Should the NFL Go Tweetless?

Throwing you a bender because I just thought you should know...

Is anyone in the NFL offices really monitoring Twitter? Are all of these tweets and followers slipping under the radar of league honchos? Is this social media a very slippery slope that the NFL is heading precariously towards? Or am I the only one astonished at the frequency with which these players try to jeopardize their income, careers and livelihood?

During the recent bounty situation with the Saints, normally classy Drew Brees stands up for his coach, Sean Payton. No problem there but, ooops, Brees finishes his tweet with "I need to hear an explanation for this punishment." Did he miss Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner, clearly stating it about 500 times on ESPN last week? Did he miss the part where Goodell explained how the NFL was even lied to about the bounties once they had discovered them? I applaud the loyalty but someone of Brees' stature and position might be able to find a better way to express it.

But Twitter takes us even further into the depths of the NFL. "QBKilla,"  who is also known as Warren Sapp of the NFL Network, tweets that Jeremy Shockey of the Saints is the "snitch" in the bounty situation. Shockey denies the claim via Twitter then goes on Yahoo Sports and says he would never do that "to Payton and the Saints."

If I am reading this correctly, Sapp is starting this contest of idiocy by basically declaring that anyone (in this case, Shockey) who would make the league aware that potential career ending bounties are being put on players by a team is wrong to do so. He is even doing this on the NFL's own network!

Shockey, an offensive player, replies by saying he would never expose them. Shouldn't we expect him to be saying that he knew nothing about it? Is he really saying that he and maybe other members of the offense knew about the fund and payments and just said nothing at all? Could this include Brees?

Goodell dropped the hammer on Payton, defensive coach Gregg Williams and the Saints but, in comparison, it was a light hammer. Mickey Loomis, the general manager, only received an eight game suspension while Payton only received one year. These people and the Saints are lucky that Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis was not in charge!

Now it has been a few weeks since Tim Tebow has been mentioned in every other story. So by putting him on the market, he was brought back into the daily news. Unfortunately, his trade to the Jets put Drew Stanton in the position of being demoted to third string QB and having access to Twitter. But he allowed his agent, Deryk Gilmore, to take up the tweeting for him and bash the Jets. Gilmore is slamming the Jets move via Twitter by saying Tebow is a "gimmick to sell tickets." Basically, Gilmore has now reduced the league by one team in regards to the chance any of his clients have of getting a big contract from New York.

Stanton and Gilmore follow that up by demanding a trade. Stanton is upset and frustrated about being demoted and not being 2nd string? His career stats for four seasons are 12 games, 5 TD passes, 9 interceptions, 4 fumbles and playing on a team that went 0-16 for a season. Shouldn't he be happy just to be a 5th string punter and not a fast food drive-thru attendant? We know Tebow is a work in progress but at least he won some games and a big playoff match up. What is Stanton really whining about?

But maybe where we really need Goodell to throw his weight around is in the Twitter arena. How about a three day waiting period and a committee review before players and agents are allowed to hit "send" on a tweet? While the NFLPA might vehemently argue, careful analysis might reveal this would be good for the union!

To me, all this NFL nonsense and Twitter ridiculousness can only mean one thing...that baseball and Opening Day cannot get here fast enough. Play ball!

All this because I know more about nothing...

Who Made That Call? Boy Umpire!

Throwing you a bender because I just thought you should know...

Jeter comes up with a runner on first for the Yankees. He rips the first pitch towards the left field corner, right on the line. Crawford races over for the Red Sox, fielding the ball cleanly and firing it into third base attempting to nail the incoming runner. Youkilis takes the throw and applies the tag...in time? No, the umpire signals safe and the Fenway crowd is upset.

Throughout the remainder of the game, they boo every move and call made by the third base umpire. but do they realize why there is a third base umpire AND that they are booing the wrong man?

Billy Evans, boy umpire, is the man to thank for many umpiring innovations. After leaving Cornell Law School in 1904 because of his father's death, Evans returned to Youngstown, Ohio and landed a job as a sports reporter for the newspaper. As has happened a million times in all levels of baseball, Billy was covering a game and asked to fill in for a missing umpire. He did well, enjoyed the pay and was offered a full time position in the Ohio-Pennsylvania League. He also retained his sports reporter job and was quickly referred to the American League. This was an unheard of jump from Class C minor league baseball to the Major Leagues! In addition, he was still only 22 years old.

Based on his education, job experience and never having played professional baseball (rare for an umpire in those days) Billy Evans brought a fresh vantage point to the game and umpiring. During an era in the early 1900's where only two, or even sometimes just one umpire worked a game, he quickly implemented new techniques that became standard practice for umpires to this day.

One such innovation was his habit of running to a base where a play was made so he could call the result more accurately. He was the first to suggest and promote formal training for umpires and that techniques be uniform amongst all league umps.

After a World Series dispute (Evans umpired six World Series) where neither umpire could see where a ball had bounced over a fence to determine if it was a double or home run, Evans developed the idea of having four umpires on the field per game instead of two alternates sitting in the stands.

Despite his being a rare umpire to state that he was not perfect and had missed some calls, Evans "substituted diplomacy for belligerency and proved an arbiter could control a game without threats of physical violence."

