[Posted Sunday p.m., prior to conclusion of Dallas-Philadelphia.]
College Football Quiz: Who are the last two coaches to lead Arkansas to a final AP Top Ten ranking? Answer below.
College Football Review…comments written before release of latest AP Poll…and I’m using AP rankings for this write-up one last time. No offense, Clemson fans…you’re in fine shape regardless.
No. 1 Ohio State (9-0) defeated Minnesota (4-5) 28-14 as Cardale Jones, subbing for the suspended J.T. Barrett, had a very mediocre 12/22, 187, 1-0 through the air. Back to underwhelming for the Buckeyes.
Thursday night, No. 2 Baylor (8-0) did itself no favors with a 31-24 win over Kansas State (3-5) in Manhattan, Kansas. Jarrett Stidham, subbing for the injured Seth Russell at quarterback for the Bears was, however, solid…23/33, 419, 3-0. Most importantly Baylor has Heisman contender Corey Coleman, who caught 11 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns. Coleman has a nation-leading 20 TD receptions and is averaging 20.3 a catch.
No. 3 Clemson (9-0) showed it is deserving of its No. 1 CFP ranking, certainly over Ohio State and Baylor, with a hard-fought 23-13 win over No. 17 Florida State (7-2) in Clemson. The game started out great for the Seminoles, with running back Dalvin Cook’s 75-yard TD run on the first play from scrimmage (111 yards on his first two carries), as FSU led 10-6 at the half. But then Deshaun Watson and Co. got rolling in the second half, while holding Cook to 83 yards on 19 carries the rest of the way, including a tremendous stop on him on a 4th and 1 play with 6:00 left and Clemson leading 16-13.
So it’s lining up to be Clemson and North Carolina in the ACC title game, No. 21 UNC (8-1) destroying Duke (6-3 and still shell-shocked from the Miami loss the week before) 66-31 in a game that truly was far worse than the final score indicates. For the Tar Heels, quarterback Marquise Williams continued to shine, completing 23 of 33 for a school-record 494 yards and four touchdowns as UNC racked up 704 yards of total offense.
No. 7 Alabama (8-1) handed No. 4 LSU (7-) its first loss in Tuscaloosa, 30-16, as the Crimson Tide manhandled presumptive Heisman favorite Leonard Fournette, holding him to just 31 yards on 19 carries! Fournette had only 13 yards on his first 15 after averaging 193 yards a game coming into the contest. Bye-bye Heisman! No way.
Instead, ‘Bama running back Derrick Henry is now in the Heisman conversation in a big way. He’s had a super season in his own right and when it mattered most picked up 210 yards on 38 carries with three touchdowns.
Just a huge game on a number of levels. For starters, it turns the CFP rankings upside down, as we’ll see Tuesday night.
But ‘Bama’s loss is to Ole Miss, and as you’ll see below, they now have three losses of their own.
No. 5 TCU (8-1) was exposed as a pretender in suffering its first loss at the hands of No. 12 Oklahoma State (9-0) in Stillwater, 49-29. Erstwhile Heisman candidate Trevone Boykin, the presumed second pick behind Leonard Fournette, threw for 445 yards for the Horned Frogs but he was intercepted four times in his biggest game to date of the season; though to be fair, star receiver Josh Doctson was sidelined with an injury in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys’ Mason Rudolph threw for 352 yards and five touchdowns on just 24 attempts.
Oklahoma State has been flying under the radar because, frankly, they have been totally unimpressive this season in playing the usual Big 12 patsy schedule until the Big Four begin their season-ending round robin. OSU still has Baylor and Oklahoma at home so a shot at a CFP berth, I guess, but if it’s Oklahoma State on top of the Big 12 at the end of the year? I see another looming disappointment for the conference.
No. 6 Michigan State (8-1) suffered a devastating loss to a lousy Nebraska (4-6) squad in Lincoln, 39-38. With 17 seconds left, Cornhuskers quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. found receiver Brandon Reilly for what appeared to be a 30-yard touchdown pass to put his team ahead of the Spartans by a point. But Reilly stepped out of bounds on the play. The officials, however, ruled he was forced out and a review showed Reilly had re-established position in the field of play so the TD was upheld.
