NBA Quiz: Wilt Chamberlain led the NBA in scoring seven consecutive seasons, 1959-66, averaging over 35 a game in five of them. Since the 1965-66 campaign, only three players in NBA or ABA history have averaged 35 per game over the course of a season. Name them. [34.6 doesn’t count as 35] Answer below.
The Masters
The sport of golf could not be in better shape and now Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, the under the radar Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Thomas, Daniel Berger…I could go on and on…like “grizzled” 30-year-old veteran Dustin Johnson, 25-year-old Russell Henley, 26-year-old Rickie Fowler…will keep viewers tuning in.
But it’s the potential for Rory and Jordan, with an occasional interruption from the others, for 15-20 years to come, that could beat anything Arnie or Jack represented, or Tiger and Phil. In the other two cases, the rivals were far apart in age.
So this week Jordan Spieth tied then 21-year-old Tiger Woods’ 72-hole record score at Augusta, -18. Spieth also now holds the 36- and 54-hole records after this weekend, having shot 64-66-70-70 – 270. He never broke for literally more than a single shot. It was also the first time in 39 years someone went wire-to-wire in the Masters.
Spieth -16
Rose -12
Mickelson -11
After 10…
Spieth -18
Rose -12
Mickelson -12
And in the end….
Spieth -18
Rose -14
Mickelson -14
Rory’s 66 got him to -12, alone in fourth (his best finish at Augusta), while Matsuyma shot a 6-under 66 to get to -11.
—Tiger’s back-to-back rounds in the 60s on Friday and Saturday were his first at Augusta since he won in 2005, and the 68 on Saturday was the first time he had broken 70 on the weekend at a major since 2011.
But it was too much he was paired with Sergio Garcia on Saturday. The two have never gotten along, topped off by the incident in 2013 when Garcia accused Woods of distracting him during a shot at The Players Championship, and then later Garcia made a racist joke at Woods’ expense.
Garcia apologized and Woods wanted none of it. Saturday afternoon, Garcia insisted, “I think we’re both fine.” But Tiger holds grudges, forever, and clearly the two barely talked to each other during the round. As USA TODAY’s Nancy Armour put it, “Truth is, Garcia is little more than an annoyance to Woods.” Tiger let his golf do the talking Saturday.
–As well as Tiger played, though, the excitement was all early Saturday as both Tiger and Rory started -2 and shot 4-under to get to -6 on their front nines, only to both shoot just par on the back. [Oops, sorry…as you’ll see below, you’re not supposed to go ‘front’ and ‘back’ at Augusta.]
–Tiger unleashed a whopping expletive on Saturday after his tee shot at No. 13. God was not happy, given all the good work He has done.
—Dustin Johnson set a record on Saturday with three eagles, which has never been done at Augusta.
–When Tom Watson shot 1-under 71 on Thursday, at 65 he became the oldest to ever break par at the Masters. Gay Brewer had the record with a 2-under 70 when he was 63.
–Major kudos to 58-year-old Mark O’Meara, who finished -2 for the tournament with 68s on Friday and Sunday. It was the first time he made the cut in 10 years and his best round since 2001. O’Meara was Masters champ in 1998.
“The three greatest golf tournaments in the world – the British and U.S. Opens and the Masters – have an outsized emotional impact on almost every player. Tournaments they dreamed about since childhood, often feared as adults and where their fondest hopes can be realized or crushed open them up to spontaneous introspection, philosophizing and humor.
“As soon as they come into the large, packed press rooms at these majors, they can’t stop talking, telling tales as if these mass gatherings are the one – and perhaps only – place to give an honest picture of who you are. It’s a golf tradition that is as palpable as it is vague – and never mentioned. It just happens….
“After shooting the lowest 36-hole score (64-66 – 130) in the history of the Masters on Friday, Jordan Spieth, 21, talked about the thrill of standing ovations at every green and his deep desire, unlike last year when he crumped on Sunday, to hold himself together emotionally for two more days and ‘close’ like a champion.
“But Spieth, who shocks his elders with his maturity, also talked about his 14-year-old sister, Ellie, who has special needs, and how he talks to her every other day and imagines how much she is enjoying watching the TV coverage of his success.
