The National Semi-Finals

We will not have another Saturday with college football or college basketball until late August.  I will miss it enormously, but as I grow older I appreciate different seasons more and more.  Today's games represent one of the best Final Fours in many years:

5:09 PM Central (TBS):  (7) Connecticut (33-5) v. (13) Illinois (28-8)

7:49 PM Central (TBS):  (2) Arizona (36-2) v. (3) Michigan (35-3)

This year's tournament is the first time since 2014 that the names of the four teams are also the names of four different states.  In 2014 the Final Four was Connecticut, Kentucky, Florida, and Wisconsin.

Thirty-Two Franchises: Arizona Cardinals

Have participated in the NFL since the 1920 season.

All-time Record:  593-812-41 (.422)

1920-1943:  Chicago Cardinals:  99-141-21 (.413)

1944:  Chi/Pit Cards/Steelers:  0-10 (.000)

1945-1959:  Chicago Cardinals:  66-107-4 (.382)

1960-1987:  St. Louis Cardinals:  186-202-14 (.480)

1988-1993:  Phoenix Cardinals:  32-64-0 (.333)

1994-2025:  Arizona Cardinals:  210-288-2 (.422)

Super Bowl Record:  0-1

Top Passer:  Jim Hart (34,639 yds)

Top Rusher:  Ottis Anderson (7,999 yds)

Top Receiver:  Larry Fitzgerald (17,492 yds)

Top Coach:  Bruce Arians (49 wins)

Top All-Time Player Based on Approximate Value:  Larry Fitzgerald (AV of 138)

2024 College Football Previews: Classic Pac-10

Here are the teams from the Classic Pac-10 as ranked by CBS Sports.  Top 20 teams in bold:

3.  Oregon

21.  U.S.C.

22.  Arizona

40.  Washington

50.  California

52.  U.C.L.A.

60.  Oregon St.

66.  Washington St.

84.  Stanford

85.  Arizona St.

Oregon won the Classic Pac-10 in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2019, and 2021, and were just edged out by Washington last year.  Now the Ducks are in a strong position to win their seventh Classic Pac-10 title in the last 16 seasons.  They open with Idaho at home, play at Oregon St. on September 14, and then later play U.C.L.A. and Washington.  Southern Cal will play at Washington and at U.C.L.A.  Arizona will end the season at home against Arizona St.  So we will have some Classic Pac-10 action this year.

XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2020 (Days 7-15)

Medal standings:

 

1. China 15 gold, 7 silver, 9 bronze
2. Japan 15, 4, 6
3. United States 14, 14, 10
4. Australia 8, 2, 10
5. Great Britain 5, 7, 6
6. South Korea 4, 3, 5
7. France 3, 5, 3
8. Germany 3, 3, 7
9. Italy 2, 7, 10
10. Netherlands 2, 7, 4
11. Canada 2, 3, 5
12. Hungary 2, 1, 2
13. Slovenia 2, 1, 1
14. Croatia 2, 0, 1
15. Kosovo 2, 0, 0
16. Brazil 1, 3, 3
17. Switzerland 1, 3, 2
18. Romania 1, 3, 0
19. Chinese Taipei 1, 2, 3
T20. Czech Republic 1, 2, 1
T20. New Zealand 1, 2, 1
22. Georgia 1, 2, 0
23. Serbia 1, 1, 2
24. Austria 1, 1, 1
T25. Hong Kong 1, 1, 0
T25. Tunisia 1, 1, 0
T27. Estonia 1, 0, 1
T27. Ireland 1, 0, 1
T27. Uzbekistan 1, 0, 1
T30. Bermuda 1, 0, 0
T30. Ecuador 1, 0, 0
T30. Fiji 1, 0, 0
T30. Iran 1, 0, 0
T30. Latvia 1, 0, 0
T30. Norway 1, 0, 0
T30. Philippines 1, 0, 0
T30. Slovakia 1, 0, 0
T30. Thailand 1, 0, 0
39. Spain 0, 2, 1
40. South Africa 0, 2, 0
T41. Indonesia 0, 1, 2
T41. Mongolia 0, 1, 2
T43. Belgium 0, 1, 1
T43. Denmark 0, 1, 1
T45. Bulgaria 0, 1, 0
T45. Colombia 0, 1, 0
T45. India 0, 1, 0
T45. Jordan 0, 1, 0
T45. North Macadonia 0, 1, 0
T45. Poland 0, 1, 0
T45. Turkmenistan 0, 1, 0
T45. Venezuela 0, 1, 0
53. Ukraine 0, 0, 4
54. Kazakhstan 0, 0, 3
T55. Egypt 0, 0, 2
T55. Mexico 0, 0, 2
T55. Turkey 0, 0, 2
T58. Argentina 0, 0, 1
T58. Cuba 0, 0, 1
T58. Finland 0, 0, 1
T58. Israel 0, 0, 1
T58. Ivory Coast 0, 0, 1
T58. Kuwait 0, 0, 1
T58. Portugal 0, 0, 1
T58. San Marino 0, 0, 1

Also, they’ve given 28 medals to competitors from Russia, which actually cheated in Olympics that it hosted.

