Next Year’s Cover Girl
This Year’s Girl Demands DirecTV
…or else you get This Year’s Bitch
SI Plus-Size 2015: Women over & under 30, how you keeping up?
You Can’t Afford Thi$
SI Centerfold 2015
Anorexic. Any ribs missing?
Girl Needs a New Agent
Top Model SI Layout 2015
Best SI Layout 2015: Athletic Women
How Many Things Not Real?
Ridiculous RS: vocals, guitar, bass; TomP: percussion & production
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“Basketball, of all sports, is easiest to manipulate.” — Garth Woolsey, sports columnist for the Toronto Star
The NBA arguably sports the best athletes in the world.
Basketball is a deceptively simple game; one that looks easy, but in actuality is very difficult to play well.
Ambidextrous skills are required, and its speed & quickness are hard for non-players to truly judge & appreciate.
When played well, professional basketball is a beautiful TEAM game.
So why does the NBA, the best basketball league in the world, continue to have declining television viewership & fan attendance? It’s because the NBA is perceived by many basketball purists as being selfish, dirty, and a fixed league. Evidence for this thesis is best illustrated with video proof, provided below.
Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy became infamous in 2007, before reports of a FBI investigation into his betting on games he officiated during his final two seasons.
Donaghy was found guilty, and spent 11 months in prison for his actions.
He cooperated with the FBI, in exchange for a reduced sentence. In his testimony he described the nature of NBA officiating under commissioner David Stern, which is illustrated in this 60 Minutes interview and his book, Personal Foul: A First Person Account of the Scandal that Rocked the NBA.
Any whistleblower must be judged for their integrity, to be determined credible. As the scandal broke, Stern was asked by the media about Tim Donaghy’s rating as an official, his response was, “As a matter of on-court performance, he’s in the top tier of accuracy.” No evidence has ever been produced implicating Tim Donaghy for fixing any games he officiated, either for himself or the NBA.
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-FLHKsbWkU
The idea that a LEAGUE would fix its games, including its championship series, is unthinkable to many–yet it makes sense when sports are looked upon as a business, which is precisely what they are.
Professional sports are defined by the courts as entertainment, and the leagues including the NFL, MLB, NHL & NBA are legally allowed to fix their games, if they so choose.
Fixing games, in order to maximize fan interest & television ratings is simply smart business.
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The most popular and marketable player in NBA history was undoubtedly Michael Jordan. After Larry Bird & Magic Johnson retired in the early 1990’s, Jordan became the centerpiece in David Stern’s strategy of marketing its biggest names. Preferential treatment from the refs had become the norm for star players, and Air Jordan became unguardable, in every sense of the term. The Chicago Bulls would win 6 championships from 1991-98, with very little resistance, as none of those NBA Finals went more than six games, in a best-of-seven format.
By the time of Michael Jordan’s second retirement, the NBA fell into a ratings crisis, from which they still haven’t recovered; the 2014 regular season & post-season ratings are half of what they were in 1998, Jordan’s final season with the Chicago Bulls.
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The NBA from February 1, 1984 – January 31, 2014, was under the control of commissioner David Stern, a high-powered lawyer known for his dictatorial style. He inherited a league on the rise with Bird & Magic providing a natural rivalry in Boston & LA, and an influx of talent in the mid 1980’s that would become the heart of the 1992 Olympic Dream Team; likely the best basketball team ever assembled, even though it excluded all-time NBA greats Hakeem Olajuwan and Isiah Thomas.
As these legends faded & retired in the 1990’s, what largely replaced them wasn’t at that level of greatness & maturity. The next generation of NBA stars were often players who left college early, including: Shaquille O’Neal, Penny Hardaway, Vince Carter, and Jason Kidd; or in the cases of Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, and later LeBron James– jumped straight from high school to the NBA. These young players whom David Stern chose to elevate to superstar status, were often seen more for their selfish behaviour–on & off the court, than for their basketball skills.
Criticism of star players & the officiating in particular was always muted by Stern, who labelled it “corrosive.” The Director of Officiating and league officials office, which represents the NBA owners, were staffed with yes-men who would comply with Stern’s diktats. Ed T. Rush, Ronnie Nunn, Stu Jackson, and Rod Thorn were the mediocrities deputized to manipulate officiating and gag any criticism, with a system of financially punitive fines and suspensions-without-pay.
Players, coaches, team executives & owners were punitively fined for publicly questioning officiating. Referees are still not permitted to speak to the media unless the NBA approves it in advance. All this has led to a double standard in officiating, where star players & top-money teams benefit, in order generate fan ‘excitement’ & maximize revenue. This process, which began in the 1980’s, qualitatively changed in the 2000’s, where league championships & playoff series are now rigged to ensure marquee match-ups & prolonged series, in order to generate more revenue.
Two of the most infamous examples (there are many more) of the NBA manipulating championship outcomes are:
2002 Western Conference Finals: Lakers/Kings
This blatant officiating bias was clear to anyone watching at the time. Over a decade later, it is still pointed to by basketball fans as the most obvious fix in NBA history. Shaq & Kobe, along with head coach Phil Jackson and half of Hollywood in the crowd, were certainly the favorites of David Stern. The Sacramento Kings were clearly the best team in the 2001-02 NBA, and this entire series was a tragic farce. Anyone who claims this horrible officiating was an accident is either lying or hopelessly naive.
2006 NBA Finals: Heat/Mavericks
After Shaq was traded by the Lakers, he teamed with D-Wade in Miami to become the newest NBA dynamic duo and David Stern marketing darling.
Watch this critical final sequence at the end of pivotal Game 5 (series tied at 2-2, tie score), as Dwyane Wade commits a back-court violation on the in-bounds pass (not called), then drives and gets the phantom foul call to win the game at the free throw line.
This was a re-occurring scenario all series, and is one of the examples discussed in Donaghy’s book.
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The prize of the inaugural 1985 NBA Draft Lottery was Patrick Ewing (C, Georgetown), and it was well understood that NBA commissioner David Stern wanted him in the biggest media market.
Stern is also a lifelong Knicks fan.
The NY Daily News reported the accounting firm of Ernst & Whinney, hired by the NBA to seal the envelopes, also audited the accounts of Gulf + Western.
Gulf + Western (renamed Paramount in 1989) owned the NY Knicks in 1985.
Watch this video and note the fourth envelope as it is tossed into the side of the drum, folding a corner.
It is this bent envelope which David Stern reaches for, uncreases with his left hand, and then announces as being the #1 pick.
Of course all this video evidence is circumstantial, as hard proof of manipulation as policy is impossible without an admission from higher-ups. Stern would say he’s not that good a magician; his opponents would point out that he is.
It is simply the consistency of this circumstantial evidence that leads so many to the conclusion, the NBA is fixed. The whistles & lottery winners favor large-market franchises & star players so overwhelmingly, that the chances of this being a coincidence are statistically reduced to nil. Decide for yourself.
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Physical play is another feature of the NBA– No Bitches Allowed. Its de-evolution into downright dirty play, is a reflection of ruling-class values. The plutocracy that dominates our global political economy is the core ideology for all professional sports, and therefore rigged leagues with unequal rules and condoned violence are logical outcomes.
Some of the NBA’s biggest stars are allowed to be its dirtiest players, for instance watch what happens to those who try to defend Kobe Bryant:
Watch here as Dwyane Wade kicks his defender in the groin, cross-checks opponents going to the basket, and generally take offense to any player who attempts to guard him closely. All this earned him a one-game suspension, in total.
Bruce Bowen was probably the dirtiest player of this era, which is quite a statement. His speciality was walking under the jump shooter to have them land on his foot and roll their ankle, as shown time after time in this video:
How does the NBA not suspend for karate-kicking a jump-shooter in the face?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edb6bz_C9ms
Bruce Bowen had his 500 consecutive games-played streak snapped in 2008, when he was suspended one game (the only suspension of his career) for kicking Chris Paul while down on the floor, shown here:
Unfortunately this is just a sample of what he was allowed to get away with, as his ‘lockdown defense’ helped the San Antonio Spurs win 3 NBA titles during his career.
In Personal Fouls, Tim Donaghy discusses the makeup of a typical NBA crowd, “It seems that night after night, arenas throughout the league are loaded with wisecracking, inebriated hecklers who are just itching for a fight.” Donaghy narrates what it was like to officiate one of the ugliest scenes in American sports history, the ‘Malice in the Palace,’ a full-scale brawl between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons, which spilled into the stands and then back onto the court, on November 19, 2004:
A progenitor of this sort of play was Bill Laimbeer, as Larry Bird discusses in this clip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLMYNxW6Mqs
This cheap shot on Scottie Pippen is a fair example of the Detroit Pistons ‘Bad Boy’ style in the late 1980’s/early 1990’s, which really has no place in basketball:
Today the Pistons of this era are glorified, and what we now have in the NBA is less like real basketball, and more like UFC & WWE. The NBA has become largely unwatchable to many purist fans who value integrity and fair play. Any comparisons of players in this era to greats of the past becomes difficult, if not impossible, due to the distortions of the rules. When star players of today are allowed to travel and foul at both ends without being whistled, how does a fan compare them to earlier-era players?
The individual stats & championship ring totals of modern NBA superstars have too often been league-aided; achieved through rigged refereeing. Acknowledge the puppet-master, not the puppets. Basketball fans rightly feel the NBA has no legitimacy anymore, and the only solution at this point is to stop watching. Please join us.
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My All-Time NBA Team
12 Players– listed in order
PG: Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson
SG: Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant
SF: Larry Bird, LeBron James
PF: Karl Malone, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan (4/5)
C: Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon
Inactive List (3 players maximum, all out with phantom injuries)
PG: Isiah Thomas
SF: Charles Barkley
PF: Dirk Nowitzki
A great coaching staff & front office is needed to handle these egos:
Red Auerbach
Jerry West
Phil Jackson
Tex Winter
Doc Rivers
Favorite Player All-Time: PG Darrell Armstrong, #10 Orlando Magic– Heart & Hustle
Spirit of the Road
RS: guitar, bass, and vocal; TomP: percussion & production
Floridians are crazy about football (HS & NCAA), NASCAR, and golf. The Daytona 500 is the Great American Race; the annual Super Bowl of racing held every February– officially opening racing season. NASCAR is second, only to the NFL, among professional sports franchises in US television ratings.
People native to central Florida, know & love NASCAR.
I am nowhere near being the greatest driver ever; but I can handle a stick. Many of my former patients were/are huge racing fans, and knowing their sport helped me get them to relax. It often started a discussion, which allowed them to build a relationship of trust with a Yankee doctor.
As a general rule, southerners take racing & driving much more seriously than northerners. The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is head-quartered in Daytona, FL; which dominates North American racing; asphalt & off-road. Founded in 1947/48 by Bill France, Sr. (and still majority owned & controlled by the France family), NASCAR controls the lion’s share of the $3.1 billion annual revenue the sport generates.
The International Motorsports Hall of Fame is in Talladega, Alabama. This institution, built by Big Bill France in 1982, claims to be “dedicated to enshrining those who have contributed the most to the sport of auto racing either as a driver, owner, developer or engineer.”
The vast majority (around 90%) of inductees are white American, predominantly NASCAR drivers; which mars this institution’s validity. Indy Car & Formula One racing have always been dominated by European & South American drivers, yet just two non-Americans have been enshrined into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame since 2003.
