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Bar Chat

05/08/2017

Freakin' Mets...and Matt Harvey

[Posted Sunday, prior to end of Celtics-Wizards, and Cubs-Yankees.]

NBA Draft Quiz: 1) From 2001-2004, non-college players were selected first overall in the draft.  Name ‘em.  2) Who am I? I was selected No. 1 overall out of Illinois State.  3)  Who am I? I was selected No. 1 overall out of Providence.  Answers below.

Kentucky Derby

I thought Always Dreaming’s win in the Derby was sensational, given the circumstances, and there is no reason he won’t recover in time for the Preakness.

To win by 2 ¾ lengths in a 20-horse field (really 19 after Thunder Snow decided, ‘You know, I really don’t feel like racing today’), in the slop, with relative ease says an awful lot to me.

The win, over second-place longshot Lookin At Lee (another longshot, Battle of Midway, was third for some rather hefty exacta and trifecta payoffs), was the second Derby win for trainer Todd Pletcher (the other, Super Saver, in 2010, also on a sloppy track) and the second for his jockey, John Velazquez, who was masterful up top.  It’s all about track position in such a huge field heading into the first turn and Velazquez had Always Dreaming perfectly placed.

Always Dreaming is owned by Anthony Bonomo, a New York lawyer, and Vincent Viola – a billionaire Wall Street trader who was President Trump’s nominee to be secretary of the Army until he withdrew his name due to his business interests.

Viola is also the owner of the NHL’s Florida Panthers.

On to the Preakness, where our Derby champion should be a decided favorite.  Then......

Well, first things first.

MLB

--Talk about a Tale of Two Cities, or two fan bases, the Yankees are off to a surprisingly terrific start, 19-9 prior to Sunday night’s game, playing exciting baseball, while the amazingly dysfunctional Mets, 14-16 after being blanked 7-0 by the Marlins today, are beyond disappointing.

Yankee fans have every reason to be pumped.  Aaron Judge is no longer to me a budding star, he’s already arrived.  This is no flash in the pan...13 home runs, 27 home runs, .320 BA, thru Saturday.

Friday, the Yankees won in dramatic fashion in Wrigley Field, Brett Gardner hitting a 3-run homer for a come-from-behind 3-2 win.

Saturday, the Yankees won again, 11-6, as Aaron Hicks went 4-for-5 with 3 RBIs.  He’s up to .355!  More on him next time.

Meanwhile, the Mets, who have been hitting up a storm since the injury to Yoenis Cespedes, had a terrific win at home Friday against the Marlins.  Down 7-1 in the fourth, they scored 5 in the seventh and the bullpen closed it out, 8-7.

Saturday, the Mets won 11-3 to pull back to within one game of .500.

But then we learned Sunday morning, our starter for that day, Matt Harvey, who has believed for some time now that he is far better than he really is, but because of his attitude spends his spare time trying to nail every super model on the planet (super models are largely idiots and don’t know better....except Hannah Davis Jeter, I hasten to add!....), anyway, where was I?

Oh yeah, so we learned Harvey was suspended for three games for “violating team rules,” though there was no talk of the specifics.  As the day progressed, though, it seems the Mets had finally had too much of his diva behavior, and general jerkdom in the clubhouse.

I like to deal in the facts but, reading between the lines after Sunday’s postgame press conference with manager Terry Collins, there was an inference Harvey may not have shown up for Saturday’s game, even though he was scheduled to start Sunday.

Just what the Metsies needed as they took the field, trying to get to 15-15.

Oh, because Harvey couldn’t start, they called up journeyman Adam Wilk, and the poor guy, having flown in from Albuquerque overnight, proceeded to blow, lasting just 3 2/3, with Giancarlo Stanton blasting two rockets, as the Mets were one-hit by Jose Urena, given a spot start, and three relievers.  Mets lose 7-0.

Thank you, Matt Harvey.  Into the December file you go for serious consideration for “Jerk of the Year,” which they say, Matt, even supermodels don’t respect.

--In other games, Saturday, the Nationals beat the Phillies 6-2 in Philadelphia as Ryan Zimmerman continued his otherworldly start, hitting his 13th home run and driving in three. He now has the 13 round-trippers plus 34 RBIs and a stupendous .435 batting average.  Good lord!

