[Posted Sunday PM]
Yankees Quiz: [From information in an article by the Wall Street Journal’s Daniel Barbarisi.] Name the five Yankees to have participated in 1,300 wins or more – as player, manager, or both. The Yanks reached 10,000 all-time wins on Thursday night. Answer below.
NHL Quiz: What? A hockey quiz in October? 1) What was the last year a team from Canada won the Stanley Cup? 2) When was the last time Toronto Maple Leafs fans got to celebrate a title? Answers below.
MLB
–Well, the New York Mets blew it big time. They just had to win a few games down the stretch to secure home-field advantage against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS and instead lost five in a row (before winning a meaningless 1-0 affair on Sunday… though it was important to get off the schneid).
So they now open in Los Angeles next Friday, with Games 1 and 2 played in the shadows as the Mets go up against Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw.
After being no-hit in the second game of a day-night doubleheader on Saturday against the Nationals by Max Scherzer, 2-0, while Greinke and the Dodgers were clinching home field with a 2-1 win over the Padre, the Mets had scored just one run in their last 35 innings. [And after Sunday it’s two in 43.]
As for Scherzer, he was spectacular, one of the great performances in history, striking out 17, including a streak of nine in a row that was broken only by the last batter, Curtis Granderson, who popped out to end the game.
I was flipping back and forth between this and the Notre Dame-Clemson contest and after Scherzer struck out the side in the eighth to run his consecutive batters streak to seven, I was like, ‘Oh no! He has a chance at tying Tom Seaver’s major-league mark of 10 in a row! That’s not only a cherished record, it is one I have told you on many an occasion is near and dear to my heart because I distinctly remember rushing home after school as a child to catch the end of it. Seaver’s record has stood the test of time. So thank god Granderson made contact.
Scherzer’s no-no was his second of the season, joining an elite club that includes Nolan Ryan, Virgil Trucks, Allie Reynolds and Johnny Vander Meer as the only pitchers to throw two in the same season; Vander Meer, of course, tossing his back-to-back. Roy Halladay had two in 2010, but one was in the playoffs. Ryan was thus the last to accomplish the feat in the regular season in 1973. Scherzer also tied Ryan with his 17 strikeouts for most in a no-hit effort. Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw are the only two to strikeout at least 15 without issuing a walk in their no-nos.
[The Mets and Nationals combined for a record 35 strikeouts in a nine-inning game, smashing the previous mark of 31 set by Texas and Seattle in 1997. For his part, Mets starter Matt Harvey had 11 Ks in just six innings.]
Among the other amazing factoids, Scherzer threw just 109 pitches and 80 of them were for strikes.
Imagine, he lost a perfect game in the ninth inning earlier this year but still had a no-hitter. He had a 16-strikeout, one-hitter in the start before that. He took a no-hitter into the eighth inning in his last start too.
At least if you are looking for omens, the Mets joined the Dodgers as the only teams to be no-hit twice this season and now they face off against each other.
Scherzer’s no-hitter was also the seventh in the majors this year, tying a record for most in a season.* He finished 14-12, 2.79, in the first year of his massive, $210 million, seven-year contract, so you can say he fulfilled his end of the bargain, but at the same time, he was far from an All-Star in a key two-month stretch from July 7 to Sept. 7, when he went 2-5, while the Nationals were allowing the Mets to catch up and snag the N.L. East crown.
*For the record, Jake Arrieta, Mike Fiers, Hisashi Iwakuma, Cole Hamels, and Chris Heston threw the other no-hitters this season.
–The Yankees played like crap down the stretch, losing 6 of 7, including the last three this weekend in Baltimore. But New York is hosting the wild-card on Tuesday against the Houston Astros; the Astros eking out the Los Angeles Angels. Saturday, the Angels had an improbable ninth-inning comeback against the Rangers, scoring five in the top of the 9th to win 11-10, but they lost 9-2 on Sunday, failing to take advantage of the Astros’ 5-3 loss to the Diamondbacks.
For Houston, Dallas Keuchel, who would appear to be the A.L. Cy Young winner over David Price after finishing 20-8, 2.48, will start against the Yanks. Masahiro Tanaka is slated to go for the Yanks.
But Keuchel has otherworldly splits. He is 15-0, 1.46 ERA at home; 5-8, 3.77 on the road.
—Texas wins the A.L. West in no small part because of the trade deadline acquisition of Cole Hamels. Texas has won its last 10 games started by the ace left-hander, with Hamels winning seven of them, including Sunday’s clinching 9-2 triumph over the Angels. On Aug. 1, the Rangers were eight games out of first.
