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05/22/2017

No Triple Crown Winner

[Posted Sunday p.m.]

Detroit Tigers Quiz: 1) Name the six to have 1,200 RBIs in a Tigers uniform.  Yes, you’re going to have to know some baseball history.  Miguel Cabrera is not on the list.  2) Name the only three to hit 45 home runs in a season for the Tigers.  Answers below.

Preakness

So much for a dream Belmont Stakes, with home-town boy Always Dreaming gunning for the Triple Crown with its two owners, Vinnie Viola and Anthony Bonomo, out of the Bronx.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the Belmont and eternal glory.  Cloud Computing, which had skipped the Kentucky Derby, ran down co-favorite Classic Empire, winning by a head (or less) as Always Dreaming faded.

Dreaming and Empire had staged a match race for nearly the first mile, before it became clear Always Dreaming didn’t have anything left in the tank following the tough Derby run in the slop (I really did think the horse would have something in reserve), while Classic Empire didn’t have a third gear in the final 1/8th. 

Yes, once again we learned just how tough the two-week turnaround can be, especially after a race with a 20-horse field.

Cloud Computing, on the other hand, has been lightly raced, the Preakness being just its fourth and second victory.  Trainer Chad Brown, the current Eclipse Award winning trainer (ditto the horse’s jockey, Javier Castellano...current Eclipse Award winning jockey), had enough points to race in the Derby, but didn’t like the idea of his colt being in a race with 20 others.

Bottom line, this makes you appreciate the likes of American Pharoah all the more.  Winning all three in five weeks is so tough...it’s brutal...but it’s what keeps a lot of us eagerly awaiting the Derby and Preakness each spring.

No definitive word on Always Dreaming’s next step, but Viola and Bonomo will be under intense pressure to give it one more go with their horse in three weeks.  [Early word has trainer Todd Pletcher not wanting to go for the Belmont, while Chad Brown is leaning against it as well, which would leave Classic Empire to clean up.]

However, the year is still young, with some big races down the pike, leading up to the Breeders Cup. 

Personally, I’d target The Haskell at Monmouth Park, July 30, and the Travers Stakes at Saratoga, Aug. 26, which is what American Pharoah did after, the second race a mistake by the owner and trainer, though Pharoah finished a tough second.

But then I’m afraid to even ride a horse so what the hell do I know?!

MLB

--While the Yankees have gotten off to a fast, exciting start, far better than their fans expected, the fear is that their pitching staff would fall back to earth after performing above expectations.

So now the Yanks, after a 21-9 start, entered Sunday’s play having gone 3-7 and given up five or more runs in eight of the ten. The biggest offender is ace Masahiro Tanaka, who is 5-3, but with a 6.56 ERA.  Tanaka in just his last two starts has yielded seven home runs in only 4 2/3 innings!  Good lord, that blows.  He says he’s healthy, but if he doesn’t turn it around, the Yanks will not make the playoffs, pure and simple. 

Sunday, though, New York beat the Rays 3-2 to move to 25-16, back in first by a half game over Baltimore.

--Mets manager Terry Collins set the franchise record for most games managed Friday night, his 1,013th, surpassing Davey Johnson’s 1,012, as the Mets snapped a seven-game losing streak in defeating the Angels 3-0 at Citi Field.  The Mets then hung on for a 7-5 win over Mike Trout’s team and suddenly there was cause to be excited about Sunday afternoon’s contest...until there wasn’t....the Metsies falling behind 9-0 early and losing 12-5.

--I saw a piece on CNN by Nick Payton Walsh, undercover in Venezuela, where authorities will arrest you if you are putting the regime in a bad light, and I thought I knew everything that was going on here...the living hell it has become. But Walsh’s report was not just terrific, the scenes of the gangs roaming the streets, holding people up for food, takes it to another level.

I mean this is Caracas...so imagine what it is like elsewhere.  My point being, if you are a major league ballplayer from there, I’m sorry, you have to leave your family (if you can’t get them out) until there is a change at the top.  There is absolutely no way you return.  If you’re not dead meat, you’re going to be kidnapped and brutalized for your money.

--Going back to Wednesday, because we’re living in the era of Clayton Kershaw, I know as a baseball fan I always want to know how he’s doing and he pitched 7 scoreless in gaining his seventh win (7-2, 2.15) as the Dodgers beat the Giants 6-1.

--Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal had a piece on the trend in baseball to go all in on hitting, rather than seeking to build up a franchise on pitching, which had long been the philosophy, Exhibit A of the new thinking being the Chicago Cubs, who no longer look for pitching first when it comes to the draft.

As Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer says, “If you can have three, four top-of-the-rotation guys all together, that’s better than anything you can possibly have.  But it’s hard to make it work.”

So the Cubbies are stocked with talented position players in their primes.

Mets fans can appreciate this.  We were supposed to be loaded with starting pitching heading into the season, seven top-of-the-rotation types for five slots, and now here we sit, after injuries and slow recoveries from same, the highest team ERA in baseball.  And nowhere near the position player strength of the Cubs, or others we’re supposed to be competing with.

Across baseball, 140 major-league pitchers have undergone Tommy John surgery since 2012 – “more than double the amount from the entire 1990s.”  [Diamond]

But the Cubs, under team president Theo Epstein, have made position players their top selection in the four amateur drafts from 2012 through 2015, including Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber.

Meanwhile, 29 other teams have chosen a pitcher within the top 30 picks of the draft since 2011, the exception the Cubs.

Of course the Cubs, with financial flexibility, then can go out and give the likes of pitcher Jon Lester big contracts in free agency.

Now you see the strategy of the Yankees, who are stockpiling young offensive talent both at the major league (Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez) and minor league levels.

My Mets, on the other hand, literally have two top prospects, a shortstop and first baseman, at AAA and zero else.  Even the pitching cupboard is suddenly bare.

By the way, despite the Astros’ success this season, led by homegrown stars such as Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve and George Springer, they nonetheless passed on Kris Bryant for right-hander Mark Appel, and then on Kyle Schwarber for lefty Brady Aiken, both of whom are no longer in the Houston organization.

NBA Playoffs

--Following is a typical conversation in America these days.

“Mom, I’m going to be doing my homework the next few hours.”

“Sorry, Jimmy, you’re watching the NBA Playoffs with your father.”

“But Mom, the playoffs suck!”

“It will be good for you.”

“Who said I have to watch the NBA?” chimes in Dad.

“I did...I’m your wife...now turn it on and talk to your son!”

I mean can you believe just how godawful this postseason has been?  Geezuz.  Golden State stretched their Western Conference finals series lead to 3-0 with an easy 120-108 win over the Kawhi Leonard-less Spurs Saturday, while the Cavs are playing tonight to get to 3-0 against the Celtics.  Neither Cleveland nor Golden State has lost a game in the entire playoffs, a first this deep in NBA playoff history.

