[Posted right after the Super Bowl]
NHL Quiz: Football is over. For the 1969-70 Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins, name the six players who scored 20 or more goals? [This team beat the St. Louis Blues 4-0 in the finalss.] Answer below.
SB LI
Preview….
Dan Bickley / USA TODAY Sports
“America is on a hot streak. Our biggest sporting events are exceeding the hype and lifting our spirits.
“We’ve witnessed a series of epic championship battles, from the most recent NCAA basketball tournament to the NBA Finals, from the World Series to the College Football Playoff.
“Now it’s time for the Super Bowl to shine….
“In the last 10 months, Villanova beat North Carolina on dueling buzzer-beaters, producing one of the greatest championship games in college basketball history; LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied from a 3-1 series deficit, bringing a long-awaited title to their city; the Chicago Cubs ended a 108-year drought by winning a dramatic Game 7 on the road; and Clemson dethroned Alabama with a breathtaking fourth-quarter performance.
“Those championship efforts have set a dizzying precedent.
“Even the Australian Open caught the wave, turning back the clock and staging an unexpected rematch between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, one of the greatest rivalries in tennis history….
“The NFL could use the boost. The league is coming off a terrible season marred by non-competitive games, declining ratings, terrible officiating and awkward anthem protests. It needs the Super Bowl to be more than a great event. It needs a great game.”
Would it be?
As was the early line, the Pats were favored by 3 points, with an over/under of 58.
And the game sucked….until it didn’t.
I was preparing to do a running commentary, but after the first four series resulted in punts I shelved that idea.
Heck, it’s pretty simple. The Falcons scored on two first half turnovers, including the 82-yard pick six by Robert Alford off Tom Brady, which followed a 19-yard Matt Ryan to Austin Hooper TD pass following a fumble by LeGarrette Blount.
It was 21-3 Falcons at half. 28-9 after three.
And then a Gostkowski field goal and a Brady to Amendola touchdown pass, with a two-point conversion, suddenly made it 28-20. 5:56 to play.
After a terrific Ryan to Julio Jones 27-yard pass had the Falcons in game-winning field goal range, admittedly with still a lot of time on the clock for the Pats, a critical Falcons penalty and a sack of Ryan took Atlanta out of FG range and Brady and the Pats went 91 yards on 10 plays, James White going in from one, and then Brady connecting with Danny Amendola for the two-point conversion to tie it.
Into the first overtime in Super Bowl history we went. 28-28. Suddenly, the ‘over’ was assured victory, not that this mattered ….cough cough….
And in OT, the Pats and Brady simply drove down the field, 75 yards, White going in for the winning score…34-28. [They beat the spread, too!]
Brady and Belichick win their fifth together. The greatest comeback in Super Bowl history.
Brady finished 43/62, 466. James White caught 14 passes for 110 yards. Matt Ryan was nearly perfect, 17/23, 284, 2-0, 144.1, but it wasn’t enough.
Final commentary next chat….I’m watching “24: Legacy.”
Commercials I liked….for varying reasons…my nephew works for Tiffany, for example….
Yellow Tail, preview for “Dead Men Tell No Tales,” Cam Newton / Buick, the T-Mobile spots (man, they spent a lot of money!), Arthur Blank’s babe (oh, sorry, that wasn’t a commercial), TurboTax, John Malkovich for Squarespace, Wendy’s, Lady Gaga for Tiffany, Snickers, Kia, Alfa Romeo, the return of Spuds MacKenzie….
The NFL spots supposed to teach us how they are protecting the sport were awful.
I thought Lady Gaga’s show was great…pure entertainment. But that’s it. Nothing more.
Nice pre-game spot by Fox on the National Anthem protests by Kaepernick et al.
Football Bits….
–I totally forgot Dan Quinn was from Morristown, N.J., ten minutes from here.
–The NFL elected its latest class for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio (can’t believe I haven’t been to this one yet), with running back LaDainian Tomlinson and quarterback Kurt Warner leading the way.
Also…running back Terrell Davis, defensive end Jason Taylor, and kicker Morten Andersen were chosen among the finalists for the modern era. Former Seattle safety Kenny Easley was tabbed as the nominee of the seniors committee, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was elected as a contributor.