And not for nothing, but the great Adrian Beltre has 33 RBI in his last 23 games and an MLB-high 53 RBI in 48 games since Aug. 15.
–As alluded to above, Zack Greinke finished his regular season in style, 8 innings of one-run ball in the Dodgers’ 2-1 win over the Padres Saturday. So Greinke finishes 19-3, with an ERA of 1.66, lowest in the majors since Greg Maddux’s 1.63 with the Braves in 1995.
Meanwhile, Clayton Kershaw reached the 300-strikeout mark on Sunday. He was scheduled to just throw 60 pitches in his playoff tune-up, and he was six shy of the magic number, but he ended up fanning seven in 3 2/3 as the Dodgers faced the Padres (and went on to win an otherwise meaningless game 6-3).
So Kershaw finished with 301 strikeouts in 232 2/3 innings in becoming the only Dodger pitcher other than Koufax to strike out 300. Koufax did it three times.
But the only pitcher in MLB history to reach 300 and need fewer innings than Kershaw did this year was Pedro Martinez in 1999, who required only 213 ½.
–Speaking of Koufax, it was 50 years ago, Oct. 6, 1965, that Koufax was scheduled to start Game 1 of the World Series against the Minnesota Twins. But since the day of the game was Yom Kippur, Koufax, like Hank Greenberg 31 years earlier, chose not to play.
David Halberstam / USA TODAY Sports
“For the then-5.7 million Jews in the USA, it was an opportunity to proudly rejoice and observe.
“Last year, to beat the herd of clergy to the punch, Rabbi Edward Davis of Fort Lauderdale’s Young Israel selected the 49th anniversary of Koufax’s memorable decision for the topic of his sermon on Yom Kippur eve.
“Davis praised the Brooklyn-born star for instilling an unforgettable sense of pride among Jews worldwide….
“He repeated the often-told line of Koufax’s replacement, hard-throwing Don Drysdale. At some point after the right-hander was knocked out of the game in the third inning after being throttled for seven hits and seven runs, he told Dodgers manager Walter Alston, ‘I bet you wish I was Jewish, too.’”
The Dodgers would fall behind the Twins 2-0 in the Series, but Koufax pitched a 2-0 shutout in a deciding Game 7 on just two days’ rest.
While he lost Game 2, in three starts, Koufax gave up just one earned in 24 innings, striking out 29.
–Meanwhile, in the battle for home-field advantage in the N.L. wild-card showdown on Wednesday, Pittsburgh edged Chicago by a game, both winning on Sunday to finish 98-64 and 97-65, truly outstanding seasons.
But the wild-card is what it is (and most of us fans love it), so the Pirates host the Cubs in a one-game shootout. Jake Arrieta against Gerrit Cole.
Arrieta finished 22-6, with a 1.77 ERA, though his ERA after the All-Star break was the lowest in major league history, 0.75. How do you decide between him and Greinke for the Cy Young?!
–Saturday, Pittsburgh’s A.J. Burnett closed out his regular season career, striking out nine in six innings, though the Pirates lost to the Reds 3-1. Burnett thus finished 164-157, 3.99, with 2,513 strikeouts, 31st on the all-time list. He won double-digits in 11 of his 17 seasons.
–Good for Shelby Miller. On Sunday, Miller ended a 24-start winless streak with 8 scoreless in Atlanta’s 6-0 win over the Cardinals (they also won the nightcap 2-0).
Miller thus finishes 6-17, but with a solid 3.02 ERA. In fact, over the streak, he was 0-16, but his ERA was a highly respectable 3.83.
–Miami’s Dee Gordon went 7 for 13 his last three games, including 3 for 4 on Sunday, while Bryce Harper went 3 for 11, 1-4 Sunday. Gordon wins the N.L. batting title .333 to Harper’s .330.
What a year Gordon had, with 205 hits, plus he led the league in stolen bases with 58, thus becoming the first since Jackie Robinson in 1949 to hit .333 while leading the league in SBs. And he’s only 27.
In the A.L., Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera won his fourth batting title in five years, hitting .338.
Baltimore’s Chris Davis led all of baseball with 47 home runs (Colorado’s Nolan Arenado and Bryce Harper shared the N.L. home run crown with 42), while Toronto’s Josh Donaldon led the A.L. in RBIs (123) and runs (122). Arenado had 130 RBIs to lead the N.L.
Twenty players hit 30 or more home runs, up from 11 last year.
