Baseball Quiz: Name the nine commissioners in baseball history. First one came to the position in 1920. Answer below.
Sports Greatest Records
As part of its 125th anniversary, Sporting News is running a series of reports. This time it’s the greatest records.
1. Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak (which I’ll cover in depth in a few weeks), seeing as it’s the 70th anniversary of it.
2. Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points (among his many incredible stats, like averaging 50 points per game for a season…is the 22.9 rebounds per game, career! And only 22 times in NBA history has a player scored 65 or more points in a game, and Chamberlain is responsible for 15 of them…Kobe Bryant is next with 81 (2006). The other non-Wilt 70-point efforts were by David Thompson, 73; Elgin Baylor, 71; and David Robinson, 71. Michael Jordan had a 69 game; Pete Maravich, 68; and Kobe, 65.)
3. UCLA’s seven consecutive national titles, 1967-73 (two-in-a-row best since)
4. Cy Young’s 511 wins
5. Nolan Ryan’s seven no-hitters (Koufax next with four)
6. Jerry Rice’s 208 touchdowns (33 more than Emmitt Smith)
7. Wayne Gretzky’s 215-point season
8. Pete Rose’s 4,256 hits
9. Bill Russell’s 11 championships
10. Pete Maravich’s 44.2 career points per game at LSU (Austin Carr is second at 34.6 ppg)
I would just say that regarding Rose’s mark, imagine if Ichiro had started his career in the U.S.
Ball Bits
–Major League Baseball took over the Los Angeles Dodgers after it was learned Dodger owner Frank McCourt arranged with Fox, the team’s television partner, for a $30 million personal loan reportedly to meet payroll. McCourt is now suing MLB and one expert says McCourt will base his claim on the fact he never asked baseball for a loan as the Wilpons did in the case of the Mets last year, also to meet payroll. The Mets, though, are getting a break because it is assumed that while the trustee in the Bernie Madoff affair seeks as much as $1 billion from the Wilpons and partner Saul Katz, the team will be successful in selling at least a 25% stake to raise $200 million or so.
Of course the whole deal with the Dodgers is about the McCourts’ divorce case, Frank and Jamie, now 18 months and counting. Wife Jamie has asserted her claim of 50% ownership of the Dodgers, based on California’s community-property law.
But in the court proceedings, which threaten to go on for years, it was learned the couple directed about $108 million from Dodgers revenues for personal expenses.
For now, however, Frank McCourt has been stripped of financial authority and the Dodgers must get the approval of Commissioner Bud Selig – or whomever he appoints to be trustee – for any significant expenses on or off the field.
So far this season the Dodgers are drawing record-low crowds for the McCourt era, which began in 2004. The team has sold just 17,000 season tickets, down from 27,000 four years ago. Consider that the neighboring Angels have sold 21,000 and this year, for the first time in the 51 years the clubs have shared the L.A. market, the Angels could outdraw them, which is kind of remarkable.
But it also shows you how important the Dodgers are to Los Angeles and it’s why Selig did the right thing in acting quickly. [Bill Shaikin / Los Angeles Times]
Bloomberg Businessweek, incidentally, identifies the Dodgers’ debt at around $525 million, the majority of it borrowed against future ticket sales.
–It seems a certainty baseball is adding a second wild card team in the playoffs, probably as early as next season as part of a new collective bargaining agreement with the players. In order to prevent the postseason from going too far into November, though, the wild card series would probably be best-of-three and then the playoffs would resume like before.
Then again, a one-game playoff between the two wild cards would be pretty dramatic. As the New York Post’s Joel Sherman noted, “The last three one-game tiebreakers – Rockies-Padres in 2007, White Sox-Twins in 2008 and Twins-Tigers in 2009 – has each been a glued-to-the-TV, one-run game, two of which went to extra innings.” [Twins-Tigers was a particularly memorable contest.]
–I imagine you’re like me and can never recall having so many ‘oblique muscle strains’ in baseball as we’ve seen just the past 2-3 years. So now the New York Daily News’ Christian Red and Michael O’Keefe (the steroid reporting team) are on the case and in discussing the fact more than a dozen players have been sidelined with this injury already this year, including A-Rod, briefly, and the Mets’ Jason Bay and Angel Pagan, went to sports physician Lewis Maharam, former president of the New York chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine.
Maharam said the rise in oblique injuries is probably a byproduct of Major League Baseball’s drug-testing program.
“My theory is that drug testing in Major League Baseball is working and people are getting away from using illegal steroids,” Maharam says. “They are moving to legal products such as creatine, but they don’t know how to use it in conjunction with their workouts.”
Creatine is a supplement not banned by MLB, NFL, NBA or NCAA that boosts lean muscle mass and strength.
But creatine, according to Maharam, adds water molecules to muscle fibers, which causes the fibers to separate.
