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Bar Chat

03/05/2012

The NFL's Hit Men

NBA Quiz: For Knicks fans…the other day I asked you to name the main members of the rotation for the 1969-70 championship team. Today, name the 8-man rotation for the 1972-73 title squad…four players are different. Answer below.

Bounty Hunters

What a bad story for the NFL and its image. The league alleges that between 22 and 27 members of the New Orleans Saints participated in a bounty pool of as much as $50,000 for game-ending injuries. $1,500 if you knocked out a player, $1,000 for a “cart-off.” Higher payouts during the playoffs. The system was administered by former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams (now with St. Louis) and the NFL said neither coach Sean Payton or general manager Mickey Loomis did anything to stop it.

“The payments here are particularly troubling because they involved not just payments for ‘performance,’ but also for injuring opposing players. The bounty rule promotes two key elements of NFL football: player safety and competitive integrity. It is our responsibility to protect player safety and the integrity of our game, and this type of conduct will not be tolerated. We have made significant progress in changing the culture with respect to player safety and we are not going to relent.”

Bart Hubbuch, Brian Costello and Steve Serby / New York Post

“Fallout from the Saints’ Bounty-Gate scandal continued unabated yesterday (Sat.) and most likely will extend to at least one other team, too.

“An NFL source said the league expects to conduct an investigation into the Redskins similar to the extensive probe revealed Friday that showed a shockingly organized and lucrative cash-for-injuries program run by former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams with the tacit approval of team higher-ups.

“NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to come down hard on Williams and the Saints, most likely in the form of lengthy suspensions, hefty fines and the loss of draft picks.

“An announcement from Goodell on New Orleans’ punishment is expected before the league’s annual spring meetings from March 25-28 in Palm Beach, Fla., the league source said….

“The Redskins are expected to be scrutinized after a Washington Post report Friday night that at least five players – including current team official Phillip Daniels – said Williams orchestrated a similar bounty scheme as defensive coordinator there from 2004-07 under former coach Joe Gibbs….

“News of the bounty scandal immediately prompted a review of several questionable hits by the Saints and Redskins while Williams was in charge of their respective defenses – most notably a high-low tackle on Colts quarterback Peyton Manning by Daniels and Redskins teammate Andre Carter in 2006.

“Former Colts coach Tony Dungy told several media outlets last fall he thought Manning’s neck problems started with that vicious hit….

“Brett Favre, another famous victim of Williams’ aim-to-injure defense, told Sports Illustrated he was not upset at hearing the NFL investigation showed former Jets linebacker Jonathan Vilma offered $10,000 to any teammate who knocked Favre out of the Saints’ NFC title game with the Vikings in 2010.

“ ‘I’m not pissed, it’s football,’ Favre told the magazine. ‘I don’t think anything less of those guys. Said or unsaid, guys do it anyway. If they can drill you and get you out, they will.’”

Well, fans know it isn’t unique to target players, but you can’t have coaches laying out financial incentives.

The thing is, now you’re going to have players taking sides, men with pristine reputations like Gibbs being dragged into it…it’s just a mess. I mean you have an idiot like former Redskins defensive back Matt Bowen writing an op-ed for the Chicago Tribune wherein he defended Williams and bounties.

“I don’t regret any part of it. I can’t. Williams is the best coach I ever played for in my years in the NFL, a true teacher who developed me as a player. I believed in him. I still do. That will never change.”

Ah, Mr. Bowen? You may believe this, but what the heck are you doing putting this in print? Just shut up while this whole investigation is only getting started.

Most people believe Roger Goodell will come down exceedingly hard on the offenders. And remember, as one NFL executive told the New York Post, “(Goodell) really doesn’t have much choice because of the concussion/player-safety situation.”

Others are looking to what Goodell did in 2007 to the Patriots for SpyGate. Back then he fined Bill Belichick and the Patriots $750,000 and docked the team a first-round draft pick. That is nothing compared to what faces the Saints, and maybe other teams. 