--The Angels beat the Astros 2-1 on Saturday, which I have to mention because Mike Trout sat out, day-to-day with a hamstring issue, though he extended his personal-best hitting streak to 17 in Friday’s contest; Trout hitting .355, with 8 HR, 21 RBI.

Trout was out Sunday as well.

--The Dodgers routed the Padres in San Diego Saturday night, 10-2, as Clayton Kershaw threw 7 1/3 of one-run ball, though he walked four, all unintentionally, for the first time in four years.  Kershaw is 5-2, 2.40 ERA.

But the big story in L.A. these days is the play of 21-year-old rookie Cody Bellinger. Filling in now at first for the injured Adrian Gonzalez, all Bellinger has done is slam 5 home runs, drive in 14, and hit .357 in his first 42 big-league at bats!

As Ronald Reagan would have said from his California ranch, ‘Not bad, not bad at all.’

--According to James Wagner of the New York Times, and a web site, ManGamesLost.com, which keeps track of disabled-list transactions and day-to-day injuries, the team with the most instances in which players missed a game because of an injury, for the period 2010 to 2016, is the Los Angeles Dodgers, who won four straight N.L. West titles in that time, leading baseball with 7,169 games lost.

The Mets were seventh, out of 30 teams, with 5,545.  [Texas, San Diego, Boston, Oakland and Philadelphia are the teams in between.]

What makes the Mets stand out, aside from being in the media capital of the world, is how the team has mishandled so many of its injuries.

--Follow-up: The Boston Red Sox permanently banned a fan from Fenway Park who used a racial slur toward another fan.  The team took the action Wednesday, in the wake of Baltimore star Adam Jones’ episode Monday night, where he was racially taunted during a game in Boston.

The fan on fan episode took place at Tuesday’s game.

For you younger folk out there, racism has been an age-old topic in Boston. It was in April 1959 that the Red Sox became the last team in the league to field a black player, “Pumpsie” Green, who was a part-timer from 1959-62, before finishing his career with the Mets in 1963.

Sportswriter Howard Bryant wrote in his 2002 book, “Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston,” that many black baseball players required clauses in their contracts that guaranteed they wouldn’t be traded to Boston; which included modern-day players like David Justice, Gary Sheffield and Dave Winfield.

Countless Boston professional athletes have faced racism in their home-buying attempts.

Dee Brown of the Celtics was drafted in the first round in 1990, and when he was closing on a house in Wellesley, an affluent suburb, he and his fiancée were surrounded by nine police officers – five with guns drawn, and ordered to lie face down on the pavement.  The officers were looking for a black man who had apparently robbed a nearby bank.  A short time later, Brown announced he wasn’t moving to Wellesley.  [Cleve R. Wootson Jr. / Washington Post]

--Billionaire Charles Dean Metropoulos, who has a buyout firm that took control of Hostess Brands, for one, is major competition for Derek Jeter and Jeb Bush and their bid for the Miami Marlins, according to the New York Post.

What Jeter and Bush have to be worried about is Metropoulos’ mindset.  He has long wanted to buy a sports team for his two sons.  He has also reportedly met with Bush in the last few weeks.

Meanwhile, speaking of using Daddy’s money, Mitt Romney’s son, Tagg, is doing just this in leading another bidding group.

As for Jeb, it’s not known if he would accept a minority, non-active role with Metropoulos.  Jeter would obviously be left out in the cold, though warmed by Hannah...cough cough....cough.

So, as I noted before, this process seemingly has months to play out.

--Johnny Mac passed along an update on how Tim Tebow is having an impact on the South Atlantic League, Low-A ball, in terms of crowds on the road.  The Hickory Crawdads sold out their four games with Tebow’s team, the Columbia Firebirds, a total of 17,500 for the series, surpassing the 15,900 they drew their first eight games.

All of Tebow’s games are sellouts. Thru Sat., he was batting .236 (21-for-89) with still just the two early home runs and 9 RBIs.

I know the Mets want to cash in on the merchandising, which they aren’t able to do so at Columbia, and would at High-A St. Lucie, but the Mets shouldn’t advance him until he can hit better at his current level.

--We note the passing of longtime ballplayer, then manager, Sam Mele, at the age of 95.

Mele was an outfielder for a number of teams for 10 seasons, 1947-56, batting .267, and then he managed the Minnesota Twins from 1961-67, going 524-436, while leading the 102-60 Twins to the 1965 World Series, where they lost to the Dodgers in seven; Sandy Koufax outdueling Jim Kaat in Game 7, 2-0.  This is the first baseball I vaguely still remember watching on our family’s big black and white TV, yours truly becoming a full-time baseball fan in 1966.