But no Terrell Owens, who ranks second in league history in career receiving yards to Jerry Rice, though he’s a staggering 7,000 yards behind. Sometimes, as the years go by, you forget just how great Rice was. It’s kind of like Jack Nicklaus and majors, before Tiger came along to scare the record.
Anyway, Owens is pissed, writing on Twitter that the Hall of Fame “is a total joke. Honestly, doesn’t mean anything to me to get in beyond this point.”
Well that’s stupid, Terrell.
Tomlinson and Taylor were elected in their first year of eligibility.
Warner was a two-time MVP for the St. Louis Rams and started Super Bowls for two different teams, the Rams and Arizona Cardinals.
Morten Andersen becomes the second full-time kicker alongside Jan Stenerud. I loved watching him (both of them, actually) Andersen being the purest kicker I ever saw.
Kenny Easley should have gotten in long ago.
Jerry Jones deserves the honor, warts and all.
Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue was again denied. While he presided over a period of labor peace and rising prosperity, some voters clearly blame him for mishandling the concussion issue.
—Matt Ryan was named the NFL’s MVP on Saturday. It was the 31-year-old’s first such award after having his best season…4,944 yards passing, 38 TDs and only 7 interceptions, plus a fifth-best all-time passer rating of 117.1. [Needless to say, Ryan also picked up the Offensive Player of the Year Award.]
–Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack won the AP Defensive Player of the Year Award, narrowly edging out Von Miller. Mack had 73 tackles, 11 sacks, five forced fumbles, and one interception as the Raiders won 12 games and were a Super Bowl contender before quarterback Derek Carr broke his leg.
Mack is the first Raider to win the award since Lester Hayes in 1980. Hayes’ nickname wouldn’t be appropriate today… “Lester the Molester”…he played cornerback, you see. Had a whopping 13 interceptions that season!
–As of Jan. 31, the average price for a Super Bowl ticket was $3,009, down from $4,890 on Jan. 16, prior to the Cowboys losing to the Packers. [TicketCity and Will Brinson of CBSSports.com]
—What Tom Brady eats. According to his personal chef, Allen Campbell, Brady and wife, Gisele, eat a mostly plant-based diet. They don’t eat white sugar, white flour, or dairy. Brady also avoids “nightshade” vegetables (hot peppers, sweet peppers, eggplant and tomato) because he thinks they cause inflammation, Campbell says. Brady rarely eats fruit.
80% of Brady’s meals are vegetables, all organic. Whole grains only: brown rice, quinoa, millet, and beans. 20% of his calories are lean protein from sources like salmon and steak. Phew. Glad he eats these.
For cooking, coconut oil only. Brady does drink a little alcohol.
–For the record, the Wall Street Journal did an exhaustive study of all the points scored in the NFL since 2007-08, 119,040, according to Stats LLC, and if you were planning your bathroom break the last minute before halftime, you lost out on nearly 7% of all points scored; which is more than all the points scored in the final two minutes of a game, as teams with secure leads obviously try to run out the clock.
Statistics on the Super Bowl show the same thing. Personally, my bathroom breaks were before 6:00 ET, and then….well, I didn’t really chart it, but I don’t feel like I missed any ads, let alone of course halftime.
By the way, the first minute of NFL games yielded the fewest amount of points, according to Stats LLC.
—Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon is not allowed to attend this year’s NFL draft combine in Indianapolis (Feb. 28-March 6), because of an NFL policy that bans prospects who have been involved in violent crimes from attending, as first reported by USA TODAY’s Tom Pelissero, who added that Baylor wide receiver Ishmael Zamora will not be invited either after he was charged with a misdemeanor and suspended three games last year for beating a dog. [Cue Jeff Spicoli.]
—Speaking of Baylor, text messages revealed in court Thursday show how much disgraced football coach Art Briles and his staff intervened in the school’s investigation of sexual assault claims and the university’s discipline of players.
Baylor filed a document in a Dallas County court that alleges Briles and his staff created a “black hole” in which “reports of misconduct such as drug use, physical assault, domestic violence, brandishing of guns, indecent exposure, and academic fraud disappeared,” according to ESPN.