--So we go back to Wednesday and Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals at Boston, and Cleveland, after a long rest, came out smoking, took a 61-39 halftime lead and cruised, 117-104, as LeBron had 23 in the first half on 10 of 15 shooting.  He finished with 38 and Kevin Love added 32 points and 12 rebounds, hitting 6 of 9 from three.

Then in Game 2 Friday night, if you were forced to watch this one you are still comatose as the Cavs sprinted out to a 72-31 halftime lead over the Celts and won it 130-86, Boston’s worst home playoff loss ever.  LeBron had 30, and Love 21 and 12 (boards) as he keeps up his solid play; Love being critical to any success the Cavs have when they face the Warriors in the Finals.

--Meanwhile, LeBron James is always miffed at something and this time it’s about not being on the short list for MVP, though upon finding out he wasn’t in the top three, he did largely take the high road at first.

Mike Lupica / New York Daily News

“They announced the three finalists for the NBA’s MVP award this week, and LeBron James’ name wasn’t on the list.

“This basically means that you can continue to be the best all-around basketball player of all time, be on your way to the NBA Finals for the seventh straight time, and yet somehow the voters think you’re not one of the three most valuable players in your sport, not as valuable as James Harden is to the Rockets and Russell Westbrook is to the Thunder and Kawhi Leonard is to the Spurs.

“Leonard is hurt. At least his team is still playing.  Harden’s team is gone.  So is Westbrook’s. There is no intent here to diminish their accomplishments this season, and especially Westbrook’s statistical accomplishments. But not one of them is more valuable to his team than LeBron James is to the Cleveland Cavaliers, not in the regular season, not in the postseason, not now or ever.

Michael Jordan didn’t win the MVP award every season. There is no law passed that LeBron has to, either.  The entire world knows how subjective the whole idea of ‘most valuable’ is in sports.

“Except.

“Except when it comes to LeBron, and even in a time when his team was less than he wanted it to be and less than we thought it would be during a regular season that finally saw the Cavs finish in second place in the Eastern Conference. He is not just the best player and best teammate. He is always the most valuable player, one who continues to influence games in more positive ways, on a nightly basis, than any basketball player ever has.”

All true, but c’mon people.  Let’s just chill out.  The other three had sensational regular seasons and the Cavs, at one point 28-8, went 23-23 their last 46 as they began resting players extensively, including LeBron, a la San Antonio’s modus operandi.  Yes, I think we all recognize the Cavs are 35-47 without King James, but just accept the fact the other three guys had an equal impact on their squads for one year, witness how the Spurs are doing now sans Kawhi.  It’s just one of those seasons, kids.

I mean of all the things to give a damn about in the world of sports these days, this isn’t one of them.

[For the record, LeBron has won four league MVP awards and finished in the top five 11 straight seasons, though this will be the first time he isn’t top three in nine years.  He also averaged career highs in rebounds, 8.6, and assists, 8.7, this campaign.]

--The All-NBA teams were named.

First team: Westbrook, Harden, Leonard, LeBron and Anthony Davis.

Second team: Steph Curry, Isaiah Thomas, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Rudy Gobert.

Third team: DeMar DeRozan, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, DeAndre Jordan and John Wall.  It’s the first time in Wall’s seven-year career he has been named to the All-NBA team.

For LeBron, it was the 11th time he had been named to the first team, matching a record set by Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant.

--Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter was denied entry to Romania after having his passport “canceled,” though with some diplomatic maneuvers he was allowed to travel to London and was to be in New York today.

The NBA had to work with the State Department to get Kanter out of his bind.  He was on a world tour doing charity work.

So here’s the deal.  Kanter is one of Turkey’s best known professional athletes and he has been an outspoken critic of Turkish President Erdogan, plus a supporter of Erdogan’s rival, Fethullah Gulen (living in exile in Pennsylvania), who Erdogan blamed for last July’s failed coup, spurring a massive purge of both the security services and public officials, teachers, lawyers and the like.

Kanter’s family has disowned him because of his political views, no doubt fearing for their safety, with good reason.

In a video, Kanter recently said Erdogan was “a bad, bad man. He is a dictator.”

This season, Kanter was one of the NBA’s better reserves, averaging 14 points and 7 rebounds for the Thunder.

Now he’s in New York and is speaking to the press Monday.

Stanley Cup Playoffs

--Wednesday, Ottawa took a 2-1 series lead against Pittsburgh, winning 5-1 at home.  So Friday, the Penguins started Matt Murray in the net for the first time in the playoffs and he responded with a solid effort in a 3-2 Pittsburgh win (Sidney Crosby with a goal and an assist), series now 2-2.

And then Sunday, back at home, the Penguins annihilated the Senators 7-0.  Game six in Ottawa.  This be over.

--Nashville took a 3-2 series lead on Saturday with a 3-1 win on the road at Anaheim, meaning one thing.  Monday night is must-see TV for hockey fans.  The Nashville crowd will be going nuts as they try to spur their boys to their first Stanley Cup final in the team’s 20-year history.  I know I’ll tune in.

Golf Balls

--Billy Horschel, hot off four missed cuts, suddenly reemerged to win the AT&T Byron Nelson Classic, defeating Jason Day on the first hole of sudden death when Day missed a short par putt.  It was Horschel’s fourth career win and first since 2014, when he shockingly took home the FedEx Cup.

--Jordan Spieth missed his second consecutive cut.

--Rory McIlroy announced his bad back will keep him out of the European Tour’s BMW Championship next week, one of the big tournaments on that circuit and a sign Rory needs to be careful not to rush things, as he might have done participating in the Players Championship.  Next up for Rory would be the Memorial, starting June 1.

--Last week, when Vijay Singh was briefly in contention on Saturday at the Players, this was the ultimate nightmare for the PGA Tour, given its longstanding legal battle with him.  Luckily, Commissioner Jay Monahan didn’t have to present the trophy to Vijay in what would have been one of the more interesting, and tension-filled, award presentations in recent memory.  The two sides hate each other.

But we learned the other day that a court ruling in New York, that of Judge Eileen Brennan, ensures the battle is just heating up and now the Singh case appears headed for trial.

The suit was filed prior to the 2013 Players Championship, to give you a sense of how long this has been going on, and Singh’s team claims the tour was negligent in its handling of Singh’s anti-doping violation and breached its implied covenant of good faith, which harmed the Fijian’s reputation.

According to Singh’s attorney, Peter Ginsberg, there are three main aspects to the case, as reported by Golf Digest:

The tour failed to consult the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as obligated when Singh supposedly violated the drug policy, as well as statements made to the media by then-commissioner Tim Finchem and tour vice president Ty Votaw.

“For perhaps the first time the PGA Tour is going to be held responsible for its treatment of a professional golfer,” Ginsberg told Golf Digest.  “And for its improper administration of its disciplinary policies.”

A January 2013 Sports Illustrated article reported Singh had admitted using deer-antler spray and he was suspended for three months.  The tour then later dropped the suspension, saying WADA changed its stance on IGF-1, which is banned by the tour and WADA, and deer-antler spray, which contains a form of IGF-1 but not the version that is prohibited.