Jim Kaat said of that team, “Sam was perfect for us at that time. There wasn’t a lot of overmanaging in those days.  They just threw the ball out and let you play, and Sam did that and it was the best thing for us.”

Mele grew up in Queens, where he was a local sports legend. He got to learn the game from his uncles Tony and Al Cuccinello, who were major league infielders.

Mele then became an outstanding baseball and basketball player at New York University.

He would serve on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific during World War II, playing on military baseball teams.  After being discharged from the Marines, having enlisted as a Marine reserve in 1942, he signed with the Red Sox and made his debut for Boston in 1947.

But there is this famous story from the New York Times, concerning Mele and the ’65 Twins.

During a spring training game against the Mets, Mele yanked shortstop Zoilo Versalles for making a half-hearted attempt to field a grounder.

“Versalles headed for the clubhouse after the inning, but Mele told him: ‘Go sit in the dugout and watch the game.  You might learn something.’

“When Versalles hesitated, Billy Martin, Mele’s third-base coach, beckoned Versalles to sit next to him.  ‘O.K., for you I go,’ Versalles told Martin.

“ ‘You’ll do it for me,’ Mele retorted, ‘and that will cost you $100.’

“Versalles: ‘Why not make it $200?’

“Mele: ‘O.K., it’s $200.’

“Versalles: ‘Why not $300?’

“Mele: ‘That’s what it is, $300.’

“Martin made Versalles his reclamation project during the season, encouraging him to hustle and praising him when he did.

“ ‘He’s the only one who helped me all the time,’ Versalles said when he won the league’s Most Valuable Player Award, putting the spring training embarrassment behind him.  ‘He inspired me.’”  [Richard Goldstein / New York Times]

--Phew...in one of my Ferraro’s Lunch Bets with Boston College alum Steve D., I won my third straight, after a disastrous streak, as my Wake Forest Demon Deacons defeated the Eagles 2 of 3 this weekend in baseball.

The problem is I have to face him in golf Monday morning at 7:00 and it’s going to be below 40 f’n degrees!  Nothing on the line, but he might threaten to force a bet, Steve being far better than moi.  [Thank god he won’t see this before the contest....I think.]

NBA

--Cleveland continued to roll, wrapping up its series with Toronto in four, winning 109-102, as LeBron James had another 35 point effort.  King James has the following point totals in the Cavs’ 8-0 sweep of the first two rounds.

35, 35, 39, 35, 33, 41, 25, 32...34 point average on 57% shooting from the field, .486 from three.  I’d say that’s kind of awesome.

--As I post the Celtics are at the Wizards for their Game 4, up 2-1.

--Saturday, Golden State, down 75-74 after three, came out with a fourth-quarter spurt and cruised to a 102-91 win over Utah in Salt Lake City to take a 3-0 series lead in the Western Conference semifinals.  Kevin Durant, fully recovered from his injury, had 38 points and 13 rebounds, even as Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were just a combined 7 for 29 from the field.

The Warriors are now 7-0 in the playoffs, 5-0 with assistant Mike Brown at the helm as coach Steve Kerr continues to deal with debilitating back issues.  Warriors owner Joe Lacob said Kerr had his spine drained to hopefully alleviate the problem that forced him to take a leave of absence.  You have to feel for the guy.  Hang in there, Coach.

--In the San Antonio-Houston series, it was assumed by yours truly, and a lot of others, that after getting their butts kicked in Game 1, 126-99, the Spurs would just roll over.

Well, I’d like to apologize to coach Gregg Popovich and Spurs Nation for being such an idiot.

In Game 2, Wednesday, Kawhi Leonard had 34 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds to lead San Antonio to a 121-96 victory, evening the series at one game apiece, though they lost guard Tony Parker to a leg injury...out for the playoffs.  The Spurs held Rockets superstar James Harden to just 13 points on 3 of 17 shooting.  [Leonard was a masterful 13 of 16.]

Then on Friday in Houston, San Antonio came up big again, taking the Rockets 103-92, as LaMarcus Aldridge suddenly decided to play the role of ‘co-star,’ scoring 26 points, while Leonard added 26 of his own, plus 10 rebounds and 7 assists.  Harden did score 43 in defeat.

