College Football Quiz: OK, got the idea for this one from the Wall Street Journal and Texas Christian’s move to the Big East. Of the following eleven conferences, which has the longest trek between two schools in the same conference, including pending changes such as in the Pac-10, which will become the Pac-12?
Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC, ACC, Conference USA, Western Athletic, Sun Belt, Mountain West, and Mid-American
Answer below. Don’t worry. You have all weekend.
More College Football
–This Just In…Auburn quarterback Cam Newton has been cleared to play in the SEC title game as a result of an investigation into the ongoing recruiting scandal involving his ending up in Auburn. His father, though, broke rules by shopping his son to another school, according to the NCAA. However, further details on just what exactly went down have yet to be released.
—Boise State is still in the spotlight following their disastrous, disheartening loss to Nevada last Friday night.
“Three days later, the pain was still evident in the words of usually unflappable Boise State football coach Chris Petersen.
“We had chances and couldn’t get it done,” he said. “A lot was at stake and there’s no easy way around it.
“We haven’t lost in a long time, let alone in this tough fashion,” Petersen added, “and so we’ll see what kind of toughness and resiliency we really do have. We talk about those things all the time, but now we’ve got to live it.
“There are so many times in life that you’re just extremely disappointed and depressed and in the tank and you still have to perform and you still have to rally and you still have to move forward and that’s, to me, the lesson right now. That’s true toughness when you can perform at your best when you just don’t feel like it.”
“I cheer for the college kicker lining up for a game-winning field goal.
“It doesn’t matter who he is. It doesn’t matter where he plays. It doesn’t even matter if the field goal would make my local team lose.
“I always cheer for the college kicker to be the hero, because I’m cheering against the undeserved pain he would suffer by being the goat.
“I’m cheering against the failure that will unfairly burden a college student as he staggers back to his dorm on a Saturday night. I’m cheering against the misplaced responsibility felt by a kid on a $40,000 scholarship who has just cost his school millions.
“So, yeah, Friday night, I was cheering myself hoarse for the kid from Boise State.
“You saw that, right? The best game of the college football season? The most wrenching finish in many seasons?….
“I was cheering for Brotzman, then I was gasping for him, and then, finally, I said a little prayer for him, this sad-eyed, scruffy-faced former non-scholarship athlete who may have just participated in the costliest choke in the history of collegiate sports.
“Because Boise State plays in a lightly regarded conference with no political safety net, the Broncos fell from college football’s Granddaddy to its Third Cousin, from the Rose Bowl (or possibly even the BCS title game) to probably the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, losing as much as $5 million in the process.
“Has there ever been a more expensive flub in the history of college athletics?”
Plaschke interviewed a local insurance agent, Nick Veldhouse, who has missed two Boise home games in 18 years, and discussed the topic of the plethora of negative websites and Facebook pages bashing Brotzman that sprang up overnight.
“ ‘That game really shook this town up, some people were really mad, and part of me can understand that,’” Veldhouse said.
“But then, in this world of screwed-up sports priorities, the strangest thing happened. Somebody had the nerve to create a Facebook page called ‘The Bronco Nation Loves Kyle Brotzman.’ And somebody had the nerve to leave a nice note on it. And another. And another.
“At last count, the nice messages were overflowing and the numbers were astounding….
“They remembered that Brotzman is the NCAA’s active career scoring leader, and has scored more points than any other player in Broncos history. They remembered that Brotzman was the punter who faked the punt and threw the 30-yard pass to Kyle Efaw that led to Boise State’s victory over TCU in last year’s Fiesta Bowl.
“Nevada fans remembered, and USC fans remembered, and Tennessee fans remembered, folks from all over the country putting down their colors and opening their arms and making you realize that, while coaches and administrators and journalists often forget, most fans get it.
“It’s college. It’s an education. So the kid flunked a test. So what? It’s not his life. It’s how he learns about his life….