Previous reports:

-- XXX Olympic Summer Games, London 2012 

-- XXXI Olympic Summer Games, Rio 2016 

-- XXXII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2020 (Programming Note) 

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2020 (Day 0) 

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2020 (Days 1 and 2)

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2020 (Day 3)

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2024 (Day 4)

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2024 (Day 5)  

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2024 (Day 6)

Baseball Update (1969)

Game 3’s broadcast on midday, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 1969, is in glorious color! … It’s Lindsey Nelson working with Curt Gowdy. …  Steve Lawrence sang the national anthem. … Nelson: “They used to say if the Mets advanced to mediocrity that they’d lose their fans. But what happened was they never became mediocre—they went from very bad to very good.”… Frank Robinson has a bruised instep that is getting better “hour by hour, not day by day,” Gowdy quotes the Orioles doctors as saying … Gary Gentry, the Mets’ Game 3 starter, is from Phoenix, and he was a giant high-school and Arizona State college star. “Handsome Jim Palmer,” as Gowdy calls him, is starting for the Orioles, and he went to high school in Scottsdale but then went straight to the minors. … More Gowdy: “There’s Yogi Berra, who's got so many World Series checks that he can’t even count them, is (coaching) at first, and that’s Eddie Yost at third—he was the walking man when he was with the Washington Senators.” … ? … Tommie Agee goes deep center to open the bottom of the first, and the Mets are off and running … Cleon Jones, New York’s left-fielder, hit .340 during the regular season; he led the National League in batting most of the summer, but then he trailed off after a couple of injuries and finished behind Pittsburgh’s Roberto Clemente and Cincinnati’s Pete Rose … With two out in the second, Palmer walks Jerry Grote, yields a single to .248-hitting Bud Harrelson and then gives up a two-run double to Gentry, who hit .081 and drove in one run during the whole regular season; 3-0, Mets … “Incredible is right,” says Gowdy. … I think Tony Kubek might have Tuesday off … Gowdy scans the crowd to start the third inning: "Julian Goodman there with the button in his lapel, the president of the National Broadcasting Company, and on his right chatting away there is Dick Forbes, advertising manager of Chrysler Corporation—and Earl Warren, former Chief Justice Warren." … Gowdy failed to note this in his telecast, but Julian Goodman cut his chops for the NBC gig as a $3-a-week reporter for The Glasgow (Ky.) Daily Times. … No, here's Kubek--maybe he got held up in traffic. ... The Orioles get men on first and third with one out in the top of the fourth, and . Lindsey Nelson: "Jerry Grote is out there, just trying to settle Gentry down a little. Gentry's got sort of a short fuse. When things start to happen in a hurry--he's still young; he's only 23--sometimes he gets a little bit rattled." Up next: Brooks Robinson, strikeout. And next: Ellie Hendricks. ... Gowdy: “There’s a drive into deep left-center … Racing hard is Agee! … WHAT A GRAB! TOM AGEE! SAVES TWO RUNS!” . ... Still 3-0, Mets. ... Agee and Jones both graduated from the Mobile County (Alabama) Training School. Nelson: "At the Mobile Training School this week, they have a lesson plan--there are no lessons planned this week when the World Series games are on NBC." ... Nelson takes over for Gowdy on play-by-play in the bottom of the fifth. ... Mets add one in the sixth to go up, 4-0. ... With two out in the seventh, a walk loads the bases for Baltimore, and Gil Hodges pulls Gentry in favor of Nolan Ryan. ... Paul Blair up: Strike 1 watching, Strike 2 swinging ... Nelson: "It's a fly to center; this will be tough to get to! ... AGEE!" ... Gowdy: "This man has quite possibly saved five runs in this game." ... Still 4-0. ... Nelson: "The World Series makes heroes, and Agee is the hero of the day." ... Agee walks to open the bottom of the seventh, moves to second on a bunt ("if you're scoring, make it, 'Sac 1-4,'" says Nelson) but is stranded. ... Nelson says Ryan treats blisters on his fingers by soaking them in pickle brine. ... Jackie Onassis is at today's game. Nelson: "And there's John-John, making the exit and, I'll bet, headed to the concession stand." ... Kubek hooks up with Jerry Lewis to open the bottom of the eighth, and Lewis gets going on some kooky stuff with the people around in the stands. Kubek cuts it short. NBC let Nelson Rockefeller and Casey Stengal go on and on into the first batters of innings earlier in the game, but Lewis gets the quick hook. ... The Mets got another run somewhere. It's 5-0. ... In the bottom of the ninth, the Orioles, trailing 5-0, have two runners on. Earl Weaver has pinch-hit for his pitcher, and yet there is no one up and working in the Baltimore bullpen. ... I wonder who Earl Morrall and Don Shula are rooting for in this game. ... OK, now Eddie Watt's loosening up with Nolan Ryan behind 3-1 to Don Buford. ... Walk, bases loaded. ... Strikeout. ... Game over. ... Mets 5, Orioles 0. New York leads the series, two games to one.

