Posted Sunday, prior to late NFL games, but after NASCAR finale.
Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.
NFL Quiz: It is unlikely we are going to see a running back with 2,000 yards this season, a la Saquon Barkley’s 2,005 in 2024. Name the other eight to rush for 2,000 yards in NFL history. Answer below.
World Series
—The Dodgers had just 14 hits combined in Games 4-6, falling on Tuesday in Game 4, 6-2, as Shohei Ohtani yielded 4 runs in 6 innings, 93 pitches, and was 0-for-3 at the plate with a walk.
Shane Bieber threw 5 ½ of one-run ball for the Blue Jays, who got a 2-run homer from Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
In Game 5, L.A. had just 4 hits in a 6-1 loss, as Toronto rookie Trey Yesavage broke a 76-year old record once held by a Dodgers legend.
Yesavage struck out 12 in seven innings, surpassing Don Newcombe’s record for strikeouts in a World Series game by a rookie, set in Game 1 of the 1949 Fall Classic.
Rookie or not, Yesavage’s 12 punchouts were the most in a World Series game since 2000, when Orlando Hernandez struck out a dozen New York Mets batters.
Yesavage made just three starts in the regular season after a mid-September promotion, having started the year in the Class A Florida State League.
So heading to Game 6, the Dodgers were down 3-2, the series having shifted to Toronto, and it was desperation time.
But L.A. did have Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and while he didn’t go the distance like he had his previous two postseason starts, he went six innings one run, while the slumping Mookie Betts came through with a big two-run, two-out single in the third inning, the Dodgers winning a thriller 3-1.
After rookie Roki Sasaki pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth for the Dodgers, Sasaki was nonetheless struggling as he took the mound in the ninth to close it out. With runners on second and third and no outs, manager Dave Roberts turned to starter Tyler Glasnow. To give up just the two baserunners and send the game into extra innings would be acceptable to Dodgers fans at that point.
But on the first pitch, Glasnow got Ernie Clement to pop out weakly to first…one out, runners still on second and third for the Blue Jays.
And then on his second pitch to Andres Gimenez, Gimenez lined it to left where Kike Hernandez caught the ball on the run and in one motion fired a strike to second to double up Addison Barger, who said he made a bad read on the play, second baseman Miguel Rojas with a spectacular pick of Hernandez’s throw to seal the deal. It was the first time a World Series had ended in such a fashion.
We were on to Game 7 Saturday night. And oh, what a classic, as in the top of the 11th inning, the Dodgers’ Will Smith deposited a drive off Toronto starter, now reliever, Shane Bieber, into the Blue Jays’ bullpen, which splashed off the grass into the stands for a 5-4 lead and the Rogers Centre, at six minutes past midnight, was deathly quiet. A stunned fan base, a stunned Toronto team, having been stunned so many times before in the last two days.
The Dodgers had climbed back from down 4-2 on solo homers in the eighth and ninth innings off the bats of Max Muncy (off Trey Yesavage) and, incredibly, Miguel Rojas, who smacked a hanging slider off reliever Jeff Hoffman just over the left-field fence, two outs from Toronto securing the title.
But in the bottom of the ninth, Bo Bichette (who had opened the scoring with a 3-run homer off Shohei Ohtani in the 3rd inning) got a one-out single and after a walk by Addison Barger put pressure on Dodgers’ pitcher Blake Snell, manager Dave Roberts went to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the same Yamamoto who had gone six innings and 96 pitches in Game 6 the night before.
Yamamoto was from sharp. He hit catcher Alejandro Kirk with his second pitch to load the bases. But Daulton Varsho hit a sharp grounder to Rojas at second who barely maintained his balance and threw out the runner at home for the second out on a super close play.
The Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages, called in for defense, then sprinted to the left field wall and leaped over teammate Kike Hernandez to snag a drive from Toronto third baseman Ernie Clement.
The Dodgers threatened in the 10th, but went scoreless, and then the stage was set for Will Smith’s dramatics, and Yamamoto went to the mound for the bottom of the 11th.
