[Posted Sunday p.m.]
College Football Quiz: Name the starting quarterbacks for these AP National Championship teams. 1981 Clemson; 1985 Oklahoma; 1990 Colorado; 1992 Alabama (Gene Stallings coach). Answer below.
The Final Four…College Football Review…comments before release of rankings
No surprises in Saturday’s action…but it sucked how the Clemson and Michigan State games ended at exactly the same time, with lots of late drama in both. I missed some of each flipping back and forth.
Clemson 45 North Carolina 37: They’ll be talking about the phantom offside call for a long time. After the Tar Heels cut the lead to 45-37 with 1:13 left, Carolina appeared to recover the ensuing onside kick but were called for being offside – although replays didn’t show anyone being so. The Tar Heels had to do it over again and Clemson recovered…game over. It was a flat out blown call, but also one that is not reviewable, according to the ACC.
But Clemson gets it done as Heisman hopeful Deshaun Watson had 289 yards passing and 131 yards on the ground, throwing for three touchdowns and scoring two himself, in a terrific performance.
Michigan State 16 Iowa 13: The No. 5 Spartans prevailed over No. 4 Iowa on the heels of an epic 22 play, 82 yard drive that took up over nine minutes. The Spartans converted a fourth-and-2 inside the 5-yard line and three plays later, freshman running back L.J. Scott just managed to extend the ball into the end zone for the deciding score.
So Michigan State’s season of good fortune continues into the CFP, including the miraculous/fluke Michigan win, a win in the rain against Ohio State, a very good early-season win over Oregon (in hindsight), and this titanic struggle with Iowa.
Alabama 29 Florida 15: Heisman candidate Derrick Henry came through with 189 yards on 44 carries and a score to lead the way. I think this performance clinched it for him. ‘Bama quarterback Jake Coker was very solid, 18 of 26 for 204 yards, including a sweet 9-yard touchdown pass to Richard Mullaney that may have opened the eyes of some NFL scouts.
The Crimson Tide defense was superb again, as defensive coordinator Kirby Smart is expected to be named head coach at Georgia in the next few days.
Stanford 41 USC 22: Another Heisman hopeful, Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey, had a spectacular evening in leading the Cardinal to victory and a Rose Bowl berth. McCaffrey had 207 yards rushing and 105 yards on four receptions, plus another 120 on kick returns and 29 on punts, with three touchdowns, as he eclipsed the all-time single-season record for all-purpose yardage held by Barry Sanders. But to be fair, McCaffrey broke Sanders’ record of 3,250 yards in 13 games vs. Sanders’ 11.
In the American Athletic Conference title game, No. 19 Houston beat No. 22 Temple 24-13, with a probable New Year’s Six bowl bid on the line. Cougars quarterback Greg Ward Jr. rushed for 148 yards and two touchdowns.
And in a Big 12 season finale, Texas (5-7) upset No. 12 Baylor (9-3) 23-17.
–In FCS (Division I-AA) playoff action, Richmond slaughtered William & Mary 48-13; Charleston Southern beat The Citadel 14-6; Colgate upset James Madison 44-38 (James Holland and Jake Melville combining for 328 yards rushing for the Red Raiders); and No. 1 Jacksonville State held off Chattanooga 41-35 behind Troymaine Pope’s 234 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
–Among the coaching changes, Chris Ash, the 41-year-old defensive coordinator at Ohio State, is expected to be named the new head coach at Rutgers on Monday. Classic Rutgers…a guy with no prior head coaching experience and no apparent ties to New Jersey. Prior to landing in Ohio State in 2014, he was a defensive coordinator at Arkansas for one season and spent two seasons in the same role at Wisconsin.
Will Muschamp is set to become the next head coach at South Carolina, according to various sources. Muschamp is in his first season as Auburn’s defensive coordinator, after compiling a 28-21 record in four seasons as the head coach at Florida from 2011 to ’14. He has 16 years of coaching experience in the SEC, which was an attraction to South Carolina. Aside from that, this was an incredibly stupid pick by the Gamecocks.
