Category: Sports

Commentary and news about sports and sports teams — and media coverage of them.

The Great Pujols

Four days after earning a World Series ring, Albert Pujols became only the sixth player to get a perfect 100 score in the annual player rankings.

The St. Louis Cardinals first baseman finished first at his position in plate appearances, batting average, on-base percentage, home runs and RBIs over the 2005 and 2006 seasons, according to rankings released Tuesday by the Elias Sports Bureau.

Since the rankings were created in the settlement of the 1981 strike, the only previous players to get perfect scores were New York Yankees first baseman Don Mattingly (1987), Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. (1991), Chicago White Sox first baseman Frank Thomas (1995), Houston first baseman Jeff Bagwell (1995) and Boston designated hitter Manny Ramirez (2002).

– SI.com

Four of the six were first basemen.

The Blind Side

NewMexiKen spent much of the day reading Michael Lewis’s The Blind Side. While I often recommend books, I hate to rave about them because I realize we have different interests, tastes and sensibilities. But if you have any interest whatsoever in NFL or college football or American socio-economic conditions, I urge you to get this wonderful work of nonfiction literature. Perhaps it even surpasses a need for those interests.

The Blind Side is the story of Michael Oher, a black virtually abandoned child from the worst slums of Memphis who gets admitted to a Christian prep school, adopted by a wealthy white family, and ends up at Ole Miss (where he’s currently in his second season.) Along the way, Lewis tells how the left offensive tackle became the second most valued position in pro football — because the left tackle protects the blind side of a right-handed quarterback.

We went to dinner again, but this time my wife, Tabitha, came along. When we got around to the subject of Michael Oher it took Sean [Oher’s guardian] about ten minutes to get her laughing, twenty to get her crying, and thirty to ruin the meal. But it was worth it, because in the car on the way home she said, “I don’t understand why you are writing about anything else.”

Three amusing, yet insightful passages:

“Where are his parents?” asked [prep school football coach Hugh] Freeze. He felt a twinge of interest. If a man who weighed 400 pounds was referring to someone else as “Big Mike” he’d like to see the size of that someone else.

She didn’t know a lot of gay people. White Evangelical Christian Memphis—which is to say most of East Memphis—wasn’t really designed to make black people feel comfortable in it, but if you had a choice of being black in East Memphis, or being gay in East Memphis, you’d think at least twice about it.

Of course, football players weren’t the only Ole Miss students majoring in Criminal Justice. But when the Criminal Justice program took the field trip to Parchman Farm—aka the Mississippi State Penitentiary—the football players were the only students with friends on the inside.

A fascinating, informative and moving story.

Why Do They Do This?

“During Thursday night’s Game 4, Fox cut to the crowd 222 times. It cut to the inside of the Detroit and St. Louis dugouts 153 times.

“That’s 375 images away from the field.”

— Richard Sandomir, New York Times

In many ways, sports television went downhill when they began to treat coverage like a television program rather than a sporting event. Damn Roone Arledge. “Ruin” Arledge, if you ask me.

But at least NewMexiKen didn’t have to watch all those crowd shots in high definition. Our local affiliate lost its over-the-air high definition signal midway through Thursday night’s game and still didn’t have it back before the World Series ended Friday night.

Oh, and while I certainly didn’t see all 222 crowd shots Thursday night, or as many Friday night, I saw enough to wonder why St. Louis didn’t permit any people of color to attend the games.

Perfect Balance

I just marvel that the distance between the bases in baseball was established around 150 years ago at 90 feet and ever since there have been split-second plays at first. The ball has changed, the bats have changed, gloves were invented and evolved, the players are stronger, faster, bigger — yet, after 150 years, 90 feet still works perfectly.

Pitchers and catchers report in 16 weeks.

Study Carefully, There Will Be a Quiz Later

Fans with tickets for Game 5 of the World Series, dated Thursday, October 26, should use them tonight for what has now become Game 4.

The rainout of Wednesday night’s game means that fans who had tickets for that game will use them on Friday night for Game 5. The theory behind the juggling is that it inconveniences the fewest number of fans. Rather than having two crowds of 46,000 having to rearrange their schedules, only one will. …

Those plans, of course, assume that a game will be played as scheduled tonight.

— St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Why is it?

Why is it that Fox could have cheap, sophomoric jokes about sexual organs on any of its comedies, run Viagra and Cialis commercials 24 by 7, and still can’t discuss it openly when the catcher takes a foul ball in the nuts?

Ivan Rodriguez is rolled up in the fetal position, writhing in pain on the ground and Tim McCarver says it looks like it hit him in the thigh. In fairness McCarver did mention the “cup” twice, but even “groin” didn’t venture into the description.

