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Bar Chat

12/29/2014

2014 Bar Chat Awards

Penn State Quiz: The Nittany Lions finished AP No. 1 in both 1982 and 1986. Name the quarterback and leading rusher for each team. Answer below.

NFL Playoffs Set....

Jan. 3: Cardinals at Panthers, 4:35 p.m. ET
Jan. 3: Ravens at Steelers, 8:15 p.m. ET

Jan. 4: Bengals at Colts, 1:05 p.m. ET
Jan. 4: Lions at Cowboys, 4:40 p.m. ET

Jan. 10: Ravens/Bengals/Colts at Patriots, 4:35 p.m. ET
Jan. 10: Lions/Cardinals/Panthers at Seahawks, 8:15 p.m. ET

Jan. 11: Cowboys/Cardinals/Panthers at Packers, 1:05 p.m. ET
Jan. 11: Bengals/Steelers/Colts at Broncos, 4:40 p.m. ET

*Unfortunately, the early weather forecast for Pittsburgh on Saturday looks fine. Drat! The following weekend, however, is when we have the potential for some fun at all four venues.

--Pittsburgh earned the right to host a wild-card game with its Sunday night 27-17 win over Cincinnati, however, the status of running back Le’Veon Bell is now up in the air as he suffered a hyperextended knee (though early word is there is no structural damage). For the Bengals, “Bad Andy” Dalton threw two interceptions.

But now we have Steelers vs. Ravens...this promises to be a great one.

--So prior to the key Detroit at Green Bay contest, we knew that Lions QB Matthew Stafford was an astounding 0-15 on the road against winning teams (teams that finished better than .500), while Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers this season had 23 TD passes and zero interceptions in his seven home games in 2014.

We also knew the Lions hadn’t won a division title since 1993, plus they hadn’t defeated Green Bay in Wisconsin since 1991, spanning 23 games, including the playoffs.

Make that 24 games, and 0-16 for Stafford, as a hobbled Aaron Rodgers nonetheless put up a 139.6 QB rating in going 17/22, 226, 2-0, while Eddie Lacy rushed for 100 yards.

Green Bay thus gets a badly needed bye and a home game in the second round with a 30-20 win. Detroit goes to Dallas, where, ironically, Stafford has a much better chance of success at Jerry’s Palace.

But a sidebar...what a dirty player Lions lineman Ndamukong Suh is. What a dirty team overall; two other defenders having been suspended and/or fined for dirty play last week.

Detroit has a classy superstar receiver in Calvin Johnson and a classy coach in Jim Caldwell, but many of the rest of them are despicable.

--In the AFC, all San Diego had to do was go into Kansas City and win to gain a playoff berth. Easier said than done. The Chiefs defense limited Chargers QB Philip Rivers to a 62.3 quarterback rating, 20/34, 291, 0-2, as San Diego had three turnovers for the game and Kansas City none. Final: Chiefs 19 Chargers 7.

Kansas City had seven sacks, four by linebacker Justin Houston, who finished the year with 22.0, one-half sack shy of the all-time mark set by Michael Strahan in 2001.

--So San Diego’s loss opened the door for Baltimore, who rallied to defeat Cleveland 20-10 and thus finish 10-6 to San Diego’s 9-7, the same mark as K.C., Buffalo and Houston.

--Seattle (12-4) clinched home-field advantage with a 20-6 win over St. Louis (6-10), 20-6.

--And the Carolina Panthers continued to write their remarkable story with a 34-3 win over the Falcons to capture the NFC South title at just 7-8-1.

But throw the record out. The Panthers were 3-8-1 and long out of it, even in this pathetic division, which was 10-29-1 against teams outside it, but in winning their last four, the defense allowed just 43 points. 

--Bye bye Rex Ryan. My Jets finished an incredibly ugly season 4-12 with a 37-24 win over Miami (8-8) as out of nowhere, quarterback Geno Smith had a perfect day...20/25, 358, 3-0, 158.3 (a perfect quarterback rating). Wide receiver Eric Decker had 10 receptions for 221 yards and a score, just seven yards shy of the franchise record.

But Rex will be officially fired Monday morning, literally as I’m posting this, along with GM John Idzik (thank god). In six seasons Ryan was just 46-50, but the first two years, when he was 9-7 and 11-5, he took the Jets to the AFC Championship game, only to fall short...though nonetheless 4-2 in the playoffs.

The next four seasons, however, were nowhere near as successful...8-8, 6-10, 8-8 and this year’s 4-12.