NASCAR’s modern era began in 1972, when it secured its first title sponsor, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco. When big tobacco & distilleries were banned from television advertising; they quickly turned to NASCAR as a new promotional outlet for their target demographic.
–Yellow Flag! CAUTION!
In the midwest, there is low visibility with snow & sleet; along with icy roads in the winter.
Drivers learn to be cautious, because you can’t drive fast on ice; if you try, you end up in a snow-filled ditch. The good news: it’s a soft landing. The bad news: it’s an expensive tow bill, plus it sucks being the idiot everyone remembers as they slowly glide past you. When the trucks are all out, it can be quite a wait, so always have a warm blanket in the trunk.
–Green Flag! GO!
Different climates mean different rules. Down here it [usually] rains a lot in the summer; but that’s it, so people drive fast because they can. In Florida the unwritten driving rules were laid down by Dale Earnhardt #3– the “Intimidator.” His style was aggressive, as he would wreck other drivers just to win a race, then bullshit his way through the post-race interview; victimized drivers never bought it. Racing fans either loved him or hated him, as he was the Ty Cobb of racing.
The end came quickly & tragically for #3 at Daytona, on February 18, 2001; when he crashed into a wall and was killed instantly on impact, on the final lap of the Daytona 500. He had been continuously blocking faster cars during the final laps, in order to ensure a 1-2 finish for team members Michael Waltrip & Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Here’s the video with over 2 million views: pay attention to the replay at around 3:30, and decide for yourself.
–Black Flag! DISQUALIFICATION!
NASCAR is a serious sport, with a thin margin for error. For decades, NASCAR ignored & dismissed improvements in safety, citing them as “unnecessarily expensive.” The list of NASCAR drivers killed on the track includes: Earnhardt, Adam Petty, and Kenny Irwin– the latter both died just two months apart during practice, when their throttles stuck wide open, causing them to crash full speed into the wall of a turn. Driving 180-200 MPH can be a terrifying (and deadly) experience, unless the driver is in complete control of the vehicle.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series– October 13, 2000: Tony Roper’s Ford pick-up is pushed into a sudden hard-right turn, causing his truck to impact into a concrete wall at full speed. Tony Roper died the next day from his sustained injuries. Very few have the nerve, reflexes, and driving skill to safely compete at this level.
In the mid-2000s, NASCAR redesigned the racing vehicle with safety improvements; a higher roof, wider cockpit, and the driver seat located more towards the center of the vehicle. Earnhardt’s death in 2001 prompted NASCAR to require all drivers to use the “HANS” (Head And Neck Support) Device. This device keeps a driver’s head & neck from whip-lashing forward, in a wreck. Basilar skull fracture is the common cause of death in head-on car crashes.
–Pit Stop! REFUEL & CHECK CAR!
At race speeds, Sprint Cup cars average 5 MPG. NASCAR vehicles are unregulated by the EPA, and have no mufflers, catalytic converters, or other emission-control devices. Leaded fuel was banned in the US in the 1970’s, but not completely discontinued from the Sprint Cup series until 2008.
Many Florida drivers try to emulate their NASCAR heroes, on public streets & highways, everyday. Florida has the highest pedestrian casualty rate in the US. A popular local bumper-sticker reads “Watch for Motorcycles”, often found on 2-ton trucks that roar through neighborhoods creating pollution & roadkill. Check their fenders.
The predominant attitude on-the-road in Florida is: Me first! Tailgating, cutting-off other drivers, and angry driving are the leading causes of pedestrian deaths; along with texting and cell phone use while driving. It’s the distraction of attention that counts, so get your head out of your apps!
–Red Flag! STOP!
Streets, roads & highways only work right, if everyone cooperates and follows the rules– which we were all taught in Driver’s Ed:
1. Signals– every time; other drivers aren’t mind readers.
2. Lights– when raining, snowing, and at dusk until daybreak.
3. Seatbelts & helmets for motorcyclists.
4. Obey the speed limit, especially in city & residential areas; conversely, if you are holding up traffic– pull over and be considerate to let others through, while you take a minute to figure it out.
5. Don’t tailgate– it just makes slow drivers slower, and creates dangerous situations.
There are far too many drivers on the road, who have no idea where they are going or why? This confusion creates congestion & frustration for everyone. Figure out problems, before going into the real world. In the meantime, consider & use mass-transit or alternative options; as indecision is hazardous on the road– to the driver & others.
What is a car? Answers are in order of importance:
A car is a tool (as well as a symbol) for freedom of movement.
A car is the primary cause of global warming.
If money is owed on it, or insurance & maintenance need to be paid, etc.; a car is a liability.
A car is a status symbol; in what you drive, as well as HOW you drive.
–Pink Flag! GO DADDY GIRL!
I’m 10-10 on the side
Danica Patrick is the best thing that ever happened to NASCAR popularity, assuring her a spot in the field for as long as she feels competitive, to the derision of ‘purists.’ No other driver has autograph sessions that look like this:
Hardcore racing fans have been slow to come around to her, but she is a respectable driver. [1]
In NASCAR she’s a lower-tier driver with an A-team and fast car, who gets middling results, due to her age & lack of experience in this racing style. Any other NASCAR driver got a video this good?
Danica Patrick comes from Indy & Formula One open-wheel racing, where banging other cars isn’t allowed because of the narrow cockpit inside the wheels. The rule in open-wheel racing is to avoid contact as much as possible, because as soon as wheels touch at 220 MPH, there’s high risk of an accident. The number of drivers in an Indy car field is half of NASCAR’s, meaning more room for drivers. Open-wheel has more road race courses, which emphasize manoeuvrability, as compared to the all-out speed of the left-turn oval super speedways of NASCAR.
Patrick competed for years on the open-wheel circuit, and increased it’s popularity while changing its demographics. She is now past her athletic prime, learning a new, more reckless style of competitive racing– where cars have protective armor, and some ‘swapping paint’ is allowed at 200 MPH. Keeping the greasy side down & not wrecking others is enough for her fans, at this point.
Danica Patrick proves herself racing smart, by teaming up with Tony Stewart. “Smoke” is one of the best drivers ever, winning the Indy Series (1997), NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (2002, 05, & 11), and USAC National Midget Series championships. Stewart is one of two drivers (also J.J. Yeley in 2003) to ever win NASCAR’s “triple crown” [Silver Crown, Sprint Car, and Midget Car], which he did in the 1995 season. He has never won the Daytona 500, which is the only blemish on his ‘all-time greatest driver’ resume.
Dale Earnhardt, Sr. won 7 NASCAR series championships– most all-time [tied with Richard Petty]; and one Daytona 500 [to Petty’s seven]; with 76 career wins. Both hail from North Carolina. Petty’s 200 career wins is an unbreakable record, earning him the title– the “King.”
He & David Pearson dominated stock car racing in its early era.
David Pearson from South Carolina, won 3 stock car series championships (the only 3 years he ran a full schedule in his career), and one Daytona 500. The “Fox” won 105 races, second all-time to Petty’s 200; running in less than half of Petty’s total starts. Old-timers often consider David Pearson the best driver ever, and Richard Petty doesn’t seem to disagree anymore.
A. J. Foyt #14, like Stewart, was versatile; the only driver to ever win the Daytona 500 & the Indianapolis 500– which he won 4 times. “Super Tex” also won midget and other NASCAR dirt-track series. He is most fortunate to have survived at least three death-defying crashes.
Jimmie Johnson #48, is a 6-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, and 2-time Daytona 500 winner. Johnson is nearing the end of his incredible run, and currently has 69 career wins– the second-best active total, as of this writing.
Jeff Gordon #24, is a 4-time Sprint Cup champion, winning 3 Daytona 500’s.
He currently has 92 career wins, third all-time; and by far the most in the modern era (1972-present). Gordon is also the active iron-man leader for consecutive races, consecutive seasons winning a pole (22), and is NASCAR’s career-earnings leader.
Johnson & Gordon are from California, which is a problem for some NASCAR ‘purists,’ who prefer good ‘ol boy over pretty boy drivers. The Confederate flag is ubiquitous & synonymous with NASCAR, a symbolic barrier that separates traditional race fans from most newbies.
–White Flag! FINAL LAP!
Tony Stewart is from Indiana, and his total of 48 wins places him 3rd on the active career list. This accident was NOT his fault.
This is what happens when a hotheaded youngster runs into the middle of a live racetrack, instead of waiting until after the race to express his frustrations. Tony Stewart’s view was blocked by the #45 car that whizzes past Kevin Ward, Jr, just before Stewart comes sliding around the corner– with no chance to swerve around him.
Tony Stewart has publicly raised awareness among racing fans, concerning manipulative use by NASCAR officials, of suspiciously-timed caution flags. As Stewart has pointed out repeatedly: a race can be controlled in the tower, by the people who decide when to drop a yellow flag for “debris on the track,” etc…
Respect for Tony Stewart among all NASCAR drivers, helps protect teammate Danica Patrick (and ensure her fans), that no one will intentionally wreck her. That definitely wasn’t the case, when Patrick first started on the pole, at her first Daytona 500 in 2012.
This is precisely what NASCAR needed; as declining ticket sales due to the lack of good jobs, has hit their traditional fan-base the hardest. Danica Patrick (Beloit, Wisconsin) moves NASCAR into an entirely new demographic, that will challenge this sport in a way it has never been before. NASCAR needs the dollar$ too much to ignore her popularity. They also won’t be able to ignore the message of her more educated, more northern fan-base: safety first for everybody, fair racing– no wrecking, reducing noise pollution & emissions, eventually solar/renewable, etc…
To those who say, “Ban NASCAR and racing,” the answer is: “Get real!” NASCAR fans say, “Fuck you!”; then run you down on the road. Racing will NEVER be banned, because so many people EVERYWHERE passionately love it.
The strongest brand endorsement comes in NASCAR. These numbers tell you much of what you need to know about this sport; and the stat that jumps out is 66% of NASCAR fans are willing to PAY MORE for the product their favorite driver is sponsoring. This means a typical Jimmie Johnson fan will drive past a more convenient Home Depot, to spend his/her money across town at Lowe’s– even when it costs more to shop there.
–Checkered Flag! RACE OVER!
–Victory Lane! FINAL DISCUSSION!
Tim Richmond is the ultimate shooting star in modern NASCAR history, coming onto the scene as the 1980 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year. Richmond had only 13 victories during eight NASCAR seasons; but 7 came in 1986– best on the circuit, while finishing 3rd in points. Richmond was from Ohio, but his nickname was “Hollywood,” for his partying lifestyle; which led to him to contract HIV in 1986. He eventually became weakened by AIDS, and missed the Daytona 500 in February 1987. He competed in only eight races in 1987, and (incredibly) won twice before his final race in August.
In 1988, NASCAR banned Richmond’s comeback attempt; allegedly for testing positive for a banned substance. After NASCAR insisted on violating Richmond’s right to medical privacy, he withdrew from racing. Tim Richmond died of complications due to AIDS, in 1989. NASCAR later stated their original test was false.
