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Bar Chat

02/09/2015

The World of Sports Loses Two Greats

NBA Quiz: The other night, Stephen Curry scored a season-high 51 points in theWarriors 128-114 victory over the Mavericks. Fellow “Splash Brother” Klay Thompson scored 52 points against the Kings on Jan. 23. According to Elias, the Warriors are now the seventh team in NBA history to have two (or more) different players score 50 or more points in a game in the same season. So...in 1994-95, the Mavericks and 76ers each had a duo hit the 50 mark. Name those four players. [This is hard.] Answer below.

Dean Smith, RIP

The Smith family in a statement said: “Coach Dean Smith passed away peacefully the evening of February 7 at his home in Chapel Hill, surrounded by his wife and five children. We are grateful for all the thoughts and prayers.”

Smith had been in deteriorating health for more than a year, notably suffering from dementia; the first signs of which were apparent a decade ago.

Last year, in an article by the Washington Post’s John Feinstein, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said, “Of all people, for it to happen to him is beyond cruel. You’re talking about the person who had the sharpest mind and the most remarkable memory of anyone I’ve ever met. It’s just not fair.”

Smith coached 36 seasons at North Carolina (1961-1997)

11 Final Four appearances

2 national championships (1982 and 1993)

17 ACC regular-season titles, 13 ACC tournament titles

364-136 all-time in ACC regular-season play (.728 win pct.)

UNC finished in top 3 in ACC regular-season standings in each of Smith’s final 33 seasons as head coach

22 seasons he finished in the final AP Top ten

96% of Smith’s lettermen graduated!

Statement from Michael Jordan:

“Other than my parents, no one had a bigger influence on my life than Coach Smith. He was more than a coach – he was my mentor, my teacher, my second father. Coach was always there for me whenever I needed him and I loved him for it. In teaching me the game of basketball, he taught me about life. My heart goes out to Linnea and their kids. We’ve lost a great man who had an incredible impact on his players, his staff and the entire UNC family.”

“Dean Smith was one of the finest coaches in the history of American sport. His championship record, innovation, teaching and influence in the lives and careers of players and coaches are unsurpassed in college basketball. Yet the profound sadness we all feel at his passing speaks to something far more substantial.

“Dean Smith, the coach, was the embodiment of true coaching and competitive greatness. Dean Smith, the man, was far greater, and far more influential.

“There has not been a finer tactician and teacher of the game than Smith. And no coach stood taller on issues of social justice. Smith was a giant in coaching, but he stood much taller as a man....

“Smith was the gold standard in the ACC and in basketball when I was a player. [Ed. Bilas went to Duke.] He was the most respected coach in the game. Yet even though he coached the blood rival of my school, every time I had any interaction with Smith, he was very kind to me and always a gentleman. In a game full of characters, Smith was a man of great character.

“He fought like crazy to win and never gave an inch.... If you talk to any of his former players, assistants, managers or staff, they will speak of him with reverence and unconditional love.

“When Smith and North Carolina were dominating the ACC, there were those who felt somewhat resentful of his success and the reputation of the program. After all, they were competing against him, and he was winning the overwhelming majority of the time.... Yet if you got to know Smith personally, you got it. He was ahead of his time as a basketball coach, and he was a person of unquestioned integrity and character. He was a gentleman with great dignity and grace.”

Current coach Roy Williams: “We lost one of our greatest ambassadors for college basketball for the way in which a program should be run. We lost a man of the highest integrity who did so many things off the court to help make the world a better place to live in. He set the standard of loyalty and concern for every one of his players, not just the games won or lost. He was the greatest there ever was on the court but far, far better off the court with people.

“His concern for people will be the legacy I will remember most. He was a mentor to so many people; he was my mentor. He gave me a chance but, more importantly, he shared with me his knowledge, which is the greatest gift you can give someone.”

Smith recruited the first black scholarship athlete at North Carolina and one of the first in the South, Charlie Scott, in 1967 at the urging of his pastor.

He was quite a political figure in the background, a champion of liberal causes, and was never afraid to speak out against what he perceived to be social injustices.

As I’ve noted on many occasions, I was in attendance in New Orleans in 1982 to witness Smith’s first national championship, thanks to Michael Jordan’s 16-foot jumper with seconds remaining.

As a student at Wake Forest, there was no bigger game each year than the Carolina game. Back then we had to camp out for good tickets and hundreds of us did so.

Frankly, I hated Carolina and I was not a fan of their coach. But you couldn’t help but respect the man at the same time. 

Dean Smith was a legend...a legend whose story will be passed down for generations of hoops fans and Carolina alum to come.

And now that he has been freed from his illness, I imagine long lines of well-wishers upstairs, fans of college basketball, admirers of a man who helped shape a game, as well as his country.

College Basketball Review

--On Saturday, 3 Virginia (21-1, 9-1) held on to beat 9 Louisville (19-4, 7-3) in Charlottesville 52-47 in a game that was just 24-13 Wahoos at the half. Talk about great defense (and/or lousy shooting), Virginia held Louisville to just 37% from the floor, but the Cardinals ‘D’ limited UVA to just 33.3%.

Virginia’s national title hopes, however, may have suffered a huge blow as star Justin Anderson, second on the team in scoring at 13.4 points a game and an all-ACC candidate, broke a finger and will be out 4-6 weeks. While this timetable would allow him to play in the NCAA Tournament, the loss of Anderson could cost the Cavaliers a No. 1 seed.