–With the Toronto Blue Jays making the playoffs for the first time since 1993, when Joe Carter hit his famous game-ending home run against Mitch Williams of the Phillies, the North American sports franchise with the new longest drought is the Buffalo Bills, who were last in tne NFL playoffs in January 2000, a loss to the Tennessee Titans on the Kevin Dyson touchdown known as the Music City Miracle.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have the longest streak in the NBA without making the playoffs, 11 seasons (2004), while the Edmonton Oilers haven’t made the Stanley Cup playoffs since they lost in the finals in 2006.
The new leader in baseball is the Seattle Mariners, who haven’t been in the postseason since 2001 and the ALCS against the Yankees that they lost in five.
–The big league batting average was .254 this year. From an average of .269 in 2006, it had dropped eight seasons in a row to .251 last year – its lowest since a .244 in 1972, the last season before the A.L. adopted the designated hitter. The peak was .271 in 1999.
Home runs perked up this year from .87 per game last year to 1.01 this season.
The overall average time of a nine-inning game, after a promising start to the season, ended up being down just six minutes from last year to 2:56.
–I’ve been waiting for the Mets and Yanks to both make the playoffs before noting a piece in Crain’s New York Business by Aaron Elstein on the economics of being in the postseason for these two.
“The teams never like to talk about their finances, but the truth can be gleaned by examining the data provided to bondholders who invested in their ballparks.
“Let’s start with the Yankees….
“Missing the playoffs two years in a row has cost the team dearly. Last year, Yankee Stadium revenue was $274 million, which represented a $75 million, or 21%, decline from 2012, when the team last made the postseason and hosted five playoff games. Do some rudimentary math and you see that the Yankees stand to reap $15 million in ticket, concession and souvenir revenue for every postseason game they host. That average would rise if they reach the World Series, when tickets cost even more.
“Of course, revenue from hosting postseason games is only the start. Forbes estimates that gate revenue accounts for about 60% of the team’s total haul. If the Yankees were to win their first pennant in six years, season-ticket renewals will be stronger, and the team will be able to command higher prices from sponsors and cable companies that broadcast its games.”
As for the Mets, “figure (they) can reap $13 million in revenue for every playoff game they host.” [The Yankees’ number is higher because Yankee Stadium’s capacity is about 10% larger than Citi Field’s.]
–You can’t help but see tons of coverage of the passing of Yogi Berra, even almost two weeks after. Yogi, like a true legend and American Hero, will keep on giving.
You know we’ve kind of taken some things for granted (like decades after Johnny Carson left the scene, I’m still missing the hell out of the guy), but I think it’s just hitting us all how Yogi will live on forever through his malapropisms (or, as we’ll increasingly say, “his teachings…”).
I mean, really… “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over” and “It’s déjà vu all over again” will be used forever.
Anyone whose job involves a lot of public speaking will be sure to work in a Yogiism or two; it’s an easy way to put a smile on the faces of your audience, for one thing. [You’ll also have them nodding in agreement, wholesalers. Then you drop the money line on them.]
Anyway, I liked this bit from Tom Verducci in the current Sports Illustrated.
Verducci:
“At the time of his death on Sept. 22, near his home in Montclair, N.J., the 90-year-old Berra might have been as popular and cherished as ever, even though he played his last big league game, as a player-coach for the Mets, in 1965. He starred in television commercials that ran for years, especially with the Aflac insurance duck, and between 1997 and 2009 he wrote or co-wrote eight books.
“But he was beloved even more because he was a God-fearing man who knew humility was a virtue, not a weakness; who wrote love letters to his wife, Carmen, from the road; who into his advanced years still carried in his wallet a picture of his parents; who never spoke ill of others; who lacked the gifts of extraordinary size, appearance and skills but owned the rare one of the ability to laugh at himself. In short, Yogi was the real deal, the genuine goods.
“Shortly after this new century began, CNN caught up with Berra and asked him to reflect on his wide, expansive life. Yogi, ever sweet, ever sage, ever wonderful, replied, ‘If I had to do it all over again, I would do it all over again.”
–Baseball fan Stu W. said the two best clutch hitters he ever saw were Yogi Berra and Steve Garvey.
College Football…comments written before release of latest AP Poll.
One thing should be clear thus far…Ohio State and Michigan State should not be 1 and 2, but it very well may remain that way.
No. 1 Ohio State trailed 4-0 Indiana 10-6 at half, but then Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott put on a spectacular show, ripping off touchdown runs of, in order, 55, 65 and 75 yards as Ohio State went on to defeat the injury-riddled Hoosiers 34-27. Elliott finished with 274 yards on 23 carries, while quarterback Cardale Jones was once again underwhelming, 18/27, 245, 1-1.