“It’s senior day at Bronco Stadium against Utah State (this coming Saturday), he will be introduced separately with the other seniors, and where I was once wondering about the boos, now I can’t even imagine the cheers.
“ ‘He may be a screw-up, but he’s our screw-up,’ said Veldhouse.
“College football may be nuts, but it’s a good kind of nuts.”
With all due respect, while I expect Brotzman to be cheered on Saturday, Boise Nation, and, let’s face it, college football fans all over such as myself, aren’t going to be naming their children “Kyle.” It was indeed the biggest choke job in a college football game of such importance, ever.
As you know the BCS poll is comprised of two human elements, the coaches’ poll (USA TODAY) and the Harris survey, and then six computers. The best and worst computer rankings are thrown out before the final calculation.
What gets me is that Virginia Tech is No. 11 and No. 12 in the USA TODAY and Harris polls, respectively, but No. 20 in the computer rankings! Yes, once again, blame that darn James Madison loss as strength of schedule is a component of the computer calculations.
Boise State, No. 10 in both USA TODAY and Harris (No. 9 in AP), is just 14 in the computer rankings. At least the computers do have Auburn and Oregon, 1 and 2, and TCU No. 3.
Speaking of TCU, as noted in the quiz, the Horned Frogs suddenly announced on Monday that they would be joining the Big East, in all sports, for the 2012-2013 season. Seeing as under the current BCS rules, the Big East is guaranteed an automatic qualifier through at least 2013, TCU’s move is of course all about football (their basketball program hasn’t reached the NCAA’s since 1998).
Saturday’s prime games for you couch potatoes…of which I hope to be one.
3:30 ET…Oregon vs. Oregon State…ABC
4:00…Auburn vs. South Carolina in SEC title game…CBS
7:45…Florida State vs. Virginia Tech in ACC championship…ESPN
8:00…Oklahoma vs. Nebraska for Big 12 title…ABC
8:00…UConn vs. South Florida…UConn victory and they get BCS bid…ESPN2
Mecca of Basketball?
The Wall Street Journal is running a series this week.
“If the history of basketball ended with the 20th century, New York’s eminence in the sport would be undeniable.
“Not only were the Knickerbockers a flagship franchise in the National Basketball Association, but the city was home to the two most successful teams of touring professionals in the early years of pro basketball, the Original Celtics and the Renaissance Five.
“In Madison Square Garden, New York provided the first grand stage for big-time college competition, hosting doubleheaders among nationally ranked teams and the oldest postseason championship tournament, the NIT, while earning a reputation as basketball’s Mecca. Beyond those contributions, New York nurtured so many residents to stardom they could support an entire wing in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
“Against such a backdrop, the current state of New York basketball is appalling. The Knicks haven’t won a playoff game in a decade and have endured nine consecutive losing seasons despite one of the highest payrolls in the NBA. While the Knicks bumped along the bottom, local colleges lost legions of fans by fielding unattractive and unsuccessful teams.
“Not since 2006 has a team from the metropolitan area so much as qualified for the postseason NCAA tournament, let alone won a game, which last happened in 2004. Of perhaps greater significance, the city hasn’t produced a consensus first-team All-American since 1993 when Jamal Mashburn, the University of Kentucky forward from Cardinal Hayes High School, was so honored. Almost as astonishing is the fact that no player born and raised in New York has been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame since 1996, and that individual was a woman, Nancy Lieberman. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was Lew Alcindor when he played high school ball at Power Memorial in the city, was inducted the previous year.”
There are all kinds of reasons for the drought, but the Knicks could help bring New York back if they would just play better. Says New York City product Kenny Smith, “The Knicks are New York to a lot of people. It’s not a coincidence that the colleges are down.”
And now with wholesale changes in the New York college coaching ranks, such as at St. John’s where Steve Lavin has taken over and is immediately recruiting up a storm, there is hope.
But today…which region is the real Mecca of basketball? Try North Carolina.