--What a stupendous display 4 Duke (20-3, 7-3) put on in blasting 10 Notre Dame (21-4, 9-3) 90-60 at Cameron Indoor. Jahlil Okafor had his now standard 20 points and 10 boards, but the real story is the emergence of freshman Justice Winslow who had his third straight double-double, 19 and 11, against the Fighting Irish.

--6 Arizona (20-3, 8-2) fell to Arizona State (12-11, 4-6) 81-78 in Tempe.

--8 Kansas (19-4, 8-2) fell to Oklahoma State (16-7, 6-5) 67-62 in Stillwater.

--I watched a lot of 15 West Virginia hosting 19 Baylor and was shocked to see the Bears get out to a 30-6 lead. Good lord, I mused. The Bears (18-5, 6-4) went on to beat the Mountaineers (18-5, 6-4) 87-69 as Rico Gathers had 17 points and 16 rebounds for Baylor.

--16 Wichita State defeated Missouri State 78-35, which I can’t help but bring up because Shockers point guard Fred VanVleet had himself a rather remarkable 24 minutes. 10 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds and 4 steals. It was Wichita State’s first triple-double in 43 years.

--And what an egg the Deacs laid on Saturday, losing down at Georgia Tech 73-59 to fall to 11-13, 3-8, while Tech is 11-12, 2-9. After two nice conference wins, Wake sucked (bizarrely they haven’t won at Georgia Tech since 2004), as coach Danny Manning benched our best player, Devin Thomas, the final 18 minutes of the game and really didn’t give an explanation why he did so. Earlier, Manning suspended three players for violating team rules.

So here we go again, Deacon fans. With away games at Duke, Virginia and Notre Dame, as well as Miami and Virginia at home, we needed the Georgia Tech game to be able to finish 6-12 in conference play and that’s likely not happening now.

--My “Pick to Click” for 2014-15, San Diego State, once again was on the edge of climbing back into the Top 25 only to suffer a bad defeat, 61-46 at Boise State (17-6, 7-3) on Sunday. The Aztecs (18-6, 8-3), were 2 of 19 from downtown and had six...SIX...assists! Yes, I concede the Mountain West conference truly blows this year. They get two bids, max.

--Meanwhile, Johnny Mac’s St. Francis (N.Y.) Terriers (16-9, 10-2) opened up a two-game lead in the Northeast Conference as they head for a possible bid. Ruff....ruff ruff....ruff....

--Syracuse self-imposed a postseason ban on its men’s basketball team in what is clearly an attempt to avoid something far worse as the NCAA wraps up an investigation into athletic department violations, including academics. School officials said none of the conduct occurred after 2012 and no current student-athlete is involved.

Coach Jim Boeheim said in a news release: “I am very disappointed that our basketball team will miss the opportunity to play in the postseason this year. However, I supported this decision and I believe the University is doing the right thing by acknowledging that past mistakes occurred.”

Back in 2012, center Fab Melo was declared ineligible for the NCAA tournament days before it started due to an academic issue. Early in 2012-13, former forward James Southerland sat out six games for the same reason but helped lead the Orange to the Final Four.

Syracuse also self-reported possible violations of its internal drug policy in March 2012. There were old allegations the school allowed players to play despite violating it as well.

The ongoing probe today also involves issues with the football program.

“Jim Boeheim had for years – literally for years – been dismissive of anybody suggesting the investigation might lead to something significant, the implication being the Hall of Famer cared no more about the NCAA than he did that coat he tossed at Cameron Indoor last season. Fast forward to Wednesday, though, and Boeheim was releasing statements like (the above)...

“ ‘Past mistakes occurred.’

“And that he finally admitted as much when the Orange were on pace to miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven seasons...well...you can believe that’s a coincidence if you want to believe that’s a coincidence. But I don’t believe that’s a coincidence. Because it’s not a coincidence as much as it’s a smart and calculated decision, one which I can respect for those reasons in some twisted way....

“As for Boeheim’s legacy and future, who knows?

“Simply admitting ‘mistakes occurred’ doesn’t necessarily translate to ‘I made mistakes,’ meaning it’s possible Boeheim could still escape without much, or any, wrongdoing directly attached to him. We’ll see. Regardless, though, he’ll never again be able to act like people are stupid for reporting on the NCAA investigation and/or asking about it.

The Wall Street Journal’s Jared Diamond notes that with the Orange’s football team having gone 3-9 in 2014, it marked just the third time since 2000 that the ‘Cuse has been shut out of a bowl game and the NCAA tournament in the same academic year.

Washington State, Diamond adds, has endured this fate eight times during that span, “tied with Baylor for the most among major-conference teams.” Plus it’s unlikely Washington State is going to reach the NCAA tournament this spring after going 3-9 in football last fall.

Almost every major university is competitive in at least one of the two major sports. “Alabama has missed the basketball tournament in seven of the last eight years, but it has won at least 10 football games in seven consecutive seasons. Kentucky hasn’t made a bowl game since the 2010 season, but its basketball team is 22-0 and ranked No. 1 in the country.”

“Sometimes, though, nothing works out. Take Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons trudged to a 3-9 football season last fall, and their chances of making the basketball tournament are slim. This would be their third straight year falling short in both sports, meaning if you’re a junior at Wake Forest, you haven’t had much to celebrate.”