“This makes for easier muscle tears and slows the repair process, leaving them on injured reserve longer.”
Players know how to train for the arms and legs, proper stretching and such, but they don’t know what to do with the hips. One trainer said players’ training regimens don’t take into account the unnatural ways to pitch, turn a double play or swing a bat.
But it’s also a fact that as the season goes on and the muscles become trained better the number of oblique injuries goes down. Warmer weather is also a big help.
–Among the top ten teams in baseball history in terms of % of runs scored from homers, only the 1961 Yankees (46.6%) won the World Series. But while it’s early, the 2011 Yankees are at a record 59.1% through Friday’s play, according to Jared Diamond in the Wall Street Journal. The record, since 1900, is 53.1% by the 2010 Blue Jays who missed the playoffs.
But then on Saturday, the Yankees hit five more homers, accounting for 12 of 15 runs as they blasted the Orioles, 15-3.
So that takes the Yanks’ percentage to 62.1%! Remarkable. In 17 games they have 35 homers, the best start in franchise history. [On Sunday, game 18, they added another, accounting for two of six runs but unless someone does it for me, I’m stopping my running count for now.]
It also needs to be noted that on Saturday, Alex Rodriguez hit his 22nd grand slam, leaving him just one behind Lou Gehrig’s record 23. A-Rod’s six RBI in the game elevated him to 10th on the all-time ribby list.
Speaking of A-Rod, I, like many, have him pegged for A.L. MVP this season. Might as well make that Triple Crown winner if he can just manage to stay healthy for 135-40 games.
–What’s this? The New York Mets have won four in a row and are now 9-13?! Can it be? Will I continue to watch until, maybe, September? All Mets fans knew the first 20 games were crucial and 10-10 was a minimum standard to keep interest, but even though the Mets’ wins have come over inferior competition (sorry, Shu), it’s the way they finally started hitting the ball, combined with decent starting pitching, that gives us cause for hope. Maybe .500 is a possibility after all.
However, management must be scared to death. Sunday’s crowd of 22,232 (on a gorgeous day) was the lowest for a Sat. or Sun. in Citi Field’s 2+ years.
–Speaking of 20 games, it’s kind of a benchmark for measuring starts for everyone. Take two A.L. squads whose fans were panicking big time early.
The feared suicides in both cities have not materialized.
–Sporting News asked some former baseball players to weigh in on Barry Bonds and the Hall of Fame.
Mike Bielecki, Pitcher, 1984-97: “Yes, but put him in posthumously along with Pete Rose.”
[I’ve always said this is the appropriate way to deal with Rose.]
Sal Bando, third baseman, 1966-81: “I believe Barry Bonds’ achievements prior to the steroid controversy while a San Francisco Giant deserve membership into the Hall of Fame. His play with Pittsburgh should be enough to get into the Hall.”
Warren Cromartie, outfielder/first baseman, 1974, ’76-’83, ’91: “Glad (the trial is) over now. (It’s) bad for the game. I would only vote for him if he was 185 pounds.”
Dan Gladden, outfielder, 1983-93: “I think the public opinion is no. All I will say is that there are players, umpires, radio broadcasters and others that are in the Hall of Fame that have done a lot worse than what Barry is accused of. The one thing Barry has done is bring a negative light to the best game.”
Pat Hentgen, pitcher, 1991-2004: “I think if any player admits to using PEDs or is caught using PEDs, they should not be in the Hall of Fame.”
Ron Kittle, outfielder/first baseman, 1982-91: “You have got to be (expletive) me! – title of my second book coming soon. No way. He has embarrassed the game.”
Rico Brogna, first baseman, 1992, ’94-2001: “Yes, he belongs in the Hall of Fame….Barry is arguably one of the top three players to ever play the game. He would be considered that same type of player no matter the era. It does not matter to me at all what he did or did not take or do – that’s his business. His ability to concentrate at a higher level than everyone else combined with talent like no other player makes him a definite Hall of Famer in my mind….Barry would have been the best player in the game when he was a teenager at Arizona State.”
Boy, Rico makes some dumb statements, doesn’t he? And I’m not talking about whether he’s right on Barry and the Hall.
–So much for the excitement at Madison Square Garden. For the first time in 14 years, both the Knicks and Rangers were in the playoffs together. Both are now gone…each going down in flames. The Knicks 4-0 to Boston, the Rangers 4-1 to Washington.
No doubt, each had its chances; the Knicks in the first two games, the Rangers in a Game 4 to tie things up but blowing a 3-0 third period lead and losing in double OT on a gaffe.
For the Knicks, in Game 4 they shot 34% from the field, including 5 of 20 from Amar’e Stoudemire. Earlier, Carmelo Anthony (the other supposed superstar) had shooting efforts of 5 for 18 and 4 for 16 in Games 1 and 3.
