[Posted Sunday p.m.]
Atlanta Falcons Quiz: 1) Who was the first to rush for 1,000 yards (1975)? 2) Four separate backs have rushed for 1,500 in a season. Name ‘em. 3) Aside from Matt Ryan, who has done it five times, who is the only other Falcons QB to throw for 4,000 yards in a season? Answers below.
College Football Review
I wrote the following last chat:
“There isn’t a single ‘must-see’ game this weekend, though while we are bound to see an upset or two that will impact the polls and rankings on the margin, I really don’t even see the potential for an upset of significance.
“If I had to pick one game that could be interesting in terms of telling us just how good they are, it would be USC (6-3 and improving) at Washington. It would not be a good sign for the Huskies’ title hopes if they find themselves in a dogfight come the fourth quarter.”
Well, there may not have been any ‘must-see’ games on paper, but what an historic weekend it turned out to be. Talk about a reshuffling of the deck. Let’s just start with a rundown for the record.
No. 1 Alabama (10-0) destroyed Mississippi State (4-6) 51-3 as freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts continues to improve, Hurts throwing for 347 yards and four touchdowns, while rushing for 100 and another score. Alabama outgained MSU 615-274. The Bulldogs had defeated Texas A&M the week before.
Then the fun started….
No. 2 Clemson (9-1) was upset in Death Valley by what had been a disappointing Pitt (6-4) team, 43-42, on a Chris Blewitt 48-yard field goal with six seconds remaining. Talk about an entertaining game. Back and forth, Clemson up 28-27 at the half as quarterback Deshaun Watson had 321 yards passing in the first two quarters, with Watson finishing with an ACC record 580 yards, 52 of 70, though he had three interceptions to go with his three touchdowns. Spectacular receiver Mike Williams had 15 receptions for 202 yards and a score.
But for Pitt, quarterback Nathan Peterman had a career day with five TD passes, while James Conner had 132 rushing yards and two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving). Pitt tight end Scott Orndorff also had a career day with nine receptions for 128 and two TDs.
No. 3 Michigan (9-1) lost to Iowa (6-4) 14-13 in Iowa City, Saturday night, on a Keith Duncan 33-yard field goal as time expired. This one was bereft of offense, the Hawkeyes outgaining the Wolverines, 230-201.
No. 4 Washington (9-1) completed the big trifecta when it fell to USC (7-3) 26-13 at home, the Trojans now having won six in a row. Their program is back. But for the Huskies, quarterback Jake Browning came up small and ruined any shot he had at the Heisman in going 17/36, 259, 1-2, while Washington was held to just 17 yards on the ground.
This was the first time since Oct. 19, 1985, that Nos. 2, 3 and 4 lost in the same college football weekend. Ironically, that day, Michigan lost by 12-10 at No. 1 Iowa on a closing field goal. The Michigan quarterback was Jim Harbaugh.
So who would take advantage of Nos. 2 thru 4 going down?
No. 5 Ohio State moved to 9-1 as they destroyed Maryland (5-5) 62-3, the Buckeyes outgaining the Terrapins 581-176.
No. 6 Louisville (9-1) staked its claim to a playoff berth in beating Wake Forest (6-4) 44-12 in a most deceiving contest. The Deacs held a 12-3 halftime lead and then were totally blitzed, 41-0, in the second.
Wake missed four red zone opportunities in the first half, coming away with just four field goals, and it was only a matter of time before Louisville Heisman Trophy winner (I think it has already been shipped to him and the award ceremony cancelled) Lamar Jackson got his act together. While he threw for only 146 and one score, he also rushed for 153 yards, while Brandon Radcliff had 141 on the ground in just 11 carries with three touchdowns.
The way this second half went down had to be totally demoralizing for the Deacs, who now face Clemson at home next weekend.
*However, Wake was a 34 ½-point underdog. At halftime this was a lock. Then it almost wasn’t. But we beat it, and at the end of the day, boys and girls….
Continuing…
No. 7 Wisconsin (8-2) is bound to move up a few notches after a 48-3 pasting of Illinois (3-7), the Badgers taking advantage of four Illini turnovers while rushing for 363 yards.
But No. 8 Texas A&M (7-3) stumbled again and was upset in College Station by Ole Miss (5-5) 29-28. So we can finally stop talking about the overrated Aggies.
And then there was another upset, No. 9 Auburn (7-3) falling to Georgia (6-4) 13-7 as the Tigers had just 10 first downs.