Exit the Tiger

Tiger Woods suffered yet another setback on Thursday, withdrawing from the first-round of the Farmers Insurance Open, leaving midway through his round with his back acting up anew.

Woods, in brief comments with reporters after, said: “My glutes are shutting off. And then they don’t activate, and then hence it goes into my lower back. So I tried to activate my glutes as best I could, in between, but it just, they never stayed activated.”

Well, this represented the ninth time Woods has withdrawn from an event, third in his past eight starts.

“Tiger Woods bettered last week’s miserable round of 82 with a first-day 47 at the opening round of Thursday’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

“Unfortunately, his score was through 11 holes and there isn’t going to be a second day.

“You wonder, at this point, how long the massive galleries are going to keep beating a path down his fairways.

“Out to prove he isn’t washed up at 39 and that last week’s 82 could happen to anyone, Woods didn’t bolster his case by having to withdraw due to, well, back issues.

“You couldn’t say ‘injury’ because Woods took the eighth-grade biology route by saying he couldn’t ‘activate his glutes.’

“He was referring to back side muscles known as ‘gluteus maximus.’ Woods said they were ‘shutting off’ and could never get restarted.

“As a result, Woods deactivated from Torrey Pines and left with his game in a fog.”

“By the time it had become clear Tiger Woods’ glutes had deactivated and he was unable to reactivate them, he deactivated himself from the Farmers Insurance Open on Thursday at Torrey Pines.

“And when Woods did that, you could feel the air leak out of the tournament like someone had stabbed a large balloon with a sharp knife.

“When Woods withdrew, it was as if the golf tournament had stopped in its place. It was as if nothing else mattered.

“Woods had been playing with Rickie Fowler and Billy Horschel in Thursday’s opening round and, when he abruptly left, the five-deep crowd along the ropes that had been following the group thinned to little more than friends and family.

“ ‘We became chopped liver,’ Horschel said jokingly. ‘We went from 600 or 700 people watching us to about 50. We realized where we stand in this game of golf and we had a good joke about it.’

“It is actually a sobering glimpse into the new reality in golf: Life without Tiger Woods....

“We are as fascinated by his struggles as we were by his dominance.

“Consider these words about Woods from PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, who spoke with reporters the day before the tournament began at Torrey Pines.

“ ‘Candidly, I think when [Woods] tees it up this week, everybody in the world is going to want to see how he’s going to play, because here you have a guy who was so incredibly good for such a long time and he’s struggling out there. [Even] if he’s not winning golf tournaments, people still want to see Tiger Woods play golf. As long as he’s playing, he’s still going to have the same impact.’

“Finchem’s words were equal parts arrogant, insensitive and truthful.”

“Though not familiar with the details of his injury, spine experts contacted Friday did not think Woods re-herniated the disc that was repaired less than 10 months ago. Still, if it’s just something he’s going to have to live with, like his pal Fred Couples, he’s not going to be able to do the grinding required....

“ ‘It’s a game that requires tremendous amounts of swing velocity. The forces on the spine from the violent twisting motion are extraordinary,’ said Dr. Andrews Hecht, Chief of Spine Surgery and Director of the Spine Center at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

“ ‘Anything we say is pure speculation, but it’s not uncommon for any golfer to have those symptoms, let alone someone who’s had a microdiscectomy 10 months ago. This will play out over time. It’s not uncommon for athletes who’ve had microdiscectomies to sit out here and there, but remember what the statistics say that 90% of the athletes who’ve had a microdiscectomy go back to their elite level. It just takes various amounts of time.’

“Dr. Stefan Prada of the Laser Spine Institute puts Woods in that 10% already.

“ ‘I mean we’re speculating,’ Prada said. ‘But yeah, 90% do great and aren’t affected for many years until they get arthritis in the disc, but less than 10% can have recurrent issues. Tiger’s in great shape but he’s in a sport that’s very difficult on the back. He does the two worst things you can for a back. He bends over a lot and he twists. Those two mechanisms are very tough on a back especially when it’s had issues.’....

“It’s Prada’s guess that Woods is having an issue with scar tissue.”

I could go on but it’s too technical for this spot. Bottom line, as reported by Gola, Dr. Prada thinks that Tiger could have a scar on the nerve.

“The body’s protective response when you tweak or pinch a nerve is to send messages to the muscles to spasm, to lock up to protect you from moving more.”

Gola, in writing of Woods’ future schedule, including his next start, the Honda Classic on Feb. 26, says that with his game needing work, he can’t practice when he’s hurt. “It could be the story of the rest of his career.”

“When do we lose interest? When is it that Tiger Woods comes to town and no one cares?

“When will it be that event sponsors decide not to use Woods’ image in the promotion and marketing of the tournament?

“That day is far away, according to PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, who said in an ad-hoc session with the media here at the Farmers Insurance Open that Woods has about a 10-year career remaining. That might be extremely generous after watching Woods recently....

“Not including his 12-hole-drive-by Thursday at Torrey Pines, Woods has played 306 holes since returning from back surgery: 2 eagles, 53 birdies, 181 pars, 54 bogeys, 12 double bogeys and 4 triple bogeys. That’s 33 over during the stretch.....

