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Bar Chat

07/17/2017

Pot Pourri for $200...and Federer....

[Posted Sunday PM, prior to “Game of Thrones”...and the second game of Red Sox-Yankees.]

Mets Quiz, part one: 1) Name the only three Mets with 120 RBI in a season.  2) Name the only three to hit 40 home runs.  3) Name the only four to bat .340 in a season.  Answers below.

MLB

--The Yankees and Red Sox opened up a key four-game series on Friday at Fenway and the Yanks’ woes continued, with closer Aroldis Chapman blowing a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the ninth, failing to retire a single one of the five batters he faced and walking in the winning run. 

Chapman blew his third save and has been just so-so after being handed a five-year, $86 million deal in the offseason that has fans sweating big time.  Overall, the Yankees have blown a major-league leading 18 saves, after blowing 16 all of last season.  After Friday, they had also dropped 19 of their last 26 games after their 38-23 start.

But Saturday, Matt Holliday had a clutch home run in the top of the ninth off the Sox’ stud closer, Craig Kimbrel, to send the game into extra innings at 1-1, and then the Yanks scored three in the 16th to take the contest, 4-1, as the bullpen threw nine scoreless behind starter Luis Severino.  Author Joseph Heller (“Catch-22”) picked up the win for New York to temporarily stop the bleeding.  [Actually, it’s Ben Heller...I didn’t recognize his name in the box score and made a false assumption.]

The Yanks and Red Sox, though, hardly wanted to go 16 and use up their bullpens because they had a day-night doubleheader Sunday, which is kind of brutal, especially because the second game is the ESPN telecast and we know how these marathons can go...both because the contest normally goes four hours+ and it’s ESPN, and their equally painful broadcast.  Alas, I’ll be watching “Game of Thrones.”

But in the first game today, the Yanks got exactly what they wanted, a strong effort from CC Sabathia, who threw six scoreless, while the pen closed the door, Chapman bouncing back for the save, Yanks win 3-0.  It’s the first time in 28 games they won two in a row.

--My Metsies started off the post-All-Star break portion of their schedule in rousing fashion with 14-2, 9-3 wins over the stumbling Rockies at Citi Field Friday and Saturday.  But then they got shelled in return, 13-4, today.

Prior to Friday’s contest, GM Sandy Alderson was candid, talking of a ‘rebuild’ now that the “For Sale” sign has been placed on all the Mets who can be free agents at the end of the season – like Addison Reed, Jay Bruce and Lucas Duda.

Alderson also said he values offense more than defense, and some of us are tired of watching an atrocious ‘D’ cost the team.

The GM did appear to dispel any notion that despite Tim Tebow’s play in High-A St. Lucie thus far since his promotion, he is not getting a September call-up.  Plus Tebow has cooled off and thru Saturday was batting .298 with three home runs in 57 at-bats.

--Dodger rookie sensation Cody Bellinger became the first L.A. rookie to hit for the cycle when he accomplished the feat on Saturday in Miami, part of a 7-1 Dodgers win over the Marlin, starter Alex Wood becoming the first Dodger pitcher in more than a century to win his first 11 decisions in a season.  Wood (11-0) struck out 10 in six scoreless to lower his ERA to 1.56.

Bellinger now has 26 home runs.  He was just the ninth Dodger to hit for the cycle in the team’s 128-year history, which I find rather remarkable. Watching the Mets’ game Saturday, their broadcaster, Gary Cohen, mentioned that the Mets have given up only three cycles in their history – Dodger Wes Parker, Ray Lankford and Vladimir Guerrero, which I found equally kind of shocking.

Meanwhile, L.A. is now 64-29 after a 3-2 win today.  We’re talking their streak is up to 29-4 since their 35-25 start.  Unreal.

--The Nationals lost one of their starting pitchers, Joe Ross (7-5, 5.01), as they learned he will undergo Tommy John surgery this coming week.

But the Nats have the division locked up and if they head into the playoffs with Max Scherzer (11-5, 2.01), Gio Gonzalez (8-4, 2.66) and Stephen Strasburg (9-3, 3.43) hale and hearty, I don’t care how bad the bullpen is, I’d take my chances with that.

But wait...there’s more!  Sunday, the Nats addressed their bullpen issue, bigly, by acquiring solid veterans Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle from the A’s for Blake Treinen and some respectable prospects.

