[Posted Wednesday a.m.]
College Football Quiz: 22 Division I-A running backs have rushed for 2,000 yards in a season (including bowl games in most cases), but only three went to schools in California. Name them. Answer below.
–In a shocker because of the timing, the Eagles fired coach Chip Kelly Tuesday night. Many of us thought he was a goner but you would have thought he’d be on the sidelines the final game. Owner Jeffrey Lurie clearly had had enough.
Reports last night said that Lurie had approached Kelly in the last few weeks about turning the personnel decisions over to someone else and the coach balked at the idea.
By firing Kelly now, though, it does give Philly a jump on all the hot coaching prospects.
Kelly started his Eagles career with back-to-back 10-6 seasons, but this year the team fell to 6-9, which is doubly worse because it was in a pathetic division. He said after the announcement that he wanted to stay in the NFL as a coach and not return to the college game, but I’m guessing he’s headed back there, unless he gets a top offensive coordinator NFL job.
Or…I guess he could end up in Tennessee, reunited with quarterback Marcus Mariota.
–Looking back, Sunday, at New England coach Bill Belichick’s decision to let the Jets receive the overtime kickoff, Tom Brady said: “Whatever Coach decides, that’s what the team does. We as players, we’ve just got to play better. …he’s trying to do whatever he thinks will help us to win.”
The Patriots still can get the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with a win at Miami.
Kansas City wrapped up a playoff spot, while the Jets clinch a spot with a win at Buffalo. Pittsburgh only gets in with a Jets loss, assuming they beat the Browns in Cleveland.
Lastly, Houston (8-7) still needs to beat the Jaguars on Sunday to ensure they wrap up the AFC South. If they tie Indianapolis (7-8), it would go to a strength of schedule tiebreaker that by all rights Houston will win, but there’s still a slim chance it couldn’t all go according to Hoyle. [To throw in an old-fashioned expression that may have some millennials scratching their heads.]
So as of Tuesday, post Denver’s 20-17 overtime win against the Bengals….
New England (12-3) is the first seed and Denver (11-4) the second.
But while Denver has clinched a playoff spot and a probable bye….
3 Cincinnati (11-4), which lost its chance at a desperately needed bye (to allow for more time for quarterback Andy Dalton to recover from his thumb injury), is hosting a wild-card game, today against the 6-seed Jets (10-5).
The Jets travel to Buffalo to play Rex Ryan’s Bills on Sunday and you know how much Rex wants this. I’m just guessin’ his players largely don’t show up.
4 Houston would host 5 Kansas City (10-5) if things remain as they stand today.
The top seed in the NFC playoffs is still up for grabs. Carolina (14-1) secures it with a victory at home over Tampa Bay, or with a loss by Arizona (13-2) to Seattle.
Meanwhile, 3 Green Bay and 5 Minnesota, both 10-5, play at Lambeau for the NFC North title and the third seed; the loser being a wild-card team.
Washington is the 4-seed.
And 6 Seattle is the second wild-card.
Well, you can see the potential playoff matchups for yourself, but, again, things will change this coming weekend.
–Back to Cincinnati and its loss to Denver Monday night, AJ McCarron, Andy Dalton’s replacement, injured his left wrist on the last play of the game, a fumbled snap, during which he hurt himself while scrambling for the ball. Thankfully for the Bengals it was only a sprain and he should be in there Sunday.
–Entering the last game, Atlanta’s Julio Jones has 127 catches for 1,722 yards, making him only the second in league history to have at least 125 receptions and 1,700 receiving yards in a season; Marvin Harrison being the other in 2002.
Jones’ catch total is third-most in a season in NFL history, behind Harrison’s 143 in ’02 and Antonio Brown’s 129 last season with Pittsburgh. [Mark Maske / Washington Post]
–The Giants played a totally embarrassing game Sunday night against the Vikings, less than 24 hours after being eliminated from the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year. As Jordan Raanan of NJ.com wrote:
“The Minnesota Vikings were playing for a playoff spot. The Giants were playing for…pride?
“In that case, they appear to be a rather listless, lifeless and prideless bunch after falling 49-17 to the Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium.
“ ‘We had an opportunity to play for pride,’ head coach Tom Coughlin said. ‘Tonight, it’s just very difficult for me to explain it.
“It is true that this year’s Giants are undertalented and outgunned, but failing to be even remotely competitive will almost always doom the head coach.
