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10/30/2017

Baseball at its Best

[Posted Sunday evening...prior to Game 5, as well as Steelers-Lions]

College Football Quiz: Name the top three in single-season passing yards.  Of course you will get all kinds of clues.  All are from Texas schools, 2 of the 3 from one of them.  All post-2000.  Only one played more than one season in the NFL.  Answer below.

World Series...Dodgers-Astros

Game 2...after I had posted earlier in the day.

Jared Diamond / Wall Street Journal

Any attempt to explain Game 2 of the 2017 World Series in a neat, succinct package couldn’t do justice to Wednesday night’s events at Dodger Stadium....(Houston’s) heart-stopping 7-6 win over the Los Angeles....

“The two teams combined for eight home runs, a World Series record, including six in the final three innings – a topsy-turvy, pulse-pounding flurry of haymakers for the ages.  Arguably the most dominant bullpen in postseason history collapsed spectacularly, the best closer in the major leagues blew a save and the Dodgers’ streak of 98 consecutive victories in contests they led after eight innings skidded to an end.

“The energetic Yasiel Puig celebrated a crucial homer by gently placing his bat on the ground, half an inning after Carlos Correa marked his own by launching his bat high into the air.  The brim of an outfielder’s cap prevented at least one run from scoring, while the midsection of an umpire potentially saved another.  At one point, a fan jumped from his seat into the Astros’ bullpen and left the premises in handcuffs.

“It defied all logic and somehow made perfect sense, existing as a pure and beautiful display of this magical game on the stage of October, baseball’s month for making history.  And when the contest finally ended 4 hours and 19 minutes later, after 11 stressful innings, the Astros walked off the field with their championship dreams alive and thriving.”

Going into the eighth inning, the Dodgers led the Astros 3-1, on the strength of home runs off the bat of Joc Pederson and Corey Seager (Seager’s a two-run shot), both off Justin Verlander, who otherwise pitched six solid innings.

So Houston was now going up against a bullpen that had thrown 28 straight scoreless innings. But they ended the streak with a run in the eighth and then tying the game with a Marwin Gonzalez homer off Kenley Jansen in the ninth, silencing the raucous crowd of 54,293 that were ready to sleep on a 2-0 Series advantage; Jansen entering a perfect 12-for-12 in playoff save opportunities during his career.

Then in the 10th, Jose Altuve and Carlos Corea led off with back-to-back homers, Correa with an epic bat flip, but the Dodgers battled back in the bottom of the 10th off Houston closer Ken Giles, Puig homering in the process.

On to the 11th, and Houston’s George Springer hit a two-run homer off Brandon McCarthy, who hadn’t pitched in more than three weeks.

The Dodgers cut it to 7-6 with a home run by Charlie Culberson, but reliever Chris Devenski struck out Puig to close the door on the Astros’ first World Series win in franchise history.

Indeed, it was “an instant classic.”

On to Houston and Game 3....

The Astros struck first with four in the second off Dodgers starter Yu Darvish, the first run on a homer by Yuli Gurriel, and then RBIs by Gonzalez, Brian McCann and Alex Bregman.

The L.A. pen then yielded just an unearned run in 6 1/3, but after Lance McCullers threw an effective 5 1/3 for Houston, manager A.J. Hinch went with Brad Peacock and all Peacock did was throw a masterful 3 2/3 of no-hit ball to seal the deal, 5-3 Houston, Series even at 2-2.

But controversy erupted after.  I was watching when Gurriel hit his home run off Yu Darvish and just didn’t catch Gurriel putting his fingers to the sides of his face and lifting the corners of his eyes, a “slanted eyes” gesture that is offensive to Asians. I saw it, but it didn’t register, as I was also working on that other column I do on Friday nights, truth be told.  Gurriel also was seen using the word “Chinito,” Spanish slang for Chinese boy.

Darvish was born in Japan, to an Iranian father and a Japanese mother.  He grew up in Japan and played there before coming to the major leagues in 2012.

Gurriel was born in Cuba and played there and in Japan in 2014 before coming to MLB last year.

Darvish was widely reported to have called Gurriel’s actions “disrespectful,” but the Los Angeles Times’ Dylan Hernandez, who speaks Japanese, said Darvish did not use that adjective in speaking with English-language reporters and that the translation had been improper.

Darvish said he had seen Gurriel’s gesture.

“Personally, it doesn’t really bother me,” Darvish said.

“But I’m sure the Astros have Asian fans, and there are a lot of Asian people all over the world, and to those people, from a humanistic perspective and as a baseball organization, I thought the Astros’ image might suffer as a result.”

Darvish said he was not angry with Gurriel.

“As teammates, we joke about stuff like that,” Darvish said. “He played in Japan and I have respect for him.  As citizens of the world, if we can learn from this and take a step forward, I think this could be a good thing.”

Gurriel said he would be happy to speak with Darvish.

“I’ve never had anything against Darvish,” Gurriel said.  “On the contrary, he’s always been one of the best pitchers. If he was offended, I ask for his forgiveness.  That wasn’t my intention.”

So Commissioner Rob Manfred was faced with a tough decision, and I believe he did the right thing, suspending Gurriel for five days without pay...at the beginning of next season...and not for a game during the World Series.  Manfred didn’t want the incident taking anything away from the action. 

So on to Game 4, a masterful duel between a pair of No. 4 starters, the Dodgers’ Alex Wood and the Astros’ Charlie Morton.

Wood, who hadn’t pitched in 32 days, but was 16-3 with a 2.72 ERA this season, had a no-hitter into the sixth, when George Springer connected for a solo homer, making it 1-0 Houston.

Morton carried a shutout into the seventh, when the Dodgers’ sensational rookie, Cody Bellinger, snapped an 0-for-13 slump (including eight strikeouts) with a double, and then was driven home on Logan Forsythe’s single to tie it at 1-1.

Bellinger then boomed another double in the top of the ninth, plating the go-ahead run, Austin Barnes hit a sac flay, and Joc Pederson then blasted a three-run homer for the Dodgers, making it a five-run ninth off closer Ken Giles and reliever Joe Musgrave.

Closer Kenley Jansen then finished things off in the ninth, though he gave up a solo shot to Alex Bregman, Houston’s only other hit of the game aside from Springer’s home run...Dodgers win 6-2, tying the Series at 2-2.

Back to Bellinger, he was struggling so mightily, many were saying manager Dave Roberts should drop him in the lineup from the cleanup spot, but Roberts stuck with the 22-year-old, convinced he would arise from his slumber.  It’s the difference between a good manager and a great one.

[For the record, Gurriel was in the lineup and went 0-for-3, but then so did just about everyone else in the Houston lineup.]

On to Game 5, the Dodgers having what they always wanted, Clayton Kershaw back on the mound in a critical contest, facing off against Houston’s Dallas Keuchel.

--So I said the Yankees probably wanted manager Joe Girardi to return, but that I didn’t think he wanted to come back.

Well, reverse that.  The Yankees fired Girardi, and it was clear the organization, and some of the players, just wanted to move on after ten seasons and just one World Series title (2009), the only World Series appearance for a franchise used to far more success.

Granted, Girardi did a great job in general with this year’s team, far exceeding expectations, but it’s now clear it was a tension convention behind the scenes.

Former star Mark Teixeira told the New York Post after the announcement that Girardi wasn’t returning.  “We all know why Joe is not coming back. We all know it’s because of the communication and the intensity was a little bit too much.  [General manager Brian Cashman] did an amazing job rebuilding this roster. He just wanted a different voice.”

Teixeira, who now works for ESPN, added: “Everyone loves Joe, everyone respects Joe, he is a good manager, he is a good man.  But with baseball the way it is played today and the need for a manager to be a better communicator and communicate with the front office the reasoning for doing things and to be a little bit more relaxed – especially in a place like New York, where the pressure is everywhere, he just wasn’t the best man for the job anymore.”

And: “The communication and the highs and lows of the season weren’t Joe’s best assets and he will probably tell you that. He manages every game like it’s Game 7.”

So will Girardi end up in Washington?  I thought he might manage Philadelphia, which to me would be a little less stressful given where the franchise is today.  Washington, on the other hand, is demanding a World Series title in 2018.

And who will take over the Yankees, with their loaded roster (albeit some tweaking still required in the starting rotation). Former hitting coach Kevin Long, now with the Mets, is a possibility, ditto bench coach Rob Thomson.

Well, I wrote the above two hours before word came from Washington that they had hired Cubs bench coach Davey Martinez, signing him to a three-year deal.

Martinez had been considered the front-runner to replace Dusty Baker and they interviewed him on Thursday; the Nationals also interviewing former Red Sox manager John Farrell.

So Martinez gives the Nats a different look, certainly a fresh face, who is fluent in Spanish and well-versed in advanced analytics, that are all the rage these days.  Martinez is also the third Latino manager in baseball, joining Rick Renteria and Alex Cora, who was hired by Boston.

College Football Review

*The following written before release of the new AP Poll.

Top Ten action...No. 1 Alabama being idle this week....

In a game they’ll be talking about for some time in Columbus and Happy Valley, No. 2 Penn State, seemingly in control throughout, eventually succumbed to No. 6 Ohio State (7-1) 39-38, an instant classic that dropped PSU to 7-1 and, barring a miracle, out of the CFP conversation.

Penn State got off to a spectacular start on the road, with Saquon Barkley’s opening 97-yard touchdown return on the kickoff, but that was about all this Heisman candidate did on the night (44 yards on 21 carries).