No. 8 Notre Dame ran its record to 8-1 with a 42-30 win over Pitt (6-3) in Pittsburgh, in another that wasn’t as close as the final score, the Fighting Irish leading 42-17 late. ND lost star running back C.J. Prosise to an undetermined injury but Josh Adams filled in and ran for 147, while quarterback DeShone Kizer had his best game, throwing for 262 yards and five touchdowns, while adding another score on the ground.
No. 9 Stanford (8-1) kept its CFP hopes alive with a 42-10 win over Colorado (4-6) in Boulder. Christian McCaffrey rushed for 147 yards and added a 28-yard TD reception. His Heisman hopes gained steam with the awful performances of Fournette and Boykin.
Surprising No. 10 Iowa (9-0) remained undefeated and in the CFP picture with a 35-27 win on the road over Indiana (4-5). The Hawkeyes aren’t overly impressive but all they do is find a way to win.
But remember how I said the other week that the Hoosiers’ Jordan Howard was a future star running back in the NFL? He helped his draft cause in a big way with 174 yards on the ground and two touchdowns even as he continues to play with an ankle injury. Had he been healthy all season, Indiana’s season is a lot different.
No. 11 Florida (8-1) sucked in defeating a lousy Vanderbilt (3-6) squad, 9-7. Treon Harris continues to be unimpressive at quarterback for the Gators in subbing for suspended Will Grier. But Florida is now going to be in the SEC title game as the East’s winner.
Navy (7-1) had the program’s biggest win in years in manhandling No. 15 Memphis (8-1) 45-20, thus dealing a huge blow to the Tigers’ New Year’s Day bowl hopes. Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds did nothing running the ball, but he had a 75-yard TD pass and running back Chris Swain picked up 108 of the 374 yards the Midshipmen had on the ground, Swain also with three touchdowns. Memphis turned the ball over three times, Navy none.
It was Navy’s first win over a ranked opponent since 2009; and first over a top-15 since 1984. So now the Midshipmen should be heading to a very solid bowl contest.
Another undefeated American Athletic Conference member, No. 18 Houston (9-0), kept its New Year’s Day hopes alive in eking out a 33-30 win over Cincinnati (5-4).
No. 13 Utah (8-1) still harbors Pac-12 title dreams with a 34-23 win over Washington (4-5) in Seattle, 34-23.
No. 14 Oklahoma (8-1) defeated Iowa State (3-6) 52-16.
No. 16 Michigan (7-2) walloped Rutgers (3-6) in Ann Arbor, 49-16. Pity the Scarlet Knights, who have faced Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Wisconsin and Ohio State this season. No issues with their strength of schedule.
Arkansas (5-4) prevailed over No. 19 Ole Miss (7-3) in Oxford, 53-52 in overtime as the Razorbacks scored on a bizarre 4th and 25 play in OT and then made the two-point conversion for the win.
Tuesday night, No. 20 Toledo (7-1) was handed its first loss, 32-27, as Northern Illinois (6-3) prevailed.
Thursday, No. 23 Temple kept its slim New Year’s Day bowl game hopes alive with a 60-40 win over SMU (1-8).
In other games, North Carolina State (6-3) beat Boston College (3-7) 24-8. BC is now 0-7 in the ACC as the Eagles had a whopping 28 yards on the ground.
Miami (6-3) beat Virginia (3-6) 27-21. Summit’s Michael Badgley was 2 of 3 on his field goal attempts to move to 19 of 23 on the season.
And in the FCS (Div. I-AA), No. 1 Jacksonville State (8-1) beat Eastern Illinois (5-4) 24-3. Reminder, J-State’s only loss was to Auburn, 27-20 in overtime, in a game they should have won in regulation were it not for a horrendous punt late in the game that allowed the Tigers to score a game-tying TD.
OK…so to review…here was the first CFP ranking and my thoughts after this weekend.
1. Clemson
2. LSU…bye-bye
3. Ohio State…eh
4. Alabama….will move up to No. 2
5. Notre Dame…hmmm…No. 3? OSU 4?
6. Baylor…shouldn’t move up but will to 5
7. Michigan State…bye-bye
8. TCU…bye-bye
9. Iowa…6?
10. Florida…should stay here, not move up
11. Stanford…moves up a lot….maybe to 7
12. Utah…moves up a lot
13. Memphis…bye-bye
14. Oklahoma State…top 10
15. Oklahoma…11 or 12
And now your new AP Poll…[I wrote the preceding CFP comments before seeing this.]