It’s a shame. I know over the years I have criticized Rex for one thing or another, as in he needed to tone it down at times, but I liked the guy a lot.

Heck, I’ve told you how he lives nearby (though while I know exactly where his home is, I never drove by out of respect....I’m funny that way), and I had the utmost respect for him sending his kids to Summit High School, the same public school I went to. Of course he could have sent them to one of the ‘exclusive’ private schools in the area. That showed me something.

Rex Ryan is a good man. Not all NFL coaches are. He deserves another opportunity to win that elusive Super Bowl and I’m guessing it’s Atlanta. [Others say Chicago.]

--As for the Giants, they finished 6-10 after a loss to Philadelphia, 34-26, with the Eagles failing to make the playoffs despite finishing 10-6. For New York, Eli Manning threw for 429 yards (though just 28 of 53) as Odell Beckham Jr. added to his remarkable rookie year with 12 catches for 185 yards and one TD.   After missing the first four games due to injury, Beckham in the final 12 had 91 receptions for 1,305 yards and 12 TDs.

Beckham is also the first rookie in NFL history with two, 12-catch games in a season. He is the first NFL rookie with four consecutive games with at least 130 receiving yards and a touchdown. [He was the first with three.] He joined Michael Irvin as the only players in NFL history with at least 90 receiving yards in nine consecutive games.

Beckham’s 1,305 yards were the third-highest total in Giants history and, again, he only played 12 games.

Finally, his 108.8-yard average per game is an NFL rookie record.

As for Eagles QB Mark Sanchez, he went 5-4 in place of the injured Nick Foles, but that included a disastrous loss to Washington, while his 14 turnovers in nine appearances was the most in the NFL between Nov. 2 and Sunday.

--Tampa Bay (2-14) wrapped up the first pick in the draft as they tanked their game against New Orleans (7-9). The Bucs were up 20-7 at the half and then started plugging in people off the streets, or from the concession lines, as the Saints rallied back to win 23-20.

Tampa Bay after said, ‘Tank? Just because we played Joey Fazool, the parking attendant, on the defensive line? You kiddin’ me?’

Anyway, the Bucs have their pick of Marcus Mariota or Jameis “Crab Legs” Winston, while Tennessee (which also finished 2-14) has the second pick.

[My Jets with their win fell to the sixth slot in the draft, meaning we not only won’t get Mariota or Winston, but we won’t be able to select Alabama receiver Amari Cooper.]

--Jim Harbaugh is headed to Ann Arbor for the Michigan coaching job (that’s my take), with Michigan holding a press conference on Tuesday. Harbaugh told the team of his decision to step down during their meeting Saturday night, and then the club and Harbaugh issued statements following the game Sunday, won by the Niners over the Cardinals. 

Harbaugh thus finishes 44-19-1, with two NFC West titles, three NFC Championship game appearances, and one Super Bowl appearance in four years. As Ronald Reagan would have said, ‘Not bad, not bad at all.’

--Johnny Football just doesn’t get it. Manziel threw a party Friday night, attended my multiple members of the Browns, including receiver Josh Gordon, who ended up being suspended for a violation of team rules, and then Manziel and Gordon were absent from the Browns’ walk-through on Saturday morning as the team couldn’t locate them.

Manziel, even though he is on injured reserve, was required to show either for the walk-through or treatment on his hamstring. Browns security then found him at his home.

Just days earlier, he had conceded he needed to take his job more seriously.

And then to compound matters, first round pick Justin Gilbert was deactivated for the finale because he missed a team meeting Saturday.

Back to the talented Gordon, he had already served a 10-game suspension for repeated drug violations.

--Saturday represented the 50th anniversary of Cleveland’s last professional sports championship, the 1964 Cleveland Browns who defeated the heavily favored Baltimore Colts for the NFL title 27-0. As Tom Withers of the AP writes: “Since then, the Browns, Indians and Cavaliers have gone a combined 141 seasons without winning it all.”

Hall of Famer Jim Brown, who of course was the leading rusher for the Brownies that season with 1,446 yards (14 games) and a 5.2 avg., said: “It’s hard to believe. Because when you look back at 50 years, something’s wrong, because somebody should’ve figured out something. ...We’ve got money and we’ve got a new building and we’ve got green grass and we can draft players, and we can’t do any better than that?”

