[Posted Sunday p.m.]
NFL Quiz: Due to time constraints, I’m taking advantage of some stuff I saw in the current Sports Illustrated concerning receiver Julio Jones. Through 58 games (not including this week), Jones had 5,359 yards, second only to Lance Alworth’s 5,651 in NFL history. I’ll give you the initials of Nos. 3-10 on the list (most in first 58). C.H., R.M., A.J.G., J.R., A.B., T.H., I.B., B.H. Name ‘em. Answer below.
College Football Review…comments written prior to release of the AP poll.
What a Saturday, and boy does the College Football Playoff Selection Committee have some tough calls the rest of the way.
But just going down the CFP rankings….
No. 1 Clemson (11-0) handily beat Wake Forest (3-8), 33-13, with the final score not reflective pf the fact the Tigers outgained the Deacs 552-152, though Clemson actually turned the ball over four times. Heisman candidate Deshaun Watson had 343 yards passing and three touchdowns, but was picked off twice.
I do have to mention that with the line being 29 points going in, for the second consecutive week, against a top four opponent, last week being Notre Dame, Wake beat the spread and at the end of the day, boys and girls….
No. 2 Alabama (10-1) is firmly ensconced as a Final Four candidate, whipping Charleston Southern (9-2) 56-6 after leading 49-0 at the half.
And in the big one of the day, No. 9 Michigan State (10-1) upset No. 3 Ohio State (10-1), in Columbus and without starting quarterback Connor Cook, 17-14, as the Spartans outgained the Buckeyes 294-132, holding OSU to just five first downs the entire contest!
Yes, it was all about Michigan State’s defense as they got just enough from backup quarterback Tyler O’Connor, 7/12, 89, 1-0, while for Ohio State, J.T. Barrett was held to just 46 yards passing and Heisman candidate Ezekiel Elliott just 33 yards on 12 carries and a score.
The game was decided on a Michael Geiger 41-yard field goal as time expired in what was a terrific contest, despite the lack of offense.
There are upsets in sports all the time, but this one I put in a separate category…just a great win.
After the game, though, Ezekiel Elliott mouthed off, saying there is “no chance” that he is returning for his senior year and that he was upset with the coaching staff.
“I’m disappointed in the play-calling,” Elliott said. “I’m disappointed in the situations we were put in. We weren’t put in the right situation to win this game.”
“We should have run more power,” he continued. “We stopped calling plays that worked. Disappointed by lack of effort from coaches. I mean, there’s no chance of me coming back next year. I got to make the most of my time left.”
But Elliott was in the hospital last week with a previously undisclosed infection in his leg and no doubt that weighed on coach Urban Meyer, as Elliott only rushed it 12 times.
Now there is little doubt Meyer and his staff aren’t happy with how the Buckeyes managed just 132 total yards, the lowest output of his coaching career, and after the game Meyer pointed the finger at himself.
This has indeed been a disappointing follow-up to Ohio State’s national championship of last season, what with J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones to choose from at quarterback. And in hindsight, it’s easy to say Meyer mishandled the preseason quarterback controversy and should have just gone with Barrett, the starter last year until he got hurt, which game Jones the chance to shine in the title run.
But neither got it going this year and Jones seemed to say on Saturday he’ll declare for the NFL draft in the spring.
It’s also simply hard to repeat. Since 1980, only Alabama 2011-12 and Nebraska in 1994-95, have been able to do so.
As for Elliott, big mistake to throw the coaches under the bus. He may have cost himself some coin in the NFL. It will be interesting to see how much playing time he gets next Saturday against Michigan.
No. 4 Notre Dame (10-1) did not help their playoff chances any in beating a poor Boston College (3-8) team 19-16, as ND quarterback DeShone Kizer threw three interceptions, and running backs C.J. Prosise and Josh Adams combined for just 93 yards. Notre Dame had entered the game a 15-point favorite.
Couple this game with an unimpressive win the week before over Wake Forest and it’s hard to keep the Fighting Irish in the 4-slot.