“ ‘She’s the funniest person in our family,’ he said, smiling thinking of her. ‘It’s humbling to see her and her friends and the struggles they go through each day that we take for granted, where it seems easy for us and it’s not for them.
“ ‘At the same time, they are the happiest people in the world,’ he added. ‘And when I say ‘they,’ I speak to special needs kids. My experience with her and with her friends, it’s fantastic. I love being part of it, helping support it.’
“Ernie Els, who stands in seventh place, met Ellie Spieth last week at a PGA Tour event in Houston. ‘Met her, met Jordan’s parents,’ said Els, who has an autistic child. ‘They have an [emotional] link to autism. Jordan’s a special kid.’”
Ernie then went off on his own tale, including his 10-year slump.
“No one escapes the floods of emotion here. It’s connected somehow to the huge gaps in age, the sense that the Masters never changes, yet generations come here young, play for decades, then literally return here within sight of the grave. ‘I can’t believe I’ve played here 44 times,’ Crenshaw said. ‘Shoulda quit long ago.’
“At the champions dinner here Tuesday night, Palmer, 85, was given an award. He got up to speak and couldn’t, too choked with emotion, perhaps sensing in the moment a kind of lifetime summation he hadn’t quite expected. ‘You could hear a pin drop,’ Nick Faldo said. ‘One of the most powerful things I ever saw. He said, ‘Jack, help me out.’ Then he just sat down.
“By Thursday morning, the old Big Three were in a much different mood, regaling the press room. ‘Arnold had the strongest hands I’ve ever seen on a golfer,’ Player said. ‘One time, he comes to South Africa. We go down a gold mine – 8,000 feet down. We’re brought in a room, must be a billion dollars’ worth of gold in there. They bring out one gold bar that we’ve watched them pouring.
“ ‘The [miner] puts it on the table with two hands. He says, about 20 of us there, ‘Anybody that can pick this up can have it.’ Arnie says, ‘Ask him if I can try.’
“Arnold picks it up,’ Player said, indicating an effortless one-handed lift. ‘Guy’s eyes were this big.
–John Paul Newport / Wall Street Journal…who normally attends the Masters in person, but this year rather enjoyed watching it from home instead of dealing with the crowds.
“The bulk of the Augusta National membership may be of the pre-digital, geriatric persuasion, but their tournament is by far the most technologically advanced, web-savvy event in golf. Economists could probably measure at a macro level the productivity lost by golf-addicted office workers on Masters Thursday and Friday. It’s a good thing for bosses that the six live video streams on the tournament website don’t start booting up until 11 a.m. Eastern time.”
In a word, Masters.com is awesome. Don’t you wish every PGA Tour event had such a great, real-time leaderboard, for starters? It would be a lot more productive for me, as all weekend I’m working on this column in fits and starts, trying to keep track of all the sporting events.
“Since I hadn’t actually sat back and watched Jim Nantz and crew cover the Masters for years, I had almost forgot how smarmy and reverent they are. ‘This national treasure was blessed once again…’ an announcer said, referring to the tournament and its tradition of inviting the Big Three, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, as honorary starters. I was moved by the soundtrack accompanying a segment welcoming viewers to the tournament: Nina Simone’s gorgeous and soulful ‘Feeling Good.’ Some things change and some things don’t. Augusta National has female members now, but the CBS announcing crew doesn’t.
“The broadcast certainly feels like an in-house deal. On Thursday, for example, ESPN courteously refrained from flashing Ben Crenshaw’s score (91) after he holed out on 18 in his next to final round. That’s how one is expected to treat people at a proper club like Augusta. There are worse things. Some of the rules that the club insists on are silly: calling spectators ‘patrons’ instead of ‘fans,’ and referring to the ‘front’ and ‘back’ nines as the ‘first’ and ‘second’ nines….but rules, like manners, sometimes exist not because they make sense but to give people an opportunity to show respect. Augusta National isn’t selling anything, except its own image and the game of golf. It will give away much of what it makes this week to golf-related charities. So patrons it is.”