But No. 10 Penn State (8-2) has suddenly won six in a row, including the big win over Ohio State, after beating Indiana (5-5) 45-31 in Bloomington. This one was 31-28 Hoosiers in the fourth, but the Nittany Lions scored the last 17 unanswered as quarterback Trace McSorley threw for 332 yards and two touchdowns.
No. 11 Oklahoma is now 8-2 and operating on all cylinders as they beat Baylor (6-3) 45-24, the Bears’ now in total disarray amid the ongoing sexual assault investigation. [Compounding matters, their fine quarterback, Seth Russell, is out for the year with a dislocated ankle.]
Another team on the rise, No. 12 Colorado, is now 8-2 after a 49-24 win at Arizona (2-8).
No. 13 Oklahoma State (8-2) eked one out in Stillwater against Texas Tech (4-6) 45-44.
Two others of note in the top 25….
No. 16 West Virginia stayed more than relevant at 8-1 with a 24-20 win over Texas (5-5) in Austin. For the Longhorns, D’Onta Foreman rushed for another 167 yards. He had had 341 and 250 yards his prior two contests.
[There are two huge games left in the Big 12…West Virginia-Oklahoma on Nov. 19, and Oklahoma-Oklahoma State, Dec. 3. The Mountaineers’ loss is to OK State.]
No. 23 Washington State (8-2) should rocket up the polls after a 56-21 drubbing of Cal (4-6), Cougars quarterback Luke Falk with 373 yards passing and five touchdowns.
Lastly, a few others….
No. 18 Florida (7-3) smothered Boston College (4-6) 45-7 on Friday night.
Notre Dame (4-6) crushed Army (5-5) 44-6.
Navy (7-2) continued to set itself up for a nice bowl contest with a 42-40 win over a solid Tulsa (7-3) squad; Will Worth rushing for three touchdowns and passing for another for the Midshipmen. [There is actually talk of a New Year’s Six bowl game for Navy, which seems far-fetched, but that would be fun.]
Rutgers (2-8) continued to disgrace the state of New Jersey, losing 49-0 to Michigan State (3-7), the Spartans snapping a 7-game losing streak and outgaining the Scarlet Knights 440-149, Rutgers with just 8 first downs!
Thursday night, Duke (4-6) picked up its biggest win of the season in upsetting No. 17 North Carolina (7-3) 28-27.
In FBS/Div. I-AA play….
The Citadel is now 10-0 with a 30-20 win over VMI (3-7); Colgate (4-5) beat Lafayette (2-8) 38-17; James Madison (9-1) held off Villanova (7-3) 20-7; and Princeton (7-2) beat Yale (2-7) 31-3.
Next Saturday, Lehigh vs. Lafayette, the 152nd meeting of this classic rivalry; Lehigh playoff bound.
–And this from Division III play. Mount Union lost a game…repeat…Mount Union lost a game.
John Carroll claimed the Ohio Athletic Conference title for the first time since 1994 with a 31-28 defeat of Mount Union’s Purple Raiders in Alliance, Ohio, MU losing for the first time in 113 games; the 112-game winning streak the longest in NCAA history.
The Blue Streaks of John Carroll are 9-1, 9-0 OAC, and thus gained an automatic bid in the 32-team D-III playoffs, with Mount Union no doubt getting an at-large bid.
The Purple Raiders were 222-1 in their last 223 games dating back to 1994. They won 110 straight games from 1994 to 2005, and after an Oct. 22, 2005, loss to Ohio Northern, they reeled off 112 before Saturday.
This also marks the first time in 24 years that Mount Union didn’t win their conference title.
–Who is the leading rusher in the country? It’s not San Diego State’s Donell Pumphrey. It’s Texas’ D’Onta Foreman. Foreman is averaging 179.2 yards per game (having missed one of ten contests), while Pumphrey, after 198 on Saturday against Nevada, is at 177.9. Foreman averages 6.7 a carry to Pumphrey’s 6.6.
–I just saw that Idaho, which is moving down to the FCS rather than try to compete at the Div. I level, is nonetheless 6-4 following a 47-14 rout of Texas State. Good for the Vandals.
—Jonnu Smith, Florida International tight end, second-leading receiver, and a possible NFL draft pick, won’t play again this season after his girlfriend dumped a pot of boiling water on him in his dorm room; Smith suffering severe burns to his head, neck, back, shoulder and arms, according to an arrest report obtained by the Miami Herald.
The girlfriend, who is five months pregnant with Smith’s child, told police that she and Smith and been arguing throughout the day on Halloween. So, feeling “emotional and stressed,” she boiled up the water and dumped it on him.