“In recent decades, North Carolina, a relatively rural state in the American South, has made a convincing case to be described by the following title: Basketball Capital of the World.
“North Carolina’s first claim to basketball fame is Michael Jordan, the kid from Wilmington who went on to attend the University of North Carolina, win six NBA titles and become one of the planet’s most famous and widely admired athletes. It includes Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who has guided U.S. teams to gold medals at the 2008 Olympics and 2010 World Championships. It has spread more recently to John Wall of the Washington Wizards, last year’s No. 1 overall NBA draft pick, who hails from Raleigh.
“At the college level, North Carolina and Duke have won back-to-back NCAA titles – and together with North Carolina State and UNC Charlotte, have racked up a nonpareil 34 Final Four appearances in 50 years – nearly twice as many as schools from the next-highest state, California.
“The future looks just as bright: Three of the state’s college programs have incoming recruiting classes considered to be among the nation’s 10 best. And while North Carolina ranks No. 10 in the U.S. in population, it has eight high-school players ranked by scouting services among the nation’s top 100 for 2011 – a number only matched by Illinois.
“ ‘We’ve had some great time periods, but this is about as good as any,’ said North Carolina coach Roy Williams. ‘I’m trying to think of other times, and I’m not coming up with anything.’”
–Congratulations to New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees for being named Sports Illustrated’s “Sportsman of the Year.” Good selection, including for his work off the field in N’Orlins.
–New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis gets a ton of publicity in these parts, and deservedly so. He shuts down one opposing ‘star’ wide receiver after another. But the Wall Street Journal’s Michael Salfino took a look at just how well Revis and his teammate on the other side, corner Antonio Cromartie, do as a tandem and it’s quite good, thank you. As in second best in the league.
In terms of completion percentage, opposing passers connect on just 41% of passes aimed at the Jets’ covering duo. The league-wide completion rate is 61%.
1. Raiders…corners Stanford Routt / Nnamdi Asomugha…37% completion rate
2. Jets…Cromartie / Revis…41%
3. Eagles…Asante Samuel / Ellis Hobbs…44%
4. Chiefs…Brandon Carr / Brandon Flowers…46%
5. Rams…Bradley Fletcher / Ron Bartell…47%
26. Patriots…Devin McCourty / Kyle Arrington…62%…there are different ways to win games, that’s for sure.
–Is Arizona Cardinals quarterback Derek Anderson a total jerk or what?! Yes, he goes in the December file for berating a reporter after the Cardinals’ dismal 27-6 loss; the reporter having the temerity to question why Anderson was caught laughing on the bench near the end of the game; Anderson having completed just 16 of 35 passes.
“I don’t mean this to be sarcastic, or pointed,” asked Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic, “but that (laughing) went out on Monday night television, and a lot of fans are talking about it right now as a big problem with this team. Can you put into context what was going on at that moment, and what caused you to…”
Anderson cut him off. “What Deuce and I talk about is nobody else’s business.”
Somers: “But why was something funny when you’re down 18 points in the fourth quarter?”
Anderson: “It wasn’t funny – I wasn’t laughing about anything.”
Anderson: “Ok, that’s fine. That’s fine, that’s fine, that’s fine. That’s fine. I’m not laughing about it. You think this is funny? I take this [bleep] serious! I put my heart and soul into this [bleep] every single week!”
Somers: “All I’m saying is that the cameras showed you…”
Anderson: “I’m just telling you right now what I do every single week! [voice starts to rise] Every single week I put my freakin’ heart and soul into this, I study my ass off! I don’t go out there….”
Eventually, after this meltdown, Anderson stormed out.
–As the big game nears, Jets-Pats, Monday night, the issue of Tom Brady’s hair is taking center stage. As noted by Corky Siemaszko of the New York Daily News:
“Brady’s strategy, which appears to be growing his locks long and stringy to cover up the bald spot, ‘is only attracting more attention to the problem,’ says a balding guy the News asked for advice, Bob.”