NASCAR is often compared to the NBA, because the Daytona 500 & NBA All-Star game compete head-to-head for mid-February TV ratings. Every year, twice as many people tune into the Daytona 500, as compared to the NBA All-Star game. Racing & basketball are also contrasted as a ‘white’ sport versus a ‘black’ sport. This leads to parallels drawn between Tim “Hollywood” Richmond & Earvin “Magic” Johnson of the “Showtime” L.A. Lakers. Earvin Johnson acknowledged his problem, educated himself, and took corrective action.
NASCAR fans, that is how Magic survived. Let it be a lesson.
Re-edited w/ photo additions on 2-26-16
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Derek Jeter: career .310/.377/.440 post-season: .308/.374/.465
Alex Rodriguez: career .299/.384/.558 post-season: .263/.369/.464
Alex Rodriguez was a much better SS, so the Captain should have moved to CF when A-Rod arrived.
This created friction, and egos clashed in NY.
In their time as teammates, they would only win one World Series– and that was on the shoulders of Alex Rodriguez in 2009.
These two great players have nearly identical career post-season batting value in the stats that matter most, which are OBP & SLG.
Jeter had the good fortune of being part of the nucleus of a Yankee dynasty, which accounts for their difference in championships.
All non-Yankee, true baseball fans respect Derek Jeter.
He respects the game, and apparently never used PEDs.
This is why he is loved by the fans, and A-Rod is not.
Let that be a lesson.
The inaugural Super Bowl (January 15, 1967); the AFL/NFL merger in 1970; and the premiere of Monday Night Football (ABC 1970), helped catapult the NFL past MLB as America’s game by the 1980’s.
American football in its Super Bowl era is defined by specialists on offense; at quarterback, running back, lineman, and receiver. Defenses also became specialized, but less so, as it has always been every defensive players job to tackle & create turnovers. Special teams were one of the biggest innovations of this era; as coaches started realizing its value in scoring and determining field position.
Straight-ahead toe punchers were the NFL place-kicking style since its beginnings and predominated since the drop-kick disappeared in the 1930’s, when the rugby ball was replaced with the more throwable modern design.
In the early NFL, many games were lost/tied due to missed extra points/short field goal attempts. In the era of 16-20 man rosters, where physical survival was always the most important skill; those who took kicks could not be called place kickers in the modern sense.
Norwegian place kicker Jan Stenerud (K Kansas City Chiefs 1967-85) revolutionized American football with European football (soccer) skills, bringing distance and accuracy to NFL kicking during his 19 seasons. NFL field goal percentage increased steadily during his career, as did the distance from which head coaches would allow their kickers to attempt field goals.
In the KC Chiefs 23-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV (1970), Stenerud scored the first nine points on field goals of 48, 32 and 25 yards, in a game that was over by halftime. He led the league in FG % 4 times, and was always at or near the top in FG% from 40+ yards. Jan Stenerud was the first place kicker to regularly convert 50+ yard FG attempts.
Ray Guy (P Oakland/LA Raiders: 1973-86) specialized in punting opponents into poor field position. In ways never seen before, Guy revolutionized NFL punting with his whip-like flexibility, leading the NFL in punting average 3 times and finishing 10 seasons in the top-5. His accuracy at pinning opponents close to their goal line compelled the NFL to start tracking “punts inside the 20” in 1976. He was the first punter to understand the importance of net yards per punt (punt yards minus return yards), applying extreme “hang time” to his punts. Ray Guy would boom 50- yard cloud-scrappers, allowing his coverage teams time to defend against a big returns. Many times from his end zone, he would blast a punt over the returner’s head, completely flipping field position for his team.
Ray Guy, a #1 pick by innovative owner Al Davis in 1973 (and one of the most valuable players in modern NFL history), was finally inducted into Canton in 2014. He’s currently listed beneath “Coaches” and “Contributors” in the NFL HoF ‘by position’ listing. Most old-timers don’t consider punters & kickers as ‘real’ football players, even though these positions have historically had a huge impact on winning & losing.
The 1970’s NFL was innovated and dominated by modern-era coaches including; Don Shula (Miami Dolphins), Chuck Noll (Pittsburgh Steelers), Al Davis/John Madden (Oakland Raiders), and Tom Landry (Dallas Cowboys). Steroids became part of the landscape for NFL linemen, and artificial turf added another occupational hazard for players. An increased incidence of skin burns, ligament tears and concussions all awaited those who played in stadiums equipped with artificial turf.
The greatest QBs of the day were Bob Griese (Miami 1967-80), Roger Staubach (Dallas 1969-79), Dan Fouts (San Diego Chargers 1973-87), and Ken Anderson (Cincinnati Bengals 1971-86) . The best running backs of this era were O.J. Simpson (Buffalo Bills 1969-79) and Walter Payton (Chicago Bears (1975-87). Both of these ball carriers played on poor teams for most of their careers, which added proof to the argument that a great quarterback was necessary for a championship team.
O.J. Simpson was a college football star at USC, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1968 before transitioning into a NFL superstar. The charismatic Simpson was a poster child for the NFL in the 1970’s & 1980’s. After retiring from the NFL, he did color commentary on Monday Night Football, starred in television commercials, and even Hollywood movies– always as a friendly & joking personality. Simpson was notorious among ex-players for beating his wife, and his true nature was finally revealed to the American public in 1994-95; when he was compelled to hire a top legal team to buy an acquittal for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, despite overwhelming physical evidence against him.
In 1997, a civil court awarded a judgment against Simpson of the $33.5 million for their wrongful deaths. In September 2007, Simpson was arrested in Las Vegas and charged with numerous felonies, including armed robbery and kidnapping. He was found guilty in 2008, and sentenced to 33 years in prison. He will not be eligible for parole until 2017.
More than anyone else, O.J. Simpson personifies the ugliness lurking behind the NFL’s benevolent mask.
—–End of 1st Quarter
NFL HoF comparison Example #2: 1970’s-era WR comparisons
Fred Biletnikof (1965-78 Oakland) 190 G, 589 Catches, 15.2 Yds/Catch, 76 TD
Cliff Branch (1972-85 Oakland) 183 G, 501 Catches, 17.3 Yds/Catch, 67 TD
John Stallworth (1974-87 Pittsburgh) 165 G, 537 Catches, 16.2 Yds/Catch, 63 TD
Lynn Swann (1974-82 Pittsburgh) 116 G, 336 Catches, 16.3 Yds/Catch, 51 TD
Listed alphabetically, the best player of these four was Cliff Branch, and he’s only one not in the NFL Hall of Fame.
Mobsters were still welcome to buy NFL franchises. In 1977 Eddie DeBartolo, Sr (after being refused in a half-dozen attempts to buy a MLB franchise) purchased the San Francisco 49ers and turned it over to his son, Eddie, Jr. Wikipedia describes DeBartolo Sr. as “a powerful strategic thinker.” Dan Moldea shares this research:
“U.S. Customs Service had received information from one of its special agents, William F. Burda, in January 1981 that the DeBartolo organization ‘through its control of particular state banks in the state of Florida is operating money-laundering schemes, realizing huge profits from narcotics, guns, skimming operations, and other organized-crime-related activities. This organization is reported to have ties to [Carlos] Marcello, [Santos] Trafficante, and [Meyer] Lansky; and because of its enormous wealth and power has high-ranking political influence and affiliations.'”
In other words, the shopping malls that made Eddie DeBartolo’s fortune were financed with laundered Colombian drug money.
The 1980’s were dominated on the field by Bill Walsh (San Francisco 49ers head coach & GM) and Joe Gibbs (Washington R-word head coach), both winning 3 Super Bowls for their franchises. Pro football’s greatest stars were Joe Montana and a legendary college draft class in 1983, that had three HoF QBs: Dan Marino (Miami 1983-99), John Elway (Denver 1983-1998) and Jim Kelly (USFL/Buffalo 1983-96).
Outside linebacker Lawrence Taylor (NY Giants 1981-93), became the new NFL prototype on defense, terrorizing offenses with his unique brand of intelligence, athleticism & skill. He was unintentionally responsible for one of the most gruesome injuries in modern football history, breaking Washington R-word QB Joe Theismann’s leg [and ending his career] on Monday Night Football. To Taylor’s credit, he immediately signalled to the R-words bench to get their medical staff on the field, as Taylor was horrified by what he had just done. ABC showed the definitive shot, a ‘reverse angle’ replay of this injury, over & over during its broadcast.
The USFL challenged the NFL monopoly from 1983-85, and did well in three seasons using a spring schedule that challenged MLB. Casino & real estate mogul Donald Trump owned the New Jersey Generals. In his blustering George Steinbrenner-like fashion, Trump outbid the NFL for one college star after another; while never coming close to winning a championship.
By 1985, Donald Trump was using his free-spending ownership in the New Jersey Generals to push for a merger with the NFL, which would significantly increase the value of his franchise.
Trump’s clout forced the USFL into rapid expansion, as they moved to a fall schedule in 1986. Other USFL owners realized the futility of going head-to-head with the NFL, and the league went bankrupt before the ’86 season– slowly dying in court. Its greatest stars such as QBs Jim Kelly and Steve Young went back to the NFL teams that claimed their draft rights.
The NFL Players Association had misrepresented & betrayed its rank-and-file since its inception in 1956. The NFL owners didn’t even he recognize the NFLPA as the official bargaining agent for the players until 1968. A 1974 players strike ending in a defeat for the players. The 1982 strike ended with a players revolt against their own union, with NFLPA executive director & head lawyer Ed Garvey stepping down.
Even more disastrous for the NFL players, was the 1987 strike which collapsed within a month, after the owners brought in replacement players. Approximately 15% of the NFLPA’s members crossed picket lines to play during the strike including veteran stars: Mark Gastineau, Randy White, Joe Montana, Doug Flutie, and Steve Largent.
A collective bargaining agreement that allowed NFL players to benefit from free agency wasn’t ratified until 1993. Still today, no NFL contract is guaranteed. If a player blows out a knee after signing a multi-million dollar deal, he can be cut & released from his contract by the team. Signing bonuses have been notoriously clawed back by ownership.
—-Halftime
In 1985, William “Refrigerator” Perry (DT 1985–1993) became a prototype for sports de-evolution, by becoming the first 300-pound NFL lineman; helping the Chicago Bears win the Super Bowl—-
In 1979 ESPN was launched, providing 24-hour a day sports programming. In 1987, ESPN gained partial rights to the National Football League. Players salaries and owner franchise values have skyrocketed since, due to massive broadcast revenues. Today the NFL Network is a successful premium channel, delivering 24/7 NFL content.
The NFL adopted instant replay into its officiating in the 1980’s/1990’s, due to massive referee incompetence. Instant replay has likely been used to fix NFL playoff games and decide Super Bowls; the most infamous example is the Tuck Rule game, which is better seen than explained.
The NFL in the 1990’s was initially dominated on the field by the post-Bill Walsh San Francisco 49ers, led by QB Steve Young (1984-99) & WR Jerry Rice (1985-2004); then the Jimmy Johnson coached Dallas Cowboys, led by WR Michael Irvin (1988-99), RB Emmitt Smith (1990-2004), and QB Troy Aikman (1989-2000).
Three-time MVP, QB Brett Favre (1991-2010) restored legitimacy to the Green Bay Packers, with his unique combination of gun-slinging playmaking & good-sport toughness. Deion Sanders (ATL/SF/DAL, 1989-2005) was likely the best NFL cornerback and one of the best punt returners, ever– an electrifying playmaker. Barry Sanders (RB Detroit Lions 1989-98) may have been the NFL’s best ball carrier ever.
