[Posted late Sunday p.m.]
Heisman Trophy Quiz: [Yeah, it’s early….I’m rushed for time and needed a quickie.] Who are the last two wide receivers to win the award? Answer below.
Royals 4 Mets 1
So to review….
Game 1: Royals 5 Mets 4 in 14 innings. Mets closer Jeurys Familia gives up a one-out, bottom of the ninth, tying home run to Alex Gordon. Mets go 1-10 with runners in scoring position. Disheartening.
Game 2: Royals 7 Mets 1. K.C. starter Johnny Cueto, who was only 4-7, 4.76 ERA for the Royals in the regular season after coming over from Cincinnati, threw a complete game, yielding just two singles. It was the first complete game by an A.L. pitcher in the Series since Jack Morris for the Twins in Game 7 1991. Mets ace Jacob deGrom yielded four runs in five innings and, combined with first game starter Matt Harvey, the two struck out just four Royals in 11 innings. DeGrom had entered the game with 27 in 20 playoff innings in his three wins.
Game 3: Mets 9 Royals 3. After yielding six hits and three runs in the first two innings, the Mets’ Noah Syndergaard slammed the door the next four and the Mets’ bats heated up, led by David Wright’s two-run first-inning homer and a two-run single later as New York put the game away.
But the Royals were, err, royally pissed at Syndergaard, aka “Thor,” for firing his very first pitch near leadoff batter Alcides Escobar’s head. The players went way overboard in their reactions and I loved how Thor matter-of-factly said the day before this was part of his plan. When asked about Escobar and his penchant for swinging at first-pitch fastballs, Syndergaard said he “had a few tricks up his sleeve.”
After the game, Noah didn’t back down. “I feel like it really made a statement to start the game; that you guys can’t dig in and get too aggressive because I’ll come in there.”
Then he added, “My intent was to make them uncomfortable, and I feel like I did that….
“If they have a problem with me throwing inside, then they can meet me 60 feet, 6 inches away,” Thor said. “I’ve got no problem with that.”
“I think the whole team was pretty upset,” said third baseman Mike Moustakas. “First pitch of the game goes whizzing by our leadoff man’s head. Whatever it was, it’s what happened.”
“I didn’t like it,” right fielder Alex Rios said. “I didn’t agree with what he did. I think it was wrong. It was just weak.”
Oh, shut up. It was at this moment, watching the Royals’ dugout and the ‘outrage’ over Noah’s pitch, that I decided I hate these guys.
Mike Lupica / New York Daily News
“All week long we heard about how Alcides Escobar was swinging at the first pitch.
“You know Escobar hit the first pitch he saw from Matt Harvey for an inside-the-park home run in Game 1.
“And then he and the Royals act offended that Noah Syndergaard buzzed him with the first pitch of Game 3?
“Apparently Escobar and his teammates were just supposed to dig in and swing away, while being praised for being big contact guys, and Mets pitchers were just supposed to tee them up.
“Syndergaard just asked Escobar to be a big contact guy from a sitting position.”
Game 4: Royals 5 Mets 3: If Game 1’s loss was devastating, this one was catastrophic. The Mets were up 3-2 going to the top of the eighth when closer Familia was brought in with runners on first and second, one out. Eric Hosmer hit a ground ball to the right side….
Steve Politi / NJ.com
“The ball was bouncing slowly across the infield grass, and all of Citi Field was thinking about what might happen next. This was an out – not an easy play, but certainly an out – which means the Mets would be just four outs away from evening this World Series.
“Then second baseman Daniel Murphy charged at the roller and tilted his glove toward the infield, just a few inches from scraping the dirt. Just enough space for a baseball to find its way through.
“Just enough room to make 44,815 hearts sink.
“Because this was not an out. This was an error….
“That it was Murphy, who is the biggest reason they reached baseball’s biggest stage, is the cruelest twist of all from the baseball gods. Murphy had homered in a record six-straight postseason games, almost single-handedly eliminating the Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series.
“Now, unless the Mets can complete an epic comeback over the next four days, his heroics will be bookended with an E-4 that helped turn a tenuous 3-2 lead into a horrible 5-3 loss.
“ ‘I misplayed it,’ Murphy said as he stood at his locker, a media throng eight deep surrounding him. ‘There’s no excuse for it. And it cost us a chance to win the ballgame.’
“October is so often the cruelest month in this sport, and just an hour before the calendar turned, the Mets were hit with a sucker punch that they might be feeling straight into spring training.”
