College Football Bowl Quiz: Name just one of the four bowl games immediately prior to the BCS National Championship Game on Jan. 10. [Hint: Jan. 6-9. None of them are among the other four BCS contests.] Answer below.
College Football Review
[Again, all commentary written prior to release of latest AP and BCS polls.]
It was a quiet week, with 1, 2 and 3 in the BCS, Oregon, Auburn and TCU, idle. But No. 4 Boise State annihilated another opponent, this time Fresno State, 51-0 while outgaining them 516-125 in the process. The Broncos are obviously as good as anyone else today, so we all have to pray Alabama beats Auburn on Friday afternoon. That alone would move Boise into the BCS, because the Broncos will then slide into the second slot, over TCU, assuming they beat Nevada late Friday night (10:15 p.m. ET? C’mon, it should be earlier!). And as for Oregon, while you’d expect them to beat No. 22 Arizona on Friday (7:00 p.m. ET), once again it would appear the Oregon State Beavers have their act together, defeating USC 36-7 on Saturday. The Beavers face No. 6 Stanford this week, the Cardinal a 48-14 winner over Cal, before then hosting the Ducks on Dec. 4. Beaverwear could yet trump Duckwear. [Which is why you always have both on hand, as I do, so you can switch back and forth depending on which is in the lead.]
But speaking of Cal, recall, they should have beaten Oregon the prior week but lost only 15-13. So how will the BCS voters (both human and computer) view this game now with Stanford’s whipping of the Golden Bears?
Meanwhile, in losing to No. 7 Wisconsin, 48-28, Michigan QB Denard Robinson nonetheless set two NCAA records, topping Beau Morgan’s major-college record for yards rushing by a quarterback as Robinson surpassed Morgan’s 1,494 that he had for Air Force in 1996 (1996? Geezuz, time flies. I would have said five years ago! And then….the depression set in). Robinson also became the first in NCAA history to not only rush for 1,500, but pass for 1,500 in one season. As for the Badgers, they had another 357 yards rushing. A very likeable team, I must add.
No. 16 Virginia Tech continues to do what it had to do after the awful loss to James Madison, run the table, which helps Boise State. The Hokies beat a respectable Miami squad, 31-17, and are now 9-2.
If Cam Newton gets the Heisman over Boise’s Kellen Moore, I’m going to be pissed.
Purdue needs a new coach…no way they should have lost to Michigan State like they did in the closing minutes. And what a tough loss for Ole Miss, 43-36 to Arkansas in OT.
Drat…I was hoping Army would put up a better fight against Notre Dame, but alas they didn’t in going down 27-3. But I saw 1947 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Lujack (of Connellsville, Pa.) interviewed on the sidelines and this soon-to-be 86-year-old (Jan.) looks and sounds as if he could contribute for Wake Forest today!
Speaking of my Deacs, losers to Clemson 30-10 and now 2-9 with next week’s critical contest against 2-9 Vanderbilt left. Wake has given up 417 points this season, the worst among the six BCS conferences. But I went over the depth chart this week and I’m going to have a better attitude heading into next fall because we truly are young with at least some quality skill players returning. It’s the freakin’ line play, on both ends, though, that better improve. And my spy, Chris K., tells me not to expect wholesale coaching changes, just a few guys shifting around, head coach Jim Grobe (who is in no danger himself) being such a loyal guy.
I caught up on much-needed sleep during the Nebraska-Texas A&M game, won by the Aggies 9-6. Thank you to both.
1. Oregon 10-0…1467 votes
2. Auburn 11-0…1430
3. Boise State 10-0…1394
4. TCU 11-0…1340
5. Wisconsin 10-1
6. LSU 10-1
7. Stanford 10-1
8. Ohio State 10-1
9. Alabama 9-2
10. Oklahoma State 10-1
11. Michigan State 10-1
13. Virginia Tech 9-2
19. Nevada 10-1
1. Oregon .9764
2. Auburn .9682
3. TCU .8995 (.8966 last week)
4. Boise State .8860 (.8634)
5. LSU .8193
6. Stanford .7763
7. Wisconsin .7688…goes to Rose Bowl if it maintains higher BCS ranking
8. Ohio State .7148
16. Virginia Tech
19. Nevada
Lastly, it’s sad to note the passing of former Michigan All-American running back Rob Lytle, just 56, who died of a heart attack.