“Is Finchem right, that Woods is an attraction no matter how he plays? Or are Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka, (Rickie) Fowler and other youngsters a new breed of players who will prompt golf fans to forget Woods?

“One thing is clear: If Woods continues to hit more shots in the rough than the fairway and shoots over par versus under par, the interest will fade.

“The best barometer will be TV coverage. When we stop seeing all 18 holes of Woods’ round – whether he is on the leaderboard or not – you’ll know that the public’s attention span has shifted.

“And maybe that would be the best thing for Woods. He could enjoy some measure of privacy and maybe reclaim his game without the world watching. And maybe we wouldn’t have to hear about glutes that deactivated.”

“We know, by now, that Woods’ body is brittle. In 1997, when he was supple and explosive, he changed the parameters of what a golfer could be – a real athlete, strong and powerful. He looked dominant. He felt dominant. He was dominant.

“Now, in the year he turns 40, he is broken, and there is no evidence he will ever be fixed. His first surgery came in December of 2002, removing fluid in his left knee, but he still won his first start the following year. From 1997 through 2005, he made the cut in 142 straight tournaments, a record. Playing the weekend wasn’t a question for him. Contending was an assumption.

“But his next medical procedure followed the Masters in 2008 – arthroscopic surgery to clean up some cartilage damage in that left knee – and he carried that problem to Torrey for the Open. There, he could barely walk, owing not just to the knee but to a pair of stress fractures in his left tibia. He won anyway, draining a 15-foot putt on the 72nd hole to force a playoff with Rocco Mediate. When the ball fell, Dan Hicks, calling the tournament for NBC, exclaimed over the din, ‘Expect anything different?’ No one did.....

“Public optimism can serve as armor. Say things are fine often enough, and people might believe you, and you might believe yourself. It’s still striking, when Woods shows up at a tournament, how much optimism surrounds him, how much there remains a sense of possibility even as all this recent evidence shows he has no chance. He still represents the guy chipping in at 16 at the Masters, a moment Verne Lundquist punctuated by asking, ‘In your life have you seen anything like that?!’

“We hadn’t then.  Now we haven’t again. And we might finally be getting to the point with Tiger Woods where the optimism has worn off, and the reality of a man who appears broken both physically and mentally settles in.”

Meanwhile, Phil Mickelson also missed the cut at Torrey Pines, calling his putting “beyond pathetic.” For Lefty, it was the first time since 2002 he had missed consecutive weekends.

And Dustin Johnson, in his first tournament after an over six-month voluntary leave of absence (suspension?), also missed the cut at Torrey Pines. PGA Tour officials have been protecting Johnson, refusing to confirm reports he was suspended after testing positive for a third time for drugs.

Tim Finchem says, “We take the view that there isn’t any necessity to broadcast when we have conduct issues. We feel like the level of the conduct issues that we deal with, almost a hundred percent, do not require us from a fan interest and demand.”

Johnson has volunteered he abused alcohol to relieve stress.

As for the weekend...Jason Day ended up prevailing in a four-man playoff, the 27-year-old Aussie’s 3rd Tour win. Now if he could just stay healthy. Day has also moved up to No. 4 in the world.

--Separately, Rory McIlroy finally reached a settlement with his former management company in that ugly lawsuit. In cutting a multi-million dollar deal to end a contract dispute, McIlroy does avoid a lengthy court case.

British media is reporting McIlroy agreed to pay about $19.75 million.

McIlroy had terminated his contract with Horizon Sports Management in 2013 to form his own company. He sued Horizon and Conor Ridge, the leading agent for the firm, claiming his interests were not properly looked after and that he was misled into signing the contract.

McIlroy left Horizon because he was upset at the fees he was shelling out – 5 percent of pre-tax prize winnings and 20 percent of sponsorship and appearance money.

--Billy Casper died. He was 83. I have long called Mr. Casper one of the three or four most underrated great athletes, alongside NASCAR’s David Pearson, baseball’s Tris Speaker, and the NBA’s Nate Thurmond.

PGA Tour wins

Sam Snead 82
Tiger Woods 79
Jack Nicklaus 73
Ben Hogan 64
Arnold Palmer 62
Byron Nelson 52
Billy Casper 51

Casper has been struggling with his health since fainting at the Masters tournament in April and he died after having a heart attack on Saturday at his home in Springville, Utah.

Casper was always overshadowed in his playing days by Jack, Arnie and Gary Player, but you have all those wins, including three majors.

Casper played on eight Ryder Cup teams, winning 23.5 points, more than any other American. He was the PGA Tour player of the year in 1966 and 1970, and won the Vardon Trophy for best stroke average five times. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1978.

Casper won the 1959 U.S. Open at Winged Foot when he set a tournament record with only 114 putts over 72 holes, and then in 1966, at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, Casper came from seven strokes back with nine holes to play to tie Arnold Palmer, and then defeated The King for his second Open title in an 18-hole playoff. His third major was the 1970 Masters. I can still remember the Sports Illustrated cover after that one.

From 1962 through 1970, Casper and Nicklaus won 33 times on the PGA Tour, while Palmer won 30. He won at least once each season for 16 straight years, a streak only surpassed by Nicklaus and Palmer at 17.

Long after his playing days were over, Billy Casper pondered his place in the game.

“I think people recognize what I did more readily than when it happened. In my best years, everybody was talking about Palmer, Nicklaus and Gary Player.”