Virginia hired BYU’s Bronco Mendenhall as its head coach, signing him to a five-year deal at $3.25 million a year. Mendenhall has been at BYU since 2005, going 99-42, while reaching a bowl game all 11 seasons (including an invitation to the Las Vegas Bowl this season).
Miami hired Mark Richt, who had just been fired at Georgia. Richt was a former Miami quarterback who played for Howard Schnellenberger, graduating in 1982 when the Hurricanes were just becoming the program that would win five national championships in a 19-season span.
Maryland hired Michigan defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin to be its head coach. Durkin, 37, is in his first season at Michigan under Jim Harbaugh.
–Before the current college football season began, I wrote of Pittsburgh Panthers running back James Conner as being a leading Heisman candidate, but he tore up his knee before the season started, which as I also wrote then spelled the end of Pitt’s chances at being a major surprise (which they would have been with him in the lineup) and instead they went a less-than-impressive 8-4 (as quiet an 8-4 as you’ll ever see).
But the other day we learned Conner has been diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. During his rigorous workouts as he attempted to prepare himself for 2016, he became short of breath and tests revealed tumors in Conner’s head and chest. Treatment will last about six months.
Conner admitted to being scared when he first heard the diagnosis, “But after thinking about it for a bit, I realized that fear is a choice. I choose to not fear cancer. I choose to fight it, and I will win.”
One other thing he said rings true. He’s lucky he’s at Pitt, where he has access to some of the best doctors in the world.
I’ll be rooting for him big time. A good guy. A superb athlete.
–So now the new AP Poll:
1. Clemson 13-0 (51 first-place votes)
2. Alabama 12-1 (9)
3. Michigan State 12-1 (1)
4. Oklahoma 11-1
5. Stanford 11-2
6. Iowa 12-1
7. Ohio State 11-1
8. Notre Dame 10-2
9. Florida State 10-2
10. North Carolina 11-2
14. Houston 12-1
But earlier we had learned the Final Four in the only rankings that matter, the College Football Playoff Selection Committee’s, and the New Year’s Eve semifinals have…
1 Clemson vs. 4 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl
2 Alabama vs. 3 Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl
The National Championship game is Monday, Jan. 11, in Glendale, Arizona.
Seeing the AP and CFP agree on the first four is rather telling, including the move to jump the Spartans over the Sooners.
The rest of the CFP rankings were released after the AP Poll came out.
5. Iowa
6. Stanford
7. Ohio State
8. Notre Dame
9. Florida State
10. North Carolina
12. Ole Miss (9-3)
18. Houston
So the top ten for both the AP and CFP is identical except for 5 and 6 being reversed; all in keeping with this controversy free season. The CFP folks also clearly don’t respect Houston, but they get a Big Six game anyway.
And now the major bowls are set….
Dec. 31
Peach Bowl…Houston vs. Florida State…Noon
Orange Bowl…Clemson vs. Oklahoma…4:00 p.m.
Cotton Bowl…Alabama vs. Michigan State…8:00 p.m.
Jan. 1
Fiesta Bowl…Ohio State vs. Notre Dame
Rose Bowl…Iowa vs. Stanford
Sugar Bowl…Ole Miss vs. Oklahoma State
Super pumped for semis. The only problem with the New Year’s Day games is there isn’t any controversy; as in if a lot of folks thought Stanford or Ohio State deserved to be in the playoffs, there’s kind of an extra incentive to watch their games, but that’s just not the case.
That said, the Fiesta and Rose are attractive as is, and potentially the Peach Bowl. Sugar is a yawner and I’ll be ready for bed by halftime.
NFL
At this point, any game that doesn’t remotely have playoff implications is meaningless to me, which means I don’t care about the big statistics compiled by Jacksonville’s Blake Bortles and Tennessee’s Marcus Mariota in the Titans’ 42-39 win. [OK, I had Bortles in my Fantasy lineup, which was great, but the rest of it sucked beyond belief.]
More importantly….
