Note: Posted before Wednesday’s major Olympics action.
San Diego Padres Quiz: 1) Tony Gwynn had 200 hits in a season five times. Who is the only other Padre with 200 hits? 2) Who are the four to hit 40 home runs in a season? 3) Who is the career leader in wins with exactly 100? 4) Who are the only two to win 20 in a season? [Neither is the answer to No. 3] Answers below.
Olympic Chokes and Triumphs
–What a job by the U.S. women’s gymnastics team!!! You rock, girls!!! I’m partial to 3 of the 5 but can’t tell you which ones. As for the Russian girls who choked, I feel for them, knowing the Gulag awaits. [I imagine they’ll be joined by the coaches.]
–Ah yes….there is a reason why I don’t tweet and why I have long held to my “24-hour rule.”
Here’s an example…from Christine Brennan / USA TODAY, in her July 31 column.
“As an Olympic superpower, you know you’re off to a bit of a rocky start when your fourth-place finishers are overshadowing your winners.
“Ryan Lochte wins the first swimming event of the 2012 Olympics, but Michael Phelps’ out-of-the-medals finish from way over in Lane 8 grabs most of the headlines.
“Americans go a stunning 2-3 in women’s individual all-around gymnastics qualifying, and the U.S. team puts itself in position for its first gold in 16 years, but all anyone is talking about is the reigning world champion who finished fourth and can’t even try to win the all-around gold.
“And then, on Day 3, another famous fourth: Lochte this time, failing to win a medal in the 200 freestyle.
“You’ve heard of winning ugly? The U.S. is starting ugly. The men’s gymnastics team, so hopeful of winning a medal, finished fifth in the team final Monday. Lochte’s underwhelming performance in the 200 free was surprising, but it did not ruin the Americans’ day, which was saved by the irrepressible Missy Franklin and her gold medal in the women’s 100 backstroke, and Matt Grevers’ gold in the men’s 100 back.”
“Cocksure enough to cover his teeth with a grill, more than confident he could emerge from his more-famous teammate’s shadow in these Olympics, Ryan ‘My Time’ Lochte clocked fourth place Monday night.
“He ran out of gas. Again. He not only didn’t win his swimming race, he didn’t medal. And all presumptions about the carefree Floridian being to London what Michael Phelps was to Beijing need to end. Now.
“When asked to envision his Olympics headline prior to the Games, Lochte replied to NBC’s Matt Lauer, ‘Ryan Lochte Takes Over.’ After he missed the podium Monday night in a glitzy 200 freestyle final, he has much ground to make up in his remaining four finals – providing he qualifies for all of them.
“The heir apparent to Phelps as the world’s greatest swimmer finished a dispiriting fourth in the 200 free, admitting he went out too fast in a great field. It wasn’t close. He treaded water behind a superior Frenchman for the second night in a row at the Olympic Park Aquatic Center, where three nights of competition in, it’s become clear:
“There is no Michael Phelps at the London Games, nothing close to the indomitable, eight-gold American in 2008….
“Maybe beating Phelps in the 400 individual on Saturday, where Lochte won gold and the new-and-not-as-motivated Phelps finished fourth in Lane 8, took so much out of Lochte that he felt the monkey was finally off his back.
“He could relax. Heck, play. Stay out till 2 a.m. as he let everyone know the other day.
“But when Lochte blew a lead established by his three teammates in the final leg of the 400 relay on Sunday night, then ducked out on questions about his poor performance with the other swimmers on the relay, that’s not a good omen.
“When Lochte didn’t get to the podium Monday night, fading badly in the last 50 meters again, that’s one good day at the Olympics and two disappointing ones.”
–But of course on Tuesday, 24 hours later, Michael Phelps became the most decorated athlete in Olympic history with his 19th medal, including 15 golds, when he finished second in the 200m butterfly and then an hour later anchored the 4X200 gold-medal-winning freestyle relay (with Lochte’s first leg a key). So he bested the mark held by Larisa Latynina, the Ukrainian gymnast who won her last medal in 1964.
What is remarkable to me is Phelps’ winning medals in 19 of 21 career Olympic events.
