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Bar Chat

11/20/2017

On to Auburn-Alabama...and the conference title games....

[Posted Sunday p.m.]

Baseball Quiz: Washington’s Max Scherzer just won his third Cy Young Award.  Name the other nine with at least three. Answer below.

College Football Review

*Following is written prior to release of new AP Poll....

As expected, there were zero upsets, save for a minor one, Kansas State over Oklahoma State, but I gotta keep up the running history of the season.

And in the Top Ten (CFP Rankings)....

No. 1 Alabama destroyed Mercer (5-6), 56-0, Jalen Hurts in his Auburn tune-up going 7-for-7 passing, 180 yards, three touchdowns. He gets an ‘A’.  The Tide is 11-0.

2 Clemson whipped The Citadel (5-6) 61-3 as Tigers QB Kelly Bryant was 17 of 22, 230, 3-0.  The Citadel was just 1 of 8 through the air, with two interceptions. Clemson now 10-1.

In what started out as a shocker, 3 Miami trailed Virginia (6-5) 28-14 with 12 minutes to go in the third, and at Hard Rock Stadium (love the look of that place...never been there), before the Hurricanes (10-0) got their act together and pulled away with an impressive 30-0 run for a 44-28 win.  Malik Rosier, who I just think is going to be an outstanding NFL quarterback, was his usual, erratic self (he’ll get better in this regard), 15/28, 210, 3-2, while Travis Homer rushed for 92 yards and a score.  Summit’s Michael Badgley had a clutch 44-yard field goal to put Miami up 31-28 (though he missed his first XP of the season), and now it’s all about Clemson-Miami for the CFP berth in the ACC title game.  [Though both Clemson and Miami have to be careful this coming weekend, the Tigers facing off against a solid South Carolina squad, and Miami traveling to Pitt, which has a weapon or two to make things interesting, especially with a Miami team no doubt looking ahead.]

I do have to note that Virginia’s QB Kurt Benkert was solid in defeat for the much-improved Cavaliers, 28/37, 384, 4-1.

4 Oklahoma improved to 10-1 in defeating perhaps the worst FCS team in the nation, Kansas (1-10) 41-3. Baker Mayfield, your Heisman Trophy winner, was 20/30, 257, 3-0.

But talk after the game was of how Mayfield continues to act like a jerk with his behavior, at one point grabbing his crotch on the sidelines while pointing to the Jayhawks, and dropping more than a few F-bombs on them, as the cameras all too clearly caught. It didn’t matter that the Kansas captains prior to the game refused to shake his hand, a low move on their part, especially given they suck, and they later had a late, dirty hit on him, but that’s no excuse for Mayfield, who has been pulling this crap much of the season.  That said this won’t impact the Heisman voting in the least.  It’s not like he has been accused of an assault.

The Sooners, and coach Lincoln Riley, will be under pressure to penalize Mayfield in some way. OU finishes the regular season at home next week against West Virginia, which isn’t a cupcake, so you can’t suspend him for the game (plus from a PR standpoint, the ‘school’ doesn’t want to ruin his Heisman chances, potentially, with such a drastic move), but I’m guessing Mayfield probably won’t start...perhaps sit out the first quarter.  He did apologize after the game.

5 Wisconsin is 11-0 and headed to the CFP if they beat Ohio State in the Big Ten title game.  Wisconsin has had a simple formula all season.  An easy schedule, running back Jonathan Taylor, and a very good ‘D’.  The Badgers beat 24 Michigan (8-3) 24-10, Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh, for all the hype, unable to win a big one (and he’s probably headed back to the NFL, which is kind of stupid).

Taylor, by the way, will no doubt get an invite to New York for the Heisman ceremony (he better!) as he rushed for 132 yards on 19 carries.  He’s now run for 1,657 yards and a 7.0 avg. per carry. The rest of the Wisconsin offense blows.  [I should note Nick Nelson had a 50-yard punt return for a score for the Badgers on Saturday.]

Dissing on Wisconsin aside this season, if they beat Ohio State, a Wisconsin-Alabama CFP semi is kind of interesting.  It’s not like ‘Bama’s offense is any great shakes.  That could be a 17-10 affair.

But first the Crimson Tide have to beat No. 6 Auburn next week in the Iron Bowl, the Tigers now 9-2 after a 42-14 win over Louisiana-Monroe (4-6).

7 Georgia (10-1) stayed highly relevant with a 42-13 win over a respectable Kentucky squad (7-4).  Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, held to 48 yards rushing combined last week against Auburn, were back on the beam with 238 yards on 27 carries and five touchdowns against the Wildcats. They are Georgia’s whole offense, no doubt. 

8 Notre Dame (9-2) is certainly in line for a major bowl game, 24-17 winners over Navy (6-4), with Josh Adams looking reasonably healthy for a change, 106 yards on 18 carries.  The Midshipmen ran the ball a staggering 72 times but for just 277 yards and a score, Navy once again showing it just can’t fall behind with a non-existent passing game (3 of 8).  But it’s a formula that will have them going to their 14th bowl game in 15 seasons, and as Ronald Reagan would have said, that’s ‘Not bad, not bad at all.’