The text messages, obtained by TMZ, summarize at least seven different instances of Briles protecting players and not reporting misconducts to the university. [Baylor alum calling for Briles’ return are nuts, aside from the fact the severest of penalties on the program will eventually be levied.]
–Some things are really hard to believe. As noted in USA TODAY:
“Hundreds of people packed inside a Houston area mall Thursday to get autographs and photographs with Heisman Trophy winner and former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel at $99 apiece.
–Former Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer has joined the College Football Playoff selection committee. I didn’t realize each of the 13 people on it serve three-year terms and Beamer is joining newcomers Gene Smith, Ohio State AD, and Robert Morris President Chris Howard. They replace Barry Alvarez, Condoleezza Rice and former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr.
The committee meets each Monday and Tuesday not long after the season starts. Beamer will have to step out of the room anytime Virginia Tech or Georgia come up in conversation, the latter where his son Shane is the tight ends coach and special teams coordinator.
College Basketball
Before I get to “Upset Saturday,” since our last chat….
Wednesday….
No. 3 Kansas defeated 2 Baylor 73-68 in Lawrence.
Thursday….
5 Arizona whipped Oregon State 71-54, which I only bring up because the Beavers fell to 4-19, 0-10. Yikes. OSU then lost on Saturday to ASU, so make it 4-10, 0-11. Beaver Nation can’t be happy.
1 Gonzaga beat BYU on the road, 85-75.
Saturday….
1 Gonzaga destroyed Santa Clara (13-12, 7-5) 90-55, the ‘Zags moving to 24-0, 12-0.
But 2 Baylor lost again, 56-54 at home to Kansas State (16-7, 5-5), the Bears falling to 20-3, 7-3).
3 Kansas then lost, 92-89 in overtime to Iowa State (14-8, 6-4), the Jayhawks now 20-3, 8-2.
4 Villanova (22-2, 9-2) beat St. John’s (11-14, 5-7) 92-75.
But 13 Oregon (21-3, 10-1) blasted 5 Arizona (21-3, 10-1), in Eugene, 85-58.
7 West Virginia (18-5, 6-4) lost to Oklahoma State (15-8, 4-6) in Morgantown.
8 Kentucky (18-5, 8-2) lost to 24 Florida (18-5, 8-2) 88-66 in Gainesville.
Syracuse (15-9, 7-4), down 34-22 at home to 9 Virginia (17-5, 7-3), came back with a 44-28 second half to win 66-62 and thus hand coach Jim Boeheim his 1,000th career victory. Officially, though, he has 899, having been stripped of 101 following a multi-year investigation into the athletic department and the hoops program. Well, you know how I feel. Boeheim won the games, period.
What needs to be emphasized, though, is that Syracuse has won four in a row, is clearly now headed back to the NCAA tournament despite a miserable start to the season, and they made it to the Final Four last year.
But in looking at all the above, six of the Top Ten lost. [10 Wisconsin beat Indiana today, 65-60.] Another huge shakeup looms when the AP releases its next poll Monday afternoon.
In other games of note, 18 Saint Mary’s destroyed San Diego (not to be confused with SDSU) 71-27, which I only mention because the Toreros hit just 9 of 46 from the field!!!
17 Maryland (20-3, 8-2) had a tough 73-72 loss at home to 23 Purdue (19-5, 8-3).
21 Duke, in Coach K’s return to the bench, beat Pitt (12-11, 1-9) in Durham, 72-64; the Blue Devils now 18-5, 6-4. Grayson Allen had 21 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
Rutgers won its second Big Ten contest, 70-68 over Penn State (12-12, 4-7), as the Scarlet Knights move to 13-11, 2-9.
Lastly, Wake Forest continues to improve with an 81-69 win at home over Georgia Tech (13-10, 5-6), as John Collins had 20 points and 11 rebounds; the first Wake player to have six games in a row with 20 points since 1975 and Skip Brown (who had 10). Us old-timers remember Brown fondly, the epitome of a truly great college player who just couldn’t make it in the NBA (3rd round pick by Boston).
So my Deacs are 14-9, 5-6, and finally learning how to close games. I’ll stick with my prediction that if we can finish 8-10 in conference play and win our first-round tourney contest, we will make the Big Dance. [We still have Notre Dame, Duke and Louisville on our schedule so 8-10 is about where we should end up.]