“The players 20 or 30 years from now who will be crying about the violent culture of the NFL and how the game has not taken care of them, could be the same players who were frothing at the mouth in New Orleans the last three seasons to pick up an extra $1,500 for a ‘knockout’ and $1,000 for a ‘cart-off’ with payments doubling or tripling during the playoffs in the sick pay-for-performance program administered by Williams.

“Mardi Gras in New Orleans took on new meaning for the Saints. Send a player to the locker room, or hospital, and win cash prizes and maybe even some beads.”

Mike Lupica / New York Daily News

“I get that this is a violent game, everybody gets it’s a violent game, and that violence is still used to sell this game by the league and by all the networks. Look at all those ultimate-fighting, video-game hits! Which ones do you like the best?

“But the ones who should get hit now, and flagrantly, are the ones who were behind this in New Orleans, the ones who came up with this boneheaded idea and the ones who didn’t stop it when they found out what was going on.

“Players in the National Football League get four games on their first drug suspension. Williams, now with the St. Louis Rams, ought to get at least that, because you tell me what is worse for the league, and its reputation, and its brand: a guy who was enough of a dope not to stay under the league’s dope thresholds, or a coach paying his players – even it if was chump change – to try to injure guys in a sport where the injuries seem to come easily enough without waiter tips?”

Lupica recommends both Williams and Payton get four games, which is a huge hit to Payton’s pay, fine the team a $1 million, and lose a first-round draft pick.

“You will hear huge sighs this week from former players who claim this sort of thing happens all the time. Listen only a little bit. Certainly, dating back far beyond even the infamous Bounty Bowl in 1989 between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, players long have been quietly paid for big thumps. Various forms of bounties, particularly for lower-paid special-teams players, have existed forever.

“But this is the first time this compensated, potentially criminal, behavior has been traced to the offices of a team’s coach and general manager, operating in a system that even a warning from ownership couldn’t shut down, mayhem so organized that money was even distributed on the basis of what sort of vehicle was used to transport the fallen player from the field.

“The NCAA would call this lack of institutional control and ban the New Orleans Saints from competing for a championship for at least one season.

“Why can’t the NFL do the same? If Commissioner Roger Goodell has truly made player safety one of his legacies, he should penalize the Saints like no team has been penalized before.

“Why not put the Saints on a sort of probation? Let them play their 16 games next season and then send them home, declaring them ineligible for postseason play for eroding the foundation of safety and fairness upon which the NFL exists….

“ ‘It is our responsibility to protect player safety and the integrity of our game, and this type of conduct will not be tolerated,’ Goodell said in a statement.

Can you imagine what “60 Minutes” will do with this story? They’ll find some players to talk and then the “60 Minutes” folks will combine it with interviews with doctors, maybe a team doctor, and by the end of the segment, some fans will be turned off forever.

NFL Bits

--Attention Jets fans…quarterback Mark Sanchez has been huddling up with former QB Chad Pennington for tutoring sessions. This can only help, Pennington being as respected as anyone in the game the last two decades and the perfect role model. Plus, Chad obviously knows the system of incoming offensive coordinator Tony Sparano. I didn’t realize Sanchez and Sparano can’t work together until April 16 under terms of the collective bargaining agreement.

That said, I hope the Jets still draft a solid quarterback, or get an experienced backup through free agency.

--We note the passing of former New York Giants great Alex Webster at the age of 80. Webster, a two-time Pro Bowler, played his entire 10-year career with the team, 1955-64, rushing for 4,638 yards, and was later head coach from 1969-73, finishing with an overall record of 29-40-1, though he was coach of the year in 1970 when the Giants went 9-5. Webster played his college ball at North Carolina State. 

--Hopefully, Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward, make that former Steelers receiver, knows enough to retire having just been released by the team after 14 seasons.

