Note: The following is a mess given I had my 35th high school reunion this weekend and it was rather time consuming since it was pretty much my gig, aside from being a total blast. In fact the next few weeks through yearend are going to be a mess for various reasons.
College Football Quiz: 1) Who was Tennessee’s coach before Johnny Majors, 1970-76, with three AP top tens, 1970-72? 2) Who are the top three rushers all time on Texas’ list? [All big names] 3) Who was Texas A&M’s coach, 1982-88, before R.C. Slocum? [A big name] Answers below.
College Football Review
There’s still hope, kind of, of avoiding a LSU-Alabama rematch for the national title.
But this weekend, No. 1 LSU defeated No. 3 Arkansas, 41-17; No. 2 Alabama bested No. 24 Auburn, 42-14; No. 4 Oklahoma State was idle; No. 5 Virginia Tech shut out Virginia, 38-0; No. 6 Stanford beat No. 22 Notre Dame, 28-14; No. 7 Boise State whipped Wyoming, 36-14; No. 8 Houston remained undefeated in beating a solid Tulsa squad, 48-16; No. 9 Oklahoma defeated Iowa State, 26-6; and No. 10 Oregon rolled over rival Oregon State, 49-21.
—Stanford QB Andrew Luck had four touchdown passes and now has 80 in his career, surpassing John Elway’s school mark of 77 as the Cardinal defeated the Fighting Irish.
—Wisconsin destroyed Penn State, 45-7, and will meet Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship game. The Badgers’ Montee Ball had four touchdowns, giving him 34, second-most in a single season next to the 39 rung up by Barry Sanders for Oklahoma State in 11 games in 1988. [Ball has the 34 in 12 contests.]
—Rutgers laid an egg and saw its Big East title hopes fade away at the hands of UConn, 40-22.
–And Wake Forest could not have played worse in losing to Vanderbilt, 41-7, to go 6-6. So assuming they still get a bowl bid, why on earth would you waste your time during the holidays to go support them? I sure as hell won’t.
–Looks like Urban Meyer will become the next head coach at Ohio State, though Meyer, an Ohio native, is researching just how harsh NCAA sanctions against the Buckeyes might be. Meyer won a pair of national championships at Florida, going 65-15 in six years before stepping down last season.
Ohio State lost to Michigan on Saturday, 40-34, as the Wolverines snapped a 7-game losing streak against the Buckeyes in what high school classmate Brad K. described as one of the better college football games he had seen in years (while the two of us quaffed domestic at the reunion…though I have to admit I drank water the first two hours as I tried to be a responsible host…finally Ken P. said, “It’s time for you to start,” and so I did…and then many of us didn’t get to bed before 2:30 a.m. …and so your editor is currently very tired).
–What a joke…UCLA is playing for the Pac-12 title in the championship game against Oregon despite losing to USC 50-0 (USC’s Matt Barkley had six touchdown passes) and having a 6-6 record.
—Randy Edsall earned $2 million this year, his first with Maryland, and led them to a 2-10 season.
—Illinois fired Ron Zook after the Illini started 6-0, but then proceeded to go 0-6 the rest of the way. Zook was 34-51 in his tenure.
New AP Poll
1. LSU 12-0…vs. Georgia in SEC title game
2. Alabama 11-1
3. Oklahoma State 10-1…hosts Oklahoma
4. Stanford 11-1
5. Virginia Tech 11-1…vs. Clemson in ACC title game
6. Arkansas 10-2
7. Houston 12-0
8. Oregon 10-2…vs. UCLA in Pac-12 title game
T-9. Boise State 10-1
T-9. USC 10-2…ineligible for bowl game, unfortunately. Playing as well as anyone right now.
12. Georgia 10-2
13. Oklahoma 9-2
And the New BCS
1. LSU 1.0000
2. Alabama .9551
3. Oklahoma State .8712
4. Stanford .8559
5. Virginia Tech .7811
6. Houston .7399
7. Boise State .7027
8. Arkansas .7003
9. Oregon .6862
10. Oklahoma .6710
Much more on this next time, including the situation with Houston and Boise State.
NFL Bits
Never has an NFL quarterback looked worse in throwing four touchdown passes than the Jets’ Mark Sanchez, but New York nonetheless moved to 6-5 in defeating Buffalo, 28-24. Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson had his way early with Jets star cornerback Darrelle Revis, but after he showboated following a touchdown reception, it was Johnson who muffed two catches that would have doomed the Jets on the Bills’ final drive after New York had taken the lead. Talk about poetic justice.
The Raiders moved to 7-4 in defeating the Jay Cutler-less Bears (also now 7-4), 25-20, behind Sebastian Janikowski’s team record six field goals (four from 40+).
Tom Brady looked sharp as ever in New England’s 38-20 dismantling of the still Michael Vick-less Eagles, 38-20. Philly drops to 4-7 and the season is over.
