THE UGLIEST GAME-WINNING DRIVE IN NFL HISTORY?
BILLS’ OL NEEDS A NICKNAME: HOW ABOUT BILLDOZERS?
AFC 3-1 vs. NFC…CUTS GAP TO 8-4
ONLY THREE TEAMS 3-0…ONLY TWO TEAMS 0-3
The NFL’s officiating mess has gone from a charade to a fiasco in three weeks – capped by Monday night’s Clueless in Seattle performance. The players and fans deserve better.
Not everyone who watched the game-winning drive by the Seattle Seahawks for a 14-12 victory over the visiting Green Bay Packers Monday night was disgusted.
Seattle fans had to be ecstatic. How many times do you see your team win on an interception in the end zone on the final play from scrimmage?...Fans who bet on Seattle minus-3 points are counting their money – and their blessings…The legitimate NFL referees saw the counterfeit zebras mess up on prime-time TV.
It wasn’t only the final call – Green Bay’s M.D. Jennings clearly intercepted Seattle rookie QB Russell Wilson’s Hail Mary pass into the left corner of the end zone. One zebra appeared to signal touchback only to be overruled by another zebra’s TD call. Golden Tate got credit for the TD after blatently shoving Green Bay’s Sam Shields to the ground.
The NFL office said it was simultaneous possession, advantage to the offensive player. But it wasn’t. The zebras should’ve seen that on replay after they missed it on the field. But heck, it was getting late…and how would the home crowd have reacted?
The entire game-winning drive was bogus. A dubious roughing the passer call wiped out the interception that would’ve iced the game for Green Bay. A blatant offensive pass interference call on Green Bay to keep the drive alive should’ve been offensive pass interference. The Packers were playing 11-on-18 (Seattle’s 11 defenders plus referee Wayne Elliott and his band of zebras).
The officials had 245 yards on 24 penalties. They outgained Seattle(238 total offensive yards). Seattle had 238 yards.
Without the zebras, it would’ve been an entertaining and fair game. Seattle’s defense was great in the first half (8 sacks) and Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers bounced back with a solid second half to help his team take a 12-7 lead.
Shame on the NFL’s 32 owners. Don’t blame commissioner Roger Goodell for this one. He’s only their mouthpiece.
It is time for one – and hopefully many more – of the filthy-rich NFL owners to stop counting their pennies and step up to end this blemish on the league’s class and integrity. The NFL is far too wealthy to extend the lockout of the real officials. NFL fans didn’t miss them until they were gone.
Like most of you, I’ll keep watching NFL games without the legit zebras. But I feel short-changed and insulted.
We knew Buffalo’s defensive line would be very good this season, but the offensive line could be the most underrated in the league.
Nominating BILLDOZERS as the nickname for the Buffalo Bills’ OL.
T-shirts would have cartoons of the linemen wearing construction hats and operating bulldozers to pave the way for the running backs and protect QB Ryan Fitzpatrick.
How many teams have a better OL/DL combination than the Bills? And they’re relatively young. The foundation is set for a bright future up front. If it’s what’s up front that counts – and it usually does – the Bills are looking good.
--The AFC managed to go 3-1 in interconference games Sunday after the NFC was 7-1 in the first two weeks. The NFC still leads the season series 8-4 and many NFL observers believe the NFC finally has the overall talent edge over the AFC.
It does appear that the weakest half dozen-or-so AFC teams are worse than the NFC’s weakest teams. There is speculation that the NFC could dominate the AFC in interconference competition by so much that at least one and possibly more AFC teams will make the playoffs with eight or nine wins.
Week 3’s NFL heroes include:
Baltimore QB Joe Flacco and WR Torrey Smith – Flacco (28x39 for 382 yards, with 3 TD passes and 1 TD) got the better of a shootout against New England’s Tom Brady in a 31-30 home victory. His main target was Smith (6 catches for 127 yards and 2 TDs) who played despite the death of his younger brother in a motorcycle accident.
Kansas City RB Jamaal Charles – He exploded for 233 yards and a TD in 33 carries and caught 6 passes for 55 yards in a 27-24 overtime victory at New Orleans. In week 2’s 35-17 loss at Buffalo, he had a balky knee and was limited to 6 carries for 3 yards.
