"Bringing you the Thrill of Victory & the Agony of Defeat..."

Since I started posting again about a month ago, I have been seeking a good title.  Perhaps last week I inadvertently stumbled upon my weekly tag line as "The Saturday Sports Extravaganza" - now for the moment so titled.  This particular line of thought led me through the various sports anthologies that have been on - the CBS Sports Spectacular and of course, the Granddaddy of them all, ABC's Wide World of Sports.

Take a little stroll down memory lane and watch this video:

http://youtu.be/w1FWG0WziRU

Hosted for the most part by Jim McKay, the Wide World of Sports is what most of used to facilitate that Saturday afternoon nap.  It also served to introduce us to sports not otherwise available on broadcast TV.  Some of the events that stick in my mind include the Acapulco cliff divers and the demolition derby.  While researching this, I was surprised to learn that WWS was the first to broadcast Wimbledon and the Indy 500.  It was truly a pioneering sport show that also created the almost as exciting Pro Bowlers Tour spin-off along with American Sportsman and Superstars (which was fun).   In 1998 after 37 years on the air, Jim McKay announced the end of the Wide World of Sports. We certainly have more options for sports now - all live of course - and we have a multitude of options for sports talk shows, but I can't help but feel a little bit nostalgic about the "thrill of victory" and "the agony of defeat" - which pretty much sums up my golf game.

The Saturday Morning Face-off:  Magic Johnson Versus LeBron James

This weeks debate centers around choosing between Magic Johnson and LeBron James.  I remove the whole Michael Jordan debate because there isn't one.  A lot of people are willing to compare Jordan and his accomplishments so easily these days with respect to James, but I think that discussion is still a long way off.  Consider the Jordan - at the peak of his career - retired to go play baseball. It is possible that if he had not decided to pursue that passion that he would have won 7 titles in a row.    

So let's look at Johnson vs. James.  Johnson, in my opinion, is often left out of many best player debates for reasons that I can't understand.  Magic could play every position on the court and play it well.  He was a 3 - time MVP in the era of Larry Bird and Celtic domination.  He took the Lakers to 9 NBA finals and collected 5 rings.  

What is really impressive is that Magic is second all-time with 138 Triple Doubles.  His career numbers are 19.5 ppg, 7.2 rebounds and 11.2 assists.

With all of Magic's assets, most of his career he had a great supporting cast, a situation that has only recently unfolded for James who is arguably the most dominant player in the game today.  He already has 3 MVP awards and is the youngest player to reach 20,000 points.  He has 35 career triple doubles and recently went on a tear of 60% or better shooting.  His career numbers are 27.6 ppg, 7.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists.

So at the end of the day, I still think Magic is underrated when we look at the greatest players ever.  I am sure he will always be in the Top 50 all time players, just like James, but I doubt he is going to get much talk as the best ever.  I suppose if I had to choose which player I would pick to build a franchise around, I would have to pick James because he is such a brute force, but I my heart is still with Magic.

Iditarod 2013 is only 1 week away!

  The Great Race is ready to kick off in just 7 days and I will be providing YouGab with my regular updates on the run across Alaska.  This year they are running the Southern Route which is 998 miles from Anchorage to Nome.   The race was first run in 1973 and the name "Iditarod" comes from the local word for "clear water" - as is the case with the Iditarod River.  

The dog teams run through thousand of booties to protect the sensitive paws of the trail dogs and there are mandates rest stops along the way.  

Last year, Aily Zirkle finished second, the best finish by a woman musher since Dee Dee Jonrow won the event several years ago.  It will be interesting to see if Aily can make up the 2 hour difference this year.

Lance Mackey won 4 years in a row before losing the last couple of races.  He was a minor celebrity after his last win...must have gone to his head, making all those big bucks!!

Odds & Ends...

It looks like Gio Gonzales is going to be the only one who is actually cleared in the Miami PED scandal.  Word here is that MLB is in agreement with Gio's denial of drug purchases from the clinic.  Could it be that one ball player is not lying?!

Jason Werth followed his "best team on paper" comment about the Nationals with a thought that the team could win 120 games.  That would not just be the best team in baseball this year, but would be the best ever....really, I like the Nationals chances, but that is really putting it out there.  

I think I am going to throw together an eggplant parm today...with potentially sketchy eggplant...should it go well, I will post my mom's famous recipe.  It's a little easier on the gastro-intestinal tract than the chili!