Phelps, in wrapping his arms around his teammates after the relay, said “I want you guys to know, I just became the most decorated athlete ever. I want to thank you guys.” Teammate Ricky Berens recalled later, “We didn’t have much to say. We’re usually thanking him.”
“Missy Franklin, 17, won gold in the 100-meter backstroke…which NBC held for its prime-time tape delay.
“Just six minutes before airing the race, NBC ran a promo for The Today Show, which led off: ‘When you’re 17 years old and win your first gold medal, there’s nobody you’d rather share it with. We’re there when Missy Franklin and her parents reunite…’”
Oh well….while Missy had a tough time in her succeeding race, she is one heck of a role model.
“Among the most compelling champions…is Missy Franklin…She may win a few more before she returns to Colorado for her senior year in high school. But don’t expect to see her on a Wheaties box anytime soon.
“Ms. Franklin is something of a curiosity in her sport because she has resisted lucrative endorsement deals in order to maintain her amateur status. ‘I really, really want to swim in college,’ she told the Journal earlier this year….
“American may also take note of her parents’ decision not to uproot their daughter to place her in one of the nation’s top swimming programs in California, Florida or Texas. Instead, Ms. Franklin still has the same coach who gave her lessons when she was seven years old. Parents wrestling with a youth sports culture that seems to treat every Little League contest as a World Series game might conclude that, sometimes, less is more.”
–The performance of Ye Shiwen, the 16-year-old Chinese girl who won gold in the women’s 400 IM after breaking her own personal best by at least five seconds, and who swam the last 50m quicker than the men’s champion (Lochte), prompted the civilized world to say, “Whassup wit dat? You doin’ performance-enhancing drugs, Ye?”
But there is no evidence against her, as yet, and all medal winners are drug-tested. Ye then won the 200 IM on Tuesday.
China’s swim team was repeatedly hit by doping scandals in the 1990s. Ye, though, denied the allegations against her, telling reporters: “My results come from hard work and training and I would never use any banned drugs. The Chinese people have clean hands.”
Former Olympic champion Ian Thorpe told the BBC he had also improved his personal-best time by five seconds in a year during the early part of his career.
“We have to remember that young swimmers can take chunks of time off that other people can’t,” he said.
Arne Ljungqvist, medical commission chairman for the IOC, called the speculation sad.
“To raise suspicion immediately when you see an extraordinary performance – to me it is against the fascination of sport,” he said.
Oh puh-leeze. As to Ye’s comment on her people and clean hands…I’ll bite my tongue, for now.
Olympic blood samples, by the way, are now kept for eight years, so if Ye is using designer drugs, eventually testing will show this.
Charles Yesalis, a retired epidemiologist at Penn State and an expert on PEDs, told the New York Daily News, “If a former rock musician can fool the best labs in the world with the clear, the Chinese government can do it, too,” referring to Victor Conte, who played bass in Tower of Power before he founded BALCO.
I totally forgot that last angle. It was my friend Ken S. at Wake Forest who first introduced me to Tower of Power, to digress. [Ken, I listen to their stuff more these days because of XM’s soul station.] Anyway, in the 200 IM, American Caitlin Leverenz took the bronze and was asked later in a press conference whether it was possible that Shiwen swam faster than Lochte. With Shiwen sitting next to her, Leverenz said, “She’s proven that it’s possible.”
As the Daily News reported: “Chinese reporters applauded. (Leverenz) left the room to cheers moments later.”
–So with the New York Mets playing such [censored by the International Web Site Association] ball these days, let alone the fact they’re on the West Coast, I’m watching the main NBC primetime coverage of the Games and on Monday was forced to see men’s synchronized diving.
This sport makes me very uncomfortable. But I was happy for the Mexican pair who won the men’s silver medal… Garcia and Sanchez… because that gets them a pass from dealing with the cartels.
On the women’s side, the Mexicans won silver as well. I’d love to comment about Espinosa, but I can’t…wouldn’t be prudent.