But Singh’s point has been the whole matter should have been kept under wraps, aside from the fact he probably didn’t do anything wrong, and any person familiar with the PGA Tour knows it is more secretive than any other sports organization when it comes to meting out its punishments for violations.  Singh was thus defamed when he should not have been.  He has a great point.

Think about Tiger Woods.  You and I have no idea on the fines, or possibly even suspensions, he has been subjected to.  And of course we have the case of Dustin Johnson.  It has never been made public what the cause for any of his suspensions was, so instead we just have a lot of rumors (like drug use).

However, get this.  Because of the court ruling and the fact the Singh case is now most likely going to trial, other players who have run afoul of the PGA Tour’s anti-doping policy could be exposed for the first time!

Yes, this could get quite interesting...and quite discomforting for some.

--On the Champions Tour, 59-year-old Bernhard Langer shot 64 in the final round of the Regions Tradition to win in a walk, his 31t career senior win and eighth Champions major, thus tying Jack Nicklaus at the top.  This guy is truly amazing. 

--Adam Schupak in the New York Times had a terrific piece this weekend on Bayou Oaks, a municipal golf course that has sprung up in New Orleans, in a neighborhood devastated by Hurricane Katrina.  Think East Lake in Atlanta.

Columbia Parc is a development that surrounds Bayou Oaks, and the story surrounds a mother and her 9-year-old son, Jonathan.  Pretty cool that the kid is growing up with a golf course in his back yard and he’s taking to the sport, thanks to the First Tee of Greater New Orleans program.

The public facility opened on April 21 and was created by none other than noted golf architect Rees Jones, who took two City Park courses left in ruins by Katrina and built an 18-hole layout that is already receiving major props.  Rees Jones designed Torrey Pines and Bethpage Black, two other famous ‘munis’ that have hosted U.S. Opens.

Anyway, a good story all around as the housing development is for all socio-economic levels and the golf course will provide some $500,000 annually from operations for community projects.

Oh, there were critics...wetlands issues and such...but this is great.  I mean picture the kids, with a junior training facility and First Tee program operated by the PGA Tour outside their doors.

Former tour player Joe Ogilvie (Duke grad), who sat on the advisory board, said, “The community is revitalized based on the shared vision that life can be better for the student, the parent and if you achieve that the overall community.”

Amen.

Premier League

--Thursday, with second-place having been locked up, Tottenham destroyed Leicester 6-1 as Harry Kane scored four goals for the first time in his sterling young career, moving to the top of the golden boot standings (high goal scorer in the league) with 26.  Last season he was top scorer with 25.

And consider that Kane has missed eight of 38 games this season.

Second on the goal-scoring list is Everton’s Romelu Lukaku (24) and Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal (23).

Kane, midfielder Dele Alli and defender Kyle Walker seem to be at the top of the transfer conversations, but manager Mauricio Pochettino has vowed to keep them, all seemingly genuinely happy in Tottenham.  It’s an awesome young core, including Christian Eriksen.

So the above was about Thursday.

Sunday, all 20 teams played their final games simultaneously and Kane scored two quick goals in the first 13 minutes of the Spurs’ contest against relegated Hull, then adding a third (29 for the season) and the Spurs romped 7-1.

But the big story Sunday, the only remaining one, involved Liverpool and Arsenal and the battle for the final Champions League spot.

Liverpool hosted Middlesbrough, while Arsenal was home to Everton.  Early on, Arsenal took a 1-0 lead in its contest, while Liverpool and Middlesbrough were scoreless.  If Arsenal won and Liverpool managed only a draw, Arsenal would snatch the final CL berth.

But Liverpool pulled away for a 3-0 win.  Arsenal defeated Everton 3-1 to fall a point short; the first time in 20 years they are not playing at the top table in the world.

So I thought I’d just recap the standings for the past few seasons....

2014-15

1. Chelsea 87 points
2. Man City 79
3. Arsenal 75
4. Man U 70
5. Tottenham 64
6. Liverpool 62
7. Southampton 60
14. Leicester City 41

2015-16

1. Leicester City 81
2. Arsenal 71
3. Tottenham 70
4. Man City 66...finished ahead of Man U on goal differential
5. Man U 66
6. Southampton 63
7. West Ham 62
10. Chelsea 50

2016-17

1. Chelsea 93
2. Tottenham 86
3. Man City 78
4. Liverpool 76
5. Arsenal 75
6. Man U 69
7. Everton 61
12. Leicester City 44

For the record, I said if there was a Leicester-type sleeper team for 2016-17, it was Everton, but they were totally unimpressive at the end.  And looking at Leicester’s performance this season, one marvels even more at how they pulled that dream title out of their butts.

Next season there is going to be incredible pressure at both Arsenal and Manchester United to get back in the top four.

--In the battle for the final spot in the Premier League next season, Reading will square off against Huddersfield on Mon., May 29.  I’ve gotta remember to catch some of this.  A true tension convention.

The winner moves up to the big time with Brighton and Newcastle United. 

Reading announced a Chinese brother-sister combination has become majority owner of the club.

--Next weekend, another biggie, the FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Chelsea.

--Finally, congratulations to Chelsea captain John Terry, who played his last Premier League game for the Blues on Sunday after a 22-year association (15 league trophies) with the club.  Very cool retirement ceremony today.

Indy 500

I have to admit I’m pumped for the race next Sunday, this time primarily because two-time Formula One champ, Fernando Alonso, is making his debut at the track, which harkens back to the old days when the likes of Jim Clark and Graham Hill crossed over for this special race.  It’s obviously good for the sport.  [Alonso was granted special permission from his F-1 team to skip the Monaco Grand Prix to perform in the land of Jim Nabors.]

But I’ll be watching with trepidation, having been to Indy and gaining an appreciation for just how fast 230 mph is.  These guys are truly sitting in rocket ships.

And so it was I did something I haven’t done in years, watch the Indy qualifying runs on Saturday and Sunday.  I was curious to see how Alonso did in his first competitive stint on the track and he went off No. 15, doing very well and getting into Sunday’s nine-car pole shootout.

But after Alonso zipped around with a four-lap average of 230.034, I switched to golf and thus I missed the horrifying crash I had been hoping wouldn’t happen as French driver Sebastien Bourdais lost control in the first turn and slammed head-on into the second turn wall, with the car then flipping over, flames shooting out, before skidding to a stop.

In the old days, say 1960s and ‘70s, Bourdais is dead instantly.  Just a fact. But these cars, ditto NASCAR, are so safe today by comparison.  It’s not even close, especially after the death of Dale Earnhardt forced a key change regarding the head restraint.

Bourdais miraculously ‘only’ broke his back, a fractured pelvis, as well as a fractured right hip.  The safety crew and paramedics were on the scene instantly and he was alert and never lost consciousness.  He had just completed the first two laps at the fastest pace of the day when the car began to spin.