–My Jets (7-5) pulled out a super clutch win over the Giants (5-7), 23-20 in overtime after being down 20-10 with about 8:30 to play. Pretty simple…Ryan Fitzpatrick (36/50, 390, 2-0, 107.9 passer rating) outplayed Eli Manning. Jets receiver Brandon Marshall had one of those games that the Jets acquired him for, 12 receptions for 131 yards and a score.
But after the Jets kicked a field goal in OT, the Giants had a chance to tie it, only to see kicker Josh Brown miss his first of the year after 25 successful attempts…a 48-yarder wide left.
I’ll tell you what I really loved. Fitzpatrick completed 13 screen passes to Bilal Powell and Chris Ivory for 123 yards and a score. It’s a great play that has seemingly been lost in so many offenses these days.
As for Giants coach Tom Coughlin, with the score at 20-10 Giants, he opted to go for it on fourth-and-2 at the Jets 4, rather than kick a field goal to make it 23-10, only to have Eli Manning throw an interception that led to the first of the Jets’ two late scores to send it into OT.
—Arizona moved to 10-2 with a dominating performance against St. Louis (4-8), 27-3, outgaining the Rams 524-212. Carson Palmer was 26/40, 356, 2-0, 110.0.
–The reeling Falcons, who started the season 5-0 as it seemed the Matt Ryan to Julio Jones combination would be the greatest in football history, are now 6-6 after a 23-19 loss to Tampa Bay, also 6-6, and on the upswing. Ryan sucked. Julio did nothing of consequence.
–One quarterback who has stepped up in a massive way is Russell Wilson of Seattle, my “Pick to Click” to win it all this year. Wilson guided the Seahawks (7-5) to their third straight with a crucial 38-7 road win over the Vikings (8-4). He was 21/29, 274, 3-0, 146.0, plus 51 yards rushing and another score.
In Wilson’s last three starts, again, all wins when the Seahawks needed every one of them, he has 11 touchdown passes, no interceptions, and passer ratings of 138.8, 147.9 and 146.0…as good a stretch as anyone in the history of the game.
—Buffalo (6-6) stayed in the hunt for an AFC wild-card slot with a 30-21 home win over Houston, also 6-6, as Tyrod Taylor had a highly efficient 11/21, 211, 3-0 through the air, while LeSean McCoy chipped in with 112 yards rushing.
—“Good Andy” Dalton keeps showing up this year more often than not as the Bengals are now 10-2 following a 37-3 dismantling of the 2-10 Browns. Dalton was 14/19, 220, 2-0, 146.8.
—Huge loss for the Bears (5-7), who had been on a roll. They lost at home to San Francisco (4-8) 26-20 in overtime as QB Jay Cutler sucked.
–In a total shocker in Foxborough, the struggling Eagles (5-7) upset the Patriots (10-2) 35-28, as Tom Brady had just 312 yards on 56 attempts, plus two picks, for a 71.4 passer rating. This obviously didn’t help the Giants any.
—Carolina, on the other hand, fell behind New Orleans 14-0 in Charlotte but prevailed 41-38 to remain undefeated at 12-0. Cam Newton was 28/41, 331, 5-1, 122.1, while the Saints fell to 4-8.
—Kansas City won their sixth in a row to move to 7-5, beating Oakland (5-7) 34-20.
—Denver is 10-2 after defeating the Chargers (3-9) 17-3 in a game in which Broncos QB Brock Osweiler and his Chargers’ counterpart, Philip Rivers, were underwhelming, to say the least.
–And for the archives I have to note the ending to Thursday night’s game, Green Bay (8-4) 27, Detroit (4-8) 23, on the longest Hail Mary touchdown on a game’s final play in NFL history; 61 yards from Packers QB Aaron Rodgers to receiver and legendary Broadway composer Richard Rodgers, who many thought had died in 1979, yet there he was, leaping for the deciding pass in the end zone.
Lions coach Jim Caldwell said after he didn’t realize Aaron Rodgers could throw the ball that far, while Richard Rodgers sang “The Lady Is A Tramp” in front of startled reporters in the Packers’ locker room and then segued into “My Favorite Things”….which some found rather creepy.