What a move. It was funny, though, that the Washington press in the immediate aftermath noted both Madson and Doolittle will be owed a lot of money (relatively) the next few years, but if you win the World Series, who gives a flying [kite].

Treinen is intriguing for the A’s, I have to add, because he has super stuff but has been largely a bust thus far.

--Mike Trout returned to the lineup for the Angels after his thumb surgery and went 1-for-5 on Friday, but struck out to end the game in a 2-1, 10-inning loss to Tampa Bay.  He then went 2-for-3 on Saturday, but the Angels lost again, 6-3, to the Rays. Sunday, L.A. finally won, 4-3, but Trout was an inconsequential 1-for-4.

And that’s your full Mike Trout, superhero, update for July 16, 2017.

--The Cubs acquired pitcher Jose Quintana from the White Sox for their stretch drive, the starting pitching being abysmal for the reigning champs this season.  Quintana was just 4-8, 4.49 ERA, but has pitched well of late and he was viewed as a prime target for the likes of the Yankees based on his solid performance the prior five seasons.

But the baseball world was buzzing because the Cubs gave up two, top-100 prospects, according to the Midseason Baseball America rankings, in outfielder Eloy Jimenez and pitcher Dylan Cease (along with two other minor leaguers).  This is exactly the kind of thing the Yankees, for example, were looking to avoid in going after Quintana, or any other pitcher for that matter that might help them in their own playoff chase.  [The Yanks are smart...keep the prospects!]

This will be an interesting one to watch. 

And so on Sunday, Quintana took the mound for the first time in a Cubs uniform down in Baltimore and, Holy Toledo, Bartman!  Quintana threw seven scoreless, striking out 12 while walking none, as the Cubs won 8-0, thus sweeping their first series out of the break to go to 46-45.  Exactly as drawn up, Cubbies fans might say.

--The Red Sox DFA’d (designated for assignment) third baseman Pablo Sandoval midway through a disastrous five-year, $95 million contract (assuming option is exercised in year six).  In 2 ½ injury-plagued seasons, due in no small part to the Panda not being in shape, he only played in 161 games, 575 at-bats, and had 14 home runs, 59 RBIs, and hit .237.

Prior to this Sandoval had hit .294 in seven seasons in San Francisco, where he was one of the best clutch hitters in the game and was an integral part of the Giants’ World Series title teams of 2010, ‘12 and ‘14.

Wimbledon

--In the men’s final today, Roger Federer was looking to complete an incredible run against 7-seed Marin Cilic and Roger did it, in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1, 6-4, his eighth Wimbledon singles title, most ever, and first since 2012.  It’s also the 19th Grand Slam of his stupendous career, a record, and at 35, he became the oldest man to win at the All England Club in the Open era.

The thing is, he didn’t lose a single set this entire tournament, just the second to accomplish this feat in the Open era.  [Bjorn Borg the other.]

As Ronald Reagan would have told Nancy, ‘Not bad, not bad at all.’

I mean this is a guy who after a six-month injury layoff, won the Australian Open in January, then skipped the French Open to better prepare himself for grass, and just walked away with it.

--In the women’s final, Garbine Muguruza captured her first Wimbledon singles title and second grand slam overall in handily dispatching of Venus Williams, 7-5, 6-0, with the second set taking just 24 minutes.  It was a pure demolition and commentator Chris Every had it right...Venus finally ran out of gas.  [Yes, I actually watched this one.]

Williams, 37, was attempting to become the oldest woman to win a Wimbledon title in the Open Era, which began in 1968.  Serena Williams holds the record at 34 years, 287 days, when she won last year.

Muguruza, 23, won her other grand slam at the 2016 French Open, defeating Serena for the title.

Can’t say I ever really followed Muguruza, but in her interview after on Saturday, she struck me as a cool person. 

Yes, guys, this is who I’m now rooting for in the U.S. Open.  I don’t think I’ve rooted for a female tennis player since, oh, Chris Evert!  [Well, there was Anna...cough cough...some of us were rooting for her...cough cough....]

Anyway, back to Venus, she handled herself terrifically the past two weeks under ungodly pressure given her incident in Florida. 

--I need to note the American, Sam Querrey, the first U.S. player to reach a Grand Slam semifinal since 2009, lost to Cilic in four sets.

--Female tennis players have a favorite male, Andy Murray, who was upset by Querrey in the quarterfinals.