Casper died with his wife of 62 years, Shirley, at his bedside. 

Jack Nicklaus: “It was not even a year ago, someone asked Billy how he wanted to be remembered, and he said, ‘I want to be remembered for how I loved my fellow man.’”

--Links Magazine had a piece on the state of the game, noting National Golf Foundation Statistics that show the sport consistently attracts at least 3.5 million new players a year (2005-2013 stats), but each year it loses more than that. For example, in 2013 it attracted 3.6m new ones, but lost 4.2m.

Professional golf, though, is doing fine. TV money, prize money, viewership...are all good. Fox Sports just signed a reported $95 million per deal to broadcast USGA events for the next 12 years. Charles Schwab just re-upped to sponsor the Schwab Cup for the senior circuit for the next 20 years, which is an unheard of term for a sponsor.

Greg Norman offers that in order to get the under-25s involved in the game, golf needs to “think outside the box.”

“If they want to listen to music on their golf cart or have their headsets on playing golf in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, bring it on,” Norman says. “That’s what kids want – they have got their devices and they are on them all day long, so why don’t we tap into that somehow?”

--That was pretty cool the NBA named the Atlanta Hawks entire starting five (DeMarre Carroll, Al Horford, Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver) as Eastern Conference Player of the Month for January. The Hawks went 17-0, after all. It was the first time in league history that a team went undefeated in a month with at least 10 victories and had all five starters average double figures but none at 20-plus points.

Friday night Atlanta had a signature win over the Golden State Warriors 124-116, perhaps an NBA Finals preview (and a ratings nightmare). Jeff Teague (Go Deacs!) led the way with 23 points, 7 assists and 3 steals as the Hawks hit a sterling 15 of 27 from downtown. For the Warriors, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 55. 

But of course there are skeptics, which is to be expected. Atlanta has no history of success. But because they truly play team ball and don’t rely on a single star, you would think come playoff time they would be less susceptible to being upset early. Clearly the players have bought in to coach Mike Budenholzer’s scheme.

[Sunday, the Hawks traveled to Memphis and lost to the now 38-13 Grizzlies, 94-88; hardly embarrassing as Atlanta dropped to 42-10.]

Also on Friday, another Demon Deacon had quite a night. After a four-game lay-off due to injury, forward James Johnson returned for the Toronto Raptors and hit 7 of 7 from the field, 16 points in 19 minutes off the bench, as Toronto defeated the Clippers 123-107. Johnson also had 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.

[Then on Sunday, Johnson was 8 of 10 from the field, 20 points, in leading the Raptors to an 87-82 win over San Antonio. Alas, fellow Deac Tim Duncan was just 3 of 14.]

--Wake’s Chris Paul, on the other hand, was fined $25,000 by the NBA for his comments in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday. After being assessed a technical foul late in the game by Lauren Holtkamp, Paul called it “terrible,” and added, “(the call was) ridiculous. If that’s the case, this might not be for her.” Paul’s comments were deemed sexist.

Michele Roberts, the Players Association executive director who partners with Paul due to his role as union president, supported him, saying, “Any suggestion that Chris Paul would ever conduct himself in a disrespectful manner towards women is utterly ridiculous, outrageous and patently false.”

Paul said the next day that “last night was about a bad call.” Doubtful.

--This is scary. Clippers star Blake Griffin is having surgery on Monday for a staph infection in his right elbow. He could be out anywhere from two to six weeks. Coach Doc Rivers said, “(It) just didn’t look right. [Trainer Jason Powell] caught that and sent him early enough – thank goodness.”

Knicks 10-41! Lose for O-ka-for!!!
T’Wolves 11-40...inexplicable 3-game winning streak, including Sunday’s win over Detroit.
76ers 12-40

--Former referee Norm Drucker died. He was 94. Drucker began refereeing regularly in the NBA in the 1952-53 season, a time when officials were paid $40 a game. He jumped to the ABA in 1969 for more money, then returned to the NBA in 1976, when the two leagues merged.

“In the 1961-62 season, during which (Wilt) Chamberlain averaged 50.4 points a game for the Philadelphia Warriors and scored 100 points in a game against the Knicks, Chamberlain played every minute of every matchup on the 80-game regular-season schedule – except on the night of Jan. 3, 1962.

“With 8 minutes 33 seconds remaining in the Warriors’ game against the Lakers in Los Angeles, (Earl) Strom gave Chamberlain a technical foul for complaining about a call. Chamberlain then ‘made reference to Earl Strom’s old mother,’ according to Drucker’s report to the league...

“When Chamberlain ‘yelled at Strom that he must be gambling on the game,’ according to Drucker’s report, he slapped Chamberlain with a second technical, causing an automatic ejection. Drucker tacked on a third technical after ‘additional sequences of profane words’ from Chamberlain.”

College Football

--My friend David P. and I were talking about what a joke CFB signing day is, because so many of today’s NFL stars weren’t highly recruited, let alone that so many of the so-called “5-star” recruits never pan out in college for a myriad of reasons. The day is an incredibly stupid ego trip for the kids.

But I do like this comparison in the current Sports Illustrated that takes the average Rivals Recruiting ranking (2010 through ’14) and matches it up with the average Final AP ranking (2010 – ‘14). To wit:

Alabama has a No. 1 average Rivals Recruiting rank, and No. 2 average Final AP ranking*, which is what you would hope.

