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Bar Chat

11/13/2017

Now What?

[Posted Sunday p.m., prior to New England-Denver]

NFL Quiz: Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald became the sixth player to amass 15,000 career receiving yards on Thursday night in the Cardinals’ loss to Seattle.  Name the five ahead of him. Answer below.

College Football

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

Well, the plot thickens...another crazy Saturday!!

In the top ten....

No. 1 Georgia got manhandled by 10 Auburn, 40-17, the Tigers outgaining the Bulldogs 488-230, holding the vaunted Georgia running game to just 46 yards, Nick Chubb with 11 for 27, Sonny Michel 9 for 21.  That was it in a nutshell, though Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham tossed three touchdown passes, and the Tigers’ Kerryon Johnson not only rushed for 167 yards on 32 carries, he had 2 receptions for another 66 and a TD. Georgia falls to 9-1, Auburn is 8-2, with a game against soon-to-be No. 1 Alabama on Nov. 25 in a tussle now with massive implications.  Auburn could face Georgia in a rematch for the SEC title with a win over ‘Bama.

[If you took Dr. W.’s “book it” advice and bet on Auburn, congratulations.]

So 2 Alabama (10-0) had its hands full in getting by 16 Mississippi State (7-3) in Starkville, 31-24, the Tide needing two touchdowns after the Bulldogs had taken a 24-17 lead early in the fourth.

On to 3 Notre Dame at 7 Miami Saturday night, and what was a renewal of the great rivalry from three decades ago (when Miami was winning its five titles, 1983-2001), the whole “Catholics vs. Convicts” thing, except it turned into a laugher for the Hurricanes, 41-8.  It was 27-0 at half as the Miami defense forced four costly turnovers, three in the opening 30 minutes.  Miami didn’t put up gaudy stats, it was just domination as they moved to 9-0, Notre Dame falling to 8-2, CFP bid out the window.  [Sorry you had to sit through that, Mark R., he being a ND alum.]

So it’s already set, Miami-Clemson in the ACC championship game, and without a doubt a playoff berth on the line.

Speaking of 4 Clemson, they beat Florida State 31-14 to move to 9-1, FSU 3-6.

5 Oklahoma is in the CFP, as of today, following its 38-20 demolition of 6 TCU (8-2), the 9-1 Sooners up 38-14 at half.  Baker Mayfield was 18/27, 333, 3-0, and he’s your Heisman Trophy winner, though the player of the game was running back Rodney Anderson; 23 carries for 151 yards and two touchdowns, and, 5 receptions for 139 and two more scores.  [I told you, 10/23, this guy deserved more PT.]

Meanwhile, there is a good chance Oklahoma, atop the Big 12 standings, could play TCU again in the conference championship.

Moving along....

8 Wisconsin, now 10-0 following another workmanlike win, this one 38-14 over 20 Iowa (6-4), will be vaulting up the board along with Miami, the Badger defense holding the Hawkeyes to just 66 yards and five first downs in the entire game!  Wisconsin on offense was once again led by running back Jonathan Taylor, 157 yards, even as Wisconsin QB Alex Hornibrook tossed three interceptions.

Friday, Bryce Love ran for 166 yards and three touchdowns as Stanford (7-3) upset No. 9 Washington (8-2) 30-22.  A huge loss for the Huskies who still harbored CFP dreams, but no longer.  Myles Gaskin rushed for 120 yards and three scores for Washington, and quarterback Jake Browning wasn’t awful, 17/23, 190, it’s just the Huskies got beat.

So this takes a lot of the steam out of Washington-Washington State at season’s end, though the 19  Cougars, 33-25 winners over Utah (5-5) to go to 9-2,  can clinch a spot in the Pac-12 title game against USC with a victory.

11 USC (9-2) is in said championship game following a 38-24 win over Colorado (5-6) in Boulder, the improving Sam Darnold 21/34, 329, 2-0 for the Trojans while my man, Ronald Jones II, rushed for another 142 yards and a score.

I say Darnold, the potential No. 1 overall pick in the draft (IF he goes out...there is some doubt on this), is improving because after throwing nine interceptions in his first six games, he has just two in the last five, with 12 TD passes over that stretch.

Is there any way USC can work itself into the CFP, after moving up another few spots with Tuesday’s rankings?  Nope.