–That was pretty cool that 75-year-old Nicklaus got a hole-in-one in Wednesday’s par-3 contest, the first Jack said he’s ever had at Augusta.
–For the record, 63-year-old Ben Crenshaw shot 91-85 in his final two rounds. Yes, as he put it, he should have stopped playing years ago. Long-time caddie Carl Jackson, 68, was unable to carry Gentle Ben’s bag this week due to health issues, but it was a nice touch he was there at No. 18 on Friday to greet him.
Carl Jackson first caddied in the Masters in 1961, at the age of 14. He was on Crenshaw’s bag 39 times, including the 1984 and 1995 wins.
Dwight Eisenhower was one who thought Jackson shouldn’t be caddying at such a young age, but future club chairman Jack Stephens, who paid Jackson well, stepped in and made sure Jackson got a home education.
Jackson was on the bag of Bruce Devlin as a 17-year-old in 1964, with Devlin finishing fourth behind Arnold Palmer.
But in 1970, Carl Jackson was paired with Gary Player, who in 1966 was quoted as appearing to support the policy of apartheid in his home country of South Africa. Player’s original assignment in 1970, Ernest Nipper, withdrew after receiving death threats.
“I knew I would be taking a risk,” says Jackson, “but Gary Player was a world-class golfer, had a chance of winning the Masters and I really needed that kind of money. So I said yes. I caddied the whole tournament with secret service people at my side, sometimes even inside the ropes.
“Mr. Player told me on the first hole of the first practice round that all he wanted me to do was keep up and keep his balls and clubs clean. But by the time the tournament came round he was asking for club suggestions. After about the first 27 holes I was also reading greens.
“We did good all the way to the 72nd hole. I suggested he use a five iron for his approach but he said he was pumped up and hit a six iron instead.” Player found a bunker and missed out on the Masters’ last 18-hole playoff, won by Billy Casper over Gene Littler, by one shot.
It was Jack Stephens who brokered the partnership with Crenshaw, thinking the two shy, quietly spoken Southerners might make a winning combination. [Ben Dirs / BBC Sport]
–Finally, before the tournament began, I wrote this:
“My dream Sunday has Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, Dustin Johnson, Phil, Rory, and Tiger all in the hunt on the back nine.
—Mets fans are ticked off one week into the season. Our shortstop who isn’t a shortstop, Wilmer Flores, has made three errors, and our closer, Jenrry Mejia, not only is on the DL with a sore elbow, he was just suspended by Major League Baseball for 80 games for testing positive for Stanozolol, a PED. Mejia, in a statement, claims he didn’t know how it had gotten into his body, the same excuse used by Twins pitcher Ervin Santana, who was also recently suspended 80 games for using the same drug. Oh, both are from the Dominican Republic, as are a slew of baseball’s abusers. Just needs to be said.
So Mets captain David Wright, not known for being outspoken, said of Mejia, “Not only do you cost yourself 80 games and don’t get paid but you’re hurting everybody in here, letting down your teammates. I think that probably means just as much if not more than hurting yourself. We’ve all discussed the drug policy at lengths. I think the players association, commissioner’s office, everybody in baseball has done their best to clean up this game as much as possible.
“As much as it hurts, as much as we love Jenrry as a teammate, you make a mistake you need to be punished. Once Jenrry serves his punishment and comes back, we’ll welcome him and do whatever we can to make him feel a part of this team. But right now, he messed up and needs to be punished.”
Part of MLB’s new drug policy is that Mejia (and Ervin Santana) aren’t eligible to pitch in the postseason if their teams make it, even though they are eligible to return before season’s end.
As for the Mets in general, the bullpen was supposed to be a huge strength of the team going into spring training, but now Mejia, coupled with some key injuries, has us fans saying, “Here we go again,” though 41-year-old Bartolo Colon bailed us out, Sunday, in a 4-3 win over Atlanta that gets us back to 3-3. [He’s 17-13 in 33 starts for the Mets.]
And Tuesday is Matt Harvey Day. As he proved in his return on Thursday against the Nationals (six innings of shutout ball, nine strikeouts), after a 17-month layoff for Tommy John surgery, the Dark Knight is back.
