Here are some classic (outdated) sports essays as previously broadcast on The Turf.
ACTING RUINING SOCCER…By Bill Rogan (4-11-07)
I’ll go on record as saying that I like soccer. I played soccer in high school and enjoyed it immensely. It is a fun sport to play and is very challenging. Yes, it is a challenge to play soccer. It is a lot harder than it looks.
When I was in high school, the now extinct Cosmos were playing to huge crowds at Giants Stadium in the old North American Soccer League. They had star players such as Pele, Beckenbauer, Alberto and Chinaglia and would put on quite a show. What those guys could do with a soccer ball was amazing.
Unfortunately for the NASL, other teams couldn’t compete financially with the Cosmos and the league eventually folded.
As for soccer today, its popularity seems to be growing. Maybe not at the rate soccer fans would like but it is growing slightly here in the USA with Major League Soccer now in its 12th season.
However, I have really lost a lot of interest in the sport and the reason is simple. It has become a sport for actors and beggars. If I want acting I’ll go to the movies or the theatre. I don’t want it in sports.
Watching the World Cup last year was unbearable. Every single time a guy got bumped or tripped up he fell to the ground in agony trying to draw a yellow card. It sickens me that these guys are faking injuries all game long. It strikes me as being dishonest and unethical. It worked too because the referees kept handing out yellow and red cards like you would hand out candy on Halloween.
The constant faking of injuries has panzified the sport to the point where I have enacted a new soccer-viewing rule. As soon as I see a guy fall to the ground as if a cement truck hit him, then I’m switching the channel. Instantly.
I plan to go to the new soccer stadium here in Colorado to catch a Rapids game. The first time a guy pretends his leg has been severed at the knee, I’m walking out. I don’t care if it is in the first minute of play or the 87th. I’m gone. Done.
The crying and moaning to officials on a constant basis has really soured me on soccer and if it keeps up they won’t just lose just me as a casual observer. They’ll lose a lot of people and the MLS and soccer in the United States can’t afford that.
Maybe the Europeans and South Americans like their soccer players to be delicate and cowardly. That doesn’t play well in the USA.
LANDIS WAS A BUM…By Bill Rogan (4-5-07)
April 15 will be the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball.
When you think about it, 60 years is not that long ago. It is hard to believe that a black man could not play in the big leagues in 1923. Or 1935. Or 1946.
Think of all the great players the Negro Leagues produced. Josh Gibson. Cool Papa Bell. Ray Dandridge. We will never know how they would have fared in the majors because they were denied the opportunity simply because of the color of their skin. Guys like Satchel Paige and Monte Irvin did play in the majors but were past their primes.
The guy most responsible for this embarrassing episode in baseball and American history is Kennesaw Mountain Landis, the first commissioner of the sport.
Landis was hired by the owners to clean up baseball’s reputation and restore public trust after the mess left behind by the 1919 White Sox who threw the World Series. He was granted unlimited power and authority to govern baseball as he saw fit. He was tyrannical in his approach. He also saw fit to exclude black ballplayers from the Major Leagues.
Bill Veeck tried to buy the Phillies in 1942 but Landis shot down his efforts when Veeck’s plan to stock the woeful Phils with Negro League stars was discovered.
For his entire 24-year reign, Landis thwarted any and every attempt to integrate baseball. Landis died in November of 1944 and less than a year later the Brooklyn Dodgers signed Jackie Robinson.
Major League Baseball has done a wonderful job honoring Robinson’s memory. They have educated millions of people regarding Robinson and retired his uniform number, 42. However, they haven’t done a great job in explaining to people why it took so long for black players to be allowed to play in the big leagues.
I say let people know about Judge Landis and how he, along with most of the owners, intentionally kept black players out of their game. Then right a wrong by removing Landis from the Hall of Fame and take his name off the MVP award where it has been since 1944.
WOOD THE WAY TO GO…..By Bill Rogan (4-3-07)
Aluminum bats are dangerous. Make that, flat out dangerous. I don’t need any scientific studies to back up this assertion.