The aforementioned 9 Ohio State beat a really, really crappy Illinois (2-9) team, 52-14, and it wasn’t even that close, the 9-2 Buckeyes up 38-0 at the half, after which they put the band in (albeit, the Ohio State Marching Band could defeat many D-I schools...they’d just march circles around the opponent...).  I mean picture that the Illini had one first down at the half.

10 Penn State (9-2) is going to have to struggle to get a major bowl bid, simply because of Ohio State (and Wisconsin) being ahead of them, the Nittany Lions cruising to a 56-44 win over Nebraska (4-7...yuck), most of the Cornhuskers’ points coming late.

Saquon Barkley had 158 yards rushing and three touchdowns, plus 66 yards receiving, while Trace McSorley passed for 325 yards and three scores.

11 USC, on the other hand, is very much in the New Year’s Six picture, the Trojans advancing to 10-2 with a 28-23 win over crosstown rival UCLA (5-6), despite Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen (32/52, 421, 3-1) totally outplaying Sam Darnold (17/28, 264, 0-1).  But USC has Ronald Jones II, 122 yards rushing and two scores, and the Bruins don’t.  Plus the Trojans had a 72-yard trick punt return for a TD from Michael Pittman.

As the Los Angeles Times’ Bill Plaschke put it, “In the first and probably only meeting between crosstown rival quarterbacks with big NFL futures, Rosen was better, but Sam Darnold was the winner....

“Darnold entered the game with a season’s worth of better hype, but it is Rosen who clearly is deserving of the late-season headlines....

“All the NFL scouts sitting in the second row of the Coliseum press box saw the same thing, and here’s guessing they came to the same conclusion. If the 2018 NFL draft were tomorrow, Rosen would be taken ahead of Darnold, who some of the scouts surely now believe should spend one more year in school.” 

I’ve been telling you that’s been the growing rumor....Darnold is a bright (and classy) kid and he may just do that.  BUT, he’d still be a top five or six pick this coming draft and there are zero guarantees in this sport.  One bad hit next year and it’s dream over. I say he goes out. 

Anyway, USC plays the winner of the Pac-North in the conference championship and if they win that one, we’ll get to see their cheerleaders at a major bowl contest. And at the end of the day, gentlemen....

[Sunday, UCLA fired coach Jim Mora after six seasons.  Mora was 46-30, two 10-win seasons in his first four, four bowl appearances, but he was 10-17 since late 2015.  The school, read Athletic Department funds, is buying out the remainder of his contract which ran through 2021.]

12 TCU (9-2) beat Texas Tech (5-6) 27-3 to remain in the New Year’s Six picture.  A rematch with Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game is in the cards.

13 Oklahoma State (8-3) is NOT in the New Year’s Six picture after another poor loss, this one 45-40 to Kansas State (6-5), the Wildcats up 28-13 at the half before a furious late Cowboys rally fell short.

OSU QB Mason Rudolph threw for 425 yards and three touchdowns, but also two INTs, while for coach Bill Snyder’s Kansas State squad, their quarterback Skylar Thompson was a cool 10 of 13, 204, 3-0; all three scores going to Byron Pringle, who had just four receptions overall, but for 166 yards.  Pringle also had an 89-yard kickoff return for a TD and that’s your NCAA ‘Offensive Player of the Week,’ in the estimation of your humble reporter.

And back to Bill Snyder. What a remarkable man.  A bit irascible at times (all the time), but he’s 78 freakin’ years old!!! And he still manages to field one competitive squad after another.

There’s a reason why their stadium is named after him.  Heck, in his second go ‘round with the school, this season should mark his eighth straight bowl game.  You go try and recruit at K-State vs. the big boys, year after year, with his success....don’t bother, it can’t be done.

Moving along....

15 UCF is 10-0 after a 45-19 win over Temple (5-6), McKenzie Milton with another four touchdown passes.  Talk about a guy operating under the radar all season (30 TD passes, 5 interceptions).

So now it’s all about UCF and South Florida (9-1) next Friday for the right to face 21 Memphis (9-1) in the AAC title game for the Group of Five, New Year’s Six bowl bid.  Huuuge.

Memphis defeated SMU (6-5) 66-45, as Riley Ferguson was 21/27, 320, 2-1, while Darrell Henderson and Patrick Taylor Jr. combined for 259 yards and four scores on the ground. The Tigers are a highly attractive bowl team for whoever the sponsor is, assuming they lost to UCF.

22 Stanford is now 8-3 after a 17-14 win over Cal (5-6). The Cardinal now need Washington State to lose to Washington in their annual tussle this week for Stanford to secure the Pac-12 North crown in a conference title game against USC.  [Washington State beat Stanford, Stanford beat Washington...in terms of tiebreakers.]

Boston College (6-5) became bowl eligible with a 39-16 win over UConn (3-8) at Fenway Park.