One team moving up is No. 5 Iowa, which is now 11-0 and headed to the Big Ten title game against Michigan State (most likely) by virtue of its 40-20 win over Purdue (2-9) in Iowa City. Hawkeyes QB C.J. Beathard passed for three touchdowns.
In another contest with huge CFP ramifications, No. 10 Baylor (9-1) handed No. 6 Oklahoma State (10-1) its first loss in Stillwater, outgaining the Cowboys 700-441, and with a third-string quarterback, Chris Johnson, leading the way in the second half after Jarrett Stidham went out with an injury (Stidham having taken over the other week for the injured Seth Russell). Baylor had 438 yards in the first half in building a 24-14 lead.
In the other Big 12 game of import, No. 7 Oklahoma (10-1) kept its slim playoff hopes alive in edging an undermanned No. 18 TCU squad (9-2) 30-29 in Norman. Trailing 30-13 after three, TCU stormed back and had a chance to tie after a 14-yard touchdown pass with 51 seconds remaining, but the Horned Frogs opted to go for two and the attempt was batted away.
TCU was playing without injured quarterback and one-time Heisman candidate Trevone Boykin, as well as star receiver Josh Doctson, while Sooner quarterback and Heisman candidate Baker Mayfield left in the first half with a head injury.
Mayfield’s status for next week’s Big 12 pseudo title game against Oklahoma State is not known yet, but the Cowboys’ loss to Baylor hurts Oklahoma’s chances big time in terms of reaching the Final Four.
Continuing….
I’ve been saying the past 4-5 weeks that No. 8 Florida (10-1) was vastly overrated and they sure proved it on Saturday, defeating lowly Florida Atlantic (2-9) 20-14 in overtime. FAU had a chance in OT after blocking an extra point, but when FAU got the ball, it suddenly began to pour and that had a definite impact as the Owls (I had to look up their nickname) couldn’t put it in.
But a super effort for FAU and with Florida being a 31-point favorite, the selection committee has to knock them down a peg or two, not up.
No. 12 Michigan (9-2), which plays Ohio State next week in a contest that is now meaningless in terms of the CFP because Michigan State has beaten both, defeated Penn State (7-4) 28-16, outgaining the Nittany Lions 343-207. I caught some of this one and time and time again Penn State couldn’t get the big touchdown when down in the red zone.
No. 14 Florida State advanced to 9-2 with a 52-13 win over Chattanooga (8-3). The Seminoles should be headed to a New Year’s Day Six bowl contest.
No. 16 Navy enhanced its own New Year’s Day chances with a 44-21 win over Tulsa (5-6). Keenan Reynolds had a touchdown rushing and one passing for the Midshipmen, who now play at Houston (10-1) on Friday for the American Athletic Conference West Division crown and a spot in the league title game the following week.
Reynolds became Navy’s all-time rusher with 4,195 yards, besting Napoleon McCallum’s old mark of 4,179.
As for No. 19 Houston, they suffered their first loss, 20-17, to UConn (6-5) in East Hartford. The Cougars were done in by four turnovers.
No. 17 North Carolina ((10-1) is heading into its ACC title clash with Clemson after beating Virginia Tech (5-6) 30-27 in overtime in Hokies coach Frank Beamer’s last home game. The Tar Heels were beneficiaries of a horrible call in OT. After VT kicked a field goal, Carolina’s Marquise Williams hit Quinshad Davis with a five-yard score but Davis clearly did not complete the catch, though the replay official, clearly with a party to get to, ruled he did.
No. 20 Northwestern (9-2) defeated No. 25 Wisconsin (8-3) 13-7.
No. 21 Memphis (8-3) started the season 8-0 and harbored Cinderella dreams, but has now lost consecutive games to Navy, Houston, and, Saturday, Temple (9-2), 31-12, as the Owls bottled up Tigers QB Paxton Lynch, holding him to just 156 yards on 34 passing attempts.