Having played baseball in wood bat leagues and aluminum bat leagues through the age of 31, I know first hand the difference between the way a ball reacts off wood and aluminum bats.
Simply put, as a hitter, I would much prefer to hit with an aluminum bat in my hands. The ball jumps off the barrel of an aluminum bat harder and faster than a wood bat and travels farther off metal. Also, the sweet spot of the bat is larger with aluminum than with wood and because the bats are lighter a hitter can generate more bat speed.
On the flip side, as a fielder, I would rather field a ball off a wood bat for the same reasons listed above.
The frightening thing though about aluminum bats is the velocity of the ball off metal. Position players have some time to react. However a pitcher who stands a mere 55 feet away from home plate after his delivery is in a precarious position against a hitter swinging a metal bat.
When I was playing in college, one of our pitchers was drilled in the forehead by a ball struck by an aluminum bat. The ball was lined straight off our pitcher’s head and ricocheted to the first baseman on two hops. The batter was out and so was our pitcher. He never pitched again and was fortunate that he didn’t suffer permanent injuries or even die. I was playing third base that day and I never saw the ball hit the pitcher’s head. It came off the bat so fast and so hard that I didn’t see the ball until it was heading towards first base. With a wood bat I feel the pitcher would have had a fighting chance to avoid or deflect the ball.
A few years later in a summer league game, using an aluminum bat, I hit a line drive up the middle that whizzed past the pitcher’s head. It missed him by a foot and he only reacted when the ball was past him. At first base, the first baseman said to me in a concerned tone, “That was close.” After the game, the pitcher told me he didn’t see the ball until it was on top of him.
I bring this up because New York City has sponsored a bill to outlaw aluminum bats for safety purposes. Opponents of the bill, which Mayor Michael Bloomberg plans to veto, say there is no scientific evidence that aluminum bats pose any more danger than wood bats. Those opponents include Little League Baseball and various sporting goods companies and, of course, manufacturers of metal bats. A lawyer for Easton, one of the leading makers of metal bats, David Ettinger, called the bill “utterly irrational.” The reason they oppose bills of this nature is simply money. It is cost effective to use metal bats because they don’t break. Wood bats break and replacing them costs money. Maybe Ettinger believes it is “utterly irrational” to put safety ahead of profits.
Last year a 12-year old pitcher in New Jersey was drilled in the chest by a ball struck by a metal bat. He went into cardiac arrest and was in a coma for months. To this day the boy has brain damage and still cannot walk. Tell his parents that using metal bats is cost effective and pose no additional risks to players.
HATRED BEGINS TO BOIL…By Bill Rogan (3-29-07)
It must be that time of year again. It happens every spring.
I didn’t give Curt Schilling or any of the Red Sox too much thought this past winter. But yesterday I was thinking about how nice it would be if Schilling went 6-17 this year with a bloated ERA while the Bosox finished a distant 21-games behind the Yankees in the American League East. Was I the only one who was pumped up when the Blue Jays finished ahead of Boston last season? Maybe Baltimore can finish ahead of the Red Sox this year. How about Tampa Bay. I know that won’t happen but wouldn’t it be great if it did?
I’m already sick of Daisuke, excuse me, Dice-K Matsuzaka. The article in Sports Illustrated detailing his excessive throwing program gives me hope that the Japanese import’s arm will fall off come July.
Just thinking of Ortiz, Manny, Beckett and Paplebon puts me in a foul mood. I hope for anti-career years for all of them. I do have a confession to make. Its painful to say but I admire and even like Jason Varitek. A little bit. After all, he did punch A-Rod in the mouth a couple of years ago. Maybe he could do it again.
The other day, I mentally went Varitek on some schnook who walked past me wearing a Red Sox cap. I wanted to give him a friendly punch in the nose and say, “Hey buddy, have a nice season.” If he wanted to break my nose too, that would be fine.