“And by Monday afternoon, the understanding that the end of the Coughlin era could be just days away was hitting home powerfully.
“Quarterback Eli Manning, who uncharacteristically sidestepped questions about Coughlin’s future after Sunday’s 49-17 fiasco, tried as hard as he could on Monday to take the blame for putting Coughlin’s job in jeopardy.
“ ‘I wanted to do my job well, and get into the playoffs and have a big season, so he could continue to be the head coach,’ Manning said in a conference call with reporters….
“Coughlin, 69, and Manning, 35, joined the Giants in a package deal in 2004. If they have like a pro football version of a father and son, it should be no surprise, then, that on Monday, Coughlin appeared both irritated and wounded that Manning, or any of his players, would feel the need to defend him. Coughlin said he did not want ‘these young men in a position where they feel badly about the circumstances that the head coach finds himself in.’”
“If it wasn’t a certainly before the game, if there was still some sliver of hope the Giants could end the season with enough of a positive spin to save Tom Coughlin’s job, those notions were erased Sunday night against the Vikings.
“The Giants’ putrid performance on a national stage made it clear it is time for the Coughlin era to end. It’s time for a fresh start and a new voice.”
One more game, against the Eagles, and then I just have to believe Coughlin, and probably GM Jerry Reese, are given their walking papers.
I know, I know…many folks around here are saying, ‘Well who would do better?’
But that’s lame. It’s four straight seasons they haven’t made the playoffs. If you want some continuity, while changing things up, promote offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo to head coach.
–Finally, regarding the Peyton Manning / Al Jazeera story, Manning has threatened to sue the news organization for defamation, but then this would open up both he and his wife’s lives to investigation and does he really want to do this…to both of them? I don’t think so.
“The knee-jerk defense of Peyton Manning came swiftly, and predictably. Tom Brady offered stout praise for his longtime rival. The Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts joined as one to stand by their man. Mike Ditka, not surprisingly, killed the messenger.
“They all believe, as millions of sports fans undoubtedly do, that Manning did not cheat by taking human-growth hormone from an anti-aging clinic in Indianapolis, as a former intern at the facility told Al Jazeera America in a report that aired over the holiday weekend.
“They say this even as they must know that we are most definitely still in the midst of the so-called ‘steroids era’ in sports – or the performance-enhancing drug era, or the HGH era, call it what you will. They have lived through the lies and deception of Lance Armstrong, Marion Jones, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Alex Rodriguez, among others.
“And yet they know – they are absolutely sure – that the squeaky clean Manning isn’t doing what so many others before him have done: cut a corner there, ask a doctor for a little help here, tell a lie or two or 20 to keep the career going just a bit longer, to finish another lucrative contract, to keep the endorsements coming.
“How do they know this? How do any of us know what Peyton Manning, or any other athlete, is doing off the field and beyond the glare of public scrutiny? How would we ever know what Manning is doing at home?
“Haven’t we learned anything from all of our other heroes who ended up lying to us?
“Except for this: some of the allegations made by (Charlie) Sly actually have been proven to be true. He was right that Manning went to the Guyer Institute, the clinic in Indianapolis. And Manning has not denied that a package came to his home from the clinic, as Sly also alleges.
“Charlie Sly is one of the most reviled people in sports today. He is in good company… A show of hands, please, for those who think Jose Canseco is a fine, upstanding citizen.
“While many still can’t stand the original MLB tattle-tale, there’s one other word we can use for Canseco to this day:
“He totally nailed what was going on with the Oakland A’s and MLB in the late 1980s and 1990s….
“(There’s) a familiar arc to these stories, and it’s an arc that almost always takes us to the truth.
“We’ve followed that arc before. We should follow it now.”
Or as I was careful to write last time as the story was just hitting, “wait 24 hours.”
“Manning is likable and does earnest well. He is a great quarterback, an all-time great, and who wouldn’t want to believe him?
“Nagging questions pop up like too-early flower stems… Perhaps (HGH) could speed healing. A medical center is preparing long-term studies.
“For now, however, legal use is tightly circumscribed….
“If (Charlie) Sly fabricated his 2011 service at the center, however, how did he know that Manning and his wife had been patients there?
“Further, it’s not clear if Manning’s wife received HGH. Based on the required conditions, she would not appear to qualify.