Meanwhile, “Reporters from the National Enquirer tracked Brady to the offices of Dr. Robert Leonard, a hair transplant specialist in Rhode Island who has worked on the noggins of several Boston Bruins.”
Of course it’s all about Brady’s supermodel wife Gisele and her demands she and Tom “maintain that perfect-couple image – the handsome quarterback with a head full of hair and the stunning model with her own long flowing locks,” the Enquirer reported.
–Entering Wednesday’s contest vs. Detroit, the Miami Heat are 10-8 and you’ve read all the stories about possible dissension involving coach Erik Spoelstra. But the stats don’t lie. LeBron James is averaging the fewest rebounds a game since his rookie season, ditto scoring average. Chris Bosh is averaging a career low in rebounds. Dwyane Wade is averaging a career low in assists, but is rebounding at a career high.
If I’m a fan, it’s James’ and Bosh’s rebounding that is so disturbing. With three scorers, following the high-profile, out of this universe signings of the two, you’d expect their scoring averages to be down, but rebounding is the biggest single measure of intensity, in my humble opinion, and it’s not like the Heat are so deep the trio’s minutes are way down.
I mean this is a team that appeared to be a lock to win 70, maybe 72-10. 55-27 would be terrific at this point. As Howard Beck writes in the New York Times:
“That smoky celebration in July, when the stars preened on stage and James predicted multiple titles – ‘not two, not three’ – looks more awkward every day.
“ ‘I think it’s come a lot slower, personnel-wise, than we thought,’ James conceded. ‘As far as the record, those are things that you can’t control.’
“It was a curious assertion, given that James came here for the express purpose of uniting with Wade and Bosh, to create a superteam worthy of the basketball history books. A monstrous winning percentage was sort of implied.”
Thursday night, James returns to Cleveland. Fans showing up are being told to laugh at Lebron, not boo him. Must-see TV, sports fans! [8:00 PM ET, TNT]
–Meanwhile, in New York, another high-profile free agent signing, that of the Knicks’ Amare Stoudemire, so far has worked like a charm. Stoudemire has embraced the Big Apple like no other in recent memory (which shows you how smart the guy is in recognizing the huge off-the-court opportunities for him on the endorsement end) and Amare has responded with 24 points and 8 rebounds a game, plus an intensity not seen in years around here, to lead the Knicks to a 10-9 record, which is a gigantic accomplishment given most of us Knick fans can’t remember the last time we were in the playoffs.
[Nine straight losing seasons, but they did make the playoffs with a 39-43 mark in 2003-04.]
–And then there is Tim Duncan. The superstar recorded his third career triple-double on Tuesday in the Spurs’ win over Golden State; 15 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists. A mark of how he steps up in the playoffs though is that he’s had four triple-doubles in postseason play.
–Speaking of Wake Forest, Mr. Duncan having matriculated there, I have received a number of notes from friends since Tuesday night’s Wake-Iowa contest, won by the Deacs 76-73, and, yes, it was encouraging after disastrous early-season losses to Stetson and Winthrop (and an understandable loss to a solid Virginia Commonwealth squad). With freshman guard J.T. Terrell lighting it up for 32, including the game-winner from way downtown, have we turned the corner under our new coach?
Ask me after we play Xavier, Richmond and Gonzaga before the start of ACC play in January. Right now I’d take a 4-12 ACC record as long as they play hard and you can see a light at the end of the tunnel for next year when the young guys mature further.