Rutgers fell to 4-7 with a 41-0 loss to Indiana (5-6) that was beyond pathetic.  As the Star-Ledger’s Steve Politi wrote:

“A bowl trip? That was a ridiculous conversation in hindsight. This team has improved from where it was a year ago, but this inexcusable performance against a mediocre Indiana team on Saturday is an important reminder:

“Rutgers has a long, long, LONG way to go....

“They were out-coached outplayed and out-coached...yes, I know I’ve mentioned that twice – in every possible way.”

Plus there was an hour and 46-minute delay for lightning that made it all so special.

And finally, little old Wake Forest is now 7-4 following a truly exciting, and very good, college football game Saturday night in Winston-Salem, Wake defeating No. 19 North Carolina State (7-4) 30-24.  Wake scored on its first three possession, taking a 21-14 lead at the half, but by the end of the second quarter, the Wolfpack defense was stepping up and it was a heavyweight title fight the rest of the way.  Wake took a 30-24 lead with eight minutes to go, after N.C. State had tied it at 24-24, but the Deacs had the extra-point blocked and it looked like that would be a killer.

N.C. State was driving back, Ryan Finley passing to freshman Emeka Emezie for what looked like the game-tying score as Emezie caught a pass and streaked for the end zone, only Wake’s Demetrius Kemp made the play of the year, never giving up on it and stripping Emezie literally as he was crossing the goal line, Kemp then recovering in the end zone for the touchback.

Wake then couldn’t move the ball and N.C. State had a final shot but a last ditch Finley pass was picked off in the end zone....game over.  Massive win for us. Bitter defeat for the Wolfpack and a very distraught Emezie, who I imagine hasn’t stopped crying yet. I would be.

I do have to note that Wake quarterback John Wolford had another outstanding game, 247 yards and three touchdowns, though with a pick, all three scores going to receiver Tabari Hines (8-139-3), who has stepped up in a huge way following the loss of freshman star, Greg Dortch.

--And now the new AP Poll....

Zero change in the first nine.

1. Alabama 11-0 (58)
2. Miami 10-0 (3)
3. Oklahoma 10-1
4. Clemson 10-1
5. Wisconsin 11-0
6. Auburn 9-2
7. Georgia 10-1
8. Ohio State 9-2
9. Notre Dame 9-2
10. TCU 9-2
11. USC 10-2
12. Penn State 9-2
13. UCF 10-0
14. Washington State 9-2
15. Washington 9-2
17. Memphis 9-1
22. South Florida 9-1

Wake Forest received 7 votes!!!  31st....if you carry out the rankings.  [If we beat Duke next week and then win our bowl game, we could end up in the final AP Top 25.  Arnie would be proud.]

NFL

--I watched very little NFL action today, except the entire Giants-Chiefs contest at the Meadowlands.  I knew how windy it was and guessed the game would be ugly and it was...the Giants winning just their second of the season, 12-9 in overtime; the contest only going to OT because kicker Aldrick Rosas, who made the deciding field goal, had missed an extra point when the kick, because of the wind, didn’t even reach the goal post.

Normally reliable Alex Smith was just 27/40, 230, 0-2, 61.5 as the Chiefs fell to 6-4, the Giants now 2-8 and many of their fans thinking, ‘So what good did that win do us?’

I do have to say, since I’m forced to watch both New York teams each week, yes, the Giants gave a good effort.

--New England traveled to Mexico City to face Oakland at Azteca Stadium, elevation 7,200 feet.  To prepare for this factor, the Pats trained for a week in Colorado at the Air Force Academy, the nation’s second-highest college football stadium at 6,621 feet above sea level.

And the Pats won, 33-8, Tom Brady 30/37, 339, 3-0, 131.9; New England now 8-2, Oakland 4-6.

--Cleveland fell to 0-10, 19-7 losers to Steve G.’s Jacksonville Jaguars, one of the good stories of the year at 7-3.

--Detroit is 6-4 after a 27-24 win over Chicago (3-7) on a 52-yard Matt Prater field goal with 1:35 left; Connor Barth then missing a 46-yarder for the Bears to tie it. 

--Green Bay committed five turnovers, quarterback Brett Hundley with three interceptions, and the Ravens took advantage of it for a 23-0 win, both teams now 5-5.  But there were stories this week that Aaron Rodgers was working out.

--In a biggie, Minnesota ran its record to 8-2 with a solid 24-7 win over the L.A. Rams, now 7-3.  Jared Goff wasn’t awful in defeat, 23/37, 225, 0-0, 79.2, it just wasn’t that good.

--New Orleans is a shocking 8-2 after a 34-31 win in overtime against Washington (4-6), Drew Brees rallying the Saints from a 15-point deficit (31-16) with just 5:58 left in regulation...two touchdown passes and the two-point conversion.

--And then you had Chargers-Bills.  Inexplicably, Buffalo switched quarterbacks before the contest, from Tyrod Taylor to rookie Nathan Peterman, who sucked at Pitt but somehow was deserving of a start over a QB, Taylor, who had thrown 10 touchdown passes and just 3 interceptions in the Bills’ first nine games, guiding them to a 5-4 record, though they had stumbled their last two.