–Say it ain’t so! The Badminton World Federation (BWF), of which I’m not a member, is investigating eight players for “not using one’s best efforts to win” in the quarterfinals of the Olympic competition. Two were from China, four from South Korea and two from Indonesia. Chinese authorities announced they opposed any behavior which violated “sporting spirit and morality.”
One match came under particular scrutiny…a Chinese duo vs. a South Korean one…after the longest rally in their game lasted four shots. The match referee at one point went on the court to warn the players, who also were clearly making deliberate errors, according to reports. It seems the pairs were trying to line up easier draws in the next round; plus the Chinese were trying to fix the draw so that their two teams didn’t meet each other until the final.
This just in…all 8 were suspended for the Games…off with their heads!
Ball Bits
–I’m not going to attempt to mention all the baseball trades at the deadline, but in no particular order some of the more significant ones were…
Texas acquired the highly-overrated Ryan Dempster from the Cubs. Dempster is having a solid season, 5-5 and with a 2.25 ERA for a lousy Cubs team, but he is only 117-121 with a 4.31 ERA for his career. He did have 87 saves for the Cubs when he was their closer from 2005 to 2007.
For its part, Texas is furiously trying to get to the Series again, with the Los Angeles Angels aggressively attempting to keep one step ahead through their acquisition of hurler Zack Greinke the other day. [Through Tuesday, Texas nonetheless had a three-game lead over L.A.]
The Rangers also acquired former All-Star and N.L. Rookie of the Year catcher Geovany Soto from the Cubbies to be their new catcher.
The Phillies dumped outfielders Shane Victorino (Giants) and Hunter Pence (Dodgers).
Outfielder Reed Johnson goes to the Braves from the Cubs (13 for 29 as a pinch hitter this season), plus pitcher Paul Maholm, 9-6 with a 3.74 ERA. Love this one for the Bravos (can’t stand the team, mind you…just as a baseball fan the Johnson pick up could be a key). The Cubs got nothing to speak of in return but dumped some salary in all their moves.
The Pirates traded utility player Casey McGehee to the Yankees for reliever Chad Qualls; the Yankees needing help at third with A-Rod’s injury. The Pirates also picked up an intriguing player from Toronto in Travis Snider, who has lots of power and is just 24, as well as Gaby Sanchez from the Marlins, though Sanchez is having a dreadful season.
The Yankees activated reliever Joba Chamberlain. Here’s hoping he does well. Many of his problems have been self-inflicted, but for some reason, while I can’t stand the Yanks, I’d like to see him get his career back on track.
–In baseball action on Tuesday, the Nationals’ Stephen Strasburg was pummeled for six runs in four innings, moving his ERA up to 3.12 as the Phillies won 8-0. It was so bad, Philadelphia starter Cliff Lee (who wasn’t traded at the deadline as some expected) singled and stole a base against Strasburg.
–And the Pirates’ A.J. Burnett, now 13-3, tossed no-hit ball for 7 2/3 before finishing with a one-hitter against the Cubs. Oh yeah…a change of scenery worked wonders for A.J. Plus the stadium food is better in Pittsburgh than New York.
–I forgot to note last time that regarding the Mets’ Ike Davis, currently on a road trip, that he has now gone a staggering 49 games at home without a multiple-hit game.
–Backup Penn State safety Tim Buckley was the first player to transfer following the penalties levied against the school, as Buckley goes to North Carolina State, he being from there. And then a former PSU quarterback, Rob Bolden, transferred to LSU. Bolden had attempted to transfer after the 2011 season, but Joe Paterno refused to release him from his scholarship. He had seven touchdowns and 14 interceptions in two seasons at Penn State.
But the big one, running back Silas Redd, decided to leave and join the USC Trojans. This will be interesting. He certainly gives the national title contenders a prime weapon to go along with Heisman favorite Matt Barkley and a super group of USC receivers. Redd, with two years of eligibility remaining, rushed for 1,241 yards last season.
Otherwise, the core is sticking with the Nittany Lions, at least until after the upcoming season. Players can still transfer without having to sit out a year in 2013.
–Chris Dufresne of the Los Angeles Times on conference realignment in college football… and how absurd it all is.