Joel Sherman / New York Post
“You can be the hero one moment, cover boy for national magazines [Ed. Murphy was on the cover of SI this week], toast of the town, suddenly hot free agent.
“And then Daniel Murphy can have a grounder go under his glove and, boom, he is a goat, owner of a uniquely bad place in Mets lore.
“This time of year can be so cruel.
“Citi Field can be full and jovial and under the strong belief that the 111th World Series is about to be tied and a championship just might be a few days away.
“And then an eighth inning of poor relief, bad defense and dubious managing flips the script. The Mets are not even. Their season, instead, is now one loss from extinction.
“This time of year can be so cruel.
“Steven Matz and Michael Conforto are going to be rookie heroes, as sure as Noah Syndergaard was the previous night in Game 3. They are going to be the winning pitcher and offensive star.
“And then they are footnotes to a loss that will go down in infamous Mets history with Mike Scioscia in 1988 and Game 1 of the 2000 World Series and Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS, the kind of loss that just never leaves the Mets players involved, never disappears from the fans’ conscience. The kind of loss that only lives forever.
“This time of year can be so cruel.
“You can be so close to greatness, euphoria and, thus, the plummet in the other direction is made all the greater.”
Mets manager Terry Collins faced heat after for his moves in the bullpen, particularly for not bringing Familia in earlier. But Familia had pitched a meaningless ninth on Friday and Collins admitted that impacted his decision as to when to bring him in on Saturday.
“We said before the inning, if the go-ahead run gets on, we’re going to go to Familia,” Collins said. “But I didn’t want to have to burn Jeurys tonight for two innings if I could help it. So it didn’t work.”
Tyler Kepner / New York Times
“If burning Familia with a two-inning save had helped the Mets win Game 4 – and ensured that the World Series would return to Missouri – they could have lived without him for Game 5. As it stands, they must win on Sunday to save their season.”
Game 5: Royals 7 Mets 2. In a terrific pitchers’ duel, Matt Harvey vs. Edinson Volquez, Curtis Granderson led off the bottom of the first with a home run and Lucas Duda added a sac fly in the sixth and it was 2-0 after seven.
Harvey had thrown 93 pitches to this point, scattering four hits and striking out nine. He then pitched a 1-2-3 eighth. 102 pitches.
Would Harvey be allowed to go out for the ninth? Yes.
But Lorenzo Cain draws a lead-off walk. Harvey stays in. Cain steals second, erasing the double-play opportunity. Then Hosmer doubles Cain in! 2-1. Harvey exits for Familia.
Moustakas grounds to first for the first out. Hosmer to third. Perez grounds to third, Wright throws across to Duda at first as Hosmer breaks to the plate, Duda’s throw is wild, score tied! Alex Gordon grounds out to end the inning and it goes to the bottom of the ninth.
They’ll be talking about Collins’ decision to let Harvey talk him into staying in the game, and why Harvey wasn’t yanked after the leadoff walk. Poor Familia gets three ground balls but he was put in a bad situation. Mets fail to score in the bottom of the ninth. Extra innings.
Familia pitches a 1-2-3 top of the tenth. Mets fail to plate a run in the bottom of the inning against Hochevar.
Niese enters and throws a scoreless eleventh. Hochevar does the same.
Addison Reed comes in for the Mets and Perez dumps a leadoff single to right. Dyson pinch-runs for Perez and promptly steals second. Alex Gordon advances Dyson to third with a groundout. Christian Colon, in his first at bat in the playoffs, singles to left, scoring Dyson. Royals go up 3-2. Murphy boots a possible double play ball. Escobar doubles in a run, 4-2.
Then Lorenzo Cain clears the bases with a double…it’s over, 7-2. The Mets go meekly in the bottom of the 12th. For Mets fans it’s the Series of ‘what ifs.’ For Kansas City fans, it’s party time.
—
–Among the top issues in the offseason is what will the Dodgers do when Zack Greinke opts out of his contract, as expected, to become a free agent?
Last offseason, Max Scherzer and Jon Lester signed their big contracts for $210 million and $155 million, respectively. Both of them were 30 years old, and Greinke just turned 32. Most folks believe he’ll receive a six-year, $155 million, Lester-like deal, taking him to age 38.
But Greinke is opting out of the final three years and $71 million on his current deal, so as the Los Angeles Times’ Steve Dilbeck notes, to go to six years and $155m is ‘only’ an additional $84m commitment.