No. 23 Oregon (8-3) continued its resurgence with a 48-28 win in Eugene over No. 24 USC (7-4). Quarterback Vernon Adams was 20/25, 407 yards and six touchdown passes. The Ducks, playing top ten caliber ball during their five-game winning streak could sneak into a major bowl game, while Stanford will be playing in the Pac-12 title game against either USC,
UCLA or Utah, all at just 5-3. Ughh.
In other games, Pitt is now 8-3 after a 45-34 win over Louisville (6-5); Virginia (4-7) beat Duke (6-5) 42-34; Rutgers (4-7) beat Army (2-9) 31-21 at West Point; Indiana (5-6) beat Maryland (2-9) 47-28 despite Brandon Ross’ 250 yards rushing and three touchdowns for the Terps.
In a huge upset, The Citadel (8-3) beat South Carolina (3-8) 23-22.
In FCS play, No. 1 Jacksonville State (10-1) beat Murray State (3-8) 42-20.
And finally, Lehigh (6-5) defeated Lafayette (1-10) 49-35.
–And now…the new AP Poll…
1. Clemson 11-0 (55 first-place votes)
2. Alabama 10-1 (6)
3. Iowa (11-0)
4. Notre Dame 10-1
5. Oklahoma 10-1
6. Michigan State 10-1
7. Baylor 9-1
8. Ohio State 10-1
9. Oklahoma State 10-1
10. Florida 10-1…down 2
11. North Carolina 10-1
12. Michigan 9-2
13. Stanford 9-2
14. Florida State 9-2
15. TCU 9-2
16. Navy 9-1
18. Oregon 8-3
24. Toledo 9-1
25. Temple 9-2
I suspect the CFP rankings, released Tuesday, will have the same top four, but not sure about Oklahoma at 5.
Next time…what chance does the Big 12 really have? I mean Clemson, Alabama and the winner of Iowa-Michigan State in the Big Ten title game should be locks. Then it’s Notre Dame (assuming it beats Stanford, hardly a given) against winner of Oklahoma-Oklahoma State for the last slot?
NFL Bits
Another bad loss for my Jets, now 5-5 after starting the season 4-1. New York lost down in Houston to the 5-5 Texans, 24-17, as quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick tried to play through recent surgery on his non-throwing thumb, but he threw two awful interceptions late when the Jets had a chance to tie it, and overall was 19/39, 216, 1-2, 52.9 passer rating (which sucks).
Yes, Fitzpatrick is a gutty performer, but he’s not leading anyone to a Super Bowl. He also needs better support than he got from the likes of receiver Devin Smith, who failed to catch a single pass thrown at him, two of which could have resulted in scores.
For Houston, T.J. Yates was good enough, 16/34, 229, 2-0, 89.0.
Tampa Bay (5-5) beat Philadelphia (4-6) 45-17 as Jameis Winston tied a rookie record with five touchdown passes, 19/29, 246, 5-0, 131.6. Bucs running back Doug Martin chipped in with 235 yards on the ground in 27 carries. For Philadelphia, Mark Sanchez, starting for the injured Sam Bradford, was classic Sanchez, some good, lots bad….26/41, 261, 2-3, 67.2.
Dallas welcomed the return of Tony Romo and the Cowboys defeated the Dolphins (4-6) to up their mark to 3-7 and keep their slim hopes alive. Romo was 18/28, 227, 2-2, 83.5…rusty. But he got help from running back Darren McFadden who rushed for 129 yards on 29 carries.
And to complete action in the NFC East (with the Giants having a bye), Carolina stayed perfect at 10-0 with a 44-16 win over the Redskins (4-6). For the Panthers, Cam Newton had five touchdown passes…21/34, 246, 5-0.
Denver started Brock Osweiler at quarterback in place of Peyton Manning, and Osweiler was superb, 20/27, 250, 2-0, 127.1, as Denver moved to 8-2 in defeating Chicago (4-6) 17-15. Osweiler is the man for the immediate future, much to Peyton’s chagrin.