—Nick Saban said he wasn’t aware that millions of Americans went to the polls on Tuesday to vote for the next president of the United States.
“It was so important to me that I didn’t even know it was happening,” said ‘Bama’s head coach on Wednesday evening. “We’re focused on other things here.”
When reporters asked him if someone told him Wednesday morning that Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton, Saban said: “I don’t really make political comments. If I say I like one person, that means that everybody that voted for the other person doesn’t like me. So why would I do that?”
Sun. p.m. the new AP Top 25!
1. Alabama 10-0 (61)
2. Ohio State 9-1…up 4
3. Louisville 9-1…up 2
4. Michigan 9-1
5. Clemson 9-1
6. Wisconsin 8-2
7. Washington 9-1
8. Oklahoma 8-2
9. Penn State 8-2
10. West Virginia 8-1
11. Utah 8-2
12. Colorado 8-2
13. Oklahoma State 8-2
14. Western Michigan 10-0
15. USC 7-3
20. Washington State 8-2
22. Boise State 9-1
23. Texas A&M 7-3
24. San Diego State 9-1…I’ll get into Boise-SDSU comp next time, and potential New Year’s Six implications if Western Michigan stumbles
25. Troy 8-1
*Navy not ranked. Again, I don’t see a New Year’s Six game. But still a good one is in their future.
The new CFP Rankings are released Tuesday night. What stands out in the above is the CFP has been awarding teams that win a head-to-head, i.e., you would expect Clemson to remain ahead of Louisville, which isn’t the case in the AP poll.
NFL
—What a mess my Jets are. Ryan Fitzpatrick was injured so Bryce Petty, the second-year man out of Baylor, finally got his first start and he was so-so at best, 19 of 32, 163 yards, 1 TD and 1 late INT (very Fitzmagic like), 70.2 rating. Nick Folk missed an extra point and the Jets lost to the Rams (4-5) at home to drop to 3-7.
I’ll tell you what’s really frustrating. The running game has been solid, but they haven’t been using it enough. Today they rushed just 25 times but for 139 yards. Last week it was 21-140. The two weeks before that it was 35-171 and 39-155. Every team in football would love those numbers.
Oh well, season’s been long over. It’s just that they are televised here, kids, so your editor suffers with the crappola.
Elsewhere….
Minnesota lost its fourth in a row to fall to 5-4 after the Redskins (5-3) beat the Vikes 26-20 in Washington behind a solid effort from Kirk Cousins, who was 22/33, 262, 2-0.
Kansas City is 7-2 following a 20-17 road win against Carolina (3-6), the Panthers blowing an early 17-0 lead. A return to the Super Bowl is now highly unlikely for Carolina.
Atlanta dropped to 6-4 with a 24-15 loss at Philadelphia, which is now 5-4. Falcons QB Matt Ryan had an off day, 18/33, 267, 1-1, 78.7, while Eagles rookie Carson Wentz was good enough, 25/36, 231, 0-0, 86.7.
The Houston Texans are 6-3 after a 24-21 win against the Jaguars (2-7) in Jacksonville. Houston QB Brock Osweiler only threw for 99 yards, but he had 2 touchdown passes and didn’t turn it over, while the Texans also benefited from a 42-yard interception return for a score by Kareem Jackson. The Texans are one ugly potential playoff team. Like take the family ice-fishing if that one is on.
Denver moved to 7-3 with a 25-23 win down in New Orleans against the Saints (4-5), a critical and crushing loss for Drew Brees and Co., Brees having a fine 21/29, 303, 3-2, 111.7 effort, but those two picks hurt.
However, the Saints tied it at 23-23 with 1:28 left in the game, but Denver’s Justin Simmons blocked the extra-point attempt and Will Parks ran it back 84 yards for a defensive 2-point conversion and the 25-23 winning margin. What a killer for New Orleans.
Green Bay lost its third straight to fall to 4-5, a 47-25 loss at Tennessee, as the Titans improved to 5-5. The Packers’ defense has been atrocious, while the Titans ‘O’ has been superb for about six weeks now, with quarterback Marcus Mariota truly emerging as a superstar. Mariota was 19/26, 295, 4-0, 149.8, while DeMarco Murray rushed for 123 on just 17 carries with a score.
So as opposed to Houston, Tennessee would be an exciting playoff team if they can sneak in.
