There are very few one-named legends: Prince, Madonna, Banksy, Snoopy, Secretariat, Cleopatra, Jesus (debatable… as you can go with “H. Christ” or “Of Nazareth”). And then there’s Pele, who passed yesterday at the age of 82.
More than just the greatest ever in his sport (that status may be more debatable following the last month), the Brazilian soccer god was a global ambassador. Not unlike, say, Wayne Gretzky, he introduced his sport to the masses on all six populated continents.
Pele was only 17 years old when he led Brazil to the World Cup title in 1958. The youngest player ever to compete in the World Cup, Pele scored a hat trick in the semi final versus France (Brazil trailed 2-1 when his scoring binge began), the put in two goals versus host Sweden in the final. He’d go on to be a part of Brazilian World Cup championship squads in 1962 and 1970.
This tweet sent out by man currently on pace to shatter Premier League’s single-season scoring record in his rookie year
In the Seventies Pele played a principal role in soccer becoming a U.S. phenomenon as he became the centerpiece of a true global All-Star squad, the New York Cosmos of the NASL. The Cosmos featured fading stars who happened to be the top players their respective nations had ever produced, legends such as himself, Giorgia Chinaglia (Italy) and Franz Beckenbauer (Germany). We were lucky enough to attend two Cosmos games in person along with 77,000 of our closest immigrant or first-generation American friends. We did not appreciate what we were seeing (but then, you can apply that sentiment to most everything, no?).
It was a good long life for a sports figure who belongs up there with Muhammad Ali, Gretzky, and Michael Jordan. Hoping they have bicycle kicks in heaven.
The Extra Topping Was Karma
We did not follow the latest social media contretemps, teen climate activist Greta Thurnberg vs retired MMA fighter/misogynist Andrew Tate, closely, but it became very interesting yesterday. That’s when Romanian police used the video Tate had posted to roast Thurnberg against him by noting that the pizzeria inscribed on a pizza box in his video, Jerry’s Pizza, is a local merchant.
That fact gave Romanian police incentive to hunt Tate down as someone residing in their country and arrest him on multiple sex-trafficking charges. Tate’s listed disciplines are kick-boxing and, believe it or not, chess (his pops was a grandmaster), but it appears Thurnberg’s is jujitsu: using your opponent’s aggression against him.
😂😂😂😂 so good — someone updated Andrew Tate’s Wikipedia page kickboxing record to show his L to @GretaThunberg in the “Twitter Streets” pic.twitter.com/3uxF3vaMUs
We’d like to think Buddy Hield informed his Indiana Pacer teammates before the opening tip, “Watch me, I’m gonna make NBA history.” And he did. The fastest three-pointer ever made in terms of how quickly after the game began. We were sorta hoping the Knicks’ Emmanuel Quickley (who scored 36 points himself in a losing effort last night) would establish this mark.
DOLLAR QUIZ
How many Power 5 conferences have a school with a “Wildcat” mascot?
Two iconic films that both had famous actors named Gene (one still living) in their casts. Name the Genes and the films (both Genes were in both films).
In general, what is the purpose of hash marks on a football field?
How many Summer Olympics have been held in the Americas?
Three of the early U.S. presidents died on the Fourth of July. Name them.
Which came first: Boston Marathon, World Series, or Indianapolis 500?
I cannot take credit for this joke. Props to my old Brophy buddy Eric.
Rector, Baker, Caretaker
Occasionally I wonder how my kind-hearted, gentle, friendly Dillon Hall rector, Fr. Joseph Carey, is doing. “Cares,” as we called him, was also my boss senior year, as I was lucky enough to be an RA in Dillon (I didn’t realize then it would be the best job I’d ever have).
Anyway, Cares, 82, now lives in an apartment in Ryan Hall on campus, as this Notre Dame Magazine article shows. A ’62 alum of Notre Dame, Cares has discovered baking in his retirement and uses it as a way to welcome students and create friendships and a sense of home, and community. I’m probably missing out on a plethora of confectionary puns here (“it’s refreshing to catch a priest with his hands in a literal cookie jar”), but I’m not up to it.
For you sports fans, Cares was the rector at Dillon when Pat Walsh, creator of the “Catholics vs. Convicts” t-shirt, resided there. On the day Pat hauled in more than $35,000 in T-shirt sales from the Oct. 15, 1988 game, he stashed the money with Cares (who put it in his safe) so that he could head out to party without worrying about it. That’s what was always cool about Cares; he has never forgotten how it feels to be a student.