Indiana’s starting QB/RB tandem of Nate Sudfeld and Jordan Howard was injured and ineffective in the second half. Howard, before suffering a left ankle injury that limited him to 34 yards on 14 carries, had rushed for 145+ in each of Indiana’s first four games. And regarding Sudfeld, who also injured his left ankle, it didn’t help that while he was in there, his receivers dropped a ton of balls.
No. 2 Michigan State had another totally unimpressive win over 1-4 Purdue, 24-21, though running back L.J. Scott had 146 yards on 18 carries with two scores. Purdue had three turnovers or they easily could have pulled off the upset.
No. 3 Ole Miss was waxed by No. 25 Florida, 38-10, as the Gators (4-0) will rocket up the rankings this week. Quarterback Will Grier was 24/29, 271, 4-0.
No. 4 TCU will move up a notch with a 50-7 win over 1-4 Texas, 50-7, as QB and Heisman candidate Trevone Boykin was 20/35, 332, 5-0, plus another 52 yards on the ground. To say Texas coach Charlie Strong is in deep trouble is an understatement. As noted the other week, the alum not only hate losing, they hate the fact Texas is losing the in-state war to the likes of Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech. [Heck, you could add Houston, too.]
Speaking of Baylor and Texas Tech, No. 5 Baylor remained undefeated in beating a decent Texas Tech (3-2) squad, 63-35, with Bears running back Shock Linwood rushing for 221 yards on 20 carries.
Then you had Saturday night’s big one at rain-soaked Death Valley, No. 6 Notre Dame falling to No. 12 Clemson, 24-22. Clemson had a 21-3 lead in the fourth quarter and then held on for dear life as the defense forced turnovers on two late drives and then stopped a two-point conversation at the end to preserve the victory and their national title hopes. For the Fighting Irish (4-1), it may have been a killer.
But as Dan Wolken of USA TODAY wrote: “College football coaches still aren’t very good at math. And Brian Kelly paid for it big time Saturday. With 14:13 remaining and Clemson seemingly in control up 21-3, Notre Dame finally broke a big play, scoring on a 56-yard touchdown pass to C.J. Prosise.
“For some reason, Kelly elected to go for two even though it would have been a two-score game regardless. He even spent a timeout to think it over. Notre Dame’s passing attempt was incomplete. That came into play because the Irish would have only needed an extra point to tie on the final possession instead of another two-point conversation attempt that went awry.”
Interesting note on Clemson. In the last three seasons, 2012-2014, all seven of their losses were to teams that ended up finishing in the final AP top ten poll.
No. 7 UCLA lost at home to a mediocre Arizona State (3-2) team, 38-23, though to be fair, the Bruins have been totally decimated by injury on defense in just the past few weeks.
No. 13 Alabama (3-1) showed it is still a force to be reckoned with, blasting No. 8 Georgia in Athens, 38-10. It was all over by the half, 24-3, as ‘Bama QB Jake Coker was 7/8, 158, 1-0 at the intermission. Once again, Georgia coach Mark Richt’s squad came up small in a big game.
No. 9 LSU once again rode the spectacular play of Leonard Fournette to victory, as Fournette, your Heisman Trophy winner thus far, became the first SEC running back to rush for 200 yards in three consecutive games, Fournette having 233 on 26 carries with three touchdowns in the Tigers’ 44-24 win over Eastern Michigan. Fournette now has 228, 244 and 233, with 8 TDs, in his streak.
Basically, though, LSU sucks without the guy.
No. 11 Florida State had a tough go of it against little ol’ Wake Forest, just skating by the Deacs 24-16 in Winston-Salem. Seminoles running back Dalvin Cook had a 94-yard TD run on his first carry of the game, but then left due to a hamstring injury and Wake actually outgained FSU 357-329, with 27 first downs to the Seminoles’ 14.
But with the line at 20, at least we beat the spread! And at the end of the day, boys and girls, that’s really all that matters.
No. 14 Texas A&M remained undefeated with a solid 30-17 win over No. 21 Mississippi State (3-2). Not a good day for fans of Mississippi football.
In a battle of 3-0 squads, No. 15 Oklahoma manhandled No. 23 West Virginia in Norman, 44-24, as quarterback Baker Mayfield had another solid effort, 14/25, 320, 3-1.
I’ve belittled No. 16 Northwestern, but they are now 5-0 after a convincing 27-0 win over Minnesota (3-2). As they showed in the opener against Stanford, the Wildcats have a darn good defense, this week yielding only 173 yards in total offense to the Gophers.
No. 19 Wisconsin (3-2) laid an egg at home as Iowa moved to 5-0 with a 10-6 win that was as boring as they come.