I Am Watching the Olympics (Day 4)

For the sake of full disclosure, the 3-year-old is watching Little Bill, which is about her favorite show these days.

But I will be watching the Olympics soon, and, when I do, I will be particularly interested in these events among the 23 sports in action today:

-- men's 81kg judo, in which Travis Stevens of Bellevue, Wash., has advanced to the semifinals;

-- men's skeet, in which Vincent Hancock of Eatonton, Ga., is bidding right now (!) to repeat as Olympic gold medalist;

-- men's whitewater canoeing, which is pretty fun to watch, and

-- women's team gymnastics and the redemption of Michael Phelps, which I'm sure will dominate NBC's prime-time coverage.

Previous reports:

-- watching Day i (July 25)

-- watching Day ii (July 26)

-- watching opening day and the opening ceremony (July 27)

-- watching Day 1 and the men's cycling road race (July 28)

-- watching Day 2, the women's road race, and Team USA's performance relative to the U.S. percentage of world GDP and an introduction to "Olympic Efficiency Scores (OES)" (July 29)

-- watching Day 3, an introduction to "Extended Olympic Efficiency Scores (EOES)," a tip of the hat to Team USA swimming, an arch of an eyebrow toward Team China swimming, a women's basketball update, end-of-day OES and end-of-day EOES (July 30)

College Baseball Update

Arizona took the first game of the NCAA Baseball Final with an easy 5-1 win over South Carolina. The Gamecocks, who were forced to use their front-line pitchers in winning three games late last week against Kent State and Arkansas, never led and never came close to leading.

This is South Carolina's third straight trip to the Finals. Each of the last two years they prevailed two games to zero.

Game two is tomorrow night. If Arizona wins that game, the Wildcats will be the NCAA Baseball Champion for 2012.

U.S. Open: Day 4

1. Jim Furyk (born in West Chester, Penn.) -1 through 57 holes
2. Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland) even through 57
3. Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden) +2 through 58
3. Lee Westwood (England) +2 through 58
5. Michael Thompson (Tuscon, Ariz.) +3 through 65
5. John Peterson (Fort Worth, Texas) +3 through 61
5. John Senden (Australia) +3 through 59
5. Ernie Els (South Africa) +3 through 58

U.S. Open Preview

Tiger Woods in 72.

1975: Vacation planning

I just caught up on the March 1975 National Geographic, so I'm feeling behind on my summer-vacation planning. The issue is just chock-full of getaway enticements.

The South brings it very strong, and I might be enticed to write Gov. Wallace and get on to and then off of the Alabama Interstates. But I did that last summer.

The West, too, is strongly represented, and I'm impressed with Oregon's doubletruck play for my time and money. And given the economic challenges of the day, I am moved by that state's spin that it is the cost-effective, one-stop-shop for a global smorgasbord of holiday delights. Oregon is vacation's Ponderosa Grand Buffet, and I do declare that I have taken some comfort at the Ponderosa Grand Buffet.

But, then, here comes Canada!

I am nearly--very nearly--convinced to follow that station wagon to Manitoba.

But, alas, the winner is British Columbia. The prospect of cracking up my own fetching, affectionate and relaxed wife with witty repartee about antique lamps and coffee pots is just too much to resist. 1975 me would've absolutely been writing off for more pictures and information from the B.C. Department of Travel Industry--or seeing my local travel agent.