He did retain some toughness needed by umpires of that era as well however. When an angry Ty Cobb threatened to "whip him at home plate," Evans invited the Tiger great to the umpires room to fight in private. Players from both teams were reported to have followed them into the room and openly cheered for Evans! Billy was back at work the next day wearing bandages and sprinting to bases to make calls.

Amazingly, Evans also kept his sports writing job the entire time he was umpiring major league games. Imagine an umpire today calling a World Series game, then turning in his story of the contest to the newspaper, all while being 25 years old!

After the 1927 season, Evans retired from umpiring to become the first "general manager" in baseball. He guided the Cleveland Indians from a perennial loser into a first division club. After that stint, he was the head scout for the Red Sox, then even switched sports to become general manager of the Cleveland Rams football team. In moving back to baseball, Evans was named league president of the Southern Association and had that league thriving in attendance during his four year tenure. He finished his executive career as general manager of the Tigers, stepping aside in 1951 to let Tiger legend Charlie Gehringer take over.

He continued to campaign for umpires training, writing numerous articles and two books while being elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.

So because the third base umpire immediately runs down the left field line in order to clearly see the ball land and the home plate umpire sprints to third base in order to cover any resulting action there, the late tag by Youkilis is seen easily. The umpire signals safe, the Fenway faithful erupt in disapproval and very few fans even notice the rotation that has been made while tracking the ball, fielder, and runners. Before the next pitch, the four umps assume their starting positions again, ready to move if necessary, and the fans are left with a perfectly correct call and the wrong umpire to boo! Billy Evans would be proud.

All this because I know more about nothing...

Take Me Out to the Ball Game, But Why Am I Standing?

Throwing you a bender because I just thought you should know...

Most of us have been there, and hopefully stayed, through the seventh inning of a baseball game. We find our seats, peruse our game program, organize our food and become immersed in the sights, sounds and actions of a ball game. We follow along, rising and falling in conjunction with our team or favorite player. Maybe some of us are just people watching, enjoying treats and soaking in the relaxing atmosphere of an afternoon at the ball park.

But regardless of our interest or devotion to the actual game, we all rise together after the first three outs of the seventh inning.

* Remember, there are six outs in an inning of baseball!

Despite the many different factions of people attending the game, despite the varied and diversified interests of the fans in the stadium, each of us focuses our attention for this short moment.

It just has to be done. It overcomes baseball strategy, conversing with other fans, filling out our scorecards and even hypnotizes young fans into becoming one with the whole stadium.

The seventh inning stretch is here and we are on our feet. Some of us raising our arms, some stretching their legs, adjusting our clothes but all waiting for the first notes to "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."

So why are we on our feet and how did this get started? 

The most popular explanation seems to trace back to 1910 and President William Howard Taft. He is sometimes credited with beginning two traditions on that Opening Day in Washington. So after throwing out the ceremonial  first pitch before the game, President Taft settled his massive 6'2", 300 pound frame into a seat to enjoy the Senators and Philadelphia Athletics. At the midway point of the seventh inning, he rose out of his seat and in respect to the President standing, or maybe even leaving (boo), the rest of the stadium rose as well.

However, a story exists from 1882 at Manhattan College that may shed earlier light on the tradition. Brother Jasper was the Prefect of Discipline and the baseball coach. As he managed the team during the game, he was also responsible for the behavior of the students. During the seventh inning of a game one day, Brother Jasper noticed his students had become restless and somewhat unruly. He requested time out and had everyone in the bleachers stand up and unwind. Receiving the results he wanted, Brother Jasper repeated this strategy every game in order to give his team a quick rest and his students quick relief. As Manhattan's nine often played in the park of the National League New York club, the practice caught on with Giants fans.

Looking further, we find literature from 1869 when Harry Wright of the Cincinnati Red Stockings described the fans rising between halves of the seventh inning "to extend their legs and arms and sometimes walk about." He wrote that it provided relief and relaxation from the "long posture upon hard benches."

So although it appears the seventh inning stretch is at least as old as 1869, we really have no idea where or when the custom originated. But at least 143 years later, we all still rise as one after those first three outs of the seventh inning. We sing, we stretch, we relax and at least one of us reminisces about why we are doing this. Anybody who was attending any of those games in 1910, 1882, or even 1869, please let me know...until then I will wonder forever.

All this because I know more about nothing...

Who Are These Guys?

Throwing you a bender because I just thought you should know…

The date is approaching! It is almost time for the Forest Citys, the Highlanders, and the Worlds Champions to take the field. If you were “lucky” enough to be tucked under the covers with a bed time story by this writer, then you know exactly who I am talking about.

In the developmental days of baseball, teams were named for situations, characteristics, geography and even their players. These types of team nicknames were prevalent long before marketing, demographic studies, and money took over. Many teams were just called by one name only in the newspapers as writers would use Forest Citys, Detroits, and Bostons to describe the local nine.

So in early April, the Indians will open the season but some youngsters will go to sleep with the knowledge that Louis “Chief” Sockalexis was the inspiration for the nickname. They might even later recite how the Forest Citys, named after the emerald necklace of green trees and thick forests around Cleveland, evolved into the Spiders when the ball club employed many players who were tall, skinny and lanky.