Kansas State (3-1) had won 49 straight games when leading at the half, the longest current streak in FBS play, and was defeating No. 20 Oklahoma State at the intermission, 28-20, but the Wildcats fell 36-34 to the 5-0 Cowboys as Ben Grogan kicked a deciding 37-yard field goal with 32 seconds remaining in Stillwater.
No. 22 Michigan moved to 4-1 under first-year coach Jim Harbaugh with a 28-0 win over Maryland (2-3) in College Park.
In other games, Pitt is 3-1 after defeating Virginia Tech (2-3) 17-13; Duke (4-1) beat Boston College (3-2) in the rain in Durham, 9-7; and Navy remained undefeated (4-0) with a 33-11 win over Air Force (2-2). Quarterback Keenan Reynolds had 183 yards rushing on 24 carries for the Midshipmen, but this time no touchdowns.
Thursday, Miami (3-1) failed to come up big in an important contest yet again under coach Al Golden, losing at Cincinnati (3-2), 34-23.
And now…your new AP Poll! And we have movement, sports fans!
1. Ohio State 5-0 (38 first-place votes)
2. TCU 5-0 (5)
3. Baylor 4-0 (10)
4. Michigan State 5-0…good
5. Utah 4-0 (7)
6. Clemson 4-0…ACC! ACC!
7. LSU 4-0
8. Alabama 4-1
9. Texas A&M 5-0 (1)
10. Oklahoma 4-0
11. Florida 5-0…up from 25 is a rather nice jump
13. Northwestern 5-0…can no longer ignore their defensive prowess
15. Notre Dame 4-1…bye bye
18. Michigan 4-1
24. Toledo 4-0! Love it
NFL
–Waddya know? The J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets are 3-1, making the most of their trip across the pond in picking up a 27-14 win at Wembley Stadium in London over the 1-3 Dolphins.
For my Jets, Chris Ivory rumbled for 166 yards on 29 carries and a touchdown, while receiver Brandon Marshall caught seven passes for 128 yards.
Just a solid effort, albeit against a lousy, poorly-coached team.
–The Giants evened their record at 2-2 with a 24-10 win up in Buffalo (2-2). Rex Ryan’s Bills were a rather undisciplined group, getting called for 17 penalties.
–Atlanta’s Julius Jones had 34 receptions in the Falcons’ first three games; the most any player has had in a season’s first three in NFL history. But in Atlanta’s 48-21 win over the Texans (1-3), Jones was held to just four receptions for 38 yards. Instead, DeVona Freeman had three touchdowns on the ground and 81 yards receiving as the Falcons are now 4-0.
–The Bengals are also 4-0, as “Good Andy” Dalton dialed up another solid (regular-season) effort, 17/24, 321, 1-0, 127.1 rating, in Cincinnati’s 36-21 win over Kansas City (1-3).
–And Carolina is 4-0 after a 37-23 win over the Bucs (1-3). For Tampa Bay, Jameis Winston was pretty horrid…26/43, 287, 2-4, 57.0. That ‘4’ is four interceptions, in case you didn’t know. That rating, ’57,’ sucks.
—Oakland suffered a bad loss at Chicago, 22-20, on a Robbie Gould 49-yard field goal as time expired. The Raiders are back to 2-2, while the Bears picked up their first win of the season.
—Break up the Redskins! 2-2 after a 23-20 win over the wayward Eagles (1-3). DeMarco Murray is complaining the Philadelphia offense isn’t getting him the ball enough.
—Andrew Luck had to sit out the first game of his NFL career with a right shoulder injury but Matt Hasselback was adequate in relief and the Colts (2-2) pulled out a 16-13 win over the Jaguars (1-3).
—San Diego evened its record at 2-2 with a 30-27 win over the bumbling Browns (1-3), as Josh Lambo kicked a 34-yard field goal with time expiring, though only after a Cleveland player was ruled offside on Lambo’s initial 39-yard attempt that sailed wide right.
–Thursday, Pittsburgh (2-2) suffered an awful loss to the Baltimore Ravens, 23-20 in overtime, for the Ravens’ first win of the season after opening 0-3.
Pittsburgh kicker Josh Scobee had two chances to give the Steelers some cushion late in the fourth quarter only to pull both kicks wide left. The second miss gave Baltimore time for their clutch kicker, Justin Tucker, to send the game into OT…and then win it.
But the game was also about Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and the decision to go for it twice on fourth down in Baltimore territory in overtime rather than send Scobee back out for a long attempt. Michael Vick, subbing for the injured Ben Roethlisberger, was then stopped on fourth and two at the 39 and later fourth and one from the 33. Joe Flacco then led the Ravens to the 35 after the second failure and Tucker banged the 52-yarder for the win.