Every single football fan in America was shaking their head.

So what did Peterman do?  He threw five interceptions in the first half!  Yes, this had never been done before in the NFL, as President Trump should have tweeted...and as far as we know, never done before in the entire solar system (as I watch a Voyager story on “60 Minutes”).

Buffalo lost 54-24, Taylor inserted in the second half while the shell-shocked Peterman was sent to Passages Malibu, which I’m still hoping someone rich will send me to for the rest of my life.  I mean, wouldn’t you like to just chill out there for 20 years?  Gorgeous views, good food, beautiful wo.......I better stop here.

--As first reported by BuzzFeed News, the NFL is investigating Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston after an Uber driver alleged that he grabbed her crotch last year. The NFL confirmed this.

The ‘former’ driver, identified as Kate, told BuzzFeed that after picking up Winston in Scottsdale, Ariz., back in 2016, he groped her crotch while he was sitting in the passenger seat.

“He sexually assaulted me, and I have every right to tell the damn truth about it.”

She didn’t go to the police, however, but she filed a complaint with Uber.

An Uber spokesperson released a statement to the Tampa Bay Times on Friday:

“The behavior the driver reported is disturbing and wrong. The rider was permanently removed from the app shortly after we learned of the incident.”

Winston, in his own statement, said in part: “The accusation is false, and given the nature of the allegation and increased awareness and consideration of these types of matters, I am addressing this false report immediately. At the time of the alleged incident, I denied the allegations to Uber, yet they still decided to suspend my account.

“While I am certain that I did not make any inappropriate contact, I don’t want to engage in a battle with the driver and I regret if my demeanor or presence made her uncomfortable in any way.”

Winston was accused of rape while playing at Florida State in 2012, but no charges were filed.

Very funny Uber segment as part of the last “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” by the way, or shouldn’t I have said that.....

--Thursday night, Pittsburgh, your Bar Chat “Pick to Click,” continued to roll, 40-17 over Tennessee (6-4), the Steelers advancing to 8-2 behind Ben Roethlisberger’s 299 yards and four touchdowns (no picks), three of the four going to Antonio Brown, who was outstanding in hauling in ten passes for 144 yards.

--In the Jerry Jones saga, strangely, he reportedly sent a letter to the NFL’s compensation committee (made up of the owners of the Chiefs, Falcons, Giants, Patriots, Steelers and Texans), thanking them for agreeing to his demand that all owners review the extension of Roger Goodell’s contract, which is being worked on, but in a letter back to Jones, sent on Saturday and reviewed by the New York Times’ Ken Belson, the committee said it was not violating any rules in the league’s constitution and that all 32 owners had voted back in May to give the power to the committee to extend Goodell’s contract as they saw fit.  Both letters were copied to all 32 owners.

Jones threatened to sue the league and committee members to derail the contract negotiations, but it’s clear Jones began his effort to stall contract talks after Goodell suspended Cowboys’ star running back Ezekiel Elliott, who is finally beginning to serve his six-game suspension.

Jones argues that Goodell promised him Elliott would not be suspended for his alleged involvement in a sexual abuse case.

MLB

Still no big trades or free-agent signings, though this isn’t really a surprise.  A lot of them come around Christmas and the trades can happen any time.

Meanwhile, Jose Altuve handily beat out Aaron Judge for the A.L. MVP, Altuve with 27 first-place votes to Judge’s two, while Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez got the other first-place vote.

In the N.L., Giancarlo Stanton edged out Cincinnati’s Joey Votto in the fourth-closest MVP balloting ever, both with 10 first-place votes, Arizona’s Paul Goldschmidt third.  For the first time in 38 years, six players received at least one first-place vote.

As for where Stanton could be traded, the slugger still has the right to veto any deal, while Miami has to understand that if they want to get rid of most of the remaining $295 million on Stanton’s deal, they will have to accept minimal in terms of players or prospects in return.

According to USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale, “There were eight teams who checked in (about Stanton), and not a single one will take on at least $200 million of his contract and also give up prospects.  They’ll do one or the other, but not both.  The San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals are the clear-cut front runners.”

In the Cy Young voting, Max Scherzer solidified his Hall of Fame credentials (actually, locked it up) with his third Cy Young Award in five years (the other two seasons he was top five), an astounding run for the Washington Nationals hurler who is now 141-75 lifetime, 3.30 ERA, 230+ strikeouts each of the last six seasons.

And as we’ve long admired, this is one guy who is earning his massive contract, the seven-year, $210 million mega-deal he signed with the Nats before the 2015 season, after which he won two Cy Youngs, his third being in 2013 with Detroit.

Scherzer earned 27 of 30 first-place votes, Clayton Kershaw the other three, Stephen Strasburg third.

I was surprised how big a margin Scherzer won by, but I shouldn’t have been, after he led the league in strikeouts (268) and batting average against (.178), second in ERA (2.51), as well as strikeouts per nine innings (12.02).