—AP Men’s Basketball Poll (comes out Mondays)
1. Duke (all 65 first place votes…and before Wed. night contest against Mich. State)
2. Ohio State
3. Pitt
4. Kansas
5. Kansas State
6. Michigan State
7. UConn
8. Syracuse
9. Missouri…lost to No. 16 Georgetown on Tuesday
10. Kentucky
17. San Diego State…Aztecwear went through first washing in good shape
—Women’s Soccer Final Four
Ohio State vs. Notre Dame
Stanford vs. Boston College
—Men’s Soccer Elite Eight
SMU vs. North Carolina
Michigan vs. Maryland
California vs. Akron
UCLA vs. Louisville
McDougald played primarily second and third base for the Yankees from 1951-60 and was part of five World Series champions over that time. He was the A.L. Rookie of the Year in 1951, hitting .306 with 63 RBI and was a five-time All-Star, finishing his career with 112 homers and 576 RBI to go along with his solid .276 batting average. Casey Stengel once said of his infielder, “He’s the lousiest looking ballplayer I ever saw, but he gets things done.”
But McDougald will always be remembered for hitting a line drive that almost killed Cleveland lefthander Herb Score during the 1957 season, breaking several bones in Score’s face and leaving him bloodied. McDougald was very shaken at the time and vowed to retire if Score was blinded, Alas, Score, after a spectacular first two seasons in the big leagues, 1955-56, came back in 1958 and was but a shell of his former self.
McDougald himself was the victim of a line drive, one hit by Yankees outfielder Bob Cerv in batting practice that struck McDougald in the ear. While he missed just a few games, he gradually began to lose his hearing and became almost totally deaf by the 1980s. He then underwent a cochlear transplant in 1994 and helped raise awareness of the technology to aid the hearing impaired.
–Pssst…the Derek Jeter contract talks are back on.
[Meanwhile, the Colorado Rockies signed their All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to a seven-year extension, which means he will receive $157.75 million over the next decade, the eighth-highest contract in baseball history. He’s 26 and despite missing 33 games last season, hit .315 with 27 homers and 95 RBI, plus he won his first Gold Glove.]
–The new Hall of Fame ballot is out with voting going on through Dec. 31 and results announced on Jan. 5.
Rafael Palmeiro (Booo! Boooooo!) and Juan Gonzalez are on for the first time. Despite Palmeiro’s 569 home runs and 3,020 hits, no one expects him to receive more than 20%, or a total similar to what Mark McGwire has been receiving his first four appearances on the ballot, both being tied to steroids and human growth hormone during their playing days. Most fans suspect Gonzalez, who clubbed 434 homers, was also a user and thus there is no way he ever gets in. Another suspected ‘roider, Jeff Bagwell, makes his first appearance, as does Larry Walker; the latter’s career highly suspect because of the numbers he posted playing in Colorado.
The more intriguing cases will be those of pitcher Bert Blyleven, who fell just five votes short last time and has only two more years of eligibility left before he’d have to go through the laborious Veterans Committee process, and infielder Robby Alomar, who was just 8 shy, though Alomar will definitely get in, if not this time, then next. Pitcher Jack Morris, 52.3% last year, is running out of time to get to the requisite 75%. [As the years go by, more of us find ourselves in the Morris camp.]
–I didn’t have a chance to comment on this last chat, but this past weekend in Dubai, golfer Ian Poulter was involved in a dramatic playoff with Sweden’s Robert Karlsson for the Dubai World Championship. As noted in Golf World:
“Poulter accidentally dropped his ball on the 18th green and violated a rule many outside, and inside, the game will find simply outrageous.
“With a putt to tie Karlsson on the second hole of sudden death after the pair finished at 14 under par, Poulter dropped his ball on his ball marker from a height of no more than a few inches. The marker flipped over and tossed Poulter out of contention.
“The marker barely had moved from its original position, but the damage had been done….Even though the Englishman was not seeking any advantage, the movement of the marker meant Poulter had incurred a one-stroke penalty under Rule 20-1/15.
“One bizarre slip of the hand suddenly turned what had been a 30-foot birdie putt into a par putt. And it was the end of the tournament with Karlsson only 3 feet away (for his own birdie).”
To his credit, Poulter called the referee over as soon as the incident happened, even though no one else had seen it.