However, that’s $84m just to remain where the team was, which wasn’t good enough. If the Dodgers don’t extend Greinke, then they have to go for David Price, if he’s still available. Ergo, L.A. could easily get totally screwed all around.
–Speculation over former Dodgers manager Don Mattingly going to Miami started back in mid-August. So, despite the fact L.A. and Mattingly had a “mutual” agreement to part ways, would the Dodgers still cause a ruckus and claim tampering after the Marlins signed Donnie Baseball to a four-year deal to manage the Marlins? Probably not.
–It’s pretty unanimous that the Washington Nationals made the right move in selecting Bud Black to be their new manager. Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post had this tale.
“Not long after the San Diego Padres hired Bud Black as manager in November 2006, they acquired a young reliever named Heath Bell from the New York Mets. Not long after that deal was finalized, Bell got a phone call from Black a former major league starter who had never managed before.
“ ‘Heath, you had 35 or so appearances last year. Five of them, you gave up runs. Thirty, you didn’t give up runs,’ Bell remembered Black saying to him. ‘If you can double that – have 10 bad games and 60 great games – you can be in my bullpen any time. You’re my guy.’
“Bell said he didn’t know much about Black at the time, unfamiliar with the longtime Angels pitching coach who served seven years under Manager Mike Scioscia. But that phone call told him plenty.
“ ‘Right there, I knew this guy believes in me,’ said Bell, now retired. ‘I can make mistakes, and he’s still got my back.’”
–Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post:
“Everybody knows Bruce Bochy is a genius manager because he has led the San Francisco Giants to three world championships in the past six years. Bochy might be in the Hall of Fame someday. However, before he managed the Giants, he spent a dozen years managing the San Diego Padres. At first, he had some success, even winning a pennant in ’98. But in his last eight years in San Diego, he had no magic or more likely, he had few players and went 616-680. That’ll get you fired. So, Bochy was.
“It’s easy to mistake a manager for his record, especially if he runs a club with a small to medium budget, has few true stars and is constantly finding a way to make due in towns that big free agents won’t even visit. The Giants spotted the high-quality manager underneath the mediocre talent he handled and stole a jewel.
“The man who followed Bochy into the Padres’ managing job was Bud Black. In his first eight seasons running the Padres, his record was 617-680. Do a double-take….
“This past season, Black’s ninth in San Diego, where he was both respected and liked by players, he was given more talent than usual. Expectations rose. Yet in June, his record was just 32-33. So, like Bochy long before him, he was fired, found guilty of…managing in San Diego. After Bud left, the Padres flopped to 42-54.”
The unwritten gag order for making things such as management changes official is in existence until the World Series concludes, after which the likes of Washington and Miami, and others, will be making their announcements. San Diego is hiring Andy Green, third-base coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks, as their new manager. Green is just 38 and played parts of four seasons in the majors before starting his coaching career in 2011.
American Pharoah
Joe Drape / New York Times
“The remarkable racing career of American Pharoah came full circle on Saturday when the Triple Crown champion won the final race of his career in the state where he was born, and will now take immediate retirement.
“The bay colt won the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic for his ninth victory in 11 career races, sealing his legacy as a horse for the ages.
“American Pharoah covered the mile-and-a-quarter in 2 minutes 00.07 seconds, a track record, and earned a $2.75 million first-place check for his owner, Ahmed Zayat. As the prohibitive favorite, he paid just $3.40 to his backers, but they didn’t seem to mind: a capacity crowd of 50,155 at Keeneland in the heart of bluegrass country roared as the colt rolled down the stretch for the victory.
“American Pharoah, the son of Pioneer of the Nile, electrified the sport over the past year, winning seven of his eight races and becoming the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years and only the 12th in history. American Pharoah also has been among the most well-traveled champions, flying more than 20,000 miles to run on eight different racetracks.
“Now, American Pharoah will be retired to stallion duty at Ashford Stud [Ed. Coolmore’s American location] in Versailles, Ky., nine miles down the road from Keeneland and 36 miles from Winchester, Ky., where he was born at Stockplace Farm on Groundhog Day in 2012.”
I do have to mention that Pharoah was helped Saturday when the great mare Beholder was scratched due to bleeding in the lung. But America’s Triple Crown winner was back in champion form after stumbling in the Travers. What a year he gave us.
Thank you to the Zayat family for letting American Pharoah race beyond the Belmont. I know I’ll never forget my moment at Monmouth and the Haskell.