And Denver’s Tim Tebow moved to 5-1 as a starter, though in unimpressive fashion as the Broncos ended the Chargers’ season, 16-13 in OT. Denver has a helluva defense these days.
–I have to admit, I thought Detroit Lions lineman Ndamukong Suh was very smart and a refreshing presence after the Lions drafted him with the second pick two years ago. But the nation saw what a jerk he is in Detroit’s 27-15 loss to Green Bay on Thanksgiving as Suh pounded the head of Packers’ guard Evan Dietrich-Smith into the ground three times and then stomped on him.
“A lot of people are going to interpret it as, or create their own storylines for seeing what they want to interpret it. But I know what I did, and the man upstairs knows what I did.”
After his penalty and ejection, the next day Suh wrote on his Facebook page:
“My reaction on Thursday was unacceptable. I made a mistake, and have learned from it. I hope to direct the focus back to the task at hand – by winning.”
The NFL will rule this week on what kind of suspension to hand Suh.
It’s Baaack!
The NBA, that is. Training camps open Dec. 9. Christmas Day, Knicks-Celtics tip off the regular season at noon.
It’s easy to say, as I have, that I just don’t care about the NBA, but that’s being a bit disingenuous. Last season, because my Knicks were mildly entertaining, I actually watched a few games and the NBA is a way to fill the void in February once the NFL season ends and before March Madness begins. Then, come playoff time, every now and then you get an intriguing matchup that warrants a little attention. So all in all, I’ll watch some Knicks games and follow the progress of Wake Forest alums in the league, even one I don’t particularly care for, Chris Paul, because in 2012 he could become a Knick.
So the NBA will have a 66-game schedule, which is more than enough, as the players finally gave in, for the most part, in accepting a deal that pays them 49-51% of the basketball revenue, down from 57%. But the salary cap will be $58 million this season, with a chance to grow to $61 million in 2012. The owners once sought a cap of $45 million so this can be viewed as a mild victory for the players, though it seems a total $300 million is being transferred to the owners from the players.
But as the sport heads to parity, at least in theory, the New York Times’ Harvey Araton comments:
“(Here) is the tricky part for the NBA as it moves forward with its most potent teams inhabiting the glamour markets of Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Boston, Dallas and possibly soon, New York: Will the sport ultimately benefit or bomb without superteams playing deep into June?
“Professional football – wildly popular as metaphorical war, manned by costumed foot soldiers – is seldom marketed as a game of stars or even as a showdown of cities. It is primarily about Cowboys and Giants, Steelers and Ravens.
“As the NFL season winds towards the playoffs, seldom does the league lose a minute’s sleep worrying whether Super Bowl participants will captivate the viewing masses….
“(Conversely), during the 1970s, the least relished decade in modern NBA history, eight different teams from all corners of the country won the NBA championship. In the ensuing three decades plus, nine have won titles, while league revenue consistently soared.”
But when San Antonio was the class of the league, “Critics yawned. Ratings sagged. America would rather hate on LeBron than shower Tim Duncan with love.”
All in all, as Tony Soprano used to say, “Whaddya gonna do?”
College Basketball
Some upsets of note. No. 4 UConn blew a 50-33 early second half lead to Central Florida, losing 68-63, as Marcus Jordan, son of Michael Jordan, scored 20 points, hauled in seven rebounds and had seven assists. But UCF then lost the title game of the Battle 4 Atlantis tourney in the Bahamas to Harvard. All Harvard had done was defeat No. 20 Florida State the day before despite hitting only 12 of 44 from the field. The halftime score of 14-14 matched the lowest total for a half in a Division I game since 1986. The Seminoles made only four free throws while Harvard hit 17.
But the big one…really big one…was UNLV defeating No. 1 North Carolina, in Las Vegas, 90-80. While I really didn’t think UNC would lose all year, this one hardly hurts. [However, Tar Heel superstar Harrison Barnes was seen on crutches after the game but no word on his condition as I go to sleep…did I tell you I’m tired?]
And Syracuse fired assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine in the wake of the child molestation allegations against him. Fine had been at Syracuse 36 seasons. A third accuser came forward over the weekend, but this guy’s own father said his son is lying.
Ball Bits
The New York Post’s Joel Sherman on Bobby Valentine, who the Red Sox still appear to be mulling over for their managerial opening.
“If someone challenges Valentine within the organization, that person better be prepared to defend the position. Yes, he can combine a big ego with a short fuse at times. And, yes, he will have an opinion on just about every element that impacts an organization – from better ways to hit and run to better ways to sell tickets on Tuesdays.
“But an organization would be foolish not to listen. This is a bright man whose brain is not confined within old standards of the sport.
“Yet he is old school enough that I am positive no player will be eating fried chicken and drinking beer in his clubhouse, at least not without a fight. I never covered a manager with a better eye for talent or a better feel for how to use an entire 25-man roster.”