In the 2000’s the New England Patriots, coached by Bill Belichick were the NFL’s only sustained dynasty. Free agency, with its salary cap restrictions made it difficult for championship teams to maintain a stable nucleus, with contending teams constantly poaching their rosters.
Belichick and the Patriots front office, were among the first in football to use statistical analysis metrics, equivalent to sabermetrics in baseball, to quantify player value in terms of wins. This gave New England a consistent edge in player drafting as well as on-the-field tactics & overall strategy.
Modern NFL play-calling is high-percentage short-gain/low-risk passing on early downs, and going for it more frequently on 4th-down; passing up field goal attempts for potential touchdowns– providing the distance for a first down/touchdown is makeable. The most valuable position in football is by far, quarterback. It’s not impossible, but it is very difficult to win a Super Bowl without at least an above-average QB.
Some of the best players from 2000-present were/are: QBs Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts 1998-present), Tom Brady (New England Patriots 2000-present), Drew Brees (SD/New Orleans Saints 2001-present). The best play makers were RB LaDainian Tomlinson (SD Chargers 2001-11), WR Randy Moss (MN/OAK/NE 1998-2012) and punt return specialist Devin Hester (Chicago Bears 2006-present).
Unfortunately by this time, off-the-field problems were starting to overshadow the actual football. Team captain & star middle linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, Ray Lewis was a suspect under investigation for a double murder committed on Jan. 31, 2000. The NFL intervened on Lewis’ behalf, and he was dropped as a suspect by the police.
Lewis was never able to produce the clothes he was seen wearing the night of the homicides. The Ravens won the Super Bowl a year later, and Ray Lewis (1996-2012) went on to become arguably the greatest middle linebacker in NFL history. The murders have never been solved.
In June 2002 Pat Tillman, a linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals enlisted in the United States Army, motivated by patriotic duty after 9-11. The NFL assisted the Bush administration in its use of Tillman as propaganda to sell its dirty “War on Terror.”
Pat Tillman served several tours before he died in the mountains of Afghanistan on April 22, 2004– in a friendly-fire incident.
The US Army initially reported Tillman had been killed by enemy fire, and maintained this lie for over a month; until the Pentagon notified the Tillman family that he had died as a result of friendly fire. In 2007, Kevin Tillman also an Army Ranger in a convoy behind his brother Pat at his end; read testimony before the House Oversight and Government Reform committee, of the Pentagon’s version of Pat’s ‘heroic’ death.
“Above the din of battle, Corporal Tillman was heard issuing fire commands to take the fight to an enemy on the dominating high ground. Always leading from the front, Corporal Tillman aggressively maneuvered his team against the enemy position on a steep slope… in the face of mortal danger, Corporal Tillman illustrated that he would not fail his comrades. His actions are in keeping with the highest standards of the United States army.”
Pat Tillman was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for valor, for his fictional bravery. The Bush administration cynically lied about Tillman’s friendly-fire death, to exploit its propaganda value.
—-End of 3rd Quarter
By 2006, Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick was implicated in a dog fighting scandal, involving over seventy dogs, most of them pit bulls showing signs of injuries. Vick and four of his associates were convicted for conspiracy in interstate commerce and unlawful animal cruelty. Michael Vick served 21 months in prison. He was reinstated by the NFL in 2009.
Sexual assault allegations were made against Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger in 2008 & 2009. In 2010, after intense pressure from the NFL, the district attorney for the plaintiff held a press conference to announce that Roethlisberger would not be charged; expressing how the plaintiff no longer wanted to pursue criminal charges due to the level of media attention. The district attorney stressed that she was not recanting her accusation.
The NFL handed Ben Roethlisberger a 6-game suspension (later reduced to 4 games) in 2010, for “ungentlemanly conduct.”
From 2009-11, the New Orleans Saints operated a slush fund that paid out bonuses for inflicting crippling injuries on opposing players. Players targeted by the Saints coaching staff included star QBs Brett Favre (Vikings) & Kurt Warner (Cardinals). NFL officiating was so incompetent that none of the bounty hits in question were ever penalized or deemed illegal by in-game officials.
In 2012, the NFL owners locked out its referees, and started the season with replacement officials, despite safety complaints from the NFLPA. The owners were refusing to pay the modest referee union demands, amounting to a $3.2 million/year, in a $9 billion/year league. By Week 3, hapless NFL officiating was taken to a new low during Monday Night Football, when Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson threw the first game-winning interception in league history. Embarrassment over the inexplicable replay decision forced the owners to give in to union demands, which amounted to an extra $100,000/year expense for each of the 32 NFL team owners.
New-era NFL owners are mostly billionaires, buying franchises for personal amusement as well as seeking public subsidies for new stadiums. Since the 1980’s, 70% of the cost for new NFL stadiums has been paid for by taxpayers; for which team owners keep all revenues on tickets, concessions, parking and television broadcasts– for games played in publicly-financed buildings.
In 2013, Minnesota Vikings owner Zygi Wilf, was ordered by a federal judge to pay $85 million for “organized crime fraud,” finding him in violation of the New Jersey state RICO act.
Today, the NFL is still opening new stadiums with synthetic playing surfaces, despite overwhelming research and player preference towards playing on natural grass.
Player compensation for concussion related diseases and other realities of post-NFL life have been slow in actualization. The NFL continues to take the stance that its game is safe, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The NFL denies players are getting brain damage from concussions received during NFL games & practices.
Performance-enhancing drug (PED) suspensions are a weekly occurrence; here is the ever-expanding list. Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is now the preferred PED, due to its difficulty to detect with testing.
Obesity and unhealthy playing weights for modern NFL linemen is an ugly scandal the NFL refuses to seriously discuss publicly. Player weights at all positions have increased at least 30-50% since the 1970’s.
As discussed earlier, alcohol & gambling have always been part of the NFL. Bootleg whiskey from the 1920’s has been replaced with omnipresent beer advertising for every game. In the 2000’s, domestic violence & DUI arrests for NFL players became common news.
Today, billions of dollars are collectively bet on every NFL contest. Nevada is the only state where sports bookmaking is legal in the US. Las Vegas bookies establish and monitor the betting line of every NFL game. Over 99% of football betting (office pools, fantasy leagues, handshake wager, etc.) is illicit. Accurate team injury reports are required by the NFL, and teams are fined by the league office if they don’t strictly comply. Cooperation from the NFL is insisted upon by their mobster partners, so they can set an accurate betting spread.
NFL Security is employed by the league to deal with every scandal in this media-driven age. Justice Department officials are employed by the NFL to do research, use their contacts, and develop attack-campaigns designed to intimidate, squash and/or blacklist any perceived opponents of the NFL.
The NFL is a non-profit, and Commissioner Roger Goodell takes home over $30 million annually for carefully filtering & interpreting any NFL information released to public. He has been aggressive in his use of public relations in the NFL’s attempts to bury all scandals. Dan Moldea’s Interference, neatly characterizes the function of NFL Security officials:
Phil Manuel, former Senate investigator: “The oldest trick in the book is to hire old Justice Department officials and make them understand that they are to protect the security of the NFL owners.”
An IRS agent taken off an NFL-related gambling probe: “What we’ve got here are connections among the Cosa Nostra, the federal government, the big attorneys in the D.C. area, sports figures, and the television news media. We were getting too close to the people at the top. [He] was being protected by people within the Justice Department.” p. 171
“We have a basic rule in the NFL,” says a former law enforcement official who advises the NFL of security matters.” It is to keep it upbeat and keep it positive. But above all keep it quiet.” p. 33
—–Two-Minute Warning
As far as what sports fans can learn about the NFL from its pre-Super Bowl era– it is sketchy at best.
Too little data exists (even for many skill-position players such as QB, RB, WR), while most players (offensive linemen & all defensive players) have no meaningful records of their actions.
The all-NFL/all-pro designation is nothing more than sportswriter & coaches opinion, from its inception in the 1930’s.
There is virtually no game film, and what little exists is usually of poor quality and not available to the average fan.
This lack of objective data for player performance, along with its omnipresent mobster & gambling influence, are the defining features of early American football.
In 1985, a Harris Poll showed the NFL was more popular among US sports fans than MLB: 24% to 23%. In 2014, 35% of sports fans called the NFL their favorite sport, while only 14% preferred MLB.
The NFL reflects popular culture in decline. Its glorification of violence dovetails with militarism and ruling-class values. It is a difficult, but necessary task to reduce it’s hold on popular consciousness. The NFL, like capitalism itself, is rotten to its core and cannot be reformed– both will have to be revolutionized by the people, before its self-destructiveness reaches the limits of human sustainability.
Click here to read Part 1– American Football: Early NFL History
Baseball has many hidden lessons in its vast database, as every player’s actions are precisely recorded at the plate, in the field, and on the mound.
These player records exist back to baseball’s infancy, in the 19th century.
American football (NFL in particular) on the other hand has very little historical data for its individual players as field goals (FG), extra points (XP) and safeties, as well as any touchdowns (TD) scored via offense, defense or punt/kick returns; weren’t recorded in the NFL until 1932. Rushing attempts, number of receptions (& total yards for each), along with quarterback (QB) stats; were also not kept until 1932.
Passer rating was first developed in the 1930’s, using available measures to determine overall effectiveness at the quarterback position. Although its formula has varied, it is still the best statistic for the position; as all the best quarterbacks, 1) stay on the field and, 2) have the highest passer ratings of their era. The first great NFL QB [and nickname] was Slingin’ Sammy Baugh (Washington R-words 1937-52).
MLB vs. NFL stats comparison
Jim Thorpe was a multi-sport star in the early 20th century; here are his MLB career numbers in six seasons, mostly with the NY Giants.
In 289 games (1913-1919) as an outfielder, Thorpe batted .252/.286/.362.
NL averages in 1917 were .249/.305/.328, so we can rate him as slightly below-average in getting on-base, but above average in power; making him roughly an average big-leaguer of that era.
Jim Thorpe is also in the NFL Hall of Fame (HoF), a charter inductee in 1963.
These are his career NFL stats: Eight seasons, 52 games played as a halfback; 6 TD rushing, 4 TD passing.
With this paltry amount of data, how is anyone supposed to know anything about what kind of football player Jim Thorpe was, outside of anecdotal & subjective opinion?
If it is impossible to determine this for a charter NFL HoFer, then what does that say about the less-than-star players of the early NFL era?
It says their contributions in blood, broken bones & shattered teeth weren’t even worth noting, because the only records that mattered were gate receipts & betting slips.
—– Timeout!
American football has its origins in English rugby.
By the late 19th century, most Ivy-league & midwestern universities had rugby & football clubs.
As a violent mob game, deaths from injury were common in its early era.
The popular use of mass-formations such as the flying wedge, in which a large number of offensive players charged as a unit against a similarly arranged defense, resulted in brutal collisions often leading to serious injuries and deaths.
Helmets weren’t mandatory in the NFL until 1943.
Walter Camp (player Yale 1876–1882) has been given the title “Father of American Football”, for inventing football’s line of scrimmage and the system of downs.