On to Game 4 Sunday night...but after I go to post.

--Former New York City high school, Austin Peay University hoops legend James “Fly” Williams, who played just one season in the ABA, was charged with being the ringleader in a massive 13-person heroin operation in Brooklyn, where he grew up in the 1960s and ‘70s.  Williams is facing 10 felony charges for leading a group that sold 2 million packages of heroin in various neighborhoods over a three-month period.

Authorities recovered $180,000 in cash and 2 kilograms of heroin.

At Austin Peay, where he averaged nearly 30 points per game over his two seasons, there was so much interest in the program that they built a new arena.  His play also sparked the chant, “The fly is open, let’s go Peay!”

But Williams was declared ineligible after his sophomore season, owing to academic and off-court issues.  He was then drafted by the Spirits of St. Louis in the first round of the 1974 ABA draft, averaging 9.4 points per game.

However, he was never able to catch on in the NBA and played with various minor-league outfits in the U.S. and overseas.

--Lastly, Lonzo Ball, and his father, LaVar, got what they wanted, a lot of publicity for their new Big Baller Brand signature shoe that is going on the market for $495.

While everyone, including LeBron James, is mocking the price, people are talking about the shoe.  And at the end of the day....

NHL

--After the Rangers upset the Canadiens in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, I was like, well, anything from here on is gravy.  We had had such a miserable second half of the season and none of us expected anything in the postseason to begin with.

But then we blew the first two games in Ottawa, 2-1, and 6-5 in overtime, and the frustration grew all over again. Heck, we could’ve been up 2-0!

But then we stormed back for two complete, dominating performances at the Garden, winning 3 and 4 by identical 4-1 scores. Series tied at 2-2.

So then it was Game 5 back in Ottawa, and there we were with another lead late, 4-3, and once again the Rangers blew it, allowing Ottawa to storm the net, after removing their goalie, and tie the game up with 1:30 left and of course we lost in overtime, Ottawa now back up 3-2.

Yes, if we lose this series, it’s all on them.

Larry Brooks / New York Post

“It has gotten to the point where it’s hard to think this isn’t boring a hole in the Rangers’ collective psyche – that is, trying to defend a lead when the opposition pulls their goaltender for the extra attacker.

“For the third time this postseason [Ed. including one game against Montreal], the Rangers gave up a 6-on-5 goal and blew a late-game lead...

“ ‘There’s definitely an area, as far as structure-wise, that I thought we had addressed,’ coach Alain Vigneault said of the game-tying play.  ‘Maybe the guys didn’t know the goaltender was coming. But there was less than two minutes, they’re down by a goal, so [they] should expect it.  But maybe the guys got caught there not knowing that the goalie was out.’....

“Asked if there’s a reason that has happened three times this postseason, captain Ryan McDonagh simply said, ‘No.’”

Pathetic.

I do have to credit the spectacular last pass by Eric Karlsson on the tying goal, Karlsson, the Senators’ leader, playing 31 minutes with a very painful heel injury (two hairline fractures), but in typical hockey fashion, he gutted it out.

--The Washington Capitals were down 2-1 after two periods Saturday night at the Verizon Center and given the franchise’s decided lack of playoff success, it was assumed to be over, the Penguins up 3-1 in the series and about to close it out.

But the Caps stormed out for three goals in the third and won it 4-2, forcing a Game 6 in Pittsburgh on Monday.

Last year it was the exact same scenario.  Washington forced a Game 6 in Pittsburgh, with the Penguins taking it in overtime.

Reminder, despite all their playoff appearances since the franchise came into existence in 1974-75, the Caps have lost their lone Stanley Cup Final and have been to only one other Conference Final!  This is in 26 playoff appearances prior to this year.  Geezuz, that sucks!

--In the Edmonton-Anaheim series, what a game they had Friday night in Anaheim.  The Ducks were down 3-0 in the third, with less than 3 ½ minutes to play, and all they did was score three times to send it into overtime, after which they won in the second OT, 4-3. Remarkable. 

The goals came at the 16:44, 17:19 and 19:45 marks, as Anaheim because just the second team to erase a three-goal deficit in the final four minutes of regulation to force overtime in a playoff game, Edmonton being the other team to do so in 1997.

Golf Balls

--30-year-old Brian Harman picked up his second PGA Tour win at the Wells Fargo (we’ll create an account for you) Championship in Wilmington, N.C., the regular host, Quail Hollow, outside Charlotte, hosting the PGA Championship this summer.