–As for the Yankees, off to a dismal 1-4 start heading into Sunday night’s contest with the Red Sox, you know the team is in trouble when Alex Rodriguez is already batting third.
I mean this could be a totally disastrous season for the Yanks, especially if Masahiro Tanaka’s arm falls off, as will likely be the case. That they are even now counting on soon-to-be 40-year-old A-Rod says it all. Carlos Beltran turns 38 next week and is playing like he’s 68, while Mark Teixeira turned 35 on Friday night…or was it Saturday morning.
Oh yeah, Friday night…19 innings between the Yanks and Red Sox. Over 7 hours. You think those traditional 4 hour, nine-inning Yankee-Red Sox contests are long? This one ended at 2:13 a.m. and included a 16-minute power failure. The official time of game was 6 hours, 49 minutes, without the outage. Boston prevailed 6-5, after blowing leads in the ninth, 16th and 18th. They finally won in the 19th on a sac fly.
There were 627 (or 628) pitches thrown by 17 pitchers. It was the longest game by time in Red Sox history – and second-longest for the Yankees.
The two teams had a Saturday afternoon game at 1:00, which the Yankees then lost 8-4.
–Dodgers fans can’t be happy ace Clayton Kershaw has gotten off to a miserable start, winless in two with a 5.84 ERA, after he was charged with five earned runs on 10 hits in 6 1/3 on Saturday against the Diamondbacks, a 6-0 defeat. Yasiel Puig is off to a 3 for 22 start.
–Meanwhile, over in Anaheim, Angels owner Arte Moreno is acting as if he’ll challenge outfielder Josh Hamilton’s ability to return to the team and collect his full salary, which is going to trigger a big battle with the players’ union.
“Moreno pointedly declined to say that Hamilton would play another game for the Angels….
“A grievance hearing could be the precursor to a settlement that would end Hamilton’s tenure in Anaheim.
“When the Angels signed Hamilton in 2012 – six years after baseball had reinstated him following a two-year suspension for drug and alcohol abuse – Moreno said the Angels had not inserted additional language to protect the team against a relapse. An arbitrator ruled last week that Hamilton, who reported a relapse last winter, had not violated baseball’s drug policy and thus could not be suspended.
“However, on Friday, Moreno said the team indeed had included such language and had it approved by Hamilton, the league and the union. Moreno also said the contracts of other Angels players had similar provisions.
“ ‘We have a contract with Hamilton and that contract has specific language, that he signed and that was approved, that said he could not drink or use drugs,’ Moreno said.
“Moreno said he is exploring whether to enforce that language.
“ ‘There is the possibility of pursuing it,’ he said.
“The Major League Baseball Players Assn. said such language had not been approved and in any case could not override baseball’s bargaining agreements.
“ ‘The MLBPA emphatically denies…Arte Moreno’s assertions…that the Angels had requested and received the approval of the union to insert language into Josh Hamilton’s contract that would supersede the provisions of the Joint Drug Agreement and/or the Basic Agreement,’ the MLBPA said in a statement….
“The Angels owe Hamilton $83 million through 2017….
“The Angels did not invite Hamilton for the home opener. The other three players on the disabled list joined the team and participated in uniform – including pitcher Tyler Skaggs, who is out for the season.
“The Angels also have not provided Hamilton a locker in their clubhouse, as they have for the other injured players.
“Moreno said he has not spoken to Hamilton since the outfielder reported his relapse to the league. Hamilton met with league officials in New York on Feb. 25.”
What a mess. Hamilton is still rehabbing an injured shoulder in Houston and is not expected to be ready to play until at least May. Will he ever wear an Angels uniform again?
NBA Bits
–Ah yes, spring…time for the San Antonio Spurs under the leadership of Gregg Popovich to gear up for the playoffs. Like in winning 10 in a row to get to 54-26 with Friday’s 104-103 victory over struggling Houston (53-26). Tim Duncan once again turned back the clock with a 29 point, 10 rebound, 3 blocks performance on 12 of 15 shooting, plus the key last-second block of James Harden, who was held to just 16 points.