Field goals were lowered to 3 points in 1909, and touchdowns were raised to 6 points in 1912.
The NFL was formed in 1920, primarily as a vehicle for gamblers. MLB owners had just installed judge Kenesaw “Mountain” Landis as their commissioner, in order to clean up the Black Sox Scandal and restore public trust in baseball. Judge Landis was firm & uncompromising in banning eight Chicago White Sox players for life, for conspiring to throw the 1919 World Series. Gangsters were shut out of baseball and needed a new sport to fix.
Much like professional boxing, NFL history is dominated by organized crime. In the early 1920s, Chicago Bears owner George Halas turned to Charles Bidwill, gambler & bootlegger associate of kingpin gangster Al Capone, for financial help.
In 1932, Charles Bidwill bought the Chicago Cardinals, which his family still owns today.
In the 1920’s, towns like Hammond IN, Pottsville PA, and Duluth MN had NFL teams. The NFL needed a franchise in New York for the league to succeed. In 1925 NFL President, Joseph Carr recruited bookmaker Tim Mara to establish the NY Giants football team.
Art Rooney, a notorious gambler purchased the rights to establish the Pittsburgh Pirates (renamed Steelers) in 1933. Rooney financed the team for its first decade on racetrack winnings– via inside tips courtesy of his bookie friend, Tim Mara.
These are just a few capsule biographies of the legendary owners enshrined in Canton, OH. More can be read in Dan Moldea’s book Interference: How Organized Crime Influences Professional Football.
In its earliest days, professional football was shunned by universities, with many college administrators prohibiting their players from having anything to do with the NFL. It wasn’t until 1936, that a college draft system was finally agreed upon by the universities & the NFL.
Most players were paid under $100/game, and NFL games were commonly fixed. Players would also bet their game salary, if they were confident of a win. Key players could be bribed to throw a contest since there was little media interest outside of the tabloid press. Football players & fans were heavy-drinking roughnecks, so mobsters in the bootlegging & gambling rackets were natural partners for the NFL.
The NFL Championship Game of 1946 proved how deep gambling interests ran in professional football. New York Giants players, Frank Filchock & Merle Hapes, took bribes from gamblers to throw the championship game; which the Bears won 24-14.
—–Halftime
The best-known early-era football player was college star, Harold “Red” Grange.
Grange earned football fame & glory for his electrifying runs at the University of Illinois from 1923-25.
In his 20-game college career he ran for 3,362 yards; caught 14 passes for 253 yards; and completed 40-of-82 passes for 575 yards.
Grange, a 3-time All American, scored at least one touchdown in every college game he played, but one.
Nicknamed the ‘Galloping Ghost’, Grange barely lasted two seasons as a star in the NFL.
His left knee was crippled in a game against the Chicago Bears in 1927.
Grange missed 1928, and then re-joined Halas’ Bears for six relatively mediocre seasons, until he retired in 1934.
College football was more popular than the NFL into the 1950’s.
Michigan & Notre Dame built huge stadiums where students & alumni flocked to the spectacle, in a time before radio & television.
College coaches Glenn “Pop” Warner (coach 1895-1938)) and Knute Rockne (coach Notre Dame 1918–1930), are considered football’s greatest innovators of this era.
The NFL was dominated by tough and punishing two-way players such as Chicago Bears RB Bronko Nagurski (1930-43) and Green Bay Packers RB Johnny Blood (1925-38). In 1925, rosters were limited to 16 players and the fat rugby ball couldn’t be thrown very far. Stretchers were routinely used to carry off injured players.
Curly Lambeau, head coach for the Green Bay Packers (1919-1949) had been an early innovator; developing a passing attack and winning 6 NFL titles with great players such as Arnie Herber (QB 1930-45) & Don Hutson (WR 1935-45).
Every NFL franchise has its sordid past, and the publicly-owned Green Bay Packers are no exception. The most notorious events in Packers history involved Curly Lambeau’s stand-off in the late 1940’s with the team’s executive committee, for control of the team.
The executive committee were a dozen power-hungry local businessmen that served as the Packers de facto front office.
Conflicts of interest arose over Rockwood Lodge, the training facility for the Green Bay Packers from 1946-49; insisted upon & designed at great expense, by Lambeau.
Rockwood Lodge was reviled by Packer fans, because it necessitated a drive outside the city to watch practices.
The players hated practicing on the field of rock, which created injuries and depleted their roster; the Packers went 3-9 in 1948, followed by 2-10 in 1949.
At the end of the 1949 season, the Green Bay Packers were on the verge of bankruptcy; three weeks behind on payroll & gate receipts to opponents, with no incoming revenue.
The Packers had become a target for contraction, as the impending AAFC merger would add new NFL franchises in large-city markets of Cleveland, San Francisco & Baltimore.
Curly Lambeau reportedly wanted to move the Packers to California; while fans & the executive council insisted the team stay in Green Bay.
Rockwood Lodge was almost completely vacant on January 24, 1950, when it mysteriously burned to the ground; its cause remains unsolved to this day.
The only official response from the team after the incident came from Packers secretary-treasurer Frank Jonet, when he confirmed that Rockwood Lodge was fully insured.
One week later, Lambeau resigned his position with the Packers and moved to Chicago to coach the Cardinals.
The Packers, fell firmly under the control of the executive council and eventually received a $75,000 settlement from their insurance company; which prevented the team from folding.
Larry Names, author of a definitive early history of the Green Bay Packers states: “Everyone in Green Bay knew at the time, that they went out there and burned that place to the ground to save the franchise…torching Rockwood Lodge is what allowed the Packers to survive.”
NFL Integration & Specialization of the Game
Black athletes had been allowed to play college football since the 19th century, although the ACC & SEC didn’t integrate until the 1960’s & 1970’s.
The NFL had a handful black players in its early years, but none ever played under a professional contract.
A Jim Crow owners agreement in 1932 (insisted upon by Washington R-words owner George Preston Marshall), barred blacks from the NFL until after WWII.
In 1946, the Cleveland Rams received permission from the league to move to Los Angeles.
Los Angeles civil-rights activists successfully lobbied the (publicly-funded) LA Coliseum commission; insisting upon an integrated team as a term for lease approval.
UCLA football star Kenny Washington played for the LA Rams in 1946, becoming the first black athlete to receive a contract to play a professional American team sport.
The NFL initially adopted the rules of college football. Starting in the 1930’s, the NFL made significant rulebook changes to separate itself from the college game.
The most significant NFL rule changes in its pre-Super Bowl era were:
1933– legalizing the forward pass from anywhere behind the line of scrimmage.
1950– unlimited free substitution.
1951– no tackle, guard, or center is eligible to catch a forward pass.
The new substitution rules were designed to open up the game by specializing offense, defense & special-teams platoons. As the number of players/team was steadily expanded from 32 in 1950, to 40 in 1964, these now-available roster spots would be filled with valuable specialists.
By the 1950’s, specialization of the game started to change its style, particularly in the evolution of the modern QB, led by Otto Graham (Cleveland Browns 1946–1955) and Johnny Unitas (Baltimore Colts 1955–1973). This led directly to the television success of the NFL in the 1950’s, when it finally passed college football in popularity.
Early modern-era QBs: Bart Starr (Green Bay Packers 1956–1971), Len Dawson (Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs 1962–1975), and Fran Tarkenton (Minnesota Vikings/NY Giants 1961–1978); helped move professional football from a three-yards-in-a-cloud-of-dust style, into a more wide-open passing attack.
Jim Brown (Cleveland Browns 1957-65) and Gale Sayers (Chicago Bears 1965-71) were the greatest running backs of the pre-merger era.
RB Paul Hornung (Packers) and DT Alex Karras (Lions) were suspended by the NFL in 1964, for betting on games. In Dan Moldea’s Interference, QB Len Dawson candidly discusses throwing games for money in the 1960’s.
Hornung and Bart Starr led the Green Bay Packers, coached under Vince Lombardi from 1959-67, to NFL dominance; winning 5 NFL championships, including the first two Super Bowls. Lombardi retired from coaching after Super Bowl II, and died of cancer in 1970. The Super Bowl trophy has since carried his name.
The arrival of the AFL in 1960, challenged the NFL’s monopoly and brought other innovations to the pro game. Franchises were established in seven new cities: Houston, Denver, San Diego, Oakland, Buffalo, Kansas City & Boston; along with the Jets in NY. All are still in existence.
AFL team photos from the 1960’s show rosters filled with one-half black players; while the average NFL roster was less than one-quarter black players, and the Washington Redskins were the last NFL team to integrate in 1962—by government order.
The 1963 AFL San Diego Chargers are widely credited as pro football’s first steroid team, with its offensive lineman compelled to take steroids during training camp & throughout the season.
The Chargers won their only AFL title that year.
The NFL Hall of Fame opened in 1963 in Canton, OH, with a charter class of 17 members; six of them coaches, owners or league executives.
Standards for the NFL Hall of Fame are inconsistent and nebulous, as demonstrated below:
NFL HoF Comparison Example #1: Linemen from the 1950’s & 60’s
Art Donovan (DT) Baltimore Colts (1950-61):
Career stats: 12 seasons, 138 games, 8 fumbles recovered, 1 safety
HoF card reads, “Five time All-Pro…Donovan developed into one of the best defensive tackles in league history…one of the most popular players in the league…many feel he was at least as valuable to the Colts as a morale builder with his sharp wit and contagious laughter.”
Jerry Kramer (RG) Green Bay Packers (1958-68):
Career Stats: 11 seasons, 130 games
Not in the HoF; although he too was a five-time All-Pro, anchoring multiple championship teams.
There is no real career performance data for either, outside of all-pro voting. As far as anyone can tell, Donovan and Kramer were both dominant linemen, on opposite sides of the ball– essentially the same players in value. Can anyone explain why one is in the Hall of Fame and the other isn’t? Maybe Jerry Kramer wasn’t very funny or popular.
Click here to read Part 2— NFL History: The Super Bowl Era
Is a LF who played 22 seasons with a career batting line of .298/.444/.607, the greatest baseball player ever?
What do AVG/OBP/SLG actually mean?
The most important batting statistic in baseball is (and has always been) on-base percentage (OBP).
OBP adds up all plate appearances, and measures how often a batter doesn’t make an out.
Making outs is bad for batters because after 27 outs, your team loses; unless there are extra innings. It is not helpful to make outs in extra innings either.
Over the course of a season, OBP is 2-3x more valuable (in terms of winning) than the second-most useful measure of hitting: SLG.
Slugging percentage (SLG) blends AVG with power– crediting extra weight for doubles, triples & HRs.
Extra-base hits directly correlate to increased run production.
Power creates runs, and teams need runs to win.
Therefore, SLG creates wins.
Batting average (AVG) is a subset of OBP & SLG.
It is the measure of how often a batter gets a hit when he puts the ball in play.
OBP is the better overall measure of batting value, but AVG tells you things OBP can’t.
In a situation against a good pitcher, who doesn’t walk many batters; AVG is a better measure of the hitter’s chance for success than OBP.
Example: The difference between a .240 and .320 AVG hitter (both with .360 OBPs), is that the .240 batter will strikeout or hit into an easy out substantially more often than the .320 guy, against good pitching.
The .240 hitter exercises more patience & strike-zone judgement by taking more walks when they are most available, against inferior pitching.