Dustin Johnson, in his return from his pre-Masters debacle, finished tied for second with Pat Perez, so D.J. is back, just in time for The Players Championship next week.

I do have to add, Harman made one sweet birdie on 18 to clinch it.

And I got blown away with my DraftKings lineup because I had Bill Haas and Webb Simpson, being the loyal Wake Forest guy that I am, and they both missed the freakin’ cut!  [C’mon, guys.  You can do better than this.]

--John Daly took a one-shot lead over Kenny Perry heading into the final round of the Champions’ Insperity Invitational at The Woodlands, Texas.  Daly hasn’t won a tournament of any kind since the PGA Tour’s 2004 Buick Invitational.  Could he close the deal?

He did!  One shot over Perry, and Tommy Armour III, despite bogeying each of the last three holes.

--From Brian Costa / Wall Street Journal: In 1994, six players on the PGA Tour earned more than $1 million in prize money.  In 2016, there were 107.  [I double-checked this...so you don’t have to.]

By the way, the money leader in 1994 was Nick Price at $1,499,927; Greg Norman second, Mark McCumber third.

--If you’ve been wondering where veteran golfer John Senden has been, the Aussie had to take a leave of absence.  His 13-year-old son has brain cancer.  Our thoughts and prayers for this good man and his family.

NASCAR

--Sunday’s Talladega 500 went into overtime and I defy you to find a better last lap as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. picked up his first Cup win with tremendous driving, defeating Jamie McMurray and Kyle Busch.

--Joey Logano, the winner last week at Richmond International Raceway, was hit with major penalties by NASCAR the other day, as a follow-up inspection of his winning car revealed an illegal suspension.  NASCAR labeled the win as “encumbered” and penalized the team five playoff points, 25 regular-season points and $50,000.  More importantly, crew chief Todd Gordon was suspended for two races, and the tainted Richmond victory can’t be used to qualify Logano for the playoffs.

Logano admitted that Team Penske was guilty of a rules infraction but said the team was pushing the envelope to gain speed advantage.

Logano said: “The penalty is pretty severe.  It wasn’t like a big thing, but the rule is written in black and white. We pushed a little too far.”

This is a big deal, especially in that the win can’t be used to qualify him for the playoffs.

Premier League

--Friday, my Tottenham Spurs lost their last chance at a run for the title, losing away to West Ham, 1-0, so it’s Chelsea.  After 9 in a row, which ain’t easy to do in the PL, the Spurs came up with a flat effort.  But they will finish the season second, which is darn good.

--Saturday, the big action involved the relegation battle.

Last place Sunderland, out of nowhere, beat Hull City 2-0, and then No. 18 Swansea City held on defeat 7 Everton 1-0...so suddenly Swansea vaulted ahead of Hull for the 17 position and another season in the Premier League, should they hold court their final two games.

17. Swansea  36 (games) – 35 (points)
18. Hull 36 – 34
19. Middlesbrough 35 – 28
20. Sunderland 35 – 24

Also Saturday, Man City manhandled Crystal Palace 5-0.

--Sunday, Arsenal came up big with a 2-0 win over Manchester United, keeping the Gunners’ Champions League hopes alive.

Liverpool, though, managed only a 0-0 draw with Southampton.

Standings....

1. Chelsea 34 – 81
2. Tottenham 35 – 77
3. Liverpool 36 – 70
4. Manchester City 35 – 69
5. Manchester United 35 – 65
6. Arsenal 34 – 63

[Monday, Chelsea hosts Middlesbrough.]

--In the Champions League semifinals, first leg, Juventus defeated Monaco, at Monaco, 2-0, while Real Madrid, hosting rival Atletico Madrid, waxed them 3-0.

Talk about poor timing, I gave my Juventus shirt, picked up in my travels, to a young soccer fan, the son of a friend.  Jimmy, wear it to school! 

Stuff

--The sporting world was shocked to learn Saturday that longtime U.S. bobsledding star Steven Holcomb had died in Lake Placid, New York, at the age of 37.  The cause of death is not known as yet.  Holcomb was found dead in his room at the Olympic Training Center.

The native of Park City, Utah, was a three-time Olympian, and the moment American followers of winter sports will remember most was his piloting of the four-man sled to an Olympic gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Games, snapping a 62-year gold-medal drought for the U.S.