—Jess Jackson died. He was 81. Jackson was the visionary behind Kendall-Jackson wines (Kendall was the name of his first wife), which popularized premium wines for the mass market and really helped make chardonnay a popular staple among baby boomers just starting to discover quality vino.
Jess Jackson started off as a San Francisco attorney (after first being an area longshoreman), who then accumulated 14,000 acres of wine grapes, among the largest private vineyard holdings in America.
But some of us also know Jackson for his passion for horse racing, where he became one of the more successful stable owners, Stonestreet Stables.
Jackson was co-owner of Curlin, voted Horse of the Year in 2007 and 2008, and he co-owned Rachel Alexandra, the filly that won the 2009 Preakness and Horse of the Year honors for ’09.
–Miami Dolphins receiver Brandon Marshall was stabbed in the stomach by his wife, Michi, who used a kitchen knife. Brandon was released from the hospital less than 24 hours after the incident, while Michi made bail. The receiver underwent emergency surgery and was expected to fully recover.
Brandon Marshall has a history of domestic spats, while it would appear Michi is an aspiring chef. Back in March 2009, though, while the couple was engaged, they were both charged with disorderly conduct when cops saw them brawling outside their then Atlanta home. The charges were eventually dropped. Earlier Marshall had an incident with a previous girlfriend. He was also involved in the 2006 New Year’s Eve incident in Denver that led to the death of Broncos teammate Darrent Williams in a drive-by shooting at a nightclub. Marshall admitted to exchanging words with a group of people at the club that led to the slaying.
Personally, while I have never been married myself, I’m told that if your wife stabs you in the kitchen it’s a sign there are problems in the relationship. Johnny Mac observes that assuming they reconcile, just who carves the Thanksgiving turkey?
–This weekend’s PGA Tour stop was at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island…The Heritage…though it could easily be the last time this historic event is held there as the tournament didn’t have a sponsor this go ‘round and it’s not looking good for next year.
[Brandt Snedeker won his second tour title in defeating Luke Donald on the third hole of a playoff.]
–Golfer Mason Rudolph died at the age of 76. Any time you hear Jim Nantz on his CBS telecasts of the tour send out best wishes to someone, as he did to Rudolph the other week, you know the poor fellow is near death so I was waiting for this obituary.
But what I forgot is that there were some aspects to Rudolph’s career that were really quite remarkable. For example, while he won just five tournaments (not that five wins isn’t a solid achievement), Mason Rudolph made the cut in 409 of 430 career starts. Now the fields were smaller in his prime, the 1960s, but that’s still a helluva record. He was top 25, 233 times. In fact, he was kind of ahead of his time. Many a tour pro today is accused of just going for the money, not the wins, but once after beating Jack Nicklaus to win the 1966 Thunderbird Classic, Rudolph told the New York Times that he had learned to aim for the fat part of the greens, rather than the pins. He said he’d rather make sure money than gamble on winning. [Douglas Martin / New York Times]
And check this out. Mason Rudolph once went 105 consecutive tournaments without hitting a ball out of bounds. Not 105 consecutive rounds, but 105 tournaments!
–USA TODAY College Baseball Top Ten
1. Virginia
2. South Carolina
3. Vanderbilt
4. Texas
5. Florida
6. Cal State-Fullerton
7. Texas A&M
8. Oregon State
9. Arizona State
10. North Carolina
–I see that Nebraska football coach Bo Pelini got a $425,000 raise, hiking his base salary to $2.775 million. The money being made in the coaching profession is beyond absurd at this point.
–Former Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez now admits his decision to leave West Virginia, where he had compiled a 60-26 record with two BCS appearances, for Ann Arbor was a mistake. At Michigan he was 15-22, 6-18 in Big Ten play.
Yup, the grass is not always greener, but I think you’re beginning to see a change in this attitude, particularly in college basketball where a year ago Brad Stevens decided to commit to Butler for the long term and now Shaka Smart has done the same at VCU.
But while the trend might be to stay, one man who opted to leave his home after 14 years was Jim Larranaga, who shocked the George Mason University community by taking the Miami Hurricane’s job after coach Frank Haith left for Missouri.
This is really too bad. Larranaga, 61, put George Mason on the map, going 273-164 and taking the Patriots to five NCAA tournaments, including the unforgettable run in 2006 when they went to the Final Four.
So why would a 61-year-old leave a secure position for an incredibly mediocre program like Miami’s?
It was solely money. Larranaga had a reported base salary of $525,000, though his total compensation was closer to $700,000, but he supposedly will get about $1.3 million for five years at Miami.
It also seems Larranaga was upset his good friend, GMU president Alan G. Merten, announced his retirement and Larranaga didn’t have a good relationship with Athletic Director Tom O’Connor.