So Sunday, in the shootout for the pole....Scott Dixon took it, joined by Ed Carpenter and defending champ Alexander Rossi in the first row.  Alonso is in the second.

[No formal NASCAR race this weekend as the series gears up for next Sunday’s Charlotte 600.]

Stuff

--After being No. 1 in the nation virtually the entire year, the Wake Forest men’s tennis team lost in the NCAA quarterfinals to North Carolina on Saturday, 4-2.  But I didn’t realize until this week that the Deacs had never even gotten this far so I guess it’s not all bad.  They also won their first ACC regular season title.

[The Deacs had beaten Carolina in the regular season.]

Last week the Wake Forest men’s golf team, which has been around the top ten all season, failed to make the NCAA finals, finishing sixth out of 14 in a regional in Austin, Texas, one shy.  This sucks.  Coach Jerry Haas said, “The unfortunate thing is that one of the best teams in the country won’t be at the NCAA Championships and I take responsibility for that.  Your whole season comes down to three days and it doesn’t matter if you had a great season or if you barely qualified, those 54 holes are all that matter.  No other NCAA sport is like that.  This group won three events and had five players make the Dean’s List this spring, yet our season is over.”

Wake has heavily underachieved in this sport for years with Haas at the helm.  At least Will Zalatoris made the field for the championship as an individual.

So it’s all on the Wake baseball team to make some real noise, with the ACC Tournament this week in Louisville.  C’mon, guys. Someone come thru after such an awesome spring for the Deacon sports programs.

--Ryan Fitzpatrick has nine lives.  The Tampa Bay Bucs signed the free agent to back up Jameis Winston, though some critics are saying why didn’t Tampa Bay, and others, go after Colin Kaepernick, who remains on the market?  I, on the other hand, am like, why deal with Colin’s side issues?  Plus he seems to be a shell of his former self.

--The Philadelphia Eagles made a terrific move in signing New England’s LeGarrette Blount to a cheapo one-year deal, $1.25 million. The 30-year-old running back had his best season last year with 1,161 yards rushing and a league-leading 18 touchdowns. This is a guy with at least a full season’s worth left in the tank, and one who wanted to sign with the Giants, division rivals.  Ergo, this move could haunt them.

--A Las Vegas sportsbook CG Technology released its projections for win totals this upcoming college football season.  Yeah, this is ridiculous, but as a big fan of the sport, I’m already primed.

However, no surprise...Alabama is tops at 10.5, Ohio State 10.

In the past six seasons, ‘Bama is 76-8 with three national championships, while the Buckeyes are 61-6 with one title in their last five under Urban Meyer.

--Maria Sharapova announced Friday that she would not request a special wild-card invitation to Wimbledon and instead will attempt to qualify her way in, which is a noble thing to do for this otherwise most ignoble woman.

She did accept a wild-card invitation to play in the warmup tournament in Birmingham, England.

Sharapova had been banned from both a wild-card entry and qualifying for the French Open, a decision I respect (while some like Mike Lupica called the French small-minded in the matter.... wrong!!!).

To qualify for Wimbledon, she’ll need to win three matches to earn one of the 12 qualifying berths for women in the 128-player main draw.

--Some sports tidbits just catch your eye.  Illinois announced it would play DePaul in men’s basketball for the first time since 1957 this coming season.  I’m kind of shocked by this, aren’t you?  I mean, 60 years?

--I liked this bit in the current GQ by Chris Rock.

Q: Can you still bomb at this stage in your career, or are you too well liked?

Rock: Yeah. It’s not bombing to you, but it’s bombing to me.  I do like 20, 30 shows in clubs before I even go into a big arena, so I get all my bombing done on a smaller scale.  It’s not like I bomb the whole show, but ‘Oooh, that first ten minutes was horrible.’  Then I dig myself out of the hole.  The real danger is you get too famous – you learn how to manipulate your instrument in a way that you make people laugh without really writing good jokes, which happens to lots of funny people.  They figure out the rhythms of funny and stop with the actual writing.”

--In the current issue of The Atlantic, the question is asked, “What is the best exit of all time?

Warning: The following contains a bad expletive.  Sorry if it offends you, but back in this day, this comic, along with Buddy Hackett, was notorious for having the raunchiest act in Vegas.

Jen Kirkman, comedian and author: “The best exit of all time is comedy folklore.  The story goes that Redd Foxx was slowly walking onstage to the Sanford and Son theme song when he stopped, noticed the show’s poor attendance, and said, ‘Five people?  I ain’t performing for no motherf--king five people.’ He turned and slowly walked offstage as, on cue, the Sanford and Son theme started right back up again.”

--A new All-Species List is posted to reflect the telling story of Killer Whale vs. Great White.  You’ll have to check it out for the rankings.

I did learn yesterday by carrier pigeon that the High Court in Kazakhstan opted not to penalize ‘Elephant’ further for an indiscretion against a park ranger.  The delay was because the pigeon said he was confused by my address and the actual floor, which is a common occurrence among delivery folks here.  [Let’s just say the owners of said structure didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about how a proper numbering system should work.  I apologized to the messenger and wished him God’s speed on his return flight.]

--We note the passing of Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell, who died by hanging himself inside a Detroit hotel room following a concert on Wednesday.  The 52-year-old was found with a “band” around his neck.  Fan videos had showed Cornell in high spirits during his last performance at the Fox Theatre that evening.

Cornell made his name as a singer-songwriter for the Seattle-based grunge band Soundgarden, creating hits such as “Black Hole Sun” and “Spoonman” in the 1990s, before having success with former members of Rage Against the Machine with the band Audioslave.  He also put out four albums of his solo work.

Top 3 songs for the week 5/19/62: #1 Soldier Boy” (The Shirelles)  #2 “Stranger On The Shore” (Mr. Acker Bilk)  #3 “Mashed Potato Time” (Dee Dee Sharp...yes, some tunes don’t age well...)...and...#4 “Johnny Angel” (Shelley Fabares)  #5 “She Cried” (Jay & The Americans... great tune...)  #6 “Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out)” (Ernie Maresca...ditto...)  #7 “Old Rivers” (Walter Brennan...yeah, that Walter Brennan...)  #8 “Everybody Loves Me But You” (Brenda Lee)  #9 “P.T. 109” (Jimmy Dean)  #10 “Funny Way Of Laughin’” (Burl Ives...we’re just about 17 months from the British Invasion...)

Detroit Tigers Quiz Answers: 1) 1,200 RBIs: Ty Cobb 1811; Al Kaline 1582; Harry Heilmann 1446; Charlie Gehringer 1427; Sam Crawford 1262; Hank Greenberg 1200.  2) 45 home runs in a single season: Hank Greenberg, 58, 1938; Cecil Fielder, 51, 1990; Rocky Colavito, 45, 1961.

Next Bar Chat, Thursday.