I picked up a new telephoto lens this week...time to test it out on the local bird population.  The red tailed hawk population has really exploded in recent years.  If I can get a decent pic, I will throw that up here...birding counts as a sport, right?

I won't step on Qwazier's space and talk about Daytona...I just hope my fantasy team kicks butt.   For the record, I picked Danica before she won the pole.

See you next week!

NBA weekend, Kentucky, Jerry Buss, all this and more in this weeks edition of…

This and That

Sorry this is late. I worked 12 hours and just got home. Please excuse any grammar or spelling errors.

Ben Pike, a football player at the University of Toledo, has left the team so he could be with his fiancee as she undergoes treatment for leukemia. Pike is a foot, 3-inch 260-pound defensive lineman who would have been a starter next season. Ben was informed in January that his fiancee, Ashlee Barrett, leukemia had returned. Ben Pike thought it was more important to turn his attention to his future wife then to play football. A very noble thing to do.

Does anyone feel sorry for the Kentucky baseball program? Nah. They have have the number one recruiting class year-in-year out so why should we. Come to think of it How come Wiltier hasn’t picked it up. He was the #3 center in the nation in his recruiting class. Then again Poythress was #3 as a SF, Goodwin was #3 as a SG. Noel wasn’t going to make the Wildcats that much better.

Calipari, listen up, when you live by the one-and-done, you die by the one-and-done.

Congratulations to Danica Patrick in becoming the first women to win the pole in any Sprint Cup Race. Danica averaged 196.434 mph in winning the pole.

With winning the pole position, and how she conducted herself in interviews after the achievement, you can see that Danica is maturing as a NASCAR driver.

Coronado High School Basketball student team manger with special needs, Mitchell Marcus, played for the first time in his four years with the team during a game versus their rival team, Franklin High.

Peter Morales, Coronado’s head coach, stated that "Mitchell has been a big part of this team and this team's success," said Morales. The only way he could reward Marcus was to give the senior something special: He wanted Marcus to suit up. "It was going to be a surprise for him, so during our shoot-around Tuesday, I gave him a uniform, and his eyes just sparkled. He was ready for the moment," said Morales. "That would have been enough," said Amy Marcus, Mitchell Marcus's mom. So with the team leading by 14 points coach Morales put Marcus into the game. "We were so grateful the kids got us a big enough lead that everyone felt comfortable letting Mitchell in, which was amazing," said Amy Marcus. "It gave you chills and just to hear the crowd go Mitchell, Mitchell, Mitchell," said Morales. "There aren't words to describe it. But the entire section, the whole Coronado section was standing up and cheering. There was not one person sitting down," said Amy Marcus. Coronado’s players kept giving Mitchell the ball and he just kept missing. With time winding down the ball was in rival Franklins possession. But in the classiest act of the year, Jon Montanez, a Franklin player had the ball, he then passed the ball to Mitchell. Mitchell took the shot and he made it. "That was just the most incredible sportsmanship I've ever seen," said Amy Marcus. The crowd rushed the court, lifting Marcus onto their shoulders, chanting, "Mitchell! Mitchell!" "To put away the rivalry for a persons special moment in his life, was just amazing," said Morales, who also credited the Franklin team, coach and officials for their sportsmanship. "I was bawling, just bawling. Every mom around me was bawling," said Amy Marcus."The kids from both sides did everything possible to make Mitchell's night be beyond anyone's expectations, with such a rivalry between the two schools, everyone dropped the rivalry," she added.

There needs to be a change to the NBA All-Star game. It has no real shooting. Yeah they shoot a little three pointer here and there or another outside shot every 6 minutes to make the purists happy. But, for the most part it is simply a slam-a-jam contest, that quite frankly is getting boring.

Sorry to say, but to make it more competitive, the NBA all-star game is going to have to do what baseball did, and that is the winning conferences best team gets home court advantage for the NBA finals.

Ah, but to make it more interesting the following rules should apply:

All teams must be represented. If a team is not represented by a player as a starter then they will be selected as a substitute So if one team has 3 starters on the team and one from two other teams, then a player from each team (total of 12 players) should be added to the team for a total of 17 players. If the other conference has only two starters from the same team and three player from three different teams then they can have 12 players added from other teams, but at least one player from every team must be represented.

All players must play a minimum of 3 minutes.

I like the shooting competition because you at least have to shoot the ball around the three point line. The dunk contest sucks because for the most part its the same type of dunk.