Testicles — they’re called testicles.

(Which would be about the only word found in the dictionary that Joe Buck didn’t use several thousand times each during the nine innings.)

Never Been

This came up in conversation recently. Which NFL franchises have never been to the Super Bowl?

There are six. Here they are (with the number of seasons they could have made it — there have been 40 Super Bowls).

Cardinals (40)
Lions (40)
Saints (39)
Browns (37)
Jaguars (11)
Texans (4)

The Browns, Cardinals and Lions are original NFL teams.

The new Browns franchise, which began play in 1999, is considered a continuation of the old Cleveland Browns, despite the fact that the team left Cleveland after 1995 and became the Ravens. (The Ravens won Super Bowl 35.) The Browns last won the NFL championship in 1964.

The Lions last won the NFL championship in 1957; the Cardinals in 1947 (as the Chicago Cardinals).

World Series Winners

This is the 102nd World Series. 22 franchises have won at least one World Series (which means 8 teams have not won any):

  • Yankees 26 (in 39 appearances)
  • Cardinals 9 [Update: Now 10]
  • Athletics 9 (5 in Philadelphia, 4 in Oakland, none in Kansas City)
  • Dodgers 6 (1 in Brooklyn, 5 in Los Angeles)
  • Red Sox 6
  • Giants 5 (all in New York)
  • Pirates 5
  • Reds 5
  • Tigers 4
  • Braves 3 (one each in Boston, Milwaukee and Atlanta)
  • Orioles 3 (none as the St. Louis Browns)
  • Twins 3 (two in Minnesota, one as the Washington Senators)
  • White Sox 3
  • Blue Jays, Cubs, Indians, Marlins, Mets 2 each
  • Angels, Diamondbacks, Phillies, Royals 1 each

Appeared in a Series, but haven’t won:

  • Padres (twice)
  • Brewers (once, while in American League)
  • Astros (once, last year)

Never been (and year began play):

  • Expos/Nationals (1969)
  • Devil Rays (1998)
  • Mariners (1977)
  • Rangers (1961)
  • Rockies (1993)

Just Wince, Baby

The Oakland Raiders are 0-5 this season, and their 13-3 loss to the Broncos on Sunday night was the 17th in their past 18 games against AFC West rivals.

“The Raiders have become room service,” wrote Bernie Lincicome of the Rocky Mountain News. “They are waxed fruit. They only look like the real thing, fooling no one with half an eye or a working nose. You used to lock up your silverware and children when the Raiders came to town.

“Now you send minivans to meet their plane.”

— Sideline Chatter

Stuff

The leading contender for the name of Albuquerque’s new far west side high school (recently approved by voters) is Volcano Vista. Five long dormant small cinder cone volcanoes top the west side mesa.

The Volcano Vista Vulcans. What else could it be?

The Chicago White Sox have figured out how to sell something new. Night games will now begin at 7:11 PM. Guess which convenience store chain gave them $500,000 for this change from 7:05?

The airship Hindenburg I learned tonight did not explode because it was filled with hydrogen. The outer skin of the big German aircraft — longer than three 747s — was painted with an iron oxide, powdered aluminum compound to reflect sunlight (to minimize heat build up). The powdered aluminum was highly flammable and was ignited by an electrostatic charge in the imperfectly grounded zeppelin.

How flammable is iron oxide and aluminum? It’s the fuel used to launch the Shuttle.

William and Mary and the NCAA

NewMexiKen thought this message from William and Mary President Gene R. Nichol was worth posting in full:

October 10, 2006

Dear Fellow Members of the William & Mary Community:

I write concerning the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s dispute with the College over our nickname and logo.

During the past several months, the NCAA has reviewed William & Mary’s athletic insignia to determine whether they constitute a violation of Association standards. On the more important front, the Committee concluded that the College’s use of the term “Tribe” reflects our community’s sense of shared commitment and common purpose. Accordingly, it will remain our nickname. The presence of two feathers on the logo, though, was ruled potentially “hostile and abusive.” We appealed that determination. The decision was sustained and has become final. We must now decide whether to institute legal action against the NCAA or begin the process of altering our logo.

I am compelled to say, at the outset, how powerfully ironic it is for the College of William & Mary to face sanction for athletic transgression at the hands of the NCAA. The Association has applied its mascot standards in ways so patently inconsistent and arbitrary as to demean the entire undertaking. Beyond this, William & Mary is widely acknowledged to be a principal exemplar of the NCAA’s purported, if unrealized, ideals.

