a 28-14 Jets victory, it essentially was the season for my boys. A loss to New England would have led to a defeat down in Miami next week. But now there is hope for Gang Green.
Otherwise, no time to take in the rest of the NFL, except to say it appears Michael Vick is back, not that this is good for anyone.
College Football
Nothing earth-shattering this week, unless you count No. 24 Arizona’s defeat of No. 9 Iowa, 34-27, as one such event. We’re still another week away from really knowing how good, or mediocre, the early, high-ranked teams are. Iowa did rally back from a 27-7 deficit to tie their contest, played in Tucson, which showed something.
Otherwise, the big schools largely romped, with one game of particular interest, Nebraska vs. Washington and the latter’s Heisman candidate, quarterback Jake Locker, the presumed No. 1 overall pick in the draft.
Well not any longer. Locker was absolutely horrible, going just 4-of-20 with 2 interceptions. It was a stunning performance. Personally, I’m thankful I didn’t get tickets for Washington-Oregon this year as I was thinking of earlier.
Instead I chose the Boise State-Idaho game and the Vandals beat UNLV 30-7, while Boise State did what it had to do in crushing Wyoming, 51-6; an important result for pollsters down the road because Texas beat Wyoming by 34-7. So Boise has that comparison going for it. [TCU also plays Wyoming in a few weeks.]
But suddenly the Broncos have a potential big game looming way down the road against Nevada, which upset Cal, 52-31.
Elsewhere, Michigan held off UMass, 42-37. That could have been disastrous, to say the least. And Michigan State defeated Notre Dame in overtime on a fake field goal, 34-31. First-year ND coach Brian Kelly is 1-2. The Fighting Irish really should drop down to I-AA.
Lastly, in ACC play, Virginia Tech got its act together in whipping a decent East Carolina squad, 49-27. Boise State needs VT to really kick it into gear the rest of the way to make their own victory over the Hokies look better. And Florida State gave the conference something to cheer about, a 34-10 win over BYU.
But then Auburn defeated Clemson in OT, West Virginia beat Maryland, Alabama crushed Duke, and my Wake Forest Demon Deacons were annihilated out in Stanford by a 68-24 score. 68-24!!!
And your latest AP Poll
1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Boise State
4. TCU
5. Oregon…Duckwear going fast…and at a premium*
6. Nebraska
7. Texas
8. Oklahoma…unimpressive win over Air Force
9. Florida
10. Arkansas
*Pssst…I wore faux Duckwear at the Jets game, along with my Jets cap. Mainly because I knew we’d be sitting in the sun and it was the lightest shirt I had. Let that be a lesson to you, boys and girls. When it’s 80 degrees, those rayon jerseys are hot as hell. Granted, no one understood why I was wearing Duckwear, but I wasn’t trying to impress anyone….except the Flight Crew.
Ball Bits
—70-year-old Joe Torre is walking away from the Dodgers’ managerial position, as expected, and L.A. stupidly announced batting coach Don Mattingly will replace him, even though Mattingly has zero managerial experience. Of course the entire franchise is a mess with the McCourt divorce proceedings overwhelming the baseball operation. But you’ll recall that when Mattingly was given the chance to manage, in both a preseason game and then a July contest against the Giants when Torre was ejected, he made big blunders.
As for Torre, if he wanted to return to New York to manage the Mets, no doubt the team would take him. Without this option, Wally Backman is the favorite to replace Jerry Manuel.
Personally, I’m kind of warming to the idea of Torre, as much as I like Backman’s fire. But would Torre agree to return to the Mets, where he once managed and played, for, say, two years and let Backman learn the ropes beside him? As much as I’d like to see that, I’m not so sure it would work, plus Torre and his wife like Los Angeles and they have a 14-year-old daughter to worry about uprooting (though the kid is said to like the Big Apple).
First, though, the Mets have to do something with General Manager Omar Minaya. To be continued…
–I couldn’t agree with Derek Jeter more. What was he supposed to do when it was ruled he was hit? As Jeter himself put it, “(Do I say) ‘I’m sorry, sir, it didn’t hit me. Please let me continue to hit?’”
–And then you have the case of pitcher A.J. Burnett, who somehow suffered a black eye and had a discolored cheek, non-baseball related but he wouldn’t say what it was for.
–In another sign that pitching has returned, Major League Baseball is on track for 62, 1-0 ballgames, which would be the most since 1976, when there were 72.
–The Mets’ Luis Hernandez had a heroic moment in Saturday’s loss to the Braves. He fouled a ball off his foot, was in big-time pain, got up, and on the next pitch slammed a home run.
It was then everyone realized how serious his condition was as he barely made it around the bases. Yes, he had broken his foot! Shades of Kirk Gibson.
–In discussing the Reggie Bush situation with Dan Patrick, Charles Barkley said he was paid by sports agents when he was at Auburn.
“Nobody can tell me what is wrong with that. I got money from agents when I was in college and I went in the ‘80s. Most of the players I know borrowed money from agents. The colleges don’t give us anything….Why can’t an agent lend me some money and I’ll pay him back when I graduate?”