Afterwards, a journalist in a news conference said Querrey was the first U.S. player to reach a Grand Slam semifinal since 2009 after beating Murray and Andy corrected him by replying “male player,” as Serena Williams alone has won 12 Grand Slams in that period.

“That is who he is and what we love about him,” said Serena upon hearing this.  “He has spoken up for women’s issues and women’s rights, especially in tennis, forever.”

Golf Balls

--Bryson DeChambeau won the John Deere Classic for his first PGA Tour win.  The lad has been much ballyhooed but has had a so-so first year on Tour after a stellar amateur career, but now he’s a winner on the big stage.

I do have to note Steve Stricker, 50, finished T-5.

On to the Open Championship. I am very pumped for this one.

--Scott McCarron defeated Bernhard Langer in the Seniors Players Championship in Baltimore, Md.  Kind of ironic the two most tied to the ‘anchoring’ debate finished one-two.

--Boy, you know who’s not hot going into this week’s Open at Royal Birkdale? Rory McIlroy, who missed the cut at the Scottish Open, after missing it the week before at the Irish Open, and it’s now 3 out of 4 missed cuts.  Putting is the number one factor, along with poor wedge play.

Rafa Cabrera-Bello won the event, by the way, in a playoff with Callum Shinkwin.  Cabrera-Bello, U.S. followers of the sport know, has immense talent.  I’d love to see him win here someday.  But for now, I’d drop a few quid on the lad for next week.  [Matt Kuchar was T-4, Rickie Fowler T-9.]

--So I watched more women’s golf the past two days than I have in years, largely because the U.S. Women’s Open was at Trump National in Bedminster, N.J., which is about 30 minutes from yours truly, though I’ve never played it and likely will not the rest of my days, owing to the fact I have zero connections of that kind.

I wanted to see how Fox broadcast it, given the Trump angle, and their coverage was very fair, though the casual observer hopefully understood that the golf community is a largely conservative lot.

An example of which shone through on Sunday, when Joe Buck felt obligated to note (as the camera showcased Trump’s box, with the president looking on) that there had been protests over the course of the week, albeit peaceful, after which commentator Paul Azinger said, “There has never been a president that wasn’t protested so let’s get back to golf.”  It was a funny moment.  Commentator Brad Faxon chimed in with a similar comment.

But I love how fans around the country saw just how beautiful western New Jersey is.  I get the picture most Americans have.  New Jersey is the most populated, ugly state in the Union.  Golf fans only see Baltusrol, plus an LPGA event held near Atlantic City that no one watches.

Baltusrol is five minutes east of me, and it’s a beautiful spot, but it’s set amidst classic suburbia.

But if you go just ten minutes west of moi, the Garden State is gorgeous in most parts.  Growing up in Summit, we all knew the area of Trump National as “Jackie O” country, horse country, for Jackie Kennedy Onassis; the former First Lady then having a home out there.

Anyway, good, fair job on the part of Fox and, oh yeah, S.H. Park of South Korea won the event, South Korea having the first four finishers, which has been a problem for the LPGA for years now. Our allies to the south of Kim Jong Un have a virtual factory for women golfers and they are churning out great players at lightspeed...but how the heck do you tell them apart?!  That’s not a racist comment in the least...it’s just that so many of them have the same last name and I’ll be damned if I know which one has won ten times on Tour and which one is winless...for starters.

I’ve written a lot on this topic over the years.  I’ve said enough.  You all get it.

But one other note to Fox.  Why was Holly Sonders not allowed to stand up?  At least the times I saw her.  Actually, I really shouldn’t comment further on this one.

--Finally, we note the passing of Hootie Johnson, the South Carolina banker and Augusta National Golf Club chairman who died Friday at the age of 86.

Augusta National announced the death and celebrated the sweeping changes he made to the Masters...a tradition unlike any other, on CBS.  During his eight years at the helm, though, it was his battle with Martha Burk and her National Council of Women’s Organizations that ended up defining his legacy at the tournament.

Burk wrote to Johnson in 2002 and urged Augusta National to invite female members so that it would no longer be an issue at the Masters.

But in a scathing three-page letter to reporters, Johnson said women might be one day invited, but it would be on the club’s timetable and “not at the point of a bayonet.”  Johnson and Augusta National dug in under relentless national media pressure.

Johnson dropped the three sponsors’ of the telecast – IBM, Coca-Cola and Citigroup – to keep them out of the mess, which led to the first commercial-free broadcast of a sporting event on network television.