After a few intermittent team names and poor play, Napoleon Lajoie became player/manager which caused Cleveland to quickly become known as the Naps. After Lajoie left the team in 1914, a new name was needed and the owner reached back in the club’s history to honor the former player and Native American. The team was christened the Indians, which has survived until today.

 Also at that time, the Highlanders were a low paid group of enthusiastic ball players that played their home contests in Hilltop Park, on the most elevated part of Manhattan. Obviously, they adopted their name based on their locale but evolved into the Yankees as scribes used the nickname in mild protest of Highlanders as it was also a term for a British military unit. Upon moving to the Polo Grounds, Yankees was adopted full time. Now, they are better paid, have a glorious stadium of their own but are still the Yankees.

Just to the south in Brooklyn, the residents and players for the local team were very adept at maneuvering throughout the streets and arriving at the stadium without being hit by the numerous trolley cars. Being named the Trolley Dodgers was just natural and appropriate. Even after moving into Ebbets Field (1913) and having many players live across the tracks in a nearby hotel, the name stuck, shortened to Dodgers and was even kept upon moving thousands of miles away from the trolley cars.

Tradition even went so far in the early 20th century as to have the winner of the World Series remove their nickname, logo or insignia on their uniform and replace it with “Worlds Champions” for the following season. In this era of “look at me” players and over-the-top alternate jerseys, I am surprised this old custom has not been resurrected.

So, in conclusion, as if you were taking notes, baseball and its development is beautiful. It is always changing…just look at the team names and locations over the past century. It is always evolving…look at the rules, strategy, and analysis for the previous 100 years (another topic, another day). But mostly it remains exactly the same… as a father and his kids play hooky to catch a ballgame, just like 40 years ago!

All this because I know more about nothing…

Wilt Chamberlain 1961-1962

Throwing you a bender because I just thought you should know...

With the recent anniversary of Wilt Chamberlain's 100 point game, there became a need to look a little bit deeper at this accomplishment.

Since it took place during the 1961-62 NBA season, the coverage and reporting of this feat was much different than what we are used to seeing today.

Common knowledge and several reports write off this achievement as just something that happened because Chamberlain was 7 feet, one inches tall. I don't believe the man is getting his just due as a basketball player and all around talent. He was so much more than just tall, he was a world class athlete in a perfectly built body.

 
A native of Philadelphia, he was an incredible combination of speed, strength, size and ability. Maybe one of the most imposing blends of physical characteristics the sports scene has ever witnessed. While in college at Kansas, he ran the 440-yard dash in under 50 seconds. At a time when the world record was just over 7 feet, Wilt high jumped 6 feet, 7 inches. He also covered over 53 feet with the shot put and was able to long jump 23 feet. His strength, balance and agility enabled him to dead lift over 600 pounds.

Upon entering the NBA - a year after he played for the Harlem Globetrotters, which required even more skill, talent and ability - Chamberlain dominated immediately by recording totals of 37.6 points per game and 27 rebounds per game. These are hardly totals that can be written off because of his size when compiled over 72 games against professionals.

Entering the 1961-62 season, Wilt had improved upon his numbers even more from his rookie campaign and was poised to set records. There was foreshadowing that something monumental was coming. This was not a freakish event, a one night anomaly.

Early in the 1961-62 season, Chamberlain set the single-game scoring record with 78 points in a triple-overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

In the three games leading up to the record breaking night, Chamberlain scored 67, 65 and 61 points.

Only twice during the entire season (80 games!) was Chamberlain held under 30 points, both times by the Boston Celtics' Bill Russell.

So while scoring 100 points was incredible and beyond imagination at the time, it was within the realm of Chamberlain's game. 

In those days, the NBA often scheduled doubleheaders in neutral sites in order to jump start attendance and bring attention to the league. So one night in Hershey, PA, in front of a sparse crowd that had the Baltimore Colts (featuring Gino Marchetti) and Philadelphia Eagles (with Sonny Jurgensen) basketball squads playing the lead in game, Wilt dropped 100 points on the last place Knicks.

As Wilt lived in New York and commuted to his home games in Philadelphia, he often drove his Cadillac to games. So yet again on this night, after posing for the famous hand written, hand held sign indicating "100", he climbed back into his Cadillac with a friend from the Knicks and drove back to Harlem to check in on his night club and party until 8 am. In other words, just another night for Wilt.

So we should marvel at 100 points, we should stand amazed still over his talents and skills as a basketball player and athlete. We should celebrate his accomplishments and recognize the ability that goes into achieving the individual game, season, and career moments that Chamberlain provided us. We should not write these off to just "being tall" and we should find a way to correct Wilt who was quoted as saying, "Nobody roots for Goliath."

All this because I know more about nothing...

Basically One Big Baseball League

Throwing you a bender because I just thought you should know...

This is it! Basically, the last season that we really see any separation between the American and National Leagues. They have been moving towards this for a while now, parts of it almost unseen or unnoticed by the casual fan.

We have seen the elimination of both American and National League umpiring crews, having consolidated them into one MLB crew. Umpire crews now rotate throughout all games, applying the appropriate rules depending on which park they are in for the home team.