–John Feinstein has a nice piece on Gonzaga’s head coach in the Washington Post.
“Mark Few can laugh now about the voices he hears every March, if only because he’s grown so accustomed to hearing them that they’ve become white noise.
“ ‘If the worst thing they can say about us is that we haven’t been to a Final Four, well, I think that means we’re doing pretty well,’ he said earlier this week. ‘I get it; I understand it, but I think it’s kind of shallow. What’s important to me is that we’ve been nationally relevant every year for 20 years now. I think that’s pretty good.’”
Well, I don’t agree you can just slough off the ‘Zags not getting to the Final Four, but it is pretty amazing this will be the 19th straight year they will make the NCAA tournament, 18 of them under Few. They have been to the Sweet 16 seven times, the Elite Eight twice. Few’s worst record was 23-11, in 2007. 7 times they have been in the AP Final Top Ten.
And this year they are just destroying their competition. In their last nine games, for example, 8 of the wins have been by 20+ points, the other the nice 10-point win on the road at BYU on Thursday. Yes, the WCC isn’t a great conference, but it does have Saint Mary’s and BYU, with the former a definite Sweet 16 prospect.
Plus this year, out of conference, Gonzaga has beaten Arizona, Florida, Washington, Iowa State and upstart Akron.
For the record, Few’s mark in the NCAA tournament is 21-17.
–Patrick Stevens of the Washington Post broke down a potential tournament bracket and the ACC receives 9 bids, the Big 12 7, Big Ten 6, and Big East, Pac-12 and SEC 5 each.
–Howard Megdal of CBS Sports had a mock draft the other day. [Remember, the order of the teams selecting is constantly changing so don’t compare this to other drafts in that respect, wrote the editor who just had to remind himself of this.]
1. Markelle Fultz, PG, Washington…Celtics (via Nets)
2. Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA…76ers
3. Jonathan Isaac, SF, Florida State…Lakers…no surprise to moi
4. Lauri Markkanen, PF, Arizona…Heat
5. Dennis Smith Jr., PG, NC State…Pelicans
6. Robert Williams, PF/C, Texas A&M…Suns
7. Frank Ntilikina, PG, France…Mavericks
8. Malik Monk, PG/SG, Kentucky…Magic
9. Jayson Tatum, SF, Duke…Nuggets
10. De’Aaron Fox, PG, Kentucky…Kings
What us Wake Forest fans need to note is that at least in this one, in the entire first round, 30 teams, Megdal does not have our star, PF/C John Collins, though Collins has to be playing his way into it. Ditto guard Bryant Crawford. We’re just hoping one of them returns.
—Kansas freshman star Josh Jackson, who had 15 points and 10 rebounds in the loss to Iowa State, along with teammate Lagerald Vick, are persons of interest in a Lawrence, KS, police investigation into the vandalism of a car in early December, according to the Kansas City Star.
A police report categorizes the $2,991 in damage to the car as a felony. The victim, a female student at the university, was also the victim of an assault by Vick in 2015, with KU recommending two years of school probation for Vick at the time.
NBA
–The Celtics’ All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas is truly amazing with his fourth-quarter performances, his average per game in just Q4 up to 10.7 through Friday. I’m not sure when they started tracking such things, but Kobe Bryant has the record of 9.5 points per game in the fourth quarter set in 2006. [Like Wilt averaged 50 points per game one season, if you catch my drift, but what Thomas is doing is phenomenal.]
Thomas is now second in the NBA in scoring, averaging 29.7. Larry Bird holds the franchise mark at 29.9 set in the 1987-88 season.
[Thomas scored 28 in the Celts’ 107-102 win over the Clippers Sunday, Paul Pierce’s last game in Beantown, where he spent 15 of his 19 Hall of Fame years. Doc Rivers gave him a start, Pierce having announced this was his last year, and while he played just a few minutes, he did have a last-minute three to thrill the fans one more time.]
–San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich now holds the NBA record for most coaching wins with a single franchise, 1,128, passing Jerry Sloan of Utah, with the Spurs’ 121-97 win over Denver Saturday.