Needless to say, you can picture officials at Auburn and the SEC are none too pleased with Barkley’s remarks. Sir Charles also said Bush shouldn’t have given the Heisman back.
Meanwhile, Bush said that just because he’s giving back his trophy, it doesn’t mean he’s admitting to doing anything wrong.
“It’s me showing respect to the Heisman Trophy itself and to the people who came before me and the people coming after,” Bush said on Thursday. “I just felt like it was the best thing to do, the most respectful thing to do because obviously I do respect the Heisman. I do respect all the things it stands for.”
–I’m not a fan of Lance Armstrong because I feel there is little doubt he cheated big time. But this week we learned Greg LeMond secretly taped a woman close to Armstrong who told LeMond that in a hospital room in 1996, Armstrong told cancer doctors about his use of performance-enhancing drugs.
So federal prosecutors have the tape of LeMond and the woman, Stephanie McIlvain, a longtime liaison to Armstrong for one of his major sponsors, Oakley.
LeMond called McIlvain in connection with a business dispute he was having with one of his sponsors when he raised the subject of Armstrong.
“I know what I heard from a source outside of the group here of what, um, happened at the hospital…I’m not asking you to do anything you would never want to do, but, you know, if I did get down where it was…a lawsuit…would you be willing to testify?”
McIlvain said she would if she was subpoenaed, but she also asked LeMond if he was recording the conversation and he said no.
That’s what bothers the hell out of me. It sucks that McIlvain is dragged into the mess, which has escalated into an outright war between LeMond and Armstrong. [Lance Pugmire / Los Angeles Times]
–Undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. is in a heap of trouble. A Las Vegas/Clark County DA alleges Mayweather hit and threatened the life of his ex-girlfriend, Josie Harris, and threatened to beat two of their children during a pre-dawn argument at the woman’s home a week ago. He now faces eight charges that if convicted on all counts would give him 34 years in jail.
–But wait…there’s more…as crime watch continuuuuesss.
Former National League MVP Kevin Mitchell will stand trial for punching a man on a golf course. Good lord…Mitchell faces four years in the slammer if convicted. It seems Mitchell became upset when a golfer spoke disparagingly about him.
Well, that is one stupid victim. Kevin Mitchell is one of the strongest men in baseball history, and I’m assuming at age 48 he still packs a punch. Actually, that’s not in question as he gave the guy a concussion. Mitchell has also had his share of prior run-ins with the law.
–Changing the subject…guess what city was named sexiest in a Men’s Health Magazine survey?
“Texas towns haven’t fared well in a few of our past rankings, having been included among the Fattest and the Drunkest U.S. cities. But this time is different. When we calculated national nookie rates, several Lone Star State cities came out on top. Maybe they took our previous rankings to heart – you’ll have more sex if you sober up and slim down.
“Of course, without surveillance equipment it’s impossible to know precisely how much sex people are having. So we looked at condom sales (Nielsen); birth rates (state health departments); sex toy sales (Pure Romance and Babeland.com); and, for when either the condom or common sense fails, rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis (state health departments).”
Well, I have to admit there are parts of this study I’m glad I wasn’t responsible for.
“Hi, the Editor here for Men’s Health. How’s the weather there today? Really? It’s nice here. Say, what is your rate of chlamydia these days?….[click]….”
1. Austin, TX
2. Dallas, TX…all, my ex-s, live in Texas…
3. Columbus, OH…shocker!
4. Durham, NC…ahem ahem…couple of schools down there…just sayin’
5. Denver, CO…Rocky Mountain High….Co-lo-ra-do…
6. Indianapolis, IN…vrooooooooom!
7. Arlington, TX…Go Rangers!
8. Oklahoma City, OK…great people here…didn’t know it was a hotbed of sex. I mean I just hung out at the hotel bar…
9. Bakersfield, CA…Buck Owens and Dwight Yoakam…the “Streets of Bakersfield”
10. Houston, TX…here, “Houston we have a problem” has two meanings
11. Lubbock, TX
12. Fort Worth, TX…good lord! Texas in a landslide!
13. Charlotte, NC…yes m’am…always helpful to tack this on down here…
14. Fresno, CA
15. San Antonio, TX…ah, nothing like the River Walk to spark a little romance…not that I would know
16. Richmond, VA…the South won the war and they had the best generals…once you understand that, the city is yours, guys
17. Anchorage, AK…what else is there to do?
18. Nashville, TN…should be top five…there is so much I want to say here, but can’t
19. Memphis, TN…all about the Peabody Hotel…and the ducks…women love ducks
20. Kansas City, MO…all about the steaks
21. Atlanta, GA…traffic sucks…women are gorgeous
22. Omaha, NE…ask Warren Buffett to show you around
23. Salt Lake City, UT…Hal-le-lu-jah…Hal-le-lu-jah…
24. Milwaukee, WI…go to Usinger’s for the finest Brats…at least that’s what I would do…
25. Jackson, MS…remember watching Syracuse-Indiana NCAA title game in my hotel room here…didn’t know how sexy the place was or I would have watched it, err, someplace else…
–We note the passing of Jim Winner, inventor of the Club anti-theft device. He was 81. Tragically, Winner’s vehicle “for unknown reasons,” crossed into oncoming traffic on a two-lane highway, he collided head-on with another car, and the two in that vehicle were also killed.