1. Clemson! 9-0 (31 first-place votes)
2. Ohio State 9-0 (26)
3. Alabama 8-1 (2)
4. Baylor 8-0 (2)
5. Oklahoma State 9-0
6. Notre Dame 8-1
7. Stanford 8-1
8. Iowa 9-0
9. LSU 7-1
10. Utah 8-1
11. Florida 8-1
12. Oklahoma 8-1
13. TCU 8-1…down 8 slots
14. Michigan State 8-1…also down 8
15. Michigan 7-2
16. Houston 9-0
17. North Carolina 8-1
19. Florida State 7-2
21. Temple 8-1
22. Navy! 7-1
25. Memphis 8-1
So what will the CFP do? Will they continue to dis the Big 12? The AP gives the conference some love. More next chat.
–My current top four for the Heisman…Corey Coleman, Deshaun Watson, Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey. I have to believe Watson is skyrocketing with the voters.
–Joe Drape of the New York Times did an extensive piece on the Alabama football program and its impact on the entire University of Alabama.
Alabama Football Inc. as an enterprise generates more than $95 million annually.
“Alabama’s football pre-eminence on television and in the postseason, along with an aggressive plan to extend the university reach beyond the state, has helped attract a more academically-minded student body in the past decade from all over the country and served as the catalyst for more than $1.7 billion in fund-raising, according to those who have engineered the explosive growth.
“In the last decade, enrollment has increased by more than 55 percent, to a record 37,100 students this fall, and more than half of the students now are from out of state, another seismic shift. The acceptance rate in the last decade fell to 54 percent, from 72 percent.”
Additionally, last year the SEC received $436.8 million, $31.2 million per university, for broadcast rights and bowl game and College Football Playoff payouts, as well as money generated from the conference and the NCAA basketball championship, up from $20.9 million per university, the previous year.
Among the items that comprise the revenue stream on the day of a game in Tuscaloosa:
Game Day Programs…15,000 to 17,000 at $5 each.
Scoreboards: Nine ads appear on the video boards throughout the game. $80,000 each.
Game Radios: Radios for the live broadcast. 10,000 sold each season, $25 or $35 each.
Last year, the athletic department recorded a $33 million profit, with $9 million given back to the university, including $4 million for the university’s Presidential Scholarships, which go to top-performing students.
–I’m holding off on commenting on the Missouri football players’ strike/job action. Just haven’t had time to read up on it beyond cursory details and this is one of those 24 hour deals of mine.
NFL
–A few game notes….
My Jets moved to 5-3 with a 28-23 win over the 2-6 Jaguars at the Meadowlands. Wake Forest’s Calvin Pace had the critical play for the Jets; a hit on Jags QB Blake Bortles late in the game that resulted in a fumble which Pace also recovered.
Jets QB Ryan Fitzpatrick had a gutty performance with his bad thumb on his non-throwing hand, 21/34, 272, 2-0, even as the Jets had just 29 yards rushing. Jets nickelback Marcus Williams had two interceptions, while punter Ryan Quigley, pressed into placekicking service because Nick Folk was hurt, converted all four of his extra-point attempts.
But I must say Jags fans should be optimistic. Bortles is getting better and better in his second year and his two, second-year wide receivers, Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson, are up-and-comers.
Tampa Bay fans should also be optimistic. First-round pick Jameis Winston is progressing for the Buccaneers (3-5) even as they lost 32-18 to the Giants (5-4). Winston was 19/36, 249, 0-0, 74.9, but his receivers had some critical drops. Jameis has staying power.
For the Giants, Eli Manning sucked…26/40, 213, 2-2, 74.3, but New York found a way to win.
The game also marked the return of defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who pressured Winston and had two tackles in limited play. Look, he did a really stupid thing, but if you’re not rooting for him there’s something wrong with you. JPP was never known to be a bad guy.
New England is 8-0, on their way to what will be 15-1 or better…and that’s a lock. The Pats beat the Redskins 27-10, as LeGarrette Blount rushed for 129 yards and a score.
