"The Match"

The next book that will go on my dusty book shelf is one that was written by Mark Frost.
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In 1956, two millionaires made a bet the night before the practice round at the Bing Crosby Tournament.
The millionaires were George Coleman and Eddie Lowery. Eddie Lowery bet Coleman that his two employees at his car dealership would beat any two golfers Coleman could find in 18holes of best ball on the following day.
Now Mr. Eddie Lowery history is famous because of his association with another amatuer golfer.   Lowery was the 10 year old caddie for 1913 US Open winner Francis Ouimet and portrayed in the book and movie The Greatest Game Ever Played.

The Amatuer Team-  Ken Venturi ( who would win have 6 PGA wins within 2 years) and Harvie Ward (3 US and British Amatuer Titles.)

Coleman convinced two golfers to tee it up, that had grown up playing and caddying at Glen Garden Country Club in Fort Worth. One had retired 10years prior, but the other was at the end of his competitive career.

Colemans Team:   Byron Nelson (had retired in 1946) and Ben Hogan (3 Majors in 1953)

J

This is the ONLY time I have seen the Opposing Teams act this way.

Larry Bird winning NBA Exec of the Year to go along with his Coach of the Year and MVP Trophies is really an amazing situation.
So in his honor:
Never have we seen an opposing bench cheering and high-fiving each other like this.

j

Muschamp - Loose Lips.

I laughed out loud when I saw this comment from the Gator Coach.

 “You ever been to College Station? It'll be the only time you go,”

His years in Austin seem to have removed the filter Coach Satan has taught him.

Welcome to SEC to the Aggie fans,  a place where you at least 5 schools are as arrogant as Texas and think they will be the Hell out of the Horns annually if they had a chance.

J.

SEC Rival Games

The Rumor is that the cross division Rivals will be Arkansas VS.  Missou. (I like it)
The other is South Carolina vs The Aggies. The Aggies will love the atmosphere.

An article in the paper by Guilbeau discussed how that the LSU-FLA game should continue, even against the wishes of the LSU administrators.   For the record, FLA publicly wanted to keep the game.

The conference supposed voted 10-2 against dropping the annual rival game.

My Thoughts:
It is absurd that two of the top 10 schools in America do this.  
It is fun to watch, but a complete joke to compare the schedule year in and year out in the conference standings to win the division.  Spurrier and Miles supposedly agree with with this idea.

"The Yearly Rivals"
Alabama vs. Tennessee      Ala leads 48-38-7
Arkansas vs. Missouri        Mo leads Series 2-3.
Auburn vs. Georgia           Aub leads 54-53-8
LSU vs. Florida                 FLA Leads Series 30-24-3
Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt      Ole Miss Leads 47-37-2
Mississippi State vs. Kentucky       Kentucky Leads 20-19
Texas A&M vs. South Carolina  -  Never Played.

j

Saban and SEC coaches have Message for Big 10 Commish.

"It's self-absorbed people who are worried about how it affects their circumstance or their league rather than what's best for college football who would want to do that," Saban told SECSports.com. "It's not what's best for the fans because they've made it very clear what they want it to be."

He was targeting the proposal from Delaney that only Conference Champs could be in the 4 team playoff.

Muschamp and a few others were saying the same thing at the conference.


J

Eagle Stadium

3 months to opening

The Bambino

Ruth at bat - you can feel the power ready to uncoil.  It makes me think also of Mantle.

Check out this video I found on YouTube breaking down a classic Ruth swing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bUvU4gH1GI

It is titled Babe Ruth Swing Analysis

S

The Big Bam

Finished this week the newest book on baseball's greatest player and icon, who else but George Herman Ruth, the Babe?  I would say that reading the book reinforced everything we think.  Also, Ruth was in the 1920's something akin to Elvis Presley, Lebron James, and Kim Kardashian all rolled into one.  The guy who nobody could get enough of.  The guy who sold papers and moved product.  The guy whose every word was news.  One paper in NY assigned someone to him 365 days a year for a decade.

