St. Louis Cardinals Quiz: 1)Post-1950, who is the single-season leader in hits? 2) Who are the only two Cardinals to drive in 150 runs in a single season? 3) Who is the single-season leader in strikeouts for a pitcher since 1900? Answers below.
Stanley Cup Playoffs
In Game 5 of the Anaheim-Chicago series, the Ducks took a 3-0 first-period lead, only to squander it, as well as a 4-2 advantage in the final two minutes of the third period, only to prevail just 45 seconds into overtime, 5-4, for a 3-2 lead as they head back to Chicago for Wednesday’s Game 6.
The Ducks appeared to have iced the game in regulation when Patrick Maroon scored with 5:15 remaining in the third, but then Jonathan Toews cut it to 4-3 with 1:50 left and, with 37.2 seconds remaining, Toews sent a longshot attempt from deep in the corner at the goal line, and the puck deflected off Ducks goalie Frederik Anderson.
Meanwhile, once again the New York Rangers faced elimination in Tampa for Game 6 and, once again, the Rangers came through, prevailing 7-3 with New York getting five third-period goals; Tampa Bay goalie Ben Bishop being replaced after allowing the first five of the game on just 21 shots.
King Henrik Lundqvist, on the other hand, saved 36 of 39 shots.
“Lundqvist is working on a NHL-record streak of six straight wins in Game 7 situations. To put that into some perspective, only two other goalies, the legendary pair of Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur, can say that they have so many as six Game 7 wins in their careers.
“And it’s not like Lundqvist is simply doing an average job in those games while getting stellar offensive support. He has not allowed more than one goal in any of the six contests, making 179 saves on 184 shots for a 0.84 goals-against average….
“(Lundqvist is also) 10-0 in his past 10 elimination games at Madison Square Garden, allowing less than a goal per game in those contests.”
But Tampa Bay did torch King Henrik for six scores in both Game 2 and Game 3.
NBA Playoffs
With Golden State up 3-1 on Houston, Game 5 to be played in Oakland tonight, it seems a lock we’re looking at a Golden State-Cleveland final.
It really is pretty amazing what LeBron James has done with the Cavs. Outside of Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love when he was around, Cleveland has little real talent aside from LeBron but they swept the Atlanta Hawks, 4-0, taking Game 4, 118-88.
I know some are belittling the Hawks, but, heck, few if any had them reaching the conference finals this year. A job well done.
Back to Golden State-Houston, I do have to note the Rockets avoided being swept on Monday behind James Harden’s 45, 128-115.
–According to Fox Sports 1, the Mets’ David Wright’s contract is insured, should he be sidelined for a lengthy period (including permanently) over his spinal stenosis issue. If he misses 60 days in a season then insurance would pay for 75 percent of the contract while he is out.
For example, Wright went on the disabled list April 15 so the insurance supposedly vests on June 15.
–Much-maligned Mets shortstop Wilmer Flores, he of the nine errors, nonetheless has 7 home runs and 21 RBIs, which ain’t too shabby for the position. The fans will quickly get off his back and it’s hoped by end of the year, he is one of the most popular players.
–Speaking of popular, Cubs budding superstar Kris Bryant already has 31 RBIs in his first 37 games, along with 7 home runs.
–Speaking of hot…as in scorching hot…Prince Fielder is 14-for-24 his last five game, with five home runs and 15 RBI! Fielder is now hitting .371, 10 HR 38 RBI, as the Rangers have suddenly won seven in a row.
—Clayton Kershaw is back on track. He threw seven scoreless (10 strikeouts) in the Dodgers’ 8-0 win over the Braves Tuesday to even his record at 3-3, 3.86.
–Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is an “Idiot of the Year” candidate for saying in an interview that fans “don’t understand the game.”
Amaro was asked by CSN Philly’s Jim Salisbury about a pair of highly regarded pitching prospects. Amaro said the plan was to be “conservative” about bringing them up, which prompted Salisbury to comment, “That often does not sit well with fans who want to see the Phillies be aggressive with their prospects.”
