Baseball Quiz: Under the gun, time wise, I’m utilizing some info passed along by Shu for a quiz, he being a Diamondbacks fan and the D-backs having just acquired slugger Mark Trumbo from the Angels. As I noted at the time of the trade, Trumbo has 95 home runs the last three seasons. Name the only four in the majors to have more than that in that time period. Answer below.
So just a little about me. Flew to Kiawah, S.C. on Thursday, arrived early afternoon and went straight to Cherrywood Barbecue, the favorite of Jeff B. and myself, but it was closed. [Low season down there, you understand.] So instead went to the bar at The Sanctuary for some delicious pork sliders and a few brewskis.
Friday, it was my annual round at the Ocean Course (think 2012 PGA) and while I always get off to a poor start there (blaming my use of rentals), I actually drove the ball well and had seven bogeys, but only one par (No. 5). Strange round. Lost just five balls and three were on the par-3 No. 17 water hole. The caddie asked if I wanted to hit another, to which I replied, “I’m not out to become part of local lore.” He then told Whit (my Wake buddy) and I that he had carried for a guy just about a week earlier who lost 36 balls! [And the guy tried to convince the caddie he was “just off” that day.] Anyway, if you ever have the chance to play the Ocean, do it. Whit, by the way, shot an 86.
Friday night went to a great restaurant we always hit, Hege’s, for our pre-half-marathon meal. Actually, we normally hit this Saturday after the race, but due to my schedule had to do it Friday. Beef stroganoff didn’t seem too iffy for the stomach…and it wasn’t.
Saturday dawned drizzly and pretty warm for the race and your editor was exactly on a 10-minute pace at the 10-mile mark, taking into consideration the time it took to get to the starting line. But for the second straight year I couldn’t muster any strength the final 3.1 miles and I ended up with a chip (net) time of 2:11:45, the exact time of two years ago, but two minutes slower than 2012. I thought at ten miles I could beat last year…but alas, I’m old and clearly didn’t train enough. Among men 50-59 (I’m 55), I was 115 out of 188. Ughh.
Oh well. Whit, Connie and I, over beers at the finish line, decided we’d do it one more year and then I’m calling it a career. [Nothing but 10Ks from then on…if the knees hold up.]
So I had to rush out of Kiawah, unfortunately, on Saturday because the initial plan was a crazy one; to attempt to catch the end of a wedding reception at West Point! Yes, Charleston to West Point…not easy. And of course I knew a week ahead that the weather was going to be a problem.
Because I wasn’t flying at a normal time, and couldn’t get a direct Charleston to Newark flight (which would have been canceled anyway), I had to go through Dulles. At least that was the schedule.
Well, I knew Friday night that United had canceled the Dulles to Newark segment so Saturday afternoon I didn’t know what would happen. But I made it to Dulles, hopped on the first hotel shuttle bus that I saw (representing a chain that would have a bar), and the good folks (or rather very cute check-in girl) at Marriott came through for me.
Funny thing…I didn’t know this before but the United check-in person back in Charleston, knowing I was going to be waylaid in D.C., said “Call yourself a ‘distressed traveler’ and you might get a break with the hotels.” I don’t know if I was cut some slack but I told Marriott I was indeed a “distressed traveler” and the room rate was very fair.
It’s called Airport Accommodations…24-hour-service… 800-935-5995…or book online: apaglobal.com and enter coupon code: JSTRK…you are provided a choice of hotels at the lowest rates available. No charge. And tell ‘em the editor sent you…or maybe not.
Well, I hit the bar at the Marriott and I have to say, not having been there before, in fact with all my world travels there’s never been a reason for me to go to Dulles, what a great spot! Perfect for viewing some games and making new acquaintances, fellow distressed travelers, as you can imagine this weekend. And I had delicious fish and chips. One woman there was a huge West Virginia fan and boy, was she railing about Jameis Winston (this was hours before the Heisman show).
So to wrap up (sorry to bore you but this is as much for me when I’m sitting in my rocking chair, trying to remember what I did with my life), I was able to catch a 6:00 AM flight out of Dulles to Newark, Sunday morning, and all is now right with the world, but I’m hopelessly behind on stuff.
As for the West Point affair, all my friends made it and from the pics I was receiving Saturday night, it was a helluva time.
NFL Review
Seattle picked up some great experience in shutting out the Giants at the Meadowlands 23-0, the first time the Giants have been shut out at home since 1995. Eli Manning threw five interceptions to run his NFL-leading total to 25 on the season, while New York amassed only 181 yards total offense.