Baltimore (3-7) quarterback Joe Flacco tore his ACL late in the Ravens’ 16-13 win over the Rams (4-6) and is out for the season.
Indianapolis (5-5) had a nice win 24-21 win over Atlanta (6-4) behind Matt Hasselbeck, subbing for injured Andrew Luck. Hasselbeck was 23/32, 213, 2-2, while the Falcons’ Matt Ryan, who still can’t get over the hump in terms of being seen as one of the true elite, threw three interceptions. Atlanta’s Julio Jones nonetheless had nine catches for 160 yards.
Detroit won its second straight to get to 3-7 with an 18-13 win over Oakland (4-6), the Raiders suddenly losing three in a row.
In a huge game, Aaron Rodgers did what he had to do in leading the Packers (7-3) to a 30-13 win over the Vikings (7-3) in Minneapolis. Rodgers was 16/34, 212, 2-0, while running back Eddie Lacy returned to form with 100 yards on 22 carries.
Russell Wilson had his best game of the season, 24/29, 260, 3-0, 138.5, while Thomas Rawls rushed for 209 yards and a touchdown; Seattle evening its mark at 5-5 with a 29-13 win over San Francisco (3-7).
It seems like everyone is 5-5, or 4-6. Kansas City is another at 5-5 after defeating the Chargers (2-8) 33-3 in San Diego. The Chargers have been decimated by injuries as much as anyone in the league.
College Basketball
—Northern Iowa pulled off the big upset on Saturday, 71-67 over No. 1 North Carolina in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Carolina senior Marcus Paige is from these parts and it’s tradition at Chapel Hill and other schools to try to get a road game in a player’s final year in front of a hometown crowd. But Paige is hurt with a broken bone in his right hand and it’s just one reason why I can’t make much of this one.
Northern Iowa has a quality program, as we’ve all learned watching March madness the past few years and the Panthers will probably be there again next spring. They hit 11 of 28 from 3-point land on Saturday, while UNC was just 5 of 18 and there’s your difference.
–It was a nice weekend for Duke and Grayson Allen, after their loss earlier in the week to Kentucky. Duke beat VCU 79-71 on Friday in the 2K Classic in New York, while on Sunday they defeated Georgetown 86-84 in the title game.
For the Blue Devils, sophomore Allen (the new Dookie to hate) was electric this weekend, scoring 30 and 32 points. In fact in Duke’s first four wins his point totals are 26, 28, 30 and 32. But he had that miserable 2-of-11 (6 points) night against Kentucky.
Meanwhile, did I say San Diego State was going all the way this year? Ahhhh…ahhh…they are 2-2 after a hideous 49-43 loss on Saturday at home to Arkansas Little-Rock, as it was the same old story for the Aztecs. They can’t shoot, hitting just 13 of 46 from the field, 28%, including 6 of 24 from three. Yuck! And they had 16 turnovers.
What is disappointing in these first four is that senior Winston Shepard hasn’t done squat, while Malik Pope, the incredibly talented sophomore, is playing like merde in what is supposed to be his big national breakout season.
The Aztecwear in my sports drawer is stirring. It knows I can be harsh. Duckwear has made a huge comeback, after all.
—Rich Get Richer, Part XIX…Five-star guard Malik Monk committed to Kentucky, which locks up the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class for the Wildcats, according to 247Sports.
Monk, who was deciding between Kentucky and Arkansas, becomes the fifth five-star prospect from the Class of 2016 to commit to coach John Calipari’s program.
–I just saw that former coach Norm Ellenberger died the other day. He was 83.
Ellenberger, a.k.a. Stormin’ Norman for his sideline antics, was a true showman who had a 134-62 record with two WAC titles and two NCAA tournament appearances during seven seasons as New Mexico’s coach, from 1972 to 1979.
But his career came to a crashing end in December 1979 when an FBI wiretap uncovered evidence that the academic transcripts of some of his players had been altered to ensure their enrollment and Stormin’ Norman and his chief recruiter, Manny Goldstein, were fired and nine players ruled ineligible.