He gave up a leadoff double to Vladimir Guerrero, Isiah Kiner-Kalefa sacrificed Guerrero to third, Addison Barger walked, but Alejandro Kirk grounded into a game-ending double play; Yamamoto (the Series MVP) having gone 2 2/3 innings.
The Dodgers become the first since the 1998-2000 Yankees to repeat. All the money spent was worth it, and Clayton Kershaw, who was warming up in the bullpen to replace Yamamoto if the game went another inning, or maybe in the 11th had the Blue Jays tied it, gets another ring in his final season. Start the Cooperstown clock for his first-ballot enshrinement.
What a Series. What a massive bummer for Canada.
A lot of us can’t wait for spring training and the words “pitchers and catchers…”
It’s also going to be an interesting free-agent season for us local Mets and Yankees fans. The Mets have another big decision to make on Pete Alonso, and also Edwin Diaz, and the Yankees must retain outfielder Cody Bellinger, for starters.
–In other baseball news…the Nationals hired 33-year-old Blake Butera as their next manager. He’s qualified, having already been a minor-league manager and now serving as a director of player development – but he’s still the youngest manager in MLB since the Twins hired Frank Quilici at 33 in 1972.
–At the end of the season the Mets cleaned house when it came to the coaching staff, but retained manager Carlos Mendoza.
One coach was coming back, however. First base coach Antoan Richardson, who did a stellar job with the baserunning assignment, turning Juan Soto into a nearly 40-40 man, Soto with a career-high 38 steals when his previous high was 12.
But now we’ve learned the Mets and Richardson couldn’t agree on a contract and he’s gone. It’s a big loss as he was also highly respected in the clubhouse.
Former Astro Troy Snitker is the Mets’ new hitting coach. And then the Mets hired the Red Sox director of pitching, Justin Willard, to assume the pitching coach duties.
College Football Review
–There will be another reshuffling of the top ten after this weekend…but from the top….
No. 1 Ohio State is 8-0 after a solid 38-14 win over Penn State (3-5), as quarterback Julian Sayin is now the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, at least for this week…another superb performance, 20/23, 316, 4-0. Sayin’s completion percentage this season is 80.7%.
Carnell Tate had five receptions for 124 yards and a TD, while Jeremiah Smith was 6-123-2.
—2 Indiana (9-0) had its way with Maryland (4-4), 55-10, as the Hoosiers rushed for 367 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown run by backup QB Alberto Mendoza. The Terps have lost four straight after a 4-0 start.
—No. 3 Texas A&M, 4 Alabama and 6 Oregon had bye weeks.
–But 5 Georgia (7-1) had to struggle for the 24-20 win against Florida (3-5). The Gators were up 20-17 before the Bulldogs mounted their game-winning drive.
—7 Ole Miss (8-1) is marching to the playoffs, 30-14 over South Carolina (3-6).
–But 8 Georgia Tech’s CFP hopes may have suffered a massive blow, losing their first, now 8-1, to North Carolina State (5-4) 48-36, despite the heroics of Yellowjackets QB Haynes King, who threw for 408 yards and rushed for another 103.
The Wolfpack’s Jayden Scott carried it 24 times for 196 yards and a touchdown.
—20 Texas (7-2) is back in the playoff hunt after a 34-31 defeat of 9 Vanderbilt (7-2). Arch Manning, who emerged from concussion protocol, threw a little screen pass on the first play of the game to Ryan Wingo and Wingo took it 75 yards for a touchdown, Manning finishing the day 25/33, 328, 3-0.
But the Longhorns were up 24-3, 34-10 before Vandy mounted a fierce comeback, quarterback Diego Pavia with three touchdown passes and 365 yards passing, plus a TD on the ground, but the Commodores had dug themselves too big a hole.
—SMU (6-3), which had fallen to Wake Forest last week, upset 10 Miami (6-2) in overtime, 26-20, Hurricanes QB Carson Beck with two big interceptions, while Kevin Jennings (29/44, 365, 1-0) played flawlessly for the Mustangs. It was SMU’s first win against an AP Top Ten since 1974!