“This isn’t how I wanted this chapter of my career to end,” he said. “I did everything in my power to remain a Steeler and finish what I started here 14 years ago. I want to thank the organization, my teammates and coaches and everyone who made my run as a Steeler the best years of my life.”

Ward says now he wants to play another year. Just walk away, Hines, head held high for a Hall of Fame career.

College Basketball

--Those of us who made the easy pick, preseason, and went with North Carolina to win it all, are finally seeing the team we thought we’d see all year, witness the 88-70 dismantling of No. 3 Duke by the No. 6 Tar Heels as Carolina shot 54.5% from the floor and basically led by about 20 the entire game. No doubt, basketball purists now want a Kentucky-North Carolina final.

As for Duke, was Mrs. Curry in the stands? I missed her if she was. I mean I’m not watching Duke games to see Dell…know what I’m sayin’?

--In other games, Iowa State defeated No. 10 Baylor as the Bears continue their slide, 80-72. No. 12 William Paterson was upset by Becker at home, 69-53, in Div. III play (just mixing it up), and yours truly did watch the entire Wake Forest-Georgia Tech contest as the Deacs lost 69-62. It was actually an entertaining game, until it wasn’t.

But can we talk about “shooters”? Wake, more than any other school, it seems, recruits guys that are supposed to be “shooters” and then they fall flat on their face; the latest being Chase Fischer, a prolific scorer out of West Virginia. The guy is 39 of 122 from downtown, a sterling .320. Ergo, not exactly a “shooter.”

The other game I watched was Murray State-Tennessee State for the Ohio Valley Conference championship with Murray prevailing 54-52 as Isaiah Canaan had one of his worst games of the season, just 4 of 13 from the field. They now deserve a 4-seed for going 30-1…nothing better, nothing worse.

--What a devastating story on the UCLA basketball program by George Dohrmann of Sports Illustrated; a program totally out of control with a coach, Ben Howland, who is portrayed to be one of the true jerks on the planet.

--But what’s this? Bonus coverage? Virginia had a big win on Sunday, defeating Maryland to run the record to 22-8, 9-7 in ACC play. If they win one game in the ACC tournament, they should get in to the Big Dance. Local area fans, however, can only look at Iona’s 85-75 loss to Fairfield in the MAAC semis with disgust. The Gaels, 25-7, should have received the MAAC’s lone bid. Now they can only sit around and play with themselves.

Ryan Braun, part quatre

Since my last posting, Ryan Braun’s attorney, David Cornwell, issued a statement:

“Ryan Braun presented a winning defense in the forum that counted. The landmark decision in Ryan’s favor was based on the evidence and the plain meaning of the words in baseball’s Joint Drug Program.   The collector’s [Dino Laurenzi.] attempt to re-litigate his conduct is inappropriate, and his efforts will only be persuasive to those who do not understand the evidence or the rules.

“Ryan Braun was properly vindicated. Both Major League Baseball and Major League Baseball Players Association should be applauded because their Joint Program worked.”

Recall, Laurenzi defended himself, saying he followed the proper protocol, this after Braun insinuated he had tampered with the test, Braun saying:

“There were a lot of things that we learned about the collector, about the collection process, about the way that the entire thing worked, that made us very concerned, and very suspicious about what could have actually happened….I am a victim of a process that completely broke down and failed the way it was applied to me in this case.”

“No matter how hard I try in my night-school chemistry classes, for the life of me I still can’t figure out a way to not only spike urine samples, but then un-triple-seal that container and re-triple-seal it well enough to fool a lab.

“It isn’t so long now since Ryan Braun won his appeal and got his 50-game suspension overturned and what he still hasn’t explained – even as he apparently thinks his story should be the one in ‘Les Miserables’ – is how Dino Laurenzi Jr. was enough of a scientific genius to do all that.

“I mean, if Laurenzi can do all that, he’s wasting his time on urine samples; the guy ought to be an art thief figuring out a way to rob the Met.