The .320 hitter will swing at more pitches outside the strike zone, but is better at hitting line drives.
Most hits are line drives.
Increased SLG means more line drives go over the fence.
Adam Dunn (RF/DH) .237/.365/.492 14 seasons (still active)
Ichiro Suzuki (RF) .317/.360/.412 14 seasons (still active)
—–
This is why Billy Beanes’ shit doesn’t work in the post-season.
Over the course of a long season, it’s OBP that determines who is best.
In the smaller sample-sized post-season, its a different model in favor of SLG.
The strongest teams line up their best pitching in a short series, and it’s much tougher to produce runs with only OBP and no SLG.
That doesn’t imply an endorsement of “small-ball” tactics.
High-percentage base stealing & the ability to take the extra base gives any team an added dimension, but the gains are negligible in relation to hitting & pitching power.
If a manager needs an extra base in a clutch situation, a pinch runner (w/ a high SB%) is a better option than sacrificing or calling for the hit-and-run.
Terry Francona demonstrated this famously in using Dave Roberts in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS.
Since this era is built around power, letting hitters use their OBP & SLG skills (instead of excessive bunting & other small-ball tactics), is understood as better managing in today’s game.
—–
It is power pitching & hitting, along with good defense, that historically wins in the post-season.
Power costs money, which is why it is usually high-payroll teams playing late into October.
Pitching power is measured in staff ERA & Strikeouts (or K/9 IP).
Starting pitchers with 200+ IP, high K’s with good ERAs in relation to the league average, are the aces.
Closers must be over a strikeout per IP, with an ERA well under 3.00 (low walks) to be considered reliable.
Relief pitching is the most volatile commodity in MLB.
More money (as measured in $$/win) is wasted on relief pitching, than any other part of the modern MLB roster.
——————-
The arguments for greatest (non-pitcher) player ever are:
Ty Cobb (CF) .366/.433/.512 24 seasons
Honus Wagner (SS) .328/.391/.467 21 seasons
Rogers Hornsby (2B) .358/.434/.577 23 seasons
Babe Ruth (RF/LHP) .342/.474/.690 22 seasons
Lou Gehrig (1B) .340/.447/.632 17 seasons
Ted Williams (LF) .344/.482/.634 19 seasons (DNP his age 24-26 seasons and most of his age 33-34 seasons due to military service)
Willie Mays (CF) .302/.384/.557 22 seasons
Mickey Mantle (CF) .298/.421/.557 18 seasons
Hank Aaron (RF) .305/.374/.555 23 seasons
Barry Bonds (LF) .298/.444/.607 22 seasons
Alex Rodriguez(SS/3B).299/.384/.558 20 seasons (suspended in 2014, but still active)
Albert Pujols (1B) .318/.405/.592 14 seasons (still active)
The players with the highest OBP are Williams (.482), Ruth (.474), Gehrig (.447) then Bonds (.444)
The highest career SLG are Ruth (.690), Williams (.634), Gehrig (.632) then Bonds (.607)
—–
Base running and defense:
*In 1916-17, Babe Ruth (age 21-22 seasons) was an ace LHP with the Boston Red Sox, the best pitcher in the AL. Ruth helped BOS win the World Series in 1915, 1916 & 1918, before he was sold to the NYY.
Ruth’s incomplete career base running numbers are: 123 SB / 117 CS.
CS weren’t counted in the AL until 1920, so Ruth’s career SB% was likely under 50%.
He infamously ran into the last out of the 1926 WS; getting thrown out trying to steal second base with the NYY down by multiple runs.
Barry Bonds was a 8-time Gold Glove LF and an outstanding base runner/base stealer: 514 SB/141 CS; translating into a nifty 77.3% career success rate.
Lou Gehrig played 1B well by most accounts; 102 SB / 100 CS in his career. First basemen have all their value in their bat.
Ted Williams was slow on the bases (24 SB / 17 CS career), and considered a poor defensive LF.
He would often be observed taking practice swings in the outfield.
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“Character” issues:
Ruth drank, smoked and whored around excessively.
The media of that era ignored it; today that would be inconceivable.
Gehrig was (and still is) under-appreciated, playing beside the Bambino.
His farewell speech at Yankee Stadium still stands as one of the most moving moments in sports history. If he had lived he may have become the greatest, and that is the heroic tragedy of Lou Gehrig. He was diagnosed with ALS in his age 36 season.
*Both Ruth & Gehrig played entirely in the pre-integration era of MLB.
Surely their dominance would have been curtailed by the likes of RHPs Smoky Joe Williams, Satchel Paige, etc… and their numbers rivalled by (C) Josh Gibson , (1B) Buck Leonard, etc… if blacks had been allowed to play MLB.
Williams & Bonds were sensitive to criticism and castigated by the sporting press of their eras.
Ted Williams lost 5 prime seasons due to military service, and would have added 150+ HRs and 900+ hits to his career totals.
He was still the greatest hitter ever (.344/.482/.634).
By the early 2000’s, Bonds joined baseball’s PED scandal; becoming a permanent scapegoat for the MLB policy of tolerance/encouragement, which began a decade earlier.
In 2007 at age 42, Bonds hit .276/.480/.565 with the SFG; breaking Henry Aaron’s career home run record and establishing the new mark at 762.
That year, Pac Bell Park was sold out all season, for a SFG team that finished last in the NL West at 71-91.
Bonds was not offered a contract by any team in MLB for 2008, when he surely could have been a productive LF/DH for at least 2 more seasons.
*As a fan of the newly-renamed TB Rays, I believe they squandered their best shot ever at winning a World Series, by not signing Bonds in 2008.
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If you go on his feats & the numbers (and include his pitching– which you must), then Babe Ruth is the greatest baseball player ever.
Realistically however, too much of what the Babe did (and was allowed to get away with) would be impossible now.
The best player must be able to dominate in any era.
Bonds won 7 MVP’s and probably should have won several more.
He was clearly the best player in baseball from 1990-2004– a 15-season span.
Barry Bonds was the greatest baseball player of his or any era.
Twenty years ago during July/August/September 1994, the MLB season & World Series were cancelled.
The source of the dispute was a deliberate provocation by ownership & its puppets in the MLB commissioner’s office.
This piece is an attempt to educate & reclaim what was stolen.
Background & Trajectory:
Nineteen-ninety four was a turbulent time in US politics. The neo-conservative reaction to Bill Clinton’s election in 1992 was in full swing, as Newt Gingrich would led a right-wing Republican takeover of the House of Representatives and Senate. This reaction would successfully roll-back Clinton’s liberal-leaning Comprehensive Healthcare Initiative; and turned both of his terms as US president into a tabloid witch-hunt, culminating in the first-ever impeachment of a US president. In 1998, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Bill Clinton for perjury; for lying to conceal an extra-martial affair with staffer, Monica Lewinsky.
What followed in US foreign policy, was a sharp turn towards militarism, starting with missile strikes in Sudan & Afghanistan in August 1998 and the US/NATO bombing of Serbia (March-June 1999).
Domestically, the Bush vs Gore Supreme Court decision, which halted the counting of cast ballots in Gore’s favor, was a consensus ruling-class decision to dispense with democratic rights in order to ruthlessly pursue ruling-class interests. This hijacking of a US presidential election in November/December 2000, is still poorly understood by working people, as are the circumstances around 9-11-2001. These events are the foundations the global surveillance apparatus & modern police-state conditions were all now live under. This has been reviewed & clarified to provide context to events affecting MLB.
The MLB owners had lost their last battle with the players in court in December 1990, when a judge ruled collusion by all 26 team owners and the MLB commissioner’s office, headed by Peter Ueberroth. The player’s union (MLBPA) was awarded $280 million in stolen wages. From the off-seasons of 1985-1987, baseball’s greatest stars including: Tim Raines, Andre Dawson, Phil Niekro, Kirk Gibson, Jack Morris, etc. were not allowed to sell their services as free agents, because all the owners had a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ to not sign ANY free agents. This was planned by MLB commissioner Peter Ueberroth, and carried out by every team’s management & staff; making all of them accomplices in the ownership’s conspiracy to defraud the players.
By 1994, the owners were in no mood to compromise; threatening to retract previously won collectively bargained player’s rights by unilaterally invoking a hard salary cap in order to depress player salaries. Ownership was intransigent on the hard salary cap, knowing the players would reject it.
The players walked out on August 12, 1994 because it allowed them receive most of their season’s salary while hurting the owners financially by cancelling the post-season.
Much of MLB’s season revenue comes from the post-season. The owners provoked the walkout by insisting on a salary cap, thinking they could smear the players as greedy if they refused. It worked well for awhile, as the sports media attacked the players with its usual reactionary vigor, but when ‘acting commissioner’ Bud Selig went before the cameras on Sept 14, 1994 to announce the cancellation of the World Series; no one believed any owner to be innocent.
The last baseball commissioner Faye Vincent noted, “The Union basically doesn’t trust the Ownership because collusion was a $280 million theft by Bud Selig and Jerry Reinsdorf from the players. I mean, they rigged the signing of free agents. They got caught. They paid $280 million to the players. And I think that’s polluted labor relations in baseball ever since it happened. I think it’s the reason [Union Legal Council, Donald] Fehr has no trust in Selig.”
Donald Fehr and the MLBPA insisted the owners collectively made billions of dollars annually. Fehr argued the players create the value so they must be fairly compensated according to free-market principles. You would have thought he was V.I Lenin leading the Bolsheviks, the way the sporting press vilified him.
The MLB owners were desperate by the spring of 1995. They had decided to bring in replacement players, pressuring minor leaguers to scab for the owners in order to break the strike. One minor league player under particular scrutiny was Michael Jordan, OF for AA Birmingham Barons– a CHI White Sox affiliate. Jordan had retired from basketball after the death of his father, and dedicated himself to becoming a big-league baseball player.
His progress was encouraging, impressing scouts with his development in skills & power in the 1994 Arizona Fall League (AFL), and there was speculation he could be a September call-up in 1995.All that was pushed ahead as he was repeatedly questioned in the spring of 1994, if he would be a replacement player. Jordan was in a particularly difficult situation in that the owner of the Chicago White Sox was the same man who owned the Chicago Bulls, Jerry Reinsdorf.
Reinsdorf had been one of the leaders in the MLB owner’s collusion conspiracy.
To Michael Jordan’s credit, he always refused any offer of becoming a replacement player, insisting that he earn his way to the majors.
All this likely contributed in pushing Michael Jordan back to the NBA, and it was probably where be belonged anyway.
Minutes after the owners submitted, and the ink was dry on the new collective bargaining agreement; Reinsdorf signed free agent Albert Belle to a 5-year $55 million contract, the first super-contract of its kind.
Players salaries have escalated ever since, thus vindicating the players as being correct in not believing the owner’s cries of bankruptcy.
How Bud Selig became MLB Commissioner
Faye Vincent was fired by the owners in September 1992 and replaced with “small market” Milwaukee Brewers owner– Bud Selig. Selig constantly whined about “competitive balance”, having to compete against big-spending teams such as the George Steinbrenner’s NYY and Peter Angelos’ BAL. He pointed to Camden Yards, the Orioles beautiful new park (which was often sold out), and exclaimed, “We need a new ballpark if we are going to compete.”