Of course, for you and me the important thing, the thing that gets lost, is the talent and ability.  Today his name is as big as ever, but most people hardly know anything other than the portly slugger who drank and womanized on a huge scale.  And he did.  But the Babe was the first modern athlete and certainly the first modern baseball player.  Like his contemporary Louis Armstrong he totally revolutionized his vocation and made it into what it is today.

I want to point out a few things I noted during the read:

• At the orphanage he played upward of 200 baseball games a year and played every position.  He often cited all those games as a boy as being why he was so successful.  The scout who signed him out of St. Mary's called him the most graceful big man he had ever witnessed.
• At the age of 18 (1914) he played in the International League for Baltimore and went 26-8 as a pitcher.
• In the 1916 season, Ruth pitched against Walter Johnson 5 times and went 4-0 winning 5-1, 1-0, 1-0, 2-1, and getting a no decision in a 2-2 game through 9.  They were the 2 best pitchers in baseball.  The next year as a part-time hitter, Ruth homered against Johnson out of the park into someone's front yard.
• During his prime as a pitcher, 1915-1918, the Babe allowed just 6.7 hits per 9 innings.  In 1916-1917, he threw 15 shutouts.
• By 1918 he was acknowledged as the best player in baseball, long before making his splash with the Yankees in 1920.  The debate raged as to whether he should move to the field full-time.  He started 19 games, completed 18, won 13 lost 7 with an ERA of 2.22, hit .300 and led the league in homers and slugging %.
• Also in 1918 he smashed a homer (dead ball?) that so stunned all observers that it was immediately measured.  It was judged to have flown 508 feet and rolled to 579.  John McGraw always claimed it was the longest ball ever hit.
• When Ruth hit NY in 1920 at the age of 25 and hit 54 homers, he was already a huge star having set the major league baseball record for homers in 1919 with 29.
• As he readied for the 1923 season, his weight was recorded as 202 on his 6'2" frame.  He was never this light again, but the point is that during his prime Ruth was hardly fat.
• In 1926 he started working with a personal trainer in the off season.  For the next 4-5 years he mostly played at around 220.  There was a story at this time about how good he was at handball and how quickly he moved his 220 pounds around the court getting to balls no one thought he could.
• In 1926, in the middle of the new live-ball era, Ruth won the homer title in the AL 47-19 while the NL leader had 21.  Gehrig had 16.
• For his entire career, the Babe reached base 47.4% of the time he went to bat.
• Despite rumors, Ruth used a 42-oz bat in his prime and went to lighter bats as he got older
• At the age of 39 he pitched for the last time and won a complete game 6-5 decision, throwing shutout ball through the first 5.
• Ruth and Gehrig had a good relationship until 1933 when they got in a spat about Gehrig's wife and didn't talk again until 1939.  Yes Ruth apparently slept with her.
• We forget now about barnstorming.  Ruth, Gehrig and other big stars hit the road after the season and played upward of 100 games during the off-season in every small town in America.  The Babe played 250 games of baseball year in and year out and everyone got their chance to see him.
• In retirement the Babe golfed, bowled, and hunted.  He carried a 3 handicap.  Of course many reported that he was longer off the tee than anyone they ever saw.
• There were some pictures of the Babe at the plate hitting from behind that I've never seen and really enjoyed.  He had a closed stance and you could tell that the hip turn was the key.  He looks coiled and ready to do damage as the ball is in flight.  The bat was held straight up with the left elbow exactly perpendicular to the bat.  It is classic just as I imagined it to be.  We forget that despite all the extra stuff, Babe Ruth was all about what he could do to a baseball.  How I would love to see a video sequence of him at bat in 1921!