*The five-yr. AP Top 25 was determined by awarding the top team each year 25 points, the No. 2 team 24 points, etc., then added up the annual scores.

So first figure is avg. Rivals Recruiting...second figure is avg. Final AP:

1. Alabama – 2
2. Florida State – 5
3. Ohio State – 3
4. USC – 21
5. Georgia – 15
6. Auburn – 11
7. LSU – 7
8. Notre Dame – 23
9. Clemson – 14
10. Texas – nuthin’!

Oregon’s average Rivals ranking was just No. 15 and it’s No. 1 average AP. Love it.

Here’s another. Stanford is just No. 24 Rivals and No. 4 AP.

Michigan State is No. 6 AP...but not even Top 25 in Rivals!

One more along these lines...TCU is No. 10 AP...also not Top 25 in Rivals.

Recruiting Nation / ESPN

1. Alabama
2. Florida State
3. USC
4. Clemson
5. Tennessee
6. Ohio State
7. Auburn
8. Georgia
9. Texas
10. LSU
42. Wake!

--Overall percent of drafted players per star rating (graduated high school between 2005 and ’09):

Five-stars 41% (67 of 165)
Four-stars 19% (289 of 1,536)
Three-stars 8% (291 of 3,810)
Two-stars 3% (155 of 6,015)

What this means is that about 470 players in the five-year period 2010-2014 were drafted who weren’t at least two stars coming out of high school. I looked it up...due to supplemental picks, the average draft is about 254 players (not just 7 rounds Xs 32)...so call it 1,270 over the last five years. The number of two- to five-star players drafted per the above is 802.

--I had this as a quiz last fall but for the record, the schools with the most players on NFL rosters as of opening day 2014:

LSU 38
USC 37
Alabama 36
Georgia 34
Florida 33
Florida State 33
Miami 31
California 29
Ohio State 29
Notre Dame 28
Tennessee 28

--Meanwhile, Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson hopes that the 13 offensive players the program signed among our 23 recruits are not, err, offensive. 

Wake’s offense, in case you forgot (the fans want to) was ranked last among NCAA FBS programs with 216.3 yards a game.

--Rece Davis is replacing Chris Fowler on ESPN’s “College GameDay” broadcast. Fowler will continue to work on ABC Saturday Night Football.

--Pete Carroll told Matt Lauer that when Russell Wilson was intercepted at the end of Super Bowl XLIX, he immediately understood the “gravity” of the situation.

Lauer: “I watched your expression as you saw that play unfold, and you bent over at the waist, and my heart broke for you, to be perfectly honest. How were you feeling inside?”

Carroll: “Immediately, I mean, within the instant of the turnover, the gravity of what just happened, I understood. And there was only a second or two before you stand up, and start looking ahead and getting ready for what’s coming.”

--Buffalo signed Richie Incognito, the offensive lineman who was at the center of the Miami Dolphins’ bullying scandal in 2013. Incognito sat out the 2014 season after being suspended indefinitely by the NFL in 2013.

The league lifted his suspension in February 2014, after he missed the final eight games, but he did not sign with anyone.

New Coach Rex Ryan said he wanted a meaner, tougher team and that’s what Incognito brings to the table.

[I saw on the local news that Ryan did put his house in Summit on the market for $2.2 million.]

--The Feb. 9 issue of Sports Illustrated has an excellent “Off-season Preview” of the NFL 2015. But for Jets fans the write-up is deadly.

“Todd Bowles ascended the assistant coaching ranks by running a multifaceted, blitz-hungry scheme. That style takes great man-to-man corners – of which Bowles inherits none. With mediocre 2010 first-round pick Kyle Wilson unlikely to be re-signed, the Jets need at least three new corners. They also must decide whether to re-sign LB David Harris, whom new GM Mike Maccagnan may not want to pay for, given that Bowles likes to use a one-‘backer, three-safety dime package. The problem: Bowles doesn’t have any safeties, either. Amazingly, things are even drearier on offense. The receiving corps remains underwhelming, both guard spots must be reworked and, oh, yeah, there’s also a major need at QB.”

Ball Bits

“Mike Piazza’s bid for Cooperstown may have gotten a boost from Major League Baseball’s new commissioner.

“Hall of Fame voters shouldn’t reject players suspected of steroid use without definitive proof, Rob Manfred told ESPN reporters during a question-and-answer session Thursday.

“ ‘Everyone should keep in mind the difference between players who tested positive and were disciplined on the one hand, and players where somebody has surmised that they did something on the other,’ said Manfred, who did not name Piazza specifically and declined to discuss individual players. ‘And I think, based on what you read in the media, sometimes those lines get blurred. And I think it gets really important to keep that distinction in mind.’....

“The voters denied Piazza a plaque for the third straight year even though there has been no concrete evidence that he used steroids during his career. MLB never accused Piazza of failing a drug test, and he was never dragged before a congressional committee or grand jury to discuss his ties to PEDs.

“Piazza, however, was questioned about steroids for much of his career by reporters, and he admitted in his book, ‘Long Shot,’ that he had used androstenedione – a steroid precursor banned by MLB in 2004, the same year Congress added it to the list of controlled substances. The FDA banned its sale in 2011.