13 Ohio State (8-2) is likely headed to a nice bowl game with a 48-3 win over 12 Michigan State (7-3) that did Wisconsin no favors.  The Buckeyes’ Mike Weber rushed for 161 yards on just eight carries and two touchdowns in the first half, as OSU built up a 35-3 halftime lead and then coasted.  Spartans QB Brian Lewerke, coming off back-to-back 400-yard passing efforts, was held to just 131 yards while throwing two picks.

So now Ohio State, if they beat Michigan in two weeks, will advance to the Big Ten title game against Wisconsin.

14 Penn State (8-2) beat Rutgers (4-6) 35-6 in Semi-Happy Valley, though the Scarlet Knights held Saquon Barkley to just 35 yards rushing on 14 carries. 

I’ve been sick of the Heisman talk surrounding Barkley prior to this weekend.  He had already had a couple of subpar efforts that should have long disqualified him.  This one obviously did him in for good.

15 Oklahoma State is now 8-2, 49-42 winners over 21 Iowa State (6-4), the Cyclones losing quarterback Kyle Kempt to injury in this one and that was enough for the Cowboys, who rode the passing of future first-round pick Mason Rudolph, 25/31, 376, 3-0, while Justice Hill had 134 rushing and three touchdowns.  This is one attractive bowl team...for entertainment value should be New Year’s Six, but likely won’t be.

17 Virginia Tech fell to 7-3, losing on the road to Georgia Tech (5-4), who is much better than their record and poses a distinct threat to Georgia in their regular season finale, which is at home.

18 UCF is now 9-0 and the front runner in the Group of Five, New Year’s Six hunt after a 49-24 win over UConn (3-7).  UCF still needs to get by South Florida, before facing off against Memphis in the conference title game for all the marbles.  [Memphis and South Florida idle this week.]

[UCF coach Scott Frost will be much in demand at season’s end, possibly taking the Nebraska or Florida jobs before the Knights play their bowl game.]

23 North Carolina State is 7-3 and heading to a decent bowl affair following a 17-14 win at Boston College (5-5).  I watched virtually all of this one, the Eagles suffering a big blow when starting quarterback Anthony Brown went out early with an injury, wasting a 196-yard rushing effort from A.J. Dillon. 

Army is now a gaudy 8-2 (best 10-game record since 1996) after a 21-16 win over Duke, while Navy is 6-3 following a 43-40 win over a solid SMU squad (6-4), the Midshipmen getting 282 yards rushing and four touchdowns out of Malcolm Perry in his first start at quarterback, though he left late with an ankle sprain, status unknown.

Navy has now qualified for a bowl for the 14th time in 15 years.  As Ronald Reagan would have said, ‘Not bad, not bad at all.’

And finally, how ‘bout Little Old Wake Forest?!  Now 6-4 and bowl eligible a second consecutive season following a truly stirring 64-43 win at Syracuse (4-6).  The Deacs fell behind 38-21 in the first half, after scoring on their first three possessions, the defense atrocious, but Wake got a critical field goal at the end of the half to make it 38-24, and then they rolled 40-5 in the second!

After giving up a staggering 425 yards in the first half to the Orange offense, Wake ended up outgaining Syracuse 724-621 for the game as senior quarterback John Wolford, out of nowhere, has been on an amazing run that should have some NFL scouts at least thinking, ‘This kid deserves an invite to camp next year’ (if he’s not an outright late-round draft pick).

Wolford had his third straight 300-yard passing effort, 25/38, 363, 3-0, but he also rushed for 100 for the first time in his career, 19 carries for 136 and another three scores.

I mean this is a guy with a career progression like this.

2014...12 TDs – 14 INTs
2015...9 – 11
2016...9 – 10
2017...20 – 3! ...plus 10 rushing TDs

And I have to add that Wake’s only legitimate running back left due to injury, Matt Colburn, ran for a career high 237 yards on 31 carries and two touchdowns.

And the guy I’ve told you is a surefire NFL tight end, Cam Serigne, had seven receptions for 119 yards and all three of Wolford’s TD passes.

The total yards in the game was an ACC record, by the way.  Very, very proud of my Demon Deacons.

So now we await the new AP Poll.....and here it is....

1. Alabama 10-0 (57)
2. Miami 9-0 (4)...shocked they are number 2
3. Oklahoma 9-1
4. Clemson 9-1
5. Wisconsin 10-0
6. Auburn 8-2
7. Georgia 9-1
8. Ohio State 8-2
9. Notre Dame 8-2
10. Oklahoma State 8-2
12. USC 9-2
14. UCF 9-0
18. Memphis 8-1
23. South Florida 8-1
25. N.C. State 7-3

Seems pretty clear to me.  Winner of SEC title game (if it’s Auburn, that obviously means they beat ‘Bama...and Georgia a second time), winner of Miami-Clemson title game, Oklahoma (if they win out), and Wisconsin if they do.