How about passing skills? Have garbage cans lined up in different positions and different heights and angles (something like the NHL’s shooting skills contest), . Have a timer of 45 seconds and see how many basketballs a player get put in the garbage can. For each successful pass $1,000 goes to the players charity. The winner of the contest will get $100,000 for their favorite charity.

A legend, in the world of owners has passed away. Los Angeles Lakers owner, Jerry Buss died at the age of 80 of kidney failure. In the steal of the century Jerry purchased the Lakers, Kings, The Forum and 13,000 acres for only $67 million (that was a lot back in 1979). Turning his reign the Lakers won 19 Division Championships, appeared in 16 Finals and won 10 NBA Titles.

Til Next Time

Scott

As players start to pour into camp, the 2013 offseason has officially come to an end. There were a flurry of moves this winter, with some teams being labeled as obvious winners, while others did little to better their chances in 2013.

That said, not all moves made were of the blockbuster type. Some had a little bit of subtlety to them. Its these moves that define a season and build winners. With that in mind, I thought it would be fruitful to review five of the most underrated moves completed in the shadows.

Washington Nationals Trade for Denard Span

The Nationals entered the winter with few holes to fill, yet they made focused moves like adding Rafael Soriano as closer, signing Dan Haren, and re-upping with Adam LaRoche. Oh, and they get this guy named Stephen Strasburg back without restraints this season. But people forget that they acquired Denard Span from the Twins in exchange for Alex Meyer. While the 23-year-old Meyer is a solid prospect, the Nationals possess plenty of pitching depth and they dealt from that strength to add a solid top-of-the-order hitter with a plus glove. Span will allow the rest of the Nationals line-up to slot into their proper roles, while setting the table nicely with his .357 career OBP.

Blue Jays Sign Melky Cabrera

Everyone who knows baseball knows the story of Melky Cabrera and his strange 2012 season. He wins the All-Star Game MVP, hits .346 with 11 home runs, 60 RBI, and a .906 OPS while putting up a 4.7 bWAR. Oh and Cabrera received a 50-game ban for synthetic testosterone and then concocted a bone-headed ploy to cover it up. Toronto picked him up during their offseason spree, signing him to a two-year $16 million deal, hoping that he'll come back strong with something to prove. The price tag was far below what Cabrera was likely in line for had his season been legit. The fact that Alex Anthopoulos got him to ink a contract for two seasons in what should have been a one-year rebuilding project for Cabrera was either pure genius or a big mistake. It will be worthwhile seeing how this one shakes out.

Justin Upton Rejects Trade to the Mariners

Upton did what was within his contract rights when he refused to accept a trade to the Seattle Mariners. In the end, this was a great outcome for Seattle. The Mariners showed fans that they legitimately wanted to improve the team by chasing Upton. However, by losing Upton they gained much more. Holding onto key prospects Taijuan Walker, Nick Franklin, and Stephen Pryor, they hold on to a core of players that is not far away from the Major Leagues. In the wake of possible issues with the elbow of Felix Hernandez, having highly-qualified farm depth won't hurt them either.In the end, they added Michael Morse at a far lesser cost and didn't sacrifice the future to do so.

Red Sox Sign Koji Uehara

In a season ruled by middle relievers hitting it big on the free agent market, the Boston Red Sox struck early and plucked one of the most underrated players off the market for a fraction of the price. Koji Uehara signed with Boston for a 1-year, $4.25 million deal, far below that negotiationed by the likes of Mike Adams (2-year, $12 million), Brandon League (3-year, $22.5 million), and Jeremy Affeldt (3-year, $18 million). Uehara's 7.97 K/BB ratio is the best in MLB history, giving them a dependable, shut-down arm on the way to the closer. Boston saw first hand how Baltimore's pen construction was a model to follow in 2013, so they set out to build a deep, competent bullpen for this season.

Rays Get Wil Myers In Exchange for James Shields

If there is one thing the Rays have done, it has been mastering the art of knowing when to flip players for maximum value. The deal also involved Wade Davis going to Kansas City, but in return Tampa Bay acquired a young, impact bat to pair with Evan Longoria for years to come. Myers will likely start the season at Triple-A, so that Tampa can maximize his service clock, but once he arrives, look for Myers to be injected immediately into the meat of the order. Andrew Friedman has an unique eye for talent and he has rarely been wrong. Myers will be something special and Tampa has excellent pitching depth to overcome the loss of Shields and Davis. This was a huge win for the Rays.