—12 Notre Dame (6-2) got all it could handle from Boston College (1-8) before pulling away, 25-10, as Jeremiyah Love rushed for 136 yards, including a 94-yard touchdown run that sealed the deal.
—13 Texas Tech (8-1) beat Kansas State (4-5) 43-20.
—18 Oklahoma (7-2) had an important 33-27 road win at 14 Tennessee (6-3), as the Vols’ Joey Aguilar had three big turnovers to aid the Sooners.
—15 Virginia (8-1) defeated Cal (5-4) 31-21.
—16 Louisville (7-1) defeated Virginia Tech (3-6) 28-16. But the Cardinals may have lost star running back Isaac Brown for the season due to a leg injury.
—24 Utah (7-2) will move up more than a few notches, 45-14 over 17 Cincinnati (7-2).
—21 Michigan (7-2) beat Purdue (2-7) 21-16, as Jordan Marshall had a monster game, 25 carries for 185 yards and three touchdowns for the Wolverines.
–In a massive upset, West Virginia (3-6) beat 22 Houston (7-2) on the road, 45-38, for their first Big 12 win of the season. Houston had four turnovers, including an 80-yard pick-six for the Mountaineers.
—23 USC (6-2) beat Nebraska (6-3) in Lincoln, 21-17.
—Friday night, 25 Memphis (8-1) beat Rice (4-5) 38-14.
–In other games of note…Illinois (6-3) took care of business against Rutgers (4-5) 35-13, another dismal effort by the Scarlet Knights.
Navy (7-1) suffered a tough loss at North Texas (8-1) 31-17, as Blake Horvath turned it over three times for the Midshipmen, while the Mean Green’s Caleb Hawkins carried it 33 times for 197 yards and 4 TDs.
Army (4-4) defeated Air Force (2-6) 20-17 on a 27-yard field goal as time expired, this after Air Force had tied it at 17-17 with just 1:26 to play.
Pitt (7-2) remained in the ACC title hunt, 35-20 over Stanford (3-6), for the Panthers’ fifth straight win.
Duke (5-3) pulled out a big win at Clemson (3-5), 46-45, on a two-point conversion with 0:40 to play, the Blue Devils’ first win in Death Valley since 1980.
Dabo Swinney’s nightmare season continues.
Friday night, North Carolina (3-5) had a nice win at Syracuse (3-6) 27-10, as Bill Belichick’s squad continues to improve, outgaining the Orange 425-147!
Lastly, Wake Forest (5-3) laid an egg down in Tallahassee, falling to Florida State (4-4) 42-7. The Deacs trailed 14-0 at the intermission, but they had committed six very costly penalties, including holding calls that negated runs of 25- and 53-yards by Demond Claiborne, that would have changed the tenor of the game right at the start. Just not a good effort…way too many mistakes all season.
—Conference Standings…one loss or fewer….
ACC
Virginia 5-0
Georgia Tech 5-1
Pitt 5-1
Louisville 4-1
SMU 4-1
Duke 4-1
Big Ten
Indiana 6-0
Ohio State 5-0
Michigan 5-1
Oregon 4-1
Iowa 4-1
USC 4-1
Big 12
BYU 5-0
Texas Tech 5-1
Cincinnati 5-1
SEC
Texas A&M 5-0
Alabama 5-0
Georgia 5-1
Ole Miss 5-1
Texas 4-1
–Early in the week it was all about the chaos surrounding LSU and athletic director Scott Woodward, after Woodward fired coach Brian Kelly following a disastrous loss to Texas A&M.
Then the governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, said Woodward would not be allowed to hire Kelly’s replacement.
Woodward, following Kelly’s dismissal last Sunday, released a statement asserting that he was still in charge of the athletic department.
Gov. Landry had other plans.
“No, I can tell you right now Scott Woodward is not selecting our next coach,” Landry said during a news conference at the state capitol in Baton Rouge on Wednesday.
“Maybe we’ll let President Trump pick it,” he added.