“(It) was the Club that made (Winner’s) fortune. A device that hooks to a car’s steering wheel and prevents it from being turned, the Club can be defeated by determined thieves (who are willing, for instance, to saw through the steering wheel), but Mr. Winner understood that it could be sold for its power as a psychological deterrent as well as an actual one. After all, why would a prospective thief try to steal a car with the Club affixed to the steering wheel if a nearby car didn’t have one?
“By 1993, Mr. Winner had sold more than 10 million of them.”
—Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, two of NASCAR’s finest, are among those drivers looking for corporate sponsorships. Things are drying up out there. Gordon noted a potential deal with Wal-Mart collapsed at the bargaining table.
–Back to Men’s Health, as I pour over my October issue to see what I should have learned 25 years ago, in “The Girl Next Door” column, Peter from San Diego asks:
“My girlfriend says she likes her toes sucked – but yuck, do I really have to?”
TGND: Oh, please. Men should jump at these chances. It’s not much of a sacrifice, and she’ll owe you big time. Cost-to-benefit ratio, Peter! Just pop some champagne, draw a hot bath, and hop in with her. When you’re both clean, take a sip of bubbly and suck on her toes with your mouth still tingling. She’ll love the sensation nearly as much as your willingness to please. And your mouth won’t feel gross. See? Everyone’s a winner! Especially when it’s her turn to [Ed: sorry, I need to stop here or I could lose my International Web Site Association License.]
“The city played possum – and Brooklyn residents lost.
“In a bizarre attempt to outwit Mother Nature, city officials introduced beady-eyed opossums in Brooklyn years ago to scarf down rats running amok in the borough, according to local officials.
“Not only do wily rats continue to thrive, but the opossums have become their own epidemic, with bands of the conniving creatures sauntering through yards, plundering garbage cans and noshing on fruit trees.
“They’ve even taken up golf, with two sightings of the whiskered marsupials at the Dyker Heights municipal course in the past week, local officials said.
“ ‘They are everywhere,’ said Theresa Scavo, chairwoman for Community Board 15, which represents Sheepshead Bay and surrounding south Brooklyn neighborhoods.
“ ‘Didn’t any of those brain surgeons realize that the opossums were going to multiply?’”
Well, there’s only one solution that I can see…call in the wolverines!!!
[I was just informed this idea could lead to the destruction of the entire borough…never mind.]
“Rare antelope-like mammal caught in Asia”
As reported by Katia Moskvitch… “An extremely rare animal known as the ‘Asian unicorn’ – in spite of having two horns – has been caught by villagers in Laos.
“No biologist has ever reported seeing the rare Saola in the wild and there are none of them in captivity.
“The animal was discovered in the forests of South-East Asia as recently as 1992.
“There have only been a few photos of the Saola taken so far, by villagers and automatic camera traps.”
Anyway, you can look it up. So the villagers caught it and brought it back to their home.
“Surprised by the odd-looking animal, the villagers took a few photos and notified the Lao authorities. But by the time a team from the (Agriculture and Forestry Office) reached the remote location, the Saola was dead.”
But as one official put it, “at least it confirms an area where it still occurs and the government will immediately move to strengthen conservation efforts there.”
If I’m a Saola, I get the hell out of there. Maybe seek refuge in a good zoo, like in San Diego.
–Update: Those body parts found inside the shark in the Bahamas the other day belonged to a man who disappeared off the beach where one of the Jaws movies was filmed. However, before you start any rumors, that was not a mechanical shark that killed the guy, it was indeed a real tiger shark, 12-feet-long.
Actually, authorities believe the bloke, an investment banker, drowned before he was swallowed by the shark. It seems that Judson Newton attempted to swim for shore after his boat broke down. One other fellow on the boat also disappeared after trying to make it to shore. Three others stayed, drank beer, and were rescued. For them, another life lesson learned.
–The latest installment of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel looks good; with stories on Josh Hamilton, C.C. Sabathia, the fight over Jim Thorpe’s body, and this one… “Sports Mascots: The strange and sometimes disturbing stories of the people underneath the costumes.”
Top 3 songs for the week 9/16/78: #1 “Boogie Oogie Oogie” (A Taste Of Honey) #2 “Three Times A Lady” (Commodores) #3 “Hot Blooded” (Foreigner)…and…#4 “Hopelessly Devoted To You” (Olivia Newton-John) #5 “Kiss You All Over” (Exile) #6 “An Everlasting Love” (Andy Gibb…not bad, actually) #7 “Summer Nights” (John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John & Cast) #8 “Don’t Look Back” (Boston) #9 “Got To Get You Into My Life” (Earth, Wind & Fire) #10 “Shame” (Evelyn “Champagne” King)
NFL Quiz Answers: 1) 1970 – 1,000 yards rushing…Larry Brown, Washington; Ron Johnson, Giants. 2) 1971…Floyd Little, Denver; John Brockington, Green Bay; Larry Csonka, Miami; Steve Owens, Detroit; Willie Ellison, Los Angeles.