This came from an owner who employed a front office led by old-time GMs Harry Dalton and Sal Bando, who managed to run off their best prospect ever, Gary Sheffield (3B FLA .276/.385/.584); then claimed they couldn’t afford franchise hero DH Paul Molitor after 1992. Molitor took his HoF bat to TOR in 1993, where he was the second-best player in the AL (Frank Thomas MVP), and became a WS hero helping TOR repeat as WS champions. TOR teammate RHP Dave Stewart famously said here never played with a more unselfish player than Paul Molitor.
The MIL front office led by the Dalton gang had plunged into free agency in the late-1980’s, signing free-agent busts such as 1B Greg Brock (career line .248/.338/.399) & 1B/DH Franklin Stubbs (career line .232/.303/.404). When MIL re-signed fan-favorite & ace LHP Teddy Higuera to a large $ deal, Higuera immediately tore out his rotator cuff; the Brewers front office hadn’t insisted on an MRI while negotiating his extension.
Now under GM Sal Bando (above), the only valuable MIL player was LF Greg Vaughn (.254/.345/.478). Left field and the County Stadium bleachers past its fence, was designated Vaughn’s Valley by the local faithful. Unfortunately, too many balls thrown in by Brewers pitchers ended up in Vaughn’s Valley. In 1994 MIL was last in the AL Central, 15 games behind the CWS when the season was cancelled.
As a fan, I always felt MIL manager Phil Garner was a good skipper, but he had no chance with this team. A friend & I would regularly go to games at County Stadium around that time, and we would observe Garner walk out to the mound again & again in the middle innings. My friend would always put his hands behind his back and make a gesture of being handcuffed.
1994 Hall of Famers
On Jan 12, 1994 LHP Steve Carlton was elected to the HoF.
Carlton was one of the greatest LHP ever: W-L 329-244, 3.22 ERA, 5217.2 IP, 4136 K
The HoF Veterans Committee tapped manager Leo Durocher and NYY SS Phil Rizzuto; career .273/.351/.355 hitter. Nicknamed “Scooter”, Rizzuto played under manager Casey Stengel with Joe DiMaggio, Bill Dickey, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, etc.; and helped the Yankees win 10 AL pennants and 7 World Series in his 13 seasons. Rizzuto served 3 prime athletic years (1943-45; his age 25-27 seasons) in the US Navy.
The 1994 Baseball Season (All stats 1994, unless noted)
In 1994, there was a newly-added Divisional round of playoff games, via the Wild Card. From 1969-1993, MLB had 2 divisions in each league, with only its division champions advancing to the post-season. The NL & AL West were both short-stacked with only 4 teams; all other divisions had 5 teams.
It was a memorable Opening Day at Wrigley Field when Karl “Tuffy” Rhodes hit 3 HRs (2 off Doc Gooden), but the Mets still won 12-8.
The CHC would finish last in the new NL Central.
The Cubs best players were 1B Mark Grace (.298/.370/.414) and intriguing young RF Sammy Sosa (.300/.339/.545).
HoF numbers player 1B Rafael Palmiero, whom the Cubs traded to TEX for reliever Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams a few years earlier, hit .319/.396/.550 for BAL that year.
A no-hitter by LHP Kent Merker (ATL) in his first start of the season on April 8, raised eyebrows around MLB.
If you weren’t a Braves fan, you could only be envious of their pitching riches.
The ATL rotation included HoFers Greg Maddux RHP (16-6, 1.56 ERA, 202 IP), Tom Glavine LHP (13-9, 3.97 ERA, 165.1 IP) and John Smoltz RHP (6-10, 4.14 ERA, 134.2 IP); along with young upstart LHP Steve Avery (8-3, 4.04 ERA, 151.2 IP) and now LHP Kent Merker (9-4, 3.45 ERA, 112.1 IP).
This ATL starting rotation under Bobby Cox & Leo Mazzone became the best staff ever when ATL added All-Star LHP Denny Neagle from PIT for the season in 1997 going 20-5, 2.97 ERA, 233.1 IP as their 4th starter.
RHP ATL Greg Maddux 10 CG, 202 IP, 1.56 ERA in 1994
For comparison: RHP Bret Saberhagen (NYM) was 2nd in NL ERA at 2.74
NL Central– CIN leads, with HOU 0.5 GB led by HoF 1B Jeff Bagwell (.368/.451/.750–MVP), HoF 2B Craig Biggio (.318/.411/.483), and All-Star 3B Ken Caminiti (.283/.352/.495).
The Reds were led by HoF SS Barry Larkin (.279/.369/.419), LF Kevin Mitchell (.326/.429/.681) & RHP Jose Rijo (9-6, 3.08 ERA, 172.1 IP). Deion Sanders, an NFL All-Pro CB & punt returner was their CF (.283/.342/.381) acquired from ATL mid-season. In the spring of 1995 as the baseball strike was nearing an end, ‘Prime Time’ negotiated a $35 million deal to play for the Dallas Cowboys, whenever he was done with the baseball season.
Note: Deion Sanders’ career batting line was .263/.319/.392.
PIT lost HoF LF Barry Bonds after 1992, and finished 22 GB of PHI in the NL East in 1993. They were 13 GB in the NL Central when the season was stopped in 1994.
It would continue to a streak of 20 years of finishing below .500 before the Bucs grabbed a WC in 2013, finishing 94–68.
The NL West was poor, with LAD at 58-56, 3.5 games ahead of SFG.
LAD were led by HoF C Mike Piazza (319/.370/.541), young fiery RF Raul Mondesi (.306/.333/.516) & RHP Ramon Martinez (12-7, 3.96 ERA, 170 IP).
SFG were led by HoF LF Barry Bonds (.312/.426/.647) and 3B Matt Williams (.267/.319/.607)
COL was in its 2nd year of existence, and had serious starting pitching issues.
SD was the worst team in the NL.
RHP Scott Erickson (MIN) threw a no-hitter against punchless MIL on April 27, 1994.
The next day, LHP Kenny Rogers (TEX) threw a perfect game against the CAL Angels.
The standings in the AL West were unprecedented in MLB, at the time of the work stoppage. TEX, with a 52-62 record led the division, one game better than OAK and 2 games ahead of SEA. CAL was 19 games under .500 (47-68), and yet only 5.5 GB.
The CLE Indians had the best lineup of their era:
1B Paul Sorrento .280/.345/.453
Switch-hitting 2B Carlos Baerga .314/.333/.525
Gold-glove SS Omar Vizquel .273/.325/.325
Young slugging HoF 3B Jim Thome .268/.359/.523
All-Star C Sandy Alomar .288/.347/.490
MVP candidate LF Albert Belle .357/.442/.714
Under-rated (borderline HoFer) CF Kenny Lofton .349/.417/.536
HoF rookie RF Manny Ramirez .269/.357/.521
HoF veteran DH Eddie Murray .254/.302/.425
The CLE pitching staff was anchored by Charles Nagy (169.1 IP, 3.45 ERA), and was above-average overall.
The CHI White Sox were 67-46, one game ahead of CLE when the season was called.
The White Sox were led by their great pitching staff of RHP Jack McDowell (181 IP, 3.73 ERA); RHP Alex Fernandez (170.1 IP, 3.86 ERA); LHP Wilson Alvarez (161.2 IP, 3.45 ERA); and young stud prospect RHP Jason Bere (141.2 IP, 3.81 ERA). Between CWS & CLE in 1994, the team that didn’t win the division was likely going the be the AL Wild Card.
The best team in the AL was the NYY at 70-43, 6.5 games clear of BAL.
Defending WS winners TOR were in 3rd, 16 GB. The NYY had finally been allowed to rebuild themselves through the farm system. From 1990-92 MLB suspended owner George Steinbrenner, creating a window of opportunity for the Yankee front office led by Gene Michael, to develop their prospects. Steinbrenner had a propensity for meddling, rushing and/or trading away top prospects. He also handcuffed management by overpaying on free agent bats. This had led to a post-season drought for the NYY that stretched back to 1981.
By 1994, fourth-year NYY player Bernie Williams (.289/.386/.453) was their CF; and they had already smartly acquired valuable parts in Paul O’Neil (.359/.460/.603), LHP Jimmy Key (17-4, 3.27 ERA, 168 IP), and HoF 3B Wade Boggs (.342/.433/.489).
Future Yankee stars still in the minors included: Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte. This was the core for their great championship run from 1996-2000, where they won 4 WS in 5 years. The 1994 season was the end for 1B Don Mattingly (.304/.397/.411), and the season being cancelled cost him only best chance at a post-season. He would be replaced with Tino Martinez (.261/.320/.508), from SEA.
The best AL pitchers were:
RHP Roger Clemens (BOS) 9-7, 2.85 ERA, 170 IP
RHP Mike Mussina (BAL) 16-5, 3.06 ERA, 176.1 IP
LHP Randy Johnson (SEA) 13-6, 3.19 ERA, 176 IP
RHP David Cone (KC) 16-5, 2.94 ERA, 171.2 IP
LHP Jimmy Key (NYY) 17-4, 3.27 ERA, 168 IP
Best AL players were:
1B CWS Frank Thomas 38 HR .353/.494/.729
LF CLE Albert Belle 36 HR .357/.442/.714
CF SEA Ken Griffey Jr 40 HR .322/.403/.674
CF CLE Kenny Lofton .349/.417/.536; 60 SB, 12 CS
NL Best team: Montreal Expos .649 winning % in 114 G.
Les Expos were 6 games better than the Atlanta Braves.
Managed by Felipe Alou, the 1994 Montreal Expos are in the discussion (with the 1995 ATL Braves), as the 2nd-best team of the decade.
The 1998 NYY were all-time great.
Left fielder Moises Alou (.339/.397/.592); CF Marquis Grissom (.288/.344/.427) and borderline HoFer RF Larry Walker (.322/.394/.587) were the best outfield in baseball, driving the MON lineup. Their starting pitching had HoF RHP Pedro Martinez (11-5, 3.42 ERA, 144.2 IP), along with established workhorses RHP Ken Hill (16-5, 3.32 ERA, 154.2 IP) & LHP Jeff Fassero (8-6, 2.99 ERA, 138.2 IP). Their bullpen had young, hard-throwing RHPs Mel Rojas (3.32 ERA, 84 IP) and John Wetteland (2.83 ERA, 63.2 IP).
The 1994 MON Expos were a patiently assembled team, and this franchise was truly cheated out of their best chance of ever winning a World Series.
Brief history of the Montreal Expos since the 1994 strike
After the 1994 strike was settled, MON Expos management began shedding its key players. Art mogul Jeffrey Loria bought the team in 1999, and so mismanaged it that the Expos did not reach an agreement on television and English radio broadcast contracts for the 2000 season. Thus, no Expos games were broadcast on local TV or radio in 2000.
In December 2001, the Boston Red Sox accepted a purchase bid from a group led by John W. Henry, owner of the FLA Marlins. Henry sold the Marlins to Loria, and MLB bought the Expos from Loria for $120 million.
Loria immediately moved the entire Expos front office and on-field staff, including manager Jeff Torborg, to Miami — leaving MON without personnel, scouting reports, and office equipment– including the team’s computers. Without an owner willing to operate the team in Montreal, it was widely understood that the sale of the Expos to MLB was the first step in the process of either moving or folding the franchise.