Cincinnati QB Andy Dalton and WR A.J. Green – They’re one of the NFL’s best young QB-WR combinations. In Sunday’s 38-31 shootout victory in Washington, Dalton was 19x27 for 328 yards (12.1-yards per attempt), with 3 TD passes, 1 INT and a 132.9 rating. Green had 9 catches for 183 yards and 1 TD.
Jacksonville RB Maurice Jones-Drew – The Jaguars’ one-man offensive gang had 28 carries for 177 yards and 1 TD in a 22-17 road win over Indianapolis.
Minnesota QB Christian Ponder – The second-year QB looks like one of the NFL’s most-improved players. In Sunday’s 24-13 upset home win over San Francisco, he had two TD passes to tight end Kyle Rudolph and ran for a TD. For the season, he’s 68x97 (.701) for 713 yards, with 4 TD passes and 0 INTs.
Minnesota LB Chad Greenway – He had 10 solo tackles and 2 sacks to help the Vikings pull off the biggest upset of the season so far – 24-13 over visiting San Francisco.
Tennessee QB Jake Locker – He was 29x42 for 378 yards, with 2 TD passes, 0 INTs and a 113.0 rating in a 44-41 overtime home win over Detroit.
Chicago’s defensive unit – The Bears limited St. Louis to 160 yards total offense and sacked Sam Bradford 6 times in a 23-6 home win.
New York Jets WR Santonio Holmes – He caught 9 passes for 147 yards in a 23-20 overtime victory in Miami.
New York Giants RB Andre Brown and WR Ramses Barden – The two seldom-used reserves played like star regulars as the injury-riddled Giants outclassed host Carolina 36-7 last Thursday night. Brown had 20 carries for 113 yards and Barden had 9 catches for 138 yards.
Atlanta QB Matt Ryan – He was 30x40 for 275 yards, with 3 TD passes and 1 INT in a 27-3 victory in San Diego.
Week 3’s NFL goats include:
Tampa Bay QB Josh Freeman – He completed only 10 of 28 passes for 110 yards (3.9 yards per attempt) in a 16-10 loss at Dallas.
St. Louis QB Sam Bradford – He was 18x35 for 152 yards, with 0 TD passes, 2 INTs and 6 sacks, in a 23-6 road loss to Chicago.
Miami kicker Dan Carpenter – He was wide left from 48 yards in overtime and missed from 47 yards early in the fourth quarter of a 23-20 OT home loss.
Philadelphia QB Michael Vick -- .His erratic play continued with two lost fumbles and 0 TD passes in a 27-6 loss at Atlanta.
Tennessee RB Chris Johnson – This is getting ridiculous. The Titans managed to win for the first time this season (44-41 in overtime over visiting Detroit) despite a third straight lousy effort by the man who predicted to lead the NFL in rushing this season: Week 1 11 carries for 4 yards; Week 2 8 carries for 17 yards; Week 3 14 carries for 24 yards. Total: 33 carries for 45 yards (1.36-yard average).
NFL Opinions, Notes, Facts and Stats:
There was more chaos on NFL fields Sunday inspired by the replacement officials. The coaches and players continued to intimidate the counterfeit zebras and it made their difficult job much tougher. In fairness, when the regular refs return (hopefully immediately), the TV guys calling the games will be as tough on the legit refs as they’ve been on the fill-in guys. It won’t take long for fans, coasches and players to realize that the real refs are far from perfect themselves…Suspended head coach Sean Payton is proving how valuable he is to New Orleans. The Saints are off to a 0-3 start without him… The Saints were 13-3 last season…Tim Tebow (New York Jets) was a non-factor Sunday. He threw no passes, had two carries for 0 net yards and 0 catches on 1 target in a 23-20 OT win in Miami…Good-hit, no-field Detroit outgained Tennessee 583-437 in a 44-41 overtime road loss…Dallas beat visiting Tampa Bay 16-10 Sunday but continues to have problems rushing the football (23 carries for 38 yards)…The Cowboys are 8-9 in their last 17 home games the last two seasons after Sunday’s victory…In 13 career games against Indianapolis, Maurice Jones-Drew has averaged 107 yards rushing…Cleveland coach Pat Shurmur is 4-15 in his one-plus season…This hardly seems fair, but the Browns have a sort week to prepare to play in Baltimore Thursday night…Ryan Succop set a Kansas City Chiefs record with six field goals in a 27-24 OT win over New Orleans…The highest Las Vegas over/under Sunday as 53 points for the Chiefs at Saints. They combined to score 51…Why don’t more QBs use the pump fake like the master – Ben Roethlisberger?...Are the Philadelphia Eagles the most overrated team in the NFL or simply playing way below their talent level? They have 12 giveaways and are extremely fortunate to be 2-1…Through Week 3, only three teams are undefeated at 3-0 (Arizona, Atlanta and Houston) and only two teams are winless at 0-3 (Cleveland and New Orleans). After Monday night, 12 teams will be 2-1 and 15 teams will be 1-2…Since 1990, 75.7 percent of the teams starting 3-0 went on to make the playoffs.