I never bring up the Fantasy Football angle, even though I play it myself, but this was a nightmare for those playing the game because Tom Brady was 26/39, 299, 2-1 (one yard short of the 300-yard bonus), while Rob Gronkowski, a weekly favorite, had only four receptions for 47 yards and no touchdowns. OK, that’s the first and last time I bring this stuff up.
Carolina is still undefeated, 8-0, after a 37-29 win over Green Bay (6-2), who lost their second straight. Aaron Rodgers did come back from his horrid outing last week against Denver, throwing for 369 yards, but it wasn’t enough.
Panthers QB Cam Newton had 297 yards with three touchdowns, but he completed only 50% of his throws (15 of 30).
Pittsburgh (5-4) had a huge win at home against Oakland (4-4) as Ben Roethlisberger showed some of his old form, until he went out with another injury.
Subbing for injured running back Le’Veon Bell, DeAngelo Williams had 170 yards and two touchdowns for the Steelers, plus two receptions for another 55.
But the star of the game, and the week, was receiver Antonio Brown, who had a Pittsburgh record 17 receptions and 284 yards, including a critical catch late from Roethlisberger’s replacement, Landry Jones.
For Oakland, Derek Carr had four touchdown passes as he continues to rapidly ascend to the top level of QBs in the league….on his way to top five by the end of 2016.
Denver lost its first to fall to 7-1, 27-24 to Indianapolis (4-5) in Indy. Peyton Manning threw two interceptions, but would have had a chance to come back in the end were it not for the amazing dirty play of cornerback Aqib Talib that so many of us saw on national television waiting for “60 Minutes.” Talib poked a Colts player in the eye, blatantly, and it meant Manning would have zero time on the clock to attempt a patented comeback.
Talib’s name is in the December file for “Dirtball of the Year” consideration. I’d say a lot more about him but I need to bite my tongue.
New Orleans (4-5) suffered a bad loss at home to Tennessee (2-6) 34-28 in overtime. Drew Brees threw for 389 yards and three touchdowns, but Marcus Mariota was 28/39, 371, 4-0, 135.7 for the Titans, who were playing their first game since coach Ken Whisenhunt was fired, replaced by Mike “That’s No” Mularkey.
The Vikings are a shocking 6-2 after a 21-18 overtime win over the Rams (4-4). Teddy Bridgewater was ineffective and then left the game with a possible concussion, but Adrian Peterson ran for 125 yards and a touchdown, while the Vikings defense held Todd Gurley to just 89 yards on 24 carries; Gurley having had four straight with 128 yards+.
Buffalo is 4-4 after defeating Miami (3-5) at home 33-17. LeSean McCoy exhibited his old form, rushing for 112 yards and a score, while social media pariah Sammy Watkins had 8 receptions for 168 yards and a score.
Up next for Buffalo, a much-anticipated Thursday night encounter with the Jets at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands. Welcome home, Rex!
On Thursday, the Bengals stayed 8-0, defeating the Browns (2-7) 31-10 as “Good Andy” Dalton continues to show up. Dalton was 21/27, 234, 3-0, 139.8…all three touchdowns to tight end Tyler Eifert.
For Cleveland, Johnny Manziel got the start and he played like a rookie…15/33, 168, 1-0. He needs to be Johnny Football and just forget what a traditional NFL quarterback is supposed to look like. See Doug Flutie.
–Christine Brennan / USA TODAY Sports…on Greg Hardy.
“Take a look, sports fans. Take a good look at the 48 photos Deadspin has put online of the battered and bruised body of Greg Hardy’s former girlfriend, Nicole Holder. Study the welts and marks on her back, her arms, her legs, her chin, her neck and her foot.
“Then tell me why Hardy should ever be allowed to play another down in the NFL.
“Almost 14 months to the day after we saw the Ray Rice video, we’re now looking at the Greg Hardy photos. They’re graphic and brutal and appalling.
“Hopefully, they’ll have the same effect on Hardy’s career as the video did on Rice’s. Hardy never should have been allowed back into the NFL after originally being found guilty by a North Carolina judge of various terrible acts of violence against Holder.
“Let’s hope the release of these photos will do what the NFL could not do: punish Hardy as he should be punished, by losing his career for good….
“Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has called Hardy a ‘real leader.’ Jones couldn’t be more wrong. Hardy, plain and simple, is a monster….