To which Amaro responded: “They don’t understand the game. They don’t understand the process. There’s a process. And then they bitch and complain because we don’t have a plan. There’s a plan in place and we’re sticking with the plan. We can’t do what’s best for the fan. We have to do what’s best for the organization so the fan can reap the benefit of it later on. That’s the truth.”
Amaro later apologized for using his words “incorrectly or poorly.” But it’s too late.
–As reported by the Wall Street Journal’s Michael Salfino, according to Fangraphs and Stats, LLC, of the last nine starting pitchers to lead the major leagues in average fastball velocity, four required arm surgery, which doesn’t bode well for this year’s leader, the Mets’ Noah Syndergaard.
But you also have cases like A.J. Burnett (2004 leader) and Felix Hernandez (2006), who have learned to dial it down, while remaining as effective as ever…Burnett leading the majors in ERA and Hernandez in wins.
–Chicago Cubs pitcher Jon Lester has gone to the plate 64 times in his major league career and is 0-for-57 (five sacrifice bunts, a sac fly and a walk). The record to start a career is 0-for-66, held by Joey Hamilton of the San Diego Padres, though Hamilton went on to hit four home runs, while posting a .127 career average. Lester is scheduled to start today, Wednesday. [Jonathan Eig / Wall Street Journal]
For you old-timers out there, you might remember how awful Ron Herbel of the Giants was, back in the 1960s. He started out 0-for-63, before finishing his career 6-for-206, or a .029 batting average.
–Speaking of awful, how about Royals pitcher Jeremy Guthrie? On Monday, he allowed 11 earned runs on nine hits and three walks in one official inning of work as the Yankees beat Kansas City 14-1. Technically, the Royals’ Luke Hudson holds the unofficial record for worst start ever, giving up 11 runs (10 earned) in 1/3 of an inning on Aug. 13, 2006.
On July 29, 2007, Jason Jennings of the Astros gave up 11 earned in 2/3 of an inning.
—Baseball America College Baseball Poll [heading into the NCAA tournament]
1. LSU
2. UCLA
3. Florida
4. Illinois
5. Vanderbilt
6. Mississippi State
7. TCU
8. Texas A&M
9. Louisville
10. Florida State
14. Dallas Baptist
22. Radford
23. East Carolina
“UCLA coach John Savage didn’t expect his Bruins to be down for long after they went from being national champions in 2013 to finishing five games under .500 in 2014.
“The Bruins’ dominance in the Pac-12 this spring impressed the Division I Baseball Committee so much that on Monday they were awarded their first No. 1 national seed for the NCAA tournament.”
Five games under .500 to No. 1 seed?! As my grandfather used to say, “Gee willickers!”
UCLA edged out LSU, by the way. The other six national seeds, in order, are: Louisville, Florida, Miami, Illinois, TCU and Missouri State. Notice how Miami isn’t in Baseball America’s Top ten.
FIFA Goes Down
[Written before the formal announcement in the U.S. of charges on Wednesday.]
From the Financial Times: “Swiss police launched an early-morning raid at a luxury hotel in Zurich on Wednesday to arrest six FIFA officials as part of a U.S. investigation into corruption at world football’s governing body alleged to total more than $100 million….
“Sepp Blatter, FIFA president and one of the most powerful figures in world sport, was not among those arrested….
“Mr. Blatter, who has run FIFA for 17 years, had been widely expected to win a fifth term at the organization’s annual conference in Zurich on Friday….
“U.S. authorities are planning to announce criminal charges against the FIFA executives tied to corruption allegations that have consumed the football body for years, people familiar with the matter say….
“FIFA has been consumed by corruption allegations for more than a decade. Controversy flared in 2010 when world football’s governing body awarded the rights to stage the 2018 and 2022 tournaments to Russia and Qatar respectively.
“There were immediate allegations of impropriety around the bidding process fuelled by the apparent unsuitability of hosting a summer football tournament in Qatar, where playing temperatures are likely to exceed 50C.” [Ed. 122F…but it’s a dry heat.]