For Seattle, Russell Wilson wasn’t spectacular, but more than good enough as he no doubt soaked it all in with the Seahawks gunning for a return visit on February 2.
Chicago defeated Cleveland 38-31, with Jay Cutler returning to throw 3 touchdown passes, while Green Bay came back from a 26-3 halftime deficit to beat Dallas 37-36.
So with a huge Monday night game coming up, Detroit and Baltimore, the NFC North standings are….
Chicago 8-6
Detroit 7-6
Green Bay 7-6-1
As for the NFC East, the Eagles lost to the Vikings 48-30 as Nick Foles threw for 428 yards but it wasn’t enough. Subbing for Adrian Peterson, Minnesota’s Matt Asiata had only 51 yards on 30 carries, awful, but he did have three scores.
Philadelphia 8-6
Dallas 7-7
In the AFC, on Thursday, San Diego upset Denver on the road, 27-20, with Philip Rivers outplaying Peyton Manning, while the Chargers’ ‘D’ held the Broncos to just 295 yards total offense.
Meanwhile, Kansas City tied Denver at 11-3 with a 56-31 pasting of the Raiders in Oakland, with Alex Smith completing 17 of 20 for 287 yards and five touchdowns. [158.3 rating.] Running back Jamaal Charles had only 20 yards on the ground, but 195 yards receiving and 3 touchdowns, 4 overall.
So New England had a chance with the Denver loss to tie both the Chiefs and Broncos for overall home-field advantage but proceeded to lose to the Dolphins, 24-20; in the process keeping Miami’s hopes alive for a final wildcard slot at 8-6.
Denver 11-3
Kansas City 11-3
New England 10-4
Miami now waits to see what happens Monday night with the 7-6 Ravens in their contest against the Lions.
As I talked about last time, the Washington Redskins and Coach Mike Shanahan needed to decide what to do with Robert Griffin III and Shanahan decided to bench him the final three games of the season under the guise of protecting his health, which is undoubtedly the right move but not what RG3 wanted.
So Kirk Cousins will start the final three and on Sunday he went 29/45, 381, 3-2, 94.8…not bad, but not enough as the Redskins had seven turnovers total, including a franchise record-tying five fumbles that the Atlanta Falcons turned into 20 points.
Yet Washington had a chance in the end, only a two-point conversion with 18 seconds left resulted in a 27-26 Atlanta victory. Otherwise, a totally meaningless affair.
Finally, the Jets (6-8) were all but mathematically eliminated when they lost to Carolina 30-20 as the Panthers moved to 10-4. This game was dreadful.
“The Wes Welker situation is now officially serious. The Denver Broncos wide receiver suffered a concussion Nov. 17 against the Kansas City Chiefs. He played the next Sunday.
“Last Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, he took a shot coming over the middle from Bernard Pollard and suffered another concussion. The Broncos play host to the San Diego Chargers on Thursday night. Thank God they had the sense not to let Welker play in that game. The question is: Should he ever play again?
“Benjamin Hochman, Denver Post: ‘The Broncos could very well win the Super Bowl. Will Wes Welker remember it?… He is no longer a football player. He is a roulette player.’
“Jeff Pearlman, longtime sportswriter and nationally known author, wrote on his website, in an open letter to Welker, that he ought to retire immediately: ‘You keep coming back. I don’t think you’re courageous. Or tough. I think you are stupid.’”
–The Associated Press did an extensive study reviewing 549 penalties, 491 of which fell under the category of major infractions: unnecessary roughness, unsportsmanlike conduct, facemasking and roughing the quarterback.
“Of the penalties charted over the first 162 games of the season, the AP identified 156 involving contact with the head and neck — an average of .962 per game.”
College Football
–I did watch the Heisman award ceremony. Ordinarily I wouldn’t waste my time (just issue a press release in the future…the telecast is painful…) but was curious to see Jameis Winston talk. Eegads, he really does sound kind of, you know, not too bright. [I’m trying hard not to be snarky like the hundreds of thousands of blog entries have been.]
Actually, I really didn’t understand half of what Winston said in his acceptance speech. It was a language I just wasn’t familiar with.
Anyway, Winston won in a landslide, with 2,205 points to runner-up AJ McCarron’s 704. Northern Illinois’ Jordan Lynch, third.
As for the sexual assault accusation, Winston said it was about “the process,” or something like that, and that he is becoming a better person every day, and, well, it’s over.