S

A Retirement Worthy of Mention

Coach G.A. Moore announced his retirement this week.  Most people won't recognize the name.  I would say that Moore's status as the all-time wins leader in the history of Texas high-school football demands some attention.  What other state does high school football achieve the legendary status that is does in Texas?  Books and movies have been made about it.  It is religion and myth.  The story of the state can hardly be told without mentioning it.  To be the all-time winningest coach here is a monumental status.  Moore was head coach for 45 years and never even reached 100 losses.  His record stands at 423-97-9 with 8 state championships.  He is most noted for his time at Celina and Pilot Point where he reigned as the king of lower-class Texas football (2A - 3A).  At 73, Coach Moore is headed to the ranch where he says cattle prices are great.  Goodbye to a true legend.

S

Cowboys 2012

I recently saw a sportswriter poll for the Boys win total- OVER _ UNDER  8.5.

Last month, I saw a Vegas betting sheet and the Cowboys were underdogs in 10 games.
I realize that the sheets in Vegas are set knowing Cowboy fans will bet to prove the faith.

Well, I cannot get past 8 wins.   Primary Reasons-  A Team full of Ambulance Chasers.
To Name a Few. 
Murray, Jones, Bryant, Miles.Scandrick, Jenkins.

Is this a drafting issue that needs to be addressed...
I believe we could discuss, Carter last year and 2 or 3 from this years class already being cut.

J.

Rory

This post comment is a bit jaded.

Rory has missed TWO cuts in a row!  Please no more comparisons to "The AC. "
He will never be AC WOODS and Thank God.

Anyway,
S, as you know there is only one thing to explain an athlete with Rory's talent missing the cut in two huge tournaments, back to back. 

Girl Trouble.

J.

Best two Players in the NBA

Durant has closed the Gap on Lebron in my eyes.  

The defense he put up on Sulky Boy "Kobe" showed a great level for aggression.
Lebron is still a step above, but Durant is improving his all around game and I am impressed.

Ratings
1.  Ball Skills- Lebron
2.  Shooting - Durant
3. Defense on the Ball - Durant
4.  Defense off the Ball - Lebron
5.  Defense on Perimeter Durant
6.  Defense on Block Lebron
7.  Team inclusion-  Lebron
8.  Blocks- Durant
9.  Team Player- Lebron

I still think that Heat lost to the Mavs last year, because of the Team Player flaw in the coaching at Miami,
There is no way in the world Lebron should have been 30 feet away from the basketball standing still with the ball.    Turn him loose and tell Wade to do play Defense and make cuts at the basket.  

Durant has much more quickness on Defense than I expected, unlike Kobe in his younger and older years, Durant doesn't have to push the other players shoulder to stay in front of them.
Basically, I am saying Durant will win 4-5 titles before he is done.

J

NFL and the Players

Order of Chaos.

1. The owners admitted an act of collusion when they fined the Cowboys and Skins for 2010.
2. The Players signed an agreement saying that couldn't file suit on anything the owners did before 2011.

So, what happens?  Physically gifted players feel cheated by the mentally gifted owners.
Lawsuits are filed and the NFL says you cannot  sue us.  

We heard the Quote " there is no crying in baseball," but there is definitely "No Soul in Football. "

J

Rangers at the Quarter Pole

At about the one-quarter point of the season, wanted to post on my view of the Rangers. They came out of the gate smoking with a chip on their shoulder. Since, they have flattened out. I am still giddy that the Rangers have turned into a model franchise. There is so much talent, great management, beautiful park, stocked minor leagues.

Everything for this team will hinge on 2 things: development of the young starting staff, and injuries. Offense, defense, bullpen are fantastic. They have 4 young arms on the starting staff who must get better to win a World Series. I hate the fact that the everyday team is ready to win a championship, but the staff may be too far behind them. The potential and flashes of greatness in Holland, Feliz, and Darvish give hope. But I have a hard time seeing them pitch the team through the 3 rounds of playoffs at this stage of their development.

And of course, too many of the core players have injury histories. Will we have Kinsler, Hamilton, Cruz, Beltre for 150 games or 120?

I love sitting down and watching this team. There are highlights most nights, on the mound, at the plate, on the bases. Wonderful times for Rangers fans and legitimate hope for a championship in the future. For this year, I can’t predict one based on the starters and their youth and inconsistency. But, it’s a fun ride.