Miami won its fourth in a row and is now 5-4 following a 31-24 win in San Diego (4-6). Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill was a cool 17/24, 240, 2-0, 130.6. But for the Chargers it was all about Philip Rivers and the veteran quarterback had some great moments, and four bad ones…four interceptions, tying a career high. Overall, Rivers was 23/44, 326, 3-4, 61.4.
And in a crazy game in Pittsburgh, Dallas won its eighth in a row to move to 8-1, Pittsburgh falling to 4-5. It was 23-18 Dallas after three quarters, and then the teams exchanged four touchdowns in the fourth.
With Dallas up 29-24 and 1:55 left, Ben Roethlisberger drove the Steelers 75 yards in 5 plays to take a 30-29 lead. But with just 43 seconds remaining, Dak Prescott returned the favor, 75 yards also in 5 plays, aided by a big penalty, with Ezekiel Elliott scampering 32 yards for the final score, 35-30.
Roethlisberger threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns, Antonio Brown catching 14 for 154 and a score.
For Dallas, rookie Prescott continued to play spectacularly well (after a shaky start today), 22/32, 319, 2-0, 121.7. Fellow rookie Elliott rushed for 114 and two touchdowns, plus he had 95 yards on two receptions, including another score. It’s an amazing story that these two are writing.
Thursday, Baltimore moved to 5-4 with a 28-7 win over winless Cleveland, the Browns at 0-10. Coincidentally, the loss dropped Cleveland’s franchise mark to 461-461-10. They have never been below .500. They started out 68-7-3 the first six seasons.
—Colin Kaepernick said it doesn’t matter to him who won Tuesday’s presidential election. The QB said he didn’t believe any of the candidates, including President-elect Trump, would change a “system” that the quarterback said “oppresses people of color.”
Jets receiver Brandon Marshall said of Trump’s triumph: “The thing I like about this whole situation is we have a flawed man leading our country and I think that’s a good thing because we try to put certain people in certain positions on a pedestal and we expect perfection. That’s not the case. There’s only one perfect man who walked this earth. It gives hope to those who are flawed. People get second chances. I hope he does a great job.”
College Basketball
The season got underway on Friday with a biggie…11 Indiana vs. 3 Kansas in the Armed Forces Classic in Honolulu, the Hoosiers prevailing 103-99 in overtime, a game that featured 17 lead changes and zero double-digit leads. Yes, a huge win for IU’s program and it would appear they are back.
In other games of note, my Wake Forest Demon Deacons opened up against ‘Boo’ Radford and came away with a ‘W’, 80-59. And the Deacs then beat Bucknell 94-74 on Sunday. We know one thing after these first two. Charlotte transfer guard Keyshawn Woods is a player…huge addition. [14 of 20 field goals off the bench in the first two, including 5 of 6 from three Sunday.]
Syracuse beat Colgate 83-55.
My “Pick to Click,” San Diego State, beat city rival San Diego, 69-59, thus avenging a horrible loss in last year’s opener that set the tone for the Aztecs all season. Worrisomely, though, SDSU played without a number of players set to play major roles, like Malik Pope, due to injuries, and they are facing No. 14 Gonzaga on Monday, one of those power points games that will be very important come tournament selection time.
No. 7 Xavier had a surprisingly tough go of it against Lehigh, hanging on for an 84-81 win.
Nicholls beat Boston College (eegads) 79-73.
But in the big upset of Opening Night, Wagner’s Valkyries swooped in and beat No. 18 UConn 67-58 in Storrs.
NBA
Just a few games of note on Saturday…
The Raptors are now 7-2 after defeating the Knicks (3-6) 118-107. DeMar DeRozan is the league’s leading scorer thus far and he had another 33 for Toronto, Saturday, making it 30 or more in 8 of 9 games; a streak to start off a season matched only by Michael Jordan, World B. Free and Tiny Archibald in the last 50 years. As for the Knicks, this is just the kind of start they didn’t want to see but there is zero cohesion with all the new players, and zero concept on the defensive front.
Luke Walton’s Lakers are off to a solid 6-4 start after a 126-99 road win over the 1-9 Pelicans.
The Clippers are 9-1 following a 119-105 win at Minnesota (2-6).
And the Nets are actually a shocking 4-5 after a 122-104 win at Phoenix (3-7).
—Former No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden said he’ll be remembered as the “biggest bust in NBA history.” He is now taking classes toward his degree at Ohio State, where he played before being the first overall pick in 2007 by the Portland Trail Blazers.
Oden reiterated his playing days were over. His career consisted of just 82 games over five injury-plagued seasons with Portland, plus 23 with Miami during the 2013-14 season.