Tom Withers: “Cleveland’s title drought is the longest for any North American city with three pro franchises. San Diego has gone 51 years since the Chargers won an AFL title, but the California city no longer has an NBA team and it’s a little easier to handle misery when it’s sunny and 70 most of the year.”

--Great piece in the Dec. 29 issue of Sports Illustrated by Don Banks on the 1974 Super Bowl Champion Steelers as he interviews a number of players from that team. For example, I totally forgot there was a veterans-only players’ strike in the NFL during the first two weeks of preseason, which benefited some teams like the Steelers who played those first two exhibition games with mostly rookies, giving players like third-string quarterback Joe Gilliam game experience. With Terry Bradshaw out with an injury suffered in late-preseason, Gilliam became the first African-American QB to start and win an NFL opener.

I also forgot Joe Greene announced he was quitting after a 13-10 home loss to the Oilers on Dec. 1. “I wanted us to be further along than I thought we were. I became very frustrated at the end of the season, after that Houston game.” Receivers coach Lionel Taylor convinced him to stay. “Once I got past that,” Greene said, “all signals were go.”

But remember my Bar Chat quiz of Dec. 1 on the 1971 Steelers’ draft? Safety Glen Edwards tells SI, “I think 1971 (not the more noted 1974 class) was the best draft we had. Period.”

“To a man, the Steelers say (coach Chuck) Noll was the team’s real leader, the unquestioned authority figure for a group that grew into one of the most determined teams over the course of the 1970s. Noll was almost always stoic in demeanor, and he was cold and distant in the eyes of some players. But he didn’t rule by fear or intimidation. Once the nucleus of Pittsburgh’s dynasty was in place, he was superb at knowing how to keep his players focused, believing you won with self-starters. Between ’72 and ’79 the Steelers won the AFC Central seven times and went to the playoffs all eight season (along with the four Super Bowl titles in six years).”

Running back John Frenchy Fuqua: “I’ve got a great Chuck story. It’s 1970, the last game of the preseason, Friday-night bed check, 11 o’clock. I’ve got my eventual wife-to-be in the room with me and [a bottle of] Jack Daniel’s. Usually the assistant coaches did bed check. Not this night. Knock-knock. ‘Who is it?’ ‘It’s Coach, John. Just want to check on you.’ So I put her in the bathroom, then open the door and run back to bed because I’ve got nothing but my briefs on. Coach comes in and he’s got a damn album and headphones with him. He knows the stereo equipment I have, and he says, ‘You mind if I listen to this song while I’m here?’ And I’m thinking, ‘Oh, s---.’ He puts the headphones on, and I swear it’s the longest five minutes of my life. We have an exhibition game against the Giants the next day, and he says, ‘You know we’ve got your former team tomorrow?' And I say, ‘Yeah, I’m ready.’ He’s walking to the door, and man I’m sweating because the bathroom’s right [there]. He passes by the bathroom and he just stops, and I say, ‘Oh, s---.’ He gets in the bathroom, and I hear him pulling the curtain open, and all he says is, ‘Young lady, you have to leave. The man has a ballgame.’”

College Football

--For some teams the bowl games are more meaningful than for others and such was the case with Rutgers, which finished its first season in the Big Ten at 8-5 after a 40-21 win over North Carolina (6-7) in the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit. Two freshman running backs, Josh Hicks and Robert Martin, rushed for 202 and 100 yards, respectively.

--We all notice the lousy, downright pathetic crowds for some of these bowl games, like for the above where you could count the attendees on two hands, and of course it’s been this way for years. It’s always been about the television money generated and as Brent Schrotenboer of USA TODAY suggested, ESPN should just build a giant studio and broadcast the minor bowls from the same location. The ratings are strong, even if no one is in the stands, and the games highly profitable for both ESPN and the conferences (though not always the schools if they can’t sell their ticket allotment).

In 1995-96, there were 18 bowl games. Now there are 38, plus a national championship game – four more bowls than last season.

But there is one bowl that seems to have a formula down, the Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium, where once again they had an impressive crowd, 49,000, for Penn State vs. Boston College on Saturday, won by Penn State 31-30 in overtime when B.C.’s kicker totally choked on the extra point in OT.

The Pinstripe Bowl needs to have at least one of the four in the area with big alumni bases in the game – Penn State, Boston College, Syracuse and Rutgers; and to a slightly lesser extent Duke – preferably two, and the fans will turn out. I mean it was the best bowl crowd, including for enthusiasm, thus far.