Rob Lytle rushed for 3,307 yards at Michigan and finished third in the 1976 Heisman vote behind Pitt’s Tony Dorsett and USC’s Ricky Bell. He was then drafted in the second round by Denver and played seven seasons in the NFL, all with the Broncos, rushing for 1,451 career yards.
NFL Bites
“(It’s remarkable) that the former Atlanta Falcons Pro Bowl signal-caller has bounced back from a prison cell to become a contender for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player Award.
“Vick served nearly 20 months in federal custody, and was out of organized football for two years, for his role in running a dog-fighting ring.
“More than a few animal-rights types thought that Vick should have been banned from professional football permanently for his transgressions.
“However, a publicly contrite Vick has worked to rehabilitate his image – including forging an affiliation with the Humane Society of the United States to make anti-animal-cruelty speeches.
“No doubt there have been times that a prison cell seemed more inviting to Vick than spending more time with some of the fanatics the society attracts, but that’s all part of the rehab, we guess.
“Anyway, Vick has managed to stay out of trouble – on and off the field.
“Meanwhile, Eagles head coach Andy Reid believed Vick could still be productive and brought him in as a backup last season.
“Filling in since injury felled Philadelphia’s opening-day QB, Vick has excelled this season….
“Yes, all Giants fans hope that Big Blue will get its defense together in order to corral the fleet-footed, rifle-armed Vick.
“Yet there’s nothing wrong with hoping that Vick continues to perform well….
“America is supposed to be about second chances, and Michael Vick is taking full advantage of his.”
Good stuff from ESPN The Magazine’s Scoop Jackson who interviewed Carl Banks and Tony Dorsett.
SJ: Is it parity or mediocrity right now in the NFL? Any Sunday, you never know who’s going to win.
CB: I keep hearing it’s parity, but no – it’s all mediocrity. Look at the play. It tells you everything you need to know….Case in point: Brett Favre. Your team is in a game, and you make mistakes, then people apologize for you: “Oh, this is what comes with Brett Favre.” No, it isn’t! Make a good decision with the football! We’ve reduced ourselves to thinking you have to take the bad with the good when it comes to Favre. You don’t.
SJ: To play devil’s advocate, can you blame Brett for that? The system has allowed that to happen.
TD: Brett knows better. He’s been to the mountaintop. He knows what it takes and what he shouldn’t be doing. It’s almost like he’s a little spoiled brat. It’s the team, and it’s Brett Favre. That’s not good.
[And Favre had a horrible game on Sunday against Green Bay, another loss, 31-3, as his successor, Aaron Rodgers, threw four touchdown passes. With Minnesota 3-7 this could be a climactic week in Minny. By mutual agreement, he just might retire….just a wild prediction.]
Elsewhere, my Jets had a stirring comeback in the final minute after blowing a 23-10 lead, late, in defeating the Texans 30-27 as quarterback Mark Sanchez for a third straight week led New York to victory. Santonio Holmes also had the deciding reception for a third straight contest.
Big win for New England over the Colts as my man Danny Woodhead had a terrific 36-yard touchdown run.
Carolina is a pathetic 1-9. Actually, beyond pathetic. And Phil W. had to work at the game. Talk about a nightmare, Phil being a Jets fan and missing the better action.
The Browns lost 24-20 to the Jaguars but it’s clear Cleveland has a quarterback for the future, Colt McCoy.
Buffalo was down 28-7 and then roared back…roared, I tell ya…to defeat the Cincinnati Ochostinkos 49-31.