–The Lakers announced Thursday that Magic Johnson is returning to the organization to assist team executive Jeanie Buss in “all areas of basketball” as an adviser. Sounds like he’ll be running the show.
–In some games of note, Saturday….
Miami, once 11-30, has now won 10 in a row, including a 125-102 whipping of the 76ers last night, with Hassan Whiteside having 30 points and 20 rebounds in just 27 minutes!
Golden State lost just their eighth game of the season, now 43-8, as Sacramento prevailed at home, 109-106, behind DeMarcus Cousins’ 32 points and 12 rebounds.
And Cleveland beat the Knicks at the Garden, 111-104, as the fans gave Carmelo Anthony a hard time, Melo just 6 of 20 from the field with trade talk continuing to whip through the canyons of Gotham. [That’s my attempt to channel Grantland Rice.]
MLB
–Very pleased my Metsies re-signed lefty reliever Jerry Blevins and righty veteran Fernando Salas, with closer Jeurys Familia facing a 30- or 40-game suspension (probably the former) on his domestic violence situation (even though the case was dropped).
And there was a story this week that Yoenis Cespedes has actually been working out very hard! Really.
–A San Francisco institution closed down the other day. Lefty O’Doul’s…named for legendary hitter and city son Lefty O’Doul. I used to go to San Francisco a lot on business but haven’t been there since like 2000 and never went to this tourist favorite. A good friend who lives in San Fran says it was indeed a cool place with all the terrific memorabilia, including of Marilyn Monroe.
The place closed because of an ownership dispute, with the operator, Nick Bovis, announcing he would reopen at an undetermined location nearby with the same staff and musical acts.
But the landlord, Jon Handlery, has countered that his company, Handlery Hotels, is the real owner.
Bovis, though, quickly stripped the restaurant of mementos. Handlery then sued for the contents and a restraining order was issued prohibiting the removal of any further items.
But Bovis has trademarked the use of the Lefty O’Doul’s name.
Lefty O’Doul won two batting titles and had a .349 career average, playing from 1919-1934, though he didn’t become a regular until age 32, in 1929, when he hit .398 for the Phillies. In 1932, he won a batting title while playing for Brooklyn, .368.
O’Doul was born in San Francisco and went on to manage the San Francisco Seals from 1935 to 1951. He was a close friend of Joe DiMaggio’s and helped bring baseball to Japan. He died in 1969 at the age of 72.
Golf Balls
–It’s funny how CBS, when they aren’t doing the Super Bowl, tries so hard to make sure the golf tournament, always the Waste Management Phoenix Open, ends before 6:00 ET. And we were easily going to, until we didn’t.
And so it was Wake Forest’s Webb Simpson vs. Hideki Matsuyama in a playoff that went four holes, much to the chagrin of Jim Nantz, no doubt. Both missed putts by a ½-inch that could have ended it early but Hideki, who now has five wins around the world in his last 10 events since last summer’s PGA, picked up his fourth PGA Tour triumph, back-to-back at this event. The 24-year-old will join a growing group of 20-something stars for what should be a spectacular year for the majors.
As for Simpson, who wasn’t won since 2013 and had a miserable 2016, good for him. No doubt he is back in terms of consistency.
And as for the crowd in Scottsdale, a record for any golf tournament worldwide, 204,900, showed up Saturday…655,000 for the week. Amazing, though we wish a couple hundred of them, beer-sodden, were tossed high up in the mountains to be devoured by rattlesnakes and such.
—Tiger Woods withdrew from the Dubai Desert Classic, after an opening round 77, citing back spasms, that his agent, Mark Steinberg, made clear to reporters were not related to the nerve pain in his back that has forced him to have three surgeries.
Steinberg said there was no pain in Woods’ back Thursday after his round or before dinner. But then it cropped up.
I wrote a few times that when Tiger released his aggressive schedule for his return to the Tour that the flight to Dubai seemed kind of idiotic, and sure enough, after missing the cut last week at Torrey Pines, Tiger said, “The only concern is I have a long flight ahead of me. How is my body going to handle flights?”
Steinberg admitted to reporters in Dubai that the flight was among other things that caused Woods’ discomfort.