[Looking at next year’s Heisman chase, the early favorites, as Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY put it, would be Winston, Marcus Mariota, Braxton Miller, UCLA’s Brett Hundley, and Baylor’s Bryce Petty, all quarterbacks.]
–Texas coach Mack Brown resigned after 16 seasons and a 2005 national title. From 2001-09, the Longhorns had a dominating run, going 101-16, twice playing for the national championship. But then his teams went just 30-20 the last four seasons, including 18-17 in the Big 12, and that just doesn’t get it done at Texas.
Overall, Brown’s 158 wins at UT (158-47) are second to Darrell Royal’s 167 in 20 seasons.
The above mentioned Paul Myerberg lists a few potential replacements for Brown; Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy, Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher, Auburn’s Gus Malzahn, Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio, and Louisville’s Charlie Strong. Forget the buyouts Texas would have to cough up…money is no object here.
As for the rumors that Alabama’s Nick Saban would take over for Brown, Saban parlayed the talk into a new extension that will pay him a reported $7 million to $7.5 million a season. In March 2012, Saban signed an 8-year deal worth $5.6 million annually at ‘Bama. This is beyond absurd. But you can be sure whoever gets the Texas job will be in the $5.5 million+ category.
–I saw the second half of Army-Navy in, err, the Marriott bar and the Midshipmen won a 12th consecutive time as quarterback Keenan Reynolds ran for three touchdowns to hit 29 for the season, a new Division I mark for a QB. Navy is 8-4 and once again going bowling. Army is 3-9 and once again not.
–Quarterback Everett Golson has been readmitted to Notre Dame and will have redshirt junior status for next season, though cannot practice with the team leading up to their bowl game against Rutgers. Golson, you’ll recall, was booted from school after being caught cheating and violating the honor code.
—UConn hired Notre Dame defensive coordinator Bob Diaco as its football coach. Diaco, just 40, takes over a Huskies program that went 3-9 this season, firing Paul Pasqualoni after an 0-4 start. Diaco will receive a reported $1.5 million a year in a 5-year deal.
—Division I-AA (FCS) Final Four / Quarterfinal results…
New Hampshire 14 Southeast Louisiana 7…New Hampshire is just 10-4, but the Wildcats have won their last six.
North Dakota State 48 Coastal Carolina 14
Eastern Washington 35 Jacksonville State 24
College Basketball
–So on Saturday, when I arrived at Charleston Airport, I had a little time before my flight to Dulles so found a bar (err, err) and caught the final 9.5 seconds of No. 1 Arizona at Michigan. It was 67-66 Wildcats when I walked in. And I swear, as anyone watching the game knows, those final 9.5 seconds took so long, I actually was able to down a pint with ease. That’s when you know the end of these games is getting a little ridiculous. [Final score: Arizona 72 Michigan 70.]
–Actually, you had a similar situation in No. 18 North Carolina’s nice win over No. 11 Kentucky 82-77. That one had an interminable ending (cough cough…another pint’s worth, though by this time I was in Dulles).
Carolina’s bizarre season continues…losses to Belmont and UAB (which really isn’t that bad), but wins over No. 1 Michigan State, No. 3 Louisville, and No. 11 Kentucky, all before Christmas. Yup, those are three nice resume stuffers come March and the tournament selection committee when it comes to seeding.
–Not a lot of other big games the past few days, it being exam week for most of the teams. I do have to note that Seton Hall suffered another embarrassing loss, losing to St. Peter’s in overtime. Just as was the case with FDU and its win over the Hall, St. Peter’s registered its first win in the series since 1995. And just as in the case of FDU, it’s not like St. Peter’s is going to be an NCAA Cinderella. Neither is going to sniff the post-season.
NBA Review
“If you’re a Knicks fan, you know who you want running your team’s basketball operation?
“It isn’t just that Ainge made an inspired choice in hiring a brilliant young coach such as Brad Stevens away from Butler to coach the Celtics.
“Or that he was able to get rid of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce AND their contracts and get something back in return.
“Or even that the Celtics are making rebuilding wildly entertaining in Boston so far this season.
“Ainge also happens to be loaded with first-round picks, starting with next year’s draft, already being called one of the best in NBA history.
“If you’re keeping score at home, Ainge has more first-round picks in the short run than the Knicks and Nets – combined – have for about the next century.”
Ball Bits
—Robinson Cano was a total jerk the other day when he was introduced to the Seattle public after signing his 10-year, $240 million contract. Cano said of the Yanks, “I didn’t feel respect. I didn’t get respect from them, and I didn’t see any effort.”