After all, what fun is hating the Red Sox and their sappy, preppy, disaster expecting, waxing poetic fans if they don’t hate you back? Part of the fun comes from knowing that they hate you as much as you hate them.
So, as my distaste for the Red Sox reemerges and increases as the calendar advances, I know we are embarking on another baseball season. Hopefully, it will be a season that culminates with a Yankees World Series title and heartbreak for the Red Sox. Then let the animosity simmer down in the off-season until next March when the wonderful feeling of hatred returns like the Swallows of Capistrano.
FAREWELL BOWIE………By Bill Rogan (3-19-07)
Former baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn died last week at the age of 80. Many changes in baseball took place under Kuhn’s watch, some good and some not so good.
Work stoppages are never good and the strike of 1981 certainly isn’t something to look back fondly on during Kuhn’s era.
He ushered in the expanded playoffs in 1969 as well as the designated hitter in 1973.
The biggest blunder of the Kuhn regime though has to be the snubbing of Hank Aaron in 1974. The greatest record in sports was on the verge of toppling and Kuhn saw fit not to attend due to a previous commitment. I’m all for honoring your word and commitments, however when one of your players is about to break Babe Ruth’s home run mark you owe it to the sport you govern to be in attendance. I’m sure his previous engagement wasn’t as important as witnessing baseball history. Aaron was miffed, and rightly so, that Kuhn felt he should be elsewhere on that historic April night.
That brings me to current commissioner Bud Selig. With what I just said fresh in your mind, I will contradict myself here. With Barry Bonds tracking down Aaron’s 755 home run mark, Selig should not be in attendance when the Giants bulked up slugger is set to hit the record breaking homer. If Selig attends the game when Bonds hits 756, then all his talk about integrity and eliminating steroid use rings hollow. Selig should make a statement that Bonds’ record is farcical and he will not give it credence by being in the ballpark and celebrating a tainted achievement.
Kuhn was crucified for not witnessing Aaron’s feat in person. Selig should be crucified should he attend Bonds passing Hammerin’ Hank in the record book. That is if Bonds does in fact pass Aaron.
TAKE YOUR PICK….By Bill Rogan (3-17-07)
So, you are Al Davis, curmudgeonly owner of the once proud Oakland Raiders, and you hold the number one pick in the NFL draft.
You couldn’t go wrong picking Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson, maybe the best player overall on the board.
However, you could have five Calvin Johnson’s and they won’t do a darn bit of good if you can’t get the ball to him.
Your current options at quarterback are Andrew Walter and that’s it. There are no other quarterbacks on the Oakland roster.
It comes down to which quarterback out there will you spend your pick on. The choices are JaMarcus Russell out of LSU or Brady Quinn from Notre Dame. Do you try to outsmart everyone and take a different QB, maybe Michigan State’s Drew Stanton in which case you might as well trade down.
Russell or Quinn, that is the question. Al Davis, you should pick Quinn. No doubt about it, Brady Quinn is the best quarterback in this draft.
I know you are in love with Russell’s ability to heave the ball 80-yards down the field. But how often does a QB have to do that? Not too often.
Russell sent up a red flag, to me anyway, when he showed up at the NFL combine out of shape. He also sent up another warning sign when he didn’t do any bench presses at his pro day. You might say, but look at what he did in the Sugar Bowl. Yes, he had a great Sugar Bowl. He outplayed Quinn. But then again, Russell was going against the horrific Notre Dame defense.
Quinn on the other hand is faster than Russell and stronger than Russell or at least until JaMarcus decides to prove otherwise. Quinn has also been mentored by Charlie Weis the past two seasons, the same guy who developed a sixth round draft pick in Tom Brady into a three-time Super Bowl champion.
The thing that strikes me most about Quinn is his toughness. I’m not saying Russell isn’t tough. But, Quinn’s toughness is off the charts.