So that’s your starting point. We now await the CFP rankings...and further upsets next weekend.

--Tennessee fired coach Butch Jones today, 0-6 this season in the SEC (4-6) overall.  In his nearly five seasons, he was 34-27.  This was zero surprise to anyone who follows the sport.  But another school potentially on Scott Frost’s list.

--One more....in an absurd move, San Diego State is once again attempting to get rid of the Aztec mascot!  The SDSU Senate wants a non-human mascot, which it has been suggested should be named after them, the Weasels, the Senate passing a non-binding resolution by a 52-15 vote.  So the issue goes to the desk of SDSU president Sally Roush, who is serving in that capacity until the California State University Board of Trustees selects a new one next summer.  She can approve the resolution, reject it or table it for her successor, according to San Diego Union-Tribune reporter Kirk Kenney.

It’s all about a radical left wing Mexican Indian rights group that has apparently been beating this drum for years.  This is an outrage!  There is absolutely nothing wrong with this mascot!  What amazing assholes.  [Ditto the professors who are backing the radicals.]

NFL

--New York area sports radio will be going absolutely ballistic after the performance of our two teams today.

The Giants traveled to San Francisco to face the winless 49ers, and they inexcusably lost 31-21, New York 1-8, San Francisco 1-9.  Heads need to roll in this organization.  Monday and Tuesday will be interesting.

--As for the Jets, now 4-6, us fans were all fired up over the prospect of getting to 5-5 this week down in Tampa, facing a reeling Bucs team that had lost five in a row to fall to 2-6 when it was supposed to be playoff bound.

And what did the Jets do?  They laid an egg of enormous proportions, losing 15-10.  For some reason, the Jets’ offense didn’t have a clue, letting last year’s quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, in his first start for Tampa Bay, guide the team to victory, the Bucs’ now 3-6.

Granted, it was all about the Bucs’ defense, not Fitzgerald, who was 17/34, 187, 1-1, 64.2.

What’s unfathomable is how a Jets running game that had 194 yards the week before against the Bills, had all of 56 today. The ‘O’ line sucked, quarterback Josh McCown under non-stop pressure.

Having watched this entire contest, I must say some early drops by normally dependable Jermaine Kearse were crucial...momentum everything.

This was the kind of effort us fans thought the Jets would put out at the start of the season on the way to a 1-15 campaign and the first pick in the draft.  We didn’t expect it at a time the team had the chance to stay relevant.

--In other games...Steve G.’s Jaguars are now 6-3 after a 20-17 overtime win over the 3-6 Chargers.

--Washington fans will be going nuts over their Redskins’ crappy home loss to Minnesota (7-2), 38-30, Washington dropping to 4-5, Kirk Cousins just so-so, while Minnesota’s Case Keenum threw four touchdown passes.  It’s all about whether the team should finally sign Cousins to a long-term deal, and will be until the final snap this season.

--Your Bar Chat “Pick to Click,” bet the farm, break the piggy bank, selection for 2017, the Pittsburgh Steelers, are now 7-2 after pulling out a 20-17 win over the Colts, 3-7; Chris Boswell with a game-winning field goal as time expired. Ben Roethlisberger got his act together in the second half after Indy went up 17-3.

Relax, Jeff B.  Bar Chat has a .094 winning percentage!

--The aforementioned Dr. W. was cold, wet, and beer-sodden after attending the Bears-Packers contest in Chicago, Green Bay now 5-4 after a 23-16 win, Chicago 3-6.  The good doctor noted the conditions were miserable, but his Packers won, which meant the $11 beers went down smoother in the end.

For the Pack, Aaron Rodgers’ replacement, Brett Hundley, had his best game, 18/25, 212, 1-0, 110.8.

--New Orleans is a shocking 7-2 after a 47-10 win over Buffalo, now 5-4.

--The Lions are 5-4 after putting it all together in the second half against still winless Cleveland (0-9).  Detroit was down 24-17 late in the third, before Matthew Stafford threw three touchdown passes for the 38-24 win that keeps them in the NFC Central race.

--The surprising L.A. Rams are now 7-2! after a 33-7 win over the Titans (3-6), Jared Goff having another terrific game, three touchdown passes.