S

Appreciating Duncan

I just read the new article in SI about Tim Duncan. It really made me think about how we choose our favorite players. We gravitate toward the mega-talents with big, exciting games who do the fantastic things; like Josh Hamilton, Kevin Durant, etc. The funny thing is I sit down and watch my favorite players and typically get frustrated. Hamilton swings at anything he sees despite the game situation. Durant too easily settles for long jumpers. But when I watch Duncan, I just shake my head in appreciation of how he does everything right.


Imagine a player coming along with these attributes:

1. Supremely gifted athletically – 1st team all-pro talent
2. 7 feet tall
3. Concentrates on fundamentals
4. Has little ego
5. Can put up any numbers necessary but doesn’t care about stats
6. Works to improve all facets of game, not just the flashy ones
7. Leads quietly and by example
8. Is proficient as a scorer, passer, rebounder, defender
9. Has no use for the trappings of fame and adulation
10. Never undermines management

I would challenge you to look at Duncan’s run in San Antonio and compare to any player/team/coach situation ever. Since Duncan arrived, SA has the best winning % of any team in any American team sport. They built that organization around Duncan and have a .700+ winning % and 4 championships to show for it. In truth, Duncan is the holy grail of athletes. Someone who has hall of fame talent, cares about winning, is a leader, is loyal, works hard, and doesn’t chase money/fame.

As a sports fan, I’m kind of embarrassed that we put any other type of player above Duncan in our attention. He is the guy we should all value the most, especially in this age of 24/7 news and twitter. He hit the league, made all-NBA and all-Defensive 13 years in a row and won 4 championships. His game is a training video waiting to happen and he does it all exactly right. No commercials, no twitter, no tabloids, no drama, just hoops.

S

Josh Hamilton

.467 with nine homers and 18 RBIs.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Frank Howard (1968) and Shawn Green (2002) are the only other players to have nine-homer, 15-RBI weeks in major league history.

What can I say, the bat is on its way to Cooperstown. 

J

NBA Superstars

Playoff Comparison for the Big 3.
Kobe- 43% FG - 31.2 ppg - 5.8 Reb - 0.2 blk- 1.4 steals- 3.40 TO - 4.5 assist
Lebron- 49%-27.5ppg- 5.80 Reb - 0 blks- 2.25 steals- 4.25 TO - 5.3 assist.
Durant- 46%- 26.6 ppg- 7.5 Reb-  1.8 blks- 1 steal- 3.75 TO - 3.8 assist.

With the efficiency rating:  Lebron 24.75 Durant are 24.75  Kobe 23.4
 I think that Rebounds are underrated and points gained with Shooting percentages under 48% should have a bigger impact.
I wish that the stats showed minutes with the ball in their hands and shots taken in the last 3 seconds of the shot clock.

Only Lebron is shooting a higher percentage than his team in the Playoffs.

J.

Saints - Coach Vitt

I cannot believe that the Saints were allowed to name Vitt interim head coach if the NFL had an affidavit saying that he was a primary party in the cover up.

If Hargrove is that specific in the details of what was asked of him in an effort to cover up, it is hard to imagine that anyone would accept Vitt for anything in a leadership role.

J.

The Natural Strikes Again

Tonight was one of those reminders of why I love sports.  Every once in a while you see the really special things.  In over 90 years of "live ball" American League baseball, no one has ever had 18 total bases in a game.  Not Ruth, Gehrig, Williams, DiMaggio, Mantle, or Griffey.  I walk in, turn on the Rangers, hear them say Hamilton had a 2-run dinger in the first.  2nd at bat: boom.  Next at bat, double to the wall.  Next at bat: boom.  I think: 1 more at bat?  Hope he goes for it.  Final at bat:  BOOM.  He hits 3 homers to dead center, 1 to left, and a double to right-center.  The most talented baseball player in 50 years gives us one more tasty memory to file away as evidence.  A feat accomplished a mere 16 times in the grand history of baseball, and we were witnesses.  Something even more rare than a perfect game.  The Natural can't seem to give us complete years, but the moments are something special.