In the A.L., Cleveland’s Corey Kluber picked up his second Cy Young in beating out Red Sox lefty Chris Sale. Kluber led all major league starters with a 2.25 ERA and tied Kershaw for the lead in wins with 18; Kluber earning 28 of the 30 first-place votes, Sale getting the other two.  For his part, Sale kind of wilted down the stretch.

--The more MLB executives look at Japan’s Shohei Otani, he of the 100-mph fastball and extraordinary power, the more they like him.  Why not let him throw 20 or more times and use him in the outfield (or DH) the rest of the time? Why not adopt a six-man rotation, given modern analytics, to accommodate him.  Hell, I’d love the Mets to do it.  [No chance he goes with them.]

It’s looking like he could sign with Seattle (and their rich Japanese player heritage, see Ichiro, and large Asian population) or the Yankees, though Texas can pay the most in bonus money, last I saw.

Actually, I have no freakin’ clue.  Otani doesn’t communicate with me.

--Finally, a belated acknowledgement of the death of Hall of Famer and Red Sox legend Bobby Doerr, who died last Monday at the age of 99.

“Bobby Doerr was part of an era of baseball giants and still stood out as one himself,” Red Sox owner John Henry said in a statement.  “And even with his Hall of Fame achievements at second base, his character and personality outshined it all.   He will be missed.”

Doerr played 14 seasons with the Red Sox, batting .288, with 223 home runs and 1,247 RBIs, huge numbers for a second-sacker back in those days.  He also had six 100-RBI campaigns and made nine All-Star teams.  He was selected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1986, and the Red Sox retired his No. 1 jersey in 1988.  He was also honored with a 2004 World Series ring after Boston broke their 86-year championship drought.

Doerr had a lifelong friendship with Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky and Dom DiMaggio, best described in David Halberstam’s 2003 book, “The Teammates: A Portrait of a Friendship.”

NBA

--Big game on Thursday, Boston hosting Golden State, the Celtics winning their 14th in a row, 92-88, as Steph Curry was just 3 of 14 from the field for 9 points.  Al Horford had 18 points, 11 rebounds for Boston.

But the story was Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, who learned hours before the game his childhood best friend had suddenly died.

Brown, who scored 22 points and had seven rebounds, said after, “I was kind of in shock.” Circumstances surrounding the friend’s passing were not revealed.

Boston then won again on Saturday, 110-99 at Atlanta (3-13) to go to 15-2, with Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown combining to shoot an astounding 20 of 25 from the field, including 9 of 12 from three, 57 points combined.

In defeat for the truly godawful Hawks, Wake Forest’s John Collins had 18 points and 7 rebounds in 25 minutes, Collins not turning 21 until next September, I can’t help but add.  This guy is an All-Star in two seasons and a double-double machine by next year.

--The Knicks fell to 8-7, but a disturbing 1-4 on the road early, 107-84 losers to Toronto Friday night.  It’s all about Kristaps Porzingis, whose latest injury is his elbow, limiting him to 18 of 53 from the field his last three, the Knicks 1-2 in these games, and that will tell the story on their season.  With a lot of road games through early February, we’ll see if they’re still relevant.

[From Dec. 27 to Feb. 2, the Knicks play 16 of 20 on the road.  Good lord.]

--Saturday, Philadelphia appeared ready to pull off an upset of Golden State at home, the Sixers up 74-52 at half, but then the Warriors blitzed them 47-15 in the third and Golden State won 124-116, the Warriors bouncing back from the Boston defeat to move to 12-4, Philadelphia falling to 8-7. Steph Curry had 35.

I do need to note that after I last posted, the Sixers’ Joel Embiid had a staggering 46 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and seven blocks in a 115-109 win over the Lakers at the Staples Center; perhaps the best single all-around game, including assists and blocks, in like 35 years and a Dr. J. effort...at least for Philly.

College Basketball

--Not a lot of big games yet, with a lot of attention still focused on UCLA and the issue of their three freshmen, including LiAngelo Ball. 

It would seem at this point that it’s up to the Dean of Students, Maria Blandizzi, the students having admitted guilt, but the code of conduct doesn’t suggest a penalty for “theft,” only that the punishments for a violation of the code in general range from a warning to dismissal from school.

One attorney involved in past discipline cases at the school said the actual theft won’t be the issue, but rather the international embarrassment the situation caused the school.

LiAngelo, Jalen Hill and Cody Riley apologized upon their return to the United States, all taking care to thank President Trump, who had tweeted: “Do you think the three UCLA Basketball Players will say thank you President Trump?  They were headed for 10 years in jail!”

But father LaVar Ball wasn’t having any of Trump’s credit-taking.

“Who?” Ball told ESPN’s Arash Markazi when asked about Trump’s involvement in the matter.  “What was he over there for?  Don’t tell me nothing.  Everybody wants to make it seem like he helped me out.”

Ball then tried to minimize the crime committed by his son and his teammates.