And thank you, Bob Baffert and Victor Espinoza. This was the world of sports at its best.
[For those looking ahead to next May and the Kentucky Derby, Nyquist won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile for 2-year-olds and is now 5-for-5.]
College Football Review…comments written prior to release of latest AP Poll.
No. 1 Ohio State was idle but the program made news as quarterback J.T. Barrett was arrested early Saturday morning near campus for driving while intoxicated. The school announced he was cited with a misdemeanor and will be suspended for next week’s game against Minnesota.
Barrett, 20, was arrested as he tried to avoid a DUI checkpoint. He then failed a Breathalyzer test.
So at least for one week the quarterback job goes back to Cardale Jones. Ohio State’s big showdown with Michigan State is Nov. 21.
No. 3 Clemson is 8-0 after holding on to defeat a game North Carolina State (5-3) squad in Raleigh, 56-41. Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson was superb, 23/30, 383, 5-0, plus a TD running. Clemson running back Wayne Gallman racked up 172 yards on 31 carries with a touchdown.
No. 5 TCU (8-0) whipped West Virginia (3-4) in Ft. Worth, 40-10, as quarterback Trevone Boykin had another big game, 32/47, 388, 3-0, plus 84 on the ground with a score. His favorite target, wideout Josh Doctson, had his usual monster game, 11 receptions for 183 yards and two touchdowns.
No. 8 Stanford (7-1) is still in the playoff hunt, barely, after a 30-28 win over Washington State in Pullman. Cougars kicker Erik Powell, who had gone five-for-five in his field goal attempts, missed a 43-yarder that would have given Washington State the upset as time expired.
No. 9 Notre Dame (7-1) still harbors CFP hopes after a 24-20 win over No. 21 Temple (7-1) in Philadelphia, handing the Owls their first loss of the season, though they acquitted themselves quite well; the Fighting Irish needing a DeShone Kizer to Will Fuller TD pass with just 2:09 remaining to take the lead.
I was watching the Mets game while this one was on so unfortunately didn’t catch much of it, but Mark R. and wife Judy were in attendance and told me later it was a terrific atmosphere.
Chuck Culpepper / Washington Post
“This sudden concept of a Philadelphia college football wonderland, built around an ambitious Temple, figured to cease after No. 9 Notre Dame arrived and revved up its Power Five talent. Instead, the whole giddy hope lasted almost all the way to midnight Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field, because the 2015 version of the Owls do not stop clawing.
“Not until 11:33 p.m., when Notre Dame’s KeiVarae Russell leapt for a clinching interception, did Temple relent in a 24-20 loss. Not until 68 seconds remained did Temple’s march to 7-0 and a No. 21 ranking seem sure to ebb to 7-1, while Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff hopes stayed vibrant.
“Through all but the final minute of a taut second half…the 69,280 witnesses, including abundant Irish fans, got to sense that this Temple revival might reach a stage inconceivable to most when Coach Matt Rhule took over in 2013 and went 2-10 off the bat….
“ ‘At the end, we just made one more play than Temple,’ Note Dame Coach Brian Kelly said.
“ ‘If they were not sure how good they are, now they know,’ Rhule said of his players….
“Ultimately, this narrow upholding of college football’s power structure left both teams with 7-1 records. It also left Philadelphians with memories of a record Temple home crowd, and of nine preceding days when their major sports city found a fresh diversion in college football.”
Good for Temple and good for Philadelphia. Those of us in New Jersey have Rutgers…cough cough…ack ack….
No. 10 Iowa remained undefeated at 8-0 in defeating Maryland (2-6) 31-15 in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes have an easy schedule the rest of the way – Indiana, Minnesota, Purdue and Nebraska – as they’ll be the Big Ten West champion and go up against Ohio State or Michigan State in the title game.
No. 12 Oklahoma State (8-0) prevailed over Texas Tech (5-4) in Lubbock, 70-53. Talk about a shootout, the Cowboys outgained the Red Raiders 662-642, each also committing 3 turnovers. Texas Tech QB Patrick Mahomes was 38/55, 480, 4-2.
No. 13 Utah (7-1, 4-1) is still in the driver’s seat in the Pac-12 South, with a title game against Stanford looming down the road. The Utes defeated the downtrodden Beavers of Oregon State (2-6) 27-12 in Salt Lake City. Reminder: make sure your Beaverwear is in the losers’ sports drawer, just as it here.