“Here’s one more: If Ryan Braun thinks that somebody associated with Major League Baseball tampered with a drug test, how come he didn’t call in the FBI first thing?

“By the way, Braun might not have the best lawyer out there, but he does seem to have the loudest in this guy Cornwell. Cornwell issued a statement the other day saying Laurenzi was trying to ‘re-litigate’ the case.

“Laurenzi isn’t the one on trial, no matter how much Braun and his lawyer and his agents and crisis managers want him to be.

“Braun is the one who tested positive and still hasn’t explained to anybody how synthetic testosterone, at high levels, got into his sample. Because if you believe that Dino Laurenzi put it there, you also believe in the tooth fairy.

“The more Braun and his people keep talking, the more they won’t shut up, the more legs this story will have.”

Ball Bits

--I think some of us may be a little surprised baseball acted so quickly in terms of adding another wild card this season, rather than 2013, but what the heck. It will work just fine, in spite of what detractors say.

“This change increases the rewards of a division championship and allows two additional markets to experience playoff baseball each year,” said Commissioner Bud Selig.

Mets outfielder Jason Bay said, “I don’t see how this can be a bad thing. It only adds an extra day or two to the playoffs, but it puts a lot of teams that are out of it in September right back in the race. I don’t see too much downside.”

Detractors point to last year and the incredibly exciting final day of the season, concluding, then, why mess with success?

Get over it. We would never, ever have a final day like last year. It’s virtually a mathematical impossibility. Instead, now we are guaranteed two potentially immensely exciting one-game playoffs between the wild card winners…every season…and you still could have a ton of teams with a chance to be one of those two heading into the final week, or even the final day.

Detractors also say, though, that it screws with the pitching rotations for the wild card entries vs. the division champs, but that’s as it should be. Again, division champions deserve this advantage.

Now I understand why some don’t want a one-game playoff, but rather a two-of-three between the two wild cards, but then you do begin to stretch the postseason in almost virtually every calendar year into November and that’s absurd.

But we’ll let a detractor have his say…Kevin Kernan / New York Post:

“In an effort to make the postseason more exciting, the regular season has been cheapened yet again and so have the ‘first-round’ of the playoffs, which is now one and done.

“There’s more: Work all season to get the best record in your league and when it’s your turn to play in the postseason, you will not know what team you are playing until the last minute. When you do find out, you hop on a plane and play the first two games away. [Ed. the new five-game format will be 2-3, rather than 2-2-1 to eliminate a day off.] By the time you return home, you could be one step away from elimination. [Ed. you’re not supposed to lose the first two games if you’re a division champ!]

“So much for the advantage of winning the most games over 162 games. This isn’t postseason baseball, it’s a TV show: MLB Gone Wild.”

“There are all kinds of possibilities. With the 2-3 format, a wild card team conceivably could win the one-game playoff without using the ace of its staff. That ace could pitch Game 1 of the five-game division series at home – though it is the wild card team against the team with the best record in the league – and then have the ace ready for Game 5 as well. That is a huge advantage for a team that just made it into the postseason because of the wild card.”

Geezuz, just shut up. Yes, obviously, if you’re the Giants and you have two aces like Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, one probably throws in the wild card and the other is maybe available for Game 1, though this is far from a certainty because the schedule is going to be compressed and in many cases you’re throwing both of these guys the final weekend of the regular season if you’re going for the wild card and thus they won’t be available for either the WC or Game 1.

Kernan also wants the two-of-three format because then the winner most likely has used up his three best starters and the bullpen so the division winner has a huge competitive advantage in the next series. I suppose Kernan also wants the wild card winners to have to fly around the world within 24 hours in the day between the end of one series and the start of another under that format and then have each player run a half-marathon to give the division winner even more of an advantage.