Yes, some rules of golf are very harsh, but as Karlsson said, “That’s the purity of the game…we actually follow them, compared to some other sports.”
–When I went to post last time, I had just learned of the passing of actor Leslie Nielsen, 84, who died of complications from pneumonia.
Nielsen was born on Feb. 11, 1926, in Regina, Saskatchewan. He grew up just 200 miles from the Arctic Circle in the town of Fort Norman, where his father was a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Nielsen had two brothers and his father was an abusive figure who beat his wife and sons. Leslie escaped upon high school graduation and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, even though he was legally deaf (he wore hearing aids most of his life).
After World War II, Nielsen (who didn’t make it overseas) worked as a DJ at a Calgary radio station, and eventually found his way to New York, where he turned to live television. After performing in 150 TV dramas, the handsome 6’2” actor got a break playing the king of France in a Paramount operetta “The Vagabond King.” The picture flopped but MGM signed him to a 7-year contract and his first film for them was the sci-fi classic “Forbidden Planet,” where he played the space ship commander. He had an OK, not great career, with his best dramatic role being the captain of the doomed ocean liner in “The Poseidon Adventure.”
But Leslie Nielsen’s career changed forever in 1980, when producers-directors-writers Jim Abrahams, David and Jerry Zucker hired Robert Stack, Peter Graves, Lloyd Bridges and Nielsen to spoof their heroic TV images in the satire disaster flick “Airplane!”
Nielsen played the doctor and as the networks were playing the clips for his obituary the other day, his work still cracks me up (and I know you all) like no other. I exchanged notes with two of my Ireland golf buddies, for example, reminding them that about 15 years ago, we finished a round at a wild course in the west, Ballyconeelly, which at the time had a very small clubhouse. After finishing in brutal weather, we repaired to it, had a few pints with a big bowl of soup, and proceeded to watch “Airplane!” on this little TV on the bar counter and never laughed harder in our lives; the kind of experience shared many times over around the world each time the movie is shown. Such as:
Nielsen, when he tells ill passengers that they need to get to a hospital right away.
“It’s a big building with patients, but that’s not important right now,” Nielsen deadpans.
When he asks a passenger if he can fly the plane, the man replies, “Surely you can’t be serious.”
Nielsen responds: “I am serious, and don’t call me Shirley.”
[Personally, I’ve always used variations of the Lloyd Bridges line, “Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit smoking.”]
After “Airplane!” proved to be a huge success, Abrahams and the Zuckers placed their newfound comic star in a TV series, “Police Squad,” with Nielsen cast as Detective Drebin. I remember this when it came out…it was hilarious…but NBC canceled it after only six episodes. Nielsen would later comment, “It didn’t belong on TV. It had the kind of humor you had to pay attention to.”
Ah, but “Police Squad” would lead to the successful “Naked Gun” flicks. In one, Lt. Drebin asks out a gorgeous younger woman (played by Priscilla Presley) who says, “How about a rain check?” “Well,” Drebin replies. “Let’s just stick to dinner.”
Jerry Zucker once told People magazine in 1982 of how he and his brother first met Nielsen in the 1970s. They knew immediately they had their slapstick man.
“Leslie kept emitting gas in a very loud and embarrassing manner. We just assumed he’d been to Mexico or something. Then we found out he has this little rubber gadget that makes these terrible noises. And we realized that what we had here was a 10-year-old dipstick parading around as a genteel 50-year-old.”
The Zucker brothers said they couldn’t imagine Mr. Nielsen in straight roles.
“We’re amazed people ever took him seriously all these years, and it’s quite disconcerting to see him in a heavy drama,” Jerry Zucker told the Chicago Tribune in 1988. “Every time he appears in some scenery-chewing scene opposite Barbra Streisand, it plays like a comedy to me.”