No. 14 Oklahoma (7-1) is still in the CFP picture with a 62-7 win over hapless Kansas (0-8). Sooner QB Baker Mayfield was 27/32, 383, 4-0, as Oklahoma outgained the Jayhawks 710-216.
No. 15 Michigan (6-2) held on against Minnesota (4-4) 29-26, in what was an emotional week for the Golden Gophers, as their coach, Jerry Kill, retired effective immediately because of medical concerns. The popular Kill was 29-29 in five seasons at Minnesota, guiding the Gophers to eight wins in 2013 and 2014, including Minnesota’s first New Year’s Day bowl since 1962. Kill had success as well at Southern Illinois and Northern Illinois.
No. 16 Memphis is still undefeated at 8-0 after a 41-13 win over Tulane (2-6).
Another AAC member, No. 18 Houston, also remains undefeated at 8-0 after a 34-0 win over Vanderbilt (3-5) in Houston.
Houston and Memphis face off in two weeks, and then Temple plays Memphis the following one. One of these three is heading to a New Year’s Day bowl game.
Miami (5-3) shocked No. 22 Duke (6-2) 30-27 on one of the craziest winning plays in college football history. Then again, there have been a slew of them this year. As reported by ESPN.com’s Mark Schlabach:
“On the final play of the game, the Hurricanes fielded a squib kickoff and then lateralled the ball eight times, the last one to defensive back Corn Elder, who scored on a 91-yard touchdown to win the game.
“Officials initially ruled the Hurricanes had committed an illegal block in the back during the return, but the refs picked up the flag after a nine-minute replay review….
“Duke coach David Cutliffe…isn’t convinced the Hurricanes really scored. He says he believes Miami’s Mark Walton was down on the fourth lateral.”
Just a week earlier, Georgia Tech blocked Florida State’s last-second field goal attempt and returned it 78 yards for the winning touchdown. The week before that, we had Michigan State stunning Michigan after the Spartans returned a muffed punt for a touchdown as time expired.
For the Hurricanes, kicker and Summit, N.J. native Michael Badgley converted on his only field goal attempt. He’s now 17 of 20 on the season.
*But Sunday, the ACC suspended the on-field officiating crew as well as the replay official and communicator for two games for committing numerous errors on that final play.
For example, the ACC said replay official Andrew Panucci should have ruled Miami back Mark Walton was down before releasing the ball on one of the laterals, just as David Cutliffe believed. If the proper call had been made, Duke wins.
But the outcome of the game cannot be changed.
Thursday, North Carolina moved to 7-1, 4-0, its best start since 1997, with a 26-19 win over No. 23 Pitt (6-2). The Tar Heels host Duke next Saturday in an ACC Coastal showdown as UNC attempts to make the program’s first trip to the ACC title game.
Being a follower of Pitt, though, I can’t help but note the startling statistical difference in receiver Tyler Boyd, 2015 model, and Tyler Boyd, 2014.
This year Boyd, who should shine in the NFL (Larry Fitzgerald light), has 63 receptions but for only a 9.2 avg.! Last season he averaged 16.2 yards on his 78 catches. [Boyd’s issues have to do with him being the focus of defenses with Pitt’s James Conner out.]
In other games, Navy (6-1) defeated South Florida (4-4) 29-17 as Keenan Reynolds had two touchdowns rushing to tie the all-time mark of 77 held by Wisconsin’s Montee Ball.
Penn State is a solid (7-2) after shutting out Illinois (4-5) 39-0. They’ll be an attractive semi-major bowl team.
Wisconsin (7-2) slaughtered Rutgers (3-5) 48-10 in Madison.
Wake Forest (3-6) had five second-half turnovers, including four interceptions, in its 20-19 loss at home to Louisville (4-4). Wake finishes up at Notre Dame, at Clemson, and home to Duke. I was hoping the NCAA would demote us to Division III for the remainder so we wouldn’t have to play these folks.
Talk about pathetic, Boston College, in falling to 3-6 with a 26-10 loss to Virginia Tech (4-5), has not scored more than 17 points against a FBS opponent this year.
Sunday, long time VT coach Frank Beamer told his players he was resigning end of the season.
Cincinnati’s Gunner Kiel went 15-for-15 for 319 yards and five touchdowns in the Bearcats’ 52-7 rout of 0-9 UCF. According to ESPN Stats, it was the most completions without an incompletion in a game by an FBS player in the last 20 years.