 



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Bar Chat

05/22/2017

No Triple Crown Winner

[Posted Sunday p.m.]

Detroit Tigers Quiz: 1) Name the six to have 1,200 RBIs in a Tigers uniform.  Yes, you’re going to have to know some baseball history.  Miguel Cabrera is not on the list.  2) Name the only three to hit 45 home runs in a season for the Tigers.  Answers below.

Preakness

So much for a dream Belmont Stakes, with home-town boy Always Dreaming gunning for the Triple Crown with its two owners, Vinnie Viola and Anthony Bonomo, out of the Bronx.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the Belmont and eternal glory.  Cloud Computing, which had skipped the Kentucky Derby, ran down co-favorite Classic Empire, winning by a head (or less) as Always Dreaming faded.

Dreaming and Empire had staged a match race for nearly the first mile, before it became clear Always Dreaming didn’t have anything left in the tank following the tough Derby run in the slop (I really did think the horse would have something in reserve), while Classic Empire didn’t have a third gear in the final 1/8th. 

Yes, once again we learned just how tough the two-week turnaround can be, especially after a race with a 20-horse field.

Cloud Computing, on the other hand, has been lightly raced, the Preakness being just its fourth and second victory.  Trainer Chad Brown, the current Eclipse Award winning trainer (ditto the horse’s jockey, Javier Castellano...current Eclipse Award winning jockey), had enough points to race in the Derby, but didn’t like the idea of his colt being in a race with 20 others.

Bottom line, this makes you appreciate the likes of American Pharoah all the more.  Winning all three in five weeks is so tough...it’s brutal...but it’s what keeps a lot of us eagerly awaiting the Derby and Preakness each spring.

No definitive word on Always Dreaming’s next step, but Viola and Bonomo will be under intense pressure to give it one more go with their horse in three weeks.  [Early word has trainer Todd Pletcher not wanting to go for the Belmont, while Chad Brown is leaning against it as well, which would leave Classic Empire to clean up.]

However, the year is still young, with some big races down the pike, leading up to the Breeders Cup. 

Personally, I’d target The Haskell at Monmouth Park, July 30, and the Travers Stakes at Saratoga, Aug. 26, which is what American Pharoah did after, the second race a mistake by the owner and trainer, though Pharoah finished a tough second.

But then I’m afraid to even ride a horse so what the hell do I know?!

MLB

--While the Yankees have gotten off to a fast, exciting start, far better than their fans expected, the fear is that their pitching staff would fall back to earth after performing above expectations.

So now the Yanks, after a 21-9 start, entered Sunday’s play having gone 3-7 and given up five or more runs in eight of the ten. The biggest offender is ace Masahiro Tanaka, who is 5-3, but with a 6.56 ERA.  Tanaka in just his last two starts has yielded seven home runs in only 4 2/3 innings!  Good lord, that blows.  He says he’s healthy, but if he doesn’t turn it around, the Yanks will not make the playoffs, pure and simple. 

Sunday, though, New York beat the Rays 3-2 to move to 25-16, back in first by a half game over Baltimore.

--Mets manager Terry Collins set the franchise record for most games managed Friday night, his 1,013th, surpassing Davey Johnson’s 1,012, as the Mets snapped a seven-game losing streak in defeating the Angels 3-0 at Citi Field.  The Mets then hung on for a 7-5 win over Mike Trout’s team and suddenly there was cause to be excited about Sunday afternoon’s contest...until there wasn’t....the Metsies falling behind 9-0 early and losing 12-5.

--I saw a piece on CNN by Nick Payton Walsh, undercover in Venezuela, where authorities will arrest you if you are putting the regime in a bad light, and I thought I knew everything that was going on here...the living hell it has become. But Walsh’s report was not just terrific, the scenes of the gangs roaming the streets, holding people up for food, takes it to another level.

I mean this is Caracas...so imagine what it is like elsewhere.  My point being, if you are a major league ballplayer from there, I’m sorry, you have to leave your family (if you can’t get them out) until there is a change at the top.  There is absolutely no way you return.  If you’re not dead meat, you’re going to be kidnapped and brutalized for your money.

--Going back to Wednesday, because we’re living in the era of Clayton Kershaw, I know as a baseball fan I always want to know how he’s doing and he pitched 7 scoreless in gaining his seventh win (7-2, 2.15) as the Dodgers beat the Giants 6-1.

--Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal had a piece on the trend in baseball to go all in on hitting, rather than seeking to build up a franchise on pitching, which had long been the philosophy, Exhibit A of the new thinking being the Chicago Cubs, who no longer look for pitching first when it comes to the draft.

As Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer says, “If you can have three, four top-of-the-rotation guys all together, that’s better than anything you can possibly have.  But it’s hard to make it work.”

So the Cubbies are stocked with talented position players in their primes.

Mets fans can appreciate this.  We were supposed to be loaded with starting pitching heading into the season, seven top-of-the-rotation types for five slots, and now here we sit, after injuries and slow recoveries from same, the highest team ERA in baseball.  And nowhere near the position player strength of the Cubs, or others we’re supposed to be competing with.

Across baseball, 140 major-league pitchers have undergone Tommy John surgery since 2012 – “more than double the amount from the entire 1990s.”  [Diamond]

But the Cubs, under team president Theo Epstein, have made position players their top selection in the four amateur drafts from 2012 through 2015, including Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber.

Meanwhile, 29 other teams have chosen a pitcher within the top 30 picks of the draft since 2011, the exception the Cubs.

Of course the Cubs, with financial flexibility, then can go out and give the likes of pitcher Jon Lester big contracts in free agency.

Now you see the strategy of the Yankees, who are stockpiling young offensive talent both at the major league (Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez) and minor league levels.

My Mets, on the other hand, literally have two top prospects, a shortstop and first baseman, at AAA and zero else.  Even the pitching cupboard is suddenly bare.

By the way, despite the Astros’ success this season, led by homegrown stars such as Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve and George Springer, they nonetheless passed on Kris Bryant for right-hander Mark Appel, and then on Kyle Schwarber for lefty Brady Aiken, both of whom are no longer in the Houston organization.

NBA Playoffs

--Following is a typical conversation in America these days.

“Mom, I’m going to be doing my homework the next few hours.”

“Sorry, Jimmy, you’re watching the NBA Playoffs with your father.”

“But Mom, the playoffs suck!”

“It will be good for you.”

“Who said I have to watch the NBA?” chimes in Dad.

“I did...I’m your wife...now turn it on and talk to your son!”

I mean can you believe just how godawful this postseason has been?  Geezuz.  Golden State stretched their Western Conference finals series lead to 3-0 with an easy 120-108 win over the Kawhi Leonard-less Spurs Saturday, while the Cavs are playing tonight to get to 3-0 against the Celtics.  Neither Cleveland nor Golden State has lost a game in the entire playoffs, a first this deep in NBA playoff history.