Oh, and then you have those complaining about the fact that now you can have three teams from the same division qualifying. Well look at the N.L. East this coming year. It’s loaded. From a total record standpoint, heck, four of the five could actually end up with the best marks in the league, if Washington makes the strides it’s capable of, and Miami has a healthy Jose Reyes for 150 games. 

Good. The N.L. East, and maybe the A.L. East, will have super races with packed houses all September. That’s only a positive for the sport. Heck, even in that case, the Mets will be able to play the role of major spoiler, making their games more interesting to a certain extent.

So to the detractors, just deal with it. Division winners will in all likelihood have more than enough advantages under the new system, while wild card entrants still have a chance to shock the world, because this is sports, and the playoffs, and strange things happen…just ask the Cardinals. 

--Speaking of Washington, manager Davey Johnson on whether the age, 19, of outfielder Bryce Harper, should factor in the decision of whether Harper should play with the big league club this year, including from opening day.

“It doesn’t. Did I care that Dwight Gooden was 18 when I asked the Mets to move him up from A-ball to the AAA World Series at the end of the season? I knew he could flat-out pitch,” Johnson said. ‘You can play or you can’t.”

The Nats are very enthused about having Harper on the roster. His teammates would love to see him make the team. They need a power-hitting corner outfielder to enable them to move Jayson Werth to center, as the Washington Post’s Thomas Boswell writes. The teammates also say Harper, physically, is a lot bigger than last year. Pitcher Drew Storen said, “With all the lifting, he’s a monster. We’ve got big guys on this club, but he’s just ridiculous.” 

Harper himself says he’s up to 6 feet 3, 225 pounds; and thinks he can eventually top out at 6-5, 250, after watching his older brother grow to 6-6 the past couple of years.

“Circle April 26 on your baseball calendar as a potential Harper debut. By keeping Harper in the minors for 21 days to start the season, he couldn’t become a free agent until after 2018, rather than 2017. (That’s the MLB rule.) Obviously, you don’t want to give away a full year of Harper at age 25 for the sake of three weeks this season. If Harper starts opening day, and becomes free agency eligible after 2017, somebody’s lost his mind.”

But then if the Nats bring Harper up late April, he becomes a Super Two player who’s eligible for salary arbitration a year sooner, so to avoid that, Harper could be held off until June. So the Nats may hold off 50 games or so. After all, as Boswell writes:

“At 19, even Mickey Mantle hit just .267 with 13 homers and Ken Griffey Jr., .264 with 16.”

But it would be nice to have Harper around for valuable games in September.

--Boy, the Miami Marlins are getting some great press for not just spending money on free agents and upgrading the club, but also their new stadium. It’s really true, at least from the many stories I’ve read the past few days, that Marlins Fever is catching on. That’s pretty cool. The more enthusiasm across the land for baseball the better. Might have to go to South Beach myself at some point. You know, hang out with the beautiful people. Then again, I’d have to spend $100s upgrading my wardrobe, your editor having zero South Beach partywear.

Oh, and slugging outfielder Mike Stanton now wants to be called by his formal first name, Giancarlo…Giancarlo Cruz Mike Stanton being his actual full name. 

--Ah, nothing like spring training to blur the vision. For the first time in years, the Mets legitimately have some starting pitching prospects, three of ‘em, that hopefully form the core of the rotation in 2013, if not 2014. And we have an exciting outfield prospect, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, if he can stay healthy, so I’m upping my win total for the Mets this year, again, this time to 43 from 41 (which was up from 38).

--Pirates fans (including you, Shu) were incredulous to learn that new hurler A.J. Burnett is expected to be out 2 to 3 months, having just been acquired from the Yankees, after suffering a facial fracture during a bunting drill. The Bucs had already tabbed Burnett to be their opening day starter. Now he fouls a ball off his face and has surgery for a broken orbital bone. Just one day earlier, Burnett said, “It’s going to be fun. I’m going back to the National League, where I can hit and bunt and get the joy back into the game.”