There are no longer League Presidents, presiding over their individual issues and only looking to maximize the strength and wealth of their own members. Even the baseball itself is labeled for all of Major League Baseball and only contains the commissioner's signature. Baseballs showing an American League logo and Lee MacPhail's signature or a National League logo ball autographed by Bill White are only in collector's hands now.

None of these being a big deal or even all that noticeable. But what about 2013?

The 2013 realignment has Houston moving to the American League, creating three divisions in each league of five teams each. Geographic realignment won't be far behind to create better schedules, better local TV times, regional rivalries, reduce travel costs and be easier on the players.

But the main item in place requiring a shake up may be the designated hitter. Beginning in 2013, there will be an interleague series throughout the entire season. Opening Day, every month, through the dog days, and even during the pennant race, baseball will be played under two sets of rules on a daily basis.

 This is the perfect moment for the National League to catch up with the rest of the world and convert to the DH and have one set of rules. Of course, the "purists" out there (who apparently still take a horse and buggy to work) will rise up and scream against this change. But their reasons fall flat.

Sure, the game originated without the DH, and traditionalists always state that fact. But it has been 40 years now, beginning in 1973, which is a much longer period than interleague play, wild cards, more rounds of playoffs and even instant replay. Looking at current rosters, only Jamie Moyer grew up in an era where the DH was not a regular part of baseball.

The NL needs to add it as you will never see it going away in the American League. Not with 15 extra high paying positions coveted by the Players Association and the huge advantage it currently gives the AL in negotiations. Eleven of the 13 richest contracts are in the American League since they can offer big bucks and extended years by allowing a player to wind down a career as a DH. There is a significant advantage on the field as well but that is another topic, another day.

I would still rather see an aging David Ortiz or Victor Martinez at the plate instead of watching Clay Buchholz or Justin Verlander flail away helplessly. I find it amazing that some baseball fans will relate back to the "strategy" argument regarding the DH. Really? So you have a man on first and less than two outs with your pitcher up.....is there a strategy involving having your pitcher bunt that would elude an AL manager or fan? And is watching Ron Roenicke or Bruce Bochy (household names in the area of excitement) execute the double switch more riveting than seeing Hideki Matsui or Vladimir Guerrero swing for the fences?

In today's game, pitchers have grown up with even less exposure to hitting, running and bunting than ever before. This has led to injuries and ridiculous situations, even so extreme as AL managers instructing their pitchers to just stand there and not even swing, during interleague games. Imagine going through your developmental career, from high school, into a major college program, progressing through the minor leagues without really ever having to step into a batters box. Upon finally making the major leagues, you are then asked to step in against Roy Halladay and produce! End this madness!

Baseball, as everything, has evolved, progressed and moved forward through time. It is still the most beautiful game, the ultimate team sport. And now it has subtly implemented changes that have brought it to the precipice of instituting a grand and exciting advancement. There is no more perfect time for the National League to adopt the designated hitter than 2013.

All this because I know more about nothing...

A Timeless Man for a Timeless Game

Throwing you a bender because I just thought you should know...

As baseball teams have reported and I begin perusing the Spring Training rosters and player invites, I see Jamie Moyer is in camp! Looking to make the Rockies, his 9th team, for his 25th major league season. Now this obviously requires a deeper look.

Analyze the Rockies roster a little further so you can see pitcher Tyler Chatwood in camp also, born in 1989. Moyer's Topps rookie card is older than that and was also with a different team as Moyer had already been traded once in his career by that point.

The key may be the Tommy John surgery he had last year. The procedure used to be a death sentence but improvements and rehab techniques have almost made it into an upgrade. Moyer has rehabbed from the surgery and received an invite to Colorado's camp.

The man must love the game, the camaraderie and competition as he has made about $83 million in his career along with winning a World Series and accumulating 267 wins. This kind of perspective on the game by Moyer is what makes spring training over flow with hope and allows us to love the game of baseball as much as he must.

 
In 1986, he began pitching in the Major Leagues. He could throw harder then, before interleague play and even the wild card were in place. He would not have even had the chance to play for the Rockies as they didn't exist yet. Just imagine the spectrum of knowledge he can provide Rockies pitchers having played with hard throwing Nolan Ryan and soft throwing Charlie Hough!

After six seasons in the bigs, Moyer was 34-54, hardly a pre cursor to a 25 year career. Then he won 145 games with Seattle in the middle 11 years of his career. His trade to Philadelphia allowed him to continue, going 56-40 for the Phillies while leading the 2008 World Champions in wins with 16.

He has 114 wins since turning 40 years old all without the velocity to break a neighborhood window.

He is in camp with 19 pitchers on the Rockies 40 man roster who have combined for a total of 234 wins, still short of Moyer's 267 victories. They have about eight pitchers in camp with some experience in starting major league games but none with 628 starts worth of experience.

He could become the oldest pitcher ever to win a game. The handful who appeared that were older did not earn a victory or start except for Satchel Paige who was claiming to be 58 when he started a game in 1965**.

** Paige went three innings, gave up ONE hit and NO runs

Even if he doesn't make the team at age 49, Moyer holds the record for oldest pitcher to throw a shutout (47, which he has done in four different decades), oldest to start an NLCS game at 45, and oldest to ever beat the New York Yankees (47).