Aside from eschewing Scobee on the two fourth-down calls, many are questioning why the Steelers’ best player on Thursday, LeVeon Bell, wasn’t called on. Bell rushed for 129 yards on 22 carries.
Vick was OK in defeat, 19/26, 124, 1-0, 95.7. For the Ravens, Justin Forsett ran for 150 yards, while Wake Forest alum Michael Campanaro chipped in with a 9-yard TD run.
–You know the NFL’s Pink October campaign and all the paraphernalia? You think the NFL is contributing $10s of millions to the American Cancer Society, which in turn uses the money to increase awareness, education and screening for women over 40 for breast cancer?
Try $1.1 million every year since the partnership started seven years ago. Or five times less than what other ACS partners, such as Walgreens, donate to the same program, a program that actually, according to VICE Sports, gives zero dollars to cancer research.
Golf Balls
–As expected, Jordan Spieth was named the PGA Tour’s player of the year, the youngest to receive the honor since Tiger Woods won the award at 21 in 1997.
Daniel Berger, 21, was voted the tour’s rookie of the year.
The more you think about it, the more you realize just what a special year it was; really the perfect one. The 22-year-old phenom who breaks through with the first two majors, thus fueling hopes of a grand slam. The same player competes to the end of the British Open, only to fall short to the wily, and popular, veteran, Zach Johnson, who picks up his second major, thus solidifying an exclamation point on an excellent career, and in the PGA, Jason Day finally bags his first major and then goes on a roll, threatening Spieth for player of the year. If Day had won the Tour Championship over Spieth, there would have been quite a debate.
Plus…you had 26-year-old Rickie Fowler picking up the biggest win of his career in taking The Players Championship with a spectacular fourth-round performance.
But it’s next year that has us excited now…what with Rory back to 100%, it is to be presumed. And Justin Thomas breaking through, and maybe Ollie S. (Schneiderdinglesthorp…OK, sorry, Ollie Schneiderjans…which is why I’ll be calling this looming star, Ollie S.).
Jamie Diaz writes the following in Golf World:
“For the first time in many years, there is once again a legit Big Three. The term got thrown around a lot after Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus ruled in the ‘60s, but no subsequent trio has ever matched their mark – or substance. Besides the marketing of Mark McCormack, the originals were multiple major winners, played against each other a lot, and possessed a compelling competitive chemistry. Greg Norman, Seve Ballesteros and Nick Faldo didn’t quite match up as well. And any given two from the group of Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh or Retief Goosen (remember the Big Five?) were never close enough to equal Tiger Woods. But now we have Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day. Other than Day having only one major victory, they meet every criteria. And they are especially hungry at the moment – Spieth naturally so, McIlroy because he has been ambushed, and Day because he has figured out how good he is. They might also be collectively better with the fans than the originals. And because they are so young and close in age – Spieth 22, McIlroy 26 and Day 27 – they have a chance to rule longer.”
Yup, bring it on.
—Jim Furyk was forced to withdraw from this week’s Presidents Cup due to a wrist injury he suffered at the BMW Championship. Furyk told Golfweek he just wasn’t 100 percent.
But he’ll still travel to South Korea to serve as a captain’s assistant for the U.S. team.
Replacing Furyk will be J.B. Holmes, who probably deserved to be on the team anyway, Holmes being No. 12 on the points list, but missing out to Phil Mickelson who got one of the captain’s picks.
–Pretty funny that of the $22 million Jordan Spieth made this year, $13 million was in Georgia.
–Remember Anthony Kim? He gave his first interview to the AP’s Doug Ferguson in three years and he said he still isn’t ready to come back. And may never come back.
“Here’s what I’m telling you today,” he said. “I’m going to step away from the game for a little while and get my body pieced together. Instead of going from an Achilles injury to try to go 180 mph and not fixing the problem…I’ve got so much ground to make up from injuries – rotator cuff, labrum, spinal fusion, hand injury. I’ve had six or seven surgeries in the last three-and-a-half years.”
Kim was a shining star, winning three times, when injury forced him to hang it up at the age of 26. Today, he’s still just 30.
Kim earned just over $12 million in five full years on tour and says he saved up more money than people realize, despite the social media stories of his wild side. He also continues to get monthly payments from an insurance policy he took out five years ago in case he was injured. But he denied speculation in a magazine story last fall (that I wrote of at the time) that the policy was a factor in keeping him from returning to the PGA Tour.