The Miami Heat are only 8-5! [Hey, how did this get in NFL Bites?]
Ball Bits
I feel like I was the first to tell you that the Derek Jeter contract negotiations were going to be fascinating, and that they are. The facts:
Jeter turns 37 next June 26. He hit .270 with a .340 on-base percentage, easily the worst of his career in both categories. And it’s not as if he salvaged something with his postseason performance, just .250, 10-40. He won a Gold Glove that any real fan knows is a joke, but on the plus side, he is a Yankee legend, has five rings, has been one of the great clutch performers in the modern era, has 2,926 hits with a shot at third on the all-time list, (Aaron is No. 3 at 3,771; Musial No. 4 at 3,630), and he’s “Derek Jeter.”
So what do you do with the guy, as has been all the talk in New York (when it hasn’t been about the Giants and Jets these days)? Was 2010 an aberration? His range at short is nothing like it used to be, but then where would you move him? He doesn’t have the power numbers for first base or the outfield, were that an option, and obviously with Mark Texeira at first it’s not. You can’t move him to third with Alex Rodriguez there. But how could Jeter not be in a Yankee uniform when he plays his last? I repeat…I just think this is one of the more fascinating topics in all of sports.
Supposedly the Yankees are offering $45 million over three years. Jeter made $21 million in 2010, the final year of a 10-year, $189 million deal. Jeter has yet to counter.
“At $15 million per year, the Yankees would be giving Jeter a salary decrease…But they also would be paying him above what his market value is projected to be, which is $10-$12 million per season….
“There is a possibility that Jeter will not respond to this offer at all, forcing the Yankees to come up with a new plan. It is likely the Yankees are willing to climb toward $60 million and possibly add an option year in the contract.”
“The Daily News spoke with a number of former and current baseball executives, coaches and managers….
“ ‘I wouldn’t want to be in that situation, if I were ownership,’ said Dodgers coach Larry Bowa…the third-base coach for the Bombers in 2006-07 and a former shortstop himself. ‘I respect the heck out of the Steinbrenners and (GM Brian Cashman). It’s probably one of those situations that come up once in an organization’s lifetime.’
“Bowa couldn’t see Jeter joining any other team as a free agent – ‘He grew up a Yankee, and he’s gonna leave a Yankee’ – but could envision the club shifting Jeter to another position at some point, if he re-signs.”
But then Bowa rattles off everywhere he can’t play, like Texeira, A-Rod, Robinson Cano at second….
“ ‘It’s internally how hungry you are to play at that level,’ Cardinals skipper Tony La Russa said, referring to Jeter’s possible mindset. ‘You’ve got to work harder to prove you’re able to contribute at a competitive level. Guys like Carlton Fisk extended his career into his 40s. Derek’s at that point – you’ve got to check yourself and see how bright the fire is burning. Only Derek knows that.”
But former Red Sox GM Dan Duquette, “did throw a curveball when asked if he thought A-Rod could still play at short – his position before he joined the Yankees and moved to third.
“ ‘I always thought Alex had more value to a team at shortstop than at third,’ Duquette said. ‘To have that big bat in the middle of the diamond, that’s a big competitive advantage over other teams.’”
But now everyone is wondering why the Yankees seem to be playing hardball with some of their public pronouncements? Jeter’s normally quiet agent, Casey Close, said:
“There’s a reason the Yankees themselves have stated Derek Jeter is their modern-day Babe Ruth. Derek’s significance to the team is much more than just stats. And yet, the Yankees’ negotiating strategy remains baffling….They continue to argue their points in the press and refuse to acknowledge Derek’s total contribution to their franchise.”
“Close is not saying that Derek Jeter has Babe Ruth’s numbers. Has never said that. Would never say that. He is simply telling you what the Yankees have told him about his client. It is not the first time that the Yankees say one thing in private and another in the newspapers….