It was 28-10 Penn State, though, midway through just the second quarter, when Ohio State quarterback, and the man who is now your Heisman Trophy winner, J.T. Barrett, proceeded to have a game Buckeye fans will long remember, 33/39, 328, 4-0, plus another 95 yards on the ground.

Yet OSU was trailing 38-27, just 5:40 remaining, when Barrett tossed a touchdown pass to make it 38-33 (the two-point conversion failing) and then J.T. did it again, after the OSU defense held Penn State, Barrett finding Marcus Baugh for the seeming winning score, 39-38.

But there was 1:48 still to play, football at the PSU 41, but Nittany Lions QB Trace McSorley threw three incompletions and was sacked.  Game over.

Afterwards, Buckeye coach Urban Meyer said of Barrett, “I’ve never had a kid play perfect, but damn he was close tonight.”

I wrote last time that Barrett was the odds-on Heisman favorite off his 21 touchdowns, one interception performance prior to today, but I also noted that lone pick was in the loss to Oklahoma and the Buckeyes hadn’t really played anyone since, a point the Fox announcers made Saturday.

Bottom line, Barrett needed to come through in a big one, and he did.  Just a great show.

Meanwhile, No. 3 Georgia is now 8-0 and headed for the CFP, says moi, after a dominating performance against 3-4 Florida in Jacksonville, 42-7.  [Florida coach Jim McElwain was asked to resign today, and at last word he had, or was fired....there’s more to this story for next time... it’s ugly...as in ugly Americans.]

And in a huge upset in terms of the CFP, though even yours truly hinted this could happen last chat, 25 Iowa State beat 4 TCU 14-7, Iowa State having previously knocked off Oklahoma in Norman.  The Cyclones are now 6-2, 4-1 in the Big 12, while the Horned Frogs fall to 7-1. 

For TCU, Kenny Hill picked a bad time to have his worst game of the season, 12/25, 135, 0-2, while for Iowa State, one of the great stories of the college football season, senior quarterback Kyle Kempt had another solid effort, 21/35, 202, 2-1.

Kempt is the guy who until four games ago, had thrown all of two passes in his entire career, being a walk-on, and was No. 4 on the depth chart when a whole series of events were set in motion when ISU’s starting QB, Jacob Park, walked away from the program for an undisclosed medical reason prior to the Oklahoma game.

Kempt then rallied the team against the Sooners and he’s now 4-0.

5 Wisconsin (8-0) played another yawner, 24-10 over lousy Illinois (2-6), a game that will hardly warm the cockles of the pollsters, including the CFP folks.  [Star Badger running back Jonathan Taylor exited with an injury, extent unknown.]

7 Clemson (7-1) remains more than relevant with some of the action ahead of it in the rankings this weekend, 24-10 winners over Georgia Tech (4-3).

8 Miami remained unbeaten (7-0), barely, for a fourth straight week, a 24-19 victor over 1-8 North Carolina, behind a classic effort by quarterback Malik Rosier, 16/38, 356, 3-1.  You don’t expect perfection from this guy, but he has some talented receivers and Rosier is resourceful, and resilient, and the Hurricanes remain in the conversation, again, barely.

I mean the prior three weeks Miami beat Florida State 24-20, Georgia Tech 25-24, and Syracuse 27-19.  Not exactly CFP-caliber play, even if they were still wins over solid competition.

With the TCU loss, and that of Penn State, 9 Notre Dame has to now be part of the equation, especially if in two weeks it defeats Miami, down there, though the import of that one will be determined by the Hurricanes’ contest next week against the Hokies. 

Saturday, the Fighting Irish (7-1) hosted 14 North Carolina State (6-2) and Notre Dame handled the Wolfpack with ease, 35-14, as running back Josh Adams had another big game, 27 carries for 202 yards and a score, ND’s ‘D’ holding N.C. State to just 263 yards of offense.

10 Oklahoma (7-1) defeated Texas Tech (4-4) 49-27, with Baker Mayfield tossing four touchdown passes, and the guy I told you should receive more playing time, Rodney Anderson, running wild for 181 yards on 24 carries and a score.

In other games....

11 Oklahoma State is now 7-1 following a 50-39 win in the rain at 22 West Virginia (5-3), as Heisman candidate Mason Rudolph was 20/34, 216, 3-1, a performance better than the stats given the crappy conditions.  Running back J.D. King added 142 on the ground for the Cowboys, while for the Mountaineers, quarterback Will Grier threw for 285 yards and two touchdowns, but was picked off four times.

And that was the story of this one.  Oklahoma State committed 4 turnovers, including an interception returned for a TD by WVU, while the Mountaineers also blocked a punt for a score.

OSU, on the other hand, scored four times following West Virginia’s five TOs.

The Cowboys host Oklahoma next week in a biggie.

12 Washington is 7-1 after defeating UCLA (4-4) 44-23.

13 Virginia Tech is 7-1, heading into its big showdown with Miami next week, 24-3 victors’ over struggling Duke (4-5), the Hokies outgaining the Blue Devils, in the muck, 387-183.

15 Washington State (7-2) fell to Arizona (6-2) 58-37.

17 South Florida is no longer among the unbeaten, losing 28-24 to Houston (5-3) in Tampa, the Bulls falling to 7-1.

The Cougars won this one with 0:11 to go on a 20-yard touchdown run by D’Eriq King, after South Florida had taken a 24-21 lead on a field goal with just 1:46 left.  Wish I had seen this ending.

Meanwhile, rival UCF, No. 18, ran its record to 7-0 with a 73-33 blowout of Div. I-AA Austin Peay (5-4)

Thursday night, No. 20 Stanford (6-2) played without spectacular running back Bryce Love, out with an ankle issue, and just eked out Oregon State (1-7) 15-14 on a 3-yard TD pass with 0:20 left.

I watched a fair amount of this one, but went to bed before the end and awoke when there was a stirring in the sports drawer, the Beaverwear causing a stir; a lesson to sports fans.  Never put Duckwear in the same drawer as Beaverwear.  It’s a Civil War in there.

But kudos to interim Oregon State coach Cory Hall, who took over a mess but has the Beavs playing hard, losing last week 36-33 to Colorado and then almost pulling out the upset in Corvalis.

As for Stanford, they have Washington State and Washington the next two weeks. They’ll need Love to return.

Friday night, 24 Memphis (7-1) beat visiting Tulane (3-5) 56-26, as NFL prospect Riley Ferguson was 18/31, 298, 3-1 for the Tigers.  Memphis is very much in the Group of Five, New Year’s Six bowl conversation.

And in some last contests from Saturday....

Rutgers fell to 3-5, losing 35-14 in Ann Arbor to Michigan, now 6-2Coach Jim Harbaugh benched quarterback John O’Korn for redshirt freshman Brandon Peters and that did the trick, Peters going 10/14, 124 and a touchdown, while Karan Higdon and Ty Isaac combined for 267 yards on 32 carries and two TDs on the ground.  The Wolverines may have finally found the right formula on ‘O.’  [For Rutgers, at least this was an improvement over last year’s 78-0 result against the Wolverines.  That is not a misprint.]

Surprising Boston College is suddenly 5-4, coach Steve Addazio’s job officially secure, as the Eagles have now run off three impressive wins in a row...45-42 at Louisville, 41-10 at Virginia, and yesterday, 35-3 at home against Florida State, the Seminoles now a sickening 2-5, as they were held to 64 yards rushing.  You can imagine the grumblings (more than that) down in Tallahassee.  After all, FSU got waxed by a team they beat by 38 points last season.

For B.C., one key has been the development of freshman running back A.J. Dillon, who rumbled for another 149 yards and a touchdown.

As I told B.C. alum Steve D., thank god Wake Forest played you guys earlier, winning me another free lunch.

But then my Demon Deacons had a very nice win themselves Saturday, 42-32 against Louisville (5-4), as the play of Wake quarterback John Wolford, 28/34, 461, 5-0, Wolford outshining the 493 yards of total offense that reigning Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson had for the Cardinals.  Wake had a 28-10 lead at the half before a Homecoming crowd and was never really tested after.  When Louisville pulled to within 35-25 in the fourth, Wake, and Wolford, immediately responded with a score of their own and it was game over.

Incredibly, Wolford was the first Deacon quarterback in 19 years to throw for 400, while redshirt freshman receiver Greg Dortch, who should be a preseason All-American next fall, continued his remarkable campaign with 10 catches for 167 yards and a school record four touchdowns.

So the Deacs are 5-3, heading to Notre Dame next Saturday, and then finishing the season with Syracuse, N.C.  State, and Duke...the last two at home.  6-6 is looking good again....maybe better.  Gotta give Coach Dave Clawson credit for methodically building the program to where it is truly competitive.

And now your new AP poll!

1. Alabama 8-0 (59)
2. Georgia 8-0 (2)
3. Ohio State 7-1
4. Wisconsin 8-0
5. Notre Dame 7-1
6. Clemson 7-1
7. Penn State 7-1
8. Oklahoma 7-1
9. Miami 7-0...they deserved to drop one...
10. TCU 7-1
11. Oklahoma State 7-1
13. Virginia Tech 7-1
14. Iowa State 6-2...a well-deserved rise of 11 spots!  Love it.
15. UCF 7-0
22. Memphis 7-1

The Coaches Poll has the same top four, but then...

5. Clemson
6. Miami
7. Penn State
8. Notre Dame

And now we await the unveiling of the first CFP rankings on Tuesday!  What will the 13 members of the selection committee do with Ohio State’s loss to Oklahoma?  Where will they place Notre Dame?  A lot of folks today have them as high as No. 3 in the CFP!  [I’d be shocked.]