Luckily, his vision isn’t affected, nor the muscles and nerves around the eye. But he can’t do anything from a pitching standpoint until he’s fully healed.

Ergo, Pittsburgh is off and running to extend its North American professional sports league record 19 consecutive losing seasons streak.

--Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish, the guy they spent such massive sums of money on to purchase from his Japanese ballclub, threw for the first time in an intrasquad game and at least hit 93-96 on his fastball. Can you imagine if he was at, say, 89?

--I just love this one. On Friday night, the Miami Heat lost to the Utah Jazz, 99-98, even as  LeBron James was having a terrific fourth quarter, 17 of his 35 points on 8 of 9 shooting from the field. But Miami had the ball at the end, it’s in James’ hands, and you’d think he’d want to take the last shot…but instead he kicks it out to Udonis Haslem and he misses a long jumper just before the buzzer as the Jazz hold on. You see, LeBron is now 1-9 as a Heat in the last 24 seconds of the fourth quarter or OT with a chance to tie or take the lead.

“I just try to make the right plays and do what it takes to win basketball games,” said LeBron afterwards. 

This guy is an awesome basketball player, but he’s not “great” when he can’t do better in the clutch…or doesn’t want it at the end.

And way to go Kobe (who is “great”) in leading the Lakers to a 93-83 win over the Heat on Sunday.

--Great game on Sunday as the Celtics beat the Knicks in overtime, 115-111, as Celtics guard Rajon Rondo had one of the great individual efforts in league history…only the second player to record 15 points, 15 assists, and 15 rebounds. Specifically; 18, 20 and 17, respectively.

--And then we had the stupendous effort of Nets guard Deron Williams, who had a franchise-record 57 of his team’s 104 points in their 104-101 win over the pathetic Bobcats, now 4-31. Williams was 16-29 from the field (4-11 from downtown) and 21-21 from the free throw line.

--Back to the Knicks and guard Jeremy Lin (who did not have a great game on Sunday), frankly, I think the mistake made by Ben & Jerry’s the other day, coming up with a special Lin-themed frozen yogurt that included pieces of fortune cookies, is hilarious.

Now don’t get me wrong…I just find it very amusing that Ben & Jerry’s can be so incredibly stupid.

At the same time, let’s all lighten up a bit, people. In all honesty, I never, ever, associated the phrase “chink in the armor” as being racist and this was a popular phrase growing up.

Maybe I’m the idiot, but it was an everyday expression signifying, literally, a chink, a crack in the armor! I mean here are Webster’s definitions for “chink.” All of them in my 2005 edition.

a small crack or fissure
to fill the chinks of : stop up
a slight sharp metallic sound
to make a slight sharp metallic sound

Now if I call you a “chink,” and you’re Chinese, that’s different, and I’d deserve a smack in the mouth.

Note: I wrote the following before watching the final round of Sunday’s Honda Classic, but opted to leave it in verbatim even after viewing the action.

I have defended Tiger Woods over the years, not for his behavior, but his impact on the sport and how golf needs him to play well to regenerate interest among the casual public that is the difference behind great television ratings and poor ones. As a major fan of the sport myself, I love when Tiger is in the hunt. It just makes the event more interesting, period.

But his behavior at the press conference before the start of the Honda Classic was despicable. Responding to the Golf Digest excerpt of Hank Haney’s upcoming book on his years as Woods’ swing coach, the one where Woods considered giving up golf to become a member of the Navy SEALs, Woods lit into a reporter and gave him a ‘death stare,’ as some put it. After viewing the tape, Tiger could not have been more of [an ass].

On Sunday, Tiger, out of nowhere, shot the best fourth round of his career, 62, and fell just two strokes shy of Rory McIlroy as 22-year-old Rory held on to not only win his 3rd PGA Tour title, but also gain the No. 1 spot in the world; the only one younger ever to achieve this distinction being then 21-year-old Tiger. I’d say it is now indeed official…the torch has been passed, but maybe Tiger is back. Us golf fans are eagerly awaiting the next event, the WGC at Doral as these two are joined by Phil Mickelson.