S

Bubba, Rory, Woods, and Hogan.

Bubba winning the Masters made me very happy and his popularity continues to explode.  I see where he has WD from The Players next week.  I have to respect his decision and did not like the PGA announcers questioning his decision.  His play in New Orleans showed that he wasn't ready to start his next run. 
Long Live Bubba.

Rory, he is amazing to watch from the first round to the last.  It is a constant improvement.   If he could putt better he would be close to AC historically, but that isn't going to happen.

Woods, also known as AC, is blaming his Haney swing for his failures now.   Amazing, he actually missed his 8th cut ever this weekend.  Maybe that is skewed by his WD for supposed injuries in the past, but his consistent greatness was amazing.

In the recent SI article about Hogan and his great run, I found a piece of information that shocked me.  Even though the article was slanted toward his greatness, it still showed how smart Hogan really was.  The fact that he researched and designed clubs and balls to give him an advantage is amazing.  What a brilliant man, an arrogant ass, but brilliant.

Hogan's 9 majors is still amazing, even if he won 8 of them and had 31 of his 64 wins after Byron Nelson retired in 46.


J.

Matt Flynn

How do I word my feelings of apprehension of a big contract for Matt Flynn in Seattle?

I will say that I think that the Green Bay system and their brilliant coach has made a lot of people drink the Kool-Aid.

I hope he is the Best QB out west, I have to pull for a Tiger from Tyler.

J.

Jared Weaver No Hitter

During the last three years, Mr. Weaver seems to have found the "IT" factor.
I was glad his no-hitter popped up and the media could recognize his talent over forget the perfect game pitched for the White Sox earlier in the month. Weaver is now making a case for being considered a top 3 pitcher in the league.
He has been in top 2 of the AL in ERA and Whip for the past two years.   Fernandez 2010, Verlander 2011.

The most amazing thing to me, is that he doesn't get the number of Ground Outs as the other top pitchers.
If you look at his Air Outs vs Grounders it confuses me.
2011- Whip 1.01... GO- 174 AO-313.  ERA 2.41  
The person close to him was Verlander was at AO 270-Go 215, Whip .92. ERA 2.40.

This year he is on pace for another fly ball year.. 50 AO- 34 GO.( Around 300 - 200)

For a comparison, Halladay STATS. 2010- GO- 271 AO 195  -- Whip 1.03.  2010 -- GO 328- AO 204. 

Someone explain this to me! S, this is your specialty.. Is it good or bad?

j

Rivera Done?

At age 42 with a torn ACL, we may have seen the last of Mariano Rivera.  Where to place Rivera in the pantheon of pitchers?  Rivera has pitched about 1,219 innings, the equivalent of less than 6 seasons as a starter.  He has over 600 "saves" in the modern era.  He won 5 (I think) championships.  His career 9-inning stats are excellent: 7 hits, 2 walks, 8 K's, 2.21 ERA.  The ERA is the best ever in the post-war era for pitchers with over 1,000 innings.  However, I believe that modern relievers are over-valued.  Rivera contributed to less than 5% of his team's innings; compared to a C.C. Sabathia who contributes in around 17%.  Although his managers had great peace of mind knowing that he would close out a close game, in many of his appearances he appeared after the work was done and very seldom had to work in high-stress situations (compared to starters).  I do not know the totals, but a high % of his saves were 3 outs, with no baserunners inherited, and a comfortable lead to work with.  Rivera was no doubt effective, in fact among the 3-out closers of this era, he was probably the best or among the top 2 or 3.  But I cannot go along with those saying today that he is among the great pitchers of all time.  I simply don't think that modern relievers make the impact that many believe they do over a long haul.  And, this is not just a Yankee-hate thing; I say the same thing about Trevor Hoffman.  A guy who pitches a mere 1,200 innings in those circumstances just doesn't cut it as a true all-time great in my book when compared to the whole population of pitchers across history.

S