I am rooting for Moyer to make the team, pitch in Miami's new park allowing him to have thrown in 50 different Major League stadiums, and record a win. A timeless man for a timeless game.

All this because I know more about nothing...

Tiger as a Navy SEAL?

Newk's Bender on the Game

Throwing you a bender because I just thought you should know...

Being a Tiger Woods golf fan and curious about whether he can achieve a comeback, I was compelled to read the excerpts released from his former coach, Hank Haney's, new book. After reading the excerpts and looking for clues to his comeback ability and expecting sordid tales from the sex escapades, I was more drawn to the revelation by Haney that Tiger was considering becoming a Navy SEAL.

"I was beginning to realize that his sentiment ran deep, and that as incredible as it seemed, Tiger was seriously considering becoming a Navy SEAL," Haney wrote, referring to the summer of 2007. "I didn't know how he'd go about it, but when he talked about, it was clear that he had a plan. After finding out that the Navy SEAL age limit is 28, I asked Tiger about his being too old to join. `It's not a problem,' he said. `They're making a special age exemption for me.'"



I don't have any issues with Tiger respecting the military, having a background in it from his father, and thinking it would be a cool idea. Most of us have seen footage of Navy SEALs and have thought how exhilarating it would be to perform that job but without any realistic expectations of actually doing it or even being physically and mentally able to meet the requirements.

And this is where I wonder about Tiger and his thoughts. Apparently, he was very serious about doing this and his agent, while blasting Haney and his writing of the book, did not contradict the declaration. He even continued by stating this book was only written to make money. Duh.

While Tiger may be the best trained golfer in the world, SEALs are the best trained humans. Golf courses with appearance fees and sponsors are drastically different than obstacle courses with terrorists and freedom on the line. Tiger couldn't stave off an attack from a blonde with a 7 iron and he wants to face passionate terrorists?

Tiger is good at what he does, he is one of the greatest of all time at what he does. He could play Doral in 67 strokes, but a SEAL could take Doral in 67 minutes, on a slow day.

Again, I respect Tiger's appreciation for the military but let's be realistic about giving up a multi multi million dollar career for this kind of assignment that he may not even be capable of performing.

If there is a need to have Pebble Beach Golf Course played in 66 strokes, you can call Tiger (apparently lots of people have his phone number). But if you need the entire Pebble Beach Resort overcome, destroyed or re-captured, you call a SEAL...and good luck getting that phone number.

All this because I know more about nothing...

NFL Parity is a Myth, Baseball is Equal!

Newk’s Bender on the Game

Throwing you a bender because I just thought you should know…

I attended my obligatory Super Bowl viewing party again this year and caught quite a bit of conversation on how great, fair and equal the NFL system is for balanced competition. Being a Cleveland Browns fan, these statements just didn’t seem right so I decided to investigate a little deeper. 

Can anyone tell me why fans seem to be in love with the so called “parity” of the NFL? It is a giant and complete myth that the NFL system and salary cap promote much better competitive balance. Based on this past Sunday, the Giants and Patriots have filled 8 of the 24 possible spots in the past 12 Super Bowls, one-third!

The consensus I hear often is that big spending teams in baseball (Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies are the most often mentioned) simply buy their championships. Just as a quick, short term example, not one of the top NINE spending teams in regards to payroll even won a playoff series in Major League Baseball last year. NFL fans shower me with explanations that the system in place for football allows all teams an even playing field and a fair, yearly chance to make it to the Super Bowl. Analysis shows this to be false.

 Each sport has its doormats, organizations never seeming to win and enduring long stretches of not being competitive regarding actually winning a championship. The Bengals, Bills, Dolphins, Lions, and even my beloved Browns dominate the argument that not all is equal in the NFL. The Pirates, Cubs, Expos/Nationals, Royals, and Orioles provide even more credence to the fact that well run, smart and thorough organizations win championships.

Depending on how far you would like to look back in analyzing this claim, the results still show this myth to be false. You can check out results of the last decade or go back to 1995 when baseball increased their playoff participants, or even go back to 1970 when the NFL and AFL merged for a deep, detailed look.

So if you study any of the time frames listed, you will see there is not any glaring difference regarding parity between the two sports when it comes to playing in the Super Bowl or World Series. If you take it a step further and just look at the winners of the championships, the same results occur. Ten different franchises have won the World Series since 1995 and four of them have done it more than once. For football, the NFL has had 11 franchises win the Super Bowl since the 1995 season with, surprise, four of them doing it more than once. 

The economic systems for baseball and football are vastly different, both with their advantages and drawbacks. Ultimately, it still comes down to judging talent, implementing winning systems, incorporating a sound executive group, and replenishing personnel. 

The NFL system is generally regarded as solid, sound and fair. The MLB system is constantly being charged with many flaws, but the chances of getting your team all the way to the ultimate round, the championship opportunity, is equal.

All this because I know more about nothing…

Super Bowl Running Backs Vs. The Greatest of All Time

Newk’s Bender on the Game

Throwing you a bender because I just thought you should know…

With the Super Bowl upon us and the New England Patriots playing for the championship without having a running back going over 700 yards for the season, it surely signifies how the game has changed from the days when Jim Brown established himself as the greatest running back of all time. 