LSU still owes Kelly $53 million through 2031, although that figure could be negotiated down or offset by money Kelly earned in a subsequent coaching job.
Woodward himself is owed a buyout of more than $6 million, per the terms of his latest contract. He had been AD at his alma mater since 2019 after stints at Washington and Texas A&M. Known for splashy hires in high-profile sports, Woodward landed Chris Petersen at Washington and Jimbo Fisher at A&M. While the Kelly hire didn’t work out at LSU, Woodward also hired Kim Mulkey away from Baylor and she led LSU to a women’s basketball national title in 2023.
But Gov. Landry noted Woodward was responsible for the $77 million buyout of former coach Jimbo Fisher, who was fired in 2023, though Woodward had been at LSU for two years when A&M, in 2021, gave Fisher a contract extension that effectively doubled the cost of his buyout.
Still, Landry assigned blame for Fisher’s buyout to Woodward.
“This is a pattern,” Landry said, suggesting that Woodward “cost Texas A&M $77 million.”
“Right now, we’ve got a $53 million liability,” he continued. “We are not doing that again.”
Landry said LSU’s Board of Supervisors will form a search committee to find LSU’s next coach.
“I’m not going to be picking the next coach, but I can promise you we’re going to pick a coach and we’re going to make sure that that coach is successful,” Landry said. “We’re going to make sure that he’s compensated properly.”
Landrey stressed that the contract will be heavy on performance-based incentives and low on guarantees, “because I’m tired of rewarding failure in this country and then leaving the taxpayers…to foot the bill.”
The governor called on the NCAA “to put some guardrails on college sports.”
LSU had a bye week.
—Auburn fired coach Hugh Freeze today, the Tigers 4-5 overall, 1-5 in the SEC this season, and 15-19 under his leadership. The last straw was a dismal 10-3 home loss to Kentucky on Saturday, which entered play on a 10-game SEC losing streak.
—And now…the new AP Top 25 poll!
[The top seven teams were unchanged in the final poll before the College Football Playoff committee releases its first rankings Tuesday night (8 p.m. ET/ESPN).]
- Ohio State (54) 8-0
2. Indiana (11) 9-0
3. Texas A&M (1) 8-0
4. Alabama 7-1
5. Georgia 7-1
6. Oregon 7-1
7. Ole Miss 8-1
8. BYU 8-0
9. Texas Tech 8-1
10. Notre Dame 6-2
11. Oklahoma 7-2…up 7
12. Virginia 8-1…they just aren’t that good….
13. Texas 7-2…up 7
14. Louisville 7-1
15. Vanderbilt 7-2
16. Georgia Tech 8-1
17. Utah 7-2…up 7
18. Miami 6-2
19. Missouri 6-2
20. USC 6-2
21. Michigan 7-2
22. Memphis 8-1
23. Tennessee 6-3…down 9
24. Washington 6-2
25. Cincinnati 7-2
Iowa, James Madison and Pitt are Nos. 26-28, if you carry out the votes.
Next week…8 BYU at 9 Texas Tech….huge.
3 Texas A&M at 19 Missouri.
NFL
—Thursday night, Lamar Jackson made his return for the Ravens after being out weeks due to a hamstring strain, and he looked as good as ever, 18 of 23, 204 yards, 4 touchdowns, a 143.2 PR, Baltimore beating the hapless Dolphins (2-7) 28-6 in Miami. Derrick Henry chipped in with 119 yards on 19 carries and all is right again with the Ravens, 3-5, and back in the playoff hunt.
–Giants running back Cam Skattebo suffered an open tibia fracture and ruptured deltoid ligament in addition to a right ankle dislocation in Sunday’s loss to the Eagles, we learned during the week, after Skattebo underwent emergency surgery Sunday night in Philadelphia to address the injuries, before returning to New Jersey. Coach Brian Daboll said Wednesday that the rookie, who took the area by storm, along with fellow rookie Jaxson Dart, was “wheeling around” the team facility and attending meetings.
The overall prognosis for the injuries is relatively positive, a source said. Skattebo is expected back before the start of next season if there are no complications.