Well, I’ve written a ton on the topic of FIFA over the years. All of this comes as it is about to celebrate the Champions League final on June 6 in Berlin, which is the biggest money maker for the organization.
Blatter’s only opposition in Friday’s vote is former FIFA vice president Prince Ali bin al Hussein of Jordan, who this week issued a statement saying “the self-serving policies and controversial leadership style of FIFA today have disempowered our national associations, hurt our sport and cost us our dignity.” [New York Daily News]
“As Sepp Blatter sought election to his first term as president of FIFA, ahead of the 1998 World Cup in France, word spread at the Meridien hotel in Paris of cash-stuffed envelopes meant for something other than Christmas bonuses.
“Mr. Blatter’s opponent, Lennart Johansson of Sweden, proposed a curious electoral system; one person, one vote, one spy. Mr. Johansson wanted each FIFA delegate to be monitored as he cast his ballot. Just so, you know, the voting wouldn’t be as deftly manipulated as a ball at Zinedine Zidane’s feet.
“Both the proposal and Mr. Johansson’s candidacy fell to swift and unceremonious defeat, and Mr. Blatter became his sport’s most powerful figure. He has ruled FIFA for the past 17 years with no term limit, no external oversight, no passion for business ethics, no appetite for reform and, apparently, no shame over the rampant scandals, corruption and match-fixing that have sullied the beautiful game….
“Mr. Blatter was not charged. Still he remains wildly unpopular, except among his enablers – corporate sponsors like Coca-Cola, Adidas and Visa, and docile national soccer federations – who have for too long looked the other way as the money and the favors flowed.”
ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap reported this month that Blatter has declined to enter the U.S. since 2011, ostensibly for fear of possible arrest.
As I go to post, no word on what will happen in a few days.
Ray McDonald
“Ray McDonald isn’t the only one who needs to pay a price for his latest domestic abuse arrest.
“NFL commissioner Roger Goodell ought to slap the Chicago Bears with a hefty fine and dock them a draft pick or two. Suspend general manager Ryan Pace for four games. Ban owner George McCaskey from the stadium for the first half of the season while he’s at it, too, since it was McCaskey’s enlightened decision to blow off the alleged victim when he gave the OK to sign McDonald.
“It’s not enough to simply punish the players who inflict the abuse on women and children. If the NFL wants the good work it’s done over the last year to combat domestic violence to actually mean something, it has to go after the owners and GMs who have long enabled them.
“ ‘We believe in second chances, but when we signed Ray we were very clear what our expectations were if he was to remain a Bear,’ Pace said in the statement announcing the Bears had released McDonald. ‘He was not able to meet the standard and the decision was made to release him.’
“The defensive end was booked on suspicion of felony domestic violence after an incident with his fiancée last August, while he was with San Francisco 49ers. No charges were filed after the alleged victim refused to cooperate.
“The Niners stood by McDonald initially. But when he became a suspect in a sexual assault investigation, they cut him loose, citing his ‘pattern of poor decision-making.’
“That didn’t stop McCaskey and the Bears, though. After initially rejecting Pace’s request to sign McDonald, McCaskey had a change of heart. McDonald was really and truly sorry, McCaskey said. Why, he even dug into his own pocket to pay for the flight to Chicago to show how sincere he was!
“ ‘The fact that he proposed that idea. I gave him a lot of credit for,’ McCaskey said after the Bears signed McDonald. ‘And he was very candid, very forthright.’
“Except for that whole promising to stay out of trouble thing, apparently, given that McDonald was arrested Monday morning on suspicion of domestic abuse and child endangerment….
“Domestic violence doesn’t happen in a vacuum. To break the cycle, it’s going to take more than punishing those who abuse. Those who allow the culture of abuse to fester need to be held accountable, too.
Premier League Standings
For those England football fans out there, I thought I’d give you something you won’t find easily anywhere else, at least in one place, the final standings of the past few years.