The most striking example of Quinn’s toughness came in his freshman season, when he got the stuffing beat out of him by Purdue. I lost track on how many times he was sacked and knocked down. It was painful to watch. But he kept getting back up and finished the game with 59 pass attempts. Toughness is not a question mark for Quinn.
One knock on Quinn is that he couldn’t win big games for Notre Dame. Last time I checked, defense was a huge part of the game. Did you see Notre Dame’s defense the past few seasons? In the three games the Irish lost last year the defense surrendered 47, 44 and 41 points. The year before that they gave up 44, 34 and 34 points in their losses. It’s tough to blame the quarterback for that. Did you also forget Quinn taking the Irish down the field for an apparent game-winning touchdown against Southern California in 2005 only to have ND’s defense give it right back?
Both Russell and Quinn will be standout quarterbacks. With Quinn’s experience I think he’ll develop into a better QB sooner than Russell.
So Al Davis, if you are reading this, you should take Quinn instead of Russell. You can thank me later.
politically correct ncaa reeks…..by Bill Rogan (3-13-07)
When the NCAA selection show aired Sunday, a brief, sudden flicker of a thought passed through my head when Niagara was selected to be one of the two teams that would play Tuesday night in the “play-in” game. Niagara’s opponent is Florida A&M. I found it odd because I figured Niagara, which was on a winning streak (11 games) and won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, would get a better seed. The Purple Eagles don’t play in a powerhouse league but it’s certainly not the worst. The thought that the selection committee seeded Niagara as one of the two weakest teams in the field left my head pretty quickly.
Then yesterday, committee chairman Gary Walters, the Athletic Director at Princeton said that Niagara was chosen to participate in the play-in game because the committee didn’t want to match Florida A&M against Jackson State because of “sensitivity issues,” with both of those schools being historically black colleges from the lowly rated MEAC and SWAC.
Can he possibly be serious? What a crock of you know what that is. Why would the committee and Walters be that fearful of matching two black schools in a basketball game? If they are the two lowest rated teams in the tournament, then so be it. Why penalize a Niagara team that actually had a better RPI than Jackson State, Weber State, Central Connecticut State and North Texas.
It is absolutely, unequivocally wrong not to seed teams according to merit. Why not just give teams like Jackson State and Florida A&M a bye to the Final Four because of the possible “sensitivity issues” of those teams making their usual first round exit?
There is racism and bigotry everywhere. Like it or not, that’s the way it is and that’s the way it will always be to varying degrees. However, sports are the one place where skin color shouldn’t matter. Except that it matters to the NCAA Tournament selection committee. They should be ashamed of themselves and Walters and his band of spineless flunkies owe Niagara, a victim of sports affirmative action, a giant apology.
DODGE BALL…..By Bill Rogan (3-7-07)
Probably because I’m not a lawyer and likely because I’m not a pro athlete suspected of using illegal performance enhancement drugs, I don’t understand why the most popular sport these days seems to be dodge ball.
Case in point Gary Matthews Jr. After his name came up in the Orlando pharmacy raid, the new Angels centerfielder said he wasn’t in a position to answer any specific questions and that until they got more information he couldn’t comment on it.
Come on Gary. You either did it or you didn’t. I’m guessing if you didn’t partake in steroid or human growth hormone use then you would probably come out and say it. If I was accused of wrongdoing and I was completely innocent, I’d be furious to be implicated and I’d be vigorously defending myself. I wouldn’t stand behind a lawyer or the players union. That’s weak and most likely a sign of guilt.
If you are innocent, tell us. Rafael Palmiero defended himself vehemently and we believed him. Until, of course, he was popped for steroids. Ok, bad example.
Another pharmacy was raided in Alabama and more raids are planned with the likely result being more names exposed as drug cheats.
These players will probably take the same lame dodge ball techniques as Matthews Jr. did and hope it all blows over. And it will blow over. Unless baseball decides to hit him with a suspension. That would be a cool breeze for a change. Barry Bonds takes most of the steroid heat while the Gary Matthews Juniors of the world ride out the storm.