WEEK 3 STAT PACK
Home teams (14-2 in Week 2) were 8-8 outright (30-17 this season) and 6-9-1 against the Las Vegas point spread (24-21-2 this season)
Las Vegas favorites were 6-10 outright (26-22 this season) and 3-12-1 against the spread (17-29-2 this season)
The first teams to score were 10-6 (29-19 this season)…Teams leading after the first quarter were10-4 (26-11)…Teams leading at halftime were 12-4 (36-11 this season)…Teams leading after three quarters were 11-4 (38-6 this season)
Teams with the most rushing yards were 11-5 (33-15 this season)…
Teams with the most passing yards were 10-6 (28-20 this season)
Teams winning the turnover battle were 8-6 (27-12 this season)
Teams with the fewest yards penalized were 9-7 (27-20 this season)
Teams leading in time of possession were 10-6 (31-17 this season)
Teams entering the game with the best record were 2-4 (4-9 this season)
There were 731 points in 16 games (45.7-point average)…There have been 2,287 points in 48 games (47.6-point average)
The AFC was 3-1 in interconference games Week 3 (NFC leads 8-4 this season).
--Week 3’s top performers: 300-yard passers: Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh) 384…Joe Flacco (Baltimore) 382…Jake Locker (Tennessee) 378 yards…Tom Brady (New England) 335…Andy Dalton (Cincinnati) 328…Peyton Manning (Denver) 316…Andrew Luck (313)…Mark Sanchez (Jets) 306…100-yard rushers: Jamaal Charles (Kansas City) 233 yards…Maurice Jones-Drew (Jacksonville) 177…Andre Brown (NY Giants) 113…Darren McFadden (Oakland) 113…Arian Foster (Houston) 105…Ray Rice (Baltimore (101)…Mikel Leshoure (Detroit) 100…100-yard receivers: A.J. Green (Cincinnati) 183 yards…Calvin Johnson (Detroit) 164…Santonio Holmes (NY Jets) 147…Wes Welker (New England) 142…Ramses Barden (NY Giants) 138…Eric Decker (Denver) 136…Torrey Smith (Baltimore) 127…Mike Wallace (Pittsburgh) 123…Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona) 114…T.Y. Hilton (Indianapolis) 113…Nate Washington (Tennessee) 112…Bandon Lloyd (New England) 108…Miles Austin (Dallas) 107.
BOB’S POWER RATINGS ENTERING WEEK 4:
1-Atlanta…2-Houston…3-Arizona…4-Baltimore…5-San Francisco…6-New York Giants…7—Chicago…8-Minnesota…9-San Diego…10—Buffalo…11-Dallas…12-New York Jets…13-Cincinnati…14-New England…15—Seattle…15—Philadelphia…17-Pittsburgh…18-Green Bay…19-Denver…20-Washington…21-Detroit…22-St. Louis…23-Tampa Bay…24-Miami…25-Oakland…26-Kansas City..27-Jacksonville…28-Carolina…29-Indianapolis…30-Tennessee…31-New Orleans…32-Cleveland.
WEEK 4 KEY GAMES INCLUDE:
New England at Buffalo – A good test to find out how good the Bills are…it won’t be easy minis C.J. Spiller (out a few weeks with a sprained shoulder)
Minnesota at Detroit – The surprising Vikings vs. the defensively-challenged Lions
San Diego at Kansas City – Will the true Chiefs please stand up
San Francisco at New York Jets – The 49ers will be fired up coming off a road loss to the Vikings
New Orleans at Green Bay – Will theSaints be 0-4 ot the Packers be 1-3?