Ellenberger was convicted on 21 counts and placed on one year of unsupervised probation. In 1983, the convictions were formally dismissed, but he did not work again as a head coach. Instead, he was an assistant for the likes of Don Haskins, Bob Knight and Tim Floyd with the Chicago Bulls.
Oh, I still remember the Sports Illustrated cover of the man and his program. They were interesting times (think Jerry Tarkanian, too). Lots of outlaw coaches, vs. today where the coaches do the same things but try to be quieter about it.
MLB
–In the MVP voting, as expected Josh Donaldson of Toronto won in the AL, receiving 23 of 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America, besting reigning AL MVP Mike Trout, who got the other seven first-place votes. Kansas City’s Lorenzo Cain was third in the balloting. Trout, in four full seasons, has one MVP and three second-place finishes.
In the NL, Bryce Harper received all 30 first-place votes to become the seventh unanimous NL award winner. Arizona’s Paul Goldschmidt was second. Cincinnati’s Joey Votto was third.
–So what kind of money is Bryce Harper going to make? He cannot enter free agency until after the 2018 season, but rival Mike Trout signed an extension before the 2014 season, when he was four years from free agency. So while players rarely sign an extension one year before reaching free agency, the Nationals should want to sign Harper to one now, or certainly no later than next winter.
Then again, Harper has Scott Boras as his agent and few think Boras would agree to a deal. The estimates range from six years, $180 million, to, get this, 15 years, $450 million with an opt-out.
Harper will make $5 million in 2016, the result of a two-year deal he signed entering last season to avoid a messy dispute over a complex issue stemming from his contract when he came out of the draft in 2010 as a 17-year-old.
Before opening day 2014, two-plus seasons into his career at age 22, Trout signed a six-year, $144.5 million extension with the Angels. [Adam Kilgore / Washington Post]
–Harper in his press conference following the announcement he was selected MVP was unstinting in his praise of teammate Ian Desmond, who is a free agent. “He’s such a great teammate. He’s such a great person on and off the field…I respect Desi more than everybody.” High praise indeed. Maybe Mets fans should be wanting our Metropolitans to sign the guy. [But only for three years, not four.]
–In the Cy Young voting, which came after I posted last time, Chicago’s Jake Arrieta beat out Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw, while in the AL, it was Houston’s Dallas Keuchel over David Price.
Arrieta received 17 first-place votes to Greinke’s 10 and Kershaw’s 3.
Keuchel took 22 of 30 first-place votes, Price the other 8.
–The Tigers acquired closer Francisco Rodriguez from the Milwaukee Brewers. K-Rod was 38 of 40 in save opportunities last season with a 2.21 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 57 innings. Overall, he has 386 career saves. He turns 34 in January and has a team friendly contract of $5.5 million in 2016 and a $6 million option for 2017.
The Brewers receive a minor league infielder and a player to be named later.
—Cameron Maybin is kind of a strange player. He has awesome talent, but can look awkward at times (to say the least) and you keep wondering if he’ll ever really just break out and have a monster year for someone.
But he is on the move again, having been traded from Atlanta to Detroit for two left-handed pitchers, Ian Kroll and Gabe Speier.
Maybin hit .267 with 10 homers, 59 RBIs and 23 steals and he’s still just 28. Detroit originally took Maybin in the first round of the 2005 draft and he made his debut in 2007 with the Tigers.
–The Yankees want to trade outfielder Brett Gardner, who has $39.5 million and three years left on his deal. One rumor has Gardner going to the Cubs for second baseman Starlin Castro, which if I’m the Yanks you take in a heartbeat, New York in need of an everyday second baseman who can hit, even if 2015 was a down year for Starlin. Incredibly, Castro is still just 25 and a three-time All-Star.
–The New York Times’ Tyler Kepner had a piece on the plight of Jeff Bagwell and his struggle to get into the Hall of Fame despite spectacular numbers. He is a candidate for the sixth time as the Baseball Writers’ Association of America cast their ballots for the latest round by Dec. 31. Bagwell has polled from 54.3 to 59.6 percent in each of his past four tries, but he needs 75.