Future Star: Quinshon Judkins
Truth: we’ve watched less than 10 minutes of bowl action this month and we’re not afraid to say that the glut of bowls, plus the playoff, has turned us off to most of them. Particularly any before, say, December 30th. ESPN and Twitter is just an echo chamber of “All the bowls are awesome” and if you let them influence you, you may begin to question your common sense and good judgment. Just because normally sensible Matt Barrie says it’s so doesn’t mean it is. What else is he going to say? He makes good money via Mickey Mouse.
Anyway, the 10 minutes we saw was the Texas Bowl, where Texas Tech beat Ole Miss. What stuck in our noodle was the play of Mississippi frosh RB Quinshon Judkins and the graphic that only one SEC freshman running back has only rushed for more yards in a season: Herschel Walker.
Judkins finished the season with 1,568 yards rushing; Walker, 1,616.
Good company (at least as far as college rushers go), indeed.
Judkins is from Pike Road, Alabama, a suburb of Montgomery. How did Nick miss on him?
This play/maneuver by Golden State guard Jordan Poole got lost in the hysteria of Luka Doncic’s 60-21-10 game two nights ago. Also, ESPN isn’t much on showing below-the-rim mastery. But it needs to be seen to be believed. Twelve year-old me would’ve been on the court the following day working on this until I had it down… which would’ve been tough since there was no Twitter or YouTube allowing me to watch it repeatedly.
$1 Quiz
This dude is not among the first answers, but we like that he took his official presidential portrait nursing a hangover
1-6 At least six U.S. presidents have had the same last name as a president who preceded them. Give the last names.
7. True-False: every retired NBA player with a 60-point game is in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
8. Who was the lead singer of Mudcrutch?
9. The element with the lowest atomic number is ________________.
10. What MLB park has the furthest fence from home plate (two possible answers) (team, city or park name acceptable).
It’s not just that Mavs unicorn Luka Doncic just put together the most prolific triple-double in NBA history, it’s also the play he made at game’s end to send Dallas’ game versus the New York Knicks into overtime.
Take note that, like Michael Jordan, Doncic was the third player chosen in his year’s draft (2018). Taken before him were Deandre Ayton and Marvin Bagley, each of whom had Arizona ties. If you listen closely, you can still hear me wailing, “Noooooooooooooooooo!” at the Suns’ pick.
Grounded
We’re not really up on why Southwest Airlines has had to cancel thousands of flights this week beyond the weather conditions, we only know that American travelers handle such disappointments with aplomb and good humor. So we’re sure airports have been sanctums (sancta) of peace on Earth and good will toward men this holiday travel season.
You think maybe Southwest flight attendants aren’t showing off that trademark cheeky humor this week?
The $1 Quiz*
*No Googling or on-line searching, please
Current leader board
Dan Henry…….. 1
********
Name a state capital that begins and ends with a vowel—but not the same vowel.
2. From most ancient origin to most recent, put in order the four major U.S. pro sports leagues.
3. What university inspired the helmet design that Michigan uses?
4-7. Name a land-locked country on at least four different continents
8. Looking at the events of Pulp Fiction chronologically, as opposed to how it actually plays, what is the last line a character speaks?
Two of the more incredible and under-covered sports stories of the past few months: 1) the utter dominance of the Boston Bruins (in yesterday’s MH) and 2) the fabulous first half of the Premier League season turned in by Arsenal. Nick Hornby’s favorite squad (it is this London-based club, after all, that was the inspiration for Fever Pitch) are 13-1-1 through 15 matches.
The top four clubs in Premier League qualify for the following season’s Champions League, and Arsenal has not even finished in the top four since the 2015-16 season. The last time they won the Premier League was in 2003-04, when they did so without losing a single match… that squad was rightly nicknamed “The Invincibles.”
The Gunners are doing it, as most successful sides do, via teamwork. They don’t have a single player in the top 10 in scoring but have two in the top three in assists. Also, they’ve allowed just 12 goals in 15 matches. Only Newcastle United (11 goals against) has allowed fewer and the Magpies may be an even better story: they’re currently in 2nd place. Newcastle F.C. has been relegated twice in the past 15 seasons and last finished as high as 2nd in 1997.
Not referees; that’s just Newcastle’s kit
Arsenal hosts Newcastle, their first meeting of the season, a week from today.
From the Gunners’ Wikipedia page: “Arsenal was the first club from the South of England to join the Football League in 1893, and they reached the First Division in 1904. Relegated only once, in 1913, they continue the longest streak in the top division,[6] and have won the second-most top-flight matches in English football history.“
Diggs’ Town
Great story here with Buffalo Bills’ wideout Stefon Diggs.
