Note: I said I wasn’t doing a Bar Chat this week, but wanted to clear the table of some stuff before it got too stale. Posted Wednesday a.m.
Wimbledon Men’s Quiz: 1) Bjorn Borg won five consecutive singles titles from 1976-80. Name the four he defeated in the finals, one man twice. 2) Who defeated Borg in the 1981 men’s final? 3) Roger Federer won five straight from 2003-07. Name the three (two twice each) he defeated in the finals. 4) Who defeated Federer in the 2008 final? Answers below.
In the Women’s World Cup, the U.S. defeated top-ranked Germany, 2-0, to advance to the final on Sunday in Vancouver, where they will meet the winner of Wednesday’s England-Japan match.
Japan, the only unbeaten, untied team during this competition, defeated the U.S. on penalty kicks in the 2011 final.
Tuesday, Carli Lloyd made a penalty kick in the 69th minute, and then second-half substitute Kelley O’Hara tallied an insurance goal in the 85th minute.
But at the 60-minute mark, Germany’s Celia Sasic, the tournament’s leading scorer, missed a penalty kick of her own, which was the first one Germany has ever missed in World Cup play, Sasic pushing her shot wide with U.S. keeper Hope Solo diving the other way.
ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” reports that “Nearly $3 million transferred from golfer Phil Mickelson to an intermediary was part of ‘an illegal gambling operation which accepted and placed bets on sporting events.’”
Mickelson has not been charged with a crime and is not under investigation.
“But a 56-year-old former sports gambling handicapper, acting as a conduit for an offshore gambling operation, pleaded guilty last week to laundering approximately $2.75 million of money that two sources told Outside the Lines belonged to Mickelson….
“According to court documents, in March 2010, (Gregory) Silveira (of La Quinta) – a participant in ‘an illegal gambling operation which accepted and placed bets on sporting events’ – accepted a wire transfer of $2.75 million, which he knew was part of ‘illegal sports betting.’ The money, according to the documents, came from a ‘gambling client’ and had been transferred into Silveira’s Wells Fargo Bank account.”
The ESPN.com story by Mike Fish and David Purdum goes on and on and is really boring, but the bottom line is while Mickelson is unlikely to face any charges, it obviously hurts his image.
“Phil Mickelson needs to offer an explanation. Not necessarily a confession, but an explanation as to why his name keeps coming up in relation to federal investigations of unsavory people.
“Last year, the five-time major winner and one of the PGA Tour’s most popular players, was connected to a federal investigation of insider trading. He was cleared of any wrongdoing and the issue was largely forgotten until Monday….
“Mickelson isn’t expected to be charged with a crime. Still, guilt by association is starting to cast a darkening cloud over Mickelson’s image. If Mickelson wants to lose $3 million gambling, it’s his American right to do so. But this association with a money launderer doesn’t feel right for someone whose endorsement deals are largely built around his wholesome image. Mickelson needs to explain why we shouldn’t think the worst.
“No one has been better for golf over the last two decades than Mickelson. Now 45, he became a sympathetic figure during the rise of Tiger Woods as Mickelson failed to win any of golf’s major championships until the 2004 Masters. He has since won the 2006 and 2010 Masters along with the 2005 PGA Championship and the 2013 British Open. He has finished second in the U.S. Open a record six times.
“But while Woods was aloof, Mickelson embraced his galleries. He was consistently accommodating to media, and no athlete was admired more than Mickelson when he stood by his courageous wife, Amy, and his mother during their public battles with breast cancer….
“Mickelson’s role as the elder statesman will be important as his career moves into his senior years. He will be revered the way aging legends Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer are today if he protects his image….
“He is known to be generous and charitable. He’s also not the first highly paid professional athlete to lose millions gambling and he won’t be the last. If anything, Mickelson should at least find better gambling partners or stick to Las Vegas where it’s legal and the state could use the revenue. Otherwise, it’s hard to shake the feeling one of golf’s biggest stars might be hurting his legacy.
“Woods will be forever scarred by his sex scandal made more infamous because he was packaged as the ideal father-husband-athlete. Mickelson has that image, too. But he needs to explain why we shouldn’t think otherwise.”
NBA Bits
–The news that LeBron James opted out of his contract is not a story because he’s coming back, but it is a way for him to try to ensure management does the right thing in retaining the likes of Kevin Love, who also became a free agent on July 1 but is staying (though he’ll make an obligatory visit or two, beginning with the Lakers). Love said throughout the season he’d return to the Cavs, but it’s possible he signs a short-term deal and waits to see what happens in 2015-16.
Also, Love and LeBron were spotted together in Los Angeles last Sunday. So there have been discussions, that’s pretty clear.
—Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans reached agreement on a five-year contract extension worth $145 million. Not bad for a 23-year-old. A great move for the Pelicans to lock him up for that long.
–As expected for basically the past year, the San Antonio Spurts and Kawhi Leonhard reached an agreement on a five-year, $90 million extension.