Meanwhile, Bonds, an expert at dodge ball, has grown quite a bit physically during his big league career. His jersey size went from a 42 to a 52. His head has grown and his feet have gone from a 10 ½ to a 13. If his body has gotten much bigger is it reasonable to assume that his internal organs may have grown as well? I wonder when his heart, or some other vital organ explodes in his body.
As for the 32-year old Matthews, he won’t have trouble paying his legal fees. He parlayed a 19 home run, 79 RBI, .313 season, all career bests, into a 5-year 50-million dollar contract with the Angels. Prior to last year Matthews was a career .248 hitter who averaged about 8 home runs per season. You do the math on Matthews.
A HORRID WINTER…..By Bill Rogan (2-22-07)
It’s been a most bleak winter in Denver and I cannot wait for March to arrive.
The lowlight of the winter, by far, was the tragic shooting death of Broncos defensive back Darrent Williams early New Year’s morning. There still have been no arrests in the case. After initially being confident the perpetrator of this heinous, cowardly and stupid crime would be caught I now have my doubts that will happen.
The local NBA team has played uninspired all season long. The Nuggets have massively underachieved and while I’m not a fan of the team, it would be nice to see some excitement out of them. Carmelo Anthony missed 15 games because of a sucker punch he threw then ran away like a little girl. Melo seemed more interested in making the All Star team than in grabbing a few rebounds. Allen Iverson has missed a bunch of games with a sprained ankle. Coach George Karl looks like he’s simply interested in cashing a paycheck. This is a boring team that has ‘first round playoff loss’ written all over them. That is IF they make the playoffs.
The Nuggets co-tenants, the Avalanche isn’t much better. At least they put forth the effort but they just aren’t any good. Joe Sakic recently scored his 600th goal so that was a rare highlight. It doesn’t look like the Avs will make the playoffs for the first time since they arrived from Quebec.
The college hoop season has been dismal with the exception of Air Force down in Colorado Springs. DU,CU and Northern Colorado have combined for a 14-62 record as I write this. CSU had their yearly losing streak and may sneak into the NIT for the chance to play for the coveted 66th best team in the nation honor. Jason Smith can play and hopefully he will stick around for his senior season.
Finally, all the snow we’ve had here in Denver has left me hungering for the spring. Normally, 60-degree days in January are common in the Mile High City. Not this year. Snow storm after snow storm and daily frigid temperatures have answered my question, “I wonder what its like to live in Alaska?” I also learned that Denver’s strategy for snow removal can be summed up in one word...July!
The best thing about winter so far? The Rockies have finally opened spring training camp in Tucson and Opening Day is a mere 39 days away. I can’t wait and I bet I’m not the only one.
SLIMY…..By Bill Rogan (2-8-07)
Another National Signing Day has passed and high school seniors have announced where they are going to play college football. Some kids simply faxed in their intentions to the schools where they are going. Other kids made a big show and production out of where they are going to play.
Some kids reneged on verbal commitments and signed at the last moment with another school. Since schools can recruit players, even those who made verbal commitments, until signing day, it adds intrigue to National Signing Day. It also adds an element of sliminess. Recruiting is a slimy business anyway.
To me, once a kid verbally commits to a school it is pretty shady for other schools to continue to recruit him. One of the reasons a kid verbally commits early is to get the other schools off his back. But that doesn’t happen. It’s like a couple that plans to get married. They become engaged in August and plan for a June wedding. However, the wannabe boyfriend still lusts for the woman and continues to pursue her, hoping to sway her emotions. He text messages her. Leaves messages on her voicemail. Sends her e-mails and tells her how crappy her fiancé is. This goes on until she actually gets married, if she gets married after all. That is pretty slimy isn’t it?
Well, that’s how a lot of college football programs operate. Slimy? Sure is. Most schools, if not all schools do it, some more blatantly than others.