“I paid well into the mid-six figures for the policy,” he said. “They wouldn’t have paid me every month had I not been to the doctors, showing them all my X-rays, doing all the treatment, the acupuncture, twice a day for physical therapy.”
If he wanted to return, Kim could use a medical exemption and would have to earn $613,500 in 16 events to keep his card.
Premier League
Arsenal stunned Manchester United on Sunday with three goals in the first 20 minutes and that’s how it ended, 3-0.
Christian Eriksen bailed out Tottenham, twice, in a 2-2 draw with Swansea.
I was watching winless Newcastle against Manchester City on Saturday and Newcastle had a 1-0 lead with about five minutes to play in the first half. Man City then scored so it was tied at half. I proceeded to take a nice nap (my favorite pastime on Saturdays) and when I awoke, it was 6-1 Man City.
Everton and Liverpool played to a 1-1 draw.
And Chelsea’s season of horribles continued as it lost to Southampton 3-1, Chelsea’s fourth loss in eight games after losing three all of last season.
Standings…after 8 of 38
1. Manchester City 6(W) 0(D) 2 (L)…18 points
2. Arsenal 5-1-2…16*
3. Manchester United 5-1-2…16
4. Crystal Palace 5-0-3…15
5. Leicester 4-3-1…15
6. West Ham 4-2-2…14
7. Everton 3-4-1…13
8. Tottenham 3-4-1…13
16. Chelsea 2-2-4…8
*ties broken by goal differential
NASCAR
Talk about clutch, defending Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick needed to win the race at Dover International Speedway on Sunday to advance in the Chase and that he did, dominating the field.
But six-time champ Jimmie Johnson failed to advance after seeming a lock to. The No. 48 was forced off the track for 36 laps with a rear axle issue and he plummeted in the standings.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was among the 12 to survive, sneaking in on a tiebreaker, while Jeff Gordon is still in it in this his last year of racing.
In the next three-race segment, four more drivers will be eliminated.
Stuff
–Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr is taking a leave of absence as he recovers from back surgery and will be replaced on an interim basis by Luke Walton.
“After the first two days of training camp, I realized I need to take a step back and focus on my rehabilitation in order to be ready for the grind of another NBA season,” Kerr said in a statement.
Kerr actually had multiple surgeries this offseason. He ruptured a disk in his back during Game 5 of the NBA Finals and had two surgeries to repair the injury, one on July 28 and another on Sept. 4.
–Update: Bulls point guard Derrick Rose will be out about two weeks after surgery to repair a left orbital fracture.
–The current issue of ESPN The Magazine has its annual ranking of sports franchises among the four major leagues in America and for the second year in a row, the San Antonio Spurs are number one, as rated by the fans in categories such as fan relations, ownership, players, coaching, bang for the buck, affordability, stadium experience, and title track.
1. San Antonio
2. Memphis Grizzlies
3. Tampa Bay Lightning
4. Anaheim Ducks
5. Seattle Seahawks
7. Oklahoma City Thunder
8. Pittsburgh Pirates
9. Arizona Diamondbacks
10. Dallas Stars
Others:
12. St. Louis Cardinals
25. New England Patriots
57. Boston Celtics
59. Los Angeles Dodgers
76. New York Giants
90. New York Yankees
100. Boston Red Sox
101. Los Angeles Lakers
102. New York Mets
111. Brooklyn Nets
116. New York Jets
120. Washington Redskins
121. New York Knicks
122. Toronto Maple Leafs
Yes, the Maple Leafs are the worst. Last in the NHL in 20 of 25 categories, including affordability, where the $113 average ticket price is almost double the NHL’s average.
Speaking of which, the Knicks’ average ticket of $129.38 is almost $100 more than the New Orleans Pelicans’ average.
–The University of Louisville and the NCAA are looking into allegations in a just released book titled “Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen” that a former director of basketball operations paid an escort service to provide sex for Cardinals recruits.
As reported by ESPN’s Jeff Goodman, “The NCAA talked to LSU freshman and ex-Louisville commit Antonio Blakeney earlier this week about his experiences on a recruiting visit.
“ ‘We’re still trying to uncover the facts,’ Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich said during a news conference Friday. ‘We want to get to the bottom of it as much as anybody does…and we will.’”
The book contends a woman named Katrina Powell was hired repeatedly by former Louisville player, graduate assistant and director of basketball operations Andre McGee “to provide strippers and prostitutes during recruits’ campus visits,” as reported by Jeff Goodman.
“In the book, the 43-year-old Powell says she provided entertainment for 22 parties from 2010 to 2014 at Billy Minardi Hall, which houses Cardinals basketball players on campus. Powell said she and three of her daughters, along with other women, participated in the sex acts.”