“Boise State, formerly of the WAC, currently in the Mountain West, has announced plans to join the Big East, but only in football and not until next year.
“San Diego State, after one more year in the Mountain West, is also taking football to the Big East. Get out a map and see how ridiculous that looks.
“The rest of San Diego State’s sports head to the Big West, as will all sports at Hawaii except football, which moves this year from the WAC to the Mountain West.
“Texas A&M and Missouri move this season from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference, where they are likely to wither away. Arkansas, the last team to join the SEC, in 1992, has never won that conference’s football title.
“Why Missouri and A&M are leaving, well, only Texas knows.
“Pittsburgh and Syracuse are abandoning the Big East for the Atlantic Coast, but not quite yet. The Big East wanted to contractually hold the schools until 2014, but they recently negotiated buyouts to forward their mail one year sooner.
“Former WAC members Fresno State and Nevada move this year to the Mountain West.
“Temple, once booted out of the Big East because its football program was so repulsive, rejoins the league this year as (perhaps) its pulse.
“Utah State and San Jose State will play this year in the WAC and next year in the Mountain West.
“Houston, Southern Methodist, Central Florida and Memphis – all members of Conference USA – filed papers to depart next season for the Big East.
“Florida International, Louisiana Tech and North Texas have signed letters of intent to join Conference USA starting in 2013.
“Yes. West Virginia, formerly of the Big East, is now Big 12.
“Army, Navy and Brighan Young remain independent, as does Notre Dame, which may have slightly tipped its hand by signing an agreement with the ACC-affiliated Orange Bowl.
“There’s also this NCAA Clearinghouse-keeping: USC comes off bowl probation after a two-year ban. Ohio State goes on probation for one year as Penn State begins a four-year bowl probationary period….
“Status of possible NCAA infractions against Oregon and Miami: pending.”
–Employing the 24-hour rule, I just saw that Wisconsin star running back Montee Ball was the victim of an unprovoked attack last night near the school campus but I’ll wait for further details before expounding on this, if it’s necessary to do so. Ball suffered head injuries but is out of the hospital.
—Peyton Manning admitted the nerve in his neck that has limited his arm strength still has not fully regenerated. Oops. Peter King of SI reports that while Manning isn’t “babying” his throws, he isn’t “ripping” them either.
I asked a fellow at a bar in Ocean City, Md., the other day, just small talkin’ as we were staring at some NFL training camp footage on the TV, how he thought Peyton would perform this season and he told me, ‘He’ll be fine…but not in peak form until Week 9.’ That could be just about the timetable after seeing King’s comments.
–This was too much. I was watching a local NBC News report on how neighbors of a local county golf course in Sayville, Long Island, were upset at all the damage they were getting from golf balls, errant drives, flying into their property from the adjacent course. But when they showed the kind of shot required to hit into the yards, I was kind of astounded. I mean these drives had to be the worst ever (I only have five of the top 100 all-time worst drives myself).
All the neighbors want is the county to extend the netting, which is clearly too low on this one particular hole.
Anyway, they interview one golfer, perhaps the dumbest guy I’ve ever seen on the face of the planet, who when asked what he would do said, and this is the exact quote, “It’s a tough sport, move!”
And so we hereby place “Anonymous Sayville, Long Island golfer” in the Bar Chat Hall of Fame for being the “Biggest Freakin’ Idiot in the World!”
–Wondering what happened to golfer Anthony Kim? I knew he has been suffering from injuries the past few years but on June 29, I just learned he tore his Achilles tendon while training. We may not see him for a full year. The three-time winner last won at the Shell Houston Open in 2010 and had made only two of ten cuts this year.
–It’s official…your editor will have to see not just two more movies in a theater the rest of his life, but three! You see, Peter Jackson confirmed there will be not just two but three “Hobbit” movies. Gotta keep Ian McKellen alive, sports fans!