That got me to thinking, which coaches are slimy and which ones aren’t? Hard to say but
I have my own perceptions of slimy coaches and un-slimy coaches. Again, these are my perceptions with no hard cold facts to back them up. Just the way I see things.
Alabama’s Nick Saban seems pretty slimy to me. I wouldn’t want to play for him. The same goes for Pete Carroll at Southern Cal and Urban Meyer at Florida. Georgia’s Mark Richt registers on my slimy-meter as does Lloyd Carr at Michigan. A few more coaches that seem slimy to me include Butch Davis at North Carolina, Jim Tressel at Ohio State and Tennessee’s Phillip Fulmer. A coach I’ve always liked is Florida State’s Bobby Bowden yet he registers on my slimy-meter. Want more coaches who seem slimy to me? Dennis Franchione at Texas A&M, Dennis Erickson, now at Arizona State and Maryland’s Ralph Friedgen all say slimy to me.
Now on to my un-slimy coaches list. These coaches could be as slimy as slimy comes but they don’t come off as slimy to me. Again, these are my perceptions of those coaches I don’t perceive as slimy and wouldn’t mind playing for. Notre Dame’s Charlie Weis comes off to me as un-slimy, someone whose word actually means something. The same goes for Penn State’s Joe Paterno and Mike Leach of Texas Tech. Bob Stoops of Oklahoma comes off to me as un-slimy as does Mack Brown of Texas. Understand, I don’t like Oklahoma or Texas at all but their coaches don’t seem like unsavory slime buckets. Other coaches in my un-slimy category include Dan Hawkins at Colorado, Joe Glenn at Wyoming and Jeff Tedford at Cal.
One coach that many may find slimy but I find to be un-slimy is South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier. I find him to be brutally honest and while his smirkiness at times makes me want to rip his visor off his head, I don’t find him slimy.
Anyway, I’m sure you have your list of coaches that you find slimy and un-slimy. That’s my list and I’m making a verbal commitment to stick with it.
SPORTING THOUGHTS……By Bill Rogan (1-18-07)
Is anybody as tired of Michelle Wie’s lame act as I am? She should play on the women’s tour where she belongs. She is embarrassing herself trying to compete with men. Maybe Wie should try winning a women’s event for a change. Her next LPGA tour win will be her first.
There were actually a few baseball writers that didn’t vote for Tony Gwynn or Cal Ripken for the Baseball Hall of Fame. It is hard to imagine a baseball writer not voting for either of them. Balloting should be made public and writers should be held accountable for their votes.
It appears former heavyweight champeen Mike Tyson will be doing time in Arizona for his latest escapade, this time for drugs. How would you like to be sitting in a cell, for a crime you didn’t commit of course, and the cell door opens and in walks Tyson? “Hi, I’m Mike and I’m your new cellmate.”
Some people are calling for the Chargers to fire Marty Schottenheimer after a 14-2 season and another early playoff exit. What the Chargers should do is let Schottenheimer coach the regular season and then fire him before the playoffs. Just tell him, “Marty, your fired. But it’s only temporary. Take some time off and we’ll see you in training camp.”
The National Western Stock Show is back in Denver. One thing I don’t understand is the rodeo. To me it is animal abuse. Or do you think lassoing a calf, yanking it to the ground by its neck and hog-tying it is sport? I also find myself rooting for the bull when some cowboy is trying to ride it. Furthermore, rodeo clowns aren’t funny. I know, I know, I just don’t get it.
Best gig in town? How about Jose Theodore? The Avs backup goalie is making a fortune and he’s got a great seat to watch Peter Budaj play every night.
Have you seen the latest cover of ESPN The Magazine? Or is it Tattoo Magazine? Anyway, Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson are posing and they look more like gangstas instead of basketball players. Would it hurt them to smile? And the NBA wonders why they have an image problem.
Ohio State Center Greg Oden will likely be the number one pick in the NBA draft. If I were in a position to draft Oden I would want to see his birth certificate first. I have never seen a freshman that looks as old as Oden. Except for Rodney Dangerfield in ‘Back To School’.
