Baseball Quiz: Assuming Jamie Moyer doesn’t suddenly sign on with someone at the age of 50, who is the active leader in both wins and strikeouts. Answer below.
Staff Sergeant Clinton L. Romesha
President Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to Romesha on Monday for leading a counterattack in Afghanistan after he and his comrades were asked to “defend the indefensible.”
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:
Staff Sergeant Clinton L. Romesha distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Section Leader with Bravo Troop, 3d Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, during combat operations against an armed enemy at Combat Outpost Keating, Kamdesh District, Nuristan Province, Afghanistan on October 3, 2009. On that morning, Staff Sergeant Romesha and his comrades awakened to an attack by an estimated 300 enemy fighters occupying the high ground on all four sides of the complex, employing concentrated fire from recoilless rifles, rocket propelled grenades, anti-aircraft machine guns, mortars and small arms fire. Staff Sergeant Romesha moved uncovered under intense enemy fire to conduct a reconnaissance of the battlefield and seek reinforcements from the barracks before returning to action with the support of an assistant gunner. Staff Sergeant Romesha took out an enemy machine gun team and, while engaging a second, the generator he was using for cover was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade, inflicting him with shrapnel wounds. Undeterred by his injuries, Staff Sergeant Romesha continued to fight and upon the arrival of another soldier to aid him and the assistant gunner, he again rushed through the exposed avenue to assemble additional soldiers. Staff Sergeant Romesha continually exposed himself to heavy enemy fire, as he moved confidently about the battlefield engaging and destroying multiple enemy targets, including three Taliban fighters who had breached the combat outpost’s perimeter. While orchestrating a successful plan to secure and reinforce key points on the battlefield, Staff Sergeant Romesha maintained radio communication with the tactical operations center. As the enemy forces attacked with even greater ferocity, unleashing a barrage of rocket-propelled grenades and recoilless rifle rounds, Staff Sergeant Romesha identified the point of attack and directed air support to destroy over 30 enemy fighters. After receiving reports that seriously injured Soldiers were at a distant battle position, Staff Sergeant Romesha and his team provided covering fire to allow the injured Soldiers to safely reach the aid station. Upon receipt of orders to proceed to the next objective, his team pushed forward 100 meters under overwhelming enemy fire to recover and prevent the enemy fighters from taking the bodies of their fallen comrades. Staff Sergeant Romesha’s heroic actions throughout the day-long battle were critical in suppressing an enemy that had far greater numbers. His extraordinary efforts gave Bravo Troop the opportunity to regroup, reorganize and prepare for the counterattack that allowed the Troop to account for its personnel and secure Combat Outpost Keating. Staff Sergeant Romesh’a discipline and extraordinary heroism above and beyond the call of duty reflect great credit upon himself, Bravo Troop, 3d Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division and the United States Army.
[8 soldiers died in the battle and 22 were wounded, including Romesha.]
AP Men’s College Basketball Poll [records thru Sunday]
1. Indiana 21-3 (26 first place votes)
2. Duke 21-2 (20)
3. Miami 19-3 (17)
4. Michigan 21-3…then lost to Michigan State, Tuesday, 75-52
5. Gonzaga 23-2 (2)
6. Syracuse 20-3
7. Florida 19-3
8. Michigan State 20-4
9. Arizona 20-3
10. Kansas State 19-4…then got blasted by No. 14 Kansas, Monday, 83-62
16. Pitt 20-5
24. Colorado State 19-4…SDSU there on Wed.
According to STATS, Top 25 teams lost to unranked teams 36 times from Jan. 17 to Feb. 6, the most in at least 17 years.
Gonzaga is the first team from outside the six power conferences to rank in the top five this late in the season since Memphis was No. 1 five years ago.
Florida coach Billy Donovan thinks 30 teams have a legitimate chance to make the Final Four. Butler coach Brad Stevens told USA TODAY:
“40? 50? 68? Whoever gets in has a shot, that’s true. Obviously there are a lot of factors that lay into it but to say right now, this time of year, ‘This is a Final Four team.’ “That’s a Sweet 16 team.’ Nobody knows.”
Yup, we’re going to be putting the “Madness” back in March Madness this go ‘round.
AP Women’s College Basketball Poll
1. Baylor
2. Notre Dame
3. UConn
4. Stanford
5. Duke
6. California
7. Maryland
8. Penn State
9. Kentucky
10. Louisville
20. Delaware
Follow-up…Rutgers women’s coach C. Vivian Stringer… Dave D’Alessandro / Star-Ledger
“For 40 years, you’ve done this job as well as anyone has ever done it, but now fear and anxiety are ping-ponging between your temples, a ceaseless alarm bell that this season is another lost cause, and you’re even more worried that everybody can see all this going on inside your head.
“You are C. Vivian Stringer and you know that the gap yawns wider with every passing year. But if somebody so much as hints that Rutgers no longer measures up to the elite programs, you blast them as ‘Those Crazies,’ as you did a few days ago, spitting out curses and howling your derision at those who Just Don’t Get It – and never mind that they’re all the same red-sweatered rubes whose taxes and student fees pay your $1 million salary….