Not only are our athletic programs intensely competitive, but according to the Association’s own Academic Progress Reports, the College ranks fifth among all institutions of higher learning in scholastic excellence. Each year, we graduate approximately 95% of our senior student athletes. During the past decade, two William and Mary athletes have been named Rhodes Scholars and 42 elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa, the national honorary society founded at the College in 1776. Meanwhile, across the country, in the face of massive academic underperformance, embarrassing misbehaviors on and off the field, and grotesque commercialization of intercollegiate athletics, the NCAA has proven hapless, or worse. It is galling that a university with such a consistent and compelling record of doing things the right way is threatened with punishment by an organization whose house, simply put, is not in order.

Still, in consultation with our Board of Visitors, I have determined that I am unwilling to sue the NCAA to further press our claims. There are three reasons for my decision. I’ll explain them in order.

First, failing to adhere to the NCAA logo ruling would raise the substantial possibility that William & Mary athletes would be foreclosed from competing at the level their attainments and preparations merit. Two years ago, for example, we hosted a thrilling semifinal national championship football game against James Madison University. At present, we are barred from welcoming such a competition to Williamsburg — in football or any other sport. I believe it is our obligation to open doors of opportunity and challenge for our students, not to close them. I will not make our athletes pay for our broader disagreements with a governing association. We have also consulted with our coaches and student athletic advisory council on the matter. They are of the same mind.

Second, given the well-known challenges that this and other universities face — in assuring access to world-class education, in supporting the research and teaching efforts of our faculties, and in financing and constructing twenty-first-century laboratories and facilities — I am loath to divert further energies and resources to an expensive and perhaps multi-faceted lawsuit over an athletic logo. Governing requires the setting of priorities. And our fiercest challenges reside at the core of our mission. I know, of course, that more than one member of our understandably disgruntled community would likely be willing to help finance litigation against the NCAA. Those dollars are better spent in scholarship programs.

Third, the College of William & Mary is one of the most remarkable universities in the world. It was a national treasure even before there was a nation to treasure it. I am unwilling to allow it to become the symbol and lodestar for a prolonged struggle over Native American imagery that will likely be miscast and misunderstood — to the detriment of the institution. Our challenge is greatness. Our defining purpose is rooted in the highest ideals of human progress, achievement, service, and dignity. Those are the hallmarks of the College of William & Mary. They will remain so.

I know this decision will disappoint some among us. I am confident, however, that it is the correct course for the College. We are required to hold fast to our values whether the NCAA does so or not. In the weeks ahead, we will begin an inclusive process to consider options for an altered university logo. I invite you to participate. And I am immensely grateful for your efforts and energies on behalf of the College.

Go Tribe. Hark upon the gale.

Sincerely,

Gene R. Nichol
President
College of William & Mary

Message forwarded by Jill (William & Mary, 1992), official older daughter of NewMexiKen.

William and Mary Logo

The logo in question.

Blitz? I Don’t Think So! You Blitz.

Discussing The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis, Jason Kottke suggests a fascinating idea:

Many of the left tackles that Lewis talks about in the book can run faster than most quarterbacks, they can throw the ball just as far or farther (as a high school sophomore, Michael Oher could stand at the fifty-yard line and toss footballs through the goalposts), possess great athletic touch and finesse, have the intellect to run an offense, move better than most QBs, know the offense and defense as well as the QB, are taller than the average QB (and therefore has better field vision over the line), and presumably, at 320-360 pounds, are harder to tackle and intimidate than a normal QB. Sounds like a good idea to me.

Suspending Officials?

Mark Cuban sounds off on the blown call situation. An excerpt:

There is a reason why there is so much secrecy around officiating in college football and basketball; to protect the people doing the hiring. If you dont have to worry about scrutiny, why not throw the people you hired under the bus ? Or if you can, just lie about the entire situation and tell everyone it was the right call, or say nothing at all so all the suspicion falls on the games officials.

In the Oklahoma game, the officials got it wrong according to statements from their bosses, and of course the many Tivo replays. Of course the bosses conveniently left out that the replay official wasnt provided all the angles that TV viewers saw, or that the equipment dosnt provide for freeze frame. Freeze frame is what, a $99 dollar software upgrade ?.

Conveniently leaving out key information that would change the publics expectation of the person actually doing the job is one quick and easy way for management to throw their employees under the bus. Which is exactly what happened here.The result was the suspended replay official being harassed and threatened and suffering physical repurcussions.
…

Oklahoma fans suggested it was a conspiracy by the Pac 10. The Pac 10 said nothing. When you hear such inflammatory comments without response, its never the work force with the problem, its management. Just ask any PR firm that specializes in crisis management.