“(This negotiation) is only about the Yankees and Derek Jeter. It doesn’t have to turn stupid. But if the Yankees really think that after all the years this is only about baseball with Jeter, the thing has turned stupid already.”
Sunday was Stan Musial’s 90th birthday. I commented in that other column I do that Stan the Man is one of the upcoming recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, just announced this past week, but I didn’t realize the campaign that took place to get Musial recognized in such a fashion, seeing as how contemporaries Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio had been, along with fellow baseball greats Roberto Clemente, Jackie Robinson, Buck O’Neil, Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson.
I also see that the New York Times’ veteran sportswriter George Vecsey is doing an unauthorized biography of Musial, due out next May, that Vecsey describes as “essentially a labor of love, going back to the late ‘40s, when he used to moider my Dodgers,” so I’ve gotta believe this will be a good one.
As for the Cy Young Award voting, with Seattle’s Felix Hernandez taking it despite a 13-12 record, I guess what surprised me most was him receiving 21 of 28 first-place votes. I would have voted for CC Sabathia, because I’m old school and he won 21 in leading the Yankees to the playoffs.
But we live in a different era, one dominated by the sabermetricians. I have never been into this like some of my buddies have. I still look at on-base percentage as most important, for example, and hitting in the clutch, but when it gets to the point of who is the best with a count of 2-2 or 3-2, it’s gone a bit too far.
Obviously, Hernandez’ 13 wins were the lowest ever, a year after Tim Lincecum won the Cy Young with 15 victories (though his case to me was totally different, plus there is a big difference in 15…always seen as a benchmark of modern-day baseball…and 13).
But King Felix did have an outstanding 2.27 ERA, he did throw 249 innings in an era when few go much more than 200, and he did strike out 232. Opponents only hit .212 against him. And as Ross Newhan noted in the New York Times, “in six starts against three playoff teams – the Yankees, the Minnesota Twins and the Cincinnati Reds – he was 5-1 with a 1.08 earned run average, and against the Yankees he was 3-0 with a 0.35 ERA.”
Mel Antonen, formerly of USA TODAY, voted for David Price, who was 19-6 with a 2.72 ERA for Tampa Bay. “David Price was incredible. I understand the dominance of Felix, and I understand what the statistics say, but in a lot of ways Price was every bit as dominant for a team that needed it to get into the playoffs. I understand the argument for sabermetrics and the new wave of thinking, but it’s not the only way of thinking.”
“Antonen cited Price’s consistency, noting that he allowed three earned runs or fewer in 28 of his 31 starts. He said he was also strongly influenced by Price’s performance in September, when he went 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA.
“The Rays won all six of Price’s starts in September and secured the best record in the league. The Mariners lost all six of Hernandez’ starts in May, when they still had Cliff Lee and a glimmer of hope at contending. Hernandez was 0-3 with a 4.79 ERA in May.”
King Felix’s supporters point to the Mariners scoring only 513 runs, the fewest of any A.L. team in a full season since the creation of the designated hitter in 1973. But Hernandez did not get much sympathy for that handicap from the National League Cy Young Award winner, Roy Halladay.
“ ‘Obviously Felix’s numbers are very, very impressive,’ Halladay said on his conference call Tuesday. ‘But I think, ultimately, you look at how guys are able to win games. Sometimes the run support isn’t there, but you sometimes just find ways to win games. I think the guys that are winning and helping their teams deserve a strong look, regardless of how good Felix’s numbers are.”
“Let’s call this what it is: simply the most game-changing awards vote yet.
“Should a starting pitcher with a mere 13 victories dare be placed on the Cy Young pedestal alongside Roy Halladay (21-10 this year), Cliff Lee (22-3 for Cleveland in 2008), John Smoltz (24-8 for Atlanta in 1996), Steve Carlton (27-10 for Philadelphia in 1972) and other past winners who, well, regularly won?
“The big question here in digesting Felix Hernandez’ controversial A.L. Cy Young Award victory Thursday is whether this portends an entirely new era.