The Patriot runners this year (Green-Ellis, Ridley, and Woodhead) combined for 1459 yards, a total Jim Brown exceeded by himself in three different seasons!

In this pass happy era of professional football where the quarterback is the most essential part of any team, don’t you think that there are times when Brady, Manning and Brees would love to just turn around and hand the ball to Jim Brown? Imagine the glee of head coaches and offensive coordinators as they call plays allowing Jim Brown to pound the line and achieve 5.2 yards per carry and 104.3 yards per game, on average!

While other running backs had phenomenal skills and careers, nobody compares to the consistency and excellence over an entire career. Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith fall woefully short and even the great Barry Sanders is behind Brown regarding average per carry and average per game. 

As Jim Brown’s career spanned an era where NFL teams played only 12, and then 14, games per season, we must look at averages in order to compare the runners equally. In 118 games, Brown was able to run for over 100 yards per game and over 5 yards per carry. Only Sanders approaches those numbers with 99.8 and 5.0 yards respectively. Again, Payton (88/4.4) and Smith (81.2/4.2) trail far behind despite gaudy career totals.

To lead his league in rushing for 8 of the 9 years he played shows his dominance over the competition which is another barometer that allows us to compare eras.  In just nine seasons, Brown retired and left the NFL as the record holder for both single-season (1,863 in 1963) and career rushing (12,312 yards), as well as the all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (106), total touchdowns (126), and all-purpose yards (15,549).

 

By contrast, Payton led the league once out of 13 seasons; Sanders just once also in 10 campaigns and Smith led the league 4 out of his 15 years.

So comparing Jim Brown to modern era runners allows us to see how he still ranks as the greatest running back of all time. Stacking him up against the most current edition of runners also shows us how much the game has changed, how unique Jim Brown was, and how we will never see a football player of his magnitude and dominance again.

All this because I know more about nothing…

Three Halls of Fame, Two Different Sports!!!

Newk's Bender on the Game

Throwing you a bender because I just thought you should know…

It is hard to fathom that a multi-sport college athlete would be forced to go professional in his second best sport, yet still become the greatest of all time at his position. It is hard to fathom of an athlete who was elected to three Halls of Fame, two of them in different sports! 

This athlete is considered one of the greatest lacrosse players of all time, revolutionizing the sport and even causing rules to be changed based on his dominance. He excelled in track, averaged over 13 points per game for his college basketball team, and was offered a big money contract to play baseball for the New York Yankees.

But it seemed best that after finishing a stellar career at Syracuse University that Jim Brown join the NFL.

Jim Brown was the greatest athlete in Syracuse University’s history. By earning ten varsity letters in four sports during his college career, he may even be considered the greatest American athlete of all time. 

Brown played basketball his sophomore and junior years for Syracuse (freshmen were in eligible for varsity in those days) and was second on the team in scoring his sophomore year with 15 PPG. He was a tremendous rebounder as well, using his athletic ability to overcome taller opponents. He did not return for his senior season as he could not be a starter because of racism. The unwritten rule back then only allowed two African-American starters and Syracuse had two others who were starting as well. Several experts believe Syracuse could have won the national title in 1957 if Brown had continued to play and been allowed to start.

Brown also competed for the Syracuse track team. Before Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders, Brown once competed in two different sports in the same day. In 1957, donning his track suit, he won the high jump and the javelin throw, came in second in the discus event which allowed Syracuse to defeat Colgate in a dual meet. Later, he changed into his lacrosse uniform and led the way to an 8-6 win over Army. 

Syracuse achieved an undefeated (10-0) season in lacrosse during Brown’s senior season. He had been named second team All American in his junior season and followed that in his senior year by finishing second nationally in scoring (43 goals in 10 games) and being named first team All American. The rule requiring a lacrosse player to keep his stick in constant motion while carrying the ball was implemented because of Jim Brown’s dominance. 

Jim received many awards while at Syracuse including Athlete of the Year 1956-57, Team All American in 1956 and First Team Honors in 1957. He also scored five goals in one half during the Collegiate North/South All-Star Game of 1957.

Even the boxing coach at Syracuse wanted Jim Brown to compete in the ring. He stated that he felt Brown could have been heavyweight champion if he had dedicated himself to the sport.

Of course, Brown also became a legend at Syracuse in football. He played running back and was also the kicker on the team. In a game against Colgate in 1956, Brown dominated by running for 196 yards, scoring 6 touchdowns and kicking 7 extra points, totaling 43 points. Imagine the SportsCenter coverage that feat would garnish today! It would even push Tebow off the main highlight! He was a unanimous choice as All American his senior year and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting. 

All these achievements and a lack of professional opportunity beyond college in lacrosse took Brown to the NFL, where he dominated again, became the greatest of all time at his position and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1971.

He is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and based on his dominance and ability in the game of lacrosse, was elected to the Lacrosse Hall of Fame and considered one of the greatest players of all time. 

It is hard to fathom we may ever see this type of athletic skill again.

All this because I know more about nothing…

The First AFL-NFL World Championship Game

Newk’s Bender on the Game

Throwing you a bender because I just thought you should know…..