–The Knicks are looking at LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre Jordan, as well as Detroit’s Greg Monroe. Monroe is a monster on the boards, but he doesn’t play defense. The Clippers hope to retain Jordan. Aldridge could be headed to the Lakers, or even the Spurs, with Tim Duncan’s encouragement.
–The Mets are right back into their offensive hole, losing 1-0 to the Cubs at Citi Field on Tuesday night, quite a comedown from Steven Matz’s debut on Sunday when he drove in a major league record four runs in a debut by a pitcher.
Prior to this performance, Matz already had a sandwich named after him at the Se-Port Deli on Long Island, where growing up Matz was a regular. “The Matz” features a chicken cutlet with melted Jack and cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, lettuce, tomato and pepperhouse dressing on a toasted garlic hero.
But back to the offensively challenged ball club, outfielder Michael Cuddyer, who has been struggling with the rest of the lineup, suffered a knee injury on Tuesday. As I go to post, no word on the severity.
As least starter Jon Niese had his fifth straight quality start in the 1-0 loss, thus increasing his trade value. Niese is just 3-8 on the season, but he’s lowered his ERA to 3.90.
The Mets are now in the midst of a grueling 28-game stretch that will see them face seven opponents with a combined winning percentage of .547, the toughest in baseball over that span, with 22 of those contests coming against the Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, Cardinals and Nationals.
Ergo, if the bats don’t get going, now, the season will be over by Aug. 2, if not sooner.
–Meanwhile, Chicago White Sox hurler Chris Sale matched a major league record by striking out at least 10 in eight straight starts, as the White Sox outlasted the Cardinals 2-1 in 11 innings on Tuesday. Sale struck out 12 in eight innings, thus tying Pedro Martinez (1999) in the process.
Sale gets to break the mark this weekend at home against the Blue Jays.
–Houston’s Dallas Keuchel improved to 10-3, 2.03 ERA, with eight shutout innings on Tuesday in the Astros 4-0 win over the Royals.
12th-seeded Eugenie Bouchard was upset in the opening round by Ying-Ying Duan of China, ranked 117th in the world. Bouchard’s career has been in freefall recently.
And No. 3 Simona Halep lost to No. 106 Jana Cepelova.
Following six shark attacks in North Carolina waters in the month of June, people are looking for explanations. According to the International Shark Attack File, between 2005 and 2014, North Carolina saw only 25 incidents, none of them fatal. In that same time frame, Florida has had 219 incidents, two of them fatal.
One of the easy explanations for this year’s attacks is warmer water coming closer to the Carolina shore, which brings fish accustomed to warmer waters northward, hungry sharks among them.
Another explanation is the fishing taking place on Carolina’s long piers, which either attracts sharks as they bait small fish or even fishing for sharks using “chum,” as reported by the Washington Post’s Will Greenberg. There are at least 19 such piers jutting out to sea in North Carolina. Swimmers are repeatedly told not to swim near piers but ‘Man’ isn’t real bright.
As for just what species of shark is pulling off the attacks, the experts believe they are the work of bull or tiger sharks.
It’s also a fact that the number of visitors to North Carolina’s coast is up almost 20% since 2010
–According to the New York Post, the NHL is arranging the sale of the Arizona Coyotes to billionaire William Foley who will then move the team to Las Vegas, giving it its first major professional sports franchise. The move will take place in the 2016-17 season.
The NHL is also looking to add two new teams for the 2017-18 season, including one in Seattle.
—Wisconsin basketball coach Bo Ryan announced this coming season would be his last. He is hoping the school will announce longtime assistant Greg Gard as the coach-in-waiting.
Ryan has guided the Badgers to two Final Fours the past two seasons; six Sweet 16s in the past 12. He turns 68 in November.
–I forgot to note on Sunday that Justin Gatlin ran the fifth-fastest time ever in the 200-meters at the United States outdoor track and field championships in Eugene, Ore., 19.57 seconds, shattering his previous best of 19.68.
Michael Johnson still has the American record at 19.32, set in the Atlanta Olympics, with your editor and Phil W. in attendance (along with Bruce Jenner and John Havlicek sitting in front of us). Usain Bolt holds the world record at 19.19.
–Former PGA Tour golfer and broadcaster Peter Oosterhuis announced he has Alzheimer’s disease.
Oosterhuis played 11 years on the PGA Tour and won more than 20 titles worldwide before becoming an analyst for BBC, CBS Sports and Gold Channel. He retired from broadcasting in January.
–Speaking of golf, this is really embarrassing but I played on Monday for the first time all year! What can I say. Any free time I have goes towards running these days and admittedly golf takes up a lot of time.
But I mention it because I hit two tremendous tee shots on par-3s, one to 18 inches and another to 3 feet. And I missed both birdie putts!!! Good gawd.
–Brad K. passed along this one, as reported by Kelly Mclaughlin of the Daily Mail.
“A father saved his 13-year-old son from an alligator attack during a family fishing trip this weekend, only to get bit by the reptile himself.
“James Hurley, 42, quickly ran into the bank of Lake Charlotte just outside of Houston when his teenage son, Kaleb Hurley, was bit on the arm by an alligator and taken underwater on Sunday….