“ ‘I think it is unfair for people to surmise that Player A did X, Y or Z, absent a positive test, or proof that we produced in an investigation, or whatever. I just think it runs contrary to a very fundamental notion in our society, that you’re innocent until somebody proves you guilty,’ said Manfred.”

Piazza received 69.9% of the vote last month, up from 62.2% in 2014 and 57.8% two years ago.

--Once again a team gets burned signing an aging player to a multi-year contract. Detroit’s Victor Martinez injured his left knee during his off-season workout program for the second time in four years. He missed all of 2012 after injuring the same knee.

Martinez, hot off a superb season, 32 HR and 103 RBIs while batting .335, signed a new four-year, $68 million contract with the Tigers, despite being 36 and limited to a DH role. There is no telling how long he’ll be out after having surgery.

This is a huge blow to the Tigers’ pennant hopes. Remember, Miguel Cabrera is coming off right ankle surgery, and of course they just lost Max Scherzer to free agency.

--Last time I said Hall of Famer Jim Bunning was upset Dick Allen didn’t get voted in by the Golden Era committee. Bunning, in an interview with Stan Hochman of the Philadelphia Daily News was particularly upset that baseball writers are part of the 16-man committee.

“Let it be their peers, guys already in the Hall of Fame. And I intend to tell that to the Hall of Fame people. And I’m going to tell them they ought to narrow the list, cut it back from 10 names.

“Guys were angry after the voting was announced [Ed. no one got in.]....

“To me, it was a wasted weekend. We were there to pick someone for the Hall of Fame. We didn’t accomplish anything. OK, maybe Allen and (Tony) Oliva will be at the top of the list in 3 years when they come up again.

“But who will be on the committee of voters? What will the rules be? Things have to change!”

Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News had this interesting comment: “(Tiger) Woods turns 40 later this year. Alex Rodriguez turns 40.

“Think about where they both were seven years ago, when we thought one was going to pass Jack Nicklaus and the other was going to pass Barry Bonds someday.”

World Alpine Championships

Lindsey Vonn was unable to fulfill the wishes of her hometown crowd, let alone her own expectations, in finishing fifth in the downhill at Beaver Creek, Colo. I watched it and by her own admission, her timing in the difficult sections of the course “was a little bit off” and that’s all it takes to go from first to fifth.

The winner was the great Slovenian Tina Maze, with equally great Austrian Anna Fenninger finishing just 0.02 seconds behind.

It was Maze’s third career world championship victory – one more than Vonn – and eighth podium. Maze leads the overall World Cup standings by a substantial margin ahead of Fenninger and Vonn.

Fenninger had defeated Maze earlier in the super-G, by a margin of 0.03, with Vonn taking third.

So after two races, Fenninger is 0.01 seconds faster than Maze. That’s rather remarkable.

For the men, Bode Miller made his return from back surgery in the super-G on Thursday and suffered a terrifying crash that severed his right hamstring tendon and probably ended his great career. As he somersaulted and slid 400 feet, one of his skis sliced through his suit, causing a deep gash in his right calf.

Miller, 37, a six-time Olympic medalist, with five world championship medals, two World Cup overall titles and 33 World Cup victories, had surgery that afternoon and he was able to tweet: “Feeling lucky since things could have been way worse.”

Hannes Rechelt of Austria won the race, with American Ted Ligety ninth.

But then on Saturday, in the men’s downhill, American Travis Ganong stunned many in winning the silver medal, Patrick Kung of Switzerland winning the event. American Steven Nyman was fourth and his teammate Andrew Weibrecht tied for ninth. Three Americans in the top ten was a shocker.

Premier League Standings

1. Chelsea 56 points
2. Man City 49
3. Southampton 45
4. Man U 44
5. Tottenham 43
6. Arsenal 42
7. Liverpool 39
8. West Ham 37

What an exciting match on Saturday, my Tottenham Spurs defeating bitter rival Arsenal 2-1, thus leapfrogging them in the standings. NBC Sports Network had terrific coverage of the pre-game atmosphere, and tension between the fans as they filed into the stadium. Mounted police were on hand to keep the sides apart. As every announcer and commentator said, fans of the two truly hate each other, and “hate” was the operative word used over and over again. The neighborhoods in north London are next to each other, after all, and you’re either born a Tottenham fan or an Arsenal supporter.

So one kid who grew up in Tottenham and always wanted to play for them, Harry Kane, is fulfilling his dream in playing for the Spurs and then in his first game in this rivalry, he scored both goals. Very, very cool stuff.

Aside from wanting to finish in the top four of the Premier League standings to qualify for the Champions League, though, Tottenham has finished the last five seasons behind Arsenal.

2013-14...Tottenham sixth...Arsenal fourth
2012-13...Tottenham fifth...Arsenal fourth
2011-12...Tottenham fourth...Arsenal third
2010-11...Tottenham fifth...Arsenal fourth
2009-10...Tottenham fourth...Arsenal third

Well, the Spurs have been on fire recently. 7 (W) – 2 (D) – 1 (L) their last ten.

While all the matches are big from here on in, Tottenham-Man U, Sun. March 15, is circled on my calendar.

[Meanwhile, Man U escaped with a 1-1 draw against West Ham on Sunday when they deserved to lose. Saturday, Man City was held to a 1-1 draw by visiting Hull, which is truly pathetic, Hull in the relegation hunt. Chelsea’s lead is insurmountable, it would seem.]