--So we go back to Wednesday and Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals at Boston, and Cleveland, after a long rest, came out smoking, took a 61-39 halftime lead and cruised, 117-104, as LeBron had 23 in the first half on 10 of 15 shooting.  He finished with 38 and Kevin Love added 32 points and 12 rebounds, hitting 6 of 9 from three.

Then in Game 2 Friday night, if you were forced to watch this one you are still comatose as the Cavs sprinted out to a 72-31 halftime lead over the Celts and won it 130-86, Boston’s worst home playoff loss ever.  LeBron had 30, and Love 21 and 12 (boards) as he keeps up his solid play; Love being critical to any success the Cavs have when they face the Warriors in the Finals.

--Meanwhile, LeBron James is always miffed at something and this time it’s about not being on the short list for MVP, though upon finding out he wasn’t in the top three, he did largely take the high road at first.

Mike Lupica / New York Daily News

“They announced the three finalists for the NBA’s MVP award this week, and LeBron James’ name wasn’t on the list.

“This basically means that you can continue to be the best all-around basketball player of all time, be on your way to the NBA Finals for the seventh straight time, and yet somehow the voters think you’re not one of the three most valuable players in your sport, not as valuable as James Harden is to the Rockets and Russell Westbrook is to the Thunder and Kawhi Leonard is to the Spurs.

“Leonard is hurt. At least his team is still playing.  Harden’s team is gone.  So is Westbrook’s. There is no intent here to diminish their accomplishments this season, and especially Westbrook’s statistical accomplishments. But not one of them is more valuable to his team than LeBron James is to the Cleveland Cavaliers, not in the regular season, not in the postseason, not now or ever.

Michael Jordan didn’t win the MVP award every season. There is no law passed that LeBron has to, either.  The entire world knows how subjective the whole idea of ‘most valuable’ is in sports.

“Except.

“Except when it comes to LeBron, and even in a time when his team was less than he wanted it to be and less than we thought it would be during a regular season that finally saw the Cavs finish in second place in the Eastern Conference. He is not just the best player and best teammate. He is always the most valuable player, one who continues to influence games in more positive ways, on a nightly basis, than any basketball player ever has.”

All true, but c’mon people.  Let’s just chill out.  The other three had sensational regular seasons and the Cavs, at one point 28-8, went 23-23 their last 46 as they began resting players extensively, including LeBron, a la San Antonio’s modus operandi.  Yes, I think we all recognize the Cavs are 35-47 without King James, but just accept the fact the other three guys had an equal impact on their squads for one year, witness how the Spurs are doing now sans Kawhi.  It’s just one of those seasons, kids.

I mean of all the things to give a damn about in the world of sports these days, this isn’t one of them.

[For the record, LeBron has won four league MVP awards and finished in the top five 11 straight seasons, though this will be the first time he isn’t top three in nine years.  He also averaged career highs in rebounds, 8.6, and assists, 8.7, this campaign.]

--The All-NBA teams were named.

First team: Westbrook, Harden, Leonard, LeBron and Anthony Davis.

Second team: Steph Curry, Isaiah Thomas, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Rudy Gobert.

Third team: DeMar DeRozan, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, DeAndre Jordan and John Wall.  It’s the first time in Wall’s seven-year career he has been named to the All-NBA team.

For LeBron, it was the 11th time he had been named to the first team, matching a record set by Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant.

--Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter was denied entry to Romania after having his passport “canceled,” though with some diplomatic maneuvers he was allowed to travel to London and was to be in New York today.

The NBA had to work with the State Department to get Kanter out of his bind.  He was on a world tour doing charity work.

So here’s the deal.  Kanter is one of Turkey’s best known professional athletes and he has been an outspoken critic of Turkish President Erdogan, plus a supporter of Erdogan’s rival, Fethullah Gulen (living in exile in Pennsylvania), who Erdogan blamed for last July’s failed coup, spurring a massive purge of both the security services and public officials, teachers, lawyers and the like.

Kanter’s family has disowned him because of his political views, no doubt fearing for their safety, with good reason.

In a video, Kanter recently said Erdogan was “a bad, bad man. He is a dictator.”

This season, Kanter was one of the NBA’s better reserves, averaging 14 points and 7 rebounds for the Thunder.

Now he’s in New York and is speaking to the press Monday.

Stanley Cup Playoffs

--Wednesday, Ottawa took a 2-1 series lead against Pittsburgh, winning 5-1 at home.  So Friday, the Penguins started Matt Murray in the net for the first time in the playoffs and he responded with a solid effort in a 3-2 Pittsburgh win (Sidney Crosby with a goal and an assist), series now 2-2.

And then Sunday, back at home, the Penguins annihilated the Senators 7-0.  Game six in Ottawa.  This be over.

--Nashville took a 3-2 series lead on Saturday with a 3-1 win on the road at Anaheim, meaning one thing.  Monday night is must-see TV for hockey fans.  The Nashville crowd will be going nuts as they try to spur their boys to their first Stanley Cup final in the team’s 20-year history.  I know I’ll tune in.

Golf Balls

--Billy Horschel, hot off four missed cuts, suddenly reemerged to win the AT&T Byron Nelson Classic, defeating Jason Day on the first hole of sudden death when Day missed a short par putt.  It was Horschel’s fourth career win and first since 2014, when he shockingly took home the FedEx Cup.

--Jordan Spieth missed his second consecutive cut.

--Rory McIlroy announced his bad back will keep him out of the European Tour’s BMW Championship next week, one of the big tournaments on that circuit and a sign Rory needs to be careful not to rush things, as he might have done participating in the Players Championship.  Next up for Rory would be the Memorial, starting June 1.

--Last week, when Vijay Singh was briefly in contention on Saturday at the Players, this was the ultimate nightmare for the PGA Tour, given its longstanding legal battle with him.  Luckily, Commissioner Jay Monahan didn’t have to present the trophy to Vijay in what would have been one of the more interesting, and tension-filled, award presentations in recent memory.  The two sides hate each other.

But we learned the other day that a court ruling in New York, that of Judge Eileen Brennan, ensures the battle is just heating up and now the Singh case appears headed for trial.

The suit was filed prior to the 2013 Players Championship, to give you a sense of how long this has been going on, and Singh’s team claims the tour was negligent in its handling of Singh’s anti-doping violation and breached its implied covenant of good faith, which harmed the Fijian’s reputation.

According to Singh’s attorney, Peter Ginsberg, there are three main aspects to the case, as reported by Golf Digest:

The tour failed to consult the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as obligated when Singh supposedly violated the drug policy, as well as statements made to the media by then-commissioner Tim Finchem and tour vice president Ty Votaw.

“For perhaps the first time the PGA Tour is going to be held responsible for its treatment of a professional golfer,” Ginsberg told Golf Digest.  “And for its improper administration of its disciplinary policies.”