Nebraska is just 3-6 after a 55-45 loss at Purdue. Cornhuskers coach Mike Riley is off to a rough start in his first year after replacing Bo Pelini.
In a crazy game Thursday night, Oregon (5-3) beat Arizona State (4-4) in Tempe 61-55 in triple overtime, the two combining for 1,243 total yards. Oregon tied the game with 12 seconds in regulation on a desperation 8-yard TD pass from Vernon Adams.
And in Div. I-AA, No. 1 Jacksonville State (7-1) defeated Eastern Kentucky (5-3) 34-0 in Ohio Valley Conference play.
–USC Athletic Director Pat Haden abruptly resigned his position from the College Football Playoff selection committee on Friday, owing to all the issues he is facing, including that of his own health. Haden said in a statement that his doctors advised him to reduce his traveling, and “With the weekly CFP meetings about to start and the travel commitment involved, I had to make this difficult decision.”
Haden didn’t even make USC’s trip to Berkeley this weekend for the Trojans’ win over the Cal Bears.
The committee will now work with 12 members instead of 13.
And now…your new AP Poll!…hardly any changes, hold the excitement.
1. Ohio State 8-0 (39 first-place votes)
2. Baylor 7-0 (6)
3. Clemson 8-0 (6)
4. LSU 7-0 (5)
5. TCU 8-0 (4)
6. Michigan State 8-0
7. Alabama 7-1 (1)
8. Notre Dame 7-1
9. Stanford 7-1
10. Iowa 8-0
11. Florida 7-1
12. Oklahoma State 8-0
13. Utah 7-1
14. Oklahoma 7-1
15. Memphis 8-0
18. Houston 8-0
20. Toledo 7-0
21. North Carolina 7-1
23. Temple 7-1…good
CFP selection committee issues first rankings Tuesday night. Florida State at Clemson; LSU at Alabama this Saturday.
NFL…just a few notes…more next time.
–Many of us had the Giants (4-4) down in New Orleans against the Saints (4-4) and what a show it was, the Saints prevailing 52-49 on a Kai Forbath 50-yard field goal as time expired. The game set an NFL record for 13 touchdown passes, with Drew Brees tying the NFL mark with seven (40/50, 511, 7-1), while Eli Manning had a career high six (30/41, 350, 6-0). For the Giants, Odell Beckham Jr. had eight receptions for 130 yards and three TDs. Just an insane game.
–Then my Jets (4-3) lost at Oakland (4-3) 34-20 as starting QB Ryan Fitzpatrick hurt the thumb on his non-throwing hand and Geno Smith appeared for the first time since his training camp debacle. Smith sucked. The Jets defense sucked. And Oakland quarterback Derek Carr continued to show he is a rising star with four touchdown passes, going 23/36, 333, 4-0.
Boy, if I’m a Raiders fan I’m fired up. Jets fans? Not so much.
–The Cardinals improved to 6-2 with a 34-20 win over the Brownies (2-6) as Carson Palmer threw for four touchdowns.
–The Rams (4-3) defeated the 49ers (2-6) 27-6, with the story here being St. Louis running back Todd Gurley who rushed for 133 yards; the first rookie to open his career with four straight 100-yard gains and, at 566, the most yards in a player’s first four games.
—Cincinnati is still undefeated, 7-0, defeating Pittsburgh (4-4) 16-10, despite an appearance by “Bad Andy.” Dalton was 23.38, 231, 1-2. For the Steelers, though, Ben Roethlisberger returned and he sucked…28/45, 262, 1-3.
–Defending NFC champion Seattle is back to 4-4 after defeating reeling Dallas (2-5) 13-12. Dallas has now lost five straight without Tony Romo at the helm and he will be out at least another two, meaning if Dallas doesn’t stop their slide, immediately, they will be totally irrelevant upon his return. Matt Cassel threw for a putrid 97 yards in his stead today.
–Thursday, Tom Brady threw another four touchdown passes in the Patriots’ 36-7 win over Miami (3-4) to move to 7-0.
–Talk about an “Idiot of the Year” candidate, one who deserves consideration is Buffalo Bills receiver Sammy Watkins who responded to fans critical of his missing time to injuries this season, calling them ‘losers’ in a now-deleted comment on an Instagram photo.
Watkins has missed three of the Bills’ past four games because of calf and ankle injuries. He played in all 16 games as a rookie last season despite broken ribs and a late-season hip injury that later required surgery.