Obviously, with the losses by previously undefeated TCU and Penn State, the whole thing beyond the first two is mucked up.  But we will learn a ton on Tuesday concerning the rest of the season.

And I will have a lot to say next time, including on the Big 12 situation, with four teams tied atop their standings, and the deal with the American Athletic Conference, between UCF, South Florida and Memphis, that should determine the Group of Five, New Year’s Six entrant.

NFL

--Freakin’ Jets.  All I asked for, knowing we weren’t tanking for the No. 1 selection in the 2018 draft, and realizing there isn’t a scout out there who knows which QB should be No. 1, let alone a success in the NFL, was a competitive team to watch the rest of the way and that’s what us Jets fans have.

The problem is we are now 3-5, 25-20 losers today to Atlanta (4-3) in the swamp that is the Meadowlands.  Their kicker, Matt Bryant, was outstanding in hitting all four of his field goal attempts, while our kicker, Chandler Catanzaro, missed two of four (from 46 and 48) and there is your ballgame.

Once again, Jets quarterback Josh McCown was solid, 26/33, 257, 2-0, 119.3, while Atlanta’s Matt Ryan was 18/29, 254, 2-0, 113.3, though he lost two fumbles.

Heck, it was a fun game.  The real difference maker, for those who watched, was actually Falcons punter Matt Bosher, who had two super clutch kicks at the end, one of which was fumbled by the Jets’ Jeremy Kerley.

I mean at a certain point, like from here on, Jets fans just throw up their arms, but you can’t lose sleep over it...I sure won’t.  We are what we are....still probably a 4-12 or so team.  But I’ll keep watching every minute, though this coming Thursday night vs. Buffalo, I can’t imagine I am still up at the end.

--Speaking of Buffalo, the Bills, who haven’t been to the playoffs since 1999, are now 5-2!  And, shockingly, after a 34-14 home win against the Raiders, Oakland is 3-5.  Derek Carr sucked again for the Raiders, 300+ yards notwithstanding, while the Bills’ LeSean McCoy rumbled for 151 yards on 27 carries and a score.

Go Buffalo!  An easy story to root for.

--Minnesota is 6-2 after a 33-16 win over winless Cleveland (0-8) in London.

--And San Francisco remains winless, also 0-8, after a 33-10 loss to Philadelphia, now 7-1.  Carson Wentz wasn’t exactly all-world today, 18/32, 211, 2-1, 84.2, but it was good enough given the competition, the awful weather in Philly not helping anyone.

--Carolina is 5-3 after a 17-3 win at Tampa Bay (2-5) in a game that must have been horrid to watch, Jameis Winston sucking wind for the Bucs, and Cam Newton not doing much better.

--Cincinnati improved to 3-4, as Good Andy showed up, 24-23 winners over the 2-6 Colts.  Like who would go to this one, too.

--New England is 6-2 with a 21-13 victory over San Diego (3-5), Tom Brady a workmanlike 33/49, 333, 1-0, 95.4.

--New Orleans is a surprising 5-2 with a 20-12 win over Chicago (3-5).

--Talk about a league that can’t shoot straight....

Matt Bonesteel / Washington Post

“While discussing what NFL owners should do over players’ continued protests during the national anthem earlier this month at league meetings, Houston Texans owner Robert McNair blurted out, ‘We can’t have the inmates running the prison.’  Whether it was an innocent malapropism or not, McNair’s words drew the immediate ire of Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of operations who was in the room at the time, and the Texans owner and prominent Donald Trump supporter apologized to him before the meeting let out.  McNair apologized again Friday after his quote was revealed by ESPN investigative reporters Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr., but that apparently didn’t satisfy some of his players, who walked out of practice in protest of his comments.

“ ‘I think the comments were disrespectful, but I think it was ignorant, I think it was embarrassing,’ tackle Duane Brown said Friday. ‘I think it angered a lot of players, including myself. We put our bodies and minds on the line every time we step on the field. To use an analogy of inmates in prison, I would say that’s disrespectful.  That’s how I feel about it.’

“And on Saturday, McNair met with his players before they departed for Sunday’s game against the Seahawks in an attempt to clear the air:

“ ‘I knew they were upset,’ McNair said.  ‘I wanted to answer their questions. I told them if I had to do over again I wouldn’t use that expression.’

“The Texans released another statement from McNair about the matter Saturday, his second in as many days.  McNair says his ‘inmates’ remark was about league officials....

“Interviewed by Pro Football Talk on Saturday, Brown shared the following anecdote about McNair from 2008, when Barack Obama was elected president.  The owner’s political leanings were made abundantly clear.

“ ‘He came to talk to the team,’ Brown said.  ‘He was visibly upset about it.  He said, ‘I know a lot of y’all are happy right now, but it’s not the outcome that some of us were looking for.’  That was very shocking to me.’”

So what did the players do for Sunday’s game?  Many of them took a knee during the anthem.  Fine with me.

Seattle then moved to 5-2 with a very exciting 41-38 win over Houston (3-4), Deshaun Watson making a few mistakes but playing great, 19/30, 402, 4-3, 106.9, with receiver DeAndre Hopkins having eight receptions for 224 yards and a score, a heroic effort from him.

For the Seahawks, Russell Wilson was better, 26/41, 452, 4-1, 123.6.  The NFL needs more games like this, and not 17-3, Carolina vs. Tampa Bay contests.

--Lastly, Dallas is 4-3 after a 33-19 win over Washington (3-4), Ezekiel Elliott rushing for 150 yards and two scores.

--Meanwhile, Thursday night, the Dolphins imploded against the Ravens, losing 40-0, a result compounded by two atrocious plays, linebacker Kiko Alonso’s second-quarter cheap shot on Joe Flacco that knocked the Ravens QB out with a concussion, and then, midway through the fourth quarter, Dolphins defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh, after jumping offsides and shoving Flacco’s replacement, Ryan Mallett, grabbed Mallett by the throat.

Suh, one of the dirtiest players of his era, said after that he was just trying to protect himself – from Ryan Mallett?!  [Miami fell to 4-3, Baltimore now 4-4.]

It needs to be noted that it was inexcusable Kiko Alonso wasn’t ejected, as the NFL’s competition committee seemed to direct in the offseason.

But as the Washington Post’s Mark Maske notes, officials failed to eject Chicago Bears linebacker Danny Travathan for a flagrant hit earlier this season on Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams.

--Through the first seven weeks, TV viewership was down roughly 5 percent from the same point last season, and 18 percent from the same period of the 2015 season.  But as I’ve been writing, the ratings have definitely been plateauing the past few weeks.

However, garbage like the Dolphins pulled, and Robert McNair’s comments (and the player reaction to same) won’t help going forward.  We all know the product just isn’t that good.  But my belief on ratings is just based on the fact that especially after the World Series, it’s the only game in town on Sundays, and Mondays.  [We all also know “Thursday Night Football” has to be shelved next year.]

--40-year-old Tom Brady threw 49 passes last season of at least 20 yards, according to data tracked by Pro Football Focus, which uses the 20-yard barrier to define deep passes.  This season, he’s already tossed 40 deep passes, the most in the NFL, entering this week’s contest.  Kind of remarkable.

NBA

--Friday night, the chant went out across all of Manhattan, “Knicks win!  Knicks win!” as the Knickerbockers defeated Brooklyn 107-89, the Nets coming off a huge win over LeBron and the Cavs.  So my Knicks won’t go winless this season.  And we got to finally see first-round pick Frank Ntlikina in extended playing time, 23 minutes, 9 points, 5 assists at the point.  [The guy will be a huge Garden fave if he can stay on the court, given his fragile body.  He plays super hard, non-stop.]

--Also Friday night, the Raptors beat the Lakers 101-92 in L.A., as Laker coach Luke Walton benched his starters for lack of defense, including Lonzo Ball on his 20th birthday, which was kind of a big deal in these parts because it’s all LaVar, err Lonzo, all the time.

Lonzo was 2 of 7 from the field.  The next night, Saturday, in a 96-81 loss to Utah, Ball was 3 of 10, with 5 turnovers.  After six games, Lonzo is shooting at a .311 clip from the field, though he’s averaging 7.7 assists and 7.5 rebounds, the Lakers 2-4.

But Ball did have the last laugh in his game last Wednesday night against the Wizards at Staples Center, a 102-99 overtime victory, as while Lonzo didn’t have an impressive shooting night, six points, he did have 10 assists and 8 rebounds, and held Washington star John Wall to 18 points on 7-for-22 shooting.

Father LaVar, you’ll recall, had insisted prior to the game that the Wizards “better beware,” touching off a battle royale on Twitter, with Wizards center Marcin Gortat saying Wall would “torture (Lonzo) for 48 min.”

--What is the mystery behind 2017’s No. 1 overall pick, point guard Markelle Fultz?  He has been shut down with a shoulder ailment of some kind, with his agent issuing different, some nonsensical, statements on the treatment he was receiving; like he was having his shoulder “drained,” when it seems he may have had a cortisone shot instead.  Some say he just has the shooting yips.

So it was reported late this afternoon, Fultz is out indefinitely.  He definitely changed his shooting motion and the shoulder is being blamed as the reason for the change.

--Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd. co-founder Joseph Tsai is buying a 49% stake in the Nets at a record valuation of $2.3 billion.

Mikhail Prokhorov agreed to sell the interest and give Mr. Tsai the option to purchase a controlling stake in four years.

The sale doesn’t include Barclays Center, the arena where the Nets play.