“Holder’s testimony against Hardy in the July 2014 trial was horrifying, detailed and worth repeating:
“Holder said Hardy, who is 6-4 and 265 pounds, flung her from a bed, threw her into a bathtub and then tossed her onto a futon covered with rifles. (The NFL announced this April that the futon was covered with at least four semi-automatic rifles and three or four other guns.)
“Holder said Hardy ripped a necklace he had given her off her neck, threw it into a toilet and then slammed the lid on her arm when she tried to retrieve it.
“Hardy dragged Holder by the hair room to room, she said, before putting his hands around her throat.”
Hardy was found guilty of domestic violence and not allowed to play for all but one game last season, but was still paid his $13.1 million salary. The charges were dismissed on appeal when Holder received a financial settlement and she could not be forced to testify.
Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Hardy the first 10 games of the 2015 season, but the NFL Players Association successfully got it reduced to just four games.
Sources told the New York Daily News that Goodell saw the pictures of Holder’s bruises before he gave Hardy the 10-game sentence on April 22. It’s believed the Cowboys did not see them before Jerry Jones gave him a second chance.
For his part, Hardy tweeted on Saturday night: “Just had to say I express my regret 4 what happened in past and I’m Dedicated to being the best person & teammate that I can be.”
Oh brother.
–The Detroit Lions fired team president Tom Lewand and general manager Martin Mayhew on Thursday. Owner Martha Ford said, “We are very disappointed with the results of the season so far.” I’ll say.
MLB
There should be some interesting Hot Stove action this offseason, especially for the Mets who are prepared to see late-season and playoff stars Yoenis Cespedes and Daniel Murphy walk elsewhere; though the Mets made a qualifying offer of one year, $15.8 million for Murphy. He now has until this Friday to decide to accept it or hit the free agent market and since no player has ever accepted such a contract, he’ll no doubt move on. For the Mets, though, this means they’ll receive a conditional draft pick from the team that signs him.
I agree, let both go.
So the big free agent names aside from Murphy and Cespedes across baseball include Zack Greinke (who should stay with the Dodgers), David Price (Cubs?), Jason Heyward (value soared after solid season and he’s still just 26), Chris Davis (40+ HR a year, but hardly versatile), Johnny Cueto, Justin Upton, Jordan Zimmermann, Howie Kendrick, Ian Desmond, Alex Gordon and Ben Zobrist.
I hope the Mets go after outfielder Colby Rasmus and relief pitcher Darren O’Day. I’m also happy with prospect Dilson Herrera replacing Murphy at second. He’s going to be a terrific player and he doesn’t turn 22 until the spring. I also don’t want my Metsies doing anything outrageous to get a shortstop, though I would accept Ian Desmond on no more than a three-year deal.
But we need to sign insurance for David Wright! Try and get Juan Uribe to come back, even if we have to give him two years.
College Basketball
So the season starts this week and I just want to be clear after my comments from last time. Knowing that Wake Forest is going to suck and will not be in the conversation come March, I am all in with San Diego State. Yes, they are going to win it all. I just assumed they would be put on probation by now, but at this point it would be beyond cruel for the NCAA to make a move once the season starts, right? So go Aztecs, who once again are highly underrated, though they need to get injured Matt Shrigley back at some point. I just expect Malik Pope to become a real force and they have some freshmen with legitimate talent.
But the other day I sung Wichita State’s praises and said I’ll be rooting for them too, though this is about March Madness. I’d just love to see them do well and get into the Final Four, as any fan of the sport should want. If you read the piece in the current Sports Illustrated by Luke Winn on Fred VanVleet, you’ll understand.
Sports Illustrated’s Top 10
1. North Carolina
2. Kansas
3. Kentucky
4. Duke
5. Maryland
6. Virginia
7. Wichita State
8. Villanova
9. Gonzaga
10. Iowa State
SI’s Luke Winn writes: “The Tar Heels are No. 1, but the system hardly indicates they’re a threat to run the table….Along with Kansas and Kentucky, North Carolina makes up a cluster of good-but-not-great teams at the top. But while the high end of the rankings looks softer than it did last season, the back end looks stronger.”
–Matt Norlander / CBSSports.com
Top freshmen….