But the open fracture means the bone penetrated the skin. That made it a medical emergency and required Skattebo to remain in Philadelphia for surgery that night.
Infections are often a concern when it comes to open wound injuries; a risk that will be closely monitored during his recovery and rehab.
Skattebo’s ankle also suffered ligament damage.
–Sunday, the Giants (2-7) lost to the visiting 49ers (6-3) 34-24, as San Fran’s Mac Jones was 14 of 14 in the first half, 19/24, 235, 2-0, 135.2 for the game. Christian McCaffrey had 173 yards and two touchdowns of total offense.
The Giants’ Jaxson Dart, as I noted the other week, is way too reckless with his body and as exciting as he can be, and he’s a franchise-type quarterback, he won’t last if he keeps this up.
–The Panthers (5-4) pulled off an upset in Green Bay (5-2-1) 16-13 on a Ryan Fitzgerald 49-yard field goal to end the game, Carolina’s Rico Dowdle with 130 yards on 25 carries and two touchdowns.
–The Vikings (4-4) pulled off an upset of the Lions (5-3) in Detroit, 27-24, as J.J. McCarthy made his return at QB for Minnesota, though he was nothing special.
–The Patriots moved to 7-2! 24-23 over the Falcons (3-5), this game not going into overtime because Atlanta kicker Parker Romo missed an extra point with 4:40 to go in the game.
—Pittsburgh (5-3) beat visiting Indianapolis (7-2) 27-20, as the Steelers’ D picked off Daniel Jones (31/50, 342, 1-3, 63.9) three times, his worst game of the year, and Pittsburgh held Jonathan Taylor to 45 yards on 14 carries.
But I was following the game to see how Summit’s Michael Badgley did for the Colts, and the dude hit field goals of 52 and 53 yards! For those of us following his career (reminder, I’ve talked to him a number of times at the local high school field), it has been his inability to kick from 50 that has hurt his career (plus a torn hamstring that kept him out all of 2024).
I am so happy for the guy. He’ll be playing, somewhere, in the NFL for years to come.
–The Bears are 5-3, 47-42 in a crazy game in Cincinnati, the Bengals falling to 3-6 despite Joe Flacco’s monster game, 31/47, 470, 4-2, 109.7.
Cincy’s defense is beyond horrendous.
–The Chargers (6-3) defeated the Titans (1-8) 27-20, the score close because Tennessee got a pick-six and punt return for touchdowns.
–The Broncos (7-2) can really look like crap, but here they are, 18-15 over the Texans (3-5) on a Will Lutz 34-yard field goal, Houston QB C.J. Stroud knocked out with a concussion in the second quarter.
NBA
–The Knicks won their first two under new coach Mike Brown and I commented how important it was for New York and Brown to get off to a good start, to keep the skeptics of the hire away.
Alas, they’ve lost three straight, including on the road in Chicago (5-0) Friday night, 135-125. I said they have no frontcourt depth and weak 3-point shooting. I’d now be happy if they win 50.
–I’m reading the Lakers’ box scores because of former Demon Deacon Jake LaRavia, who in the absence of Luka Doncic (let alone LeBron), was getting a good opportunity to play.
So after Monday’s brutal -27 performance in 29 minutes in a 122-108 loss to Portland, on Wednesday, LaRavia played 37 minutes, shot 10 of 11 from the field, 5 of 6 from three, 27 points, 8 rebounds, in a 116-115 win over the T’Wolves, Austin Reaves (28 points, 16 assists) with the buzzer-beater for L.A.
Friday, Doncic returned after missing a week and he picked right up where he left off, 44 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists in a 117-112 win at Memphis, the Lakers 4-2, Doncic 3-for-3 with 40-point games.
LaRavia had a solid 13 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals in 23 minutes off the bench.
—Victor Wembanyama has started off the season with five double-doubles as the Spurs are off to the first 5-0 start in franchise history. I just found that rather startling, given all the great teams they’ve had.
The Spurs are at Phoenix Sunday night.