1. Chelsea
2. Manchester City
3. Arsenal
4. Manchester United
5. Tottenham
6. Liverpool
1. Man City
2. Liverpool
3. Chelsea
4. Arsenal
5. Everton
6. Tottenham
7. Man U
1. Man U
2. Man City
3. Chelsea
4. Arsenal
5. Tottenham
6. Everton
7. Liverpool
1. Man City
2. Man U
3. Arsenal
4. Tottenham
5. Newcastle United
6. Chelsea
7. Everton
8. Liverpool
1. Man U
2. Chelsea
3. Man City
4. Arsenal
5. Tottenham
6. Liverpool
1. Chelsea
2. Man U
3. Arsenal
4. Tottenham
5. Man City
6. Aston Villa
7. Liverpool
1. Man U
2. Liverpool
3. Chelsea
4. Arsenal
5. Everton
6. Aston Villa
8. Tottenham
10. Man City
Yes, the same powers every year. And kind of funny how consistent my Tottenham Spurs are, but they can’t break through. That’s gonna change next season. It’s the Bar Chat guarantee!
Golf Balls
—Jarrod Lyle is a 33-year-old Aussie golfer who has not won on the PGA Tour, though he is a two-time cancer survivor. This week he announced that he is taking a break for the rest of the season, not because of health issues but rather: “As the year progressed, it has become increasingly obvious that I am simply not in a position to compete on the PGA Tour.
“My goal every single week out here, just like the rest of the field, is to play my best and to be competitive. Unfortunately I haven’t been in real contention in any of the 10 events I have played so far this season.” He’s made just three cuts. [Golfweek]
–The reigning U.S. Junior Amateur champion, Wake Forest’s Will Zalatoris, was going to play in the Byron Nelson PGA tour event this week, but, alas, on Monday he woke up suffering from severe pain in his abdomen and he underwent an emergency appendectomy. He’ll have a four to six week recovery period. [Golfweek]
–The U.S. Open at Chambers Bay is truly setting up to be a disaster. Or as Jaime Diaz of Golfworld put it:
“It’s hard to deny a faint-but-growing sense of foreboding about the upcoming U.S. Open at Chambers Bay. First, the USGA felt compelled to strongly suggest spectators remain in grandstands rather than walk the rugged terrain that will offer some poor viewing from ground level. Then Ian Poulter reported that players who did early scouting on the remote Pacific Northwest site generally found the course ‘a complete farce.’ To top it off (so far), USGA executive director Mike Davis opined that acquired local knowledge on the quirky design will be especially important. ‘The idea of coming in and playing two practice rounds and having your caddie just walk it and using your yardage book, that person’s done,’ said Davis, before adding – with read-my-lips emphasis – ‘Will not win the U.S. Open.’ Countered a sarcastic Webb Simpson, ‘We’ll play for second,’ while Rory McIlroy, the likely favorite, rebutted, ‘With the way the tour is, no one is going to go out there and play 10 practice rounds.’ Davis should be forgiven an ill-advised and likely off-the-cuff comment, but given a problematic Open might be in the offing, it’s no time for unforced errors.”
–I forgot to note last time that 51-year-old Miguel Angel Jimenez finished T-2 at the BMW PGA Championship in England, the event Rory McIlroy missed the cut in. And Jimenez had his 10th ace on the European Tour, a record. I also forgot to note Ben An was the surprising winner of this big tournament.
–With all the sports action on Sunday and Sunday night, I have to admit I didn’t see any of the Coca-Cola 600, won by Carl Edwards, his first win in 31 races. Greg Biffle was second, Dale Earnhardt Jr. third.
–For you lacrosse fans…actually, if you’re a fan you already know this but I have to note for the world’s greatest archives…the University of Denver became the first school outside the eastern time zone to win the NCAA title, 10-5 over Maryland on Monday. 24,215 were in attendance at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Congrats to coach Bill Tierney, who went west after 22 years and six titles at Princeton.