“Whether the ‘sabermetric’ zealots, with their ‘new-fangled’ WAR-y numbers ‘crunching,’ have successfully stormed the castle with their ‘pointy heads’ and ‘hard drives’ – ah, stereotypes – or whether the ‘old guard’ writers who tabulate ‘traditional’ statistics with their No. 2 ‘pencils’ while wearing shirts stained of ‘mustard’ will succeed in protecting some measure of the game’s ‘history’ (or ‘dignity,’ your choice).
“Whether you’re new school, old school or Montessori school, Hernandez deserves his award because of a set of circumstances vastly different from the norm.
“Yes, his paltry 13 wins ranked 18th…18th!! – in the A.L.
“Most years this happens, show me a Cy Young winner who ranks 18th in wins and I’ll show you an electorate that should be stripped of its voting privileges.
“Hernandez’ Mariners were Biblically awful with the bats. Think Noah’s Ark during the flood, and fired manager Don Wakamatsu didn’t even have two of every animal….
“Hernandez was 6-7 after the All-Star break…with a 1.53 ERA. Wins should never be completely devalued. But context is critical….
“This isn’t a matter of sabermetrics vs. traditional stats, much as some might want to frame it that way. If anything, that Hernandez was named first on 21 of the 28 ballots cast (two writers per A.L. city) shows that maybe these two supposed ‘sides’ have moved far closer together in their thinking than either would have you believe.
“This year, win total aside, Felix truly was ‘The King.’
“I mean, the music of the Beatles is now available on iTunes? Anything is in play.”
“Contrary to widespread belief in China and South-East Asia, the rhinoceros horn has no proven medicinal or aphrodisiac qualities. Its effect, some scientists say, is the same as chewing your fingernails. It is made of the same stuff, agglutinated hair. Yet rhino horn is currently worth more than gold, selling for up to $60,000 a kilo. That is why a beast that has been on earth for some 60 million years is fighting for its existence.
“So far this year, at least 260 South African rhinos have been illegally killed, a rate of nearly one a day and well over double last year’s total. Almost all were shot for their horns; these days, few are taken for bush meat. South Africa is home to more than 90% of the world’s white rhinos and around a third of the rarer black one.
“Until 1970 all had been reasonably well. Then oil prices soared, resulting in a seven-fold increase in income per head in Yemen, where elaborately carved rhino-horn dagger handles are prized as a sign of status and wealth. Yemenis rapidly became the world’s biggest importers of rhino horn. By 1980 half the world’s rhinos, by some estimates, had disappeared.”
But since then, thanks to better security (until now), numbers had been picking up to around 4,500 blacks and nearly 20,000 whites. But the new surge in poaching promises to reverse the trend.
Oh, and according to Robyn Dixon of the Los Angeles Times, at least 10 more rhinos have been killed, 270 this year, a story written after The Economist’s piece. The death toll was only 83 in 2008.
JUST BLOW THESE GANGS AWAY! And this is where China’s president should be making a public statement as well. “Ah, my fellow idiots….”
–A few notes on the college basketball scene. Not for nothing, but Monday, ESPN2 has a pretty good lineup of early season contests, starting at 3 p.m. ET. Check ‘em out…blow off work. Tell your boss you have a stomach ache, maybe even cholera (that will scare the office!) and hit the local watering hole.
Wichita State vs. UConn…3:00
Oklahoma vs. Kentucky…5:00
Duke vs. Marquette…7:30
Kansas State vs. Gonzaga…9:30
My San Diego State Aztecs, in defeating Wisc.-Green Bay on Sat. (I guess they’re just going by ‘Green Bay’ these days) 79-70, only hit 21 of 36 free throws. Boys, you have to do better than that if you’re going to be cutting down the nets in March! [That’s my inspirational speech for the week. You have to know how to handle kids these days. Sure enough, they were 4-4 from the line on Sunday against IUPUI.]