MLB
–Mets fans are in semi-mourning over the loss of free agent Bartolo Colon to the Braves, the Mets not willing to give the 43-year-old what the Braves were offering, one year, $12.5 million (I can’t blame my Mets on this one). As much as we loved Bartolo, and as good as he was, 44-34, 3.90, 4.83 SO/W ratio in his three seasons, that’s a lot of money that hopefully now goes into the pot being assembled to keep Yoenis Cespedes in the fold.
And Mets fans, fear not. Among the following – Syndergaard, deGrom, Harvey, Matz, Wheeler, Lugo and Gsellman, we’ll find five who are healthy. [I actually like the idea of a six-man rotation this coming season, given the fragility of Matz and deGrom, let alone Wheeler.]
Anyway, the Braves, who are opening their new stadium this year, clearly want some stability in the rotation while they rebuild because they also signed 42-year-old knuckleballer R.A. Dickey to a one-year deal.
Baseball begins to hand out its awards on Monday with the rookies of the year; then it’s managers, Cy Young Award winners and MVPs, Tues. thru Thurs.
USA TODAY Sports polled its 10 writers and editors.
A.L. MVP: Mike Trout
N.L. MVP: Kris Bryant
A.L.Cy Young: Corey Kluber
N.L. Cy Young: Max Scherzer
A.L. ROY: Michael Fulmer
N.L. ROY: Corey Seager
A.L. Manager: Tery Francona
N.L. Manager: Dave Roberts
Golf Balls
—40-year Pat Perez, in just his third start after shoulder surgery (going back to February), won the PGA Tour event this week down in Mexico, the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in Playa Del Carmen, a two-stroke win over Gary Woodland.
I caught snippets of the action and had been reading how much the players love the place and it really looks awesome (a Greg Norman course). I’m guessing this one will get stronger and stronger fields, though with football action, I imagine the Golf Channel ratings were minimal.
Anyway, I was shocked to learn it was just Perez’ second career win, the other being at the 2009 Bob Hope Classic. [I would have said 4 or 5.]
–On the senior circuit, while Paul Goydos won the Charles Schwab Cup Championship event at Desert Mountain by two strokes over Bernhard Langer, Langer, on points, won his third straight Cup title and the $1 million bonus.
NASCAR
—Joey Logano won today at Phoenix International Raceway, with Kyle Busch second, and those two join Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson for the final race for the Cup at Homestead next week. Whichever of the four finishes highest in the last race wins the Cup. Pretty simple.
—Tony Stewart’s career is coming to an end after 18 years…49 Sprint Cup wins, three championships. Brilliance and controversy, as ESPN The Magazine’s Ryan McGee notes.
Stewart came to NASCAR with quite a resume, having been an IndyCar champion and nearly winning the Indy 500 a number of times. His immediate rival was Jeff Gordon, G-rated, while Stewart proved to be of the R-variety.
Stewart was ripped for shoving a photographer in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway garage in 2002, but months later had won his first Sprint Cup title (then the Winston Cup). He was always irascible, but his darkest moment came on Aug. 9, 2014, at tiny Canandaigua Speedway in upstate New York, when local racer Kevin Ward Jr. was killed by the car Stewart was driving. “After crashing, the 20-year-old angrily stepped out of his car and in front of Stewart’s machine. Moments later, he was dead, struck by Stewart’s car.
“One year earlier, almost to the day, a sprint car accident shattered Stewart’s right leg. Now, having just emerged from that physical trauma, he was thrown into a fit of depression. He spent the days after Ward’s death behind closed doors with friends and family. Every major media outlet rushed to fill the silence, turning the grainy video footage of the incident into racing’s Zapruder rilm. Local authorities ruled it an accident and did not press charges (a civil suit is still pending). But Stewart’s long record of trackside outbursts left him little benefit of the doubt in the court of public opinion.”
Jeff Gordon says of his rival: “There are two Tony Stewarts. There’s the guy we’ve all had issues with. And then there’s the guy that we all know when cameras aren’t around. The stories are pretty amazing.”
Ryan McGee:
“Like the time Stewart heard about a group of abused greyhounds and sent his private plane to the West Coast and brought them east to find new homes. That same plane has shown up to fly grieving family members to the bedsides of mortally wounded racers – as it did for the family of IndyCar racer Justin Wilson one year ago – and it has done so for members of the same media corps he has often gone to war against.