MLB
The signing of pitcher Jordan Zimmermann by Detroit was the deal that broke the ice, as the main target in the free agent market, lefty David Price, signed with Boston, seven years and $217 million, followed by Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke, who opted out of his final three seasons in L.A. to sign a six-year, $206 million deal with Arizona.
Then you had right-hander Jeff Samardzija signing a five-year, $90 million contract Saturday with San Francisco. Samardzija was just 11-13, 4.96 ERA, in his first full season in the American League with the White Sox, but the Giants see him as being a top-flight starter and, after all, 2016 is an ‘even’ year as San Francisco has won the World Series in 2010, ’12 and ’14; missing the playoffs in the odd years, including this past season.
Back to Price, 30, he can opt out of his deal after three years, but there is no such provision for Greinke, 32.
Greinke’s signing is a huge blow to the Dodgers. Andrew Friedman, president of baseball operations, said in a statement Friday: “We made a very strong offer to retain Zack but clearly he found a deal that fit better for him and his family.”
A source said the Dodgers’ final offer was for five years. Greinke’s $34.3 average annual salary is the most ever for a baseball player, topping Price’s $31 million, the same figure Miguel Cabrera is receiving. Clayton Kershaw’s contract extension with the Dodgers, signed back in 2014, was for $30.7 million per over seven seasons. Max Scherzer is currently on a $30 million per contract with the Nationals.
As for the Diamondbacks, they had supposedly offered right-hander Johnny Cueto, also a free agent, a six-year, $120 million offer that he turned down, which led them to turn to Greinke.
So the Dodgers, after having one of the best one-two pitching combinations in baseball history, suddenly have just Kershaw and a bunch of question marks. As of today, the other four in the rotation would be Brett Anderson, Hyun-Jim Ryu, Alex Wood and Brandon McCarthy, with Ryu and McCarthy coming back from surgery, the latter not until mid-season.
Bill Shaikin / Los Angeles Times
“The San Francisco Giants, well, you could have understood that. As a Dodgers fan, you would have despised it, of course. But nothing says respect like three parades in six years – and, hey, next year is an even year. If Zack Greinke had signed with the Giants, you would have gotten it, begrudgingly.
“The Arizona Diamondbacks? The team that has eight uniform combinations, a pool in the outfield, and an airplane hangar for a ballpark? Those guys?
“Greinke left the Dodgers to sign with those guys. That in itself could turn the face of a Dodgers fan red – Sedona red, to be exact.
“But the greater source of irritation might well be this: How could baseball’s answer to the Denver mint be outbid by the Phoenix ballclub?”
It all came down to the sixth year, which the Dodgers did not want to guarantee.
Among the other moves, the Cubs signed John Lackey to a two-year, $32 million contract, reuniting him with former Boston teammates Jon Lester and David Ross, as well as GM Theo Epstein. At age 37, he had one of his better seasons with the Cardinals this year, going 13-10 with a 2.77 ERA.
Mike Pelfrey, who since going 15-9 in 2010 for the Mets is 18-40 with a 4.77 ERA, signed a two-year, $16 million deal with Detroit.
Free agent reliever Darren O’Day, who was highly sought by many teams, decided to stay in Baltimore…four years, $31 million.
So the winter baseball meetings start in Nashville on Monday and one player who said he will make up his mind during this confab is free agent Ben Zobrist, who has drawn a ton of interest despite having relatively modest career numbers, plus he’s 34. Among the prime suitors is the Mets. Zobrist wants four years and I’m hoping the Mets don’t go that route and stick with some of the prospects they have for the infield (while signing Juan Uribe for insurance at third).
Separately, it was announced Mets GM Sandy Alderson is battling a treatable form of cancer, but he won’t be attending the meetings.
—Barry Bonds is officially the new hitting coach for the Miami Marlins and new manager Don Mattingly.
College Basketball
–After losing to the likes of Monmouth and Wake Forest this season, UCLA pulled off a stunning 87-77 upset of No. 1 Kentucky on Thursday at Pauley Pavilion. As I said at the start, this is going to be a particularly strange season in college hoops because there simply aren’t any super teams. Lots of good to very good, none super, though I might change my mind in another month or so when it comes to No. 3 Michigan State. The Spartans, traditionally a slow starter, are flying.