“Caveats should be piled in a heap here. Al Jazeera’s documentary breaks intriguing and suggestive ground and establishes that the doping world is umbilically attached, doctor to doctor. There is, however, no undercover video of Manning or Guyer.
“And Sly and other characters appear to be slippery sorts, sweaty salesmen in search of another mark.
“Then again, Victor Conte of Balco and Anthony Bosch of Biogenesis did not resemble high elders in the American Medical Association. But they ran sophisticated operations, and their customers, who rarely tested positive, included some of the greatest athletes in the world.
“That fact alone argues that football’s elders would be wise to spare us ritual denials and outrage for now. Let’s open this box a little wider.”
College Football
–Time to play the games, Thursday, the College Football Playoffs…Clemson vs. Oklahoma in the first game, Alabama-Michigan State in the second. Will be fun.
Yes, there have been some incidents and the usual suspensions, but everyone critical to the four teams’ success will be there. ‘Stuff’ always happens with the big gaps between the final regular season game and New Year’s. They’re college kids.
—Keenan Reynolds ended his sterling career at Navy on a high note with a 44-28 win over Pitt (8-5) in the Military Bowl in Annapolis, Md., Monday. Reynolds ran for 144 yards on 24 carries, threw for 126, and had a reception for another 47.
The quarterback leaves Navy (11-2) as the Football Bowl Subdivision career leader with 88 rushing touchdowns, while his 4,559 rushing yards are the most by a quarterback in FBS (Division I-A) history.
For Navy, the 11 wins represents the first time in 135 years of football they won that many, plus for the first time they’ve won three straight bowl games.
—No. 10 North Carolina (11-3) was waxed by 17 Baylor 49-38 in the Russell Athletic Supporter Bowl, as the Bears, again playing without their top two quarterbacks, ran for a bowl record (and by a mile) 645 yards! Johnny Jefferson had 299 yards on 23 carries and three touchdowns, while Devin Chafin chipped in with 161 on 27 carries. Baylor finished 10-3 as their fans wonder what could have been had they not had their QB issues.
College Basketball
AP Poll (Dec. 28…records thru Sunday)
1. Michigan State (64 first-place votes) 13-0
2. Kansas 10-1 (1)
3. Oklahoma 11-0
4. Maryland 11-1
5. Virginia 10-1
6. Xavier 12-0
7. North Carolina 10-2
8,. Arizona 12-1
9. Butler 10-1
10. Kentucky 10-2
11. Iowa State 10-1
12. Providence 12-1
17. SMU 11-0
24. South Carolina 11-0
–Last time I said Michigan State might be the only great team in the country and then on Tuesday, they fell to Iowa (10-3) in Iowa City, 83-70, as the Hawkeyes never trailed and led by as many as 19. The Spartans continue to play without star Denzel Valentine, who is slated to be out another week after arthroscopic surgery on his knee.
—Wake Forest (9-3) had another big win against a Power Five conference team, defeating LSU and Ben Simmons 77-71 in Baton Rouge. There is definite cause for optimism with these Deacs, who are 7-0 in games decided by six or less.
You know what I liked in looking at the box score, though? Point guard Codi Miller-McIntyre had only two points but 12 rebounds. That’s desire.
As for superfrosh Simmons, he had 21 points and 12 rebounds for the 7-5, and highly disappointing, Tigers.
–Huge stumble, already, by Monmouth (9-4) after their early-season successes. They actually received some votes in the above AP Poll, then they promptly went out and lost to Army (9-3) at West Point, 91-84. That’s a bad one for their NCAA at-large tournament hopes, even if Army is better than some expect.
–In Golden State’s 122-103 win Monday night over Sacramento, Steph Curry had his first triple-double of the season; 23 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists…the 14 boards being a career high.
But at one point in the game, Curry was 0 for 6 from the field and the Warriors were down six. Then Curry went off for five threes and scored 17 points in under three minutes.
–Des Bieler of the Washington Post notes that while we are making a lot out of what an awful shooter Kobe Bryant has been, through Tuesday’s games, LeBron James, by one metric, is actually worse.
LeBron this season is shooting just 28.5% on his shots outside the paint, as first noted by John Schuhmann of NBA.com. Kobe is second worst in this category at 30.1% (among 64 players w/200 field goal attempts).
Schuhmann notes that James’ woes began in last spring’s playoffs, when his outside-the-paint percentage was 26.8%. [James is hitting 62.7% of his shots inside the paint, however.]