So how important was Larranaga and the 2006 Final Four to the school?
“A year after the 2006 tournament run – which ended when the Patriots lost to eventual champion Florida, 73-58 – Robert Baker, a GMU associate professor, examined the effect on the school. He found that out-of-state applicants increased by 40% in the 2007-08 academic year compared with two years before, while the total number of freshman applicants rose 22%.
“Bookstore sales were higher in March 2006 than the entire previous year; donations to the Patriot Club, an athletic department booster program, increased by 52%; and basketball season ticket sales doubled, Baker found in his report.” [David Nakamura and Dan Steinberg / Washington Post]
–The Fiesta Bowl is pleading to be allowed to stay in the Bowl Championship Series despite the release of a damning report that showed all manner of issues with those running the bowl game, including disgraced CEO John Junker and two other now departed executives. The BCS created a task force to hear the new Fiesta team out. I’m guessing they get to stay in, though they’re in the midst of a contract that goes through the 2014 games as it is. The Cotton Bowl in Dallas wants to get into the mix. USA TODAY notes that it is unclear if the BCS can void the Fiesta Bowl’s contract before it expires.
–We note the passing of former Pittsburgh Steelers halfback/receiver/kick returner Lynn Chandnois, 86. After starring at Michigan State, Chandnois played seven seasons for the Steelers who drafted him No. 8 overall in 1950.
Chandnois had an interesting career, rushing for 1934 yards (just a 3.3 average), while catching 162 passes for a 12.4 average.
It was returning kickoffs, though, where he shined and on 92 returns he averaged 29.6 yards, making him No. 2 all time behind Gale Sayers’ 30.6 average per return.
At Michigan State, Chandnois was one of the better two-way players in the country, intercepting 20 passes which is still a Spartan record! Not too shabby. Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said, “He was so valuable on both sides of the football that he earned the nickname 60-Minute Chandnois.”
It should also be noted that Lynn Chandnois served in the Navy for two years before enrolling at Michigan State in 1946 at age 21.
–Good riddance….Wake forward Ari Stewart transferred to USC and will have to sit out next season but will have two years eligibility left. Stewart is a good athlete, and had a solid freshman year, but this past one he was content to simply stand outside the 3-line and fire ‘em up, even as his percentage from downtown dropped to 27% from 37% his first season. The guy was a total waste. Of course now watch him in three years lead USC to the Final Four, a la another Wake transfer, VCU’s Jamie Skeen.
–Didn’t realize Tiger Woods’ niece, Cheyenne Woods of Wake Forest, won the individual ACC golf championship, though the Deacs finished fourth. Cheyenne is a junior.
–Talk about a stupid idea, the U.S. Women’s Open in bowling is going to be held at Cowboys Stadium. Lanes will be in the middle of the field, I guess, with temporary seats. Like why bother turning the giant place on for this?
—Samantha Ardente was a secretary at a Quebec City high school when a 14-year-old boy told her he knew of her secret life, that she was actually a porn star, specifically appearing in “Serial Abuser 2.” Ardente was fired. But the boy was expelled when it was learned he had asked for a sexual favor in return for not divulging the truth. And that’s your Canadian porn / high school update for April 25. [Lukas Alpert / Daily News]
Top 3 songs for the week 4/28/73: #1 “Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree” (Dawn featuring Tony Orlando…#1 four weeks) #2 “The Cisco Kid” (War…these guys were incredibly underrated) #3 “Sing” (Carpenters)…and…#4 “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” (Vicki Lawrence…good tune…but she was no Vicki Carr! Ooh baby…) #5 “Little Willy” (The Sweet) #6 “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life” (Stevie Wonder) #7 “Masterpiece” (The Temptations) #8 “The Twelfth Of Never” (Donny Osmond…goodness gracious, how good does Marie look doing her Nutrisystem gig?) #9 “Stuck In The Middle With You” (Stealers Wheel) #10 “Ain’t No Woman (Like The One I’ve Got)” (Four Tops…I’m one of the few people on earth to have been told by Levi himself to stop dancing in front of him while doing a gig…)
Baseball Quiz Answer: Nine MLB commissioners.
Kenesaw M. Landis 1920-1944
Albert B. Chandler 1945-1951
Ford C. Frick 1951-1965
William D. Eckert 1965-1968
Bowie K. Kuhn 1969-1984
Peter V. Ueberroth 1984-1989
A. Bartlett Giamatti 1989
Francis T. Vincent 1989-1992
Allan H. Selig 1998 – [was acting commissioner from 1992-98]
By the way, there are no longer league presidents so the trivia would be; who were the last ones? Leonard S. Coleman Jr. in the N.L. and Gene A. Budig in the A.L., both 1994-99.
*No Bar Chat on Thursday. Next one Mon., May 2, from Paris.