So 49% of $2.3 billion is $1.13 billion, a rather sizable profit for Prokhorov, who paid $260 million for 80% of the team, 45% of the new arena and the right to purchase real estate around the Brooklyn site in 2012. 

The Los Angeles Clippers sold for $2 billion in 2014, and the Houston Rockets recently went for $2.2 billion.

A key is the NBA having signed a $24 billion television deal in 2014 that secured its media rights for another decade at a time of major uncertainty in the industry.

Golf Balls

--At the WGC-HSBC Championship in Shanghai, Justin Rose trailed Dustin Johnson by eight shots heading into the final round today.  Like the rest of the field, he was playing for second.

But Johnson made back-to-back bogeys his first two holes and it was game on.  Rose posted a five-under 67 to win at 14-under, two shots clear of Henrik Stenson, Brooks Koepka and DJ, Johnson shooting a five-over 77.  It was Rose’s eighth career PGA Tour victory, his second career WGC title, having won at Doral in 2012.  It was actually Rose’s first PGA Tour win since the 2013 U.S. Open, which is rather surprising.  [He won the 2016 Olympic Gold medal in Rio.]

--Meanwhile, we had another sanctioned PGA Tour event in Jackson, Miss., this weekend, the Sanderson Farms Championship, won by 41-year-old Ryan Armour, his very first triumph on tour.  Good for him!  Boy, that’s perseverance. 

--Tiger Woods pleaded guilty to reckless driving on Friday and will be put on probation for a year and attend a rehabilitation program for his incident back in May when he was found by a police officer asleep at the wheel of his parked Mercedes, and then exhibited “extremely slow and slurred speech,” according to the police report.

If Woods successfully completes a diversion program, including D.U.I. school and performing community service, a more serious driving under the influence charge will be dropped from his record.

His last major win was in 2008.  His last win on the PGA Tour in 2013.

NASCAR

--Kyle Busch became the first to punch his way into the championship race in three weeks at Homestead, winning in overtime at Martinsville, a short track event.  Just two more races, at Texas and Phoenix, before the finale for all the marbles...four drivers then fighting for the Cup.

--In a very interesting, enlightened move, whether he believes it was or not, legendary Richard Petty has tabbed Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. to ride Petty’s famous No. 43 for next season, replacing Aric Almirola.  Wallace was tapped by King Richard earlier this year to replace Almirola for four weeks while he recovered from an injury suffered in a wreck in May and Wallace finished higher each time out.

“It’s like he’d been there forever,” Petty said this week.

So the 24-year-old Wallace, who won a Truck Series race in 2013 to become the first African-American to win a national series race since 1963, becomes just the second black driver to race full time in NASCAR’s top series, Wendell Scott the other (Scott last a regular in 1971).

Petty, 80, made headlines last month when he said that anyone who did not stand for the national anthem before sporting events “ought to be out of the country,” adding: “What got ‘em where they’re at? The United States.”

Wallace, who was born in Mobile, Ala, to a white father and a black mother, has a somewhat different opinion, saying of the protests started by Colin Kaepernick: “I understand Colin’s reasoning behind it. I really get it.”

“At the same time,” said Wallace, standing for the anthem is something “I’ve always done.”

I love this move.  A potential big shot in the arm for the sport.  And a natural for a “60 Minutes” story ahead of Daytona next February...hint, hint...CBS producers.

I mean we’re talking Richard Petty just hired an African-American to drive his 43!  This is massive.  Good on you, King Richard!

Premier League

--Last weekend, as Tottenham was beating Liverpool 4-1, striker Harry Kane exited with what seemed like a minor injury late in the game, and I paid no attention to it.

Until Thursday, when us Spurs fans learned Kane wouldn’t be available for a critical match against Manchester United yesterday.  ‘Uh oh,’ I mused.

So Tottenham went on to suffer a crushing 1-0 defeat on a late Man U goal.  Season over.  Really.  At least in terms of challenging Manchester City for the top of the Premier League.  It’s now all about finishing top four (and the Champions League).

How can I say this after just 10 of 38 games?  Because I’ve told you over the years that you have to do no worse than draw in your ten games against your fellow Big Six opponents (Man City, Man U, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal the others).  Losses in the series are deadly.

In other games, Manchester City is now 9-1-0, W-D-L, in its first ten games, the best start ever in the PL, following a 3-2 road win at West Brom.

Arsenal defeated Swansea 2-1, Liverpool whipped Huddersfield 3-0, and Chelsea edged Bournemouth 1-0.

So after 10 of 38 matches....ties broken by goal differential....

1. Manchester City 28 points
2. Manchester United 23
3. Tottenham 20...but seemingly light years away from the top
4. Chelsea 19
5. Arsenal 19
6. Liverpool 16

Well, whaddya know...the Big Six is, err, the top six just like it almost always is.

--How important was it for the United States to qualify for the World Cup?  Think about this.  The 2018 WC champion will get $38 million from a prize fund FIFA has increased by 12 percent to $400 million.

As released Friday, each of the 32 competing national federations in Russia will get at least $8 million, the same as in 2014, but the winner will see an increase from $35 million, and the runner-up will now receive $28 million, up from $25 million.  Third- and fourth-place teams will each get a $2 million increase to $24 million and $22 million, respectively.

Quarterfinalists will each get a $2 million increase to $16 million.

This is big money.  But the USMNT gets zippo. #ElChoko

--I forgot to list the latest Men’s Division I Soccer Rankings last chat, just as Wake Forest moved up to No. 1, ahead of Indiana. But then on Friday, the Deacs had a 0-0 draw with unranked Syracuse at home, though the Deacs had previously locked up the No. 1 seed in the ACC championship, which starts next weekend.

Wake had nine shots on goal against the Orange, but their keeper did a terrific job, while Wake didn’t allow a single shot on its goal the entire game!

Stuff

--The Paul Newman watch up for auction that I mentioned the other day was sold for a record $17.8 million, purchased by an anonymous phone buyer.

--We note the passing of Fats Domino, the sound of New Orleans, and a pioneer in R&B, at the age of 89.

Most of Domino’s crossover hits that we all know, such as “Ain’t That a Shame,” “I’m in Love Again,” “Blue Monday,” “Walking to New Orleans,” “I’m Walkin’,” “Whole Lotta Lovin’” and “I Want to Walk You Home” as well as “Blueberry Hill, were written and arranged with Dave Bartholomew.  Each of these was a top 10 on the Billboard pop chart, while with the exception of “Whole Lotta Lovin’,” which peaked at No. 2, every one of the tunes noted reached the top of the Billboard R&B singles chart.

Fats Domino was born in New Orleans, the son of a French Creole violinist, Fats learning to play piano from his brother-in-law, Harrison Verrett, who worked with New Orleans legends Kid Ory and Papa Celestin.  Fats got his name from his partner in a local duo, Billy Diamond, who named the portly lad after great pianists Fats Waller and Fats Pichon.

Fats Domino’s first crossover hit, “Ain’t That a Shame,” was copied by Pat Boone, aimed at the mainstream, which held down Fats’ sales.

But by 1963, when his relationship with Imperial Records ended when the label was sold, his new label instructed Fats to record in Nashville, and without Mr. Bartholomew, and his peak period ended.

He performed steadily in Las Vegas in the ‘60s, but lost a lot of money in the casinos, $180,000 in one two-week period when his fee for an engagement was $6,500 a week.

Fats Domino was a huge influence on the likes of Elvis Presley and the Beatles, and in 1986, he was among the 10 inaugural inductees to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, and a year later received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

By 1980 Fats had stopped touring, remaining in his beloved New Orleans, and he was largely invisible ever since.  He barely escaped his home during Hurricane Katrina.  Determined to ride it out, when the levees broke, his home flooded and Fats, his wife, and other family members retreated to an upper floor and were rescued by Harbor Police.

--The other day I wrote about the 40th anniversary of the crash of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s airplane and Johnny Mac wrote in from Asheville, N.C.. It turns out their drummer, Artimus Pyle, lives near Johnny and J. Mac and his wife run into him from time to time.

So Artimus has a dog that he gets groomed at a shop down the street from Johnny’s and J. Mac’s neighbor was in there recently, picking up his dog, and struck up a conversation with Pyle, not knowing who he was.  Artimus asked him what he did, and J. Mac’s friend said he was a retired businessman, but his real calling in life was as a drummer (he played in groups back in college) and kinda bragged on his prowess...he then asked what Artimus did...and as Johnny says, “you can imagine the rest.”  Love it.  Get well, J. Mac, by the way.  #BionicMan

Top 3 songs for the week 10/28/72: #1 “My Ding-A-Ling” (Chuck Berry) #2 “Burning Love” (Elvis Presley)  #3 “Nights In White Satin” (The Moody Blues)...and...#4 “Use Me” (Bill Withers)  #5 “I Can See Clearly Now” (Johnny Nash)  #6 Freddie’s Dead (Theme from ‘Superfly’)” (Curtis Mayfield) #7 “Garden Party” (Rick Nelson & The Stone Canyon Band)  #8 “Ben” (Michael Jackson)  #9 “Everybody Plays The Fool” (The Main Ingredient)  #10 “Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues” (Danny O’Keefe)

College Football Quiz Answer: Top three single-season passing yards....

B.J. Symons, Texas Tech, 2003, 5,833 yards in 13 games.  Didn’t play in NFL
Graham Harrell, Texas Tech, 2007, 5,705 in 13. Threw four passes for Packers in 2012.
Case Keenum, Houston, 2009, 5,671 in 14. Currently on Minnesota, fourth team since 2012.

Next Bar Chat, Thursday.