And Coach Tierney became the first to win championships at two different schools.
Meanwhile, Maryland has come up short in eight championship games since its last title in 1975. Yikes.
–Aaron Elstein of Crain’s New York Business had a piece on the growing problem with Web piracy of sporting events.
You can pay $400 for a ticket to watch the Rangers at the Garden, or you could shell out $100 or more for a cable package, or you could watch the games online for nothing.
“It takes only a few minutes of surfing the Internet to find a live Rangers game courtesy of someone who is streaming the NBC Sports cable network and Mike Emrick’s electrifying play-by-play for free.
“These pirate sports sites – some of which even make money from advertising – are taking advantage of technology that’s making it easier to live-stream high-definition TV feeds, enabling them to expand their audiences beyond diehard fans willing to put up with choppy video and erratic sound. In short, the same kind of bandits who attacked movies and music are now assaulting the multibillion-dollar world of sports.
“ ‘It’s a huge, huge concern,’ said Austin Berglas, head of U.S. cyber investigations at Kroll and a former FBI special agent who established the bureau’s financial cybercrimes task force.
“ ‘I did a lot of work with Major League Baseball on this,’ Mr. Berglas said, ‘and they lose a ton of money from piracy.’…
“A few figures help illustrate the challenge. One of the most popular pirate sports sites, Stream2watch.me, attracts 389,000 monthly visitors in the U.S., according to online-audience tracer comScore. That’s a drop in the bucket compared with the 100 million cable or satellite TV subscribers.
“But the trouble is that dozens, if not hundreds, of bootleg sites pop up all the time. Sometimes, Mr. Bowman said, a site shut down by one country will pop up a few weeks later in another….
“The loss of any paying audience for sports is a problem for the likes of Time Warner Cable and other carriers fighting to keep customers from defecting to Netflix and other less expensive, legal sources of programming. These providers are in trouble if they lose control of their position as the only game in town for those who need to watch their favorite teams regularly.
“ ‘Sports are one of the few reasons why consumers are still paying for the cable or pay-TV bundle,’ said Amy Yong, an analyst at Macquarie Securities.”
Of course look at what happened with the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight and Periscope; though HBO and Showtime still reported 4.4 million pay-per-view buys.
Seven students from Chopticon High School in Maryland are facing criminal charges after they broke into the school last week and released 72,000 ladybugs. Four were charged with fourth-degree burglary, property destruction under $1,000 and disruption of school activities. The other three will be issued summonses. No word on the fate of the ladybugs. [New York Daily News]
Top 3 songs for the week 5/25/74: #1 “The Streak” (Ray Stevens…oh, you younger folk can’t possibly understand what this era was like…literally, kids would streak down the halls of high school….) #2 “Dancing Machine” (The Jackson 5…ughh…) #3 “The Entertainer” (Marvin Hamlisch…think “The Sting”…)…and…#4 “The Show Must Go On” (Three Dog Night….not my favorite of theirs…) #5 “Band On The Run” (Paul McCartney & Wings…ok…) #6 “You Make Me Feel Brand New” (The Stylistics…brilliant…Philly sound at its best…peaked at #2…) #7 “Midnight At The Oasis” (Maria Muldaur… incredibly moronic lyrics but don’t kill me for liking this one…) #8 “The Loco-Motion” (Grand Funk) #9 “(I’ve Been) Searchin’ So Long” (Chicago) #10 “Help Me” (Joni Mitchell….terrific…)
St. Louis Cardinals Quiz Answers: 1) Joe Torre is the single-season leader in hits since 1950 with 230 in 1971. Rogers Hornsby had 250 in 1922. 2) Rogers Hornsby, 152 (1921) and Joe Medwick, 154 (1937) are the only two to drive in 150. Mark McGwire had 147 RBI in both 1998 and ’99. 3) Since 1900, Bob Gibson holds the top five single-season strikeout totals. 274 (1970), 270 (1965), 269 (1969), 268 (1968) and 245 (1964).