[As written…]
“To all the people that have a problem with me being injured you guys go out there and play this sport it’s a 100% injury rate,” Watkins’ post read. “I’m not first or last person that’s gone be injured difference from me and you guys y’all mad and I’m not get a life and goto work stop worrying about my job because I’m good on this end and forever will be losers most of you just wish to be in this position so continue working y’all little jobs for the rest of y’all lives since everyone once a response here go one have a blessed day.”
Watkins later said his comments were “inappropriate.”
NBA
–We note the passing of Indiana Pacers great, and Basketball Hall of Famer, Mel Daniels, 71.
Daniels led the ABA Pacers to three championships, won two Most Valuable Player awards, and made seven All-Star appearances. In his six years in a Pacers uniform, playing under coach Bobby “Slick” Leonard, Daniels averaged 19.4 points and 16.0 rebounds.
The Pacers had a great core of Roger Brown, Freddie Lewis, Bob Netolicky, George McGinnis and Darnell Hillman, but Daniels was the leader.
Johnnie Mac noted Daniels went to the same high school in Detroit (Pershing) as the likes of Spencer Haywood, Kevin Willis, Steve Smith (the hoops version), and Ralph Simpson, plus the Four Tops’ Levi Stubbs and Duke Fakir.
–The Knicks picked up Jimmer Fredette for their D-League team in the D-League draft (I didn’t know there was one, frankly). Fredette was the 2011 National Player of the Year and NCAA scoring champ out of BYU and it was that year that I went out to see his Cougars play San Diego State. Fun time. The guy can play. Hope he comes up to the big team at some point this season.
By the way, the Knicks are 2-1! Just 15 more wins to reach last year’s total!
—Stephen Curry scored 53 points on Saturday night in a 134-120 Golden State win over New Orleans. Curry had 28 in the third quarter, outscoring the Pelicans by two. It was the most in a single quarter for his career.
Golf Balls
–It was inevitable…22-year-old Justin Thomas, close friend of Jordan Spieth with massive talent of his own, picked up his first PGA Tour title at the CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur, a one-shot win over Adam Scott. Now that Thomas has broken through, this sets up 2016 even better than before.
—Kevin Na has finished second eight times in his career – five times in the past three seasons – and has won just once (the 2011 Shriners Open). Two of his runner-up finishes were in his first two events of the new season. Sunday, he finished T-3 in Malaysia in his third. So it’s now eight seconds and seven thirds, but with just the lone triumph.
—Tiger Woods underwent another back procedure the other day and he announced on his website that it was done to relieve discomfort.
“It’s one of those things that had to be done,” Woods said. “I have an outstanding team of doctors, and I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
The thing is he underwent his second microdiscectomy back surgery in September, and then announced he would not be able to return until at least early 2016. But with this latest procedure, who knows. He is still expected to attend and host the Hero World Challenge in early December.
Premier League Standings (11 of 38)
1. Manchester City 8 (W) – 1 (D) – 2 (L)…25 points
2. Arsenal 8-1-2…25
3. Leicester 6-4-1…22
4. Manchester United 6-3-2…21
5. West Ham 6-2-3…20
6. Tottenham* 4-5-1…17
7. Southampton 4-5-2…17
8. Liverpool 4-5-2…17
15. Chelsea 3-2-6…11
*Tottenham plays match 11 on Monday against last place Aston Villa, so major opportunity to pull within one point of fourth-place Man U.
The big game of the weekend was Liverpool visiting Chelsea. I watched this entire contest and it was hugely entertaining…and important for both squads as Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho tries to hold onto his job, while Liverpool’s new manager, Jurgen Klopp, pulled off his first Premier League win, 3-1, since taking charge at Anfield. Phillippe Coutinho had two spectacular goals after a long multi-game drought.
Chelsea is now off to the worst start ever for a defending champion. I have to keep repeating they lost just three games all last season and now have six in their first 11! But Mourinho continues to have the support of Chelsea’s board, headed up by Roman Abramovich…for now.
One other game of note, newbie Watford upset West Ham 2-0. Watford, which joined the league this season along with Bournemoth and Norwich City, is actually in the 11th slot now. Their fan base must be pumped. Actually, all three newbies are above the relegation line (18-20).
Stuff
—Jeff Gordon won the first race of the Eliminator Round in the Chase for the Sprint Cup at Martinsville, Va., his first win of the year, which ensures he will be one of the four eligible for the title when this all wraps up in three weeks at Homestead. It’s a huge plus for the sport to have Gordon, who is hanging it up, with a chance to win it all on the final week.