I know that Duke alum wanted their team in the game, rather than the Sun Bowl (where they lost to No. 15 Arizona State, 36-31, thanks to a late 96-yard kickoff return that set up a 4-yard score for the Sun Devils).

But back to the Penn State contest, quarterback Christian Hackenberg showed everyone why he is highly touted as a pro prospect, despite a sub-par season, with a 34/50, 371, 4-0 effort, his best game in his two seasons at Unhappy Valley.

Or maybe it will be back to Happy Valley next season, this being Penn State’s first bowl since the Sandusky scandal.

For the Eagles, they missed an incredible 8 extra points this season. Both teams finished 7-6.

--I almost stayed up until the end of the Holiday Bowl, won by No. 24 USC (9-4) 45-42 over Nebraska (9-4). The Trojans had an 11-point fourth-quarter lead and had to bat away a last-second Hail Mary pass to preserve the win. Mike Riley now takes over the Cornhusker program.

--I did not watch any of the Western Kentucky-Central Michigan first-ever Bahamas Bowl contest but for the archives I do have to note the Hilltoppers’ almost blowing a 49-14 fourth-quarter lead as the Chippewas’ rode quarterback Cooper Rush’s bowl record seven touchdown passes for a furious comeback that fell a point short, 49-48, as Central Michigan went for a two-point conversion and the win after a last-second play for the ages, only to fall short.

“Central Michigan (7-6) scored the final five touchdowns of the game, including a three-lateral, 75-yard dazzler on the final play where six Chippewas – one center, one quarterback and four receivers – touched the ball....

“The Chippewas got the ball on their own 25 with a second remaining after a punt, trailing 49-42. Rush threw deep to Jesse Kroll, who caught the ball between three defenders at the 29. Kroll advanced the ball slightly before lateraling to Deon Butler, who got the ball to Courtney Williams just before getting tackled.

“Williams then tossed the ball to Davis, who caught it at the 15 and outran three Western Kentucky players to the end zone, reaching to knock over the pylon as he fell out of bounds to complete the bizarre play.”

Rush threw for 485 yards. Hilltopper QB Brandon Doughty threw for 486 and five touchdowns to increase his nation-leading total to 49 on the season.

--Yet another distressing concussion story. West Virginia senior quarterback Clint Trickett said he’s retiring from football to pursue a coaching career after he said he suffered five concussions over the past 14 months – including two that he hid from trainers. 

Trickett was not cleared to play in the Liberty Bowl against Texas A&M after suffering a concussion on Nov. 20 against Kansas State. It was thought with the extra time off he’d be ready, but he failed numerous attempts at passing the concussion protocol test, as reported by ESPN.com’s Jake Trotter.

Trickett’s father, Rick, is the offensive line coach at Florida State, which is where Clint played before transferring to WVU.

--I forgot to mention that the Division I Football Championship (I-AA) is Jan. 10, Illinois State vs. North Dakota State...Illinois State defeating New Hampshire 21-18 in the semis, while ND State beat Sam Houston State, 35-3.

College Basketball

--In what is probably going to be their sternest test of the season, No. 1 Kentucky remained undefeated with a less than scintillating 58-50 road win over No. 4 Louisville. Yes, I watched virtually the entire game, it was played with intensity, but Louisville was held to 15-58 shooting from the field, 25.9%, while Kentucky shot 42%, including 6 of 14 from three.

The Wildcats, labeled by some the best college basketball team in history, now head into SEC play the rest of the way and one thing is certain about the conference when it comes to hoops this year...the caliber of play is nowhere near the level of the conference for football.

So in March it will come down to guard play, avoiding injury, and the brackets as to whether Kentucky runs the table.

--George Washington had a nice 60-54 upset of No. 11 Wichita State in the Diamond Head Classic championship game in Honolulu.

--I belittle Wake Forest but nice road win at Richmond on Sunday, 65-63, to go to 7-6. Wake has had all kinds of personnel issues, including losing a key defender, Aaron Rountree, for 4-6 weeks with a broken hand, while sophomore guard Myles Overton is transferring, let alone the other issues I outlined the other day.

--In the January/February issue of The Atlantic, various folks were asked to answer the question, “What is the greatest upset in history?” James M. McPherson, noted author and Civil War expert, chose Harry Truman’s victory over Thomas Dewey in the presidential election of 1948, ditto NPR’s Nina Totenberg, but here is ESPN’s Chris Berman:

“The night Chaminade University beat Virginia in college basketball. It was 1982, and I was on Sports-Center with Tom Mees when the message came across the wire. We said, ‘We can’t go with this – this is a mistake!’ But then someone ran out with a piece of paper: ‘Resending, correct: Chaminade 77, Virginia 72.’ With one minute left, we said, ‘We can’t tell you what happened, but the No. 1 team in college basketball has lost to – we don’t even know who they are.’”