“Kaleb was eventually freed from the gator’s jaw and taken to shore. But soon after, the reptile grabbed a hold of Hurley’s leg.
“He kicked the beast, which was described as six-to-eight-feet long, until it released him and quickly went to shore to join his family, who had called 911.”
Father and son were taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston where they are both in fair condition and are expected to have full recoveries.
–Nooooo!!!! The Portuguese man-of-war (no relation to the Greek man-of-debt) is back on New Jersey’s beaches. They seem to be attacking residents on Long Beach Island, where your editor used to spend one week each summer in his youth.
[The little bungalow had no A/C and at times it was absolutely miserable…but we had great lobster, which took over the only bathtub in the place, a drawback. Actually, I played a lot of Strat-O-Matic baseball down there. We didn’t even have a TV. Wiffle ball games in the driveway were interrupted by the state’s national bird…the mosquito.]
–In between watching the Mets on Tuesday, I caught the first episode of “Zoo” on CBS. I got a kick out of the two folks rolling down a steep cliff in an attempt to elude some hungry lions, and at the bottom they were none the worse for wear. Then again, their stunt doubles bore the punishment.
–American track star Kara Goucher said she was approached by “multiple” people about coach Alberto Salazar and that “the truth will come out.” That he was doping athletes.
Florida: Most deaths due to lightning (47 since 2005).
New Jersey: More diners than any other state.
North Carolina: Highest rate of snake bites of any state.
Vermont: Highest percentage of cat owners. [Just understand, if your cat goes outside a lot, it is bringing back all kinds of stuff that can really ruin your life once it licks your face.]
Richard Nixon is the biggest generator of tourism… really. Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which attracted over 15 million in 2014, was created under Nixon’s watch; Golden NRA being No. 1 in the country in visitors. The Great Smoky Mountains NP is second; Lincoln Memorial third.
Mosquitoes…750,000
Snails…200,000…huh
Snakes…94,000
Dogs…61,000
….then down to….
Crocodiles…1,000
Elephants…300
Deer…100
Jellyfish…30
Sharks…3
By the way, I didn’t see how many hippos killed, but TIME notes, “Nearly 90% of hippopotamus attacks on humans are deadly.”
Finally, the average distance of a home run in Major League Baseball is 398 feet.
–We note the passing of comedian and actor Jack Carter, 93. As noted by the Los Angeles Times’ Dennis McLellan:
“Carter’s routine was snappy, irreverent and often veered into sexism.
“ ‘Eighty percent of the money is spent on women,’ Carter observed on stage in the 1950s. ‘The other 20% is spent by men – on women!’
“ ‘If you like to spend your vacation in out-of-the-way places where few people go, let your wife read the map,’ he said in the 1970s.”
Carter appeared in several dozen movies, none memorable, and he had some decent roles on Broadway, but he’ll always be known for his standup, appearing frequently on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” though never truly hitting stardom. [See above jokes!]
—Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are breaking up. Bar Chat is siding with Garner.
–Finally, congratulations to Misty Copeland for becoming the first African-American ballerina to be named principal dancer of the prestigious American Ballet Theatre. No one is more deserving. Misty rocks and is a tremendous role model for inner city youth in particular.
Top 3 songs for the week 7/7/84: #1 “When Doves Cry” (Prince…doo doo doo doooo…doo doo doo dooo….) #2 “Dancing In The Dark” (Bruce Springsteen…..Bruuuuuuuce …) #3 “Jump (For My Love)” (Pointer Sisters…ughh…)… and…#4 “Self Control” (Laura Branigan…had the brow thing going before Anthony Davis….) #5 “The Reflex” (Duran Duran) #6 “Eyes Without A Face” (Billy Idol…can’t say I ever dated a girl with that condition…) #7 “Time After Time” (Cyndi Lauper…just shoot me…) #8 “Almost Paradise…Love Theme From Footloose” (Mike Reno and Ann Wilson….Mike Reno is a cool name…) #9 “The Heart Of Rock & Roll” (Huey Lewis and the News…I’m sorry… these guys were OK but this song totally blows…at least it hasn’t aged well in the least…and that’s a memo…) #10 “Legs” (ZZ Top…this is far from their best, but if properly lubed you really don’t care…)
Wimbledon Men’s Quiz Answers: 1) Bjorn Borg’s opponents, 1976-80: ’76 Ilie Nastase; ’77 Jimmy Connors; ’78 Connors; ’79 Roscoe Tanner; ’80 John McEnroe. 2) McEnroe then defeated Borg in the finals in ’81. 3) Roger Federer’s opponents, 2003-07: ’03 Mark Philippoussis; ’04 Andy Roddick; ’05 Andy Roddick; ’06 Rafael Nadal; ’07 Nadal. 4) Nadal then defeated Federer in the finals in ’08.
As for the women, this current Wimbledon championship is all about Serena and not only her quest for the grand slam, but also her pursuit of Steffi Graf’s Open era record of 22 major singles titles, Serena with 20.