“ ‘You go down into southern Indiana, where he grew up, and you start asking old retired sprint car racers where they got their wheelchairs, or who helped pay their medical bills or make their rent payments,’ says A.J. Foyt, Stewart’s admitted hero, a man who has done the same for Indy 500 veterans. ‘Don’t bother asking Tony; he won’t tell you about it. That’s not why he does it. He does it because he loves those guys and he loves short-track racing.’”
It’s hard to understand why there are some racers like Stewart who just need the action, wherever they can find it, and he was constantly on dirt tracks on weeknights and Saturday nights between NASCAR dates. A lot of time he also did it to help out struggling local short-track owners. His showing up was instant ticket sales, and then he’d sign autographs all night.
But as Stewart’s career winds down next weekend at Homestead, he’s not happy with the state of his sport. As Ryan McGee writes: “He hates the cars, hates the Chase format and hates what he sees as NASCAR’s inability to right its downward popularity curve.”
Next year you’ll find him on the short track. He owns some of the tracks and an entire short-track series. He’s told his friends he’ll enter 40 or 50 races, but not until he has back surgery. And he’ll also still own his Cup Series team.
Ryan McGee:
“Fittingly, the legacy of NASCAR’s most controversial driver might never be clear. But love him or hate him, you will notice that he’s gone.”
*Only five drivers have three or more Sprint cup titles: Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt with 7; Jimmie Johnson with 6; and Stewart and Gordon with 3.
Futbol
No Premier League action this week due to World Cup qualifying. It’s a long process, well into next year, so I’m not attempting to keep up, except I do have to note that after 4 of 10 matches in their Group (D), the Rep. of Ireland sits atop it, having beaten Austria 1-0 on Saturday, the first win for IRL against them since 1963.
I will say this much. 31 teams plus host Russia qualify for the 2018 WC, broken down as follows:
Europe: 13 + Russia
South America: 4.5 [the ½ the plays a playoff against another region]
CONCACAF: 3.5
Africa: 5
Asia: 4.5
Oceania: 0.5
Yes, I had to research this.
Now the United States, some of you might have heard, opened up its Hexagonal (six-team Group) play on Friday night in Columbus, Ohio, vs. Mexico. Talk about timing, with the election and all. Hopefully I don’t have to say any more. Mexico played inspired soccer, winning 2-1, with captain Rafa Marquez scoring the game-winner in the 89th minute.
I will say this. One U.S. fan was ejected for chanting that he hoped Trump “nukes Mexico.”
This was the first of 10 matches in the Group, with the top three automatically qualifying for the World Cup, while the fourth place team has to play against the last ‘qualifier’ from Asia for a spot in Russia. [The last ‘qualifier’, ½, from South America plays the winner of the Oceania Group.]
So Team USA is in a group with Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras and Trinidad and Tobago. Home-and-home…it’s just getting started.
But, USA has to quickly turn around and play at Costa Rica this Tuesday. If it is to qualify for an eighth consecutive WC, it better at least get a draw.
–Meanwhile, in the college game, Wake Forest won its first ACC soccer title since 1989, a 3-1 win over Clemson. I caught bits and pieces of this one, seeing the first two goals, and they were outstanding, professional-quality kicks. We now await the NCAA tourney bracket on Monday.
Stuff
–I admit to not following the UFC, but have read my fair share on Conor McGregor and so we note he accomplished something no one else had ever done on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. In capturing the lightweight title over champ Eddie Alvarez, McGregor became the first to hold two Ultimate Fighting Championship belts at the same time.
In classic McGregor fashion, he noted afterwards, “I’ve ridiculed everyone on the roster. I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize…to absolutely nobody.”
The fight was the first in New York City since the state legalized the sport this spring, with McGregor putting Alvarez on the canvas three times in Round 1, then finishing the job in the second.
Prior to the fight, McGregor boasted, “I predict I will rearrange his face.” Alvarez was helpless in trying to match McGregor’s insults and boasts.
Addressing the Irish throng, McGregor shouted before the fight, “The Irish, we built this town. Now we’re coming back to claim what’s ours.”
McGregor remains the featherweight champion, as well.
[On the undercard, Tyron Woodley retained his welterweight title after a draw with Stephen Thompson, and Joanna Jedrzejczyk defended her lighter women’s strawweight class against fellow Pole, Karolina Kowalkiewicz.]
—Lindsey Vonn broke her right arm in a training crash in Colorado on Thursday. Writing on her Facebook page, Vonn said: “Unfortunately, yesterday I crashed while training in Copper (Mountain) and severely fractured the humerous bone in my right arm. I had successful surgery last night in Vail and everyone took great care of me.” Vonn vowed to return as soon as possible, noting “at least my knees are OK.”