Among other games of note since my last chat, Wednesday….
Duke beat Indiana 94-74; Michigan State defeated Louisville 71-67; Wisconsin beat Syracuse 66-58.
Saturday, Georgetown then beat Syracuse 79-72, with Jim Boeheim beginning his nine-game suspension, though through an appeal he will now miss just three ACC games, not nine, which had been the original deal.
In their annual grudge match, 19 Arizona traveled to Spokane and beat 13 Gonzaga 68-63. Very nice win for the Wildcats.
Michigan State beat Binghamton 76-33, which I only mention because Binghamton shot 10 of 60 from the field!
Meanwhile, Wake Forest is suddenly 6-2 after Friday’s win at home against Arkansas, 88-85. The Deacs have four Power Five conference wins in 10 days and are still without injured point guard Codi Miller-McIntyre, who is slated to return around Dec. 15.
—Stephen Curry was told by Davidson College that he won’t have his uniform number retired until he completes his degree. Curry played three seasons there, before opting to leave early to pursue an NBA career.
[Which gives me an excuse to note that Dr. W. reminded me that when I say Tim Duncan played all four years at Wake Forest, I should add he graduated on time, too.]
NBA
–Speaking of Steph Curry, he had 44 points on Saturday in the Warriors’ 112-109 win in Toronto over the Raptors, Golden State now 21-0! Curry hit 9 of 15 from three-point land, while running mate Klay Thompson was 6 of 9.
And this just in…make it 22-0 as the Warriors defeated the Nets in Brooklyn, 114-98, on Sunday with Curry scoring 28, including five more threes.
Curry set an NBA record last season with 286 3-pointers. This year he is already on track for in excess of 400, easy. [5.3 avg. per game thus far, 82 games in a season, though he will inevitably miss a few, so you do the math.]
–The 76ers suspended Jahlil Okafor two games, last Wednesday’s and Saturday’s contests. The team said in a statement that they are “disappointed with his recent actions.” The incidents are piling up, including a report by CSNPhilly.com that he had presented a fake identification card at a Philly tavern back in October.
In last night’s game, the Sixers lost to Denver 108-105 to fall to 1-20.
–As for Kobe Bryant and his farewell tour, many fans of the game are just wondering why he doesn’t sing ‘So long…farewell …’ like tomorrow! This guy is so godawful, it’s beyond embarrassing.
Sunday, in the Lakers’ 111-91 loss to the Pistons to fall to 3-17, Kobe was 2-of-15 from the field. His shooting percentage remains about .305. You can’t make this crap up.
NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship
As Charlie Brown would say, “Drat!” Wake Forest lost to Stanford in the quarterfinals, 2-1, Friday.
Final Four for the College Cup
8 Stanford plays 4 Akron (a 3-2 winner over Creighton) in one semifinal, while 6 Syracuse (1-0 over Boston College) plays 2 Clemson (1-1 shootout winner over Maryland) in the other, December 11, with the championship next Sunday.
Golf Balls
—Rory McIlroy is reportedly engaged to American Erica Stoll, the two having dated over a year. Rory was previously engaged to Caroline Wozniacki before suddenly breaking it off in May of 2014.
—Tiger Woods has been in the news a lot because of his press conference for his Hero World Challenge (won by Bubba Watson on Sunday, though this is not an official PGA Tour event), and now an interview in the current issue of TIME.
He was asked in TIME, “Do you think about your legacy?”
Woods: “The greatest thing that could happen is to not be remembered. What I mean by that is, the kids right now, they have no idea who Michael Jordan was, but the Jumpman logo is cool. My learning center, kids go through it and they don’t know who I am. They don’t know what I’ve done. But it’s a safe haven for them to learn and grow.”
Tiger added he has a “fantastic” relationship with ex-wife Elin. “She’s one of my best friends…we talk to each other all the time. We both know that the most important things in our lives are our kids. I wish I would have known that back then.”