Nice win for Davidson over Nebraska, 70-67. Ditto Minnesota over North Carolina, 72-67, as freshman “phenom” Harrison Barnes of the Tar Heels was 0-for-12 from the field! Ha! Carolina coach Roy Williams said, “There’s a lot of pressure on the kid.” No kidding! It was absurd he was named a first-team, preseason All-American!
Meanwhile, “Jerk of the Year” candidate Bruce Pearl, the Tennessee coach, was suspended for the Vols’ first eight SEC games as punishment for violating NCAA rules and lying to investigators. But the inquiry is ongoing and the final results will be presented to the school in December. Pearl has previously acknowledged he misled investigators about photos taken of him and a recruit when Pearl hosted the prospect at his home in 2008, a major no-no. Plus Pearl and his staff made excessive calls to recruits (and it wasn’t even close in terms of the numbers involved). The school has already docked Pearl’s pay $1.5 million over five years.
As for my Demon Deacons, after a stirring win over Elon Saturday night, we face Belmont and Marist on Monday and Tuesday at home. This is because we didn’t beat VCU, after which we should have been playing at Madison Square Garden, which is always good for recruiting. [Not that we ever get anyone from the New York area, but prospects watch the games.] Anyway, kids…good seats can be had for the Deacs’ games this week, like just $8! How embarrassing. These are 1924 prices.
Lastly, this is for hoops junkies only, but one team you don’t want to play in the first week or two of the college season is Rider of New Jersey. Last season in their opener they defeated then #19 Mississippi State. The other day they beat Southern Cal, 77-57. Understand Rider last year went on to go just 9-9 in the weak MAAC (Marist, St. Peter’s, Niagara).
–You have to feel sorry for Portland Trailblazers center Greg Oden, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NBA draft who has been nothing but a walking injury ever since. Now Oden is undergoing microfracture surgery on his left knee and is out another season. Having missed his entire rookie season for the same surgery on his right knee, this means that in four potentials seasons, 2007-2011, Oden will have played the equivalent of one…61 games 2008-09 and 21 in ‘09-’10 (when he broke his left kneecap).
The Blazers selected Oden instead of Kevin Durant, shades of Portland taking center Sam Bowie ahead of Michael Jordan in 1984. Back in 1974, Portland took Bill Walton with the No. 1 pick and he had an injury-plagued career, though at least he helped them win the NBA championship in 1977.
Blazers trainer Jay Jensen said after seeing the latest MRI revealing the damage, “We sat there and it was like we’d been kicked in the stomach. It felt like hearing someone close to us had died.”
–On Friday night, Tim Duncan became the San Antonio Spurs’ all-time scorer, surpassing former teammate David Robinson. In a world with nothing but hyped-up so-called “superstars,” Tim Duncan has been the one constant, at least in the NBA. Not the most charismatic player to ever grace the court, but he just does his job, wins championships, and has stayed out of trouble. Plus his peers and teammates simply like and respect the man. And he stayed in school all four years at Wake Forest. And graduated. Let’s face it…Tim Duncan has quite possibly been the most refreshing superstar of the past 10-15 years. At least put him up there with Peyton Manning. Derek Jeter, too. Phil Mickelson? He’s not loved by his peers, but I guess you could build a case for him. Lefty has done a ton of good for a lot of people, including our Veterans. Roger Federer? Yes. Put him in the discussion as well. But that’s about it.
–The PGA Tour’s final stage of Q-School begins in about ten days and at least 20 will earn full playing privileges for next year. But for the Champions/Senior Tour’s Q-School, only five get fully-exempt status for 2011. It used to be far more, right, Toddy B.? I mean to qualify for the Champions Tour these days is a true bitch and a half. So this year the five are Keith Clearwater, Frankie Minoza, Phil Blackmar, Lee Rinker and John Morse.
Morse needed a three-way playoff to pick up the fifth spot, he having missed a four-foot par putt on No. 18 in regulation that would have given it to him outright. The pressure in these situations is unreal.