Many of those voting point to baseball’s character clause: “Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.”
Those tainted by ties to steroids – like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire and others – have not been elected. Others, like Bagwell and Mike Piazza, are struggling to hit the mark, though Piazza could get in this time after receiving 69.9 percent last year.
But there could be hope for Bagwell in his final five years of eligibility, including this one, because about 90 voters were removed from the rolls this year, after the BBWAA previously gave writers lifetime voting privileges. Now voters must have been actively covering baseball within the past decade to retain their ballot.
What this means is that a lot of old-time writers, no longer active but with a vote, no longer have one. Many of these were the ones insistent on upholding the traditions.
Yup, gonna be interesting to see what happens this go ‘round with Bagwell and Piazza, and whether Bonds and Clemens start to move up any.
NBA
While keeping track of the college football action Saturday night, I watched the last ten minutes of an exciting New York Rangers-Florida Panthers game (my first extended action of the NHL season), the Rangers winning 5-4 in overtime; Rick Nash with a hat trick and the decider in OT.
And then I watched the fourth quarter of the Knicks-Rockets contest and, after an off-night in a win against Oklahoma City the night before, 7-foot-3 rookie sensation Kristaps Porzingis had a spectacular performance; 24 points, 14 rebounds and 7 blocks as the Knicks won their fourth in a row to move to 8-6; a shocking start for Knicks fans.
Porzingis was superb down the stretch, with eight fourth-quarter points, five offensive rebounds and three blocked shots, including two blocks of Rockets superstar James Harden in the final six minutes.
So the Latvian sensation (folks are trying to come up with a definitive nickname for him, like “Godzingis”) now has six double-doubles in his first 14 NBA games.
–Speaking of Houston, it was amazing the Rockets fired coach Kevin McHale after a 4-7 start, after signing McHale to a three-year, $13 million extension less than a year ago.
McHale had a 193-130 regular-season record with the Rockets, and was 13-16 in five postseason appearances. But the Houston Chronicle reported McHale had lost the team; lost the locker room. Hardin, the ringleader, is also a jerk. And don’t ever ask him to play defense.
–Through Sunday’s play, Golden State is 14-0, while Philadelphia is 0-14.
NASCAR
Congratulations to 30-year-old Kyle Busch for winning his first Sprint Cup title with a win at Miami-Homestead Speedway. Busch, who missed the first 11 races of the season due to a broken leg he suffered in a crash at Daytona, persevered and made the Chase for the Sprint Cup against huge odds, then won it all in the Chase itself. And congrats to Coach Joe Gibbs, team owner, and Joe Gibbs Racing.
Jeff Gordon’s career is over after finishing sixth in his finale. Must be a very weird feeling, Gordon being just 44 but going out as one of the five best in NASCAR history. [Petty, Pearson, Earnhardt, Johnson would be my first four.]
Premier League
–After a break for International play, Premier League action resumed and out of nowhere, Leicester City sits atop the standings.
Leicester defeated Newcastle 3-0, while Liverpool was demolishing Manchester City 4-1.
Manchester United moved into the second slot with a 2-1 win at Watford in a game that I must say, having watched the second half on Saturday, was absolutely terrific.
Then on Sunday, my Tottenham Spurs blasted West Ham 4-1, Harry Kane getting another two goals.
So after 13 of 38 games….
1. Leicester 8 (W) 4 (D) 1 (L)…28 points
2. Man U 8-3-2…27
3. Man City 8-2-3…26
4. Arsenal 8-2-3…26
5. Tottenham 6-6-1…24
6. West Ham 6-3-4…21
9. Liverpool 5-5-3…20…my brother’s team. We know the other is watching Premier League action every Saturday morning.
15. Chelsea 4-2-7…14
–The Premier League did a very classy and touching thing before all their games this weekend, playing “La Marseillaise,” with the English fans clapping respectfully throughout. Brought a tear to me eye, gotta tell you. One of the players for West Ham was playing for the French national team in the Stad de France the night of the attacks.