[Jon Wertheim, executive editor at Sports Illustrated, chose Buster Douglas defeating Mike Tyson...a fight I’ll never forget. Actually, this was Wertheim’s “runner-up.” His first selection was “the food truck.”]

--Forward Josh Smith signed on with Houston after being waived by Detroit and promptly had 21 points in his debut Friday night, a nice 117-111 overtime win over Memphis. But then he had just 5 points in the Rockets’ 110-106 loss to the Spurs on Sunday, a badly needed win for San Antonio (19-13). Houston fell to 21-8.

--The Cavaliers suffered a big loss as center Anderson Varejao went down for the season with a torn Achilles tendon. He was averaging 10 points and 6.6 rebounds.

--After a Sunday night loss out in Portland, the Knicks fell to 5-28. Philadelphia is 4-25.

--The Yankees rotation is set now that 39-year-old Hiroki Kuroda has decided to go home to finish his career in Japan. Kuroda thus finishes his MLB career at 79-79 with a 3.45 ERA.

So the Yankees opening day starting staff is Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, CC Sabathia, Nathan Eovaldi and Chris Capuano, with Ivan Nova slated to return from Tommy John surgery in June.

It’s pretty simple. If the first three stay healthy, and Eovaldi develops as I suspect he will, the Yanks can contend.

But if just one of the top three goes down early, New York is in major trouble.

--The Cubs could have a serious issue on their hands as shortstop Starlin Castro was caught up in a shooting at a nightclub in the Dominican Republic early Saturday morning that involved an argument between his brother and the assistant of a government official, with six being injured. It doesn’t seem Castro was directly involved, but these things have a way of getting very messy in the D.R.

Earlier this month, Castro was questioned with regards to another shooting that his agent insists he had nothing to do with either.

--Meanwhile, ‘sup with Max Scherzer? Who’s going to pay $200 million for the hurler?

Premier League

What an awesome stretch for Premier League fans...four games in 11 days, five in 14, with everyone playing Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Of course if your team sucks these are trying times...see Leicester City.

Manchester United is back...unbeaten in nine following Sunday’s 0-0 draw with my Tottenham Spurs. The Spurs had won four in a row prior to the draw to get themselves back in the conversation.

Also on Sunday, Chelsea had a 1-1 draw with Southampton.

So we’re at the midway point of the season (19 of 38 games played, except Swansea City v. Liverpool on Monday).

1. Chelsea 14 (W) – 1 (L) – 4 (D)...46 points
2. Man City 13 – 2 – 4...43
3. Man U 10 – 3 – 6...36
4. Southampton 10 – 6 – 3...33 [goal differential is tie-breaker]
5. Arsenal 9 – 4 – 6...33
6. West Ham 9 – 6 – 4...31
7. Tottenham 9 – 6 – 4...31
8. Swansea City 8 – 6 – 4...28

Remember, the big season-long goal for teams considering themselves to be elite is to finish in the top four to get in the Champions League.

But back to the intensity of the holiday stretch, Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho:

“It doesn’t matter – English or not English – the moment you are a football player in this country, I respect you a lot. At this moment the German guys are on the beach, the Spanish guys are in the Maldives getting sun – everybody else is doing that.

“But in this country you play on the 22nd, you on play on Boxing Day, you play on the 28th, you play on New Year’s Day. There is no Christmas – just football, and I think the players deserve respect.

“The supporters all around the country give them that respect because every stadium is sold out. And I think the way to do it is with the kind of professionalism my players have shown.”

New Year’s Day, Chelsea plays Tottenham.

By the way, Spain’s La Liga does not restart after Christmas until January 3rd, while Germany’s Bundesliga is on hiatus until January 30.

Not for nothing but the Rangers (19-10-4) have won eight in a row after defeating the Devils, 3-1, on Saturday. It’s the Rangers’ first such streak since the 1974-75 season. They have allowed two goals or less in each of the last seven.

Meanwhile, the slumping Devils (12-18-7) fired coach Peter DeBoer, with team president and general manager Lou Lamoriello replacing him with not one, but two coaches, Adam Oates and Scott Stevens, who will act as co-coaches with some assistance from Lamoriello.