“You often speak of not getting stressed out, but you seem stressed out. The discussion we had Friday about the state of the program should have elicited a simple and demure, ‘This is cyclical, we’ll be back.’ Instead, you doubled down on the bluster, and figured your athletic director would throw you a life line. ‘The only person that matters is Tim Pernetti,’ you said with trademark defiance, ‘and he knows – he should know – what time it is.’
“You’ll be happy to know that Pernetti has not misplaced his timepiece, but you’ve put him in a tough spot. He knows that silence means tacit approval of your team’s direction, but he’s not silent anymore: ‘Vivian has built a national program,’ he said in an interview the other day, ‘and that’s what we expect: a national championship.’
“He also knows that the cloying, sudsy praise you crave is very patronizing. This is Year 40 of Title IX, and women’s programs must be held to the same standards as the men’s teams – especially when the women’s coach is paid a very aggressive salary while her program loses millions each year.”
The reason why I’ve covered this story the last two chats is simply because of the money, and how Stringer doesn’t get it. Again, she is the highest paid state employee here in New Jersey.
D’Alessandro also makes a great point with the Title IX reference. You want equal treatment? You’re going to get it, including the close inspection.
With colleges struggling with finances, and with college sports increasingly under the microscope, some teams are being eliminated as men’s basketball and football are relied on to pay for the rest of an athletic program.
But when Rutgers’ women’s b-ball program is losing $millions, something has to give. I don’t know what Stringer’s contract is, but you know Pernetti is thinking long and hard about shelling out seven figures for a money-losing product.
[Rutgers lost to DePaul on Tuesday, dropping its record to 14-9, 5-5, with Stringer stuck on 899 career wins.]
On Tuesday, LeBron James scored 30 points on 11 for 15 shooting, running his streak of 30 points and 60% shooting to six straight games, an NBA record.
This year he is shooting a remarkable .565 from the field, with a career high 8.1 rebounds to go along with 6.9 assists and his 27.1 ppg average.
LeBron’s field goal percentage has improved six straight seasons. He just gets better and better. He’s also my pick for MVP over Kevin Durant.
Ball Bits
–The Mets made a half-ass attempt at All-Star outfielder Michael Bourn and he ended up signing with Cleveland, four years, $48 million. As a Mets fan, I didn’t have a good feeling about this one. Glad we passed (the key being we didn’t want to give up our No. 11 pick in the upcoming draft).
–Regarding Mike Piazza’s new book “Long Shot,” I just wanted to note a bit from the New York Post discussing Piazza’s attitude toward Hispanic ballplayers. As in he thinks they need to learn English.
“I certainly don’t dispute that Latin players are entitled to the same dreams and opportunities that I had, but I’m sorry: when they arrive on U.S. soil, the onus isn’t on the American players to learn Spanish,” he writes. “It’s on the Latin players to learn English.”
Piazza had his moments with Latin ballplayers during his career. He describes “some kind of weird Hispanic conspiracy against me, almost like a secret brotherhood, a Latin mafia-type of thing.”
For example, when a Dodger, he was scorned by teammates Ismael Valdez, and Ramon and Pedro Martinez.
NFL
—Michael Vick signed a new one-year contract with the Eagles that has a base salary of $3.5 million, a $3.5 million signing bonus, and $3 million in incentives. Regarding the last item, Vick gets $500,000 if he takes 50 percent of the snaps this season and another $1 million if he’s on the field for 90 percent of the snaps, and basically the remainder if he leads the Eagles to the Super Bowl title.
–You know what’s funny. We had the huge snowstorm in the New York area last weekend and there was zero…zero…talk of how the Super Bowl is being held here in one year.
Oh, sure, there was plenty of discussion in the week leading up to the Super Bowl in New Orleans, but it was as if someone flipped off the switch.
Heck, even I didn’t mention it last time…but I have an excuse. The forecasters at Bar Chat are now working overtime, refining next year’s forecast, including the incorporation of the European Model. Right now I’m thinking the transition from ice to snow on Super Sunday occurs at about 8:20-8:30 a.m. along the Route 3 corridor. The European Model doesn’t reflect this as yet.
–Now I can’t say I’m a wrestling fan, but I, like many, was shocked by the International Olympic Committee’s decision to ditch wrestling from the Games, effective 2020.
“It’s not a case of what’s wrong with wrestling,” said an IOC spokesman. “It is what’s right with the 25 core sports.”
“Now let’s be honest. Most of us are probably not watching a lot of amateur wrestling on TV in our spare time during non-Olympic years. But the IOC’s decision feels like another money-driven shin-kick to the idea of what makes the Olympics the Olympics….
“This is about what it means for an athlete you’ve never heard of spend a whole career for one chance to represent country and try to live forever. This is why wrestlers will fight this decision. Because they’re exactly what the Olympics are supposed to be about. That, and the red-hot glamour of golf.”