We all do, Tiger.
Premier League
Chelsea had another inexplicable loss, the reigning champ’s eighth of the still young season, a 1-0 defeat at home to Bournemouth. I keep repeating this, but you have to remember Chelsea was 26-9-3 (W-D-L) last season and is now 4-3-8! How can manager Jose Mourinho survive any longer?
Stoke City pulled off an upset of Manchester City, 2-0.
My Tottenham Spurs had a bad 1-1 draw with West Brom.
Manchester United played to a 0-0 draw with West Ham, though this was a highly entertaining 0-0 contest, if you can believe it. I mean I saw it with my own eyes! Really!
Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Sunderland, coupled with the Man U and Man City results, moved them into second.
Newcastle picked up just its third win of the season, a big one, 2-0 over Liverpool.
But the story of the year thus far, Leicester City, remains in first after a 3-0 win over Swansea. Leicester was 14th in the Premier League last year!
Standings after 15 of 38:
1. Leicester 9 (W) 5 (D) 1(L)…32 points
2. Arsenal 9-3-3…30
3. Man City 9-2-4…29
4. Man U 8-5-2…29 [Just 20 goals…yuck…]
5. Tottenham 6-8-1…26 [Haven’t lost since first game, but too many ‘draws’]
6. West Ham 6-5-4…23
7. Liverpool 6-5-4…23
14. Chelsea 4-3-8…15
Stuff
–The amazing Lindsey Vonn continued her mastery over the Downhill at Lake Louise, Alberta, completing a downhill sweep on Friday and Saturday, giving her 14 downhill victories and three super-G wins at the resort among her 69 World Cup victories overall. [35 of the 69 are downhills.]
But then on Sunday, Vonn won the super-G, her third career sweep of the races at Lake Louise.
You go, Lindsey! I wonder how many Americans truly understand how remarkable her career has been.
In a super-G at Beaver Creek, Colo., Austrian Marcel Hirscher held off Americans Ted Ligety and Andrew Weibrecht.
In Friday’s downhill there, Aksel Lund Svindal captured his third straight World Cup race.
–Christine Brennan / USA TODAY Sports:
“The news from Rio is likely to surprise no one in the world of international sports: The water around the city that’s hosting the 2016 Summer Olympic Games is worse than we thought.
“Sailors, rowers, canoeists and open-water swimmers, beware. Only a few of you will win medals, but it’s possible that by simply competing you will leave Brazil having been exposed to viruses and bacteria. Congratulations and have a nice time.
“The Associated Press is reporting that tests it commissioned of the Rio Olympic waters found they are more widely contaminated by sewage than previously known. A person exposed to this water could develop a host of debilitating flu-like symptoms, including vomiting, diarrhea and fever….
“This is what happens when the Olympic world turns to a developing nation to host the Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee had never before chosen a South American city to host an Olympics before picking Rio in 2009….
“The water in Chicago, Madrid and Tokyo – Rio’s 2016 competitors – would not have been a problem. But the IOC didn’t care about that. It wanted to make a statement, to bring the Games to a new continent. It made sense then. It still makes sense….
“This doesn’t mean we should let Rio and the IOC off the hook. The city won the right to host the Olympics at least in part due to a pledge to clean up its waterways by improving sanitation. Rio took this one right out of the Olympic promises playbook. Beijing won the right to host the 2008 Olympics by saying it would work to clean up its air pollution and do a better job on human rights. (It barely could have been doing a worse job on human rights.)
“Then it reneged on both items. The air quality was by far the worst I’ve experienced covering 16 consecutive Olympic Games, winter and summer.
“And, on the topic of caring about human rights, Beijing did just the opposite, putting dissidents in jail because the Olympics were coming. Did the IOC or its corporate sponsors punish Beijing in any way for this blatant flouting of the sporting world’s trust? Of course not.
“In fact, they recently gave Beijing another incredible gift: the 2022 Winter Games.