With the Super Bowl set and now fast approaching, I thought it may be time to look back at a time when the NFL title game wasn’t exactly the same as the monstrosity most of us are used to today.

Would you believe or remember that it wasn’t even called the Super Bowl. In fact, the first two AFL-NFL World Championship Games were entitled just that. With the Super Bowl coined for the third contest, it was retroactively applied to the first two contests.

The first AFL-NFL World Championship Game to be played was between the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs and was held in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Apparently sellouts are an assumption when dealing with the modern version, but this event was not sold out and even blacked out on TV in the Los Angeles area! Imagine the outcry if the Indianapolis area were only able to view the game this year through some pirated TV channel or internet hookup. News outlets of the day printed directions on how to pick up an out of town channel with hopes of seeing the game. The sellout was not even close as ticket prices reached an exorbitant $12!!

Not to worry, chances of picking up a signal from another city was excellent as the game was actually broadcast on two different networks, with two completely different sets of announcers.  Picture Troy Aikman and Joe Buck on one channel while Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth announce the game a click or two away and you have a choice!!!

The ultimate sandlot solution came into play during the game as a result of the dual broadcast. NBC had not returned in time from commercial for the second half kickoff. So, as every kid has invoked at some time during a playground dispute, a “do over” was implemented for the second half kickoff. Incredible but true, as the referees made the teams line up and do it again. Based on the NFL still using part-time referees (another topic, another day), I suggest they invoke the “do over” to replace replay! I even think it may take less time.

Of course, the pomp and circumstance was slightly different with the halftime show featuring a trumpeter accompanied by two college bands and no one performing to sell albums. There was a trophy presentation handled by Pat Summerall and George Ratterman (former Browns quarterback) who shared one microphone.

Of course, there was  a well fought game and a victor, but that is common knowledge and the above items are what you really need to know!

All this because I know more about nothing…..

Super Bowl 46 Prediction, It's a Lock!

Newk’s Bender on the Game

Throwing you a bender because I just thought you should know…

There are many ways to pick a Super Bowl winner. As the game is now set, the next weeks will bring a multitude of reasons and analysis on who will win and why. Everyone from experts to clueless folks who have never watched a football game will weigh in with their opinions and bets. They will use actual football analysis, current hot streaks, nicest uniforms, favorite colors, geographical affiliations and a host of other nonsense to determine the winner and place their bets accordingly.

One way to look at the upcoming match up on February 5 might be to look back to 2007. That season brought us a memorable Super Bowl and exciting upset as the New York Giants beat the undefeated New England Patriots. As this championship game brings us a repeat of Super Bowl 42, maybe we should analyze 2007 a little more. 

 

In 2007, as the regular season wound to a close, the Giants lost 22-10 to Washington in Week 15. 

However, they did make the playoffs and defeated an NFC South division team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round.

They continued on and beat the #1 seed, Dallas Cowboys, on the road, 21-17.

This propelled them to the NFC Championship game against the #2 seed, the Green Bay Packers. On a frigid day in Wisconsin, the Giants used an OT turnover, the Brett Favre interception, to position their kicker Lawrence Tynes for the game winning field goal. 

This also happened to be 17 years to the day after Matt Bahr kicked a game winning field goal over the 49ers to take the Giants to Super Bowl 25.

Now we might fast forward to the 2011 season to complete the thoughts behind placing our minuscule wager on the Giants for Super Bowl 46.

In week 15 this past season, the Giants lost to Washington 23-10.

Again, they qualified for the playoffs and faced an NFC South division team, the Atlanta Falcons, which they defeated to advance.

They traveled to Green Bay to face the #1 seed in the Divisional round. Again, they won this game against the top seeded, favored Packers while playing on the road.

Now the Giants were set to face the #2 seed again, the San Francisco 49ers, in the NFC Championship. Once the game was forced to overtime, we all knew exactly what was going to happen, right? Of course! There was a turnover, the 49ers Williams fumbling the punt, which led directly to Lawrence Tynes kicking the game winning field goal. 

So despite the fact that I am not from New York and I feel Tom Brady is an elite quarterback, along with both teams colors being basically the same, and with my analysis and nonsense all lined up to go with the Patriots, I can only assume Eli Manning will make some incredible throws and pull this game right out from under Belichick and the Patriots again.

Then in 2015…..

All this because I know more about nothing…

Greatest Six Year Pitching Stretch Ever?

Newk’s Bender on the Game

Throwing you a bender because I just thought you should know…

Did you actually know that there was a player so dominant, so consistent, and on such a streak that he could conduct his post game interviews before the game actually took place?

Arguably, the greatest six year stretch in pitching history allowed Sandy Koufax to do just this. 

From 1961 through 1966, Koufax went 129-47 ….pitching four no hitters including a perfect game and setting a season record with 382 strikeouts in 1965. He won 5 ERA titles in that time and led the league in wins 3 times, also throwing 11 shutouts in 1963!!! 

During this time, he was the first pitcher to win the Cy Young Award unanimously, first to win the award multiple times when only one was awarded for all of major league baseball. Koufax also won the award in his last season, 1966.