—Saturday, the Pacers (1-5) won their first, 115-109, over the Warriors (4-3), as Indiana, playing this season without star Tyrese Haliburton (and now Obi Toppin for three months) held Steph Curry to just 4 of 16 shooting from three.
–The Hawks will be without superstar point guard Trae Young for a minimum of four weeks, Young having suffered a sprain in his right MCL in the Hawks’ 117-112 win over the Nets on Wednesday.
NASCAR
—Denny Hamlin has had a spectacular career, with 60 career wins, including three Daytona 500s.
But he didn’t have a Cup Series championship, Hamlin widely considered the greatest driver to never with the Cup, so he went into Phoenix Raceway today as the sympathetic favorite to win the championship in NASCAR’s winner-take-all finale.
And Hamlin has an extra incentive. He said his father is dying.
“I know for a fact this is my last chance for my dad to see it. I don’t want him going and never getting to see the moment,” Hamlin told reporters of his dad, now 75 and battling a serious illness.
The other three for the title were Hamlin’s fellow Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe, as well as Hendrick Motorsports drivers Kyle Larson and William Byron, and the highest finisher Sunday will win the title.
Larson is the only driver with a previous championship. Byron is back in the championship race for a third consecutive year, while Briscoe is making his debut in his first season driving for Gibbs.
And in the end, due to a late caution that caused overtime, Hamlin lost the title to now two-time winner Kyle Larson. Heartbreaking.
Premier League
—Saturday, Arsenal beat Burnley 2-0; Nottingham, No. 19 on the table, got a nice 2-2 draw with Manchester United; Tottenham suffered a 1-0 loss at home to Chelsea; and Liverpool snapped its 4-game losing streak, 2-0 over Aston Villa.
Today, Manchester City defeated Bournemouth 3-1, a big win that moved City into second, six points behind Arsenal.
The amazing Erling Haaland had two more goals, giving him 13 in the first ten games. He has the Premier League season-record at 36, set in 2022/23.
Stuff
–I was looking forward to the Breeders’ Cup Classic Saturday, as I always am, but this time to see if Sovereignty, winner of the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, as well as the Travers, could close the deal on one of the more spectacular seasons in recent racing history.
But he was scratched Wednesday morning with a fever, after having a solid workout Monday morning.
Which made Fierceness, Forever Young and Sierra Leone the new favorites, after Sovereignty had been made the morning line favorite at 6-5.
The Cup Classic is for all ages, not just 3-year-olds, and what made this such a terrific field is that last year’s 1-2-3 finish, Sierra Leone (first), Fierceness (second) and Forever Young (third), were back as 4-year-olds, and wouldn’t you know, but they finished 1-2-3 this year!…only Forever Young, a horse from Japan, won it, Sierra Leone second, Fierceness third. [Preakness winner Journalism was fourth.]
Exciting race, and good for Team Japan, with trainer Yoshito Yahagi and jockey Ryusei Sakai.
—No Fall Season PGA Tour event this week…just three left starting next weekend in Mexico.
But with the cancelation of The Sentry Tournament of Champions in Kapalua, the tour’s prospects in Hawaii beyond the Sony Open next January are rather bleak.
New CEO Brian Rolapp’s comments earlier in the year about his idea of “scarcity” and the need for more meaningful tournaments, could spell the demise of the Hawaii swing.
I didn’t realize the Sony Open’s sponsorship deal at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu ends after the 2026 event. The Sentry has a deal with the PGA Tour through 2035 but it could move its sponsorship and there are serious rumblings the tour will simply open its season in 2027 a few weeks later than usual.
Rolapp is keenly aware that the Hawaii tournaments that typically start the year – despite their scenic vistas and allure to snowbound viewers on the mainland (like moi) – get killed in the television ratings.
I was shocked by this, but the two Hawaii events this year did less than 500,000 each on Golf Channel, due to the NFL wildcard and divisional playoff games that are on the schedule at the same time, and draw more than 30 million viewers on average.
Heck, I watch both, but I didn’t realize how few of us there are.