—Meadowlark Lemon, the great Harlem Globetrotter, died Sunday in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was 83.
Growing up in Wilmington, N.C., Lemon, a gifted athlete and entertainer at heart, dreamed of playing for the Globetrotters and then joined the team in 1954, not long after leaving the Army. He soon took over from Reece “Goose” Tatum as the team’s official showman, a role he held for about a quarter-century.
But this was a time when the Globetrotters were not just known for their comedy routines, as they played some serious basketball. In 1948 they beat the Minneapolis Lakers in a game that was instrumental in integrating the NBA. The Trotters would later sign Wilt Chamberlain, until he was eligible for the league.
As for Meadowlark, he was a terrific passer and ballhandler who had a long-distance hook shot that, as the New York Times’ Bruce Weber wrote, “he made with remarkable regularity. But it was his charisma and comic bravado that made him perhaps the most famous Globetrotter.”
Until he left the team in 1978, Lemon was the ringmaster, directing the circus from the pivot.
His era was not without its controversies, though. The players’ antics on the court during the civil rights era drew criticism from outside for reinforcing what many considered to be demeaning black stereotypes. Some frankly saw Lemon as the leader of a minstrel show.
And as Bruce Weber notes, Meadowlark was also the highest paid, by far, and when the players went on strike for more pay in 1971, Lemon didn’t join them.
Shortly before he died in 1999, Wilt Chamberlain said in a television interview: “Meadowlark was the most sensational, awesome, incredible basketball player I’ve ever seen. People would say it would be Dr. J or even Jordan. For me, it would be Meadowlark Lemon.”
A huge trade…the Yankees acquired troubled lefty fireballer Aroldis Chapman from the Reds for a bag of donuts and four schmos. Let the controversy begin.
Barring a follow-on trade by New York, which won’t occur until Chapman’s situation is clarified, the Yanks have an incredible threesome in the back end of their bullpen – Chapman, Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances. Now if they can just keep their starters healthy, which hardly seems possible.
The Yankees literally gave up four minor leaguers, none of whom is close to being a major league talent, for a 27-year-old whose fastball averaged 100.43 mph in 2015. He had 33 saves with a 1.63 ERA in 65 games and he’s a four-time All-Star who is eligible for free agency in 2017. It’s a ‘win-now’ move by the Yanks, but this is not a simple deal.
The Dodgers, you’ll recall, had a done deal with the Reds for Chapman a number of weeks ago, but word hit that police had responded to an alleged choking incident involving his girlfriend, that caused her to run from him, at which point he was heard firing gunshots in his garage. No charges were filed in the case and Chapman wasn’t arrested, but MLB commissioner Rob Manfred launched an investigation and it seems Chapman faces some sort of ban, but there’s no word on when Manfred will rule.
“In trying to win championships the Yankees have always gone where other teams would not, but that was mostly in spending money for players. This is different.
“In trading for Aroldis Chapman, the Yankees acquired a player that at least some teams wouldn’t touch, at least not while he is under investigation by Major League Baseball for an alleged domestic violence incident.
“ ‘We’ll all do what it takes to win. I’m not trying to sound holier-than-thou,’ a team executive said Monday. ‘But this is dicey for me. Domestic violence is a serious matter and it’s a hot-button topic right now too because of the NFL.
“ ‘Not knowing where this is all going, I don’t think we were the only ones who weren’t willing to do something like this right now.’
“In fact, that appears to be the prevailing sentiment around baseball; how else can you explain Chapman being dealt at such a bargain price?….
“You know how this goes by now: fans want to win and they’re willing to forgive just about anything from players who can make that happen. If Chapman is blowing away hitters next season, providing some much-needed star power with his 103-mph fastballs, and the Yankees ride their newly-formed super-pen to an AL East title, chances are he’ll be the toast of the town….
“At the very least, it seems, some teams were willing to wait for some resolution [of Chapman’s case]. MLB, together with the Players Association, adopted a new domestic violence policy last summer that gives commissioner Rob Manfred the power to rule as he sees fit on such cases.
“Now everyone is waiting to see how he rules on Jose Reyes, who was arrested for an incident in November, and Chapman. There is at least some feeling around the game that he’ll come down hard on these first cases as a way of setting an example.
“Of course, that could actually benefit the Yankees in a way, for if Chapman is suspended for 40 games or more, he’d lose enough service time to push his free agency back a year – making the deal that much more of a bargain.