Johnson stepped down in 2006 as chairman and was succeeded by Billy Payne, who ran the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and eventually in 2012, Augusta invited two women to join; former Sec. of State Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore, a South Carolina financier.

Burk said Johnson will be remembered “as the Lester Maddox of golf.”  [Maddox, a former governor of Georgia and segregationist, refused to serve black customers in his Atlanta restaurant, among other things.]

But Hootie Johnson was a key figure back in 1968 in integrating higher education in South Carolina, getting the state to pay for an undergraduate business program at South Carolina State, which then was attended only by blacks. He told Golf Digest in a 2000 interview, “It’s about nothing more or less than doing the right thing.”

And while president at Bankers Trust of South Carolina, Johnson invited South Carolina State president M. Maceo Nance to serve on the board, the first black man appointed to a bank board in the state.

Johnson was also responsible for strengthening all but four holes at Augusta, stretching the length of the course from 6,985 yards to 7,445...what we came to know as “Tiger-proofing.”  At first the changes were heavily criticized, because they seemed designed to deal with just one player, Woods, but Johnson had foresight in the decision.  Looking at today’s game, can you imagine if he had kept it the same until it was too late?

NBA

--The Knicks hired Scott Perry to become the team’s general manager, promoting Steve Mills of the Mills Brothers to be team president.  [Actually, Steve Mills is not part of the Mills Brothers, the original members all being dead.]

Scott Perry, though, comes to New York via Sacramento, where he was assistant GM for a number of years, a position he has held for several teams.  The Kings receive cash and a 2019 second-round draft pick as compensation.

What remains to be seen is how much power Perry will have.  Mills will have final say on all moves, while Perry is going to let coach Jeff Hornacek coach any way he wants without interference.  Ergo, no freakin’ ‘triangle offense’!!!

Perry’s strength appears to be in his relationships with agents and the league office.

But most Knicks fans already fear that this move is more of the same, as Steve Mills, who was a figurehead under Phil Jackson, has the ear of owner James Dolan and that’s not good.

For now, though, the potential three- or four-team trade that would send Carmelo Anthony to Houston is on hold as it seems the Knicks want to first see if with Perry in town, and Jackson no longer in the picture, they can rebuild the relationship with Melo.  [Which also means the Knicks wouldn’t get much in return in any trade as presently constituted, muses the editor.]

--The NBA is reducing the number of timeouts per game from 18 to 14, and is also taking away one of the three timeouts allowed in the last two minutes of the game, part of their efforts to speed up play.

Commissioner Adam Silver said the length of an NBA game has already been reduced from 2 hours 23 minutes to 2:15, which means you’re on the cusp of going from 7 beers to 6, though the NBA had nothing to say about this. 

All timeouts will also now be 75-second timeouts, rather than a “full” timeout that was 90 seconds, and a “20-second” timeout that was 60, which is why our kids are incapable of balancing a checkbook when they get older these days.  Hopefully this facet has been eliminated.

The trade deadline has also been moved from the Thursday after the All-Star Game to the Thursday 10 days before the game,   This move is designed to give those who are dealt more time to acclimate themselves and move, especially if the trade sent a player cross country.

NASCAR

--Denny Hamlin won his first of the year at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, the first win of the season for Joe Gibbs Racing and punching Hamlin’s ticket into the playoffs.  It was the 30th win of his career.

Runner-up was Kyle Larson, who had to start last.

--Ahead of today’s race, Chad Johnston, crew chief for Larson, was suspended three races and fined $75,000 on Wednesday after the No. 42 Chevrolet failed a post-race inspection after finishing second last Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway.

Larson was penalized 35 driver points and lost the Cup Series points lead because of the penalty.  He then was forced back to the rear after qualifying for today’s pole due to a different infraction.

Stuff

--The Atlantic Coast Conference held its football media days last week and Commissioner John Swofford detailed some rather notable achievements by the ACC in football the past few years.  Two of the last four national champions, including Clemson last season.  Two of the last four Heisman Trophy winners, including Lamar Jackson.

Last season the ACC was 17-9 against the rest of the Power Five, the best record of any conference in the country.  It compiled a 9-3 record in bowl appearances, has won five consecutive Orange Bowls, and since 2012 is 8-3 in Bowl Championship Series, New Year’s Six and College Football Playoff games.

ACC! ACC! ACC!