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Bar Chat

10/30/2017

Baseball at its Best

[Posted Sunday evening...prior to Game 5, as well as Steelers-Lions]

College Football Quiz: Name the top three in single-season passing yards.  Of course you will get all kinds of clues.  All are from Texas schools, 2 of the 3 from one of them.  All post-2000.  Only one played more than one season in the NFL.  Answer below.

World Series...Dodgers-Astros

Game 2...after I had posted earlier in the day.

Jared Diamond / Wall Street Journal

Any attempt to explain Game 2 of the 2017 World Series in a neat, succinct package couldn’t do justice to Wednesday night’s events at Dodger Stadium....(Houston’s) heart-stopping 7-6 win over the Los Angeles....

“The two teams combined for eight home runs, a World Series record, including six in the final three innings – a topsy-turvy, pulse-pounding flurry of haymakers for the ages.  Arguably the most dominant bullpen in postseason history collapsed spectacularly, the best closer in the major leagues blew a save and the Dodgers’ streak of 98 consecutive victories in contests they led after eight innings skidded to an end.

“The energetic Yasiel Puig celebrated a crucial homer by gently placing his bat on the ground, half an inning after Carlos Correa marked his own by launching his bat high into the air.  The brim of an outfielder’s cap prevented at least one run from scoring, while the midsection of an umpire potentially saved another.  At one point, a fan jumped from his seat into the Astros’ bullpen and left the premises in handcuffs.

“It defied all logic and somehow made perfect sense, existing as a pure and beautiful display of this magical game on the stage of October, baseball’s month for making history.  And when the contest finally ended 4 hours and 19 minutes later, after 11 stressful innings, the Astros walked off the field with their championship dreams alive and thriving.”

Going into the eighth inning, the Dodgers led the Astros 3-1, on the strength of home runs off the bat of Joc Pederson and Corey Seager (Seager’s a two-run shot), both off Justin Verlander, who otherwise pitched six solid innings.

So Houston was now going up against a bullpen that had thrown 28 straight scoreless innings. But they ended the streak with a run in the eighth and then tying the game with a Marwin Gonzalez homer off Kenley Jansen in the ninth, silencing the raucous crowd of 54,293 that were ready to sleep on a 2-0 Series advantage; Jansen entering a perfect 12-for-12 in playoff save opportunities during his career.

Then in the 10th, Jose Altuve and Carlos Corea led off with back-to-back homers, Correa with an epic bat flip, but the Dodgers battled back in the bottom of the 10th off Houston closer Ken Giles, Puig homering in the process.

On to the 11th, and Houston’s George Springer hit a two-run homer off Brandon McCarthy, who hadn’t pitched in more than three weeks.

The Dodgers cut it to 7-6 with a home run by Charlie Culberson, but reliever Chris Devenski struck out Puig to close the door on the Astros’ first World Series win in franchise history.

Indeed, it was “an instant classic.”

On to Houston and Game 3....

The Astros struck first with four in the second off Dodgers starter Yu Darvish, the first run on a homer by Yuli Gurriel, and then RBIs by Gonzalez, Brian McCann and Alex Bregman.

The L.A. pen then yielded just an unearned run in 6 1/3, but after Lance McCullers threw an effective 5 1/3 for Houston, manager A.J. Hinch went with Brad Peacock and all Peacock did was throw a masterful 3 2/3 of no-hit ball to seal the deal, 5-3 Houston, Series even at 2-2.

But controversy erupted after.  I was watching when Gurriel hit his home run off Yu Darvish and just didn’t catch Gurriel putting his fingers to the sides of his face and lifting the corners of his eyes, a “slanted eyes” gesture that is offensive to Asians. I saw it, but it didn’t register, as I was also working on that other column I do on Friday nights, truth be told.  Gurriel also was seen using the word “Chinito,” Spanish slang for Chinese boy.

Darvish was born in Japan, to an Iranian father and a Japanese mother.  He grew up in Japan and played there before coming to the major leagues in 2012.

Gurriel was born in Cuba and played there and in Japan in 2014 before coming to MLB last year.

Darvish was widely reported to have called Gurriel’s actions “disrespectful,” but the Los Angeles Times’ Dylan Hernandez, who speaks Japanese, said Darvish did not use that adjective in speaking with English-language reporters and that the translation had been improper.

Darvish said he had seen Gurriel’s gesture.

“Personally, it doesn’t really bother me,” Darvish said.

“But I’m sure the Astros have Asian fans, and there are a lot of Asian people all over the world, and to those people, from a humanistic perspective and as a baseball organization, I thought the Astros’ image might suffer as a result.”

Darvish said he was not angry with Gurriel.

“As teammates, we joke about stuff like that,” Darvish said. “He played in Japan and I have respect for him.  As citizens of the world, if we can learn from this and take a step forward, I think this could be a good thing.”

Gurriel said he would be happy to speak with Darvish.

“I’ve never had anything against Darvish,” Gurriel said.  “On the contrary, he’s always been one of the best pitchers. If he was offended, I ask for his forgiveness.  That wasn’t my intention.”

So Commissioner Rob Manfred was faced with a tough decision, and I believe he did the right thing, suspending Gurriel for five days without pay...at the beginning of next season...and not for a game during the World Series.  Manfred didn’t want the incident taking anything away from the action. 

So on to Game 4, a masterful duel between a pair of No. 4 starters, the Dodgers’ Alex Wood and the Astros’ Charlie Morton.

Wood, who hadn’t pitched in 32 days, but was 16-3 with a 2.72 ERA this season, had a no-hitter into the sixth, when George Springer connected for a solo homer, making it 1-0 Houston.

Morton carried a shutout into the seventh, when the Dodgers’ sensational rookie, Cody Bellinger, snapped an 0-for-13 slump (including eight strikeouts) with a double, and then was driven home on Logan Forsythe’s single to tie it at 1-1.

Bellinger then boomed another double in the top of the ninth, plating the go-ahead run, Austin Barnes hit a sac flay, and Joc Pederson then blasted a three-run homer for the Dodgers, making it a five-run ninth off closer Ken Giles and reliever Joe Musgrave.

Closer Kenley Jansen then finished things off in the ninth, though he gave up a solo shot to Alex Bregman, Houston’s only other hit of the game aside from Springer’s home run...Dodgers win 6-2, tying the Series at 2-2.

Back to Bellinger, he was struggling so mightily, many were saying manager Dave Roberts should drop him in the lineup from the cleanup spot, but Roberts stuck with the 22-year-old, convinced he would arise from his slumber.  It’s the difference between a good manager and a great one.

[For the record, Gurriel was in the lineup and went 0-for-3, but then so did just about everyone else in the Houston lineup.]

On to Game 5, the Dodgers having what they always wanted, Clayton Kershaw back on the mound in a critical contest, facing off against Houston’s Dallas Keuchel.

--So I said the Yankees probably wanted manager Joe Girardi to return, but that I didn’t think he wanted to come back.

Well, reverse that.  The Yankees fired Girardi, and it was clear the organization, and some of the players, just wanted to move on after ten seasons and just one World Series title (2009), the only World Series appearance for a franchise used to far more success.

Granted, Girardi did a great job in general with this year’s team, far exceeding expectations, but it’s now clear it was a tension convention behind the scenes.

Former star Mark Teixeira told the New York Post after the announcement that Girardi wasn’t returning.  “We all know why Joe is not coming back. We all know it’s because of the communication and the intensity was a little bit too much.  [General manager Brian Cashman] did an amazing job rebuilding this roster. He just wanted a different voice.”

Teixeira, who now works for ESPN, added: “Everyone loves Joe, everyone respects Joe, he is a good manager, he is a good man.  But with baseball the way it is played today and the need for a manager to be a better communicator and communicate with the front office the reasoning for doing things and to be a little bit more relaxed – especially in a place like New York, where the pressure is everywhere, he just wasn’t the best man for the job anymore.”

And: “The communication and the highs and lows of the season weren’t Joe’s best assets and he will probably tell you that. He manages every game like it’s Game 7.”

So will Girardi end up in Washington?  I thought he might manage Philadelphia, which to me would be a little less stressful given where the franchise is today.  Washington, on the other hand, is demanding a World Series title in 2018.

And who will take over the Yankees, with their loaded roster (albeit some tweaking still required in the starting rotation). Former hitting coach Kevin Long, now with the Mets, is a possibility, ditto bench coach Rob Thomson.

Well, I wrote the above two hours before word came from Washington that they had hired Cubs bench coach Davey Martinez, signing him to a three-year deal.

Martinez had been considered the front-runner to replace Dusty Baker and they interviewed him on Thursday; the Nationals also interviewing former Red Sox manager John Farrell.

So Martinez gives the Nats a different look, certainly a fresh face, who is fluent in Spanish and well-versed in advanced analytics, that are all the rage these days.  Martinez is also the third Latino manager in baseball, joining Rick Renteria and Alex Cora, who was hired by Boston.

College Football Review

*The following written before release of the new AP Poll.

Top Ten action...No. 1 Alabama being idle this week....

In a game they’ll be talking about for some time in Columbus and Happy Valley, No. 2 Penn State, seemingly in control throughout, eventually succumbed to No. 6 Ohio State (7-1) 39-38, an instant classic that dropped PSU to 7-1 and, barring a miracle, out of the CFP conversation.

Penn State got off to a spectacular start on the road, with Saquon Barkley’s opening 97-yard touchdown return on the kickoff, but that was about all this Heisman candidate did on the night (44 yards on 21 carries).