1. Ben Simmons, SF, LSU
2. Jamal Murray, SF, Kentucky
3. Skal Labissiere, PF, Kentucky
4. Jaylen Brown, PF, California
5. Brandon Ingram, SF, Duke
–Some folks in New York were buzzing the other day for the wrong reason. In an exhibition game, St. John’s lost to Division II St. Thomas Aquinas, 90-58! Not exactly the way new Red Storm coach Chris Mullin wanted to start things off. [Saturday, they beat Sonoma State in another exhibition contest, 64-46. St. John’s opens the regular season against Wagner Nov. 13.]
—Harry Giles, the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2016, announced Friday on ESPN that he will attend Duke. Giles chose the Blue Devils over Kentucky, Kansas and Wake Forest.
Wake had a legitimate shot because Giles is from Winston-Salem. But an important factor in his decision was Duke having earlier recruited the No. 2, friend Jayson Tatum out of St. Louis. Yup, the freakin’ rich get richer.
However, the 6-10 Giles already has quite an injury history. He is missing the remainder of the 2015-16 season at Oak Hill Academy (Virginia) because of a partially torn right ACL. Previously he had a torn left ACL, MCL and meniscus.
–Sports Illustrated’s Women’s Top 5
1. UConn
2. Notre Dame
3. Tennessee
4. South Carolina
5. Baylor
Premier League
—Chelsea continues to be the story of the year, the defending champions losing 1-0 at Stoke City on Saturday for their seventh loss in 12 league games as they sit just three points above the relegation line.
Again, last season they lost just three out of 38! And after scoring 30 goals in their first 12 league games last year, this season they have 16 in 12.
So how does manager Jose Mourinho keep his job? Ownership could be waiting for the completion of Group Stage Champions League play before making a move.
–Terrific contest Sunday between my Tottenham Spurs and Arsenal at Anfield. Best 1-1 game you’ll see in a while. The Spurs’ Harry Kane scored the first goal in the first half, Kane’s fifth in three games after a very slow start, but at about the 76-minute mark, Arsenal’s Kieran Gibbs, who had just been inserted, scored a super goal to tie it and then Arsenal had numerous chances the rest of the way but Tottenham held on. [One player I really can’t stand is Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud.]
–In other games, bottom-dweller Aston Villa secured a shocking 0-0 draw with first-place Manchester City, AV playing its first with a new manager.
West Ham drew with Everton 1-1 in a very heated contest.
Manchester United beat West Brom 2-0.
And Crystal Palace defeated Liverpool 2-1.
—So the standings after 12 of 38:
1. Man City 8 (W) 2 (D) 2 (L)…26 points…ties broken by goal differential
2. Arsenal 8-2-2…26
3. Leicester 7-4-1…25
4. Man U 7-3-2…24
5. Tottenham 5-6-1…21
6. West Ham 6-3-3…21
7. Southampton 5-5-2…20
8. Crystal Palace 6-1-5…19
9. Everton 4-5-3…17
10. Liverpool 4-5-3…17
16. Chelsea 3-2-7…11…sorry, Dr. W.
20. Aston Villa 1-2-9…5
–I was just looking at standings in some of the other main leagues in Europe and talk about an early rout, after 13 games in French Ligue I, Paris Saint-Germain is 11-2-0 (undefeated) and has an 11-point lead over the second-place team.
Golf Balls
–30-year-old Russell Knox of Scotland became the first to win in his debut World Golf Championship event in Shanghai this weekend, defeating Kevin Kisner by two shots.
What’s remarkable is that Knox, who also picked up his first PGA Tour title, was an alternate and didn’t know he was in until a week ago, after which he and his wife had to scramble for Chinese visas and he arrived in time to play just one practice round. His wife was his caddie the entire way. Very cool.
Jordan Spieth finished tied for seventh, which was enough to make him No. 1 in the world again over Jason Day.
–There is another PGA Tour event going on this weekend, Sanderson Farms in Jackson, Miss., but there has been so much rain I have no freakin’ clue how this will end up…except it’s supposed to on Monday.
–Stanford junior Maverick McNealy recently picked up his third title of the fall season, ninth overall of his career, which means he’s likely to surpass the school record of 11 held by Tiger Woods and Patrick Rodgers. Man, the PGA Tour is going to be absolutely loaded unlike any era ever in the sport.