Woods actually flew commercial for the first time in about a decade because he didn’t want any stops on the way over…a 17-hour flight from L.A.
—Sergio Garcia won the Dubai Desert Classic, by the way, wire to wire, his 12th European Tour win. He’s still just 37, if you can believe it. Another to watch come The Masters…a tradition unlike any other…on CBS.
–Golfer Steven Bowditch did not have a good week and he has only himself to blame. The two-time Tour winner was arrested on suspicion of “extreme” DUI in Scottsdale, where he was playing in the Waste Management Open.
Scottsdale police said he had a blood-alcohol level over 0.20 percent when he was taken into custody about 1 a.m., Friday morning.
He was observed “swerving all over the road” and then he sat through two green lights without moving, at which point officers found him asleep.
Somehow, though, he made his Friday, second-round, tee-time but missed the cut, shooting 74-74, 6-over, with the cut at 1-under.
Bowditch issued a statement apologizing. “As I intend to fully cooperate with the authorities, I will not be making further comment at this stage.”
Penalties for extreme DUI (Arizona’s legal limit is 0.08) can include 30 days in jail.
Bowditch has been awful this 2016-17 wraparound season, missing six cuts in seven starts.
[Receiver Michael Floyd, then with the Arizona Cardinals, was arrested on extreme DUI charges in Scottsdale last December. He was then dropped by the team and signed by New England.]
–Speaking of alcohol, Shane Lowry’s popularity continues to grow in the U.S., as on Saturday at the par-3 16th, the iconic setting, Lowry arrived at the tee with a bag of cans of Guinness – all of which were signed by him – dishing them out to fans. There was more of it on Sunday.
—The movie “Tommy’s Honour” is being released in the U.S. April 12, with Golf Channel purchasing the rights beginning in 2019. This is the story of Old and Young Tom Morris and the beginnings of the modern game of golf. Producer Keith Bank told Golf Digest that the filmmakers decided not to shoot the golf scenes on an existing course and instead built two holes on a seaside cow pasture in Scotland. They constructed a replica of the Royal & Ancient clubhouse to match its original façade.
The movie is an adaptation of Kevin Cook’s book, which won the 2007 USGA Book Award. Jason Connery directs. Yes, he’s Sean’s son and was selected because of his love of golf, forged through endless rounds with his dad, who it’s well-known loves the game.
Premier League
With just 14 matches to go in the season, it seems clear Chelsea is going to be the champion, especially after losses suffered by Arsenal and Liverpool on Saturday.
Chelsea defeated Arsenal 3-1 in a game that wasn’t as close as the score; Liverpool suffered a brutal 2-0 loss to Hull City; my Tottenham Spurs stayed relevant in the title chase, barely, with a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough; Everton whipped Bournemouth 6-3; Sunderland blasted Crystal Palace 4-0.
Sunday, Manchester City defeated Swansea 2-1, and Manchester United won a convincing road contest, 3-0 at Leicester City.
Standings after 24 of 38 matches….
1. Chelsea 59
2. Tottenham 50
3. Man City 49
4. Arsenal 47
5. Liverpool 46
6. Man U 45
7. Everton 40 [5-2-0 last seven…W-D-L]
But the real fun, aside from seeing who grabs the four Champions League slots at the top (as in don’t discount Everton, which was my preseason pick for sleeper team of the year), is the battle not to be relegated, which is shaping up to be absolutely titanic.
[Reminder…bottom three sent packing…three from the ‘minor’ leagues are then elevated for next season.]
15. Middlesbrough 21
16. Leicester 21
17. Swansea 21
18. Hull City 20
19. Crystal Palace 19
20. Sunderland 19
You have to picture being in one of these fan bases. The last thing you want is to be relegated. The last thing team ownership wants is for this to happen. You literally lose $hundreds of millions.
And you’re now seeing the fans of Crystal Palace become increasingly surly. I mean they lost 4-0 to Sunderland at home on Saturday and the fans were ready to rip the manager’s, and his players’, faces off. [The dark side of English soccer re-emerged, if only for this one afternoon.]
But then there is Leicester. Not since the 1930s has a defending champion been relegated. LC is off to the worst start for a defending champ in history with the 21 points in 24 matches.