Valentine’s Gift?? Raider’s covering up?? All this and more in this weeks edition of…

My wife asked me what I wanted for Valentine’s day so I showed her this picture:

Now I’m in the dog house. Oh well. At least I can enjoy my Valentine’s Day.

You might not have seen this on ESPN, or the NFL website, but the Oakland Raiders are tarping off sections of the Oakland Coliseum to reduce the capacity by 10,000 sets to avoid blackouts. Attendance will max out at 53,200. The Raiders "described the decision as a 'tool' to ensure games remain on local television as well as to promote more of a community and family-friendly atmosphere."

At least the 2-14 Jacksonville Jaguars averaged over 64,500 fans per game and they have 4 sections covered. Well for two of the games they took one section of tarp down and for another game (New England) they took two sections down.

How come the City of Tampa has any major league sports teams in their city? The Tampa Bay Rays were last in attendance, 19,255 fans per game and they have had a playoff caliber team for the last four years. When they did make the playoffs there were a lot of empty seats. Tampa Bay Buccaneers average 55,102 fans per game which is only 83% of capacity. The only team that people go to are the Tampa Bay Lighting which averages 18,000 fans per game which is 96.2% of capacity.

Is there a dominate college basketball team?? Could it be the Miami Hurricanes?? Indiana?? Duke?? Michigan?? Cuse?? Gonzaga?? Who knows, but one thing is clear, it will not be easy to do this years NCAA Brackets.

Edith Houghton, the first female scout in major league baseball history passed away at the age of 100. Before becoming a scout, Edith played baseball for the Philadelphia Bobbies, New York Bloomer Girls and the Hollywood Girls during the 1920s and 1930s before the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was formed. She served in the Navy during World War II. Upon returning from the War she contacted Bob Carpenter, Owner of the Philadelphia Phillies and asked to work as a scout. Carpenter was so impressed with a scrapbook Houghton compiled he hired her immediately. She signed 15 players during her career none of which earned a call to the big leagues.

The International Olympic Committee has decided to eliminate wrestling from the Olympics starting in 2020. I’m not going to go into the specifics of why they did it, Average Det Fan did a great job doing that.

Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling (TNA) posted an article about this incident. They are encouraging fan to take to social media to let your voices be heard. Speak out using #SaveOlympicWrestling and @Olympics

Til Next Time

Scott

Can anyone sing the Anthem correctly?? What about America the Beautiful?? Props to Ray Lewis, Maybe?? Streak broken?? NFL Hall of Fame and NFL awards in this edition of……

Just worked my first off day in years, plus they had me come in five hours earlier than my normal time. What a difference. I have been so use to working after 6 pm all my Postal life and on my off day they had me come in at 1pm. By 7:30pm my eyes were heavy. The good thing is the time change only happens when I work my off day. Tuesday I was at work my normal time.

Two minutes, twenty-three point six seconds, that’s how long it took to drag out the National Anthem. I’m sick of Rock’n rollers, Blues, Rap, Pop, Country, Soul, anyone that has to play it to please themselves. How about singing the National Anthem the way it was suppose to be and put an end the this crap.

While I’m at it, why did Jennifer Hudson have to mess it up for the Sandy Hook Kids? What a way to ruin America the Beautiful.

Congrats to the Baltimore Ravens on winning the Super Bowl.

Congrats on Ray Lewis ending his career a winner. I don’t like you as a person. You’re a phony and I’ll end it at that.

Nah, I won’t. If you ever work as a football analysis for any station. I will not watch it. Just like I turned off anything that was related to Ray Lewis during the long hours that ESPN, NFL network and CBS did this past Sunday. If you were half the man you are as an outstanding Linebacker you would be a great person. But, your not.

Wow, after losing 228 games in a row, California Institute of Technology (Caltech) baseball team won its first game in 10 years by winning 9-7 over Pacifica.

Congratulations to the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2013:

Guard/Tackle Larry Allen:

Played 14 seasons, 12 with the Dallas Cowboys and 2 with the San Francisco 49ers. 11 time Pro Bowl player and 6 time first team All Pro. Play every position on the line except center.