“So perhaps the real issue isn’t the punishment as much as the PR fallout, depending exactly on what the investigation reveals.”
Immediately following the announcement of the trade, a number of women’s rights groups voiced their opposition. Said Nita Chaudhary, cofounder of Ultraviolet, in a statement released to the New York Post:
“The Yankees should be ashamed of themselves for acquiring a player with pending domestic violence charges. Domestic violence is an epidemic in this country and no player, no matter how fast or well he throws a baseball should go unpunished. We won’t allow the MLB or the Yankees to sweep this issue under the rug.”
–Back to the Peyton Manning / Al Jazeera PED report, baseball’s Ryan Zimmerman and Ryan Howard were implicated in it as well and MLB said it is investigating.
As USA TODAY Sports’ Ted Berg notes, though, the Phillies, and probably the Nationals, are praying baseball finds something and is forced to level some kind of punishment because Howard, for example, is owed $25 million in 2016 and another $10 million in 2017 if the Phillies were to buy out his contract, while Zimmerman, who has turned into a very ordinary baseball player, is set to earn another $62 million through the end of the 2019 season.
–Finally, we note the passing of Jim O’Toole, who had a star turn as a pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds in the 1960s. He was 78.
O’Toole was 98-84 for his career, all but one season with the Reds, and from 1961-64 he was one of the top pitchers in the league, going 69-43 over that time, while making the All-Star team in 1963.
In 1961, he started the opening game of the World Series, losing 2-0 to the Yankees and Whitey Ford. He also lost Game 4 to Ford, though in 12 innings he yielded just four earned runs over the two contests.
Regarding the ’63 All-Star Game, Manager Alvin Dark selected O’Toole to start the contest over future Hall of Fame pitchers Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Juan Marichal and Warren Spahn; an honor O’Toole would later say was one of his proudest career moments.
But when I think of O’Toole, I remember him as part of a staff that included Joey Jay, a back-to-back 21-game winner in 1961 and ’62, and later Jim Maloney, who from 1963-69 was as good a pitcher as there was in the game.
It’s easy to lump these three talents together because they all suffered arm injuries that had them basically out of the game, or totally ineffective, by age 30. They are the classic examples of how modern sports medicine would have no doubt been a huge benefit to them.
Premier League
In Monday, Boxing Day (the official holiday for the nation) action….
In a super exciting game, Stoke beat Everton 4-3, with Shaqiri scoring the best goal of the season; a phenomenal ‘touch’ score.
And Tottenham, which was within an inch, literally, of losing to Watford 2-1 late in their contest, came right back down the pitch after Watford’s narrow miss (the ball has to completely cross the goal line and it was punched out with an inch to spare) to score a spectacular touch goal of its own by Korea’s Son. So the Spurs get the 2-1 win to continue to solidify their fourth/Champions League position.
Arsenal beat Bournemouth 2-0.
And then Manchester United and Chelsea played to a 0-0 draw, though United clearly played better than they have recently. It seems they may have saved manager Louis van Gaal’s job, van Gaal saying afterward: “When the players give such a performance with a lot of pressure, there’s no reason to resign.”
That said Man U has now gone 8 games, in all competitions, without a win.
Tuesday, Leicester and Man City played to a 0-0 draw.
So we are halfway through the PL season…19 of 38.
1. Arsenal 39 points
2. Leicester 39…ties broken by goal differential
3. Man City 36
4. Tottenham 35…that Watford ‘W’ was beyond huge.
5. Crystal Palace 31
6. Man U 30
7. West Ham 29
8. Watford 29
9. Stoke 29
10. Liverpool 27*
14. Chelsea 20
*Liverpool plays 19 Sunderland Wednesday p.m., so they could move into the 7 slot with a win.
World Cup Ski Action
—Frida Hansdotter won the women’s WC slalom on Tuesday in Leinz, Austria, the Swede’s third career win in the discipline, as current Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin remains out (indefinitely) with her knee injury suffered Dec. 12 in Sweden.
Monday, Lara Gut won the giant slalom and extended her overall Cup lead over Lindsey Vonn, 658-500, as Vonn didn’t finish.
In men’s action, Adrien Theaux of France picked up his third career win in the downhill on Tuesday, run at Santa Caterina Valfurva, Italy. Theaux defeated Hannes Reichelt of Austria, with France’s David “the fish” Poisson taking the third podium spot.