New York Giants at Philadelphia – The Giants DL is not exactly what Michael Vick needs to see right now
Chicago at Dallas – Interesting Monday Night Football matchup.
YOUR HANDY RYDER CUP PRIMER
The 39th Ryder Cup will be played Friday through Sunday at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Ill. Thre United States leads Europe 25-11-2 since the competition began in 1937, but Europe has won 6 of the last 8 meetings, including 14 ½ to 13 ½ in 2010.
The captains are Davis Love III (U.S.) and Jose Maria Olazabal (Europe).
The U.S. has four Ryder Cup rookies (Brandt Snedeker, Jason Dufner, Weeb Simpson and Keegan Bradley) band Europe has only one (Nicolas Colsaerts).
Love’s four captain’s picks are Snedeker, Jim Furyk, Dustin Johnson and Steve Stricker. Olazabal’s two captain’s picks are Colsaerts and Ian Poulter.
The U.S. team has no players with a winning record in the Ryder Cup. Europe has eight players with winning records in the Ryder Cup.
The U.S. team:
Phil Mickelson – 8 previous Ryder Cups…34 matches…11-17-6 record…4-4 singles…25-4 foursomes…5-8-2 fourballs…14 of 34 points (.412)…40 PGA Tour wins
Jim Furyk – 7 previous Ryder Cups…27 matches…8-15-4 record…4-2-1 singles…3-5-2 foursomes…1-8-1 fourballs…10 of 27 points (.370),,,16 PGA Tour wins
Tiger Woods – 6 previous Ryder Cups…28 matches…12-14-2 record…4-1-1 singles…4-7-1 foursomes…4-6-0 fourballs…13 of 28 points (.464)…74 PGA Tour wins
Steve Stricker – 2 previous Ryder Cups…7 matches…3-3-1 record…1-1-0 singles…1-1-0 foursomes…1-1-1 fourballs…3.5 of 7 points (.500)…12 PGA Tour wins
Zach Johnson – 2 previous Ryder Cups…7 matches…3-3-1 record…1-1-0 singles…1-2-1 foursomes…1-0-0 fourballs…3.5 of 7 points (.500)…9 PGA Tour wins
Matt Kuchar – 1 previous Ryder Cup…4 matches…1-1-2 record…0-1-0 singles…1-0-0 foursomes…0-0-2 foursballs…3.5 of 7 (.500)…4 PGA Tour Wins
Dustin Johnson – 1 previous Ryder Cup…4 matches…1-3-0 record…1-0-0 singles…0-1-0 foursomes…0-2-0 fourballs…1 of 4 points (.250)…6 PGA Tour wins
Bubba Watson – 1 previous Ryder Cup…4 matches…1-3-0 record…0-1-0 singles…0-1-0 foursomes…1-1-0 fourballs…1 of 4 points (.250)…4 PGA Tour wins
Ryder Cup first-timers PGA Tour wins: Snedeker 4, Bradley and Simpson 3 each; Dufner 2.
USA Totals: 28 previous Ryder Cup appearances…115 matches…40-59-16 record…15-11-2 singles…12-22-8 foursomes…13-26-6 fourballs…48 of 115 points (.417)…176 PGA Tour wins.