I mean for years and years, growing up you’d watch the U.S. perform pathetically on the world stage until Holcomb came along.  He also drove to bronze medals in both two- and four-man events at the Sochi Games in 2014, and was expected to be part of the 2018 U.S. team headed to the Pyeongchang Games.

Holcomb was also a former world champion in both two- and four-man competition.

U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Scott Blackmun said: “The entire Olympic family is shocked and saddened by the incredible tragic loss today of Steven Holcomb.  Steve was a tremendous athlete and even better person, and his perseverance and achievements were an inspiration to us all.  Our thoughts and prayers are with Steve’s family and the entire bobsledding community.”

This past season, Holcomb finished second on the World Cup circuit in two-man points and third in four-man points.  His final victory came at a two-man event in Lake Placid in December.

Holcomb did have a battle with depression and in his autobiography, “But Now I See: My Journey from Blindness to Olympic Gold,” he wrote of a failed hotel-room suicide attempt in 2007, which he believed largely stemmed from his battle with the an eye disease, keratoconus, which required surgery to save his eyesight.

--Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, who wasn’t being signed as a free agent, is joining Tony Romo in the broadcast booth, Cutler hired by Fox Sports to team with Kevin Burkhardt and Charles Davis.

--Asked about the allegations that Eli Manning is involved in a memorabilia scam, ex-Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz spoke glowingly of Manning’s character.

“For years in this town everyone has seen him out and about – or probably not seen him because he doesn’t go anywhere – but any time he’s in front of a camera, you see him, he’s always a stand-up guy. He’s always been a high-character individual. So when you see something like this happen, you’re initial reaction is, ‘Nah, I don’t know what this is, but it will blow over soon.’”

But, Cruz doesn’t actually expect this controversy to blow over because Manning still has not explained the context of an email he sent to equipment manager Joe Skiba seeking “2 helmets that can pass as game used” in 2010.  Memorabilia collectors claim in a civil lawsuit that Manning gave gear that was not worn in games to be sold by Steiner Sports as authentic.

Cruz said: “Eli is going to have to admit or own up to whatever this is and we’ll see what happens. Because there’s a question of what was that email about.  You’re asking your equipment manager to send you something that resembles game-worn apparel. What is it about? Is it for your auntie back in Mississippi that just wants a jersey?  Or is it for someone that is paying you for whatever?”

Bottom line, this issue is going to dog Manning all season until he opens up.

--The effort by European Athletics to rewrite the track and field record book is not going down well with a lot of world-class performers.  For example, long jumper Michael Powell’s 8.95 meters (29’ 4 ¼”) record set in August 1991 has never been bettered.  But it’s possible this one could be removed.

“There are some records out there that are kind of questionable, I can see that, but mine is the real deal.  It’s a story of human heart and guts, one of the greatest moments in the sport’s history,” says Powell. I believe him.

Bob Beamon had famously held the long-jump record for 23 years, setting his astounding mark at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics (in the altitude).

Today, only the discus throw (1986), the hammer throw (1986) and shot put (1990) world records have stood for longer in men’s outdoor athletics.

--Saturday, at a racetrack in Monza, Italy, Kenyan long-distance runner Eliud Kipchoge ran a marathon in 2 hours and 25 seconds, about 2 ½ minutes faster than the current world record.

This was all part of the Nike Project, what the shoe/apparel company has called a moonshot, to find a way, through science and technology (think shoes), for a marathoner to run one in under two hours.

So Nike had this race set up with three of the world’s best distance runners.  The race used pace runners and a hydration strategy that disqualifies it for an official record, but Nike refuted the suggestion it was nothing more than a publicity stunt, designed to showcase its new Zoom Vaporfly Elite shoe.

The last three-minute improvement in the world record took 16 years.

I happened to catch a fascinating program by CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta about a month ago on the Nike Project and the testing beforehand.  It’s worth looking up, if you’re an avid runner.  [It also makes you wish you had a backyard track like the beautiful spot at Nike’s Oregon headquarters where runners like Galen Rupp train.  I know I’d be more motivated to get out there.]

Nike is in a big battle these days with resurgent Adidas, which has found success with its Boost running shoe.

--Some of you have heard this one, but my brother reminded me I didn’t bring it up last chat.