–I saw a blurb where a Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Arijan Ademi has “been barred for four years because he failed a drug test after a Champions League match against Arsenal in September.” Ademi said he’s innocent. Four years?! Wow. You’d think that would put a stop to the crap.
–In the NCAA Soccer Championship, No. 1-seed Wake Forest defeated Charlotte 1-0 today with some games determining the Sweet 16 yet to be completed. The ACC is kicking butt (6 of 7 advancing by my count). The next round is this coming weekend. Wake plays 16-seed Indiana. [And we play each other in hoops on Monday.]
Golf Balls
–The start to the 2015-16 wraparound season is officially over, PGA Tour action resuming in January, as Kevin Kisner became the sixth this fall to win their first Tour title, Kisner’s coming at the RSM Classic at Sea Island (Ga.) on Sunday, a six-shot win over Kevin Chappell. Kisner had four runner-ups this year before finally breaking through.
–I was reading Golfweek and saw Wake Forest finished second to Alabama in a recent tournament at Princeville (Hawaii). Now that’s a nice school trip, don’t you think? [Wake’s Cameron Young won the event.]
Stuff
–We note the passing of former Olympic gold medalist Mal Whitfield, 91.
A member of the Tuskegee Airmen from World War II, Whitfield went on to become the premier 800-meter runner of his era, wining gold medals in the event at the 1948 and 1952 Summer Olympics, while remaining in the Air Force. He not only flew bomber missions during WW II, he was an Air Force tail gunner on 27 missions during the Korean War. Geezuz, talk about an American hero!
Whitfield, who was born in Bay City, Texas, but grew up in Los Angeles, saw Eddie Tolan win the 100- and 200-meter dashes at the 1932 Games at the Los Angeles Coliseum and his own Olympic dream was sparked.
Between 1948 and the end of the 1954 track season, Whitfield won 66 of 69 800-meter races.
Whitfield was the first African American to receive the James E. Sullivan Award, given annually to the nation’s outstanding amateur athlete. Later, he mentored many track athletes in Africa, including Kenya’s famous Kipchoge Keino and Mamo Wolde of Ethiopia. [Elain Woo / Los Angeles Times]
–I can’t but take note of the story of the Amish man, 22-year-old Leroy Stolzfus, who finished the 26.2-mile Harrisburg, Pa., Marathon on Nov. 8 in just over three hours and five minutes, all while wearing his community’s traditional clothing, i.e., slacks and suspenders. He did at least wear sneakers.
–From Rick Maese and Kelyn Soong of the Washington Post: “An anonymous person logged on to a popular running message board last week to report a crime against fair play. The person had been searching for a name on a database of Marine Corps Marathon finishers and unwittingly came across something suspicious.
“ ‘I think I have found a serial cheater,’ the message board user typed on LetsRun.com.
“It was around that same time that race organizers were doing some authenticating of their own. On Oct. 25, more than 23,000 runners weaved through Washington and Northern Virginia, but when organizers combed through the times of the top finishers, the results of one man drew a bright red flag.
“For 50 minutes late in the race, the 61-year-old experienced runner from Washington left no record of his progress, but he reappeared at some point and ran at least the final five to six miles.”
I don’t want to mention the guy’s name, but he finished second in his age group with a time of 3 hours 17 minutes 47 seconds. His record was purged and he now faces a lifetime ban.
The dirtball admitted in a phone interview with the Post that he had shortened his marathon route in recent years. In fact, he had competed in the Marine Corps Marathon 13 times since 1998, and in his past five races, each time the mat failed to register him at the 25-kilometer and 30-kilometer marks.
Cheating in a road race is truly loathsome.
I actually worry each time I’m at Kiawah that I won’t register during the race. I mean you look at this flimsy chip that used to be on your shoe and now is part of your number and the technology is amazing. But now I’ll be paranoid that I don’t show up at all the appropriate mile markers. This goes on my permanent record, after all.