I wonder what Steve Bartman is doing these days? I admire the fact that he hasn’t written a book or tried to cash in somehow on his notoriety in Cubs baseball history. Although, maybe it’s best Steve forever keep a low profile. Or until the Cubs win a World Series. Which will likely take forever anyway.
It’s been a while since the Boston Celtics have been good, hasn’t it? I suppose the ghosts of Boston Garden didn’t make the move to the new building more than a decade ago. Hard to believe the Celtics last championship was in 1986.
BOBBY MURCER…….By Bill Rogan (1-11-07)
My baseball hero growing up was Yankees centerfielder Bobby Murcer. I would look forward to every Yankees game, either on television or the radio to follow Bobby’s exploits. Whenever my parents would take me to Yankee Stadium, which was often, it was like Christmas, the 4th of July and my birthday combined.
As a young ballplayer myself, I tried to emulate every move Murcer made. I copied the way he ran, the way he threw, the way he positioned himself in the outfield when the pitch was made and of course I mimicked his hunched over batting style. That was probably a mistake though since it put me in a five-year slump.
I can still recall, vividly, going to an Indians-Yankees doubleheader on June 24, 1970 with my dad and cousin Charlie. The Yankees lost the first game but Murcer homered his last time up. In the second game, a must game for the Yanks according to this eight year old, Bobby hit three straight home runs. The Yankees won the game and my favorite player had belted four consecutive homers over the course of the twin-bill.
Another moment I’ll never forget is when Bobby came up in a big spot one afternoon. We were sitting in the lower level in right field during a sparsely attended game. I of course had my glove with me and my dad told me to get ready because Bobby was going to hit one this way. Sure enough, the very next pitch, Murcer ripped a line drive right at us. My heart jumped. The ball hit a wooden seat a few rows in front of us and made a terrific noise. I scampered after the ball but someone else beat me to it. It was a thrilling moment for sure.
Following the 1974 season, the Yankees did the unthinkable. They traded Bobby Murcer to the Giants for Bobby Bonds. I was in shock. I threatened to become a Mets fan. Thank goodness that lasted less than one minute. But I was very angry and the next season rooted against Bonds every time he came to the plate.
Eventually Murcer was traded to the Cubs and then in 1979 was traded back to the Yankees where he belonged.
He retired during the 1983 season, opening up a roster spot for a young player named Don Mattingly. The popular Murcer then became a Yankees broadcaster and still is today. His easygoing broadcast style and his Oklahoma accent make for a pleasant listen.
Unfortunately, Murcer recently had a malignant tumor removed from his brain and his family is asking that you keep Bobby in your thoughts and prayers. He can certainly count on many prayers coming from me and I hope you too.
Bobby Murcer is 60-years old. I feel like I’ve known him my entire life. In my eyes and mind though he is forever a young man, chasing down flys, running the bases and smacking home runs.
HE CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH…..By Bill Rogan (1-4-07)
So Nick Saban, after weeks of denying he would leave the Dolphins, is now the new head coach at Alabama.
I’m not surprised Saban is going for the sweeter deal with the Crimson Tide. He left Michigan State and LSU for bigger and better contracts. Money talks. Loudly.
He obviously didn’t enjoy coaching in the NFL where he went 15-17 in his two seasons in Miami. He was offered more than 4-million dollars a year, plus incentives, to return to college ball and he jumped at it.
However, when you issue categorical denials, when you get testy with the media and claim over and over that you aren’t going anywhere, and then you bolt, you will have to take the heat that comes with intentionally misleading people.
For some people, their word and reputation actually means something. Apparently, not so much for Nick Saban.
In time, another school or NFL team will come after Saban because they know he can be bought. He’ll rail at the media and deny the rumors of him leaving Alabama. We won’t believe the Larry Brown of football and why should we? He’s a proven liar and his word means nothing. But Saban is tremendously wealthy and evidently that’s what matters more to him than his word.