It also has to be noted the Spurs played Hack-a-Smith with the Rockets’ Josh Smith, who converted just 12 of 26 from the free throw line (Smith being 52% from the line for the season).
–The Atlanta Hawks lost a key reserve, forward Thabo Sefolosha, to a broken leg and ligament damage early Wednesday morning at a New York City nightclub, 1Oak, and there is some question just how the incident, that included the stabbing of Indiana Pacers forward Chris Copeland and his ex-fiancé, went down. Hawks center Pero Antic was also arrested for resisting arrest.
While Copeland’s stabbing, from which he’ll recover, captured the immediate headlines, a video purports to show Sefolosha being wrestled to the ground by five uniformed officers, after which one swings a baton forcefully, apparently at Sefolosha’s lower body.
Antic and Sefolosha claim they had nothing to do with the attack on Copeland and that they weren’t with him.
The thing is Sefolosha was going to be a key part of the Hawks playoff run and it’s possible he was the victim of an NYPD acting in poor fashion. Atlanta officials are backing Sefolosha thus far.
Then again, it was 4:00 a.m., after the Hawks had defeated Phoenix in Atlanta and the team had flown up to New York for a game the next day.
As for Copeland, I got a kick out of some of the early reports who said he was with his wife. It was his ex-fiancé, Katrine Saltara, who was also wounded in the attack, though details on why the fellow arrested did what he did remain sketchy….and frankly I couldn’t give a damn about the couple. The Sefolosha situation, however, is a potentially big deal.
–Good lord…did you see the second quarter of the Knicks-Magic game in Orlando on Saturday? The two combined for a league worst 15 points! The record in the shot clock era for worst quarter was 18 points, set three times.
In other words, it was the worst quarter of basketball in NBA history. Orlando was 3-for-19 from the field and the Knicks were 3-for-20. There were nine combined turnovers.
Oh, the Knicks won, 80-79, to move to 16-64, tied with the Timberwolves for worst record in the league.
College Basketball
–Another top 10 for the 2015-16 season…this one from Seth Davis.
1. Virginia
2. North Carolina
3. Kentucky…Davis didn’t know Devin Booker was going out…doh!
4. Kansas
5. Maryland
6. Iowa State
7. Duke
8. Michigan State
9. Indiana
10. Oklahoma
I can already tell you that I’m going to be tabbing San Diego State again, thanks to Malik Pope’s decision to stay. He will be a player of the year candidate. Some of you might be saying to yourself, ‘Malik Pope?’ Yes, the guy hardly played as a freshman but he is such an immense talent he would have probably gone 12-14 in the draft this year. He will rock and the Aztecs have enough other pieces to be right there come March.
On the other hand, my Duke friends will be pleased to know I’d go with the Blue Devils No. 2 if Tyus Jones returns, which suddenly seems likely. Jones and Greyson Allen will be the best backcourt in the country, and Duke has two big freshmen coming in, plus holdovers like Plumlee, Matt Jones and Jefferson.
—Kentucky’s top seven scorers are all entering the NBA draft….Karl-Anthony Towns, Will Cauley-Stein, Trey Lyles, Devin Booker, Dakari Johnson, and Andrew and Aaron Harrison.
Towns and Cauley-Stein will be taken in the top ten (Towns No. 1 or 2), Booker and Lyles top 20, Johnson in the second round, and who knows with the Harrison boys. Not a fan of them.
—Jahlil Okafor officially declared for the draft and freshman classmate Justise Winslow is expected to follow suit.
—Wisconsin junior Sam Dekker is parlaying his super NCAA tournament (except for the final) into what will probably be a lottery selection as he declared himself eligible for the draft.
—Bobby Hurley is the new coach at Arizona State after just two seasons as head coach at Buffalo. It’s a great hire for ASU and a smart career choice for Hurley (once the St. John’s job went to Chris Mullin).
—Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg is having his second open heart surgery this week to replace his aortic valve.
Hoiberg retired from the NBA following the 2004-05 season because of heart issues and as he said in a statement the other day: “After my initial surgery to replace my aortic root 10 years ago, I knew that this was something that would need to be done at some point….the time has come to get it replaced.”