It was 28-10 Penn State, though, midway through just the second quarter, when Ohio State quarterback, and the man who is now your Heisman Trophy winner, J.T. Barrett, proceeded to have a game Buckeye fans will long remember, 33/39, 328, 4-0, plus another 95 yards on the ground.

Yet OSU was trailing 38-27, just 5:40 remaining, when Barrett tossed a touchdown pass to make it 38-33 (the two-point conversion failing) and then J.T. did it again, after the OSU defense held Penn State, Barrett finding Marcus Baugh for the seeming winning score, 39-38.

But there was 1:48 still to play, football at the PSU 41, but Nittany Lions QB Trace McSorley threw three incompletions and was sacked.  Game over.

Afterwards, Buckeye coach Urban Meyer said of Barrett, “I’ve never had a kid play perfect, but damn he was close tonight.”

I wrote last time that Barrett was the odds-on Heisman favorite off his 21 touchdowns, one interception performance prior to today, but I also noted that lone pick was in the loss to Oklahoma and the Buckeyes hadn’t really played anyone since, a point the Fox announcers made Saturday.

Bottom line, Barrett needed to come through in a big one, and he did.  Just a great show.

Meanwhile, No. 3 Georgia is now 8-0 and headed for the CFP, says moi, after a dominating performance against 3-4 Florida in Jacksonville, 42-7.  [Florida coach Jim McElwain was asked to resign today, and at last word he had, or was fired....there’s more to this story for next time... it’s ugly...as in ugly Americans.]

And in a huge upset in terms of the CFP, though even yours truly hinted this could happen last chat, 25 Iowa State beat 4 TCU 14-7, Iowa State having previously knocked off Oklahoma in Norman.  The Cyclones are now 6-2, 4-1 in the Big 12, while the Horned Frogs fall to 7-1. 

For TCU, Kenny Hill picked a bad time to have his worst game of the season, 12/25, 135, 0-2, while for Iowa State, one of the great stories of the college football season, senior quarterback Kyle Kempt had another solid effort, 21/35, 202, 2-1.

Kempt is the guy who until four games ago, had thrown all of two passes in his entire career, being a walk-on, and was No. 4 on the depth chart when a whole series of events were set in motion when ISU’s starting QB, Jacob Park, walked away from the program for an undisclosed medical reason prior to the Oklahoma game.

Kempt then rallied the team against the Sooners and he’s now 4-0.

5 Wisconsin (8-0) played another yawner, 24-10 over lousy Illinois (2-6), a game that will hardly warm the cockles of the pollsters, including the CFP folks.  [Star Badger running back Jonathan Taylor exited with an injury, extent unknown.]

7 Clemson (7-1) remains more than relevant with some of the action ahead of it in the rankings this weekend, 24-10 winners over Georgia Tech (4-3).

8 Miami remained unbeaten (7-0), barely, for a fourth straight week, a 24-19 victor over 1-8 North Carolina, behind a classic effort by quarterback Malik Rosier, 16/38, 356, 3-1.  You don’t expect perfection from this guy, but he has some talented receivers and Rosier is resourceful, and resilient, and the Hurricanes remain in the conversation, again, barely.

I mean the prior three weeks Miami beat Florida State 24-20, Georgia Tech 25-24, and Syracuse 27-19.  Not exactly CFP-caliber play, even if they were still wins over solid competition.

With the TCU loss, and that of Penn State, 9 Notre Dame has to now be part of the equation, especially if in two weeks it defeats Miami, down there, though the import of that one will be determined by the Hurricanes’ contest next week against the Hokies. 

Saturday, the Fighting Irish (7-1) hosted 14 North Carolina State (6-2) and Notre Dame handled the Wolfpack with ease, 35-14, as running back Josh Adams had another big game, 27 carries for 202 yards and a score, ND’s ‘D’ holding N.C. State to just 263 yards of offense.

10 Oklahoma (7-1) defeated Texas Tech (4-4) 49-27, with Baker Mayfield tossing four touchdown passes, and the guy I told you should receive more playing time, Rodney Anderson, running wild for 181 yards on 24 carries and a score.

In other games....

11 Oklahoma State is now 7-1 following a 50-39 win in the rain at 22 West Virginia (5-3), as Heisman candidate Mason Rudolph was 20/34, 216, 3-1, a performance better than the stats given the crappy conditions.  Running back J.D. King added 142 on the ground for the Cowboys, while for the Mountaineers, quarterback Will Grier threw for 285 yards and two touchdowns, but was picked off four times.

And that was the story of this one.  Oklahoma State committed 4 turnovers, including an interception returned for a TD by WVU, while the Mountaineers also blocked a punt for a score.

OSU, on the other hand, scored four times following West Virginia’s five TOs.

The Cowboys host Oklahoma next week in a biggie.

12 Washington is 7-1 after defeating UCLA (4-4) 44-23.

13 Virginia Tech is 7-1, heading into its big showdown with Miami next week, 24-3 victors’ over struggling Duke (4-5), the Hokies outgaining the Blue Devils, in the muck, 387-183.

15 Washington State (7-2) fell to Arizona (6-2) 58-37.

17 South Florida is no longer among the unbeaten, losing 28-24 to Houston (5-3) in Tampa, the Bulls falling to 7-1.

The Cougars won this one with 0:11 to go on a 20-yard touchdown run by D’Eriq King, after South Florida had taken a 24-21 lead on a field goal with just 1:46 left.  Wish I had seen this ending.

Meanwhile, rival UCF, No. 18, ran its record to 7-0 with a 73-33 blowout of Div. I-AA Austin Peay (5-4)

Thursday night, No. 20 Stanford (6-2) played without spectacular running back Bryce Love, out with an ankle issue, and just eked out Oregon State (1-7) 15-14 on a 3-yard TD pass with 0:20 left.

I watched a fair amount of this one, but went to bed before the end and awoke when there was a stirring in the sports drawer, the Beaverwear causing a stir; a lesson to sports fans.  Never put Duckwear in the same drawer as Beaverwear.  It’s a Civil War in there.

But kudos to interim Oregon State coach Cory Hall, who took over a mess but has the Beavs playing hard, losing last week 36-33 to Colorado and then almost pulling out the upset in Corvalis.

As for Stanford, they have Washington State and Washington the next two weeks. They’ll need Love to return.

Friday night, 24 Memphis (7-1) beat visiting Tulane (3-5) 56-26, as NFL prospect Riley Ferguson was 18/31, 298, 3-1 for the Tigers.  Memphis is very much in the Group of Five, New Year’s Six bowl conversation.

And in some last contests from Saturday....

Rutgers fell to 3-5, losing 35-14 in Ann Arbor to Michigan, now 6-2Coach Jim Harbaugh benched quarterback John O’Korn for redshirt freshman Brandon Peters and that did the trick, Peters going 10/14, 124 and a touchdown, while Karan Higdon and Ty Isaac combined for 267 yards on 32 carries and two TDs on the ground.  The Wolverines may have finally found the right formula on ‘O.’  [For Rutgers, at least this was an improvement over last year’s 78-0 result against the Wolverines.  That is not a misprint.]

Surprising Boston College is suddenly 5-4, coach Steve Addazio’s job officially secure, as the Eagles have now run off three impressive wins in a row...45-42 at Louisville, 41-10 at Virginia, and yesterday, 35-3 at home against Florida State, the Seminoles now a sickening 2-5, as they were held to 64 yards rushing.  You can imagine the grumblings (more than that) down in Tallahassee.  After all, FSU got waxed by a team they beat by 38 points last season.

For B.C., one key has been the development of freshman running back A.J. Dillon, who rumbled for another 149 yards and a touchdown.

As I told B.C. alum Steve D., thank god Wake Forest played you guys earlier, winning me another free lunch.

But then my Demon Deacons had a very nice win themselves Saturday, 42-32 against Louisville (5-4), as the play of Wake quarterback John Wolford, 28/34, 461, 5-0, Wolford outshining the 493 yards of total offense that reigning Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson had for the Cardinals.  Wake had a 28-10 lead at the half before a Homecoming crowd and was never really tested after.  When Louisville pulled to within 35-25 in the fourth, Wake, and Wolford, immediately responded with a score of their own and it was game over.

Incredibly, Wolford was the first Deacon quarterback in 19 years to throw for 400, while redshirt freshman receiver Greg Dortch, who should be a preseason All-American next fall, continued his remarkable campaign with 10 catches for 167 yards and a school record four touchdowns.

So the Deacs are 5-3, heading to Notre Dame next Saturday, and then finishing the season with Syracuse, N.C.  State, and Duke...the last two at home.  6-6 is looking good again....maybe better.  Gotta give Coach Dave Clawson credit for methodically building the program to where it is truly competitive.

And now your new AP poll!

1. Alabama 8-0 (59)
2. Georgia 8-0 (2)
3. Ohio State 7-1
4. Wisconsin 8-0
5. Notre Dame 7-1
6. Clemson 7-1
7. Penn State 7-1
8. Oklahoma 7-1
9. Miami 7-0...they deserved to drop one...
10. TCU 7-1
11. Oklahoma State 7-1
13. Virginia Tech 7-1
14. Iowa State 6-2...a well-deserved rise of 11 spots!  Love it.
15. UCF 7-0
22. Memphis 7-1

The Coaches Poll has the same top four, but then...

5. Clemson
6. Miami
7. Penn State
8. Notre Dame

And now we await the unveiling of the first CFP rankings on Tuesday!  What will the 13 members of the selection committee do with Ohio State’s loss to Oklahoma?  Where will they place Notre Dame?  A lot of folks today have them as high as No. 3 in the CFP!  [I’d be shocked.]