–The Washington Post’s Kelyn Soong had a piece on one of the great running challenges in the world, doing seven marathons, in seven days, on seven continents. 10 men have done it and one woman. Becca Pizzi, a 35-year-old day care center operator from Belmont, Mass., is hoping to become the first American woman when he starts out next Jan. 23 in Union Glacier, Antarctica. After this she would run back-to-back marathons in Punta Arenas, Chile; Miami; Madrid; Marrakech, Morocco; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Sydney – all in consecutive days. “Overall it will take 168 hours – 59 of them spent recovering in compression socks aboard a charter flight, according to the Associated Press.”
Pizzi has run 45 marathons, including 15 Boston Marathons. She’ll be joined by four American males, as well as other runners from around the world, including three other women.
For training, Pizzi is doing 80-100 miles a week, in addition to yoga and cross-training. She finished this year’s Boston Marathon in 3 hours 28 minutes 11 seconds.
–We note the passing of actor Robert Loggia, 85. He had a five-year battle with Alzheimer’s.
Loggia played a lot of tough guys in film, like that of a drug lord in “Scarface,” and a Sicilian mobster in “Prizzi’s Honor.” He also appeared in “The Sopranos,” though he gave a memorable comic performance in 1988’s “Big,” dancing on a giant piano keyboard with Tom Hanks.
—Melvin Williams, the real-life drug kingpin whose exploits informed the plot for the terrific HBO series “The Wire,” died. He was 73. After emerging from prison, he played a role on the show.
Williams was convicted of drug crimes three times and for weapons possession once, spending more than 20 years behind bars.
It was in the mid-1980s that he agreed to a series of prison interviews with a young Baltimore Sun reporter, David Simon, whose five-part series ran in 1987.
—Scott Weiland, co-founder of Stone Temple Pilots and lead in Velvet Revolver, died in Minnesota at the age of 48. Weiland was on tour with his band The Wildabouts.
—Bruce Springsteen is embarking on a 24-date, 2016 winter tour, beginning Jan. 16 in Pittsburgh. He’ll play Madison Square Garden Jan. 24 and 27, and Newark’s Prudential Center Jan. 31. Tickets go on sale Dec. 11 at 10 a.m. Good luck.
—U2 will be reportedly joined on stage in Paris by Eagles of Death Metal, marking their first public appearance since the attacks on the city. The American metal band were playing the Bataclan theatre when 90 people were killed as part of the Paris attacks.
U2 was forced to cancel a gig in Paris for security reasons after the attacks and will take the stage on Sunday and Monday nights at the AccorHotels Arena. EODM is apparently going to join Bono and Co. for their last song, though it wasn’t clear which night they would perform. The band has already said they want to be the first group to play the Bataclan when it reopens.
–And we had the announcement that Coldplay will headline the Super Bowl halftime show. A record 118 million tuned in to watch Katy Perry earlier this year.
Top 3 songs for the week 12/5/81: #1 “Physical” (Olivia Newton-John…this tune hasn’t aged well…) #2 “Waiting For A Girl Like You” (Foreigner…watching college football instead…) #3 “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” (The Police)…and…#4 “Oh No” (Commodores) #5 “Here I Am (Just When I Thought I Was Over You)” (Air Supply…we all need air and glad these gentlemen supplied it…) #6 “Private Eyes” (Daryl Hall & John Oates…these two helped save the era from nuclear blowdom…) #7 “Let’s Groove” (Earth, Wind & Fire…love them….but this was not one of their best…) #8 “Young Turks” (Rod Stewart) #9 “Why Do Fools Fall In Love” (Diana Ross…I don’t know, you tell me…) #10 “Start Me Up” (The Rolling Stones…sorry, I am totally Stones “Hot Rocks” era…)
College Football Quiz Answer: Starting QBs for AP champions: 1981 Clemson, Homer Jordan; 1985 Oklahoma, Jamelle Holieway*; 1990 Colorado, Darian Hagan; 1992 Alabama, Jay Barker.
Not exactly a bunch of superstars. *Troy Aikman played some for Oklahoma that season, but Holieway was the far more significant contributor, including 862 yards rushing.
Next Bar Chat, Thursday.