--Going back to Thursday, the Seahawks moved to 6-3 with a 22-16 win over Arizona (4-5) in Glendale.  As noted above the Cardinals’ Larry Fitzgerald caught 10 passes for 113 yards in defeat, becoming just the sixth in NFL history to reach the 15,000 career receiving yards mark in the process.

But what a costly loss for Seattle, as they lost star cornerback Richard Sherman for the rest of the season after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Sherman, who has never missed a game since entering the league in 2011, said the Achilles has been bothering him all season and that he has tried to avoid making drastic cuts.  He has also been one of the fiercest opponents of games on Thursday, which every single fan knows should be done away with.  The NFL knows it is suffering from overexposure, and there is zero reason for these games.

Sherman is right when he says, as he has in the past, that it’s hypocritical of the NFL to promote player safety in other areas, only to require teams to play after only four days’ rest.

--Despite the efforts of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to block it, NFL owners plan to complete their contract extension with Commissioner Roger Goodell, according to the Washington Post, citing “multiple people familiar with the situation.”

Jones has threatened litigation to owners over the compensation committee, of which he is not part, which is negotiating Goodell’s pending five-year contract extension through 2024.

The committee, though, appears ready to ignore that, with plans to have a deal in place for the owners’ meeting scheduled to be held in Dallas in December.

Jones and other owners voted, 32-0, at their meeting in May in Chicago to authorize the compensation committee to negotiate the extension with Goodell.  Apparently, no further vote of the owners is required for the committee to sign a deal.

Jones remains super pissed off over the suspension of his running back, Ezekiel Elliott* for six games, the suspension back on.

I am not a fan of Roger Goodell, few are, but at such a tumultuous time in the sport, the owners would be foolish to go with anyone else...Goodell knows the issues, and I think he has handled the anthem controversy about as well as he could, given the tightrope he is walking between the owners and the players.

*Elliott can appeal before the Second Circuit, which won’t hear the case until Dec. 1.  But the latest effort, shot down by a panel of three judges in one hour, is unlikely to be overruled.

Today, Dallas fell to 5-4, 27-7 losers at Atlanta (also 5-4).

--Researchers at Boston University revealed at a conference on Thursday that former New England Patriots tight end, the late Aaron Hernandez, suffered the most severe case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy ever discovered in a person his age, which doctors say would have significantly affected his decision-making, judgement and cognition.

Hernandez committed suicide while serving a life sentence for the murder of his friend Odin Lloyd in 2013.

Doctors diagnosed Hernandez with Stage 3 CTE, which researchers had never seen in a brain younger than 46 years old, according to Dr. Ann McKee, head of BU’s CTE Center.

As Bob Costas said the other day in a forum at the University of Maryland, the decline of football is the most significant story in American sports.

“The reality is that this game destroys people’s brains.”

“The cracks in the foundation are there,” Costas said.  “The day-to-day issues, as serious as they may be, they may come and go.  But you cannot change the nature of the game.  I certainly would not let, if I had an athletically gifted 12- or 13-year-old son, I would not let him play football.”

Now this is nothing new, of course, but the more respected figures like Costas say it out loud, the more America’s Moms (and Dads) will say, ‘Son, it’s for your own good...stick with baseball or basketball.’

On the same panel, ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser said, “It’s not going to happen this year...but Bob is right: At some point, the cultural wheel turns just a little bit, almost imperceptibly, and parents say, ‘I don’t want my kids to play.’ And then it becomes only the province of the poor, who want it for economic reasons to get up and out.”

Costas said the NFL’s apparent defense mechanism – to seek more information and continue to study the dangers of the sport – will only hurt its own cause.  “The more information (that) comes out, the worse it looks,” he said.  [USA TODAY Sports]

One thing that has to happen, really immediately, is the elimination of youth tackle football.  Flag football for 10- to 12-year-olds would also increase participation, in my mind.  Hell, a lot of us growing up loved when we played flag football in our gym classes.  [After school, through high school, we also just played touch, no tackle...at least in my crowd.  And guess what, we’re all still football fans.  There’s a lesson there, NFL and Pop Warner.]

College Basketball

--UCLA, playing without its three freshmen, including LiAngelo Ball, defeated Georgia Tech in Shanghai, the Yellow Jackets missing two three-pointers in the final seconds.  Two other UCLA freshmen, Kris Wilkes, 18 points, and point guard Jaylen Hands, 14, led the way.