Obviously, with the losses by previously undefeated TCU and Penn State, the whole thing beyond the first two is mucked up.  But we will learn a ton on Tuesday concerning the rest of the season.

And I will have a lot to say next time, including on the Big 12 situation, with four teams tied atop their standings, and the deal with the American Athletic Conference, between UCF, South Florida and Memphis, that should determine the Group of Five, New Year’s Six entrant.

NFL

--Freakin’ Jets.  All I asked for, knowing we weren’t tanking for the No. 1 selection in the 2018 draft, and realizing there isn’t a scout out there who knows which QB should be No. 1, let alone a success in the NFL, was a competitive team to watch the rest of the way and that’s what us Jets fans have.

The problem is we are now 3-5, 25-20 losers today to Atlanta (4-3) in the swamp that is the Meadowlands.  Their kicker, Matt Bryant, was outstanding in hitting all four of his field goal attempts, while our kicker, Chandler Catanzaro, missed two of four (from 46 and 48) and there is your ballgame.

Once again, Jets quarterback Josh McCown was solid, 26/33, 257, 2-0, 119.3, while Atlanta’s Matt Ryan was 18/29, 254, 2-0, 113.3, though he lost two fumbles.

Heck, it was a fun game.  The real difference maker, for those who watched, was actually Falcons punter Matt Bosher, who had two super clutch kicks at the end, one of which was fumbled by the Jets’ Jeremy Kerley.

I mean at a certain point, like from here on, Jets fans just throw up their arms, but you can’t lose sleep over it...I sure won’t.  We are what we are....still probably a 4-12 or so team.  But I’ll keep watching every minute, though this coming Thursday night vs. Buffalo, I can’t imagine I am still up at the end.

--Speaking of Buffalo, the Bills, who haven’t been to the playoffs since 1999, are now 5-2!  And, shockingly, after a 34-14 home win against the Raiders, Oakland is 3-5.  Derek Carr sucked again for the Raiders, 300+ yards notwithstanding, while the Bills’ LeSean McCoy rumbled for 151 yards on 27 carries and a score.

Go Buffalo!  An easy story to root for.

--Minnesota is 6-2 after a 33-16 win over winless Cleveland (0-8) in London.

--And San Francisco remains winless, also 0-8, after a 33-10 loss to Philadelphia, now 7-1.  Carson Wentz wasn’t exactly all-world today, 18/32, 211, 2-1, 84.2, but it was good enough given the competition, the awful weather in Philly not helping anyone.

--Carolina is 5-3 after a 17-3 win at Tampa Bay (2-5) in a game that must have been horrid to watch, Jameis Winston sucking wind for the Bucs, and Cam Newton not doing much better.

--Cincinnati improved to 3-4, as Good Andy showed up, 24-23 winners over the 2-6 Colts.  Like who would go to this one, too.

--New England is 6-2 with a 21-13 victory over San Diego (3-5), Tom Brady a workmanlike 33/49, 333, 1-0, 95.4.

--New Orleans is a surprising 5-2 with a 20-12 win over Chicago (3-5).

--Talk about a league that can’t shoot straight....

Matt Bonesteel / Washington Post

“While discussing what NFL owners should do over players’ continued protests during the national anthem earlier this month at league meetings, Houston Texans owner Robert McNair blurted out, ‘We can’t have the inmates running the prison.’  Whether it was an innocent malapropism or not, McNair’s words drew the immediate ire of Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of operations who was in the room at the time, and the Texans owner and prominent Donald Trump supporter apologized to him before the meeting let out.  McNair apologized again Friday after his quote was revealed by ESPN investigative reporters Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr., but that apparently didn’t satisfy some of his players, who walked out of practice in protest of his comments.

“ ‘I think the comments were disrespectful, but I think it was ignorant, I think it was embarrassing,’ tackle Duane Brown said Friday. ‘I think it angered a lot of players, including myself. We put our bodies and minds on the line every time we step on the field. To use an analogy of inmates in prison, I would say that’s disrespectful.  That’s how I feel about it.’

“And on Saturday, McNair met with his players before they departed for Sunday’s game against the Seahawks in an attempt to clear the air:

“ ‘I knew they were upset,’ McNair said.  ‘I wanted to answer their questions. I told them if I had to do over again I wouldn’t use that expression.’

“The Texans released another statement from McNair about the matter Saturday, his second in as many days.  McNair says his ‘inmates’ remark was about league officials....

“Interviewed by Pro Football Talk on Saturday, Brown shared the following anecdote about McNair from 2008, when Barack Obama was elected president.  The owner’s political leanings were made abundantly clear.

“ ‘He came to talk to the team,’ Brown said.  ‘He was visibly upset about it.  He said, ‘I know a lot of y’all are happy right now, but it’s not the outcome that some of us were looking for.’  That was very shocking to me.’”

So what did the players do for Sunday’s game?  Many of them took a knee during the anthem.  Fine with me.

Seattle then moved to 5-2 with a very exciting 41-38 win over Houston (3-4), Deshaun Watson making a few mistakes but playing great, 19/30, 402, 4-3, 106.9, with receiver DeAndre Hopkins having eight receptions for 224 yards and a score, a heroic effort from him.

For the Seahawks, Russell Wilson was better, 26/41, 452, 4-1, 123.6.  The NFL needs more games like this, and not 17-3, Carolina vs. Tampa Bay contests.

--Lastly, Dallas is 4-3 after a 33-19 win over Washington (3-4), Ezekiel Elliott rushing for 150 yards and two scores.

--Meanwhile, Thursday night, the Dolphins imploded against the Ravens, losing 40-0, a result compounded by two atrocious plays, linebacker Kiko Alonso’s second-quarter cheap shot on Joe Flacco that knocked the Ravens QB out with a concussion, and then, midway through the fourth quarter, Dolphins defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh, after jumping offsides and shoving Flacco’s replacement, Ryan Mallett, grabbed Mallett by the throat.

Suh, one of the dirtiest players of his era, said after that he was just trying to protect himself – from Ryan Mallett?!  [Miami fell to 4-3, Baltimore now 4-4.]

It needs to be noted that it was inexcusable Kiko Alonso wasn’t ejected, as the NFL’s competition committee seemed to direct in the offseason.

But as the Washington Post’s Mark Maske notes, officials failed to eject Chicago Bears linebacker Danny Travathan for a flagrant hit earlier this season on Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams.

--Through the first seven weeks, TV viewership was down roughly 5 percent from the same point last season, and 18 percent from the same period of the 2015 season.  But as I’ve been writing, the ratings have definitely been plateauing the past few weeks.

However, garbage like the Dolphins pulled, and Robert McNair’s comments (and the player reaction to same) won’t help going forward.  We all know the product just isn’t that good.  But my belief on ratings is just based on the fact that especially after the World Series, it’s the only game in town on Sundays, and Mondays.  [We all also know “Thursday Night Football” has to be shelved next year.]

--40-year-old Tom Brady threw 49 passes last season of at least 20 yards, according to data tracked by Pro Football Focus, which uses the 20-yard barrier to define deep passes.  This season, he’s already tossed 40 deep passes, the most in the NFL, entering this week’s contest.  Kind of remarkable.

NBA

--Friday night, the chant went out across all of Manhattan, “Knicks win!  Knicks win!” as the Knickerbockers defeated Brooklyn 107-89, the Nets coming off a huge win over LeBron and the Cavs.  So my Knicks won’t go winless this season.  And we got to finally see first-round pick Frank Ntlikina in extended playing time, 23 minutes, 9 points, 5 assists at the point.  [The guy will be a huge Garden fave if he can stay on the court, given his fragile body.  He plays super hard, non-stop.]

--Also Friday night, the Raptors beat the Lakers 101-92 in L.A., as Laker coach Luke Walton benched his starters for lack of defense, including Lonzo Ball on his 20th birthday, which was kind of a big deal in these parts because it’s all LaVar, err Lonzo, all the time.

Lonzo was 2 of 7 from the field.  The next night, Saturday, in a 96-81 loss to Utah, Ball was 3 of 10, with 5 turnovers.  After six games, Lonzo is shooting at a .311 clip from the field, though he’s averaging 7.7 assists and 7.5 rebounds, the Lakers 2-4.

But Ball did have the last laugh in his game last Wednesday night against the Wizards at Staples Center, a 102-99 overtime victory, as while Lonzo didn’t have an impressive shooting night, six points, he did have 10 assists and 8 rebounds, and held Washington star John Wall to 18 points on 7-for-22 shooting.

Father LaVar, you’ll recall, had insisted prior to the game that the Wizards “better beware,” touching off a battle royale on Twitter, with Wizards center Marcin Gortat saying Wall would “torture (Lonzo) for 48 min.”

--What is the mystery behind 2017’s No. 1 overall pick, point guard Markelle Fultz?  He has been shut down with a shoulder ailment of some kind, with his agent issuing different, some nonsensical, statements on the treatment he was receiving; like he was having his shoulder “drained,” when it seems he may have had a cortisone shot instead.  Some say he just has the shooting yips.

So it was reported late this afternoon, Fultz is out indefinitely.  He definitely changed his shooting motion and the shoulder is being blamed as the reason for the change.

--Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd. co-founder Joseph Tsai is buying a 49% stake in the Nets at a record valuation of $2.3 billion.

Mikhail Prokhorov agreed to sell the interest and give Mr. Tsai the option to purchase a controlling stake in four years.

The sale doesn’t include Barclays Center, the arena where the Nets play.