“As long as my boy’s back here, I’m fine.  I’m happy with how things were handled....Like I told him, ‘They try to make a big deal out of nothing sometimes.’  I’m from L.A.  I’ve seen a lot worse things happen than a guy taking some glasses. My son has built up enough character that one bad decision doesn’t define him. Now if you can go back and say when he was 12 years old he was shoplifting and stealing cars and going wild, then that’s a different thing.

“Everybody gets stuck on the negativity of some things and they get stuck on them too long.  That’s not me. I handle what’s going on and then we go from there.”

As of today, the three freshmen remain suspended indefinitely.  It’s really too bad LaVar Ball can’t be suspended himself, like for the next ten years.

Jay Bilas, hoops expert, says that if LiAngelo’s suspension is lengthy, there is a chance he could transfer, but then he’d have to sit out a year, or he could go play overseas.

This really is a crucial, and highly interesting decision for UCLA.

[By the way, back in 2010, then-UCLA football coach Rick Neuheisel unilaterally suspended three freshmen caught shoplifting from the team for an entire season.]

Sunday, President Trump, opting not to spend quality time with Barron, responded to LaVar:

“Now that the three basketball players are out of China and saved from years in jail, LaVar Ball, the father of LiAngelo, is unaccepting of what I did for his son and that shoplifting is no big deal.  I should have left them in jail!”

--Friday night, Wake Forest played No. 1 Duke and lost 77-74.....

Wha?....we played Drake, not Duke?  You kidding me?  We lost to Drake, after losing to Georgia Southern and Liberty?!  0-3 for the first time since 1967?!

What sucks about Friday’s game is we blew an 11-point lead with ten minutes to play, and also blew center Doral Moore’s finest performance as a Deac...17 points, 17 rebounds.

Well, the next day, this being a tournament that was supposed to be in the Virgin Islands, but weather interfered, the Deacs won!  They beat Quinnipiac 72-55! 

....err, then they lost today to Houston 78-73, Wake Forest, missing Tim Duncan, now 1-4.  Let us pray.......

NASCAR

--Highest finisher among the final four would win the NASCAR Cup Series championship at Homestead, Fla., on Sunday. Of the four...Martin Truex Jr. started highest, second, Kyle Busch third, Brad Keselowski fifth, and Kevin Harvick ninth.

And New Jersey’s own, Martin Truex Jr., won the title, barely holding off Kyle Busch in an exciting final 20+ laps.  So all four of the finalists now have one title each, which is cool. [It was Truex’ eighth win of the season...he being a very deserving champion as he was tops all year.]

--And so the curtain came down on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s career, Junior finishing 25th today. In his postrace comments, he was all class....praising Truex to no end.

Dale Jr. never won a Cup championship like his father, who won six, and there are a lot of drivers on the circuit that were always jealous he was voted the most popular every year despite never really putting it all together, his best season finish being third.

Hell, I was a Junior fan, and I was there in attendance at Daytona, 2004, when he won his first of two 500s (though I’ve told you how freakin’ cold it was that February day and I can’t say I enjoyed it as much as if it were 70).

And Dale did win 26 NASCAR Series races in all, which isn’t chump change, sports fans.

One thing is for sure...the sport will miss him as he moves up to the broadcasting booth.

--Another driver bid farewell, at least as a full-time one, on Sunday, that being Danica Patrick, who lost her 2018 ride with Stewart-Haas Racing.

But on Friday Patrick announced she did get a car for February’s Daytona 500, and she will return to the Indy 500, which is where she belongs.

So we’ll get “The Danica Double,” and barring a super finish in either, this could spell the end for her at the young racing age of 35.

Patrick’s best career finish in six seasons – the last five full-time – as a Cup driver was sixth in Atlanta in 2014.  She also won the pole at the Daytona 500 in 2013, the only female driver to do so.

Few open-wheel drivers have made a successful transition to stock cars, the most notable exception being Patrick’s current owner, Tony Stewart, a three-time Cup champ.

Patrick remains the only female driver to win a top-tier open-wheel race when she won an IndyCar event in Japan in 2008. She’s also the top-finishing female at the Indy 500 (third in 2009) and the first female to lead the race.

At her press conference Friday, she said next year’s Indy was her last race in any series.  To which I’d say, ‘Wait 24 hours.’

Today, though, her final race ended ignominiously...37th...out after banging the wall hard.

Golf Balls

--So the Fall portion of the 2017-18 wraparound season for the PGA Tour is officially over, any event you see from here to year end (like Tiger’s deal) unofficial.

But to wrap up, aside from today’s first-time winner at Sea Island, Austin Cook, the other winners this fall were Brendan Steele, Pat Perez, Justin Thomas, Ryan Armour, Justin Rose, Patrick Cantlay, and Patton Kizzire.

I watched like six holes all weekend of this one.  For the record, Cook has made all four cuts this fall, and back in 2015 had two top 10s.  Today he defeated JJ Spaun by four shots.