Based on his desire for privacy, wanting to be a good teammate and his phenomenal results, Koufax did post game interviews with Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully before the game! He was so masterful, consistent and confident in his pitches that he would generically describe how his curve ball was “working good today”, and how he was able to “locate his fastball”, along with thanking his teammates for great defense. This allowed him to be able to dress with teammates and leave the park in private while Vin Scully just played the tape over the radio as if it was a live interview.

Based on his 115 complete games through those last 6 seasons (in 211 starts), the Dodger relievers often took advantage of the night before Koufax would start since their chance of getting in the next day’s game was very remote. Unfortunately, one afternoon Koufax did indeed struggle prompting manager Walter Alston to have two relievers begin to warm up. Upon visiting Koufax on the mound, Walter asked how Sandy was feeling to which he replied, “a lot better than those two guys you have warming up”. Alston returned to the dugout and let Koufax complete the game.

Despite this incredible pitching performance, Koufax did have his certain troubles. Bob Uecker, arguably the worst hitter ever with a lifetime .200 batting average, was a huge thorn in Koufax’s side. The most dominant pitcher of that era, Sandy yielded a lifetime average to Uecker of .429 in over 50 at bats!  

Koufax himself often claimed fellow pitcher Lew Burdette was the toughest hitter he faced…probably because Burdette was also 5-0 pitching against Koufax and hit .308 with 2 home runs, 3 RBI and 1 BB.

So the next time you are tucked under the covers, listening to your favorite broadcaster deliver the post game interview, stop and think if that player had the performance worthy of pre-recording his answers!

"I can see how he won 25 games. What I don't understand is how he lost five."

Yogi Berra, in 1963

No Unanimous Hall of Fame Selections!

Throwing you a bender because I just thought you should know…

Since it is January, with the NBA, NHL, and NFL in full swing…..I was thinking about baseball.  Of course, the recent Hall of Fame voting and Barry Larkin’s election prompted me to go back and review the voting process as his achieving 86% of the vote (75% needed for election) seemed to be unusually high compared to some of the other members and their totals. Yet it was not unanimous….which makes sense on Barry Larkin…but got me thinking….

This is a pretty select group of players and not one of them received a unanimous endorsement upon being voted to the Baseball Hall of Fame!

While there are criteria for being eligible regarding career length, retirement, etc…we will stick to #5 from the BBWAA Election Rules for the purpose of investigating this phenomenon! 

Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.

Each writer can vote for up to 10 candidates, there are not any points or places awarded, it is simply placing a “yes” vote for a player to be elected to the Hall. This makes the process very individual and precise. No player’s chances are diminished by a vote for another player.

These rules have governed thousands of writers/voters through the years. While different voters have come and gone, the requirements have remained and applied to each voter through the different eras. Therefore, with integrity, sportsmanship and character in place throughout the voting, there is definitely room for any individual writer to leave any player off his ballot based on his interpretation of the rule. But in review of the voting totals from years past, this Bender is astonished at the results and wonders how those three elements can outweigh the record, playing ability and contribution!

A quick glance of some players and voting results starting back in 1936 does not reveal any unanimous elections, even for these icons of the game! It even goes so far as to show how Cy Young was left off of 115 ballots cast in 1936. A pitcher with 511 career wins could not get a vote from over half the writers?

Year	Ballots Cast	Player	Votes	%
1936	226	Ty Cobb	222	98.2
		Babe Ruth	215	95.1
		Honus Wagner	215	95.1
		Christy Mathewson	205	90.7
		Walter Johnson	189	83.6
		Nap Lajoie	146	64.6
		Tris Speaker	133	58.8
		Cy Young	111	49.1
1937	201	Nap Lajoie	168	83.6
		Tris Speaker	165	82.1
		Cy Young	153	76.1
1966	302	Ted Williams	282	93.4
1969	340	Stan Musial	317	93.2
1979	432	Willie Mays	409	94.7
1982	415	Hank Aaron	406	97.8

Without listing the stats for some of these all time greats (trust me, they are mind boggling and incredible), I just wonder how writers can leave players off a ballot on what must solely be based on integrity, character and sportsmanship. Cobb was hated, Ruth had his moments, and unfortunately, even race could play a part of it. But Cy Young, Stan Musial, and Christy Mathewson were very respected and generally well liked. I understand media members have a job to do and certain players made that harder, unpleasant or even impossible to perform. But part of the job for any voting member of the BBWAA is to recognize the Hall of Fame for what it is and the players that deserve to be enshrined. So shouldn’t there be at least ten, if not a few more, unanimous selections since 1936? 

How do you receive a ballot and see that Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Cy Young, Nolan Ryan, Hank Aaron and Stan Musial are eligible but not select them? At that point, regardless of your personal opinion or relationship with a player, that type of achievement says you have to vote for election of a player with such significant statistics. It is even beyond the normal duty of analyzing and detailing all aspects of their career and statistics in order to make a valid and educated vote (or non-vote).  It basically has crossed over into plain old common sense. 

It also seems like a trend that is likely to continue. If baseball’s all time greats are not elected unanimously, are any of today’s stars capable of being the first? 

So while you review every player in the Hall, read each acceptance speech since 1936 and return to looking at every statistic (or is that just me?), remember that a few voters on each Hall member did not think they should be there.

All this because I know more about nothing…