Not many know what it’s like to lose they daddy for real. I remember it felt like i lost everything. I had to make myself a man. But it takes a village so be sure to always pay it forward !!! Love that is 💪🏾💪🏾 Merry Christmas lil aydin ❤️ pic.twitter.com/9qc2UmENWK
J.J. Watt announced his retirement today. Watt, a defensive end every bit as revered as a person as a player, is a sure-fire Hall of Famer and can have a long and successful career in front of the camera in the years ahead. J.J. Watt who, like Tom Brady, played part of his college career in Michigan and also in the Big Ten (Central Michigan, then Wisconsin), is 33.
Tom Brady is 45 and I don’t need to introduce you to him. But the question is, do you believe he will retire? On the one hand, it’s no longer as if he feels the pressure from his wife to step aside. Let’s look at the stats for ’22, which are every bit as contradictory as the Bucs being in first place this late in the season with a losing record.
Brady is 4th in the NFL in passing yardage with 4,178. Only Pat Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert, all in their 20s and all Pro Bowl-level QBs, are having more prolific seasons through the air. Brady is No. 1 in completions, but that’s actually a damning stat because if you look below the surface it means that he has a low yards-per-completion figure. In fact, his 6.2 yards per completion rate ranks 30th in the league: only Kenny Pickett and Kyler Murray, both of whose teams are having miserable seasons, are worse.
Brady is 23rd in QBR and his 21/9 TD/INT ratio is nothing special. The Bucs are 15th in yards per game and 15th in points per game. A middling offense that has turned it on in the fourth quarter just enough this season—against bad teams, it should be noted—to remain in the playoff chase. Tampa Bay’s best win all year was in Week 1, when they shut down the Cowboys, 19-3.
Still, there’s a very short list of QBs currently playing whom you’d rather have taking snaps if you’re trailing by a touchdown or less in the fourth quarter. TB12 is certainly still among the top-third in that category.
Our prediction: Tom Brady will sign up for another year. Why not? He feels good and he still plays above the league median. And if he retires after this season? His farewell game could very well be a playoff game in the Bay Area, not far at all from the home in which he was raised.
The $5 Quiz
During my instructor days at a college in the American southwest, I’d begin each class with a “Five Dollar Quiz.” The concept is simple: I’d give the students a handout with questions, some pertaining to sports, some not. The first person to hand in the quiz with all the questions answered correctly won $5. There would be a time limit. More often than not, no one would win the $5.
Why did I do it? A few reasons: 1) Routine. Students like a certain amount of routine, 2) To calm everyone down and garner their attention at the start of class, 3) Because smart students like intellectual competition just as much as jocks like athletic competition, 4) Because we all might learn something, 5) Because I always stressed that being a journalist was one of the few occupations where there was literally nothing you could learn that could not potentially be of some use to you, so soak up all the knowledge you can.
(One student, mid-semester, decided to change his major out of journalism and thus dropped my course. He wrote me a nice note saying that his family was going to miss doing the $5 Quiz around the dinner table.)
Most of my $5 Quizzes now exist behind that school’s log in (I have been blocked) but I did save a few to my personal documents file. So I thought I’d make it a game for you. First person to answer the questions correctly (in the comments) will win $1 and we’ll keep a running tab of who’s in the lead. You game? Here goes:
1-5: Name five countries whose names are four-letter words.
6-7: Name two former New York Yankees whose names are associated with medicine.
8. What is an eagle in golf?
9. Which of these college football conferences is numerically accurate: Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12?
10. What country claims Winston Churchill as its own?
Landry Shamet (31 points last night) is every Phoenix sports fan this month
Dismal Desert December
Phoenix may have had the most glorious weather in the nation yesterday (high 60s, bright, sunny skies) and one of my former students texted me from Iowa to say it had been 36-below earlier in the week. Can you even imagine? The point is, we have plenty to be thankful here in the Sonoran.
But as we listened or watched the fourth quarter of last night’s Cardinals and Suns games (the former ending just before midnight on the East coast, the latter after 1 a.m.), we know both Phoenix franchises would blow their fourth-quarter leads and lose. Both teams lost in overtime, only prolonging the torture.
The Cards gave up a 10-point lead to Tom Brady and the Bucs in Glendale, inexplicably running a toss pitch on 3rd-and-1 from Tampa’s 45 that was fumbled by rookie Keontay Ingram. This with a three-point lead after the 2-minute warning and with running back/battering ram James Conner having picked up chunks of yardage on runs between the tackle. The toss was not to him.
Tough loss, dude. But you do realize I’m The GOAT, right?
The Cards have now lost 12 of 13 home games beginning with October ’21”s Thursday night loss to Green Bay when they were 7-0 on the season. Their lone home win since then has been against New Orleans. The 4-11 Cards have now lost five in a row and are 1-7 in December the past two seasons. They’ll end this season at San Francisco. That could be both a huge blowout loss and Kliff Kingsbury’s final game as head coach. We’ll see.