–We note the passing of actor Robert Vaughn, 83. When I saw the news he had died, I have to say I smiled. This guy was cool, especially for those of us who grew up with “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” television show that he starred in as secret agent Napoleon Solo opposite David McCallum, who played Illya Kuryakin. McCallum said he was “utterly devastated” by the news of his friend’s death.
“U.N.C.L.E.” ran from 1964 to 1968, at the height of the Cold War, with McCallum and Vaughn battling the evildoers of T.H.R.U.S.H. “U.N.C.L.E.” was a pop-culture phenomenon and was part of a series of secret agent shows such as “I Spy,” “Mission: Impossible,” “Secret Agent” and the spoof “Get Smart.”
Vaughn was also famous for his role as Lee in “The Magnificent Seven,” along with a role in the television show “Hustle.” And he worked on films like “Bullitt” and “Towering Inferno,” as well as playing a villain in “Superman III.” Back in 1959, he was nominated for an Oscar for his supporting role in 1959’s “The Young Philadelphians” with Paul Newman.
Back to “Magnificent Seven,” Vaughn told The Hollywood Reporter this past September, “We thought, ‘This picture’s gonna be the bomb of all time.’ Well, not only was it a great success at the box office and continues to be, but after ‘Casablanca,’ it’s the most-often-shown motion picture on American television.”
Vaughan also shared a memory from the location shoot in Mexico.
“We pretty much were on the pot [due to food poisoning] when we weren’t drinking margaritas and smoking pot,” he said.
Vaughn was born in New York City, went to high school in Minneapolis and attended the Univ. of Minnesota, but quit after a year and moved to Los Angeles, where he studied drama, complete his master’s degree, and later earned a Ph.D. in communications at USC.
–Iconic musician and poet Leonard Cohen died at the age of 82. The Canadian singer, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008 and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010, was compared to Bob Dylan and Paul Simon after five decades of renown.
“We are so lucky to be alive at the same time Leonard Cohen is,” said Lou Reed, who introduced the singer at the Hall of Fame ceremony.
Born in Quebec in 1934, Cohen published his first poems in March 1954 while enrolled at McGill University. Two years later, he published his first book of poetry: “Let Us Compare Mythologies.”
After two books of poetry failed to sell well, Cohen moved on to music and released his first album, “Songs of Leonard Cohen,” in 1967.
“Hallelujah,” released on his 1984 studio album “Various Positions,” is one of his best known songs, with Kate McKinnon singing it on the opening of “SNL” last night.
Ironically, in the Nov. 17 issue of Rolling Stone, they have an article titled “Leonard Cohen’s Golden Hour.” “After an epic tour, the singer fell into poor health. But he dug deep and came up with a powerful new album.”
As Andy Greene writes: “Leonard Cohen has rarely been seen in public since he wrapped up his ‘Grant Tour’ at the Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand, on December 21st, 2013, with a joyous encore of the Drifters’ ‘Save the Last Dance for Me.’ That five-year, 387-date global odyssey – where he played for well over three hours a night – was a massive musical (and financial) success. But not long after, Cohen began to suffer serious physical problems. ‘Among many other things, he had multiple fractures of the spine,’ says his son Adam. ‘He has a lot of hard miles on him.’”
But despite his severe mobility issues, he was determined to record what would be his final LP, You Want It Darker.
Greene’s piece ends with son Adam: “They say that life is a beautiful play with a terrible third act. If that’s the case, it must not apply to Leonard Cohen. Right now, at the end of his career, perhaps at the end of his life, he’s at the summit of his powers.”
–Being of Slovak descent, my brother passed along this piece from Trencin, Slovakia (via the Jaffe Report): “It seems there was an annual grave-digging competition at the international exhibition of funeral, burial and cremation services yesterday. We can confirm that two brothers dug a grave 1.5 meters deep, two meters long and 90 centimeters wide in just 54 minutes in the western Slovak town of Trencin, soundly defeating 10 other two-member teams from Slovakia, Poland and Hungary as a very small audience cheered loudly. A five-member jury agreed: the brothers dug the neatest grave.”
–From the Moscow Times: “Officials have pledged to help Russian schoolchildren who are forced to carry axes on their way to school in a bid to ward off wolves and bears, according to a statement posted on the website of the Prosecutor’s Office in the republic of Baskortostan.