--Speaking of Tiger’s deal, the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, Nov. 30-Dec. 3, according to Rickie Fowler, who has seen Woods practice recently, Tiger is hitting it by Rickie, “Way by,” as Rickie told Golf.com’s Dylan Dethier.

This would be awesome for the sport, as I keep saying, whether you like the guy or not.

--On the European Tour, Jon Rahm won the final DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, but Tommy Fleetwood won the Race to Dubai trophy.  Englishman Fleetwood won a $1.25 million bonus.  One to watch for The Open Championship next year...and the other three majors for that matter.

Premier League

So I’m reading the Wall Street Journal Saturday morning, prior to Tottenham-Arsenal, and Joshua Robinson has a glowing piece on my Spurs, while noting the unfortunate thing...that being that as good as the team has been since the start of the 2015-16 campaign, they remain without a championship since 1961....Tottenham having lost fewer games than any team in the country, as Robinson put it.

But Tottenham’s strongest spell in decades has overlapped with Leicester City’s miracle of 2015-16, and Chelsea’s huge resurgence last season, and now Manchester City’s magical (historic) start.  Plus Tottenham is playing in a temporary home, Wembley Stadium, that’s not, frankly, home.

So they were playing Big Six rival Arsenal, Manager Mauricio Pochettino undefeated against them in six PL meetings, and the Spurs lost badly, 2-0, at Emirates Stadium.  It was worse than that.

[Actually, if you watched, the referee’s call that led to Arsenal’s first goal was atrocious.]

Drat!  I blame Joshua Robinson and the Journal.

And I just saw Tottenham doesn’t have an away victory against a Big Six opponent since Feb. 2016.  Ugh.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Big Six rolled....

Man City 2-0 over Leicester, Liverpool over Southampton 3-0, Chelsea blitzed West Brom 4-0, and it was Man U 4-1 over Newcastle United.

Standings after 12 of 38....ties broken by goal differential

1. Man City...34 points (best start ever...11 wins, 1 draw, 0 losses)
2. Man U...26
3. Chelsea...25
4. Tottenham...23
5. Liverpool...22
6. Arsenal...22
7. Burnley...22

--In the NCAA Men’s Division I Soccer Tournament, No. 1 seed Wake Forest, with a bye in the first round, just beat Columbia today, 1-0, scoring late.  Yeesh.

But the big story of the first two rounds is Colgate.  They were seeded like sixth in the Patriot League championship, won it to get the NCAA bid, and have now advanced two rounds, beating Michigan 3-2 today!  Go Pete M. and the Red Raiders!!!  [He tells me it’s their first two wins in the tournament ever.]

As I told Pete tonight, I wouldn’t have been so enthusiastic if Wake had lost.  C’mon, Deacs.  Follow the football team, not the b-ball disaster.  In fact, don’t talk to any Wake basketball team members until you win it all.

One other, Fordham upset Virginia 1-0 to advance to round three. Go Jesuits!  [I got to see the Pope because of connections to them.]  Fordham had beaten Johnny Mac’s St. Francis (B’klyn) in the first game.

Stuff

--Upon hearing all the criticism of the administration’s decision to allow hunters to bring elephant trophies back to the U.S. from Zambia and Zimbabwe, President Trump suddenly suspended the decision Friday night, as celebrities, politicians and some Trump supporters had launched a campaign against the initial move.

“Put big game trophy decision on hold until such time as I review all conservation facts,” Trump tweeted.  “Under study for years.  Will update soon with Secretary Zinke.  Thank you!”

Then Interior Secretary Zinke issued a statement:

“President Trump and I have talked and both believe that conservation and healthy herds are critical. As a result, in a manner compliant with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, the issuing of permits is being put on hold as the decision is being reviewed,” Zinke said.

Frankly, no one has written more the past 18+ years than I have on Africa, dwindling herds of all animals, poaching, trophy hunting and such.

But it is true there are some trophy-hunting programs that make sense. They do indeed bring in substantial funds that the host nations then use to help combat illegal poaching, which is far deadlier to a population, such as that of elephants and rhinos, than a few Americans going over for something for their den or office.  I have actually done some good detective work on a certain place in Gering, Nebraska, on one of my trips to the Black Hills, a warehouse/museum where Americans have their trophies shipped for taxidermy work before being sent on to their homes.  If this current debate carries much further, I may bring it up again.

Given the political turmoil in Zimbabwe these days, though, I do understand how the likes of Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee could say: “The administration should withdraw this decision until Zimbabwe stabilizes. Elephants and other big game in Africa are blood currency for terrorist organizations, and they are being killed at an alarming rate.”

Yeah, but poachers are doing the same thing, only 100-fold.  To be continued.....

--We note the passing of “the fight doctor,” Ferdie Pacheco, 89.  Pacheco is best known as the physician in Muhammad Ali’s corner and later as a ringside analyst.

It was in the early 1960s that Dr. Pacheco’s love of boxing drew him to Miami’s 5th Street Gym, where a young Cassius Clay was honing his skills under trainer Angelo Dundee. Pacheco hooked up with Dundee and then they rose through the ranks with Ali during most of his reign as heavyweight champ.