–Lots of running tidbits this week. According to an extensive study by a Danish Web site called runrepeat.com that looked at running shoes, their quality and cost, after looking at 135,000 consumer reviews gathered over the course of a year, the higher the price, the lower the rating.
“In fact, the 10 most expensive running shoes, with an average list price of $181 per pair, were rated 8.1 percent lower than the 10 cheapest models (average price $61).”
–Lewis Kent, a 22-year-old student at the University of Western Ontario – and ‘beer mile’ record holder – signed a shoe and apparel deal with Brooks.
I wrote of Kent before but, recall, in the beer mile participants must drink four beers over the course of the 1-mile run. Kent broke his own record for the beer mile (4 minutes, 51 seconds) on Tuesday night.
Kent said on Wednesday, after signing the Brooks deal: “It’s pretty surreal. I’ve always liked to run and drink beer, but I never thought I would be considered world class for doing both.”
Fellow runner Pete M. and I agree that we’d both get sick after two.
I prefer four beers right after a race.
The Beer Mile World Championships, by the way, are taking place in Austin, Texas, on Dec. 1. The winners take home $2,500, and $5,000 for a world record.
–As a compromise in the fantasy sports debate, I liked the plan put forward by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, who said strict regulations would include an advertising ban on college campuses and a requirement that players be at least 21 years old.
That’s a totally reasonable compromise, and certainly better than the outright ban proposed by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
DraftKings Inc. lawyer David Boies said that while he doesn’t agree with Ms. Healey’s proposal entirely, it’s a much better approach.
[Pssst…Dr. W. and I both won some coin in the DraftKings PGA betting this weekend….I’ve done OK with golf. Still winless in the NFL.]
–I was reading a piece in The Atlantic on actor Max von Sydow and he is going to be appearing in Game of Thrones, the only non-news and sports show I watch (I know that’s pathetic). I’d watch Curb Your Enthusiasm if Larry David would ever give us one more season. My other show, Mad Men, is of course history. [Funny cameo by Jon Hamm on SNL last night, by the way.]
In GOT, von Sydow is going to be playing a character called the Three-Eyed Raven.
–What a sad day it was last Wednesday for Doug Flutie and his family. His father, Dick, who had been ill died of a heart attack in the hospital and less than an hour later, Dick Flutie’s wife, Joan, suddenly had a heart attack and also passed away.
Doug Flutie posted on Facebook: “They say you can die of a broken heart and I believe it. I would like to honor my parents for all that they did throughout my and my brothers’ and sister’s lives.”
–I loved this bit in Sports Illustrated: $15…Amount, in cash, found by Redskins players Pierre Garcon and Matt Jones on the turf at FedEx Field while huddling during the third quarter of Sunday’s 47-14 win over the Saints.
–In my yearend award ceremony, you can be pretty sure we already have a winner in the Best Animal category. Diesel, the French police dog killed in the raid in Saint-Denis.
Top 3 songs for the week 11/26/77: #1 “You Light Up My Life” (Debby Boone…total drivel…) #2 “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” (Crystal Gayle) #3 “How Deep Is Your Love” (Bee Gees)…and…#4 “Boogie Nights” (Heatwave) #5 “Baby, What A Big Surprise” (Chicago…a Whitman Sampler…) #6 “Heaven On The 7th Floor” (Paul Nicholas) #8 “Blue Bayou” (Linda Ronstadt…nice album cover…) #9 “It’s Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next To Me” (Barry White…you see J-Lo recently?…. goodness gracious…) #10 “It’s So Easy” (Linda Ronstadt)
NFL Quiz Answer: Nos. 3-10 on the list of most receiving yards for their first 58 games.
3. Charlie Hennigan 4,906
4. Randy Moss 4,897
5. A.J. Green 4,792
6. Jerry Rice 4,774
7. Anquan Boldin 4,710
8. Torry Holt 4,578
9. Isaac Bruce 4,529
10. Bob Hayes 4,416
Next Bar Chat, Thursday….analyzing the latest CFP rankings.