December will see the release of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” Peter Jackson posted on his Facebook page after watching an early cut:
“We know how much of the story of Bilbo Baggins, the Wizard Gandalf, the Dwarves of Erebor, the rise of the Necromancer, and the Battle of Dol Guldur will remain untold if we do not take this chance. The richness of the story of ‘The Hobbit,’ as well as some of the related material in the appendices of ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ allows us to tell the full story of the adventures of Bilbo Baggins and the part he played in the sometimes dangerous, but at all times exciting, history of Middle-Earth.’”
Note to Mark R. I think when you told me over a few brews last weekend that there was a prior civilization on the planet (before what is commonly considered human history today) you were really talking about Middle-Earth. Just sayin’.
[The second Hobbit flick is scheduled for December 2013, which kind of makes the timing of the third, summer of 2014, curious. Jackson just has a few weeks of shooting to wrap up number two.]
–After all the shark sightings off Cape Cod, there was finally an attack the other day, though it wasn’t fatal. The unnamed body surfer was about a third of a mile offshore when he was bitten on the legs and foot area. The suspect swam away and is underwater somewhere.
–Jonah Lehrer resigned his job at The New Yorker and a book he had written on Bob Dylan, “Imagine: How Creativity Works,” was shelved by his publisher after he admitted to making up quotes from Dylan.
“Renwhen agin, my frin, we live, we din, we pine for vin….”
–We note the passing of legendary singer Tony Martin, 98. As a New York Times obit stated, his career spanned some 80 years in films and nightclubs and on radio and television.
Tony Martin formed his first band in Oakland, California in the late 1920s! The Times’ Stephen Holden wrote in January 2008 of a five-night engagement at Feinstein’s at Loews Regency in New York:
“After a chorus or two of, say, ‘The Very Thought of You,’ Mr. Martin would interject: ‘Ray Noble, lovely guy. I met him when I did the Palladium in London, and he asked me to sing that song.’”
Martin was seldom out of black tie and in the 1950s, those preparing for their prom could avail themselves of a popular tuxedo model called the Tony Martin.
I most remember Tony Martin from appearances with his wife, the beautiful and sexy dancer and actress Cyd Charisse; the two appearing often on television, like for “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Ms. Charisse died at 86 in June 2008 after the two had been married 60 years.
—Bruuuce performed for a record 4 hours 6 minutes in Helsinki the other night. Not bad for a 62-year-old.
Top 3 songs for the week 8/3/68: #1 “Hello, I Love You” (The Doors…I found Jim Morrison’s grave in Paris, but couldn’t find Chopin a few rows away…very disappointed) #2 “Classical Gas” (Mason Williams… ughh) #3 “Stoned Soul Picnic” (The 5th Dimension…ooh baby, Marilyn McCoo…one of Bar Chat’s “Most Beautiful Women of the Century” …)…and…#4 “Grazing In The Grass” (Hugh Masekela…great tune) #5 “Hurdy Gurdy Man” (Donovan…eh) #6 “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” (The Rolling Stones…wasn’t one of my favorites of theirs) #7 “Lady Willpower” (Gary Puckett and The Union Gap… underrated group) #8 “The Horse” (Cliff Nobles & Co. …bane of every high school marching band through the 80s) #9 “Turn Around, Look At Me” (The Vogues…these guys had some big hits) #10 “Sunshine Of Your Love” (The Cream…far out, man!)
San Diego Padres Quiz Answers: 1) Mark Loretta had 208 hits in 2004 as part of his best season in a solid career. Loretta hit .335 that year with 16 homers. Hmmm. 2) 40 HR: Greg Vaughn, 50 (1998…hmmm), Phil Nevin, 41 (2001…hmmm), Ken Caminiti, 40 (1996…admitted ‘roider), Adrian Gonzalez, 40 (2009…gets the benefit of the doubt). [Nate Colbert, by the way, topped off at 38 homers, twice. Who didn’t love seeing this guy hit? And he was clean!] 3) This is pathetic, but the career leader in wins with only 100 is Eric Show, who pitched for San Diego 1981-90. 4) Randy Jones won 20 twice, 20-12 in 1975 and 22-14 in 1976; Gaylord Perry was 21-6 in 1978. Jones and Perry won Cy Young Awards.