--Separately, Real Madrid’s Colombian star James Rodriguez has a broken foot that requires surgery, keeping him out two months.

--The New York Rangers are playing without superstar goaltender Henrik Lundqvist for at least three weeks after suffering a vascular injury when he was hit in the throat in a game last Saturday (Jan. 31).

I was remiss in not commenting on this incident at the time, as the heroic Lundqvist incredibly stayed in the game after gasping for breath for minutes. New York won the game against Carolina 4-1. Then he played on Monday in a 6-3 win over Florida.

Lundqvist then gave way to backup Cam Talbot in a 3-2 win over Boston on Wednesday, but on Friday, the Rangers suddenly announced that King Henrik had been re-evaluated and the injury was found to be a serious deal. [The Rangers must be using the Mets’ doctors.]

--Alex Vraciu, the Navy’s top World War II fighter ace after downing 19 Japanese aircraft and destroying 21 more on the ground in only eight months in 1944, died at the age of 96.

“Mr. Vraciu accomplished his most spectacular feat in the South Pacific when he shot down six dive bombers within eight minutes in what became known as the ‘Great Marianas Turkey Shoot’ in the Philippine Sea. He called it ‘a once-in-a-lifetime fighter pilot’s dream.’

“Two of the aircraft carriers he flew from were torpedoed, twice he parachuted to safety, and twice more he was forced to ditch his Grumman F6F hellcat – brushes with death that earned him the nicknames Grumman’s Best Customer and The Indestructible.

“He was nominated for the Medal of Honor and received the service’s second-highest honor, the Navy Cross.”

Vraciu was the Navy’s top ace for four months and ended the war in forth place.

--The embattled head football coach at New Jersey’s Sayreville War Memorial High School was finally ousted after last fall’s devastating hazing and sexual abuse scandal. The school is resuming football next fall. Several assistant coaches that had been suspended were later reinstated to teaching duties.

“Brad Hilliard says he was jogging early Monday near Bush’s Pasture Park in the state’s capital of Salem when he felt a scratch on the back of his neck and something swooped off with his favorite running cap.

“It’s the fourth likely owl attack in or around the park since last month, the Statesman Journal reported. One jogger said the owl whacked him so hard he thought he was having a stroke.

“When Hilliard saw one of the signs the city posted warning of aggressive owls, he realized what had happened.

“ ‘It was almost like you touched the tip of the knife but you pulled away before it does any real damage,’ he said.”

Turns out the culprit in the attacks is a “barred owl,” “a species that has gained notoriety along the West Coast as a 20th century invader from the Great Plains that’s crowding out the smaller, endangered spotted owl.”

But no wonder the barred owls are pissed off. “The federal government is killing thousands” of them in an effort to protect the spotted owl from extinction.

That said we are placing the barred owl, No. 242 on the All-Species List, on probation for six months.   ‘Beaver’ has been off probation for a number of months now without incident.

--In the Sunday Times Magazine, Jeff Himmelman interviews Kid Rock. In part:

Q: You recently did a tour with $20 tickets and $4 beers. Is it your goal going forward to keep it affordable?

Kid Rock: Yeah. Even if you’re not a big fan, you’re like: “Let’s find something to do tonight. It’s $20 to see Kid Rock. I like one of his songs, whatever!” The scary part is, you’re going to find out who your audience is, very fast. If nobody comes for $20, it’s about time to hang the hat up.

Top 3 songs for the week 2/5/66: #1 “My Love” (Petula Clark...the great one...) #2 “Barbara Ann” (The Beach Boys) #3 “No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach’s In)” (The T-Bones)...and...#4 “We Can Work It Out” (The Beatles....heard of them...) #5 “Lightnin’ Strikes” (Lou Christie...in my top 50 all time) #6 “The Men In My Little Girl’s Life” (Mike Douglas...yes, that Mike Douglas...) #7 “She’s Just My Style” (Gary Lewis and The Playboys) #8 “Five O’Clock World” (The Vogues...has held up well...) #9 “A Must To Avoid” (Herman’s Hermits) #10 “Crying Time” (Ray Charles...terrific song...another stupendous Top Ten...)

*Phew...no Suge Knight sightings at the Grammys. I need a restful sleep.

NBA Quiz Answer: Duos in 1994-95 that scored 50 or more in a game.

Mavericks: Jamal Mashburn & Jim Jackson
76ers: Dana Barros & Willie Burton

No way I’d get Willie Burton in a million years. That was, however, by far his best season in the NBA, averaging 15.3 a game.

Larry Bird & Kevin McHale / Celtics, 1984-85
George Gervin & Larry Kenon / Spurs, 1979-80...loved watching Kenon*.
Bob Pettit & Cliff Hagan / Hawks, 1961-62
Jerry West, Elgin Baylor & Rudy LaRusso / Lakers, 1961-62

*I just had a Dan Roundfield flashback, the late forward, like Kenon, being a favorite of mine.

**Happy Birthday to my big brother...who turns Willie Lanier today! Think uniform # of the Hall of Fame Chiefs linebacker, that is. I’m nearing Mo Lewis myself, which also means I’m a little over a year from Jack Lambert. [I’ve been Lawrence Taylor, which, trust me, isn’t easy. The partying is killing me.]

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