When you see problems on a repetitive basis in any profession, the first place to look isnt the people on the job, its the people managing the people on the job.

Do You Know Why?

“By 2004, the five most highly paid N.F.L. left tackles were earning an average of nearly $3 million a year more than the five most highly paid right tackles and more than the five most highly paid running backs and wide receivers.”

On the average, left offensive tackle is the second highest paid position in the NFL after quarterback.

Why left offensive tackle?

Think about it. Answer in comments.

The quotation is from The Ballad of Big Mike, an article based on Michael Lewis’ new book.

The Blind Side

Malcolm Gladwell writes:

“I just had the pleasure of reading an advance copy of the new book by Michael Lewis, the author of, among other things, MoneyBall and Liars Poker. Its called the The Blind Side. It is simply sensational. It will be in bookstores October 2nd.”

There’s more on this book and other sportswriting. Don’t miss it.

Update: And here’s an article based on the book — The Ballad of Big Mike.

They’d Better Fight Like Wildcats

Former USC coach John McKay, bless his heaven-sent soul, used to analyze Trojan opponents by listing both starting lineups, side by side, on a blackboard. McKay used a point system to grade each player, 1 to 5, with 5 as the best.

When McKay completed grading each player, he totaled the figures and, most Saturdays, stepped back and lit a cigar.

On the few occasions opponents had more points, McKay would turn, and with his dry wit, say, “Well, men, it looks like we’ll need some brilliant coaching today.”

Story told in The Arizona Daily Star today by sports columnist Greg Hansen. Hansen did a McKay-like inventory for today’s game between USC and Arizona and figured 20 of the best 22 play for the Trojans; the other two play for the Wildcats.

It has always troubled NewMexiKen by the way, as an Arizona alum, that the nickname Wildcats came after a game against Occidental College in 1914. The Los Angeles Times‘ Bill Henry wrote: “The Arizona men showed the fight of wildcats….” The name stuck. The troubling part wasn’t that the game was versus Occidental. The troubling part is that Arizona got its nickname from a game they lost 14-0.

58…59…60

The Phillies Ryan Howard hit his 58th home run this evening — he has nine games left after tonight.

Only five players — Bonds (73), McGwire (70, 65), Sosa (66, 64, 63), Maris (61) and Ruth (60) — have hit 60.

Think Howard will make it? Do you hope he will? Do you think he cheats? Do you care?

Birthday Folks

Red Auerbach is 89.

Red Auerbach is the architect and mastermind behind one of the most dominant franchises in professional sports history, the Boston Celtics. The cigar-chomping Auerbach wasn’t a passive bench coach, but an aggressive, demanding and often volatile mentor who coached 11 Hall of Famers and led Boston to 10 Eastern Division titles in 16 years. Auerbach’s passionate style reaped large rewards. From 1959 to 1966, the Celtics won eight straight NBA championships, a streak unmatched in sports history. His 938-479 (.662) career coaching record currently ranks fifth all-time in NBA history. Auerbach led Boston to 99 playoff victories, third all-time behind Phil Jackson and Pat Riley. (Basketball Hall of Fame)

Academy Award winning actress Sophia Loren is 72 today. She won the best actress Oscar for Two Women (La Ciociara). (A film well-worth seeing even 45 years later.) Loren was nominated but did not win for Marriage Italian Style (Matrimonio all’italiana).

Running Away

NewMexiKen missed this in the Times last week, but thought it worth drawing attention to — When Being Varsity-Fit Masks an Eating Disorder. The article begins:

For a runner, Alex DeVinny wasn’t all that skinny on the day that she won a state track title in 2003. At 17, she was 5-foot-8 and weighed 125 pounds.

Few people watching her run the 3,200 meters in 10 minutes 53 seconds would have guessed that she had had symptoms of an eating disorder since age 9 and that she had yet to start menstruating. Her coach didn’t know. The college recruiters certainly did not know.

She was never going to run for those colleges. The summer after she won the title, Ms. DeVinny, from Racine, Wis., began to run even harder and eat even less. When she came out for cross-country in the fall, she looked frail and underweight. Her coach was concerned enough to prevent her from competing in several meets, but he allowed her to do two-thirds of her training. He never asked about her menstrual periods and did not know about her anorexia.

Ms. DeVinny sneaked in extra workouts, but her dazzling window of athleticism had already begun to close. “Her body kind of broke down during her senior year,” said her sister Gabby Fekete, 27. “She had lived on adrenaline.”

Last March, Ms. DeVinny died from cardiac arrest related to her starvation. She was 20 and weighed roughly 70 pounds.