–This is cool…an Arizona hunting guide has spotted a wild jaguar, two years after the demise of the country’s only known one.
Donnie Fenn was mountain lion hunting in Cochise County with his ten-year-old daughter and a friend when Fenn’s hunting dogs suddenly bolted out of a canyon and ran to a tree, at which point Fenn pulled out his camera and there it was…a jaguar.
Fenn called state officials to report the sighting, then the jaguar leaped out of the tree and Fenn’s dogs gave chase.
“I’ve seen a lot of lions treed up and stuff, and I’ve been in a lot of pretty hairy situations, but I’ve never experienced something like this,” Fenn told the Daily Star. “The roaring and growling. It was quite unreal.”
Fenn pulled the wounded dogs away, the jaguar went up another tree, Fenn snapped off more pictures, and then got the hell out of there.
—Sign of the Apocalypse: “The longtime band director at Florida A&M University has been fired after the suspected hazing death of a drum major. The university’s president, James Ammons, sent the band director, Julian White, a termination letter on Wednesday, citing Mr. White’s inability to stop the hazing in the band and music department. Officials said the drum major, Robert Champion, 26, was found unresponsive on a bus parked outside an Orlando hotel on Saturday night after the school’s football team lost to rival Bethune-Cookman University. He was vomiting and had complained he could not breathe before he collapsed.” [AP]
–Former heavyweight contender Ron Lyle died at the age of 70 from complications from a sudden stomach ailment. Lyle fought Muhammad Ali for the title n 1975 and later George Foreman. He was solid.
–1960 Indianapolis 500 champion Jim Rathmann died. He was 83. Rathmann finished second at Indy three times, but his 1960 triumph over defending champion Roger Ward has been called the most exciting race in the track’s history.
Over the final 250 miles, Rathmann and Ward traded the lead 14 times in two hours, rarely more than a few feet apart.
–Rolling Stone proclaimed Jimi Hendrix the “Greatest Guitarist of All Time” by a panel of musicians. Rounding out the top five are Eric Clapton (2), Jimmy Page (3), Keith Richards (4) and Jeff Beck (5).
Personally, I’ve got to go with Sister Luc-Gabrielle, whose guitar artistry is what made The Singing Nun’s “Dominique” a No. 1 hit back in 1963.
—Andrea True died at the age of 68, no cause given. Ms. True recorded one of the only songs of the disco era I could stomach, and actually liked, “More, More, More,” which spent six weeks in the top ten in 1976, peaking at #4.
True was born Andrea Marie Truden in Nashville, Tenn., 1943, and moved to New York in 1968 to study acting, at which point she changed her name to True to save her family embarrassment. You see, she was appearing in porno films in the early 1970s. “I had nothing better to do,” she later told the New York Times. She made some 40 of ‘em, including “Deep Throat Part II,” the story of a sword swallower.
But if you want to know how I really feel, just get the cameras rolling, get the action going….
Top 3 songs for the week 11/29/80: #1 “Lady” (Kenny Rogers…gathers family around over the holiday season to discuss future face makeover) #2 “Woman In Love” (Barbra Streisand…what was it with us and our renewed fascination with Babs during this time?) #3 “The Wanderer” (Donna Summer…tired of her)…and…#4 “Another One Bites The Dust” (Queen…mailed it in) #5 “I’m Coming Out” (Diana Ross…whatever) #6 “More Than I Can Say” (Leo Sayer…he was irritating) #7 “Master Blaster (Jammin’)” (Stevie Wonder…easily one of the blind one’s worst) #8 “(Just Like) Starting Over” (John Lennon…kind of liked this one…don’t know why) #9 “Love On The Rocks” (Neil Diamond…tell me about it) #10 “Dreaming” (Cliff Richard…not to be confused with Kenny Nolan’s insipid “I Like Dreamin’”)
Correction: Bruce Springsteen opened for Anne Murray, not the other way around as I had it the other day. It was Central Park, Aug. 1974, with Springsteen a replacement for Boz Scaggs and Bruce went first ahead of the Canadian. Dr. John brought this to my attention, correcting Steve G.’s memory. Steve still wants me to tie himself to Edy Williams in the 60s but I know for a fact Steve was draining threes in his driveway when he lived next to me in New Jersey during this time and no way was he having an affair with the Hollywood sex kitten. [Over the holiday season, people go to ridiculous lengths to get in Bar Chat.]
College Football Quiz Answers: 1) Bill Battle was Tennessee’s coach from 1970-76, going 59-22-2, with three top tens. 2) Texas’ top three rushers: 1) Ricky Williams, 1995-98, 6,279 yards; Cedric Benson, 2001-2004, 5,540; Earl Campbell, 1974-77, 4,443. 3) Jackie Sherrill was Texas A&M’s coach from 1982-88, going 52-28-1.