As for the three who are holed up in a hotel in Hangzhou, the latest seems to be that they will be held in China at least another week.  Apparently, security cameras at the mall where they were caught shoplifting at the Louis Vuitton store, also has them lifting items from other stores in the mall.

Hell, keep them there for a year.  More and more I’m liking my idea that when they do make it home, UCLA and the Pac-12 will decide to suspend them for the season.  Wouldn’t you love to see how LaVar Ball would react were that to be the case?

One word on Georgia Tech.  Two of its top three returning players, Josh Okogie and Tadric Jackson, didn’t make the trip to China after they were suspended indefinitely for receiving impermissible benefits from a booster (the third, Ben Lammers, had 24 in the loss).

It’s even more of a mess because GT coach Josh Pastner is a longtime friend of the booster, who told CBS Sports that Pastner had encouraged him to “make sure my players are happy and that we’re winning games.  Whatever it takes.”  [Nice friend...he was miffed he didn’t get his own benefits from Pastner.]

ESPN analyst Bill Walton, former UCLA great of course, and my favorite college broadcaster, said early on about LiAngelo and Co., “I am sad, disappointed and embarrassed. This is a very big deal. ...I want to apologize right now on behalf of the human race for this travesty.”

That’s our Bill.

--No. 5 Kentucky had to rally to defeat Utah Valley (which I assume is nestled in a valley) 73-63 in Lexington, not an auspicious start for another coach John Calipari special; a roster loaded with young talent.

Utah Valley then went to Durham to face No. 1 Duke on Saturday.

Duke had opened against Elon, winning 97-68, with Grayson Allen scoring 22, six from three-point land.

But the star was Marvin Bagley, the superstar frosh who is the surest thing to a one-and-done in history, with 25 points and 10 rebounds.  My friend Phil W. was in attendance and he said Bagley reminded him of Sam Perkins, only more athletic.

Anyway, how did Utah Valley do on Saturday against the Dookies?  Duke won 99-69, Bagley with a 24 and 10 effort, Coach Mike Krzyzewski becoming the first men’s Division I coach to win 1,000 at one school.

[One Duke sidebar...yes, the rich get richer.  For the third consecutive year, they have lured the country’s No. 1 high school player to Durham.  2016 it was Harry Giles III.  This year it’s Marvin Bagley.  And on Friday they signed 2018’s top player, R.J. Barrett, a 6’6” small forward who now joins a 2018 class that includes shooting guard Cam Reddish, ranked No. 3 in the country, and point guard Tre Jones, ranked No. 10.  This sucks, typed the Wake Forest alum.]

--Preseason All-American Allonzo Trier had 32 points for No. 3 Arizona in their 101-67 win over Northern Arizona (which is in the northern part of the state).  7-foot-1 freshman Deandre Ayton had 19 points and 12 rebounds in his debut.

--In the upset category, UC Riverside beat California 74-66.  Indiana State, playing without Larry Bird, out for retirement, rolled over Indiana in Archie Miller’s coaching debut at IU, 90-69.  ISU was 11-20 last season.  The home crowd in Bloomington booed their team off the court.  Indiana State was 17-of-26 from three, for crying out loud.

Granted, Indiana lost its top three scorers to the NBA draft (2 of the 3 actually selected), but still.

And Navy beat Pitt 71-62, which I guess is an upset of sorts.

--And, err, Wake Forest lost its opener, at home, to Georgia Southern, 85-83.  Once word came down this past summer that out of nowhere, forward Dinos Mitoglou was not returning for his senior season, having signed a pro contract in his native Greece, Wake was screwed.  We literally have zero presence up front, when Mitoglou was going to be a double-double machine for the Deacs, out from the shadow of John Collins, who is now one of the top rookies in the NBA.  Imagine the shock for the coaching staff, which scrambled at such a late date to find a graduate transfer, a kid who played at Marshall and is just 6’7”.  [Wake has some big men, one of which is a promising freshman, Olivier Sarr, currently unavailable due to injury, but the other two are stiffs.]

Anyway, we have as experienced a bunch of guards as anyone in the country, plus a talented freshman, Chaundee Brown (21 points, 9 rebounds in his debut), but senior Mitchell Wilbekin was 0-for-7 from the field and we lost.  Not more complicated than that.  [And Georgia Southern is not that bad.]

Deacon fans will have to be patient, waiting for our outstanding (supposedly) 2018 class.  But there are going to be nights when we’ll be playing four guards and they’ll shoot lights out and we’ll pull off a big upset or two this season.