In 1993, Nielsen released an autobiography, “Naked Truth,” in which he cheerfully fabricated events in his life, such as two Academy Awards, an affair with Elizabeth Taylor, and a stay at a rehab center battling dopey-joke addiction.
What a career. Helluva life. Thanks for the laughs, Leslie Nielsen. RIP.
–Talk about a Sign of the Apocalypse. Following NHL coaching great Pat Burns’ funeral in Montreal the other day, his widow “made a shocking discovery: Her car had been broken into, and valuables including his collection of autographed hockey sweaters had been stolen.
“Montreal police said Tuesday the thieves would have known whose belongings they were taking….
“Hours after his funeral, someone stole signed hockey jerseys from each of the 30 NHL teams and finally photos from Line Burns’ car. Even bed sheets from the hospital’s palliative-care unit were missing.” [ESPN/AP]
Personally, I’d hand out the death penalty for such a cruel, premeditated act. The family is just asking that the memorabilia be returned.
–American Airlines is offering an in-flight “happy hour” for December on certain flights….$5 on trips that take off between 5 and 6 p.m. Of course just a year ago every drink was $5, so as Derrick Coleman would say, “Whoopty-damn-do.”
Now I only mention this because it was part of an extensive USA TODAY piece on how airports and some airlines are liberalizing rules, such as Portland, Oregon’s airport which is now serving alcohol as early as 5 a.m. because travelers are arriving from different time zones. And Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports now allow establishments that sell alcohol to remain open 24 hours a day. But if you’re thinking of just driving over for a brew, you need to have a boarding pass to drink at certain hours.
—Anne Hathaway and James Franco were tabbed to host the Oscars. Whatever. If “The Train” and Burt Lancaster aren’t up for Academy Awards, then I’m not interested.
—El DeBarge’s comeback album “Second Chance” is getting very solid reviews. As noted in one from USA TODAY, “His sweet, soaring falsetto remains intact, and he has lost none of his knack for writing catchy, romantic tunes. The gorgeous title track serves as both love ballad and life mission statement as he looks to better days ahead.” Good for him. We wish him well with it, his career having been derailed for 16 years by drug abuse and a stint in prison.
[Separately, the same team of reviewers at USA TODAY panned The Black Eyed Peas’ latest, “The Beginning.” I told you The Peas were doing the Super Bowl.]
Top 3 songs for the week of 12/2/78: #1 “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” (Barbra & Neil…that reminds me…gotta get flowers for Mom’s birthday!!! Thanks, Babs and Neil!) #2 “MacArthur Park” (Donna Summer…not quite as bad as the Richard Harris version, which long ago was tabbed by some experts as the single worst song in history) #3 “How Much I Feel” (Ambrosia)…and…#4 “Le Freak” (Chic…dreadful) #5 “I Just Wanna Stop” (Gino Vannelli…boy had big hair…big hair) #6 “Double Vision” (Foreigner…middle of the song sucks) #7 “I Love The Nightlife (Disco ‘Round)” (Alicia Bridges) #8 “Time Passages” (Al Stewart… ‘Year of the Cat’ far better) #9 “My Life” (Billy Joel…not one of his better ones) #10 “Sharing The Night Together” (Dr. Hook…getting bored by this era…no wonder I barely graduated…hey, guys, what time is our party tonight?)
College Football Quiz Answer: The longest trek between two schools in the same football conference (including future additions) is…..
Conference USA…ding ding ding!!!…East Carolina/UTEP…1,690 miles
Western Athletic…La. Tech/ San Jose State…1,684
Big East…UConn/TCU…1,508
ACC…Boston College/Miami…1,259
Pac-12…Arizona/Washington…1,220
Sun Belt…Florida International/North Texas…1,140
Big Ten…Nebraska/Penn State…982
Mountain West…San Diego State/Wyoming…871
Big 12…Iowa State/Texas…845
SEC…Arkansas/Florida…817
Mid-American…Buffalo/Northern Illinois…508