Oates will be in charge of the forwards, Stevens the defensemen. Lamoriello will be on the bench acting as a supervisor of sorts.

In Memoriam

Sports Illustrated had a good piece on all those from the world of sports who died in 2014...I note a few of ‘em.

Tony Gwynn, Lou Hudson, Robert Newhouse, Frank Cashen, Marvin Barnes, Jean Beliveau, Don Zimmer, Jimmy Ellis, Red Klotz, Earl Morrall, Bob Welch, Jack Brabham, Carol Vadnais, Chuck Noll......and Ralph Kiner...who I will forever note and miss, as is the case with all Mets fans, and Pirates fans of a certain generation.

Other figures we lost from the world of entertainment and the arts...Robin Williams, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Shirley Temple, Mickey Rooney, Lauren Bacall, Pete Seeger, Tommy Ramone, Mike Nichols, Casey Kasem, Sid Caesar, Harold Ramis, Maya Angelou, Eli Wallach, James Garner, Joe Cocker, Phil Everly...and Joan Rivers.

--SHARK! Los Osos, Calif. (AP) – “A man surfing on the Central California coast was dragged under water by a juvenile great white shark and bitten in the hip on Sunday before he could paddle to shore, where he received help from two doctors who happened to be on the beach, a witness said Sunday.

“The man in his 50s used the leash cord from his surfboard to make a tourniquet for his leg before he got out of the water.”

The wounds were not life threatening. A woman swimming with seals was killed by a shark about 10 miles south of this attack in 2003.

--American Travis Ganong captured his first World Cup victory in the downhill at a new course, Santa Caterina, Italy.

For the women, Mikaela Shiffrin was third in a giant slalom in Kuehtai, Austria, the winner being Sweden’s Sara Hector, her first WC victory.

--Interesting piece on diplomatic gift-giving by Jo Biddle in the Daily Star. A U.S. president can receive up to 15,000 gifts every year, according to the National Archives, which is responsible for storing and recording what it calls “enduring emblems of international cooperation and friendship.”

Anything worth more than $375 belongs to the U.S. government and has to be handed over, though the recipients can keep it if they pay market value for the item.

So, for example, when she was secretary of state, Hillary Clinton bought for $970 a necklace of two strands of black pearls given to her by her idol, Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in October 2012.

As for gifts that President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry give on their trips abroad, a list is kept, and checked twice, to make sure the same item isn’t given again. The value of the gifts is a state secret.

“When Obama visited Pope Francis this year he brought with him a box containing nine varieties of seeds from the White House gardens hoping they would be planted in the gardens of the papal palace, the Castel Gandolfo.

“The box was hand-crafted in wood from the Baltimore Basilica, known as America’s first cathedral, and decorated with a special paint using copper from the Statue of Liberty....

“But gaffes are made. Obama was widely excoriated by the British press in 2009 when he gave then British Prime Minister Gordon Brown a set of 25 American classic movies on DVDs, which did not play on the British system.

“It seemed a poor return for Brown’s gift of a pen holder carved of timber from the sister ship which gave the wood to make the famous ‘Resolute Desk’ in the Oval Office.

“The same year during a trip to London, the U.S. president raised eyebrows again when he gave Queen Elizabeth II an iPod loaded with video footage and photographs of her visit to the United States in 2007.”

The 2014 Bar Chat Awards

Welcome to our annual awards show. We originally intended to have Johnny Football, Johnny Manziel, as our host but he was fined by the Browns for poor behavior and not following team rules so how could I reward him with this $95,000 gig?

So, guys, I think you’ll be pleased to know we’ve come up with Kate Upton! Kate, you’re doing a lot of video game work recently, how’s that going for you?

Don’t you ever, Kate. Don’t you ever....OK, moving on with the show [as Kate quickly exits to cash her check].....

Just a refresher...as defined by Webster’s, an ‘idiot’ is “an ignorant person; foolish or stupid.” A ‘jerk’ is “annoyingly stupid or foolish.”

To me a jerk is fully aware of what they are doing, while an idiot lacks some of the basics. As for ‘dirtball,’ there has to be some malicious intent in the behavior.

--We had a late entrant for “A-hole of the Year” with the story of the passenger who was tossed off an American Airlines plane at La Guardia Airport after, first, getting torqued off that a gate agent greeted him with “Merry Christmas” while checking boarding passes, and then when a flight attendant did the same, he said, “Don’t say, ‘Merry Christmas!’”, before lecturing the attendants and the pilot.