The European team:
Lee Westwood (England) – 7 previous Ryder Cups…33 matches…16-11-6 record…2-5 -0 singles…7-2-4 foursomes…7-4-2 fourballs…19 of 33 points(.576)…2 PGA Tour wins
Sergio Garcia (Spain) – 5 previous Ryder Cups…24 matches…1-4 singles…8-0-1 foursomes…5-2-3 fourballs…16 of 24 points (.667)….8 PGA Tour wins
Luke Donald (England) – 3 previous Ryder Cups…11 matches…8-2-1 record…2-1-0 singles…6-0-0 foursomes…0-1-1 fourballs…8 ½ of 11 points (.773)…4 PGA Tour wins
Ian Poulter (England) – 3 previous Ryder Cups…11 matches…8-3-0 record…3-0-0 singles…2-1-0 foursomes…3-2-0 fourballs…8 of 11 points (.727)…0 PGA Tour wins
Graeme McDowell (Ireland) – 2 previous Ryder Cups…8 matches…4-2-2 record…2-0-0 singles…1-1-1 foursomes…1-1-1 fourballs…5 of 8 points (.625)…1 PGA Tour win
Peter Hanson (Sweden) – 1 previous Ryder Cup…3 matches…1-2-0 record…0-1-0 singles…0-1-0 foursomes…1-0-0 fourballs…1 of 3 points (.333)…0 PGA Tour wins
Martin Kaymer (Germany) – 1 previous Ryder Cup…4 matches…2-1-1 record…0-1-0 singles…0-0-1 foursomes…2-0-0 fourballs…2 ½ of 4 points (.625)…0 PGA Tour wins
Paul Lawrie (Scotland) – 1 previous Ryder Cup…5 matches…3-1-1 record…1-0-0 singles…1-1-0 foursomes…1-0-1 fourballs…3 ½ of 5 points (.700)…0 PGA Tour wins
Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) – 1 previous Ryder Cup…4 matches…1-1-2 record…0-0-1 singles…1-1-0 foursomes…0-0-1 fourballs…2 of 4 points (.500)…4 PGA Tour wins
Franceso Molinari (England) – 1 previous Ryder Cup…3 matches…0-2-1 record…0-1-0 singles…0-1-0 foursomes…0-0-1 fourballs…1/2 of 3 points (.166)…0 PGA Tour wins
Justin Rose (England) – 1 previous Ryder Cup…4 matches…3-1-0 record…1-0-0 singles…1-1-0 foursomes…1-0-0 fourballs…3 of 4 points (.750)…3 PGA Tour wins
Ryder Cup first-timer Nicolas Colsaerts has 0 PGA Tour wins.
European totals: 26 previous Ryder Cups…110 matches…60-32-18 record…12-13-1 singles…27-9-7 foursomes…21-10-10 fourballs…69 of 110 points (.627)…22 PGA Tour wins.
TV schedule: Friday 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ESPN…Saturday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. NBC Sports…Sunday noon-6 p.m. NBS Sports.
Bovada.lv.odds: USA favored (bet 140 dollars to win 100 dollars over Europe (bet 100 dollars to win 120 dollars)
Rochester native Walter Hagen captained the first six U.. Ryder Cup teams (4-2 record) and was 7-1-1 as a player.
BASEBALL NEWS, NOTES AND OPINIONS
The San Francisco Giants haven’t missed a beat since star outfielder Melky Cabrtera was suspended 50 games for a positive testosterone test Aug. 15. They were 64-53 and tied for first with the Dodgers in the NL West. The Giants are 25-10 since and head the Dodgers by games…The Pittsburgh Pirates are sinking fast and appear headed for a record 20th straight losing season. On Aug. 8, the Pirates were 63-47 and outscoring opponents 456-421 (+35). They are 12-30 since…--The amazing New York Yankees 10-9, 14-inning home victory over Oakland was the second time in history the Yankees won a game after trailing by four-or-more runs in extra innings, and the first time Oakland lost after leading by four-or-more runs in extra innings…Scott Diamond (Minnesota) beat Detroit 10-4 Sunday to boost his record to 12-8, 3.64 ERA. He began this season with Rochester…The Twins are 5-0 in split doubleheaders this season…Baltimore finally lost a one-run game Sunday, 2-1 at Boston, and is 27-9 in one-run games this season…Tampa Bay outscored Toronto 26-6 in a three-game weekend sweep…Mike Trout (Angels) has 124 runs, 2 short of Vladimir Guerrero’s team record (126 in 2004)…Alfonso Soriano (Cubs) has quietly had a fine season: 31 HRs and a career-most 105 RBI. He should have batted lower in the lineup years ago.
--Here are the remaining games for the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles in their intriguing battle for the American League East pennant. They both appear likely to make the playoffs, but neither team wants to settle for a wild-card berth and a one-game playoff to advance to the division round:
Yankees (3 home and 5 away) —at Minnesota Wednesday…at Toronto Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday…host Boston Monday Oct. 1, Tuesday Oct. 2 and Wednesday Oct. 3.
Orioles (4 home and 3 away) – at Toronto Wednesday…off Thursday…host Boston Friday, Saturday, Sunday…at Tampa Bay Monday Oct. 1, Tuesday Oct. 2, Wednesday Oct. 3.