But…this was another nasty race. More next time.
—New Zealand’s All Blacks became the first team to win consecutive Rugby World Cups and the first three-time champion as they defeated Australia 34-17 at Twickenham, England on Saturday.
The next World Cup is 2019 in Japan.
—Kenya’s Mary Keitany and Stanley Biwott won the New York City Marathon…Keitany repeating and Biwott gaining his first major marathon title. I always watch the whole race, thinking it will supply some inspiration for me and my annual half-marathon down in Kiawah. Eh, never does. I’m in the stretch run of my training now for the race in December and I suck. [I’m also old, which blows.]
—Al Molinaro, the diner owner on “Happy Days,” died at the age of 96. Molinaro was the one who recommended a little-known comic named Robin Williams to portray an alien named Mork on a 1978 episode.
Molinaro was a regular cast member in Seasons 4 through 9, “Happy Days” airing from 1974 to 1984. Prior to this role, he played hapless policeman Murray Greshler on “The Odd Couple,” starring Tony Randle and Jack Klugman, which aired from 1970 to 1975. [I can’t believe the last year for this one was 40 years ago, very depressing for some of us.]
—Congratulations to Jeff B. for moving up to 13 in Connecticut’s Old Man Tennis League despite multiple surgeries.
–So I’m reading the High Plains Journal and they have a story on ‘noteworthy ghost towns to visit’ around the country; for example, South Pass City, Wyoming (Gold mining bust, Dust Bowl). And Meers Restaurant and Store in Meers, Oklahoma.
“Although the town has dwindled to single digits, the restaurant offers a vintage mom-and-pop feel with homegrown Longhorn meat on the burger the size of a pie.”
Goodness gracious…I’m drooling. Where’s my bib?
–A shark bit a 10-year-old boy off Oahu last Wednesday but I saw him on the news the other day and he had a terrific attitude and was walking with the aid of crutches. The kid, Raymond Senensi, told reporters at his hospital in Honolulu, “I was on the boogie board just waiting for a wave and then it just popped out of nowhere and bit my leg.”
Raymond said he kicked the shark in the nose, but he wasn’t afraid.
It was Hawaii’s seventh confirmed shark attack this year The next day two surfers were at a separate Oahu beach when a 10-foot shark chased them from the water, the same beach where another man lost his leg in early October when he was attacked by a tiger shark.
–Brad K. passed along the following tale from Down Under.
Lucy Thackray / Daily Mail Australia: “The shocking death of a fisherman who was snatched from his boat by a leaping crocodile has prompted a coroner to urge authorities to warn boat users of the growing crocodile danger in northern Australia.”
Bill Scott, 62, died in 2014 but last week’s inquest revealed there have been a number of reports of crocs launching themselves out of the water to attack boats.
“Family and friends watched in horror as a 4.74 meter crocodile leapt from a waterhole and clamped its jaws around the left shoulder and chest of Mr. Scott as he stood in his 3.5-meter aluminum boat.
“The crocodile then flipped the 62-year-old man into the water and he was never seen again alive….
“With hunting banned, croc numbers in the Northern Territory have exploded from 3,000 to an estimated 80,000 to 100,000.”
Saltwater crocs can live up to 70 years and grow throughout their lives, reaching up to 7 meters!
21 people have been killed by crocs in the Northern Territory since 1974, four of them last year. But no fatal attacks as yet this year…though the holiday season is fast approaching.
Top 3 songs for the week 11/6/71: #1 “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves” (Cher) #2 “Theme From Shaft” (Isaac Hayes…has held up surprisingly well…) #3 “Maggie May” (Rod Stewart)…and… #4 “Imagine” (John Lennon Plastic Ono Band) #5 “Yo-Yo” (The Osmonds) #6 “Superstar” (Carpenters) #7 “Peace Train” (Cat Stevens) #8 “I’ve Found Someone Of My Own” (The Free Movement…had to remind myself of this one…solid tune…peaked at #5…now can’t get it out of my head!…) #9 “Inner City Blues” (Marvin Gaye) #10 “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” (Joan Baez)
Heisman Trophy Quiz Answer: Last two wide receivers to win the award…Tim Brown, 1987, Notre Dame; Desmond Howard, 1991, Michigan.
Next Bar Chat, Thursday.