—Phil Mickelson split with longtime swing coach Butch Harmon. Many in the sport were shocked with this news. As Jim McCabe of Golfweek put it:
“At 45, Mickelson is clearly in the twilight of his brilliant career. So, too, has Harmon, 72, made overtures in recent years of slowing down. In so many ways they seemed a perfect fit for each other, gregarious types who loved the banter, the razzing, the money games that are accompanied by so much trash-talking.
“They appeared ready to ride into the sunset together. Even as Harmon’s stable of students blossomed with the likes of Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson and Jimmy Walker, Mickelson always was seen as the teacher’s pet.”
The highlight of the Harmon-Mickelson partnership was the 2013 British Open at Muirfield, where Mickelson finally mastered the nuances of links golf, but that’s also his last victory. Lefty vows it’s not his age and that he can be great again.
So…he has tabbed Australian Andrew Getson to replace Harmon. Getson is based out of Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., near where Mickelson played his college golf at Arizona State.
Stuff
—Jimmie Johnson captured his 75th Sprint Cup title on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, but he’s not eligible for the Chase. What it now comes down to is there are three spots still up for grabs next week at Phoenix, the three then joining Jeff Gordon for the finale the following week at Homestead.
Ergo, next Sunday might deserve a look-in.
–According to the Courier-Journal of Louisville, American Pharoah’s stud fee will be $200,000, tied for second-most in North America. Stallions can breed with mares as many as 200 times in a year, which means if Pharoah is used to his maximum, he could make $40 million in 2016.
Good work if you can find it.
–A Van Gogh work, “Landscape Under a Stormy Sky,” sold at auction for $54 million.
–Another study on extreme exercise is out, this one conducted by British physicians and presented at a meeting of the European Society of Cardiology, studying 169 veteran competitive endurance athletes against a control group of 171 slugs (err, “relatively sedentary subjects”).
The study found lower levels of coronary artery calcium in athletes who ran fewer than 35 miles a week or cycled fewer than 150 km a week. But athletes who ran or cycled beyond that threshold were found to harbor higher levels of coronary artery calcium than did the control group.
So once again the debate is on. Can people exercise too much? Do the benefits of exercise diminish or disappear beyond a certain point?
Well, for starters, I feel like I’m a pretty typical guy when it comes to exercise. I run no more than five days a week, four most of the time, and it takes me a while to work up to 20 or more miles, like I’m doing now. Plus I don’t do squat in the winter months.
So 35 miles a week? That’s terrific, and as the Wall Street Journal’s Kevin Helliker points out, “Any point of diminished returns would be far beyond the physical-activity habits of the vast majority of committed exercisers.”
–At the Country Music Association Awards, “Entertainer of the Year” was Luke Bryan, with Chris Stapleton taking “Male Vocalist” and “New Artist.” “Single” of the year went to Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush.” Little Big Town was also “Vocal Group” winner, while Florida Georgia Line took “Vocal Duo.” Miranda Lambert picked up the “Female Vocalist” award.
On a different note, the local country station, 94.7, is predominantly a classic current Billboard Top 40 hits station but every now and then they play Tim McGraw’s 2004 “Live Like You Were Dying.” Geezuz, I have to turn that one off…start tearing up every time I hear it; which means it’s an all-time great song.
Top 3 songs for the week 11/10/73: #1 “Keep On Truckin’” (Eddie Kendricks) #2 “Midnight Train To Georgia” (Gladys Knight & The Pips…can’t stand this one…) #3 “Angie” (The Rolling Stones)…and…#4 “Heartbeat – It’s A Lovebeat” (The DeFranco Family…eegads…talk about a song that doesn’t hold up over time…what the heck were we thinking, people?!) #5 “Paper Roses” (Marie Osmond…now she is holding up well…you have to be a certain age to understand, kids…ask your dad…) #6 “Photograph” (Ringo Starr) #7 “Space Race” (Billy Preston) #8 “Half-Breed” (Cher) #9 “All I Know” (Garfunkel) #10 “Top Of The World” (Carpenters)
College Football Quiz Answer: Last two coaches to lead Arkansas to a final AP Top Ten ranking are Bobby Petrino (2011), No. 5, 11-2, and Lou Holtz (1982), No. 9, 9-2-1. Holtz also coached the Razorbacks to Top 10s in 1977 and ’79; having taken over for the legendary Frank Broyles, who led Arkansas to nine Top 10s from 1958-76.
Next Bar Chat, Thursday.