So I watched the end of their game with Man U and the guys in the postgame booth, the awesome Rebecca, Robby and Kyle, had a fascinating discussion on what to do with manager Claudio Ranieri. Fire him? The manager that just brought you a title for the ages, the best team sports story, given soccer’s global presence, perhaps ever?
Yes, said Robby. No, said Kyle. It’s happened before in recent history…think Chelsea.
More broadly speaking, it almost seems guaranteed that come the last day of the PL season in May, (Sun., 5/21), it is going to be a real tension convention. [All games that day start at the same time.]
Stuff
—Chimpanzee plummets to No. 189 on the All-Species List after this tale, via Newser and USA TODAY.
“It was already a rare occurrence when a group of chimpanzees murdered one of their own – and then they started eating the body. In a study published last week in the International Journal of Primatology, researchers recount only the ninth recorded murder of a chimp by its own community. In 2007, Foudouko was the leader of a group of more than 30 chimps in Senegal, National Geographic reports. He was nicknamed ‘Saddam,’ and anthropologist Jill Pruetz tells New Scientist he was ‘somewhat of a tyrant.’ But Foudouko was overthrown and exiled for years, living on the edges of his former community. Then in 2013, he was killed by a group of younger males. The violence didn’t stop there.
“The community spent nearly four hours brutalizing Foudouko’s body, according to a press release. They broke his bones, beat him with rocks, ripped at his body, and ate parts of him. Pruetz says she was ‘really disturbed’ for days after watching video of the incident. Humans may ultimately be responsible for the rare and gruesome violence that befell Foudouko. His community has nearly twice as many male chimps as females, likely due to poachers targeting female chimps. This increases tensions in the community, and Foudouko may have been killed for approaching a female in heat.”
Good lord. Prior to the chimp ripping off the Connecticut woman’s face years ago, I never liked chimps anyway because at every zoo I went to around the world, they would throw their [blank] at me. Actually, kind of like some of the anarchists in the streets of America today.
— ‘Man’ drops back to No. 342 on the ASL after this bit from the New York Times.
“Wildlife traffickers in a major African park have bene offering rewards for a full lion carcass, raising concerns that poachers are increasingly targeting a vulnerable species because of demand in some Asian countries for lion bones used in traditional medicines.
“The report from Mozambique’s Niassa National Reserve comes amid debate about whether the legal, annual export of bones from hundreds of captive-bred lions in South Africa to China and Southeast Asia could spur the market, possibly leading to the illegal killing of wild lions for their bones as well. African lion bones are a relatively recent substitute in tonics for the bones of Asian tigers, whose numbers were depleted by poachers.”
The number of African lions in the wild has dropped 40 percent to 20,000 in the past two decades.
By the way, big shakeup on the ASL site coming up…later Monday, probably. An old favorite could be taking a big step towards redemption.
—
Top 3 songs for the week 2/4/78: #1 “Stayin’ Alive” (Bee Gees) #2 “Short People” (Randy Newman) #3 “Baby Come Back” (Player…not golfer Gary Player and son Wayne…)…and…#4 “We Are The Champions” (Queen) #5 “(Love Is) Thicker Than Water” (Andy Gibb) #6 “Just The Way You Are” (Billy Joel…his best…) #7 “How Deep Is Your Love” (Bee Gees…deeper and thicker than water, I guess…not that this makes sense…) #8 “Sometimes When We Touch” (Dan Hill…songs like this while I was in my sophomore year at Wake Forest forced me to drink heavily…) #9 “You’re In My Heart” (Rod Stewart…dreadful…) #10 “Emotion” (Samantha Sang…sang her little heart out, she did…)
NHL Quiz Answer: 20-goal scorers on the 1969-70 Stanley Cup Champ Bruins….
Bobby Orr 37 (goals) – 87 (assists)
Phil Esposito 43-56
John McKenzie 29-41
John Bucyk 31-38
Fred Stanfield 23-35
Ken Hodge 25-29
Derek Sanderson 18-23
Ed Westfall 14-22
[Gerry Cheavers and Eddie Johnston were the goalies on this squad.]
As a Rangers fans, I hated Boston, but what a great era to grow up with the sport
Next Bar Chat, Thursday.