A January 2013 Sports Illustrated article reported Singh had admitted using deer-antler spray and he was suspended for three months.  The tour then later dropped the suspension, saying WADA changed its stance on IGF-1, which is banned by the tour and WADA, and deer-antler spray, which contains a form of IGF-1 but not the version that is prohibited.

But Singh’s point has been the whole matter should have been kept under wraps, aside from the fact he probably didn’t do anything wrong, and any person familiar with the PGA Tour knows it is more secretive than any other sports organization when it comes to meting out its punishments for violations.  Singh was thus defamed when he should not have been.  He has a great point.

Think about Tiger Woods.  You and I have no idea on the fines, or possibly even suspensions, he has been subjected to.  And of course we have the case of Dustin Johnson.  It has never been made public what the cause for any of his suspensions was, so instead we just have a lot of rumors (like drug use).

However, get this.  Because of the court ruling and the fact the Singh case is now most likely going to trial, other players who have run afoul of the PGA Tour’s anti-doping policy could be exposed for the first time!

Yes, this could get quite interesting...and quite discomforting for some.

--On the Champions Tour, 59-year-old Bernhard Langer shot 64 in the final round of the Regions Tradition to win in a walk, his 31t career senior win and eighth Champions major, thus tying Jack Nicklaus at the top.  This guy is truly amazing. 

--Adam Schupak in the New York Times had a terrific piece this weekend on Bayou Oaks, a municipal golf course that has sprung up in New Orleans, in a neighborhood devastated by Hurricane Katrina.  Think East Lake in Atlanta.

Columbia Parc is a development that surrounds Bayou Oaks, and the story surrounds a mother and her 9-year-old son, Jonathan.  Pretty cool that the kid is growing up with a golf course in his back yard and he’s taking to the sport, thanks to the First Tee of Greater New Orleans program.

The public facility opened on April 21 and was created by none other than noted golf architect Rees Jones, who took two City Park courses left in ruins by Katrina and built an 18-hole layout that is already receiving major props.  Rees Jones designed Torrey Pines and Bethpage Black, two other famous ‘munis’ that have hosted U.S. Opens.

Anyway, a good story all around as the housing development is for all socio-economic levels and the golf course will provide some $500,000 annually from operations for community projects.

Oh, there were critics...wetlands issues and such...but this is great.  I mean picture the kids, with a junior training facility and First Tee program operated by the PGA Tour outside their doors.

Former tour player Joe Ogilvie (Duke grad), who sat on the advisory board, said, “The community is revitalized based on the shared vision that life can be better for the student, the parent and if you achieve that the overall community.”

Amen.

Premier League

--Thursday, with second-place having been locked up, Tottenham destroyed Leicester 6-1 as Harry Kane scored four goals for the first time in his sterling young career, moving to the top of the golden boot standings (high goal scorer in the league) with 26.  Last season he was top scorer with 25.

And consider that Kane has missed eight of 38 games this season.

Second on the goal-scoring list is Everton’s Romelu Lukaku (24) and Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal (23).

Kane, midfielder Dele Alli and defender Kyle Walker seem to be at the top of the transfer conversations, but manager Mauricio Pochettino has vowed to keep them, all seemingly genuinely happy in Tottenham.  It’s an awesome young core, including Christian Eriksen.

So the above was about Thursday.

Sunday, all 20 teams played their final games simultaneously and Kane scored two quick goals in the first 13 minutes of the Spurs’ contest against relegated Hull, then adding a third (29 for the season) and the Spurs romped 7-1.

But the big story Sunday, the only remaining one, involved Liverpool and Arsenal and the battle for the final Champions League spot.

Liverpool hosted Middlesbrough, while Arsenal was home to Everton.  Early on, Arsenal took a 1-0 lead in its contest, while Liverpool and Middlesbrough were scoreless.  If Arsenal won and Liverpool managed only a draw, Arsenal would snatch the final CL berth.

But Liverpool pulled away for a 3-0 win.  Arsenal defeated Everton 3-1 to fall a point short; the first time in 20 years they are not playing at the top table in the world.

So I thought I’d just recap the standings for the past few seasons....

2014-15

1. Chelsea 87 points
2. Man City 79
3. Arsenal 75
4. Man U 70
5. Tottenham 64
6. Liverpool 62
7. Southampton 60
14. Leicester City 41

2015-16

1. Leicester City 81
2. Arsenal 71
3. Tottenham 70
4. Man City 66...finished ahead of Man U on goal differential
5. Man U 66
6. Southampton 63
7. West Ham 62
10. Chelsea 50

2016-17

1. Chelsea 93
2. Tottenham 86
3. Man City 78
4. Liverpool 76
5. Arsenal 75
6. Man U 69
7. Everton 61
12. Leicester City 44

For the record, I said if there was a Leicester-type sleeper team for 2016-17, it was Everton, but they were totally unimpressive at the end.  And looking at Leicester’s performance this season, one marvels even more at how they pulled that dream title out of their butts.

Next season there is going to be incredible pressure at both Arsenal and Manchester United to get back in the top four.

--In the battle for the final spot in the Premier League next season, Reading will square off against Huddersfield on Mon., May 29.  I’ve gotta remember to catch some of this.  A true tension convention.

The winner moves up to the big time with Brighton and Newcastle United. 

Reading announced a Chinese brother-sister combination has become majority owner of the club.

--Next weekend, another biggie, the FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Chelsea.

--Finally, congratulations to Chelsea captain John Terry, who played his last Premier League game for the Blues on Sunday after a 22-year association (15 league trophies) with the club.  Very cool retirement ceremony today.

Indy 500

I have to admit I’m pumped for the race next Sunday, this time primarily because two-time Formula One champ, Fernando Alonso, is making his debut at the track, which harkens back to the old days when the likes of Jim Clark and Graham Hill crossed over for this special race.  It’s obviously good for the sport.  [Alonso was granted special permission from his F-1 team to skip the Monaco Grand Prix to perform in the land of Jim Nabors.]

But I’ll be watching with trepidation, having been to Indy and gaining an appreciation for just how fast 230 mph is.  These guys are truly sitting in rocket ships.

And so it was I did something I haven’t done in years, watch the Indy qualifying runs on Saturday and Sunday.  I was curious to see how Alonso did in his first competitive stint on the track and he went off No. 15, doing very well and getting into Sunday’s nine-car pole shootout.

But after Alonso zipped around with a four-lap average of 230.034, I switched to golf and thus I missed the horrifying crash I had been hoping wouldn’t happen as French driver Sebastien Bourdais lost control in the first turn and slammed head-on into the second turn wall, with the car then flipping over, flames shooting out, before skidding to a stop.

In the old days, say 1960s and ‘70s, Bourdais is dead instantly.  Just a fact. But these cars, ditto NASCAR, are so safe today by comparison.  It’s not even close, especially after the death of Dale Earnhardt forced a key change regarding the head restraint.

Bourdais miraculously ‘only’ broke his back, a fractured pelvis, as well as a fractured right hip.  The safety crew and paramedics were on the scene instantly and he was alert and never lost consciousness.  He had just completed the first two laps at the fastest pace of the day when the car began to spin.