The New York Times I believe was the first to have a story on the NYC man who is on a special mission.  His lifelong friend, a plumber, has died, you see, and the man is responsible for disposing of his ashes. So he has set out to flush partial remains down the toilets of ballparks across the country.  The man typically waits for the first pitch and then makes his way to the restroom, where he pulls out a little plastic bottle, sprinkles his friend’s ashes into the toilet and...Kerflush! 

So in the case of going to PNC Park in Pittsburgh, that’s one way to fulfill a lifelong dream to find yourself at the confluence of the Ohio, Allegheny and Monongahela rivers!

Though as my brother noted, this isn’t exactly a Viking funeral.

--One of the world’s nastiest creatures, the Komodo dragon, attacked a tourist in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province the other day.  Park rangers said the incident was “the first in the past five years.”

The Komodo’s bite is highly venomous, its mouth just full of disease, and the 50-year-old victim, identified as a man from Singapore, ignored warnings not to get too close to take pictures.

He was then “severely bitten” on his left leg.  No word on his condition.

The executive board of the All-Species List is in emergency session to determine if the Komodo Dragon is now worthy of Top Ten status.  Copious amounts of grog are being consumed as part of the decision process.

By the way, no ruling as yet on whether ‘Elephant’ faces any sanctions from an issue in South Africa.  The ASL High Court (the highest of the high) has yet to be heard from at their location in the mountains of Kazakhstan. 

--We note the passing of Mario Maglieri, who died Thursday at age 93.  I have to admit I did not know this name, but he was the unofficial scion of a key club in West Hollywood in the 1960s, Whisky a Go Go, and later the Rainbow Bar & Grill, where many such as Led Zeppelin, Cypress Hill, Guns N’ Roses and Motorhead played.  Elton John played the launch party for Rainbow in 1972.

Maglieri was born in Sepino, Italy, 1924, and immigrated to the United States with his family when he was a toddler, moving to Los Angeles in the early 1960s, Maglieri having operated clubs and restaurants in Chicago.

So along with another former Chicagoan, Lou Adler, and a Chicago friend Elmer Valentine, the trio staked a claim along a few Sunset Boulevard blocks, setting up Whisky, and then the Roxy.

At Whisky’s peak in the 1960s, its stage hosted the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Buffalo Springfield, the Doors and the Mothers of Invention.

Whisky then evolved over time to include Guns N’ Roses and Motley Crue.

Maglieri witnessed all of rock ‘n’ roll’s excesses, though he said he’d never so much as smoked a joint himself.  John Belushi had his last meal at the Rainbow before overdosing at the Chateau Marmont.  Maglieri also bought one of Janis Joplin’s last bottles of Southern Comfort.

He once said Guns N’ Roses was the rowdiest.  “They’re good guys, but they get out of hand.”  [Randall Roberts / Los Angeles Times]

Top 3 songs for the week 5/5/79: #1 “Reunited” (Peaches & Herb)  #2 “Heart Of Glass” (Blondie...just shoot me...)  #3 “Music Box Dancer” (Frank Mills...eegads...)...and...#4 “Knock On Wood” (Amii Stewart...make it stop!...)  #5 “Stumblin’ In” (Suzi Quatro & Chris Norman...what a godawful week...)  #6 “In The Navy” (Village People...sorry, never was a fan...)  #7 “I Want Your Love” (Chic)  #8 “Goodnight Tonight” (Wings...awful...Sir Paul in his ‘just make money’ period...)  #9 “Take Me Home” (Cher)  #10 “He’s The Greatest Dancer” (Sister Sledge...I don’t know what to say, but I’m heading to the George Washington Bridge to launch myself into the glom....I just can’t cope with such crap....Meanwhile, I was finishing up my junior year at Wake Forest, having been allowed to return...I would need to go to summer school, though, to get the credits to graduate in four years the following June...would I be successful?... was summer school more fun that it was supposed to be?...stay tuned.....)

NBA Draft Quiz Answers: 1) No. 1 overall picks 2001-2004, all non-college.  2001: Kwame Brown / Wizards; 2002: Yao Ming / Rockets; 2003: LeBron James / Cavs; 2004: Dwight Howard / Magic.  2) Doug Collins was the first pick in the 1973 draft out of Illinois State, selected by the 76ers.  3) Jimmy Walker was No. 1 in 1967 out of Providence, taken by the Pistons.

Boy, was Kwame Brown a stiff or what?

Next Bar Chat, Thursday.

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