All the Yankees did, you jerk, was offer $175 million over seven years, or $25 million per when you are getting $24M annually from Seattle. Yes, New York offered $65 million less total, but it a very competitive bid, let alone the only one you had received until Seattle stupidly opened up its coffers.
“There are no bad guys in the Robinson Cano story, even though you have to say the Yankees’ former second baseman showed a lot more effort on playing the card about the Yankees not respecting him than he used to show running out ground balls for the Yankees.
“No, this is just the kind of bad ending you get all the time with these divorces in sports, and one more high-profile athlete and his handlers playing the rest of us for rank suckers, actually thinking that they can turn a money grab into some kind of sacrament.”
–The Kansas City Royals agreed to a four-year deal worth about $30 million for free agent infielder Omar Infante. They overpaid, but maybe they get two productive years out of him, and he’s a step up from what the Royals had. But Infante, a .279 career hitter in 12 seasons, is very injury prone.
That said, the Yankees were hoping to nab him as a replacement for Cano.
–Since last chat, the Mets signed 40-year-old Bartolo Colon to a two-year, $20 million deal.
“You can scoff all you want about the Mets giving $20 million to a 40-year-old fat man. You can scratch your head and wonder why, of all people, of all the available pitchers, the Mets decided to allocate a sizeable portion of their remaining winter resources on Bartolo Colon who, two years ago, was essentially released into free agency by the Yankees and, a year ago, was given a 50-game suspension for using performance enhancing drugs.
“You can question the Mets about all of those things, not to mention the fact that Colon will now have to lug his hefty frame into the batter’s box on a regular basis for the first time since 2002, but what you can no longer say about them is that they’re not trying. Or, for that matter, that they’re cheapskates.”
Colon pours in the strikes…No. 1 in MLB at 85.5% of his fastballs. His walk % was 4th, 29 in 190 innings.
–I don’t know why, but I hope Joba Chamberlain does well for Detroit, he having signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal. Definitely worth a gamble, especially at that price.
–On Wednesday, Major League Baseball voted to eliminate home-plate collisions. The rules committee, worried about the whole concussion issue, widely supported it. Old school guys, including former catchers, weren’t as enthusiastic. Said new Detroit Tigers Manager, and former catcher, Brad Ausmus, “This is a run. This is the difference between possibly making the playoffs and not making the playoffs. It should matter a little bit more.”
The rule and method of its enforcement is still to be determined, but you will only be allowed to slide into home plate.
–An online petition is going after the Cleveland Indians to retire Chief Wahoo.
–The Men’s NCAA Division I Soccer Championship came down to a battle between Maryland, which beat Virginia in the semis, and Notre Dame, which shut out New Mexico 2-0.
–Goodness gracious…if you are a Premier League fan, did you see the whoopin’ Manchester City doled out to first-place Arsenal? 6-3! After 16 matches, Arsenal’s lead has been cut to two over Chelsea and Liverpool. Man City trails by three points. Everton is only four back.
Actually, on Sunday Liverpool blasted a decent Tottenham squad 5-0. Scoring is breaking out all over the Premier League, kids.
–Olympic champion Evan Lysacek won’t be able to defend his gold medal at Sochi in figure skating due to a hip injury. He’s had a torn labrum since August and was attempting to train through it. Doctors finally told him, no can do. With the retirement of Johnny Weir, don’t look for the American men’s team to come close to medaling.
[For Sochi, it’s all about Alpine, women’s figure skating, and men’s hockey. That’s all I care about.]
–Finally, we note the passing of actor Peter O’Toole, 81. More on his great career next time.
Top 3 songs for the week 12/19/81: #1 “Physical” (Olivia Newton-John) #2 “Waiting For A Girl Like You” (Foreigner) #3 “Let’s Groove” (Earth, Wind & Fire…not their best…)…and…#4 “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)” (Daryl Hall & John Oates) #5 “Young Turks” (Rod Stewart) #6 “Harden My Eart” (Quarterflash) #7 “Why Do Fools Fall In Love” (Diana Ross) #8 “Leather And Lace” (Stevie Nicks with Don Henley) #9 “Don’t Stop Believin’” (Journey…I still say the ending to “The Sopranos” was brilliant…and oh so profitable for this group…) #10 “Trouble” (Lindsey Buckingham)
Baseball Quiz Answer: Four to hit more than Mark Trumbo’s 95 home runs last three seasons…
Miguel Cabrera (118), Jose Bautista (98), Adrian Beltre (98) and Jay Bruce (96). [Giancarlo Stanton also had 95, along with Trumbo.]