–We note the passing of former NHL Coach of the Year (with three different teams) Pat Burns, who died of lung cancer at age 58 after battling back from both colon and liver cancer. It was June 9, 2003, that Burns led the Devils to the Stanley Cup (his first), but he was diagnosed with colon cancer right before the 2004 playoffs.
–Ah, I’ll always be a track/cross country fanatic (I also need to get running again after all the premium beer I drank on my various trips the past two months…but I digress) so I have to make note that Jim Rosa, out of West Windsor-Plainsboro, N.J. High School won the Meet of Champions’ cross-country race in my state. His twin brother Joe, out with an injury this season, won it last year. So they are the first brother combo to win M of C titles in this event. Pretty cool.
“A North Carolina high school football referee ejected a coach for calling a trick two-point conversion play – in which the kicker lined up wide and did six handsprings as he went in motion – before the play was even executed.”
SI also had this now famous quote from UConn basketball coach Jim Calhoun, addressing an NCAA investigation into alleged Huskies recruiting violations.
–The New York Post’s Steve Serby has a Sunday Q&A with a local athlete and this week it’s Giants safety Deon Grant. Serby always asks the 3 dinner guests question and it’s funny seeing who these guys pick. [Reminder…I’m Arnie, Ali and Nixon]
So Grant goes, “Martin Luther King, Cicely Tyson, Phylicia Rashad.”
Then he says his favorite meal is soul food and Chilean sea bass.
—Parker v. Longoria…So at first I was thinking, how do the guys just let the woman go through their cellphones, the editor not having any experience in such matters because there’s a reason why I don’t use my own phone? I have enough e-trails as it is with this site not to leave anymore, you see.
But then I read that according to RadarOnline.com, Tony Parker stupidly left a secret program on in the family computer, one that normally only he would be able to access, and said program contained Erin Barry’s phone number, Barry being the wife of a former teammate, which Eva Longoria then used to uncover the sexy text messages.
So let that be a lesson to you, guys. Before the two of you head out to dinner, if she says, “Are we going?” you reply, “Yes, Honey…right after I close this secret program that if you knew it existed you’d find out everything about my other life as a dirtball.”
–I have to give Tom Cruise credit. Weird guy, I think we’d all agree, but Sunday’s New York Post has a picture and description of his stunt work for the fourth “Mission Impossible” that you’ve all heard about but when you see this photo of him sitting atop the 2,717-foot-tall Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai…which he did for an hour while helicopters circled, taking pictures, I’m tellin’ ya, I get dizzy and freaked out just looking at it all!
–Good lord, an 875-pound black bear was killed in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains the other day, the largest such bruin ever killed in the state. A local guy had evidently been feeding it for 17 years. “He used to come knock on the door when he was hungry,” said Leroy Lewis. I’m not so sure I want to see the inside of Mr. Lewis’ place…know what I’m sayin’?
–So Oprah had her “Ultimate Favorite Things” episode the other day and screaming audience members received…a 7-day Royal Caribbean cruise (shoot me first), a Sony 3D television set (don’t need…happy with what I have), a Philip Stein diamond watch (I have a $30 one and it keeps time, plus no one is trying to mug me over it), a Tory Burch tote and matching flats (obviously not for me), a Nikon camera (still learning how to use my new Canon), a Ralph Lauren cashmere sweater (I was going through the closet this weekend, putting aside clothes to send to my friends on Yap, and I realized just how few clothes one needs; so, no, don’t need a Ralph Lauren cashmere sweater), Judith Ripka earrings (OK, I’d give them to the first supermodel I saw on the street… “Why thank you!” “Will you have dinner with me?” “No.”), candles (I use light bulbs), hair care products (have never used conditioner in my life…then again, maybe that’s why I’m single), a Panini-maker (I buy Stouffer’s Panini sandwiches), frozen mac & cheese (now you’re talkin’, Oprah!), a knife (I’ll take it…good for joggers in case you’re attacked by a grizzly), a brownie pan (I support any bake sale in town), Jay-Z’s new book (pass), a five-year membership to Netflix (don’t have time to watch the hundreds of DVDs I’ve already purchased), four pairs of Nike shoes (I’ll take ‘em!) and an Oprah t-shirt (no way I’d put this on over my Duck- and Beaverwear).