Louisville coach Rick Pitino: “To say I’m disheartened, disappointed would be the biggest understatement I’ve made as a coach.”
Pitino said he has spoken to McGee, currently an assistant coach at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, once and that he did not admit to any wrongdoing.
“Mom, Dad, I have great news. I secured a room at Billy Minardi Hall for next semester.”
“That’s wonderful news, dear,” said unknowing Mom.
“Heh, heh. Nice goin’, LeSean,” said Dad.*
Apparently, Louisville didn’t find out about its involvement in the book until Jurich was tipped off by an associate athletic director at Indiana University.
*The editors of Bar Chat are not responsible for the preceding dialogue and in no way condone the activities that are alleged to have taken place at Billy Minardi Hall.
—A menu for the last luncheon served to the first-class passengers aboard the Titanic has sold for $88,000 at an online auction; the price being in line with pre-sale estimates.
“Stamped with a date of April 14, 1912 and the White Star Line logo, the menu included grilled mutton chops and custard pudding; corned beef; mashed, fried and baked jacket potatoes; a buffet of fish, ham and beef; an apple meringue pastry; and a selection of eight cheeses.
“Lion Heart Autographs said the menu was saved by Abraham Lincoln Salomon, one of the passengers who escaped on the so-called ‘money boat’ lifeboat that was filled with wealthy people. It is thought to be one of only three or four menus from the ship’s last lunch that still exist.”
–From Keith Brown / NJ.com
“A Trenton pork roll maker is being sued by the wife of a former employee who was allegedly fired for farting too much in the office, according to a federal discrimination lawsuit.
“Louann Clem, who worked alongside her husband, Richard Clem, at Case Pork Roll Co., says in a federal lawsuit filed last month that after her husband received gastric bypass surgery he suffered serious consequences, including ‘extreme gas and uncontrollable diarrhea.’
“Case President Thomas Dolan began to harass Clem and his wife when the smell of Richard’s flatulence began to overpower the aroma of pork roll, according to the lawsuit.
“ ‘We have to do something about Rich,’ the lawsuit says Dolan told Louann Clem. ‘This can’t go on. We can’t run an office and have visitors with the odor in the office.’
Clem was fired on Feb. 28, 2014 and his wife quit the same day.
But understand Richard Clem “was 420 pounds.”
I suggest you all double-check the manufacturer of your pork roll that’s sitting in the fridge.
–We note the passing of Frankie Ford, 76, who had a #14 Billboard hit back in 1959, “Sea Cruise,” that he recorded when he was just 19. Born in Gretna, La., near New Orleans, that’s where Mr. Ford died.
Top 3 songs for the week 10/5/63: #1 “Blue Velvet” (Bobby Vinton…great artist…but British Invasion just around the corner…) #2 “Sally, Go ‘Round The Roses” (The Jaynetts) #3 “Be My Baby” (The Ronettes…Phil Spector at his best…but you know what’s criminal (oops, poor choices of words when Phil is involved)? “Baby, I Love you” peaked at just #24! and “Walking In The Rain” peaked at only #23!!!…two that were also top five worthy…)…and…#4 “Sugar Shack” (Jimmy Gilmer and The Fireballs) #5 “Cry Baby” (Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters) #6 “My Boyfriend’s Back” (The Angels) #7 “Wonderful! Wonderful!” (The Tymes) #8 “Heat Wave” (Martha & The Vandellas…this one has aged terrifically well…will sound good 100 years from now…) #9 “Busted” (Ray Charles…eh…) #10 “Then He Kissed Me” (The Crystals…yup, the year of the girl groups… this, too, was about to change…though the Supremes would emerge to provide some good competition for the lads from Liverpool, the Stones, the Animals, the DC Five, et al…)
Yankees Quiz Answer: Top five in wins – as player, manager, or both.
1. Derek Jeter…1,628-1,117…1,628 total wins
2. Yogi Berra…1,275-836 as player…192-148 as manager…1,467
3. Joe McCarthy…1,462-868 as manager…1,462
4. Mickey Mantle…1,376-1,016…1,376
5. Lou Gehrig…1,323-822…1,323
6. Babe Ruth…1,277-801
7. Bernie Williams…1,211-862
8. Joe Torre…1,173-767 as manager
9. Casey Stengel…1,149-696 as manager
NHL Quiz: 1) Montreal garnered the last Stanley Cup for a team from Canada way back in 1993. Five from Canada have lost in the Finals since. 2) Toronto has not won a Cup since 1967.
I have to go with my Rangers to win the Stanley Cup this season.
Next Bar Chat, Thursday.