So Sunday, in the shootout for the pole....Scott Dixon took it, joined by Ed Carpenter and defending champ Alexander Rossi in the first row.  Alonso is in the second.

[No formal NASCAR race this weekend as the series gears up for next Sunday’s Charlotte 600.]

Stuff

--After being No. 1 in the nation virtually the entire year, the Wake Forest men’s tennis team lost in the NCAA quarterfinals to North Carolina on Saturday, 4-2.  But I didn’t realize until this week that the Deacs had never even gotten this far so I guess it’s not all bad.  They also won their first ACC regular season title.

[The Deacs had beaten Carolina in the regular season.]

Last week the Wake Forest men’s golf team, which has been around the top ten all season, failed to make the NCAA finals, finishing sixth out of 14 in a regional in Austin, Texas, one shy.  This sucks.  Coach Jerry Haas said, “The unfortunate thing is that one of the best teams in the country won’t be at the NCAA Championships and I take responsibility for that.  Your whole season comes down to three days and it doesn’t matter if you had a great season or if you barely qualified, those 54 holes are all that matter.  No other NCAA sport is like that.  This group won three events and had five players make the Dean’s List this spring, yet our season is over.”

Wake has heavily underachieved in this sport for years with Haas at the helm.  At least Will Zalatoris made the field for the championship as an individual.

So it’s all on the Wake baseball team to make some real noise, with the ACC Tournament this week in Louisville.  C’mon, guys. Someone come thru after such an awesome spring for the Deacon sports programs.

--Ryan Fitzpatrick has nine lives.  The Tampa Bay Bucs signed the free agent to back up Jameis Winston, though some critics are saying why didn’t Tampa Bay, and others, go after Colin Kaepernick, who remains on the market?  I, on the other hand, am like, why deal with Colin’s side issues?  Plus he seems to be a shell of his former self.

--The Philadelphia Eagles made a terrific move in signing New England’s LeGarrette Blount to a cheapo one-year deal, $1.25 million. The 30-year-old running back had his best season last year with 1,161 yards rushing and a league-leading 18 touchdowns. This is a guy with at least a full season’s worth left in the tank, and one who wanted to sign with the Giants, division rivals.  Ergo, this move could haunt them.

--A Las Vegas sportsbook CG Technology released its projections for win totals this upcoming college football season.  Yeah, this is ridiculous, but as a big fan of the sport, I’m already primed.

However, no surprise...Alabama is tops at 10.5, Ohio State 10.

In the past six seasons, ‘Bama is 76-8 with three national championships, while the Buckeyes are 61-6 with one title in their last five under Urban Meyer.

--Maria Sharapova announced Friday that she would not request a special wild-card invitation to Wimbledon and instead will attempt to qualify her way in, which is a noble thing to do for this otherwise most ignoble woman.

She did accept a wild-card invitation to play in the warmup tournament in Birmingham, England.

Sharapova had been banned from both a wild-card entry and qualifying for the French Open, a decision I respect (while some like Mike Lupica called the French small-minded in the matter.... wrong!!!).

To qualify for Wimbledon, she’ll need to win three matches to earn one of the 12 qualifying berths for women in the 128-player main draw.

--Some sports tidbits just catch your eye.  Illinois announced it would play DePaul in men’s basketball for the first time since 1957 this coming season.  I’m kind of shocked by this, aren’t you?  I mean, 60 years?

--I liked this bit in the current GQ by Chris Rock.

Q: Can you still bomb at this stage in your career, or are you too well liked?

Rock: Yeah. It’s not bombing to you, but it’s bombing to me.  I do like 20, 30 shows in clubs before I even go into a big arena, so I get all my bombing done on a smaller scale.  It’s not like I bomb the whole show, but ‘Oooh, that first ten minutes was horrible.’  Then I dig myself out of the hole.  The real danger is you get too famous – you learn how to manipulate your instrument in a way that you make people laugh without really writing good jokes, which happens to lots of funny people.  They figure out the rhythms of funny and stop with the actual writing.”

--In the current issue of The Atlantic, the question is asked, “What is the best exit of all time?

Warning: The following contains a bad expletive.  Sorry if it offends you, but back in this day, this comic, along with Buddy Hackett, was notorious for having the raunchiest act in Vegas.

Jen Kirkman, comedian and author: “The best exit of all time is comedy folklore.  The story goes that Redd Foxx was slowly walking onstage to the Sanford and Son theme song when he stopped, noticed the show’s poor attendance, and said, ‘Five people?  I ain’t performing for no motherf--king five people.’ He turned and slowly walked offstage as, on cue, the Sanford and Son theme started right back up again.”

--A new All-Species List is posted to reflect the telling story of Killer Whale vs. Great White.  You’ll have to check it out for the rankings.

I did learn yesterday by carrier pigeon that the High Court in Kazakhstan opted not to penalize ‘Elephant’ further for an indiscretion against a park ranger.  The delay was because the pigeon said he was confused by my address and the actual floor, which is a common occurrence among delivery folks here.  [Let’s just say the owners of said structure didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about how a proper numbering system should work.  I apologized to the messenger and wished him God’s speed on his return flight.]

--We note the passing of Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell, who died by hanging himself inside a Detroit hotel room following a concert on Wednesday.  The 52-year-old was found with a “band” around his neck.  Fan videos had showed Cornell in high spirits during his last performance at the Fox Theatre that evening.

Cornell made his name as a singer-songwriter for the Seattle-based grunge band Soundgarden, creating hits such as “Black Hole Sun” and “Spoonman” in the 1990s, before having success with former members of Rage Against the Machine with the band Audioslave.  He also put out four albums of his solo work.

Top 3 songs for the week 5/19/62: #1 Soldier Boy” (The Shirelles)  #2 “Stranger On The Shore” (Mr. Acker Bilk)  #3 “Mashed Potato Time” (Dee Dee Sharp...yes, some tunes don’t age well...)...and...#4 “Johnny Angel” (Shelley Fabares)  #5 “She Cried” (Jay & The Americans... great tune...)  #6 “Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out)” (Ernie Maresca...ditto...)  #7 “Old Rivers” (Walter Brennan...yeah, that Walter Brennan...)  #8 “Everybody Loves Me But You” (Brenda Lee)  #9 “P.T. 109” (Jimmy Dean)  #10 “Funny Way Of Laughin’” (Burl Ives...we’re just about 17 months from the British Invasion...)

Detroit Tigers Quiz Answers: 1) 1,200 RBIs: Ty Cobb 1811; Al Kaline 1582; Harry Heilmann 1446; Charlie Gehringer 1427; Sam Crawford 1262; Hank Greenberg 1200.  2) 45 home runs in a single season: Hank Greenberg, 58, 1938; Cecil Fielder, 51, 1990; Rocky Colavito, 45, 1961.

Next Bar Chat, Thursday.