At the weigh-in for Ali’s February 1964 fight in Miami Beach against Sonny Liston, the boxing commission’s doctor discovered that Ali’s blood pressure had soared following his “wild-eyed” behavior, and the doctor asked Pacheco to examine Ali away from the media circus. As Richard Goldstein of the New York Times writes: “Finally calm, Ali told Dr. Pacheco that he had acted ‘crazy’ to scare the famously intimidating Liston, and when the doctor took his blood pressure it was normal.”

But over the years, Ferdie Pacheco became alarmed by the blows Ali was taking, notably in the Thrilla in Manila in Oct. 1975, Ali retaining his title in a wicked fight with Joe Frazier.  [I need to watch this again sometime this winter.]

Richard Goldstein:

“(After) Ali took a beating in his decision over Earnie Shavers in 1977, Dr. Pacheco sent letters to Ali and his camp urging that he retire. He received no response, Dr. Pacheco said.

“ ‘When Ali wouldn’t quit the exciting world of boxing, I did,’ he wrote in ‘Muhammad Ali: A View From the Corner’ (1992), one of several books he wrote.  ‘If a national treasure like Ali could not be saved, at least I didn’t have to be part of his undoing.’”

Pacheco received his medical degree from the University of Miami in the 1950s, and set up two offices in the area as a general practitioner; often treating poor patients for nothing or a nominal charge.

--Brad K. passed this along from CBS New York: “A family on Long Island says they survived a fire thanks to their beloved pet.

“Their Massapequa home went up in flames overnight, but they all got out safely after they were alerted by their cat.

“On Tuesday, workers boarded up what’s left of the home on Gloucester Road. Neighbor David Dash says just after 1 a.m., he realized the home next door was burning.

“ ‘I started to hear some popping, I started to hear some banging, and then some yelling,’ he said....

“Across the street, neighbor Mark Salamack leaped from his bed. He was stunned by what he saw.

“ ‘The whole right side of the house was engulfed, parts of the house were falling on the car,’ he said. ‘The white car blew up.’

“Salamack and his wife ran across the street and saw the family inside had escaped into the backyard and were struggling to get over a fence.”

And the hero?  The homeowner and his wife “told neighbors they were sleeping when flames erupted, but were awakened by their long-time family cat.

“ ‘Peter...said the cat was acting strangely, clawing at him and jumping on the bed,’ Salamack said.

“Sadly, the cat named Houdini went missing and is presumed buried amid the rubble.”

Investigators believe the fire started in a trash can.  It’s possible Houdini was smoking and carelessly tossed the match in said object....though Brad K. assures me this wasn’t the case, and so I elevate ‘House Cat’ from 57 to 56 on the All-Species List. 

“When you kill billions of birds a year, you aren’t ever sniffing the Top Ten,” the ASL High Court in Kazakhstan once ruled in a high-profile case, “Cat Lovers v. Bar Chat,” where the former was appealing their low ranking, especially compared with ‘Dog’.

--We note the passing of AC/DC co-founder Malcolm Young, who died at the age of 64 after a long battle with dementia.  Young will be remembered for his powerful rhythm guitar riffs that were instrumental in propelling the Sydney heavy rock group to stardom.

Malcolm Young founded the group with lead guitarist, brother Angus. A third brother, George, who was the producer, died in October.

After forming AC/DC in 1973, Angus and Malcolm Young were credited as co-writers on every song the band recorded between their 1975 debut High Voltage through to 2014’s Rock or Bust.

Their biggest hits include “Back in Black,” “Highway to Hell,” and “You Shook Me All Night Long.” The group is estimated to have sold 200 million records worldwide, including 71.5 million in the U.S.

Top 3 songs for the week 11/18/78: #1 “MacArthur Park” (Donna Summer....ugh...)  #2 “Double Vision” (Foreigner...ugh ....)  #3 “How Much I Feel” (Ambrosia...eh....) ...and ... #4 “You Need Me” (Anne Murray...my mother still can’t stand her....)  #5 “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” (Barbra & Neil...as I tell my family at Christmastime, just bring me beer...)  #6 “Hot Child In The City” (Nick Gilder...dreadful...)  #7 “Kiss You All Over” (Exile...men shouldn’t be caught humming this in the office these days...)  #9 “Whenever I Call You ‘Friend’” (Kenny Loggins) #10 “You Never Done It Like That” (Captain & Tennille...might have been best song this week, which speaks volumes about this crappy year...)

Baseball Quiz Answer: Ten with 3 Cy Young Awards.

Roger Clemens 7 (Booo!  Booo!), Randy Johnson 5, Steve Carlton 4, Greg Maddux 4, Clayton Kershaw 3, Sandy Koufax 3, Pedro Martinez 3, Jim Palmer 3, Max Scherzer 3, Tom Seaver 3 (Go Tom Terrific!).

Next Bar Chat, late Wednesday.

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