This coming season, Florida State and Clemson are consensus Top Ten selections and beyond this, who the hell knows, given college football’s unpredictability...which is why we love it so.  [Louisville has Lamar Jackson returning for some redemption, as despite the Heisman, he folded like a cheap suit down the stretch, including in the Citrus Bowl loss to LSU.]

--I’ve given my opinion on the upcoming Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Conor McGregor boxing match, Aug. 26 in Las Vegas.  I also gave a good analysis of what will happen in this extreme farce.  Mayweather will destroy McGregor...or he’s likely to toy with him for a while just to keep the fight going. Otherwise, he could knock him out in the first.

The recently-completed promotional tour for the fight was despicable.  Nothing but ugly slurs that went beyond the norms of boxing promotions.

But I recognize a lot of folks will tune in and I will be curious to learn just how awful it is.

By the way, I really do hope Mayweather destroys the other guy.

--We note the passing of former quarterback Babe Parilli, 87.  He served as Joe Namath’s backup in Super Bowl III, but prior to this, he had a stellar career that put him in the College Football Hall of Fame and the New England Patriots’ Hall of Fame.

And you see, Parilli was an inspiration to Namath growing up, Joe Willie from Beaver Falls, Pa., and Parilli from nearby Rochester, Pa.

Namath told the Beaver Falls Times on Saturday that he idolized Parilli. “Vito was one of my favorites of all-time.  I knew Vito ‘Babe’ Parilli before I knew of Johnny U.

“Going to parochial school, elementary school, I’d go by that Army and Navy store window every day at lunch time from Ninth Street up to Tenth Street where my mother was working at the Five-and-Ten and I’d look at that dadgum, signed gold Hutch football helmet: Vito ‘Babe’ Parilli.”

Parilli starred for Kentucky under Bear Bryant a dozen years before Bryant recruited Namath to Alabama.  Parilli was a consensus All-America in 1950 and 1951, leading the Wildcats to three straight major bowl games.

The Packers drafted Parilli fourth overall in 1952, though he started infrequently and later split time with Bart Starr, before eventually settling in at New England (then Boston), where he had his biggest years, including 1964, when he led the AFL in yards (3,465) and TD passes (31).

For his career, Parilli threw for 22,681 yards and 178 touchdowns.

In my own youth, I always seemed to get Babe Parilli’s football card...and that was a good thing.

--Sports Illustrated references a study commissioned by SportsBusiness Journal on changing habits among the television audience for every major sport and for 2006 and 2016, you have some of the following.

Average age of viewer....

PGA Tour...59 (2006)...64 (2016)
NASCAR...49...58
MLB...53...57
College Football...48...52
College Basketball (men’s)...48...52
NFL...46...50
NHL...42...49
NBA...40...42

Yes, it’s about cord cutting and online viewership among younger fans.

--The movie “Dunkirk” hits theaters on July 21 and I’ve told a few friends, as much as I love the idea for this flick, I don’t see it doing well at the box office because young people no doubt have zero clue as to the importance of this World War II evacuation that Winston Churchill called “a miracle of deliverance.”

So I’m reading the current issue of Army Times and a few facts.

The evacuation was code-named Operation Dynamo and began May 26, 1940, with the first rescues the next day, and then lasting 10 days, May 27 being the day Germany destroyed Dunkirk’s harbor in France.

From May 27 to June 4, 338,226 troops were evacuated, including 198,000 British service members and 140,000 from France and Belgium.

But 50,000 British troops weren’t evacuated, many of whom fought rear-guard actions as the boats left the shore.  About 11,000 were killed.  The rest became prisoners of war, some for the duration of the conflict.

240 ships were lost, including nine destroyers (six British, three French). Another 49 were damaged.

About 1,000 ships were used during the evacuation.

Actually, writing this I’m kind of pissed off, because I know that when I was growing up, say 1970-76 for Grades 7-12, it was just common knowledge what Dunkirk was and I’m guessing today that it would be 20%, max, of kids who knew of it (and I think I’m being very generous...I asked Ken P. and he said I was off by at least 18%...your editor always deferring to the Duke grad on such matters...not all Duke grads, mind you...but another Duke grad, Brad K., is one of my go-to All-Species List guys...though on other matters I’m fully confident in relying on my own Demon Deacondom....not to get totally off track here....).

--Rapper DMX was arraigned in Manhattan Federal Court on Friday for failing to cough up $1.7 million in taxes.  After posting $500,000 bond, the Yonkers-born rapper, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was asked what he’d like to say to his fans.