OK, so let’s tally it up. I would have been in the audience moping while everyone else was screaming and rioting, that is until the mac & cheese, knife and Nikes came up, plus I’d shrug over the earrings but take ‘em anyway.
Actually, it would be pretty funny for Oprah to really jerk her audience around. Get them all in a lather and then say, “OK, now grab the envelope under your chair! Don’t open it until I say so! OK…now on three…. One! Two! Three! Open it!”
And there’d be a little card with one word on it… “Courage.”
–Oh baby…Playboy is opening a club in Macau, on top of the Sands Macau. I’ve been to Macau a bunch of times and, err, I’m just picturing the, err, kinds of, err, women that would be, err, working at this particular establishment.
–Thanksgiving Day TV alert…at least for those in the New York area. “March of the Wooden Soldiers” on at 9:00 a.m. on WPIX. Long before the days of special effects, those wooden soldiers scared the [expletive deleted] out of me, even though they were supposed to be the good guys as they battle the Bogeymen.
–I was at the local bookstore, buying a few copies of Keith Richards’ “Life” (Bro, you just have to wrap it for me…I’ll collect the money later), and Lillian said it’s the most popular book the past week…so there’s your reminder. “Life” is the perfect Christmas gift.
But for those country music fans of yours, don’t forget Jamey Johnson’s “The Guitar Song.” I was listening to it again, driving around on Saturday, and there are just some great lyrics. Like this from the track “Good Morning Sunrise.”
Good morning sunrise
How long has it been
Well it looks like
I drank myself sober again
Ever since she left me
You’ve been so hard to face
Good morning sunrise
Guess I’ll call it a day
–Finally, it would appear the Black Eyed Peas are the Super Bowl halftime act this go ‘round, according to the Dallas Morning News. Fer-gie!!!!!!
Top 3 songs for the week of 11/22/75: #1 “That’s The Way (I Like It)” (KC & The Sunshine Band) #2 “Fly, Robin Fly” (Silver Convention…da da..da..da da da da…da da…da…da da da da…) #3 “Who Loves You” (Four Seasons)…and…#4 “Island Girl” (Elton John) #5 “The Way I Want To Touch You” (Captain & Tennille…Don’t touch my junk!) #6 “This Will Be” (Natalie Cole…always liked this one) #7 “Feelings” (Morris Albert…no relation to the broadcasting Albert brothers…Marv, Steve and Al) #8 “Low Rider” (War…one of the best cruisin’ songs ever) #9 “Sky High” (Jigsaw…when I’m old and decrepit and reduced to doing jigsaw puzzles, someone please shoot me**) #10 “Let’s Do It Again” (The Staple Singers)
College Football Bowl Quiz Answer: Yes, the point of the question was to prove just how absurd the whole bowl season is, with no more than six or seven worth watching each year. The last non-title BCS game is the Sugar Bowl, Jan. 4, which itself is absurd, because it’s a Tuesday night. Everyone is back at work, except those at the game, and how many want to stay up for the finish, at least in the Eastern time zone?
Anyway, the four are: Jan. 6…GoDaddy.com in Mobile; Jan. 7…Cotton in Arlington, TX (why this still isn’t Jan. 1, even if it is with lesser, non-BCS competition, is beyond me); Jan. 8…BBVA Compass (you can’t make this stuff up) in Birmingham, Ala.; and Jan. 9…Fight Hunger in San Francisco (of course, not that I’m not into fighting hunger…but just call it the Pelosi Bowl).
Next Bar Chat, Thursday.