--This sums up Boston’s season: The Red Sox are 0-7 in extra innings at home.
--The White Sox have hit a major league-most 94 HRs since the All-Star break.
--Ryan Howard (Philadelphia) hit his 300th career HR on his 1,093rd at-bat. The only player ever to reach 300 HRs in fewer at-bats was Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner (1,087th at-bat).
--Ichiro Suzuki as a New York Yankee: 57 games; .331 batting average (60x181); 21 runs; 10 doubles; 1 triple; 5 HRs; 23 RBI; 5 walks; 20 strikeouts; 12 stolen bases; .837 OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage).
STATS AND FACTS
Wilfredo Rohena has a chance to end John Davila Jr.’s 10-year reign as Finger Lakes Casino and Racetrack jockey champion. Davila, 48, has reduced his riding load and missed a few weeks with a shoulder injury this year. Rohena entered Monday with 96 victories out of 383 rides. Davila had 89 wins in only 251 rides. Underrated Jaime Rodriguez had 82 wins in 364 rides.
--Derek Jeter hits update” He entered Monday with 204 hits, the most in the majors. No. 2 Miguel Cabrera had 192 hits…Jeter has 3,296 career hits, No. 11 all-time. He needs 20 hits to pass No. 10 Eddie Collins and 24 more hits to top No. 9 Paul Molitor…He needs 961 hits to pass No. 1 Pete Rose (4,256)…The active players with the next-most hits are Alex Rodriguez (37th with 2,893), Omar Vizquel (41st with 2,874), Chipper Jones (58th with 2,723) and Ichiro Suzuki (80th with 2,592).
YOU MIGHT NOT AGREE WITH ME BUT…
Notre Dame has a tough defense but isn’t likely to finish in the Top 10 because it lacks quality quarterback play.
--The National League Cy Young Award looks like a two-man race between Gio Gonzalez (Washington) and R.A. Dickey (New York Mets). At this point, I give Dickey the edge because he plays for the far inferior team:
Gonzalez – 20-8 record for the 91-58 Nationals; 2.84 ERA (5th in NL); 1.12 WHIP; .204 batting average against; 193 1/3 innings; 143 hits; 73 walks; 201 strikeouts
Dickey – 19-6 record; for the 66-83 Mets; 2.66 ERA (leads NL); .104 WHIP; .223 batting average against; 220 innings; 177 hits allowed; 52 walks; 209 strikeouts
Kyle Lohse (St. Louis; 16-3; 2.77 ERA) will get plenty of 3rd- and 4th-place votes.
SHORT SHOTS
Cheers to Rod Baker, who is leaving the Rochester RazorSharks after seven terrific seasons (147-36 record and four championships) to become assistant coach of the NBA Development League Bakersfield (Calif.) Jam. He is terrific coach and a good guy. He plans to continue to call Rochester home…Rod’s success here reminded me of Mauro Panaggio, coach/GM of the old Rochester Zeniths (169-66 record in six seasons in the AABA and Continental Basketball Association (1977-78 through 1982-83)..
The Seattle Council has agreed to a tentative deal for a $490 million state-of-the-art arena that could lure NHL and NBA (again) franchises.
Forbes magazine’s list of America’s 400 richest people includes No. 23 Phil Knight (Nike), $13.1 billion…No. 108 Rochester native Malcolm Glazer and family (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Manchester United), $3.6 billion…No. 132 Terry Pegula (Sabres) $3 billion...No. 151 (T) Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys) $2.7 billion….No. 190 (T) Robert Rich Jr. (frozen foods) $2.4 billion…No. 206 (T) Mark Cuban (Dallas Mavericks) $2.3 billion….No, 206 (T) Robert Kraft (New England Patriots) $2.3 billion…No. 239 (T) Ted Turner $2 billion…No. 298 (T) Tom Golisano (Paychex) $1.6 billion.
Mexico will bid to host the 2026 World Cup.
The United States has won the Davis Cup a record 32 times since the competition began in 1900, but only once (2007) since 1995. Maybe that’s why hardly anyone besides tennis buffs much noticed or cared when the U.S. was eliminated by Spain this month. Australia is 2nd with 27 Davis Cup titles.