Wide Receiver Chris Carter:

Long overdue selection. Chris played 16 seasons, 12 with the Minnesota Vikings, 3 with the Philadelphia Eagles and one with the Miami Dolphins, amassing 13,899 yards in 1,101 receptions and 130 touchdowns. 8 time Pro Bowl player, 2 time First Team Pro Bowler and the 1999 Walter Payton Man of the Year. Number retired by the Minnesota Vikings.

Defensive Tackle/Nose Tackle/Guard: Curley Culp:

Played 14 seasons, 6½ seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, 5½ seasons with the Houston Oilers and 2 seasons with the Detroit Lions. One fumble recovery for a touch down. 6 time Pro Bowl Player and 1 First Team All Pro.

Tackle/Guard Jonathan Ogden:

Played 12 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. Has two receptions for two yards and two touchdowns. Played in 11 Pro Bowls and a 6 time All Pro.

Coach Bill Parcells:

Every team he coached he turned them into winners. Bill coached for 19 years for the New York Giants winning Super Bowls in 1987 and 1991, New England Patriots who he led to the Super Bowl in 1997, New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys. Parcells ended his career with a 172-130-1 record.

Linebacker Dave Robinson:

Played 12 years, 10 with the Green Bay Packers and 2 with the Washington Redskins. Dave had 27 interceptions with one being returned for a touchdown. A 3 time Pro Bowl player and a one time First Team All Pro.

Defensive Tackle Warren Sapp:

Played 13 years, 9 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and 4 with the Oakland Raiders. Had 96½ sacks and 4 interceptions (one for a touchdown) while playing DT. Helped turn Tampa Bay into a winning team. A 7 time Pro Bowl player, 4 time first team All Pro , won the 1999 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

The 2^nd Annual NFL Honors show gave out its awards this past Saturday. These awards are voted on by 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL. Here are the recipients:

Adrian Peterson Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year:

Who would have thought that Peterson would come back to play at the beginning of the year after messing up his knee, a career-threatening major knee surgery, at the end of the 2011 season? Well not only did he come back, he came back with a bang, rushing for 2,097 and 12 touchdowns. Peterson also had 217 yards receiving with one touchdown. What’s more telling he was a workhorse, with 348 carries and 40 receptions and averaged 144.7 total yards per game (131.1 rushing a career high and 13.5 receiving).

A cut above any player in the NFL.

Adrian Peterson 30½ votes

Payton Manning 19½ votes

J.J Watts Defensive Player of the Year:

Okay, the Houston Texas defensive was worse than last year, and it should have with the loss of Mario Williams, who left the team for the Buffalo Bills. But Texans improved their record to 12-4 and J.J. had a stellar season. 20.5 sacks (up from 5.5 a year ago), forced 4 fumbles and blocked 16 passes. Watts was selected to his first Pro Bowl and a First team All Pro in his second season with the team.

J.J. Watts 49 votes

Von Miller 1 vote

Bruce Arians Coach of the Year:

Bruce had to take over for Coach Chuck Pagano who was diagnosed with leukemia. Under normal circumstances, this would have devastated any team, yet Arians used it as a rallying point to guide the Colts to a 9-3 record and into the playoffs, this becoming the first interim coach to win the award.

Peyton Manning Comeback Player of the Year:

Peyton missed all of 2011 due to problems with his neck. Be we know that wasn’t the real reason the Colts let him go. It was because he was due a $25 million dollar roster bonus. The Colts loss was the Broncos gain because Manning led Denver to a 13-3 record and a first place finish in the AFC West Division. Peyton threw for 4,659 yards and 37 touchdowns while throwing only 11 interceptions.

Peyton Manning 31½ votes

Adrian Peterson 17½ votes

Jamaal Charles 1 vote

Robert Griffin III Offensive Rookie of the Year:

Robert led the Redskins to their first NFC East Division Title since 1999 finishing with a 10-6 record. RG3 threw for 3,200 yards and 20 touchdowns passing while throwing only 5 interceptions. He also rushed for 815 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Robert Griffin 29 votes

Andrew Luck 11 votes

Russell Wilson 10 votes

Luke Kuechly Defensive Rookie of the Year:

The Panthers didn’t make the playoffs this year but it wasn’t the fault of Kuechly who led the NFL in tackles with 164 and had two interceptions. The key was his move to middle linebacker which helped Carolina’s defensive improve to 10^th in the league.

Luke Kuechly 28 votes

Bobby Wagner 11 votes

Casey Howard 6 votes

Janoris Jankins 3 votes

Lavonte David 2 votes

Til Next Time

Scott