Christof Innerhofer grabbed most of the attention, though, in skiing halfway down the course with a gate attached to him. Somehow he finished fourth. [The long pole caught onto his equipment as he wrapped around a gate. He was able to shed the pole but he carried the panel to the finish at speeds of 75 mph, much to the surprise of his hometown fans.]
Aksel Lund Svindal finished seventh, ending his run of three straight downhill wins.
Overall, Svindal leads Marcel Hirscher by a slim 636-621 margin after 14 of 43 races.
In Memoriam: Sports Illustrated has a good summary each year end and here are some of the more memorable figures from the world of sports I wrote about over the course of the year as well.
Yogi Berra, Dean Smith, Ernie Banks, Billy Casper, Calvin Peete, Jerry Tarkanian, Ken Stabler, Al Arbour, Frank Gifford (and Chuck Bednarik), Moses Malone, Ed Sabol, and Buddy Baker [Plus a last figure from down below….]
–The former director general of Russia’s anti-doping agency has admitted the country has “a serious problem,” and says 40% of its drug-test violations have come in youth sports.
On Thursday, four Russian weightlifters were suspended after failing drug tests at the World Championships.
“In Russia, the doping issue is acute, we can’t deny it,” said Ramil Khabriev. He added: “We have the most violations in anti-doping rules in comparison with other countries.” [BBC Sports]
–Reading Sports Illustrated’s yearend wrap-up, I realize (I think) that I totally missed swimmer Katie Ledecky’s achievement during the world championships. I remember seeing the headlines as this event was unfolding but I don’t think I ever put them all together…as in she was the first swimmer to win the 200-, 400-, 800- and 1,500-meter freestyle golds in the worlds.
Stein Eriksen rose to prominence in the 1952 Winter Olympics in his hometown of Oslo when he captured gold in the giant slalom and silver in the slalom. Two years later, he won three gold medals at the world championships in Are, Sweden.
His performances helped usher in modern skiing. He was charismatic and portrayed the sport in an exciting way. He loved showing off, performing then-incredible stunts, like somersaults, so you could say he was a pioneer in freestyle skiing as well.
As current World Cup racer Kjetil Jansrud said of his countrymen, “He’s a legend.”
Heck, growing up I was not a skier in the least (the family would go for a day trip once a year), but everyone knew of Stein Eriksen.
Eriksen lived in the U.S. for the last six decades, and he served as director of skiing at Deer Valley Resort (Park City, Utah) for 35 years. He was also associated with Snowmass, Colo., Sugarbush, Vt., and Aspen.
Future generations of ski racers benefited from his counsel and he had a sterling reputation. Heck, he was also in such great shape that up until he was 80, he did a daily back flip at Deer Valley!
RIP, Stein Eriksen. You were the epitome of a great sportsman, in the purest sense of the word.
—Tiger Woods turned 40 today, Dec. 30.
—Ian Fraser Kilmister, “Lemmy,” the heavy-metal singer and bassist for the British rock band Motorhead, died on Monday. He was 70.
Top 3 songs for the week 1/2/65: #1 “I Feel Fine” (The Beatles) #2 “Come See About Me” (The Supremes) #3 “Mr. Lonely” (Bobby Vinton)…and…#4 “She’s A Woman” (The Beatles) #5 “Love Potion Number Nine” (The Searchers) #6 “Goin’ Out Of My Head” (Little Anthony and the Imperials…love this one…) #7 “She’s Not There” (The Zombies…hugely underrated band…) #8 “Amen” (The Impressions) #9 “The Jerk” (The Larks) #10 “The Wedding” (Julie Rogers)
College Football Quiz Answer: Three from California schools to rush for 2,000 yards in a season: Marcus Allen, 2,427, 1981, USC; Charles White, 2,050, 1979, USC; J.J. Arrington, 2,018, 2004, California. [I thought there was no way you’d get Arrington, because I sure forgot about him.]
*Barry Sanders remains No. 1 at 2,628 yards in just 11 games back in 1988 for Oklahoma State.
*Due to major time constraints (it all has to do with Christmas/New Year’s falling on a Friday this year, when you all know I normally spend Thursdays/Fridays working on that other large column I do), I will have the 2015 Bar Chat Awards next chat, Jan. 4. I’m still working on a host, preferably Miss Colombia, but it’s hard getting through to her these days. I’m not settling for Steve Harvey.
Happy New Year from all your friends at Bar Chat!