--Ripped from the pages of the Anchorage Daily News, as reported by Mark Thiessen:

“Moose stomp 2 Mat-Su women on way to bus stops with kids”

“Two Susitna Valley women were stomped by moose Thursday as they walked children to bus stops.

“A woman in Talkeetna suffered injuries to her lower leg. The other woman had injuries to her ribs in a stomping near Willow. She was taken to a hospital, Alaska State Troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said.

“No children were hurt in either incident. Peters says both women placed themselves between the moose and the children to protect them.”

It was just a few weeks ago I wrote of how because of the heavy snow in Alaska, moose are using the roads. So remember this if you’re going on a beer run up that way. Ms. Peters said because of the snow and the difficulty in finding food, “A lot of moose aren’t happy.”

As for the two women, they will be receiving special certificates that read:

“To the holder…this certifies you are a hero for your courageous actions against moose. From your friends at Bar Chat.”

--The Newark (N.J.) Archdiocese has announced the closure of St. Patrick’s High School, which has had one of the great scholastic basketball programs in the country for years now. But enrollment is plummeting and the diocese simply can’t afford to keep St. Pat’s and many other parochial schools in the state open.

--Among the many tragedies spawned by the tornadoes that spun across the Midwest and South last week is the story of Henryville, Ind., which just so happens to be the birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Harland Sanders.

By 10 p.m. on Friday, the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center had issued 269 tornado warnings that day vs. 189 warnings for all of February. Thank god this outbreak was so accurately forecast days ahead of time. Can you imagine a similar outbreak, say, in the 1950s? The death toll would easily be in the hundreds, possibly a thousand. The warnings would have been minimal.

--USA TODAY has a bit, “10 great places to explore America with Larry the Cable Guy,” and number one is the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Neb. I’ve written of that one. It is truly tremendous. Larry rightfully calls it the “most amazing in the country.” Believe me, it is truly unique with its desert and rainforest exhibits.

Larry then mentions Branson, Mo. (which despite extensive damage from the tornado outbreak last week, nonetheless lucked out big time from the reports I’ve seen). I had a good time there, too, a number of years ago. “Vegas with flip-flops.”

Then there is Iowa 80. Don’t know this one and now I’m ticked off because I was just there last summer. It’s a major truck stop, known for a 50-foot salad bar.

Among the others Larry likes is another I always wanted to check out, the Tabasco factory on Avery Island, La. And he mentions the Sturgis bike rally in Sturgis, South Dakota. Now this one I’ve said before I’d avoid at all costs, personally. It’s in my favorite part of the country, the Black Hills, but in my many trips there I’ve heard the rally is just too much of a zoo…and kind of dangerous for a city boy like me.

One thing I’d like to catch some year in Sturgis, though, is the sheep-dog herding contest. Doesn’t that sound cool? [This is my idea…not Larry’s.]

--In an extensive piece in the current issue of Vanity Fair, the cast of “The Sopranos” was interviewed and among the topics, of course, was the story of the finale. James Gandolfini said he was as confused as everyone else by it.

“When I first saw the ending, I said, ‘What the f—k?’ I mean, after all I went through, all this death, and then it’s over like that?”

“After I had a day to sleep, I just sat there sand said, ‘That’s perfect.’”

“I would have wanted it to end differently. But God knows we’ve talked about that ending for five years now – we’re still talking about it. People stop me in the street. ‘Did you get the ending? Did I miss something?’ I thought it was very, very shrewd.”

I wrote in this space at the time that my immediate reaction was it was brilliant. I stand by that.

Creator David Chase, by the way, said he regrets not killing off Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli) sooner.