“An online video revealed how children as young as 11 armed themselves against wild animals during their 10-kilometer walk.”
–For those of you in the New York City area, the Rolling Stones have an exhibit, “Exhibitionism: The Rolling Stones,” that opened this weekend at Industria Superstudio in the West Village. As part of the show, there is a reconstruction of the apartment Keith Richards lived in with Brian Jones and Mick Jagger, West London, 1962.
“It was a hovel,” Richards told the New York Post’s Hardeep Phull.
“My mum saved us – she washed our clothes for us and sent them back. Brian had a hanger-on who would do anything. We were very rude to him, but he’d do all the goffering for us. So we’d bundle up the washing in brown paper, give him the money for the stamps, and he’d take it to the post office and pick it up five days later. That was my mum’s contribution to the band. She was like the sixth Stone back then!”
The re-creation of the ‘flat’ “is as grim as Richards would have you believe; it features half-eaten food, discarded cigarettes, and there’s even mold growing on the walls.”
The Stones are about to release their first studio album since 2005. “Blue & Lonesome,” out Dec. 2, is a collection of blues songs written and originally recorded by the likes of Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, Willie Dixon and others.
“In three days, the Stones cut 12 tracks,” says Richards. “That’s a record in itself. Eric Clapton was in the next studio, so we collared him to play on it, too. Eric was part of the Stones before he could even play. When we were playing the clubs, he was one of our top fans.”
–Finally, we learned Sunday that Leon Russell had died. He was 74 and had been in poor health, including from a heart attack in July.
Jon Pareles / New York Times:
“With his trademark top hat, hair well past his shoulders, a long, lush beard, an Oklahoma drawl and his fingers splashing two-fisted barrelhouse piano chords, Mr. Russell cut a flamboyant figure in the early 1970s. He led Joe Cocker’s band Mad Dogs & Englishmen, appeared at George Harrison’s 1971 Concert for Bangladesh in New York City and had hits of his own, including ‘Tight Tope.’ [Billboard #11, 1972; his other big solo hit being “Lady Blue,” #14, 1975]]
“Many of his songs became hits for others, among them ‘Superstar’ (written with Bonnie Bramlett) for the Carpenters, ‘Delta Lady’ for Joe Cocker and ‘This Masquerade’ for George Benson. More than 100 acts have recorded his ‘A Song for You,’ which Mr. Russell said he wrote in 10 minutes.
“By the time he released his first solo album, in 1970, he had already played on hundreds of songs as one of the top studio musicians in Los Angeles. He was in Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound Orchestra, and he played sessions for Frank Sinatra, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, the Ventures and the Monkees, among many others. His piano playing is heard on ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ by the Byrds, ‘A Taste of Honey’ by Herb Alpert, ‘Live With Me’ by the Rolling Stones and all of the Beach Boys’ early albums, including ‘Pet Sounds.’”
In 2011, after making a duet album with Elton John, Russell was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Top 3 songs for the week 11/13/76: #1 “Tonight’s The Night” (Rod Stewart…Rod and Britt Ekland, err, you know…) #2 “Disco Duck” (Rick Dees & His Cast of Idiots) #3 “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” (Gordon Lightfoot…endless…)…and…#4 “Love So Right” (Bee Gees) #5 “Muskrat Love” (Captain & Tennille… ‘muskrat’ being No. 221 on the All-Species List…) #6 “Rock’n Me” (Steve Miller) #7 “If You Leave Me Now” (Chicago…I’ll just flip on the Mets game…) #8 “Just To Be Close To You” (Commodores…not a bad tune…big slow dance song at Wake Forest…cough cough…cough…) #9 “The Rubberband Man” (Spinners…I love this group, but this one hasn’t aged well…) #10 “Do You Feel Like We Do” (Peter Frampton…yes, it was fall of my freshman year at Wake…I was actually hanging in there at class, while learning about the Schlitz Brewery tour and the Brown Bottle Room….which was perfect for Friday afternoons…ahem ahem…)
Atlanta Falcons Quiz Answers: 1) Dave Hampton, who first played for the Packers, was the first Falcon back to rush for 1,000…1,002 yards in 1975, after he had seasons of 995 and 997 in 1972 and ’73. 2) Four backs to rush for 1,500: Jamal Anderson 1,846 (1998); Gerald Riggs 1,719 (1985); Michael Turner 1,699 (2008); William Andrews 1,567 (1983). 3) 4,000 yards passing other than Matt Ryan: Jeff George 4,143 (1995).
Next Bar Chat, Thursday.