“Thanks for the support,” DMX said outside of the courthouse. “My life is in God’s hands.”

What?!  For this idiotic comment, DMX goes in the December file for consideration for multiple hardware at our annual awards dinner.   [He hasn’t filed a tax return in years, you understand.  Me thinks God is more focused on Lil’ Kim Jong Un these days.]

--In a tragic accident, a Canadian fisherman who saved dozens of whales after they became entangled in fishing lines and nets was killed during what turned out to be his last rescue.

Joe Howlett, 59, of Campobello Island, New Brunswick (think “Sunrise at Campobello”), was aboard a Fisheries Department vessel in search of a North Atlantic right whale that was caught in fishing rope near the island’s coast, according to the Canadian press.

After Howlett managed to free the whale, Howlett was somehow struck after Moby was released from the rope and began swimming away.  A spokesman for the Campobello Whale Rescue Team said it was just “some kind of freak thing.”

I’m thinking the ‘right whale’ may have confused the men by going left.

North American right whales can weigh up to 79 tons, which means at least Mr. Howlett must have died instantly.  A 2011 survey of the species found that fewer than 500 remained in the North Atlantic, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Poor guy.

--Special kudos to ESPN for a superb “30 for 30” on Mike and the Mad Dog last week.  It’s tough to do any story like this justice in one hour, but the producers for this one nailed it.  There were some touching moments and I, for one, didn’t know all the details behind Mike Francesa’s childhood and relationship with Chris Russo’s father.

For years I would catch these guys as I drove home from work when I was up in Connecticut, or when traveling around offices, and even today, I normally schedule errands around Francesa’s opening monologue.  Yeah, he’s incredibly irritating at times, but the guy is an institution.  We’re going to miss him when he goes off the air this coming December, even if many of us don’t want to admit it.

As for who will replace Francesa, I say it’s Gov. Chris Christie, concurring with most others weighing in these days.  He nailed his recent two-day audition and checks off all the boxes.  There is a difference between approval ratings and radio ratings, as columnist Steve Politi put it (NJ.com).  A lot of people hate Francesa, but they listen, and Christie knows his sports (and will only get better), he’s controversial (good), but also highly-listenable with a good sense of humor.

Politi cites one example of the Christie style.  He called Eli Manning a liar over his memorabilia scandal.  No one calls Eli a liar, at least in public.  But the governor did and it made headlines.  Good.   That’s what management at WFAN should want, right?

Do I like Gov. Christie?  Hell no.  Will I listen.  Hell yeah (at least for a few months).

Top 3 songs for the week 7/15/78: #1 “Shadow Dancing” (Andy Gibb) #2 “Baker Street” (Gerry Rafferty...great beginning, rest of song....eh....)  #3 “Take A Chance On Me” (Abba)... and...#4 “Use Ta Be My Girl” (The O’Jays)  #5 “Still The Same” (Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band...mailed it in on this one...)  #6 “Miss You” (The Rolling Stones)  #7 “The Groove Line”  (Heatwave... loved this one in the day....)  #8 Dance With Me” (Peter Brown with Betty Wright)  #9 “It’s A Heartache” (Bonnie Taylor...ugh...)  #10 “Last Dance” (Donna Summer...I was always more interested in ‘Last Call’....Ah yes, Summer of ’78, when your editor was selling books door-to-door in Oklahoma and Kansas...the world’s worst salesman...as Donald Trump would have said of my futility, “They say, it’s never been done before!”...but I knew how to ask for a glass of water...and at the end of the day, boys and girls, that saved my life, or I would have been a skeleton among the dead cattle that brutally hot campaign....)

Mets Quiz Answers: 1) 120 RBI: Mike Piazza, 124, 1999; David Wright, 124, 2008; Robin Ventura, 120, 1999.  2) 40 HR: Carlos Beltran, 41, 2006; Todd Hundley, 41, 1996; Mike Piazza, 40, 1999.  [Darryl Strawberry had 39 twice.]  3) .340 BA: John Olerud, .354, 1998; Mike Piazza, .348, 1998; Moises Alou, .341, 2007; Cleon Jones, .340, 1969.  [For any old-time Mets fan, Jones’ season is the most indelible .340 in the history of the world.  On our death beds, with half a brain cell left, we won’t remember who those surrounding us are, but with our last dying breaths, we’ll say, “Cleon hit .340....urp....”]

Next Bar Chat, Thursday....a special one, though this particular column may not be too special itself.

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