“As a mob boss, the guy was totally unreliable!...Tony put up with him for too long,” Chase said. “Christopher just spelled the end of Tony, his family – everything.”

By the way, as reported by the New York Post’s Todd Venezia (I haven’t read the Vanity Fair piece myself yet):

“Because the show was so much like the real mob, none of the actors knew when they were about to get whacked – and it led to nervous moments whenever scripts were handed around.”

Evidently the tensest day on the set out of the 10 years was when Vincent Pastore, “Big Pussy,” was bumped off. Steve Van Zandt said:

“I remember people yelling at each other and really pissed off, which you never saw. Why? Because we were losing Vinny. He was a beloved friend of ours, and you’re not going to see him anymore.”

“A happier day on the set was when – after winning a big payday in contract negotiations – Gandolfini handed out gifts of cash to the other regular actors.

“ ‘After Season 4, Jim called all the regulars into his trailer and gave us $33,333 each, every single one of us,’ (Steve) Schirripa (“Bobby”) said. ‘Now, there were a lot of big actors – Kelsey Grammer, Ray Romano – and they’re all nice guys, I’m sure, but nobody gave their cast members that kind of money. That’s like buying everybody an SUV. He said, ‘Thanks for sticking by me.’’”

That’s exactly the impression my brother had of Gandolfini, as I told you recently, when he met him at a wake; a down to earth, genuine good guy. [Gandolfini has also been immensely generous with his alma mater, Rutgers.]

--I’ll remind you again later, but Betty White is going to be roasted by the Friars Club on May 16. That should be funny. I also need to keep track of the calendar that month because May 14, PBS’ American Masters is airing a documentary, “Johnny Carson: King of Late Night.” Geezuz, some of us still miss Johnny big time. Right, Mark R.?

--Bruce Springsteen’s “Wrecking Ball” comes out on Tuesday. I’ve read a ton of reviews and most say it’s not his best, but then if it’s third or fourth best among his other works, that ain’t bad, not bad at all. A review in USA TODAY describes the album as “a raging state of the union address enveloped in rootsy folk-rock.” In Jack of All Trades, Springsteen sings, “The banker man grows fat, working man grows thin / It’s all happened before and it’ll all happen again.”

Yup. That it will.

Top 3 songs for the week 3/3/79: #1 “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” (Rod Stewart…total crappola) #2 “Fire” (Pointer Sisters…couldn’t stand them…no Shirelles, baby!) #3 “I Will Survive” (Gloria Gaynor…at least she tried)… and …#4 “Tragedy” (Bee Gees…indescribable how awful this tune is) #5 “A Little More Love” (Olivia Newton-John…eh) #6 “Heaven Knows” (Donna Summer with Brooklyn Dreams…not the worst tune of the week…about all I can say about this one) #7 “Le Freak” (Chic…gag me) #8 “Y.M.C.A.” (Village People…how this song had a revival and is popular today, I’ll never know…I refuse to go to another wedding, knowing some jerk will request it) #9 “Lotta Love” (Nicolette Larson…OK) #10 “What A Fool Believes” (The Doobie Brothers…far from their best, but at least it’s music compared to the other garbage it was up against…plus, switching gears, I was destined for a slew of Gentlemen Cs this semester at Wake)

NBA Quiz Answer: 8-man rotation for the 1972-73 Knicks.

Walt Frazier, 21.1 ppg; Dave Debusschere, 16.3; Bill Bradley, 16.1; Earl Monroe, 15.5; Willis Reed, 11.0; Jerry Lucas, 9.9; Phil Jackson, 8.1; Dean Meminger, 5.7. [I forgot Bradley scored that much, and I also forgot Jackson was such a big contributor on the offensive end. Henry Bibby, Dick Barnett and John Gianelli played far lesser roles, appearing in 51-55 games each that year.]

*You know who’d be a sweet player in today’s NBA game? Meminger. He’d be an assist machine.

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