Hoiberg has a 115-56 record in five seasons as the Cyclones’ coach, with four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. They are a consensus top ten pick for next season. We wish this class act the best.
–There is a definite consensus college basketball needs to reduce the shot clock from 35 seconds to 30, though I’m not ready to cut it to 24 just yet. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban had some of the following comments on the college game, as only Mark Cuban can put it.
“It’s horrible. It’s ridiculous,” he said. “It’s worse than high school. You’ve got 20 to 25 seconds of passing on the perimeter and then somebody goes and tries to make a play and do something stupid, and scoring’s gone down.
“The referees couldn’t manage a White Castle. Seriously, the college game is more physical than the NBA game, and the variation in how it’s called from game to game [is a problem]. Hell, they don’t even have standards on balls. They use different balls. One team’s got one ball, the other team’s got another ball. There are so many things that are ridiculous.” [Kelly Dwyer / Yahoo Sports]
Frozen Four
I caught the last ten minutes or so of the college hockey championship final between Boston University and Providence and it was a heartbreaker for the Terriers.
Up 3-2 with about 8:30 to go, the B.U. goaltender, Matt O’Connor, inexplicably gave up a tying goal when he caught a long flip from center ice and then dropped it. Unable to see where the puck was, he dropped to his knees and the puck slid behind him into the net. Two minutes later, the Friars’ Brandon Tanev scored a legitimate, ultimately game-winning goal off a faceoff and then Providence held on 4-3 win. Very exciting…and tragic for O’Connor, who in his post-game comments handled it well.
Providence goaltender Jon Gillies was honored as the most outstanding player as he made 49 saves.
It was Providence College’s first NCAA Division I hockey title and it comes after they were probably the last team to make the tournament.
B.U., making its 11th championship game appearance, was seeking its sixth title.
[In the semis, B.U. defeated North Dakota 5-3, while Providence beat Nebraska-Omaha 4-1.]
Stanley Cup Playoffs
Well we’re finally at the time of year when casual NHL fans such as yours truly begin to pay attention and watch the games, at least if you have a team in the hunt and I do…the No. 1 seed New York Rangers who begin play on Thursday vs. the Penguins.
Rangers vs. Penguins
Washington vs. Islanders
Montreal vs. Ottawa
Tampa Bay vs. Detroit
St. Louis vs. Minnesota
Nashville vs. Chicago
Anaheim vs. Winnipeg
Vancouver vs. Calgary
No Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins or Philadelphia Flyers, most noticeably. In fact in the case of the Kings, they are the first reigning Stanley Cup champion to fail to reach the playoffs in the following season since the Carolina Hurricanes in 2007.
Jimmie Johnson won his first Sprint Cup race of the year at Texas Motor Speedway Saturday night. Kevin Harvick was second, Dale Earnhardt Jr., third.
For Johnson it was his 72nd career victory. Harvick made it nine out of his last ten (going back to last year) where he finished first or second.
–Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu announced his retirement after 12 seasons, two Super Bowl rings and eight Pro Bowls. He saved the Steelers from having to release one of their most beloved and unforgettable players in franchise history; Polamalu’s effectiveness being greatly diminished.
Polamalu was one of a kind, a spectacular player with charisma to match. He can now sit back and await the call from Canton.
—Jameis Winston’s attorney, David Cornwell, said his client is not ready to become an NFL quarterback from an off-the-field standpoint.
“He’s ready to be an NFL player on the field,” he told a Sports Law Journal Symposium. “But he’s not ready to be an NFL player off the field.”
Cornwell adds, “No one is ready for this [NFL] world when they come into it.”
Cornwell said in the case of Winston, it’s going to take a lot to prove Winston’s past was totally behind him.
“We have to assist him in growing and developing as a man. And it’s not going to be easy. If he messes up again, he’s done.” [ESPN.com]
–The Jets signed former New England Patriots running back Steven Ridley to a one-year contract. Ridley, 26, will be coming off major knee surgery, but back in 2012 rushed for 1,263 yards with the Pats. Good move.