In terms of popularity, the IOC said wrestling ranked “low” in several criteria, but the sport sold 113,851 of 116,854 available tickets in London. Not bad, yet the IOC didn’t see it that way.
—Men’s Division I College Hockey Poll [USCHO}
1.Quinnipiac*
2. Minnesota
3. Miami (OH)
4. Boston College
5. New Hampshire
6. Western Michigan
7. North Dakota
8. St. Cloud State
9. Minnesota State
10. Yale
15. Niagara….cool
*First time an athletic program from the school was ranked No. 1.
–American Ted Ligety won the men’s super-combined for his second gold medal of the world championships in Austria. Ligety was sixth in the downhill and then kicked butt in the slalom. He previously won the super-G title. Assuming Lindsey Vonn returns, the American ski team is in great shape for Sochi.
–Congratulations to Brittany Ross, senior at Washington and Lee University, for closing out her collegiate swimming career in style, setting a new meet and school record in the 200 fly at the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championship on Sunday in Greensboro, N.C.
The W&L women kicked butt, recording 1,000 points over three days to claim the ODAC title.
–I couldn’t agree more with Raymond Floyd’s comments in an interview for the March issue Golf Magazine concerning the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Floyd: After Tiger and Phil and now McIlroy, are there any true superstars? The bar has been lowered. Guys get voted into the Hall of Fame who don’t belong, who lack the numbers. I’m very upset at the Hall of Fame for that. It’s not fair to the people who went in early.
GM: Who has been elected to the Hall who doesn’t deserve it?
Floyd: Just look at the inductees over the last six, eight, 10 years. Some years, I don’t even vote because the names are not worthy of induction. One major should not get you into the Hall of Fame – maybe one major and 40 wins. I’m not gonna pick a guy with one major and 11 wins.
GM: Fred Couples has one major and 15 Tour wins, and Colin Montgomerie never won a major, and they’ll be enshrined this year. It sounds like they didn’t get your vote.
Floyd: I’ll just say that you should have at least two majors. At least! Wow, there are guys in there that it’s a joke. It takes integrity away from the term ‘Hall of Fame.’
[One thing I forgot about Floyd, he was ranked top 15 in the world at age 50. That year, 1992, he turned 50 in September and that spring, won at Doral, finished 3rd a week later at the Honda, was 2nd at The Masters…a tradition unlike any other…on CBS, and a few weeks after that, 2nd at the Byron Nelson. Good lord! That’s some playin’, sports fans! For the record, Floyd won 22 PGA Tour events and four majors. A well-deserving Hall of Famer.]
–Nice job, Alabama. Four football players, all freshmen, were suspended indefinitely on Tuesday, facing charges of second-degree robbery or credit-card fraud. Eddie Williams, who did not play a down last season but is a former five-star recruit, was first arrested Sunday on a charge of carrying a pistol without a license.
Then, Williams admitted that he physically assaulted a student on campus, rendering him unconscious. Williams then stole a credit card and used it for vending machine purchases. Linebacker Tyler Hayes confessed to robbing another student, while the other two used a stolen credit card.
–The Westminster Kennel Club just wrapped up its 137th dog show and an affenpinscher won “Best in Show.” That means 137 years without a Labrador winning, even though it’s the most popular breed in the U.S.
“The Labrador hasn’t even made it out of the Sporting group to sniff at Westminster’s grand prize. In other words, Labradors are the Chicago Cubs of show dogs: the most lovable of four-legged losers.”
What hurts Labs, say some, is the lack of a long coat or the grace of a fast gait, “making it trickier to catch a judge’s eye,” as Cohen writes.
—February 11, 1963…in the space of 585 minutes, one marathon session, the Beatles completed their first album, “Please Please Me,” all 10 tracks for the LP, plus a leftover revamped for their next album. As the BBC reported:
“The original recording saw the band playing live renditions – save for a few false starts and mistakes – of the songs which formed the core of their shows, with little in the way of overdubs in the way bands record layers of instruments today.
“The final track of the day ‘Twist And Shout’ – held back to the end because of fears that John Lennon’s already ailing voice could be wrecked if it was played any earlier – was captured in one take. When Lennon, singing topless at the climax of the session, had tried again he could barely sing so they stuck with what they had.”
Top 3 songs for the week 2/13/71: #1 “One Bad Apple” (The Osmonds) #2 “Knock Three Times” (Dawn) #3 “Rose Garden” (Lynn Anderson…I beg your pardon…I never freakin’ promised you….)…and…#4 “I Hear You Knocking” (Dave Edmunds) #5 “Lonely Days” (Bee Gees) #6 “My Sweet Lord” (George Harrison…oops…someone else did this one…never mind…) #7 “Groove Me” (King Floyd) #8 “Your Song” (Elton John…in my top 20 all-time tunes…) #9 “If I Were Your Woman” (Gladys Knight & The Pips…Pips can’t hold a candle to the Imperials…) #10 “Mama’s Pearl” (The Jackson 5)
Baseball Quiz Answer: Andy Pettitte is the active leader in wins (245) and strikeouts (2320). Roy Halladay is next in wins at 199.