The crew tried to calm him down but he refused to do so and was eventually escorted off the plane as the others on board burst into cheers and applause.

--Sign of the Apocalypse: A draft beer at the last Super Bowl cost $16.

--Sign of the Apocalypse, II: The Colorado Rockies gave away 15,000 Troy Tulowitzki ‘shirseys’ at Coors Field with the name of their star misspelled Tulowizki.

--Tom Watson’s captaincy of the U.S. Ryder cup team tarnished his legacy and it was entirely preventable. No ‘label’ for this, just had to include it.

--“Idiots”: Those transporting a young giraffe in South Africa that died from head injuries sustained while being transported, blindfolded, in an open truck along a South African highway. The giraffe died after hitting its head against an overpass. A second giraffe in the truck somehow avoided the same fate.

--“Good Guy”: Clint Eastwood...who at a party for volunteers on the eve of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, saved tournament director Steve John, who was choking on a piece of cheese. 

John said after: “I was drinking water and eating these little appetizers, threw down a piece of cheese and it just didn’t work. I was looking at him and couldn’t breathe. He recognized it immediately and saved my life” in performing the Heimlich maneuver.

Eastwood told The Carmel Pine Cone: “I looked in his eyes and saw that look of panic people have when they see their life passing before their eyes. It looked bad.”

The actor, then 83, now 84, is still in good shape. Steve John said, “I can’t believe I’m 202 pounds and he threw me up in the air three times.”

--“Idiot”: Alex Rodriguez. Just because...and boy am I looking forward to this coming season.

--“Jerk”: Penn State football coach James Franklin, who took out a half-page ad in the Tennessean thanking Vanderbilt fans for their support after he announced he was going to Penn State, which is all well and good except at the same time he was taking something like 17 of 20 players who had committed to Vandy with him to Unhappy Valley.

--“Jerk”: Donald Sterling, former owner of the Clippers.

--“Dirtball”: Former second baseman Chuck Knoblauch, who was accused of assaulting his wife before the Twins were to induct him into their Hall of Fame. [He was convicted of the same charge in 2010 against another wife.]

--“Good Guy”: Joe Cornell, Fresno, Calif., who returned a Brinks bag that had fallen out of a truck containing $125,000 in cash.

--“A-Hole”: The Minnesota man who was forced to pay $4,400 in restitution and fines after carving his and his wife’s name into Montana’s centuries-old Lewis and Clark monument as a personal ‘monument of love.”

Cole Randall inscribed the names near Captain William Clark’s own 207-year-old signature. Other historic signatures on the sandstone were also impacted.

--“Jerk”: Boston’s David Ortiz for snapping a selfie with President Obama at the White House. I’m sorry, treat the president of the country with more respect.

--“Good Guy”: Kevin Keane of Freehold, N.J., who picked up a ring off the floor at the Prudential Center in Newark when he was there for a Devils game, put it in his pocket, forgot about it for a while, then took it to a jeweler, who said immediately it was a real engagement ring.

Keane never asked what it was worth and called the Devils asking if anyone had filed a report for a missing ring. It turns out it was Debra’s (she omitted her last name for the story), who figures she lost it when she took off her glove going through security, but only discovered it was missing when she was in the restroom later.

--“Jerk”: Diva Ariana Grande.

--“Dirtball”: Ray Rice...nothing more needs to be said.

--“Dirtball”: Adrian Peterson...ditto.

--“Upset of the Year”: NJIT’s hoops win over Michigan in Ann Arbor.

--“Idiot”: Football’s Ed Reed for leaving $50,000 in cash in his car. It disappeared.

--“Dirtball”: Russian tennis official Shami Tarpischev for referring to Serena Williams and her sister Venus as “brothers” and “scary” to look at.

--“Hero”: The 20-year-old British sniper in Afghanistan who killed six Taliban with a single bullet. He hit the trigger switch of a suicide bomber whose device then exploded. The marksman hit the target from 850 meters, as told by the Daily Telegraph. [For the record, the incident happened in December 2013, but was only disclosed in March 2014.]

--“A-hole”: The superintendent of the Centinela Valley Union High School District, Jose Fernandez, whose South Bay (California) school district has just 6,600 students, five high schools and a $70 million budget, but took home $674,559 last year.