—Sarah Thomas has been selected to become the NFL’s first full-time female referee. Mike Florio, creator of NBC’s “Pro Football Talk,” wondered if Thomas’ hiring is an attempt to address the league’s recent bad press – including the Ray Rice video.
Thomas has been officiating at various levels since 1996.
Premier League…31/32 of 38 complete
1. Chelsea 31 games – 73 points
2. Arsenal 32 – 66
3. Man U 32 – 65
4. Man City 32 – 61
5. Southampton 32 – 56
6. Liverpool 31 – 54
7. Tottenham 32 – 54
Once again, my Tottenham Spurs laid an egg of epic proportions in losing to 15 Aston Villa 1-0 at home on Saturday. This follows a 0-0 draw with 19 Burnley the week before.
Had the Spurs won both, with Man U’s impressive 4-2 win on Sunday over Man City, the Spurs would have been in the hunt for the fourth and final Champions League spot. Man City plays Tottenham on May 3.
–Good for Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh for expressing support for those who sought to show the film “American Sniper” on the Michigan campus after a small group of students, at least some of whom were Arab or Muslim, sought to have the film banned.
Harbaugh tweeted his support and said the team would watch it “(and) if that offends anybody then so be it!”
Michigan officials then reversed their decision and said, “It was a mistake to cancel the showing of the movie.”
–Finally, we note the passing of 19-year-old Lauren Hill, the freshman basketball player at Mount St. Joseph University (suburban Cincinnati) who died on Friday, after fighting an inoperable brain tumor.
“She’s made an impact on the world, more so than me – more than I ever will do,” her coach Dan Benjamin said. “I’ve gotten so many emails and phone calls from all over the world. People are contacting me because they want to share her story.”
NCAA President Mark Emmert said Friday in a statement: “Lauren Hill’s bravery, enthusiasm and strength were an inspiration not only to those who knew her best but also to the millions of people she touched around the world by sharing her story. Lauren achieved a lasting and meaningful legacy, and her beautiful spirit will continue to live on.”
Hill’s nonprofit foundation helped raise more than $1.5 million for cancer research.
After being diagnosed with a brain tumor and with her condition deteriorating, the NCAA agreed to let Mount St. Joseph move up its opening game against Hiram College by two weeks. Xavier University offered its 10,000-seat arena so more people could attend. All the tickets were sold out in less than an hour.
Hill made a layup 17 seconds into the game and then the last basket.
“It’s a dream come true,” she said. “To play on a college court, to put my foot down on the floor and hear the roar of the crowd – I just love it so much. I love basketball.
“Everything that happened today was amazing. I’m truly happy, it’s a really good day.”
Top 3 songs for the week of 4/14/84: #1 “Footloose” (Kenny Loggins) #2 “Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)” (Phil Collins) #3 “Somebody’s Watching Me” (Rockwell)…and… #4 “Hello” (Lionel Richie…’sup…) #5 “Automatic” (Pointer Sisters) #6 Miss Me Blind” (Culture Club…the ultimate nightmare…woke up Sat. with a Culture Club song on the brain…have no idea how it got there so to erase it, quickly thought of some Earth, Wind & Fire…) #7 “Here Comes The Rain Again” (Eurythmics… easily one of the worst songs of the century…but now I’ll be thinking of it….quick, EWF!) #8 “Hold Me Now” (Thompson Twins…not to be confused with Kentucky’s Harrison twins…) #9 “Adult Education” (Daryl Hall-John Oates) #10 “Jump” (Val Halen…need to go back to the 60s, boys and girls…)
NBA Quiz Answer: Since Wilt’s run, the three to average 35 per game over the course of a season are: Rick Barry, 1966-67, 35.58, San Francisco Warriors; Michael Jordan, 1986-87, 37.09, Chicago; and Kobe Bryant, 2005-06, 35.40, Lakers.
Jordan averaged 34.98 in 1987-88. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar averaged 34.84 in 1971-72, the same year Charlie Scott led the ABA at 34.58 while playing for Virginia; so Scott is your all-time single-season ABA leader.
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