Rolapp knows that just waiting two more weeks eliminates the early rounds of the NFL playoffs. So we’ll see what he does, with Tiger Woods a key adviser and Tiger knowing the PGA Tour’s rich history in Hawaii, Tiger being a traditionalist.
–It was a picture-perfect day for running the New York City Marathon today, temps in the low 50s at the start, little wind, and Hellen Obiri of Kenya set a women’s course record, while countrymate Benson Kipruto held off Alexander Mutiso Munyao in a sprint to the finish line to take the men’s race.
Obiri, who also won here in 2023, finished in 2 hours, 19 minutes, 51 seconds. The 2022 winner, Sharon Lokedi, also from Kenya, finished second, while defending champion Sheila Chepkirui finished third.
American Fiona O’Keeffe was fourth.
Kipruto finished in 2:08.09, less than 0.2 seconds ahead of Mutiso Munyao, yet another Kenyan.
The top American male was Joel Reichow, coming in sixth.
–I have to go back to last weekend and a story from New Hampshire’s Mount Washington that Pete M. alerted me to.
Over 20 “ill-prepared” hikers were rescued from the mountain after they were trapped in “full winter conditions” without the proper gear, with some developing hypothermia, according to the Mount Washington Cog Railway.
Now I just have to add that while I haven’t been up the Cog Railway since the days of my youth, I am very familiar with Mount Washington, checking it out often in the winter because it is known for the highest winds in North America (and the world). It is also subject to wicked changes in the weather that can happen in a flash.
But these hikers were rescued last Saturday by railway officials after they had reached the mountain’s 6,288-foot summit, not knowing “that summit services would be unavailable and that the state park was closed for the season,” the assistant manager of the Cog Railway, Andy Villaine, said in a statement.
The hikers told the train officials they “didn’t think they would be able to hike back down,” Villaine told ABC News. Many of the hikers were showing the “beginning signs of hypothermia” due to their “poor choice of clothing, including non-waterproof layers and sneakers,” Villaine said.
Some of the hikers even admitted it was “their first hike ever,” said Villaine.
Near the summit, temperatures last Saturday were between 15 and 18 degrees, with a wind chill below zero!
Scores have died over the years on Mount Washington.
“It’s literally a life or death situation if you go up there unprepared,” Lt. Mark Ober with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department told Manchester, New Hampshire, ABC affiliate WMUR.
The department keeps a list of fatalities on Mount Washington and the ‘presidential range’…some 178 since 1849, with Nos. 177 and 178 occurring in June and July. It is one of the ten deadliest mountains in the world.
—Top 3 songs for the week 11/7/64: #1 “Baby Love” (The Supremes) #2 “Last Kiss” (J. Frank Wilson and The Cavaliers) #3 “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” (Manfred Mann)…and…#4 “Leader Of The Pack” (The Shangri-Las) #5 “Let It Be Me” (Betty Everett & Jerry Butler) #6 “Have I The Right?” (The Honeycombs) #7 “Come A Little Bit Closer” (Jay & The Americans) #8 “The Door Is Still Open To My Heart” (Dean Martin) #9 “Chug-A-Lug” (Roger Miller) #10 “We’ll Sing In The Sunshine” (Gale Garnett…very depressing tune…B week…The Zombies and The Kinks were knocking on the door while the Beatles and Stones hadn’t released their latest albums…)
NFL Quiz Answer: 2,000 yards rushing in a season….
- Eric Dickerson 2,105 (1984, Rams)
2. Adrian Peterson 2,097 (2012, Vikings)
3. Jamal Lewis 2,066 (2003, Ravens)
4. Barry Sanders 2,053 (1997, Lions)
5. Derrick Henry 2,027 (2020, Titans)
6. Terrell Davis 2,008 (1998, Broncos)
7. Chris Johnson 2,006 (2009, Titans)
8. Saquon Barkley 2,005 (2024, Eagles)
9. O.J. Simpson 2,003 (1973, Bills…in just 14 games, all the others did it in a 16- or 17-game schedule)
I always have to look it up…but it was 1978 the NFL went to a 16-game schedule.
Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tues. College Basketball begins Monday!