It was widely speculated around 2001, that the MON Expos & MIN Twins were to be the two teams eliminated by contraction. The contracted-team owners were to be paid handsomely by the survivors. All this was being seriously discussed by MLB owners, only a few years after the ARZ Diamondbacks and TB Devil Rays came in existence in 1998. Owner plans for elimination of two franchises were scuttled when the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, operator of Minnesota’s Metrodome, received an injunction requiring the Twins to play in the Metrodome during 2002, so MLB could not shut down the MON Expos alone while easily preserving its 162-game schedule.
Post-1994, the Expos became a farm system for contending teams to raid or pick off in free agency. In the summer of 2002, Expos GM under MLB Omar Minaya engineered arguably the worst trade in MLB history; acquiring 3 months of RHP Bartolo Colón (10-4, 3.31 ERA, 117 IP) from CLE in exchange for future All-Stars 2B Brandon Phillips, CF Grady Sizemore, as well as Cy Young ace LHP Cliff Lee.
Believe it or not, Los Expos played home games at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico for parts of two seasons (2003-2004). After losing HoF RF Vladimir Guerrero to free agency after 2003 (without even offering him arbitration, so they could not collect their compensatory draft pick), the Expos finished their last year in Montreal (2004), with a 67–95 record.
In 2005, MLB moved the franchise to Washington, and renamed it the Nationals. The franchise was sold to real estate magnate Ted Lerner (estimated net worth $4 billion) in 2006.
The Montreal Expos from 1994 until their end in 2004, are an example of the ruthless nature of business in sports. The Expos never again had a chance to compete, as MLB and its ownership conspired to strangle the franchise. Their fertile & productive farm system along with their small-market ingenuity & creativity were systematically destroyed by powerful forces that viewed them as an impediment to greater profits. That is the legacy of baseball in Montreal & the lost 1994 season.
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The US men’s soccer team earned respect from players & fans around the world for their World Cup performance in Brazil, losing to Belgium 2-1 in extra time, in the round of 16.
It now behooves US sports fans to watch the remaining matches (of teams entirely from Europe & Latin America) with a deeper appreciation for their unique skills & marvellous physical fitness.
Please notice, you never see an overweight soccer player at the professional level.
The current low level of youth physical fitness, along with the concurring epidemic level of youth obesity, is a major reason the US remains far behind the rest of the world in men’s soccer.
The US players are correct when they say it is not up to them to grow the game.
It is truly up to adults to more fully understand & learn the game, so they can encourage & teach their kids to become better players.
Presently, there are not enough qualified (or even competent) coaches at the youth levels to teach the requisite skills needed to keep pace with European & South American players.
The US men’s team needs to develop better overall skills before a skilled play-maker can emerge. Until then, they will remain outside the heavyweight class that defines the World Cup, when the field is reduced to eight.
When people ask the question, “Will the US ever win a World Cup?”, they are being ignorant & chauvinist.
The US women’s soccer team won their inaugural World Cup in 1991, and also again in 1999.
Today’s ‘soccer moms’ are women who grew up in the 1990’s emulating Mia Hamm & the rest.
The US women won gold in the first-ever US women’s Olympic soccer competition; winning a thrilling final match 2-1 in front of a rapturous crowd of 76,489 in Atlanta. Inexplicably, NBC chose to not broadcast the match and the press conference afterwards was heartbreaking, as team captains Julie Foudy & Mia Hamm wore gold medals around their necks, and frowns of hurt & disappointment on their faces. No one outside the stadium saw the game.
The reason for the blackout was largely political vindiction. In the months before the 1996 Olympics, many of the US women’s star players had held-out before agreeing to play in this all-important inaugural event; insisting they be paid the same as the US men’s soccer players. For months the US women’s best players were vilified by a foul & reactionary sporting media for being greedy & unpatriotic, simply for demanding equal pay. Eventually the US women’s terms were agreed to (with stipulations–the US women had to win gold to receive everything they negotiated), but the real price they paid was the scorn of a paternalist corporate media for being so bold. Therefore, the best story of the 1996 Olympics was ignored. All this & more is well-documented in Dare to Dream.
In 1999 the women’s World Cup was held in the US, and that team became an unstoppable & transformative force, a beautiful example of dialects in popular culture.
The 1999 Women’s World Cup final match played on July 10 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California was not only one of the most dramatic sporting contests ever, but moreover the culmination of a modern sports revolution.
It forever established a niche for women’s professional athletics, as their meteoric rise to popularity proved to girls & boys, as well as women & men everywhere, that women’s competition could be just as exciting & dramatic as men’s competition.
By the time the final match-up between the US & #1-ranked contender China was set, the entire nation had become passionately invested. These women redefined feminine beauty with their naturally athletic look, as well as their skills; making them the dominant world team of the 1990’s. Their best player throughout that period was Michelle Akers, a large and powerful athlete, physically towering over the rest of her teammates. Akers always stood apart from the rest of the team core that centred around Mia Hamm, Joy Fawcett & Julie Foudy.
This is the best cover of SI ever– a natural female athlete, perfectly photographed in her moment of triumph.
Tim Howard may have had the greatest goalkeeping performance in World Cup history in 2014, but the greatest save in any history– men’s or women’s– was Kristine Lilly’s in 1999.
Soccer is a beautiful game because everyone can play it, and it is played everywhere by boys & girls, rich & poor in all nations.
Culturally a shift has occurred, as scientific data on concussions (a by-product of the inherently violent nature of American football), and the mainstream adoption of the ‘soccer mom’ phenomenon; has more & more parents turning their kids away from football and towards soccer.
Note: Soccer has concussion risks too, so be aware.
Heading a ball punted by the goal keeper is a concussion, every time, so don’t do it!
Use your chest or lower body instead.
Soccer is a physical game; Michelle Akers received one of the most viscous intentional spears to the head in the 1995 WC, an example of unsportsmanlike conduct that should never be tolerated.
If you choose to watch the 2014 WC, then take time to appreciate its history & culture. It’s important for all of us to embrace diversity, and for many here in the US, soccer is still a foreign game. Everywhere else, it is the most popular sport in the world, so appreciating the skill & beauty of this game, regardless of sex or national origin, unites us all.
We are deep enough into the 2014 season to be able to use the numbers to make sense of what’s going on in Major League Baseball. The concept of ‘fair sample size’ is important in statistical analysis. In baseball, this means we need to wait until around June before we can positively identify significant season trends.
Before then, the sample size is often too small to be accurate.
Baseball’s two most important batting stats are OBP & SLG, in that order.
OBP & SLG are conventionally presented with batting average (AVG) as triple slash stats AVG/OBP/SLG; which tells you basically everything you need to know about a hitter in one line.
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The TB Rays have the worst record in baseball.
Didn’t the experts anoint them as the best team in the AL?
Fans should not be too surprised, as the TBR have operated on a razor-thin margin for a long time now. When it collapses it quickly becomes a free-fall, because there is little depth.
TBR lineup is a least 2 bats short (at 1B & DH); the two most-important production slots.
An adaquate catching platoon would be helpful; Ryan Hanigan (.212/.299/.336) and Jose Molina (.129/.180/.129) doesn’t let you compete in the AL East.
The Rays 17th in OBP (.315) and 26th in SLG (.365).
Their once historically-great defense, is now middle-of-the-pack by most metrics.
The Rays innovations in shifting defenses & alignment have been noted by MLB, thus eroding another advantage they once held.
The Rays DER (Defensive Efficiency Ratio: the measure of converting balls-in-play into outs) is .687, 18th in MLB.
Note: NYY is 27th, BOS 28th, and TEX 30th in DER; all high-priced, veterean-heavy– under-performing teams.
TBR are 22nd in team ERA at 4.10.
#2 starter Matt Moore needed TJ surgery, and is out until next June– minimum.
Ace starter David Price is a free agent after the season, so it won’t get better.
Joe Maddon is a great field manager, but he needs some help if the Rays are ever going to seriously compete.
Rays owner, Stuart Sternberg is worth an estimated $800 million. Player payroll needs to increase by $20-30 million/season, otherwise TBR will no longer compete in this division.
Someone with nearly a billion dollars in wealth should invest in his business, and not use poor attendance as an excuse for frugality.
Rays fans don’t come to Tropicana Field because: 1) there is a jobs depression in Tampa, just like everwhere else– only it’s a bit worse there; 2) it’s located in congested traffic at the end of a penninsula; 3) it’s a dump.
The problem with the Rays in 2014 is that they were set up to fail.
They have always competed short-stacked against payroll behemoths in TEX, NYY, BOS… and every year they eventually bust to one of them.
Attrition through free agency has diminished the ranks somewhat, but few of the name players they let go (Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton) are really helpful at their free-agent contract prices.
The real problem is in Scouting & Player Development, starting with when they chose Tim Beckham over Buster Posey with the #1 overall pick in 2008.
They’ve had other drafts with multiple compensation picks, and failed to develop an impact player.
As a result there is very little help on the way from their once-fertile minor league system.
TBR are not the worst team in baseball, but they might end up with the worst record in 2014.
This is because they play in the toughest division in sports, the AL East.
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TOR is the best team in the AL East as of mid-June, and they are for real.
TOR is 4th in OBP (.332) & 2nd in SLG (.446) to COL (.462).
Mark Buehrle (10-2, 2.04 ERA) anchors a decent rotation, and their team ERA is 18th (3.99), which is an improvement over recent seasons.
OAK is a MLB best in team ERA (2.91) & OBP (.336), and 2nd in DER (.717); which is why they have the best record in the AL.
If you still don’t believe in Moneyball, then you are hopeless.
The NYY are old, injured, and heading for a 4th-place finish.
Masahiro Tanaka (9-1, 2.02 ERA) is the only thing keep them afloat, at this point.
BOS has starting pitching injury issues, ERA 17th (3.89), and a completely unproductive outfield.
RF Shane Victorino (.242/.276/.352) tops the BOS outfield in SLG.
LAD have the best RF in baseball, Yasiel Puig (.333/.430/.584), and a hugely overpaid remaining lineup.
No disrespect to MIA RF Giancarlo Stanton (301/.393/.589)
Clayton Kershaw (5-2, 3.17 ERA) & Zack Grienke (8-2, 2.62 ERA) are the best 1-2 in the NL.
The MIL, SFG, & STL are all better bets to go to the WS.
MIL finally has some starting pitching (ERA 3.65, 11th in MLB) and have stabilized their defense (5th in DER at .706), so they are for real.
They can always mash; 8th in SLG (.409).
This is the good Rickie Weeks .307/.365/.443; I hope he stays healthy.
I don’t believe anything Ryan Braun (.299/.337/.529) says in front of a camera or through his spokespeople.
TEX is last in MLB in team ERA at 4.60.
They had a great lineup, until they: 1) let Nelson Cruz (.303/.374/.636) get away to BAL; and 2) traded Ian Kinsler (.287/.316/.449) to DET for Prince Fielder (.247/.360/.360 in 150 AB before neck surgery ended his season) and $30 million.
TEX gets this season and six more of Prince Fielder at $24 million/year.
I don’t know why Nolan Ryan left the front office, but I’m betting decision-making like this was part of the problem.
All part of the game, as bad trades a just part of baseball…
Enjoy the summer:)