And that is the most extensive report you’ll get on Wake Forest hoops the rest of the campaign.  Thank you for indulging me.

--Phil W. wanted to make sure I saw a certain score on Saturday, Appalachian State beating Toccoa Falls, 135-34! Toccoa Falls?  I’ll let you check it out.  Sounds like this pleasant little place is great for those who want to go camping and hiking in beautiful surroundings, while getting college credit!  Nothing wrong with that. The “Eagles” were 11 of 69 from the field.

--Meanwhile, yes, this entire hoops season is being played under a cloud, the cloud of the FBI investigating coaches at four schools and representatives of a leading shoe company, Adidas, with the first indictments having been handed down the other day.  And then you have LiAngelo Ball and his mates doing their thing in China.  And the Georgia Tech mess.

Chuck Person, an assistant on Coach Bruce Pearl’s staff at Auburn, was named by federal officials in Tuesday’s indictment as someone who profited by hooking up players with agents and financial advisers.  Others indicted were USC’s Tony Bland, Oklahoma State’s Lamont Evans and Arizona’s Emanuel “Book” Richardson.

--This coming Tuesday, we get our annual look at the big powers as Duke plays Michigan State, and Kansas and Kentucky face off from Chicago. I’ll be watching...better than Tucker and Hannity, he typed mischievously.  [This is on after the new CFP rankings.]

NBA

--One thing we know about the 2017-18 New York Knicks, if the fragile budding superstar Kristaps Porzingis is on the court, the Knicks can compete with just about anyone.  But if he isn’t, as was the case last Wednesday in Orlando owing to elbow and ankle issues, they’ll lose (112-99).

In Porzingis’ short career with the Knicks, he has had his share of nagging ailments and it’s the only question mark surrounding him.

So he was back on the court Saturday at home against Sacramento, scoring 34 in a 118-91 win, the Knicks moving to 7-5.  He has 30 or more in 8 of his 11 games and is averaging 30.4 ppg thus far.

--Looking back, it was comical that after Boston’s 0-2 start, following the devastating loss of newcomer Gordon Hayward five minutes into the opener, many were asking, “Now we’ll find out if Brad Stevens can really coach?”

I guess he can, Boston edging the Raptors today, 95-94, to move to an NBA-best 12-2!  I don’t know how he’s doing it myself.

--Saturday night, Lonzo Ball became the youngest player to achieve a triple-double in the NBA at 20 years 15 days, though the Lakers lost to Milwaukee 98-90 behind Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 33 points and 15 rebounds, the “Greek Freak” off to a phenomenal start, 31.7 points, 10.4 rebounds per contest, the Bucks 6-6.  Yes, he’s worth the price of admission.

Ball had 19 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists, finally shooting a respectable 7 of 12 from the field to move his shooting percentage to .314, after a horrid run.  Before Saturday’s effort, the Lakers now 5-8, in Ball’s first 12 games he had a .292 field goal percentage, the second-worst for a player’s first 12 games in the shot-clock era, according to Elias Sports Bureau.  [I didn’t see who was first.]

Back to the Bucks, great move by them in picking up Eric Bledsoe from Phoenix.

--Thursday, Houston’s James Harden became the first player to have 35+ points, 10+ assists, 10+ rebounds & 5 steals in a game since Michael Jordan in a 117-113 Rockets win over Cleveland; Harden with 35, 11 (reb.), 13 (asst.), and five steals.

MLB

--Free agency is here. Eric Hosmer, J.D. Martinez, Yu Darvish, Jake Arrieta and Lorenzo Cain are among the more attractive names out there, many of whom will receive a much bigger deal than they deserve.

And then you have Japan’s Shohei Otani, whose Nippon-Ham Fighters apparently are posting (if it can be worked out with MLB and the Players Association). Otani is said to be Japan’s Babe Ruth for his pitching and hitting ability, willing to take far less money coming over now rather than waiting just another two years (thus betting on a far-bigger longer-term contract down the road with an early start to his MLB career).  Texas is in the driver’s seat for him, so we’re told, the Rangers under the system being able to offer him the biggest bonus.

--A few more thoughts on the death of the great Roy Halladay, your editor not having time to do more last chat.

Ken Davidoff / New York Post

“If you didn’t get enough of a feel for his greatness as he made life miserable first for the Yankees in a Blue Jays uniform and then for the Mets in a Phillies uniform, you need look at only one statistic.  One measure that underlines both his approach to the job and the particularly cruel irony of his shocking death from crashing his own plane Tuesday at age 40:

“Complete games.