So 49% of $2.3 billion is $1.13 billion, a rather sizable profit for Prokhorov, who paid $260 million for 80% of the team, 45% of the new arena and the right to purchase real estate around the Brooklyn site in 2012. 

The Los Angeles Clippers sold for $2 billion in 2014, and the Houston Rockets recently went for $2.2 billion.

A key is the NBA having signed a $24 billion television deal in 2014 that secured its media rights for another decade at a time of major uncertainty in the industry.

Golf Balls

--At the WGC-HSBC Championship in Shanghai, Justin Rose trailed Dustin Johnson by eight shots heading into the final round today.  Like the rest of the field, he was playing for second.

But Johnson made back-to-back bogeys his first two holes and it was game on.  Rose posted a five-under 67 to win at 14-under, two shots clear of Henrik Stenson, Brooks Koepka and DJ, Johnson shooting a five-over 77.  It was Rose’s eighth career PGA Tour victory, his second career WGC title, having won at Doral in 2012.  It was actually Rose’s first PGA Tour win since the 2013 U.S. Open, which is rather surprising.  [He won the 2016 Olympic Gold medal in Rio.]

--Meanwhile, we had another sanctioned PGA Tour event in Jackson, Miss., this weekend, the Sanderson Farms Championship, won by 41-year-old Ryan Armour, his very first triumph on tour.  Good for him!  Boy, that’s perseverance. 

--Tiger Woods pleaded guilty to reckless driving on Friday and will be put on probation for a year and attend a rehabilitation program for his incident back in May when he was found by a police officer asleep at the wheel of his parked Mercedes, and then exhibited “extremely slow and slurred speech,” according to the police report.

If Woods successfully completes a diversion program, including D.U.I. school and performing community service, a more serious driving under the influence charge will be dropped from his record.

His last major win was in 2008.  His last win on the PGA Tour in 2013.

NASCAR

--Kyle Busch became the first to punch his way into the championship race in three weeks at Homestead, winning in overtime at Martinsville, a short track event.  Just two more races, at Texas and Phoenix, before the finale for all the marbles...four drivers then fighting for the Cup.

--In a very interesting, enlightened move, whether he believes it was or not, legendary Richard Petty has tabbed Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. to ride Petty’s famous No. 43 for next season, replacing Aric Almirola.  Wallace was tapped by King Richard earlier this year to replace Almirola for four weeks while he recovered from an injury suffered in a wreck in May and Wallace finished higher each time out.

“It’s like he’d been there forever,” Petty said this week.

So the 24-year-old Wallace, who won a Truck Series race in 2013 to become the first African-American to win a national series race since 1963, becomes just the second black driver to race full time in NASCAR’s top series, Wendell Scott the other (Scott last a regular in 1971).

Petty, 80, made headlines last month when he said that anyone who did not stand for the national anthem before sporting events “ought to be out of the country,” adding: “What got ‘em where they’re at? The United States.”

Wallace, who was born in Mobile, Ala, to a white father and a black mother, has a somewhat different opinion, saying of the protests started by Colin Kaepernick: “I understand Colin’s reasoning behind it. I really get it.”

“At the same time,” said Wallace, standing for the anthem is something “I’ve always done.”

I love this move.  A potential big shot in the arm for the sport.  And a natural for a “60 Minutes” story ahead of Daytona next February...hint, hint...CBS producers.

I mean we’re talking Richard Petty just hired an African-American to drive his 43!  This is massive.  Good on you, King Richard!

Premier League

--Last weekend, as Tottenham was beating Liverpool 4-1, striker Harry Kane exited with what seemed like a minor injury late in the game, and I paid no attention to it.

Until Thursday, when us Spurs fans learned Kane wouldn’t be available for a critical match against Manchester United yesterday.  ‘Uh oh,’ I mused.

So Tottenham went on to suffer a crushing 1-0 defeat on a late Man U goal.  Season over.  Really.  At least in terms of challenging Manchester City for the top of the Premier League.  It’s now all about finishing top four (and the Champions League).

How can I say this after just 10 of 38 games?  Because I’ve told you over the years that you have to do no worse than draw in your ten games against your fellow Big Six opponents (Man City, Man U, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal the others).  Losses in the series are deadly.

In other games, Manchester City is now 9-1-0, W-D-L, in its first ten games, the best start ever in the PL, following a 3-2 road win at West Brom.

Arsenal defeated Swansea 2-1, Liverpool whipped Huddersfield 3-0, and Chelsea edged Bournemouth 1-0.

So after 10 of 38 matches....ties broken by goal differential....

1. Manchester City 28 points
2. Manchester United 23
3. Tottenham 20...but seemingly light years away from the top
4. Chelsea 19
5. Arsenal 19
6. Liverpool 16

Well, whaddya know...the Big Six is, err, the top six just like it almost always is.

--How important was it for the United States to qualify for the World Cup?  Think about this.  The 2018 WC champion will get $38 million from a prize fund FIFA has increased by 12 percent to $400 million.

As released Friday, each of the 32 competing national federations in Russia will get at least $8 million, the same as in 2014, but the winner will see an increase from $35 million, and the runner-up will now receive $28 million, up from $25 million.  Third- and fourth-place teams will each get a $2 million increase to $24 million and $22 million, respectively.

Quarterfinalists will each get a $2 million increase to $16 million.

This is big money.  But the USMNT gets zippo. #ElChoko

--I forgot to list the latest Men’s Division I Soccer Rankings last chat, just as Wake Forest moved up to No. 1, ahead of Indiana. But then on Friday, the Deacs had a 0-0 draw with unranked Syracuse at home, though the Deacs had previously locked up the No. 1 seed in the ACC championship, which starts next weekend.

Wake had nine shots on goal against the Orange, but their keeper did a terrific job, while Wake didn’t allow a single shot on its goal the entire game!

Stuff

--The Paul Newman watch up for auction that I mentioned the other day was sold for a record $17.8 million, purchased by an anonymous phone buyer.

--We note the passing of Fats Domino, the sound of New Orleans, and a pioneer in R&B, at the age of 89.

Most of Domino’s crossover hits that we all know, such as “Ain’t That a Shame,” “I’m in Love Again,” “Blue Monday,” “Walking to New Orleans,” “I’m Walkin’,” “Whole Lotta Lovin’” and “I Want to Walk You Home” as well as “Blueberry Hill, were written and arranged with Dave Bartholomew.  Each of these was a top 10 on the Billboard pop chart, while with the exception of “Whole Lotta Lovin’,” which peaked at No. 2, every one of the tunes noted reached the top of the Billboard R&B singles chart.

Fats Domino was born in New Orleans, the son of a French Creole violinist, Fats learning to play piano from his brother-in-law, Harrison Verrett, who worked with New Orleans legends Kid Ory and Papa Celestin.  Fats got his name from his partner in a local duo, Billy Diamond, who named the portly lad after great pianists Fats Waller and Fats Pichon.

Fats Domino’s first crossover hit, “Ain’t That a Shame,” was copied by Pat Boone, aimed at the mainstream, which held down Fats’ sales.

But by 1963, when his relationship with Imperial Records ended when the label was sold, his new label instructed Fats to record in Nashville, and without Mr. Bartholomew, and his peak period ended.

He performed steadily in Las Vegas in the ‘60s, but lost a lot of money in the casinos, $180,000 in one two-week period when his fee for an engagement was $6,500 a week.

Fats Domino was a huge influence on the likes of Elvis Presley and the Beatles, and in 1986, he was among the 10 inaugural inductees to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, and a year later received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

By 1980 Fats had stopped touring, remaining in his beloved New Orleans, and he was largely invisible ever since.  He barely escaped his home during Hurricane Katrina.  Determined to ride it out, when the levees broke, his home flooded and Fats, his wife, and other family members retreated to an upper floor and were rescued by Harbor Police.

--The other day I wrote about the 40th anniversary of the crash of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s airplane and Johnny Mac wrote in from Asheville, N.C.. It turns out their drummer, Artimus Pyle, lives near Johnny and J. Mac and his wife run into him from time to time.

So Artimus has a dog that he gets groomed at a shop down the street from Johnny’s and J. Mac’s neighbor was in there recently, picking up his dog, and struck up a conversation with Pyle, not knowing who he was.  Artimus asked him what he did, and J. Mac’s friend said he was a retired businessman, but his real calling in life was as a drummer (he played in groups back in college) and kinda bragged on his prowess...he then asked what Artimus did...and as Johnny says, “you can imagine the rest.”  Love it.  Get well, J. Mac, by the way.  #BionicMan

Top 3 songs for the week 10/28/72: #1 “My Ding-A-Ling” (Chuck Berry) #2 “Burning Love” (Elvis Presley)  #3 “Nights In White Satin” (The Moody Blues)...and...#4 “Use Me” (Bill Withers)  #5 “I Can See Clearly Now” (Johnny Nash)  #6 Freddie’s Dead (Theme from ‘Superfly’)” (Curtis Mayfield) #7 “Garden Party” (Rick Nelson & The Stone Canyon Band)  #8 “Ben” (Michael Jackson)  #9 “Everybody Plays The Fool” (The Main Ingredient)  #10 “Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues” (Danny O’Keefe)

College Football Quiz Answer: Top three single-season passing yards....

B.J. Symons, Texas Tech, 2003, 5,833 yards in 13 games.  Didn’t play in NFL
Graham Harrell, Texas Tech, 2007, 5,705 in 13. Threw four passes for Packers in 2012.
Case Keenum, Houston, 2009, 5,671 in 14. Currently on Minnesota, fourth team since 2012.

Next Bar Chat, Thursday.