Meanwhile, Tom Brady secured his 250th career win, his 45th career come-from-behind win. Did anyone not think this would happen?
The Suns, meanwhile, wasted an 8-point lead with 6 minutes remaining in Denver. Not as bad as the 10-point lead they squandered with 5 minutes left versus the Wizards last Tuesday, but bad. They’ve now lost nine of their past 13, easily their worst stretch since before the bubble summer of ’20. After playing a solid game in the Mile High City, all but four minutes of it minus Devin Booker (reinjured groin), Phoenix fell apart in the final five minutes with a slew of careless turnovers, an ill-advised shot or two, and yes, a criminally bad replay review on a textbook charge violation.
Thanks for listening as we work out our issues.
A Modest Proposal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJQVDVpQzGs
There are two types of moviegoers: those who love and prattle on and on about In Bruges (2007) and those who have never seen it. So when the we learned that the principals involved with that delightful little film (Brendan Gleeson, Colin Farrell and writer/director Martin McDonagh) had reunited, we were anxious to see the film before we could even remember how to say it: The Banshees of Inisherin.
We went alone—there were two other humans, also solo, in the theater—and were once again grateful to see such a wonderful film. Someone said, and we agree, that In Bruges is a comedy with dramatic elements while this film is a drama with comic elements. Fair enough. Or maybe it’s the exact reverse. You get the point.
Anyway, it’s now also airing on HBO Max and when/if you see it, you’ll probably be blown away by actor Barry Keoghan, who plays Dominic and should run away with a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Following Robert Downey, Jr.’s, advice (“Never go full retard”), Keoghan’s Dominic is charmingly dim-witted and without filter, but then in key moments astounds you, and his acquaintances on this magical Irish island, with refreshing moments of insight, depth and candor. Even courage.
Hope you see the movie. And treat yourself to an Oscar-worthy performance by a young actor on the rise.
Somethin’ Bruin
Goalie Linus Ullmark had the best goals-against average in the NHL this season
You do your once-monthly check on the National Hockey League and you learn a couple things: 1) the NHL schedules zero games on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day (a practice Messrs. Silver and Goodell should follow… it would have meant at least two fewer losses for Phoenix fans) and 2) the Boston Bruins, who happen to be 27-4-2, are yet to lose this season at home (18-0).
Now, being the most out-of-luck wagerers we know (we took the Raiders in the Immaculate Conception game, our very first bet, against our dad… and also took Western Kentucky minus-2 in the 2014 Bahamas Bowl, when the Hilltoppers were outscored 34-0 in the fourth quarter—and won, 49-48), we are flirting with the idea of taking Boston in their next home game, which is New Year’s Eve versus middling Buffalo. If anyone can break the Bruins’ home win streak, it’s us.
One Way To Mitigate College Football’s Rapid Descent Into Chaos
When you think about it, college football players have gone from being the most unfairly restricted of all professional athletes to the most liberated, in the short span of less than, what, five years? Yes, for decades coaches and schools held all the power. Players were not unpaid (scholarships have value), but they were very poorly paid in relation to the revenue schools made and the salaries head coaches earned.
Too, if a player did not like his situation, he’d have to sit out a full year once he transferred to another school. It was often reported that players were not allowed to transfer to some schools (say, in conference), but that was always false. They could always transfer, they just would not be on scholarship for that absentee year.
Anyway, here’s where we are in 2022. A player can be paid, albeit not directly by the school, and there’s absolutely no “salary cap,” per player or team. Also, a player may transfer and play elsewhere immediately, and he can transfer after every season. The only limit is that the transfer portal begins and ends on August 1 so that wherever you are on August 2, that’s the school you must represent until the next August 1 rolls around. Quarterbacks and erstwhile USC teammates J.T. Daniels and Kedon Slovis are heading to their fourth and third schools, respectively. Jaxson Dart, the QB who replaced them, is on his second. None are at USC.
We’re all for players maximizing their bag, but there’s also the small matter of protecting the product. And yes, college football is a product. There’s also the issue of fostering an environment that combines the impulsiveness and ego of young men and the opportunism and ethically challenged ways of greedy older men. Being able to transfer each season and having a practically unregulated compensation system… well, even NFL free agents and players do not enjoy that freedom. And for a reason: it creates massive instability and encourages bad actors.
Our simple solution: a hard-line on the one-year sit-out rule for EVERY undergraduate transfer. We don’t care if your grandma is sick or if you think you overheard someone calling you the N-word. Deal with it. You may transfer, but you sit out one year. No exceptions. It’s not the perfect solution, but it’s the best of the imperfect solutions.
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