“From 1996, the first full season following the highly damaging work stoppage of 1994-95 and, anecdotally speaking, the season in which illegal performance-enhancing drug usage appeared to reach a new level, through 2017, no one pitched more complete games than Halladay, who went the distance 67 times.  The top active leader is free agent CC Sabathia, with 38.

“Baseball’s last true workhorse left us way too soon....

“(Halladay) earned such license from his managers because he dominated.  His career 131 ERA+ meant that he performed 31 percent above his league’s average when ballparks were factored into the equation.  He is one of six men to win the Cy Young Award in each league, one of 21 to have thrown a perfect game since 1900 and one of two to throw a no-hitter in postseason action. Hence the inevitability of his Hall of Fame election and induction – now, sadly, posthumous – with his first year on the ballot scheduled for December 2018.

“These numbers tell much of Halladay’s story, yet they don’t fully explain the devastation that baseball people felt on Thursday.  Halladay was as respected a teammate and opponent as I’ve seen in my two-plus decades of covering baseball. If he had any detractors, they didn’t speak out.

“That speaks to the way Halladay did his job: With dedication, and without celebration. He served as a role model for both his physical conditioning and his mental strength; he gladly aided teammates with both components. He treated the fans and the media with respect, yet good luck trying to get him to do or say something colorful.  His nickname, ‘Doc,’ came about because of his last name matching up close enough with Wild West character Doc Holliday. It stuck because, in addition to being a no-nonsense guy you wanted on your side in a baseball battle, Halladay became a quiet sage.

“In 2010, when Halladay joined the Phillies, the Mets’ Johan Santana proclaimed himself as the National League East’s best pitcher.  Halladay responded the next day: ‘I steer clear of that.  I think it was a Lou Holtz quote, ‘Well done is always more important than well said.’ I’ve always tried to take that philosophy and I stay out of those things as much as possible.’

“Not only did he deliver the perfect retort, he added attribution. He was complete in that way, too....

“His baseball legend won’t diminish because tales of his work ethic, his commitment and his good nature will be passed on to future generations. And if Major League Baseball wanted to honor Halladay more specifically?  That’s a slam dunk:

“From now on, the season leader in complete games gets the Roy Halladay Award.”

As for the stories about Halladay’s death, and the video, I’m not commenting.  It doesn’t matter in the least. A good man is gone, leaving a wife and two children in pain.

--Ray Robinson was a longtime editor and writer of biographies, including well-received ones on the likes of Christy Mathewson and Lou Gehrig.  He passed away the other day at age 96.

Interestingly, while I have long known the name, I didn’t realize his books on the above two, plus one on Knute Rockne, were written when he was 70 and older.  So there’s hope for me.

But in reading Daniel Slotnik’s obit in the New York Times, I liked this bit on “Iron Horse: Lou Gehrig in His Time,” who Robinson portrayed as a human being instead of the famously humble and hard-working star others saw him as.

“Suited up, Gehrig looked bovine, unathletic,” Robinson wrote.  “His appearance earned him the uncomely nickname of ‘Biscuit Pants.’  But shouldn’t one win points for modesty, decency and determination?  I thought so, and of all the Yankees, it was Lou I cherished the most.”

Robinson was there for Gehrig’s farewell address at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939, calling it “baseball’s Gettysburg Address.”  In an interview with the Daily News in 2014, Robinson said the sound system wasn’t the best and it was hard to hear, but that helped make it almost a religious experience as he spoke.

“I have no way of knowing if 60,000 people were crying,” he said, “but I had tears in my eyes.”

You have to picture that Robinson, having been born in Manhattan in 1920, watched the dominant Yankee teams of the 1920s and ‘30s.  He first encountered Gehrig after writing him for an interview for his school newspaper. The interview didn’t work out, but Gehrig gave him free tickets to a game.

Ray Robinson also wrote numerous articles for the New York Times on baseball stars, including Cal Ripken Jr.

So Robinson sent Cal a copy of his book on Gehrig, but Ripken refused to read it until after he broke Gehrig’s consecutive game record in 1995.  When he did, Ripken returned the book with a singular inscription.

“It’s safe to finally read,” scrawled in the front of the book.  Robinson said in 2007, “I cherish the autograph – and understand his superstition.”