By contrast, New York City Chancellor Carmen Farina, who oversees more than a million students and 1,700 schools earns $412,193. The superintendent for Los Angeles’ unified district took home $393,106 in 2013.

--“Jerk”: Florida State football coach Jimbo Fisher, who in defending players such as Jameis Winston and running back Karlos Williams, continually describes them as “tremendous kids” and “tremendous ambassadors.”

--“Good Guys”: While this doesn’t begin to do the story justice, remember the gun instructor who was killed by the 9-year-old girl in a total accident? What good people the instructor’s own kids were, who wanted the 9-year-old to know they didn’t blame her, worried at how this incident would impact the little girl’s entire life.

--“Good Girl”: 94-year-old Margaret Zerwekh, an amateur historian from Wisconsin who lobbied endlessly to have First Lt. Alonzo Cushing recognized for his bravery and critical role in the Battle of Gettysburg at Cemetery Ridge. Zerwekh’s efforts culminated in Cushing being awarded the Medal of Honor, 151 years after he died opposing Pickett’s Charge.

The spot where Cushing fell would become known as the high-water mark of the Confederacy. 

--I don’t know if this individual falls under the category “Good Guy” or not, but I have to make a special note, again, of Savannah State basketball coach Horace Broadnax, who after his team was blown out by Louisville 87-26 in November, said he wasn’t too bothered by it all. “I’ve got a beautiful wife with two kids that I can’t wait to get back to. I’m gonna take a nice shower, drink me a cold beer, and move on.”

--“Dirtball of the Year”: FSU’s Jameis Winston is a “jerk” and “idiot” for stealing crab legs at a supermarket and standing on a table on campus and shouting a stupid meme, an atrocious obscenity against women that I guess is a stupid rite of passage of some kind on a few college campuses these days. But as for the sexual assault allegations, he was cleared in a hearing and I can’t go against that, whether I agree with the decision or not.

So I have to go back to Adrian Peterson for hitting his little boy, and then not showing any contrition whatsoever. Yes, he’s my “Dirtball of the Year.”

--“Person of the Year”: Wrigley chewing gum heir Helen Rich...who whisked away an aging black lab by private jet to her Florida estate after the philanthropist and animal lover read about “Lady’s” plight and had to save her.

As reported by Nina Golgowski in the New York Daily News:

“The senior black lab who walked an astonishing 30 miles to find her way home – only to be refused by her former owners and sent back to a shelter – has found a new home at a 120-acre sanctuary in Florida.”

--“Animal of the Year”: Not coincidentally, ‘Dog’ is once again the recipient of this prestigious award. As Johnny Mac long put it, you don’t see any rescue cats.

--And to Kid Rock, a Bar Chat Lifetime “Good Guy” Award for being such a charitable performer who also simply “gets it” when it comes to his fans. Plus he was loyal to Detroit when it was at its worst.

Top 3 songs for the week 12/22/79: #1 “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” (Rupert Holmes) #2 “Please Don’t Go” (K.C. & The Sunshine Band) #3 “Babe” (Styx)...and... #4 “Send One Your Love” (Stevie Wonder) #5 “Still” (Commodores) #6 “Do That To Me One More Time” (The Captain & Tennille) #7 “You’re Only Lonely” (J.D. Souther) #8 “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” (Barbra Streisand/Donna Summer) #9 “Ladies Night” (Kool & The Gang) #10 “Take The Long Way Home” (Supertramp)

Penn State Quiz Answer: 1982 – Todd Blackledge was the quarterback, Curt Warner the leading rusher. 1986 – John Shaffer the quarterback, D.J. Dozier the leading rusher.

Finally, years ago Peggy Noonan wrote a column for the Wall Street Journal on the song “Auld Lang Syne,” (a poem written by Robert Burns in 1788) which she likes to translate as “old times past” – “a song that asks a question, a tender little question that has to do with the nature of being alive, of being a person on a journey in the world.”

Now former Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma told Ms. Noonan the song is about friendship: “I think it’s a description of the things we lose in our hurry to do things. We forget to be a friend. We have to take the time to make friends and be friends, to sit and tell stories and listen to those of others.”

So Happy New Year, friends! I’m taking a little break (not really, with New Year’s falling when it does, I need to start working on my other column and a yearend review, as I look ahead to 2015).

Enjoy the awesome bowl lineup and next weekend’s games.

Next Bar Chat, Monday, Jan. 5. Some thoughts on the upcoming results for baseball’s Hall of Fame, plus lots of pigskin talk.

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