Golf Balls

--Patton Kizzire captured his first PGA Tour title today in Mexico, one stroke over Rickie Fowler.  I have to admit I only caught a little of the action today.

--On the Champions Tour, Kevin Sutherland was the shocking winner of the Schwab Cup and I frankly need time to put this story together because earlier in the round it looked like Paul Goydos was going to win, Bernhard Langer not performing well and destined for second in the Cup standings, even though he won like three of the last four events.  [Two playoff events.]

Langer finished T-12 today to finish second overall (the points system being similar to that of the FedEx Cup). Goydos finished T-9.

Kudos to John Daly, who was T-4 today in Phoenix (they played at the Phoenix Country Club...same venue as the old Phoenix Open, which was last held there in 1986).

Daly, just awhile ago, collapsed on the course and had to withdraw due to knee problems.

I’m reading as I go to post that Langer is very bitter over the process.  Again, more next time.

--Arnold Palmer continues to rake it in...his estate that is.  Forbes estimates Palmer pulled in $40 million in the first year since his death, the King trailing only the former “King of Pop,” Michael Jackson, on the magazine’s recent list of highest-paid dead celebrities, Jackson leading for a fifth consecutive year with earnings of $75 million.

NASCAR

It was a biggie today at Phoenix Raceway as a final driver raced his way into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup finale, Brad Keselowski joining Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick in next week’s title race at Homestead.  Whoever finishes higher among these four gets the Cup...a great format.  No longer about points, just race.

Today, it was kind of emotional, as Matt Kenseth, 45, without a ride for next season, won his first of the year, 39th of his career, beating out Chase Elliott who needed victory to be among the final four.

Incredibly, Elliott has seven second-place finishes this year, but is still seeking his first Cup win.

--Separately, relative unknown 24-year-old Alex Bowman was selected to take the wheel of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 next season, while Aric Almirola was tabbed to replace Danica Patrick in the No. 10 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing.  I haven’t seen what Patrick will do next.  She should definitely go back to Indy Car racing.

World Cup Qualifying

No Premier League action this weekend as we had playoff action for the remaining spots in the World Cup tournament in Russia next summer.

Italy lost their first leg 1-0 to Sweden on Friday, putting the four-time champs very much at risk of being left out of the Cup for the first time in six decades when it plays the rematch on Monday.

Northern Ireland failed to qualify, losing to Switzerland 1-0 on aggregate.

More next time when the final list of qualifiers is settled.

--Go Deacs!  Wake Forest won its second consecutive ACC Championship today on penalty kicks over Virginia, the No. 1 Deacs playing one man down for much of the contest (due to an infraction), including two overtimes following 0-0 in regulation. [I caught the end on ESPNU.]

I think I’m the only one around who loves matches ending on PKs...the pressure, the drama, is terrific.

Stuff

--Penn State has been in the doldrums after their two big losses on the gridiron in recent weeks, but State College does have something going for it.  A 75-foot Norway Spruce from the area was chosen as the 2017 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, which arrived in the Big Apple on Saturday.  [Heh heh.]

--Garth Brooks was named “Entertainer of the Year” at the CMA Awards show for a second year in a row, but he caught flack for lip-synching his performance Wednesday night, which he admitted to doing after, citing the fact he was playing 10 concerts in 12 days and needed to save his voice.  Part of me understands, but you can’t do that at this kind of live show.

[I never totally got the Garth phenomenon back in the day...and again now after his return from retirement.  Today, I’m a Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line fan.]

Top 3 songs for the week 11/13/76: #1 “Tonight’s The Night” (Rod Stewart)  #2 “Disco Duck” (Rick Dees & His Cast of Idiots)  #3 “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” (Gordon Lightfoot)...and...#4 “Love So Right” (Bee Gees)  #5 “Muskrat Love” (Captain & Tennille)  #6 “Rock’n Me” (Steve Miller)  #7 “If You Leave Me Now” (Chicago)  #8 “Just To Be Close To You” (Commodores...easily in their top three)  #9 “The Rubberband Man” (Spinners...eh....)  #10 “Do You Feel Like We Do” (Peter Frampton)

NFL Quiz Answer: Five ahead of Larry Fitzgerald’s 15,066 career receiving yards.

Jerry Rice 22,895
Terrell Owens 15,934
Randy Moss 15,292
Isaac Bruce 15,208
Tony Gonzalez 15,127

Tim Brown is seventh on the list at 14,934.

Next Bar Chat, Thursday.

 

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